bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Assessment of seismic performance of RC frame structure with masonry infill panels partially uncoupled from the surrounding frame members
Authors: Mociran H A , Cobîrzan N 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
The present study numerically analyses the influence of physical and mechanical properties of the materials used for masonry infill panels upon the seismic response of low rise reinforced concrete frame structure. A four-storey residential building (benchmark), located in Timisoara, a moderate seismic area, has been designed according to the current Romanian design codes. Then, infill panels considered uncoupled from the frame members along their lateral and upper edges, have been added to the structure. Infill panels have been investigated in four variants, by using 2 types of masonry units (hollowed ceramic blocks and AAC), alternatively built with mortars specific for regular bed joints (G) and thin bed joints (T), for which a comparative modal response spectrum analysis has been carried out. The seismic behaviour of buildings in all these cases has been analysed in terms of peak inter-storey drifts under two limit states and of the out-of-plane strength of infill panels. The results show that the peak inter-storey drifts reductions compared to the benchmark structure are up to 59% at SLS, and 61% at ULS. Regarding the out-of-plane behaviour of the infill panels it was noted that safety verification is fulfilled only for one of the abovementioned cases. As a final remark, the results obtained in this study highlight the importance of physical and mechanical properties of the masonry infill panels in the assessments of seismic response of frame structure buildings.
Pushover analysis of R.C. framed structures with infill panels made of masonry having various properties
Authors: Mociran H A , Cobîrzan N 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
The seismic performances of R.C. frame structures were determined in terms of inter-storey drifts at two limit states, internal forces and moments (axial forces and bending moments), and the in-plane behaviour of infills. A nonlinear static analysis (pushover) was carried out in order to assess the seismic performance of buildings, to identify the expected plastic mechanisms and to plot the capacity curves. In pushover analysis, the vertical distribution of the monotonically increasing horizontal loads, was performed according to the first mode pattern. The nonlinear behaviour of structural members for pushover analysis was modelled by using the lumped plasticity, from where it derives that the potential plastic hinges were situated at the beams ends (which yield due to the bending moment), at the top and bottom of the columns at any storey (which yield based on the interaction of axial force and bending moment) and in the struts (which yield due to the axial force).
Study on determination of an object material using the microwave doppler sensor
Authors: Oda K , Nakamura K , Ikebata K , Kobayashi Y 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
In this study, to consider a method for detecting the sediment portion of avalanches containing sediment using microwave Doppler sensors, we confirmed whether the signal processing obtained by the sensors can differentiate the objects. Since microwaves in this frequency band are not easily affected by rain and snowfall, these are being developed for use in dashboard camera and other applications. However, it is necessary to understand the attenuation of the microwave for the snow in order to apply this technology to detect the sediment in the avalanche. It is also necessary to know the rate of reflection of microwaves from the snow and sand. Therefore, it is necessary to verify whether the reflection of the microwave from the sediment is correctly measured or not. In this report, we discuss the results of the verification to see if the distance between the sensor and the object, which is known in advance, can be detected correctly.
Mixed Matrix Membrane Incorporating of MgAl-CO3 Layered-Double-Hydroxide for Enhanced Carbon Dioxide Separation
Authors: Fajrina N. , Yusof N. , Ismail A.F. , Jaafar J. , Aziz F. , Salleh W.N.W. , Ismail N.M. 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
In this study, mixed matrix membranes were fabricated by incorporating MgAl-CO3 layered double hydroxides (LDH) into polysulfone (PSF) coated with low-cost commercial PEBAX polymer for enhancing CO2/CH4 separation. LDH was synthesized via a simple co-precipitation method and flat sheet membranes were fabricated by dry/wet inversion phase. The gas separation performance on pure PSF and LDH/PSF membranes were investigated. The physical property, chemical structure and membrane morphology were characterized by XRD, FTIR, and SEM. The sample membranes were tested with CO2 and CH4 gas for permeance performance and selectivity of CO2/CH4 was calculated. By incorporation of LDH, the CO2 permeance increased about 54.6%. LDH mixed matrix membranes displayed the 18.2 GPU of CO2 permeance and CO2/CH4 selectivity of 18.0. The LDH based membrane produces innovation in membrane technology by improving its morphology and permeance performance with great potential for large-scale CO2 capture and separation.
