The superconductivity of CaC6 as a function of pressure and of abundant Ca isotopes is revisited using DFT calculations on a 2c – double hexagonal superlattice. The introduction of superlattices is motivated by previous synchrotron absorption and Raman spectroscopy results on other superconductors that show evidence of superlattice vibrations at low (THz) frequencies. A 2c superlattice for CaC6 is illustrative of atomic orbital symmetry and periodicity, including bonding and antibonding s-orbital character implied by cosine modulated electronic bands. Inspection of the cosine band reveals that the cosine function has a small (meV) energy difference between bonding and antibonding regions relative to a midpoint non-bonding energy. Fermi surface nesting is apparent in an appropriately folded Fermi surface using a superlattice construct. Nesting relationships identify phonon vectors for conservation of energy and for phase coherency between coupled electrons at opposite sides of the Fermi surface. Detailed analysis of this Fermi surface nesting provides accurate estimates of the superconducting gaps for CaC6 with change in applied pressure. Recognition of superlattices within a rhombohedral or hexagonal representation provides consistent mechanistic insight on superconductivity and electron−phonon coupling in CaC6.

We investigate the tunneling of quasiparticles through a potential barrier of finite height and width, in a system with a band structure consisting of a quadratic band crossing point (QBCP). We compute the results of the transmission coefficient at various incident angles, and also the conductivity and the Fano factor. We discuss the distinguishing signatures of these transport properties in comparison with other semimetals, as well as electrons in normal metals.

In this work, we'll present the power spectra density, auto-correlation function, dentrended fluctuation analysis and multifractal spectrum are performed to the daily light curves of Blazars monitored by Fermi LAT. Some signs of power law are found.

In a recent paper, we calculate spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for 1425 Fermi blazars, classifications of low synchrotron peak sources (LSPs) if log $\nu_{\rm p} (\rm Hz) \leq $ 14.0, intermediate synchrotron peak sources (ISPs) if $14.0 < \,\log\, \nu_{\rm p} (\rm Hz) \leq 15.3 $, and high synchrotron peak sources (HSPs) if $ \log\, \nu_{\rm p} (\rm Hz) > 15.3$ are made based on 999 logarithms of synchrotron peak frequencies with known redshift, and we obtain an empirical relation to estimate the synchrotron peak frequency, $\nu_{\rm p}^{\rm Eq.}$ from effective spectral indexes $\alpha_{ox}\, {\rm and}\, \alpha_{ro}$ as $\log \nu_{\rm p}^{\rm Eq.} = 16+4.238X $ if $X < 0$, and $\log \nu_{\rm p}^{\rm Eq.} = 16+4.005Y $ if $X > 0$, where $X = 1.0 - 1.262 \alpha_{ro} - 0.623 \alpha_{ox}$, and $Y = 1.0 + 0.034 \alpha_{ro} - 0.978 \alpha_{ox}$ \cite{Fan16}. In the present work, we investigate the correlation between the peak frequency and the radio to X-ray spectral index, that between peak luminosity (integrated luminosity) and $\gamma$-ray/optical luminosity, and that between peak luminosity and integrated luminosity. Some discussions are presented.

Blazars show rapid and high amplitude variability. In this work , Fermi daily light curve of 130 sources are analyzed, distribution of daily variability are compared with each other by using Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S) test. results show: 1)Some pairs of the distributions are similar; 2) In most cases, the distributions are not Gaussian.

Silicon-based photodetectors, as low-cost and environmentally friendly optical sensors, are attractive. Also, their compatibility with complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology is advantageous for the development of silicon photonics systems. However, extending optical responsivity of silicon-based photodetectors to the mid-infrared (mid-IR) wavelength range remains challenging. In developing mid-IR infrared Schottky detectors, nanoscale metals are critical. Nonetheless, one key factor is the Fermi level pinning effect at the metal/silicon interface and the presence of metal-induced gap states (MIGS). Here, we demonstrate the utilization of the passivated surface layer on semiconductor materials as an insulating material in metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) contacts to mitigate the Fermi level pinning effect. The removal of Fermi level pinning effectively reduces the Schottky barrier height by 12.5% to 16%. The demonstrated devices exhibit a high responsivity of up to 234 μA/W at a wavelength of 2 μm, 48.2 μA/W at 3 μm, and 1.75 μA/W at 6 μm. The corresponding detectivities at 2 and 3 μm are 1.17×10^8 cm Hz^1/2 W^-1 and 2.41×10^7 cm Hz^1/2 W^-1, respectively. The expanded sensing wavelength range contributes to the application development of future silicon photonics integration platforms.

An equation for the Fermi level of impurity isotropic semiconductors is considered when the bottom of the conduction band and the top of the valence band are at the center of the first Brillouin zone. The energy of charge carriers in the valence and conduction bands of semiconductors is considered taking into account the real positions of the top of the valence band and the bottom of the conduction band in the first Brillouin zone. A universal equation for determining the Fermi levels of impurity isotropic semiconductors is presented.

The electronic properties of calcium intercalated graphite (CaC6) as a function of pressure are revisited using density functional theory (DFT). The electronic band structures of CaC6, like many other layered superconducting materials, display cosine-shaped bands at or near the Fermi level (FL). Such bands encompass bonding/antibonding information with a strong connection to superconducting properties. Using an hexagonal cell representation for CaC6, construction of a double supercell in the c-direction effects six-folding in reciprocal space of the full cosine function, explicitly revealing the bonding/antibonding relationship divide at the cosine midpoint. Similarly, folding of the Fermi surface (FS) reveals physical phenomena relevant to electronic topological transitions (ETT) with application of pressure. For CaC6, the peak value for the superconducting transition temperature, Tc, occurs at about 7.5 GPa, near to the observed pressure of the calculated ETT. At this pressure, the radius of the nearly spherical Ca 4s-orbital FS coincides with three times the distance from the G centre point to the Brillouin zone (BZ) boundary of the 2c supercell (which is equal to half the identically defined distance for the primitive rhombohedral BZ). In addition, the ETT coincides with alignment of the non-bonding (inflection) point of the cosine band (the point at which the sign of the cosine amplitude modulation is reversed) with the FL. At other calculated pressure conditions, the Ca 4s-orbital FS undergoes topological changes that correspond and can be correlated to experimentally determined changes in Tc. The ETT is a key mechanism that circumscribes the known significant drop in Tc for CaC6 as a function of increasing pressure.

In this study, we considered the structural stability, electronic properties, and phonon dispersion of the cubic (c-ZrO₂), tetragonal (t-ZrO₂), and monoclinic (m-ZrO₂) phases of ZrO₂. We found that the monoclinic phase of zirconium dioxide is the most stable among the three phases in terms of total energy, lowest enthalpy, highest entropy, and other thermodynamic properties. The smallest negative modes were found for m-ZrO₂. Our analysis of the electronic properties showed that during the m–t phase transformation of ZrO₂, the Fermi level first shifts by 0.125 eV toward higher energies and then decreases by 0.08 eV in the t–c cross-section. The band gaps for c-ZrO₂, t-ZrO₂, and m-ZrO₂ are 5.140 eV, 5.898 eV, and 5.288 eV, respectively. Calculations based on the analysis of the influence of doping 3.23, 6.67, 10.35, and 16.15 mol. %Y₂O₃ onto the m-ZrO₂ structure showed that the enthalpy of m-YSZ decreases linearly, which accompanies further stabilization of monoclinic ZrO₂ and an increase in its defectiveness. A doping-induced and concentration-dependent phase transition in ZrO₂ under the influence of Y₂O₃ was discovered, due to which the position of the Fermi level changes and the energy gap decreases. It has been established that, not only for pure systems but including those doped with Y₂O₃, the main contribution to the formation of the conduction band is made by the p-states of electrons. The t-ZrO₂ (101) and t-YSZ (101) surface models were selected as optimal surfaces for water adsorption based on a comparison of their surface energies. An analysis of the mechanism of water adsorption on the surface of t-ZrO₂ (101) and t-YSZ (101) showed that H₂O on unstabilized t-ZrO₂ (101) is adsorbed dissociatively with an energy of -1.22 eV, as well as by the method of molecular chemisorption with an energy of - 0.69 eV and the formation of a hydrogen bond with a bond length of 1.01 Å. In the case of t-YSZ (101), water is molecularly adsorbed onto the surface with an energy of -1.84 eV. Dissociative adsorption of water occurs at an energy of -1.23 eV, near the yttrium atom. The results show that ab initio approaches are able to describe the mechanism of doping-induced phase transitions in (ZrO₂+Y₂O₃)-like systems, based on which it can be assumed that DFT calculations can also flawlessly evaluate other physical and chemical properties of YSZ, which have not yet been studied quantum chemical research. The obtained results complement the database of research works carried out in the field of the application of biocompatible zirconium dioxide crystals and ceramics in green energy generation and can be used in designing humidity-to-electricity converters and creating solid oxide fuel cells based on ZrO₂.

In this study, we considered the structural stability, electronic properties, and phonon dispersion of the cubic (c-ZrO₂), tetragonal (t-ZrO₂), and monoclinic (m-ZrO₂) phases of ZrO₂. We found that the monoclinic phase of zirconium dioxide is the most stable among the three phases in terms of total energy, lowest enthalpy, highest entropy, and other thermodynamic properties. The smallest negative modes were found for m-ZrO₂. Our analysis of the electronic properties showed that during the m–t phase transformation of ZrO₂, the Fermi level first shifts by 0.125 eV toward higher energies and then decreases by 0.08 eV in the t–c cross-section. The band gaps for c-ZrO₂, t-ZrO₂, and m-ZrO₂ are 5.140 eV, 5.898 eV, and 5.288 eV, respectively. Calculations based on the analysis of the influence of doping 3.23, 6.67, 10.35, and 16.15 mol. %Y₂O₃ onto the m-ZrO₂ structure showed that the enthalpy of m-YSZ decreases linearly, which accompanies further stabilization of monoclinic ZrO₂ and an increase in its defectiveness. In this case, the position of the Fermi level changes abruptly, and the energy gap decreases. It has been established that, not only for pure systems but including those doped with Y₂O₃, the main contribution to the formation of the conduction band is made by the p-states of electrons. The t-ZrO₂ (101) and t-YSZ (101) surface models were selected as optimal surfaces for water adsorption based on a comparison of their surface energies. An analysis of the mechanism of water adsorption on the surface of t-ZrO₂ (101) and t-YSZ (101) showed that H₂O on unstabilized t-ZrO₂ (101) is adsorbed dissociatively with an energy of -1.22 eV, as well as by the method of molecular chemisorption with an energy of - 0.69 eV and the formation of a hydrogen bond with a bond length of 1.01 Å. In the case of t-YSZ (101), water is molecularly adsorbed onto the surface with an energy of -1.84 eV. Dissociative adsorption of water occurs at an energy of -1.23 eV, near the yttrium atom. The obtained results complement the database of research works carried out in the field of the application of biocompatible zirconium dioxide crystals and ceramics in green energy generation and can be used in designing humidity-to-electricity converters and creating solid oxide fuel cells based on ZrO₂.

To understand the mystery of final unification, in our earlier publications, we proposed two bold concepts: 1) There exist three atomic gravitational constants associated with electroweak, strong and electromagnetic interactions. 2) There exists a strong elementary charge in such a way that its squared ratio with normal elementary charge is close to reciprocal of the strong coupling constant. In this paper we propose that, can be considered as a compound physical constant associated with proton mass, electron mass and the three atomic gravitational constants. With these ideas, an attempt is made to understand nuclear stability and binding energy. In this new approach, nuclear binding energy can be fitted with four simple terms having one unique energy coefficient with a formula, where is an estimated mean stable mass number. With this new approach, Newtonian gravitational constant can be estimated in a verifiable approach with a model relation of the form, where is the Fine structure constant. Estimated and is 62 ppm higher than the CODATA recommended It needs further investigation. Proceeding further, an attempt is made to fit the recommended quark masses.

The work carried out first-principles calculations within the framework of density functional theory to study the structural stability of the CsSnI₃ compound and the influence of phase transitions on their electronic and optical properties. Using the GGA and SCAN functionals, the relaxed structures of the CsSnI₃ phases were obtained and their geometric characteristics were assessed. Using the Phonopy code based on VASP, calculations of phonon and thermodynamic properties were performed, and the temperatures of phase transitions of CsSnI₃ were determined. The temperature dependences of the thermodynamic parameters α-, β-, γ- and δ-phases of CsSnI₃ were analyzed. The trends in free energy, entropy, enthalpy, heat of formation energy and heat capacity were justified in terms of the pattern of changes in the total energy of the four phases of CsSnI₃ from VASP calculations. It is shown that at 0 K the non-perovskite structure of the CsSnI₃ compound (δ-CsSnI₃) is the most stable (followed by γ-CsSnI₃), and the tetragonal phase (β) is quite unstable, having the highest energy among the perovskite phases. It was revealed that at temperatures above 450 K the tetragonal phase becomes stable, and when the temperature drops, it transforms into the cubic phase (α-CsSnI₃). The phase transition between the β and γ phase of perovskite occurs in the range of 300-320 K, and at 320 K a black-yellow transformation of CsSnI₃ occurs in which the cubic phase (black perovskite) undergoes a phase transition to a non-perovskite conformation (yellow phase). The presence of temperature phase transitions between two orthorhombic phases of CsSnI₃ at 360 K was discovered, although direct transitions of the α⟷γ and γ⟷δ types have not yet been reported in any experiment, except for γ→δ transitions under the influence of moisture. Based on well-relaxed structures (from the SCAN calculations), the band gap widths for four CsSnI₃ phases were calculated and compared with experimental measurements. Electronic properties and Fermi level shifts as a result of phase transformations of CsSnI₃ were assessed using the HSE06 functional and machine learning prediction. The values of the complex dielectric constant and the refractive index of all phases of the CsSnI₃ were determined.

