There is still little research on psychological wellbeing, life satisfaction and reported problems in preadolescents and adolescents under therapy for leukaemia, and also little research comparing them with their healthy peers. The present study aims to analyse the life satisfaction, hope, psychological wellbeing and reported problems’ intensity in patients aged 8-18 during the first year of therapy, to identify those more at risk and to compare their reports with matched healthy peers. After the parental written consent signature, a battery of self-reported questionnaires was administered during hospitalisation or day hospital admissions post 6 months and post 12 months from the diagnosis. Younger patients (aged 8–13 years) were more at risk than older ones in their problems’ intensity and psychological symptoms; females and Acute Myeloid Leukaemia patients reported lower current life satisfaction perceptions; hope was associated with lower depression symptoms and mood problems. Healthy peers have a better perception of current life, but reported a lower hope score, more anxiety symptoms and more cognitive problems than patients. The first 6 months were more critical for patients’ psychological health. The clinical aim was to identify the patients more at risk in order to prepare ad hoc psychological interventions.

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.

Using hierarchical regression analysis within a mediation model framework, the present study explores direct and indirect (through life satisfaction) causal impacts of commuting stress on turnover intention of employees from 29 business organizations in six populous cities of Turkey. A semi-random heterogeneous sample of 214 employees with different demographics was surveyed in winter and summer times for also capturing seasonal variations of variables. The results supporting the partial mediating role of life satisfaction in the positive relationship between commuting stress and turnover intention infer that commuting stress induces turnover intention directly and indirectly (by reducing life satisfaction). The analysis of variance reveals that demographic characteristics of employees such as gender, marital status, age, and family size together with commuting type and commuting duration matter for their perceived commuting stress, life satisfaction, and turnover intention levels. Commuting stress perception is relatively higher in summer time whereas the other magnitudes are consistently and significantly invariant between two survey implementations. The study concludes with a call for the consideration of commuting stress and life satisfaction together with environmental and demographic factors when analyzing the antecedents and consequences of employee turnover intention.

The purpose of this paper was to analyze the development trend of hazardous chemical packaging towards low carbon economy from both qualitative and quantitative perspectives. Four types of relatively small volume packaging with volume/weight less than 450L/400kg, respectively, and three intermediate bulk containers (IBCs), which are widely used for hazardous chemicals were studied to calculate the carbon footprint (CF) from cradle to grave using life cycle assessment (LCA) method and to predict the future carbon emission of hazardous chemical packaging in the next five years (2016-2020), based on the export data of Tianjin Port in China. Grey model (GM) was adopted in the prediction. The results showed that majority of IBCs have lower carbon footprint than other types when the packaging contained same amount of same hazardous chemical. With the development of international trading, the demand of hazardous chemicals will increase as well. As the result, carbon emission generated by hazardous chemical packaging will increase accordingly. However, based on GM simulation result, increasing the amount of IBC use will effectively reduce the relative amount of carbon emission.

With the increasing of copper consumption, the in-use stock of copper tends to increase. This paper used the “average use life method” to quantify the amount of copper in-use stock, and calculated the average age of in-use stock. It was indicated that the total in-use stock had an overall smooth trends, and reached its peak in 2007 was about 68.9 Mt (million tons), in addition, in-use stock per capita reached its peak ,234 kg/capita in 2001. The results demonstrated that during the period 1992-2002, the average age of copper in-use stock was continually decreased, but gradually increased since the year 2003. The fixed assets depreciation method used in this paper is applied to analyze depreciated copper in-use stock, and to analyze the relationship with economic indicator (GDP). It is demonstrated that it was inconsistent with the theory of Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) before 2000, this might be the demand for copper in the service sector is greater than the reduced strength of alternatives. Finally, scenario analysis of future copper in-use stock and depreciated copper in-use stock per capita in the U.S. were presented. The corresponding average age of the in-use stock will have a slight rise in the next decade.

The most effective method of determining the coordinates of the railway track axis is mobile satellite measurements. However, there are situations when the satellite signal may be disturbed (due to field obstructions) or completely disappear (e.g. in tunnels). Then the ability to measure the value of the directional angle of a moving rail vehicle using an inertial system comes in handy. The directional angle is determined on a topographic map as the angle between the direction of the vehicle longitudinal axis (or the direction of a tangent to the track axis) and the reference direction, which is the north. The article presents a method for determining the directional angle of a railway line based on appropriate measurement data. The latter should be Cartesian coordinates of the track axis, allowing for the visualization of a given railway route and obtaining a general orientation about its course. The presented proposal for solving the problem refers to the assumptions made in the method of determining the curvature of the railway track axis using the moving chord.

In this research a neccessary and sufficient condition for the proof of the Binary Goldbach conjecture is established. It is established that the square of all natural numbers greater or equal to 2 have an additive partition equal to the sum of the square of a natural number greater or equal to zero and a Goldbach partition semiprime. All Goldbach partition semiprimes are odd except 4. This finding is in itself proof all composite even numbers have at least Goldbach partition. The result of the proof of the Binary Goldbach conjecture is used to prove the Andrica and Legendre conjectures. The Riemann hypothesis is examined and sources of non trivial zeroes outside the critical strip are discussed. An example example of a non-trivial zero outside the critical strip is given

This article lays the foundation for Extended Relativity (ER) – a unified geometric approach to the electromagnetic and gravitational field and relativistic dynamics in them. We explain here the basic tenets of ER, including the influenced spacetime of an object and the Extended Principle of Inertia. These two new ideas enable a unified theory of these fields. We introduce local scaling functions for describing the geometry of a spacetime influenced by a field and construct a simple, universal local scaling function which unifies electromagnetism and gravity. We recover the full electromagnetic theory, including Maxwell’s equations. For gravitation, ER passes all of the tests of General Relativity. Despite the non-linearity of relativistic gravitation, we obtain a method of combining fields from multiple sources. Finally, we identify the differences in the relativistic treatment of the electromagnetic field by Special Relativity and of the gravitational field by General Relativity and indicate how these differences are resolved in ER.

The emergence of Internet of Things (IoT) devices is revolutionizing healthcare. This dynamic healthcare environment relies on Internet of Healthcare Things (IoHT) and Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) technologies. Economic, social, and technological opportunities from the IoHT are transforming healthcare systems. This article covers the history, present condition, and future prospects of IoHT, as well as its topologies, platforms, services, applications, market trends, and solution types. It examines security issues, requirements, and a threat taxonomy, studying smart healthcare privacy and security. It explores future research and the challenges IoHT-based solutions face. International health rules and regulations based on the IoT and their social and economic effects on long-term development are also examined. Integrating IoMT into healthcare infrastructures enhances scalability, efficiency, reliability, and accuracy. Through communication networks and data-processing algorithms, IoMT creates smart hardware and software platforms that enhance decision-making. IoMT devices' low resources raise privacy and security concerns. Security and privacy issues are organised by healthcare IoMT adoption in this study. We give an extensive attack taxonomy against the IoMT infrastructure, encompassing devices, security mechanisms, and their pros and cons. Furthermore, it describes the privacy and security requirements for any unique security solutions against IoMT's multiple attack vectors. This article explains the complicated difficulties, security concerns, and future research pathways needed to safeguard and ensure the long-term expansion of these game-changing technologies in the healthcare ecosystem.

This work proposes a new theoretical approach for the next generation of extremely efficient motors, whose impact will be substantial for future sustainable technological development. Building on well-known physical concepts, this approach introduces the concept of equilibrium of mutual retention, upon which a device remains in an equilibrium state between movement and attraction-repulsion. This new theoretical approach showed promising results in computer simulation experiments, indicating that the equilibrium of mutual retention can allow for a new way of modeling an extremely efficient motor. Finally, a theoretical efficiency analysis showed the need to expand the limits of some physical concepts already established.

The Nocturnal Bottleneck explains how mammals evolved from their reptilian ancestors after inverting the chronotype, form diurnal to nocturnal. Pre-mammals traded-off the excellent visual system of their ancestors for improvements in audition and in olfactory telencephalon, needed for efficient orientation in the dark. This was how the mammalian nocturnal telencephalic wakefulness was born. However, the modified visual system of those pre-mammals became sensitive to the dangerous diurnal light and the exposure would involve a high risk of blindness and death. Therefore, pre-mammals had to remain immobile with closed eyes hidden in lightproof burrows during light time. This was the birth of the mammalian sleep. Typical reptiles distribute their wake time cycling between Basking Behavior, to attain the preferred body temperature, and poikilothermic Goal Directed Behavior, to perform life sustaining tasks. These cycles persisted during the new mammalian sleep. However, as the behavioral output had to be blocked during light time, the paralyzed reptilian Basking Behavior and Goal Directed Behavior cycles became the NREM and REM cycles, respectively. This was how NREM and REM cycles remained incorporated within the mammalian sleep. After the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction, the environmental pressure for nocturnal life was softened, allowing high variability in chronotype and sleeping patterns. This permitted some mammalian groups, e.g., primates, to begin the quest for diurnal wake.Concluding, sleep constituted an additional bottleneck in the mammalian evolution. The reduced population of pre-mammals that was able to develop sleep during light time, including NREM and REM, became full mammals and survived; the remainder perished.

The new observations, including the fastest star, the circular velocity curve of the Milky Way and the fast galaxy bar, should imply that the mass of the center of the Milky Way is almost 10¹¹ times the mass of the Sun.

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

Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) is an effective and validated treatment to address chronic refractory neuropathic pain in Persistent Spinal Pain Syndrome-Type 2 (PSPS-T2) patients. Surgical SCS lead placement is traditionally performed under general anesthesia due to its invasiveness. In parallel, recent works have suggested that Awake Anesthesia (AA), consisting in Target Controlled Intra-Veinous Anesthesia (TCIVA), could be an interesting tool to optimize lead anatomical placement using patient intra-operative feedback. We hypothesized that combining AA with Minimal Invasive Surgery (MIS) could improve SCS outcomes. The goal of this study was to evaluate SCS lead performance (defined by the area of pain adequately covered by paraesthesia generated via SCS), using an intraoperative objective quantitative mapping tool, and secondarily to assess pain relief, functional improvement and change in quality of life with a composite score. We analyzed data from a prospective multicenter study (ESTIMET) to compare the outcomes of 115 patients implanted with MIS under AA (MISAA group) or General Anesthesia (MISGA group), or by Laminectomy under General Anesthesia (LGA group). All in all, MISAA appears to show significantly better performance in terms of patient pain coverage, as well as improved secondary outcomes. One step further, our results suggest that MISAA combined with intra-operative hypnosis could potentialize patient intraoperative cooperation and could be proposed as a personalized package offered to PSPS-T2 patients eligible for SCS implantation in highly dedicated neuromodulation centers.

The aim of this paper is to present a comprehensive overview of the main aims and scopes in screening of botanicals, a task which thin-layer chromatography (TLC) is on an everyday basis confronted with and engaged in. Stunning omnipresence of this modest analytical technique (both in its standard format (TLC) and the high-performance one (HPTLC), either hyphenated or not) for many analysts might at a first glance appear chaotic and random, with an auxiliary rather than leading role in research, and not capable of issuing meaningful final statements. Based on these reflections, our purpose is not to present a general review paper on TLC in screening of botanicals, but a blueprint rather (illustrated with a selection of practical examples), which highlights a sovereign and important role of TLC in accomplishing the following analytical tasks: (i) solving puzzles related to chemotaxonomy of plants, (ii) screening a wide spectrum of biological properties of plants, (iii) providing quality control of herbal medicines and alimentary and cosmetic products of biological origin, and (iv) tracing psychoactive plants under forensic surveillance.

This paper presents a new proof of the infinite nature of prime numbers. Grounded in fundamental Set theory and Analysis, the proof uses the method of contradiction to demonstrate the absurdity of assuming the set of all prime numbers to be finite.

