bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stability Evaluation for a Damped, Constrained-Motion Cutting Force Dynamometer
Authors: Gomez Michael , Schmitz Tony
Published: February 2022

This paper describes the dynamic stability evaluation of a constrained-motion dynamometer (CMD) with passive damping. The CMD’s flexure-based design offers an alternative to traditional piezoelectric cutting force dynamometers, which can exhibit adverse effects of the complex structural dynamics on the measurement accuracy. In contrast, the CMD system’s structural dynamics are nominally single degree of freedom and are conveniently altered by material selection, flexure element geometry, and element arrangement. In this research, a passive damping approach is applied to increase the viscous damping ratio and, subsequently, the stability limit. Cutting tests were completed and the in situ CMD displacement and velocity signals were sampled at the spindle rotating frequency. The periodic sampling approach was used to determine if the milling response was synchronous with the spindle rotation (stable) or not (chatter) by constructing Poincaré maps for both experiment and prediction (time-domain simulation). It was found that the viscous damping coefficient was increased by 130% and the critical stability limit was increased from 4.3 mm (no damping) to 15.4 mm (with damping).
The Genus Xanthagaricus: An Updated Global Species Distribution and Phylogeny with the Description of Two New Species from Oman
Authors: Al-Kharousi Moza , Hussain Shah , Al-Muharabi Marwa A. , Al-Shabibi Zahra , Al-Maqbali Dua’a , Al-Balushi Abdullah H. , Al-Yahya’ei Mohamed N. , Al-Saady Nadiya , Velazhahan Rethinasamy , Al-Sadi Abdullah M.
Published: February 2022

Xanthagaricus is a saprotrophic mushroom genus with small-sized basidiomata in the family Agaricaceae (Agaricales). Prior to this study, 26 species belonging to this genus have been described and published. In this study, we reported Xanthagaricus for the first time from Oman with the description of two new species. Basidiomata of the new species Xanthagaricus appendiculatus and X. omanicus were collected during the monsoon rains of summer in 2018 in the southern coastal region of Oman. Species descriptions are based on morphological and molecular characterization. Phylogenetic analyses based on internal transcribed spacer region (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 = ITS) of the nuclear ribosomal DNA clustered the new species in the Xanthagaricus clade with strong statistical support. The new species Xanthagaricusappendiculatus can be distinguished from other species by its purplish pileus with umbonate disc and X. omanicus with the largest pileus (70–90 mm diameter) among the known species of the genus. A detailed description, photographs, line drawings, and a phylogenetic tree showing the position of both new species are provided. A dichotomous key to the known taxa of Xanthagaricus is proposed. Morphological comparisons of new species with known Xanthagaricus taxa are provided. Our observations highlight the diversity of Xanthagaricus and other lepiotaceous mushrooms in southern Oman and further document the need for additional systematic focus on the region’s fungi.
A Fungal Defensin Inhibiting Bacterial Cell-Wall Biosynthesis with Non-Hemolysis and Serum Stability
Authors: Qi Sudong , Gao Bin , Zhu Shunyi
Published: February 2022

Defensins are a class of cationic disulfide-bridged antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) present in many eukaryotic organisms and even in bacteria. They primarily include two distinct but evolutionarily related superfamilies (cis and trans). Defensins in fungi belong to the members of the cis-superfamily with the cysteine-stabilized α-helical and β-sheet fold. To date, many fungal defensin-like peptides (fDLPs) have been found through gene mining of the genome resource, but only a few have been experimentally characterized. Here, we report the structural and functional characterization of Pyronesin4 (abbreviated as Py4), a fDLP previously identified by genomic sequencing of the basal filamentous ascomycete Pyronema confluens. Chemically, synthetic Py4 adopts a native-like structure and exhibits activity on an array of Gram-positive bacteria including some clinical isolates of Staphylococcus and Staphylococcus warneri, a conditioned pathogen inhabiting in human skin. Py4 markedly altered the bacterial morphology and caused cytoplasmic accumulation of the cell-wall synthesis precursor through binding to the membrane-bound Lipid II, indicating that it works as an inhibitor of cell-wall biosynthesis. Py4 showed no hemolysis and high mammalian serum stability. This work identified a new fungal defensin with properties relevant to drug exploration. Intramolecular epistasis between mutational sites of fDLPs is also discussed.
Do the Mandibular Condyles Change Their Positions within Glenoid Fossae after Occlusal Splint Therapy Combined with Physiotherapy in Patients Diagnosed with Temporomandibular Joint Disorders? A Prospective Case Control Study
Authors: Derwich Marcin , Pawlowska Elzbieta
Published: February 2022