Machine Learning deals with creating algorithms capable of learning from the provided data. These systems have a wide range of applications and can also be a valuable tool for scientific research which in recent years has been focused on finding new diagnostic techniques for particle accelerator beams. In this context SPARC_LAB is positioned, a facility located at the Frascati National Laboratories of INFN, where the progress of beam diagnostics is one of the main developments of the entire project. With this in mind, you aim to present the design of two neural networks aimed at predicting the spot size of the electron beam of the plasma-based accelerator at SPARC_LAB, which powers an undulator for the generation of x-ray Free Electron Laser (XFEL). Data-driven algorithms use two different data preprocessing techniques, namely autoencoder neural network and PCA. With both approaches, the predicted measurements can be obtained with an acceptable margin of error and most importantly without activating the accelerator, thus saving time, even compared to a simulator that can produce the same result but much more slowly. The goal is to lay the groundwork for creating a digital twin of linac and conducting virtualized diagnostics using an innovative approach.

We calculate the sound velocity and the damping rate of the collective excitations of a 2D fermionic superfluid in a non-perturbative manner. Specifically, we focus on the Anderson-Bogoliubov excitations in the BEC-BCS crossover regime, as these modes have a soundlike dispersion at low momenta. The calculation is performed within the path integral formalism and the Gaussian pair fluctuation approximation. From the action functional, we obtain the propagator of the collective excitations and determine their dispersion relation by locating the poles of this propagator. We find that there is only one kind of collective excitation, which is stable at $T=0$ and has a sound velocity of $v_{F}/\sqrt{2}$ for all binding energies, i.e. throughout the BEC-BCS crossover. As the temperature is raised, the sound velocity decreases and the damping rate shows a non-monotonous behavior: after an initial increase, close to the critical temperature $T_{C}$ the damping rate decreases again. In general, higher binding energies provide higher damping rates. Finally, we calculate the response functions and propose that they can be used as another way to determine the sound velocity.

The polarised emission from AGN jets carries information about the physical conditions at the emitting plasma elements while its temporal evolution probes the physical processes that introduce variability and dynamically modify the local conditions. Here we present the analysis of multi-frequency radio linear and circular polarisation datasets with the aim to exactly quantify the conditions in blazar jets. Our analysis includes both the careful treatment of observational datasets and numerical modelling for the reproduction of synthetic polarisation curves that can be compared to the observed ones. In our approach the variability is attributed to traveling shocks. The emission from the cells of our jet model is computed with radiative transfer of all Stokes parameters. The model also accounts for Faraday effects which map the low-energy particle populations. We present two extreme cases in terms of the significance of Faraday conversion in the production of circular polarisation. As we show, in both regimes the model gives realistic reproduction of the observed emission.

Negative temperature coefficient (NTC) materials are usually based on ceramic semiconductors and electrons are involved in their transport mechanism. A new type of NTC material, adequate for alternating current (AC) applications, is represented by zeolites. Indeed, zeolites are single-charge carrier ionic conductors with a temperature-dependent electrical conductivity. In particular, electrical transport in zeolites is due to the monovalent charge-balancing cations, like K⁺, capable of hopping between negatively charged sites in the aluminosilicate framework. Owing to the highly non-linear electrical behavior of the traditional electronic NTC materials, the possibility to have alternative types of materials, showing linearity in the electrical behavior, is very desirable. Among different zeolites, the natural clinoptilolite has been selected for investigating the NTC behavior since it is characterized by high zeolite content, convenient Si/Al atomic ratio, good mechanical strength, due to its compact microstructure, and low toxicity. Clinoptilolite has shown a rapid and quite reversible impedance change under heating, characterized by a linear dependence on temperature. X-ray diffraction (XRD) has been used to identify the natural zeolite, to establish all types of crystalline phases present in the mineral, and to investigate the thermal stability of these phases up to 150°C. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis has been used for the chemical characterization of the natural clinoptilolite sample, providing important information on the cationic content and framework composition. In addition, since electrical transport takes place in the zeolite free-volume, a Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis of the mineral has been also performed.

We discuss how the interaction of electrons with an overdamped optical phonon can give rise to a strange-metal behavior over extended temperature and frequency ranges. Although the mode has a finite frequency, an increasing damping shifts spectral weight to progressively lower energies so that, despite the ultimate Fermi liquid character of the system at the lowest temperatures and frequencies, the transport and optical properties of the electron system mimic a marginal Fermi liquid behavior. Within this shrinking Fermi liquid scenario, we extensively investigate the electron self-energy in all frequency and temperature ranges, emphasizing similarities and differences with respect to the marginal Fermi liquid scenario.

CrHZSM-5 was placed in an electric field with appropriate strength in a quartz packed bed reactor with CO2 as oxidant to analyze its catalytic activity. Olefin yield increases with decrease in band gap since lattice oxygen mobility increases by reducing band gap. Fermi level change at the catalyst surface affects the catalytic activity. One way to change Fermi level is use electric field. In high voltage electric field, energy band was curved, bending of the energy band promoted the activity and Fermi level position is increasing. The CCD experiments were carried out with Design-Expert 7.3 software to determine the interaction between four operating variables, namely: temperature, electrical current, gap distance and metal loading. The levels of the independent variables were: temperature (550-700 °C), electrical current (0-12 mA), gap distance (6-14 mm), metal loading (0.5-7.5 %wt.). The conversion of LPG (Liquefied petroleum gas) was greatly increased by weak and effective application of an electric field to the catalyst bed. The obtained results indicated that the maximum yield value (46.94%) can be achieved under 673.66 °C, input electrical current of 11.01 mA, gap distance of 6.55 mm and metal loading of 3.98 wt.%.

The increasing demand for higher power in rocket launchers is driving the development of higher power nozzles, achieved essentially by increasing the expansion ratio. However, this can lead to flow separation and resulting unsteady, asymmetrical forces, called side loads, which can limit the life of both the nozzle itself and other engine components. If this problem can be overcome, engine performance can be significantly increased. Therefore, various separation control methods have been proposed, but none have been fully implemented to date due to the uncertainties associated with modeling and predicting the flow phenomena. A numerical study of high area ratio rocket engine is presented to analyze the aeroelastic performance of the structure under the condition of flow separation. The finite volume method, the 2nd order upwind scheme and the extended wall function are used to analyze the flow inside the rocket nozzle and the transition of the Free Shock Separation (FSS) to Restricted Shock Separation (RSS) separation pattern ) to be discussed in detail. Since the location of the flow separation point depends heavily on the flow.

We propose that the coexistence of gapless Fermi arcs with the metal-insulator crossover of in-plane resistivity in strongly underdoped cuprates can be explained by the FL* fractionalized Fermi liquid nature of these systems and it is not due simply to disorder effects. The particle excitations of this FL* system derived from variants of the t-J model are: the gapless holon carrying charge with small Fermi momentum proportional to the doping, the gapful spinon carrying spin 1/2, gauge fluctuations coupling them and the hole as a spinon-holon bound state or resonance due to gauge binding with a Fermi surface respecting the topological Luttinger theorem. In our proposal Fermi arcs are determined by the hole resonance, whereas the metal-insulator crossover is dominated by spinon-spinon (with subleading holon-holon) gauge interactions and this dichotomy is able to explain their coexistence.

Gas and power networks are tightly coupled and interact with each other due to physically interconnected facilities. In an integrated gas and power network, a contingency observed in one system may cause iterative cascading failures, resulting in network wide disruptions. Therefore, understanding the impacts of the interactions in both systems is crucial for governments, system operators, regulators and operational planners, particularly, to ensure security of supply for the overall energy system. Although simulation has been widely used in the assessment of gas systems as well as power systems, there is a significant gap in simulation models that are able to address the coupling of both systems. In this paper, a simulation framework that models and simulates the gas and power network in an integrated manner is proposed. The framework consist of a transient model for the gas system and a steady state model for the power system based on AC-Optimal Power Flow. The gas and power system model are coupled through an interface which uses the coupling equations to establish the data exchange and coordination between the individual models. The bidirectional interlink between both systems considered in this studies are the fuel gas offtake of gas fired power plants for power generation and the power supply to LNG terminals and electric drivers installed in gas compressor stations and underground gas storage facilities. The simulation framework is implemented into an innovative simulation tool named SAInt (Scenario Analysis Interface for Energy Systems) and the capabilities of the tool are demonstrated by performing a contingency analysis for a real world example. Results indicate how a disruption triggered in one system propagates to the other system and affects the operation of critical facilities. In addition, the studies show the importance of using transient gas models for security of supply studies instead of successions of steady state models, where the time evolution of the line pack is not captured correctly.

In order to correct attenuated millimeter-wavelength (Ka-band) radar data and address the problem of instability, an attenuation correction methodology (attenuation correction with variation trend constraint; VTC) was developed. Using synchronous observation conditions and multi-band radars, the VTC method adopts the variation trends of reflectivity in X-band radar data captured with wavelet transform as a constraint to adjust reflectivity factors of millimeter-wavelength radar. The correction was evaluated by comparing reflectivities obtained by millimeter-wavelength cloud radar and X-band weather radar. Experiments showed that attenuation was a major contributory factor in the different reflectivities of the two radars when relatively intense echoes exist, and the attenuation correction developed in this study significantly improved data quality for millimeter-wavelength radar. Reflectivity differences between the two radars were reduced and reflectivity correlations were enhanced. Errors caused by attenuation were eliminated, while variation details in the reflectivity factors were retained. The VTC method is superior to the bin-by-bin method in terms of correction amplitude and can be used for attenuation correction of shorter wavelength radar assisted by longer wavelength radar data.

Many studies discuss carbon-based materials because of the versatility of its element. They include different opinions for scientific problems and discuss fairly at convincing and compelling levels within the scope and application. A gas-state carbon atom converts into various states depending on its conditions of processing. The electron transfer mechanism in the gas-state carbon atom is responsible to convert it into various states, namely, graphite, nanotube, fullerene, diamond, lonsdaleite and graphene. The shape of ‘energy trajectory’ enables transferring electrons from the left- and right-sides of an atom is like a parabola. That ‘energy trajectory’ is linked to states (filled state and suitable nearby unfilled state) where force-exertion along the poles of transferring electrons is remained balance. So, the mechanism of originating different states of a gas-state carbon atom is under the involvement of energy first. This is not the case for atoms executing confined inter-state electron-dynamics as the force is involved first. Graphite-, nanotube- and fullerene-state atoms ‘partially evolve partially develop’ (form) their structures. These possess one-dimensional, two-dimensional and four-dimensional ordering of atoms, respectively. Their structural formation also comprises ‘energy curve’ having a shape-like parabola. Transferring suitable filled state electron to suitable nearby unfilled state is under a balance force exerting along the poles. The graphite structure under only attained-dynamics of atoms can also be formed but in two-dimension. Here, binding energy between graphite-state carbon atoms is for a small difference of exerting forces along their opposite poles. Structural formation in diamond, lonsdaleite and graphene atoms involve energy to gain required infinitesimal displacements of electrons through which they maintain orientationally-controlled exerting forces along dedicated poles. In this study, the growth of diamond is found to be south to east-west (ground) where atoms bound ground to south. Thus, diamond atoms merge for a tetra-electron ground to south topological structure. Lonsdaleite atoms merge for a bi-electron ground to just-south topological structure. The growth of graphene is found to be north to ground where atoms bound ground to north. Thus, graphene atoms merge for a tetra-electron ground to north topological structure. Glassy carbon exhibits layered-topological structure where, tri-layers of gas-, graphite- and lonsdaleite-state atoms successively bind in repetitive order. Nanoscale hardness is also sketched based on different force-energy behaviors of different state carbon atoms. Here, structure evolution in each carbon state atom explores its own science.