The calculation of the standard enthalpies of vaporization, sublimation and solvation of organic molecules is presented using a common computer algorithm on the basis of a group-additivity method. The same algorithm is also shown to enable the calculation of their entropy of fusion as well as the total phase-change entropy of liquid crystals. The present method is based on the complete break-down of the molecules into their constituting atoms and their immediate neighbourhood; the respective calculations of the contribution of the atomic groups by means of the Gauss-Seidel fitting method is based on experimental data collected from literature. The feasibility of the calculations for each of the mentioned descriptors was verified by means of a 10-fold cross-validation procedure proving the good to high quality of the predicted values for the three mentioned enthalpies and for the entropy of fusion, whereas the predictive quality for the total phase-change entropy of liquid crystals was poor. The goodness of fit (Q²) and the standard deviation (σ) of the cross-validation calculations for the five descriptors was as follows: 0.9641 and 4.56 kJ/mol (N=3386 test molecules) for the enthalpy of vaporization, 0.8657 and 11.39 kJ/mol (N=1791) for the enthalpy of sublimation, 0.9546 and 4.34 kJ/mol (N=373) for the enthalpy of solvation, 0.8727 and 17.93 J/mol/K (N=2637) for the entropy of fusion and 0.5804 and 32.79 J/mol/K (N=2643) for the total phase-change entropy of liquid crystals. The large discrepancy between the results of the two closely related entropies is discussed in detail. Molecules, for which both the standard enthalpies of vaporization and sublimation were calculable, enabled the estimation of their standard enthalpy of fusion by simple subtraction of the former from the latter enthalpy. For 990 of them the experimental enthalpy-of-fusion values are also known, allowing their comparison with predictions, yielding a correlation coefficient R² of 0.6066.

Maximal quantum correlations of unity do not violate the CSHS-Bell inequalities because the remaining two correlations vanish. The probability of coincident detections should not be confused with the correlation of mixed states. The theoretical requirements for implementing the quantum nonlocality theory are not present in the experimental configurations purporting to prove Bohr’s or Bell’s nonlocality because of the quantum Rayleigh scattering of single photons. By means of a normalization factor corresponding to the total number of initiated events, the detection probabilities obtained experimentally are too small to enable any violation of a Bell inequality. Correlations between independent states of qubits can easily outperform those calculated with entangled photons. Additionally, the quantum joint probability for a Bell state can be factorized enabling a local detection of the alleged quantum nonlocality, if it existed. © The Author 2023

This paper addresses the Collatz Conjecture, an open question in mathematics that postulates all positive integers will eventually reach one when a pair of specific operations are repeatedly applied. Despite its apparent simplicity, the conjecture lacks a formal proof. To tackle this enigma, we introduce Algebraic Inverse Trees (AITs), data structures that trace inverse operations of the Collatz sequence. This new approach not only elaborates our unique methodology but also sheds light on the underlying complexities of the Collatz Conjecture.

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

In the work, the nuclei structure was modeled by a system of shells consisting of combinations of spherical and annular vortices. Having connected the spin and the magnetic moments of the nuclei with the dynamics of the outer shell of the nucleus, we determined its type and carried out a semiempirical calculation of the parameters of its structure for stable and unstable nuclear isotopes in the sequence of the order number Z from 1 to 37. Comparison of the obtained nuclear sizes with the radii of the electron shells of atoms made it possible to reveal a definite correlation. On the basis of it, it was concluded that the periodic law of Mendeleyev can determine the patterns in the change in the structure of the atomic nucleus.

This study establishes life cycle assessment model to quantitively evaluate and predict material resource consumption, fossil energy consumption and environmental emissions of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) by employing the GaBi software. the envi-ronmental impact of different vehicle working conditions, power battery degradation scenarios and mileage scenarios on the operation and use stage of PHEV, BEV and HEV is distinguished. The findings indicate that under urban, highway, and aggressive driving conditions, PHEVs' life cycle material resource and fossil fuel consumption exceed that of BEVs but are less than HEVs. Battery degradation leads to increased material resource consumption, energy use, and environmental emissions for both PHEVs and BEVs, en-vironmental emission of BEVs are more sensitive than those of PHEVs to the impact of power battery degradation. Among different-mileage scenarios, PHEVs demonstrate the least sensitivity to increased mileage regarding life cycle material resource consumption, with the smallest increase. Future projections for 2025 and 2035 suggest life cycle GWP of HEV, PHEV and BEV in 2035 is 1.21×104, 1.12×104 and 1.01×104 kg CO2-eq respectively, which is decreased by 48.7%, 30.9% and 36.1% compared with those in 2025. The out-comes of this study are intended to bolster data support for the manufacturing and de-velopment of PHEV, BEV and HEV under different scenarios and offer insights into the growth and technological progression of the automotive sector.

Governments worldwide are actively committed to achieving their carbon emission reduction targets, and one avenue under exploration is harnessing the potential of hydrogen. Blending hydrogen with natural gas is emerging as a promising strategy to reduce carbon emissions, as it burns cleanly without emitting carbon dioxide. This blending could significantly contribute to emissions reduction in both residential and commercial settings. However, a critical challenge associated with this approach is the potential for Hydrogen Embrittlement (HE), a phenomenon wherein the mechanical properties of pipe steels degrade due to the infiltration of hydrogen atoms into the metal lattice structure. This can result in sudden and sever failures when the steel is subjected to mechanical stress. To effectively implement hydrogen-natural gas blending, it is imperative to gain a comprehensive understanding of how hydrogen affects the integrity of pipe steel. This necessitates the development of robust experimental methodologies capable of monitoring the presence and impact of hydrogen within the microstructures of steel. Key techniques employed for this assessment include microscopic observation, hydrogen permeation tests, and tensile and fatigue testing. In this study, samples from two distinct types of pipeline steels used in the natural gas distribution network underwent rigorous examination. To induce hydrogen absorption, an electrochemical charging process is employed in a solution rich in H+ ions. This charging process, accomplished by a potentiostat applying a constant current, prompts the hydrogen evolution reaction at the steel specimen, acting as the cathode of the charging cell. Immediate tensile and fatigue testing following the charging process enables the evaluation of mechanical properties in comparison to non-charged samples. Different charging current densities are employed to simulate various hydrogen blend scenarios. The findings from this research indicate that charged samples exhibit a discernible decline in fatigue and tensile properties. This deterioration is attributed to embrittlement and reduced ductility stemming from the infiltration of hydrogen into the steel matrix. The extent of degradation in fatigue properties is correlated not only to the hydrogen content but also to the hydrogen permeability and diffusion rate influenced by steel’s microstructural features, with higher charging current densities indicating a more significant presence of hydrogen in the natural gas pipeline blend.

Promoting sustainable consumer behavior is now an obligation under new European legislation, requiring Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for accurate environmental impact evaluation. Portugal is a key textile producer, edge in competitiveness in sustainable textile production, driven by electricity-reduced carbon footprint and closed-loop manufacturing. Additionally, while simple spreadsheets can estimate a product's carbon footprint, openLCA software, combined with ecoinvent database, greatly enhances environmental footprint calculations by integrating diverse impact categories, otherwise difficult to estimate. In this study, openLCA is used to evaluate the environmental footprint of a white T-shirt made in Portugal, with 50% recycled cotton from post-industrial wastes combined with 50% organic cotton from Turkey, to assist the design of environmental key performance indicators (KPI). The RECIPE and EF method (adapted) are used to calculate the environmental impacts and allow aggregation in a single score. The KPI related to the global warming impact is validated using a spreadsheet calculator. We propose an “Envi-Score” based on an A to E classification for benchmarking and better communication with the buyers. E is set as the normalized environmental impact of the European benchmark for a mixture material T-shirt encompassing cradle-to-gate boundaries. The introduction of recycled cotton proves to be environmentally beneficial over organic and conventional cotton. Organic cotton proves to be beneficial in comparison with conventional cotton for most environmental categories, except to the ones affected by the lower production yield, for example Land Use. The hotspots for the main impact categories are identified and finally proposed a labelling scheme, to clearly inform about the environmental performance of the products and avoid greenwashing, with the “Envi-Score” rate, carbon footprint, land use and water depletion.

As the world attempts to decarbonise the food industry and limit greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, plant-based meat analogues (PBMAs) have emerged as a sustainable alternative to traditional meat. This study implemented a life cycle assessment (LCA) to rigorously compare the environmental impacts of a beef burger (BB), produced with British beef, against a meat analogue (MA) equivalent with a publicly available recipe. For the LCA, a cradle-to-fork system boundary was utilised, alongside a functional unit of a single 100 g burger patty. Results from the LCA revealed that the BB patty had more than double the total environmental impact than the MA equivalent, as well as possessing a global warming impact that was 62% higher. A simple extrapolation illustrated that if the UK population switched from beef to meat analogue patties, 3 million tonnes of CO2e could be saved annually, corresponding to 0.74% of the country’s yearly territorial GHG emissions. Scenario analyses displayed how the environmental impact of the MA patty remained stable regardless of changes in exportation, ingredient origin or soy protein sourcing. Moreover, sensitivity analysis conducted with an alternative characterisation method corroborated initial findings, whilst uncertainty analysis ensured that nearly all conclusions generated from the original comparison were robust. Future studies should conduct peer-reviewed LCAs on PBMA patties with commercial recipes based on other plant-based proteins, as well as fully understanding any potential health implications of long-term PBMA consumption.

Dolichandrone spathacea is a rare and endangered semi-mangrove plant species with an extremely small population, naturally distributed only in Zhanjiang City and the east coast of Hainan Island, China. Regrettably, the present situation of the D. spathacea population in China has not yet been carefully investigated. In this study, we aim to evaluate the current resource status and population dynamic characteristics of D. spathacea on Hainan Island, China, in order to propose sustainable conservation and management strategies for future ecological restoration of its natural population. Our results show that D. spathacea on Hainan Island can be divided into four populations. All the D. spathacea populations present a state of overall dispersion, local concentration, and occasionally sporadic existence, and they exist in geographical isolation. The young, middle, and old D. spathacea plants account for 20.42%, 66.20%, and 13.38%, respectively, indicating that the overall age class of the D. spathacea population on Hainan Island belongs to a declining type. Furthermore, instead of temporal structure, we chose diameter at breast height (DBH) to establish a static life table, draw a population survival curve, and quantify the future development trend through population dynamic analysis and time-series prediction. These results directly point out that the D. spathacea population on Hainan Island is sensitive to external disturbances and possesses two main increases in mortality rate—namely, in its juvenile and mature stages—due to weak vitality, competition, and anthropogenic interferences, which are the most important reasons for its endangered status. Depending on the current conditions of the D. spathacea population, we should conserve and expand mature trees in situ, preserve their germplasm resources, rehabilitate their habitats to promote provenance restoration, and conduct artificial cultivation and spreading planting in order to realize the sustainable conservation and management of D. spathacea.

Synchronous electrical cardioversion is a relatively common procedure in the emergency department (ED), often performed for unstable supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) or unstable ventricular tachycardia (VT). However, it is also used for stable cases resistant to drug therapy, which carry a risk of deterioration. In addition to the inherent risks linked with procedural sedation, there is a possibility of malignant arrhythmias or bradycardia, which could potentially result in cardiac arrest following this procedure. Here, we present a case of complete heart block unresponsive to transcutaneous pacing and positive inotropic and chronotropic drugs for 90 minutes, resulting in multiple cardiac arrests. The repositioning of the transcutaneous cardio-stimulation electrodes, one of them placed in the left latero-sternal position and the other at the level of the apex, led to immediate stabilization of the patient. Extubation of the patient was performed the following day, while full recovery and discharge within 7 days, after insertion of a permanent pacemaker.

