This paper concentrates on the general birth-death processes with two different types of catastrophes. The Laplace transform of transition probability function for birth-death processes with two-type catastrophes are is successfully expressed with the Laplace transform of transition probability function of the birth-death processes without catastrophe. The first effective catastrophe occurrence time is considered. The Laplace transform of its probability density function, expectation and variance are obtained.

The possibility of using graphane monolayer crystals as the electrode material is becoming popular. Graphane is stable at room temperature and has large surface area, but its chemical inertness hinders its direct interactions with Li ions. In this study, we performed density functional theory calculations to study the energetic stability, structural and electronic properties of Li on graphane with various CH divacancy configurations (v12, v13 and v14 ). The results show that adsorption of Li atom reduces the formation energy of the CH divacancy configurations. The Li-v12 is most stable with the highest binding energy of 3.25 eV/Li and relaxes to in-plane with other C atoms. Altering the Li charge state to have Li−1-v12 or Li+1 -v12 affects the energetic stability and electronic characters of Li-v12 . The Li−1-v12 (Li +1-v 12 ) enhances (reduces) the binding force between Li and v 12 configuration, and furthermore it improves (deteriorates) the conductivity of the structure. Further investigation of graphane with vacancies is encouraged due to these intriguing observations, as it holds promise for potential utilization as an electrode material.

In the natural environment, sand accumulation and desertification can influence the efficiency of photovoltaic arrays. In this study, PV module output characteristics were examined under different sand particle size, varying sand densities and inclination angles, and at wind speeds of 5m/s, 10m/s, and 15m/s. Both theoretical and experimental results showed that the output power of the module declines with increasing sand density. As the sand particle size increases, the module maximum output power rises and then stabilizes. The two control variables, namely sand density and sand particle size, influence the module temperature and light transmittance distinctly. Contrary to the impact of sand density on the module filling factor curve, the module filling factor exhibits varying trends under different sand particle sizes. Additionally, the pattern of the module filling factor as a function of sand density contrasts with that of the module temperature under analogous conditions. Specifically, when the sand density on the PV module surface increases from 0 to 40g/m², there is a 32.2% reduction in maximum output power. At a wind speed of 15m/s, this reduction was found consistent across all wind speed categories. Furthermore, the trend of the module filling factor rel-ative to sand accumulation density contrasts with the module temperature trend under analogous conditions. Notably, the filling factor reached its apex at a sand accumulation density of 35g/m², which corresponded to the module temperature's nadir during the experiment.

This study examines the wind shear coefficient (WSC) values at three coastal wind sites located in the southern region of Balochistan, Pakistan: Pasni, Ormara, and Jiwani. These WSC values were obtained using 10-minute measured wind speed data at heights of 20, 40, and 60 meters above ground level (AGL). Since wind measurements are typically recorded at lower heights due to cost and resource constraints, extrapolation techniques were employed to estimate wind speeds at higher altitudes. However, using a constant WSC value for extrapolation may lead to significant errors between extrapolated and actual wind speed measurements, impacting the energy output of wind turbines. To evaluate the effect of WSC on energy yield, the study employed power curves and frequency distributions for 2MW and 1.5MW wind turbines. Additionally, wind power density was calculated using air density derived from measured air temperature and surface pressure data, covering two years period from November 2016 to August 2018. The overall mean WSC values were found to be 0.076 at Pasni, 0.094 at Jiwani, and 0.053 at Ormara. The study further investigated the seasonal, monthly, and diurnal variations of WSC. For assessing wind resources at a height of 60m, the study utilized Wind Roses, wind power density, and Weibull parameters. Comparing the actual WSC values presented in this paper with those obtained using the 1/7 power law and measured data at 60m AGL, the energy yield from the wind turbines showed reduced output and capacity factor.

The general-purpose Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN includes the hadronic calorimeter to register the energies of the charged and neutral hadrons produced in the proton-proton collisions at the LHC at a center of mass energy 13.6 TeV. The calorimeter is located inside the superconducting solenoid of 6 m in diameter and 12.5 m in length creating the central magnetic flux density of 3.8 T. For operating optimally in the high pileup and high radiation environment of the High Luminosity LHC, the existing CMS endcap calorimeters will be replaced with a new high granularity calorimeter (HGCal) comprising of an electromagnetic and a hadronic section in each of the two endcaps. The hadronic section of the HGCAL will include 44 stainless steel absorber plates with a relative permeability value well below 1.05. The volume occupied by 22 plates in each endcap is about 21 m3. The calculation of the axial electromagnetic forces on the absorber plates is a crucial element in designing the mechanical construction of the device. With a three-dimensional computer model of the CMS magnet, the axial forces on each absorber plate are calculated and the dependence of forces on the central magnetic flux density value is presented. The method of calculation and the obtained results are discussed.

Articular cartilage lacks intrinsic regenerative capabilities, and the current treatments fail to regenerate damaged tissue and lead only to temporary pain relief. These limitations have prompted the development of tissue engineering approaches, including 3D culture systems. Thanks to their regenerative properties and capacity to recapitulate embryonic processes, spheroids obtained from mesenchymal stromal cells are increasingly studied as building blocks to obtain functional tissues. The aim of this study was to investigate the capacity of adipose stromal cells to assemble in spheroids and differentiate toward chondrogenic lineage from the perspective of cartilage repair. Spheroids were generated by two different methods (3D chips vs Ultra-Low Attachment plates), differentiated toward chondrogenic lineage, and their properties were investigated by: molecular biology analyses, biophysical measurement of mass density, weight, and size of spheroids, and confocal imaging. Overall, spheroids showed the ability to differentiate by expressing specific cartilaginous markers that correlate with their mass density, defining a critical point at which they start to mature. Considering the spheroid generation method, this pilot study suggested that spheroids obtained with chips are a promising tool for the generation of cartilage organoids that could be used for preclinical/clinical approaches, including the realization of personalized therapy.

This study aims to assess the interface shear adhesion behaviour between compacted clay and a metallic surface. A new testing approach was developed in this study for this purpose. The proposed method is simple and requires neither advanced equipment nor special test procedures, and thus represents an improvement on existing practice in this field. The experimental program involves determining the interface shear adhesion strength of reconstituted Kaolin clay/metallic surface where the Kaolin clay testing specimens were compacted dynamically at different energy levels and moisture contents. In general, the results show that the interface shear adhesion strength increases as the dry density of the clay increases, whereas it decreases as the moisture content increases. Furthermore, the results in this study reveal a unique multistage interfacial shear adhesion strength behaviour as the moisture content changes that could be related to the compaction curve of the clay. The observed behaviour, in this study, could be interpreted in terms of the effect of clay dry density and moisture content on the contact area and moisture-induced capillary adhesion at clay particles-continuum interface surface.

Plasma plays an important role in semiconductor processes. With the recent miniature and integration, the control of plasma became essential for the success in critical dimension of a few nanometers and etch narrow and deep holes with high aspect ratios. Recently, the etching process has reached physical limitations due to a significant increase in wafer surface temperature under the elevated amount of RF power, affecting not only the warpage phenomenon but also etching uniformity and etching profiles. Therefore, the plasma characteristics are identified using invasive single Langmuir probe (SLP) for wafer temperature diagnosis. Optical data is obtained through a non-invasive optical emission spectroscopy (OES) and the plasma parameters are derived to compare and verify with the SLP. Two variables, electron temperature and electron density, are substituted for the heat flux formula to derive the heat flux according to its location. Using a wafer-type temperature sensor, check the derived heat flux values and compare trends. Such studies are expected to be able to calculate heat flux values in real time, anticipate wafer temperatures, and solve existing problems.

Nonparametric density estimation for nonnegative data is considered in a situation where a random sample is not directly available but the data are instead observed from the length-biased sampling. Due to the boundary bias problem of the location-scale kernel, the approach in this paper is an application of asymmetric kernel. Two nonparametric density estimators are proposed. The mean integrated squared error, strong consistency, and asymptotic normality of the estimators are investigated. Some simulations illustrate the finite sample performance of the estimators.

Voids in face-centered cubic (fcc) metals are commonly assumed to form by the aggregation of vacancies; however, the mechanisms of vacancy clustering and diffusion are not fully understood. In this study, we use computational modeling to provide a detailed insight into the structures and formation energies of primary vacancy clusters, mechanisms and barriers for their migration in bulk copper, and how these properties are affected at simple grain boundaries. The calculations were carried out using Embedded Atom Method (EAM) potentials and Density Functional Theory (DFT) and employed the Site-Occupation Disorder code (SOD), the Activation Relaxation Technique nouveau (ARTn) and the Knowledge Led Master Code (KLMC). We investigate stable structures and migration paths and barriers for clusters of up to six vacancies. Migration of vacancy clusters occurs via hops of individual constituent vacancies with di-vacancies having a significantly smaller migration barrier than mono-vacancies and other clusters. This barrier is further reduced when di-vacancies interact with grain boundaries. This interaction leads to the formation of self-interstitial atoms and introduces significant changes into the boundary structure. Tetra-, penta-, and hexa-vacancy clusters exhibit increasingly complex migration paths and higher barriers than smaller clusters. Finally, the direct comparison with the DFT results shows that EAM can accurately describe the vacancy-induced relaxation effects in the Cu bulk and in grain boundaries. Significant discrepancies between the two methods were found in structures with a higher number of low-coordinated atoms, such as penta-vacancies and di-vacancy absortion by grain boundary. These results will be useful for modeling the mechanisms of diffusion of complex defect structures and provide further insights into the structural evolution of metal films under thermal and mechanical stress.

The electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction can lead to high value-added molecules production while helping decrease anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Copper can reduce CO2 to more than thirty different hydrocarbons and oxygenates, but it lacks the required selectivity. We present a computational investigation of the role of nano-structuring and alloying in Cu-based catalysts on the activity and selectivity of CO2 reduction to one-carbon products: carbon monoxide, formic acid, formaldehyde, methanol, and methane. The adsorption, activation, and conversion of CO2 were computed on monometallic and bimetallic (decorated and core-shell) 55-atom Cu-based clusters. The dopant metals considered were Ag, Cd, Pd, Pt, and Zn, located at different coordination sites. The relative binding strength of the intermediates at different applied potentials were used to identify the optimal catalyst for the selective CO2 conversion to one carbon products. It was discovered that single atom doping with Cd and Zn is optimal for the CO2 to carbon monoxide conversion. The core-shell models with Ag, Pd, and Pt provided higher selectivity for formic acid and formaldehyde. The Cu-Pt and Cu-Pd showed lowest overpotential for methane formation.

Martensitic steels are used at a wide range of strength levels in environments which expose them to hydrogen or water vapor over a large range of partial pressures and temperatures. Hydrogen can cause catastrophic failures under many seemingly benign conditions. The effect of hydrogen on the dimension stability of high strength martensitic steels under such conditions has been poorly understood, and existing models do not seem to adequately account for it. Experiments were conducted to measure the variation in volume due to the uptake of hydrogen of such steels under near-ambient conditions, and the results were compared to theoretical estimates derived from the density of defects acting as hydrogen traps. Based on these results a new model for hydrogen embrittlement was developed. The hydrogen lattice dilation (HLD) model isolates volume expansion as a primary driver of hydrogen embrittlement. It provides and distinguishes two modes of failure acceleration: the fast, brittle, stress-intensity independent cracking under higher static crack loading, and a slower, highly stress-intensity dependent tearing mode at lower stress intensity. The relationship between the two is explained, as is how hydrogen absorption by defects accounts for the crack threshold and crack velocity of each.

Research have been conducted in many countries around the world to assess air quality during COVID-19 pandemic, especially during lockdown period, some of these studies found an increase or decrease in some pollutants. This paper investigates the impact of COVID-19 on seven air pollutants (i.e., PM_2.5, PM₁₀, NO₂, O₃, SO₂, H₂S, CO) from the period January 2020 to December 2020 in the State of Kuwait. Kuwait is a desert country located in the north-eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula, and the northeast of the Arabian Gulf (Persian as it is sometimes called). Several analytical methods were conducted, such as spatial analysis (spatial interpolation) to study the distribution of the studied variables. The data was also statistically analysed (time series analysis - Kernel density) to study the temporal changes. The analysis also included applying air quality index to the data. We found that concentrations for the pollutants decreased during the pandemic due to the decrease of anthropogenic sources including such as traffic and petroleum activities, but the concentration for PM_2.5 increased, mostly because of the transported dust coming with the northwest winds prevailing in Kuwait from the Arabian deserts and Iraq.

