Search

The invasion of Anopheles stephensi into Africa poses a potential threat to malaria control and elimination on the continent. However, it is not clear if the recent malaria resurgence in Ethiopia has linked to the expansion of An. stephensi. We obtained the clinical malaria case reports and malaria intervention data from the Ethiopian Ministry of Health (MoH) for the period 2001-2022. We analyzed clinical malaria hotspots and investigated the potential role of An. stephensi in the 2022 malaria outbreaks. Clinical malaria cases in Ethiopia decreased by 80%, from 5.2 million cases in 2004 to 1.0 million cases in 2018; however, cases increased steadily to 2.6 million confirmed cases in 2022. Plasmodium vivax cases and proportion have increased significantly in the past 5 years. Clinical malaria hotspots are concentrated along the western Ethiopian border areas and have grown significantly from 2017 to 2022. Major malaria outbreaks in 2022/2023 were detected in multiple sites across Ethiopia, and An. stephensi was the predominant vector in some of these sites, however, it was absence from many of the outbreak sites. The causes of recent upsurge in malaria in Ethiopia may be multi-factorial and it is a subject of further investigation.

Traditional Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line development is based on random integration (RI) of transgene that causes clonal variation and subsequent large‐scale clone screening. Therefore, site‐specific integration (SSI) of transgenes into genomic hot spots has recently emerged as an alternative method for cell line development. However, the specific mechanisms underlying hot spot site formation remain unclear. In this study, we aimed to generate landing pad (LP) cell lines via the RI of transgenes encoding fluorescent reporter proteins flanked by recombination sites to facilitate recombinase‐mediated cassette exchange. The RI‐based LP cell line expressing high reporter levels with spontaneous C12orf35 locus deletion exhibited similar reporter fluorescent protein levels compared to targeted integrants with an identical reporter LP construct at the CHO genome hot spot, the C12orf35 locus. Additionally, Resf1, a C12orf35 locus gene, knockout (KO) in the RI‐based LP cell line with conserved C12orf35 increased reporter expression levels, comparable to those in cell lines with C12orf35 locus disruption. These results indicate that the effect of SSI into the C12orf35 locus, a genomic hot spot, on high‐level transgene expression was caused by C12orf35 disruption. In contrast to C12orf35 KO, KO at other well‐known hot spot sites at specific loci of genes, including Fer1L4, Hprt1, Adgrl4, Clcc1, Dop1b, and Ddc, did not increase transgene expression. Overall, our findings suggest that C12orf35 is a promising engineering target and a hot spot for SSI‐based cell line development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flash sintering of ceramic powders is a complex process that involves electric, thermal and mechanical phenomena. Modelling should help to better understand and control it, with a view to producing safe and homogeneous parts. A finite element model that couples all relevant phenomena, including the densification and shrinkage of the sintering material, has been worked out for this purpose. This model is used here to investigate the flash sintering of disk-shaped parts. Particular attention is paid to the appearance and growth of heterogeneities within the part, known as hot spots, which are highly dependent on material and process parameters. Leads are provided for limiting the development of such heterogeneities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hot spot which is a glowing orange local area appears in RE Ba 2 Cu 3 O y (RE : rare earth) ceramic rods when a voltage higher than a certain value is applied at room temperature. After the hot spot appears, the oxygen partial pressure in the ambient atmosphere changes the current through the rod, which can be used as an oxygen sensor without the need for a heating system. In this study, the authors investigated the oxygen-sensing characteristics and the power-saving effect of the sandwich structure in which the sensor layer was stacked between insulation layers. The sample rods were prepared by the solid-state reaction at 960 °C. Materials of 5 mol% Nd 2 BaCuO 5 -added Nd 1.4 Ba 1.6 Cu 3 O y and 20 mol% Nd 1.4 Ba 1.6 Cu 3 O y -added Nd 2 BaCuO 5 were used for the sensor layer and the insulation layer, respectively. The sensitivity to the oxygen increased with increasing voltage applied to the rod. Under the condition where 17.8 V was applied to the rod with the sandwich structure and 6.6 V to the rod with the monolithic structure, the sensitivities of both rods were almost the same. The sandwich structure had a reduced current value and consumed approximately 26 % less power than the monolithic structure. The response time for the sandwich structure and the monolithic structure were comparable, meaning that the insulation layer did not impair the response time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of Internet of Things (IoT)-based heterogeneous wireless sensor network (HWSN) technology has become widespread, playing a significant role in the development of diverse human-centric applications. The role of efficient resource utilisation, particularly energy, becomes further critical in IoT-based HWSNs than it was in WSNs. Researchers have proposed numerous approaches to either increase the provisioned resources on network devices or to achieve efficient utilisation of these resources during network operations. The application of a vast proportion of such methods is either limited to homogeneous networks or to a single parameter and limited-level heterogeneity. In this work, we propose a multi-parameter and multi-level heterogeneity model along with a cluster-head rotation method that balances energy and maximizes lifetime. This method achieves up to a 57% increase in throughput to the base station, owing to improved intra-cluster communication in the IoT-based HWSN. Furthermore, for inter-cluster communication, a mathematical framework is proposed that first assesses whether the single-hop or multi-hop inter-cluster communication is more energy efficient, and then computes the region where the next energy-efficient hop should occur. Finally, a relay-role rotation method is proposed among the potential next-hop nodes. Results confirm that the proposed methods achieve 57.44%, 51.75%, and 17.63% increase in throughput of the IoT-based HWSN as compared to RLEACH, CRPFCM, and EERPMS, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Utilizing the direct current‐side electrical data resources of the photovoltaic power generation system on the FusionSolar platform, this study investigates the impact of hot spot faults on the output characteristics of photovoltaic strings and proposes a hot spot fault diagnosis method based on time series waveform characteristics. By analyzing the mechanisms of hot spot generation and evolution, as well as the characteristic differences in I–V curves and time series compared to other types of faults, the waveform variation patterns of hot spots in current and voltage time series are obtained. A function form suitable for hot spot fault waveform characteristics in time series graphs is constructed, and fault diagnosis feature vectors are extracted. Combining field operation and maintenance experience, a fuzzy reasoning fault diagnosis system is established to determine the causes and estimate the severity of hot spot faults. Experimental results indicate that hot spot faults have unique and corresponding variations in the current/voltage time series waveforms of the string output. The constructed function form can clearly represent the waveform variation patterns, and the established fuzzy reasoning system can achieve effective and reliable diagnosis of hot spot faults.

