Preliminary Assessment Research Articles

Preliminary Assessment of New Armature Winding Concepts for High-Speed Superconducting Motors

Preliminary Assessment of New Armature Winding Concepts for High-Speed Superconducting Motors

Maranta bambusa: an endangered new species of Maranta (Marantaceae)

A new species of Maranta from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest is described. The new species is most similar to Maranta ruiziana, from which it differs mainly in its bambusoid habit, non starch‐storing rhizome, homotropic leaves, with blade entirely glabrous on both surfaces and leaf margins entire, florescence components with numerous cymules, sepals longer than the corolla tube, and spheroidal fruit. The new species also presents morphological characters seen in Maranta tuberculata, from which is easily distinguished by its fruits. I characterize the new species by its external morphology, provide a distribution map, and perform a preliminary conservation assessment based on the IUCN criteria.

Intravoxel incoherent motion assessment of liver fibrosis staging in MASLD.

Partial correlation analysis was performed to account for the interference of steatosis changes and inflammatory factors, to determine the true correlation between fibrosis and IVIM parameters (Dfast, Dslow, and F), and to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of IVIM for liver fibrosis. A total of 106 patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) examined by IVIM from November 2016 to November 2023 at our hospital were retrospectively included. Preliminary analysis of each IVIM parameter and correlations with pathological findings were performed using Spearman correlation analysis, and partial correlation analysis was used to exclude the interference of other pathological factors, thus yielding the true correlations between IVIM parameters (Dfast, Dslow, and F) and pathology. The diagnostic efficacy of IVIM parameters for diagnosing MASLDwas assessed via receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Spearman correlation analysis of all the IVIM parameters revealed correlations with steatosis, lobular inflammation, and ballooning. Partial correlation analysis indicated that Dfast was correlated with the pathological fibrosis stage (r = - 0.593, P < 0.001), Dslow was correlated with the pathological steatosis score (r = - 0.313, P < 0.05), and F was correlated with the pathological fibrosis stage and steatosis score (r = - 0.456 and 0.255, P < 0.001 and P < 0.05). In the diagnosis of hepatic fibrosis, significant hepatic fibrosis, advanced liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, Dfast achieved areas under the ROC curve of 0.763, 0.801, 0.853, and 0.897, respectively. The threshold values for diagnosing different fibrosis stages using Dfast (10-3 mm2/s) were 57.613, 54.587, 52.714, and 51.978, respectively. According to our partial correlation analysis, there was a moderate correlation between Dfast and F according to fibrosis stage, and Dfast was not influenced by inflammation or steatosis when diagnosing fibrosis in MASLD patients. A relatively close Dfast threshold is insufficient for accurately and noninvasively assessing various stages of MASLD fibrosis. In clinical practice, this approach can be considered an alternative method for the preliminary assessment of fibrosis in MASLD patients.

Drug dialysis through a semipermeable membrane as a preliminary efficacy assessment of a promising parasitocidal drug

The purpose of the research is to analyze the dynamics of fenbendazole (FBZ) and niclozamide (NZM) release from their solid dispersions (SD) of various compositions by dialysis through various semipermeable membranes in model systems that correspond to stomach and intestine environments. To evaluate the parasitocidal activity of experimental mixture compositions.Materials and methods. The study used substances of FBZ and NZM, and the polymer, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). Mechanical processes were carried out in a LE-101 roller mill and an AGO-2 orbital centrifugal mill at different power density levels. The resulting SD of various compositions were studied for solubility. The dynamics of FBZ and NZM substance release from the SD were studied in a laboratory setup consisting of a temperature controlled glass with buffer solutions with pH = 9.18 (intestinal environment) and pH = 1.0 (stomach environment). The substance concentration in the dialysate was determined by HPLC and UV spectroscopy. The resulting complex SD of FBZ and NZM were studied for cestodocidal activity in a laboratory model of hymenolepiosis of white mice.Results and discussion. It was found that the substances release into a buffer solution with pH = 9.18 from the SD obtained in the roller mill is higher than that of the SD obtained in the AGO activator. The dialysis of the experimental compounds in a model system with a gastric juice medium observed only FBZ substance penetration through the membrane, which can be explained by protonation of the FBZ molecule which is a weak base. The NZM molecule, being a neutral molecule, does not penetrate through the semi-permeable partition into the hydrochloric acid environment; it remains entirely inside the dialysis bag. High anthelmintic efficacy rates (up to 100%) of SD complex FBZ : NZM : PVP obtained in the AGO activator and in the roller mill were recorded for the SD of composition 2 : 20 : 78 in the mice with hymenolepiosis. The activity of the base drug, the niclozamide substance, was 27.69%, which is 3 times lower than the activity of the resulting complex dispersions.

