Structural Discrepancies Research Articles

The physical properties of a semi-hard magnetic Fe3Pd alloy with negative enthalpy of formation

• A ferromagnetic Fe 3 Pd ordered structure with negative enthalpy of formation is report for the first time. • The structure is mechanically and dynamically stable in the ferromagnetic state. • It is a semi-hard magnetic material suitable for magnetically coupled devices. • Electronic structure, elastic properties and thermal expansion have been determined. This study presents a theoretical calculation on the physical properties of the tetragonal Z1-type ordered Fe 3 Pd structure, and a comparison with other reported structures is performed. The Z1-Fe 3 Pd is thermodynamically, mechanically, and dynamically stable in the ferromagnetic state. Note that this tetragonal structure is the first Fe 3 Pd structure found to have a negative enthalpy of formation. Compared with the P 4/ mbm -Fe 3 Pd, the Z1-Fe 3 Pd has larger elastic modulus and higher uniaxial magnetocrystalline anisotropy constant. From the Pugh’s ratio, however, the P 4/ mbm -Fe 3 Pd is more ductile than the Z1-Fe 3 Pd. The magnetic hardness parameter shows that both Z1 and P 4/ mbm structures are semihard magnetic materials suitable for magnetically coupled devices. Unlike other Fe 3 Pd structures reported previously, for the Z1 structure the magnetic moment of the two types of Fe atoms are quite different. The Fe magnetic moment discrepancy in the Z1 structure and the thermal expansion discrepancy between the Z1 structure and other structures are analyzed with the electronic structure and the linear coefficient of thermal expansion, respectively.

Multifunctional Role of S100 Protein Family in the Immune System: An Update.

S100 is a broad subfamily of low-molecular weight calcium-binding proteins (9–14 kDa) with structural similarity and functional discrepancy. It is required for inflammation and cellular homeostasis, and can work extracellularly, intracellularly, or both. S100 members participate in a variety of activities in a healthy cell, including calcium storage and transport (calcium homeostasis). S100 isoforms that have previously been shown to play important roles in the immune system as alarmins (DAMPs), antimicrobial peptides, pro-inflammation stimulators, chemo-attractants, and metal scavengers during an innate immune response. Currently, during the pandemic, it was found that several members of the S100 family are implicated in the pathophysiology of COVID-19. Further, S100 family protein members were proposed to be used as a prognostic marker for COVID-19 infection identification using a nasal swab. In the present review, we compiled the vast majority of recent studies that focused on the multifunctionality of S100 proteins in the complex immune system and its associated activities. Furthermore, we shed light on the numerous molecular approaches and signaling cascades regulated by S100 proteins during immune response. In addition, we discussed the involvement of S100 protein members in abnormal defense systems during the pathogenesis of COVID-19.

Depth Map Super Resolution Using Structure-Preserving Guided Filtering

Due to the limited resolution of depth maps captured by RGB-D sensors, depth map Super Resolution (SR) techniques have received a lot of attention. Intensity guided depth map SR methods based on bilateral filter or guided image filter are commonly used for depth upsampling. Although promising edge-preserving results have been reported in these methods, texture-copying artifacts caused by structure discrepancy between depth map and associated intensity image cannot be addressed, easily. In this paper we aim to balance the trade-off between preserving structure and suppressing texture defects. Based on this, a structure-preserving guided filter is presented that not only keeps the advantages of aforementioned methods, but also overcomes texture-copying artifacts. Unlike conventional guided filtering-based methods which rely on only one guidance, we emphasize on the use of both intensity and depth information as guidance to alleviate the deficiencies of the existing works. We replace the mean filtering scheme in guided filters with a weighted average strategy, where the weights are described by the local depth kernel depended on the input depth map. This enables our method to considerably reduce texture-copying artifacts while preserving 3D structural details. Visual evaluation of results shows that the algorithm can also avoid halo artifacts near the edges whereas traditional guided filters suffer from it. Quantitative results of comprehensive experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach over prior depth map SR works.

