Tellurium exhibits exceptional intrinsic electronic properties. However, investigations into the modulation of tellurium's electronic properties through physical modification are notably scarce. Here, we present a comprehensive study focused on the evolution of the electronic properties of tellurium crystal flakes under plasma irradiation treatment by employing conductive atomic force microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The plasma-treated tellurium experienced a process of defect generation through lattice broken. Prior to the degradation of electronic transport performance due to plasma irradiation treatment, a remarkable observation emerged: in the low-energy region of hydrogen plasma-treated tellurium, a notable enhancement in conductivity was unexpectedly detected. The mechanism underlying this enhancement in electronic transport performance was thoroughly elucidated by comparing it with the electronic structure induced by argon plasma irradiation. This study not only fundamentally uncovers the effects of plasma irradiation on tellurium crystal flakes, but also unearths an unprecedented trend of enhanced electronic transport performance at low irradiation energies when utilizing hydrogen plasma. This abnormal trend bears significant implications for guiding the prospective application of tellurium-based 2D materials in the realm of electronic devices.

Harnessing Quantum Energy States for Unprecedented Computing Capabilities In this proposal, we advocate for the use of energy states as fundamental units of quantum computer programming. Each unit of programming is conceptualized as an energy state, manifested as an essence-unit. An essence-unit, defined as the minimal form encapsulating complete uniqueness or specificity, serves as the cornerstone of this paradigm. This approach enables the recording of various forms of matter on quantum computers in essence-units, portraying their energy states. The recording of energy states is achieved through the creation of four distinct coherent potentials, facilitated by quantum dots or crystals. Crucially, these energy states embodied in essence-units resist subdivision. The study explores the intricate relationship among similarity, fractals, and uniqueness in quantum dot operations, revealing their profound implications for information transfer efficiency. Normalized entropy characterizes charge localized in quantum dot impurities in systems that have distortions. Through the utilization of N-level recording and entropy-fractal dimension equivalence, the paper elucidates the potential of quantum dots in reducing transmission time and modeling complex systems. The proposed methodology signifies a paradigm shift in quantum computing, presenting unparalleled possibilities for tackling hitherto insurmountable challenges.

The mechanisms of formation of induced intrinsic and impurity radiative states, which consist of intrinsic and impurity electron-hole trapping centers in irradiated Ca2P2O7-Mn and Ca2P2O7 phosphates, were investigated using thermoactivation and vacuum-ultraviolet spectroscopy methods. These centers are excited at photon energies of 4.0 eV and 4.5 eV, which are within the matrix's transparency region. New radiative induced states at 3.06 eV and 2.92 eV are demonstrated to be generated upon the excitation of anions by photons with energies of 5.0 and 5.64 eV. This process is due to charge transfer from the ion to the impurities, specifically Mn^2+ O^2- Mn^2+ and the neighboring ion O^2- (P2O7)^4-. Furthermore, upon the excitation of matrix anions with photon energies exceeding the band gap (8.0 - 8.25 eV), electron trapping by impurities such as Mn^2+ and (P2O7)^4- ions results.

There are several challenges on how to attain energy efficiency while maintaining balance among factors affecting energy consumption such as power rating and temperature setpoints of cooling units, room temperature and humidity, and indoor air quality (IAQ). A real-time energy and IAQ monitoring system were installed in an educational building to profile the operational power consumption of inverter-based air condition unit (ACU) installed in each room. Polynomial curve and neural fitting regression analysis were applied to the real-time power consumption, indoor temperature and humidity, and carbon dioxide (CO2) level data. The derived models were able to provide the stabilizing indoor thermal and air conditions of the room to reach steady state ACU power consumption. These collected data and calculated parameters can be used to define rules in automating control of cooling appliances for an efficient energy utilization. The regression approaches, using real-time data, have determined the influence of indoor heat conditions and carbon dioxide levels on ACU power consumption. These parameters were utilized to establish consistent values for temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide levels under stable settings of inverter-based air conditioning units.

The optical properties of the Nafion polymer membrane containing colloidal CdSe/CdS/ZnS nanocrystals embedded by diffusion have been studied. The CdSe/CdS/ZnS nanocrystals have a core/shell/shell appearance. A toluene solution was used to provide mobility of the active sul-fone groups of the Nafion membrane and to embed the nanocrystals inside the membrane. The kinetics of the process of nanocrystal embedding into the membrane matrix was studied using luminescence analysis, absorption spectroscopy and laser emission spectroscopy techniques. The diffusion of colloidal CdSe/CdS/ZnS nanocrystals into the Nafion proton exchange membrane resulted in a new molecular complex «Nafion-colloidal CdSe/CdS/ZnS nanocrystals». The pres-ence of new luminescence centers based on CdSe/CdS/ZnS nanocrystals in the membrane was registered using laser emission spectroscopy. Colloidal nanocrystals located in the Nafion ma-trix represent an analogue of a luminescent transducer. The lines contained in the luminescence spectrum of the membrane, which has been in solution with colloidal nanocrystals for a long time, registered upon its drying, show the kinetics of the formation of the molecular complex «Nafion membrane - nanocrystals». The luminescence spectrum of the membrane with nano-crystals contains additional intensity maxima that do not coincide with the spectral lines of the solvent and Nafion membrane. The intensity of the luminescence spectrum of the membrane with embedded nanocrystals is higher than the intensity of the secondary emission peak of the initial nanocrystals, which is important for the practical use of the complex «Nafion-colloidal nanocrystals» in optical systems.

The figures of merit of luminescence intensity ratio (LIR) thermometry for Er3+ in 40 different crystals and glasses have been calculated and compared. For calculations, the relevant data has been collected from the literature while the missing data were derived from available absorption and emission spectra. The calculated parameters include Judd-Ofelt parameters, refractive indexes, Slater integrals, spin-orbit coupling parameters, reduced matrix elements (RMEs), energy differences between emitting levels used for LIR, absolute and relative sensitivities. We found a slight variation of RMEs between hosts as a result of variations in values of Slater integrals and spin-orbit coupling parameters, and we calculated their average values over 40 hosts. The calculations showed that crystals perform better than glasses in Er3+ based thermometry, and we identified hosts that have large values of both absolute and relative sensitivity.

Highly colloidal Eu-doped Gd2O3 nanoparticles(core-NPs) were synthesized by thermal decomposition via weak base at low temperature (150oC), subsequently, silica layers were deposited to increased colloidal stability, solubility, biocompatibility and no-toxicity at the environmental condition. XRD results indicate the highly purified, crystalline, single phase cubic phase Gd2O3 nanocrystals. TEM image shows the mesoporous thick silica layer was effectively coated over the core nanocrystals, which have irregular size with nearly spherical shape and a mean grain size is about 10-30 nm. Absorption spectra and zeta potential results in aqueous media revealed that solubility, colloidal stability, and biocompatibility character was enhanced from core to core-shell structure because of silica layer surface encapsulation. The samples demonstrate excellent photoluminescence properties (dominant emission 5D0→7F2 transition in red region at 610 nm) indicated the advantage to use in optical bio-detection and bio-labeling etc. The photoluminescence intensity of the silica shell modified core/shell nanoparticles were suppressed relatively core-nanoparticles, it indicates the multi-photon relaxation pathways arising from the surface coated high vibrational energy molecules of the silanol groups. The core/nSiO2/mSiO2 nanocrystals display strong emission (5D0→7F2) transition along with excellent solubility and biocompatibility, which may find promising applications in photonic based biomedical applications.

Using a detailed atmospheric radiative transfer model, we derive macroscopic relationships of downwelling and outgoing longwave radiation, useful for hydrological practice. We validate them using empirical formulae based on downwelling radiation data, which are in common use in hydrology, as well as satellite data for the outgoing radiation. We use the macroscopic relationships to infer the relative importance of carbon dioxide and water vapour in the greenhouse effect. The results show that the contribution of the former is 4% – 5%, while water and clouds dominate with a contribution of 87% – 95%. The minor effect of carbon dioxide is also confirmed by the small, non-discernible effect of the recent escalation of atmospheric CO2 concentration from 300 to 420 ppm, which is quantified at 0.5% for both downwelling and outgoing radiation. Water and clouds also perform other important functions in climate, such as regulating the heat storage and the albedo, as well as cooling the Earth’s surface though latent heat transfer, with a contribution of 50%. By confirming the major role of water on climate, these results suggest that hydrology should have a more prominent and more active role in climate research.

In recent years the number of available chemical pesticides has been significantly reduced and there have been an urgent need for discovery of alternative to chemical pesticides products, as among others the natural zeolites (zeolitic rocks). We determined the mineralogical and chemical composition of a specific and continuous layers of zeolitic rock sample (ZeotP) from Petrota, Ev-ros, Greece and evaluated its oviposition deterrent effect for the olive fruit fly Bactrocera oleae (Diptera: Terphritidae). The tested natural zeolite contained 70 wt. % Clinoptilolite, 18 wt. % Amorphous material, 7 wt. % Feldspars, 4 wt. % Cristobalite and 1 wt. % Quartz. We tested the oviposition deterrent effect of ZeotP mixed or not with an emulsifier adjuvant NU-FILM-P® in water and applied on the surface of olive fruits. The ZeotP oviposition deterrent effect for the ol-ive fly was very high under a series of tested temperatures (17°C, 20°C, 25°C and 30°C) and RHs (23%, 33%, 55%, 75%, 94%). In addition, the ZeotP residual deterrent effect after equable water spraying was high and similar to the respective effect of a pyrethroid insecticide (Decis®). Our results may contribute to an effective control of the olive fruit fly using an alternative to chemical pesticides natural zeolite (zeolitic rocks) product.

Natural systems of units $\{U_i\}$ need to be overhauled to include the dimensionless coupling constants $\{\upalpha_{U_i}\}$ of the natural forces. Otherwise, they cannot quantify all forces in a unified manner. Thus, each force must furnish a system with at least one dimensional and one dimensionless constant. We revisit three natural systems of units (atomic, cosmological, and Planck). The Planck system is easier to rectify, and we do so in this work. The atomic system discounts $\{ G, \upalpha_G \}$, thus it cannot account for gravitation. The cosmological system discounts $\{ \slashed{h}, \upalpha_\slashed{h} \}$, thus it cannot account for quantum physics. Here, the symbols have their usual meanings; in particular, $\upalpha_G$ is the gravitational coupling constant and $\upalpha_\slashed{h}$ is the fine-structure constant. The speed of light $c$ and the impedance of free space $Z_0$ are resistive properties of the vacuum, thus they must be present in all systems of units. The upgraded Planck system $${\rm UPS} \,:=\,\{ c, Z_0, G, \upalpha_G, \slashed{h}, \upalpha_\slashed{h}, \,\dots\,\!\},$$ describes all physical scales in the universe---it is nature's system of units. As such, it reveals a number of properties, most of which have been encountered previously in seemingly disjoint parts of physics, and some of which have been designated as mere coincidences. Based on the UPS results, that relate (sub)atomic scales to the Planck scale and the fine-structure constant to the Higgs field, we can state with confidence that no observed/measured physical properties are coincidental in this universe.

We have developed a cosmological model by allowing the speed of light c, gravitational constant G and cosmological constant Λ in the Einstein filed equation to vary in time, and solved them for Robertson-Walker metric. Assuming the universe is flat and matter dominant at present, we obtain a simple model that can fit the supernovae 1a data with a single parameter almost as well as the standard ΛCDM model with two parameters, and has the predictive capability superior to the latter. The model, together with the null results for the variation of G from the analysis of lunar laser ranging data determines that at the current time G and c both increase as dG/dt = 5.4GH0 and dc/dt = 1.8cH0 with H0 as the Hubble constant, and Λ decreases as dΛ/dt = -1.2ΛH0. This variation of G and c is all what is needed to account for the Pioneer anomaly, the anomalous secular increase of the Moon eccentricity, and the anomalous secular increase of the astronomical unit. We also show that the Planck’s constant ħ increases as dħ/dt = 1.8ħH0 and the ratio D of any Hubble unit to the corresponding Planck units increases as dD/dt = 1.5DH0. We have shown that it is essential to consider the variation of all the physical constants that may be involved directly or indirectly in a measurement rather than only the one whose variation is being considered.

