This study delves into the atmospheric corrosion behavior of chromium-free complex-phase steel (CP), specifically investigating the influence of wet/dry frequency and ratio in cyclic corrosion tests (CCT). The study employs a modified ISO 14993 standard CCT method, which involves salt spray, dry, and wet stages. After 15 and 30 CCT cycles, mass loss, maximum corrosion depth, and corrosion products were analyzed to gain insights into corrosion mechanisms. In general, increasing the frequency and wet/dry stage ratio in CCT extends the time for autocatalytic reactions to occur, leading to accelerated localized CP corrosion and increased pitting factors. However, as the rust layer thickens, uniform corrosion may also intensify, so careful considerations are necessary. This study underscores the importance of controlling the frequency and ratio of wet/dry stages in CCT for effectively analyzing localized corrosion behavior in specimens.

We investigate a notable class of states peculiar to a bosonic binary mixture featuring repulsive intraspecies and attractive interspecies couplings. We evidence that, for small values of the hopping amplitudes, one can access particular regimes marked by the fact that the interwell boson transfer occurs in a jerky fashion. This property is shown to be responsible for the emergence of a staircase-like structure in the phase diagram and to strongly resemble the mechanism of the superfluid-Mott insulator transition. Under certain conditions, in fact, we show that it is possible to interpret the interspecies attraction as an effective chemical potential and the supermixed soliton as an effective particle reservoir. Our investigation is developed both within a fully quantum approach based on the analysis of several quantum indicators and by means of a simple analytical approximation scheme capable of capturing the essential features of this ultraquantum effect.

This paper presents the design of a high frequency zero voltage switching (ZVS) full-bridge converter with a phase-shifted driving signal for photovoltaic applications. The resonant power converter can provide high-power capacity under high-frequency operation. The proposed power converter can also reduce the size of the transformer under the same power rating. The high-frequency transformer was developed by using the resonant and switching frequencies of the power converter to reduce the switching loss and to improve the system efficiency. Phase-shifted modulation was selected to drive the switches of a full-bridge power converter based on the switching loss minimization method. The desired output voltage was controlled using a closed-loop controller under a loop gain stability margin. The simulation results showed that the output voltage can be controlled to the desired constant when the input voltage changes from 30 VDC to 60 VDC. The desired output voltage of power converter is constant at 400 VDC. The power converter can transfer the DC supply to a 220 VAC household via grid-connected inverter. Therefore, the proposed study showed the effectiveness of the phase-shift ZVS full-bridge power converter with high-frequency transformer. This power converter can control the operation of the desired voltage system and has a small sizing of power converter system, low switching loss, and high system efficiency.

The analogy between the theory of phase transitions in simple fluids and vehicular traffic flow has long been suspected, promising a new level of understanding of urban congestion by standing on one of the firmer foundations in physics. The obstacle has been the interpretation of the thermal energy of the gas-particle system, which remains unknown. This paper proposes the flow of cars through the network as a viable interpretation, where the fundamental diagram for traffic flow would be analogous to the coexistence curve in gas-liquid phase transitions. Thanks to the power-law form of the coexistence curve, it was possible to formalize that the resulting network traffic model belongs to the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang universality class. The scaling relationships arising in this universality class are found to be consistent with West's scaling theory for cities. It is shown that congestion costs (delays + fuel consumption) scale superlinearly with city population, possibly and worryingly more so than predicted by West's theory. Implications for sustainability and resiliency are discussed.

This paper reports on the fabrication of alumina doped preforms using MCVD-vapor phase chelate delivery system with Al(acac)3 as the precursor. The objectives of the work are to study the deposition process, the efficiency of the fabrication process, and the quality of the fabricated fiber preforms. Two parameters are studied, Al(acac)3 sublimator temperature (TAl°C) and deposition direction (i.e. downstream and upstream). Other parameters such as oxygen flow and deposition temperature are fixed. The results showed that a high uniformity of refractive index difference (%RSD < 2%) and core size (%RSD < 2.4%) was obtained along the preform length using downstream deposition while for the combined upstream and downstream deposition the uniformity was deteriorated. The process efficiency was found to be about 21% for TAl°C of 185°C and downstream deposition. From the EDX elemental analysis, the refractive index was found to increase by 0.0025 per mole percent of alumina.

We report on comparison between temperature-dependent magneto¬absorption and magnetotransport spectroscopy of HgTe/CdHgTe quantum wells in terms of detection of phase transition between topological insulator and band insulator states. Our results demonstrate that temperature-dependent magnetospectroscopy is a powerful tool to discriminate trivial and topological insulator phases, yet magnetotransport method is shown to have advantages for clear manifestation of the phase transition with accurate quantitative values of transition parameter (i.e. critical magnetic field Bc).

The research community has shown significant interest in the aqueous synthesis of nanomaterials due to its ability to eliminate the need for complex organic solvents. This synthesis approach aligns with the principles of green chemistry, attracting considerable attention. Aqueous solution technology in fabricating nanostructures has gained recognition for its potential to create ultrasensitive, low-energy, and ultrafast optoelectronic devices. This report focuses on synthesizing lead iodide (PbI2) nanoplates using a water-based solution technique and fabricating a planar photodetector. The photodetectors with a planar type of device structure (ITO/PbI2 NPs/Au) demonstrated a remarkable photosensitivity of 3.9×103 and a photoresponsivity of 0.51 mA/W at a wavelength of 405 nm. Notably, the asymmetrical output properties of ITO/PbI2 NPs/Au detector deliver additional evidence of the effective creation of a Schottky contact. Thus, the photodetector exhibited a photoresponse even at 0 V bias, leading to the realization of self-powered photodetectors. Additionally, the device exhibited a rapid photoresponse of 0.21/0.38 s (−5 V) in the visible range. This study has expanded the horizons for the aqueous-phase synthesis of nanoplate nanostructures, enabling the large-area fabrication of high-performance photodetectors.

Bamboo plastic composites have become a hot research topic and a key focus of research. However, the many strong, polar, hydrophilic hydroxyl groups in bamboo flour (BF) results in poor interfacial compatibility between BF and hydrophobic polymers. Maleic anhydride-esterified (MAH-e-BF) and lactic acid-esterified bamboo flour (LA-e-BF) were prepared using an in situ solid-phase esterification method with BF as the raw material and maleic anhydride or lactic acid as the esterifying agent. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results confirmed that BF esterification with maleic anhydride and lactic acid was successful, with the esterification degrees of MAH-e-BF and LA-e-BF at 21.04 and 14.36%%, respectively. Esterified BF was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, contact angle testing, X-ray diffractometry, and thermogravimetric analysis. The results demonstrated that esterified BF surfaces were covered with graft polymer and the surface roughness and bonding degree of MAH-e-BF clearly larger than those of LA-e-BF. The hydrophobicity of esterified BF was significantly higher than BF and the hydrophobicity of MAH-e-BF better than LA-e-BF. The crystalline structure of esterified BF showed some damage, with MAH-e-BF exhibiting a greater decrease in crystallinity than LA-e-BF. Overall, the esterification reaction improved BF thermoplasticity, with the thermoplasticity of MAH-e-BF appearing better than LA-e-BF.

This study investigates the effect of Re addition on the microstructure evolution and oxidation resistance of Co-Cr-Ta-Ti-C alloys. The alloys tested in this study consist of a Co-rich matrix with mixed HCP and FCC phases, together with TaTiC2 and Ti-based carbides. The addition of Re promotes the precipitation and growth of a CoCr-rich σ phase. Differential thermal analysis (DTA) showed that the melting temperatures did not change drastically up to 10 at% Re addition, whereas 15 at% Re addition significantly increased the melting temperature of the alloys. Oxidation tests in air at 1200°C showed that excessive Re content could lead to deterioration in oxidation resistance, mainly due to the accelerated formation of volatile Re oxides.

The stability of twenty seven composts and organic substrates (including raw, less stable and stable materials) was assessed using two different liquid phase tests were carried out. One of the tests was introduced in 1998 and was based on the calculation of a Specific Oxygen Uptake Rate (SOUR). The newly introduced liquid phase test presented here is simpler to set-up and to perform that the older liquid phase test. It is based on the quantification of oxygen consumption in the headspace of a BOD bottle that contains the liquid-solid solution. The results indicate that a marginal correlation does exist between the main indices calculated from both tests. The correlation was stronger for the indices calculated for stable-processed organics than for the raw (unprocessed materials). The SOUR ranged from 1520 to 3650mg O₂/kg VS-h for the raw materials and from 110 to 1150 mg O₂/kg VS-h for the processed materials, respectively. The corresponding stability rate related index (LSRI₂₄) of the new liquid phase test introduced here ranged from 240 to 1180 mg O₂/dry kg-h for the raw materials and from 64 to 792 mg O₂/dry kg-h for the processed ones.

Abstract: This study reviewed aspects of the biology of two members of the glucosinolate family, namely sinigrin and glucoraphanin and their anti-tumour and anti-microbial properties. Sinigrin and glucoraphanin are converted by the β-sulphoglucosidase myrosinase or the gut microbiota into their bioactive forms, allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) and sulphoraphanin (SFN) which constitute part of a sophisticated defence system plants developed over several hundred million years of evolution to protect them from parasitic attack from aphids, ticks, bacteria or nematodes. Delivery of these components from consumption of cruciferous vegetables rich in the glucosinolates also delivers many other members of the glucosinolate family so the dietary AITCs and SFN do not act in isolation. In-vitro experiments with purified AITC and SFN have demonstrated their therapeutic utility as antimicrobials against a range of clinically important bacteria and fungi. AITC and SFN are as potent as Vancomycin in the treatment of bacteria listed by the World Health Organisation as antibiotic-resistant "priority pathogens" and also act as anti- cancer agents through the induction of phase II antioxidant enzymes which inactivate potential carcinogens. Glucosinolates may be useful in the treatment of biofilms formed on medical implants and catheters by problematic pathogenic bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus and are potent antimicrobials against a range of clinically important bacteria and fungi. The glucosinolates have also been applied in the prevention of bacterial and fungal spoilage of food products in advanced atmospheric packaging technology which improves the shelf-life of these products.

The two-phase flow of water and reactive gas in the channel of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) plays an important role in high-quality water management. In this study, the removal effect of 3D wave channel and 2D straight channel for liquid water was studied by volume of fluid method. The dynamic behavior of droplet emerge from the gas diffusion layer (GDL) into the channel under the influence of gas flow was investigated. The effects of droplet growth, deformation, detachment, force, pore size on water critical behavior and water content in the channel are discussed. The results show that the 3D wave channel is superior to the removal of liquid water than the 2D straight channel. The increase of velocity is conducive to the discharge liquid water. While infinite increase of velocity will cause more parasitic power loss. The larger pore size of GDL is not advantageous to the performance of PEMFC, but the appropriate increase of pore size is conducive to the discharge of liquid water. The basic knowledge obtained in this study will help to deepen the understanding of droplet dynamics in PEMFC gas channels, and help to optimize the design and working conditions of these channels.

Using straightforward and cost-effective methods, persimmon leaves were converted into a high-quality powder. This powder was applied as an adsorbent for the removal of Cu(II) and Cd(II) from aqueous solutions. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicated the presence of particles with non-homogeneous sizes and rough texture. Elemental analysis and the EDX technique confirmed the presence of elements such as sulfur, phosphorus, nitrogen, and oxygen. The results of ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (¹³C-NMR), obtained through the cross-polarization technique, suggest the presence of groups containing sulfur and oxygen. Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) indicated the existence of amine and hydroxyl groups. The material was used in solid-phase extraction of Cu(II) and Cd(II) in batch experiments, and its adsorption capacity was evaluated as a function of time, pH, and analyte concentration. Kinetic equilibrium was reached within 5 minutes, and the experimental data were fitted to the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The optimum pH for adsorption of both metal species was observed to be around 5.0. The adsorption isotherms were adjusted using the modified Langmuir equation, and the maximum amount of metal species extracted from the solution was determined to be 0.213 mmol g^-1 for Cu(II) and 0.215 mmol g^-1 for Cd(II), with high linear correlation coefficients for both metals. The persimmon leaves are typically abundant during the growing season, and since they are seasonal, the Diospyros kaki L.f. tree undergoes the natural process of leaf abscission, ensuring the availability of leaves for application.