Abstract Hydrogels are formed of crosslinked polymer chains arranged in three-dimensional (3D) networks. These chains have good water-containing capacity and are soft and malleable. Hydrogels have good biocompatibility due to their significant water content, flexible structure, and numerous holes. These characteristics make them analogous to biological tissues. Despite the publication of 8700 literature related to hydrogel biomedical applications in the past 52 years (1973 ~ 2024), studies on the use of hydrogels in biomedicine are few. To gain a comprehensive understanding of their current development status, research trends, and prospects in the biomedical application field, it is imperative to conduct a thorough retrospective analysis. In this study, we employ bibliometric analysis and CiteSpace software to quantitatively and visually analyze articles published in this field. Firstly, we provide a quantitative analysis of authorship and institutional publications over the past 52 years to elucidate the fundamental development status regarding hydrogel biomedical applications. Secondly, we did visual studies on terms that are high-frequency, explosive, keyword clustering, and so on, to understand the directionality and evolution of the main research hotspots during each period. Notably, our findings emphasize that fabricating hydrogels into wound healing-promoting dressings emerges as a prominent hotspot within the application field. We anticipate that this paper will inspire researchers with novel ideas for advancing hydrogel applications in biomedicine.

Abstract Background Thailand is approaching local elimination of malaria in the eastern provinces. It has successfully reduced the number of cases over the past decade, but there are persistent transmission hot spots in and around forests. This study aimed to use data from the malaria surveillance system to describe the spatiotemporal trends of malaria in Northeast Thailand and fine-scale patterns in locally transmitted cases between 2011 and 2021. Methods Case data was stratified based on likely location of infection and parasite species. Annual Parasite Index per 1000 population (API) was calculated for different categories. Time series decomposition was performed to identify trends and seasonal patterns. Statistically significant clusters of high (hot spots) and low (cold spots) API were identified using the Getis-Ord Gi* statistic. The stability of those hot spots and the absolute change in the proportion of API density from baseline were compared by case type. Results The total number of confirmed cases experienced a non-linear decline by 96.6%, from 1061 in 2011 to 36 in 2021. There has been a decline in both Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum case numbers, with only four confirmed P. falciparum cases over the last two years—a 98.89% drop from 180 in 2011. API was generally higher in Si Sa Ket province, which had peaks every 2–3 years. There was a large outbreak in Ubon Ratchathani in 2014–2016 which had a high proportion of P. falciparum reported. The proportion of cases classified increased over the study period, and the proportion of cases classed as indigenous to the village of residence increased from 0.2% to 33.3%. There were stable hot spots of indigenous and imported cases in the south of Si Sa Ket and southeast of Ubon Ratchathani. Plasmodium vivax hot spots were observed into recent years, while those of P. falciparum decreased to zero in Ubon in 2020 and emerged in the eastern part in 2021, the same year that P. falciparum hot spots in Si Sa Ket reached zero. Conclusions There has been a large, non-linear decline in the number of malaria cases reported and an increasing proportion of cases are classed as indigenous to the patient’s village of residence. Stable hot spots of ongoing transmission in the forested border areas were identified, with transmission likely persisting because of remote location and high-risk forest-going behaviours. Future efforts should include cross-border collaboration and continued targeting of high-risk behaviours to reduce the risk of imported cases seeding local transmission.

