Our decisions today are part of an economic thinking which aims to fix problems and increase the efficiency of capital markets. Our economy is still largely approached as a system which is unre-lated to our environment or social returns like community well-being, social cohesion, equitable distribution of resources, etc. To fully incorporate sustainability into cost-benefit analysis, busi-nesses need to change their financial approach, showcasing how long-term thinking impacts prof-its. Money's value is not static and evolves with time and technology. We propose to introduce a variation of cost/benefit and present value calculations. Precise calculations reveal the benefits of long-term strategies over short-term profit focus. As financial systems evolve and technology advances, the accurate calculation of money's time value will continue to play a crucial role in shaping economic landscapes and guiding financial choices. In this article, we demonstrate that updated calculations could be a key enabler to visualize the benefits of long-term thinking or “patient finance” as compared to a short-term focus on profit. We introduce the concept and calculation of a Present Future Value (PFV).

This article presents a buck converter in which the inductor has been replaced by a transmission line. This approach would be practically conceivable if the power supply and load have a greater spatial distance. In the time domain, this new converter can be described by a system of coupled partial and ordinary differential equations. In the frequency domain, a transcendental transfer function is obtained. For comparison with an equivalently parameterized conventional converter, Padé approximants are derived. A linear controller is designed for the converter topology under consideration.

This study draws on both the theory of resource-based view and the theory of stakeholders to investigate the effects of Green Human Resource Management (Green HRM) practices on Sustainability and Employee Health Orientation (EHO) through the mediating effect of Environmental Performance (EP). Based on a cross-sectional survey questionnaire, the data were collected from 318 service and manufacturing firms across India. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was applied to determine the link among constructs. The findings of the empirical evidence reveal that Green HRM practices have positive and significant effects on EP, Sustainability and EHO. Also, the findings demonstrate that EP partially mediates the link between Green HRM practices and Sustainability. Similarly, the findings establish that EP partially mediates the link between Green HRM practices and EHO. Finally, the potential implications of this research and future research for practitioners and scholars are addressed.

Integrating triple bottom line (TBL) goals into supply chains (SCs) is a challenging task which necessitates the careful coordination of numerous stakeholders’ individual interests. Recent technological advancements can impact TBL sustainability by changing the design, structure and management of modern SCs. Blockchain technology enables immutable data records and facilitates a shared data view along the supply chain. The Physical Internet (PI) is an overarching framework that can be applied to create a layered and comprehensive view of the SC. In this conceptual paper I define and combine these technologies and derive several high-level research areas and research questions to investigate adoption, management as well as structural SC issues. I suggest a theory-based research agenda for the years to come that exploits the strengths of rigorous academic research, while remaining relevant for the industry. Furthermore, I suggest various well-established theories to tackle the respective research questions and provide specific directions for future research.

This paper proposes an innovative approach to address the challenge of softening deformation of thermal-curable thermosets during additive manufacturing. This approach involves the development of a composite powder composed of thermosetting materials with distinct curing temperatures, the utilization of Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing (CSAM) technology for 3D printing, and the application of a stepwise isothermal curing process. The corresponding effectiveness is validated by case studies. The results demonstrate that samples printed via CSAM maintain a solid state without deformation. During the post-curing process, each component of the composite material cures independently while the other components remain in a solid state, providing structural support for the whole material, thereby effectively reducing the softening deformation during the post-curing process. This approach offers a novel perspective for the additive manufacturing of thermal-curable thermosets.

Criticism has been directed towards the traditional methods of management accounting employed by organizations thus far, as they fail to adequately address the growing need for competitiveness and sustainable development in a globalized environment. This criticism stems from both economic factors, such as insufficient monitoring of material, energy, and escalating overhead costs, and environmental concerns, where inadequate attention is given to vital information regarding significant environmental aspects, impacts, risks, and damages arising from the organization's activities and processes. Additionally, these methods do not sufficiently support the implementation of a functional environmental management system (EMS). Drawing upon our research in EMS standardization following the international standards ISO 1400X, as well as our knowledge gained during the development of the Slovak Technical Standard (STN) for ISO 14051, this paper presents an innovative model of environmental management accounting. This model is based on the cost accounting of material and energy flows within organizations. It serves as an enhancement framework for organizations with an existing EMS built according to the EN ISO 14001 model, as well as for organizations lacking a formalized EMS based on this standard. Within this paper, we specify, decompose, and apply the new model, focusing on the cost accounting of material-energy flows in a hypothetical organization. We meticulously examine the ten key steps of the model's structure, particularly in terms of costing and the allocation of costs to material, energy, system, and waste management.

This study presents the core tenets that constitute culturally responsive science assessments (CRSciA) for K-12 education and aligned them with the capabilities of generative AI (GenAI). The tenets were identified based on their dominance in the literature, including Indigenous Language, Race and Ethnicity, Religious Beliefs, Family and Community, and Indigenous Knowledge. These tenets were instrumental in developing the GenAI-CRSciA framework and the subsequent prompts to generate CRSciAs aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) while comparing it with standard prompt strategies. The results showed that the GenAI-CRSciA approach outperformed standard prompting strategies in terms of generating CRSciAs, proving its effectiveness in addressing the ongoing challenges in science assessments. Even though the GenAI-CRSciA framework presented assessments that cover a range of the cultural backgrounds, it presents potential challenges such as compromising curricula core competencies and overgeneralization of students’ backgrounds; overlooking subcultural variations within a country or region, for example differences between urban and rural students, or between different ethnic or linguistic groups within the same nation, which can lead to bias and less effective CRSciA outputs. To address this, we recommend that teachers provide comprehensive and specific background information about their students when using the GenAI-CRSciA prompting, ensuring that the generated content is truly reflective of the students’ unique cultural contexts. In larger class settings, teachers could implement comprehensive local data indexing, where detailed student background information is uploaded and retrievable for use in crafting more personalized CRSciAs. We recommend educators make conscious efforts to validate the generated assessments with input from human experts, including community or family, educators, and even students who are knowledgeable about the cultural nuances. We also suggest continuous professional development would be necessary to enhance teachers’ understanding of the cultural tenets.

The success of deep learning (DL) in offline brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) has not yet translated into efficient online applications. This is due to three primary challenges. First, most DL solutions are designed for offline decoding, making the transition to online decoding complex and unclear. Second, the use of sliding windows in online decoding increases the computational complexity of DL training. Third, DL models typically require large amounts of training data, which are often scarce in BCI applications. To address these issues and enable real-time decoding, even across different subjects without calibration data, we first introduce a novel approach called real-time adaptive pooling (RAP). RAP modifies the pooling layers of existing offline DL models towards the online decoding requirements. Additionally, it significantly reduces the computational demand during training by jointly decoding consecutive windows. To reduce the amount of training data required, our approach leverages different levels of domain adaptation. We show how different settings enable different adaptation solutions. The results demonstrate that our approach is both powerful and can be calibration-free, providing a robust and practical solution for real-time BCI applications. These findings pave the way for the development of co-adaptive and highly efficient DL-based online BCI systems.

Frontal Polymerization (FP) is recognized as a polymer synthesis method capable of generating a highly localized and self-propagating exothermic front, considered a more rapid and energy-efficient manufacturing scheme for polymer-based fiber-reinforced composite materials. This study conducts a numerical investigation based on the Finite Element Method into the initiation and propagation of frontal polymerization of acrylamide. Utilizing Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) experiments, the study phenomenologically tests the curing kinetics reactions of acrylamide (AM) in deep eutectic solvent (DES)-based polymerizable systems, thereby establishing a curing kinetics model for the autocatalytic reaction of polyacrylamide. By coupling the heat conduction diffusion equation of the frontal polymerization reaction, the Finite Element Method is employed to solve the reaction-diffusion model, aiming to explore the evolution of temperature and degree of curing during the manufacturing process. The results demonstrate the reliability and accuracy of the nth-order autocatalytic model in the study of curing kinetics for DES-based synthesis, indicating that the front propagation speed of the AM-based FP reaction is influenced by the activation temperature, duration of activation temperature, and initial temperature of the solution. Experimental validation of the polyacrylamide manufacturing through frontal polymerization corroborates the accuracy and reliability of the model predictions, providing a reference for the numerical model study and temperature control in the synthesis of acrylamide composite hydrogels via FP.

While the role of safe riding behavior as a safety contributor for cyclists has been increasingly studied in recent years, there have been few studies analysing cycling behavior in relation to crash-related outcomes in Baltic countries. Indeed, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first time this issue has been addressed in the case of Latvia. Aim: The objective of this study was to assess the relationships among self-repotted cyclists’ behavior, traffic safety literacy, and their cycling crash involvement rates. Method: A total of 299 cyclists aged M=32.8 from across Latvia (42% females) participated in an online survey, which comprised questions regarding respondents’ demographics, frequency of riding, and the number of crashes in the past five years. The Cycling Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ) and the Cyclist Risk Perception and Regulation Scale (RPRS) were applied to assess cyclists' behavior patterns and traffic safety literacy. Results: According to the findings, it can be inferred that cyclists frequently engage in riding errors and traffic violations while cycling. Those who exhibit more antisocial behavior patterns are also more likely to be involved in road crashes. Conversely, cyclists with greater positive behavior rates more often also tend to possess better knowledge of traffic rules and exhibit a heightened risk perception, indicating a greater awareness of road traffic safety. Conclusion: All in sum, this study underscores key age differences, with older individuals significantly less involved in riding crashes, exhibiting fewer driving errors and a higher level of risk perception, which serves as a crucial factor in road safety. At the practical level, these results stress the need to address both traffic safety literacy and protective cycling factors of cyclists, in a manner to improve overall road safety and promote active transport modes in Latvia.

An explanation of aerodynamic lift still is under controversial discussion as can be seen, for example, in a recent published article in Scientific American [1]. In contrast to an approach via integral conservation laws we here review an approach via the classical Kutta-Condition and its relation to boundary layer theory. Thereby we summarize known results for viscous correction to the lift coefficient for thin aerodynamic profiles and try to remember the work on triple-deck or higher order Boundary Layer theory, its connection to interactive boundary layer theory, viscous/inviscid coupling as implemented to well-known engineering code Xfoil. Finally we compare its findings to simple 2D numerical solution of full Navier Stokes equations (CFD)models. As a conclusion, a clearer definition of terms like understanding and explanation applied to the phenomenon of aerodynamic lift will be given.

In this paper, a new type of self-excited thermomechanical oscillator containing an oscillating shape memory alloy (SMA) filament with two symmetrically arranged spheres is investigated. The self-excitation of the oscillations is due to a heater of constant temperature, which causes periodic contractions of the filament when it approaches it. The contracted filament moves away from the heater a distance sufficient to cool it. Under the action of the weight of the spheres, the cooled filament re-approaches the heater, causing the above processes to repeat periodically. On the basis of experimental studies, approximating functions of the heater's heat field distribution are derived. A dynamic model of the oscillator has been created, in which the minor and major hysteresis in the SMA alloy and the distribution of the heat field around the heater have been taken into account. By numerical solutions of the differential equations, the laws of motion of the spheres are obtained. The displacements of the spheres in two perpendicular directions were measured using an experimental system. The obtained experimental results validate the proposed dynamic model and its assumptions with a high degree of confidence. Conclusions are drawn about the stochastic nature of the oscillations due to the hysteresis properties of the SMA and the temperature variation of the natural frequency of the oscillating system.

