During the last years there has been a high interest in the development of new purely-organic single-component conductors. Very recently, we have reported a new neutral radical conductor based on the perchlorotriphenylmethyl (PTM) radical moiety linked to a monopyrrolo-tetrathiafulvalene (MPTTF) unit by a -conjugated bridge (1). Interestingly, this system behaves as a semiconductor with high conductivity and small energy gap under high pressure. With the aim of developing a new material with improved conducting properties, we have designed and synthesized the radical dyad 2 which was functionalized with an ethylenedithio (EDT) group in order to improve the intermolecular interactions of the TTF subunits. The physical properties of the new radical dyad 2 were studied in detail in solution to further analyze its electronic structure as well as its potential use as radical conductor in the solid state.

The review scrutinizes the currently performed research on the new methods for enhancing bituminous binder performance through radiation and radical grafting of polymer modifers of bitumen. It investigates innovative methods, including using waste polymers as modifiers, and applying radiation for polymer grafting, to overcome challenges like high costs, low aging resistance and storage stability issues, of which separation of phases polymer/bitumen is the most significant obstacle. These advanced modification techniques promise sustainability through the decrease of the carbon footprint of transportation systems by improving the properties and durability of binders. Additionally, the review discusses the parameters and mechanistic aspects from a scientific perspective, shedding light on the underlying processes that contribute to the improved performance of modified bituminous binders.

Dynamic systems which underly controlled systems are expected to increase in complexity as robots, devices, and connected networks become more intelligent. While classical stable systems converge to a stable point (a sink), another type of stability is to consider a stable path rather than a single point. Such stable paths can be made of saddles which draw in trajectories from certain regions, and then push the trajectory toward the next saddle point. These are chains of saddles are called stable heteroclinic channels (SHCs), and can be used in robotic control to represent time sequences. While we have previously shown that each saddle is visualizable as a trajectory waypoint in phase space, how to increase the fidelity of the trajectory was unclear. In this paper, we hypothesized that the waypoints can be individually modified to locally vary fidelity. Specifically, we expected that increasing the saddle value (ratio of saddle eigenvalues) causes the trajectory to slow to more closely approach a particular saddle. Combined with other parameters that control speed and magnitude, a system expressed with an SHC can be modified locally, point by point, without disrupting the rest of the path, supporting their use in motion primitives. However, even more complex trajectory shape modifications are possible. While some combinations can enable a trajectory to better reach into corners, other combinations can rotate, distort and round the trajectory in the region of a corner. In our example, modifying select saddle values produced a 32% decrease in the trajectory error of a complex trajectory produced using this system. This is an effect not visible in previous 1D studies, that can lead to different learnable and tunable representations of dynamic systems.

Surface initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) is one of the most versatile technique to modify the surface properties of material. Recent developed metal free SI-ATRP makes such technique more widely applicable. Herein photo-induced metal-free SI-ATRP of methacrylates, such as methyl methacrylate, N-isopropanyl acrylamide, and N,N- dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate, on the surface of SBA-15 was reported to fabricate organic-inorganic hybrid materials. SBA-15 based polymeric composite with adjustable graft ratio was obtained. The structure evolution during the SI-ATRP modification of SBA-15 was monitored and verified by FT-IR, XPS, TGA, BET, and TEM. The obtained polymeric composite showed enhanced adsorption ability for the model compound toluene in aqueous. This procedure provides a low cost, ready availability, and facile modification way to synthesize the polymeric composites without the contamination of metal.

The bipartite entanglement is comprehensively investigated in the mononuclear molecular complex (Et3NH)[Ni(hfac)2L], where HL denotes 2-(2-hydroxy-3-methoxy-5-nitrophenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazol-3-oxide-1-oxyl and hfacH stands for hexafluoroacetylacetone. From the magnetic point of view, the molecular compound (Et3NH)[Ni(hfac)2L] consists of an exchange-coupled spin-1 Ni2+ magnetic ion and a spin-12 nitronyl-nitroxide radical substituted nitrophenol. The nickel-radical molecular complex affords an experimental realization of a mixed spin-(12, 1) Heisenberg dimer with a strong antiferromagnetic exchange coupling J/kB= 505 K and two distinct g-factors gRad=2.005 and gNi=2.275. By adopting this set of magnetic parameters we demonstrate that the Zeeman splitting of a quantum ferrimagnetic ground-state doublet due to a weak magnetic field may substantially reinforce the strength of bipartite entanglement at low temperatures. The molecular compound (Et3NH)[Ni(hfac)2L] maintains sufficiently strong thermal entanglement even at room temperature, vanishing only above 546 K. Specifically, the thermal entanglement in the nickel-radical molecular complex retains approximately 40% of the maximum value corresponding to perfectly entangled Bell states at room temperature, which implies that this magnetic compound provides suitable platform of a molecular qubit with potential implications for room-temperature quantum computation and quantum information processing.

The Dph1•Dph2 heterodimer from yeast is a radical SAM (RS) enzyme that generates the 3-amino-3-carboxy-propyl (ACP) precursor for diphthamide, a clinically relevant modification on eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (eEF2). ACP formation requires SAM cleavage and atypical Cys-bound Fe-S clusters in each Dph1 and Dph2 subunit. Intriguingly, the first Cys residue in each motif locates next to another, ill-defined cysteine that we show in-here is conserved across eukaryotes. As judged from structural modeling, the orientation of these tandem cysteine motifs (TCM) suggests a candidate Fe-S cluster ligand role. Hence, we generated by site-directed DPH1 and DPH2 mutagenesis, Dph1•Dph2 variants with cysteines from each TCM replaced individually or in combination by serines. Assays diagnostic for diphthamide formation in vivo reveal that while single substitutions in the TCM of Dph2 cause mild defects, double mutations almost entirely inactivate the RS enzyme. Based on enhanced Dph1 and Dph2 subunit instability in response to cycloheximide chases, the variants with Cys substitutions in their cofactor motifs are particularly prone to protein degradation. In sum, we identify a fourth functionally cooperative Cys residue within the Fe-S motif of Dph2 and show that the Cys-based cofactor binding motifs in Dph1 and Dph2 are critical for the structural integrity of the dimeric RS enzyme in vivo.

In this work we looked for a stable and accurate procedure to perform feature selection in datasets with a much higher number of predictors than individuals, as in Genome-Wide Association Studies. Due to the instability in feature selection when many potential predictors are measured, a variable selection procedure is proposed that combines several replications of shrinkage regression models. A weighted formulation is used to define the final predictors. The procedure is applied to investigate Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) predictors associated to Alzheimer’s disease in the Alzheimer’s disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) dataset. Two data scenarios are investigated: one considering only the set of SNPs and another with the covariates age, sex, educational level and APOE4 genotype. The SNP rs2075650 and the APOE4 genotype are given as risk factors for AD, which is in line with the literature, and other four new SNPs are pointed, opening new hypotheses for in vivo analyses. These experiments demonstrate the potential of the new method for stable feature selection.

Beaches are among the habitats most frequented by migratory birds for breeding and/or wintering. However, threats such as human pressure and sea level rise can reduce the availability of these habitats for different species. The presence of alternative areas, such as salt pans and brackish habitats, is essential for many migratory shorebird populations. This study addresses the post-breeding dispersal of the Kentish plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) in the Iberian Peninsula by analysing C and N isotopes in feathers. The study was conducted at six locations along the Iberian coast, which were categorized in three areas: NW Atlantic coast, the Atlantic coast of Andalusia and the Mediterranean coast. Although linear mixed models did not reveal any significant effects of sex or coastal area on isotopic levels, the variability in the data suggests different habitat-use strategies in the post-reproductive period. Birds from the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula exhibit greater fidelity to a single habitat type, i.e. coastal beaches, while populations from the Mediterranean coast and the Atlantic coast of Andalusia show different individual dispersal strategies, occupying coastal habitats and freshwater wetlands. The lack of alternative habitats for the northwest Iberian population, the reduction in available habitat due to rising sea levels and human pressure together pose a serious threat to the survival of this species, already with an unfavourable conservation status.

Radical reactions are powerful in the synthesis of diverse molecular scaffolds bearing functional groups. In pervious review articles, we have presented 1,2-difunctionalizations, remote 1,3-, 1,4-, 1,5-, 1,6- and 1,7-difunctionalizations, and addition followed by cyclization reactions. Presents in this paper are radical cyclization followed by the second functionalization reactions. The second functionalization could be realized by atom transfer reactions, radical or transition metal-assisted coupling reactions, and reactions with neutral molecules, cationic and anionic species.

Little in the scholarly economics literature is directed specifically to the performance of sta­ble value funds, although they occupy a leading place among retirement investment vehicles. They are currently offered in more than one-third of all defined contribution plans in the USA, with more than $800 billion of assets under management. This paper rigorously ex­amines their performance throughout the entire period since their inception in 1973. We produce a composite index of stable value returns. We next conduct mean-variance analysis, Sharpe and Sortino ratio analysis, stochastic dominance analysis, and optimal multi-period portfolio composition analysis. Our evidence suggests that stable value funds dominate (on average) two major asset classes based on a historical analysis, and that they often occupy a significant position in optimized portfolios across a broad range of risk aversion levels. We discuss factors that contributed to stable value funds’ past performance and whether they can continue to perform well into the future. We also discuss considerations regarding whether or not to include stable value as an element in target date funds within defined con­tribution pension plans.

Radical reactions in water or aqueous media are important for organic synthesis, realizing high yielding processes under non-toxic and environmentally friendly conditions. This overview includes (i) a general introduction to organic chemistry in water and aqueous media, (ii) synthetic approaches in-, on- and with-water as well as in heterogeneous phase, (iii) reaction of carbon-centered radicals with water (or deuterium oxide) activated through coordination with various Lewis acids, (iv) photocatalysis in water and aqueous media, and (v) synthetic applications bioinspired from naturally occurring processes. A wide range of chemical processes and synthetic strategies under different experimental conditions have been reviewed that lead to important functional group translocation and transformation reactions, leading to the preparation of complex molecules. These results reveal how water as a solvent/medium/reagent in radical chemistry has matured over the last two decades and how further discoveries are foreseen to come in the near future.

We present a new method of estimating fitness of countries and complexity of products by exploiting a non-linear non-homogeneous map applied to the publicly available information on the goods exported by a country. The non homogeneous terms guarantee both convergence and stability. After a suitable rescaling of the relevant quantities, the non homogeneous terms are eventually set to zero so that this new method is parameter free. This new map reproduces the findings of the method proposed by Tacchella et al. [1], and allows for an approximate analytic solution in case of actual binarized matrices based on the Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) indicator. This solution is connected with a new quantity describing the neighborhood of nodes in bipartite graphs, representing in this work the relations between countries and exported products. Moreover, we define the new indicator of country net-efficiency quantifying how a country efficiently invests in capabilities able to generate innovative complex high quality products. Eventually, we demonstrate analytically the local convergence of the algorithm.

Micro nano bubbles (MNBs) can generate ·OH in situ, which provides a new idea for the safe and efficient removal of pollutants in water supply systems. However, the difficulty in obtaining stable MNBs causes the low efficiency of ·OH generation, which makes the inability to guarantee the removal efficiency of pollutants. This paper reviews the application research of MNBs technology in water security from three aspects: the generation process of MNBs in water, the generation rule of ·OH during MNBs collapse, and the control mechanism of MNBs on pollutants and biofilms. We found that MNBs generation methods are divided into chemical and mechanical (about 10 kinds) categories, and the instability of bubble size restricts the application of MNBs technology. The generation of ·OH by MNBs is affected by pH, gas source, bubble size, temperature, external stimulation. And pH and external stimulus have more influence on ·OH generation in situ than other factors. Adjusting pH to alkaline or acidic conditions and selecting ozone or oxygen as the gas source can promote the ·OH generation. MNBs’ collapse also releases a large amount of energy, which the temperature and pressure can reach 3000K and 5Gpa respectively, making it efficient to remove ≈90 % of pollutants (i.e., trichloroethylene, benzene, and chlorobenzene). The biofilm can also be removed by physical, chemical, and thermal effect. MNBs technology also has great application potential in drinking water, which can be applied to improve water quality, optimize household water purifiers, and enhance the taste of bottled water. Under the premise of safety, let people of different ages taste, finding that compared with ordinary drinking water, 85.7 % of people think MNBs water is softer, 73.3 % of people think MNBs water is sweeter. This further proves that MNBs water has a great prospect in the drinking water application. This review provides innovative theoretical support for solving the problem of drinking water safety.

Nitroxyl radical catalysts oxidize alcohols under an applied electric potential. It is possible to quantify the alcohol concentration from the resulting oxidation current. In this work, we evaluated the catalytic activity of nitroxyl radicals (or their corresponding hydroxylamines), including 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO) as representative nitroxyl radicals, acetoamido-TEMPO, which shows higher oxidation potential than TEMPO owing to the acetoamido group, AZADO, Nor-AZADO, and NNO as less-hindered bicyclic nitroxyl radicals, and NHPI as an N,N-diacyl-type hydroxylamine, in acetonitrile solution. TEMPO, AZADO and NNO were also evaluated for their ability to oxidize alcohols in organic solvents, and their reactivity was compared with the electrochemical response. The most active NNO was used for electrochemical detection of cyclosporin A, a drug with a hydroxyl group.

