bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Negative Derivative Feedback Controller for Repressing Vibrations of the Hybrid Rayleigh−Van der Pol−Duffing Oscillator
Authors: Amer Y. A. , EL-Sayed M. A. , Abd EL-Salam M. N.
Published: October 2022

Negative derivative feedback (NDF) controller is presented for suppressing the vibrations of a nonlinear dynamical system at the worst resonance case (Ω=ω1, ω2=ω1). To obtain the approximate solution, we used the multiple scales technique. The behavior of uncontrolled and controlled system is presented using time histories. We used the frequency-response equations to investigate the stability of controlled system. The e.ectiveness of closed loop parameters on the behavior of the main system and NDF controller has been studied. We found that all obtained solutions using multiple scales method are in a good agreement with the numerical solutions.
Polarization Properties of the Electrically Controlled Twist-Planar Liquid Crystal Di.raction Structure
Authors: Melnikova Elena , Stashkevich Ihar , Rushnova Irina , Tolstik Alexei , Timofeev Sergei
Published: October 2022

The properties of the designed anisotropic diffraction structures based on the spatially structured electrically-controlled liquid crystal elements have been studied. Such a di.raction structure represents interchanging layers of a nematic liquid crystal with planar and twist orientations of the director. It is formed when a photosensitive polymer is subjected to the e.ect of polarized ultraviolet radiation through a photolithographic mask. It is shown that increase in voltages leads to transformations of the liquid crystal structure. At minor voltages the diffraction structure may be considered as two amplitude gratings with orthogonal polarizations at the output. At the voltage associated with the broken Mauguin condition (optical threshold of the twist effect) the amplitude-to-phase transformation of the di.raction structure takes place and its diffraction e.ciency becomes higher. The proposed theoretical model enables one to explain the relationship between di.raction characteristics of a di.raction element and applied voltage or polarization of light. A good agreement of theoretical and experimental results is demonstrated.
EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF THE INFLUENCE OF FILM COOLING HOLE DIAMETER ON THE TOTAL COOLING EFFECTIVENESS FOR CYCLONE-COOLED TURBINE BLADES
Authors:   Institute of Thermal Turbomachinery (ITS) Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Bicat Dogan , Stichling Katharina ,   Institute of Thermal Turbomachinery (ITS) Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Elfner Maximilian ,   Institute of Thermal Turbomachinery (ITS) Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Bauer Hans-Jörg ,   Institute of Thermal Turbomachinery (ITS) Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Lehmann Knut ,   Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd. & Co. KG
Published: October 2022

Cyclone cooling is a promising method for a more effective internal cooling of turbine rotor blades with simplified internal channels including a swirling flow to enhance internal heat transfer. Previous studies have led to the conclusion that improving the cooling performance requires an adapted film cooling design, tailored to the cyclone cooling application. In this paper, a turbine rotor blade with realistic, complex features including the cyclone cooling design is investigated experimentally using infrared thermography to capture surface temperature. The objective is to analyze the influence of increased film cooling hole diameter on a cyclone-cooled blade’s surface temperature. For this purpose, the diameter of the holes at the blade’s leading edge, which are fed by the cyclone channel, is increased. The tests are performed for different coolant mass flow rates and swirl numbers. Additionally, CFD simulations are performed to analyze the aerodynamics of the cooling air. The test results show that the surface temperature at the leading edge can be decreased by increasing the diameter of the film cooling holes, however, adversely affecting the remaining blade surface. This can be explained by a redistribution of the supplied coolant. The increase of cooling effectiveness at the leading edge is at the highest when a low swirl is generated.
ASSESSMENT OF TABULATED CHEMISTRY MODELS FOR THE LES OF A MODEL AERO-ENGINE COMBUSTOR
Authors:   Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), Both Ambrus , Mira Daniel ,   Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), Lehmkuhl Oriol ,   Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC)
Published: October 2022

Tabulated chemistry methods present a compromise between computational cost and the ability to capture complex combustion physics in high-fidelity numerical simulations. The application of such models entails a number of modeling decisions, that may affect the simulation results significantly, especially in partially premixed combustion, where the assumption of the existence of underlying premixed or non-premixed flamelet structures is arguable. In this work, different classical tabulation strategies are assessed in terms of their ability to predict the lift-off induced by localized extinction in a model aero-engine combustion chamber: the Cambridge swirl spray flame. The lift-off dynamics of the stable n-heptane spray flame are compared using: i) premixed flamelets, ii) stable and unstable counterflow diffusion flamelets, iii) stable and unsteady extinguishing counterflow diffusion flamelets, iv) unsteady extinguishing and reigniting counterflow diffusion flamelets at a given strain rate. The extinction and reignition events associated to the lift-off are validated against OH-PLIF measurements, and the temporal evolution of the lift-off and reattachment is analyzed.
EFFECT OF HYDROGEN AND AMMONIA ADDITION ON SELF-EXCITED THERMOACOUSTIC INSTABILITIES OF PARTIALLY PREMIXED METHANE/AIR FLAMES
Authors:   Institute of Aerospace Propulsion, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shi Xiaoxiang , Lian Tianyou ,   Institute of Aerospace Propulsion, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Liu Zundi ,   Institute of Aerospace Propulsion, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Yang Xiaoyuan ,   Institute of Aerospace Propulsion, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Xi Zhongya ,   Institute of Aerospace Propulsion, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Li* Yuyang ,   Institute of Aerospace Propulsion, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Published: October 2022

