As one of the typical deposits in Sichuan-Yunnan-Guizhou Pb-Zn metallogenic province, the Daliangzi Pb-Zn deposit has a close genetic relation with the structural system of “black/fracture zone” formed under the action of NWW-approx. EW strike-slip structures in the metallogenic province, but the mechanism of rock and ore-controlling action of the structural system remains unclear. Based on detailed analysis of tectonite-mineralized alteration lithofacies of R1 “black/fracture zone”, the tectonite-mineralized alteration lithofacies zones can be divided into 4 types in succession outward from the Pb-Zn mineralization center, i.e., ① brecciated and stockwork-like Pb-Zn mineralization-complex breccia facies zone, ② stockwork-like Pb-Zn mineralization-simple breccia and cataclasite facies zone, ③ veined pyrite-sulfide-dolomitic cataclasite facies zone, and ④ fine-veined calcite-black carbonized dolomite facies zone; Cl- and SO42--rich high-temperature oxidizing ore-bearing fluid mixes with reducing fluid in Zone ① while migration and precipitation occur in Zone ④. With the evolution of ore-forming fluid, the homogenization temperature decreases from Zone ① to Zone ④, the salinity increases from Zone ① to Zone ② and then decreases to Zones ③ and ④, and the fluid density has little change on the whole; the contents of Zn, Pb, Cu, Ga, Ge, Cd, Ag, and other metallogenic elements, the Zn/Pb ratio, and the CaO/MgO mole ratio decrease gradually from Zone ① to Zone ④; and REE fractionation, calcilization, silicification, and pyritization enhance gradually from Zone ① to Zone ④. This series of changes are the product of diapirism (cryptoexplosion) of strike-slip structures and “black/fracture zone”, among which the second-order structures (F5, F100, and other faults) derived from NWW-approx. EW striking dextral shear-tension faults F1 and F15 control the brecciated and stockwork-like Pb-Zn mineralized complex breccia facies zones and the stockwork-like Pb-Zn mineralized simple breccia and cataclasite facies zones. Therefore, this paper establishes the zoning mode of tectonite-mineralized alteration lithofacies of “black/fracture zone” and proposes that Zones ① and ② are important prospecting criteria. conclusions.

The urbanization effects on land surface phenology (LSP) have been investigated by many studies, but few studies focused on the temporal variations of urbanization effects on LSP. In this study, we used the MODIS EVI, MODIS LST data and China’s Land Use/Cover Datasets (CLUDs) to investigate the temporal variations of urban heat island intensity and urbanization effects on LSP in Northeast China during 2001–2015. Land surface temperature (LST) and phenology differences between urban and rural areas represented the urban heat island intensity and urbanization effects on LSP, respectively. Mann-kendall nonparametric test and Sen's slope were used to evaluating the trends of urbanization effects on LSP and urban heat island intensity. The results indicated that the average land surface phenology (LSP) during 2001–2015 was characterized by high spatial heterogeneity. The start of the growing season (SOS) in old urban area had become earlier and earlier than rural area and the differences of SOS between urbanized area and the rural area changed greatly during 2001–2015 (−0.79 days/year, p < 0.01). Meanwhile, the length of the growing season (LOS) in urban and adjacent areas had become increasingly longer than rural area especially in urbanized area (0.92 days/year, p < 0.01), but the differences of the end of the growing season (EOS) between urban and adjacent areas did not change significantly. Next, the UHII increased in spring and autumn during the whole study period. Moreover, the correlation analysis indicated that the increasing urban heat island intensity in spring contributed greatly to the increases of urbanization effects on SOS, but the increasing urban heat island intensity in autumn did not lead to the increases of urbanization effects on EOS in Northeast China.

Hydraulic fracturing for oil-gas and geothermal reservoir stimulation is closely related to the generation and propagation of Mode I crack. Nonlinear deformation due to rock heterogeneity occurs at such crack tip, which causes the fracture process zone (FPZ) to form before the crack propagates unsteadily. However, the relationship between the FPZ characteristics and rock heterogeneity still remain elusive. We used three rock types common in reservoir for experimental investigation, and each of them includes two subtypes with different heterogeneity due to grain size or microstructural characteristics. Drawing on the experiment results, we calculated the FPZ size in each cracked chevron notched Brazilian disk, and we reproduced the formation process of the FPZ in marble by discrete element method. We showed that strong heterogeneity is favorable to large FPZ size, can enhance the ability of crack generation and complicate crack morphology. Coupling the Weibull distribution with fracture mechanics, the dependence of the FPZ size on heterogeneity degree can be theoretically explained, which suggests that inherent heterogeneity of rocks set physical foundation for formation of FPZ. These findings can improve our recognition to formation mechanism of the Mode I crack and provide useful guidelines for evaluating reservoir fracability.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) accounts for one-sixth of deaths, globally, whereas cancer is the second leading cause of death in the U.S. T2DM is a known risk factor for many cancers. This review examines the link of Reactive oxygen Species (ROS)-altered metabolic and signaling pathways in T2DM to cancer. These reprogrammed metabolic and signaling pathways are activated that contribute to diabetic complications, impact redox balance (Oxidative Stress), and have differential roles in early and late stages of cancer. If the respiratory chain is highly reduced (as under hyperglycemic conditions) or if reduced cofactors accumulate, ROS are greatly elevated. ROS may cause mutations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) that result in further ROS elevation. Amplification of ROS results in activation of PKC, an overarching signaling pathway that activates MAPK with subsequent regulation of several factors that result in pathophysiological manifestations of T2DM and cancer. Upregulation of PKC leads to deregulation of NF-kß that regulates the PKB/P13/Akt pathway that orchestrates cell survival, growth, proliferation, and glucose metabolism manifested in cancer. It also affects Insulin Receptor Substrate (IRS-1), decreasing insulin stimulated glucose transport and glucose uptake, disrupting subsequent cell signaling pathways contributing to the development of T2DM. Dyslipidemia is a hallmark of T2DM and cancer. ROS-induced lipid peroxidation leads to systemic inflammation, producing inflammatory prostaglandins, cytokines and chemokines that result in tumor proliferation, rapid tumor growth, and modulation of immunity. The dual role of ROS in early and late stages of cancer make antioxidant therapy precarious and may be responsible for controversial results. A system that delivers an antioxidant directly to mitochondria may be useful in inhibiting formation of ROS early during the pre-diabetic stage whereas antioxidant therapy must be halted in later stages to retard metastasis.

Using numerical software to establish a three-dimensional geological model of shield tunneling through fault fracture zones, considering the synchronous grouting effect at the shield tail, the disturbance of various geotechnical structures in the fault fracture zone under deep burial and high water pressure conditions is studied. According to the comparison between the numerical model analysis results and the on-site inspection results of the entire process of Shiziyang B3 section, synchronous grouting at the shield tail is the main reason for the changes in soil and water pressure in the fault fracture zone area. The soil and water pressure changes strongly during shield tunneling, and the maximum excess pore pressure value occurs when the shield tail passes. When the shield tunneling machine is far away, the soil and water stress shows a downward trend. The impact of synchronous grouting decreases with the increase of tunneling distance. Due to the difference in permeability, the variation law of pore pressure in the fault fracture zone is significantly different from the original rock, leading to a faster increase in pore pressure in the fracture zone area and a wider range of influence.

Linear elastic fracture modeling coupled with empirical material tension data result in good quantitative agreement with experimental measurements of fracture failure for both brittle and tough epoxy nanocomposites. The nanocomposites comprise diglycidyl ethers of bisphenol A cured with O,O’ bis (2-aminopropylpropylene glycol) (Jeffamine D230) and doped with rubber nanoparticles of varying concentrations. Toughness, critical load, and critical displacement in quasi-static single edge-notched three-point bending are predicted accurately using both surface-based cohesive zone (CZS) and extended finite element (XFEM) methods implemented in Abaqus software. Fracture initiation within a crack is taken at the yield stress from uniaxial tension data. Prediction of fracture processes using a generalized truncated linear traction-separation law was significantly improved by considering the case of a linear softening function. There are no adjustable parameters in the XFEM model. The CZS model requires only optimization of the element displacement at fracture parameter. Thus, these continuum methods describe these materials in mode I fracture with a minimum number of independent parameters.

Compared to the southern Tibetan Plateau, the northern part has been regarded as relatively lacking geothermal resources. However, there is no lack of natural hot springs exposed in beads along large-scale fracture systems, and research on them is currently limited to individual hot springs or geothermal systems. This paper focuses on the Wahongshan-Wenquan Fracture Zone (WWFZ), analyzes the formation of five hydrothermal activity zones along the fracture zone in terms of differences in the hydrochemical and isotopic composition of the hot water, and then explores the hydrothermal control of hot springs in the zone by the fracture. The results show that the main Fractures of WWFZ is the regional heat-control structures, and the fracture system formed by a small number of near-north-south and near-east-west fractures transversal to it provides a favorable channel for deep hydrothermal convective circulation. Ice and snow melt water from the Ngola Shan Mountains, with an average elevation of more than 4,500 meters above sea level, infiltrates along the fractures and is heated by deep circulation to form deep geothermal reservoirs. There is no detectable contribution of mantle source heat to the hot spring gases, and the heat source is mainly natural heat conduction warming, but the "Low-Velocity body (LVB)" in the middle and lower crust of the area may be the primary heat source of the high geothermal background in the area. The hydrochemical components of the hot springs in the area show a certain regularity, and the main ionic components, TDS and water temperature, tend to increase away from the main rupture, reflecting the controlling effect of the WWF on the hydrothermal transport in the area. In the future, the geothermal work in this area should focus on the hydrothermal control properties of different levels, the nature of fractures in the area, and the thermal contribution of LVB in the middle and lower crust.

In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), cervical cancer is a critical public health issue; it is the second leading cause of cancer among women and the leading cause of female cancer deaths. Incidence and mortality rates are substantially higher than in high-income countries with population-based screening programs, yet implementing screening programs in SSA has so far proven to be challenging due to financial, logistical and sociocultural factors. Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is an effective approach for primary prevention of cervical cancer and presents an opportunity to reduce the burden from cervical cancer in SSA. With a number of SSA countries now eligible for GAVI support for vaccine introduction, it is timely to consider the factors that impede and facilitate implementation of vaccine programs in SSA. This article reviews the epidemiological and clinical features of cervical cancer in SSA and describes the current status of HPV vaccine implementation in SSA countries. The review considers the challenges that will need to be addressed, and effective approaches to the design and implementation of HPV vaccination programs, using Rwanda as a case study. The review aims to provide suggestions and guidance to those involved in the development and implementation of HPV vaccination programs in SSA.

This paper deals with the quantitative analysis of measured fracture-induced electromagnetic radiation (FEMR) in the vicinity of the Dead Sea Transform using the Angel-M1 instrument, which enables the recording of FEMR signals in a 3D manner. Results show both the possibility of estimating the sizes of micro-fractures that are the sources of the radiation, and of assessing the direction of their location to the measuring device and the range of magnitude Mw of the impending "events" (EQ's) associated with the present FEMR measurements. Moreover, the relation between the measured FEMR activity (the number of FEMR hits per unit time) and the FEMR event magnitudes shows consistency with the Gutenberg-Richter relationship for the region. Such measurements could therefore constitute a preliminary 'field reinforcement' towards an EMR valid method for a real earthquake forecast, which would provide much earlier warnings than the seismic ones. Obviously, the present observed FEMR measurements can only be used as an assessment of the stress concentration and micro-fracturing in the region since they relate to the very initial nucleation phase of a "virtual" (extremely low Richter scale value) earthquake, but they do provide the necessary feasibility test for a prediction method since all lab-measured FEMR features were confirmed also in the field.

The paper analyzes quasiperiodic upwellings and downwellings on the shelf and upper part of continental slope of the north-eastern Black Sea. It is shown that these processes are related to changes in intensity and direction of alongshore current and the following geostrophic adjustment of density field. The source of such changes is a meandering of the Black Sea Rim Current (RC). It leads to a quasi-periodic change of direction of the alongshore current, from north-western (cyclonic RC meander) to south-eastern (anticyclonic RC meander, or eddy). These cycles, or phases, have average duration about 10 days. During the north-western phase, the permanent Black Sea pycno-halocline (hereafter pycnocline) and seasonal thermocline descend, their thickness increases, and so does the thickness of the upper mixed layer (UML). During the south-eastern phase both pycnocline and seasonal thermocline ascend and become thinner, along with the UML, which also becomes thinner. In both phases, isopycnals in the pycnocline and isotherms in the thermocline demonstrate quasi-in-phase vertical oscillations, which have a good correlation with speed and direction of the alongshore current. These correlations allow estimation of the magnitude of upwellings and downwellings in the shelf-slope area of the north-eastern Black Sea using data series of current velocity profiles.