Preliminary Experimental Performance Assessment of Ultra-White Barium Sulphate for Sub-Ambient Radiative Cooling in Abuja, Nigeria

Preliminary Experimental Performance Assessment of Ultra-White Barium Sulphate for Sub-Ambient Radiative Cooling in Abuja, Nigeria

Tuning Catalytic Activity of Palladium in Direct C−H Arylation of Biologically Active Xanthines using Silver Additive.

AbstractWe describe an efficient and versatile method for the direct C−H arylation of xanthines with aryl halides using Pd/P(o‐tolyl)3 as catalyst and Ag2O as an additive. Silver salts have been frequently used as an additive in the Pd‐catalyzed C−H bond activation reactions albeit in excessive amounts (2 to 4 eq.). Herein, we use of a stoichiometric amount (0.1 to 1 eq.) of Ag2O to obtain the optimum yields of C‐8 arylated products. This method exhibits broad substrate scope and enables synthesis of a wide range of xanthine derivatives by variation of aryl component at the C‐8 position. A key advantage of silver additive is that it reduces the catalyst loading and time required for the completion of reactions. Although kinetic experiments show that the inclusion of silver salt accelerates the rate of reaction, catalytic role of silver salt could not be conceived since the C−H bond cleavage is not a rate determining step. Silver salt presumably act as a terminal oxidant in the catalytic cycle and assist the regeneration of Pd catalyst. Moreover, preliminary assessment of biological activities of xanthines demonstrates that the C‐8 arylated xanthines derivatives efficiently inhibit the α‐Synuclein fibrillation, a key factor behind Parkinson's disease.

Seagrasses produce most of the soil blue carbon in three Maldivian islands

Blue carbon is fast garnering international interest for its disproportionate contribution to global carbon stocks. However, our understanding of the size of these blue carbon stocks, as well as the provenance of carbon that is stored within them, is still poor. This is especially pertinent for many small-island nations that may have substantial blue carbon ecosystems that are poorly studied. Here, we present a preliminary assessment of blue carbon from three islands in the Maldives. The higher purpose of this research was to assess the feasibility of using blue carbon to help offset carbon emissions associated with Maldivian tourism, the largest Maldivian industry with one of the highest destination-based carbon footprints, globally. We used stable isotope mixing models to identify how habitats contributed to carbon found in sediments, and Loss on Ignition (LoI) to determine carbon content. We found that for the three surveyed islands, seagrasses (Thalassia hemprichii, Thalassodendron ciliatum, Halodule pinofilia, Syringodium isoetifolium, and Cymodocea rotundata) were the main contributors to sediment blue carbon (55 – 72%) while mangroves had the lowest contribution (9 – 44%). Surprisingly, screw pine (Pandanus spp.), a relative of palm trees found across many of these islands, contributed over a quarter of the carbon found in sediments. Organic carbon content (‘blue carbon’) was 6.8 ± 0.3 SE % and 393 ± 29 tonnes ha-1 for mangrove soils, and 2.5 ± 0.2% and 167 ± 20 tonnes ha-1 for seagrasses, which is slightly higher than global averages. While preliminary, our results highlight the importance of seagrasses as carbon sources in Maldivian blue carbon ecosystems, and the possible role that palms such as screw pines may have in supplementing this. Further research on Maldivian blue carbon ecosystems is needed to: 1) map current ecosystem extent and opportunities for additionality through conservation and restoration; 2) determine carbon sequestration rates; and 3) investigate options and feasibility for tourism-related blue carbon crediting. Overall, the opportunity for blue carbon in the Maldives is promising, but the state of knowledge is very limited.