Direct autothermal methane reforming is an energy-efficient way of hydrogen production. However, significant hot spot is always encountered near the reactor inlet, causing catalyst sinter and even reactor damage. Hence, bed temperature regulation by oxygen distributed feeding was numerically investigated using a one-dimensional heterogeneous model. Simulation results show oxygen feeding along full length of reactor leads to low methane and oxygen conversion despite avoiding hot spot. Elevating feeding temperature solves this problem, but requires extra heat. Shortening feeding length to 1/10 of reactor reduces maximum bed temperature by 100 K; Half oxygen fed into reactor inlet and the other along the length further reduces maximum bed temperature and avoids the transient runaway. Optimization results show that oxygen parabolically and totally fed along the front part of the reactor length shows better performance than that feeding half along reactor length and the other into reactor inlet. • Various O 2 feeding for autothermal methane steam reforming was studied in detail. • Maximal reactor temperature reduced avoiding runaway as 1/2 O 2 fed along 1/10 length. • O 2 parabolically fed along the front part of the reactor is the best to suppress hotspot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ultra-high-energy cosmic ray (UHECR) puzzle is reviewed under the hints of a few basic results: clustering, anisotropy, asymmetry, bending, and composition changes with energies. We show how the lightest UHECR nuclei from the nearest AGN or Star-Burst sources, located inside a few Mpc Local Sheets, may explain, at best, the observed clustering of Hot Spots at tens EeV energy. Among the possible local extragalactic candidate sources, we derived the main contribution of very few galactic sources. These are located in the Local Sheet plane within a distance of a few Mpc, ejecting UHECR at a few tens of EeV energy. UHECR also shine at lower energies of several EeV, partially feeding the Auger dipole by LMC and possibly a few nearer galactic sources. For the very recent highest energy UHECR event, if a nucleon, it may be explained by a model based on the scattering of UHE ZeV neutrinos on low-mass relic neutrinos. Such scatterings are capable of correlating, via Z boson resonance, the most distant cosmic sources above the GZK bound with such an enigmatic UHECR event. Otherwise, these extreme events, if made by the heaviest composition, could originate from the largest bending trajectory of heaviest nuclei or from nearby sources, even galactic ones. In summary, the present lightest to heavy nuclei model UHECR from the Local Sheet could successfully correlate UHECR clustering with the nearest galaxies and AGN. Heavy UHECR may shine by being widely deflected from the Local Sheet or from past galactic, GRB, or SGR explosive ejection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilizing the direct current‐side electrical data resources of the photovoltaic power generation system on the FusionSolar platform, this study investigates the impact of hot spot faults on the output characteristics of photovoltaic strings and proposes a hot spot fault diagnosis method based on time series waveform characteristics. By analyzing the mechanisms of hot spot generation and evolution, as well as the characteristic differences in I–V curves and time series compared to other types of faults, the waveform variation patterns of hot spots in current and voltage time series are obtained. A function form suitable for hot spot fault waveform characteristics in time series graphs is constructed, and fault diagnosis feature vectors are extracted. Combining field operation and maintenance experience, a fuzzy reasoning fault diagnosis system is established to determine the causes and estimate the severity of hot spot faults. Experimental results indicate that hot spot faults have unique and corresponding variations in the current/voltage time series waveforms of the string output. The constructed function form can clearly represent the waveform variation patterns, and the established fuzzy reasoning system can achieve effective and reliable diagnosis of hot spot faults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogels are formed of crosslinked polymer chains arranged in three-dimensional (3D) networks. These chains have good water-containing capacity and are soft and malleable. Hydrogels have good biocompatibility due to their significant water content, flexible structure, and numerous holes. These characteristics make them analogous to biological tissues. Despite the publication of 8700 literature related to hydrogel biomedical applications in the past 52 years (1973 ~ 2024), studies on the use of hydrogels in biomedicine are few. To gain a comprehensive understanding of their current development status, research trends, and prospects in the biomedical application field, it is imperative to conduct a thorough retrospective analysis. In this study, we employ bibliometric analysis and CiteSpace software to quantitatively and visually analyze articles published in this field. Firstly, we provide a quantitative analysis of authorship and institutional publications over the past 52 years to elucidate the fundamental development status regarding hydrogel biomedical applications. Secondly, we did visual studies on terms that are high-frequency, explosive, keyword clustering, and so on, to understand the directionality and evolution of the main research hotspots during each period. Notably, our findings emphasize that fabricating hydrogels into wound healing-promoting dressings emerges as a prominent hotspot within the application field. We anticipate that this paper will inspire researchers with novel ideas for advancing hydrogel applications in biomedicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Thailand is approaching local elimination of malaria in the eastern provinces. It has successfully reduced the number of cases over the past decade, but there are persistent transmission hot spots in and around forests. This study aimed to use data from the malaria surveillance system to describe the spatiotemporal trends of malaria in Northeast Thailand and fne-scale patterns in locally transmitted cases between 2011 and 2021. Methods Case data was stratifed based on likely location of infection and parasite species. Annual Parasite Index per 1000 population (API) was calculated for diferent categories. Time series decomposition was performed to identify trends and seasonal patterns. Statistically signifcant clusters of high (hot spots) and low (cold spots) API were identifed using the Getis-Ord Gi* statistic. The stability of those hot spots and the absolute change in the proportion of API density from baseline were compared by case type. Results The total number of confrmed cases experienced a non-linear decline by 96.6%, from 1061 in 2011 to 36 in 2021. There has been a decline in both Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum case numbers, with only four confrmed P. falciparum cases over the last two years—a 98.89% drop from 180 in 2011. API was generally higher in Si Sa Ket province, which had peaks every 2–3 years. There was a large outbreak in Ubon Ratchathani in 2014–2016 which had a high proportion of P. falciparum reported. The proportion of cases classifed increased over the study period, and the proportion of cases classed as indigenous to the village of residence increased from 0.2% to 33.3%. There were stable hot spots of indigenous and imported cases in the south of Si Sa Ket and southeast of Ubon Ratchathani. Plasmodium vivax hot spots were observed into recent years, while those of P. falciparum decreased to zero in Ubon in 2020 and emerged in the eastern part in 2021, the same year that P. falciparum hot spots in Si Sa Ket reached zero. Conclusions There has been a large, non-linear decline in the number of malaria cases reported and an increasing proportion of cases are classed as indigenous to the patient’s village of residence. Stable hot spots of ongoing transmission in the forested border areas were identifed, with transmission likely persisting because of remote location and high-risk forest-going behaviours. Future eforts should include cross-border collaboration and continued targeting of high-risk behaviours to reduce the risk of imported cases seeding local transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accidental ignition of polymer‐bonded explosives (PBXs) caused by hot spots has been the focus of domestic and international research. Micro‐crack friction plays a crucial role in the formation these hot spots. In this study, confined tests were conducted to investigate the ignition response of PBX under impact loading. The experimental results revealed that the PBX underwent ignition under the given conditions of a pressure load with a pulse width of 50 μs and an amplitude of 638 MPa. The viscoelastic statistical cracking model (Visco‐SCRAM) and hot‐spot ignition model were used to describe the damage behaviors and ignition responses of the PBX. The simulation results revealed that more severe damage occurs at the center of the impact face and its vicinity under confined impact conditions, which is consistent with the observed post‐test samples. Additionally, simulation results also predict a trapezoidal shape for the severely damaged region within the PBX. The findings of this study provide insights for understanding the damage behavior and the critical ignition of PBX under impact loading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin has potent, long-term, and serious effects on human health. It is capable of all parts of the body, causing cancer and diabetes; damaging the skin, liver, thyroid, immune system, respiratory system, circulatory system, digestive system, endocrine system, nervous system, cardiovascular system, and lungs; and causing mutations in genes and chromosomes, thereby causing birth defects and reproductive complications. This study aimed to analyze the status of disease patterns and health risks of people in Thanh Khe district (TK group) residing near areas where AO/dioxin was stored in Da Nang airport, compared with people in Son Tra district (ST control group), Da Nang city. This is a survey of 402 families residing in the TK group and 400 families residing in the ST group. Individuals in the age group 45–69 years accounted for a high proportion, of whom women accounted for the majority; the duration of residency was stable and long, typically more than 15 years in both groups. People in the TK group who had direct and indirect exposure to AO/dioxin accounted for a higher proportion than in the ST group. The incidence of some diseases that are thought to be related to AO/dioxin exposure, were hypertension (33.6%), diabetes mellitus (8.96%), and other diseases such as those of the stomach (23.0 %), joints (40.3%), ear/nose/throat (11.2%), and urinary system (7.21%) compared with the ST group. Exposure to AO/dioxin has changed the disease pattern and increased some diseases in people residing near areas where AO/dioxin was previously stored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Acupressure has proven efficacy in symptoms management, making it valuable in clinical practice and patient care. Given the rising number of increasing publications on acupressure, we aimed to analyze the literature from the past 20 years and provided current trends and hotspot for future research directions. Methods: Publications on acupressure from January 1, 2004 through May 1, 2024 were retrieved from the Web of Science database. The extracted records underwent thorough analysis based on publication year, research area, journal, countries/regions, organization, authors, and keywords. The bibliometric analysis was conducted using Citespace and Microsoft Excel software. Results: Of the 1,929 screened records, 770 publications were identified. The annual number of acupressure has gradually increased, with the 45 % of the total publication occurring from 2020 to 2024. Among countries and institutions, China (252 articles) and Hong Kong Polytechnic University (41 articles) have the highest number of publications. Notably, USA and Hong Kong Polytechnic University exhibits the highest centrality score in cooperative network among countries/regions and institutions. Chao Hsing Yeh from the Cizik School of Nursing, University of Texas Health Science Center, was the most prolific author with 22 papers. Evidence-Based Comple Alt, with 53 articles, is the journal with the most publications. According to the keyword, timeline diagram and prominence mapping analysis, we believe that “insomnia”, “labor”, “waist circumference”, “reliability” and “vagus nerve stimulation” related clusters may be new hotspots in the field of acupressure. Conclusion: This study presents the research trajectory of acupressure over the past 20 years, providing a foundation for future research and highlighting the significant contributions of nursing researchers. By analyzing research trends and hotsport, nursing professionals can integrate acupressure more effectively into holistic patient care, improving quality of life, and contributing to traditional Chinese medicine.

Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries have emerged as a cornerstone of electric vehicles (EVs), enabling the road transportation towards net zero. The success of electric vehicles largely hinges on the battery performance and safety. It is challenging to test and predict battery performance and safety issues by conventional methods, which are usually time-consuming and expensive, involving significant human and measurement errors. To enable the quick estimation of battery performance and safety, we developed three data-driven machine learning (ML) models, namely a convolutional neural network (CNN), a long short-term memory (LSTM), and a CNN-LSTM to predict battery discharge curves and local maximum temperature (hot spot) under various operating conditions. The developed ML models mitigated data scarcity by employing a three-dimensional multi-physics Li-ion battery model to generate enormous and diverse high-quality data. It was found the CNN-LSTM model outperforms the others and achieved high accuracy of 98.68% to learn discharge curves and battery maximum temperature, owing to the integration of spatial and sequential feature extraction. The battery safety can be improved by comparing the predicted maximum battery temperature against safe temperature threshold. The proposed data development and data-driven ML models are of great potential to provide digital tools for engineering high-performance and safe EVs.

Abstract Background Total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC) is a rare congenital heart disease characterized by the inability of all pulmonary veins to connect to the left atrium. Our previous bibliometric article summarized the characteristics of only the 100 most cited papers in TAPVC research. The purpose of this study was to use comprehensive bibliometric analysis to examine the development history, current status, and future trends in the field of TAPVC. Methods All publications on TAPVC published between 2000 and 2023 were collected from the Web of Science Core Collection. The publication and citation data were quantitatively analyzed by publication year, country, institution, author, and journal. Co-authorship and co-occurrence analyses were performed using VOSviewer, and keyword and reference bursts were identified using CiteSpace. Pearson’s test was used to examine the correlations between two continuous variables. Results As of July 20, 2023, we identified 368 publications with 3320 citations. These publications were published in 132 journals and authored by 1835 researchers from 457 institutions in 47 countries. For the number of publications, the top country, top institution, top author, and top journals were the United States (n = 82), Shanghai Jiao Tong University (n = 13), Huiwen Chen (n = 9), and Annals of Thoracic Surgery and Pediatric Cardiology (n = 29 each), respectively. For the number of citations, the top country, top affiliation, top author, and top journal were the United States (n = 1348), University of Toronto (n = 250), Christopher A. Caldarone (n = 315), and Annals of Thoracic Surgery (n = 746), respectively. The number of national publications significantly correlated with GDP (R = 0.887, P