Fabrication and characterization of composite hollow fibre membrane derived from hydroxyapatite cow bone and kaolin
Authors: Najieha Kamarudin Suraya , Riduan Jamalludin Mohd , Nor Suhaida Rasman Siti , Khadijah Hubadillah Siti , Arif Budiman Pauzan Mohd , Hafiz Dzarfan Othman Mohd 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
Due to its superior behaviour, membrane separation has been applied widely towards water and wastewater treatment. Compare to polymeric counterparts, ceramic membrane has become innovation technology nowadays as it can be used both separation and adsorption application. The conventional ceramic membrane made from alumina, however, in view of its high-cost output. As a result, exploring to a cheap ceramic material derived from clay and waste is gaining attention. In this study, hydroxyapatite derived from cow bone waste and kaolin were used as the main materials for the fabrication of ceramic hollow fibre membrane via phase inversion and sintering technique. The membrane composition was varied through kaolin:hydroxyapatite ration into three composition (40:0, 0:40, 20:20). Result showed the ceramic membrane fabricated from 20 wt% kaolin and 20 wt% hydroxyapatite induces excellent performance at water flux of 10168.5 L/m².h and mechanical strength at 13.33 MPa.
Ionic Liquid Blend Thin Film Composite Membrane for Carbon Dioxide Separation
Authors: Nur Alwani Shafie Siti , Viriya Vinosha , Abdul Hadi Md Nordin Nik , Roil Bilad Muhammad , Dzul Hakim Wirzal Mohd 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
To utilize the superior properties of ionic liquid (IL), this work developed thin film composite (TFC) membrane incorporated with [EMIM][Tf2N] prepared via interfacial polymerization (IP). The effect of IL on membrane properties and CO2/CH4 separation performance were studied. The IL loading was varied from 1-5wt%. The fabricated membranes were characterized and the gas separation performance of the membranes was evaluated in term of CO2 permeability and CO2/CH4 selectivity. Analysis from Fourier-transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) shows the presence of [EMIM][TF2N] functional groups proving the successful attachment of the IL in the membrane. Furthermore, it is noted that with increasing IL loading up to 3vol%, the surface morphology became rougher and the membrane became more rigid based on the Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) thermogram and Atomic Force Microscopy(AFM) analysis, accordingly. Based on the gas permeation test at 1 bar feed pressure, membrane with 5wt% of IL showed CO2 permeability of 3424.44 GPU and CO2/CH4 selectivity of 32.15. Compared to pure TFC membrane, TFC/IL membranes showed as much as 103 times and 32 times improvement for CO2 permeability and CO2/CH4 selectivity, accordingly. The improved gas separation performance shows promising results of incorporating IL in TFC membrane for CO2 separation.
Large strain and low hysteresis in (1-x)Bi0.5(Na0.75K0.25)0.5TiO3-xSrTiO3 lead-free piezoceramics
Authors: Liu Zixuan , Ruan Tingting , Li Qiong , Liu Yunfei , Lyu Yinong , Mao Minmin 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
(1-x)Bi0.5(Na0.75K0.25)0.5TiO3-xSrTiO3 (BNKT-xST) incipient piezoelectric ceramics with x = 0.05-0.35 were fabricated using solid-state reaction technique. The microstructure and electrical properties are discussed as functions of ST content. The X-ray diffraction patterns confirm that all the compositions form a solid solution without any secondary phase. As the ST content increases, the grain growth is inhibited, and the ferroelectric phase transforms into the relaxor phase, which can be confirmed by the P-E and I-E loops. For the compositions of x = 0.05, 0.30 and 0.35, a large strain of 0.28%, 0.24% and 0.18% with a low hysteresis of 16.2%, 10.0% and 4.7% can be obtained. We propose that the large strain and low hysteresis behavior are beneficial from the disruption of long-range ferroelectric phase and the increase in relaxor phase, which should provide a feasible paradigm to promote the applications of precise micro-actuators.
Experimental investigations of Al2O3- and ZrO2-based coatings deposited by detonation spraying
Authors: Rakhadilov Bauyrzhan , Kantay Nurgamit , Sagdoldina Zhuldyz , Erbolatuly Dosym , Bektasova Gulsym , Paszkowski Maciej 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
