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Stretchable electronics has received major attention in recent years due to the prospects of integrating electronics onto and into the human body. While many studies investigate how different conductive fillers perform in stretchable composites, the effect of different elastomers on composite performance, and the related fundamental understanding of what is causing the performance differences, is poorly understood. Here, we perform a systematic investigation of the elastomer influence on the electromechanical performance of gold nanowire-based stretchable conductors based on five chemically different elastomers of similar Young’s modulus. The choice of elastomer has a huge impact on the electromechanical performance of the conductors under cyclic strain, as some composites perform well, while others fail rapidly at 100% strain cycling. The lack of macroscopic crack formation in the failing composites indicates that the key aspect for good electromechanical performance is not homogeneous films on the macroscale but rather beneficial interactions on the nanoscale. Based on the comprehensive characterization, we propose a failure mechanism related to the mechanical properties of the elastomers. By improving our understanding of elastomer influence on the mechanisms of electrical failure, we can move toward rational material design, which could greatly benefit the field of stretchable electronics.

Social determinants of health (SDOH) are important predictors of poor clinical outcomes in chronic diseases, but their associations among the general cirrhosis population and liver transplantation (LT) are limited. We conducted a retrospective, multiinstitutional analysis of adult (≥18-years-old) patients with cirrhosis in metropolitan Chicago to determine the associations of poor neighborhood-level SDOH on decompensation complications, mortality, and LT waitlisting. Area deprivation index and covariates extracted from the American Census Survey were aspects of SDOH that were investigated. Among 15 101 patients with cirrhosis, the mean age was 57.2 years; 6414 (42.5%) were women, 6589 (43.6%) were non-Hispanic White, 3652 (24.2%) were non-Hispanic Black, and 2662 (17.6%) were Hispanic. Each quintile increase in area deprivation was associated with poor outcomes in decompensation (sHR [subdistribution hazard ratio] 1.07; 95% CI 1.05-1.10; P< .001), waitlisting (sHR 0.72; 95% CI 0.67-0.76; P< .001), and all-cause mortality (sHR 1.09; 95% CI 1.06-1.12; P< .001). Domains of SDOH associated with a lower likelihood of waitlisting and survival included low income, low education, poor household conditions, and social support (P< .001). Overall, patients with cirrhosis residing in poor neighborhood-level SDOH had higher decompensation, and mortality, and were less likely to be waitlisted for LT. Further exploration of structural barriers toward LT or optimizing health outcomes is warranted.

High entropy alloys (HEAs) have revolutionized materials science in recent decades by introducing a novel approach to alloy fabrication, capable of yielding exceptional properties. These alloys, with compositions ranging from 5 to 35% in atomic ratio, have opened the door to creating remarkable material characteristics. HEAs acquire their remarkable characteristics through the organization of solid solutions, as opposed to simple compound structures. Although bulk casting techniques have been the common route to produce HEAs, delving into nanostructured iterations carries profound importance due to their extraordinary mechanical and physical properties. Among the array of methods available, solid-state milling stands out as the most efficient approach for crafting HEAs with a nanostructured configuration. In the journey for innovative materials, the effective combination of mechanical alloying (MA) and spark plasma sintering (SPS) stands out as the leading method, paving the way for the development of extensive nanocrystalline composites in the field of HEAs. Understanding the impact of each variable parameter during the MA process on the production of these alloys is crucial, even though certain properties have been investigated individually thus far. Therefore, in addition to an in-depth examination of the influence of various parameters during the MA process, this review has also delved into primary methods for phase prediction, SPS conditions optimization, and the investigation of properties of nanostructured HEAs. The resultant nanocrystalline HEAs exhibit great potential across a range of applications owing to their distinctive amalgamation of mechanical robustness, thermal resilience, and the possibility of novel properties.

Using different volumetric energy densities (Ev), the microstructure, texture, and defect evolution in laser-powder bed fused (PBF-LB/M) Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-2Mo (Ti-6242) alloy is studied. PBF-LB/M Ti-6242 rods were manufactured using different Evranging from 41.67 to 66.67 J/mm3. The Evis varied by setting the scan speed to 1000 mm/s, 1200 mm/s, 1400 mm/s, and 1600 mm/s. The mechanical properties (yield strength, tensile strength, and strain at fracture) were then studied under quasi-static loading conditions. It is observed that the strength of the sample printed using the lowest Evis lower than the other conditions due to the formation of the lack of fusion defects. In addition, the sample printed with the highest Evconsists of redeposited process by-products that result in the lowest ductility. The microstructure and texture of the samples were studied using electron backscatter diffraction. The results show that microstructural features including α′ lath width, dislocation density, and lath orientation (texture) were almost identical under different Ev. Therefore, the variations in mechanical properties may not controlled completely by the microstructure. The defect analysis is conducted employing X-ray computed tomography. The defect characteristics change from keyhole to lack of fusion by varying the Ev. The volume fraction of defects in the samples is in the range of 0.0005–0.007%, which seems to be negligible. However, the fractography analysis shows the dominance of defects in controlling the mechanical properties. This study proves the sensitivity of PBF-LB/M Ti-6242 to defects as the mechanical properties were defect-driven rather than microstructure-driven.

In the present work, a 3D finite element model was created using the commercial ABAQUS software to analyze the selective laser melting process of AlSi10Mg powder in a bidirectional multi-track, multi-layer configuration. The focus of this investigation was to examine distribution of temperature, melt pool geometry, thermal history, and the temperature change rate. To improve the accuracy of the results, the enhanced thermal conductivity was utilized to incorporate the Marangoni convection effect. The results revealed that, in the initial track, the maximum temperature and dimensions of the melt pool increased, ultimately reaching a plateau as the deposited path extended. However, using a bidirectional scan strategy, the maximum temperature at the second track reached its peak and then stabilized. While the maximum heating and cooling rates in the first track showed a nearly identical trend, both parameters decreased at the beginning of the second track and then began to rise again. It can be attributed to the overlapping of the molten zone between the first and second tracks. With an increase in the number of tracks, the maximum temperature, melt pool width, and depth increased until they reached a steady state, with specific values of 2093 K, 258 μm, and 150 μm, respectively. Introducing more layers initially caused an increase in the maximum temperature and dimensions of the melt pool, which eventually reached a steady-state condition. Finally, temperature distribution of the steady-state simulated melt pool was found to match with thermal behavior and eutectic Si features of the experimental sample.

