The core of eLoran ground-based timing navigation system is the accurate measurement of groundwave propagation delay. However, meteorological changes will disturb the conductive characteristic factors along the groundwave propagation path, especially for complex terrestrial propagation environment, and may even lead to microsecond-level propagation delay fluctuation, seriously affecting the timing accuracy of the system. Aiming at this problem, this paper proposes a propagation delay prediction model based on Back-Propagation neural network (BPNN) for complex meteorological environment, which realizes the function of directly mapping propaga-tion delay fluctuation through meteorological factors. Firstly, the theoretical influence of meteoro-logical factors on each component of propagation delay is analyzed based on calculation parame-ters. Then, through the correlation analysis of the measured data, the complex relationship be-tween the seven main meteorological factors and the propagation delay, as well as their regional differences are demonstrated. Finally, a BPNN prediction model considering regional changes of multiple meteorological factors is proposed, and the validity of the model is verified by long-term collected data. Experimental results show that the proposed model can effectively predict the propagation delay fluctuation in the next few days, and its overall performance is significantly improved compared with the existing linear model and simple neural network model. eLoran; meteorological factor; propagation delay prediction model; Back-Propagation neural network;

The increasing prevalence and heightened severity of extreme weather events, which are consequences of climate change, pose significant challenges to the global property insurance sector. This study examines the concurrent crises faced by insurance companies in maintaining profitability and by property owners in affording coverage, thereby necessitating a reevaluation of current insurance paradigms. We present an innovative approach that utilizes a back-propagation (BP) neural network to forecast insurance losses and guide strategic underwriting decisions in regions prone to perils. Our advanced model combines crucial factors such as the likelihood of extreme meteorological phenomena, insurance risk premiums, and capital adequacy ratios to predict impending losses and inform insurance policy formulation. Through an extensive analysis of nearly two decades of catastrophe data from the United States and New Zealand, we determine the model's effectiveness in anticipating insurance-related losses and providing strategic guidance to insurance entities. The study concludes with recommendations for insurers to enhance risk assessment, innovate products, collaborate with governments, invest in green projects, and establish dedicated climate risk management teams. The study contributes to the discourse on climate change adaptation in the insurance industry and offers practical solutions for navigating the complexities of extreme weather risk.

Short-circuit blowing is an important technical means to ensure the rapid surfacing of submersible. In order to study the impact of seven multiple manipulation factors of three levels on blowing, a proportional short-circuit blowing model test bench had been built and L18(37) orthogonal experiments were carried out; then, using Back propagation neural network and Pearson correlation analysis, the experimental data were trained and predicted, correlation between individual factor and blowing was further studied as supplement of orthogonal experiments. It had been proved that both multi-factor combination and individual including blowing duration, sea tank back pressure, the gas blowing pressure of the cylinder group, and sea valve flowing area had larger influence, whose correlation coefficients were 0.6535, 0.8105, 0.5569, 0.5373, of which the F-ratio of blowing duration is over critical value 3.24. And statistical evaluation indicators of Back propagation neural network were between 10e-2 and 10e-13, relative error was less than 3%, and prediction error accuracy was 100%. Based on the results above, a reasonable prediction method for submersible short-circuit blowing had been formed and suggestions on engineering design and operations were proposed, including advantage of short-circuit blowing method, initial condition settings and manipulation strategy.

High purity hydrogen is a necessary need for fuel cell. Pressure swing adsorption (PSA) technology is one of the effective methods for hydrogen purification and separation. A layered adsorption bed packed with activated carbon and zeolite 5A for five-component gas mixture (H2/CH4/CO/N2/CO2=56.4/26.6/8.4/5.5/3.1 mol%) PSA model was built. The model was validated by breakthrough curves and comparing the results with the experimental data. The purification performance of six-step layered bed PSA cycle was studied using the model. In order to optimize the cycle, the Box-Behnken design (BBD) method was used, as implemented in Design Expert™. In addition to adsorption time, the pressure equalization time and the feed flow rate were considered as independent optimization parameters. Quadratic regression equations were then obtained for three responses of the system, namely purity, recovery, and productivity. To explore a better optimization solution, a novel optimization method of machine learning with back propagation neural network (BPNN) was proposed in this work, a kind of heuristic algorithm of genetic algorithm (GA) is introduced to optimize the structure of BPNN. The predicted outputs of hydrogen production using two kinds of models based on back propagation neural network-genetic algorithm (BPNN-GA) and BBD method integrated with BPNN-GA (BBD-BPNN-GA) models. The results showed that the BBD-BPNN-GA model have a better performance with the mean square error (MSE) of 0.0005, while the MSE of BPNN-GA model was 0.0035. And the correlation coefficient of R-values were much closer to 1 of the BBD-BPNN-GA model, which was illustrated that the BBD-BPNN-GA model can be effectively applied to the prediction and optimization of PSA process.

Red mud (RM), a bauxite residue, contains hazardous radioactive wastes and alkaline material and poses severe surface water and groundwater contamination risks, necessitating recycling. Pretreated RM can be used to make adsorbents for water treatment. However, its performance is affected by many factors, resulting in a nonlinear correlation and coupling relationship. This study aimed to identify the best formula for an RM adsorbent using a mathematical model that examines the relationship between 11 formulation types (e.g., pore-assisting agent, component modifier, and external binder) and nine properties (e.g., specific surface area, wetting angle, and Zeta potential, among others). This model was built using a back-propagation neural networks(BP) based on single-factor experimental data and orthogonal test data. The model trained and predicted the established network structure to obtain the optimal adsorbent formula. The RM particle adsorbents had a pH of 10.16, specific surface area(BET) of 48.92 m2·g−1, pore volume of 2.10 cm3·g−1, compressive strength(ST)) of 1.12 KPa, and 24-h immersion pulverization rate(η_m) of 3.72%. In the removal of total phosphorus in flotation tailings backwater, it exhibited a good adsorption capacity (Q)and total phosphorous removal rate(η) of 48.63 mg·g−1 and 95.13%, respectively.

We present a simplified computational rule for the back-propagation formulas for artificial neural networks. In this work, we provide a generic two-step rule for the back-propagation algorithm in matrix notation. Moreover, this rule incorporates both the forward and backward phases of the computations involved in the learning process. Specifically, this recursively computing rule permits the propagation of the changes to all synaptic weights in the network, layer by layer, efficiently. In particular, we use this rule to compute both the up and down partial derivatives of the cost function of all the connections feeding into the output layer.

Many studies utilize sensors to measure foot plantar pressure and analyze gait patterns, often focusing on assessing weight-bearing symmetry or asymmetry compared to control groups. However, a critical question arises: does the selection of the control group significantly impact study outcomes? Does chronic low back pain affect foot plantar pressure measurements? This experimental study involved 23 participants, including healthy individuals and those without foot disorders but with chronic low back pain. Dynamic foot pressure measurements were conducted using the Ortopiezometr, and data were analyzed using the "Steps" program. Participants were divided into two groups: Group 1 comprised completely healthy individuals, while Group 2 consisted of individuals without foot problems but with moderate chronic low back pain. The findings highlight a prevalence of energy release in the forefoot sensors compared to the hindfoot for both the right and left legs in most cases. Even among healthy volunteers, achieving perfect symmetry in the maximum values on the sensors for the right and left feet was a challenge. Results showed no statistically significant differences in energy released on specific sensors or duration of gait phases between the groups. Essentially, this suggests that foot pressure patterns are comparable between healthy individuals and those with low back pain. The use of sensor-equipped inserts for pedobarographic examinations indicates that, in cases of degenerative changes in the lumbar and sacral spine without accompanying acute pain, gait patterns resemble those of the healthy population.

Free-space communication is a leading component in global communications. Its advantages relate to a broader signal spread, no wiring, and ease of engagement. Satellite communication services became recently attractive to mega-companies that foresee an excellent opportunity to connect disconnected remote regions, serve emerging machine-to-machine communication, Internet-of-things connectivity, and more. Satellite communication links suffer from arbitrary weather phenomena such as clouds, rain, snow, fog, and dust. In addition, when signals approach the ground station, it has to overcome buildings blocking the direct access to the ground station. Therefore, satellites commonly use redundant signal strength to ensure constant and continuous signal transmission, resulting in excess energy consumption, challenging the limited power capacity generated by solar energy or the fixed amount of fuel. This research proposes LTSM, an artificial recurrent neural network technology that provides a time-dependent prediction of the expected attenuation level due to rain and fog and the signal strength that remained after crossing physical obstacles surrounding the ground station. The satellite transmitter is calibrated accordingly. The satellite outgoing signal strength is based on the predicted signal strength to ensure it will remain strong enough for the ground station to process it. The instant calibration eliminates the excess use of energy resulting in energy savings.

The learning equations of an ANN are presented, giving an extremely concise derivation based on the principle of backpropagation through the descendent gradient. Then, a reflection is developed on the dual attention network that applies the learning equations and coordinates subnetworks toward purposeful behaviors. Speculation is made on possible developments of functionalities that could provide additional skills and at the same time shed light on competencies typical of ``natural intelligence".

Road intersections are made of asphalt pavement, a popular road surface material used worldwide. The pavement may suffer deformities and deterioration, resulting in higher maintenance expenses and an elevated likelihood of road accidents, due to factors such as heavy vehicles and environmental variables like temperature and rainfall. To tackle these obstacles, researchers have devised several machine-learning algorithms and optimization techniques. These tools aim to forecast and scrutinize pavement deformation, with the goal of refining pavement design and maintenance approaches, as well as obtaining a more comprehensive comprehension of the factors that impact pavement effectiveness. This paper shows that heavy vehicles contribute significantly more to road erosion, and the retention and braking of vehicles greatly impact roadways. We also emphasize the statistical errors computed on the actual data range and demonstrate the results of the multilayer perceptron (MLP) model. The MLP model used the lath erosion standard to simulate future impact. Even though the model given is based on a small sample of data from one intersection, its estimates for road erosion in a year were found to be accurate when contrasted to real data. Controlling traffic flow can significantly improve road conditions, reducing erosion decay by reducing the time spent at intersections and other parameters. We conclude that machine learning can help control traffic flow, which can significantly improve road conditions, reducing vehicle time stretches at intersections.

Artificial Intelligence is dominated by Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs). Currently, the Batch Gradient Descent (BGD) is the only solution to train ANN weights when dealing with large datasets. In this article, a modification to the BGD is proposed which significantly reduces the training time and improves the convergence. The modification, called Instance Eliminating Back Propagation (IEBP), eliminates correctly-predicted-instances from the Back Propagation. The speedup is due to the elimination of unnecessary matrix multiplication operations from the Back Propagation. The proposed modification does not add any training hyperparameter to the existing ones and reduces the memory consumption during the training.

This paper focuses on the integrated guidance and autopilot design with control input saturation in the end-game phase of hypersonic flight. Firstly, uncertain nonlinear integrated guidance and autopilot model is developed with third actuator dynamics, where the control surface deflection has magnitude constraint. Secondly, neural network is implemented in extended state observer (ESO) design, which is used to estimate the complex model uncertainty, nonlinearity and state coupling. Thirdly, a command filtered back-stepping controller is designed with hybrid sliding surfaces to improve the terminal performance. In the process, different command filters are implemented to avoid the influences of disturbances and repetitive derivation, meanwhile solve the problem of unknown control direction caused by saturation. The stability of closed-loop system is proved by Lyapunov theory, and the principles abided by the controller parameters are concluded through the proof. Finally, series of 6-DOF numerical simulations are presented to show the feasibility and validity of the proposed controller.

Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP), defined as pain persisting for at least 12 weeks, is a significant public health issue, with prevalence intensifying due to an ageing global population, amassing approximately 619 million cases in 2020 and projected to escalate to 843 million by 2050. Given the multitude of therapeutic modalities available for CLBP, this research sought to ascertain their respective efficacies in ameliorating pain and disability. We specifically scrutinized Multidisciplinary Biopsychosocial Rehabilitation (MBR) among adults enduring non-specific low back pain for over 12 weeks, excluding acute pain conditions and pre-study surgical interventions. MBR is an approach encompassing various modalities, including exercise, behavioral therapies, educational programs, and work conditioning aspects, necessitating a comprehensive Network Meta-Analysis (NMA) to fully grasp the extensive scope of its impact. The constructed network comprised diverse MBR modalities (behavioral, educational, and work conditioning) alongside exercise therapy (ET), minimal intervention, and usual care, serving as controls with pain and disability as outcomes. Through the analysis of 4,619 initially identified studies, 93 were included, encompassing a total of 8,059 participants. The NMA conducted substantiated that both ET and MBR modalities were notably effective in alleviating CLBP, with education-oriented MBR emerging as the most efficacious for pain mitigation and behavior-focused MBR for disability reduction. Nevertheless, the discerned differences amongst the treatments were minimal and uncertain, highlighting that no modality was definitively superior to the others. The analysis revealed low global and local inconsistency within the network, underscoring the reliability of the observed outcomes. Given the intricate nature of CLBP, embodying various facets, our findings advocate for a combined therapeutic approach to optimize treatment efficacy. Nonetheless, the presence of high study heterogeneity and potential biases necessitates cautious interpretation of the results, prompting future research.

It is well known that low back pain (LBP) prevalence is high during the course of school age children’s lives. However, literature concerning the initial onset of back pain between ages of 3 and 11 years remains scarce. The present study aimed to analyze the prevalence of LBP in kindergarten and primary school students. 278 (9.9±2.1 years old; 52.2% girls) students from two public kindergarten and primary schools in Valencia, Spain participated in this cross-sectional study. The Nordic questionnaire on LBP was used to ask questions related to the duration of LBP symptoms over time. The lifetime prevalence of LBP was 47.5% (n = 132), a last year prevalence of 44.2% (n = 123), and a last week prevalence of 18.8% (n = 50) was reported. Boys and girls reached lifetime prevalence of 52.3% (n = 64) and 47.7% (n = 82) (χ2 = 1.978, p = .099), respectively. By age group, lifetime episodes of LBP also showed a higher prevalence with increasing age (χ2 = 32.637; p < .001). In summary, our findings suggest that LBP increases with age. In addition, our results further strengthen the evidence that LBP onset could start as young as 10-years-old.

The genus Eucalyptus is a globally captivated source of hardwood and is well known for its medicinal uses. The hybrid and wild species of Eucalyptus are widely used as exotic plantations due to their renowned potential of adapting to various systems and sites, furthermore, making the species the most extensively propagated. Despite unquestionable progression in biotechnological and tissue culture approaches, the productivity of plantations is still limited often due to the low efficiency of clonal propagation from cuttings. The obtained F1 hybrids yield high biomass and High-quality low-cost raw material for large-scale production, however, the development of hybrid, clonal multiplication, proliferation, and post-developmental studies are still major concerns. This riveting review describes the problems concerned with in-vitro and clonal propagation of Eucalypt plantation; recent advances in biotechnological and tissue culture practices for massive and rapid micro-propagation of Eucalyptus; as well, highlights the Eucalypt germplasm preservation techniques.

Low back pain (LBP) affects over 60% of individuals in their lifetime and is a leading cause of disability and increased healthcare expenditure. Facet joint pain (FJP) occurs in 27% to 40% of LBP patients but is often overlooked or misdiagnosed. Additionally, there is no clear correlation between clinical examination, radiological findings, and clinical presentation, com-plicating the diagnosis and treatment of FJP. This narrative review aims to provide an overview of the literature regarding facet joint pain and discusses the utility of medial branch blocks (MBBs) and intra-articular (IA) injections as diag-nostic and therapeutic tools prior to radiofrequency ablation (RFA). RFA is considered the gold standard for managing FJP, employing techniques that include precise needle placement and stimulation parameters to disrupt pain signals. Promising alternatives such as cooled RFA and cryodenervation require further research on their long-term efficacy and safety. Endoscopic denervation and multifidus stimulation are emerging therapies that may benefit chronic LBP patients, but additional research is needed to establish their effectiveness. When conservative management fails, RFA provides significant and lasting relief in well-selected patients and has a favourable safety profile. Current literature does not support surgical inter-ventions for LBP management.

The production of lithium-ion battery cells is characterized by a high degree of complexit due to numerous cause-effect relationships between process characteristics. Knowledge about the multi-stage production is spread among several experts, rendering tasks such as failure analysis challenging. In this paper, a method is presented, which includes expert knowledge acquisition in production ramp-up by combining Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) with a Bayesian Network. We show the effectiveness of this holistic method by building up a large scale, cross-process Bayesian Failure Network in lithium-ion battery production. Using this model, we are able to conduct root cause analyses as well as analyses of failure propagation. The former support operators in identifying root causes once a cell possesses a specific failure by calculating most-probable explanations matched to the individual battery cell data. The latter enable us to analyze propagation of failures and deviations in the production chain and thus provide support for placement of quality gates, leading to a significant reduction in scrap rate. Moreover, it gives an insight into which process steps are key drivers for which final product characteristics.

Recent studies have proven that synthetic aperture radar (SAR) automatic target recognition (ATR) models based on deep neural networks (DNN) are vulnerable to adversarial examples. However, existing attacks are easily failed in the case where adversarial perturbations cannot be fully fed to victim models. We call this situation perturbation offset. Moreover, since background clutter takes up most of the areas in SAR images and has low relevance to recognition results, fooling models with global perturbations is quite inefficient. This paper proposes a semi-whitebox attack network, called Universal Local Adversarial Network (ULAN), to generate universal adversarial perturbations (UAP) for the target regions of SAR images. In the proposed network, we calculate the model’s attention heatmaps through layer-wise relevance propagation (LRP), which is used to locate the target regions of SAR images that have high relevance to recognition results. In particular, we utilize a generator based on the U-Net to learn the mapping from noise to UAPs and craft adversarial examples by adding the generated local perturbations to target regions. Experiments indicate that the proposed method fundamentally prevents perturbation offset and achieves comparable attack performance to conventional global UAPs by perturbing only a quarter or less of SAR image areas.

A closed form solution for the common and differential modal currents induced on a pair of infinitely long parallel conductors by a voltage source was derived. For lossy conductors the current consists of a continuous spectrum of radiation modes and (for the common mode) a modified low loss Sommerfeld-Goubau mode and (for the differential mode) a quasi-TEM mode. This model is used to investigate the influence of a parallel conductor on microwave power line communication systems. For typical parameters, it is shown that the performance of these systems can be enhanced.

Fracture analysis of reinforced concrete deep beam strengthened with carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) plates was carried out. The present research aims to find out whether the crack propagation in a strengthened deep beam follows linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) theory or nonlinear fracture mechanics theory. To do so, a new energy release rate based on nonlinear fracture mechanics theory was formulated on the finite element method and the discrete cohesive zone model (DCZM) was developed in deep beams. To validate and compare with numerical models, three deep beams with rectangular cross-sections were tested. The code results based on nonlinear fracture mechanics models were compared with experimental results and ABAQUS results carried out based on LEFM. The predicted values of initial stiffness, yielding point and failure load, energy absorption, and compressive strain in the concrete obtained by the proposed model were very close to the experimental results. However, the ABAQUS software results have greater differences with the experimental results. For example, the predicted failure load for the shear-strengthened deep beam using the proposed model has only 6.3% differences compared to the experimental result. However, the predicted failure load using ABAQUS software based on LEFM has greater differences (25.1%) compared to the experimental result.

The possibility to test a radio frequency transceiver through the use of appropriate channel emulators allows to evaluate their performance under various operating conditions. Many systems are able to operate with a relatively limited instantaneous bandwidth by applying known statistical models. Sometimes it is necessary to evaluate the performance of a RF transceiver installed on high or very high speed platforms over predictable trajectories using optionally DEMs (Digital Elevation Models)data of the terrain to estimate the number of stimulated paths and their contributions during the flight. When the instantaneous bandwidth of the signal becomes high (over several hundred of MHz), one of the most important phenomenon to consider is the Doppler spread induced by the channel and traditional narrowband models become unuseful. In this paper there are presented some results when a time expansion is adopted in order to emulate the transceiver dynamic and the consequent Doppler spread with the aim to control the spectral purity of the emulated propagation channel.

Back pain is a common symptom that affects all age groups across the globe, when left untreated may eventually lead to disability. A convenient sample selection method was used in this study due to the global Covid-19 pandemic lockdown which was effective in Turkey during the investigation period. Thus, virtual data collection and health education including some health risks were employed. A total population of two hundred adult women was involved in the study but one hundred and twenty-one responses were collected. Findings show that, for socio-demographic characteristics, the pain was found highest in women between the ages of 41-50 and obese/overweight individuals. Although, there was no significant difference recorded in the marital status category. Moreover, statistical mean differences were detected between the scales for ODI (4.18) and BPFS (6.09). Also, p<0.05, paired sample t-test was 0.001 ODI and 0.001 BPFS after the training exercise. This suggests that exercise training is inversely correlated with pain severity which implies that training has a significant influence on pain intensity. Thus, it could be concluded that there is a relationship between the training exercise and ODI/BPFS.

Hamstring muscle (HM) flexibility is frequently compromised in people with chronic low back pain (CLBP), contributing to disability and leading to a less favorable recovery. In a previous article, we presented the results of a study on the immediate effect of passive HM stretching on flexibility in 90 people with CLBP. There was considerable variability in the changes after stretching. The objective of this supplementary analysis was to compare the clinical characteristics of individuals who experienced a significant improvement in flexibility with those who did not. We fixed a threshold of 7° to indicate an improvement in passive Straight Leg Raise (SLR) angle and differentiate between 'Responders' and 'Non-responders' to passive HM stretching. Only Body Mass Index differed between groups; it was significantly smaller in Responders (p=0.007). The majority of Non-responders experienced workplace accidents, but this was of marginal difference compared to Responders (p=0.056). Further studies should consider a broader clinical analysis with a larger sample size to understand which factors influence the HM stretching response in CLBP patients.

Low back pain is a common problem in the active population, and the second reason for visiting a physician. In patients with lumbar disc protrusion, the nucleus pulposus bulges against the disc and the latter protrudes into the spinal column, but the annulus fibrosus remains intact. The purpose of this study was to prove that starting an early complex rehabilitation treatment results into pain and disability reduction, and increased muscle strength and mobility in patients with lumbar disc protrusions. We performed a prospective cohort study, enrolling 60 patients (25 men and 35 women) aged between 26 to 76 years, diagnosed with lumbar disc protrusion. Patients in the experimental group registered significant improvements in all studied variables (pain, mobility, muscle strength, disability) after 6 months of treatment. The results of our study suggest that, in the lumbar disc disease, a combined rehabilitation program may be more effective in terms of pain and disability reduction, if it starts early after diagnosis. The current study proves the importance of combining electrotherapy with hydrotherapy and physical therapy. Patients who received this treatment combination showed an extremely significant improvement in pain relief, and reduction of functional disability after 6 months of treatment.

Background and objective. Globally, disposing of unused medicines has become a source of concern, as pharmaceutical waste enters the ecosystem, posing a threat to human health and the environment. This study aimed to assess the disposal practice of unused medication among pharmacists in Libya. This study also seeks to determine if pharmacists plan to have their pharmacies serve as assembly points for potential take-back initiatives. Methods. A random sample of 150 pharmacists from various government and private pharmacies in Tripoli participated in a self-administered questionnaire about their disposal practices, and knowledge on pharmacies serving as collection points for ideal disposal of unused medicines. Descriptive statistics were used to interpret the data. Results. A total of 128 pharmacists completed the survey. The majority of respondents said that throwing discarded drugs in the trash bin was their preferred method of disposal (53.1%), followed by discarding via burn and drug wholesalers (17.2%, 14.8%, respectively). Only 2.1% of the respondents disposed unused medicines according to the WHO guidelines of drug disposal. Moreover, about 65.6% had poor knowledge about Take-Back program. Conclusion. Failure to follow the WHO guidelines for drug disposal raises the risk of contamination of our environment and the likelihood of humans and animals ingesting harmful pharmaceutical wastes.

