bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Features of Changes in the Parameters of Acoustic Signals Characteristic of Various Metalworking Processes and Prospects for Their Use in Monitoring
Authors: Grigoriev Sergey N. , Kozochkin Mikhail P. , Porvatov Artur N. , Gurin Vladimir D. , Melnik Yury A.
Published: December 2023

The need to create monitoring systems to equip the technological machinery of automated production determines the relevance of searching for parameters of acoustic signals that carry information about the course of treatment processes. The study of acoustic signals in various types of material processing allowed the identification of general features of changes in their spectral composition associated with variations in the power density of energy impact on processed material. The results of experimental work on various technological equipment, including blade processing and processing with concentrated energy flows, are presented in this work. It is shown that changes in the quality of processing in the form of increased tool wear, the concentration of erosion products during WEDM (wire electrical discharge machining), focal plane displacement during laser processing, etc., lead to a natural change in the ratio of acoustic signal amplitudes in the low frequency and high frequency ranges. This property can be used in monitoring systems for automatic equipment.
Human–Computer Interaction Multi-Task Modeling Based on Implicit Intent EEG Decoding
Authors: Miao Xiu , Hou Wenjun
Published: December 2023

In the short term, a fully autonomous level of machine intelligence cannot be achieved. Humans are still an important part of HCI systems, and intelligent systems should be able to “feel” and “predict” human intentions in order to achieve dynamic coordination between humans and machines. Intent recognition is very important to improve the accuracy and efficiency of the HCI system. However, it is far from enough to focus only on explicit intent. There is a lot of vague and hidden implicit intent in the process of human–computer interaction. Based on passive brain–computer interface (pBCI) technology, this paper proposes a method to integrate humans into HCI systems naturally, which is to establish an intent-based HCI model and automatically recognize the implicit intent according to human EEG signals. In view of the existing problems of few divisible patterns and low efficiency of implicit intent recognition, this paper finally proves that EEG can be used as the basis for judging human implicit intent through extracting multi-task intention, carrying out experiments, and constructing algorithmic models. The CSP + SVM algorithm model can effectively improve the EEG decoding performance of implicit intent in HCI, and the effectiveness of the CSP algorithm on intention feature extraction is further verified by combining 3D space visualization. The translation of implicit intent information is of significance for the study of intent-based HCI models, the development of HCI systems, and the improvement of human–machine collaboration efficiency.
Study on the Correlation between the Activity Trajectory of Crested Ibis (Nipponia nippon) and Meteorological Changes
Authors: Li Fan , Liu Xiaoxiao , Jiang Xian , Guan Li , Liu Dongping
Published: December 2023

This study aims to explore the correlation between the activity trajectory of Crested Ibis and meteorological changes. The trajectory data of Crested Ibis were obtained using the HQBG3621L backpack-style tracker, and the spatiotemporal characteristics of the trajectory data were analyzed to obtain information on the activity range and habitat of Crested Ibis. The Scheirer–Ray–Hare test and Kruskal–Wallis test were used to investigate the impact of meteorological factors on the activity of Crested Ibis. The study found that meteorological factors have a certain influence on the habitat selection and activity patterns of Crested Ibis. Through this research, a better understanding of the interaction between Crested Ibis and the meteorological environment can be achieved, providing a scientific basis for the conservation and ecological management of Crested Ibis.
Deep Learning-Based Prediction of Stress and Strain Maps in Arterial Walls for Improved Cardiovascular Risk Assessment
Authors: Shokrollahi Yasin , Dong Pengfei , Zhou Changchun , Li Xianqi , Gu Linxia
Published: December 2023

Conducting computational stress-strain analysis using finite element methods (FEM) is a common approach when dealing with the complex geometries of atherosclerosis, which is a leading cause of global mortality and complex cardiovascular disease. The considerable expense linked to FEM analysis encourages the substitution of FEM with a considerably faster data-driven machine learning (ML) approach. This study investigated the potential of end-to-end deep learning tools as a more effective substitute for FEM in predicting stress-strain fields within 2D cross sections of arterial walls. We first proposed a U-Net-based fully convolutional neural network (CNN) to predict the von Mises stress and strain distribution based on the spatial arrangement of calcification within arterial wall cross-sections. Further, we developed a conditional generative adversarial network (cGAN) to enhance, particularly from the perceptual perspective, the prediction accuracy of stress and strain field maps for arterial walls with various calcification quantities and spatial configurations. On top of U-Net and cGAN, we also proposed their ensemble approaches to improve the prediction accuracy of field maps further. Our dataset, consisting of input and output images, was generated by implementing boundary conditions and extracting stress-strain field maps. The trained U-Net models can accurately predict von Mises stress and strain fields, with structural similarity index scores (SSIM) of 0.854 and 0.830 and mean squared errors of 0.017 and 0.018 for stress and strain, respectively, on a reserved test set. Meanwhile, the cGAN models in a combination of ensemble and transfer learning techniques demonstrate high accuracy in predicting von Mises stress and strain fields, as evidenced by SSIM scores of 0.890 for stress and 0.803 for strain. Additionally, mean squared errors of 0.008 for stress and 0.017 for strain further support the model’s performance on a designated test set. Overall, this study developed a surrogate model for finite element analysis, which can accurately and efficiently predict stress-strain fields of arterial walls regardless of complex geometries and boundary conditions.
Assessing the Impact of Varied Dark Chocolate Concentrations on Enamel and Dentine Microhardness
Authors: Hamasaeed Niaz Hamaghareeb , Toma Intesar Saadallah , Abdullah Adil Othman , Kadir Shakhawan Kadir
Published: December 2023

