Geomorphological responses of rivers to active tectonics along the Karahay?t Fault, Western Türkiye

Understanding the topography in active tectonic areas and assessing the rates and models of active deformation in the upper crust are primary objectives in tectonic geomorphology studies. The drainage pattern of river systems is highly sensitive to tectonically induced changes, and it often preserves the records of the formation and progression of most tectono-geomorphic processes within its boundaries. Therefore, the evolution of landforms is a consequence of the evolution of individual drainage basins in which they are formed. Assessing the rates of tectonic deformation using geomorphic data is a traditionally adopted method to characterize the nature of active faults. Globally, the Digital Elevation Model(DEM) is widely used as a crucial tool to analyze the morphotectonic features of drainage basins. In this study, some geomorphic indices were applied to investigate the impact of tectonism on landscape along the Karahay?t Fault and its associated drainage areas. These geomorphic indices are mountain front sinuosity(Smf values between 1.17-1.52), valley floor width-to-height ratio(Vf values between 0.25-1.46), basin asymmetry factor(AF values between 15-72), drainage basin shape(Bs values between 3.18-6.01), hypsometric integral and curve(HI values between 0.32-047), channel sinuosity(S values between 1-1.6), normalized steepness index(Ksn values between 1-390) and Chi integral(χ values between 200-4400). The development of drainage areas on the hanging wall and footwall block of the Karahayit Fault differs depending on the uplift. The drainage areas developed on the hanging wall present different patterns depending on the regional uplift caused by the fault. This reveals that the fault contributed significantly to the development of drainage areas and regional uplift in the region. In addition, the maximum earthquake magnitude that may occur in the future on the Karahayit Fault, whose activity is supported by geomorphic indices, is calculated as 6.23. Since an earthquake of this magnitude may cause loss of life and property in the region, precautions should be taken.

Performance Evaluation of Novel Eco-Materials Composed of Millet Husks, Rice Husks, and Polystyrene

Managing agricultural waste and expanded polystyrene (EPS) poses significant environmental and economic challenges. This study aims to create composites from millet husks, rice husks, and recycled EPS, using a manufacturing method that involves dissolving the polystyrene in a solvent followed by cold pressing. Various particle sizes and two binder dosages were investigated to assess their influence on the physico-mechanical properties of the composites. The mechanical properties obtained range from 2.54 to 4.47 MPa for the Modulus of Rupture (MOR) and from 686 to 1400 MPa for the Modulus of Elasticity in Bending (MOE). The results indicate that these composites have potential for applications in the construction sector, particularly for wood structures and interior decoration. Moreover, surface treatments could enhance their durability and mechanical properties. This research contributes to the valorization of agricultural and plastic waste as eco-friendly and economical construction materials.

Nonlinear dynamic modeling of planar moving Timoshenko beam considering non-rigid non-elastic axial effects

Due to the importance of vibration effects on the functional accuracy of mechanical systems,this research aims to develop a precise model of a nonlinearly vibrating single-link mobile flexible manipulator.The manipulator consists of an elastic arm,a rotary motor,and a rigid carrier,and undergoes general in-plane rigid body motion along with elastic transverse deformation.To accurately model the elastic behavior,Timoshenko’s beam theory is used to describe the flexible arm,which accounts for rotary inertia and shear deformation effects.By applying Newton’s second law,the nonlinear governing equations of motion for the manipulator are derived as a coupled system of ordinary differential equations(ODEs)and partial differential equations(PDEs).Then,the assumed mode method(AMM)is used to solve this nonlinear system of governing equations with appropriate shape functions.The assumed modes can be obtained after solving the characteristic equation of a Timoshenko beam with clamped boundary conditions at one end and an attached mass/inertia at the other.In addition,the effect of the transverse vibration of the inextensible arm on its axial behavior is investigated.Despite the axial rigidity,the effect makes the rigid body dynamics invalid for the axial behavior of the arm.Finally,numerical simulations are conducted to evaluate the performance of the developed model,and the results are compared with those obtained by the finite element approach.The comparison confirms the validity of the proposed dynamic model for the system.According to the mentioned features,this model can be reliable for investigating the system’s vibrational behavior and implementing vibration control algorithms.