(1) Background: Although manual therapy for pain relief has been used as an adjunct in treatments for chronic low back pain (CLBP), there is still the belief that a single session of myofascial release would be effective. This study aimed to investigate whether a single session of a specific technique reduces pain and disability. (2) Methods: This was a crossover clinical trial in which 41 participants over 18 years old with CLBP were randomly enrolled into 3 situations - experimental, placebo, control, in a balanced and cross-over manner. The subjects underwent a single session of myofascial release on thoracolumbar fascia and compare it with the control and placebo. Outcome were pain and functionality, evaluated using the numerical pain rating scale (NPRS), pressure pain threshold (PPT) and Oswestry (ODI). (3) Results: There was no effects between-, within-tests, and interaction for all the outcomes, i.e., NPRS (η 2 = 0.32, F = 0.48, p = 0.61), PPT (η2 = 0.73, F = 2.80, p = 0.06), ODI (η 2 = 0.02, F = 0.02, p = 0.97). (4) Conclusion: A single trial of thoracolumbar myofascial release technique was not enough to reduce pain and disability in subjects with CLBP.

South America has become the new epicenter of the coronavirus, especially in Brazil where the disease continues to spread exponentially across the country. This text aims to analyze the psychosocial factors of Covid-19 on back to school strategies in Brazil from a bioecological perspective. At the microsystem level, the population is experiencing different levels of stress and fear; at the mesosystem level, changes in routines, separation from family and friends, and closure of schools; and at the macrosystem level, national guidelines to control the pandemic, institutional standards on a national and international scale. Therefore, the main focus for the success of school return must be in the prevention of contagion and with physical and psychological health, and should not only consider the demands of curricula, financial or administrative management. For this reason, it is paramount that greater female representativeness is increased in decision-making levels of the meso and macrosystem, regarding the resumption of school and academic activities in the pandemic period, since the number of female leaders in decision-making, is still insufficient.

Development of rovers and development of infrastructure which enables them to probe other planets (such as Mars) have sparked a lot of interest recently specially with increasing public attention in Moon and Mars program by National Aeronautics and Space Administration. This is designed to be achieved by various means such as advanced spectroscopy and artificial intelligent techniques such as deep learning and transfer learning to enable the rover to not only map the surface of planet but to get a detailed information about its chemical makeup in layers beneath (deep learning) and in areas around point of observation (transfer learning). In this work, which is part of a proposal, later approach is explored. A systematic strategy is presented which make use of aforementioned techniques developed for metallic glass matrix composites as benchmark and helps develop algorithms for chemistry mapping of actual Martian surface on Perseverance Rover launching shortly.

Monochromatic documents claim for much less computer bandwidth for network transmission and storage space than their color or even grayscale equivalent. The binarization of historical documents is far more complex than recent ones as paper aging, color, texture, translucidity, stains, back-to-front interference, kind and color of ink used in handwritting, printing process, digitalization process, etc. are some of the factors that affect binarization. This article presents a new binarization algorithm for historical documents. The new global filter proposed is performed in four steps: filtering the image using a bilateral filter, splitting image into the RGB components, decision-making for each RGB channel based on an adaptive binarization method inspired by Otsu's method with a choice of the threshold level, and classification of the binarized images to decide which of the RGB components best preserved the document information in the foreground. The quantitative and qualitative assessment made with 21 binarization algorithms in three sets of “real world” documents showed very good results.

This study presents a novel method based in ray tracing for analyzing wave propagation in composites, specifically tailored for Structural Health Monitoring applications. The method offers distinct advantages over the commonly used Finite Element Method mainly in computational resource utilization, that has become a limiting factor for this kind of analyses. The ray tracing method is evaluated against a number of example cases representing structural details such as thickness changes, stringers or simulated damages and it highlights the significance of ray tracing to study wave propagation under these conditions and how it can serve as a valuable tool for structural health monitoring.

ZrO2-YO1.5-TaO2.5(ZYTO) composite ceramic is considered to be the candidate of next generation of thermal barrier coatings as its excellent thermal stability and low thermal conductivity in high temperature, however, the mechanical properties and fracture tougheness of ZYTO system may be the shortcomings compared with the 8YSZ. In this study, ZYTO composite ceramics were successfully prepared by chemical coprecipitation reaction, the microsture of resulting composites were studied as a function of doping of M-YTaO4. Mechanical properties, including the density, porosity, hardness and Young's modulus, are determinate; the toughening mechanism were verified by the crack growth behavior of Vickers indentation test Results suggested that M-YTaO4 refines the fluorite phase grain and strengthens the grain interface in the composite ceramic. The thermal mismatch between the second phase and matrix produces residual stress in the bulk and affects the crack propagation behavior. With the increase of M-YTaO4 doping, the grain coarsening and ferroelastic domains are observed in the experiments. The ferroelastic domains with orthogonal polarization directions near crack tip evidences the ferroelastic toughening mechanism. The competition among these crack behaviors, such as cracks deflection, bridging and bifurcation, dominates the actual fracture toughness of the composite. The best toughening formula is determinate in the two-phase region and the highest fracture toughness is about to 3.1MPa·m1/2. Above all, mechanical properties of ZYTO composite ceramics look potential for thermal barrier coatings materials.

Carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) is one of the representative lightweight material. The automotive industry has focused on producing the steel/CFRP hybrid part to reduce the weight. After manufacturing, delamination can occur at the interface between the CFRP and steel owing to the hybrid part constituting dissimilar materials. However, most studies have focused only on designing the manufacturing processes for hybrid part or evaluating the adhesive used at the interface. Therefore, it is necessary to predict the behavior of the interface after demolding the hybrid part. This study aimed to predict the interface behavior of a steel/CFRP hybrid part by considering its forming and cohesive properties. First, double cantilever beam (DCB) and end-notched flexure (ENF) tests were performed to obtain cohesive parameters, such as energy release rate of modes Ⅰ and Ⅱ (GⅠ, GⅡ). The experimentally obtained properties were applied to the bonding area of the hybrid part. Subsequently, a forming simulation was performed to obtain the stress of the steel blank in the hybrid part. The stress distribution after forming was utilized as the initial condition for spring-back simulation. Finally, the interface behavior of the hybrid part was predicted by a spring-back simulation, and the results were compared with the experimental results for verification.

Background. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the intensity and frequency of low back pain (LBP) in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) and the patient's knowledge of physiotherapeutic methods of combating. Methods. In this study, patients with confirmed multiple sclerosis were selected. The study was carried out using an original survey questionnaire and a numerical pain intensity scale (Visual Analogue Scale). PwMS were divided into 3 age groups: 18-30 years, 31-50 years, and over 50 years. Results. Ninety PwMS (68 women and 22 men) aged 18 to 60 years were included in the study. The mean duration of the disease was 9.5±4.9 years, and the mean EDSS was 3.5±1.6. Most of the patients had a relapse-remitting form. 68.9% of PwMS felt lower back pain (n = 62). The relationship tested was statistically significant (p=0.0000012), and the strength of the relationship was high (rc=0.695). The average level of low back pain among PwMS was 4.7 out of 10 on the VAS scale. The prevalence of LBP was higher in female patients (p<0.001), with a secondary progressive form (p<0.001) and with a longer duration of the disease (p=0.023). The most widely used methods of LBP therapy were kinesitherapy and manual therapy. Conclusions. LBP is common in multiple sclerosis. A female sex, a secondary progressive form of MS, and a longer duration of the disease increased the risk of LBP. It is important to implement properly planned physiotherapy activities and educate patients on how to combat LBP.

The texture properties of cooked rice are a dominant property which can indicate the eating quality. Evaluation of back extrusion (BE) test precision and sensitivity for cooked germinated brown rice (GBR) texture in production process was investigated in this study. BE test on texture properties of cooked GBR rice show high precision of measurement of hardness, toughness and stickiness tests which indicated by the repeatability and reproductivity test but the sensitivity indicated by coefficient of variation of the texture properties. The findings of the study of the effect of different soaking and aging duration in the production of Khao Dawk Mali 105 (KDML 105) GBR on cooked GBR texture measured by BE test confirmed the developed protocol for evaluation of high precision and sensitivity of the texture measurement method. Repeatability and reproducibility of reliable measurements have a low standard deviation of the farthest different between replicates, which is considered high precision. High coefficient of variation where the relative wide variation of the absolute value of the property can be detected indicate high sensitivity which even small resolution can be detected or vice versa. But the correlation coefficient among the texture properties by BE were not related to the precision or sensitivity of the test. By these results, the original protocol for determination of precision and sensitivity of food texture measurement was successfully verified as the usable evaluation protocol for GBR texture measurement.

Low back pain (LBP) is a health problem that affects 70-80% of the population in Western countries. Because of the biomechanical relationship between the lumbar region and the hip, it is thought that strengthening the muscles of this joint could improve the symptoms of people with LBP. The objective of the study is to evaluate the current evidence on the efficacy of hip strengthening exercises to reduce pain and disability in people with LBP. Clinical trials were collected from PubMed, PEDro, and Scopus databases published up to September 2022. Based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines and using CASpe and PEDro tools for methodological quality assessment, we selected studies that included hip strengthening exercises as part of LBP treatment and measured pain and/or disability parameters. Among the 966 records identified in the search, a total of 7 studies met the established selection criteria. Overall, participants who performed hip strengthening exercises had significantly improved in pain and disability. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed as “good”. In conclusion, the addition of hip muscle strengthening exercises iterating LBP effectively improving pain and disability.

Bounce Back Loan is amongst a number of UK business financial support schemes launched by UK Government in 2020 amidst pandemic lockdown. Through these schemes, struggling businesses are provided financial support to weather economic slowdown from pandemic lockdown. £43.5bn loan value has been provided as of 17^th Dec2020. However, with no major checks for granting these loans and looming prospect of loan losses from write-offs from failed businesses and fraud, this paper theorizes prospect of applying spatiotemporal modelling technique to explore if geospatial patterns and temporal analysis could aid design of loan grant criteria for schemes. Application of Clustering and Visual Analytics framework to business demographics, survival rate and Sector concentration shows Inner and Outer London spatial patterns which historic business failures and reversal of the patterns under COVID-19 implying sector influence on spatial clusters. Combination of unsupervised clustering technique with multinomial logistic regression modelling on research datasets complimented by additional datasets on other support schemes, business structure and financial crime, is recommended for modelling business vulnerability to certain types of financial market or economic condition. The limitations of clustering technique for high dimensional is discussed along with relevance of an applicable model for continuing the research through next steps

The aim of this study was to analyze the level of specific back-health-related physical activity and exercise knowledge. This is a cross-sectional study. A representative sample of 1500 students were recruited with a confidence level of 95% and an accepted standard error of ±2.53%. Individuals were aged between 13 and 18 years old (mean age= 15.18; SD = ±1.446). Self-reported questionnaires were used to record back-health-related physical activity and exercise knowledge concerning back care in adolescents. The level of specific knowledge of back health education related to physical activity and exercise in adolescents was low (X = 2.05, SD = ±2.264). Only 10.9% of the students passed the specific knowledge test, achieving a grade equal or superior to 5. The boys average score was higher (X = 2.17, SD = ±2.312) than the girls (X = 1.94, SD = ±2.212) with statistically significant differences (p = .048). The level of specific knowledge increased with age (F = 11.531; p &lt; .001). High school students have a low level of specific knowledge. Physical Education teachers should apply the conceptual content properly. Knowledge is the first step towards changing behavioral habits. Back care education in the school curriculum is recommended.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationships between bat swing speed (BSS) and muscle thickness and lateral asymmetry of the trunk and limbs in collegiate baseball players. Twenty-four collegiate baseball players participated in this study. The maximum BSS in hitting a teed ball was measured using a motion capture system. The muscle thicknesses of the trunk (upper abdominal rectus, central abdominal rectus, lower abdominal rectus, abdominal wall, and multifidus lumborum), upper limb, and lower limb were measured using a B-mode ultrasonography. Lateral asymmetry between each pair of muscles was determined as the ratio of the thickness of the dominant side to that of the non-dominant side. Significant positive correlations were observed between BSS and muscle thicknesses of the abdominal wall and multifidus lumborum on the dominant side (r = 0.426 and 0.431, respectively; p < 0.05), while nearly significant positive correlations were observed between BSS and muscle thicknesses on the non-dominant side. No significant correlations were found between BSS and lateral asymmetry of all muscles. These findings indicate the importance of the trunk muscles for bat swing, and the lack of association between BSS and lateral asymmetry of muscle size.