Cesiumtrifluoroacetate (CsTFA) is a key chemical for RNA-based stable isotope analyses to link the structure and function of microbial communities. We report a protocol to easily synthesize CsTFA from Cesiumcarbonate (Cs₂CO₃₎ and Trifluoroacetate (TFA) and show that self-synthesized CsTFA behaves similar to commercial CsTFA in the separation of isotopically labelled and unlabelled E. coli RNA.

Background: This study aims to investigate the effects of visual neurofeedback stimulation on the brain activity in overweight cases. The neuroscience studies indicated the personal decision about eating under the impact of environmental factors such as (visually, smelling, tasting) is related to neural activity of the prefrontal lobe of the brain. Therefore, there were many attempts to modify the food intake behavior in overweight cases through the stimulation of the prefrontal cortex. However, the empirical viewing of EEG-neurofeedback experiments has not explicated the details about the effect of the EEG-NF, the specificity of positive treatment effects remains in a challenging scope.Methods: This study is a cue-exposure EEG-NF experiment to verify the hypothesis of effecting the EEG-NF on the electrical activity of PFC and modifying the general symptoms of food intake behavior in overweight cases. Twenty-four individuals were recruited as participants for this study. These participants were assigned randomly into two groups; the EX-Group (N=12) enrolled in 8 sessions of the EEG-NF experiment, and the C-Group (N=12) was listed in no EEG-NF sessions. The participants provided researchers with a self-report questionnaire relating to their observation of general symptoms of food intake behavior, and EEG signals recordings into the pre and posts stimulation phase. The power spectral density (PSD) method was applied for EEG parameters extraction.Results: The results of a two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) explained that a significant variation in variables between the two groups after the EEG-NF experiment. The analysis of the quantitative variables indicated that the effect of EEG-NF experiment was a significant decrement in EEG power bands which significantly influenced changing the median of self-report questionnaire responses that is related to general symptoms of food intake behavior.Conclusions: This study provides preliminary support for the therapeutic potential of EEG-NF experiment that targets the prefrontal cortex, to influence neural processes underlying food intake behavior in overweight cases.

Maize (Zea mays L.) production in West and Central Africa is constrained by drought, low soil-N and Striga infestation. Breeders in the region have developed and commercialized extra-early and early-maturing hybrids (E-EH and EH), which combine high yield potentials with tolerance/resistance to the three stresses. Hybrids of both maturity groups are new to the farmers; thus, the urgent need to recommend appropriate agronomic practices for these hybrids. We investigated the responses of four hybrids belonging to extra-early and early-maturity groups to plant density (PD) and nitrogen (N) application in five agroecologies. The EHs consistently out-yielded the E-EHs in all the five agroecologies. The hybrids showed no response to N-fertilizer application above 90 kg ha-1. All interactions involving N had no significant effect on all traits except in few cases. The E-EHs and EHs had similar response to PD; their grain yield decreased as PD increased. Contrarily, flowering was delayed and expression of some other agronomic traits such as plant and ear aspects became poorer with increased PD. Optimal yield was obtained at approximately 90 kg N ha-1 and 66,666 plants ha-1. Most of the measured traits indicated high repeatability estimates (i.e. ≥ 60) across the N levels, PDs and environments. Evidently, the hybrids were intolerant of high PD.

Binder jet printed components typically have low overall density in the green state and high shrinkage and deformation after heat treatment. It has previously been demonstrated that, by including nanoparticles of the same material in the binder, these properties can be improved as the nanoparticles can fill the interstices and pore throats between the bed particles. The beneficial effects from using these additive binder particles can be improved by maximising the binder particle size, enabling the space within the powder bed to be filled with a higher packing efficiency. The selection of maximum particle size for a binder requires detailed knowledge of the pores and pore throats between the powder bed particles. In this paper, a raindrop model is developed to determine the critical radius at which binder particles can pass between pores and penetrate the bed. The model is validated against helium pycnometry measurements and binder particle drop tests. It is found that the critical radius can be predicted, with acceptable accuracy, using a linear function of the mean and standard deviation of the particle radii. Percolation theory concepts have been employed in order to generalise the results for powder beds that have different mean particle sizes and size distributions. The results of this work can be employed to inform the selection of particle sizes required for binder formulations, to optimise density and reduce shrinkage in printed binder jet components.

Nicotine is a pharmacologically active component of tobacco which adversely affects the male reproductive system and fertility and Icariin (ICA) is the main active ingredient of Epimedium herba which has been used to treat several male reproductive problems. This study was aimed at investigating the protective or ameliorative effect of ICA against reproductive toxicity induced by intraperitoneal injection of nicotine in mice. Forty male mice were randomly divided into 4 groups: control, nicotine (0.75 mg/kg intraperitoneally), icariin (ICA, 75 mg/kg), and icariin plus nicotine (ICA + nicotine) group. After 35 days of treatment, the mice were weighed, sacrificed, and their reproductive organs were collected and examined for further studies. In the nicotine-treated group, epididymal sperm density and serum testosterone concentrations significantly decreased relative to the control group. Nicotine also caused oxidative damage as shown by significant reduction in the activities of antioxidant enzymes and an elevation in Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. Icariin on the other hand, improved the reduction in sperm characteristics, hormone levels, and activities of antioxidant enzymes alterations observed in the nicotine treated mice. These findings indicate that the nicotine-induced reproductive toxicity and oxidative damages on male reproductive tissues can be effectively attenuated by icariin.

The objective of this study was to determine the association of physiological responses and root distribution patterns on yield of the second ratoon cane and the relationships among these traits. Seventeen sugarcane genotypes were planted in a randomized complete block design with four replications. The second ratoon crop was evaluated for germination percentage, cane yield, SPAD chlorophyll meter reading (SCMR), chlorophyll fluorescence, relative water content (RWC), specific leaf area (SLA) and stomatal conductance. Root length density (RLD) was evaluated by auger method. The root samples were divided into upper soil layer and lowers soil layers to study root distribution patterns. Sugarcane genotypes were significantly different for RLD, germination percentage and cane yield. Root distribution patterns were classified into three groups based on the RLD. High RLD between plants in the upper soil layers at 90 DAH was positively correlated with high germination, whereas high RLD between rows in the lower soil layers at 90 and 270 DAH was associated with high cane yield. RWC at 90 DAH and stomatal conductance at 180 DAH were closely related to germination percentage, whereas chlorophyll fluorescence and stomatal conductance at 180 DAH were closely related to cane yield.

The relative dislocation density of aluminum and copper samples is quantitatively measured using linear Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy (RUS). For each metallic group, four samples were prepared with different thermomechanical treatments in order to induce changes in their dislocation densities. The RUS results are compared with Nonlinear Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy (NRUS) as well as Second Harmonic Generation (SHG) measurements. NRUS has a higher sensitivity by a factor of two to six and SHG by 14% to 62%. The latter technique is, however, faster and simpler. As main a result we obtain a quantitative relation between the changes in the nonlinear parameters and the dislocation density variations, which in a first approximation is a linear relation between these differences. We also present a simple theoretical expression that explains the better sensitivity to dislocation content of the nonlinear parameters with respect to the linear ones. X-Ray diffraction measurements, although intrusive and less accurate, support the acoustics results.

β-dicalcium silicate (β-Ca₂SiO₄, or β-C₂S in cement chemistry notation) is one of the most important minerals in cement. An improvement of its hydration rate would be the key point for developing environmentally friendly cements with lower energy consumption and CO₂ emissions. However, there is a lack of fundamental understanding on the water/β-C₂S surface interactions. In this work we aim to evaluate the water adsorption on three β-C₂S surfaces at the atomic scale using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Our results indicate that thermodynamically favorable water adsorption takes place in several surface sites, with a broad range of adsorption energies (−0.78 to −1.48 eV), depending on the particular mineral surface and adsorption site. To clarify the key factor governing the adsorption, the electronic properties of water at the surface were analyzed. The partial density of states (DOS), charge analysis, and electron density difference analyses suggest a dual interaction of water with β-C₂S (100) surface: a nucleophilic interaction of the water oxygen lone pair with surface calcium atoms, and an electrophilic interaction (hydrogen bond) of one water hydrogen with surface oxygen atoms. Despite the elucidation of the adsorption mechanism, no correlation was found between the electronic structure and the adsorption energies.

In mega cities such as Seoul in South Korea, it is very important to protect the city from the flooding even for the short time of period due to the enormous amount of economic damage. In impervious area of the city, stormwater pipe network is commonly applied to discharge rainfall to the outside of catchment. Therefore, the stormwater pipe network in urban catchment should be carefully designed to discharge the runoff quickly and efficiently. In this study, different types of structures in stormwater pipe network were evaluated using the relationship between the peaks rainfall and runoff in urban catchments in South Korea. More than 400 historical rainfall events were applied in five urban catchments to estimate peak runoff from different type of network structures. Linear regression analysis was implemented to estimate peak runoffs. The coefficient of determination of the regressions were higher than 0.9 which means the regression model represent very well the relationship between the two peaks. However, the variation of the prediction becomes large as the peak rainfall increases and the variation become even larger when the network structure is branched. Therefore, it depends on the structure of stormwater pipe network. When the water paths in the pipe network is unique (branched network), the increased amount of rainfall is congested around the rainwater inlets and the uncertainty of peak runoff prediction is increased. If there are many possible water paths depending on the amount of discharge (looped network), the increased rainfall is discharged more quickly through the many water paths. This can be a way to represent the reliability of the stormwater pipe network. The structures of stormwater pipe network is evaluated using drainage density which is the length of pipes over the unit catchment area and 95% confidence interval. As a result, the 95% confidence interval is increased as the drainage density is increased because the accuracy of peak runoff prediction is decreased. As mentioned earlier, because the looped networks have many alternative water flowing paths, elimination time of rainfall from the catchments become short, the 95% confidence interval become narrow, and the reliability of peak runoff prediction become high. Therefore, it is beneficial to install looped stormwater pipe network within the affordable budget. It is important factor to determine the amount of complexity in stormwater pipe network to decrease the risk of urban flooding.

Novel high energy density materials N14 (1,6-dihydro-1,2,3,3a,4,5,5a,6,7,8,8a,9,10,10a-tetradecazapyrene) and N18 (1,2,2a,3,4,4a,5,6,6a,7,8,8a,9,10,10a,11,12a-octadecazacoronene) were designed, and their structures, detonation performance and stabilities were calculated employing density functional theory (DFT). Calculations reveals that they have a good balance between high energy and stability. Their energy gaps between LUMO and HOMO are all lower than that of TATB, while their impact sensitivity h_50% is estimated close to that of RDX. Concerning energy, detonation performance of the N14 (P = 43.6 GPa, D = 10040 m/s, Q = 2214 cal/g) and the N18 (P = 37.4 GPa, D = 9400 m/s, Q = 2114 cal/g) are comparable to CL-20.

Deadwood represents a source of nutrients, carbon and water for metabolism within forest ecosystem. Nutrients are mobilized due to the decomposition of wood, which is a long-term process that can be best studied by analysing environmental data on a temporary scale. Our study provides physico-temporal data on the downed logs of three major tree species in European temperate forests: Abies alba Mill., Fagus sylvatica L. and Picea abies (L.) Karst. Time since death was obtained using tree censuses (repeated for 40 years) and dendrochronology for each single downed log, the oldest being 75 years old. Standard laboratory methods were used for the determination of wood density and moisture changes. F. sylvatica was decomposed rapidly in the initial phase – mass loss was 50% during the 5 years after death, while A. alba and P. abies lost 13% and 16%, respectively. Downed logs of F. sylvatica contained 391 kg of water per m³, while these of P. abies 279 kg. A log-transformed linear model was created that shows the dependence of time since death on mass loss. According to the model, F. sylvatica had the shortest total decomposition time (39 years), followed by A. alba (58 years) and P. abies (86 years).

