bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Duration Effect of Pulse-Type Near-Field Earthquakes on Nonlinear Dynamic Analysis and Damage Evaluation of Hydraulic Tunnels
Authors: Liu Weiying , Sun Benbo , Zhang Sherong , Wang Chao , Cui Wei , Zhao Xiaohua
Published: February 2023

Current research trends in significant hydraulic engineering projects focus on investigating the seismological properties of intensity and frequency content of pulse-type near-field earthquakes on the structural response. Conversely, the duration impact is not expressly addressed in the seismic design code for underground buildings. Currently, various duration indicators of as-recorded strong ground motions mainly consider the effective duration of the initial acceleration component record. In contrast, the duration indicators for the effective velocity duration (EVD) of the original velocity time-history component record have rarely been addressed. Specifically, there is a gap between the effective velocity duration and the structural response. To illustrate the impact on the structural response, an EVD of pulse-type NFGM duration was used. This EVD can be calculated for seismic excitations with set threshold values that enable a quantitative examination of the duration effects. A fluid-hydraulic tunnel-rock interaction system was built and used to estimate the seismic response characteristics induced by different duration NFGMs. The investigation’s findings highlight that the inelastic dynamic response and damage degree are strongly affected by the EVD. Additionally, the fixed threshold value of 5–95% showed an excellent correlation coefficient with the structural response. The significant duration was also found to be the most suitable alternative indicator to replace the EVD index. In addition, the reduced time-history methodology of near-fault earthquake records is presented and validated, with this method being used to improve the efficiency of the dynamic time-history analysis of hydraulic arched tunnels.
Effect of Heat Stress on the Behavior of Lactating Cows Housed in Compost Barns: A Systematic Review
Authors: Frigeri Karen Dal’ Magro , Deniz Matheus , Damasceno Flávio Alves , Barbari Matteo , Herbut Piotr , Vieira Frederico Márcio Corrêa
Published: February 2023

In this study, we performed a systematic review to assess the effect of thermal stress on the behavior of lactating cows housed in compost barns. Peer-reviewed articles written in English that evaluated the effect of heat stress on the behavior of lactating cows raised in compost barns were used in this systematic review. The resulting articles (38) underwent a four-step PRISMA appraisal process and resulted in six articles that fitted our inclusion criteria. Our review highlighted that the temperature and humidity index prevailed among the studies to evaluate thermal comfort. Regarding the behavior, heat stress promoted decreases in feed events and the time that cows spent lying down. In contrast, there was an increase in events of visiting the water trough, the number of steps, agonistic behavior, and dyspnea. In conclusion, heat stress affected the behavior of lactating cows raised in compost barns; however, some care is needed in extrapolating our findings since this is a recent research area and further studies are needed.
Exclusive Bus Lane Allocation Considering Multimodal Traffic Equity Based on Bi-Level Programming
Authors: Lu Xiaojuan , Wang Jianjun , Yuen Choon Wah , Zheng Shiyu
Published: February 2023

To ensure the equity of exclusive bus lane (EBL) allocation under multimodal traffic conditions, a bi-level programming model is first constructed. The upper-level model is the minimum total system cost considering the Gini coefficient and the lower-level model constructed a stochastic user equilibrium (SUE) model based on logit loading. Secondly, a heuristic algorithm combining an improved genetic algorithm (GA) and a method of the successive average method (MSA) is designed. Finally, the Nguyen and Dupuis networks are used as examples to verify and analyze the effectiveness, superiority and sensitivity of the model and algorithm. The results show that the method can effectively obtain the optimal solution of the upper-level model as 15,004 RMB, the Gini coefficient is 0.31, and the equity is at a relatively reasonable level. Compared with the different allocation schemes, the proposed scheme has a higher bus sharing rate and lower Gini coefficient. At the same time, when the actual demand is twice the basic demand, the bus share rate is the largest, 65%, and the Gini coefficient is the smallest at 0.3. The bus share rate decreases with the increase in the proportion of high time value travelers, which fully verifies the sensitivity of the model to the type of traveler.
Template-Free Synthesis of One-Dimensional SnO2 Nanostructures Using Highly Efficient Hydrothermal Method
Authors: Zhao Jingchen , Li Hongmei , Chen Yongtai , Xie Ming , Bi Yanan
Published: February 2023

One-dimensional (1D) SnO2 nanostructures, as n-type semiconductors with a wide band gap, exhibit unique photoelectric properties that offer potential applications in electronic, photoelectric, gas sensing, and energy generation devices. A detailed study of template-free reaction systems is essential to regulate and efficiently synthesise 1DSnO2 nanostructures. This study employed the hydrothermal method to prepare 1DSnO2 nanostructures, with SnCl4·5H2O as the tin source. The impact of various experimental conditions on SnO2 morphology is analysed. Here, 1DSnO2 nanostructures were characterised by analytical methods such as X-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and field emission double-beam electron microscopy. The results confirmed the formation of 1DSnO2 nanostructures with a mixed morphology of nanorods and nanowires. The nanorods exhibited a length of 422.87 ± 110.15 nm, a width of 81.4 ± 16.75 nm, and an aspect ratio of 5:1, whereas the nanowires displayed a length of 200 ± 45.24 nm, a width of 15 ± 5.62 nm, and an aspect ratio of 13:1. With the addition of 50 mg of polyvinylpyrrolidone and seed crystal, the acquisition time of the 1DSnO2 nanostructures decreased from 48 to 12 h. The 1DSnO2 nanostructures were efficiently obtained without a template, laying the foundation for large-scale production and application.
Overview on Different Types of Solar Cells: An Update
Authors: Soonmin Ho , Hardani  , Nandi Pronoy , Mwankemwa Benard Samwel , Malevu Thembinkosi Donald , Malik Muhammad Imran
Published: February 2023

