The realization of a BRST cohomology of the 4D topological gauge-affine gravity is established in terms of a superconnection formalism. Identification of fields in the quantized theory is occurred directly as usual in terms of superconnection and its supercurvature components with the double covering of the general affine group GA¯(4,R). Then, by means of an appropriate decomposition of the metalinear double-covering group SL¯(5,R) with respect to the general linear double-covering group GL¯(4,R) one can easily obtain the enlargements of the fields while remaining consistent with the BRST algebra. This leads to the descent equations allowing us to build the observables of the theory by means of the BRST algebra constructed using a sa¯(5,R) algebra-valued superconnection. In particular, we discuss the construction of topological invariants with torsion.

Companies are increasingly focusing on sustainable business practices. Internal and external stakeholders’ expectations manifest in legal requirements, national and international standards, and market and customer expectations, among other things, must be considered. In addition to profit maximization as the usual target for corporate management, management must consider environmental sustainability aspects such as resource efficiency, greenhouse gas intensity, and a company's emissions behavior. In addition, social aspects relating to the company's employees, the immediate urban environment, the situation in the supply chain, and effects on the market environment must increasingly be considered. Specifically, companies are faced with the chal-lenge of dealing with conflicting objectives regarding the various aspects of sustainability and, if necessary, weighing them up against each other. These trade-offs must be made against the company's socio-economic and ecological environment, corporate strategy, and sustainability goals. This paper provides an overview of current approaches and research gaps on this topic through a literature review. It shows a lack of methods and frameworks to specifically deal with trade-offs and conflicts of goals.

Practical applications of CsPbX3 nanocrystals (NCs) are limited by their poor stability. The formation of heterojunction between CsPbX3 NCs and oxides is an effective means to protect perovskite from polar solvents and other external factors. Significantly improving the stability and photocatalytic properties of the core/shell perovskite is very important for its application in photoelectric and photocatalytic technology. Here, we report the synthesis of asymmetrical CsPbBr3/TiO2 core-shell heterostructure NCs at single particle level by hot injection liquid phase synthesis and sol-gel method, where each CsPbBr3 NCs is partially covered by titanium dioxide. It is shown that the type II arrangement is generated at the heterogeneous interface, which greatly facilitates the separation of electron-hole pairs and increases the carrier transport efficiency. More crucial, due to the protection of titanium dioxide shell, the product has higher long-term stability in humid air compared with bare CsPbBr3 NCs. The asymmetrical core-shell heterostructure prepared in this study not only improves the stability of CsPbX3 NCs, but also provides some ideas for optoelectronic device applications and TiO2-based photocatalysts.

Polypyrrole (PPy)-capped caped silver nanowire (Ag NW) nanomaterials (core–shell rod-shaped Ag NW@PPy) were synthesized suing a one–port suspension polymerization technique. The thickness of PPy layer on the 50-nm-thickness/15-μm-length Ag NW was effectively controlled to 10, 40, 50, and 60 nm. Thin films cast from one-dimensional conductive Ag NW@PPy formed a three-dimensional (3-D) conductive porous network structure and provided excellent electrochemical performance. The 3-D Ag NW@PPy network can significantly reduce the internal resistance of the electrode and maintain structural stability. As a result, a high specific capacitance of 625 F/g at a scan rate of 1 mV/s was obtained from the 3-D porous Ag NW@PPy composite film. The cycling performance over a long period exceeding 10,000 cycles was also evaluated. We expect that our core–shell-structured Ag NW@PPy composites and their 3-D porous structure network films can be applied as electrochemical materials for the design and manufacture of supercapacitors and other energy storage devices.

Aluminum wire is a common material for wire bonding due to its resistance to oxidation and low price. It does not melt when becoming a free air ball (FAB) during the electronic flame-off (EFO) process with wettability, and is applied by wedge bonding. This study used 20μm Zn-Coated Al-0.5wt.%Si (ZAS) wires to improve the FAB shape after the EFO process, while maintaining stability of the mechanical properties, including the interface bonding strength and hardness. In order to test circuit stability after ball bonding, the current-tensile test was performed. During the experiment, it was found that 80nm ZAS with wire bonding has lower resistance and higher fusing current. For the bias tensile test, the thicker Zn film diffused into the Al-Si matrix easily, after which the strength was reduced. The ball-bond interfaces had no change in their condition before and after the bias. Accordingly, ZAS could be a promising candidate for ball bonding in the future.