The atherosclerosis, a chronic and inflammatory disease that occurs when there are high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) on plasma. This important risk factor for development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the main cause of death worldwide. MicroRNAs have recently emerged as potential biomarkers and therapeutic target for lipid metabolism disorders. In this review, we will provide profile of surrounding miRNAs that have demonstrated being regulators of PCSK9, LDLR and APOB100 genes. Recent work has identified the mir-148, mir-128, mir-27a/b, mir-185, mir-301, mir-130 as important regulators of this pathway because they decrease supply of LDL receptors through interaction with PCSK9. Inhibition of LDLR expression cause elevation of plasma LDL levels which induces atherosclerosis. While mir-30c, mir-122, mir-34 decrease MTTP, which promotes degradation of APOB100 preventing assembly and secretion of VLDL. We conclude that, when overexpressed, mir-148a, mir128 and mir-27a/b, mir-122 and mir-34 are related to decrease in LDLR, facilitating occurrence of atherosclerosis. While mir-30 has been linked to decreased atherosclerosis. Detection of miRNAs profile could be used in the future as a biomarker for disturbs linked to c-LDL uptake and in future anti-miRNAs therapies may be used in the treatment of atherosclerosis.

In this paper, the synthesis of two novel luminescent Eu3+ ion complexes [Eu(TFT)3(phen) (1) and Eu(TFT)3(bpy)•Hex (2)] based on the combination of 2-(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)-1-tetralone (TFT), containing n-donor ligands (1,10-phenanthroline or 2,2'-Bipyridine) and Eu3+ ion is reported herein, and their structural features are discussed on the basis of X-ray crystallographic and thermal analyses. We observed that the ligands transfer energy effectively to the metal center by fluorescence, IR and UV spectrograms studies. The structures and properties of complexes 1-2 were optimized by the DFT theoretical calculation, and the calculation results were consistent with the experimental X-ray structure data and spectral analysis.

The corona (COVID-19) pandemic offers an opportunity for dealing with persistent problems, through a transformative recovery process. It is a crisis that offers opportunities for dealing with three interrelated crises: the ecological crisis (climate change, loss of biodiversity, resource depletion, pollution and ecosystem destruction), the confidence crisis (people losing trust in government, politics, companies, regular news channels, science, each other and the future), and the inequality crisis (the widening of the gap between rich and poor). Our argument is that sustainability transitions will not succeed without a different economy and another social contract with the associated rights and duties of care (for the environment and the well-being of others, including future generations). A different social contract is not only desirable from the point of view of sustainability and fairness, justice and equality, but is also necessary to restore citizens' trust in politics, government, companies and each other. In the paper we discuss mechanisms towards a Natural Social Contract, systemic leverage points for system transformations and possibilities for co-evolutionary governance by actor coalitions interested in transformative change. The combination of those three elements helps to synchronize different agendas and reduce the chance that they will work against each other.

Increasing the energy density and power of supercapacitors through hybrids of carbonaceous materials and metal oxides continues to be the subject of numerous research works. The correlation between specific capacitance and the properties of materials used as electrodes attracts great interest. In the present study, we have investigated composites (GO/Mn3O4) prepared by hydrothermal method with variable ratio GO/Mn3O4 and tested as supercapacitor electrode materials in three and two-electrode cells. The chemical characterization carried out by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and the adsorption techniques used have allowed the determination of the surface carbon and oxygen content, as well as its textural properties. In this work we have analyzed the contribution of the double layer and of the Faradaic reactions to the value of the final supercapacitance of the synthesized materials. Beyond empirically obtaining the electrochemical properties, these have been related to the physicochemical characteristics of the hybrids, to help design materials with the best performances for supercapacitor electrodes.

This study explores the crucial roles of energy literacy, transition, and justice in addressing the global climate crisis. Through a systematic bibliometric survey and thematic analysis of existing literature, we identify a scarcity in research (<0.1%, n = 17,773) concurrently integrating the three crucial terms: energy literacy; energy transition; and energy justice. This study emphasizes the importance of energy literacy in empowering societies to make informed decisions, which is essential for facilitating equitable energy transitions and achieving sustainability goals. We delve into the interconnections between energy literacy and energy justice, proposing the integration of these concepts into educational systems, including social media platforms to foster an understanding of energy systems, their environmental impacts, and socio-economic implications. Emphasizing the strategic use of social media, the study also introduces the ‘COMPEL Justice’ framework—Communities Prepared for Energy Literacy and Justice—which aims to enhance public engagement and participation in energy transition initiatives. By analyzing publications from various academic and governmental sources, we provide insights into the challenges and opportunities that lie in promoting energy literacy and justice, particularly in the context of global efforts to mitigate climate change and enhance energy equity. Finally, exemplary application and implications associated with the adoption of the proposed framework within the context of oil-producing regions (e.g., Louisiana in the United States) are presented.

The double burden of malnutrition (DBM) is escalating in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), including in Rwanda, most notably in urbanizing areas. The 2019-2020 Rwanda Demographic Health Survey (DHS) revealed 33% of children under 5 are stunted while 42% of women in urban areas are overweight or obese. This coexistence has contributed to a surge in non-communicable diseases (NCDs), particularly in secondary cities. Using the World Health Organization’s (WHOs) “double-duty action” (DDA) concept, this study aims to identify and evaluate interventions with double-duty potential in Rwanda, focusing on the districts of Rusizi and Rubavu. Guided by Hawkes et al.’s conceptual framework for identifying DDA entry points, a desk review of national policies pinpointed 4 programs with DDA potential: early childhood development (ECD) centers, the school feeding program, farmer field schools (FFS), and the provision of nutrition-sensitive direct support. In-person interviews with key stakeholders assessed their implementation and a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis informed context-specific recommendations for their improvement. Recommendations include targeting beliefs surrounding nutrition, improving trainings for community educators, enhancing parent – particularly father – involvement, and close follow-up. These findings offer actionable strategies for governments and nutrition stakeholders and may benefit similar interventions in other rapidly urbanizing LMICs.

The article delves into the intricate phase transitions of 1-Octadecanol and n-Nonadecane within a binary system, unveiling dynamic structural changes under varying conditions. Through Fouri-er-transform infrared (FTIR) analysis, specific molecular vibrations were identified, shedding light on the molecular composition and interactions. The study highlights the challenges in detecting subtle phase transitions and emphasizes the individuality of molecular behaviours in closely related compounds. The findings underscore the complexity of phase transitions in binary systems and advocate for a nuanced approach to studying molecular structures and behaviours. Addi-tionally, the research contributes valuable insights into the molecular dynamics of Organic Polymer Functional Adsorption Materials, offering implications for synthetic waxy layers in plant epidermis.

This study presents the synthesis and electrochemical evaluation of nitrogen-doped vanadium oxide (N-V2O3/C) as a cathode material for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs), using a hydrothermal method. Compared to undoped V2O3/C, N-V2O3/C exhibits enhanced electrical conductivity, capacity, and electrochemical kinetics, attributed to the incorporation of pyridinic and pyrrolic nitrogen. Initial charge-discharge cycles indicate phase transitions to amorphous vanadium oxides, enhancing conductivity. N-V2O3/C shows a high specific capacity of 168.4 mAh g−1 at 10 A g−1 and remarkable reversibility, highlighted by the transient existence of intermediate species during cycling. Optimal electrochemical performance is achieved with a vanadium to nitrogen molar ratio of 2:3, indicating the significant impact of nitrogen doping concentration on the material’s efficiency. This work underscores the potential of N-V2O3/C as a superior cathode material for AZIBs.

Abstract Objective Variations of sex characteristics (VSC) are atypical genetic, hormonal, gonadal and anatomical sex traits that require holistic medical management. The Chicago Consensus statement 2006 introduced the requirement that multidisciplinary teams organise the transition of care from pediatric to adult services. Yet, the evidence that the transitional care is in place is scarce. The aim of this paper is to examine the implementation of transition of care for people with VSC. Method Seven focus groups were conducted with health care professionals and peer support groups in care teams in Central, Northern and Western Europe. The data from the focus groups were examined using reflexive thematic analysis. Results The participants in the study stated that the transition of care has been implemented in the last two decades. The quality of care depends on available resources and variation of sex characteristics. However, there are significant hurdles to adequate transition of care as there is lack of time and resources. Lack of adult care providers and psychosocial support leaves young adults and adults with VSC navigating the health care system often alone. Conclusion The outcome of the study shows that the transition of care is organized through the department of pediatric endocrinology. The quality of care varies due to resources and variation. Lack of adult specialists and psychosocial support represent the biggest obstacle for young adults and adults to navigate the healthcare system and for the improvement in provision of healthcare to adults, especially psychosocial support.

The current study primarily aimed to simulate detonation initiation via turbulent jet flame acceleration in partial-premixed H2-air mixtures. Different vertical concentration gradients were generated by varying the duration of hydrogen injection (referred to as diffusion time) within an enclosed channel filled with air. H2-air mixtures with average hydrogen concentrations of 22.5% (lean mixture) and 30% (near stoichiometric mixture) were investigated at diffusion times of 3, 5, and 60 seconds. Numerical results show that the vertical concentration gradient has a major influence on the early-stage of flame acceleration (FA). In the stratified lean mixture, detonation began in all the diffusion times, and comparing the flame-speed graphs showed that a decrease in the diffusion time and an increase in the mixture inhomogeneity speeded up the flame propagation and the jet flame to detonation transition occurrence in the channel. In the stratified H2-air mixture with an average hydrogen concentration of 30%, transition from a turbulent jet flame to detonation occurred in all the cases, and the mixture inhomogeneity weakened the FA and delayed the detonation initiation.

Oral cancer ranks sixth among Taiwan's top 10 cancers, and most patients with poor prognosis acquire metastases. The essential fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) has been found to diminish many cancer properties. However, the anti-cancer activity of ALA in oral cancer has yet to be determined. Migration and invasion assays confirmed OSCC cells' EMT capabilities, whereas flow cytometry and Western blotting identified the molecular pathways. ALA dramatically reduced cell growth in a concentration dependent manner, according to the findings. Low concentrations of ALA (100 or 200 μM) inhibit colony formation, expression of Twist and EMT-related proteins, expression of MMP2/-9 proteins and enzyme activity, as well as cell migration and invasion. Treatment with high concentrations of ALA (200 or 400 μM) greatly increases JNK phosphorylation and c-jun nuclear accumulation, then upregulates the FasL/caspase8/caspase3 and Bid/cytochrome c/caspase9/caspase3 pathways, leading to cell death. Low concentrations of ALA inhibit SAS and GNM cell migration and invasion by suppressing Twist and downregulating EMT-related proteins, or by decreasing the protein expression and enzyme activity of MMP-2/-9, whereas high concentrations of ALA promote apoptosis by activating the JNK/FasL/caspase 8/caspase 3-extrinsic pathway and the Bid/cytochrome c/caspase 9 pathway. ALA demonstrates potential as a treatment for OSCC patients.

Due to its economic benefits and the ability to reduce carbon emissions on a large scale, the CCUS-EOR project has been widely promoted and implemented globally. By using carbon dioxide flooding, oil water transition zone reservoirs that were once considered worthless may have new potential for development because of its rich geological reserves and high quality carbon sequestration conditions. Unlike water flooded layer, the oil in the TZ is unsaturated rather than residual oil after water flooding, which would lead to special oil-water seepage law of initial oil saturation. It is necessary to clarify special oil-water seepage law of oil-water transition zone to evaluate its production & storage potential. In this paper, we present a series of experiments to characterize the relationship between residual oil saturation and initial oil saturation. Cores in four different permeability and oil in four different viscosity are used to simulate different reservoir conditions, and that CO2 immiscible flooding experiments for each cores permeability and oil viscosity are performed with four different initial oil saturation. A total of 36 sets of CO2 flooding experiment data are used to draw the initial oil saturation & residual oil saturation chart. The results show that the residual oil saturation depends on the initial oil saturation rather than constant under certain conditions of core and oil. Under the condition of low permeability and high oil viscosity, the influence of initial oil saturation on residual oil saturation is relatively strong. The initial oil saturation & residual oil saturation chart can accurately calculate the residual oil saturation, initial water cut and final recovery based on the core permeability, oil viscosity and the initial oil saturation which is the first time to put forward this kind of chart and of the great significance to evaluate the recovery potential of the TZ.

