bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Numerical Modeling and Validation of Microbubble Enhanced HIFU for Noninvasive Tumor Ablation
Authors: Ma Jingsen , Hsiao Chao-Tsung , Deng Xiaolong 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) is applied in therapeutic and surgical medical interventions such as for tissue ablation in cancer treatment and in benign prostatic hyperplasia. Its application frontier has moved towards the treatment of deep-seated tumors such as in the liver and brain, but is discouraged by acoustic energy loss on the path deep into body. One promising solution is to inject microbubbles, such as ultrasonic contrast agents, in the target region to enhance target tissue heating via bubble dynamics. To accelerate the clinical transition of this noninvasive and target therapy, further understanding of microbubble-enhanced HIFU acoustic and thermal fields is essential to predict the bio-effects of the HIFU on the target tissue and its surroundings and for the development of standards to ensure the safety and efficacy of the treatments. For this purpose, a two-way coupled Euler-Lagrange computational tool, 3DYNAFSHIFU, has been developed to enable accurate characterization of acoustic and thermal fields for microbubble-enhanced HIFU. This paper summarizes the main features of its numerical algorithms for accuracy and HPC schemes for speedup, followed by its preliminary validation against in-vitro experiments and further evaluation under ex-vivo settings. This contribution spotlights the future of seeking mechanical solutions as a powerful and safe alternative to the existing chemical and/or ionizing therapies to treat tumors.
Effect of Pipe Size on Solid Particle Erosion of Elbow in Liquid-Solid Flow: Experimental and CFD Analysis
Authors: Biglari Farshad , Nadeem Asad , Hasan Mubashir , Parsi Mazdak , Karimi Soroor , Vieira Ronald , Shirazi Siamack 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Solid particle erosion prediction in liquid-solid flow is inherently more complex than in gas-solid systems due to the large interactions between fluids and solids and the low Stokes number of particles. In pipelines and pipe fittings, especially in industries such as oil and gas and mining, where sand particles are commonly found in transported fluids, solid particle erosion poses a significant challenge. These abrasive particles can cause wear and damage to the walls of pipes and fittings, with elbows being particularly susceptible due to their abrupt change in flow direction.
The influence of pipe size on solid particle erosion in liquid-solid flow has been examined for elbows in series. Experiments were conducted using 50.8-mm (2-inch) and 76.2-mm (3-inch) stainless steel 316 standard elbows in a liquid-solid flow with a liquid velocity of approximately 6 m/s and volume sand concentration of around 2 percent with 300 particle size. The outcomes of this research provide valuable insights into the relationship between pipe size, comparing erosion rates and profiles, and determining the location of maximum erosion in both first and second elbows.
Notably, the study reveals that the 3-inch elbow experiences a considerably lower maximum erosion rate compared to the 2-inch elbow. Furthermore, the CFD simulations offer a deeper understanding of the underlying fluid dynamics and erosion mechanisms. This study not only investigates the specific case of pipe size but also contributes to a standardized method for more accurate CFD simulation of solid particle erosion in liquid-solid flow for elbows.
Uncertainty Analysis in Solid Particle Erosion Through Validation and Refinement of Experimental Data and Comparison With CFD
Authors: Hasan Mubashir , Biglari Farshad , Nadeem Asad , Othayq Mazen M. , Shirazi Siamack A. , Karimi Soroor 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
In the present work, gas-sand erosion experiments selected from the literature are repeated to study data validation. A standard 3-inch (76.2 mm) stainless steel elbow with a bend radius to pipe diameter ratio (r/D) equal to 1.5 is used. Wall thickness loss is measured using fixed-mounted Ultrasonic Transducers (UT) at 6 different locations on the outer wall of the investigated elbow. The flow conditions are gas-sand with 15, 23, and 31 m/s gas velocities and 75 and 300-μm sand particle sizes. A statistical approach of 99 percent confidence interval is utilized to find and remove the outliers in the data sets. Upper and lower bounds of erosion are presented to visualize the confidence of erosion data around the average profile. Moreover, additional experimental cases are studied to expand the range of data. These experimental conditions include 39 and 47 m/s gas velocities with 75 and 300-μm sand particle sizes. In the next step, the erosion data variance is calculated at different angles on the outer wall of the elbows before and after applying the uncertainty analysis. It is seen that by applying the uncertainty analysis, the variance of the experimental erosion values is reduced by a range of 20 to 99 %. The experimental erosion profiles along the outer wall of the elbow are compared with erosion profiles obtained from CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) performed for similar conditions. CFD contours of erosion are in agreement with the average erosion profile obtained from the experimental data.
Investigating the Influence of Mutual Orientation Between Heat Flux and Gravity on the Melting Dynamics of Phase Change Material
Authors: Kansara Keyur , Singh Shobhana , Dwivedi Navin K. , Khodachenko Maxim L. 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
