The paper reconstructs Merleau-Ponty’s philosophical project in terms of a phenomenology of sensible transcendence. According to this framework, i) any given data is correlative to a subjec-tive apprehension, ii) but it cannot be fully captured by this same experience. Therefore, subjec-tive apprehension must remain open to a type of absence or radical indeterminacy. This notion of transcendence must be grounded in bodily experience, and the challenge is to develop a notion of logos that can account for its sensible donation. We describe that the critical apparatus mobilized to achieve this goal, primarily through the notions of “field of presence” and “presentation”, re-stores a logic of consciousness in these analyses that focus on the body. Keywords

In this paper, we studied the problem of early detection of natural phenomena associated with the formation of severe floods and the possibility of constant monitoring of their occurrence. The test object for the study was severe floods on the Crimean Peninsula, which occurred due to heavy rainfall in the summer of 2021. Based on the selected satellite and other data related to this period, an analysis carried out and key atmospheric objects identified, according to the proposed algorithm for their identification and grouping. Based on the results of the work, a positive conclusion made on the issue of their use to identify the likelihood of natural disasters that could lead to floods. In addition, the authors proposed to develop a portal for collecting and processing a large amount of satellite data related to flood prevention and monitoring the development of such processes, and stressed the need to create it.

Performing optimisation and scale-up studies of crystallisation systems requires accurate and computationally efficient mathematical models. The assumption of the ideal mixing conditions in batch reactors typically produce inaccurate results while the computational expense of CFD models is still prohibitively high. Therefore, in this work, a new intermediary approach is proposed that takes into account the non-ideal mixing conditions in the reactor and requires less computational resources than full CFD simulations. Starting with the Danckwerts concept of the intensity of segregation, an analogy between its application to chemical reactions and the kinetics of the crystallisation phenomena (such as nucleation and growth) has been made. As a result, the modified kinetics expressions have been derived which incorporate the effect of non-idealities present in stirred reactors. This way, based on the experimental measurements of the mixing time using the Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF) technique, computationally more efficient mathematical models can be developed in two ways: (1) the accurate semi-empirical correlations are available for standard mixing configurations with the most often used types of impellers, (2) CFD simulations can be utilised for estimation of the mixing time; in this case it is necessary to simulate only the mixing process. The benefits offered by the LIF experimental technique have been demonstrated and some frequent problems in its application analysed. The mixing time results for configurations with and without baffles for three types of impellers and four different rotational speeds have been presented. The false shorter mixing times in the non-baffled configurations have been observed and this phenomena explained by the existence of two segregated zones in the reactor and confirmed by additional experiments. The precise measurements in these cases have been shown as difficult using the LIF technique, particularly for higher rpms. The experimental data has been compared to the preliminary simulation results obtained from the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics method and the standard k-ε turbulence model with the modest success. The shortcomings of the SPH model have been recognized and the directions for the future work discussed.

Psoriasis is a multifactorial, chronic, and inflammatory disease that severely impacts patients’ quality of life. The disease is caused by genetic irregularities affected by the epigenetic and environmental factors. Some of these factors may include the seasonal changes, such as solar radiation, air pollution and humidity, and changes in circadian rhythm, especially in the temporal and polar zones. Thus, some psoriasis patients report seasonal variability of symptoms. Through a comprehensive review, we aim to delve deeper into the intricate interplay between seasonality, environmental factors, and the genetic and epigenetic landscape of psoriasis. By elucidating these complex relationships, we strive to provide insights that may inform targeted interventions and personalized management strategies for individuals living with psoriasis.

Metal creep has been a subject of extensive study for more than 110 years, because it affects the useful life of engineering components operating at high temperatures. It is even more so with ever-increasing operating temperatures of propulsion/power-generation systems by the environmental regulations to reduce greenhouse emissions. This review summaries the recent development in creep modeling with regards to creep strain evolution, creep rate, creep ductility, creep life and fracture mode, attempting to provide a comprehensive mechanism-based framework to address all the important creep phenomena and the long-standing issue of long-term creep life prediction with microstructural evolution and environmental effects.

It is well-known that, in science, several concepts that apply to an specific area of knowledge, may be borrowed by other areas of knowledge. Namely, resilience, reservoirs, evolution, etc. are concepts that may be used in social sciences, physics, biology and other sciences with complete sense. In this contribution I want to give some insights about some topics of quantum physics that could be used in social sciences.

Few studies have explored the gender wage gap among farmworkers, and there is a notable absence of research on how farm wages impact household welfare differently based on gender. This study aims to fill this gap by examining how farm wages affect gender disparities in household welfare among farmworkers in Nigeria. Using survey data from 720 farmworkers, we investigated gender-based differences in household welfare. Our approach combined parametric methods (Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition) to assess gender gaps in household welfare and non-parametric techniques (Propensity Score Matching, PSM) to estimate the effects of farm wages. The analysis reveals that female farmworkers experience significantly lower per capita food consumption expenditure (₦11,486.51 less) compared to their male counterparts. These disparities partly stem from differences in socioeconomic factors, job characteristics, and enterprise attributes between male and female farmworkers. The study underscores the role of farm wages in mitigating gender gaps in household welfare, demonstrating that farm wages have increased per capita food consumption expenditure for female farmworkers by ₦6,640.698. This finding highlights the potential of wage increases to enhance livelihoods, underscoring the importance of equitable wage policies in farming. Furthermore, our findings emphasize that the impact of farm wages on welfare varies with household characteristics, suggesting the need for targeted interventions tailored to enhance identified household attributes. Addressing these factors could effectively reduce gender inequalities in farm work and contribute to overall welfare improvements.

We are currently facing a potential ‘polycrisis’, a critical inflection point that requires a whole-of-society response aimed at building collective foresight and preparedness for short-, medium-, and long-term risks. The role of higher education institutions and social stakeholders is decisive to make an impact. This paper depicts the alignment of academia, governance, and industry with the aim to challenge, inspire, and encourage universities to go beyond commodified courses and mere employability, enhance student growth and bind macro-scale measures that lead to a sustainable future. A modest teaching innovation project has served as a transforming lever, with the private sector joining in, to create a platform that reaches more than 50 000 undergraduate students and teaching staff. The resulting structure, rooted in the University’s strategic plan, has served to channel local and regional initiatives, establish effective partnerships with broad social members, raise awareness and promote actions to advance in the pursuit of Sustainable Development Goals. Chronology, materials and methodology, together with a description of the different courses, programmes and actions are provided. The paper concludes with some recommendations for future research, policy and cooperation among stakeholders. Research methodology posted on clinicaltrials.gov under ID NCT04392869, NCT05598944, and NCT05775978.

We are currently facing a potential ‘polycrisis’, a critical inflection point that requires a whole-of-society response aimed at building collective foresight and preparedness for short-, medium-, and long-term risks. The role of higher education institutions and social stakeholders is decisive to make an impact. This paper depicts the alignment of academia, governance, and industry with the aim to challenge, inspire, and encourage universities to go beyond commodified courses and mere employability, enhance student growth and bind macro-scale measures that lead to a sustainable future. A modest teaching innovation project has served as a transforming lever, with the private sector joining in, to create a platform that reaches more than 50 000 undergraduate students and teaching staff. The resulting structure, rooted in the University’s strategic plan, has served to channel local and regional initiatives, establish effective partnerships with broad social members, raise awareness and promote actions to advance in the pursuit of Sustainable Development Goals. Chronology, materials and methodology, together with a description of the different courses, programmes and actions are provided. The paper concludes with some recommendations for future research, policy and cooperation among stakeholders. Research methodology posted on clinicaltrials.gov under ID NCT04392869, NCT05598944, and NCT05775978.

There must exist a reformulation of quantum field theory, even at low energies, which does not depend on classical time. The octonionic theory proposes such a reformulation, leading to a pre-quantum pre-spacetime theory. The ingredients for constructing such a theory, which is also a unification of the standard model with gravitation, are : (i) the pre-quantum theory of trace dynamics – a matrix-valued Lagrangian dynamics, (ii) the spectral action principle of non-commutative geometry, (iii) the number system known as the octonions, for constructing a non-commutative manifold and for defining elementary particles via Clifford algebras, (iv) a Lagrangian with $E_8 \times E_8$ symmetry. The split bioctonions define a sixteen dimensional space (with left-right symmetry) whose geometry (evolving in Connes time) relates to the four known fundamental forces, while predicting two new forces, $SU(3)_{grav}$ and $U(1)_{grav}$. This latter interaction is possibly the theoretical origin of MOND. Coupling constants of the standard model result from left-right symmetry breaking, and their values are theoretically determined by the characteristic equation of the exceptional Jordan algebra of the octonions. The quantum-to-classical transition, precipitated by the entanglement of a critical number of fermions, is responsible for the emergence of classical spacetime, and also for the familiar formulation of quantum theory on a spacetime background.

It is becoming clear that in addition to gap junctions, playing a role in cell-cell communication, gap junction proteins, connexins, located in cytoplasmic-compartments may have other important functions. Mitochondrial connexin 43 (Cx43) is increased after ischemic preconditioning and has been suggested to play a protective role in the heart. How Cx43 traffics to the mitochondria and the interactions of mitochondria with other Cx43-containing structures are unknown. In this study, immunocytochemical, super-resolution and transmission electron microscopy were used to detect cytoplasmic Cx43-containing structure and to demonstrate their interactions with other cytoplasmic organelles. The most prominent cytoplasmic Cx43-containing structures, annular gap junctions, were demonstrated to form intimate associations with lysosomes as well as with mitochondria. Surprisingly, the frequency of associations between mitochondria and annular gap junctions was greater than that between lysosomes and annular gap junctions. The benefits of annular gap junction/mitochondrial associations are not known. However, it is tempting to suggest that the contact between annular gap junction vesicles and mitochondria facilitates Cx43 deliver to the mitochondria. Furthermore, it points to the need for investigating trafficking of Cx43 to cytoplasmic compartments and annular gap junction as more than only a vesicle destined for degradation.

We review extrapolation methods for calculation of critical points and indices from the perturbative expansions by means of Pad\'{e}-based techniques and their various post-Pad\'{e} extensions by means of root and factor approximants. Factor approximants are applied to finding critical points. Roots are employed within the context of finding critical index. Additive self-similar approximants are discussed and $DLog$ additive recursive approximants are introduced as their generalization. They are applied to the problem of interpolation.

Vascular impairment, muscle atrophy, and cognitive decline are important age-related conditions that have a significant impact on health. Vascular impairment directly disrupts the flow of blood, leading to the decline of muscle mass associated with aging (sarcopenia) and the decline of neuronal functions (neurodegeneration). Our inadequate understanding of the complex relationships between these conditions impedes precise diagnosis and effective treatment. This review analyzes the interrelated mechanisms that contribute to these conditions, with a specific focus on oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, and impaired nutrient delivery. The aim is to understand the common pathways involved and to suggest comprehensive therapeutic approaches. Vascular dysfunctions hinder the circulation of blood and the transportation of nutrients, resulting in sarcopenia characterized by muscle atrophy and weakness. Vascular dysfunction and sarcopenia have a negative impact on physical function and quality of life. Neurodegenerative diseases exhibit comparable pathophysiological mechanisms that affect cognitive and motor functions. Preventive and therapeutic approaches encompass lifestyle adjustments, addressing oxidative stress, inflammation, and integrated therapies that focus on improving vascular and muscular well-being. Better understanding of these links can enhance therapeutic strategies and lead to better outcomes for patients. Here, we highlight the intricate relationship among vascular dysfunction, degenerative muscle, and cognitive decline, underscoring the need for multidisciplinary approaches to treatment. Progress in this field can result in improved diagnosis, more potent therapeutic options, and enhanced preventative measures, all of which can contribute to an improved quality of life for the aging population.

