Electrowetting display (EWD) device is a new type of electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) equipment which can achieve a paper-like display effect under the control of electric field. In this microfluidic system, the stability of grayscale could be affected by various factors, such as the physicochemical properties of materials, device structure, and electric field distribution. To improve the grayscale stability of active matrix electrowetting displays (AM-EWDs), the impact of different polarities of driving voltage on oil backflow was investigated in this study. Based on the driving principles of AM-EWD, an optimized inter-frame bipolar reset driving waveform was designed to overcome oil backflow. The proposed driving waveform maintained the stability of the oil state by periodically and rapidly releasing trapped charges in the dielectric layer through a reverse driving voltage. Additionally, the effect of feed through voltage on the pixel driving voltage was eliminated by compensating for the driving voltage on common electrode. Finally, the performance of the designed driving waveform was evaluated with a 6-inch AM-EWD driving platform. Compared to the conventional unipolar reset driving waveform, the backflow speed decreased by 2.70 a.u./s. The standard deviation of the display luminance was also reduced by 11.24 a.u. Experimental results indicated that both the oil backflow speed and the fluctuation range of luminance were effectively suppressed by the proposed driving waveform.

Flexible wearable pressure sensors offer numerous benefits, including superior sensing capabilities, a lightweight and compact design, and exceptional conformal properties, making them highly sought after in various applications including medical monitoring, human-computer interaction, and electronic skin. Because of their excellent characteristics, such as simple fabrication, low power consumption, and short response time, capacitive pressure sensors have received widespread attention. As a flexible polymer material, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is widely used in the preparation of dielectric layers for capacitive pressure sensors. The Young's modulus of the flexible polymer can be effectively decreased through the synergistic application of sacrificial template and laser ablation techniques, thereby improving the functionality of capacitive pressure sensors. In this study, a novel sensor was developed through a series of processes including sacrificial template method using NaCl microparticles, CO₂ laser ablation, and sandwiching a porous PDMS dielectric layer between two flexible electrodes to create a capacitive pressure sensor. The sensor demonstrates a sensitivity of 0.694 kPa-1 within the pressure range of 0-1 kPa, and can effectively detect pressures ranging from 3 Pa to 200 kPa. The sensor demonstrates stability for up to 500 cycles, with a rapid response time of 96ms and a recovery time of 118ms, coupled with a low hysteresis of 6.8%. Furthermore, our testing indicates that the sensor possesses limitless potential for use in detecting human physiological activities and signaling emergencies.

Gaze tracking of high-speed moving targets is a novel application mode for low Earth orbit microsatellites. In this mode, small satellites are equipped with high-resolution narrow-field-of-view video cameras for stable gaze-tracking imaging of high-speed moving targets. This paper proposes a high-precision attitude adaptive integral sliding mode control method with a feedforward compensation disturbance observer to enhance the capability of a microsatellite attitude control system for gaze tracking of high-speed moving targets. Specifically, first, we present the attitude control system model for microsatellites and the calculation method for the desired attitude of target tracking based on image feedback. Then, an adaptive integral sliding mode attitude control algorithm with a feedforward compensation disturbance observer, which meets the requirements of high-precision tracking control, is designed. The developed algorithm utilizes the disturbance observer to observe the friction torque of the flywheel and compensates for it through feedforward control. It also employs the adaptive integral sliding mode control algorithm to reduce the impact of uncertain disturbances, decrease the steady-state error of the system, and enhance the attitude control precision. Simulation experiments demonstrated that the designed disturbance observer can successfully observe the frictional disturbance torque of the flywheel. The attitude Euler angle control precision for high-speed moving target tracking reached 0.009°, and the angular velocity control precision reached 0.005°/s, validating the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Addressing real-time aircraft target detection in microsatellite-based visible light remote sensing video imaging requires considering the limitations of imaging payload resolution, complex ground backgrounds, and the relative positional changes between the platform and aircraft. These factors lead to multi-scale variations in aircraft targets, making high-precision real-time detection of small targets in complex backgrounds a significant challenge for the detection algorithms. Hence, this paper introduces a real-time aircraft target detection algorithm for remote sensing imaging using an improved lightweight attention mechanism that relies on the YOLOv7 framework (SE-CBAM-YOLOv7). The proposed algorithm replaces the standard convolution (Conv) with a lightweight convolutional SEConv to reduce the computational parameters and accelerate the detection process of small aircraft targets, thus enhancing real-time onboard processing capabilities. Besides, the SEConv-based SPPCSPC (Spatial Pyramid Pooling and Connected Spatial Pyramid Convolution) module extracts image features. It improves detection accuracy while the feature fusion section integrates the CBAM hybrid attention network, forming the CBAMCAT module. Furthermore, it optimizes small aircraft target features in channel and spatial dimensions, improving the model's feature fusion capabilities. Experiments on public remote sensing datasets reveal the proposed SE-CBAM-YOLOv7 improves detection accuracy by 3% and mAP value by 4.2% compared to YOLOv7, significantly enhancing the detection capability for small-sized aircraft targets in satellite remote sensing imaging.

To address the issue of reduced orbit estimation accuracy resulting from discrepancies between in-orbit measured geomagnetic field values and IGRF model values in autonomous orbit estimation of microsatellites based on geomagnetic field measurements, this study introduces an adaptive cubature H-infinity filtering algorithm. Firstly, it presents the low-altitude orbital dynamics model and geomagnetic field measurement model for microsatellites. Subsequently, within the adaptive cubature H-infinity filtering algorithm, a spherical simplex rule and a second-order Gaussian-Legendre quadrature criterion are employed to compute the spherical surface integral and radial integral. Additionally, a spherical simplex-radial quadrature rule is proposed to enhance the approximation accuracy of nonlinear Gaussian weighted integrals. Furthermore, by integrating extended H-infinity filtering based on game theory with the cubature quadrature rule, an inverse proportional relationship between constraint level and filtering innovation is established. This allows for adaptive adjustment of the constraint level to enhance robustness against model errors. Finally, through semi-physical simulation experiments, it is demonstrated that compared with traditional algorithms, the proposed algorithm improves autonomous orbit estimation position accuracy of microsatellites by 7.49%, while also enhancing velocity accuracy by 3.1%, thus validating its effectiveness.

Dynamic optical structural color is always desired in various display applications and usually involves active materials. Full-color generation, especially bi-directional full-color generation in both reflective and transmissive modes, without any active materials included has been rarely investigated. Herein, we demonstrate a scheme of bi-directional full-color generation based on a plasmonic metasurface modulated by rotation of the polarization angle of the incident light without varying the geometry and the optical properties of the materials and the environment where the metasurface resides. The metasurface unit cell consists of plasmonic modules aligning in three directions and is patterned in a square array. The metasurface structural color device generates full colors in both reflection and transmission. Based on the proposed polarization-dependent structural color, information encoding of three multiplexed animal images and quick-responsive (QR) codes is demonstrated to verify the efficient information encoding and decoding of the proposed scheme. The animals can be seen under different polarization incidence and the QR codes can be successfully decoded by the polarization rotation in transmission. The proposed bi-directional full-color generation metasurface has great potential in applications such as kaleidoscope generation, anti-counterfeiting, dynamic color display, and optical information encoding.

Aiming at solving difficulties related to aero-engine classification and identification, the infrared spectra of aero-engine hot jets are measured by telemetry Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, and a six types aero-engine hot jet spectrum data set is generated. The spectrum data set were randomly sampled at a ratio of 8:1:1 to generate training set, validation set and prediction set. In this paper, a Peak Finding Siamese Convolutional Neural Network (PF-SCNN) is designed to match and classify spectrum data. In the first place, the matching pairs of training set and validation set are made independently with the labels of positive and negative samples creating. The spectrum feature extraction and distance similarity calculation are carried out by the Siamese convolutional neural network (SCNN). When entering the prediction phase, the prediction set and training set are integrated to predict in the trained model. The prediction set labels are ultimately determined by matching them with the training set labels having the highest similarities to ensure accurate predictions. To improve the operation efficiency of the SCNN, a peak finding method is introduced to extract the spectrum peaks. Peak positions of high frequency are counted, while the peak data are extracted. The peak data are used to take the place of the original data for training and prediction. The performance measures are defined as Accuracy, Precision, Recall, Confusion matrix and F1-score, and the prediction accuracy was up to 99%. The experimental results indicate that the proposed PF-SCNN is suitable for our spectral dataset and can complete the task of infrared spectrum classification of aero-engine hot jets.

Focusing on the problem of identifying and classifying aero-engine models, this paper measures the infrared spectrum data of aero-engine hot jets using a telemetry Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. Simultaneously, infrared spectral data sets with the six different types of aero-engines are created. For the purpose of classifying and identifying infrared spectral data, a CNN architecture based on the continuous wavelet transform peak seeking attention mechanism (CWT-AM-CNN) is suggested. This method calculates the peak value of middle wave band by continuous wavelet transform, and the peak data is extracted by the statistics of the wave number locations with high frequency. Attention mechanism is used for the peak data, and the attention mechanism is weighted to the feature map of the feature extraction block. The training set, vali-dation set and prediction set are divided in the ratio of 8:1:1 for the infrared spectral data sets. For three different data sets, CWT-AM-CNN proposed in this paper is compared with the classical classifier algorithm based on CO2 feature vector and the popular AE, RNN and LSTM spectral processing networks. The prediction accuracy of the proposed algorithm in the three data sets is as high as 97%, and the lightweight network structure design not only guarantees high precision, but also has a fast running speed, which can realize the rapid and high-precision classification of the infrared spectral data of the aero-engine hot jets.

Pipeline conflicts arising from data dependencies are a common issue encountered in the hardware implementation of layered QC-LDPC decoders. This paper proposes an efficient layered decoding architecture to reduce pipeline conflicts without introducing stall cycles, by reordering the processing order offline and using the patch method based on variable-to-check message. The experimental results on the LDPC code of the IEEE802.16 standard in the OFDM-PON system demonstrate that the proposed architecture has a sensitivity improvement of 0.125 dBm and 0.375 dBm, respectively, compared with our previous work and the method described in the other work.

The aim of this study was to investigate the physicochemical characterization and biological activities of chitosan (CH) based composite films with the incorporation of chestnut flower essential oil (CFEO). The composite films were prepared by casting method and characterized in terms of structural, morphological and mechanical properties via FT-IR, XRD, UV, SEM and TGA. The results proved the significantly increased water vapor permeability (WVP), heat resistance, antibacterial and antioxidant capabilities of CH-CFEO films. The incorporation of CH and CFEO enhanced the UV blocking, which made the film shield almost all UV light. Films with the tensile strength of 6.37 ± 0.41 MPa and elongation at break of 22.57 ± 0.35% were got with 6 mg mL-1 CFEO. Subsequently, the fruit preservation experiments also confirmed that the composite films could effectively extend the shelf life of bananas through their excellent water vapor and oxygen barrier. These desirable performances enable our newly developed composite films to be a remarkable packaging material to solve the fresh fruit preservation dilemma.

Despite the role of metabolism in breast cancer metastasis, we still cannot predict which breast tumors will progress to distal metastatic lesions or remain dormant. This work uses metabolic imaging to study breast cancer cell lines (4T1, 4T07, and 67NR) with differing metastatic potential in a 3D collagen gel bioreactor system. Within the bioreactor, hyperpolarized magnetic resonance spectroscopy (HP-MRS) is used to image lactate/pyruvate ratios, while fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) of endogenous metabolites measures metabolism at the cellular scale. HP-MRS results showed no lactate peak for 67NR and a comparatively large lactate/pyruvate ratio for both 4T1 and 4T07 cell lines, suggestive of greater pyruvate utilization with greater metastatic potential. Similar patterns were observed using FLIM with significant increases in FAD intensity, redox ratio, and NAD(P)H lifetime. The lactate/pyruvate ratio was strongly correlated to NAD(P)H lifetime, consistent with the role of NADH as an electron donor for the glycolytic pathway, suggestive of an overall upregulation of metabolism (both glycolytic and oxidative), for the 4T07 and 4T1 cell lines compared to the non-metastatic 67NR cell line. These findings support a complementary role for HP-MRS and FLIM enabled by a novel collagen gel bioreactor system to investigate metastatic potential and cancer metabolism.