The present work employs numerical simulations, using Rayleigh-Bénard (RB) convection as a platform, to investigate the influence of different orientations of the gravity vector and heat flux on the melting dynamics of a Phase Change Material (PCM). A paraffin-based PCM with Prandtl number Pr ≈ 71 and Stefan number Ste ≈ 0.33 is utilized to analyze the melting process over a wide range of Rayleigh numbers (102 ≤ Ra ≤ 107). The simulations are conducted in a differentially heated square enclosure, employing the control volume-based enthalpy porosity approach to examine the melting process at various angles between the gravity vector and the incoming heat flux. The results demonstrate that the mutual orientation of the incoming heat flux and gravity significantly affects features of convective motion in the liquid phase and the overall thermally driven heat transfer within the PCM. Specifically, when gravity and heat flux are oppositely directed, the melted fluid exhibits characteristics resembling RB convection, including flow instabilities, bifurcations, structured flow patterns, and chaotic flow behavior. However, a critical orientation angle exists above which melting occurs with a rotational convective motion of the liquid PCM, and the flow remains laminar throughout. In the case of co-directed gravity and heat flux, melting occurs solely through diffusion without the formation of convection currents. This work aims to explore potential changes in flow phenomena, establish criteria for the onset of instabilities, map changes in interface topology, elucidate complexities of nonlinear flow dynamics, and draw comparisons with classical RB systems. In summary, the present study provides comprehensive insights into the dynamics and stability criteria of a phase-change RB system across a broad range of Rayleigh numbers at different mutual orientations between heat flux direction and gravity vector.
Design and Development of Test-Rig for Experimental Study of Flow Field Associated With Supersonic Retro Propulsion
Authors: May Melissa , Thorman Conrad , Ruud Jace , Carolan Mitchell , Wollman Annaliese , Lemmon Braydon , McNeil Carsten , Thalakkottor Joseph 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Propelling future human landings on Mars involves a groundbreaking powered descent phase from supersonic conditions, a novel approach in Martian missions. The challenges arising from interactions among retrorocket engine plumes, freestream flow, and the descending vehicle present significant hurdles, impacting aerodynamic behavior during descent. While full-scale flow field simulations have been conducted computationally, existing ground and flight data lack adequacy for calibrating uncertainties in aerodynamic interference for proposed Mars descent vehicles. To address this, a wind tunnel test apparatus is designed to assess powered descent aerodynamics for large-scale human Mars entry concepts, aiming to identify gaps in computational predictive capabilities. Conducted in the South Dakota Mines’s Unsteady Supersonic Wind Tunnel, the test apparatus utilizes a sub-scale model with a 70-degree spherical cone resembling the heat shield of a low lift-to-drag vehicle. The blunt model allows exploration of nozzle plume direction, number, location, size, and area ratio effects. The study will be conducted for varying degrees of pitch, yaw, and roll. Key measurements include heatshield aerodynamic forces, discrete, and distributed pressure, and high-speed flow field visualization using Schlieren imaging. This paper comprehensively addresses the design and development of the test apparatus.
PIV and High-Speed Imaging Investigation of Falling Liquid Droplet Properties
Authors: Azimy Noushin , Lichty Emmelia , Anderson Keldon , Karimi Soroor 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Liquid droplet impact is a subject that has been investigated in both engineering and non-engineering applications to understand and to control this phenomenon. Spray cooling, inkjet printing, spray coating and painting, soil erosion prevention, pesticide application, and impact erosion are merely a few examples in which droplet impact is involved. Erosion caused by droplet impact on a solid surface is important in numerous elements of industrial equipment, such as pipelines, steam turbines, and wind turbine blades. Though experimental and modeling studies have been performed on this topic, most failed to perform quantitative investigation especially when it came to the erosion of wind turbine blades. Moreover, most approaches assume that the impacting droplets are completely spherical and unaffected by any local turbulence or vortex shedding. As the droplet erosion process could be affected by several parameters, such as the impact velocity, shape and size of the droplets, this study focuses on investigating droplet properties and movement in a controlled lab environment. High speed imaging and Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) methods are used for this purpose. PIV is used to measure the velocity, circularity, and size of the falling droplets in both disturbed and un-disturbed flow conditions. High-speed camera imaging provides additional insight to the path of the droplets’ movement in the presence of any turbulence. Experiments are performed at a variety of flow rates utilizing a range of blunt needle gauge sizes to create different droplet sizes. It is observed that the blunt needles produce a train of droplets that are different in size following each leading droplet. This is a crucial observation as it will have a direct impact on the magnitude of erosion and should be considered in the future modeling efforts.
Partial Jet Cutting and Torque Evaluation on Cut-In Jet Deflector for Pelton Turbine
Authors: Khan Firoz , Kumar Arun , Staubli Thomas 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Deflectors of Pelton turbine divert the jet completely and prevent the turbine from going to run away speed in case of load rejection. Moreover, partial cutting of the jet using cut-in jet deflector plays a role in fast controlling of power and the associated positive effect on the stabilization of the electrical grid. During this control operation cut-in jet deflectors are subjected to forces and torques which must be handled by the servomotor. Therefore, experimental measurements at different angular positions of the cut deflector are required to determine the torque for the design of the deflector and its servomotor. During the partial jet cutting the jet quality is also important as the remaining jet has to impact the Pelton runner for active power generation. In this study, an experimental investigation was carried out using a torque transducer. In addition, CFD simulations were conducted to observe the flow behavior of the jet during cutting. It is observed that the torque acting on the cut-in jet deflector increases with increasing the jet cutting angle but shows a decreasing tendency after reaching the maximum value. At lower jet cutting angles of 3° and 6°, the jet remains nearly straight, indicating minimal deviation.
Athlete Sleep Screening Questionnaire in Japanese: Adaptation and Validation Study
Authors: Tsukahara Yuka , Kodama Satoshi , Kikuchi Saaya , Day Carly 
Published: September 2024