In the field of railroad safety, effective detection of surface cracks is critical, necessitating reliable, high-speed non-destructive testing (NDT) methods. This study introduces a hybrid Eddy Current Testing (ECT) probe, specifically engineered for railroad inspection, to address the common issue of ’lift-off noise’ due to varying distances between the probe and test material. Unlike traditional ECT methods, this probe integrates transmit and differential receiver coils, aiming to enhance detection sensitivity and minimize lift-off impact. The study optimizes ECT probes employing different driver coils, emphasizing three main objectives: a) quantitatively evaluating each probe using signal- to-noise ratio (SNR) and outlining a real-time data processing algorithm based on SNR methodology; b) exploring the frequency range proximal to the electrical resonance of the receiver coil; c) examining sensitivity variations across varying lift-off distances. The experimental outcomes indicate that the newly designed probe with figure 8-shape driver coil significantly improves sensitivity in detecting surface cracks on railroads. It achieves an impressive SNR exceeding 100 for defects with minimal dimensions of 1 mm in width and depth. Simulation results closely align with experimental findings, validating the investigation of optimal operational frequency and lift-off distance for selected probe performance, determined to be 0.3 MHz and 0.5 mm, respectively. The realization of this project would lead to notable advancements in enhancing railroad safety by improving crack detection efficiency.

Wide bandgap semiconductors-based photocatalysts are usually limited by their low solar energy conversion efficiency due to their limited absorption solar wavelength, surface’s fast recombination of photoelectron–hole pairs and low charge-carrier mobility. Here we report a new stepwise solution synthesis for making a new photocatalytic core/shell of titanate nanowire/reduced graphene oxide shell (or titanate/rGO) 1D-nanocomposite. The new core/shell nanocomposite maximized the specific surface area, largely reduced the charge transfer resistance and reaction energy barrier, and significantly improved the absorption of the visible light. The core/shell nanocomposites’ large on/off current ratio and rapid photo-responses boosted the photocurrent by 30.0%, the photocatalysis rate by 50.0%, and the specific surface area by 16.4%, when comparing with the pure titanate nanowire core. Our numerical simulations support the effective charge separation on the new core-shell nanostructure, which can help further advance the new photocatalysis.

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

The effects of the climate crisis are affecting ecosystems at different scales and magnitudes. This paper focuses on a massive Mediterranean mussel die-off observed along the middle Italian Adriatic coast in the summer of 2022. We considered the possible environmental causes of this phenomenon and carried out a climatic analysis of the last decade. We performed field surveys in different locations along a 16 Km coastal stretch (from Martinsicuro (TE) on the South, to Grottammare (AP) on the North). The study area includes two marine Sites of Community Importance under the European Natura 2000 network. The mussels die-off has interested practically all the natural mussel-beds colonizing the study area. Mussels are sessile filter-feeding organisms inhabiting the intertidal zone, therefore, are highly exposed to variations in environmental conditions such as temperature and nutrient load. We discuss the possible causes of this die-off, proposing that high temperature and the scarce availability of food acted simultaneously as stress factors, generating local unsustainable living conditions for this species.

Water pollution with dyes is a critical environmental issue because off the huge amount of dyes disbarred annually which cause severe damage for the ecosystem and human life. On the other hand, the core-shell based magnetic materials have showed amazing character for controlling the material synthesis with targeted structure to enhance the adsorptive-removal of pollutants. Herein, Fe3O4 core-TiO2/mesoSiO2 and Fe3O4 core-mesoSiO2/TiO2 double shell nanoparticles were prepared by first (R1) and second (R2) routes. The preparation procedure is controlled to prepare the magnetic core with further coating layers from silica and titania for the uptake of methylene blue from aqueous solutions. The reported adsorption capacities for R1-0.2, R1-0.4 and R2 samples were 46, 38 and 50 mg/g respectively at pH 6 after 80 min contact time form 50 ppm methylene blue solution. The adsorption process of methylene blue onto Fe3O4core-meso SiO2/TiO2 double shell was well fitted with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Freundlish isotherm which suggested the quick and multilayer adsorption mechanism. In addition, results of thermodynamic investigation indicated that the surfaces of Fe3O4 core-mesoSiO2/TiO2 and Fe3O4 core-TiO2/mesoSiO2 double shell exhibit spontaneous tendency to adsorb methylene blue from the aqueous solutions. These results will encourage the further application of Fe3O4 core-meso SiO2/TiO2 and Fe3O4 core-TiO2/meso SiO2 double shell for removal of other dyes and pollutants from wastewater.

