bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A Static/Dynamic Coupled Harmonic Balance Method for Dry Friction Systems Containing Rigid Body Modes
Authors: Fan Yu , Liu Jiale , Wu Yaguang , Wu Jian , Shen Qingyang , Zhang Dayi 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
A harmonic balance method for underconstrained dry friction systems containing rigid body modes (HBM-RBM) is proposed. This method aims to overcome the encountered obstacle when applying the harmonic balance method to turbine blades damped by underplatform dampers (UPDs). The inspiration for HBM-RBM comes from the free interface modal synthesis method. The key innovation involves deriving the elastic inversion of the singular stiffness matrix through the elimination of rigid body modes. In this way, the general HBM framework can be adopted, and the frequency response of underconstrained dry friction systems can be solved in a static/dynamic coupled manner. The accuracy and efficiency are both verified on a lumped parameter model and a finite element model of turbines with UPDs from a real gas turbine. A comparative study between the HBM-RBM and the commonly adopted way of imposing artificial grounding springs (HBM-AGS) is conducted. Results demonstrate that the HBM-RBM holds a significant advantage over HBM-AGS, as it eliminates the need for artificial grounding springs (AGS) and avoids the necessity for numerous trial cases to determine AGS stiffness.
V-Spline Design for Enhanced Performance in Turbine Blade Internal Cooling
Authors: Say Symus , Dhaker Adamya Singh , Chow Wai Tuck 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
Past experiments have consistently shown that V-shaped rib turbulators are among the best in heat transfer performance. While there is literature on the V rib design in various experimental studies, there is no literature that shows the V rib design applied on any current turbine blades. Instead, the straight and angled rib design are used. The V rib only offers a marginally better heat transfer performance over the angled rib, but it has a severe stress concentration at the rib tip. In this research, multiple design augmentations were analyzed, with the addition of a spline at the center of the V exhibiting alleviation of the tip stress concentration. The results show that the presence of the spline not only resolves the fatigue issues but also increases the heat transfer performance by 4.3% and 8.2% against the V rib and angled rib design, respectively. With a better heat transfer performance, the creep analysis shows that the turbine blade with a V-spline rib design can operate at temperatures 203 °C hotter than an angled rib at the same fluid power. Given the dependence of engine thermal efficiency on turbine inlet temperature, this simple design shows good potential for heat transfer augmentation.
Numerical Modeling of Fish Cage Structural Responses in Regular and Irregular Waves Using Modified XPBD
Authors: Wen Xueliang , Ong Muk Chen , Cheng Hui 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
The structural response of gravity-type fish cages in waves and currents is numerically investigated. A Morison model is adopted to compute the hydrodynamic forces acting on the net ropes and a screen model is used to compute the hydrodynamic forces on the net twines. The irregular waves are created based on the JONSWAP wave spectrum. The structure of the aquaculture nets is modeled using a modified extended position-based dynamics (XPBD) algorithm, which was first used in the simulations of cloth and other flexible bodies in games. The proposed method is effectively validated against the published experiment data to ensure its accuracy and reliability. The static response of the fish cage at various current speeds and the dynamic responses of the fish cage in regular and irregular waves are analyzed. Results show that the volume of the investigated fish cage is reduced by 30% in a current with a speed of 0.5 m/s. The tension at the bottom net can reach about 1.8 times of maximum tension of the case without current. In the regular or irregular waves, the drag force of the fish cage is higher than that in a uniform flow with the same current speed and the fish cage volume decreases. The increase in drag force rises from the coupling between the waves and currents. Therefore, the hydrodynamic model including the regular and irregular modeling, Morison model, and screen model is successfully implemented into the framework of the present modified XPBD algorithm to provide the structural response of fish cages in waves and currents.
Thermal Exploration of Combined Rectangular and Semi-Circular Artificial Ribs in the Flow Regime of Solar Air Heater: A Computational and Experimental Approach
Authors: Newar Pranjal Prasad , Das Biplab 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
A roughened solar air heater is developed numerically and experimentally with a novel roughness in the absorber. The roughness incorporated is a combination of rectangular and semi-circular ribs. The analysis is done to improve the thermal characteristics considering two cases. Type A with ribs placed above the absorber and Type B with ribs placed below it. Several operating parameters are investigated including heat flux, Reynolds number (Re), relative obstacle relative height (h/H) ranging from 400 W/m2 to 1000 W/m2, 4000 to 10,000, and 0.4 to 1.0, respectively. The relative pitch is kept constant at 15 mm. The governing equations are simulated employing the renormalization group k–ε turbulence flow model. The results indicated that both Type A and Type B achieved significant improvements over the smooth duct. Type A exhibited a maximum Nusselt number of 4.24, while Type B achieved 3.93 in comparison with smooth duct at Re of 10,000, respectively. The thermal enhancement factor (TEF) ranges from 1.32 to 1.79 for Type A and 1.26 to 1.69 for Type B at a heat flux intensity of 1000 W/m2. Also at a relative height of 1.0, Type A demonstrated the highest TEF of 1.79 at Re = 10,000 and provided a maximum exergy efficiency of 11.2%.
Unveiling the impact of
Leptospira
TolC efflux protein on host tissue adherence, complement evasion, and diagnostic potential
Authors: Hota Saswat , Kumar Manish 
Published: October 2024