The authors argue that despite significant numbers of foreign workers present in the Russian labor market Russia remains unattractive for highly skilled foreign workers. The economic crisis the country has faced since 2014 has resulted in a further outflow of foreign nationals from OECD countries. So Russia has to look for employees among newcomers from the former Soviet states, the majority of whom come from Central Asia. Russian politics with regard to immigration is characterized by the collision between “geopolitical” and domestic policy rationales. On one hand, seeking to maximize its influence in the post-Soviet space Russia provides preferential conditions of employment for citizens of partner countries in the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union. On the other hand, the Kremlin is afraid to liberalize its approach to immigration and the integration of immigrants through fear of losing popularity among the electorate. The second substantial feature of Russian immigration politics is an extreme level of securitization of migration issues. The government considers these issues primarily through a policing lens. One cannot claim that the Russian state does not take any steps to liberalize “migratory regulation”; however, the effect of these measures is being vastly reduced by new restrictions. In addition, liberally designed laws do not bring the expected results due to the corrupt practices that pervade the whole of migration regulation.

This study analyzes the eating behavior and factors associated with the presence of disordered eating attitudes in patients undergoing bariatric surgery. It is a cross-sectional, descriptive, and analytical study conducted at a hospital in the Amazon region of Brazil. The Disordered Eating Attitude Scale reduced version (DEAS-s) was used to assess the risk of eating disorders and the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ-R21) to characterize eating behavior. A total of 205 patients participated, with a mean age of 37.5 ± 8.6 years, the majority being female (93.7%; p<0.001), the mean BMI was 45.3±6.7 kg/m2. It was found that cognitive restraint had the highest mean (52.6±19.9; p<0.001). As for the DEAS-s, the question with the highest mean was "spending one or more days without eating or consuming only liquids to lose weight" (2.80±1.99). Female participants had a higher score in the emotional eating (p=0.016). Disordered eating attitudes showed a correlation with emotional eating and uncontrolled eating. These results suggest that candidates for bariatric surgery may have susceptibility to eating disorders. The importance of a multidisciplinary team in monitoring during the preoperative period is highlighted.

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

Tungsten balls with sub-100-μm diameter can function as probe tips for micro-coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) to measure ultraprecise workpieces such as ceramic bearings with a high aspect ratio. A high-precision measuring system was proposed to evaluate the roundness error of the self-made tungsten ball tips. The principles and mathematical models of the measuring system are illustrated, and the fabrication principle of tungsten balls is introduced. An analysis was conducted on the maximum allowable contact force and bending strength of the tungsten ball tips, and the elastic mechanism was designed based on the analysis. A ruby probe with a sphericity error of 130 nm (A-5003-0577, Renishaw Corporation) used as a reference sphere was measured to verify the system's effectiveness. Repeated measurement experiments were performed for two tungsten ball tips. The results show the roundness error of the tungsten ball-A is between 568.3 and 586.2 nm with a standard deviation of 6.6 nm while the tungsten ball-B’s roundness error is between 898.5 and 958.0 nm with a standard deviation of 19.7 nm. The uncertainty is calculated as 125.8 nm. The developed system can stably measure the roundness of the tungsten ball tips.

Building defects are very prevalent and contribute significantly to a building's economic value. There are numerous information sources on building defects that have a lot potential for learning more about building defects. This study aimed to identify the information sources used in previous building defect studies and to identify the motivation for carrying out such studies. To fulfil this aim a scoping study was carried out. The information sources identified included insurance companies, private databases, questionnaire surveys, lawsuits, building surveys, client complaint forms, and maintenance reports. This study found that insurance company and client complaint forms include the largest collection of real building defect cases, but such databases may lack detailed descriptions of the causes of the defects. The main purposes of building defects studies identified here included design challenges, identification of defects, building maintenance management, quality management, systematization in data collection, providing an overview of typical defects, and classifying defects. Identification was found to be the most common purpose, indicating that the industry wants to learn more. This study identified research gaps in the climate perspective in relation to building defects. Most of the studies focused on the economical perspective, and none focused on the carbon footprint perspective.

The present studies were undertaken to address the role of fetuin-A in the growth and invasion potential in a triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell line, MDA-MB-468. Basal like TNBC that express high levels of ectopic fetuin-A have poorer prognosis for the patients compared to those that express low levels of the protein. We overexpressed fetuin-A in MDA-MB-468 and then determined the invasive potential of fetuin-A overexpressing cells vs controls transfected with empty vector. We also determined the adhesion and growth potential of the cells in the presence of only fetuin-A in serum free medium and also in complete medium. Our data suggest that fetuin-A overexpression significantly enhances the invasive potential of the cells and also the expression of Toll like receptor 4 (TLR4) on these cells. More importantly, the cells rely on fetuin-A-TLR4 signaling network for growth and invasion because the specific TLR4 inhibitor CLI-095 (resatorvid) abrogates fetuin-A mediated growth and invasion. Taken together, the data suggest that fetuin-A-TLR4 signaling network plays a significant role in the growth and invasion potential of TNBC.

In electromagnetic ultrasonic testing, it is difficult to recognize small-size bottom cracks by time of flight (ToF), and the lift-off fluctuation of the probe affects the accuracy and consistency of the inspection results. In order to overcome the difficulty, a novel EMAT (electromagnetic acoustic transducer)-PEC (pulse eddy current) composite sensor is designed. We use amplitude of bottom echo recorded by EMAT to identify the tiny bottom crack as well as the amplitude of PEC signals picked up by the integrated symmetric coils to measure the average lift-off of the probe in real time. Firstly, the effects of lift-off and bottom cracks on amplitude of bottom echo are distinguished combining the theoretical analysis and finite element method (FEM). And then an amplitude correction method based on the fusion of EMAT and PEC signals is proposed to reduce the impact of lift-off on the defect signal. The experimental results demonstrate that the designed composite sensor can effectively detect the bottom crack as small as 0.1mm* 0.3mm. The signal fusion method can accurately correct the amplitude of defect signal and the relative error is less than ±8%.

The acoustic environment in learning spaces significantly influences learning effectiveness and occupant well-being. Recent studies have shown that a series of architectural factors within physical learning environments can impact students' educational experiences. This research delves into the relationship between architectural characteristics and the perceived acoustic environment among 467 primary students in 19 learning spaces across 9 schools in Chile. The survey comprises a student questionnaire, a checklist evaluating space characteristics, and acoustic measurements of indoor noise levels during occupied conditions. Examined topics include Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) comfort perception, noise annoyance, hearing ability, and acoustic preference. Architectural characteristics considered encompass flexible and acoustic space design parameters. The results indicated that noise discomfort was a common issue, especially in traditional learning spaces without acoustic treatment. The type of learning space (traditional or flexible settings) has a greater impact on acoustic perception particularly concerning noise discomfort and acoustic preference. However, poorly acoustic spaces lacking absorbing materials or exhibiting lower spatial density (m2 per student) contribute to increased indoor noise levels affecting noise annoyance caused by children's talking inside. The study emphasizes the importance of considering both architectural design and acoustic conditioning for optimizing the acoustic experience in educational spaces.

We prove that it is necessary to introduce the non-zero gluon masses into the fundamental Lagrangian of Quantum Chromodynamics in order to describe the mass-gap in the reaction of electron-positron annihilation into hadrons. A new restriction on the gluon masses is obtained. The renormalized theory with non-zero Lagrangian gluon masses is constructed.

Background: Extracellular Vesicles are pivotal mediators in intercellular communication, facilitating the exchange of biological information among healthy, pathological and tumor cells. Between the diverse subtypes of extracellular vesicles, exosomes have unique properties, clinical and therapeutical applications, even towards cancer. Breast cancer ranks as one of the most prevalent malignancies across the globe. Both the tumor core and its surrounding microenvironment engage in a complex, orchestrated interaction that facilitates the cancer’s growth and spread. Methods: The most valuable and significant PubMed Literature about extracellular vesicles and adipose–derived stem cells exosomes was selected and analyzed in order to report their biological properties and potential applications, in particular on the Triple–Negative Breast Cancer. Results: Adipose–derived stem cells exosomes represent a potential tool to target the tumor core of the Triple–Negative Breast Cancer, its microenvironment and surrounding tissues including metastasis. The authors are developing a supportive Triple–Adipose–derived stem cells Exosomes [T.A.E.] Technology against breast cancer in order to perform a selective preconditioning of the cancer before or while the traditional oncological treatments are running. Conclusion: The possibility to exploit the impact of Adipose–derived stem cells exosomes within the T.A.E. Technology against the Triple–Negative breast cancer is real, highlighting a new era for supportive measures against breast cancer.Keywords: Extracellular vesicles; Exosomes; Adipose–derived stem cells, Tumor microenvironment, Triple–Negative Breast Cancer, T.A.E. Technology.

Hypertension is a global public health challenge, with a high prevalence across various regions and significant implications for cardiovascular risk. This article reviews the effectiveness of herbal medicine as a potential therapeutic approach for hypertension, offering an alternative or complementary solution to conventional pharmacological treatments. It highlights several natural agents that have demonstrated efficacy in lowering systolic blood pressure (SBP) in clinical and meta-analytical studies. The methodology involved a systematic review of articles that discuss herbal therapeutics for hypertension, focusing on their efficacy compared to placebo and standard treatments. The findings suggest that certain nutraceuticals, such as garlic, hawthorn, and CoQ10, can significantly reduce SBP, presenting a viable option for managing hypertension. This review underscores the need for further research to validate these findings and optimize herbal treatment strategies, potentially expanding the use of these natural products in clinical practice. The article aims to increase awareness among medical professionals and patients about the benefits and applications of herbal medicines in treating hypertension.

Reducing and time-shifting household energy demand is important for a sustainable transition of energy systems, and dynamic electricity pricing, like real-time pricing (RTP), is a popular instrument to incite households to change energy demand. However, the effect of such products relies on the assumption that dynamic price signals incorporate into everyday routines and rhythms. This paper investigates the flexibility of households’ everyday routines and rhythms. The study provides three insights based on 11 Danish household visits and interviews with electricity customers who are new to RTP. First, the interviews indicated confusion over terminology for dynamic pricing products and low interest in flexible energy demand. Second, everyday practices (already) appeared flexible but for other reasons than energy demand flexibility. Third, energy habits were important for providing meaning to everyday practices. In addition, the study shows that energy flexibility is not just about energy demand, but rather about all the other activities that form routines and rhythms in everyday life. We suggest 1) designing products that reflect ‘natural’ or ‘societal’ daily rhythms, 2) focusing on the engaged households, and 3) being aware that for some households, changes in pricing, including new payment schemes, might put extra pressure on already harried everyday routines.

The static formation temperature (SFT) is required to determine the thermophysical properties and production parameters in geothermal and oil reservoirs. However, the SFT is not easy to be obtained by both experimental and physical methods. In this paper, a mathematical approach to predicting SFT based on a new model describing the relationship between bottom hole temperature (BHT) and shut-in time was proposed. The unknown coefficients of the model were derived from least squares fit by Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm. Besides, the ability to predict SFT based on a few BHT data (such as first 3, 4, or 5 ones of a data set) was evaluated. The accuracy of the proposed method to predict SFT was testified with a deviation percentage less than ±4% and high values of regression coefficient R² (>0.98). The proposed method could be used as a practical tool to predict SFT in both geothermal and oil wells.