Solar energy is free from noise and environmental pollution. It could be used to replace non-renewable sources such as fossil fuels, which are in limited supply and have negative environmental impacts. The first generation of solar cells was made from crystalline silicon. They were relatively efficient, however very expensive because they require a lot of energy to purify the silicon. Nowadays, the production of solar cells has been improved since the first generation (thin-film solar cells, dye-sensitized solar cells, perovskite solar cells, and organic solar cells). In this work, the development of solar cells was discussed. The advantages, limitations, challenges, and future trends of these solar cells were also reported. Lastly, this article emphasized the various practices to promote solar energy and highlighted the power conversion efficiency of the fabricated devices.
Polarization Imaging Method for Underwater Low-Visibility Metal Target Using Focus Dividing Plane
Authors: Xue Haopeng , Li Ronghua , Zhao Yongfeng , Deng Yuan
Published: February 2023

Aiming at the problems of brightness attenuation and contrast reduction in the target image caused by underwater low-visibility environments, a metal target detection method based on split-focus plane polarization imaging is proposed. Firstly, a hybrid enhancement method is proposed to clarify the degraded polarization image. In this study, the GrayWorld method is improved to compensate the attenuation difference of the total light intensity of the polarization image. Variational contrast and saturation enhancement algorithms are used to reduce the underwater scattering effect; secondly, a split-focus plane polarization imaging system is built to complete the control of camera parameters, polarization image acquisition and information processing. Under different underwater low-visibility conditions, polarization imaging of targets with different materials can be realized; finally, an image quality evaluation system is constructed to compare the light intensity and degree of polarization images that are collected by the focal plane polarization imaging system. The polarization characteristics of metal and nonmetal target plates are analyzed. The results show that under the condition of low visibility, the obtained polarization image contrast of the metal target is relatively high, and its EME, information entropy and average gradient are increased by 183.82%, 53.46% and 586.22% on average relative to the image of light intensity. In an underwater low-visibility scene, the method of focal plane polarization imaging proposed in this paper can reduce the difficulty of metal target detection.
Potentiality of Rod-Type Chitosan Adsorbent Derived from Sewage Sludge
Authors: Seo Ji Hae , Kim Namgyu , Park Munsik , Park Donghee
Published: February 2023

The potential use of wastewater sludge as a biosorbent for the removal of various metals and metalloids from aqueous solutions was investigated. The sludge was immobilized in a rod shape with chitosan to improve sorption capacity and solid–liquid separation ability. An optimal condition for the production of rod-shaped chitosan-immobilized sludge (RCS) was determined by considering the biosorbent production potential and As(V) removal efficiency. The optimal sludge and chitosan contents and RCS thickness were 6.0%, 4.0%, and 0.2–0.3 mm, respectively. The anion removal performance of RCS was investigated for As(V), Cr(VI), and Mn(VII), and the cation removal performance was investigated for Cd(II). Pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models adequately explained the kinetic data for the RCS, while the Langmuir and Freundlich models explained the equilibrium data for the RCS. These results showed that RCS has a higher adsorption capacity for anions than for cations. The results also indicated that electrostatic attraction or ion exchange is the main mechanism for metal/metalloid removal by RCS, except for the case of Mn(VII) where an adsorption-coupled reduction mechanism may be suggested.
Oral Cavity Beta-Defensin Levels Are Regulated Differently during Radiotherapy in Head and Neck Cancer Patients
Authors: Keskin Mutlu , Suomi Emma , Harmankaya İlknur , Karaçetin Didem , Sorsa Timo , Gürsoy Ulvi Kahraman
Published: February 2023

Background: Human beta-defensins (hBDs) are small cationic peptides of the epithelium with broad antimicrobial and immune response-regulatory activities. hBDs are also related to oncogenesis, and their secretion profiles are affected by radiotherapy treatment. The present study aimed to investigate the oral cavity hBD 1-3 levels in head and neck cancer patients and its relation to radiotherapy treatment. Methods: Sixteen head and neck cancer patients (all with a history of smoking) were included in this study. Periodontal parameters were measured before radiotherapy, and medical information was collected from registries. Oral rinses of the patients were collected before radiotherapy; on the 1st, 3rd, and 6th weeks of radiotherapy; and the 1st month following the end of radiotherapy. hBD 1–3 levels were measured using ELISA. Results: Oral hBD-1 levels increased during radiotherapy at week 6 (p = 0.019). hBD-1 levels returned to pretreatment levels after the end of radiotherapy. No significant change was detected for hBD-2 or hBD-3 levels during or after radiotherapy. Conclusions: The constant expression of hBD-1, which is distinct from the infection and inflammation-dependent expression profiles of hBD-2 and hBD-3, may explain why this peptide is the only one affected by radiotherapy.
Detection of Cyberbullying Patterns in Low Resource Colloquial Roman Urdu Microtext using Natural Language Processing, Machine Learning, and Ensemble Techniques
Authors: Dewani Amirita , Memon Mohsin Ali , Bhatti Sania , Sulaiman Adel , Hamdi Mohammed , Alshahrani Hani , Alghamdi Abdullah , Shaikh Asadullah
Published: February 2023

