bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Efficient approach to produce functional polypropylene via solvent assisted solid-phase free radical grafting of multi-monomers
Authors: Wang Dengfei , Wang Jian , He Shuyan , Yan Yibin , Zhang Jianwei , Dong Jie 
Published: January 2021

AbstractHerein an efficient approach to produce functional polypropylene via solvent assisted solid-phase grafting process is reported, in which acrylic acid, methyl methacrylate and maleic anhydride are used as multi-monomers, 2,2′-azobis(2-methylpropionitrile) as initiator and ether as swelling solvent and carrier. The effects of various factors such as the swelling solvent species and dosage, swelling time and temperature, monomer and initiator concentrations, reaction time and temperature, nitrogen flow rate and the stirring speed on the grafting percentage and grafting efficiency were investigated. To verify the polar species was grafted onto polypropylene, the resulted polymers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, water contact angle measurement, tensile strength and melt flow rate measurement. All the results showed that using the ether assisted solid-phase free radical grafting process is an efficient and versatile approach to produce functional polypropylene.
Recent advancements in transparent carbon nanotube films: chemistry and imminent challenges
Authors: Siwal Samarjeet Singh , Saini Adesh Kumar , Rarotra Saptak , Zhang Qibo , Thakur Vijay Kumar 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
Carbon nanotube (CNT)-doped transparent conductive films (TCFs) is an encouraging option toward generally utilized indium tin oxide-depended TCFs for prospective stretchable optoelectronic materials. Industrial specifications of TCFs involve not just with high electrical performance and transparency but also amidst environmental resistance and mechanical characteristic; those are usually excused within the research background. Though the optoelectronic properties of these sheets require to be developed to match the necessities of various strategies. While, the electrical stability of single-walled CNT TCFs is essentially circumscribed through the inherent resistivity of single SWCNTs and their coupling confrontation in systems. The main encouraging implementations, CNT-doped TCFs, is a substitute system during approaching electronics to succeed established TCFs, that utilize indium tin oxide. Here we review, a thorough summary of CNT-based TCFs including an overview, properties, history, synthesis protocol covering patterning of the films, properties and implementation. There is the attention given on the optoelectronic features of films and doping effect including applications for sophisticated purposes. Concluding notes are given to recommend a prospective investigation into this field towards real-world applicability.

Graphic abstract
This graphical abstract shows the overview of different properties (mechanical, electrical, sensitivity and transportation), synthesis protocols and designing (dry and wet protocol, designing by surface cohesive inkjet-printed and the support of polymers), doping effect (general doping, metal halides, conductive polymers and graphene for transparent electrodes) and implementations (sensing panels, organic light-emitting diodes devices, thin-film transistors and bio-organic interface) of carbon nanotubes transparent conductive films.
A multi-objective hyper-heuristic algorithm based on adaptive epsilon-greedy selection
Authors: Yang Tailong , Zhang Shuyan , Li Cuixia 
Published: January 2021

AbstractA variety of meta-heuristics have shown promising performance for solving multi-objective optimization problems (MOPs). However, existing meta-heuristics may have the best performance on particular MOPs, but may not perform well on the other MOPs. To improve the cross-domain ability, this paper presents a multi-objective hyper-heuristic algorithm based on adaptive epsilon-greedy selection (HH_EG) for solving MOPs. To select and combine low-level heuristics (LLHs) during the evolutionary procedure, this paper also proposes an adaptive epsilon-greedy selection strategy. The proposed hyper-heuristic can solve problems from varied domains by simply changing LLHs without redesigning the high-level strategy. Meanwhile, HH_EG does not need to tune parameters, and is easy to be integrated with various performance indicators. We test HH_EG on the classical DTLZ test suite, the IMOP test suite, the many-objective MaF test suite, and a test suite of a real-world multi-objective problem. Experimental results show the effectiveness of HH_EG in combining the advantages of each LLH and solving cross-domain problems.
An innovative picture fuzzy distance measure and novel multi-attribute decision-making method
Authors: Ganie Abdul Haseeb , Singh Surender 
Published: January 2021