Loess provides a valuable terrestrial record of past environmental conditions, including the dynamics of air mass circulation responsible for dust transport. Here we explore variations in the luminescence characteristics of sedimentary quartz and feldspar – dominant minerals in loess-palaeosol sequences (LPS) - as possible tools for identifying changes in source. We investigate luminescence sensitivity, a rapidly measurable index which is the product of interplay between source lithology and the history of the mineral in question. Variations in sensitivity down profile may therefore reflect, among other factors such as pedogenesis and reworking, changes in sediment provenance. We undertake an empirical investigation of the luminescence sensitivity of quartz and feldspar from different grain-size fractions from the climatically sensitive Schwalbenberg LPS in the German Rhine valley, comparing samples from a 30 m core spanning the last full glacial cycle with samples of oxygen isotope stage (OIS) 3-2 age exposed within a c. 6 m profile downslope. The temporal overlap enables comparison of luminescence characteristics with respect to possible provenance change during that timeframe. We find an overall inverse relationship between quartz and feldspar sensitivity, as well as variability in sensitivity between different quartz grain sizes. There is some indication that feldspar sensitivity increases during periods of soil formation down the core. In particular, measurements of IR50 sensitivity on unprocessed sediments show correlation with down-profile trends in more established indicators of provenance. This suggests it may be used to provide a reliable, rapid scan of sensitivity changes, and may suggest source variability over millennial timescales.

Samples of ZrO2 ceramics with different concentrations of impurity titanium ions were synthesized by mixing powders of zirconium and titanium oxides in various mass ratios. The phase composition and surface morphology of the studied ceramics were determined by X-ray phase analysis and scanning electron microscopy. It was found that irradiation of samples with xenon ions (220 MeV) with fluences 1010 and 1012 ion/cm2 leads to a decrease in the intensity of the pulse cathodoluminescence band at 2.5 eV. It is shown that ion irradiation causes the appearance of a new peak of thermoluminescence at 450-650 K of a non-elementary form associated with radiation-induced traps of charge carriers. In contrast to electron irradiation, an increase in the fluence of ions leads to a decrease in the intensity of this peak. In contrast to electron irradiation, an increase in the fluence of ions leads to a decrease in the intensity of this peak. A complex nonmonotonic dependence of the cathode and thermoluminescence intensity on the dopant concentration was found, which may be due to the effects of concentration quenching and aggregation of defective centers.

The classical approach to non-linear regression in physics, is to take a mathematical model describing the functional dependence of the dependent variable from a set of independent variables, and then, using non-linear fitting algorithms, extract the parameters used in the modeling. Particularly challenging are real systems, characterised by several additional influencing factors related to specific components, like electronics or optical parts. In such cases, to make the model reproduce the data, empirically determined terms are built-in the models to compensate for the impossibility of modeling things that are, by construction, impossible to model. A new approach to solve this issue is to use neural networks, particularly feed-forward architectures with a sufficient number of hidden layers and an appropriate number of output neurons, each responsible for predicting the desired variables. Unfortunately, feed-forward neural networks (FFNNs) usually perform less efficiently when applied to multi-dimensional regression problems, that is when they are required to predict simultaneously multiple variables that depend from the input dataset in fundamentally different ways. To address this problem, we propose multi-task learning (MTL) architectures. These are characterized by multiple branches of task-specific layers, which have as input the output of a common set of layers. To demonstrate the power of this approach for multi-dimensional regression, the method is applied to luminescence sensing. Here the MTL architecture allows predicting multiple parameters, the oxygen concentration and the temperature, from a single set of measurements.

OBJETIVES: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the risk of collapse of the health system created great difficulties. We will demonstrate that Intermediate Respiratory Care Units (IRCU) provide adequate management of patients with non-invasive respiratory support, which is particularly important in patients with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia. METHODS: A prospective observational study of patients with COVID-19 admitted to the ICU of a tertiary hospital. Sociodemographic data, comorbidities, pharmacological, respiratory support, laboratory and blood gas variables were collected. The overall cost of the unit was subsequently analyzed. RESULTS: 991 patients were admitted, 56 to the IRCU (of the 81 a critical care unit). Mean age was 65 years (SD 12.8), Barthel Index 75 (SD 8.3), Charlson 3.1 (SD 2.2), HTN 27%, COPD 89% and obesity 24%. Significant relationship (p <0.05) with higher mortality of the following: fever greater than or equal to 39oC [OR 5.6; 95% CI (1.2-2.7); p = 0.020], protocolized pharmacological treatment [OR 0.3; 95% CI (0.1-0.9); p = 0.023] and IOI [OR 3.7; 95% CI (1.1-12.3); p = 0.025]. NIMV showed less of a negative impact [OR 1.8; 95% CI (0.4-8.4); p = 0.423] than IOI. The total cost of the IRCUs amounted to €66,233. The cost per day of stay in the IRCU was €164 per patient. The total cost avoided was €214,865. CONCLUSION: The pandemic has highlighted the importance of IRCUs in facilitating the management of a high patient volume. The treatment carried out in IRCUs is effective and efficient, reducing both admissions to and stays in the ICU.

In order to enhance the accuracy of the relative velocity measurement for the Mars explorer formation flight, we develop a relative velocity measurement method. In this method, the spectrometers at two Mars explorers are adopted to measure the starlight frequency shift and to estimate the velocity with respect to the star. Unfortunately, the instantaneous velocity of star can not be predicted accurately, which results in a large error in the velocity measurement. The difference of these two velocities, which does not include the proper motion of star, is the relative velocity between a pair of Mars explorers at the direction of the star. However, this navigation method can not work alone because of unobservability. To make the navigation system observable and improve the accuracy of both absolute and relative navigation for the Mars explorer formation flight, we combine it with X-ray pulsar navigation and the inter-satellite links, and propose an autonomous integrated navigation method with observability. In this integrated navigation scheme, the extended Kalman filter is adopted to deal with the relative velocity, the inter-satellite links and the pulse time-of-arrival, and estimate the absolute and relative navigation information for the Mars explorer formation flight. The simulation results demonstrate that both absolute and relative navigation accuracy of the proposed method are higher than that of the pulsar navigation, especially the relative one.

Despite the fact that Wikipedia is often criticized for its poor quality, it continues to be one of the most popular knowledge base in the world. Articles in this free encyclopedia on various topics can be created and edited in about 300 different language versions independently. Our research showed that in language sensitive topics quality of information can be relatively better in the relevant language versions. However, in most cases it is difficult for the Wikipedia readers to determine the language affiliation of the described subject. Additionally, each language edition of Wikipedia can have own rules in manual assessing of the content quality. This makes automatic quality comparison of articles between various languages a challenging task. The paper presents results of relative quality and popularity assessment of over 28 million articles in 44 selected language versions. In addition, a comparative analysis of the quality and popularity of articles in some topics was conducted. The proposed method allows to find articles with information of better quality that can be used to automatically enrich other language editions of Wikipedia.

The phenomenal mathematical efficiency of quantum field theories in modern high-speed information and communication systems has a very simple explanation from the point of view of common sense and higher mathematical logic: all of them – quantum cosmology, quantum physics, quantum metrics and quantum calculus – are the self-informational mathematical systems based on symbolic and numerical functional analysis and elementary recursive calculations of interrelated space and time parameters of matter motion in various states of the material environment.For the first time in scientific and engineering practice, it was clearly shown that the information entropy of both standard symbolic and non-standard numerical functional analysis has absolute exact limits of computational accuracy – 1/10^16 and 1/10^64, respectively. Moreover, the second limit determines the maximum level of accuracy of practical quantum metrics and calculations and fully coordinates four branches of classical physics – thermodynamics, electrodynamics, gravidynamics, chromodynamics with special and general relativity.

Besides the Lagrangian and the Eulerian descriptions, the motion of a body can also be expressed relative to the present configuration of the body, known as the relative motion description. It is interesting to consider such a relative motion description in general to formulate the basic system of field equations for solid bodies. In doing so, when the time increment from the present state is small enough, the nonlinear constitutive equations can be linearized relative to the present state so that the resulting system becomes linear. This will be done for thermoelastic materials with a brief comment on the exploitation of entropy principle in general. Relative Lagrangian formulation is based on the well-known ``small-on-large'' idea, and can be implemented for solving problems with large deformation in successive incremental manner. Some applications of such a formulation in numerical simulations are briefly reviewed.

System level diagnosis is an abstraction of high level and, thus, its practical implementation to particular cases of complex systems is the task which requires additional investigations, both theoretical and modeling. Mostly, diagnosis at system level intends to identify only permanently faulty units. In the paper, we consider the case when both permanently and intermittently faulty units can occur in the system. Identification of intermittently faulty units has some specifics which we have considered in this paper. We also suggest the method which allows distinguishing among different types of intermittent faults. Diagnosis procedure was suggested for each type of intermittent faults.

Nanoporous films of Eu-doped organosilicate glass (OSG) have been synthesized using sol-gel technology and spin-coating, employing evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA), on silicon wafers. The Eu doping is achieved by dissolution of Eu(NO3)3·6H2O in the precursor solution. The deposited films are characterized by using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, ellipsometric porosimetry (EP), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and photoluminescence spectroscopy. It is observed that Eu doping makes the films more hydrophilic and reduces the pore size and open porosity. The reduction Eu3+ → Eu2+ occurs in the pores of OSG films, which is confirmed by depth profiling XPS. However, Eu3+ still presents on the film’s top surface. Presence of Eu3+ and Eu2+ gives characteristic luminescence emission in the range of 600‒630 nm (Eu3+) and 290‒400 nm (Eu2+). The Eu2+/Eu3+ concentrations ratio depends on CH3 groups concentration in the films. Moreover, concentration of Eu2+ ions in the pores can be reduced by exposure in inductively coupled (ICP) oxygen plasma. The observed shift of the luminescence spectra towards the UV region, in comparison to previously reported Eu-doped organosilicate films, can be attributed to the energy transfer occurring between the host material and Eu2+ ions.

Luminescent properties of epitaxial Cu2O thin films were studied in 10-300 K temperature range and compared with luminescent properties of Cu2O single crystals. Cu2O thin films were deposited epitaxially by the electrodeposition method on either Cu or Ag substrates at different processing parameters, which determined the epitaxial orientation relationships and encapsulated surface. Cu2O (100) and (111) single crystal samples were cut from a crystal rod grown by the floating zone method. Luminescence spectra of thin films contain the same emission bands as single crystals around 720, 810 and 910 nm, characterizing VO2+, VO+ and VCu defects, correspondingly. Additional emission bands, whose origin is under discussion, are observed around 650-680 nm, while the exciton features are negligibly small. The relative mutual contribution of the emission bands varies depending on the particular thin film sample. Existence of the domains of crystallites with different orientation determines the polarization of luminescence. PL of both Cu2O thin films and single crystals is characterized with negative thermal quenching in the low temperature region, the reason of this phenomenon is discussed.

A series of LaF₃:Ce³⁺ phosphors for the application in photodynamic therapy is synthesized using a one-stage solvothermal synthesis. The conditions providing the maximum intensity of UV- and X-ray-excited luminescence, lowest size and highest colloidal stability of the phosphor nanoparticles are found to respectively include cerium content 5% mol., use of ethanol as the reaction medium for the solvothermal synthesis and addition of polyvinylpyrrolidone as a stabilizer in an optimized amount.

Here, we have discovered a X-ray excited long afterglow phosphor β-NaYF₄: Tb³⁺. After the irradiation of X-ray, the green emission can persist for more than 240 h. After 36 h, the afterglow intensity arrived at 0.69 mcd•m^-2, which can clearly be observed by naked eyes. Even after 84 h, the afterglow emission brightness still reached 0.087 mcd•m^-2. Also, combined with the results of thermoluminescence and photoluminescence, the super long afterglow emission of β-NaYF₄: Tb³⁺ can be ascribed to the tunneling model associated with F centers. More importantly, the super long green afterglow emission of β-NaYF₄: Tb³⁺ has been successfully used as in vivo light source to activate g-C₃N₄ for photodynamic therapy（PDT）and bacteria destruction. Furthermore, super long persistent luminescence of β-NaYF₄: Tb³⁺ could be repeatedly charged by X-ray for many circulations, which indicates that the phosphors have high photo stability under repeated cycles of alternating X-ray irradiation.

Appling the controlling relative permittivity and permeability in the equations for the gravitational-magnetic-electric field interaction, a very large variation of the gravitational acceleration of the Earth by electric/magnetic field could be arrived at. This conclusion may be supported by some of the experiments for the gravitational effect of superconductivity.

