Resolution Research Articles

Surrogate modeling for unsaturated infiltration via the physics and equality-constrained artificial neural networks

Machine learning (ML) provides a new surrogate method for investigating groundwater flow dynamics in unsaturated soils. Traditional pure data-driven methods (e.g. deep neural network, DNN) can provide rapid predictions, but they do require sufficient on-site data for accurate training, and lack interpretability to the physical processes within the data. In this paper, we provide a physics and equality-constrained artificial neural network (PECANN), to derive unsaturated infiltration solutions with a small amount of initial and boundary data. PECANN takes the physics-informed neural network (PINN) as a foundation, encodes the unsaturated infiltration physical laws (i.e. Richards equation, RE) into the loss function, and uses the augmented Lagrangian method to constrain the learning process of the solutions of RE by adding stronger penalty for the initial and boundary conditions. Four unsaturated infiltration cases are designed to test the training performance of PECANN, i.e. one-dimensional (1D) steady-state unsaturated infiltration, 1D transient-state infiltration, two-dimensional (2D) transient-state infiltration, and 1D coupled unsaturated infiltration and deformation. The predicted results of PECANN are compared with the finite difference solutions or analytical solutions. The results indicate that PECANN can accurately capture the variations of pressure head during the unsaturated infiltration, and present higher precision and robustness than DNN and PINN. It is also revealed that PECANN can achieve the same accuracy as the finite difference method with fewer initial and boundary training data. Additionally, we investigate the effect of the hyperparameters of PECANN on solving RE problem. PECANN provides an effective tool for simulating unsaturated infiltration.

The preparation process of ultrafine gain W-Re powder by wet chemical method and its effect on alloy properties

Tungsten-rhenium (W-10Re) powder was successfully prepared by wet chemistry method followed by spark plasma sintering technique to fabricate W-10Re alloy. The synthesis mechanism and reduction behavior of the W-10Re powders were investigated by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric experiments, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The reduction process of W-10Re powders from 100 °C to 1200 °C was divided into four stages, and the optimal reduction temperature region is 1000 °C–1100 °C. The reduced powders with irregular cube-shape were examined by transmission electron microscope. The XRD results of powders reduced at 1000–1200°C showed an overall right shift with the increase in temperature, indicating the solid solution of Re into W. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the alloys were studied using XRD, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and Vickers hardness. The relative densities and grain sizes were comparable for the W-10Re alloys prepared from the powders reduced at 1000 °C, 1100 °C, and 1200 °C, whereas the Vickers hardness was decreased with the increase in the reduction temperature for those samples. The characterization of fracture toughness for these W-10Re alloys showed largely intergranular fracture with a small number of transgranular features. • Tungsten rhenium powder with an irregular cube shape and evenly distributed sizes could be prepared by the wet chemical method. • The particle size, oxygen content, and formation of solid solution were related to reduction temperature. • The reduction process of the precursor was studied and analyzed, and the reason for incomplete powder reduction was proposed, which was different from earlier studies.

The Karabakh Conflict, and its Geopolitical and Economic Impacts on Georgia

Georgia has been a land hub between Europe and Asia since ancient times, when trade began in the second century BC. The Great Silk Road trailheaded in Sian, and, in Dunghuan, it split into two branches heading westward: north of the first Lobnor Lake, and Turfan, to the south of the same lake - Khotani and st. Via Yarkend - St. Kashgar. From there, the northern road connected with the Caspian Sea and the Transcaucasus, and crossed Georgia to reach the Byzantine and Roman Black Sea via the Phasis. The second road went from Kashgar to Balkh and northern Iran, and from there to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. In 1998, on the initiative of Senator Brownbeck, the United States Senate passed a resolution to support the development of a New Silk Road. The TRACECA, as well as the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan “Great Oil Pipeline” and the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum “Great Gas Pipeline” are already operating under the auspices of the New Silk Road, significantly changing the economic reality in the Caspian-Black Sea region, creating new conditions for development, and strengthening that region - not only regarding the energy security of the countries there, but the energy security of Europe as a whole (The Silk Road History, 2021; Elisseeff, 2001; Li & Taube, 2018). Considering this, the resumption of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict (the so-called Third Karabakh War) has affected Georgia more than it may seem at first glance. The results of this war in reality present huge threats and challenges to the geopolitical and economic environment of Georgia, and a naïve understanding of the status quo could be very unfortunate for the country. In this paper, we will explain why the new Karabakh status quo is more threatening to the Georgian economy than the current situation, what challenges it poses to the country, and what we can do to either completely circumvent these threats or, at worst, minimize them

