bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Improvement of superhydrophobic properties of soft materials based on surface texture design
Authors: Wang Chunge , Li Rongzhi , Liu Chen , Ma Bangbang , Zhang Keke , Zhang Ning , Wang Qianqian , Zhang Sheng 
Published: July 2024

Abstract
Superhydrophobic surfaces of rigid materials have been widely studied, which usually have excellent physical properties. However, the soft materials are rarely investigated. In order to explore ways to improve the superhydrophobic properties of soft materials, different textured structures were fabricated by the inverted molding method on three materials, including food-grade silica gel, industrial-grade mold silica gel, and Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Further, a series of experiments were carried out, including water contact angle measurement, self-cleaning test, and drop-bounce test. The results show that hydrophobicity is highly related to both material and texture characteristics. For the same material, the contact angle can be greatly improved by surface micro-texture, and the contact angle of PDMS can be increased to 159.3°. Moreover, texture features and parameters are introduced to quantitatively analyze the contact angle of textured soft materials. It can be predicted that the soft materials with textured superhydrophobic properties will have greater applications in biomedicine, bionic sensors, flexible solar cells, and other fields.
Study on rotary bending fatigue performance of TC4 lattice structure fabricated by selective laser melting
Authors: He Kai , Zhang Zhiqiang , Wang Changshun , Li Chenglin , Yang Bin 
Published: July 2024

Abstract
Prediction of the fatigue performance of lattice structures in additive manufacturing still lacks widely applicable methods. To address this issue, we investigated the effect of a BCC lattice structure combined with thin walls and ribs on the fatigue performance of TC4 alloy samples. The lattice-structured samples were fabricated by selective laser melting. In addition, we proposed a prediction model of fatigue performance that combined ABAQUS finite element analysis with FE-safe fatigue analysis. The simulation and experimental results verified the reliability of the model. Based on this method, the effects of lattice and ribbed plate structures on the bending fatigue performance were investigated. The experimental results showed that the stress concentration generated by lattice structures weakened the fatigue performance. On the contrary, ribbed plates can enhance fatigue performance, which also depends on the orientation of the rib structure. The simulation results showed that increasing the volume fraction of unit cells can mitigate the stress concentration, leading to improved fatigue performance. The lattice structure combined with the rib structure exhibited superior fatigue performance. In addition, the proposed models can also be applied to other metallic materials. The findings in this study can provide a theoretical basis for the design of lattice structures with better fatigue performance.
Detection of invasive ductal carcinoma in quadrant breast areas by electrical impedance tomography implemented with gaussian relaxation-time distribution (EIT-GRTD)
Authors: Setyawan Galih , Sejati Prima Asmara , Ogawa Ryoma , Ibrahim Kiagus Aufa , Fujimoto Hiroshi , Yamamoto Hiroto , Takei Masahiro 
Published: July 2024

Abstract
Invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) in breast specimens has been detected in the quadrant breast area: (I) upper outer, (II) upper inner, (III) lower inner, and (IV) lower outer areas by electrical impedance tomography implemented with Gaussian relaxation-time distribution (EIT-GRTD). The EIT-GRTD consists of two steps which are (1) the optimum frequency

f

opt

selection and (2) the time constant enhancement of breast imaging reconstruction.

f

opt

is characterized by a peak in the majority measurement pair of the relaxation-time distribution function

γ
,

which indicates the presence of IDC. γ represents the inverse of conductivity and indicates the response of breast tissues to electrical currents across varying frequencies based on the Voigt circuit model. The EIT-GRTD is quantitatively evaluated by multi-physics simulations using a hemisphere container of mimic breast, consisting of IDC and adipose tissues as normal breast tissue under one condition with known IDC in quadrant breast area II. The simulation results show that EIT-GRTD is able to detect the IDC in four layers at

f

opt

= 30, 170 Hz. EIT-GRTD is applied in the real breast by employed six mastectomy specimens from IDC patients. The placement of the mastectomy specimens in a hemisphere container is an important factor in the success of quadrant breast area reconstruction. In order to perform the evaluation, EIT-GRTD reconstruction images are compared to the CT scan images. The experimental results demonstrate that EIS-GRTD exhibits proficiency in the detection of the IDC in quadrant breast areas while compared qualitatively to CT scan images.
A hybrid model for the detection of retinal disorders using artificial intelligence techniques
Authors: Salaheldin Ahmed M , Abdel Wahed Manal , Saleh Neven 
Published: July 2024