The research question was: do the mandibular condyles change their position within glenoid fossae after treatment combining occlusal splint therapy and physiotherapy in patients diagnosed with temporomandibular disorders (TMD)? Forty patients with TMD were included into the study. They underwent initial physiotherapy, and a six-month treatment of occlusal splint therapy with physiotherapy. Cone-beam computed tomography images of temporomandibular joints (TMJs) were taken before and after the treatment. The control group consisted of 15 asymptomatic patients, who did not receive any type of occlusal treatment. The changes in the dimension of anterior, superior, posterior, and medial joint spaces after the end of the treatment in patients with TMD were statistically insignificant. The average value of condylar ratio was significantly higher after the end of the treatment (p = 0.025). The changes in the condylar sagittal position were statistically insignificant. Occlusal splint therapy with physiotherapy did not change significantly the dimension of joint spaces, nor placed the mandibular condyles into the centric relation. Treatment of patients with TMD should not aim at gnathological concept of placing the mandibular condyles into centric relation, because centric relation appears not to be mandatory to achieve successful results of treatment in patients with TMD.
Establishment and Characterization of NCC-PMP1-C1: A Novel Patient-Derived Cell Line of Metastatic Pseudomyxoma Peritonei
Authors: Noguchi Rei , Yoshimatsu Yuki , Sin Yooksil , Ono Takuya , Tsuchiya Ryuto , Yoshida Hiroshi , Kiyono Tohru , Yonemura Yutaka , Kondo Tadashi
Published: February 2022

Pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) is the intraperitoneal accumulation of mucus due to a mucinous tumor. PMP predominantly occurs in low-grade carcinomas. The incidence rate of PMP is one to two cases per million people per year. The standard therapy of PMP comprises complete cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy. PMP recurs in about 50% of patients, and 30–40% are unable to receive the standard treatment because of its invasiveness. Therefore, novel therapies are of the utmost necessity. For basic and pre-clinical research, patient-derived cell lines are essential resources. However, only two PMP cell lines have been reported. Thus, we established a novel PMP cell line from resected metastatic PMP tissue. The cell line, named NCC-PMP1-C1, was maintained for more than 5 months and was passaged 25 times. NCC-PMP1-C1 cells demonstrated multiple amplifications and deletions, slow growth, tumorigenic ability, and dissemination of tumor cells in nude mice. We also used NCC-PMP1-C1 cells to screen drugs, which demonstrated a significant response to daunorubicin HCl, homoharringtonine, mitomycin C, and ponatinib. The NCC-PMP1-C1 cell line is the first PMP cell line derived from metastasized tissue and will be a potential resource for basic and pre-clinical research of metastasized PMP.
Land Cover Classification from Hyperspectral Images via Weighted Spatial-Spectral Kernel Collaborative Representation with Tikhonov Regularization
Authors: Yang Rongchao , Fan Beilei , Wei Ren , Wang Yuting , Zhou Qingbo
Published: February 2022

Precise and timely classification of land cover types plays an important role in land resources planning and management. In this paper, nine kinds of land cover types in the acquired hyperspectral scene are classified based on the kernel collaborative representation method. To reduce the spectral shift caused by adjacency effect when mining the spatial-spectral features, a correlation coefficient-weighted spatial filtering operation is proposed in this paper. Additionally, by introducing this operation into the kernel collaborative representation method with Tikhonov regularization (KCRT) and discriminative KCRT (DKCRT) method, respectively, the weighted spatial-spectral KCRT (WSSKCRT) and weighted spatial-spectral DKCRT (WSSDKCRT) methods are constructed for land cover classification. Furthermore, aiming at the problem of difficulty of pixel labeling in hyperspectral images, this paper attempts to establish an effective land cover classification model in the case of small-size labeled samples. The proposed WSSKCRT and WSSDKCRT methods are compared with four methods, i.e., KCRT, DKCRT, KCRT with composite kernel (KCRT-CK), and joint DKCRT (JDKCRT). The experimental results show that the proposed WSSKCRT method achieves the best classification performance, and WSSKCRT and WSSDKCRT outperform KCRT-CK and JDKCRT, respectively, obtaining the OA over 94% with only 540 labeled training samples, which indicates that the proposed weighted spatial filtering operation can effectively alleviate the spectral shift caused by adjacency effect, and it can effectively classify land cover types under the situation of small-size labeled samples.
On-Site Analyses as a Decision Support Tool for Dredging and Sustainable Sediment Management
Authors: Lemière Bruno , Laperche Valérie , Wijdeveld Arjan , Wensveen Marco , Lord Richard , Hamilton Alasdair , Haouche Laurence , Henry Mathieu , Harrington Joe , Batel Branislav , Lehette Pascal
Published: February 2022

Beneficial use of dredged sediments, either in harbours or waterways, is based on their potential as alternative resources. Such sediments can be considered as bulk materials for industrial needs, which is predicated on their current waste status or meeting end-of-waste constraints. They also can be an integral part of beneficial use projects using sediments as a bulk component, including civil engineering and landscaping. This is particularly important for beneficial use projects focusing on climate change effects mitigation, such as flood protection works, coastline defence or littoral urban areas redevelopment. When dredged sediment is used as a bulk material, its acceptability is based on an assumed homogeneity of its properties. On-site analyses allow pre-dredging detailed mapping at a denser scale than laboratory ones; monitoring dredgings during operations and during processing; and continuous control of their properties at the implementation site. This is currently possible only for a selection of inorganic analytes. When dredgings are part of a larger beneficial use project, on-site analyses facilitate first the baseline survey and the sediment source characterisation. Continuous monitoring of the sediment load allows a fast detection of contamination hot spots and their adequate management. Site survey via on-site instruments allow end users and communities to check themselves the contamination level, hence acceptability is better. On-site dredged sediment analyses monitor both building properties and environmental compliance; soil and sediment analyses at receiving sites; surface and groundwater, either for impact assessment or for monitoring works. On-site instruments provide immediate results and allow dynamic or adaptive sampling strategies, as well as allowing operational decisions in real time. Confirmation by laboratory analyses is required for validation, but on-site sample screening for laboratory analyses improves their efficiency. The present paper was developed on the basis of an earlier presentation, which it developed and updated extensively.
Adenoid Hypertrophy Risk in Children Carriers of G-1082A Polymorphism of IL-10 Infected with Human Herpes Virus (HHV6, EBV, CMV)
Authors: Lomaeva Iuliia , Aghajanyan Anna , Dzhaparidze Liudmila , Gigani Olga Borisovna , Tskhovrebova Leila V. , Gigani Olga Olegovna , Popadyuk Valentin I.
Published: February 2022