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) is a nutritious grain, with balanced composition of amino acids, and a facultative halophyte. Under greenhouse conditions, we assessed 148 quinoa accessions from the USDA genebank for grain weight, phenological, and morphological characteristics. For all traits, the analysis of variance revealed a significant difference among accessions. The accessions matured as late as 146 days after planting and produced grain weight up to 19.6 g/plant. Days to maturity showed negative correlation with grain weight per plant, whereas the number of branches was positively correlated with grain weight per plant. By adopting the NsiI/BfaI combination to enhance the genotyping‐by‐sequencing technique, we were able to generate 59,248 filtered single nucleotide polymorphism markers by mapping to the reference genome. Molecular markers showed an average heterozygosity of 11.76% across the accessions with a range of 4.9%–21.9%. The first two principal component analyses (PCAs) explained nearly 50% of molecular markers. The genetic diversity analysis using PCA revealed the presence of four main groups. Groups A and B consisted of mainly Bolivian and Peruvian accessions with relatively slower maturity and taller plant stature. In contrast, groups C and D were mainly accessions registered from USA and Chile with relatively faster maturity and shorter plant stature. Groups C and D together have shown far more private single nucleotide polymorphisms than accessions in A and B groups, indicating the higher levels of diversity within these groups and more levels of similarities among individuals of A and B groups. Marker‐trait association revealed significant markers for grain weight per plant and days to flowering. We only analyzed linkage disequilibrium on the scaffolds that harbor these marker‐trait associations. LD expressed in r2persisted as high as 0.2 in ranges greater than 600 kb for scaffold 1992 but dropped more quickly for scaffold 1843. These phenotypic and genotypic resources will serve as a reference for the cataloging and conservation of germplasm and, for the selection of a core collection for the improvement of quinoa to address food security. The entire (n= 148) quinoa accessions of USDA NC7 were evaluated in greenhouse environment for phenotypic traits.Genotyping‐by‐sequencing resulted in 59,248 single nucleotide polymorphism markers.Principal component analysis revealed four germplasm groups.Marker‐trait associations showed significant hits for grain weigh and flowering time.

Efficient determination of proteinogenic amino acid is of great relevance, and evaluating the intrinsic interaction of this amino acid of interest with nanotubes play a crucial role in adsorption and sensing mechanism, and in determining proteinogenic amino acid measurement index. As such, the study apparently sought to examine the adsorption of the proteinogenic amino acid (proline) on the bare surfaces of carbon boron nitride, boron nitride, and boron nitride doped with the aluminum element nanotubes. In accordant with the geometric optimization, different dispersion models: PBE0, ωB97XD, M06‐2X, and B3LYP‐D3(GD3BJ) were used; note that the latter is used only in wave function analysis studies. Studies show that the strongest adsorption belongs to boron nitride nanotubes doped with aluminum (BNAldopNT), with similar and more negative adsorption energy of ‐0.719, ‐1.393, ‐1.001, and ‐1.098eV respectively for the various benchmarked functionals utilized in the study. Then the highest energy and adsorption strength was obtained for the boron nitride nanotube (BNNT), and at the end is the carbon boron nitride nanotube (i.e. BNAldopNT > BNNT > BC2NNT). As such, in tandem with the energetic analysis carried out suggests that BNAldopNT might be a potent and preferred candidate for the adsorption of the proteinogenic amino acid (proline molecule)among other studied nanotubes, with respect to their respective adsorption energy values

Diabetes is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide, and affects people regardless of country, age group, or sex. Using the most recent evidentiary and analytical framework from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD), we produced location-specific, age-specific, and sex-specific estimates of diabetes prevalence and burden from 1990 to 2021, the proportion of type 1 and type 2 diabetes in 2021, the proportion of the type 2 diabetes burden attributable to selected risk factors, and projections of diabetes prevalence through 2050.

ABSTRACT Concrete in structures cannot be reliably simulated by computer under nonlinear triaxial stress state due to the lack of an appropriate constitutive relationship of concrete. When a continuum mechanics [...]

Soft vibrotactile devices have the potential to expand the functionality of emerging electronic skin technologies. However, those devices often lack the necessary overall performance, sensing-actuation feedback and control, and mechanical compliance for seamless integration on the skin. Here, we present soft haptic electromagnetic actuators that consist of intrinsically stretchable conductors, pressure-sensitive conductive foams, and soft magnetic composites. To minimize joule heating, high-performance stretchable composite conductors are developed based on in situ-grown silver nanoparticles formed within the silver flake framework. The conductors are laser-patterned to form soft and densely packed coils to further minimize heating. Soft pressure-sensitive conducting polymer-cellulose foams are developed and integrated to tune the resonance frequency and to provide internal resonator amplitude sensing in the resonators. The above components together with a soft magnet are assembled into soft vibrotactile devices providing high-performance actuation combined with amplitude sensing. We believe that soft haptic devices will be an essential component in future developments of multifunctional electronic skin for future human–computer and human–robotic interfaces.

For many industries, reducing the weight and increasing the strength of structural parts are of utmost importance, especially in the transportation sector. With the availability and improvements in additive manufacturing, new lightweight designs can be fabricated more easily, lattice structures being the most common. This is the reason that research on lattice structures has increased to reduce weight and increase strength. The research presented in this paper includes the creation of a new lattice structure design and optimization framework that develops and optimizes fully heterogeneous lattice structures using global optimization algorithms. This paper also compares two global optimization algorithms, the genetic algorithm (GA) and the compact genetic algorithm (cGA), to determine which algorithm is better suited for the design and optimization framework. The results of the various tests performed for this comparison show that the cGA can find better-performing structures and use less computation time than the GA. Some of the best structures produced by the cGA, during the tests, have observable patterns that seem to improve their mechanical performance.

Pavement distress is a major contributor to overall road quality degradation. Maintaining roadways with the use of a Pavement Management System requires an extensive and up-to-date inventory of the many types of roadway distress. Such inventory for a road network can be labor-intensive and time-consuming to create. This study introduces a novel method, called Hybrid Method, to detect asphalt pavement surface cracks based on 2D images. Hybrid Method consists of two separate techniques, proposed by this study, which are combined to detect cracks. The first is a supervised learning-based technique which requires annotated images. This approach utilizes the Local Binary Pattern (LBP) as a texture descriptor algorithm to encode image data. Random Forest is the classifier, employed to learn from the extracted LBP features and predict new observations. The second, density-based technique, relies primarily on thresholding. This technique searches for crack objects iteratively while considering their spatial and geometric properties. These techniques were merged to create a hybrid crack detection method that was found to be effective for detecting pavement surface cracks. Four datasets were analyzed using the proposed Hybrid Method, which resulted in an average precision, recall, and F1 scores of 90%, 78%, and 84%, respectively. The results suggest that the Hybrid Method performed well in challenging situations, such as images with shadows, road markings, and oil stains. Its performance on images of different resolutions, pavement textures, and lighting conditions was remarkable as well.

