Equivalent Concept Research Articles

A review on the safety of growth factors commonly used in cultivated meat production.

Growth factors are commonly added to cell culture media in cellular agriculture to mimic the endogenous process of proliferation and differentiation of cells. Many of these growth factors are endogenous to humans and known to be present in the edible tissues and milk of food animals. However, there is little or no information on the use of growth factors intentionally added in food production before the advent of cultivated meat. Ten commonly used growth factors have been reviewed to include information on their mode of action, bioavailability, occurrence in food and food animals, endogenous levels in humans, as well as exposure and toxicological information drawn from relevant animal studies and human clinical trials with a focus on oral exposure. In addition, a comparison of homology of growth factors was done to compare the sequence homology of growth factors from humans and domestic animal species commonly consumed as food, such as bovine, porcine, and poultry. This information has been gathered as the starting point to determine the safety of use of growth factors in cultivated meat meant for human consumption. The change in levels of growth factors measured in human milk and bovine milk after pasteurization and high-temperature treatment is discussed to give an indication of how commercial food processing can affect the levels of growth factors in food. The concept of substantial equivalence is also discussed together with a conservative exposure estimation. More work on how to integrate in silico assessments into the routine safety assessment of growth factors is needed.

Shear modulus of sand-rubber mixtures: element testing and constitutive modeling

In this study, a series of resonant column tests was conducted to measure the shear modulus of sand-rubber mixtures at small strain amplitudes (i.e. between 10−4% and 10−4%), considering different rubber percentages and confining stress levels. The results were then combined with data obtained by dynamic hollow cylinder tests to investigate shear modulus degradation of the mixtures over a wider shear strain range. Based on the test results, a new expression was proposed to improve the prediction of maximum shear modulus of sand-rubber mixtures using the modified equivalent void ratio concept. A new constitutive model was also developed for estimation of strain-dependent shear modulus of the mixtures based on the modified hyperbolic framework. The shear modulus of the mixtures was found to be a function of rubber percentage, confining stress, the modified equivalent void ratio and the relative shear stiffness of rubber and sand. The experimental data and the developed models showed that the shear modulus decreased with rubber percentage and increased with confining stress. Moreover, the reference shear strain of the modified hyperbolic model increased with both rubber percentage and confining stress while its curvature coefficient increased more considerably with rubber percentage compared to the confining stress.

Assessing the Chemical-Free Oxidation of Trace Organic Chemicals by VUV/UV as an Alternative to Conventional UV/H2O2.

Low-pressure mercury lamps with high-purity quartz can emit both vacuum-UV (VUV, 185 nm) and UV (254 nm) and are commercially available and promising for eliminating recalcitrant organic pollutants. The feasibility of VUV/UV as a chemical-free oxidation process was verified and quantitatively assessed by the concept of H2O2 equivalence (EQH2O2), at which UV/H2O2 showed the same performance as VUV/UV for the degradation of trace organic contaminants (TOrCs). Although VUV showed superior H2O activation and oxidation performance, its performance highly varied as a function of light path length (Lp) in water, while that of UV/H2O2 proportionally decreased with decreasing H2O2 dose regardless of Lp. On increasing Lp from 1.0 to 3.0 cm, the EQH2O2 of VUV/UV decreased from 0.81 to 0.22 mM H2O2. Chloride and nitrate hardly influenced UV/H2O2, but they dramatically inhibited VUV/UV. The competitive absorbance of VUV by chloride and nitrate was verified as the main reason. The inhibitory effect was partially compensated by •OH formation from the propagation reactions of chloride or nitrate VUV photolysis, which was verified by kinetic modeling in Kintecus. In water with an Lp of 2.0 cm, the EQH2O2 of VUV/UV decreased from 0.43 to 0.17 mM (60.8% decrease) on increasing the chloride concentration from 0 to 15 mM and to 0.20 mM (53.5% decrease) at 4 mM nitrate. The results of this study provide a comprehensive understanding of VUV/UV oxidation in comparison to UV/H2O2, which underscores the suitability and efficiency of chemical-free oxidation with VUV/UV.