AbstractPicture fuzzy set (PFS) is a direct generalization of the fuzzy sets (FSs) and intuitionistic fuzzy sets (IFSs). The concept of PFS is suitable to model the situations that involve more answers of the type yes, no, abstain, and refuse. In this study, we introduce a novel picture fuzzy (PF) distance measure on the basis of direct operation on the functions of membership, non-membership, neutrality, refusal, and the upper bound of the function of membership of two PFSs. We contrast the proposed PF distance measure with the existing PF distance measures and discuss the advantages in the pattern classification problems. The application of fuzzy and non-standard fuzzy models in the real data is very challenging as real data is always found in crisp form. Here, we also derive some conversion formulae to apply proposed method in the real data set. Moreover, we introduce a new multi-attribute decision-making (MADM) method using the proposed PF distance measure. In addition, we justify necessity of the newly proposed MADM method using appropriate counterintuitive examples. Finally, we contrast the performance of the proposed MADM method with the classical MADM methods in the PF environment.
Fractional two-stage transshipment problem under uncertainty: application of the extension principle approach
Authors: Garg Harish , Mahmoodirad Ali , Niroomand Sadegh 
Published: January 2021

AbstractIn this paper, a fuzzy fractional two-stage transshipment problem where all the parameters are represented by fuzzy numbers is studied. The problem uses the ratio of costs divided by benefits as the objective function. A solution method which employs the extension principle is used to find the fuzzy objective value of the problem. For this purpose, the fuzzy fractional two-stage transshipment problem is decomposed into two sub-problems where each of them is tackled individually using various$$\alpha$$αlevels to obtain the fuzzy objective function value and its associated membership function. To deal with the nonlinearity of the objective function the Charnes–Cooper transformation method is embedded to the proposed approach. The superior efficiency of the presented formulation and the proposed solution method is examined over a numerical example as well as a case study comparing to the literature.
Imaging the Subsurface: How Different Visualizations of Cross-sections Affect the Sense of Uncertainty
Authors: Bang-Kittilsen Ane , Midtbø Terje 
Published: January 2021

AbstractGeologists struggle to communicate the uncertainty that arise when mapping and interpreting the geological subsurface. Today, open data sharing policies make new value of geological information possible for a broader user group of non-experts. It is crucial to develop standard methods for visualizing uncertainty to increase the usability of geological information. In this study, a web experiment was set up to analyze whether and how different design choices influence the sense of uncertainty. Also, questions about the intuitiveness of symbols were asked. Two-hundred ten participants from different countries completed the experiment, both experts and non-experts in geology. Traditional visualization techniques in geology, like dashed lines, dotted lines and question mark, were tested. In addition, other visualizations were tested, such as hatched area and variations of symbol size, zoom levels and reference information. The results show that design choices have an impact on the participants’ assessment of uncertainty. The experts inquire about crucial information if it is not present. The results also suggest that when visualizing uncertainty, all the elements in the representation, and specifically the line and area symbols that delineate and colour the features, must work together to make the right impression.
Flow pattern and pressure drop for oil–water flows in and around 180° bends
Authors: Ayegba Paul Onubi , Edomwonyi-Otu Lawrence C. , Abubakar Abdulkareem , Yusuf Nurudeen 
Published: January 2021