Femtosecond laser two-photon polymerization (TPP) technology, known for its high precision and capability to fabricate arbitrary 3D structures, has been widely applied in the production of various micro-nano optical devices, achieving significant advancements particularly in the field of photonic wire bonding (PWB) for optical interconnects. Currently, research on optimizing both the optical loss and production reliability of polymeric photonic wires is still in its early stages. One of the key challenges is that inadequate metrology methods cannot meet the demand for multiphysical measurements in practical scenarios. This study utilizes in-situ scanning electron microscopy (SEM), for the first time, to monitor the working PWBs fabricated by TPP technology at the microscale. Optical and mechanical measurements are made simultaneously to evaluate the production qualities and to study the multiphysical coupling effects of PWBs. The results reveal that photonic wires with larger local curvature radii are more prone to plastic failure, while those with smaller local curvature radii recover elastically. Furthermore, larger cross-sectional dimensions contribute dominantly to the improved mechanical robustness. The optical loss deterioration of the elastically deformed photonic wire is only temporary, which can be fully recovered when the load is removed. After further optimization based on the results of multiphysical metrology, the PWBs fabricated in this work achieve a minimum insertion loss of 0.6 dB. In this study, the multiphysical analysis of PWBs carried out by in-situ SEM metrology offers a novel perspective for optimizing the design and performance of microscale polymeric waveguides, which could potentially promote the mass production reliability of TPP technology in the field of chip-level optical interconnection.

Polarimetry is used to determine the Stokes parameters of a laser beam. Once all four S0,1,2,3 parameters are determined, the state of polarisation is established. Upon reflection of a laser beam with the defined S polarisation state, the directly measured S parameters can be used to determine the optical properties of the surface, which modified the S-state upon reflection. Here, we demonstrate polarimetry for the determination of surface anisotropies related to birefringence and dichroism from different materials, which have a common feature of linear patterns of different alignments and scales. It is shown that polarimetry in the back-reflected light is complementary to ellipsometry and four-polarisation camera imaging.

We present a crack-free optically active SiO2 glass-composite material containing YAG:Ce synthesized by a modified sol-gel technique. A glass-composite material consisting of yttrium aluminum garnet doped with Ce3+ (YAG:Ce) entrapped into a SiO2 xerogel. This composite material has been prepared by sol–gel technique with modified gelation and drying process to obtain crack-free optically active SiO2 glass. The concentration of the YAG:Ce was from 0.5 to 2.0 wt%. All synthesized samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) techniques. The luminescence properties of the obtained materials were studied.

Against the background of the sky, imaging and perception of aircraft are cru- cial. Among these, the location of aircrafts is not a very difficult problem in general, because that deep learning algorithms and object detection models based on convolutional neural network(CNN) are ever-evolving. In order to have a better identification of various aircrafts, or to accurately locate different types of flying targets in the sky, it becomes significant to distinguish and recognize different types of aircrafts. One question is that, distinguishing and recognizing between sub-categories of aircrafts pose great challenges. Although fine-grained recognition focuses on exploring and studying such problems, aircrafts under different sub-categories and granularities lead us to rethink the application of features. We noticed that features in swin-transformer demonstrates the under- standing and processing of images, fully showcasing the encoding and indexing of information. Through this research and proposed approach, we discovered a better understanding of features encoding and use, which are inspired by the feature encoding and computation in swin-transformer. In our paper, our ap- proach has achieved effects on features encoded graphically, manifested from the architecture design and convolutional neural network computation, and outper- forms other famous fine-graiend classification models on this issue. Not only approach we proposed has demonstrated superior performance in fine-grained aicraft classification, but also the mechanisms of the feature encoding under different sample space partitions is revealed for this issue, which provides a re- search for the representation of aircraft fineness characteristics. The relationship between representation orientation of aircraft feature information under various grained divisions, shows that the recognition of different categories according to man-made, such as aircraft, can be achieved by means of the feature represen- tations studied in this paper, for more specific defined classification tasks and various man-made targets partition criteria, which may influences the princi- ple of design for calculation and feature extraction in fine-grained classification models.

Quantum correlations, especially time correlations, are crucial in ghost imaging in order to significantly reduce the background noise on the one hand while increasing the imaging resolution. Moreover, the time correlations serve as a critical reference, distinguishing between signal and noise, which in turn enable clear visualization of biological samples. Quantum imaging also addresses the challenge involved in imaging delicate biological structures with minimal photon exposure and sample damage. Here we explore the recent progress in quantum correlation-based imaging, notably its impact on secure imaging and remote sensing protocols as well as on biological imaging. We also exploit the quantum characteristics of heralded single-photon sources (HSPS) combined with decoy-state methods for secure imaging. This method uses Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) principles to reduce measurement uncertainties and protect data integrity. It is highly effective in low-photon-number regimes for producing high-quality, noise-reduced images. The versatility of decoy-state methods with WCSs (WCS) is also discussed, highlighting their suitability for scenarios requiring higher photon numbers. We emphasize the dual advantages of these techniques: improving image quality through noise reduction and enhancing data security with quantum encryption, suggesting significant potential for quantum imaging in various applications, from delicate biological imaging to secure quantum communication.

The demand for improved service in mobile networks is always increasing. That means signal transmission with higher capacity is required. To achieve that goal a combined optical and wireless link using double polarization multiplexing has been developed. A high quality signal transmission is achieved by applying high polarization extinction ratio. The new concept is validated by experiments varying the bit rate and fiber length. A signal with 12 Gbit/s bit rate was transmitted over a 25 km long combined link with about 1.10-8 bit error rate. That result is much better than the already published data which were measured on links transmitting information with 2.5 Gbit/s bit rate. The polarization multiplexing technique is very practical for capacity enhancement in a specific section of an existing optical fiber by inserting a new link into it without deploying a new fiber.

Laser machining by ultra-short (sub-ps) pulses at high intensity offers high precision, high throughput in terms of area or volume per unit time, and flexibility to adapt processing protocols to different materials on the same workpiece. Here we consider the challenge of optimization for high throughput: how to use the maximum available laser power and larger focal spots for larger ablation volumes by implementing a fast scan. This implies the use of high-intensity pulses approaching ∼PW/cm2 at the threshold where tunnelling ionization starts to contribute to overall ionization. A custom laser micromachining setup was developed and built to enable high speed, large area processing and easy system reconfiguration for different tasks. The main components include laser, stages, scanners, control system, and software. Machining of metals such as Cu, Al, or stainless steel, and fused silica surfaces at high-fluence and high-exposure doses at high scan speeds up to 3 m/s were tested for the fluence scaling of ablation volume, which was found to be linear. Modified surfaces are color-classified for their appearance, which is dependent on surface roughness and chemical modification. Such colour-coding can be used as a feedback parameter for industrial process control.

(1) Background: The rapid expansion of 4G and 5G networks has raised public concerns about potential health risks associated with electromagnetic radiation. This study addresses these fears by investigating electromagnetic measurements in crowded squares, where human exposure is heightened. Despite rigorous scientific methodologies showing generally low levels of radiation from these technologies, public apprehension persists; (2) Methods: We conducted 496 measurements in Larissa's major squares, using a portable field strength analyzer and GIS mapping. Squares were categorized by traffic and population density; (3) Results: Low-traffic squares exhibited exposure ratios consistently below ICNIRP limits, with median values of 0.0012 and 0.00173 in non-active and active mobile phone cases, respectively. In high-traffic squares, the median exposure ratio was 0.00335 in non-active mobile phone cases, remaining below recommended limits; (4) Conclusions: These findings indicate no significant risk of electromagnetic radiation in crowded squares in Larissa, emphasizing the importance of factual communication and dispelling public misconceptions.

1) Background: Several studies have shown the benefit of drawing when learning anatomy. Virtual Reality (VR) also appears to be useful to increase the understanding of the location of anatomical structures. This study aims to describe how students in an Operating Room Nursing (OR nursing) master study program perceive the benefit of active learning methods, including drawing and the use of VR. 2) Methods: We combined these two methods in a class of 29 students. 38 half-finished drawings of anatomical structures were made. The students were to complete these during lectures with guidance from the teacher. The students also attended a two-hour VR session where they were to find various anatomical structures. A paper questionnaire was applied to evaluate the teaching program. Data were analyzed statistically. 3) Results: The students highly appreciated these learning methods. They reported that drawing made them work more actively during lectures and increased their learning outcome. They also perceived that the use of VR technology increased their understanding of the location of anatomical structures. 4) Conclusion: The combination of drawing and VR technology may be of benefit to OR Nursing students when learning anatomy by both increasing student activity and learning outcomes.

Smart agriculture is a new way of farming that uses advanced technology. It makes a significant contribution to improving the efficiency and productivity of farming practices. Systems that use drones to monitor pests and spray pesticides greatly reduce the burden on farmers. In addition, remote sensing technology facilitates the monitoring of crop growth conditions and the early detection of diseases and pests. However, the high cost of equipment to communicate sensor data is preventing farmers from adopting sensing systems. As a result, many studies have been conducted to make the sensing system available at a low cost. Nevertheless, many farmers have not yet adopted them. Therefore, this paper proposes an agricultural sensor network system using drones and optical camera communication (OCC). The proposed system aims to achieve high-density farm sensing at low cost. The proposed system uses OCC as the communication method for sensor data. Low cost light sources such as LED panels can be used as transmitters. In addition, existing agricultural drones equipped with cameras can be used as receivers. We also propose a trajectory control algorithm for the receiving drone to efficiently collect the sensor data. The proposed system is suitable for deploying sensor networks in areas with underdeveloped infrastructure and radio silence. In this paper, we conducted a preliminary experiment at a leaf mustard farm in Kamitonda-cho, Wakayama to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed system using a Mavic 2 Pro drone, launched by DJI Co., Ltd.

In the present research, groups of nanolayered structures and nanohybrids based on organic green dyes and inorganic species are designated to act as fillers for PVA for inducing new optical sites and increasing its thermal stability through producing polymeric nanocomposites. In this trend, different percentages of Naphthol green B were intercalated as pillars inside the Zn-Al nanolayered structures to form green organic-inorganic nanohybrids. The two-dimensional green nanohybrids were identified by X-ray diffraction, TEM and SEM. According to the thermal analyses, the nanohybrid, which has the highest amount of green dyes, was used for modifying the PVA through two series. In the first series, three nanocomposites were prepared depending on the green nanohybrid as prepared. In the second series, the yellow nanohybrid, which was produced from the green nanohybrid by thermal treatment, was used to produce another three nanocomposites. The optical properties revealed that the polymeric nanocomposites depending on green nanohybrids became optical-active in UV and visible regions because the energy band gap decreased to be 2.2 eV. In addition, the energy band gap of the nanocomposites depended on yellow nanohybrids was 2.5 eV. The thermal analyses indicated that the polymeric nanocomposites are thermally more stable than that of the original PVA. Finally, the dual functionality of organic-inorganic nanohybrids that produced from the confinement of organic dyes and the thermal stability of inorganic species converted the non-optical PVA to optical-active polymer in a wide range with high thermal stability

The Active Distribution Networks (ADNs) are Multi-Input Multi-Output (MIMO) systems with coupled dynamics which cause interactions among the control loops of the Distributed Energy Resources (DERs). This undesired effect lead to performance degradation in the voltage control. To mitigate the effects of these unavoidable coupling, the present paper proposes a systematic design procedure based on the analysis of the interaction's sources. In details, each DER is equipped with a double loop PI to control the active and reactive powers output by the Voltage Source Converter (VSC) which connects the DER to the network's node. Furthermore, to guarantee Ancillary Services (ASs), the two loops are coupled by a simple mechanism of cooperation of the active power to voltage regulation realized by a filtered droop law. To achieve voltage regulation with reduced loop interactions, the PI parameters and the filter's pulse are designed according to a two sequential steps procedure based on the (Internal Model Control) IMC technique. Simulation studies are finally presented to demonstrate that the proposed design method achieves both reduction of the loop interaction and robust voltage control in presence of model parameter uncertainty in the MIMO model.

The influence of growth temperature on the crystalline quality and optical properties of AlGaN at 325 nm, grown using plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), was investigated. The growth temperature exhibited a significant impact on the growth mode and surface morphology. Specifically, at a growth temperature of 750 degrees Celsius, when appropriate Al and Ga flow rates were employed, the AlGaN layer exhibited exceptional surface morphology and favorable optical properties. The optical properties of the AlGaN material were explored, revealing the presence of two distinct non-radiative recombination centers characterized by different activation energies. The minority carrier lifetimes were measured as 560 ps at 10 K and 64 ps at room temperature. The underlying mechanism was analyzed from the perspective of carrier dynamics, shedding light on the observed phenomena.

The bulk LiNa5Mo9O30 (LNM) crystals were successfully grown in the [010] and [001] directions without internal inclusions and cracks by the Czochralskii method with low temperature gradient. The crystal grown in the [010] direction showed a tendency to twinning. The crystal grown in the [001] direction demonstrated high structural perfection (FWHM=13'') for the (001) plane and high optical quality Δn≈210-5. The laser induced damage threshold was measured along a, b and c axes and was 15.7, 27.0 and 27.5 J/cm2 respectively. The thermo-optical coefficient dn/dT was measured for the main crystallographic axes, which was -5.7510-6, -2.0210-5 and 3.6510-6 K-1 along the a, b and c axes, respectively. The second harmonic generation (SHG) is conducted in crystalline LNM sample. The maximum efficiency value of 3.5% at pump power of 12 W had been achieved.