Transition-layer of core–rim structures and β→α transformation in SiC ceramics

Similar to Si3N4 ceramics, β→α phase transformation in SiC ceramics plays a key role in tailoring the microstructures thus optimizing related properties. SiC microstructures are dominated with the core–rim structures by AlN-solution, and by EBSD analysis, α-lamellae were revealed as stacking-faults (SF) and twin-boundaries (TB) in β-grains, co-existing with the core–rim structures as α/β→α’/β’ transformation by sintering. The structural transformation can proceed much further by gas-pressure-sintering than hot-pressing with only RE2O3 agents, while the latter retain a high-density of SF/TB in the metastable β-SiC grains. By high-angle secondary-electron imaging, nanoscale transition-layer (TL) was observed as an inter-phase to fully separate the core and rim, which is created by a transitory equilibrium in the solution–reprecipitation process. The enrichment of AlN or RE in TL demonstrates their segregation to core surface until reaching the super-saturation and before the growth of rims. With higher AlN or RE solution and after sintering, a shear stress can develop from TL contour to drive the expansion of SF/TB in Martensitic transition, especially under an external isotropic pressure. The combinations of β→α transformation, core–rim structures and viscous liquid-phase enable the comprehensive assessment of sintering–microstructure–property–performance relationship of SiC ceramics, as demonstrated for their creep behaviors and fracture toughness.

The Mechanics of Bioinspired Stiff-to-Compliant Multi-Material 3D-Printed Interfaces.

Complex interfaces that involve a combination of stiff and compliant materials are widely prevalent in nature. This combination creates a superior assemblage with strength and toughness. When combining two different materials with large stiffness variations, an interfacial stress concentration is created, decreasing the structural integrity and making the structure more prone to failure. However, nature frequently combines two dissimilar materials with different properties. Additive manufacturing (AM) and 3D printing have revolutionized our engineering capabilities concerning the combination of stiff and compliant materials. The emergence of multi-material 3D-printing technologies has allowed the design of complex interfaces with combined strength and toughness, which is often challenging to achieve in homogeneous materials. Herein, we combined commercial 3D-printed stiff (PETG) and compliant (TPU) polymers using simple and bioinspired interfaces using a fused deposition modeling (FDM) printer and characterized the mechanical behaviors of the interfaces. Furthermore, we examined how the different structural parameters, such as the printing resolution (RES) and horizontal overlap distance (HOD), affect the mechanical properties. We found that the bioinspired interfaces significantly increased the strain, toughness, and tensile modulus compared with the simple interface. Furthermore, the more refined printing resolution elevated the yield stress, while the increased overlap distance mostly elevated the strain and toughness. Additionally, 3D printing allows the fabrication of other complex designs in the stiff and compliant material interface, allowing various tailor-designed and bioinspired interfaces. The importance of these bioinspired interfaces can be manifested in the biomedical and robotic fields and through interface combinations.