Hydrate phase equilibrium data on mixed ternary gas systems, including low-concentration hydrogen sulfide in the presence of inhibitors, are very limited in the literature. In this study, we experimentally investigated the effect of combined monoethylene glycol and brine (containing sodium chloride or calcium chloride salts) on inhibiting ternary sour gas hydrate (CH4+ C3H8+ H2S) formation. The hydrate formation experiments were performed in the temperature and pressure ranges of 276.75–296.05 K and 2.29–12.08 MPa, respectively, using the isochoric method with stepwise heating. In addition, a comparison between the experimental data and commercial software (HydraFlash) was performed. Furthermore, the experimental results were compared with the published data of the same ternary systems (without inhibitors) to show the impact of low-concentration hydrogen sulfide on hydrate formation. The results indicated that the presence of various inhibitors in the system led to a change in the equilibrium curve of the ternary sour hydrate to the left side of the equilibrium curve, indicating the thermodynamic inhibition effect. Also, the hydrate inhibition performance of our mixed aqueous inhibitor systems can be summarized as follows: (20 wt % MEG + 10 wt % NaCl) > (20 wt % MEG + 6 wt % CaCl2+ 4 wt % NaCl) > (20 wt % MEG + 10 wt % CaCl2) > (20 wt % MEG) > (DW). Moreover, decreasing the hydrogen sulfide concentration to the 0.01 mole fraction in the feed gas leads to a shift in the sour gas hydrate equilibrium curve to areas with lower temperatures and higher pressures. Finally, the experimental data obtained for all systems with an average total absolute deviation% of 0.12 had an acceptable agreement with the prediction of HydraFlash software.

A novel sorbent was synthesized based on MIL-53(Al) MOF grown over an aminoclay (AC) platform, called MIL-53(Al)@AC nanocomposite, via a green and facile hydrothermal method. The nanocomposite was characterized using FT-IR, PXRD, BET, TEM, FESEM, EDS, XPS, TGA, DLS, and zeta potential analyses. BET analysis represented the porous nature and great surface area of MIL-53(Al)@AC. The high crystalline structure for the synthesized nanocomposite was verified using the PXRD pattern. FESEM, EDS, TEM, and XPS analysis proved the successful decoration of MIL-53(Al) over the AC platform. Cephalosporin antibiotics cefixime (CFX) and cephalexin (CPX), which are often present in wastewaters, were utilized to examine the sorption capacity of the nanocomposite. The significant influential factors such as pH, temperature, sorbent amount, ionic strength, and impurity were discussed. At an initial pH of 7.0 ± 0.1, the highest sorption capacities of CFX and CPX on MIL-53(Al)@AC were 784.14 and 747.91 mg g–1(T= 298 K, and sorbent amount = 0.1 g L–1), which were 1.43 and 1.47 times greater compared to that of MIL-53(Al), respectively. The evaluation of experimental results was implemented through the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm equations. The isothermal data were described nobly by the Freundlich isotherm, which confirmed multilayer adsorption on heterogeneous surfaces (R2> 0.970). A kinetic study indicated that the nanocomposite could adsorb the majority of cephalosporin antibiotics within 30 min. In addition, the experimental data were evaluated via pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, and intraparticle diffusion models. The results indicated that the pseudo-second-order equation agreed more closely with the kinetic data (R2> 0.990). Furthermore, the processes of adsorption were exothermic and spontaneous. The electrostatic attraction, hydrophobic interaction, π–π electron donor–acceptor effect, H-bond, and π–π stacking constituted the main sorption mechanisms. Finally, MIL-53(Al)@AC presented an excellent regeneration performance. Thus, the results revealed the potential application of the MIL-53(Al)@AC nanocomposite for water remediation.

In this article, the power fluctuation problem caused by adding renewable energy sources to microgrids (MGs) is addressed. These power fluctuations which can cause several adverse effects, including system instability, load shedding, and eventually blackouts are attenuated by designing a load frequency controller (LFC) to provide a constant and uniform frequency in different operation cases of MGs. This article designs a dynamic output feedback controller (DOFC) for LFC in MGs while considering the contraction observer for attack mitigation. We suggest a new formulation of the sufficient conditions for the DOFC design problem in the form of bilinear matrix inequalities (BMIs) and try to minimize the frequency deviation subject to load, solar, and wind energy changes. The proposed formulation effectively changes the problem to a new BMI model which can easily be divided into two problems, one is a convex optimization problem and the remained part is a quadratic matrix inequality problem which is linearized around the feasible solution of the linear matrix inequality part by a Taylor-like expansion. This leads to a more exact and less conservative solution as compared to the previous methods suggested in the literature. To illustrate the merits of the developed approach, numerical simulations on a sample ac–MG are carried out. Comparing norms of the frequency variations in the closed-loop system with multiple prominent methods in previous works, including ${{\boldsymbol{H}}_\infty }, \ {\boldsymbol{\mu }}$, fuzzy type-1, and intelligent-PI, shows that our proposed method reduces the two and infinity norms of frequency fluctuations by 84% and 80%, respectively compared to the traditional ${{\boldsymbol{H}}_\infty }$ method which is the best among the analyzed approaches. This further verifies the efficacy of the designed DOFC in our article.

Density functional techniques (DFT) were used to research the existence of intermolecular interactions between the gas molecule 1-Chloro-1,2,2,2-tetrafluoroethane (HCFC-124) and the single-walled boron nitride nanosheets doped with pristine, aluminum and galium (BNNS). PBE0, M06-2X, ωB97XD, and B3LYP-D3, functional calculations were applied for both isolated and complex structures to perform the optimization process. Along with split-valence triple-zeta basis sets of d-type and Cartesian-Gaussian polarization functions with 6-311G(d, p) basis set were performed in all. Electronic structure, total state density (DOS), natural bond orbital (NBO), quantum atom theory in molecules (QTAIM), and non-covalent interaction (NCI) analyses were investigated to study the intermolecular interaction of nanosheets with gas molecules. The results show that when the dopant atom was introduced to the BNNS, interactions at the HOMO–LUMO energy gap (HLG) were significantly altered. Eventually, optical properties are highly influenced by the mechanism of interaction in which, as a result of interaction with the proposed pristine nanosheets, the absorption spectrum (HCFC-124) receives a salient signal. This comparative study predicts that Al-doped BNNS is the most desirable material for designing a nanosensor that designs a sensitive nanosensor among all the absorbents.