ABSTRACT

The TolC family protein of
Leptospira
is a type I outer membrane efflux protein. Phylogenetic analysis revealed significant sequence conservation among pathogenic
Leptospira
species (83%–98% identity) compared with intermediate and saprophytic species. Structural modeling indicated a composition of six β-strands and 10 α-helices arranged in two repeats, resembling bacterial outer membrane efflux proteins. Recombinant TolC (rTolC), expressed in a heterologous host and purified via Ni-NTA chromatography, maintained its secondary structural integrity, as verified by circular dichroism spectroscopy. Polyclonal antibodies against rTolC detected native TolC expression in pathogenic
Leptospira
but not in nonpathogenic ones. Immunoassays and detergent fractionation assays indicated surface localization of TolC. The rTolC’s recognition by sera from leptospirosis-infected hosts across species suggests its utility as a diagnostic marker. Notably, rTolC demonstrated binding affinity for various extracellular matrix components, including collagen and chondroitin sulfate A, as well as plasma proteins such as factor H, C3b, and plasminogen, indicating potential roles in tissue adhesion and immune evasion. Functional assays demonstrated that rTolC-bound FH retained cofactor activity for C3b cleavage, highlighting TolC’s role in complement regulation. The rTolC protein inhibited both the alternative and the classical pathway-mediated membrane attack complex (MAC) deposition
in vitro
. Blocking surface-expressed TolC on leptospires using specific antibodies reduced FH acquisition by
Leptospira
and increased MAC deposition on the spirochete. These findings indicate that TolC contributes to leptospiral virulence by promoting host tissue colonization and evading the immune response, presenting it as a potential target for diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
Quantitative analysis of effectiveness and associated factors of exercise on symptoms in osteoarthritis: a pharmacodynamic model-based meta-analysis
Authors: Han Shun , Li Ting , Cao Ying , Li Zewei , Mai Yiying , Fan Tianxiang , Zeng Muhui , Wen Xin , Han Weiyu , Lin Lijun , Zhu Lixin , Fu Siu Ngor , Bennell Kim L , Hunter David J , Ding Changhai , Li Lujin , Zhu Zhaohua 
Published: October 2024