6G is already being planned and will employ much higher frequencies, leading to a revolutionary era in communication between people as well as things. It is well known that weather, especially rain, can cause increased attenuation of signal transmission for higher frequencies. The standard methods for evaluating the effect of rain on symbol error rate are based on long-term averaging. These methods are an inaccurate, which results with an inefficient system design. This is critical regarding bandwidth scarcity and energy consumption and requires a more significant margin of effort to cope with the imprecision. Recently we have developed a new and more precise method for calculating communication system performance in case of rain, using the probability density function of rain rate. For high rain rate (above 10mm/hr), for a typical set of parameters, our method shows the symbol error rate in this range to be higher by orders of magnitude than that found by ITU standard methods. Our model also indicates that sensing and measuring the rain rate probability is important in order to provide the required bit error rate to the users. To the best knowledge of the authors, this novel analysis is unique. It can constitute a more effi-cient performance metric for the new era of 6G communication and prevent disruption due to incorrect system design. Keywords: atmospheric propagation, communication system performance, attenuation, com-munication

Quantitative dynamic strain measurements of the ground would be useful for engineering scale problems such as monitoring for natural hazards, soil-structure interaction studies and non-invasive site investigation using full waveform inversion (FWI). Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS), a promising technology for these purposes, needs to be better understood in terms of its directional sensitivity, spatial position, and amplitude for application to engineering-scale problems. This study investigates whether the physical measurements made using DAS are consistent with the theoretical reception patterns and experimental measurements of ground strain made by geophones. Results show that DAS and geophone measurements are consistent in both phase and amplitude for broadband (10s of Hz), high amplitude (10s of microstrain) and complex wavefields originating from different positions around the array when: (1) the DAS channels and geophone locations are properly aligned, (2) the DAS cable provides good deformation coupling to the internal optical fiber, (3) the cable is coupled to the ground through direct burial and compaction, and (4) laser phase noise is mitigated in the DAS measurements. The theoretical relationship between DAS-measured and point-wise strain for vertical and horizontal active sources is introduced using 3D elastic finite-difference simulations. The implications of using DAS strain measurements are discussed including directionality and magnitude differences between the actual and DAS-measured strain fields. A method for spatially aligning the DAS channels with the geophone locations at tolerances less than the spatial resolution of the DAS system is proposed.

The plate embedded with acoustic black hole (ABH) indentations is potential for structural vibration and noise control. This work focuses on the mid- and low-frequency performance of plates embedded with the array of ABH for energy focalization and vibration &amp; noise suppression. Plates embedded with two-dimensional ABHs are modelled with detailed Finite Element (FE) models, and the power flow method is introduced to analyze the energy propagation characteristics arising from ABH effect. Then the distribution of average vibration power density along ABH radius is studied. Next, the energy dissipation effects of the plate model embedded with ABH array with two types of damping layers are investigated. Finally, the sound pressure levels of the ABH structure are calculated and discussed. This work is helpful to understand the characteristics of plates embedded with ABH array in reducing vibration and noise radiation. Results show the tremendous potential of ABH array for vibration and noise control.

There is an increasing need for quantitative rockfall hazard and risk assessment that requires a precise definition of the terms and concepts used for this particular type of landslide. This paper suggests to use terms that appear to be the more logic and explicit as possible, and describes methods to derive some of the main hazard and risk descriptors. The terms and concepts presented concern the rockfall process (failure, propagation, fragmentation, modelling) and the hazard and risk descriptors, distinguishing the cases of localized hazards and diffused hazards. For a localized hazard, the failure probability of the considered rock compartment in a given period of time has to be assessed and the probability for a given element at risk to be impacted with a given energy must be derived combining the failure probability, the propagation probability and the exposure of the element. For a diffuse hazard that is characterized by a failure frequency, the number of rockfalls reaching the element at risk per unit of time and with a given energy (reach frequency) can be derived. However, when the element at risk is not replaced or repaired, the probability that it is impacted by at least one rockfall must be considered.

Network Simulators (NS) is typically used to study services and applications in complex scenarios due to the infeasibility of deploying real testbeds. This is the case of Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANETs) which can be extensively used in emergency situations or to gather information without infraestructure. An important factor to get realiable results in the MANETs’ simulations is the wireless channel module of NSs. In this report, we explain how thw wireless channel is implemented in NS-3 and it can be configured.

In this paper, the active front-end (AFE) converter topology for the total harmonic distortion (THD) reduction in a wind energy system (WES) is used. A higher THD results in serious pulsations in the wind turbine (WT) output power and in several power losses at the WES. The AFE converter topology improves capability, efficiency and reliability in the energy conversion devices; by modifying a conventional back-to-back converter, from using a single voltage source converter (VSC) to use pVSC connected in parallel the AFE converter is generated. The THD reduction is done by applying a different phase shift angle at the carrier of digital sinusoidal pulse width modulation (DSPWM) switching signals of each VSC. To verify the functionality of the proposed methodology, the WES simulation in Matlab-Simulink® is analyzed, and the experimental laboratory tests using the concept of rapid control prototyping and the real-time simulator Opal-RT® Technologies is achieved. The obtained results show a type-4 WT with total output power of 6MVA, generating a THD reduction up to 5.5 times at the WES.

Background: Alarming data indicates that low back pain (LBP) affected around 619 million people globally in 2020, that presenting significant health and economic burden. Importantly, the chronic LBP (cLBP) strongly impairs quality of life and leads to disability and premature retirement thus emphasizing the urgent need for providing deeper insight into the factors that affect treatment outcomes and offer thorough guidance for the assessment and management of this disease. Taking into consideration the rising prevalence of cLBP and knowledge gap referring to the overall health benefits of balneotherapy (BT), the aim of this study was to assess the effects of BT on functional status, quality of life and psychological symptoms in patients with cLBP. Methods: A total 210 patients were recruited and divided into two groups: patients receiving conventional pharmacological therapy (CT) and receiving BT. The effectiveness of the treatment was assessed on the basis of Visual Analog Scale for pain intensity, EuroQol (EQ-5D) for the patient’s self-rated health and Work Ability Index Questionnaire to evaluate functional ability. In order to provide deeper insight into the quality of life and also factors associated with the functional status and mental health affected by BT, we also used the Short Form Health Survey Questionnaire and Center of Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Results: Our findings suggest that BT significantly contributed to reduction of pain, better functionality and disability perception status. Conclusions: Understanding the association between individual perceptions of functionality, emotional and social elements provides basis for providing comprehensive guidelines and recommendations for cLBP management.

Background and objectives: Musculoskeletal (MSK) pain significantly impacts physical activity and quality of life in the elderly, potentially influencing mortality. This study explored the relationship between MSK pain, physical activity, muscle mass, and mortality among older adults. Material and Methods: We studied 1000 participants of the Korean Longitudinal Study on Health and Aging (KLoSHA), a prospective, population-based cohort study of people aged 65 years or older. Survival status was tracked over a 5-year period. Correlations between Low back pain (LBP), knee pain, regular exercise, appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM), and other variables were analyzed. Logistic regression analyzes were used to identify independent risk factors for mortality. Results: Of the total participants, 829 (82.9%) survived after a 5-year period. Survivors tended to be younger, had a higher BMI, and were more active in regular exercise. In contrast, non-survivors exhibited a higher prevalence of both LBP and knee pain, along with increased instances of multiple MSK pain. Lower ASM correlated moderately with LBP and knee pain, whereas higher ASM was associated with regular exercise Lower ASM was moderately associated with LBP and knee pain, while higher ASM correlated with engagement in regular exercise. There was a moderate correlation between LBP and knee pain, both of which were associated with a lack of regular exercise. Age, sex, ASM, and regular exercise were significant predictors, even though MSK pain itself did not directly predict all-cause mortality. Conclusions: This study demonstrated the independent association between ASM, regular exercise, and mortality. Although MSK pain did not directly correlate with all-cause mortality, the non-survivor group had higher levels of both single and multiple MSK pain. Recognizing the interplay of MSK pain, physical activity, and muscle mass for older adults, the research underscores the need for holistic strategies to enhance health outcomes in older individuals with MSK pain.

Background: Spinal pain is highly prevalent and in Spain it produces a very high economic cost and the scientific evidence supporting treatments shows low to moderate evidence for exercise. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a therapeutic group exercise protocol in reducing pain intensity and disability in patients with spinal pain in primary health care setting. Methods: A total sample of 149 patients who suffered from chronic non-specific spinal pain. Patients received a therapeutic exercise protocol, including exercises of auto-mobilization of the neck and lumbar regions, as well as core stabilization exercises. Pain intensity and disability were evaluated before and after the therapeutic exercise protocol. Results: Statistically significant differences (P&lt;0.05) were shown for pain intensity and disability of patients with neck and low back pain with an effect size from moderate to large. Conclusions: A therapeutic exercise protocol may provide beneficial effects on disability and pain intensity in patients with chronic non-specific spinal pain, including neck and low back pain conditions. Clinicians should consider the use of self-administered exercise protocols, demonstrate great effectiveness, and be less costly.

Localization accuracy in non-line-of-sight (NLOS) scenarios is often hindered by the complex nature of multipath propagation. Traditional approaches typically focus on NLOS node identification and error mitigation techniques. However, the intricacies of NLOS localization are intrinsically tied to propagation challenges. In this paper, we propose a novel single-site localization method tailored for complex multipath NLOS environments, leveraging only angle of arrival (AOA) estimates in conjunction with a ray-tracing (RT) algorithm. The method transforms NLOS paths into equivalent line-of-sight (LOS) paths through the generation of generalized sources (GSs) via ray tracing. A novel weighting mechanism for GSs is introduced, which, when combined with an iteratively reweighted least squares (IRLS) estimator, significantly improves the localization accuracy of non-cooperative target sources. Furthermore, a multipath similarity displacement matrix (MSDM) is incorporated to enhance accuracy in regions with pronounced multipath fluctuations. Simulation results validate the efficacy of the proposed algorithm, achieving localization performance that approaches the Cramér-Rao lower bound (CRLB), even in challenging NLOS scenarios.

Technological progress brings new tools to help society's development. In this context, the Internet of Things (IoT) helps to advance modern society. By connecting everyday objects and devices to the Internet, IoT enables benefits such as efficiency and automation, healthcare, environmental sustainability, safety, security, and data-driven decision-making. One of the possible technologies for devices' communication is LoRa, a wireless technology designed for the IoT that allows devices to communicate over long ranges using little battery power. This makes it useful for situations where it is needed to connect many devices spread out over a large area, like in smart cities or industrial settings. This paper aims to verify and evaluate the LoRa communication signal loss in a building environment. For this evaluation, we collected and processed data through experiments with LoRa links in the Instituto Federal de Pernambuco (IFPE) Campus.

As a new type of high-performance material, gradient structural steel is widely used in engineering fields due to its unique microstructure and excellent mechanical properties. For the prevalent fatigue failure problem, the rate of change of the local grain size gradients along the structure (referred to as the gradient rate) is a key parameter in the design of gradient structures, which significantly affects the fatigue performance of gradient structural steel. In this work, a method of ‘Voronoi primary + secondary modeling’ is adopted to successfully establish three typical high-strength steel models corresponding to the convex, linear, and concave type gradient rates for gradient structures, focusing on the stress-strain response and crack propagation in structural steel with different gradient rates under cyclic loading. It is found that the concave gradient rate structural model is dominated by finer grains with larger volume fraction, which is conducive to hindering fatigue crack propagation and has the longest fatigue life; the linear structure is the second one, and the convex structure is the shortest one. The simulation results in this work are consistent with the relevant experimental phenomena. Therefore, when regulating the gradient rate, priority should be given to increasing the volume fraction of fine grains and designing a gradient rate structure dominated by fine grains to improve the fatigue life of the material.

