Point defects induced by doping rare earth elements RE (Nd, Er) into the magnesium oxide host were investigated by classical atomistic simulations utilising the General Utility Lattice Program (GULP). Formation and association energies were calculated for the potential defect structures. Both isolated defects and defect complexes were considered. The most energetically favourable structures of defect complexes were found for rare earth doped and Li co-doped systems. The correlation between the association energy and the structure of the defect complex was investigated. The influences of Li were revealed with respect to energy and structure. The simulation results contribute to the understanding of the point defects of doped MgO and how Li influences the doping of rare earth elements in the MgO host.

The ceramic sherds from approximately 20 samples of lead-glazed tableware, recovered from diverse archaeological sites, including three repurposed storage pits transformed into dumpsters within the medieval city of Santarém (13th-14th century), underwent a meticulous examination. This investigation utilized techniques such as micro-Raman, ground state diffuse reflectance absorption, and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopies, in addition to X-ray diffraction and stereomicroscopy. A parallel study was conducted on contemporaneous European ceramics (glazed sherds) sourced from archaeological sites dating back to the 13th-15th centuries in Saintonge (France), Ardenne, Zomergem, and Bruges (Belgium), as well as Surrey-Hampshire, Kingston, and Cheam (England). The colour of the ceramic bodies is predominantly white or whitish, with a few exhibiting a vivid red hue. Ceramic sherds with a light paste composition were likely crafted using kaolin clays as raw materials. Analyses of fabric, mineralogical, and elemental composition of the sherds suggest that the majority of Santarém's glazed ceramics were locally or regionally produced, potentially derived from a Pliocene kaolin-rich sand formation. However, this conclusion is not supported by the absence of discovered lead glaze kilns or workshops in Santarém for the late Middle Ages. A distinctive feature from the European workshop ceramics lies in the quartz temper content and fabric.

This paper presents a piezoresistive pressure sensor with a shield layer for improved stability. Compared with the conventional piezoresistive pressure sensors, p-type piezoresistors are covered by an n-type shield layer, which is formed by ion implantation. The proposed pressure sensors have been successfully fabricated by bulk micromachining techniques. The impact of electrical field on piezoresistors is studied by simulation. The temperature drift of the pressure sensor has been investigated by both simulation and experimental measurement. Characteristics of developed pressure sensors are tested from -40 C to 125 C. A sensitivity of 0.022 mV/V/KPa and a maximum non-linearity of 0.085% FS are measured for the fabricated sensor in a pressure range of 1 MPa. The temperature coefficients of resistance of shielded piezoresistors are found to be smaller than those of un-shielded ones. It is demonstrated that the shield layer is able to reduce the drift caused by electrical field and ambient temperature variation.

The paper proves the existence of a family of axisymmetric equilibrium figures as solutions of a stationary problem with unknown boundaries for the Navier–Stokes equations corresponding to the slow rotation of a viscous compressible two-layer liquid mass about some axis. It is assumed that the liquids are barotropic, capillary and have different viscosities, the internal fluid being bounded by a closed surface. This interface does not intersect with the external boundary of the cloud. The proof is based on implicit function theorem and carried out in the Hölder spaces.

In this work, the possibility of fabrication magneto-optical ceramics by vacuum sintering of compacts prepared by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) from suspensions of (Ho0.95La0.05)2O3 (HoLa) nanopowders made by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis and (Y0.9La0.1)2O3 (YLa) nanopowders made by laser synthesis was systematically investigated. The processes of the formation of bulk one- and two-layer compacts by the EPD method from non-aqueous suspensions of nanopowders was studied. The use of acetylacetone and polyvinyl butyral (PVB) was shown to make it possible to obtain stable alcohol suspensions of the nanopowders characterized by high zeta potential values (+29…+80 mV) and to carry out a stable EPD process. One-layer compacts were made from the YLa and HoLa nanopowders with a density of 30–43%. It was found out that the introduction of PVB into the suspension leads to a decrease in the mass and thickness of the green bodies deposited, but does not significantly affect their density. A possibility to make two-layers (YLa/HoLa) compacts with a thickness of up to 2.6 mm and a density of up to 46% was demonstrated. Sintering such compacts in a vacuum at a temperature of 1750°C for 10 hours leads to the formation of ceramics with a homogeneous boundary between the YLa/HoLa layers and thickness of the interdiffused ions layer of about 30 μm.

Passive balancing is a traditional choice for lithium-ion battery packs although it is regarded as highly inefficient. One opportunity to improve traditional balancing in sub-medium size battery packs is to combine two balancing methods: passive and active. Statistical analysis have been performed to rationalize battery pack division in smaller packs and use of higher level selective charging method to decrease losses of passive balancing. An experimental balancing prototype have been designed and tested for efficiency. Results indicate energy performance degradation if cells of the pack are with low capacity variation. Proposed balancing approach could improve performance under high cell mismatch conditions.

A novel high-voltage powerline inspection system is investigated, which consists of the cooperated ground vehicle and drone. The ground vehicle acts as a mobile platform that can launch and recycle the drone, while the drone can fly over the powerline for inspection within limited endurance. This inspection system enables the drone to inspect powerline networks in a very large area. Both vehicle’ route in the road network and drone’s routes along the powerline network have to be optimized for improving the inspection efficiency, which generates a new two-layer point-arc routing problem. Two constructive heuristics are designed based on “Cluster First, Rank Second” and “Rank First, Split Second”. Then local search strategies are developed to further improve the quality of the solution. To test the performance of the proposed algorithms, practical cases with different-scale are designed based on the road network and powerline network of Ji’an, China. Sensitivity analysis on the parameters related with the drone’s inspection speed and battery capacity is conducted. Computational results indicate that technical improvement on the inspection sensor is more important for the cooperated ground vehicle and drone system.

Road collisions are among the world’s critical issues causing many casualties, deaths, and economic losses. To deal with this scenario, precise analysis is required. In this paper, we use Machine Learning (ML) techniques to assess and predict road traffic collisions. An ensemble machine learning model with two layers was developed to analyze simulation data from the driving simulator. The first (base) layer integrates supervised learning techniques namely, k- Nearest Neighbors (k-NN) AdaBoost, Naive Bayes (NB), and Decision Trees (DT). The second layer predicts road collisions by combining the base layer outputs by employing the stacking ensemble method using logistic regression as a meta-classifier. The data for this study were imbalanced; therefore, we performed a SMOTE resampling strategy to handle the dataset imbalance. To simplify the model, the PSO algorithm was used to select the most important features in our dataset. The two-layer ensemble model proposed had the best outcomes with an accuracy of 88%, F1 score of 83%, and an AUC of 86% as compared with k-NN, DT, NB, and AdaBoost.

Determining accurate PM2.5 pollution concentrations and understanding their dynamic patterns is crucial for scientifically informed air pollution control strategies. Traditional reliance on linear correlation coefficients for ascertaining PM2.5 related factors only uncovers superficial relationships. Moreover, the invariance of conventional prediction models restricts their accuracy. To enhance the precision of PM2.5 concentration prediction, this study introduces a novel integrated model that leverages feature selection and a clustering algorithm. Comprising three components - feature selection, clustering, and integrated prediction, the model first employs the non-dominated sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA-III) to identify the most impactful features affecting PM2.5 concentration within air pollutants and meteorological factors. This step offers more valuable feature data for subsequent modules. The model then adopts a two-layer clustering method (SOM+K-means) to analyze the multifaceted irregularity within the dataset. Finally, the model establishes the Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) weak learner for each classification, integrating multiple weak learners using the Adaboost algorithm to obtain a comprehensive prediction model. Through feature correlation enhancement, data irregularity exploration, and model adaptability improvement, the proposed model significantly enhances the overall prediction performance. Data sourced from 12 Beijing-based monitoring sites in 2016 were utilized for an empirical study, and the model's results compared with five other predictive models. The outcomes demonstrate that the proposed model significantly heightens prediction accuracy, offering useful insights and potential for broadened application to multifactor correlation concentration prediction methodologies for other pollutants.

The objective was to compare the failure loads of glass ceramic, and polymer crowns against yttria-partially stabilized zirconia (Y-PSZ) crowns with varying yttria concentrations. Monolithic crowns of zirconia (Cercon XT, Katana UTML, BruxZir Anterior), glass ceramic (Celtra press, IPS e.max press, Lisi press), and polymeric materials (Trilor, Juvora, Pekkton) were fabricated and cemented to epoxy abutments. The total number of specimens was 135 for crowns and 135 for discs (15 specimens per material type and design). A universal testing machine was used to perform compressive loading of all crowns to failure with a steel hemisphere along the longitudinal axis of the abutments. Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) was used to identify the concentration (mol% yttria-partially stabilized zirconia) for each zirconia brand. The data were analyzed using a generalized linear model and regression analysis. The results revealed significant differences (P < .05) in mean failure loads for different crown materials: Trilor (6811 ± 960 N) > Juvora (5215 ± 151 N) > Cercon (4260 ± 520 N) = BruxZir (4186 ± 269 N) = e.max (3981 ± 384 N) > Katana (3195 ± 350 N) = Lisi (3173 ± 234 N) = Pekkton (3105 ± 398 N) > Celtra (2696 ± 393 N). EDS showed that the zirconia materials contained yttria at different concentrations (BruxZir = 5Y-PSZ, Cercon = 4Y-PSZ, Katana = 3Y-PSZ). The yttria concentration had a significant effect on the failure load of the Katana (3Y-PSZ) crowns, which revealed lower failure loads than the Cercon (4Y-PSZ) and BruxZir (5Y-PSZ) crowns. New zirconia materials are provided with different yttria concentrations (3Y-, 4Y-, and 5Y-PSZ). Since a higher yttria concentration increases the translucency, clinicians should be aware that 4-5 wt% yttria-partially stabilized zirconia materials provide comparable or higher mechanical properties than e. max glass ceramic for dental application of crowns.

The influence of short term water absorption on the mechanical properties of halloysite nanotubes-multi layer graphene reinforced polyester hybrid nanocomposites has been investigated. The addition of nano-fillers significantly increased the flexural strength; tensile strength and impact strength in dry and wet conditions. After short term water exposure; the maximum microhardness; tensile; flexural and impact toughness values were observed at 0.1 wt% MLG. The microhardness increased up to 50.3%; tensile strength increased up to 40% and flexural strength increased up to 44%. Compared to dry samples; the fracture toughness and surface roughness of all types of produced nanocomposites were increased that may be attributed to plasticization effect. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the main failure mechanism is caused by the weakening of nano-filler-matrix interface induced by water absorption. It was further observed that synergistic effects were not effective at concentration of 0.1 wt% to produce considerable improvement in mechanical properties of produced hybrid nanocomposites.

Aseptic implant loosening after total joint replacement is partially influenced by material-specific factors when cobalt-chromium alloys are used, including osteolysis induced by wear- and corrosion products, and stress shielding. Here, we aim to characterize a hybrid material consisting of alumina-toughened zirconia ceramics (ATZ) and additively manufactured Ti-35Nb-6Ta (TiNbTa), joined by a glass solder. The structure of the joint, static and fatigue shear strength, the influence of accelerated aging, and the cytotoxicity using an elution assay with human osteoblasts is characterized. Furthermore, the biomechanical properties of functional demonstrators of a femoral component for total knee replacements are evaluated. TiNbTa-ATZ specimens showed a homogenous joint with statistical distributed micro-pores and a slight accumulation of Al-rich compounds at the glass solder-TiNbTa interface. The static shear strength was 26.4 ± 4.2 MPa (Ti-ATZ reference: 38.2 ± 14.4 MPa, p = 0.117), all specimens survived 107 cycles of shear loading to 10 MPa, and aging did not reduce the strength. TiNbTa-ATZ did not impair the proliferation and metabolic activity of human osteoblasts. Functional demonstrators of TiNbTa-ATZ provided a maximum bearable extension-flexion moment of 40.7 ± 2.2 Nm. Biomechanical and biological properties of TiNbTa-ATZ demonstrate potential application for endoprosthetic implants.

