bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cooling Performance of a Novel Ventilated Slope on Railbed in Permafrost Regions
Authors: Zhang Zhenyu , Wen Zhi , Liu Youqian , Wang Xinbin , Lu Jinxin , Chen Kun , Zhang Delong , Yu Qihao 
Published: March 2024

ABSTRACTThe heat absorption of the railbed mainly originates from the embankment slope in permafrost regions. A novel ventilated slope (NVS) with a double‐layer convection channel is proposed and verified. By applying this method to the Qinghai–Tibet Railway (QTR), the annual average temperature at the 10 cm depth below the embankment slope surface under NVS was reduced by 4.95°C. The freezing index at the 10 cm depth of NVS was 1.78 times higher than that of the slope without any cooling approaches. The numerical simulation results showed that heat was accumulated for the conventional embankment, while heat was released from the railbed after the application of NVS. With the cooling effect of NVS, the 0°C isotherm would rise above the original natural ground surface in the 2nd year after the embankment construction. A low‐temperature region of −2°C would be observed in the underlying permafrost by the 10th year. The underlying permafrost would remain frozen in the 50th year. This study provides a novel method for protecting the underlying permafrost in permafrost regions.
Utilizing medical thoracoscopy for the diagnosis of myelomatous pleural effusion: 2 case reports
Authors: Ng Khai Lip , Tan Sin Nee , Huan Nai‐Chien , Nasaruddin Mona Zaria , Othman Noriah , Rahaman Jamalul Azizi Abdul 
Published: March 2024

AbstractMultiple myeloma (MM) is characterized by neoplastic proliferation of monoclonal antibody producing plasma cells. In clinical practice, pleural effusion is seen in up to 6% of MM patients, with many causative factors. Nevertheless, true myelomatous pleural effusion, defined as infiltration of the pleura by myeloma cells, is very rare. In this case report, we present two patients with biopsy proven myelomatous pleural effusion. The first patient developed myelomatous pleural effusion as initial presentation while the second patient's pleural effusion occurred during disease relapse. In both cases, prompt diagnosis via medical thoracoscopy (MT) followed by early commencement of myeloma specific chemotherapy led to clinical, biochemical, and radiological resolution and therefore were crucial steps in the management of myelomatous pleural effusion.
CBF‐guided iterative learning control performance optimization for switched systems
Authors: Lu Xuanhe , Qi Yiwen , Qu Ziyu , Guo Shitong 
Published: March 2024

AbstractThis article studies the control barrier function (CBF) guided tracking performance optimization for switched systems under iterative learning control (ILC). CBF is an effective method for handling control system state safety. If the safe set is designed as expected performance, and the unsafe set is not expected, then this may be a good choice for optimizing control system performance. We propose a tracking performance optimization method based on CBF to speed up the convergence of the tracking error. A safe set is used to describe the expected tracking performance, by utilizing CBF, safety is further transformed into a set of inequality conditions that constrain ILC controller gains, which ensures that the tracking error is always within the safe set. In addition, an event‐triggering mechanism (ETM) is considered to reduce unnecessary data transmission, and sufficient conditions for exponential stability of the tracking error of switched systems and ILC controllers design are obtained. Finally, a simulation example is given to verify the feasibility of the proposed method.
Physical‐layer security enhancement in wireless sensor networks through artificial noise optimization
Authors: Qasem Asmaa Amer , Shokair Mona , Abd El‐Samie Fathi E. 
Published: March 2024