The notion of the three-phase (line) tension remains one of the most disputable notions in the surface science. A very broad range of its values has been reported. Experts even do not agree on the sign of the line tension. The polymer-chain-like model of the three-phase (triple) line enables the rough estimation of the entropic input into the value of the line tension, estimated as Γ_en≅(k_B T)/d_m ≅〖10〗^(-11) N, where d_m is the diameter of the liquid molecule. The introducing of the polymer-chain-like model of the triple line is justified by the “water string” model of the liquid state, predicting strong orientation effects for liquid molecules located in the vicinity of hydrophobic moieties. The estimated value of the entropic input into the line tension is close to experimental findings, reported by various groups.

Context. During the COVID-19 pandemic, patient care was mainly organised around the hospital. Pre-hospital care has, to our knowledge, never been evaluated. Objective: To evaluate the impact of pre-hospital pathways on hospitalisation during the last part of the pandemic. Design. This was a monocentric retrospective analysis of prospectively collected medical records. Data from patients admitted to our institute between 1 February and 7 March 2022 were analysed. Main Outcome Measure(s): The primary outcomes were defined as the number of hospitalisations, resuscitations, and deaths at the time of interview and in the subsequent 30 days. The main explanatory variables were times from onset of symptoms to care, age, gender, News2 score, comorbidities, and pre-hospital pathways and their duration. Results: Three pre-hospital pathways have been identified: a pathway in which the patient consults a general practitioner for a test (PHP1); a pathway in which the patient consulted for care (PHP2); and no pre-hospital pathway and direct admission to hospital (PHP3). Factors independently associated with outcome (hospitalisation) were being male (OR 95% CI; 2.21 [1.01–4.84], p=0,04), News2 score (OR 95% CI; 2.04 [1.65–2.51], p<0.001), obesity (OR 95% CI; 3.45 [1.48–8.09], p=0.005), D-dimers > 0.5 µg/ml (OR 95% CI; 3.45 [1.47–8.12], p=0.005), prolonged time from symptoms to hospital care (PHP duration) (OR 95% CI; 1.07 [1.01–1.14], p=0.03). All things being equal, patients with a “PHP2” pre-hospital pathway had a higher probability of hospitalisation compared to those with a “PHP3” pre-hospital pathway (OR 95% CI; 4.31 [1.48–12.55], p=0.007). Conclusions. Along with recognised risk factors such as gender, News 2 score, and obesity, the patient’s pre-hospital pathway is an important risk factor associated with hospitalisation.

High hepcidin is linked to low-grade inflammation and lower iron levels. The consequence of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) on inflammation and risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is undetermined. We investigate the effect of TRT on the inflammatory cardiovascular risk markers hepcidin-iron, fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23)-phosphate-klotho, and calprotectin pathways. Methods: A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded study at an academic tertiary-care medical center. Interventions were testosterone gel (TRT, n=20) or placebo gel (n=19) for 24 weeks. We included 39 men (50─70 years) with type 2 diabetes (T2D) on metformin monotherapy with bioavailable testosterone levels <7.3 nmol/L. Body composition was assessed by DXA- and MRI-scans; main study outcomes were serum hepcidin-iron, FGF23, phosphate, klotho, and calprotectin. Results: Hepcidin levels decreased during TRT (β=-9.5 ng/mL, P<0.001), lean body mass (β=1.9 kg, P=0.001) increased, and total fat mass (β=-1.3 kg, P=0.009) decreased compared to placebo. Delta hepcidin was not associated with changes in lean body mass or fat mass. Iron and the pathways of FGF23-phosphate-klotho and calprotectin were unchanged during TRT. Conclusions: During TRT, the reduction in hepcidin was not associated with circulating iron levels, lean body mass, or fat mass; these findings suggested a direct anti-inflammatory effect of TRT and no indirect effect mediated through these factors.

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

The state of the grinding wheel in the grinding process directly affects the surface quality of the workpiece. The monitoring of the wear state of the grinding wheel can effectively identify the wear information of the grinding wheel and timely and effectively repair the grinding wheel. In this paper, a multi-sensor fusion precision grinding wheel wear intelligent monitoring system is established for typical difficult-to-machine aerospace material titanium alloy, and a multi-eigenvalue fusion algorithm based on improved support vector machine (SVM) is proposed. The extracted sound emission signal wavelet packet decomposition coefficient mean square value, force signal grinding force ratio, and vibration signal effective value are used as the input of the improved support vector machine, and the identification strategy is adjusted by the entropy weight evaluation method. The results show that the monitoring system established in this paper can effectively identify the wear state of the grinding wheel, and the monitoring accuracy can reach more than 92%.

To better understand the shape memory materials and self-healing materials, a new series of liquid-crystalline shape memory polyurethane (LC-SMPU) composites, named SMPU-OOBAm, were successfully prepared by incorporating 4-octyldecyloxybenzoic acid (OOBA) into the PEG-based SMPU. The effect of OOBA on the structure, morphology and properties has been carefully investigated. The results demonstrate that SMPU-OOBAm have liquid crystalline properties, triple-shape memory properties and self-healing properties. The incorporated OOBA promotes the crystallizability of both soft and hard segments of SMPU, and the crystallization rate of the hard segment of SMPU decreases when the OOBA-content increases. Additionally, the SMPU-OOBAm forms a two-phase separated structure (SMPU phase and OOBA phase), and it shows two-step modulus changes upon heating. Therefore, the SMPU-OOBAm shows triple-shape memory behavior, and the shape recovery ratio decreases with an increase in the OOBA content. Finally, SMPU-OOBAm shows self-healing properties. The new mechanism can be ascribed to the heating-induced “bleeding” of OOBA in the liquid crystalline state and the subsequent re-crystallization upon cooling. This successful combination of liquid crystalline properties, triple-shape memory properties and self-healing properties make the SMPU-OOBAm composites with many promise applications in smart optical devices, smart electronic devices and smart sensors.

The dust originating from the extinct lake of the Aral Sea poses a considerable threat to the sur-rounding communities and ecosystems. The accurate location of these wind erosion areas is an essential prerequisite for controlling sand and dust activity. However, few relevant indicators re-ported in the current study can accurately describe and measure wind erosion intensity. A novel wind erosion intensity (WEI) of a resolution unit was defined in this paper based on the deformation due to the wind erosion in this resolution unit. We also derived the relationship between WEI and soil InSAR temporal decorrelation (ITD). The ITD is usually caused by the surface change over time, which is very suitable for describing wind erosion. However, within one resolution unit, the ITD signal usually includes soil and vegetation contributions, and few studies are referred to this. Therefore, we proposed an ITD decomposition model (ITDDM) to decompose the ITD signal of a resolution unit. The least-squares method (LSM) based on singular value decomposition (SVD) is used to estimate the ITD of soil (SITD) within a resolution unit. We verified the results qualitatively by the landscape photos, which can reflect the actual conditions of the soil. At last, the WEI of the Aral Sea from June 23, 2020, to July 05, 2020, was mapped. The results confirmed that (1) Based on the ITDDM model, the SITD can be accurately estimated by the LSM method, (2) the Aral Sea is experiencing severe wind erosion, and (3) The middle, northeast, and southeast bare areas of the South Aral Sea are where salt dust storms may occur.

Objective: We reviewed the available literature on patients undergoing minimally invasive mitral valve surgery (MIMVS) with either transthoracic clamping (TTC) or endoaortic balloon occlusion (EABO). Methods: Original research studies that evaluated the perioperative outcomes of TTC versus EABO group were identified, from 2000 to 2024. The incidence of all-cause mortality, cerebrovascular accidents (CVA), and aortic dissections were the primary endpoints. The cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), cross-clamp, and ventilation time, along with the incidence of conversion to sternotomy, re-exploration, new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF), postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI), ICU stay, and LOS were the secondary endpoints. Subgroup analyses were performed regarding EABO cannulation approach (femoral and aortic) and MIMVS approach (video-assisted and robotic-assisted). Sensitivity analyses were performed including risk-adjusted populations and with the leave-one-out method. Results: Sixteen studies were included in the qualitative and quantitative synthesis. After pooling data from 6,335 patients, both groups demonstrated similar outcomes on all primary and secondary endpoints in the non-adjusted and adjusted total cohort analyses. These outcomes were further validated by the leave-one-out sensitivity analysis. In addition, the aortic cannulation EABO was associated with lower cross-clamp time, followed by TTC and femoral cannulation EABO approach. Furthermore, in the video-assisted subgroup analysis, the EABO approach was associated with a higher incidence of CVA, conversion to sternotomy, and longer ICU stay compared to the TTC group. Conclusions: The present meta-analysis indicates that both aortic occlusion techniques are safe and feasible in the context of MIMVS. A future well-designed Randomized-Control Trial should further validate the current outcomes.

The systematic sampling is used as a method to get the quantitative results from the tissues and the radiological images. Systematic sampling on real line (R) is a very attractive method within which the biomedical imaging is consulted by the practitioners. For the systematic sampling on R, the measurement function (MF) is occurred by slicing the three-dimensional object equidistant systematically. The currently used covariogram model in variance approximation proposed by [28,29] is tested for the different measurement functions in a class to see the performance on the variance estimation of systematically sampled R. This study is an extension of [17], and an exact calculation method is proposed to calculate the constant λ(q,N) of confidence interval in the systematic sampling. The exact value of constant λ(q,N) is examined for the different measurement functions as well. As a result, it is observed from the simulation that the proposed MF should be used to check the performances of the variance approximation and the constant λ(q,N). Synthetic data can support the results of real data.

Enhancing spectral efficiency, especially in Non-line-of-Sight environments, is emerging as a pivotal necessity when dealing with the evolving landscape of 5G networks and beyond, sur-passing the capabilities of previous 4G systems to achieve a high information rate combined with minimal interference. Contrary to depending on the traditional Orthogonal Multiple Access (OMA) systems to tackle the issues caused by Non-line-of-Sight (NLoS) environments, advanced wireless networks are focusing on adopting innovative models such as Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA), MIMO, IRS technology, etc. In this paper, we present technologies that can be integrated with NOMA to enhance communication reliability in environments that suffer from issues such as limited coverage and lower spectral efficiency mainly caused by huge obstacles. Our exploration includes the fundamental concepts of Cooperative NOMA (C-NOMA), Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO), Intelligent Reflective Surfaces (IRS), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), and Energy Harvesting (HV), which adds a layer of sophistication, promising not only improved connectivity but also contributing to a more reliable and environmentally friendly data trans-mission landscape.

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

No doubt pollution is a global problem which must be holistically tackled. In doing this, adequate knowledge of the sources of pollution is important, therefore the aim of this paper is to review source apportionment with reference to top-down and bottom-up methods. In this paper, dispersion modeling, emissions inventory, and sampling methods were discussed. Also, analytical methods involved in top-down source apportionment were mentioned. The two techniques are needed to evaluate pollutants and their sources. Based on these two approaches, pollution control strategy would be developed and decisions can be made in deciding the right approach to solve or reduce the pollution problems.

