Objective: To assess the spectrum of PET-CT-related large vessel vasculitis (LVV) in a Spanish tertiary center and to determine whether FDG uptake by PET-CT differs between giant cell arteritis (GCA) with predominant cranial or extracranial phenotypes. Methods: The spectrum of patients diagnosed with LVV by PET-CT in a tertiary referral hospital that cares for 450,000 people over a period of two years was reviewed. Moreover, differences in FDG uptake between LVV-GCA with predominantly cranial and extracranial phenotype were analyzed. Results: Eighty patients were diagnosed with LVV by PET-CT. Most were due to systemic vasculitis (n=64; 80%), especially GCA (n=54; 67.5%). Other conditions included the presence of rheumatic diseases (n=4; 3.2%), tumors (n=9; 7.2%), and infections (n=3; 2.4%). LVV-GCA patients with predominant extracranial GCA phenotype were younger (mean ± SD: 68.07 ± 9.91 versus 75.46 ± 7.64 years; p= 0.017) and had a longer delay to the diagnosis (median [interquartile range] 12 [4-18] versus 4 [3-8]; p=0.006), but had PMR symptoms more frequently than those with predominantly cranial GCA phenotype (46.3% versus 15.4%, p= 0.057). When FDG uptake was compared according to the two different disease patterns, no statistically significant differences were observed. However, patients with extracranial LVV-GCA showed a non-significantly higher frequency of vasculitic involvement of lower extremity arteries. Conclusion: Regardless of the predominant phenotype, LVV identified by PET-CT is more commonly due to GCA in the Spanish population. In these GCA patients, younger age, PMR and a higher frequency of lower extremity artery vasculitis suggest the presence of LVV.

Laser energy per unit surface, necessary to trigger the material removal, decreases with the pulse shortening becoming the pulse-time independent in the sub-picosecond range. These pulses are shorter the electron-to-ion energy transfer time and electronic heat conduction time minimizing the energy losses. The electrons receiving the energy larger than the threshold, drag the ions off the surface in the mode of electrostatic ablation. We show that the pulse shorter than the ion period (Shorter-the-Limit (StL)) ejects conduction electrons with the energy larger than the work function (from a metal) leaving the bare ions immobile in a few atomic layers. The electrons emission is followed by the bare ion’s explosion, ablation, and THz radiation from expanding plasma. We compare this phenomenon to the classic photo effect, nanocluster Coulomb explosions, show differences and consider possibilities for detecting the new mode of ablation experimentally by emitted THz radiation and consider applications of high-precision nano-machining with this low intensity irradiation.

Air pollution is a leading cause of death worldwide, and has a profound impact on the planet's climate and ecosystems. A substantial portion of air pollution is attributable to Ocean Going Vessels (OGVs). In light of this, international regulations have been put in place to mitigate air pollutant emissions from OGVs. While studies have indicated that these regulations can create significant health, environmental, and economic benefits, there remains a research gap regarding their specific impact on enhancing air quality. The aim of this study is to investigate how the implemented regulations have affected air quality in the Southern North Sea. The study found that the international regulations on ship emissions have successfully led to a decline in SO2 emissions from OGVs in the Southern North Sea, which resulted in a reduction of ambient SO2 concentrations inland, leading to positive effects on public health and the environment. However, it was projected that their proportion is tend to increase in the following years. Moreover, the study revealed that Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems (EGCS) present significant concerns. They were significantly more frequently found to be non-compliant, and more alarmingly, they emit notably higher average levels of SO2. It also turned out that international regulations in the southern North Sea have less effect on the reduction of NOx emissions from OGVs than expected. The NOx emissions from OGVs will even account for an alarming 40% of the total domestic NOx emissions for the Belgian Region by 2030.

Urination on carpet and subflooring can develop into persistent and challenging to mitigate odor. Very little or no information is published on how these VOCs change over time when urine is deposited on the carpet covering a plywood-type subflooring. This research has investigated the VOCs emitted from carpet+subflooring (control), carpet+subflooring sprayed with water (control with moisture), and cat urine-contaminated carpet+subflooring (treatment) over time (day 0 and 15). In addition, the effect of popular cleaning products on VOCs emitted and evaluated their efficacy in eliminating those indoor odors over time (day 0 and 15). Carpet-subflooring with all treatments were also contaminated with Micrococcus luteus, nonmotile obligate aerobe commonly found in household dust, to observe the impact of the aerobe on carpet-subflooring VOCs emission. VOCs emitted from carpet+subflooring receiving different treatments were collected from headspace using solid-phase microextraction (SPME). The VOCs were analyzed using a multidimensional gas chromatography-mass spectrometer attached to an olfactometry (GC-MS-O). Many common VOCs were released from the carpet on day one and day fifteen, specifically from urine contamination. Cleaning products were effective in masking several potent odors of cat urine contaminated carpet VOCs on day one but unable to remove the odor appeared on day 15 in most cases.