AbstractEnsuring network security is of utmost importance, especially in wireless sensor networks (WSNs), where the confidentiality of data is at risk due to eavesdropping. This paper introduces an artificial‐noise‐aided secure communication scheme for WSNs. This scheme comprises numerous sensor nodes, the sink, a friendly jammer, and an eavesdropper. The primary aim is to enhance the secrecy rate of the network by optimizing the jamming power. The friendly jammer plays a crucial role in degrading the wiretap channel between the sensor nodes and the eavesdropper. The optimization process revolves around maximizing the secrecy rate, while carefully managing the jamming power to prevent any negative impact on the main transmission link between the sink node and the sensor nodes. Due to the nonconvexity of the secrecy rate problem, the convex approximation‐based algorithm is recommened to get a safe convex approximation of the original solution. To address this optimization problem, an iterative algorithm based on quadratic transformation is proposed. Afterwards, the optimum jamming power to achieve high security is obtained. The simulation outcomes underscore the dual impact of the jammer in WSNs. The jammer diminishes the eavesdropper channel. Unfortunately, it introduces interference that consequently affects the security enhancement. In response, we concentrate on the optimization of jamming power. The proposed scheme consistently elevates secrecy rates across a spectrum of eavesdropper positions, adeptly addressing worst‐case scenarios. Notably, the algorithm showcases resilience across diverse node distributions.
Memory and relationships: A look into teachers' recollection of supervisory feedback
Authors: Clark‐Gareca Beth , Warkentin Teresa Bruno 
Published: March 2024

AbstractIn public schools in the United States, the work of an ESOL student teacher is characterized by relationships with multiple mentors, including a university supervisor. Through retrospective narrative accounts, this study examines what currently practicing teachers of multilingual learners retained of their supervisors' feedback from their student teaching days, and what nuggets of supervisory wisdom continue to resonate with them throughout their teaching careers. The researchers developed this qualitative study using a social constructivist lens informed by Carless and Winstone's (2023) feedback literacy dimensions. Interviews were conducted with eight current teachers to probe their recollections of supervision and integration of supervisory feedback into their practice. Findings suggest that the participants recalled a sprinkling of memories and continued to draw on a few pieces of supervisory advice in their current practice. Supervisors and student teachers demonstrated design, relational, and pragmatic dimensions of feedback literacy, though the relational (i.e., the quality of the relationship between supervisor and student teacher) was the most enduring, even if the specifics of the supervisory feedback faded. Implications suggest that teacher education programs can hone the purpose, mission, and methods of supervision by targeting the dimensions of feedback literacy to make supervisory feedback more constructive and impactful.
Performance analysis of an idealized Darrieus–Savonius combined vertical axis wind turbine
Authors: Pan Jingna , Ferreira Carlos , van Zuijlen Alexander 
Published: March 2024

AbstractTo investigate the effect of force distributions of each turbine component on the power performance of the Darrieus–Savonius combined vertical axis wind turbine (hybrid VAWT), the hybrid VAWT is modeled as idealized turbine under various force distributions. The goal of idealization is to simplify the intricate interactions between the Savonius and Darrieus components. The simulation actuator surfaces with uniform force distributions lead to a cost‐effective way to identify the optimal force distribution of each turbine component. The numerical model was validated against momentum theory. The results demonstrated that the numerical and theoretical results yield similar predictions in the low‐thrust cases but show differences in the high‐thrust cases. The maximum power coefficient
of an idealized hybrid VAWT with given thrust coefficient
is lower than that of a single actuator. This is a consequence of the nonoptimal loading on the actuator. The results indicate that an idealized hybrid VAWT does not show a significant power increase compared with an optimal single Darrieus rotor. Therefore, the presence of a Savonius rotor inside a Darrieus rotor leads to a lower power output in any circumstance. The hybrid configuration is primarily advantageous for the start‐up performance of the combined rotor, which is not explored in this study.
Does a language model “understand” high school math? A survey of deep learning based word problem solvers
Authors: Sundaram Sowmya S. , Gurajada Sairam , Padmanabhan Deepak , Abraham Savitha Sam , Fisichella Marco 
Published: March 2024

