We have performed first-principles calculations to study the interfacial exchange coupling and magnetocrystalline anisotropy (MCA) energy in a SmCo₅/Sm₂Co₁₇ multilayer model systems. The phase of SmCo₅ and Sm₂Co₁₇ stacking along (0001) direction are structurally well matched. The atomic structure, including the alignment and the separation between layers, were firstly optimized. Then the non-collinear magnetic structures were calculated to explore the exchange coupling across the interface and the variation of MCA energy. We found that the inter-phase exchange coupling strength, rotating behavior and MCA energy are strongly dependent on the atomic thickness of the SmCo₅ and Sm₂Co₁₇ phase.

Stress is a critical factor in the development of mental disorders such as addiction, underscoring the importance of stress resilience strategies. While the ketogenic diet (KD) has shown efficacy in reducing alcohol consumption in male mice without cognitive impairment, its impact on the stress response and addiction development, especially in females, remains unclear. This study examined the KD's effect on increasing ethanol intake due to vicarious social defeat (VSD) in female mice. Sixty-four female OF1 mice were divided into two dietary groups: standard diet (n=32) and KD (n=32). These were further split based on exposure to four VSD or exploration sessions, creating four groups: EXP-STD (n=16), VSD-STD (n=16), EXP-KD (n=16), and VSD-KD (n=16). KD-fed mice maintained ketosis from adolescence until the fourth VSD/EXP session, after which they switched to a standard diet. The Social Interaction Test was performed 24 hours after the last VSD session. Three weeks post-VSD, the Drinking in the Dark test and Oral Ethanol Self-Administration assessed ethanol consumption. The results showed that KD blocked the increase in ethanol consumption induced by VSD in females. Moreover, among other changes, KD increased the expression of the ADORA1 and CNR1 genes, which are associated with mechanisms modulating neurotransmission. Our results pointed to KD as a useful tool to increase resilience to social stress in female mice.

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

A great deal of studies have assessed the expression of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) as well as their relevant molecular functions and biological mechanisms in the individuals of alcohol dependence. Alcohol dependence is one of the most prevalent neuropsychological disorders worldwide, and its pathogenesis is intricate and inadequately understood. There is considerable evidence demonstrating substantial links between multiple genetic factors and the development of alcohol dependence. Critical roles of ncRNAs have been emphasized in the pathophysiology of mental diseases including alcohol dependence. In the comprehension of ncRNAs action and their mechanisms of modification, they have emerged as therapeutic targets for a variety of psychiatric illness including alcohol dependence. Worth mentioning, dysregulated expression of ncRNAs has been regularly detected in individuals of alcohol dependence. An in-depth knowledge of roles of ncRNAs and m6A modification may be valuable for the development of a novel treatment against alcohol dependence. In general, a deeper comprehension of functional roles ncRNAs may make significant contributions to the precise diagnosis and/or actual treatment of alcohol dependence. Here in this review, we mostly focused on the up-to-date knowledge regarding alterations and/or modifications in the expression of ncRNAs in alcohol dependence, and then, presented their prospects for future research and therapeutic application with a novel concept of engram-system.

Functional partially linear regression model, contains a functional linear part and a non-parametric part, in which testing the linear relationship between the response and the functional predictor is of fundamental importance. When functional data cannot be approximated with a few principal components, based on a pseudo estimate for the unknown non-parametric component, we develop a U-statistic of order-two in this paper. Under some regularity conditions, we use the martingale central limit theorem to prove that the proposed test statistic is asymptotically normal. The finite sample performance with simulation studies and real data application are assessed to verify the proposed test procedure.

In this study, the dependence between Bitcoin (BTC) and economic policy uncertainty (EPU) of USA and China is estimated by applying latest methodology of quantile cross-spectral dependence. The findings indicate a positive return interdependence between BTC and EPU is high in short-term, and this dependence decreases as investment horizons increase from weekly to yearly. The information on above interdependence is also extracted by applying wavelet coherence analysis and the estimation results suggest that correlation between BTC and EPU is positive during short-term investment horizon. Furthermore, more diversification benefits of BTC can be obtained during USA-EPU as compared to China-EPU.

Harmful algal blooms are a serious problem for humanity, so the development of tools and methods for their timely detection is an urgent task. The use of optical methods often allows scientists to solve problems of remote and automated monitoring. Temperature spectra of fluorescence can be used as distinctive features of algae, and the fluorescence parameters obtained from them can be used for identification. The paper presents a description of the fluorescence parameters of Alexandrium catenella, and shows their stability during cumulative cultivation. In addition, the cytometric properties of the culture and its pigment composition were studied. In addition, the article compares all the studied properties of this microalga with the alga Prorocentrum cordatum. We demonstrated clear differences in their fluorescence parameters, which makes it possible to distinguish these microalgae by optical methods, for example, during their dominant blooms.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationships between bat swing speed (BSS) and muscle thickness and lateral asymmetry of the trunk and limbs in collegiate baseball players. Twenty-four collegiate baseball players participated in this study. The maximum BSS in hitting a teed ball was measured using a motion capture system. The muscle thicknesses of the trunk (upper abdominal rectus, central abdominal rectus, lower abdominal rectus, abdominal wall, and multifidus lumborum), upper limb, and lower limb were measured using a B-mode ultrasonography. Lateral asymmetry between each pair of muscles was determined as the ratio of the thickness of the dominant side to that of the non-dominant side. Significant positive correlations were observed between BSS and muscle thicknesses of the abdominal wall and multifidus lumborum on the dominant side (r = 0.426 and 0.431, respectively; p < 0.05), while nearly significant positive correlations were observed between BSS and muscle thicknesses on the non-dominant side. No significant correlations were found between BSS and lateral asymmetry of all muscles. These findings indicate the importance of the trunk muscles for bat swing, and the lack of association between BSS and lateral asymmetry of muscle size.

:Peat substrate is made from peat from drained peatlands, which is a limited resource. A realistic estimate is that 50% of the world’s wetlands have been lost. Peat is used in horticulture, especially for the cultivation of vegetables in greenhouses. The consequences of peatland exploitation are an in-crease in the greenhouse effect and a decrease in carbon stocks. Wood fiber can be used as an al-ternative to peat. The chemical properties of the growing media interact and change continuously due to the small volume of the growing media, which is limited by the growing container. This study aims to gain new knowledge on the impact of nutrient changes in the microbial degradation of carbon compounds in wood fiber and mixtures with peat substrate on the content and uptake of nutrients required by plants. Cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L.) variety “Dirigent H” developed in the Netherlands, were cultivated in growing media of peat substrate and wood fiber: (1) peat substrate (PS); (2) wood fiber (WF); (3) wood fiber and peat substrate 50/50 v/v (WF/PS 50/50); (4) wood fiber and peat substrate 25/75 v/v (WF/PS 25/75). The rates of fertilization were the following: (1) con-ventional fertilization (CF); (2) N13; (3) N23; (4) N30. The experiment was carried out in three repli-cations. As the amount of wood fiber increased, the humidity and pH of the growing medium in-creased. Fertilization of cucumbers with different rates of nitrogen influenced the nutrient uptake. Plants grown in 50/50 and 25/75 growing media had the best Cu uptake when fertilized with N23. When the plants grown in the wood fiber media and the 50/50 media were fertilized with N13, N23, and N30, the Mn content in the growing media at the end of the growing season was significantly lower than the Mn content in the media with conventional fertilization. Thus, nitrogen improved the uptake of Mn by plants grown not only in the wood fiber but also in combinations with peat sub-strate. Growing plants in wood fiber and fertilizing them with N13 can result in optimum uptake of micronutrients. The number and mass of cucumber fruits per plant were influenced by the amount of wood fiber in the growing media and the application of nitrogen fertilizer. The highest number of fruits and mass of fruits per plant was obtained significantly higher when cucumbers were grown on WF/PS 50/50 growing media with additional N13 fertilization.

The nozzle is the key element of the water jet generator for energy conversion. In order to explore the influence of the nozzle diameter on the pressure characteristics of the supercharged pulsed water jet plenum chamber, a supercharged pulsed water jet pressure acquisition system was established, and the Equations of motion and theoretical pressurization ratio equations of the supercharged pulsed water jet generator were established. The pressurization chamber pressure acquisition experiments under different nozzle diameters were carried out. The research results indicate that there is a critical nozzle diameter. When the nozzle diameter is less than the critical diameter, the pressure in the boost chamber is equal to the product of the driving pressure and boost ratio. As the nozzle changes, there is no significant change in the peak pressure and frequency of the boost chamber; When the nozzle diameter is greater than the critical diameter, there is a non-linear relationship between the boost chamber pressure and the driving pressure. As the nozzle diameter gradually increases, the actual boost ratio gradually decreases, and the peak pressure of the boost chamber further decreases. The nozzle diameter can no longer provide a load for the establishment of fluid pressure in the boost chamber. The research results provide a research basis for further controlling the pressure characteristics of the boost pulse water jet.

We aimed to determine whether A-mode ultrasound (US) can provide accurate and reliable measurements comparable to those obtained through B-mode US, under diverse conditions. Thirty healthy participants (15 female, 15 male) underwent measurements of subcutaneous fat thickness (SFT), muscle thickness (MT), and muscle quality (MQ) in the trapezius and biceps brachii muscle with both US modes after and before exercises designed to stimulate the respec-tive muscles. In three key indices, the results demonstrated high validity of A-mode, with min-imal mean differences between the two devices less than 0.91mm and intraclass correlation coef-ficients exceeding 0.95 at all measures. Also, Correlation coefficients between error scores and average scores for the trapezius and biceps brachii muscles suggested no evidence of systematic error. The trapezius MT and MQ significantly increased, and biceps brachii MT significantly in-creased after exercise (p<0.05). Notably, both A-mode and B-mode exhibited the same tendency in these post-exercise changes in muscle. This study suggests that low-cost and low-resolution A-mode US provides measurements of SFT, MT, and MQ similar to more expensive, high-resolution B-mode imaging. A-mode US can serve as an affordable and portable alternative for muscle assessment.

The purpose of this finite element analysis (FEA) was to evaluate the stress experienced by both the prosthetic components and the bone in relation to varying cement thicknesses ranging from 20 to 60 μm, utilized in the attachment of a zirconia crown on a conometric cap. The study focused on two distinct types of implants (Cyroth and TAC, AoN Implants, Grisignano di Zocco, Italy) featuring a Morse cone connection. Detailed three-dimensional (3D) models were created to repre-sent the bone structure (cortical and trabecular) and the prosthetic components, encompassing the crown, cement, cap, abutment, and the implant. The two implants were placed in a 1.5 mm sub-crestal position and subjected to an inclined load of 200 N at 45° on the crown. The results re-vealed that an increase in cement thickness resulted in a reduction of von Mises stress on the cor-tical bone for both Cyroth and TAC implants, while the decrease in stress on the trabecular bone was relatively less pronounced. However, the TAC implant exhibited a higher stress field and de-formation in the apical area compared to the Cyroth implant. In summary, this study investigated the impact of cement thickness on stress transmission across prosthetic components and peri-implant tissues by means of FEA analysis, indicating that the 60 μm cement layer manifested higher stress values nearing the material strength limit.

A random variable X that is base b Benford will not in general be base c Benford when c is not equal to b. This paper builds on two of my earlier papers and is an attempt to cast some light on the issue of base dependence. Following some introductory material, the “Benford spectrum” of a positive random variable is introduced and known analytic results about Benford spectra are summarized. Some standard machinery for a “Benford analysis” is introduced and combined with my method of “seed functions” to yield tools to analyze the base c Benford properties of a base b Benford random variable. Examples are generated by applying these general methods to several families of Benford random variables. Berger and Hill's concept of “base-invariant significant digits” is discussed. Some potential extensions are sketched.

Modular steel buildings (MSBs) interlocking inter-module connections (IMCs) have piqued researchers’ interest. However, the existing literature has not yet studied the optimisation of its plate thicknesses. This paper, therefore, focuses on optimising interlocking (IMCs) plate thickness in (MSBs), leveraging previous experimental and numerical simulation methodologies. Various numerical models for four MSBs interlocking (IMCs) with plate thicknesses (4 mm, 6 mm, 10 mm, and 12 mm) were developed under compression loading conditions. The study’s novelty lay in its comprehensive parametric analysis, which evaluated the slip phenomenon in (MSBs) connections and introduced a slip prediction model validated against empirical data. Further innovative machine learning approach was utilised to predict slip values based on applied force through a random forest regression model trained using the 'Treebagger' function. Sensitivity analysis and comparisons with alternative methods were utilised to underscore the reliability and applicability of the findings. The results showed that 11.03 mm was the optimal plate thickness for interlocking (IMCs) in modular steel buildings, with up to 8.08% reduced material costs. Increasing plate thickness boosts its deformation resistance by up to 50.75%. ‘TreeBagger’ random forest for anomaly detection and machine learning improves slip prediction up to 7% at higher force levels.