In recent years, long periods of drought and heat waves have become increasingly frequent, causing forest dieback phenomena that make stands more sensitive to biotic stressors. How trees may respond to extreme climatic events and which metabolites are involved under stress conditions is still not clear. In this study, we analysed by SPME how dieback (D) and non-dieback (ND) Hungarian oak trees from the San Paolo Albanese site respond to these climatic dynamics, in terms of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). For each group of trees, three wood samples were taken, each divided into four sub-samples with 5 growth rings, subjected to SPME and increase in basal area (BAI) analysis of the last 20 years. Dieback trees had a lower amount of leaves, and this condition may translate into less photosynthesis, less organic matter production and lower reserves of carbohydrates available for growth. Indeed, D trees showed lower radial increases and a lower content of aldehydes, terpenes, and fatty acids than ND trees, indicating a better health of ND trees compared to D trees. While D trees showed a reduction in terpenes, such as α-pinene, γ-eudesmol, and cyperene (with significant insecticidal activity), a reduction in aromatic aldehydes, such as furfural and 5-methylfurfural, and an increase in silanols (with antimicrobial function). Considering the different compounds’ contents between D and ND trees, our study could be useful for detecting bio-indicators to identify an early warning signal of dieback phenomena.

In order to solve the problem of large eddy current loss and high temperature rise caused by large amount of permanent magnet, a new type of combined magnetic pole permanent magnet motor is proposed in this paper. The sinusoidal distribution subdomain model of non-uniform air gap rotor is established by using Laplace equation, and the analytical expression of eddy current loss of rotor in uniform air-gap and non-uniform air-gap is derived. The effect of rotor eccentricity on eddy current loss is obtained. According to the characteristics of distributed winding of non-uniform air gap combined pole permanent magnet motor, equivalent treatment is performed to obtain the equivalent thermal conductivity, so as to establish equivalent thermal network model of motor, calculate the temperature value of each component of the motor, and verify the correctness of the thermal network model through the method of magnetothermal bidirectional coupling. Finally, an experimental platform is set up to carry out temperature rise experiments on the two prototypes respectively. Experimental results show that the non-uniform air-gap rotor structure can effectively reduce the rotor eddy current loss and motor temperature rise, and also verify the accuracy of the analytical model calculation results.

During the last decade, new unusual physical phenomena have been discovered in studying the optics of dielectric mesoscale particles of an arbitrary three-dimensional shape with the Mie size parameter near 10 (q ~ 10). The paper provides a brief overview of these phenomena from optics to terahertz, plasmonic and acoustic ranges. The different particle configurations (isolated, regular or Janus) are discussed, and the possible applications of such mesoscale structures are briefly reviewed herein in relation to the field enhancement, nanoparticle manipulation and super-resolution imaging. The number of interesting applications indicates to a new promising scientific direction emerged in optics, terahertz and acoustic ranges, and plasmonics. In this paper we present the authors' view of these problems.

The article is devoted to applications of 2-dimensional hyperbolic numbers and their algebraic 2ⁿ-dimensional extensions in modeling some genetic and cultural phenomena. Mathematical properties of hyperbolic numbers and their bisymmetric matrix representations are described in a connection with their application to analyze the following structures: alphabets of DNA nucleobases; inherited phyllotaxis phenomena; Punnett squares in Mendelian genetics; the psychophysical Weber-Fechner law; long literary Russian texts (in their special binary representations). New methods of algebraic analysis of the harmony of musical works are proposed, taking into account the innate predisposition of people to music. The hypothesis is put forward that sets of eigenvectors of matrix representations of basis units of 2ⁿ-dimensional hyperbolic numbers play an important role in transmitting biological information. A general hyperbolic rule regarding the oligomer cooperative organization of different genomes is described jointly with its quantum-information model. Besides, the hypothesis about some analog of the Weber-Fechner law for sequences of spikes in single nerve fibers is formulated. The proposed algebraic approach is connected with the theme of the grammar of biology and applications of bisymmetric doubly stochastic matrices. Applications of hyperbolic numbers reveal hidden interrelations between structures of different biological and physical phenomena. They lead to new approaches in mathematical modeling genetic phenomena and innate biological structures.

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

The work addresses the problem of Power Quality (PQ) metrics (or indexes) suitable for DC grids, encompassing Low and Medium Voltage applications, including electric transports, all-electric ships and aircrafts, electric vehicles, distributed generation and microgrids, modern data centers, etc. The two main pillars on which such PQ indexes are discussed and built are: i) the physical justification, so the electric phenomena affecting DC grids and components (PV panels, fuel cells, capacitors, batteries, etc.), causing e.g. stress of materials, ageing, distortion, grid instability; ii) the existing standardization framework, pointing out desirable coverage and extension, similarity with AC grids standards, but also inconsistencies. The first point is made more clear and usable by a graphical overview of the discussed phenomena. On this basis PQ is interpreted beyond the usual low-frequency range, including thus supraharmonics and common-mode disturbance, and filling the gap with the Electromagnetic Compatibility domain. However, phenomena typical of EMC and electrical safety (such as various types of overvoltages and fast transients) are excluded. Suitable PQ indexes are then reviewed, suggesting integrations and modifications, to cover the relevant phenomena and technological progress, and to better follow the normative exigencies.

To fulfil a need of limitation automotive emissions the reduction of vehicle weight is widely recommended and achieved in many ways, both by the construction of individual elements of the vehicle, and by the selection of light materials including Al alloys. Connecting these elements with each other and with elements made of iron alloys can be realized, inter alia, by welding or stir welding. However, the quality of the welds obtained varies widely and depends on many design, operational and environmental factors. The present study focused on a review of various welding technics used to joint both similar and dissimilar Al alloys utilized in automotive industry, the effect of various process parameters on welds quality, and phenomena appeared in such welds..

The band gap research in graphene is still a very important topic for materials application. Here, we report a band gap opening and p-type semiconducting property of the graphene by using an electrochemical doping on graphene surface. The manganese-oxide nanopar-ticles adsorbed on the graphene were used as the dopants in an electrolyte, which induce the band gap opening and the change of electronic structure. In addition, the fabricated graphene FET shows the p-type semiconductor behaviors. The temperature dependent conductivity of the p-type doped graphene at applied potential of 1.5 V during electro-chemical doping shows the formation of band gap of 0.23 eV, which is obtained from the fitting of conductivity equation. The semiconducting properties of manganese-oxide doped graphene is attributed to the formation of manganese-oxide nanoparticle on the surface of graphene.

Rotorcrafts operate HUMS for fault diagnosis, but the capabilities of HUMS analysts are important due to the complex mechanical configuration of rotorcraft and the difficulty of analysis. Accordingly, an advanced algorithm is needed to identify faults, and flight data can be used to develop the algorithm. However, flight data contains abnormal or missing data due to problems such as sensor defects, which can be a major problem in algorithm development. Therefore, in this paper, we study a gap filling method using MLP to obtain normal data when there are problems such as abnormal or missing data in rotorcraft flight data. Existing methods typically fill the gap through interpolation or curve fitting using the before and after values of missing data. However, in this study, normal values were estimated using the values of other parameters at the moment of missing or abnormal data occurred. As a result of evaluating the performance of the trained MLP using normal data, it was confirmed that the output of the model well estimates the changing trend of the target. And when abnormal data was applied to the trained model, it was confirmed that point outliers were eliminated and appropriate values were found in the case of missing data.

Several pathotypes of enteric E. coli have been identified. The group represented by Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) is of particular interest. Raw milk and raw milk products are significant sources of STEC infection in humans; therefore, identifying pathogens at the herd level is crucial for public health. Most national surveillance programs focus solely on raw milk and raw milk cheeses that are ready for retail sale, neglecting the possibility of evaluating the source of contamination directly at the beginning of the dairy chain. In order to assess the viability of new molecular methodologies applied to raw milk filters enabling the identification of the presence of STEC serotypes in milk production and apply the same methods to identify the presence of these pathogens in calf feces we analyzed, through a commercial real-time PCR assay, a total of 290 samples coming from 18 different dairy herds; 88 bulk tank milk (BTM), 104 raw milk filters (RMF) and 98 calves’ feces samples. In total 3.4% of BTM, 41.4% of RMF and 73.4% of calves’ feces tested positive for stx presence, supporting our hypothesis that BTM is not a suitable matrix to assess the STEC presence at herd level, underestimating it. Our conclusion is that the surveillance program needs critical and extensive improvements such as RMF and calves’ feces analysis implementation in order to be more efficient in detecting and preventing STEC infections. The epidemiology of these infections and the characteristics of the pathogen clearly show how a One Health approach will be pivotal to improve our capabilities to control the spread of these infections.

The advent of deep learning (DL) has revolutionized medical imaging, offering unprecedented avenues for accurate disease classification and diagnosis. DL models have shown remarkable promise for classifying brain tumor from Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans. However, despite their impressive performance, the opaque nature of DL models poses challenges in understanding their decision-making processes, particularly crucial in medical contexts where interpretability is essential. This paper explores the intersection of medical image analysis and DL interpretability, aiming to elucidate the decision-making rationale of DL models in brain tumor classification. Leveraging state-of-the-art DL frameworks with transfer learning, we conduct a comprehensive evaluation encompassing both classification accuracy and interpretability. Using state-of-the-art DL frameworks with transfer learning, we conduct a thorough evaluation covering both classification accuracy and interpretability. We employ adaptive path-based techniques to understand the underlying decision-making mechanisms of these models. Grad-CAM and Grad-CAM++ highlight critical image regions where the tumors are located.

A given problem in physics can be solved if it is well formulated. Well formulated means that it has a bijective correspondence to physical reality. Mass Gap Problem has no bijective correspondence with the physical reality and is that’s why not solvable mathematically. It can be solved in the frame of quantum mechanics by the formulation of the photon’s mass accordingly to the Planck-Einstein relation.

The main purpose of this paper is to present a comprehensive view of the application mathematical models in the designing and implementing SSCM beside to solving problems and making decision. The research questions are: what mathematical models are used for designing and implementing sustainable supply chain management, how to use them, which industries implemented in, what modules of SSCM depth in and finally finding the gaps of researches. The methodology of research is Systematic Literature review through peer review papers which are published in high ranking journals. In this paper, First, we search all papers through scientific data bases like Scopus, science direct, MDPI, Springer, Google Scholar, then, screening papers based on the criteria such as subject of paper, journals impact factor which is published in-should be peer review journal- and relative content of the papers. Finally, we selected 245 papers with three steps screening through 2806 papers that they have enough quality and relative to our research goals for context analysis. Through context analysis, first we categorized the information of the papers and drew the current situation of researches in the framework of our topic. Then, we evaluate and compare the goals of sustainability and current situation and found the gapes, then, offered new suggestions like implementing SSCMs models in pollutant industries like casting industry, Heavy industry, coal Industry and so on. On the other hand, there are gaps in researches in some modules of SSCM such as packaging, designing products, etc.

The aim of the present study is to investigate both the performance and preferences of males and females Computer Science (CS) graduates. In order to attain the above goal, a quantitative case study was conducted regarding 89 degrees, acquired from 2006 to 2012, from the Department of Computer Science and Technology, University of Peloponnese, Greece. The analysis of the data revealed that in terms of performance, no significant differences between the mean grades of males and females exist, in almost most of the courses included in the curriculum of the aforementioned CS department. Any statistically significant differences in performances were present in almost equal number of courses in favor of males and females. It seems also, that females performed better in the courses they selected more than males. Regarding preferences, in CS courses, it seems that gender differences are existent. Males preferred more than females did core programming courses and advanced topics of Software Systems, computer networks, computer engineering, robotics and mathematics, whereas females preferred more the study of algorithms and security issues, computer fractals, data management, computer architecture, and mobile communication. In addition, females preferred courses in reference with humanities and social sciences, CS terminology, and career opportunities. Yet, females did not select any of programming lab-based courses, computer engineering, computer network issues and robotics.