The pressing need to realize carbon neutrality in gas turbine applications has recently led to a new wave of research on low-carbon energy alternatives, among which hydrogen and ammonia, as carbon-free fuels, have attracted great attention. This work studies the impact of hydrogen or ammonia addition on combustion instability characteristics of partially premixed methane/air flames. Bifurcation behaviors of the low-frequency thermoacoustic system (around 100 Hz) are experimentally identified and explored by decreasing global equivalence ratios (ϕ) from 0.7 to 0.45 at a fixed Reynolds number (Re = 10,000). Three different fuel cases are selected for comparative analysis, namely 100% methane (100M), 75%-25% (vol) methane-hydrogen (75M25H) and methane-ammonia (75M25A) blends. High-speed diagnostics and acoustic measurements are conducted to resolve different flame dynamics and thermoacoustic characteristics. The results show that co-firing methane with hydrogen or ammonia has significant impacts on thermoacoustic bifurcation behaviors and flame dynamics. For the 100M case, a clear mode switch occurs at ϕ = 0.63-0.61 from a low-amplitude limit cycle with a relatively higher frequency (Regime I) to a high-amplitude one with a relatively lower frequency (Regime II), while the mode transition point moves downward to ϕ = 0.59-0.52 with 25% hydrogen addition. Distinctively, no mode transition is observed with 25% ammonia addition, showing purely Regime II within the studied range of ϕ. Besides, the dominant frequency increases with hydrogen addition but decreases with ammonia addition. The three cases show roughly identical flame motions, exhibiting a rapid-extinction-slow-recovery process in the period of combustion oscillation. However, the flame intensity notably strengthens with hydrogen addition but weakens with ammonia addition and phase delay.
Virtual Process for Evaluating the Influence of Real Combined Module Variations on the Overall Performance of an Aircraft Engine
Authors:   Institute of Jet Propulsion and Turbomachinery, Goeing Jan , Seehausen Hendrik ,   Institute of Turbomachinery and Fluid Dynamics, Stania Lennart ,   Institute of Turbomachinery and Fluid Dynamics, Nuebel Nicolas ,   Institute of Production Engineering and Machine Tools, Salomon Julian ,   Institute for Risk and Reliability, Leibniz Universität Hannover,, Ignatidis Panagiotis ,   Institute of Technical Combustion, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Dinkelacker Friedrich ,   Institute of Technical Combustion, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Beer Michael ,   Institute for Risk and Reliability, Leibniz Universität Hannover,, Denkena Berend ,   Institute of Production Engineering and Machine Tools, Seume Joerg R. ,   Institute of Turbomachinery and Fluid Dynamics, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Friedrichs Jens ,   Institute of Jet Propulsion and Turbomachinery
Published: October 2022

The effects of real combined variances in components and modules of aero engines, due to production tolerances or deterioration, on the performance of an aircraft engine are analysed in a knowledge-based process. For this purpose, an aerothermodynamic virtual evaluation process that combines physical and probabilistic models to determine the sensitivities in the local module aerodynamics and the global overall performance is developed. Therefore, an automatic process that digitises, parameterises, reconstructs and analyses the geometry automatically using the example of a real turbofan highpressure turbine blade is developed. The influence on the local aerodynamics of the reconstructed blade is investigated via a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. The results of the high-pressure turbine (HPT) CFD as well as of a Gas- Path-Analysis for further modules, such as the compressors and the low-pressure turbine, are transferred into a simulation of the performance of the whole aircraft engine to evaluate the overall performance. All results are used to train, validate and test several deep learning architectures. These metamodels are utilised for a global sensitivity analysis that is able to evaluate the sensitivities and interactions. On the one hand, the results show that the aerodynamics (especially the efficiency hHPT and capacity m˙ HPT ) are particularly driven by the variation of the stagger angle. On the other hand, hHPT is significantly related to exhaust gas temperature (Tt5), while specific fuel consumption (SFC) and mass flow m˙ HPT are related to HPC exit temperature (Tt3). However, it can be seen that the high-pressure compressor has the most significant impact on the overall performance. This novel knowledge-based approach can accurately determine the impact of component variances on overall performance and complement experience-based approaches.
Molecular characterization of α-lactalbumin (LALBA) protein in Indian buffalo(Bubalus bubalis)
Authors: Mehra Vinay Kumar , Malakar Dhruba , Kumar Satish
Published: October 2022