Reactions of quinones with compounds containing an amino group can produce a wide variety of addition or substitution products that depend on reactivity of both quinone and amino derivative. 6,7-Dichloropyrido[1,2-a]benzimidazole-8,9-diones undergo selective nucleophilic substitution reaction with different benzohydrazides and α-hydroxy-p-quinone imine derivatives stabilized by strong intramolecular hydrogen bond were isolated. Synthesized compounds represent a combination of several structural motifs: benzimidazole core fused with α-hydroxy-p-quinone imine which contains a benzamido fragment. The protonation/deprotonation processes were investigated in a solution using UV-Vis spectroscopy and 1H NMR titration experiment. X-ray crystallography analysis revealed a set of weak non-covalent interactions such as intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonds and π-π stacking. Additionally, the redox behavior of 6,7-dichloropyrido[1,2-a]benzimidazole-8,9-dione and its p-imino derivative was investigated in acidic and neutral environment using cyclic voltammetry measurements. Cathode material based on 6,7-dichloropyrido[1,2-a]benzimidazole-8,9-dione could act as potential effective active electrode in aqueous electrolyte batteries, however further optimization is required.

The unfolded band structure and optical properties of Cu-doped KCl crystals were computed by first principles within the framework of density functional theory, implemented in the ABINIT electronic structure package utilizing pseudopotential approximation and a plane-wave basis set. From a theoretical point of view, Cu substitution into pristine KCl crystals requires calculation by the supercell (SC) method. This procedure shrinks the Brillouin zone, resulting in a folded band structure that is difficult to interpret. To solve this problem and gain insight into the effect of copper ions (Cu+) on electronic properties, the band structure of SC KCl:Cu was unfolded to make a direct comparison with the band structure of the primitive cell (PC) of pristine KCl. To understand the effect of Cu substitution on optical absorption, we calculated the imaginary part of the dielectric function of KCl:Cu through a sum-over-states formalism and broke it down into different band contributions by partially making an iterated cumulative sum (ICS) of selected valence and conduction bands. Consequently, we identified those interband transitions that give rise to the absorption peaks due to the Cu+ ion. These transitions involve valence and conduction bands formed by the Cu-3d and Cu-4s electronic states

Pore structure characterization and fractal analysis have great significance for understanding and evaluating tight limestone reservoirs. In this work, the pore structure of tight limestone is characterized combined with low-temperature nitrogen adsorption (LTNA) and low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and the fractal dimension of tight limestone pore structure is discussed based on LTNA and NMR data. The results indicate that the pores of tight limestone have H3 and H4 types, the pore size distribution (PSD) of H3 type is a wave distribution ranging from 2 to 10 nm, and the PSD of H4 type is a unimodal distribution ranging from 2 to 10 nm. The transverse relaxation time (T2) spectrum of tight limestone shows single peak (DF), double peak (SF) and three peak (TF), and the T2 spectrums for micropores, mesopores and macropores range from 0.1 to 10 ms, from 10 to 100 ms, and greater than 100 ms, respectively. The LTNA fractal dimension of tight limestone (DL) ranges between 2.4446 and 2.7688, with an average of 2.5729, and the NMR fractal dimensions of micropores (DNMR1), mesopores (DNMR2) and macropores (DNMR3) are distributed between 0.3744 to 1.1293, 2.4263 to 2.9395 and 2.6582 to 2.9989, respectively. Moreover, there is no correlation between fractal dimension and permeability and porosity, a negative correlation between DL and average pore radius, a positive correlation between DL and specific surface area, and a positive correlation between DNMR2 and DNMR3 and micropore content, while DNMR2 and DNMR3 are negatively correlated with the content of mesopores and macropores.

Teaching kinematic rotations is a daunting task for even some of the most advanced mathematical minds. However, envisioning and explaining the three-dimensional rotations can be highly simplified by changing the paradigm. This paradigm change allows for a high school student with a understanding of geometry to be able to not only develop the matrix but also explain the rotations at a collegiate level. The proposed method includes the assumption of a point (P) within the initial three-dimensional frame with axes (x ̂_i, y ̂_i, z ̂_i). It then utilizes a two-dimensional rotation view (2DRV) to measure how the coordinates of point P translate after the initial axis is rotated instead of using the established Euler's formula. The equations are used in matrix notation to develop a direction cosine matrix (DCM) for future equations. This method provides a high school student with an elementary and repeatable process to compose and explain kinematic rotations.

A simple design of an ultrathin six-band polarization-insensitive terahertz perfect metamaterial absorber (PMMA) composed of a metal cross-cave-patch resonator (CCPR) placed over a ground plane was proposed and investigated numerically. The numerical simulation results demonstrate that the average absorption peaks are up to 95% at six resonance frequencies with high quality-factors (>65). In addition, the absorption properties can be kept stability for both normal incident transverse magnetic (TM) and transverse electric (TE) waves. The physical mechanism behind the observed high level absorption is illustrated by the electric and power loss density distributions. The different absorption mainly originates from the higher order multipolar and multipolar plasmon resonance of the structure, which are sharp different to the most previous studies of the PMMAs. Furthermore, the resonance absorption of the PMMA can be tunable by varying the geometric parameters of the unit cell.

A simple design of an ultrathin six-band polarization-insensitive terahertz perfect metamaterial absorber (PMMA) composed of a metal cross-cave-patch resonator (CCPR) placed over a ground plane was proposed and investigated numerically. The numerical simulation results demonstrate that the average absorption peaks are up to 95% at six resonance frequencies with high quality-factors (>65). In addition, the absorption properties can be kept stability for both normal incident transverse magnetic (TM) and transverse electric (TE) waves. The physical mechanism behind the observed high level absorption is illustrated by the electric and power loss density distributions. The different absorption mainly originates from the higher order multipolar and multipolar plasmon resonance of the structure, which are sharp different to the most previous studies of the PMMAs. Furthermore, the resonance absorption of the PMMA can be tunable by varying the geometric parameters of the unit cell.

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations of hydrogen adsorption on titanium nitride had previously shown that hydrogen may adsorb on both titanium and nitrogen sites with a moderate adsorption energy. Further, the diffusion barrier was also found to be low. These findings may qualify TiN, a versatile multifunctional material with electronic conductivity, as electrode material for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). This was the main impetus of this work which aims to experimentally and theoretically investigate the electrocatalytic properties of TiN-layers that were processed on Ti substrate using reactive ion sputtering. The properties are discussed focusing on the role of oxygen defects introduced during the sputtering process on the HER. Based on DFT calculations, it is shown that these oxygen defects alter the electronic environment of the Ti atoms which entails a low hydrogen adsorption energy in the range of -0.1 eV; this leads to HER performances that match those of Pt-NPs in acidic media. When a few nanometr thick layer of Pd-NPs is sputtered on-top of the TiN-layer, the performance is drastically reduced. This is interpreted in terms of oxygen defects being scavenged by the Pd-NPs near the surface which is thought to reduce the hydrogen adsorption sites.

Surface temperature influences human health directly and alters the biodiversity and productivity of the environment. While previous research has identified that the composition of urban landscapes influences the physical properties of the environment such as surface temperature, a generalizable and flexible framework is needed that can be used to compare cities across time and space. This study employs the Structure of Urban Landscapes (STURLA) classification combined with remote sensing of New York City’s (NYC) surface temperature. These are then linked using machine learning and statistical modeling to identify how greenspace and the built environment influence urban surface temperature. It was observed that areas with urban units composed of largely the built environment hosted the hottest temperatures while those with vegetation and water were coolest. Likewise, this is reinforced by borough-level spatial differences in both urban structure and heat. Comparison of these relationships over the period between2008 and 2017 identified changes in surface temperature that are likely due to the changes in prevalence in water, lowrise buildings, and pavement across the city. This research reinforces how human alteration of the environment changes ecosystem function and offers units of analysis that can be used for research and urban planning.

High-spin states of 192Tl are populated by the heavy ion fusion-evaporation reaction 181Ta(16O, 5n)192Tl at 97 MeV beam energy. A new level scheme with eight new levels is constructed and the level spins are tentatively assigned. The negative-parity yrast band is extended up to 23^{-}\hbar. Subsequently, the systematics of signature splitting and signature inversion are discussed for the negative-parity yrast band of odd-odd Tl isotopes including 192Tl, 194Tl, 196Tl, and 198Tl. With the increase of neutron number signature inversion is found in 196,198Tl at high-spin state in these four Tl isotopes. The reason may be due to the competition between neutron-proton interaction and Coriolis force.

Strained layer superlattice (SLS) material system is being considered for large format, small-pitch and low-cost focal plane arrays for different applications. To address difficulties associated to focal plane arrays fabrication arising from mesa-isolation etching or complex surface treatment/ passivation process, planar structures have been considered. In this work, the recent progress on planar SLS photodetector using ion-implantation for device isolation is presented. The devices are presented here are nBn and pBn heterostructure InAs/InAsSb SLS photodetector, where Zn and Si were chosen as the ion implants, respectively. The electrical and optical performance of the devices were compared along with comparison with mesa-etched device, to give deeper view of the device performance.

The extremely controversial conclusions about the function of human interferon-gamma (hIFNγ) C-terminus as well as the lack of a consistent model explaining its role in the receptor binding prompted us to scrutinize the interaction of hIFNγ with its extracellular receptor hIFNGR1 in different scenarios by means of molecular dynamics simulations. We find that the two molecules alone fail to form a stable complex but the presence of heparan-sulfate-like oligosaccharides largely facilitates the process by both demobilizing the highly flexible C-termini of the cytokine and assisting in the proper positioning of its globule between the receptor subunits. An antiproliferative-activity essay on cells depleted from surface sulfation confirms qualitatively the simulation-based multistage complex-formation model. Our results reveal the key role of HS and its proteoglycans in all processes involving hIFNγ signalling.

The sublimation enthalpies of four highly energetic materials (HEMs): triacetone triperoxide (TATP), 2,4-dinitrotoluene (DNT), 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) and 1,3,5-trinitrohexahydro-s-triazine (RDX) deposited on stainless steel (SS) substrates were determined by optical fibre coupled-grazing angle probe (GAP) FTIR spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) for bulk crystaline HEMs samples. The desorption energy of RDX on SS was also studied using grazing angle FTIR microscopy. Metastable phases of 2,4-DNT and TNT were observed when deposited on SS, and their sublimation enthalpies values were obtained by GAP measurements and compared with those for the crystalline phases. The sublimation enthalpies for the alpha phase RDX was also determined by TGA measurements. A layer of crystalline beta phase RDX was observed on SS, and it's sublimation enthalpies was determinate by GAP. PLS calibration curves for the surface concentrations of RDX on SS were generated using GAP to determinate the surface concentration with time at different temperatures.

By taking advantage of a stability criterion established recently, the critical temperature T_c is reckoned with help of the microscopic parameters, characterising the normal and superconducting electrons, namely the independent-electron band structure and a repulsive two-electron force. The emphasis is laid on the sharp T_c dependence upon electron concentration and inter-electron coupling, which might offer a practical route toward higher T_c values and help to understand why high-T_c compounds exhibit such remarkable properties.

This is a brief critique of the functions—particularly olfactory functions—specified for the “Chemosensory Protein” (CSPs) molecule family. On the basis of these proteins’ presence in the sensory antennal lymph of locusts, odor chemosensory ligand binding functions have been hypothesized. According to this hypothesis, the entire protein molecule superfamily is referred to as “CSPs”. However, new information and developments in the field of CSP molecular research, such as the expression of CSP genes in the gut, brain, fat body, wings, epidermis, and pheromone gland, as well as gene expression profiling from most early developmental stages—that is, CSP expression well in advance of the appearance of chemical sense nerve cells—strongly suggest that the protein molecule has other roles that are unrelated to chemosensing. Moreover, CSPs are found in bacterial microbial prokaryote organisms in addition to insects and all other arthropods. Thus, we examine the molecule’s name, definition, RNA editing, protein structure, lipid binding properties, DNA interaction, and evolutionary characteristics in brief before referring to this protein family as “Chemosensory Proteins”. As a means of renaming this protein family, this review article discusses the latest findings (“CSP” is attached to the tail of bigger intracellular proteins) and attempts to compel all the data. Because of its highly conserved molecular distinctive feature (four adjacent cysteines), we propose renaming “CSPs” as “4CSPs” (4 Cysteines Soluble Proteins) and use at least for abbreviations for distinctive animal proteins the common peptide 5-letter code, such as “Bommo-4CSPs”.