The linear diblock copolymer polystyrene-b-poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PS-P4VP) is an important copolymer recently used in many applications such as optoelectronics, sensors, catalysis, membranes, energy conversion, energy storage devices, photolithography, and biomedical applications. (1) Background: The surface thermodynamic properties of PS-P4VP copolymer are of great importance in many chemical and industrial processes. (2) Methods: The inverse gas chromatography (IGC) at infinite dilution was used for the experimental determination of the retention volumes of organic solvents adsorbed on copolymer surfaces as a function of temperature. This led to the variations of the free energy of interaction necessary to the evaluation of the London dispersive and polar acid-base surface energies, the polar enthalpy and entropy, the Lewis acid-base constants, and the transition temperatures of PS-P4VP copolymer. (3) Results: The application of the thermal Hamieh model led to accurate determination of the London dispersive surface energy of the copolymer that showed non-linear variations versus the temperature highlighting the presence of two transition temperatures. It was observed that the Lewis’s acid-base parameters of the copolymer strongly depend on the temperature and the Lewis base constant of the solid surface was showed to be higher than the its acid constant. (4) Conclusions: Un important effect of the temperature on the surface thermodynamic properties of PS-P4VP was proved and new surface correlations were determined.

Rheometric investigations facilitate the rheological analysis of cementitious suspensions. However, the choice of the rheometric device and raw data conversion affect the results. Contrary to small gap rheometry, where the flow data shear stress

A remarkable strengths of deep neural networks lies in their ability to discover patterns and representations from complex data. Deep learning models can learn and refine features at different levels of abstraction, enabling them to handle complex tasks in computer vision recognition, natural language processing, and speech recognition. The ability to generalize from examples, coupled with the capacity to process vast amounts of data, empowers deep learning to achieve state-of-the-art results across a wide spectrum of applications. An argument for this ability is based on similarities between deep neural networks and the nervous system. In this report, we argue that despite the remarkable performance of deep learning, there are still gaps between deep learning and the nervous system that needs to be closed to enable deep learning doing tasks that currently only the nervous system can perform

The present overview of spin-dependent phenomena in nonmagnetic semiconductor microparticles (MPs) and nanoparticles (NPs) with interacting nuclear and electron spins is aimed at covering a gap between the basic properties of spin behavior in solid-state systems and a tremendous growth of the experimental results on biomedical applications of those particles. The first part of the review represents modern achievements of spin-dependent phenomena in the bulk semiconductors from the theory of optical spin orientation under indirect optical injection of carriers and spins in the bulk crystalline silicon (c-Si) – via numerous insightful findings in the realm of characterization and control through the spin polarization – to the design and verification of nuclear spin hyperpolarization in semiconductor MPs and NPs for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) diagnostics. The second part of the review is focused on the electron spin-dependent phenomena in Si-based nanostructures, including the photosensitized generation of singlet oxygen in porous Si and design of Si NPs with unpaired electron spins as prospective contrast agents in MRI. The experimental results are analyzed by considering both the quantum mechanical approach and several phenomenological models for the spin behavior in semiconductor/molecular systems. Advancements and perspectives of the biomedical applications of spin-dependent properties of Si NPs for diagnostics and therapy of cancer are discussed.

In this paper we introduce a computational model for the simulation of hypervelocity impact (HVI) phenomena which is based on the Discrete Element Method (DEM). Our paper constitutes the first application of DEM to the modeling and simulating of impact events for velocities beyond 5 kms⁻¹. We present here the results of a systematic numerical study on HVI of solids. For modeling the solids, we use discrete spherical particles that interact with each other via potentials. In our numerical investigations we are particularly interested in the dynamics of material fragmentation upon impact. We model a typical HVI experiment configuration where a sphere strikes a thin plate and investigate the properties of the resulting debris cloud. We provide a quantitative computational analysis of the resulting debris cloud caused by impact and a comprehensive parameter study by varying key parameters of our model. We compare our findings from the simulations with recent HVI experiments performed at our institute. Our findings are that the DEM method leads to very stable, energy–conserving simulations of HVI scenarios that map the experimental setup where a sphere strikes a thin plate at hypervelocity speed. Our chosen interaction model works particularly well in the velocity range where the local stresses caused by impact shock waves markedly exceed the ultimate material strength.

We present a series of computer-assisted high resolution transmission electron (HRTEM) simulations to determine Moiré patters by induced twisting effects between slabs at rotational angles of 3°, 5°, 8°, and 16°, for molybdenum disulfide, graphene, tungsten disulfide, and tungsten selenide layered materials. In order to investigate the electronic structure, a series of numerical simulations using DFT methods was completed using CASTEP with a generalized gradient approximation to determine both band structure and density of states on honeycomb like new superlattices. Our results indicate metallic transitions when rotation approaches 8° with respect to each other for most of the two-dimensional systems that were analyzed.

Technology is in the way to reach in its climax but the basic understanding of science in many phenomena is still awaited even though the nature witnesses it. Scientific research reveals strong analogy between photon and electron. When an atom deals neutral state, it levitates electron of outer ring from the back surface while placing the bit-energy at front surface. Gravitation behavior of that electron starts at the centre of relaxation point by including the force of side pole where the pulling force of nearby unfilled state of that atom from the front surface results into depict forcing energy shape like Gaussian distribution symbol with both ends turned called unit photon. The inertia is being involved at each stage of changing direction of that electron by introducing the disappearances of forces of two poles against the appearances of forces of two opposite poles during rest to motion and motion to rest in the first half-cycle. The same is the case in the second half-cycle of that electron during rest to motion and motion to rest but it is under different introduction of the disappearances of forces against appearances of forces. However, at stage of levitating or gravitating period of electron, only one force is being involved at one time where the opposite force is disappeared. The uninterrupted confined inter-state electron-dynamics of atom under the availability of several bits of bit-energy results into generate forcing energy shape like a wave. Two bits of bit-energy where shape of bit for first half-cycle is like integral symbol and second half-cycle is like opposite integral symbol which are being placed along the configuring trajectory of inter-state electron-dynamics during forward-direction cycle and two bits of bit-energy shape in opposite order are being placed along the trajectory of inter-state electron-dynamics during back-direction cycle. Generating forcing energy of unit photon in each cycle is pushing to the rear side by remaining connected till the electron is not restoring the state of rest. Silicon atom is considered as a model system under neutral state. Uninterrupted confined inter-state electron-dynamics result into generate forcing energy that can travel immeasurable length and unavailability of necessitating bit-energy at any interrupted stage result into generate an overt photon. Inter-state electron-dynamics for at least two cycles generate an overt photon –a photon length twice to unit photon. Under certain interaction of unit photon, it divides equally into two bits of bit-energy instead of dividing into tits and bits of heat. The mechanism of generating photon characteristic current by the electron of neutral state atom validates that atoms are four-dimensional discs at centre of dealing no force. An isolated electron is being grounded under directed forcing energy to impinge a neutral state atom where the gained instantaneous velocity under merged energy resulting into distort atom at that point. Matter changes the role of energy and force under various sorts of interactions. Here, heat energy and photon energy explore matter at atomic and electron levels, thus, devise basis of science to describe.

To design and optimize liquid-assisted processes such as reactive infiltration for fabricating refractory SiC/ZrSi₂ composites, basic investigations on the interfacial phenomena occurring when liquid Si-based alloys are in contact with C and SiC substrates, are key steps. Indeed, targeted wettability studies may provide helpful indications for finding the suitable set of operating conditions to succeed the fabrication of composites via the reactive infiltration and for predicting the key influencing mechanisms. The wettability of glassy carbon (GC) by two different Si-rich Si-Zr alloys as a function of the Si-content has been investigated by the sessile drop method at T = 1450°C. The more relevant results obtained in terms of equilibrium contact angle values, spreading kinetics, reactivity and developed interface microstructures are reported in the paper and compared with the behaviour previously observed in the Si-27Zr/GC system. The increase of Si-content only weakly affected the overall phenomena observed at the interface, which from the practical point of view means that even the Si-Zr alloys with higher Si-content, as respect to the eutectic alloy (Si-27Zr), could be potentially used as infiltrant materials.

The existence of the exclusion zone (EZ), a layer of water in which plastic microspheres are repelled from hydrophilic surfaces, has now been independently demonstrated by several groups. A better understanding of the mechanisms which generate EZs would help with understanding the possible importance of EZs in biology and in engineering applications such as filtration and microfluidics. Pollack theorizes that EZ water exists in a new phase which has a layered structure. We note several problems with Pollack's proposed structure, some of which were noted in the 1960's when a similar structure was proposed for ``polywater''. We argue that Schurr's diffusiophoresis based theory presents a compelling alternative explanation for the core EZ phenomena, although there remain other findings from Pollack's lab it does not explain. Among other things, Schurr's theory makes predictions about the growth of the EZ with time which have been confirmed by Florea et al.\ and others. In this work we also introduce and explore a novel hypothesis - that some aspects of EZ phenomena may be attributable to repulsive van der Waals forces. Finally, we touch on several possible confounding factors that make experimentation on EZs difficult, such as charged surface groups, dissolved solutes, and adsorbed nanobubbles.

Additive manufacturing (AM) provides opportunities to design objects differently than traditional manufacturing methods allow, but only if designers understand the possibilities AM presents. In this study, we examined whether an AM workshop combined with an idea generation session could inspire engineering professionals to use AM solutions to solve current technical problems they face. All subjects were employees at an organization that will be referred to as Company X, a multinational commercial organization based in North America. During the study, we collected ideas for 24 projects generated before and after a training workshop focused on design for AM. In the workshop, we provided three hours of instruction about design for two metal-based AM processes. The participants’ ideas were assessed using four specific metrics: (1) cost, (2) time,(3) completeness of solution, and (4) quality, which was a function of feasibility, usefulness, and novelty. Using these data, we explored whether the workshop was effective in inspiring the participants to use AM methods and techniques from AM research in their concept generation and whether participants’ AM solutions showed improvement in cost, implementation time, and quality over non-AM designs generated before the workshop.

Enforcement of animal welfare statutes are the primary protection given for the maintenance of animal welfare and prevention of cruelty. It is speculated that animal law enforcement in Australia has a number of weakness in the enforcement model. These weaknesses create a gap between the goals of animal law enforcement and the reality of the animal law justice system. This gap is defined as the ‘enforcement gap’. This paper identifies and investigates the causes of this gap. The hypothesized causes discussed are (1) the impact the public can have on reporting animal cruelty, (2) the reliance on charitable organizations as enforcement bodies, (3) the inconsistencies in animal welfare legislation, and (4) the role of the sentencing courts. Thus, the causes of the enforcement gap are multifactorial; derived from all stages of the enforcement process. Further research is needed to investigate the concepts raised in this paper. However, it is likely that a combination of structural change to enforcement agencies, legislative reform and public education is required to reduce the enforcement gap.

This article presents an analysis of monthly precipitation totals based on the Global Precipitation Climatology Centre database and monthly mean temperatures based on National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data for 377 catchments located around the world. Data sequences covering 110 years from 1901 to 2010 were analysed. The long-term sequences of precipitation and temperature were used to assess the variability of climate extremes, referred to here as polarisation. Measures of polarisation used in the natural sciences are discussed. A simple measure of polarisation was presented and applied to long-term sequences of monthly precipitation totals and monthly mean temperatures. Due to the nature of the proposed polarisation measure, other characteristics of precipitation and temperature sequences are also presented as a background for the discussion of the polarisation index. The study showed the existence of trends related to the polarisation of temperature and precipitation phenomena. As a result of the analysis, trends of polarisation factors in the area of precipitation and temperature were identified in 11 catchments out of the 377 analysed catchments. The trend analysis used Mann-Kendall tests at a level of significance of 5%. The Pettitt test was used to determine the point of trend change for precipitation and temperature data. The whole investigation is supported by rich graphical analyses, and the results are presented in tabular form.