The full open reading frame (ORF) of the buffalo beta-lactoglobulin (Bu_LALBA) gene was characterized. Results showed that Bu_LALBA ORF consisted of 429 bp long (142 aa residues) with three nucleotide variations at 111bp, 147 bp, and 291 bp but no change in amino acid sequence. The MSA showed that the Bu_LALBA was more different from the pig and human LALBA sequences. The phylogenetic tree showed that the cow, yak, and buffalo formed one cluster, while the buffalo was more closer (94%) to domestic yak (Bos grunniens). Results of ExPASy analysis showed that the Bu_LALBA protein was acidic (pI, 4.81), thermo-tolerant, and hydrophilic. However, the presence of random coil (33.80%) and Î±-helix (41.5%) in Bu_LALBA protein suggest that the protein was flexible and thermostable. Thirty liner motifs were identified, indicating that the Bu_LALBA act as regulatory protein. The tertiary structure of Bu_LALBA predicted by I-TASSER showed a more stabilized nature of LALBA protein. Further, the Ramachandran plot validated the 3-D structure of Bu_LALBA, which was of decent quality. The presence of four ligand-binding sites in Bu_LALBA (calcium ion, glycine, N-acetyl-L-glutamate, and N-acetylglucosamine) proposed that the LALBA binds to several fatty acids and ions. The presence of four serine, four threonine, two tyrosine residues, and six methylated lysine and five acetyl-lysine sites in Bu_LALBA indicated that the protein was involved in post-translational modification processes. IEDB analysis showed the presence of five and one epitope sites in Bu_LALBA protein for B-cell and T-cell, respectively, which suggest that this protein has certain immunological roles.
Process optimization for the development of quinoa based sugar free ice-cream
Authors: Vasundhara Ms. , Poonia Amrita
Published: October 2022

Quinoa has high nutritional value and rich source of lipids, proteins, vitamins, fibre, minerals and magnificent balance of amino acids. The major objective of this study was to develop high protein and sugar free ice cream incorporated with malted quinoa flour. The standard method of ice cream preparation was followed with incorporation of 10, 15 and 20 per cent malted quinoa flour during homogenization. Addition of more than 20 per cent quinoa flour in ice-cream imparts increased raw flavour, hardness and viscosity. Based on organoleptic evaluation, ice cream prepared with 15 per cent malted quinoa flour was accepted as optimized with higher values of acceptance for colour, flavor, texture and overall acceptability. Â The physico- chemical composition of optimized ice cream observed were 10.50 ± 0.08 % fat, 4.21 ± 0.08 % protein, 14.01 ± 0.05 % carbohydrates, 37.92 ± 0.39 % total solids, 1.84 ± 0.25 % crude fibre, 16.91 ± 0.02(mg/ml) total phenolic content and 66.25 ± 2.53 (mg/ml) antioxidants. During storage period some of the sensory attributes, physico-chemical, bio-active compounds and microbiological count of the quinoa ice-cream and the control sample was analysed after every 5th day for 35 days. At the end of the storage period, anti-oxidant, over run, melting resistance and pH decreased but acidity increased slightly.
Towards rational computational peptide design
Authors: Chang Liwei , Mondal Arup , Perez Alberto
Published: October 2022

Peptides are prevalent in biology, mediating as many as 40% of protein-protein interactions, and involved in other cellular functions such as transport and signaling. Their ability to bind with high specificity make them promising therapeutical agents with intermediate properties between small molecules and large biologics. Beyond their biological role, peptides can be programmed to self-assembly, and they are already being used for functions as diverse as oligonuclotide delivery, tissue regeneration or as drugs. However, the transient nature of their interactions has limited the number of structures and knowledge of binding affinities available–and their flexible nature has limited the success of computational pipelines that predict the structures and affinities of these molecules. Fortunately, recent advances in experimental and computational pipelines are creating new opportunities for this field. We are starting to see promising predictions of complex structures, thermodynamic and kinetic properties. We believe in the following years this will lead to robust rational peptide design pipelines with success similar to those applied for small molecule drug discovery.
Advancing sustainability with blockchain-based incentives and institutions
Authors: Smajgl Alex , Schweik Charles M.
Published: October 2022

Despite significant efforts over many decades, humanity faces daunting challenges in the governance, management and sustainability of natural resources. Perhaps the most obvious is our global inability to collectively act and control or reduce greenhouse gases that are warming the planet. Another example, occurring at finer geographic scales, is the overuse of groundwater aquifers. Institutions—defined in Political Science and Economics as formal and informal rules that guide and incentivize socio-economic activities—are humanity’s general approach toward addressing these and other environmental challenges. Institutional arrangements typically specify whom they apply to, under what circumstances, and what penalty the breaking of the rule involves. Effective institutional design requires the ability to properly incentivize human behavior in the context of socio-economic systems, and establish systems to monitor behavior and sanction when rules are broken. From time to time, technological advances come along that complement institutional designs and improve our ability to incentivize and monitor behavior. We believe that the invention of Blockchain or Distributed Ledger technology—increasingly touted as the beginning of the fourth industrial revolution–could provide new ways to incentivize behavior of resource users, establish innovative monitoring capacity, and help to avoid corrupt governmental behavior. In this Perspective article, we summarize Proof-of-Stake Blockchain technology and provide two examples—deforestation and groundwater management—to describe how this new revolution could provide new solutions for the sustainable management of natural resources at local to global scales.
Computational intelligence methods in simulation and modeling of structures: A state-of-the-art review using bibliometric maps
Authors: Solorzano German , Plevris Vagelis
Published: October 2022