Substances that can modify the androgen receptor pathway in humans and animals are entering the environment and food chain with the proven ability to disrupt hormonal systems and leading to toxicity and adverse effects on reproduction, brain development, and prostate cancer, among others. State-of-the-art databases with experimental data of human, chimp, and rat effects by chemicals have been used to build machine learning classifiers and regressors and evaluate these on independent sets. Different featurizations, algorithms, and protein structures lead to dif- ferent results, with deep neural networks (DNNs) on user-defined physicochemically-relevant features developed for this work outperforming graph convolutional, random forest, and large featurizations. The results show that these user-provided structure-, ligand-, and statistically-based features and specific DNNs provided the best results as determined by AUC (0.87), MCC (0.47), and other metrics and by their interpretability and chemical meaning of the descriptors/features. In addition, the same features in the DNN method performed better than in a multivariate logistic model: validation MCC = 0.468 and training MCC = 0.868 for the present work compared to evalu- ation set MCC = 0.2036 and training set MCC = 0.5364 for the multivariate logistic regression on the full, unbalanced set. Techniques of this type may improve AR and toxicity description and predic- tion, improving assessment and design of compounds. Source code and data are available at https://github.com/AlfonsoTGarcia-Sosa/ML

A large core size and bending resistance are very important properties of mid-infrared energy transfer fibers, but large core sizes usually lead to a deterioration of bending properties. A negative-curvature nested node-free anti-resonant hollow-core fiber (AR-HCF) based on quartz is proposed. It was made by adding a nested layer to a previous AR-HCF design to provide an additional anti-resonance region while keeping the gap between adjacent tubes strictly correlated to the core diameter to produce a node-free structure. These features improve the fiber’s bending resistance while achieving a larger core diameter. The simulation results show that the radial air-glass anti-resonant layer is increased by the introduction of the nested anti-resonant tube, and the weak interference overlap between the fiber core and the cladding mode is reduced, so the fiber core’s limiting loss and the sensitivity to bending are effectively reduced. When the capillary wall thickness t of the fiber is 0.71 μm, the core diameter D is 70 μm, the ratio of the inner diameter of the cladding capillary to the core diameter d/D is 0.62, and the diameter of the nested tube is d0=29 μm, the fiber has a lower limiting loss at the wavelength of 2.79 μm, and the limiting loss is 3.28×10-4 dB/m. At the same time, the optimized structure also has good bending resistance. When the bending radius is 30 mm, the bending loss is only 4.72×10-2 dB/m. To our knowledge, this is the first research to achieve an anti-bending low-loss micro-structure hollow fiber with a bending radius of less than 30 mm in the 2.79 μm band. An anti-bending low-loss anti-resonant hollow-core fiber with this structure constitutes a reliable choice for the light guiding system of a 2.79 μm band erbium laser therapy instrument.

Boltzmann codes are essential tools for studying cosmology. Most of the codes are based on a seminal work by Ma and Bertschinger. We found that the formalism employed in those codes has at least three possible problems which need to be understood. i) The equation of motion for baryons are gauge incompatible, ii) they break the Bianchi identity, and iii) it is not clear from the equations of motion which physical system is considered. In this work we revisit the baryon physics and address all the above mentioned issues, based solely on conservation of stress-energy tensor, resulting in taking into account a correction that is usually neglected and that is numerically small. We also study the tight coupling approximation up to the second order without choosing any gauge. We implement the improved baryon equations in a Boltzmann code and investigate the change in the estimate of cosmological parameters by performing an MCMC analysis. While in this paper we study the Lambda-CDM model only, our baryon equations can be easily implemented in other models and various modified gravity theories.

As shown previously, a relation between the superconducting transition temperature and some characteristic distance in the crystal lattice holds, which enables the calculation of the superconducting transition temperature, Tc, based only on the knowledge of the electronic configuration and of some details of the crystallographic structure. This relation was found to apply for a large number of superconductors, including the high-temperature superconductors, the iron-based materials, alkali fullerides, metallic alloys, and element superconductors. When applying this scheme called Roeser-Huber formula to Moiré-type superconductivity, i.e., magic-angle twisted bi-layer graphene (tBLG) and bi-layer WSe2, we find that the calculated transition temperatures for tBLG are always higher than the available experimental data, e.g., for the magic angle 1.1∘, we find Tc≈ 4.2–6.7 K. Now, the question arises why the calculation produces larger Tc’s. Two possible scenarios may answer this question: (1) The given problem for experimentalists is the fact that for electric measurements always substrates/caps are required to arrange the electric contacts. When now discussing superconductivity in atomically thin objects, also these layers may play a role forming the Moiré patterns. The consequence of such substrate-induced super-Moiré patterns is that the resulting Moiré pattern always will show a larger cell size, and thus, a lower Tc of the final structure will result. (2) A correction factor to the Roeser-Huber formalism may be required to account for the low charge carrier density of the tBLG. Here, we test both scenarios and find that the introduction of a correction factor η enables a proper calculation of Tc, reproducing the experimental data. We find that η depends exponentially on the value of Tc.

As shown previously, a relation between the superconducting transition temperature and some characteristic distance in the crystal lattice holds, which enables the calculation of the superconducting transition temperature, Tc, based only on the knowledge of the electronic configuration and of some details of the crystallographic structure. This relation was found to apply for a large number of superconductors, including the high-temperature superconductors, the iron-based materials, alkali fullerides, metallic alloys, and element superconductors. When applying this scheme called Roeser-Huber formula to Moiré-type superconductivity, i.e., magic-angle twisted bi-layer graphene (tBLG) and bi-layer WSe2, we find that the calculated transition temperatures for tBLG are always higher than the available experimental data, e.g., for the magic angle 1.1∘, we find Tc≈ 4.2–6.7 K. Now, the question arises why the calculation produces larger Tc’s. Two possible scenarios may answer this question: (1) The given problem for experimentalists is the fact that for electric measurements always substrates/caps are required to arrange the electric contacts. When now discussing superconductivity in atomically thin objects, also these layers may play a role forming the Moiré patterns. The consequence of such substrate-induced super-Moiré patterns is that the resulting Moiré pattern always will show a larger cell size, and thus, a lower Tc of the final structure will result. (2) A correction factor to the Roeser-Huber formalism may be required to account for the low charge carrier density of the tBLG. Here, we test both scenarios and find that the introduction of a correction factor η enables a proper calculation of Tc, reproducing the experimental data. We find that η depends exponentially on the value of Tc.

In this paper, we delve into the realm of aspect-level sentiment analysis, a sophisticated analytical task focused on pinpointing and interpreting the sentiment directed towards specific elements within a sentence. Traditional methods in this domain, primarily based on neural networks, have often overlooked the critical role of syntactic structures in sentences. To bridge this gap, we have developed the Syntax-Enhanced Sentiment Graph Network (SentiSyn). This pioneering model represents a significant step forward in aspect-level sentiment analysis, bringing to the forefront the utilization of word dependency relationships to enrich sentiment analysis. SentiSyn stands out by its innovative use of a dependency graph, a tool that meticulously maps out the intricate web of syntactic relationships surrounding a target aspect in a sentence. This approach allows SentiSyn to effectively capture and channel sentiment-related characteristics that are deeply rooted in the syntactic context of the aspect target. By doing so, SentiSyn unlocks a deeper understanding of sentiment dynamics in textual content, enabling a more nuanced and accurate sentiment analysis. Our comprehensive experimental evaluation of SentiSyn showcases its remarkable capabilities. When combined with advanced embedding techniques like GloVe and BERT, SentiSyn demonstrates a superior performance edge over several existing sentiment analysis methods. This performance leap is not just incremental; it represents a significant enhancement in the field of sentiment analysis, underscoring the importance of syntactic context in understanding sentiments. Furthermore, our analysis delves into how SentiSyn effectively leverages these embeddings to gain a more profound and contextually rich insight into sentiment dynamics. The results from our tests indicate that SentiSyn, with its unique approach to integrating syntactic structures and advanced embeddings, sets a new benchmark in aspect-level sentiment analysis, offering both enhanced accuracy and deeper sentiment understanding.

This paper introduces a new destriping algorithm for remote sensing data. The method is based on combined Haar Stationary Wavelet transform and Fourier filtering. State-of-the-Art methods based on the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) may not always be effective and may cause different artifacts. Our contribution is three-fold: i) we propose to use the Undecimated Wavelet transform (UWT) to avoid as much as possible shortcomings of the classical DWT; ii) we combine a spectral filtering and UWT using the simplest possible wavelet, the Haar basis, for a computational efficiency; iii) we handle 2D fields with missing data, as commonly observed in ocean remote sensing data due to atmospheric conditions (e.g., cloud contamination). The performances of the proposed filter are tested and validated on the suppression of horizontal strip artifacts in cloudy L2 Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and ocean color snapshots.

In contemporary construction, the prevalence of vibration serviceability issues in lightweight and slender structures has become increasingly common, owing to advancements in building materials and construction methods. While these structures often meet the criteria for ultimate limit states, they can still elicit complaints due to excessive vibrations induced by human activity. To address this challenge, the Integral Resonant Control (IRC) technique has emerged as a favored approach for actively damping vibrations in various systems. This study introduces a fresh perspective on implementing a multi-input multi-output (MIMO) IRC scheme for active vibration control (AVC) specifically tailored for pedestrian structures utilizing inertial mass actuators. Building upon a common framework and design methodology outlined in previous research, this work presents a novel application of MIMO IRC for AVC. The designed controller is rigorously tested and implemented on a laboratory floor structure to validate its efficacy.

Recent studies investigated the detectability of ship wake signatures on SAR imagery using a large number of SAR images collocated with Automatic Identification System data for training machine learning models. These detectability models are in agreement with oceanographic expectations from preceding studies and can therefore be used for comparing the performance of different SAR sensors in terms of wake detectability. Previous model comparisons showed better wake detection performance of TerraSAR-X (TS-X) than of RADARSAT-2 (RS2) and Sentinel-1 (S1). A comparison between CosmoSkymed (CSK) and RS2 is performed here, to examine the hypothesis that X-Band is generally better for wake detection than C-Band. Finally, this hypothesis is not confirmed, as the detectability models for TS-X, CSK and RS2 reveal similar performances. A comparison of wake detection performance should take the individual wake components into account separately.

In this article, we set up some adequate conditions for analytic functions associated with cosine hyperbolic function. We determine conditions on α such that 1+α (ϰ^(2+P(j-1) ) g^' (ϰ))/(Pg^j (ϰ)),for each j=0,1,2,3 are subordinated by Janowski function, then (g(ϰ))/ϰ^P <cosℏ⁡(ϰ),(ϰ∈C). By choosing specific values of functions g we get some adequate conditions for multivalent starlike function related with cosine hyperbolic.

Triangular resonators re-shaped with the Sierpinski geometry and U-shaped resonators have been designed, linking them with single-pole-double-through (SPDT) RF MEMS switches to provide frequency tuning for potential applications in the K-Band. Prototypes of band-stop narrowband filters working around 20 GHz and 26 GHz, interesting for RADAR and satellite communications, have been studied in coplanar waveguide (CPW) configuration, and the tuning was obtained by switching between two paths of the devices loaded with different resonators. As a result, dual-band operation or fine-tuning can be obtained depending on the choice of the resonator, acting as a building block. The studied filters belong to the more general group of devices inspired by the metamaterial design.

The atomic nucleus contains protons and neutrons surrounded by a structured electron cloud. Some combinations of protons and neutrons induce the nucleus to behave like a microscopic magnet, possessing a unique magnitude and orientation known as the nuclear magnetic moment (µ). When the numbers of protons and neutrons are both even then µ=0, but otherwise each nu-clide’s nuclear magnetic moment is unique. A second unique nuclear physical property relates to the nucleon binding energy (BE), which can be thought of as the energy between protons and neu-trons bound within the nucleus. The sequence of stable nuclides increases one nucleon at a time through 36Ar. The binding energy associated with the addition of each successive nucleon (∆BE) through this progression is unique. The hypothesis here is that the unique non-zero magnetic mo-ment and ∆ binding energy of each nuclide derive from its respective microscopic nuclear struc-ture, analogous to the way that the atomic physical properties of an element ultimately derive from its unique electron orbital structure. By extension, the identification of nuclear periodic pat-terns might eventually inform a theory of nuclear structure. The light, stable nuclides through 36Ar were arranged in ascending order according to atomic mass, and their nuclear magnetic mo-ments and binding energies were evaluated for periodic patterns. Fixed-period lengths from 4 through 18 nuclides per period were considered. These fixed periods, each of equal length, were stacked one upon the other and analyzed for vertical trends. The best evidence of periodicity in both µ and ∆BE converges precisely at the fixed 12-nuclide period. Implications for nuclear structure are discussed.

By using the particle swarm optimization algorithm for crystal structure prediction, we reveal a newly orthorhombic Cmcm structure of HfB4, which is more energetically superior to the previously proposed YB4-, ReP4-, FeB4-, CrB4-, and MnB4-type structures in the considered pressure range. The phonon dispersion and elastic constants calculations confirm that the new phase is dynamically and mechanically stable. The calculated large shear modulus (240 GPa) and high hardness (45.7 GPa) imply that the predicted Cmcm-HfB4 is a potential superhard material. Meanwhile, the directional dependences of the Young's modulus, bulk modulus, and shear modulus for HfB4 are systematically investigated. Further analyses of the density of states and electronic localization function indicate that the strong B-B and B-Hf covalent bonds greatly contribute to its high hardness and stability.

