Incipient Stage Research Articles

"Transport Axes and Corridors in Romania - Policy Issues and Opportunity for Territorial Development "

Without strong cities and efficient transport infrastructure, countries cannot benefit from developed regions and robust economies. The slow development of the road transport infrastructure (46 km/year) hampers the development of Romanian cities, especially those connecting peripheral areas, which are affected by population decline and stagnant growth. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact that transport axes/corridors policy and other relevant planning policies could have on the national territory in terms of stimulating regional growth and reducing spatial disparities. To achieve this, the research consisted in analysing a set of economic and social indicators for all 41 county capital cities in Romania and the capital city Bucharest, as well as traffic data for the national road network. Results showed that economic indicators such as entrepreneurial density and firm turnover have higher values in main urban centres, where infrastructure supports the location of businesses and attract investors that generate economic growth, whereas cities with low accessibility to high quality transport infrastructure have fewer opportunities to grow, evidence that the transport axes/corridors policy could be a relevant territorial planning instrument. Moreover, the findings of this research revealed the incipient stage of integration of development axes policy in Romania due to the fragmented administrative and planning capacity of governmental stakeholders. It is recommended to prioritize multi-level governance reforms to strengthen strategic planning and administrative capacity with a focus not only to connect major cities but also the secondary nodes and peripheral regions, thus promoting inclusive and sustainable development.

Micromorphological features of brown rotted wood revealed by broad argon ion beam milling

Abstract Brown rot fungi, the major decomposers in the boreal coniferous forests, cause a unique wood decay pattern but many aspects of brown rot decay mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, decayed wood samples were prepared by cultivation of the brown rot fungi Gloeophyllum trabeum and Coniophora puteana on Japanese coniferous wood of Cryptomeria japonica, and the cutting planes were prepared using broad ion beam (BIB) milling, which enables observation of intact wood, in addition to traditional microtome sections. Samples were observed using field-emission SEM revealing that areas inside the end walls of ray parenchyma cells were the first to be degraded. Osmium reaction precipitates were observed in the degraded regions, as well as in plasmodesmata. In the cell wall where ray parenchyma cells contacted with the tracheids, specific degradation of cross-field pits and hyphal elongation into this area was observed in degradation by both fungi. Other pit types were also degraded as noted in previous studies. Delamination between the S1 and S2 layers of tracheids, and cracks in the tracheid cell walls were observed. These findings provide new insights into the cell wall degradation mechanisms during the incipient stages of brown rot decay.

Experimental study on spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of different cavitation stages based on the flow deviation method

Cavitation may quickly damage the surfaces of the valve core and valve seat, causing noise, and vibration problems. Different cavitation stages will affect the regulating valve's flow characteristics to different degrees. Flow rate is one of the basic parameters in a hydraulic system, which is innovatively used to evaluate the cavitation flow. By analyzing the deviation ratio K between actual and theoretical flow rate, cavitation flows are divided into four stages, and the dynamic behavior in different stages is discussed using a high-speed camera and image processing technology. When K is zero, it is defined as the no-cavitation stage. A slight increase in K is the incipient cavitation stage, whose K is within 2%. A rapid decrease in K is the critical cavitation stage, while a significant increase in K is the severe cavitation stage. In the incipient cavitation stage, bubbles are adhered to the valve orifice forming attached cavities. In the critical cavitation stage, attached cavities develop along the throat wall, with some bubbles detaching to form free cavities. This process is accompanied by high-frequency shedding and collapses, with a dominant frequency of 4266 Hz. In the severe cavitation stage, larger attached cavities are located at the throat, whose front edge of cavitation will fracture into large-scale cavitation clouds. Furthermore, this study proposed the cavitation intensity to elucidate the spatial distribution and density of cavitation flow, the cavitation change rate to highlight the disturbances and nonuniformities caused by cavitation bubbles, and the cavitation coefficient to evaluate the severity of cavitation. Additionally, there is a strong correlation between the growth rate of cavitation length L and the growth rate of flow rate Q in the regulating valve. Both the growth rate of L and Q increase in the critical cavitation stage and decrease in the severe cavitation stage.