The cubic nonlinearity of graphene oxide (GO) monolayer was characterized by open and closed Z-scan using a nano-second laser of 10 Hz repetition rate with a Gaussian spatial beam profile. The reverse saturable absorption or positive nonlinearity from open Z-scan and valley-peak traces or positive nonlinearity from closed Z-scan was displayed. The reverse saturable absorption could be from a two-photon or two-step excitation process due to the larger absorption in the lower visible and upper UV wavelength region compared with the excitation source. The nonlinear absorption and nonlinear refraction coefficient were estimated to be ~ 2.62x10-8 m/W and 3.9x10-15 m2/W, respectively. This study also reveals the effect of nonlinear absorption on nonlinear refraction traces.

Background: Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecological malignancies with serous carcinoma being the most common histopathologic subtype. Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) correlates with an increased metastatic potential, whereas the transcription factor SOX11 is overexpressed in diverse malignancies. Methods: In the present study, we aim to evaluate the potential role of the immunohistochemical expression of SOX11 in 30 serous ovarian carcinomas in association with E-cadherin and Vimentin expression as well as with patients’ clinicopathological data. Results: Most of the examined cases showed concurrent expression of E-cadherin and Vimentin, whereas SOX11 was expressed in a minority of the cases (26,7%). Interestingly, the positive cases had more frequently a metastatic disease at the time of diagnosis compared to the negative cases (p=0.09), an association, however, of marginal significance. Moreover, there was a negative correlation between E-Cadherin and SOX11 expression (p=0,0077) and a positive correlation between Vimentin and SOX11 expression (p=0,0130). Conclusions: The present work, for the first time, provides preliminary evidence SOX11 overexpression alongside E-cadherin loss in the promotion of EMT in serous ovarian cancer, thereby endorsing tumor metastasis.

Digitalization technologies have been identified as enablers for the adoption of Circular Economy practices. The machinery value chain, addressed in this study, is affected by the introduction of digital technologies that enable real-time monitoring data on product condition and control optimization deploying predictive analytics techniques, as well as the offerings of circular-based services. Machinery lifetime extension can be digitally enabled on both old and new machines. The research objectives were to investigate how digital technologies enable the adoption of circular economy-based business models in manufacturing companies and provide an answer about i) what Life Cycle Extension Strategy is suitable for digital circular business model adoption and ii) how digitalization of machines enables manufacturing companies to innovate their business model. The correlation matrix is the tool developed from the proposed approach; it aims at supporting manufacturers in the very first contact with circular business models. In the context of the European RECLAIM project, two manufacturers apply the approach, proving its validity and wide applicability. The next steps are expected to introduce quantitative indicators to define thresholds for the steps toward circularity, without replacing the qualitative approach, as it guarantees the wide applicability of the approach in context that never considered circularity yet.

Lipopolysaccharides are a type of polysaccharide mainly present in the bacterial outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. Recent studies have revealed that lipopolysaccharides contribute to the immune response of the host by functioning as a cancer antigen. We retrospectively recruited 198 patients with gastric cancer who underwent surgery. The presence of lipopolysaccharides was determined using immunohistochemical staining, with the intensity score indicating positivity. The relationship between lipopolysaccharides and CD8, PD-L1, TGFBI (a representative downstream gene of TGF-β signaling), E-cadherin, and claudin-4 (epithelial–mesenchymal transition markers) was also investigated. Thereafter, we identified 20 patients with advanced gastric cancer receiving nivolumab and investigated the relationship between lipopolysaccharides and nivolumab sensitivity. After staining for lipopolysaccharides in the nucleus of cancer cells, 150 negative (75.8%) and 48 positive cases (24.2%) were found. The lipopolysaccharide-positive group showed increased cancer stromal TGFBI expression (p &lt; 0.0001) and PD-L1 expression in cancer cells (p = 0.0029). Lipopolysaccharide positivity was significantly correlated with decreased E-cadherin expression (p = 0.0055) and claudin-4 expression (p = 0.029); however, no significant correlation was found between lipopolysaccharide expression and overall survival rate (p = 0.71). Among cases receiving nivolumab, the lipopolysaccharide-negative and -positive groups had a disease control rate of 66.7% and 11.8%, respectively (p = 0.049). Lipopolysaccharide positivity was associated with TGF-β signaling and epithelial–mesenchymal transition and was considered to promote therapeutic resistance to nivolumab.

Silver iodide (AgI) is a system prototype allowing the flow of ions through its structure and has a phase transition at 420 K, characterized by an abrupt change in conductivity and a high ionic conductivity. Introducing low concentrations of graphite (C) into the AgI structure produces a new material with a mixed conductivity (ionic and electronic) which increases with increasing temperature. The experimental results of the logarithm of the ionic conductivity as a function of the inverse of temperature for the (AgI)x–C(1−x) system for low carbon concentrations 0.97 ≤ x ≤ 0.99 were well fitted using a phenomenological model with a probability distribution for the charge carriers based on the carrier density

State transition in the multiple-levels system has the great potential applications in the quantum technology. In this article we employ a deterministic approach in complex space to analyze the dynamics of the 1s-2p electron transition in the hydrogen atom. The electron’s spin motion is embodied in the framework of quantum Hamilton mechanics that allows us to examine the transition dynamics more precisely. The transition is driven by an oscillating electric field in the z-direction. The electron’s transition process can be visualized by monitoring its motion in the complex space. The quantum potential and the total energy proposed in this paper provide new indices to observe the dynamic changes of electrons in the transition process.

All living organisms require some metal ions for their energy production as well as metabolic and biosynthetic processes. Within cells, metal ions are involved in the formation of adducts interact with metabolites and macromolecules (proteins and nucleic acids). The proteins that require binding to one or more metal ions to be able to carry out their physiological function are called metalloproteins. About one third of all protein structures in the Protein Data Bank involve metalloproteins. Over the past few years there has been a tremendous progress in the number of computational tools and techniques making use of 3D structural information to support the investigation of metalloproteins. This trend has been boosted also by the successful applications of neural networks and deep learning approaches in molecular and structural biology at large. In this review, we discuss recent advances in the development and availability of resources dealing with metalloproteins from a structure-based perspective. We start by addressing tools for the prediction of metal-binding sites (MBSs) using structural information on apo-proteins. Then, we provide an overview of methods for and lessons learned from the structural comparison of MBSs in a fold-independent manner. We then move to describing databases of metalloprotein/MBS structures. Finally, we summarize recent DL applications enhancing the functional interpretation of metalloprotein structures.

Intending to analyze the role of nuclear power in an integrated energy system, we used the IESA-Opt-N cost minimization model focusing on four key themes: system-wide impacts of nuclear power, uncertain technological costs, flexible generation, and cross-border electricity trade. We demonstrate that the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) alone should not be used to demonstrate the economic feasibility of a power generation technology. For instance, under the default techno-economic assumptions, particularly the 5% discount rate and exogenous electricity trade potentials, it is cost-optimal for the Netherlands to invest in 9.6 GWe nuclear capacity by 2050. However, its LCOE is 34 €/MWh higher than offshore wind. Moreover, we found that nuclear power investments can reduce demand for variable renewable energy sources in the short term and higher energy independence (i.e., lower imports of natural gas, biomass, and electricity) in the long term. Furthermore, investing in nuclear power can reduce the mitigation costs of the Dutch energy system by 1.6% and 6.2% in 2040 and 2050, and 25% lower national CO₂ prices by 2050. However, this cost reduction is not significant given the odds of higher nuclear financing costs and longer construction times. In addition, this study has shown that lower financing costs (e.g., EU taxonomy support) considerably reduce the relevance of nuclear cost uncertainties on its investments. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the economic feasibility of national nuclear power investments can vary considerably depending on the cross-border electricity trade assumptions. Additionally, we found that lowering the cost of small modular reactors has more impact on their economic feasibility than increasing their generation flexibility. In conclusion, under the specific assumptions of this study, nuclear power can play a complementary role (in parallel to the wind and solar power) in supporting the Dutch energy transition from the sole techno-economic point of view.

I wish to suggest a physiological function for alpha-synuclein (a-syn) that has the potential to explain its role in pathology. Intraneuronal proteinaceous Lewy Bodies (LBs), the pathological hallmark of Parkinson’s disease and other synucleinopathies, consist majorly of a-syn. Ample evidence suggests that LBs are not the result of simple amyloidosis of cytosolic a-syn. Benign soluble unstructured a-syn gets converted into toxic species which preferentially accumulates in LBs. But how these aberrant a-syn molecules are produced in the cytosol, is still not clear. The present hypothesis is an effort to relate a metabolic reaction specific to neuronal function, that is, phase transition, with the pathobiology of a-syn. During high frequency stimulation, which entails rapid phase transition reactions at the presynaptic compartment, aberrant interaction of a-syn with the membrane occasionally generates toxic a-syn molecules. My conjecture is that the physiological function of a-syn is to modulate membrane fluidity by a process wherein it goes through a conformation cycle driven by a flux of energy from mitochondria. It is the range of toxic a-syn produced during aberrant phase transition reaction that is responsible for pathology, not the normal a-syn that reenters the conformation cycle, thereby, resolving the paradox of the Janus-face of a-syn.

Existing Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes based transition models do not accurately predict separation induced transition for low pressure turbines. Therefore, in this study, a novel framework based on computational fluids dynamics driven machine learning coupled with multi-expression and multi-objective optimization is explored to develop models which can improve the transition prediction for the T106A low pressure turbine at an isentropic exit Reynolds number of Re2is=100,000. Model formulations are proposed for the transfer and laminar eddy viscosity terms of the laminar kinetic energy transition model using seven non-dimensional pi groups. The multi-objective optimization approach makes use of cost functions based on the suction-side wall-shear stress and the pressure coefficient. A family of solutions is thus developed, whose performance is assessed using Pareto analysis and in terms of physical characteristics of separated-flow transition. Two models are found which bring the wall-shear stress profile in the separated region at least two times closer to the reference high-fidelity data than the baseline transition model. As these models are able to accurately predict the flow coming off the blade trailing edge, they are also able to significantly enhance the wake-mixing prediction over the baseline model.

The liquid droplet cooling technique for fast scanning chip calorimetry (FSC) is introduced, increasing the cooling rate for large samples on a given sensor. Reaching higher cooling rates and using a gas as the cooling medium, the common standard for ultra-fast temperature control in cooling, requires reducing the lateral dimensions of the sample and sensor. The maximum cooling rate is limited by the heat capacity of the sample and the heat exchange between the gas and the sample. The enhanced cooling performance of the new liquid droplet cooling technique is demonstrated for both metals and polymers, on examples of solidification of large samples of indium, high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and poly (butylene 2,6-naphthalate) (PBN). It was found that the maximum cooling rate can be increased up to 5 MK/s in room temperature environment, that is, by 2 orders of magnitude, compared to standard gas cooling. Furthermore, modifying the droplet size and using coolants at different temperatures provide options to adjust the cooling rate in the temperature ranges of interest.

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.

The current energy policy recommends the idea of energy efficiency over fossil energy as a primary matter for the coming years. The kingdom of Morocco requires restructuring of its power equipment by increasing the percentage of renewable energy supplies, optimizing their systems and power storage. Therefore, increasing energy efficiency is an as important obligation as reducing the overall energy consumption. The purpose of this research is to present the energy transition in Morocco towards renewable energies and to assess the diversity of available marine natural resources. Recent research in conversion of ocean thermal energy, wave energy, tidal energy, offshore wind energy, and osmotic energy into power supply has started to encourage different technologies. This research has led to commercial deployment in some cases such as our 550 km long Mediterranean coast and 3000 km long Atlantic. This does not only result in fossil energies independency but also provides advantages like less cost and no pollution.