Current design of rectangular steel silos: limitations and improvement

This study proposes a modification for the current design approach for square and rectangular silos that accounts for silos’ wall flexibility. First, the authors investigated the effect of wall stiffness symbolized by the wall width-to-thickness ratio (a/t) and silo’s dimensions, on the wall-filling pressure using a recently validated 3D finite element model (FEM). The model was then employed to predict the pressures acting on silos’ walls accounting for the stress state in stored granular materials. Most design formulas and guidelines assume silos’ walls to be rigid. This assumption is acceptable for the case of rigid wall concrete silos; however, it is questionable for semi-rigid, flexible wall metal silos. Consequentially, it is crucial to determine the minimum wall stiffness necessary to secure the applicability of the current design rigid wall assumptions and to propose a way to deal with semi-rigid and flexible walls. To this end, several wall pressure distributions that correspond to filling steel silos with varied wall thicknesses were studied. A new adjustment to the Janssen technique was proposed for a better estimate of the wall-filling pressures for square and rectangular silos. In the case of prismatic silos, the Eurocode uses the Janssen equation together with an equivalent radius of a corresponding circular silo (with the same hydraulic radius) to determine the wall pressure. This method predicts pressure values that are practically accurate for rigid-wall silos, but its accuracy decreases for semi-rigid and flexible-wall silos. As an enhancement, the Janssen equation was modified in this research to generate more accurate pressure estimates based on the equivalent volume concept. The finite element results of several developed models with the same granular material were compared to the estimations of the newly established approach to verify the broad range of its applicability.

Carl Jung: a life on the edge of reality with hypnagogia, hyperphantasia, and hallucinations.

Whether the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung (1875-1961) became psychotic after his mid-thirties is much debated. His recently published Black Books, a seven-volume journal, reveal new insights into this debate. Based on a phenomenological analysis of his self-reports in these books and in other writings, we here identify several types of anomalous perceptual experiences: hypnagogic-hypnopompic experiences, hyperphantasia, hallucinations, personifications, and sensed presence. We argue that these experiences were not indicative of a psychotic disorder, but rather stemmed from extremely vivid mental imagery, or hyperphantasia, a condition Jung's contemporaries and later biographers were unable to take into account because it had not yet been conceptualised. Recently, the degree of vividness of mental imagery and its potential to become indistinguishable from regular sense perception has been the subject of extensive studies. Unknowingly, Jung may have foreshadowed this line of research with his psychoanalytic concept of reality equivalence, i.e., the substitution of an external world for an inner mental reality that he encountered in individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia. There is a need for future research to investigate the possible role of hyperphantasia in psychotic experiences, but to Jung, psychosis was 'a failure to contain and comprehend' the content of one's experiences in the context of one's own life, whereas he himself did manage to put the content of his perceptual experiences into context, to find meaning in them, and to share them with others - to great acknowledgement and acclaim.

Efficient technique for evaluation of three-dimensional elastic–plastic fracture mechanics parameters based on equivalent distributed stress concept

This study proposes an efficient technique for the evaluation of the elastic–plastic fracture mechanics (EPFM) parameters of three-dimensional (3D) cracks based on the modified crack cohesive force (CCF) model. In the current method, the 3D crack’s EPFM parameters are analyzed by applying the pseudo crack face traction (CFT) to a two-dimensional (2D) center crack in an infinite plate. This pseudo traction is called the equivalent distributed stress (EDS). The EDS to be applied on the 2D center crack is determined in a manner that reproduces the relationship between crack length and stress intensity factor (SIF) of the intended 3D crack. Once EDS is determined, EPFM parameters for 3D cracks can be obtained instantly by using the center crack’s analytical closed-form solutions. This approach can compute the 3D crack’s EPFM parameters in dramatically less computation time than 3D finite element (FE) analysis. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated by comparing the EPFM parameters of a 3D penny-shape crack obtained from this method against the reference analytical solutions and numerical FE analysis results. The parameters determined by the present method show excellent agreement with the reference solutions.