Drowning remains a prominent global pediatric health concern, necessitating preventive measures such as educational initiatives for children and caregivers. This study aimed to assess the feasibility and educational effectiveness of an interactive puppet show centered on water safety for children and parents. A 30-minute original theater performance, featuring two actors and three puppets (a girl, a crab, and a lifeguard), was conducted. Subsequently, 185 children (aged 4 to 8) and their 160 parents (134 mothers and 26 fathers) participated in this quasi-experimental study. Pre- and post-show tests were administered to evaluate knowledge and behaviors in aquatic environments. Prior to the puppet show, 78% of children exhibited basic aquatic competency. Only 33% considered swimming alone risky. Following the intervention, 81.6% of children changed their perception of the risks of solo beach activities, showing improved knowledge of emergency number activation (from 63.2% to 98.9%, p<0.001). The intervention increased parents' intention to visit lifeguard-patrolled beaches and improved their CPR knowledge for drowning victims by 58.8%. In conclusion, a drowning prevention puppet show positively impacts children and parents, potentially enhancing safety behaviors during water-related leisure activities, warranting consideration as part of comprehensive drowning prevention strategies.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology is increasingly prevalent in the quantification of environmental status in the building sector, following new legislative frameworks. Countries need to quantify and assess their environmental impacts as a previous base for regulation and decision making. In this context, standardised national data sets are being developed, based on consensus with manufacturers: sectoral Environmental Product Declarations. This study focuses on assessing these EPDs with the aim of providing relevant information for global decision-making, focusing on consistency and pointing out shortcomings. An assessment has been carried out both at national level, considering all sectoral EPDs and declared products, and at international level, with three common building materials (brick, steel and concrete). The results highlight the lack of traceability in the development and assessment of uncertainty, resulting in substantial discrepancies in reported impacts, especially in the later stages of the life cycle (up to 90% difference). Meanwhile, impacts such as Global Warming Potential or total renewable and non-renewable primary energy use show homogeneous values in the cradle-to-gate stages with differences generally less than 10%. The analysis of sectoral EPDs should be a design guide with environmental sustainability criteria, as the last section of this study attempts to focus on.

Buildings can play an important role in reducing GHG emissions through increased energy efficiency. The European Commission issued a proposal in 2021 suggesting that all new buildings should be “zero-emission Buildings” (ZEB), aiming at a zero GHG emission building stock by 2050.The extent to which ZEB can contribute to reduced GHG emissions, however, varies between countries, due to different energy systems. It is also important to consider other environmental effects to avoid that climate benefits come with unintended consequences.Here, we explore the life-cycle environmental performance for a ZEB in a case where electricity and heating is largely fossil-free. The assessment concentrates on i) environmental impact of the use stage in relation to the product stage, ii) the interrelation between different energy sources, with attention on household electricity, and iii) the performance for more impact categories than primary energy use and climate change. While our results generally support the use of ZEBs from an environmental perspective, they also show that the climate benefit in this setting is marginal. However, given that energy systems are connected and energy savings in one place can reduce the demand for fossil energy elsewhere, the climate benefit of ZEBs is likely underestimated. Besides methdological implications for future studies, this indicates that current EU policy is promising, as incentives for implementation of ZEBs is unaffected by domestic effects.

The performance of bearings plays a pivotal role in determining the dependability and security of rotating machinery. In intricate systems demanding exceptional reliability and safety, the ability to accurately forecast fault occurrences during operation holds profound significance. Such predictions serve as invaluable guides for crafting well-considered reliability strategies and executing maintenance practices aimed at enhancing reliability. In order to ensure the reliability of bearing operation, this article investigates the application of three advanced techniques—Maximum Correlation Kurtosis Deconvolution (MCKD), Multi-Scale Permutation Entropy (MPE), and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) recurrent neural networks—for the prediction of the remaining useful life (RUL) of rolling bearings. Each technique's principles, methodologies, and applications are comprehensively reviewed, offering insights into their respective strengths and limitations. Case studies and experimental evaluations are presented to assess their performance in RUL prediction. Findings reveal that MCKD enhances fault signatures, MPE captures complexity, and LSTM excels in modeling temporal patterns. The root mean square error of the prediction results is 0.007. The fusion of these techniques offers a comprehensive approach to RUL prediction, leveraging their unique attributes for more accurate and reliable predictions.

Fatigue failure remains a critical concern in structural engineering and material science, prompting extensive research to understand and predict the behaviour of materials under cyclic loading conditions. The present study aims to investigate the fatigue life of carbon steel specimens containing opposite semicircular edge notches through a comprehensive experimental and numerical analysis. In this study, stress concentration factors (SCF, K_t) of rectangular plate with opposite semicircular notches are considered under uniform tensile stress to analyse the notch deformation because of stretching of plate. Furthermore, the research focuses on quantifying stress concentration factors (SCFs) for these notches based on S-N curves of carbon steel. The study employs a combination of experimental and numerical techniques to understand the influence of these notches on the fatigue performance of carbon steel structures. A plate with opposite semicircular edge single notches under the axial load creates stress concentration near the notch and it is much larger than the average stress on the plate. Both analytical and finite element methods are used to calculate the maximum stress around the notch. SOLIDWORKS Premium Student Edition 2023 has been employed for modelling and SOLIDWORKS Simulation Premium Student Edition 2023 has been used for stress analysis and fatigue notch factor of rectangular plate of size 31 mm x 25.4 mm x 6.35 mm. The uniform tensile load with a magnitude of 20195 N is applied on one sides of rectangular plate normal to the sides of notches with ratio h/r = 1, for the semicircular notch. The result obtained on both analytical and finite element methods are compared and the percentage of error has been evaluated. Subsequently, these specimens undergo fatigue testing under varying loading conditions to capture their fatigue behaviour. The acquired fatigue data is then plotted against stress amplitude to construct S-N curves, forming the foundation for assessing the fatigue life of the notched specimens. To complement the experimental findings and to gain a deeper understanding of the stress concentration phenomenon, numerical simulations are conducted using advanced finite element analysis (FEA) techniques. The finite element models are carefully calibrated against the experimental results to ensure their accuracy and reliability. The FEA simulations enable the determination of stress concentration factors at critical locations within the notched specimens, further validating the experimental observations. The investigation reveals crucial insights into the effect of opposite semicircular edge notches on the fatigue life of carbon steel structures. The obtained S-N curves allow engineers and designers to predict the fatigue life of components with similar notches, aiding in the development of reliable and durable structures in practical applications. Moreover, the stress concentration factors determined from the numerical simulations provide valuable data to assess the potential failure modes and to optimise designs, effectively mitigating fatigue-related failures. The combination of experimental and numerical approaches ensures a comprehensive and rigorous analysis of the fatigue behaviour in notched specimens, offering a reliable basis for making informed engineering decisions. The comparison between the analytical method and the Finite Element Method (FEM) demonstrated good agreement, with an error percentage of 4.272%. The analysis revealed that the specimen would experience failure after approximately 2882 cycles, with a maximum stress of 395.914 MPa. This research study enhances the understanding of fatigue life in carbon steel structures containing opposite semicircular edge notches and contributes valuable data to the field of fatigue mechanics. The outcomes serve as a valuable resource for professionals engaged in structural engineering, material science, and design optimisation, ultimately leading to safer and more durable industrial components in critical applications. The findings of this research contribute to the understanding of fatigue behaviour in carbon steel components with stress concentration effects caused by semicircular notches. Moreover, the validated numerical simulations and data curves facilitate the prediction of fatigue life and aid in determining the critical conditions leading to fatigue failure. In conclusion, this research highlights the significance of combining experimental testing with numerical simulations to comprehensively analyse the fatigue life of carbon steel specimens with opposite semicircular edge notches. The obtained stress concentration factors provide crucial information for structural integrity assessment and offer potential for further optimising design criteria to mitigate fatigue-related failures. The findings of this study could play a vital role in enhancing the reliability and safety of carbon steel structures subjected to cyclic loading conditions. The comprehensive experimental and numerical analyses establish a foundation for future studies exploring other materials and geometries with notches, fostering advancements in fatigue life prediction and structural integrity assessment.

Extreme value analysis (EVA) is well-established to derive hydrometeorological design values for infrastructure that has to withstand extreme events. Since there is evidence of increased extremes with higher hazard potential under climate change, alterations of EVA are introduced for which statistical properties are no longer assumed to be constant but vary over time. In this study, both stationary and non-stationary EVA models are used to derive design life levels (DLLs) of daily precipitation in the pre-alpine Oberland region of Southern Germany, an orographically complex region characterized by heavy precipitation events and climate change. As EVA is fraught with uncertainties, it is crucial to quantify its methodological impacts: two theoretical distributions (i.e., Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) and Generalized Pareto (GP) distribution), four different parameter estimation techniques, (i.e., Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE), L-moments, Generalized Maximum Likelihood Estimation (GMLE), and Bayesian estimation method) are compared. Discrepancies due to the parameter estimation methods may reach up to 45 % of the mean absolute value, while differences between stationary and non-stationary models are of the same magnitude (differences in design levels up to 40%). Despite the underlying large methodological uncertainties, there is a robust tendency for increased DLLs in the Oberland region towards the end of this century based on the (non-)stationary models.

In light of the recent pandemic, several COVID-19 vaccines were developed, tested and approved in a very short time, a process that otherwise takes many years. Above all, these efforts have also unmistakably revealed the capacity limits and potential for improvement in vaccine production. This review aims to emphasize recent approaches for targeted rapid adaptation and production of vaccines from an interdisciplinary multifaceted perspective. Using literature research, stakeholder analysis and a value proposition canvas, we reviewed technological innovations on the pharmacological level, formulation, validation and resilient vaccine production to supply bottlenecks and logistic networks. We identified four main drivers to accelerate the vaccine product life cycle: computerized candidate screening, modular production, digitized quality management and a resilient business model with corresponding transparent supply chains. In summary, the results presented here can serve as a guide and implementation tool for flexible, scalable vaccine production to respond swiftly to pandemic situations in the future.

To predict the remaining useful life (RUL) of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) in advance, a prediction method based on the voltage recovery model and Bayesian optimization of a multi-kernel relevance vector machine (MK-RVM) is proposed in this paper. First, the empirical mode decomposition (EMD) method was used to preprocess the data, and then the MK-RVM was used to train the model. Then, the Bayesian optimization algorithm was used to optimize the weight coefficient of the kernel function to complete the parameter update of the prediction model, and the voltage recovery model was added to the prediction model to realize the rapid and accurate prediction of the RUL of PEMFC. Finally, the method proposed in this paper was applied to the open data set of PEMFC provided by FCLAB, and the prediction accuracy of the RUL of PEMFC was obtained by 95.35%, which showed that the method had good gen-eralization ability and verified the accuracy of the prediction for the RUL of PEMFC.

Despite marked advancements, life expectancy (LE) growth in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has remained stagnant compared to other developed nations. This study aims to investigate the significant correlation between macroeconomic (ME), sociodemographic (SD), and health status-resources (HSR) factors and LE to formulate an explanatory model for Saudi Arabia and the UAE – a previously unexplored area. Utilizing an ecological, retrospective, time-series study design, we delved into secondary data on SD, ME, HSR, and LE of the UAE population spanning three decades (1980-2020). We employed the partial least squares-structural equation modeling for statistical analysis. Our analysis revealed significant direct impacts of HSR on LE for Saudi Arabia (Beta=0.958, p<0.001) and the UAE (Beta=0.716, p<0.001). Furthermore, we discerned a notable indirect influence of ME on LE, mediated through SD and HSR for Saudi Arabia (Beta=0.507, p<0.001) and UAE (Beta=0.509, p<0.001), along with a considerable indirect effect of SD on LE through HSR (Saudi Arabia: Beta=0.529, p<0.001; UAE: Beta=0.711, p<0.001). This study underscores the mediating role of a nexus of ME-SD-HSR factors on LE in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Consequently, these findings signal an imperative need for holistically policy interventions addressing ME, SD, and HSR factors, aiming to alter health behaviors and improve LE projections for Saudi Arabia and the UAE in the long run.