The neural system has limited resources to interact with the environment, and this is where attention comes into play. Attention is a complex process that provides numerous benefits, but there has been a longstanding debate about the mechanisms involved in attentional orientation. Two widely proposed mechanisms are top-down and bottom-up, which relate to the organism's current behavioral goal and the salience of environmental stimuli, respectively. However, distinguishing between these mechanisms can be challenging in both behavioral and neural studies. This review introduces a new conceptualization in which both top-down and bottom-up mechanisms are viewed as aspects of the same process. This unified approach aims to prepare the organism to face stimuli and events based on its prior experiences, immediate (the current task that he/she is aware of), and innate (to be alive) demands.

After UV excitation, gas phase thymine returns to ground state in 5 to 7 ps, showing multiple time constants. There is no consensus on the assignment of these processes, with a dispute between models claiming that thymine is trapped either in the first (S1) or in the second (S2) excited states. In the present study, nonadiabatic dynamics simulation of thymine is performed on the basis of ADC(2) surfaces, to understand the role of dynamic electron correlation on the deactivation pathways. The results show that trapping in S2 is strongly reduced in comparison to previous simulations considering only non-dynamic electron correlation on CASSCF surfaces. The reason for the difference is traced back to the energetic cost for formation of a CO p bond in S2.

Keywords: Linear differential arrays; beam steering; frequency-invariant beamforming.

Spontaneous tumours in higher plants can develop depending on plant genotype without any pathogen invasion. Spontaneous tumour formation on the taproots is consistently observed in certain inbred lines of radish (Raphanus sativus var. radicula Pers.). In this work, we have sequenced the genomes of two closely related radish inbred lines that differ in their ability to spontaneously form tumours. We have identified numerous single nucleotide variants (amino acid substitutions, insertions or deletions) that are likely to be associated with the spontaneous tumour formation. Furthermore, we performed the identification of CLE and WOX genes the genomic sequences of the radish inbred lines and, as a result, identified two unique radish CLE genes which probably encode proteins with multiple CLE domains. The results obtained provide a basis for investigating the mechanisms of plant tumour formation and also for future genetic and genomic studies of radish.

Background Cervical insufficiency, marked by recurrent painless cervix dilation leading to second-trimester pregnancy losses, is traditionally managed through cerclage placement and vaginal progesterone administration. However, a recent experimental approach targeted intra-amniotic inflammation or infection in a selected group of women with cervical dilation over 1 cm, intact membranes, and no uterine contractions in the second or third trimester. Case presentation We report a case of a 21 year old primigravid woman who experienced resolution of mid-trimester cervical insufficiency after the administration of triple antibiotic therapy, as confirmed by ultrasound monitoring. Remarkably, the patient successfully carried the pregnancy to term and delivered a healthy baby. Conclusions This case highlights the potential effectiveness of a novel combination of antibiotics, even in the presence of several high-risk pregnancy conditions, and underscores the possibility of a favorable outcome.

This article delves into the enduring relevance of Liberal International Relations (IR) Theory amidst persistent criticisms regarding power dynamics and its applicability in emerging states. Despite its detractors, Liberal IR Theory offers a nuanced understanding of state behavior, blending social contexts with power dynamics. It recognizes the intricacies of economic interdependence and advocates for a balanced approach in advancing democracy and human rights. While nationalism poses challenges to international institutions, their adaptability endures. Leaders, albeit constrained, retain the capacity to foster peace through visionary leadership and global cooperation. By acknowledging its limitations and fostering open dialogue, Liberal IR Theory continues to evolve, poised to contribute to a just and peaceful global order.

Elizabethkingia anophelis is an opportunistic pathogen causing lifethreatening infections in humans, particularly in immunocompromised patients, neonates and elderly. Infections caused by this species are exceptionally challenging to treat due to its multiresistance to antimicrobials. We report a case of central line-associated bloodstream infection by E. anophelis in a 2.5-year-old girl with acute lymphoblastic leukemia successfully treated with a combination of piperacillin/tazobactam and amikacin. The literature was also reviewed on paediatric infections caused by E. anophelis. Accurate identification with MALDI-TOF, or using molecular techniques, is crucial because of varying susceptibilities among species. Early, accurate diagnosis and prompt effective treatment optimize outcomes.

Metal-catalyzed lipid oxidation is a major factor in food waste, as it reduces shelf life. Addressing this issue, our study investigates the potential of hydrolysates derived from potato protein, a by-product of potato starch production, as metal chelating antioxidants. Through sequential enzymatic hydrolysis using Alcalase or Trypsin combined with Flavourzyme, we produced various hydrolysates, which were then fractionated via ultrafiltration. Using a combination of peptidomics and bioinformatics, we predicted the presence of metal-chelating and free radical scavenging peptides across all hydrolysate fractions, with a trend indicating a higher content of antioxidant peptides in lower molecular weight fractions. To validate these predictions, we utilized Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) and a 9-day emulsion storage experiment. While SPR demonstrated potential in identifying antioxidant activity, it faced challenges in differentiating between hydrolysate fractions due to significant standard errors. In the storage experiment, all hydrolysates showed lipid oxidation inhibition, though not as effectively as EDTA. Remarkably, one fraction (AF13) was not significantly different (p < 0.05) from EDTA in suppressing hexanal formation. These results highlight SPR and peptidomics/bioinformatics as promising yet limited methods for antioxidant screening. Importantly, this study reveals the potential of potato protein hydrolysates as antioxidants in food products, warranting further research.

The theory of water transport in trees, according to which the main driving force of water movement is the suction created by the evaporation of water by the meniscus (the curved surface of the capillary liquid column) on the evaporating elements, supported from below by root pressure, is flawed. The capillary effect in nature is around one meter. In the case of open-air gaps, the leaf cannot suck in the water against gravity because, in this case, the plant would not be sucking in water, but air through the open-air gap. If not, how do trees transport water? When evaporation occurs, there is no suction towards the canopy, but pressure is due to a reduction in the cross-section of the water pipe caused by heat loss through evaporation. At night, when evaporation stops, a thermal equilibration process is triggered, which restores the original cross-section of the pipe. This generates suction and draws water from the soil. As the hydrostatic pressure in the pipe is high for tall trees, the pipe is cut off. To prove my theory, I have given several examples. Water transport is not based on physical mechanical laws alone. There may be complex physiological, biochemical, and biophysical processes behind the operation of the pipe system.

This paper presents a new broadband ocean bottom seismograph (OBS) developed by the SUSTech OBS lab for passive-source seafloor seismic observations. This instrument, called Pankun, has several key features that set it apart from traditional OBS instruments. Besides the seismometer-separated scheme, these features include a unique shielding structure to minimize current-induced noise, a compact gimbal for accurate leveling, and low power consumption for extended operation on the seafloor. The design and testing of Pankun's primary components are thoroughly described in the paper. The instrument has been successfully tested in the South China Sea, demonstrating its ability to record high-quality seismic data. The anti-current shielding structure of Pankun OBS has the potential to improve low-frequency signals, particularly on the horizontal components, in seafloor seismic data.

Recent advancements in semiconductor photonic and electronic devices such as Uni-travelling-carrier photodiodes (UTC-PDs), have played a significant role in the development of Terahertz communication technology. However, a major challenge that still persists is the limited output power from a single UTC-PD required for practical transmission distances. To enhance the output power, we propose and demonstrate a novel Terahertz wave power combining technique using a photomixer device that comprises of two arrayed UTC-PDs monolithically integrated with a microstrip line-based 2 × 1 Wilkinson power combiner and a rectangular patch antenna on a Silicon Carbide (SiC) substrate at 300 GHz. At photocurrents of 8 mA and 10 mA from the two UTC-PDs, the device experimentally exhibited a 7.3 dB increase in power relative to the power obtained with 8 mA UTC-PD and a 4.4 dB increase in power relative to the power obtained with 10 mA UTC-PD, when both UTC-PDs were irradiated. This implies that power can be enhanced by a factor of N2 if the photocurrent is multiplied by a factor of N. This technology presents a holistic and cutting edge platform for further power multiplication by further increasing the number of arrayed UTC-PDs.

Today's city needs more than ever methodological devices that ensure a specific urbanism, in keeping with the complexity of relationships that occur in the urban space. Networks or systems of diverse nature must be activated to achieve a certain success of the city, even more so in its fragile central fabrics. The study is focused on the historic neighborhoods of the city of Jaén (Spain), which have a high vulnerability index. The aim is to establish a strategy to revitalize their urban and social capital and improve their articulation with the rest of the urban and territorial structure. A methodological proposal for the analysis of vulnerability factors and an urban and cartographic analysis of the public space is addressed through an interweaving of a triple network: environmental, social, and urban. For this purpose, the configuration of this overlapping network of analysis and formulation of criteria is presented, which considers the urban multiplicity and promotes new dynamics for the integrated urban regeneration of the area and for the activation of public and collective urban spaces.

Previous control methods developed by our research team cannot satisfy the high-accuracy requirements of unmanned surface vessel (USV) path-tracking during bathymetric mapping because of the excessive overshoot and slow convergence speed. For this reason, this study developed an adaptive fuzzy integral-derivative line-of-sight (AFIDLOS) guidance law for USV path-tracking control. Integral and derivative terms were added to counteract the effect of the sideslip angle, with which the USV could be quickly guided to converge to the planned path for bathymetric mapping. To obtain a high-accuracy of the look-ahead distance, a fuzzy control method was proposed. The proposed method was verified using simulations and outdoor experiments. The results demonstrate that the AFIDLOS guidance law can reduce the overshoot by 79.85%, shorten the settling time by 55.32% in simulation experiments, and reduce the average cross-track error by 10.91%, and can ensure a 30% overlap of neighboring strips of bathymetric LiDAR outdoor mapping when compared with the traditional method.

For multi-sensor integrated systems, such as a mobile mapping system (MMS), data fusion at sensor-level, i.e., the 2D-3D registration between optical camera and LiDAR, is a prerequisite for higher level fusion and further applications. This paper proposes a line-based registration method for panoramic images and LiDAR point cloud collected by a MMS. We first introduce the system configuration and specification, including the coordinate systems of the MMS, the 3D LiDAR scanners, and the two panoramic camera models. We then establish the line-based transformation model for panoramic camera. Finally, the proposed registration method is evaluated for two types of camera models by visual inspection and quantitative comparison. The results demonstrate that the line-based registration method can significantly improve the alignment of the panoramic image and LiDAR datasets under either the ideal spherical or the rigorous panoramic camera model, though the latter is more reliable.