Channel bends are one of the most important characteristic features of natural streams. These bends often create the conditions for a hyporheic zone, which has been recognized as a critical component of stream ecosystems. The streambed vertical hydraulic conductivity (K_v), vertical hydraulic gradient (VHG) and Darcian flux (DF) in the hyporheic zone were estimated at 61 locations along a channel bend of the Beiluo River during July 2015 and January 2016. All the streambed attributes showed great spatial variability along the channel bend. Both upward fluxes and downward fluxes occurred during the two test periods, most of studied stream sections were controlled by downwelling, indicating stream water discharge into the subsurface. The average downward flux was higher at the downstream side than at the upstream side of the channel bend, especially in July 2015. The distribution of streambed sediment grain size has a significant influence on the variability of K_v; high percentages of silt and clay sediments generally lead to low K_v values. Higher K_v at the depositional left bank at the upstream site shifted toward the erosional right bank at the downstream site, with K_v values positively correlated with the water depth. This study suggested that the variabilities of K_v and VHG were influenced by the stream geomorphology and that the distribution of K_v was inversely related, to a certain extent, to the distribution of VHG across the channel bend. K_v and VHG were found to have opposite effects on the DF, and the close relationship between K_v and DF indicated that the water fluxes were mainly controlled by K_v.

We study here what can be learned from our experience with COVID-19 vaccination for an initially naïve population, that can inform planning for vaccination against the next novel, highly transmissible pathogen. We focus on the first two pandemic years (wild strain through Delta), because after the Omicron wave in early 2022, few people were still SARS-CoV-2-naïve. Almost all were vaccinated, infected, or often both. We review the evidence on COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness (VE), waning effectiveness over time, and what we should expect about VE and waning from a future pathogen. As a basis for our analysis, we conducted a PRISMA-compliant review of all studies on PubMed through August 15, 2022 reporting VE against four endpoints: any infection, symptomatic infection, hospitalization, and death, for the four principal vaccines used in developed Western countries (BNT162b2, mRNA1273, Ad26.CoV2.S, and ChAdOx1-S). The mRNA vaccines (BNT162b2, mRNA1273) had high initial VE against all endpoints but protection waned after approximately six months, with BNT162b2 declining faster than mRNA1273. Both mRNA vaccines initially outperformed the viral vector vaccines. A third “booster” dose, roughly six months after the primary doses, substantially reduced symptomatic infection, severe disease, and mortality, and in hindsight should be seen as part of the normal vaccination schedule.

We describe a model of neurological disease based on dysfunctional brain oscillators. This is not a new model, but it is not one that is generally appreciated by clinicians. The value of this model lies in the predictions it makes and the utility it provides in translational applications, in particular for neuromodulation devices. We provide a perspective on the difference between neuromodulation devices that enforce an externally administered stimulus with devices that provide input to sensory receptors and thus stimulate endogenous sensory networks. Current forms of clinically applied neuromodulation are of the former type, including devices such as (implanted) deep brain stimulators (DBS) and various, noninvasive methods such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial current methods (tACS, tDCS). The challenge with these methods is that they are not sensitive to underlying neuronal dynamics and work by applying an empirically derived electrical current waveform to affect dynamical patterns. Neuromodulation of a sensory organ accesses the same pathways that natural environmental stimuli do and, importantly, the modulatory signal will be transformed as it travels through the brain, allowing the modulation input to be consistent with regional dynamics. We present specific examples of devices that rely on sensory neuromodulation and evaluate the translational potential of these approaches. We argue that sensory neuromodulation is well suited to probe and, ideally, repair dysfunctional brain oscillators, thus providing a novel therapeutic approach for neurological diseases.

Biochemical compositions of black carpenter ants (Camponotus pennsylvanicus) were analyzed using standard methods. The proximate composition (%) were as follows: crude protein (22.50), crude fibre (1.46), carbohydrate by difference (30.86) and energy (35.4Kcal). The predominant mineral was potassium and nickel was the least. The antinutritional properties (mgkg^-1) ranged as follows: Oxalate (1.35), phytate (62.79), and tannins (0.72). The results suggested that the ant may be a good source of nutrition.

This research investigates the fatigue behaviour and fracture mechanics of high-performance concrete (HPC), including various compositions such as HPC with basalt aggregates (HPC-B), HPC with gravel (HPC-G), and high-strength coarse mortar (CM) static and cyclic tensile loading within the special priority program SPP 2020. The study aims to integrate fracture mechanics into structural analysis to enhance design guidelines for slender cross-sections and safety-related high-performance structural components. The experimental investigations reveal HPC-B's re-markable superiority, displaying higher compressive strength, modulus of elasticity, and tensile strength compared to HPC-G and CM. A modified disk-shaped compact tension (MDCT) based on ASTM standards, aided by digital image correlation (DIC) unveils fracture behaviour, empha-sizing fracture energy as a crucial parameter. HPC-B exhibits improved crack resistance and notch sensitivity reduction attributed to crushed basalt aggregates and enhanced interfacial transition zone (ITZ). The research scrutinizes factors like material characterization, aggregate morphology, stress levels, and displacement rate on crack formation. High-cycle fatigue tests show HPC-B's superior performance, and post-fatigue analysis reveals enhanced residual fracture toughness attributed to nano-level structural changes, stress redistribution and aggregate-matrix interac-tion. 3D image analysis via Computed Tomography (CT) scans captures mesostructural crack propagation and provide quantitative insights. This study advances the understanding of HPC fatigue behaviour, emphasizing the interplay of aggregate types, morphologies, and their dy-namic response to cyclic loading, offering valuable insights for optimizing design guidelines and fostering innovation in structural engineering.

In this review, we summarize recent progress in crystal growth and understanding the influence of crystal structure on the superconductivity in pure and Pb-doped Bi2Sr2CuOy (Bi-2201) materials belonging to the overdoped region of high temperature cuprate superconductors. The crystal growth of Bi-2201 superconductors faces challenges due to intricate materials chemistry and lack of knowledge of corresponding phase diagrams. Historically, a crucible-free floating zone method has emerged as the most promising growth approach for these materials, resulting in high-quality single crystals. This review outlines the described in the literature and the authors' synthesis endeavors, encompassing Pb-doped Bi-2201 crystals, detailed structural characterization of as-grown and post-growth annealed samples, and highlights optimal growth conditions that yield large-size, single-phase, and compositionally homogeneous Bi-2201 single crystals.

The scratch test consists in pushing a tool across the surface of a material at a given penetration depth or applied load. It has several applications in Science and Engineering including strength testing, damage and quality control of thin films and coatings. Despite numerous attempts in scientific literature, the application of scratch test to characterizations of fracture properties remains a heavily controversial topic. Therefore, this investigation arises as an experimental study in order to assess the fracture toughness using scratch test. A study on the effect of cryogenic treatment, performed after tempering, on fracture toughness, via scratch test experiments, of different tool steels has been made. A laboratory investigation on AISI D2, AISI M2 and X105CrCoMo18 steel confirms the possibility of increasing the fracture toughness by carrying out the cryogenic treatment after the usual heat treatment

A systematic study has been conducted on barbiturate complexes of all five alkali metals Li–Cs prepared from the metal carbonates or hydroxide in aqueous solution without other potential ligands present, varying the stoichiometric ratio of metal ion to barbituric acid (BAH). Eight polymeric compounds (two each for Na, K, and Rb and one each for Li and Cs) have been characterised by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. All contain some combination of barbiturate anion BA− (necessarily in a 1:1 ratio with the metal cation M+), barbituric acid, and water. All organic species and water molecules are coordinated to the metal centres via oxygen atoms as either terminal or bridging ligands. Coordination numbers range from 4 (for the Li complex) to 8 (for the Cs complex). Extensive hydrogen bonding plays a significant role in all the crystal structures, almost all of which include pairs of N–H…O hydrogen bonds linking BA− and/or BAH components into ribbons extending in one dimension. Factors influencing the structure adopted by each compound include cation size and reaction stoichiometry as well as hydrogen bonding.

To determine the fracture rate of ceramic crowns and causes of ceramic crown failure, this study used keywords—namely “endocrown,” “veneered fixed dental prosthesis,” “monolithic lithium disilicate (LS2),” and “all-ceramic single crown”—to search for articles published in English from 2005 to 2023 in the PubMed electronic database. Rather than using the Boolean logic algorithm between MESH terms and keywords, we accurately calculated the numbers of final clinically tracked cases with crown fractures from the contents of articles. The titles and abstracts of many related articles focused on implant or abutment fracture, while crown fracture was investigated and mentioned only in the main texts of the articles. Our studies included those crowns as well as having more complete data collection. Our search yielded 228, 93, 404, and 358 articles for the keywords “endocrown,” “veneered fixed dental prosthesis,” “monolithic lithium disilicate (LS2),” and “all-ceramic single crown,” respectively. We used the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (NOS) to assess article quality, and our inclusion criteria were randomized controlled trials (RCT) and cohort study articles involving more than 3 years of follow-up and more than 20 cases. After reviewing, 16 high-quality articles were selected for analysis. The 4.4% crown fracture rate recommended on the basis of most clinical results was achieved in only 6 of the 16 articles. In these 6 articles, the researchers concluded the following reasons that may cause the crown fractures: the thickness of the veneer ceramic material; the connector dimensions; pontic span of the fixed prosthesis; the type of cement; the treatment of the ceramic surface before luting. Other articles inferred that the computer-aided design libraries that were insufficient for the creation of appropriate anatomically supported frameworks for prostheses with ceramic veneers; the thermal expansion coefficient and fracture toughness of the framework material did not match those of the veneer ceramic, resulting in an insufficient area supporting the ceramic veneer then leads to premature crown failure after a long period chewing. The future prospective for material developing could focus on solving those problems and have better clinical results.

Offshore Wind Turbines (OWT) with increasingly higher energy output are being developed to meet energy demand, posing challenges for their foundation design. Several foundation types are used to support these turbines with monopiles (MP) accounting for 80% of the installed capacity. In this study, three-dimensional (3D) nonlinear finite element models (FEM) were employed to investigate the behaviour of monopile foundation supporting a 5MW wind turbine when subjected to lateral loading. Results indicate that the MP behavior depending on the pile length to diameter (L/D) ratio and the soil shear strength. Inspection of bending moment profiles at the lateral ultimate capacity indicated the monopiles can behave in flexible manner even with low L/D ratio. The L/D ratio affected the MP normalized lateral ultimate capacity at varying degrees and the biggest effect was for soft clays, amounting to around 5 folds increase for L/D values of 3.33 to 13.33. Lesser effects were found for stiff clays.

The Eastern Kunlun Fault Zone (EKFZ) is located in a seismic blank area. This study investigates the hydrogeochemical characteristics of varied-temperature springs in the EKFZ to understand the relationship between fractures, fluids and earthquakes. It aids in establishing their induction mechanisms and assists in monitoring the earthquake precursors of the EKFZ. In this study, the main elements, trace elements, hydrogen and oxygen isotopes and strontium isotopes of 23 varied-temperature springs in the EKFZ were analyzed. The results reveal the source of groundwater recharge, hydrochemical types, mineral saturation, and for a select few springs indicative of geothermal activity, collected geothermal reservoir temperatures. The study also explores the relationship between earthquakes and springs, identifying sensitive chemical indicators. Based on continuous monitoring at Maqu Station, we found that before the occurrence of the Maerkang Ms 6.0 earthquake, the concentration of Cl− rose by 2.9 times, and 46 days before the Gande earthquake (Ms = 4.7), the concentrations of Na+ and SO42− significantly increased. Finally, a conceptual model of the hydrogeochemistry of springs is presented to describe the groundwater circulation in the study area. This research is of great significance for the analysis of fluid geochemistry in this area and for assessing the seismic hazards of the EKFZ.

Analyses of the three predominant types of sedimentation – clastic, carbonate and black shale – revealed their discontinuity/continuity in different facies environments of the Middle and Late Devonian of the central part of the Volga-Urals petroleum province, namely (1) in depressions, both condensed and non-condensed, (2) on the slopes of depressions and (3) in shallow water environments represented by tectonic arches or localised biohermal uplifts. The regional zonation of conodonts, correlated with the global chronostratigraphic scheme, substantiates the stratigraphic completeness of the general Devonian sequence in this area. In particular, the sedimentation of organic-rich black shales, traditionally considered as source rocks, lasted more than 29 million years, starting from the Late Eifel and ending at the Devonian-Carboniferous boundary. There was only one hiatus in the deposition of both black shales and carbonate sediments, lasting about 2.5 million years at the end of the Frasnian. That interval is dominated by clastic sediments, which are considered to be the most productive reservoirs of the Volga-Ural province. In the time interval from the beginning of the Eifel to the end of the Frasnian (about 17 Ma), (a) clastic sediments show the highest accumulation rates; (b) the most complete sequences occur in depressions; and (c) arches and uplifts show the most significant gaps in the geological record. During Famennian, (a) clastic sedimentation has completely ceased; (b) differences between the slopes of troughs and shallow-water environments have diminished, resulting in stable accumulation of carbonate sediments in both settings; (c) the decrease in sequence thickness (up to 50 m) in depressions suggests reduced accumulation rates of deep-water organic-rich black shales. The results help to understand the complex spatial relationship between different coexisting sedimentation types and focus attention to the incompleteness of the geological record in different environments.