Antibiotic contaminants in water and wastewater can cause serious damage to the environment and human health. Hence, their effective removal from water matrices is crucial. Effective removal of antibiotics using the adsorption process is a promising technique thanks to its easy regeneration, low cost, and high efficiency. In this work, the adsorption of amoxicillin (AMX) was investigated on a synthesized flexible metal–organic framework MIL-53(Al). The MIL-53(Al) adsorbent with a high surface area was synthesized using the hydrothermal method. It was then characterized by N2adsorption–desorption, FE-SEM, TEM, XRD, FT-IR, EDS, and TG analyses. The batch adsorption experiments were performed to examine the effects of solution pH, ionic strength, contact time, adsorbent dosage, and initial AMX concentration. Furthermore, the adsorption mechanism and adsorption kinetics as well as isotherms were studied experimentally. The adsorption kinetics indicated that the adsorption process was more compatible with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The equilibrium adsorption data were well fitted using the Langmuir model. The MIL-53(Al) exhibited an excellent saturated adsorption capacity of 758.5 mg g–1at 303 K and pH = 7.5 ± 0.1, surpassing all previous reported MOF-based adsorbents. The adsorption process was spontaneous and exothermic, although the entropy value decreased during the adsorption process. Furthermore, the MIL-53(Al) adsorbent had a good regeneration and reusability such that the adsorption capacity diminished slightly after reuse for four cycles. These results revealed that MIL-53(Al) would be a promising adsorbent for the adsorption of AMX from water matrices for environmental protection.

GPS receiver is the source of synchronization in phasor measurement unit (PMU) networks. While it guarantees time precision, it is vulnerable to cyberattacks, which may modify the time offset and results in mismatches in time. This modification (GPS spoofing attack) changes the phase angle of signals measured by PMU. This article deals with three important challenges in GPS spoofing attack detection; first, multiattack detection while there are probable attacks on different PMUs, second, attack detection considering the dynamic model of power systems, and third, measurement correction. For providing solution to the abovementioned problems, an anti-GPS spoofing attack mechanism is suggested, in which, a dynamic filter with the help of PMU and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems measurements estimate the phase shifts caused by spoofing attacks. The results of data fusion of PMUs and SCADA in the detection method are shown. Numerical results demonstrate that this approach can detect dynamic spoofing attacks in a reasonable time and as soon as multiple attacks are detected, corrected measurements are provided.

The practical and widespread application of photocatalysts is limited by the problem of visible-light absorption, the immediate recombination of photogenerated electron–hole pairs, and the low number of active sites on their surface. We synthesized a series of novel TiO2QDs/ZnBi2O4nanocomposites through the hydrothermal method to overcome these problems. The formation of nanocomposites and their features were investigated by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, photocurrent, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, photoluminescence, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller, ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflection spectroscopy, and total organic carbon techniques. Among the different ratios of nanocomposites, the TiO2QDs/ZnBi2O4(10%) displayed the highest photocatalytic activity under visible-light irradiation, and the corresponding rhodamine B (RhB) degradation rate constant was 1022 × 10–4min–1, which was nearly 77 and 5.9 times that of the TiO2and TiO2QD samples, respectively. In light of the mechanism study, the photocatalytic activity improvement can be ascribed to the p–n heterojunction formation, which led to an increase in the visible-light absorption, suppression of electron–hole recombination, and promotion of charge-carrier transfer. h+, •O2–, and •OH were also identified as active species responsible for RhB photodegradation through the scavenging test. Phenol, Congo red, malachite green, and methyl orange were also degraded as various pollutants to ensure the prepared nanocomposites’ potential for practical applications. The nanocomposite stability was assessed during reuse evaluation experiments and showed good stability after four consecutive cycles. This work proposes a novel nanocomposite and provides an overview of its features for future applications.

The ability to screen larger populations with fewer replicates and non-destructive measurements is one advantage of high-throughput phenotyping (HTP) over traditional phenotyping techniques. In this study, two wheat accessions were grown in a controlled-environment with a moderate drought imposed from stem elongation to post-anthesis. Red-green-blue (RGB) imaging was performed on 17 of the 22 d following the start of drought imposition. Destructive measurements from all plants were performed at the conclusion of the experiment. The effect of line was significant for shoot dry matter, spike dry matter, root dry matter, and tiller number, while the water treatment was significant on shoot dry matter and root dry matter. The temporal, non-destructive nature of HTP allowed the drought treatment to be significantly differentiated from the well-watered treatment after 6 d in a line from Argentina and 9 d in a line from Chile. This difference of 3 d indicated an increased degree of drought tolerance in the line from Chile. Furthermore, HTP from the final day of imaging accurately predicted reference plant height (r=1), shoot dry matter (r=0.95) and tiller number (r=0.91). This experiment illustrates the potential of HTP and its use in modeling plant growth and development.

The densification behavior and mechanical properties of spark plasma sintered titanium-molybdenum alloys were investigated in this paper. All Ti-(4, 8, 12, 16, and 20 wt%) Mo samples were sintered at 1200 °C for 5 min under 50 MPa. A significant relative density of 99.9% was secured for the Ti-based alloy with 16 wt.% Mo. The overall trend of hardness was similar to that of the relative density as Ti-16 wt.% Mo alloy showed the highest hardness values of 372 HV30and 592 HV0.3in macro (30 kg) and micro scales (300 g), respectively. Maximum ultimate tensile strength values (852 MPa at room temperature and 600 MPa at 600 ℃) belonged to the Ti-8 wt.% Mo sample. Such an observation was related to the formation of β-Ti phase and the strain-induced transformation phenomenon. The highest flexural strength of ∼2 GPa belonged to the Ti-12 wt.% Mo alloy, which may be a result of solid solution formation between Ti and Mo. Finally, average values of nano hardness, elastic modulus, and stiffness of various phases available in the samples with 12 and 20 wt% Mo were calculated through nano-indentation technique and the former specimen presented higher values in all the mentioned qualities.

Hessian fly is among the major pests of wheat (Triticumspp.) around the world. We evaluated 18 tetraploid (4X) or durum accessions [Triticum turgidumL. ssp. durum(Desf.) van Slageren], which were sourced from the USDA‐ARS National Small Grains Collection. Two of the most virulent strains of Hessian fly, vH9 and Biotype L, were used to assess the reaction of germplasm to larval attack. A susceptible hexaploid wheat accession (CItr 17790, also known as ‘Len’) and a resistant tetraploid wheat accession (PI 134942, which is a donor of resistance gene H33), were included as controls during the test. We confirmed previously reported resistant germplasm and identified two novel germplasm accessions that exhibited a clear resistance against vH9 and Biotype L infestation. The data showed that Trigo 87 (Reg. no. GP‐1046, PI 519832, a durum accession from Lebanon) and Iumillo (Reg. no. GP‐1047, PI 519716, a durum accession from India) are both resistant to vH9 infestation. In addition, Trigo 87 is also resistant to Biotype L infestation, while the resistance of Iumillo to Biotype L was inconclusive. These wheat lines can be used directly in durum breeding programs. Moreover, the resistance genes can be transferred to hexaploid wheat backgrounds for use especially in the eastern and southeastern United States, where few options for resistance are available.