Abstract
The prevalence of vision impairment is increasing at an alarming rate. The goal of the study was to create an automated method that uses optical coherence tomography (OCT) to classify retinal disorders into four categories: choroidal neovascularization, diabetic macular edema, drusen, and normal cases. This study proposed a new framework that combines machine learning and deep learning-based techniques. The utilized classifiers were support vector machine (SVM), K-nearest neighbor (K-NN), decision tree (DT), and ensemble model (EM). A feature extractor, the InceptionV3 convolutional neural network, was also employed. The performance of the models was evaluated against nine criteria using a dataset of 18000 OCT images. For the SVM, K-NN, DT, and EM classifiers, the analysis exhibited state-of-the-art performance, with classification accuracies of 99.43%, 99.54%, 97.98%, and 99.31%, respectively. A promising methodology has been introduced for the automatic identification and classification of retinal disorders, leading to reduced human error and saved time.
Motivating parents to protect their children from wildfire smoke: the impact of air quality index infographics
Authors: Slavik Catherine E , Chapman Daniel A , Smith Hollie , Coughlan Michael , Peters Ellen 
Published: July 2024

Abstract

Background. Wildfire smoke events are increasing in frequency and intensity due to climate change. Children are especially vulnerable to health effects even at moderate smoke levels. However, it is unclear how parents respond to Air Quality Indices (AQIs) frequently used by agencies to communicate air pollution health risks. Methods. In an experiment (3 × 2 × 2 factorial design), 2,100 parents were randomly assigned to view one of twelve adapted AQI infographics that varied by visual (table, line, gauge), index type (AQI [0-500], AQHI [1-11+]), and risk level (moderate, high). Participants were told to imagine encountering the infographic in a short-term exposure scenario. They reported worry about wildfire smoke, intentions to take risk-mitigating actions (e.g., air purifier use), and support for various exposure reduction policies. Subsequently, participants were told to imagine encountering the same infographic daily during a school week in a long-term exposure scenario and again reported worry, action intentions, and policy support. Results. Parents’ responses significantly differentiated between risk levels that both pose a threat to children’s health; worry and action intentions were much higher in the high-risk group than the moderate-risk group in both short-exposure (F = 748.68 p<.001; F = 411.59, p<.001) and long-exposure scenarios (F = 470.51, p<.001; F = 212.01, p<.001). However, in the short-exposure scenario, when shown the AQHI [1-11+] with either the line or gauge visuals, parents’ action intentions were more similar between moderate- and high-risk level groups (3-way interaction, F = 6.03, p = .002). Conclusions. These results suggest some index formats such as the AQHI—rather than the AQI—may better attune parents to moderate levels of wildfire smoke being dangerous to children’s health. Our research offers insights for agencies and officials seeking to improve current public education efforts during wildfire smoke events and speaks to the critical need to educate parents and help them act short-term and long-term to protect children’s health.
Evaluating non-consumptive household water uses in a growing urban centre in Nigeria
Authors: Ogunbode Timothy O , Oyelami Ayobami A , Oyebamiji Victor O , Faboro Oluwatobi O , Adekiya Aruna O 
Published: July 2024