Spectrum distribution is a classical licensed spectrum accessing method in mobile communication networks. The licensed idle spectrum resources are authorized and distributed from spectrum owners to mobile users. However, the exponential growth of user capacity brings excessive load pressure on the traditional centralized network architecture. As lack of sufficient supervision and penalty measures, dishonest behaviors of spectrum owners and spectrum users will lead to the unfair status in the distribution process. As a result, the honest participants’ interest will be harmed. As an important supporting infrastructure of Internet of things technology, 6G cannot completely follow the existing spectrum distribution method. Towards 6G network spectrum distribution, an blockchain based licensed spectrum fair distribution method is proposed. A lightweight consensus mechanism named as proof of trust (PoT) is applied to reduce computational power consumption and consensus time overhead. We deploy the method on the Ethereum test chain, theoretical analysis and experimental results demonstrate the fairness, effectiveness and security of the method.

Binder jet printed components typically have low overall density in the green state and high shrinkage and deformation after heat treatment. It has previously been demonstrated that, by including nanoparticles of the same material in the binder, these properties can be improved as the nanoparticles can fill the interstices and pore throats between the bed particles. The beneficial effects from using these additive binder particles can be improved by maximising the binder particle size, enabling the space within the powder bed to be filled with a higher packing efficiency. The selection of maximum particle size for a binder requires detailed knowledge of the pores and pore throats between the powder bed particles. In this paper, a raindrop model is developed to determine the critical radius at which binder particles can pass between pores and penetrate the bed. The model is validated against helium pycnometry measurements and binder particle drop tests. It is found that the critical radius can be predicted, with acceptable accuracy, using a linear function of the mean and standard deviation of the particle radii. Percolation theory concepts have been employed in order to generalise the results for powder beds that have different mean particle sizes and size distributions. The results of this work can be employed to inform the selection of particle sizes required for binder formulations, to optimise density and reduce shrinkage in printed binder jet components.

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.

This paper seeks to fill in the gaps of modern relativistic Cosmology by utilizing the total symmetry between space and time dimensions and re-interpreting the scale factor of the Universe as a gravitational potential generated by the mass/energy of the entire Universe as a whole. The gradient of this potential is along the cosmological time dimension through which the Universe is falling. This gradient gives us an arrow of time, we find explanations for why the Universe began expanding and why the expansion is accelerating without the need for a Cosmological Constant. In a finite time, the gradient will point in the opposite direction of time turning the expanding Universe into a collapsing one where it is shown that when placing the Schwarzschild metric in the dynamic Cosmological background, gravity becomes repulsive and things like would-be Black Holes become White Holes. The model naturally describes a Universe and an anti-Universe (consisting of antimatter) moving in opposite directions of time that collide at the end of collapse, annihilating and subsequently pair producing two new Universes as the cycle begins again. It is shown that the model's Hubble diagram fits the currently available supernova and quasar data. It is found that Dark Matter can perhaps be understood as ordinary matter that is not connected to us with null geodesics.

The human landscape transforming activity contributes to the global change of vegetation in different forms. Hunting is one of the most ancient human landscape-shaping activities. Feeders for hunting are particularly disruptive to vegetation. In the present study, we conducted a vegetation survey in these highly disturbed places. We are investigating the vegetation dynamics over several years in in the turkey oak–sessile oak zone, in two areas with different moisture and shade conditions (forest and clearing). One important background factor is changes in precipitation and temperature. The novelty of our present study lies in the fact that the observation takes place with continuous disturbance, where the human influence is very large. Our results confirm that the weed infestation be detectable at bait sites over a long period, and the interannual changes were typical in every year, according to the fact that in August, more weed species are usually present with a greater cover at the bait sites. The main meteorological factors played a role in the degree of weed infestation in each year. There was a higher proportion of vegetation regeneration in wetter years, while dry periods do not favor successional processes. With the drying of the climate, the disturbed areas are constantly losing their natural value, but wetter weather is not an automatic solution either. A more precise understanding of vulnerable systems and careful planning of treatment interventions is necessary.

Aluminum wire is a common material for wire bonding due to its resistance to oxidation and low price. It does not melt when becoming a free air ball (FAB) during the electronic flame-off (EFO) process with wettability, and is applied by wedge bonding. This study used 20μm Zn-Coated Al-0.5wt.%Si (ZAS) wires to improve the FAB shape after the EFO process, while maintaining stability of the mechanical properties, including the interface bonding strength and hardness. In order to test circuit stability after ball bonding, the current-tensile test was performed. During the experiment, it was found that 80nm ZAS with wire bonding has lower resistance and higher fusing current. For the bias tensile test, the thicker Zn film diffused into the Al-Si matrix easily, after which the strength was reduced. The ball-bond interfaces had no change in their condition before and after the bias. Accordingly, ZAS could be a promising candidate for ball bonding in the future.

Public health agencies are increasingly using pathogen whole genome sequencing (WGS) to support surveillance and epidemiologic investigations. As access to WGS has grown, greater amounts of molecular data have helped improve our ability to detect outbreaks, investigate transmission chains, and explore large-scale population dynamics, such as the spread of antibiotic resistance. However, the wide adoption of WGS also poses challenges due to the amount of data generated and the need to transform raw data prior to analysis. This complexity means that public health agencies may need more advanced computational infrastructure, a broader technical workforce, and new approaches to data management and stewardship. As both a guide for how this development could occur, and a place to initiate discussion, we describe ten proposals for developing and supporting an informatics infrastructure for public health.

Objectives Independent validation of risk scores after hip fracture is uncommon, particularly for evaluation of outcomes other than death. We aimed to assess the Nottingham Hip Fracture Score (NHFS) for prediction of mortality, physical function, length of stay and postoperative complications. Design Analysis of routinely collected prospective data partly collected by follow-up interviews. Setting and Participants Consecutive hip fracture patients were identified from the Northumbria hip fracture database between 2014-2018. Patients were excluded if they were not surgically managed or if scores for predictive variables were missing. Methods C-statistics were calculated to test the discriminant ability of the NHFS, Abbreviated Mental Test Score (AMTS), and ASA grade for in-hospital, 30- and 120-day mortality, functional independence at discharge, 30-days and 120-days, length of stay, and postoperative complications. Results We analysed data from 3208 individuals, mean age 82.6 (SD 8.6). 2192 (70.9%) were female. 194 (6.3%) died during the first 30-days, 1686 (54.5%) were discharged to their own home, 211 (6.8%) had no mobility at 120-days, 141 (4.6%) experienced a postoperative complication. The median length of stay was 18 days (IQR 8-28). For mortality, c-statistics for the NHFS ranged from 0.68-0.69, similar to ASA and AMTS. For postoperative mobility, the c-statistics for the NHFS ranged from 0.74-0.83, similar to AMTS (0.61-0.82) and better than the ASA grade (0.68-0.71). Length of stay was significantly correlated with each score (p<0.001 by Jonckheere-Terpstra test); NHFS and AMTS showed inverted U-shaped relationships with length of stay. For postoperative complications, c-statistics for NHFS (0.54-0.59) were similar to ASA grade (0.53-0.61) and AMTS (0.50-0.58). Conclusions and Implications The NHFS performed consistently well in predicting functional outcomes, moderately in predicting mortality, but less well in predicting length of stay and complications. There remains room for improvement by adding further predictors such as measures of physical performance in future analyses.

How hands-on gardening impacts behaviors including healthy eating and physical activity during early childhood can be of critical importance for preventing early onsets of obesity. This research investigates how participating in hands-on gardening impacts preschoolers’ (3-5 years old) physical activity (measured by accelerometers) in childcare centers in the Semi-Arid Climate Zone. The research was conducted in eight licensed childcare centers located in West Texas with 149 children (n=149). Four childcare centers in the experimental group received hands-on garden interventions; the other four in the control group did not. In both experimental (intervention) and control (non-intervention) centers, children wore Actigraph GT3X+ accelerometers continuously for 5 days before and for 5 days after intervention (a total of 10 days). Results show that the duration of sedentary behavior of children in the experimental (intervention) group significantly decreased compared to children in the control (non-intervention) group. The finding suggests that the positive effects of childcare hands-on gardening on physical activity extend to semi-arid climate zones where gardening is challenging due to high temperatures and lack of annual rainfall. The research emphasizes the critical need to incorporate hands-on gardening in childcare centers as an obesity prevention strategy nationally in the U.S. and beyond.

Gold clusters protected by 3-MBA ligands (MBA = mercaptobenzoic acid, -SPhCO2H) have attracted recent interest for their unusual structures and advantageous ligand-exchange and bioconjugation properties. Azubel et al. first determined the core structure of an Au68-complex, which was estimated to have 32 ligands (3-MBA groups). To explain the exceptional structure-composition and reaction properties of this complex, and its larger homologs, Tero et al. proposed a “dynamic stabilization” via carboxyl O-H--Au interactions. Herein, we report the first results of an integrated LC/MS analysis of unfractionated samples of gold / 3-MBA clusters, spanning the narrow size range 13.4 to 18.1 kDa. Using high-throughput procedures adapted from bio-macromolecule analyses, we show that integrated capillary HPLC-ESI-MS, based upon aqueous-methanol mobile phases and ion-pairing reverse-phase chromatography, can separate several major components from the nanoclusters mixture that may be difficult to resolve by standard native gel electrophoresis due to their similar size and charge. For each component, one obtains a well-resolved mass spectrum, nearly free of adducts or signs of fragmentation. A consistent set of molecular mass determinations is calculated from detected charge-states tunable from 3- (or lower), to 2+ (or higher). One thus arrives at a series of new compositions (n, p) specific to the Au/3-MBA system. The smallest major component is assigned to the previously unknown (48, 26); the largest one is evidently (67, 30), vs. the anticipated (68, 32). Various explanations for this discrepancy are considered. A prospective is given for the several members of this novel series, along with a summary of the advantages and present limitations of the micro-scale integrated LC/MS approach to characterize such metallic-core macro-molecules, and their derivatives.

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

To investigate the bioactivities of fresh garlic and its processed product, black garlic, we conducted comparative analyses of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, innate immune activation and anti-cancer activities, in addition to chemical composition (sugar, amino acid, polyphenol contents) of these materials. Simultaneous assay using neutrophil-like cells showed that fresh garlic exhibited antioxidant and innate immunostimulatory activities, whereas black garlic displayed a potent anti-inflammatory effect. The antioxidant activity index was correlated with phenol and flavonoid contents, while the innate immunostimulatory activity was correlated with fructan content. Furthermore, some black garlics with low fructose content were found to inhibit the proliferation of UM-UC-3 cancer cells, while other black garlics rich in fructose increased UM-UC-3 cell proliferation. It was shown that the thermal processing steps of fresh garlic could change the composition of sugars, antioxidants, and amino acids, which have different effects on neutrophil-like cells and UM-UC-3 cells, as well as on bioactivities.

We develop new theory from a broad case-study approach to explore a better understanding of what constitutes knowledge and its value as identifiable to human-machine teams. From past research, this trail of exploration will lead to these initial questions: What is the value of debate in the furtherance of knowledge? Will machines with AI be able to contribute to a debate if we humans cannot define it or determine its value sufficiently for a machine’s understanding, contribution, exploration and identification? Like humans, as teammates, machines must be able to determine with AI what constitutes the usable knowledge that contributes to a team’s success in the field (e.g., testing "knowledge" in the field, identifying new knowledge, using knowledge to develop innovation) or its failure (viz., trouble shooting; identifying weaknesses; discovering vulnerabilities, hiding by deception). It matters not whether a debate is public, private or unexpressed by an individual human or machine agent alone; we speculate in this exploration that the process advances the science of autonomous human-machine teams and assists in interpretable machine learning. We conclude with questions and a speculation: How does a human become aware or express its awareness of knowledge? Can a machine be as expressive as its human teammates? And how does a human-machine teammate become aware that its teammates possess sufficient knowledge to perform a task? We speculate that the structure of “knowledge," once found, is resistant to alternatives (i.e., it is ordered); that its functional utility is generalizable; and that its applications are multifaceted (akin to maximum entropy production). The complexity of the team is taken into consideration in our search for knowledge, which can also be used as an information metric.

