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In this paper, we construct two kinds of exponential SAV approach with relaxation (R-ESAV) for dissipative system. The constructed schemes are linear and unconditionally energy stable. They can guarantee the positive property of SAV without any assumption compared with R-SAV and R-GSAV approaches, preserve all the advantages of the ESAV approach and satiesfy dissipation law with respect to a modified energy which is directly related to the original free energy. Moreover the second version of R-ESAV approach is easy to construct high-order BDF$k$ schemes. Especially for Navier-Stokes equations, we construct wo kinds of novel schemes based on the R-ESAV method. Finally, ample numerical examples are presented to exhibit that the proposed approaches are accurate and effective., Comment: 27 pages, 16 figures, 5 tables

In recent years, the scalar auxiliary variable (SAV) approach has become very popular and hot in the design of linear, high-order and unconditional energy stable schemes of gradient flow models. However, the nature of SAV-based numerical schemes preserving modified energy dissipation limits its wider application. A relaxation technique to correct the modified energy for the baseline SAV method (RSAV) was proposed by Zhao et al. and Shen et al.. The RSAV approach is unconditionally energy stable with respect to a modified energy that is closer to the original free energy, and provides a much improved accuracy when compared with the SAV approach. In this paper, inspired by the RSAV approach, we propose a novel technique to correct the modified energy of the SAV approach, which can be proved to be an optimal energy approximation. We construct new high-order implicit-explicit schemes based on the proposed energy-optimal SAV (EOP-SAV) approach. The constructed EOP-SAV schemes not only provide an improved accuracy but also simplify calculation, and can be viewed as the optimal relaxation. We also prove that the numerical schemes based on the EOP-SAV approach are unconditionally energy stable. Compared with the RSAV approach, the proposed EOP-SAV approach does not need introduce any relaxed factors and can share the similar procedure for error estimates. Several interesting numerical examples have been presented to demonstrate the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed methods., Comment: Scalar auxiliary variable, Gradient flow, Relaxation, Optimal, Error analysis

The scalar auxiliary variable (SAV)-type methods are very popular techniques for solving various nonlinear dissipative systems. Compared to the semi-implicit method, the baseline SAV method can keep a modified energy dissipation law but doubles the computational cost. The general SAV approach does not add additional computation but needs to solve a semi-implicit solution in advance, which may potentially compromise the accuracy and stability. In this paper, we construct a novel first- and second-order unconditional energy stable and positivity-preserving stabilized SAV (PS-SAV) schemes for $L^2$ and $H^{-1}$ gradient flows. The constructed schemes can reduce nearly half computational cost of the baseline SAV method and preserve its accuracy and stability simultaneously. Meanwhile, the introduced auxiliary variable is always positive while the baseline SAV cannot guarantee this positivity-preserving property. Unconditionally energy dissipation laws are derived for the proposed numerical schemes. We also establish a rigorous error analysis of the first-order scheme for the Allen-Cahn type equation in $l^{\infty}(0,T; H^1(\Omega) ) $ norm. In addition we propose an energy optimization technique to optimize the modified energy close to the original energy. Several interesting numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed methods.

The scalar auxiliary variable (SAV) approach \cite{shen2018scalar} and its generalized version GSAV proposed in \cite{huang2020highly} are very popular methods to construct efficient and accurate energy stable schemes for nonlinear dissipative systems. However, the discrete value of the SAV is not directly linked to the free energy of the dissipative system, and may lead to inaccurate solutions if the time step is not sufficiently small. Inspired by the relaxed SAV method proposed in \cite{jiang2022improving} for gradient flows, we propose in this paper a generalized SAV approach with relaxation (R-GSAV) for general dissipative systems. The R-GSAV approach preserves all the advantages of the GSAV appraoch, in addition, it dissipates a modified energy that is directly linked to the original free energy. We prove that the $k$-th order implicit-explicit (IMEX) schemes based on R-GSAV are unconditionally energy stable, and we carry out a rigorous error analysis for $k=1,2,3,4,5$. We present ample numerical results to demonstrate the improved accuracy and effectiveness of the R-GSAV approach.