This note makes available five years of data gathered in a measurement site equipped with a micrometeorological station and two monitoring wells. Series of data of hydrological and atmospheric variables allow to estimate the flux of water across the atmosphere-land interface and to calculate the water budget, that are crucial topics in climate and environmental sciences. The measures of water-table began during 2017, one of the driest year of the whole instrumental period of climate history for the Central Mediterranean. Data from the micrometeorological station have been used to construct two more datasets of daily and monthly cumulative values of different terms of the surface water budget, from which the groundwater infiltration has been estimated. A significant decreasing trend characterizes both the data time series of piezometric heights and estimated infiltration in the considered period. All the data are collected in 2017-2022 datasets that are available in the supplementary material.

We approximate the trigonometric function sine and cosine on the interval . This analysis provides two formulas to approximate sine and cosine. At first, we try to derive the formula which involves a square root, and then we derive another formula that does not require any use of a square root. Nevertheless, after deriving the procedure which requires no square root, we further try to increase its accuracy and then derive another formula that approximates trigonometric functions more accurately on the interval [0, pi/2]. So, this analysis provides mainly two types of procedures. One uses square roots, whereas the other does not. We also focus on ensuring the accuracy of these trigonometric functions in the interval [0,pi/2]. This accuracy analysis is portrayed using the graph. This graph shows the difference between the values generated by the functions defined here and the actual value of these functions. So, these graphs also indicate the error of these functions on that interval. Finally, we compare our approximation with the approximation formula of the 7th-century Indian Mathematician Bhaskara I.

We developed a novel hybrid approach for solving global optimization, computer science, bio-medical and engineering real life applications that is based on the coupling of the Whale Optimizer and Sine Cosine Algorithms via a surrogate model. We relate the whale optimizer algorithm to balance between the exploitation and the exploration process in the proposed method. There exist confirmed techniques for searching approximate best optimal solutions, but our algorithm will further guarantee that such numerical and statistical solutions satisfy physical bounds of the standard and real life functions. Our experiments with the benchmark, bio-medical, computer science and engineering real life problems have illustrated the advantages of using a newly hybrid approach based on mixing Whale Optimizer and Sine Cosine algorithms. It holds considerable potential for reducing execution time for solving standard and real life problems and at the same time improving the quality of the solution.

The goal of this paper is to propose a dual version of the direct cosine simplex algorithm (DDCA) for general linear problems. Unlike the two-phase and the big-M methods, our technique does not involve artificial variables. Our technique solves the dual Klee-Minty problem in two iterations and solves the dual Clausen’s problem in four iterations. The utility of the proposed method is evident from the extensive computational results on test problems adapted from NETLIB. Preliminary results indicate that this dual direct cosine simplex algorithm (DDCA) reduces the number of iterations of two-phase method.

Retails and shopping centers have become essential to today’s lifestyle. Furthermore, as modern shopping venues, retail centers' social role contributes to its popularity and profitability. The social motive of customers for shopping is beyond acquiring their crucial purchases. These advantages favor retail centers and improve the level of social sustainability and its relevant concepts. Given that relatively little study has been studied on the impact of retail centers' social role as places for interactional and recreational activities on customers' behavior in these centers and its relation to social sustainability. Two hypotheses were raised that show the effect of time travel duration and shop variety on increasing the percentage of users who spend their leisure time and recreational activities in two analogous retail centers. The result of research regarding the first hypothesis reveals that there is an interaction between time travel duration and shoppers' motivation. Furthermore, the results revealed that half of both retail center goers who spend more than 10 minutes to arrive at the retail centers prefer to do leisure activities and browsing than shopping. Therefore, the majority of individuals are from further distances, indicating longer trips can be one of the factors for willing to spend more leisure time and recreational activities. The second hypothesis reveals that shop variety can be one of the main reasons for attracting users to spend their leisure time and browse in both retail centers. There is a significant correlation between shop variety and customers’ motivation.

The Covid-19 pandemic was a challenge for the whole world and it had major secondary effects on humans and environmental health. The viral infection induced, in many situations, secondary bacterial infections, especially enteric infections by destabilizing the balance of the gastrointestinal microbiota. The large-scale use of antibiotics and biocides both for curative and preventive purposes has determined an increase in bacterial resistance and at the same time the possibility of pathogenic microorganisms’ multiplication and their dissemination to natural environments. Wastewater is the main vector of faecal microorganisms that favour their dissemination into natural aquatic ecosystems. The present paper aimed to analyze the effect of Covid-19 pandemic on the microbiological quality of wastewater from sewage treatment plants in Romania and its impact on receiving rivers. In order to highlight different and important areas of Romania, 3 cities from the east, center and west were selected for a microbiological evaluation of their WWTPs influent and effluent between ante-Covid-19 and Covid-19 pandemic peak period, when the Covid-19 pandemic had a direct impact on WWTPs microbial composition. Our study showed a higher contamination with fecal bacteria linked to a higher Covid-19 incidence. The increased usage of pharmaceutical compounds, at their turn, increased the number of resistant bacteria reaching the environment via WWTP effluents.

In this study, a new diphosphate compound, Ag0.2Na0.6FeP2O7, was synthesized using a solid-state reaction method and extensively studied using various techniques. The compound's structure was confirmed through X-ray diffraction analysis, revealing a single-phase monoclinic structure with the P21/C space group. The electrical behavior of the compound was investigated, and its conductivity followed Jonscher's universal law. The correlated barrier hopping (CBH) model explained the temperature-dependent ac conductivity and parameter "s" well. The study also explored the contribution of single-polaron and bipolaron hopping to the a.c. conductivity and discussed the ionic conductivity in relation to the structural characteristics of the sample. Overall, this investigation significantly enhances our comprehension of the distinctive electrical properties of Ag0.2Na0.6FeP2O7 and its potential practical applications.

It has been suggested that the measured magnetic properties of hydrides under pressure claimed to be high temperature superconductors indicate that the materials are granular superconductors. Such materials will show reduced or no magnetic field expulsion under field cooling, and will trap magnetic fields when the external magnetic field is removed. They will also exhibit hysteretic behavior in magnetoresistance and other transport properties. Here we point out that hysteresis in transport properties has never been reported for hydrides under pressure. Its presence, with the expected features, would indicate that the materials trap magnetic flux, hence that they can sustain persistent currents without dissipation, something that all superconductors can do. Conversely, its absence would indicate that these materials are not superconductors.

Satterthwaite and Toepke (1970 Phys. Rev. Lett. 25 741) discovered that Th₄H₁₅-Th₄D₁₅ superhydrides exhibit superconductivity and have no isotope effect. The latter is fundamental contradiction with the concept of electron-phonon mediated superconductivity of Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) theory. Soon after this work, Stritzker and Buckel (1972 Zeitschrift für Physik A Hadrons and nuclei 257 1-8) reported that superconductors in PdH_x-PdD_x system exhibit reverse isotope effect. Yussouff et al (1995 Solid State Communications 94 549) extended this finding on PdH_x-PdD_x-PdT_x system. Recent interest to hydrogen- and deuterium-rich superconductors is based on the discovery of near-room-temperature superconductivity in highly-compressed H₃S (Drozdov et al. 2015 Nature 525 73) and LaH₁₀ (Somayazulu et al 2019 Phys. Rev. Lett. 122 027001). To date, there is no clarity about isotope effect in H₃S-D₃S system, because thorough examination of available experimental data reported by Drozdov et al (2015 Nature 525 73) shows that H₃S-D₃S system perhaps has reverse isotope effect. In attempt to reaffirm/disprove our primary idea that the mechanism for near-room-temperature superconductivity in hydrogen-rich superconductors is not BCS electron-phonon interaction, we analyse the upper critical field data, B_c2(T), in Th₄H₁₅-Th₄D₁₅ phases (Satterthwaite and Toepke 1970 Phys. Rev. Lett. 25 741) and two recently discovered high-pressure hydrogen-rich phases of ThH₉ and ThH₁₀ (Semenok et al 2019 arXiv:1902.10206). As the result, it is found that all known to date thorium super-hydrides/deuterides are unconventional superconductors which have T_c/T_F ratios within a range of 0.008 < T_c/T_F < 0.120, where T_c is the superconducting transition temperature and T_F is the Fermi temperature.

As shown in former papers, the nonadiabatic Heisenberg model presents a novel mechanism of Cooper pair formation generated by the strongly correlated atomic-like motion of the electrons in narrow, roughly half-filled "superconducting bands". These are energy bands represented by optimally localized spin-dependent Wannier functions adapted to the symmetry of the material under consideration. The formation of Cooper pairs is not the result of an attractive electron-electron interaction but can be described in terms of quantum mechanical constraining forces constraining the electrons to form Cooper pairs. There is theoretical and experimental evidence that only this nonadiabatic mechanism operating in superconducting bands may produce eigenstates in which the electrons form Cooper pairs. These constraining forces stabilize the Cooper pairs in any superconductor, whether conventional or unconventional. Here we report evidence that also the experimentally found superconducting state in bismuth at ambient as well as at high pressure is connected with a narrow, roughly half-filled superconducting band in the respective band structure. This observation corroborates once more the significance of constraining forces in the theory of superconductivity.

The main purpose of this paper is to propose a novel optimization model with a new machine learning approach in the first section to achieve the best results in financial institutions in the second section. Since the constancy of efficacy derived from parametric and non-parametric is not significant, this paper provides a scientific assessment at the optimization section and proposes a novel combined parametric and non-parametric model which will be a new experiment in literature perception. A scientific assessment of banks based on a combination of the efficiency measurement method of CCR(Charnes, Cooper and Rhodes model) or CRS(Constant Return to Scale) BCC(Banker, Charnes, and Cooper model) or VRS (Variable Return to Scale) in Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), as well as Stochastic Frontier Approach (SFA) for 65 banks during Feb to July 2020, are introduced. For analyzing the performance of the parametric and non-parametric approaches we have considered the linear regression and Unreplicated Linear Functional Relationship (ULFR). At the machine learning section, a novel four-layers data mining filtering pre-processes for selected supervised classification as well as unsupervised clustering algorithms to increase the accuracy and to remove unrelated attributes and data are applied. For the four kinds of preprocessing approaches of unsupervised attributes, supervised attributes, supervised instances, and unsupervised instances, we have chosen discretization, attribute selection, stratified remove folds, and resample filters respectively. Based on the nature of the suggested financial institution's dataset and attributes, the most appropriate preprocessing filter in each layer to achieve the highest performance is suggested. Finally, the superior bank, best performance model, and the most accurate algorithm are introduced. The results indicate that the bank number 56 is the superior bank. Among the proposed techniques, the novel recommended CVS compared with CCR-BCC and SFA models, has a more positive correlation with profit risk, and show a higher coefficient of determination values. Sequential Minimal Optimization(SMO) algorithm receives the highest accuracy in all four suggested filtering layers.

In this paper, a new axial-type magnetic gear with auxiliary flux-enhancing structure (AFS-AMG) is proposed. Compared to conventional AFS-AMG, it has the higher torque density and higher permanent magnet (PM) utilization factor. Firstly, the design rules and operating principles of proposed AFS-AMG are elaborated. Then, the mapping relation between the radial-type magnetic gears (RMGs) and AMGs are elucidated. Compared to its counterpart in RMGs, AFS-AMGs achieve small size. Then, the geometrical parameters of AFS-AMGs are optimized to obtain the better electromagnetic performances, where the torque density per volume and per PM volume is adopted as the evaluation standard. Finally, three different AMG topologies are constructed in finite element analysis (FEA) software for comparison. It is proven that the AFS-AMG has the largest torque density per volume and per PM volume.

Tight junctions (TJ) are cell-cell adhesive structures that define the permeability of barrier-forming epithelia and endothelia. In contrast to this seemingly static function, TJs display a surprisingly high molecular complexity and an unexpected dynamic regulation, which allows the TJs to maintain a barrier in the presence of physiological forces and in response to perturbations. Cell-cell adhesion receptors play key roles during the dynamic regulation of TJs. They connect individual cells within cellular sheets and link sites of cell-cell contacts to the underlying actin cytoskeleton. Recent findings support roles of adhesion receptors in transmitting mechanical forces and promoting phase separation. In this review, we discuss newly discovered functions of cell adhesion receptors localized at the TJs and their role in the regulation of the barrier function.

The SK model proposed by Sherrington and Kirkpatrick is an important mean field model for spin glasses. The dependence structure of Hamiltonians of the SK model is considered in this paper. We have investigated the covariance matrix of Hamiltonians of the SK model, and establish a relationship between the rank of the corresponding covariance matrix and the dimension of the space spanned by the Hamiltonians. Finally, we also give an upper bound for the rank of the covariance matrix, which might be the best.

