To explore the spatial network structure characteristics and driving effects of carbon emission intensity in China's construction industry, the investigation combined the modified gravity model and social network analysis method to deeply analyze the spatially associated network structure characteristics and driving effects of carbon emission intensity in China's construction industry, based on the measurement of carbon emission data of China's construction industry from 2006 to 2017. The results show that the regional differences of carbon emission of construction industry are significant, and the carbon emission intensity of construction industry show a fluctuation trend. The overall network of carbon emission intensity shows an obvious “core-edge” state, the hierarchical network structure is gradually broken. Economically developed provinces generally play a leading role in the network, and play an intermediary role to guide other provinces to develop together with them. Among the network blocks, most of the blocks play the role of “brokers”. The block with the leading economic development has a strong influence on the other blocks. The increase of network density, the decrease of network hierarchy and network efficiency will reduce the construction carbon emission intensity.

To both survive and develop continuously, enterprises must overcome many kinds of competition and challenges. Cultivating employees' active and sustainable organizational citizenship behavior is important for enterprises to successfully cope with turbulence and uncertain events during their development. In this study, we investigated the development level of and factors influencing employees' organizational citizenship behavior in current organizations. By using the Belief in a Just World Scale, Organizational Citizenship Behavior Scale, and Interpersonal Intelligence Scale, we investigated 230 employees from 15 different enterprises. The results showed that belief in a just world, interpersonal intelligence, and organizational citizenship behavior were significantly positively correlated. Interpersonal intelligence played a moderating role between belief in a just world and organizational citizenship behavior; the organizational citizenship behavior of individuals with high interpersonal intelligence increased with the strengthening of the belief in a just world, and this increase was larger than that experienced by individuals with low interpersonal intelligence. This meant that under a certain level of belief in a just world, a high level of interpersonal intelligence was more conducive to promoting employees' sustainable organizational citizenship behavior.

Cathepsin D (CatD; EC 3.4.23.5) family peptidases of parasitic organisms are regarded as potential drug targets as they play critical roles in the physiology and pathobiology of parasites. Previously, we characterized the biochemical features of cathepsin D isozyme 2 (CatD2) in the carcinogenic liver fluke Clonorchis sinensis (CsCatD2). In this study, we performed all-atomic molecular dynamics simulations by applying different systems for the ligand-free/bound forms under neutral and acidic conditions to investigate the pH-dependent structural alterations and associated functional changes in CsCatD2. CsCatD2 showed several distinctive characteristics as follows: 1) CsCatD2-inhibitor complex formed more hydrogen bonds; 2) acidic pH caused major conformational transitions from open to closed state in this enzyme; 3) neutral pH induced displacement of the N-terminal part to hinder the accessibility of the active site and open allosteric site of this enzyme; and 4) the flap dynamics metrics, including distance (d1), TriCα angles (θ1 and θ2), and dihedral angle (ϕ), account for the asymmetrical twisting motion of the active site of this enzyme. These findings provide an in-depth understanding of the pH-dependent structural dynamics of CsCatD2 and basic information for the rational design of an inhibitor as a drug targeting CsCatD2.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary malignancy of the liver and the third-leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Currently, the global burden of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has dramatically overcome both viral and alcohol hepatitis thus becoming the main cause of HCC incidence. NAFLD pathogenesis is severely influenced by lifestyle and genetic predisposition. Mitochondria are highly dynamic organelles which may adapt in response to environment, genetics and epigenetics in the liver (“mitochondrial plasticity”). Mounting evidence highlighted that mitochondrial dysfunction due to loss of mitochondrial flexibility, may arise before overt NAFLD and since the early stages of liver injury. Mitochondrial failure not only promotes hepatocellular damage, but also release signals (mito-DAMPs) which trigger inflammation and fibrosis, generating an adverse microenvironment in which several hepatocytes select anti-apoptotic programs and mutations that may allow survival and proliferation. Furthermore, one of the key events in malignant hepatocytes is represented by remodeling of glucidic-lipidic metabolism combined to reprogramming of mitochondrial functions, optimized to deal with energy demand. In sum, this review will discuss how mitochondrial defects may be translated into causative explanations of NAFLD-driven HCC, emphasizing future directions for research purposes and for development of potential preventive or curative strategies.

Focusing on service control factors, rapid changes in manufacturing environments, the difficulty of resource allocation evaluation, resource optimization for 3D printing services (3DPSs) in cloud manufacturing environments and so on, an indicator evaluation framework is proposed for the cloud 3D printing (C3DP) order task execution process based on a Pareto optimal set algorithm that is optimized and evaluated for remotely distributed 3D printing equipment resources. Combined with the multi-objective method of data normalization, an optimization model for C3DP order execution based on the Pareto optimal set algorithm is constructed with these agents' dynamic autonomy and distributed processing. This model can perform functions such as automatic matching and optimization of candidate services, and it is dynamic and reliable in the C3DP order task execution process based on the Pareto optimal set algorithm. Finally, a case study is designed to test the applicability and effectiveness of the C3DP order task execution process based on the analytic hierarchy process and technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (AHP-TOPSIS) optimal set algorithm and the Baldwin effect.

The 2019-2020 summer wildfire event on the east coast of Australia was a series of major wildfires occurring from November 2019 to end of January 2020 across the states of Queensland, New South Wales (NSW), Victoria and South Australia. The wildfires were unprecedent in scope and the extensive extend of the wildfires has caused smoke pollutants transported not only to New Zealand but across the Pacific Ocean to South America. At the height of the wildfires, smoke plumes were injected into the stratosphere at height up to 25km and hence transported across the globe. Based on meteorological and air quality simulation using WRF-Chem model, air quality monitoring data collected during the bushfire period and remote sensing data from MODIS and CALIPSO satellites, the extend of the wildfires and the pollutant transport, and their impacts on air quality and health on exposed population in NSW can be analysed. The results showed that WRF-Chem model using Fire Emission Inventory from NCAR (FINN) predicts the dispersion and transport of pollutants and the predicted concentration of PM2.5 and other pollutants from wildfires reasonably well when compared with ground-based and satellite data. The impact on health endpoints such as mortality, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases hospitalisation across the modelling domain is then estimated. The estimated health impact is comparable with previous study based only on observation data, but the results in this study provide much more detailed spatially and temporally with regards to the health impact from the 2019-2020 wildfire.

In many advanced industrial applications, the thickness is a critical index, especially for metallic coatings. However, the variance of lift-off spacing between sensors and test pieces affects the measured voltage or impedance, which leads to unreliable results from the sensor. Massive research works have been proposed to address the lift-off issue, but few of them applies to the thickness measurement of planar metallic films with finite-size circular (disk) geometry. Previously, a peak-frequency feature from the swept-frequency inductance was used to compensate the measurement error caused by lift-offs, which was based on the slow-changing rate of impedance phase term in the Dodd-Deeds formulas. However, the phase of measured impedance is nearly invariant merely on a limited range of sample thicknesses and working frequencies. Besides, the frequency sweeping is time-consuming, where a recalibration is needed for different sensor setups applied to the online real-time measurement. In this paper, a single-frequency algorithm has been proposed, which is embedded in the measurement instrument for the online real-time retrieval of thickness. Owing to the single-frequency measurement strategy, the proposed method does not need to recalibrate for different sensor setups. The thickness retrieval is based on a triple-coil sensor (with one transmitter and two receivers). The thickness of metallic disk foils is retrieved from the measured electrical resistance of two transmitter-receiver sensing pairs. Experiments on materials of different electrical conductivities (from direct current), thicknesses and planar sizes (radii) have been carried out to verify the proposed method. The error for the thickness retrieval of conductive disk foils is controlled within 5 % for lift-offs up to 5 mm.

Space vehicles may be propelled by solar sails exploiting the radiation pressure coming from the sun and applied on their surfaces. This work deals with the adoption of Shape-Memory Alloy (SMA) elements in the sail deployment mechanism activated by the Joule Effect, i.e. using the same SMA elements as a resistance within suitable designed electrical circuits. Mathematical models were analyzed for the thermal analysis by implementing algorithms for the evaluation of the temperature trend depending on the design parameters. Several solar sail prototypes were built up and tested with different number, size and arrangement of the SMA elements, as well as the type of the selected electrical circuit. The main parameters have been discussed in the tested configurations and advantages discussed as well.

We show that the implementation of the 1/c² transverse current-current interaction between electrons into the standard self-consistent electron BCS model in bulk under thermal equilibrium ensures in the stable superconductive phase the full compensation of a constant external magnetic field by the internal magnetic field created by the electrons i.e. one has an ideal diamagnet. However, no proof of the phenomenological London equation emerges within the bulk approach.

Prestrained at 5% and 15% duplex stainless steel UNS S32750 specimens have been subjected to electropulsing treatments with current density of 100 A/mm2 and 200 A/mm2 and 100 and 500 pulses for each current density value. Corrosion tests, X-ray diffraction, microhardness and residual stresses were collected before and after the electropulsing treatments. Tensile tests were performed after the electropulsing treatments in order to compare the mechanical response to the reference tensile tests performed before the pulsing treatments. Increase in fracture strain was observed after the pulsing treatment in comparison to the reference tensile tests. A decrease in microhardness was also observed after the electropulsing treatments for both degrees of prestrain. Electropulsing treatment almost eliminates the work-hardened state in the 5% prestrained specimens while partially recovered the 15% prestrained material increasing both uniform and fracture strain. The bulk temperature of the samples remained the same for all the duration of the treatments. The effect are to be addressed to a combined effect of the increase in atomic flux due to the electrical current and local joule heating in correspondence of crystal defects. Electropulsing treatment applied to metallic alloys is a promising technique to reduce the work hardening state without the need of annealing treatments in a dedicated furnace.

We theoretically study the dynamical Casimir effect (DCE), i.e., parametric amplification of a quantum vacuum, in an optomechanical cavity interacting with a photonic crystal, which is considered to be an ideal system to study the microscopic dissipation effect on the DCE. Starting from a total Hamiltonian including the photonic band system as well as the optomechanical cavity, we have derived an effective Floquet-Liouvillian by applying the Floquet method and Brillouin-Wigner-Feshbach projection method. The microscopic dissipation effect is rigorously taken into account in terms of the energy-dependent self-energy. The obtained effective Floquet-Liouvillian exhibits the two competing instabilities, i.e., parametric and resonance instabilities, which determine the stationary mode as a result of the balance between them in the dissipative DCE. Solving the complex eigenvalue problem of the Floquet-Liouvillian, we have determined the stationary mode with vanishing values of the imaginary parts of the eigenvalues. We find a new non-local multimode DCE represented by a multimode Bogoliubov transformation of the cavity mode and the photon band. We show the practical advantage for the observation of DCE in that we can largely reduce the pump frequency when the cavity system is embedded in a narrow band photonic crystal with a bandgap.

Accurate prediction of the self-propulsion performance is one of the most important factors for energy-efficient design of a ship. In general, the hydrodynamic performance of a full-scale ship could be achieved by model-scale simulation or towing tank test with extrapolations. With the development of CFD methods and computing power, directly predict ship performance with full-scale CFD is an important approach. In this article, a numerical study on the full-scale self-propulsion performance with propeller operating behind ship at model- and full-scale is presented. The study includes numerical simulations using RANS method with double-model and VOF model respectively and scale effect analysis based on overall performance, local flow fields and detailed vortex identification. Verification study on grid convergence is also performed for full-scale simulation with global and local mesh refinements. And a series of sea trail tests were performed to collect reliable data for the validation of CFD predictions. The analysis of scale effect on hull-propeller interaction shows that the difference on hull boundary layer and flow separation is the main source of scale effect on ship wake. And the results of the fluctuations of propeller thrust and torque along with circulation distribution and local flow field show that propeller’s loading is significantly higher for model-scale ship. It is suggested that the difference on vortex evolution and interaction is more pronounced and have larger effects on ship’s powering performance at model-scale than full-scale according to the simulation results. From the study on self-propulsion prediction, it could be concluded that the simplification on free surface treatment does not only affect the wave-making resistance for bare hull but also the propeller performance and propeller induced ship resistance which can produced up to 5% uncertainty to the power prediction. Roughness is another important factor in full-scale simulation because it has up to approximately 7% effect on the delivery power. As a result of validation study, the numerical simulations of full-scale ship self-propulsion shows good agreement with the sea trail data especially for cases that have considered both roughness and free surface effects. This result will largely enhance our confidence to apply full-scale simulation in the prediction of ship’s self-propulsion performance in the future ship designs.

Arthrospira platensis, commercially known as Spirulina, is a fresh-water cyanobacterium that is gaining even more attention in the last years due to its high biological and nutritional value. For this reason, it has been employed in several food applications, to obtain or enhance functional and technological properties of cheese, yogurt, bread, cookies or pasta. The aim of this work was to evaluate the potential boosting effect of two different concentrations (0.25% and 0.50%) of Arthrospira platensis on the fermentation capability of several starter LAB strains, 1 probiotic and 4 commercial mix culture. These strains were used to ferment three different substrates and their fermentation behaviors were evaluated by impedance analyses together with rheological and color measurements. It was demonstrated that the booster effect took place, but it was variable and dependent not only on the strain or mix culture used, but also on the substrate and Arthrospira platensis concentration. Also, rheological and color modifications were found to be dependent of these factors.