International Standards for Regulatory Deference Relating to National Food Control Systems: More to Do?

AbstractThis paper describes how the development of texts on regulatory deference by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) addresses relevant recommendations of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and supports Member countries of CAC in their negotiation and implementation of equivalence agreements. We consider the role and function of CAC within a rules-based multilateral framework, particularly in relation to the development and implementation of equivalence concepts. We then consider whether, through use of equivalence agreements, trade facilitation outcomes have been realised. Our hypothesis is that international standards on regulatory deference promote fair but aspirational standards and support fair practices in the trade of safe food – both vital outcomes for global food security and the achievement of many of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. We test this hypothesis against the framework provided by decisions of the WTO Sanitary and Phytosanitary Committee. We argue that the equivalence concepts and guidelines developed by CAC are appropriate but underutilised tools available for Member countries to strike a balance between their right to regulate to protect human, animal or plant life and health and to fulfil legitimate objectives whilst meeting their WTO obligations to avoid measures that constitute unnecessary barriers to trade.

Functionally graded thick-walled tubes analysis by numerical methods

Functionally graded materials are increasingly used in the practice of engineering design, as is the case with thick-walled tubes. The use of these constructive elements requires a calculation, which should be as accurate, as accessible and as fast as possible. The present work responds to these requirements. For the calculation of tubes with thick walls made of functionally graded materials, two new ways were used, based on the concepts of multilayer (material) wall and equivalent material. The multi-layered wall concept considers the tube wall made of several layers, as in the case of the well-known multilayer plates, and the equivalent material concept considers the thick-walled tube made of homogeneous and isotropic material, but with fictitious properties, equivalent in behavior to the functionally graded material. The influence of Poisson's ratio is illustrated by some comparative results. The development of the calculus, the validation of the models and the analysis of the results are based on the numerical calculus using the finite element method. The models used, the transverse plane model, the axial-symmetric plane model and the 3D longitudinal model, are made in several variants regarding the fineness of the mesh. The paper also analyzes the influence of the Poisson ratio variation, compared to adopting a constant value. The results of the study, the models and concepts used are useful to specialists and designers of structures of this type, they have a high degree of generality and present openings for the use of other calculation methods.

Radial Displacements in a Rotating Disc of Uniform Thickness Made of Functionally Graded Material

The finite element method is used to calculate a rotating disc, which has a uniform thickness and is made of functionally graded materials, based on the concepts of multilayer disc and equivalent material. These concepts are also available for analytical calculus. The multilayered disc concept perceives the disc as constructed from several layers, and the equivalent material concept regards the disc material as composed of homogeneous and isotropic material but with fictitious properties equivalent in behavior to the functionally graded material. These two concepts, encompassed in this study, allow us to contemplate the variation according to the material law and Poisson's ratio, which is often neglected, to reduce the mathematical complexity. The concepts, models, and methods involved in this study were validated by employing numerical and analytical calculations. The proposed method introduced simplicity, precision, and accessibility to solve the complex problem of functionally graded structures. The calculus development, model validation, and result analysis were based on numerical calculus using the finite element method. The utilized models were grounded on the existence of an axial-symmetric plane. So, 2D or 3D simplified models can be used with several variants regarding the mesh fineness. This study results and models are useful to specialists and structure designers of this type, have a high degree of generality, and present opportunities for the application of other calculation methods.

Research on Translation Path of Chinese Legal Texts

 This paper aims to explore the translation path of Chinese legal texts from the perspective of translation studies, taking into account the cultural, linguistic, and legal contexts. The study begins by introducing the concept of Chinese legal texts and their unique characteristics. It then examines the theoretical underpinnings of translation studies, with a focus on the concept of equivalence and the different translation methods. The paper then analyzes the challenges and strategies involved in translating Chinese legal texts into English, considering factors such as cultural differences, legal terminology, and narrative style. Finally, the paper proposes a translation path for Chinese legal texts that incorporates both fidelity and creativity. This path involves a series of steps, including text analysis, cultural adaptation, legal research, and linguistic refinement. The study concludes by highlighting the significance of the proposed translation path for promoting cross-cultural understanding and legal communication.