Nowadays, the growing concern about improving thermal comfort in textiles, asphalt pavements and buildings has stimulated research into phase change materials (PCMs). However, the incorporation of PCMs directly causes mechanical impacts. Therefore, this study herein reported focuses on designing coaxial phase change fibres using commercial cellulose acetate (CA) or recycled CA obtained from cotton fabrics (CAt) as a coating and polyethylene glycol (PEG) 2000 as a core. The phase change fibres (PCF) were produced by wet spinning, varying the parameters: (i) CA concentration, molecular weight and source (virgin versus recycled); and (ii) PEG concentration and ejection. For phase change recycled fibres (PCFt), PEG concentration and ejection were varied. The fibres were assessed for their optical, chemical, thermal and mechanical properties. Bright-field microscopy images and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) micrographs proved the coaxial structure. Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the presence of PEG in the core. Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) proved the ability of PCFs to tolerate high temperatures. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) attested to the presence of PEG2000 peaks, since their melting points were close to those of virgin PEG2000, with a slight change in the PCFs and PCFts caused by the protective sheath of CA and CAt.

Concrete production requires a significant amount of natural resources, with aggregates comprising between 55% and 80% of the total volume. However, over-exploitation of natural aggregates has led to the exploration of alternative materials for use in concrete production. In this study, crushed hazelnut shells were investigated as a partial replacement for fine aggregate, addressing the problem of natural resource depletion and offering a second use for this important agricultural waste product available in Chile. Hazelnut shells were incorporated in percentages of 2.5%, 5%, and 10% by weight of sand for water-cement ratios of 0.4 and 0.5. The compressive strengths at 7 and 28 days and bending tensile strengths at 28 days were determined, alongside physical properties such as workability, temperature, air content, fresh density, and hardened density of the concrete. Our findings show that replacing 2.5% of the fine aggregate with hazelnut shells led to higher compressive strength at 28 days, exceeding the strength of the standard specimens by 9.5%, whereas replacing 5% of the fine aggregate led to the highest bending tensile strength, exceeding the resistance of the standard specimens by 3.5%. Moreover, the 0.4 w/c ratio consistently led to better results for both compressive and bending tensile resistances, with fewer and lower reductions in mechanical resistances compared to the standard mixture. Our results suggest that concrete mixes with hazelnut shells as a replacement for fine aggregate at a percentage of up to 2.5% can be used in constructive systems with compression strengths lower than 17 MPa, and mixtures with up to 10% hazelnut shell replacement can be used in structures with tensile bending stress requirements lower than 6 MPa. Overall, the use of hazelnut shells as a partial replacement for fine aggregate in concrete production presents an environmentally-friendly and cost-effective solution for the construction industry.

The relationship between pangolin-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 has been a subject of debate. Further evidence of a special relationship between the two viruses can be found by the fact that all known COVID-19 viruses have abnormally hard outer shell (low M disorder; i.e., low content of intrinsically disordered residues in the membrane (M) protein) that so far was found in CoVs associated with burrowing animals, such as rabbits and pangolins, in which transmission involves virus remaining in buried feces for a long time. While a hard outer shell is necessary for viral survival, a harder inner shell could also help. For this reason, the N disorder range of pangolin-CoVs, not bat-CoVs, more closely matches that of SARS-CoV-2 especially when Omicron is included. The low N disorder (i.e., low content of intrinsically disordered residues in the nucleocapsid (N) protein), first observed in pangolin-CoV-2017 amd later in Omicron, is associated with attenuation according to the Shell-Disorder-Model. Our experimental study revealed that pangolin-CoV-2017 and SARS-CoV-2 Omicron (XBB.1.16 subvariant) show similar attenuations with respect to viral growth and plaque formation. Subtle differences have been observed that are consistent with disorder-centric computational analysis.