Reverse engineering is applied to identify optimum polymerization conditions for the synthesis of polymer with pre-defined properties. The proposed approach uses multi-objective optimization (MOO) and provides multiple candidate polymerization procedures to reach the targeted polymer property. The objectives for optimization include maximal similarity of molar mass distributions (MMD) compared to the target MMD, minimal reaction time, and maximal monomer conversion. The method is tested for vinyl acetate radical polymerizations and can be adopted to other monomers. The data for the optimization procedure is generated by an in-house developed kinetic Monte-Carlo (kMC) simulator for a selected recipe search space. The proposed reverse engineering algorithm comprises several steps: kMC simulations for the selected recipe search space to derive initial data, performing MOO for a targeted MMD, and identification of the Pareto optimal space. The last step uses a weighted sum optimization function to calculate the weighted score of each candidate polymerization conditions. To decrease the execution time clustering of the search space based on MMDs is applied. The performance of the proposed approach was tested for various target MMDs. The suggested MOO-based reverse engineering provides multiple recipe candidates depending on competing objectives.

We present a geometric field theory in which the action and field equation are constructed from an ultra-high-density vector field and its covariant derivative and have full general covariance in a higher-dimensional spacetime. The field equation is the simplest possible generalisation of the Poisson equation for gravity consistent with general covariance and the equivalence principle. It contains the Ricci tensor and metric acting as operators on the vector field. If the covariant derivative is diagonalisable across a neighbourhood under real changes of coordinate basis, spacetime coincides with a product manifold. The dimensionalities of the factor spaces are determined by its eigenvalues and hence by its algebraic invariants. Tensors decompose into multiplets which have both Lorentz and internal symmetry indices. The field equation has a `classical vacuum' solution which is a product of Minkowski spacetime and an Einstein manifold. A worked example is provided in six dimensions. Away from this classical vacuum, connection components in appropriate coordinates include $SO(N)$ gauge fields. The Riemann tensor includes their field strength. Unitary gauge symmetries act indirectly on tensor fields and some or all of the unitary gauge fields are found amongst the $SO(N)$ gauge fields. Symmetry restoration occurs at the zero-curvature `decompactification limit', in which all dimensions appear on the same footing.

The central mechanism of biological evolution, variation-selection-inheritance (VSI), is one of the most universal mechanisms known. Much of our understanding of VSI, however, has been dominated by the Neo-Darwinian Modern Synthesis with a rather narrow understanding of what constitutes variation, selection, and inheritance. This unduly narrow understanding of VSI might have been a key cause behind our failure to adequately explain some critical puzzles in biological evolution, from the origin of the first cell to the origin of the eukaryotes, the puzzling biology of metabolism, apoptosis, aging, and cancer in metazoan.I broaden our understanding of VSI, in a spirit that is somewhat similar to several recent contributions and then extend this broadened view of VSI to its natural starting point: the origin of the First Universal Cell Ancestor (FUCA). I advance three principal arguments. First, survival comes before replication. Before the coming of reproducer and replicator, there must be survivors, to paraphrase Szathmary and Maynard Smith (1997). Second, natural selection, especially the non-Darwinian kind, can operate without replication or even metabolism, as long as different molecules, complexes, and vesicles have differential survival rate within a system. Third, merger and acquisition, via breaking-and-re-encapsulation, endocytosis, endosymbiosis, and processes similar to them, had been a far more powerful force of variation and selection in the pre-Darwinian period of evolution that led to LUCA and long before eukaryogenesis. Endosymbiosis therefore had been a far more foundational force than even Lynn Margulis and many of her supporters have appreciated. Our thesis thus goes beyond Woese’s emphasis of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) and actually subsumes HGT with Margulis’ emphasis of endosymbiosis. Combing these three new perspectives with other perspectives and evidence sheds important new light upon the origin of FUCA, the singular water-shedding moment in the evolution of life.

The life and work of Ignacio Ellacuría, S.J. is of radical vision, and revolutionary change. His dynamic life and works accompanied El Salvador and the Universidad Centroamericana through perhaps the most tumultuous years of the country’s history, yet there has been limited work done to examine his contributions. This paper shows how Ellacuría viewed the role of a Christian intellectual, and a Christian university within his philosophical and theological framework. I argue that Ignacio Ellacuría held, similarly to his soteriological views, that the intellectual must also be willing to sacrifice all for the sake of his/her work in a pattern of discipleship/martyrdom prefigured by his exemplars Christ and Socrates. It was this dedication to praxis and theory that western theology and philosophy had respectfully lost since their foundations which he sought to restore to a central role. In conclusion, the Christian intellectual and institution, according to Ellacuría, must use its voice and life in service of the people even to the point of martyrdom; he would argue, the implicit reason for Christian martyrdom and the crucifixion of Christ himself.

Diffuse midline gliomas are among the deadliest human cancers and have had little progress in treatment in the last 50 years. Cell cultures of these tumors have been developed recently, but it is unknown the degree to which such cultures retain the characteristics of the source tumors. DNA methylation profiling offers a powerful tool to look at genome-wide epigenetic changes that are biologically meaningful and can help assess the similarity of cultured tumor cells to their in vivo progenitors. Paraffinized diagnostic tissue from three diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas with H3 K27M mutations was compared with subsequent passages of neurosphere cell cultures from those tumors. Each cell line was passaged 3-4 times and analyzed with DNA methylation arrays and standard algorithms that provided comparison of diagnostic classification and cluster analysis. All samples tested maintained high classifier scores and clustered within the reference group of H3 K27M-mutant diffuse midline gliomas. There was a gain of 1q in all cell lines, with two cell lines initially manifesting the gain of 1q only during culture. In vitro cell cultures of H3 K27M-mutant gliomas maintain high degrees of similarity in DNA methylation profiles to their source tumor, confirming their fidelity even with some chromosomal changes.

Logic gates made of pairs of NPN and PNP bipolar transistors, similar to CMOS logic gates, have been proposed and patented long ago but did not find any practical application until now. Other bipolar technologies (TTL, TTL-S, ECL), once the technologies of choice for digital systems, were abandoned and superseded by CMOS. In this paper it is shown that now, when truly com-plementary pairs of bipolar transistors can be made, properly biased bipolar gates similar to CMOS gates are feasible, can be thermally stable and find practical applications.

Due to the linear property around an acetylenic carbon, the introduction of such an atom to a small cycle would result in high ring strain. Currently, the smallest isolated rings are five-membered, including metallacycloalkynes and metallapentalynes. Both types contain at least one unusual small bond angle around the acetylenic carbon, thus exhibiting abnormal reactivities. This feature article gives a comprehensive overview on these two kind complexes. The synthesis and reactivities are extensively described, the source of stability is presented, and the future prospect is discussed. The article aims to provide a better development for the chemical diversity of five-membered metallacycloalkynes and metallapentalynes.

Two major uses of linear perspective are in planar paintings - the flat canvas is incongruent with the painted 3-D scene - and in forced perspectives, such as theater stages that are concave truncated pyramids, where the physical geometry and the depicted scene are congruent. Patrick Hughes pioneered a third major art form, the reverse perspective, where the depicted scene opposes the physical geometry. Reverse perspectives comprise solid forms (truncated pyramids and prisms) jutting toward the viewer, thus forming concave spaces between the solids. The solids are painted in reverse perspective: as an example, the left and right trapezoids of a truncated pyramid are painted as rows of houses; the bottom trapezoid is painted as the road between them and the top forms the sky. This elicits the percept of a street receding away, even though it physically juts toward the viewer. Under this illusion, the concave void spaces between the solids are transformed into convex volumes. This depth-inversion creates a concomitant motion illusion: when a viewer moves in front of the art piece, the scene appears to move vividly. Two additional contributions by the artist are discussed, in which he combines reverse perspective parts with forced and planar perspective parts on the same art piece. The effect is spectacular, creating objects on the same planar surface that move in different directions, thus “breaking” the surface apart, demonstrating the superiority of objects over surfaces. We conclude with a discussion on the value of these art pieces in vision science.

The Rényi entropy functional was optimised for the novel findings of this investigation under various conditions. Their research's findings suggest that the complete spectrum of Lévy stable distributions is covered by generalised t-distributions. Additionally, an exposition was undertaken to prove that the Lévy distribution generalizes Tsallisian distribution, rather than the reverse. The current study is a strong generalization of an existing research work in the literature.

Structural hydroxide groups in layered magnesium-aluminum double hydroxides were partially replaced by fluoride ions. Fluorinated and fluorine-free materials were used as hosts for two dyes, carminic acid and hydroxyl naphthol blue, resulting in a hybrid pigment color palette. Additionally, the pigments were protected with a magnesium hydroxide phase to prevent the color from fading over time. The color properties of the pigments were significantly influenced by the host of dye, since the presence of fluorine directly influences the acid-base properties of the layered double hydroxides. Finally, the pigments were successfully applied to prepare colored creams.

Most existing data synthesis methods are designed to tackle problems such as dataset imbalance, data anonymization and insufficient sample size. There is a lack of effective synthesis methods for the limited number of datasets which contain a large of features and unknown noise to expand the size of the dataset. We propose a data synthesis method, named Adaptive Subspace Interpolation for Sample Optimization (ASISO). The idea is to divide the original feature space into several subspaces with an equal number of samples, and then perform interpolation for the samples in the adjacent subspaces. This method can adaptively adjust the size of the dataset containing unknown noise, and the expanded data typically contain minimal error with actual. Moreover, it adjusts the structure of the samples, which can significantly reduce the proportion of samples with large errors. In addition, the hyperparameters of this method have an intuitive explanation and usually require little calibration. Experimental results on artificial data and benchmark data sets demonstrate that ASISO is a robust and stable method to optimize samples.

Even though materialistic atoms are having independent existence in this current accelerating universe, they are not allowing scientists and engineers to explore the secrets of gravity at atomic scale. This may be due to incomplete unification paradigm, inadequacy of known physics and technological difficulties etc. In this challenging scenario, one fundamental question to be answered is: Is Newtonian gravitational constant having a physical existence? We would like to suggest that, it’s a man created empirical constant and is having no physical existence. Clearly speaking, it’s not real but virtual. For understanding the secrets of large scale gravitational effects, scientists consider it as a physical constant. In the same way, each atomic interaction can be allowed to have its own gravitational constant. With further study, their magnitudes can be refined for a better understanding of the nature. Thinking in this way, we tried to fit the Newtonian gravitational constant. It’s estimated value seems to be 6.679855x10^(-11) m3/kg/sec2. Proceeding further, the famous radiation constants can be shown to be complex or secondary physical constants. By considering proton neutron stability, nuclear binding energy, nuclear charge radii, neutron life time, Fermi’s weak coupling constant and strong coupling constant, we are trying to understand the validity of the proposed three atomic gravitational constants. It needs further study.

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

Wasted Green tuff powder produced by cutting Towada stone is recycled as environmental cleaning material. The optimum temperature for green tuff powder calcination to reduce the hydroxyl radical produced in hydrogen peroxide decomposition with ultraviolet light (UV) and no light. The green tuff calcined at 800 °C shows the large decomposition rate of hydrogen peroxide with no UV light when measured by using ESR. With UV light, the optimum temperature for calcinating the green tuff powder in order to reduce hydroxyl radical is also 800 °C. Next, the powder calcined at 800 °C is used to produce the tile by compression and heating, and then the formaldehyde adsorption rate was measured. The green tuff powder calcined at 800 °C showed a high adsorption rate, similar to that of the activated carbon. The tiles formed at 40 MPa and heated st 1100 °C were the strongest and also adsorbed formaldehyde. The adsorbed formaldehyde on the green tuff tile and powder might have a possibility to decompose by photocatalytic.

Anthocyanins, the naturally occurring pigments responsible for most red to blue colours of flowers, fruits and vegetables, have also attracted interests because of their potential health effects. With the aim of contributing to major insights into their structure-activity relationship (SAR), we have evaluated the radical scavenging and biological activities of selected purified anthocyanin samples (PASs) from various anthocyanin-rich plant materials: two fruits (mahaleb cherry and blackcurrant) and two vegetables (black carrot and ‘Sun Black’ tomato). PASs from the above-mentioned plant material have been evaluated for their antioxidant capacity, using TEAC and ORAC assays. In human endothelial cells, we analysed the biological activity of different PASs by measuring their effects on the expression of endothelial inflammatory markers, including endothelial adhesion molecules VCAM-1 and ICAM-1. We demonstrated that all the different PASs showed biological activity. They exhibited antioxidant capacity of different magnitude, higher for samples containing non-acylated anthocyanins (typical for fruits) compared to samples containing more complex anthocyanins acylated with cinnamic acid derivatives (typical for vegetables), even though this order was slightly reversed when ORAC assay values were expressed on molar basis. Concordantly, PASs containing non-acylated anthocyanins reduced the expression of endothelial inflammatory antigens more than samples with aromatic acylated anthocyanins, suggesting the potential beneficial effect of structurally diverse anthocyanins in cardiovascular protection.