A novel solution-processed graphene-based material was synthesized by treating graphene oxide (GO) with 2,5,7-trinitro-9-oxo-fluorenone-4-carboxylic acid (TNF-COOH) moieties, via simple synthetic routes. The yielded molecule N-[(carbamoyl-GO)ethyl]-N’-[(carbamoyl)-(2,5,7-trinitro-9-oxo-fluorene)] (GO-TNF) was thoroughly characterized and it was shown that it presents favorable highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy levels to function as a bridge component between the polymeric donor poly({4,8-bis[(2-ethylhexyl)oxy]benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene-2,6-diyl}{3-fluoro-2-[(2-ethylhexyl)carbonyl] thieno[3,4-b]thiophenediyl}) (PTB7) and the fullerene derivative acceptor [6,6]-phenyl-C₇₁-butyric-acid-methylester (PC₇₁BM). In this context, a GO-TNF based ink was prepared and directly incorporated within the binary photoactive layer, in different volume ratios (1-3% ratio to the blend), for the effective realization of inverted ternary organic solar cells (OSCs) of the structure ITO/PFN/PTB7:GO-TNF:PC₇₁BM/MoO₃/Al. The addition of 2% v/v GO-TNF ink led to a champion power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 8.71% that was enhanced by ~13% as compared to the reference cell.

One-dimensional shape memory polymer fibers (SMPFs) have obvious advantages in mechanical properties, dispersion properties and weavability. In this work, a method for fabricating semi-crystallization ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) fiber with two-way shape memory effect by melt spinning and ultraviolet (UV) curing was developed. Here, the effect of crosslink density on its performance was systematically analyzed by gel fraction measurement, tensile tests, DSC and TMA analysis. The results showed that the crosslink density and shape memory properties of EVA fiber could be facilely adjusted by controlling UV curing time. The resulting EVA fiber with cylindrical structure had a diameter of 247.13 ± 10.07 μm, and its mechanical strength and elongation at break were 64.46 MPa and 114.33%, respectively. The critical impact of the crosslink density and applied constant stress on the two-way shape memory effect were analyzed. Moreover, the single EVA fiber could lift more than 143 times its own weight and achieve 9% reversible actuation strain. The reversible actuation capability was significantly enhanced by a simple winding design of the single EVA fiber, which provided great potential applications in smart textiles, flexible actuators and artificial muscles.

This study aimed to assess the ecotoxicological effects of the interaction of fullerene (C₆₀) and benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) on the marine mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis. The uptake of nC₆₀, B[a]P and mixtures of nC₆₀ and B[a]P into tissues was confirmed by GC-MS, LC-HRMS and ICP-MS. Biomarkers of DNA damage as well as proteomics analysis were applied to unravel the toxic effect of B[a]P and C₆₀. Antagonistic responses were observed at the genotoxic and proteomic level. Differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were only identified in the B[a]P single exposure and the B[a]P mixture exposure groups containing 1 mg/L of C₆₀, the majority of which were down-regulated (~52%). No DEPs were identified at any of the concentrations of nC₆₀ (p < 0.05, 1% FDR). Using DEPs identified at a threshold of (p < 0.05; B[a]P and B[a]P mixture with nC₆₀), gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis indicated that these proteins were enriched with a broad spectrum of biological processes and pathways, including those broadly associated with protein processing, cellular processes and environmental information processing. Among those significantly enriched pathways, the ribosome was consistently the top enriched term irrespective of treatment or concentration and plays an important role as the site of biological protein synthesis and translation. Our results demonstrate the complex multi-modal response to environmental stressors in M. galloprovincialis.

This review describes how resonance in amides is greatly affected upon substitution at nitrogen by two electronegative atoms. Nitrogen becomes strongly pyramidal and resonance stabilisation, evaluated computationally, can be reduced to as little as 50% that of N,N-dimethylacetamide. However, this occurs without significant twisting about the amide bond, which is borne out both experimentally and theoretically. In certain configurations, reduced resonance and pronounced anomeric effects between heteroatom substituents are instrumental in driving the HERON (Heteroatom Rearrangement On Nitrogen)^† reaction, in which the more electronegative atom migrates from nitrogen to the carbonyl carbon in concert with heterolysis of the amide bond, to generate acyl derivatives and heteroatom-substituted nitrenes. In other cases the anomeric effect facilitates S­_N1 and S_N2 reactivity at the amide nitrogen.

DR2B and DR2C extracts, from peel of commercially and physiologically ripe eggplants, were studied for the antioxidative cytoprotective properties and anti-HSV-1 activity, in line with the evidence that several antioxidants can impair viral replication by maintaining reducing conditions into the host cells. The antioxidative cytoprotective effects against tBOOH-induced damage was assessed in Caco2 cells, while the antiviral activity was studied in Vero cells; phenolic and anthocyanin fingerprint was characterized by integrated phytochemical methods. Results highlighted different compositions of the extracts, with chlorogenic acid and delphinidin-3-rutinoside as the major constituents; other peculiar phytochemicals were also identified. DR2C resulted able to partly counteract the tBOOH-induced cytotoxicity, with a remarkable lowering of lactate metabolism under both normoxia and hypoxia. DR2B and DR2C reduced ROS production, possessed scavenging and chelating properties. Interestingly, DR2C increased intracellular GSH levels. Furthermore, DR2C inhibited the HSV-1 replication when added for 24 h after viral adsorption, as also confirmed by the reduction of many viral proteins expression. Since DR2C was able to reduce NOX4 expression during HSV-1 infection, its antiviral activity may be correlated to its antioxidant properties. Although further studies are needed to better characterize DR2C activity, the results suggest this extract as a promising new anti-HSV-1 agent.

Borneol and menthol were two terpenes wildly used as penetrate enhancer in transdermal drug delivery. To explore their penetration enhancement effect towards hydrophilic drug, 5-FU was selected as model drug. A method combined vitro permeation studies and coarse grain molecular dynamics was used to investigate their penetration enhancement effect towards 5-FU. As a result, although both borneol and menthol showed a penetration enhancement effect towards 5-FU, they differed a lot in the penetration enhancement mechanism, which was also thought to account for their different penetration enhancement effect. As for menthol, SC bilayer disrupting effect seemed to be its main mechanism. While for borneol, its mechanism seemed to be more complicated. Except for disrupting the SC bilayer, it could also increase the permeation of 5-FU by enhancing the diffusion rate of 5-FU or inducing the formation of transient pore. All of this enable us a molecular understanding of borneol and menthol’s penetration enhancement effect towards hydrophilic drug, which might provide some guidance in the latter research and application.

Restoration experience is a positive response against the ever-increasing problem of stress. It is recovery of attentional capacity, clearing random thoughts and feelings of relaxation and calmness. Although there is a body of research on investigating the impact of open green space characteristics on psycho- logical restoration through attention restoration theory and supportive environment theory, there is little knowledge on how the interaction among these characteristics could promote restorative outcomes. To address this problem, using Perceived Sensory Dimension (PSD) for open green space qualities and Perceived Restorativeness (PR) as the property of restorative environment, this study assessed the extent to which the PSD and PR impact on restoration experience. Using 444 screened surveys, a Partial Least Square Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM) was developed and the validity and reliability of it, was demonstrated. Extensive analysis of the results showed how environmental qualities can promote restoration experience using a sample of university students. These results provide information for landscape architecture and planning researchers to promote the development of open spaces as a resource of psychological restoration and stress relief.

This study aims to develop low-cost, eco-friendly and circular economy-compliant composite materials by creating three types of magnetorheological suspensions (MRSs) utilizing lard, carbonyl iron (CI) microparticles, and varying quantities of gelatin particles (GP). These MRSs serve as dielectric materials in cylindrical cells used to fabricate electric capacitors. The equivalent electrical capacitance (C) of these capacitors is measured under different magnetic flux densities (B≤160 mT) superimposed on a medium-frequency electric field (f = 1 kHz) over a period of 120 seconds. The results indicate that at high values of B, by increasing the GP content to 20 vol.% decreases the capacitance C up to about one order of magnitude compared to MRS without GP. From the measured data, the average values of capacitance Cm are derived, enabling the calculation of relative dielectric permittivities (ϵr′) and the dynamic viscosities (η) of the MRSs. It is demonstrated that ϵr′ and η can be adjusted by modifying the MRS composition and fine-tuned through the magnetic flux density B. A theoretical model based on the theory of dipolar approximations is used to show that ϵr′, η and the magnetodielectric effect can be coarsely adjusted through the composition of MRSs and finely adjusted through the values B of the magnetic flux density. The ability to fine-tune these properties highlights the versatility of these materials, making them suitable for applications in various industries, including electronics, automotive and aerospace.

Limited knowledge is available about the association between autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) and precocious puberty. Our study examined the association between the two medical conditions, and the effect modification by sex and neuropsychiatric comorbidities in a nationwide population. To compare the risk of precocious puberty between ASD and non-ASD cases, we conducted Cox regression analysis, using ASD as exposure and time-to-precocious puberty as outcome. We adjusted for sex, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), tics disorder, obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety disorder, intellectual disability, and epilepsy. We performed a moderation analysis to examine the potential moderating effects by sex or comorbidities. Patients with ASD were prone to have precocious puberty, with an adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) of 1.80 (95% CI: 1.61-2.01). For the effect modification, sex, specifically females, moderated the association between ASD and precocious puberty, with relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI) 7.35 (95% CI 4.90-9.80). No significant effect modification was found for any of the comorbidities within the scope of additive effect modification. We found that patients with ASD were prone to precocious puberty, regardless of sex or comorbid neuropsychiatric disorders. Girls with ASD are at particularly higher risk to develop precocious puberty.

During the high-speed flight of a vehicle in the atmosphere, surface friction with the air generates aerodynamic heating. The aerodynamic heating phenomenon can create extremely high temperatures near the surface. These high temperatures impact material properties and the structure of the aircraft, so thermal deformation measurement is essential in aerospace engineering. This paper revisits high-temperature deformation measurement using the digital image correlation (DIC) technique under high-intensity blackbody radiation with a precise speckle pattern fabrication and a heat haze reduction method. The effect of speckle pattern on the DIC measurement has been thoroughly studied at room temperature, but high-temperature measurement studies have not reported such effects so far. We found that the commonly used methods to reduce the heat haze effect could produce incorrect results. Hence, we propose a new method to mitigate heat haze effects. An infrared radiation heater was employed to make an experimental setup that could heat a specimen up to 950 ℃. First, we mitigated image saturation using a short-wavelength bandpass filter with blue light illumination, a standard procedure for high-temperature DIC deformation measurement. Second, we studied how to determine the proper size of the speckle pattern under a high-temperature environment. Third, we devised a reduction method for the heat haze effect. As proof of the effectiveness of our developed experimental method, we successfully measured the deformation of stainless steel 304 specimens from 25 ℃ to 800 ℃. The results confirmed that this method can be applied to the research and development of thermal protection systems in the aerospace field.

Inverse gas chromatography at infinite dilution was used to determine the surface thermodynamic properties of silica particles and PMMA adsorbed on silica, and more particularly, to quantify the London dispersive energy γsd, the Lewis acid γs+ and base γs- polar surface energies of PMMA/silica composites as a function of the temperature and the recovery fraction θ of PMMA. The polar acid–base surface energy γsAB and the total surface energy of the different composites were then deduced as a function of the temperature. In this paper, the Hamieh thermal model was used to quantify the surface thermodynamic energy of poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA) adsorbed on silica particles at different recovery fractions. A comparison of the new results was carried out with those obtained by applying other molecular models of the surface areas of organic molecules adsorbed on the different solid substrates. An important deviation of these molecular models from the thermal model was proved. The determination of γsd, γs+, γs-, and γsAB of PMMA in both bulk and adsorbed phases showed an important non-linearity variation of these surface parameters as a function of the temperature. The presence of maxima in the curves of γsd(T) highlighted the second order transition temperatures in PMMA showing beta-relaxation, glass transition and liquid-liquid temperatures. These three transition temperatures depended on the adsorption rate of PMMA on silica. The proposed method gave a new relation between the recovery fraction of PMMA and its London dispersive energy showing an important effect of the temperature on the surface energy parameters of adsorption of PMMA on silica. A universal equation relating γsd(T,θ) of the systems PMMA/silica to the recovery fraction and the temperature was proposed.

Electrical contacts are important circuit components with diverse industrial applications, and their failure can lead to multiple unwanted effects. Hence, the behavior of electrical contacts is a widely studied topic in scientific literature based on various approaches, tools, and techniques. The present study proposes a numerical modeling and simulation approach based on the Holm contact theory to study the dependence between the electric potential and the temperature within an electrical contact. Structured in 5 sections, the research was conducted using COMSOL Multiphysics software and its solid-state mechanics, electric current, and heat transfer modules in order to highlight contact behavior from mechanical, electrical and thermal points of view: the von Mises stress, contact force, the electric field amplitude, the variation of the electrical potential along the current path, the temperature gradient, and dependence of temperature along the contact elements edges were obtained by simulation and graphically represented. The results are in line with the expectations and with past research that was studied in the literature review.