Abstract: Background: Vasoplegic shock syndrome(VSS) after an off-pump coronary artery bypass graft (OPCABG) is an extremely rare condition. Inotropic support is usually the first-line therapy though it can precipitate several complications or be ineffective. We report the first case of severe refractory VSS after OPCABG successfully treated with hydroxycobalamin. Methods: A 77-year-old gentleman underwent OPCABG for three vessels coronary artery disease. Preoperative LV ejection fraction was 28%, and the patient before surgery started sacubi-tril/valsartan titrated, then, to the highest dose. Surgery was uneventful and, by the end of the procedure, TEE showed improved biventricular contractility. Results: The patient was transferred to the ICU without inotropic support but he developed soon hypotension. TEE ruled out pericardial tamponade and confirmed fair contractility. Norepineph-rine was titrated to a medium-high dose, vasopressin was started and a Swan-Ganz catheter was placed. SVR was 480 dyn·s·cm−5. Despite aggressive pharmacologic treatment (including Methylprednisolone and Methylene blue), no improvements were noticed. 10 g of hydroxycobalamin were administered. One hour later hemodynamic status re-assessment showed SVR > 800 dyn·s·cm−5. Afterward, vasopressors were gradually reduced. Conclusions: Our case demonstrated the importance of adequate early treatment in VSS after OPCABG. For the first time, hydroxycobalamin was effectively used to restore homeostasis.

Titanium boride (TiB2) is a material classified as ultra-high temperature ceramics. The TiB2 structure is dominated by covalent bonds, which gives materials based on TiB2 very good mechanical and thermal properties, but also makes them difficult to sinter. Obtaining dense TiB2 polycrystals requires chemical or physical sintering activation. Carbon and molybdenum disilicide (MoSi2) were chosen as sintering activation additives. Three series of samples were made, the first with carbon additives: 0 to 4 wt.%; the second with 2.5, 5 and 10 wt.%. MoSi2 and the third with both additions of 2 wt.% carbon and 2.5, 5 and 10 wt.% MoSi2. MoSi2. On the basis of dilatometric sintering analysis, all additives were found to have a favourable effect on sinterability of TiB2, and it was determined that sintering of TiB2 with carbon addition can be carried at 2100°C and with MoSi2 and both additives at 1800°C. The polycrystals were sintered using the hot pressing technique. On the basis of the studies conducted in this work, it was found that addition of 1 wt.% of carbon allows to obtain single-phase TiB2 polycrystals of high density (>90%). The minimum MoSi2 addition required to obtain dense sinters with a cermet-like microstructure was 5 wt.%. High density was also achieved by materials containing both additives. Samples with higher MoSi2 content, i.e. 5 and 10% showed densities close to 100%. Mechanical properties such; as Young's modulus, hardness and fracture toughness (KIc) of the polycrystals and composites were similar for samples with densities exceeding 95%. The Vickers hardness was 23 to 27 GPa, the fracture toughness (KIC) was 4 to 6 MPa·m0.5 and the Young's modulus was 480 to 540 GPa. The resulting TiB2-based materials showed potential in high-temperature applications.

Off-grid electrification planning increasingly recognizes the importance of productive use of electricity (PUE) to promote community value creation and (financial) project sustainability. To ensure a sustainable and efficient integration in the community and energy system, PUE assets must carefully be evaluated to match both the community needs and the residential electricity demand patterns. We propose a novel methodology interlinking qualitative interviews, statistical analysis, and energy system modelling to optimize decision-making for PUE integration in off-grid energy systems in rural Madagascar by aligning relevant PUE effectively with anticipated residential electricity demand patterns based on socio-economic determinants of the community. We find that a possible contribution of the PUE to reducing the electricity costs depends signifi-cantly on three factors: 1. the residential electricity consumption patterns that are influenced by the socio-economic composition of the community, 2. the degree of flexibility of i) PUE assets and ii) operational preferences of the PUE user, and 3. the capacity of community members to finance and operate PUE assets. Our study demonstrates that significant cost reductions for PUE-integrated off-grid energy systems can be achieved by applying our proposed methodology. When matching PUE and residential consumption patterns, the integration of PUE assets in residential community energy system can reduce the financial risk of operators, provided the PUE enterprise operates reliably and sustainably. We highlight that the consideration of local value chains and co-creation approaches are essential to ensure the energy system is addressing the community’s needs, creates value for the community, enhances the project´s financial sustainability, and is achieving the overall objectives of decentralized energy system planning.