Numerous experimental and theoretical studies undertaken to determine the effective-stress coefficient for seismic velocities in rocks stem from the importance of this geomechanical parameter both for monitoring changes in rock saturation and pore pressure distribution in connection with reservoir production, and for overpressure prediction in reservoirs and formations from seismic data. The present work pursues a task to determine, in the framework of a low-frequency laboratory study, the dependence of the elastic moduli of n-decane saturated sandstone on the relationship between pore and confining pressures. The study was conducted on a sandstone sample with high quartz and notable clay content in the quasi-static regime, when the 100 ml tank filled with n-decane was directly connected to the pore space of the sample. The measurements were carried out at a seismic frequency of 2 Hz and strains, controlled by semiconductor strain gauges, not exceeding 10-6. The study was performed using a forced-oscillation laboratory apparatus utilizing stress-strain relationship. The dynamic elastic moduli have been measured in two sets of experiments: at constant pore pressures of 0, 1 and 5 MPa and differential pressure (defined as a difference between confining and pore pressures) varied from 3 to 19 MPa; and at а constant confining pressure of 20 MPa and pore pressure varied from 1 to 17 MP. It was shown that the elastic moduli obtained in the measurements are in good agreement with the Gassmann moduli calculated for the range of differential pressures used in our experiments, which corresponds to the effective-stress coefficient equal to unity.

By solving a Marchenko equation, Green's functions at an arbitrary (inner) depth level inside an unknown elastic layered medium can be retrieved from single-sided reflection data, which are to be collected at the top of the medium. So far, an exact solution could only be obtained if the medium obeys stringent monotonicity conditions and if all forward-scattered (non-converted and converted) transmissions between the acquisition level and the inner depth level are known a-priori. We introduce an alternative Marchenko equation by revising the window operators that are applied in its derivation. We also introduce an auxiliary equation for transmission data, which are to be collected at the bottom of the medium, and a coupled equation, which is based on both reflection and transmission data. We show that the joint system of the Marchenko equation, the auxiliary equation and the coupled equation can be succesfully inverted when broadband reflection and transmission data are available. This results in a novel methodology for elastodynamic Green's function retrieval from two-sided data. Apart from these data, our approach requires P- and S-wave transmission times between the inner depth level and the top of the medium, as well as two angle-dependent amplitude scaling factors, which can be estimated from the data by enforcing energy conservation.

The potential of social networks for the circulation of disinformation as a strategy of diplomacy has been of great interest to the academic community, but the way in which it is propagated and modelled is still in its beginnings. This article aimed to simulate the propagation of disinformation in social networks derived from the diplomacy strategy, based on the elements of the system. For the design of the simulation model, system dynamics was used as the main technique in the research methodology in conjunction with statistical analysis. Five computational simulations were run for the adoption methods of susceptible and uninformed population, misinformation techniques and echo chamber. The developed model found that the diplomacy disinformation agent is able to spread its message efficiently through the bot outreach mechanism and only a part of the susceptible population unsubscribes to the disinformation agent's account. Significant differences were identified in the absence of paid outreach, bots and trolls in the propagation of information, and in the variation in the timing of disinformation propagation. Consequently, the developed model allows the understanding of the problem of disinformation as a strategy of diplomacy from international rather than local dynamics, as well as the effects of the use of each element in the system.

The vibrational excitation cross section of a diatomic molecule by positron impact is obtained using wavepacket propagation techniques. The dynamics was carried on a two-dimensional potential energy surface which couples a hydrogen-like harmonic oscillator to a positron via a spherically symmetric correlation polarization potential. The cross section for the excitation of the first vibrational mode is in good agreement with previous reports. Our model suggests that a positron couples to the target vibration by responding instantly to an interaction potential which depends on the target vibrational coordinate.

Regeneration is usually regarded as a unique plant or some animal species process. In reality, regeneration is a ubiquitous process in all multicellular organisms. It ranges from response to wounding by healing the wounded tissue to whole body neoforming (remaking of the new body). In a larger context, regeneration is one facet of two reproduction schemes that dominate the evolution of life. Multicellular organisms can propagate their genes asexually or sexually. Here I present the view that the ability to regenerate tissue or whole-body regeneration is also determined by the sexual state of the multicellular organisms (from simple animals like hydra and planaria to plants and complex animals). The above idea is manifested here by showing evidence that many organisms, organs, or tissues show inhibited or diminished regeneration capacity when in reproductive status compared to the same organism organs or tissues in nonreproductive conditions or by exposure to sex hormones.

Germplasm is a valuable natural resource in plant diversity that is crucial for its potential use. It provides knowledge about a species genetic composition. Germplasm protection strategies are not just planting hope threatened with extinction, they preserve medicinal and other essential plants on which survival rests. The successful use of genetic plant resources necessitates diligent collection, storage, analysis, documentation, and germplasm exchange. Slow growth cultures, cryopreservation, pollen and DNA banks, botanic gardens, genetic reserves and farmer’s fields are few conservation techniques. However, usage of an in vitro procedure with any chance of genetic instability leads to the destruction of the entire substance. Improved understanding of basic regeneration biology would, in turn, undoubtedly increase the capacity to regenerate plants from in vitro harvested explants, thus expanding selection possibilities. Germplasm conservation seeks to conserve endangered and vulnerable plant species worldwide for future proliferation and development; it is also the bedrock of agricultural production.

Man has always been interested in animal electricity, which seems to be measured in every living cell. He has been fascinated by trying to elucidate the mechanisms by which this potential is created and maintained. Biology is the science that seeks to explain this mystery. Biology is based on basic sciences such as physics or chemistry. The latter, in turn, make systematic use of mathematics to measure, evaluate and predict certain phenomena and to develop "laws" and models that are as general as possible while respecting, as closely as possible, observations and facts. The Nernst equation was one of the pillars of electrochemistry. Biology also uses this same equation as one of the indispensable bases for the computation of membrane potential. Man has established a cellular model that highlights this equation in several forms. However, we are going to show by various means that this model is inadequate or even inapplicable.

Background and Objectives: The relevance of red flags in serious spinal pathology (SSP) evolved throughout the last years. Recently, new considerations have been proposed to expand the consideration of red flags. The purpose of this study was to determine, approve and test a model for the triage and manage-ment process of SSP based on the latest data available in the literature. Materials and Methods: The SSP model was initially built on the basis of a literature re-view. The model was further determined and approved by an expert panel us-ing a Delphi process. Finally, clinical scenario were used to test the applicabil-ity of the model. Results: After three rounds of Delphi process, panellists reached a consensus on a final version of the model. The use of clinical scenari-os by experts bring about reflexive elements both on the determined model and on the evocative SSP of the clinical cases. Conclusions: The validation of the model and its implementation in the clinical field could help assess the skills of first-line practitioners managing spinal painful patients. To this end, the devel-opment of additional clinical scenarios fitting with the determined model should be further considered.

Background We investigated to determine the effectiveness of verbal feedback in learning the round-off back somersault on the balance beam with stable landing. Methods: The research material consisted of female gymnasts (n = 16). They were randomly assigned to one of two groups: FKE group (n = 8) with feedback on key elements, or FAE group (n = 8) with 100% feedback on all errors made in the phase structure of the task. Results: Based on research, it was established that key elements could be identified in the preparatory, main and final phases. Mixed ANOVA showed that significant differences (p &lt; 0.05) were noted due to the teaching method used (Group x Time factor) when performing the gymnastic routine of round-off back somersault with stable landing on the balance beam. Based on the Welch t test for independent data it was revealed that the group with feedback on the key elements obtained significantly higher mean scores from judges at the end of the experiment. Conclusions: The findings of the present study point to a possibility of offering coaches teaching methods that increase the effectiveness of learning complex motor skills and indicate a possibility of applying such solutions in groups of female gymnasts both in training and during competitions.

Abstract: Purpose: High-grade isthmic spondylolisthesis (HGISL) is a severe condition, associated with low-back pain (LBP) and radiculopathies. The present study is a monocentric prospective observational study investigating the clinical-radiological outcomes of a bilateral minimally invasive TLIF (bm-TLIF) for HGISL. Material and Methods: Patients who underwent bm- TLIF for HGISL at our institution, were considered for inclusion. Clinical-radiological outcomes and complications were collected. Results: Twenty-one patients (14M:7F) were included and the mean clinical follow-up (FU) time was 27(±6) months. There was a significative improvement of the mean VAS-back, VAS-legs, ODI, and SF-36 PCS scores, comparing pre- and last FU measurements. The mean pelvic tilt (p0,05). The univariate analysis showed that residual slip angle (> or  10°) may independently influence VAS-b (p

A multicenter, prospective cohort study conducted in 5 physiotherapy clinics in the UAE from January 2021 to March 2023 to assess coronal lumbar spine radiographic parameters as a predictor of conservative therapy outcomes in patients suffering from low back and leg pain due to lumbar disc herniation (HNP). Ninety patients (mean age 44 yrs., 54% male) with lumbar HNP underwent conservative therapy. All participants received lumbar spine MRI and radiography to assess spine alignment. Interventions included specific exercises, diathermy, traction, education, a home-based exercise pro-gram, and medications. Detailed demographic data was collected. Follow-up was 6-months after discharge. A successful outcome was based on a minimum of the following four outcomes: (1) reduction of pain by 17.5 points (0–100 NRS); (2) fatigue reduction by 7.5 points; (3) distress reduction by 5 points; and (4) interference reduction by 9.5 points. At 6-month follow-up it was found that patient age, education, and radio-graphic determined lumbosacral angle measures significantly affected the odds of a successful outcome. Increasing age 1-year significantly decreased the odds of success of improving pain, fatigue (OR = 0.85, p = 0.016) and interference scores (OR = 0.89, p = 0.042) by 15%, 15%, and 11% respectively. Lower education significantly increased the odds of success for improving pain, fatigue, and interference by 26.18, 26.18, and 7.5 (p = 0.006, = 0.006, and = 0.029 respectively). Increasing (worsening) the radiographic lumbosacral angle by each 1° significantly reduced the odds of success for improving pain, fatigue, distress, and interference by 3.52, 3.52, 27.99, and 2.55, respectively (p < 0.001, < 0.001, = 0.003, = 0.001). Our findings indicate that younger age, less education, and better coronal radiological lumbar spine alignment all had a substantial impact on the likelihood of success of 6-month outcomes in patients suffering from chronic lower back pain and radiculopathy due to HNP.

Low back pain (LBP) is a common musculoskeletal complaint that can impede physical function and mobility. Current management often involves pain medication, but there is a need for non-pharmacological and non-invasive interventions. Soft tissue manipulation (STM) such as massage has been shown to be effective in human subjects, but the molecular mechanisms underlying these findings are not well understood. In this paper, we evaluated potential changes in soft tissue levels of more than thirty pro- or anti-inflammatory cytokines following instrument-assisted STM (IASTM) in rats with chronic, induced LBP using Complete Freund’s Adjuvant. Our results indicate that IASTM is associated with reduced soft tissue levels of RANTES/CCL5 and increased soft tissue levels of IL-4, which are pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory factors, respectively, by 120 minutes post-treatment. IASTM was not associated with tissue-level changes in CXCL5/LIX (the murine homologue of IL-8), CXCL7, GM-CSF ICAM-1, IL1-ra, IL-6, IP-10/CXCL10, L-selectin, TNF-α, or VEGF at either 30- or 120 minutes post-treatment. Combined, our findings suggest that IASTM exerts tissue-level effects that are associated with improved clinical outcomes and potentially beneficial changes in pro/anti-inflammatory cytokines in circulation and at the tissue level.

As traditional supply chains face increasingly severe environmental issues and countries promote green development and sustainable development policy concepts, cultivating green supply chain operation models is gradually being highly valued by current governments and enterprises. Generally speaking, the production of green products incurs higher additional costs and thus their total production costs also increase. In this work, the product green level is related to the random demand. Under the green supply chain buy-back contract with the green product R&amp;D cost sharing between the manufacturer and the retailer, both the product green level and the order quantity need to be decided to maximize the channel profit. In order to coordinate the green supply chain, the manufacturer needs to share both the risk of good salvage and the green product R&amp;D cost with the retailer. We find that both the wholesale price and buy-back price increase in the manufacturer’s proposition of the green product R&amp;D cost, but decrease in emission reduction efficiency coefficient or carbon trading price. In addition, the product green level, the optimal order quantity and the channel profit increase in emission reduction efficiency coefficient, but decrease in the R&amp;D cost coefficient of the product green level. Interestingly, we find that if the carbon trading price is low, the manufacturer will set a low product green level and the product carbon emission trading is a cost for the supply chain. The increment of the carbon trading price leads to a higher cost such that the channel profit is decreased. However, if the carbon trading price is high, the manufacturer will set a high product green level and the product carbon emission trading is a revenue for the supply chain. The increment of the carbon trading price leads to a higher revenue such that the channel profit is increased.