The welding performance of shipbuilding steel under large heat input could be improved greatly by the Mg addition to the steel, but the impact toughness of the HAZ is not stable. According to the three different thickness steel plates obtained in the industrial experiment, the large heat input welding was carried out by different heat input, and the impact toughness analysis, impact fracture analysis, metallographic microstructure analysis and inclusions analysis were carried out. The results showed that, the HAZ of three kinds of thickness plates induced a lot of IAF, with Mg addition, the inclusion dimension had been reduced effectively, and the IAF induced ability of the inclusions had also been improved. The difference of HAZ impact toughness with different welding heat input and different impact temperature is significant, in consideration of the influence of welding heat input and metallographic microstructure on impact toughness of HAZ, the welding heat load had far greater effect than metallographic microstructure on ductile-brittle transition temperature. At the same time, if the original metallographic microstructure of steel was coarse, the pinning effect of the inclusions would be reduced significantly, and the microstructure of HAZ would be coarsened and the impact toughness of HAZ would be decreased, so there is a certain matching relationship between the metallographic microstructure and the inclusion dimension.

The energy, momentum and the action associated with the time domain transition radiation fields are investigated. The results show that for a charged particle moving with speed $v$, the longitudinal momentum associated with the transition radiation is approximately equal to $E/c$ for values of $1-v/c$ smaller than about 10^-3 where $E$ is the total radiated energy and c is the speed of light in free space. The action of the transition radiation, defined as the product of the energy dissipated and the duration of the emission, increases as $1-v/c$ decreases and, for an electron, it becomes equal to $h/4\pi$ when $v=c-v_m$ where $v_m$ is the speed associated with the lowest energy state of a particle confined inside the universe and h is the Plank constant. Combining these results with Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, an expression for the electronic charge based on other fundamental physical constants is derived. The best agreement between the experimentally observed electronic charge and the theoretical prediction is obtained when one assumes that the actual size of the universe is about 250 times larger than the visible universe.

Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a neglected tropical disease associated with poverty and poor environmental conditions. With the inclusion of vector control activities in LF surveillance actions, there is a need to develop simple methods to identify areas with higher mosquito density and consequent risk of W. bancrofti transmission. An ecological study was conducted in Igarassu, Metropolitan Region of Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. The mosquitoes were captured in 2,060 houses distributed across 117 census tracts. The vector density index (VDI) was constructed, that measures the average number of lymphatic filariasis transmitting mosquitoes per number of houses collected in the risk stratum. Moreover, the social deprivation indicator (SDI) was constructed and was carried out through principal component factor analysis. The average number of female C. quinquefasciatus found in the high-risk stratum was 242, while the low-risk stratum had an average of 108. The overall VDI was 6.8 mosquitoes per household. The VDI for the high-risk stratum was 13.2 mosquitoes per household, while for the low/medium-risk stratum, it was 5.2. This study offers an SDI for the density of C. quinquefasciatus mosquitoes, which reduces the cost associated with data collection and allows for indicating priority areas for vector control actions.

The 6TiSCH protocol (IEEE 802.15.4e) is crucial for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), utilizing a time-slotted channel hopping (TSCH) mode based on node distribution. In our experiment, we explored node position clustering and adjusted the capacity of existing cells in congested areas to understand traffic patterns and optimize cell selection for TSCH resource allocation, particularly in slot frames. Efficient cell allocation prevents packet loss, manages congestion, and enhances data transmission reliability. Node clustering increases cell usage efficiency and reduces communication latency between nodes, with each cell allocation tailored to its traffic needs through the sink node from the clustering result. We evaluated the clustering method using the K-means algorithm through experiments using the 6TiSCH simulator. Additionally, we considered using the routing protocol for low power and lossy networks (RPL) as a comparison, such as OF0 and MRHOF, as the objective function to assess clustering results and their impact on throughput and packet delivery. Our method significantly improved average performance metrics: under the OF0 routing protocol, we achieved a 30.01% latency reduction, 15.95% faster joining time, 8% higher packet delivery ratio, and 13.82% throughput increase. Similarly, with the MRHOF routing protocol, we observed a 12.34% improvement in packet delivery ratio, 21.06% latency reduction, 12.68% faster joining time, and 25.97% higher throughput speed.

The purpose of this work is to analyze heat-treated ash wood at temperature of 185 ºC, in order to analyze its dimensional stability. For comparison, native ash/ not thermally treated wood, was be used. In order to analyze heat-treated ash wood, some main properties such as water absorption, swelling in thickness, roughness, Brinell hardness, modulus of rupture and elasticity, color change toward black with CIELab space, and many others properties were determined and processed. The results obtained after processing the experimental data have showed that heat-treated ash wood had good physical properties as absorption and swelling in thickness, and the slight increase in elasticity offers new fields of use. As a general conclusion of the work, it was established that the ash wood can be properly thermally treated, the dimensional stability characteristics being very good, and the decrease in bending resistance being almost imperceptible.

As the largest carbon pool on Earth, forest ecosystems are essential to maintaining carbon sink balance. However, accurately estimating the carbon sequestration and carbon storage of forest resources remains an urgent issue to address. Plot investigation, model estimation, and machine learning are examples of current approaches. Nevertheless, because of variables such as regional characteristics and plot size, large-scale and extensive region estimates are comparatively scarce. This study, which focuses on Tianzhu County, aims to comprehensively analyze and estimate the Net Primary Productivity (NPP), carbon storage, and carbon density of the forest ecosystem in this area by integrating data from forest resource inventory and the CASA model. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) The main vegetation types in Tianzhu County include coniferous forests, broad-leaved forests, mixed forests, and shrub forests; (2) Accordin g to the CASA model calculations, the annual cumulative NPP in Tianzhu County in 2020 ranges from a maximum of 249.63 gC/m² to a minimum of 3.40 gC/m², with the forest NPP amounting to 134,674.65 tons of carbon. Based on MODIS observation data, the forest’s NPP is 171,728.32 tons of carbon, with a maximum of 325.36 gC/m² and a minimum of 0.02 gC/m²; (3) At the pixel scale, the carbon storage of forests in Tianzhu County is 361,700 tons. Specifically, 46,500 tons of carbon are stored in coniferous forests, 1,100 tons in broad-leaved forests, 500 tons in mixed forests, and 313,600 tons in shrub forests.

Cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) are materials with high aspect ratio. Typically, TEMPO-oxidised, or cationic CNFs consist of long fibrils (up to 2 μm) with very low thickness (less than 10 nm). Derived from their high aspect ratio, CNFs form strong hydrogels with high elasticity at low concentrations. Thus, CNF suspensions appear as an interesting rheology modifier to be applied in cosmetics, paints, foods, as a mineral suspending agent, among other applications. The high viscosity results from the strong 3D fibril network, which is related to good fibrillation of the material, allowing the nanofibrils to overlap. The overlap concentration (c*) was found to vary from ca. 0.13 to ca. 0.60 wt.% depending on the type and intensity of the pre-treatment ap-plied during the preparation of the CNFs. The results confirm the higher tendency for the fibres treated with CHPTAC (cationic) and TEMPO to form a 3D network, resulting in the lowest c*. For the TEMPO-oxidised CNF suspensions, it was also found that aggregation is improved at acidic pH conditions due to lower charge repulsion among fibrils, leading to an increase in the suspension viscosity, as well as higher apparent yield stresses. TEMPO CNF suspensions with low content of carboxylic groups tend to precipitate at moderate acidic pH values.

This article introduces an analytical framework that interprets individual measures of entropy-based mobility derived from mobile phone data. We explore and analyze two widely recognized entropy metrics: random entropy and uncorrelated Shannon entropy. These metrics are estimated through collective variables of human mobility, including movement trends and population density. By employing a collisional model, we establish statistical relationships between entropy measures and mobility variables. Furthermore, our research addresses three primary objectives: firstly, validating the model; secondly, exploring correlations between aggregated mobility and entropy measures in comparison to five economic indicators; and finally, demonstrating the utility of entropy measures. Specifically, we provide an effective population density estimate that offers a more realistic understanding of social interactions. This estimation takes into account both movement regularities and intensity, utilizing real-time data analysis conducted during the peak period of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In this study, modified red mud after phosphorus adsorption was used as the adsorbent, and hydrochloric acid and deionized water were used as desorbents to desorb phosphorus. The components in the adsorbent were optimized based on density functional theory, and adsorbent and desorbent models were established. Molecular dynamics simulation was performed to determine the phosphorus concentration before and after desorption, interaction energies, radial distribution function(RDF), mean-square displacement(MSD), and diffusion coefficient. The Monte Carlo method was used to simulate the desorption isotherm, desorption site, heat of desorption, and desorption energy. Simulation results showed that deionized water could only desorb phosphorus on the adsorbent surface, and the stability of the system deteriorated upon adding hydrochloric acid. Hydrochloric acid destroyed the ionic and hydrogen bonding between the O atoms in H2PO4− and reactive metal and oxygen atoms in the activated red mud particles. Moreover, the van der Waals force decreased considerably. The ionic and hydrogen bonds between H2PO4− and the surface of activated red mud particles were broken by hydrochloric acid, which accelerated the desorption of phosphorus from the adsorbent surface. The interaction between hydrochloric acid and phosphorus accelerated the diffusion, which decreased the adsorption capacity. Moreover, the desorption capacity increased with increasing temperature.

The surface configurations of the low-index facets of a set of spinel oxides are investigated using DFT+U calculations to derive surface energies and predict equilibrium nanoparticle shapes via the Wulff construction. Two very different conditions are investigated, corresponding to application either in heterogeneous catalysis or in electrocatalysis. First, the bare stoichiometric surfaces of NiFe₂O₄, CoFe₂O₄, NiCo₂O₄, ZnCo₂O₄ spinels are studied to model their use as high-temperature oxidation catalysts. Second, focusing attention on the electrochemical oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and on the CoFe₂O₄ inverse spinel as the most promising OER catalyst, we generate surface configurations by adsorbing OER intermediates, and, in an innovative study, we recalculate surface energies taking into account adsorption and environmental conditions, i.e., applied electrode potential and O₂ pressure. We predict that, under OER operating conditions, (111) facets are dominant in CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticle shapes, in fair agreement with microscopy measurements. Importantly, in the OER case we predict a strong dependence of nanoparticle shape upon O₂ pressure. Increasing O₂ pressure increases the size of the higher-index (111) and (110) facets at the expense of the (001) more catalytically active facet, whereas the opposite occurs at low O₂ pressure. These predictions should be experimentally verifiable and help define the optimal OER operative conditions.

To achieve a micro-destructive and rapid measurement of the wood density of standing trees, this study investigated the feasibility of using the micro-drilling resistance method, formulated a mathematical model, explored the potential for a unified model across multiple tree species, and analyzed the influence of moisture content on measurement accuracy. First, 231 tree cores and drill resistance data were sampled from Pinus massoniana, Cunninghamia lanceolate, and Cryptomeria fortunei. The basic density and moisture content of each core were measured, and the average value of each resistance data record was calculated. Second, the average drill resistance, the natural logarithm of average drill resistance, and absolute moisture content were used as independent variables, while the wood basic density was used as the dependent variable. Third, the total model of the three tree species and sub-model for each tree species were established through a stepwise regression method. Finally, the accuracy of each model was compared and analyzed with that of using the average basic density of each tree species as an estimated density. The results revealed that the estimation accuracy of the sub-model for each tree species was 1.670 percentage points higher than the average value of each tree species used as the density estimation value for these tree species. Additionally, except for Cryptomeria fortunei, the natural logarithm of drill resistance significantly influenced the wood density model at a significance level of 0.05. Moreover, moisture content significantly affected the total model and sub-models of Pinus massoniana at a significance level of 0.05. The estimation accuracy of the total mathematical model was 2.125 percentage points lower than that achieved using the average basic density of each tree species to predict their density. The results indicated the feasibility of using the micro-drilling resistance method to measure the wood density of standing trees. Moreover, the relationship between wood density and drill resistance did not follow a linear pattern, and moisture content slightly influenced the drill needle resistance. Furthermore, the establishment of a mathematical model for each tree species was deemed essential. This study provides valuable guidance for measuring the wood density of standing trees through the micro-drilling resistance method.