ObjectiveThis study aims to evaluate the time point and magnitude of peak effectiveness of exercise and the effects of various exercise modalities for osteoarthritis (OA) symptoms and to identify factors that significantly affect the effectiveness of exercise.DesignPharmacodynamic model-based meta-analysis (MBMA).Data sourcesEmbase, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and Scopus were searched for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) examining the effect of exercise for OA from inception to 20 November 2023.Eligibility criteriaRCTs of exercise interventions in patients with knee, hip or hand OA, using Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) subscales or Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) pain scores as outcome measures, were included. The minimum clinically important difference (MCID) for WOMAC total, pain, stiffness, function and VAS pain was 9.0, 1.6, 0.8, 5.4 and 0.9, respectively.ResultsA total of 186 studies comprising 12 735 participants with symptomatic or radiographic knee, hip or hand OA were included. The effectiveness of exercise treatments peaked at 1.6–7.2 weeks after initiation of exercise interventions. Exercise was more effective than the control, but the differences in the effects of exercise compared with control on all outcomes were only marginally different with the MCID (7.5, 1.7, 1.0, 5.4 and 1.2 units for WOMAC total, pain, stiffness, function and VAS pain, respectively). During a 12-month treatment period, local exercise (strengthening muscles and improving mobilisations of certain joints) had the best effectiveness (WOMAC pain decreasing by 42.5% at 12 weeks compared with baseline), followed by whole-body plus local exercise. Adding local water-based exercise (eg, muscle strengthening in warm water) to muscle strengthening exercise and flexibility training resulted in 7.9, 0.5, 0.7 and 8.2 greater improvements in the WOMAC total score, pain, stiffness and function, respectively. The MBMA models revealed that treatment responses were better in participants with more severe baseline symptom scores for all scales, younger participants for the WOMAC total and pain scales, and participants with obesity for the WOMAC function. Subgroup analyses revealed participants with certain characteristics, such as female sex, younger age, knee OA or more severe baseline symptoms on the WOMAC pain scale, benefited more from exercise treatment.ConclusionExercise reaches peak effectiveness within 8 weeks and local exercise has the best effectiveness, especially if local water-based exercise is involved. Patients of female sex, younger age, obesity, knee OA or more severe baseline symptoms appear to benefit more from exercise treatment than their counterparts.
#WhatWouldYouDo? A cross-sectional study of sports medicine physicians assessing their competency in managing harassment and abuse in sports
Authors: Mountjoy Margo , Verhelle Helena , Finnoff Jonathan T , Murray Andrew , Paynter Amanda , Pigozzi Fabio , Tooth Camille , Verhagen Evert , Vertommen Tine 
Published: October 2024

ObjectivesTo assess the clinical competence of sports medicine physicians to recognise and report harassment and abuse in sports, and to identify barriers to reporting and the need for safeguarding education.MethodsWe implemented a cross-sectional cohort study design recruiting through social media and international sports medicine networks in 2023. The survey captured participant perceptions related to the harmfulness of harassment and abuse. The survey incorporated the reasoned action approach as a theoretical framework to design survey questions to identify attitudes and self-efficacy to detect and report suspicions of harassment and abuse and to identify barriers to reporting.ResultsSports medicine physicians (n=406) from 115 countries completed the survey. The situations of harassment and abuse presented in the survey were described by sports medicine physicians as having occurred in the 12 months before participating in the survey. Despite recognising the situations as harmful, sports medicine physicians were somewhat uncomfortable being vigilant for the signs and symptoms and reporting suspicions and disclosures of harassment and abuse (M=2.13, SD=0.67). In addition, just over one-quarter (n=101, 26.9%) was unaware of where to report harassment and abuse, and over half did not know (n=114, 28.1%), or were uncertain (n=95, 23.4%) of who the safeguarding officer was in their sports organisation. Participants identified many barriers to reporting harassment and abuse, including concerns regarding confidentiality, misdiagnosis, fear of reprisals, time constraints and lack of knowledge. Over half felt insufficiently trained (n=223, 57.6%), and most respondents (n=324, 84.6%) desired more education in the field.ConclusionsEducational programmes to better recognise and report harassment and abuse in sports are needed for sports medicine trainees and practising clinicians. An international safeguarding code for sports medicine physicians should be developed.
Frailty or sarcopenia: which is a better indicator of mortality risk in older adults?
Authors: de Souza Aline Fernanda , Ramírez Paula Camila , Capra de Oliveira Dayane , Máximo Roberta de Oliveira , Luiz Mariane Marques , Delinocente Maicon Luis Bicigo , Spexoto Maria Claudia Bernardes , Steptoe Andrew , De Oliveira Cesar , Alexandre Tiago da Silva 
Published: October 2024

Background
Despite the different conditions, frailty and sarcopenia overlap regarding their common link: the assessment of walking speed and muscle strength. This study aimed to compare the frailty phenotype to the sarcopenia using different cut-off points for low grip strength to determine which better identifies mortality risk over a 14-year follow-up period.