AbstractFrom the latter half of the last decade, there has been a growing interest in developing algorithms for automatically solving mathematical word problems (MWP). It is a challenging and unique task that demands blending surface level text pattern recognition with mathematical reasoning. In spite of extensive research, we still have a lot to explore for building robust representations of elementary math word problems and effective solutions for the general task. In this paper, we critically examine the various models that have been developed for solving word problems, their pros and cons and the challenges ahead. In the last 2 years, a lot of deep learning models have recorded competing results on benchmark datasets, making a critical and conceptual analysis of literature highly useful at this juncture. We take a step back and analyze why, in spite of this abundance in scholarly interest, the predominantly used experiment and dataset designs continue to be a stumbling block. From the vantage point of having analyzed the literature closely, we also endeavor to provide a road‐map for future math word problem research.This article is categorized under:
Technologies > Machine Learning
Technologies > Artificial Intelligence
Fundamental Concepts of Data and Knowledge > Knowledge Representation
Further Manifestations of Depletion Effects
Authors: Lekkerkerker Henk N. W. , Tuinier Remco , Vis Mark 
Published: March 2024

AbstractIn this chapter we provide examples of the manifestations of depletion effects in areas such as biology and technology. The addition of nonadsorbing polymers to colloidal suspensions can cause phase separation of the mixture into a colloid-rich and a polymer-rich phase.
Phase Transitions of Hard Sphere–Depletant Mixtures—The Basics
Authors: Lekkerkerker Henk N. W. , Tuinier Remco , Vis Mark 
Published: March 2024

AbstractPhase transitions are the result of the physical properties of a collection of particles and depend on their interactions. In Chap. 2, we focused on two-body interactions. As we shall see, depletion interactions are usually not pair-wise additive. Therefore, the prediction of phase transitions of particles with depletion interaction is not straightforward. A description of the thermodynamic properties of the pure colloidal dispersion is required as a starting point. Here, the colloid–atom analogy, recognised by Einstein and exploited by Perrin in his classical experiments, is very useful. Subsequently, we explain the basics of the free volume theory for the phase behaviour of colloid–depletant systems. In this chapter, we only treat the simplest type of depletant—the penetrable hard sphere (PHS).
The Interface in Demixed Colloid–Polymer Dispersions
Authors: Lekkerkerker Henk N. W. , Tuinier Remco , Vis Mark 
Published: March 2024

AbstractIn Chaps. 3 and 4, the focus was on theory and experiments related to the phase behaviour of mixtures containing colloidal spheres and nonadsorbing polymers. As we have seen, when the polymer coils are sufficiently large relative to the colloidal spheres, a colloidal gas–liquid (fluid–fluid) phase separation may occur. The two phases that appear differ in composition. One phase is a dilute colloidal fluid (a colloidal ‘gas’) dispersed in a concentrated polymer solution. This phase coexists with a concentrated colloidal fluid (a colloidal ‘liquid’) dispersed in a dilute polymer solution.
Phase Behaviour of Colloidal Rods Mixed with Depletants
Authors: Lekkerkerker Henk N. W. , Tuinier Remco , Vis Mark 
Published: March 2024