AbstractPressure drop and flow pattern of oil–water flows were investigated in a 19-mm ID clear polyvinyl chloride pipe consisting ofU-bend with radius of curvature of 100 mm. The range for oil and water superficial velocities tested was$$0.04 \le U_{{{\text{so}}}} \le 0.950 \;{\text{m/s}}$$0.04≤Uso≤0.950m/sand$$0.13 \le U_{{{\text{sw}}}} \le 1.10 \;{\text{m/s}}$$0.13≤Usw≤1.10m/s, respectively. Measurements were carried out under different flow conditions in a test section that consisted of four different parts: upstream of the bend, at the bend and at two redeveloping flow locations after the bend. The result indicated that the bend had limited influence on downstream flow patterns. However, the shear forces imposed by the bend caused some shift flow pattern transition and bubble characteristics in the redeveloping flow section after the bend relative to develop flow before the bend. Generally, pressure gradient at all the test sections increased with both oil fraction and water superficial velocity and there was a sharp change of pressure gradient profile during phase inversion. The transition point where phase inversion occurred was always within the range of$$0.4 \le U_{{{\text{sw}}}} \le 0.54 \;{\text{m/s}}$$0.4≤Usw≤0.54m/s. Pressure losses differed at the various test sections, and the difference was strongly linked to the superficial velocity of the phases and the flow pattern. At high mixture velocity, pressure losses at the redeveloping section after the bend were higher than that at the bend and that for fully developed flows. At low mixture velocity, pressure losses at the bend are higher than in the straight sections. Pressure drop generally decreased with level of flow development downstream of the bend.
Effects of bovine gelatin viscosity on gelatin-based edible film mechanical, physical and morphological properties
Authors: Sancakli A. , Basaran B. , Arican F. , Polat O. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractThis study was conducted to determine the effect of gelatin reology on mechanical, physical and morphological properties of gelatin-based edible films. The aim of this study was to better understand the variation of viscosity on the structural behaviour of gelatin-based films in the presence of glycerol and sorbitol plasticizers. Gelatin-based films were casted by using gelatins of different viscosities as 2.5, 3.0 and 3.5 centipoise with plasticisers as glycerol and sorbitol. Finally, the physical, mechanical and morphological properties of the films were investigated via pH, thickness, tensile strength and elongation, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. As a result of the study, it was observed that a durable film structure could be obtained with gelatin viscosity at 3 centipoise. Furthermore 5.5% gelatin, 0.1% glycerol and 0.4% sorbitol concentration were found as the most suitable formulation for gelatin based film structure with Tukey Test. The results suggest that gelatin-plastisizer combinations can be an excellent source of biobased packaging material with further investigations.
Electrochemical determination of the levels of lead and cadmium in soil samples from Niger and Ogun States, Nigeria: remediation potential with chitosan phosphate and implications for human health and disease
Authors: Olaitan Greatness , Okiei Wesley 
Published: January 2021

AbstractLead and cadmium poisoning is common in some parts of Nigeria as a result of artisanal mining of gold. The poisoning has led to the deaths of hundreds of women and children below the age of five years. In this study, the concentrations of lead and cadmium in eight soil samples collected from selected artisanal gold mining locations in Niger State and battery dismantling site in Ogun State were electrochemically determined. Linear sweep stripping voltammetry technique was used with glassy carbon as working electrode, Ag/AgCl as reference and platinum as auxiliary electrode. The cathodic peak current for the reduction of lead was observed at − 490 mV while that of cadmium was observed at − 675 mV. The concentrations of lead in the soil samples ranged between 19 and 417 mg/kg while that of cadmium was in the range 20–182 mg/kg. The ability of chitosan phosphate to adsorb lead and cadmium in the polluted soil samples was investigated as a step towards carrying out remediation of the polluted environment. Chitosan phosphate was derived from chitosan which was prepared by the deacetylation of chitin obtained from crab. The chitosan phosphate was found to remove the lead and cadmium from all the soil samples studied.
Reducing cementitious paste volume of slipformed pavement concrete by blending aggregates
Authors: Chung Hung-Wen , Subgranon Thanachart , Tia Mang 
Published: January 2021

AbstractA high cementitious paste volume (CPV) can increase the early cracking tendency of the concrete and reduce the durability of concrete pavement. This study investigated the effects of minimized CPV in slipformed pavement concrete (SPC) with blended aggregates (BA). Based on the laboratory results, the performance of pavement concrete with different CPV was evaluated. The CPV of standard SPC can be reduced to 25.0% without affecting its properties as evaluated by compressive strength, drying shrinkage and surface resistivity tests However, the CPV of SPC with optimized aggregate gradation (OAG) using BA technique can be further reduced to 22.5% with satisfactory properties. The SPC mixes with OAG was noted to have better potential performance as a pavement concrete. SPC concrete using Portland limestone cement can give similar properties as those of the conventional concrete using ordinary Portland cement.
Selected implications of a hyper-connected world on pavement engineering
Authors: Steyn Wynand Jacobus van der Merwe 
Published: January 2021