A study of high school students’ experiences and perceptions of prosocial immersive content

Although it is still in its incipient stages, there appears to be an increasing interest in immersive learning content, which offers students innovative educational experiences due to its particular way of telling a story and its unique viewing devices. This study explores this new pedagogical scenario with the aim of analysing students’ experiences and perceptions related to the use of this type of content. The research involved the performance of a pre-test and post-test on a sample of 90 high school students aged from 15 to 17, in an effort to identify attitudinal changes after viewing immersive content (360º video) with VR headsets. The originality of this study lies in the fact that the specific immersive content used for the analysis takes a gender perspective on the scientific, social, cultural and political achievements of a group of women in the early 20th century. The main findings suggest that prosocial immersive learning content constitutes a valuable educational tool that makes acquiring new knowledge more attractive to students; however, no significant findings were observed in relation to the gender issue, as participant responses to the questions asked on this point tended towards the middle of the Likert scale used in the survey.

Discrimination Against Non‐Nestmates Functions to Exclude Socially Parasitic Conspecifics in an Ant

ABSTRACTSocial animals utilise various communication methods to organise their societies. In social insects, nestmate discrimination plays a crucial role in regulating colony membership. Counter to this system, socially parasitic species employ diverse behavioural and chemical strategies to bypass their host's detection. In this study, we tested whether such parasitic adaptations could be detected in the incipient stage of social parasitism that is observed as intraspecific phenomena in some social insects. The Japanese parthenogenetic ant Pristomyrmex punctatus harbours a genetically distinct cheater lineage which infiltrates and exploits host colonies. We found that intrusion of this intraspecific social parasite was defended by nestmate discrimination of host colonies without any behavioural strategies specialised in social parasitism. Most of the cheaters were eliminated through aggression by host workers that are typically observed against non‐nestmates, resulting in a low intrusion success rate for the cheaters (6.7%). Our result contrasts with the expectation from interspecific social parasitism but rather resembles the intraspecific counterpart reported in Cape honeybees (Apis mellifera capensis), illustrating the role of nestmate discrimination in defence against the intrusion of intraspecific social parasites.

The evolution and genetic basis of a functionally critical skull bone, the parasphenoid, among Lake Malawi cichlids.

Adaptive radiation, whereby a clade pairs rapid speciation with rapid phenotypic evolution, can result in an uneven distribution of biodiversity across the Metazoan tree. The cichlid fishes of East Africa have undergone multiple adaptive radiations within the major rift lakes. Cichlid radiations are marked by divergence across distinct habitat gradients producing many morphological and behavioural adaptations. Here, we characterize the shape of the parasphenoid, a bone in the neurocranium that dissipates forces generated during feeding. We examine Tropheops, a group that has transitioned between deep and shallow habitats multiple times, to examine habitat-specific differences in parasphenoid shape. We find differences in the depth and length of the parasphenoid between Tropheops residing in each habitat, variation that may impact the ability of the cranium to resist force. We next use a hybrid cross between two cichlid species that differ in parasphenoid shape, Labeotropheus and Tropheops, to examine the genetic basis of these morphological differences. We perform genetic mapping and identify two genomic regions responsible for variation in parasphenoid shape. These regions are implicated in other functional traits including the oral jaws and neurocranium, indicating that the genetic landscape for adaptive evolution may be limited to a few loci with broad effects. Repurposing the same gene(s) for multiple traits via regulatory evolution may be sufficient for selection to drive transitions between habitats important for incipient stages of adaptive radiations.

Schouten–Codazzi gravity

AbstractWe propose a new phenomenological second order gravity theory to be denoted as ‘Schouten–Codazzi’ Gravity’ (SCG), as it is based on Schouten and Codazzi tensors. The theory is related, but is clearly distinct from Cotton gravity. By assuming as source the energy momentum of General Relativity, we form a second order system with its geometric sector given by the sum of the Schouten tensor and a generic second order symmetric tensor complying with the following properties: (i) it must satisfy the Codazzi differential condition and (ii) it must be concomitant with the invariant characterization based on the algebraic structure of curvature tensors for specific spacetimes or classes of spacetimes. We derive and briefly discuss the properties of SCG solutions for static spherical symmetry (vacuum and perfect fluid), FLRW models and spherical dust fluids. While we do recognize that SCG is ‘work in progress’ in an incipient stage that still requires significant theoretical development, we believe that the theory provides valuable guidelines in the search for alternatives to General Relativity.