This paper presents the results of experimental investigations of the physical and mechanical properties, structure and surface morphology of Al2O3- and ZrO2-based coatings deposited by detonation spraying. The coatings were sprayed onto titanium-alloyed steel 12Ch18N10T (GOST 4986-79). The thickness of the coatings ranged from 250 to 1100 μm. After the deposition of the coatings the mechanical properties of the steel’s surface layer significantly improved. Its microhardness increased threefold, reaching the maximum value of over 11 GPa. Also the tribological properties of the material detonation sprayed onto the steel were tested. A significant decrease in the kinetic friction coefficient was observed. For the steel with the ZrO2 coating the friction coefficient decreased by nearly half, reaching the value of 0.330. An increase in abrasive wear resistance was noted. Moreover, the results of electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction examinations evaluating the structural properties and surface morphology of the coatings are presented.
Experimental validation of bulk-graphene as a thermoelectric generator
Authors: Uzair Khan Muhammad , Naveed Amir , Ehtisham Gillani Syed , Awan Dawar , Arif Muhammad , Afridi Shaista , Hamyun Muhammad , Asif Muhammad , Tabassum Saadia , Sadiq Muhammad , Lais Muhammad , Aslam Muhammad , Ullah Jan Saeed , Ahad Zeeshan 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
Quest for alternate energy sources is the core of most of the research activities these days. No matter how small or large amount of energy can be produced by utilizing the non-conventional techniques and sources, every bit of innovation can reshape the future of energy. In this work, experimental analysis of the thermoelectric (TE) properties of bulk-graphene in the temperature range of (303 to 363) K is presented. Graphene powder was pressed to form a pellet which was used to fabricate the TE device. The effects of temperature on the Seebeck coefficient, electrical and thermal conductivities, and the dimensionless figure of merit (FOM) were measured. The increasing value of the Seebeck coefficient (thermopower) with temperature is indicant of the metallic behavior. Additionally, the observed thermopower (TEP) is positive, which shows that the majority charge carriers are holes and peaked to a value of 56 μV K−1 at 363 K. The thermopower of the pellet is four times larger than the previously reported values for single layer graphene (SLG) and few layer graphene (FLG). In addition to this, low values of the thermal conductivity were observed for the pellet which is one of the requirements of a good TE material. Besides this, an upward trend is observed with increasing temperature for FOM, which attains a peak value of 0.0016 at 363 K, which is almost ten times that of the previously reported values.
Bandgap optimization of sol–gel-derived TiO2 and its effect on the photodegradation of formic acid
Authors: Zouheir Morad , Assila Ouissal , Tanji Karim , El Gaidoumi Abdelali , Araña Javier , Doña Rodríguez José Miguel , Smått Jan-Henrik , Huynh Tan-Phat , Kherbeche Abdelhak 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
This work reports a key factor, the H2SO4 concentration, in controlling the physicochemical properties of titanium dioxide (TiO2) photocatalysts during the sol–gel synthesis. The photocatalysts synthesized using different concentrations of H2SO4 possess specific anatase/rutile ratios and crystallite sizes as well as surface areas, resulting in different photocatalytic performance in the degradation of formic acid in solution. The best photocatalytic performance is observed for the TiO2 photocatalyst containing a relatively high percentage of the rutile phase (∼84%), which is obtained from the sol–gel synthesis without H2SO4.
Large deviations in the perceptron model and consequences for active learning
Authors: Cui H , Saglietti L , Zdeborová L 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
Active learning (AL) is a branch of machine learning that deals with problems where unlabeled data is abundant yet obtaining labels is expensive. The learning algorithm has the possibility of querying a limited number of samples to obtain the corresponding labels, subsequently used for supervised learning. In this work, we consider the task of choosing the subset of samples to be labeled from a fixed finite pool of samples. We assume the pool of samples to be a random matrix and the ground truth labels to be generated by a single-layer teacher random neural network. We employ replica methods to analyze the large deviations for the accuracy achieved after supervised learning on a subset of the original pool. These large deviations then provide optimal achievable performance boundaries for any AL algorithm. We show that the optimal learning performance can be efficiently approached by simple message-passing AL algorithms. We also provide a comparison with the performance of some other popular active learning strategies.
A Qualitative Study on the Experiences of Women With Breast Implant Illness
Authors: Tang Samantha , Anderson Natalie E , Faasse Kate , Adams William P , Newby Jill M 
Published: April 2021