Pooling of primary care electronic health record (EHR) data on Huntington’s disease (HD) and cancer: establishing comparability of two large UK databases

ObjectivesTo explore whether UK primary care databases arising from two different software systems can be feasibly combined, by comparing rates of Huntington’s disease (HD, which is rare) and 14 common...

An optoelectronic Coupler based on graphene patterns and SU-8 photoresist

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to efficiently separate incident terahertz (THz) waves into distinct transmission and reflection channels by minimizing the absorption ratio. So, the optical systems operating within the THz frequency range can developed. To achieve a multi-band response, four different periodic arrays of graphene patterns are used. These arrays are strategically stacked on both sides of three SU-8 photoresists, serving as dielectric materials. Consequently, each layer exhibits a unique influence on the device's response, and by applying four external bias voltages, the behavior of the device can be precisely controlled and adjusted.Design/methodology/approachA novel optoelectronic device operating in the THz frequency range is introduced, using periodic arrays of graphene patterns and SU-8 photoresist dielectrics. The design of this device is based on meta-surface principles, using both the equivalent circuit model (ECM) and transmission line concept. The output of the device is a THz coupler implemented by analyzing the reflection and transmission channels. The structure is characterized using the ECM and validated through comprehensive full-wave simulations. By representing the electromagnetic phenomenon with passive circuit elements, enabling the calculation of absorption, reflection and transmission through the application of the theory of maximum power transfer.FindingsBased on simulation results and theoretical analysis, the proposed device exhibits sensitivity to gate biasing, enabling efficient reflection and transmission of THz waves. The device achieves reflection and transmission peaks exceeding across the five distinct THz bands 90%, and its behavior can be tuned by external gate biasing. Moreover, the device's sensitivity to variations in geometrical parameters and chemical potentials demonstrates its reliable performance. With its outstanding performance, this high-performance meta-surface emerges as an ideal candidate for fundamental building blocks in larger optical systems, including sensors and detectors, operating within the THz frequency band.Originality/valueThe proposed device covers a significant portion of the THz gap through the provision of five adjustable peaks for reflection and transmission channels. Additionally, the ECM and impedance matching concept offers a simplified and time-efficient approach to designing the meta-surface. Leveraging this approach, the proposed device is effectively represented using passive circuit elements such as inductors, capacitors and resistors, while its performance is validated through the utilization of the finite element method (FEM) as a full-wave simulation tool. This combination of circuit modeling and FEM simulation contributes to the robustness and accuracy of the device's performance evaluation.

Equivalence and Insurance

The concept of equivalence is present in various forms in the Solvency II framework, the EU prudential regulatory framework for insurance and reinsurance. While equivalence in Solvency II does not grant, or should not be equated to, market access for market participants that make use of the equivalence instruments within Solvency II, equivalence plays an important role in insurance, in particular in the solvency capital calculation at group level, in group supervision and for the recognition of reinsurance under Solvency II. The conclusion can be drawn that equivalence is an essential building block of the current framework. The application of equivalence in the framework and in practice is discussed in this contribution, and while the application might be complex, it is indispensable. At the same time, other mechanisms, either within the Solvency II framework or more broadly at international level, influence the current state and might affect the evolution of equivalence going forward. While, inherently, there is a political component to equivalence as well, the instruments remain firmly based in (detailed) Solvency II rules and are applied accordingly in practice.

Motor imagery from brain to muscle: a commentary on Bach et al., (2022).