In this work, we report the electric energy storage properties of (1-x)Bi0.5(Na0.8K0.2)0.5TiO3-xBi0.2Sr0.7TiO3 (BNKT-BST; x = 0.15-0.50) relaxor ferroelectric ceramics enhanced via a domain engineering method. A rhombohedral–tetragonal phase, the formation of highly dynamic PNRs, and a dense microstructure are confirmed from XRD, Raman vibrational spectra, and microscopic investigations. The relative dielectric permittivity (2664 at 1 kHz) and loss factor (0.058) were gradually improved with BST (x=0.45). The incorporation of BST into BNKT can disturb the long-range ferroelectric order, lowering the dielectric maximum temperature Tm and inducing the formation of highly dynamic polar nano-regions. In addition, the Tm shifts toward high temperature with frequency and a diffuse phase transition, indicating relaxor ferroelectric characteristics of BNKT-BST ceramics, which is confirmed by the modified Curie Weiss law (γ=1.83). The rhombohedral–tetragonal phase, fine grain size, and lowered Tm with relaxor properties synergistically contribute to a high recoverable energy density Wrec of 0.81 J/cm3 and a high energy efficiency η of 86.95% at 90 kV/cm for x = 0.45.

This paper proposed a three-layer distributed simulation network architecture: 1. Distributed virtual simulation network, 2. Perception and control sub-network, and 3. Collaborative communication service network. This simulation architecture runs on a distributed platform. The platform can provide a unique virtual scenario and several simulation services to verify the individual robot system's basic perception, control, and planning algorithms and the distributed collaborative algorithms of heterogeneous multi-robot systems. Furthermore, we designed a simulation experiment scenario for classical heterogeneous robot systems such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs). At last, We gave a rough estimation model of the bandwidth.

This paper concentrates on the general birth-death processes with two different types of catastrophes. The Laplace transform of transition probability function for birth-death processes with two-type catastrophes are is successfully expressed with the Laplace transform of transition probability function of the birth-death processes without catastrophe. The first effective catastrophe occurrence time is considered. The Laplace transform of its probability density function, expectation and variance are obtained.

Earth observation satellites can capture images of specific areas in Earth's orbit based on user requirements. Despite the high demand for satellite imagery, satellites remain a scarce resource. When there are many observation tasks that are large and dense, they may interfere with each other due to satellite mobility. To address this issue, a multi-satellite scheduling algorithm based on a task merging mechanism has been proposed. This paper proposes a two-stage approach to the problem: task merging phase and merging task scheduling phase. The task merging phase introduces two methods based on Mean Shift and Complete Graph to generate the merging task set. In the merging task scheduling phase, a multi-satellite scheduling algorithm based on merging tasks is employed to solve the problem. Finally, certain measurement experiments suggest the effectiveness of the algorithm.

The interest in lipid composition profiling is significantly increasing as research reveals the immense importance of lipids in medicine, plant science, food and agriculture. However, lipidomic analysis requires high-end specialty equipment. We used two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography (2D TLC) as a readily available, low-cost tool for basic lipidomic profiling of lipid classes in algal samples as model: Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Auxenochlorella protothecoides, and Euglena gracilis. Algal lipid extracts were separated on a 2D-TLC plate, and TLC analysis was followed by scraping individual TLC spots off the plate, and a subsequent liquid chromatography separation and tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis. For comparison, crude lipid extracts were also injected directly to the LC-MS/MS system. Lipid class annotation was achieved by a combination of accurate mass, retention time information, neutral loss and fragment ion analysis by MS2Analyzer, and by matching spectra to LipidBlast MS/MS library. Overall, we were able to identify 15 lipid classes, and to adequately profile the lipid classes in all three organisms. This TLC method is thus suggested as an accessible tool for lipid class profiling of algal, plant, and food lipids, alike, when a rapid and simple analysis is required, e.g., for screening purposes.

This research presents a comprehensive computational analysis of the two-phase flow dynamics within a three-dimensional porous transport layer (PTL) in a proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer. Employing advanced computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and a volume of fluid (VOF) approach, the study utilizes the finite-volume method to model a time-dependent, isothermal process within a laminar flow regime. Notably, the study treats oxygen as the dispersed phase and water as the continuous phase within the system. Investigations on the anode side uncovered the formation of gas bubbles on the electrode's surface subsequent to the electrochemical reaction. The simulation, spanning 5 seconds with 0.25-second intervals, highlights the critical role of the time interval between the initiation and 2 seconds in achieving pressure and velocity equilibrium within the PTL. The initial 0.75 seconds witnessed a peak in oxygen concentration, followed by its movement across the PTL, exhibiting a transition from regions of lower to higher concentration, consistent with known physical behaviour. Remarkably, the model recorded the highest pressure of 3.5 Pa at 0.25 s. Furthermore, the study observed an incremental pressure drop from 0.25 s to 0.5 s and 1 s, approximately amounting to 28.5% and 20%, respectively, ultimately leading to a uniform pressure distribution within the model. Over time, the pressure drop intensified across the entire model due to the evolving nature of the oxygen gas. These findings provide valuable insights into the complex dynamics of two-phase flow processes within PEM electrolyzers, contributing to the advancement of sustainable energy technologies.

Due to the intermittency and fluctuation of photovoltaic (PV) output power, a high proportion of grid-connected PV power generation systems has a significant impact on power systems. Accurate PV power forecasting can alleviate the uncertainty of the PV power and is of great significance for the stable operation and scheduling of the power systems. Therefore, in this study, a feature rise-dimensional (FRD) two-layer ensemble learning (TLEL) model for short-term PV power deterministic forecasting and probability forecasting is proposed. First， based on the eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), Random Forest (RF), CatBoost, and Long-short-term memory (LSTM) models, a TLEL model is constructed utilizing the ensemble learning algorithm. Meanwhile, the FRD method is introduced to construct the FRD-XGBoost-LSTM (R-XGBL), FRD-RF-LSTM(R-RFL), and FRD- CatBoost - LSTM (R-CatBL) models. Subsequently, the above models are combined to construct the FRD-TLEL model for deterministic forecasting, and perform probability interval forecasting based on quantile regression(QR). Finally, the performance of the proposed model is demonstrated with a real-world dataset. By comparing with other models, the proposed model displays better forecasting accuracy for deterministic forecasting and reliable forecasting intervals for probability forecasting, and good generalization ability in the datasets of different seasons and weather types.

: Two-dimensional instability of a horizontal layer of boiling liquid with a finite height is experimentally studied. In this layer, “vapor columns” rose at the corners of a square rectangular grid. The symmetry of “vapor column” location on the heating surface is considered. The model considers the approach to the boiling crisis in terms of both developed nucleate boiling and transitional boiling (the Zuber problem). When dealing with developed nucleate boiling, the layer of boiling liquid is considered in calculations as an isotropic homogeneous system (foam). It is shown how the conditions on the heating surface (capillary-porous coating) affect external hydrodynamics of the liquid layer and, ultimately, the value of the critical heat flux. The calculation ratio obtained by approaching the boiling crisis with regard to developed nucleate boiling takes into account the dependence of the critical heat flux on the void fraction of the boiling liquid layer. A new solution to the boiling crisis problem is proposed when approaching the crisis from the point of transitional boiling (the Zuber problem). This new solution eliminates some shortcomings of the classical problem (in particular, the void fraction of the layer corresponds to the experiments).

Materials known as Nd:YAG are crystalline materials of the cubic system made from neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet, which among others, have excellent optical properties. Nd:YAG four-level laser devices are highly used in both the health and industrial sectors. In this study, a simple and inexpensive alternative to manufacturing Nd:YAG materials through solid state reactions following powder processing routes was proposed. For this, an intense mixture of the precursor materials (Al2O3 and Y2O3) was carried out, followed by the addition of neodymium atoms to improve the optical properties of the resulting material. High energy mechanical mixing of the precursor powders resulted in submicron particles, with good size distributions of the powders. The advance of YAG formation was monitored by intermediate phase formation during heat treatment through interrupted tests at different temperatures and analysis by X-ray diffraction. From this analysis, it was found that reaction for the formation of the desired YAG is completed at 1500°C. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analyses determined the presence of functional groups corresponding to the YAG. Finally, the study by optical emission spectroscopy showed wavelengths in agreement with the electronic structure of the elements of the synthesized Nd:YAG.

A PLS-based quality prediction method is proposed for batch processes using two-dimensional extended windows. To realize the adoption of information in the direction of sampling time and batch, a new definition region of support (ROS), k-i-back-extended region of support (KIBROS), is proposed to establish the extended window, which including the data of the previous sampling times in the same batch, the data of the same sampling time in the historical batches, the data of the previous sampling times in the historical batches and the data of the later sampling times in the historical batches. According to these regions of support, extended windows are established, and different models are proposed based on the extended windows for batch processes quality prediction. Further, using a typical batch process as an example, the injection molding process, the proposed quality prediction method is experimentally verified, proving that the proposed methods have higher prediction accuracy than the traditional method and the prediction stability is also improved.

An electrothermal analysis for barium titanate based ceramics is presented combining the Heywang–Jonker model for the electric resistivity with a heat dissipation mechanism based on natural convection and radiation in a one dimensional model on the device level with voltage as the control parameter. Both PTC and NTC effects are accounted for through the double Schottky barriers at the grain boundaries of the material. The problem formulated in this way admits uniform and non–uniform multiple steady state solutions that do not depend on the external circuit. The numerical bifurcation analysis reveals that the PTC effect gives rise to several multiplicites above the Curie point, whereas the NTC effect is responsible for the thermal runaway (temperature blowup). The thermal runaway phenomenon as a potential thermal shock could be among the possible reasons for the observed thermomechanical failures (delamination fracture). The theoretical results for the NTC regime and the thermal runaway are in agreement with experimental flash sintering results obtained for 3% and 8% yttria stabilized zirconia.

Porous ceramics can be realized by different methods and are used for manifold applications, like cross-flow-membranes or wall-flow-filters, porous burners, solar receivers, structural design elements or catalytic supports. Within this paper three different alternative process routes are presented, which can be used to manufacture porous ceramic components with different properties or even graded porosity. The first process route bases on additive manufacturing (AM) of macro porous ceramic components, the second on AM of a polymeric template, which is used to manufacture porous ceramic components via replica technique. Finally, the third process route bases on an AM technology, which allows the manufacturing of multi-material or multi-property ceramic components, like components with dense and porous volumes in one complex shaped component.

Nanocrystalline La_1-xNd_xFeO₃ powders with different concentrations of Nd³⁺ have been synthesized by modified Pechini method. Their structure was studied by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). Further, La_1-xNd_xFeO₃ nanoceramics were prepared by high pressure sintering technique. The luminescence spectra of the powders were investigated as a function of concentration of active dopant to check the possible energy transfers observed due to Nd³⁺ concentration changes. The electrical and magnetic properties of the powders and ceramics were investigated to determine the effect of Nd³⁺ doping on the dielectric permittivity and magnetization in the wide frequency range.