Transparent and high-hardness materials have become the object of wide interest. Most notably, it concerns technical glasses and crystals. A notable example is a sapphire – one of the most rigid materials having impressive mechanical stability and good optical properties. Nonetheless, using this material for 3D micro-fabrication is not straightforward due to its brittle nature. On the microscale, selective laser etching (SLE) technology is an appropriate approach for such media. Therefore, we present our research on c-cut crystalline sapphire microprocessing by using femtosecond radiation-induced SLE. Here we demonstrate a comparison between different wavelength radiation (1030 nm, 515 nm, 343 nm) usage for modification inscription and various etchants (Hydrofloridic acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Potassium Hydroxide and Sulphuric and Phosphoric acid mixture) comparison. We show that regular SLE etchants such as Hydrofluoric acid or Potassium Hydroxide are unsuitable materials for selective sapphire laser etching. Meanwhile, a 78% sulphuric and 22% phosphoric acid mixture at 270°C temperature is a good alternative for this process. We present the changes in the material after the separate processing steps. Finally, a protocol for advanced sapphire structure formation and a few exemplary structures are presented.

In pediatric burn care, achieving swift healing with minimal complications remains paramount. This investigation assesses polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB)'s role in managing superficial partial-thickness burns in children, focusing on the effects of various patient-specific factors on recovery. Through a retrospective analysis of 27 pediatric cases treated with PHMB, we explored the impact of age, burn size, dressing frequency, treatment delay, cold therapy application, and analgesic usage on the duration until reepithelialization. Notably, the majority of patients benefited from early cold therapy, yet only 1 in 3 patients received analgesics. The study reveals a mean healing time of 8.78 days, with the extent of the burn showing a strong correlation to recovery speed. Most treatments were managed outpatient, evidenced by a negligible average hospital stay. Impressively, the intervention recorded no complications. Our findings endorse PHMB as a promising treatment for second-degree burns in young patients, offering healing efficiency on par with or surpassing traditional methods, without increasing complication risks. This investigation underscores the necessity for continued exploration into the optimal application of prehospital interventions and the comprehensive benefits of PHMB in pediatric burn management, advocating for future research aimed at assessing long-term outcomes, including scar quality and patient satisfaction.

An effort was made to find a relationship between the ratio of average asperities height and lubricant thickness at the point of contact of rolling element ball bearings, and empirical equations to predict the life for bearings under constant motion. Two independent failure mechanisms were considered, fatigue failure and lubricant failure resulting in seizing of the roller bearing. A theoretical formula for both of these methods was established for the combined probability of failure using both of these failure mechanisms. Fatigue failure was modeled with the empirical equations of Lundberg and Palmgren and standardized in DIN/ISO281. The seizure failure, which this effort sought to investigate, was predicted using Greenwood and Williamson's theories on surface roughness and asperities during lubricated contact. These two mechanisms were combined, and compared to predicted cycle lives of commercial roller bearing, and a clear correlation was demonstrated. This effort demonstrated that the Greenwood-Williams theories on the relative height of asperities versus lubricant film thickness can be used to predict the probability of a lubricant failure resulting in a roller bearing seizing during use.

An effort was made to find a relationship between the predicted tribological conditions at the point of contact of ball bearings, and empirical equations to predict the life for bearings under constant motion. The model was modified to predict the temperature dependence, and compare rapid accelerations and decelerations with empirical extrapolations.

The widespread integration and growing dependence among currency, stock and commodity markets make these markets often very vulnerable to shocks and at risk of collapse at the same time. As a result, these trends threaten the sustainability of the entire financial system. In this study, we explore the spillovers and nonlinear dependences between the seven major foreign ex-change rates, crude oil and gold prices, a global stock price index, and oil and stock implied volatility indices as proxy variables for global risk factors by em-ploying directional spillover network approach. We also use multi-scale de-composition method and nonlinear causality test between these variables to capture multi-level relationships at short and long horizons. Major findings are summarized as follows. First, from the multi-scale decomposition analysis, we identify that Granger causality test results and the direction and strength of return spillovers change with the level of decomposition. Second, the results of nonlinear causality tests show variation in both the significance and direction of Granger causality relationships between the decomposed currency and other series at different timescales, especially for the decomposed oil, gold, and OVX series. Third, the measured directional spillover indices identify the EUR as the largest contributor of connectedness to the other series. The central role of the EUR is a net transmitter of connectedness to gold, oil, the GBP, JPY, and CHF.

This paper studies the contemporaneous relationship between S&P 500 index returns and log-increments of the market volatility index (VIX) via a nonparametric copula method. Specifically, we propose a conditional dependence index to investigate how the dependence between the two series varies across different segments of the market return distribution. We find that: (a) the two series exhibit strong, negative, extreme tail dependence; (b) the negative dependence is stronger in extreme bearish markets than in extreme bullish markets; (c) the dependence gradually weakens as the market return moves toward the center of its distribution, or in quiet markets. The unique dependence structure supports the VIX as a barometer of markets' mood in general. Moreover, applying the proposed method to the S&P 500 returns and the implied variance (VIX²), we find that the nonparametric leverage effect is much stronger than the nonparametric volatility feedback effect, although, in general, both effects are weaker than the dependence relation between the market returns and the log-increments of the VIX.

The relationship between child psychology and the widespread usage of mobile devices in the modern day is examined in "The Mobile Dilemma: Child Psychology and the Era of Technological Dependence." The abstract serves as a brief synopsis of the work, highlighting its important ideas and arguments. Concerns concerning the effects of excessive time spent on mobile devices on children's mental health and development have arisen in this age of technology dependency. The essay opens by pointing out the importance of investigating the psychological effects of kids' exposure to mobile gadgets. The effects of mobile phone addiction on learning, memory, and social and emotional health are investigated. The neurodevelopmental implications are explored further in the abstract, with a focus on the impact of mobile technology on brain plasticity and the formation of the developing brain. It offers advice on how to establish appropriate limits for children's screen time, encourages the development of digital literacy, and promotes responsible behavior.The pros and cons of using mobile devices in the classroom are also examined, along with their effects on students' ability to study and the risks and difficulties that could arise from implementing such a strategy. The emotional and social impacts of mobile device addiction are discussed in the abstract. This includes the impact on one's social life, empathy, ability to communicate, and sense of self-worth. The abstract also stresses the importance of interdisciplinary efforts involving parents, teachers, psychologists, and legislators to combat mobile device addiction through intervention and preventative techniques. Future directions are highlighted, with a focus on topics such as mobile technology development, digital well-being, privacy protection, mental health implications, screen time limits, digital literacy, and the impact of cultural and socioeconomic variables.

Background/Objectives: Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Carotid intima-media thickness (C-IMT) is a non-invasive marker of atherosclerosis. Low omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) intake and vitamin D deficiency are potential cardiometabolic risk factors in patients with CKD. The aim of this study was to evaluate dietary intake and status of omega-3 PUFA and vitamin D in pre-dialysis and hemodialysis patients and to examine the link of dietary α-linolenic acid (ALA) and fish consumption with blood pressure and C-IMT in CKD patients. Methods: All 77 selected patients (36 pre-dialysis, 41 on hemodialysis) underwent standardized clinical, nutritional, and laboratory assessments. Repeated 24-hour recalls were performed to assess dietary intake. The fatty acid profile was determined by gas-liquid chromatography. Results: Inadequate vitamin D intake and vitamin D status were found in 95% of patients. PUFAs profiles did not differ between hemodialysis and pre-dialysis participants. Dietary intake of ALA was negatively correlated with systolic blood pressure (SBP) (p=0.007), C-IMT (p=0.002), serum CRP (p=0.044), iPTH (p=0.01) and 25(OH)D3 (p=0.006). ALA intake of more than 0.23 g/daily was associated with lower SBP (p=0.001), serum 25(OH)D3 (p=0.004), and C-IMT (p=0.002). Conclusions: This study contributes to a better understanding of the relationship between dietary ALA intake and C-IMT in CKD. The results of this study could emphasize the significant role of the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and inadequate omega-3 PUFA intake and status considering CVD health in CKD patients.

A three-dimensional vector field model is proposed, whose dimensions are the Hansen Solubility Parameters: dispersion parameter (δD), polarity parameter (δP), and hydrogen bonding parameter (δH). The vector space that defines the field has the peculiarity of having the dispersion vector with a magnitude of 2, as its base vector, while polarity and hydrogen bonding vectors have a magnitude of 1. A substance is characterised as a position vector, and the interaction between two substances is determined by calculating the vector difference of both, known as the interaction vector. Interaction among substances may involve solubility, swelling, cracking, surface tension, interface tension, and any physical phenomena where intermolecular energies of dispersion, polarity or hydrogen bonding come into play. This paper studies free surface energy (surface and interfacial tension). It has been found that free surface energy is directly proportional to the square of the magnitude of the interaction vector. The proportionality constant, τ, is expressed in length units, has a value of 0.025 nm, and does not depend on the chemical nature of the substance or state of matter (solid, liquid or gas). Constant value τ appears universal and aligns with the thickness of interfaces, thereby supporting Guggenheim's hypothesis. This hypothesis asserts that interfaces possess actual thickness and are not merely mathematical surfaces, as originally postulated by Gibbs. Moreover, it also has been found that interface thickness, τ, is approximately equal to half of the Bohr radius, a0, which is defined by universal constants. Because the solubility parameters of thousands of substances are known and can be easily determined from molecular structure, a good approximation of the surface and interfacial tension of any given substance can now be calculated. It has also been found that contact angles of sessile droplets in three-phased systems can be calculated from the interaction vectors of the implicated substances.

The aim of the research was getting to know the risk of dependency on physical exercising in individual sportspeople and the relationship with body dissatisfaction and motivation. 225 triathletes, swimmers, cyclists and athletes- with ages going from 18 to 63 years old took part in the research, of which 145 were men (M = 35.57 ±10.46 years) and 80 women (M = 32.83 ±10.31 years). The EDS-R was used to study the dependency on exercising, BSQ to study body dissatisfaction, BREQ-3 to know the motivation of participants and BIAQ to analyse conducts of avoidance to body image. The obtained results show that 8.5% of the subjects had risk of dependency on exercising and that 18.2% tend to have corporal dissatisfaction, without meaningful differences in the kind of sport they practiced. However, there were important differences concerning the dependency on physical exercise (15% vs 4.8%) and body dissatisfaction (31.1% vs 11%) in relation to sex, being the higher percentage referring to women. The introjected regulation and the conduct of food restriction were the predictor variables of the dependency on exercising and corporal dissatisfaction.

Debates about the conditions in which the frequency and intensity principles of regular exercise, depending on the fact that sports background can be accepted as extremism, are still a controversial topic. The purpose of this research is to investigate the Exercise Dependence of Athletes doing Kickboxing, Taekwondo and Muaythai. The study included 141 athletes consisting of 87 men and 54 women. Exercise Dependence Scale composed of 21 items developed by Hausenblas and Downs and adapted into Turkish version by Yeltepe and İkizler was applied to athletes. As a result of the research, while athletes showed more sensitivity to exercise dependence scale (= 71.41), this scale was also defined as symptomatic. It was found that 5 athletes (3.5%) were asymptomatic-nondependent, 117 athletes (83.0%) were symptomatic-nondependent and 19 athletes (13.5%) were at-risk for exercise dependence. It was determined that athletes were at-risk for exercise dependence group while 8 athletes were doing kickboxing, 10 athletes were doing taekwondo and 1 athlete was doing muaythai athlete. A significant difference was observed according to regular training and number of daily training. It didn’t significantly differ in other variables. It is possible to say that regular training can be effective to reveal the exercise dependence.

Eddy-driven jets are of importance in the ocean and atmosphere, and to a first approximation are governed by Rossby wave dynamics. This study addresses the time-dependent flux of fluid and potential vorticity between such a jet and an adjacent eddy, with specific regard to determining zonal and meridional wavenumber dependence. The flux amplitude in wavenumber space is obtained, which is easily computable for a given jet geometry, speed and latitude, and which provides instant information on the wavenumbers of the Rossby waves which maximize the flux. This new tool enables the quick determination of which modes are most influential in imparting fluid exchange, which in the long term will homogenize the potential vorticity between the eddy and the jet. The results are validated by computing backward- and forward-time finite-time Lyapunov exponent fields, and also stable and unstable manifolds; the intermingling of these entities defines the region of chaotic transport between the eddy and the jet. The relationship of all of these to the time-varying transport flux between the eddy and the jet is carefully elucidated. The flux quantification presented here works for general time-dependence, whether or not lobes (intersection regions between stable and unstable manifolds) are present in the mixing region, and is therefore also easily computable for wave packets consisting of infinitely many wavenumbers.

The Absorbing/scattering nature of aerosols affects the total radiative forcing and this absorption to total extinction ratio is quantified by single scattering albedo (SSA). Effect of SSA in the Ultraviolet (UV) irradiance is less studied and limited measurements are available. SSA retrieved at Athens, Greece during 2009-2014 from Ultraviolet Multifilter Radiometer (UVMFR) at 332 and 368 nm, were used to calculate incoming UV irradiance, alongside with ones from AERONET at visible wavelengths, from OMI satellite at 342.5 nm and from AEROCOM climatological database at 300 nm. UVA and UVB irradiances were estimated using a Radiative Transfer Model and we found that relative differences could be as high as 20%, while average relative differences varied from 2% to 8.7 % for the whole experimental period. Both UVA and UVB drop by a rate of ~12% for 0.05 aerosol absorption optical depth compared to ones estimated using SSA at visible range. Brewer irradiance measurements at 324nm were used to validate simulated irradiances and a better agreement was found when UVMFR SSAs were used with an average difference of 0.86%, while when using visible or climatological input, relative differences were estimated +4.91 and +4.15% accordingly.