In order to utilize high-alumina coal gangue (HACG) as auxiliary cementitious admixture, it is of fundamental significance to thermally activating Al2O3 effectively in HACG and promoting formation of hydratable products containing Al2O3. In this paper, a new preparation technology is developed to make HACG auxiliary cementitious admixture by thermal activation of HACG-Ca(OH)2 (CH) mixture. HACG powders mixed with 20wt.% CH were calcined within a temperature range of 600-900oC, the thermal transformation and mineral phase formation were analyzed by thermogavimetric analyzer (TGA), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS). The hydration reaction between activated HACG-CH mixture and cement was also investigated. HACG experienced a conventional transformation from kaolinite to metakaolin at 600oC and finally to mullite at 900oC. However, CH underwent an unexpected transformation process from CH to CaO, then to CaCO3, and finally to CaO again with increasing calcining temperature. These substances states were associated with dehydroxylation of CH, chemical reaction between CaO and CO2 generating from combustion of carbon in HACG, and decomposition of CaCO3, respectively. It is the formation of a large amount of CaO above 800oC that favors the formation of hydratable products containing Al2O3 in the calcining process and C-A-H gel in hydration process. The mechanical properties of HACG-cement mortar specimens were measured, from which the optimal calcination temperature for preparing HACG auxiliary cementitious admixture was determined to be 850oC. As compared with pure cement mortar specimens, the maximum 28-d flexural and compressive strength of HACG-cement mortar specimens increased by 5.4% and 38.2%, respectively.

The interlaminar shear behavior of a [±45°] laminated carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) specimen was investigated utilizing microscale strain mapping in a wide field of view. A three-point bending device was developed under a laser scanning microscope, and the full-field strain distributions including normal, shear and principal strains of CFRP in a three-point bending test were measured using a developed sampling Moire technique. The microscale shear strain concentrations at interfaces between each two adjacent layers were successfully detected and found to be positive-negative alternately distributed before damage occurrence. The 45° layers slipped to the right relative to the -45° layers, visualized from the revised Moire phases and shear strain distributions of the angle-ply CFRP under different loads. The absolute values of the shear strain at interfaces gradually rose with the increase of the bending load, and the sudden decrease of the shear strain peak value implied the occurrence of interlaminar damage. The evolution of the shear strain concentrations is useful in the quantitative evaluation of the potential interlaminar shear failure.

This paper proposes how to reduce the consumption of active electrical energy (kwh) by 90.3% while maintaining the same mechanical work speed (RPM) at variable torque loads (fans or air-fluid blowers, centrifugal pumps are not included). of water and similar fluids), by using the “Fan Law” in an innovative way in PMSM-type synchronous motors (a comparative study never before carried out on the Fan Law). The work is carried out comparatively between brushless a-synchronous motors with starting loop (or motor with a short-circuited loop) versus brushed a-synchronous motors and PMSM-type synchronous motors without the need to use VDF (variable frequency drives), simplifying technology (electronics) and saving costs in an innovative way (R+D+i). The case study was developed on a design applied to a centrifugal air extractor/blower with PMSM/IPM type synchronous motor. Applying one of the fan affinity laws –with the impeller diameter 10.5 (mm) constant- the electrical power absorbed by the blower motor is proportional to the cube of the shaft speed: . Being “P” power (Watts) and “N” speed (RPM). Carrying out a comparative study between power (watts), active energy consumption (kwh) and rotational speed (RPM). This has a direct impact on the costs of residential and commercial single-phase active electrical energy consumption, measured in kilowatt-hours (kwh). Carrying out a comparative study between three (3) types of alternating current (AC) electrical machines, according to the NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association); AC motors fall into three (3) categories. One (1), synchronous motors (Syncrhonous Motor) of three types: (1a) excitation by DC (DC Excited Motor), (1b) permanent magnet (Permanent Magnet Motor) and (1c) reluctance motor (Reluctance Motor) or motor Step by Step. Two (2), asynchronous induction motors of two types: (2a) Squirrel-Cage Induction Motor and (2b) Wound-Rotor Induction Motor. Three (3) series-wound motor (Series-Wound Motor) also called universal motor (they have carbons).

The extraction method for simultaneously analyzing fatty acids (Myristic acid, cis-Palmitvaccenic acid, Palmitic acid, Palmitic-9,9-d2 acid, Oleic acid, Stearic acid and Stearic-2,2-d2 acid) related to biodiesel fuel in large algae was developed. The introduction of trimethylaminoethyl (TMAE) derivatives into the hydroxyl group (-OH) functional group of the analyte was able to improve ionization and obtain high sensitivity. Liquid Chromatography (LC) was used to investigate the optimal mobile phase composition and flow rate for the separation of five derived fatty acids. In this study, a solid phase extraction (SPE) column was introduced for efficient extraction of fatty acids, and the optimal conditions for SPE were set by comparing the recovery rate according to the solvent for each step (loading, washing, and elution) of SPE from macroalgae.

A phenomenological constitutive model is developed to describe the uniaxial transformation ratcheting behaviors of super–elastic shape memory alloy (SMA) by employing a cosine–type phase transformation equation with the initial martensite evolution coefficient that can capture the feature of the predictive residual martensite accumulation evolution and the nonlinear hysteresis loop on a finite element (FE) analysis framework. The effect of the applied loading level on transformation ratcheting are considered in the proposed model. The evolutions of transformation ratcheting and transformation stresses are constructed as the function of the accumulated residual martensite volume fraction. The FE implementation of the proposed model is carried out for the numerical analysis of transformation ratcheting of the SMA bar element. The integration algorithm and the expression of consistent tangent modulus are deduced in a new form for the forward and reverse transformation. The numerical results are compared with those of existing model and the experimental results to show the validity of the proposed model and its FE implementation in transformation ratcheting. Finally, a FE modeling is established for a repeated preload analysis of SMA bolted joint

In this paper, we consider the one-dimensional Ising model (shortly, 1D-MSIM) having mixed spin-(s,(2t−1)/2) with nearest neighbors and the external magnetic field. We establish the partition function of the model by means of the transfer matrix. Under a null boundary condition, we compute certain thermodynamic quantities for the 1D-MSIM. We find some precise formulas to determine the model’s free energy, entropy, magnetization, and susceptibility. By examining the model’s associated iterative equations, we use the cavity approach to investigate the phase transition problem. We numerically determine the model’s periodicity.

Fabric phase sorptive extraction, an innovative integration of solid phase extraction and solid phase microextraction principles, has been combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for the rapid extraction and determination of nineteen organochlorine pesticides in various fruit juices and water samples. FPSE consolidates the advanced features of sol-gel derived extraction sorbents with the rich surface chemistry of cellulose fabric substrate, which could directly extract target analytes from complex sample matrices and substantially simplifies the sample preparation operation. Important FPSE parameters including sorbent chemistry, extraction time, stirring speed, type and volume of back-extraction solvent and back-extraction time have been optimized. Calibration curves were obtained in the concentration range 0.1-500 ng/mL. Under the optimum conditions, the limits of detection were obtained in the range 0.007-0.032 ng/mL with satisfactory precision (RSD<6%). The relative recoveries obtained by spiking organochlorine pesticides in water and selected juice samples were in the range of 91.56–99.83%. The sorbent sol-gel poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(propylene glycol)-poly(ethylene glycol) was applied for the extraction and preconcentration of organochlorine pesticides in aqueous and fruit juice samples prior to analysis with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The results demonstrated that the present method is simple, rapid, and precise for the determination of organochlorine pesticides in aqueous samples.

Efficient commencement of clinical trials is pivotal for their successful execution. The purpose of this study was to determine and examine the factors that contribute to trial start-up delays. The study assessed 20 clinical trials' start-up stages in order to identify relevant variables. Results showed that trials with an emphasis on devices, trials that did not outsource, trials that utilized less auxiliary services, and trials that employed interventional designs had quicker start-up times than observational studies. Furthermore, approval times were substantially shortened by using a centralized Institutional Review Board (IRB) rather than a local IRB. Furthermore, compared to studies that successfully enrolled subjects, those who failed to do so required more time to complete contracts and budgets and secure IRB clearance. This study underscores the diverse impact of clinical trial features on start-up timelines. Understanding these factors is crucial for optimizing the initiation process of clinical trials.

Li-rich manganese-based cathode materials (LRMs) are considered one of the most promising cathode materials for the next generation lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) because of their high energy density. However, there are problems such as capacity decay, poor rate performance, and continuous voltage drop, which seriously limit their large-scale commercial applications. In this work, Li1.2Mn0.54Co0.13Ni0.13O2 coated with Li2MoO4 with unique spinel structure was prepared by wet chemistry method and the subsequent calcination process. The Li2MoO4 coating layer with spinel structure can provide a 3D Li+ transport channel, which is beneficial for improving rate performance, while protecting LRMs from electrolyte corrosion, suppressing interface side reactions, and improving cycling stability. The capacity retention rate of LRMs coated with 3wt% Li2MoO4 increased from 69.25% to 81.85% after 100 cycles at 1C, and the voltage attenuation decreased from 7.06 to 4.98 mV per cycle. The lower Rct also exhibits improved magnification performance. The results indicate that the Li2MoO4 coating effectively improves the cyclic stability and electrochemical performance of LRMs.

The presence of phase diffusion can lead to the loss of the advantages of quantum measurements. Squeezing is considered to be an effective method to reduce the detrimental effect of phase diffusion on the measurement. The Mach-Zehnder (MZ) interferometer has been exploited as a generic tool for precise phase measurement. Describing the reduction in quantum advantage caused by phase diffusion in an MZ interferometer that can be mitigated by squeezing is not easy to handle analytically, because the input state will change from a pure state to a mixed state after experiencing the diffusion noise in the MZ interferometer. We introduce a truncated MZ interferometer that can achieve the same potential phase sensitivity as the conventional MZ interferometer. This scheme can theoretically explain how phase diffusion reduces phase estimation and why squeezing counteracts in the presence of phase diffusion. Using the Gaussian property of the input state and the characteristic of Gaussian operation in the squeezing, the two orthogonal field quantities of the quantum state are squeezed and anti-squeezed to different degrees, and the analytic results are obtained. The truncated MZ interferometer is simpler to build and operate than the conventional MZ interferometer, and also mitigates the phase diffusion noise by the squeezing operation, thus making it useful for applications in precision metrology.

The short-lived positron-emitter carbon-11 (t1/2 = 20.4 min; b+, 99.8%) is prominent for labeling tracers for use in biomedical research with positron emission tomography (PET). Carbon-11 is produced for this purpose with a cyclotron, nowadays almost exclusively by the 14N(p,a)11C nuclear reaction, either on nitrogen containing a low concentration of oxygen (0.1–0.5%) or hydrogen (~ 5%) to produce [11C]carbon dioxide or [11C]methane, respectively. These primary radioactive products can be produced in high yields and with high molar activities. However, only [11C]carbon dioxide has some utility for directly labeling PET tracers. Primary products are required to be converted rapidly and efficiently into secondary labeling synthons to provide versatile radiochemistry for labeling diverse tracer chemotypes at molecular positions of choice. This review surveys known gas phase transformations of carbon-11 and summarizes the important roles that many of these transformations now play for producing a broad range of labeling synthons in carbon-11 chemistry.

The direct measurements of the magnetocaloric effect were performed in Heusler Ni44.4Mn36.2Sn14.9Cu4.5 alloy at cryogenic temperatures in magnetic fields up to 10 T. The maximum value of the inverse magnetocaloric effect in a field of 10 T was observed ∆Tad = –2.7 K in the vicinity of the 1st order magnetostructural phase transition at T0 = 117 K. The ab initio and Monte Carlo calculations were performed to discuss the effect Cu doping into Ni-Mn-Sn compound on the ground state structural and magnetic properties. It is shown that with increasing Cu content the martensitic transition temperature decreases and the Curie temperature of austenite slightly increases. In general, calculated transition temperatures, magnetization values are correlated well with the experimental ones.