Hydrodynamic Assessment of A New Nature-Based Armour Unit on Rubble Mound Breakwater for Coastal Protection

This research proposes a novel nature-based design of a new concrete armour unit for the cover layer of a rubblemoundbreakwater. Armour units are versatile with respect to shape, orientation, surface condition details, and porosity.Therefore, a detailed analysis is required to investigate the exact state of their hydraulic interactions and structuralresponses. In this regard, the performance results of several traditional armour units, including the Antifer cube,Tetrapod, X-block and natural stone, are considered for the first step of this study. Then, the related observed resultsare compared with those obtained for a newly designed (artificial coral) armour unit. The research methodology utilizesthe common wave flume test procedure. Furthermore, several verified numerical models in OpenFOAM code areused to gain the extra required data. The proposed armour is configured to provide an effective shore protection as anenvironmental-friendly coastal structure. Thus it is designed with a main trunk including deep grooves to imitate thetypical geometry of a coral type configuration, so as to attain desirable performance. The observed results and ananalytic hierarchy process (AHP) concept are used to compare the hydraulic performance of the studied traditionaland newly proposed (artificial coral) armour units. The results indicate that the artificial coral armour unit demonstratesacceptable performance. The widely used traditional armour units might be replaced by newer designs for betterwave energy dissipation, and more importantly, for fewer adverse effects on the marine environment.

Nonlinear vibration of Timoshenko FG porous sandwich beams subjected to a harmonic axial load

In this study,the instability and bifurcation diagrams of a functionally graded(FG)porous sandwich beam on an elastic,viscous foundation which is influenced by an axial load,are investigated with an analytical attitude.To do so,the Timoshenko beam theory is utilized to take the shear deformations into account,and the nonlinear Von-Karman approach is adopted to acquire the equations of motion.Then,to turn the partial differential equations(PDEs)into ordinary differential equations(ODEs)in the case of equations of motion,the method of Galerkin is employed,followed by the multiple time scale method to solve the resulting equations.The impact of parameters affecting the response of the beam,including the porosity distribution,porosity coefficient,temperature increments,slenderness,thickness,and damping ratios,are explicitly discussed.It is found that the parameters mentioned above affect the bifurcation points and instability of the sandwich porous beams,some of which,including the effect of temperature and porosity distribution,are less noticeable.

Language Assessment Feedback Towards Pedagogical Conversational Agent

Continuous development of technology provides an opportunity to incorporate feedback in online assessments.The mode of online instruction during the pandemic was the most significant survival change.Technology enabled every teacher and student to enter a virtual classroom to make sense of education.Feedback is part of language instruction and is a powerful key to improving students’learning performance.Feedback plays an influential and crucial role in teaching and learning.Feedback is an invaluable,ultimate learning tool for learners that aids them in not committing the same error again and creates impetus.Thus,knowing about formative exam feedback is students’right because quality feedback allures them.Given students’eagerness,providing feedback is considered a good practice to be followed by all the teaching faculty.Apropos of online feedback,the present study attempts to study how pedagogical agents provide online feedback in language assessments.The study also considers the characteristics of pedagogical conversational agents that are suitable for providing feedback in online language assessment.Simply put,the study encapsulates that screen agents play an essential role in students’motivation and acceptability of learning through feedback.

Ensuring Secure Platooning of Constrained Intelligent and Connected Vehicles Against Byzantine Attacks:A Distributed MPC Framework

This study investigates resilient platoon control for constrained intelligent and connected vehicles(ICVs)against F-local Byzantine attacks.We introduce a resilient distributed model-predictive platooning control framework for such ICVs.This framework seamlessly integrates the predesigned optimal control with distributed model predictive control(DMPC)optimization and introduces a unique distributed attack detector to ensure the reliability of the transmitted information among vehicles.Notably,our strategy uses previously broadcasted information and a specialized convex set,termed the“resilience set”,to identify unreliable data.This approach significantly eases graph robustness prerequisites,requiring only an(F+1)-robust graph,in contrast to the established mean sequence reduced algorithms,which require a minimum(2F+1)-robust graph.Additionally,we introduce a verification algorithm to restore trust in vehicles under minor attacks,further reducing communication network robustness.Our analysis demonstrates the recursive feasibility of the DMPC optimization.Furthermore,the proposed method achieves exceptional control performance by minimizing the discrepancies between the DMPC control inputs and predesigned platoon control inputs,while ensuring constraint compliance and cybersecurity.Simulation results verify the effectiveness of our theoretical findings.