Let $\mathcal{\mathcal{S}}_{\cos}^{\ast}$ denote the class of normalized analytic functions $f$ in the open unit disk $\mathbb{D}$ satisfying the subordination $\dfrac{zf^{\prime}(z)}{f(z)}\prec\cos z$. In the second section of this article we find the sharp upper bounds for the initial coefficients $a_{3}$, $a_{4}$ and $a_{5}$ and the sharp upper bound for module of the Hankel determinant $|H_{2,3}(f)|$ for the functions from the class $\mathcal{S}_{\cos}^{\ast}$. The first result of the next section deals with the sharp upper bounds of the logarithmic coefficients $\gamma_{3}$ and $\gamma_{4}$ and we found in addition the sharp upper bound for $\left|H_{2,2}\left(F_{f}/2\right)\right|$. For obtaining these results we used the very useful and appropriate Lemma 2.4 of N.E. Cho et al. [Filomat 34(6) (2020), 2061--2072], and the technique for finding the maximum value of a three variable function on a closed cuboid. All the maximum found values were checked by using MAPLE\texttrademark{} computare software, and we also found the extremal functions in each cases. All of our present results are the best ones and give sharp versions of those recently published in [Hacet. J. Math. Stat. 52, 596--618, 2023].

This study extends the CGAN-based MODIS cloud vertical-profile (64×64-scene, about 70km width×15km height) retrieval technique developed by Leinonen et al. (2019) [1] to construct seamless 3D cloud fields for the MODIS granules [2]. Firstly, the accuracy and spatial continuity of the Leinonen et al. [1] retrievals are statistically evaluated. Then, according to the characteristics of the retrieval error, a spatially overlapping-scene ensemble generation method and a bi-directional Ensemble Binning Probability Fusion (CGAN-BEBPF) technique are developed, which improves the CGAN retrieval accuracy and support to construct seamless 3D clouds. The CGAN-BEBPF technique involves three steps: cloud masking, intensity scaling, and optimal value selection. It ensures adequate coverage of the low reflectivity areas while preserving the high reflectivity cloud cores. The technique is applied to retrieve the 3D cloud fields of Typhoon Chaba and a multi-cell convective system. The cloud structures of the CGAN-BEBPF results are highly consistent with the ground-based radar observations. It can retrieve weak clouds at the top levels of convective storms and hurricanes that were missed by ground-based radars and fill the gaps of the ground-based radar lower-level PPI scan. Overall, CGAN-BEBPF can be automated to retrieve the rich informative 3D structures of typhoons and severe convective systems over the oceans along the MODIS swath, which certainly presents great value for improving maritime and near-shore typhoons and convection prediction and other cloud-sensitive applications.

P-band radar remote sensing applied during the Airborne Microwave Observatory of Subcanopy and Subsurface (AirMOSS) mission has shown great potential for estimation of root zone soil moisture. When retrieving the soil moisture profile (SMP) from P-band radar, a mathematical function describing the vertical moisture distribution is required. Because only a limited number of observations are available, the number of free parameters of the mathematical model must not exceed the number of observed data. For example, a second order polynomial that contains 3 free parameters was presumed based on in-situ SMP data. The polynomial is currently parameterized based on 3 backscatter observations provided by AirMOSS (i.e. one frequency at three polarizations of HH, VV and HV). In this paper, a more realistic, physically-based SMP model containing 3 free parameters is derived based on a solution to Richards’ equation for unsaturated flow in soils. Evaluation of the new SMP model based on both numerical simulations and measured data revealed that it exhibits greater flexibility for fitting measured and simulated SMPs than the currently applied polynomial. It is also demonstrated that the new SMP model can be reduced to a second order polynomial at the expense of fitting accuracy.

Reinforcement learning (RL) is an extensively applied control method for the purpose of designing intelligent control systems to achieve high accuracy as well as better performance. In the present article, the PID controller is considered as the main control strategy for brushless DC (BLDC) motor speed control. For better performance, the fuzzy Q-learning (FQL) method as a reinforcement learning approach is proposed to adjust the PID coefficients. A comparison with the adaptive PID (APID) controller is also performed for the superiority of the proposed method, and the findings demonstrate the reduction of the error of the proposed method and elimination of the overshoot for controlling the motor speed. MATLAB/SIMULINK has been used for modeling, simulation, and control design of the BLDC motor.

The antibodies targeting invasive proteins of Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) merozoites is a clever strategy against malaria parasite. The recent finding that Plasmodium merozoites surface enolase is a target for growth neutralizing antibodies has generated interest in identifying its re-ceptor (s) on erythrocytes. In the present study, several biochemical experiments were undertaken involving recombinant Pf enolase and antibody against it to search for its cognate receptor. The binding of rPfeno to erythrocytes was selectively sensitive to trypsin but resistant to neuramini-dase. Failure of yeast enolase binding to human red blood cells under similar conditions indicat-ed high specificity of parasite Pfeno. The mass spectrometric and immunological analyses of pro-teins obtained in pull downs and co-immunoprecipitation samples led to identification of band 3 as an interactor/receptor for Plasmodium enolase. Structural characterization of sequences of band 3 - rPfeno interacting regions revealed C-terminal exocytic regions of band 3 to be binding to Pfeno. Similarly, band 3 binding regions of rPfeno were also identified. Identification of receptor-ligand (band 3: Pfeno) pair paves the way for antimalarial anti-Pf enolase-based vaccine, anti-Pf enolase antibodies as drug and also for developing novel small molecule-based invasion inhibi-tory therapeutics including peptidomimetics that could disrupt the band 3: Pfeno protein-protein interactions.

The exceptional performance of graphene has driven the advancement of its preparation technique and application. Laser-induced graphene (LIG), as a novel graphene preparation technique, has been applied in various fields. Graphene periodic structures created by LIG technique exhibit superhydrophobic characteristics and can be used for deicing and anti-icing applications, which are significantly influenced by the laser parameters. The laser surface treatment process was simulated by a finite element software analysis (COMSOL Multiphysics) to optimize the scanning parameter range, and the linear array surface structure were subsequently fabricated by the LIG technique. The generation of graphene was confirmed by Raman spectroscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The periodic linear array structure were observed by Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal laser imaging (CLSM). In addition, CLSM testings, contact angle measurements, and delayed icing experiments were systematically performed to investigate the effect of scanning speed on surface hydrophobicity. The results show that the high quality and uniform graphene can be achieved using the laser scanning speed of 125 mm/s. The periodic linear array structures can obviously increase the contact angle and suppress delayed icing. Furthermore, these structures have the enhanced ability of the electric heating deicing, which can reach 100°C and 240°C within 15 s and within 60 s under the DC voltage power supply ranging from 3 to 7 V, respectively. These results indicate that the LIG technique can be developed to provide an efficient, economical, and convenient approach for preparing graphene and the hydrophobic surface array structure based on LIG has considerable potential for deicing and anti-icing applications.

The dependence of the critical temperature $T_c$ of high-temperature superconductors of various families on their composition and structure is proposed. A clear dependence of the critical temperature of high-temperature superconductors (hydrides, Hg- and Y-based cuprates) on the serial number of the constituent elements, their valence and crystal lattice structure has been revealed. For cuprates, it is shown that it is possible to obtain even higher temperatures of superconducting transitions at normal pressure by implanting mercury atoms into the crystal lattice of cuprate.

The attitude dynamics and orbit dynamics of large rigid space structures are coupled with each other under gravity gradient, which may affect the stability of the large rigid space structures. In this paper, the gravity gradient stability of a large rigid space structure is studied under both small and large disturbances. Based on the rigid body dynamics and orbit dynamics, an accurate dynamic model without any linearization of the large rigid space structure is established via the natural coordinate formulation (NCF), which is able to describe the large overall motions of the structures. By using the generalized-α algorithm, the gravity gradient stability of the large rigid space structure is simulated and analyzed via various examples, including the influence of large disturbance angles, the positions at the stabilization and unstabilization regions. Finally, the relationship between spinning stability and gravity gradient stability is also investigated via a large spinning space structure.

The variation of aerosols, especially dust aerosol, in time and space plays an important role in climate forcing studies. Aerosols can effectively reduce land surface longwave emission and re-emit energy at a colder temperature, making estimation of downwelling surface longwave radiation (DSLR) with satellite data difficult. Using the latest atmospheric radiative transfer code (MODTRAN 5.0), we simulate the outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) and DSLR under different land surface and atmospheric profile conditions. The results show that dust aerosol has an obvious “warming” effect to longwave radiation compared with other aerosols, that aerosol longwave radiative forcing (ALRF) increased with increasing aerosol optical depth (AOD), and that the atmospheric water vapor content (WVC) is critical to the understanding of ALRF. A method is proposed to improve the accuracy of DSLR estimation from satellite data for the skies under heavy dust aerosols. The AOD and atmospheric WVC under cloud-free conditions with a relatively simple satellite-based radiation model that yields the high accurate DSLR under heavy dust aerosol are used explicitly as model input to reduce the effects of dust aerosol on the estimation of DSLR. Validations of the proposed model with satellites data and field measurements show that it estimates the DSLR accurately under heavy dust aerosol skies. The root mean square errors (RMSEs) are 20.4 W/M² and 24.2 W/M² for Terra and Aqua satellites, respectively, at the Yingke site, and the biases are 2.7 W/M² and 9.6 W/M², respectively. For the Arvaikheer site, the RMSEs are 23.2 W/M² and 19.8 W/M² for Terra and Aqua, respectively, and the biases are 7.8 W/M² and 10.5 W/M², respectively. The proposed method is especially applicable to acquire relatively high accurate DSLR under heavy dust aerosol using MODIS data with available WVC and AOD data.

Background and Objectives: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a degenerative disease that is targeting continuously people of different ages, but especially the elderly population, the number of which tends to increase continuously at the global level. Apart from age, excess weight can influence the evolution of the disease, with obesity being associated with a weak inflammation stage, and an imbalance between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines. The present work aimed to identify specific biomarkers alike ACRP-30, IL-10, TNF-α, and IL-6 in synovial fluid and correlate them with patients’ clinical data. Materials and Methods: 24 subjects with KOA and over 50 years of age are involved in the present study. All patients performed a supine X-ray at the target knee. Ultrasound was performed using an ESAOTE MyLab Omega (ESAOTE Spa, Italy) ultrasound device and a 6-19 MHz linear array transducer. Results: The obtained results highlighted a significant correlation between age and adiponectin level (p=0.0451, r=-0.412). Also, the IL-10 values are lower in cases where the intensity of the pain is more pronounced (p=0.0405, r=-0.421). In addition, analyzing the data by gender, it was observed that in the case of males, stiffness is more related to age (p=0.0079, r=0.7993), compared to women (p=0.0203, r=0.6223). In the case of women, the progression of the disease tends to increase more intensively total WOMAC score’s values (p=0.00031, r=0.8342), compared with men (p=0.0289, r=7013). Regarding interleukins and BMI, significant correlations were observed only in the case of men. Conclusions: A significant correlation between age and adiponectin, and adiponectin and IL-6, suggests that advanced age may contribute to adiponectin reduction. Comparing men with women, it was observed that men's age is more related to rigidity, and IL-6 and IL-10 are directly correlated to BMI and women seem to be more sensitive to pain and stiffness.

We report on magnetic studies of inhomogeneous commercial and synthesized amorphous carbon (a-C) and a-C doped with sulfur (a-CS) powders which exhibit (i) peculiar magnetic behavior and (ii) traces of two superconducting (SC) phase ~ Tc=33 and at 65 K. (i) The temperature dependence of zero-field-cooled (ZFC) curves measured up to room temperature show a well distinguish elusive peaks around 50-80 K, their origin is not yet known. These peaks are totally washed-out in the second ZFC sweeps and in the FC branches as well. As a result, in the vicinity of the peaks, the FC curves lie below the ZFC peaks (FC<ZFC), a phenomenon which is rarely observed. These magnetic anomalies are intrinsic properties of a-C and a-CS materials (ii) SC was observed in three different a-C sources: (a) The commercial a-C powder contains 0.21% of sulfur and it is suggested that two different a-CS phases (at 33 and 65 K) are the origin of the two SC states observed. The compositions of these two phases are not yet unknown. The small SC volume fractions of the 33 K phase can be enhanced by a solid reaction with additional sulfur at 250 ºC. (b) The synthesized a-C powder (obtained from decomposition of sucrose) is not SC. However, when mixed with sulfur and heated at 400 ºC under a protective atmosphere, the a-CS powder obtained also show traces of a SC phase at TC= 42 K. (c)The same occurs in a-C thin films. The as-grown films are not SC but a SC phase at Tc = 34 K emerges after the films were reacted with sulfur at elevated temperatures. It is concluded therefore, that all SC phases observed are due to different unknown a-CS phases. Since the a-C and a-CS powders possess SC and magnetic states, we believe that these powders resemble the high TC curates and Fe-As based systems in which the SC and the magnetic states are closed related to each other.

In the paper, the author finds bounds of the sine and cosine along a circle on the complex plane in terms of two double inequalities for the norms of the sine and cosine along a circle on the complex plane.

In the paper, the author discusses and computes bounds of the sine and cosine along straight lines on the complex plane.