(1) Background: The objective of the current investigation was to determine how different dark chocolate concentrations impacted the enamel and dentine microhardness. (2) Methods: Twenty noncarious premolar teeth extracted for orthodontic reasons were used in this study. Each tooth was divided mesiodistally to obtain 40 specimens of enamel and dentine 4 × 4 mm. Initial and final assessments of the surface microhardness of the enamel and dentine were created using a Digital Micro Vickers Hardness Tester (Laryee, Beijing, China) under (0.24 N load for 15 s). Four random groups (n = 10) were created: G1 (control, immersed in artificial saliva), G2 (70%), G3 (85%), and G4 (100% dark chocolate). Each sample underwent four cycles of 60-s immersion in suggested concentrations, followed by 30 min in artificial saliva. The attained values underwent statistical analysis employing SPSS version 26, with the utilization of T-tests and ANOVA. (3) Results: The results revealed a significant, incremental increase in the average microhardness values for enamel, specifically 61.72 ± 22.729, 64.17 ± 23.397, and 109.15 ± 34.625, and for dentin from 57.91 ± 8.332 to 72.29 ± 2.752 and ultimately reaching 88.67 ± 8.602, corresponding to the escalating concentrations of dark chocolate (70%, 85%, and 100%) (p < 0.001). (4) Conclusions: Immersing the specimens in different concentrations of dark chocolate had a significant positive impact on the microhardness of both enamel and dentine.
The Effect of Integrative Training Program on Youth Soccer Players’ Power Indexes
Authors: Michailidis Yiannis , Kyzerakos Thodoris , Metaxas Thomas I.
Published: December 2023

Integrative neuromuscular training (INT) is commonly employed for preventing injuries, yet there is a scarcity of studies examining its impact on the physical capabilities of young athletes. This study sought to explore the influence of a brief, in-season INT intervention on the performance of adolescent soccer players. The participants included thirty-one U15 (under 15 years old) soccer players who were randomly assigned to either the control group (CG) (engaged solely in soccer training, n = 14, 14.6 ± 0.6 years) or the exercise group (EG) (where INT was incorporated into traditional soccer training, n = 17, 14.1 ± 0.6 years). Early or late maturers were excluded from the study. The INT program lasted for 5 weeks (two sessions per week) and mainly included single-leg exercises. At the commencement and conclusion of the intervention program, measurements were taken for acceleration (10 m), speed (30 m), jumping ability (squat jump, SJ, and countermovement jump, CMJ), and change of direction ability (COD) (Illinois agility test). The data analysis employed a two-way repeated-measures ANOVA. The INT program resulted in enhanced performance for the EG in SJ (28.4–32.3, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.463), CMJ (30.6–35.3, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.426), and COD ability (18.11–17.64, p = 0.003, η2 = 0.545). No changes in performance were observed in the CG. The results suggest that the addition of a short-duration in-season INT program in U15 soccer players can induce positive adaptations in their performance.
A Feature-Oriented Reconstruction Method for Surface-Defect Detection on Aluminum Profiles
Authors: Tang Shancheng , Zhang Ying , Jin Zicheng , Lu Jianhui , Li Heng , Yang Jiqing
Published: December 2023

The number of defect samples on the surface of aluminum profiles is small, and the distribution of abnormal visual features is dispersed, such that the existing supervised detection methods cannot effectively detect undefined defects. At the same time, the normal texture of the aluminum profile surface presents non-uniform and non-periodic features, and this irregular distribution makes it difficult for classical reconstruction networks to accurately reconstruct the normal features, resulting in low performance of related unsupervised detection methods. Aiming at such problems, a feature-oriented reconstruction method of unsupervised surface-defect detection method for aluminum profiles is proposed. The aluminum profile image preprocessing stage uses techniques such as boundary extraction, background removal, and data normalization to process the original image and extract the image of the main part of the aluminum profile, which reduces the influence of irrelevant data features on the algorithm. The essential features learning stage precedes the feature-optimization module to eliminate the texture interference of the irregular distribution of the aluminum profile surface, and image blocks of the area images are reconstructed one by one to extract the features through the mask. The defect-detection stage compares the structural similarity of the feature images before and after the reconstruction, and comprehensively determines the detection results. The experimental results improve detection precision by 1.4% and the F1 value by 1.2% over the existing unsupervised methods, proving the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method.
Iterated Orthogonal Simplex Cubature Kalman Filter and Its Applications in Target Tracking
Authors: Li Zhaoming , Yang Xinyan , Li Lei , Chen Hang
Published: December 2023