One new La (III) based coordination polymer , namely, [La(1,4-bdc)(H2O)].(H2O) (1) (tpa = terephthalic acid) has been synthesized through the solvothermal synthesis using terephthalic acid. Structural analysis reveals that compound 1 has a 3-D network with a cube topology. The solid state photolumienescence study shows that compound 1 has a strong emission peak at 680 nm upon excitation at 220 nm . The emission peak is characteristic of the red light emission in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Virus taxonomy uses a Linnaean-like subsumption hierarchy to classify viruses into taxonomic units at species and higher rank levels. Virus species are considered monophyletic groups of mobile genetic elements (MGEs) often delimited by phylogenetic analysis of aligned genomic or metagenomic sequences. Taxonomic units are assumed independent organizational, functional and evolutionary units that follow a ‘natural’ historical rationale. Here, I use phylogenomic and other arguments to show that viruses are not self-standing genetically-driven biological systems. Instead, they are crucial components of holobionts, units of biological organization that dynamically integrate the genetics, epigenetic, physiological and functional properties of their co-evolving members. Remarkably, phylogenomic analyses show viruses share protein domain and loop structures with cells throughout history via massive processes of reticulate evolution, helping spread evolutionary innovations across a wider taxonomic spectrum. Thus, viruses are not merely MGEs or microbes. Instead, their genomes and proteomes conduct cellularly integrated processes akin to those cataloged by the GO Consortium. This prompts the generation of compositional hierarchies that replace the ‘is-a-kind-of’ by a ‘is-a-part-of’ logic to better describe the mereology of integrated cellular and viral makeup. My analysis demands a new paradigm that integrates virus taxonomy into a modern evolutionarily centered taxonomy of organisms.

A relativistic positioning system is a set of four emitters broadcasting their proper times by means of light signals. The four emitter times received at an event constitute the emission coordinates of the event. Covariant quantities associated with relativistic positioning systems are analysed relatively to an observer in Minkowski space-time by splitting them in their relative space-like and time-like components. The location of a user in inertial coordinates from a standard set of emission data (emitted times and satellite trajectories) is solved in the underlying 3+1 formalism. The analytical location solution obtained by Kleusberg for the GPS system is recovered and interpreted in a Minkowskian context.

Background: Runners have high incidence of repetitive load injuries, and habitual runners often use smartwatches with embedded IMU sensors to track their performance and training. If accelerometer information from such IMUs can provide information about individual tissue loads, then running watches may be used to prevent injuries. Methods: We investigate a combined physics-based simulation and data-based method. 285 running trials from 76 real runners are subjected to physics-based simulation to recover forces in the Achilles tendon and patella ligament, and the collected data are used to train and test a data-based model using elastic net and gradient boosting methods. Results: Correlations up to 0.95 and 0.71 for the patella ligament and Achilles tendon forces, respectively, are obtained, but no single best predictive algorithm can be identified. Conclusions: Prediction of tissues loads based on body-mounted IMUs appears promising but requires further investigation before deployment as a general option for users of running watches to reduce running-related injuries.

The natural units of measure lauded by Max Planck more than 100 years ago are rarely used today. But many physical constants, including Planck's constant, the gravitational constant, the speed of light, vacuum permittivity, and vacuum permeability, consist of natural units in their unit dimensions. The natural units are present in all formulas containing these constants. The defining characteristic of the natural units is an alignment of unit values at the Planck scale. This alignment gives a computational basis of proportionality from which the correlated properties and dynamics of elementary particles, including wavelength, period, mass, momentum, and energy, manifest in equal or inversely proportional ratios of the Planck scale. These correlations explain many of the defining equations of quantum mechanics, classical gravity, and electromagnetism.

Joints between walls are very important for structural analysis of each masonry building at the global and local level. This issue was often neglected in case of traditional joints and relatively squat walls. Nowadays the issue of wall joints is becoming particularly important due to the continuous strive for simplifying structures, introducing new technologies and materials. Eurocode 6 and other standards (USA, Canadian, Chinese, and Japanese) recommend inspecting joints between walls, but no detail procedures have been specified. This paper presents our own tests on joints between walls made of autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) masonry units. Tests included reference models composed of two wall panels joined perpendicularly with a masonry bond (6 models), traditional steel and modified connectors (12 models). A shape and size of test models and structure of a test stand were determined on the basis of the analysis of the current knowledge, pilot studies and numerical analyses of FEM. The analysis referred to the morphology and failure mechanism of models. Load-displacement relationships for different types of joints were compared and obtained results were referred to results for reference models. A mechanism of cracking and failure was found to vary, and clear differences in behaviour and load capacity of each type of joints were observed. Individual working phases of joints were determined and defined, and the empirical approach was suggested to determine forces and displacement of wall joints.

In this study, we report a novel synthesis of hydrophobic silica aerogel powder composites, functionalized and binary-doped with [Tb(phen)₂](NO₃)₃ and [Eu(phen)₂](NO₃)₃ nanocrystals, employing a two-step sol-gel methodology. The investigation delves into the structural elucidation, optical properties and thermal conductivity of these functionalized Tb(III)-Eu(III) composites. Our analysis encompasses diffuse reflectance spectra, along with excitation and luminescence spectra, highlighting the quantum yields of composites with varying chemical composition. Remarkably, these samples exhibit a strong luminescence, with distinct hues of red or green color upon the specific doping type and level. The detailed examination of excitation spectra and quantum yields unequivocally establishes robust energy transfer mechanisms from the 1,10-phenanthroline molecule to the lanthanide ions. Notably, our study uncovers a Tb³⁺→Eu³⁺ energy transfer phenomenon within the binary functionalized samples, providing compelling evidence for a structural formation process occurring within the mesoporous framework of the aerogel powders.

UV induced photoluminescence of organosilica films with ethylene and benzene bridging groups in their matrix and terminal methyl groups on the pore wall surface is studied to reveal optically active defects and understand their origin and nature. Careful selection of the film’s precursors and conditions of deposition and curing, analysis of chemical and structural properties led to the conclusion that luminescence sources are not associated with the presence of oxygen-deficient centers, as in the case in pure SiO2. It is shown that the sources of luminescence are the carbon-containing components that are part of the low-k-matrix, as well as the carbon residues formed upon removal of the template and UV induced destruction of organosilica samples. A good correlation between the energy of the photoluminescence peaks and the chemical composition is observed. This correlation is confirmed by the results obtained by the Density Functional theory. The photoluminescence intensity increases with porosity and internal surface area. The spectra become more complicated after annealing at 400 °C, although Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy does not show these changes. The appearance of additional bands is associated with compaction of low-k matrix and segregation of template residues on the surface of the pore wall.

Luminescent carbon dots (CDs) were locally synthesized in the core of CYTOP fibers using IR femtosecond laser direct writing (FLDW), a one-step simple method serving as a post-treatment of the genuine fiber. This approach enables the creation of several types of modifications such as ellipsoid voids. The CDs and photoluminescence (PL) distribute at the periphery of the voids. The PL spectral properties were studied through Excitation Emission Matrix in the visible range and excitation/emission spectrum in UV/visible range. Our finding reveals the presence of at least 3 distinct luminescent species, facilitating a broad excitation range extending from UV to green, and light emission spanning from blue to red. The average laser power and dose influence the quantity and ratio of these luminescent CD species. Additionally, we measured the spatially resolved lifetime of the luminescence during and after the irradiation. We found longer lifetimes at the periphery of the laser-induced modified regions and shorter ones closer to the center, with a dominant lifetime ~ 2ns. Notably, unlike many other luminophores, these laser-induced CDs are insensitive to oxygen, enhancing their potential for display or data storage applications.

Radiological imaging is essential for acute patient management in Intensive Care Units (ICUs); however, it introduces the risk of exposure to ionizing radiation. This review synthesizes research on radiation exposure in intensive care unit (ICU) settings, highlighting its rise during the COVID-19 pandemic and repetitive imaging. Our analysis extends to radiation safety thresholds, revealing that some ICU patients exceed annual occupational limits, emphasizing the need to balance diagnostic utility against potential long-term risks, such as cancer. Prospective studies have demonstrated an increase in the median Cumulative Effective Dose (CED) in patients with trauma over time, prompting calls for improved awareness and monitoring. Moreover, innovative dose-reduction strategies and optimized protocols, especially in neuro-ICU units, promise to mitigate these risks. This review highlights the essential but risky role of radiological imaging in critical care. It advocates rigorous radiation management protocols to safeguard patient health, while ensuring the continuity of high-quality medical care.

The increasing demand for water resources in urban areas, such as Bangladesh, due to population growth is a significant concern. One potential solution under consideration is the use of air conditioning (AC) condensate water. A study conducted at the European University of Bangladesh (EUB) focused on assessing the quality and quantity of AC condensate water from various systems. The results indicate that the collected water generally adhered to the quality standards established for drinking and household use in Bangladesh. Parameters such as pH (averaging 6.8), turbidity (1.08 NTU), total dissolved solids (TDS) (averaging 219 mg/L), iron content (0 mg/L), alkalinity (averaging 41.67 mg/L), arsenic (0 mg/L), chemical oxygen demand (COD) (averaging 3.67 mg/L), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) (averaging 1.33 mg/L), chloride content (averaging 30.77 mg/L), and other factors were evaluated. Moreover, the AC units at EUB, varying in cooling capacity (1 ton, 2 tons, and 4 tons), produced substantial monthly volumes of 96, 177, and 354 liters of condensate water, respectively. This underscores the potential of AC condensate water as a valuable resource for addressing urban water scarcity. As a result, there is a pressing need for local decision-makers and policymakers to establish well-defined guidelines for the effective utilization of AC condensate water to mitigate water scarcity issues in urban areas.

For colloids of NaYF4:Yb3+/Tm3+ nanoparticles in DMSO by the method of time-resolved lumi-nescence spectroscopy with nanosecond pulsed excitation at a wavelength of 975 nm the photo-physical processes that determine the course of kinetic curves have been revealed. It has been found that the luminescence rise time decreases with an increase of the concentration of activators and sensitizers due to increase of the efficiency of energy transfer from sensitizers to activators. Cross-relaxation of the excited states of activators provides a decrease of the lumi-nescence decay time with an increase of the concentration of activators and a constant concentration of the sensitizer. There was no correlation between the time of luminescence decay with the change of the concentration of sensitizers and constant concentration of activators due to the competition of the processes of energy back transfer from activators to sensitizers and the "feeding" of activators by excitations coming from remote sensitizer ions.

Precise binding affinity predictions are essential for structure-based drug discovery (SBDD). Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is a member of the tyrosine kinase protein family and is overexpressed in a variety of human malignancies. Inhibition of FAK using small molecules is a promising therapeutic option for several types of cancer. Here, we conducted computational modeling of FAK targeting inhibitors using 3-dimensional structure-activity relationship (3D-QSAR), molecular dynamics (MD), and hybrid topology-based free energy perturbation (FEP) methods. The structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies between the physicochemical descriptors and inhibitory activities of the chemical compounds were performed with reasonable statistical accuracy using CoMFA and CoMSIA. These are two well-known 3D-QSAR methods based on the principle of supervised machine learning (ML). Essential information regarding residue-specific binding interactions was determined using the MD and MM-PB/GBSA methods. Finally, physics-based relative binding free energy (〖∆∆G〗_RBFE^(A→B)) values of analogous ligands were estimated using the alchemical FEP simulation. An acceptable agreement was observed between the experimental and computed relative binding free energies. The overall results using ML and physics-based hybrid approaches could be useful for the rational optimization of accessible lead compounds with similar scaffolds targeting the FAK receptor.

Containing hundreds of spectral bands (features), hyperspectral images (HSIs) have high ability in discrimination of land cover classes. Traditional HSIs data processing methods consider the same importance for all bands in the original feature space (OFS), while different spectral bands play different roles in identification of samples of different classes. In order to explore the relative importance of each feature, we learn a weighting matrix and obtain the relative weighted feature space (RWFS) as an enriched feature space for HSIs data analysis in this paper. To overcome the difficulty of limited labeled samples which is common case in HSIs data analysis, we extend our method to semisupervised framework. To transfer available knowledge to unlabeled samples, we employ graph based clustering where low rank representation (LRR) is used to define the similarity function for graph. After construction the RWFS, any arbitrary dimension reduction method and classification algorithm can be employed in RWFS. The experimental results on two well-known HSIs data set show that some dimension reduction algorithms have better performance in the new weighted feature space.

One of the most crucial and economically beneficial tasks for energy customer is peak load curtailment. On account of the fast response of renewable energy resources (RERs) such as photovoltaic (PV) units and battery energy storage system (BESS), this task is closer to be efficiently implemented. Depends on the customer peak load demand and energy characteristics, the feasibility of this strategy may warry. When adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) is exploited for forecasting, it can provide many benefits to address the above-mentioned issues and facilitate its easy implementation, with short calculating time and re-trainability. This paper introduces a data driven forecasting method based on fuzzy logic for optimized peak load reduction. First, the amount of energy generated by PV is forecasted using ANFIS which conducts output trend, and then, the BESS capacity is calculated according to the forecasted results. The trend of the load power is then decomposed in Cartesian plane into two parts, left and right from load peak, searching for BESS capacity equal. Network switching sequence over consumption is provided by a fuzzy logic controller (FLC) with respect to BESS capacity and PV energy output. Finally, to prove the effectiveness of the proposed ANFIS-based peak shaving method, offline digital time-domain simulations have been performed on a real-life practical test micro grid system in MATLAB/Simulink environment and the results have been experimentally verified by testing on a practical micro grid system with real-life data obtained from smart meter and also, compared with several previously-reported methods.