In this study, a three-dimensional simulation of a fish-like body swimming in a channel with non-slip walls was carried out to investigate the effects of kinematics on swimming performance. Selfpropelled swimming in an inertial coordinate system was examined by using the direct forcing immersed boundary method. The fish body consisted of several rigid bodies and behaved analogously to a multi-segment robotic fish. The computational program was first validated by simulating fluid flow around a circular cylinder at Reynolds number (Re) =100 and Re = 1000, as well as around a settling particle. The results were compared with experimental and numerical results from past research in the area. A virtual parametric study of the tail-beat frequency, phase difference between neighboring body segments, and body amplitude was then conducted. The effect of the lateral and vertical distance between the model body and walls on swimming performance is also discussed. The results for the velocity and vorticity fields around the model body provided evidence for the mechanism of thrust generation and highlighted the effects of kinematics on swimming performance.

Elevated As(III) and Fe(II) in shallow reducing groundwater can be frequently re-oxidized by introducing O2 due to natural/anthropogenic processes, thus leading to oxidative precipitation of As as well as Fe. Nevertheless, the geochemical process may be impacted by co-existing engineered black carbon due to its considerable applications, which remains poorly understood. Taking rice husk-derived biochar prepared at 500 °C as an example, we explored its impact on the process particularly for the As(III) oxidation and (im)mobilization during the oxygenation. The presence of the biochar had a negligible effect on the As(III) oxidation and immobilization extents within 1 d, while accelerating their rates. However, the immobilized As(III) was significantly liberated from the formed Fe(III) minerals afterward within 21 d, which was 2.2-fold higher than that in the absence of the biochar. The enhanced As(III) liberation was attributed to the presence of the surface silicon-carbon structure, consisting of the outer silicon and inner carbon layers, of the rice husk-derived biochar. The outer silicon components, particularly for the dissolved silicate primarily promoted the As(III) release via ligand exchange, while significantly impeding the transformation of ferrihydrite to lepidocrocite and goethite still resulted secondarily in the As(III) release. Our findings reveal the possible impact of biochar on the environmental behavior and fate of As(III) in the Fe(II)-rich groundwater during the oxygenation. This work highlights that biochar, particularly for its structural features should be a concern in re-mobilizing As in such scenarios when the oxygenation time reaches several days or weeks.

Carotid artery plaque is a measure of atherosclerosis and is associated with future risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), which encompasses coronary, cerebrovascular, and peripheral arterial diseases. With advanced imaging techniques, computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have shown their potential superiority to routine ultrasound to detect features of carotid plaque vulnerability, such as intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH), lipid-rich necrotic core (LRNC), fibrous cap (FC), and calcification. The correlation between imaging features and histological changes of carotid plaques has been investigated. Imaging of carotid features has been used to predict the risk of cardiovascular events. Other techniques such as nuclear imaging and intra-vascular ultrasound (IVUS) have also been proposed to better understand the vulnerable carotid plaque features. In this article, we review the studies of imaging specific carotid plaque components and their correlation with risk scores.

Engineered black carbon (biochar) can be introduced into groundwater through its extensive engineered applications (e.g., in-situ remediation of groundwater/soils), which can participate in geochemical processes that may alter the fate of trace contaminants such as arsenic (As(III)). Here we examined the impacts of the undissolved and dissolved fractions of reduced biochar (hereafter denoted as rUBC and rDBC, respectively) on the As(III) immobilization in the absence/presence of Ca2+ (50 mM) at pH 11.5 under anoxic conditions. While neither rUBC nor rDBC alone was capable of immobilizing As(III), the apparent As(III) immobilization by rUBC and rDBC synergistically occurred in the presence of Ca2+, with an efficiency of 73.1% and 89.6% within 24 h, respectively. In the rUBC/Ca2+/As(III) system, rUBC enabled full oxidation of As(III) to As(V) by its residual redox-active moieties such as quinoid C[dbnd]O and persistent free radicals, thereby facilitating precipitation of the newly generated As(V) with Ca2+ adsorbed onto the rUBC's surface. In contrast, rDBC induced in-situ local enrichment of Ca2+ in the nascent rDBC-derived flocs with predominant non-oxidative and slight oxidative precipitation of As(III) via ternary rDBC-Ca-As complexation. This ternary complex was created by Ca2+-bridging interactions between As species and oxygen-containing functional groups of rDBC, as evidenced by the FTIR results and the Ca2+-impeded As(III) oxidation. The generation of the flocs physically trapped a small amount of As species particularly As(III). Both the increases in Ca2+ concentration (0–100 mM) and solution pH (10.0–12.5) enhanced the apparent As(III) immobilization. This study provides new insights into the environmental impacts of two reduced biochar fractions released into typical Ca2+-rich aquifers on the fate and transport of As species.