A novel performance degradation assessment method for rotating machinery based on the fault information and the dynamic simulation

The performance degradation assessment (PDA) of key components such as gears and rolling bearings is the core technology of prognostics and health management for rotating machinery. Most existing PDA methods may have two deficiencies: (1) the assessment indicator constructed does not consider capturing fault characteristics directly; (2) feature selection is generally based on the measured data of different fault levels, which is difficult to obtain in actual processes; moreover, the selection results lack universality and are difficult to extend to other equipment. To address these issues, this paper proposes a novel PDA method based on fault information and dynamic simulation. First, anomaly detection is performed using four well-known indicators in combination with Mahalanobis distance. Secondly, fault identification is performed using envelope spectrum analysis on anomaly signals to determine the fault type, e.g. gear fault or outer race fault. Thirdly, based on the fault type information, the candidate feature set including fault-domain indicators is selected based on the established dynamic simulation signals to obtain a preliminary assessment vector for the first stage. The stability of the fault domain indicators which capture fault characteristics directly is tested through actual measured normal data. It is used as the second stage of selecting to obtain the assessment vector. Finally, the PDA indicator is calculated based on the assessment vector and Mahalanobis distance. Four experiment case studies demonstrate the proposed PDA method can effectively isolate faults with different defect sizes as well as track the whole performance degradation. The above analysis indicates that the proposed PDA method is expected to be used for the actual rotating machinery.

Preliminary Assessment of the Food Safety Modernization Act Analyzing the Center for Disease Control and Prevention Multistate Foodborne Outbreak Notices

Preliminary Assessment of the Food Safety Modernization Act Analyzing the Center for Disease Control and Prevention Multistate Foodborne Outbreak Notices

Cognitive routing in software defined networks using learning models with latency and throughput constraints

&lt;p&gt;To address latency and throughput challenges in software defined networks (SDNs), the research investigates cognitive routing's revolutionary implications. In today's data-driven world, network performance optimisation is crucial. Cognitive routing is a dynamic and potentially disruptive network management technology. Cognitive routing, strengthened by reinforcement learning and adaptive decision-making, is crucial to network efficiency and responsiveness, according to our study. The results show that cognitive routing optimises performance by limiting delay and maximising throughput. SDN application cognitive routing engine (CRE) driving forces, design, and preliminary assessment are described in this article. The CRE finds almost optimal paths for a user's quality of service (QoS) need while minimising monitoring overhead. Instead of global monitoring to find optimal paths, local monitoring achieves this. In ad-hoc networks, finding a trustworthy path reduces latency and ensures network stability. The proposed system was simulated utilising many parameters. Compared to previous SDN-based systems, end-to-end latency and ping round-trip time were better.&lt;/p&gt;

An intelligent continuous bladder irrigation monitoring and control system: Development and preliminary assessment

Abstract Objectives: To design an intelligent continuous bladder irrigation monitoring and control system and preliminarily assess its sensitivity of the early warning of flushing anomalies. Methods: According to the principle of bladder irrigation, an intelligent continuous bladder irrigation monitoring and control system was designed. The Amesim fluid simulation software was used to establish a parameterized simulation model for the bladder perfusion process and simulate the dynamic changes of bladder pressure and volume under different perfusion speeds to assess the sensitivity of the early warning of flushing anomalies. Results: The intelligent system consisted of 3 parts: the monitoring part (a flushing fluid inlet flow monitoring device, a flushing fluid outlet flow monitoring device, and a flushing fluid outlet color recognition sensor), the transition part (a control motherboard), and the regulation part (an alarm device, an electric control device for flushing fluid input speed, and a squeezing device for flushing waste fluid line). The data of the parameterized simulation model for the bladder perfusion process suggested that the sensitivity of the system was acceptable. Conclusion: The intelligent bladder irrigation system can automatically detect, report, and resolve signal abnormalities, thereby achieving the closed-loop management of bladder irrigation. The intelligent system might be used in clinical settings to reduce the burdens of nurses and promote patients’ recovery.