Common envelope evolution in born-again planetary nebulae – Shaping the H-deficient ejecta of A 30

ABSTRACT Born-again planetary nebulae (PNe) are extremely rare cases in the evolution of solar-like stars. It is commonly accepted that their central stars (CSPN) experienced a very late thermal pulse (VLTP), ejecting H-deficient material inside the evolved H-rich PN. Given the short duration of this event and the fast subsequent evolution of the CSPN, details of the mass ejection are unknown. We present the first morphokinematic model of the H-deficient material surrounding a born-again PN, namely A 30. New San Pedro Mártir observations with the Manchester Echelle Spectrograph were recently obtained to map the inner region of A 30 which are interpreted by means of the software shape in conjunction with HST WFC3 images. The shape morphokinematic model that best reproduces the observations is composed by a disrupted disc tilted 37° with respect to the line of sight and a pair of orthogonal opposite bipolar ejections. We confirm previous suggestions that the structures closer to the CSPN present the highest expansion velocities, that is, the disrupted disc expands faster than the farther bipolar features. We propose that the current physical structure and abundance discrepancy of the H-deficient clumps around the CSPN of A 30 can be explained by a common envelope phase following the VLTP event. Our proposed scenario is also compared with other known born-again PNe (A 58, A 78, HuBi 1, and the Sakurai’s Object).

A class alignment method based on graph convolution neural network for bearing fault diagnosis in presence of missing data and changing working conditions

Bearing fault diagnosis in real-world applications has challenges such as insufficient labeled data, changing working conditions of the rotary machinery, and missing data due to multi-rate sampling of sensors. Despite the numerous applications of conventional deep learning (DL) and domain adaptation methods in bearing fault diagnosis, these methods face challenges. Domain adaptation techniques neglect alignment across subdomains with the same class, and DL techniques do not consider data relationships and interdependencies. To tackle these challenges, this paper introduces a novel semi-supervised method based on ARMA graph convolution, adversarial adaptation, and multi-layer multi-kernel local maximum mean discrepancy (MK-LMMD). Structural information of data is extracted using ARMA graph convolution, adversarial adaptation is employed to decrease structural distribution discrepancy in the domains, and MK-LMMD is used to align the classes. Additionally, ARMA graph convolution and MK-LMMD can aid in reducing distribution discrepancy caused by missing data and changing working conditions.

Coral‐Based Sea Surface Salinity Reconstructions and the Role of Observational Uncertainties in Inferred Variability and Trends

AbstractClimate observations in much of the tropical oceans are scarce during most of the 20th century, so paleoclimate proxies are needed to understand the full range of natural climate variability. Past proxy studies have focused primarily on sea surface temperatures, but there are comparatively few salinity reconstructions. Such reconstructions can extend our understanding of hydroclimate across the tropical oceans, including variability in precipitation, evaporation, and ocean circulation. Here we compile a network of salinity‐sensitive coral δ18O records, then apply a reduced‐space method based on empirical orthogonal function analysis to reconstruct annual tropical salinity anomalies over the 20th century. A comparison of surface salinity data sets, including reanalyzes (SODA2/3, Ocean ReAnalysis System 5 (ORAS5), Global Ocean Data Assimilation System) and objective analyses (Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP), EN4, Delcroix), show large discrepancies in the spatial structure, temporal evolution, and importance of the leading modes of variability. Two salinity data sets, IAP and ORAS5, are retained for climate reconstruction. Our coral‐based salinity reconstructions reveal significant long‐term trends over the 20th century, which are likely associated with hydrological cycle intensification and possibly a weakening of the Walker Circulation. These reconstructions also capture the spatial and temporal patterns of salinity anomalies associated with the El Niño‐Southern Oscillation, Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation, and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation. Ultimately, this approach can enhance our understanding of tropical hydroclimate prior to the observational era.