Low back pain (LBP) is a leading cause of disability. It significantly impacts the patient’s quality of life, limits their daily living activities, and reduces work productivity. To reduce the burden of LBP, several pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment options are available. This review summarizes the role of heat therapy in the management of LBP. First, we outline the common causes of LBP, then discuss the general mechanisms of heat therapy on (LB)P, and finally review the published evidence regarding the impact of heat therapy in patients with acute or chronic non-specific LBP. This review demonstrates that continuous, low-level heat therapy provides pain relief, improves muscular strength, and increases flexibility. Therefore, this effective, safe, easy-to-use, and cost-effective non-pharmacological pain relief option is still relevant in modern clinical practice.

The prevalence of back pain (BP) among children and adolescents has increased over recent years. Some authors advocate promoting back-health education in the school setting. It is therefore important to adopt a uniform suite of assessment instruments to measure the various constructs. The present study aimed to perform a cultural adaptation of a validated measurement instrument (BackPEI), beginning with a translation and cultural adaptation phase, followed by a second phase to test reliability using a test-retest design. The translation and cross-cultural adaptation were performed based on the guidelines. Reliability was tested by applying the questionnaire to 224 secondary school students, at two different times with a 7-day interval between the tests. In general, the Spanish version presented adequate agreement for questions 1–20, with only question 9 achieving a low Kappa range of .312 [-.152- .189]. The question about pain intensity did not show differences between the averages for the test (4.72 ± 2.33) and re-test (4.58 ± 2.37) (p = .333), and the responses for these two tests were highly correlated (ICC= .951 [.928- .966]; p= .0001). Psychometric testing indicated that the Spanish version of the BackPEI is well-adapted and reliable, based on the test-retest design, providing similar results to the original Brazilian version.

Lower Back Pain (LBP) is a disease that needs immediate attention. Person with back pain shall go immediately to doctor for treatment. Injury, excessive works and some medical conditions are result of back pain. Back pain is common to any age of human for different reasons. Due to factors such as previous occupation and degenerative disk disease the chance of developing lower back pain increases for older people. It hampers the working condition of people common reason for seeking medical treatment. The result is absence from work and is unable to normal due to pain. It creates uncomfortable and debilitating situations. Hence, detecting this disease at an early stage will assist the medical field experts to suggest counter measures to the patients. Detection of lower back pain is implemented in this paper by applying ensemble machine learning technique. This paper proposes Stacking ensemble classifier as an automated tool that will predict lower back pain tendency of a patient. Experimental result implies that the proposed method reaches an accuracy of 76.34%, f1-score of 0.76 and MSE of 0.34.

Lower back musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are an important public health problem and the leading cause of disability worldwide, but with prevalence yet unknown among shellfish gatherers. To investigate the prevalence and work-related factors associated with lower back MSD in a population of female shellfish gatherers, an epidemiological cross-sectional study was carried out in Saubara, Bahia – Brazil, in 2013. The Brazilian version of the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) and the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ), in addition to a questionnaire containing the physical demands adapted to the artisanal work, were applied to a random sample of 209 female shellfish gatherers. The prevalence of lower back MSD was 72.7%. Using multivariate logistic regression, the shellfish gatherers who had worked for more than 26 years in the activity showed a prevalence of 1.22 (95% CI: 1.04-1.44) times higher compared to those unexposed. Lower back MSD was 1.24 (95%CI: 1.08-1.42) times higher among those more exposed to work sitting with trunk flexion. Those performed manual handling and muscle force with the arms had a prevalence ratio of 1.18 (95%CI: 1.01-1.39). These results show the need for greater awareness of health and social welfare factors impacting workers in small-scale fisheries and will promote the elaboration of health care policies for this occupational class.

Low Back Pain (LBP) is one of the most common problems among adults. The usual physiotherapy treatment is to perform physical exercises. However, some LBP patients have false beliefs regarding their pain and they tend to avoid physical movements which might increase their pain and disability. Virtual Reality (VR) has shown to be an effective intervention in improving motor functions and reducing pain perception. Existing VR interventions for LBP rehabilitation were based on a non-immersive VR, whereas to effectively reduce the pain intensity, we need an immersive VR. In this paper, we introduce the development and evaluation of a serious game called RabbitRun with an immersive experience to engage the patients in a virtual environment and distract them from the pain while performing LBP exercises. The initial usability evaluation results suggest that RabbitRun game is enjoyable and acceptable. The game is easy to play and learn and most of the participants are willing to play the game at home. This solution will enhance the rehabilitation outcome since the patients who are suffering from LBP can use the system at their home and train more for long period of time using a smartphone and low-cost virtual reality device such as Google Cardboard.

In this work, we present some results related with the issue of the Loop Quantum Black Holes (LQBH) thermodynamics by the use of the tunneling radiation formalism. The information loss paradox is also discussed in this context, where we have considered the influence of back reaction effects.

This paper presents a limited scope dynamic probabilistic risk assessment (D-PRA) on the survivability of commercial of the shelf (COTS) drones tasked with surveilling areas with varying radiation levels after a nuclear accident. The D-PRA is based on a discrete-dynamic event tree (D-DET) approach, which couples with the OpenEPL error propagation framework to model sequences leading to Loss of Mission (LOM) scenarios due to component failures in the drone’s navigation system. Radiation effects are simulated by calculating the total ionizing dose (TID) against the permissible limit per component, and errors are propagated within the electronic hardware and software blocks to quantify navigation system availability per radiation zone. The proposed methods are integrated into the traditional event tree/fault tree approach and the most vulnerable components are radiation-hardened (RAD-HARD) to the extent specified by a predefined mission success criterion. The results demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed approach in performing trade studies for incorporating COTS components into RAD-HARD drone designs.

Magnetomotive ultrasound (MMUS) is a promising imaging modality for detecting magnetic nanoparticles. In MMUS, an external oscillating magnetic field induces motion of the injected magnetic nanoparticles within tissue, and phase-based tracking algorithms are used to detect the motion. However, the subwavelength scale of theses displacements (often a few micrometers) makes direct visualization on conventional ultrasound B-mode images impossible. In this work, we adapt the Eulerian motion magnification technique to create a novel ultrasound display mode for identifying the nanoparticle locations, eliminating the need for displacement tracking algorithms. Phantom and in-vivo experiments demonstrate that our technique successfully magnifies magnetomotion and the associated shear wave propagation in ultrasound B-mode imaging and pinpoints the nanoparticle vibration source, even in low-concentration scenarios. Additionally, motion magnification magnified the displacement of nanoparticles, having the potential to improve the localization accuracy of displacement tracking algorithms in MMUS.

The propagation of electromagnetic waves beyond the line of sight can be caused by atmospheric ducts, which are a significant concerns in the fields of radar and communication. This paper utilizes data from seven automatic stations and five radio-sounding stations to statistically analyze the characteristics of the atmospheric ducts in the northwest region of the South China Sea (SCS). After verifying the practicality of numerical analysis data from NCEP CFSv2 and ERA5 in studying atmospheric ducts using measured data, we analyzed the space-time distribution characteristics of the height of the regional evaporation duct and the bottom height of the elevated duct. Using the parabolic equation model, we simulated electromagnetic propagation loss under different frequencies and radiation elevation angles in both uniform and non-uniform duct environments within a typical atmospheric duct structure. The study found that the NCEP CFSv2 data accurately captures the evaporation duct height and duct occurrence rate in the study area, and the elevated duct bottom height obtained from the inversion of ERA5 and the measured data has a good consistency. The occurrence rate and height of evaporation duct in coastal stations in the northwest of the SCS vary significantly by month, demonstrating clear monthly distribution patterns. Conversely, changes in the Xisha station are minimal, indicating good temporal uniformity. For lower atmospheric ducts, the difference in occurrence rates between 00:00 and 12:00 (UTC) is negligible. The occurrence probability of elevated ducts in the Beibu Gulf area is relatively high, mainly concentrated from January to April, and the Xisha area is dominated by surface ducts without foundation layer, mainly concentrated from June to August. The monsoon plays a critical role in the generation and evolution of atmospheric ducts in the northwest of the SCS, with the height of the evaporation duct increasing and the bottom height of the elevated duct decreasing after the onset of the summer monsoon. Electromagnetic propagation simulations demonstrate that higher frequency and lower elevation angles of radiation sources in the trapping layer of the evaporation duct make it easier to be trapped. As the evaporation duct height decreases, the amplitude of the "sinusoidal fluctuation" of the propagation loss also decreases. Frequency changes of the radiation source in the surface duct environment have minimal impact on electromagnetic propagation loss, but the elevation angle of the radiation source is a critical factor. The frequency of the "sinusoidal fluctuation" in propagation loss is higher in a hybrid duct environment compared to a uniform surface duct. Additionally, the propagation loss increases faster with distance at the height of the evaporation duct, resulting in greater electromagnetic propagation loss.

On the aero-engine combustor liner, a phenomenon of overheating resembling a hot spot exists, accompanied by a preferential peeling of the YSZ thermal barrier coating that will negatively affect the service life of the component. The temperature gradient of the hot spot may affect the YSZ fracture pattern.In this paper, the morphological and property changes of YSZ sintering is investigated experimentally, and a coupled analysis of the YSZ Crack Propagation Mode under the hot spot is performed using ABAQUS. The results show that the pore fractal size D of YSZ increases by 15%. Inside the hot spot region, the coating has a shear stress of 75MPa. By inserting Cohesive units globally in the model to simulate the random crack initiation and propagation, unlike the thinning of YSZ layered peeling caused by uniform superheating, hot spot will cause the crack initiation at the tip of the pores inside the coating and the oblique propagation, eventually forming an oblique crack connection through the pores. When the temperature gradient reaches 30K/mm, the crack propagation is 40% greater than in a uniform temperature field; consequently, the YSZ in the hot spot boundary region with a greater temperature gradient results in more severe bulk peeling.

Wireless cellular communication technology has developed into a very resourceful commodity worldwide. Today, people of all races can hardly live without means of voice and data cellular communication technology. Imprecise propagation loss estimation leads to high power waste, high co-channel interference and poor service quality in cellular communication system networks. This paper proposes a realistic adaptive fine-tuning method for distinctive propagation loss estimation over a microcellular communication radio links based on signal power measurements from Long Term Evolution radio broadband networks, taking non-line of sight (NLOS) and line of sight (LOS) environments into consideration. The methodology is verified by measurements taken in non-line of sight and line of sight signal propagation scenarios. The results showed that the estimated propagation losses using the proposed realistic adaptive tuning models were more accurate than the existing Cost -231 modelling estimation approach

Wireless cellular communication technology has developed into a very resourceful commodity worldwide. Today, people of all races can hardly live without means of voice and data cellular communication technology. Imprecise propagation loss estimation leads to high power waste, high co-channel interference and poor service quality in cellular communication system networks. This paper proposes a realistic adaptive fine-tuning method for distinctive propagation loss estimation over a microcellular communication radio links based on signal power measurements from Long Term Evolution radio broadband networks, taking non-line of sight (NLOS) and line of sight (LOS) environments into consideration. The methodology is verified by measurements taken in non-line of sight and line of sight signal propagation scenarios. The results showed that the estimated propagation losses using the proposed realistic adaptive tuning models were more accurate than the existing Cost -231 modelling estimation approach.

Recent studies on the image of the Turin Shroud (TS) lead to think it could have been formed through a not well-identified mechanism of energy radiation. In order to remove some lacunas about this imaging process, a reverse engineering method has been applied to it, arriving to exclude some possible mechanisms. The image formation of a human face wrapped on a cloth by using an ad-hoc developed software has been simulated. The results of different kinds of the radiation depending from different parameters have been simulated, each one connected with accredited hypotheses. On the basis of the comparison among the different images produced by the software and the TS Face, some useful information both about the kind of radiation and the cloth wrapping conditions have been obtained. The effect of image distortion of a cloth wrapped around a face has been discussed too by defining the best laws of radiation and of their attenuation with distance. A Lambertian law is not compatible with the TS image. A vertical radiation shows a problem in reproducing the requested resolution. A radiation perpendicular to the emitting surface, like that produced by an electric field appears promising to explain the TS Face.