Penrose’s singularity from 1965 predicted that in the center of the black hole space-time curvature is infinite and consequently gravity force there is infinite. In 2014 NASA measured universal space has Euclidean shape. This means that stellar objects cannot curve universal space and that the space-time singularity model has no physical existence. In the center of black holes energy density of superfluid space is so low that the electromagnetic properties of space are changed. This causes electromagnetic forces between the nucleus and orbiting electrons to become unstable. In the center of a black hole, atoms are falling apart into elementary particles. Black holes are rejuvenating systems of the universe, they transform old matter into fresh energy in the form of elementary particles. Astrophysical jets are the outcome of this process.

Milkfish (Chanos chanos) locally called Bangus in the Philippines, is a popular food fish in terms of production and consumption in the Philippines, Indonesia and Taiwan. This study characterized a typical grow-out milkfish farm in the Davao region in terms of socioeconomic profile, farming practices, and simple costs and returns. Three sites were chosen to conduct this study, mainly in Mati, Pantukan and Panabo in Davao region where N=43 farm workers provided information on their daily farming practices. Farms are commonly stocked with 16,000 fingerlings, harvesting occurs after every 6 months with six feeding times in a day. Moreover, workers were paid an average of Php 10,000 per month while the company had a gross income of Php 930,000 per cropping cycle. The feed cost shares 76% of the overall operational cost with a 27% return on investment for the first year of operation. Climate change impacts (e.g. higher sea surface temperature, unpredictable weather and flooding) and deteriorating water quality conditions were seen as bigger threats. Other results showed a positive relationship between stocking density and volume harvested (df=1, MS=0.0907, F=40.13, P=0.000) and income (df=1, MS=0.048, F=21.22, P=0.000). The study also showed the need for cheaper feed substitute and better benefits to farm workers.

Fuzzy Rule Interpolation (FRI) offers an innovative methodology for inferring outcomes from data points that match no established rules in a sparse fuzzy rule base. Generally, a traditional fuzzy rule-based system suffers from the inability to perform inference while facing an unmatched observation, given a sparse fuzzy rule base that is derived from insufficient data or inadequate human experience and that fails to cover parts of a specific problem domain. Fortunately, starting with a sparse rule base, Fuzzy Rule Interpolation (FRI) can help to formulate interpolated rules specifically in instances where observations fail to activate any existing rule. An interpolated rule gives a result called consequent, which is related to the unmatched observation so that the inference system will not fail to generate an outcome corresponding to the observation as the output. Conventionally, these interpolated rules will be discarded after obtaining outcomes. However, valuable information may be potentially embedded within those discarded rules addressing the limitation regarding the coverage of the original sparse knowledge space. Moreover, without exploiting the potential value of the interpolated rules, the fuzzy inference system based on a sparse rule base will never improve its efficiency and robustness in the long run. Therefore, this underscores the necessity for Dynamic Fuzzy Rule Interpolation (D-FRI), which aims to collate interpolated rules that cover particular knowledge spaces absent in the sparse rule base. Intuitively, those frequently appeared interpolated rules are considered valuable because future observations are more likely to hit the respective problem areas. Promoting selected interpolated rules to the sparse rule base can enhance the overall coverage of the knowledge space and increase the inference efficiency over time. This paper introduces a framework for Dynamic Fuzzy Rule Interpolation that integrates the widely used Transformation-based Fuzzy Rule Interpolation (T-FRI) with an effective form of clustering of interpolated results. Experimental findings validate the effectiveness of this approach.

Two-dimensional (2D) bismuth oxyhalides (BiOX) have attracted much attention as potential optoelectronic materials. Expecting for their application diversity, we herewith systematically investigate the tunable properties of 2D BiOX by using first principles calculations. Their electronic and optical properties can be modulated by changing the number of monolayers, applying strain, and/or varying the halogen composition. The bandgap shrinks monotonically and approaches the bulk value, the optical absorption coefficient increases, and the absorption spectrum redshifts, as the layer number of 2D BiOX increases. Carrier transport property can be improved by applying tensile strain, and the ability of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution can be obtained by applying compressive strain. General strain engineering will be effective in linearly tune the bandgap of BiOX in a wide strain range. Strain together with halogen composition variation can tune the optical absorption spectrum to be on demand in the range from visible to ultraviolet. It suggests that that 2D BiOX materials have potential serving as tunable novel photodetectors, can be used to improve clean energy techniques, and are prospective in the field of flexible optoelectronics.

The urban environment induces stress on trees and the impact can be identified by observing the condition of the crown. The aim of this study is to correlate the variables crown density (Cdn), crown transparency (Ctr) and dieback (Cdie) with the following vegetation indices: normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), enhanced vegetation index (EVI2), blue normalized difference vegetation index (BNDVI), green normalized difference vegetation index (GNDVI), green-red vegetation Index (GRVI) and red-green-blue vegetation index (RGBVI) of the tree crown located in urban green areas, as well as chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv/Fm) as an indirect indicator of tree health condition. A total of 549 trees were evaluated, represented in 24 families, 36 genera and 53 species; the variables had average values of 67.96 % in Cdn, 35.19 % in Ctr and 1 % in Cdie. Correlations were found between Fv/Fm, NDVI and BNDVI. NDVI and BNDVI correlated with variables such as Cdn and Ctr, mainly in species such as Ligustrum lucidum, Jacaranda mimosifolia and Fraxinus uhdei. Therefore, it is possible to evaluate tree health condition of trees in urban green environments through the identification of unfavorable conditions at the crown level by using vegetation indices for some of the species studied.

This paper focuses on the impact of defects density and carrier capture cross-section area in the electron transport material (ETM), hole transport material (HTM), and absorber layers on the performance of perovskite solar cells and quantum efficiency (QE). Furthermore, the impact of defects density at the interface between ETM/absorber and absorber/HTM is also studied. SCAPS-1D software is used in the current study in determining solar cell performance. The proposed perovskite solar cell structure is a planar FTO/TiO2/ CH3NH3PbI3/ Cu2O. The results indicated that increasing the defect density in the absorber layer significantly affects cell performance, while in ETM and HTM layers, the cell parameters remain unaffected. It is also found that the defect capture cross-section has a similar behavior to the defect density in the main layers (ETM, absorber, and HTM). In addition, it is observed that by increasing the defects density in the ETM/absorber and absorber/HTM interfaces layer, the cell parameters FF, Jsc, and PCE have been slightly decreased, with no effect on Voc. Moreover, it is also noted that the quantum efficiency QE is sharply reduced. Finally, this paper introduced the correlation between the defect density and the capture cross-section, which is the first attempt to find such a relationship in perovskite solar cells to the knowledge of the authors.

This work reports the first nanocrystalline SnON (7.6 % Nitrogen content) n-type nanosheet Field-Effect Transistor (nFET) with transistor’s effective mobility (µeff) as high as 357 and 325 cm2/V-s at electron density (Qe) of 5×1012 cm-2 and ultra-thin body thickness (Tbody) of 7 and 5 nm, respectively. At the same Tbody and Qe, these µeff values are significantly higher than single crystalline Si, InGaAs, thin-body Si-on-Insulator (SOI), two-dimensional (2D) MoS2 and WS2. New discovery of slower µeff decay rate at high Qe than SiO2/bulk-Si universal curve was found, owing to one order of magnitude lower effective field (Eeff) by more than 10 times higher dielectric constant () in channel material, which keeps the electron wave-function away from the gate-oxide/semiconductor interface and lowers the gate-oxide surface scattering. In addition, the high µeff is also due to the overlapped large radius s-orbitals, low 0.29 mo effective mass (me*) and low polar optical phonon scattering. SnON nFETs with record-breaking µeff and quasi-2D thickness enable potential monolithic three-dimensional (3D) integrated circuit (IC) and embedded memory for 3D biological brain-mimicking structures.

This paper discusses about the quantum energy levels of muonic hydrogen considering only Coulomb interaction. The computational analysis in this paper will help the reader get a good understanding of how different a muonic hydrogen is from its electronic counterparts. Energy eigenvalues are calculated by numerical method and the probability density distribution of muon around the nucleus is plotted for different quantum states using special functions. The code is written in python. A comparative study of emission spectra between the muonic hydrogen and hydrogen has also been discussed.

A significant portion of the harvested land base in western Canada is becoming old enough or entering a phase where thinning is a legitimate option. A comprehensive review of the existing knowledge of commercial thinning (CT) treatments applied to pine and spruce-dominated stands in Alberta was conducted, with particular regard to the intensity, the timing of interventions, method and impacts on crop tree growth responses. Although the geographical focus of this review is Alberta, information on this topic is more complete in other areas of North America, and Europe, where there is a long history of density management. In areas of eastern North America, our review revealed that CT from below, with tree removal levels from 27 to 43% of the basal area could increase the merchantable wood volume from 11 to 60 m3 ha-1, depending on stand age and intensity of thinning. For Alberta conditions, and considering the risks, we conclude that commercial thinning basal area removal should be in the range of 25 to 40%, depending on a variety of factors such as species, wind firmness and insect or disease incidence and risk. Thinning too aggressively and/or too late will increase the blowdown risk but the literature is fairly consistent in suggesting that live crown ratios should be >40% to maximize the chance of growth response and minimize the blowdown risk. In cases where stands are also threatened by stressors such as drought, wind, and insect or disease outbreaks, CT treatments likely offer the potential at limiting the overall risk, but localized knowledge and experience are critical. It is intended that the information presented may support ongoing and future research trials and growth and yield (G&Y) model development with regard to potential CT treatments to apply and the likely results of practical application to commercial forestry.

Phytoseiidae inhabit a wide range of herbs, shrubs and trees. Aesculus hippocastanum is an important ornamental tree in Europe and is likely reservoir of these mites. We therefore assessed the species composition and the spatial and seasonal variability in the abundance of Phytoseiidae in city parks in South Bohemia, Czech Republic. Leaf samples were randomly collected from horse chestnut tree branches at eight sites, five times during the vegetation season in 2013. The mites were collected by washing technique and mounted on slides for identification. In total, 13,903 specimens of phytoseiid mites were found, and eight species were identified: Amblyseius andersoni, Euseius finlandicus, Kampimodromus aberrans, Neoseiulella tiliarum, Phytoseilus macropilis, Paraseiulus talbii, Paraseiulus triporus and Typhlodromus (Typhlodromus) pyri. Paraseiulus talbii and P. macropilis were recorded on the leaves of horse chestnut trees for the first time in the Czech Republic in this study. The predominant species was E. finlandicus (96.25%). The number of mites per compound leaf was, on average, 2.53, 10.40, 23.54, 11.59 and 9.27 on the sampling dates in each month between May and September, respectively. The mite density was significantly affected by the sampling site and date.

This paper proposes an encryption scheme for high pixel density images. Based on the application of the quantum random walk algorithm, the Long short-term memory (LSTM) can effectively solve the problem of low efficiency of the quantum random walk algorithm in generating large-scale pseudorandom matrices, and further improve the statistical properties of the pseudorandom matrices required for encryption. The LSTM is then divided into columns and fed into the LSTM in order for training. Due to the randomness of the input matrix, the LSTM cannot be trained effectively, so the output matrix is predicted to be highly random. The LSTM prediction matrix of the same size as the key matrix is generated based on the pixel density of the image to be encrypted, which can effectively complete the encryption of the image. In the statistical performance test, the proposed encryption scheme achieves an average information entropy of 7.9992, an average number of pixels changed rate (NPCR) of 99.6231%, an average uniform average change intensity (UACI) of 33.6029% and an average correlation of 0.0032. Finally, various noise simulation tests are also conducted to verify its robustness in real-world applications where common noise and attack interference are encountered.