Plant height has been a major target for selection of high-yielding varieties in wheat. Two height-reducing loci (Rht-B1and Rht-D1) have been widely used since the Green Revolution. However, these genes also negatively affect other agronomic traits such as kernel weight. Identifying alternative height-reducing loci could benefit wheat improvement. This study focused on the genetics of plant height in 260 historical and contemporary winter wheat accessions via genome-wide association studies using 38,693 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers generated through genotyping by sequencing, two Kompetitive Allele Specific Polymorphism markers, and phenotypic data recorded in two seasons (2016 and 2018). The 260 accessions showed wide variation in plant height. Most accessions developed after 1960 were shorter than earlier accessions. The broad-sense heritability for plant height was high (H2 = 0.82), which was also supported by a high correlation (r = 0.82, P < 0.0001) between heights from the two years. We detected a total of 16 marker–trait associations (MTAs) for plant height at –lg (P) ≥ 4.0 on chromosomes 1A, 2B, 2D, 3B, 4D, 5A, 5D, 6A, 6B, 7A, and 7D. We detected three of the MTAs (QPLH-2D, QPLH-4B.2, and QPLH-4D) consistently in individual-year and combined-year analyses. These MTAs individually explained 10%–16% of phenotypic variation. The height-reducing alleles at these three MTAs appeared after 1960 and increased in frequency thereafter. Among the genes near these loci were gibberellic acid insensitive (GAI) and GRAS transcription factor (GIBBERELLIC-ACID INSENSITIVE (GAI), REPRESSOR of GAI (RGA), and SCARECROW (SCR)). The evidence from this study and previous reports suggests that QPLH-2Dis Rht8. A gene encoding a GRAS transcription factor is located near QPLH-2D. Validation of the QPLH-2Dlocus and associated candidate genes awaits further study.

Wax precipitation is a significant problem in the oil and gas industry as it may cause plugging of the process equipment and transportation pipelines during oil transportation, production, and refining. Therefore, an accurate thermodynamic model for prediction of the wax appearance temperature (WAT) at especially high pressures can be helpful to deal with this problem. In this work, first, the WAT values for nine types of Iranian live crude oils were measured using a PVT cell equipped with a solids detection system (SDS). Then, an improved thermodynamic model based on the multi-solid (MS) model of wax precipitation, which was coupled with the chain form of the statistical associating fluid theory (PC-SAFT) equation of state (EOS), was developed to correlate the measured experimental data. Also, the MS model of wax precipitation was coupled with the Peng–Robinson (PR) EOS to be compared with the proposed model. Solid–liquid equilibria (SLE) were employed for the pressures above the bubble curve, and vapor–liquid–solid equilibria (VLSE) were utilized below the bubble curve in the P-Tdiagram. In the proposed model, the crude oil was considered as a mixture of the paraffinic, naphthenic, and aromatic fractions, and the plus fraction has been characterized using the three-parameter gamma probability function theory, to improve the characterization of the previous models based on two-parameter gamma probability function theory. The results of the experiments indicated that the WAT values decreased by increasing the pressure at the lower range of pressures. Also, the correlated values show that the proposed model based on PC-SAFT EOS with the correlated parameters can predict the WAT values better than the MS model with PR EOS with the %AAD below %1 at a wide range of pressures.

Zn-Al layered double hydroxide/zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (Zn-Al LDH/ZIF-8) nanocomposite was synthesized through growing zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) on Zn-Al layered double hydroxide and employed as an effective pollutant adsorbent. The nanocomposite was utilized for the removal of Ifosfamide (IF) and cyclophosphamide (CK) anticancer drugs from aqueous matrices. Zn-Al LDH/ZIF-8 nanocomposite was characterized via different analyses such as Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Elemental mapping, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, Field emission scanning electron microscopy, Transmission electron microscopy, Thermogravimetric analysis, and Contact angle measurement. Batch experiments were implemented to investigate the parameters affecting the adsorption process, including adsorbent loading, pH value, ionic strength, initial pollutant concentration, temperature, and impurity. The experimental results were analyzed using various models to determine the adsorption mechanism, thermodynamics, isotherm, and kinetics. The Langmuir isotherm model presented higher consistency with the experimental data (R2>0.990). The saturation adsorption capacity of the nanocomposite for IF and CK drugs, obtained as 929.66 and 888.94 mg/g, respectively, was found to be higher than those for ZIF-8 (759.70 and 724.53 mg/g, respectively) at a temperature of 298 ± 1 K and pH of 7.5 ± 0.1. The kinetic data had a better fit with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model (R2>0.980). Thermodynamic studies revealed that the adsorption process was exothermic and spontaneous. The mechanism of adsorption was attributed to electrostatic interactions, hydrophobic forces, H-bonding, π-π stacking, and π-π electron-donor acceptor. Additionally, after performing four adsorption-desorption cycles, the nanocomposite indicated only a 9.3% reduction in the adsorption capacity, demonstrating the promising potential of this, for industrial applications.

A rapidly evolving design technology in additive manufacturing is microlattice (or microarchitectured) materials. Investigating the performance of microlattices under different loading conditions is a key element for implementing this new technology into mechanical components used in different industries. In this paper, the mechanical behavior of five different microlattices under four standard modes of loading along with a combined loading scenario was investigated. The four standard modes of loading that were considered are tension, compression, simple shear, and bending. The combined loading scenario was simultaneous shear and compression. The lattice structures (i.e. octet-truss, diamond, pyramid, block lattice truss, and cubic truss) were modeled and meshed using Autodesk Inventor and Fusion 360. Constraints and the elastic loading conditions for the structures were applied to the models in Fusion 360 and static finite element simulations were performed using Autodesk Nastran software. The results of all simulations were collated and a performance function was derived from the maximum stress and stiffness results and mass of the structures. The two highest performing structures (octet-truss and cubic lattice) according to the derived metric were then combined. The octet lattice performed well under shear and the combined loading cases, while the cubic lattice performed well under tension, compression, and bending. Simulations were repeated and the performance metric was then used to show that the combination of these structures, known as the Warren truss, had improved performance as a result.