Surviving winter on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau:Extensive reversible protein phosphorylation plays a dominant role in regulating hypometabolism in hibernating Nanorana parkeri

Changes in protein abundance and reversible protein phosphorylation(RPP)play important roles in regulating hypometabolism but have never been documented in overwintering frogs at high altitudes.To test the hypothesis that protein abundance and phosphorylation change in response to winter hibernation,we conducted a comprehensive and quantitative proteomic and phosphoproteomic analysis of the liver of the Xizang plateau frog,Nanorana parkeri,living on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau.In total,5170 proteins and 5695 phosphorylation sites in 1938 proteins were quantified.Based on proteomic analysis,674 differentially expressed proteins(438 up-regulated,236 down-regulated)were screened in hibernating N.parkeri versus summer individuals.Functional enrichment analysis revealed that higher expressed proteins in winter were significantly enriched in immune-related signaling pathways,whereas lower expressed proteins were mainly involved in metabolic processes.A total of 4251 modified sites(4147 up-regulated,104 down-regulated)belonging to 1638 phosphoproteins(1555 up-regulated,83 down-regulated)were significantly changed in the liver.During hibernation,RPP regulated a diverse array of proteins involved in multiple functions,including metabolic enzymatic activity,ion transport,protein turnover,signal transduction,and alternative splicing.These changes contribute to enhancing protection,suppressing energy-consuming processes,and inducing metabolic depression.Moreover,the activities of phosphofructokinase,glutamate dehydrogenase,and ATPase were all significantly lower in winter compared to summer.In conclusion,our results support the hypothesis and demonstrate the importance of RPP as a regulatory mechanism when animals transition into a hypometabolic state.

Is Veillonella a unique marker of physical exercise?Commentary on:

In 2020,Kostic1 published commentary on the bacterial genus Veillonella associated with the interaction between the intestinal microbiota and skeletal muscle.Since then,novel perspectives on the bidirectional gut-muscle communication axis have gained a lot of attention.The purpose of this commentary is to explore some of the challenging issues presented in Scheiman et al.

Exosome-Transmitted miR-224-5p Promotes Colorectal Cancer Cell Proliferation via Targeting ULK2 in p53-Dependent Manner

Objective To investigate the role and molecular mechanism of exosomal miR-224-5p in colorectal cancer(CRC).Methods The miR-224-5p expression in CRC patient tissues and cell-derived exosomes was measured by laser capture microdissection and qRT-PCR,respectively.Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay was used to determine the target gene of miR-224-5p.The protein expressions of p53 and unc-51 like kinase 2(ULK2)in CRC cells were detected by western blot.Flow cytometry was used to detect cell cycle and apoptosis.Cell proliferation was measured by CCK8 and EdU assay.Results The miR-224-5p expression was upregulated in CRC tissues and increased progressively with the rise of CRC stage.CRC cells secreted extracellular miR-224-5p mainly in an exosome-dependent manner,and then miR-224-5p could be transferred to surrounding tumor cells to regulate cell proliferation in the form of autocrine or paracrine.Moreover,ULK2 was characterized as a direct target of miR-224-5p and was downregulated in CRC tissues.Interestingly,ULK2 inhibited CRC cell proliferation in a p53-dependent manner.Furthermore,exosome-derived miR-224-5p partially reversed the proliferation regulation of ULK2 on CRC cells.Conclusion Our findings demonstrate that exosome-transmitted miR-224-5p promotes p53-dependent cell proliferation by targeting ULK2 in CRC,which may offer promising targets for CRC prevention and therapy.