Background and aim: Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is sexually transmitted, one of the three most common sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in both males and females, and the most common viral STI. A crucial public health strategy to protect people against HPV is through vaccination, which has shown its effectiveness in preventing HPV related diseases. Presently three types of vaccines are available (bivalent, quadrivalent, and nonavalent) and they all target at least the two most oncogenic virus genotypes (HPV 16, 18). In the past few years, the need to implement vaccination programmes that include all genders has been discussed in order to achieve herd immunity against HPV. To date, only a few countries have included young males in their vaccination programmes, so we aim through this review to provide an overview of the epidemiology of HPV and prevention strategies to prevent it, reporting the latest findings from the scientific literature.

Mechanistic models have been used for centuries to describe complex interconnected processes, including biological ones. As the scope of these models has widened, so have their computational demands. This complexity can limit their suitability when running many simulations or when real-time results are required. Surrogate machine learning models can be used to approximate the behaviour of complex mechanistic models, and once built, their computational demands are several orders of magnitude lower. This paper provides an overview of the relevant literature, both from an applicability and a theoretical perspective. For the latter, the paper focuses on the design and training of the underlying machine learning models. Application-wise, we show how machine learning surrogates have been used to approximate different mechanistic models. We present a perspective on how these approaches can be applied to models representing biological processes with potential industrial applications (e.g., metabolism and whole-cell modelling) and show why surrogate machine learning models may hold the key to making the simulation of complex biological models possible using a typical desktop computer.

In this short communication, we conducted first-principles calculations to explore the stability of boron monochalcogenides (BX, X=S, Se or Te), as a new class of two-dimensional (2D) materials. We predicted BX monolayers with two different atomic stacking sequences of ABBA and ABBC, referred in this work to 2H and 1T, respectively. Analysis of phonon dispersions confirm the dynamical stability of BX nanosheets with the both 2H and 1T atomic lattices. Ab-initio molecular dynamics simulations reveal the outstanding thermal stability of all predicted monolayers at high temperatures over 1500 K. BX structures were found to exhibit high elastic modulus and tensile strengths. It was found that BS and BTe nanosheets can show high stretchability, comparable to that of the graphene. It was found that all predicted monolayers exhibit semiconducting electronic character, in which 2H structures present lower band-gaps as compared with 1T lattices. The band-gap values were found to decrease from BS to BTe. According to the HSE06 results, 1T-BS and 2H-BTe show respectively, the maximum (4.0 eV) and minimum (2.06 eV) electronic band-gaps. This investigation introduces boron monochalcogenides as a novel class of 2D semiconductors with remarkable thermal, dynamical and mechanical stability.

There is a fast-growing interest in the use of selective laser melting (SLM) for metal/alloy additive manufacturing. Our current knowledge of SLM printed 316 stainless steel (SS316) is limited and sometimes appears sporadic, presumably due to the complex interdependent effects of a large number of process variables of the SLM processing. This is reflected from the discrepant findings in the crystallographic textures and microstructures in this investigation with those reported in the literatures, which also vary itself. The as-printed material is macroscopically asymmetric in both the structures and crystallographic textures. The <101> and <111> crystallographic directions align parallel with the SLM scanning direction (SD) and build direction (BD), respectively. Like-wise, some characteristic low angle boundary features are reported crystallographic, while this investigation unequivocally proves them non-crystallographic since they always maintain an identical alignment with the SLM laser scanning direction irrespective of the matrix material’s crystal orientation. There is also 500±200 nm columnar or cellular features, depending on the cross-section, generally found all over the sample. These columnar or cellular features are formed with walls made of dense packing of dislocations entangled with Mn, Si and O enriched amorphous inclusions. They remain stable after the ASM solution treatments at 1050 °C temperatures, and therefore, are capable of hindering boundary migration events of recrystallization and grain growth. Thus, the nanoscale structures can be retained at high temperatures. Large 2-4 µm inclusions form during the solution treatment, within which the chemical and phase distribution are heterogeneous.

The article presents an analysis of monthly precipitation totals based on the GPCC database, and monthly mean temperatures (NOAA data) for 377 catchments distributed across the globe. The analysis included 110-year data sequences from 1901 to 2010 calculated from grid data with a spatial resolution of 0.5°x 0.5° longitude and latitude. Long-term sequences of precipitation and temperature were used to assess the polarization of climatic phenomena. The noticeable impact of polarization in the area of extreme changes in temperature and precipitation is related to anthropogenic factors such as greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation and pollution, which affect ecosystem functioning, biodiversity, water resources and economies. The paper demonstrates the existence of trends related to the polarization of temperature and precipitation phenomena. The measures of polarization used in science are discussed. A simple measure of polarization was proposed and applied to both long-term sequences of monthly precipitation totals and monthly mean temperature. Due to the nature of the proposed polarization measure, other characteristics of the precipitation and temperature sequences are also presented as background for the discussion of the polarization index. The paper presents, for a selection of several hundred catchments from around the world, analyses of the assessment of precipitation and temperature trends using non-parametric tests. The trend analyses use Mann -Kendall tests at the 5% significance level. A Pettitt test was used to determine the trend change point for precipitation and temperature data. The whole is supported by rich graphical analyses and the results are presented tabularly.

This study seeks to measure the degree of agglomeration of educational quality in Colombia, based on the non-socialization of the population that exhibits low educational quality, with the population that exhibits high educational quality, and thus determine how such agglomeration affects the phenomenon of academic segregation. To this end, we perform a spatial analysis of the educational quality in Colombia and of variables that may influence to the phenomenon of educational agglomeration. The level of agglomeration in educational quality in Colombia is demonstrated by the calculation of the Moran’s Index, in which a result of 0.62 was obtained. High educational quality is concentrated in the Andean region, while low educational quality is agglomerated in the periphery of the country, in areas such as the Pacific region. A spatial regression model was carried out to measure the dependence of municipalities on their neighbors, and to determine the main socio-economic factors affecting the phenomenon of educational agglomeration in Colombia, finding that living conditions, unsatisfied basic needs and fiscal transparency have all an impact on the educational quality of the municipalities. It is also found that the number of homicides in the municipalities does not seem to have a significant relationship with education.

In 1948, Skinner described the behavior of pigeons under response-independent schedules as “superstitious,” and proposed that the responses were reinforced by contiguous, adventitious food deliveries. Subsequently, response-independent schedules have been of interest to both basic and applied researchers, first to understand the mechanisms involved, and later, as “noncontingent reinforcement” (NCR) to reduce undesirable behavior. However, the potential superstitious effects produced by these schedules have been challenged, with some researchers arguing that antecedent variables play a significant role. This paper examines the evidence for adventitious reinforcement from both laboratory and applied research, the results of which suggest that antecedent, non-operant functions may be important in fully understanding the effects of NCR. We propose an applied-basic research synthesis, in which attention to potential non-operant functions could provide a more complete understanding of response-independent schedules. We conclude with a summary of the applied implications of the non-operant functions of NCR schedules.

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are amongst the most pharmaceutically relevant and well-studied protein targets, yet unanswered questions in the field leave significant gaps in our understanding of their nuanced structure and function. 3D pharmacophore models are powerful computational tools in silico drug discovery, presenting myriad opportunities for the integration of GPCR structural biology and cheminformatics. This review highlights success stories in the application of 3D pharmacophore modeling to de novo drug design, discovery of biased and allosteric ligands, scaffold hopping, QSAR analysis, hit-to-lead optimization, GPCR de-orphanization, mechanistic understanding of GPCR pharmacology and elucidation of ligand-receptor interactions. Furthermore, advances in the incorporation of dynamics and machine learning will be highlighted. The review will analyze challenges in the field of GPCR drug discovery, detailing how 3D pharmacophore modeling can be used to address them. Finally, we will present opportunities afforded by 3D pharmacophore modeling in the advancement of our understanding and targeting of GPCRs.

We prove that it is necessary to introduce the non-zero gluon masses into the fundamental Lagrangian of Quantum Chromodynamics in order to describe the mass-gap in the reaction of electron-positron annihilation into hadrons. A new restriction on the gluon masses is obtained. The renormalized theory with non-zero Lagrangian gluon masses is constructed.

The rank-3 antisymmetric tensors which are the magnetic monopoles of SU(N) Yang-Mills gauge theory dynamics, unlike their counterparts in Maxwell’s U(1) electrodynamics, are non-vanishing, and do permit a net flux of Yang-Mills analogs to the magnetic field through closed spatial surfaces. When electric source currents of the same Yang-Mills dynamics are inverted and their fermions inserted into these Yang-Mills monopoles to create a system, this system in its unperturbed state contains exactly 3 fermions due to the monopole rank-3 and its 3 additive field strength gradient terms in covariant form. So to ensure that every fermion in this system occupies an exclusive quantum state, the Exclusion Principle is used to place each of the 3 fermions into the fundamental representation of the simple gauge group with an SU(3) symmetry. After the symmetry of the monopole is broken to make this system indivisible, the gauge bosons inside the monopole become massless, the SU(3) color symmetry of the fermions becomes exact, and a propagator is established for each fermion. The monopoles then have the same antisymmetric color singlet wavefunction as a baryon, and the field quanta of the magnetic fields fluxing through the monopole surface have the same symmetric color singlet wavefunction as a meson. Consequently, we are able to identify these fermions with colored quarks, the gauge bosons with gluons, the magnetic monopoles with baryons, and the fluxing entities with mesons, while establishing that the quarks and gluons remain confined and identifying the symmetry breaking with hadronization. Analytic tools developed along the way are then used to fill the Yang-Mills mass gap.

Elastic peak electron spectroscopy, abbreviated EPES, involves ana- lyzing the line shape found in the elastic peak. The reduction in the energy of electrons of the elastic peak is a result of energy transfer to the target atoms, a phenomenon known as recoil energy. EPES differs from other electron spectroscopies in its unique ability to identify hydrogen in polymers and hydrogenated carbon-based materials. This feature is particularly noteworthy because lighter elements exhibit stronger energy shifts. The energy difference between the positions of the elastic peak of carbon and the elastic peak of hydrogen tends to increase as the kinetic energy of the incident electrons increases. If, during electron irradiation of an insulating polymer, the number of secondary electrons emitted by the surface is less than the number of electrons absorbed in the sample, the surface floats energetically until it stabilizes at a potential energy eVs. As a result, the interaction energy changes and modifies the energy difference between the elastic peaks of hydrogen and carbon. In this study, the charge effects are evaluated using the Monte Carlo method to simulate the EPES spectra of electrons interacting with polystyrene and polyethylene.

Laboratory experiments and investigations into natural phenomena in this research series have unveiled the presence of a gravitational repulsion force that permeates our environment on both microscopic and macroscopic scales, contingent upon the thermal energy present. This paper presents a study exploring novel properties of gravitational forces among gas molecules, employing principles of thermodynamics. A model has been devised based on the interactions between pairs of gas molecules. While traditional models treat gravitational interaction as a singular force, our experimental approach validates it as the composite of two distinct forces: gravitational repulsion and attraction. By utilizing established experimental data on gas thermodynamics, our model demonstrates robust performance both analytically and experimentally. It verifies the coexistence of gravitational repulsion and attraction forces among gas molecules, showcases their Inverse-Cube relationship with distance, and elucidates the direct proportionality of the repulsion force to absolute temperature. This bridges a crucial gap between energy and fundamental forces. The order of magnitudes of gravitational repulsion and attraction forces are found to be considerably large, contrasting with the low values predicted by classical theory, which results from their amalgamation. Recognizing these forces as substantial in magnitude promises unprecedented outcomes and advancements.

The paper is focused on numerical modeling of multi-strand cable lines placed in free air. Modeling is carried out within the framework of the so-called multi-physics approach using commercial software. The paper describes in detail the steps undertaken to develop realistic, reliable numerical models of power engineering cables, taking into account their geometries and heat exchange conditions. The results might be of interest to the designers of multi-strand cable systems.