Social media platforms have become a substratum for people to enunciate their opinions and ideas across the globe. Due to anonymity preservation and freedom of expression, it is possible to humiliate individuals and groups, disregarding social etiquette online, inevitably proliferating and diversifying the incidents of cyberbullying and cyber hate speech. This intimidating problem has recently sought the attention of researchers and scholars worldwide. Still, the current practices to sift the online content and offset the hatred spread do not go far enough. One factor contributing to this is the recent prevalence of regional languages in social media, the dearth of language resources, and flexible detection approaches, specifically for low-resource languages. In this context, most existing studies are oriented towards traditional resource-rich languages and highlight a huge gap in recently embraced resource-poor languages. One such language currently adopted worldwide and more typically by South Asian users for textual communication on social networks is Roman Urdu. It is derived from Urdu and written using a Left-to-Right pattern and Roman scripting. This language elicits numerous computational challenges while performing natural language preprocessing tasks due to its inflections, derivations, lexical variations, and morphological richness. To alleviate this problem, this research proposes a cyberbullying detection approach for analyzing textual data in the Roman Urdu language based on advanced preprocessing methods, voting-based ensemble techniques, and machine learning algorithms. The study has extracted a vast number of features, including statistical features, word N-Grams, combined n-grams, and BOW model with TFIDF weighting in different experimental settings using GridSearchCV and cross-validation techniques. The detection approach has been designed to tackle users’ textual input by considering user-specific writing styles on social media in a colloquial and non-standard form. The experimental results show that SVM with embedded hybrid N-gram features produced the highest average accuracy of around 83%. Among the ensemble voting-based techniques, XGboost achieved the optimal accuracy of 79%. Both implicit and explicit Roman Urdu instances were evaluated, and the categorization of severity based on prediction probabilities was performed. Time complexity is also analyzed in terms of execution time, indicating that LR, using different parameters and feature combinations, is the fastest algorithm. The results are promising with respect to standard assessment metrics and indicate the feasibility of the proposed approach in cyberbullying detection for the Roman Urdu language.
Seismic Upgrade of Steel Frame Buildings by Using Damped Braces
Authors: Bruschi Eleonora , Quaglini Virginio , Zoccolini Luca
Published: February 2023

Supplementary energy dissipation has proved to be an effective way of protecting structures from the disastrous effects of earthquakes and has been used in the last decades both in new and in existing constructions. In this regard, various procedures for the design of the damping system for the seismic retrofit of buildings have been formulated over the years, mainly focused on reinforced concrete (RC) constructions, which represent the largest part of the existing stock in many seismic-prone countries. The study deals with the assessment of a displacement-based design procedure for proportioning the damping system recently proposed in the literature for RC framed buildings, with the goal of establishing a good practice for the application of the procedure to steel buildings as well. The method was applied to three case-study frames, regular in plan and in elevation, which were assumed as being representative of old structures designed without consideration of seismic requirements. The retrofit was performed by using chevron braces equipped with dampers with an elastic-perfectly plastic behavior. The method aimed at defining the properties of the dampers to achieve a target performance in terms of the maximum lateral deflection for a specific level of seismic intensity. The effectiveness and reliability of the proposed procedure was eventually assessed by evaluating the seismic performance of the upgraded steel structures in static and dynamic non-linear analyses.
Supply Chain Management Maturity and Business Performance: The Balanced Scorecard Perspective
Authors: Pejić Bach Mirjana , Klinčar Amir , Aleksić Ana , Rašić Jelavić Sanda , Zeqiri Jusuf
Published: February 2023

This paper analyzes the connection between supply chain management maturity (SCMM) and business performance in light of the balanced scorecard (BSC) framework. The goal is to explore the relationship between SCMM and business performance from the financial and customer, innovation and learning, and internal processes perspectives. Industry characteristics (technological dynamism and the level of state support) are examined to determine their moderating effects. The survey was carried out on a sample of organizations from Bosnia and Herzegovina to test if the BSC approach can be a relevant framework for assessing the effects of SCMM on performance, and whether, as in many countries’ political legacies, the role of the government is significant in this relation. PLS-SEM was used to test the proposed hypotheses. The obtained research results confirm a positive relationship between SCMM and business performance from the BSC perspective. This relation is strengthened when an organization operates in an industry with higher technological dynamism. Interestingly, the results confirm that the level of state support does not influence the contribution of SCMM to business performance. This paper provides a more comprehensive view of the role of SCMM and an additional understanding of its contribution to multiple perspectives of business performance. Furthermore, the relevance of industry characteristics for SCMM and business performance has been illustrated by testing the moderation effect of technological dynamism and the level of state support.
Synchronous Homopolar Generator without Permanent Magnets for Railway Passenger Cars
Authors: Prakht Vladimir , Dmitrievskii Vladimir , Kazakbaev Vadim
Published: February 2023