Discrepant responses of polyvinyl chloride microplastics biofilms and activated sludge under sulfadiazine stress in an anaerobic/anoxic/oxic system

Currently, sulfadiazine (SDZ) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) microplastics were commonly detected in wastewater, causing widespread concern. However, little is known about the fate of SDZ in an anaerobic/anoxic/oxic (AAO) system and the response of activated sludge and PVC biofilms under SDZ stress. Thus, this study explored the effects of 5 mg/L SDZ on the biological activities, microbial communities and the propagation of resistance genes (RGs) of activated sludge and PVC biofilms during 140 days in an 18 L AAO system. The nitrogen and phosphorus removal efficiency decreased from 90.67% and 93.04% to 29.01% and 25.17% at the 6th day under SDZ stress, respectively, and then gradually increased with the degradation of SDZ. Additionally, there were significant discrepancies in metabolic capacities and microbial community structures among PVC biofilms collected from different zones of AAO and activated sludge. Potential pathogens Acinetobacter lwoffii and Mycolicibacterium mageritense only colonized on PVC surfaces. With the loading of SDZ during 140 days, the abundance of sul1 and intI1 continuously increased in PVC biofilms. And sul1 was the highest RGs and might transfer from Pseudomonas to Thauera in activated sludge, and some RGs were enriched and co-located with mobile genetic elements in hosts, causing higher dissemination risks of RGs. The findings of this study might provide new insights into the biological response discrepancies of activated sludge and PVC biofilms under SDZ stress.

Histomorphometric study of placental blood vessels of chorion and chorionic villi vascular area among women with preeclampsia

IntroductionThe direction of blood movement in normal and abnormal placenta is curious from a morphometric point of view. Once pregnancy is compromised by an illness like hypertension, maternal and foetal distress can lead to negative outcomes. The quantitative variations in the blood vessels within the chorion and the chorionic villi in placentas from pregnancies are complicated by preeclampsia (PE) and are poorly defined. The purpose of this study was to calculate and explore the morphometric measurement of blood vessels involved in the progress of hypertension through pregnancy within the chorion and the chorionic villi among normotensive women (n = 39) versus a preeclamptic group (n = 35). MethodsMeasurements used a computerized morphometry system and a Vascular Medicine Institute (VMI) calculator. ResultsOur data showed a significant decrease in vessel area (VA), wall area (WA), lumen area (LA), mean wall thickness-boundary (MWTB), mean wall thickness-rosette (MWTR), mean diameter-rosette (MDR), mean wall thickness-skeleton (MWTS), and external diameter-skeleton (EDS) in preeclampsia women compared to normotensive women. There were no significant differences between preeclampsia and control group in lumen area. DiscussionWe concluded that preeclamptic chorion and chorionic villi vessels are linked with significant structural discrepancies; future studies should address morphological events that occur throughout pregnancy including associations between arterial elastic properties—mainly collagen and structural proteins in hypertensive patients. A more integrated approach involving parallel analysis of the effects of potential vasoactive factors on the morphology of foetal vessel alteration is also needed.

Differential Strategy-Based Multi-Level Dense Network for Pansharpening

Due to the discrepancy in spatial structure between multispectral (MS) and panchromatic (PAN) images, the general fusion scheme will lead to image error in the fused result. To solve this issue, a differential strategy-based multi-level dense network is proposed, and it regards the image pairs at different scales as the input of the network at different levels and is able to map the spatial information in PAN images to each band of MS images well by learning the differential information of different levels, which effectively solves the scale effect of remote sensing images. An improved dense network with the same hierarchical structure is used to obtain richer spatial features to enhance the spatial information of the fused result. Meanwhile, a hybrid loss strategy is used to constrain the network at different levels for obtaining better results. Qualitative and quantitative analyses show that the result has a uniform spectral distribution, a complete spatial structure, and optimal evaluation criteria, which fully demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed method.

Infrared Small Target Detection Using Regional Feature Difference of Patch Image

Aiming at a thorny issue, that conventional small target detection algorithm using local contrast method is not sensitive for residual background clutter, robustness of algorithms is not strong. A Gaussian fusion algorithm using multi-scale regional patch structure difference and Regional Brightness Level Measurement is proposed. Firstly, Regional Energy Cosine (REC) is constructed to measure the structural discrepancy among a small target with neighboring cells. At the same time, Regional Brightness Level Measurement (RBLM) is constructed utilizing the brightness difference characteristics between small target and background areas. Then, a brand new Gaussian fusion algorithm is proposed for the generated saliency map in multi-scale space to characterize the overall heterogeneity in original infrared small target and local neighborhood. Finally, a self-adapting separation algorithm is adopted with the objective to obtain a small target from background interference. This method is able to utmostly restrain background interference and enhance the target. Extensive qualitative and quantitative testing results display that the desired algorithm has remarkable performance in strengthening target region and restraining background interference compared with current algorithms.