In recent years the number of available chemical pesticides has been significantly reduced and there have been an urgent need for discovery of alternative to chemical pesticides products, as among others the natural zeolites (zeolitic rocks). We determined the mineralogical and chemical composition of a specific and continuous layers of zeolitic rock sample (ZeotP) from Petrota, Ev-ros, Greece and evaluated its oviposition deterrent effect for the olive fruit fly Bactrocera oleae (Diptera: Terphritidae). The tested natural zeolite contained 70 wt. % Clinoptilolite, 18 wt. % Amorphous material, 7 wt. % Feldspars, 4 wt. % Cristobalite and 1 wt. % Quartz. We tested the oviposition deterrent effect of ZeotP mixed or not with an emulsifier adjuvant NU-FILM-P® in water and applied on the surface of olive fruits. The ZeotP oviposition deterrent effect for the ol-ive fly was very high under a series of tested temperatures (17°C, 20°C, 25°C and 30°C) and RHs (23%, 33%, 55%, 75%, 94%). In addition, the ZeotP residual deterrent effect after equable water spraying was high and similar to the respective effect of a pyrethroid insecticide (Decis®). Our results may contribute to an effective control of the olive fruit fly using an alternative to chemical pesticides natural zeolite (zeolitic rocks) product.

Olive trees have a unique reproductive pattern marked by biennial fruiting. This study delves into the repercussions of alternate fruit bearing on the water relations of olive trees and the associated ecophysiological mechanisms. The experiment spanned two consecutive years: the "ON" year, characterized by a high crop load, and the "OFF" year, marked by minimal fruit production. Key ecophysiological parameters, including sap flow, stomatal conductance, and photosynthetic rate, were monitored in both years. Pre-dawn water potential was measured using continuous stem psychrometers and the pressure chamber technique. Biochemically, non-structural carbohydrate concentrations (starch, sucrose, and mannitol) and the carbon-stable isotope ratio (δ13C) in olive leaves were examined. Results unveiled heightened leaf gas exchange during the "ON" year, leading to increased water consumption and photosynthetic rates. This escalated water usage during the "ON" year significantly reduced leaf water potential. Sucrose and starch concentrations were notably elevated in the "ON" year, with no significant impact on mannitol concentration. Regarding the carbon stable isotope ratio, leaves from the "OFF" year exhibited significantly higher δ13C abundance, indicative of heightened resistance to the CO2 pathway from the atmosphere to carboxylation sites compared to the "ON" year plants.

In the last ten years, plasma waste treatment has gained increasing prominence as a technology in response to growing challenges in waste disposal and the recognition of opportunities for generating valuable by-products. The efficiency and outcomes of this process are intricately linked to the characteristics of the plasma involved, such as plasma enthalpy and heat flux. We employed an experimental radio frequency inductively coupled plasma (RF-ICP) torch operating at atmospheric pressure to generate plasma. Utilizing optical emission spectroscopy (OES), we measured plasma parameters, specifically the effective electron temperature (Teff) and plasma density (ne), while varying argon gas flow rates and RF powers. Our investigations revealed that both flow rate and RF power exert significant control over plasma parameters, and we observed an unusual phenomenon within this range of discharge pressures. Consequently, both the plasma's enthalpy and the heat flux it generates are influenced by variations in both flow rate and RF power.

Malignant melanoma is one of the most aggressive and resistant tumor types which is often accompanied by poor prognosis when spread to nearby or distant tissues. Even though an increasing number of second-line therapies are available for cancer patients, the 5-year survival rate of melanoma patients with regional and distant metastases is still rather low. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop new, highly efficient treatments. Melanocortin-1-receptor (MC1R) is a cell surface receptor for α-MSH. It is responsible for melanogenesis and is shown to be overexpressed on the surface of cancer cells in a subset of melanoma patients. Here, we designed and synthesized α-MSH analogs and conjugated them to daunomycin through oxime linkage. Using our peptide-drug conjugates (Dau-α-MSHs), we performed comparative in vitro and in vivo evaluations to reveal their suitability for tumor targeting. Firstly, the expression level of MC1R was determined in various melanoma cell lines via RT-qPCR. Then, we examined the antiproliferative effect of our Dau-α-MSHs, moreover we determined the cellular uptake profile and intracellular localization of Dau-α-MSHs. The most efficient Dau-α-MSHs were investigated in vivo using a murine xenograft melanoma model. We found that various cell lines show differential expression on the mRNA levels. We also showed that healthy primary cells have lower expression of MC1R compared to tumor cell lines. Moreover, the concentration-dependent cellular uptake profile of Dau-α-MSHs was detected and the compounds exhibited a great antiproliferative effect on melanoma cell lines. We also provided evidence that our novel Dau-α-MSHs can inhibit tumor expansion significantly and are suitable for targeted tumor therapy.

The phenomenon of interference is a characteristic of all waves. This paper reviews the interference of classical waves and of matter waves in quantum mechanics. In quantum mechanics, there are two interference mechanisms between identical particles. One is that the de Broglie wavelengths of two interference waves are the same, which is called the equal wavelength interference mechanism. The other is that the wavelengths of interference waves can also be different, in which case there should be an exchange term in additional to the direction term in the wave function. There is a fixed phase difference between the two terms, which causes interference. This is called exchange effect interference mechanism. We propose an experiment, which is simpler to what has been done, to show the exchange effect interference. There is a special case where two interference waves can satisfy both the two mechanisms. We propose an experiment to discriminate that in this case which mechanism plays a role on earth.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES. Rod-Cone Dystrophies (RCDs) are genetically determined retinal dystrophies, resulting in nyctalopia, visual field progressive reduction and visual acuity decay in the late stages. Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) is the most described type. All modes of transmission can be identified in RP, with the autosomal dominant form (ADRP) accounting for about 20% of cases. To date, over 30 genes have been related to ADRP, with RP1 gene estimated to be involved in 5-10% of cases. In a cohort of patients affected by RCD and sharing the same geographic origin from Palermo province in Western Sicily, we identified a prevalent causative variant in the RP1 gene (NM_006269.2; c.2219C>G, p.Ser740*). Objective of our study was to analyse clinical and molecular data of this population and define the entity and the meaning of this finding. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Eighty-four patients with a diagnosis of RCD or RP underwent deep phenotyping, pedigree definition and molecular characterization, mostly by Next Generation Sequencing (NGS). All potentially pathogenic variants have been confirmed through direct sequencing and familial segregation. Statistical evaluation of resulting data has been performed. RESULTS. In 28 probands we identified a pathogenic variant (p.Ser740*) in the RP1 gene that resulted significantly prevalent. Some patients, after careful interviewing, were found to share the same pedigree; we ultimately defined 20 family groups with no traceable consanguinity. CONCLUSIONS. The high prevalence of the p.Ser740* variant in RP patients from Western Sicily unveils the presence of a founder effect, which has implications for the molecular diagnosis of RCD in patients coming from this Italian region. This variant can be primarily searched in RP affected subjects displaying compatible mode of transmission and phenotype, with an advantage in terms of costs and analysis time. Moreover, given its high prevalence, RP1 p.Ser740* variant could represent a potential candidate for the development of therapeutic strategies based on gene editing or translational read-through therapy for suppression of nonsense variants.

Ever since oil was discovered in the Persian Gulf Region in the 1920s, the oil and gas industries have been dominant in the area. These countries are responsible for generating approximately 35 percent of the world's natural gas and 25 percent of its crude oil, making them the largest crude oil producers globally. The release of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere is directly linked to the use of fossil fuels. CO2 accounts for 58.8 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activities and has a detrimental impact on urban residents through the urban heat island effect. A significant portion of these emissions can be attributed to residential buildings. Some nations exacerbate the problem by relying excessively on fossil fuels. Oil-rich countries provide energy subsidies to the public in order to lower energy costs for their citizens. However, this policy can have negative consequences, including wasteful energy usage in countries like Iran.

This experimental study examined the application effect of polycaprolactone (PCL), an organic resin material with excellent elasticity and ductility, on improving the mechanical performance of cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) cement composites. To analyze the effect, a test specimen containing CNC and PCL mixed, containing only CNC, and a control (plain) specimen containing nothing were compared. PCL was compared according to its shape, and in the case of Granules, which is the basic shape, interfacial adhesion with cement was not achieved, so a DCM solution was used to dissolve and use the Granules form. As a method for bonding PCL to the CNC surface, the CNC surface was modified using 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES), and surface silylation was confirmed through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR) analysis. To evaluate the dispersibility according to the application of PCL to the modified CNC, particle size analysis (PSA) and zeta potential analysis were performed according to the PCL mixing amount (0.1, 0.3, 0.5, and 1 vol.% compared with those of CNC) and size distribution. Through the zeta potential value, the highest dispersion stability was shown at 1 vol.%. The cohesive force of CNC was low and the dispersion stability was high according to the application of PCL. According to the results of the dispersion stability evaluation, the degree of hydration of the dissolved PCL 1 vol.%, CNC-only specimens, and plain specimens were analyzed. Hydration products increased by increasing the degree of hydration in the unhydrated area. However, the incorporation of PCL showed a low degree of hydration, and the analysis of strength characteristics also showed a decrease of approximately 27% compared with that of plain specimens. This was because the bonding with SiO2 was not smooth owing to the solvent, thus affecting internal hydration. To investigate the effect of the PCL shape, the compressive and flexural strength characteristics were compared using PCL powder as an additional parameter. The compressive and flexural strength values were improved by approximately 54% and 26%, respectively, compared with those of the plain specimen. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis determined that the filler effect that made the micropore structure denser, affected the mechanical performance improvement.

We present evidence of the anchoring bias and disposition effect (DE) in investor trading decisions across different asset markets (stable and volatile assets) and market scenarios (stable and volatile markets), as well as how these biases affect investors' portfolio performance. The study employs a quasi-experimental design, allowing subjects to engage in interactive trading with four securities, two with potential negative returns and two with potential positive returns, within a simulated asset market. Our findings reveal the presence of the disposition effect and anchoring bias among individual investors in India. Second, market scenarios or volatility can influence the investors’ behavioral biases. The disposition effect was more prominent in volatile markets and the total market, while the anchoring bias was significant in stable and total markets. Additionally, investors exhibiting the disposition effect exhibit lower portfolio performance, while those demonstrating anchoring bias perform relatively better. The study's findings can help individual investors understand their behavioral biases, avoid them in future trading decisions, and improve portfolio performance. Financial institutions and regulatory agencies could identify investment products and supportive investor interactions towards better market trade decisions.

Glycerol has found its applications as a heat-transfer fluid in heat exchangers, and as a compo-nent of functional solutions in biosensor analysis. Flowing non-aqueous fluids are known to be able to induce electromagnetic fields due to triboelectric effect. These triboelectrically generated electromagnetic fields can affect biological macromolecules. Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) is widely employed as a convenient model object for studying how external electric, magnetic, and electromagnetic fields affect enzymes. Herein, we have studied whether the flow of glycerol in a ground-shielded cylindrical coil affects the HRP enzyme incubated at a 2 cm distance near the coil’s side. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been employed in order to study the effect of glycerol flow on HRP at the nanoscale. Increased aggregation of HRP on mica has been observed after the incubation of the enzyme near the coil. Moreover, the enzymatic activity of HRP has also been affected. The results reported can find their application in biotechnology, food technology and life sciences application, considering the development of triboelectric generators, en-zyme-based biosensors and bioreactors with surface-immobilized enzymes. Our data can also be of interest for scientists studying triboelectric phenomena.

The aim of this work is a comprehensive study of the effect of variable atomic composition and structural-phase state of (CoFeZr)x(MgF2)100-x nanocomposites (NCs) on their nonlinear electronic and magnetic/magneto-optical properties. Micrometer-thick nanocomposites layers on the glass substrates were obtained by ion-beam sputtering of a composite target in the argon atmosphere in a wide range of compositions x=9-51at.% The value of the resistive percolation threshold xper=34 at.%, determined from the concentration dependences of the electrical resistance of NCs, coincides with the beginning of nucleation of metallic nanocrystals CoFeZr in MgF2 dielectric matrix. The absolute value of maximum magnetoresistance of NCs is 2.4 % in a magnetic field of 5.5 kOe at x=25 at.%, up to the percolation threshold. Two maxima appear in the concentration dependences of magneto-optical transversal Kerr effect, one of which at x = 34 at.% corresponds to the formation of CoFeZr alloy nanocrystals of a hexagonal structure, and the second one at x=45 at.% corresponds to the phase transition of nanocrystals from a hexagonal to a cubic body-centered structure. The magnetic percolation threshold in (CoFeZr)x(MgF2)100-x system at xfm=34 at.% with the appearance of a hysteresis loop and a coercive force of Hc≈ 8 Oe, coincides with the resistive percolation threshold xper=34 at.%. Concentration dependence of the coercive force showed that at low contents of metallic alloy x<30 at.% NCs are superparamagnetic (Hc=0). With an increase of the alloy content, in the region of magnetic and resistive percolation thresholds NCs exhibit a magnetically soft ferromagnetic character and do not change it far beyond the percolation threshold with the maximum value of the coercive force Hc< 30 Oe. Decrease in magnetic order and soft ferromagnetic are influenced by the diamagnetic phase FeF2 that we discovered at the interface of magnetic nanocrystals CoFeZr with a dielectric matrix MgF2 by the Mössbauer spectroscopy.