This article reports new measurements of laser-induced plasma hypersonic expansion measurements of diatomic molecular cyanide (CN). Focused, high-peak power 1064-nm Q-switched radiation of the order of 1 TW/cm² generates optical breakdown plasma in a cell containing a 1:1 molar gas mixture of N₂ and CO₂ at a fixed pressure of 1.1 × 10⁵ Pascal and in a 100 ml/min flow of the mixture. Line-of-sight (LOS) analysis of recorded molecular spectra indicate the outgoing shockwave at expansion speeds well in excess of Mach number 5. Spectra of atomic carbon confirm an increased electron density near the shock wave, and equally, molecular CN spectra reveal higher excitation temperature near the shockwave. The results are consistent with corresponding high-speed shadow graphs obtained by visualization with an effective shutter speed of five n anosecond. In addition, LOS analysis and application of integral inversion techniques allow inferences about the spatio-temporal distribution of the plasma.

Since the beginning of the 21th century, infrared Nd:YVO4 pulsed lasers have been widely applied especially in some actual industrial processes. In the working process of a laser-aided etching device, the “match-head” effect must be effectively controlled by suppressing the first giant pulse for a solid-state Q-switched laser. In the process of optimizing the infrared Nd:YVO4 pulsed laser by adjusting the slope parameters of the radio frequency (RF) modulation to suppress the first giant pulse, it has been come across that some abnormal horizontally polarized emission with a very short time appears before the formal vertically polarized emission when the gate signal is artificially started. Actually, abnormal horizontally polarized emission will bring some unexpected machining traces during the production process and even greater dangers. The experimental results show that with the increase of the slope duration of a RF signal, the existence time of abnormal output horizontal polarized light will be shortened, and the horizontal giant pulse and vertical giant pulse are well suppressed. When the slope duration is greater than 0.18 ms both horizontal and vertical giant pulses will disappear. The horizontal polarized light can be thoroughly suppressed when the slope duration is greater than 13.7 ms. Compared with the method of adding polarizer to eliminate abnormal output horizontal polarized light, this method does not add elements in the laser, ensuring that the laser volume is relatively small, and does not affect the quality of the normal output laser. The research conclusion is thought to be of great practical significance especially for processing transparent materials.

Global attention to climate change has surged since the advent of the Paris Agreement, intensifying the importance of measuring and managing carbon productivity indicators on a national level. Nevertheless, concerns persist regarding the reliability of such measurements because of inherent discrepancies in implementing and operating national-level carbon productivity indicators, coupled with their inherent uncertainty. This study proposes a multiple regression model to address these issues aimed at refining national-level carbon productivity indicators metrics, accounting for factors such as the gross domestic product and total greenhouse gas emissions by sectors. The objective was to offer insights into enhancing and effectively utilizing current indicators, enabling a more nuanced interpretation of the variation in the carbon productivity indicators across diverse industrial landscapes. This study showed that adjustments of the carbon productivity metrics reflect disparities in emissions across industrial structures, with countries characterized by high emissions from non-service industries showing improving trends. In addition, this paper proposes an auxiliary indicator estimating method for carbon productivity, emphasizing its utility in interpreting productivity indicators within the context of varying industrial compositions across OECD countries. This study underscores the inadequacies of the current national productivity estimating method, pinpointing areas requiring refinement. Specifically, the method for estimating the auxiliary indicator for carbon productivity guarantees enhanced rationality when integrated with current methodologies. Moreover, by elucidating the nuances of industrial structures, this study advocates for more sophisticated approaches to interpreting and managing the productivity indicators tailored to each unique economic landscape of each country. Nevertheless, the limitations stemming from data availability underscore the need for further research, particularly in refining the national-level carbon resource productivity indicators analyses and exploring the thematic productivity variations in greater depth. By addressing these gaps, future studies will contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of national-level carbon resource productivity indicators dynamics and reveal targeted strategies for sustainable development.

Objective: Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and giant cell arteritis (GCA) are often overlapping conditions. We aimed to determine whether 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) is useful in identifying PMR in the setting of large vessel vasculitis (LVV)-GCA. Methods: Patients diagnosed with LVV-GCA by PET-CT at a tertiary referral hospital for a population of 450,000 people over a two-year period were reviewed. Scoring was performed based on potential significant FDG uptake at up to 16 sites in nine different extravascular areas (SCORE 16). Differences in extravascular sites of significant FDG uptake were evaluated between LVV-GCA with a clinical diagnosis of PMR or not. Results: Fifty-four patients were diagnosed with LVV-GCA by 18F-FDG-PET-CT. Of them, 21 (38.8%) were clinically diagnosed with PMR. Significant extravascular FDG uptake was more frequently observed in those with a clinical diagnosis of PMR. In this sense, the SCORE 16 was higher in those with clinical PMR (5.10 ± 4.05 versus 1.73 ± 2.31 in those without a clinical diagnosis of PMR; p< 0.001). A SCORE 16 involving more than 4 sites of significant FDG uptake yielded a sensitivity of 52% and a specificity of 91% for establishing a clinical diagnosis of PMR associated with LVV-GCA. The best areas of significant FDG uptake to clinically identify PMR in patients with LVV were the shoulder, the greater trochanter and the lumbar interspinous regions with an area under the ROC curve of 0.810 (0.691-0.930). Conclusion: Significant extravascular 18F-FDG-PET-CT uptake may help establish a clinical diagnosis of PMR in patients with LVV-GCA. These patients are more commonly diagnosed with PMR if they have significant FDG uptake in the shoulder, greater trochanter, and lumbar interspinous areas.