As we all know, contemporary electromagnetic theory is based on the macroscopic electromagnetic theory established by the 19th century. Because of the lack of microscopic cognition in that era, various electromagnetic phenomena could only be explained and described at the macro level, and their origins could not be explained at the micro level. And because of the microscopic understanding of atomic physics in the 20th century, new progress has been made. Considering that it is now the 21st century, this paper attempts to establish a new theory of microscopic interpretation of classical electromagnetic theory based on the new cognition of atomic physics in the 20th century. Starting from the general assumption, the current will be interpreted as the momentum flow produced by the directed collision between electrons; the charge will be interpreted as a form of expression of electron motion; the voltage is interpreted as the potential difference (energy level difference) of the electron orbit. In the end, this paper successfully developed a new microscopic electromagnetic theory by introducing microscopic atomic physics and rigid body mechanics models to Maxwell's macroscopic electromagnetic theory.

Causal relationships lie at the very core of our scientific description of biophysical phenomena. Nevertheless, observable facts such as chaotic dynamics, symmetry breaks, long-range collisionless neural interactions, zero-value energy singularities, particle/wave duality, ecological approaches to visual perception elude cause effect inductive explanations. We illustrate how simple topological claims, seemingly useless and far away from scientific inquiry (e.g., “given at least some wind on Earth, there must at all times be a cyclone or anticyclone somewhere”; “if one stirs to dissolve a lump of sugar in a cup of coffee, it appears there is always a point without motion”; “at any moment, there is always a pair of antipodal points on the Earth’s surface with equal temperatures and barometric pressures”) describe a real world, made of projections and mappings unsupplied with causality. Unavoidable, necessary, passive, spontaneous changes in systems’ shapes, dimensions and symmetries incarnate biophysical quantifiable counterparts of abstract mathematical concepts. Real features arising from topological mechanisms do not require causal powers to be produced, because are independent of exerted physical forces, energetic fields’ actions and thermodynamic constraints. Providing examples that shed novel interpretative light on phenomena such as double slit experiments, cellular mechanisms and brain function, we conclude as follows: countless scientific matters can be accessed through methodological weapons which not just break causality, replace temporal correlations and probabilistic a priori knowledge of previous cases, but also permit augments in available information devoid of entropy increases and energy losses.

In this paper, we investigate whether greedy algorithms, traditionally used for pedestrian-based crowdsensing, remain effective in the context of vehicular crowdsensing (VCS). Vehicular crowdsensing leverages vehicles equipped with sensors to gather and transmit data to address several urban challenges. Despite its potential, VCS faces issues with user engagement due to inadequate incentives and privacy concerns. In this paper, we use a dynamic incentive mechanism based on a recurrent reverse auction model, incorporating vehicular mobility patterns and realistic urban scenarios using the Simulation of Urban Mobility (SUMO) traffic simulator and OpenStreetMap (OSM). By selecting a representative subset of vehicles based on their locations within a fixed budget, our mechanism aims to improve coverage and reduce data redundancy. We evaluate the applicability of successful participatory sensing approaches designed for pedestrian data and demonstrate their limitations when applied to VCS. This research provides insights into adapting greedy algorithms for the particular dynamics of vehicular crowdsensing.

Plant conciousness is a scenario where people imbibe the culture of engaging plants as a constant part of their day to day activity. The earth supports both plants and animals, but , plants unlike animals are unable to express themselves by shouting, nagging or crying, e.t.c. They are only able to response saliently thus making them oblivious and constantly neglected. Unfortunately, plants play just as much major roles in sustaining the earth as much as people and animals do. The proper handling of plants is much reliant on the ‘’Plant consciousness or obliviousness’’ of people including both the young and the old. Are people well aware of plants, how important they are to the earth, the environment and it sustenance?, the answer is not enough. There is a need for plant knowledge bridges to create more and adequate awareness about plants, their importance, how they should be handled, how they should be cared for, and an understanding that they are partners for the sustaining our dying world. We seek to change this obvious lack of appreciation and understanding of plants, but how can this be done? We discuss methodologies that have and can been used for bridging this knowledge gap to ensure that our world is safe by protecting and caring for plants.

Background: Skin substitutes play a crucial role in wound care by actively modulating the wound healing process, promoting angiogenesis, and protecting the integrity of the native extracellular matrix. Consequently, surgeons have increasingly recognized these resources as excellent complements to improve reconstructive outcomes. This review focuses on the author's experience using these biomaterials in complex cases, highlighting the benefits they bring to patient care. Methods: A literature review was conducted to evaluate the regenerative properties of skin substitutes and their applicability in head and neck, upper and lower extremities, and trunk reconstruction. Results: The reviewed literature, along with the authors' experience, supports the adjunct use of skin substitutes in various reconstructive situations. Combining them with skin grafts improves resulting skin quality and may also enhance donor site healing. They have proven effective in addressing chronic venous ulcers, traumatic wounds with limited donor tissues for coverage, extensive burns, diabetic foot ulcers, and oncologic resections in the face and scalp. Furthermore, combining them with autologous tissue shows promising results in achieving stable closure. Conclusions: Incorporating skin substitutes in complex reconstructive scenarios offers multiple benefits. Their regenerative properties and ability to modulate the healing process contribute to enhanced outcomes and reduced overall costs.

Although the spanwise periodicity within the gap between two tandem circular cylinders has been observed by some researchers, there is a lack of systematic study on the properties of this pe-riodicity. For the spanwise periodicity within the gap, this study aims to ascertain its characteris-tics, its influences on the flow field, and its variation trend with increasing spacing ratio. By nu-merically simulating the flow around two tandem circular cylinders with a diameter ratio of d/D=0.6 and seventeen spacing ratios (L/D=1.00~6.00) at Re=3900, this study shows four flow re-gimes: Reattachment Flow (L/D=1.00~3.15), Bi-stable Flow (L/D=3.24), Intermittent Lock-in Co-shedding (L/D= 3.30~3.50) and Subharmonic Lock-in Co-shedding (L/D=4.00~6.00). Further, de-pending on the spanwise periodicity length of the time-averaged flow structures (i.e. Pz) within the gap, Reattachment Flow is, for the first time, subdivided into three new sub-flow regimes: Small-scale Periodic Reattachment (L/D=1.00~1.50, Pz/D=(0, 4]), Large-scale Periodic Reattachment (L/D=2.00~2.25, Pz/D>4) and Non-periodic Reattachment (L/D=2.50~3.15, no spanwise periodicity). The formation mechanisms are elaborated by analyzing the combined effect of both the L/D value and the spanwise-averaged time-averaged reattachment angle of the downstream cylinder. Moreover, this study proves that the newly-defined Small-scale Periodic Reattachment and Large-scale Periodic Reattachment are responsible for the pronounced asymmetry of the flow along the transverse direction within the gap. In addition, detailed flow properties and statistical pa-rameters are provided for each flow regime, such as velocity, vorticity, force coefficient, separa-tion/reattachment angle, Strouhal number and Q-criterion.

The Power Theory of Exchange and Money (PTEM) refines the economic neoclassical two-equation model of exchange. PTEM replaces the statistical average condition of exchange, which represents the equality of supply and demand for all transactions in the market, with a more specific equation of the equality of the generalized power of the parties in relation to their objects of exchange. The purpose of the article is to show the application of PTEM for the study of various social phenomena. Along with a brief summary of the main statements of this theory, its integration into the existing corpus of theories and ideas in economics and sociology is considered. The conclusions of power theory are then applied to consider the following topics: the objective motivation of exchange by the desire to increase power, the power nature of market equilibrium, the power nature of money, the accumulation of power through profit, the creation of money as a power act, the role of the state in the creation of money, the measure of power as a possible tool for social and political research.

Hydrothermal /super critical processes are important process to synthesize materials which are otherwise difficult to form under normal conditions. A mathematical model is developed using standard transport equations to calculate the time for heating of hydrothermal reactor and computer simulation of the model was carried out in SOLIDWORKS® to validate it. The materials used to form reactor vessel were stainless steel (outer body) and TEFLON (PFA) (inner vessel). It was shown that composite wall, its geometry, construction & properties greatly affect the time and pattern of heat transfer. The time calculated and pattern generated were found to be in good agreement with experimental values.

Solanum indicum Linn, is commonly known as Indian Nightshade or Poison Berry belongs to the family Solanaceae. This review studied the botanical description, traditional uses of its seeds, its chemical composition, pharmacological properties and modern applications in medicinal system. The plant is rich in alkaloids, steroidal saponins, flavonoids and phenolic acids having diverse pharmacological activities and phytochemical profile. It is used in treatment of various respiratory disorders, inflammation, skin problems and gastrointestinal disease since ancient times. Scientific research in modern times also tested many of the traditional uses revealing anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial activities as well as some cytotoxic and even antidiabetic effects. These pharmacological activities show potential future as uses for organic drugs, natural health products, skincare formulations and agricultural advancements.

The study examines the effects of transitioning to hydrogen production in the National Capital Region (NCR) and Palawan Province, Philippines, focusing on technology, environment, and stakeholder impact. The research, conducted through a July 2022 survey, aimed to assess public awareness, knowledge, risk perception, and acceptance of hydrogen and its environmentally friendly variant, green hydrogen, infrastructure. Disparities were found between urban NCR and rural Palawan, with lower awareness in Palawan. Safety concerns were highlighted, with NCR respondents generally considering hydrogen production safe, while Palawan respondents had mixed feelings, particularly regarding nuclear-based hydrogen generation. The report emphasizes the potential ecological advantages of hydrogen technology but highlights potential issues concerning water usage and land impacts. It suggests targeted public awareness campaigns, robust safety assurance programs, regional pilot projects, and integrated environmental plans to facilitate the seamless integration of hydrogen technology into the Philippines' energy portfolio. This collective effort aims to help the country meet climate action obligations, foster sustainable development, and enhance energy resilience.

Angiogenesis, the sprout and growth of new blood vessels from existing vasculature, is an important process of tumor development for the supply of oxygen and nutrition to cancer cells. Endothelial cell is a critical player in angiogenic process by modulating cell proliferation, cell motility, and cell morphology in the response to pro-angiogenic factors and environments provided by tumor and cancer cells. Recent in vivo and in vitro studies have revealed that gap junction of endothelial cells also participates in the promotion of angiogenesis. Pro-angiogenic factors modulate gap junction function and connexins expression in endothelial cells, whereas endothelial connexins involve in angiogenic tube formation and cell migration of endothelial cells via both gap junction channel function dependent or independent mechanisms. In particular, connexin might have the potential to regulate cell mechanics such as cell morphology, cell migration, and cellular stiffness that are dynamically changed during angiogenic processes. Here, we review the implication for endothelial gap junction and cellular mechanics in vascular angiogenesis.

Artificial intelligence methods, especially artificial neural networks (ANNs), have increasingly been utilized for the mathematical description of physical phenomena in (metallic) material processing. Traditional methods often fall short in explaining the complex, real-world data ob-served in production. While ANN models, typically functioning as "black boxes," improve pro-duction efficiency, a deeper understanding of the phenomena, akin to that provided by explicit mathematical formulas, could enhance this efficiency further. This article proposes a general framework that leverages (CAE) ANNs to explain predicted results alongside their graphical presentation, marking a significant improvement over previous approaches and those relied on expert assessments. Unlike existing Explainable AI (XAI) methods, the proposed framework mimics the standard scientific methodology, utilizing minimal parameters for the mathematical representation of physical phenomena and their derivatives. Additionally, it analyzes the relia-bility and accuracy of the predictions using well-known statistical metrics, transitioning from deterministic to probabilistic descriptions for better handling of real-world phenomena. The proposed approach addresses both aleatory and epistemic uncertainties inherent in the data. The concept is demonstrated through the hot extrusion of aluminum alloy 6082, where CAE ANN models and predicts key parameters, and ChatGPT explains the results, enabling researchers and/or engineers to better understand the phenomena and outcomes obtained by ANNs.