Technology-enabled maintenance via sensors and the internet of things (IoT) technologies is seen as the “new maintenance strategy”. The aim is to use these technologies to focus on unnecessary breakdowns and increase levels of asset availability where the existing of a dedicated team to maintain or data on asset condition is limited, useless or full of noise. This paper presents the integration of various sensing nodes within an automated laser cutting machine for monitoring of critical components’ conditions. The integrated system provides a centralised platform for data collection from various sensors and provides early failure detection mechanism based on specified set points with alert mechanisms utilising a custom dashboard for data visualisation. The research highlights the required stages for the identification of the appropriate components and sensory devices for the development of efficient monitoring environment.

As a rapidly growing coastal megacity, Shanghai is continuously threatened with land subsidence issues since 1920s. Land subsidence was controlled in 1960s, however in 1990s, unconscious and dangerous urban underground space (UUS) exploration and tunneling development are causing further land subsidence. It is imperative to study previous relations towards future adaptive and resilient scenario modelling and planning. There are multiple cause-effect factors determined in the urban built environment of Shanghai megacity. This paper presents the current evidence based on the relations of the multifactor of the spectrum. Methods consist of understanding the cause-effect relations and spatiotemporal from the crucial period of 1960-2020. Data are collected secondarily from multiple open sourced databases. The results determine Shanghai are highly influenced by the UUS development induced-subsidence, tunneling leakage and weak spatial modelling. Spatiotemporal pattern has shown a mixed positive-negative impact: population, land subsidence is growing in parallel distribution (positive) with tunneling leakage, construction of tunneling, metro system, UUS development, building price, reconstruction area, GDP growth, land price, arable land decrease and further tunnel settlement in Urban City Centre, Pudong New Area, Minhang, Baoshan and Songjiang districts. These results are useful for further adaptive and resilient scenario modelling and spatial planning.

Manipulation of radiation pattern control is challenging, especially at low frequencies. In this paper, we demonstrate that acoustic metamaterials as an effective array of quadrupoles can remarkably improve the directionality of acoustic radiation at low frequencies, compared with previous metamaterials as monopole and dipole structures. The directivity of the acoustic radiation can be adjusted by changing the characteristic parameter and the symmetry of the structure, which provide a flexible method of adjustable radiation di-rections. The directionality can be further improved by constructing linear array of structure. Our work opens an approach of acoustic radiation control via quadrupolar metamaterials.

In magneto-photoluminescence (magneto-PL) spectra of quasi-two dimensional islands (quantum dots) having seven electrons and Wigner-Seitz radius rs~1.5, we revealed a suppression of magnetic field (B) dispersion, paramagnetic shifts and jumps of the energy of the emission components for filling factors &gt;1 (B&lt;10 T). Additionally, we observed B-hysteresis of the jumps and a dependence of all these anomalous features on rs. Using a theoretical description of the magneto-PL spectra and an analysis of the electronic structure of these dots based on the single-particle Fock-Darwin spectrum and many-particle configuration-interaction calculations, we show that these observations can be described by the rs-dependent formation of the anyon (magneto-electron) composites (ACs) involving single-particle states having non-zero angular momentum and that the anyon states observed involve Majorana modes (MMs), including zero-B modes having equal number of vortexes and anti-vortexes, which can be considered as Majorana anyons. We show that the paramagnetic shift corresponds to a destruction of the equilibrium self-formed ~5/2 AC by the external magnetic field and that the jumps and their hysteresis can be described in terms of Majorana qubit states controlled by B and rs. Our results show a critical role of quantum confinement in the formation of magneto-electrons and implies the liquid-crystal nature of fractional quantum Hall effect states, Majorana anyon origin of the states having even , i.e., composite fermions, which provide new opportunities for topological quantum computing.

Background: Although, negative repercussions of inadequate health service use on the health outcomes has been presumably exacerbated by COVID-19, the impact of the pandemic measures has been not evaluated properly yet. Objective: Our study aimed to quantify the COVID-19 pandemic measures’ effect on the general practitioner (GP) visit, specialist care, hospitalization and cost-related prescription nonredemption (CRPNR) among adults in Hungary, and to identify the social strata susceptible to the pandemic effect. Methods: This community-based cross-sectional study based on nationally representative data of 6,611 (Nprepandemic=5,603 and Npandemic=1,008) subjects aged 18 years and above. Data were obtained from the European Health Interview Survey 2019 (EHIS) and International Social Survey Program 2021 (ISSP) for prepandemic and pandemic, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression models were applied to determine the sociodemographic and clinical factors influencing the health care use by odds ratios (OR) along with the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI). To identify the social strata susceptible to pandemic effect, the interaction of the time of data collection with level of education, marital status, and ethnicity, was also tested. Results: While, the CRPNR did not changed, the frequency of GP visit, specialist care and hospitalization rate were remarkably reduced by 22.2%, 26.4%, and 6.7%, respectively, during the pandemic in Hungary. Roma proved to be not specifically affected by the pandemic in any studied respect. The pandemic restructuring of health care impacted the social subgroups evenly with respect to hospital care. However, the pandemic effect was weaker among primary educated adults (ORhigh-school vs primary-education =0.434; 95% CI 0.243-0.776, ORhigh-school vs primary-education =0.598; 95% CI 0.364-0.985), and among widows (ORwidowed vs married =2.284; 95% CI 1.043-4.998, ORwidowed vs married=1.915; 95% CI 1.157-3.168) on the frequency of GP visit and specialist visit; and the prepandemic CRPNR inequality by level of education was increased (ORhigh-school vs primary-education =0.236; 95% CI 0.075-0.743). Conclusion: Primary educated and widowed did not follow the general trend, and their prepandemic limited health care use was not reduced further during pandemic, resulting in an inequality reduction. The vulnerability of primary educated to CRPNR was the only gap widened in the pandemic period. This shows that although the management of pandemic health care use restrictions was implemented by increasing the social inequality in Hungary, the prevention of inequity in drug availability for primary educated individuals could require more support.

The anisotropy in the CMBR detected by the COBE satellite has sprouted the research and theories of the void that got created, after being washed away by a parallel universe after its collision. This details of the roadmap to the parallel universe, that are previously been entangled, but now, separated, with the concept of 2-time dimensions as a time curve of containing the closed curves embedded on the surface area, thereby time running backward in orientation in the parallel universe, along with the perspective of eternal inflation and divided subspaces giving birth to twin universes are provided here. This time curve being responsible for creating an exponentiality of time frames, growing in layers, giving us the perception of the confabulations being an indication of the previously connected worlds.

The high-power Asymmetric half-bridge Converter (AHBC) LED constant current driver controlled by digital current mode is a fourth-order system. Static operating point, parasitic resistance, load characteristics, sampling effect, modulation mode and loop delay will have great influence on its dynamic performance. In this paper, the small-signal pulse transfer function of the driver is established by the discrete-time modeling method for the two operating points corresponding to the three modulation modes of the trailing edge, leading edge and double edge. And, the effects of parasitic parameters, delay effect, sampling effect and load effect are fully considered in modeling. For a large number of complex exponential matrix operations, the first order Taylor formula is used for approximate calculation after the coefficient matrix is obtained by substituting the data. Then, Matlab software is used to compare and analyze the discrete-time model and the discrete-average model. The results show that the proposed discrete-time model can more accurately characterize the resonant peak and high-frequency dynamic characteristics, and is very suitable for the design of high frequency digital controller.

Here we calculate the deflection angle of photon by Casimir wormhole in weak limit approximation. First we calculate Gaussian optical curvature with the help of optical spacetime geometry and so we use the Gauss-Bonnet theorem on Gaussian optical metric and find deflection angle of photon by Casimir wormhole. Moreover, we calculate the photon's deflection angle in the presence of plasma medium and we also see the graphical nature of deflection angle in both cases. After calculating the deflection angle of Casimir wormhole. Now, we move towards the shadow of Casimir wormhole. After the observations of Event Horizon Telescope, the study of shadow become very important so that we plot the shapes of shadow of Casimir wormhole, and we calculate the photon geodesic around the Casimir wormhole.

We introduce a total energy and environmental evaluation method in the manufacturing industry. The method gives us a series of descriptive indexes to assess the overall environmental effect level on materials, energy, wastes and products in the life cycle process. Meanwhile, the method uses partial indexes, environmental effect factors, and correction offsets into the quantitative model to analyze the learning process and rebound effect on the energy and environment at each procedure. In this work, we choose S-shaped learning curves to describe how to decrease energy consumption and improve the technical learning by doing for recent 30 years. Also, we draw the different rebound effect curves of the total energy-environmental evaluation with technical learning method, which use the annual industrial production growth rate to show that it's significant to estimate its effect on technology changes. The ideas about the interaction of energy and production environment from material flows to energy consumption, direct us to build an example to estimate quantitatively the results with different condition factors, and realize the process improvement and develop new products.

The thermal stabilizers, lubricant, and plasticizers are three crucial additives for processing poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC). In this study, a new mannitol stearate ester-based aluminum alkoxides (MSE-Al) was designed and synthesized as a novel additive for PVC. The thermal stability and processing performance of PVC stabilized by MSE-Al were evaluated by Congo red test, conductivity measurement, thermal aging test, ultravioletevisible (UV-vis) spectroscopy test, and torque rheometer test. Results showed that the addition of MSE-Al can not only markedly improve the long-term thermal stability of PVC, but also greatly accelerate the plasticizing and decrease the balance torque which demonstrated that MSE-Al possesses the lubricating property. Thus, MSE-Al was demonstrated to be able to provide tri-functional additive roles, e.g., thermal stabilizer, plasticizer, and lubricant. The test results for the thermal stability of PVC indicated that the initial whiteness of PVC stabilized with MSE-Al was not good enough, thus the synergistic effect of MSE-Al with zinc stearates (ZnSt₂) on the thermal stability of PVC was also investigated. The results showed that there exhibited an appreciable synergistic effect between MSE-Al and ZnSt₂. The thermal stabilization mechanism and synergism effect of MSE-Al with ZnSt₂ were then discussed.

The high demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG) requires more LNG carriers (LNGCs) to be in operation. During transportation, there is a high risk due to the required extremely low temperatures and the explosive nature of LNG cargo. Moreover, when there is a lack of experience in operating old LNGCs, there is a serious concern regarding operational accidents. A systematic maintenance strategy, especially for LNG cargo containment systems, is crucial for maintaining safe LNG transportation at sea. The purpose of this study is to develop preventive LNG cargo containment system maintenance models by using LNGC dock specifications from LNGCs of various ages. The dock specifications from a conventional LNGC repairing dock were analyzed using natural language processing techniques in order to develop preventive maintenance models of the LNG cargo containment system. From these results, and by considering the ship’s age, it was found that for young LNGCs the priority for repair should focus on checking routine consumable spare parts by tank inspections, whereas for older LNGCs the focus should be on tank condition maintenance rather than on other facilities. These results are expected to be useful in the development of a maintenance strategy of preventive LNG cargo containment systems in maritime LNG transportation.

The purpose of the present study is to explore the linkage between Hazardous Road Locations-based crash counts and a variety of geometric characteristics, roadway characteristics, traffic flow characteristics and spatial features in the region of Sousse, Tunisia. For this purpose, collision data was collected from at 52 hazardous road sections including 1397 crash records for a 11-year monitoring period from January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2014 obtained from National Observatory for Information, Training, Documentation and Studies on Road Safety in Tunisia (NOITDRS). The matrix of Pearson correlation was used in order to avoid inclusion of both variables, which were highly correlated. Both the Random Effects Negative Binomial model and the Negative Binomial model were estimated. To evaluate the models, the Random Effect Negative Binomial model improves the goodness-of-fit compared to the Negative Binomial model. Average Daily Traffic volume, Curved alignment, Presence of public lighting, Visibility, Number of lane, Presence of vertical/horizontal sign, Presence of rural segment, Presence of drainage system, Roadway surface condition, Presence of paved shoulder and presence of major road were found as significant variables influencing accident occurrences. Overall, the current research contributes to the literature from empirical, modeling methodological standpoints since it was the first study conducted in Tunisia to use crash prediction models for hazardous road locations, and that portrays Tunisian reality. The research findings present advantageous insights on hazardous road locations in the region of Sousse, Tunisia and present useful planning tools for public authorities in Tunisia.

Carbon nanotubes have been attracting considerable interest among material scientists, physicists, chemists and engineers for almost 30 years. Owing to their high aspect ratio, coupled with remarkable mechanical, electronic and thermal properties, carbon nanotubes have found application in diverse fields. In this review, we will cover the work on carbon nanotubes used for sensing applications. In particular, we will see examples where carbon nanotubes act as main players in devices sensing biomolecules, gas, light or pressure changes. Furthermore, we will discuss how to improve the performance of carbon nanotube-based sensors after proper modification.