Background/Objectives: interpretation of evidence on de-escalation of triple therapy with with-drawal of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) to dual bronchodilator therapy with a long-acting musca-rinic antagonist (LAMA) and a long-acting beta-agonist (LABA) in patients with chronic obstruc-tive pulmonary disease (COPD) is conflicting. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of ICS discon-tinuation from LABA-LAMA-ICS triple therapy compared to its continuation. Methods: we searched PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web Of Science, clinicaltrial.gov and CENTRAL for RCTs and observational studies from inception to March 22, 2024, investigating the effect of triple therapy de-escalation with withdrawal of ICS to dual therapy on the risk of COPD exacerbation, pneumonia and lung function. This study was registered with PROSPERO, CRD42024527942. Results: 3335 studies were screened; three RCTs and three real-world non-interventional studies were ultimately identified as eligible. Analysis of the time to the first moderate or severe exacerbation showed a pooled HR of 0.96 (95% CI, 0.80 to 1.15; I²=77%) for ICS withdrawal compared with triple therapy continuation. Analysis according eosinophil levels showed that COPD subjects with ≥300 eosino-phils/µL had a significant increase in the incidence of moderate or severe exacerbations when de-escalated from ICS/LABA/LAMA to LABA/LAMA (pooled HR: 1.35, 95% CI 1.00-1.82; I2: 56%). The ICS withdrawal in favour of LABA/LAMA did not significantly affect the risk of mortality and pneumonia. Conclusions: the main findings of this meta-analysis are consistent with current recommendations and suggest that the use of eosinophil counts may be of help in guiding maintenance therapy. However, methodological heterogeneity between the included studies is evident.

This paper proposes a definition of fractional line integral, generalising the concept of fractional definite integral. The proposal replicates the properties of the classic definite integral, namely the fundamental theorem of integral calculus. It is based on the concept of fractional anti-derivative used to generalise the Barrow formula. To define the fractional line integrals the Gr\"unwald-Letnikov and Liouville directional derivatives are introduced and their properties described. The integral is defined first for broken line paths and afterwards to any regular curve

Biomimetic materials are substances that replicate natural structures. There are several methods for producing such materials with highly developed surfaces from a wide range of polymers, but electrospinning is of particular interest due to its simplicity of implementation and the ability to modify the produced fibrous materials resembling structures found in living organisms. This study explores new biomimetic materials based on polyhydroxyalkanoates, specifically poly-3-hydroxybutyrate, modified with chlorophyll derivatives. The research investigates the impact of chlorophyll derivatives on the morphology, supramolecular structure, and key properties of nonwoven materials. The obtained results are of interest for the development of new biomimetic environmentally friendly materials for biomedicine with special properties.

The paper presents the possibility of using KINECT v2 module to control an industrial robot by means of gestures and voice commands. It describes elements of creating software for off-line and on-line robot control. The application for KINECT module was developed in C# language in Visual Studio environment, while the industrial robot control program was developed in RAPID language in RobotStudio environment. The development of a two-threaded application in RAPID language allowed to separate two independent tasks for the IRB120 robot. The main task of the robot is performed in thread no. 1 (responsible for movement). Simultaneously working thread no. 2 ensures continuous communication with the KINECT system and provides information about the gesture and voice commands in real time without any interference in thread no. 1. The applied solution allows the robot to work in industrial conditions without negative impact of communication task on the time of robot’s work cycles. Thanks to the development of a digital twin of the real robot station, tests of proper application functioning in off-line mode (without using a real robot) were conducted. Obtained results were verified online (on the real test station). Tests of correctness of gesture recognition were carried out, the robot recognized all programmed gestures. Another test carried out was the recognition and execution of voice commands. A difference in the time of task completion between the actual and virtual station was noticed - the average difference was 0.67 s. The last test carried out was to examine the impact of interference on the recognition of voice commands. With a 10dB difference between the command and noise, the recognition of voice commands was equal to 91.43%. The developed computer programs have a modular structure, which enables easy adaptation to process requirements.

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

Smart grids require flexible data driven forecasting methods. We propose clustering tools for bottom-up short-term load forecasting. We focus on individual consumption data analysis which plays a major role for energy management and electricity load forecasting. The two first sections are dedicated to the industrial context and a review of individual electrical data analysis. We are interested in hierarchical time-series for bottom-up forecasting. The idea is to disaggregate the signal in such a way that the sum of disaggregated forecasts improves the direct prediction. The 3-steps strategy defines numerous super-consumers by curve clustering, builds a hierarchy of partitions and selects the best one minimizing a forecast criterion. Using a nonparametric model to handle forecasting, and wavelets to define various notions of similarity between load curves, this disaggregation strategy applied to French individual consumers leads to a gain of 16\% in forecast accuracy. We then explore the upscaling capacity of this strategy facing massive data and implement proposals using R, the free software environment for statistical computing. The proposed solutions to make the algorithm scalable combines data storage, parallel computing and double clustering step to define the super-consumers.

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is associated with a generally poor prognosis due to its highly aggressive and metastatic nature, lack of targetable receptors, as well as the frequent development of resistance to chemotherapy. We previously reported that AU1, a small molecule developed as an inhibitor of BPTF (bromodomain PHD finger containing transcription factor), was capable of sensitizing preclinical models of triple negative breast cancer to chemotherapy, in part via the promotion of autophagy. In studies reported here, we identify an additional property of this compound, specifically that sensitization is associated with inhibition of the P-glycoprotein efflux pump. In silico molecular docking studies indicate that AU1 binds to active regions of the efflux pump, in a manner consistent with inhibition of pump function. This work identifies a novel chemical structure that can influence multidrug efflux, an established mechanism of drug resistance in triple negative breast cancer, that has not yet been successfully addressed by clinical efforts.

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

Underwater natural gas pipelines constitute critical infrastructure for energy transportation. Any damage or leakage in these pipelines poses serious security risks, directly threatening marine and lake ecosystems and potentially causing operational issues and economic losses in the energy supply chain. Due to the difficulty in detecting deterioration over time and regularly inspecting these submerged pipelines by divers, the use of unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) becomes crucial in this field. In this study, an underwater pipeline tracking experiment was carried out by providing autonomous features to a remote-controlled unmanned underwater vehicle. During the tracking of the underwater pipeline, damages were identified, and the locations of these damages were determined. The navigation information of the underwater vehicle, including orientation in the x, y, z axes (roll, pitch, yaw) from a gyroscope integrated with magnetic compass, speed and position information in the three axes from an accelerometer, and the distance to the water surface from a pressure sensor, was integrated into the vehicle. Pre-tests determined the necessary pulse width modulation values for the thrusters of the vehicle, enabling autonomous operation by providing these values as input to the thruster motors. In this study, the vehicle moves in 3D was achived by the vertical thruster of the vehicle was activated to maintain a specific depth, and applying equal force to the vehicle’s right and left thrusters forward movement, while differential force induced deviation angles. In pool experiments, the unmanned underwater vehicle autonomously tracked the pipeline as intended, identifying damages on the pipeline using images captured by the vehicle's camera. The images for damage assessment were processed using a convolution neural network (CNN) algorithm, which is a deep learning method. The position of the damage relative to the vehicle was estimated from the pixel dimensions of the identified damage. The location of the damage relative to its starting point was obtained by combining these two positional pieces of information from the vehicle's navigation system. The all study was performed within the Python environment.

Current VAT rules for cross-border e-commerce companies in the EU are not sustainable, because they are extremely complex and often opaque, due to the lack of tax harmonization. The aim of the research is to explore, using a qualitative method, what kind of harmonization would make the current legislation more uniform, simpler, more transparent, and easier to understand, without conflicting with the rules of any Member State. To this end, the aspects of the new platform regulation introduced on 1 July 2021 and its potential for expansion are assessed through information from possible sales models. The research suggests that the rules on platforms do not cover all possible sales models, which in our view imposes an unnecessary extra administrative burden on some businesses and makes their tax activities less transparent. In the light of the results of the research, we propose that the current EU platform regulation should be extended to cover B2B, B2C transactions and services. As a result of this suggested harmonization, a simpler, more transparent, uniform and sustainable tax system would contribute to the whitening of the economy, generating additional tax revenue for Member States.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) lacks the expression of estrogen receptors, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, and progesterone receptors (PR). TNBC has the poorest prognosis among breast cancer subtypes and is more likely to respond to immunotherapy due to its higher expression of PD-L1 and a greater percentage of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. Immunotherapy has revolutionized TNBC treatment, especially with the FDA's approval of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) combined with chemotherapy for advanced cases, opening new avenues for treating this deadly disease. Although, immunotherapy can significantly improve patient outcomes in a subset of patients, achieving the desired response rate for all remains an unmet clinical goal. Strategies that improve responses to immune checkpoint blockade, including combining immunotherapy with chemotherapy, molecularly targeted therapy, or radiotherapy may improve response rates and clinical outcomes.  In this review, we provide a short background on TNBC and immunotherapy and explore the different types of immunotherapy strategies that are currently being evaluated in TNBC. Additionally, we review why combination strategies may be beneficial, provide an overview of the combination strategies, and discuss the novel immunotherapeutic opportunities that may be approved in the near future for TNBC.

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) has a negative expression of estrogen receptors (ER), progesterone receptors (PR), or human epidermal growth factor receptors (HER2). The survival rate for TNBC is generally worse than other breast cancer subtypes. TNBC treatment has made significant advances, but certain limitations remain. Treatment for TNBC can be challenging since the disease has various subtypes. Individualized therapy is recommended rather than generalized therapy, given the genetic variations among these TNBC subtypes. A precise and effective treatment for TNBC requires identifying prognostic markers. Depending on the type and stage of TNBC, patients are treated with various therapeutic interventions. A variety of treatment options are available, such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery. Chemotherapy is the most common of these options. TNBC is generally treated with systemic chemotherapy using drugs such as anthracyclines and taxanes in the neoadjuvant or adjuvant settings. Developing resistance to anticancer drugs and off target toxicity are the primary hindrances to chemotherapeutic solutions for cancer. It is imperative that researchers, clinicians, and pharmaceutical companies work together to develop effective treatment options for TNBC. Several studies have suggested nanotechnology as a potential solution to the problem of suboptimal TNBC treatment.

Based on the need for real-time sag monitoring of Overhead Power Lines (OPL) for electricity transmission, this article presents the implementation of a hardware and software system for online monitoring of OPL cables and cable sag determination. The mathematical model based on differential equations and the methods of algorithmic calculation of OPL cable sag are presented. Considering that, based on the mathematical model presented, the calculation of OPL cable sag can be done in different ways depending on the sensors used, and the presented application uses a variety of sensors. Therefore, a direct calculation is made using one of the different methods. Subsequently, the verification relations are highlighted directly and, respectively, the calculation by the alternative method, which uses another group of sensors, to generate both a verification of the calculation and the functionality of the sensors, thus obtaining a defect observer of the sensors. The hardware architecture of the OPL cable online monitoring application is presented, together with the main characteristics of the sensors and communication equipment used. The configurations required to transmit data using the ModBUS and ZigBee protocols are also presented. The main software modules of the OPL cable condition monitoring application are described, which ensure the monitoring of the main parameters of the power line and the visualisation of the results both on the electricity provider's intranet using a web server and MySQL database, and on the Internet using an Internet of Things (IoT) server. This categorisation of the data visualisation mode is done in such a way as to ensure a high level of cyber security. Starting from the mathematical model of the OPL cable sag calculation, it goes through the stages of creating such a monitoring system, from the numerical simulations carried out using Matlab to the real-time implementation of this monitoring application. The main modules of the application software are: the software module for reading quantities from the sensor network through a ModBUS Input/Output (I/O) server, the software module for real-time calculation of the OPL cable sag, the software module for read/write operations based on MySQL type data, the software module for transferring data to the user's intranet through a web server, and the software module for viewing data by authorised users based on user and password through an IoT server. The development software environments used are Matlab and Laboratory Virtual Instrument Engineering Workbench (LabVIEW).