People who suffer a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) have heterogeneous symptoms and disease trajectories, which make it difficult to precisely diagnose and assess complications long-term. Insufficient information is available regarding how to precisely diagnose and assess mTBI. This study identified and compared deficits in cognitive, psychosocial, visual functions, and balance performance between college students with and without histories of mTBI. Global DNA methylation ratio (5-mC%) in blood was also compared as a peripheral epigenetic marker. Twenty-five volunteers participated in this pilot study, including 11 mTBI cases (27.3% females; mean age of 28.7 years, SD=5.92) and 14 healthy controls (64.3% females; mean age of 22.0, SD=4.13). All the participants were assessed for cognitive (by NIH toolbox—executive function, memory, and processing speed), psychological (by PROMIS—depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbances), visual function (by King-Devick and binocular accommodative tests), postural balance performance (by a force plate), and blood 5-mC% (global methylation) levels. Students with mTBI reported significantly poorer episodic memory, severe anxiety, and more sleep disturbance problems. They also had higher blood 5-mC% level (all p’s<.05). No significant differences were found in visual function and postural balance. These findings validate changes in cognitive, psychosocial, and global DNA methylation long after mTBI.

Post-mortem characterisation is a pivotal tool to trace back to the origin of structural failures in modern engineering analyses. This work presents a comparison of both the crack propagation profiles and the rupture roughness profiles based on areal parameters for total fracture area. Notched and smooth samples made of weather-resistant structural steel (10HNAP), popular S355J2 structural steel and aluminium alloy AA2017A under bending, torsion, and combined bending-torsion are investigated. After the fatigue tests, fatigue fractures are measured with an optical profilometer, and the relevant surface parameters are critically compared. The results show a great impact of the loading scenario on both the local profiles and the total fracture areas. In this work, the results of both approaches (local and total fracture zones) for specimens with different geometries are investigated. For all specimens, measured texture parameters decreased in the following order: total area, rupture area, and propagation area.

In this paper, we propose a modeling method based on peridynamics for ductile fracture at high temperatures. A thermoelastic coupling model combining peridynamics and classical continuum mechanics is used to limit the peridynamics calculations to the failure region of a given structure, thereby reducing computational costs. Then, a plastic constitutive model of peridynamic bonds is developed to capture the ductile-fracture process of the structure. Furthermore, an iterative algorithm for ductile-fracture calculation is presented. Finally, several numerical examples are shown. Particularly, the fracture processes of a superalloy structure under 800℃ and 900℃ environments are simulated and compared with experimental results. Our comparisons show that the crack modes captured by the proposed model are similar to experimental observations, which verifies the validity of the proposed model.

We consider the thermodynamic and stability problem of Kerr black holes arising from the nonextensive/nonadditive nature of the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy formula. Nonadditive thermodynamics is often criticized by asserting that the zeroth law cannot be compatible with nonadditive composition rules, so in this work we follow the so-called formal logarithm method to derive an additive entropy function for Kerr black holes satisfying also the zeroth law's requirement. Starting from the most general, equilibrium compatible, nonadditive entropy composition rule of Abe, we consider the simplest, non-parametric approach that is generated by the explicit nonadditive form of the Bekenstein-Hawking formula. This analysis extends our previous results on the Schwarzschild case and shows that the zeroth law compatible temperature function in the model is independent of the mass-energy parameter of the black hole. By applying the Poincaré turning point method we also study the thermodynamic stability problem in the system.

Background Nigeria is among the top 5 countries that have the highest gap between people reported as diagnosed and estimated to have developed Tuberculosis (TB). To bridge this gap, there is a need for innovative approaches to identify geographical areas at high risk of TB transmission and targeted Active Case Finding (ACF) interventions. Leveraging community level data together with granular sociodemographic contextual information can unmask local hotspots which could be otherwise missed. This work evaluated if this approach helps to reach communities with higher numbers of undiagnosed TB. Methodology A retrospective analysis of the data generated from an ACF intervention program in 4 south-western states in Nigeria was conducted. Wards (the smallest administrative level in Nigeria) were subdivided into further smaller population clusters. ACF sites and their respective TB screening outputs were mapped to these population clusters. This data was then combined with open-source high resolution contextual data to train a Bayesian inference model. The model predicted TB positivity rates on the community level (population cluster level), and these were visualised on a customised geoportal for use by the local teams to identify communities at high risk of TB transmission and plan ACF interventions. The TB positivity yield (proportion) observed at model-predicted hotspots was compared with the yield obtained at other sites identified based on aggregated notification data. Results The yield in population clusters that were predicted to have high TB positivity rates by the model was at least 1.75 times higher (p-value <0.001) than the yield in other locations in all four states. Conclusion The community level Bayesian predictive model has the potential to guide ACF implementers to high TB positivity areas for finding undiagnosed TB in the communities, thus improving efficiency of interventions.

The urgency to develop vaccines against Covid-19 is putting pressure on the long and expensive development timelines which are normally required for development of lifesaving vaccines. There is a unique opportunity to take advantage of new technologies, smart and flexible design of clinical trials, and evolving regulatory science to speed up vaccine development against Covid-19 and transform vaccine development altogether.

Osteoporotic vertebral fracture is the most common fracture from osteoporosis, and are largely undiagnosed due to the mostly asymptomatic nature of the condition. It increases the risk of subsequent fractures and contributes to societal burden. Risk factors for osteoporotic fractures are found in the WHO fracture risk assessment model and used as a tool for monitoring bone health. Vertebral fractures are diagnosed from anteroposterior and lateral spine radiographs and are confirmed with an approximate loss of 20% vertebral height as compared to adjacent vertebrae. One of the most used grading for vertebral fractures is the SQ grading. Mild vertebral fractures could easily be misdiagnosed due to some peculiarities of the vertebral column. CT scan is useful for planning surgical intervention while an MRI scan can provide information about the recency of the fracture and rule out cancer-related fractures. Management depends on the severity of the fracture which could range from conservative management to surgical vertebral augmentation and decompression. Bisphosphonates are used to treat osteoporosis in acute and long-term management of fractures. Osteoimmunological therapies such as denosumab and romosozumab are new therapeutic interventions for osteoporosis while there are many other potential treatment options. Precision medicine provides an individualized treatment approach while regenerative medicine utilizes mesenchymal stem cells for fracture repair.

NASA/ESA/CSA joint venture James Webb Space Telescope is about to be launched. It is hypothesized to operate in near-infrared range. It is also hypothesized to unveil early star formation, galaxies, and universe due to its orbit, point in orbit and orbital motion. It has been under manufacturing for over 20 years at a staggering cost of 10 billion US dollars (most expensive scientific experiment in history). Beryllium (Be) is chosen to be element for construction of its main mirrors due to its high stiffness, low density, low linear coefficient of thermal expansion (α) in cryogenics and high thermal conductivity. It is followed by gold (Au) layer deposition on its (Be) surface to enhance its sensitivity towards infrared radiation as later is hypothesized to bear superior properties. However, serious mistakes have been made in selecting this material for this application. Owing to its crystal structure (hexagonal close packed (hcp)), slip planes (basal, prismatic and pyramidal) and mechanisms of their activation, Be necessitates easy fracture at cryogenic temperature. It has anisotropic properties and prone to transverse fracture under tensile loading. Furthermore, its ductile to brittle transition temperature is very low making it entirely unsuitable for such an application. It is one of most expensive metals on planet. This study constitutes revisiting these fundamental properties and mechanisms which were entirely ignored during materials selection thus rendering whole project useless.

Bioimpedance measurements are used increasingly in health applications because bioelectric parameters have been associated with anatomical and physiological properties, thus enabling to distinguish medical conditions. For bone fracture diagnostics, nevertheless, there is no established non-invasive method. Ex vivo studies and In vivo bioimpedance procedures, both invasive and non-invasive, on mammalians long bones are associated with promising results. In this work, out of a total of 568 papers, we reviewd 59 articles that mention long bone integrity by electric properties, be it Bioimpedance Analysis, Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy or Electrical Impedance Tomography. The papers are described in three sections, “Ex vivo measurements”, “In vivo invasive measurements” and “In vivo non-invasive measurements”. This review allows to establish the basics to planning the development of new technology to detect bone fracture via bioimpedance measurements.

Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) can use food by-products or residues as a growth substrate, and their use is considered a strategic solution to improve the sustainability and efficiency of animal production. BSFL need to be reared under controlled environmental conditions, as temperature can affect the welfare of the larvae and the efficiency of their bioconversion. The goal of this experiment was to test different diets: control, vegetable, carnivorous, omnivorous and to assess their effect on larval growth performance, chemical composition, and substrate temperature. BSFL (6-days-old) were randomly selected and allocated to one of the four diets for the entire experiment (8 days). The temperature in each container was measured twice daily using a thermal imaging camera. The vegetable diet led to significantly lower growth performance (p

The origins of the stellar mass neutron black holes and supermassive dark matter black holes without the singularities are reported based on the 4-D Euclidean space. The neutron black holes with the mass of m_BH = 5 – 15 m_sun are made by the 6-quark merged states (N_6q) of two neutrons with the mass (m(N_6q) = 10 m(n)) of 9.4 GeV/c² that gives the black hole mass gap of m_BH = 3 – 5 m_sun. Also, the supermassive black holes with the mass of m_SMBH = 10⁶ – 10¹¹ msun are made by the merged 3-D states (J(B1B2B3)₃ particles) of the dark matters. The supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky way galaxy has the mass of mSMBH = 4.1 10⁶ m_sun that is consistent with m_SMBH = 2.08 - 6.23 10⁶ m_sun calculated from the 3-D states (J(B1B2B3)₃ particles) of the dark matters with the mass of m(J) = 1.95 10¹⁵ eV/c². In other words, this supports the existence of the B1, B2 and B3 dark matters with the proposed masses. The first dark matter black hole (primary black hole) was created at the big bang. This first dark matter black hole decayed to the supermassive dark matter black holes through the secondary dark matter black holes that are explained by the merged states of the J(B1B2B3)₃ particles. The universe evolution is closely connected to the decaying process of the dark matter black holes since the big bang. The dark matter cloud states are proposed at the intermediate mass black hole range of m_IMBH = 10² – 10⁵ msun. This can explain why the dark matter black holes are not observed at the intermediate mass black hole range of m_IMBH = 10² – 10⁵ m_sun.

This paper presents the results of experiments on the study of a hydraulic fracture interaction with a preliminary created fracture that simulates a natural fracture. A distinctive feature of the conducted experiments is the ability to use an ultrasonic sounding to measure the fracture propagation and opening simultaneously with the fluid pore pressure measurements at the several points of the porous saturated sample. It allows to obtain the pressure distributions at various experiment stages and to establish a relation between the pore pressure distribution and the hydraulic fracture propagation and its interaction with macroscopic natural fracture. The possibilities of active ultrasonic monitoring have been expanded due to preliminary calibration experiments, which make it possible to estimate the fracture opening value by attenuation of ultrasonic pulses. The experiments show that the fracture propagation is limited by the natural fracture. This is caused by the hydraulic fracturing fluid leaks into the natural fracture, so both hydraulic fracture and natural fracture compose united hydraulic system.

Vitamin D has previously been quantified in some plants and algae, particularly in leaves of the Solanaceae family. We measured the vitamin D content of Australian native food plants and Australian-grown edible seaweed. Using liquid chromatography with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry, 13 samples (including leaf, fruit and seed) were analysed in duplicate for vitamin D₂, vitamin D₃, 25-hydroxyvitamin D₂ and 25-hydroxyvitamin D₃. Five samples contained vitamin D₂: raw wattleseed (Acacia victoriae) (0.03 µg/100 g dry weight (DW)); fresh and dried lemon myrtle (Backhousia citriodora) leaves (0.03 and 0.24 µg/100 g DW, respectively); dried leaves and berries of Tasmanian mountain pepper (Tasmannia lanceolata) (0.67 and 0.05 µg/100 g DW, respectively). Fresh kombu (Lessonia corrugata) contained vitamin D₃ (0.01 µg/100 g DW). Detected amounts were low; however, it is possible that exposure to ultraviolet radiation may increase the vitamin D content of plants and algae if vitamin D precursors are present.

Fracture and failure performance of foamed concrete materials were conducted using three methods, i.e., inverse analysis, digital image correlation (DIC) and finite element modelling (FEM) from tested normalized notched beams under three-point bending. From this study, several characteristics both experimental and FEM are discussed. However inverse analysis is only well applicable for series GF-30. The bilinear softening of the testing beam was estimated to identify fracture energy (GF), critical crack length (ac) and elastic modulus (E) with values of 0.015 N/mm, 54.5 mm, and 13 GPa, respectively. Additionally, fracture toughness was calculated by adopting double-K (initiation fracture of 6.907 MPa.mm0.5, unstable fracture of 23.186 MPa.mm0.5 and cohesive fracture of 16.278 MPa.mm0.5). Two-dimensional FEA Modelling of fracture was carried out using a Traction Separation Law (TSL), incorporating extended finite element method (XFEM) and cohesive zone (CZM) techniques. A sensitivity study was carried out, global mesh size of two and damage stabilization cohesive with the value of 1 × 10-5 showed good convergence and were used in other models. Furthermore, by comparing experimental observation using DIC, reliability FEM was validated and showed good acceptance to simulating the crack propagation.