Nadzór i sądowa kontrola działalności uchwałodawczej organów samorządu zawodów medycznych

Substantive decentralization is the entrusting of public authority to autonomous entities based on a criterion other than territorial affiliation. Thebasic form of substantive decentralization is the self-government of the professions of public trust. Such self-governments include, among others, self-governments of medical professions – the self-government of pharmacists, doctors,nurses and midwives, laboratory diagnosticians, physiotherapists, and psychologists.The self-governing bodies of the medical professions perform their tasksthrough the organs which, within the framework of the powers granted tothem by the law, conduct the legislative activity. The resolutions of the self-government bodies are passed with a simple majority of votes in the presence ofat least half the members of the body. Resolutions are subject to the supervisionof the Minister of Health, except for the self-government of psychologists, forwhich the legislator has not provided for supervisory interference. The onlymeans of supervision available to the Minister of Health is to appeal a reso lution of a self-government body to the Supreme Court. As part of the judicialreview of the resolution-making activity of the self-governing bodies of themedical professions, the Supreme Court may uphold a resolution if it followsthe law or repeals it if it is contrary to the law. If a resolution is overturned,the Supreme Court, except for the apothecaries’ and laboratory diagnosticians’self-governments, refers the case for reconsideration, indicating guidelines tothe self-government body as to how the case should be resolved. The SupremeCourt acts in a non-procedural mode. The Supreme Court does not reviewresolutions adopted in individual cases of corporate members.The subject of this study is focused on the analysis of the scope of supervisory interference and judicial control of the normative activity of the self-government of the medical profession. Thus, with the exclusion of those resolutionsof self-governing bodies which resolve individual cases of members of the corporation.

Ultrasound Image Quality Comparison Between a Handheld Ultrasound Transducer and Mid-Range Ultrasound Machine.

Objectives: Not all labor and delivery floors are equipped with ultrasound machines which can serve the needs of both obstetricians and anesthesiologists. This cross-sectional, blinded, randomized observational study compares the image resolution (RES), detail (DET), and quality (IQ) acquired by a handheld ultrasound, the Butterfly iQ, and a mid-range mobile device, the Sonosite M-turbo US (SU), to evaluate their use as a shared resource. Methods: Seventy-four pairs of ultrasound images were obtained for different imaging purposes: 29 for spine (Sp), 15 for transversus abdominis plane (TAP) and 30 for diagnostic obstetrics (OB) purposes. Each location was scanned by both the handheld and mid-range machine, resulting in 148 images. The images were graded by three blinded experienced sonographers on a 10-point Likert scale. Results: The mean difference for Sp imaging favored the handheld device (RES: -0.6 [(95% CI -1.1, -0.1), p = 0.017], DET: -0.8 [(95% CI -1.2, -0.3), p = 0.001] and IQ: -0.9 [95% CI-1.3, -0.4, p = 0.001]). For the TAP images, there was no statistical difference in RES or IQ, but DET was favored in the handheld device (-0.8 [(95% CI-1.2, -0.5), p < 0.001]). For OB images, the SU was favored over the handheld device with RES, DET and IQ with mean differences of 1.7 [(95% CI 1.2, 2.1), p < 0.001], 1.6 [(95% CI 1.2, 2.0], p < 0.001] and 1.1 [(95% CI 0.7, 1.5]), p < 0.001), respectively. Conclusions: Where resources are limited, a handheld ultrasound may be considered as a potential low-cost alternative to a more expensive ultrasound machine for point of care ultrasonography, better suited to anesthetic vs. diagnostic obstetrical indications.

MATLAB Simulation-Based Theoretical Study for Detection of a Wide Range of Pathogens Using 1D Defective Photonic Structure

The present 1D photonic biosensor is composed of two sub-PhCs of alternate layers made of GaP and SiO2. The period number of each PhC has been fixed to 3. Both these PhCs are joined together through a cavity region of air in which different analytes are to be filled one by one under the scope of this study. The theoretical findings of this work have been formulated with the help of the well-known transfer matrix method. Moreover, all the computations pertaining to this work have been carried out with the help of MATLAB software. The effect of change in cavity thickness and angle of incidence corresponding to a TE wave on the transmittance of the structure (AB)ND(AB)N has been studied theoretically which in turn determines the performance of the proposed biosensor. Various parameters, such as sensitivity (S), signal to noise ratio (SNR), figure of merit (FOM), resolution (RS), detection limit (LOD), quality factor (Q) and dynamic range (DR) have been theoretically calculated to evaluate the performance of the proposed design in true sense. The sensitivity of this structure varies between the highest and lowest values of 337.3626 nm/RIU and 333.0882 nm/RIU corresponding to water samples containing Pseudomonas aeruginosa cells and Bacillus anthracia cells, respectively, under normal incidence condition with a cavity thickness of 2.0 µm. The resolution (in nm) and LOD (in RIU) values of the proposed design are small enough and are significant for our structure. This study may also be helpful for distinguishing various microbiological samples under investigation and find suitable applications for discriminating bacterial cells from spores.