Predictive Ability of Hypertriglyceridemic Waist,Hypertriglyceridemic Waist-to-Height Ratio,and Waist-to-Hip Ratio for Cardiometabolic Risk Factors Clustering Screening among Chinese Children and Adolescents

Objective Hypertriglyceridemic waist(HW),hypertriglyceridemic waist-to-height ratio(HWHtR),and waist-to-hip ratio(WHR)have been shown to be indicators of cardiometabolic risk factors.However,it is not clear which indicator is more suitable for children and adolescents.We aimed to investigate the relationship between HW,HWHtR,WHR,and cardiovascular risk factors clustering to determine the best screening tools for cardiometabolic risk in children and adolescents.Methods This was a national cross-sectional study.Anthropometric and biochemical variables were assessed in approximately 70,000 participants aged 6–18 years from seven provinces in China.Demographics,physical activity,dietary intake,and family history of chronic diseases were obtained through questionnaires.ANOVA,χ2 and logistic regression analysis was conducted.Results A significant sex difference was observed for HWHtR and WHR,but not for HW phenotype.The risk of cardiometabolic health risk factor clustering with HW phenotype or the HWHtR phenotype was significantly higher than that with the non-HW or non-HWHtR phenotypes among children and adolescents(HW:OR=12.22,95%CI:9.54-15.67;HWHtR:OR=9.70,95%CI:6.93-13.58).Compared with the HW and HWHtR phenotypes,the association between risk of cardiometabolic health risk factors(CHRF)clustering and high WHR was much weaker and not significant(WHR:OR=1.14,95%CI:0.97-1.34).Conclusion Compared with HWHtR and WHR,the HW phenotype is a more convenient indicator with higher applicability to screen children and adolescents for cardiovascular risk factors.

Multisensory mechanisms of gait and balance in Parkinson’s disease:an integrative review

Understanding the neural underpinning of human gait and balance is one of the most pertinent challenges for 21st-century translational neuroscience due to the profound impact that falls and mobility disturbances have on our aging population.Posture and gait control does not happen automatically,as previously believed,but rather requires continuous involvement of central nervous mechanisms.To effectively exert control over the body,the brain must integrate multiple streams of sensory information,including visual,vestibular,and somatosensory signals.The mechanisms which underpin the integration of these multisensory signals are the principal topic of the present work.Existing multisensory integration theories focus on how failure of cognitive processes thought to be involved in multisensory integration leads to falls in older adults.Insufficient emphasis,however,has been placed on specific contributions of individual sensory modalities to multisensory integration processes and cross-modal interactions that occur between the sensory modalities in relation to gait and balance.In the present work,we review the contributions of somatosensory,visual,and vestibular modalities,along with their multisensory intersections to gait and balance in older adults and patients with Parkinson’s disease.We also review evidence of vestibular contributions to multisensory temporal binding windows,previously shown to be highly pertinent to fall risk in older adults.Lastly,we relate multisensory vestibular mechanisms to potential neural substrates,both at the level of neurobiology(concerning positron emission tomography imaging)and at the level of electrophysiology(concerning electroencephalography).We hope that this integrative review,drawing influence across multiple subdisciplines of neuroscience,paves the way for novel research directions and therapeutic neuromodulatory approaches,to improve the lives of older adults and patients with neurodegenerative diseases.

Polariton lasing in Mie-resonant perovskite nanocavity

Deeply subwavelength lasers(or nanolasers)are highly demanded for compact on-chip bioimaging and sensing at the nanoscale.One of the main obstacles for the development of single-particle nanolasers with all three dimensions shorter than the emitting wavelength in the visible range is the high lasing thresholds and the resulting overheating.Here we ex-ploit exciton-polariton condensation and mirror-image Mie modes in a cuboid CsPbBr3 nanoparticle to achieve coherent emission at the visible wavelength of around 0.53μm from its ultra-small(≈0.007μm3 or≈λ3/20)semiconductor nanocav-ity.The polaritonic nature of the emission from the nanocavity localized in all three dimensions is proven by direct com-parison with corresponding one-dimensional and two-dimensional waveguiding systems with similar material parameters.Such a deeply subwavelength nanolaser is enabled not only by the high values for exciton binding energy(≈35 meV),re-fractive index(>2.5 at low temperature),and luminescence quantum yield of CsPbBr3,but also by the optimization of po-laritons condensation on the Mie resonances with quality factors improved by the metallic substrate.Moreover,the key parameters for optimal lasing conditions are intermode free spectral range and phonons spectrum in CsPbBr3,which govern polaritons condensation path.Such chemically synthesized colloidal CsPbBr3 nanolasers can be potentially de-posited on arbitrary surfaces,which makes them a versatile tool for integration with various on-chip systems.