Introduction: Migraine is one of the most prominent headache disorders with a global burden of over one billion patients and presented as a disabling and painful disorder. Pathophysiological mechanism of migraine is not fully understood, but the most accepted theory suggests that migraine is caused primarily by neural dysfunction leading to secondary changes in cerebral perfusion. Methods: Authors conducted a case-control study in 175 patients; 88 of them were migraineurs and 87 health controls. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) was performed in all patients using spectral-domain OCT device in the same environmental conditions. All participants met both inclusion and exclusion criteria in order to achieve more homogeneous groups. OCT was performed to scan all retinal layers with an emphasis on the inner plexiform layer (IPL). Results: Among 175 examined subjects, 84% of them were women and in the group of migraineurs we found 56% without aura and 44 % with aura. After collecting tomography data authors did not find subjects in which changes of IPL were found. Nevertheless, only moderate differences in the IPL thickness in all quadrants except the central area were found in the group of migraineurs with aura using Pearson’s test. Conclusion: According to presented results, no significant changes of the IPL thickness in migraine patients were found. Authors have to emphasize the need for further investigation of the relationship between average migraine headache days per month and the thickness of the IPL.

Our investigations show that electrochemical corrosion of copper is faster than electrochemical corrosion of aluminium at temperatures below 100oC. Literature data analysis shows that the Al atoms diffuse faster than the Cu atoms at temperatures higher than 475oC, Al rich intermetallic compounds (IMCs) are formed faster in the Cu-Al system, and the Kirkendall plane shifts toward Al side. Electrochemical corrosion occurs due to electric current and due to diffusion. An electronic devise working time, for example, depends on initial copper cover thickness on aluminium wire, connected to the electronic devise, temperature, and volume and dislocation pipe diffusion coefficients, so copper, iron, and aluminium electrochemical corrosion rates are investigated experimentally at room temperature and at temperature 100oC. Intrinsic diffusivities ratios of copper and aluminium at different temperatures and diffusion activation energies in the Cu-Al system are calculated by proposed here methods using literature experimental data. Dislocation pipe and volume diffusion activation energies of pure iron are calculated separately by earlier proposed method using literature experimental data. Aluminium dissolved into NaCl solution as the Al3+ ions at room temperature and at temperature 100oC, iron dissolved into NaCl solution as the Fe2+ (not Fe3+) ions at room temperature and at temperature 100oC, copper dissolved into NaCl solution as the Cu+ ions at room temperature and as the Cu+ and the Cu2+ ions at temperature 100oC. It is founded experimentally that copper corrosion is higher than aluminium corrosion, and ratio of electrochemical corrosion rates, kCu/kAl>1, decreases with temperature increasing, although iron electrochemical corrosion rate doesn’t depend on temperature below 100oC. It is obvious, because melting point of iron is more higher then melting point of copper or aluminium. It is calculated that copper electrochemical corrosion rate is approximately equal to aluminium electrochemical corrosion at temperature about 300oC, so copper can dissolve into NaCl solution mostly as the Cu2+ ions at temperature about 300oC. Ratio of intrinsic diffusivities, DCu/DAl <1, increases with temperature increasing, and intrinsic diffusivity of aluminium could be approximately equal to intrinsic diffusivity of copper at temperature about 460oC.

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

Introduction. Few studies have compared the dependence to different tobacco and nicotine products. Besides how dependence may vary between tobacco products there is even less known how it relates to other common drugs, e.g. caffeine. In this study degree of dependence was compared between snus, cigarettes, nicotine replacement (NR), electronic cigarettes and coffee. Methods. An internet panel was used to obtain a representative sample of 3001 Swedes. The responders were asked among other related things about their use of snus, NR, traditional cigarette or e-cigarette use and coffee consumption. The indicators of dependence used were: A. the Heavy Smoking Index, B. The proportions that used within 30 min after raising in the morning, C. rating the first use in the morning as the most important and D. Stating that it would be very hard to give up entirely. Results. Significantly fewer among coffee drinkers started use within 30 minutes of awakening compared with all other products. The first use of the day was found to be more important for snus users compared with other products. On HSI there was no difference between snus and cigarettes. Snus and cigarettes were rated as being more difficult to give up than NR and coffee. Conclusion. Dependence to traditional cigarettes and snus seem to be relatively similar while NR was rated lower and coffee lowest. Since the prevalence of caffeine use in all forms is so much more prevalent than nicotine use there might be more persons in the society heavily dependent on caffeine. Implication. Tobacco products are likely more dependence forming that NR products and coffee. The addiction to coffee or caffeine is seldom discussed in the society. But if there are more individuals heavily dependent on coffee than nicotine and some nicotine containing products like snus and even more so NR are not that much more harmful than coffee how problematic is the addiction?

The organic solar cells (OSCs) have drawn attention in the past decade due to its cynosure in industrial manufacturing because of its promising properties such as low weight, highly flexible and low cost production. However, low η restricts the utilization of OSCs for potential application such as low cost energy harvesting devices. In this paper, OSCs structure based on triple junction tandem scheme is reported with three different absorber materials with the objective to enhance the absorption of photons which in turn improves the η, as well as its correlating performance parameters. The investigated structure gives the higher value of η = 14.33% with Jsc=16.87 (mA/m2), Voc=1.0 (V), and FF=84.97% by utilizing a stack of three different absorber layers with different band energies. The proposed structure is tested under 1.5 (AM) with 1 sun (W/m2). The impact of top, middle and bottom sub cells thickness on η is analyzed with a terse to find the optimum thickness for three sub cells to extract high η. The optimized structure is then tested with different electrode combination and the highest η is recorded with FTO/Ag. Moreover, the influence of upsurge temperature is also demonstrated on the proposed structure and observed that the upsurge temperature has greatly affected the electrical parameters of the device and η decreases from 14.33% to 11.40% when the temperature of the device rises from 300-400 K.

This paper describes the load capacity of short fiber-reinforced polymer lugs with Ti-6Al-4V selective laser-melted bushings with the original embedded element surface roughness and after sandblasting and vibratory finishing. Lugs are an important part of pin-joints. Adhesion between PA6 and SLM produced titanium is not fully studied. The cohesive zone material Mode II model parameters were calibrated experimentally by extruding a cylindrical bushing along the lug axis. The values of the maximum equivalent tangential contact stress were fitted for cases with investigated embed element roughness. The critical fracture energy for tangential slip was also estimated. Validation of the constructed CZM Mode II models with the results of strength experiments was performed. In both the experiment and the calculation, greater bushing roughness provides greater lug load-bearing capacity. The presented models can be used for the preliminary evaluation of SFRP PA6 parts with titanium embedded elements bearing capacity.

The paper proposes a game theory model of price oligopoly with a heterogeneous product, where total demand depends linearly on the minimum market price. This model develops the Bertrand oligopoly for the case of imperfect price elasticity of demand. The most interesting result is an asymmetric Nash equilibrium with different prices and sales in the situation of symmetric oligopolists. The asymmetry is explained by the fact that a decrease in the minimum market price leads not only to a reallocation of consumers among firms, but also to an increase in total demand. Modifications of a two-stage game with a leader and followers and the price discrimination model are also considered. Microeconomic substantiation of the model is given on the basis of the spatial differentiation approach.

This study investigates the frequency dependence of the correlation or anticorrelation of ozone and temperature in the middle atmosphere. The anticorrelation of ozone and temperature plays a role for the expected recovery or superrecovery of upper stratospheric ozone in presence of manmade cooling of the middle atmosphere due to increasing carbon dioxide emissions. The correlation between lower stratospheric ozone and temperature indicates the dependence of lower stratospheric temperature trends on the ozone evolution in addition to greenhouse gas emissions. Ozone and temperature measurements of the microwave limb sounder (MLS) on the satellite Aura from 2004 to 2021 are utilized for Bern (46.95∘N, 7.44∘E) at middle latitudes and for the equator region. The time series are bandpass filtered for periods from 2 days to 5 years. The correlation coefficient depends on the period of the oscillation in temperature and ozone. The strongest correlation and anticorrelation are found for the annual oscillation. The anticorrelation between ozone and temperature in the upper stratosphere is about −0.7 at a period of 2 days and −0.99 at a period of one year. Thus, the temperature dependence of the ozone reaction rates also leads to an anticorrelation of ozone and temperature at short periods so that ozone can be considered as a tracer of planetary waves. At the equator, a dominant semiannual oscillation and an 11 year solar cycle are found for nighttime ozone in the upper mesosphere. The SAO in ozone and temperature show a strong correlation indicating a dynamical control of the ozone SAO in the upper mesosphere. The SAO in the equatorial nighttime values of ozone and temperature is due to a semiannual modulation of vertical advection by the diurnal tide.

This study examined the tail dependency structure of sovereign credit risk and three global risk factors in BRICS countries using copulas approach, which is known for its ability to provide the “true” tail correlation based on the correct marginal distribution. The empirical results show that global market risk sentiment comoves with sovereign CDS spreads across BRICS countries under extreme market events, with Brazil having the highest co-dependency followed by China, Russia, and South Africa. Furthermore, oil price volatility is the second biggest risk factor correlated with sovereign CDS spreads for Brazil and South Africa while exchange rate risk exhibits very small co-dependence with sovereign CDS spreads under extreme market conditions dominated by tail events. On the contrary, exchange rate risk is the second largest risk factor co-moving with China and Russia’s sovereign CDS spreads while oil price volatility exhibits the lowest co-dependence to CDS in these countries. Between oil price and currency risk, evidence of single risk factor dominance is found for Russia where exchange rate risk is largely dominant. These results suggest that BRICS policymakers might consider financial sector regulations that mitigate risks spill-over such as targeted capital controls when markets are distressed.

Changes in crude oil price affect the shipping freight market in three different channels. This study explores the dependence structure between oil prices and maritime freight rates to identify the strongest channel. Therefore, it investigates the relationship between oil prices and three major maritime freight rates; the Baltic Dry Index (BDI), the Baltic Dirty Tanker Index (BDTI), and the Baltic Clean Tanker Index (BCTI). We employ the decomposition method, not studied in the existing literature. The copula approach identifies the time-varying effects and asymmetry in the tail dependence structure between oil prices and freight rates. The main results of this analysis are as follows. The decomposed components display different conditional dependence patterns, and asymmetry is revealed in the upper and lower tail dependence. In the long run, we find more dependence in extreme periods like the financial crises. In short-run fluctuations, we find the dependence increases in an economic boom. The implications of the results suggest that dependence can vary over time and may change depending on extreme events, implying that the complementary strategies of the long run and short run should be different.

The past few decades have been characterized by a growing body of profit-seeking public service areas with the understanding that profit-seeking organizations will deliver public services more efficiently than government can. These sectors include, but are not limited to, health care, corrections and education. Governments have created quasi markets to attract private providers of services in these sectors, with varying results. Organizational economics has provided the primary explanation for quasi markets, but questions about the sought-for efficiencies actually realized through these markets persist. We integrate resource dependence theory and organizational economics to provide a more comprehensive explanation of the persistence of quasi markets.

Organisms in the wild have cryptic life stages that are sensitive to changing environmental conditions and can be difficult to survey. In this study, I used mark-recapture methods to repeatedly survey Anaea aidea (Nymphalidae) caterpillars in nature, then modeled caterpillar demography as a hidden Markov process to assess if temporal variability in temperature and density influence the survival and growth of A. aidea over time. Individual encounter histories result from the joint likelihood of being alive and observed in a particular stage, and I included hidden states by separating demography and observations into parallel and independent processes. I constructed a demographic matrix containing the probabilities of all possible fates for each stage, including hidden states, e.g., eggs and pupae. I observed both dead and live caterpillars with high probability. Peak caterpillar abundance attracted multiple predators, and survival of fifth instars declined as per capita predation rate increased through spring. A time lag between predator and prey abundance was likely the cause of improved fifth instar survival estimated at high density. Growth rates showed an increase with temperature, but the most likely model did not include temperature. This work illustrates how state-space models can include unobservable stages and hidden state processes to evaluate how environmental factors influence vital rates of cryptic life stages in the wild.

This paper reassesses the detrimental effect on fatigue performance due to thicker sections based on extensive fatigue strength test database, taken from research program worldwide over the past half of a century in offshore oil &amp; gas and renewable industry. The data entries in the database have been evaluated to ensure its data integrity. Statistical analyses on these S-N data are performed with or without the thickness correction at different exposure level to corrosive environment, in order to re-evaluate the suitability of current standards in regard to the thickness effect. The study has concentrated on T-joint, transverse butt welded joint and tubular joint as these are the most commonly used joint types in the offshore wind industry. The analysis indicates general agreement of fatigue strength with the thickness effects in current standard for in air conditions but great conservatism for corrosive environment.