Localization of rare earth ions in an inhomogeneous magnetic field toward their magnetic separation

Efficient extraction and recycling methods are an important issue for rare earth elements (REE). The significant differences in their magnetic moments make magnetic separation a promising step. Although the magnetic field gradient manipulation of ions seemed to be impossible, the robust enrichment of some paramagnetic RE ions was found in the vicinity of the magnet. The studies in recent years resolved the physical paradox of why, despite the Brownian motion of the ions, there is a reproducible enrichment of RE ions in magnetic field gradients. The existence of trigger process and energy barrier was proved. However, these studies usually used only high paramagnetic ions, e.g., Dy(III) or Ho(III). This work verifies the theory of the possible magnetic separation for 8 different rare earth ions, respectively. For this purpose, concentration distribution in rare earth chloride solutions were measured using a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. The magnetic field was assured by a Halbach configuration to enhance the effect. The results show the classification of RE solutions into 2 classes: Class I contains the REs with low magnetic moment, whereas Class II includes the REs of high magnetic moment. Only the latter group shows the enrichment of ions in the vicinity of the magnet which encourages the implementation of magnetic separation into existing hydrometallurgical technology to enhance the selectivity of REE.

A generic gas chromatography method for determination of residual solvents in PET radiopharmaceuticals

A novel gas chromatography (GC) method for quantitation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in 18F- and 11C-radiopharmaceuticals listed in the European Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Eur.) was proposed. Optimized chromatographic parameters were used for separation of ethanol, acetone, acetonitrile, tetrahydrofuran (THF), dibromomethane (DBM), 2-dimethylaminoethanol (deanol), N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) which could be detected in radioactive drug samples. The calculated peak resolutions (RS) were higher than 2.0 at ethanol concentration of up to 11 m/m%. Reproducible results could be obtained using base deactivated fused silica wool as packing material of inlet liner. Validation parameters showed excellent linearity (r2 ≥0.9998) in the range from 10 to at least 120% of concentration limit of solvents. The accuracy was determined as recovery of concentrations which ranged from 99.3% to 103.8%. Additionally, the relative standard deviation (RSD) of each solvent for inter-day and intra-day precision were in the range of 0.5–4.2% and 0.4–4.4%, respectively. The limit of quantitation (LOQ) for ethanol, acetone, acetonitrile, THF, DBM, deanol, DMF and DMSO was 0.48, 0.42, 0.43, 0.46, 4.35, 0.73, 0.68 and 0.50 mg/L, respectively. The developed procedure was successively applied for quantitation of ethanol, acetone, acetonitrile and deanol in radioactive drug samples of [11C]methionine, [11C]choline, 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose ([18F]FDG) and O-(2-[18F]fluoroethyl)-L-tyrosine ([18F]FET). The proposed GC method applying flame ionization detection (FID) could be adapted in routine quality control of most frequently used positron emission tomography (PET) radiopharmaceuticals to perform the determination of residual solvents with analysis time of 12 min

Scaling analysis of Richards equation for horizontal infiltration and its approximate solution

AbstractRichards equation (RE) of Brooks–Corey soil is invariant under some scaling transformations and can be reduced to ordinary differential equations (ODEs) with scale symmetry analysis. From the reduced ODE, it is convenient to get the solution of RE (mostly numerically). The admissible scaling transformations of RE can transform a given solution to other solutions, by which the explicit relations between wetting front (or its velocity) and boundary moisture and between cumulative infiltration and boundary moisture for horizontal infiltration are deduced. For horizontal infiltration into dry soil with constant boundary moisture, the contour of water distribution curve can be represented by a shape factor R, which can be regarded as a constant for a given soil. Based on the reduced ODE and the parameter R, an explicit approximate solution for horizontal soil water infiltration is proposed, which just relies on R. The shape factor R is related to Brooks–Corey power exponent n and independent of the boundary moisture. With the obtained R–n relations, the relative deviation of the approximate solution can be less than 0.001. The approximate solution keeps high precision in any time range of the infiltration process.