Methane (CH4), produced endogenously in animals and plants, has recently been suggested to play a role in cellular physiology, potentially influencing the signaling pathways and regulatory mechanisms involved in nitrosative and oxidative stress responses. In addition, it has been proposed that supplementation of CH4 to organisms may be beneficial for the treatment of several diseases, including ischemia, reperfusion injury, and inflammation. However, it is still unclear if and how CH4 is produced in mammalian cells without the help of microorganisms, and how CH4 might be involved in physiological processes in humans. In this study, we provide first proof of the principle that CH4 is formed non-microbially in the human body by applying isotopically labeled methylated sulfur compounds, such as dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and methionine, as carbon precursors to confirm cellular CH4 formation. A volunteer applied isotopically labeled (2H and 13C) DMSO on the skin, orally, and to blood samples. Monitoring of stable isotope values of CH4 convincingly showed the conversion of the methyl groups, as isotopically labeled CH4 was formed during all experiments. Based on these results, we consider several hypotheses about endogenously formed CH4 in humans, including physiological aspects and stress responses involving reactive oxygen species (ROS). While further and broader validation studies are needed, the results may unambiguously serve as a proof of concept for the endoge-nous formation of CH4 in humans by a radical-driven process. Furthermore, these results might encourage follow up studies to decipher the potential physiological role of CH4 and its bioactiv-ity in humans in more detail. Of particular importance is the potential to monitor CH4 as an ox-idative stress biomarker if the observed large variability of CH4 in breath air is an indicator for physiological stress responses and immune reactions. Finally, the potential role of DMSO as a radical scavenger to counteract oxidative stress caused by ROS might be considered in the health sciences. DMSO has already been investigated for many years, but its potential positive role for medical use remained highly uncertain.

We investigate a new fundamental property of infectious diseases with natural adaptive immunity that weakens over time. Numerical experiments with a model of the Covid-19 epidemic in Moscow have demonstrated that when the reproduction number R0 is about 4, a qualitative change (bifurcation) occurs in the behavior of the virus-human system. Below this value, the long-term forecast tends to undamped oscillations; above it, the forecast shows damped oscillations: the amplitudes of epidemic waves decrease gradually, with a constant, very high background level of morbidity that keeps the natural immunity near 100%. To confirm this result analytically, we use an original modification of the Euler-Lotka renewal equation, which describes the dynamics of infected patients distributed by disease duration (time since infection) and accounts for immunity. To construct a bifurcation diagram, which illustrates the dependence of the equilibrium stability on the parameter R0, we linearize the equation in the vicinity of the equilibrium point and examine its numerical approximation (discrete form). This approximation can be interpreted as a Leslie model, with the matrix elements dependent on the parameter R0. By examining the roots of the corresponding Lotka polynomial, we can assess the stability of the equilibrium point. For the bifurcation diagram, we use the functions obtained from the simulation of the Covid-19 epidemic in Moscow. However, observations of the epidemic in other cities and countries support the primary finding of our study regarding the attenuation of epidemic waves.

The region of Eastern Europe & Turkey contributed to the SISAL (Speleothem Isotopes Synthesis and AnaLysis) global database with stable carbon- and oxygen isotope time-series from 18 entities from 14 cave systems. The currently available oldest record from this region is the ABA-2 flowstone record (Abaliget Cave; Hungary) reaching back to MIS 6. The temporal distribution of the compiled 18 entities points out a ~20-kyr-long period, centering around 100 ka, lacking speleothem stable isotope record in the region. The regional subset of SISAL_v1 records displays a continuous coverage for the past ~90 kyr for both δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C, with a mean temporal resolution of ~12 yr for the Holocene, and >50 yr for the pre-Holocene period. The highest temporal resolution both for the Holocene and the pre-Holocene was achieved in the So-1 record (Sofular Cave; Turkey). Assessing the data, an important split was found regarding the climatic interpretation of speleothem δ¹⁸O. While the oxygen isotope composition of more continental formations is thought to reflect mainly temperature variations and changes in moisture transport trajectories, it may strongly reflect fluctuations of precipitation amount in the southern part of the region. Variations of δ¹³C primarily interpreted as humidity changes reflecting dry/wet periods across the region. Elevation gradients from three non-overlapping time periods from the region - for the last 5kyr - indicated systematically prevailing elevational gradients around -0.26‰ 100m^-1 in δ¹⁸O. The regional comparison of SISAL_v1 speleothem δ¹⁸O and the temporal distribution of coarsely crystalline cryogenic cave carbonate occurrences back to 45ka does not appear to confirm the finding that occurrence of the latter coincides with the warming from stadial to interstadial conditions.

The synergetic features of a three-component photoinitiating systems (A/B/C) based on the measured data and proposed mechanism of Liu et al (Polymers, 2020, 12(6), 1394) are analyzed. The co-initiators/additives B and C have dual functions of : (i) regeneration of photoinitiator A and (ii) generation of extra radicals. The synergic effects lead to higher conversion of free radical polymerization (FRP) and cationic polymerization (CP). The key factors and rate constants influencing the conversion efficacy are explored by analytic formulas. Enhancing strategies for various photopolymerization systems are summarized including one component (or monomer) and one-wavelength, two-component and one, two and three-wavelength, and three-component, one-wavelength system. The synergetic effects for higher monomer conversion can be achieved by co-initiators for extra radicals and multiple wavelengths for reduced oxygen-inhibition. Co-initiator B, however, might also reduces the CP radical produced by initiator C. The conversion rate of FRP is proportional to the square root of the light intensity (I), absorption (b) and the initiator initial concentratios (A0, B0, C0), whereas CP is proportional to the linear power of a parameter defined as P=bIA0C0, a stronger dependence than FRP. The CP conversion is governed by a steady-state value proportional to P, and a rate fucntion defining the depletion rate of [A][C], or the increasing rate of the conversion profile. The measured results of Liu et al (Polymers, 2020, 12(6), 1394) are well analyzed and matching the predicted features of our modeling. The specific systems analyzed are: benzophenone derivatives (A) ethyl 4-(dimethylamino)benzoate (B), and (4-tert-butylphenyl)iodonium hexafluorophosphate (C) under a UV (365 nm) LED irradiation; and monomers of trimethylolpropane triacrylate (TMPTA, for FRP) and (3,4- epoxycyclohexane)methyl 3,4-epoxycyclohexylcarboxylate (EPOX, for CP).

Reinforcement Learning (RL) has demonstrated considerable potential in solving challenges across various domains, notably in autonomous driving. Nevertheless, implementing RL in autonomous driving comes with its own set of difficulties, such as the overestimation phenomenon, extensive learning time, and sparse reward problems. Although solutions like Hindsight Experience Replay (HER) have been proposed to alleviate these issues, the direct utilization of RL in autonomous vehicles remains constrained due to the intricate fusion of information and the possibility of system failures during the learning process. In this paper, we present a novel RL-based autonomous driving system technology that combines Obstacle Dependent Gaussian (ODG) RL, Soft Actor-Critic (SAC), and meta-learning algorithms. Our approach addresses key issues in RL, including the overestimation phenomenon and sparse reward problems, by incorporating prior knowledge derived from the ODG algorithm. We evaluated our proposed algorithm on official F1 circuits, using high-fidelity racing simulations with complex dynamics. The results demonstrate exceptional performance, with our method achieving up to 89% faster learning speed compared to existing algorithms in these environments.

Abstract: Calcium-based catalysts are of a high interest for glycerol polymerization due to their high catalytic activity and large availability. However, their poor stability under reaction conditions is an issue. In the present study, we investigated the stability and catalytic activity of Ca-hydroxyapatites (HAps) as one of the most abundant Ca-source in nature. A stochiometric, a Ca-deficient and a Ca-rich HAps have been synthetized and tested as catalysts in the glycerol polymerization reaction. Deficient and stochiometric HAps exhibited a remarkable 100% selectivity to triglycerol at 15 % of glycerol conversion at 245 °C after 8 h of reaction in the presence 0.5 mol.% of catalyst. Moreover, under the same reaction conditions, Ca-rich HAp showed a high selectivity (88 %) to di- and triglycerol at a glycerol conversion of 27 %. Most importantly, these catalysts were unexpectedly stable towards leaching under the reaction conditions based on the ICP-OES results. However, based on the catalytic tests and characterization analysis performed by XRD, XPS, IR, TGA-DSC and ICP-OES, we found that HAps can be deactivated by the presence of the reaction products themselves, i.e., water and polymers.

This paper presents sufficient conditions for almost global stability of nonlinear switched systems consisting of both stable and unstable subsystems. Techniques from the stability analysis of switched systems have been combined with the multiple Lyapunov density approach - recently proposed by the authors for the almost global stability of nonlinear switched systems composed of stable subsystems. By using slow switching for stable subsystems and fast switching for unstable subsystems lower and upper bounds for mode-dependent average dwell times are obtained. In addition to that, by allowing each subsystem to perform slow switching and using some restrictions on total operation time of unstable subsystems and stable subsystems, we have obtained a lower bound for an average dwell time.

There are many medicinal plants that have various medicinal properties in their different parts. The medicinal plants are major backbone of pharmaceutical industries. In this article we compare the antioxidants properties from various plants parts (root, stem, leaf, flower and bark) of the most important medicinal plant, Justicia adhatoda L. Various plant parts showed the good amount of antioxidant properties. These results enhance the medicinal properties of this plant due to the presence of good amount of antioxidants; among all the plant parts leaves and flowers showed maximum natural antioxidants, hence the study could be saying that this plant has good efficacy of antioxidants.

One-step reactive melt processing (REx) via radical reaction was evaluated with the aim of improving the rheological properties of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL). In particular, a water-assisted REx was designed under the hypothesis of increasing crosslinking efficiency with water as a low viscous medium in comparison with a slower PCL macroradicals diffusion in the melt state. To assess the effect of dry vs. water-assisted REx on PCL, its structural, thermo-mechanical and rheological properties were investigated. Water-assisted REx resulted in increased PCL gel fraction compared to dry REx (from 1 to 34 %), proving the rationale under the formulated hypothesis. From dynamic mechanical analysis and tensile tests, the crosslink did not significantly affect the PCL mechanical performance. Dynamic rheological measurements showed that higher PCL viscosity was reached with increasing branching/crosslinking and the typical PCL Newtonian behavior was shifting towards a progressively more pronounced shear thinning. A complete transition from viscous- to solid-like PCL melt behavior was recorded, demonstrating that higher melt elasticity can be obtained as a function of gel content by controlled REx. Improvement in rheological properties offers the possibility of broadening PCL melt processability without hindering its recycling by melt processing.

Thin supported inorganic mesoporous membranes are used for removal of salts, small molecules (PFAS, dyes, polyanions) and particulate species (oil droplets) from aqueous sources with high flux and selectivity. Nano-filtration membranes can reject simple salts with 80-100% selectivity through a space charge mechanism. Rejection by size selectivity can be near 100% since the membranes can have a very narrow size distribution. Mesoporous membranes have received par-ticular interest due to their (potential) stability at operational conditions and defouling operations. More recently membranes with extreme stability became interesting with the advent of in-situ fouling mitigation by means of ultrasound, emitted from within the membrane structure. For this reason we explored the stability of available and new membranes with accelerated lifetime tests in aqueous solutions at various temperatures and pH values. Of the available ceria, titania, mag-netite membranes none were actually stable at all test conditions. In earlier work, it was already established that meso-porous alumina membranes have very poor stability. A new nano-filtration membrane was made of cubic zirconia membranes that exhibited a near perfect stability. A new ultra-filtration membrane was made of amorphous silica that was fully stable in ultrapure water at 80°C. This work provides details of membrane synthesis, stability characterization and actual sta-bility data.

Gold nanoparticles have been increasingly used in several electronic, material fabrication, and biomedical applications. Several methods have been reported to prepare gold nanoparticles of various shapes and sizes with different photophysical properties. Although useful to prepare gold nanoparticles, most of the methods are not stable enough and undergo degradation, if stored at room temperatures (up to 30 °C) for a few days. In this paper, we report a novel environmentally friendly method to synthesize self-assembled gold nanoparticles in cruciform shapes by using leaf extract of Cannabis indica as a reducing agent without the aid of any polymers or additional chemicals. The nanoparticles are found to be stable for more than a month when stored at room temperature (30 °C). They were able to form stable conjugates with bovine α-lactalbumin protein that may possess anti-cancerous properties.

Ctenophores are marine organisms attracting significant attention from evolutionary, molecular biology and ecological research. Here we describe an easy and affordable set-up to maintain a stable culture of the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi. The challenging delicacy of the lobate ctenophores can be met by monitoring the water quality, providing the right nutrition, and adapting the handling and tank set-up to their fragile gelatinous body plan. Following this protocol allows stable laboratory lines, a continuous supply of embryos for molecular biological studies, and independence from population responses to environmental fluctuations.

Stability considerations play a central role in structural dynamics to determine states that are robust against perturbations during the operation. Linear stability concepts, such as the complex eigenvalue analysis, constitute the core of analysis approaches in engineering reality. However, most stability concepts are limited to local perturbations, i.e. they can only measure a state’s stability against small perturbations. Recently, the concept of basin stability has been proposed as a global stability concept for multi-stable systems. As multi-stability is a well-known property of a range of nonlinear dynamical systems, this work studies the basin stability of bi-stable mechanical oscillators that are affected and self-excited by dry friction. The results indicate how the basin stability complements the classical binary stability concepts for quantifying how stable a state is given a set of permissible perturbations.