Powerful emitters of the ultraviolet C (UVC) light in the wavelength range of 230-280nm are necessary for the development of effective and safe optical disinfection technologies, high-sensitive optical spectroscopy and non-line-of-sight optical communication. This review considers such UVC-emitters with electron-beam pumping of heterostructures with quantum wells in the (Al,Ga)N material system. The important advantages of these emitters include the absence of the critical problem of p-type doping and the possibility of achieving record (up to several tens of watts for peak values) output optical power values in the UVC range. The review consistently considers about a decade of world experience in the implementation of various UV emitters with various types of thermionic, field-emission, and plasma-cathode electron guns (sources) used to excite various designs of active (light-emitting) regions in heterostructures with quantum wells AlxGa1-xN/AlyGa1-yN (x = 0 − 0.5, y = 0.6 − 1) fabricated either by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition or by plasma-activated molecular beam epitaxy. Special attention is paid to the production of heterostructures with multiple quantum wells/two-dimensional(2D) quantum disks GaN/AlN with a monolayer (1ML ~ 0.25nm) thickness, which ensures a high internal quantum efficiency of radiative recombination in the UVC range, low elastic stresses in heterostructures, and a high output UVC-optical powers.

Emission, propagation, and reflection of light as mechanical phenomena in inertial frames are based on the behavior of balls at the limit when their mass is zero. The kinematics of massless balls is like that of balls with mass. Light as a wave or particle is a massless entity. Therefore, it is natural to apply the kinematics of the massless balls to light. Consequently, the kinematics of light depends on its kinetics of electromagnetic nature and its kinematics of mechanical nature in its interactions of emission and reflection with the matter. The study of the physics phenomena in the frame at absolute rest includes those in the inertial frames. Considering this and applying the emission, propagation, and reflection of light as mechanical phenomena in the vacuum of the frame at absolute rest, this study derives formulas for the speed of the wavefront of a ray of light reflected by a fixed and moving mirror when the light comes from a fixed and moving source. The derived formulas apply to the modified Michelson interferometer, employed independently by R. Tomaschek and D. C. Miller in their experiments.

Classical models of gene expression were built using genetics and biochemistry. Although these approaches are powerful, they have very limited consideration of the spatial and temporal organization of gene expression. Although the spatial organization and dynamics of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) transcription machinery has fundamental functional consequences for gene expression, its detailed studies have been for long time abrogated by the limits of classical light microscopy. The advent of super-resolution microscopy (SRM) techniques allowed for the visualization of the RNAPII transcription machinery with nanometer resolution and millisecond precision. In this review, we summarize the recent methodological advances in SRM, focus on its application for studies of the nanoscale organization in space and time of RNAPII transcription, and discuss its consequences for the mechanistic understanding of gene expression.

This work communicates the connection of measured shadowgraphs from optically induced air breakdown with emission spectroscopy in selected gas mixtures. Laser-induced optical breakdown is generated using 850 mJ and 170 mJ, 6-ns pulses at a wavelength of 1064 nm, the shadowgraphs are recorded using time-delayed 5-ns pulses at a wavelength of 532 nm and a digital camera, and emission spectra are recorded for typically a dozen of discrete time-delays from optical breakdown by employing an intensified charge-coupled device. The symmetry of the breakdown event can be viewed as close-to spherical symmetry for time-delays of several 100 ns. Spectroscopic analysis explores well-above hypersonic expansion dynamics using primarily the diatomic molecule cyanide and atomic hydrogen emission spectroscopy. Analysis of the air breakdown and selected gas breakdown events permits the use of Abel inversion for inference of the expanding species distribution. Typically, species are prevalent at higher density near the hypersonically expanding shockwave, measured by tracing cyanide and a specific carbon atomic line. Overall, recorded air breakdown shadowgraphs are indicative of laser-plasma expansion in selected gas mixtures, and optical spectroscopy delivers analytical insight into plasma expansion phenomena.

Molecule radiation can be used as a tool to study colder regions in switching arc plasmas like arc fringes in contact to walls and ranges around current zero (CZ). This is demonstrated in the present study for the first time for the case of ablation-dominated high–current arcs as key elements of self–blast circuit breakers. The arc in a model circuit breaker (MCB) in CO2 with and an arc in a long nozzle under ambient conditions with peak currents between 5 and 10 kA were studied by emission and absorption spectroscopy in the visible spectral range. The nozzle material was polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) in both cases. Imaging spectroscopy was carried out either with high-speed cameras or with intensified CCD cameras. A pulsed high-intensity Xe lamp was applied as background radiator for the broad-band absorption spectroscopy. Emission of Swan bands from carbon dimers was observed at the edge of nozzles only or across the whole nozzle radius with highest intensity in the arc center, depending on current and nozzle geometry. Furthermore, absorption of C2 Swan bands and CuF bands were found with the arc plasma serving as background radiator. After CZ, only CuF was detected in absorption experiments.