AbstractThe world is becoming a hyper-connected environment where an abundance of data from sensor networks can provide continuous information on the behaviour and performance of infrastructure. The last part of the 3rd Industrial Revolution (IR) and the start of the 4th IR gave rise to a world where this overabundance of sensors, and availability of wireless networks enables connections between people and infrastructure that was not practically comprehensible during the 20th century. 4IR supports the datafication of life, data science, big data, transportation evolution, optimization of logistic and supply chains and automation of various aspects of life, including vehicles and road infrastructure. The hyper-connected 4IR environment allows integration between the physical world and digital and intelligent engineering, increasingly serving as the primary lifecycle management systems for engineering practitioners. With this background, the paper evaluates a few concepts of the hyper-connected pavement environment in a 4IR Digital Twin mode, with the emphasis on selected applications, implications, benefits and limitations. The hyper-connected world can and should be managed in the pavement realm to ensure that adequate and applicable data are collected regarding infrastructure, environment and users to enable a more efficient and effective transportation system. In this regard, and planning for future scenarios where the proliferation of data is a given, it is important that pavement engineers understand what is possible, evaluate the potential benefits, conduct cost/benefit evaluations, and implement appropriate solutions to ensure longevity and safety of pavement infrastructure.
Using Heat to Trace Vertical Water Fluxes in Sediment Experiencing Concurrent Tidal Pumping and Groundwater Discharge
Authors: LeRoux N. K. , Kurylyk B. L. , Briggs M. A. , Irvine D. J. , Tamborski J. J. , Bense V. F. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractHeat has been widely applied to trace groundwater‐surface water exchanges in inland environments, but it is infrequently applied in coastal sediment where head oscillations induce periodicity in water flux magnitude/direction and heat advection. This complicates interpretation of temperatures to estimate water fluxes. We investigate the convolution of thermal and hydraulic signals to assess the viability of using heat as a tracer in environments with tidal head oscillations superimposed on submarine groundwater discharge. We first generate sediment temperature and head time series for conditions ranging from no tide to mega‐tidal using a numerical model (SUTRA) forced with periodic temperature and tidal head signals. We then analyze these synthetic temperature time series using heat tracing software (VFLUX2 and 1DTempPro) to evaluate if conventional terrestrial approaches to infer fluxes from temperatures are applicable for coastal settings. We consider high‐frequency water flux variability within a tidal signal and averaged over tidal signals. Results show that VFLUX2 analytical methods reasonably estimated the mean discharge fluxes in most cases but could not reproduce the flux variability within tidal cycles. The model results further reveal that high‐frequency time series of water fluxes varying in magnitude and direction can be accurately estimated if paired temperatures and hydraulic heads are analyzed using numerical models (e.g., 1DTempPro) that consider both dynamic hydraulic gradients and thermal signals. These results point to the opportunity to incorporate pressure sensors within heat tracing instrumentation to better assess sub‐daily flux oscillations and associated reactive processes.
Nanodroplet-mediated catheter-directed sonothrombolysis of retracted blood clots
Authors: Goel Leela , Wu Huaiyu , Zhang Bohua , Kim Jinwook , Dayton Paul A. , Xu Zhen , Jiang Xiaoning 
Published: January 2021