The modeling and simulation of structural systems is a task that requires high precision and reliable results to ensure the stability and safety of construction projects of all kinds. For many years now, structural engineers have relied on hard computing strategies for solving engineering problems, such as the application of the Finite Element Method (FEM) for structural analysis. However, despite the great success of FEM, as the complexity and difficulty of modern constructions increases, the numerical procedures required for their appropriated design become much harder to process using traditional methods. Therefore, other alternatives such as Computational Intelligence (CI) techniques are gaining substantial popularity among professionals and researchers in the field. In this study, a data-driven bibliometric analysis is presented with the aim to investigate the current research directions and the applications of CI-based methodologies for the simulation and modeling of structures. The presented study is centered on a self-mined database of nearly 8000 publications from 1990 to 2022 with topics related to the aforementioned field. The database is processed to create various two-dimensional bibliometric maps and analyze the relevant research metrics. From the maps, some of the trending topics and research gaps are identified based on an analysis of the keywords. Similarly, the most contributing authors and their collaborations are assessed through an analysis of the corresponding citations. Finally, based on the discovered research directions, various recent publications are selected from the literature and discussed in detail to set examples of innovative CI-based applications for the modeling and simulation of structures. The full methodology that is used to obtain the data and generate the bibliometric maps is presented in detail as a means to provide a clearer interpretation of the bibliometric analysis results.
Manganese-based Prussian blue nanoparticles inhibit tumor proliferation and migration via the MAPK pathway in pancreatic cancer
Authors: Tong Shanshi , Yu Zhilong , Yin Fang , Yang Qilin , Chu Juhang , Huang Luyao , Gao Wenxue , Qian Mingping
Published: October 2022

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the deadliest gastrointestinal malignancies. Advances in molecular biology and surgery have significantly improved survival rates for other tumors in recent decades, but clinical outcomes for PC remained relatively unchanged. Chemodynamic therapy (CDT) and Photothermal therapy (PTT) represent an efficient and relatively safe cancer treatment modality. Here, we synthesized Mn-doped Prussian blue nanoparticles (MnPB NPs) through a simple and mild method, which have a high loading capacity for drugs and excellent CDT/PTT effect. Cell line experiments in vitro and animal experiments in vivo proved the safety of MnPB NPs. We stimulated the PC cells with MnPB NPs and performed transwell migration assays. The migration of PC cells was reduced company with the decrease of two classical proteins: matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9). Moreover, MnPB NPs induced ferroptosis, which mediated the MAPK pathway and achieved tumor elimination in nude mice. This effective and safe strategy controlled by irradiation represents a promising strategy for pancreatic cancer.
Solvent-free synthesis of NiCo2S4 having the metallic nature
Authors: Ahmed Sardar , Ahmad Mushtaq , Yousaf Muhammad Hasnain , Haider Sumain , Imran Zahid , Batool S. S. , Ahmad Ishaq , Shahzad Muhammad Imran , Azeem Muhammad
Published: October 2022

Nickel-cobalt sulfide (NiCo2S4) is a prominent member of bimetallic transition metal sulfides. It is being widely used for a variety of applications such as electrode material, photocatalysis, and energy storage devices (like pseudo capacitors, supercapacitors, solar cells, and fuel cells) due to its better electronic conductivity, manageable morphology, and high capacitance. This work presents the one-step solventless synthesis of NiCo2S4 sheet-like nanostructures and then explores their metallic nature. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) analysis show the sheet-like grown morphology. Few nanorods are also seen. Except for a recent study (Xia et al. 2015) that shows metallic behavior, most of the reports show that NiCo2S4 is a semiconductor with claimed bandgap between 1.21 and 2.4 eV. In this study, we observe from UV-Vis and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) that NiCo2S4 has a specific band gap value between 2.02 and 2.17 eV. However, IV characteristics in the temperature range of 300–400 K show that NiCo2S4 is a metal with a positive temperature coefficient of resistance consistent with a recent report. Furthermore, we see the ohmic conduction mechanism. The Arrhenius plot is drawn, and the activation energy is calculated to be 3.45 meV. The metallic nature is attributed to the coupling of two metal species (nickel and cobalt), which accounts for its superior conductivity and performance in a variety of essential applications.
The application of covalent organic frameworks in Lithium-Sulfur batteries: A mini review for current research progress
Authors: Wang Zhuo , Pan Fei , Zhao Qi , Lv Menglan , Zhang Bin
Published: October 2022