Adenoid hypertrophy (AH) is considered one of the most common diseases in the ear, nose and throat (ENT) practice. The cause of adenoid hypertrophy in children is still unknown. The main aim of the current study was to investigate IL-10 (interleukin 10) gene polymorphisms and human herpesviruses 6 (HHV6), cytomegalovirus (CMV), and Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) infections in children with AH. A total of 106 children with adenoid hypertrophy and 38 healthy children aged 2–11 years were included in this study. All children with adenoid hypertrophy were divided into three subgroups depending on the adenoid size. The viruses were determined via quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using commercially available kits (QIAGEN, Germany). HHV6 was more frequently detected in patients with AH compared with CMV and EBV. Among the three subgroups of children with AH, HH6 and EBV were prevalent in the children with the largest adenoid size. The frequency of genotype GG tended to be higher in the control group of children. We found significantly higher frequencies of the G allele and GG and GA genotypes for IL-10 rs1800896 in the subgroup of children with the smallest size of adenoid compared with other subgroups. In conclusion, HHV6 and EBV infection could contribute to the adenoid size. The genotype GG for IL-10 rs1800896 could contribute to the resistance to adenoid hypertrophy and the spread of the adenoid tissue.
Three-Dimensional Modeling of Segregation Behavior during Solidification of a Sn-6 wt.% Pb Alloy
Authors: Guan Jian , Pu Zhen-Peng , Zhao Si-Cong , Liu Dong-Rong
Published: February 2022

In this study, a three-dimensional (3D) solidification model was developed that uses a SOLA algorithm to solve momentum equations and accelerate iterative convergence. The macrosegregation behavior of a sand-cast Sn-6 wt.% Pb alloy was numerically investigated by the developed 3D model. The experiment was carried out for a casting with one side in contact with a graphite chill and the other sides in contact with resin sand. The necessary precision of in-house-developed codes was validated by comparisons with experimentally measured cooling curves and lead concentration distribution. The limitations of the model in fitting experimental results well were discussed. A comparative study between simulations in two-dimensional (2D) and 3D cavities showed that although the general distribution pattern of macrosegregation was slightly affected, the details regarding segregation degree, solute composition distribution over the solidifying domain, solidification time and fluid flow pattern were different. For 2D simulations without boundary walls, the convection behavior was less complicated, and the cooling process was slowed down both in the casting and in the mold.
MATLAB Algorithms for Diameter Measurements of Textile Yarns and Fibers through Image Processing Techniques
Authors: Abdelkader Mohamed
Published: February 2022

Textile yarns are the fundamental building blocks in the fabric industry. The measurement of the diameter of the yarn textile and fibers is crucial in textile engineering as the diameter size and distribution can affect the yarn’s properties, and image processing can provide automatic techniques for faster and more accurate determination of the diameters. In this paper, facile and new methods to measure the yarn’s diameter and its individual fibers diameter based on image processing algorithms that can be applied to microscopic digital images. Image preprocessing such as binarization and morphological operations on the yarn image were used to measure the diameter automatically and accurately compared to the manual measuring using ImageJ software. In addition to the image preprocessing, the circular Hough transform was used to measure the diameter of the individual fibers in a yarn’s cross-section and count the number of fibers. The algorithms were built and deployed in a MATLAB (R2020b, The MathWorks, Inc., Natick, Massachusetts, United States) environment. The proposed methods showed a reliable, fast, and accurate measurement compared to other different image measuring softwares, such as ImageJ.
Cathodic Protection of Mild Steel Using Aluminium-Based Alloys
Authors: Silva Campos Maria del Rosario , Blawert Carsten , Scharnagl Nico , Störmer Michael , Zheludkevich Mikhail L.
Published: February 2022

Typically, steel is protected from corrosion by employing sacrificial anodes or coatings based on Zn, Mg, Al or Cd. However, stricter environmental regulations require new environmentally friendly alternatives to replace Cd. Traditionally, Al-based anodes have been employed to cathodically protect steel in marine applications or as ion vapour deposition (IVD)-Al sacrificial coatings for aerospace applications. However, Al tends to passivate, thus losing its protective effect. Therefore, it is important to identify possible alloys that can provide a constantly sufficient current. In this study, Al-X alloys (X = Ag, Bi, Ca, Cr, Cu, Ga, Gd, In, Mg, Mn, Ni, Sb, Si, Sn, V, Ti, Zn and Zr) were firstly tested for a screening of the sacrificial properties of binary systems. Al-0.5Cr, Al-1Sn, Al-0.2Ga, Al-0.1In, Al-2Si and Al-5Zn alloys were suggested as promising sacrificial Al-based alloys. Suitable heat treatments for each system were implemented to reduce the influence of the secondary phases on the corrosion properties by minimising localised attack. extensive evaluation of the corrosion properties, including galvanic coupling of these alloys to steel, was performed in the NaCl electrolyte. A comparative analysis was conducted in order to choose the most promising alloy(s) for avoiding the passivation of Al and for efficient cathodic protection to steel.
Machinability of Different Wood-Plastic Composites during Peripheral Milling
Authors: Zhu Zhaolong , Buck Dietrich , Wang Jinxin , Wu Zhanwen , Xu Wei , Guo Xiaolei
Published: February 2022