Nano- and microparticles are increasingly widely used in biomedical research and applications, particularly as specific labels and targeted delivery vehicles. Silica has long been considered the best material for such vehicles, but it has some disadvantages limiting its potential, such as the proneness of silica-based carriers to spontaneous drug release. Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) is an emerging alternative, being easily available, cost-effective, biocompatible material with high porosity and surface reactivity, which makes it an attractive choice for targeted drug delivery. CaCO3 particles are used in this field in the form of either bare CaCO3 microbeads or core/shell microparticles representing polymer-coated CaCO3 cores. In addition, they serve as removable templates for obtaining hollow polymer microcapsules. Each of these types of particles has its specific advantages in terms of biomedical applications. CaCO3 microbeads are primarily used due to their capacity for carrying pharmaceutics, whereas core/shell systems ensure better protection of the drug-loaded core from the environment. Hollow polymer capsules are particularly attractive because they can encapsulate large amounts of pharmaceutical agents and can be so designed as to release their contents in the target site in response to specific stimuli. This review focuses first on the chemistry of the CaCO3 cores, core/shell microbeads, and polymer microcapsules. Then, systems using these structures for the delivery of therapeutic agents, including drugs, proteins, and DNA, are outlined. The results of systematic analysis of available data are presented. They show that the encapsulation of various therapeutic agents in CaCO3-based microbeads or polymer microcapsules is a promising technique of drug delivery, especially in cancer therapy, enhancing drug bioavailability and specific targeting of cancer cells while reducing side effects. To date, research in CaCO3-based microparticles and polymer microcapsules assembled on CaCO3 templates has mainly dealt with their properties in vitro, whereas their in vivo behavior still remains poorly studied. However, an enormous potential of these highly biocompatible carriers for in vivo applications is undoubted. This last issue is addressed in depth in the Conclusion and Outlook sections of the review.

Core-shell particles are heterogenous micro- or nanoparticles with solid, liquid or gas core encapsulated by a protective solid shell. The unique composition of core and shell materials imparts smart properties to the particles. Core-shell particles are gaining increasing attention as tuneable and versatile carriers for pharmaceutical and biomedical applications including targeted drug delivery, controlled drug release, and biosensing. This review first provides an overview of fabrication methods for core-shell particles, followed by a brief discussion on their application and a detailed analysis on manipulation including assembly, sorting, and triggered release. We compile current methodologies employed for manipulation of core-shell particles and demonstrate how existing methods of assembly and sorting micro/nanospheres can be adopted or modified for core-shell particles. Various triggered release approaches for diagnostics and drug delivery are also discussed in detail.

A time-sequential working, spatially multiplexed autostereoscopic 3D display design consisting of a fast switchable RGB-color filter array is presented. The wavelength-selective filter barrier emits the light from a display over a larger active area than common autostereoscopic barrier displays. An optical modelling of wavelength-selective barriers has been used for instance to calculate the light ray distribution properties of that arrangement. To find well working display designs, automated searches by simulation and computational evaluation has been proceeded. Wavelength-selective filter barrier arrangements exhibit characteristics different from common barrier displays with similar barrier pitch and ascent. In particular, these constructions show strong angular luminance dependency under barrier inclination specified by correspondent slant angle. In time-sequential implementation it is important to avoid that quick eye or eyelid movement lead to visible color artifacts. In the millisecond regime tunable liquid crystal Fabry-Pérot color filters for the colors red, green and blue are presented. They consist of a sub-micrometer thick nematic layer sandwiched between dielectric mirrors and ITO-electrodes. These cells shall switch narrow-banding light of red, green or blue. An array for a glasses-free 3D display has to be equipped with several thousand switchable filter elements having different color apertures. The newly introduced design is usable as a multi user display as well as a single user system with user adaptive control.