Online Bearing Fault Diagnosis Based on Packet Loss Influence-Inspired Retransmission Mechanism

Vibration response has been extensively used for fault diagnosis to ensure the smooth operation of mechanical systems. However, the data for vibration condition monitoring may be misconstrued due to channel quality issues and external disturbances. In particular, data packet losses that often occur during transmission can cause spectral structure distortion, and as multiple sensing nodes are often employed for condition monitoring, the differences in the spectral structure distortions for different sensing nodes can be significant. While retransmission can reduce packet loss, it is difficult to achieve good performance under the complex conditions. Excessive or insufficient retransmission of data streams can result in unacceptable delays or errors for online fault diagnosis. In this paper, we propose a Packet Loss Influence-inspired Retransmission Mechanism (PLIRM) to address this problem and improve the online diagnostic efficiency. First, we devise a scheme for zero padding based on packet loss model (ZPPL) to preserve intrinsic properties of frequency domain. Then, we formulate a dynamic retransmission scheme generated based on the optimal packet loss mode to minimize the effects of spectral structure distortions. To ensure that the data stream that is most sensitive to a fault will be preferentially transmitted, we apply a priority setting trick using maximum mean discrepancy (MMD) to evaluate the spectral structure discrepancies between a data stream and the historical datasets. We evaluate the retransmission scheme using a fault diagnosis model based on K-nearest neighbor (KNN) for timely online bearing fault diagnosis. Extensive experimental results showed that the proposed method can accurately identify the bearing faults in a timely manner, outperforming competitive approaches under packet loss condition.

Synthesizing and characterizing Fe3O4 embedded in N-doped carbon nanotubes-bridged biochar as a persulfate activator for sulfamethoxazole degradation

Nitrogen-doped magnetic carbon nanotubes-bridged biochar (Fe3O4@NCNTs-BC) was prepared by facile impregnation and pyrolysis strategies and showed an excellent capacity in activating persulfate for sulfamethoxazole (SMX) degradation. The airtight structure of iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles embedded in N-doped CNTs (NCNTs) was supported by biochar (BC) that could both promote the electron transfer and avoid large amounts of metal leaching. Quenching experiments, electron spin resonance (ESR) and in situ Raman spectroscopy analysis were performed to explore the dominant active species. In contrast to the superoxide radical (O2•-) dominated radical mechanism in the peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation process, a direct electron transfer regime involving surface-bound metastable complexes was found to play a decisive role in the Fe3O4@NCNTs-BC800/peroxydisulfate (PDS) system. HSO5− was decomposed to active radicals for SMX oxidation in the Fe3O4@NCNTs-BC800/PMS/SMX system, yet carbon-PDS* complexes could be consumed by extracting electrons from the SMX. The surface hydroxyl groups of carbon-based catalysts and the structure discrepancies between PMS and PDS could lead to the differences in degradation performances and activation regimes. The degradation intermediates of SMX were also evaluated, and the toxicity analysis was undertaken. This work provides insight into the underlying mechanisms of persulfate activation and mediated electron transfer by carbon-metal nanohybrids.

Evaluating the Manufacturing Quality of Lithium Ion Pouch Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries must undergo a series of quality control tests before being approved for sale. In this study, quality control tests were carried out on two types of lithium-ion pouch batteries, here denoted as type A (with stacked electrode configuration) and type B (with a jelly-roll arrangement) to assess the effectiveness of the tests. Electrochemical tests, which included capacity and impedance measurements, found that both types of batteries met the specifications. However, computed tomography (CT) scan, disassembly, and material characterization revealed quality concerns in battery assembly and material composition. Results showed that, for an A cell, cathode extended past anode at the top and bottom of the roll, and a CT scan revealed inhomogeneities in the electrode near the corners. Similarly, analysis of a B cell revealed gaps in the winding structure and cathode material discrepancies. More specifically, the lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) material specified by the battery manufacturer turned out to be lithium cobalt oxide (LCO). The findings indicate that systematic quality control tests are needed to properly identify defects in batteries before they are used in products.