The research carried out concerned the laboratory assessment of the applicability of the Crop Water Stress Index (CWSI) as a practical tool for assessing the risk of desiccation for selected wetland habitats: transition mires and quaking bogs as well as alkaline fens. The analysis was carried out on 3 soil samples with a vegetation cover (with the dimensions of 40×40×30 cm) collected during the full vegetation season for each mentioned habitat, with a characteristic species composition. Experimental research was carried out between 17^th May 2018 and 19^th June 2018. Thermal, RGB and multispectral images, chlorophyll content, volumetric soil moisture, air temperature and relative humidity measurements were taken for each sample every two days. The obtained results clearly indicate the dependence between CWSI and plant condition parameters in the first phase of desiccation. At the same time, as a result of the observations taken, thresholds have been set, indicating different desiccation phases.

Algaecides are chemicals that cause serious health problems. Conventional paints contain algaecides to improve the algae resistance on the paint film. Present research has suggested an environmental friendly paint formulation that focuses on developing algae resistance without having algaecides. In this research, Algae growth on newly developed paint is modeled by incorporating dirt resistance of paint and natural phenomena including humidity, temperature and time respectively. The fitted Model revealed explained variation of 59.65% in the average algae growth, of which, Dirt Resistance, Humidity and temperature and some of their interactions play significant role in this variation. Model suggests that the proposed newly developed paint without algaecides is more resilient to algae growth and significantly decreased the average algae growth rate by 0.53% as compared to conventional paints. Keeping the effect of all other factors constant, if dirt resistance of paint (D_c value) increases by one percent, average algae growth decreases by 12.98%; when temperature increases by 1^oC, average algae growth decreases by 22.4%; a positive unit change in the joint linear effect dirt resistance, temperature and humidity caused a decrease in average algae growth by 0.0031%. It was also observed that the individual effect of humidity variable was inversely related with average algae growth. However the combination of humidity and temperature, humidity and dirt resistance, humidity and time, and the quadratic effect of humidity were found to increase the average algae growth rate. The cubic effect of temperature variable by one degree centigrade resulted in decrease of average algae growth by 0.000907%.

The gap junction-coupled astroglial network plays a central role in the regulation of neuronal activity and synchronization, but its involvement in the pathogenesis of neuronal diseases is not yet understood. Here we present the current state of knowledge about the impact of impaired glial coupling in the development and progression of epilepsy and discuss whether astrocytes represent alternative therapeutic targets. We focus mainly on temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), which is the most common form of epilepsy in adults, characterized by high therapy resistance. Functional data from TLE patients and corresponding experimental models point to a complete loss of astrocytic coupling, but preservation of the gap junction forming proteins connexin43 (Cx43) and connexin30 (Cx30) in hippocampal sclerosis. Several studies further indicate that astrocyte uncoupling represents a causal event in the initiation of TLE, as it occurs very early in epileptogenesis, clearly preceding dysfunctional changes in neurons. However, more research is needed to fully understand the role of gap junction channels in epilepsy and to develop safe and effective therapeutic strategies targeting astrocytes.

Optical motion capture is a mature contemporary technique for the acquisition of motion data, alas it is non-error-free. Due to technical limitations and occlusions of markers, gaps might occur in such recordings. The article reviews various neural network architectures applied for gap filling problem in motion capture sequences within FBM framework providing the representation for body kinematic structure. The results are compared with interpolation and matrix completion methods. We found out, that for longer sequences simple linear feedforward neural networks can outperform the other, sophisticated architectures. We were also able to identify, that acceleration and monotonicity of input sequence are the parameters that have a notable impact on the obtained results.

Multi-gap Resistive Plate Chamber has been attracting increasing attention and has been studied in recent decades because of its good efficiency, high time resolution and relatively low cost. It has become a new standard technology for the Time of Flight system in particle and high energy physics experiments. In this paper, we introduce the operation principle and structure of the MRPC detector and review the applications on the Time of Flight system in several famous experiments, such as STAR, CBM and SoLID. The performances including time resolution and particle identification are discussed in detail. Some recent advances and perspectives with regard to the future development of the next generation MRPC are also outlined.

The Lagrangian and Eulerian structure and dynamics of a strong wind event in the Tokar Gap region are described using a WRF model hindcast for 2008. Winds in the Tokar Gap reach 25 m s-1 and remain coherent as a jet far out over the Red Sea, whereas equally strong wind jets occurring in neighboring gaps are attenuated abruptly by a jump-like hydraulic transition that occur just offshore of the Sudan coast. The transition is made possible by the supercritical nature of the jets, which are fed by air that spills down from passes at relatively high elevation. By contrast, the spilling flow in the ravine-like Tokar Gap does not become substantially supercritical and therefore does not undergo a jump, and also carries more total horizontal momentum. The Tokar Wind Jet carries some air parcels across the Red Sea and into Saudi Arabia, whereas air parcel trajectories in the neighboring jets ascend as they cross through the jumps, then veer sharply to the southeast and do not cross the Red Sea. The mountain parameter Nh/U is estimated to lie in the rage 1.0-4.0 for the general region, a result roughly consistent with a primary gap jet having a long extension, and supercritical jets spilling down from higher elevation passes. The strong event is marked by the formation of a cyclonic cell near the upstream entrance to the Tokar Gap, a feature absent from the more moderate events that occur throughout the summer. The cell contains descending air parcels that are fed into the primary and secondary jets. An analysis of the Bernoulli function along air parcel trajectories reveals an approximate balance between the loss of potential energy and gain of internal energy and pressure, with surprisingly little contribution from kinetic energy, along the path of the descending flow. All jets attain the critical wind speed nominally required to loft dust into the atmosphere, though only the Tokar Gap has a broad, delta region with plentiful deposits of silt.

This paper aims to present a robust computational technique utilizing finite difference schemes for accurately solving time fractional reaction-diffusion models, which are prevalent in chemical and biological phenomena. The time-fractional derivative is treated in the Caputo sense, addressing both linear and nonlinear scenarios. The proposed schemes were rigorously evaluated for stability and convergence. Additionally, the effectiveness of the developed schemes was validated through various linear and nonlinear models, including the Allen-Cahn equation, the KPP-Fisher equation, and the Complex Ginzburg-Landau oscillatory problem. These models were tested in one, two, and three-dimensional spaces to investigate the diverse patterns and dynamics that emerge. Comprehensive numerical results were provided, showcasing different cases of the fractional order parameter, highlighting the schemes' versatility and reliability in capturing complex behaviors in fractional reaction-diffusion dynamics.

Influence of the volute design parameters on the stable operating range and the performance of a centrifugal compressor was investigated experimentally for the following design conditions. The volute casing surface roughness was changed from 0 to 200 µm in five steps and tested. The axial distance between the casing and the diffuser cascades (clearance) was varied in five steps as C/b₂ = 1.2, 2.4%, 3.6%, 4.8%, and 6% relative to the impeller exit width. The radial distance from the impeller blade exit to the diffuser vane inlet in (vaneless space radius) in six steps as C/r₂ = 1.03, 1.05, 1.07, 1.09, 1.11, and 1. 13 relatives to the rotor outlet radius. The volute outlet geometry of a symmetric and tangent with different area ratios from 0.4 to 0.9. Finally, the compressor has been tested experimentally with different pinched vaned diffuser distances relative to the impeller exit width of bp/b2 =1, 0.98, 0.96, 0.94, 0.92, and 0.9. These testes were carried at different compressor operating conditions, and the time variations of the static pressure were recorded using five high-frequency response pressure transducers. A hot-wire anemometer is used to measure the compressor flow rate. The rotating stall and surge at the vaneless zone after the impeller exit can be detected by analyzing the fluctuations of pressure signals and the power spectrum density by using the Fast Fourier Transformation analysis. The experimental results indicated that the compressor with volute casing surface roughness of 100mm gives about 10.9% enhancements in the stable operating and 1% in pressure rise coefficient. The best axial distance between the diffuser vanes and the casing is 2.4% of the impeller blade height and the compressor in this design gives about 12.4% improvements in the stable working range. The compressor with radial vaneless distance of 1.056 gives improvements of about 16.6% in the surge margin, 2% in the pressure recovery and 4% in pressure rise coefficients. The compressor with a pinched diffuser of b/bp of 0.98 gives an improvement of 20.8% in surge point.

This contribution addresses dry sliding friction of a “Non-Asbestos Organic” friction material (pad) rubbed against a pearlitic grey cast iron disc. This configuration is commonly used in brakes in US, Europe and Asia. The initial stage of friction is of particular interest when addressing “creep-groan” phenomena occurring in passenger and sport utility vehicles with automatic transmissions. The custom built Universal Friction Tester allowing the variation of sliding speed, test temperature, normal load, stiffness and humidity of the system was used in this experiment in combination with surface analysis by polarized light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and stylus profilometry. The obtained results indicate that the “stick” phase in the so-called “stick-slip” phenomenon does not really exist. The surfaces of pad and disc are in continuous relative movement. The complexity of surfaces does not allow for a definitive description of exact mechanisms responsible for the detected changes of friction forces. The observed friction process can be rather described as a stretching with possible localized relaxations causing the jerky behavior in the stretching phase, followed by slip between two materials in contact. Understanding of factors contributing to the stretching at different scale levels of friction system is necessary for development of proper models. An accurate friction model should also incorporate the vibrational element introduced by phenomena occurring at the friction surfaces. The absence of heterogeneous regions on the friction surface and “evenly distributed friction level” can help when mitigating creep-groan in the investigated brake system. Understanding of factors on different scales of friction is also required when developing the improved brakes.

Organic solar cells are contributing extensively to the production of future large area and cost-effective sources of renewable energy with a compact environmental impact. Moreover, due to tunable optical properties of the active medium, the semi-transparent organic solar cell can be fabricated and become a promising nominee for building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV), vehicles, and mobile electronic devices. Therefore, three newly synthesized polymers used as were host materials for the active medium and blended with beetroot dye. Hence, based on BHJ structure two ternary systems have been constructed and utilized to fabricate semitransparent solar cells and characterized. The results show that the natural dye has a crucial impact on solar cell characteristic parameters. Consequently, large value of V_OC close to 1V were obtained for ternary systems and acceptor material named PINDOLE exhibits potentials for electron transport layer (ETL) and shows an improvement in both fill factor and device efficiency.

This article should examine ideas of how a chatbot can support decision making processes by col-lecting general opinion about the certain topics. The ChatGPT is tested in this article in respect of natural gas security of supply of the Republic of Serbia in the context of the current political situation in the world. The author first describes its own stance on the topic and then the ChatGPT is asked for its opinion (which most probably collects and compiles phrases from English speaking sources to build a text in a smart way). The topic is ort only about security of gas supply of Serbia but also political and highly sensitive, so it is examined if the ChatGPT can be useful tool to reach a balance between less on more favorable options in the process of policy making.

The purpose of this study was to develop a mathematical model for non-contacting face seals to analyze how their performance is affected by thermoelastic phenomena. The model was used to solve thermal conductivity and thermoelasticity problems. The primary goal was to calculate the values of thermal deformations of the sealing rings in a non-contacting face seal with a flexibly mounted rotor (FMR) for a turbomachine. The model assumes conversion of mechanical energy into heat in the fluid film. The heat flux generated in the fluid film is transferred first to the sealing rings and then to the fluid surrounding them. An asymmetric distribution of temperature within the sealing rings leads to the occurrence of thermal stresses and, consequently, a change in the rings geometry. The model is solved analytically. The distributions of temperature fields for the sealing rings in the cross-sections are calculated using the Fourier-Bessel series as a superficial function of two variables (r,z). The thermoelasticity problems described by the Navier equations are solved by applying the Boussinesq harmonic functions and Goodier’s thermoelastic displacement potential function. The proposed method involves solving various theoretical and practical problems of thermoelasticity in FMR-type non-contacting face seals. The calculated thermal deformations of the sealing rings are used to determine the most important seal performance parameters such as the leakage rate and power loss.