Geological structures such as joints and faults in rock mass have significant influence on open pit mining. Hence, it is critical to develop a understanding of dynamic joint behaviour under blasting loading. This in turn can provide both theoretical and practical guidance to improve blasting rock fragmentation and associated bucket excavating efficiency. In this paper, delayed blasting on the highwall bench at Baiyunebo open-pit mine was used as an example, a nonlinear joint blasting model was also constructed. By simplifying the blasting wave propagation velocity, the P-wave normal incidence to the joint was obtained. The peak vibration velocity was 0.33m/s at 3.0s. The S-wave reflected by the joint interface was first reflected backward and then forward, which the peak vibration velocity was 0.027 m/s. By combining the relevant stress and displacement theories of type I and II cracks, the equipotential diagrams of the stress and displacement field with the vibration velocity of the particle were obtained. σx was positive in the direction of 0~330° and subjected to tensile stress, whereas σy was positive in the direction of 0~180° and under tensile stress. The longitudinal σy along joint was low in compressive stress distribution area and did not affect surrounding rock at the time. The stress concentration appeared in the lower right corner. Based on the continuous behavior of stress wave in joints, the asymmetry and continuous changes reflected in the whole process could not be analysed by the contour diagram. Hence, ANSYS used to analyse distribution of the stress field. The intensity of the shock wave after detonation was greater than that of the rock strength. Subsequently, the sub-layer shock wave supplemented the shock wave energy that was not enough to break the rock and induced further cracking. This was able to be visualized by the degree of color change post-processing. It was concluded that with the attenuation of the detonation wave energy, the stress exhibited a decreasing trend in this process. According to distribution of the peak effective stress, it was found that the peak value first increased to 10-12 MPa and then showed a downward trend. Overall, the results were validated against the finite element simulation and mathematical analysis.

Introduction: Bone fractures may be the result of high force impact or stress, or a minimal trauma injury as a result of certain medical conditions that weaken the bones, such as osteoporosis, osteopenia, bone cancer, or osteogenesis imperfecta, where the fracture is then properly termed a pathologic fracture. Bone cancer can be primarily or secondary to metastasis. Case presentation: We report a rare case of left humerus fracture in a 59-year-old male patient due to metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Our patient had no important past medical history. He suffered from two months of left arm pain, moderate disability and fever at night. Analgesics consumption resulted in minimal relieve. Trauma history was negative. X-ray of the left arm showed an osteolytic lesion with humerus fracture. Abdominal computed tomography with contrast showed right renal mass.Radical right nephrectomy was performed in addition to alignment nailing of the left humerus fracture with biopsy. Pathology report documented clear cell carcinoma with metastatic bone. The treatment was completed by chemotherapyDiscussion: Secondary bone tumors are metastatic lesions which have spread from other organs, most commonly carcinomas of the breast, lung, and prostate, and rarely from kidney. In some cases, bone metastasis could be the first symptoms of renal cell carcinoma. Conclusion: suspected pathological bone fractures should be investigated completely. It may hide a tumor as a cause.

The paper describes the Field Boundary Element Method applied to the fracture analysis of a 2D rectangular plate made of Functionally Graded Material to calculate Mode I Stress Intensity Factor. The object of the Field Boundary Element Method is the transversely isotropic plane plate. Its material presents an exponential variation of the elasticity tensor depending on a scalar function of position, i.e., the elastic tensor results from multiplying a scalar function by a constant taken as a reference. Several examples using a parametric representation of the structural response show the suitability of the method that constitutes a sight of Stress Intensity Factor evaluation of Functionally Graded Materials plane plates even in the case of more complex geometries.

Abstract: This study was aimed to determine the influence of the volume fraction of steel fibers and on fracture parameters of concrete. Fifty notched steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) beams and ordinary concrete beams with dimensions of 100mm×100mm×515mm were cast and tested via three-point bending test. Among them, the type of steel fiber is milling type (MF), and the volume fraction of steel fiber added is 0%, 0.5%, 0.5%, 1.5%, 1.5%, 2%, respectively. The effects of the steel fiber volume fraction (VF) on the critical stress intensity factor (KIC), fracture energy (GF), the deflection at failure(δ0), the critical crack mouth opening displacement (CMODC) and the critical crack tip opening displacement (CTODC)were studied. Through the analysis of test phenomena and test data such as load-deflection (P-δ) curve, load-crack mouth opening displacement (P-CMOD) curve and load-crack tip opening displacement (P-CTOD) curve following conclusions are drawn: With the increase of steel fiber volume fraction, some fracture parameters increase gradually and maintain a certain linear growth. The gain ratio of fracture parameters increases significantly, and the gain effect is obvious. Through this law of growth, the experimental statistical formulas of fracture energy and critical stress intensity factor are summarized.

Pre-existing fracture and secondary cracks in rock mass are formed by natural power, such as magma condensed to igneous rocks and tectonic movement. The orientation and inclination of these fractures obey certain laws relating to the stress, temperature, minerals, water and so on. Therefore, cracks react differently under the same external loading on the condition of various inclination, fissure apertures, stiffness and joint roughness. To simulate the crack propagation, experiments on hollow cylinder cut by one oblique interface mimicking single fracture accumulated numerous data discovering the failure criterion in accordance with the Mohr-Coulomb criterion. And theory on the Terzaghi’s effective principle take an essential role in controlling the behavior of triggering fault. This paper introduced a series of oblique plane cutting the cylinder regarded as fractures at different inclination to concentrate on how the fracture characteristics effect the stress and strain distribution inside the specimen, especially, the relationship between displacement and water head. The key point of this numerical simulation is coupling the solid phase and the fluid phase, specifically, the mechanic and seepage field. According to the statics, curves referring to deformation and water head could be described as increasing lines. Besides, simulation on coupling solid phase and fluid phase can supply crucial evaluation on activating existing fault, and thus predicting induced seismicity in reservoirs or estimating damage in shale gas exploration.

The present study investigates the failure mechanisms of industrial fiber materials, using a custom designed fiber cutting performance test bench. The fracture morphologies of single PA6 fibers are examined by scanning electron microscopy. The analysis reveals that fiber cutting can be distinguished according to four distinct stages of fiber failure represented by shearing, cutting, brittle fracture, and tensile failure, which are the result of different mechanisms active during the processes of crack initiation, extension and fracture. The results of fractographic analysis are further verified by an analysis of the blade assembly speed with respect to time over the entire fracture failure process based on high-speed camera data. The results of fractographic analysis and blade assembly speed are fully consistent.

The Doig Phosphate Zone (DPZ) is a phosphate-bearing marine unit located at the base of the Doig Formation, in the Triassic section of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. The DPZ has a maximum thickness of 90 m and extends across northeastern British Columbia and western central Alberta. In this study we characterize the significance and interpret the origin of apatite in the DPZ, through mineralogical and geochemical analyses, thin section study and field emission-scanning electron microscopy. The occurrence of apatite in the DPZ is not evenly distributed, but restricted to discrete 10 to 20 cm thick beds, located near the base of the DPZ. Phosphorites are of two types: grainstones composed primarily of unconformity-bounded coated grains, and intraclastic phosphorites composed of detrital silt-sized grains and apatite coated grains in a cryptocrystalline phosphatic matrix. The phosphorite beds are records of stratigraphic condensation due to low detrital input during transgression. The erosionally-truncated phosphatic coated grains and intraclasts are interpreted to be a result of various phases of phosphatization, exhumation, erosion reworking, winnowing and redeposition in alternating quiescence and storms or bottom currents. The abundance of pyrite and chalcophile trace elements, as well as the low concentration of proxy elements for organic matter productivity and preservation, are further evidences of stratigraphic condensation, with sulfidic pore water development and extensive organic recycling promoted by biological activity during the long exposure times. The phosphorites were formed under oxygenated water conditions, as suggested by the depletion in Ce and presence of a diverse benthic fauna.

Risk-averse areas such as the medical, aerospace and energy sectors have been somewhat slow towards accepting and applying Additive Manufacturing (AM) in many of their value chains. This is partly because there are still signi cant uncertainties concerning the quality of AM builds. This paper introduces a machine learning algorithm for the automatic detection of faults in AM products. The approach is semi-supervised in that, during training, it is able to use data from both builds where the resulting components were certi ed and builds where the quality of the resulting components is unknown. This makes the approach cost ecient, particularly in scenarios where part certi cation is costly and time consuming. The study speci cally analyses Selective Laser Melting (SLM) builds. Key features are extracted from large sets of photodiode data, obtained during the building of 49 tensile test bars. Ultimate tensile strength (UTS) tests were then used to categorise each bar as `faulty' or `acceptable'. A fully supervised approach identi ed faulty specimens with a 77% success rate while the semi-supervised approach was able to consistently achieve similar results, despite being trained on a fraction of the available certi cation data. The results show that semi-supervised learning is a promising approach for the automatic certi cation of AM builds that can be implemented at a fraction of the cost currently required.

The concept of gray-zone lymphoma (GZL) has been progressively refined since its in-troduction in the literature in 1998. For several years, it was applied to a rather broad spectrum of conditions, posing the problem of the differential diagnosis between any type of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, with special reference to primary mediasti-nal forms (PMBL). Officially recognized as a provisional entity in the 4th and revised 4th editions of the WHO Classification of Tumour of Haematopoietic and Lymphoid Tissues with the term “B-cell lymphoma unclassifiable with features intermediate between diffuse large B-cell lym-phoma and classical Hodgkin lymphoma”, it was limited to tumours, which showed either morphologic features reminiscent of classical HL (CHL) but carrying a complete B-cell pheno-type or conversely provided with a PMBL morphology but revealing CHL phenotypic charac-teristics. The definition of GZL has been further revised in the recently published International Lymphoma Classification and 5th Edition of the WHO Classification of Haemato-lymphoid Tu-mours, which have limited it to mediastinal neoplasms based on emerging molecular evidences. The aim of this review is to critically discuss the issue of GZL, also in the light of the suboptimal response to current therapies.

This paper combines a literature survey and data analysis. The literature on the Subtropical Front (STF) in the Southern Ocean is reviewed with a two-pronged emphasis on the double-front structure of the STF, hence the existence of a subtropical frontal zone (STFZ), and the circumpolar continuity of the STFZ. The data analysis is based on the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) sections. The STFZ is detected along each section independently from other sections, while moving circum-polarly downstream (eastward). The literature survey and data analysis confirm the circumpolar continuity of the STFZ extending from the Brazil Current across the South Atlantic, South Indian, and South Pacific up to Chile, being bound by the North and South STF. The circumpolar continuity of the STFZ is partly interrupted by South Africa and Tasmania, where the North STF ceases, while the South STF continues eastward. The South Atlantic STFZ is the southern boundary of the well-defined Subtropical Mode Water (STMW) thermostad, which cools eastward from 15°C to 11°C between the Brazil Current and Greenwich Meridian. In the southeast Pacific, the STFZ is the southern boundary of the 17-to-19°C thermostad (South Pacific Eastern STMW). The STFZ’s vertical extent is at maximum in the South Atlantic (>1000 m), decreasing eastward to 300 m in the southeast Pacific off Chile. A special attention is given to the South Pacific and the STFZ’s role in the ecology of Chilean jack mackerel Trachurus murphyi that spawn at the STFZ and migrate along the STFZ from Chile up to New Zealand.

In this paper, we consider the formation of quantum black holes (QBHs) through a genuine quantum process. We treat particles at the Planck energy as QBHs. The Hawking temperature and entropy of QBHs are estimated. We also show that a QBH has a discrete energy spectrum. By analogy with supersymmetric theory, the mass of the superpartner of a QBH is estimated.

The nephrite belt in Altun Mountain-Western Kunlun Mountain region spanning approximately 1300 km in Xinjiang, NW China, constituting the world's largest preeminent nephrite deposit. The Qiemo region in the Altun Mountain is a crucial nephrite-producing area in China with demonstrating substantial prospects for future explorationl. While extant research has extensively study on secondary deposits in the Karakash River and native black nephrite deposits in Guangxi Dahua, a lacuna exists in the comprehensive investigation of black nephrite from original deposits in Xinjiang. Margou nephrite represents a recent discovery of black-toned nephrite deposits in Qiemo County, Xinjiang, warranting a comprehensive investigation into this primary source of black nephrite within the region. This scholarly inquiry deploys a suite of sophisticated analytical techniques, encompassing Polarizing microscope, electric microprobe, Backscattered Electron Image, X-ray Fluorescence, Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry. The rigorous experimental test is dedicated to elucidating the chemical and mineralogical composition, and further clarify the type of its genetic types of black-black cyan nephrite from Margou deposit in Qiemo, Xinjiang. Results delineate the mainly composed of tremolite-actinolite, characterized by Mg/(Mg + Fe2+) ratios ranging from 0.86 to 1.0. Minor minerals include diopside, epidote, pargasite, apatite, zircon, pyrite and iron hydroxide. Bulk-rock rare earth element patterns exhibit distinctive features such as negative Eu anomalies (δEu=0.00~0.17), decreasing light rare earth elements, a relatively flat distribution of heavy rare earth elements, and low with total REE concentrations (1.64~38.9 μg/g), concurrently, the Cr (6~21 μg/g) and Ni (2.5~4.5 μg/g) contents are conspicuously low. The magmatic influence of granite emerges as pivotal factor in the genesis of magnesia skarn hosting the Margou nephrite. The distinctive black-black cyan colour is attributed to heightened iron content, mainly associated with FeO (0.08~6.29%). The discerned chemical composition characteristics posit the Margou nephrite as an exemplar of the magnesia skarn-type nephrite deposit.