This study presents a novel approach to analyzing the present value of total profit for non-participating and participating insurance policies in order to determine the optimal profitability of non-participating and participating insurance policies based on applying the approach used in operations research to the field of finance. As such, a comprehensive insurance product evaluation model was developed using both mathematical models and numerical analysis to evaluate the demand for non-participating and participating life insurance policies in response to changes in interest rates. The findings indicate that non-participating life insurance policies offer greater solvency for insurance companies compared to participating policies. The study also highlights the significance of spontaneous and induced demand in determining the total profit of both types of policies. The study concludes that life insurance companies should focus on generating spontaneous consumer demand, reducing induced demand, and implementing the optimal pricing strategy to achieve maximum profits.

Among the explored solutions to reduce the environmental impact of the transport sector, Vehicle Integrated Photovoltaics. Thus, we developed a simulation tool of the distance covered by VIPV. It considers various usage patterns and vehicle types, several characteristics of the PV system and all the losses that may decrease energy yield. Focusing on passenger car, simulations indicate the order of influence of the parameters on the outputs of the model: geographic locality, shading, thresholds due to extra-consumption to charge the vehicle battery from PV and frequency of recharge with the grid. With projections of the technology in 2030, with 30 % shading, VIPV cover up to 1444 km yearly distance. This represents up to 12 % of the driven mileage. For the best month, it can get up to 14 km/day. For average Europe and worst-case conditions, VIPV cover only 293 km per year. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of solarized passenger car shows negative balance for low-carbon electricity mix and average solar irradiance. In favorable conditions, the carbon footprint is up to 489 kg CO₂-equivalent avoided emissions on 13 years lifespan. Beyond km and LCA focus, VIPV may provide useful functions in non-interconnected zones and for resilience in disaster zones.

For every three people on the planet there is approximately two Tonne (Te) of available plastic waste. We show that carbon recovery from polystyrene (PS) plastic is enhanced by the co-addition to solvents to grow carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by liquid injection chemical vapour deposition. Polystyrene was loaded up to 4 wt% in toluene and heated to 780 °C in the presence of a ferrocene catalyst and a hydrogen/argon carrier gas in a 1:19 ratio. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Raman spectroscopy were used to identify multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The PS addition in the range from 0 to 4 wt% showed improved quality and CNT homogeneity; Raman “Graphitic/Defective” (G/D) values increased from 1.9 to 2.3; mean CNT diameters increased from 43.0 to 49.2 nm; and maximum CNT yield increased from 11.3% to 14.2%. Since both the CNT diameters and the percentage yield increased with respect to polystyrene addition, we conclude that carbon from the PS contributes to the carbon within the MWCNTs. The electrical contact resistance of acid washed Bucky papers produced from each loading, ranged from 2.2 to 4.4 Ohm, with no direct correlation to PS loading. Due to this narrow range, the materials with different loading were mixed to create six wires of an Ethernet cable and tested using iPerf to give uplink and downlink speeds of ~99.5 Mbps, comparable to Cu wire of identical dimension (~99.5 Mbps). The lifecycle assessment (LCA) of CNT wire production was compared to copper wire production for the use case in a Boeing 747-400 over the lifespan of the craft. Due to their lightweight nature the CNT wires decreased the CO2 footprint by 21 kTonne (kTe) over the aircraft lifespan.

Nutrient depletion in Tanzanian sisal production has led to yield decreases over time. We use nutrient mass balances embedded within a life cycle assessment to quantify the extent of nutrient depletion for different production systems, then used circular economy principles to identify potential cosubstrates from within the Tanzanian economy to anaerobically digest with sisal wastes. The biogas produced is then used to generate bioelectricity and the digestate residual can be used as a fertilizer to address the nutrient depletion. If no current beneficial use of the cosubstrate was assumed, then beef manure and marine fish processing waste were the best cosubstrates. If agricultural wastes were assumed to have a current beneficial use as fertilizer, then marine fish processing waste and human urine were the best cosubstrates. The largest reduction in environmental impacts resulted from bioelectricity replacing electricity from fossil fuels in the national electricity grid and improved onsite waste management practices. There is significant potential to revitalize Tanzanian sisal production by applying circular economy principles to sisal waste management and bioenergy production.

Estimating the remaining useful life (RUL) of components is a crucial task to enhance the reliability, safety, productivity, and to reduce maintenance cost. In general, predicting the RUL of a component includes constructing a health indicator ( ) to infer the current condition of the component, and modelling the degradation process, to estimate the future behavior. Although many signal processing and data-driven based methods were proposed to construct the , most of the existing methods are based on manual feature extraction techniques, and need the prior knowledge of experts, or rely on a large amount of failure data. Therefore, in this study, a new data-driven method based on the convolutional autoencoder (CAE) is presented to construct the . For this purpose, the continuous wavelet transform (CWT) technique is used to convert the raw acquired vibrational signals into a two-dimensional image; then, the CAE model is trained by the healthy operation dataset. Finally, the Mahalanobis Distance (MD) between the healthy and failure stages is measured as the . The proposed method is tested on a benchmark bearing dataset and compared with several other traditional construction models. Experimental results indicate that the constructed exhibits a monotonically increasing degradation trend and has a good performance to detect incipient faults.

The present paper brings to the fore issues relating to the meaning and construction of ethics in online team communication by exploring the discursive strategies that contribute to the construction of a team’s sense of duty and individual virtuousness. The study relies on a complex toolkit which includes ethnolinguistics, sociolinguistics, discourse and conversation analysis. Data consist in a one-day interaction unit as part of a larger set of real communication exchanges (ca. 34,000) over a time period of six months, observation notes, as well as unstructured interviews. Our empirical analysis has revealed that individual virtuousness and sense of duty are actually interrelated. A virtuous team climate leads team members to share positive perceptions about the team, which in turn increases team commitment. Furthermore, we argue that the blurring of private and professional life not only allows for the enactment of ethic-driven discourse strategies that result in enhanced cooperation and improved team performance but also for high levels of interconnectivity and improved social interaction. The results of the analysis supplement organisational literature based on ethics-centred observations on the effectiveness of virtual work, and show how a discourse-driven approach can provide tools for further theorisations about the practices and the ecology of digital communication.

The food distribution process is responsible for significant quality loss in perishable products. However, preserving quality is costly and consumes a tremendous amount of energy. To tackle the challenge of minimizing transportation costs and CO2 emissions while also maximizing product freshness, a novel multi-objective model is proposed. The model integrates a vehicle routing problem with temperature, shelf life, and energy consumption prediction models, thereby enhancing its accuracy. Non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II is adapted to solve the proposed model for the set of Solomon test data. The conflicting nature of these objectives and the sensitivity of the model to shelf life and shipping container temperature settings are analyzed. The results show that optimizing freshness objective degrade the cost and the emission objectives, and the distribution of perishable foods are sensible to the shelf life of the perishable foods and temperature settings inside the container.

Motivation: there is a paradox at the heart of informatics where practical implementation generally fails to understand the socio-technical impact of novel technologies and disruptive innovation when adopted in `real-world’ systems. This phenomenon, termed technological determinism, is manifested in a time-lag between the adoption of novel technologies and an understanding of the underlying theory which develops following research into their adoption. Methods: we consider informatics theory as it relates to: social informatics and how humans’ function in society, the relationship between society and technology, information systems, information systems design, and human-computer interactions. The challenges posed by novel technologies and disruptive innovation are considered as they relate to information systems and information systems design. Open research questions with directions for future research are discussed with an introduction to and our proposed approach to socio-technical information system design. Significance: we conclude that the adoption of disruptive innovation presents both opportunities and threats for all stakeholders in computerised systems. However, determinism is a topic requiring research to generate a suitable level of understanding and technological determinism remains a significant challenge.

In the author's opinion, many global problems that face humanity - in the fields of education, medicine, management etc can be tackled more effectively if the cyclic nature of self-reproducing systems – including living beings – is taken into account. Summarizing the main physiological findings of the last decades on "adaptation reactions", one can very roughly say that the way of action which is effective in the sense of productive activity of people happens at the same time to be healthy, and it gives the participants of the process the feeling of happiness. The present paper represents a very short overview of the contemporary concepts of the adaptation reactions based on the fundamental understanding of their cyclic nature due to general properties of self-reproducing systems. One interesting feature of self-reproduction cycles is its first "phase of orientation" which was not discussed in detail in the past but plays a key role in the whole cycle.

What proportions should a thermally massive building have? How should the thermal mass be distributed? Should the "massing" change with the choice of material? This paper shows how to optimize the physical proportions of a building so that it synchronizes ambient heat exchanges in a natural feedback cycle. The internal mass is thermally coupled with buoyancy ventilation; the cycle is driven by the daily swing of outdoor temperature. Tripling up functions in this way—so that structural materials can reliably cool and power the ventilation for buildings—could help decarbonize the construction industry and provide an effective strategy for adapting to life-threatening heatwaves. Based on harmonic analysis, the method allows designers to thermally tune the form and mass of a building to meet chosen targets for temperature and ventilation in free-running mode. Once the optimal balance of exchange rates is known, design teams can proportionally vary the building height and ventilation openings against the surface area and thickness of an internal thermal mass. The possible permutations are infinite but parametrically constrained, allowing teams to fairly compare the functional and environmental credentials of different construction materials while they produce and evaluate preliminary options for organizing the exterior form and interior spaces of a building. An example study suggests that thin-shell structures of minimum weight, and even timber buildings, may be optimally tuned to produce ample ventilation and temperature attenuation.

Handwriting abnormalities in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have sometimes been reported both (i) at product level (i.e., quality/legibility of the written trace and speed of writing) and (ii) at process level (i.e., dynamic and kinematic features such as on-paper and in-air durations, pen pressure and velocity peaks, etc.). Conversely, other works have failed to reveal any differences between ADHD and typically developing children. The question of the presence and nature of handwriting disorders in ADHD remains open and merits an in-depth examination. The aim of this systematic review was therefore to identify studies investigating the product and/or process of handwriting in children with ADHD compared with typically developing individuals. This review was conducted and reported in accordance with the PRISMA statement. A literature search was carried out using three electronic databases. The methodological quality of the studies was systematically assessed using Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) criteria. Twenty-one articles were identified. Of these, 17 described handwriting quality/legibility, 12 focused on speed and 14 analyzed the handwriting process. All studies (100%) with satisfactory methodology procedures reported impaired product and process in children with ADHD while 25% evidenced difference in speed of production. Most importantly, the studies differed widely in their methodological approach. Substantial gaps remain, particularly with regard to ascertaining comorbidities, ADHD subtypes and the medical status of included children. The lack of overall homogeneity in samples calls for higher quality studies. We conclude with recommendations for further studies.

In this paper the observational result of the alignment of galaxies in different scales is discussed. Especially, the dependence between orientation of galaxies in structures and their size has been analyzed. Both the research methods relevant to the study of this problem and the effects hindering the proper interpretation of the obtained results are discussed. It has been shown that the current state of research indicates that galaxies, their pairs, and compact groups have a non vanishing alignment. In the structures of mass corresponding to groups of galaxies, this feature has not been found, while such phenomenon is observed for more massive structures. These results have been discussed in the light of simulation results and theoretical models of galaxy formation and structure.

The possibilities and reach of social networks are increasing, the designs are becoming more diverse, and the ideas more visionary. Most recently, the former company “Facebook” announced the creation of a metaverse. With these technical possibilities, however, the danger of fraudsters is also growing. Using social bots, consumers are increasingly influenced on such platforms and business transactions are brought about through communication, i.e. conversational commerce. Minors or the elderly are particularly susceptible. This technical development is accompanied by a legal one: it is permitted by the Digital Services Directive and the Sale of Goods Directive to demand the provision of data as consideration for the sale of digital products. This raises legal problems at the level of the law of obligations and data protection law, whose regulations are intended to protect the aforementioned groups of individuals. This protection becomes even more important the more manipulative consumers are influenced by communicative bots. We show that there is a lack of knowledge about what objective data value can have in business transactions. Sufficient transparency of an objective data value can maintain legal protection, especially of vulnerable groups, and ensure the purpose of the laws.