The autonomous displacement and displacement measurement functions of the maglev ruler are performed by the mover core. The stability of the four magnetic field in air gaps and the levitation position of the maglev ruler is one of the key factors for the stability of the thrust force on the power core, and it is also one of the key factors for ensuring the precision of the maglev ruler. There is cross-coupling between the two ends of the mover core of the maglev ruler, resulting in a strongly coupled, nonlinear, multi-input and multi-output system for the levitating system of the maglev ruler. This paper establishes a mathematical model for the levitating system of the maglev ruler, and designs a levitating control system for the maglev ruler based on ADRC control algorithm to achieve decoupling and disturbance suppression. Through simulation analysis and experimental testing of the levitating system with starting and disturbance, it is proved that the levitating control system of the maglev ruler has good dynamic characteristics, static characteristics, and robustness.

The chiral optical Tamm state (COTS) is a special localized state at the interface of a handedness-preserving mirror and a structurally chiral medium such as a cholesteric liquid crystal or a chiral sculptured thin film. The spectral behavior of COTS, observed as reflection resonances, is described by the temporal coupled-mode theory. Mode coupling is different for two circular light polarizations because COTS has a helix structure replicating that of the cholesteric. The mode coupling for co-handed circularly polarized light exponentially attenuates with the cholesteric layer thickness since the COTS frequency falls into the stop band. Cross-handed circularly polarized light freely goes through the cholesteric layer and can excite COTS when reflected from the handedness-preserving mirror. The coupling in this case is proportional to anisotropy of the cholesteric and theoretically it is only anisotropy of magnetic permittivity that can ultimately cancel this coupling. These two couplings being equal results in a polarization crossover (the Kopp--Genack effect) for which a linear polarization is optimal to excite COTS. The corresponding cholesteric thickness and scattering matrix for COTS are generally described by simple expressions.

In this paper we explore the known connection among sustainability, resilience, and well-being within the framework of active inference. Initially, we revisit how the notions of well-being and resilience intersect within active inference before defining sustainability. We adopt a holistic concept of sustainability denoting the enduring capacity to meet needs over time without depleting crucial resources. It extends beyond material wealth to encompass community networks, labor, and knowledge. Using the Free Energy Principle, we can emphasize the role of fostering resource renewal, harmonious system-entity exchanges, and practices that encourage self-organization and resilience as pathways to achieving sustainability, both in an agent and in collectives. We start by connecting Active Inference with well-being, building on exsiting work. We then attempt to link resilience with sustainability, asserting that resilience alone is insufficient for sustainable outcomes. While crucial for absorbing shocks and stresses, resilience must be intrinsically linked with sustainability to ensure that adaptive capacities do not merely perpetuate existing vulnerabilities. Rather, it should facilitate transformative processes that address the root causes of unsustainability. Sustainability, therefore, must manifest across extended timescales and all system strata, from individual components to the broader system, to uphold ecological integrity, economic stability, and social well-being. We explain how sustainability manifests at the level of an agent, and then at the level of collectives and systems. To model and quantify the interdependencies between resources and their impact on overall system sustainability, we introduce the application of network theory and dynamical systems theory. We emphasize the optimization of precision or learning rates through the active inference framework, advocating for an approach that fosters the elastic and plastic resilience necessary for long-term sustainability and abundance.

We propose and experimentally realize a scheme of the optical nonreciprocity (ONR) using degenerate two-level atoms embedded in an optical ring cavity. For the degenerate transition Fg=4→Fe=3, we first study the cavity-transmission property in different coupling field, and verify that within the strong-coupling regime, the single-dark-state peak formed by electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) shows ONR. Qualitative theoretical analysis shows that the stable ground-state Zeeman coherence is necessary for intracavity EIT. However, due to the frequency degeneracy, the large Rabi frequency of counter-propagating coupling field can reduce the number of effective atoms and weaken the strong-coupling of the atom-cavity, which determines that ONR based on intracavity EIT occurs only at weaker probe intensity. Furthermore, the ONR transmission with high contrast, linewidth-narrowed and broadband is experimentally demonstrated.

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of solution of ethanol extractions of different microalgae species: Spirulina sp., Dunaliella sp. and Chlorella sp. on the accumulation of biologically active compounds in tomato fruits. Ethanol solution as well as treatment with drinking water were used as a control. Tomato cultivar ‘Belle’ F1 (Enza Zaden) was grown in 25 L pots, in peat substrate (pHKCl 5.5, producer Laflora LTd), polycarbonate greenhouse. Chemical composition – total carotenoids, lycopene and β-carotene content, total phenolics and anthocyanins, organic acids, vitamin C as well as dry matter, pH and soluble solids content – was determined in tomato fruits at the stage of full ripen. The influence of tested extracts on biologically active compounds on quality parameters of tomatoes was different, but no negative effect was observed. As only pH values as well as total phenol content and total soluble solids had statistically significant differences, results can be described with genetical stability of the cultivar.

The Yb/Al multilayer films exhibit excellent theoretical reflectivity in the 54-90nm wavelength range. This study attempted to incorporate 1.5% wt.% of Si impurities into Al to suppress the crystallization of Al, reduce interfacial roughness, and enhance the actual reflectivity of the prepared Yb/Al multilayer films. The internal microstructure changes of the film layers before and after Si impurity doping were investigated using GIXRR, AFM, and XRD techniques. The reflectivity of two types of multilayer films, Yb/Al(1.5wt.%Si) and Yb/Al(pure), was tested to evaluate the effect of Si impurity on the film performance.

Theoretical studies on the generation of nondiffracting and nondispersive light pulses and their experimental implementation are one of the renowned problems within electromagnetics. Current technologies enable creation of short-duration pulses of a few cycles with high power and fluency. An application of these techniques to the field of nondiffracting and nondispersive pulses requires a proper mathematical description of highly focused vector pulses. In this work, we study vector optical bullets in a dielectric medium with different polarization structures: linear, azimuthal, and radial. We report the differences caused by the vector model compared to the scalar model. We analyze effects caused by superluminal, subluminal, or even negative group velocity on properties of vector optical bullets inside a dielectric material.

Retinal vein cannulation involves puncturing an occluded vessel on the micron scale. Even single millinewton force can cause permanent damage. An ophthalmic robot with a piezo-driven injector is precious enough to perform this delicate procedure, but the uncertain viscoelastic characteristics of the vessel makes it difficult to achieve the desired contact force without harming the retina. The paper utilizes a viscoelastic contact model to explain the mechanical characteristics of retinal blood vessels in order to tackle this issue. The uncertainty in the viscoelastic properties is considered an internal disturbance of the contact model, and an active disturbance rejection controller is then proposed to precisely control the contact force. The experimental results show that this method can precisely adjust the contact force at the millinewton level even when the viscoelastic parameters vary significantly (up to 403.8%). The root mean square (RMS) and maximum value of steady-state error are 0.32 mN and 0.41 mN. The response time below 2.51 s with no obvious overshoot.

Input reconstruction problem is usually encountered in the areas such as virtual sensing, image restoration, sensor linearization, and communications. The input reconstruction problem can be seen as an inverse problem. Given a nominal system, two types of approaches are commonly used for solving the inverse problem. The first one is to directly invert the nominal system, and the second one is to derive an inversion of the nominal system in an indirect way. However, for the first type of approaches, system inversion cannot be directly conducted under some conditions such as there exist nonminimum-phase zeros in the nominal system, while for the second type of approaches, simultaneously guaranteeing stability and causality of the obtained inversion is still not solved well. In order to avoid the drawbacks existing in the two types of approaches, an alternative approach is proposed for input reconstruction. In this approach, the input signal is first modeled as the output of a state-space model, afterwards two Kalman filters for the model resulted by combining the input signal model and the nominal system model are implemented alternatively such that the input signal can be sequentially reconstructed in an infinite horizon. The proposed input reconstruction approach is applied in two examples, and simulation results can illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

The inverse system identification toolbox named INVSID 1.0 for MATLAB, which is used to identify the inversion of single-input single-output systems, is developed. The complete process of developing the toolbox is demonstrated. Afterwards, a numerical example is illustrated to describe how the toolbox can be used to solve inverse identification problems. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the toolbox.

We propose a method for creating parallel Bessel-like vortical optical needles with an arbitrary axial intensity distribution via superposition of different cone-angle Bessel vortices. We analyze the interplay between the separation of individual optical vortical needles and their respective lengths and introduce a super-Gaussian function as their axial profile. We also analyze the physical limitations to observe well-separated optic needles, as they are influenced by mutual interference of the individual beams. To verify our theoretical and numerical results, we generate controllable spatial arrays of individual Bessel beams with various numbers and spatial separations by altering the spectrum of the incoming laser beam via the spatial light modulator. We demonstrate experimentally how to implement such beams using a diffractive mask. The presented method facilitates the creation of diverse spatial intensity distributions in three dimensions, potentially finding applications in specific microfabrication tasks or other contexts. These beams may have benefits in laser material processing applications such as nanochannel machining, glass via production, modification of glass refractive indices, and glass dicing.

An active power dispatch method for a microgrid (MG) with multi-type loads, renewable energy sources (RESs) and distributed energy storage devices (DESDs) is the focus of this paper. The MG operates in a grid-connected model, and distributed power sources contribute to the service for load demands. The outputs of multiple DESDs are controlled to optimize the active power dispatch. Our goal with optimization is to reduce the economic cost under time-of-use (TOU) price, and to adjust the excessively high or low load rate of distributed transformers (DTs) caused by the peak-valley demand and load uncertainties. To simulate a practical environment, the stochastic characteristics of multi-type loads are formulated. The transition matrix of system state is provided. Then, a finite-horizon Markov decision process (FHMDP) model is established to describe the dispatch optimization problem. A learning-based technique is adopted to search the optimal joint control policy of multiple DESDs. Finally, simulation experiments are performed to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method, and the fuzzification analysis of the method is presented.

New furan, thiophene and triazole oximes were synthesized through several-step reaction paths to investigate their potential for development of central nervous systems (CNS)-active and cholinesterase-targeted therapeutics in organophosphorus compound (OP) poisonings. Acute OP poisoning is still a challenge in treating patients despite the development of a large number of oxime compounds that should have the capacity to reactivate acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE). The activity of these two enzymes, crucial for neurotransmission, are blocked by the OP, which has the consequence of disturbing normal cholinergic nerve signal transduction in the peripheral and CNS, leading to cholinergic crisis. Oximes in use have one or two pyridinium rings and cross the brain–blood barrier poorly due to the quaternary nitrogen. Following our recent study on 2-thienostilbene oximes, in this paper we described the synthesis of 63 heterostilbene derivatives out of which 26 oximes were tested as inhibitors and reactivators of AChE and BChE inhibited by OP nerve agents – sarin and cyclosarin. While the majority of oximes were potent inhibitors of both enzymes in micromolar range, we identified several oximes as BChE or AChE selective inhibitors with a potential for drug development. Moreover, even oximes were poor reactivators of AChE, four heterocyclic derivatives reactivated the cyclosarin-inhibited BChE up to 70%, and cis,trans-5 [2-((Z)-2-(5-((E)-(hydroxyimino)methyl)thiophen-2-yl)vinyl)benzonitrile] had comparable reactivation efficacy to the standard oxime HI-6. In silico analysis and molecular docking studies connected the kinetic data to the structural features of these oximes, and confirmed their productive interactions with the active site of the cyclosarin-inhibited BChE. Based on inhibition and reactivation and their ADMET properties regarding lipophilicity, CNS activity, and hepatotoxicity, these compounds could be considered for further development of CNS-active reactivators in OP poisoning as well as cholinesterase-targeted therapeutics in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Statistical denoising techniques have been well studied, however many challenges still remain. This 9 article focuses on determining the least necessary number of significant samples in a statistical pop-10 ulation sampling, while minimizing the impact on the statistical detection of the fiber Bragg grating 11 (FBG) power spectra. This is achieved by using Bayesian decision making, small population statis-12 tics while excluding false detection. First, we investigate the impact of two-sided sliding window 13 technique applied near the cell under the test. The window size varies from 8 to 60 samples. The 14 considered maximum size of population sampling is connected with the number of wavelength 15 samples within the bandwidth of the symmetrical FBG power spectra peaks. Regarding the sym-16 metry of FBG power spectra peaks and the possible reduction of computational demands, we inves-17 tigate the impact of a one-sided sliding window. This enables to achieve less processing latency for 18 real time applications thus brings benefits to FBG-based fiber optical sensing. Both, two- and one-19 sided small population sampling techniques are then experimentally verified. Detection results are 20 analyzed in depth via calculating detection thresholds by using the small size window sliding along-21 side the waveband. From results achieved, it was found that the normality three-sigma rule does 22 not need to be followed while using the small population sampling. Experimental demonstrations 23 and analyses showed that the proposed concept of denoising and statistical threshold detection 24 based on the sliding window does not depend on the prior knowledge of probability distribution 25 functions of the FBG power spectra peaks level and background noise. We have also found that the 26 thresholds’ adaptability mainly depends on the statistical numerical characteristics of the above ad-27 ditive mixture of the FBG power spectra peaks signals and background noise.