This study examines the impact of low-temperature heat-treatment on the microstructure and corrosion performance of direct metal laser sintered (DMLS)-AlSi10Mg alloy. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to determine the phase(s) transition temperatures in the alloy. Two exothermic phenomena were detected and associated with the Mg2Si precipitation and Si phase precipitation in the as-printed alloy. Based on DSC results, thermal-treatments including below and above the active Si precipitation temperature at 200 °C and 300 °C, respectively, and 350 °C as an upper limit temperature for 3 h were applied to the as-printed samples. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed that heat-treatment from 200 °C to 350 °C promotes the homogeneity of the microstructure, characterized by uniform distribution of eutectic Si in α-Al matrix. To investigate the impact of the applied heat-treatment cycles on corrosion resistance of DMLS-AlSi10Mg at early stage of immersion, anodic polarization testing and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were performed in aerated 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution. The results revealed more uniformly distributed pitting attack on the corroded surfaces by increasing the heat-treatment temperature up to 300 °C, attributed to the more protective nature of the spontaneously air-formed passive layer on the surface of the alloy at initial immersion time. Further increase of the heat treatment temperature to 350 °C induced severe localized corrosion attacks near the coarse Si particles, ascribed to the increased potential difference between the coalesced Si particles and aluminum matrix galvanic couple. In comparison, the corrosion of the as-printed and 200 °C heat treated samples was characterized by a penetrating selective attack along the melt pool boundaries, leading to a higher corrosion current density and an active surface at early exposure, associated with the weakness of the existing passive film on their surfaces.

Microstructure of an additively manufactured AlSi10Mg through direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) process is studied using multi-scale characterization techniques including scanning electron microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. The microstructure of DMLS-AlSi10Mg consists of hierarchical characteristics, spanning three order of magnitude, where nanometer sized to sub-millimeter scaled features exist in the structure. These characteristics included grain and cell structures, nanoscale Si precipitates and pre-existing dislocation networks. Dynamic mechanical behavior of the material is studied using a Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar apparatus over a range of strain rates varying between 800 s−1and 3200 s−1. Investigation of the deformed microstructures reveals the role of hierarchical microstructure on the dynamic behavior of the material. The high strain-rate deformation is accommodated by dynamic recovery (DRV) process, where low angle grain boundaries evolve due to the generation of dislocations, evolution of dislocation networks, and annihilation of dislocations. Both cell walls and Si precipitates contribute to impeding the dislocation motion and development of dislocation networks. At high strain rates, dislocation networks evolve in the nanoscale DRVed subgrains.

Proper choice of parents for breeding populations is essential in developing new maize (Zea maysL.) inbreds for improved hybrid performance. Breeders have frequently chosen parental combinations based on mid‐parent (MP) value, or predicted progeny mean, to combine favorable traits from the two parents. When two breeding populations have the same MP value, an accurate prediction of progeny variance may reveal which population has a greater potential for genetic gain. In this study we used available inbred genotypes and new hybrid phenotypes from 246 inbreds with expired Plant Variety Protection certificates and 39 historically important North American dent inbreds, all test crossed to Iodent inbred PHP02. We used the R package ‘PopVar’ to simulate biparental populations and perform genome‐wide prediction to predict the progeny mean, genetic variance, and superior progeny mean for grain yield, grain moisture, and test weight within each virtual population. Breeding crosses were ranked based on the mean grain yield of superior progeny and correlated trait responses for test weight and moisture. Results show that combining germplasm from different proprietors in new breeding crosses can produce inbreds with improved performance in a hybrid test cross. The simulation and prediction model presented in this study may help breeders to identify parental pairs with the greatest potential for genetic gain in hybrid crop breeding programs.

In this study, the effect of initial water saturation on the oil recovery for carbonate rocks is investigated using spontaneous imbibition experiments. The experiments are performed using 20 times diluted sea water as imbibing fluid and the sea water as initial water. In addition, the impact of pH and Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+,and K+cations concentration change of imbibing fluid are investigated during tests. These results help to identify the active cations in the wettability alteration process of carbonate rocks during the low-salinity water injection. A mechanism is proposed to describe the effect of initial water saturation on the oil recovery by low-salinity water injection. The impact of initial water saturation on the wettability alteration might be positive or negative depending on its value and the rock permeability. The comparison of divalent cations concentrations shows that the minimum adsorption of Ca2+and maximum desorption of Mg2+lead to maximum oil recovery of spontaneous imbibition. The results confirm that three cations of Ca2+, Mg2+, and Na+are active for wettability alteration of carbonate rocks in the presence of sea water as initial water and diluted sea as imbibing fluid, whilst the amounts of potassium remain constant.

Market changes in the malting and brewing industries have increased the demand for locally produced barley (Hordeum vulgareL.) in many regions across North America. Breeding for productive barley cultivars in diverse growing environments is complicated by genotype × environment interactions (GEIs), which can make selection for broad adaptation difficult but may be exploited to select optimal cultivars for each environment. Genomewide selection has recently become a useful tool to make efficient selections on individuals using genomewide marker data. To support the use of genomewide selection to breed locally adapted barley cultivars, the University of Minnesota barley breeding program is publicly releasing a panel of two‐row barley lines, and accompanying data, called the S2MET (Spring Two‐Row Multi‐Environment Trial) (Reg. No. MP‐2, NSL 526938 MAP). The S2MET includes 233 breeding lines grouped into a 183‐line training population and a 50‐line validation population. The entire panel was genotyped using genotyping‐by‐sequencing and phenotyped for 14 important traits in 44 location‐year environments between 2015 and 2017. All data are freely available at the Triticeae Toolbox (https://triticeaetoolbox.org/barley/), and we describe several on‐tap projects and breeding advances that are exploiting this resource. We believe this panel and dataset will be useful for answering important breeding questions related to genomewide selection and GEIs and developing locally superior barley cultivars.

Although grain yield is the most important trait for growers, milling and baking industries demand high‐quality and scab‐free grains for various end products. To accelerate breeding of wheat (Triticum aestivumL.) cultivars with high grain quality, genetic dissection of quality traits is necessary. Genome‐wide association studies (GWAS) were conducted to identify genomic regions responsible for milling and baking quality traits in soft red winter wheat (SRWW). Seven quality traits were evaluated in two locations and 2 yr for 270 elite SRWW lines. These traits include flour yield, softness equivalent, flour protein, and four solvent (lactose, sodium carbonate, sucrose, and water) retention capacity measurements. In this study, 27,449 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers were developed by using both genotyping‐by‐sequencing and 90K SNP array technologies. A linear mixed model in GWAS, accounting for population structure and kinship, was fitted to identify 18 [−log(P) ≥ 4.0] genomic regions on 12 different chromosomes associated with the quality traits. Only one of these associations seems to be a previously identified quantitative trait locus, whereas others are novel associations. The most significant associations for quality traits were identified on chromosomes 1B, 2A, 2B, 4B, 5A, 7A, and 7D. Candidate gene searches, facilitated by the wheat genome assembly, led us to the identification of putative genes related to SRWW quality traits including fasciclin‐like arabinogalactan. The results of this study can be used in developing high‐quality SRWW varieties for the eastern region of the United States.