Conventional greenhouse accounting inadequately describes land use/land use change and forestry (LULUCF) emissions, cooling emissions, and sequestration potential. As we enter the age of drawdown, we propose an accounting framework that offers greater consistency and transparency. By unfolding net accounting of LULUCF CO2 emissions; aggregating biosphere sinks; accounting for all emissions (heating and cooling); com-paring sectors with emissions-based Effective Radiative Forcing (ERF) rather than global warming potential; and including drawdown potential of land use carbon opportunity cost (COC), this reveals fresh insight into sector contributions and mitigation potential. Consistent gross emissions reporting of LULUCF CO2 emissions finds these to be at least 3.5 times greater than conventionally understood. Consolidating natural sequestration on ‘managed’ and ‘intact’ land, we find that since 1750 vegetation and the oceans have removed from the atmosphere an amount equivalent to 2.4 times cumulative fossil fuel CO2 emissions, demonstrating the immense drawdown potential of the biosphere. This accounting places deforestation (responsible for 77% of LULUCF emissions) as the main source of historic CO2 emissions, and attributes drawdown potential COC to sectors. The most extensive land use sector, animal agriculture, was found to have contributed the greatest warming (52% of net ERF since 1750) and to offer the greatest drawdown potential COC.

This work investigates spatial and temporal distributions of hydroxyl, OH, in laser-plasma in laboratory air at standard ambient temperature and pressure. Of interest are determination of temperature and density of OH and establishment of a correlation of molecular OH emission spectra with shadow graphs for time delays of 50 to 100 microsecond, analogous to previous work on shadow graph and emission spectroscopy correlation for cynaide, CN, in gas mixtures and for time delays of the order of 1 microsecond. Wavelength- and sensitivity- corrected spatiotemporal data analysis focuses on temperature inferences using molecular OH emission spectroscopy. Near-ir radiation from a Q-switched laser device initiates optical breakdown in laboratory air. The laser device provides 6 nanosecond, up to 850 milli Joule pulses at a wavelength of 1064 nanometer, and focal irradiance in the range of 1 to 10 Tera Watt per centimeter-squared. Frequency doubled beams are utilized for capturing shadow graphs for visualization of the breakdown kernel at time delays in the range of 0.1 to 100 microsecond. OH emission spectra of the laser plasma, spatially resolved along the slit dimension, are recorded in the wavelength range of 298 nm to 321 nm, and with gate widths adjusted to 10 microsecond for the intensified charge-coupled device that is mounted at the exit plane of a 0.64 m Czerny-Turner configuration spectrometer. Diatomic OH signals occur due to recombination of the plasma and are clearly distinguishable for time delays larger than 50 microsecond, but are masked by spectra of N2 early in the plasma decay.

Animal models of Alzheimer’s disease amyloidosis that recapitulate cerebral amyloid-beta pathology have been widely used in preclinical research, and have greatly enabled the mechanistic understanding of Alzheimer’s disease and the development of therapeutics. Comprehensive deep phenotyping of the pathophysiological and biochemical features in these animal models are essential. Recent advances in positron emission tomography have allowed the non-invasive visualization of the alterations in the brain of animal models as well as in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, These tools have facilitated our understanding of disease mechanisms, and provided longitudinal monitoring of treatment effect in animal models of Alzheimer’s disease amyloidosis. In this review, we focus on recent positron emission tomography studies of cerebral amyloid-beta accumulation, hypoglucose metabolism, synaptic and neurotransmitter receptor deficits (cholinergic and glutamatergic system), blood-brain barrier impairment and neuroinflammation (microgliosis and astrocytosis) in animal models of Alzheimer’s disease amyloidosis. We further propose the emerging targets and tracers for reflecting the pathophysiological changes, and discuss outstanding challenges in disease animal models and future outlook in on-chip characterization of imaging biomarkers towards clinical translation.

During the last years our society was permanently disturbed by the coherent information waves of high amplitudes. These are waves of huge social energy. Often they are of the destructive character, a kind of information tsunami. But, they can carry as well positive improvements in the human society, as waves of decision making matching rational recommendations of societal institutes. The main distinguishing features of these waves are their high amplitude, coherence (homogeneous character of social actions generated by them), and short time needed for their generation and relaxation. We show that such social phenomenon can be modeled on the basis of the recently developed social laser theory. This theory can be used to model stimulated amplification of coherent social actions. ``Actions'' are treated very generally, from mass protests to votes and other collective decisions, as, e.g., acceptance (often unconscious) of some societal recommendations. We point to the main distinguishing features of the modern society simplifying social lasing: a) transformation of humans into social atoms - lost of individuality; b) generation by mass-media of powerful information fields leading to information overload of social atoms; c) creation of powerful social resonators based on internet Echo Chambers. In this paper, we analyze in very detail their functioning leading to increasing of the power fo the quantum information field as well as its coherence.