(1) Background: Surgical phases form the basic building blocks for surgical skill assessment, feedback and teaching. Phase duration itself and its correlation to clinical parameters has not yet been investigated. Novel commercial platforms provide phase indications but have not been assessed for accuracy yet. (2) Methods: We assess 100 robot-assisted partial nephrectomy videos for phase duration based on previously defined proficiency metrics. We develop an annotation framework and subsequently compare our annotations to an existing commercial solution (Touch Surgery, Medtronic™). We subsequently explore clinical correlations between phase durations and peri-operative parameters. (3) Results: Objective and uniform phase assessment requires precise definitions derived from an iterative revision process. Comparison to a commercial solution shows large differences in definitions across phases. BMI and duration of renal tumor identification correlate positively, as well as tumor complexity and both tumor excision and renorraphy duration. (4) Conclusions: Surgical phase duration can be correlated with certain clinical outcomes. Further research should investigate if retrieved correlations are also clinically meaningful. This requires increasing dataset sizes and facilitation through intelligent computer vision algorithms. Commercial platforms can facilitate this dataset expansion and help unlock the full potential, provided the disclosure of phase annotation details.

Reconfigurable chiral metasurfaces with dynamic polarization manipulation capability are highly required in optical integrated systems. In this paper, we simultaneously realized giant and large-range switchable asymmetric transmission (AT) and circular conversion dichroism (CCD) in a vanadium dioxide (VO2) based metasurface. The AT and CCD of the insulator VO2 based metasurface reach 0.95 and 0.92, respectively. Utilizing the insulator-to-metallic phase transition of VO2, the AT and CCD could be continuously switched to near zero. Furthermore, the physics mechanism of the giant and switchable AT and CCD are analyzed. The proposed metasurface with large-range switchable AT and CCD is promising in the applications of biochemistry detection, chiral imaging and biosensing.

This paper presents a novel high-power rotary waveguide phase shifter based on circular polarizers specifically engineered for high-power microwave (HPM) applications. The phase shifter is capable of performing a precise 360° linear phase shift through rotation and consists of three parts: a linear polarized to left-handed circular polarized (LP-LHCP) mode converter, a left-handed to right-handed circular polarized (LH-RHCP) mode converter, and a linear polarized to right-handed circular polarized (LP-RHCP) mode converter. The paper analyzes the phase shifting principle, optimizes the three parts of the X-band rotary waveguide phase shifter, and conducts simulation studies on the entire phase shifter made of aluminum. The results show that the reflection is less than -20dB and the transmission efficiency is over 95% within 9.5GHz to 10.2GHz. The phase shift has a linear relationship with the rotation angle by a factor of two within this frequency range. Specifically, the phase shifter can achieve a linear phase shift of 360° when rotated from 0° to 180°, with a maximum deviation of less than 1.2°. Moreover, the power-handling capacity of the phase shifter in vacuum exceeds 242mW.

It was recently shown that urban networks might exhibit two different critical points, one for the percolation of congested links through the network, and another one for the flow of vehicles through the network. It was observed that the percolation critical point happens after the flow critical point, where network throughput is maximized. This result is important because if a causal relationship exists between these two processes, it can be leveraged for improving control methods to avoid network collapse. This paper presents the results of numerical experiments to understand the possible causal relationship between the percolation and flow processes by focusing on the relative timing between the two critical points. The goal is to understand the impacts of important factors such as: (i) urban network type: long- and short-block networks, (ii) signal timing control type: fixed, random, responsive, and (iii) route choice: turning proportions at intersections. We find that the threshold density $k^*_c$ to determine if a link is congested has the main impact on the timing of the percolation transition, where lower values trigger earlier transitions. This implies that $k^*_c$ can be set such that the percolation transition happens before the flow critical point, opening the door for improved congestion management strategies. If $k^*_c$ is set to the average network critical density, maximum network throughput happen simultaneously with the percolation transition. Surprisingly, it appears that these results, and more generally, the relationship between the percolation and flow processes is independent of (i) and (ii) above.

Discovery of stable and broad frequency combs in monochromatically pumped high-Q optical Kerr microresonators caused by generation of temporal solitons can be regarded as one of the major breakthroughs in nonlinear optics during the last two decades. Transfer of the soliton-comb concept to χ(2) microresonators promises lowering of the pump power, new operation regimes, and entering new spectral ranges; scientifically, it is of a big challenge. Here we represent an overview of stable and accessible soliton-comb regimes in monochromatically pumped χ(2) microresonators discovered during the last several years. The main stress is made on lithium niobate based resonators. The overview pretends to be rather simple, complete, and comprehensive: It incorporates the main factors affecting the soliton-comb generation, such as the choice of the pumping scheme (pumping to the first or second harmonic), the choice of phase matching scheme (natural or artificial), the effects of temporal walk-off and dispersion coefficients, and also the influence of frequency detunings and Q-factors. Most of discovered nonlinear regimes are self-starting – they can be accessed from noise upon a not very abrupt increase of the pump power. The soliton-comb generation scenarios are not universal – they can be realized only under proper combinations of the above mentioned factors. We indicate what kind of restrictions on the experimental conditions have to be imposed to get the soliton-comb generation.

Multinuclear NMR studies of the gaseous mixtures that involve volatile compounds and ³He atoms are featured in this review. Precise analyses of the ³He and other nuclei resonance frequencies show linear dependences on the gas density. Extrapolation of the gas phase results to the zero-pressure limit gives ν₀(³He) and ν₀(ⁿX) resonance frequencies of nuclei in a single 3-helium atom and nuclei in molecules at a given temperature. The NMR frequency comparison method provides an approach for determining different nuclear magnetic moments. Application of quantum chemical shielding calculations which include a more complete and careful theoretical treatment allows the shielding of isolated molecules to be achieved with great accuracy and precision. They are used for evaluation of nuclear moments without shielding impact on bare nuclei: ^10/11B, ¹³C, ¹⁴N, ¹⁷O, ¹⁹F, ²¹Ne, ²⁹Si, ³¹P, ³³S, ^35/37Cl, ³³S , ⁸³Kr, ^129/131Xe, and ¹⁸³W. On the other hand, new results of nuclear moments were used for reevaluation of absolute nuclear magnetic shielding in molecules under study. Additionally, ³He gas in water solutions of lithium and sodium salts was used for measurements of ^6/7Li and ²³Na magnetic moments and reevaluation of shielding parameters of Li⁺ and Na⁺ water solvated cations. In this paper, guest ³He atoms that play a role in probing the electron density in many host macromolecules are presented as well.

New class of conserved quantities is constructed. These quantities find direct application in mechanics of dissipative (generally non-conservative) dynamical systems. Approach demands formulation in the language of geometric mechanics, providing theoretical framework for situations with energy flow in and out of the system. As a by product, we suggest possibility of existence of Hamiltonian form for every autonomous ODE system, evolution of which is governed by non-potential generator of motion. Various examples are provided, ranging from physics and mathematics, to chemical kinetics and population dynamics in biology. Applications of these ideas in geometric integration techniques (GNI) of numerical analysis are discussed, and as an example of such, new discrete gradient-based numerical method is introduced.

A Hayward black hole and magnetically charged black hole based on rational nonlinear electrodynamics with the Lagrangian ${\cal L} = -{\cal F}/(1+2\beta{\cal F})$ (${\cal F}$ is a field invariant) are considered. It was shown that the metric function in both models possesses a de Sitter core without singularities as $r\rightarrow 0$. The behavior of the Hawking temperature and the heat capacity in these models are similar. The phase transitions take place when the Hawking temperature has the maximum, and black holes are thermodynamically stable at some event horizon radii when the heat capacity is positive. We show that the source of gravity in the Hayward model is questionable.

Viruses have established symbiotic relationships with almost every other living organism on Earth and at all levels of biological organisation, from other viruses up to entire ecosystems. In most cases, peacefully coexisting with their hosts, but in most relevant cases, parasitising them and inducing diseases. Viruses are playing an essential role in shaping the eco-evolutionary dynamics of their hosts, and have been also involved in some of the major evolutionary innovations either by working as vectors of genetic information or by being themselves coopted by the host into their genomes. Viruses can be studied at different levels of biological organisation, from the molecular mechanisms of genome replication, gene expression and encapsidation, to global pandemics. All these levels are different and yet connected through the presence of threshold conditions allowing for the formation of a capsid, the loss of genetic information or epidemic spreading. These thresholds, as it occurs with temperatures separating phases in a liquid, define sharp qualitative types of behaviour. These {\em phase transitions} are very well known in Physics. They have been studied by means of simple, but powerful models able to capture their essential properties, allowing to understand them. Can the physics of phase transitions be an inspiration for our understanding of viral dynamics at different scales? Here we review well-known examples of transition phenomena in virology and their simplest mathematical modelling approaches. We suggest that the advantages of abstract, simplified pictures used in Physics are also the key to properly understand the origins and evolution of complexity in viruses. By means of several examples, we explore this multilevel landscape and how minimal models provide deep insights into a diverse array of problems. The relevance of these transitions in connecting dynamical patterns across levels and their evolutionary and clinical implications are outlined.

Modulation of the amplitude of high-frequency cortical field activity locked to changes in phase of a slower brain rhythm is known as phase-amplitude coupling (PAC). The study of this phenomenon has been gaining traction in neuroscience because of several reports on its appearance in normal and pathological brain processes in humans as well as across different mammalian species. This has led to the suggestion that PAC may be an intrinsic brain process that facilitates brain inter-area communication across different spatiotemporal scales. Several methods have been proposed to measure the PAC process, but few of these enable detailed study of its time course. It appears that no studies have reported details of PAC dynamics including its possible directional delay characteristics. Here, we study and characterize the use of a novel information theoretic measure that may address this limitation: local transfer entropy. We use both simulated and actual intracranial electroencephalographic data, and in both cases we observe initial indications that local transfer entropy can be used to detect the onset and offset of modulation process periods revealed by mutual information phase-amplitude coupling (MIPAC). We review our results in the context of current theories about PAC in brain electrical activity, and discuss technical issues that must be addressed to see local transfer entropy more widely applied to PAC analysis.

The principles of causality and unitarity are studied within rational nonlinear electrodynamics proposed earlier. We investigate dyonic and magnetized black holes and show that in the self-dual case, when the electric charge equals the magnetic charge, corrections to Coulomb's law and Reissner-Nordstrom solutions are absent. In the case of the magnetic black hole, the Hawking temperature, the heat capacity and the Helmholtz free energy are calculated. It is shown that there are second-order phase transitions and it was demonstrated that at some range of parameters the black holes are stable.

A novel mathematical model is developed to calculate the temperature distribution on the surface and bulk of a steel plate under the laser hardening process. The model starts with the basic heat equation then it is developed into a volumetric form and is connected to the various solid existing phases. The proposed model is based on three influencing parameters of the laser hardening process which are the velocity of the laser spot and irradiation time. The results are compared with the available experimental data reported in the literature. The volumetric model provides an assessment of temperature distribution in both the vertical and horizontal axis. Laser irradiation at sufficiently high fluence can be used to create a solid-state phase change on the surface. Primary calculations show that the temperature profile has a Gaussian distribution in horizontal x and y-axis and presents an exponentially decreasing in the horizontal and vertical depth directions.

Phase Change Materials (PCMs) are latent heat storage media with high potential of integration in building structures and technical systems. Their solid-liquid transition is commonly utilized for thermal energy storage in building applications. It also means that some kind of encapsulation is necessary. This is often solved with metal containers that also have high thermal conductivity and resistance to mechanical damage enhancing the performance these so called latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) systems. However selection of suitable metal is rather challenging. It depends, among other things, on the elimination of undesirable interaction between storage medium and surrounding metal. Heat storage medium must be reliably sealed in metal container especially when the storage system is integrated in systems like domestic hot water storage tanks, where PCM leaks can negatively affect human health. The aim of this study was evaluation of interaction between selected commercially available organic and inorganic PCMs and metals. The evaluation is based on the calculation of corrosion rate and use gravimetric method for determination of the weigh variations of the metal samples. Results show that aluminium is the most suitable container material with lowest mass loss and suffered only minimal visual changes on the surface after prolonged exposure to PCMs.