The article presents the optimal design of a 35 kW brushless synchronous homopolar generator without permanent magnets for railway passenger cars. The excitation winding of the generator is located on the stator, and the toothed rotor has no windings. The generator characteristics are optimized considering the required constant power speed range. A single-objective Nelder–Mead algorithm and 2D Finite Element Analysis were used for the optimization. As a result of the optimization, power losses are significantly reduced over the entire operating range of the generator rotational speed, the current capacity of the solid-state rectifier, and the torque ripple. A comparison of the calculated characteristics of the generator under consideration with the characteristics of a commercially available undercar generator shows that the active volume is reduced by a factor of 2.1, and the losses are significantly reduced over the entire operating speed range.
An Anchor-Free Network for Increasing Attention to Small Objects in High Resolution Remote Sensing Images
Authors: Zhou Huaping , Guo Wei , Zhao Qi
Published: February 2023

Aimed at the problems of small object detection in high resolution remote sensing images, such as difficult detection, diverse scales, and dense distribution, this study proposes a new method, DCE_YOLOX, which is more focused on small objects. The method uses depthwise separable deconvolution for upsampling, which can effectively recover lost feature information and combines dilated convolution and CoTNet to extract local contextual features, which can make full use of the hidden semantic information. At the same time, EcaNet is added to the enhanced feature extraction network of the baseline model to make the model more focused on information-rich features; secondly, the network input resolution is optimized, which can avoid the impact of image scaling to a certain extent and improve the accuracy of small object detection. Finally, CSL is used to calculate the angular loss to achieve the rotated object detection of remote sensing images. The proposed method in this study achieves 83.9% accuracy and 76.7% accuracy for horizontal object detection and rotationally invariant object detection, respectively, in the DOTA remote sensing dataset; it even achieves 96% accuracy for rotationally invariant object detection in the HRSC2016 dataset. It can be concluded that our algorithm has a better focus on small objects, while it has an equally good focus on other objects and is well suited for applications in remote sensing, and it has certain reference significance for realizing the detection of small objects in remote sensing images.
Pathological Background and Clinical Procedures in Oral Surgery Haemostasis Disorders: A Narrative Review
Authors: Pulicari Federica , Pellegrini Matteo , Scribante Andrea , Kuhn Elisabetta , Spadari Francesco
Published: February 2023

Haemostasis disorders are serious pathologies that could put dental and surgical procedures at risk as they are associated with postoperative bleeding, which in some circumstances could be prolonged and dangerous for the patient. In-depth knowledge of the problems associated with coagulation pathologies and the suitable specific procedures should be implemented in dental practice. A good awareness of the clinical protocols to be used in these circumstances may help reduce operator stress and increase patient compliance. Collaboration with the haematologist is always recommended to establish an adequate treatment plan, both regarding the administration of therapies that promote haemostasis and for assessing the operative risk. Hereby, we summarize the congenital and hereditary pathologies that lead to haemostasis disorders, which can be found in patients undergoing dental procedures. The purpose of this narrative review is to frame the diseases from a clinical, anamnestic, and etiopathological standpoint, as well as to evaluate an operative approach to the pathology under consideration, with particular attention to anaesthesia manoeuvres and post-surgical haemostasis, to avoid hematoma formation and uncontrolled bleeding which can lead procedure failure up and even death. Of note, it is likewise important to educate the patient about prevention, to keep the oral cavity healthy and avoid invasive procedures, limiting the number of operative sessions.
Engineering Design of the European DEMO HCPB Breeding Blanket Breeder Zone Mockup
Authors: Zhou Guangming , Rey Joerg , Hernández Francisco A. , Abou-Sena Ali , Lux Martin , Arbeiter Frederik , Schlindwein Georg , Schwab Florian
Published: February 2023

The Helium Cooled Pebble Bed (HCPB) breeding blanket is one of the two driver-blanket candidates for the European fusion demonstration power plant (EU DEMO) within the framework of the EUROfusion Consortium. As the EU DEMO program is going, testing of mockups becomes increasingly important. In this article, the engineering design of a first-ever breeder zone mockup of the EU DEMO HCPB breeding blanket is reported. The mockup will be tested in the high-pressure, high temperature, helium facility (HELOKA) at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. This mockup will act as a test rig to validate heat transfer correlations, CFD software, and thermal hydraulics systems codes. As pressure equipment, the mockup shall conform to the latest European Union Pressure Equipment Directive 2014/68/EU. The design description, rationale and test matrix, and corresponding analyses are discussed and presented.
Evaluation of Drug Interactions in Hospitalized Patients with Respiratory Disorders in Greece
Authors: Spanakis Marios , Ioannou Petros , Tzalis Sotiris , Chouzouri Flora , Patelarou Evridiki , Kofteridis Diamantis P. , Antoniou Katerina M. , Schiza Sophia E. , Patelarou Athina , Tzanakis Nikos
Published: February 2023