Language is an essential aspect of teaching and learning mathematics. It is necessary for communicating, transmission of concepts and ideas, and formation of meaning of mathematical concepts. In mathematics, besides symbols, which are usually common in different languages, words and expressions are used, which may invoke different concept images to students in various languages. Some words are used in mathematics and in everyday language with different meanings, while others are used only in mathematics or in mathematics and other disciplines in similar but non-identical ways. In Mathematical Analysis, the used vocabulary is gradually enhanced, and the concepts are defined in a more formal way. In the current study, the language used regarding mathematics of change is examined, focusing on rate of change and in relation to misconceptions of students.

The evaluation of research proposals and academic careers is subject to indicators of scientific productivity. Citations are critical signs of impact for researchers, and many indicators are based on these data. The literature shows that there are differences in citation patterns between areas. The scope and depth that these differences may have to motivate the extension of these studies considering types of articles and age groups of researchers. In this work, we conducted an exploratory study to elucidate what evidence there is about the existence of these differences in citation patterns. To perform this study, we collected historical data from Scopus. Analyzing these data, we evaluate if there are measurable differences in citation patterns. This study shows that there are evident differences in citation patterns between areas, types of publications, and age groups of researchers that may be relevant when carrying out researchers’ academic evaluation.

We define degree of dependence of two events A and B in a probability space by using Boltzmann-Shannon entropy function of an appropriate probability distribution produced by these events and depending on one parameter (the probability of intersection of A and B) varying within a closed interval I. The entropy function attains its global maximum when the events A and B are independent. The important particular case of discrete uniform probability space motivates this definition in the following way. The entropy function has a minimum at the left endpoint of I exactly when one of the events and the complement of the other are connected with the relation of inclusion (maximal negative dependence). It has a minimum at the right endpoint of I exactly when one of these events is included in the other (maximal positive dependence). Moreover, the deviation of the entropy from its maximum is equal to average information that carries one of the binary trials defined by A and B with respect to the other. As a consequence, the degree of dependence of A and B can be expressed in terms of information theory and is invariant with respect to the choice of unit of information. Using this formalism, we describe completely the screening tests and their reliability, measure efficacy of a vaccination, the impact of some events from the financial markets to other events, etc. A link is available for downloading an Excel program which calculates the degree of dependence of two events in a sample space with equally likely outcomes.

The present paper deals with a class of even entire functions of order $\rho =1$ and genus $\vartheta =0$ of the polynomials form, \[ \sum\limits_{m=0}^\infty {\frac{\left( {-1} \right)^m\Phi ^{\left( {2m} \right)}\left( 0 \right)}{\Gamma \left( {2m+1} \right)}x^{2m}} =\Phi \left( 0 \right)\prod\limits_{k=1}^\infty {\left( {1-\frac{x}{\ell _k }} \right)} , \] where $\Phi\left( 0 \right)\ne 0$, real numbers $x$, nonnegative integers $m$, and $\ell _k \ne 0$ are all of the nonzero roots with $\sum\limits_{k=1}^\infty {1/\left| {\ell _k } \right|} <\infty $ and natural numbers $k$. We provide an efficient criterion for the polynomials with only real zeros. We also prove that the conjecture of Jensen is our special case.

Research professors develop scientific products that impact and benefit society, but their competencies in doing so are rarely evaluated. Therefore, employing a mixed two-stage sequential design, this study developed a self-assessment model of research professors’ competencies with four domains, seven competencies, and 30 competency elements. Next, we conducted descriptive statistical analysis of those elements. In the first year, 320 respondents rated themselves on four levels: initial, basic, autonomous, and consolidated. In the assessment model’s second year, we compared 30 respondents’ results with those of their initial self-assessment. The main developmental challenge was Originality and Innovation, which remained at the initial level. Both Training of Researchers and Transformation of Society were at the basic level, and Digital Competency was at the autonomous level. Both Teaching Competence and Ethics and Citizenship attained the consolidated level. This information helps establish priorities for accelerating researchers’ training and the quality of their research.

Logical information theory is the quantitative version of the logic of partitions just as logical probability theory is the quantitative version of the dual Boolean logic of subsets. The resulting notion of information is about distinctions, differences, and distinguishability, and is formalized using the distinctions (`dits') of a partition (a pair of points distinguished by the partition). All the definitions of simple, joint, conditional, and mutual entropy of Shannon information theory are derived by a uniform transformation from the corresponding definitions at the logical level. The purpose of this paper is to give the direct generalization to quantum logical information theory that similarly focuses on the pairs of eigenstates distinguished by an observable, i.e., qudits of an observable. The fundamental theorem for quantum logical entropy and measurement establishes a direct quantitative connection between the increase in quantum logical entropy due to a projective measurement and the eigenstates (cohered together in the pure superposition state being measured) that are distinguished by the measurement (decohered in the post-measurement mixed state). Both the classical and quantum versions of logical entropy have simple interpretations as "two-draw" probabilities for distinctions. The conclusion is that quantum logical entropy is the simple and natural notion of information for quantum information theory focusing on the distinguishing of quantum states.

There are rich proper noun derivative semantic relationships in geographic entity vector data. The identification of traditional proper noun derivative semantic relationships usually requires toponym researchers to examine the source of derived toponyms by consulting a large number of toponym documents. This method cannot adapt to the mining of proper noun derivative semantic relationships for large-scale geographical entity. In this regard, this paper proposes a method of identifying the proper noun derivative semantic relationships for geographical entity by combining prompt learning and XGBoost model. This method transforms the extraction problem of proper noun derivative semantic relationships into a binary classification problem by analyzing the characteristics of the derivation relationship of toponyms in the form of toponyms and the spatial and temporal distribution of geography. Firstly, prompt learning and gaussian mixture model are used to extract and cluster the derivation words of toponyms, so as to realize the recognition of derived toponyms collections. Then, enumerate the possible proper noun derivations in the toponym set, and then the XGBoost model is used to identify the semantic relations derived from the proper noun of geographical entities. In the experiment, the recognition method of proper noun derivative semantic relationships based on prompt learning and XGBoost proposed in this paper has achieved good relationship recognition effect in the experiment. This method has certain practical value in the fields of toponym management and toponym translation.

The modern textbook analysis of the thermal state of photons inside a three-dimensional reflective cavity is based on the three quantum numbers that characterize photon’s energy eigenvalues coming out when the boundary conditions are imposed. The crucial passage from the quantum numbers to the continuous frequency is operated by introducing a three dimensional continuous version of the three discrete quantum numbers, that leads to the energy spectral density and to the entropy spectral density. This standard analysis obscures the role of the multiplicity of energy eigenvalues associated to the same eigenfrequency. In this paper we review the past derivations of Bose’s entropy spectral density and present a new analysis of energy spectral density and entropy spectral density based on the multiplicity of energy eigenvalues. Our analysis explicitly defines the eigenfrequency distribution of energy and entropy and uses it as a starting point for the passage from the discrete eigenfrequencies to the continuous frequency.

The purpose of this work is to describe and explain the characteristics of pedagogy as a science of education, as an object, concepts and research method. The methodology assumed was the review of the history of pedagogy, especially the classics of pedagogy, those who built it with their experiences in laboratory schools. Here are listed the main concepts of pedagogy, its laws and principles; she establishes the opposition that exists between teaching-learning and education as formation of the personality; she also delimits the fields of the pedagogical method, of didactics or teaching-learning, and the methodology of educational labor that organizes the process and the educational context, the regime and the lifestyle, such as those experienced in the "colonies" or "communes" of children and adolescents, organized and directed by Neill and Makarenko. Since the present article does not derive from a primary source or from field work, as an empirical or experimental research, the results constitute the content of the article, as conclusions.

MnO₂ nanoparticles are considered nanozymes with intrinsic peroxidase-like activity and there are several reports on their application in the field of nanozyme-based sensing and detection, however, up to now, there is no report on the investigation of their biochemical and kinetics properties toward enzyme-mediated oxidations. Hence, in this work, the MnO₂ nanozymes were synthesized and characterized with different characterization methods. Thereafter, their biochemical properties including pH stability, thermal stability, and salt stability as well as their kinetics perfromances were evaluated toward n-electron irreversible oxidation of 3,3’-diaminobezedine. The results showed that the as-prepared nanozymes reveal their maximal enzyme-like activity over a wide pH range of 3.0-6.0 at a temperature of 23-25 ℃ toward oxidation of 3,3’-diaminobezedine. Besides, the salt stability studies exhibited that the as-mentioned nanozymes can save their maximal activity over a wide range of high salt concentrations over 3-7 M of NaCl. Moreover, the kinetics studies revealed a K_m as low as 1.6 mM and a V_max as high as 47 nM sec^-1 for the MnO₂ nanozymes toward irreversible oxidation of DAB to produce the brown-colored polyDAB.

RNA viruses exhibit a great tendency to mutate. Starting from 2019, the wild type that was labeled Hu-1 has during the last 3 years evolved to produce several dozen new variants, as a consequence of mutations. Mutations cause changes in empirical formulas of new virus strains, which lead to change in thermodynamic properties of biosynthesis and binding. These changes cause changes in the rate of reactions of binding of virus antigen to the host cell receptor and the rate of virus multiplication in the host cell. Changes in thermodynamic and kinetic parameters lead to changes in biological parameters of infectivity and pathogenicity. SARS-CoV-2 has starting from in 2019, until today, evolved towards increase in infectivity and maintaining constant pathogenicity, or for some variants a slight decrease in pathogenicity. In the case of Omicron BQ.1, BQ.1.1, XBB and XBB.1 variants pathogenicity is identical as in the Omicron BA.2.75 variant. On the other hand, infectivity of the Omicron BQ.1, BQ.1.1, XBB and XBB.1 variants is greater than those of previous variants. This will most likely result in the phenomenon of asymmetric coinfection, that is circulation of several variants in the population, some being dominant.

This article identifies promising research areas on the PETROLEUM SCIENCE topic via bibliometric analysis of the 2018-2021 publications in the highly cited Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, which is included in the Journal Citation Reports Section: ENERGY & FUELS — Q2 Quartile, ENGINEERING, PETROLEUM — Q1 Quartile. Bibliometric metadata from Web of Science were used for 866 articles in 2018, 1,142 — in 2019, 1,138 — in 2020, and 1,832 in 2021. The clustering of articles was performed using the texts of the Title, Abstract, Keywords, and Keywords Plus fields. The demo version of the Lingo3G algorithm was used. For the two major clusters, the most promising research topics were determined by comparing the titles of the 350 most cited and 350 least cited articles for each year. The hypothesis that low-cited papers often have the same subject matter as high-cited papers of previous years is discussed.

An exact solution is obtained for the kinetic energy in the general case of the spatial motion of solids with arbitrary rotation, which differs from the Koenig formula by three additional terms with centrifugal moments of inertia. The description of motion in the Lagrange form and the superposition principle are used, which provides a geometric summation of the velocities and accelerations of the joint motions in the Lagrange form for any particle at any time. The integrand function in the equation for kinetic energy is represented by the sum of the identical velocity components of the joint plane-parallel motions. The moments of inertia in the Koenig formula do not change during movement and can be calculated from the current or initial state of the body. The centrifugal moments change and turn to 0 when rotating relative to the main central axes only for bodies with equal main moments of inertia, for example, for a ball. In other cases, the difference in the main moments of inertia leads to cyclic changes in the kinetic energy with the possible manifestation of precession and nutation, the amplitude of which depends on the angular velocities of rotation of the body. An example of using equations for a robot with one helical and two rotational kinematic pairs is given.