Methane is a greenhouse gas and identified as a key driver of near-term climate change. Bottom-up approaches estimate annual methane loss from US natural gas production and transport at 6 Tg, but recent studies suggest this may be an underestimate. To investigate this possibility, an equipment-based emissions inventory, using EPA emission factors, was developed to calculate methane emissions from oil and gas operations in the Delaware Basin, USA. Emission factors and activity data were then updated using contemporary and region-specific measurement data. The original inventory estimated emissions at 315 Gg CH4 y-1 (gas production-normalized rate of 0.6% loss), while the updated inventory estimated emissions of 1,500 Gg CH4 y-1 (2.8% loss). The largest changes resulted from large fugitive emissions from oil production (+430 Gg CH4 y-1), updating maintenance activity emissions (+214 Gg CH4 y-1), considering flaring inefficiency (+174 Gg CH4 y-1), and the inclusion of associated gas venting (+136 Gg CH4 y-1). This study suggests that a systematic underestimate probably exists in current bottom-up inventories and identifies sources currently missing or may be incorrect. We also strongly recommend that emission factors should be validated through direct comparison against measurement campaigns that include long-tail distributions typical of oil and gas activities.

Nonlinear nonparametric statistics (NNS) algorithm offers new tools for curve fitting. A relationship between k-means clustering and NNS regression points is explored with graphics showing a perfect fit in the limit. The goal of this paper is to demonstrate NNS as a form of unsupervised learning, and supply a proof of its limit condition. The procedural similarity NNS shares with vector quantization is also documented, along with identical outputs for NNS and a k nearest neighbours classification algorithm under a specific NNS setting. Fisher's iris data and artificial data are used. Even though a perfect fit should obviously be reserved for instances of high signal to noise ratios, NNS permits greater flexibility by offering a large spectrum of possible fits from linear to perfect.

Coal bottom ash (CBA) is a byproduct of coal-burning power plants. This material can be used as a fine aggregate replacement in concrete to reduce global natural material depletion. Concrete usage is increasing rapidly; subsequently, the industry’s carbon footprint is increasing. Using CBA in the construction industry will reduce the technical and economic problems associated with power plants by reducing solid waste. This project aimed to determine if adding new sustainable materials, such as CBA, to concrete will reduce natural raw material usage, energy consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions while improving performance. This study included two projects: comparing increased CBA content to the two-control project and determining the optimum content based on the compressive strength. The optimum CBA content is 50%, which reduces fine aggregate usage in a concrete mix by 50% while maintaining equivalent or better concrete strength than a pure Portland concrete mix without CBA. The air content of the concrete mix containing % CBA decreased with increased CBA content and compressive strength, possibly due to the spacing factor of the voids in the mix and CBA’s porous and fineness behavior. The CBA optimum content had a unit weight lower than the controls for both projects, which makes the CBA mix a lightweight concrete. Using this material can significantly reduce natural material usage and environmental harm by reducing CBA waste disposal and improving concrete performance.

The research on the excavation mechanical properties of underpass tunnels has already had certain results, but fewer of them consider the effects of dynamic and static loads on the excavation mechanical properties of underground tunnels at the same time, especially the lack of research cases of double-line highway tunnels with angled underpasses of existing railway tunnels. In this paper, based on the tunnel project of the new double-line Shiqian Highway Tunnel passing under the Hurong Railway at an oblique angle, the mechanical parameters of the rock body in the cross-tunneling area under the influence of static and dynamic load coupling are obtained by using the disturbance quantification coefficients and the Hoek-Brown criterion based on the method of over-advanced geological prediction and the investigation of the surrounding rock on the palisade face, and the engineering-scale finite element model is constructed and the mechanical characteristics of the excavation in the tunnel of the double-lane highway tunnel passing under the existing railroad under the influence of the static and dynamic loads are analyzed. The results show that: the new tunnel rock movement law for the top of the arch sinking, bottom plate bulging, side wall to move outward, the height and width of the arch and bottom plate arch with the tunnel excavation and increase, the side wall rock displacement effect is smaller; left and right lines of the tunnel disturbed area of the rule of change is similar; the existing tunnel bottom plate displacement is more than the top plate and the left and right side walls by the excavation of the time step influence is larger. Typical profile displacement is mainly determined by the distance from the excavation surface; the new tunnel in the four types of calculation conditions of the rock disturbance angle is the same; the existing tunnel roof and side wall Von Mises stress extreme occurs in the tunnel structure, the bottom plate there are pressure relief and pressure-bearing areas; based on the displacement control criteria, the recommended upper and lower step blasting method.

Due to its potential harm to space payload, microwave corona breakdown of microstrip circuits has attracted much attention. This work describes an efficient way to suppress corona breakdown. Since corona breakdown threshold is determined by the highest electric field intensity at the surface of microstrip circuits, lacquer coating with thickness of tens of microns is sprayed on the top of microstrip circuits. The applied dielectric coating is used to move the discharge location away from circuit’s surface which is equivalent to reduce the highest electric field intensity on the in-terface of solid/air of the circuit and thus results into higher breakdown threshold. Two designs of classic coupled-line band-pass filter were used for verification. Corona experimental results at 2.5 GHz show that, in the interested low pressure range (100 to 4500 Pa), 5.3 dB improvement of mi-crowave corona breakdown threshold can be achieved for a filter with narrowest gap of 0.2 mm while its electrical performances like insertion loss, Q-factor are still acceptable. A threshold improvement prediction method is also presented and validated.

Our objective was to investigate the effects of topically applied neuropeptide Y (NPY) on ischemic wounds. Initially, the animal model for ischemic wound healing was validated using 16 male Sprague-Dawley albino rats. In the intervention study, an additional 28 rats were divided into three groups: NPY (0.025%), the positive control insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I, 0.0025%), and the hydrogel carrier alone (control). The hydrogel was selected due to its capacity to prolong NPY release (p &lt; 0.001), as demonstrated in a Franz diffusion cell. In the animals, an 8-mm full-thickness wound was made in a pedunculated dorsal ischemic skin flap. Wounds were then treated and assessed for 14 days, and procured at the end of the experiment for in situ hybridization analysis (RNAscope®) targeting NPY receptor Y2R and for meticulous histologic examination. Wound healing rates, i.e. the percentage wound area changes, did not show an increase with NPY (p = 0.938) but did with rhIGF-I (p = 0.039) compared to the control. Y2R mRNA was not detected in the wounds or adjacent skin but was identified in the rat brain (positive control). Light microscopic examination revealed trends of increased angiogenesis and enhanced inflammatory cell infiltration with NPY compared to control. An interesting secondary discovery was the presence of melanophages in the wounds. Our findings suggest the potential of NPY to enhance neovascularization under ischemic wound healing conditions, but further optimization of the carrier and dosage is necessary. The mechanism is elusive but likely involves NPY receptor subtypes other than Y2R.

We develop an action principle for producing a single fluid, two-constituent system with dissipation in general relativity. The two constituents in the model are particles and entropy. The particle flux creation rate is taken to be zero, while the entropy creation rate is non-zero. Building on previous work, it is demonstrated that a new term (the proper time derivative of the matter space ``metric'') is required in the Lagrangian in order to produce terms typically associated with bulk and shear viscosity. Equations of motion, entropy creation rate, and energy-momentum-stress tensor are derived. Using an Onsager approach of identifying thermodynamic ``forces'' and ``fluxes'' a model is produced which delivers the same entropy creation rate as the standard, relativistic Navier-Stokes equations. This result is then contrasted with a model generated in the spirit of the action principle, which takes as its starting point a specific Lagrangian and then produces the equations of motion, entropy creation rate, and energy-momentum-stress tensor. Unlike the equations derived from Onsager reasoning, where the analogs of the bulk and shear viscosity coefficients are prescribed ``externally'', we find that the form of the coefficients in the second example are a direct result of the specified Lagrangian. Furthermore, the coefficients are shown to satisfy evolution equations along the fluid worldline; also a product of the specific Lagrangian.

This paper presents a theory on graph topological structure and graph coloring, proving that for any N-order graph structure (with a topological structure similar to ), the maximum number of colors required for coloring is less than or equal to . The Four Color Theorem is just one special case of this theory, with the maximum structure size for a four-color graph being a 4-order structure graph, hence requiring only a maximum of 4 colors for coloring.

Accurate forecasting of icing thickness has a great significance for ensuring the security and stability of power grid. In order to improve the forecasting accuracy, this paper proposes an icing forecasting system based on fireworks algorithm and weighted least square support vector machine (W-LSSVM). The method of fireworks algorithm is employed to select the proper input features with the purpose of eliminating the redundant influence. In addition, the aim of W-LSSVM model is to train and test the historical data-set with the selected features. The capability of this proposed icing forecasting model and framework is tested through the simulation experiments using real-world icing data from monitoring center of key laboratory of anti-ice disaster, Hunan, South China. The results show that the proposed W-LSSVM-FA method has a higher prediction accuracy and it may be a promising alternative for icing thickness forecasting.

This paper introduces extensions H4,p and X8,p of Horn’s double hypergeometric function H4 and Exton’s triple hypergeometric function X8, taking into account recent extensions of Euler’s beta function, hypergeometric function, and confluent hypergeometric function. Among the numerous extended hypergeometric functions, the primary rationale for choosing H4 and X8 is their comparable extension type. Next, we present various integral representations of Euler and Laplace type, Mellin and inverse Mellin transforms, Laguerre polynomial representation, transformation formulae and a recurrence relation for the extended functions. In particular, we provide a generating function for the X8,p and several bounding inequalities for the H4,p and X8,p.

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) has a higher mRNA expression of programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) which is a ligand to programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1). The binding of the ligand leads to suppressed activity of T-cell-mediated immune response against cancer cells. The approval of anti-PD-L1 drugs including pembrolizumab and atezolizumab in subgroups of TNBC offer potential improvement to the current treatment regimens available for TNBC. We conducted a meta-analysis to review the efficacy of pembrolizumab and atezolizumab for the treatment of TNBC in both adjuvant and neo-adjuvant settings. A systematic strategy was used as per the PRISMA 2020 statement. All statistical analyses were conducted using Review Manager 5.4. Outcome measures included objective response rate, progression free survival, overall survival in adjuvant therapy groups, and pathological complete response rates in neoadjuvant groups. Six clinical trials were included. For adjuvant therapies, the ORR (OR=1.26, P = 0.04) of Atezolizumab/Pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy was higher in intention to treat (ITT) arms than the placebo groups in TNBC. A positive effect size was found for PFS in the ITT arms (Cohen’s d = 1.55, P<0.001). The Atezolizumab plus chemotherapy group had a positive effect size for OS compared to the control groups (Cohen’s d = 0.52, P<0.001). In the neo-adjuvant setting, patients in ITT arms had higher pCR rates as compared to the control groups (OR= 1.61, P = 0.001). Our findings collate evidence of pembrolizumab and atezolizumab as a viable treatment option among patients with TNBC with PDL1+ subgroups deriving benefits.