A heat transfer model, has determined millimeter crude oil thicknesses on saltwater at night. Model inputs are calibrated thermographic imagery, weather station data, metrological observations, and crude oil thermal conductivity. Outdoor field-testing was performed at the National Oil Spill Response & Renewable Energy Test Facility (Ohmsett) to determine model accuracy. Alaskan North Slope (ANS), Hoover Offshore Oil Pipeline System Blend (HOOPS), and ROCK crude oils were placed at varying mm depths. A roof-top mounted thermal camera measured the average oil surface temperature for each target and converted to oil spill thickness. The fidelity of the thickness measurements is dependent on the accurate measurement of the atmospheric and weather parameters, sea state, heat transfer constants, crude oil evaporation rates, and calibration and stability of the thermal camera.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a chronically relapsing disease characterized by loss of control in seeking and consuming alcohol (ethanol) driven by recruitment of brain stress systems. However, AUD differs among the sexes: men are more likely to develop AUD, but women progress from casual to binge drinking and heavy alcohol use more quickly. The central amygdala (CeA) is a hub of stress and anxiety, with corticotropin releasing factor (CRF)-CRF1 receptor and GABAergic signaling dysregulation occurring in alcohol dependent male rodents. However, we recently showed that GABAergic synapses in female rats are less sensitive to the acute effects of ethanol. Here, we used patch clamp electrophysiology to examine the effects of alcohol dependence on the CRF-modulation of rat CeA GABAergic transmission of both sexes. We found that GABAergic synapses of naïve female rats were unresponsive to CRF application compared males, although alcohol dependence induced a similar CRF responsivity in both sexes. In situ hybridization revealed that females had less CeA neurons containing mRNA for the CRF1 receptor (Crhr1) than males, but in dependence, the percentage of Crhr1-expressing neurons in females increased, unlike males. Overall, our data provide evidence for sexually dimorphic CeA CRF system effects on GABAergic synapses in dependence.

The resource curse indicates that economic growth performs poorly in countries with significant natural resources. Nevertheless, certain countries rich in energy managed to protect their resource riches in the long run. It is necessary to enforce effective policies in resource-rich countries to fully leverage the advantages which can come from the abundance of natural resources. This study aimed to evaluate how oil-rich countries would avoid resource flows by successful fiscal and management policies. By taking the guidance of Norway and implementing fiscal policy focused on tax rules on its oil management, it is proposed that oil-exporting countries benefit significantly. The framework attempts to mitigate this resource curse and utilise oil revenues in the interest of the country.

The use of mobile devices facilitates access to knowledge and is at the base of the education of the future. Although the digital society has contributed a number of benefits, however, it has also been associated with worrying behaviours. The study design consisted of a quantitative approach that was descriptive, inferential and ex post-facto in nature. Its purpose was to better understand the opinion of young people regarding mobile phone use and describe dependence deriving from regular use. The sample was formed of 420 students from the Faculty of Education at the University of Granada. Results indicate that mobile phone use has displaced use of other technologies such as the television, and is associated with communication and recreational activities. In addition, a profile was identified for young people at greater risk of developing a dependence on their mobile devices. This profile constituted females, mobile phone users with recreational motives and individuals who exceeded mobile phone use by more than six hours a day. To improve the educational use of mobile phone, prevention and intervention plans must be designed which ensure correct management of this device, taking advantage of the benefits it offers whilst avoiding problems derived from inappropriate use.

We consider an alternative formula for time delay in gravitational lensing. Imposing a smoothness condition on the gravitationally deformed paths followed by the photons from the source to the observer, we show that our formula displays the same degrees of freedom of the standard one. In addition to this, it is shown that the standard expression for time delay is recovered when small angles are involved. These two features strongly support the claim that the formula for time delay studied in this paper is the generalization to arbitrary angles of the standard one, which is valid at small angles. This could therefore result in a useful tool in view of softening the known discrepancy between the various estimates of the Hubble constant. As an aside, two interesting consequences of our proposal for time delay are discussed: the existence of a constraint on the gravitational potential generated by the lens and a formula for the mass of the lens in the case of central potential.

This paper examines the dynamic dependence structure of crude oil and East Asian stock markets at multiple frequencies using wavelet and copulas. We also investigate risk management implications and diversification benefits of oil-stock portfolios by calculating and comparing risk and tail risk hedging performance. Our results provide strong evidence of time-varying dependence and asymmetric tail dependence between crude oil and East Asian stock markets at different frequencies. The level and fluctuation of their dependencies increase as time scale increases. Furthermore, we find the time-varying hedging benefits differ at investment horizons and reduced over the long run.

This study was to explore the effects of glabridin and gymnemic acid on the structural changes of the choroidal layer as well as the expression of VEGF and CD31 in diabetic rats. The animals were separated into five groups: the control group (C), the diabetic group (DM), the diabetic rats treated with glabridin 40 mg/kg body weight (DM+GB), the diabetic rats treated with gymnemic acid 400 mg/kg body weight (DM+GM), and the diabetic rats treated with glyburide 4 mg/kg body weight (DM+GR). There has been an increase in the thickness of both the choroid layer and the wall of the arteries in the diabetic group. A decrease in vascularity and choroidal neovascularization can be found in DM rats. After eight weeks of experimentation, the choroidal thickness and wall of choroid arteries, as well as the diameter of the lumen of choroid arteries in the DM+GB, DM+GM, and DM+GR groups, had improved. The expression of VEGF and CD31 was lower compared to the DM group. According to the findings of the current research, glabridin and gymnemic acid can improve and reduce the damage to the choroid, which is a factor that can sometimes result in vision loss.

The research field of two dimensional (2D) materials strongly relies on optical microscopy characterization tools to identify atomically thin materials and to determine their number of layers. Moreover, optical microscopy-based techniques also opened the door to study the optical properties of these nanomaterials. We present a comprehensive study of the differential reflectance spectra of 2D semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), MoS₂, MoSe₂, WS₂ and WSe₂, with thickness ranging from one layer up to six layers. We analyze the thickness-dependent energy of the different excitonic features, indicating the change in the band structure of the different TMDC materials with the number of layers. Our work provides a route to employ differential reflectance spectroscopy for determining the number of layers of MoS₂, MoSe₂, WS₂ and WSe₂.

Targeted therapies are effective cancer treatments when accompanied by accurate diagnostic tests that can help identify patients that will respond to those therapies. The YAP/TAZ-TEAD axis is activated and plays a causal role in several cancer types, and TEAD inhibitors are currently in early phase clinical trials in cancer patients. However, mutations that predict YAP/TAZ-TEAD activation are not commonly found in most cancer types, making it hard to determine which tumors are de-pendent upon YAP/TAZ-TEAD. Here, we used a combination of RNA-seq and bioinformatics analysis of metastatic melanoma cells to develop a YAP/TAZ gene signature. We found that the genes in this signature are TEAD-dependent, and that their expression strongly correlates with YAP/TAZ activation in human melanomas. Using DepMap dependency data, we found that this YAP/TAZ signature was predictive of melanoma cell dependence upon YAP/TAZ or TEADs. Importantly, this was not limited to melanoma because this signature was also predictive when tested on a panel of over 1000 cancer cell lines representing numerous distinct cancer types. Our results suggest that YAP/TAZ gene signatures like ours may be an effective tool to predict tumor cell sensitivity to YAP/TAZ-TEAD inhibition, and thus provide a means to identify patients likely to benefit from TEAD inhibitors.

General derivation of the well-known Ren-Otsuka relation, 1/α (dTo)/dx=-α/β (where To, x, α and β(>0) are the transformation temperature, the composition, as well as the composition and temperature coefficient of the critical shear constant, c’, respectively) for shape memory alloys, SMAs, is provided based on the similarity of interatomic potentials in the framework of dimensional analysis. A new dimensionless variable, to(x)=(To (x))/(Tm (x) ), describing the phonon softening (where Tm is the melting point) is introduced. The dimensionless values of the heat of transformation, H, and entropy, S as well as the elastic constants c’, c44, A=c44/c' are universal functions of to(x) and have the same constant values at to(0) within sub-classes of host SMAs having the same type of crystal symmetry change during martensitic transformation. The ratio of (dto)/dx and α has the same constant value for all members of a given sub-class and relative increase of c’ with increasing composition should be compensated by the same decrease of to. In the generalized Ren-Otsuka relation the anisotropy factor, A appears instead of c’ and α as well as β are the differences of the corresponding coefficients for the c44 and c’ elastic constants. The obtained linear relation between h and to rationalizes the observed empirical linear relations between the heat of transformation measured by DSC (QAM) and the martensite start temperature, Ms.

In recent years, there have been frequent reports on the adverse effects of synthetic cannabinoid (SC) abuse. SCs cause psychoactive effects, similar to those caused by marijuana, by binding and activating cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R) in the central nervous system. The aim of this study was to establish a reliable quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) model to correlate the structures and physicochemical properties of various SCs with their CB1R-binding affinities. We prepared 15 SCs and their derivatives (tetrahydrocannabinol [THC], naphthoylindoles, and cyclohexylphenols) and determined their binding affinity to CB1R, which is known as a dependence-related target. We calculated the molecular descriptors for dataset compounds using an R/CDK (R package integrated with CDK, version 3.5.0) toolkit to build QSAR regression models. These models were established and statistical evaluations were performed using the mlr and plsr packages in R software. The most reliable QSAR model was obtained from the partial least squares regression method via external validation. This model can be applied in vivo to predict the addictive properties of illicit new SCs. Using a limited number of dataset compounds and our own experimental activity data, we built a QSAR model for SCs with good predictability. This QSAR modeling approach provides a novel strategy for establishing an efficient tool to predict the abuse potential of various SCs and to control their illicit use.

Introduction: intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement is an essential part glaucoma’s diagnosis and follow-up. Goldmann applanation tonometry (GAT) is the gold standard for IOP measurement but it’s affected by many factors like central corneal thickness (CCT). Racial differences in CCT are reported but the Syrian population was never studied. Research design and methods: 57 subjects with 114 eyes visiting Damascus hospital were examined and 100 eyes were included. IOP was measured using GAT and CCT was measured using OCULUS Pentacam AXL Corneal Topography, demographic data and history of ocular surgery, systemic co-morbidities and history of medications were collected. IOP values were corrected for CCT. Results: 56% were males, the mean age was 48.1. 24% of subjects had hypertension. Males had higher CCT with 557.23± 25.33 compared with 531.34 ± 41.88 for females. There was a moderately positive correlation between CCT and IOP (r=0.232, p-0.02), CCT and IOP values were linearly correlated (ANOVA, p=0.02). Conclusions: This study showed that the correlation between CCT and IOP is present in the Syrian population. Males had a slightly thicker corneas than females and CCT didn’t significantly change with age.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) causes visual impairment in individuals >50 years of age. However, no study has investigated AMD using ultra-wide-field swept-source optical co-herence tomography (UWF SS-OCT). We aimed to evaluate central and peripheral choroidal thickness using UWF SS-OCT and compare AMD subtypes. We included 75 eyes of patients with typical AMD (tAMD), 56 with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV), 29 with pachychoroid neovasculopathy (PNV), and 12 with retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP). To compare cho-roidal thicknesses in the central and peripheral choroids, we established subfields of <3 mm, <9 mm, and 9–18 mm from the fovea. PNV patients were significantly younger than those with tAMD (P=0.01). The choroidal thicknesses of PNV were significantly greater than that of tAMD in all subfields (P<0.01) and choroidal thickness significantly correlated with age and axial length in all subfields (P<0.05). Even after adjusting for age and axial length, the choroidal thickness in PNV was significantly greater than that in tAMD (P<0.05). In addition, the ratio of the posterior < 9 mm to peripheral 9–18 mm choroidal thickness in PNV was significantly greater than that in tAMD (P<0.01). A thickened choroid in PNV was more pronounced in the posterior choroid than in the periphery.

Toshiba devised the bladeless fan (or Air Multiplier) concept in 1981. Researchers like James Dyson and Jafari et al. further developed it. Bladeless fans are more energy-efficient, safer due to the hidden blades, easier to clean, and more adjustable than conventional fans. From a performance point of view, bladeless fans are better because they multiply mass flow rate, eliminate buffeting, consume less power, and are quieter. This paper investigates the influence of the airfoil’s outlet slit thickness on the discharge ratio by varying the outlet slit thickness of an Eppler 473 airfoil from 1.2 mm to 2 mm in intervals of 0.2 mm. Results indicated that smaller slits showed higher discharge ratios. The airfoil with a 1.2 mm slit thickness showed a discharge ratio of 18.78, a 24% increase from the discharge ratio of the 2 mm slit. The effect of outlet angle on the pressure drop across the airfoil was also studied. Outlet angles were varied from 16∘ to 26∘ by an interval of 2∘. The airfoil profile with a 24∘ outlet angle showed a maximum pressure difference of 965 Pa between the slit and leading edge. In contrast, the 16∘ outlet angle showed the least pressure difference of 355 Pa. Parameters such as average velocity, turbulent kinetic energy, the standard deviation of velocity and outlet velocity magnitude was used to assess the performance of airfoil profiles used in bladeless fan.