In order to increase a nonlinear system’s state estimate precision, an iterated orthogonal simplex cubature Kalman filter (IOSCKF) is presented in this study for target tracking. The Gaussian-weighted integral is decomposed into a spherical integral and a radial integral, which are approximated using the spherical simplex-radial rule and second-order Gauss–Laguerre quadrature rule, respectively, and result in the novel simplex cubature rule. To decrease the high-order error terms, cubature points with appropriate weights are taken from the cubature rule and processed using the provided orthogonal matrix. The structure supporting the nonlinear Kalman filter incorporates the altered points and weights and the calculation steps; from this, the updated time and measurement can be inferred. The Gauss–Newton iteration is employed repeatedly to adjust the measurement update until the termination condition is met and the IOSCKF is attained. The proposed algorithms are applied in target tracking, including CV target tracking and spacecraft orbit tracking, and the simulation results reveal that the IOSCKF can achieve higher accuracy compared to the CKF, SCKF, and OSCKF. In spacecraft orbit tracking simulation, compared with the SCKF, the position tracking accuracy and velocity tracking accuracy of the OSCKF are increased by 2.21% and 1.94%, respectively, which indicates that the orthogonal transformation can improve the tracking accuracy. Furthermore, compared with the OSCKF, the position tracking accuracy and velocity tracking accuracy of the IOSCKF are increased by 2.71% and 2.97%, respectively, which indicates that the tracking accuracy can be effectively improved by introducing iterative calculation into the measurement equation, thus verifying the effectiveness of the method presented in this paper.
Buried Pipeline Collapse Dynamic Evolution Processes and Their Settlement Prediction Based on PSO-LSTM
Authors: Zhou Yadong , Teng Zhenchao , Chi Linlin , Liu Xiaoyan
Published: December 2023

Based on the unit life and death technology, the dynamic evolution process of soil loss is considered, and a pipe-soil nonlinear coupling model of buried pipelines passing through the collapse area is constructed. The analysis shows that after the third layer of soil is lost, the existence of the “pipe-soil separation” phenomenon can be confirmed, which then supplements the assumption that “pipe-soil is always in contact” in the elastic foundation beam theory. Calculation of settlement deformation of buried pipelines It needs to be divided into two stages: cooperative deformation and non-cooperative deformation. Taking the settlement prediction of buried pipelines as the goal, the particle swarm algorithm (PSO) was used to optimize the number of neurons, Dropout, and Batch-size in the long short-term memory network (LSTM) structure. The optimization results were 60, 0.001, and 100, respectively. The PSO-LSTM model proposed in this article can accurately describe the dynamic evolution process of buried pipelines and has better prediction accuracy than the modified Gaussian curve method and LSTM neural network model. The use of this model can provide a reference for safety risk management, disaster early warning, and intelligent monitoring when buried pipelines suffer from soil collapse disasters.
The Influence of PE Initial Field Construction Method on Radio Wave Propagation Loss and Tropospheric Duct Inversion
Authors: Cheng Run-Sheng , Liu Cheng-Guo , Cao Li-Feng , Xiao Tong , Tang Guang-Pu , Huang Li-Feng , Wang Hong-Guang
Published: December 2023

Parabolic equations (PE) are commonly employed for calculating the spatial propagation loss of wireless signals. The initial field is a crucial factor. To investigate the impact of construction accuracy on the calculation of radio wave propagation loss, we selected the half-wave dipole antenna and its Gaussian approximation to examine the influence of wide-angle PE modeling. We analyzed the disparities between the actual antenna pattern and the Gaussian beam approximation, as well as the discrepancies in the corresponding initial field and the calculation of radio wave propagation loss in PE modeling. The simulation results indicate that the error of the Gaussian approximation increases as the angle of departure from the antenna main beam increases, with a relative error of approximately 30% in the initial field. A comparison between the experimental test of the broadcast signal and the simulation calculation reveals that the model based on the actual antenna aligns more closely with the measured value on a flat underlying surface. However, in mountainous areas with significant fluctuations, the simulation results are consistent with each other and higher than the measured value. The inversion results obtained through the particle swarm optimization algorithm demonstrate that the model based on the actual antenna exhibits superior inversion accuracy for the tropospheric atmospheric duct structure.
A Regional Aerosol Model for the Middle Urals Based on CALIPSO Measurements
Authors: Nagovitsyna Ekaterina S. , Dzholumbetov Sergey K. , Karasev Alexander A. , Poddubny Vassily A.
Published: December 2023

The present work aims to develop a regional Middle Urals Aerosol model (MUrA model) based on the joint analysis of long-term ground-based photometric measurements of the Aerosol Robotic NETwork (AERONET) and the results of lidar measurements of the CALIPSO (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation) satellite relying on information on the air trajectories at different altitudes calculated using the HYSPLIT (Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory model) software package. The MUrA model contains parameters of normalized volume size distributions (NVSDs) characterizing the tropospheric aerosol subtypes detected by the CALIPSO satellite. When comparing the MUrA model with the global CALIPSO Aerosol Model (CAMel), we found significant differences in NVSDs for elevated smoke and clean continental aerosol types. NVSDs for dust and polluted continental/smoke aerosol types in the global and regional models differ much less. The total volumes of aerosol particles along the atmospheric column reconstructed from satellite measurements of the attenuation coefficient at a wavelength of 532 nm based on the regional MUrA model and global CAMel are compared with the AERONET inversion data. The mean bias error for the regional model is 0.016 μm3/μm2, and 0.043 μm3/μm2 for the global model.
Investigating the Effect of Climate Change on Drought Propagation in the Tarim River Basin Using Multi-Model Ensemble Projections
Authors: Ding Xiaoyun , Yu Yang , Yang Meilin , Wang Qian , Zhang Lingyun , Guo Zengkun , Zhang Jing , Mailik Ireneusz , Malgorzata Wistuba , Yu Ruide
Published: December 2023