One ambitious objective of Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) is to shorten the materials development cycle by using computational materials simulation techniques at different length scales. In this regard, the most important aspects are the prediction of the microstructural evolution during material processing and the understanding of the contributions of microstructural features to the mechanical response of the materials. One possible solution to such a challenge is to apply the Phase Field (PF) method because it can predict the microstructural evolution under the influence of different internal or external stimuli, including deformation. To accomplish this, it is necessary to take into account plasticity or, specifically, non-homogeneous plastic deformation, which is particularly important for investigating the size effects in materials emerging at the micron length scale. In this work, we present quasi-2D simulations of plastic deformation in a face centred cubic system in a finite strain formulation. Our model consists of dislocation-based strain gradient crystal plasticity implemented into a PF code. We apply this model to study the influence of grain size on the mechanical behavior of polycrystals, which includes dislocation storage and annihilation. Furthermore, the initial state of the material before deformation is also considered. The results show that a dislocation-based strain gradient crystal plasticity model can capture the Hall-Petch effect in many aspects. The model reproduced the correct functional dependence of the flow stress of the polycrystal on grain size without assigning any special properties to the grain boundaries. However, the predicted Hall-Petch coefficients are significantly smaller than those found typically in experiments. In any case, we found a good qualitative agreement between our findings and experimental results.

Background A body composition monitor (BCM) has a role not only in determining over-hydration (OH) but also as an aid to nutritional assessment. For dialysis patient-specific clinical applications of BCM, it is necessary to clarify the relationship between body composition parameters and OH in healthy Chinese individuals. Methods This cross-sectional study involved 314 healthy individuals with a mean age of 45.7±13.1 years. BCM measurements were performed while the subjects were fasting. Results The mean OH level was 0.379±0.81 L. Lean tissue index (LTI) and Lean tissue mass (LTM) were significantly higher in males (p<0.001), while fat tissue index (FTI) was significantly higher in females (p<0.001). In univariate correlation analysis, FTI, Fat, and ATM had a negative correlation with OH in females and all subjects (p<0.05), while LTM and BCM had a positive correlation in all subjects (p<0.05). There was a significant negative correlation between phase angle (PhA) and OH in males, females, and all subjects (r=-0.634, p<0.001; r=-0.666, p<0.001; r=-0.484, p<0.001, respectively). In multivariate linear regression analysis, PhA (b=-1.266, p<0.001), LTM (b=0.987, p<0.001), age (b=-0.307, p<0.001) were independent predictors of OH. Conclusions This study demonstrated that age, LTM and especially PhA, had important roles in predicting OH in healthy Chinese individuals. In the future, PhA may aid in clinical assessment by helping to titrate dry weight among hemodialysis patients with malnutrition.

Three-dimensional (3D) imaging has attracted more and more interests because of its widespread applications, especially in information and life science. These techniques can be broadly divided into two types: ray-based and wavefront-based 3D imaging. Issues such as imaging quality and system complexity of these techniques limit the applications significantly, and therefore many investigations have focused on 3D imaging from depth measurements. This paper presents an overview of 3D imaging from depth measurements, and provides a summary of the connection between these the ray-based and wavefront-based 3D imaging techniques.

Two novel inorganic–organic hybrid supramolecular assemblies, namely, (4-HNA)(18-crown-6)(HSO₄) (1) and (4-HNA)₂(18-crown-6)₂(PF₆)₂(CH₃OH) (2) (4-HNA = 4-nitroanilinium), were synthesized and characterized by infrared spectroscopy, single X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and temperature-dependent dielectric measurements. The two compounds underwent reversible phase transitions at about 255 K and 265 K, respectively. These phase transitions were revealed and confirmed by the thermal anomalies in DSC measurements and abrupt dielectric anomalies during heating. The phase transition may have originated from the [(4-HNA)(18-crown-6)]⁺ supramolecular cation. The inorganic anions tuned the crystal packings and thus influenced the phase-transition points and types. The variable-temperature X-ray diffraction data for crystal 1 revealed the occurrence of a phase transition in the high-temperature phase with the space group of P2₁/c and in the low-temperature phase with the space group of P2₁/n. Crystal 2 exhibited the same space group P2₁/c at different temperatures. The results indicated that crystals 1 and 2 both underwent an iso-structural phase transition.

The parameter estimation problem for polynomial phase signals (PPSs) arises in a number of fields, including radar, sonar, biology, etc. In this paper, a fast algorithm of parameter estimation for monocomponent PPS is considered. We propose the so-called LSU-EKF estimator, which combines the least squares unwrapping (LSU) estimator and the extended Kalman filter (EKF). First, the coarse estimates of the parameters of PPS are obtained by the LSU estimator using a small number of samples. Subsequently, these coarse estimates are used to initial the EKF. Monte-Carlo simulations show that the computation complexity of the LSU-EKF estimator is much less than that of the LSU estimator, with little performance loss. Similar to the LSU estimator, the proposed algorithm is able to work over the entire identifiable region. Moreover, in the EKF stage, the accurate estimated results can be output point-by-point, which is useful in real applications.

When focusing on materials science in civil engineering, the current trend is to investigate the use of innovative solutions in order to enhance thermal and energy performances. This trend is amplified with the need for a sustainable development strategy for the construction sector. This paper assesses the integration of a Phase Change Material (PCM) in cement intended for building construction. The key characteristic of PCMs is their capacity to absorb energy and restore it. In building construction, this feature could be harnessed to save energy by incorporating PCMs in the materials used. In this study, passive integration of PCM in cement was tested and thermal properties of such an integration was assessed. The results provide insights into how PCMs affect cement as part of the concrete mixture, thus identifying the contribution of PCM-based cements in concrete mixtures.

In order to the effect of hydrated phase change materials on suppressing coal spontaneous combustion, the thermogravimetric experiment and reaction activation energy analysis experiment were used to explore the changes of combustion characteristic, parameters characteristic temperature and activating energy of gas coal, long flame coal, meagre coal, and lean coal before and after adding hydrated phase change materials. The research results showed that hydrated phase change materials increased the coal samples’characteristic temperature point and have effective inhibitory effects on different stages of oxidation process.However, the effect was best at low temperatures, as hydrated phase change materials undergo phase change and absorb heat when heated at low temperatures, isolating coal from contact with oxygen. The activating energy increased by 1.138 KJmol-1～23.048 KJmol-1 and the mass loss reduced by 1.6%～9.3% after the inhibition of the coal sample,indicating that the oxidation rate of various coal samples can be slowed down and the spontaneous combustion can be suppressed by using hydrated phase change materials.At the same time, this material can also reduce the combustibility index of meagre coal and lean coal, as well as the comprehensive combustion index and maximum loss rate of long flame coal and gas coal.

Printed electronic devices are attracting significant interest due to their versatility and low cost; however, quality control during manufacturing is a significant challenge, preventing the widespread adoption of this promising technology. We show that terahertz (THz) radiation can be used for the in situ inspection of printed electronic devices, as confirmed through a comparison with conventional electrical conductivity methods. Our in situ method consists of printing a simple test pattern exhibiting a distinct signature in the THz range that enables the precise characterization of {the static} electrical conductivities of the printed ink. We demonstrate that contactless dual-wavelength THz spectroscopy analysis, which requires only a single THz measurement, is more precise and repeatable than the conventional four-point probe conductivity measurement method. Our results open the door to a simple strategy for performing contactless quality control in real time of printed electronic devices at any stage of its production line.

The aim of this work was to investigate the microstructure and the mechanical properties of la-ser-welded joints combined of DP800 and DP1000 high strength thin steel sheets. The welded joints (WJ) comprised of similar/dissimilar steels with similar/dissimilar thickness were consisted of different zones and exhibited similar microstructural characteristics. The trend of microhard-ness for all WJs was consistent, characterized of the highest value at hardening zone (HZ) and lowest at softening zone (SZ). The degree of softening was more severe and the size of SZ was wider in the WJ combinations of DP1000 than DP800. The tensile test fractures were located at the base material (BM) for all DP800 weldments, while the fractures occurred at the fusion zone (FZ) for the weldments with DP1000 and those with dissimilar sheet thicknesses. The DP800-DP1000 weldment presented similar yield strength (YS) and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) values but lower elongation (EI) in comparison with the DP800-DP800 weldment, which showed similar strength properties as the BM of DP800. However, the EI of DP1000-DP1000 weldment was much lower in comparison with the BM of DP1000. The DP800-DP1000 weldment with dissimilar thicknesses showed the highest YS and UTS values compared with the other weldments, but with the lowest EI. The fatigue fractures occurred at the WJ for all types of weldments. The DP800-DP800 weldment had the highest fatigue limit and DP800-DP1000 with dissimilar thick-nesses had the lowest fatigue limit. The fatigue crack initiated from the weld surface.

Background: Recurrent approximation of retention parameters in reversed-phase HPLC is effective for revealing anomalies difficult to detect otherwise, namely, the reversible hydration of analytes. This was demonstrated previously for restricted sets of analytes with acetonitrile–water eluents. Expanding the number of analytes and eluents seems to be a topical problem. Two kinds of derivatives of aromatic carbonyl compounds were characterized: unsubstituted hydrazones and oximes. Methods: If analyte demonstrates no anomalies in dependences of retention times vs. concentration of organic modifier, the recurrent approximations of these dependences are linear. To explain the features of recurrent approximations, the numerical experiments were proposed and considered. The artificial shifting of one, two, or more points allows modeling the different kinds of deviations of approximations from linearity. Results: It was shown that hydrazones are the class of analytes having no anomalies of retention parameters. On the contrary, several anomalies were detected for oximes. Downward deviations of points in the plots of recurrent approximations of retention times are the signs of reversible hydration. This effect for methanol–water eluents was detected for the first time. Some of oximes underwent hydrolysis. Conclusion: Recurrent approximation of retention times allows detecting chemical transformations of analytes during RP HPLC analysis.

An exact solution for the Nagel-Schreckenberg model for v_max = 1 is known since the 90s, yet for v_max > 1 it remains an open question. It is conjectured here that this general solution can be generated from the basic solution (for v_max = 1) by a linear coordinate transformation, the shear mapping, which requires no additional parameters in the deterministic case, and two additional parameters otherwise. The proposed solutions show remarkable agreement with existing numerical solutions, except in the congested regime where the Monte Carlo data shows more concavity than the more linear congested branches predicted by the theory. More research is needed to investigate this bias.

This article presents the results of studies of the structure and conductive properties of Na3Fe2(PO4)3 polycrystals synthesized by solid-phase and melt (using concentrated optical radiation) methods. It has been established that with the melt method, the synthesis of the material occurs under significantly nonequilibrium temperature-gradient conditions, which leads to the creation of deformations in the sample that contribute to an increase in ionic conductivity. The ability of the Na3Fe2(PO4)3 structure to adapt to anomalous deformations that occur under temperature-gradient conditions indicates the elasticity of the crystalline framework {[Fe2(PO4)]3-}3∞. Through a comparative assessment of the structural parameters and conductive properties of these materials, it is shown that polycrystals obtained by the melt method have a better texture and greater ionic conductivity. The advantage of this method is that the duration of the synthesis of α-Na3Fe2(PO4)3 is halved. It is concluded that this method is applicable to obtain effective polycrystals of other compositions.

In this work, a small-strain phase-field model is presented, which is able to predict crack propagation in systems with anisotropic brittle and ductile constituents. To model the anisotropic brittle crack propagation, an anisotropic critical energy release rate is used. The brittle constituents behave linear-elastically, in a transversely isotropic manner. Ductile crack growth is realised by a special crack degradation function, depending on the accumulated plastic strain, which is calculated by following the J2-plasticity theory. The mechanical jump conditions are applied in solid-solid phase transition regions. The influence of the relevant model parameters on a crack, propagating through a planar brittle-ductile interface, and furthermore a crack developing in a domain with a single anisotropic brittle ellipsoid, embedded in a ductile matrix, is investigated. We demonstrate that important properties, concerning the mechanical behaviour of grey cast iron, such as the favoured growth of cracks along the graphite lamellae and the tension-compression load asymmetry of the stress-strain response, are covered by the model. The behaviour is analysed on basis of a simulation domain consisting of three differently oriented elliptical inclusions, embedded in a ductile matrix, which is subjected to tensile and compressive load. The used material parameters correspond to graphite lamellae and pearlite.

It was demonstrated during the past decade that ultra-short intense laser pulse tightly focused deep inside a transparent dielectric generates the energy density in excess of several MJ/cm$^3$. Such energy concentration with extremely high heating and quenching rates leads to unusual solid-plasma-solid transformation paths overcoming kinetic barriers to formation of previously unknown high-pressure material phases, which are preserved in the surrounding pristine crystal. These results were obtained with the pulse of Gaussian shape in space and in time. Recently it was shown that the Bessel-shaped pulse could transform much larger amount of a material and allegedly create even higher energy density than that was achieved with the Gaussian (GB) pulses. Here we present a succinct review of previous results and discuss the possible routes for achieving higher energy density employing the Bessel beams (BB) and take advantage of its unique properties.