The aim of this study was to improve the machinability of wood-plastic composites by exploring the effects of different wood-plastic composites on machinability. In particular, the effects of milling with cemented carbide cutters were assessed by investigating cutting forces, cutting temperature, surface quality, chip formation, and tool wear. The cutting parameters determined to yield an optimal surface quality were rake angle 2°, cutting speed 9.0 m/s, feed per tooth 0.3 mm, and cutting depth 1.5 mm. In these optimized milling conditions, the wood-plastic composite with polypropylene exhibited the highest cutting forces, cutting temperature, and tool wear, followed by polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride wood-plastic composites. Two wear patterns were determined during wood-plastic composite machining, namely chipping and flaking. Due to the different material composition, semi-discontinuous ribbon chips and continuous ribbon chips were generated from the machining process of wood-plastic composites with polypropylene and polyethylene, respectively. The wood-plastic composite with polyvinyl chloride, on the other hand, formed needle-like chips. These results contribute to a theoretical and practical basis for improved wood-plastic composite machining in industrial settings.
Application of Granular Biocomposites Based on Homogenised Peat for Absorption of Oil Products
Authors: Irtiseva Kristine , Mosina Marika , Tumilovica Anastasija , Lapkovskis Vjaceslavs , Mironovs Viktors , Ozolins Jurijs , Stepanova Valentina , Shishkin Andrei
Published: February 2022

Among the various methods for collecting oil spills and oil products, including from the water surface, one of the most effective is the use of sorbents. In this work, three-component bio-based composite granular adsorbents were produced and studied for oil products’ pollution collection. A bio-based binder made of peat, devulcanised crumb rubber from used tyres, and part fly ash as cenospheres were used for absorbent production. The structure, surface morphology, porosity, mechanical properties, and sorption kinetics of the obtained samples were studied. Composite hydrophobicity and sorption capacity to oil products, such as diesel fuel (DF) and motor oil (MO), were determined. The obtained pellets are characterised by a sufficiently pronounced ability to absorb oil products such as DF. As the amount of CR in the granules increases, the diesel absorption capacity increases significantly. The case of 30-70-0 is almost three times higher than the granules from homogenised peat. The increase in q is due to two factors: the pronounced surface hydrophobicity of the samples (Θ = 152°) and a heterogeneous porous granule structure. The presence of the cenosphere in the biocomposite reduces its surface hydrophobicity while increasing the diesel absorption capacity. Relatively rapid realisation of the maximum saturation by the MO was noted. In common, the designed absorbent shows up to 0.7 g·g−1 sorption capacity for MO and up to 1.55 g·g−1 sorption capacity for diesel. A possible mechanism of DF absorption and the limiting stages of the process approximated for different kinetic models are discussed. The Weber–Morris diffusion model is used to primarily distinguish the limiting effect of the external and internal diffusion of the adsorbate on the absorption process.
Role of Silver Nanoparticle-Doped 2-Aminodiphenylamine Polymeric Material in the Detection of Dopamine (DA) with Uric Acid Interference
Authors: Kaur Harjot , Sheoran Karamveer , Siwal Samarjeet Singh , Saini Reena V. , Saini Adesh Kumar , Alsanie Walaa F. , Thakur Vijay Kumar
Published: February 2022

A viable electrochemical approach for the detection of dopamine (DA) in uric acid (UA) utilizing a silver nanoparticle-doped 2-aminodiphenylamine (AgNPs-2ADPA) electrode was invented. The electrochemical performance of DA showed that the incorporated electrode displayed outstanding electrocatalytic performance to the electrochemical oxidation of DA. In our study, the AgNPs-2ADPA exhibits remarkable catalytic activity, retaining high current value and resilience when employed as a working electrode component for electrocatalytic detection of DA. We have also utilized the bare and polymeric-2ADPA in DA detection for a comparison study. This method offers a facile route with extraordinary sensitivity, selectivity, and strength for the voltammetric detection of DA, even in the presence of UA and ascorbic acid (AA) as interferents, that can be employed for pharmaceutical and biological specimens.
Quality Evaluation of Selected Organic Coatings Used on Roofing Sheets
Authors: Przystupa Krzysztof
Published: February 2022

This paper discusses the aspects of quality evaluation of organic coatings on roofing sheet surfaces. Scratch resistance was defined as a quality property of an industrial product. The research was comparative and exploratory in terms of the method applied and research results. The study followed a quantitative and qualitative approach in which evaluation is based on several parameters, such as the mechanical behavior of a coating in a scratch test, profile and depth of remained damage, and microscopic evaluation of damage mechanisms. The study parametrically describes coating damage and destruction mechanisms. It has been shown that the resistance of the coatings is not identical, and the research results confirm that the applied approach is relevant to evaluate qualitative features of roofing sheet metal coatings.
Prediction of Bonding Strength of Externally Bonded SRP Composites Using Artificial Neural Networks
Authors: Kekez Sofija , Krzywoń Rafał
Published: February 2022