Recent studies on China’s arid and semi-arid regions, particularly the Tarim River Basin (TRB), have shown an increase in the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events. This research examines the link between meteorological droughts, as measured by the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI), and hydrological droughts, as indicated by the Standardized Runoff Index (SRI) and the Standardized Terrestrial Water Storage Index (STI), over various time scales. Historical data indicate that SPEI drought frequency (DF) was 14.3–21.9%, with prevalent events in the northern oases. SRI DF ranged from 9.0% to 35.8%, concentrated around the Taklamakan and Kumtag Deserts, while STI DF varied between 4.4% and 32.7%, averaging 15% basin-wide. Future projections show an increased DF of SPEI in deserts and a decrease in oases; SRI DF decreased in deserts but increased in oases. STI changes were more moderate. The study also found a higher risk of drought progression from SPEI to SRI in the southwestern and northeastern oases, exceeding 50% probability, while central and eastern TRB had lower risks. The western TRB and inner Taklamakan Desert faced higher risks of SPEI to STI progression, with probabilities over 45%, in contrast to the lower risks in the eastern and central oases. The concurrence of SRI/STI with moderate to extreme SPEI droughts led to a higher probability and area of SRI/STI droughts, whereas consistent SPEI types showed a reduced induced probability and extent of SRI/STI droughts. This study enhances the understanding of drought propagation from meteorological to hydrological droughts in the TRB and contributes to the prevention of hydrological drought to a certain extent.
A Sensitivity Study of a Bayesian Inversion Model Used to Estimate Emissions of Synthetic Greenhouse Gases at the European Scale
Authors: Annadate Saurabh , Falasca Serena , Cesari Rita , Giostra Umberto , Maione Michela , Arduini Jgor
Published: December 2023

To address and mitigate the environmental impacts of synthetic greenhouse gases it’s crucial to quantify their emissions to the atmosphere on different spatial scales. Atmospheric Inverse modelling is becoming a widely used method to provide observation-based estimates of greenhouse gas emissions with the potential to provide an independent verification tool for national emission inventories. A sensitivity study of the FLEXINVERT+ model for the optimisation of the spatial and temporal emissions of long-lived greenhouse gases at the regional-to-country scale is presented. A test compound HFC-134a, the most widely used refrigerant in mobile air conditioning systems, has been used to evaluate its European emissions in 2011 to be compared with a previous study. Sensitivity tests on driving factors like—observation selection criteria, prior data, background mixing ratios, and station selection—assessed the model’s performance in replicating measurements, reducing uncertainties, and estimating country-specific emissions. Across all experiments, good prior (0.5–0.8) and improved posterior (0.6–0.9) correlations were achieved, emphasizing the reduced sensitivity of the inversion setup to different a priori information and the determining role of observations in constraining the emissions.The posterior results were found to be very sensitive to background mixing ratios, with even slight increases in the baseline leading to significant decrease of emissions.
MSLKNet: A Multi-Scale Large Kernel Convolutional Network for Radar Extrapolation
Authors: Tian Wei , Wang Chunlin , Shen Kailing , Zhang Lixia , Lim Kam Sian Kenny Thiam Choy
Published: December 2023

Radar echo extrapolation provides important information for precipitation nowcasting. Existing mainstream radar echo extrapolation methods are based on the Single-Input-Single-Output (SISO) architecture. These approaches of recursively predicting the predictive echo image with the current echo image as input often results in error accumulation, leading to severe performance degradation. In addition, the echo motion variations are extremely complex. Different regions of strong or weak echoes should receive different degrees of attention. Previous methods have not been specifically designed for this aspect. This paper proposes a new radar echo extrapolation network based entirely on a convolutional neural network (CNN). The network uses a Multi-Input-Multi-Output (MIMO) architecture to mitigate cumulative errors. It incorporates a multi-scale, large kernel convolutional attention module that enhances the extraction of both local and global information. This design results in improved performance while significantly reducing training costs. Experiments on dual-polarization radar echo datasets from Shijiazhuang and Nanjing show that the proposed fully CNN-based model can achieve better performance while reducing computational cost.
The Pairing of Rapid Intensification Events and Eyewall Replacement Cycles in Tropical Cyclones in the Atlantic Basin from 2015 to 2020
Authors: Currier John W. , Preston Ari D.
Published: December 2023