The LiCl and LiNO₃ water solutions in the presence of small amounts of 3-helium have been investigated by means of multinuclear resonance spectroscopy. The resulting concentration dependences of the ³He, ^6,7Li⁺, ¹⁴NO₃^¯ and ³⁵Cl^¯ resonance radiofrequencies are reported in the infinite limit. This data along with new theoretical corrections of shielding lithium ions was analyzed by a known NMR relationship method. Consequently, the nuclear magnetic moments of ⁶Li and ⁷Li were established against that of the helium-3 dipole moment: μ(⁶Li)=+0.822046(5)μ_N and μ(⁷Li)=+3.256418(20)μ_N. The new results were shown to be very close to the previously obtained values of the (ABMR) atomic beam magnetic resonance method. This experiment proves that our helium method is well suited for establishing dipole moments from NMR measurements performed in water solutions. This technique is especially valuable when gaseous substances of the needed element are not available. All shielding constants of species present in water solutions are consistent with new nuclear magnetic moments and these taken as a reference. Both techniques – NMR and ABMR – give practically the same results providing that all shielding corrections are properly made.

This paper studied the nonlinear vibrations of top tensioned cantilevered pipes conveying pressurized steady two-phase flow under thermal loading. The coupled axial and transverse governing partial differential equations of motion of the system were derived based on Hamilton’s mechanics with the centreline assumed to be extensible. Multiple scale perturbation method was used to resolve the governing equations, which resulted to an analytical approach for assessing the natural frequency, mode shape and the nonlinear coupled axial and transverse steady state response of the pipe. The analytical assessment reveals that at some frequencies the system is uncoupled, while at some frequencies a 1:2 coupling exists between the axial and the transverse frequencies of the pipe. Nonlinear frequencies versus the amplitude displacement of the cantilever pipe conveying two-phase flow at super critical mixture velocity for the uncoupled scenario exhibit a nonlinear hardening behaviour, an increment in the void fractions of the two-phase flow resulted to a reduction in the pipe’s transverse vibration frequencies and the coupled amplitude of the system. However, increasing the temperature difference, pressure and the presence of top tension were observed to increase the pipe’s transverse vibration frequencies without a significant change in the coupled amplitude of the system.

Alginate-gelatin hydrogels are extensively used in bioengineering. However, despite different formulations being utilized for growing different cell types in vitro, their pH and its effect, together with the crosslinking ions, of those formulations are still infrequently assessed. In this work we studied how these elements can affect hydrogel stability and printability and influence U2OS and NIH/3T3 cell viability and metabolism on the resulting 3D prints. In this context, 6% alginate + 2% gelatin hydrogels were prepared with 0.1 M MES buffer with pH 5.5, 6.5, 7.0 or 8.0, printed by extrusion-based 3D printing, and crosslinked immediately after printing with either CaCl2 or BaCl2. Our results showed that both the buffer pH and the crosslinking ion (Ca2+ or Ba2+) influence the swelling and degradation rates of the prints. Moreover, the buffer pH influenced the printability of the hydrogel in air, but when printed directly in a fluid-phase CaCl2 or BaCl2 crosslinking bath. In addition, both U2OS and NIH/3T3 cells showed greater cell metabolic activity on one-layer prints crosslinked with Ca2+. Besides, Ba2+ increased cell death of NIH/3T3 cells while had no effect on the U2OS cell viability. The pH of the buffer also caused an important impact on the cell behaviour. U2OS cells showed a 2.25-fold cell metabolism increase on one-layer prints prepared at pH 8.0 in comparison to those prepared at pH 5.5. Whereas, NIH/3T3 cells showed greater metabolism on one-layer prints with pH 7.0. Finally, we observed a difference on cell arrangement of the U2OS cells growing on prints prepared from hydrogels with acidic buffer in comparison to cells growing on those prepared using neutral or basic buffer. These results show that both pH and crosslinking ion influence hydrogel strength and cell behaviour.

This study will present a comprehensive review of the two-phase flow boiling heat transfer coefficient of hydrocarbons such propane (R-290), butane (R-600) and iso-butane (R-600a) and ethanol at various experimental conditions. Studying the multiphase flow heat transfer coefficient has a crucial importance for many heat transfer equipment to achieve higher efficiency for more compact design and cost reduction. One reason behind choosing hydrocarbons as refrigerants in this study is because hydrocarbons have zero ozone depletion potential (ODP=0) and insignificant direct global warming potential (GWP = 3). Moreover, thermodynamic and thermophysical characteristics of hydrocarbons qualify them to be a strong candidate for more heat transfer applications. Initially, by constructing a database for the working fluids from various experimental work available in the literature. The current data that this study has collected for the flow boiling of spans wide ranges of parameters, such as: mass flux, heat flux, operating pressure, and saturation temperature, etc. Furthermore, by comparing the experimental multiphase heat transfer coefficient database with the anticipated values of each correlation, the prediction performance of 26 correlations found in the literature was assessed. This study leads to the selection of the best prediction method based on the minimum deviation of predicted results from the experimental database provided by calculated mean absolute error (MAE) from the assessed correlations. The findings of this study can also be useful in the development of more accurate correlation methods for these fluids and improve the prediction of their flow boiling characteristics.

Based on electromagnetic heat transfer and metal phase transformation co-simulations, we modeled an AISI 1045 specimen under high-frequency heat treatment. Hardening zone predictions were confirmed through cooling and metal phase transformation simulations after obtaining the results from electromagnetic heat transfer simulations. The cooling process was modeled by applying the cooling coefficient of the cooling water in the same way as the actual heat-treatment process. To obtain the current flowing through the coil during high-frequency induction heating, the voltage was measured and applied using the resistance–inductance–capacitance circuit calculation method. Experimental and simulated results of the heating temperature and curing depth of an AISI 1045 specimen with a carbon content of 0.45% were compared; the comparison indicated good agreement between the two. Using the simulation results, we established a method for obtaining the current flowing through the induction coil for predicting the extent and depth of the hardening zone during high-frequency induction heat treatment.

This study aimed to conduct importance-performance analyses (IPAs) based on the perception of Korean middle-school students toward health management awareness during the post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) era. Data were collected from 867 Korean middle-school students via online and offline surveys between May and June 2023. A frequency analysis, a reliability analysis, an IPA based on the entire target students, and an IPA depending on sex were carried out with the collected data, and they revealed the following. First, the IPA results regardless of sex indicated that four factors of the mental health were located in the third quadrant with one factor of the same variable in the fourth quadrant. The three factors of the disease management were located in the third quadrant. As for physical activity, two factors were located in the first quadrant, one in the second quadrant, and one in the third quadrant. As for sleep management, two factors were located in the second quadrant, one in the third quadrant, and one in the first quadrant. As for the eating management, two factors were located in the third quadrant, and one in the fourth quadrant. As for the social distancing variable, all four factors were located in the third quadrant. As for the hygiene management, two factors were located in the first quadrant, one in the third quadrant, and one in the fourth quadrant. Furthermore, the IPA results indicated gender differences in regular sports and vigorous movement activities associated with the physical activity. Additionally, a gender difference was observed in regular diet associated with the eating management. This study proposed possible measures for encouraging adolescents to recognize the importance of health and increase their health-related performance during the COVID-19 endemic phase.

We propose a new hierarchy of the vector derivative nonlinear Schr{\"o}dinger equations and consider the simplest multiphase solutions of this hierarchy. The study of the simplest solutions of these equations led to the following results. First, the three-leaf spectral curves $\Gamma=\{(\mu,\lambda)\}$ of the simplest multiphase solutions have a quite simple symmetry. They are invariant with respect to holomorphic involution $\tau$. The type of this involution depends on the genus of the spectral curve. Or the involution has the form $\tau:(\mu,\lambda)\to(\mu,-\lambda)$, or $\tau:(\mu,\lambda)\to(-\mu,-\lambda)$. The presence of symmetry leads to the fact that the dynamics of the solution is determined not by the entire spectral curve $\Gamma$, but by its factor $\Gamma/\tau$, which has a smaller genus. Secondly, it turned out that the dynamics of the two-component vector $\bp=(p_1,p_2)^t$ is determined, first of all, by the dynamics of its length $\abs{\bp}$. Independent equations determine the dependence of the direction of the vector $\bp$ from its length. In cases where the direction of the vector $\bp$ is fixed, the corresponding spectral curve splits into separate components. In conclusion, we note that, as in the case of the Manakov system, the equation of the spectral curve is invariant with respect to the orthogonal transformation of the vector solutions. I.e., the solution can be found from the spectral curve up to the orthogonal transformation. This fact indicates that the spectral curve does not depend on the individual components of the solution, but on their symmetric functions. Thus, the spectral data of multiphase solutions have two symmetries. These symmetries make it difficult to reconstruct signals from their spectral data. The work contains examples illustrating these statements.

This study employs the phase-field regularized cohesion model (PF-CZM) to simulate crack propagation and damage behavior in porous granite. We investigate how pore radius (r), initial crack-pore distance (D), and pore-crack angle (θ) impact crack propagation. The simulation findings reveal that, with a fixed deflection angle and initial crack-pore distance, larger pores are more likely to induce crack extension under identical loading conditions. Moreover, with r and θ keeping constant, the crack extension can be divided into two stages: from its initiation to the lower edge of the pore and then from the lower edge to the upper boundary of the model. By varying the values of D and r, we derive multiple combinations of different D/r ratios and pore radii. These results demonstrate that with constant r, cracks tend to deflect toward the pore closer to the initial crack. Conversely, when D is maintained constant, cracks will preferentially deflect toward pores with a larger r. In summary, the numerical simulation of rock pores and initial cracks, based on the PF-CZM, exhibits remarkable predictive capabilities and holds significant potential in advancing rock fracture analysis.

Abstract: Self-regulated Learning has become one of educational psychology's most critical research areas. Contemporary research indicates that student creativity is crucial to the success of arts education. However, there is limited research on creativity in arts education in Self-regulated Learning. Therefore, this study aims to define the creativity characteristics that determine the quality of students’ work. This study implemented a creative competition in painting and composition for first-year undergraduates. It evaluated the characteristics of creativity during the three main phases of the task: planning, execution, and completion. We discovered through semi-open questionnaires (n=178)，and using the content analysis method. According to the competition results, the students with the highest scores in Flow, Inspiration, and Idea Generation in the Performance phase had the best quality work. In the Forethought phase, Analogical Thinking and Idea Generation worked best for most students, while in the Performance phase, Flow Sense, Idea Generation, and Idea Manipulation worked best.Data on creativity characteristics at different work phases and final quality might adequately guide and organize educational procedures. These findings can serve as a theoretical foundation for quantifying the creativity phase in Self-regulated Learning and offer arts educators a reference for creativity instruction.

In this study, the use of recycled diatomaceous earth as the extraction phase in a the solid phase microextraction (SPME) technique for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in river water samples, with separation/detection performed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), is proposed. The optimized extraction conditions are extraction time 70 min at 80 ºC with no addition of salt. The limits of quantification were close to 0.5 μg L-1 with RSD values lower than 25% (n = 3). The linear working range was 0.5 μg L-1 to 25 μg L-1 for all analytes. The method was applied to samples collected from the Itajaí River (Santa Catarina, Brazil) and the RSD values for repeatability and reproducibility were lower than 15% and 17%, respectively. The efficiency of the recycled diatomaceous earth fiber was compared with that of commercial fibers and good results were obtained, confirming that this is a promising option for use as the extraction phase in SPME.

The work is devoted to the study of a MEMS resonator dynamics under the action of phase-locked and automatic gain control loops. Particular attention is directed to the study of the nonlinearity factor of the resonator elastic restoring force. It was found that the determination of control system parameters based on the stability analysis of the operating resonant mode, in the general case, does not provide the required phase adjustment and stabilization of the oscillation amplitude. Stable multifrequency modes of oscillations are found, an analytical study of the mechanisms of their appearance and evolution is carried out under variation of the key parameters of the system. The real regions of the control system stable operation are determined (which do not coincide, as was found, with the regions of stability of the operating resonant mode, due to the presence of hidden attractors in the phase space of the system). A methodology has been developed for identifying such areas of stable operation. A significant complication of the structure of possible motions in the system with an increase in the Q-factor of the resonator is revealed.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the discovery that proteins with various cellular functions can be temporarily immobilized in the nucleolus, a process known as nucleolar sequestration. This review reflects on the progress made to understand the physiological roles of nucleolar sequestration and the mechanisms involved in protein immobilization. We discuss how nucleolar sequestration consists of a highly choreographed amyloidogenic liquid-to-solid phase transition that converts the nucleolus into Amyloid bodies (A-bodies). The study of solid condensates A-bodies will offer unique perspectives on cellular assembly of membrane-less compartments and provide alternative insights on pathological amyloidogenesis involved in neurological disorders.