3D integration is one of the scalable multiprocessor design solutions. The main challenge in 3D design is temperature traps, especially in the upper layers and hot spots. The current studies present solutions for solving temperature and hotspot problems in topology, routing, and mapping levels. Accordingly, the characteristics of temperature-aware core mapping are beneficial for dealing with the challenges of 3D chips. In this paper, the core temperature is modeled based on processing, communication power, neighbor node temperature, distance from the heat sink, and hotspot node. To find the optimal solution, this paper proposes thermal-aware application mapping techniques using genetic algorithms and fuzzy logic to minimize peak temperatures in 3D network-on-chip (NoC) architectures. Fitness functions include the above parameters with the same weight (GSM) and the fitness function with fuzzy logic by considering the effect of distance from heat sink (GFM1) and heat sink distance and the number of neighbor's core (GFM2). Specifically, the fuzzy logic-based GFM1 algorithm demonstrates superior performance over the genetic algorithm-driven GSM approach in reducing power consumption and energy costs associated with inter-core communication traffic. Across the different traffic patterns tested, GFM1 consistently achieves lower energy expenditure, with reductions upward of 50% compared to GSM. This underlines the strengths of the fuzzy technique in enabling thermal-aware mapping to minimize chip temperatures in the presence of intensive workloads and communication. In essence, the key takeaway is that GFM1 outperforms GSM in the context of power and energy metrics linked to handling on-chip traffic between processing cores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC) is a rare congenital heart disease characterized by the inability of all pulmonary veins to connect to the left atrium. Our previous bibliometric article summarized the characteristics of only the 100 most cited papers in TAPVC research. The purpose of this study was to use comprehensive bibliometric analysis to examine the development history, current status, and future trends in the field of TAPVC. Methods: All publications on TAPVC published between 2000 and 2023 were collected from the Web of Science Core Collection. The publication and citation data were quantitatively analyzed by publication year, country, institution, author, and journal. Co-authorship and co-occurrence analyses were performed using VOSviewer, and keyword and reference bursts were identified using CiteSpace. Pearson's test was used to examine the correlations between two continuous variables. Results: As of July 20, 2023, we identified 368 publications with 3320 citations. These publications were published in 132 journals and authored by 1835 researchers from 457 institutions in 47 countries. For the number of publications, the top country, top institution, top author, and top journals were the United States (n = 82), Shanghai Jiao Tong University (n = 13), Huiwen Chen (n = 9), and Annals of Thoracic Surgery and Pediatric Cardiology (n = 29 each), respectively. For the number of citations, the top country, top affiliation, top author, and top journal were the United States (n = 1348), University of Toronto (n = 250), Christopher A. Caldarone (n = 315), and Annals of Thoracic Surgery (n = 746), respectively. The number of national publications significantly correlated with GDP (R = 0.887, P < 0.001), research & development (R&D) expenditure (R = 0.375, P = 0.013), population (R = 0.694, P < 0.001), and journals (R = 0.751, P < 0.001). The number of national citations significantly correlated with GDP (R = 0.881, P < 0.001), R&D expenditure (R = 0.446, P = 0.003), population (R = 0.305, P = 0.037), and journals (R = 0.917, P < 0.001). International collaboration in the field of TAPVC was not well developed. The most commonly cited publication discussed era changes in mortality and reoperation rate in TAPVC patients. The most common keywords were "total anomalous pulmonary venous connection" and "congenital heart disease". The keyword "case report" appeared most recently, with an average occurrence year of 2021.8. The co-occurrence analysis grouped 26 keywords into six themes: surgical repair of TAPVC, postoperative pulmonary vein stenosis, surgical repair of TAPVC patients with heterotaxy, application of echocardiography in diagnosing TAPVC, application of echocardiography in the prenatal diagnosis of TAPVC, and application of the sutureless technique in the surgical repair of TAPVC patients with right atrial isomerism or a single ventricle. Citation burst detection identified 32 references with citation bursts, seven of which had ongoing citation bursts until 2023. Conclusions: This study conducted a bibliometric analysis to provide a comprehensive overview of TAPVC research. We hope to offer new ideas for promoting development in the field of TAPVC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When hydrogen internal combustion engine works using the intake manifold injection mode to provide the hydrogen, it has to face a contradiction between the abnormal combustion (preignition, backfire, etc.). Currently, most researches on abnormal combustion in hydrogen internal combustion engines have focused primarily on backfire and detonation, with limited investigation of pre-ignition, particularly when initiated by in-cylinder hot spots. In order to explore the relationship between the hot spot and the pre-ignition of hydrogen internal combustion engine, the influence of characteristic parameters of hot spot, such as hot spot area, initial temperature, duration of hot spot and temperature change rate, on pre-ignition of hydrogen internal combustion engines were analyzed. On the basis of using the isolated factor method to research the influence of each characteristic parameter on the occurrence time of pre-ignition of hydrogen internal combustion engines, the comprehensive effect of these characteristic parameters on the occurrence moment of pre-ignition in hydrogen internal combustion engines was also investigated with the orthogonal test method. It is found that the occurrence of pre-ignition of hydrogen internal combustion engines is the result of multi-factor interaction. Pre-ignition is most affected by hot spot area, and when the hot spot area is the same, the order of influence of pre-ignition timing is initial temperature > temperature change rate > duration of hot spot. The research results can promote the practical application of hydrogen fuel in internal combustion engines and provide guidance for the structural design of hydrogen internal combustion engines. • Hydrogen engine pre-ignition results from combined effects of several parameters such as the area, initial temp. • Strategies to control temp change rates could mitigate pre-ignition risks and optimize combustion performance. • Compared to initial temp, the moment of pre-ignition is more sensitive to changes in the area of the hot spot. • With equal hot spot area: initial temp > temp change rate > duration influence hydrogen engine pre-ignition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ambient temperature, top oil temperature, and load are the three main parameters based on which the hot spot transformer temperature can be calculated. The operating temperature is of great importance for the transformer, not only in determining its power but also during the period of operation, because the increase of temperature causes deterioration of the characteristics of the insulation system, mainly in the windings and insulation oil. This paper focuses on hot spot temperature estimation based on calculation and measurement data. In this case, IEC and IEEE standards, Susa's and Swift's model, and MATLAB/Simulink are used for the validity of the improved thermal model that analyzes the effect of wind velocity. The thermal performance was improved after incorporating wind velocity. As a reference, it was analyzed at 16:00 (h), when the load is a maximum of 1.18 p.u., at the same ambient temperature, a reduction of the temperature of the hot spot was observed by 10°C lower or 9 % compared to the measured hot spot. The estimated hot spot temperature data are compared with measured data of a power transformer in operation. The proposed model has been validated using measurement data from a 31.5 MVA, 110/10.5 kV, Ynyn0d5 power transformer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Piezoelectric (PE) fan is a novel type of active cooling device which enhance heat transfer with less power consumption. In order to achieve the theoretical limit of heat transfer performance of multiple PE fans system in confined volume, the blade location effects on that were investigated in detail by conducting three-dimensional simulations. Here, the blade pitch ranges from 1.6 to 4.2 times the fan width, and the optimal values of blade pitch with respect to four typical vibration phase angles (0°, 60°, 120°, 180°) were obtained, respectively. For all vibration modes, the air volume variation curve follows a parabola trend with blade pitch. The largest air volume is obtained when fans operating in-phase mode (φ = 0°), a conclusion that differs from that in infinite space. We attribute this to the vortex action, and its formation is determined by two effects. The positive one is the attenuation of counteracting effect from normal forces with the increasing blade pitch, where the force was exerted by two blades onto their inner fluid. The negative one is weakening of the coupling effect of two jets formed by the blade tips when spacing of dual fans is gradually increased. In addition, the local hot spot phenomenon was observed in both in-phase and counter-phase mode. It was observed that the distance between local hot spots broadens with the increasing blade pitch for in-phase mode while remains substantially constant for counter-phase mode. Our work provides a design principle for heat transfer optimization of dual PE fans in confined volume and will benefit both theoretical understanding and application in thermal management of PE fan system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an inherited metabolic disease affecting cholesterol metabolism, with 90% of cases caused by mutations in the LDL receptor gene (LDLR), primarily missense mutations. This study aims to integrate six commonly used predictive software to create a new model for predicting LDLR mutation pathogenicity and mapping hot spot residues. Six predictive‐software are selected: Polyphen‐2, SIFT, MutationTaster, REVEL, VARITY, and MLb‐LDLr. Software accuracy is tested with the characterized variants annotated in ClinVar and, by bioinformatic and machine learning techniques all models are integrated into a more accurate one. The resulting optimized model presents a specificity of 96.71% and a sensitivity of 98.36%. Hot spot residues with high potential of pathogenicity appear across all domains except for the signal peptide and the O‐linked domain. In addition, translating this information into 3D structure of the LDLr highlights potentially pathogenic clusters within the different domains, which may be related to specific biological function. The results of this work provide a powerful tool to classify LDLR pathogenic variants. Moreover, an open‐access guide user interface (OptiMo‐LDLr) is provided to the scientific community. This study shows that combination of several predictive software results in a more accurate prediction to help clinicians in FH diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of South China University of Technology (Natural Science Edition) is the property of South China University of Technology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