Bacteriophages (phages) are potential alternatives to chemical antimicrobials against pathogens of public health significance. Understanding the diversity and host specificity of phages is important for developing effective phage biocontrol approaches. Here, we assessed the host range, morphology, and genetic diversity of eight Salmonella enterica phages isolated from a wastewater treatment plant. The host range analysis revealed that six out of eight phages lysed more than 81% of the 43 Salmonella enterica isolates tested. The genomic sequences of all phages were determined. Whole genome sequencing data (WGS) data revealed that phage genome sizes ranged from 41 to 114 kb with GC contents be-tween 39.9 and 50.0 %. Two of the phages SB13 and SB28 represent new species Epsep-timavirus SB13 and genera Macdonaldcampvirus, respectively as designated by the In-ternational Committee for the Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) as per genome based taxonomic classification. One phage (SB18) belonged to the Myoviridae morphotype while the re-maining phages belonged to the Siphoviridae morphotype. The gene content analyses showed that none of the phages possessed virulence, toxin, antibiotic resistance, type I-VI toxin-antitoxin modules or lysogeny genes. Three (SB3, SB15 and SB18) out of the eight phages possessed tailspike proteins. Whole genome-based phylogeny of the eight phages with their 113 homologs revealed three clusters A, B, C and seven subclusters (A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, C1 and C2). While cluster C1 phages were predominantly isolated from animal sources, cluster B contained phages from both wastewater and animal sources. The broad host range of these phages highlights their potential use to control the presence of S. enterica in foods.

The main purpose of this work was to tests of form and size of fatigue wear of the top layer of oil gear pump wheel (3PW-BPF-24). The object of tests was operated during a determined number of hours at strictly controlled operational and environmental parameters. A microscope of focal differentiation by Alicona InfiniteFocus G4 (with Focus-Variation optical measuring technology) was used for an identification, measurement and description of noticed superficial defects, which resulted from the fatigue process of the top layer and an earlier thermochemical treatment. The work was finished with an analysis of obtained results (based on the analysis of 3D scans) and conclusions concerning about optimization of the thermal treatment. Taking into consideration the presented results (suggestions) in the technology of improving strength properties of gear wheels (of this type oil pumps) may render it possible to obtain an appropriate fatigue endurance of the top layer, i.e. a minimization of observed superficial defects.

The power generation structure and load characteristics in different provinces are quite different in China, and the distribution of peak regulating resources and demands is extremely unbalanced. Due to many factors such as low power marketization degree, shortage of peak regulating resources and block of transmission channels, the consumption of new energy is facing greater pressure. In order to improve the mutual aids in regional power grid, this paper proposes a two-layer optimization dispatching model considering the mutual aids of peak regulation resources between each province, and determines the optimal units startup mode and power output in each provinces, thus obtaining all the power supply output arrangements and the technical and economic indicators. Finally, take the actual regional power grid in China as an example, the simulation results show that the proposed model can significantly improve the new energy utilization rate, which verified the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed model and methods in this paper.

Saikosaponin (SS) a is a compound with various pharmacological properties and easily degraded into SSb1 and SSg in acid condition. In present work another two new degradation products of SSa formed under acid hydrolytic condition were detected and isolated by analytical and semi-preparative liquid chromatography technology, furthermore their structures were characterized as hydroxyl-saikosaponin a and SSb2 by spectral analysis, which is not only essential in stability-indicating method development and validation but also could be used as a worst case to assess the analytical method performance of SSa. Moreover their structural transformation pathways were also proposed.

The African continent has the highest prevalence of hypertension globally, with South Africa reporting the highest prevalence in Southern Africa. While the influence of genetic variability in the pathogenesis of hypertension is well described internationally, limited reports are available for African populations. This study aimed to assess the association of genetic variants and essential hypertension in a cohort of two ethnic South African population groups. Two hundred and seventy-seven hypertensive and one hundred and seventy-six normotensive individuals were genotyped for 79 variants. Genotyping was performed using the Illumina GoldenGate Assay and allele-specific polymerase chain reaction. The association of variants was assessed using the Fisher Exact test under the additive and allelic genetic models, while multivariate logistic regression was used to predict the development of hypertension. Five variants (CYP11B2 rs179998, AGT rs5051 and rs699, AGTR1 rs5186 and ACE rs4646994) were significantly associated with essential hypertension in the cohort under study. Furthermore, AGTR1 rs5186 and AGT rs699 were identified as risk factors for the development of hypertension in both ethnic groups. In two ethnic South African populations an association was observed between Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System (RAAS) related genes and the development of hypertension.

The advancement in science and technology has led to luffa sponge (LS) being widely used as a natural material in industrial application as its polyporous structure and light texture. In order to enhance the utility of LS fibers as the reinforcement of lightweight composite materials, this study investigate its water absorption, mechanical properties, anatomical characteristic and thermal performance. Hence, moisture regain, tensile properties of LS fiber bundles were measured in accordance with standards and the structural characteristics were investigated via microscopic observation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the surface morphology and fracture surface of fiber bundles. Test results shows that the special structure where the phloem tissues degenerate to cavities had a significant influence on the mechanical properties of LS fiber bundles. Additionally, the transverse sectional area occupied by fibers in a fiber bundle (SF), wall thickness and ratio of wall to lumen of fiber cell, and crystallinity of cellulose had an impact on the mechanical properties of LS fiber bundles. Furthermore, the fiber bundles density of LS varies range of 385.46-468.70 kg/m³, much less than that of jute (1360.40 kg/m³) and Arenga engleri (950.20 kg/m³) while LS fiber bundles has superior specific modulus.

In this paper, a semi-empirical model of air waves induced by falling rock is described. The model is composed of a uniform motion phase (velocity close to 0 m·s^-1) and an acceleration movement phase. The uniform motion phase was determined based on experimentally and the acceleration movement phase was derived by theoretical analysis. A series of experiments were performed to verify the semi-empirical model and elucidated the law of the uniform motion phase. The acceleration movement phase accounted for a larger portion with a greater height of the falling rock. Experimental results of different falling heights of the goaf showed close agreement with theoretical analysis values. The semi-empirical model could accurately and conveniently estimate the velocity of air wave induced by falling rock. Thus, the semi-empirical model can provide a reference and basis for estimating the speed of air waves and designing protective measures in mines.

Underwater Sensor Networks (UWSNs) can enable a broad range of applications such as resource monitoring, disaster prevention, and navigation-assisted. It is especially relevant for sensor nodes location in UWSNs. Global Positioning System (GPS) is not suitable for using in UWSNs because of the underwater propagation problems. Hence some localization algorithms based on the precise time synchronization between sensor nodes have been proposed which are not feasible for UWSNs. In this paper, we propose a localization algorithm called Two-Phase Time Synchronization-Free Localization Algorithm (TP-TSFLA). TP-TSFLA contains two phases, namely, range-based estimation phase and range-free evaluation phase. In the first phase, we address a time synchronization-free localization scheme base on the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm to decrease the localization error. In the second phase, we propose a Circle-based Range-Free Localization Algorithm (CRFLA) to locate the unlocalized sensor nodes which cannot obtain the location information through the first phase. In the second phase, sensor nodes which are localized in the first phase act as the new anchor nodes to help realize localization. Hence in this algorithm, we use a small number of mobile beacons to help achieve location without any other anchor nodes. Besides, to improve the precision of the range-free method, an extension of CRFLA by designing a coordinate adjustment scheme is updated. The simulation results show that TP-TSFLA can achieve a relative high localization ratio without time synchronization.

Aim: To evaluate the panmacular subthreshold micropulse laser treatment results among patients with central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) and their correlation with functional and morphological parameters. Material and methods: The examined group included 10 non-treated and 41 treated patients with acute, recurrent, and chronic CSC (13 F, 38 M, mean age 44.11±6.5) and 14 healthy controls (6 F, 8 M, mean age 45±9.3). The BCVA examination, ophthalmoscopy, microp-erimetry, angio-OCT and OCT were performed. The medical history regarding chronic general disorders and known risk factors were recorded. Results: Complete resorption of SRF was obtained in 100% aCSC, 86.66% cCSC, and 63.63% r CSC. BCVA and RetSens significantly improved most of the patients treated in aCSC. The lowest BCVA and RetSens, but the largest pachyvessel and disease duration, were found in rCSC. A strong negative correlation between final BCVA and disease duration was found. No patient demonstrated laser lesions following treatment. Conclusions: The panmacular MPLT therapy leads to long-term enhancement of functional and morphological parameters in all CSC patients. The acute CSC patients showed the most significant improvement. The procedure is safe and could be considered a preferred treatment option for all active CSC cases. Timely treatment is crucial for beneficial outcomes.

In this paper, the synthesis of two novel luminescent Eu3+ ion complexes [Eu(TFT)3(phen) (1) and Eu(TFT)3(bpy)•Hex (2)] based on the combination of 2-(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)-1-tetralone (TFT), containing n-donor ligands (1,10-phenanthroline or 2,2'-Bipyridine) and Eu3+ ion is reported herein, and their structural features are discussed on the basis of X-ray crystallographic and thermal analyses. We observed that the ligands transfer energy effectively to the metal center by fluorescence, IR and UV spectrograms studies. The structures and properties of complexes 1-2 were optimized by the DFT theoretical calculation, and the calculation results were consistent with the experimental X-ray structure data and spectral analysis.

Glucose-sensitive films were prepared by the layer-by-layer (LbL) deposition of poly(ethyleneimine) (H-PEI) solution and DNA solution (containing glucose oxidase (GOx)). H-PEI/DNA+GOx multilayer films were constructed using electrostatic interactions. The (H-PEI/DNA+GOx)5 film was then partially decomposed by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). The mechanism for the decomposition of the LbL film was considered to involve a more reactive oxygen species (ROS) that was formed by the reaction of hemin and H2O2, which then caused nonspecific DNA cleavage. GOx present in the LbL films reacts with glucose to generate hydrogen peroxide. Therefore, decomposition of the H-PEI/DNA+GOx)5 film was observed when the thin film was immersed in a glucose solution. A (H-PEI/DNA+GOx)5 film exposed to a glucose solution for periods of 24, 48 72, and 96 h indicated decomposition of the film increased with the time. The rate of LbL film decomposition increased with the glucose concentration. At pH and ionic strength close to physiological conditions, it was possible to slowly decompose the LbL film at a sub-millimolar glucose concentration.

ABSTRACT Background: To date, the COVID-19 pandemic has been the foremost health concern for humankind in the new millennia. This paper aims to describe the related hospitalizations in Italy during the first two years of the health emergency. Design and methods: This is a retrospective, population-based study of Italian hospitalizations for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 during the 2020-2021 period, extracted from the National Hospital Discharge Registry. The outcome variables considered include hospital admissions, costs, and length of stay, among other hospitalization-level variables. Costs were estimated through the charges associated with the Diagnosis-Related Group and Major Diagnostic Categories coding system, plus an additional cost attributed to COVID-19 admissions. To these charges was added an extra cost defined by the ministry of health. Results: In Italy, there were 357,354 hospitalizations for COVID-19 attributed to 298,856 patients in 2020 and 399,043 hospitalizations for COVID-19 attributed to 333,447 patients in 2021. COVID-19 patients faced a transfer rate thrice that of other patients. Hospitalizations were concentrated predominantly in the northern regions, particularly in the first year. Hospitalization rates varied by age in a sine wave pattern, peaking in the youngest and oldest age groups, with mortality rates escalating with age— tending to remain below 3% for those under 44 but surging to 40% in individuals over 75. The financial impact of COVID-19 hospitalizations was substantial, with total costs reaching €3.97 billion in 2020 and €4.99 billion in 2021. Costs per admission and per day also rose, from €11,112 and €807 in 2020 to €12,503 and €844 in 2021, respectively. Excluding the added financial burden of COVID-19, costs would have been notably lower. Hospitalizations involving continuous invasive mechanical ventilation were particularly costly (about 24.000 euros x admission), reflecting the significant resources required for these treatments. Conclusion: Implementing a protective pad around the entire health system that leverages networks of family doctors and nurses, connected in real time to the entire health system, can be crucial. Such a network, tasked with monitoring the local epidemiological situation, protecting vulnerable individuals also through telehealth visits, and establishing a triage system for infections in the initial phase, may effectively help in managing virus spread and protecting hospitals from unpredictable waves of admission demand. Strengthening primary health care could be a decisive factor for the future and enhance the system's resilience in facing new challenges.