The Western ‘discovery’ of Japanese cinema in the 1950s prompted scholars to articulate essentialist visions understanding its singularities as a result of its isolation from the rest of the World and its close links to local aesthetic and philosophical traditions. Recent approaches however, have evidenced the limitations of this paradigm of ‘national cinema’. Higson (1989) opened a critical discussion on the existing consumption, text andproduction-based approaches to this concept. This article draws on Higson´s contribution and calls into question traditional theorising of Japanese film as a national cinema. Contradictions are illustrated by assessing the other side of the ‘discovery’ of Japanese cinema: certain gendaigeki works that succeeded at the domestic box office while jidaigeki burst into European film festivals. The Taiyōzoku and subsequent Mukokuseki Action created a new postwar iconography by adapting codes of representation from Hollywood youth and western films. This article does not attempt to deny the uniqueness of this film culture, but rather seeks to highlight the need to reformulate the paradigm of national cinema in the Japanese case, and illustrate the sense in which it was created from outside, failing to recognise its reach transnational intertextuality.

There are dozens of approved, investigational and experimental antiviral agents. Many of these agents cause serious side effects, which can be revealed only after drug administration. Identification of the side effects prior to drug administration is challenging. Here we describe an ex vivo approach for studying immuno- and neuro-modulatory properties of antiviral agents, which could be associated with potential side effects of these therapeutics. The approach combines drug toxicity/efficacy tests and transcriptomics, which is followed by cytokine and metabolite profiling. We demonstrated the utility of this approach with several examples of antiviral agents. We also showed that the approach can utilize different immune stimuli and cell types. It can also include other omics techniques, such as genomics and epigenomics, to allow identification of individual markers associated with adverse reactions to antivirals with immuno- and neuro-modulatory properties.

In daily living environments, an individual’s state influences spatial perception. The current study, based on Attention Restoration Theory, aimed to explore differences in the health utility of nature according to individual differences in spatial perception. Cognitive mapping and the Perceived Restorativeness Scale (PRS) were used to assess spatial perception ranges and the restorative effect of the environment. Two spatial perceptual groups were defined: one describing only the internal area of a green space, and another illustrating the external area of this green space on a larger scale. The former had higher overall PRS, Being Away, Fascination, and Compatibility scores. The latter had higher scores only on the Coherence subscale. These results illustrate that frequency of nature visits and time spent traveling to do so differently influence the two groups’ attentional restoration, which has great implications for landscape planning in highly stressful urban environments.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an age-related neurodegenerative disease and is clinically characterized by cognitive impairment, memory loss, and personality disorder. Oligomers of amyloid beta-peptides (Aβ) and enhanced oxidative stress in senile plaques are prevalent pathologic hallmarks of AD. In this study, we detected the behavioral performance of Lycium ruthenicum Murray anthocyanin (LRA) -treated rats using the Morris water maze test and then investigated the effect of LRA on oxidative damage, neuronal apoptosis, and inflammatory response induced by Aβ1–42. Our results showed that LRA treatment markedly ameliorated the behavioral performance of Aβ1–42-induced rats and reduced the level of malondialdehyde, formation of protein carbonyl, and 8-hydroxy-2’-deoxygua-nosine. Furthermore, LRA also inhibited activated astrocytes and neuroinflammation via suppression of glial fibrillary acidic protein and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in the hippocampus of Aβ1–42-treated rat brain. These data suggest that LRA could be a potential anti-oxidant and anti-neuroinflammatory agent for the treatment of AD.

Cancer-specific monoclonal antibodies (CasMabs) that recognize cancer-specific antigens with in vivo antitumor efficacy are innovative therapeutic strategies for minimizing the adverse effects. We previously established a cancer-specific anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)monoclonal antibody (mAb), H₂Mab-250/H₂CasMab-2. In flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry, H₂Mab-250 reacted with HER2-positive breast cancer cells but did not show the reactivity to normal epithelial cells. In contrast, a clinically approved anti-HER2 mAb, trastuzumab, strongly recognizes both breast cancer and normal epithelial cells in flow cytometry. The human IgG₁ version of H₂Mab-250 (H₂Mab-250-hG₁) possesses compatible in vivo antitumor effects against breast cancer xenografts with trastuzumab despite the lower affinity and effector activation than trastuzumab in vitro. This study compared the antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and complement-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (CDC) between H₂Mab-250-hG₁ and trastuzumab. Both H₂Mab-250-hG₁ and trastuzumab showed ADCC activity against CHO/HER2 and breast cancer cell lines (BT-474 and SK-BR-3) in the presence of human natural killer cells. Some tendency was observed that trastuzumab showed a more significant ADCC effect compared to H₂Mab-250-hG₁. Importantly, H₂Mab-250-hG₁ exhibited superior CDC activity in these cells compared to trastuzumab. Similar results were obtained in mouse IgG_2a types of both H₂Mab-250 and trastuzumab. These results suggest the different contributions of ADCC and CDC activities to the antitumor effects of H₂Mab-250-hG₁ and trastuzumab and indicate the future direction for the clinical development of H₂Mab-250-hG₁ against HER2-positive tumors.

In mountain-gorge areas, the rock creep is the critical process for high rock slopes failure. During long-term rock creep, slopes might encounter earthquakes and form further creep after earthquakes. This complex mechanical response process can easily lead to the slope failure. Based on a high rock slope in the Nujiang River Basin, this paper analyzes deformation characteristics and dynamic response characteristics by using FLAC3D software, considering combined effects of multiple earthquakes and long-term creep. Results show that when the amplitude increases, the shear strength of the slope decreases and the risk of instability increases under combined actions of creep and earthquakes. Earthquakes promote the development of creep and induce the accumulation of damage on the slope surface and in the slope. The delayed effect becomes more pronounced as the slope height increases. We need to consider deformation differences of the slope further. The ground motion response on the slope surface is stronger than those in the slope, with the peak occurring at the top of the slope. Earthquakes have a greater impact on the middle and top of the slope surface, where cumulative damage and crack development begin. Reinforcement should be considered in these two places. Vertical earthquake has a great effect on the dynamic response. The phenomenon of slope resonance leads to a larger MPGA in the vertical direction than in the horizontal direction. Nonlinear and damping characteristics of the slope and the frequency of seismic waves cause the MPGA to decrease with the increase of amplitudes. This study could promote the development of high rock slope failure mechanism and provide references for the prevention of landslides in the Nujiang River Basin.

This study investigates the potential of a hybrid nanofluid composed of MoS2 and ZnO nanoparticles dispersed in engine oil, aiming to enhance the properties of lubricant's chemical reaction with the Soret effect on stretching sheet under the influence of applied magnetic field. With the growing demand for efficient lubrication systems in various industrial applications, including automotive engines, the development of novel nanofluid-based lubricants presents a promising avenue for improving engine performance and longevity. However, the synergistic effects of hybrid nanoparticles in engine oil remain relatively unexplored. This research addresses this gap by examining the thermal conductivity, viscosity, and wear resistance of the hybrid nanofluid, shedding light on its potential as an advanced lubrication solution. By analyzing the dispersion stability and interaction mechanisms between nanoparticles and base oil, valuable insights are gained into the fundamental aspects governing the entertainment of hybrid nano lubricants. Overall, the objectives of studying hybrid nano lubricant MoS2+ZnO with engine oil aim to advance the development of more efficient and durable lubrication solutions for automotive engines, contributing to improved reliability, fuel efficiency, and environmental sustainability. Governing non-linear partial differential equations are simplified as ordinary differential equations by utilizing similarity variables. MATLAB Bvp4c technique is used to solve the obtained linear ODE equations. The outputs are presented through graphs and tables for various state variables. The comparative survey in all the graphs is presented for the nanofluid (MoS2/Engine oil) with the hybrid nanofluid (MoS2+ZnO/Engine oil). These graphs show the effect of various parameters M, Q, β, Pr, Ec, Sc, Sr, Kp, Kr and (hybrid nano lubricant parameter). The velocity profile diminished against the values of M, Kp, and β. Temperature profile rising with Ec and Q. reciprocally goes down to Pr. The concentration profile incremented with the value of Sr and decremented with the value of Sc, and Kr. With the increasing value of both f′ (η) and θ(η) increases. But in θ(η) hybrid nanofluid slows down with the higher value of .

Knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) are professional services that create new added value by creating, accumulating, and disseminating new knowledge. When it comes to conducting business involving new technology, KIBS play the roles of innovator, user, and producer of new technology that has led to technological innovation. This study aimed to determine the role of KIBS as a tool for innovation in a country’s economic system. Specifically, the degree and role of their impact on the Korean economy were analyzed and compared for the entire KIBS sector, T-KIBS (a new technology-based professional service), P-KIBS (a traditional professional service), and every subsector. For this purpose, the demand-inducement model, supply inducement model, and interlinkage effects method were applied using the 2019 input-output table published in 2022. The analysis showed that the indirect production inducement effect of the entire KIBS industry on other industries was 0.800 KRW, the indirect added value inducement effect was 0.330 KRW, and the supply disruption effect was 1.144 KRW. For T-KIBS, the indirect production inducement effect was 0.687 KRW, the indirect added value inducement effect was 0.272 KRW, and the supply disruption effect was 0.730 KRW. For P-KIBS, the indirect production inducement effect was 1.472 KRW, the indirect added value inducement effect was 0.646 KRW, and the supply disruption effect was 2.657 KRW. Finally, regarding the economic ripple effect of the KIBS subsector, legal and management support services and advertisements corresponding to P-KIBS showed higher figures than the T-KIBS subsectors in all sectors, including production inducement, the added value inducement effect, and the supply disruption effect. These results revealed that in the South Korean economic system, KIBS contribute to production and value addition across all industrial sectors. It is apparent that the absence of supply significantly disrupts other industries. Furthermore, production inducement effects are evenly distributed among all the KIBS subsectors in the secondary and tertiary sectors, while the value-added effects have a greater impact on the tertiary sector. In terms of the supply shortage effects, the secondary sector experiences a more significant impact. This underscores the crucial role of KIBS in sustaining and enhancing overall economic activity in South Korea. This study is significant in that it not only investigated KIBS as an industry group using the advantages provided by industry linkage analysis but also examined and compared detailed subsectors, thereby elaborately evaluating the influence relationship between KIBS and other industries. Therefore, the results presented in this study are expected to be useful for fostering the KIBS industrial sector and establishing economic innovation policies using KIBS.

Support effect is an important issue in heterogeneous catalysis while the explicit role of a catalytic support is often unclear for catalytic reactions. A systematic density functional theory computational study is reported in this paper to elucidate the effect of a model boron nitride (BN) support on the first N-H bond activation step of NH3 on Run (n =1, 2, 3) metal clusters. Geometry optimizations and energy calculations were carried out using density functional theory (DFT) calculation for intermediates and transition state from the starting materials undergoing the N-H activation process. The primary findings are summarized as follows. The involvement of the model BN support does not significantly alter the equilibrium structure of intermediates and transition state in the most favorable pathway (MFP). Moreover, the involvement of BN support decreases the free energy of activation, ΔG≠, thus improving the reaction rate constant. This improvement is more obvious at high temperatures like 673 K than low temperatures like 298 K. The BN support effect leading to the ΔG≠ decrease is most significant for the single Ru atom case among all three cases studied. Finally, the involvement of model BN may change the spin transition behavior of the reaction system during the N-H bond activation process. All these findings provide a deeper insight into the support effect on the N-H bond activation of NH3 for supported Ru catalyst in particular and for supported transition metal catalysts in general.

A bridged 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO) derivative (PN-DOPO) in combination with aluminum phosphates coated sepiolite (Sep@AlPO4) was used to improve the flame retardancy, thermal stability and mechanical properties of poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO)/poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) blends. The synergistic effects of PN-DOPO and Sep@AlPO4 on the fire resistance, thermal decomposition behavior and mechanical properties of PEO/PBAT composites were investigated systematically. The results indicated that 5 wt % Sep@AlPO4 combined with 10 wt% PN-DOPO into PEO/PBAT achieved a V-1 rating in UL-94 test and the LOI value increased to 23.7%, meanwhile, the peak-heat release rate (p-HRR), av-HRR and total heat release (THR) values of PEO/PBAT/PN10%/Sep5% composites decreased by 35.6%, 11.0% and 23.0% compared with those of PEO/PBAT, respectively. The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) results confirmed that PN-DOPO/Sep@AlPO4 could enhance the initial thermal stability and char yield of PEO/PBAT matrix, and TGA/Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (TGA-FTIR) results revealed that the composites exhibited the absorption peaks of phosphorous-containing groups and an increase in gas-phase volatiles during the thermal decomposition process. The digital photographs and morphological structures of char residues demonstrated that PN-DOPO and Sep@AlPO4 mixtures benefited to the formation of a more continuous and dense carbon layer on the composites surface during combustion. Rheological behavior revealed that a higher storage modulus, loss modulus and complex viscosity of PEO/PBAT/PN-DOPO/Sep@AlPO4 composites could also promote the cross-linking structure during burning. Furthermore, the PEO/PBAT/PN-DOPO/Sep@AlPO4 composites exhibited excellent mechanical properties in terms of elongation at break and flexural performance than the PEO/PBAT system. All the results demonstrated that PEO/PBAT system modified by the combination of PN-DOPO and Sep@AlPO4 not only exhibited excellent synergistic effect on the flame retardance, but also had good improvement on thermal stability and mechanical properties, indicating the potential application in areas requiring fire safety.