The vibration propagates in a media such as a shaft in the form of elastic waves. The propagation characteristics of the waves are affected by the geometry of the media, the material properties as well as the cracks. The study to elastic waves propagating in a shaft with transverse cracks can help to detect them. The transverse crack possesses different crack modes due to different external loads. The influence of the crack mode, the location and the depth to the propagation characteristics is investigated in this paper. Firstly, the local flexibility coefficients with three different modes are deduced. And then, the transfer matrix of the elastic wave can be obtained. Finally, the influence of the crack mode, the location and the depth of the transverse crack as well as the rotating speed to the propagation characteristics is then studied, both in a numerical and an experimental way. It’s found that mode III is the most suitable mode in this paper, the location of the crack will make the stopbands fluctuating, the depth mainly affects the bandwidth of the stopbands, and the increase of the rotating speed will shift up the stopbands without changing their bandwidths.

Compressive sensing originates in the field of signal processing and has recently become a topic of energy-efficient data gathering in wireless sensor networks. In this paper, we propose an energy efficient distributed compressive sensing solution for sensor networks. Proposed solution utilizes sparsity distribution of signals to group sensor nodes into several coalitions and then implements localized compressive sensing inside coalitions. This solution improves data-gathering performance in terms of both data accuracy and energy consumption. The approach curbs both data-transmission costs and number of measurements. Coalition-based data gathering cuts transmission cost, and the number of measurements is reduced by scheduling sensor nodes and adjusting their sampling frequency. Our simulation showed that our approach enhances network performance by minimizing energy cost and improving data accuracy.

In this research paper, design and development of pyramidal horn antenna for J-band application is reported. It is particularly designed for 17 dB gain and half beam width about 25 degrees at 6.93 GHz. Horn aperture, horn axial length and distance from the throat of the antenna to aperture are the main design constraints which are calculated and used for the antenna design and simulation. Beam width in E-plane and H-plane horn is calculated and it is 19.18 dB and 22.86 dB respectively. The reported antenna design shows good performance for J-band in radiometry, satellite, and radar applications.

Low back pain (LBP) is a significant global health issue, contributing to considerable disability and socioeconomic burdens. The degeneration of the human intervertebral disc (IVD) is a critical factor in the pathogenesis of LBP. Recent studies have emphasized the significance of its specific set of genes and extracellular matrix (ECM) in IVD health. The Noggin gene has emerged as a critical factor due to its high expression levels in healthy nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs) observed in our previous research. In this study, we investigated the hypothesis that decreased Noggin expression in NPCs is associated with IVD degeneration, contributing to LBP development. A lentivirus-mediated RNAi was applied to knockdown Noggin expression in primary NPCs from six human donors. Cell viability analysis, XTT assay, and cell apoptosis were conducted to reveal the effect after transduction. After two weeks, colony formation unit (CFU) assay was used to examine the anchor-independent growth ability of transduced cells. Additionally, qPCR was performed to quantify cellular anabolism and catabolism makers at the transcript level. The results showed lentivirus-mediated downregulation of Noggin suppressed cell growth, cell viability, and colony formation, and induced apoptosis in human NPCs in vitro. Noteworthy, it hindered cellular anabolism and enhanced catabolism activity in human NPCs after transduction. Our findings indicated that the degeneration of human IVD is possibly related to decreased Noggin expression in NPCs. This research provides valuable insights into the role of Noggin in IVD homeostasis and its implications for LBP treatment.

Background: Physiotherapy and chronic low back pain (CLBP) form a broad and fast developing research area. The aim of the article was to holistically, thematically and chronologically analyze and synthesise literature production and identify most prolific research entities and research themes. Methods: The article quantitatively and quantitatively analyzed research literature production harvested from the Scopus bibliometric database. using a triangulation of bibliometric and thematic analysis. For this, Excell and VOSwiever software were used. Results: In the Scopus database, 2843 data sources were found, which were published between 1974 and February 26, 2024. The growth trend has been linearly positive since the beginning of publication, and after 2018, exponential growth began. A review of the most prolific entities showed that the most literature was published in America, Europe and Australasia. The thematic analysis of the information sources identified six main themes, while the chronological analysis revealed three main areas of developments: assessment tools, CLBP processing and study methodology. Conclusions: The results of the bibliometric study presents a good starting point for further research providing Taxonomy and research landscapes as a holistic framework offering multidisciplinary knowledge about CLBP, while chronological analysis provides a basis for identifying prospective research trends.

Central nervous system (CNS) uses vision, vestibular, and somatosensory information to maintain body stability. Research has shown that there is more lumbar proprioception error among low back pain (LBP) individuals as compared to healthy people. In this study, two groups of 20 healthy people and 20 non-specific low back pain participants (LBP) took part in this investigation. This investigation focused on somatosensory sensors and in order to alter proprioception, a vibrator (frequency of 70Hz, amplitude of 0.5 mm) was placed on the soleus muscle area of each leg and two vibrators were placed bilaterally across the lower back muscles. Individuals, whose vision was occluded, were placed on two surfaces (foam and rigid) on force plate, and trunk angles were recorded simultaneously. Tests were performed in 8 separate trials; the independent variables were vibration (4 levels) and surface (2 levels) for within subjects and 2 groups (healthy and LBP) for between subjects (4×2×2). MANOVA and multi-factor ANOVA tests were done. Linear parameters for center of pressure (COP) (deviation of amplitude, deviation of velocity, phase plane portrait (PPP), and overall mean velocity) and nonlinear parameters for COP and trunk angle ((recurrence quantification analysis) RQA and Lyapunov exponents) were chosen as dependent variables. Results indicated that NSLBP individuals relied more on ankle proprioception for postural stability. Similarly, RQA parameters for the COP on both sides and for the trunk sagittal angle indicated more repeated patterns of movement among the LBP cohort. Analysis of short and long Lyapunov exponents showed that people with LBP caused no use of all joints in their bodies (non-flexible), are less stable than healthy subjects.

Consideration of climate change in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a rather novel topic, which became partly mandatory through the revised EU Directive on EIA. Through a mixed-methods approach involving key-actors from EIA practice, decision making and climate adaptation planning, this study presents a transdisciplinary point of view on barriers and opportunities to tackle climate change adaptation in environmental assessment of large-scale projects. It is based on both a retrospective ex-post evaluation of existing practices in Austria and Germany as well as prescriptive examination and development of outcomes for practice through the development of a climate-fit toolkit that supports the incorporation of climate change impacts into EIAs. The scenario analysis applied with a back casting approach provided the opportunity to look beyond limitations related to legal compliance and partly lack of data identified by previous research. Three scenario narratives were elaborated based on nine key impact factors based on literature review, content analysis of EIA documents and interviews with EIA actors. The groups of actors carried out a prioritization of actions towards consideration of climate change in EIA. Finally, the actors were involved in co-production of an online tool-kit for Austrian and German EIA practice.

Abstract: This study evaluates the effect of paravertebral spinal injection (PSI), utilizing both subjective and objective assessments in chronic low back pain (LBP) associated with facet joint arthrosis over a one-month duration. Subjective questionnaires included the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain, Oswestry Disability Index, Health Survey SF-12, and the short Falls Efficacy Scale International (FES-I). Objective assessments included in-clinic gait and timed-up-and-go (TUG) tests using wearable sensors, as well as 48-hour daily physical activity (DPA) monitored using a chest-worn tri-axial accelerometer. Subjective and objective measures were performed prior to treatment, immediately after the treatment, and one-month afterthe treatment. Eight LBP patients were recruited for this study (mean age = 54±13 years, body mass index = 31.41±6.52 kg/m2, 50% males). Results show significant decrease in pain (~55%, p<0.05) and disability (Oswestry scores, ~21%, p<0.05). In-clinic gait and TUG were also significantly improved (~16% and ~18% faster walking and shorter TUG, p<0.05); however, DPA (including percentage of physical activities (walking and standing) and the number of steps) showed no significant change after PSI (p>0.25; effect size≤0.44). We hypothesize that DPA may continue to be truncated by conditioned fear-avoidance, a psychological state that may prevent increase in daily physical activity to avoid pain.

Background/Objectives: Intervertebral disc degeneration is the most common cause of low back pain (LBP) and lumbosciatica is a major challenge to healthcare systems worldwide. For years, ozone therapy has been used with excellent results in intervertebral disc disease and in patients with LBP. In vitro studies have demonstrated the positive action of porcine collagen in extracellular matrix remodeling and homeostasis. These tissue changes, associated with LBP, may suggest an indication for combined ozone/collagen treatment in patients with LBP. However, no studies have been reported regarding this combination of treatments. Methods: The present work compared, retrospective data of two treatment groups (each of 10 LBP patients): A) Oxygen-Ozone Therapy (OOT) vs. B) OOT plus porcine collagen type 1 injections (COL I). Pain intensity and physiological function were assessed by the numerical rating scale (NSR) method. The Roland-Morrison questionnaire was used to assess disability. Patient data were acquired before, during and at six months of follow-up. Significant differences were assessed by ANOVA and T-Student test. Results: The analyses revealed significant statistical differences comparing the two arms, where, the OOT COL I treatment demonstrated a booster efficacy in pain, while the questionnaire revealed a reduction in disability. Conclusions: Therefore, this combination therapy might be a promising approach for the management of patients with LBP.

Objective. This study aimed to determine the correlation of colour M-mode velocity propagation in the assessment of left ventricular diastolic function among acute decompensated heart failure patients with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Materials and Methods. This research is an observational analytical study using a cross–sectional study design conducted from April to June 2022. The subjects of this study were patients diagnosed with acute HFpEF and treated at Dr. Soetomo General Academic Hospital, Surabaya. Patients with heart rhythm disturbances, moderate to severe valvular heart disease, and congenital heart defects were excluded from this study. Patients were measured for diastolic function including mitral valve early mitral inflow velocity (MV E Velocity), mitral peak velocity of early filling (E’) (E' Septal and E' Lateral), left atrial volume index (LAVI), The maximal tricuspid regurgitation velocity (TR V Max), Vp, the ratio of early diastolic mitral inflow velocity to early diastolic mitral annulus velocity (E/E'), the ratio between early and late ventricular filling velocity (E/A) and E/Vp Ratio. N-terminal-pro hormone B-type natriuretic peptide (NT–ProBNP) examination was also performed on study subjects as an additional diagnosis of acute heart failure. Results. There were 33 patients who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria and were included in our study. There were 26 patients (78.8%) with grade I diastolic dysfunction, 4 patients (12.1%) with grade II diastolic dysfunction, and 3 patients (9.1%) with grade III diastolic dysfunction. There is a strong positive correlation between Vp with parameters E' Septal (p = &lt; 0.001; r = 0.636) and E' Lateral (p = &lt; 0.001; r = 0.650). Vp is negatively correlated with the ratio E/E' (p = 0.029; r = –0.37). The PCWP estimate with E/Vp ratio had a strong correlation with the NT–Pro BNP value &gt; 300 pg/ml in acute HFpEF patients (p = &lt; 0.001; r = 0.726) compared to the PCWP estimate with E/E' (p = &lt; 0.001; r = 0.549). Conclusion. There is no correlation between Vp value and degree of diastolic dysfunction in patients with acute HFpEF.

Traditional asexual propagation of hops limits its phytosanitary quality and the concomitant plant availability. This scenario worsens with the global climate change. In this study we develop protocols for in vitro propagation of Humulus lupulus var. mapuche. Two explant types were evaluated: shoot tips, from field material collected in Río Negro province (Argentina), and nodal segments, from vitroplants. Different growth regulator, such as 6-Benzylaminopurine, gibberellic acid, indole-3-butyric acid and indole-3-acetic acid, was used to induce desired morphogenic responses. Additionally, the impact of abscisic acid application on acclimatization was assessed, and resulted in robust growth and reduced plant stress symptoms during ex vitro adaptation. Also, the study develops a protocol for synthetic seeds production, with storage at 4°C to enhance conservation and plant material transport, ensuring a constant supply of female plants. This comprehensive approach addresses current producer demands and emerging climate challenges. The findings highlight the fundamental role of in vitro multiplication of hops in improving plant material availability and quality, with significant implications for the brewing industry and related sectors.