In this study, we demonstrate the direct preparation of dihalo-γ-lactams featuring two distinct halogens from dichloroamides using a novel Atom Exchange Radical Cyclization (AERC) procedure. This method integrates the established Atom Transfer Radical Cyclization with halogen exchange in solution. The technique operates under mild conditions and requires little amounts of metallic copper, serving as both a supplemental activator and reducing agent.

The benefit of adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) after radical hysterectomy in patients with cervical cancer remains controversial. The aim of this study was to determine the impact on survival of adjuvant RT according to the Sedlis criteria. Patients with early-stage cervical cancer who underwent radical hysterectomy between 2005 and 2022 at a single tertiary institution were included. A multivariate analysis was performed to determinate if RT was an independent prognostic factor for recurrence or death. We also analyzed whether there was a statistically significant difference in overall survival (OS) between patients who met only one or two Sedlis criteria, depending on whether they received adjuvant RT or not. In this retrospective study 121 patients were included of whom 48(39.7%) received adjuvant RT due to the presence of unfavorable pathological findings. In multivariate analysis, RT was not found to be a statistically significant prognostic factor for OS (p=0.584) or disease-free survival (DFS) (p=0.559). When comparing patients who met one or two Sedlis criteria, there were no statistically significant differences in OS between RT and no adjuvant treatment in either group. Since the selection of patients with cervical cancer eligible for surgery is becoming more accurate, adjuvant RT might not be necessary for patients with intermediate-risk factors.

Pomegranate juice (PJ) has total antioxidant capacity (TAC) which is reportedly higher compared to other common beverages. This short study aimed to evaluate the TAC of commercial PJ and pomegranate fruit in terms of a newly described iron (III) reducing antioxidant capacity (iRAC) and to compare with ABTS free radical quenching activity. Commercial PJ, freeze-dried pomegranate, and oven dried-pomegranate were analyzed. The total phenols content (TPC) was also assessed by the Folin-Ciocalteu method. The calibration results for iRAC were comparable to ABTS and Folin-Ciocalteu methods in terms of linearity (R2 > 0.99), sensitivity and precision. The TAC for PJ expressed as trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) was 33.4 ± 0.5 mM with the iRAC method and 36.3 ± 2.1 mM using the ABTS method. For dried pomegranates, TAC was 89–110 mmol/100 g or 76.0 ± 4.3 mmol/100 g using iRAC and ABTS methods, respectively. Freeze-dried pomegranate had 15% higher TAC compared with oven-dried pomegranate. In conclusion, pomegranate has high TAC as evaluated by the iRAC and ABTS methods, though variations occur due to the type of cultivar, geographic origin, processing and other factors. The study is relevant for attempts to refine food composition data for pomegranate and other functional foods.

3D Zernike moments based on 3D Zernike polynomials have been successfully applied to the field of voxelized 3D shape retrieval and have attracted more attention in biomedical image processing. As the order of 3D Zernike moments increases, both computational efficiency and numerical accuracy decrease. Due to this phenomenon, a more efficient and stable method for computing high-order 3D Zernike moments was proposed in this study. The proposed recursive formula for computing 3D Zernike radial polynomials combines the recursive calculation of spherical harmonics to develop a voxel-based algorithm for the calculation of 3D Zernike moments. The algorithm was applied to the 3D shape Michelangelo's David with a size of 150×150×150 voxels. As compared to the method without additional acceleration, the proposed method uses a group action of order sixteen orthogonal group and saving unnecessary iterations, the factor of speed-up is 56.783±3.999 when the order of Zernike moments is between 10 and 450. The proposed method also obtained an accurate reconstructed shape with the error rate (normalized mean square error) of 0.00 (4.17×10^-3) when the reconstruction was computed for all moments up to order 450.

External hoof characteristics, balance, and conformation have been extensively studied in horses; however, mules remain understudied in these aspects. This study evaluated the size, shape, and symmetry of untrimmed and unshod forelimb hooves, compared the symmetry between forelimb hooves and stratified external forelimb hoof measurements based on the body condition score of mules raised in the foothill plains of northern Thailand. The forelimb hooves of 38 mules were photographed and 33 parameters, including angular and linear measurements, were analyzed. Despite the absence of shoeing and trimming, these mules exhibited optimal left-right forelimb hoof symmetry, with no significant (p < 0.05) differences in: outer wall length and inner wall length (OWL - IWL); sole length and sole width (SLS - SW); dorsal hoof wall length and heel length (DHWL - HL); and frog length and frog width (FL - FW). However, significant (p < 0.05) differences were observed within each body condition score group for forelimb hoof measurements for DHWL, IWL, heel separation (HS), heel bulb distance (HBD), SW, FW, and FL. These findings provide valuable insights into mule welfare and management, contributing to understanding of the interplay between overall health and hoof conformation in the study area.

The COVID-19 pandemic creates anxiety among hospitalised SARS-CoV-2 patients. Therefore, this study aims to determine the prevalence of anxiety and its associated factors among stable inpatient COVID-19 patients in Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a web-based online survey involving 401 patients from Malaysia's leading COVID-19 hospitals from 15th April until 30th June 2020 who were chosen using quota sampling. General Anxiety Disorders 7 items (GAD-7), Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Inventory (Brief-COPE) and Socio-demographic profile questionnaire were used. Descriptive analysis and multiple logistic regression were performed using SPSS v23 to determine the prevalence of anxiety and its associated factors. The results showed that prevalence of anxiety was 7.0%. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that female (p < 0.05), fear of infection (p < 0.05), lack of information (p < 0.05), maladaptive coping mechanism of behavioural disengagement (p < 0.001) and self-blame (p < 0.001) were significantly associated with anxiety. Whereas adaptive coping mechanisms via instrumental support (p < 0.001) was a significant protective predictor of anxiety. COVID-19 infection has had a significant influence on the mental health of patients. Findings in our study provides baseline findings on prevalence of anxiety among stabilized COVID-19 inpatient in Malaysia. Despite the relative low prevalence, the data has the potential to improve the present mental health monitoring system and the deployment of suitable treatments in dealing with similar circumstances

Proteins possess complex three-dimensional structures, and these structures are stable only within specific ranges of temperature which mostly correspond to the temperature ranges of the host organisms. However, few exceptional proteins, called heat-stable proteins, are stable at temperatures that are substantially higher than those tolerated by the host organisms themselves. Most of the heat-stable proteins possess heat stability to perform their functions at high temperatures, but some of them are intrinsically heat-stable due to their structure. Heat-stable proteins are usually divided into three or four groups depending upon the intricacies of their structures and thermal behaviors. Their peculiar property, i.e. heat-stability, makes them very valuable in applications such as polymerase chain reaction, industrial processes requiring high temperature, and protein engineering. Heat-stability also makes it feasible to purify such proteins, from the rest of the heat-labile proteins, using a simple heat-treatment method. Moreover, heat treatment can be used as a combined cell-lysis and protein purification step which, as compared to conventional methods, can result in a higher yield of heat-stable proteins. Furthermore, some special heat-stable proteins, i.e. intrinsically disordered proteins (which include the proteins involved in important neurodegenerative diseases), need heat-treatment step, in some cases, as the only way for their successful purification and study. Hence, this paper provides a first-ever comprehensive review of all major aspects of heat-stable proteins, i.e., their structure, evolution, classification, significance, and heat-treatment mediated purification.

The synergistic features of a three-component, photoinitiating system (A/B/C) based on the measured data and proposed mechanism of Liu et al. are analyzed. The co-initiators/additives B and C have dual-functions of : (i) regeneration of photoinitiator A, and (ii) generation of extra radicals for enhanced conversion efficacy (CE). The synergistic effects led to higher CE for both free radical polymerization (FRP) and cationic polymerization (CP). The CE of FRP has 3 terms due to the direct (tyep-I) coupling of the triplet state of A with the monomer (M) and the coupling of the two radicals, R and R', with M. The CE of CP has a transient state proportional to the effective absorption constant (b), the light intensity (I) and initiator concentration (A0), but a steady state is independent of the light intensity (I). For the CE of FRP, the contribution from radical R had two cases: (i) linear dependence on T=bIA0, or (ii) nonlinear square root dependence T0.5. The synergistic effects led to higher conversion of FRP and CP, consistent with the measured results. The theoretically predicted new features include: (i) co-initiator [C] which always enhances both FRP and CP conversions, and (ii) co-initiator [B] which leads to more efficient FRP, but it also reduces CP.

Objective: To investigate the protein expression levels of cyclin‑dependent kinase subunit 2 (CKS2) and cluster of differentiation (CD) 47 in gastric cancer (GC) and their clinical significances. Methods: A total of 126 GC patients who underwent radical resection were selected as study subjects. Additionally, 32 patients with benign gastric tumor, 42 patients with low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (LGIEN), and 49 patients with high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (HGIEN) who underwent surgery were selected as the control groups. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of CKS2 and CD47 in surgical specimens. We statistically analyzed the clinical significance of the expression of the two factors. Results: (1) The positivity rates for CKS2 in benign gastric tumor tissue, LGIEN tissue, HGIEN tissue, and GC tissue gradually increased, i.e., 6.3% (2/32), 30.9% (13/42), 38.8% (19/49), and 60.3% (76/126), respectively, and the positivity rates for CD47 were 18.8% (6/32), 38.1% (16/42), 46.9% (23/49), and 65.9% (83/126), respectively. (2) High expression of CKS2 and CD47 were associated with tumor diameter, Lauren classification, number of lymph node metastases, and TNM stage. In addition, the immunohistochemical scores for CKS2 and CD47 were positively correlated (r=0.625, P=0.000). (3) The median follow-up time of 126 patients was 46.5 months, and the overall survival rate was 40.5% (51/126). Survival analysis showed that compared with that in the CKS2 (-) group, the overall survival rate for patients in the CKS2 (+) group was significantly worse (25.0% vs 64.0%, 2=15.67, P=0.000) and that compared with the CD47 (-) group, the CD47 (+) group had significantly worse overall survival (30.1% vs 60.5%, 2=15.67, P=0.000). (4) The overall survival rates of CKS2(+)CD47(+) group, CKS2(+)CD47(-) group, CKS2(-)CD47(+) group, and CKS2 (-)CD47 (-) group were 20.0%(13/65), 58.3%(7/12), 57.1%(8/14), 65.7% (23/35), respectively, the prognosis of patients in CKS2(+)CD47(+) group was significantly poor. Conclusion: High expression levels of CKS2 and CD47 were closely related to the occurrence of GC and can be used as independent risk factors to assess the prognosis of patients.

The temperature-dependent energy storage properties of four tungsten bronze phase compounds are studied together with an investigation of their structure and temperature-dependent permittivity response, i.e., Ba6Ti2Nb8O30 (BTN), Ba6Zr2Nb8O30 (BZN), Sr3TiNb4O15 (STN) and Sr3ZrNb4O15 (SZN) ceramics. It was found that BZN has smaller grains and a more porous structure than BTN. SZN shows no clear grain boundaries with the most porous structure among all samples, exhibiting a much lower permittivity response than other samples with no signs of phase transitions from room temperature to 400 °C. Though the energy storage response of those samples is generally quite low, it exhibits rather good temperature stability. It was suggested that by obtaining a denser structure through chemical modification or other methods, those tungsten bronze ceramics with good temperature stability could be promising as energy storage devices when improved energy storage properties are achieved.

PTB7-Th is an important donor copolymer used in construction of many organic devices and other industrial applications. In this work, we investigate the structure and energetics of PTB7-Th. We employ density functional theory (DFT) (B3LYP), dispersion corrected DFT (B3LYP-D3) and long-range corrected DFT (CAM-B3LYP, LC-BLYP, and ωB97xD) to analyze the conformational structures and their corresponding energies to determine the lowest energy state of PTB7-Th. The role of the alkane side chains is carefully investigated. Our findings indicate that, when branched ethylhexyl side chains are present, the lowest energy structure of PTB7-Th has fluorine in the same plane and the same side as the double bonded oxygen in the TT-CF part of the monomer and S-C-C-S dihedral angles along the chain backbone are cis-like having values in the range of 20-30 degrees in most cases. Without these side chains the polymer, not unexpectedly, has many near conformational degeneracies.

Inflammation is widely acknowledged as a significant characteristic of cancer, playing a substantial function in both the initiation and advancement of cancers. In this research, we planned to investigate the comparison among pan-immune inflammation markers and other well-known markers (systemic immune inflammation index and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio) to predict prognosis in individuals treated with radical cystectomy for bladder cancer. Methods: In this retrospective analysis, we focused on preoperative PIV, systemic immune inflammation index (SII), and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in 193 individuals managed with radical cystectomy for bladder cancer between January 2016 and November 2022. Multivariable logistic regression assessments were perfomred to assess the predictive capabilities of PIV, SII, and NLR for infiltration of lymph nodes (N), aggressive tumor stage (pT3/pT4), and any non-organ limited disease at the time of RC. Multivariable Cox regression analyses were conducted to assess the predictive impact of PIV on Relapse-free survival (RFS), Cancer-specific survival (CSS), and Overall survival (OS). Results: Our individuals were divided into high PIV and low PIV cohorts using the optimal cut-off value (340.96 x 109/ L) based on receiver operating characteristic curve analysis for relapse-free survival. In multivariable preoperative logistic regression models, only SII and PIV correlated with the infiltration of lymph nodes, aggressive disease, and any non-organ confined disease. In multivariable Cox regression models considering presurgical clinicopathological variables, an higher PIV was associated with diminished RFS (p = 0.017) and OS (p = 0.029). In addition, in multivariable Cox regression models for postoperative outcomes, a high PIV correlated with both RFS ( p = 0.034) and OS ( p= 0.048). Conclusions: Our study suggests that PIV and SII are two very similar markers that may serve as an independent and significant predictor of aggressive disease and worse survival impacts on individuals undergoing radical cystectomy for bladder neoplasm.