Background: Patients with respiratory disorders often have additional diseases and are usually treated with more than one medication to manage their respiratory conditions as well as additional comorbidities. Thus, they are frequently exposed to polypharmacy (≥5 drugs), which raises the risk for drug–drug interactions (DDIs) and adverse drug reactions (ADRs). In this work, we present the results regarding the prevalence of DDIs in hospitalized patients with respiratory disorders in Greece. Methods: A 6-month descriptive single-center retrospective observational study enrolled 102 patients with acute or chronic respiratory disorders. Clinical characteristics and medication regimens were recorded upon admission, hospitalization, and discharge. The prevalence of DDIs and their clinical significance was recorded and analyzed. Results: Unspecified acute lower respiratory tract infection (25%), exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (12%) and pneumonia (8%) were the most frequent reasons for admission. Cardiovascular disorders (46%), co-existing respiratory disorders (32%), and diabetes (25%) were the most prevalent comorbidities. Polypharmacy was noted in 61% of patients upon admission, 98% during hospitalization, and 63% upon discharge. Associated DDIs were estimated to be 55% upon admission, 96% throughout hospitalization, and 63% on discharge. Pharmacodynamic (PD) DDIs were the most prevalent cases (81%) and referred mostly to potential risk for QT-prolongation (31.4% of PD-DDIs) or modulation of coagulation process as expressed through the international normalized ratio (INR) (29.0% of DDIs). Pharmacokinetic (PK) DDIs (19% of DDIs) were due to inhibition of Cytochrome P450 mediated metabolism that could lead to elevated systemic drug concentrations. Clinically significant DDIs characterized as “serious-use alternative” related to 7% of cases while 59% of DDIs referred to combinations that could be characterized as “use with caution—monitor”. Clinically significant DDIs mostly referred to medication regimens upon admission and discharge and were associated with outpatient prescriptions. Conclusions: Hospitalized patients with respiratory disorders often experience multimorbidity and polypharmacy that raise the risk of DDIs. Clinicians should be conscious especially if any occurring arrhythmias, INR modulations, and prolonged or increased drug action is associated with DDIs.
“Animal-Style Art,” and Special Finds at Iron Age Settlements in Southeastern Kazakhstan: Chronology, Trade, and Networks during the Iron Age
Authors: Chang Claudia , Ivanov Sergei Sergievich , Tourtellotte Perry Alan
Published: February 2023

Two Iron Age settlements, Tuzusai and Taldy Bulak 2 (ca. 500 BC to 1 CE), located in southeastern Kazakhstan on the Talgar alluvial fan north of the Tian Shan range, have yielded a small collection of bone, antler/horn, bronze, and stone artifacts with an affinity to the nomadic art of the first millennium BC. Both settlements date within the period of late Saka culture. Two pieces have decorative ornamentations with zoomorphic imagery: a small carved fragment with carved images of a wing and an ear and a perforated bone disk with the carving of three birds’ heads. The other artifacts include objects associated with Saka weaponry or nomadic economy, such as two horn psalias (cheek pieces) and a bronze amulet. A carnelian bead will also be described as an imported object. These special finds were found on the occupation floors of mud brick houses and in the pit houses of settlements, not in grave or burial contexts. The objects were placed in a stratigraphic sequence in the settlement sites. The method for placing these objects within the chronological framework of “animal-style art” is through comparisons with similar objects found throughout Eurasia—a method used in Soviet and post-Soviet archaeology. The results show that the functional and stylistic elements of the six objects indicate that the Talgar settlements were part of a larger world-system of trade and communication along the early Silk Route(s).
Variability in Future Atmospheric Circulation Patterns in the MPI-ESM1-2-HR Model in Iran
Authors: Ghassabi Zahra , Fattahi Ebrahim , Habibi Maral
Published: February 2023

Analyzing and classifying atmospheric circulation patterns (CPs) is useful for studying climate variability. These classifications can effectively identify the links between large-scale and regional-local scale processes. This work uses the historical (1975–2014) and projected (2015–2054) simulations of the MPI-ESM1-2-HR model to reproduce the CPs over the Middle East and Iran. Eighteen CPs were identified based on the geopotential height (GPH) of 500 hPa data from Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) in SSP1-2.6, SSP3-7.0, and SSP5-8.5. The method of principal component analysis (PCA) and k-means clustering was used. Then, the possible variability of each pattern in the surface and mid-level of the atmosphere and their expected changes in the frequency of CPs in global warming scenarios were investigated. This research showed that CPs 3, 6, and 11 happen during warm months of the year. The surface thermal low pressure is associated with the subtropical high in the atmosphere mid-level. According to the intensity of the low and the northward development, or the orbital expansion of the subtropical high, this pattern has an increasing (CPs 3 and 6) or decreasing (CP11) trend in the future period. CPs 1 and 12 occur during cold months. In CP1, dynamic high pressure prevails over Iran. However, in CP12, Iran is affected by high pressure from southeastern Europe. They will decrease in future projections. CPs 7 and 16, which often occur in the transition season (spring), show an increase in the projected patterns. CP 18 occurs throughout the year, but its highest frequency is in autumn, and the frequency of occurrence decreases. An increase in 500 hPa geopotential height over the Arabian Sea in all 18 classes and all three SSPs is predicted for future periods. Analysis of the obtained weather types indicates the identification of all effective atmospheric circulation patterns in the study area so that the behavior and frequency of each pattern explain the prevailing atmospheric phenomena in this region.
Spatiotemporal Air Pollution Forecasting in Houston-TX: A Case Study for Ozone Using Deep Graph Neural Networks
Authors: Oliveira Santos Victor , Costa Rocha Paulo Alexandre , Scott John , Van Griensven Thé Jesse , Gharabaghi Bahram
Published: February 2023