Rapid intensification (RI) and eyewall replacement cycles (ERCs) frequently occur in intense tropical cyclones (TCs), often causing rapid, significant changes in intensity and structure. In some TCs, RI and ERCs can occur concurrently or within a short period of one another. This study investigates whether there is a link between RI and ERCs by conducting a statistical analysis of TCs that occurred in the North Atlantic basin from 2015 to 2020. The HURDAT2 dataset was used to detect RI events, while the Morphed Integrated Microwave Imagery archive by the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies was used to detect ERC events. Three sets of data were constructed from this analysis: TCs with paired RI/ERC events that occurred within 24 h of each other, TCs with RI only, and TCs with ERCs only. Statistics selected for analysis within the constructed datasets were mean duration of phenomena, mean rate of intensification, and mean peak intensity. We performed t-tests to determine the statistical significance of results. The results of this study show that TCs with these paired RI/ERC events often intensified at a faster rate, intensified for longer, and ended up stronger than TCs that only experienced RI or ERCs in isolation.
Flow Channel Optimization to Improve the Performance of a Liquid–Gas Ejector for an Intelligent Toilet Spray Bar
Authors: Zhou Qiwei , Zhu Chenbing , Yang Xuelong , Chen Jianchong , Mou Jiegang
Published: December 2023

Intelligent toilets can effectively remove odors and harmful substances from exhaust gases and wastewater, maintaining a fresh and clean indoor atmosphere, which is beneficial to the indoor environment and human health. Currently, research on intelligent toilets conducted by sanitary ware manufacturers is still in its early stages. Many of the intelligent toilets available on the market exhibit issues such as an excessive oscillation amplitude of the cleaning spray bar, premature breakdown of the water column, and inadequate air intake. The present study involves the analysis and redesign of a cleaning spray bar model for intelligent toilets. Additionally, several optimization schemes concerning the flow channel of the cleaning spray bar are proposed in order to enhance the performance of the liquid–air ejector. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique is utilized to analyze the water flow characteristics within the cleaning spray bar of the intelligent toilet and to compare and evaluate the proposed schemes. The calculation results indicate that, for the same inlet flow rate, the optimal structure the block with a length of L = 1.5 mm and the block positioned (4). The swirl numbers of these two optimized models are 14.8% and 8.3% of the protype, respectively, while their air intake is 133% and 131% of the protype, respectively. The optimized solutions exhibited significant performance improvements when compared to the prototype. The computational results offer valuable insights for optimizing the flow characteristics of the enhanced product.
Probability Distributions Approximation via Fractional Moments and Maximum Entropy: Theoretical and Computational Aspects
Authors: Novi Inverardi Pier Luigi , Tagliani Aldo
Published: December 2023

In the literature, the use of fractional moments to express the available information in the framework of maximum entropy (MaxEnt) approximation of a distribution F having finite or unbounded positive support, has been essentially considered as a computational tool to improve the performance of the analogous procedure based on integer moments. No attention has been paid to two formal aspects concerning fractional moments, such as conditions for the existence of the maximum entropy approximation based on them or convergence in entropy of this approximation to F. This paper aims to fill this gap by providing proofs of these two fundamental results. In fact, convergence in entropy can be involved in the optimal selection of the order of fractional moments for accelerating the convergence of the MaxEnt approximation to F, to clarify the entailment relationships of this type of convergence with other types of convergence useful in statistical applications, and to preserve some important prior features of the underlying F distribution.
On a Backward Problem for the Rayleigh–Stokes Equation with a Fractional Derivative
Authors: Liu Songshu , Liu Tao , Ma Qiang
Published: December 2023

The Rayleigh–Stokes equation with a fractional derivative is widely used in many fields. In this paper, we consider the inverse initial value problem of the Rayleigh–Stokes equation. Since the problem is ill-posed, we adopt the Tikhonov regularization method to solve this problem. In addition, this paper not only analyzes the ill-posedness of the problem but also gives the conditional stability estimate. Finally, the convergence estimates are proved under two regularization parameter selection rules.
Optimization of Location-Routing for Multi-Vehicle Combinations with Capacity Constraints Based on Binary Equilibrium Optimizers
Authors: Xi Rui , Lv Danju , Yu Yueyun , Huang Xin , Wang Ziqian , Gu Lianglian , Zhu Zhicheng , Zhang Yan
Published: December 2023

The Location-Routing Problem (LRP) becomes a more intricate subject when the limits of capacities of vehicles and warehouses are considered, which is an NP-hard problem. Moreover, as the number of vehicles increases, the solution to LRP is exacerbated because of the complexity of transportation and the combination of routes. To solve the problem, this paper proposed a Discrete Assembly Combination-Delivery (DACA) strategy based on, the Binary Equilibrium Optimizer (BiEO) algorithm, in addition, this paper also proposes a mixed-integer linear programming model for the problem of this paper. Our primary objective is to address both the route optimization problem and the assembly group sum problem concurrently. Our BiEO algorithm was designed as discrete in decision space to meet the requirements of the LRP represented by the DACA strategy catering to the multi-vehicle LRP scenario. The efficacy of the BiEO algorithm with the DACA strategy is demonstrated. through empirical analysis utilizing authentic data from Changchun City, China, Remarkably, the experiments reveal that the BiEO algorithm outperforms conventional methods, specifically GA, PSO, and DE algorithms, resulting in reduced costs. Notably, the results show the DACA strategy enables the simultaneous optimization of the LRP and the vehicle routing problem (VRP), ultimately leading to cost reduction. This innovative algorithm proficiently tackles both the assembly group sum and route optimization problems intrinsic to multi-level LRP instances.
An Interval Type-2 Fuzzy Logic Approach for Dynamic Parameter Adaptation in a Whale Optimization Algorithm Applied to Mathematical Functions
Authors: Amador-Angulo Leticia , Castillo Oscar
Published: December 2023