Abstract
Efficient use of water could be partly achieved with sound management strategies of the non-consumptive uses (N-CUs) of water in homes being put in place. This research evaluated the non-consumptive water use component in Iwo, Osun State, Nigeria. Data required for the investigation was generated from the administration of 325 questionnaires across the five Quarters into which the town is divided, out of which 269 were completed and retrieved. Both descriptive and inferential analysis of the data were carried out. Descriptive analysis showed that households engage absolutely in different non-consumptive uses such as bathing, clothe washing, drainage cleaning and dish washing while households’ engagement in other N-CUs were in varying proportions. The results of Factor Analysis (FA) revealed that five out of the 13 variables identified and analyzed with a minimum eigen value of 1.000 were strong explanatory variables of 73.674% when engaging in issues relating to N-CUs at household level. These are water use for the following (i) drainage cleaning (16.153%); (ii) Dish washing (15.922%); (iii) Toilet cleaning (14.547%); (iv) Auto-wash (14.238%); and Bathing (12.814%). Regression analysis (RA) of the data revealed that three variables namely clothe washing, Incidental washing and auto-washing were significant (p < 0.001) in generating predictive model of N-CUs of water in homes. The combined results of FA and RA implied that the set of variables in both analysis need to be considered in any issue involving the management and control of N-CUs of water in homes for a result-oriented water use efficiency at household level.
Impacts on water quality of producing biogas on pig farms as a function of the associated agricultural practices
Authors: Baziz Ouarda , Beline Fabrice , Durand Patrick 
Published: July 2024

Abstract
The aim of this study was to assess positive or negative impacts of anaerobic digestion (AD) on water quality using a systemic approach. To this end, we used the agro-hydrological model Topography-based Nitrogen Transfer and Transformation (TNT2), a spatially explicit model that simulates nitrogen and water flows at the watershed scale on a daily time step. Four scenarios were constructed and analyzed: a baseline before the introduction of AD (S0), AD with adjusted fertilization (S1), AD with unadjusted fertilization (S2), and agroecological AD (S3). The results showed that, when spreading practices were similar and an equivalent amount of effective nitrogen was applied, digested pig slurry generally had a predicted amount of nitrate leaching similar to that of undigested pig slurry. In addition, replacing catch crops with energy cover crops had little impact on water quality. Scenario S3 was the most favorable one for water quality and biogas production, but not for soil organic nitrogen storage and food and feed production. This study’s strength is its systemic approach, which considered both environmental and agronomic aspects to assess the scenarios.
Doping dependence and multichannel mediators of superconductivity: calculations for a cuprate model
Authors: Schrodi Fabian , Aperis Alex , Oppeneer Peter M 
Published: July 2024

Abstract
We study two aspects of the superconductivity in a cuprate model system, its doping dependence and the influence of competing pairing mediators. We first include electron–phonon interactions beyond Migdal’s approximation and solve self-consistently, as a function of doping and for an isotropic electron–phonon coupling, the full-bandwidth, anisotropic vertex-corrected Eliashberg equations under a non-interacting state approximation for the vertex correction. Our results show that such pairing interaction supports the experimentally observed

d

x
2

−

y
2

-wave symmetry of the superconducting gap, but only in a narrow doping interval of the hole-doped system. Depending on the coupling strength, we obtain realistic values for the gap magnitude and superconducting critical temperature

T

c

close to optimal doping, rendering the electron–phonon mechanism an important candidate for mediating superconductivity in this model system. Second, for a doping near optimal hole doping, we study multichannel superconductivity, by including both vertex-corrected electron–phonon interaction and spin and charge fluctuations as pairing mechanisms. We find that both mechanisms cooperate to support an unconventional d-wave symmetry of the order parameter, yet the electron–phonon interaction is mainly responsible for the Cooper pairing and high critical temperature

T

c

. Spin fluctuations are found to have a suppressing effect on the gap magnitude and critical temperature due to their repulsive interaction at small coupling wave vectors.
Instrumented indentation of PMMA/ZnO nanocomposites films
Authors: Krishna Braj 
Published: July 2024