Diabetic Nephropathy: Pathogenesis, Mechanisms, and Therapeutic Strategies.

Diabetic nephropathy represents a predominant etiology of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on a global scale, significantly impacting the morbidity and mortality rates of individuals with diabetes. The primary objective of this analysis is to furnish a comprehensive examination of the etiology, fundamental mechanisms, and treatment modalities for DN. The development of DN stems from a multitude of factors, encompassing a intricate interplay involving metabolic irregularities induced by hyperglycemia, alterations in hemodynamics, inflammatory responses, oxidative stress, and genetic susceptibility. Principal mechanisms encompass the generation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), activation of protein kinase C (PKC), and overexpression of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS). These processes precipitate glomerular hyperfiltration, hypertrophy, and eventually, fibrosis and scarring of the renal parenchyma. Initially, hyperglycemia triggers mesangial proliferation and thickening of the glomerular basement membrane in the incipient stages of DN, subsequently leading to progressive glomerular sclerosis and tubulointerstitial fibrosis. Inflammatory cascades, notably involving cytokines like TGF-β and NF-κB, play pivotal roles in the advancement of DN by fostering the accumulation of extracellular matrix and renal fibrosis. Inflammation pathways, particularly those involving cytokines like TGF-β and NF-κB, play essential roles in diabetic nephropathy progression by stimulating extracellular matrix accumulation and renal fibrosis. The presence of oxidative stress, worsened by dysfunctional mitochondria, contributes further to renal injury via lipid peroxidation and DNA damage. Current therapeutic approaches for diabetic nephropathy concentrate on optimizing glycemic control, controlling hypertension, and suppressing the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. Among antihypertensive medications, ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers are crucial for decelerating disease advancement.

Observing character displacement from process to pattern in a novel vertebrate community

Ecological character displacement, whereby shifts in resource use in the presence of competing species leads to adaptive evolutionary divergence, is widely considered an important process in community assembly and adaptive radiation. However, most evidence for character displacement has been inferred from macro-scale geographic or phylogenetic patterns; direct tests of the underlying hypothesis of divergent natural selection driving character displacement in the wild are rare. Here, we document character displacement between two ecologically similar lizards (Anolis sagrei and A. cristatellus) experiencing novel contact. We identify directional selection during the incipient stages of sympatry in a new community that corresponds to repeated trait divergence across multiple established sympatric communities. By identifying the role of natural selection as character displacement unfolds, we connect how natural selection operating at short timescales may drive broader patterns of trait distributions at larger spatial and temporal scales.

Grevenius granulifer (Thulin, 1928) revised: a fresh look at one of the most intensively studied water bears (Eutardigrada: Isohypsibioidea)

AbstractRedescriptions of species established in the incipient stage of tardigrade taxonomy, in the first half of 20th century, have currently become a routine. Especially type species of all genera should undergo an urgent revision to allow more precise diagnoses and unravel species complexes. Herein, an aquatic species Grevenius granulifer is amended based on the topotypic population from a pond in the Botanical Garden of Lund. Detailed qualitative and quantitative characters alongside a full set of standard DNA barcodes (18S rRNA, 28S rRNA, ITS-2, and COI) are provided. This will open a window for systematic works on other representatives of Grevenius and delivers new data on rarely addressed freshwater tardigrades.