Methods
4597 participants in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Frailty was measured using the Fried phenotype. Sarcopenia (European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People 2) was defined using different cut-off points for low grip strength (<36, <32, <30, <27 and <26 kg for men and <23, <21, <20 and <16 kg for women), low skeletal muscle mass index (<9.36 kg/m² for men and<6.73 kg/m² for women) and slowness (gait speed: ≤0.8 m/s). Cox models were run and adjusted for sociodemographic, behavioural and clinical factors.

Results
When the coexistence of frailty and sarcopenia is considered, only the cut-off points <36 kg for men and <23 kg for women to define low grip strength identified the risk of mortality among individuals classified as having probable sarcopenia (HR=1.17, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.34), sarcopenia (HR=1.31, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.60) and severe sarcopenia (HR=1.62, 95% CI 1.33 to 1.96). In this situation, frailty identified the mortality risk (HR=1.49, 95% CI 1.22 to 1.81), whereas pre-frailty did not. Sarcopenia using other cut-off points for defining low grip strength did not identify mortality risk.

Conclusion
Sarcopenia using <36 kg for men and <23 kg for women as cut-off points seems to be better than the frailty phenotype for identifying the risk of mortality in older adults.
Visibility and availability of single cigarettes around schools in four Latin American countries
Authors: Chaname Eva , Limache-García Abel , Moodie Crawford , Thrasher James , Best Catherine , Zavaleta Alfonso 
Published: October 2024

IntroductionSingle cigarette sales at tobacco-selling points of sale (POS) may promote smoking. We explored visibility and availability of single cigarettes in POS around schools in Argentina, Guatemala, Mexico and Peru, countries where their sale is banned.MethodsBetween April and July 2023, an observational study was conducted at POS around high schools in urban and rural areas in Argentina, Guatemala, Mexico and Peru. A sampling frame of schools was generated from public registries, with schools categorised according to their socioeconomic status and randomly selected within socioeconomic strata. A total of 2081 POS were surveyed based on their proximity to these randomly selected schools. Data were collected on the visibility of single cigarettes (any cigarette sticks or open cigarette packs on display and able to be seen by customers were coded as visible) and their availability (ie, whether singles were sold, whether visible or not).ResultsSingle cigarettes were visible in 37.2% of POS and available in most (84.9%), with neighbourhood stores the primary source. In most (84.1%) POS with visible single cigarettes, they were displayed near candy or toys. Prices of the cheapest single cigarette sticks ranged from US$0.03 in Argentina to US$0.13 in Guatemala.ConclusionThe findings indicate widespread availability of single cigarettes in four Latin American countries where their sale is banned. The low price of single cigarettes, and their proximity to candy/toys, may increase the appeal of smoking to youth. Stricter enforcement of bans on single cigarettes, which may serve as a gateway to experimentation and continued smoking, is needed.
Complex interactions of deer herbivory, soil chemistry, and competing vegetation explain oak–hickory forest tree regeneration in central Pennsylvania, USA
Authors: Begley-Miller Danielle , Diefenbach Duane R. , Domoto Emily J. , Drohan Patrick J. , Jones Phillip , McDill Marc E. , Rosenberry Christopher S. , Sabo Autumn E. , Wallingford Bret D. 
Published: October 2024

The root causes of forest tree regeneration failure are difficult to resolve, although numerous studies show ungulate herbivory, soil conditions, and competition from undesirable vegetation as likely contributors. To better understand the relative importance of each issue, we conducted a 7-year manipulative experiment to assess the interactive effects of white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus) herbivory, soil acidity, and competing vegetation on tree regeneration in oak–hickory forests of central Pennsylvania, USA. Outcomes depended on initial tree seedling abundance, and all three factors had significant interactions. At low initial seedling abundance, fencing resulted in the greatest increase, but all treatments had a positive effect on seedling growth and abundance. At higher initial seedling abundance, abundance failed to recover 7 years after herbicide treatment and soil pH was an important predictor. When soil pH was >4.6 from lime application, seedling growth and abundance in unfenced controls with high initial abundance was comparable to the fenced-only treatment. Competing vegetation, assumed to be a symptom of excessive, long-term deer herbivory, does not seem to be the primary factor limiting tree regeneration in our study area. Ameliorating acid deposition warrants greater consideration as a management action because it could provide long-lasting benefits compared to short-term fence installations.
High-Precision Traffic Sign Detection and Recognition Using an Enhanced YOLOv5
Authors: Luo Jiaomin , Li Ying , Wei Li , Nie Gang 
Published: October 2024