Marine clay deposits are commonly found worldwide. Considering the cost of dumping and the related environmental concerns, an alternative solution involving the reuse of soils that have poor conditions is crucial. In this research, the authors examined the durability of marine deposited clays and compiled a corresponding database. The use of slag alone as a binder, at any percentage, increased the accumulated mass loss (ALM) up to 2%. However, the use of lime as the third binder seemed to accelerate the chemical reactions associated with the hydration of clay and cementitious material and to enhance the chemical stability, i.e., samples that included both lime and slag experienced the same ALM as samples treated with cement only. Scanning electron microscopy analysis confirmed the durability improvements of these clays. The proposed unconfined compressive strength and accumulated mass loss relationship yielded practical approximation for the fine- and coarse-grained soils blended with up to three binders until 60 days of curing.

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.

The visual span refers to the number of letters readers can identify in a single fixation without using linguistic skills. Proponents of the visual span hypothesis postulate an influence of early visual processing on reading speed. Given the slowness of reading Arabic texts, the present work aims to study the development of the visual span and its effects on reading speed in the Arabic-speaking context. Thirty-four subjects participated in the study. The trigram task and the rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) paradigm were used to estimate visual span size and reading speed. In line with our initial assumptions, the results showed a significant effect of grade level on reading speed (F(2,31) = 30.93, p<0.001), visual span size (F(2,31) = 20.57, p<0.001). In good alignment with previous work, our results show that visual span size could explain around 40% of the reading speed variability. Interestingly, our analyses revealed a narrowing of visual span size in our Arabic sample. The results of study 2, suggest that the poor performance in the trigram task is due to poor visual attention capacities in our Arabic readers

Two secondary waste materials, municipal incinerator bottom ash (MIBA) and sewage sludge ash (SSA), were mixed with clay for ceramic manufacturing in this study. Specimens with 5 different MIBA replacement amount of 0%, 5%,10%, 15%, and 20%(wt) and 3 different SSA replacement amount of 0%, 10%, and 20%(wt) were prepared and then a series of tests and analysis were conducted to investigate how the two materials affect the quality of the final product and to what extent. It concludes that a mix with up to 20% of SSA and 5% of MIBA could result in quality tiles complying with specifications for interior or exterior flooring applications at certain kiln temperatures.

Color can direct visual attention to specific locations through bottom-up and top-down mechanisms. Using Continuous Flash Suppression (CFS) as way to investigate the factors that gate access to consciousness, the current study investigated whether color also directly affected the timing of conscious perception. Low or high spatial frequency (SF) gratings with different orientations were shown as targets to the non-dominant eye of human participants. CFS patterns were presented at a rate of 10Hz to the dominant eye to delay conscious perception of the targets, and participants had the task to report the target’s orientation as soon as they could see it. With low-SF targets, two types of color-based effects became evident. First, when the targets and the CFS patterns had different colors, the targets entered consciousness faster than in trials where the targets and CFS patterns had the same color. Second, when participants searched for a specific target color, targets that matched these search settings entered consciousness faster compared to conditions where the target color was irrelevant and could vary from trial to trial. Thus, the current study demonstrates that color is a central feature of human perception and leads to faster conscious perception of visual stimuli through bottom-up and top-down attentional mechanisms.

Fire behavior of natural rubber latex foam under different thickness conditions(d=1,2and 5cm)were explored though a little of experiments by using the self-built small scale experimental platform. It can be shown that the flame spread law of thermally thin and thermally thickness are different. Natural rubber latex foam with thickness of 2cm show higher fire risk, which value of flame spread rate, maximum flame height, maximum mass loss rate and maximum temperature is 0.00293m/s, 851.875mm, 1.83g/s, 948K,repectively.That may because the thickness of residue formed of thermally thick materials is larger than the thin one, obstructing the contact of the natural rubber latex foam with fresh air .In addition, a special phenomenon is noticed that during the second stage, the bottom unburned zone located in the four edges(thermally thin material) and middle player(thermally thick material).

Many spectroscopic diagnostics are routinely used as a technique to infer the plasma parameters from line emission spectra but their accuracy depends on the numerical model or code used for the fitting process. However, the validation of a line shape code requires some steps : comparison of the line shape code with other similar codes for some academic (simple) cases and then more complex ones, comparison of the fitting parameters obtained from the best fit of the experimental spectra with those obtained with other diagnostic techniques and/or comparison of the fitting parameters obtained by different codes to fit the same experimental data. Here we compare the profiles of the hydrogen Balmer β line in a helium plasma computed by six codes for a selected set of plasma parameters and we report on the plasma parameters inferred by each of them from the fitting to a number of experimental spectra measured in a helium corona discharge where the pressure was in the range 1- 5 bar.

We revisit a 2023 JAMA-published analysis of data from patients admitted for either COVID-19 or influenza to U.S. Veterans Administration (VA) hospitals in the fall/winter of 2022-2023. We note that baseline characteristics between the cohorts were similar, and the difference in vaccination rates was minimal, even after propensity score weighting. Had the vaccines been even minimally effective, significant differences in vaccination percentages would be expected. These findings call into question any efficacy claims associated with either the COVID-19 or influenza vaccines. Furthermore, the lack of efficacy of the influenza vaccines in reducing hospitalization is consistent with an earlier detailed study that found the same lack of efficacy, further validating the current result. This suggests that comparing vaccination rates between those hospitalized for different vaccine-preventable diseases can serve as a practical method for validating the vaccine efficacy claims of different vaccines.

Many people in the USA have lost their lives or become addicted to opioids via prescription opioids given for chronic pain. The chronic pain epidemic has emerged due to a convergence of factors, including the medicalization of pain as well as injuries happening in the workplace, in the home, or during recreation. Opioid prescriptions rose precipitously from the late 1990’s through to approximately 2020, and despite public awareness, still are increasing. This review examines literature on integrative approaches to chronic pain as delineated by pain type. The review is organized by the most common causes of chronic pain, and randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses and systematic reviews are extracted for each cause of chronic pain. Several promising interventions may alleviate chronic pain of some causes, and some interventions may work across pain causes. Lowering inflammation through dietary or lifestyle regimens may be a general way of reducing pain. Pain can be alleviated through several adjunctive and integrative treatment approaches, which may serve to lower the need for opioid medication.

The paper deals with applying Artificial Intelligence techniques to examine CHIRP-recorded data in sand and sandstone sea-bottom sites. The provided analysis of the state of the art portrays that actual time series or spectrum backscattered data from a point on the sea bottom were rarely used as the features for machine learning models. The results of the examination indicate that types of sea bottom can be quantitatively characterized by applying logistic regression models to either the backscatter time series of a frequency-modulated signal or the spectrum of that backscatter. The examination accuracy reached 90% for the time series and 94% for the spectra. The application of spectral data as features for more advanced machine learning algorithms, and the advantages of its combination with other types of data have great potential for future research and the enhancement of remote marine soil classification.

Animal behavior analysis is a crucial tasks for the industrial farming. In an indoor farm setting, extracting Key joints of animal is essential for tracking the animal for longer period of time. In this paper, we proposed a deep network that exploit transfer learning to trained the network for the pig skeleton extraction in an end to end fashion. The backbone of the architecture is based on hourglass stacked dense-net. In order to train the network, key frames are selected from the test data using K-mean sampler. In total, 9 Keypoints are annotated that gives a brief detailed behavior analysis in the farm setting. Extensive experiments are conducted and the quantitative results show that the network has the potential of increasing the tracking performance by a substantial margin.

Bottom-up synthesis of porous NiMo alloy reduced by NiMoO₄ nanofibers was systematically investigated to fabricate non-noble metal porous electrodes for hydrogen production. The different annealing temperatures of NiMoO₄ nanofibers under hydrogen atmosphere reveal that the 950 °C annealing temperature is a key to produce bicontinuous porous NiMo alloy without oxide phases. The porous NiMo alloy as cathodes in electrical water splitting demonstrates not only almost identical catalytic activity with commercial Pt/C in 1.0 M KOH solution, but also superb stability for 12 days at an electrode potential of −200 mV (v.s. RHE).

Uchino first initiated the study of generalized Reynolds operators on associative algebras. Recently, related research has become a hot topic. In this paper, we first introduce the notion of generalized Reynolds operators on Hom-Lie triple systems associated to a representation and a 3-cocycle. Then, we develop cohomology of generalized Reynolds operators on Hom-Lie triple systems with coefficients in a suitable representation. As applications, we use the first cohomology group to classify linear deformations and we study the obstruction class of an extendable order $n$ deformation. Finally, we introduce and investigate Hom-NS-Lie triple system as the underlying structure of generalized Reynolds operators on Hom-Lie triple systems.

Triple X syndrome (TXS, also known as trisomy X or 47,XXX) has been associated with impaired overall neurocognitive functioning in children and relatively young adults. However, neurocognitive functioning in adults with TXS is poorly understood. The aim of this study was, therefore, to examine cognitive functioning in adults with TXS. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, data were collected from 34 adult women with TXS (mean age = 32.9; SD = 13.1) and 31 controls (mean age = 34.9; SD = 13.7). General intellectual functioning, semantic/verbal memory, visual/episodic memory, psychomotor speed, and attention and executive functioning were then compared between these two groups. Results: We found that general intellectual functioning was significantly lower in the TXS group compared to the control group. In addition, women with TXS had more attention problems and lower psychomotor speed, particularly motor processing speed. When the analyses were adjusted for IQ, the strength of these associations decreased. The women in the TXS group also scored significantly lower at free recall in the verbal memory test, but not in immediate or delayed recognition. Finally, visual/episodic memory and executive functioning did not differ significantly between groups. Conclusions: Our analysis revealed that women with TXS score lower in general intellectual functioning and have impairments in motor processing speed and attention compared to controls, but do not differ with respect to executive functioning. These results offer new insights for improving the support of adults with TXS both at school and in the workplace.

Sports video analysis is an interesting and emerging field in the domain of computer vision. It has become a very popular subject among scholars all over the world in the last decade due to the need of automated classification of events such as offsides, in/out situations, goals and so on. The most important problem in sports video analysis is detection and tracking of ball and players. Extraction of court lines is also another important problem since it is necessary in the classification of aforementioned events. In this study, considering some of the previous work on the subject, we develop a method for tracking the ball and players in tennis videos where the camera position and orientation is supposed fixed.

A thorough analysis and comparison of the fatty acid profiles of stipe and blade from Laminaria hyperborea, a kelp species found in the northern Atlantic, is presented. Lipids were extracted and fractionated into neutral lipids, free fatty acids and polar lipids, then derivatized to fatty acid methyl esters prior to GC-MS analysis. A total of 42 fatty acids were identified and quantified, including the n-3 fatty acids α-linolenic acid, stearidonic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid. An n-6/n-3 ratio of 0.8:1 was found in blade and 3.5:1 in stipe, respectively. The ratios vary between the lipid fractions within stipe and blade, with the lowest ratio in the polar lipid fraction of blade. The fatty acid amounts are higher in blade than in stipe, and the highest amounts of n-3 fatty acids are found within the neutral lipid fractions. The amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids are 3.4 times higher in blade than stipe. This study highlights the compositional differences between the lipid fractions of stipe and blade from L. hyperborea. The amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids, compared to saturated- and monounsaturated fatty acids, as well as the n-6/n-3-ratio, is known to influence human health. In the pharmaceutical, food, and feed industries this can be of importance for production and sale of different health products. Additionally, lipids are today among the unused by products of alginate production, exploiting this material for commercial interest should give both economical and environmental benefits.