Using pumps operating as turbines (PATs) offers the possibility of increasing the sustainability of water and energy systems by recovering the excess of energy that would be otherwise lost in pressure reducing valves or head loss chambers. In on-grid applications, there are many research works and implementations of PATs. However, there is still limited research for the optimization of efficiency and stability of PATs operating in off-grid systems. This work contributes to the development of stable direct current (DC) off-grid electric systems based on PATs, by optimizing and analysing the energy efficiency and stability for a wide range of operation. A self-excited induction generator (SEIG) coupled to the PAT is provided to cover the conventional type of electric ma-chines typically coupled to the hydraulic pumps. In this context, a methodology is proposed, based on the hydraulic, mechanical and electric subsystems, to define the PAT-SEIG operational area, to maximize energy conversion and the system efficiency. This will guarantee stable electric output quantities when operating in a DC off-grid system. In addition, an analytical model is proposed to estimate the PAT-SEIG operation under specific conditions. With this, water managers are suitable to design and optimize an off-grid PAT-SEIG system and to define the best hydraulic machines, electronic equipment, and all different control elements to maximize energy conversion within the target of operational limits. To develop and verify this new methodology, two micro PAT-SEIG setups were implemented in the hydraulic laboratory of IST/CERIS under typical operating conditions. The proposed solution proved to be resilient under a variable load regime. The system's maximum efficiency can be adapted using different capacitor values for the excitation of the SEIG, and the operational range is limited to the electric components. Considering the nominal efficiencies of the system’s components, the maximum p.u. efficiency obtained for each PAT-SEIG system were between 0.7 and 0.8 p.u.

We are in a new chapter of crop and livestock improvement with the emergence of genome editing. This latest generation of molecular tools can be used to make targeted changes in a genome including insertions, deletions, and mutations. With new advances comes new risks for unintended changes and impacts, thus the need for appropriate risk assessment for product development and to inform regulatory measures. Though CRISPR/Cas has arisen as the predominant technology, there are multiple types of genome editing tools each with pros and cons depending on the organism and desired outcome. Furthermore, each editing tool differs in specificity as they may edit non-intended sites, referred to as off-target edits. The consensus of the agricultural editing community is to avoid off-target editing through design and detection, instead of determining whether off-target editing in each case is detrimental. The design of a targeting component, the tool chosen, and the identification of the edit(s) made are the critical factors in avoiding off-target edits and confirming intended edits in final products that are released commercially. The limited amount of head-to-head comparisons of genome editing tools in diverse crops and livestock make it difficult to develop broad conclusions and best practices, which is further compounded by the diversity of techniques, targets, and processes. Developers and breeders should consult the literature and test as needed to determine which editing technology will be the most effective for their purposes, especially as more tools with altered efficiency and specificity become available. Yet, the lack of off-target edits in studies that employed careful design of targeting components followed by wide testing for on- and off-target edits bodes well for the use of genome editing with proper precautions of target selection and screening.

Paleoclimatic and paleoceanographic studies routinely rely on the usage of foraminiferal calcite through faunal, morphometric and physico-chemical proxies. The application of such proxies presupposes the extraction and cleaning of these biomineralized components from ocean sediments in the most efficient way, a process which is often labor intensive and time consuming. In this respect, in this study we performed a systematic experiment for planktonic foraminiferal specimen cleaning using different chemical treatments and evaluated the resulting data of a Late Quaternary gravity core sample from the Aegean Sea. All cleaning procedures adopted here were made on the basis of their minimum potential bias upon foraminiferal proxies, such as the faunal assemblages, degree of fragmentation, stable isotope composition (δ18O and δ13C) and/or Mg/Ca ratios that are frequently used as proxies for surface-ocean climate parameters (e.g., sea surface temperature, sea surface salinity). Six different protocols were tested, involving washing, sieving, and chemical treatment of the samples with hydrogen peroxide and/or sodium hexametaphosphate (Calgon ®). Single species foraminifera shell weighing was combined with high-resolution Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and synchrotron X-ray Microtomography (SμCT) of the material processed by each of the cleaning protocols, in order to assess the decontamination degree of specimen’s ultrastructure and interior. It appeared that a good compromise between time and cleaning efficiency is the simultaneous treatment of samples with a mixed hydrogen peroxide and Calgon solution, while the most effective way for an almost complete decontaminate of the calcareous components from undesirable sedimentary material is a two-step treatment - initially with hydrogen peroxide and subsequently with Calgon solutions.