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) draw much attention as critical semiconductor materials for 2D, optoelectronic, and spin electronic devices. Although controlled doping of 2D semiconductors can also be used to tune their bandgap and type of carrier and further change their electronic, optical, and catalytic properties, it remains an ongoing challenge. Here, we successfully doped a series of metal elements (including Hf, Zr, Gd, Dy) into the monolayers MoS2 through a single-step chemical vapor transport (CVT), and the atomic embedded structure is confirmed by scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) with a probe corrector measurement. In addition, the host crystal is well preserved, and no random atomic aggregation is observed. More importantly, adjusting the band structure of MoS2 enhanced fluorescence and carrier effect. This work provides a growth method for doping nonlike elements into 2D MoS2 and potentially many other 2D materials to modify their properties.

Up-conversion nanoparticles (UCNP) under near-infrared (NIR) light irradiation have been well investigated in the field of bio-imaging. However, the low up-conversion luminescence (UCL) intensity limits applications. Plasmatic modulation has been proposed as an effective tool to adjust the luminescence intensity and lifetime. In this study discrete dipole approximation (DDA) was explored concerning guiding the design of UCNP@mSiO2-Au structures with enhanced UCL intensity. The extinction effects of gold shells could be changed by adjusting the distance between the UCNPs and the Au NPs by synthesized tunable mesoporous silica (mSiO2) spacers. Enhanced UCL was obtained under 808 nm irradiation. Theoretical predictions could not be demonstrated to full extend by experimental data, indicating that better models for simulation need to better take into account inhomogeneities in particle morphologies.

Stara Planina is known for numerous occurrences and deposits of uranium and associated radionuclides. It is also famous for its geodiversity. The geologic framework is highly complex. The mountain is situated between the latitudes of 43° and 44° N and the longitudes from 22°16′ to 23°00′ E. Uranium exploration and radioactivity testing on Stara Planina began back in 1948. Uranium has also been mined in the zone of Kalna, within the Janja granite intrusive. The naturally-radioactive geologic units of Stara Planina are presented in detail in the paper.

How people recognize linguistic and emotional prosody in different listening conditions is essential for understanding the complex interplay between social context, cognition, and communication. The perception of both lexical tones and emotional prosody depends on prosodic features including pitch, intensity, duration, and voice quality. However, it is unclear which aspect of prosody is perceptually more salient and resistant to noise. This study aimed to investigate the relative perceptual robustness of emotional prosody and lexical tone recognition in quiet and in the presence of multi-talker babble noise. Forty young adults with normal hearing listened to monosyllables either with or without background babble noise and completed two identification tasks, one for emotion recognition and the other for lexical tone recognition. Compared with emotional prosody, lexical tones were more perceptually salient in multi-talker babble noise. Native Mandarin Chinese participants identified lexical tones more accurately and quickly than vocal emotions at the same signal-to-noise ratio. Lexical tone perception is also more robust against babble speech noise degradation than emotional prosody perception for native Mandarin Chinese listeners. Acoustic and cognitive dissimilarities between linguistic prosody and emotional prosody may have led to the phenomenon, which calls for further explorations into the underlying psychobiological and neurophysiological mechanisms.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the pandemic is an unprecedented health emergency never seen in the recorded history of humankind due to its sheer scale, rapid spread, and subsequent shock to the global economy. The past respiratory viral pandemics of the 21st century (SARS-CoV-2 in 2003, Influenza AH1N1 in 2009) have revealed seasonality in environmental factors to play a role in the dynamics of their spread. Here, we report the observed state-level relationship between environmental factors such as temperature (T), relative humidity (RH), specific humidity (SH), and solar radiation (SR) on the COVID-19 spread over the Indian region. The results show that T and RH have a significant impact on the disease growth rate and doubling time. Every degree rise in temperature corresponds to a 0.99 % decrease in the number of cases and an increase in doubling time by ~ 1.13 days implying a slowing down of spread. A similar analysis for RH reveals that more moisture leads to a higher growth rate and reduced doubling time. Lower SH and higher surface-reaching SR are found to reduce the spread and increase the doubling time similar to that of temperature. The range of average state-level T (RH) encountered during this period was between 24 and 35^oC (30 and 87%) which implies that environmental impact is still effective at all these T (RH) and is not limited to specific T (RH) ranges. The progression of the season towards monsoon, post-monsoon, and thereafter winter with a continuous reduction in temperature will prove a major challenge for health workers and policymakers attempting to enforce mitigation and control measures.

In our recent works we reported that physical and chemical characteristics of serum can vary in relation to the psychic activity of an individual depending on whether it is oriented to stress or relaxation. We wandered if these observations could be accompanied by an appreciable modification of the Ph, electric conductivity and Delayed Luminescence of the same serum samples. Our preliminary data may suggest that the serum pH could significantly increase during a Relaxation Response intervention while electric conductivity seems to decrease. Moreover, Delayed Luminescense could vary in the same subject according to the Relaxation Response practice. According to our proof of concept study, we postulate the appearance of a coherent system within the blood samples analyzed after the Relaxation Response. Further researches and some technical development are needed to support our preliminary findings.

The global energy landscape is undergoing a transformative shift, and the potential of LNG as a major energy source is a topic of intense debate. In order to meet the growing demand for sustainable energy supply, it is crucial to maximize the efficiency and environmental friendliness of the LNG supply chain. This research aims to leverage computational modeling and optimization techniques to enhance the production units involved in LNG production. By harnessing the power of advanced algorithms and simulations, we can identify and implement innovative strategies that minimize energy consumption, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and enhance the overall sustainability of LNG. Through this study, we seek to uncover novel approaches to address the challenges faced by the LNG industry, including improving operational efficiency, optimizing liquefaction processes, and enhancing the utilization of natural resources. By integrating cutting-edge computational tools and considering environmental factors, we aspire to pave the way for a more sustainable and environmentally friendly future powered by LNG. By exploring the immense potential of computational modeling and optimization, we strive to contribute to the ongoing efforts in advancing energy sustainability and shaping the future of LNG as a crucial global energy source."In this paper, our focus is on simulating and optimizing the process of converting natural gas to LNG. Our goal is to achieve the minimum energy consumption per ton of LNG produced. Through our research, we have identified that utilizing a three-stage exchanger is the most effective approach for minimizing energy consumption in an LNG industrial production unit. Moreover, we have discovered that the outlet pressure from the compressor and the type of refrigerant in the cooling system play significant roles in determining the rate of energy conservation. By carefully considering these factors and optimizing their settings, we can further enhance the overall energy efficiency of the LNG production process. Our research aims to provide valuable insights and guidance to industry professionals and decision-makers in the LNG sector. By implementing the findings of this study, we can contribute to the sustainable development and utilization of LNG as a cleaner and more environmentally energy source. Friendly It's great to see the optimized parameters for the refrigerants and pressure settings in the liquefaction and subcooling cycles. With the mass fraction of 0.89 for methane and 0.14 for ethane in the liquefaction cycle, and 0.59 for methane and 0.3 for nitrogen in the composition for achieving energy efficiency in the LNG production subcooling cycle, The optimized outlet pressure of 650 kPa for the compressors in the liquefaction cycle and 1800 kPa for the subcooling cycle furtherr ccontribute to minimizing energy consumption. Based on your findings, the amount of consumed energy at 14.81 kW per ton of produced LNG highlights the success of the optimization efforts. Reducing the energy consumption per ton of LNG produced is a significant accomplishment towards achieving energy sustainability and environmental friendliness in the LNG industry. These results demonstrate the importance of computational modeling and optimization in identifying the best parameters for eenhancing energy efficiency in LNG production. By implementing these optimized settings, we can work towards a more sustainable future with reduced energy consumption and lower environmental impact

Two novel core-shell composites SiO2@PMDA-Si-Tb, SiO2@PMDA-Si-Tb-phen with SiO2 as the core and terbium organic complex as the shell, were successfully synthesized. The terbium ion was coordinated with organic ligand forming terbium organic complex in the shell layer. The bi-functional organosilane ((HOOC)2C6H2(CONH(CH2)3Si(OCH2CH3)3)2 (abbreviated as PMDA-Si) was used as the first ligand and phen as the second ligand. Furthermore, the silica-modified SiO2@PMDA-Si-Tb@SiO2, SiO2@PMDA-Si-Tb-phen@SiO2 core-shell-shell composites were also synthesized by sol–gel chemical route. An amorphous silica shell was coated around the SiO2@PMDA-Si-Tb and SiO2@PMDA-Si-Tb-phen core-shell composites. The core-shell and core-shell-shell composites both exhibited excellent luminescence in solid state. The luminescence of core-shell-shell composites was stronger than that of core-shell composites. Meanwhile, an improved luminescence stability property for the core-shell-shell composites was found in the aqueous solution. The core-shell-shell composites exhibited bright luminescence, high stability, long lifetime, and good solubility, which may present potential applications in the field of bio-medical.

Gallium oxide (Ga2O3) is an emerging wide bandgap semiconductor promising a wide range of important applications. However, mass production of high-quality crystalline Ga2O3 still suffers from limitations associated with poor reproducibility and low efficiency. Low-temperature grown amorphous Ga2O3 demonstrates comparable performance with its crystalline counterparts. Lanthanide Er3+-doped Ga2O3 (Ga2O3: Er) possesses great potential for developing light-emitting devices, photodetectors and optical waveguides. The host circumstance can exert a crystal field around the lanthanide dopants and strongly influence their photoluminescence properties. Here we present a systematical study of the impact of amorphous-to-crystalline transition on the upconversion photoluminescence in Ga2O3: Er thin films. Through controlling the growth temperature of Ga2O3: Er films, the upconversion luminescence of as-grown thin films are strongly enhanced over 100 times. Moreover, the variation of photoluminescence reflects the amorphous-to-crystalline transformation of the Ga2O3: Er thin films. These results will aid further design of favorable optoelectronic devices integrated with lanthanide-doped Ga2O3 thin films.

Diamond powders with inclusions of europium atoms were synthesized at high pressure (7.7 GPa) and temperature (1800oC) from a mixture of pentaerythritol, C(CH2OH)4, and pyrolyzate of diphthalocyanine (C64H32N16Eu) served as a special precursor. In prepared diamonds by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, we have found the concentration of Eu atoms of 51±5 ppm that is by two orders of magnitude greater than that in known natural and synthetic diamonds. X-ray diffraction, SEM, X-ray exited optical luminescence, Raman and IR spectroscopy have confirmed the formation of diamond monocrystals of high quality with em-bedded Eu atoms and a nitrogen content of ~500 ppm. Numerical simulation has allowed us de-termine the energy cost of 5.8 eV needed for the incorporation of a single Eu atom with adjacent vacancy into growing diamond crystal (528 carbons).

A series of derivatives, involving two dithienylethene (DTE), groups, connected by several molecular linkers (bis(ethylene-1,2-dithiolato)Ni- (NiBDT), naphthalene, quasilinear oligothiophene chains) are investigated with the aid of computational quantum chemistry methods. This involves the computation of the second- and third-order nonlinear optical properties, i.e. molecular hyperpolarizabilities of the designed/selected derivatives. These properties can be efficiently controlled by DTE switches, in connection with light of appropriate frequency. We found that NiBDT, as a linker, is associated with a greater contrast, in comparison to naphthalene, between the first and second hyperpolarizabilities of the “open-open” and the “closed-closed” isomers. This is explained by invoking the low lying excited states of NiBDT. It has been found that the second hyperpolarizability can be used as an index, which follows the structural changes induced by photochromism. The two-photon absorption, which is related to the imaginary part of second hyperpolarizability, has also been investigated for the S0S1 transition. Furthermore, the intramolecular excited-state energy transfer (EET) is studied as well as the overlap between the absorption and emission spectra of the donor and acceptor groups of the molecules. The electronic coupling, VDA, between the donor and acceptor fragments, as well as the emission spectrum of the donor and the absorption spectrum of the acceptor have been computed, assuming a Förster type transfer mechanism. EET is a critical factor governing the photochromism. Two methods were used to compute VDA, one based on linear response and one based on the distributed multipole analysis (DMA); both techniques give very similar results for the dominating Coulomb contribution. For NiBDT as the linker a low VDA value has been computed. We found that VDA is affected by the molecular geometry. Our results clearly show that the linker strongly influences the communication between the open-closed DTE groups and thus, photochromism. The present computations show that full photochromism is attained in derivatives where two DTE groups are linked by a tetrathiophene chain, in agreement with experiment. The sensitivity of molecular linear and nonlinear optical properties upon photochromism can assist with the identification of the molecular isomers.