A novel quasi-twisted miniaturized wideband Branch Line Coupler (BLC) is proposed. The design is based on bisecting the conventional microstrip line BLC transversely and folding bisected sections on double-layered substrates with a common ground plane in between. The pair of quarter wavelength horizontal parallel arms is converted to a Z-shape meandered microstrip line in the designed structure. On the other hand, the pair of quarter wavelength vertical arms are cut by half into two lines and converted to a periodically loaded slow wave structure. The bisected parts of BLC are placed on the opposite side of the doubled-layer substrate and connected through four vias passing through the common ground plane. This technique enabled a compact BLC size of 6.4×18 mm2, which corresponds to a surface area miniaturization by ~50% as compared to the classical BLC size of 10×23 mm2 at 6GHz, Moreover, the attained relative bandwidth is 73.9% (4.6-10 GHz) for S11, and 75.8% (4.5-10 GHz) for S33 as compared to 41% for the ordinary BLC at the same resonant frequency. The circuit is constructed on a double-layered low-cost FR4 substrate with a relative permittivity of 4.3, and a loss tangent of 0.025. An isolation of -13dB was realized in both S13 and S31 demonstrating an excellent performance. The transmission coefficients between input/output ports S21, S41, S23, and S43 are between -3.1dB to -3.5dB at the frequency of 6GHz. Finally, the proposed BLC provides phase differences between output ports of 90.5o and 94.8o at the frequency of 6GHz when the input ports 1 and 3 are excited, respectively. The presented design offers the potential of being utilized as a unit cell for building a Butler-matrix (BM) for sub-6GHz 5G beamforming networks.

With the rapid evolution of SARS-CoV-2, the emergence of new strains is an intriguing question. This paper presents an evolutionary theory to analyze the mutations of the virus and identify the conditions that lead to the generation of new strains. We represent the virus variants using a 4-letter sequence based on amino acid mutations on the spike protein and employ an n-distance algorithm to derive a variant phylogenetic tree. We show that the theoretically-derived tree aligns with experimental data on virus evolution. Additionally, we propose an A-X model, utilizing the set of existing mutation sites (A) and a set of randomly generated sites (X), to calculate the emergence of new strains. Our findings demonstrate that a sufficient number of random iterations can predict the generation of new macro-lineages when the number of sites in X is large enough. These results provide a crucial theoretical basis for understanding the evolution of SARS-CoV-2.

The paper presents the design and the implementation of different advanced control strategies that are applied to a nonlinear model of a thermal unit. A data–driven grey–box identification approach provided the physically meaningful nonlinear continuous–time model, which represents the benchmark exploited in this work. The control problem of this thermal unit is important since it constitutes the key element of passive air conditioning systems. The advanced control schemes analysed in this paper are used to regulate the outflow air temperature of the thermal unit by exploiting the inflow air speed, whilst the inflow air temperature is considered as an external disturbance. The reliability and robustness issues of the suggested control methodologies are verified with a Monte–Carlo analysis for simulating modelling uncertainty, disturbance and measurement errors. The achieved results serve to demonstrate the effectiveness and the viable application the suggested control solutions to air conditioning systems. The benchmark model represents one of the key issues of this study, which is exploited for benchmarking different model–based and data–driven advanced control methodologies through extensive simulations. Moreover, this work highlights the main features of the proposed control schemes, while providing practitioners and heating, ventilating and air conditioning engineers with tools to design robust control strategies for air conditioning systems.

Tunnel fires are generally detected using various sensors, including measuring temperature, CO concentration, and smoke concentration. To address the ambiguity and inconsistency in multi-sensor data, this paper proposes a tunnel fire detection method based on an improved Dempster-Shafer (DS) evidence theory for multi-sensor data fusion. To solve the problem of evidence conflict in DS theory, a two-level multi-sensor data fusion framework is adopted. The first level of fusion involves feature fusion of the same type of sensor data, removing ambiguous data to obtain characteristic data, and calculating the basic probability assignment (BPA) function through the feature interval. The second level fusion derives basic probability numbers from the BPA, calculates the degree of evidence conflict, normalizes to obtain the relative conflict degree, and optimizes the BPA using the trust coefficient. The classical DS evidence theory is then used to integrate and obtain the probability of tunnel fire occurrence. Different heat release rates, tunnel wind speeds, and fire locations are set, forming four fire scenarios. Sensor monitoring data under each simulation condition are extracted and fused using the improved DS evidence theory. The results show that the proposed improved DS evidence theory method detects the probability of fire occurrence in the four scenarios as 67.5%, 71.0%, 82.8%, and 83.5%, respectively, and identifies fire occurrence in approximately 2.4 seconds, an improvement of 64.7% to 70% over traditional methods. This demonstrates the feasibility and superiority of the proposed method, highlighting its significant importance in ensuring personnel safety.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a subtype of breast cancer characterized by the lack of estrogen receptors (ER), progesterone receptors, and HER-2 receptors. Thus, TNBC tumours do not benefit from the current therapies targeting ER or HER-2. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop novel treatment for this subtype of breast cancer. Marijuana is a common name given to Cannabis plants, a group of plants in the Cannabis genus of the Cannabaceae family. Cannabis plants are among the oldest cultivated crops, traced back at least 12,000 years and are well known for their multi-purpose usage, including medicinal purposes. The main active compounds extracted from Cannabis plants are 21-carbon-containing terpenophenolics, which are referred to as phytocannabinoids. Of these, the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) group contains highly potent cannabinoids, including delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (∆9-THC) and delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol (∆8-THC), which are the most abundant THCs and are largely responsible for psychological and physiological effects of marijuana. The use of Cannabis plants for medicinal purposes was first recorded in 2337 BC in China, where Cannabis plants were used to treat pains, rheumatism, and gout. Recently, several cannabinoids have been approved for a number of treatments, one of which is the treatment of nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy in cancer patients. Furthermore, increasing evidence shows that cannabinoids not only attenuate side effects due to cancer treatment, but might also potentially possess direct antitumor effects in several cancer types, including breast cancer. However, anti-tumour activity of marijuana has been variable in different studies and even promoted tumour growth in some cases. In addition, the mechanisms of cannabinoid action in cancer remain unclear. This review summarizes evidence about the mixed actions of cannabinoids in cancer in general and triple-negative breast cancer in particular.

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype of the disease with poor clinical outcomes and limited therapeutic options. Immune checkpoint blockade (CP) has surged to the forefront of cancer therapies with widespread clinical success in a variety of cancer types. However, the percentage of TNBC patients that benefit from CP as a monotherapy is low and clinical trials have shown the need for combined therapeutic modalities. Specifically, there has been interest in combining CP therapy with radiation therapy where clinical studies primarily with external beam have suggested their therapeutic synergy, contributing to the development of anti-tumor immunity. Here, we have developed a therapeutic platform combining radionuclide therapy (RT) and immunotherapy utilizing a radiolabelled biomolecule and CP in an E0771 murine TNBC tumor model. Survival studies show that while neither monotherapy is able to improve therapeutic outcomes, the combination of RT + CP extended overall survival. Histologic analysis showed that RT + CP increased necrotic tissue within the tumor and decreased levels of F4/80+ macrophages. Flow cytometry analysis of the peripheral blood also showed that RT + CP suppressed macrophages and myeloid-derived suppressive cells, both of which actively contribute to immune escape and tumor relapse.

Assembly theory provides a promising framework to explain the complexity of systems such as molecular structures and the origins of life, with broad applicability across various disciplines. In this study, we explore and consolidate different aspects of assembly theory by introducing a simplified toy model to simulate the autocatalytic formation of complex structures. This model abstracts the molecular formation process, focusing on the probabilistic control of catalysis rather than the intricate interactions found in organic chemistry. We establish a connection between probabilistic catalysis events and key principles of assembly theory, particularly the probability of a possible construction path in the formation of a complex object, and examine how the assembly of complex objects is impacted by the presence of autocatalysis. Our findings suggest that autocatalysis tends to favor longer consecutive construction sequences in environments with low catalysis probability, while this bias diminishes in environments with higher catalysis probabilities, highlighting the significant influence of environmental factors on the assembly of complex structures.

The relationship between nations is largely seen as a peripheral issue in the recent history of political philosophy and in the majority of discussions of political philosophy issues today. The idea of a universal natural state were countries are seen as essentially self-sufficient, functional units, and have been proposed to represent the relative lack of moral standards guiding relationships between nations. At one extreme of the tradition, international thought has substituted raison d'état being the highest norm for any universal laws governing relations between states, a view embodied by Machiavelli, Rodin, and others and Hobbes , The lack of supranational political powers has led to the conclusion that, even in cases where the possibility of international moral relationships has been acknowledged, such as in post-Grotian publications on international law, these ties are significantly weaker than in-tranational social bonds. The justification and aversion to war—the primary mode of social in-teraction in the natural condition of the world—is the only issue in the field of global relations to have received substantial theoretical study. Even though this disregard was justified in the past, a number of recent events force us to re-consider the "recalcitrance of international affairs to being theorized about."2. The growing gap between both prosperous and impoverished nations; the emergence of centers of economic in-fluence beyond the reach of effective state regulation; the emergence of severe food and energy shortages brought on, at least in part, by national governments' pursuit of disorganized and uncontrolled growth policies; the growing sensitivity of domestic Countries to the outside eco-nomic, political, and cultural events are some of these developments , requests from third-world nations for greater equal access to international politics and economy. To put it in terms more familiar to conversations about this topic, the rise of "low politics" in negotiation and "welfare questions" within global forums corresponds with the growing influence of transnational con-nections and international agreements on human well-being. Not because "high politics"—that is, the threat and prevention of war—has lost significance; rather, it is just one issue among many for which international cooperation is now required in order to find answers.

In large infrastructures such as dams, which have a relatively high economic value, ensuring the proper operation of the associated hydraulic facilities in different operating conditions is of utmost importance. To ensure the correct and successful operation of the dam's hydraulic equipment and prevent possible damages, including gates and downstream tunnel, to build laboratory models and perform some tests are essential (the advancement of the smart sensors based on artificial intelligence is essential). One of the causes of damage to dam bottom outlets is cavitation in downstream and between the gates, which can impact on dam facilities, and air aeration can be a solution to improve it. In the present study, six dams in different provinces in Iran has been chosen to evaluate the air entrainment in the downstream tunnel experimentally. Three artificial neural networks (ANN) based machine learning (ML) algorithms are used to model and predict the air aeration in the bottom outlet. The proposed models are trained with genetic algorithms (GA), particle swarm optimization (PSO), i.e., ANN-GA, ANN-PSO, and ANFIS-PSO. Two hydrodynamic variables, namely volume rate and opening percentage of the gate, are used as inputs into all bottom outlet models. The results showed that the most optimal model is ANFIS-PSO to predict the dependent value compared with ANN-GA and ANN-PSO. The importance of the volume rate and opening percentage of the dams' gate parameters is more effective for suitable air aeration.