The majority of current methods for measuring the angular deflection of a laser beam enable measurement only in one selected plane. However, there are tasks in which measurements of laser beam deflections in 3D are required. In this paper, we present a way of enabling two-axial measurements of the deflection of a beam based on a single-axis sensor. The key idea is to direct a laser beam alternately into one of two arms of a measurement system. In the first arm, the beam is transmitted directly to the angular sensor, while in the second, the beam is directed to the sensor via a special optical element that rotates the plane of the beam deflection; in other words, this element changes the deflection in the horizontal plane into a deflection in the vertical plane, and vice versa. To alternate the path of the beam, a variable phase retarder and a polarising beamsplitter are used. The proposed technique is experimentally verified, and the results confirm its effectiveness.

By making periodic thru-holes in a suspended film, the phonon system can be modified. Motivated by the BCS theory, the technique -- so-called phonon engineering -- was applied to a metallic niobium sheet. It was found that its electrical resistance dropped to zero at 175 K, and the zero-resistance state persisted up to 290 K in the subsequent warming process. Despite the initial motivation, neither these high transition temperatures nor the phase transition with thermal hysteresis can be accounted for by the BCS theory. Therefore, we abandon the BCS theory. Instead, it turns out that the metallic holey sheet is partly oxidized to form a niobium-oxygen square lattice, which has points of resemblance to a copper-oxygen plane, the fundamental component of cuprate high-T_c superconductors. Therefore, the pairing mechanism underlying this study should be related to that of cuprate high-T_c superconductors, which we may not yet understand. In addition to the electrical results of zero resistance, the holey sheet exhibited a decrease in magnetization upon cooling, i.e., the Meissner effect. Moreover, the remnant magnetization was clearly detected at 300 K, which can only be attributed to persistent currents flowing in a superconducting sample. Thus, this study meets the established criteria for a conclusive demonstration of true superconductivity. Finally, the superconducting transition with the unambiguous thermal hysteresis is discussed. According to Halperin, Lubensky, and Ma, or HLM for short, any superconducting transition must always be first order with thermal hysteresis because of the intrinsic fluctuating magnetic field. The HLM theory is very compatible with the highly oriented system harboring two-dimensional superconductivity.

The draconian regulation required by the inherent instability of cognitive phenomena -- gene expression, immune function, cancer suppression, wound healing, animal consciousness, machine intelligence, network stabilization, institutional cognition, and their many and varied composites -- can be viewed through the lens of the asymptotic limit theorems of both information and control theories. Here, we explore the dynamics and sometimes highly punctuated failures of the regulation of cognition under increasing `noise'. The approach parallels, and indeed generalizes, the Data Rate Theorem of control theory, extending the theorem's requirement of a minimum channel capacity necessary for stabilization of an inherently unstable system. Various models are explored across different basic underlying probability distributions characteristic of the system under study, and across different hierarchical scales, finding the addition of adaptive -- learned -- regulation greatly extends the reach of innate -- e.g., AI-driven or otherwise pre-programmed -- regulation. This work points toward the construction of new statistical tools for the analysis of observational and empirical data across a wide spectrum of inherent pathologies and adversarial challenges afflicting a wide variety of cognitive processes.

In the theoretical treatment of crystallization it is commonly assumed that relaxation processes of the liquid proceed fast as compared to crystal nucleation and growth processes. Actually, it is supposed that the liquid is located always in the metastable state corresponding to the current values of pressure and temperature. However, near and below the glass transition temperature, Tg, this condition is commonly not fulfilled. In such cases, in the treatment of crystallization, deviations of the state of the liquid from the respective metastable equilibrium state have to be accounted for in determining the kinetic coefficients governing the crystallization kinetics, the thermodynamic driving force of crystallization, and the surface tension of the aggregates of the newly evolving crystal phase including the surface tension of critical clusters affecting considerably the crystal nucleation rate. These factors may considerably influence the course of the overall crystallization process. A theoretical analysis of the resulting effects is given in the present paper by numerical solutions of the J(ohnson)–M(ehl)–A(vrami)–K(olmogorov)–equation employed as the tool to model the overall crystallization kinetics and by analytical estimates of the crystallization peak temperatures in dependence on cooling and heating rates. The results are shown to be in good agreement with experimental data. Possible extensions of the theory to be explored in future analysis are anticipated.

In this paper, 6063 aluminum alloy for common building profiles is used as the research object. By adding a new Al-Ti-C-La composite alloy, the effect of 6063 aluminum alloy on the microstructure and properties of 6063 aluminum alloy is studied. The results show that Al-Ti-C-La composite alloy has obvious effect on grain refinement of 6063 aluminum alloy. With the addition of Al-Ti-C-La composite alloy, the grain size decreased significantly. When the addition amount of Al-Ti-C-La composite alloy is 1%, the grain size is reduced from 482 μm to 121 μm. Rare earth La is mainly distributed near the Mg2Si phase and β-AlFeSi, and complex compounds such as AlFeSiMgLa are formed. After aging for 270 days on the basis of T6 heat treatment, the tensile strength and elongation of 6063 aluminum alloy augmented with the addition of Al-Ti-C-La composite alloy, and the Vickers hardness gradually diminished. When the addition amount of Al-Ti-C-La composite alloy is 1%, the tensile strength, elongation and Vickers hardness of 6063 aluminum alloy reach 177.2 MPa, 17.8% and 60.9 HV, respectively, and the tensile strength is increased by 16.3%. The elongation is increased by 50.8%, the Vickers hardness is reduced by 15.4%, and the fracture of the alloy is mainly ductile fracture.

Early stable deep molecular response (DMR) of nilotinib is associated with goal of treatment-free remission (TFR) for patients with chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML-CP). It is significant to early distinguish patients who can obtain DMR and fit for TFR. We performed a multicenter study to explore early cumulative MR4.5 rate by 18 months with nilotinib in patients with newly diagnosed CML-CP (ND-CML-CP) in China. From 29 institutes, 106 ND-CML-CP patients received nilotinib (300mg BID). The cumulative MR4.5 rate of nilotinib by 18 months was 69.8% (74/106). The cumulative MMR and MR4.0 rates of nilotinib by 18 months were 94.3% (100/106) and 84.9% (90/106), respectively. Patients with ultra-early molecular response (u-EMR) at 6 weeks were not significantly different to obtain DMR or MMR by 24 months compared to those without u-EMR (P=0.7584, P=0.9543, respectively). Our study demonstrated that treatment with nilotinib in patients with ND-CML-CP contributed to obtain high early MR4.5.

It is shown that the termination of the channeling of the fundamental radiation mode in the waveguide can be observed upon heating of an optical integrated circuit based on proton exchange channel waveguides formed in a lithium niobate single crystal. This process is reversible, but restoration of waveguide performance takes tens of minutes. The effect of the waveguide disappearance is observed upon rapid heating (5 °C/min) from a low temperature (minus 40 °C). This effect can lead to a temporary failure of navigation systems using fiber optic gyroscopes with modulators based on a lithium niobate crystal

Oxide additive-free α- ⇀ β-Si3N4 phase transformation of a high-purity commercial α-Si3N4 powder was investigated at 1600 to 1900 ℃ under nitrogen pressure of 980 kPa. The XRD analysis revealed that the α- ⇀ β-Si3N4 phase transformation proceeded mainly at 1900 ℃, and was completed by the extensive 1900 ℃-heat treatment for 20 h. This phase transformation temperature was 33 ℃ lower than the theoretical α-Si3N4 dissociation temperature and confirmed as completely different from that often discussed for the liquid phase sintering of α-Si3N4 powder by direct comparison with the phase transformation behavior of a reference powder, α-Si3N4 powder doped with 1 mol% Y2O3. The unique α- ⇀ β-Si3N4 phase transformation was further studied by a set of characterization techniques including elemental analysis, HAADF-STEM and STEM-EDS analyses. The results strongly suggested that the oxide additive-free α- ⇀ β-Si3N4 phase transformation was governed by the for-mation of metastable solid solution between α-Si3N4 and impurity oxygen of approximately 0.6 wt%, which promoted the dissociation below the theoretical α-Si3N4 dissociation temperature to afford thermodynamically favorable β-Si3N4. Along with the β-Si3N4 formation, the impurity oxygen was concentrated at the Si3N4 crystal grain boundaries and subsequently released from the sample via the grain boundary diffusion.

As development progresses, when the bottom hole flowing pressure or formation pressure is less than the saturation pressure of crude oil in the reservoir, oil and gas two-phase seepage occurs in the reservoir. Due to the characteristics of oil and gas two-phase seepage, after the oil and gas two-phase seepage occurs in the reservoir, the well production will be reduced, or even greatly reduced. Therefore, how to predict the horizontal well capacity better in this case is an important problem that needs to be solved urgently. In this paper, the method and process of establishing the transient calculation model of two-phase flow in horizontal wells are introduced in detail from three aspects: fluid physical properties, reservoir oil-gas two-phase seepage, and the coupling model of Inflow Performance and Flow in Wellbore. The model is more reliable through the verification of production data from five wells in two oilfields.

We show that the van der Waals gas does not exhibit just the celebrated liquid-gas 1 transition but also a quantum-classical one. We study the issue with reference to the LMC statistical 2 complexity and in relation to the order-disorder contrast.

Interleaved power factor correction (PFC) is widely used circuit topology due to good efficiency and power density for single-switch boost PFC. As the differential mode (DM) electromagnetic interference (EMI) noise magnitude depends upon the input current ripple, this research details a comprehensive study of DM EMI filter design for interleaved boost PFC with the aim of minimizing the component size. It is also demonstrated that the different numbers of interleaved stages and switching frequency influence the filter attenuation requirement and, thus, the EMI filter size. First, an analytical model is derived on the basis of the Norton equivalent circuit model for the differential mode noises of interleaved boost PFC within the frequency range of 9-500 kHz. The derived model can help identify the optimal phase shifting among the interleaved boost converters in order to minimize the considered differential mode noises at the filter design frequency. So, a novel phase-shift method is developed to get a minimized attenuation required by a filter in Band B. Further, a volume optimization of the required DM filter was introduced based on the calculated filter attenuation and volumetric component parameters. Based on the obtained results, unconventional and conventional phase shifts have demonstrated a good performance in decreasing the EMI filter volume in Band B and Band A, respectively. A 2-kW interleaved PFC case study is presented to verify the theoretical analyses and the impact of phase-shifting on EMI filter size.

We study the hadron-quark hybrid equation of state (EOS) of compact-star matter. The Nambu—Jona-Lasinio (NJL) local SU(3) model with vector-type interaction is used to describe the quark matter phase, while the relativistic mean field (RMF) theory with scalar-isovector $\delta$-meson effective field adopted to describe the hadronic matter phase. It is shown that the larger the vector coupling constant, the lower the threshold density for the appearance of strange quarks. For a sufficiently small value of the vector coupling constant, the functions of the mass dependence on the baryonic chemical potential have regions of ambiguity which leads to a phase transition in non-strange quark matter with an abrupt change in the baryon number density. We show that within the framework of the NJL model, the hypothesis on the absolute stability of strange quark matter is not realized. In order to describe the phase transition from hadronic matter to quark matter, the Maxwell's construction is applied. It is shown that the greater the vector coupling, the greater the stiffness of the EOS for quark matter and the phase transition pressure. Our results indicate that the infinitesimal core of the quark phase, formed in the center of the neutron star, is stable.