Onychomycosis is a common fungal nail infection for which new antibiotics are needed to overcome antifungal resistance and other limitations of conventional treatments. This study reports the development of antifungal nail lacquers containing oregano essential oil (OEO), rosemary essential oil (REO), and/or biogenic silver nanoparticles (bioAgNP). The formulations (F) were tested against dermatophytes by agar diffusion, ex vivo nail infection, and scanning electron microscopy techniques. They were evaluated pharmacotechnically and by FTIR-PAS to access permeation across the nail plate. F-OEO and F-OEO/Ag were promising for the final nail lacquer formulation, they permeated through the nail plate and showed antifungal efficacy against dermatophytes-contaminated nails after 5 days of treatment. The treated nails had decreased hyphae and spores compared to untreated control; the hyphae were atypically flattened which indicates loss of cytoplasmic content due to damage to cytoplasmic membrane. Formulations were stable after centrifugation and thermal stress, maintaining organoleptic and physicochemical characteristics. F-OEO and F-OEO/Ag had pH compatible with the nail, and drying time (59-90 s) within the reference for nail lacquer. For the first time, OEO and bioAgNP were incorporated in a nail lacquer, resulting in a natural and nanotechnological antifungal product for onychomycosis that may combat microbial resistance.

Obesity is related to the establishment of chronic inflammation and metabolic diseases, but it can be positively influenced by the regular practice of physical activity. The study aimed to compare the anthropometric, metabolic, and inflammatory parameters of physically active Military Police Officers (MPOs) with those who are less physically active. Sixty male MPOs, low activity (n=28) and physically active (n=32) participated. The following parameters were measured: plasma cytokine levels, C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, circulating glucose triglyceride (TAG) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels, and plasma glutamic oxalacetate transaminase (GOT), glutamic-pyruvate transaminase (GPT), and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) activities. The physically active group presented lower body fat and reduced TAG and IL-8 levels compared to the low activity group. Moreover, a negative correlation between SPE and SBP, DBP, BPM was detected for the physically active group (p<0.05) but not in the low activity group. Furthermore, the physically active group's work time (WT) values were not correlated with the important metabolic markers SBP, DBP, BPM, GLU, TAG (p>0.05) but could be in the low activity group (p<0.05). These findings highlight the fundamental protective role of physical activity in controlling body composition, subclinical inflammation, and cardiovascular risk in MPOs.

Energy harvesting is an emerging topic recently. This harvested energy is used to operate wireless sensors for different industrial monitoring and automation. To maximize the harvested energy in spinning systems, the harvester should vibrate at resonance for different spinning frequencies which can be achieved by active fitting. In this research, a novel methodology was developed by actively customizing the length of vibrating element beam to manipulate its natural frequency according to the spinning frequency. Different models were investigated numerically and experimentally to verify the proposed methodology. COMSOL Multiphysics software V5.1 was used to develop the numerical model, then and tip deformation and voltage difference results were benchmarked. The numerical model was verified experimentally by attaching a piezoelectric MIDE PPA 1021 which its vibrating length was varied by changing the supporting length from 0 mm to 12 mm to a spinning object having variable frequency from 0-200 Hz. It is found that the MIDE PPA 1021 beam vibrated at its resonance throughout the specified spinning frequencies. The proposed harvester can be applied in battery-free sensors being used in automotives, wind-mills blades, and rotating machinery.

This paper proposes an innovative mechatronic piezo-actuated module to control vibrations in modern machine tools. Vibrations represent one of the main issues that compromise seriously the quality of the workpiece. The active vibration control (AVC) device is composed by a host part integrated with sensors and actuators synchronized by a regulator, able to make a self-assessment and adjust to the environmental alteration. This study presents the mechatronic model based on the kinematic and dynamic analysis of the AVC device. To ensure a real time performance, a H2-LQG controller has been developed and validated by simulations involving machine tool, PZT actuator and controller models. The Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) architecture is adopted to control and attenuate the vibrations. A set of experimental tests has been performed to validate the AVC module on a commercial machine tool. The feasibility of the real time vibration damping is demonstrated and the simulation accuracy is evaluated.

Student-centered active learning (SCAL) shifts the focus from the teacher to the student. Implementing SCAL requires the development of new forms of assessment beyond memorization and comprehension. This paper aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of SCAL by analyzing student performance at different cognitive levels. In flipped classrooms, students completed tasks with varying cognitive demands. The tests measured knowledge (level 1), comprehension (level 2), application (level 3) and analysis (level 4). This approach to assessment assesses not only the acquisition of content, but also skills that are critical to a health science student's future career. The results of expository learning were compared with student-centered collaborative learning in the Anatomy and Embryology I course over three academic years. Student opinions were collected through 326 anonymous Wooclap® surveys. No differences in performance were found for low cognitive level questions. However, SCAL significantly improved performance on higher cognitive level questions that required problem solving and application of knowledge. Despite the benefits of SCAL, it requires more effort from both teachers and students. The current assessment system, which measures the quality of teaching, penalizes this effort and requires teachers to believe strongly in the effectiveness of SCAL.

Wavelength selective switches (WSSs) are essential elements for wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) optical networks, as they offer cost-effective, high port-count and flexible spectral channel switching. This work proposes a new hybrid WSS architecture that leverages the beam shaping and steering features of uniform silicon nitride (SiN) based end-fire optical phased arrays (OPAs). By introducing beamforming to a WSS system, the spectral channels on the liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) panel can be tailored and arranged properly, depending on the optical configuration, using the beam control capabilities of OPAs. Combining 3D-FDTD and ray tracing simulations, the study shows that by reducing the input beam dimensions with proper sizing of the OPAs, the WSS design with the null-steering OPAs layout and 4×No switch size features increased spectral resolution. This extensive beamforming study on the steering-enabled layout reveals the acquirement of an even higher input channel number, achieving up to the 8×No WSS scheme with flexible channel routing on the LCoS panel. Such implementation of beamsteerers can unlock an extra degree of freedom for the switching capabilities of hybrid WSS devices. The results show great promise for the introduction of OPAs in WSS systems and provide valuable insight for the design of future wireless communication links and WDM systems.

Sea cucumber peptides are small molecular peptides with biological function obtained from fresh sea cucumber as feedstock, which were hydrolyzed by protease, separated ,and purified. As the main product of sea cucumber refinement, it more accurately expresses the nutritional effect of sea cucumber and has a wide range of potential applications. It has been demonstrated that sea cucumber has a certain value-added effect on bone mineral density regulation, but the differences in bone mineral density regulation of extracts from different parts of sea cucumber and the techniques contributing to the efficient isolation of bone sea cucumber peptides have not been reported. Firstly, the aim of this study was to reveal the differences in osteogenic activities of enzymatic peptides from three major parts of sea cucumber: the body wall, the egg protein, and the intestinal protein. Then, the bone-enhancing sea cucumber peptides were isolated based on the characteristics of the dif-ferences in molecular weight distribution, hydrophilicity, and ionisation degree of sea cucumber, and to explore the possible mechanisms of their action. The findings indicated that sea cucumber peptides extracted from three distinct sites exhibited a dose-dependent enhancement of osteoblast proliferation and differentiation. Upon evaluating the three methods of sea cucumber peptide separation based on molecular weight distribution, hydrophilicity, and ionization, it was observed that the fraction isolated by hydrophobicity and

Optical wireless video transmission technology combines the advantages of high data rates, enhanced security, large bandwidth capacity, and strong anti-interference capabilities inherent in optical communication, establishing it as a pivotal technology in contemporary data transmission networks. However, video data comprises a large volume of image information, resulting in substantial data flow with significant redundant bits. To address this, we propose an adaptive block sampling compressive sensing algorithm that overcomes the limitations of sampling inflexibility in traditional compressive sensing, which often leads to either redundant or insufficient local sampling. This method significantly reduces the presence of redundant bits in video images. First, the sampling mechanism of the block-based compressive sensing algorithm was optimized. Subsequently, a wireless optical video transmission experimental system was developed using a Field-Programmable Gate Array chip. Finally, experiments were conducted to evaluate the transmission of video optical signals. The results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm improves the Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio by over 3 dB compared to other algorithms, with an enhancement exceeding 1.5 dB even in field tests, thereby significantly optimizing video transmission quality. This research contributes essential technical insights for the enhancement of wireless optical video transmission performance.

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive diagnostic technique that renders an in vivo cross-sectional view of the retina. OCT utilizes a concept known as interferometry to create a cross-sectional map of the retina that is accurate to within at least 10-15 microns. Due to the transparency of the eye, OCT has gained wide popularity as an ophthalmic diagnostic tool. The OCT pictures of the retina are classified into “AMD, CNV, DRUSEN, DMR, DR, MH, CSR, and Normal Eye” using a lightweight deep neural network. There are two types of FD-OCT – swept-source OCT (SS-OCT) and spectral-domain OCT (SD-OCT) – both of which acquire spectral interferograms which are then Fourier transformed to obtain an axial scan of reflectance amplitude versus depth. Normal OCT features show a clear and defined retinal structure. The random forest algorithm is a robust ML algorithm that can be used to classify OCT images into four classes: choroidal neovascularization (CNV), deep margin elevation (DME), drusen, and normal. OCT (Optical coherent tomography) is an imaging method used to generate a picture of the back of the eyes and retinas. By using an interferometer, part of the light is directed to the sample and another portion is sent to a reference arm with a well-known length. Interferometers merge two or more sources of light to create interference patterns. We split the light into two beams that travel different optical paths and are combined to produce interference. Optical coherent tomography (OCT) generates sub-surface images of translucent or opaque materials at a resolution equivalent to a low power microscope. OCT build up clear 3D images of thick samples by rejecting background signals whilst collecting light directly reflected from a surface of interest. OCT systems use broadband sources and split light in a fiber coupler, first on a direct reference mirror, and as the sample is being measured. Balanced OCT systems can include additional attenuators at the detector arm to improve the detection efficiency.

This study investigates the optical properties of Yttrium Orthoferrite thin films fabricated via plasma laser deposition. Yttrium Orthoferrite, a ferrimagnetic material known for its potential applications in spintronics and photonics, was deposited on single-crystal substrates under controlled conditions to analyze its optical characteristics. The influence of deposition time, on the film quality and optical properties was examined.

Using coherent optical detection and digital signal processing, laser phase noise and equalization enhanced phase noise can be effectively mitigated using the feed-forward and feed-back carrier phase recovery approaches. In this paper, theoretical analyses of feed-back and feed-forward carrier phase recovery methods have been carried out in the long-haul high-speed n-level phase shift keying (n-PSK) optical fiber communication systems, involving a one-tap normalized least-mean-square (LMS) algorithm, a block-wise average algorithm, and a Viterbi-Viterbi algorithm. The analytical expressions for evaluating the estimated carrier phase and for predicting the bit-error-rate (BER) performance (such as the BER floors) have been presented and discussed in the n-PSK coherent optical transmission systems by considering both the laser phase noise and the equalization enhanced phase noise. The results indicate that the Viterbi-Viterbi carrier phase recovery algorithm outperforms the one-tap normalized LMS and the block-wise average algorithms for small phase noise variance (or effective phase noise variance), while the one-tap normalized LMS algorithm shows a better performance than the other two algorithms for large phase noise variance (or effective phase noise variance). In addition, the one-tap normalized LMS algorithm is more sensitive to the level of modulation formats.

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

Underreporting is the main limitation of the spontaneous reporting systems. This study aims to reduce underreporting enhancing public participation in vaccinovigilance through an SMS-based reporting system integrated with electronic immunization registries (IRs). Using the VigiVax software, parents of vaccinated children aged 2 years or younger received a single SMS inquiry about adverse events following immunization (AEFI). Responses were collected, validated by health operators and integrated with the information on IRs. AEFI reports were automatically submitted to the Italian Pharmacovigilance system. Among 254,160 SMS messages sent, corre-sponding to 451,656 administered doses (AD), 71,643 responses were collected (28.2% response rate), 21,231of them (8.3%) reporting an AEFI. After seriousness assessment based on clinical criteria, 50 reports (0,24%) were classified as serious. Among these, causality assessment identi-fied 31 reports at least potentially related to the vaccination (RR: 6.86/100,000 AD). Febrile seizures following MMRV vaccination accounted for 11 of these 31 cases, with an incidence of 32 per 100,000 AD. No fatal outcomes were reported. Our findings support the highly favorable risk profile of pediatric vaccinations and the possibility to improve spontaneous reporting through the integration of digital technologies.