Floral nectar is a key reward in Leguminosae despite the exceptional diversity of flowers in this family. The paper aims to summarize the available data on structure, ontogeny, regulation, and possible evolution of the leguminous floral nectaries. To date, detailed characterization of ultrastructure and mode of secretion is available only for a few representative of the family whereas the majority remains understudied from this perspective. In most cases, regardless of flower symmetry, nectaries are localized between stamens and a carpel. The nectar is usually exuded from modified stomata although the exact mode of secretion by specialized parenchyma may differ between taxa. The leguminous floral nectaries often have certain features of monosymmetry with preferentially abaxial development. Nectaries were independently lost in several lineages, and equally recurrent is the emergence of substitutive, i.e. evolutionary innovative, nectar-producing structures. Floral nectaries possess a certain degree of evolutionary inertia, i.e. they remain stable even in lineages in which flower morphology underwent significant changes compared with an ancestral plan, such as shifts in merism, symmetry, organ number and alike. Due to their evolutionary stability, floral nectaries are rarely used in taxonomy of Leguminosae.

Heme proteins serve diverse and pivotal biological functions. Therefore, clarifying the mechanisms of these diverse functions of heme is a crucial scientific topic. Distortion of heme porphyrin is one of the key factors regulating the chemical properties of heme. Here, we constructed convolutional neural network models for predicting heme distortion from the tertiary structure of the heme-binding pocket to examine their correlation. For saddling, ruffling, doming, and waving distortions, the experimental structure and predicted values were closely correlated. Furthermore, we assessed the correlation between the cavity shape and molecular structure of heme and demonstrated that hemes in protein pockets with similar structures exhibit near-identical structures, indicating the regulation of heme distortion through the protein environment. These findings indicate that the tertiary structure of the heme-binding pocket regulates the distortion of heme porphyrin, thereby controlling the chemical properties of heme relevant to the protein function; this implies a structure–function correlation in heme proteins.

Axial resolution is one of the most important characteristics of a microscope. In all microscopes, a high axial resolution is desired in order to discriminate information efficiently along the longitudinal direction. However, when studying thick samples that do not contain laterally overlapping information, a low axial resolution is desirable as information from multiple planes can be recorded simultaneously from a single camera shot instead of plane-by-plane mechanical refocusing. In this study, we increased the focal depth of an infrared microscope non-invasively by introducing a binary axicon fabricated on barium fluoride substrate close to the sample. Preliminary results of imaging thick and sparse silk fibers showed an improved focal depth with a slight decrease in lateral resolution and increase in background noise.

The present work investigates primarily the morphology evolution of the body-centered-cubic (BCC)/B2 phases in AlxNiCoFeCr high-entropy alloys (HEAs) with increasing Al content, which has been neglected so far. There exist two types of microscopic morphologies of BCC and B2 phases in this HEA series: one is the weave-like morphology induced by the spinodal decomposition, and the other is the microstructure of a spherical disordered BCC precipitation on the ordered B2 matrix that appears in HEAs with a much higher Al content. The shape of coherent precipitates is found to be closely related to the lattice misfit between BCC and B2 phases, which is sensitive to Al. The mechanical properties, including the compressive yielding strength and microhardness of the AlxNiCoFeCr HEAs, are also discussed in light of the concept of the valence electron concentration (VEC).

Hydraulic fracturing is the most effective method of stimulation for hydrocarbon reservoirs. However the use of water-based fracturing fluids, can be a problem in water-sensitive formations due to the permeability damage hazard caused by clay minerals swelling. For this reason, the foamed fracturing fluids with addition of natural, fast hydrating guar gum were examined. The rheology and filtration coefficients of foamed fracturing fluids were examined and compared to the properties of conventional water-based fracturing fluid. Laboratory results provided the input for numerical simulation of the fractures geometry for water-based fracturing fluids and 50% N₂ foamed fluids. The results show, that the foamed fluids were able to create shorter and thinner fractures compared to the fractures induced by the non-foamed fluid. The simulation proved that the concentration of proppant in the fracture and its conductivity are similar or slightly higher when using the foamed fluid. Moreover such fluids are able to significantly reduce the amount of water necessary for fracturing treatments, limiting clay minerals swelling, and reducing the reservoir permeability damage. The foamed fluids, when injected to the reservoir, provide additional energy, that allow for more effective flowback, and maintain the proper fracture geometry and proppant placing. The results of laboratory work in combination with the 3D simulation showed, that the foamed fluids have suitable viscosity which allows opening the fracture, and transport the proppant into the fracture, providing successful fracturing operation.

We report on ground-based measurements of the atmospheric electric field (Ez= -Potential Gradient (PG)) and current density (Jz) that were conducted at two locations in Israel. One is the Emilio Segre cosmic ray station located on Mt. Hermon (34.45 N, 2020 m AMSL) located in northern Israel near the Syrian-Lebanon border and at the other at the Wise astronomical observatory in the Negev desert highland plateau of southern Israel (31.18 N, 870 m AMSL). We searched for possible effects of strong, short-term solar events on the potential gradient and the vertical current density, as disruption to the Global Electric Circuit are often observed following strong solar events. The first case study (St. Patrick Day, 17 March 2015) was classified as the strongest event of 2015. The second case study (8 Sep 2017) was categorized as the strongest event of 2017 and one of the twenty strongest events on record to date. The results show that the electrical parameters measured at ground level at both stations were not affected during the two massive proton events and the ensuing geomagnetic storms. The magnetospheric shielding in lower latitudes is strong enough to shield against flux of energetic particles from solar events, obscuring any impact that may be noticeable above the local daily variations induced by local meteorological conditions (aerosol concentrations, clouds, high humidity, and wind speed) which were investigated as well.

Forests are critical in regulating the world’s climate and they maintain overall Earth’s energy balance. The variability in forest canopy structure, topography and underneath vegetation background condition creates uncertainty in the estimation and modelling of Earth’s surface radiation particularly for boreal regions in high latitude. We studied seasonal variation in surface reflectance with respect to land cover classes, canopy structures, and topography in a boreal region of Alaska by fusing together Landsat 8 surface reflectance and LiDAR-derived canopy matrices. Our study shows that canopy structure and topography interplay and influence surface reflectance in a complex way particularly during the snow season. Topographic aspect and elevation control vegetation growth, type and structure. The southern slope is featured with more deciduous and taller trees having greater rugosity than the northern slope. Higher elevation is associated with taller trees for both vegetation types, particularly in the southern slope. In general, surface reflectance shows similar relationships with canopy cover, height and rugosity, mainly due to close relationships between these parameters. Surface reflectance decreases with canopy cover, tree height, and rugosity especially for evergreen forest. Deciduous forest shows larger variability of surface reflectance, particularly in March, mainly due to the mixing effect of snow and vegetation. The relationship between vegetation structure and surface reflectance is greatly impacted by topography. The negative relationship between elevation and surface reflectance may be due to taller and denser vegetation distribution in higher elevation. Surface reflectance in the southern slope is slightly larger than the northern slope for both deciduous and evergreen forest. The shadow effect from topography and tree crowns on surface reflectance play a different role for deciduous and evergreen forests. For deciduous forest, topographic shadow effect on surface reflectance is stronger than from tree shadowing in all seasons. For evergreen forest, shadow effects from topography and tree crowns on surface reflectance are both equally dominant, however tree shadow effect is more significant in March than in May and August. The generalized additive models (GAM) based on non-linear relationships between response (surface reflectance) and predictor (canopy structures and topography) variables confirms such observations. Our study not only provides accurate quantification of surface radiation budget but also helps in parametrization of climate change models.

Exploring the determinants of biological community structure is important not only for understanding the formation of the community, but also for promoting its biodiversity conservation. We monitored butterfly communities in a grassland and woodland area of Mount Fuji, Japan, and explored the environmental factors that influenced them. Multivariate regression tree (MRT) analysis generated a 3-leaved MRT (G1, G2, and G3) and showed the total explained variation of 64.4% in the species composition. The explanatory variables discriminating between the two branches in the first node and in the second node of the MRT were neighbouring plant community and management status, respectively. The neighbouring plant community was related to the distribution of butterfly dietary resources and contributed much in determining the species composition of the community. While the management status was largely related to the amount of their dietary resources, affecting the species richness and diversity. The PCA results revealed that the three key groups (G1, G2, and G3) were formed along the gradients of these two factors. Consequently, to maintain mowing management and the diversity of neighbouring vegetation is very important for the continuance of butterfly community diversity and composition and the conservation of Red Listed species in the area.

Prunus tenella is a rare and precious relict plant in China. It is an important genetic resource for almond improvement and an indispensable material in ecological protection and landscaping. However, the research of molecular breeding and genetic evolution has been severely restricted, due to the lack of genome information. In this investigation, we created a chromosome-level genomic pattern of P. tenella, 231Mb in length with a contig N50 of 18.1 Mb by Hi-C techniques and high-accuracy PacBio HiFi sequencing. The present assembly predicted 32088 protein-coding genes, and an examination of the genome assembly indicated that 94.7% among all assembled transcripts were alignable to the genome assembly; most (97.24%) were functionally annotated. By phylogenomic genome comparison, we found that P. tenella is an ancient group that diverged approximately 13.4 million years ago (Mya) from 13 additional closely related species and about 6.5 Mya from the cultivated almond. Collinearity analysis revealed that P. tenella is highly syntenic and has high sequence conservation with almond and peach. However, this species also exhibit many presence/absence variants. Moreover, a large inversion at the 7,588 kb position of chromosome 5 was observed, which may have a significant association with phenotypic traits. Lastly, population genetic structure analysis in eight different populations indicated a high genetic differentiation among the natural distribution of P. tenella. This high-quality genome assembly provides critical clues and comprehensive information for the systematic evolution, genetic characteristics, and functional gene research of P. tenella. Moreover, it provides a valuable genomic resource for in-depth study in protecting, developing, and utilizing P. tenella germplasm resources.

We aimed to investigate the relationship between membrane material and development of membrane fouling in a membrane bioreactor (MBR) using membranes with different pore sizes and hydrophilicities. Batch filtration tests were performed using submerged single hollow fiber membrane ultrafiltration (UF) modules with different polymeric membrane materials including cellulose acetate (CA), polyethersulfone (PES), and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) with activated sludge taken from a municipal wastewater treatment plant. The three UF hollow fiber membranes were prepared by a non-solvent-induced phase separation method and had similar water permeabilities and pore sizes. The results revealed that transmembrane pressure (TMP) increased more sharply for the hydrophobic PVDF membrane than for the hydrophilic CA membrane in batch filtration tests, even when membranes with similar permeabilities and pore sizes were used. PVDF hollow fiber membranes with smaller pores had greater fouling propensity than those with larger pores. In contrast, CA hollow fiber membranes showed good mitigation of membrane fouling regardless of pore size. The results obtained in this study suggest that the surface hydrophilicity and pore size of UF membranes clearly affect the fouling properties in MBR operation when using activated sludge.

A power factor correction (PFC) rectifier is compulsory for any electronic circuitry connected to the electrical grid. The majority of PFCs that are utilized are based on a step-up converter that supplies high DC voltage at its output terminal. Electric vehicle battery voltage varies from a few hundred to almost a thousand volts. Thus, an additional conversion step is obligatory when designing an all-brand universal charger. This paper presents a new type of front-end versatile step up / down three voltage level PFC. The rectifier can operate in continuous conduction mode or discontinuous conduction mode. First, the rectifier’s principle of operation is described, and then an innovative rectifier is analyzed for continuous and discontinuous conduction modes. Finally, the proposed theory is experimentally validated in a multiplier-less dual loop mode at discontinuous conduction modes. It was shown that although there is no multiplier use in the control circuitry, the power factor is near unity. It was revealed that the rectifier could swing the output voltage from 50 V to 900 V while the input voltage was 230 Vrms. The innovative topology suits any standard PFC rectifier, three-level voltage supplement, and dual-stage low-voltage power supply.

In the present work, a superlattice structure comprising superconducting and insulator layers is studied. Here, if a magnetic field is applied parallel to the layers, the lack of a pinning center leads to a novel transition; in particular, as the applied magnetic field is reduced, the stationary wave surrounding the magnetic flux quantum in the superconducting layer eventually collides with the superconducting–insulating interfaces on both sides because its radius becomes larger than the width of the superconducting layer. At this instant, the stationary wave will collapse, and a transition will occur: the magnetic quanta are collapsed and thus the uniform magnetic field distribution is achieved, which corresponds to the transition from the superconducting state to the normal state over critical current. Considering a one-dimensional model of the structure, a critical current density equation is derived that indicates an increase in the critical current density for increased applied magnetic field. Subsequently, the same calculation was conducted after changing the direction of the magnetic field component, and the combination of these two calculations expresses the anisotropic property of the structure. The phenomenon is also predicted for anisotropic critical current density. This phenomenon is an important discovery that helps manufacture high-temperature superconducting tape as well as large high-temperature superconducting coils.