Abstract

Background
Breast implant illness (BII) is a term used to describe physical and psychological symptoms experienced by some women following breast implant surgery. Few studies have examined the experiences of women with BII—a poorly understood condition with no clear cause or treatment.

Objectives
The aim of this study was to explore women’s experiences of BII, including symptoms, healthcare encounters, social media, and explant surgery.

Methods
Employing an exploratory qualitative methodology, researchers undertook semistructured interviews with 29 women who self-identified as having BII. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed by inductive thematic analysis.

Results
Thematic analysis of the interviews identified 6 themes: (1) symptoms without explanation; (2) invalidation and invisibility; (3) making the BII connection; (4) implant toxicity; (5) explant surgery: solution to suffering?; and (6) concealed information. BII was described as distressing and debilitating across multiple domains including relationships, work, identity, and physical and mental health, and symptoms were attributed to implant toxicity and immune system rejection of foreign objects. When their experience was not validated by healthcare professionals, many looked to social media for information, support, and understanding, and saw explant as their only chance of recovery.

Conclusions
BII is disabling mentally and physically. Women with BII require support, understanding, and validation, and proactive treatment to prevent disability. With unclear pathophysiology, future research should examine how biopsychosocial approaches can be used to guide treatment, and how to best support women with BII, focusing on early detection and evidence-based education and intervention.

Level of Evidence: 4
GSpace: an exact coalescence simulator of recombining genomes under isolation by distance
Authors: Virgoulay Thimothée , Rousset François , Leblois Raphaël 
Published: April 2021

Abstract

Motivation
Simulation-based inference can bypass the limitations of statistical methods based on analytical approximations, but software allowing simulation of structured population genetic data without the classical n-coalescent approximations (such as those following from assuming large population size) are scarce or slow.

Results
We present GSpace, a simulator for genomic data, based on a generation-by-generation coalescence algorithm taking into account small population size, recombination and isolation by distance.

Availability and implementation
Freely available at site web INRAe (http://www1.montpellier.inra.fr/CBGP/software/gspace/download.html).
CentromereArchitect: inference and analysis of the architecture of centromeres
Authors: Dvorkina Tatiana , Kunyavskaya Olga , Bzikadze Andrey V , Alexandrov Ivan , Pevzner Pavel A 
Published: April 2021

Abstract

Motivation
Recent advances in long-read sequencing technologies led to rapid progress in centromere assembly in the last year and, for the first time, opened a possibility to address the long-standing questions about the architecture and evolution of human centromeres. However, since these advances have not been yet accompanied by the development of the centromere-specific bioinformatics algorithms, even the fundamental questions (e.g. centromere annotation by deriving the complete set of human monomers and high-order repeats), let alone more complex questions (e.g. explaining how monomers and high-order repeats evolved) about human centromeres remain open. Moreover, even though there was a four-decade-long series of studies aimed at cataloging all human monomers and high-order repeats, the rigorous algorithmic definitions of these concepts are still lacking. Thus, the development of a centromere annotation tool is a prerequisite for follow-up personalized biomedical studies of centromeres across the human population and evolutionary studies of centromeres across various species.

Results
We describe the CentromereArchitect, the first tool for the centromere annotation in a newly sequenced genome, apply it to the recently generated complete assembly of a human genome by the Telomere-to-Telomere consortium, generate the complete set of human monomers and high-order repeats for ‘live’ centromeres, and reveal a vast set of hybrid monomers that may represent the focal points of centromere evolution.