Cardiotoxicity is an unwanted side-effect arising from different medications. The term describes a diminution of heart function, affecting especially left ventricular ejection fraction, which can progress to heart failure. Pediatric oncology patients treated with drugs of the anthracycline group, e.g., doxorubicin, can evolve to heart failure patients in adult age. Nuclear Medicine imaging of fatty acid oxidation and glycolysis accurately describes normal and altered heart metabolism. The most common finding is a state of cardiac glycolysis, which is reflected by increased uptake of 18F-desoxyglucose (18F-FDG) at a time when fatty acid oxidation is decreased. Glycolysis has recently been recognized as being the result of coenzyme Q10 deficiency as part of adaptation to hypoxia. Low LEVF correlates with impaired fatty acid oxidation. This deficiency can arise from chemotherapy and radiation and can be corrected by supplementation. Drugs like enalapril can improve fatty acid utilization. We will review relevant Nuclear Medicine imaging studies as well as fundamental biochemical data that demonstrate this pathogenetic path.

Tailoring treatment in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is paramount to maximize outcomes while avoiding unnecessary toxicity. We aimed to compare the performance of SUVmax reduction (ΔSUVmax%) versus Deauville score (DS) in assessing chemotherapy response in pediatric HL patients undergoing 18F-FDG PET-CT. Fifty-two patients with biopsy-proven HL (age 8-16 years) were enrolled at baseline, interim (after the 2nd or 3rd chemotherapy round), and post-therapy (upon completion of first-line chemotherapy) 18F-FDG PET-CT. Interim and post-therapy DS and ΔSUVmax% were compared as response predictors. Patients were classified as responders and non-responders based on 24-month clinical follow-up. Interim DS showed a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) and diagnostic accuracy of 100%, 80.4%, 100%, 40% and 82.7%, respectively in predicting response. Post-therapy DS showed a sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and accuracy of 66.7%, 97.8%, 95.7%, 80% and 94.2%. Interim ΔSUVmax% showed a sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and accuracy of 83.3%, 82.6%, 97.4%, 38.5% and 82.7%, with a 56.3% cutoff. Post-therapy ΔSUVmax% showed a sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and accuracy of 83.3%, 84.8%, 97.5%, 41.7% and 84.6%, with a 76.8% cutoff. Sensitivity, specificity (p<0.05) and NPV (p<0.01) were significantly higher using DS than ΔSUVmax%. In conclusion, DS can predict chemotherapy response better than ΔSUVmax% in pediatric HL patients.

This paper responds to the research question, “can urban farming help Nepali cities become more sustainable”? Especially after the Covid-19 pandemic, urban residents have begun to realize that food transported from long distances could not always be reliable. Urban farming can help produce fresh food locally and avoid long-distance transportation, and refrigeration. This practice also helps reduce greenhouse gases through plant carbon use efficiency (CUE). Urban farming not only helps city-dwellers towards achieving self-reliance in food production but also in vegetation carbon dynamics (VCD) while supporting the circular economy. Urban farming consists of edible landscapes, which can also be an aesthetic public space. As urban lands command higher prices than agricultural land, urban farming usually happens on residential yards, roofs, balconies, community gardens, and dedicated areas in public parks. Rainwater harvesting, and redirecting can help irrigate urban farms which can be part of rain gardens. The national census of 2021 (CBS 2022, p5) identifies that 66 percent of Nepal’s population live in urban areas. However, the World Bank (2018), shows that only 21 of Nepal’s population was projected to live in urban areas in 2021. It is not debatable that the urbanization process in Nepal is on the rise. Thus, urban agriculture can play an important role to supplement the residents’ food needs. Many cities in Nepal have already successfully adapted to urban farming where residents grow food on their building site, balconies, and rooftop often growing plants on pots, vases, and other types of containers. The UN-Habitat, with the support of European Union and local agencies, has published a rooftop farming training manual (2014) showing the feasibility of urban farming in Nepal.The paper discusses how Public Private Partnership (PPP) can promote urban agriculture and make the process more effective and attractive to urban farming households. It also analyzes how a PPP approach also facilitates the use of better technology, advisory support, and use of research extension activities. This paper draws on literature review, secondary data (e.g., from National Census Nepal 2021) and authors’ professional experiences related to best practices in the areas to analyze the benefits and challenges related to urban farming in Arizona, USA. The paper will provide recommendations for Nepali cities to maximize the benefit provided by urban farming. It is expected to be useful to Nepali policy makers, and government agencies, and nonprofit organizations which promote sustainability, and organic farming.