Recently Li et al (2019 Nature 572 624) discovered a new type of oxide superconductor Nd_0.8Sr_0.2NiO₂ with T_c = 14 K. To classify superconductivity in this infinite-layer nickelate experimental upper critical field, B_c2(T), and the self-field critical current densities, J_c(sf,T), reported by Li et al (2019 Nature 572 624), are analysed in assumption of s-, d-, and p-wave pairing symmetries and single- and multiple-band superconductivity. Based on deduced the ground-state superconducting energy gap, Δ(0), the London penetration depth, λ(0), the relative jump in electronic specific heat at T_c, ΔC/C, and the ratio of 2Δ(0)/k_BT_c, we conclude that Nd_0.8Sr_0.2NiO₂ is type-II high-κ weak-coupled single-band s-wave superconductor.

Sulfate, the main dissolved contaminant in acid mine drainage (AMD), is ubiquitous in watersheds affected by coal and metal mining operations worldwide. Engineered passive bioremediation systems (PBS) are low-cost technologies that remediate sulfate contamination by promoting (1) precipitation of sulfate-bearing compounds, such as schwertmannite and gypsum; and (2) microbially-mediated sulfate reduction (BSR) to sulfide with subsequent precipitation of sulfide minerals. In this study, chemical and sulfur isotopic data are used to infer multiple pathways for sulfate sequestration in the Tab-Simco PBS. By simultaneously monitoring sulfate concentrations and δ34SSO4 values at four sampling points across the PBS, we (1) identified that the organic layer within the bioreactor was the primary site of BSR processes contributing to sulfate sequestration; (2) observed seasonal variations of BSR processes; (3) estimated that initially the BSR processes contributed up to 30% to sulfate sequestration in the Tab-Simco bioreactor; and (4) determined that BSR contribution to sulfate sequestration continuously declined over the PBS operational lifetime. Together, our results highlight the utility of combining geochemical and microbial fingerprinting techniques to decipher complementary processes involved in sulfur cycling in a PBS as well as the value of adding the sulfur isotope approach as an essential tool to help understand, predict, prevent and mitigate sulfate contamination in AMD-impacted systems.

In this article, we describe a simple procedure for evaluating the sterility of nutrient media using a shear-horizontal surface acoustic wave (SH-SAW) biosensor. We used the SH-SAW biosensor platform to monitor the time-dependent phase responses of the material for the media that binds to a monolayer of 3-mercaptopropanyl-N-hydroxy succinimide on the biosensor surface. Increases in the phase shift less than 50% of the starting phase shift recorded 180 minutes after the sterilization indicate a successful sterility test of the media. Our devices were then applied to sterility testing using a viable Escherichia coli (E. coli) K-12 solution to confirm our hypothesis. Filtered LB Broth was the negative control, and a 24-hour culture of E. coli was the positive control. Before testing, the cell solution was pelleted, the media decanted, and then replaced with a 1x phosphate-buffered saline solution (1x PBS). Since we know that the N-hydroxysuccinimide residues will bind to amine groups, only in cases where microbial species are present will the surface binding increase greater than 50%. We confirmed our hypothesis using SH-SAW biosensors and overnight E. coli cultures. The sensitivity for our 250 MHz quartz SH-SAW sensors was calculated based on the response from the E. coli K-12 solution over the linear dynamic range, which appears to be 2x10^4 – 2x10^7 CFU per ml and has a sensitivity of S = 1.655x10^5 o m2 Kg-1. The limit of detection (LOD) for these sensors was calculated to be approximately 2x10^-9 grams (g), which is estimated to be approximately 2,000 Escherichia coli (E. coli) K-12 cells. However, the sensitivity and insertion loss remained approximately unchanged before and after coating the sensor with 3,3'-Dithiobis(succinimidyl) Propionate (DSP).

This paper investigates the impact of price and real exchange rate volatility on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows in a panel of 10 Latin American and Caribbean countries, observed between 1990 and 2012. Both price and exchange rate volatility series are estimated through the Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity model (GARCH). Our results, obtained employing the Fixed Effects estimator, confirm the theory of hysteresis and option value, in so far it is found a statistically significant negative effect of exchange rate volatility on FDI. Price volatility, instead, turns out to be positive but insignificant. Moreover, we show that human capital and trade openness are key for attracting foreign capital. From the policy perspective, our analysis suggests the importance of stabilization policies as well as the one of government credibility in promoting trade openness and human capital formation.

Lignin is insoluble in water, limiting its use in the synthesis of adhesives. Therefore, in order to increase the amount of lignin raw materials used in the synthesis of adhesives, a kind of aminated lignin compounds was prepared through lignin amination reaction, and conducting structural analysis in this paper. The particle size of the amino lignin is about 100 nm, with the weight average molecular weight of 57,627 g/mol and a water solubility of 0.45g/100ml. The reaction mechanisms were proposed that the phenolic hydroxyl groups of lignin react with ammonia molecules, and thereby successfully introducing amino groups to generate the aminated lignin compounds. Therefore, this article enriches the scientific theory of lignin reactions and provides reference for the widespread application of lignin raw materials in the field of adhesives.

This is a brief critique of the functions—particularly olfactory functions—specified for the “Chemosensory Protein” (CSPs) molecule family. On the basis of these proteins’ presence in the sensory antennal lymph of locusts, odor chemosensory ligand binding functions have been hypothesized. According to this hypothesis, the entire protein molecule superfamily is referred to as “CSPs”. However, new information and developments in the field of CSP molecular research, such as the expression of CSP genes in the gut, brain, fat body, epidermis, and pheromone gland, as well as gene expression profiling from most early developmental stages—that is, CSP expression well in advance of the appearance of chemical sense nerve cells—strongly suggest that the protein molecule has other roles that are unrelated to chemosensing. Moreover, CSPs are found in bacterial microbial prokaryote organisms in addition to insects. Thus, we examine the molecule’s name, definition, RNA editing, protein structure, lipid binding properties, DNA interaction, and evolutionary characteristics in brief before referring to this protein family as “Chemosensory Proteins”. This article tries to compel and discuss the most recent information as a way to rename this protein family. Because of its highly conserved molecular distinctive feature (four adjacent cysteines), we propose renaming “CSPs” as “4CSPs” (4 Cysteines Soluble Proteins).

In the case of a Cu-Mo-W polymetallic ore, the wastewater from the scheelite cleaning flowsheet contains large amounts of residual flocculants and metal ions, and the separation of chalcopyrite and molybdenite require a large number of environmentally harmful depressants. Therefore, it is necessary to find new methods to reduce the environmental and cost pressures of wastewater treatment and the use of depressants. In this work, the flotation wastewater from scheelite cleaning flowsheet for the separation of chalcopyrite and molybdenite by selective surface passivation was investigated for the first time. Flotations of single minerals and artificially mixed minerals with or without immersion pretreatment in the presence and absence of aeration were performed. The results showed that pulp pH had no effect on the flotation of either mineral, and a molybdenite recovery of 93.22% with chalcopyrite recovery of 10.77% was achieved under the conditions of 10 days of immersion pretreatment with aeration, 350 mg/L of kerosene, and 100 mg/L of MIBC. By combining the electrochemical cyclic voltammetry analysis and characterization by XRD and SEM, the selective surface passivation mechanism of chalcopyrite was discussed, which could be due to the coverage of the insoluble oxidation products, especially jarosite. This work has simultaneously achieved the depressant-free flotation separation of molybdenite and chalcopyrite and the reuse of scheelite flotation wastewater, which is of great significance for environmental protection and cost saving.

Emotion recognition defined as identifying human emotion and is directly related to different fields such as human-computer interfaces, human emotional processing, irrational analysis, medical diagnostics, data-driven animation, human-robot communi- cation and many more. The purpose of this study is to propose a new facial emotional recognition model using convolutional neural network. Our proposed model, “ConvNet”, detects seven specific emotions from image data including anger, disgust, fear, happiness, neutrality, sadness, and surprise. This research focuses on the model’s training accuracy in a short number of epoch which the authors can develop a real-time schema that can easily fit the model and sense emotions. Furthermore, this work focuses on the mental or emotional stuff of a man or woman using the behavioral aspects. To complete the training of the CNN network model, we use the FER2013 databases, and we test the system’s success by identifying facial expressions in the real-time. ConvNet consists of four layers of convolution together with two fully connected layers. The experimental results show that the ConvNet is able to achieve 96% training accuracy which is much better than current existing models. ConvNet also achieved validation accuracy of 65% to 70% (considering different datasets used for experiments), resulting in a higher classification accuracy compared to other existing models. We also made all the materials publicly accessible for the research community at: https://github.com/Tanoy004/Emotion-recognition-through-CNN.

The altimeter-derived ocean currents have been sparsely evaluated against in situ measurements in the Arctic, particularly for extended time periods. This study uses the extensive mooring array situated in the Fram Strait, representing one of the longest ocean current records, to investigate the relationship between in situ and satellite-derived currents in the region. The primary objective of this research is to analyze the vertical structure of the West Spitsbergen Current (WSC), its spatio-temporal coherence, and its association with surface geostrophic currents during the period of 1997-2012. To assess the vertical structure of the WSC, we utilized the Empirical Orthogonal Functions (EOF) and cross-correlation analysis between neighboring moorings. Remarkably, both velocity components exhibited robust vertical coherence, particularly within the waters of the North Atlantic Inflow, at depths exceeding 800 m. These findings underscore the potential for surface measurements to effectively complement data gaps and facilitate the reconstruction of deeper currents with a monthly temporal resolution. Notably, the surface measurements explain approximately 67% of the variance in the top 800 m of the water column.This comprehensive investigation advances our understanding of the West Spitsbergen Current and its vertical characteristics in the Arctic. Moreover, our findings highlight the valuable synergy between in situ and satellite-derived data, providing critical insights for future ocean current studies in this ecologically sensitive region.

This study aimed to learn disturbance information to effectively control multiple small unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) for marine research purposes at sea. The learned disturbance information was used to investigate the control of multiple USV swarms based on the leading–following formation technique. Numerous studies have already been conducted on swarm control using drones in the air; however, there has been a paucity of studies on swarm control in the sea. Contrary to swarm control in aviation, the fluid density of the sea is high, and the environment is constantly changing; thus, a robot system would be significantly affected by disturbances. This ultimately influences the maintenance of swarm formations and the accomplishment of missions [1,2]. Therefore, it is difficult to control numerous moving objects while maintaining a formation at sea by using the existing aerial drone swarm control technology. To solve this problem, we learned a long short-term memory (LSTM) model with time-series marine environmental data to predict maritime disturbances. Thereafter, the model was applied to a mission-based position control algorithm of each USV constituting the swarm to design a marine unmanned floating vessel swarm control system that can be applied to various marine environments. Specifically, to effectively control numerous small USVs for marine research purposes, ocean currents are learned using the LSTM algorithm, and the predicted ocean currents are used to generate a swarm USV control system for USV formations. In this study, a control system model of several small USVs equipped with two rear thrusters and a front lateral thruster was designed. The LSTM algorithm was learned using the previous ocean current data, and the velocity of the following ocean currents was predicted. The predictions were then used as a system disturbance to determine the thrust of the controller. To measure ocean currents in the sea when each USV moves, the velocity, azimuth, and position (latitude, longitude) data from the GPS mounted on the USV were used to measure the velocity and direction of the hull's movement. Further, the flow rate was measured using a flow rate sensor on a small USV. The USV movement and position were controlled using an artificial neural network-PID (ANN-PID) controller. This study entailed a comparative analysis of the designed USV model results and those generated by the simulator, including the behavior control rule of the USV swarm and the path of the actual USV swarm at sea. It was verified that the effectiveness of the USV mathematical model and behavior control rules. By comparing the movement path of the swarm USV with and without the disturbance learning algorithm and ANN-PID control algorithm applied to the designed simulator, the position error and maintenance performance of the swarm formation were analyzed, and the application results were compared.

The advancement in science and technology has led to luffa sponge (LS) being widely used as a natural material in industrial application as its polyporous structure and light texture. In order to enhance the utility of LS fibers as the reinforcement of lightweight composite materials, this study investigate its water absorption, mechanical properties, anatomical characteristic and thermal performance. Hence, moisture regain, tensile properties of LS fiber bundles were measured in accordance with standards and the structural characteristics were investigated via microscopic observation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the surface morphology and fracture surface of fiber bundles. Test results shows that the special structure where the phloem tissues degenerate to cavities had a significant influence on the mechanical properties of LS fiber bundles. Additionally, the transverse sectional area occupied by fibers in a fiber bundle (SF), wall thickness and ratio of wall to lumen of fiber cell, and crystallinity of cellulose had an impact on the mechanical properties of LS fiber bundles. Furthermore, the fiber bundles density of LS varies range of 385.46-468.70 kg/m³, much less than that of jute (1360.40 kg/m³) and Arenga engleri (950.20 kg/m³) while LS fiber bundles has superior specific modulus.