Context: General screening methods for athletes are limited. This study aims to analyze the reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the athlete sleep screening questionnaire. Methods: In total, 111 female collegiate athletes completed the initial test and retest. The independent variables included the kind of sports of the participants and their athletic level, grade (freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior), and age. The reliability of the questionnaire was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha and intraclass correlation coefficients. Athletes competing in team sports and individual sports were compared to evaluate for differences. Results: A total of 38.7% of athletes had moderate to severe sleep difficulty score. Their Cronbach’s alpha for test and retest were .34 and .44, respectively. The intraclass correlation coefficient indicated sufficient internal consistency and test–retest validity. The mean sleep difficulty scores were 7.0 (2.3) and 6.5 (2.1) for test and retest, but no significant difference was observed between the individual and team sport athletes. Results of multivariable regression analysis revealed that having sleep and performance issues during travel was related to sleep difficulty scores (Coef 1.44, P < .01). Conclusions: Athletes of all levels have sleep disorders. The Japanese version of athlete sleep screening questionnaire has been validated with sufficient test–retest validity but has poor internal consistency. Thus, although Japanese version of the athlete sleep screening questionnaire is an appropriate questionnaire for assessing sleep disorders in athletes whose primary language is Japanese, future research is needed to optimize the questionnaire accounting for cultural variation.
A high content imaging assay for identification of specific inhibitors of native
Plasmodium
liver stage protein synthesis
Authors: McLellan James L. , Morales-Hernandez Beatriz , Saeger Sarah , Hanson Kirsten K. 
Published: September 2024