Recently, how to enhance the energy density of rechargeable batteries dramatically is becoming a driving force in the field of energy storage research. Among the current energy storage technologies, the lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are one of the most promising candidates for achieving high-capacity and commercial batteries. The theoretical energy density of Li-S batteries reaches to 2,600 Wh kg−1 with the theoretical capacity of 1,675 mA h g−1. Therefore, Li-S batteries are considered as the great potential for developing future energy storage technology. However, some of problems such as Li dendrites growth, the shuttle effect of sulfides and the electronic insulation feature of sulfur, have brought obstacles to the development of Li-S batteries. The covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are a series of porous materials with different topological structures, which show the versatile characteristics of high specific surface area, permanent pores, ordered porous channels and tunable internal structure. Potentially, their ordered channels and extended conjugated frameworks could facilitate rapid Li-ion diffusion and electron transport for the remarkable rate capability. On the basis of these merits, the COFs become the potential electrode materials to solve the above serious problems of Li-S batteries. In this mini review, we summarize the research progress of COFs utilized as electrode materials in the Li-S batteries, including the cathode, separator and anode materials. Accordingly, the outlook of COFs as electrodes for future development in Li-S batteries is also given.
Electrodeposition of Pt-Ni nanoparticles on graphene as an electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction
Authors: Li Siming , Yan Xuerong , Shi Meng , Wei Pengfei , Lu Haigang , Zhang Zhiyang , Zhang Yong , Li Yawei
Published: October 2022

Owing to its novel properties, such as high electrical conductivity and large specific surface area, graphene has been found as suitable support material for the electrocatalyst design. This work reports the preparation of platinum-nickel alloy nanoparticles (PtNi NPs) electrocatalyst by electrodeposition of PtNi NPs onto graphene support. The obtained PtNi/graphene electrocatalysts were characterized by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), energy-dispersive X-ray microscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) indicating the controllable morphological and compositional profiles of PtNi NPs on graphene. The electrocatalytic characteristics of PtNi/graphene toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) were systematically investigated showing comparable kinetic performance. Moreover, the graphene during electrodeposition process induces carbon vacancies and defects, increasing interaction between nanoparticles and graphene and enhancing electrocatalytic stability by limiting aggregation of the nanoparticles during accelerated stability test. This work opens a promising path for the preparation of graphene-supported alloy electrocatalyst.
Detection of abemaciclib, an anti-breast cancer agent, using a new electrochemical DNA biosensor
Authors: Lei Zimeng , Alwan Merim , Alamir Hassan Thoulfikar A. , Alkaaby Hussein Humedy Chlib , Farhan Sinan Subhi , Awadh Sura A. , Altimari Usama S. , Al-Baghdady Hawra’a Fadhel Abbas , Kadhim Athmar Ali , Qasim Maytham T. , Adhab Ali Hussein , Nekuei Abuzar
Published: October 2022

Detection of DNA molecules and possible chemotherapy-induced changes in its structure has been the goal of researchers using rapid, sensitive and inexpensive approaches. Therefore, the aim of this study was to fabricate a new electrochemical DNA biosensor using pencil graphite electrodes modified with polypyrrole/Ce doped hexagonal nickel oxide nanodisks or PP/Ce-doped H-NiO-ND composites for determination of Abemaciclib (AMC) and ds-DNA molecules. The DNA biosensor was prepared by immobilizing ds-DNA on the surface of PP/Ce-doped H-NiO-ND/PGE. Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) was used to electrochemically detect AMC. The results elucidate the extremely high sensitivity of the ds-DNA/PP/Ce-doped H-NiO-ND/PGE biosensor to AMC, with a narrow detection limit of 2.7 nM and a lengthy linear range of 0.01–600.0 μM. The admirable performance of as-fabricated biosensor could be related to the active reaction sites and the unique electrochemical response related to the nanocomposites by enhancing ds-DNA stabilization and accelerating electron transfer on the surface of electrode.
Interactions between voice-activated AI assistants and human speakers and their implications for second-language acquisition
Authors: Song Jae Yung , Pycha Anne , Culleton Tessa
Published: October 2022

Voice-activated artificially intelligent (voice-AI) assistants, such as Alexa, are remarkably effective at processing spoken commands by native speakers. What happens when the command is produced by an L2 speaker? In the current study, we focused on Korean-speaking L2 learners of English, and we asked (a) whether Alexa could recognize intended productions of two vowel contrasts, /i/ vs. /ɪ/ and /æ/ vs. /ε/, that occur in English but not in Korean, and (b) whether L2 talkers would make clear-speech adjustments when Alexa misrecognized their intended productions. L2 talkers (n = 10) and native English (n = 10) controls asked Alexa to spell out words. Targets were words that formed minimal vowel pairs, e.g., beat-bit, pet-pat. Results showed that Alexa achieved a 55% accuracy rate with L2 productions, compared to 98% for native productions. When Alexa misrecognized an intended production (e.g., spelling P-E-T when the speaker intended pat), L2 talkers adjusted their subsequent production attempts by altering the duration, F1 and F2 of individual vowels (except for /ε/), as well as increasing vowel duration difference between contrasting vowels. These results have implications for theories of speech adaptation, and specifically for our understanding of L2 speech modifications oriented to voice-AI devices.
Causal relationship between osteoporosis and osteoarthritis: A two-sample Mendelian randomized study
Authors: Lin Liu , Luo Pan , Yang Mingyi , Wang Jiachen , Hou Weikun , Xu Peng
Published: October 2022

Introduction

At present, clinical studies have confirmed that osteoporosis (OP) has an inverse relationship with osteoarthritis (OA), but it has not been proven from the point of view of genetics, so our study hopes to clarify the potential effect of OP on OA at the level of gene prediction through two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis.