Surface processes such as coatings, corrosion, photocatalysis, and tribology are greatly diversified by acid-base interaction at the surface overlayer. This study focuses on the action of metallic copper surface as an electron donor/acceptor related to inactivation of viruses; it was found that regarding Cu2O or Cu materials electrostatic interaction plays a major role in virus inactivation. We applied TPPE method to clarify the mechanism of electron transfer (ET) occurring at light irradiated copper surfaces. The TPPE characteristics was strongly influenced by the environments, which correspond to the temperature and environment dependence of the total count of emitted electrons in the incident light wavelength scan (PE total count, NT), the photothreshold, and further the activation energy (E) analyzed from Arrhenius plot of NT values obtained in the temperature-increase and subsequent temperature-decrease processes. In this study we reexamined the dependence of the TPPE data from two types of Cu metal surfaces: Sample A, which was mechanically abraded in alcohols, water, and air, and Sample C, which was only ultrasonically cleaned in these liquids. The NT for both Samples slowly increased with increasing temperature, reached a maximum (NTmax) at 250C (maximum temperature, Tmax), and after that decreased. For Sample A the NTmax value decreased in the order H2O > CH3OH > C2H5OH > (CH3)2CHOH > C3H7OH, although the last alcohol gave Tmax = 100C, while with Sample C the NTmax value decreased in the order: C3H7OH > (CH3)2CHOH > C2H5OH > CH3OH > H2O. Interestingly, both orders of the liquids were completely opposite: this means that Cu surface can possess two-way character. The NT intensity was found to be strongly associated with the change of the hydroxyl group (Cu-OH) to the oxide oxygen (O2) in the O1s spectra in the XPS measurement. The difference between the above orders was explained by the acid-base interaction mode of the Cu-OH group with the adsorbed molecule on the surfaces. The H2O adsorbed on Sample A produces the electric dipole Cu-OH+---:OH2 (--- hydrogen bond), while the C3H7OH and (CH3)2CHOH adsorbed on Sample C produce ROH+---:O(H)-Cu (R = alkyl groups). Gutmann’s acceptor number (AN) representing the basicity of the liquid molecules was found to be related to the TPPE characteristics: (CH3)2CHOH (33.5), C2H5OH (37.1), CH3OH (41.3), H2O (54.8) (the AN of C3H7OH could not be confirmed). With Sample A the values of NTmaxa and EaUp1 both increased with increasing AN (Up1 means the 1st temperature-increase process). On the other hand, with Sample C the values of NTmaxc and EcUp1 both decreased with increasing AN. These findings suggest that Sample A acts as an acid, while Sample C functions as a base. However, in the case of both types of Samples A and C the NTmax values were found to increase with increasing EUp1. It was explained that the EUp1 values depending on the liquids originate from the difference in the energy level of the hydroxyl group radical at the surface denoted. This is able to attract electrons in the neighborhood of the Fermi level of the base metal by tunnelling. After that due to Auger emission electrons are released, leading to the ET in the overlayer. These electrons are considered to have a strong ability of reducibility.

The structure and phenomena arising from charge transfer in cold field emission modus in a single closed carbon nanotube under cold field emission conditions were studied. By studying microphotographs in various microscopes - AFM, SEM, TEM it was found inhomogeneities in the form of two types of superlattices. The conductivity of the emitter section of a nanodiode circuit with an emitter made of an individual closed carbon nanotube (CNT) and arrays of closed CNTs was studied. High values of cold field emission were observed, as well as nonlinearity and anomalies of the current-voltage characteristic (I-V characteristics), which manifested themselves in the form of peaks at low and high current values. Peaks in the CVC have distinct areas of negative differential conductivity. It is argued, that the anomalously high currents in the I–V characteristics of cold field emission of electrons from a nanoemitter made of closed CNTs can be associated with a sharp increase in the density of electron states at energies near the van Hove singularity.

Heterogeneous distribution of delivery or treatment modalities within the tumor mass is a crucial limiting factor for a vast range of theranostic applications. Understanding the interactions between a nanomaterial and the tumor microenvironment will help to overcome challenges associated with tumor heterogeneity as well as the clinical translation of nanotheranostic materials. This study aims to evaluate the influence of protein surface adsorption on gold nanoparticle (GNP) biodistribution using high resolution Computed Tomography (CT) preclinical imaging in C57BL/6 mice harboring Lewis Lung Carcinoma (LLC) tumors. LLC provides a valuable model for study due to its highly heterogenous nature which makes drug delivery to the tumor challenging. By controlling the adsorption of proteins on the GNP surface, we hypothesize that we can influence the intratumoral distribution pattern and particle retention. We performed an in vitro study to evaluate the uptake of GNPs by LLC cells and an in vivo study to assess and quantify the GNP biodistribution by injecting concentrated GNPs citrate stabilized or passivated with Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) intratumorally into LLC solid tumors. Quantitative CT and Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) results both confirm the presence of particles in the tumor 9 days post-injection (n=8 mice/group). Significant difference is highlighted between citrate-GNP and BSA-GNP groups (**p < 0.005, Tukey’s multiple comparisons test), confirming the protein corona of GNPs modifies intratumoral distribution and retention of the particles. In conclusion, our investigations show that the surface passivation of GNPs influences the mechanism of cellular uptake and intratumoral distribution in vivo highlighting the spatial heterogeneity of the solid tumor.

This article discusses laser-induced laboratory-air plasma measurements and analysis of hydroxyl (OH) ultraviolet spectra. New experiments with Q-switched laser pulses illustrate occurrence of molecular recombination spectra for time delays of the order of several dozen of microseconds after plasma initiation. The computation of the emission spectra utilizes line strength data that are communicated as a supplementary file. Applications of detailed OH computations include laser-induced plasma and combustion analyses, to name but two applications.