In the current study, cylindrical samples of AlSi10Mg alloy were fabricated using direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) technique in vertical and horizontal directions. The microstructure of the samples was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. It was observed that, by changing the building direction from vertical to horizontal, columnar to equiaxed transition (CET) occurred in the alloy. While 75% of the grains in the vertical sample were columnar, by changing the direction to horizontal, 49% of the grains evolved with columnar shape and 51% of them were equiaxed. Moreover, the texture of DMLS-AlSi10Mg alloy changed due to CET. While {001} fiber texture evolved in the vertical sample, the <001> direction tilted away from the building direction in the horizontal one. Using the fundamentals of solidification and constitutional undercooling, the solidification behavior of AlSi10Mg alloy during DMLS process was modeled. It was observed that, the determinant parameter in CET during DMLS of AlSi10Mg alloy is the angle between the nominal growth rate and direction of the growing dendrite, which is controlled by the geometry and building direction of the sample. Further TEM studies confirmed that, CET alters the shape and coherency of Si precipitates and dislocation density inside the α-Al dendrites in DMLS-AlSi10Mg alloy.

Rod shaped samples of AlSi10Mg additively manufactured using recycled powder through direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) process showed higher quasi-static uniaxial tensile strength in both horizontal and vertical build directions than those of cast counterpart alloy. In addition, they offered mechanical properties within the range of other additively manufactured counterparts. TEM showed that the microstructure of the as-built samples comprised of cell-like structures featured by dislocation networks and Si precipitates. HRTEM studies revealed the semi-coherency characteristics of the Si precipitates. After deformation, the dislocation density increased as a result of generation of new dislocations due to dislocation motion. The dislocations bypassed the precipitates by bowing around them and penetrating the semi-coherent precipitates. Strengthening of recycled DMLS-AlSi10Mg alloys manufactured in both directions was attributed to Orowan mechanism (due to existence of Si precipitates), Hall-Petch effect (due to eutectic cell walls), and dislocation hardening (due to pre-existing dislocation networks). Due to the slightly different microstructure, the contribution of each strengthening mechanism was slightly different in identical samples made with virgin powder.

•Three different AlSi10Mg_200C samples with near optimum process parameters were built.•AlSi10Mg_200C samples with very low surface roughness were produced.•AlSi10Mg_200C samples also possessed very low porosity levels.•OM and SEM Microscopy analyses were performed to investigate causality.

AbstractRegarding the complex behaviour of price signalling, its prediction is difficult, where an accurate forecasting can play an important role in electricity markets. In this paper, a feature selection based on mutual information is implemented for day ahead prediction of electricity prices, which are so valuable for determining the redundancy and relevancy of selected features. A combination of wavelet transform (WT) and a hybrid forecast method is presented based on a neural network (NN). Furthermore, an intelligent algorithm is considered for a prediction process to set the proposed forecast engine free parameters based NN. This optimisation process improved the accuracy of the proposed model. To demonstrate the validity of this model, the Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland (PJM) electricity market is considered as a test case and compared with some of the most recent price forecast methods. These comparisons illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed strategy.

ABSTRACTA total of 240 Hy-Line 40-week-old Salmonella-free layers were assigned to 5 dietary treatments composed of 12 replications, with 4 laying hens per replications in a 5-week experiment trial on laying hens challenged with Salmonella gallinarum.Dietary treatment comprised: (1) NC, basal diet; (2) PC, NC + oral S. gallinarumadministration; (3) B8, PC + 0.1% Bacillus subtilis(108cfu/g); (4) B9, PC + 0.1% B. subtilis(109cfu/g) and (5) B10, PC + 0.1% B. subtilis(1010cfu/g). B. subtilisgroups reduced the population of S. gallinarumin both large intestine and excreta compared with PC laying hens. The population of S. gallinarumin challenged laying hens fed B. subtiliswas significantly lower in small intestine, large intestine and excreta. In the small intestine, Lactobacilluspopulation was higher in B10 compared with PC. Addition of B. subtilisimproved eggshell thickness. Egg shell strength showed an improvement in week 5 and it was higher in B9 and B10 compared with PC. Haptoglobin concentration was higher in the PC group compared with other groups. In conclusion, diets supplemented with B. subtilisas a novel anti-salmonellabacteria show potential for decreasing S. gallinariumin the intestinal tract and improving egg gravity, eggshell strength and eggshell quality during the laying period.

Given that material handling in manufacturing systems is very important, many organisations use automatic guided vehicle (AGV). In recent years, many organisations have intended to have access to an optimal scheduling plan for their manufacturing and transportation system. For this reason, a mathematical model is proposed in this study for scheduling of the production process and AGV's allocation. Production time in any process, setup time, loaded/unloaded trip duration, parking spaces, and the discharge time and loading of products at each workstation are considered in the proposed model. Finally, a numerical example is used to explore the proposed model and it will be solved using GAMS software.

•Study of Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) causing bloodstream infections (BSIs) in Iranian children.•K. pneumoniae, E. coli, S. marcescens, P. aeruginosaand Enterobacterspp. were the most common GNB isolated from BSI.•An increasing trend in antibiotic resistance among GNB causing BSI in children was observed.•The highest rate of GNB (44.5%) was found in the ICU, especially the CICU (22%).

The uncertainties in Supply Chain Management (SCM) have increased the business requirement changes, which increase the complexity in the supply chain processes (SCP). As a result, different technologies of IT system have been emerged based on companies' business processes. Hence, managing the business process is crucial in SCM in which process modeling plays key role for analyzing and redesigning of process. Consequently, many methodologies in SCM have been developed to support the requirements for the modeling of SCP. However, they cannot cover the details of the business process in the lower level, i.e. the coordination of the SCP and their interaction, which can be addressed by service-oriented approach. Therefore, this paper aims at proposing a service-oriented methodology, which provides a new approach for supporting the business process architecture layers. The findings prove that the methodology narrows the gap between process analysts and information system developers, using the combination of modeling languages.