A preliminary assessment on spatial prioritization for integrated urban flood management based on source tracking method

With rapid urbanization and global climate change, the frequency of extreme rainfall and urban flooding has increased significantly, posing a serious threat to human life and property safety. Integrated urban flood management is an important component of urban planning that combines various infrastructure to effectively manage and utilize stormwater. This is essential for dealing with urban inundation disasters. Despite the implementation of numerous engineering and non-engineering measures, flood mitigation still faces a challenge in identifying spatial prioritization due to the lack of consideration for regional spatial connectivity. Taking Jinan City, China, as a case study, this research combined the flood source tracking method with the hydrodynamic model LISFLOOD-FP to identify the inundation area and its sources. Additionally, this study analyzed spatial hydrological connectivity was also analyzed in. The spatial prioritization was classified based on four intervention criteria: (Criterion 1) flooding extent; (Criterion 2) maximum inundation depth; (Criterion 3) flooding road network; (Criterion 4) flood exposure to buildings. Furthermore, the prioritization results of various combinations of criteria were also analyzed. Finally, the impact of rainfall intensity and grid cell size on the spatial prioritization was discussed. The results of this study emphasize the importance of spatial hydrological connectivity and flood sources. Various intervention criteria determine different spatial prioritization, highlighting the importance of developing multi-intervention criteria based on specific needs and objectives. The results indicated that sponge city pilot area in Jinan City has a high spatial prioritization. Rainfall intensity and grid cell size strongly influence the spatial prioritization, while these factors have little impact on their spatial distribution. This study demonstrates the novelty of combining intervention criteria and flood source tracking method and provides new perspectives and valuable references for urban flood mitigation.

Fabrication of superhydrophobic TA2 titanium alloy and preliminary assessment of its antifouling, self-cleaning, anti-icing, friction resistance, and corrosion resistance performance

Fabrication of superhydrophobic TA2 titanium alloy and preliminary assessment of its antifouling, self-cleaning, anti-icing, friction resistance, and corrosion resistance performance

Preliminary assessment of new single and blended volatile binding media for temporary consolidation of cultural heritage

Volatile Binding Media (VBM) are waxy solids that can be used for temporary consolidation of heritage artifacts and architectural surfaces thanks to their spontaneous sublimation at room temperature. They are used to temporary shelter, consolidate or protect materials during high-risk operation, such as excavation, transportation, water-based treatments, etc. Although they are employed since the 1990s, research focused almost entirely on one of them, cyclododecane (CDD), which is by far the most used in onsite applications. However, CDD exhibits some drawbacks, including a fixed sublimation speed that hardly fits into all the possible applications and climates, hence the development of new VBM is strongly needed. In recent years, a certain attention was addressed to menthol as a possible alternative, but the research on other possible substitutes is still lacking. In this paper, a range of different VBM for temporary consolidation of cultural heritage materials was prepared and investigated, including five pure compounds (CDD, cyclododecanol, cyclododecanone, menthol and camphene) and fifteen mixes. These new materials are expected to provide tunable properties in terms of melting temperatures and sublimation rates, allowing their use in a variety of climatic contexts and applications, and to exhibit better properties for onsite applications compared to CDD, such as lower flash point, lower hazard for conservators’ health and/or higher availability.

Waste management in a tissue paper mill: a practical approach

The principles of sustainability, together with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) defined by the United Nations (UN), are essential tools for achieving and maintaining quality of life for the coming years. The sector can make use of these objectives, and the process can become more efficient, with less water consumption and reduced waste. Using virgin cellulose fiber derived from eucalyptus or even recyclable white paper as raw material, this production method is responsible for producing paper with characteristics such as softness, low grammage and good liquid absorption, with products such as toilet paper, napkin, among others. Within the manufacturing process, several procedures can be responsible for the appearance of lint and paper dust, being a type of waste in this industry. Among these, we can mention the increase in fines content, resulting from the fiber refining process, initial mechanical treatment of the paper raw material, which provides the product with resistance. The paper crepe formation procedure is responsible for making the tissue sheet acquire characteristics such as softness and volume, but which can lead to the creation of waste. Through a simple approach related to the balance of process materials, with the analysis of process inputs and outputs, the aim of this work is to estimate the amount of material lost in a tissue paper machine. It is a fundamental preliminary assessment for making decisions regarding waste management.&#x0D;