Availability and implementation
CentromereArchitect is publicly available on https://github.com/ablab/stringdecomposer/tree/ismb2021

Supplementary information
Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Expected 10-anonymity of HyperLogLog sketches for federated queries of clinical data repositories
Authors: Tao Ziye , Weber Griffin M , Yu Yun William 
Published: April 2021

Abstract

Motivation
The rapid growth in of electronic medical records provide immense potential to researchers, but are often silo-ed at separate hospitals. As a result, federated networks have arisen, which allow simultaneously querying medical databases at a group of connected institutions. The most basic such query is the aggregate count—e.g. How many patients have diabetes? However, depending on the protocol used to estimate that total, there is always a tradeoff in the accuracy of the estimate against the risk of leaking confidential data. Prior work has shown that it is possible to empirically control that tradeoff by using the HyperLogLog (HLL) probabilistic sketch.

Results
In this article, we prove complementary theoretical bounds on the k-anonymity privacy risk of using HLL sketches, as well as exhibit code to efficiently compute those bounds.

Availability and implementation
https://github.com/tzyRachel/K-anonymity-Expectation.
SAILER: scalable and accurate invariant representation learning for single-cell ATAC-seq processing and integration
Authors: Cao Yingxin , Fu Laiyi , Wu Jie , Peng Qinke , Nie Qing , Zhang Jing , Xie Xiaohui 
Published: April 2021

Abstract

Motivation
Single-cell sequencing assay for transposase-accessible chromatin (scATAC-seq) provides new opportunities to dissect epigenomic heterogeneity and elucidate transcriptional regulatory mechanisms. However, computational modeling of scATAC-seq data is challenging due to its high dimension, extreme sparsity, complex dependencies and high sensitivity to confounding factors from various sources.

Results
Here, we propose a new deep generative model framework, named SAILER, for analyzing scATAC-seq data. SAILER aims to learn a low-dimensional nonlinear latent representation of each cell that defines its intrinsic chromatin state, invariant to extrinsic confounding factors like read depth and batch effects. SAILER adopts the conventional encoder-decoder framework to learn the latent representation but imposes additional constraints to ensure the independence of the learned representations from the confounding factors. Experimental results on both simulated and real scATAC-seq datasets demonstrate that SAILER learns better and biologically more meaningful representations of cells than other methods. Its noise-free cell embeddings bring in significant benefits in downstream analyses: clustering and imputation based on SAILER result in 6.9% and 18.5% improvements over existing methods, respectively. Moreover, because no matrix factorization is involved, SAILER can easily scale to process millions of cells. We implemented SAILER into a software package, freely available to all for large-scale scATAC-seq data analysis.

Availability and implementation
The software is publicly available at https://github.com/uci-cbcl/SAILER.

Supplementary information
Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
The sex life aquatic: sexually dimorphic scale mechanoreceptors and tactile courtship in a sea snake Emydocephalus annulatus (Elapidae: Hydrophiinae)
Authors: Crowe-Riddell Jenna M , Jolly Chris J , Goiran Claire , Sanders Kate L 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
Evolutionary transitions from terrestrial to aquatic habitats involve major selective shifts in animal signalling systems. Entirely marine snakes face two challenges during underwater social interactions: (1) finding mates when pheromones are diffused by water currents; and, once a mate is located, (2) maintaining contact and co-ordinating mating when tactile cues are diminished by buoyancy force. We explore the potential tactile roles of scale protuberances in the mating of turtle-headed sea snakes [Emydocephalus annulatus (Hydrophiinae)] by investigating sexual dimorphism in museum specimens (N = 59). In addition to the previously noted rostral spine on the snout, we found that mature males have enlarged structures located on the chin (genial knobs) and near the cloaca (anal knobs). Ultrastructural data indicates that the rostral spine is comprised of thickened epidermal and dermal layers, similar to rugosities on the body, and likely provide stimulation to the female during prodding by the male. In contrast, the genial and anal knobs have dermally derived central cells indicative of enlarged scale mechanoreceptors (i.e. sensilla). We suggest that these mechanoreceptors are critical to mating success: genial knobs may help amorous males orient to the direction of female motion; whereas, and anal knobs likely give somatosensory feedback for cloacal alignment