The presence of pollutants in our atmosphere has become one of humanity’s greatest challenges. These pollutants, produced primarily by burning fossil fuels, are detrimental to human health, our climate and agriculture. This work proposes the use of a spatiotemporal graph neural network, designed to forecast ozone concentration based on the GraphSAGE paradigm, to aid in our understanding of the dynamic nature of these pollutants’ production and proliferation in urban areas. This model was trained and tested using data from Houston, Texas, the United States, with varying numbers of time-lags, forecast horizons (1, 3, 6 h ahead), input data and nearby stations. The results show that the proposed GNN-SAGE model successfully recognized spatiotemporal patterns underlying these data, bolstering its forecasting performance when compared with a benchmarking persistence model by 33.7%, 48.7% and 57.1% for 1, 3 and 6 h forecast horizons, respectively. The proposed model produces error levels lower than we could find in the existing literature. The conclusions drawn from variable importance SHAP analysis also revealed that when predicting ozone, solar radiation becomes relevant as the forecast time horizon is raised. According to EPA regulation, the model also determined nonattainment conditions for the reference station.
Analysis of Plasma Emission Experiments and ‘Dips’
Authors: Alexiou Spiros
Published: February 2023

It has been claimed that recent experiments using high-powered lasers have identified dip structures in spectral line profiles in plasmas and that these were successfully used to reliably infer both plasma parameters and information on high and low-frequency turbulence. The analysis of those experiments relies on a flawed theory. In the present work, we computed the line spectra correctly using the parameters inferred in the original papers. The results bear little resemblance to the experimental profiles. The only way to reconcile the parameters deduced in these experiments is to invoke very broadband turbulence, with the relevant distribution functions that are neither known nor measured playing critical roles. Furthermore, the dip positions are shown to be sensitive to details such as field directionality and variations in the frequency and field amplitude. Hence, dips cannot be used to reliably diagnose such plasmas.
“Atoms” Special Issue (Electron Scattering from Atoms, Ions and Molecules)
Authors: Srivastava Rajesh , Fursa Dmitry V.
Published: February 2023

Electron collision physics covers a broad range of processes in atoms and molecules [...]
An Expectation-Maximization Algorithm for Combining a Sample of Partially Overlapping Covariance Matrices
Authors: Akdemir Deniz , Somo Mohamed , Isidro-Sanchéz Julio
Published: February 2023

The generation of unprecedented amounts of data brings new challenges in data management, but also an opportunity to accelerate the identification of processes of multiple science disciplines. One of these challenges is the harmonization of high-dimensional unbalanced and heterogeneous data. In this manuscript, we propose a statistical approach to combine incomplete and partially-overlapping pieces of covariance matrices that come from independent experiments. We assume that the data are a random sample of partial covariance matrices sampled from Wishart distributions and we derive an expectation-maximization algorithm for parameter estimation. We demonstrate the properties of our method by (i) using simulation studies and (ii) using empirical datasets. In general, being able to make inferences about the covariance of variables not observed in the same experiment is a valuable tool for data analysis since covariance estimation is an important step in many statistical applications, such as multivariate analysis, principal component analysis, factor analysis, and structural equation modeling.
Numerical Computation of Hybrid Morphologies of Nanoparticles on the Dynamic of Nanofluid: The Case of Blood-Based Fluid
Authors: Alanazi Meznah M. , Hendi Awatif A. , Raza Qadeer , Rehman Muhammad Abdul , Qureshi Muhammad Zubair Akbar , Ali Bagh , Shah Nehad Ali
Published: February 2023

The movement of biological fluids in the human body is a premium field of interest to overcome growing biomedical challenges. Blood behavior shows different behavior in capillaries, veins, and arteries during circulation. In this paper, a new mathematical relation for the nano-layer of biological fluids flows with the effect of TiO2 and Ag hybrid nanoparticles was developed. Further, we explain the engineering phenomena of biological fluids and the role of hybrid nanoparticles in the blood vessel system. The improvement of drug delivery systems by using low seepage Reynolds number was associated with expansion/contraction and was discussed in detail through the rectangular domain. Using similarity transformation, the governing equations were converted into non-linear ordinary differential equations, and the mathematical problem was solved by employing the numerical shooting method. Plots of momentum, temperature, skin friction coefficient, as well as the Nusselt number on different non-dimensionless parameters are displayed via lower/upper porous walls of the channel. It was analyzed that the walls of the channel showed different results on magnetized physical parameters. Values of thermophoresis and the Brownian motion flow of the heat transfer rate gradually increased on the upper wall and decreased on the lower wall of the channel. The important thing is that the hybrid nanoparticles, rather than nano, were more useful for improving thermal conductivity, heat transfer rate, and the nano-layer.
High Performance H2−Mn Regenerative Fuel Cells through an Improved Positive Electrode Morphology
Authors: Rubio-Garcia Javier , Kucernak Anthony , Chakrabarti Barun Kumar , Zhao Dong , Li Danlei , Tang Yuchen , Ouyang Mengzheng , Low Chee Tong John , Brandon Nigel
Published: February 2023