In this paper, an improved whale optimization algorithm (WOA) based on the utilization of an interval type-2 fuzzy logic system (IT2FLS) is presented. The main idea is to present a proposal for adjusting the values of the r→1 and r→2 parameters in the WOA using an IT2FLS to achieve excellent results in the execution of the WOA. The original WOA has already proven itself as an algorithm with excellent results; therefore, a wide variety of improvements have been made to it. Herein, the main purpose is to provide a hybridization of the WOA algorithm employing fuzzy logic to find the appropriate values of the r→1 and r→2 parameters that can optimize the mathematical functions used in this study, thereby providing an improvement to the original WOA algorithm. The performance of the fuzzy WOA using IT2FLS (FWOA-IT2FLS) shows good results in the case study of the benchmark function optimization. An important comparative with other metaheuristics is also presented. A statistical test and the comparative with other bio-inspired algorithms, namely, the original WOA with type-1 FLS (FWOA-T1FLS) are analyzed. The performance index used is the average of the minimum errors in each proposed method.
A Freestanding Multifunctional Interlayer Based on Fe/Zn Single Atoms Implanted on a Carbon Nanofiber Membrane for High-Performance Li-S Batteries
Authors: Zhang Mengdi , Kong Shuoshuo , Chen Bei , Wu Mingbo
Published: December 2023

By virtue of the high theoretical energy density and low cost, Lithium–sulfur (Li-S) batteries have drawn widespread attention. However, their electrochemical performances are seriously plagued by the shuttling of intermediate polysulfides and the slow reaction kinetics during practical implementation. Herein, we designed a freestanding flexible membrane composed of nitrogen-doped porous carbon nanofibers anchoring iron and zinc single atoms (FeZn-PCNF), to serve as the polysulfide barrier and the reaction promotor. The flexible porous networks formed by the interwoven carbon nanofibers not only offer fast channels for the transport of electrons/ions, but also guarantee the structural stability of the all-in-one multifunctional interlayer during cycling. Highly dispersed Fe and Zn atoms in the carbon scaffold synergistically immobilize sulfur species and expedite their reversible conversion. Therefore, employing FeZn-PCNF as the freestanding interlayer between the cathode and separator, the Li-S battery delivers a superior initial reversible discharge capacity of 1140 mA h g−1 at a current density of 0.5 C and retains a high capacity of 618 mA h g−1 after 600 cycles at a high current density of 1 C.
Control of Tibial Advancement by the Plantar Flexors during the Stance Phase of Gait Depends on Knee Flexion with Respect to the Ground Reaction Force
Authors: Brunner Reinald , Frigo Carlo Albino
Published: December 2023

During the stance phase of a normal gait, the triceps surae muscle controls the advancement of the tibia, which contributes to knee extension. Plantar flexor weakness results in excessive dorsiflexion, and consequently, the knee loses this contribution. However, increasing knee flexion is also seen in patients with cerebral palsy who do not have plantar flexor weakness. We aimed to understand this mechanism through the use of a musculoskeletal dynamic model. The model consists of solid segments connected with rotatory joints and springs to represent individual muscles. It was positioned at different degrees of ankle plantarflexion, knee flexion, and hip flexion. The soleus muscle was activated concentrically to produce plantarflexion and push the foot against the ground. The resulting knee extension was analyzed. The principal determinant of knee flexion or extension associated with ankle plantarflexion was the position of the knee joint center. When this was anterior to the line of action of the ground reaction force (GRF), the soleus contraction resulted in increased knee flexion. The knee extension was obtained when the knee was flexed less than approximately 25°. The relation between joint angles, anthropometric parameters, and the position of the GRF was expressed in a mathematical formulation. The clinical relevance of this model is that it explains the failure of plantar flexor control on knee extension in patients with cerebral palsy, when increased knee flexion can occur even if there is a normal or plantarflexed foot position.
Mechanical Behaviour of Plantar Adipose Tissue: From Experimental Tests to Constitutive Analysis
Authors: Pettenuzzo Sofia , Belluzzi Elisa , Pozzuoli Assunta , Macchi Veronica , Porzionato Andrea , Boscolo-Berto Rafael , Ruggieri Pietro , Berardo Alice , Carniel Emanuele , Fontanella Chiara
Published: December 2023