Резолюция Совета экспертов «Нормативный регламент и вопросы организации скрининга и прогнозирования пре­эклампсии в РФ»­

Резолюция Совета экспертов «Нормативный регламент и вопросы организации скрининга и прогнозирования пре­эклампсии в РФ»­

Effect of Er:YAG Laser and Association of Protocols on the Demineralized Enamel Microhardness.

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the microhardness of demineralized enamel following different treatments (fluoride varnish, Er:YAG laser, and Er:YAG laser associated with fluoride varnish). Methods: Forty-eight enamel blocks (4 × 4 × 7 mm) were divided into six groups (n = 8): (S) Sound; (DE) Demineralized; (DED) DE + Duraphat® 5% (fluoride varnish); (DEL20) DE + Er:YAG laser (20 mJ pulse mode; 0.20 W; 10 Hz; 60 sec; 1.18 J/cm2; 11.83 W/cm2); (DEL50) DE + Er:YAG laser (50 mJ pulse mode; 0.50 W; 10 Hz; 60 sec; 2.95 J/cm2; 29.58 W/cm2); (DEL20D) DE + Er:YAG laser (20 mJ) + Duraphat 5%. The irradiation was performed at 1 mm distance from the surface using a tip (AS7066X, L-14 mm, D-1.3 mm in diameter) in water/air spray refrigeration (level 6). The enamel blocks were submitted to pH cycling (4 h into DES solution +20 h into RE solution for 8 days and the solutions were changed every day). Knoop microhardness was measured (50 g/15 sec, six readings per sample) and data were analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis test at 5% significance. Results: After treatments, DF group showed higher microhardness values than all the groups. Also, DEL20D group showed similar results with H group according to the microhardness analysis (p < 0.05). Conclusions: It could be concluded that Duraphat 5% treatment showed better results when compared with all tested groups, however, the association of Er:YAG Laser 20 with Duraphat 5% also showed promising results.

Ethical Implications of Legal Ethics Dilemma Situation and Principles of Resolution

Ethical Implications of Legal Ethics Dilemma Situation and Principles of Resolution

Responses to Fatwas of Islamic Religious Leaders and Institutions during the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in the Philippines: Looking at How Guidance Was Provided to Muslim Communities in the Philippines.

The Philippine constitution guarantees the free exercise of religion and religious worship. The law forbids public officials from interrupting religious activities. However, with the sharp rise of Coronavirus (COVID-2019) infection all over the world, the Inter-Agency Task Force (AITF) on Emerging Infections Disease created resolutions to assess, monitor, contain and prevent the spread of the pandemic. Religious leaders and Islamic institutions are no exceptions and they must abide to these resolutions including mass gatherings, safety procedures on burials, and strict observance of social distancing.&#x0D; Muslims strictly perform five times a day prayer, Friday Jamaah prayer, and bury the dead in accordance to Islamic practices mentioned in the Quran. Therefore, the study focus on how Islamic leaders and institutions responded to AITF resolutions to prevent the spread of the pandemic.&#x0D; The data were collected from mixed sources: from official announcements, social media accounts, and by phone interviews. Meaningful central themes were derived from the data.&#x0D; Findings noted responses of Muslim communities focused on (1) suspension of collective religious activities and programs until the pandemic is over; (2) abide by government directives on how to be safe from the threat of COVID-19; (3) institutionalization of positive sanitation practices of their facilities personnel and families; (4) cancellation of classes and their religious learning institutions; and (5) public interest and dharurah (possibility of harm or injury).&#x0D; In conclusion, the concept of collective duty (farḍ kifāya) as a basic of principle of Islam was practiced by Islamic religious leaders and institutions. Hence, maintaining social