BACKGROUND: In recent years, the development of liver organoids has made it a hot spot in the field of international liver disease research, but there is still no article on the bibliometric analysis of liver organoids. OBJECTIVE: To explore the hot trends in liver organoids in the last 20 years based on bibliometrics and visualization analysis. METHODS: We searched the articles about liver organoids in the Web of Science Core Collection from January 1, 2002 to November 12, 2022. Origin, Office, and CiteSpace software were used for bibliometrics and visualization analysis. We statistically analyzed the number of annually published articles, countries, institutions, authors, journals, and keywords of the articles by generating charts. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The number of articles, citation frequency, institutions and personnel involved in the research about liver organoids showed an overall upward trend in the last 20 years, indicating that the field was growing rapidly and attention was increasing. The USA had published the most papers and had the strongest influence in this field. Although it had invested a lot of time and energy, the number of papers published by a single research institution in the USA was not the highest among many research institutions. China was second only to the USA in the number of publications, with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Fudan University leading the list. Utrecht University in the Netherlands was the institution with the most publications. Clevers H was the author with the highest number of articles. The article with the highest co-citation frequency was “Long-term culture of genome-stable bipotent stem cells from adult human liver”. The main fields of study for liver organoids were Molecular Science, Biology, and Immunology. The most frequently occurring keywords were stem cell, in vitro, and culture. The research hotspots in the liver organoids field were mainly focused on in vitro stem cell three-dimensional culture, differentiation and gene expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To explore the extent to which unsafe locations are concentrated to micro-places within the city of Malmö, Sweden, and whether there is a temporal stability in these micro-places over time. Methods: Information on unsafe locations is obtained from an open-ended item across three waves of a random sample community survey. Reported unsafe locations are geocoded as polygon, polyline, and point features and merged with a 200 by 200-m grid-cell network using both unadjusted and weighted counts. Results: The results suggest that unsafe locations are concentrated to a small share of grid-cells using different metrics. There are also signs of spatial clustering and a temporal stability of unsafe locations over time. Conclusions: As unsafe locations are concentrated to a small share of micro-places the results have important implications for both theory and practice. However, further research exploring unsafety and fear of crime at micro-places is highly warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The objective of this paper is to improve understanding of the spatial relationship of the built environment (BE) with urban gun crime and how the influence of environmental features varies across geographic location and socioeconomic context. Specifically, we analyze associations between incidents of reported firearms violence and distance to built environment features, accounting for neighborhood socio-economic status. Methods: This study compares reported crime data with the outputs from a Monte Carlo Simulation using the Network Cross-K Function for Stochastic Spatial Events on street networks. Where data is available, we examine ten features—transit stations, universities/colleges, convenience stores, gas stations, liquor licenses, alcohol outlets, tobacco retailers, lodging, restaurants, and schools—across diverse metropolitan areas to uncover features that exert "attractive" or "repellent" influence on firearms violence. We present results from four U.S. cities and examine how results vary by socio-economic status of census tracts. Results: Attractive features include tobacco retailers in Pittsburgh, hotels/motels, alcohol outlets, and restaurants in New Orleans, and rail transit stations in Los Angeles. We uncover localized attractive and repellent relationships within the lowest and highest socio-economic areas. We also identify several firearms crime repellents, including universities/colleges and public/private schools. Conclusions: We find that attractors vary by city and socio-economic status, indicating that the unique underlying environmental context of each city facilitates firearms crime differently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

T-joints are frequently subjected to various types of loading during service. This study aims to investigate the influence of loading modes on stress concentration in the brace/chord intersection zone. Different loading combinations with various directions have been applied to examine stress distribution along the weld toe and the location of hot spots under different loading cases. To achieve this, two approaches have been developed; one experimental and the other numerical. Numerical simulations using Abaqus, validated by experimental data, enabled us to predict the most critical combinations leading to plasticization damage in the studied T-joint. The results obtained can provide valuable recommendations for the design and safety assessment of tubular T-joints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the effect of void defects on the shock response of hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane (CL-20) co-crystals, shock responses of CL-20 co-crystals with energetic materials ligands trinitrotoluene (TNT), 1,3-dinitrobenzene (DNB), solvents ligands dimethyl carbonate (DMC) and gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) with void were simulated, using molecular dynamics method and reactive force field. It is found that the CL-20 co-crystals with void defects will form hot spots when impacted, significantly affecting the decomposition of molecules around the void. The degree of molecular fragmentation is relatively low under the reflection velocity of 2 km/s, and the main reactions are the formation of dimer and the shedding of nitro groups. The existence of voids reduces the safety of CL-20 co-crystals, which induced the sensitivity of energetic co-crystals CL-20/TNT and CL-20/DNB to increase more significantly. Detonation has occurred under the reflection velocity of 4 km/s, energetic co-crystals are easier to polymerize than solvent co-crystals, and are not obviously affected by voids. The results show that the energy of the wave decreases after sweeping over the void, which reduces the chemical reaction frequency downstream of the void and affects the detonation performance, especially the solvent co-crystals.