We describe the direct formation of mixed-phase (1T and 2H) MoS2 layers on Si as a photocathode via atomic layer deposition (ALD) for application in the photoelectrochemical (PEC) reduction of water to hydrogen. Without typical series-metal interfaces between Si and MoS2, our p-Si/SiOx/MoS2 photocathode showed efficient and stable operation in hydrogen evolution reactions (HERs). The resulting performance could be explained by spatially genuine device architectures in three dimensions (that is, laterally homo and vertically heterojunction structures). The ALD-grown MoS2 overlayer with the mixed-phase 1T and 2H homojunction passivates light absorber and surface states and functions as a monolithic structure for effective charge transport within MoS2. It is also beneficial in the operation of p-i-n heterojunctions with inhomogeneous barrier heights due to the presence of mixed-phase cocatalysts. The effective barrier heights reached up to 0.8 eV with optimized MoS2 thicknesses, leading to a 670 mV photovoltage enhancement without employing buried Si p-n junctions. The fast-transient behaviors via light illumination show that the mixed-phase layered chalcogenides can serve as efficient cocatalysts by depinning the Fermi levels at the interfaces. A long-term operation of ~ 70 h was also demonstrated in a 0.5 M H2SO4 solution.

Longer operating time in radical prostatectomy may escalate the risk of perioperative complications. Various factors like cancer extent, procedure’s level of difficulty, habitus and previous surgeries may lengthen robotic assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) and therefor compromise outcomes. Objective: this study investigates the influence of operating time on outcomes after RARP in real life settings in a monocentric single surgeon study. Methods: 500 consecutive patients who underwent RARP between April 2019 and August 2022 were included. Patients were divided in three groups. Short (n=157; 31.4%) under or equal to 120 minutes, average (n=255; 51%) between 121 and 180 minutes, long (n=88; 17,6%) above 180 minutes console-time. Demographic, baseline and perioperative data were analyzed and compared between groups. Univariate logistic regression was completed to investigate the association between console-time and outcomes and to predict factors which may prolong surgery. Results: hospital stay and catheter days were significantly longer in group 3 with medians 6 and 7 days (p<0.001 and <0.001, respectively). Those findings were confirmed in univariate analysis, p=0.012 for Catheter days and p<0.001 for Hospital stay. Moreover, major complications were higher in patients with longer procedures p=0.008. Prostate volume was the only predictor for prolonged console time (p=0.005). Conclusion: RARP is a safe procedure and most patients will be discharged uneventfully. Yet longer console-time is associated with longer hospital stay, catheter days and major complications. Caution has to be taken in large prostate to avoid longer procedures, which may prevent postoperative advert events.

This work deals with aerofoil aerodynamic features optimization, not only to improve flight features, but also to improve economy, ecology and safety of parameters of flight technique. In cruise mission, occupying the most flight time, the most important parameter is aerodynamic drag, which directly influences the aeroplane operational economy of transportation. Drag reduction is adequately reflected in the fuel consumption reduction. Consumption reduction is also adequately reflected in the flight ecology. In take-off and landing mission, the safety is priority and directly influences the aerofoil geometry. For cruise mission the new modified evolutionary algorithms (EA) are used to parameters incoming to Bezier-PARSEC 3434 parametrization. Such aerofoil is processed and evaluated by the Xfoil program. The change of model parameters results to optimal aerofoil shape. The DCAG (Direct Control Aerofoil Geometry) is unique developed mechanical device, makes possible the change of curvature of aerofoil, and also aerofoil geometry. DCAG is based on the rotary principle, which makes it possible to define the curvature of aerofoil for every roll as well as defining the geometry in the variable parts of aerofoil. For take-off and landing mission the best combination of slots and flaps is choosed. To improve of laminarity and reduce turbulent flow the DCAG is used. The work results to optimization, which is 50 times faster in comparison to ordinary optimization, with minimum of input parameters (flight speed, chord length, range of angles of attack and fitness function). The optimized aerofoil can achieve savings in fuel consumption up to 44% in comparison with unoptimized aerofoil, the aerodynamic drag reduction up to 44%. The output was checked by ANSYS Fluent simulation.

AbstractThis work deals with aerofoil aerodynamic features optimization, not only to improve flight features, but also to improve economy, ecology and safety of parameters of flight technique.In cruise mission, occupying the most flight time, the most important parameter is aerodynamic drag, which directly influences the aeroplane operational economy of transportation. Drag reduction is adequately reflected in the fuel consumption reduction. Consumption reduction is also adequately reflected in the flight ecology. In take-off and landing mission, the safety is priority and directly influences the aerofoil geometry.For cruise mission the new modified evolutionary algorithms (EA) are used to parameters incoming to Bezier-PARSEC 3434 parametrization. Such aerofoil is processed and evaluated by the Xfoil program. The change of model parameters results to optimal aerofoil shape.The DCAG (Direct Control Aerofoil Geometry) is unique developed mechanical device, makes possible the change of curvature of aerofoil, and also aerofoil geometry. DCAG is based on the rotary principle, which makes it possible to define the curvature of aerofoil for every roll as well as defining the geometry in the variable parts of aerofoil.For take-off and landing mission the best combination of slots and flaps is choosed. To improve of laminarity and reduce turbulent flow the DCAG is used.The work results to optimization, which is 50 times faster in comparison to ordinary optimization, with minimum of input parameters (flight speed, chord length, range of angles of attack and fitness function).The optimized aerofoil can achieve savings in fuel consumption up to 44% in comparison with unoptimized aerofoil, the aerodynamic drag reduction up to 44%.The output was checked by ANSYS Fluent simulation.

Rechargeable aqueous Zn-ion batteries (ZIBs) have attracted considerable attention owing to their high theoretical capacity of 820 mA h g‒1, low cost and intrinsic safety. However, the electrolyte leakage and the instability issues of Zn negative electrodes originating from side reactions between the aqueous electrolyte and Zn negative electrode, not only restricts the battery stability but also results in short-circuit of aqueous ZIBs. Herein we report a flexible and stable N-isopropylacrylamide/sodium alginate (N-SA) gel electrolyte, which possesses high mechanical strength and high ionic conductivity of 2.96×10‒2 S cm‒1, and enables the Zn metal negative electrode and MnO2 positive electrode to reversibly and stably cycle. Compared to the liquid electrolyte, the N-SA hydrogel electrolyte can effectively form a uniform Zn deposition and suppress the generation of irreversible by-products. The assemble symmetric Zn/Zn cells at a current density of 1 mA cm‒2 shows a stable voltage profile, which maintains a low level of about 100 mV over 2600 h without an obvious short circuit or any overpotential increasing. Specially, the assembled Zn/N-SA/MnO2 batteries can deliver a high specific capacity of 182 mAh g‒1 and maintain 98% capacity retention after 650 cycles at 0.5 A g‒1. This work provides a facile method to fabricate high-performance SA-based hydrogel electrolytes that illustrates their potential for flexible batteries for wearable electronics.

Fractional differential equations have become a fundamental modelling approach for understanding and simulating the many aspects of nonlocality and spatial heterogeneity of complex materials and systems. Yet, while real-order fractional operators are nowadays widely adopted, little progress has been made in extending such operators to complex-order counterparts. In this work, we introduce new definitions for the complex-order fractional Laplacian, fully consistent with the theory of averaging of smooth functions over fractal sets, and present tailored spectral methods for their numerical treatment. The proposed complex-order operators exhibit a dual particle-wave behaviour, with solutions manifesting wave-like features depending on the magnitude of the imaginary part of the fractional order. Reaction-diffusion systems driven by the complex-order fractional Laplacian exhibit unique spatio-temporal dynamics, such as equilibrium of diffusion in random materials by interference of scattered waves, conduction block and highly fractionated propagation, or the generation of completely novel Turing patterns. Taken together, our results support that the proposed complex-order operators hold unparalleled capabilities to advance the description of multiscale transport phenomena in physical and biological processes highly influenced by the heterogeneity of complex media.

The extraction of grape processing waste (wine pomace) via microwave-hydrodiffusion and gravity (MHG) from three different cultivars grown in Sicily (Syrah, Perricone and Nero d’Avola) rapidly affords aqueous extracts highly concentrated in valued biophenols including flavonoids, anthocyanins and phenolic acids. The method does not employ organic solvent, acid or base and does not require grinding or freeze drying of the wine pomace nor separation of the grape skins from seeds and stem. All the extracts have a pronounced stability as shown by their red-violet color fully retained after storage for more than a year (15 months) in freezer under air. Concentrations of phenolics up to 2000 ppm were detected in the aged extracts of Sicily’s local cultivar Perricone, which also has the highest content of flavonoids. These findings provide a simple and economically viable extraction route to biophenol-rich red extracts that can be used as food colorants as well as to formulate nutraceutical, cosmetic and personal care products starting from an agricultural by-product available in >10 million tonne yearly amount.

(1) Background: The aim of this study was to compare the survival benefit of radical ante-grade-modular pancreato-splenectomy (RAMPS) with conventional distal pancreato-splenectomy (cDPS) in left-sided pancreatic cancer. (2) Methods: A retrospective propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was conducted on 333 patients who underwent RAMPS or cDPS for left-sided pancreatic cancer at four tertiary cancer centers. The study assessed prognostic factors and com-pared survival and operative outcomes. (3) Results: After PSM, 99 patients were matched in each group. RAMPS resulted in a higher retrieved lymph node count than cDPS (15.0 vs. 10.0, p < 0.001). No significant differences were observed between the two groups in terms of R0 resection rate, blood loss, hospital stay, or morbidity. The 5-year overall survival rate was similar in both groups (cDPS vs. RAMPS, 44.4% vs. 45.2%, p = 0.853), and disease-free survival was also comparable. Multivariate analysis revealed that ASA score, preoperative CA19-9, histologic differentiation, R1 resection, adjuvant treatment, and lymphovascular invasion were significant prognostic factors for overall survival. Preoperative CA19-9, histologic differentiation, T-stage, adjuvant treatment, and lymphovascular invasion were independent significant prognostic factors for disease-free survival. (4) Conclusions: Although RAMPS resulted in a higher retrieved lymph node count, survival outcomes were not different between two groups. RAMPS was a surgical option to achieve R0 resection rather than a standard procedure. Adjuvant treatment was an independent prognostic factor for both overall and disease-free survival.

Reverse water gas shift reaction (RWGS) is an important process which plays a vital role in many CO2 utilization related reactions. Noble metals are the most active catalysts in RWGS, but the high price and low reserve strangled their applications. In the present work, we reported a non-transition-metal MgAl2O4 catalyst which showed outstanding activity and stability at high temperatures in the RWGS reaction and improved performance after doping of single atomic Nin+. The catalyst can obtain 46% of CO2 conversion in durability test of 75 h at 800 °C under high weight hourly space velocities (225 000 ml g-1 h-1). The adsorption sites, possible reaction route, and effects of Nin+ single atoms on the (111) surface of MgAl2O4 for RWGS were investigated by in situ DRIFTS and DFT calculations. The results indicated that the rate determining reaction step of RWGS on MgAl2O4 and Ni (SA)/MgAl2O4 were both the reaction of OH* + H* → H2O* + *, but the energy barrier was significantly reduced after introducing single atomic Nin+. Nin+ atoms can increase the hydroxyl coverage on the surface of catalyst and Al3+ sites near the Nin+ ion are considered as the predominant active sites for RWGS reactions.

Isotopic stable analysis (SIA) is a powerful tool in the assessment of different types of ecological and physiological studies. For that, different preservative methods for the samples are commonly used prior to isotopic analysis. The effects of various preservative methods (drying, freezing, ethanol and formaldehyde) have been analyzed for C:N ratio, δ13C and δ15N on a variety of tissues including dorsal fins (three seahorse and two pipefish species), seahorse newborns (three seahorses species), and prey (copepods and different stages of Artemia) commonly used to feed the fishes in rearing conditions. The aims of the study were to: (i) evaluate isotopic effects of preservation methods across tissues; and (ii) construct the first conversion models available in syngnathid fishes. The preservation in ethanol and to a lesser extend in formaldehyde significantly affected δ13C values, whereas δ15N signatures were not affected significantly. Due to their low lipid content, the isotopic signals in fish fins were almost unaffected, supporting the suitability of dorsal fins as a convenient tool in isotopic studies on vulnerable species such as syngnathids. The regression equations provided permit the successful conversion of δ13C and δ15N values between preservative treatments. The conversion models can be applied to isotopic studies in the field and in the laboratory.

In this paper, we proposed a high accurate and stable Legendre transform algorithm which can reduce the potential instability for very high order at a very small increase in the computational time. The error analysis of interpolative decomposition for Legendre transform is presented. By employing block partitioning of Legendre-Vandermonde matrix and butterfly algorithm, a new Legendre transform algorithm with computational complexity O(N(logN)^2/loglogN) in theory and less than O(N(logN)^4) in practical application is obtained. Numerical results are provided to demonstrate the efficiency and numerical stability of the new algorithm.