Data science is facing the following major challenges: (1) developing scalable cross-disciplinary capabilities, (2) dealing with the increasing data volumes and their inherent complexity, (3) building tools that help to build trust, (4) creating mechanisms to efficiently operate in the domain of scientific assertions, (5) turning data into actionable knowledge units and (6) promoting data interoperability. As a way to overcome these challenges, we further develop the proposals by early Internet pioneers for Digital Objects as encapsulations of data and metadata made accessible by persistent identifiers. In the past decade, this concept was revisited by various groups within the Research Data Alliance and put in the context of the FAIR Guiding Principles for findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable data. The basic components of a FAIR Digital Object (FDO) as a self-contained, typed, machine-actionable data package are explained. A survey of use cases has indicated the growing interest of research communities in FDO solutions. We conclude that the FDO concept has the potential to act as the interoperable federative core of a hyperinfrastructure initiative such as the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC).

We point out an inconsistency in Newton's equations of celestial mechanics. A set of differential equations implied by Newton's equations are shown to be free of this inconsistency. We then investigate the integrals of motion associated with this relative difference system.

Quantum coherence is an important physical resource in quantum information science, and also as one of the most fundamental and striking features in quantum physics. In this paper, we obtain a symmetry-like relation of relative entropy measure $C_r(\rho)$ of coherence for $n$-partite quantum states $\rho$, which gives lower and upper bounds for $C_r(\rho)$. Meanwhile, we discuss the conjecture about the validity of the inequality $C_r(\rho)\leq C_{\ell_1}(\rho)$ for any state $\rho$. We observe that every mixture $\eta$ of a state $\rho$ satisfying $C_r(\rho)\leq C_{\ell_1}(\rho)$ and any incoherent state $\sigma$ also satisfies the conjecture. We also note that if the von Neumann entropy is defined by the natural logarithm $\ln$ instead of $\log_2$, then the reduced relative entropy measure of coherence $\bar{C}_r(\rho)=-\rho_{\rm{diag}}\ln \rho_{\rm{diag}}+\rho\ln \rho$ satisfies the inequality ${\bar{C}}_r(\rho)\leq C_{\ell_1}(\rho)$ for any mixed state $\rho$.

Transport biofuels derived from biogenic material are used for substituting fossil fuels, thereby abating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Numerous competing conversion options exist to produce biofuels, with differing GHG emissions and costs. In this paper analysis and modelling of the long-term development of GHG abatement and relative GHG abatement cost competitiveness between crop-based biofuels in Germany is carried out. Presently dominant conventional biofuels and advanced liquid biofuels were found not to be competitive compared to the substantially higher yielding options available: sugar beet based ethanol for the short to medium term least-cost option and Substitute Natural Gas (SNG) for the medium to long term. The competitiveness of SNG was found to depend highly on the emissions development of the power mix. Silage maize based biomethane was found competitive on a land area basis, but not on an energetic basis. Due to land limitations as well as cost and GHG uncertainty, a stronger focus on the land use of crop-based biofuels should be laid in policy.

The battery energy storage systems (BESS) are most promising solution for increasing efficiency and flexibility of distribution networks (DNs) with significant penetration level of photovoltaic (PV) systems. There are various issues related to the optimal operation of DNs with integrated PV sys-tems and BESS that need to be addressed to maximize DN performance. This paper deals with the day-ahead optimal active-reactive power dispatching in unbalanced DNs with integrated sin-gle-phase PV generation and BESSs. The objectives are the minimization of cost for electricity, en-ergy losses in the DN and voltage unbalance at three-phase load buses by optimal managing of active and reactive power flows. To solve this highly constrained nonlinear optimization problem, a hybrid particle swarm optimization with sigmoid-based acceleration coefficients (PSOS) and cha-otic gravitational search algorithm (CGSA), called PSOS-CGSA algorithm, is proposed. A scenario based approach encompassing the Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) method with the simultaneous backward reduction algorithm is used for the probabilistic assessment of the uncertainty of PV generation and power of loads. The effectiveness of the proposed procedure is evaluated through the series test cases in a modified IEEE 13-bus feeder.

The reflectance $R$ of monolayer graphene for the normal incidence of electromagnetic radiation is known to be remarkably defined only by $\pi$ and the fine-structure constant $\alpha$. It is shown in this paper that the reflectance (or the sum of transmittance and absorptance) of monolayer graphene, expressed as a quadratic equation with respect to the fine-structure constant $\alpha$ must unsurprisingly introduce the 2$^\text{nd}$ fine-structure constant $\alpha_2$, as the 2$^\text{nd}$ root of this equation, as well as two $\pi$-like constants for a convex and a saddle surface. It turns out that this 2$^\text{nd}$ fine-structure constant is negative, and the sum of its reciprocal with the reciprocal of the fine-structure constant $\alpha$ is independent of the reflectance value $R$ and remarkably equals $-\pi$. Particular algebraic definition of the fine-structure constant $\alpha^{-1} = 4\pi^3 + \pi^2 + \pi \approx 137.036$, containing the free $\pi$ term and agreeing with the physical definition of this dimensionless constant to the 5$^\text{th}$ significant digit, when introduced to this sum, yields $\alpha_2^{-1} = -4\pi^3 - \pi^2 - 2\pi \approx -140.178$. Assuming universal validity of the physical definition of $\alpha$, $\alpha_2$ defines the negative speed of light in vacuum $c_n$. The average of this speed $c_n$ and the speed of light in vacuum $c$ is in the range of the Fermi velocity ($10^6$ m/s). Furthermore, the 2$^\text{nd}$ negative fine-structure constant $\alpha_2$ alone introduces the imaginary set of base Planck units.

Abstract Octreotide is the first synthetic peptide hormone, consisted of eight amino acids, that mimics the activity of somatostatin, a natural hormone in the body. During the past decades, advanced instrumentation and crystallographic software established X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRPD) as a valuable tool for extracting structural information of biological macromolecules. The latter was demonstrated by the successful structural determination of octreotide at a remarkably high d-spacing resolution (1.87 Å) (PDB code: 6vc1). This study focuses on the response of octreotide to different humidity levels and temperatures, with a particular focus on the stability of the polycrystalline sample. XRPD measurements were accomplished employing an Anton Paar MHC-trans humidity-temperature chamber installed within a laboratory X’Pert Pro diffractometer (Malvern Panalytical). The chamber is employed to control and maintain precise humidity and temperature levels of samples during XRPD data collection. Pawley analysis of the collected data sets revealed that the octreotide polycrystalline sample is remarkably stable and no structural transitions were observed. The compound retains its orthorhombic symmetry (space group: P212121, a = 18.57744(4) Å, b = 30.17338(6) Å, c = 39.70590(9) Å, d~ 2.35 Å). However, a characteristic structural evolution in terms of lattice parameters and volume of the unit-cell is reported mainly upon controlled relative humidity variation. In addition, an improvement of signal-to-noise ratio in the XRPD data under a cycle of dehydration/rehydration is reported. These results underline the importance of considering the impact of environmental factors, as humidity and temperature, in the context of structure-based drug design, thereby contributing to the development of more effective and stable pharmaceutical products.

In this paper, we identify several relative ordering properties of the modified proportional hazard rate and modified proportional reversed hazard rate models. For this purpose, we use two well-known relative orderings, namely the relative hazard rate ordering and the relative reversed hazard rate ordering. The investigation is to see how a relative ordering between two possible base distributions for the response distributions in these models is preserved when the parameters of the underlying models are changed. We will give some examples to illustrate the results and the conditions under which they are obtained.

The relative position of the orchard robot to the rows of fruit trees is an important parameter for achieving autonomous navigations. The current methods for estimating the position parameters between rows of orchard robots obtain low parameter accuracy, and to address this problem, this paper proposes a machine vision-based method for detecting the relative position of orchard robots and fruit tree rows. Firstly, the fruit tree trunk is identified based on the improved YOLOv4 model; secondly, the camera coordinates of the tree trunk are calculated from the principle of binocular camera triangulation, and the ground projection coordinates of the tree trunk are obtained through coordinate conversion; finally, the midpoints of the projection coordinates of different sides are combined and the navigation path is obtained by linear fitting with the least squares method, and the position parameters of the orchard robot are obtained through calculation. The experimental results show that the average accuracy and average recall of the improved YOLOv4 model for fruit tree trunk detection are 97.05% and 95.42%, respectively, which are 5.92 and 7.91 percentage points higher than those of the original YOLOv4 model. The average errors of heading angle and lateral deviation estimates obtained based on the method in this paper are 0.57° and 0.02 m. The method can accurately calculate heading angle and lateral deviation values at different positions between rows, and can provide a reference for autonomous visual navigation of orchard robots.

In recent years, many studies have highlighted the consistent finding of amoxicillin in waters destined for wastewater treatment plants, in addition to superficial waters of rivers and lakes in both Europe and North America. In this paper, the amoxicillin degradation pathway was investigated by simulating the chlorination process normally used in a wastewater treatment plant to reduce similar emerging pollutants at three different pH values. The structures of 16 isolated degradation byproducts (DPs), one of which was isolated for the first time, were separated on a C-18 column via a gradient HPLC method. Then, combining mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS/TOF) and nuclear magnetic resonance, we compared commercial standards and justified a proposed formation mechanism beginning from the parent drug. Microbial growth inhibition bioassays with Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Staphylococcus aureus were performed to determine the potential loss of antibacterial activity in isolated degradation byproducts. An increase of antibacterial activity in the DPs was observed compared to the parent compound.

Genus Clematis is one of the largest within Ranunculaceae. Here we report the chloroplast genome of two Clematis species, C. brachyura and C. trichotoma endemic to Korea. The chloroplast genome lengths of C. brachyura and C. trichotoma are 159,532 bp and 159,170 bp, respectively. Gene contents in the complete chloroplast genomes of these two Clematis species are identical to that of most Ranunculaceae and other angiosperms. However, our data results demonstrated that genus Clematis has inversion and rearrangement events concerning gene rps4 gene, rps16 to trnH region, and trnL to ndhC region, and IR regions expansion. Comparison of IR regions among Ranunculaceae species revealed that Clematis species contained six protein coding genes (infA, rps8, rpl14, rpl16, rps3, and rpl22) usually found in the long single copy (LSC) region of other species. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that genus Clematis is closely related to genus Ranunculus. Differences in repeat structure, substitution rates, and IR expansion in genera Clematis and Ranunculus, explained their relationship. Clematis species showed slightly higher tandem repeats content than Ranunculus species. The six protein-coding genes showed lower synonymous substitution rates in the IR of Clematis species than in the LSC of Ranunculus species. Overall, the chloroplast genomes and results presented here provide important information on the evolution of Ranunculaceae.

Quantum Fisher Information (QFI) is a very useful concept for analyzing situations that require phase sensitivity. It become a popular topic especially in Quantum Metrology domain. In this work, we study the changes in quantum Fisher information (QFI) values for one relative arbitrary phased quantum system consisting of a superposition of N Qubits W and GHZ states. In a recent work [7], QFI values of this mentioned system for N qubits were studied. In this work, we extend this problem for the changes of QFI values in some noisy channels for the studied system. We show the changes in QFI depending on noise parameters. We report interesting results for different type of decoherence channels. We show the general case results for this problem.

Due to limitation of natural sand from rivers and seas, artificial sand production from large stones or rocks is being increased. However, this sand manufacturing process is dangerous and causes several social problems such as high level of unwanted vibrations or noises. This study investigates vibration characteristics of sand and screen units in artificial sand production plant whose actuating operation is multiple with several different exciting frequencies. As a first step, vibration levels are measured at the sand and screen unit positions using accelerometers in time and frequency domains. The measurement is carried out at two different conditions: activating sand unit only and operating entire facilities such as stone crusher. Vibration signals acquired from several locations of the sand and screen units of the plant are collected and analyzed from waveforms and spectrums of the signals. It is identified that the vibration acceleration level of the screen unit is higher than that of the sand unit. In addition, it is found from the acceleration signals measured at plant office and shipping control center those places are far away from the plant location that the beating phenomenon is occurred by close driving frequencies for several sand units. In this work, the vibration caused from the beating is significantly reduced by adjusting the driving frequencies for the sand units so that they are sufficiently scattered to avoid the beating.

In this paper, we present the characteristics of photoluminescent YBO3 successfully synthesized through a solid-state reaction and microwave-assisted method. We used yttrium oxide and boric acid in excess as starting reagents. The synthesis conditions are reflected in fluorescent characteristics and the structure. Excess boric acid causes structural changes, as observed by the FTIR spectroscopy analysis. The FTIR spectra analysis of the structure provided valuable insights into the phase composition and modifications induced by varying amounts of boric acid and synthesis methods. The identified structural features contribute to the understanding of the synthesized samples' characteristics and their potential applications in various fields such as illumination and displays and narrow-band fluorescent smartphone readable markers.