The mode switching phenomenon of PSR J0614+2229 was studied by using the archived observations at 686, 1369 and 3100 MHz with the Parkes radio telescope which have not been published before, and combining existing observations from the literature. Over a wide frequency range from 327 to 3100 MHz, the pulsar switches between one mode occurring earlier in pulse phase (mode A) and the other mode appearing later in phase (mode B), with a generally stable phase offset between their profile peaks. The two modes are found to be different in the following aspects. (1) Mode A has a flatter spectrum than mode B, with a difference in the spectral index of about 0.5. This accounts for the phenomenon that the flux ratio between the modes A and B increases with frequency, and mode A becomes stronger than mode B above $\sim500$ MHz. (2) For mode B, the flux density of the subintegrated profile is anticorrelated with the emission phase, indicating that the emission from earlier phases is relatively stronger than that from later phases; such an anticorrelation is not observed in mode A. (3) The frequency dependence of the FWHM of the two modes are opposite each other; namely, the FWHM of mode A increases with frequency, while that of mode B decreases with frequency. A possible interpretation is suggested that the longitudinal spectral variation across the two beams may be opposite each other., Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures, 3 tables

Biochars have demonstrated great potential for water decontamination and soil remediation; however, their redox reactivity toward trace contaminants and the corresponding redox-active moieties (RAMs, i.e., phenolic -OH, semiquinone-type persistent free radicals (PFRs), and quinoid C=O) remain poorly understood. Here we investigated the roles of the RAMs on biochar in oxidation of As(III) under varying pH and O2 conditions. The results showed that the promoted oxidation of As(III) by the RAMs is strongly pH dependent. Under acidic and neutral conditions, only the oxidation of As(III) by =OH and H2O2 produced from activation of O2 by phenolic -OH and semiquinone-type PFRs occurred. In contrast, the oxidation by semiquinone-type PFRs, quinoid C=O, and H2O2 (if O2 was introduced) appeared under alkaline conditions. This pH-dependent oxidation behavior was attributed to the varying redox activities of RAMs, as confirmed by multiple characterization and validation experiments using biochar with tuned RAMs compositions, as well as thermodynamics evaluation. Our findings provide new insights into the roles of the RAMs on biochar in the promoted oxidation of trace As(III) over a broader pH range under both anoxic and oxic conditions. This study also paves a promising way to oxidize As(III) with biochar. © 2019 American Chemical Society.

The mode switching phenomenon of PSR J0614+2229 was studied by using the archived observations at 686, 1369 and 3100 MHz with the Parkes radio telescope which have not been published before, and combining existing observations from the literature. Over a wide frequency range from 327 to 3100 MHz, the pulsar switches between one mode occurring earlier in pulse phase (mode A) and the other mode appearing later in phase (mode B), with a generally stable phase offset between their profile peaks. The two modes are found to be different in the following aspects. (1) Mode A has a flatter spectrum than mode B, with a difference in the spectral index of about 0.5. This accounts for the phenomenon that the flux ratio between the modes A and B increases with frequency, and mode A becomes stronger than mode B above $\sim500$ MHz. (2) For mode B, the flux density of the subintegrated profile is anticorrelated with the emission phase, indicating that the emission from earlier phases is relatively stronger than that from later phases; such an anticorrelation is not observed in mode A. (3) The frequency dependence of the FWHM of the two modes are opposite each other; namely, the FWHM of mode A increases with frequency, while that of mode B decreases with frequency. A possible interpretation is suggested that the longitudinal spectral variation across the two beams may be opposite each other., Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures, 3 tables