Low-dimensional carbon-based (LDC) materials have attracted extensive research attentions in electrocatalysis because of their unique advantages such as structural diversity, low cost, and chemical tolerance. They have been widely used in a broad range of electrochemical reactions to relief environmental pollution and energy crisis. Typical examples include hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO₂RR), and nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR). Traditional “trial and error” strategies seriously slowed down the rational design of electrocatalysts for these important applications. Recent studies show that the combination of density functional theory (DFT) calculations and experimental research is capable of accurately predicting the structures of electrocatalysts, thus could reveal the catalytic mechanisms. Herein, current well-recognized collaboration methods of theory and practice are reviewed. The history of modern DFT, commonly used calculation methods, and basic functionals are briefly summarized. Special attention is paid to descriptors that are widely accepted as a bridge links the structure and activity, and the breakthroughs for high-volume accurate prediction of electrocatalysts. Importantly, correlating multiple descriptors are used to systematically describe the complicated interfacial electrocatalytic processes of LDC catalysts. In addition, machine learning and high-throughput simulations are crucial in assisting the discovery of new multiple descriptors and reaction mechanisms. This review will guide the further development of LDC electrocatalysts for extended applications from the aspect of DFT computations.

We present large eddy simulations of a mid-latitude open ocean front using a modified state of the art computational fluid dynamics code. We investigate the energy and information fluxes at the submesoscale/small-scale range in the absence of any atmospheric forcing. We find submesoscale conditions (Ro∼1, Ri∼1) near surface, within baroclinic structures related with partially imbalanced frontogenetic activity. Near surface, the simulations show a significant scale coupling on scales larger than ∼103(m). This is manifested as a strong direct energy cascade and intense mutual communication between scales, where the latter was evaluated using an estimator based on Mutual Information Theory. At scales smaller than ∼103(m) the results show near-zero energy flux, however, at this scale range, the estimator of mutual communication still shows values corresponding with a significant level of communication between them. This fact motivates to investigate the nature of the self-organized turbulent motion at this scale range with weak energetic coupling but where communication between scales is still significant and to inquire into the existence of synchronization or functional relationships between scales with emphasis on eventual underlying non-local processes.

Global malaria epidemiology has changed in the last decade with a substantial increase in cases and death being recorded. Over 90% of global cases and deaths occur in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Tanzania accounts for about 4% of all cases and deaths reported in recent years. It is believed that several factors contribute to the resurgence of malaria, parasite resistance to antimalarials and mosquito resistance to insecticides being at the top of the list. The presence of sub-microscopic infections poses a significant challenge to malaria rapid diagnostic tests (mRDT), particularly in low-endemic areas. Our cross-sectional surveys in Handeni and Moshi, Tanzania assessed the effect of low parasite density on mRDT. A significant difference (P˂0.001) in malaria prevalence by mRDT, light microscopy (LM) and nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was found among age groups. In comparison to all other groups, school-age children (5-15 years) had the highest prevalence of malaria. Based on the results of this study, mRDT may miss up to 6% of cases of malaria mainly due to low-density parasitaemia. Routinely used mRDT will likely miss the sub-microscopic parasitemia which will ultimately contribute to the continued spread of malaria and hinder efforts to control and eliminate it.

In the study of materials and macromolecules by first-principle methods, the bond order is a useful tool to represent molecules, bulk materials and interfaces in terms of simple chemical concepts. Despite the availability of several methods to compute the bond order, most applications have been limited to small systems because a high spatial resolution of the wave function and an all-electron representation of the electron density are typically required. Both limitations are critical for large-scale atomistic calculations, even within approximate density-functional theory (DFT) approaches. In this work we describe our methodology to quickly compute delocalization indices for all atomic pairs, while keeping the same representation of the wave function used in most compute-intensive DFT calculations on high-performance computing equipments. We describe our implementation into a post-processing tool, designed to work with Quantum ESPRESSO, a popular open-source DFT package. In this way we recover a description in terms of covalent bonds from a representation of wave function containing no explicit information about atomic types and positions.

The ternary Bi2MoO6-reduced graphene oxide (rGO)-TiO2 catalyst were synthesized using a simple hydrothermal method. The improvement of the photocatalytic decomposition efficiency of Bi2MoO6-rGO-TiO2 composite is 92.3% than the pure and binary photocatalyst. The effects of operational parameters like catalyst ratio, the different catalyst, different ratio rGO and different pH, have been analyzed. As prepared ternary photocatalyst is low Photoluminescence and high photocurrent density responsible, it exhibited that photon-induced electron and hole-recombination were suppressed and also charged separation is effective. The present study shows the rGO is an excellent electron transfer performance and enhanced the photocatalytic reaction stability.

One-dimensional chain of core-shell pairs connected by ideal springs enables design of the metamaterial demonstrating the negative effective density and negative specific thermal capacity. We assume that the molar thermal capacity of the reported metamaterial is governed by the Dulong-Petit law in its high temperature limit. The specific thermal capacity depends of the density of the metamaterial; thus, it is expected to be negative, when the effective density of the chain is negative. The range of the frequencies enabling the effect of the negative thermal capacity is established. Dependence of the effective thermal capacity on the exciting frequency for various core/shell mass ratios is elucidated. The effective thermal capacity becomes negative in the vicinity of the local resonance frequency ω0 in the situation when the frequency ω approaches ω0 from above. The effect of the negative effective thermal capacity is expected in metals in the vicinity of the plasma frequency.

Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are throwing in the interstellar space huge jets of energy in the form of elementary particles. The calculation of the energy density of space in the centre of the black hole with the mass of the Sun shows that in the space-time singularity of such a black hole energy density of space there is so low that atoms become unstable and fall apart into elementary particles. In this sense, AGN is a rejuvenating system of the universe. It transforms its own old matter into fresh energy in the form of jets.

The main goal of this article is to demonstrate the impact of environmental data on the spreading of Covid-19. In this research, data has been collected from 70 cities/provinces that are affected by Covid-19. Here, environmental data refers to temperatures, humidity and population density in each of these cities/provinces. This data has been analyzed using statistical models such as Poisson, Quasi-Poisson and negative Binomial. It is found that a negative Binomial regression model is the best fit for our data. Our results reveal that average high temperature is the vital factor to slow down the spread of Covid-19. In addition, higher population density found to be an important factor for the quick spreading of Covid-19 where it is quite impossible to maintain the social distance and the virus can spread easily.

In the year 2017, about 89 percent of the total energy consumed in the US was produced using non-renewable energy sources, and about 43 percent of tenant households were cost-burdened. Local governments are in a unique position to facilitate green affordable housing that could reduce cost burdens, environmental degradation, and environmental injustice. Nonetheless, limited studies have made progress on costs and benefits of green affordable housing to guide decision-making, particularly in small communities. This study investigates density bonus options for green affordable housing by analyzing construction costs, sale prices, and spillover effects for green certifications and affordable housing units. The authors employ construction costs and sale data from 422 Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) projects and 11,418 Multiple Listing Service (MLS) transactions in Virginia. Using hedonic regression analyses controlling for mediating factors, we find that the new construction of market-rate green certified houses is associated with small upfront costs but large and statistically significant price premiums. The construction of market-rate green certified houses has large and statistically significant spillover effects on existing non-certified houses. Existing non-certified affordable housing units show small and statistically insignificant negative price impacts on transactions of surrounding properties. The magnitude of social benefits associated with green building justifies the local provision of voluntary programs for green affordable housing where housing is expensive relative to its basic costs of production to promote sustainable development.

To realize high response and selectivity gas sensor in detecting dissolved gases in transformer oil, in this study, the adsorption of four kinds of gases (H2, CO, C2H2 and CH4) on Pd-graphyne as well as the gas sensing properties evaluation were investigated. The energetically favorable structure of Pd doped γ-Graphyne was first studied, including the comparison of different adsorption sites and discussion of electronic properties. Then, the adsorption of these four molecules on Pd-graphyne was explored. The adsorption structure, adsorption energy, electron transfer and electron distribution, the band structure and density of states were calculated and analyzed. The results show that the Pd atom prefers to be adsorbed on the middle of three C≡C bonds and the band gap is smaller. The CO adsorption exhibits the largest adsorption energy and electron transfer and brings obvious change to the structure and electron properties to Pd-graphyne. Because of the conductance decrease after adsorption CO and acceptable recovery time at high temperature, the Pd-graphyne can be promising gas sensing materials to detect CO with high selectivity. This work offers theoretical support for the design of nanomaterials based gas sensor using novel structure for industrial application.

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.

We show that combining vibrational spectroscopy with signal processing can result in a scheme for ultrasensitive detection of molecules. We consider the vibrational spectrum as a signal on the energy axis and apply a matched filter on that axis. On the example of a nerve agent molecule, we show that this allows detecting a molecule by its vibrational spectrum even when the recorded spectrum is completely buried in noise, when conventional spectroscopic detection is impossible. Detection is predicted to be possible with signal-to-noise ratios in recorded spectra as low as 0.1. We study the importance of spectral range used for detection as well as of the quality of the computed spectrum used to program the filter, specifically, the role of anharmonicity, of the exchange correlation functional, and of the basis set. The use of the full spectral range rather than of a narrow spectral window with key vibrations is shown to be advantageous, as well as accounting for anharmonicity.

Bianchi type III string cosmological models (massive and geometric) in presence of magnetic field with vacuum energy density following the techniques used by Letelier (1979) and Stachel (1980) are obtained. We find that the energy conditions (dominant as well as weak) given by Hawking and Ellis (1974) are satisfied for the models. Also the solutions obtained satisfy conservation equation for massive string with magnetic field and vacuum energy density. The models in general, represent anisotropic phase of space-time due to the presence of string. However, the models isotropize at late time and in special case. It has also been shown that the magnetic field is directly linked with the matter. For string dust model, the state finder parameters {r,s} are in excellent agreement with Planck results (Sahni et al. (2003)). The physical and geometrical aspects of the models with special cases are also discussed.

The structural, electronic and magnetochemical properties of the star-shaped polyoxopalladate [Pd₁₅O₁₀(SeO₃)₁₀]¹⁰⁻ (POPd) and its lanthanide functionalized derivatives have been investigated on the basis of density functional theory followed by a ligand field analysis using the Radial Effective Charge (REC) model. Our study predicts that heteroPOPd is a robust cryptand that enforces D_5h symmetry around the encapsulated Ln³⁺ centers. This rigid coordination environment favors interesting potential magnetic behavior in the Er and Ho derivatives, which may be of interest for molecular spintronics and quantum computing applications.

Many dioecious plants have sex chromosomes that are cytologically heteromorphic, but about half of species lack cytological differences between males and females and are thus homomorphic. Very little is known about the size and content of the non-recombining sex-determining region (SDR) in these species. Here, we assess the size and content of the SDR of the diploid dioecious herb Mercurialis annua, which has homomorphic sex chromosomes and shows signatures of mild Y-chromosome degeneration. We used RNAseq to identify new Y-linked markers for M. annua. Twelve of 24 transcripts with male-specific and male-biased expression could only be PCR-amplified from males and are thus Y-linked. We found a further six Y-linked sequences that were present in males but not females using genome capture data from multiple populations. We used the Y-linked sequences to identify and sequence 17 sex-linked bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs), which form 11 groups of non-overlapping sequence, covering a total sequence length of about 1.5 Mb. Content analysis of this region suggests it is enriched for repeats, has a low gene density and contains few candidate sex-determining genes. The BACs map to a subset of the sex-linked region of the genetic map, which is estimated to be at least 14.5 Mb. This is substantially larger than estimates for other dioecious plants with homomorphic sex chromosomes, especially given the small genome size of M. annua. Our data provide a rare, high-resolution view of the homomorphic Y chromosome of a dioecious plant.

The improvement of mechanical properties of cantala fiber and its composites. Treatments including alkali, silane, and the combination of both were carried out to modify the fiber surface. The influence of chemical treatments on fiber properties such as the degree of crystallinity and tensile strength was investigated. A variety of short cantala fiber reinforced rHDPE composites were produced by hot press, and the effect of fiber treatment on the flexural strength of composites was observed. SEM observations also carried out to highlight these changes. The result shows that alkali treatment improves tensile strength and tensile modulus of alkali treated fiber (NF12) which was predicted as a result of the enhancement of the cellulose crystallinity. In contrast, the tensile strength and tensile modulus of silane (SF05) and alkali-silane treated fiber (NSF05) decreased compared to untreated fiber (UF) which is caused by the addition of amorphous material. The tensile strength of alkali-silane treated fiber (NSF05) was lower than alkali treated fiber (NF12), but the composites prepared with NSF05 showed the highest increment of flexural strength of 25.9%. This may be due the combination of alkali and silane treatment helped in the better formation of fiber-matrix interface adhesion.