The reliable online analysis of volatile compounds in exhaled breath remains a challenge as a plethora of molecules occur in different concentration ranges (i.e. ppt to %), and need to be detected against an extremely complex background matrix. While this complexity is commonly addressed by hyphenating a specific analytical technique with appropriate preconcentration and/or preseparation strategies prior to detection, we herein propose the combination of three analytical tools based on truly orthogonal measurement principles as an alternative solution: field-asymmetric ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy-based sensors utilizing substrate-integrated hollow waveguides (iHWG), and luminescence sensing (LS). These three tools have been integrated into a single compact analytical platform suitable for online exhaled breath analysis. The analytical performance of this prototype system was tested via artificial breath samples containing nitrogen (N2), oxygen (O2), carbon dioxide (CO2) and acetone as a model volatile organic compound (VOC) commonly present and detected in breath. Functionality of the combined system was demonstrated by detecting these analytes in their respectively breath-relevant concentration range and mutually independent of each other generating orthogonal yet correlated analytical signals. Finally, adaptation of the system towards the analysis of real breath samples during future studies is discussed.

Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are opportunistic pathogens that cause illness primarily in the elderly, in the immunocompromised or in patients with underlying lung disease. Mycobacterium chimaera is a NTM species belonging to the M. avium Complex (MAC) group of species. Since 2013, a global outbreak of M. chimaera infection related to heater-cooler units (HCU) used in cardio-thoracic surgery has been identified. This outbreak was caused by a single strain of M. chimaera. In order to estimate the prevalence of this outbreak strain in Israel, we sampled M. chimaera from several HCU machines in Israel, as well as from patients, sequenced their genomes and compared them to the outbreak strain. The presence of mixed mycobacteria species in the samples complicated the analysis of obtained sequences. By applying a metagenomic binning strategy, we were able to obtain genomes of single strains from the mixed samples, and characterized them. M. chimaera strains were compared to each other and to previously reported genomes from other countries. The strain causing the outbreak related to the HCU machines was identified in several such machines in Israel but not in any of the clinical samples.

Slope failures pose a substantial threat to mining activity due to their destructive potential and high probability of occurrence on steep slopes close to limit equilibrium conditions, often found both in open pits and in waste and tailing disposal facilities. The development of slope monitoring and modeling programs usually entails the exploitation of in situ and remote sensing data together with the application of numerical modeling, and it plays an important role in the definition of prevention and mitigation measures aimed at minimizing the impact of slope failures in mining areas. Here we present a new methodology combining satellite radar interferometry and 2D finite element modeling for slope stability analysis at a regional scale, applied within slope unit polygons. We studied a former mining area in southeast Spain, and the method proved useful in detecting and characterizing a considerably large number of unstable slopes. Out of 1,959 slope units used for the spatial analysis of the radar interferometry data, 43 were unstable, with varying values of safety factor and landslide size. Out of the 43 active slope units, 21 exhibited line of sight velocities greater than the maximum error obtained through the validation analysis (2.5 cm/year). Eventually, this work discusses the possibility of using the results of the proposed approach to devise a proxy for landslide hazard. The proposed methodology can help to provide non-expert final users with intelligible, clear and easily comparable information to analyze slope instabilities in different settings, not limited to mining areas.

Background: Recent years have seen chaos in the neonatology use of antibiotics with diverse opinions and recommendations in international guidelines and societies. This has created great uncertainty in which cases to use, for how long, and which tests apply to make these decisions. We conducted a retrospective cohort study about the use of antibiotics in the EpicLatino neonatal units and a Latin American network database, after noting these variations in the 2019 report. Methods: For the year 2019 using the EpicLatino database, we included cases (only first admission) ≤32 weeks gestational age at birth, excluding one unit that did not accept to participate. The number of cases and days receiving antibiotics were recorded as well as the progression for each unit. Inappropriate use of antibiotics was defined as greater than 3 days in patients with negative cultures (blood/CSF cultures) excluding: major malformations, urinary tract infections, necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and cases with suspected chorioamnionitis in the mother (the latter two only during the course of diagnosis of NEC or chorioamnionitis). This study was approved by the EpicLatino board of directors and by the participating units. Results: A total of 6,543 days of antibiotics were observed, 49.5% of cases had at least one positive blood/CSF culture. A total of595 days of antibiotics without justification were found in 72 courses in 61 cases; 14/72(19.4%) had no diagnosis of infection in the database, 7/72(9.7%) did not document any culture throughout their stay, and 37/72(51,4%) obtained only one blood/CSF culture during their entire stay. Most diagnosis were clinical sepsis and in 24/58(41%) curses, a diagnosis of pneumonia with a poor positive culture correlation was found. Furthermore, 74% of the units didn´t use pneumonia as a justification to use antibiotics. Other diagnosis found: Conjunctivitis, NEC 1A and rotavirus NEC. Conclusions: Although the method of reviewing the use of antibiotics in a database has a number of limitations, especially the cause that motivated the use of antibiotics and other tools used for diagnosis of infections, the notable differences between units is striking. Although it is difficult to make recommendations to all units, it is important to control infections in some units and in others to reduce the excessive use of antibiotics, especially with diagnosis of pneumonia in neonates and negative blood/CSF cultures.

This article examines the impact of some system parameters on an industrial system composed of two dissimilar parallel units with one repairman. The active unit may fail due to essential factors like aging or deteriorating, or exterior phenomena such as Poisson shocks that occur at various time periods. Whenever the value of a shock is larger than the specified threshold of the active unit, the active unit will fail. The article assumes that the repairman has the right to take any of two decisions at the beginning of the system operation: either a takes a vacation if the two units work in a normal way, or stay in the system to monitor the system until the first system failure. In case of having a failure in any of the two units during the absence of the repairman, the failing unit will have to wait until the repairman is called back to work. We suppose that the value of every shock is assumed to be i.i.d. with some known distribution. The length of the repairman’s vacation, repair time, and recall time are arbitrary distributions. Various reliability measures have been calculated by the supplementary variable technique and the Markov’s vector process theory. At last, numerical computation and graphical analysis have been given for a particular case to validate the derived indices.

The relative force strengths of the Coulomb forces, gravitational forces, dark matter forces, weak forces and strong forces are compared for the dark matters, leptons, quarks, and normal matters (p and n baryons) in terms of the 3-D quantized space model. The quark confinement and asymptotic freedom are explained by the CC merging to the A(CC=-5)₃ state. The proton with the (EC,LC,CC) charge configuration of p(1,0,-5) is p(1,0) + A(CC=-5)₃. The A(CC=-5)₃ state has the 99.6% of the proton mass. The three quarks in p(1,0,-5) are asymptotically free in the EC and LC space of p(1,0) and are strongly confined in the CC space of A(CC=-5)₃. This means that the lepton beams in the deep inelastic scattering interact with three quarks in p(1,0) by the EC interaction and weak interaction. Then, the observed spin is the partial spin of p(1,0) which is 32.6 % of the total spin (1/2) of the proton. The A(CC=-5)₃ state has the 67.4 % of the proton spin. This explains the proton spin crisis. The EC charge distribution of the proton is the same to the EC charge distribution of p(1,0) which indicates that three quarks in p(1,0) are mostly near the proton surface. From the EC charge distribution of neutron, the 2 lepton system (called as the koron) of the koron is, for the first time, reported in the present work.

Various empirical models are available to evaluate the temperature effects on relative permeability of the different rock and fluid systems. However, the implementation of limited experimental data points may hinder the applicability of such models to other systems. This study aims to develop new predictive models for k_ro estimation based on multilayer perceptron artificial neural network (MLP-ANN), adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), and least squares support vector machine (LSSVM) approaches. A database comprising of 626 data points applied to the model development. The independent variables are temperature, oil viscosity, water viscosity, water saturation ( ), and the absolute permeability. Each variable covers a wide range of variations which increases models’ potential to be applied in various systems with different characteristics. The doubtful experimental data points excluded using a leverage value approach and a sensitivity analysis carried out to determine the quantitative impact of every individual independent variable on the k_ro. Statistical error analyses demonstrated the coefficient of determination (R²) values of 0.985, 0.975, and 0.999 for MLP-ANN, ANFIS, and LSSVM, respectively. The comparative study indicated that the LSSVM had the best performance regarding both graphical and statistical error analyses among the newly proposed models and previously reported models in the literature.

This paper addresses the effect of both microstructure and relative humidity on the long-term creep properties of sustainable calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) cements. Those can be prepared by mixing amorphous calcium carbonate and vaterite with water. A larger starting amount of vaterite, X_V, within the mixture design gives a higher elasticity and resistance to the specimens due to the larger overall bridging area within the newly formed calcite crystals. Regarding creep properties for a given relative humidity, the amplitude of creep strain decreases with X_V, and makes the relation between the elastic modulus, E, and hardness, H, of the samples to be linear with the contact creep modulus, C. On the other hand, for a given composition, the amplitude of creep increases with the relative humidity, making the contact creep modulus, Ci, to rise exponentially with the elastic modulus, E, and hardness, H, of the specimens. The most probable creep mechanisms for this kind of cement seem to be a combination of microcraking in the early stages and dissolution and reprecipitation of calcite in the long-term (also known as pressure solution theory). The presence of water in pores with increasing relative humidity might enhance the local dissolution of calcite, and hence the creep amplitude.

Quantum Computers are provisioned as very high performance computers using quantum mechanical aspects for information processing. Quantum Information Theory and Quantum Computing topics are popular topics in academia aiming the construction of theoretical background of Quantum Computers. The information processing units for Quantum Computers are defined as qubits but for some problems three level (trinary) systems may be applied as well. We call these three level systems as qutrits. The scope of this work is the analysis of well-defined entanglement measures Negativity and Relative Entropy of Entanglement (REE) for two qutrit (3- level/trinary) quantum systems. In this manner, for randomly generated 1000 two qutrit and 1000 two qubit states the mentioned measures are calculated and these values are compared. These comparisons are analyzed and for quantum state ordering problem, some interesting results are reported.

A hydrothermal technique with microwave heating (200 °C, 2 hours, 2 magnetrons, 2.45 GHz) was modified to obtain UV-C luminescent LaPO4: Pr3+ colloidal nanorods for the potential use in X-ray cancer theranostics. For further possible biofunctionalization, a compound of tartaric acid formed under basic conditions was used as a coating and stabilizing agent to provide colloidal properties to the surface of nanoparticles in basic to neutral aqueous media, which was confirmed by zeta potential measurements. In addition, the colloidal properties and clustering processes of synthesized LaPO4:Pr3+ nanorods in aqueous solutions with different pH values were studied in real time using a highly sensitive laser ultramicroscope operating according to the “light-sheet” scheme. A comparative analysis of the transmission electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction and high-energy spectroscopy showed the different effects of synthesis parameters on the morphological, crystalline and luminescent properties of the obtained nanorods. Through optimization of the synthesis parameters, stable aqueous solutions of m-LaPO4:Pr3+ nanorods with sizes less than 30 nm and an intensity of UV-C luminescence equal to 5-10% of the unmodified nanofibers were obtained.

Keeping the bus voltage within acceptable limits depends on dispatching reactive power. Power quality improves as a result of creating an effective power flow system, which also helps to reduce power loss. Therefore, Optimal Reactive Power Dispatch (ORPD) studies aim at designing appropriate system configurations to enable a reliable operation of power systems. Establishment of such a configuration is handled through control variables in power systems. On the other hand, installing Distributed Generation Unit (DGU) into a power system can have an important effect on power quality and power loss minimization. In this paper, Grey Wolf Optimization (GWO method is applied to ORPD problem for the first time, to find optimal placement of newly installed DGUs at the power system. Active power loss and voltage minimization have been minimized by optimizing the control variables while keeping them within their upper and lower bounds, and by finding the optimal placement of a newly installed DGU in power system. On the basis of IEEE 30 bus and IEEE 118 bus systems, performance of the suggested approach is investigated. A comparison is also performed among the proposed method and some other methods. Test results demonstrate that the resulting configuration contributes to growing the rate of renewable integration to a power system. The results also indicate that the suggested optimization approach applied to ORPD problem has improved power system performance in terms of both on power loss and voltage deviation. The promising results highlight the potential of the GWO algorithm to facilitate the integration of renewable power sources, and its role in promoting sustainable energy solutions.