External bonding of fiber reinforced composites is currently the most popular method of strengthening building structures. Debonding performance is critical to the effectiveness of such strengthening. Many models of bond prediction can be found in the literature. Most of them were developed based on laboratory research, therefore, their accuracy with less popular strengthening systems is limited. This manuscript presents the possibility of using a model based on neural networks to analyze and predict the debonding strength of steel-reinforced polymer (SRP) and steel-reinforced grout (SRG) composites to concrete. The model is built on the basis of laboratory testing of 328 samples obtained from the literature. The results are compared with a dozen of the most popular analytical methods for predicting the load capacity. The prediction accuracy in the neural network model is by far the best. The total correlation coefficient reaches a value of 0.913 while, for the best analytical method (Swiss standard SIA 166 model), it is 0.756. The sensitivity analysis confirmed the importance of the modulus of elasticity and the concrete strength for debonding. It is also interesting that the width of the element proved to be very important, which is probably related to the low variability of this parameter in the laboratory tests.
Catastrophic Impact Loading Resilience of Welded Joints of High Strength Steel of Refineries’ Piping Systems
Authors: Klimpel Andrzej , Timofiejczuk Anna , Kaczmarczyk Jarosław , Herbuś Krzysztof , Pedot Massimiliano
Published: February 2022

Refineries piping installation systems are designed, fabricated, and operated to assure very high levels of quality and structural integrity, to provide very high resilience to catastrophic events like earthquakes, explosions, or fires, which could induce catastrophic damage of piping systems due to collapse of nearby structures as towers, bridges, poles, walkways, vessels, etc. To evaluate the catastrophic impact loading resilience to failure of MMA (Manual Metal Arc Welding), GMA (Gas Metal Arc Welding), SSA (Self-shielded Arc Welding), and LASER+GMA of modern API 5L X80 pipes butt welded joints used for piping installation systems of refineries, the new, original technique of the quantitative and qualitative evaluation of impact loading resilience of butt welded joints of pipes was developed. The high-quality butt welded joints were impact loaded by the freely dropping 3000 kg mass hammer of the die forging hammer apparatus. The impact loading energy needed to exceed the yield strength of the extreme zone of welded joints and to induce catastrophic fracture of butt welded joints of API 5L X80 pipes was calculated using FEM (Finite Element Method) modeling of the impact loading process of tested butt welded joints of pipes. Results of the FEM modeling of impact loading technique of butt welded joints of piping systems indicate that it is a useful tool to provide valuable data for experimental impact loading tests of welded joints of pipes, decreasing the time and cost of the experiments. The developed impact loading technique of butt welded joints of pipes to simulate the catastrophic events in refinery piping systems and evaluate the resilience of the butt welded joints of pipes to catastrophic failure proved to be very efficient and accurate. Experiments of impact loading indicated that all specimens of butt welded joints API 5L X80 steel pipes are resilient to failure (cracks) in the extreme stressed/strained areas, above yield and tensile strength of the weld metals, no cracks or tears appeared in the extreme stressed/strained areas of the edges of the pipes, proving the very high quality of API 5L X80 steel pipes.
In-Situ Study on Tensile Deformation and Fracture Mechanisms of Metastable β Titanium Alloy with Equiaxed Microstructure
Authors: Wang Jing , Zhao Yongqing , Zhao Qinyang , Lei Chao , Zhou Wei , Zeng Weidong
Published: February 2022

Understanding the mechanisms of deformation and fracture of metastable β titanium alloys is of great significance for improving formability and service life. By combining the in-situ tensile test, TEM characterization and EBSD analysis, the tensile deformation behavior, activation of slip systems, crack initiation, and propagation of a high strength metastable β titanium alloy (Ti-5Cr-4Al-4Zr-3Mo-2W-0.8Fe) with equiaxed microstructure are investigated. The equiaxed microstructure is composed of primary α (αp) phase, transformed β (βt) matrix phase, and secondary α (αs) phase. In contrast to the hexagonal αp grain with limited slip systems, the body-centered βt matrix has more slip systems, however the hindering effect of αs phases on dislocation slip leads to the different deformability of the αp phase and βt matrix. The equiaxed αp grains are more prone to deformation and rotation to coordinate the overall deformation. The shear band leads to the formation of sub-grain boundary and even the fragmentation of αp grains. As a result, the microvoids tend to nucleate at the grain boundary, phase interface, slip band, and shear band. The inhomogeneous deformation in the plastic deformation zone around the crack tip is the primary cause of damage. The crack propagation caused by microvoids coalescence advances along the grain boundaries and phase interfaces in the form of intergranular, and along the activated slip systems and shear bands in the form of transgranular. Pinpointing the situation in the equiaxed microstructure and combining that in other typical microstructures will help to summarize the universal deformation and fracture mechanisms of metastable β titanium alloy, and provide a basis for alloy design and microstructure tailoring.
Investigation of PEEK Lined Pads for Tilting-Pad Journal Bearings
Authors: Chatterton Steven , Gheller Edoardo , Vania Andrea , Pennacchi Paolo , Dang Phuoc Vinh
Published: February 2022