This article examines illicit financial flows (IFFs) perpetuated in financial statements to develop a framework to curb IFFs. IFFs create opacity, impeding economic progress through investment deterrents and financial uncertainty. Through a comprehensive literature review and the synthesis of sets of qualitative propositions, the researchers previously developed a conceptual framework to address IFFs, and the purpose of the present article is to strengthen and validate the framework among stakeholders in the financial and audit sectors. Following a mixed inductive and deductive research approach and a qualitative methodological choice, the researchers conducted interviews among practitioners to enhance the framework, followed by a focus group to validate the framework. IFF challenges that emerged are tax evasion, for example, investments in untraceable offshore accounts, harming the economy, bitcoins not being subject to regulation everywhere in the world and being used by cryptocurrency criminals to transfer IFFs to nations with lax regulations. Internationally, IFF risks are also determined by geographical position, trade links and porous borders among countries emerged as further challenges, calling for entities to execute existing policies, improve tax enforcement methods, apply cross-border coordination, and practice financial reporting transparency aimed at combatting IFF practices. On the strength of these, the industry surveys significantly enhanced the conceptual framework.

The existence of semantic inaccuracy §2 articles by A. Einstein “On the electrodynamics of moving bodies”, illustrating the principle of the relativity of simultaneity. In a sentence “The observers co-moving with the moving rod would thus find that the two clocks do not run synchronously while the observers in the system at rest would declare them synchronous”, the preposition “not” must be moved and placed before the word “synchronous”, at the end of the sentence. The criterion for synchronism of the clocks on the rod is the time it takes for the beam to travel from clock A to clock B and back, and for observers on the rod it will be the same both when the rod is at rest and when the rod is moving. Otherwise, observers on the rod would have had at their disposal an experiment that would allow them to determine whether the rod is moving or at rest, which contradicts the first postulate of the Special Theory of Relativity. The inaccuracy is found unchanged in modern editions in English and Russian, and can become a source of difficulties when teaching the basics of the Special Theory of Relativity based on primary sources, as well as make it difficult to understand the author’s logic when studying independently. Nobel laureate R. Feynman, having expanded and modified A. Einstein's thought experiment, eliminated the inaccuracy described in the article.

The prim objective of commenced article is to determine q-sumudu transforms of a product of unified family of q-polynomials with basic (or q-) analogue of fox’s H-function and q-analog of I-functions. Specialized cases of the leading outcome are further evaluated as q-sumudu transform of general class of q-polynomials and q-sumudu transforms of the basic analogues of Fox’s H-function and I-functions.

In this research paper, we implement the theory of the primorial function, to develop the Supremum and Infimum bounds for the sum of (log(p))². There are, however, considerable computational difficulties related to these bounds. Therefore, from a pragmatic point of view, a set of Upper and Lower bounds had been developed to bypass this issue. Despite the increased estimation error, the Upper and Lower bounds are still considered sufficiently accurate, while facilitating an easy and fast computation of the estimate of the sum.

The difficult current environmental situation, caused by construction industry residues containing ceramic materials could be improved by using these materials as recycled aggregates in mortars, with their processing causing a reduction in their use in landfill, contributing to recycling and also minimizing the consumption of virgin materials. Although some research is currently being carried out into recycled mortars, little is known about their stress-strain (σ-ε); therefore this work will provide the experimental results obtained from recycled mortars with recycled ceramic aggregates (with contents of 0, 10, 20, 30, 50 and 100%), such as: the density, the compression strength, as well as the σ-ε curves representative of their behavior. The values obtained from the analysis process of the results are those of: σ (elastic ranges and failure maximum), ε (elastic ranges and failure maximum), and Resilience and Toughness; in order to finally obtain, through numerical analysis, the equations to predict their behavior (related to their recycled content). At the end of the investigation it is established that mortars with recycled ceramic aggregate contents of up to 20% could be assimilated just like mortars with the usual aggregates, and the prediction equations produced could be used in cases of similar applications.

The center of gravity of a three-dimensional object found through an experimental method can be made easier and faster than when calculating the movement manually in order to make the movement in computer graphic images look more natural. In addition, in various sports such as skating, the score can be increased by appropriately moving the position of the center of gravity. Lastly, it is expected that it can be used even when the performance is high in the manufacturing process to increase the stability and speed of various means of transportation (eg, automobiles, airplanes, etc.).

Oceans cover about 70% of the Earth's surface, and about 95% remain unexplored for various reasons. Underwater wireless communication has been revolutionised with the help of Internet of Things networks. Recently, applications such as collecting marine data, marine monitoring, disaster prevention, historical exploration, oil and gas exploration, shipwreck exploration, maritime security, and monitoring of aquatic species and water pollution, and several applications have become possible. However, the problem of routing, information transfer, and resource preservation in the fluid underwater environment remains unsolved. In this research, we were looking for a solution to make routing more efficient, considering the various and practical criteria for the quality of service of the underwater IoT network. One of the outstanding features of this research is the possibility of dynamically weighing the parameters involved in routing and taking optimal and distributed decisions between network components. The proposed method has achieved acceptable results in terms of quality of service compared to recent methods.

Every subset S of a Cartesian spaces Rd, endowed with differen- tial structure C∞(S) generated by restrictions to S of functions in C∞(Rd), has a canonical partition M(S) by manifolds, which are or- bits of the family X(S) of all derivations of C∞(S) that generate local one-parameter groups of local diffeomorphisms of S. This partition satisfies the frontier condition, Whitney’s conditions A and B. If M(S) is locally finite, then it satisfies all definitions of stratification of S. This result extends to Hausdorff locally Euclidean differential spaces.

Modulation of nociception allows animals to prioritise their survival by adapting their behaviour in different contexts. In mammals, this is executed by neurons from the brain, and is referred to as the descending control of nociception. Whether insects have this control, or have the neural circuits underpinning it, has not been clarified. Here, we review evidence supporting descending control of nociception control in insects, and consider which neuronal sub-types and brain areas may be involved.

The Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics and the notion of superposition of states are examined and found problematical.

The great Greek philosopher Aristotle (384–322 BCE) is almost unanimously acclaimed as the founder of zoology. There is a consensus that he was interested in attributes of animals, but whether or not he tried to develop a zoological taxonomy remains controversial. Fürst von Lieven and Humar compiled a data matrix and showed, through a parsimony analysis published in 2008, that these data produced a hierarchy that matched several taxa recognized by Aristotle. However, their analysis leaves some questions unanswered because random data can sometimes yield fairly resolved trees. In this study, we update the scores of many cells and add four new characters to the data matrix (147 taxa scored for 161 characters) and quote passages from Aristotle’s Historia animalium to justify these changes. We confirm the presence of a phylogenetic signal in these data through a test using skewness in length distribution of a million random trees, which shows that many of the characters discussed by Aristotle were systematically relevant. Our parsimony analyses on the updated matrix recover far more trees than reported by Fürst von Lieven and Humar, but their consensus includes many taxa that Aristotle recognized and apparently named for the first time, such as selachē (selachians) and dithyra (Bivalvia). This study suggests that even though taxonomy was clearly not Aristotle’s chief interest in Historia animalium, it was probably among his secondary interests. These results may pave the way for further taxonomic studies in Aristotle’s zoological writings in general. Despite being almost peripheral to Aristotle’s writings, his taxonomic contributions are clearly major achievements.

Introductions- Liveable housing environments face the menace of global climate change. In-frastructure (including buildings and houses) continuously experiences significant impacts ex-acerbated by natural variability in climate. The study addressed how climate change impacts the resilience of residential buildings, increased maintenance frequency, and the wellbeing and comfort of residents in UK residential buildings. Design/Methodology/Approach: This study used deductive reasoning and an empirical epis-temological methodology as a data-collecting basis to evaluate primary information obtained via a questionnaire. Regression analysis was ultimately employed to analyse the collected da-ta. Result/Discussions: The findings show a significant relationship between climate change and the wellbeing of the occupants of UK residential buildings. Also, the results show that social wellbeing is more important to the occupants than mental and physical wellbeing. It reveals that residential buildings in the UK suffer the cost of maintenance due to continuous reduc-tion in the building fabric's resilience to the impacts of climate change; for instance, a recent increase in rainfall/storms results in unprecedented flooding, which continues to damage the UK residential building fabrics.

As the first pilot ecological civilization zone in China, Fujian Province has an excellent ecological environment quality, and its ecological environment-related indices continue to be among the highest in the country. In order to investigate the causes of the excellent ecological quality in Fujian Province in the past 15 years, this paper selects MODIS images, land use data and provincial and municipal statistical yearbook data of Fujian province from 2005 to 2020 as data sources, evaluates the ecological system health of Fujian Province by remote-sensing ecological index (i.e. RSEI), constructs the land use intensity system of Fujian Province at the same time, and uses a coupled coordination model to analyze the coupling between RSEI and The coupled coordination model was used to analyze the coupling relationship between RSEI and land use intensity, and finally the spatial and temporal evolution of ecological health in Fujian Province from 2005 to 2020 was analyzed. The results show that the coupled coordination between land use intensity and ecosystem health in Fujian province showed a continuous increase between 2005 and 2020, especially in Ningde, where the increase was most significant, from 0.0993 to 0.963, this pattern of spatial distribution is lower in the south-eastern coastal region than in the north-western interior, higher in the south-western region than in the north-western region, and higher in the north-eastern region than in the south-eastern region. In terms of the type of role, the land use intensity of most cities in Fujian Province in 2005 played an obvious role in blocking the degree of ecosystem health, but as time changed, urban land use continued to be optimized and reached moderate or even high quality coordination with the quality of the ecological environment, but Xiamen City developed relatively slowly and its 2020 coupling degree value was 0.315, which was still in mild disorder. This study fills a gap in the research mechanism of the interaction between the degree of ecosystem health and land use intensity, and also provides a new perspective for the construction of ecological civilization and the assessment of the degree of ecosystem health in Fujian Province and the whole country.

This paper intends to examine whether a company’s policy of dividend would impact or influence the price fluctuation of respective common stock in the designated stock market particularly in Hong Kong. Hence, there are 354 companies in Hong Kong which are all listed company on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong (HKEX), were chosen as sample data for analysis with their audited financial information ranged from 2001 to 2020. Two proxies, the yield and the ratio of pay-out of dividend were widely adopted for the measurement of the effect of dividend policy and the possible influence on the volatility of respective common stock price by employing two statistical models, which are the model of fixed and random effects to provide accurate regression coefficients. With the results from the model of fixed effects, the yield and the pay-out ratio of dividend have been found statistically associated to the price volatilization of respective common stock in Hong Kong. The statical results in this study also find the yield and the ratio of pay-out of dividend are apparently and negatively associated to the price volatilization of respective common stock in Hong Kong. The research outcomes will be a reference for further study on different variables may have effects or volatilize the price of common stock price particularly in Hong Kong capital market.

The imperfection of theoretical and methodological approaches to regulate the jump process transition when combining differentiated energy resources is a pressing issue. The goal of this paper is to develop a theory and a method to regulate the integration-balancing processes of combining diversified resources. The concept of combining integration and balancing models has been substantiated by methods of transforming multidimensional space and approximating generalized functions that represent jump-like processes. Theoretical and operational-regulatory models of economic sustainability have been developed, substantiating new concepts, patterns, properties, dependencies and indicators of the dynamics of the processes of combination; the optimality conditions for the number of approximations of generalized functions, interpreting the effects of control functions of combining resources, are determined. New methods for solving problems have been developed: the organization of the energy technology complex of facilities for enhanced resource diversification and the Center for Sustainability, improving the quality of managing dynamic processes in terms of combining and diversifying resources.