Identifying locations of landslide slip surfaces provides critical information for understanding the volume of landslides and the scale of disasters, which is essential for formulating disaster preparedness and mitigation strategies. Based on hydrogeological survey data from 24 deep-seated landslide-prone sites in Taiwan's mountainous regions, this study first developed the hydraulic conductivity potential index (HCPI) using principal component analysis to quantify hydraulic properties of disturbed rock formation with six geological factors. Then, The regression analysis was performed to construct a permeability estimation model for the geological environment of landslides. Finally, the established model was utilized to develop an identification method for potential slip depths in landslide-prone sites. Results indicated a strong relation between HCPI and hydraulic conductivity with a determination coefficient of 0.895. The relation equation confirmed that its generated data concerning the depths of significant changes in hydraulic conductivity could be used to identify potential slip surfaces. Additionally, this study successfully establishes a rule for identifying potential slip zones by summarizing data concerning the generated hydraulic conductivity profiles, stratigraphic lithology, existing inclinometer slip depth records, and groundwater level of landslide sites. This identification method was then applied to predict potential slip depths for ten landslide sites where slip surfaces have not yet occurred. These findings offer a new alternative to having early information on potential sliding depths for timely disaster management and control implementation.

The review aims to assess fifteen (15) academic literature sources, highlighting the application of machine learning algorithms in the maintenance operations of optical fiber networks. It exhibits the collection of data using PRISMA methodology—Preferred Reporting Item for Systems Review and Meta-Analyses. The application, results, and performance metrics are discussed based on the collected observations, computations, and statistics in the studies, which revealed records of high accuracy degrees ranging from 86% to 98% on average and quality ML models including Neural Networks (NNs), Support Vector Machines (SVMs), and LSTM, as well as deep learning models that disclosed effective results of determining challenges and problems within the optical fiber lines. The review mainly centralized on superior machine learning technologies that surpass traditional techniques in fault detection and localization for improved optical fiber networks’ operations while providing insights into the limitations and challenges encountered in real-world applications of these models, offering a comprehensive perspective on the optical fiber network’s domain.

L-gulonolactone oxidase enzyme (GULO) catalyzes the last step of L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C) biosynthesis. This enzymatic activity is lost in primates. The full-length rat GULO has been previously produced in plants and demonstrated to be active. In this study, we compare activity of two variants of GULO produced in Escheriachia coli cells, full-length rat GULO (fGULO) and its C-terminal catalytic domain (cGULO). The expression and purification of the recombinant proteins were optimised and their biological activity was confirmed by two methods, the GULO activity assay in the protein extracts and the ‘in-gel’ staining for GULO activity. Both variants of recombinant GULO were biologically active in both assays. However, cGULO is more promising than fGULO for ascorbic acid production because it is more efficiently produced by bacteria.

The objective of this study was to carry out the extraction and characterization of chitin and chitosan from the exoskeletons of the Farfantepenaeus californiensis species of shrimp, as well as its application in the formulation of polymeric films plasticized with glycerol used in the process of food packaging. The characterization of the extracted polymer was made by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and physicochemical analysis of chitin and chitosan, resulting in a theoretical performance of 29.33% and 16.46%, respectively. In terms of quality, it was determined that the extracted chitosan had a molecular weight of 1.10 x105 g/mol and a deacetylation degree of 80.23%, which classifies it as a low-molecular weight chitosan, suitable for food packaging. It was shown that the extracted chitosan is fit for the production of the films by using the casting method, presenting a tension resistance of 1 MPa. The Antibacterial analysis was carried out using Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli), bacterial models commonly found in food. The results showed an effective inhibition capability of the polymeric materials. Overall, the results for both chitosan and the films indicate a high potential for application in the food packaging sector.

Global warming and climate change have been the major concern for multiple disciplines. Population growth, urbanization, and industrialization are major contributing factors to such a problem by escalating the use of fossil fuels to meet their energy demands. The building sector has the largest share in using the total globally produced energy and emitting tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Emerging eco-friendly technologies such as solar and wind energy harvesting are being extensively explored but still, they are insufficient. Nature-inspired technologies can be the solution to our problem. For instance, algae are microorganisms that use water, light, and CO2 to produce energy and sustain life. Exploiting such characteristics in the built environment is termed algae building technology, a very efficient and green application for a sustainable future. Algae-integrated façades show great versatility through biomass and energy production, wastewater treatment, shading, and thermal and acoustic insulation. In this paper, algae will be introduced as a robust tool toward a greener and more sustainable future, The algae-building technology and its implementation will be demonstrated. Steps for applying this sustainable approach in Egypt will be discussed.

The pharmacological effects of the fruiting body of Ophiocordyceps sinensis (Os) exerted antioxidant, anti-virus, and immunomodulatory, whereas the anti-inflammatory effects and active components of Os mycelial submerged culture (OMSC) are not known. This study aimed to investigate the active compounds in the fermented liquid (FLOS), hot water (WEOS), and 50-95% (EEOS-50, EEOS-95) ethanol extracts of OMSC and their anti-inflammatory effects and potential mechanisms in LPS-stimulated microglial BV2 cells. The results demonstrated that all of the OMSC extracts could inhibit NO production in BV2 cells. EEOS-95 exhibited the strongest inhibitory effects (41 % inhibitory ability at 500 µg/mL), and its ergosterol, GABA, total phenolic, and total flavonoid contents were significantly higher than those of the other extracts (18.60, 18.60, 2.28, and 2.14 mg/g, p &lt; 0.05, respectively). EEOS-95 also has a strong inhibitory ability against IL-6, IL-1β and TNF-α with IC50 of 617, 277 and 507 µg/mL, respectively, which is higher than that of 1 mM melatonin. The anti-inflammatory mechanism of EEOS-95 seems to be associated with up-regulation of PPAR-γ/Nrf-2/HO-1 antioxidant-related expression and down-regulation of NF-κB/COX-2/iNOS pro-inflammatory expression signaling. Therefore, we hypothesized that EEOS-95 can prevent neurodegenerative diseases, but the effect on the application in vivo should be further investigated.

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

In this work, two plasmonic structures with two different periodic nanostructures (nanodisk and nanostrip arrays) separated from the gold layer by an ultrathin dielectric Al2O3 layer are proposed, and their optical properties are simulated as 3-dimensional models using COMSOL Multiphysics software tool. The optical responses, such as the amplification of the electric field and the scattering, absorption and extinction cross sections of the two structures, are investigated and compared. The results show that both structures show strong field enhancement in their gap layer, and the structure with the periodic array of metal nanodisks shows stronger field enhancement and larger absorption, extinction, and scattering cross sections in its dipole resonance wavelength, which is defined as a bright plasmonic mode. In addition, some weaker resonant modes are observed for both structures and the reason for their generation is dis-cussed. The analysis of different possible modes in such structures is crucial for their application in various fields.

Optical backbone networks constitute the fundamental infrastructure employed today by network operators to deliver services to users. As network capacity is a key factor influencing optical network performance, it is important to understand how topological and physical properties impact its behavior and to have the capability to estimate its value. In this context, we propose here a method to evaluate the network capacity that relies on the optical reach to account for physical layer aspects, in conjunction with constrained routing techniques for traffic routing. As this type of routing can lead to traffic blocking, particularly due to the limitation on the number of wavelengths per fiber, we also propose a fiber assignment algorithm designed to deal with this problem. We apply this method to a set of randomly generated networks using a modified Waxman model, and for a network with 60 nodes, in a scenario without blocking, we obtain capacities of about 2.5 Pbit/s for a symbol rate of 64 Gbaud and about 5 Pbit/s for a symbol rate of 128 Gbaud. Remarkably, this duplication in the total network capacity is achieved by an increase in the total fiber length of only about 51%.

No matter where we reside, the issue of greenhouse gas emissions impacts us all. Their influence has a disastrous effect on the earth's climate, producing global warming and many other irreversible environmental impacts, even though it is occasionally invisible to the independent eye. Phase change materials (PCMs) can store and release heat when it is abundant during the day (e.g., from solar radiation), for use at night, or on chilly days when the building needs to be heated. As a consequence, buildings use less energy to heat and cool, which lowers greenhouse gas emissions. Consequently, research on thermally active medium-density fiberboard (MDF) with PCMs is presented in this work. MDF is useful for interior design and furniture manufacturing. The boards were created using pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and spruce (Picea abies L.) fibers, urea-formaldehyde resin, and PCM powder, with a phase transition temperature of 22 oC, density of 785 kg m−3, the latent heat capacity of 160 kJ kg−1, the volumetric heat capacity of 126 MJ m−3, the specific heat capacity of 2.2 kJ kgK−1, the thermal conductivity of 0.18 W mK−1, and a maximum operating temperature of 200 °C. Five variants of MDF with PCM additive were developed: 0%, 5%, 10%, 30%, and 50%. According to the study, scores at the MOR, MOE, IB, and Screw Withdrawal Resistance (SWR) tests decreased when PCM content was added. However, the results of the thickness swelling and water absorption tests indicate that the PCM particles do not exhibit a substantial capacity to absorb water, retaining the dimensional stability of the MDF boards. The panel's thermal characteristics improved with increasing PCM concentration, according to the data. The density profiles of all the variations under consideration had a somewhat U-shaped appearance; however, the version with a 50% PCM content had a flatter form and no obvious layer compaction on the panel surface. Therefore, certain of the mechanical and physical characteristics of the manufactured panels can be enhanced by a well-chosen PCM addition.

Optical Wireless Communication (OWC) technology has gained significant attention in recent years due to its potential to provide high data rate wireless connections through the large license-free bandwidth available. A key challenge in OWC systems, similar to high-frequency Radio Frequency (RF) systems, is the presence of dead zones caused by obstacles like buildings, trees, and moving individuals, which can degrade signal quality or disrupt data transmission. Traditionally, relays have been used to mitigate these issues. Intelligent Reflecting Surfaces (IRS) have recently emerged as a promising solution, enhancing system performance and flexibility by providing reconfigurable communication channels. This paper presents an overview of the application of IRS in OWC systems. Specifically, we categorize IRS into two main types: mirror array-based IRS and metasurfaces-based IRS. Furthermore, we delve into modeling approaches of mirror array-based IRS in OWC and analyze recent advances in IRS control, which are classified into system power or gain optimization oriented, system link reliability optimization oriented, system data rate optimization oriented, and system security optimization oriented approaches. Finally, we discuss the key challenges and potential future directions for integrating IRS with OWC systems, providing insights for further research in this promising field.

A comprehensive multi-jet physics program is anticipated for experiments at future colliders. Key physics processes necessitate detectors that can distinguish signals from W and Z bosons and the recently discovered Higgs boson. Typical examples include channels with W^{+}W^{-} or Z^{o}Z^{o} pairs and processes involving New Physics, in those cases where neutral particles must be disentangled from charged ones due to the presence of W or Z bosons in their final states. Such a physics program demands calorimetric energy resolution at or beyond the limits of traditional calorimetric techniques. Multiple-readout calorimetry, which aims to reduce fluctuations in energy measurements of hadronic showers, is a promising approach. The first part of this article reviews dual and triple readout calorimetry within a mathematical framework describing the underlying compensating mechanism. The second part proposes a potential implementation using an integrally active and total absorption detector. This model serves as the basis for several Monte Carlo studies, illustrating how the response of a multiple-readout calorimeter depends on construction parameters. Among the layouts considered, one configuration operating in triple-readout mode shows the potential to achieve an energy resolution approaching 20\%/\sqrt{E}.

The accuracy of cosmic ray observation by the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory Wide Field-of-view Cherenkov/fluorescence Telescope Array (LHAASO-WFCTA) is influenced by variations in aerosols in the atmosphere. The solar photometer (CE318-T) is extensively utilized within the Aerosol Robotic Network as a highly precise and reliable instrument for aerosol measurements. With this CE318-T 23, 254 sets of valid data samples in 394 days from October 2020 to October 2022 at the LHAASO site were obtained. Data analysis revealed that the baseline Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) and A˚ngstro¨m Exponent (AE) at 440-870 nm (AE440−870nm) of the aerosols were calculated to be 0.03 and 1.07, respectively, suggesting that the LHAASO site is among the most pristine regions on Earth. The seasonality of the mean AOD are the order of spring &gt; summer &gt; autumn = winter. The monthly average maximum of AOD440nm occurred in April (0.11 ± 0.05) and the minimum was in December (0.03 ± 0.01). The monthly average of AE440−870nm exhibited slight variations. The seasonal characterization of aerosol types indicated that clean continental background aerosol predominated in autumn and winter, which is the optimal period for the absolute calibration of the WFCTA. Additionally, the diurnal daytime variations of AOD and AE across the four seasons are presented. Our analysis also indicates that the potential origins of aerosol over the LHAASO in four seasons were different and the atmospheric aerosols with higher AOD probably originate mainly from Northern Myanmar and Northeast India region. These results provide a baseline for comparison to the future on-site measurement of extinction coefficient profile and aerosol phase function by LHAASO-WFCTA, also enrich the valuable materials on aerosol observation in the Hengduan Mountains and Tibetan Plateau.