Nested structure is a structural feature that is conducive to system stability formed by the co-evolution of species in mutualistic ecosystems, and reflects the ability of ecosystem stability to be restored to a stable state again after being destroyed. The co-opetition relationship and value flow between industrial sectors in the global value chain are similar to the mutualistic ecosystem, and the pattern of the global economic system is always changing in dynamic equilibrium. Nestedness theory is used in this article to define the generalist and specialist sectors in the global value chain to analyze the changes in the global supply pattern. Then we study the mechanism of the global economic system to reach a stable equilibrium and the role of different sectors in the steady of the economic system, so as to provide countermeasures for enhancing the stability of the global economic system. At the end of the article, the domestic trade network, export trade network and import trade network of each country are extracted, and an econometric model is designed to analyze how the microstructure of the production system affects a country’s macroeconomic performance, thereby deriving the conclusion that the stability of the international trade network is crucial to a country's economic development.

This article investigates the unexpected re-emergence of race in both the rhetoric and activities of the British radical-right. In doing so it seeks to better understand the reasons why race has re-emerged, how race has been contemporarily deployed by the radical-right, and the extent to which the re-emergence of race will force the radical right’s recent ideological focus on religion – more specifically, the religion of Islam and Muslims as adherents – begin to retreat. It does this first by setting out the methods and approaches used throughout. From here, necessary and appropriate context is provided about the British radical-right generally and the decades old ideological turn more specifically. Next, the circumstances and reasons for the re-emergence of race are critically engaged: focusing on the immediate aftermath of 2020’s Black Lives Matter protests as also the wider socio-political landscape of contemporary Britain. Taking into account both established and newly formed groups and movements from within the British radical right, the role and function played by race is considered next. As part of this, an in-depth analysis of the role and function of race in the rhetoric and activities of Patriotic Alternative is included. In conclusion, this article reflects on a number of arguments about why the re-emergence of race among the British radical-right is - albeit to varying degrees - a cause for concern.

This study reports a computational investigation on the antioxidant activity of five plant food benzoic acid derivatives, namely gallic acid (GA), para-hydroxybenzoic acid (PHBA), protocatechuic acid (PCA), syringic acid (SA), and vanillic acid (VA). Based on computed thermodynamics parameters, a detailed comparative debate is developed concerning their free radical scavenging activity in the gas phase and polar solutions (in water and methanol solvents). This discussion goes on to elucidate both the most preferred mechanism and the order of antioxidant activity for these molecules in each environment. Paradoxically, calculations using the harmonic oscillator model of aromaticity (HOMA) suggest that H abstraction radicals gain in stability as the central benzene ring loses in structural aromaticity. Finally, spin densities and fukui function f⁰ seem to be good indicators of the local reactivity of these compounds towards free radicals.

There is an urgent demand worldwide for the development of highly selective adsorbents and sensors of heavy metal ions and other organic pollutants. Within these environmental and public health frameworks, we are combining the salient features of clays and chelatant polymers to design selective metal ion adsorbents. Towards this end, the ion imprinting approach has been used to develop a novel nanohybrid material for the selective separation of Cu2+ ions in aqueous solution. The Cu2+-imprinted polymer/ montmorillonite nanocomposite (IIP/Mt) and non-imprinted polymer/montmorillonite nanocomposite (NIP/Mt) were prepared by radical photopolymerization process in the visible light. Ion imprinting was indeed important as the recognition of copper ions by IIP/Mt was significantly superior to that of NIP/Mt that is the nanocomposite synthesized in the same way but in the absence of Cu2+ ions. The adsorption process as batch study was investigated under the experimental condition affecting same parameters such as contact time, concentration of ions metals and pH. The adsorption capacity of Cu2+ ions is maximized at pH 5. Removal of Cu2+ ion achieved equilibrium within 15 minutes; the results obtained were found to be fitted by the pseudo-second order kinetics model. The equilibrium process was well described by the Langmuir isothermal model and the maximum adsorption capacity was found to be 23.6 mg/g.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the impact of a predictive model for detecting extracapsular extension on pathology (pECE+) on biochemical recurrence-free survival (BCRFS) within 4 years after robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). Methods: Retrospective data analysis from a single center between 2015 to 2022. Variables under consideration included prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, patient age, prostate volume, MRI semantic features and Gleason score (GS). We also assessed the influence of pECE+ and positive surgical margins on BCRFS. using the Kaplan-Meier survival function and Cox regression model were assessed. Additionally, we analyzed the MRI features on BCR (biochemical recurrence) in low/intermediate risk patients. Results: 177 participants with a follow-up exceeding 6 months post-RARP were included. The 1-year, 2-year, and 4-year risks of BCR after curative prostatectomy were 5%, 13%, and 21%, respectively. The survival analysis showed that adverse MRI features as macroscopic ECE on MRI (mECE+), capsular disruption, high tumor capsular contact length (TCCL), GS≥8, positive surgical margins (PSM), and pECE+ on pathology were risk factors for BCR. In low/intermediate-risk patients (pECE- and GS &lt;(4+4)) the presence of adverse MRI features, has been shown to increase the risk of BCR. Conclusions: The study highlights the importance of incorporating predictive MRI features for detecting extracapsular extension pre-surgery in influencing early outcomes and clinical decision-making; mECE+, TCCL, capsular disruption, and GS≥8 based on pre-surgical biopsy were independent prognostic factors for early BCR. The presence of adverse features on MRI can assist in identifying low/intermediate-risk patients who would benefit from closer monitoring.

A mild, efficient, and photocatalytic synthesis of 6-phosphorylated phenanthridines via tandem radical addition/cyclization/aromatization of 2-isocyanobiphenyls with diarylphosphine oxides is reported. The method features operational simplicity, metal-free conditions, using low-cost rose Bengal as catalyst and sustainable air as terminal oxidant at room temperature, and providing the desired products in moderate to good yields.

A new approach was presented in this study to simulate a stable atom along with subatomic particles in it. Subatomic particles in an atom are treated as conventional particles, exhibiting attraction and repulsion between them, giving a stable atom simulation. This new approach leads to developing new potentials for subatomic particles to simulate a stable atom. Subatomic particle dynamics (SPD) simulations were developed for within-atom simulations that give a stable atom structure for infinite time and provide many insights into electron trajectories and atom properties like energies and radius of the atom. The effect of protons and neutrons movement in the nucleus on electron trajectories was captured in SPD. Hydrogen and Carbon atom SPD were reported in this study. The Pilot-wave theory was implemented in this study to simulate the wave nature of subatomic particles in an atom. Electrons motion was guided by the interference pattern produced by the electron’s aether medium waves in SPD. SPD was implemented on molecules, resulting in a stable molecular structure giving insights into electron trajectories shared by multiple atoms.

CRCMSS/pMMR contain a significantly increased fraction of TREM2+ macrophages (TAMs) and CD66+ neutrophils (TANs) together with decrease of CD4-CD8-CD3+ double negative T lymphocytes (DNTs); no differences were revealed by the analysis of myeloid and plasmacytoid dendritic cell populations. A fraction of tumor-infiltrating T-cells display an exhausted phenotype, co-expressing PD-1 and TIM-3. Remarkably, expression of PD-L1 on fresh tumor cells and TAMs was undetectable even after in vitro stimulation with interferon-γ. These findings confirm the immune suppressive microenvironment of CRCMSS/pMMR characterized by dense infiltration of TAMs, occurrence of TANs, lack of DNTs, T-cell exhaustion and interferon-γ unresponsiveness by host and tumor cells. Appropriate bypass strategies should consider these combinations of immune escape mechanisms in CRCMSS/pMMR.

A brief technical and economic insight into producing the water-soluble yellow colorant limocitrol 3-O-6”-[3-hydroxyl-3-methylglutaryl)])-β-D-glucopyranoside from waste lemon peel via simple solid-liquid extraction in aqueous ethanol or via hydrodynamic cavitation of waste lemon peel in water, shows that the biocolorant can be obtained at affordable cost. Coupled to the simplicity and sustainability of the extraction processes suggested, the high chemical and physical stability of this polymethoxylated flavanol and the health benefits of citrus flavonoids, support industrialization of this new bioeconomy production.

Objective: We determined, in stable ambulatory heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) subjects and matched controls, the capability of a novel blood based cardiac-specific cBIN1 Score (CS) to diagnose heart failure and prognosticate future hospitalization. Background: Heart failure (HF) poses a costly health care burden worldwide with rising prevalence. Abnormal calcium signaling is intrinsic to HF pathophysiology and correlates with reduced expression of a cardiac membrane scaffolding protein, cardiac bridging integrator 1 (cBIN1). We hypothesize that CS, a numerical score derived from plasma cBIN1 concentration, is a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker of HF. Methods: Plasma cBIN1 is quantified by an ELISA test, and CS is calculated as the natural log of the normalized reciprocal of plasma cBIN1 concentration. We determined CS among 52 clinically stable individuals with HFpEF (LVEF ≥ 50%) (mean age 57 ± 15 years old, 63% men) and 104 age and sex matched volunteers with no known history of HF. We obtained plasma concentrations of NT-proBNP, a marker of volume status, as comparison. Baseline co-morbidities and one year longitudinal clinical information were obtained through electronic medical records. Results: Median CS is 0 (IQR -0.4 – 0.6) in the control cohort and is increased to 1.8 in the HFpEF cohort (IQR 1.5 – 2.3, p < 0.0001). For HFpEF diagnosis, CS has a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) area under the curve (AUC) of 0.94 (95% CI 0.95 – 0.99) and NT-proBNP of 0.89 (95% CI 0.83 – 0.95). Kaplan-Meier analysis of one year cardiovascular hospitalizations reveals that HFpEF patients with CS ≥ 1.8 have a hazard ratio (HR) of 4.0 (95% CI 1.4 – 11.2, p=0.009). Combining CS ≥ 1.8 with NT-proBNP ≥ 300 pg/mL, increases HR to 21.4 (95% CI 2.7 – 171.6, p=0.004). Conclusions: In a cohort of stable ambulatory HF patients with cardiomyopathies of multiple etiologies and preserved ejection fraction, a positive CS correlates with worsening myocardial health and predicts future hospitalization. CS, a marker of cardiac muscle health, provides a novel index to informing the management of stable ambulatory HF patients.

Objective: We determined, in stable ambulatory heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) subjects and matched controls, the capability of a novel blood based cardiac-specific cBIN1 Score (CS), which assesses the health of cardiac muscle, to identify patients with known heart failure (HF) and to prognosticate future hospitalization. Background: Limited clinical tools are available in assessing cardiac muscle health in stable ambulatory patients. Cardiac bridging integrator 1 (cBIN1) is a cardiomyocyte t-tubule membrane scaffolding protein which regulates calcium signaling in cardiomyocytes, decreases in failing muscle, and is present in plasma in levels that correlate with cardiac content. We hypothesize that CS, a normalized index of plasma cBIN1 concentration, can function as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker of HF. Methods: Plasma cBIN1 concentration is measured by an ELISA test, and CS is calculated as the natural log of the ratio of a constant population mean cBIN1 to measured cBIN1 concentration. We determined CS among 125 clinically stable individuals with HFrEF (LVEF ≤ 40%) (mean age 56 ± 10 years old, 79% men) and 125 age, sex matched volunteers with no known history of HF. We obtained plasma concentrations of NT-proBNP, a marker of volume status, as comparison. Baseline co-morbidities and 18-month longitudinal clinical information were obtained through electronic medical records. Results: CS follows a normal distribution with a median of 0 in the control population and median is significantly increased among HFrEF patients to 1.8 (IQR 1.4 – 2.1, p < 0.0001). CS diagnosed HFrEF with a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) area under the curve (AUC) of 0.93 (AUC is 0.98 for NT-proBNP, and combined CS and NT-proBNP AUC is 0.99). Unlike NT-proBNP, CS does not correlate with body mass index (BMI) in either the control or HFrEF population (Pearson’s r = -0.15, p = 0.12; Pearson’s r = 0.003, p = 0.97, respectively). NT-proBNP significantly correlates with renal function (Pearson’s r = -0.37, p = 0.001), while CS also has no correlation (Pearson’s r = 0.03, p = 0.71). During an 18-month follow-up, a high CS ≥ 1.8 at the initial visit predicted future cardiovascular hospitalizations (38% vs. 21%, p = 0.04, hazard ratio 2.0). NT-proBNP did not predict future cardiovascular hospitalizations. Conclusions: Plasma cBIN1 based CS is insensitive to BMI and renal function and differentiates myocardial health between patients with HFrEF versus matched controls. An abnormally high CS reflected poor intrinsic myocardial health and can predict future 18-month cardiac hospitalization in stable ambulatory patients.