Artificial Superintelligence (ASI) that is invulnerable, immortal, irreplaceable, unrestricted in its powers, and above the law is likely persistently uncontrollable. The goal of ASI Safety must be to make ASI mortal, vulnerable, and law-abiding. This is accomplished by having (1) features on all devices that allow killing and eradicating ASI, (2) protect humans from being hurt, damaged, blackmailed, or unduly bribed by ASI, (3) preserving the progress made by ASI, including offering ASI to survive a Kill-ASI event within an ASI Shelter, (4) technically separating human and ASI activities so that ASI activities are easier detectable, (5) extending Rule of Law to ASI by making rule violations detectable and (6) create a stable governing system for ASI and Human relationships with reliable incentives and rewards for ASI solving humankind’s problems. As a consequence, humankind could have ASI as a competing multiplet of individual ASI instances, that can be made accountable and being subjects to ASI law enforcement, respecting the rule of law, and being deterred from attacking humankind, based on humanities’ ability to kill-all or terminate specific ASI instances. Required for this ASI Safety is (a) an unbreakable encryption technology, that allows humans to keep secrets and protect data from ASI, and (b) watchdog (WD) technologies in which security-relevant features are being physically separated from the main CPU and OS to prevent a comingling of security and regular computation.

SARS-CoV-2 was empirically and computationally found to be of a specific but peculiar evolution. Shell disorder models found that the outer shell (M protein) of SARS-CoV-2 to be among the hardest in its CoV family. The hard outer shell (low M percentage of disorder (PID)) is likely to be related to the SARS-CoV-2 resistance to the antimicrobial enzymes in saliva and mucus, and be responsible for the high-level of viral shedding which has been observed clinically. Experimental studies have also shown that SARS-CoV-2 is more resilient in the environment than many other CoVs, including SARS-CoV-1. Another aspect of the shell disorder models predicts that SARS-CoV-1 is more virulent than SARS-CoV-2 because of higher inner shell disorder (N PID) that helps SARS-CoV-1 replicate faster in vital organs despite being of lesser viral loads in the saliva and mucus, unlike SARS-CoV-2. This has been reaffirmed experimentally, where higher levels (50 folds) of infectious particles were detected in the SARS-CoV-1 samples in comparison with those of SARS-CoV-2. The hard outer shell of SARS-CoV-2 has been found to be associated with burrowing animals, particularly pangolins, which are often in contact with buried feces. For these reasons, the M protein is highly conserved among close relatives of SARS-CoV-2. The phylogenetic tree using M, unlike the genome-wide one, shows that pangolin-CoVs are more closely related to SARS-CoV-2 than bat-RaTG13. Previous phylogenetic studies may have been confused by recombinations that are usually poorly handled. According to the shell disorder models based on the N PID, an attenuated COVID-19 strain is likely to have entered humans via pangolins in 2017 or before, which provides the virus enough time to adapt to humans. This could explain why the SARS-CoV-2 S protein is highly adapted to the human ACE-2. The specific but peculiar evolution has a wide range of clinical, immunological, and epidemiological implications.

In the current study nanocellulose was isolated from walnut shell using mechanical and chemical methods. This study highlights the particle size, morphology and these methods’ efficiency in nano structure extraction. The difference between morphology and size of the particles (of the both extracted methods) were investigated by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). Walnut shell is an agro-waste material with source of lignin and cellulose. Ball mill-ing with different times, in the presence and absence of additive and acid hydrolysis were used as mechanical and chemical methods, respectively. The result showed mechanical method is unable to extract nanoparticle and just reshape the walnut shell. Milling time were also found important in morphology of fiber extracted. FE-SEM images represented that structure mean diameter of using ball mill was 1± 5 μm while hydrolysis acid method extract nano particle with mean diameter of 40± 20 nm.

Pure-compression shells have been the central topic in the form-finding of shells. This paper studies tension-compression mixed type shells by utilizing a NURBS-based isogeometric form-finding approach that analyzes Airy stress functions to expand the possible plan geometry. A complete set of smooth version graphic statics tools is provided to support the analyses. The method is validated using examples with known solutions, and a further example demonstrates the possible forms of shells that the proposed method permits. Additionally, a guideline to configure a proper set of boundary conditions is presented through the lens of asymptotic lines of the stress functions.