Tilting-pad journal bearings are widely used in industry to support rotating shafts due to their high dynamic performance. The operating limits of these bearings are mainly represented by the maximum permissible temperature of the lined materials of the pads and by the minimum thickness of the oil-film under which mixed lubrication can occur. The current trend in bearing development sees the adoption of innovative materials in the production of the pads, that provide higher load capacity, higher temperature capability and greater fatigue resistance. In this paper, the static characteristics of bearings lined with different materials, will be investigated. The temperature distribution in the bearing will be evaluated by means of a full 3D thermal model whereas the deformation of the pads will be evaluated by means of a finite element model. At the end, the permissible operating range in terms of load and speed will be defined for each material by considering the limits on the maximum temperature, permissible mechanical stress and minimum oil-film thickness.
Design and Analysis of a Spherical Robot with Rolling and Jumping Modes for Deep Space Exploration
Authors: Wang Futao , Li Chaobing , Niu Shaohua , Wang Pengfei , Wu Huaisong , Li Bingyang
Published: February 2022

Complex and unknown terrains in deep space exploration present great challenges to existing exploration robots. In this paper, a multi-mode motion spherical robot with flexible motion and strong environmental adaptability is presented. The spherical robot can roll and jump by swinging the pendulum and rotating the 2-DOF frame. The structure design of spherical robot is described, and the feasibility of multi-mode motion is analyzed by establishing dynamic model and testing robot prototype. In addition, the adaptability of the spherical robot motion mechanism in microgravity environment is preliminarily verified. The results of this analysis and test could be provided with reference for the future research of deep space exploration robots.
Beam-Influenced Attribute Selector for Producing Stable Reduct
Authors: Yan Wangwang , Ba Jing , Xu Taihua , Yu Hualong , Shi Jinlong , Han Bin
Published: February 2022

Attribute reduction is a critical topic in the field of rough set theory. Currently, to further enhance the stability of the derived reduct, various attribute selectors are designed based on the framework of ensemble selectors. Nevertheless, it must be pointed out that some limitations are concealed in these selectors: (1) rely heavily on the distribution of samples; (2) rely heavily on the optimal attribute. To generate the reduct with higher stability, a novel beam-influenced selector (BIS) is designed based on the strategies of random partition and beam. The scientific novelty of our selector can be divided into two aspects: (1) randomly partition samples without considering the distribution of samples; (2) beam-based selections of features can save the selector from the dependency of the optimal attribute. Comprehensive experiments using 16 UCI data sets show the following: (1) the stability of the derived reducts may be significantly enhanced by using our selector; (2) the reducts generated based on the proposed selector can provide competent performance in classification tasks.
Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Agents from the Sea: A Molecular Treasure for New Potential Drugs
Authors: Vasarri Marzia , Degl’Innocenti Donatella
Published: February 2022

Nowadays, natural compounds are widely used worldwide for the treatment of human diseases and health disorders [...]
Bleeding of the Superior Vena Cava Due to an Iatrogenic Injury to It during the Ultrasound-Guided Central Venous Cannulation
Authors: Jung Seong-Hoon , Kim Dae-Hwan , Sohn Jeong-Eun
Published: February 2022

Central venous cannulation (CVC) is a procedure that is frequently performed to facilitate resuscitation, nutritional support and long-term vascular access. It may often cause mechanical complications during placement of a cannula in association with the anatomical relationship with central veins. A 68-year-old man visited our medical institution with a chief complaint of foreign-body-induced esophageal perforation. This patient presented with bleeding of the superior vena cava due to an iatrogenic injury to it during the CVC in the right internal jugular vein. Our case indicates that it would be mandatory to insert a cannula at an optimal depth considering the anatomical relationship between the central veins during the CVC.
The Relationship between Perioperative Blood Transfusion and Postoperative Delirium in Patients Undergoing Spinal Fusion Surgery: Clinical Data Warehouse Analysis
Authors: Kwon Young-Suk , Kim Jong-Ho , Lee Jae-Jun , Seo Eun-Min
Published: February 2022

Background and Objectives: For preventing postoperative delirium (POD), identifying the risk factors is important. However, the relationship between blood transfusion and POD is still controversial. The aim of this study was to identify the risk factors of POD, to evaluate the impact of blood transfusion in developing POD among people undergoing spinal fusion surgery, and to show the effectiveness of big data analytics using a clinical data warehouse (CDW). Materials and Methods: The medical data of patients who underwent spinal fusion surgery were obtained from the CDW of the five hospitals of Hallym University Medical Center. Clinical features, laboratory findings, perioperative variables, and medication history were compared between patients without POD and with POD. Results: 234 of 3967 patients (5.9%) developed POD. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, the risk factors of POD were as follows: Parkinson’s disease (OR 5.54, 95% CI 2.15–14.27; p < 0.001), intensive care unit (OR 3.45 95% CI 2.42–4.91; p < 0.001), anti-psychotics drug (OR 3.35 95% CI 1.91–5.89; p < 0.001), old age (≥70 years) (OR 3.08, 95% CI 2.14–4.43; p < 0.001), depression (OR 2.8 95% CI 1.27–6.2; p < 0.001). The intraoperative transfusion (OR 1.1, 95% CI 0.91–1.34; p = 0.582), and the postoperative transfusion (OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.74–1.12; p = 0.379) had no statistically significant effect on the incidence of POD. Conclusions: There was no relationship between perioperative blood transfusion and the incidence of POD in spinal fusion surgery. Big data analytics using a CDW could be helpful for the comprehensive understanding of the risk factors of POD, and for preventing POD in spinal fusion surgery.
The Poly-Glutamate Motif of GmMATE4 Regulates Its Isoflavone Transport Activity
Authors: Ku Yee-Shan , Cheng Sau-Shan , Cheung Ming-Yan , Niu Yongchao , Liu Ailin , Chung Gyuhwa , Lam Hon-Ming
Published: February 2022