For the electromagnetic eddy current testing, various methods have been proposed for reducing the lift-off error on the measurement of samples. In this paper, instead of eliminating the measurement error caused by the lift-off effect, an algorithm has been proposed to directly measure the lift-off distance between the sensor and non-magnetic conductive plates. The algorithm is based on a sample-independent inductance (SII) feature. That is, under high working frequencies, the inductance is found sensitive to the lift-off distance and independent of the test piece under an optimal single high working frequency (43.87 kHz). Furthermore, the predicted lift-off distance is used for the thickness prediction of the non-magnetic conductive samples using an iterative method. Considering the eddy current skin depth, the thickness prediction is operated under a single lower frequency (0.20 kHz). As the inductance has different sensitivities to the lift-off and thickness, the prediction error of the sample thickness is different from that of the lift-off distance. From the experiments on three different nonmagnetic samples – aluminium, copper, and brass, the maximum prediction error of the lift-off distance and sample thickness is 1.1 mm and 5.42 % respectively at the lift-off of 12.0 mm.

At least 50% of factors predisposing to alcohol dependence (AD) are genetic and women affected with this disorder present with more psychiatric comorbidities, probably indicating different genetic factors involved. We aimed to run a genome-wide association study (GWAS) followed by a bioinformatic functional annotation of associated genomic regions in male and female patients with AD and eight related clinical measures. A genome-wide significant association of rs220677 with AD (p-value = 1.33×10^-8 calculated with the Yates-corrected Chi-square test under the assumption of dominant inheritance) was discovered in female patients. Associations of AD and related clinical measures with seven other single nucleotide polymorphisms listed in previous GWAS of psychiatric and addiction traits were differently replicated in male and female patients. The bioinformatic analysis showed that regulatory elements in the eight associated linkage disequilibrium blocks define the expression of 80 protein-coding genes. Nearly 68% of these and of 120 previously published coding genes associated with alcohol phenotypes directly interact in a single network. This study indicates that a number of genes behind the pathogenesis of AD are different in male and female patients, but implicated molecular mechanisms are functionally connected. The results also suggest the genetic basis of sex-specific psychiatric comorbidities of AD.

In this paper we derived an expression that allows the determination of the thermo-optic coefficient of weakly-guiding germanium-doped silica fibers, based on the thermal behavior of optical fiber devices, such as, fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs). The calculations rely on the full knowledge of the fiber parameters and on the temperature sensitivity of FBGs. In order to validate the results, we estimated the thermo-optic coefficient of bulk GeO2 glass at 293 K and 1.55 m to be 18.3x10-6 K-1. The determination of this value required to calculate a correction factor which is based on the knowledge of the thermal expansion coefficient of the fiber core, the Pockels’ coefficients (p11=0.125, p12=0.258 and p44=-0.0662) and the Poisson ratio (=0.161) of the SMF-28 fiber. To achieve that goal, we estimated the temperature dependence of the thermal expansion coefficient of GeO2 and we discussed the dispersion and temperature dependence of Pockels’ coefficients. We have presented expressions for the dependence of the longitudinal and transverse acoustic velocities on the GeO2 concentration used to calculate the Poisson ratio. We have also discussed the dispersion of the photoelastic constant. An estimate for the temperature dependence of the thermo-optic coefficient of bulk GeO2 glass is presented for the 200-300 K temperature range.

We define degree of dependence of two events A and B in a probability space by using Boltzmann-Shannon entropy function of an appropriate probability distribution produced by these events and depending on one parameter (the probability of intersection of A and B) varying within a closed interval I. The entropy function attains its global maximum when the events A and B are independent. The important particular case of discrete uniform probability space motivates this definition in the following way. The entropy function has a minimum at the left endpoint of I exactly when one of the events and the complement of the other are connected with the relation of inclusion (maximal negative dependence). It has a minimum at the right endpoint of I exactly when one of these events is included in the other (maximal positive dependence). Moreover, the deviation of the entropy from its maximum is equal to average information that carries one of the binary trials defined by A and B with respect to the other. As a consequence, the degree of dependence of A and B can be expressed in terms of information theory and is invariant with respect to the choice of unit of information. Using this formalism, we describe completely the screening tests and their reliability, measure efficacy of a vaccination, the impact of some events from the financial markets to other events, etc. A link is available for downloading an Excel program which calculates the degree of dependence of two events in a sample space with equally likely outcomes.

Overhead power transmission line icing (PTLI) disasters are one of the most severe dangers to power grid safety. Automatic iced transmission line identification is critical in various fields. However, existing methods primarily focus on the linear characteristics of transmission lines, employing a two-step process involving edge and line detection for PTLI identification. Nonetheless, these traditional methods are often difficult when confronted with challenges such as background noise or variations in illumination, leading to incomplete identification of the target area, missed target regions, or misclassification of background pixels as foreground. We propose a new iced transmission line identification scheme to overcome this limitation. In the initial stage, we integrate the image restoration method with image filter enhancement to restore the image's color information. This combined approach effectively retains valuable information and preserves the original image quality, thereby mitigating noise presented during the image acquisition. Subsequently, in the second stage, we introduce an enhanced multi-threshold algorithm to separate background and target pixels. After image segmentation, we enhance the image and obtain the region of interest (ROI) through connected component labeling modification and mathematical morphology operations, eliminating background regions. Our proposed scheme achieves an accuracy value of 97.72%, a precision value of 96.24%, a recall value of 86.22%, and the specificity value of 99.48% based on the average value of test images. Through object segmentation and location, the proposed method can avoid background interference, effectively solve the problem of transmission line icing identification, and achieve 90% measurement accuracy compared to manual measurement on the collected PTLI dataset.

The purpose of the study was to determine the “retinal thickness deviation” (RTD) in diabetic macular edema (DME) eyes treated with intravitreal therapy and to establish associations be-tween RTD and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA). We conducted a retrospective study, in-cluding consecutive DME eyes undergoing intravitreal therapy with two years of follow-up. BCVA and central subfield thickness (CST) were collected at baseline, 12 months and 24 months of follow-up. RTD was calculated as the absolute difference between measured and normative CST values at each time point. Linear regression analyses were performed between RTD and BCVA and between CST and BCVA. One hundred and four eyes were included in the analysis. The RTD was 177.0 (117.2) μm at baseline, 97.0 (99.7) μm at 12 months and 89.9 (75.3) μm at 24 months of follow-up (P < .001). RTD showed a moderate association with BCVA at baseline (R2=0.134, p<0.001) and 12 months (R2=0.197, p<0.001), and a substantial association at 24 months (R2=0.272, p<0.001). The CST showed a moderate association with BCVA at baseline (R2=0.132, p<0.001) and 12 months (R2=0.136, p<0.001), while the association was weak at 24 months (R2=0.065, p=0.009). In conclusion, RTD showed a good association with visual outcome in DME eyes undergoing intravitreal treatment.

In many advanced industrial applications, the thickness is a critical index, especially for metallic coatings. However, the variance of lift-off spacing between sensors and test pieces affects the measured voltage or impedance, which leads to unreliable results from the sensor. Massive research works have been proposed to address the lift-off issue, but few of them applies to the thickness measurement of planar metallic films with finite-size circular (disk) geometry. Previously, a peak-frequency feature from the swept-frequency inductance was used to compensate the measurement error caused by lift-offs, which was based on the slow-changing rate of impedance phase term in the Dodd-Deeds formulas. However, the phase of measured impedance is nearly invariant merely on a limited range of sample thicknesses and working frequencies. Besides, the frequency sweeping is time-consuming, where a recalibration is needed for different sensor setups applied to the online real-time measurement. In this paper, a single-frequency algorithm has been proposed, which is embedded in the measurement instrument for the online real-time retrieval of thickness. Owing to the single-frequency measurement strategy, the proposed method does not need to recalibrate for different sensor setups. The thickness retrieval is based on a triple-coil sensor (with one transmitter and two receivers). The thickness of metallic disk foils is retrieved from the measured electrical resistance of two transmitter-receiver sensing pairs. Experiments on materials of different electrical conductivities (from direct current), thicknesses and planar sizes (radii) have been carried out to verify the proposed method. The error for the thickness retrieval of conductive disk foils is controlled within 5 % for lift-offs up to 5 mm.

Defect detection in ferromagnetic substrates is often hampered by non-magnetic coating thickness variation when using conventional eddy current testing technique. The lift-off distance between the sample and the sensor is one of the main obstacles for the thickness measurement of non-magnetic coatings on ferromagnetic substrates when using the eddy current testing technique. Based on the eddy current thin-skin effect and the lift-off insensitive inductance (LII), a simplified iterative algorithm is proposed for reducing the lift-off variation effect using a multi-frequency sensor. Compared to the previous techniques on compensating the lift-off error (e.g., the lift-off point of intersection) while retrieving the thickness, the simplified inductance algorithms avoid the computation burden of integration, which are used as embedded algorithms for the online retrieval of lift-offs via each frequency channel. The LII is determined by the dimension and geometry of the sensor, thus eliminating the need for empirical calibration. The method is validated by means of experimental measurements of the inductance of coatings with different materials and thicknesses on ferrous substrates (dual-phase alloy). The error of the calculated coating thickness has been controlled to within 3 % for an extended lift-off range of up to 10 mm.

The prolonged exposure to nicotine and the development of nicotine dependence have significant implications for cancer risk. Tobacco use, driven by nicotine addiction, is a major contributing factor to the development of various types of cancer. Smoking tobacco, in particular, has been strongly associated with an increased risk of lung cancer, as well as other malignancies. The harmful chemicals present in tobacco products, including carcinogens, can cause DNA damage and promote the initiation and progression of cancerous cells. This article presents a comprehensive literature review on the neurobiology of nicotine dependence and its implications for tobacco use treatment. Nicotine dependence is a complex phenomenon involving various neurobiological mechanisms. When nicotine enters the body, it binds to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the brain's reward circuitry, triggering the release of neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. Over time, repeated nicotine exposure leads to neuroadaptive changes in the brain, resulting in increased motivation to seek and use the drug. Understanding the neurobiology of nicotine dependence is crucial for developing effective treatment strategies. Pharmacological interventions, such as nicotine replacement therapy and medications like bupropion and varenicline, can help individuals manage cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Additionally, behavioral therapies and counseling play a vital role in enhancing self-efficacy and providing support for smoking cessation efforts. By reviewing the existing literature, this article sheds light on the intricate neural pathways and processes involved in nicotine addiction. It emphasizes the importance of a multidimensional approach that combines pharmacological treatments and behavioral interventions to address the physiological and psychological aspects of nicotine dependence. This knowledge can inform the development of more targeted and personalized treatment approaches to help individuals overcome tobacco addiction and improve their chances of successful smoking cessation.

Opioid analgesics are effective pain therapeutics but cause various adverse effects and addiction. For safer pain therapy, biased opioid agonists selectively target distinct m opioid receptor (MOR) conformations, while the potential of biased opioid antagonists has been neglected. Agonists convert a dormant receptor form (MOR-m) to a ligand-free active form (MOR-m*), which mediates MOR signaling. Moreover, MOR-m converts spontaneously to MOR-m* (basal signaling). Persistent upregulation of MOR-m* has been invoked as a hallmark of opioid dependence. Contrasting interactions with both MOR-m and MOR-m* can account for distinct pharmacological characteristics of inverse agonists (naltrexone), neutral antagonists (6b-naltrexol), and mixed opioid agonist-antagonists (buprenorphine). Upon binding to MOR-m*, naltrexone but not 6b-naltrexol suppresses MOR-m*signaling. Naltrexone blocks opioid analgesia non-competitively at MOR-m*with high potency, whereas 6BN must compete with agonists at MOR-m, accounting for ~100-fold lower in vivo potency. Buprenorphine’s bell-shaped dose-response curve may also result from opposing effects on MOR-m and MOR-m*. In contrast, we find that 6b-naltrexol potently prevents dependence, below doses affecting analgesia or causing withdrawal, possibly binding to MOR conformations relevant to opioid dependence. We propose that 6b-naltrexol is a biased opioid antagonist modulating opioid dependence at low doses, opening novel avenues for opioid pain therapy and use management.

Objectives We tested the hypothesis that poor adherence is associated with a greater risk of alcohol-caused mortality and morbidities within the first year of discontinuing this medication. Materials and Methods Retrospective cohort study of 3319 individuals who received Acamprosate® in the East of Scotland in a 10-year period using a health informatics approach with record linkage of dispensing data, hospital utilization (SMR) and General Register Office of Scotland (GROS) data. Primary outcome was adherence between one to six months of initiating Acamprosate® medication. Secondary outcome was all cause morbidities and mortality. Results Of the total 3319 individuals identified, good adherence index of >80% was found in 59% of those prescribed Acamprosate® after three months and 6% after six months. There were significant linear trends of poorer adherence with increased risk of alcohol-caused mortality (HR1.2), medical morbidities especially neoplasm (HR 4.1|) and poisoning (HR 1.4) and psychiatric morbidities especially stress (HR 35.1), psychotic (HR 5.6) and neurotic disorders and directly alcohol induced conditions (7.4 HR) after adjustment for other factors within a one-year period of initiation of Acamprosate® treatment. Discussion and Conclusions Further exploratory studies using this digitalized approach should be encouraged in order to capture role of compliance to Acamprosate® and other types of medication that are known to reduce relapse into alcohol dependence and its direct relationship to mortality and morbidities in this population.