Transfer learning framework for multi-scale crack type classification with sparse microseismic networks

Rock fracture mechanisms can be inferred from moment tensors(MT)inverted from microseismic events.However,MT can only be inverted for events whose waveforms are acquired across a network of sensors.This is limiting for underground mines where the microseismic stations often lack azimuthal coverage.Thus,there is a need for a method to invert fracture mechanisms using waveforms acquired by a sparse microseismic network.Here,we present a novel,multi-scale framework to classify whether a rock crack contracts or dilates based on a single waveform.The framework consists of a deep learning model that is initially trained on 2400000+manually labelled field-scale seismic and microseismic waveforms acquired across 692 stations.Transfer learning is then applied to fine-tune the model on 300000+MT-labelled labscale acoustic emission waveforms from 39 individual experiments instrumented with different sensor layouts,loading,and rock types in training.The optimal model achieves over 86%F-score on unseen waveforms at both the lab-and field-scale.This model outperforms existing empirical methods in classification of rock fracture mechanisms monitored by a sparse microseismic network.This facilitates rapid assessment of,and early warning against,various rock engineering hazard such as induced earthquakes and rock bursts.

Spark Plasma Sintering of Boron Carbide Using Ti_(3)SiC_(2) as a Sintering Additive

Boron carbide has unique properties for wide application possibilities;however,poor sinterability limits its applications.One approach to overcome this limitation is the addition of secondary phases into boron carbide.Boron carbide based composite ceramics are produced by the direct addition of secondary phases into the structure or via reactive sintering using a sintering additive.The present study investigated the effect of Ti_(3)SiC_(2) addition to boron carbide by reactive spark plasma sintering in the range of 1700-1900℃.Ti_(3)SiC_(2) phase decomposed at high temperatures and reacted with B4C to form secondary phases of TiB2 and SiC.The results demonstrated that the increase of Ti_(3)SiC_(2) addition(up to 15 vol%)effectively promoted the densification of B4C and yielded higher hardness.However,as the amount of Ti_(3)SiC_(2) increased further,the formation of microstructural inhomogeneity and agglomeration of secondary phases caused a decrease in hardness.

Performance Evaluation of Topologies for Multi-Domain Software-Defined Networking

Software-defined networking(SDN)is widely used in multiple types of data center networks,and these distributed data center networks can be integrated into a multi-domain SDN by utilizing multiple controllers.However,the network topology of each control domain of SDN will affect the performance of the multidomain network,so performance evaluation is required before the deployment of the multi-domain SDN.Besides,there is a high cost to build real multi-domain SDN networks with different topologies,so it is necessary to use simulation testing methods to evaluate the topological performance of the multi-domain SDN network.As there is a lack of existing methods to construct a multi-domain SDN simulation network for the tool to evaluate the topological performance automatically,this paper proposes an automated multi-domain SDN topology performance evaluation framework,which supports multiple types of SDN network topologies in cooperating to construct a multi-domain SDN network.The framework integrates existing single-domain SDN simulation tools with network performance testing tools to realize automated performance evaluation of multidomain SDN network topologies.We designed and implemented a Mininet-based simulation tool that can connect multiple controllers and run user-specified topologies in multiple SDN control domains to build and test multi-domain SDN networks faster.Then,we used the tool to perform performance tests on various data center network topologies in single-domain and multi-domain SDN simulation environments.Test results show that Space Shuffle has the most stable performance in a single-domain environment,and Fat-tree has the best performance in a multi-domain environment.Also,this tool has the characteristics of simplicity and stability,which can meet the needs of multi-domain SDN topology performance evaluation.