Multidrug and toxic compound extrusion (MATE) transporters in eukaryotes have been characterized to be antiporters that mediate the transport of substrates in exchange for protons. In plants, alkaloids, phytohormones, ion chelators, and flavonoids have been reported to be the substrates of MATE transporters. Structural analyses have been conducted to dissect the functional significance of various motifs of MATE proteins. However, an understanding of the functions of the N- and C-termini has been inadequate. Here, by performing phylogenetic analyses and protein sequence alignment of 14 representative plant species, we identified a distinctive N-terminal poly-glutamate motif among a cluster of MATE proteins in soybean. Amongst them, GmMATE4 has the most consecutive glutamate residues at the N-terminus. A subcellular localization study showed that GmMATE4 was localized at the vacuolar membrane-like structure. Protein charge prediction showed that the mutation of the glutamate residues to alanine would reduce the negative charge at the N-terminus. Using yeast as the model, we showed that GmMATE4 mediated the transport of daidzein, genistein, glycitein, and glycitin. In addition, the glutamate-to-alanine mutation reduced the isoflavone transport capacity of GmMATE4. Altogether, we demonstrated GmMATE4 as an isoflavone transporter and the functional significance of the N-terminal poly-glutamate motif of GmMATE4 for regulating the isoflavone transport activity.
Bisphenol A Removal Using Visible Light Driven Cu2O/PVDF Photocatalytic Dual Layer Hollow Fiber Membrane
Authors: Mohamed Noor Siti Hawa , Othman Mohd Hafiz Dzarfan , Khongnakorn Watsa , Sinsamphanh Oulavanh , Abdullah Huda , Puteh Mohd Hafiz , Kurniawan Tonni Agustiono , Zakria Hazirah Syahirah , El-badawy Tijjani , Ismail Ahmad Fauzi , Rahman Mukhlis A. , Jaafar Juhana
Published: February 2022

Bisphenol A (BPA) is amongst the endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) that cause illness to humans and in this work was removed using copper (I) oxide (Cu2O) visible light photocatalyst which has a narrow bandgap of 2.2 eV. This was done by embedding Cu2O into polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes to generate a Cu2O/PVDF dual layer hollow fiber (DLHF) membrane using a co-extrusion technique. The initial ratio of 0.25 Cu2O/PVDF was used to study variation of the outer dope extrusion flowrate for 3 mL/min, 6 mL/min and 9 mL/min. Subsequently, the best flowrate was used to vary Cu2O/PVDF for 0.25, 0.50 and 0.75 with fixed outer dope extrusion flowrate. Under visible light irradiation, 10 mg/L of BPA was used to assess the membranes performance. The results show that the outer and inner layers of the membrane have finger-like structures, whereas the intermediate section of the membrane has a sponge-like structure. With high porosity up to 63.13%, the membrane is hydrophilic and exhibited high flux up to 13,891 L/m2h. The optimum photocatalytic membrane configuration is 0.50 Cu2O/PVDF DLHF membrane with 6 mL/min outer dope flowrate, which was able to remove 75% of 10 ppm BPA under visible light irradiation without copper leaching into the water sample.
Development and Characterizations of Engineered Electrospun Bio-Based Polyurethane Containing Essential Oils
Authors: Arik Nehir , Horzum Nesrin , Truong Yen Bach
Published: February 2022

We report the fabrication of bio-based thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) fibrous scaffolds containing essential oils (EO). The main goal of this study was to investigate the effects of essential oil type (St. John’s Wort oil (SJWO), lavender oil (LO), and virgin olive oil (OO))/concentration on the electrospinnability of TPU. The effects of applied voltage, flow rate, and end-tip distance on the diameter, morphology, and wettability of the TPU/EO electrospun fibers were investigated. The electrospun TPU/EO scaffolds were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), contact angle (CA), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The addition of oil resulted in an increase in the fiber diameter, reduction in the surface roughness, and, accordingly, a reduction in the contact angle of the composite fibers. TPU fibers containing SJWO and LO have a more flexible structure compared to the fibers containing OO. This comparative study fills the existing information gap and shows the benefits of the fabrication of essential-oil-incorporated electrospun fiber with morphology and size range with respect to the desired applications, which are mostly wound dressing and food packaging.
Impact Toughness of Spring Steel after Bainite and Martensite Transformation
Authors: Suh Min-Soo , Nahm Seung-Hoon , Suh Chang-Min , Park No-Keun
Published: February 2022