Abstract
Piezoelectric nanocomposite films comprise zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles as reinforcement and poly-methyl methacrylate (PMMA) as the matrix. These films can potentially be used as structural and functional components of microdevices that can harvest energy from ambient mechanical vibrations. The design of such energy-scavenging micro/nano-systems will require knowledge of the process-microstructure-property relationships of nanocomposite films. This study synthesized PMMA/ZnO nanocomposite films using ultrasonic probe sonication and solution-casting. The nanomechanical characterization of the nanocomposite films was conducted using a nanoindenter via quasi-static mode. Quasi-static nanoindentation revealed that the indentation modulus ranged from 3.49 ± 0.03 GPa for PMMA to 4.71 ± 0.07 GPa for PMMA/ZnO 5 wt% nanocomposite film. However, the indentation modulus of 10 wt% ZnO nanocomposites decreases, i.e. 4.22 ± 0.60 GPa. The indentation hardness varied from 311.97 ± 6 MPa for PMMA thermoplastic polymer to 432.94 ± 83.81 MPa for PMMA/ZnO 10 wt% nanocomposites film. In addition, the properties of the nanocomposite film vary, as supported by scanning electron micrographs.
Analysis of a passive vibration damper for high-speed superconducting magnetic bearings
Authors: Baloochi M , Espenhahn T , Hossain M , Perez-Delgado Y , Abdkader A , Beitelschmidt M , Nielsch K , Hühne R 
Published: July 2024

Abstract
Superconducting magnetic bearings (SMB) based on a combination of high temperature superconductors and permanent magnets enable the realization of self-stabilized high-speed devices with significantly reduced friction. However, external vibration might couple in the bearing resulting in large amplitude oscillations due to a resonance case. A dedicated eddy current damper (ECD) might be used to eliminate these oscillations for a stable operation. The influence of such damping elements was studied for a frictionless SMB twisting system designed to speed up the conventional ring spinning process. Therefore, conductive copper rings with different thicknesses were implemented at different positions into the bearing setup as ECD. Afterward, the SMB setup was analyzed during acceleration using an array of laser distance sensors to record the displacement of the levitating permanent magnet ring in radial and axial direction, respectively. Simultaneously, a numerical model was developed to investigate the influence of the ECDs on the dynamic and static behavior of the SMB in more detail. It was shown that the simulated damping coefficients are in good agreement with the measured values, which allows further optimization of the ECD with the developed numerical model.
A novel design of collapsed supply and boosted bit-line swing write driver for fast write access 9T SRAM
Authors: Ganesh Chokkakula , Sai Kumar Aruru , Shoukath Vali Sk , Kondaveeti Girija Sravani , Wadhwa Girish , Karumuri Srinivasa Rao 
Published: July 2024

Abstract
This work presents a collapsed supply and boosted bit-line swing (CSBBS) write driver circuit, with the specific goal of enhancing write performance. The write ability of SRAM cells is gravely affected by device parameter variations in deep sub-threshold region of operations. The collapsed supply and boosted bit-line swing are key features aimed at achieving improvements in speed and efficiency during the memory write process. In comparison to conventional, Ultra dynamic scaled supply write (UDSS), Negative charge-boosted bit line (NCBBL), and Reconfigurable negative bit line collapsed supply (RNBLCS) write driver circuits, Proposed collapsed supply and boosted bit-line swing (CSBBS) for 9T SRAM cell has optimized write access delays of 0.74X, 0.41X, 0.32X and 0.21X, improvement in write margin (WM) of 1.51X, 1.34X, 1.22X and 1.12X respectively. The CSBBS Write driver circuit is implemented using custom compiler (Synopsys) through a 28 nm BSIM4 model card for bulk CMOS. MC simulation results are monitored on Cosmoscope wave viewer (Synopsys).
Investigation of oil palm fiber reinforced polylactic acid composite extruded filament quality
Authors: Sharum Mohd Afiq , Rajendran Thavinnesh Kumar , Maidin Shajahan , Ismail Shafinaz 
Published: July 2024