A dark region and a bright part of accretion disk are viewed on the first image of the supermassive black hole in the galaxy M87 obtained by the Event Horizon Telescope. We demonstrate that a viewed dark region is a silhouette of the black hole event horizon, while the outline (contour) of this silhouette is an equator of the event horizon globe. A dark silhouette of the black hole event horizon is placed within the expected position of the black hole shadow, which is not revealed on the first image. We calculate numerically a relation between the viewed position of the black hole silhouette and the brightest point in a thin accretion disk in dependence of the black hole spin. A spin of the supermassive black hole in the galaxy M87, derived from this relation, is $a=0.75\pm0.15$.

Our daily activities hinge on the flexibility of our fingers, and a fractured finger can significantly disrupt these routines. The finger bones enable us to bend and fold the fingers and thumb to pick up or grasp objects and do all of our daily activities. A broken finger can cause adverse effects on our daily life activities. It is important to treat broken finger as soon as possible. Swift and precise treatment begins with capturing multiple X-rays, followed by the critical step of fracture detection in these images. Relying on the naked eye for this task carries the risk of overlooking small fractures. To address this issue an automated diagnoses of fractured fingers from images is required for which the current research employs advanced deep learning models—ResNet34, ResNet50, ResNet101, ResNet152, VGG-16, and VGG-19—to classify finger images from the Musculoskeletal Radiographs (MURA) dataset as either fractured or non-fractured. The results emphasize the consistently strong performance of ResNet models, attaining an impressive accuracy of 81.9%. This surpasses VGG models by 3.4% and establishes ResNet as the new benchmark for state-of-the-art accuracy.

Hydraulic fracturing is an efficient method to develop oil/gas resources economically. Temporary plugging and diverting fracturing (TPDF) can generate diversion fractures perpendicular to the initial fractures and enhance the stimulated area. The aperture of the diversion fractures determines its conductivity and the oil/gas production. This work established a fluid-solid fully coupled simulation model to investigate the fracture aperture influenced by various factors during TPDF. The factors include the permeability of the tight plug, the length of the tight plug, Young’s modulus, rock tensile strength, in-situ stress contrast, the leak-off coefficient of the fracture surface, and fluid injection rate. Results show that the aperture of the previous fracture can be enlarged, and the aperture of the diversion fracture can be decreased by the tight plug. The aperture at the diversion fracture mouth is much smaller than that along the diversion fracture. Reservoirs with low Young’s modulus and high rock tensile strength can generate the diversion fracture with a wider aperture. Moreover, increasing the fluid injection rate can effectively increase the fracture mouth aperture. In this way, the risk of screenout can be lowered. This work is beneficial for the design of the TPDF and ensures safe construction.

Background: Calcaneal fractures are the most frequent traumatic injuries of the hindfoot and can cause severe disability with social and economic sequelae; since 1980 an increasing number of studies and new technologies have led to an improvement in their management and complications but treatment is still controversial. The purpose of the study to review the secondary scientific literature looking for the optimal management of calcaneal fracture; Methods: through the PubMed MEDLINE database, 4856 articles were identified; only meta-analyses and systematic reviews were included in the study. Results: 59 reviews with more than 10,000 calcaneus fractures were examined and results were divided into various topics; the majority of articles agree on the superiority of surgical versus conservative treatment; minimally invasive access to the sinus tarsi shows better results and fewer complications than traditional extended lateral access; reduction and osteosynthesis with percutaneous and/or minimally invasive techniques seem to provide better outcomes if compared to open treatments. Conclusions: The management of calcaneus fractures requires an individualized planning based on the functional demands of the patient, the type of fracture and associated injuries. New technologies and further studies may still improve the management of these lesions.

Nonlinear rheological properties of chiral crystal cholesteryl oleyl carbonate (COC) in blue phase III are investigated under different shear deformations; large amplitude oscillatory shear, step shear deformation, and continuous shear flow. Rheology of the liquid crystal is significantly affected by structural rearrangement of defects under shear flow. One of the examples on the defect-mediated rheology is the blue phase rheology. Blue phase is characterized by three dimensional network structure of the disclination lines. It has been numerically studied that the rheological behavior of the blue phase is dominated by destruction and creation of the disclination networks. In this study, we find that the nonlinear viscoelasticity of BPIII is characterized by the fracture of the disclination networks. Depending on the degree of the fracture, the nonlinear viscoelasticity is divided into two regimes; the weak nonlinear regime where the disclination network locally fractures but still show elastic response, and the strong nonlinear regime where the shear deformation breaks up the networks, which results in a loss of the elasticity. Continuous shear deformation reveals that a series of the fracture process delays with shear rate. The shear rate dependence suggests that force balance between the elastic force acting on the disclination lines and the viscous force determines the fracture behavior.

Gonorrhea is a major global public health problem with emergence of multiple drug-resistant strains with no effective vaccine. This retrospective cohort study aimed to estimate the effectiveness of the New Zealand meningococcal B vaccine against gonorrhea associated hospitalization. The cohort consisted of individuals born 1984-1999 residing in New Zealand, therefore eligible for meningococcal B vaccination during 2004-2008. Administrative datasets of demographics, customs, hospitalization, education, income tax and immunization, were linked using the national Integrated Data Infrastructure. The primary outcome was hospitalization with a primary diagnosis of gonorrhea. Cox’s proportional hazards models were applied with a Firth correction for rare outcomes to generate estimates of hazard ratios. Vaccine effectiveness estimates were calculated as 1-Hazard Ratio expressed as percent. There were 1,143,897 eligible cohort members, with 135 missing information on gender, 16,245 missing ethnicity and/or 197,502 missing deprivation hence 935,496 were included in the analysis. After adjustment for gender, ethnicity and deprivation, vaccine effectiveness (MeNZB™) against hospitalization caused by gonorrhea was estimated to be 24% (95% CI 1-42%). In conclusion, vaccination with MeNZB™ significantly reduced the rate of hospitalization from gonorrhea. This supports prior research indicating possible cross protection of this vaccine against gonorrhea acquisition and disease in the outpatient setting.

The research is devoted to the study of geotectonic and geodynamics of the Shu-Ile belt and petrographic composition and intrusive complexes geochemical features analysis. The Shu-Ile suture is an important geological structure of Kazakhstan. It is characterized by the presence of various intrusive formations and deep faults. The material composition of these intrusions is of interest for understanding the geological and metallogenic processes in this region. The research used modern scientific methods, including petrographic and geochemical studies of various compositions intrusion samples. Based on the results of material composition studies of intrusive complexes, their possible connections with other geological structures of Kazakhstan and the metallogeny of the region have been established. Based on the data obtained, a conclusion was made about the intrusive complexes origin and evolution of the Shu-Ile belt, which may be important for further geological research and forecasting of mineral resources in the region.

The purpose was to reflect on the sustainability of artisanal and informal mining in the Peruvian Andean zone by 2022. The type of research was basic, non-experimental design, ex post facto scope. The sample consisted of: statistics on crime prevention due to socio-environmental conflicts from the National Prosecutor's Office and the Ombudsman's Office, reports of interventions targeted at artisanal and informal miners. The procedure focused on gathering secondary information for a documentary review analysis that is based on proven and disseminated past facts. Artisanal and informal mining is strengthened in the Peruvian Andean zone by incidence and force: 1) the social license and agreements by community assembly, 2) the flexibility in compliance with the formalization, preventive and environmental protection laws, 3) the 50% increase in socio-environmental conflict due to mining activity, 4) a 25% progressive increase in the production costs of agricultural and livestock activities. The direct consequences on environmental sustainability are: 1) the delimited reconversion of the change in agricultural land use in a third of the communal territories in basin headwaters; 2) displacement of environmentally friendly economic activity by 20% in basin headwaters; 3) the impossibility of modification or intervention in water surfaces, bofedales by communal agreements.

The Krudum granite body comprises highly fractionated granitic rocks ranging from medium-F biotite granites to high-F, high-P₂O₅ Li-mica granites. This unique assemblage is an ideal site to continue recent efforts in petrology to characterize the role of zircon, monazite and xenotime as hosts to REEs. The granitic rocks of the Krudum body analysed in this study were found to contain variable concentrations of monazite and zircon, while xenotime was only found in the high-F, high-P₂O₅ Li-mica granites and in the alkali-feldspar syenites of the Vysoký Kámen stock. For analysed monazites of all magmatic suites cheralite substitution was significant. The highest concentration of cheralite was found in monazites from the high-F, Li-mica granites and from the alkali-feldspar syenites. The proportion of YPO₄ in all analysed xenotimes ranges from 71 to 84 mol. %. Some xenotimes were found to be hydrated and the observed water content estimated from analytical data ranged from 5 to 11 wt. % H₂O. Analysed xenotimes were commonly enriched in HREEs (9.3– 19.5 wt. % HREE₂O₃) and thorite-coffinite and cheralite exchange was observed. Analysed zircons from granite suites of the Krudum granite body contained moderate Hf concentrations (1.0–4.7 wt. % HfO₂; 0.010–0.047 apfu Hf). The highest concentrations of HfO₂ were found in zircons from the high-F, high P₂O₅ Li-mica granites (1.2–4.7 wt. % HfO₂) and from the alkali-feldspar syenites (1.3–4.1 wt. % HfO₂). Zircons from the high-F, high-P₂O₅ Li-mica granites were often hydrated and fluorised. The concentrations of F in zircon from partly greisenised high-F, high-P₂O₅ Li-mica granites reached up to 1.2 wt. % (0.26 apfu F). In zircons from the alkali-feldspar syenites enrichment in P, which is not associated with a simultaneous enrichment in Y + REE, was also observed. Analysed zircons from the high-F, high P₂O₅ Li-mica granites were enriched in Y (up to 5.5 wt. % Y₂O₃; 0.10 apfu Y) and Sc (up to 1.17 wt. % Sc₂O₃; 0.03 apfu Sc).

A new mathematical model is presented to study the effects of macrophages on the bone fracture healing process. The model consists of a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations that represents the interactions among classically and alternatively activated macrophages, mesenchymal stem cells, osteoblasts, and pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. A qualitative analysis of the model is performed to determine the equilibria and their corresponding stability properties. Numerical simulations are also presented to support the theoretical results and to monitor the evolution of a broken bone for different types of fractures under various medical interventions. The model can be used to guide clinical experiments and to explore possible medical treatments that accelerate the bone fracture healing process either by surgical interventions or drug administrations.

The fabrication and characterisation of photo-anodes based on black-Si (b-Si) are presented using a photo-electrochemical cell in NaOH solution. Black-Si was fabricated by maskless dry plasma etching and was conformally coated by tens-of-nm of TiO2 using atomic layer deposition (ALD) with a top layer of CoO_x cocatalyst deposited by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Low reflectivity R < % of Black-Si over the entire visible and near-IR (λ < 2 µm) spectral range is favourable in better absorption of light while an increased surface area facilities larger current densities. Photoelectrochemical performance of the heterostructured photoanode is discussed in terms of n-n junction between b-Si and TiO₂.

We demonstrate a concept and fabrication of lithography-free layered metal-\ce{SiO2} thin-film structures which have reduced reflectivity (black appearance), to as low as 0.9~\%, with 4.9~\% broadband reflectance (8.9~\% for soda lime) in the 500 - 1400~nm range. The multi-layered (four layers) thin-film metamaterial is designed so that optical impedance matching produces minimal reflectance and transmittance within the visible and infra-red (IR) spectral region for a range of incident angles. The structure has enhanced absorbance and is easily tuned for reduced minimal transmission and reflection.

A photon inside a gravitational eld de ned by the accelerates g is found to have a gravitational mass given by m_g = (ћ=2c³)g, where ћ is the reduced Planck's constant, and c is the speed of light in vacuum. This force is equivalent to the curvature force introduced by Einstein's general relativity. These photons behave like the radiation emitted by a black hole. A black hole emitting such a radiation develops an entropy that is found to increase linearly with black hole mass, and inversely with the photon mass. Based on this, the entropy of a solar black hole emitting photons of mass ~10^-33eV amounts to ~10⁷⁷ kB. The created photons could be seen as resulting from quantum fluctuation during an uncertainty time given by Δt = c/g. The gravitational force on the photon is that of an entropic nature, and varies inversely with the square of the entropy. The power of the massive photon radiation is found to be analogous to Larmor power of an accelerating charge.