ABSTRACT

Plasmodium
parasite resistance to antimalarial drugs is a serious threat to public health in malaria-endemic areas. Compounds that target core cellular processes like translation are highly desirable, as they should be capable of killing parasites in their liver and blood stage forms, regardless of molecular target or mechanism. Assays that can identify these compounds are thus needed. Recently, specific quantification of native
Plasmodium berghei
liver stage protein synthesis, as well as that of the hepatoma cells supporting parasite growth, was achieved via automated confocal feedback microscopy of the o-propargyl puromycin (OPP)-labeled nascent proteome, but this imaging modality is limited in throughput. Here, we developed and validated a miniaturized high content imaging (HCI) version of the OPP assay that increases throughput, before deploying this approach to screen the Pathogen Box. We identified only two hits; both of which are parasite-specific quinoline-4-carboxamides, and analogs of the clinical candidate and known inhibitor of blood and liver stage protein synthesis, DDD107498/cabamiquine. We further show that these compounds have strikingly distinct relationships between their antiplasmodial and translation inhibition efficacies. These results demonstrate the utility and reliability of the
P. berghei
liver stage OPP HCI assay for the specific, single-well quantification of
Plasmodium
and human protein synthesis in the native cellular context, allowing the identification of selective
Plasmodium
translation inhibitors with the highest potential for multistage activity.
The increase of particle size shifts the biogeochemical cycle functions of mineral-associated microorganisms and weakens the mineral-associated organic carbon sink in mangrove soils
Authors: Zhang Yixuan , Xia Ziqin , Zuo Yaqiang , Ding Junjie , Wang Jianxin , Qu Wu 
Published: September 2024

ABSTRACT

Mineral-organic matter–microbe interactions greatly impact the biogeochemical processes and biodiversity in soils. An increasing trend of particle size (PS) in mangrove soils has been observed because of the relative sea level rise. However, the impacts of PS increase on the microbial biogeochemical functions and carbon sink in the mineral-associated microcosms are exceedingly nebulous. This work showed a remarkable difference in the communities of mineral-associated microorganisms (MMOs) in various PS fractions. Heavy metal contents and urease activity were the factors that mostly driven the MMO community variation in different PS fractions. Large PS fraction attenuated the stability of MMO communities according to the co-occurrence network characteristics. The PS increase significantly (
P
< 0.05) lowered the gene abundances for carbon input (e.g., carbon fixation) and raised the gene abundances for carbon loss (e.g., aerobic respiration). Combined with the significant decrease of mineral-associated organic carbon (MOC) in large PS fraction (
P
< 0.05), this work inferred that the PS increase could weaken the MOC sink partially due to the MMO function shift for carbon cycle. The current work indicated unhealthy changes of MMO communities and MOC storage in mangrove soils, and PS was of significance as an indicator for predicting the carbon sink function, especially for the stable form, such as MOC, in the soils of mangroves under the ecological background of climate migration.