The effective scaling-up of redox flow batteries (RFBs) can be facilitated upon lowering the capital costs. The application of ubiquitous manganese along with hydrogen (known as H2−Mn regenerative fuel cells (RFC)) is seen as an effective solution for this purpose. Here, we aim to evaluate different positive electrodes so as to improve the key performance metrics of the H2/Mn RFC, namely electrolyte utilization, energy efficiency, and peak power densities. Commercially available carbon paper and graphite felt are used to show that the latter provides better key performance indicators (KPIs), which is consistent with the results reported for standard all-vanadium RFBs in the literature. Even better KPIs are obtained when an in-house carbon catalyst layer (CCL) is employed in combination with graphite felt electrodes (e.g., more than 80% energy efficiency, >0.5 W cm−2 peak power density and electrolyte utilization of 20 Ah L−1 for felt and carbon metal fabric (CMF), prepared by means of electrospinning and carbonization, in comparison with about 75% energy efficiency 0.45 W cm−2 peak power density and 11 Ah L−1 electrolyte utilization for felt on its own). It is envisaged that if the electrochemical performance of CCLs can be optimized then it could open up new opportunities for the commercial exploitation of H2−Mn systems.
Conductive Metal–Organic Frameworks for Rechargeable Lithium Batteries
Authors: Deng Fengjun , Zhang Yuhang , Yu Yingjian
Published: February 2023

Currently, rechargeable lithium batteries are representative of high-energy-density battery systems. Nevertheless, the development of rechargeable lithium batteries is confined by numerous problems, such as anode volume expansion, dendrite growth of lithium metal, separator interface compatibility, and instability of cathode interface, leading to capacity fade and performance degradation of batteries. Since the 21st century, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted much attention in energy-related applications owing to their ideal specific surface areas, adjustable pore structures, and targeted design functions. The insulating characteristics of traditional MOFs restrict their application in the field of electrochemistry energy storage. Recently, some teams have broken this bottleneck through the design and synthesis of electron- and proton-conductive MOFs (c-MOFs), indicating excellent charge transport properties, while the chemical and structural advantages of MOFs are still maintained. In this review, we profile the utilization of c-MOFs in several rechargeable lithium batteries such as lithium-ion batteries, Li–S batteries, and Li–air batteries. The preparation methods, conductive mechanisms, experimental and theoretical research of c-MOFs are systematically elucidated and summarized. Finally, in the field of electrochemical energy storage and conversion, challenges and opportunities can coexist.
Electrocardiography Assessment of Sympatico–Vagal Balance during Resting and Pain Using the Texas Instruments ADS1299
Authors: Liao Donghua , Nedergaard Rasmus B. , Unnisa Misbah , Mahapatra Soumya J. , Faghih Mahya , Phillips Anna E. , Yadav Dhiraj , Singh Vikesh K. , Olesen Søren S. , Talukdar Rupjyoti , Garg Pramod K. , Niazi Imran K. , Brock Christina , Drewes Asbjørn M.
Published: February 2023

Sympatico–vagal balance is essential for regulating cardiac electrophysiology and plays an important role in arrhythmogenic conditions. Various noninvasive methods, including electrocardiography (ECG), have been used for clinical assessment of the sympatico–vagal balance. This study aimed to use a custom-designed wearable device to record ECG and ECG-based cardiac function biomarkers to assess sympatico–vagal balance during tonic pain in healthy controls. Nineteen healthy volunteers were included for the ECG measurements using the custom-designed amplifier based on the Texas Instruments ADS1299. The ECG-based biomarkers of the sympatico–vagal balance, (including heart rate variability, deceleration capacity of the heart rate, and periodic repolarization dynamic), were calculated and compared between resting and pain conditions (tonic pain). The custom-designed device provided technically satisfactory ECG recordings. During exposure to tonic pain, the periodic repolarization dynamics increased significantly (p = 0.02), indicating enhancement of sympathetic nervous activity. This study showed that custom-designed wearable devices can potentially be useful in healthcare as a new telemetry technology. The ECG-based novel biomarkers, including periodic repolarization dynamic and deceleration capacity of heart rate, can be used to identify the cold pressor-induced activation of sympathetic and parasympathetic systems, making it useful for future studies on pain-evoked biomarkers.
Vancomycin-Loaded, Nanohydroxyapatite-Based Scaffold for Osteomyelitis Treatment: In Vivo Rabbit Toxicological Tests and In Vivo Efficacy Tests in a Sheep Model
Authors: Alegrete Nuno , Sousa Susana R. , Padrão Tatiana , Carvalho Ângela , Lucas Raquel , Canadas Raphael F. , Lavrador Catarina , Alexandre Nuno , Gärtner Fátima , Monteiro Fernando J. , Gutierres Manuel
Published: February 2023