Abstract
This study examines the quality of Polylactic Acid (PLA) filament reinforced with Oil Palm Fiber (OPF) for additive manufacturing applications. The research aims to create a composite filament that leverages the advantages of PLA, a biodegradable polymer, and OPF, a natural fiber from the oil palm tree, to enhance mechanical strength, dimensional stability, and printability. The methodology involves crushing the PLA filament and OPF to the desired size using a crusher machine, blending them in different ratios (e.g., 90:10 and 80:20 PLA to OPF), and using a hot-pressing process to bond the components. The resulting pelletized composites are then extruded into filaments using an extruder machine. The quality of the produced filament is assessed based on diameter consistency, surface smoothness, and printability, considering compatibility with 3D printers. The study reveals that composition ratios and processing parameters impact filament quality, leading to challenges such as diameter variations, rapid hardening, breakage, and extruder die clogs. Future recommendations were suggested to optimize compositions, refine processing, explore advanced extrusion, and investigate fiber distribution and bonding for improved filament properties. This research offers valuable insights for creating high-quality OPF-reinforced PLA filaments for additive manufacturing, advancing understanding of filament quality factors, and proposing ways to enhance composite filament performance across applications.
High extinction ratio TE-Pass polarizer using the effect of superstrate layer in Ge-Clad optical waveguide
Authors: Kumar Manoj , Kumar Anil , Saini Rakesh , Bhatt Geeta , Khanna Manoj K 
Published: July 2024

Abstract
Attenuation characteristics of germanium (Ge) film clad planar optical waveguide are theoretically studied at the spectral wavelength of 0.6328 μm. Thin films of Ge are found to possess greater attenuation values than the other recognized materials. The existence of these greater attenuations is caused by lossy modes that are sustained by these films. It has been shown that the attenuation of the TM mode can be greatly increased by adding a high-index buffer layer between the Ge layer and the dielectric guide. It occurred because of the resonant coupling between the lossy modes supported by the Ge layer and the waveguide modes. Moreover, it is claimed that by adding a dielectric superstrate layer above the Ge thin film, the strength of the TM mode in the proposed structure can be further attenuated to an ultra-high value. In this study, a TE pass polarizer is proposed having a high extinction ratio of 30582.15 dB. Attenuation results are presented, after optimization of several parameters like thicknesses of Ge, buffer, and superstrate layers along with environmental stability of the suggested structure. The generated field distribution profiles are also in good agreement with the obtained attenuation results.
Mixed noise and posterior estimation with conditional deepGEM
Authors: Hagemann Paul , Hertrich Johannes , Casfor Maren , Heidenreich Sebastian , Steidl Gabriele 
Published: July 2024

Abstract
We develop an algorithm for jointly estimating the posterior and the noise parameters in Bayesian inverse problems, which is motivated by indirect measurements and applications from nanometrology with a mixed noise model. We propose to solve the problem by an expectation maximization (EM) algorithm. Based on the current noise parameters, we learn in the E-step a conditional normalizing flow that approximates the posterior. In the M-step, we propose to find the noise parameter updates again by an EM algorithm, which has analytical formulas. We compare the training of the conditional normalizing flow with the forward and reverse Kullback–Leibler divergence, and show that our model is able to incorporate information from many measurements, unlike previous approaches.
Labour Standards in EU Free Trade Agreements
Authors: Gruni Giovanni 
Published: July 2024

Abstract
This chapter studies the inclusion of labour provisions in EU trade agreements. The chapter assesses the current mechanisms of enforcement of such standards present in most of the EU free trade agreements (FTAs). It also introduces how labour standards are dealt with multilaterally in the International Labour Organization and in the World Trade Organization. Sections V and VI look at the recent change in the global posture of the European Union with regard to the enforcement of labour standards in its FTAs. There are already some signs in the law that the European Union will change its posture about the enforcement of labour standards.
The Legal Links between Free Trade Agreements and Multilateral Environmental Agreements
Authors: Messenger Gregory 
Published: July 2024

Abstract
The drive to include explicit references to multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) in free trade agreements (FTAs) has been largely domestic, borne of a period that viewed these distinct regimes of international law as requiring greater coordination in case of conflict or overlap. Instead, FTA practice (initially driven from Washington and Brussels) has shown how MEAs can be linked to FTAs through a range of methods and for different purposes. This chapter traces some of the more interesting innovations and reflects on three developments that mark recent practice: the inclusion of dynamic mechanisms for implementation and ongoing governance, the increasing sectorization of MEA linkages, and the influence such linkages have on our understanding of disputes and diplomacy in the trade–environment space.