Plantar adipose tissue is a connective tissue whose structural configuration changes according to the foot region (rare or forefoot) and is related to its mechanical role, providing a damping system able to adsorb foot impact and bear the body weight. Considering this, the present work aims at fully describing the plantar adipose tissue’s behaviour and developing a proper constitutive formulation. Unconfined compression tests and indentation tests have been performed on samples harvested from human donors and cadavers. Experimental results provided the initial/final elastic modulus for each specimen and assessed the non-linear and time-dependent behaviour of the tissue. The different foot regions were investigated, and the main differences were observed when comparing the elastic moduli, especially the final elastic ones. It resulted in a higher level for the medial region (89 ± 77 MPa) compared to the others (from 51 ± 29 MPa for the heel pad to 11 ± 7 for the metatarsal). Finally, results have been used to define a visco-hyperelastic constitutive model, whose hyperelastic component, which describes tissue non-linear behaviour, was described using an Ogden formulation. The identified and validated tissue constitutive parameters could serve, in the early future, for the computational model of the healthy foot.
PiggyBac Transposon Mining in the Small Genomes of Animals
Authors: Guo Mengke , Addy George A. , Yang Naisu , Asare Emmanuel , Wu Han , Saleh Ahmed A. , Shi Shasha , Gao Bo , Song Chengyi
Published: December 2023

TEs, including DNA transposons, are major contributors of genome expansions, and have played a very significant role in shaping the evolution of animal genomes, due to their capacity to jump from one genomic position to the other. In this study, we investigated the evolution landscapes of PB transposons, including their distribution, diversity, activity and structure organization in 79 species of small (compact) genomes of animals comprising both vertebrate and invertebrates. Overall, 212 PB transposon types were detected from almost half (37) of the total number of the small genome species (79) investigated. The detected PB transposon types, which were unevenly distributed in various genera and phyla, have been classified into seven distinct clades or families with good bootstrap support (>80%). The PB transposon types that were identified have a length ranging from 1.23 kb to 9.51 kb. They encode transposases of approximately ≥500 amino acids in length, and possess terminal inverted repeats (TIRs) ranging from 4 bp to 24 bp. Though some of the transposon types have long TIRs (528 bp), they still maintain the consistent and reliable 4 bp target site duplication (TSD) of TTAA. However, PiggyBac-2_Cvir transposon originating from the Crassostrea virginica species exhibits a unique TSD of TATG. The TIRs of the transposons in all the seven families display high divergence, with a highly conserved 5′ end motif. The core transposase domains (DDD) were better conserved among the seven different families compared to the other protein domains, which were less prevalent in the vertebrate genome. The divergent evolution dynamics analysis also indicated that the majority of the PB transposon types identified in this study are either relatively young or old, with some being active. Additionally, numerous invasions of PB transposons were found in the genomes of both vertebrate and invertebrate animals. The data reveals that the PB superfamily is widely distributed in these species. PB transposons exhibit high diversity and activity in the small genomes of animals, and might play a crucial role in shaping the evolution of these small genomes of animals.
Piezo1 Regulation Involves Lipid Domains and the Cytoskeleton and Is Favored by the Stomatocyte–Discocyte–Echinocyte Transformation
Authors: Stommen Amaury , Ghodsi Marine , Cloos Anne-Sophie , Conrard Louise , Dumitru Andra C. , Henriet Patrick , Pierreux Christophe E. , Alsteens David , Tyteca Donatienne
Published: December 2023

Piezo1 is a mechanosensitive ion channel required for various biological processes, but its regulation remains poorly understood. Here, we used erythrocytes to address this question since they display Piezo1 clusters, a strong and dynamic cytoskeleton and three types of submicrometric lipid domains, respectively enriched in cholesterol, GM1 ganglioside/cholesterol and sphingomyelin/cholesterol. We revealed that Piezo1 clusters were present in both the rim and the dimple erythrocyte regions. Upon Piezo1 chemical activation by Yoda1, the Piezo1 cluster proportion mainly increased in the dimple area. This increase was accompanied by Ca2+ influx and a rise in echinocytes, in GM1/cholesterol-enriched domains in the dimple and in cholesterol-enriched domains in the rim. Conversely, the effects of Piezo1 activation were abrogated upon membrane cholesterol depletion. Furthermore, upon Piezo1-independent Ca2+ influx, the above changes were not observed. In healthy donors with a high echinocyte proportion, Ca2+ influx, lipid domains and Piezo1 fluorescence were high even at resting state, whereas the cytoskeleton membrane occupancy was lower. Accordingly, upon decreases in cytoskeleton membrane occupancy and stiffness in erythrocytes from patients with hereditary spherocytosis, Piezo1 fluorescence was increased. Altogether, we showed that Piezo1 was differentially controlled by lipid domains and the cytoskeleton and was favored by the stomatocyte–discocyte–echinocyte transformation.
Effects of Aging on Osteosynthesis at Bone–Implant Interfaces
Authors: Pius Alexa , Toya Masakazu , Gao Qi , Lee Max , Ergul Yasemin , Chow Simon , Goodman Stuart
Published: December 2023