The treatment for osteomyelitis consists of surgical debridement, filling of the dead space, soft tissue coverage, and intravenous administration of antimicrobial (AM) agents for long periods. Biomaterials for local delivery of AM agents, while providing controllable antibiotic release rates and simultaneously acting as a bone scaffold, may be a valuable alternative; thus, avoiding systemic AM side effects. V-HEPHAPC is a heparinized nanohydroxyapatite (nHA)/collagen biocomposite loaded with vancomycin that has been previously studied and tested in vitro. It enables a vancomycin-releasing profile with an intense initial burst, followed by a sustained release with concentrations above the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) for MRSA. In vitro results have also shown that cellular viability is not compromised, suggesting that V-HEPHAPC granules may be a promising alternative device for the treatment of osteomyelitis. In the present study, V-HEPHAPC (HEPHAPC with vancomycin) granules were used as a vancomycin carrier to treat MRSA osteomyelitis. First, in vivo Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) toxicological tests were performed in a rabbit model, assuring that HEPHAPC and V-HEPHAPC have no relevant side effects. Second, V-HEPHAPC proved to be an efficient drug carrier and bone substitute to control MRSA infection and simultaneously reconstruct the bone cavity in a sheep model.
Tissue Integration of Calcium Phosphate Compound after Subchondroplasty: 4-Year Follow-Up in a 76-Year-Old Female Patient
Authors: Fokter Samo K. , Kuhta Matevž , Hojnik Marko , Ledinek Živa , Kostanjšek Rok
Published: February 2023

Subchondroplasty is a new minimally invasive surgical technique developed to treat bone marrow lesions (BML) and early osteoarthritis (OA). During the procedure, engineered calcium phosphate compound (CPC) is injected. It is claimed by the manufacturer that during the healing process, the CPC is replaced with new bone. The purpose of this study was to verify the replacement of CPC with new bone after subchondroplasty for the first time in humans. A 76-year old woman was referred for resistant medial knee pain. Standing radiographs showed varus knee OA and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed BML. She was treated with subchondroplasty of medial femoral condyle. Excellent relief of pain was achieved after procedure. Afterwards, the pain worsened, the radiographs confirmed the OA progression and the patient was treated with a total knee arthroplasty (TKA) 4 years after primary procedure. The resected bone was examined histologically and with micro-computed tomography (CT). Histologically, bone trabeculae of subcortical bone were embedded in the amorphous mass. However, no signs of CPC resorption and/or bone replacement have been found with micro-CT. In short term, excellent pain relief could be expected after the subchondroplasty procedure. However, there was no replacement of CPC with bone and the technique probably did not influence the natural process of knee OA.
Recent Advances in Cell Sheet Engineering: From Fabrication to Clinical Translation
Authors: Thummarati Parichut , Laiwattanapaisal Wanida , Nitta Rikiya , Fukuda Megumi , Hassametto Artchaya , Kino-oka Masahiro
Published: February 2023

Cell sheet engineering, a scaffold-free tissue fabrication technique, has proven to be an important breakthrough technology in regenerative medicine. Over the past two decades, the field has developed rapidly in terms of investigating fabrication techniques and multipurpose applications in regenerative medicine and biological research. This review highlights the most important achievements in cell sheet engineering to date. We first discuss cell sheet harvesting systems, which have been introduced in temperature-responsive surfaces and other systems to overcome the limitations of conventional cell harvesting methods. In addition, we describe several techniques of cell sheet transfer for preclinical (in vitro and in vivo) and clinical trials. This review also covers cell sheet cryopreservation, which allows short- and long-term storage of cells. Subsequently, we discuss the cell sheet properties of angiogenic cytokines and vasculogenesis. Finally, we discuss updates to various applications, from biological research to clinical translation. We believe that the present review, which shows and compares fundamental technologies and recent advances in cell engineering, can potentially be helpful for new and experienced researchers to promote the further development of tissue engineering in different applications.
Gait Event Prediction Using Surface Electromyography in Parkinsonian Patients
Authors: Haufe Stefan , Isaias Ioannis U. , Pellegrini Franziska , Palmisano Chiara
Published: February 2023

Gait disturbances are common manifestations of Parkinson’s disease (PD), with unmet therapeutic needs. Inertial measurement units (IMUs) are capable of monitoring gait, but they lack neurophysiological information that may be crucial for studying gait disturbances in these patients. Here, we present a machine learning approach to approximate IMU angular velocity profiles and subsequently gait events using electromyographic (EMG) channels during overground walking in patients with PD. We recorded six parkinsonian patients while they walked for at least three minutes. Patient-agnostic regression models were trained on temporally embedded EMG time series of different combinations of up to five leg muscles bilaterally (i.e., tibialis anterior, soleus, gastrocnemius medialis, gastrocnemius lateralis, and vastus lateralis). Gait events could be detected with high temporal precision (median displacement of <50 ms), low numbers of missed events (<2%), and next to no false-positive event detections (<0.1%). Swing and stance phases could thus be determined with high fidelity (median F1-score of ~0.9). Interestingly, the best performance was obtained using as few as two EMG probes placed on the left and right vastus lateralis. Our results demonstrate the practical utility of the proposed EMG-based system for gait event prediction, which allows the simultaneous acquisition of an electromyographic signal to be performed. This gait analysis approach has the potential to make additional measurement devices such as IMUs and force plates less essential, thereby reducing financial and preparation overheads and discomfort factors in gait studies.