Background and Objectives Neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1 MIM # 162200), also known as von Recklinghausen disease, is among the most common autosomal dominantly transmitted disorders characterized mainly by neurocutaneous manifestations such as café au lait spots, intertriginous freckling, various types of neurofibromas (cutaneous neurofibromas or plexiform tumors), neurological manifestations, and bone abnormalities. It occurs with an incidence of 1:3000–1:4000 cases. Cone-rod dystrophies belong to the large group of retinal dystrophies, a highly heterogeneous group of disorders clinically manifested mainly by damage to cone and rod cells and have a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations. Many genes are involved in their etiology, with more than 100 currently identified, including the CRX gene responsible for the autosomal dominant form of cone-rod dystrophy (ad CORD). Materials and Methods: The authors present an intriguing case of a patient diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) as an infant and ocular involvement (myopia and astigmatism onset at age 15), which yielded a surprising molecular testing result. Results: Molecular DNA analysis identified a rare occurrence of two mutational variants, including a pathogenic variant in the NF1 gene, c.3871-2A, and a likely pathogenic variant in the CRX gene c.119G>A. Conclusions: The authors present this case to highlight the surprises offered by molecular testing in a condition where the diagnosis is usually based on clinical criteria, thus providing patients with competent genetic advice.

Crystalline silver thin layers were obtained by high-energy pulsed laser ablation without heating of the deposition substrate. The fluid Plateau-Rayleigh (PRI), Rayleigh – Taylor (RTI) and Richtmyer – Meshkov (RMI) instabilities, as well as crown splash induced during pulsed laser deposition (PLD) in high energy regime, resulting in ring and pearl shaped structures, offer the benefit of increased sorption surface. These morphological structures obtained for the silver thin layers make them of interest for catalytic applications. The study presented with this work addresses both the fundamental and applied issues on the morphological structures obtained for the silver thin layer and their catalytic function in organic processes. In this sense, the catalytic action of the thin silver layer was highlighted by modifications of the Reactive Blue 21 dye (C.I.) in aqueous solution with sodium bicarbonate. Specific investigations and analyzes were carried out by electron microscopy and elemental analysis (SEM-EDX), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and profilometry, mass spectrometry, ablation plasma diagnosis, diffractograms (XRD), as well as IR spectroscopy (FTIR). In addition to the experimental investigation and analyzes, simulation of the ionization energy threshold was conducted in COMSOL for complementary evaluation on the involved processes and phenomena.

In this paper, based on our previous expertise on ceramic artifacts, several archaeometric methods applied to some samples collected from the Dudești archaeological site (Oltenia region, Romania) are reported for the first time in the literature. The chemical composition and microstructural and morphological characterization of these samples offer important conclusions about the processing conditions. Some specific techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), wave-length-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF), Optical microscopy (OM), stereomicroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy, provide composition information about pigments and their decay processes. Additionally, the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method helps to estimate pore sizes and specific surface areas. Thermal analysis (TGA) was used to establish details regarding the production technology and the raw materials source used to make the ceramics, too. The obtained results indicated that the ceramics are based on a paste of muscovite, feldspar, with high plasticity, quartz, melanterite, and calcite, the latter in very low concentrations. According to the obtained results, we could assume that non-calcareous clays are present in the investigated samples because calcium exists in low concentrations. Gypsum is present, too, in very low concentration, identified by the presence of sulfate group in WDXRF. In the same context, iron oxides significantly impact the firing atmosphere of iron-rich clay, resulting in blackening under reducing conditions and reddish coloration under oxidative conditions. Using hematite and gypsum as pigments further contributes to the color variations in the pottery. The consistent firing temperature range of 200-600 °C in Dudești pottery implies a standardized production process, the variation in color being dependent on the specific reducing/oxidative regime conditions. This relationship between clay composition and local sources suggests a connection to Neolithic pottery production in the region and their color depending on the reducing/oxidative regime conditions.

This work shows a correlation between light reflectance, absorption, and morphologies of series of (1-x) BM–x PT, (x = 0.0, 0.02, 0.04, 0.08, 0.12, 0.16, 0.24) ceramics composite. The (1-x) BM–x PT showed features of a black mirror with a low optical energy gap. The measured Vis-NIR diffused reflectance enabled the calculation of the energy gap using the modified Kubelka-Munk function. The estimated energy gap was lower than 1.5 eV related to low reflectance in the Vis-NIR range. Moreover, obtained histograms of grains, using scanning electron microscope, enabled the correlation between grains size and amount of lead titanate. We deduced from the ceramics surface morphology that marked porosity also induced reflectivity of low magnitude. We correlated the magnitude of the energy gap with phases of the BM-PT composite and with the electrical conductivity activation energy reported in the literature. Our results findings opened prospect studied materials for optical applications.

In this paper, the preparation methods of porous silicon nitride materials with controllable dielectric constant and pore structure were systematically studied. By using microwave sintering technology, porous silicon nitride materials with high closed pore ratio were prepared by adjusting the content of sintering additives and sintering process parameters, and controlling the grain boundary phase and pore structure and size. The effects of sintering conditions on the total porosity, closed porosity, pore structure and dielectric properties of materials were systematically studied.

The evaluation of the piezoelectric properties of ferroelectric ceramics generally has a high level of uncertainty, due to incomplete poling, porosity, domain wall clamping and other effects. In addition, the poling process is often difficult and dangerous, due to the risk of breaking or damaging the sample. A method is described for the evaluation of the potential intrinsic piezoelectric response that a ceramic would have after full poling, without poling it. The method relies on the fact that any material undergoes an elastic softening below the ferroelectric transition temperature, whose magnitude can be expressed in terms of the intrinsic piezoelectric and dielectric coefficients of the material. Such a softening is equivalent to an electromechanical coupling, averaged over all the components due to the unpoled state of the sample, and can be deduced from a single temperature scan of an elastic modulus of a ceramic sample, spanning the ferroelectric and paraelectric states. The strengths, limits and possible applications of the method are discussed.

In this study novel recommendations are presented and substantiated for selecting the number of modes and optical thicknesses of flat lattice slabs that make up the microreliefs, which minimize the computational complexity of the rigorous coupled-wave analysis calculation of the diffraction efficiency (DE) of a sawtooth two-layer two-relief microstructure, while maintaining the specified reliability of the calculation results. The computational complexity can be controlled by allowing one or another level of oscillation of the DE curves depend on the angle of incidence of the radiation incident on the microstructure. In particular, the complexity of the multi-thousand DE calculations in the optimization process can be reduced by using the proposed methodology as well as increased computational complexity to certify the accuracy of the solution obtained as a result of implemented optimization.

Semi-continuous data are very common in the social science and economics. In this paper, a Bayesian variable selection procedure is developed to assess the influence of exogenous factors including observed and unobserved on the semi-continuous data. Our formulation is based on the two-part latent variable model with polytomous response. We consider two schemes for the penalties of regression coefficients and factor loadings: the Bayesian spike and slab bimodal prior and the Bayesian lasso prior. Within the Bayesian framework, we implement Markov Chains Monte Carlo sampling method to conduct posterior inference. To facilitate posterior sampling, we recast the logistic model in part one as the norm-like mixture model. Gibbs sampler is designed to draw observations from the posterior. Our empirical results show that with suitable hyper-parameters, the spike and slab bimodal method slightly outperforms the Bayesian lasso in the current analysis. Finally, a real example related to the China household finance survey is analyzed to illustrate the application of the methodology.. .

Electrospun nanofiber-supported thin film composite membranes are among the most promising membranes for seawater desalination via forward osmosis. In this study, a high-performance electrospun polyvinylidenefluoride (PVDF) nanofiber-supported TFC membrane was successfully fabricated after molecular layer-by-layer polyelectrolyte deposition. Negatively-charged electrospun polyacrylic acid (PAA) nanofibers were deposited on electrospun PVDF nanofibers to form a support layer consisted of PVDF and PAA nanofibers. This resulted to a more hydrophilic support compared to the plain PVDF nanofiber support. The PVDF-PAA nanofiber support then underwent a layer-by-layer deposition of polyethylenimine (PEI) and PAA to form a polyelectrolyte layer on the nanofiber surface prior to interfacial polymerization, which forms the selective polyamide layer of TFC membranes. The resultant PVDF-LbL TFC membrane exhibited enhanced hydrophilicity and porosity, without sacrificing mechanical strength. As a result, it showed high pure water permeability and low structural parameter values of 4.12 Lm⁻²h⁻¹bar⁻¹ and 221 µm, respectively, significantly better compared to commercial FO membrane. Layer-by-layer deposition of polyelectrolyte is therefore a useful and practical modification method for fabrication of high performance nanofiber-supported TFC membrane.

A developing energy-saving approach of cold sintering in a pure aqueous medium was applied to the preparation of α-Al2O3 ceramics and performed on spark plasma sintering equipment. The initial γ-Al(OH)3 and γ-AlOOH powders and the cold-sintered ceramics were studied by X-ray diffraction analysis, infrared spectroscopy, thermal analysis, and scanning electron microscopy to reveal the chemical and structural transformations they experienced during the cold sintering. At 450°C and 70 MPa, initial γ-AlOOH transformed into a fragile α-Al2O3 material. Porous α-Al2O3 ceramics with about 60% porosity was obtained after cold sintering of γ-Al(OH)3 in the same conditions combined with subsequent annealing at 1250°C for 3 h. The role of water molecules in the studied processes was considered as the enhancement of structural mobility in the cold-sintered material due to its reversible hydroxylation similar to earlier investigated supercritical water action on the precursors during α-Al2O3 formation. Further improvement of the cold sintering setup and regimens would open prospects in α-Al2O3 ceramics manufacturing by an ecologically benign route.

Fabrication of a true-3D inorganic ceramic with resolution down to nanoscale using sol-gel resist precursor is demonstrated. The method has an unrestricted free-form capability, control of the fill-factor, and high fabrication throughput. A systematic study of the proposed approach based on ultrafast laser 3D lithography of organic-inorganic hybrid sol-gel resin followed by a heat treatment enabled formation of inorganic amorphous and crystalline composites guided by the composition of the initial resin. The achieved resolution of 100 nm was obtained for 3D patterns of complex free-form architectures. Fabrication throughput of 50×10³ voxels/s is achieved; voxel - a single volume element was recorded by a single pulse exposure. After a subsequent thermal treatment, ceramic phase was formed depending on the temperature and duration of the heat treatment as validated by Raman micro-spectroscopy. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed a gradual emergence of the crystalline phases at higher temperatures with a signature of cristobalite SiO₂, a high-temperature polymorph. Also, the tetragonal ZrO₂ phase known for its high fracture strength was observed. This 3D nano-sintering technique is scalable from nano- to millimeter dimensions and opens a conceptually novel route for optical 3D nano-printing of various crystalline inorganic materials defined by an initial composition for diverse applications for microdevices in harsh physical and chemical environments and high temperatures.