Background. Smouldering wildfires in peatlands are one of the largest and longest-lasting fire phenomena on Earth, but it is unclear whether such underground peat fires can resurface to the ground and ignite a flame on the litter layer. Methods. This work conducted a laboratory experiment by putting a 5-cm thick litter layer (banyan tree leaves with a density of 27-53 kg/m3) onto a 10-cm thick peat sample (moisture content of 10-100%). Key results and conclusions. Tests confirmed that a smouldering peat fire, ignited at the bottom, can propagate upwards and resurface to ignite a flaming wildfire on the surface litter layer. The propensity of litter to be flaming ignited decreased with increasing peat moisture content and litter layer density. We found the threshold of such surface flaming as a function of temperature and temperature increase rate at the interface between peat and litter. Finally, large field experiments successfully reproduced and validated the laboratory observations. Implications. This work reveals an important wildfire ignition phenomenon that has received little attention but may cause new spot fires, accelerate fire progression and exacerbate its hazards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Functional training has been popular in recent years, but it is mainly applied in sports training field. There are still insufficient studies and applications in medical and health fields. OBJECTIVE: To provide a theoretical basis for relevant research in sports, medical and health fields, through a more comprehensive and in-depth exploration and analysis of the research hot spots, ideological trends, frontiers and development trends of international functional training in the field of medical and health care. METHODS: The 2 206 high-quality articles addressing health-related functional training during 2012-2022 were exported from the Web of Science Core Set Database as the object of analysis. Combined with research methods such as literature analysis, Citespace V analysis software was used for visual analysis of keywords, subject categories and highly cited literatures. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The number of articles published on functional training in the field of health is on the rise. There are more articles from the United States, with a larger impact. China also has a high volume of publications, but the impact and depth of research is lacking. Improving physical and mental health and cognitive ability of middle-aged and older people is the main focus, followed by preventing sports injuries and promoting recovery in athletes. In the future, more research will be conducted on teenagers, the disabled and other groups, and there will be a continued increase in injury prevention and recovery promotion for athletes. Chinese scholars have less research on the effects of functional training on the physical health of the general public, and more attention should be paid to improving the physical and mental health of the general public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the effect of void defects on the shock response of hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane (CL-20) co-crystals, shock responses of CL-20 co-crystals with energetic materials ligands trinitrotoluene (TNT), 1,3-dinitrobenzene (DNB), solvents ligands dimethyl carbonate (DMC) and gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) with void were simulated, using molecular dynamics method and reactive force field. It is found that the CL-20 co-crystals with void defects will form hot spots when impacted, significantly affecting the decomposition of molecules around the void. The degree of molecular fragmentation is relatively low under the reflection velocity of 2 km/s, and the main reactions are the formation of dimer and the shedding of nitro groups. The existence of voids reduces the safety of CL-20 co-crystals, which induced the sensitivity of energetic co-crystals CL-20/TNT and CL-20/DNB to increase more significantly. Detonation has occurred under the reflection velocity of 4 km/s, energetic co-crystals are easier to polymerize than solvent co-crystals, and are not obviously affected by voids. The results show that the energy of the wave decreases after sweeping over the void, which reduces the chemical reaction frequency downstream of the void and affects the detonation performance, especially the solvent co-crystals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Henan University of Technology Natural Science Edition is the property of Henan University of Technology Journal Editorial Department and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an inherited metabolic disease affecting cholesterol metabolism, with 90% of cases caused by mutations in the LDL receptor gene (LDLR), primarily missense mutations. This study aims to integrate six commonly used predictive software to create a new model for predicting LDLR mutation pathogenicity and mapping hot spot residues. Six predictive‐software are selected: Polyphen‐2, SIFT, MutationTaster, REVEL, VARITY, and MLb‐LDLr. Software accuracy is tested with the characterized variants annotated in ClinVar and, by bioinformatic and machine learning techniques all models are integrated into a more accurate one. The resulting optimized model presents a specificity of 96.71% and a sensitivity of 98.36%. Hot spot residues with high potential of pathogenicity appear across all domains except for the signal peptide and the O‐linked domain. In addition, translating this information into 3D structure of the LDLr highlights potentially pathogenic clusters within the different domains, which may be related to specific biological function. The results of this work provide a powerful tool to classify LDLR pathogenic variants. Moreover, an open‐access guide user interface (OptiMo‐LDLr) is provided to the scientific community. This study shows that combination of several predictive software results in a more accurate prediction to help clinicians in FH diagnosis.

ABSTRACTMany studies have analyzed causation factors for piracy, but failed to quantitatively examine how piracy trends in regions have changed. The research aimed to establish the changing patterns of maritime piracy in Africa. The study utilized world piracy data from the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, which was analyzed using spatial auto-correlation tools. Getis-Ord Gi* statistic identified piracy clusters and hot spot comparison tool compared the hot spot layers in East and West Africa. Autocorrelation analysis results suggest changing frequency of piracy incidents in the study areas before and after 2012. The mean Getis-Ord Gi* values for East Africa were 0.35946 and 0.07839 before and after 2012, illustrating agreater change. However, West Africa mean values were 0.60917 and 0.43408 pre and post 2012, suggesting minimal change. The comparison analysis results generated a smaller similarity value for East Africa (0.43350) and a larger index for West Africa (0.9867). West Africa recorded many incidents in the study period; hence, piracy intensity was almost similar. The study revealed high similarities in piracy events in West Africa, and low similarities in East Africa pre and post 2012. These have implications for understanding the changing dynamics of maritime piracy in Africa, and asserting spatial analysis.

Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) play a crucial role in most biological processes and are important targets in the development of therapeutic agents. However, small molecule drug discovery that targets PPIs remains very challenging. Targeting hot spot residues is considered the best option for inhibiting such interactions, but there are few examples of how knowledge of hot spots can be used in high throughput screening to find hit compounds. A substrate adaptor protein for a ubiquitin ligase complex, Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1), negatively modulates the expression of genes involved in cellular protection against oxidative stress. Here, we focused on three arginine hot spot residues in the Keap1 substrate binding pocket (Arg380, Arg415, and Arg483), and screened the carboxylic acid library owned by Japan Tobacco Inc. for compounds that interact with the arginine residues in differential scanning fluorescence assays. Furthermore, we identified several small molecule compounds that specifically bind to the Keap1 Kelch domain hot spots by comparing binding to alanine mutant proteins (R380A, R415A, and R483A) with binding to the wild-type protein using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) screening. These compounds inhibited the protein-protein interaction between the Keap1 Kelch domain and the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) peptide, and the ubiquitination of Nrf2 catalyzed by the Cul3/RINGBox 1 E3 ligase. In addition, the binding mode of one compound (Compound 4) was determined by X-ray crystallography after validation of binding by isothermal titration calorimetry, native mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance. Compound 4 had favorable thermodynamic properties, and noncovalently bound to Keap1 with a stoichiometry of 1:1. Our results suggest that Compound 4 could potentially be developed into effective therapeutic or preventive agents for a variety of diseases and conditions such as oxidative stress response, inflammation, and carcinogenesis. We believe that the use of a set of complementary biophysical techniques including the SPR assay with single alanine mutant of hot spots provides opportunities to identify hit compounds for developing inhibitors of PPIs.