New innovative green concepts in electrified vertical take-off and landing vehicles currently emerge as a revolution to urban mobility going into the third dimension (vertically). The high population density of cities makes the market share highly attractive while posing an extraordinary challenge for community acceptance due to the increasing and possibly noisier commuter traffic. In addition to passenger transport, package deliveries to customers by drones may enter the market. The new challenges associated with this increasing transportation need in urban, rural and populated areas pose challenges for established companies and startups to deliver low-noise emission products. The article's objective is to revisit the benefits and drawbacks of an affordable acoustic measurement campaign focused on early prototyping. In the very early phase of product development, often considerably limited resources are available. With this in mind, the article discusses the sound power results using the enveloping surface method in a typically available low-reflection room with a reflecting floor according to DIN EN ISO 3744:2011-02. The method is applied to a subsonic electric ducted fan (EDF) unit of a 1:2 scaled electrified vertical take-off and landing vehicle. The results show that considerable information at low costs can be gained for the early prototyping stage, despite this easy-to-use, easy-to-realize, and not fine-tuned measurement setup. Furthermore, the limitations and improvements to a possible experimental setup are presented to discuss a potentially more ideal measurement environment. Measurements at discrete operating points and transient measurements across the total operating range were conducted to provide complete information on the EDF's acoustic behavior. The rotor-self noise and the rotor-stator interaction were identified as primary tonal sound sources, along with the highest broadband noise sources located on the rotor. Based on engineering experience, a first acoustic improvement treatment is also quantified with a sound power level reduction of 4dB(A). In conclusion, the presented method is a beneficial first measurement campaign to quantify the acoustic properties of an electric ducted fan unit at minimal resources in a reasonable time of several weeks when starting from scratch.

The aim was to evaluate levels of compassion fatigue in nursing professionals working in complex care units of a Brazilian university hospital. A cross-sectional, descriptive, and correlational study was carried out with nursing workers from complex care units of a University Hospital. Data were collected in the second half of 2019, in the pre-pandemic period of COVID-19, using the Brazilian version of the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQoL-BR). A total of 146 individuals partici-pated, including 41 (28.1%) nurses, 92 (63.0%) nursing technicians and 13 (8.9%) nursing assis-tants. It was observed that 26.1% presented high level of compassion satisfaction. For 17.5% there was level of burnout and 49.7%, medium level of burnout; and 22.0% with high and 46.1% with medium level of secondary traumatic stress. Twenty-eight (19.2%) professionals had compassion fatigue, of which 16 (57.1%) were nursing technicians. There is a high percentage of professionals with medium and high rates of burnout and secondary traumatic stress, a fact that is reinforced by the presence of compassion fatigue in almost one fifth of the studied individuals. These results highlights how much the health of these workers can be affected by living with traumatic patient experiences.

Simulated (sim) racing is an emerging esport that has garnered much interest in recent years and has been a relatively under-researched field in terms of expertise and performance. When examining expertise, visual attention has been of particular interest to researchers, with eye tracking technology commonly used to assess visual attention. In this study, we examined the visual attention allocation of high and low skilled sim racers during a time trial task using Tobii 3 glasses. Participants were allocated to either group according to their fastest lap times. Our results indicate that when eye tracking metrics were normalised to lap time, there was no difference in the relative length of attention allocation (fixation behaviour), although lower skilled racers did have significantly greater fixation counts and durations across laps overall. Interestingly, high and low skilled sim racers differed in where they allocated their attention during the task, with high skilled sim racers allocating significantly less attention to the track relative to other areas of the display. This would allow higher skilled racers to obtain relatively more information from heads-up display elements in-game, all whilst driving at faster speeds. This study provides evidence that high and low skilled sim racers show similar lap time-corrected fixation behaviour, but how they allocate attention while driving differs.

The use of antibiotics in neonatal units worldwide varies significantly. We included data from 2015-2022 from the EpicLatino database, which comprises a network of 32 units in Latin America and the Caribbean with gestational age at birth (GA) of ≤ 32 weeks. A questionnaire was sent to the EpicLatino units, to correlate practice with outcomes. Negative binomial regression with standard errors and confidence intervals computed for incidence-rate ratios (IRRs) was used for comparative statistics on antibiotic days per 1000 patient-days between units. All units that responded had 1-6 differences with the reference unit (Unit 2) with the best results, but there was no clear association with the IRR. Each EpicLatino unit should review its statistics to explore possibilities for reducing antibiotic usage.

We propose that the short−term memory (STM), when processing a sentence, uses two uncorrelated processing units in series. The clues for conjecturing this model emerge from studying many novels of the Italian and English Literatures. This simple model, referring to the surface of language, seems to describe mathematically the input-output characteristics of a complex mental process involved in a reading/writing a sentence. We show that there are no significant mathematical/statistical differences between the two literary corpora by considering deep-language variables and linguistic communication channels, therefore, the surface mathematical structure of alphabetical languages is very deeply rooted in human mind, independently of the language used. The first processing unit is linked to the number of words between two contiguous interpunctions, variable Ip, approximately ranging in Miller’s 7±2 range; the second unit is linked to the number of Ip’s contained in a sentence, variable MF, ranging approximately from 1 to 6. The overall capacity required to process fully of a sentence ranges from 8.3 to 61.23 words, values that can be converted into time by assuming a reading speed, giving the range 2.64~19.54 seconds for fast-reading and 5.3~30.1 seconds for average reader. Since a sentence conveys meaning, the surface features we have found might be the starting point to arrive at an Information Theory that includes meaning.

When the formation flying consists of satellites that are independent from each other and forms a virtual synthetic aperture telescope that replaces a single large telescope with all of its optical elements it is required mutual coordination between the satellites with high accuracy in order to achieve good optical observations. In this paper we consider the problem of developing a control system for a tetrahedral satellite formation flying representing a synthetic aperture telescope in the geostationary orbit for high resolution monitoring of fire in the forest area in infrared spectrum. Synthesizing the image with good quality requires to keep the configuration of formation with µm-class accuracy. Study of dynamics of passive uncontrolled motion of formation flying showed a significant deviation of the configuration from the required shape with a high frequency due to the action of gravitational forces. To keep the configuration in the required form with µm accuracy the analysis of efficiency of various controllers was carried out in the process of numerical simulation. The simulation results made it possible to highlight the features of using various approaches to the development of control system for the satellite formation flying representing a synthetic aperture telescope.

The main parameters for calculation of relative humidity are the wet-bulb depression and dry bulb temperature. In this work, easy-to-used predictive tools based on statistical learning concepts, i.e., the Adaptive Network-Based Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) and Least Square Support Vector Machine (LSSVM) are developed for calculating relative humidity in terms of wet bulb depression and dry bulb temperature. To evaluate the aforementioned models, some statistical analyses have been done between the actual and estimated data points. Results obtained from the present models showed their capabilities to calculate relative humidity for divers values of dry bulb temperatures and also wet-bulb depression. The obtained values of MSE and MRE were 0.132 and 0.931, 0.193 and 1.291 for the LSSVM and ANFIS approaches respectively. These developed tools are user-friend and can be of massive value for scientists especially, those dealing with air conditioning and wet cooling towers systems to have a noble check of the relative humidity in terms of wet bulb depression and dry bulb temperatures.

We ascertain the in vitro Benznidazole (BZN) and Nifurtimox (NFX) susceptibility pattern of epimastigotes, trypomastigotes, and amastigotes of 21 T. cruzi strains, from patients, reservoir and triatomine bugs of various geographic origin. Using this panel of isolates, we compute the Epidemiological cut off value (CO_wt). Then, the frequency of the susceptible phenotype (Wild type) towards BZN and nifurtimox (NFX) within this set of strains belonging to 3 discrete typing units (DTUs), TcI, TcII, and TcV was deduced. We have observed that the susceptibility status of individual T. cruzi isolates toward BZN and NFX is related to the genetic background and to underlying factors probably related to the individual life trait history of each strain. Analyzing drug susceptibility in this conceptual framework would offers the possibility to evidence a link between isolates expressing a low susceptibility level (not wild-type) as define by the CO_wt value and none-curative treatment. It will also permit to tract drug-resistant parasites in T. cruzi population.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and rhizobium play a significant role in plant symbiosis. However, their influence on the soil microbiome associated with plant growth and soil health is not well defined in the Northern Great Plains. This study investigated the effect of microbial inoculants as seed treatment on plant yield, nutrient uptake, potential microbial functions, and rhizosphere soil microbial communities using high-throughput sequencing of 16S and ITS rRNA genes. The experiment was conducted under two contrasting dryland conditions with four treatments: control, single inoculation with AMF or Rhizobium, and dual inoculations of AMF and Rhizobium (AMF+Rhizobium). Our findings revealed that microbial inoculation efficacy was site-specific. In a non-P nutrient limiting condition, AMF+Rhizobium exhibited a synergistic effect on grain yield in Sidney, Montana (MT), dryland field site (DFS) 2. While AMF conferred plant resilience but marginal yield in low soil organic matter and acidic soil conditions in Froid, MT (DFS 1). Noteworthy, variation in microbial community structure and composition indicates site-specific response to AMF and AMF+Rhizobium microbial inoculants. Overall, site-specific factors had a greater influence on plant nutrient uptake, microbial community dynamics and functional potential. It underscores the need for tailored management strategies that consider site-specific characteristics to optimize benefits from microbial inoculation.

This study addresses the challenge of objectively quantifying the value of specific views, known to provide psychological and physical benefits, from city center apartments. Unlike subjective evaluations, objective measurement is hindered by limited research and methodology. The research focuses on quantifying visibility by projecting rays from measurement points and determining whether they intersect with unobstructed views, such as the sky and natural elements. Two metrics are proposed to evaluate visibility: the number of view rays and the ratio of view rays to windows. The study analyzed 17 types of residential units in 12 complexes in northern Seoul, South Korea, with the aim of isolating the effect of views on housing prices from other factors. Correlation coefficients were used to assess the relationship between view and housing prices. The results indicated that valuations based on average visibility are more favorable than those based on maximum visibility. The amount of visibility showed a stronger correlation with apartment prices than the number of floors, suggesting the need to measure views across the entire space. The study's methodology can be applied to analyze views in different buildings and urban areas.

Load Frequency Control (LFC) is essential to ensure the stability and performance of power systems. In this study, a novel optimization algorithm, the Sea Horse Optimizer (SHO) algorithm, was proposed for optimizing controller parameters in LFC problems of power system. The proposed SHO algorithm was tested on a two-area power system with photovoltaic system and reheat thermal units, under three different scenarios: a 10% load change in both area, large load disturbances, and varying solar radiation. The proposed algorithm optimizes the gain parameters of PI/PID controllers using performance metrics such as Integral of Absolute value of the Error (IAE), Integral of Square Error (ISE), Integral of Time multiplied by Square Error (ITSE), and Integral of Time multiplied by Absolute Error (ITAE). The study compared the performance of the SHO-optimized controller with other reported optimization algorithms such as Genetic Algorithm (GA), Firefly Algorithm (FA), Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA), and Modified Whale Optimization Algorithm (MWOA). The study also evaluated the accuracy and effectiveness of the controllers using performance metrics such as Settling Time, Overshoot (M+), and Undershoot (M-). The results show that the SHO-tuned controller significantly reduces overshoot, undershoot, and settling time of the system oscillations compared to other algorithms. The study provides valuable insights into the optimization of LFC controllers and presents a significant contribution to the literature with its novel algorithm. The proposed SHO algorithm can be considered an effective alternative solution method for LFC in power systems.

A compositional data vector is a special type of multivariate observation in which the elements of the vector are non-negative and sum to a constant, usually taken to be unity. A compositional data does not have zero and only retains relative information. Furthermore, comparisons can only be made between compositional data of the same component. The relevant sample space is the standard simplex. A simplex space is a space that is a generalized form of a triangle. For compositional data, many of the operations defined in Euclidean space are meaningless. Microbiome analyzes have become popular in recent years. Operational Taxonomic Units (OTU) and Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs) used in microbiome analysis are one type of compositional data. The microbiome data are counts of different species within a sample and it is compositional. Although there is an order of bacterial abundance within a sample, there is no order of bacterial abundance between samples. Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, the major phyla in the colon, have been observed in humans worldwide. Gut microbiome analyses often use the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio and principal coordinates analysis (PCoA). Alpha and beta diversities are used as indicators of bacterial flora diversity. However, misinformation is pervasive in the human microbiome literature and analysis. There is a lot of misunderstanding regarding compositional data and its analysis. An attempt was made to demonstrate how to analyze using the “National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition (NIBIOHN JMD) (Public Data).” The results showed that PCoA did not work, and principal component analysis (PCA) was useful for analyzing the gut microbiome relative diversity.