During choriogenesis in insects, chorion (eggshell) is formed by surrounding follicular epithelial cells in ovarioles. However, the regulatory endocrine factor(s) activating choriogenesis and the chemical components on eggshell deserve further exploration. In two representative Coleopterans, a Coccinellid Henosepilachna vigintioctopunctata and a Chrysomelid Leptinotarsa decemlineata, genes encoding the 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) receptor heterodimer, ecdysone receptor (EcR) and ultraspiracle (USP), and two chitin biosynthesis enzymes UDP-N-acetylglucosamine pyrophosphorylase (UAP) and chitin synthase (ChS1), were highly expressed in ovaries of the young females. RNA interference (RNAi)-aided knockdown of either HvEcR or Hvusp in H. vigintioctopunctata inhibited oviposition, suppressed the expression of HvChS1, and lessened the positive signal of Calcofluor staining on the chorions, which suggests the reduction of a chitin-like substance (CLS) deposited on eggshells. Similarly, RNAi of LdEcR or Ldusp in L. decemlineata constrained oviposition, decreased the expression of LdUAP1 and LdChS1, and declined CLS contents in the resultant ovaries. Knockdown of LdUAP1 or LdChS1 caused similar defective phenotypes, i.e., reduced oviposition and CLS contents in the L. decemlineata ovaries. These results, for the first time, indicate that 20E signaling activates choriogenesis in two Coleopteran species. Moreover, our findings propose the deposition of a CLS on the chorions.

We study a two-echelon supply chain made up of a supplier and a manufacturer, both of which can reduce their component/product carbon emissions. With the vertical technology spillovers, we explore the optimal decisions of centralized and decentralized supply chains with price dependent demand and propose coordination strategy for the decentralized supply chain. Considering the cost contraction effectiveness of the technology spillovers, the centralized and decentralized game theoretic models of a two-echelon supply chain are developed to investigate optimal decisions of pricing and carbon emissions reduction. Through a systematic comparison and numerical analysis, we show that the profits of both players and the entire supply chain improve with the effect of technology spillovers increasing. Carbon emissions reduction will be taken by various protective measures so that the supplier and the manufacturer who do not innovate can hardly share the results of innovating via the “free-riding” methods when the technology spillover is relatively small. We also propose a revenue-cost sharing contract through bargaining to enhance the performance of the decentralized supply chain.

In Mexico viticulture represents the second source of employment in the agricultural area after the fruit and vegetable sector. In developed countries, remote sensing is widely used for vineyard monitoring, however, this tool is barely used in developing countries of Iberoamerica. In this re-search, our overall objective is to characterize two vineyards in the state of Queretaro (Mexico) using Sentinel-2 and meteorological data, specifically spectral and thermal indices. Results showed that spectral indices obtained from Sentinel-2 bands have characterized adequately the phenolog-ical evolution of the different varieties of the vineyards. The Modified Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index (MSAVI) was adequately used to discriminate the first stages of vineyards, while the Nor-malized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was useful to monitor vineyards during the rest stages of vineyards. Thermal indices have shown that the best grape varieties were those that can adapt to both cooler and warmer temperatures, have a reasonable ripening period, and can produce wines with balanced acidity and flavors. In conclusion, the combination of meteorological (including thermal indices) and remote sensing data (NDVI and MSAVI) provide information for choosing the suitable grape variety for this region.

Precise monitoring of different environmental parameters and contaminations during food processing and storage is a key factor for maintaining its safety and nutritional value. Thus, developing reliable, efficient, cost-effective sensor devices for these purposes is of utmost importance. In this paper, we show that Poly-(diallyl-dimethylammonium chloride)/reduced Graphene oxide (PDAC/rGO) films produced by a simple Layer-by-Layer deposition can be effectively used to monitor temperature, relative humidity and the presence of volatile organic compounds as indicators for spoilage odors. At the same time, they show potential for electrochemical detection of organophosphate pesticide dimethoate. By monitoring the resistance/impedance changes during temperature and relative humidity variations or upon the exposure of PDAC/rGO films to methanol, good linear responses were obtained in the temperature range of 10-100 °C, 15-95 % relative humidity, and 35 ppm - 55 ppm of methanol. Moreover, linearity in the electrochemical detection of dimethoate is shown for the concentrations in the order of 102 µmol dm−3. The analytical response to different external stimuli and analytes depends on the number of layers deposited, affecting sensors’ sensitivity, response and recovery time, and long-term stability. The presented results could serve as a starting point for developing advanced multimodal sensor devices and sensor arrays with high potential for analytical applications in food safety and quality monitoring.

A nanostructured electrochemical bi-sensor system for analysis of milks has been developed using the Layer by Layer technique. The non-enzymatic sensor [CHI+IL/CuPcS]2, is a layered material containing a negative film of the anionic sulfonated copper phthalocyanine (CuPcS) acting as electrocatalytic material, and a cationic layer containing a mixture of an ionic liquid (IL) (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate) that enhances the conductivity and chitosan (CHI) that facilitates the enzyme immobilization. The biosensor ([CHI+IL/CuPcS]2-GAO) results from the immobilization of galactose oxidase on the top of the LbL layers. FTIR, UV-vis and AFM have confirmed the proposed structure and cyclic voltammetry has demonstrated the amplification caused by the combination of materials in the film. Sensors have been combined to form an electronic tongue for milk analysis. Principal Component Analysis has revealed the ability of the sensor system to discriminate between milk samples with different lactose content. Using PLS-1 calibration models, correlations have been found between the voltammetric signals and chemical parameters measured by classical methods. PLS-1 models provide excellent correlations with lactose content. Additional information about other components such as fats, proteins and acidity can also be obtained. The method developed is simple and the short response time permits its use in assaying milk samples on-line.

This paper proposes two max-pooling engines, named the RTB-MAXP engine and the CMB-MAXP engine, with a scalable window size parameter for FPGA-based convolutional neural network (CNN) implementation. The max-pooling operation for the CNN can be decomposed into two stages, i.e., a horizontal axis max-pooling operation and a vertical axis max-pooling operation. These two one-dimensional max-pooling operations are performed by tracking the rank of the values within the window in the RTB-MAXP engine and cascading the maximum operations of the values in CMB-MAXP engine. Both the RBM-MAXP engine and the CMB-MAXP engine were implemented using VHSIC Hardware Description Language (VHDL) and verified by simulations. They have been employed for and tested in our CNN accelerator targeting at the CNN model YOLOv4-CSP-S-Leaky for object detection.

In this work SiC-Ti3AlC2 and TiC-Ti3AlC2 composites produced by additive manufacturing are investigated. The fused granules fabrication (FGF) method as one of the material extrusion additive manufacturing (MEAM) technology is used to obtain composite samples. Composites with different ratios between components and different powder:polymer ratios are investigated. The technological features of the additive formation of composites are investigated, as well as their structure and properties. The optimal sintering temperature to form the best mechanical properties for both composites is 1300 °C. The composites have a regulatable porosity. Ti3AlC2 content, sintering temperature, and polymer content in the feedstock are the main parameters that regulates the porosity of FGF samples.

ZrO2-YO1.5-TaO2.5(ZYTO) composite ceramic is considered to be the candidate of next generation of thermal barrier coatings as its excellent thermal stability and low thermal conductivity in high temperature, however, the mechanical properties and fracture tougheness of ZYTO system may be the shortcomings compared with the 8YSZ. In this study, ZYTO composite ceramics were successfully prepared by chemical coprecipitation reaction, the microsture of resulting composites were studied as a function of doping of M-YTaO4. Mechanical properties, including the density, porosity, hardness and Young's modulus, are determinate; the toughening mechanism were verified by the crack growth behavior of Vickers indentation test Results suggested that M-YTaO4 refines the fluorite phase grain and strengthens the grain interface in the composite ceramic. The thermal mismatch between the second phase and matrix produces residual stress in the bulk and affects the crack propagation behavior. With the increase of M-YTaO4 doping, the grain coarsening and ferroelastic domains are observed in the experiments. The ferroelastic domains with orthogonal polarization directions near crack tip evidences the ferroelastic toughening mechanism. The competition among these crack behaviors, such as cracks deflection, bridging and bifurcation, dominates the actual fracture toughness of the composite. The best toughening formula is determinate in the two-phase region and the highest fracture toughness is about to 3.1MPa·m1/2. Above all, mechanical properties of ZYTO composite ceramics look potential for thermal barrier coatings materials.

A facile and environmentally benign method for a single-phase barium titanate synthesis in water vapor medium was studied to reveal the mechanism of phase transformation of the initial simple oxides mixture and estimate the capability of the product to be used as a raw material for low-frequency dielectric ceramics. The composition and structure of the reaction mixture treated in vapor at 130…150 °C as well as 230 °C for various time were investigated by means of XRD, SEM, HRTEM, EDX, and FTIR methods. The kinetics of the occurring phase transformation was described by Johnson-Mehl-Avrami-Erofeev equation. The reaction between the initial oxides was considered as a topochemical process with an apparent activation energy of 74…80 kJ mol^-1. A crucial role in this process belonged to the water vapor medium, which facilitated the generation of the reaction zone and its spreading inward the solid particles. The synthesized tetragonal barium titanate powder (mean particle size of 135 ± 24 nm) was sintered by a conventional technique at 1250 °C to obtain ceramics with grains of about 2 μm. Capacitance measurements performed a dielectric constant and loss tangent of ceramics, which reached 3879 and 6.7 10^-3, respectively, at 1 kHz and room temperature.

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

Powder mixture with given molar ratio Ca/P = 1.67 consisting of brushite (calcium hydrophosphate dihydrate) CaHPO4·2H2O, calcium oxalate monohydrate CaC2O4·H2O in form of whewellite and weddellite and some quantity of quasi-amorphous phase was obtained as a result of the interaction of hydroxyapatite powder Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2 with an aqueous solution of oxalic acid H2C2O4 at a molar ratio of Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2/H2C2O4 = 1:4 under mechanical activation conditions. This powder mixture was used to produce microporous monophase ceramics based on hydroxyapatite Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2 with aperient density of 1.25 g/cm3 after firing at 1200 oC. Microporosity of sintered ceramics was formed due to presence of particles with plate-like morphology, restraining shrinkage during sintering. Microporous ceramics based on hydroxyapatite Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2 with roughness of the surface as a consequence of the created microporosity can be recommended as a biocompatible material for the bone defects treatment and as a substrate for bone cell cultivation.