High-precision traffic sign detection plays an important role in enhancing road traffic safety, ensuring traffic smoothness, supporting the development of intelligent transport systems and promoting the standardization and normalization of traffic facilities. To overcome the limitations of traditional methods, this study proposes an enhanced YOLOv5 algorithm for complex road environments. First, the K-Means clustering algorithm is used to cluster and analyze the boundary boxes of traffic signs in the training dataset, obtaining anchor box sizes that are closer to the distribution of the dataset to improve detection accuracy. Then, a genetic algorithm was used to further optimize the initial anchor box, and a global search strategy was used to find the optimal anchor box configuration, further improving detection performance. In terms of model structure, a bidirectional feature pyramid network (Bi-FPN) is introduced, which effectively utilizes multi-scale feature information and enhances the adaptability of the model to traffic signs of different sizes through top-down and bottom-up feature fusion paths, as well as cross-scale connections. In addition, a global attention mechanism (GAM) was introduced to recalibrate the feature maps through channel attention and spatial attention dimensions, improving the robustness and detection accuracy of the model for complex environments. Finally, a loss function called Focal-EIoU was used to solve the problems of class imbalance and sample imbalance, which improved the stability and performance of the object detection model. Experiments on a Chinese traffic sign dataset demonstrate significant improvements, with an increase in mAP by 10.03%, precision by 4.7%, recall by 2.6% and F1-score by 3.48%, respectively. The results prove the validity of the proposed traffic sign recognition method, especially in complex road environments. This study provides new ideas and methods for the field of traffic sign detection, which has important theoretical significance and application value.
The ABCs of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Blood Volume Measurement: A Simplified Quantitative Method Predicts Outcomes and Delayed Cerebral Ischemia
Authors: Föttinger Fabian , Sharma Rohan , Salman Saif D. , Weston Alexander D. , Erickson Bradley J. , Huynh Thien , Tawk Rabih G. , Freeman William D. 
Published: October 2024

Background
We developed a simplified ABC/2‐derived method to estimate total subarachnoid hemorrhage volume (SAHV) on noncontrast computed tomography in patients with aneurysmal SAH and compared the clinical and radiographic outcomes.

Methods and Results

In this retrospective observational cohort study, we analyzed 277 patients with SAH admitted to our Comprehensive Stroke Center between 2012 and 2022. We derived a mathematical model (model 1) by measuring SAH basal cisternal blood volume using an ABC/2‐derived ellipsoid formula (A=width/thickness, B=length, C=vertical extension) on head noncontrast computed tomography in 5 major SAH cisternal compartments. We compared model 1 against a manual segmentation method (model 2) on noncontrast computed tomography. Data were analyzed using logistic regression analysis,
t
test, receiver operator characteristic curves, and area under the curve analysis. There was no significant difference in cisternal SAHV analysis between the 2 models (
P
=0.14). Mean SAHV by the simplified method was 7.0 mL (95% CI, 5.89–8.09) for good outcome and 16.6 mL (95% CI, 13.49–19.77) for poor outcome. Patients with delayed cerebral ischemia had higher SAHV, with a cutoff value of 10 mL.

Conclusions
Our simplified ABC/2‐derived method to estimate SAHV is comparable to manual segmentation and can be performed in low‐resource settings. Higher total SAHV was associated with worse outcomes and higher risk of delayed cerebral ischemia. A potential dose–response relationship was observed, with SAHV >10 mL predicting worse outcomes and higher risk of DCI.