Resolution of Respect: Michael G. Barbour (1942–2021)

Resolution of Respect: Michael G. Barbour (1942–2021)

Design of High Energy Photon Source Booster beam size monitor

High Energy Photon Source (HEPS) Booster is designed to ramp up the energy of the beam from linac and inject high quality electron beam to the storage ring. To measure the transverse beam size, emittance and energy spread of HEPS Booster, we designed two beam diagnostic beamlines at visible-UV spectrum region. The source points are at two bending magnets with different chromatic dispersion, one has no dispersion while the other has large dispersion. By measuring the transverse beam sizes with synchrotron imaging system, beam emittance and energy spread can also be calculated. This paper introduces the extraction of visible-UV light, and the optical imaging system, the spatial resolution. It also introduces the design of beam spot changes measurement during beam ramping process.

Detection and quantification of bolt loosening using RGB-D camera and Mask R-CNN

Bolt loosening is one of the most common types of damage for bolt-connected plates. Existing vision techniques detect bolt loosening based on the measurement of bolt rotation or the exposure of bolt threads. However, these techniques examine bolt tightness only in a qualitative manner, or require a reference measurement at the initially tightened state of the bolt for quantitative estimation. In this study, the exposed shank length of a bolt is quantitatively measured using an RGB-depth camera and a mask-region-based convolutional neural network but without requiring any measurement from the initial state of the bolt. The performance of the proposed technique is validated by conducting lab-scale experiments, in which the angle and distance of the camera are varied with respect to a target inspection area. The proposed technique successfully detects bolt loosening at exposed shank length over 3 mm with a resolution of 1 mm and 97% accuracy at different camera angles (40°–90°) and distances (up to 65 cm).

Notch inhibitors induce diarrhea, hypercrinia and secretory cell metaplasia in the human colon.

In humans, inhibition of Notch oncogenic signaling leads to tumor regression. Preclinical studies indicate that Notch signaling contributes to the maintenance of intestinal homeostasis. Here, we sought to describe the intestinal effects of a first-in-human Notch inhibitor in an indication of refractory cancer. Between 2014 and 2017, adult patients treated for refractory cancer with the novel Notch inhibitor LY3039478 and who had grade ≥ 2 diarrhea were referred to the gastroenterology department of a tertiary hospital in the Paris region of France. Eleven patients (median (range) age: 72 (29-83)) were included in the study. All patients had advanced cancer: adenoid cystic carcinoma (n=3, 27 %), sarcoma (n=3, 27 %), and other types (n=5, 46 %). In all cases, digestive tract endoscopy revealed abundant mucus in the intestinal lumen, and digestive tract biopsies showed an abnormally low proportion of enterocytes and marked elevation of the proportion of pseudostratified goblet cells. Microscopic inflammation was seen in colon biopsies from 2 of the 11 patients (18 %). The clinical, endoscopic and histological abnormalities were dependent on the dose of Notch inhibitor. All patients resolved their digestive signs or symptoms after discontinuing the dose and the median (range) time interval between discontinuation of the Notch inhibitor and resolution of all the gastrointestinal signs and symptoms was 7 days (4-24). Likewise, the median time interval between discontinuation and resolution of the histological abnormalities was 7 days (1-10). Blocking Notch signaling induces secretory cell metaplasia of the intestinal epithelium, which in turn leads to transient diarrhea. Our results confirm the role of Notch signaling in intestinal homeostasis in humans.

SYMPLECTIC FILLINGS OF QUOTIENT SURFACE SINGULARITIES AND MINIMAL MODEL PROGRAM

We prove that every minimal symplectic filling of the link of a quotient surface singularity can be obtained from its minimal resolution by applying a sequence of rational blow-downs and symplectic antiflips. We present an explicit algorithm inspired by the minimal model program for complex 3-dimensional algebraic varieties.