In a recent article entitled "Why motor imagery is not really motoric: towards a re-conceptualization in terms of effect-based action control", Bach et al. nicely renewed the concept of motor equivalence between actual movement and motor imagery (MI), i.e. the mental simulation of an action without its corresponding motor output. Their approach is largely based on behavioral studies and, to a lesser extent, on the literature using cerebral imagery. However, the literature on cortico-spinal circuitry modulation during MI can provide further, interesting aspects. Indeed, when it comes to addressing the motor system, one should consider the whole path from brain region to muscle contraction, including sub-cortical structures such as the spinal circuitry. This commentary aims at bridging this gap by providing supplemental evidence and outlining a complementary approach.

A review on ductile fracture prediction of cracked/notched components: The distinct and simplifying roles of the equivalent material concept and fictitious material concept

Most of engineering structures and components are made of ductile materials, while fracture mechanics tools have been mostly developed for brittle materials. This article investigates the critical load estimation in fracture problems in presence of the elasto-plasticity from the standpoint of major approaches in fracture mechanics including theoretical, experimental, and computational. A review is comprehensively performed on literature with a main focus on two new concepts, namely the Equivalent Material Concept (EMC) and the Fictitious Material Concept (FMC), by which elastoplastic ductile materials can be simplified to linear elastic brittle materials. Therefore, by overcoming the nonlinear aspects, solving of the fracture problems in the linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) framework becomes possible. It is understood from this comprehensive literature survey that while there are several approaches for estimating ductile fracture in cracked/notched members under various loading conditions, most of them need nonlinear analyses, which are typically time-consuming and complicated. It is shown that EMC can work simply and well on those nonlinear materials having small strain-hardening and small/moderate strain-to-failure, while FMC can be effectively and easily applied to nonlinear materials having moderate/great strain-hardening and/or large strain-to-failure, where failure means necking.

Fracture prediction in flat PMMA notched specimens under tension - effectiveness of the equivalent material concept and fictitious material concept

The fracture of notched elements under mode I loading (tension) remains an inexhaustible research topic, especially when it comes to the fracture of thermoplastic materials such as polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), which experience considerable plastic strains under tension. The paper points out that traditional brittle fracture criteria such as mean stress (MS) or maximum tangential stress (MTS) criteria used to predict this phenomenon do not accurately indicate the value of the critical load. They work much better when combined with the equivalent material concept (EMC) and fictitious material concept (FMC). The effectiveness of both concepts depends on the size of the notch root radius, and thus on the yield zone size.

Data-Driven Contact-Based Thermosensation for Enhanced Tactile Recognition.

Thermal feedback plays an important role in tactile perception, greatly influencing fields such as autonomous robot systems and virtual reality. The further development of intelligent systems demands enhanced thermosensation, such as the measurement of thermal properties of objects to aid in more accurate system perception. However, this continues to present certain challenges in contact-based scenarios. For this reason, this study innovates by using the concept of semi-infinite equivalence to design a thermosensation system. A discrete transient heat transfer model was established. Subsequently, a data-driven method was introduced, integrating the developed model with a back propagation (BP) neural network containing dual hidden layers, to facilitate accurate calculation for contact materials. The network was trained using the thermophysical data of 67 types of materials generated by the heat transfer model. An experimental setup, employing flexible thin-film devices, was constructed to measure three solid materials under various heating conditions. Results indicated that measurement errors stayed within 10% for thermal conductivity and 20% for thermal diffusion. This approach not only enables quick, quantitative calculation and identification of contact materials but also simplifies the measurement process by eliminating the need for initial temperature adjustments, and minimizing errors due to model complexity.