Methods

A two-sample MR was adopted to research the causal relationship of OP with OA (including total OA, knee OA and hip OA). All data come from a public shared database. Such traditional methods as simple and weighted models, inverse variance weighted, weighted median, and Mendelian Randomization (MR-Egger) regression were employed to assess the causal effect of OP on OA. We used the Pleiotrophy RESidual Sum and Outlier (MR-PRESSO) method and MR-Egger method to study sensitivity. The leave-one-out test is used to determine the influence of outliers. The heterogeneity was calculated by using Cochran Q statistics and MR-Egger regression in the inverse variance-weighted (IVW) method. P > 0.05 indicates that there is a large heterogeneity. MR-Robust Adjustment Profile Score (RAPS) is stable to both systematic and specific multiplicity, so we used MR-RAPS as a supplementary method to verify the results of IVW.

Results

According to the results of IVW, we found that there was a causal relationship between OP and total OA, and OP reduced the incidence of total OA (beta=-0.285, OR=0.751, P value< 0.016). The MR estimation of the causal effect of OP on knee OA suggested that the genetic prediction of OP was negatively correlated with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) (IVW: beta=-6.11, OR=0.002, P value< 0.016). The IVW results suggested that OP was causally related to hip OA, and OP had a protective effect on hip OA (beta=-5.48, OR=4.15e-3, P value= 3.99e-3). Except for heterogeneity in the analysis of OP and knee OA, there was no horizontal pleiotropy or heterogeneity in the other analyses.

Conclusion

We explored the causal relationship between OP and OA through a two-sample MR analysis and found that OP can reduce the incidence of OA (including knee OA and hip OA).
Integration of genomic analysis and transcript expression of ABCC8 and KCNJ11 in focal form of congenital hyperinsulinism
Authors: Wieland Ilse , Schanze Ina , Felgendreher Ina Marianti , Barthlen Winfried , Vogelgesang Silke , Mohnike Klaus , Zenker Martin
Published: October 2022

Background

The focal form of CHI is caused by an autosomal recessive pathogenic variant affecting the paternal homologue of genes ABCC8 or KCNJ11 and a second somatic event specifically occurring in the affected islet of Langerhans. The approach of this study was to integrate the genetic changes occurring in pancreatic focal lesions of CHI at the genomic and transcriptional level.

Research Design and Methods

Patients receiving therapeutic surgery and with proven ABCC8 or KCNJ11 pathogenic variants were selected and analyzed for loss of heterozygosity (LOH), changes in copy number and uniparental disomy (UPD) on the short am of chromosome 11 by molecular microarray analysis and methylation-specific MLPA. Gene expression was analyzed by RT-PCR and Massive Analysis of cDNA Ends (MACE).

Results

Both genes, ABCC8 and KCNJ11, are located in proximity to the Beckwith-Wiedemann (BWS) imprinting control region on chromosome 11p15. Somatic paternal uniparental isodisomy (UPD) at chromosome 11p was identified as second genetic event in focal lesions resulting in LOH and monoallelic expression of the mutated ABCC8/KCNJ11 alleles. Of five patients with samples available for microarray analysis, the breakpoints of UPD on chromosome 11p were different. Samples of two patients were analyzed further for changes in gene expression. Profound downregulation of growth suppressing genes CDKN1 and H19 was detected in focal lesions whereas growth promoting gene ASCL2 and pancreatic transcription factors of the endocrine cell lineage were upregulated.

Conclusions

Paternal UPD on the short arm of chromosome 11 appears to be the major second genetic event specifically within focal lesions of CHI but no common breakpoint for UDP can be delineated. We show for the first time upregulation of growth promoting ASCL2 (achaete-scute homolog 2) suggestive of a driving factor in postnatal focal expansion in addition to downregulation of growth suppressing genes CDKN1C and H19.
The dual role of the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway in cardiac physiology and pathophysiology
Authors: Cairns Megan , Joseph Danzil , Essop M. Faadiel
Published: October 2022

The heart is a highly metabolic organ with extensive energy demands and hence relies on numerous fuel substrates including fatty acids and glucose. However, oxidative stress is a natural by-product of metabolism that, in excess, can contribute towards DNA damage and poly-ADP-ribose polymerase activation. This activation inhibits key glycolytic enzymes, subsequently shunting glycolytic intermediates into non-oxidative glucose pathways such as the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway (HBP). In this review we provide evidence supporting the dual role of the HBP, i.e. playing a unique role in cardiac physiology and pathophysiology where acute upregulation confers cardioprotection while chronic activation contributes to the onset and progression of cardio-metabolic diseases such as diabetes, hypertrophy, ischemic heart disease, and heart failure. Thus although the HBP has emerged as a novel therapeutic target for such conditions, proposed interventions need to be applied in a context- and pathology-specific manner to avoid any potential drawbacks of relatively low cardiac HBP activity.
Fertility preservation for pediatric patients with hemoglobinopathies: Multidisciplinary counseling needed to optimize outcomes
Authors: Bedrick Bronwyn S. , Kohn Taylor P. , Pecker Lydia H. , Christianson Mindy S.
Published: October 2022