Toxicity of organic solvents and surfactants to the sea urchin embryos

A comparative toxicity of widely applied organic solvents (methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, i-propanol, n-butanol, 2-butanol, i-butanol, t-butanol, 3-methoxy-3-methylbutanol-1 (MMB), ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, 2-methoxyethanol, 2-ethoxyethanol, glycerol, ethyl acetate, acetonitrile, benzene, dioxane, dimethylformamide, dimethylacetamide, dimethylsulfoxide, 2-pyrrolidone, and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone) and surfactants (PEG 300, PEG 6000, Tween 20, Tween 80, miramistin, and Cremophor EL) was studied using a sea urchin embryo model. Sea urchin embryo morphological alterations caused by the tested chemicals were described. The tested molecules affected P. lividus embryo development in a concentration-dependent manner. The observed phenotypic anomalies ranged from developmental delay and retardation of plutei growth to formation of aberrant blastules and gastrules, cleavage alteration/arrest, and embryo mortality. Discernible morphological defects were found after embryo exposure with common pharmaceutical ingredients, such as glycerol, Tween 80, and Cremophor EL. In general, solvents were less toxic than surfactants. PEG 6000 PEG 300, DMSO, ethanol, and methanol were identified as the most tolerable compounds with minimum effective concentration (MEC) values of 3.0–7.92 mg/mL. Previously reported MEC value of Pluronic F127 (4.0 mg/mL) fell within the same concentration range. Toxic effects of methanol, ethanol, DMSO, 2-methoxyethanol, 2-ethoxyethanol, Tween 20, and Tween 80 on P. lividus embryos correlated well with their toxicity obtained using other cell and animal models. The sea urchin embryos could be considered as an appropriate test system for toxicity assessment of solvents and surfactants for their further application as solubilizers of hydrophobic molecules in conventional in vitro cell-based assays and in vivo mammalian models. Nevertheless, to avoid adverse effect of a solubilizing agent in ecotoxicological and biological experiments, the preliminary assessment of its toxicity on a chosen test model would be beneficial.

Associations between affect dynamics and eating regulation in daily life: a preliminary ecological momentary assessment study

ABSTRACT Disordered eating behaviors consistently associated with emotion regulation difficulties. However, most studies have focused on affect intensity without considering dynamic affective patterns. We examined these patterns in relation to daily overeating, loss of control eating (LOCE), dietary restraint, and food craving in young adults using ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Adults (N = 24) completed a 10-day EMA protocol during which they reported momentary affect and eating patterns. Generalized linear mixed-models examined each index in relation to eating variable. Higher PA instability (within-person) was associated with higher ratings of binge-eating symptoms (B = 0.15, SE = 0.06, p = 0.007). Lower NA differentiation (within-person) was associated with higher levels of food craving (B = −10.11, SE = 4.74, p = 0.033). Our results support previous findings suggesting that acute fluctuations in PA may increase risk of binge-eating symptoms. Further, inability to differentiate between momentary states of NA was associated with cravings. This study highlights the importance of examining multiple facets of NA and PA in relation to eating regulation. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02945475.

ALGORITHM FOR DETECTING HYDROCARBON LEAKS IN PIPELINE TRANSPORT WITH INTERMEDIATE REMOVAL OF PART OF HYDROCARBON

Currently, the main part of hydrocarbons consumed both in the Russian Federation and in the world as a whole is transported through pipelines. This type of transport has many advantages, however, despite this, problems arise during operation related to ensuring the integrity of the pipelines themselves and providing settlements located along the linear part with fuel using intermediate branches to local oil depots. It is worth noting that in this case there is a problem of ensuring constant and highquality monitoring of the state of the oil product pipeline-branch pipeline system, for which constant monitoring methods based on mathematical modeling are often used to solve, which make it possible to investigate the integrity without changing the pumping mode. However, in order to improve the accuracy of these methods, it is necessary to constantly improve existing or develop new mathematical models of pipeline systems.The main aim of the research. Improvement of mathematical modeling methods for detecting leaks or unauthorized tie-ins during intermediate scheduled discharges of hydrocarbons on the linear part of the main pipeline.Mathematical modeling of the operating mode of the technological section of the main pipeline, taking into account the discharge on the linear part, the need to regulate the operating modes of pumping stations.An algorithm has been developed to determine the location of a leak or illegal tie-in on a trunk pipeline with an intermediate branch to a local oil depot. A graph of the hydraulic slope line is constructed in the presence of damage to the integrity of the pipeline. A preliminary economic assessment of the damage to the supplier company from the loss of the pumped product was carried out.