Design Insights for Developing Deepfakes Awareness Games for Adolescents

Around a decade ago, significant advancements in the deep learning domain like Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) started to facilitate the creation of new synthetical content. The development of deepfake algorithms gained momentum due to the increase in computing power and open-source available resources which facilitated broader access to advanced deep learning methods. While initially deepfakes were created by creative pursuits in various media and marketing campaigns, they started to be misused driven by malicious purposes in various social media manipulation campaigns. These campaigns imply spreading disinformation and misinformation for discrediting individuals and creating confusion in relation to specific topics and events and are meant to altering users’ beliefs and behaviours. Such facts raised important ethical and societal concerns. Although deepfakes still represent a recent research area, a large body of studies is dedicated to, on the one hand, generation, and detection of deepfakes, and on the other hand, to understanding their implications and consequences for society. At the same time, governmental and practitioner efforts are devoted to containing their use and impact on society by proposing various strategies and programs. Nevertheless, both academic and societal efforts are in an incipient stage and often adopt a generalist perspective. This represents a crucial point in relation to the fact that many users in various social media platforms like TikTok is represented by adolescents that are known to be unaware and more vulnerable to media content in general, and deepfakes content, in particular. This represents the knowledge gap that this research aims to tackle by synthesizing design insights as requirements and guidelines that can be used when developing and deploying deepfakes awareness games for producing and/or enhancing awareness of adolescents. Accordingly, a systematic literature review is conducted and merged with previous experience in this domain by adopting a transdisciplinary research approach that merges methods and techniques from the deepfakes, AI, social media, cyber security, and gamification domains.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) enable advanced and accurate diagnostics eye health station for critical eye conditions

Millions worldwide suffer from various eye conditions such as Diabetic retinopathy, Cataract, Myopia, glaucoma, Age-related eye disorders, and those arising from hypertension. However, the existing healthcare infrastructure often falls short in providing timely intervention and prevention strategies. Many individuals lack access to advanced diagnostic tools and expert medical professionals, leading to undetected or poorly managed eye conditions. Consequently, irreversible damage occurs, diminishing the quality of life for affected individuals and placing a significant burden on healthcare systems. The Eye Health Station work aims to address these challenges by establishing a visionary and comprehensive medical facility dedicated to eye healthcare. Central to our approach is early intervention and prevention. Through the utilization of cutting-edge technology, including advanced imaging and diagnostic tools, we empower our team of seasoned ophthalmologists, optometrists, and medical professionals to deliver precise and timely assessments. Regular screenings and vigilant monitoring enable us to detect eye conditions at their incipient stages, facilitating effective intervention before irreversible damage occurs. Additionally, our commitment extends to personalize treatment plans tailored to each patient's unique needs, ensuring comprehensive and holistic care. By combining state-of-the-art technology with expert medical expertise, the Eye Health Station stands as a beacon of hope, preserving and restoring vision for individuals across all age groups and enhancing their quality of life.

Applying 3D Models of Giant Salamanders to Explore Form-Function Relationships in Early Digit-Bearing Tetrapods.

Extant salamanders are used as modern analogs of early digit-bearing tetrapods due to general similarities in morphology and ecology, but the study species have been primarily terrestrial and relatively smaller when the earliest digit-bearing tetrapods were aquatic and an order of magnitude larger. Thus, we created a 3D computational model of underwater walking in extant Japanese giant salamanders (Andrias japonicus) using 3D photogrammetry and open-access graphics software (Blender) to broaden the range of testable hypotheses about the incipient stages of terrestrial locomotion. Our 3D model and software protocol represent the initial stages of an open-access pipeline that could serve as a "one-stop-shop" for studying locomotor function, from creating 3D models to analyzing the mechanics of locomotor gaits. While other pipelines generally require multiple software programs to accomplish the different steps in creating and analyzing computational models of locomotion, our protocol is built entirely within Blender and fully customizable with its Python scripting so users can devote more time to creating and analyzing models instead of navigating the learning curves of several software programs. The main value of our approach is that key kinematic variables (e.g. speed, stride length, and elbow flexion) can be easily altered on the 3D model, allowing scientists to test hypotheses about locomotor function and conduct manipulative experiments (e.g. lengthening bones) that are difficult to perform in vivo. The accurate 3D meshes (and animations) generated through photogrammetry also provide exciting opportunities to expand the abundance and diversity of 3D digital animals available for researchers, educators, artists, conservation biologists, etc. to maximize societal impacts.

One-Step Fabrication of 0D Cs4PbBr6 Perovskite with Nonlinear Optical Properties for Ultrafast Pulse Generation.