Complex dynamical fluctuations, from molecular noise within cells, collective intelligence, brain dynamics or computer traffic have been shown to display noisy behaviour consistent with a critical state between order and disorder. Living close to the critical point can have a number of adaptive advantages and it has been conjectured that evolution could select (and even tend to) these critical states. One way of approaching such state is by means of so-called self-organized criticality (SOC) where the system poises itself close to the critical point. Is this the case of living cells? It is difficult to test this idea given the enormous dimensionality associated with gene and metabolic webs. In this paper, we present an alternative approach: to engineer synthetic gene networks displaying SOC behaviour. This is achieved by exploiting the presence of a saturation (congestion) phenomenon of the ClpXP protein degradation machinery in E. coli cells. Using a feedback design that detects and then reduces ClpXP congestion, a {\em critical motif} is built from a two-gene network system, where SOC can be successfully implemented. Both deterministic and stochastic models are used, consistently supporting the presence of criticality in intracellular traffic. The potential implications for both cellular dynamics and designed intracellular noise are discussed.

In this paper, we found new classes of exact models to the Einstein-Maxwell system of equations which describe the internal structure of a compact star made of strange matter considering the equation of state proposed by Rocha, Bernardo, de Avellar and Horvath in 2019. It has been assumed that this matter is composed of equal number of up, down and strange quarks and a small amount of electrons required to reaching the charge neutrality. If this hypothesis is correct, the neutron stars could be strange stars or hybrid stars with a thin crust of nuclei where the temperatures and pressures are capable of converting hadronic matter into this new stable phase of quarks. We have chosen a particular form of gravitational potential Z(x) that depends on an adjustable parameter related to degree of anisotropy of the models and the new solutions can be written in terms of elementary and polynomial functions. The obtained models satisfy all physical features expected in a realistic star and the expressions for mass, density and stellar radius are comparable with the experimental results.

The water-rich liquid layer immobilized on the surface of the polar stationary phases is critical to the retention of polar compounds in hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC). Although the presence of the adsorbed water layer has been investigated and confirmed by multiple techniques, there is a lack of quantitative measure that can be easily determined and linked to chromatographic parameters. This study proposes a simple measure termed volume ratio (the ratio of the adsorbed water layer volume and the mobile phase volume) that provides a relative, but quantitative information on the adsorbed water layer and may be linked to the phase ratio. The volume ratio can be easily determined using toluene elution volume. The volume ratio values are measured in 25 polar stationary phases in various mobile phase conditions. In addition to the acetonitrile content in the mobile phase, ammonium acetate concentration in the mobile phase and column temperature also have significant influences on the volume ratio and the adsorbed water layer.

This work exclusively focuses on the assessment of the thermal performance of a multifunctional facade panel incorporating PCM in foam layers, recurring to a hot box heat flux meter method to determine the thermal transmittance (U-value). The experimental setup is based on the steady-state approach using climatic chambers, assuring a stable thermal environment. Even small fractions of PCM achieved a small reduction in thermal amplitude. Numerical simulations using Ansys Fluent were developed to evaluate the performance of PCM use over a wide range of temperature boundary conditions and operating modes. These numerical models were calibrated and validated using the results of experimental tests, achieving a correlation factor of 0.9674, thus accurately representing a real-world scenario. The decrement factor (f) was used to analyse the data. It was identified that the efficiency of the panel and size of the optimum region increased with the PCM fraction growth. The simulated behaviour was optimum when the input mean temperature is of 20 °C for a room temperature of between 18-20 °C. The results show the significant potential of the multi-layered panel and the thermal regulator effect of the PCM incorporated on indoor space temperature to reach good thermal comfort levels.

In the perspective of designing complex concentrated alloys (CCAs) for structural applications, sigma (σ) phase is important. It is generally known to be an embrittling phase leading to a degradation in the mechanical properties of CCAs. This necessitates detailed investigations on the evolution of σ phase in these alloys. In the present study, an equiatomic CoCrCuMnNi CCA is chosen, in which σ phase appears at 800°C, as reported in a recent publication [1]. To this end, the present investigation aims at understanding the evolution of this phase so that its presence can be controlled for the purpose of preventing degradation in mechanical properties. In the present work, a vacuum arc melted alloy, after homogenisation (at 400°C for 5h), is heat-treated for different times ranging from 1 to 9h at 800°C followed by water quenching. Extensive characterisation has been carried out using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) techniques to understand the sequence of σ phase precipitation at 800°C.

The application of warm-mixing technology brings considerable economical and environment benefits by decreasing the mixing temperature during warm asphalt mixture(WMA) production. However, the possible water residue also generates concerns in moisture susceptibility. For deep investigation on the influencing factors and mechanism of the moisture susceptibility of WMA, surface free energy(SFE) test and laboratory tests are applied in this research. A novel indicator based on SFE namely effective adhesion work is proposed to assess the asphalt-aggregate adhesion with different moisture contents. Then, given the mixing procedure of dry mixing method, an advanced three-phase model as form of asphalt-aggregate-warm mixing additive is introduced improving from the conventional two-phase asphalt-aggregate model for better reflecting the separate addition of warm mixing additive during mixing. Afterwards, the influence of aggregate types, asphalt type, aggregate moisture contents, warm-mixing agent types and warm-mixing process on the moisture susceptibility of WMA is analyzed utilizing the models and indicators proposed. Finally, the validity of the SFE indicator is verified by comparing the calculation of effective adhesion work with freeze-thaw splitting test result. The results show that all of the above factors impact the moisture susceptibility of WMA by influencing the interfacial adhesion, with the effect of moisture content being the most significant. Meanwhile, effective adhesion work and the three-phase model brought out in this research are proven to be feasible to characterize the adhesion properties of WMA, offering theoretical support to the research on warm mixing technology.

In the paper, a coordinated control methodology of single-phase (1-P) end-users switching oper-ations on the phases of an active electric distribution network (AEDN) has been proposed to ob-tain a minimum unbalance degree at the coupling common point (CCP) level with the main dis-tribution system. The phase load balancing (PLB) process considers the smart devices that switch from one phase to another phase the 1-P end-users (consumers and prosumers) to compensate for the phase load unbalance. The proposed methodology has been tested successfully in an AEDN belonging to a Romanian Distribution Network Operator (DNO) containing 114 end-users (104 consumers/10 prosumers) integrated into the Smart Metering System (SMS). The op-timal solution leads to a value of the objective function by 1.00004, represented by the unbalance factor, very close to the ideal target, 1.00. A comparative analysis was conducted considering other possible PLB cases (the consumer-level PLB and prosumer-level PLB), obtaining similar values of the UF (1.027 vs. 1.028), slightly higher than in the hybrid-level PLB. Also, the signifi-cant technical benefits were quantified through an energy-saving of 58.73% and decreasing the phase voltage unbalance rate by 91 % compared to the initial case (without PLB). These results emphasized the positive impact of the proposed coordinated control methodology on the PLB process and evidenced its effectiveness and applicability in the AEDNs.

This article discusses a focused study on visualizing the flow patterns in a two-phase pulsating heat pipe (PHP) using Fe₃O₄/water as the working fluid at 3 V/V% concentration. The research also aims to meticulously examine phase change phenomena in the heating section, particularly focusing on bubble formation and expansion processes. A high-speed video camera was utilized to capture dynamic insights into the behavior of the Fe₃O₄/water mixture. Based on the findings, a straightforward model was developed to explain bubble generation and growth in the mixture, serving as a useful reference for future PHP designs and optimizations. Visual observations also noted the stable nature of the Fe₃O₄/water nanofluid over a four-day period, confirming its consistency throughout the experiments. Moreover, the impact of heat load variation on the evaporator section was assessed using controlled heat inputs ranging from 10 to 80 Watts. Observations on the arrangement of slugs and plugs at a 50% filling ratio revealed interesting self-adjusting flow patterns in response to increasing heat inputs, providing valuable insights into PHP operational dynamics. Notably, the oscillatory flow behavior of Fe₃O₄/water, the chosen working fluid, exhibited greater activity in comparison to water. This distinctive flow behavior contributed to achieving heightened thermal performance efficiency for the Fe₃O₄/water system, attributed to its faster attainment of the annular flow condition.

Determination of time-weighted average (TWA) concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in air using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) is advantageous over other sampling techniques, but is often characterized by insufficient accuracies, particularly at longer sampling times. Experimental investigation of this issue and disclosing the origin of the problem is problematic and often not practically feasible due to high uncertainties. This research is aimed at developing the model of TWA extraction process and optimization of TWA air sampling by SPME using finite element analysis software (COMSOL Multiphysics). It was established that sampling by porous SPME coatings with high affinity to analytes is affected by slow diffusion of analytes inside the coating, an increase of analytes concentrations in the air near the fiber tip due to equilibration, and eventual lower sampling rate. The increase of a fiber retraction depth (Z) resulted in better recoveries. Sampling of studied VOCs using 23-ga Car/PDMS assembly at maximum possible Z (40 mm) was proven to provide more accurate results. Alternative sampling configuration based on 78.5 x 0.75 mm i.d. SPME liner was proven to provide similar accuracy at improved detection limits. Its modification with the decreased internal diameter from the sampling side should provide even better recoveries. The developed model offers new insight into optimization of air and gas sampling using SPME.

From the wide range of engineering materials traditional Stellite 6 alloy exhibits excellent cavitation erosion (CE) resistance. In this work, the effect of nitrogen ion implantation of HIPed Stellite 6 on the improvement of CE resistance and both cobalt-rich matrix phase transformation due to nitrogen implantation and CE were stated. The CE resistance of stellites ion-implanted by 120 keV N+ ions two fluences: 5x1016 cm-2 and 1x1017 cm-2 were comparatively analysed with the unimplanted stellite and AISI 304 stainless steel. CE tests were conducted according to ASTM G32 with stationary specimen method. Erosion rate curves and mean depth of erosion confirm that the nitrogen implanted HIPed Stellite 6 two times exceeds the resistance to CE than unimplanted stellite, and has almost 10 times higher CE reference than stainless steel. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirms that HIPed Stellite 6 nitrogen ion implantation favours transformation of the ɛ(hcp) to γ(fcc) structure. Unimplanted stellite ɛ-rich matirx is less prone to plastic deformation than γ and consequently, increase of γ phase effectively holds carbides in cobalt matrix and prevents Cr7C3 debonding. This phenomenon elongates three times the CE incubation stage, slows erosion rate and mitigates the material loss. Metastable γ structure formed by ion implantation consumes the cavitation load for work-hardening and γ → ɛ martensitic transformation. In further CE stages, phases transform as for unimplanted alloy namely, the cavitation-inducted recovery process, removal of strain, dislocations resulting in increase of fcc phase. The CE mechanism was investigated using a surface profilometer, atomic force microscopy, SEM-EDS and XRD. HIPed Stellite 6 wear behaviour relies on the plastic deformation of cobalt matrix, starting at Cr7C3/matrix interfaces. Once the Cr7C3 losing their restrain, are debonding and removed. Carbides detachment creates cavitation pits which initiate cracks propagation through cobalt matrix, the loss of matrix phase and CE proceeds with a detachment of massive chunk of materials.

The efficient extraction of phthalate acid esters (PAEs) is challenging due to their extremely low concentration, complicated matrices and hydrophilicity. Herein, hol-low microspheres, as an ideal coating, possesses significant potential for solid-phase microextraction (SPME) due to their fascinating properties. In this study, multi-walled carbon nanotubes hollow microspheres (MWCNTs-HMs) were utilized as a fiber coating for the SPME of PAEs from tea beverages. MWCNTs-HMs were ob-tained by dissolving the polystyrene (PS) cores with organic solvents. Interestingly, MWCNTs-HMs well maintain the morphology of the precursors MWCNTs@PS. The layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly of MWCNTs on PS microsphere templates was ac-quired through electrostatic interactions. Six PAEs, di-ethyl phthalate (DEP), di-iso-butyl phthalate (DIBP), di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP), di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) and di-n-octyl phthalate (DOP), were se-lected as target analytes for assessing the efficiency of the coating for SPME. The stirring rate, sample solution pH and extraction time were optimized by using the Box-Behnken design. Under optimal working conditions, the proposed MWCNTs-HMs/SPME was coupled with gas chromatography-tandem mass spec-trometry (GC-MS/MS) to achieve high enrichment factors (118–2137), wide linearity (0.0004-10 μg L-1), low limits of detection (0.00011-0.0026 μg L-1) and acceptable recovery (80.2%-108.5%) for the detection of PAEs. Therefore, the MWCNTs-HMs coated fibers are promising alternatives in the SPME method for the sensitive detec-tion of PAEs at trace levels in tea beverages.