Joint replacement is a common surgery and is predominantly utilized for treatment of osteoarthritis in the aging population. The longevity of many of these implants depends on bony ingrowth. Here, we provide an overview of current techniques in osteogenesis (inducing bone growth onto an implant), which is affected by aging and inflammation. In this review we cover the biologic underpinnings of these processes as well as the clinical applications. Overall, aging has a significant effect at the cellular and macroscopic level that impacts osteosynthesis at bone-metal interfaces after joint arthroplasty; potential solutions include targeting prolonged inflammation, preventing microbial adhesion, and enhancing osteoinductive and osteoconductive properties.
Increased Risk for Atrial Alternans in Rabbit Heart Failure: The Role of Ca2+/Calmodulin-Dependent Kinase II and Inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate Signaling
Authors: Kanaporis Giedrius , Blatter Lothar A.
Published: December 2023

Heart failure (HF) increases the probability of cardiac arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation (AF), but the mechanisms linking HF to AF are poorly understood. We investigated disturbances in Ca2+ signaling and electrophysiology in rabbit atrial myocytes from normal and failing hearts and identified mechanisms that contribute to the higher risk of atrial arrhythmias in HF. Ca2+ transient (CaT) alternans—beat-to-beat alternations in CaT amplitude—served as indicator of increased arrhythmogenicity. We demonstrate that HF atrial myocytes were more prone to alternans despite no change in action potentials duration and only moderate decrease of L-type Ca2+ current. Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII) inhibition suppressed CaT alternans. Activation of IP3 signaling by endothelin-1 (ET-1) and angiotensin II (Ang II) resulted in acute, but transient reduction of CaT amplitude and sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ load, and lowered the alternans risk. However, prolonged exposure to ET-1 and Ang II enhanced SR Ca2+ release and increased the degree of alternans. Inhibition of IP3 receptors prevented the transient ET-1 and Ang II effects and by itself increased the degree of CaT alternans. Our data suggest that activation of CaMKII and IP3 signaling contribute to atrial arrhythmogenesis in HF.
Lipidomic Characterization of Whey Concentrates Rich in Milk Fat Globule Membranes and Extracellular Vesicles
Authors: Sprenger Richard R. , Ostenfeld Marie S. , Bjørnshave Ann , Rasmussen Jan T. , Ejsing Christer S.
Published: December 2023

Lipids from milk fat globule membranes (MFGMs) and extracellular vesicles (EVs) are considered beneficial for cognitive development and human health. Milk-derived whey concentrates rich in these lipids are therefore used as ingredients in infant formulas to mimic human milk and in medical nutrition products to improve the metabolic fitness of adults and elderly people. In spite of this, there is no consensus resource detailing the multitude of lipid molecules in whey concentrates. To bridge this knowledge gap, we report a comprehensive and quantitative lipidomic resource of different whey concentrates. In-depth lipidomic analysis of acid, sweet, and buttermilk whey concentrates identified 5714 lipid molecules belonging to 23 lipid classes. The data show that the buttermilk whey concentrate has the highest level of fat globule-derived triacylglycerols and that the acid and sweet whey concentrates have the highest proportions of MFGM- and EV-derived membrane lipids. Interestingly, the acid whey concentrate has a higher level of cholesterol whereas sweet whey concentrate has higher levels of lactosylceramides. Altogether, we report a detailed lipid molecular compendium of whey concentrates and lay the groundwork for using in-depth lipidomic technology to profile the nutritional value of milk products and functional foods containing dairy-based concentrates.
Aberrant Mannosylated and Highly Fucosylated Glycoepitopes of Prostatic Acid Phosphatase as Potential Ligands for Dendritic-Cell Specific ICAM-Grabbing Nonintegrin (DC-SIGN) in Human Seminal Plasma—A Step towards Explaining Idiopathic Infertility
Authors: Kałuża Anna , Trzęsicka Katarzyna , Drzyzga Damian , Ferens-Sieczkowska Mirosława
Published: December 2023

Semen prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) has been proposed as an endogenous ligand for dendritic cell-specific ICAM-3-grabbing nonintegrin (DC-SIGN), which plays a critical immuno-modulating role in maintaining homeostasis in the female reproductive tracts. In the current study, we assumed that semen PAP bears a set of fucosylated and mannosylated glycans, which may mediate the efficient binding of PAP to DC-SIGN. To investigate this hypothesis, we developed ELISA assays using Galanthus nivalis and Lotus tetragonolobus lectins capable of binding mannose-containing glycans or LewisX and LewisY motifs, respectively. In our assay with Galanthus nivalis, we detected that the relative reactivity of PAP mannose-presenting glycans in the normozoospermic idiopathic group was significantly higher than in the asthenozoospermic, oligozoospermic and oligoasthenozoospermic groups. Simultaneously, we observed slight differences in the relative reactivities of PAP glycans with Lotus tetragonolobus lectin among groups of patients with abnormal semen parameters. Subsequently, we examined whether DC-SIGN interacts with seminal plasma PAP glycans, and we detected a significantly higher relative reactivity in the normozoospermic group compared to the oligozoospermic group. Finally, we concluded that the significantly aberrant abundance of mannosylated functional groups of PAP among patients with semen disorders can suggest that PAP may thereby be engaged in modulating the immune response and promoting a tolerogenic response to male antigens in the female reproductive system.