Hemoglobinopathies are autosomal recessive disorders that occur when genetic mutations negatively impact the function of hemoglobin. Common hemoglobinopathies that are clinically significant include sickle cell disease, alpha thalassemia, and beta thalassemia. Advancements in disease-modifying and curative treatments for the common hemoglobinopathies over the past thirty years have led to improvements in patient quality of life and longevity for those who are affected. However, the diseases, their treatments and cures pose infertility risks, making fertility preservation counseling and treatment an important part of the contemporary comprehensive patient care. Sickle cell disease negatively impacts both male and female infertility, primarily by testicular failure and decreased ovarian reserve, respectively. Fertility in both males and females with beta thalassemia major are negatively impacted by iron deposition due to chronic blood transfusions. Hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) is currently the only curative treatment for SCD and transfusion dependent beta thalassemia. Many of the conditioning regimens for HSCT contain chemotherapeutic agents with known gonadotoxicity and whole-body radiation. Although most clinical studies on toxicity and impact of HSCT on long-term health do not evaluate fertility, gonadal failure is common. Male fertility preservation modalities that exist prior to gonadotoxic treatment include sperm banking for pubertal males and testicular cryopreservation for pre-pubertal boys. For female patients, fertility preservation options include oocyte cryopreservation and ovarian tissue cryopreservation. Oocyte cryopreservation requires controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) with ten to fourteen days of intensive monitoring and medication administration. This is feasible once the patient has undergone menarche. Follicular growth is monitored via transvaginal or transabdominal ultrasound, and hormone levels are monitored through frequent blood work. Oocytes are then harvested via a minimally invasive approach under anesthesia. Complications of COH are more common in patients with hemoglobinopathies. Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome creates a greater risk to patients with underlying vascular, pulmonary, and renal injury, as they may be less able to tolerate fluids shifts. Thus, it is critical to monitor patients undergoing COH closely with close collaboration between the hematology team and the reproductive endocrinology team. Counseling patients and families about future fertility must take into consideration the patient’s disease, treatment history, and planned treatment, acknowledging current knowledge gaps.
Design and analysis of the multi-port converter based power enhancement for an integrated power generation system using predictive energy amendment algorithm
Authors: Madhana R. , Mani Geetha
Published: October 2022

The power quality analysis aims to identify electricity consumers to enhance quality using power converters. The study examines the interactions between loads, power networks, and various power quality enhancement technologies. In particular, modern controllers are used in a unified structure to build a novel DC-DC converter for renewable hybrid power generation. Also, the modified DC-DC converter requires efficient power management and a balanced supply-demand system. This work focuses on creating a multi-port power electronic converter that can be used to integrate numerous renewable energy sources with varying source and load characteristics. When surplus energy is available in photovoltaics, the proposed converter may conduct maximum power point tracking control for the system and regulate the charging and discharging of the battery. Therefore, the modified converter should reduce the static level error and maximum overshoot. This paper proposed a multi-port converter that ensures high energy efficiency. Moreover, the proposed circuit driven by the predictive energy amendment algorithm ensures superior energy harvesting from different ports while maintaining high power, transfer efficiency and reliability. The dynamically generated duty cycles avoid cross-regulation and regulate the various port voltages irrespective of the environmental conditions. The impact of fluctuation can be significantly reduced by combining renewable energy sources with the statistical capacity to counteract each other, enhancing the system’s overall reliability and utility. Furthermore, the proposed converter has the potential to lower system cost and size owing to reducing switch counts while increasing efficiency and reliability. The MATLAB/SIMULINK environment examined and evaluated the proposed architecture and control technique, proven the feasibility and its superior characteristics demonstrates the steady-state error of 0.284%, total harmonics distortion of about 0.13%, and system efficiency of 96.2%. Moreover, the numerical results proven that the proposed controller efficiency is 6.88% greater than that of conventional PID controller.
Spatial-temporal changes of land use/cover change and habitat quality in Sanjiang plain from 1985 to 2017
Authors: Jin Shanhe , Liu Xin , Yang Jiajia , Lv Junchao , Gu Yuchao , Yan Jishun , Yuan Ruiyang , Shi Yudi
Published: October 2022

Land use/Land cover (LULC) change seriously affects ecosystem services and ecosystem functions. In order to maintain ecological security and orderly social development, habitat quality assessment based on Land use/Land cover change is worth exploring. Based on multi-source land use data and Google remote sensing data from 1985 to 2017, land use transfer matrix and habitat quality index were used to study land use change, spatial-temporal evolution of habitat quality, and driving factors influencing habitat quality change in Sanjiang Plain. The results showed that Land use/Land cover changed significantly from 1985 to 2017, especially paddy land increased by 22,184.92 km2, while unutilized land decreased by 11,533.53 km2. The increase of construction land was mainly at the expense of dry land. There was a polarization in habitat quality, and the high intensity of land use utilization and development resulted in a significant decrease in habitat quality. From 1985 to 2017, the largest change in habitat quality was grassland, which decreased from 0.99 to 0.91.
Incineration or pulverization? Evolutionary game model of management of nematode-infected pine wood in China in the carbon neutrality context
Authors: Wen Xuanye , Gu Tianlu , Qi Huan , Zhang Feiping
Published: October 2022