Turning ships in port turning basins is an important and responsible operation, mainly involving the ship itself and the port tugs. Such operations involve many maneuvers that consume a lot of energy (fuel) and emit a lot of emissions. Turning basins in harbors and quay approaches are in most cases relatively shallow. The paper examines the turning of ships in port turning basins using harbor tugs, the effect of shallow depth on ship turning, energy (fuel) consumption and the generation of emissions during such maneuvers of harbor tugs. The paper presents the developed theoretical models, and the experimental results on theoretical models, which were verified on real ships and using calibrated simulators. Discussions and conclusions prepared on the basis of the research base. The use of the developed methodology makes it possible to increase shipping safety, optimize maneuvers and reduce energy (fuel) consumption when turning ships in the port and at the same time reduce the amount of fuel consumed by port tugs and reduce the number of emissions of tugs during such operations.

The widespread use of renewable energy sources has considerably expanded distributed generation. An unbalanced load on distribution cables may also result from the recent increase in novel appliances and electric vehicles, the reverse power flow may create short-term overloads. These transient overloads increase the temperature for a short time beyond the limit, which causes degradation. However, the temperature distribution on the cable is not even. Therefore, the cable components are not degraded evenly and similarly. This publication describes the change in electrical properties of low-voltage cables caused by short-term cyclic artificial ageing to track the impact of these brief temperature rises. This study examines how cable structure affects the dielectric characteristics of cable specimens. Four cable samples, each measuring 50 cm in length (SZAMKAM 0.6/1 kV 16 mm2× 4 manufactured by Prysmian MKM Kft, Hungary) put through an accelerated ageing test in a temperature-controlled oven after changing their structures by removing their layers. Three rounds, each of six hours, accelerated thermal ageing were applied. After each round of ageing, the dielectric parameter tanδ and capacitance were measured by Dirana Dielectric Response Analyzer in the laboratory at room temperature 24±0.5∘C. Furthermore, the polarization and depolarization currents were also studied. The results show that changing the cable structure impacts the dielectric parameters, especially the effect of belting layer is significant. From point of view of aging the PVC belting layer protects the diffusion of plasticizers of inner structure.

Lake ice thickness (LIT) is a sensitive indicator of climate change identified as a thematic variable of Lakes as an Essential Climate Variable (ECV) by the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS). Here, we present a novel and efficient analytically based retracking approach for estimating LIT from high-resolution Ku-band (13.6 GHz) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) altimetry data. The retracker method is based on the analytical modeling of the SAR radar echoes over ice-covered lakes that show a characteristic double-peak feature attributed to the reflection of the Ku-band radar waves at the snow-ice and ice-water interfaces. The method is applied to Sentinel-6 Unfocused SAR (UFSAR) and Fully Focused SAR (FFSAR) data, with their corresponding tailored waveform model, referred to as the SAR_LITand FFSAR_LITretracker, respectively. LIT retrievals from Sentinel-6 SAR data at different posting rates are evaluated against those obtained from thermodynamic lake ice model simulations and Low Resolution Mode (LRM) Sentinel-6 and Jason-3 data over two ice seasons during the tandem phase of the two satellites, allowing precise assessment of the continuity between LRM and SAR LIT retrievals. Consistency checks of the Sentinel-6 SAR LIT estimates are also performed using optical/radar images that provide information on the snow/ice conditions on the same dates. The analysis is performed on Great Slave Lake and Baker Lake (Canada) that differ in terms of lake size, bathymetry, snow/ice properties, and seasonal evolution of LIT. The accuracy of the LIT estimates with the SAR LIT retrackers is on the order of 5 cm once the ice is well established on the lakes, meeting the GCOS requirements of LIT measurement uncertainty, which is a factor of 2 to 3 times better than that of LIT obtained with LRM data, bringing a further improvement compared to previous analyses and methods. The SAR LIT retrackers presented are promising tools for monitoring the inter-annual variability and trends in LIT from current and future SAR altimetry missions.

Pachychoroid neovasculopathy (PNV) is a pachychoroid-spectrum disease. As blood circulation throughout the choroid may be involved in PNV pathogenesis, analysis using ultra-wide-field (UWF) fundus imaging is crucial. We evaluated choroidal thickness after half-fluence photodynamic therapy (PDT) combined with intravitreal aflibercept injection for PNV using UWF swept-source optical coherence tomography. Seventeen eyes with PNV that underwent half-fluence PDT with adjuvant single intravitreal aflibercept injection were analyzed. To compare choroidal thicknesses in the central and peripheral choroids, we set subfields <3, <9, and 9–18 mm from the fovea. The <9- and 9–18-mm subfields were divided into four quadrants. Choroidal thickness in each subfield decreased significantly after half-fluence PDT (P<0.001); this reduction was more pronounced in the central area. We also investigated the relationship between the dominant side of the deep choroidal veins that harbor choroidal vein efflux from the macula. When choroidal thickness in the supratemporal and infratemporal 9x9-mm subfields were evaluated, the ratio of choroidal thickness reduction was not significantly different between the dominant and non-dominant sides. The dominant side was not associated with the extent of choroidal thickness reduction in PNV. In conclusion, half-fluence PDT caused thinning of the entire choroid, especially in the central area, in PNV.

Systematic results of lattice dynamical calculation are reported for the novel (SiC)m/(GeC)n superlattices (SLs) by exploiting a modified-linear chain model (M-LCM) and a realistic rigid-ion- model (RIM). By employing the bond polarizability method in the framework of M-LCM, we have simulated Raman intensities for the graded (SiC)10-D/(Si0.5Ge0.5C)D/(GeC)10-D/(Si0.5Ge0.5C)D SLs by carefully integrating interfacial layer thickness D (≡ 0, 1, 2, 3 monolayers (MLs)). The variation of D has initiated considerable up (down) shifts of GeC-, (SiC)-like Raman peaks in the middle of the optical phonon frequency region. With D = 3 MLs, the maximum energy shift (by ~ 47 cm-1) of SiC-like modes has caused substantial changes in the Raman intensity profiles linked to the localization of atomic displacements at the interfacial transition regions. This effect can be considered as a vital tool for authenticating the interfacial structures in technologically important SLs. By using a RIM, we have reported SL phonon dispersions along the growth [001] as well as in the plane [100], [110] perpendicular to the growth. Our simulations of phonons in the acoustic mode region have not only confirmed the formation of minigaps at the zone center and zone edges but also provided evidence of anti-crossing and phonon confinement. Besides examining angular dependence of zone-center optical modes, we have also discussed phonon folding, confinement and anisotropic behavior in (SiC)m/(GeC)n SLs.

The Combined Inversion of Surface and AeRosols (CISAR) algorithm for the joint retrieval of surface and aerosol single scattering properties has been further developed in order to extend the retrieval to clouds and overcome the need for an external cloud mask. Pixels located in the transition zone between pure cloud and pure aerosol are often discarded by both aerosol and cloud algorithms, despite being essential for studying aerosol-cloud interactions, which still represent the largest source of uncertainty in climate predictions. The proposed approach aims at filling this gap and deepening the understanding of aerosol properties in cloudy environments. The new CISAR version is applied to Sentinel-3A/SLSTR observations and evaluated against different satellite products and ground measurements. The spatial coverage is greatly improved with respect to algorithms processing only pixels flagged as clear sky by the SLSTR cloud mask. The continuous retrieval of aerosol properties without any safety zone around clouds opens new possibilities for studying aerosol properties in cloudy environments.

Plants characterized by a soft or weak steam, such as climbing plants, need to find a potential support (e.g., wooden trunk) to reach greater light exposure. Since Darwin’s research on climbing plants, several studies on their searching and attachment behaviors have demonstrated their unique ability to process different support features to modulate their movements accordingly. Nevertheless, the strategies underlying this ability are yet to be uncovered. The present research tries to fill this gap by investigating how the interaction between above- (i.e., stem, tendril, …) and belowground (i.e., the root system) plant organs influence the kinematics of the approach-to-grasp movement. With three-dimensional (3D) kinematical analysis, we characterized the movement of pea plants (Pisum sativum L.) towards a support with different thicknesses above and belowground (i.e., thin below, thick aboveground, or the opposite). As a control condition, the plants were presented to supports with the same thickness below- and aboveground (i.e., either entirely thin or thick). The results suggest an integration between the information from below- and aboveground for driving the reach-to-grasp behavior of the aerial plant organs. Information about the support conveyed by the root system seems particularly important to fulfil the end-goal of the movement.

Multi-chiplet technique is expected to be a promising solution to achieve high-density system integration with low power consumption and high usage ratio. This technique can be integrated with glass interposer to accomplish a competitive low fabrication cost compared with the silicon-based interposer architecture. In this study, process-oriented stress simulation is performed by the element activation and de activation technique in finite element analysis architecture. Submodeling technique is also utilized to mainly conquer the scale mismatch and difficulty in mesh gridding design. It is used as well to analyze the thermomechanical responses of glass interposer with chiplet arrangement and capped epoxy molding compound (EMC) during curing. A three-factor, three-level full factorial design is applied using the analysis of variance method to explore the significance of various structural design parameters on stress generation. Analytic results reveal that the maximum first principal stresses of 130.75 and 17.18 MPa are introduced on the sidewall of Cu-filled via and the bottom of glass interposer, respectively. Moreover, the EMC thickness and through glass via pitch are the dominant factors in the adopted vehicle. They significantly influence the stress magnitude during heating and cooling.

The hot rolling in the process chain of the aluminium rolled products present the critical element of material quality and influence on productivity. The desire to increase the letter demand modifications of hot rolling, consequential changes of microstructure, crystallographic texture, mechanical and formability properties must be knowledge and consistently considered in planning the rolling process and rolled product. Achieving lower thicknesses of the hot-rolled band would enable fewer passes with cold rolling; consequently, hot rolling with the same number of passes will complete with lower temperatures. Microstructural and texture characterization with the optical microscope and scanning electron microscope for the hot-rolled band 3.25 mm the smaller grains appeared in the center of the cross-section, unlike for the hot-rolled band 6 mm, the smaller grains were detected on the upper and bottom position of the cross-section. Furthermore, the comparison shows also that the hot-rolled band 6 mm has 64 % of random texture components and 83 % of recrystallized grains, and the proportional adjustment for the hot-rolled band 3.25 mm has the 42 % of random texture components and 55 % of recrystallized grains. For the mechanical testing results, the elongation values in rolling and transverse directions significantly differ just in the case of a hot rolled band of 3.25 mm. Consequently, the earing results are more than 1.5 % higher for the hot-rolled band, 3.25 mm, than the hot-rolled band, 6 mm.

Background: Evaluating muscle mass and function among stroke patients is important. However, evaluating muscle volume and function is not easy due to the disturbance of consciousness and paresis. Temporal muscle thickness (TMT) has been introduced as a novel surrogate marker for muscle mass, function, and nutritional status. We herein performed a narrative literature review on temporal muscle and stroke to understand the current meaning of the TMT in the clinical stroke practice. Methods: The search was performed in PubMed, last updated in October 2021. Report on temporal muscle morphomics and stroke-related diseases or clinical entities were collected. Results: Four studies reported on TMT and subarachnoid hemorrhage, 2 intracerebral hemorrhage, 2 ischemic stroke, 2 standard TMT values, and 2 nutritional status. TMT was reported as a prognostic factor for several diseases, surrogate markers for skeletal muscle mass, and an indicator of nutritional status. Computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and ultrasonography were used to measure TMT. Conclusions: TMT is gradually used as a prognostic factor of stroke or surrogate marker for skeletal muscle mass and nutritional status. Establishing standard methods to measure TMT and large prospective studies to investigate the further relationship between TMT and diseases are needed.

This study evaluated the potential of ERA5 reanalysis as a reference dataset for snow water equivalent (SWE) modeling in 16 Alpine basins of varying catchment sizes using the semi-distributed snow model (TOPMELT) in the Upper Adige river basin in the Eastern Italian Alps. The study aimed to identify errors in ERA5 meteorological variables and assess their impact on SWE computation from 1992 to 2019. The findings revealed that ERA5 precipitation overestimated low-intensity rainfall (drizzle problem) and underestimated high-intensity rainfall, while ERA5 temperature underestimated observations. The overestimation of low-intensity rainfall created fictitious low-intensity snowfall events, which, when combined with colder ERA5 temperature, resulted in delayed snowmelt and increased fictitious snow cover days over the study area. The Quantile Mapping (QM) technique was used to remove errors in ERA5 variables. For precipitation, a monthly correction factor accounting the calibration period (1992-2005) was considered to correct the entire period. Temperature errors were corrected individually for calibration and validation periods. The corrected ERA5 SWE simulation showed improved performance, with a decrease in fictitious snow cover days. The study also highlighted the importance of temperature correction over precipitation correction in SWE simulation, particularly for smaller basins, while considering the monthly moving mean to remove seasonality.