In response to a threefold increase in osteoporotic vertebral fractures (OVF) at our institution over the past decade and the subsequent development of new fractures within a year in a third of cases, we evaluated the effectiveness of STIR MRI scans in conjunction with CT scans for initial OVF diagnosis. This study, conducted over five months, involved full spine sagittal STIR MRI scans alongside CT scans for patients over 50 with minor injury-related vertebral fractures. The independent assessments by radiologists and neurosurgeons of 64 patients revealed that while CT scans identified 161 fresh fractures, of which only 68 were previously reported, MRI detected 266 fractures, 1.65 times more than CT. CT scans showed single fractures in 27% of patients and multiple fractures in 73%, whereas MRI identified single fractures in 9% and multiple fractures in 91% of patients. Additionally, MRI demonstrated a 1.5-fold increase in adjacent fracture detection. The use of MRI influenced treatment plans in 67% of cases. Given these findings, we advocate for including a STIR MRI of the entire spine alongside CT scans in OVF cases, as it significantly enhances fracture detection and can alter treatment strategies.

The integration of three-dimensional (3D) printed resin denture teeth represents a significant ad-vancement in digital dentistry. This study aimed to assess their ability to withstand chipping and indirect tensile fractures, comparing them with conventionally manufactured resin denture teeth. Four groups, each comprising 30 specimens, were examined: Group 1 featured 3D printed denture teeth (NextDent, 3D Systems, Soesterberg, The Netherlands), while the others included commer-cially obtained Ivostar Shade, SpofaDent Plus, and Major Super Lux teeth. Stereolithography 3D printing was utilized to produce methacrylate-based photopolymerized resin teeth models for Group 1, while the remaining groups were commercially sourced. Chipping and indirect tensile fracture tests were performed at a speed of 1 mm/min until fracture occurred. Statistical analysis was conducted using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Tukey's honestly significant difference multiple comparisons test (p < 0.05). Results indicated that 3D-printed teeth exhibited higher indirect tensile fracture resistance than Major Super Lux and Ivostar Shade but lower than SpofaDent Plus. Additionally, in the chipping test, buccal chipping occurred in 3D-printed resin teeth without distortion. In the indirect tensile test, the fracture line emerged near the loading point, extending cervically from the inner incline of both cusps. Overall, denture teeth produced via 3D printing with printable resin materials demonstrated sufficient fracture resistance, making them suitable for prosthetic applications.

The nature of the fracture and fragmentation process of concrete medium under blast loading is the transformation process of the medium from continuum to discontinuity, coupled with the significant rate correlation of concrete medium, its mechanical behavior presents a high degree of complexity. Problems such as grid distortion and even negative volume are often encountered in the finite element method and others when solving this problem, while the material point method can effectively avoid these problems. In addition, the widely used HJC concrete constitutive model does not take into account the segmented characteristics of the calculation function for dynamic increasing factor. Therefore, in this paper, firstly, the calculation function for dynamic increasing factor in the HJC concrete model is modified by SHPB experiment, and the improved HJC concrete model is proposed; secondly, the material point method simulation program is developed, and the improved HJC concrete model is embedded into the simulation program; finally, the simulation program is verified by numerical examples, and the results show that the developed simulation program can better simulate the fracture and fragmentation process of concrete medium under blast loading, especially the pulverization characteristics of the medium in the near zone of the load.

The purpose of this work is to compare two fracture prediction models with real-world data. The pure Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model emphasizes regression analysis, while the hybrid model (SVM-ANN) focuses on the combination of regression and classification analysis or Support Vector Machine. The results were subsequently tested against logging data by combining the Machine Learning approach with advanced logging tools. In this context, we used electrical image logs and the dipole acoustic tool which together allowed the distinction of 404 open fractures and 231 closed fractures and, consequently the estimation of fracture porosity. The results are then fed into two machine-learning algorithms. Pure Artificial Neural Networks and hybrid models are used to establish comprehensive results, which are subsequently tested to check the accuracy of the models. The outputs obtained from the two methods demonstrate that the hybridized model has a lower Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) than pure ANN. The results of our approach strongly suggest that incorporating hybridized machine learning algorithms in fracture porosity estimations can contribute to the development of more trustworthy static reservoir models in simulation programs. Finally, the combination of Machine Learning (ML) and well-log analysis do permit reliable estimation of fracture porosity in the Ahnet field in Algeria, where, in many places, advanced logging data is absent and costly.

Background: Post-operative delirium in elderly with hip fracture is associated with various adverse clinical outcomes. Nevertheless, the pathophysiological processes underpinning delirium have remained elusive. The aim of this study is to explore the associations between delirium and its features and immune-inflammatory and blood gas biomarkers.Methods: In this prospective study we examined 65 patients who underwent a hip fracture surgery and assessed the Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit (CAM-ICU), Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS), and Delirium Rating Scale Revised-98 (DRS-R-98) before and during 4 days after the surgery. Complete Blood Count (CBC) and venous blood gas markers were obtained at the same time points.Results: Delirium was observed in 19 patients and was accompanied by significantly increased pO2, number of white blood cells, neutrophil percentage, and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, and lower mean platelet volume (MPV) (after adjusting for age, central nervous system (CNS) disease, blood loss during surgery, sleep disorders, and body mass index. The severity of delirium was associated with lowered number of platelets and MPV. Psychomotor disorders were associated with lower bicarbonate levels. The requirement of physical restraint of the patients was predicted by increased percentages of neutrophils and lymphocytes. Prior CNS disease was together with these biomarkers a significant predictor of delirium and severity of delirium. Conclusion: Delirium and psychomotor disorders following hip fracture and surgery may be caused by immune-inflammatory and oxidative stress pathways probably attributable to an aseptic inflammatory process. Oxygen administration may aggravate these pathways.

The model of an oscillating universe proposed by A. Friedmann in 1922 dominated cosmology for a long time. R. Tolman put forward a thermodynamic argument against the cyclic cosmological model, believing that entropy should accumulate from cycle to cycle. J. Bekenstein and S. Hawking discovered a tremendous amount of entropy associated with black holes. This discovery led to the conclusion that the majority of the Universe's entropy is contained in black holes. N. Poplawski considers a Universe that oscillates within a black hole. This paper analyzes the relationship between the entropy of black holes and the oscillating Universe inside a large black hole. It is demonstrated that the entropy of a black hole can only be defined for an external observer. For an observer inside the black hole, its entropy is zero. This opens up the possibility of constructing a cyclic cosmology in which entropy and the size of the visible part of the Universe change strictly periodically. This does not violate the second law of thermodynamics because the continuous accumulation of entropy from cycle to cycle pertains to the surface of the big black hole, which is invisible to the internal observer.

Biogeochemistry of waters is an essential regulator of phytoplankton dynamics, determining the level of species bloom and the change of dominants. The paper investigated the seasonal dynamics of phytoplankton and the nutrient concentration and their ratios in the NE Black Sea in 2017-2021. Two taxonomic groups, diatoms, and coccolithophores, determine seasonal dynamics and significantly contribute to the total phytoplankton biomass. Coccolithophores annually, except in 2020, formed bloom in early June. Large diatoms in summer annually, except in 2019, dominated with biomass exceeding 1000 mg m-3. During the bloom of these taxonomic groups, their contribution to the total phytoplankton biomass exceeded 90%. Each group has characteristic biogeochemical niches in the nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations coordinates. The regulation of the biogeochemistry of water is the position of the seasonal thermocline. With a high-lying and sharp gradient thermocline (the average for five years is 6.87 m), low nitrogen concentrations and a nitrogen-to-phosphorus ratio below the Redfield ratio are created in the upper mixed layer. These conditions are optimal for the dominance of coccolithophores. When the thermocline is deepened (the average for five years is 17.96 m), the phosphorus concentration decreases significantly and the ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus is significantly higher than the Redfield ratio, and these conditions lead to the dominance of large diatoms. The results of experimental studies with nitrogen and phosphorus additives in the natural phytoplankton population confirm the above statements. The addition of phosphorus leads to an increased role of coccolithophores in the total phytoplankton biomass, the addition of nitrogen alone contributes to the growth of large diatoms, and the combined addition of phosphorus and nitrogen in a ratio close to the Redfield ratio leads to the dominance of small diatoms.

In this paper, we study quantum gravity effect on the symmergent black hole which is derived from quadratic-curvature gravity. To do so, we use the Klein-Gordon equation which is modified by generalized uncertainty principle (GUP). After solving the field equations, we examine the symmergent black hole's tunneling and Hawking temperature. We explore the graphs of the temperature through the outer horizon to check the GUP influenced conditions of symmergent black hole stability. We also explain how symmergent black holes behave physically when influenced by quantum gravity. The impacts of thermal fluctuations on the thermodynamics of a symmergent black holes spacetime are examined. We first evaluate the model under consideration's thermodynamic properties, such as its Hawking temperature, angular velocity, entropy, and electric potential. We evaluate the logarithmic correction terms for entropy around the equilibrium state in order to examine the impacts of thermal fluctuations. In the presence of these correction terms, we also examine the viability of the first law of thermodynamics. Finally, we evaluate the system's stability using the Hessian matrix and heat capacity. It is determined that a stable model is generated by logarithmic corrections arising from thermal fluctuations.

Disinfection byproducts (DBPs) are formed whenever disinfectant ingredients are in contact with organic matter. Due to widespread increase in production and use of disinfectants and antiseptics, the presence of their components in coastal environments is increasing. However, very limited scientific literature is available in regard to the occurrence of DBPs and related compounds in the coastal zone and particularly in seawater. In this context, the aim of this preliminary compilation is to outline the main up-to-date findings and raise awareness on their increasing occurrence in coastal environments. Sampling and analysis of marine samples in the USA, Spain, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Korea, Kuwait and Hong-Kong revealed the presence of several categories of DBPs and related compounds in coastal environments, with the highest levels being detected in urban areas, probably related to the nearby wastewater treatment plants. The investigations considered in this preliminary compilation, report the detection of DBPs and related compounds as well as the formation of toxic brominated and iodinated DBPs in high levels due to chlorination of wastewater, especially after use of seawater for flushing in toilets. New DBP groups have also been detected, namely halogenated phenolic DBPs and halopyrroles.

Mediterranean Ridge accretionary complex (MAC) is one of the most critical subduction zones in the world. It is known that the region exhibits a continuous mass change (horizontal/vertical movements). This process is associated with the devastating and tragic earthquakes shaking the MAC for centuries. Here, we investigate the ocean bottom pressure (OBP) anomalies in the MAC derived from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and GRACE Follow On (GRACE-FO) satellite missions. The OBP time series for the MAC comprises a decreasing trend in addition to 1-, 1.53-, 2.36-, 3.67-, and 9.17-year periodic components partially explained by the atmosphere, oceans, and hydrosphere (AOH) processes, and Earth's pole movement. We noticed that the OBP anomalies appear to link to a rising trend and periods in earthquakes' power time series. This finding sheds new light on the mechanisms controlling the most destructive natural hazard.

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

The diagnostics of natural landscapes geoecological state in the course of the permafrost zone economic development should be based on the assessment of the destructive cryogenic processes formation. It is expedient to consider it in terms of landscapes resistance to cryogenic processes increase. The choice of lithocryogenic stability parameters is substantiated. These are: permafrost distribution over the area, its annual mean temperature and ice content, protective properties of the vegetation and etc. Cryogenic processes activation is estimated with regard to their area, development rate and attenuation, natural landscapes damage, hazard for engineering facilities operation. The assessment procedure, and the way of improving expert numerical scores are shown. At Geography Faculty of Lomonosov Moscow State University, the authors have developed a number of the approved methods of making evaluation maps of different scales applying the methods of landscape indication, modern methods of space images decoding, methods of expert scores, the method statistical calculations and methods of spatial GIS-analysis. The technique of Atlas geo-information mapping on the landscape basis has been introduced in seven atlases at scales from 1:3 000 000 to 1:20 000 000. These maps are widely used in design and survey organizations and in education.

The paper aims in assessing risks of mandible fractures consequent to impacts or sport accidents. The role of the structural stiffness of mandible, related to disocclusion state, is evaluated through numerical simulations using the finite element method (FEM). It has been assumed that the quasi-static stress field, due to distributed forces developed during accidents, could explain the common types of mandibular fractures. Geometric model of adolescent mandible was built, upon the basis of medical imaging, in CAD software with distinction between cortical layer and inner spongy bone. The finite element model of disoccluded mandible was next created. Mandibular condyles were supposed jammed in the maxillary fossae. The total force of 700 N, simulating an impact on mandible, has been sequentially applied in three distinct areas: centrally, at canine zone and at the mandibular angle. Clinically most frequent fractures of mandible were recognized through the analysis of maximal principal stress and maximal principal strain fields. Mandibular fracture during accidents can be analyzed at satisfactory level using linear quasi-static FE models for designing protections in sport and transport. The proposed approach can be improved by introducing more realistic interactions between condylar processes and fossae.