Introduction: Rural Americans face significant health disparities due to limited access to healthcare services. Telehealth has emerged as a promising solution to mitigate these disparities by facilitating remote access to medical care. This paper comprehensively reviews the advantages, challenges, and implementation strategies of telehealth in rural areas.Method: A narrative review methodology was employed to synthesize existing literature and case studies on telehealth in rural settings. Databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, and JSTOR were searched for relevant studies published in the last three decades. Keywords such as "telehealth," "rural health," and "healthcare disparities" guided the search process. The review focused on studies assessing the impact of telehealth on healthcare access, cost-effectiveness, and quality of care in rural areas.Results: The review findings indicate that telehealth significantly enhances healthcare access by reducing travel distances, increasing availability of specialist consultations, and promoting patient engagement. It improves chronic disease management and patient satisfaction by enabling convenient access to healthcare services at home. Despite initial setup costs and challenges such as broadband access and regulatory issues, telehealth demonstrates long-term cost savings through reduced travel expenses and improved healthcare efficiency. Quality of care is enhanced through improved communication between healthcare providers and patients, leading to better treatment adherence and health outcomes.Conclusion: Telehealth represents a transformative approach to address healthcare disparities in rural areas. It offers a cost-effective solution to improve access to healthcare services, enhance patient outcomes, and reduce healthcare costs in the long run. However, successful implementation requires addressing infrastructure challenges, refining reimbursement policies, and ensuring regulatory support. Future efforts should focus on expanding broadband infrastructure, refining policy frameworks, and conducting further research to optimize telehealth's impact on rural healthcare delivery.

Considering that consumers are more willing to buy products online, companies are increasingly selling remanufactured products online through e-commerce platforms. Notwithstanding the high attention it elicits from researchers and companies, the study about the remanufacturing trading platform is in its infancy. Thus, we investigate 20 remanufacturing trading platforms related nowadays and make a gap analysis among them in terms of: (i) business model, (ii) product display, (iii) delivery products, (iv) quality assurance and after-sales service, (v) product review and star rate and (vi) transaction and payment. On this basis, we analyze features and trends for the development of remanufacturing trading platforms and propose six key applications aimed at filling the identified gaps. The consortium blockchain has the characteristics of security and transparency, high credibility, traceability and unfalsifiability, low cost, and strong scalability, which can provide effective support for the six key applications. Then, we construct the technical framework and the model of a consortium blockchain-supported remanufacturing trading platform. Further, we analyze the coupling mechanism between consortium blockchain and remanufacturing trading platform to explain how the remanufacturing trading platform supported by consortium blockchain achieves development characteristics. This study provides important guidance for the development, construction, and operation management of remanufacturing trading platforms.

The Global Carbon Budget is the cumulative carbon emissions that human activities can generate while limiting the global temperature increase to less than 2°C. On this basis, most countries ratified the Paris Agreement 2015, pledging to reduce national emissions and the impacts of climate change. The European Union has planned to reduce emissions by 80% of their 1990 value by 2050 but such a target needs to be coupled with a further constraint on the cumulative greenhouse gases released along the path to 2050. The aim and the novelty of this study are to propose, for the first time, a carbon budget for the European Union, which represents the most significant physical characteristic to assess the feasibility of current EU-28 greenhouse gas reduction objectives under the goals of the 2015 Paris treaty

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

Topological states of matter have attracted significant attention due to their intrinsic wave-guiding and localization capabilities robust against disorders and defects in electronic, photonic, and phononic systems. Despite the above topological features phononic crystals share with their electronic and photonic counterparts, finite-frequency topological states in phononic crystals may not always survive. In this work, we discuss the survivability of topological states in Su-Schrieffer-Heeger models with both local and non-local interactions with larger symmetry perturbation. Although such a discussion is still about ideal mass-spring models, the insights from this study set the expectations in continuum phononic crystals, which can further instruct the applications of phononic crystals for practical purposes.

During the last 50 years, an interdisciplinary approach in research in various scientific fields has become widely spread. This process significantly deepens and widens our scientific knowledge, but on the other hand makes more difficult choosing a discipline to be used by students and young researchers. The dynamic development of science makes this choice even harder. There is a widely spread opinion that thermodynamics uses a rigorous mathematical apparatus. This paper describes that knowledge of the fundamental principles of thermodynamics is required for deep understanding of crucial biological processes. Thus the effort put into learning classical and nonequilibrium thermodynamics does not make harder, but easier gaining a better knowledge of biological processes. This essay is an attempt to convey personal experience in using thermodynamics to describe biological systems and processes they perform.

In this paper, we examine two strategies for boosting the performance of ensembles of Siamese networks (SNNs) for image classification using two loss functions (Triplet and Binary Cross Entropy) and two methods for building the dissimilarity spaces (FULLY and DEEPER). With FULLY, the distance between a pattern and a prototype is calculated by comparing two images using the fully connected layer of the Siamese network. With DEEPER, each pattern is described using a deeper layer combined with dimensionality reduction. The basic design of the SNNs takes advantage of supervised k-means clustering for building the dissimilarity spaces that train a set of support vector machines, which are then combined by sum rule for a final decision. The robustness and versatility of this approach are demonstrated on several cross-domain image data sets, including a portrait data set, two bioimage and two animal vocalization data sets. Results show that the strategies employed in this work to increase the performance of dissimilarity image classification using SNN is closing the gap with standalone CNNs. Moreover, when our best system is combined with an ensemble of CNNs, the resulting performance is superior to an ensemble of CNNs, demonstrating that our new strategy is extracting additional information.

Changes brought about by the Internet to Scholarly Communication and the spread of Open Access movement, have made it possible to increase the number of potential readers of published research dramatically. This two-phase study aims, at first, to assert the satisfaction of the potential for increased open access to articles published by authors at the University of Coimbra, in a context when there was no stimulus for the openness of published science other than an institutional mandate set by the University policy on Open Access (“Acesso Livre”). The satisfaction of the access openness was measured by observing the actual archiving behavior of researchers (either directly or through their agents). We started by selecting the top journal titles used to publish the STEM research of the University of Coimbra (2004-2013) by using Thomson Reuters’ Science Citation Index (SCI). These titles were available at the University libraries or through online subscriptions, some of them in open access (21%). By checking the journals' policy at the time regarding self-archiving at the SHERPA/RoMEO service, we found that the percentage of articles in Open Access (OA) could rise to 80% if deposited at Estudo Geral, the Institutional Repository of the University of Coimbra, as prescribed by the Open Access Policy of the University. As we concluded by verifying the deposit status of every single paper of researchers of the University that published in those journals, this potential was far from being fulfilled, despite the existence of the institutional mandate and favorable editorial conditions. We concluded, therefore, that an institutional mandate was not sufficient by itself to fully implement an open access policy and to close the gap between publication and access. The second phase of the study, to follow, will rescan the status of published papers in a context where the Portuguese public funding agency, the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, introduced in 2014 a new significant stimulus for open access in science. The FCT Open Access Policy stipulates that publicly funded published research must be available as soon as possible in a repository of the Portuguese network of scientific repositories, RCAAP, which integrates the Estudo Geral.

Interviews from strength and conditioning coaches across all levels of athletic competition identified their two biggest concerns with the current state of wearable technology: (a) the lack of solutions that accurately capture data "from the ground up" and (b) the lack of trust due to inconsistent measurements. The purpose of this research is to investigate the use of liquid metal sensors, specifically Liquid Wire sensors, as a potential solution for accurately capturing ankle complex movements such as plantar flexion, dorsiflexion, inversion, and eversion. Sensor stretch linearity was validated using a Micro-Ohm Meter and a Wheatstone bridge circuit. Sensors made from different substrates were also tested and discovered to be linear at multiple temperatures. An ankle complex model and computing unit for measuring resistance values were developed to determine sensor output based on simulated plantar flexion movement. The sensors were found to have a significant relationship between the positional change and the resistance values for plantar flexion movement. The results of the study ultimately confirm the researchers' hypothesis that liquid metal sensors, and Liquid Wire sensors specifically, can serve as a mitigating substitute for inertial measurement unit (IMU) based solutions that attempt to capture specific joint angles and movements.

: The cyber-physical gap (CPG) is the difference between the 'real' state of the world and the way the system perceives it. This discrepancy often stems from the limitations of sensing and data collection technologies and capabilities, and is an inevitable issue in any cyber-physical system (CPS). Ignoring or misrepresenting such limitations during system modeling, specification, design, and analysis can potentially result in systemic misconceptions, disrupted functionality and performance, system failure, severe damage, and potential detrimental impacts on the system and its environment. We propose CPG-Aware Modeling & Engineering (CPGAME), a conceptual model-based approach for capturing, explaining, and mitigating the CPG, on top of and in sync with the conventional system model, and as an inherent systems engineering activity. This approach enhances the systems engineer’s ability to cope with CPGs, mitigate them by design, and prevent erroneous decisions, actions, and hazardous implications. CPGAME is a generic, conceptual approach, specified and demonstrated with Object Process Methodology (OPM). OPM is a holistic conceptual modeling paradigm for multidisciplinary, complex, dynamic systems, which is also ISO-19450. We analyze the 1979 Three Miles Island 2 nuclear accident as a prime example of the disastrous consequences of unmitigated CPGs in complex systems.

Concern over microplastics (MPs) in the environment is rising. Microplastics are generally known to exist in aquatic settings, but less is known about their occurrence in soil ecosystems. When plastic waste builds up in agricultural areas, it can have a negative impact on the environment and food sources, as well as have an indirect effect on all trophic levels of the food chain. This paper addresses the relationship between microplastics and the management of plastic waste, which contributes to their accumulation, and it describes the sources and primarily the movement processes of microplastics in agricultural soils as a result of natural events. Evaluating the impact of weather on coastal microplastic contamination is critical, as extreme weather events have become more frequent in recent years. This study sheds light on how weather patterns affect the dispersion of plastic waste in terrestrial habitats, including the impacts of seasonality and extreme weather. According to our data, typhoons, monsoons, rainfall, and floods all contribute significantly more microplastics to the surface sediment through surface runoff and wind transport, particle redistribution caused by agitated waves, and fragmentation under intense abrasion forces. Severe weather conditions have the potential to disperse larger and more varied kinds of microplastics.

Using data from the Swedish National Diabetes Register, this study examines the gender disparity among patients with type I diabetes who have experienced a specific cardiovascular complication, while exploring the association between weight variability, age group, and gender. Fourteen cardiovascular complications have been considered. This analysis is conducted by using three-way correspondence analysis (CA) which allows for the partitioning and decomposition of Pearson’s three-way chi-squared statistic. The dataset comprises of information organized in a data cube, detailing how weight variability among these patients correlates with a cardiovascular complication, age group and gender. The three-way CA method presented in this paper allows for one to assess the statistical significance of the association between these variables and to visualize this association, highlighting the gender gap among these patients. It is worth noting that the association between weight variability, age group, and gender varies among different types of cardiovascular complications.

Laser Powder Directed Energy Deposition (LP-DED) is an Additive Manufacturing process in which a laser beam is used to generate a melt pool onto a substrate. The additional material, in form of powder material, is fed into the generated melt pool and a raised track is obtained. The LP-DED process is very powerful for different applications such as the repair operations and the production of functionally graded material, however the application is still limited and one of the main reasons is related to the lack of knowledge in the physics of the process mechanisms. The process is influenced by a huge number of parameters and three main mechanisms can be identi-fied. These mechanisms are the powder flow, the generation of the molten pool and the solidifica-tion process and for each of these mechanisms the process parameters have a different relevance. In this paper, a review of the main mechanisms and the relationship between the process parame-ters and the outcome of each step of the process is presented.