This work presents a numerical study on atmospheric sound propagation over rough water surfaces. A method to generate pseudorandom sea profiles consistent with sea wave spectra is presented. The proposed method is suited to capture the logarithmic nature of the energy distribution of the waves. Sea profiles representing fully developed seas for sea states 2, 3, 4 and 5 are generated from the Elfouhaily et al. (ECKV) sea wave spectra. Excess attenuation caused by refraction and surface roughness is predicted with a parabolic equation (PE) solver. A novel method to estimate equivalent effective impedance based on PE predictions at different sea states is presented. Parametric expressions using acoustic frequency and significant wave height are developed for effective surface impedances. In this work, sea surface roughness is on a scale comparable to the acoustic wavelength. Under this condition, the acoustic scattering is primarily incoherent. This work shows the limitations of using an equivalent surface impedance in such incoherent scattering cases.

Starting from the analysis of the lack of positivity of the Cattaneo heat equation, the article addresses the thermodynamic relevance of the positivity constraint in irreversible thermodynamics, than is at least as important as the entropic constraints. The fulfillment of this condition in hyperbolic models leads to the parametrization of the concentration fields with respect to internal variables associated with the microscopic dynamics. Using Brownian motion theory as a landmarking example for deriving macroscopic transport equations from the equations of motion at the particle/molecular level, we discuss two typical problems involving hydrodynamic interactions at microscale: surface chemical reactions at a solid interface of a diffusing reactant, and mass-balance equations in a complex viscoelastic fluid, in which the physics of the interaction leads either to the overcome the parabolic diffusion model or to consider the parametrization of the concentration with respect to the degrees of freedom associated with the relaxation dynamics of the solvent fluid.

Two clear-air over-the-horizon propagation mechanisms affecting Automatic Identification System (AIS) detection range are considered. Comparison results are presented between the path loss due to tropospheric ducting and path loss due to tropospheric scattering (troposcatter) for the AIS frequencies. The calculations are based on the well-known parabolic equation approximation to the wave equation, in which a simple troposcatter formula is incorporated. In most studied cases the ducting assures significantly greater reduction of path loss than troposcatter even when the AIS frequencies are not well trapped in the duct. Emphasis is placed on elevated trapping layers and some features that may make ducting propagation less favorable in terms of increasing the AIS detection range are discussed.

We present a new family of Bessel solutions of the paraxial equation. Such solutions keep their form during propagation due to a quadratic phase factor that makes them scaled propagation invariant fields. The Bessel beams we introduce have the particularity that the topological phase is twice the order of the Bessel function and the argument varies quadratically with the radius

The aroused quest to reduce the delay at interconnect level is the main urge of this paper to come across a configuration of Carbon Nanotube (CNT) bundle namely squarely packed bundle of composite CNTs. The approach, demonstrated in this paper, adapts the composite bundle to adopt for high speed Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) interconnect with technology sizing down. To reduce the delay of the proposed configuration of composite CNT bundle, the behavioral change of Resistance (R), Inductance (L) and Capacitance (C) has been observed with respect to both width of the bundle and diameter of the CNTs in the bundle. Consequently, the performance of the modified bundle configuration is compared with previously developed configuration namely squarely packed bundle of dimorphic MWCNTs in terms of propagation delay and crosstalk delay at local, semiglobal and global level interconnect. The proposed bundle configuration is ultimately enacted as better one for 32nmand 16nmtechnology node and suitable for 7nmas well.

Factorization reduces computational complexity and is therefore an important tool in statistical machine learning of high dimensional systems. Conventional molecular modeling, including molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulations of molecular systems, is a large research field based on approximate factorization of molecular interactions. Recently, the local distribution theory was proposed to factorize global joint distribution of a given molecular system into trainable local distributions. Belief propagation algorithms are a family of exact factorization algorithms for trees and are extended to approximate loopy belief propagation algorithms for graphs with loops. Despite the fact that factorization of probability distribution is their common foundation, computational research in molecular systems and machine learning studies utilizing belief propagation algorithms have been carried out independently with respective track of algorithm development. The connection and differences among these factorization algorithms are briefly presented in this perspective, with the hope to intrigue further development in factorization algorithms for physical modeling of complex molecular systems.

The article is devoted to issues related to the propagation and transformation of vortexes in the optical range of frequency. Within the framework of the traditional and modified model of slowly varying envelope approximation (SVEA), the process of converting vortex beams of the optical domain into vortex beams of the terahertz radio range based on nonlinear generation of a difference frequency in a medium with a second-order susceptibility is considered. The modified SVEA splits a slowly varying amplitude into two factors, which makes it possible to more accurately describe the three-wave mixing process. The theoretical substantiation of the rule of vortex beams topological charges conversion is given – the topological charge of the output radio-vortex beam is equal to the difference between the topological charges of the input optical vortex beams. A numerical simulation model of the processes under consideration has been implemented and analyzed.

For more than 70 years, biologists and biophysicists have been trying to unravel the mystery that exists regarding the saltatory conduction of so-called myelinated neurons. Albert Einstein used the train metaphor to explain the theory of relativity. It is possible to use a similar metaphor to better understand this transient functioning of the neuron: the action potential. We will, once again, use a train to demonstrate unequivocally that the action potential does not jump from node of Ranvier to node of Ranvier (noR) as we thought it would. It is possible to describe that the neuron uses an elegant method to increase the speed of transmission of the neural message. It is also important to conclude that this increase in speed, contrary to the common idea, has a certain energy cost that is proportional to speed and in accordance with thermodynamics.

This paper presents a comprehensive and adaptive framework for orchid conservation programs illustrated with data from published and unpublished case studies. There is a specific focus on West Australian terrestrial orchids, but many of the approaches have universal relevance. Aspects of the framework include (1) setting appropriate objectives, (2) establishing effective collaborations between scientists, volunteers and regulators to fill knowledge and funding gaps, (3) use of survey and demographics data to determine extinction risks and management requirements for species, (4) effective habitat management to overcome threats such as grazing, (5) finding potential new habitats by modelling climate and site data, (6) investigating the effectiveness of pollinators and (7) using seed baiting to detect mycorrhizal fungi. The relative cost and effectiveness of different methods used to propagate orchids for translocation are compared. Methods known to be successful, in order of complexity, include placement of seed in situ, vegetative propagation, symbiotic germination in non-sterile organic matter, symbiotic germination in sterile culture, asymbiotic sterile germination and clonal division in tissue culture. These form a continuum of complexity, cost, time required, faculties needed, as well as the capacity to maintain genetic diversity and produce seedlings preadapted to survive in situ. They all start with seed collection and lead to seed storage, living collections used as tuber banks and seed orchards, as well as translocation for conservation. They could also lead to commercial availability and sustainable ecotourism, both of which are needed to reduce pressure on wild plants. Overall, there has been a strong preference to use relatively complex, expensive and time-consuming methods for orchid conservation, despite evidence that simpler approaches have also been successful. These simpler methods, which include in situ seed placement and non-sterile germination on inorganic substrates, should be trialled in combination with more complex orchid propagation methods as part of an adaptive management framework. It is essential that orchid conservation projects harness the unique biological features of orchids, such as abundant seed production and mycorrhizal fungi which are far more widespread than their hosts. This is necessary to increase the efficiency and coverage of recovery actions for the largest and most threatened plant family.

Nowadays, the uses of laser and optics in the medical areas are extremely vivid, especially low-level laser therapy. The light with the wavelength of 633 nm to 1200 nm could penetrate and propagate deep in biological tissue. To develop the low-level laser therapy device, optimizing light delivery is critical to accurately stimulate the biological effects inside the biological tissue. Nevertheless, each form of the tissues at each zone on the body had various refractive optic, absorption, scattering, and anisotropy coefficients. This paper describes the simulation results of low-level laser propagation from skin surface at the lower spine, the knee, the femur and the prostate gland with four wavelengths (633 nm, 780 nm, 850 nm, and 940 nm) by the Monte Carlo method. These simulation results are the base for developing the low-level laser therapy device, that could be used in clinical for treating the fracture, knee osteoarthritis, spinal degeneration, and benign prostatic hypertrophy.

Much remains to be understood for delayed ultraweak photon emission (UPE) from organism in association with oxidative burst following external perturbation, a phenomenon that has been experimented for over three decades. Delayed UPE often decays hyperbolically; yet, it is not uncommon to have delayed UPE that reveals first-order kinetic patterns characterized by single-exponential, double exponential, or multi-exponential changes. Some delayed UPEs also presented transient patterns that are characteristic of second-order responses. A soliton-based photon-storage model has addressed the hyperbolic decaying pattern of delayed UPE; however, there are questions outstanding regarding modeling other non-hyperbolic kinetics as well as the large range of temporal scales of delayed UPE that can vary from 8.5 microseconds to many hours. This work proposes an alternative, phenomenological model-framework for interpreting the various kinetic patterns of delayed UPE following stress. The delayed UPE is considered to be governed by two sequential phases: a stress-transfer phase that transforms the external stress to photo-genesis for emitting photons, and a photon-diffusion phase that transmits the photons emitted by the photo-genesis to the surface of organism for being detected as delayed UPE. Time-resolved photon diffusion analysis reveals that any delayed UPE in organism with a delay time >100ns cannot be addressed by the inherent temporal spread that realistic tissue scattering will cause. A slow stress-transfer phase is thus required to explain the delay time-scales of delayed UPE at a minimum of 8.5 µs as reported experimentally. The stress-transfer phase is hypothesized to carry the following types of responses: single or multiple 1st-order low-pass, single 2nd-order low-pass with various damping factors, and single 2nd-order band-pass with various damping factors. A single 1st–order low-pass response with a time-varying kinetic rate is also analyzed. The responses of these modeled pathways to bolus and step inputs demonstrate that a kinetic pattern other than the exact single-exponential one may have multiple causes.

Long-range radio transmissions open new sensor application fields, in particular for environment monitoring. As an example, the {\sl LoRa} radio protocol enables to connect remote sensors at distance as long as ten kilometers in line-of-sight. However, the large area covered also bring several difficulties, such as the placement of sensing devices in regard to geography topology, or the variability of communication latency. Sensing the environment also carries constraints related to the interest of sensing points in relation with a physical phenomenon. Criteria for designs are thus evolving a lot from the existing methods, especially in complex terrains. This article describes simulation techniques based on geography analysis to compute long-range radio coverages and radio characteristics in these situations. As radio propagation is just a particular case of physical phenomena, it is shown how a unified approach also allows to characterize the behavior of potential physical risks. The case of heavy rainfall and flooding is investigated. Geography analysis is achieved using segmentation tools to produce cellular systems which are in turn translated into code for high-performance computations. The paper provides results from practical complex terrain experiments using LoRa, that confirm the accuracy of the simulation, scheduling characteristics for sample networks, and performance tables for simulations on middle range Graphics Processing Units (GPUs).

The effects of CO₂-water-rock interactions on the mechanical properties of shale are essential for estimating the possibility of sequestrating CO₂ in shale reservoirs. In this study, uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) tests together with an acoustic emission (AE) system and SEM & EDS analysis were performed to investigate the mechanical properties and microstructural changes of black shales with different saturation times (10 days, 20 days and 30 days) in water dissoluted with sub-/super-critical CO₂. According to the experimental results, the values of UCS, Young’s modulus and brittleness index decrease gradually with increasing saturation time in water with sub-/super-critical CO₂. Compared to intact samples, 30-days’ saturation causes reductions of 56.43% in UCS and 54.21% in Young’s modulus for sub-critical saturated samples, and 66.05% in UCS and 56.32% in Young’s modulus for super-critical saturated samples, respectively. The brittleness index also decreases drastically from 84.3% for intact samples to 50.9% for samples saturated in water with sub-critical CO₂, to 47.9% for samples saturated in water with super-critical carbon dioxide (SC-CO₂). SC-CO₂ causes a greater reduction of shale’s mechanical properties. The crack propagation results obtained from the AE system show that longer saturation time produces higher peak cumulative AE energy. SEM images show that many pores occur when shale samples are saturated in water with sub-/super-critical CO₂. The EDS results show that CO₂-water-rock interactions increase the percentages of C and Fe and decrease the percentages of Al and K on the surface of saturated samples when compared to intact samples.