Low-dimensional lead halide perovskites demonstrate remarkable nonlinear optical characteristics attributed to their distinctive physical structures and electronic properties. Nevertheless, the investigation into their nonlinear optical properties remains in its incipient stages. This study addresses this gap by precisely controlling solvent volumes to synthesize both 0D Cs4PbBr6 and Cs4PbBr6/CsPbBr3 perovskites. Remarkably, as saturable absorbers, both pure Cs4PbBr6 and Cs4PbBr6/CsPbBr3 composites exhibit favorable nonlinear optical properties within the C-band, showcasing modulation depths of 9.22% and 16.83%, respectively. Moreover, for the first time, Cs4PbBr6 and Cs4PbBr6/CsPbBr3 composites have been successfully integrated into erbium-doped fiber lasers to realize the mode-locking operations. The utilization of the Cs4PbBr6/CsPbBr3 composites as a saturable absorber that enables the generation of conventional soliton mode-locked laser pulses with a pulse duration of 688 fs, and a repetition frequency of 10.947MHz at a central wavelength of 1557nm. Cs4PbBr6 is instrumental in generating laser pulses at a frequency of 10.899MHz, producing pulse widths of 642 fs at the central wavelength of 1531.2nm and 1.02ps at the central wavelength of 1565.3nm, respectively. The findings of this investigation underscore the potential utility of 0D Cs4PbBr6 and Cs4PbBr6/CsPbBr3 composites as promising materials for optical modulation within fiber laser applications.

A Lightweight Fire Detection Algorithm Based on the Improved YOLOv8 Model

Aiming at solving the issues that fire detection is prone to be affected by environmental factors, and the accuracy of flame and smoke detection remains relatively low at the incipient stage of fire, a fire detection algorithm based on GCM-YOLO is put forward. Firstly, GhostNet is introduced to optimize the backbone network, enabling the model to be lightweight without sacrificing model accuracy. Secondly, the upsampling module is reorganized with content-aware features to enhance the detail capture and information fusion effect of the model. Finally, by incorporating the mixed local channel attention mechanism in the neck, the model can enhance the processing capability of complex scenes. The experimental results reveal that, compared with the baseline model YOLOv8n, the GCM-YOLO model in fire detection increases the mAP@0.5 by 1.2%, and the number of parameters and model size decrease by 38.3% and 34.9%, respectively. The GCM-YOLO model can raise the accuracy of fire detection while reducing the computational burden and is suitable for deployment in practical application scenarios such as mobile terminals.

Study on transient cavitation performance of centrifugal pump based on the influence of rough impeller

This study employs numerical simulation to investigate the transient flow and cavitation performance of centrifugal pumps with rough impellers, validating the numerical method with experimental data. Initially, the effect of blade roughness on the external characteristics of centrifugal pumps is examined. Subsequently, the study specifically addresses the impact of roughness on internal flow characteristics during cavitation, including vapor volume distribution, three-dimensional vortex structures, and vorticity distribution in the impeller channel. Furthermore, the influence of blade roughness on local energy loss is analyzed using entropy production theory. Finally, several monitoring points are arranged in the impeller channel to assess pressure pulsation effects. The results show that blade roughness generally reduces the head and efficiency of centrifugal pumps. During the non-cavitation and cavitation incipient stages, roughness marginally increases the head, with a maximum increase in only 0.1%. Impeller roughness causes vacuole collapse and vortex structure enlargement, disrupting the stable flow path within the channel. Blade roughness also escalates energy loss within impeller components, particularly under full cavitation conditions, where the impeller's entropy production accounts for up to 50%. Pressure pulsation results reveal that while blade roughness can slightly suppress cavitation, it also disturbs the flow field pressure. These insights provide guidance and data support for mitigating roughness and cavitation, the two primary instability factors in centrifugal pump operations.

Skin Malignant Melanoma and Matrix Metalloproteinases: Promising Links to Efficient Therapies.

Skin malignant melanoma (MM) is one of the most frequent and aggressive neoplasia worldwide. Its associated high mortality rates are mostly due to its metastases, while diagnosis and treatment of MM in its early stages is of favorable prognostic. Even skin superficial MMs at incipient local stages can already present with lymph node invasion and distant metastases. Therefore, knowledge of the controllable risk factors and pathogenic mechanisms of MM development, spreading, and metastatic pattern, as well as early diagnosis, are essential to decrease the high mortality rates associated with cutaneous malignant melanoma. Genetic factors are incriminated, although lifetime-acquired genetic mutations appear to be even more frequently involved in the development of MM. Skin melanocytes divide only twice per year and have time to accumulate genetic mutations as a consequence of environmental aggressive factors, such as UV exposure. In the search for more promising therapies, matrix metalloproteinases have become of significant interest, such as MMP-1, MMP-2, MMP-9, and MMP-13, which have been linked to more aggressive forms of cancer and earlier metastases. Therefore, the development of specific synthetic inhibitors of MMP secretion or activity could represent a more promising and effective approach to the personalized treatment of MM patients.