This study aimed to elucidate the antibacterial efficacy and unique chemical compositions generated from plasma-activated water (PAW) when utilized a novel vaginal cleansing device. We conducted an analysis of antibacterial activity against probiotics and several chemical compositions including ions under various operational parameters of PAW, including electrical power (12 and 24 V), treatment duration (1, 10, and 20 min), and stay duration (immediate, 30 and 60 min). Our findings revealed that as treatment duration increased, hypochlorous acid (HOCl), Ca2+, and Mg2+ concentrations increased and Cl−concentrations decreased. Higher electrical power and longer treatment duration resulted in increased HOCl levels, which acts to prevent the growth of general microorganisms. Notably, PAW exhibited no antibacterial effects against a type of probiotic, Lactobacillus reuteri that produces lactic acid for vaginal health. This result demonstrated the ability of the vaginal cleaning device to generate ions, primarily HOCl and some cations (Ca2+ and Mg2+), thereby providing vaginal mucosa protecting and cleansing effects with the vaginal environment.

One of the key pathogenetic links of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is the formation of insulin resistance (IR). Besides a wide selection of synthetic antidiabetic drugs, various plant-origin extracts are also available to support the treatment of T2DM. This study aimed to investigate and gain knowledge of the chemical composition and potential IR correction effect of American cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton) leaf extracts and formulate novel 3D-printed oral dosage forms for such extracts. The bioactivity and IR of L-arginine-loaded cranberry leaf extracts were studied in vivo in rats. The cranberry leaf extracts consisted of quinic, 3-caffeoylquinic (chlorogenic), p-coumaroylquinic acids, quercetin 3-O-galactoside, quercetin-3-O-glucoside, quercetin-3-xyloside, quercetin-3-O-arabino-pyranoside, quercetin-3-O-arabinofuranoside, quercetin 3-O-rhamnoside and quercetin-O-p-coumaroyl-hexoside-2 identified by HPLC. In-vivo studies with rats showed that the oral administration of the cranberry leaf extracts had a positive effect on insulin sensitivity coefficients under ITT test, and affected HOMA-IR levels and liver lipid content with experimental IR. A novel 3D-printed immediate-release dosage form was developed for the oral administration of cranberry leaf extracts using polyethylene oxide (PEO) as a carrier gel in a semi-solid extrusion (SSE) 3D printing. In conclusion, American cranberry leaf extracts loaded with L-arginine could find uses in preventing health issues associated with IR.

Maxwell equations governing electromagnetic effects are being shown to be equivalent to the compressible inviscid Navier-Stokes equations applicable in fluid dynamics and representing conservation of mass and linear momentum. The latter applies subject to a generalized Beltrami condition to be satisfied by the magnetic field. This equivalence indicates that the compressible inviscid Navier-Stokes equations are Lorentz invariant as they derive directly from the Lorentz invariant Maxwell equations subject to the same Beltrami condition. In addition, the derivation results provide support for the claim that electromagnetic potentials have physical significance as demonstrated by Aharonov-Bohm effect, and are not only a convenient mathematical formulation.

Cu-Sn shape-memory microwires were fabricated by a glass-coated melt spinning method. Effects of Sn content on the microstructure and mechanical property of microwires were investigated. The phase transforms from martensite to austenite with Sn content increasing from 14.0 atomic percent (at.%) to 16.5 at.%, and highly ordered intermetallic phase, δ, formed with higher Sn content. The fracture stress, σf, and the critical stress for martensitic transformation, σMs, increases with Sn content increasing. The mechanical property as well as superelasticity were improved greatly by high cooling rate of the glass-coated melt spinning method.

(1) Background: The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is a growing concern in the field of medicine. This has led to the need for alternative treatments for bacterial infections. (2) Methods: The present study aimed to investigate the synergistic effect of a water-based extract of S. fru-tescens and penicillin G on the growth of E. faecalis. (3) Results: The study found that the combina-tion of the plant extract and penicillin G had a synergistic effect on the inhibition of bacterial growth, with a significantly larger inhibition zone observed compared to penicillin G alone. The MIC and MBC tests also demonstrated that the combination of the plant extract and penicillin G was more effective against E. faecalis than penicillin G alone, with a dilution of 1 in 4 yielding 100% inhibition of growth. (4) Conclusion: Although the specific mechanism of action was not dis-cussed in the study, the results suggest that the combination of the plant extract and penicillin G may offer a promising alternative treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections. Further research is needed to determine the active compounds in the plant extract and to investigate the synergistic effect of the combination on other strains of bacteria.

We employed the Riemannian Face Manifold (RFM) as an alternative approach to the conventional linear Euclidean space for explaining the atypicality bias in face likeliness judgments. The RFM posits that the mental representation of faces is better captured as a manifold of stable states, accounting for the nonlinearity in the physical properties of faces. To examine the relationship between physical and psychological distance of morph and typical/atypical faces, we manipulated the parameter k and incorporated a weight function in the Riemannian metric. Our results indicate that the psychological distance between the morph and typical face was longer than that between the morph and atypical face, consistent with prior research on the atypicality bias in perceptual similarity. The RFM approach provides mathematical support and is a powerful tool for studying face perception and recognition, offering potential implications for explaining the other-race effect. Future research can utilize the RFM to investigate individual differences in face recognition abilities and expertise, and how they impact psychological distance and face processing.

Accurate measurement of low-level thoron gas and high-accuracy calibration of thoron measurement devices are essential for assessing and preventing thoron radiological risks. This study aimed to develop a thoron gas measurement technique using an airflow-through scintillation cell for both low-level measurement and high-accuracy calibration. To achieve this, a compartment model was developed to estimate the influence of progeny deposition and accumulation on the wall of the scintillation cell to prevent overestimation of thoron. A self-developed scintillation cell was utilized to implement and validate this technique. The lower detection limit and measurement uncertainty were then evaluated to assess the feasibility of the technique for low-level measurement and high-accuracy calibration. The results showed that the compartment model effectively addressed the influence of the progeny deposition. The measurement technique achieved a lower detection limit below 100 Bq m-3 even with the coexistence of 100 Bq m-3 of radon and attained a measurement uncertainty (k = 2) below 10% when the concentration of thoron exceeded 1,000 Bq m-3. In summary, this study developed a reliable and practical thoron gas measurement technique using an airflow-through scintillation cell with consideration for progeny deposition, and is expected to contribute to the assessment and prevention of thoron radiological risk.

In this age of global warming, academics and policymakers are increasingly concerned about firm environmental sustainability success. Therefore, this study aims to investigate whether Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) performance impacts sustainability performance through the mediating effect of firm innovation. To this end, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was deployed to analyze data collected from the employees of manufacturing industries in an emerging economy like Bangladesh. The results revealed that ESG performance significantly enhances the innovation and sustainability performance of manufacturing industries, indicating that the higher the ESG performance of a firm, the greater its innovation and sustainability performance. Furthermore, the results confirmed that firm innovation performance fully mediates the relationship between ESG initiatives and sustainability performance. The findings of this study provide policymakers and industry authorities with valuable insight into the role of ESG and innovation performance in improving sustainability performance. Specifically, the study sheds knowledge on how firm ESG initiatives and innovation performance impact sustainability performance in the manufacturing sector of an emerging economy like Bangladesh.

In the development of the safety-critical systems, it is important to perform Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) process to identify potential failures. However, traditional FMEA activities tend to be considered difficult and time-consuming tasks. To compensate for the difficulty of the FMEA task, various types of tools are used to increase the quality and the effectiveness of the FMEA reports. This paper explains an Automatic FMEA tool which integrates the Model-based Design (MBD), FMEA, and Simulated Fault Injection techniques in a single environment. The Automatic FMEA tool has the following advantages compared to the existing FMEA analysis tool. First, the Automatic FMEA tool automatically generates FMEA reports compared to the traditional spreadsheet-based FMEA tools. Second, the Automatic FMEA tool analyzes the causality between the failure modes and the failure effects by performing model-based fault injection simulation. In order to demonstrate the applicability of the Automatic FMEA, we used the electronic fuel injection system (EFI) Simulink model. The results of the Automatic FMEA were compared to that of the legacy FMEA.

Our brain continuously interacts with the body as we engage with the world. Although we are mostly unaware of internal bodily processes, such as our heartbeats, they may be influenced by and in turn influence our perception and emotional feelings. While there is a recent focus on understanding cardiac interoceptive activity and interaction with brain activity during emotion processing, the investigation of cardiac-brain interactions with more ecologically valid naturalistic emotional stimuli is still very limited. We also do not understand how an essential aspect of emotions like context familiarity influences affective feelings and is linked to cardiac-brain interactions. Hence to answer these questions, we designed an exploratory study by recording ECG and EEG signals for the emotional events while participants were watching emotional movie clips. Participants also rated their familiarity with the stimulus on the familiarity scale. Linear mixed effect modelling was performed in which the ECG power and familiarity were considered as predictors of EEG power. We focused on three brain regions, including prefrontal (PF), frontocentral (FC) and parietooccipital (PO). The analyses showed that cardiac-brain interaction is dependent on familiarity such that the interaction is stronger with high familiarity. In addition, the results indicate that arousal is predicted by cardiac-brain interaction, which also depends on familiarity. The results support emotional theories that emphasize context dependency and interoception. Multimodal studies with more realistic stimuli would further enable us to understand and predict different aspects of emotional experience.

The combination of organic matter, iron oxide, and clay minerals is of great significance for the adsorption of copper ions (Cu). The purpose of this study is to explore the characteristics of Cu adsorption and laws governing Cu complexation to organic–inorganic, organic–clay mineral, and iron-oxide–clay mineral complexes in the sediments in the estuary of plateau fault and sinking lake——Dianchi Lake. In this study, Cu adsorption tests were performed on the three complexes, in order to study the kinetic behavior of adsorption, Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were used. The samples before and after adsorption were characterized via scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Our results show that, the Freundlich isotherm models model was able to describe adsorbent behavior in comparison to the Langmuir models. During the Cu adsorption process, the iron-oxide–clay mineral complex is able to adsorb Cu, via coordination exchange, through the –OH contained therein. Organic-matter–clay mineral complexes bonded to the surfaces of clay minerals by replacing the hydroxyl groups with functional groups (carboxyl groups or phenolic hydroxyl groups) contained in the organic matter. Organic–inorganic composites then adsorbed Cu through the coordination exchange of –OH in the polar functional groups of alcohols, phenols, and carboxylic acids. The adsorption capacity of Cu in these three sediment complexes was observed to have the following order: organic–inorganic complex &gt; organic-matter–clay mineral complex &gt; iron-oxide–clay mineral complex. The semi-quantitative analysis results of Fourier Infrared Spectroscopy show that the organic matter (changes in the peak area of functional groups such as carboxyl groups) in the organic-inorganic composite material has an important effect on the amount of copper ions adsorbed by clay minerals.

Understanding of the decisive role of the interaction mechanism and kinetics in the combustion processes is highly relevant for the elaboration of optimal conditions for obtaining Mo-Cu composite powders. From this perspective, the efficient delivery of the reduction mechanism of copper and molybdenum oxides with combined Mg + C reducing agents at high heating rates is crucial to develop a valuable approach for the combustion synthesis of Mo-Cu composite powders. Herein, we shed light on the mechanism of the reactions in all the studied binary, ternary and quaternary systems contemporaneously demonstrating the effect of the heating rate on the conversion degree. The combination of two highly exothermic and speedy reactions (MoO3+3Mg and CuO+Mg vs MoO3+CuO+4Mg) led to a slow interaction with weak self-heating (dysynergistic effect) due to a change in the reaction mechanism. On the other hand, it has been shown that during the simultaneous utilization of the Mg and C reducing agents, the process begins exclusively with carbothermic reduction, and at relatively high temperatures it continues with magnesiothermic one. The effective activation energy values of the magnesiothermic stages of the studied reactions were determined by Kissinger isoconversional method.

Keywords: underground engineering; numerical simulation; excavation length effect, major principal stress; displacement; damage initiation; CPU time

Pd-Pt catalysts supported on carbon preheated to 1600°C have been reinvestigated in CHFCl2 hydrodechlorination. An additionally adopted catalyst oxidation at 350-400°C produced an order of magnitude increase in the catalytic activity of Pd/C. This increase is not caused by changes in metal dispersion or possible decontamination of the Pd surface from superficial carbon, but rather by unlocking the active surface, originally inaccessible in metal particles tightly packed in the pores of carbon. Burning carbon from the pore walls attached to the metal changes the pore structure, providing easier access for the reactants to the entire palladium surface. As upon calcination the performance of the rest of the Pd-Pt/C catalysts changes less than for Pd/C, the relation between the turnover frequency and alloy composition does not confirm the Pd-Pt synergy invoked in our previous work. The use of even higher-preheated carbon (1800°C), completely free of micropores, results in a Pd/C catalyst that does not need to be oxidized to achieve high activity and excellent selectivity up to CH2F2 (>90%).