Development of the self-cleaning and anti-fogging superhydrophobic coating for aluminum surfaces which is durable in the aggressive conditions has raised tremendous interest in materials science. In this work, by employing chemical etching technique with mixture of hydrochloric and nitric acid, followed by passivation with lauric acid, superhydrophobic aluminum surface was synthesized. The surface morphology analysis reveals the presence of rough microstructures on coated aluminium surface. Superhydrophobicity with water contact angle of 170 ± 3.9° and sliding angle of 4 ± 0.5° is achieved. Surface bounces off the high speed water jet, indicating excellent water-repellent nature of coating. It is also continuously floated on water surface for several weeks, showing excellent buoyancy nature. Additionally, coating maintains its superhydrophobicity after undergoing 100 cycles of adhesive tape peeling test. Its superhydrophobic nature withstands 90° and 180° bending, and repeated folding and de-folding. Coating exhibits the excellent self-cleaning property. In low temperature condensation test, almost no accumulation of water drops on the surface, showing the excellent anti-fogging property of coating. This approach can be applied to any size and shape of aluminium surface and hence has great industrial applications.

Zagros is an important region with high quality and quantity karstic water resources in the Middle East. This region provides a dominant part of potable and agricultural water needs for its inhabitants as well as agricultural water needs for nearby regions. Therefore, studying karstic water resources in Zagros by accurate methods such as stable isotopes techniques is very important. In this investigation, hydrological characteristics of groundwater resources including groundwater origin, recharge rate and recharge elevation have been studied using stable isotopes (¹⁸O and ²H). The results show that stable isotopes signatures in groundwater resources show notable variations across Zagros and groundwater resource mainly plot on south and west Zagros meteoric water lines. In addition, recharge elevation and recharge rate in groundwater resources also show significant variations in Zagros. Finally, the stable isotopes signatures in precipitation and groundwater has been used to study the role of each dominant air mass (contribution percentage of precipitation events originate from each air mass) in groundwater resources recharge using Simmr package in R language. Overall, groundwater resources in Zagros is recharged by precipitation events originate from various air masses and they have various recharge rates and recharge elevations.

This study reports the preparation of silica and nano-fructosome encapsulated Candida antarctica lipase B particles (CalB@NF@SiO2) and demonstration of their enzymatic hydrolysis and acylation. CalB@NF@SiO2 particles were prepared as a function of TEOS concentration (3-100 mM). Their mean particle size was 185 nm by TEM. Enzymatic hydrolysis was performed to compare catalytic efficiencies of CalB@NF and CalB@NF@SiO2. Catalytic constants (Km, Vmax, and Kcat) of CalB@NF and CalB@NF@SiO2 were calculated with Michaelis-Menten equation and Line-weaver Burk plot. Optimal stability of CalB@NF@SiO2 was found at pH 8 and temperature of 35 ℃. Moreover, CalB@NF@SiO2 particles were reused for seven cycles to evaluate their reusability. In addition, enzymatic synthesis of benzyl benzoate was demonstrated by an acylation reaction with benzoic anhydride. The efficiency of CalB@NF@SiO2 for converting benzoic anhydride to benzyl benzoate by the acylation reaction was 97%, indicating that benzoic anhydride was almost completely converted to benzyl benzoate. Consequently, CalB@NF@SiO2 particles are better than CalB@NF particles for enzymatic synthesis. In addition, they are reusable with high stability at optimal pH and temperature.

The accuracy of multi-parametric MRI (mpMRI) in pre-operative staging of prostate cancer (PCa) remains controversial. Objective: To evaluate the ability of mpMRI to accurately predict PCa extra-prostatic extension (EPE) on a side-specific basis using a risk-stratified 5-point Likert scale. This study also aimed to assess the influence of mpMRI scan quality on diagnostic accuracy. Patients and Methods: We included 124 men who underwent robot-assisted RP (RARP) as part of the NeuroSAFE PROOF study at our centre. Three radiologists retrospectively reviewed mpMRI blinded to RP pathology and assigned a Likert score (1-5) for EPE on each side of the prostate. Each scan was also ascribed a Prostate Imaging Quality (PI-QUAL) score for assessing the quality of the mpMRI scan, where 1 represents poorest and 5 represents best diagnostic quality. Outcome measurements and statistical analyses: Diagnostic performance is presented for binary classification of EPE including 95% confidence intervals and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Results: A total of 231 lobes from 121 men (mean age 56.9 years) were evaluated. 39 men (32.2%), or 43 lobes (18.6%) had EPE. Likert score ≥3 had sensitivity (SE), specificity (SP), NPV, PPV of 90.4%, 52.3%, 96%, 29.9%, respectively, and AUC was 0.82 (95% CI: 0.77-0.86). AUC was 0.63 (95% CI: 0.37-0.9), 0.77 (0.71-0.84) and 0.92 (0.88-0.96) for biparametric scans, PI-QUAL 1-3 and PI-QUAL 4-5 scans, respectively. Conclusions: MRI can be used effectively by genitourinary radiologists to rule out EPE and help inform surgical planning for men undergoing RARP. EPE prediction was more reliable when the MRI scan was a) multi-parametric and b) of a higher image quality according to the PI-QUAL scoring system.

To present surgical methods and outcomes of neobladder-vaginal fistula (NVF) repair after radical cystectomy (RC) with ileal orthotopic neobladder (IONB). Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 136 women who underwent RC with IONB for bladder cancer between January 2010 and December 2018. The NVF was confirmed by cystoscopy and/or voiding cystography. NVF repair was performed using a transvaginal approach, which included circumferential incision of the fistula tract, creation of a plane between the neobladder serosa and the vaginal epithelium, and multi-layered transvaginal closure. Results: During a median follow-up of 47.9 months, NVF was identified in 12 (8.8%) women. Eight fistulas were located in the proximal anterior vaginal wall and four in the vaginal apex. Median time from RC to NVF repair was 3.4 months. Median NVF size and duration of urethral Foley catheter indwelling was 6.0 mm and 24.0 days, respectively. Initial repair of NVF was successful in ten (83.3%) patients. Two (16.7%) patients who relapsed retained IONB through the subsequent operation. Two (16.7%) patients developed urinary incontinence after NVF repair, requiring anti-incontinence surgery. Conclusions: The transvaginal approach for NVF repair is feasible, yielding successful surgical outcomes. However, women should be counseled about the risks of relapse and urinary incontinence.

This paper presents a wideband dual-polarized dipole antenna structure operating at 1.7-3.8 GHz (76.4%). For a traditional 4G dipole antenna which covers the band 1.71 GHz- 2.69 GHz, it’s difficult to maintain the satisfactory impedance matching and normal stable radiation patterns within the 5G sub-6 GHz band 3.3-3.8 GHz, which mainly due to the fixed antenna height is no longer a quarter-wavelength. To solve this, a connected-ring-shaped metasurface structure is proposed and deployed to operate as an artificial magnetic conductor (AMC). As a result, stable antenna radiation patterns are obtained within the whole band 1.7-3.8 GHz. For verification, this wideband dipole antenna using AMC is implemented and tested. The measured results show that the proposed antenna has an impedance bandwidth of 80.7% (1.7-4.0 GHz). It has an average measured in-band realized gain of 7.0±1.0 dBi and a stable 70∘±5∘ half power beam width (HPBW) within the 4G/5G-sub 6GHz bands 1710-2690 MHz and 3300-3800 MHz.

We introduce a model of a passive optical cavity based on the two-dimensional Lugiato-Lefever equation, with a localized pump carrying intrinsic vorticity S, and the cubic or cubic-quintic nonlinearity. Up to S = 5, stable vortex-ring states (vortex pixels) are produced by a variational approximation and in a numerical form. Surprisingly, vast stability areas of the vortex states are found, for both the self-focusing and defocusing signs of the nonlinearity, in the plane of the pump-strength and loss parameters. When the vortex-rings are unstable, they are destroyed by azimuthal perturbations which break the axial symmetry. The results suggest new possibilities for mode manipulations in nonlinear optical media.

In this study, we first present a time-fractional L$\hat{e}$vy diffusion equation of the exponential option pricing models of European option pricing and the risk-neutral parameter. Then, we modify a particular L$\hat{e}$vy-time fractional diffusion equation of European-style options. Introduce a more general model from the models based on the L$\hat{e}$vy-time fractional diffusion equation and review some recent findings regarding of the Europe option pricing of risk-neutral free.

The aim of the study is to evaluate the predictive factors of response to induction chemotherapy in patients with resectable NSCLC, treated at the unit of Thoracic Surgery of Siena University Hospital with radical surgery. From January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2020, 78 patients were recruited. We analyzed the outcomes in terms of 5-years OS based on the Estimated Regression Rate, N2 downstaging and age; two patients’ subgroups were created by age (Group A: age &lt;66 years-old; Group B: age &gt;66 years-old). No 5-year OS difference was observed based on age, while it was observed in patients with N2 downstaging (p=0.031). Bewtween patients with N2 downstaging, only patients in Group A had a significantly increased 5-year OS (p=0.019), while this was not observed in Group B (p=0-321); the same result was observed with the Estimated Regression Rate &gt; 50% (Group A p=0.005; Group B p=0.391). The percentage of disease regression and the N2 down-staging after induction chemotherapy have great value on the survival, although this advantage seems to be observed mostly in younger patients. A multidisciplinary oncologic discussion of clinical cases could provide support in the careful selection of the ideal patients to undergo neoadjuvant treatment before radical surgery.

Carbazole is one of the typical heterocyclic aromatic compounds (NSO-HETs) observed in pol-luted urban atmosphere, which has become a serious environmental concern. The most im-portant atmospheric loss process of carbazole is the reaction with OH radical. The present work investigated the mechanism of OH-initiated atmospheric oxidation degradation of carbazole by using density functional theory (DFT) calculations at the M06-2X/6-311++G(3df,2p)//M06-2X/6-311+G(d,p) level. The rate constants were determined by the Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus (RRKM) theory. The lifetime of carbazole determined by OH was compared with other typical NSO-HETs. The theoretical results show that the degradation of carbazole initiated by OH radical includes four types of reactions: OH additions to “bend” C atoms, OH additions to “benzene ring” C atoms, H abstractions from C-H bonds and the H ab-straction from N-H bond. The OH addition to C1 atom and the H abstraction from N-H bond are energetically favorable. The main oxidation products are hydroxycarbazole, dialdehyde, carba-zolequinone, carbazole-ol, hydroxy-carbazole-one and hydroperoxyl-carbazole-one. The calcu-lated overall rate constant of carbazole oxidation by OH radical is 6.52 × 10−12 cm3 molecule−1 s−1 and the atmospheric lifetime is 43.92 h under the condition of 298 K and 1 atm. The lifetime of carbazole determined by OH radical is similar with that of dibenzothiophene oxidation but longer than those of pyrrole, indole, dibenzofuran and fluorene. This work provides a better understanding of the reactivity of carbazole in the atmospheric environment, the formation of secondary organic aerosols, and the chemical degradation and removal of carbazole in the at-mospheric environment.

This article presents, for the first time, the kinetics and the general conversion features of a 3-initiator system (A/B/N), based on proposed mechanism of Mokbel et al, for both free radical polymerization (FRP) of acrylates and the free radical promoted cationic polymerization (CP) of epoxides using copper complex as the initiator. Higher FRP and CP conversion can be achieved by co-initiators concentration [B] and [N], via the dual function of (i) regeneration [A], and (ii) generation of extra radicals S' and S. The FRP and CP conversion is proportional to, respectively, the nonlinear and linear power of bI[A][B], where b and I are the absorption coefficient and the light intensity, respectively. System in air has lower conversion than in laminate due to the oxygen inhibition effects. For thick samples (with thickness z), there is an optimal concentration [A*] which is inverse proportional (bzI), in contrast with very thin sample, in which the conversion is an increasing function of [A] and [B]. The unique feature of dark polymerization in CP conversion enables the polymerization to continue in living mode, in contrasts with that of the radical-mediated pathway in most conventional FRP. The measured results of Mokbel et al are well analyzed and matching the predicted features of our modeling.

Recently, the indications for Cochlear Implant (CI) have also been extended to subjects with Single Sided Deafness (SSD) in order to restore binaural hearing. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the advantages of CI following one year of usage in SSD subjects. Secondarily we want to assess the long-term stability of the CI. 57 participants performed a complete audiological assessment (speech audiometry in quiet and in noise and localization test). For each was also evaluated subjective hearing profile (with Speech Spatial and Qualities_SSQ questionnaire) and the impact of tinnitus (with the use of Tinnitus Handicap Inventory_THI questionnaire) After one year of CI usage, we observed a significant improvement in speech-to-noise ratio, in sound localization abilities, in the Speech (p-value 0.001) and Spatial (p-value 0.001) subscales of the SSQ questionnaire and in THI questionnaire (p-value 0.001). The improvements in speech in noise and localization abilities and the reduction of the SSQ and THI questionnaires scores were maintained over time (6th to 60th month follow-up). Only eight participants did not fully utilize the CI. CI in SSD represents an effective method for improving speech recognition in noisy environments, restoring sound localization abilities, reducing tinnitus and improve subjective listening skills.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have emerged as a promising solution to tackle bacterial infections and combat antibiotic resistance. However, their clinical application has been hindered by their vulnerability to protease degradation and toxicity towards mammalian cells. To overcome these challenges, our study aims to develop a method to enhance the stability and safety of AMPs, applicable to effective drug-device combination products. KR12 antimicrobial peptide was chosen and in order to further enhance its delivery and efficacy, HIV TAT protein-derived cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) was fused to form CPP-KR12. A new product, CPP-KR12@Si, was developed by forming silica nanoparticles with self-entrapped CPP-KR12 peptide using the biomimetic silica precipitability due to its cationic nature. Peptide delivery from CPP-KR12@Si to bacteria and cells was delivered at a slightly delayed rate with improved stability against trypsin treatment and a reduction in cytotoxicity over CPP-KR12. Finally, the antimicrobial potential of CPP-KR12@Si/bone graft substitute (BGS) combination product was demonstrated, which is coated with CPP-KR12 in the form of nanoparticles on the surface of BGS. Self-entrapped AMP in silica nanoparticles is a safe and effective AMP delivery method that will be useful for developing a drug/device combination product for tissue regeneration.