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

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

Optical artificial neural networks (ONNs) — analog computing hardware tailored for machine learning [1,2] — have significant potential for ultra-high computing speed and energy efficiency [3]. We propose a new approach to architectures for ONNs based on integrated Kerr micro-comb sources [4] that is programmable, highly scalable and capable of reaching ultra-high speeds. We experimentally demonstrate the building block of the ONN — a single neuron perceptron — by mapping synapses onto 49 wavelengths of a micro-comb to achieve a high single-unit throughput of 11.9 Giga-FLOPS at 8 bits per FLOP, corresponding to 95.2 Gbps. We test the perceptron on simple standard benchmark datasets — handwritten-digit recognition and cancer-cell detection — achieving over 90% and 85% accuracy, respectively. This performance is a direct result of the record small wavelength spacing (49GHz) for a coherent integrated microcomb source, which results in an unprecedented number of wavelengths for neuromorphic optics. Finally, we propose an approach to scaling the perceptron to a deep learning network using the same single micro-comb device and standard off-the-shelf telecommunications technology, for high-throughput operation involving full matrix multiplication for applications such as real-time massive data processing for unmanned vehicle and aircraft tracking.

A new class of nano-cube core-shell heterostructures containing Ag coating on the top of WO₃ was fabricated. Physical vapor deposition was used to produce WO₃ based nano-heterostructures. All kind of wet toxic chemical process was avoided to make the process simple and contaminant free. Sputtering of WO₃ and a subsequent thermal annealing process was done to create nano-cubes of WO₃. After that, sputtering of Ag was performed to form the Ag-WO₃ core-shell nano-heterostructures (CSNH). The CSNHs were characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and UV-vis spectroscopy. The morphologies, elemental analysis, interfaces, crystallinity, phases, and chemical compositions were analyzed. The bottom-up growth of WO₃ nanocubes was studied using different time periods at 900°C. Ag coating was also studied before and after annealing. Finally, an optical property (band gap) was also analyzed using Tauc plot derive from absorption spectra. The tailoring the band gap of WO₃ from ~2.9eV to ~ 2.45 eV was observed while Ag-WO₃ CSNH formed.

Mixed plastic packaging waste sorting residues (MPO323) were treated by thermal pyrolysis to utilize pyrolysis oil and char. The pyrolysis oil was found to contain aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons. Chlorine and bromine contents were up to 40,000 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg, respectively. Additionally, other elements like sulfur, phosphorous, iron, aluminum, and lead were detected, which can be interpreted as impurities regarding the utilization of the oils by means of chemical recycling. The pyrolysis char showed high contents of potentially active species like silicon, calcium, aluminum, iron, and others. To enhance the content of aromatic hydrocarbons and to reduce the level of contaminants, the pyrolysis oil was reformed with the corresponding pyrolysis char to act as an active material in a fixed bed. The temperature of the reactor and the flow rate of the pyrolysis oil feed were varied to gain insights on cracking and reforming reactions as well as on the performance with regard to decontamination.

Rhodiola rosea, a perennial herb from the Crassulaceae family, contains the bioactive compound salidroside, recognized as an adaptogen with significant therapeutic potential for bone metabolism. Salidroside promotes osteoblast proliferation and differentiation by activating critical signaling pathways, including bone morphogenetic protein-2 and adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase, essential for bone formation and growth. It enhances osteogenic activity by increasing alkaline phosphatase activity and mineralization markers, while upregulating key transcription factors such as runt-related transcription factor 2 and osterix. Additionally, salidroside facilitates angiogenesis via the hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha and vascular endothelial growth factor pathway, crucial for coupling bone formation with vascular support. Its antioxidant properties offer protection against bone loss by reducing oxidative stress and promoting osteogenic differentiation through the nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2 pathway. Salidroside's ability to counteract the negative effects of glucocorticoids on bone cells and prevent steroid-induced osteonecrosis, along with its anti-inflammatory properties, enhances its potential in treating conditions like osteoarthritis. These attributes underscore its multifaceted role in bone metabolism. This article reviews the literature, including in vitro and in vivo studies primarily on rodent models, demonstrating salidroside's efficacy in mitigating bone loss, preserving bone microarchitecture, and accelerating fracture healing. Future research directions to explore salidroside’s applications in bone-related diseases are also highlighted.

The spectra and global distributions of the X-ray emissions generated by the solar wind charge-exchange (SWCX) process in the terrestrial magnetosheath are investigated based on a global hybrid model and a global geocoronal hydrogen model. The solar wind O6+ ions which are the primary charge state for oxygen ions in solar wind are considered. The line emissivity of the charge-exchange born O5+ ions are calculated by Spectral Analysis System for Astrophysical and Lab oratory (SASAL). It is found that the emission lines from the O5+ ranges from 105.607 to 118.291 eV with the strong line at 107.047 eV. We then simulated the magnetosheath X-ray emission intensity distributions with a virtual camera at two positions of north pole and dusk at six stages during the passing of a perpendicular interplanetary shock combined with a tangential discontinuity structure through the Earth’s magnetosphere. During this process, the X-ray emission intensity increases with time, and the maximum value is 27.11 keV cm-2 s-1 sr-1 on the dayside, which is 4.5 times that before the solar wind structure reaches the Earth. A clear shock structure can be seen in the magnetosheath and moves earthward. The maximum emission intensity seen at dusk is always higher than that seen at north pole.

Climate change, increasing global food needs, and decreasing global resources brought a new era to human every-day live with a strong turn to circular economy and sustainability. Food packaging and preservation is an important global sector where enchanced research is carried out. New methods such as active packaging and chemical preservatives replacement are of major interest. Many researchers were published studies about active packaging films, replacement of chemical preservatives with natural originated extracts, and novel incorporation procedures. Sequentially to our and other scientists’ previous work, in this paper we present the results of the improvement which was achieved by incorporating the developed nanohybrid of natural-halloysite/carvacrol-extract, the pure natural carvacrol extract and the commonly used low-density-polyethylene. The well known corona-treatment procedure was employed to produced the optimum final film and the results shown that the low-density-polyethylene incorporated with natural-halloysite/carvacrol-extract nanohybrid and coated external with extra carvacrol extract exhibited aproximatelly 100% higher Young-Modulus values, slightly decreased ultimate strength by 20%, and almost stable elonation at break properties. The water-vapor and oxygen barrier increased by 40%. Finally, the antioxidant activity of the corrona-treated film increased by 28% compared to the similar but untreated product because of the lower release rate of the carvacrol.

Open source software such as OpenDSS has given a lot of help to distribution network researchers and educators. With high penetration of distributed renewable energy resources into distribution network, tradition distribution steady state analysis software such as OpenDSS is faced with difficulty in handling distributed generators. Three-phase distributed generators are often modeled in sequence frame while unbalanced distribution network are usually modeled in phase frame. So a load flow in sequence-phase coupled frame is proposed to handle models described in both frames. Voltage controlled DGs which are difficult to cope with in OpenDSS are handled in proposed program. The steady state analysis platform is programmed with open source Modelica language and the main aim of this paper is to introduce an open source platform for active distribution network steady analysis include load flow and short circuit analysis which can be easily adopted and improved by other educators and researchers.

In the last 20 years, an increasing number of studies have been reported on membrane active peptides, which exert their biological activity by interacting with the cell membrane either to disrupt it and lead to cell lysis or to translocate through it to deliver cargos into the cell and reach their target. These peptides are attractive alternatives to currently used pharmaceuticals. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and peptides designed for drug and gene delivery currently in the drug pipeline suggest that these membrane active peptides will soon constitute a significant percentage of the drug market. Here, we focus on two most prominent classes of membrane active peptides; AMPs and cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs). AMPs are a group of membrane active peptides that disrupt the membrane integrity or inhibit the cellular functions of bacteria, virus and fungi. CPPs are another group of membrane active peptides that mainly function as cargo-carriers even though they may also show antimicrobial activity to some extent. Biophysical techniques to understand how they interact with the membrane have shed light on the peptide–membrane interaction at various levels of detail. Structural investigation of membrane active peptides in the presence of the membrane provides important clues on the effect of the membrane environment on peptide conformations. Advances in live imaging techniques have allowed examination of peptide action at a single cell or single molecule level. In addition to these experimental biophysical techniques, molecular dynamics simulations provided clues on the peptide-lipid interactions and dynamics of the cell entry process at atomic detail. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in experimental and computational investigation of membrane active peptides with particular emphasis on two amphipathic membrane active peptides, the AMP melittin and the CPP pVEC.

Huperzine A is an herbal reversible inhibitor of Acetylcholinesterase (AChE). A molecular docking analysis on Huperzine A molecule has been carried out to understand its structure, conformational flexibility, intermolecular interaction and the binding affinity in the active site of AChE enzyme. Further, the charge density distribution of huperzine A molecule (lifted from the active site of AChE) was determined from the high level quantum chemical calculations coupled with charge density analysis. The binding affinity of Huperzine A towards AChE was calculated from the molecular docking; the lowest docked energy is -8.46 kcal/mol. In the active site, huperzine A molecule interacts with acyl binding pocket-Phe330 of AChE, that is, the bicyclo ring group of huperzine A forms an intermolecular interaction with the oxygen atom of main chain of the amino acid residue Phe330 at the distances 3.02 and 3.25 Å respectively. On the other hand, a gas phase study on huperzine A molecule also performed using HF and DFT (B3LYP) methods with the basis set 6-311G**. The molecular structure, conformation, and the charge density distribution of huperzine A molecule in the gas phase have determined using quantum chemical calculations and the charge density analysis. The comparative studies between the gas phase and the active site forms of huperzine A molecule, explicitly reveals the degree of conformational modification and the charge density redistribution of huperzine A when present in the active site. The dipole moment of the molecule in the active site is 6.85 D, which is slightly higher than its gas phase value (5.91 D). The electrostatic potential (ESP) surface of active site molecule clearly shows the strong electronegative and positive ESP regions of the molecule, which are the expected strong reactive locations of the molecule.

Today, enhancing food preservation and safety in the spirit of the bioeconomy suggests the use of biodegradable polymers such as poly-L-lactic acid (PLA) in food packaging and the replacement of chemical additives with natural antioxidant/antibacterial agents such as essential oils and their derivatives. Herein a novel carvacrol (CV) @ natural zeolite (NZ) nanohybrid was developed by employing a new vacuum adsorption desorption method which results in the adsorption of a high CV amount on NZ equal to 61.7 %wt. This CV@NZ nanohybrid was successfully dispersed in a PLA/triethyl citrate (TEC) matrix via a melt-extrusion process to obtain PLA/TEC/xCV@NZ nanocomposite films with 5, 10 and 15 CV@NZ %wt. content. PLA/TEC/xNZ films were also de-veloped for comparison. The overall study resulted in a biodegradable active film with the fol-lowing properties: 10%wt. CV@NZ content (PLA/TEC/10CV@NZ), self-healable properties, 22% higher tensile strength and 40% higher elongation at break, 45% higher water barrier and 40% higher oxygen barrier than pure PLA/TEC matrix. This film also provides high CV release content, high CV control release rate as well as significant antioxidant activity and antibacterial activity against the food pathogens Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella enterica spp. enterica serovar Typhimurium. This film not only succeeds in extending the shelf-life of fresh pork minced, as shown by total variable count measurements in four days, but also prevents lipid oxidation of fresh minced pork and maintains the minced meat in higher nutritional conditions, as revealed by the heme iron content determination, and in a much better and acceptable sensory condition than the commercial packaging paper.

Originally developed to image the shadow region of the central black hole in Sagittarius A* and in the nearby galaxy M87, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) provides deep, very high angular resolution data on other AGN sources too. The challenges of working with EHT data have spurred the development of new image reconstruction algorithms. This work briefly reviews the status of the EHT and its utility for observing AGN sources, with emphasis on novel imaging techniques that offer the promise of better reconstructions at 1.3 mm and other wavelengths.

The object of study in the article is the auxiliary variable-frequency electric drive onboard of an AC electric locomotive, and more precisely, the structure and parameters of the control system of the active corrector of power factor (ACPF), which is part of the electric drive, as a unit that ensures electromagnetic compatibility of the electric drive with other equipment on board the electric locomotive and catenary and its energy efficiency. The topic of the article's research is the substantiation of the structure of the ACPF control system, the choice of types (transfer functions) of controllers and the calculation of their parameters. The research method chosen was the calculation of the transfer functions of the controllers of the cascaded loops control system, followed by computer simulation using the OrCAD software. The results of simulating a cascaded two loops control system of an ACPF with different types of controllers are presented and analytically compared. It is concluded that it is advisable to use a cascaded two loops control system, containing a voltage control loop and a current control loop. The best results show the simulation when using an aperiodic current controller (A-controller) and a proportional-integral voltage controller (PI-controller). The data obtained serve as the basis for further improvement of the operation of the ACPF by enhancing and optimizing the settings, structure and algorithms of the control system, which, with the selected hardware of power converter unit, will allow the ACPF to perform its functions with a high degree of reliability in an entire range of disturbing and control influences.