Nanostructured materials have already become an integral part of our daily life. In many applications ion mobility decisively affects the performance of, e.g., batteries and sensors. Nanocrystalline ceramics often exhibit enhanced transport properties due to their heterogeneous structure showing crystalline (defect-rich) grains and disordered interfacial regions. In particular, anion conductivity in nonstructural binary fluorides easily exceeds that of their coarse-grained counterparts. To further increase ion dynamics aliovalent substitution is a practical method to influence the number of (i) defect sites and (ii) the charge carrier density. Here, we used high energy-ball milling to incorporate Y³⁺ ions into the cubic structure of SrF₂. As compared to pure nanocrystalline SrF2 the ionic conductivity of Sr_1-xYxF_2+x with x = 0.3 increased by 4 orders of magnitude reaching 0.8 x 10 ^-5 S/cm^-1 at 450 K. We discuss the effect of YF₃ incorporation on conductivities isotherms determined by both activation energies and Arrhenius pre-factors. The enhancement seen is explained by size mismatch of the cations involved, which are forced to form a cubic crystal structure with extra F anions if x is kept smaller than 0.5

This paper proposed three-dimensional numerical simulation method by coupling of electrostatic and fluid fields to evaluating the performance of electrical sensor in the concentration measurement of gas/solid two-phase flow. Compared with the static numerical simulation, this real-time dynamic 3-D simulation method can research on a designed capacitance sensor combining the dynamic characteristics of the two-phase flows for concentration measurement. Several fluid-electrostatic models of transmission pipes with different sensor structures are built. Under different test positions and different particle concentrations, the flow characteristics and the corresponding electric signals can be obtained, and the correlation coefficient between the concentration values and the capacitance values are used for performance evaluation of the sensors. The effects of flow regimes on concentration measurement are also been investigated in this paper. To validate the results of simulation, an experimental platform with horizontal straight pipe for phase volume concentration measurement of solid/air two-phase flow is built, and the experimental results agree well with simulation conclusions. The simulation and test results show that the coupling models can give constructive reference opinions for the sensor design and collection of installation position in different transmission pipelines, which are very important for the practical process of pneumatic conveying system.

The layer-by-layer (LBL) fabrication method allows for controlled microstructure morphology and vertical component distribution, and also offers a reproducible and efficient technique for fabricating large-scale organic solar cells (OSCs). In this study, polymer D18 and PYIT-OD are employed to fabricate all-polymer solar cells (all-PSCs) using the LBL method. Morphological studies reveal that the use of additives optimizes the microstructure of the active layer, enhancing the crystallinity and charge transport capability. The optimized device with 2% CN additive significantly reduces bimolecular recombination and trap-assisted recombination. All-PSCs fabricated by the LBL method based on D18/PYIT-OD deliver a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 15.07%. Our study demonstrates the great potential of additive engineering via LBL fabrication method in regulating microstructure of active layers, suppressing charge recombination, and enhancing the photovoltaic performance of devices.

This paper intends to discuss SSLs, how they work, their advantages and drawbacks. It will end with the author’s thoughts on the efficacy of the system and whether it is a viable solution for the majority of network security problems or if those drawbacks prevent that.

A temperature-modulated pyroelectricity measurement system for a small single crystal is developed and applied to standard sample measurements performed on a thin single crystal of lithium niobate. The modulation measurement is based on the AC technique, in which the temperature of the sample is periodically oscillated, and the synchronized pyroelectric signal is extracted using a lock-in amplifier. Temperature modulation is applied by irradiating periodic light on the sample placed in the heat exchange gas. To apply this technique to the transparent reference sample, a commercially available black resin is coated on the sample’s surface to absorb the light energy and transmits it to the specimen. The experimental results are analyzed using a two-layer heat transfer model to verify the effect of the light-absorbing layer as well as the non-contact temperature modulation system.

Lung neuroendocrine tumors (LNETs) and gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEPNETs) are two distinct types of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) that have traditionally been treated as a single entity despite originating from different sources. Although they share certain phenotypic characteristics and the expression of neuroendocrine markers, they exhibit differences in their microenvironment, molecular mutations, and responses to various therapeutic regimens. Recent research has explored the genetic alterations in these tumors, revealing dissimilarities in the frequently mutated genes, role of EGFR in carcinogenesis, presence of transcription factors, and immunogenicity of the tumor and its microenvironment. Spread Through Air Spaces (STAS), a phenomenon unique to lung carcinomas, appears to play a crucial role in LNET prognosis. These distinctions are also evident in the cascade response of lung and GI tract neuroendocrine tumors to somatostatin analogs, Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (PRRT), chemotherapy, and immunotherapy. Identifying similarities and differences between the two groups may im-prove our understanding of the underlying mechanisms and facilitate the development of more effective treatment strategies.

Photoluminescent (PL) layers and electroluminescent (EL) systems have been extensively explored for constructing flat panels, screen monitors, and lighting systems. Due to their optical properties, our group is interested in the relationship between optical properties and dielectric constant is converted due to thermal change. In this study, we prepared a zinc sulfide (ZnS) fluorescent film on barium-calcium zirconium titanate ceramics. BCZT0.85 (Ba0.85Ca0.15Zr0.1Ti0.9O3) and BCZT0.9 (Ba0.9Ca0.1Zr0.1Ti0.9O3) were prepared using the solid-state reaction method for the dielectric layer. The BCZT powders were calcined at 1200 and 1250 °C and dwell times of 2 and 4h. The phase formation and microstructure characteristics were then determined using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The dielectric behavior and optical properties rela-tionship was then studied to determine the composition and optimal conditions for further use as thermal detectors in electric vehicle battery packs. All BCZT powders exhibited the tetragonal phase, which was confirmed by JCPDS No. 01-079-2265. The dielectric constant increased with increasing calcining temperature or dwell time. The dielectric properties showed the BCZT0.85 ceramic sintered had the maximum dielectric constant of 15342 at calcine temperature of 1250 °C for 4h. Therefore, in this study, this condition was optimal for preparing the dielectric film. The maximum dielectric constant film is 42. The electroluminescence intensity of the samples increased in a temperature-dependent manner, with the highest EL intensity at 80 °C. Moreover, the electroluminescence intensity value was enhanced with the increase of the dielectric constant. Our results show promise for developing applications for Opto-thermal sensors.

This study evaluated the grain size and high organic content from drinking water treatment sludge (DWTS) in the properties of ceramics. Samples were studied using raw and oven dried DWTS at 110 °C in two granulometries (0.180 mm and 0.075 mm), with and without calcination (550 °C), as partial replacement of two soils commonly used in ceramic production. Specimens were prepared with 5, 10, and 20% DWTS and calcined at 950 °C to determine their chemical, physical, mineralogical and mechanical properties. The DWTS reduced the density and increased the absorption and shrinkage of the specimens after calcination. An increase in strength with up to 10% sludge, driven by the presence of fluxing agents, was verified. The processing method had little influence on the properties of ceramic with above 10% of sludge. In conclusion, the use of raw DWTS obtained better results with low energy usage for its reuse.

Porous α-Al2O3 ceramics is a highly demanded material for multitude applications such as filters, substrates, biomedicine materials, etc. Despite the availability of the raw materials, a challenge of their technology is in a high energy budget caused by the sintering above 1500 °C. For a cold sintering processing (CSP) of ceramics, the lowering of α-Al2O3 sintering temperature is one of the most urgent challenges at the background of its rapid development. The current paper for the first time demonstrates the solution of the mentioned problem by the CSP of α-alumina ceramics in a presence of pure water as a transient liquid. The manufactured materials were examined by XRD analysis; the evolution of their microstructures during the CSP was revealed by SEM, and the porosity evaluated by the Archimedes method. The ceramics with an open porosity up to 36 % was produced at 380-450 °C, 220 MPa in 30 min. An increase in the pressure was found to impede α-Al2O3 formation from γ-AlOOH. The development of the microstructure was discussed within the frameworks of the dissolution-precipitation model and the homogenous nucleation. The results of the SEM study pointed to the coalescence of γ-AlOOH grains during the CSP.

We have investigated the effect of electron-beam irradiation by a forevacuum-pressure plasma-cathode electron source on the surface roughness and hardness of Al2O3- and AlN-based ceramics. The roughness increases with increasing temperature of the processed surface, while the hardness slightly decreases. For aluminum nitride ceramic, we find that the thermal conductivity increases by a factor of 1.5 to 2 depending on the electron-beam irradiation regime.

The development in the field of ceramics has been increasing over the past several decades. Among all of the dental ceramics, zirconia ceramics show very good mechanical properties and a significant improvement in mechanical function. However, it is properly established that each step of the fabrication process of zirconia ceramics must be controlled to achieve the expected mechanical properties. These steps include the block constructing, sintering process, machining and surface processing. Recent advances have focused on zirconia ceramics in forming and sintering processes, mechanical properties, combining with various materials, and on surface processing. All these items provide conceptions about the formability and machinability of the zirconia. Until now, very excellent studies have been done to specify the evolution of microstructures, phase and mechanical properties of zirconia ceramics during the sintering process. However, more studies are required in this field. This paper aims to demonstrate general views and various studies in the field of zirconia ceramics. The properties, applications and tests performed and the recent developments in the field of zirconia bioceramics are discussed.

Morphological and phylogenetic (45S nrDNA+RPB1 gene) analyses of three glomoid spore-producing arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi revealed the presence of two new species be-longing to the genus Glomus in the family Glomeraceae. In the field, Glomus highlandensis sp. nov. was found in a saltmarsh of the Scottish Highlands and in maritime sand dunes of the Baltic Sea in Poland, both saline environments, while G. mongioie sp. nov. originates from the Italian Alps. Phylogenetic placement analysis using environmental sequences indicated that G. highlandensis could have likely worldwide distribution while G. mongioie seems to be a rare species in the world. The molecular and phylogenetic analysis provided important insights about the presence of ribosomal variants in Glomus, with potential negative implication in phylogeny and species recognition.

Present study focuses on the synthesis and characterisation of a lightweight ceramic material with electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding properties, achieved using mullite containing micrometer-sized hollow spheres (cenospheres) and CoFe2O4 nanoparticles. The research explores compositions with varying CoFe2O4 content, ranging from 0 up to 20 wt.%. Сonventional sintering in an air atmosphere is carried out at a temperature between 1100-1300 °C. The addition of ferrite nanoparticles was found to enhance the sintering process of cenospheres, resulting in improved material density and mechanical properties. Furthermore, the study reveals a direct correlation between the concentration of ferrite nanoparticles and the electromagnetic properties of the. By increasing the concentration of ferrite nanoparticles, the electromagnetic shielding effect of the material (saturation magnetization (Ms) and remanent magnetization (Mr)) was observed to strengthen. These findings provide valuable insights into the design and development of lightweight ceramic materials with enhanced electromagnetic shielding capabilities. The synthesized ceramic material holds promise for various applications that require effective electromagnetic shielding, such as in electronics, telecommunications, and aerospace industries.

Inspired by the process of bone formation in living organisms, many studies have been conducted to develop organic-inorganic composite materials by generating calcium phosphate crystals within solutions or dispersions of polymers with appropriate functional groups. Bones are composite materials consisting of organic polymers (mainly Type I collagen), carbonated apatite, and water, with volume fractions 35-45%, 35-45%, 15-25%, respectively. Carbonated apatite in bone contributes to rigidity, while organic polymers and water contribute to toughness. The inorganic crystal, carbonated apatite, is a plate-shaped crystal with dimensions of 50 nm × 25 nm × 1-4 nm, generating a significant organic-inorganic interface due to its nanoscale size. This interface is believed to absorb externally applied forces to dissipate mechanical energy to thermal energy. Creating such nanometer-scale structures using top-down approaches is challenging, making bottom-up methods like co-precipitation of polymer and inorganic crystals more suitable. In this account, efforts to develop eco-friendly mechanical materials using biomass such as cellulose and starch based on the bottom-up approach to bone-like composites are described.

Partially stabilized zirconia (PSZ) is a promising material with superior combination properties in a wide range of industries. In this study, the effect of grain size on the mechanical properties such as hardness, bending strength and fracture toughness (named as ‘indentation toughness’ in this study) was investigated. The multi-doped zirconia ceramics were prepared by powder processing and pressure-less sintered following four sintering schedules. The measured mechanical properties results show that the polymorph structure sintered at a higher temperature has a lower bending strength and hardness. But 300% more indentation toughness (30.54 Kg/mm) of samples sintered at 1600 °C +1150 °C relative to others was estimated due to the grain size effect by our suggested equation. By contrast, the fracture toughness was calculated with an existing method. The results showed that similar trends were obtained. It appeared to be a novel method for evaluating the toughness of partially stabilized zirconia ceramics with micron grains based on the size effect.