The successful handling of large semiconductor wafers is crucial for scaling up their production. Early-stage warpage control allows to prevent undesirable asymmetric warpage, known as wafer bifurcation or buckling. Indeed, even in a gravity-free environment, thinning an 8" or 12" semiconductor wafer can result in warpage and bifurcation. To mitigate this issue, the taiko method, which involves creating a thicker ring region around the rim of the wafer, has been widely used. Previous research has focused on the theoretical factors affecting the warpage of a backside metalized taiko wafer. This work extends the case to a front-side metalized taiko wafer and introduces the concept of the equivalent thickness of a taiko wafer. The equivalent thickness of a taiko wafer, influenced by the ring region, lies in between the thickness of the central region and that of the annular region. Because of the limited number of taiko wafers that can be produced on a production line, modelling can be beneficial. In this work we compared the results of a developed analytical model with those obtained from a finite element analysis (FEA) approach with ANSYSY® software to model the equivalent thickness of a taiko wafer. We investigated the curvature as a function of the stress of the metal layer, considering key design factors such as the substrate region thickness, the thickness of the thin metal film, the step height, and the width of the ring region. By systematically varying the thickness of the central region of the taiko wafer, we explored the curvature as a function of stress induced by thermal load in the linear regime and determined the slopes in the linear region of the curvature vs. stress curves. The aim of this study is to identify regularities and similarities with the Stoney equation and investigate the validity of the analytical approach for the case of a taiko substrate. It results that there is a good agreement between the analytical model of a taiko wafer and the numerical analysis gained by the FEA methods.

Epitaxial lithium ferrite (LiFe5O8) films with different thicknesses have been successfully fabricated on SrTiO3 (001) substrates by magnetron sputtering deposition technique. The microstructural and magnetic properties are characterized by advanced transmission electron microscope and magnetic measurement device. It was found that the formation of structural defects can be influenced by the thickness of the film. Apart from the misfit dislocations, the orientation domains form in thinner film and twin boundaries appear in thicker film, respectively, contributing to the misfit strain relaxation in the heterosystem. The magnetic measurement shows that the thinner films have enhanced magnetization and a relatively lower coercive field compared with the thicker films containing the antiferromagnetic twin boundaries. Our results provide a way for tuning the microstructure and magnetic properties of lithium ferrite films by changing the film thickness.

Traditional metals such as stainless steel, titanium and cobalt chrome are used in biomedical applications (implants, scaffolds etc.) but suffer from issues such as osseointegration and compatibility with existing bone. One way to improve traditional biomaterials is to incorporate ceramics with these metals so that their mechanical properties can be similar to cortical bones. Tricalcium phosphate is such a ceramic with properties so that it can be used in human body. This research explores the use of binder jetting based additive manufacturing process to create a novel biocomposite made of cobalt chrome and tricalcium phosphate. Experiments were conducted and processing parameters were varied to study their effect on the printing of this biocomposite. Layer thickness, binder saturation and drying time affected the dimensional tolerance and the density of the green samples. This effect is important to understand so that the material can be optimized for use in specific applications.

In a recent paper: “On the time dependency of a₀” the authors claim that they have tested “one of the predictions of the Scale Invariant Vacuum (SIV) theory on MOND” by studying the dependence of the Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND) accelera- tion at two data sets, low-z (3.2 × 10⁻⁴ ≤ z ≤ 3.2 × 10⁻²) and high-z (0.5 ≤ z ≤ 2.5). They claim “both samples show a dependency of a₀ from z”. Here, the work men- tioned above is revisited. The explicit analytic expression for the z-dependence of the a0 within the SIV theory is given. Furthermore, the first estimates of the Ω_m within SIV theory give Ω_m = 0.28 ± 0.04 using the low-z data only, while a value of Ω_m = 0.055 is obtained using both data sets. This much lower Ωm leaves no room for non-baryonic matter! Unlike in the mentioned paper above, the slope in the z- dependence of A₀ = log10(a₀) is estimated to be consistent with zero Z-slope for the two data sets. Finally, the statistics of the data are consistent with the SIV predic- tions; in particular, the possibility of change in the sign of the slopes for the two data sets is explainable within the SIV paradigm; however, the uncertainty in the data is too big for the clear demonstration of a z-dependence yet.

The present study illustrates the strong effect of geometrical parameters on the magneto-structural properties of Co2MnSi glass-coated microwires prepared using the Taylor-Ulitovsky method. Thus, two samples with different geometrical aspect ratios (ρ= d / D) have been fabricated, where d is the metallic nuclei diameter and D is the total diameter of the Co2MnSi microwire. The XRD analysis shows a significant change by modifying the aspect ratio, for ρ = 0.46 the main peak with miller indices (220) is recognized as an A2-type disordered cubic structure. Meanwhile, in the sample with a low aspect ratio, ρ = 0.31, the perfect L21 ordered cubic structure is attained. In addition, a decrease in average grain size from 36.62 nm to 28.07 nm by increasing the aspect ratio from 0.46 to 0.31 is observed. The magnetic characterization has been done in a wide range of temperatures and magnetic fields. Both of Co2MnSi samples show ferromagnetic behavior in a whole measuring temperatures range. A significant increase in coercivity and normalized reduced remanence by decreasing the aspect ratio is observed. The change in the magnetic properties is attributed to the modification in the microstructure, which is induced during the fabrication process. Such a dependence on the microstructure and magnetic properties on the ρ-ratio can be associated either with the internal stresses distribution and magnitude or with different quenching rates of microwires with different aspect ratios. The current findings demonstrate the tunability of microstructure and magnetic properties of Co2MnSi-glass-coated microwires simply, by a small modification in the geometric properties during the manufacturing process and without excreting any additional post-processing. The variation in geometric parameters of Co2MnSi glass-coated microwires allows us to tune magnetic properties and structure, which is essentially advantageous for sensing devices development.

Permafrost thaw is an important aspect of Earth’s carbon cycles. Initial estimates suggest that permafrost thaw could contribute anywhere between 20 to 500 Gt of CO2-eq by 2100. These estimates are all fundamentally centered around one number: active layer thickness (ALT). The deeper the ALT, the more emissions. Unfortunately, ALT is a highly spatially heterogeneous number and determined by numerous thermal, soil hydrology, and geomorphological effects. The remotely sensed active layer thickness (ReSALT) algorithm was introduced in 2010 to provide scientists with a way to model ALT heterogeneously at meter-scale resolution. However, upon inspection, this work shows that ReSALT’s modeling approach is self-inconsistent when using a variable soil porosity model. This work then introduces SCReSALT (Self-Consistent ReSALT) to solve that problem. Experimental comparisons to a past study in Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow), Alaska show significant improvement and suggest that SCReSALT should become a standard tool in permafrost thaw modeling. Code to reproduce all results can be found at https://github. com/jmathur25/permafrost-prediction.

We investigated the prevalence and genetic diversity of Wolbachia pipientis strains in Aedes albopictus populations in Greece. Using a combination of PCR and Sanger sequencing techniques, we genotyped Wolbachia strains in 105 mosquitoes collected across eight different prefectures in 2021. We found a high prevalence of Wolbachia in both male (90%) and female (97%) mosquitoes. Among the infected samples, 84% had double infections with both wAlbA and wAlbB strains, while 16% had infections with only wAlbB. Our comparison of the Multi-Locus Sequence Typing (MLST) profile, employing gatB-coxA-hcpA-ftsZ-fbpA genotyping, revealed a single MLST profile for each wAlbA and wAlbB strain in Greek populations. The same MLST profiles were also reported in populations from China, Russia, and Argentina, suggesting low levels of global diversity in wAlbA and wAlbB strains. Furthermore, our results indicated a significant association between temperature and the prevalence of single infections (P = 6.498E-07), with higher temperatures correlating with an increased likelihood of single infections. Although male-bias showed a tendency towards single infections, the effect was marginally non-significant (P = 0.053). These results were confirmed using a bootstrap-with-replacement analysis approach. Overall, our findings offer novel insights into the distribution and species diversity of Wolbachia strains in Greek Ae. albopictus populations, emphasizing the importance of understanding the short-term plastic and adaptive responses of these organisms to environmental stressors and rapid climate change.

The aim of this research is to investigate the influence of model height employed in the deep drawing of orthodontic aligner sheets on force transmission and aligner thickness. Forty sheets (Zendura FLX) were thermoformed over four models of varying heights (15, 20, 25, and 30 mm). Normal contact force generated on the facial surface of the upper right central incisor (Tooth 11) was measured using pressure-sensitive films. Aligner thickness around Tooth 11 was measured at five points. A digital caliper and a micro-computed tomography (µ-CT) were employed for thickness measurements. The normal contact force exhibited an uneven distribution across the facial surface of Tooth 11. Model 15 displayed the highest force (88.9±23.2 N), while Model 30 exhibited the lowest (45.7±15.8 N). The force distribution was more favorable for bodily movement with Model 15. Thickness measurements, conducted using a digital caliper and µ-CT, revealed substantial thinning of the aligner after thermoforming. This thinning was most pronounced at the incisal edge (50% of the original thickness) and least at the gingivo-facial part (85%). Additionally, there was a progressive reduction in aligner thickness with increasing model height, which was most significant on the facial tooth surfaces. We conclude that the thermoplastic aligner sheets undergo substantial thinning during the thermoforming process, which becomes more pronounced as the height of the model increases. As a result, there is a decrease in both overall and localized force transmission, which could lead to increased tipping by the aligner and a diminished ability to achieve bodily movement.

Two-dimensional (2D) materials show advantages as surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate over traditional noble metals, such as chemically inert flat surface and uniform SERS signals. However, due to the low density of free electrons of 2D materials, the enhancement mechanism is mainly restricted to chemical enhancement instead of electromagnetic enhancement, resulting a relatively low enhancement factor. In this work, we reported a sensitive 2D SERS substrate based on chemical vapor deposited MoN nanosheets with electromagnetic enhanced mechanism. The maximum enhancement factor can be 3×105 with a limit of detected concentration of 4×10-8 M, which is comparable to those noble metal SERS substrates without hot spots. The MoN nanosheets show strong surface plasmon resonance in the visible range as evidenced by the UV-vis absorption spectroscopy and first principle calculation. The MoN nanosheets SERS substrates exhibit excellent Raman signal uniformity within the nanosheets. Meanwhile, Distinct thickness dependent sensitivity was observed in the MoN nanosheets, higher sensitivity can be achieved by decreasing the thickness of the nanosheets. Furthermore, the MoN nanosheets SERS substrate also show high thermal stability, which can be annealed in air for more than 300℃ and maintain its SERS activity. The high stability of MoN nanosheets allows it to be reused for 20 cycles without obvious signal decay. The high sensitivity, stability, reusability and Raman signal uniformity, makes MoN nanosheets an ideal 2D SERS substrate for practical applications.

The process of full-thickness skin regeneration is complex and has many parameters involved, which makes it difficult to use a single dressing to meet the various requirements of the complete regeneration at the same time. Therefore, developing hydrogel dressings with multifunction, including tunable rheological properties and aperture, hemostatic, antibacterial and super cytocompatibility, is a desirable candidate in wound healing. In this study, a series of complex hydrogels were developed via the hydrogen bond and covalent bond between chitosan (CS) and alginate (SA). These hydrogels exhibited suitable pore size and tunable rheological properties for cell adhesion. Chitosan endowed hemostatic, antibacterial properties and great cytocompatibility and thus solved two primary problems in the early stage of the wound healing process. Moreover, the sustained cytocompatibility of the hydrogels was further investigated after adding FGF and VE-cadherin via the co-culture of L929 and EC for 12 days. The confocal 3D fluorescent images showed that the cells were spherical and tended to form multicellular spheroids, which distributed in about 40-60μm thick hydrogels. Furthermore, the hydrogel dressings significantly accelerate defected skin turn to normal skin with proper epithelial thickness and new blood vessels and hair follicles through the histological analysis of in vivo wound healing. The findings mentioned above demonstrated that the CS/SA hydrogels with growth factors have tremendous potential as multifunctional hydrogel dressings for full-thickness skin regeneration incorporated with hemostatic, antibacterial, sustained cytocompatibility for 3D cell culture and normal skin repairing.

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.

This study reports a correlation between EEG and structural brain changes in patients after severe traumatic brain injury in a coma. The novelty of our approach was based on the combination of structural visualization (MRI) and functional neuroimaging (EEG) during tactile stimulation. The structural morphometry indicated a decrease of whole-brain cortical thickness, the gray-matter volume of the cortex, and subcortical structures in comatose patients compared to healthy subjects. In resting-state EEG, coma patients had significantly higher power of the slow-wave activity of 2-6 Hz and significantly less power of the alpha and beta rhythm. Importantly, coma patients showed a significant decrease of theta-rhythm power in tactile stimulation compared to the resting state, and this EEG pattern was not found in the control group. The decrease of the theta-rhythm power significantly correlated with the better outcome from a coma. Spectral changes in EEG in response to tactile stimuli showed no association with brain morphometric measures in healthy controls. In patients, decreasing theta-rhythm power correlated positively with the volume of whole-brain gray matter, right putamen, and insula; and negatively with the volume of damaged brain tissue. Increasing beta-rhythm power, specific tactile EEG response for a healthy brain, correlated with the cortical thickness of the somatosensory Paracentral and Precentral area. The observed decrease of gray-matter volume indicates brain atrophy in coma patients, which could be associated with neurodegeneration induced by injury. Our results also demonstrate that slow-wave desynchronization, as a nonspecific response to tactile stimulation, can serve as a sensitive index of morphometric changes after brain injury and coma outcome.