AbstractSo far, we have considered the phase behaviour of colloidal spheres mixed with depletants. In Chap. 3, we considered the simplest type of depletant, the penetrable hard sphere (PHS). We then extended this treatment to ideal and excluded volume polymers in Chap. 4; and in Chap. 6, we considered small colloidal spheres (including micelles). Colloidal rods as depletants were addressed in Chap. 7; however, Chap. 7 only considered dilute dispersions of rods, in which the rods assume all configurations and are hence isotropic. In this chapter, we consider the phase behaviour of mixtures of colloidal rods and polymeric depletants, and we also account for higher rod concentrations and the corresponding phase states. Colloidal rods can be subdivided into synthetic inorganic rods, rod-like clay particles and biological rods (see also [1]). Examples are given in Fig. 8.1. Suspensions of rod-like particles exhibit interesting phase transitions and can assume various phase states.
Hartle-Hawking state and its factorization in 3d gravity
Authors: Chua Wan Zhen , Jiang Yikun 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
We study 3d quantum gravity with two asymptotically anti-de Sitter regions, in particular, using its relation with coupled Alekseev-Shatashvili theories and Liouville theory. Expressions for the Hartle-Hawking state, thermal 2n-point functions, torus wormhole correlators and Wheeler-DeWitt wavefunctions in different bases are obtained using the ZZ boundary states in Liouville theory. Exact results in 2d Jackiw-Teitelboim (JT) gravity are uplifted to 3d gravity, with two copies of Liouville theory in 3d gravity playing a similar role as Schwarzian theory in JT gravity. The connection between 3d gravity and the Liouville ZZ boundary states are manifested by viewing BTZ black holes as Maldacena-Maoz wormholes, with the two wormhole boundaries glued along the ZZ boundaries. In this work, we also study the factorization problem of the Hartle-Hawking state in 3d gravity. With the relevant defect operator that imposes the necessary topological constraint for contractibility, the trace formula in gravity is modified in computing the entanglement entropy. This trace matches with the one from von Neumann algebra considerations, further reproducing the Bekenstein-Hawking area formula from entanglement entropy. Lastly, we propose a calculation for off-shell geometrical quantities that are responsible for the ramp behavior in the late time two-point functions, which follows from the understanding of the Liouville FZZT boundary states in the context of 3d gravity, and the identification between Verlinde loop operators in Liouville theory and “baby universe” operators in 3d gravity.
Obesogenic diet in pregnancy disrupts placental iron handling and ferroptosis and stress signalling in association with fetal growth alterations
Authors: Zaugg Jonas , Lopez-Tello Jorge , Musial Barbara , Vaughan Owen R. , Fowden Abigail L. , Albrecht Christiane , Sferruzzi-Perri Amanda N. 
Published: March 2024

AbstractObesity and gestational diabetes (GDM) impact fetal growth during pregnancy. Iron is an essential micronutrient needed for energy-intense feto-placental development, but if mis-handled can lead to oxidative stress and ferroptosis (iron-dependent cell death). In a mouse model showing maternal obesity and glucose intolerance, we investigated the association of materno-fetal iron handling and placental ferroptosis, oxidative damage and stress signalling activation with fetal growth. Female mice were fed a standard chow or high fat, high sugar (HFHS) diet during pregnancy and outcomes were measured at day (d)16 or d19 of pregnancy. In HFHS-fed mice, maternal hepcidin was reduced and iron status maintained (tissue iron levels) at both d16 and d19. However, fetal weight, placental iron transfer capacity, iron deposition, TFR1 expression and ERK2-mediated signalling were reduced and oxidative damage-related lipofuscin accumulation in the placenta was increased in HFHS-fed mice. At d19, whilst TFR1 remained decreased, fetal weight was normal and placental weight, iron content and iron transporter genes (Dmt1, Zip14, and Fpn1) were reduced in HFHS-fed mice. Furthermore, there was stress kinase activation (increased phosphorylated p38MAPK, total ERK and JNK) in the placenta from HFHS-fed mice at d19. In summary, a maternal HFHS diet during pregnancy impacts fetal growth trajectory in association with changes in placental iron handling, ferroptosis and stress signalling. Downregulation of placental iron transporters in HFHS mice may protect the fetus from excessive oxidative iron. These findings suggest a role for alterations in placental iron homeostasis in determining perinatal outcomes of pregnancies associated with GDM and/or maternal obesity.
Graphical Abstract
Macrophage re-programming by JAK inhibitors relies on MAFB
Authors: López-Navarro Baltasar , Simón-Fuentes Miriam , Ríos Israel , Schiaffino María Teresa , Sanchez Alicia , Torres-Torresano Mónica , Nieto-Valle Alicia , Castrejón Isabel , Puig-Kröger Amaya 
Published: March 2024