Rotor speed signature analysis‐based inter‐turn short circuit fault detection for permanent magnet synchronous machines

AbstractA rotor speed signature analysis‐ (RSSA‐)based inter‐turn short circuit (ITSC) fault diagnostic method is proposed, which is robust with regard to speed‐ and current‐loop bandwidths of permanent magnet synchronous machine (PMSM) drive systems. Conventional ITSC fault detection solutions that rely on current signals or extra devices. Thus, an initial step of investigation on the validity of RSSA is taken for residual insulation capacity monitoring of the ITSC fault at the incipient stage. The Vold–Kalman filtering order tracking method is employed for the real‐time extraction of fault features. Besides, the impact of speed‐ and current‐loop controller bandwidths on ITSC fault diagnosis is also analysed and an Adaline estimator is designed to decouple their impacts. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified on a faulty PMSM, which exhibits satisfying results in tracking the degradation of residual insulation, even if the phase currents are significantly distorted due to low switching frequency of the inverter.

Incipient decay in beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and linden (Tilia cordata Mill.): An interspecific static and dynamic material analysis

With increasing awareness of the ecological value of trees in urban areas, there is a growing need to preserve mature specimens often colonised by wood-decay fungi. Nonetheless, cases of stem collapse or uprooting of such trees under adverse weather conditions remain a significant issue requiring further investigation. Depending on the decay type and the wood structure of the host tree, different combinations of wood-decaying fungi and host species can have varying impacts on the mechanical and vibroacoustic properties of green wood. This study compares the physical and mechanical properties of green European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and small-leaved linden (Tilia cordata Mill.) artificially exposed to Fomes fomentarius (L.) Fr. and Kretzschmaria deusta (Hoff.) P.M.D. Martin after different exposure periods. Mass loss (ML) caused by both fungi differed according to the wood species. A statistically significant difference between the two fungal species was observed in beech wood, but not in linden. Significant differences in the modulus of rupture (MOR) and dynamic bending modulus of elasticity (MOED) were observed among the fungus-wood combinations, also depending on the exposure time. The relationships between ML and MOR varied according to the fungal species, where at the same ML values, K. deusta caused a higher MOR loss in both wood species. Strong relationships between MOED and MOR were demonstrated for all fungus-wood combinations, without significant differences related to the decay type. The MOED is a reliable parameter for predicting MOR loss even at incipient degradation stages, irrespective of the type of decay. The presented results can lead to better prediction of the impact of fungal colonization on standing trees and improve non-destructive methods used for tree stability assessment.

Thermal behaviour of a transformer mineral oil‐tank surface under incipient turn‐to‐turn short‐circuit fault

AbstractA slight turn‐to‐turn short‐circuit fault in the incipient stage does not trigger fuse protection, and the regular transmission and transformation functions of the transformer within the power grid are not affected very much by the incipient turn‐to‐turn short‐circuit fault. Therefore, the incipient turn‐to‐turn short‐circuit faults are often undetected, resulting in massive accidents. Incipient turn‐to‐turn short‐circuit faults lead to localized overheating in the transformer, which changes the transformer's oil‐tank surface temperature (OTST). A thermal simulation model (TSM) is presented. Based on the TSM, OTST data with different load rates and fault parameters are collected. The steady‐state and transient characteristics of OTST are analysed by extracting the OTST feature vector and the temperature difference of specific regions. The results show that the growth of the heat production value of faulty coils causes a rise in the OTST; higher faulty coils' locations lead to wider OTST differences; the temperature difference's area S can follow the incipient short‐circuit fault in the first 20 min after it occurs, which is faster than the top oil temperature. This study gives insight into the thermal behaviour of OTST, assisting in fault detection and location at the incipient fault stage.