For esophageal cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT), restaging using F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography computed tomography (PET-CT) following nCRT can detect interval metastases, including liver metastases, in almost 10% of patients. However, in clinical practice, focal FDG liver uptake, unrelated to liver metastases, is observed after chemoradiotherapy. This radiation-induced liver injury (RILI) can potentially lead to overstaging. Liver radiation damage is also a concern during distal esophageal cancer radiotherapy due to proximity to the left liver lobe, typically included in the radiation field. Post-CRT, if FDG activity appears in the left or caudate liver lobes, thorough investigation is needed to confirm or rule out distant metastases. The increased FDG uptake in liver lobes post-CRT often presents a diagnostic dilemma. Distinguishing between radiation-induced liver disease and metastasis is vital for appropriate patient management, necessitating a combination of imaging techniques and an understanding of the factors influencing radiation response. Diagnosis involves identifying new foci of hepatic FDG avidity on PET/CT scans. Geographic regions of hypoattenuation on CT and well-demarcated regions with specific enhancement patterns on contrast-enhanced CT scan and MRI are characteristic of radiation-induced liver disease (RILD). Lack of mass effect on all three modalities (CT, MRI, PET) indicates RILD. Resolution of abnormalities on subsequent examinations also helps in diagnosing RILD. Moreover, it can also help to rule out occult metastases, thereby excluding those patients from further surgery who will not benefit from esophagectomy with curative intent.

The broad emission bump in the electromagnetic spectra observed following the detection of gravitational waves created during the kilonova event of merger of two neutron stars in August 2017, GW170817, has been linked to the heavy elements of lanthanides (Z=57-71), and a new understanding of creation of heavy elements in the r-process. The initial spectral emission bump has a wavelength range of 3000 - 7000 \AA, thus covering the region of ultraviolet (UV) to optical (O) wavelengths, and is similar to those seen for lanthanides. Most lanthanides have large number of closely lying energy levels which introduce extensive sets of radiative transitions which often form broad region of lines of significant strength. The current study explores these broad features through photoabsorption spectroscopy of 25 lanthanides ions, Ho I-III, Er I-IV, Tm I-V, Yb I-VI and Lu I-VII. With excitations only to a few orbitals up beyond the ground configurations, we find most of these ions cover large number of bound levels with open $4f$ orbital and produce tens to about hundred thousands lines that may form one or multiple broad features in X-ray to UV, O, and infrared (IR) regions. Spectrum of each of 25 ions is presented indicating presence, shape and wavelength region of the features. Accuracy of atomic data to interpret the merger spectra has been a outstanding problem. The present study aims at providing improved atomic data for energies and transition parameters obtained using relativistic Breit-Pauli approximation implemented in the atomic structure code SUPERSTRUCTURE. The present data have been benchmarked with available experimental data for energies and transition parameters. The study finds that number of ions under the present study are possible contributors of the emission bump of GW170817. All atomic data will be made available online at NORAD-Atomic-Data database.

Over the last decades, the energy market around the world has reshaped due to accommodating the high penetration of renewable energy resources. Although renewable energy sources have brought various benefits, including low operation cost of wind and solar PV power plants, and reducing the environmental risks associated with the conventional power resources, they have imposed a wide range of difficulties in power system planning and operation. Naturally, classical optimal power flow (OPF) is a nonlinear problem. Integrating renewable energy resources with conventional thermal power generators escalates the difficulty of the OPF problem due to the uncertain and intermittent nature of these resources. To address the complexity associated with the process of the integration of renewable energy resources into the classical electric power systems, two probability distribution functions (Weibull and lognormal) are used to forecast the voltaic power output of wind and solar photovoltaic, respectively. Optimal power flow, including renewable energy, is formulated as a single-objective and multi-objective problem in which many objective functions are considered, such as minimizing the fuel cost, emission, real power loss, and voltage deviation. Real power generation, bus voltage, load tap changers ratios, and shunt compensators values are optimized under various power systems’ constraints. This paper aims to solve the OPF problem and examines the effect of renewable energy resources on the above-mentioned objective functions. A combined model of wind integrated IEEE 30-bus system, solar PV integrated IEEE 30-bus system, and hybrid wind and solar PV integrated IEEE 30-bus system are performed using the equilibrium optimizer technique (EO) and other five heuristic search methods. A comparison of simulation and statistical results of EO with other optimization techniques showed that EO is more effective and superior.

The study of the emission, propagation, and reflection of balls in Newtonian mechanics, applying the laws of conservation of momentum and energy when the mass of the balls converges to zero, concludes that the kinematics of light are like those of massless balls. The kinematics of light explain why the speed of light is the constant c in each inertial frame in which the light source and reflective mirror are at rest, why the laws of physics have the same form in each inertial frame, and why any light experiment in an inertial frame cannot prove the motion of that inertial frame. The following law of mechanics governs the kinematics of balls and electromagnetic radiation: Each inertial frame drags at its velocity the balls and electromagnetic radiation emitted by bodies at rest in that inertial frame. The theory of special relativity misapplies the symmetry observed in phenomena to two inertial frames; therefore, it duplicates a physical phenomenon from one inertial frame, which is considered stationary, into another. There are multiple issues rooted in Lorentz's and Einstein's transformations. For example, transformations offer the speed of light at the constant c in the moving and opposite directions of the inertial frame. At the same time, it is variable in any other direction, converging to infinity. Time contraction in the moving direction of the inertial frame is different from time dilation in the opposite direction. It requires a ruler and time synchronization in each direction. There are no length contractions in Lorentz's and Einstein's transformations to support the fundamental concept of length contraction in special relativity. With these unacceptable conclusions, the theory of special relativity is self-negating.