An overview of the link between nonequilibrium thermodynamics and complexity theory is offered. It is shown how the rate of entropy production can be quantified through the spectrum of the Lyapunov exponents. It was shown how the entropy production per unit of time meets the necessary and sufficient conditions to be a Lyapunov function and constitutes per se an extremal principle. The entropy production fractal dimension conjecture was established. It is shown how the rate of entropy production as a non-extremal criterion represents an alternative way of sensitivity analysis of differential equations. Finally, an extension to biophysical-chemical systems, on the one hand, the use of the dissipation function is shown, as a thermodynamic potential out of equilibrium, in the characterization of biological phase transitions. On the other hand, it was evidenced how the rate of entropy production represents a physical quantity to evaluate the complexity and robustness of cancer.

Short chain quinones (SCQs) have been identified as potential drug candidates against mitochondrial dysfunction, which is largely dependent on their reversible redox characteristics of the active quinone core. We recently synthesized a SCQ library of > 148 naphthoquinone derivatives and identified 16 compounds with enhanced cytoprotection compared to the clinically used benzoquinone idebenone. One of the major drawbacks of idebenone is its high metabolic conversion in the liver, which significantly restricts is therapeutic activity. Therefore, this study assessed the metabolic stability of the 16 identified naphthoquinone derivatives 1-16 using hepatocarcinoma cells in combination with an optimized reverse-phase liquid chromatography (RP-LC) method. Most of the derivatives showed significantly better stability than idebenone over 6 hours (p < 0.001). By extending the side-chain of SCQs, increased stability for some compounds was observed. Metabolic conversion from the derivative 3 to 5 and reduced idebenone metabolism in the presence of 5 were also observed. These results highlight the therapeutic potential of naphthoquinone-based SCQs and provide essential insights for future drug design, prodrug therapy and polytherapy, respectively.

With the offshore oil-gas fields entering decline phase, high-efficiency separation of oil-gas-water mixtures becomes a significant challenge. As essential equipment for separation, the three-phase separators play a key role in Offshore Oil-Gas production. However, level control is critical in the operation of three-phase gravity separators on offshore facilities, as it directly affects the efficacy and safety of the separation process. This paper introduces an advanced deep deterministic policy gradient with adaptive learning rate weights (ALRW-DDPG) control algorithm, which improves the convergence and stability of the conventional DDPG algorithm. An adaptive learning rate weight function is meticulously designed, and an ALRW-DDPG algorithm network is constructed for simulating three-phase separator liquid level control. The effectiveness of the ALRW-DDPG algorithm is subsequently validated through simulation experiments. The results show that the ALRW-DDPG algorithm achieves a 15.38% improvement in convergence rate compared to the traditional DDPG algorithm, and the control error is significantly smaller than that of PID and DDPG algorithms.

This study reports the development of a numerical method to simulate two-phase flows of Newtonian fluids that are incompressible, immiscible, and isothermal. The interface in the simulation was located and reconstructed using the geometric volume of fluid (VOF) method. The implementation of the Piecewise-Linear Interface Calculation (PLIC) scheme of the VOF method was performed to solve the three-dimensional (3D) interface transport during the dynamics of two-phase flows. In this method, the interface is approximated by a line segment in each interfacial cell. The balance of forces at the interface was accounted for using the continuum interfacial force (CSF) model. To solve the Navier-Stokes equations, meshless finite difference schemes from the HiG-Flow computational fluid dynamics software were employed. The 3D PLIC-VOF HiG-Flow algorithm was used to simulate several benchmark two-phase flows for the purpose of validating the numerical implementation. First, the performance of the PLIC implementation was evaluated by conducting two standard advection numerical tests: the 3D shearing flow test and the 3D deforming field test. Good agreement is obtained for the 3D interface shape using both the 3D PLIC-VOF HiG-Flow algorithm and those found on the scientific literature. In addition, the absolute error of the volume tracking advection calculation obtained by our 3D PLIC-VOF HiG-Flow algorithm was found to be smaller than the one found in the scientific literature for both the 3D shearing and 3D deforming flow tests. Lastly, the 3D bubble rising problem was simulated for different fluid densities and viscosity’s ratios. Again, good agreement is obtained for the 3D interface shape using both the newly implemented algorithm and the OpenFOAM, DROPS and NaSt3D software. The bubble’s rise velocity and evolution of the bubble’s center of mass is also computed with the 3D PLIC-VOF HiG-Flow algorithm and found to be in agreement with these software.

Three kinds of hydrophobic groups grafted starches of maleic anhydride grafted starch (MAH-g-starch), lactic acid grafted starch (LA-g-starch), and methyl acrylate grafted starch (MA-g-starch) were prepared by in-situ solid phase polymerization. The results of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were confirmed successful grafting. The grafting ratios of MAH-g-starch, LA-g-starch and MA-g-starch were 6.50%, 12.45%, and 0.57%, respectively. Influenced by the grafting ratio, LA-g-starch had the best hydrophobic properties and the largest molecular weight, and those for MA-g-starch was the worst. The surfaces of grafted starches were covered with graft polymer, with obvious surface roughness and bond degree of MAH-g-starch and LA-g-starch. The crystalline structure of grafted starches showed some damage, with LA-g-starch exhibiting the greatest decrease in crystallinity, and less of a change for MA-g-starch. Overall, the grafting reaction improved thermoplasticity, with LA-g-starch the most improved, followed by MAH-g-starch, and then MA-g-starch.

in order to enhance the separation performance and to reduce the heat loss of the transmembrane for membrane distillation, the thermal efficiency and hydrophobicity of the membrane distillation should be simultaneously enhanced. In this work, a PVDF/PET hydrophobic/hydrophilic membrane is prepared by non-solvent phase inducing method. Nanosized silica aerogel (SiAG) with high porosity is added to the composite membranes. The modifying effects and operating conditions on permeate flux and thermal efficiency in direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) are investigated. Furthermore, the latent heat of vaporization and the heat transfer across the membranes are compared for SiAG addition, which indicates that the composite PVDF@SiAG/PET membranes display a great potential for distillation-separation application with high heat efficiency.

Stagnation is the transient state of a solar thermal system under high solar irradiation where the useful solar gain is zero. Both flat-plate collectors with selective absorber coatings and vacuum-tube collectors exhibit stagnation temperatures far above the saturation temperature of the glycol-based heat carriers within the range of typical system pressures. Therefore, stagnation is always associated with vaporization and propagation of vapor into the pipes of the solar circuit. It is therefore essential to design the system in such a way that vapor never reaches components that cannot withstand high temperatures. In this article, a thermal-hydraulic model based on the integral form of a two-phase mixture model and a drift-flux correlation is presented. The model is applicable to solar thermal flat-plate collectors with meander-shaped absorber tubes and selective absorber coatings. Experimental data from stagnation experiments on two systems, which are identical except for the optical properties of the absorber coating, allowed comparison with simulations carried out under the same boundary conditions. The absorber of one system features a conventional highly selective coating, while the absorber of the other system features a thermochromic coating, which exhibits a significantly lower stagnation temperature. Comparison of simulation results and experimental data show good conformity. This model is implemented into an open-source software tool called “THD” for the thermal-hydraulic dimensioning of solar systems. The latest version of THD, updated by the results of this article, enables planners to achieve cost-optimal design of solar thermal systems and to ensure failsafe operation by predicting the steam range under the initial and boundary conditions of worst-case scenarios.

Based on the two-flavors Polyakov quark-meson model, we study the bubble dynamics of a first-order phase transition in chiral phase diagram at high density but low temperature in the framework of the homogeneous thermal nucleation theory. Under the mean-field approximation, after obtaining the effective potential with inclusion of the fermionic vacuum term, we build a geometric approach to probe two possibly existing minima, which can actually tunnel through a bounce interpolated between a metastable vacuum to an adjacent true vacuum. By separating our discussions into a weak first-order hadron quark phase transition and strong ones, the bubble profiles, the surface tension, the typical radius of the bounce and the saddle point action in the presence of a nucleation bubble as a function of temperature are numerically calculated in detail as the chemical potentials are fixed at $\mu=306 \mathrm{MeV}$ and $\mu=310 \mathrm{MeV}$. our results show that the surface tension remains a small value even when the density is very high and phase boundaries for hadron and quark matter should be resized properly according to the saddle point action evaluated on the bounce. It is also noticed that the inclusion of the deconfinement phase transition in term of the Polyakov loop does not change chiral phase transition dramatically for light quarks.

Femtoscopy is a unique tool to investigate the space-time geometry of the matter created in ultra-relativistic collisions. If the probability density distribution of hadron emission is parametrized, then the dependence of its parameters on particle momentum, collision energy, and collision geometry can be given. In recent years, several measurements came to light that indicated the adequacy of assuming a Lévy-stable shape for the mentioned distribution. In parallel, several new phenomenological developments appeared, aiding the interpretation of the experimental results, or providing tools for the measurements. In this paper we review and discuss some of these advances, phenomenological and experimental.

Fiber distributed optical fiber acoustic sensor (DAS) is generally used in distributed long-distance acoustic/vibration measurement. We found that DAS with excellent performance of low self-noise and anti-fading in combination with the plastic structure in daily life as an acoustic transducer can achieve high-sensitivity acoustic measurement at a single point rather than designing a state-of-the-art acoustic transducer or using special enhanced scattering fiber. The simple acoustic transducer we proposed for DAS can reach the sensitivity level of -106.5dB re. 1rad/μPa at a sensing range of 5.1 km, which can meet many demands on the industrial site.

From the formalism of the thermodynamics of irreversible processes and the theory of complex systems, characterization of longevity and aging and its relationship with the emergence and evolution of cancer was carried out. It was found that: 1. The rate of entropy production can be used as an index of robustness, plasticity, the aggressiveness of cancer, and as a measure of biological age; 2. The aging process, as well as the evolution of cancer, goes through what we have called “biological phase transition”; 3. The process of metastasis, which occurs through epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), appears as a phase transition far from thermodynamic equilibrium and exhibits Shilnikov chaos-like dynamic behavior. This dynamic guarantees the robustness of the process and, in turn, its unpredictability; 4. It was shown that as the ferroptosis process is strengthened, the complexity of the dynamics associated with the emergence and evolution of cancer decreases. The theoretical framework developed contributes to a better understanding of the biophysical-chemical phenomena of longevity and aging and their relationship with cancer.

We experimentally demonstrate enhanced spectral broadening of femtosecond optical pulses after propagation through silicon-on-insulator (SOI) nanowire waveguides integrated with two-dimensional (2D) graphene oxide (GO) films. Owing to the strong mode overlap between the SOI nanowires and the GO films with a high Kerr nonlinearity, the self-phase modulation (SPM) process in the hybrid waveguides is significantly enhanced, resulting in greatly improved spectral broadening of the femtosecond optical pulses. A solution-based, transfer-free coating method is used to integrate GO films onto the SOI nanowires with precise control of the film thickness. Detailed SPM measurements using femtosecond optical pulses are carried out, achieving a broadening factor of up to ~4.3 for a device with 0.4-mm-long, 2 layers of GO. By fitting the experimental results with theory, we obtain an improvement in the waveguide nonlinear parameter by a factor of ~3.5 and the effective nonlinear figure of merit (FOM) by a factor of ~3.8, relative to the uncoated waveguide. Finally, we discuss the influence of GO film length on the spectral broadening and compare the nonlinear optical performance of different integrated waveguides coated with GO films. These results confirm the improved nonlinear optical performance for silicon devices integrated with 2D GO films.

A theoretical description of quantum jumps at the level of elementary particles is proposed, based on a micro-cosmological interpretation of their de Broglie phase. The third quantization formalism proposed in current literature for the description of baby universes in quantum cosmology is used here to describe the breakdown of unitarity in the transition from the pre-jump to the post-jump wave function. The corpuscular aspect manifested by the particle in the micro-interaction that originates the jump is represented by a pair of evanescent "micro-universes", respectively pre- and post-jump, connected by a wormhole. The latter represents the actual implementation of the interaction that leads to the projection on the outgoing state; this interaction is always local, even when the selected outgoing state is entangled. Therefore, the decoherence which leads to the emergence of classicality is originated by the same fundamental interactions of the Standard Model involved in the unitary evolution of the wave function. The objective nature of the reduction process admits implications on the possibility of using the formalism in the cosmological context, which are briefly discussed.