A multi-modal assessment of fear conditioning in adolescent anorexia nervosa.

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a pernicious psychiatric disorder which is principally characterized by a fear of weight gain. Notwithstanding the centrality of fear in the psychopathology of AN, controlled assessments of negative valence systems are lacking. Herein we assess fear conditioning in adolescent females with AN. Adolescent girls (Mage = 14.6 years, ±1.57) with DSM-5 diagnoses of AN (N = 25) and age-matched control girls (Mage = 14.8 years, ±1.46) with no DSM-5 diagnoses (N = 25) completed structured clinical interviews and participated in a classical three-phase Pavlovian fear conditioning paradigm. Participants with comorbid anxiety disorders were excluded. Skin conductance response (SCR) was measured, alongside self-reported fear, valence, and fear expectancy ratings. Both groups demonstrated significant differential acquisition across all four measures. Regarding group comparisons, no differences emerged for self-reported fear, valence, and fear expectancy ratings during acquisition, although for SCR, those with AN demonstrated reduced physiological arousal relative to controls. Both groups demonstrated significant differential extinction for unconditioned stimuli (US) expectancy, self-report fear, and self-report valence. No statistically significant group differences were evident during extinction to the conditioned stimuli (CS)+, on any outcome measure. However, controls reported more positive valence to the CS- than those with AN. Contrary to our hypotheses, our preliminary assessment did not find support for elevated fear responding among adolescent girls with AN with regards to fear acquisition or extinction. These data suggest that AN in adolescent girls may not be associated with a heightened propensity to acquire fear, but conversely, may suggest that exposure treatments for AN may be helpful, since extinction learning is intact in AN. AN is characterized by fear-related symptoms, including food and weight-related fear, and behavioral avoidance, yet controlled studies assessing fear learning are limited. Our preliminary assessment of adolescent AN indicates no abnormalities in fear learning among adolescents with AN. These findings may inform existing mechanistic models of AN psychopathology, and the development of exposure-based treatments for AN.

Marijordaania (Celastraceae: Cassinoideae), a new monotypic genus from South Africa

Background and aims – The species name Gymnosporia filiformis, validly published in a 1927 revision of South African Celastraceae, was based on syntypes representing both Maytenus cordata and a new species. Subsequent studies supported the distinction of Gymnosporia and Maytenus as separate genera. From 1984, this new species was provisionally referred to by the designation “Maytenus sp. A”. Maytenus in Africa comprises a diverse group of species not closely related to the New World members of Maytenus. Here, we clarify the taxonomic identity and generic placement of G. filiformis, and compare it with species with which it has historically been confused. Material and methods – Descriptions and observations are based on extensive field work, supported by conventional taxonomic methods, including study of relevant literature and herbarium collections. Key results – The name Gymnosporia filiformis is lectotypified using a syntype representing “Maytenus sp. A”. We describe a new monotypic genus, Marijordaania, to accommodate “Maytenus sp. A”, and propose the new combination, Marijordaania filiformis. An amended description is provided for the species. It is morphologically quite different from Maytenus cordata, but also from Maytenus acuminata and Maytenus abbottii, species with which it has been confused in the past. Marijordaania filiformis grows in the understorey of evergreen Scarp Forest and is relatively rare, known with certainty only from KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape provinces, South Africa. A preliminary conservation assessment suggests that M. filiformis should be classified as Endangered. Conclusion – Marijordaania filiformis is a taxonomically isolated species with no apparent close relatives among African Celastraceae. While the generic status of other African members of Maytenus still needs to be resolved, it would not impact the taxonomic status of Marijordaania. In a recent key for Celastraceae genera based on morphology and geography, M. filiformis ran to the genus Euonymus, but this association lacks support from available molecular evidence.