The invasion of Anopheles stephensi into Africa poses a potential threat to malaria control and elimination on the continent. However, it is not clear if the recent malaria resurgence in Ethiopia has linked to the expansion of An. stephensi. We obtained the clinical malaria case reports and malaria intervention data from the Ethiopian Ministry of Health (MoH) for the period 2001–2022. We analyzed clinical malaria hotspots and investigated the potential role of An. stephensi in the 2022 malaria outbreaks. Clinical malaria cases in Ethiopia decreased by 80%, from 5.2 million cases in 2004 to 1.0 million cases in 2018; however, cases increased steadily to 2.6 million confirmed cases in 2022. Plasmodium vivax cases and proportion have increased significantly in the past 5 years. Clinical malaria hotspots are concentrated along the western Ethiopian border areas and have grown significantly from 2017 to 2022. Major malaria outbreaks in 2022/2023 were detected in multiple sites across Ethiopia, and An. stephensi was the predominant vector in some of these sites, however, it was absence from many of the outbreak sites. The causes of recent upsurge in malaria in Ethiopia may be multi-factorial and it is a subject of further investigation.

The gases discharged from the new generation of lean-burn combustors usually have hot streaks (HS) and swirls. The thermal performance of rotor thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) exhibits significant non-constant behavior due to inlet non-uniformity and blade row interaction. To investigate the non-constant thermal insulation performance of the blade TBCs, non-constant numerical simulations were carried out for the first stage vane and blade of the High-pressure turbine of the GE-E3 engine. The normalized temperature results for the HS and the combination of HS and swirl cases were compared with the uniform inlet case to investigate the effect of inlet non-uniformity on the surface temperature and thermal insulation effect of the blade TBCs. The results show that a credible investigation of rotor TBCs should consider the unsteady blade row interaction. HS causes high-temperature hot spots on the surface of the TBCs and redistributes them with the change in the direction of the swirl. HS and swirl significantly reduce the turbine blade cooling effectiveness and thermal insulation effectiveness of TBCs. The lowest overall cooling performance of the blades was observed during the 1/4 T stator period. The added swirl reduces the insulation effectiveness's fluctuation value by reducing positive swirl (PSW) by 52.6 % and negative swirl (NSW) by 57.8 %. Therefore, applications and designs of TBCs should consider the effects of HS and swirl.

Passive air samplers were used to monitor polychlorodibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and dioxin-like polychlorobiphenyls (dl-PCBs) between 2020 and 2022 in four residential areas around Bien Hoa hot spot (BHS) including Trung Dung (TD), Tan Phong (TP), Quang Vinh (QV), and Buu Long (BL). The total toxic equivalents of PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs (∑TEQs) were highest in the TD area, from 284 to 642 fg TEQ/PUF day. Next was the QV area, where ∑TEQs ranged from 229 to 569 fg TEQ/PUF day. Then, ∑TEQs varied from 205 to 503 fg TEQ/PUF day in the TP area. The lowest ∑TEQs were between 179 and 385 fg TEQ/PUF day in the BL area. The temporal, spatial, and seasonal variations in concentrations of PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs were related to the prevailing wind direction and the distance from each area to the dioxin hot spot. The average ∑TEQs for all four areas surrounding BHS in the dry season (423 fg TEQ/PUF day) were 1.4 times higher than in the rainy season (303 fg TEQ/PUF day). Health risk assessments from airborne dioxin exposure were estimated using the average daily doses through inhalation (ADDI). The ADDI for residents surrounding BHS ranged from 14.6 to 208 fg TEQ/kg BW/day. The ADDI values by areas were as follows: 23.2–208 fg TEQ/kg BW/day in the TD, 18.7–184 fg TEQ/kg BW/day in the QV, 16.7–163 fg TEQ/kg BW/day in the TP, and 14.6–125 fg TEQ/kg BW/day in the BL. These ADDI values remained within and below the 10% threshold of the WHO-recommended tolerable daily intake (100–400 fg TEQ/kg BW/day). It is necessary to control the excavation activities inside the BHS and cover the temporary storage sites of dioxin-contaminated materials to minimize the emissions of PCDD/Fs and dl-PCB into the ambient air. [Display omitted] • Concentrations of PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs were determined around Bien Hoa hot spot. • Temporal and spatial variation in concentrations depended on wind direction and distance. • Excavation activity of contaminated materials increased airborne PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs. • Health risk assessment was estimated using average daily doses through inhalation. • Average daily doses remained within the 10% threshold of tolerable daily intake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In deuterium–tritium (DT) ice layered implosions, nearly all hot spot mass at peak burn comes from the dense fuel. Accurate prediction of the fuel mass ablation, including the enthalpy associated with mass inflow into the hot spot from the dense fuel, is essential to understanding the energetics and ignition of the hot spot in layered implosions. A recently published boundary layer analysis (Daughton et al., 2023) indicates a faster mass ablation rate than in previous analyses of layered implosions. Inclusion of this effect provides a better match to simulations and leads to a new ignition threshold where the temperature of the dense fuel plays a critical role. This analysis motivates possible new directions for improved capsule performance. Here, the authors present evidence in support of one such approach: the use of tritium-rich ice to decrease 14 MeV neutron scattering and heating of the dense fuel, resulting in less mass ablation and more robust burn of the hot spot. It is found from numerical simulations that despite a less favorable D:T ratio in the ice, the use of a 40:60 D:T ratio leads to an increase in capsule yield of 17% percent compared with that of a 50:50 D:T ratio fuel for capsules resembling those of the recent N210808 ignition experiment on the NIF (Abu-Shawareb et al., 2022) and an increase of 74% compared with that of a 60:40 D:T ratio fuel capsule. These results are potentially important for modeling all layered implosions, since some degree of DT fractionization may arise naturally during the beta layering process. In addition, this physics is important for the feasibility of high-gain capsule designs that seek to minimize tritium usage, as in some inertial fusion energy concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]