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.

In this study, we demonstrate the direct preparation of dihalo-γ-lactams featuring two distinct halogens from dichloroamides using a novel Atom Exchange Radical Cyclization (AERC) procedure. This method integrates the established Atom Transfer Radical Cyclization with halogen exchange in solution. The technique operates under mild conditions and requires little amounts of metallic copper, serving as both a supplemental activator and reducing agent.

Objective: Aims to investigate the effects of empagliflozin (EMPA), a sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, on renal fibrosis in male diabetic Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat model. Methods: Streptozotocin(STZ) were injected to establish diabetes model, EMPA (10 mg/kg·d) or normal saline (NS) were administered for four weeks. The changes in renal fibrosis-related biomarkers, include vimentin (VIM), collagen types I(Col-I), collagen types III(Col-III), fibroblast-specific protein 1(FSP-1), connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), fibronectin (FN) were evaluated. Renal pathology, serum glucose levels and urinary protein excretion were also assessed. Results: Biomarkers of renal fibrosis were significantly reduced in the EMPA group compared to those in the NS group after 4-week treatment, including VIM (519.84±83.37 vs. 663.27±91.84 ng/ml, P<0.05), Col-I (21.27±1.46 vs. 25.71±2.82 ng/ml , P<0.05) and Col-III (7.06±1.12 vs. 9.43±1.36 ng/ml, P<0.05), FSP-1 (4.38±0.81 vs. 5.70±0.78 ng/ml, P<0.05), and CTGF (1147±217 vs. 1556±235 pg/ml, P<0.05),respectively. Nevertheless, compared to normal control (NC) group, the levels of renal fibrosis-related biomarkers in the EMPA group showed no significant differences except for VIM, which was VIM (336.66±28.87 vs. 519.84±83.37 ng/mL, P<0.001). NS group rats showed notable renal tubular dilation and casts, EMPA group exhibited only mild tubular dilation. Conclusion: These findings suggest that empagliflozin reverse renal fibrosis potentially through inhibiting CTGF-mediated epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

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.

In 2018, the state of Himachal Pradesh in north India launched an initiative to convert all its farmers to natural farming (NF), an agroecological approach. The aim was to address multiple challenges related to rural livelihoods, high input costs, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation. This paper is based on a qualitative case study of the state programme to transition farmers to NF. It seeks to understand how its mechanisms support and empower small and marginal women farmers. In addition to identifying mechanisms that facilitate the effective uptake of NF, the case study sought women's views on whether these increased spaces for decision-making and developed capabilities and autonomy. Framed within the vision of reclaiming food sovereignty, various mechanisms such as training in villages, participating in NF groups and networks, visits to model farms and adopting leadership roles offered new pathways for women farmers to gain confidence and capabilities. Women began to participate in spaces that had been culturally and structurally denied to them. This case study illustrates how agroecology efforts with a specific focus on gender have the potential to provide women with creative outlets and a variety of decision-making and income-generating roles, spaces for community learning and knowledge needed for sustainable ecosystems.

This review focuses on the Just Energy Transition (JET) policies of the BRICS member countries, with the aim of finding lessons and possible adoption of some of the key energy policy aspects utilized in other countries for benchmarking for the South African context. Considerations of the present stage of JET in South Africa and the energy-source mix supporting the electricity sector, cognisant of the lifespan and condition of power plants. Analysis of the energy mix revealed that all nations were energy dependent on electricity which was produced by predominantly fossil fuelled power plants with high GHG (concentrating on high CO2 emissions). It was concluded that some of the learnings and lessons learnt from the BRICS countries might be incorporated into a South African energy plan for the transition with options and guidance for formulation of policies. This study will attract responsible environmentally conscious audience that has a commitment and drive to combat global warming and curbing climate change.

The intensification of conflicts associated with the use of water in the transition region of the Cerrado and Amazon biomes caused by population and economic growth, combined with the interest in generating energy from hydroelectric plants, raise the need to quantify the surface water availability of rivers contributing with different drainage areas. The present study estimated and compared loco measurements of liquid flow (QL) and depth of rivers in the Teles Pires river basin by reference methods (MLN-7 hydrometric windlass and metal rod/winch) and by Acoustic Current Profiler by Doppler Effect (ADCP RiverRay), in addition, evaluated the total measurement time underestimation uncertainty by ADCP. Field measurements were carried out at monthly intervals between March 2020 and October 2021, seeking to represent the water seasonality and depth and QL variations in the cross-sections of the Caiabi 1 and 2, Celeste, Preto and Renato rivers. The evaluated rivers had a net flow between 3.48 and 60.78 m3 s-1 by the windlass and between 2.66 and 54.30 m3 s-1 by the ADCP, while the depths obtained were from 0.17 to 6.34 m by the rod/winch and from 0.65 to 6.20 m by the ADCP. The methods resulted in similar measurements of net flow and depth in each of the cross-sections, and the statistical performance of the linear regression model was satisfactory with a Willmott concordance index of 0.9977 and 0.9819 for estimates of QL and of the depth of the cross-sections, respectively. The ADCP accurately measured net discharge and depth in shallow (up to 6.5 m) cross-sections of Teles Pires River in relative to the reference method. Determining the total measurement time and pairs of transects to obtain accurate QL by ADCP depends on the hydraulic characteristics of the watercourses.

This study aims to investigate how the adoption of an online to offline (O2O) transition strategy impacts the sales volume of Kampoeng Merdeka Clothing. The O2O strategy includes various components, such as establishing O2O platforms, delivering personalized services, ensuring secure transactions, and engaging in offline business activities. The research employs a quantitative approach, focusing on consumers who have made clothing purchases from Kampoeng Merdeka Clothing in Macassar. The sample size comprises 83 respondents, deliberately selected using the Slovin approach. The data analysis and methodology involve the application of Partial Least Squares (PLS) structural equation modeling to assess both the external and internal models. The findings of this study emphasize the significant and positive influence of the variables "Build O2O Network Platform," "Provide Personalized Experience," "Safeguard Transactions Security," and "Offline Business" on driving the sales growth of Kampoeng Merdeka Clothing. These results indicate that the O2O transition strategy has a substantial impact on the brand's sales performance, with the establishment of O2O platforms and personalized services playing crucial roles. Additionally, ensuring secure transactions and engaging in offline business activities further contribute to the overall success of Kampoeng Merdeka Clothing in the market. This research sheds light on the effectiveness of the O2O approach in boosting sales for clothing brands and underscores the importance of integrating online and offline elements to maximize business outcomes.

Background: Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a biological process where epithelial cells lose their adhesive properties and gain invasive, metastatic, and mesenchymal properties. Maintaining the balance between epithelial and mesenchymal stage is essential for tissue homeo-stasis. Many of the genes promoting mesenchymal transformation has been identified; however, our understanding of the genes responsible for maintaining the epithelial phenotype is limited. Our objective was to identify genes responsible for maintaining the epithelial phenotype and in-hibiting EMT. Methods: RNA seq was performed using an vitro model of EMT. CTGF expres-sion was determined by qPCR and Western blot analysis. Knockout of CTGF was done using the CTGF sgRNA CRISPR/CAS9. Tumorigenic potential was determined using NCG mice. Results: Knocked-out of CTGF in epithelial ovarian cancer cells leads to the acquisition of functional characteristics associated with the mesenchymal phenotype such as Anoikis resistance, cytoskel-eton remodeling, increased cell stiffness, and acquisition of invasion and tumorigenic capacity. Conclusions: We identified CTGF is an important regulator of the epithelial phenotype, and its loss is associated with early cellular modifications required for EMT. We describe a novel role for CTGF, regulating cytoskeleton and the extracellular matrix interactions necessary for conserva-tion of epithelial structure and function. These findings provide a new window to understand the early stages on mesenchymal transformation

Recent advancements in the study of the protein complex photosystem II have clarified the sequence of events leading to the formation of oxygen during the S3->S4->S0 tran-sition, wherein the inorganic Mn4Ca(µ-O)6(OHx)4 cluster finishes photo-catalyzing the water splitting reaction (Greife et al, Nature 2023, 617, 623-628; Bhowmick et al, Nature 2023, 617, 629-636) . During this final step a tyrosine radical (TyrZ), stable for a couple of milliseconds, oxidizes a cluster bound oxygen while the hydrogen bonding patterns of nearby waters shift a proton away. A treatment of this redox reaction within the context of accepted transition state theories predicts rate constants that are significantly higher than experimentally recovered values (10^12s^-1 versus 10^3s^-1). In an effort to understand this disparity, temperature dependent experiments have revealed large entropic con-tributions to the rates with only a moderate energy of activation. We suggest that the entropic source may be related to the observed proton rearrangements, and further possible near isoenergetic variations in the nearby extended h-bonding network de-laying the realization of an ‘ideal’ transition state. In the following we explore this re-lation in the context of Eyring’s transition state theory and Marcus’ electron transfer theory, and evaluate their compatibility with the experimental evidence.

Nanostructured transition metal nitrides (TMNs) have been considered a promising substitute for precious metal catalysts toward ORR due to their multi-electron orbitals, metallic properties, and low cost. To design TMNs catalysts with high catalytic activity toward ORR, the intrinsic features of the influencing factor on the catalytic activity toward ORR of nanostructured TMNs need to be investigated. In the paper, titanium nitride (TiN), zirconium nitride (ZrN), and hafnium nitride (HfN) nanoparticles (NPs) are high-efficiency and one-step synthesized by the direct current arc plasma. TiN, ZrN, and HfN NPs with an oxidation layer are applied as the catalysts of hybrid sodium-air batteries (HSABs). The effect of composition and structure attributes of TMNs on ORR catalysis is defined as follows. (ⅰ) Composition effect. With the increase of the oxygen content, the catalytic ORR capability of TMNs decreases progressively due to the reduction of oxygen adsorption capacity; (ⅱ) Structure effect. The redistribution of the density of states (DOS) of ZrN indicates higher ORR activity than TiN and HfN. HSABs with ZrN exhibit an excellent cyclic stability up to 137 cycles (about 140 h), an outstanding rate performance, and a specific capacity of 2817 mAh·g−1 at 1.0 mA·cm−2.

Bimetallic (or multimetallic) catalysis has emerged as a powerful tool in modern chemical synthesis, offering improved reaction control and versatility. This review focuses on the recent de-velopments in bimetallic sequential catalysis for the synthesis of nitrogen heterocycles, essential building blocks in pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals. The cooperative action of two (and sometimes more) different metal catalysts enables intricate control over reaction pathways, enhancing selectivity and efficiency of N-heterocyclic compounds synthesis. By activating less reactive substrates, this multimetal catalytic strategy opens new synthetic possibilities for challenging compounds. The use of catalytic materials in bimetallic systems reduces waste and improves atom efficiency, aligning with green chemistry principles. With a diverse range of metal combinations and reaction conditions, bimetallic catalysis provides access to a broad array of N-heterocyclic compounds with various functionalities. This paper highlights the significant progress made in the past decade in this topic, emphasizing the promising potential of bimetallic catalysis in drug discovery and the fine chemical industries.

This paper offers a set of comprehensive guidelines aimed at facilitating the widespread adoption of hydrogen in the industrial hard-to-abate sectors. The authors begin by conducting a detailed analysis of these sectors, providing an overview of their unique characteristics and challenges. The paper delves into specific elements related to hydrogen technologies, shedding light on their potential applications and discussing feasible implementation strategies. By exploring the strengths and limitations of each technology, the paper offers valuable insights into its suitability for specific applications. Finally, through a particular analysis focused on the steel sector, the authors provide in-depth information on the potential benefits and challenges associated with hydrogen adoption in this particular context. By emphasizing the steel sector as a focal point, the authors contribute to a more nuanced understanding of hydrogen's role in decarbonizing industrial processes and inspire further exploration of its applications in other challenging sectors.