Consideration of physical processes in the reference frame K' moving relative to the CMB, provided that clocks synchronization in this frame ensures the independence of time from spatial coordinates, leads to the conclusion about the existence in the K' of spatial anisotropy which should manifest itself in the dependence of physical effects on the speed vector V of the frame relative to the CМB. Some of these effects in the fields of electrodynamics and optics are considered. In particular, it is shown that weak magnetic fields proportional to the vector V should exist in this frame around motionless electric charges. Experimental verification, according to our assessment, is apparently possible.

The main issue in this work is to study limit functions necessary for the reliability assessment of the structural steel with the use of the relative entropy apparatus. This would be done using a few different mathematical theories relevant to this relative entropy, namely those proposed by Bhattacharyya, Kullback-Leibler, Jeffreys, and Hellinger. Probabilistic analysis in the presence of uncertainty in material characteristics would be delivered using three different numerical strategies – Monte-Carlo simulation, stochastic perturbation method as well as the semi-analytical approach. All these methods are based on the Weighted Least Squares Method approximations of the structural response functions versus the given uncertainty source and they would allow efficient determination of the first two probabilistic moments of the structural responses including stresses, displacements, and strains. The entire computational implementation would be delivered using the Finite Element Method system ABAQUS and computer algebra program MAPLE, where relative entropies, as well as polynomial response functions, would be determined. This study would demonstrate that the relative entropies may be efficiently used in reliability assessment close to the widely engaged First Order Reliability Method (FORM).

The pandemic threat SARS-CoV-2 is now beyond control though the country of origin of this virus had already been limited for the new infection. Number of infected people and countries have been increasing day by day. Considering the previous pandemic flues, it is hypothesizing that COVID-19 will be reduced with warming the global environmental temperature. Therefore, the current study was aimed to analyze the effect of temperature and relative humidity (RH) on spreading of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The COVID-19 confirmed cases of 31 different states in China and 70 cities of 11 countries were obtained from several online databases. The real time temperature and humidity of the respective regions were taken from an online weather forecasting data source. Correlation analyses showed that SARS-CoV-2 infectivity and spreading negatively correlated with temperature of most of the states of China or cities of the world or in a country. The effect of humidity on COVID-19 was found to be positively correlated inside the China and difference of humidity was not found among countries and/or various regions of the world. Moreover, a minimum number of COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in the temperate regions compared to regions/countries compared to regions/countries with relatively low temperature. In conclusion, the SARS-CoV-2 infection has been found in a wide range of temperatures. It might be hypothesized that comparatively elevated air temperature could play a detrimental effect for SARS-CoV-2 spread.

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced the transfer of local government public ser-vices to the virtual world. Remote handling of matters in government offices has be-come the norm rather than the exception. The 2016 EU directive on public sector web-sites and mobile applications and the 2019 European Digital Accessibility Act made it mandatory that these services be provided electronically and accessible to people with disabilities. The purpose of the study conducted by the authors was to determine whether the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in the implementation of European solutions in the Polish legal order and whether this implementation resulted in the actual adap-tation of digital activities of local government units (LGUs) to the needs of people with disabilities. The research was conducted in Q4 2022 in two trial formats: 1. In the form of a survey (about 250 LGUs), which covered compliance with for-mal requirements, the level of readiness of the officials to create digitally accessible documents and content, and organizational readiness of the offices. 2. In the form of an analysis of the source code of the websites of 66 Polish cities with county rights - due to the availability of results of the same sample from 2015. The completed research showed that the LGUs in Poland: 1. met the formal and organizational requirements for digital accessibility, 2. did not make the necessary efforts to prepare employees to create digitally ac-cessible documents and content, 3. the surveyed websites had inferior source code in terms of meeting the WCAG standard in 2022 than in 2015. It seems reasonable to conclude that the Covid-19 pandemic had a formal, rather than real, impact on the digital accessibility of services provided by Polish LGUs.

In this paper, a modular wire-actuated robotic arm was designed to improve the safety and adaptability of service robots during human-robot interaction. To raise the stiffness adjustment range of the robotic arm, a symmetric variable-stiffness unit was designed based on flexure, which had compact and simple structure, and lowly nonlinear stiffness-force relationship. In this paper, we focused on the research of the symmetric 1-DOF joint module. Based on the kinematics and stiffness analysis, the pose of the joint module could be adjusted by controlling the length of the wires, and the stiffness of the joint module could be adjusted by controlling the tension of the wires. Because of the actuation redundancy, the pose and stiffness of the joint module could be controlled synchronously. Furthermore, a directly method was proposed for the stiffness-oriented wire tension distribution problem of the 1-DOF joint module. A simulation was carried out to verify the proposed method.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between clinical outcomes and lateral thrust before and after unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) using inertial measurement sensor units. Eleven knees were evaluated with gait analysis. The varus angular velocity was used to evaluate lateral thrust. The femoro-tibial angle (FTA) and hip-knee-ankle angle (HKA) were used to evaluate lower limb alignment, and Oxford Knee Score (OKS) and Japanese Orthopaedic Association Score (JOA) were used to evaluate clinical outcomes. The mean pre-UKA peak varus velocity was 37.1 ± 9.8°/sec, and that of post-UKA was 28.8 ± 9.1°/sec (p=0.00003). Assuming the definition of lateral thrust is when varus angular velocity is more than 28.1°/sec, 81.8% of patients had lateral thrust preoperatively, but this decreased to 55.6% postoperatively. Both OKS and JOA improved after surgery. In addition, HKA was -7.9° preoperatively and -5.8° postoperatively (p=0.024), and FTA was 181.4° preoperatively and 178.4° postoperatively (p=0.012). There was a positive correlation between postoperative JOA and FTA, indicating that changes in postoperative alignment affected clinical outcomes. This study quantitatively evaluated the disappearance of lateral thrust by UKA, and it found that the stability can be achieved by UKA for unstable knees with lateral thrust.

Integrating systems acquired from third parties and legacies has become of great necessity in companies. This is mainly due to the need to exchange information between entities, such as banks, suppliers, customers, allies, etc. Therefore, it is essential to guarantee the integrity of the data and keep the integration up to date with the changes that can occur. Furthermore, reducing the transaction risk and avoiding losing information is necessary. Implementing this complex task involving technological and business challenges requires appropriate architecture implementation. This article presents an architecture named Dynamic Canonical Data Model through agnostic messages. The contribution involves treating the low link in integrating software units, also called the integration of loosely coupled software units. In particular, it focuses on internal data and external data integration. The proposal reduces their integration, maintenance time, and cost, maximizing their scalability and promoting reuse. To illustrate their components, a case study undertaken at the Mexican Logistics Company Paquetexpress is presented. The company has evaluated different enterprise application integration systems over 26 years to achieve a standardized integration. The article describes an architecture designed and implemented for this delivery company in a real-world case. The implementation’s source code was registered in the National Registry of Copyrights of Mexico.

Atmospheric corrosion of aluminum aircraft structures occurs due to numerous reasons. A typical phenomenon leading to corrosion is the deliquescence of contaminants such as salts due to changes in relative humidity (RH) caused by aircraft operation at different altitudes and climate zones. Currently, corrosion of aircrafts is controlled by scheduled inspections. In contrast, the present contribution aims for a continuous monitoring approach by using the acoustic emission (AE) method to detect and further evaluate atmospheric corrosion. The AE method is frequently used for corrosion detection at typically immersion-like conditions or for corrosion types where stress-induced cracking is involved. However, it has not yet been demonstrated for atmospheric corrosion at unloaded aluminum structures. To address this question, the present investigation uses small droplets of a corrosive sodium chloride (NaCl) solution to induce atmospheric corrosion on aluminum alloy AA2024-T351. Operating conditions of an aircraft are simulated by a controlled variation in RH. In addition, videos of the corrosion site are recorded to visually observe the corrosion process. Pitting corrosion is generated and clearly measurable AE signals are detected. An automatic video processing algorithm looking for sudden changes on the corrosion site mainly detects hydrogen bubbles formed when aluminum reacts with aqueous solutions. A clear correlation between the observed pitting corrosion, the AE and the hydrogen bubble activity and the RH, i.e., the electrolyte present at the aluminum surface, is found. Thus, the findings demonstrate the applicability of the AE method for monitoring atmospheric corrosion of aluminum aircraft structures by today’s measurement equipment. Numerous potential effects that can cause measurable AE signals are investigated and discussed. Among these, bubble activity is clearly considered to be the most emissive one.

With the automotive industry moving towards automated driving, sensing is increasingly important in enabling technology. The virtual sensors allow data fusion from various vehicle sensors and provide a prediction for measurement that is hard or too expensive to measure in another way or in the case of demand on continuous detection. In this paper, virtual sensing is discussed for the case of vehicle suspension control, where information about the relative velocity of the unsprung mass for each vehicle corner is required. The corresponding goal can be identified as a regression task with multi-input sequence input. The hypothesis is that the state-of-art method of Bidirectional Long-Short Term Memory (BiLSMT) can solve it. In this paper, a virtual sensor has been proposed and developed by training a neural network model. The simulations have been performed using an experimentally validated full vehicle model in IPG Carmaker. Simulations provided the reference data which was used for Neural Network (NN) training. The extensive dataset covering 26 scenarios has been used to obtain training, validation and testing data. The Bayesian Search was used to select the best neural network structure using root mean square error as a metric. The best network is made of 167 BiLSTM, 256 fully connected hidden units and 4 output units. Error histograms and spectral analysis of the predicted signal compared to the reference signal are presented. The results demonstrate the good applicability of neural network-based virtual sensors to estimate vehicle unsprung mass relative velocity.

Mapping settlement extents at the annual time step has a wide variety of applications in demography, public health, sustainable development, and many other fields. Recently, while more multitemporal urban feature or human settlement datasets have become available, issues still exist in remotely-sensed imagery due to coverage, adverse atmospheric conditions, and expenses involved in producing such feature sets. These challenges make it difficult to increase temporal coverage while maintaining high fidelity in the spatial resolution. Here we demonstrate an interpolative and flexible modeling framework for producing annual built-settlement extents. We use a combined technique of random forest and spatio-temporal dasymetric modeling with open source subnational data to produce annual 100m x 100m resolution binary settlement maps in four test countries of varying environmental and developmental contexts for test periods of five-year gaps. We find that in the majority of years, across all study areas, the model correctly identified between 85-99% of pixels that transition to built-settlement. Additionally, with few exceptions, the model substantially out performed a model that gave every pixel equal chance of transitioning to the category “built” in each year. This modelling framework shows strong promise for filling gaps in cross-sectional urban feature datasets derived from remotely-sensed imagery, provide a base upon which to create future built/settlement extent projections, and further explore the relationships between built area and population dynamics.

Intercellular transport of auxin is driven by PIN-formed (PIN) proteins. PINs are localized at the plasma membrane (PM) and on constitutively recycling endomembrane vesicles. Therefore, PINs can mediate auxin transport either by direct translocation across the PM or by pumping it into secretory vesicles (SVs), leading to its secretory release upon fusion with the PM. Which of these two mechanisms dominates is a matter of debate. Here we addressed the issue with a mathematical modeling approach. We demonstrate that the efficiency of secretory transport depends on SV size, half-life of PINs on the PM, pH, exocytosis frequency and PIN density. 3D-SIM microscopy was used to determine PIN density on the PM. Combing this data with published values of the other parameters, we show that the transport activity of PINs in SVs would have to be at least 1000x greater than on the PM in order to produce a comparable macroscopic auxin transport. If both transport mechanisms operated simultaneously and PINs were equally active on SVs and PM, the contribution of secretion to the total auxin flux would be negligible. In conclusion, while secretory vesicle-mediated transport of auxin is intriguing and theoretically possible model, it unlikely to be a major mechanism of auxin transport in planta.

Background/Objectives: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a common emergency presentation in Australia, with the choice of admitting specialty unit often influenced by pneumonia severity and comorbidities. However, it remains unclear whether there are between-specialty differences in patient characteristics and outcomes. We sought to address this issue by investigating the characteristics and outcomes of CAP patients admitted to General Medicine (GM) versus Respiratory units.Methods: This retrospective observational study utilised data from the two largest metropolitan hospitals in South Australia, encompassing all non-COVID-19-related CAP admissions throughout 2021 to 2023. Hospital length of stay (LOS), in-patient and 30-day mortality, and 30-day readmission rates were assessed by propensity-score-matching (PSM) with using 14 variables.Results: Of the 3,004 cases of non-COVID-19 CAP admitted across the two hospitals during the study period, 2,673 (71.8%) were admitted under GM units and 331 (9.1%) under Respiratory units. GM patients were, on average, a decade older, presented with a significantly higher burden of comorbidities, exhibited a greater prevalence of frailty and had higher pneumonia severity compared to those admitted under a Respiratory unit, (P