The rapid spread of pine wilt disease has become a major crisis with regard to forest ecological security. Against the background of China’s concerted effort to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, balancing economic and environmental costs during the environmentally sound treatment of nematode-infected pine wood is an issue worthy of attention. In this study, we constructed an evolutionary game model of the central government, local governments, and infected wood management-related enterprises and analyzed the evolutionary process of the three parties with stable strategies based on a full consideration of actual circumstances. To verify the theoretical results, we conducted numerical simulations using MATLAB. The results of the study are as follows. 1) The central government plays a decisive role in how infected wood is handled. The greater the degree of regulation is, the greater the local government favors low carbon emissions and the more companies will choose the pulverization method. 2) Local governments bear the main responsibility in the processing of infected wood, and only when local governments are sufficiently penalized will enterprises choose to pulverize the wood and dispose of it. 3) Policy subsidies are an effective measure that will help the three parties in the model reach a balance more quickly. Overall, this study clarified the realization path of low-carbon treatment of nematode-infected pine wood from a policy perspective. The study results should help promote the low-carbon treatment of nematode-infected pine wood and provide a basis for the formulation of relevant forestry policies in the context of carbon neutrality.
Lost pigs of Angola: Whole genome sequencing reveals unique regions of selection with emphasis on metabolism and feed efficiency
Authors: Sá Pedro , Santos Dulce , Chiaia Hermenegildo , Leitão Alexandre , Cordeiro José Moras , Gama Luís T. , Amaral Andreia J.
Published: October 2022

Angola, in the western coast of Africa, has been through dramatic social events that have led to the near-disappearance of native swine populations, and the recent introduction of European exotic breeds has also contributed to the erosion of this native swine repertoire. In an effort to investigate the genetic basis of native pigs in Angola (ANG) we have generated whole genomes from animals of a remote local pig population in Huambo province, which we have compared with 78 genomes of European and Asian pig breeds as well as European and Asian wild boars that are currently in public domain. Analyses of population structure showed that ANG pigs grouped within the European cluster and were clearly separated from Asian pig breeds. Pairwise FST ranged from 0.14 to 0.26, ANG pigs display lower levels of genetic differentiation towards European breeds. Finally, we have identified candidate regions for selection using a complementary approach based on various methods. All results suggest that selection towards feed efficiency and metabolism has occurred. Moreover, all analysis identified CDKAL1 gene, which is related with insulin and cholesterol metabolism, as a candidate gene overlapping signatures of selection unique to ANG pigs. This study presents the first assessment of the genetic relationship between ANG pigs and other world breeds and uncovers selection signatures that may indicate adaptation features unique to this important genetic resource.
Comprehensive pan-cancer analysis of N7-methylguanosine regulators: Expression features and potential implications in prognosis and immunotherapy
Authors: Wei Wei , Liu Chao , Wang Caihong , Wang Meng , Jiang Wei , Zhou Yaqian , Zhang Shuqun
Published: October 2022

Although immunotherapy has made great strides in cancer therapy, its effectiveness varies widely among individual patients as well as tumor types, and there is an urgent need to develop biomarkers for effectively assessing immunotherapy response. In recent years, RNA methylation regulators have demonstrated to be novel potential biomarkers for prognosis as well as immunotherapy of cancers, such as N6-methyladenine (m6A) and 5-methylcytosine (m5C). N7-methylguanosine (m7G) is a prevalent RNA modification in eukaryotes, but the relationship between m7G regulators and prognosis as well as tumor immune microenvironment is still unclear. In this study, a pan-cancer analysis of 26 m7G regulators across 17 cancer types was conducted based on the bioinformatics approach. On the one hand, a comprehensive analysis of expression features, genetic variations and epigenetic regulation of m7G regulators was carried out, and we found that the expression tendency of m7G regulators were different among tumors and their aberrant expression in cancers could be affected by single nucleotide variation (SNV), copy number variation (CNV), DNA methylation and microRNA (miRNA) separately or simultaneously. On the other hand, the m7Gscore was modeled based on single sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) for evaluating the relationships between m7G regulators and cancer clinical features, hallmark pathways, tumor immune microenvironment, immunotherapy response as well as pharmacotherapy sensitivity, and we illustrated that the m7Gscore exhibited tight correlations with prognosis, several immune features, immunotherapy response and drug sensitivity in most cancers. In conclusion, our pan-cancer analysis revealed that m7G regulators may exert critical roles in the tumor progression and immune microenvironment, and have the potential as biomarkers for predicting prognosis, immunotherapy response as well as candidate drug compounds for cancer patients.