Neonatal palliative care (NPC) is an integrated and holistic approach that is an integral part of the contemporary neonatal treatment delivery paradigm. It is the highest fulfillment of the notion of beneficence (doing or creating 'good') that has otherwise been neglected/underestimated by the focus of modern medicine on technology and instrumental treatments by its commitment to alleviating patient pain and quality of life. For decades, the Double-Effect Doctrine (DDE) has been used to consider and address a range of ethically questionable circumstances, often at the end of life, including euthanasia, termination of pregnancy to save maternal life, and morally justified warfare. The theory has continued to be mired in controversy as ethicists, legal scholars, theologians, and philosophers discuss the abstract concepts of moral reasoning, purpose, foresight, and other underlying moral theories. In this paper, the moral theory of DDE is discussed in its clinical application to the ethical decision-making process in neonatal palliative and end-of-life treatment, specifically 1) the administration of opioids as required for symptom control and 2) the use of palliative sedation for intractable symptom care.

The extracts from the aerial parts of Helianthus salicifolius A. Dietr and Helianthus tuberosus L. collected in June were obtained using carbon dioxide supercritical fluid extraction with water as co-solvent. The antimicrobial activity in vitro of these extracts were determined against the reference species of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria as well as fungi, representing by the yeast species of Candida spp. The following parameters were estimated: minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) or minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC). Both extracts were found to possess antimicrobial activity with MIC = 0.62-5 mg mL-1 for bacteria and MIC = 5-10 mg mL-1 for yeasts, showing bactericidal (MBC/MIC = 2-4) or fungicidal effect (MFC/MIC = 1-2 ). The highest activity was observed against S. aureus ATCC 29213 (MIC = 0.62 mg mL-1 for H. salicifolius extract; MIC = 2.5 mg mL-1 for H. tuberosus extract). Bactericidal effect of both extracts against S. aureus ATCC 29213 was confirmed by time-kill assay. Higher antioxidant activity was found for H. tuberosus extract (EC50 = 0.332 mg mL-1) as compared to that of H. salicifolius (EC50 = 0.609 mg mL-1). The total polyphenol content (TPC) expressed as gallic acid equivalents (GAE) was 13.75 ± 0.50 mg GAE (g of H. salicifolius extract)-1 and 33.06 ± 0.80 mg GAE (g of H. tuberosus extract)-1. There was a correlation between the antioxidant potential of both extracts and TPC but not between antistaphylococcal activity and TPC. The obtained data suggest potential application of these extracts as the natural preparations with the biocidal activity, including those with antistaphylococcal activity. Besides, both extracts may be regarded as potential natural conservants in cosmetics as well as natural preservatives in food.

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

We performed a global analysis with data from 149 countries to test whether temperature can explain the spatial variability of the spread rate and mortality of COVID-19 at the global scale. We performed partial correlation analysis and linear mixed effect modelling to evaluate the association of the spread rate and motility of COVID-19 with maximum, minimum, average temperatures and temperature extreme (difference between maximum and minimum temperature) and other environmental and socioeconomic parameters. After controlling the effect of the duration after the first positive case, partial correlation analysis revealed that temperature was not related with the spatial variability of the spread rate of COVID-19. Mortality was negatively related with temperature in the countries with high-income economies. In contrast, temperature extreme was significantly and positively correlated with mortality in the low-and middle-income countries. Taking the country heterogeneity into account, mixed effect modelling revealed that inclusion of temperature as a fixed effect in the model significantly improved model skill predicting mortality in the low-and middle-income countries. Our analysis suggest that warm climate may reduce the mortality rate in high-income economies but in low and middle-income countries temperature extreme may increase the mortality risk.

Mineral wool made from basalt fibers is frequently used as an insulating material in construction systems. In this study, both unused mineral wool, and wool obtained from the softened roofing area, were comprehensively analyzed in a laboratory using different characterization techniques. Firstly, the amount of initial water content and compressive strength at 10% deformation were determined. Secondly, microstructure and surface chemical composition were analysed by Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX). To study heterogeneities near the fiber surface and to examine cross-sectional composition, a Scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) was used. Finally, to verify possible reasons for resin degradation, Thermogravimetry analysis and differential scanning colometry (TGA-DSC) were simultaneously carried out. The results show that natural aging under high humidity and thermal fluctuations greatly affects the surface morphology and chemical composition of fibrous composite. Phenol-formaldehyde and other hydrophobic compounds that protect fibers against moisture and give compressive resistance were found to be degraded.

The purpose of this study was to conduct a meta-analysis that shows the influence of fiber on ultimate compressive strength and tensile strength of ultra-high performance concrete. The internet scholarly search engines and ScienceDirect article references were used to illustrate the papers concerning the experimental investigations of mechanical properties of ultra-high strength concrete with and without fiber with clearly, completely and comparative raw data. The normal concrete test results were dismissed from this search. Seven trials were identified based on the adopted inclusion and exclusion criteria above. The meta-analysis based on standardized mean difference was carried out on the basis of a fixed-effects model for the major outcomes of the ultimate compressive and tensile properties of ultra-high performance concrete. A total of 888 test specimens were enrolled in these seven trials. The combined analysis yielded a sign of a significant improvement in ultimate compressive strength and tensile strength of ultra-high strength concrete with fiber addition of 2% by concrete volume. The summary effect size of ultimate compressive strength was 2.34 while a more improvement in term of tensile strength with effect size of 2.64. By addition fiber of 2% provides a significant benefit in mechanical properties of ultra-high performance concrete.

Less aligned emphasis has been given to the COVID-19 infodemic coordinating with the COVID-19 outbreak. Global profusion of tangled monikers and hashtags has found their ways in daily communication and contributed to backlash against Chinese. Official naming efforts against infodemic should be meet with a fair share of identification. Based on brief critical reviews on previous multifarious naming practices, we punctuate heuristic introspection in scientific conventions and sociocultural paradigms. Infodemiological analysis promises to articulate that people around the globe are divided in their favor stigmatized monikers in the public and scientific communities because of perceptual bias. There is no positive correlation between the degree of infection in their territories and collective perceptual bias to COVID-19. The official portfolio “COVID-19” and “SARS-CoV-2” has not become de facto standard usages, but full-fledged official names are excepted to duly contribute to the resilience of negative perceptual bias and collective behavioral propensities.

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

Torenia Concolor Lindley var. formosama Yamazaki ethanolic extract (TCEE) is reported to have anti-inflammatory and anti-obesity properties. However, the effects of TCEE and its underlying mechanisms in the activation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) have not yet been investigated. Increasing the endothelium-derived nitric oxide (NO) production has been known to be beneficial against the development of cardiovascular diseases. In this study, we investigated the effect of TCEE on eNOS activation and NO-related endothelial function and inflammation by using in vitro system. In endothelial cells (ECs), TCEE increased NO production in a concentration-dependent a manner without affecting the expression of eNOS. In addition, TCEE increased the phosphorylation of eNOS at serine 635 residue (Ser635) and Ser1179, Akt at Ser473, calmodulin kinase II (CaMKII) at threonine residue 286 (Thr286) and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) at Thr172. Moreover, TCEE-induced NO production, and EC proliferation, migration and tube formation were diminished by pretreatment with LY294002 (an Akt inhibitor), KN62 (a CaMKII inhibitor) and compound C (an AMPK inhibitor). Additionally, TCEE attenuated the tumor necrosis factor-α-induced inflammatory response as evidenced by the expression of adhesion molecules in ECs and monocyte adhesion onto ECs. These inflammatory effects of TCEE were abolished by L-NG-nitroarginine methyl ester (a NOS inhibitor). Collectively, our findings suggest that TCEE confers protection from endothelial dysfunction by activating the Akt/CaMKII/AMPK/eNOS/NO signaling pathway.

Prolonged high-intensity grinding can modify the crystal structure of solid substances and/or induce chemical reaction, which is referred to as mechanochemical reaction. Such reactions can exert positive influences on hydrometallurgical processes, therefore, many researchers have applied mechanochemical reactions for metals dissolution from minerals. The mechanism of mechanochemical reaction has been investigated using solid analyses and simulations. Structural changes caused by mechanochemical reaction are not yet sufficiently clarified because the ground samples are amorphous. The objective of this study was to analyze structural changes of cerianite in weathered residual rare earth ore by mechanochemical reduction. Structural change was analyzed by x-ray absorption near-edge structure and extended x-ray absorption fine structure analysis at the cerium L_III- and K-edges. These analyses revealed that the structural change of cerianite in this ore induced by mechanochemical reduction involved oxygen vacancy production. The process of the oxygen vacancy formation was closely coupled with the quantum effect of localization–delocalization of the 4f electron of cerium.

Deformation of the surface of diamagnetic liquid by magnetic field is called the “Moses Effect”. Physics and applications of the direct and inverse Moses effects are reviewed. Experimental techniques enabling visualization of the effects are surveyed. Impact of magnetic field on micro- and macroscopic properties of liquids is addressed. Influence of the surface tension on the shape of the near-surface dip formed in a diamagnetic liquid by magnetic field is reported. Floating of diamagnetic bodies driven by the Moses effect is treated. The effect of the “magnetic memory of water” in its relation to the Moses Effect is discussed. The dynamics of self-healing of near-surface dips due to the Moses Effect is considered.

An eigenvalue equation representing symmetric (dual) quantum equation is introduced. The particle is described by two scalar wavefunctions, and two vector wavefunctions. The eigenfunction is found to satisfy the quantum Telegraph equation keeping the form of the particle fixed but decaying its amplitude. An analogy with Maxwellian equations is presented. Massive electromagnetic field will satisfy a quantum Telegraph equation instead of a pure wave equation. This equation resembles the motion of the electromagnetic field in a conducting medium. With a particular setting of the scalar and vector wavefunctions, the dual quantum equations are found to yield the quantized Maxwell's equations. The total energy of the particle is related to the phase velocity ($v_p$) of the wave representing it by $E=p\,|v_p|$, where $p$ is the matter wave momentum. A particular solution which describes the process under which the particle undergoes a creation and annihilation is derived. The force acting on the moving particle is expressed in a dual Lorentz-like form. If the particle moves like a fluid, a dissipative (drag) quantum force will arise.

The most significant assumptions in the subdomain technique (i.e., based on the formal resolution of Maxwell's equations applied in subdomain) is defined by: “The iron parts (i.e., the teeth and the back-iron) are considered to be infinitely permeable so that the saturation effect is neglected”. In this paper, the author presents a new scientific contribution on improving of this method in two-dimensional (2-D) and in Cartesian coordinates by focusing on the consideration of iron. The subdomains connection is carried out in the two directions (i.e., x- and y-edges). For example, the improvement was performed by solving magnetostatic Maxwell's equations for an air- or iron-cored coil supplied by a direct current. To evaluate the efficacy of the proposed technique, the magnetic flux density distributions have been compared with those obtained by the 2-D finite-element analysis (FEA). The semi-analytical results are in quite satisfying agreement with those obtained by the 2-D FEA, considering both amplitude and waveform.

Agricultural greenhouse is largely answered in the agricultural sphere, despite the shortcomings it has, including overheating during the day and night cooling which sometimes results in the thermal inversion mainly due to its low inertia. The glasshouse dressed chapel is relatively more efficient than the conventional tunnel greenhouse. Its proliferation on the ground is more or less timid because of its relatively high cost[14-22]. Agricultural greenhouse aims to create a favorable microclimate to the requirements of growth and development of culture, from the surrounding weather conditions, produce according to the cropping calendars fruits, vegetables and flower species out of season and widely available along the year. It is defined by its structural and functional architecture, the quality thermal, mechanical and optical of its wall, with its sealing level and the technical and technological accompanying[12-13]. The greenhouse is a very confined environment, where multiple components are exchanged between key stakeholders and them factors are light, temperature and relative humidity[8]. This state of thermal evolution is the level sealing of the cover of its physical characteristics to be transparent to solar, absorbent and reflective of infrared radiation emitted by the enclosure where the solar radiation trapping effect otherwise called "greenhouse effect" and its technical and technological means of air that accompany. The socio-economic analysis of populations in the world leaves appear especially the last two decades of rapid and profound transformations These changes are accompanied by changes in eating habits, mainly characterized by rising consumption spread along the year[14]. To effectively meet this demand, greenhouse-systems have evolved, particularly towards greater control of production conditions (climate, irrigation, ventilation techniques, CO2 supply, etc ...). Technological progress has allowed the development of greenhouses so that they become increasingly sophisticated and of an industrial nature (heating, air conditioning, control, computer, regulation, etc ...). New climate driving techniques have emerged, including the use of control devices from the classic to the use of artificial intelligence[10-11] such as neural networks and / or fuzzy logic, etc... As a result, the greenhouse growers prefer these new technologies while optimizing the investment in the field to effectively meet the supply and demand of these fresh products cheaply and widely available throughout the year.

Brain tumors are frequently classified with high accuracy using convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and better comprehend the spatial connections among pixels in complex pictures. Due to their tiny receptive fields, the majority of deep convolutional neural network (DCNN)-based techniques overfit and are unable to extract global context information from more significant regions. While dilated convolution retains data resolution at the output layer and increases the receptive field without adding computation, stacking several dilated convolutions has the drawback of producing a grid effect. To handle gridding artifacts and extract both coarse and fine features from the images, this research suggests using a dilated parallel deep convolutional neural network (PDCNN) architecture that preserves a wide receptive field. To reduce complexity, initially, input images are resized and then grayscale transformed. Data augmentation has since been used to expand the number of datasets. Dilated PDCNN makes use of the lower computational overhead and contributes to the reduction of gridding artifacts. By contrasting various dilation rates, the global path uses a low dilation rate (2,1,1), while the local path uses a high dilation rate (4,2,1) for decremental even numbers to tackle gridding artifacts and extract both coarse and fine features from the two parallel paths. Using three different types of MRI datasets, the suggested dilated PDCNN with the average ensemble method performs better. The accuracy provided by the Multiclass Kaggle dataset-III, Figshare dataset-II, and Binary tumor identification dataset-I is 98.35%, 98.13%, and 98.67%, respectively. In comparison to state-of-the-art techniques, the suggested structure improves results by extracting both fine and coarse features, making it efficient.