AbstractOne major challenge in current microbubble (MB) and tissue plasminogen activator (tPA)-mediated sonothrombolysis techniques is effectively treating retracted blood clots, owing to the high density and low porosity of retracted clots. Nanodroplets (NDs) have the potential to enhance retracted clot lysis owing to their small size and ability to penetrate into retracted clots to enhance drug delivery. For the first time, we demonstrate that a sub-megahertz, forward-viewing intravascular (FVI) transducer can be used for ND-mediated sonothrombolysis, in vitro. In this study, we determined the minimum peak negative pressure to induce cavitation with low-boiling point phase change nanodroplets and clot lysis. We then compared nanodroplet mediated sonothrombolysis to MB and tPA mediate techniques. The clot lysis as a percent mass decrease in retracted clots was 9 ± 8%, 9 ± 5%, 16 ± 5%, 14 ± 9%, 17 ± 9%, 30 ± 8%, and 40 ± 9% for the control group, tPA alone, tPA + US, MB + US, MB + tPA + US, ND + US, and ND + tPA + US groups, respectively. In retracted blood clots, combined ND- and tPA-mediated sonothrombolysis was able to significantly enhance retracted clot lysis compared with traditional MB and tPA-mediated sonothrombolysis techniques. Combined nanodroplet with tPA-mediated sonothrombolysis may provide a feasible strategy for safely treating retracted clots.
Cardiopulmonary performance in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation recipients—evaluation of pre-transplant risk assessments
Authors: Pahl Antonia , Waibel Sarah , Wehrle Anja , Ihorst Gabriele , Gollhofer Albert , Bertz Hartmut 
Published: January 2021

AbstractCardiopulmonary performance reflects how well different organ systems interact. It is inter alia influenced by body composition, determines patients’ quality of life and can also predict mortality. However, it is not yet used for risk prediction prior to allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantations (alloHCT). Thus, we aimed to examine the predictive power of peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak) as a representative of cardiopulmonary performance and that of body composition before alloHCT to determine overall survival (OS) and non-relapse mortality (NRM) 2 years after transplantation. We also compared it with the predictive power of four commonly-used risk scores: revised Pretransplant Assessment of Mortality (rPAM), Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation-specific Comorbidity Index (HCT-CI), revised Disease Risk Index (rDRI), European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT). Fifty-nine patients performed a cardiopulmonary exercise test and body composition assessments before alloHCT and were observed for 2 years. Sixteen patients died. VO2peak and most risk scores assessed pre-transplant revealed no association with OS or NRM. Body composition parameters only within univariable analyses. But higher rDRI and the male sex, were associated with shorter OS and higher NRM. We thus propose that the current risk assessments be reconsidered. The predictive value of VO2peak and body composition need further clarification, however.
Integrated decoding hematopoiesis and leukemogenesis using single-cell sequencing and its medical implication
Authors: Qin Pengfei , Pang Yakun , Hou Wenhong , Fu Ruiqing , Zhang Yingchi , Wang Xuefei , Meng Guofeng , Liu Qifa , Zhu Xiaofan , Hong Ni , Cheng Tao , Jin Wenfei 
Published: January 2021

AbstractSingle-cell RNA sequencing provides exciting opportunities to unbiasedly study hematopoiesis. However, our understanding of leukemogenesis was limited due to the high individual differences. Integrated analyses of hematopoiesis and leukemogenesis potentially provides new insights. Here we analyzed ~200,000 single-cell transcriptomes of bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMCs) and its subsets from 23 clinical samples. We constructed a comprehensive cell atlas as hematopoietic reference. We developed counterpart composite index (CCI; available at GitHub: https://github.com/pengfeeei/cci) to search for the healthy counterpart of each leukemia cell subpopulation, by integrating multiple statistics to map leukemia cells onto reference hematopoietic cells. Interestingly, we found leukemia cell subpopulations from each patient had different healthy counterparts. Analysis showed the trajectories of leukemia cell subpopulations were similar to that of their healthy counterparts, indicating that developmental termination of leukemia initiating cells at different phases leads to different leukemia cell subpopulations thus explained the origin of leukemia heterogeneity. CCI further predicts leukemia subtypes, cellular heterogeneity, and cellular stemness of each leukemia patient. Analyses of leukemia patient at diagnosis, refractory, remission and relapse vividly presented dynamics of cell population during leukemia treatment. CCI analyses showed the healthy counterparts of relapsed leukemia cells were closer to the root of hematopoietic tree than that of other leukemia cells, although single-cell transcriptomic genetic variants and haplotype tracing analyses showed the relapsed leukemia cell were derived from an early minor leukemia cell population. In summary, this study developed a unified framework for understanding leukemogenesis with hematopoiesis reference, which provided novel biological and medical implication.