•The adsorption of Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) was investigated using the B3LYP-D3, PBE0, B97XD, and M06-2X functionals along with the 6-311G(d) basis set.•Weak and electrostatic type of interaction was observed due to WBI values less than 0.5 for studied adsorptions.•Our results for adsorption energy show that C59Si and C59Ge are better gas molecule adsorbers with higher intensity.•QTAIM and NCI analysis revealed non-covalent interactions for C60and C59Ge nanocages, as well as covalent interactions for C59Si.•As a result, these findings show that Hexachlorobenzene gas can be adsorbed by nanocages that have been examined.

Gastric cancer is among the leading causes of cancer related death worldwide. Patients with gastric cancer are typically asymptomatic, and diagnosed at late stages, supporting the need for the identification of novel prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers. Recently, microRNAs have emerged as molecular regulators that can play key roles in pathogenesis and progression of different malignancies, including gastric cancer. There is a growing body of evidence showing the aberrant activation of some known circulating miRNAs, e.g. let-7a, miR-21, miR-16, miR-93, miR- 103, miR-192a s well as tissue specific-miRNAs, e.g. miR-18a, miR-10b, miR-544, miR-195, miR-378, miR-34a, miR-145 in patients affected by gastric cancer, which involved with modulation of gastric-cancer-associated genes. In addition, there are mounting evidences on the value of miRNAs which are detected to be associated with drug-resistance mechanisms; suggesting their modulation as a potential approach to overcome chemo-resistance. Attuned with these facts, in this review we highlight several recent preclinical and clinical studies performed on circulating and tissue-specific miRNAs as promising biomarkers for detection of patients at early stages, prediction of prognosis, and monitoring of the patients in response to therapy.

This study reports interaction between toxic gas bromochlorodifluoromethane (BCF) and pristine and Al, Ga, P and As atom doped BN nanosheets (BNNS) using density functional theory with various functionals such as PBE0, B3LYP-D3, ωB97XD, and M06–2X with 6-311G(d) basis set. The pristine, Al, Ga, P and As doped nanosheets are denoted by BNNS, BNAlNS, BNGaNS, BNPNS, and BNAsNS respectively. Several descriptors are used to reveal the molecular interaction between the BCF and doped nanosheets. The results from density functional theory are confirmed using natural bond orbital analysis, non-covalent interactions, Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecule (QTAIM) etc. which indicates physisorption of BCF on the pristine and doped nanosheets. Gallium doped BNNS shows higher adsorption energy for BCF than Al, P and As doped BNNS. The HOMO–LUMO energy gaps are found to be 5.729, 5.739, 5.742, 4.799, and 4.535 eV for BNNS, BNAlNS, BNGaNS, BNPNS, and BNAsNS, respectively at B3LYP-D3/6-311G(d) level indicating the stability of the structures. The sensitivity of the BCF adsorption has increased for doped BNNS than pristine BNNS. The doped BNNS can be used to design the BCF gas sensor.

Predicting genetic variances of biparental populations has been a long‐standing goal for plant breeders. The ability to discriminate among crosses with similarly predicted high means but different levels of genetic variance (VG) should improve the effectiveness of breeding. We developed a procedure that uses established progeny simulation and genomic prediction strategies to predict the population mean (μ) and VG, the mean of the desired 10% of the progeny (superior progeny mean [μsp]), and correlated responses of multiple traits for biparental populations. The proposed procedure, PopVar, is herein demonstrated using a training population (TP) composed of 383 breeding lines that have been genotyped and phenotyped for yield and deoxynivalenol (DON). Marker effects estimated from the TP were used to calculate genotypic estimated breeding values (GEBVs) of 200 simulated recombinant inbred lines (RILs) per cross. Values of μ, VG, and μspwere then calculated directly from the RIL GEBVs. We found that μ explained 82 and 88% of variation in μspfor yield and DON, respectively, and adding VGto the regression model increased those respective R2values to 99.5 and 99.6%. The results of correlated response revealed that although yield and DON are unfavorably correlated, the correlation was near zero or slightly negative in some simulated crosses, indicating the potential to increase yield while decreasing DON. This work extends the current benefits of genomic selection to include the ability to design crosses that maximize genetic variance with more favorable correlations among traits. PopVar is available as an R package that researchers and breeders are encouraged to use for empirical evaluation of the methodology.

On the whole, appropriate scheduling is an extremely paramount factor in project planning. It makes planning items such as allocating resource, determining the number of contractors, maintaining, and delivering order easy. Due to its convoluted nature, scheduling new product development projects is very difficult; managers of these projects deal with complicated factors like uncertain activity duration, information flow and complex relationships. Dependency structure matrix (DSM) has been suggested to cope with these complexities. In the present study, uncertainty in estimating project duration is highlighted; therefore, input information like activity duration, information flow among activities, and the time factors are considered stochastic. Firstly, random numbers are generated based on probability distribution of inputs. Then, project duration and minimised project duration are simulated using DSM method and Monte-Carlo simulation; when simulation turns stable, the mean and variance of durations are obtained. A numerical example is provided and findings are discussed.

Thermo-mechanical vibrations of functionally graded (FG) beams are developed. Governing equations of functionally graded beams are obtained based on higher-order variation of transverse shear strain through the depth of the beam. The material properties of the functionally graded beam are assumed to vary according to power law distribution of the volume fraction of the constituents. Equations of motion and boundary condition are derived from Hamilton’s principle. Beam is assumed under uniform thermal loading and simply supported boundary condition. Analytical solution is presented, and the obtained results are compared with the existing solutions to verify the validity of the developed theories. Numerical computations are performed for a functionally graded simply supported beam with a gradient index obeying power law and the results are displayed graphically and tabular to show the effects of the gradient index, temperature rise, and geometrical parameters on the fundamental natural frequency of FG beams, indicating that natural frequency is sensitive to the gradient variation of material properties, geometrical parameters, shear deformations and temperature rise.

In the current study, the microstructural consistency in a laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) AlSi10Mg material is investigated. A rectangular sample with a height of 40 mm is fabricated through the L-PBF technique. The main aim of the study is to analyze the effect of the repeated thermal cycles on the hierarchical characteristics of the microstructure in solid state. While the top of the sample represents the material experienced the minimum numbers of repeated thermal cycles, by moving towards the bottom of the sample more repeated thermal cycles experienced by the material. The microstructure of the material is investigated in terms of the grain and cell structures, and the precipitates characteristics. It is observed that the grain and cell structures are consistent throughout the height since they develop during the solidification process and are not affected by the repeated thermal cycles. On the other hand, these repeated thermal cycles affect the characteristics of the precipitates and the chemistry of the matrix. Although the precipitates’ characteristics change under the effect of the repeated thermal cycles, these changes do not affect the strength of the material significantly.