An optical fiber scale sensor based on the detection principle of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) was developed for the rapid, high-sensitivity real-time evaluation of scale precipitation from geothermal fluids. The optical fiber SPR scale sensor was fabricated by depositing a gold thin film on the surface of an optical fiber with an exposed core. The optimal gold film thickness of the sensor was determined to be 30 nm, which achieved a refractive index sensitivity of 2140 nm per refractive index unit. A field test was conducted using geothermal brine from the Obama Binary Geothermal Power Plant in Unzen, Nagasaki Prefecture. A conventional optical fiber scale sensor and the SPR sensor were simultaneously assessed using raw and pH-adjusted brines. For the SPR sensor, a peak shift of 0.27 nm/min was observed at a response time of 1 min, whereas no change in transmittance was observed for the conventional sensor until 180 min. After the experiments, scanning electron microscopy–energy-dispersive spectroscopy analysis was conducted on the sensors, and findings showed that the deposition of Mg–SiO2 scale did not significantly differ between the two sensors. The developed SPR sensor achieved faster scale precipitation detection (tens of minutes to hours) than the conventional sensor.

Current trends in systemic risk literature provide new insights into multi-hazard risks that interact and compound with built environments, creating more significant impacts on socio-economic and human systems. Recurrent natural hazards and extreme weather events are more likely to compound and cascade into more impactful events, especially in vulnerable societies. In small-island communities (SICS), including large archipelagos and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), the long-term impact of multi-, compounding-, and cascading-hazards (MCC hazards) can result in persistent vulnerability and residual risks. This is due to delayed responses, limited resources, poverty, fewer evacuation options, and inadequate markets and infrastructure. Using Ternate, a densely populated small volcanic island in North Maluku, Indonesia, as a case study, this paper assesses the impacts of seven types of natural hazards: flash floods, landslides, extreme weather, extreme waves and abrasion, earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions. The research focuses on the multi-hazard impact on population, land use, and infrastructure exposures in 60 villages in Ternate. The findings highlight population density, land use, and infrastructure exposure to multi-hazard risks, providing valuable information on potential losses in future hazard events.

The species Lactococcus lactis is the bacterium extensively used in dairy industry. This bacterium is generally recognized as safe which was added to the European Food Safety Authority Qualified Presumption of Safety list. The major functions of this species in dairy fermentation are production of lactic acid from lactose, citric acid fermentation and hydrolysis of casein. But the representatives of this species producing bacteriocin substances can exert an inhibitory effect against spoilage bacteria. The aim of this study was to test three lactococcal strains isolated from raw goat milk for their postbiotic activity and to test their stability in goat milk yogurts in encapsulated form for further application. To reach the aims, validated methods were used. Three postbiotic active Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis strains (identified by Blastn 16S rRNA analysis) from raw goat milk produced bacteriocin substances which in their concentrated form inhibited the growth of indicator enterococci and staphylococci up to 97.8 % with inhibitory activity up to 800 AU/mL. The encapsulated (freeze dried) lactococci fortified goat milk yogurts showed sufficient stability and survival in yogurts. The highest amount was reached using the strain MK2/8 (8.1 ± 0.0 cfu/g log 10) not influencing yogurt pH.

The study of underwater vehicle wake detection is of significant importance within the field of target detection, localisation and tracking of underwater vehicles. Given that propellers are the propellers of modern ships and underwater vehicles, the propeller wake field represents the principal target source for wake detection in underwater vehicles. The objective of this paper is to propose a method for measuring the wake of an underwater propeller based on a position-sensitive detector. A theoretical model of the relationship between the laser spot displacement and the change of refractive index of the wake field is established on the basis of the principle of laser beam deflection. A prototype experimental setup for underwater propeller wake measurement was constructed based on the aforementioned optical measurement method. Furthermore, the simulation of the propeller wake flow field with strong density stratification and linear density stratification was conducted based on the experimental setup. In the experiment, a three-bladed propeller with a diameter of 39mm was selected, the water tank size was 980mm×380mm×380mm, and the laser acted at a distance of 550 mm from the propeller. The experimental results indicate that the wake dissipation time of the propeller in a strong density-stratified water environment is approximately 800s. Following the stabilization of the wake field density, the laser spot position is observed to be stable at 0.341 mm, with a corresponding refractive index change of 2.99×10-6 RIU. The wake dissipation time of the propeller in a linear density-stratified water environment is approximately 750 s. Once the wake field density has reached a stable state, the laser spot position is found to be 0.441mm, corresponding to a refractive index change of 3.87×10-6 RIU. These experimental results are found to be in general agreement with the simulation results of the propeller wake field. A comparison of the experimental device-based wake measurements with the CTD-based wake measurements reveals a consistent trend.

Active ageing is defined as the process of optimizing opportunities for physical, social and mental health to enable older people to take an active part in society without discrimination and to enjoy an independent and good quality of life. The World Health Organization assumed this as a process for increasing and maintaining an individual’s participation in activities to enhance his/her quality of life. In this survey, the authors addressed the following question: “Is assistive technology (AT) for mobility contributing to enhancement of lifelong capacity and performance?”. From June 2015 until February 2016, 96 community dwelling adults, AT users for mobility (powered wheelchairs, manual wheelchairs, lower limb prostheses, walkers, crutches and canes), aged 45-97, mean 67.02 +/- 14.24 years old, 56.3% female, were interviewed using the Psychosocial Impact of Assistive Devices Scale (P-PIADS), the Activities and Participation Profile related to Mobility (APPM) and demographics, clinical and questions about AT use and training. The participants’ profiles revealed moderate limitation and restrictions in participation, measured by the APPM (2.03). Most participants showed positive impact of AT; average scores obtained from the P-PIADS subscales were: Self-esteem 0.62, Competency 1.11 and Adaptability 1.10. P-PIADS total was 0.96, with the powered wheelchair users scoring the highest (1.53) and the walker users scoring the lowest (0.73). All subscales and P-PIADS total were positively correlated with the activities and participation profile. There was no relation between age and the psychosocial impact of AT or activities and participation profile. These results encourage the authors to follow these participants up for a lifelong intervention. To accomplish that aim, currently, the protocol is implemented at the AT prescribing centers in Coimbra, Portugal in order to assess the impact of AT on participation in society, one of the domains of the Active Ageing Index, a new analytical tool to help policy makers in developing policies for active and healthy ageing.

Interest grows in designing silicon-on-insulator slot waveguides to trap optical fields in subwavelength-scale slots and developing their optofluidic devices. However, it is worth noting that the inherent limitations of the waveguide structures may result in high optical losses and short optical paths, which challenge the device performance in optofluidics. Incorporating the planar silicon-based slot waveguide concept into a silica-based hollow-core fiber can provide a perfect solution to realize an efficient optofluidic waveguide. Here we propose a subwavelength-scale liquid-core hybrid fiber (LCHF), where the core is filled with carbon disulfide and surrounded by a silicon ring in a silica background. The waveguide properties and the Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS) effect in the LCHF are investigated. The fraction of power inside the core of 56.3% allows an improved sensitivity in optical sensing; while the modal Raman gain of 23.60 m-1·W-1 is 2 times larger than that generated around a nano fiber with the interaction between the evanescent optical field and the surrounding Raman media benzene-methanol, which enables a significant low-threshold SRS effect. Besides, this in-fiber structure features compactness, robustness, flexibility, ease of implementation in both trace sample consumption and reasonable liquid filling duration, as well as compatibility with optical fiber systems. The detailed analyses of the properties and utilizations of the LCHF suggest a promising in-fiber optofluidic platform, which provides a novel insight into optofluidic devices, optical sensing, nonlinear optics, etc.

For the first time, mathematical models were obtained for evaluating biomedical images using fuzzy set methods on the basis of expert knowledge bases, which made it possible to carry out complex qualitative diagnostics and increase the reliability and efficiency of diagnosis, to form a methodology for analyzing biomedical images based on the fuzzy set apparatus, which allowed to more fully assess the level of the disease for glaucoma. Aspects of practical implementation of the optical-electronic system of biomedical information processing are considered. An algorithm and an optical-electronic system of biomedical image analysis are proposed, which are used to increase the informativeness and reliability of diagnosing eye pathologies, in particular, glaucoma.

As climate changes, our daily life has been much influenced by abnormal meteorological phenomena such as heavy rainfall, heat wave, heavy snowfall, and fine dust. Atmospheric air quality is worsening day by day and indoor air quality is also affected by interconnected daily activities throughout the inside and outside of buildings and houses. Nowadays, pollutants from various sources are emitted, transformed by sunlight, vapor, and ozone and transported into the city from country to country. Due to these reasons, there have been high demands to monitor the transportation of particulate matters and improve air quality. Monitoring of pollutants and identification of type and its concentration enables us to track and control its generation and consequently find out the solution. However, monitoring of pollutants, especially, particulate matter generation and its transportation is still not fully operated in atmospheric air due to its open nature and meteorological factors. Even though indoor air is relatively easy to monitor and control than outdoor in the aspect of specific volume and contaminant source, but it still needs to consider the meteorological parameters because indoor air is not fully separated from the outdoor air flow and contaminants transportation. In this study, optical approach using spectral sensor was attempted to reveal the feasibility of wavelength and chromaticity values of reflected light from specific particles. From the analysis of reflected light of various particulate matters according to different liquid additives, parameter studies were performed to investigate which experimental conditions can contribute to the enhanced selective sensing of particulate matters. Five different particulate matters such as household dust, soil, talc powder, gypsum powder and yellow pine tree pollen were utilized and observed to elucidate the relationship between property of particulate matter and detected light spectrum. Applicable approaches to assist current particle matter sensors and improve the selective sensing were suggested.

During public health events, Active Mobility (walking and cycling) plays an important role in securing residents' travel. To enhance the resilience of urban transportation, this article integrates the travel environment elements for walking and cycling and constructs a travel environment for Active Mobility evaluation index system. This article uses survey data from the main urban area of Harbin in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2022, and combines the Gradient Boosting Decision Tree (GBDT) and Impact-Asymmetry Analysis (IAA) methods to analyze the satisfaction of the travel environment for Active Mobility. It proposes strategies for optimizing the travel environment for Active Mobility, ensuring residents' travel during public health events, guiding them to adopt Active Mobility, and improving urban transportation resilience. This research shows that Active Mobility can enhance urban transportation resilience. In addition, there are differences in resident demand for walking and cycling environments in the travel environment for Active Mobility. Residents are more concerned about the comfort of the walking environment, while they prioritize the convenience of the cycling environment.

(1) Background: To determine the diagnostic accuracy that optical coherence tomography (OCT) can add to fundus photography (FP) in assessing the condition of the retinal posterior pole; (2) Methods: Two blocks of analysis: at first, the posterior pole of each eye was examined using FP non-mydriatic imaging device. Secondly: OCT was used in addition to FP. After consolidating specific diagnostic criteria, the assessments were evaluated by two blinded independent investigation groups (by optometrists, and by ophthalmologists who was considered the gold standard); (3) Results: We calculated the diagnostic accuracy of FP compared to OCT and found that both had similar sensitivity, FP had slightly higher specificity, (p-value: 0.01) and OCT had a higher kappa coefficient 0.50 (95%CI: 0.46-0.55) vs 0.39 (95%CI: 0.34-0.45) of FP; (4) Conclusions: Based on the premise that the role of the optometrist in Spain is not to diagnose but to detect lesions and refer patients to an ophthalmologist, the results of this study support the use of OCT, that it provided gradable images in almost all examined eyes (97.5%), compared to FP (73.5%). However, the optometrist need a detailed and standardized guide in order to evaluate according to the ophthalmologist's criteria.

The free energy principle (FEP) is a mathematical and scientific principle that describes the relationship between the physical behavior of a dynamical system and the interpretation of such behavior as carrying out inference. It blurs the boundary between the ontological mode of the system of interest and the epistemological significance it acquires through its dynamic interaction with the environment. New materialism (or neo-materialism), despite lacking a single definition, refers to a range of emerging perspectives that attempt to dismantle the long-held divisions between ontology, epistemology, and even ethics, with the aim of achieving a comprehensive transformation of naturalized thinking. In this context, new materialism provides powerful tools to reframe some of the conceptual foundations of the FEP. This paper is the first in a series that aims to systematically construct a neo-materialistic perspective for the FEP, exploring its wide-ranging implications. It serves as an introduction to the series, arguing for the justification of deploying new materialism to reframe the FEP and introducing some essential concepts to be utilized in developing a neo-materialistic account of the FEP.