Purpose of this article is to introduce a modification of Phillips operators on the interval $\left[ \frac{1}{2},\infty \right) $ via Dunkl generalization. This type of modification enables a better error estimation on the interval $\left[ \frac{1}{2},\infty \right) $ rather than the classical Dunkl Phillips operators on $\left[ 0,\infty \right) $. We discuss the convergence results and obtain the degrees of approximations. Furthermore, we calculate the rate of convergence by means of modulus of continuity, Lipschitz type maximal functions, Peetre's $K$-functional and second order modulus of continuity.

Purpose of this article is to introduce a modification of Phillips operators on the interval $\left[ \frac{1}{2}% ,\infty \right) $ via Dunkl generalization. This type of modification enables a better error estimation on the interval $\left[ \frac{1}{2},\infty \right) $ rather than the classical Dunkl Phillips operators on $\left[ 0,\infty \right) $. We discuss the convergence results and obtain the degrees of approximations. Furthermore, we calculate the rate of convergence by means of modulus of continuity, Lipschitz type maximal functions, Peetre's $K$-functional and second order modulus of continuity.

In this paper, we study sums of finite products of Chebyshev polynomials of the first kind and Lucas polynomials and represent each of them in terms of Chebyshev polynomials of all kinds. Here the coefficients involve terminating hypergeometric functions ₂F₁ and these representations are obtained by explicit computations.

The biology of sexual orientations has intrigued people for generations. Many models have been providing insights to that topic, but there are still unanswered questions. In humans, sexual orientation has a learned component. Humans have to learn cues by which they identify the sex of their mates, and cues of the emotional messages that those mates broadcast. Many of those cues depend on arbitrary societal conventions. The cues are learned automatically and subconsciously during childhood, based on non-sexual experiences. When sexual orientation emerges at puberty, the youngsters cannot tell how and when they have acquired it. A model that deals with those phenomena is presented. A basic tenet of the model is that a sexual orientation is determined by the innate wirings of the brain. The model describes how the brain learns cues for identifying the sex of the mate, and cues for identifying emotional messages that the mate broadcasts. The learning mechanism is conditioning. The unconditioned stimulus is human voice. The unconditioned responses are the triggers of the physical and emotional manifestations of sexual activity. The model suggests that innate connections from auditory detectors of men’s and women’s voice onto brain centers that trigger sexual activities, such as the hypothalamus, determine the sexual orientation that emerges at puberty. Innate connections from those auditory centers to emotional centers, such as the amygdala, determine the learned emotional cues. It is also proposed that during evolution, the roles of the chemosensory system in identifying mates were taken over by the auditory system.

Qualtra, an innovative 10 MW geothermal power plant proposal, employs a closed-loop design to mitigate emissions, ensuring no direct release into the atmosphere. A thorough assessment utilizing energy and exergy analysis, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Exergo-economic and Exergo Environmental Analysis (EevA) was conducted. The LCA results, utilizing the ReCiPe 2016 midpoint methodology, encompass all the spectrum of environmental indicators provided. The technology implemented makes it possible to totally avoid direct atmospheric emissions from the Qualtra plant, so the environmental impact is mainly due to indirect emissions over the life cycle. The results obtained for the Global Warming Potential indicator is about 6.6 g CO2/kWh, notably lower compared to other conventional systems. Contribution analysis reveals that the construction phase dominates, accounting for over 90% of the impact in all LCA MidPoint categories. At the component level, a single score calculation incorporating normalization and weighting was executed. The resulting single score is then used into Exergo-Environmental Analysis (EEvA), highlighting the well system as the most impactful contributor, constituting approximately 45% of the total impact. Other substantial contributions to the environmental impact include the condenser (21%), the turbine (17%), and the HEGeo (14%). The Exergo-Economic analysis assesses cost distribution across major plant components, projecting an electricity cost of about 8.3 c€/kWh.

With the proliferation of electric vehicles (EVs) and the consequential increase in EV battery circulation, the need for accurate assessment of battery health and remaining useful life (RUL) is paramount, driven by environmentally friendly and sustainability goals. This study addresses this pressing concern by employing data-driven methods, specifically harnessing deep learning techniques to enhance RUL estimation for lithium-ion batteries (LIB). Leveraging the Toyota Research Institute Dataset, consisting of 124 lithium-ion batteries cycled to failure and encompassing key metrics such as capacity, temperature, resistance, and discharge time, our analysis substantially improves RUL prediction accuracy. Notably, the Convolutional-LSTM-Deep Neural Network (CLDNN) model and the Transformer-LSTM (Temporal-Transformer) model have emerged as standout Remaining Useful Life (RUL) predictors. The CLDNN model, in particular, achieved a remarkable Mean Absolute Error (MAE) of 84.012 and a Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) of 25.676. Similarly, the Temporal-Transformer model exhibited notable performance with an MAE of 85.134 and a MAPE of 28.7932. These impressive results were achieved through the application of Bayesian hyperparameter optimization, further enhancing the accuracy of predictive methods. These models were benchmarked against existing approaches, demonstrating superior results with an improvement in MAPE ranging from 4.01% to 7.12%.

This paper utilizes a life cycle assessment to evaluate the energy resources and environmental impacts of three heating systems. In the first step, life cycle assessments (LCAs) are prepared for the renewable, conventional, and combined systems. The system boundary of the LCA method is "cradle to gate," which means it includes the entire life cycle of a product or process. This includes energy supply, transport, energy generation, and operational energy use. The system scenarios were compared based on ecological and energy loads in the second step. Primary energy, resources, emissions, and environmental potentials are calculated for the system scenarios using the life cycle assessment methods CML 2016 and ReCiPe 2016. Finally, models for environmental reliability and complex decision-support tools have been developed. This work addresses two main questions: how to characterize the environmental and energy impacts of the systems under study, and what is the optimal scenario for the system? The research results show that the gas boiler system has a greater environmental impact. The most significant differences between the systems relate to the degrada-tion of abiotic fossil fuels when using a gas boiler and the process of acidification when using an electric heat pump. The results can be used to develop sustainable heating systems with reduced environmental impacts and enhanced energy efficiency.

Parasitic diseases are among the most serious public health problems in developing countries, causing high mortality and economic burdens. The Trypanosomatidae family includes Leishmania spp. and Trypanosoma cruzi, which cause leishmaniasis and Chagas disease, respectively. Both these parasites are among the major agents of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Leishmaniasis is currently the second most widespread vector-borne parasitic disease after malaria. The World Health Organization (WHO) records approximately 0.7-1 million newly diagnosed leishmaniasis cases each year, resulting in approximately 20,000-30,000 deaths. Also, 25 million people worldwide are at risk of Chagas disease and an estimated 6 million people are infected with Trypanosoma cruzi. Despite the similarity of the parasites, the evolution of the disease and the clinical indexes are explicitly different in African, Asian, and American forms of infection. Clinical therapies are associated with drug resistance and side effects. As a result, the discovery of novel therapeutic agents has emerged as a top priority and a promising alternative. Peptide-based drugs are an attractive class of therapeutic agents. They are recognized for being highly selective and effective, as well as safe and well tolerated. Moreover, they are now being explored in the development of novel therapeutics for a variety of health disorders, including oncology, endocrinology, metabolic, cardiovascular, and bone diseases. In addition, they are being explored in tropical diseases such as leishmaniasis and Chagas disease. We will discuss current knowledge regarding the parasite life cycle, signs and symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment options for leishmaniasis and Chagas disease.

In the past decade, under the background of the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality era, the rapid development of new energy vehicles has put forward higher requirements for the performance of strike forces such as battery cycle life, energy density and cost. Lithium-ion batteries have gradually become the mainstream of electric vehicle power batteries due to their excellent energy density, rate performance and cycle life. At present, the most widely used cathode materials for power batteries are lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and ternary nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM). However, these materials exhibit the bottlenecks that limit the improvement and promotion of power battery performance. In this review, the performance characteristics, cycle life attenuation mechanism (including structural damage, gas generation and active lithium loss, etc.) and improvement methods (including surface coating and element-doping modification) of LFP and NCM batteries are reviewed. Finally, the development prospects of this field are proposed.

The transportation sector significantly contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, thus imposing sig-nificant environmental hazards. In response, many nations have begun promoting Electric Vehicles (EVs) as an ecologically sustainable substitute for traditional combustion vehicles. Lithium-Ion Batteries (LIBs), characterized by their high energy density, extended lifespan, and relatively low self-discharge rate, have become the suitable energy storage system for EVs, advancing the field of sustainable transportation. The decreasing cost of LIB production has primarily driven this progression, realized through a combination of economies of scale, advancements in electrode materials and cell design, and re-finements in manufacturing processes. All these elements collectively contribute to the cost reduc-tion of LIBs. A foreseeable implication of this trend is an expected surge in LIBs that will exhaust their operational lifespan and, consequently, be cast away into the environment. One mitigating strategy for this impending environmental issue involves collecting these spent EV batteries, re-configuring them, and repurposing them for applications with less rigorous weight, performance, and size prerequisites. This approach would not only prolong the utility life of the batteries but also ameliorate their environmental impacts. Nevertheless, second-life batteries are anticipated to exhibit a higher rate of gas evolution, necessitating comprehensive testing and readjustments to ensure safe operation in secondary ap-plications. The regulatory framework encompassing the second-life battery sector still needs to be defined regarding norms, technical standards, and legislation. This paper aims to elucidate the primary regulations and technical standards proposed thus far in the second-life battery marketplace. The results underscore the exigency for neutral evaluative entities, such as universities, research centers, and governmental institutions, to perform an unbi-ased assessment of the second-life battery market. This would pave the way for novel technical standards and legislative measures specifically tailored to this emerging sector.

Elucidating physicochemical processes in the degradation of pollutants may optimize their removal from water sources. This work presents a set of elementary steps in the photocatalytic degradation of carbamazepine (CBZ), assuming a steady state approximation in an Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP) combining short-wave ultraviolet radiation (UVC), homogeneous reagent (H₂O₂) and heterogeneous (TiO₂) catalyst. Elementary steps include excitation of both reagent/catalysts by UVC photons, adsorption of CBZ on the excited TiO₂, or its oxidation by hydroxyl radicals. Assuming the steady state approximation on the intermediate products (excited TiO₂, CBZ- excited TiO₂ complex, and hydroxyl radicals), leads to rate laws for degradation of CBZ, in which UVC radiation, TiO₂, and H₂O₂ are pseudo first order at all concentrations or intensities having no direct influence on CBZ pseudo-order, whereas CBZ shifts from pseudo first order at low concentrations to pseudo-zero order at high concentrations. Several experiments to test the mechanism were conducted, by varying CBZ, H₂O₂, and TiO₂ concentrations, and UVC radiation intensities. Measured results indeed fit the suggested mechanism for the first three, but irradiation intensity appears to shift CBZ influence from pseudo-second to pseudo-first order with increased intensities. Corrected elementary steps are proposed to fit the results.

The evolutionary transition from single-celled to multicellular individuality requires organismal fitness to shift from the cell-level to the cell group. This reorganization of fitness occurs by allocating the two components of fitness, survival and reproduction, between two specialized cell types in the multicellular group – soma and germ, respectively. How does the genetic basis for such fitness reorganization evolve? One possible mechanism is the co-option of life-history genes present in the unicellular ancestors of a multicellular lineage. Single-celled organisms must regulate their investment in survival and reproduction in response to environmental changes, particularly decreasing reproduction to ensure survival when stressed. Such stress response life-history genes can provide the foundation for the genetic basis for cellular differentiation in multicellular lineages. The regA gene family in volvocine green algae provides a model system to study how this co-option occurs. We discuss the origin and evolution of the volvocine regA gene family, including regA – the gene that controls somatic cell development in the model organism Volvox carteri. We hypothesize that the co-option of life history trade-off genes is a general mechanism involved in the transition to multicellular individuality, making volvocine algae and the regA family a useful template for similar investigations in other lineages.