It has been reported that a multiphase microstructure with bainite, martensite, and retained austenite obtained by austempering, or quenching and tempering of spring steel containing Si, Mn, and Cr exhibits high strength and ductility. However, little research has been conducted on the bainite formation and impact fracture behavior of next-generation spring steel from the perspective of engineering and industrial applications. The microstructural transformation characteristics of bainite and martensite related to the heat treatment cycle on the maker side were quantitatively analyzed using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses. Moreover, the effects and mechanical properties of bainite and martensite formation in response to changes in lath length and width were studied and analyzed. That is, to obtain the mechanical properties of spring steel with the highest quality, tensile and impact specimens, whose microstructure and notch shape change according to the heat-treatment cycle, were prepared and studied.
Study of the Thermal History upon Residual Stresses during the Dry Drilling of Inconel 718
Authors: Chenegrin Kévin , Bouscaud Denis , Girinon Mathieu , Karaouni Habib , Bergheau Jean-Michel , Feulvarch Eric
Published: February 2022

The main objective of this article was to show for the first time that heat transfer plays a major role in residual stress generation during the dry drilling of Inconel 718, and to propose a numerical strategy capable of simulating such thermo-mechanical phenomena. An X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis shows that without lubrication, high tensile residual stresses can be observed on the surface of a deep through drilled hole. Such a situation can be highly detrimental for the fatigue lifetime of a mechanical component. A thermal history in five phases is first identified by means of temperature measurements exhibiting an overheating of approximately 500 ∘C on the created hole surface just before the end of the drilling operation. A 3D thermo-viscoplastic model is herein improved in terms of boundary conditions to show that this phenomenon is triggered by the progressive decrease in the Inconel 718 volume under the cutting zone. To the authors’ knowledge, such a phenomenon has never been reported and simulated before in the literature. Then, a 3D thermo-elasto-plastic simulation including elasticity is proposed to compute residual stresses from the thermal results of the previous model. It shows for the first time that the overheating stage induces sufficiently intense plasticity to produce high tensile residual stresses of approximately 900 MPa as we experimentally observed.
Improve the Mechanical Properties of Mg–3Al–1Zn Alloy via Simultaneous Annealing and Loading
Authors: He Jiejun , Wu Lushu
Published: February 2022

A strengthening phenomenon has been demonstrated in the Mg–3Al–1Zn (AZ31) alloy after simultaneous annealing and loading at 180 °C. The microstructural analysis reveals that a few second-phase particles appear in the material after direct annealing at 180 °C for 20 h. However, a higher quantity of the second-phase particles (Al12Mg17) is observed in the alloy after simultaneous annealing and loading. Further, a high stress is observed to be more beneficial for the precipitation of the particles. It is speculated that the stress applied during annealing can provide a better condition for the nucleation of the precipitates. The enhanced extent of precipitates may play a significant role in preventing the dislocation gliding, thus, leading to a strengthening effect. The observed phenomenon may also provide a novel strategy for strengthening the magnesium alloys.
Strip Steel Surface Defects Classification Based on Generative Adversarial Network and Attention Mechanism
Authors: Hao Zhuangzhuang , Li Zhiyang , Ren Fuji , Lv Shuaishuai , Ni Hongjun
Published: February 2022

In a complex industrial environment, it is difficult to obtain hot rolled strip steel surface defect images. Moreover, there is a lack of effective identification methods. In response to this, this paper implements accurate classification of strip steel surface defects based on generative adversarial network and attention mechanism. Firstly, a novel WGAN model is proposed to generate new surface defect images from random noises. By expanding the number of samples from 1360 to 3773, the generated images can be further used for training classification algorithm. Secondly, a Multi-SE-ResNet34 model integrating attention mechanism is proposed to identify defects. The accuracy rate on the test set is 99.20%, which is 6.71%, 4.56%, 1.88%, 0.54% and 1.34% higher than AlexNet, VGG16, ShuffleNet v2 1×, ResNet34, and ResNet50, respectively. Finally, a visual comparison of the features extracted by different models using Grad-CAM reveals that the proposed model is more calibrated for feature extraction. Therefore, it can be concluded that the proposed methods provide a significant reference for data augmentation and classification of strip steel surface defects.
Performance of Ni-Based Coatings with Various Additives Fabricated by Cold Gas Spraying
Authors: Alekseeva Ekaterina , Shishkova Margarita , Strekalovskaya Darya , Shaposhnikov Nikita , Gerashchenkov Dmitry , Glukhov Pavel
Published: February 2022

The complexity of the operating conditions in oil fields requires the development and use of materials with unique properties. This paper presents the study results for nickel-based coatings fabricated by cold gas spraying. In this study, compositions based on Ni, Ni-Cu, Ni-Zn, Ni-Al2O3/TiC coatings applied to low-alloyed steel bases were investigated. Corrosion resistance was studied by means of electrochemical autoclave testing in simulated oilfield conditions. Hydroabrasive resistance was studied using a unique testing bench. Scanning electron microscopy mappings, microhardness testing, and adhesion testing were used to correlate the results of the tests with the structure, continuity, and porosity of the studied coatings. All the studied coating specimens had a sufficiently high adhesion. The Ni-Zn coating exhibited the lowest corrosion resistance and high hydroabrasive resistance. The Ni-Cu coatings exhibited a high degree of corrosion. The Al2O3/TiC additives gave ambiguous results with respect to the studied properties. Thicknesses of 40–60 microns provided acceptable performance for the studied coatings. Thus, varying the chemical composition the thickness of coatings allows optimal qualities to be obtained for Ni-based coatings made by cold gas spraying for use in the oil and gas industry.