Introduction: Adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) can decrease image noise, thereby generating CT images of comparable diagnostic quality with less radiation. The purpose of this study is to quantify the effect of systematic use of ASIR versus filtered back projection (FBP) for neuroradiology CT protocols on patients' radiation dose and image quality. Methods: We evaluated the effect of ASIR on six types of neuroradiologic CT studies: adult and pediatric unenhanced head CT, adult cervical spine CT, adult cervical and intracranial CT angiography, adult soft tissue neck CT with contrast, and adult lumbar spine CT. For each type of CT study, two groups of 100 consecutive studies were retrospectively reviewed: 100 studies performed with FBP and 100 studies performed with ASIR/FBP blending factor of 40%/60% with appropriate noise indices. The weighted volume CT dose index (CTDIvol), dose-length product (DLP) and noise were recorded. Each study was also reviewed for image quality by two reviewers. Continuous and categorical variables were compared by t test and free permutation test, respectively. Results: For adult unenhanced brain CT, CT cervical myelography, cervical and intracranial CT angiography and lumbar spine CT both CTDIvol and DLP were lowered by up to 10.9% (p < 0.001), 17.9% (p = 0.005), 20.9% (p < 0.001), and 21.7% (p = 0.001), respectively, by using ASIR compared with FBP alone. Image quality and noise were similar for both FBP and ASIR. Conclusion: We recommend routine use of iterative reconstruction for neuroradiology CT examinations because this approach affords a significant dose reduction while preserving image quality.

Magnetic biochar (MBC) has been used to remove hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) from water, but the roles of Fe3O4 and persistent free radicals (PFRs) in MBC in Cr(VI) removal are still less investigated. In this work, the MBC synthesized by microwave co-pyrolysis of solid-state FeSO4 and rice husk was employed to remove Cr(VI) from water. In comparison to the rice husk biochar (BC), the MBC exhibits the 3.2- and 11.7-fold higher adsorption and reduction efficiency of Cr(VI), resulting in the higher Cr(VI) removal efficiency (84.3%) and equilibrium adsorption capacity of MBC (8.35 mg g−1) than that (26.5% and 2.63 mg g−1) of BC. Multiple characterization results revealed that the high Cr(VI) removal performance of MBC was mainly attributed to the presence of active Fe3O4 and carbon-centered PFRs in the porous and graphitic MBC. The Fe3O4 not only provided active chemisorption/reduction sites for Cr(VI) via its Fe(II)oct and Fe(III)oct coordination, but also facilitated the generation of more active electron donating carbon-centered PFRs than carbon-centered PFRs with an oxygen atom in the graphitic structure to reduce Cr(VI). The presence of Fe3O4 also elevated 36.7 m2 g−1 of BET-surface area and 0.043 cm2 g−1 of pore volume of MBC, promoting the Cr(VI) removal. The Fe3O4 and carbon-centered PFRs contributed to ∼81.8% and ∼18.2% of total Cr(III) generation, respectively. In addition, the initial solution pH was responsible for determining the relative significance of Cr(VI) adsorption and reduction. This study provides new insights into the mechanisms of Cr(VI) removal from water by the MBC. This study shed new mechanistic lights on the key roles of Fe3O4 and persistent free radicals in the MBC in the removal of Cr(VI). © 2018 Elsevier Ltd

Introduction: Adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) can decrease image noise, thereby generating CT images of comparable diagnostic quality with less radiation. The purpose of this study is to quantify the effect of systematic use of ASIR versus filtered back projection (FBP) for neuroradiology CT protocols on patients' radiation dose and image quality. Methods: We evaluated the effect of ASIR on six types of neuroradiologic CT studies: adult and pediatric unenhanced head CT, adult cervical spine CT, adult cervical and intracranial CT angiography, adult soft tissue neck CT with contrast, and adult lumbar spine CT. For each type of CT study, two groups of 100 consecutive studies were retrospectively reviewed: 100 studies performed with FBP and 100 studies performed with ASIR/FBP blending factor of 40%/60% with appropriate noise indices. The weighted volume CT dose index (CTDIvol), dose-length product (DLP) and noise were recorded. Each study was also reviewed for image quality by two reviewers. Continuous and categorical variables were compared by t test and free permutation test, respectively. Results: For adult unenhanced brain CT, CT cervical myelography, cervical and intracranial CT angiography and lumbar spine CT both CTDIvol and DLP were lowered by up to 10.9% (p < 0.001), 17.9% (p = 0.005), 20.9% (p < 0.001), and 21.7% (p = 0.001), respectively, by using ASIR compared with FBP alone. Image quality and noise were similar for both FBP and ASIR. Conclusion: We recommend routine use of iterative reconstruction for neuroradiology CT examinations because this approach affords a significant dose reduction while preserving image quality.