An Anatomical and Radiological Study of Origins of the Arteries Forming the Celiac Trunk: Clinical and Embryological Implications

The blood supply to the most of abdominal organs is provided by the branches of CT. The SMA supply caecum, ascends colon, all of the small bowels except the upper part of duodenum. Knowledge of variable anatomy of celiac axis and SMA may be useful in planning and executing radiological interventions such as celiacography and chemoembolization of hepatic and pancreatic tumors. In this study, the uncommon or low percentage cases of CT and SMA are presented in the light of clinical and embryological information. The celiac axises of a total of 30 adult corpses were examined. Dissections of abdominal region were performed in detail according to Cunningham’s manual. Angiographic images of 100 consecutive adult patients who underwent celiac MDCT angiography were evaluated. During autopsies, an incomplete celiac trunk or bifurcation of celiac trunk associated with the hepatomesenteric and gastrosplenic trunks (0.7%) and a celiacomesenteric trunk associated with high origin superior mesenteric artery and gastrosplenic trunk were detected (0.7%). During MDCT angiography, a case of total absence of celiac trunk associated with a hepatosplenomesenteric trunk (0.7%) and also a case of total absence of celiac trunk alone were observed (0.7%). The persistence or unusual development of ventral splanchnic arteries (VSAs) or ventral longitudinal anastomosis may result in variations or the unusual trunks related to celiac axis and SMA. The anomalous trunks of the CT may be result of either the persistence of some parts of the VSAs or ventral longitudinal anastomose that normally disappear or disappearance of parts that normally persist. The prevalence of unusual trunks of celiac axis and SMA in this study is quite low in literature. These abnormal vessels pose problems for surgeons and radiologists. Such vascular anomalies may cause clinical complications following surgical and radiological procedures such as resection of tumor of the pancreatic head, lymphadenectomy, coeliacography, aortic replacement with reimplantation of the trunk and coembolization of pancreatic and liver tumors.

Pumping-induced Well Hydraulics and Groundwater Budget in a Leaky Aquifer System with Vertical Heterogeneity in Aquitard Hydraulic Properties

In groundwater hydrology,aquitard heterogeneity is often less considered compared to aquifers,despite its significant impact on groundwater hydraulics and groundwater resources evaluation.A semi-analytical solution is derived for pumping-induced well hydraulics and groundwater budget with consideration of vertical heterogeneity in aquitard hydraulic conductivity(K)and specific storage(S_(s)).The proposed new solution is innovative in its partitioning of the aquitard into multiple homogeneous sub-layers to enable consideration of various forms of vertically heterogeneous K or S_(s).Two scenarios of analytical investigations are explored:one is the presence of aquitard interlayers with distinct K or S_(s) values,a common field-scale occurrence;another is an exponentially depth-decaying aquitard S_(s),a regional-scale phenomenon supported by statistical analysis.Analytical investigations reveal that a low-K interlayer can significantly increase aquifer drawdown and enhance aquifer/aquitard depletion;a high-S_(s) interlayer can noticeably reduce aquifer drawdown and increase aquitard depletion.Locations of low-K or high-S_(s) interlayers also significantly impact well hydraulics and groundwater budget.In the context of an exponentially depth-decaying aquitard S_(s),a larger decay exponent can enhance aquifer drawdown.When using current models with a vertically homogeneous aquitard,half the sum of the geometric and harmonic means of exponentially depth-decaying aquitard S_(s) should be used to calculate aquitard depletion and unconfined aquifer leakage.

Talking Justice,the Chinese Way

Western legal scholars learn from China’s approach to justice at a seminar held at Oxford University.Mediation can work better than prosecution and prison.

A Distributionally Robust Optimization Scheduling Model for Regional Integrated Energy Systems Considering Hot Dry Rock Co-Generation

Hot dry rock(HDR)is rich in reserve,widely distributed,green,low-carbon,and has broad development potential and prospects.In this paper,a distributionally robust optimization(DRO)scheduling model for a regionally integrated energy system(RIES)considering HDR co-generation is proposed.First,the HDR-enhanced geothermal system(HDR-EGS)is introduced into the RIES.HDR-EGS realizes the thermoelectric decoupling of combined heat and power(CHP)through coordinated operation with the regional power grid and the regional heat grid,which enhances the system wind power(WP)feed-in space.Secondly,peak-hour loads are shifted using price demand response guidance in the context of time-of-day pricing.Finally,the optimization objective is established to minimize the total cost in the RIES scheduling cycle and construct a DRO scheduling model for RIES with HDR-EGS.By simulating a real small-scale RIES,the results show that HDR-EGS can effectively promote WP consumption and reduce the operating cost of the system.