Оппозиция определённого/неопределённого прошедшего времени в киргизском языке: семантические эффекты перевода повести Чингиза Айтматова «Белый пароход»

The article considers the category of time as a phenomenon of language and literary text based on the story of Chingiz Aitmatov "The White Ship". The interest to the category of time is caused by the asymmetry of the semantics of time in the Russian and Kyrgyz languages in the works of Aitmatov, which plays an important role in the translation of the text from Russian into Kyrgyz. The purpose of the study is to analyze the functions of the past tense, especially the past definite/indefinite in the Kyrgyz version of the story. The analysis is based on the onomasiological approach. The results of the analysis are summarized as follows. In the Russian and Kyrgyz languages, when expressing the grammatical category of time, there is a structural and semantic discrepancy between the forms of past and future tense. But in both versions of the story the past tense lies at the central place. On the one hand, this is due to the non–subjection of the future to human nature, on the other hand, to respect for the past of ancestors as an experience that warns the next generation against mistakes. In the Kyrgyz version of the story, thanks to the various forms of the past tense, the translator was able to vividly convey the whole range of emotions of the boy when it came to the Mother Deer, and the translator was also able to show the importance of the ancestors for the boy.

Multiscale reconstruction of various vessels in the intact murine liver lobe

The liver contains a variety of vessels and participates in miscellaneous physiological functions. While past studies generally focused on certain hepatic vessels, we simultaneously obtained all the vessels and cytoarchitectural information of the intact mouse liver lobe at single-cell resolution. Here, taking structural discrepancies of various vessels into account, we reconstruct and visualize the portal vein, hepatic vein, hepatic artery, intrahepatic bile duct, intrahepatic lymph of an intact liver lobe and peribiliary plexus in its selected local areas, providing a technology roadmap for studying the fine hepatic vascular structures and their spatial relationship, which will help research into liver diseases and evaluation of medical efficacies in the future.

Chemical Structure and Shape Enhance MR Imaging-Guided X-ray Therapy Following Marginative Delivery.

Ineffective site-specific delivery has seriously impeded the efficacy of nanoparticle-based drugs to a disease site. Here, we report the preparation of three different shapes (sphere, scroll, and oblate) to systematically evaluate the impact of the marginative delivery on the efficacy of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging-guided X-ray irradiation at a low dose of 1 Gy. In addition to the shape effect, the therapeutic efficacy is investigated for the first time to be strongly related to the structure effect that is associated with the chemical activity. The enhanced particle-vessel wall interaction of both the flat scroll and oblate following margination dynamics leads to greater accumulation in the lungs, resulting in superior performance over the sphere against lung tumor growth and suppression of lung metastasis. Furthermore, the impact of the structural discrepancy in nanoparticles on therapeutic efficacy is considered. The tetragonal oblate reveals that the feasibility of the charge-transfer process outperforms the orthorhombic scroll and cubic sphere to suppress tumors. Finally, surface area is also a crucial factor affecting the efficacy of X-ray treatments from the as-prepared particles.

High-Dimensional Parameter Search Method to Determine Force Field Mixing Terms in Molecular Simulations.

Molecular dynamics (MD) force fields for lipids and ions are typically developed independently of one another. In simulations consisting of both lipids and ions, lipid-ion interaction energies are estimated using a predefined set of mixing rules for Lennard-Jones (LJ) interactions. This, however, does not guarantee their reliability. In fact, compared to the quantum mechanical reference data, Lorentz-Berthelot mixing rules substantially underestimate the binding energies of Na+ ions with small-molecule analogues of lipid headgroups, yielding errors on the order of 80 and 130 kJ/mol, respectively, for methyl acetate and diethyl phosphate. Previously, errors associated with mixing force fields have been reduced using approaches such as "NB-fix" in which LJ interactions are computed using explicit cross terms rather than those from mixing rules. Building on this idea, we derive explicit lipid-ion cross terms that also may implicitly include many-body cooperativity effects. Additionally, to account for the interdependency between cross terms, we optimize all cross terms simultaneously by performing high-dimensional searches using our ParOpt software. The cross terms we obtain reduce the errors due to mixing rules to below 10 kJ/mol. MD simulation of the lipid bilayer conducted using these optimized cross terms resolves the structural discrepancies between our previous simulations and small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering experiments. These results demonstrate that simulations of lipid bilayers with ions that are accurate up to structural data from scattering experiments can be performed without explicit polarization terms. However, it is worth noting that such NB-fix cross terms are not based on any physical principle; a polarizable lipid model would be more realistic and is still desired. Our approach is generic and can be applied to improve the accuracies of simulations employing mixed force fields.