Plasma treatment of soft polymers is the promising technique to improve biomedical properties. The response to the deformation of such materials is not yet clear. Soft elastic polyurethane treated with plasma immersion ion implantation is subjected to fatigue uniaxial loading (50000 cycles, frequency – 1 Hz, strain amplitude – 10, 20, 40%). The influence of the strain amplitude and the plasma treatment regime on damage character is discussed. Surface defects are studied in unloaded and stretched states of the material. As a result of fatigue loading, transverse cracks (with closed overlapping edges as well as with open edges deeply propagating into the polymer) and longitudinal folds which are break and bend inward, appear on the surface. Hard edges of cracks cut the soft polymer which is squeezed from the bulk to the surface.

Bone/fracture healing is a complex process with different steps and four basic tissue layers being affected: cortical bone, periosteum, fascial tissue surrounding the fracture, and bone marrow. Stem cells and their derivatives, including embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells, hematopoietic stem cells, skeletal stem cells, and multipotent stem cells, can function to artificially introduce highly regenerative cells into decrepit biological tissues and augment the healing process at the tissue level. Stem cells are molecularly and functionally indistinguishable from standard human tissues. The widespread appeal of stem cell therapy lies in its potential benefits as a therapeutic technology that, if harnessed, can be applied in clinical settings. This review aims to establish the molecular pathophysiology of bone healing, the current stem cell interventions that disrupt or augment the bone healing process, and finally, consider the future direction/therapeutic options related to stem cells and bone healing.

When two black holes form a binary system, each black hole observes an event horizon and a curved distorted space-time region around the other black hole. In this space-time, two such regions are formed, and another black hole forms in the second region from the initial black hole, which may be termed the “image” of the first black hole. The same event occurs for the other black hole also, and an extra image of it is formed. In these conditions, the energy of the system divides between the two black holes and their images. These four new black holes that are formed interact with each other again and produce new horizons and new distorted regions. Each black hole produces an image of all the other black holes and detects the background of six black holes instead of three. Consequently, for four black holes, 24 new black holes arise. The energy of the system will be divided amongst all 24 black holes. This story continues and black holes interact with one another and produce new images. Finally, very light black holes are formed each of which is so weak that it cannot produce strong distortions of space-time. The radiated gravitational waves from these weak black holes could be detected by LIGO as well as the signature of these binary black holes. However, detected waves are only a part of very strong gravitational waves. Each time a part of these waves escapes from the system and reaches the earth, they may be regarded as emitted waves from a new binary black hole. The time between radiated signals decreases, and it may be interpreted that a new supermassive binary black hole is radiating. If radiated signals combine, an explosion of the very strong binary system could be detected.

M87 is a giant elliptical galaxy in the Virgo cluster of galaxies. The radio source has a core which coincides with the nucleus of the galaxy and a jet of emission which is detected from radio to X-ray bands. A supermassive black hole is assumed to be at the centre of M87 which sends out relativistic particles in the form jets along its axis of rotation. Relativistic particles accelerated in a magnetic field, give out synchrotron radiation. The centre is surrounded by an accretion disc, which is the closest that we can probe into a black hole. High resolution observations are needed to examine the nature of the radio emission closest to the centre of M87. An array of millimetre-band telescopes across the globe were used as an interferometer, called the Event Horizon Telescope, (EHT) to probe the nuclear region. The angular resolution of this interferometer array is 25 microarc sec, at a wavelength of 1.3mm and the data was carefully calibrated and imaged. The resulting image shows an asymmetric ring which is consistent with the predictions of strong gravitational lensing of synchrotron emission from hot plasma near the event horizon. In this paper, we review the results of the observations of the radio galaxy, M87, using the Event Horizon Telescope

Quite a number of new metered parking systems have been introduced in recent years by the local authorities of various spa towns in Poland in connection with home zone conversion projects. The traffic signs posted in these locations were limited to the beginning and end of the demarcated parking area. Traffic circle (TC) is an example of traffic calming measures (TCM) used in home zones to slow down the traffic (case study – home zone in a small spa village). This article presents the results of a study investigating the speed reductions obtained with a home zone and traffic circle used as traffic calming measures. The indispensable speed surveys were carried out in relation to this study in two periods: in summer when the streets are crowded with tourists and in September with little pedestrian traffic. Two research hypotheses were formulated as part of the speed data analysis to verify the slowing effect of traffic circle and the relevance of traffic circles design parameters and location, road function and the surrounding streetscape. For each hypothesis statistical analyses were carried out using two nonparametric tests: two-sample Kolmogorov–Smirnov test and median test. The third research hypothesis formulated in this study was related to sustainable development factors related to fuel consumption and traffic-related air pollution including carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and hydrocarbons. This hypothesis was verified by estimating the amount of air pollution in the home zone under analysis in three different situations (scenarios): in summer with the travel speed reduced by pedestrian traffic to ca. 8–10 km/h and in September with a small number of pedestrians and 20–25 km/h resulting speed between traffic circles, reduced at traffic circle, and in a theoretical 30 km/h zone with 25–30 km/h assumed speed between traffic circles, dropping at traffic circle. These analyses confirmed the appropriateness of traffic circle as a home zone traffic calming measure, as long as its design is based on a detailed analysis of the relevant factors, including location, road function and the surrounding streetscape.

The formation and propagation of cracks occurs through irreversible dislocation movements at notches, material defects and grain boundaries. Since this process is partly thermally controlled, the resistance to dislocation movements at low temperatures increases. This slows both fatigue initiation and fatigue crack propagation. From recent experimental data, it can be seen that fatigue crack growth is accelerated below the fatigue transition temperature (FTT) that correlates with the ductile-brittle transition temperature (DBTT) found by well-known fracture mechanics tests, i.e., Charpy impact, fracture toughness, and CTOD. Hence, this study investigates the relation between FTT and DBTT in S500 high-strength steel base material and welded joints at low temperatures using fatigue crack growth, fracture toughness tests as well as scanning electron microscopy. From the tests, an almost constant decrease in fatigue crack propagation rate is determined with decreasing test temperature even below the DBTT.

Typhulaceae Jülich is one of the cold-adapted fungal families in basidiomycetes. Typhula (Pers.) Fr. and Pistillaria Fr. representing the family are distinguished from the morphology of a stipe to a hymenium (Fries 1821). The hymenium of Typhula is distinguishable from the stipe, but indistinguishable and consecutive in the genus Pistillaria. This taxonomic criterion is ambiguous, and consequently the opinion of Karsten (1882) has been widely accepted; I the genus Typhula, basidiomata develop from sclerotia, while basidiomata develop directly from substrata in the genus Pistillaris. But, Corner (1970) observed basidiomata of Pistillaria petasitis S. Imai in Hokkaido, Japan, from sclerotia. We collected irregular sclerotia of Typhula hyperborea H. Ekstr. from Upernavik, West Greenland. This specimen had a stipe-like structure on a Poaceae plant, and sclerotia developed on its tip. In August, P. petasitis in Hokkaido, Japan, formed basidiomata directly from substrates on the ground. Similar phenomena were found from other Typhula spp. in Japan. All of these fungi had the potential to produce sclerotia in culture, and as well as the capacity of mycelial growth at ambient air temperatures in each locality when samples were collected. These findings suggest that Typhula spp. developed basidiomata not only from the sclerotia dispersed by the basidiospores but also mycelia generated by the spore germination formed basidiomata multiple times depending on their growth environments.

We analyze the transformation of a very broad class of metrics that can be put in terms of static coordinates. Starting from a general ansatz, we obtain a relation for the parameters in which one can impose further symmetries, or restrictions. One of the simplest restrictions leads to FLRW cases, while transforming from the initial static to other static-type coordinates can lead to near horizon coordinates, Wheeler-Regge, isotropic coordinates, among others. As less restrictive cases, we show an indirect route for obtaining Kruskal-Szekeres within this approach, as well as Lema\^{\i}tre coordinates. We use Schwarzschild spacetime as prototype for testing the procedure in individual cases. However, application to other spacetimes, such as de-Sitter, Reissner-Nordstr\"{o}m or Schwarzschild de Sitter, can be readily generalized.

Knowledge about the genesis and evolution of black soils in the Eastern Mediterranean is vital for sustainable land management. In this study, the black soils that currently occur in the Eastern Mediterranean were analyzed in different bioclimatic zones and were found to genetically be long to three soil types: 1-Calcareous black soils (Rendzina, Para-Rendzina) (Rendzic or Somerirendzic Leptosols -Typic Rendolls or Lithic Rendolls), 2-Hydromorphic black soils (Calcic Chernozems -Haploxerolls). 3- Black soils on Basalt (Somerirendzic Leptosols) (Haploxerolls). The impact of the relief was obvious on both the thickness of the solum and the mollic horizon. Rendzina occurs on the toe and feet slope, Para-Rendzina on the shoulders, and Chernozems on a flat plain. The color of the epipedon in Rendzina reflects the origin of the prevailing parent material from which they are derived: Proper Rendzina found on limestone, chalk, sandstone, conglomerate, and claystone; Reddish Rendzina on Dolomite and hard limestone, and Grayish Rendzina on Serpentine. It was also found that the Hydromorphic black soils only occur on calcic marl and lacustrine deposits in the depressions arising from the Dead Sea faults under saturation or bad drainage conditions. This soil has a thick, dark mollic horizon and high organic matter content.

The principles of causality and unitarity are studied within rational nonlinear electrodynamics proposed earlier. We investigate dyonic and magnetized black holes and show that in the self-dual case, when the electric charge equals the magnetic charge, corrections to Coulomb's law and Reissner-Nordstrom solutions are absent. In the case of the magnetic black hole, the Hawking temperature, the heat capacity and the Helmholtz free energy are calculated. It is shown that there are second-order phase transitions and it was demonstrated that at some range of parameters the black holes are stable.

This article addresses the problem of contact voltage increase caused by the low frequency oscillation of the train-grid system in the phase-separation process of the EMU. The article establishes the EMU-contact line-traction substation model, reveals the mechanism of low-frequency oscillation, and obtains the relationship between the separation phase angle of the pantograph with line and low-frequency oscillations. Methods to suppress the over-voltage during the low-frequency oscillation are proposed. The study shows that when the power phase angle of the pantograph-line separation is within the range of 60°~90° and 240°~270°, the voltage amplitude in the neutral zone is larger, the maximum amplitude can reach 52.2kV, and low-frequency oscillation will occur in the neutral zone. When low frequency oscillation occurs, the contact line voltage in the neutral zone is mainly 1/3 power frequency (16.7Hz). After installing an RC suppression device in the neutral zone, when the EMU enters the neutral zone, the absolute value of the voltage peak drops to below 20 kV. Compared with the situation where the suppression device is not connected, the absolute value of the voltage peak is reduced by nearly 60%. The study provides a basis for the design of the neutral zone of the contact line and the selection of the high-voltage equipment of the EMU.

Study design: Retrospective cohort study. Objectives: To investigate the outcomes of early ballon kyphoplasty (BKP) intervention compared with late intervention for osteoporotic vertebral fracture. Background: Osteoporotic vertebral fractures, can lead to kyphotic deformity, severe back pain, depression, and disturbances in activities of daily living (ADL). BKP has been widely utilized to treat symptomatic OVFs and has proven to be a very effective surgical option for this condition. BKP is relatively a safe and effective method due to less acrylic cement leakage and greater kyphosis correction. Materials and Methods: A retrospective comparative study was conducted at our hospital for patients who underwent BKP for osteoporotic vertebral fractures in the time frame between January 2020 and December 2022. Ninety-nine patients were included in this study, patients were classified into two groups: 36 patients underwent early BKP intervention (EI)

Cervical injuries from athletic activities are rare; they can have severe consequences if not diagnosed and managed promptly. The choice of diagnostic imaging modality is pivotal in ensuring timely and accurate diagnosis. We detail the case of a 19-year-old female athlete who sustained a C2 Durel Type II Subclass C fracture during a short-track speed skating championship. Initial evaluation using X-ray imaging at the athletic center medical facility did not detect the injury, allowing her to continue competing. Persistent pain led to further evaluation at our institution, where MRI and CT scans confirmed the fracture. Approximately 45 days post-injury, the patient underwent a successful surgical intervention utilizing O-arm CBCT navigation for C1-C2 dorsal fusion. Post-surgery, she embarked on a comprehensive rehabilitation program and fully recovered within 12 weeks. This case underscores the limitations of relying solely on X-ray imaging for diagnosing cervical fractures post-trauma. Our findings advocate prioritizing CT scans as a primary diagnostic tool in such scenarios, emphasizing the need for a robust diagnostic approach to ensure athlete safety and well.