Over the last decades, the energy market around the world has reshaped due to accommodating the high penetration of renewable energy resources. Although renewable energy sources have brought various benefits, including low operation cost of wind and solar PV power plants, and reducing the environmental risks associated with the conventional power resources, they have imposed a wide range of difficulties in power system planning and operation. Naturally, classical optimal power flow (OPF) is a nonlinear problem. Integrating renewable energy resources with conventional thermal power generators escalates the difficulty of the OPF problem due to the uncertain and intermittent nature of these resources. To address the complexity associated with the process of the integration of renewable energy resources into the classical electric power systems, two probability distribution functions (Weibull and lognormal) are used to forecast the voltaic power output of wind and solar photovoltaic, respectively. Optimal power flow, including renewable energy, is formulated as a single-objective and multi-objective problem in which many objective functions are considered, such as minimizing the fuel cost, emission, real power loss, and voltage deviation. Real power generation, bus 13 voltage, load tap changers ratios, and shunt compensators values are optimized under various power systems’ 14 constraints. This paper aims to solve the OPF problem and examines the effect of renewable energy resources 15 on the above-mentioned objective functions. A combined model of wind integrated IEEE 30-bus system, solar 16 PV integrated IEEE 30-bus system, and hybrid wind and solar PV integrated IEEE 30-bus system are performed 17 using the equilibrium optimizer technique (EO) and other five heuristic search methods. A comparison of 18 simulation and statistical results of EO with other optimization techniques showed that EO is more effective 19 and superior.

We present an overview over eight brightly luminescent Cu(I) dimers of the type Cu2X2(PN)3 with X = Cl, Br, I and P^N = 2-diphenylphosphino-pyridine (Ph2Ppy), 2-diphenylphosphino-pyrimidine (Ph2Ppym), 1-diphenylphosphino-isoquinoline (Ph2Piqn) including three new crystal structures (Cu2Br2(Ph2Ppy)3, 1-Br, Cu2I2(Ph2Ppym)3, 2-I, and Cu2I2(Ph2Piqn)3, 3-I). However, we mainly focus on their photo-luminescence properties. All compounds exhibit combined thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) and phosphorescence at ambient temperature. Emission color, decay time, and quantum yield varies over large ranges. For deeper characterization, we select Cu2I2(Ph2Ppy)3, 1-I, showing a quantum yield of 81 %. DFT and SOC-TDDFT calculations provide insight into the electronic structures of the singlet S1 and triplet T1 states. Both stem from metal+iodide-to-ligand charge transfer transitions. Evaluation of the emission decay dynamics, measured from 1.2 ≤ T ≤ 300 K, gives ∆E(S1-T1) = 380 cm-1 (47 meV), a transition rate of k(S1→S0) = 2.25×106 s-1 (445 ns), T1 zero-field splittings, transition rates from the triplet substates, and spin-lattice relaxation times. We also discuss the interplay of S1-TADF and T1-phosphorescence. The combined emission paths shorten the overall decay time. For OLED applications, utilization of both singlet and triplet harvesting can be highly favorable for improvement of the device performance.

This review article is focused on the analysis of the state of the art of sensors for guided 9 ultrasonic waves for the detection and localization of impacts, therefore of interest for the structural 10 health monitoring (SHM). The recent developments in sensor technologies are then reported and 11 discussed through the many references in recent scientific literature. The physical phenomena re-12 lated to impact event and the main physical quantities are then introduced to discuss their im-13 portance in the development of the hardware and software components for SHM systems. An im-14 portant aspect of the article is the description of the different ultrasonic sensor technologies cur-15 rently present in the literature and what advantages and disadvantages they could bring, in relation 16 to the various phenomena investigated. In this context, the analysis of the front-end electronics is 17 deepened, the type of data transmission both in terms of wired and wireless technology and in terms 18 of online and offline signal processing. The integration aspects of sensors for the creation of net-19 works with autonomous nodes with the possibility of powering through energy harvesting devices 20 and the embedded processing capacity is also studied. Finally, the emerging sector of processing 21 techniques using deep learning and artificial intelligence concludes the review by indicating the 22 potential for the detection and autonomous characterization of the impacts.

The last 50 years witnessed the emergence of various so called “hyperpolarization technologies” that allow generating large magnetizations of spin ensembles. This Editorial Essay provides a brief overview of the use of these technologies in various fields, including medicine, chemistry, and quantum sensing. It is concluded that critical questions still need to be addressed to harness benefits of nuclear hyperpolarization in clinical medical imaging while interdisciplinary innovation can unlock potential of novel (yet unexplored) methods. My hope is that this Editorial Essay provides valuable insights into the current state and future directions of spin technologies.