Rational Norms for Degreed Intention (and the Discrepancy between Theoretical and Practical Reason)

ABSTRACT Given the success of the formal approach, within contemporary epistemology, to understanding degreed belief, some philosophers have recently considered its extension to the challenge of understanding intention. According to them, (1) intentions can also admit of degrees, as beliefs do, and (2) these degreed states are all governed by the norms of the probability calculus, such that the rational norms for belief and for intention exhibit certain structural similarity. This paper, however, raises some worries about (2). It considers two schemes for representing degreed intention, and casts some doubt on applying probabilistic norms to degreed intention on each scheme. And it argues that the norms of Intention–Belief Consistency and Enkrasia cannot plausibly be turned into norms prescribing a simple correspondence relation between one’s degrees of belief and intention. The results suggest a potential structural discrepancy between the norms of theoretical and practical rationality—at least for degreed belief and intention. This potential discrepancy not only raises interesting questions about the intention–belief relation and rational norms for degreed intention. It also poses a new challenge for intention-based expressivism about normative judgment and cognitivism about practical rationality.

The alkaline extraction efficiency of bamboo cell walls is related to their structural differences on both anatomical and molecular level

Biomass recalcitrance is believed to be related to the hierarchical and heterogeneous structures of plant cell walls. In this study, the alkaline extraction efficiency of bamboo fibers and parenchyma cells is found to be highly related to their structural differences on both anatomical and molecular level. Advanced NMR spectroscopy demonstrated the lignin and hemicelluloses (mainly xylan) from fibers and parenchyma cells are significantly different in their molecular structure. The parenchyma lignin contains more β-O-4 linkages with much higher syringyl/guaicyl (S/G) ratio. By contrast, the fiber lignin contains more stable β-β and β-5 linkages as compared to parenchyma lignin. Although the hemicelluloses from both bamboo fibers and parenchyma cells shows similar molecular structure of L-arabino-4-O-methyl-D-glucurono-D-xylan, the latter contains more 4-O-methyl-α-D-glucuronic acid units. These structural discrepancies can provide explanations why the parenchyma cells have much higher “alkaline extraction efficiency” than fibers, further indicating the former is a promising feedstock in the current biorefinery scenario.

Maximum Structural Generation Discrepancy for Unsupervised Domain Adaptation.

Unsupervised domain adaptation (UDA) has recently become an appealing research topic in visual recognition, since it exploits all accessible well-labeled source data to train a model with high generalization on target domain without any annotations. However, due to the significant domain discrepancy, the bottleneck for UDA is to learn effective domain-invariant feature representations. To fight off such an obstacle, we propose a novel cross-domain learning framework named Maximum Structural Generation Discrepancy (MSGD) to accurately estimate and mitigate domain shift via introducing an intermediate domain. First, the cross-domain topological structure is explored to propagate target samples to generate a novel intermediate domain paired with the specific source instances. The intermediate domain plays as the bridge to gradually reduce distribution divergence across source and target domains. Concretely, the similar category semantic across source and intermediate features tends to naturally conduct the class-level alignment on eliminating their domain shift. In terms of no target annotation, the domain-level alignment manner is suitable to narrow down the distance between intermediate and target domains. Moreover, to produce high-quality generative instances, we develop the class-driven collaborative translation (CDCT) module to generate class-consistent cross-domain samples in each mini-batch with the assistance of pseudo-labels. Extensive experimental analyses on five domain adaptation benchmarks demonstrate the effectiveness of our MSGD on solving UDA problem.