AbstractMonocyte-derived macrophages play a key pathogenic role in inflammatory diseases. In the case of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the presence of specific synovial tissue-infiltrating macrophage subsets is associated with either active disease or inflammation resolution. JAK inhibitors (JAKi) are the first targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (tsDMARD) approved for treatment of RA with comparable efficacy to biologics. However, the effects of JAKi on macrophage specification and differentiation are currently unknown. We have analyzed the transcriptional and functional effects of JAKi on human peripheral blood monocyte subsets from RA patients and on the differentiation of monocyte-derived macrophages promoted by granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), a factor that drives the development and pathogenesis of RA. We now report that JAKi Upadacitinib restores the balance of peripheral blood monocyte subsets in RA patients and skewed macrophages towards the acquisition of an anti-inflammatory transcriptional and functional profile in a dose-dependent manner. Upadacitinib-treated macrophages showed a strong positive enrichment of the genes that define synovial macrophages associated to homeostasis/inflammation resolution. Specifically, Upadacitinib-treated macrophages exhibited significantly elevated expression of MAFB and MAFB-regulated genes, elevated inhibitory phosphorylation of GSK3β, and higher phagocytic activity and showed an anti-inflammatory cytokine profile upon activation by pathogenic stimuli. These outcomes were also shared by macrophages exposed to other JAKi (baricitinib, tofacitinib), but not in the presence of the TYK2 inhibitor deucravacitinib. As a whole, our results indicate that JAKi promote macrophage re-programming towards the acquisition of a more anti-inflammatory/pro-resolution profile, an effect that correlates with the ability of JAKi to enhance MAFB expression.
Sectoral–regional resilience and productive specialization: a comparison among the last three crises
Authors: Sánchez Andrés Maroto , Cuadrado-Roura Juan Ramón 
Published: March 2024

AbstractThe objective of this paper is to compare the economic resilience of industries and regions along the last four decades, which include the three last major crises for the advanced countries (90s, Great Recession in 2007 and recent COVID-19 pandemic). Productive structure and sectoral specialization are introduced as explaining factor for the different regional behaviors. For this purpose, we estimate both resilience and specialization indices based on employment data. To analyze the relationship between specialization and resilience, a cross-sectional descriptive analysis is complemented by a panel data model that includes some controls. Finally, a regional shift-share analysis contributes to exert some other regional effects affecting economic resilience. The results of this research show some continuities and other significant changes in the regional impact of crises from one to the next. Although there are other effects to have played a role, results show economic specialization is found to have exerted influence on the recovery of certain regions during this period. Recovery periods differ from each crisis and the results might be affected for this dimensionality limitation. Due to the characteristics of the database, the study includes only six sectors. However, general results are generalizable to other regions as the response of employment growth to crises is similar in many advanced regions and specialization patterns does not significantly differ among regions. The paper carries a structural long-term comparison between the last major crises for Spanish regions, which clearly differentiates one from another in their causes and effects. We introduce specialization to explain the different regional resilience patterns. Methodologically, we estimate both sectoral and regional resilience indices for these three crises and relate this resilience to specialization and other explaining factors.
Viruses exploit growth factor mechanisms to achieve augmented pathogenicity and promote tumorigenesis
Authors: Sabourirad Sarvenaz , Dimitriadis Evdokia , Mantamadiotis Theo 
Published: March 2024

AbstractCellular homeostasis is regulated by growth factors (GFs) which orchestrate various cellular processes including proliferation, survival, differentiation, motility, inflammation and angiogenesis. Dysregulation of GFs in microbial infections and malignancies have been reported previously. Viral pathogens exemplify the exploitation of host cell GFs and their signalling pathways contributing to viral entry, virulence, and evasion of anti-viral immune responses. Viruses can also perturb cellular metabolism and the cell cycle by manipulation of GF signaling. In some cases, this disturbance may promote oncogenesis. Viral pathogens can encode viral GF homologues and induce the endogenous biosynthesis of GFs and their corresponding receptors or manipulate their activity to infect the host cells. Close investigation of how viral strategies exploit and regulate GFs, a will shed light on how to improve anti-viral therapy and cancer treatment. In this review, we discuss and provide insights on how various viral pathogens exploit different GFs to promote viral survival and oncogenic transformation, and how this knowledge can be leveraged toward the design of more efficient therapeutics or novel drug delivery systems in the treatment of both viral infections and malignancies.