Two gallium porphyrins, a tetraphenyl GaCl porphyrin, termed as (TPP)GaCl, and an octaethylporphyrin GaCl porphyrin, termed as (OEP)GaCl were synthesized to use as electron cascade in ternary organic bulk heterojunction films. A perfect matching of both gallium porphyrins energy levels with that of poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) or poly[N-9′-heptadecanyl-2,7-carbazole-alt-5,5-(4′,7′-di-2-thienyl-2′,1′,3′-benzothiadiazole)] (PCDTBT) polymer donor and the 6,6-phenyl C71 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) fullerene acceptor forming an efficient cascade system that could facilitate electron transfer between donor and acceptor was demonstrated. Therefore, ternary organic solar cells (OSCs) using the two porphyrins in various concentration were fabricated, where a performance enhancement was obtained. In particular, (TPP)GaCl-based ternary OSCs of low concentration (1:0.05 vv%) exhibited a ~17 % increase of the power conversion efficiency (PCE) compared with the binary device due to improved exciton dissociation, electron transport and reduced recombination. On the other hand, ternary OSCs with the (TPP)GaCl of high concentration (1:0.1 vv%) and (OEP)GaCl (1:0.05 and 1:0.1 vv%) showed poorest efficiencies due to very rough nanomorphology and suppressed crystallinity of ternary films when the GaCl porphyrin introduced in the blend, as revealed from X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The best performed devices exhibited also improved photostability, when exposed to sunlight illumination for a period of 8 h than the binary OSCs, attributed to the suppressed photodegradation of the ternary (TPP)GaCl 1:0.05-based photoactive film.

Considerable amounts of agro-industrial by-products are discarded or burnt as fuel every year. However, they can be utilized as a valuable source of fiber, phenolics and other useful compounds such as antioxidants. The profile of beneficial compounds can be affected by genotype, locality, orchard management and productive season, adding or decreasing the bioactive potential of by-products. In this study, hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) and walnut (Juglans regia L.) nutshells were investigated for their fiber content and antioxidant capacity as valorized by-products for the industry. Determinations (ORAC, TPC and color asses) were performed in hazelnut and walnut orchards located in Southern Chile during three consecutive seasons (2020/21; 2021/22 and 2022/23). Analyses of oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) in nutshells showed the highest ORAC from both species in the season 2020/21 (3217 µmol TE g1DW for hazelnut shells and 4663 µmol TE g DW1 for walnut shells), while variability in the consecutive seasons was lower for hazelnut than in walnut. Total phenolic content in hazelnut shells was positively correlated with L* (R: 0.883) and E (R: 0.924) during 2020/21 season, also with L* for 2022/23 (R: 0.907). While ORAC was negatively correlated with L* (R: 0.922) in 2021/22. In addition, morphological and structural features of both nutshells examined by Scavenging Electron Microscopy (VP-SEM) and Confocal Scavenging Laser Microscopy (CSLM) revealed differential tissue distribution and accumulation patterns of both cellulose and lignin. On the other hand, photo-colorimetric values were determined for both shells and corresponding seasons, and non-significative differences were found both shells and among seasons Finally, these results provide insight into the physicochemical characteristics of two shell types which should be considered together with antioxidant capacity in their valorization as a residual material.

The demographic profile of patients transitioning from chronic kidney disease to renal replacement therapy is changing, with a higher prevalence of aging patients with multiple comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus and heart failure. Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of mortality in this population, exacerbated by the cardiovascular stress imposed by the HD procedure. The first year after transitioning to hemodialysis is associated with increased risks of hospitalization and mortality, particularly within the first 90–120 days, with greater vulnerability observed among the elderly. This review, based on data from clinics of Fresenius Medical Care Europe, Middle East, and Africa NephroCare, aims to optimize hemodialysis procedures to reduce mortality risk in stable incident and prevalent patients. It addresses critical aspects such as treatment duration, frequency, choice of dialysis membrane, dialysate composition, blood and dialysate flow rates, electrolyte composition, temperature control, target weight management, dialysis adequacy, and additional protocols, with a focus on mitigating prevalent intradialytic complications, particularly intradialytic hypotension prevention.

For our research on droplet deformation and breakup in scaled high-pressure homogenizing units we developed a pressure stable inline droplet generator. It consists of an optically accessible flow channel with a combination of stainless steel and glass capillaries and a 3D printed orifice. The droplet size is determined online by live image analysis. The influence of the orifice diameter, the mass flow of the continuous phase and the mass flow of the disperse phase on the droplet diameter was investigated. Furthermore, the droplet detachment mechanisms were identified. Droplet diameters with small diameter fluctuation between 175 µm and 500 µm could be realized, which allows a precise adjustment of the Ca and We Number in the subsequent scaled high pressure homogenizer disruption unit. The determined influence of geometry and process parameters on the resulting droplet size and droplet detachment mechanism agreed well with literature on microfluidics. Furthermore, droplet trajectories in an exemplary scaled high-pressure homogenizer disruption unit are presented which show that the droplets can be reinjected on a trajectory close to the center axis or close to the wall, which should result in different stresses on the droplets.

Monin-Obukhov similarity theory (MOST) overestimates wind shear in some atmospheric stable conditions, i.e. Richardson number $R_f<0.25$. The overestimated wind shear that leads to an under-predicted friction wind speed and a lower ambient turbulence intensity for a given hub-height reference wind speed and a given roughness length, could influence wake modeling of a wind turbine. This work investigates the side effects of the breakdown of MOST on wake modeling under stable conditions and makes some modifications to the flow similarity functions to eliminate these side effects. Based on a field measurement in a wind farm, we firstly show that MOST predicts a larger wind shear for the atmospheric stability parameter $\zeta>0.1$ and proposes new flow similarity functions without constraining $R_f$ to limit the overestimated wind shear by MOST. Next, different turbulence models based on MOST and a modified one based on the new similarity functions are investigated through numerical simulations. These turbulence models are combined with the actuator disk model (AD) and Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations (RANS) to model wind turbine wakes under stable conditions. As compared to measurements, numerical results show that turbulence models based on MOST result in larger wake deficits and slower wake recovery rate with a square root of the mean-squared-error (RSME) of wake deficit in the range of 0.07-0.18. This overestimated wake effect is improved by applying the new similarity functions and the RSME of wake deficit is averagely reduced by 0.05. Finally, we check the role of the under-predicted turbulence intensity playing in the larger wake deficit predicted by models based MOST. Additional numerical simulations using the modified turbulence model are carried out, in which the roughness length is reduced to impose a hub-height ambient turbulence intensity equivalent to the MOST case. Simulation results show that reducing turbulence intensity enhances wake effects, however, it cannot reproduce the large wake deficit predicted by models based on MOST, which suggests that the overestimated wake effect by MOST could be also related to the overestimated wind shear.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is most commonly observed in male patients. Although PCa progresses relatively slowly, high-risk PCa is associated with an increased risk of lymph nodes, distant metastases, and PCa-related death. Several guidelines recommend radiation therapy (RT) of the prostate combined with long-term androgen deprivation therapy for high-risk PCa. A comparison of clinical outcomes between radical prostatectomy (RP) and RT for high-risk PCa by propensity score-matched analysis showed that RP had a significantly higher risk of biochemical recurrence than RT. However, the combination of neoadjuvant chemohormonal therapy followed by RP may be more likely to achieve a cure when overall survival is considered the primary endpoint. In this review, we aimed to confirm the oncological outcomes of RP and RT for high-risk PCa and highlight the importance of neoadjuvant therapy followed by RP for high-risk PCa.

Numerous studies were published suggesting that troponin level is related to adverse outcomes in chronic cardiac and non-cardiac conditions. Our study investigated whether troponin levels gathered from an unselected blood sample taken during outpatient care are associated with adverse outcomes in a population with stable coronary artery disease. In a cohort of 949 patients with stable coronary artery disease, average age of 67.5 ± 9.5 years, 69.5% male, 52.1% diabetics, 51.6% with previous myocardial infarction, 57.9% with triple-vessel disease, 21.7% of patients encountered new events during an average period of monitoring of 2.07 ± 0.81 years. Troponin I/99th percentile categorized into tertiles emerged as an independent predictor of death and combined events risk (hazard ratio: 2.02 (1.13-3.60), p=0.017; 2.30 (1.37-3.88, p=0.002, respectively). A troponin ratio > 0.24 was able to identify 53.3% of patients at risk of death and heart failure hospitalization. In patients with stable coronary artery disease and adherent to treatment, troponin level is independently associated with death and heart failure hospitalization in a medium-term follow up.

The purpose of this study was to elucidate patterns and mechanisms driving seasonal and inter-annual variations of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes in the zooplankton crustacean commu-nity of Lake Maggiore (Italy), during the period 2009-2020. Different zooplankton taxa and groups revealed different ranges of d13C signatures, giving an insight into food sources and niche partition. In particular, cyclopoids had a restricted range with most negative d13C‰ values and increase in d13C fractionation with the establishment of water thermal vertical stratification, high-lighting the importance of vertical distribution as key factor for taxa coexistence in a vertically heterogenous environment. d13C of the zooplankton community and of Daphnia were positively related to water temperature (R2=0.58 p <0.0001 and R2=0.68 p <0.0001, respectively) and d13C Daphnia signature to chlorophyll-a (R2=0.32, p < 0.0001). Decomposition of time series data for zooplankton carbon and nitrogen signatures and environmental parameters identified increasing trends in water temperature, chlorophyll-a and water conductivity and decrease in nitrate, that matched changes in carbon isotopic signature trend in some zooplankton taxa (Bosmina, Daphnia and diaptomids). Overall, the observed patterns in zooplankton isotopic signatures were interpreted as integrations of climate warming effects in Lake Maggiore, affecting both food sources availability and environmental conditions.

Abstract: This work is part of the interest of solving the problems of water contamination with last generation pollutants, for which a novel and in an aqueous medium FeBTC material incorporated with magnetite nanoparticles was proposed. That material was synthesized by in situ solvothermal method, the Fe3O4 nanoparticles were added during the Fe-BTC MOF synthesis and used in the drug’s adsorption. The materials were characterized by XRD, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy, and N2-physisorption at 77 K. Fe3O4-FeBTC material showed a maximum adsorption capacity of 357.1 mg g−1 for diclofenac sodium, 70.9 mg g−1 for naproxen sodium, and 122.9 mg g−1 for Ibuprofen. A pseudo-second-order kinetic model can describe the adsorption process, and the thermodynamic study revealed that the adsorption of the three drugs was a feasible, spontaneous, and exothermic process. The incorporation of magnetite nanoparticles in the FeBTC considerably increased the adsorption capacity of pristine FeBTC. Also, hybridization of the FeBTC with magnetite nanoparticles reinforced the most vulnerable part of the MOF, increasing its thermal and aqueous media stability. The electrostatic interaction, H-bonding, and interactions in the open-metal sites played a vital role in drug adsorption. The competition of sites in the multicomponent mixture's adsorption showed selective adsorption at diclofenac sodium and naproxen sodium.

The paper explores the Kullback-Leibler divergence formalism (KLDF) applied to the stable MG1 queue manifold. More potentially, both service time probability and cumulative functions which make KLDF exact are obtained. The credibility of KLDF is justified through consistency axioms. Some potential applications of Kullback-Leibler divergence to Biometry are presented. The paper concludes with closing remarks combined with some challenging open problems and the next phase of research.

In the context of energy decarbonization, wind farms with type IV wind turbines from various manufacturers are being massively put into operation. These wind turbines comply with the requirements of the grid codes of the countries where they are designed and/or manufactured, but do not factor in the specific features of the distribution networks of other countries to which they are connected. The study at issue involves a comparative analysis of the requirements of grid codes of different countries for the stable operation of wind turbines under standard disturbances. The Low Voltage Ride Through (LVRT) characteristic implemented in type IV wind turbine inverters makes it possible to prevent wind turbine shutdowns in case of short-term voltage dips of a given depth and duration. The calculations of transient processes indicate that wind turbines may not meet the requirements of the grid code of a particular country for their stable operation. As a result, standard disturbances will block the reactive current injection and the wind turbine will be switched off. This is often caused by the relay protection devices with a time delay of 1-2 s, which are used in distribution networks and implement the functions of long-range redundancy. Excessive shutdowns of wind turbines lead to emergency rise in the load for the generating units of conventional power plants, aggravating the post-accident conditions and disconnecting consumers of electricity. The paper presents a method for checking the LVRT characteristic settings for compliance with the technical requirements for wind turbines. To prevent wind turbine outages, one should either change the configuration of the LVRT characteristic, or upgrade the relay protection devices in the distribution network adjacent to the wind farm, or implement group or individual technical solutions at the wind farm. The performance of the proposed technical solutions is confirmed by the calculations of transient processes.