Conjugated polymers (CPs) offer potentials for sustainable semiconductor devices due to their low cost, and inherent molecular self-assembly. Enhanced crystallinity and molecular orientation in thin films of solution-processable CPs have significantly improved organic electronic device per-formance. In this work, three methods namely spin-coating, dip-coating, and unidirectional float-ing-film transfer method (UFTM) were utilized with their parametric optimization for fabricating RR-P3HT films. These films were then utilized for their characterization via optical and micro-structural analysis to elucidate dominant roles of molecular orientation, and crystallinity in con-trolling charge transport in organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). OFETs fabricated by RR-P3HT thin films using spin-coating and dip-coating displayed field-effect mobility (μ) of 8.0 × 10-4 cm2V-1s-1 and 1.3 × 10-3 cm2V-1s-1, respectively. This two-time enhancement in (µ for dip-coated films was attributed to its enhanced crystallinity. Interestingly, UFTM films based OFETs demon-strated μ of 7.0 × 10-2 cm2V-1s-1, >100 times increment as compared to its spin-coated counterpart This superior device performance is attributed to synergistic influence of higher crystallinity and molecular orientation. Since the crystallinity of dip-coated and UFTM-thin films are similar ~50 times improved µ of UFTM thin films suggest a dominant role of molecular orientation as com-pared to crystallinity in controlling the charge transport.

At present, farmland abandonment（FA）is a severe phenomenon in China, imposing a serious restriction on agricultural production. In this context, it is of great significance to explore the logical relationship between high-standard farmland construction (HSFC) and FA to optimize land resource allocation and guarantee national food security. Based on 838 samples of farmers in the main rice production area of the Yangtze River Basin in China, this paper employs the Tobit model, the mediating effect model, and the moderated mediating effect model to analyze the impact of HSFC on FA at the micro level. The results show that (1) HSFC inhibits FA, and FA proportion decreases by 1.14% for every 1% increase in HSFC proportion, and the robustness test and endogeneity treatment also yield consistent conclusions. (2) Agricultural socialization services (ASS) play a positive mediating role in the influence path. HSFC promotes farmers' purchase of ASS, which in turn inhibits FA. (3) The agricultural labor transfer distance (ALTD) plays a positive moderating role in the relationship between HSFC and FA. The farther the distance, the more likely HSFC can promote farmers' purchase of ASS and inhibit FA. The results provide enlightenment on how to precisely implement HSFC policy, that is, to inhibit FA by improving the construction of high-standard farmland and the post-construction management as well as protection system. Moreover, this study helps guiding the development of ASS and optimizing the institutional environment for agricultural labor transfer, creating conditions for agricultural scale management.

A review of literature, supporting the view on the psychophysical origins of some acceptance effects of cyber-physical systems (CPSs), is presented and discussed in the paper. Psychological effects like the reactance to a robot or the uncanny valley phenomenon suggest that CPSs are perceived as a special type of ‘being’, a phylogenetically emergent category, or a novel ontology in a philosophical sense, culturally developing as a function of the social brain. Justification of this view is provided by the psychophysically-relevant human responses to technologically and socially ambiguous stimuli on the one hand, and the probabilistic independence of the proposed ontology to similar ontologies, subjectively experienced by the human, on the other. The results of the presented in the paper analysis demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed hypothesis of ontological ‘near independence’ of the distribution of the probabilistic psychophysical processes in response to the cyber-physical stimulus as a socially evolving phenomenon.

In this study, a Traveling-Wave Mach-Zehnder intensity Modulator (TW-MZM) was designed and optimized for six different electro-optical (EO) crystals: Lithium Niobate (LNB), Potassium Niobate (KNB), Lithium Titanate (LTO), Beta Barium Borate (BBO), Cadmium Telluride (CdTe), and Indium phosphide (InP). The performance of each EO crystal, including optical and radio frequency (RF) loss, applied voltage, and modulation bandwidth, was estimated and compared. The results suggested that, in theory, KNB, LTO, BBO, and CdTe have the potential to outperform LNB. However, it should be noted that the loss associated with KNB and LTO is comparable to that of LNB. The findings demonstrated that BBO and CdTe exhibit a modulation bandwidth exceeding 100 GHz and demonstrate the lowest loss among the considered crystals based on the assumed geometry.

Transition metal complexes have historically played a pivotal role in creating vibrant pigments utilized across artistic mediums such as ceramics, paintings, and glass mosaics. Despite their extensive historical use, our understanding of the mechanisms governing transition metal complex behavior has predominantly emerged in recent times, leaving numerous aspects of this process ripe for exploration. These complexes exhibit striking color variations under diverse conditions when employed in pigment formulations. This review utilizes a bottom-up scientific approach, spanning from microscopic to macroscopic scales, to unravel the molecular origins of the colors generated by transition metal complexes in pigments and ceramic glazes. Advanced spectroscopy techniques and computational chemistry play pivotal roles in this endeavor, highlighting the significance of understanding and utilizing analytical data effectively, with careful consideration of each technique's specific application. Furthermore, the review investigates the influence of processing conditions on color variations, providing valuable insights for artists and manufacturers aiming to enhance the precision and quality of their creations while mitigating environmental impact.

Active front-end (AFE) rectifiers have been becoming widely employed in power systems to achieve unity power factor and harmonic mitigations. The typical modeling approaches applied for AFE rectifiers in the literature mostly relied on two baselines named the detailed model and the time average model. The former approach deals with the switching element model (SEM) leads to significant harmonics in currents with distorted waveforms. The latter approach uses the average-value model (AVM) to overcome the currents’ harmonics as well as provide fast responses. However, even the AVM baseline has contained problems during the starting stage (lack of control signals) and over the dead-time periods which causes serious issues in the implementation process. This paper presents an improved dynamic AVM for AFE rectifiers by precisely considering the issues mentioned above along with the practical starting procedure and desirable initialization. The studied AFE rectifier is developed using the voltage-oriented control (VOC) technique based on the different modeling methodologies including SEM, Conventional AVM, and the proposed AVM. The performance of all models is analyzed and compared using simulation results with MATLAB/Simulink R2023a Function blocks for all the algorithm parts and SimScape elements for the electrical circuit model. The simulation results illustrate that the performance of the proposed AVM approach can closely resemble the behavior of the SEM baseline with low harmonic distortion.

Musculoskeletal infections (MIs) are among the most difficult-to-treat staphylococcal diseases. The limited availability of effective antibiotics has encouraged the development of innovative strategies such as combinatory therapy to combat MI. The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro antistaphylococcal activity of anti-inflammatory and the antimicrobial combinatory effect of celecoxib with oxacillin. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 17 anti-inflammatory drugs were determined for standard strains and clinical isolates of S. aureus strains, counting methicillin-resistant strains (MRSA), by the broth microdilution method. The fractional inhibitory concentration indices (FICIs) were evaluated by the checkerboard assays. Celecoxib produced the most potent antistaphylococcal effect against all the tested strains (MIC ranging from 32 to 64 mg/mL), followed by diacerein against MRSA3 and MRSA ATCC 33592 (MIC 64 mg/mL). Several synergistic effects were observed for tested S. aureus strains, including MRSA (FICI ranging from 0.087 to 0.471). The strongest synergistic interaction (FICI 0.087) was obtained against MRSA ATCC 33592 at a celecoxib concentration of 2 mg/mL with a 19-fold oxacillin MIC reduction (from 512 to 26.888 mg/mL). This is the first report on the antistaphylococcal combinatory effect of celecoxib with oxacillin. Our findings suggest celecoxib and its combination with oxacillin as perspective agents for research focused on the development of novel therapies for MI caused by S. aureus. Thus, this study presents novel findings that celecoxib could, in some cases, resensitise MRSA strains to become susceptible to certain β-lactams (e.g., oxacillin) not previously tested.

A novel high-speed directly modulated two-section distributed feedback (TS-DFB) semiconductor laser based on the detuned-loading effect is proposed and simulated. Grating structure is designed by reconstruction-equivalent-chirp (REC) technique. A π phase-shift is introduced into the reflection grating, which can provide a narrow-band reflection region with a sharp falling slope on both sides of the reflection spectrum, thus enhancing the detuned-loading effect. Owing to its unique dual-falling-edges structure the bandwidth can be improved even when the lasing wavelength shifts beyond the left falling edge due to thermal effect in actual test, in which condition the detuned-loading effect can be used twice, which greatly improves the yield. The modulation bandwidth is increased from 17.5 GHz for a single DFB laser to around 24 GHz when the lasing wavelength is located on the left falling edge of the TS-DFB laser based on detuned-loading effect, and can be increased to 22 GHz for the right side. An eight-channel laser array with precise wavelength spacing is investigated, with side mode suppression ratio (SMSR) > 36dB. Besides, TS-DFB lasers with uniform reflection grating are studied and simulated result shows that modulation characteristic is far inferior to the laser with a phase-shifted grating reflector.

The main aim of this study is to predict whether the type of breast cancer is “benign” or “malignant” by classical generalized linear model (GLM) approach and an extended family of GLM called generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) approach for binomially distributed response variable with binary link functions. In this study, an advanced statistical modeling approach based on the GLMM to the traditional statistical modeling approach based on the GLM for binomially distributed response variable with various binary link functions is proposed to investigate the relationships between the “malignant or benign diagnosis of the BC in patients” and “nine attributes” of 699 BC diagnosed patients. This study also focuses on the statistical significance of the accurate classification of the BC diagnosed patients in cancer studies in medicine in “benign” or “malignant” type based on the WBC dataset. In this study, the superiority of the GLMM approach over the GLM approach for the binary response variable especially belonging to the WBC dataset is emphasized in the field of cancer diagnosis in medicine. Also the importance and the power of the IC and performance metrics as the goodness-of-fit test statistics are strongly emphasized for accurate statistical inferences from the “best” fitted model. In this study, from the main findings, the best fitted model among the GLM and GLMM approaches for the binary response variable is determined as the GLMM under “logit” link function with “id” random effect with the most statistically significant odds of the occurance of the BC being “malignant” as 7.9104, 5.6888, 5.6643, 4.9842, 4.1212, 2.0679, 1.8755, and 1.3970 times more than being “benign” for every one-unit increase in the quantities of “clump thickness”, “bland chromatin”, “mitoses”, “bare nuclei”, “cell shape”, “marginal adhesion”, “epithelial cell size”, and “cell size”, respectively.

The effect of neutron irradiation of Si-Ge/Si film structures obtained by gas-phase epitaxy on the processes of charge carrier generation and the magnitude of the dark short-circuit current and open-circuit voltage caused by it is studied, it is shown that their magnitude practically does not change with time. The results obtained indicate that all types of structural defects, both associated with dopant impurities and radiation exposure, contribute to the generation of charge carriers in heated silicon structures with the participation of deep energy levels, which indicates the applicability of neutron processing of silicon materials to create thermal energy converters, operating at high temperatures.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) represent the leading cause of global mortality with 1,7 million deaths a year. One of the alternative systems to drug therapy to minimize the risk of CVDs is represented by alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an essential fatty acid of the Omega-3 series, known for its cholesterol-lowering effect. The main purpose of this review is to analyze the effects of ALA and investigate the relevant n-6/n-3 ratio in order to maintain functionally beneficial effects. Concerning the lipid-lowering preventive effects, ALA may favorably affect the values of LDL-C and triglycerides in either adult and pediatric populations and it has a positive and protective effect against hypertension, suggesting that ALA is an useful diet-related antihypertensive compound. According to the 2009 EFSA statement, dietary ALA may contribute to reducing the risk of CVDs, thanks to anti-hypertensive, anti-atherosclerotic and cardio-protective effects.

Computer and Smart Device-assisted Learning (CSDL) has gained increasing attention from educational researchers and practitioners in recent years. However, it remains controversial whether student can benefit from CSDL and what moderator could affect the impact of CSDL. Within the specific context of Korea, where the interest in digital education is steadily increasing, the number of empirical studies exploring the causal effect of CSDL remains relatively scarce. The primary objective of this empirical study was to investigate the impact of CSDL on students' academic achievement in Korea. To achieve this objective, a two-way fixed effect model was employed, utilizing a panel dataset spanning three years derived from the 'Korean Education Longitudinal Study 2013'. The findings revealed a significant positive impact of CSDL on students’ Mathematics achievement. Notably, higher income levels, increased availability of computer resources provided by schools, and the implementation of more individualized education were identified as factors that moderate the effect of CSDL on students' achievement levels in Korean and English subjects. These findings underscore the need for an approach that optimizes the educational benefits of CSDL by considering subject-specific characteristics. Furthermore, this study highlights the importance of allocating educational resources, such as computers and smart devices, and integrating individualized educational activities within the classroom environment.