This paper presents PrognosEase; a software that provides an easier way to produce different types of run-to-failure data mimicking real-world conditions to simplify prognosis studies in terms of data collection and improvement in ML degradation modelling process. Different types of degradation types made available to meet different types of applications. Besides, some primary ML tests were performed to ensure that complexity patterns of real systems could be observed in the training/testing predictions attitude. This paper also presents the impacts, limitations and potential improvements of the data generator.

The interactions between work and personal life are important for ensuring well-being especially during COVID-19 where the lines between work and home are blurred. Work-life interference/imbalance can result in work-related burnout, which has been shown to have negative effects on faculty members’ physical and psychological health. Although our understanding of burnout has advanced considerably in recent years, little is known about the effects of burnout on nursing faculty turnover intentions and career satisfaction. Thus, this study aimed to test a hypothesized model examining the effects of work-life inference on nursing faculty burnout (emotional exhaustion and cynicism), turnover intentions and ultimately, career satisfaction. A predictive cross-sectional design was used. An online national survey of nursing faculty members was administered throughout Canada in Summer 2021. Nursing faculty who held full-time or part-time positions in Canadian academic settings were invited via email to participate in the study. Data was collected from an anonymous survey housed on Qualtrics. Descriptive statistics and reliability estimates were computed. The hypothesized model was tested using structural equation modeling. Data suggest that work-life interference significantly increase burnout which contribute to both higher turnover intentions and lower career satisfaction. Turnover intentions in turn was negatively associated with career satisfaction. The findings add to the growing body of literature linking burnout to turnover and dissatisfaction, highlighting key antecedents and/or drivers of burnout among nurse academics. These results provide suggestions for suitable areas for the development of interventions and policies within the organizational structure to reduce the risk of burnout during and post-COVID-19 and improve faculty retention.

Using the PLCC advantages generates revenue and lowers costs more than might be anticipated. It ensures better decisions by using a more perfect and practical assessment of revenues and costs. Although the supplier selection (SC) product life cycle cost (SCPLCC) is an important consideration among corporations, SCPLCC problem has become associated with deciding how one supplier should be selected from possible alternatives. In this study, we applied two types of goal programming, multiobjective linear programming and revised multichoice goal programming to develop a PLCC-based concept to solve the SCPLCC problem and construct a decision-making tool for application to a case of supply chain management in a Taiwanese light-emitting diode company in the high-tech industry. Our study main contribution Company managers can easily use the two approaches of the SCPLCC model with different parameters to solve SCPLCC model problems. Finally, we comparing five models found RMCGP with weighted linear goal programming had an adequate effect for application to the PLCC concept for high-technology company; this cloud make company decision–makers focus on low PLCC and select better supplier.

The inaccurate estimates of linear prediction coefficient (LPC) and noise variance introduce bias in Kalman filter (KF) gain and degrades speech enhancement performance. The existing methods proposed a tuning of the biased Kalman gain particularly in stationary noise condition. This paper introduces a tuning of the KF gain for speech enhancement in real-life noise conditions. First, we estimate noise from each noisy speech frame using a speech presence probability (SPP) method to compute the noise variance. Then construct a whitening filter (with its coefficients computed from the estimated noise) and employed to the noisy speech, yielding a pre-whitened speech, from where the speech LPC parameters are computed. Then construct KF with the estimated parameters, where the robustness metric offsets the bias in Kalman gain during speech absence to that of the sensitivity metric during speech presence to achieve better noise reduction. Where the noise variance and the speech model parameters are adopted as a speech activity detector. The reduced-biased Kalman gain enables the KF to minimize the noise effect significantly, yielding the enhanced speech. Objective and subjective scores on NOIZEUS corpus demonstrates that the enhanced speech produced by the proposed method exhibits higher quality and intelligibility than some benchmark methods.

China's implementation of public-private partnerships projects has been quite effective, involving infrastructure and other livelihood projects, a total of 19 industries, and an investment of nearly 1.5 trillion yuan. The characteristics of PPP projects such as long construction period and large investment amount determine the risks of PPP projects are also great, and the PPP projects of comprehensive environmental governance are also the same. The government and social capital use the PPP model to cooperate, and use the principal component analysis method to assess the risks of the entire life cycle of the comprehensive environmental governance PPP project. Therefore, it plays an important role in ensuring the smooth implementation of projects and reducing the losses caused by risks. According to the risk factors of the whole life cycle of the comprehensive environmental governance PPP project, an indicator system of 5 first-level indicators, 18 second-level indicators, and 43 third-level indicators has been established. Principal component analysis is used to analyze the influence weight of risk factors at each stage. The analysis shows that among the four stages, environmental pollution risk, project approval delay risk, completion risk, interest rate and financial fluctuation risk, and franchise life risk are the most influential risks in the implementation of PPP projects. Therefore, suggestions are made through the risk factors of each stage in the comprehensive environmental governance PPP project. For example, strengthen the response to the external environment risks of the comprehensive environmental governance PPP project, standardize the bidding and procurement of the comprehensive environmental governance PPP project, and strengthen the subsequent management of the transfer of the comprehensive environmental governance PPP project. In this way, the ability to resist risks of comprehensive environmental governance PPP projects is improved; the smooth implementation of the project is guaranteed, and the long-term development of comprehensive environmental governance PPP projects is promoted.

Tourism is the main economic sector in the Balearic Islands (Spain) and hotel housekeepers (HHs) are a large occupational group, in which stress is becoming a major issue. This study aims at exploring in-depth factors perceived as stressors by HHs and key-informants, and their effects on work-life balance (WLB). A qualitative design with phenomenological approach was used, conducting six focus groups with 34 HHs and 10 individual interviews with key-informants. Results were analyzed adopting the job demands-resources model and a gender perspective. High demands –e.g work overload, time pressure, physical burden...-, lack of enough resources and little control –derived from role conflict, unexpected events...- were the most important factors explaining HHs’ stress. Additionally, this imbalance was perceived as leading to health problems –mainly musculoskeletal disorders-. Working schedule was mentioned as a facilitator to WLB, whereas an imbalance between job demands and resources led to work-home conflict –preventing them from enjoying leisure time-. Multiple roles at work and at home increased their stress. HHs experienced their job as invisible and unrecognised. Regarding practical implications, our recommendations for hotel organization include reducing workload and increasing resources, which would improve the job demands-resource balance, diminish negative mental and physical outcomes and improve WLB.

Since the beginning, humans advanced their civilization by making better tools to improve their lives. Tools and products were designed for better living considering manufacturing issues, cost and time as predominant criteria. It has become clear that not considering environment and society, both at local/global levels, has now become a major impediment affecting living conditions on a large portion of the Earth and in many societies. Design methodologies should lead to creative solutions with consideration to engineering and economics for practicality but also to environmental and social constraints for sustainability. We propose a comprehensive design methodology based on multidisciplinary design to include the knowledge of humanities, environmentalists, science and engineering, and allowing for experts’ inputs from these areas to provide a holistic approach to engineering design . For example, experts in humanities are expected to interact with stakeholders to evaluate their value systems to provide guidance for the design. The methodology that we synthesize is new and combines (i) Societal level impacts at all scales, (ii) Environmental impacts and (iii) Engineering design with economic impacts, including uncertainty considerations. The proposed design methodology is called Social-Environmental-Economical-Engineering Framework (SEEEF). It can utilize concepts and tools such as Circular Design, Doughnut Economics, design based on environmental life cycle analysis, among others. SEEEF is quantity based and provides steps for evaluating any project or product in an objective manner and will help train engineers in design for sustainability. It also provides non-engineers with a significant role in design to increase their understanding of the hard constraints of engineering. Ultimately, SEEEF allows society to take an informed decision considering short/long term and local/global impacts of the design and the pertinent uncertainties.

In financial time series modelling and forecasting, combining ARMA and GARCH models tend to produce superior and reliable models for volatility persistence, half-life volatility and backtesting (application of model in real life). In Nigeria, banking stocks are mostly traded because of its potential benefits to investors. This study modelled and forecasted the Guaranty Trust (GT) Bank daily stock returns from January 2^nd 2001 to May 8^th 2017 data set collected from a secondary source. The ARMA-GARCH models, persistence, half-life and backtesting were used to analysed the collected data using student t and skewed student t distributions, and the analyses are carried out R environment using rugard and performanceAnaytics Packages. The study revealed that using the lowest information criteria values only could be misleading rather we added the use of backtesing. The ARMA(1,1)-GARCH(1,1) models fitted exhibited high persistency in the daily stock returns while the days it takes for mean-reverting of the models ranges from 5 days to 100 days but unfortunately the models failed backtesting. The results further revealed ARMA(1,1)-eGARCH (2,2) model with student t distribution provides a suitable model for evaluating the GT bank stock returns among the competing models while it takes less than 30 days for the persistence volatility to return back to its average value of the stock returns. This study recommended that researchers should adopt backtesting approach while fitting GARCH models while GT bank stocks investor should be assured that no matter the fluctuations in the stock market, the GT bank stock returns has the ability to returns to its mean price return.

A tailored model for the assessment of environmental benefits achievable by “light-weighting” in the automotive field is presented. The model is based on the Fuel Reduction Value (FRV) coefficient, which expresses the Fuel Consumption (FC) saving involved by a 100 kg mass reduction. The work is composed of two main sections: simulation and environmental modelling. Simulation modelling performs an in-depth calculation of weight-induced FC whose outcome is the FRV evaluated for a wide range of Diesel Turbocharged (DT) vehicle case studies. Environmental modelling converts fuel saving to impact reduction basing on the FRVs obtained by simulations. Results show that for the considered case studies, FRV is within the range 0.115–0.143 and 0.142–0.388 L/100 km × 100 kg, respectively, for mass reduction only and powertrain adaptation (secondary effects). The implementation of FRVs within the environmental modelling represents the added value of the research and makes the model a valuable tool for application to real case studies of automotive lightweight LCA.

A simple line of reasoning, based on the most fundamental concepts of thermodynamics, yields some intriguing results for a better understanding of the processes occurring in the observable Universe. Gravitational mass must be continuously generated within an expanding thermodynamic system for this system to remain closed. The Second Law is a direct consequence of this production of mass. Simple expressions for the entropy and temperature of the Universe were obtained and the results agree well with observable values. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the conservation laws within the Universe are independent of its energy density. Based on the solution for the quantum state of the Universe, it is conjectured that the Second Law is incomplete and must be complemented to a conservation law, which takes into account the growth of the amount of information within the Universe. Once the Second Law is complemented to a conservation law, the importance of mass generation within the Universe becomes well pronounced – not only gravitational effects play the role of an organising force, but also the amount of mass within the Universe defines both the amount of information within the Universe and the level of the Universe’s complexity.

Retinal apoptosis plays a critical role in the progression of diabetic retinopathy (DR), a common diabetic complication. Currently, the tight control of blood glucose levels is the standard approach to prevent or delay the progression of DR. However, prevalence of DR among diabetic patients remains high. Focusing on natural nutrients or herbal medicines that can prevent or delay the onset of diabetic complications, we administered an ethanol extract of the aerial portion of Osteomeles Schwerinae (OSSCE), a Chinese herbal medicine, over a period of 17 weeks to spontaneously diabetic Torii (SDT) rats. OSSCE was found to ameliorate retinal apoptosis through the regulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) accumulation, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial function via inhibition of NF-κB activity, in turn through the downregulation of PKCδ, P47phox, and ERK1/2. We further demonstrated in 25 mM glucose-treated human retinal microvascular endothelial cells (HRMECs) that hyperoside (3-O-galactoside-quercetin), quercitrin (3-O-rhamnoside-quercetin), and 2''-O-acetylvitexin (8-C-(2''-O-acetyl-glucoside)-apigenin) were the active components of OSSCE that mediated its pharmacological action. Our results provide evidence that OSSCE is a powerful agent that may directly mediate a delay in development or disease improvement in patients of DR.