The Search and Seizure of Digital Materials Under Warrant and Protecting Privilege: Comparative Analysis and Recommendations for Best Practice

Academic literature in England and Wales and New Zealand does not consider the protection of legal professional privilege where digital material is seized under a search warrant. Academic literature in the United States does engage with this subject but is not informed by a comparative approach. This article fills both gaps. It examines practices that have been developed by investigative teams and prosecuting authorities in all three comparator jurisdictions in their attempts to provide safeguards necessary to preserve privilege. Such practices involve the use of technology to increase the speed, cost effectiveness and/or efficiency of identifying privileged documents. The process of developing these practices has been informed by judicial guidance, where they have been challenged before the courts, and by guidance from government departments, Bar Associations or Law Commissions. Following comparative analysis, the article recommends measures that should be included in legislation, codes of practice or guidance in any jurisdictions where there is potential for legal professional privilege or an equivalent concept to be undermined when digital material is seized under a search warrant.

OHDSI Standardized Vocabularies-a large-scale centralized reference ontology for international data harmonization.

The Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics (OHDSI) is the largest distributed data network in the world encompassing more than 331 data sources with 2.1 billion patient records across 34 countries. It enables large-scale observational research through standardizing the data into a common data model (CDM) (Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership [OMOP] CDM) and requires a comprehensive, efficient, and reliable ontology system to support data harmonization. We created the OHDSI Standardized Vocabularies-a common reference ontology mandatory to all data sites in the network. It comprises imported and de novo-generated ontologies containing concepts and relationships between them, and the praxis of converting the source data to the OMOP CDM based on these. It enables harmonization through assigned domains according to clinical categories, comprehensive coverage of entities within each domain, support for commonly used international coding schemes, and standardization of semantically equivalent concepts. The OHDSI Standardized Vocabularies comprise over 10 million concepts from 136 vocabularies. They are used by hundreds of groups and several large data networks. More than 8600 users have performed 50 000 downloads of the system. This open-source resource has proven to address an impediment of large-scale observational research-the dependence on the context of source data representation. With that, it has enabled efficient phenotyping, covariate construction, patient-level prediction, population-level estimation, and standard reporting. OHDSI has made available a comprehensive, open vocabulary system that is unmatched in its ability to support global observational research. We encourage researchers to exploit it and contribute their use cases to this dynamic resource.

PECULIARITIES OF LEXICO-SEMANTIC TRANSFORMATIONS APPLICATION IN THE PROCESS OF O. HENRY’S STORY "THE LAST LEAF" TRANSLATION

Objective. The objective of the article is the definition of the concept and specifics of artistic translation; consideration of the concepts of translation adequacy and equivalence, as well as translation transformations; identifying and clarifying the validity of the use of lexical-semantic transformations in the process of translating O. Henry's story "The Last Leaf" into Ukrainian performed by M. Dmytrenko. Methods. The main scientific results are obtained using such general scientific and special research methods as the analysis and generalization of scientific literature on the problems of artistic translation and the application of translation transformations; theoretical generalization, analysis and synthesis; an integral approach to the study of linguistic phenomena; comparative, descriptive and analytical methods. Results. The analysis of scientific literature makes it possible to reveal the meaning of artistic translation, which is always a challenge for the translator, as it requires not only a deep knowledge of the original language, the vocabulary of the translated language and thorough knowledge of literary studies, but also significant skills in translation techniques. Due to the inconsistency of individual elements in the original language and the language of translation, differences in the grammatical structures of languages, stylistic features of a specific text, full correspondence is impossible. Therefore, the terms "adequacy" and "equivalence" are used to indicate the relationship between the source text and the final text. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to achieve complete correspondence, identity in the process of translation. In cases where there are no regular equivalents in the target language or they cannot be used in the context, the translator must resort to transformations. After considering different classifications of translation transformations and analyzing Henry's story "The Last Leaf" for the category of lexical-semantic transformations, we can come to the conclusion that contextual substitution, decompression and descriptive translation are most often used by the translator. This is caused, first of all, by the wide lexical potential of the translation language, the need to adapt the source text to the norms of the translation language, as well as reproduce non-equivalent vocabulary and words and phrases that do not have regular counterparts in the target language. Summing up the analysis, it can be noted that the problem of literary translation is complex and controversial, because it is a co-creation of the translator and the author, the success of which depends on the latter's creativity and skillful use of the tools of translation transformations