The spread of ideas is a fundamental concern of today’s news ecology. Understanding the dynamics of the spread of information and its co-option by interested parties is of critical importance. Research on this topic has shown that individuals tend to cluster in echo-chambers and are driven by confirmation bias. In this paper, we leverage the active inference framework to provide an in silico model of confirmation bias and its effect on echo-chamber formation. We build a model based on active inference, where agents tend to sample information in order to justify their own view of reality, which eventually leads to them to have a high degree of certainty about their own beliefs. We show that, once agents have reached a certain level of certainty about their beliefs, it becomes very difficult to get them to change their views. This system of self-confirming beliefs is upheld and reinforced by the evolving relationship between agent's beliefs and its observations, which over time will continue to provide evidence for their ingrained ideas about the world. The epistemic communities that are consolidated by these shared beliefs, in turn, tend to produce perceptions of reality that reinforce those shared beliefs. We provide an active inference account of this community formation mechanism. We postulate that agents are driven by the epistemic value that they obtain from sampling or observing the behaviors of other agents. Inspired by digital social networks like Twitter, we build a generative model in which agents generate observable social claims or posts (e.g. `tweets') while reading the socially-observable claims of other agents, that lend support towards one of two mutually-exclusive abstract topics. Agents can choose which other agent they pay attention to at each timestep, and crucially who they attend to and what they choose to read influences their beliefs about the world. Agents also assess their local network’s perspective, influencing which kinds of posts they expect to see other agents making. The model was built and simulated simulated using the freely-available Python package pymdp. The proposed active inference model can reproduce the formation of echo-chambers over social networks, and gives us insight into the cognitive processes that lead to this phenomenon.

The optical response of bulk germanium sulfide (GeS) is investigated systematically using different polarization-resolved experimental techniques, such as photoluminescence (PL), reflectance contrast (RC), and Raman scattering (RS). It is shown that while the low-temperature (T=5 K) optical band-gap absorption is governed by a single resonance related to the neutral exciton, the corresponding emission is dominated by the disorder/impurity- and/or phonon-assisted recombination processes. Both the RC and PL spectra are found to be linearly polarized along the armchair direction. The low and room (T=300 K) temperature RS spectra consist of six Raman peaks identified with the help of Density Fuctional Theory (DFT) calculations: Ag1, Ag2, Ag3, Ag4, B1g1, and B1g2, which polarization properties are studied under four different excitation energies. We found that the polarization orientations of the Ag2 and Ag4 modes under specific excitation energy can be useful tools to determine the GeS crystallographic directions: armchair and zigzag.

Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacter spp. Serratia marcescens, Citrobacter freundii, Providencia spp. and Morganella morganii (CP-ESCPM) are increasingly identified as causative agents of nosocomial infections but are still not under systematic genomic surveillance. In this study, using a combination of whole genome sequencing and conjugation experiments, we sought to elucidate the genomic characteristics and transferability of resistance genes in clinical CP-ESCPM isolates from Bulgaria. Among the 36 sequenced isolates, NDM-1 (12/36), VIM-4 (11/36), VIM-86 (8/36) and OXA-48 (7/36) carbapenemases were identified; two isolates carried both NDM-1 and VIM-86. The majority of carbapenemase genes were found on self-conjugative plasmids. IncL plasmids were responsible for the spread of OXA-48 among E. hormaechei, C. freundii and S. marcescens. IncM2 plasmids were generally associated with the spread of NDM-1 in C. freundii and S. marcescens, and also of VIM-4 in C. freundii. IncC plasmids were involved in the spread of the recently described VIM-86 in P. stuartii isolates. IncC plasmids carrying blaNDM-1 and blaVIM-86 have been observed too. blaNDM-1 was also detected on IncX3 in S. marcescens and on IncT plasmid in M. morganii. The significant resistance transfer rates highlight the role of the ESCPM group as a reservoir of resistance determinants and stress the need for strengthening the infection control measures.

The aim of this research work is to get a method for Galfenol electrodeposition thought which we can control the desired percentage of Ga versus Fe that has the maximum magnetostriction constant. Galfenol is electrodeposited on an optical fiber with an imbedded Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) in its core. The final objective, that goes further of the scope of this research, is to get an optical magnetostrictive sensor. The device will sense magnetic field or current based on the combination of this magnetostrictive Galfenol, that will stress the optical fiber with the application of magnetic field or current and will change the reflected wavelength of the FBG as a consequence of the variation of the Bragg wavelength. We have developed a method of electrodeposition that allows controlling the density of current in the electrodeposition process in order to get the desired percentage of Ga and Fe in the alloy Ga X Fe 1-x. We have manufactured a set of samples with different parameters (as density of current and pH) and we have characterized these samples morphological, structural and magnetically. With this research we want to give to the scientific community the groundwork to design magnetostrictive optical sensors based on and FBG coated by giant magnetostrictive material. In this paper we have developed a method of covering the optical fiber controlling the composition of (Ga X Fe 1-X) in order to be able to get the maximum magnetostriction constant.

A 3D graphene foam made of interconnected multilayer graphene flakes was produced on optical fibres (OF) by laser-induced transformation of a polyimide (PI) film coated on the OF cladding. This material, known as la-ser-induced graphene (LIG), was explored in the electrochemical detection and quantification of dopamine (DA) at physiologically relevant concentrations in the presence of the most relevant interfering molecules in biological fluids, ascorbic acid (AA) and uric acid (UA). The measured limit of detection is 100 nM, the linear range is 0.1 to 5 μM and a maximum sensitivity of 5.0 µA µM−1 cm−2 was obtained for LIG decorated with Pt nanoparticles (NPs). Moreover, immunity to AA and UA interference and to fouling was attained by decorating the LIG elec-trode with Pt NPs and coating with Nafion. These figures of merit underlines the potential of these sensors for the quantification of physiologically relevant concentrations of DA in biological fluids, paving the way for the development of hybrid electrochemical/optical sensing actuating platforms in a lab-on-fibre configuration, with relevant applications in biomedical engineering. The advantages of this hybrid arrangement include the possi-bility of in-situ counterproofing, extended measuring ranges, photoelectrochemical detection and the probing of inaccessible places. This elegant approach can also provide a simple and cost-effective way to fabricate biomed-ical devices with extended functionality, such as medical optical probes with added electrochemical capabilities, optogenetics combined with local electrochemical detection, among others.

Dietary intake of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic acid, EPA) exerts antiarrhythmic effects, although the mechanisms are poorly understood. Here we investigated the possible beneficial actions of EPA on saturated fatty acid-induced changes of the L-type Ca2+ channel in cardiomyocytes. Cardiomyocytes were cultured with oleic acid/palmitic acid mixture (OAPA) in the presence or absence of EPA. Beating rate reduction of cardiomyocytes caused by OAPA were reversed by EPA. EPA also retrieved a reduction of Cav1.2-L-type Ca2+ current, mRNA and protein caused by OAPA. Immunocytochemical analysis revealed a distinct downregulation of the Cav1.2 channel caused by OAPA with a concomitant decrease in the phosphorylated component of a transcription factor adenosine-3’, 5’-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) response element binding protein (CREB) in the nucleus, which were rescued by EPA. A free fatty acid receptor 4 (FFAR4) agonist TUG-891 reversed expression of Cav1.2- and CREB-mRNA caused by OAPA, whereas an FFAR4 antagonist AH-7614 abolished the effects of EPA. Excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation caused by OAPA decreased Cav1.2- and CREB-mRNA expressions, which were reversed by an ROS scavenger. Our data suggest that EPA rescues cellular remodeling caused by OAPA lipotoxicity and oxidative stresses via both free fatty acid receptor 4-dependent and -independent pathways.

This study develops a structure for mapping native vegetation in a transition area between Brazilian Cerrado and Atlantic Forest from integrated spatial information from the Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 satellites. Most studies use this data separately, however, the integrated use of optical sensors with Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) sensors can improve the methodology for classifying land use and land cover (LULC). The fusion of Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2, for example, can increase the accuracy of mapping algorithms, using complementary information, such as spectral, backscattering, polarimetry, and interferometry. The study area comprises the Lobo Reservoir Hydrographic Basin, which is part of an environmental conservation unit protected by Brazilian law and with significant human development. LULC were classified, using the random forest deep learning algorithm. The classifying attributes were backscatter coefficients, polarimetric decomposition, and interferometric coherence for radar data (Sentinel-1), and optical spectral data, comprising bands in the red edge, near infrared, and shortwave infrared (Sentinel-2). The attributes were evaluated in three settings in which the SAR and optical data were evaluated separately (C1 and C2, respectively) and in an integrated manner (C3). The study found greater accuracy for C3 (96.54%), an improvement of nearly 2% compared to C2 (94.78%) and more than 40% in relation to C1 (55.73%). The classification algorithm encountered significant challenges in identifying wetlandsin C1, but performance improved in C3, enhancing differentiation by stratifying a greater number of classes during training and facilitating visual interpretation during sampling. Accordingly, the use of SAR and optical data becomes an alternative to optimize LULC mapping in tropical regions, due to the limited influence of atmosphere on images in the microwave range.

In recent years, wireless networks have undoubtedly become a convenient way to connect to the Internet and provide connection to everyone in any corner of the world. In fact, in this era, people are connected to the internet almost everyday and wireless networks give us this privilege in a seamless manner. A wireless network normally consists of access points and nodes where the access points are responsible to amplify the wireless signals, while the nodes are the gadgets that are receiving these signals. However, with such great convenience provided, many challenges are also faced by the users and stakeholders. With no physical connection to devices, wireless networks are evidently more vulnerable to invisible cyber attacks. In this research paper, it the security issues that cause issues in the wireless networks are discussed. Furthermore, an analytical review of privacy challenges found in these networks is performed; these challenges are segregated into security issues and privacy issues. The paper will then present the methods used in conducting a survey and gathering the research results along with further discussion on the results obtained through this study. Finally, a suitable solution is proposed to prevent and overcome the intrusions faced in terms of security and privacy in wireless network scenarios through detection and response mechanism for mitigation of the problems.

Type two diabetes mellitus (T2DM) represents a chronic condition with increasing prevalence worldwide among the older population. T2DM condition increases the risk of micro and macro-vascular complications as well as the risk of geriatric syndromes as falls, fractures and cognitive impairment. The management of T2DM in the older population represents a challenge for the cli-nician, and a Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment should always be prioritized, in order to tailor the glycate haemoglobin target according to functional and cognitive status comorbidities, life ex-pectancy and type of therapy. According to the most recent guidelines, older adults with T2DM should be cathegorized in three groups: healthy patients with good functional status, patients with complications and reduced functionality and patients at the end of life; for each group the target for the glycemic control is different, also according to the type of treatment drug. The therapeutic ap-proach should always begin with lifestyle changes; after that, several lines of therapies are available, with different mechanism of action and potential effect other than glucose level reduction. Partic-ular interest is growing around sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors, due to their effect on the cardiovascular system. In this review we evaluate the therapeutic options available for the treat-ment of older diabetic patients, to ensure a correct treatment approach

Background: Few studies have assessed built environment correlates of active commuting in low-and-middle-income countries, but the different context could yield distinct findings. This cross-sectional study investigated associations between home neighbourhood environment characteristics and active commuting in Chennai, India. Methods: Adults (N = 370, 47.2% female, mean age = 37.9 years) were recruited from 155 wards in the metropolitan area of Chennai in southern India between January and June 2015. Participants self-reported their usual mode of commute to work, with responses recoded into three categories: (1) multi-modal or active commuting (walking and bicycling); (2) public transit; and (3) private transport. Environmental attributes around participants’ homes were assessed using the Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale-India (NEWS-India). Associations between environmental characteristics and likelihood of active commuting and public transit use were modelled using logistic regression with private transport (driving alone or carpool) as the reference category, adjusting for age, gender, and household car ownership. Results: Consistent with other international studies, participants living in neighbourhoods with a mix of land-uses and a transit stop within a 10-minute walk from home were more likely to use active commuting (both p < 0.01). Land-use mix was significantly associated with the use of public transit compared to private transport (aOR = 5.2, p = 0.002). Contrary to findings in high-income countries, the odds of active commuting were reduced with improved safety from crime (aOR = 0.2, p = 0.003), aesthetics (aOR = 0.2, p = 0.05) and street connectivity (aOR = 0.2, p = 0.003). Conclusions: Different environmental attributes were associated with active commuting, suggesting that these relationships are complex and may distinctly differ from those in high-income countries. Unexpected inverse associations of perceived safety from crime and aesthetics with active commuting emphasize the need for high quality epidemiologic studies with greater context-specificity in the study of physical activity in LMICs. Findings have public health implications for India and suggest that caution should be taken when translating evidence across countries.