The aim of this paper is to expose the main involved physical phenomena underlying the alteration of convective heat transfer in a heat exchanger subjected to imposed vibrations. This technique seems to have interesting features and industrial applications, such as efficiency increase, heat transfer rate control and cleanliness action. However, a clear description and comprehension of how vibrations may alter the convective heat transfer coefficient in a heat exchanger is no still reached due to the complexity of the involved physical mechanisms. For this reason, after a presentation and a schematisation of the analyzed thermodynamic system, the fundamental alterations of the thermo-fluid dynamics fields are described. Then, the main involved physical phenomena are exposed for the three cases of gaseous, monophasic liquid and boiling liquid mediums. Finally, on the basis of the characteristics of these described phenomena, some considerations and indications of general validity are presented.

Identifying a vestibular source of pathology in patients complaining of post-traumatic brain injury (TBI) dizziness can be difficult. We describe a possible new method utilizing the reduction of post-TBI symptom (including dizziness) with the use of a noise cancellation device (NCD). This retrospective case series included patients with TBI and dizziness presenting to a binocular vision specialty clinic, who were diagnosed with a vertical heterophoria (VH). If they did not respond adequately to microprism lenses and/or if they experienced hyperacusis, they were evaluated with an NCD. If there was marked reduction of TBI symptoms (including dizziness), the patients were referred to a neuro-otologist for vestibular diagnostic evaluation and treatment. Fourteen patients were identified and found to have abnormalities on vestibular testing consistent with Third Mobile Window Disorder (TMWD). All were treated with a 6-week medical protocol (diuretics, no straining, low sodium/no caffeine diet). Five responded positively, requiring no further treatment. Nine required surgical intervention and responded positively. In conclusion, 14 patients with post-concussive dizziness and VH, a positive response to NCD was associated with abnormal vestibular testing, a diagnosis of TMWD, and symptom reduction/resolution with a medical or surgical approach. The removal of sound resulting in reduction or resolution of vestibular symptoms represents an Inverse Tullio Phenomena.

This work studied the corrosion of welded pipes and how welding destroyed surface film of pipes. Surface reaction of a welded pipe is key to understanding phenomena and important factors during the corrosion. This paper presents experiment and CFD modeling approaches of a welded pipe corrosion under salt vapor condition. The pipes were welded at currents of 60 A,70 A and 80 A to observe the effect of welding current on corrosion. A welded pipe is a stainless-steel ASTM A312 grade 304L and period of experiment about 0-600 hours that they are tested in vertical and horizontal alignments. In CFD software, there is not direct model of corrosion but it can use surface reaction and create add-on species and chemical reaction technique for imitating the corrosion mechanism. The modeling approaches of corrosion have presented in 3-dimensional transient times in CFD simulation. Surface reactions were performed by Species Model which involve site species. Site species in Species Model took place at gas-solid interfaces and in this case are salt vapor and surface pipe. Chemical reaction rate on the surface controls lost weight of a welded pipe and the model can be validated with experiment. In conclusion, in period 0-600 hours error between CFD modeling and experiment have error trend decreased. The error at 600 hours is 6% both of vertical pipe and horizontal pipe test. The modeling approaches closely with the performed experiment and can be accepted. Moreover, the model is able to predict corrosion of a welded pipe of different sizes and their lost weight after 600 hours without experiment. Also the model can predict lifetime of pipe.

This study addresses the prevalent gap between formal and informal architectural methodologies in software engineering. Recognizing the potential of informal architecture artifacts in analytical processes, we introduce a groundbreaking methodology that efficiently transforms these informal components into structured formal models. This method facilitates a deeper understanding and utilization of informal diagrams and enhances analytical capabilities through graph analysis techniques. By leveraging user-friendly tools like Draw.io, the methodology democratizes the modeling process, making sophisticated architectural analyses accessible to a broader spectrum of professionals without requiring deep expertise in formal methods. The innovative aspects of this methodology lie in its ability to streamline the transformation process, significantly improving both the efficiency and effectiveness of model creation and analysis. These enhancements are demonstrated through a practical application involving a sample architecture diagram, where the resulting model is thoroughly analyzed using advanced graph analysis tools like Python's NetworkX library and Neo4j. This approach bridges the theoretical and practical divides in software architecture and sets a new standard for integrating informal artifacts into systematic engineering workflows. In addition, considerations for Artificial Intelligence developments are discussed.

Gap junctions (GJs) made of connexin-43 (Cx43) are important for the conduction of electrical impulses in the heart. Modulation of Cx43 activity may be useful in the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias and other dysfunctions. Search of novel GJ modulating agents using molecular docking approach allows to predict the binding affinities that often significantly differ from experimentally estimated their potencies. The objective of this study was to demonstrate that Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (QSAR) model could be used for more precise identification of potent Cx43 GJ inhibitors. Using the QSAR model and molecular docking, we evaluated the known Cx43 GJ inhibitors, suggested a new one, and tested it experimentally. Our QSAR model predicted the concentrations required to produce 50% of the maximal effect (IC50) for each of these compounds and estimated the correlation between predicted and experimental IC50ies (pIC50 and eIC50). This led to suggestion of monocyclic monoterpene d-limonene as putative Cx43 inhibitor with pIC50 = 1.07. In turn, dual whole-cell patch-clamp measurements provided eIC50=1.41. The pIC50ies of d-limonene and other Cx43 GJ inhibitors examined by our QSAR model well correlated with their eIC50ies (R = 0.88) in contrast to pIC50s obtained from molecular docking (R = 0.42). However, the molecular docking suggested that inhibitor potency may depend on their docking sites on Cx43.

This study explores the limitations of current AI systems, which predominantly function in the digital realm, and investigates the transformative potential of embodied AI. Embodied AI involves AI agents equipped with physical bodies, enabling them to interact directly with the physical world. This research focuses on how embodied AI can bridge the "embodiment gap" and enhance human-machine collaboration and learning in dynamic environments. The research examines the fundamental differences between traditional AI systems and embodied AI, emphasizing the importance of physical interaction for contextual understanding, adaptive learning, and intuitive human-machine collaboration. It explores various applications of embodied AI, including robotics, autonomous vehicles, and assistive technologies, demonstrating how physical embodiment can improve performance, safety, and user experience. Through experimental studies and real-world case analyses, the study highlights the advantages of embodied AI in tasks requiring situational awareness, dexterity, and real-time decision-making. It also addresses the challenges associated with developing and deploying embodied AI systems, such as sensor integration, real-time processing, and human-machine interface design. Findings indicate that embodied AI can significantly improve the efficacy of AI systems in dynamic and unpredictable environments. By leveraging physical embodiment, AI agents can better understand and respond to their surroundings, facilitating more natural and effective interactions with humans. The research concludes with recommendations for advancing embodied AI, including interdisciplinary collaboration, investment in sensor and actuator technologies, and the development of standardized frameworks for embodied intelligence.

Background: Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with a rapidly increasing prevalence. Current therapeutic options primarily manage symptoms, not modifying the disease. Secretome-based therapies have emerged as a promising avenue for AD treatment in targeting multiple pathways and promoting neuroprotection and regeneration. This systematic review evaluated the preclinical and clinical evidences for secretome-based therapies in AD.Methods: A systematic search was conducted across Scopus, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Cochrane Library. The SYRCLE risk of bias (RoB) tool was used for preclinical studies and Cochrane RoB 2.0 for clinical studies. We performed qualitative analysis of study results.Results: Included 21 in vivo studies and 2 clinical trials revealed promising outcomes of treatments involving secretomes, exosomes, and extracellular vesicles from different cell sources. The therapies could reduce amyloid plaque load, reactive gliosis, and enhance neuronal density. These findings suggested the treatments reveal mechanism of action in neuroprotection, neuroregeneration, and inflammation modulation, which are critical in AD pathology. Ongoing trials also supported the safety and efficacy of the treatment strategies. However, translational medical study faces several challenges regarding large-scale production, optimization of protocols, and understanding biomarkers. The heterogeneity in secretome-based therapies administration have complicated the comparison of study outcomes and the translation of preclinical findings into clinical settings. Deeper understanding of the secretome's mechanisms of action, optimal dosing, and delivery methods are needed to maximize therapeutic outcomes.Conclusion: Despite secretome-based therapies hold significant promise for AD treatment, addressing the identified gaps and limitations is crucial for advancing these therapies from preclinical research to clinical practice.

Globally, the demand for plant-based alternative food is increasing rapidly as these products are getting quite popular in vegan and vegetarians. However, it is still in the early stage and faces various technological challenges, but the imitation of sensory profile is the most challenging part as the products are meant to be an alternative of meat. The development of similar product to meat requires an accurate selection of ingredients and processing. An understanding about the sensory profile can help to construct the product and technologies that are consumer centric and sustainable. In this review, we focus on the comparative differences in the sensory profile of animal meat and plant-based meat alternative specially in the color, texture and flavor, along with the method used to resemble them. The paper also explains about the sensory evaluation and how it affects the consumer preference and acceptability. Additionally, a direction to further research for developing better plant-based alternative products has also been suggested.

Egypt faces numerous challenges in achieving food and nutritional security, due largely to its unique geography, water stress, and population growth. However, nontraditional crops and pseudo cereals such as buckwheat, quinoa, sorghum, teff, and millet offer promising avenues for sustainable agricultural development and improved nutrition. These crops exhibit high tolerance to adverse environmental conditions such as soil salinity and drought and are rich in essential nutrients like protein, amino acids, and vitamins. They also present an economic advantage due to their short growing seasons and adaptability to marginal lands. Recent advancements in remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology, along with crop simulation models, provide further opportunities for optimizing land and water resources for these nontraditional crops. Their exceptional nutritional values, including low glycemic indices and gluten-free properties, make them well-suited to address current health challenges, such as malnutrition and the increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases. The study emphasizes the need for further research to investigate land suitability, water management, and economic viability for the cultivation and commercialization of these crops. By leveraging these opportunities, Egypt has the potential to not only close its food gap but also improve overall nutritional well-being, contributing to both food security and sustainable agriculture.

Horizontal transfer of transposons (HTT) is an important source of genomic evolution in eukaryotes. The HTT dynamics is well characterized in eukaryotes including insects however, but there is a huge gap of knowledge about HTT regarding many eukaryotes’ species. In this study we analyzed the events of the HTT between Rhus gall aphids (Hemiptera) and other insects. We analyzed the Mariner-like transposable elements (MLEs) belongs to Rhus gall aphids for the possible HT events. The MLEs have patchy distribution and have high similarity over the entire length of element with insects MLEs from different orders. We selected representative sequences from the Rhus gall MLEs and identified five events of HT between MLEs of Rhus gall aphids and other insects from five different orders. We also found multiple HTT events among the MLEs of insects from the five orders which demonstrate that these Mariner elements have been involved in recurrent HT between these six order of insects. Our current study closed the knowledge gap of HTT and reported the events between Rhus gall aphids and other insects for the first time. We believe that this study about HTT events will help to understand the evolution and spread of transposable elements in the genomes of Rhus gall aphids.

Three ternary mixtures composed by choline chloride (ChCl), ethylene glycol (EG) and a second hydrogen bond donor (HBD) as ethanol (A), 2-propanol (B), and glycerol (C) were studied in terms of composition related to the band gap energy (BGE). A Design of Experiments (DoE) approach, and in particular a Simple Lattice three-components design, was employed for determining the variation of the BGE upon the composition of each system. UV-VIS analysis and subsequent Tauc plot methodology provided the data requested from the DoE and multivariate statistical analysis revealed a drop of the BGE in correspondence to specific binary compositions for systems A and B. In particular, a BGE of 3.85 eV was registered for the mixtures ChCl/EtOH (1:1), and ChCl/2-propanol (1:1), which represents one of the lowest values ever observed for these systems.