IMPORTANCE
Carbon with stable forms, such as mineral-associated organic carbon (MOC), is crucial for the sink capabilities in mangrove soils, and mineral-associated microorganisms (MMOs) are important players for the formation and metabolism of MOC. Therefore, the future successions of the MMO functions and MOC contents under the background of climate change are of value for a deeper understanding of mangrove ecology. The relative sea level rise caused by the global warming results in the increase of mangrove soil particle size (PS), which provides distinct microcosms for MMOs and MOC. However, the responses of MMO functions and MOC content to the PS increase of mangrove soils are unknown. The current study aims to reveal the succession regulations of MMO functions and their potential ecological impacts for the storages of MOC in different PS fractions, therefore widening our knowledge of future function migration and promoting the research development of mangrove.
PROPEL: a scalable model for postbaccalaureate training to promote diversity in the biomedical workforce
Authors: Allen Jessica , Abdiwahab Ekland , Morris Meghan D. , Le Saux Claude Jourdan , Betancur Paola , Ansel K. Mark , Hernandez Ryan D. , Nystul Todd G. 
Published: September 2024

ABSTRACT

Promoting diversity in the scientific workforce is crucial for harnessing the potential of available talent and ensuring equitable access to Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEM-M) careers. We have developed an innovative program called Postbaccalaureate Research Opportunity to Promote Equity in Learning (PROPEL) that provides scientific and career development training for postbaccalaureate scholars from historically excluded backgrounds in STEM-M fields with an interest in pursuing a PhD or MD/PhD degree. Our program is distinct from other postbaccalaureate programs in that scholars are hired by individual labs rather than funded centrally by the program. This funding mechanism removes the idea that central funding is necessary to encourage faculty to train diverse scholars and allows the program to scale dynamically according to the needs of the scientific community. The PROPEL program started in 2020 with six scholars and has since grown to an enrollment of over 100, making it the largest postbaccalaureate program for biomedical research in the country. Here, we describe the program structure and curriculum, our strategy for recruitment, the enrollment trends, the program demographics, metrics of scholar engagement, and outcomes for scholars who completed the program in 2023. Our experience demonstrates the strong demand from both scholars and faculty for programming of this type and describes the feasibility of implementation.
Batf3-cDC1 control Th1 and fungicidal responses during cryptococcal meningitis: is this enough to control meningitis?
Authors: Coelho Carolina 
Published: September 2024

ABSTRACT

Dendritic cells are crucial for bridging innate and adaptive immunity. Cryptococcosis, caused by
Cryptococcus neoformans
and
Cryptococcus gattii
, is responsible for >15% of AIDS-related deaths. A recent study by Xu et al. showed that
Batf3
-dependent conventional type 1 dendritic (cDC1) cells are key players in generating IFNγ
+
CD4
+
T cell and fungicidal lung and brain tissue-resident responses during murine cryptococcosis, contributing to fungal clearance in the lungs and brain of mice (J. Xu, R. Hissong, R. Bareis, A. Creech, et al., mBio 15:e02853-23, 2024,
https://doi.org/10.1128/mbio.02853-23
). However, despite their critical role, the depletion of
Batf3
-dependent cDC1 cells did not significantly alter overall mouse survival or disease progression, highlighting the complex immune regulation required to survive cryptococcal infection and the need for further research in medical mycology.
Posttranslational modifications: an emerging functional layer of diet-host-microbe interactions
Authors: Duchovni Lirit , Shmunis Genrieta , Lobel Lior 
Published: September 2024

ABSTRACT

The microbiome plays a vital role in human health, with changes in its composition impacting various aspects of the body. Posttranslational modification (PTM) regulates protein activity by attaching chemical groups to amino acids in an enzymatic or non-enzymatic manner. PTMs offer fast and dynamic regulation of protein expression and can be influenced by specific dietary components that induce PTM events in gut microbiomes and their hosts. PTMs on microbiome proteins have been found to contribute to host-microbe interactions. For example, in
Escherichia coli
, S-sulfhydration of tryptophanase regulates uremic toxin production and chronic kidney disease in mice. On a broader microbial scale, the microbiomes of patients with inflammatory bowel disease exhibit distinct PTM patterns in their metaproteomes. Moreover, pathogens and commensals can alter host PTM profiles through protein secretion and diet-regulated metabolic shifts. The emerging field of metaPTMomics focuses on understanding PTM profiles in the microbiota, their association with lifestyle factors like diet, and their functional effects on host-microbe interactions.