The present Feature Paper highlights the application of bacterial surface (S-) layer proteins as versatile components for the fabrication of biosensors. One technologically relevant feature of S‑layer proteins is their ability to self-assemble on many surfaces and interfaces to form a crystalline 2D protein lattice. The S-layer lattice on the surface of a biosensor becomes part of the interface architecture, linking the bioreceptor to the transducer interface, which may cause signal amplification. The S-layer lattice as ultrathin, highly porous structure with functional groups in a well-defined special distribution and orientation and an overall anti-fouling characteristics can significantly raise the limit in terms of variety and ease of bioreceptor immobilization, compactness of bioreceptor molecule arrangement, sensitivity, specificity, and detection limit for many types of biosensors. The present paper discusses and summarizes examples for the successful implementation of S-layer lattices on biosensor surfaces in order to give a comprehensive overview on the application potential of these bioinspired S-layer protein-based biosensors.

This paper compares two types of microfluidic sensors that are designed for operation in ISM bands at microwave frequencies of 2.45 GHz and 5.8 GHz. In the case of the first sensor, the principle of operation is based on the resonance phenomenon in a microwave circuit filled with a test sample. The second sensor is based on the interferometric principle and makes use of the superposition of two coherent microwave signals, where only one of them goes through a test sample. Both sensors are monolithic structures fabricated using low temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC). The LTCC-based microwave-microfluidic sensor properties are examined and compared by measuring their responses for various concentrations of two types of test fluids: one is a mixture of water/ethanol, and the other is dopamine dissolved in a buffer solution. The experiments show a linear response for the LTCC-based microwave-microfluidic sensors as a function of the concentration of the components in both test fluids.

Here, we investigate the actuation dynamics of a micro device with different intervening liquids between the actuating components under the influence of Casimir and dissipative hydrodynamic forces. This is enabled via phase space portraits, which demonstrate that by increasing the dielectric response of the intervening layer the device may not come into stiction due to the decreasing in magnitude Casmir force. Moreover, it is feasible to expand area of motion using intervening liquids with lower dynamic viscosity or increasing the slip length of the intervening fluid. Finally, under the influence of an external driven force, which is the realistic case for possible applications, the system can reach stable oscillation at larger separations with an amplitude higher for the liquid that lead to lower Casimir and hydrodynamic forces.

This paper proposes a novel single-stage buck-boost three-Level neutral-point-clamped (NPC) inverter with two independent dc sources coupled for the grid-tied photovoltaic (PV) application, which can effectively solve the unbalanced operational conditions generally appeared between two coupled independent PV sources induced by the unequal irradiation and temperature distribution. The proposed control scheme can simultaneously guarantee the maximum power point (MPP) operation of both PV sources and maintain the output waveform quality. Compared to the traditional two-stage PV inverter, the proposed NPC inverter could reduce the PV array voltage requirement and dc-link capacitors’ voltage rating, meanwhile show the advantage in operational efficiency. MATLAB simulations and the captured experimental results are presented to show the performance of the proposed three-level inverter.

In this work, we report a series of undoped and 1% Ga or Y doped lanthanum manganite compounds which have been synthesized via sol-gel technique. The obtained materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM/EDX). The XRD results confirmed a good crystallinity for all the studied samples and a change in the crystal structure of Ga or Y doped lanthanum manganite (Pm-3m space group) is observed compared to pristine sample (R-3c space group). Thermal analysis highlighted a different behavior of the doped samples compared to the undoped sample observed by the different mass loss in the analyzed temperature range. For these materials, it is shown for the first time that the static electrical conductivity, σDC of Ga or Y doped LaMnO3 compounds increases compared to the σDC pristine sample, and the thermal activation energy of the conduction EA,cond increases linearly with the temperature, for all three studied sample.

The SiBOC precursor ceramics were fabricated by polymer-derived method SiBOC precursors with different B/Si molar ratios were synthesized by controlling monomer content. The effects of different process conditions on SiBOC ceramics and the oxidation resistance of SiBOC ceramics at a high temperature (1400 ℃) were studied. The SiBOC precursor’s bonds of Si-O-C, Si-O-Si, and Si-O-B were detected by FTIR. The precursor is converted to a rigid ceramic material that has an 85.3 wt % ceramic yield of SiBOC ceramics with B/Si=0.4 by TG-DSC. The results of SEM analysis show that the SiBOC ceramics surface bulges and folds increase with the increase of boric acid content. With the increase of pyrolysis temperature and pyrolysis time, the size and number of pores on the surface of SiBOC ceramics also increase. Static oxidation tests show that SiBOC ceramics with B/Si=0.4 have better oxidation resistance under other conditions being the same.

In this study, a parameter of volume stability was proposed for the first time to design polymorph zirconia ceramics used for special components. A series of heterogeneous polymorph zirconia ceramics with various amounts of monoclinic (M) phase were fabricated by two-step sintering. Samples with about 27%, 31%, and 51% M phase content were selected to study the properties. The thermal shock durability was found to be associated with thermal expansion behavior and noncritical micro cracks, which both based on M phase initial content. In good agreement with experimental results, the correlation of normalized K versus M phase initial content was established. It could provide a repeatable reference to prepare special zirconia components without loss of density.

The present exploratory study tested the hypothesis that computerized cognitive training (CCT) in home telemonitoring may beneficially affect eyes-closed resting-state electroencephalographic (rsEEG) rhythms in Parkinson's disease patients with cognitive deficits (PDCD). A Eurasian database provided clinical-demographic-rsEEG datasets in 40 PDCD patients, 29 PD patients without cognitive deficits (PDNCD), 40 Alzheimer’s disease patients with cognitive deficits (ADCD), and 40 cognitively normal older adults (Healthy). Sixteen of the 40 PDCD patients completed a cross-over unsupervised CCT program of simple, serious video games (versus a sham program) consisting of 14 daily sessions of approximately 20 minutes each in the patients' homes. Compared to the Healthy, PDNCD, and ADCD groups, the PDCD group was characterized by greater diffuse rsEEG delta (about 2-4 Hz) and theta (about 4-7 Hz) source activity. The PDCD patients who underwent the CCT program showed an improvement in video game performance and a reduction in these delta-theta source activities after this program compared to the control condition. In conclusion, these results suggest that the 2-week CCT program in home telemonitoring may mitigate the abnormal “slowing” of rsEEG rhythms in PDCD patients, possibly enhancing the regulation of brain arousal and quiet vigilance.

This paper investigates the influence of magnetic field for a two dimensional deformations on a two temperature problem at the free surface of a semi-infinite semiconducting medium under the effect of mechanical force during a photothermal theory and the effect of hydrostatic initial stress on the medium. The Harmonic Wave Method (Normal Mode Analysis) has been used to obtain the equations of elastic waves, heat conduction equation, quasi-static electric field, carrier density, two temperature coefficient, ratios, and constitutive relationships for the thermo-magnetic-electric medium. The effects of several parameters as thermoelastic and thermoelectric coupling parameters and two temperature parameter of this force on the displacement component, force stress, carrier density and temperature distribution has been depicted graphically.

OSI model used to be common network model for years. In the case of ad hoc networks with dynamic topology and difficult radio communications conditions, gradual departure is happening from the classical kind of OSI network model with a clear delineation of layers (physical, channel, network, transport, application) to the cross-layer approach. The layers of the network model in ad hoc networks strongly influence each other. Thus, the cross-layer approach can improve the performance of an ad hoc network by jointly developing protocols using interaction and collaborative optimisation of multiple layers. The existing cross-layer methods classification is too complicated, because it’s based on the whole manifold of network model layers combinations, regardless their importance. In this work, we review ad hoc networks cross-layer methods, propose the new useful classification of cross-layer methods, and show future research directions in ad hoc networks cross-layer methods development. The proposed classification can help to simplify the goal-oriented cross-layer protocol development.

A 9,10-phenanthrenequinone (PQ) was electrochemically polymerized on a graphite rod electrode using potential cycling. The electrode modified by poly-9,10-phenanthrenequinone (poly-PQ) was studied by means of cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The poly-PQ shows variations in growth pattern depending on the number of potential cycles for the initiation of polymerization. Formed poly-PQ layer demonstrates good electric conductivity, great electrochemical capacitance and unique oxidation/reduction properties, which are suitable for broad technological applications, including applicability in biosensors, supercapacitors, and in some other electrochemical systems.

In this study, we seek to analyze and numerically evaluate a plasmonic sensor. To form the sensor structure, we use several amplifiers, such as two rings attached to each other and a cavity, as well as two metal insulating metal waveguides (MIM). At the beginning of this simulation, we must examine the resonant wavelengths and the refractive index of the resonators using the finite difference time domain method. By changing the refractive index and changing the dimensions of the cavity and the rims, we seek to investigate the sensor performance and the conduction characteristics of the plasmonics and to obtain the effect of these parameters. To evaluate the sensor performance, we calculate the three factors of sensitivity coefficient S, quality factor Q and figure of merit (FOM), here we reach the sensitivity of 987.6 nm / RIU. Such a plasmonic sensor with a simple framework and high optical resolution can be very useful for sensor systems on optical circuits.

Porous β-tricalcium phosphate (Ca3(PO4)2; β-TCP) was prepared by freeze-drying and the effects of this process on pore shapes and sizes were investigated. Various samples were prepared by freezing β-TCP slurries above a liquid nitrogen surface at −180 °C with subsequent immersion in liquid nitrogen at −196 °C. These materials were then dried under reduced pressure in a freeze-dryer after which they were sintered by heating. Compared with conventional heat-based drying, the resulting pores were more spherical, which increased both the mechanical strength and porosity of the β-TCP. These materials had a wide range of pore sizes from 50 to 200 µm, with the mean and median values both approximately 100 µm regardless of the freeze-drying conditions. Mercury porosimetry data showed that the samples contained small, interconnected pores with sizes of up to 1.24 µm and macroscopic, interconnected pores up to 25.8 µm in size. The effects of non-ionic surfactants having different hydrophilic/lipophilic balance (HLB) values on foaming and pore size were also investigated. Materials made with surfactants having lower HLB values exhibited smaller pores and lower porosity whereas higher HLB surfactants gave higher porosity and slightly larger macropores. Even so, the pore diameter could not be readily controlled solely by adjusting the HLB value. The findings of this work indicated that high porosity (75%) and good compressive strength (&gt;2 MPa) can both be obtained in the same porous material and that foaming agents with HLB values between 12.0 and 13.5 were optimal.

Soil amendments with composted organic materials are recommended to increase soil organic matter (SOM), promote soil fertility, and the Circular Economy. Growing areas of hedged olive groves in southern Iberia peninsula generate huge amounts of olive leaves whose potential as soil organic amendment is not fully studied. An experimental field trial in a hedged olive grove (cv. “Cobrançosa”) was set up near Portalegre, Portugal, to test a compost of olive leaves plus sheep manure (2:1) applied in the row, at soil surface. Three nominal rates (0 or control, 2.5 and 5.0 kg m-2) were used, in a complete randomized block setup (3 treatments, 3 replicas, 9 plots) and soil chemical properties of layers 0-5, 5-15, and 15-30 cm deep were annually monitored. Results (mainly in layer 0-5 cm) showed increases in total N, carbon of the particulate organic matter (POM-C), permanganate oxidizable carbon (POX-C), extractable phosphorus, and zinc, after one year, and increases in soil organic carbon (SOC), C-stock, pHKCl, extractable phosphorus, and zinc, after two years. POX-C was the most sensitive SOM-related indicator, showing increases up to 30 cm deep after one year. This compost improved soil fertility, but should be monitored over longer periods of time, namely for SOC and extractable zinc content.