A study about influence of heat input on welding defects in vertical upward welding position for dissimilar material and thickness using a new variation of TIG welding torch is done with support of advanced inspection methods SEM and EBSD. With vertical upward welding position, control heat input plays an important role to keep the weld stabilization without defects. On the other hand, TIG welding process using a conventional TIG torch (conventional TIG welding process) has low efficiency and it is difficult to control heat input with high accuracy. So, it is considered that using conventional TIG torch is still a challenge for welding thin plates. In this case, a new variation of TIG torch has been developed. This torch used a constricted nozzle to improve plasma arc characteristics. As a result, it can control efficiently the heat input to prevent the excessive or insufficiency for joining thin sheets. For evaluation of welding quality, advanced examination methods SEM and EBSD were applied to directly observe the welding defects. From the results, the formation mechanism of blowhole inside weld zone in case of welding dissimilar material and thickness was discussed. It is pointed out that when sufficient welding current, the change from weld zone to base metal is uniform, no welding defects such as blowhole was seen. However, in case of low welding current, the thinner base metal is insufficient fusion and the change between weld zone and base metal is not uniform. The blowhole was observed at SS400 material side.

It is widely, but not universally, believed that the lipids of the plasma membrane are not uniformly distributed, but that "rafts'' of sphingolipids and cholesterol float in a "sea'' of unsaturated lipids. The physical origin of such heterogeneities is often attributed to a phase coexistence between the two different domains. We argue that this explanation is untenable for several reasons. Further we note that the results of recent experiments are inconsistent with this picture. However they are quite consistent with an alternate explanation, namely that the plasma membrane is an emulsion of the two kinds of regions. To show this, we briefly review a simplified version of this theory and its phase diagram. We also explicate the dependence of the predicted domain size on four physical parameters. Among them are the spontaneous curvature of the membrane and its bending modulus and surface tension. Taking values of the latter two from experiment, we obtain domain sizes for several different cell types that vary from 58 to 88 nm.

Investments in wind and solar power are driven by the aim to maximize the utilization of renewable energy (RE). This results in an increased concentration of wind farms at locations with higher average wind speeds and of solar panel installations at sites with higher average solar insolation. This is unfavourable for energy suppliers and for the overall economy when large power output fluctuations occur. Thus, when evaluating investment options for spatially distributed RE systems, it is necessary to model resource fluctuations and power output correlations between locations. In this paper, we propose a methodology for analyzing the spatial dependence, accurate modeling, and forecasting of wind power systems with special consideration to spatial dispersion of installation sites. We combine vine-copulas with the Kumaraswamy distribution to improve accuracy in forecasting wind power from spatially dispersed wind turbines and to model solar power generated at each location. We then integrate these methods to formulate an optimization model for allocating wind turbines and solar panels spatially, with an end goal of maximizing overall power generation while minimizing the variability in power output. A case study of wind and solar power systems in Central Ontario, Canada is also presented.

The present state of the natural environment is significantly influenced by the construction sector. Due to the large amounts of consumed natural resources and materials as well as the high volume of emitted pollutants, the building industry is considered to have a key influence in achieving a global sustainable development. A considerable part of the ecological impact of the built environment is influenced by the energy consumed for creating appropriate indoor conditions as well as by the greenhouse gases that are emitted during the operation stage of a building’s life cycle. Therefore, the energy performances of existing buildings must be significantly improved in the near future. This paper analyzes the influence of the thermal insulation thickness of walls on the linear thermal transmittances and the heating demand of an existing building. The resulted values show that while increasing the insulation of the walls leads to a serious heat demand reduction, a deep renovation of the building cannot be achieved solely by using this solution.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common cardiac arrhythmia associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The role of epicardial adipose tissue (EAT), particularly in the left atrium, has garnered attention in the pathophysiology of AF. This review aims to provide an overview of the association between the thickness of left atrial epicardial adipose tissue (LA-EAT) and the incidence of AF, while exploring the arrhythmogenic effects of LA-EAT and the impact of epicardial fat tissue changes with age and in pathological conditions. A comprehensive search of PubMed was conducted, and relevant studies were selected based on their inclusion criteria. The findings suggest that increased LA-EAT thickness is associated with an elevated risk of AF, potentially mediated through inflammatory and proarrhythmic effects. Age-related changes in epicardial fat tissue and alterations in pathological conditions, such as obesity, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular diseases, further contribute to the development and progression of AF. Further research is needed to deepen our understanding of these mechanisms and their clinical implications.

In this paper, we consider the temporal development of the optical density of the H$_\alpha$ spectral line in a hydrogen laser induced plasma. This is achieved by using the so-called duplication method in which the spectral line is re-imaged onto itself and the ratio of the spectral line with it duplication is taken to its measurement without the duplication. We asses the temporal development of the self-absorption of the H$_\alpha$ line by tracking the decay of duplication ratio from its ideal value of 2. We show that when 20% loss is considered along the duplication optical path length, the ratio is 1.8 and decays to a value of 1.25 indicating an optically thin plasma grows in optical density to an optical depth of 1.16 by 400 ns in the plasma decay for plasma initiation conditions using Nd:YAG laser radiation at 120 mJ per pulse in a 1.11$\times10^{5}$ Pa hydrogen/nitrogen gas mixture environment. We also go on to correct the H$_\alpha$ line profiles for the self-absorption impact using two methods. We show that a method in which the optical depth is directly calculated from the duplication ratio is equivalent to standard methods of self-absorption correction when only relative corrections to spectral emissions are needed.

This research was conducted to manufacture thermally expandable microspheres (TEMs) for vehicles’ underbody coating and to apply them on an industrial scale. TEMs heat resistance was studied depending on the ratios of a cross-linking agent and an initiator. This research focused on the content of a cross-linking agent and how it affected the results. The TEMs’ outer shell was thickened to solve the problem of the foam expansion ratio’s reduction that occurred due to the shrinkage after the maximum expansion (Tmax) was reached. After foaming, the cross-sectional thickness and surface of the sample with thickened outer shell were observed. The TEMs with the thickened shell showed the least shrinkage, which indicated excellent shrinkage stability, even after prolonged exposure to heat.

This research was conducted to manufacture thermally expandable microspheres (TEMs) for vehicles’ underbody coating and to apply them on an industrial scale. TEMs heat resistance was studied depending on the ratios of a cross-linking agent and an initiator. This research focused on the content of a cross-linking agent and how it affected the results. The TEMs’ outer shell was thickened to solve the problem of the foam expansion ratio’s reduction that occurred due to the shrinkage after the maximum expansion (Tmax) was reached. After foaming, the cross-sectional thickness and surface of the sample with thickened outer shell were observed. The TEMs with the thickened shell showed the least shrinkage, which indicated excellent shrinkage stability, even after prolonged exposure to heat.

Cerebral aneurysms come in a wide range of shapes and sizes, they can evolve over time and present significant changes. It is generally accepted that large aneurysms are more prone to rupture, but the rupture of small aneurysms has also been observed, indicating the presence of additional risks factors. The aim of this study is to assess the effects of the aneurysm size and wall thickness on its rupture risk by using fluid-structure interaction simulations. Six patient-specific geometries were chosen, four were used for studying the size effect and two for studying the thickness effect. Additional cases where the aneurysm was removed were included. It was found that thinner walls suffer from significantly greater stresses, whereas an increment in size means, in general, lower wall shear stress and greater equivalent stress. By removing the aneurysm, it could be noted that at the rupture point, the reduction in the time-averaged wall shear stress was 75%. Although the size of an aneurysm has a great impact in its rupture risk, its wall thickness needs to be considered, since even maintaining its size, the aneurysm could suffer from a thin-ning of its walls that can lead to structural failure.

This research program investigated the effects of layer thickness (50 and 100 microns) on the microstructure and mechanical properties of electron beam powder bed fusion (EBPBF) additive manufacturing of Inconel 625 alloy. The as-built 50 and 100 micron layer thickness components were also heat treated at temperatures above 1100 oC, which produced a recrystallized grain structure containing annealing twins in the 50 micron layer thickness components, and a duplex grain structure consisting of islands of very small equiaxed grains dispersed in a recrystallized, large-grain structure containing annealing twins. The heat treated component microstructures and mechanical properties were compared with the as-built components in both the build direction (vertical) and perpendicular (horizontal) to the build direction. Vickers microindentation hardness (HV) values for the vertical and horizontal geometries averaged 227 and 220 for the as-built 50 and 100 micron layer components, and 185 and 282 for the corresponding heat treated components. The yield stress values were 387 MPa and 365 MPa for the as-built layer horizontal and vertical 50 micron layer geometries, and 330 MPa and 340 MPa for the as-built 100 micron layer components. For the heat treated 50 micron components, the yield stress values were 340 and 321 MPa for the horizontal and vertical geometries, and 581 and 489 MPa for the 100 micron layer components, respectively. The elongation for the 100 micron layer as-built horizontal components was 28% in contrast to 65% for the corresponding 100 micron heat treated layer components, an increase of 132% for the duplex grain structure. However, the coarse grains containing annealing twins and the equiaxed small grain islands in the duplex structure for the heat treated components contained continuous carbides in the grain boundaries, and this may indicate sensitization and a reduction in corrosion resistance. These findings point to the potential mechanical property advantage for heat treatment of Inconel 625 alloy 100 micron layer thickness components fabricated by EBPBF.

Diffusion bonding is often used on pre-machined parts to generate internal cavities, e.g. for cooling injection molding tools close to the mold cavity. Only then, the workpieces are finished to their final dimensions. In the case of micro-process devices, however, it is essential to precisely control the deformation, as otherwise uncontrollable pressure losses will occur with channel cross-sections in the sub-millimeter range. Post-processing is not possible. The most important process parameters for diffusion bonding are temperature, dwell time and contact pressure, with the bonding temperature and contact pressure acting in opposite directions and showing a strong non-linear dependence on deformation. In addition, the deformation is influenced by a number of other factors such as the absolute size of the cross-section and the aspect ratio of the parts, the dimensions and distribution of the internal cross sections and the overall percentage of the cross-section to be bonded. In micro process engineering, small material cross-sections in the range of the materials microstructure can facilitate additional deformation mechanisms such as grain boundary sliding, which are not relevant at all for larger structures. For parts consisting of multiple layers, tolerances in thickness and roughness of multiple surfaces must be levelled, contributing to the percentaged deformation. This makes it difficult, especially in micro process engineering and in single or small series production, to determine suitable joining parameters in advance, which on the one hand do not cause unforeseen large deformations, but on the other hand reliably produce highly vacuum-tight components. Hence, a definition of a fixed percentaged deformation does not work for all kinds of components. This makes it difficult to specify parameters for surely obtain high-vacuum tight parts. For successful diffusion bonding, atoms must diffuse over the bonding planes, forming a monolithic part in which the original layers are no longer visible. Only then, mechanical properties identical to those of the base material, which has been subjected to identical heat treatment, can be achieved. In this paper, the impacts of different material cross section widths as well as of the aspect ratio on deformation were investigated. By accident, it was found that also accuracy of the temperature measurement may have a serious impact in terms of deformation.

For the polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC), the separator thickness plays an important role to determine the weight, the volume and the costs of the PEFC. In addition, thermal management, i.e. temperature distribution is also important for the PEFC system to obtain higher performance. However, there were few reports investigating the relationship between the temperature distribution and the power generation performance such as current density distribution of PEFC operated at higher temperature (HT-PEFC). The aim of this study is to clarify the impact of separator thickness on the relationship between the temperature distribution and the current density distribution of HT-PEFC. This study has also investigated the impact of separator thickness on the relationship between the temperature distribution and the gases such as H2, O2 and the current density distribution of HT-PEFC numerically using CFD software COMSOL Multiphysics. The separator thicknesses of 2.0 mm, 1.5 mm and 1.0 mm were studied. In the study, the operation temperature and the relative humidity (RH) of supply gas were also changed. As a result, it was revealed that the optimum separator thickness was 2.0 mm to obtain higher power generation of HT-PEFC. Since the heat capacity in the case of the separator thickness of 2.0 mm was the largest among the separators investigated in this study, the dehydration of PEM and catalyst layer was smaller compared with the thinner separator thicknesses. It was also revealed that the impacts of separator thickness on distribution of gases, e.g. O2, H2O, and current density distribution became larger under higher temperature and lower RH conditions. This study also concluded that the tendency of temperature distribution matched those of O2, H2O and current density distributions.