Carburizing of stainless steels at low temperatures (below 500°C) develops a high content carbon layer, known for its high hardness. X-ray Diffraction investigation indicates that carburization treatment does not impact the structure of substrate; however, introduced carbon causes expansion in the carburized layer through the increase in d-spacing. Characterization of carbon concentration and hardness profiles indicate that carbon content gradually decreases while moving further into the substrate; and the origin of the increased hardness of the expanded layer arises from the super-saturated carbon content, following the solid solution strengthening theory. An area that is not well understood is in regard to the carburized layer’s relation to the substrate and the significance in their differences. Using two grades of stainless steel, AISI 316L and PH 17-4, it was observed that the carburized layer is not a separate layer, but a higher carbon content version of the substrate,

The design and engineering of antibacterial materials is key for preventing bacterial adherence and proliferation in biomedical and house-hold instruments. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and chitosan (CHI) are broad-spectrum antibacterial materials with different properties, whose combined application is currently under optimization. This study proposes the formation of antibacterial films with AgNPs embedded in carboxymethylcellulose/chitosan multilayers by the layer-by-layer (LbL) method. The films were deposited onto nanoporous silicon (nPSi), an ideal platform for bioengineering applications, due to its biocompatibility, biodegradability, and bioresorbability. We focus on two alternative multilayer deposition processes: cyclic dip coating (CDC) and cyclic spin coating (CSC). The physicochemical properties of the films were the subject of microscopic, microstructural and surface-interface analyses. The antibacterial activity of each film was investigated against Escherichia coli (Gram-negative) and Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive) bacteria strains as model microorganisms. According to the findings, CDC technique produced multilayer films with higher antibacterial activity for both bacteria compared to the CSC method. Bacteria adhesion inhibition was observed from only 3 cycles. The developed AgNPs-multilayer composite film offers advantageous antibacterial properties for biomedical applications.

To achieve an acceptable level of security on the web, the Completely Automatic Public Turing test to tell Computer and Human Apart (CAPTCHA) was introduced as a tool to prevent bots from doing destructive actions such as downloading or signing up. Mobile devices have small screens, and therefore, using the common CAPTCHA methods (e.g. text CAPTCHAs) in these devices raises usability issues. To introduce a reliable, secure, and usable CAPTCHA that is suitable for mobile devices, this paper introduces a hand gesture recognition CAPTCHA based on applying Genetic Algorithm (GA) principles on Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP). The proposed method improves the performance of MLP-based hand gesture recognition. It has been trained and evaluated on 2201 videos of the IPN Hand dataset, and MSE and RMSE benchmarks report the index values of 0.0018 and 0.0424, respectively. Comparison with the related works shows a minimum of 1.79% fewer errors, and experiments produced a sensitivity of 93.42% and accuracy of 92.27% – 10.25% and 6.65% improvement compared to the MLP implementation.

Using co-precipitation to synthesize (CeO2)0.95(Y2O3)0.05 (YDC) and solid reaction method to synthesize (CeO2)0.75(ZrO2)0.25 (ZDC), and the characterization for both crystal structure and micro-structure of the two materials was conducted with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) methods. Prepare the YDC and ZDC based limited current O2 sensor by employing platinum pasting bonding method. Sensing characteristics of the sensor were obtained at different conditions and study on the impact of temperature, O2 concentration as well as water vapor pressure on the sensing characteristics had been conducted. XRD results show that the phase structure of both YDC and ZDC is cubic phase. SEM results show that both YDC and ZDC layers are dense layers, which are then qualified to be the composition materials of the sensor. This limited current O2 sensor shows good sensing performance and conforms to the Knudsen model. Log(IL•T) depends linearly on 1000/T with R2 of 0.9904, IL depends linearly on x(O2) with R2 of 0.9726 and sensing characteristics are not affected by p(H2O).

The research results conducted on binderless tungsten carbide (WC) ceramics obtained by Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) of WC powders with different average particle sizes (0.095, 0.8, 3 μm) are presented. Nonuniform distribution of crystalline phases and microstructure of the WC ceramics was studied using layer-by-layer XRD analysis and SEM. Surface layers of the WC-based ceramics are characterized by nonuniform distribution of W2C crystalline phase and grain sizes, including the appearance of abnormally large grains. Thickness of the nonuniform layer was at least 50 μm. The effect under study is associated with an intense carbon diffusion from graphite foil. On the one hand, this contributed to a decrease in the intensity of W2C phase particle formation, which is transformed into α-WC phase due to the carbon. On the other hand, it caused abnormal grain growth in the layer where the carbon diffused. The obtained value of the carbon diffusion depth exceeds the values known from the literature (up to 1 μm in the case of volume diffusion even at temperature of 2370℃ and exposure time of ~ 60 h). The use of boron nitride (BN) as a protective coating on graphite mold parts did not prevent the formation of nonuniform layer on the ceramic surface.

The interaction between single or a fixed number of photons with a single absorber is of fundamental interest in quantum technology. The harnessing of light matter interactions at the single particle limit has several potential applications ranging from quantum communication and quantum metrology to quantum imaging. In this letter, a setup for heralded two-photon absorption at the single absorber level is proposed. The setup is based on a heralded two-photon source utilizing spontaneous parametric down-conversion, entanglement swapping and sum frequency generation for joint detection. The feasibility of the scheme is discussed by reviewing recent achievements in utilizing entangled and correlated photons for two-photon absorption as well as single photon absorption experiments at the limit of single absorbers in the context of applications in imaging (here mainly microscopy) and spectroscopy.

Fires are a significant threat to people, property, and environment. One of the requirements for the buildings during fires is ensuring the safe evacuation of persons. The evacuation assessment has usually been based on a comparison of the Required Safe Egress Time (RSET) and the Available Safe Egress Time (ASET). One of the important factors influencing the safe evacuation of persons is smoke, which is an important accompanying phenomenon in the burning of polymers. The smoke layer interface is one basic barrier for effective evacuation. The current calculation technique for assessing the smoke layer interface in the Czech Republic is unsatisfactory. For this reason, a calculation technique CSN has been derived, which has been compared with the selected simple calculation techniques, the zone fire model Consolidated Model of Fire and Smoke Transport (CFAST) and the field type model Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS). The CSN technique was also compared with a real large-scale experiment. The data were also subjected to statistical evaluation using the root mean square error method (RMSE). The deviations between the NFPA, ISO and CSN calculation techniques, the CFAST and FDS fire models and the implemented experiment ranged from 0.05 to 2.41. The established deviations indicate that the calculation technique CSN will be practically usable.

In recent years, antibacterial coatings have become a significant approach in the global fight against bacterial pathogens. Developments in materials science, chemistry and biochemistry have led to a plethora of materials and chemical compounds that have potential for creating antibacterial coatings. Nonetheless, there has been insufficient consideration given to the analysis of the techniques and technologies used to apply these coatings. Among the various inorganic coating techniques, Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) is noteworthy. It enables the successful synthesis of high-purity inorganic nanocoatings on surfaces of complex shape and topography, while also providing precise control over their thickness and composition. ALD has various industrial applications, but its practical application in medicine is still limited. In recent years, a substantial number of papers have been published on the suggested implementation of thin films and coatings produced through ALD in medicine, notably those with antibacterial properties. The aim of this paper is to carefully evaluate and analyse the relevant literature on this subject. Simple oxide coatings, including TiO2, ZnO, Fe2O3, MgO, and ZrO2, were examined, as well as coatings containing metal nanoparticles such as Ag, Cu, Pt, and Au, and mixed systems such as TiO2-ZnO, TiO2-ZrO2, ZnO-Al2O3, TiO2-Ag, and ZnO-Ag. Through comparative analysis, we have been able to draw conclusions on the effectiveness of various antibacterial coatings of different compositions, including key characteristics such as thickness, morphology, and crystal structure. ALD has been analysed in its use for developing antibacterial coatings for various applications. Furthermore, assumptions regarding the most promising development areas have been presented.

A solution for the Prandtl-Blasius equation is essential to all kinds of boundary layer problems. This paper revisits this classic problem and presents a general Maple code as its numerical solution. The solutions were obtained from the Maple code, using the Runge-Kutta method. The study also considers convergence radius expanding and an approximate analytic solution is proposed by curve fitting. Similarly, the study resolves some boundary layer related problems and provide relevant Maple codes for these.

Recently Li et al (2019 Nature 572 624) discovered a new type of oxide superconductor Nd_0.8Sr_0.2NiO₂ with T_c = 14 K. To classify superconductivity in this infinite-layer nickelate experimental upper critical field, B_c2(T), and the self-field critical current densities, J_c(sf,T), reported by Li et al (2019 Nature 572 624), are analysed in assumption of s-, d-, and p-wave pairing symmetries and single- and multiple-band superconductivity. Based on deduced the ground-state superconducting energy gap, Δ(0), the London penetration depth, λ(0), the relative jump in electronic specific heat at T_c, ΔC/C, and the ratio of 2Δ(0)/k_BT_c, we conclude that Nd_0.8Sr_0.2NiO₂ is type-II high-κ weak-coupled single-band s-wave superconductor.

In a thin-volume photobioreactor where a concentrated suspension of microalgae is circulated throughout the established spatial irradiance gradient, microalgal cells experience a time-variable irradiance. Deploying this feature is the most convenient way of obtaining the so-called “flashing light” effect, improving biomass production in high irradiance. This work investigates the light flashing features of sloping wavy photobioreactors, a recently proposed type, by introducing and validating a Computational Fluid Dynamics model. Two characteristic flow zones (straight top-bottom stream and local recirculation stream), both effective toward light flashing, have been found and characterised: a recirculation-induced frequency of 3.7 Hz and straight flow-induced frequency of 5.6 Hz were estimated. If the channel slope is increased, the recirculation area becomes less stable while the recirculation frequency is nearly constant with flow rate. The validated CFD model is a mighty tool that could be reliably used to further increase the flashing frequency by optimising the design, the dimensions, the installation and the operational parameters of the sloping wavy photobioreactor.

Mixing layer height (MLH) is a crucial parameter for air quality modelling that is still not routinely measured. Common methods for MLH determination use atmospheric profiles recorded by radiosonde but they suffer from course temporal resolution since balloon launching is only twice a day. Recently cheap ceilometers are gaining popularity in the retrieval of MLH diurnal evolution based on aerosol profiles. This study presents a comparison of a proprietary (Jenoptik) and a free available (STRAT) algorithms to retrieve MLH diurnal cycle. The comparison is accomplished in summer season over urban area and radiosonde data is used to estimate MLHs according to parcel, lapse rate, and Richardson methods (the last algorithm is used as a reference in the study) in addition. It was found that STRAT and Jenoptik give lower MLH than radiosonde with an underestimation of about 150m and 650m respectively. Additionally, STRAT showed reasonable performance in tracking of MLH diurnal evolution. Daily MLH maximum of about 2000m was found in the late afternoon (18-19 LT). In contrast, Jenoptik algorithm showed more weaknesses, mainly attributed to its real-time operation and independent processing of a single profile. At night and during morning transition period, both lidar-based methods showed difficulties as MLH was often in the ceilometer’s incomplete overlapping zone so residual or advected aerosol layers aloft were misleadingly reported as mixing layer (ML).