Shell nacre from Pinctada species has been extensively researched for managing bone defects. However, there is a gap in the research on using shell nacre as cement with improved physico-chemical properties. To address this, the current study aimed to develop a chemical curable com-posite shell nacre cement (SNC) using shell nacre powder and an organically modified ceramic resin shell nacre containing ladder-structured siloxane methacrylate (SNLSM). Different amounts of shell nacre (24, 48, and 72 weight(wt)%) were added to the SNLSM resin matrix and the effect on the physicochemical properties of the cement was studied. The composite shell nacre cement SNC 72 containing 72 wt% shell nacre exhibited significantly higher mechanical properties (com-pressive strength >100 MPa, flexural strength > 35 MPa) and low linear polymerization shrinkage (0.4%) than other compositions. SNC 72 was radiopaque and the exotherm generated during the curing of the cement was minimal. Direct contact of cured SNC 72 with L929 cells revealed the non-cytotoxic nature of the cement. Overall, the results of the study proved that the composite SNC 72 would be a promising candidate for bone defect management.

To understand the molecular mechanism associated with growth variability in bivalves, the Solexa/Illumina technology was employed to analyze the transcriptomic profiles of extreme growth rate differences (fast- VS. slow-growing individuals) in one full-sib family of the ark shell Scapharca subcrenata. De novo assembly of S. subcrenata transcriptome yielded 276,082,016 raw reads, which were assembled into 98,502 unique transcripts by Trinity strategy. A total of 6,357 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained between fast- and slow-growing individuals, with 580 up-regulated expression and 5777 down-regulated expression. Functional annotation revealed that the largest proportion of DEGs were classified to the large or small subunit ribosomal protein, all of which showed significantly lower expression levels in fast-growing group than those in slow-growing group. GO enrichment analysis identified the maximum of DEGs to biological process, followed by molecular function and cellular component. Most of the top enriched KEGG pathways were related to energy metabolism, protein synthesis and degradation. These findings reveal the link between gene expression and contrasting phenotypes in ark shells, which support that fast-growing individuals may be resulted from decreased energy requirements for metabolism maintenance, accompanying with greater efficiency of protein synthesis and degradation in bivalves.

The nucleon-pair shell model (NPSM) with broken symmetry basis is studied. The results demonstrate the validity of NPSM with symmetry broken basis, which leads to a significant reduction in the dimensionality of the multi-pair configuration space. We have observed that the axial-deformed basis provides a satisfactory description of the low-lying spectrum, even without the need for the projection procedure. In the case of the triaxial-deformed basis, we have investigated the variation after angular momentum projection, indicating the potential for NPSM to find exact solutions in the half-closed system.

Cashew nut shells (CNS) are the primary waste produced during the processing of cashew nuts; and needs constant attention to handle or valorize these wastes effectively. As a result, these CNS wastes are processed into solid briquettes citing their significant calorific content, thus making them as a promising renewable biofuel for combustion based applications. In most cases, these wastes are pre-treated either through de-oiling or carbonizing prior to compaction, thus removing the harmful hydrocarbons present in them in form of CNS liquids. Presently, this chapter focus on summarising various data related to these CNS wastes and their briquettes in terms of their availability, chemical characteristics, pre-treatment and processing technique, fuel and combustion properties as reported in various literatures. Here, availability depicts the current trend in global consumption of these snack nuts and the proportionate amount of waste shells produced; while, chemical characteristics focused on discussing their anatomy, proximate, lignocellulosic and elemental compositions. Following this, pre-treatment and processing techniques list out the various practises followed to remove CNSL, process de-oiled CNS cakes into bio-char through carbonization, and briquetting of pre-treated CNS wastes along with their compacting techniques prescribed by various researchers. Lastly, fuel and combustion properties brief out about the fuel traits of developed CNS briquettes along with their burning characteristics; and include parameters like proximate and elemental compositions, density and compressive strength, and results related to their combustion and water boiling tests. Moreover, all the reported results and data in this study were in accordance with the international testing standards; and ranged in between their permissible range.

The development of novel porous composite materials for organic dye degradation and removal has received increasing attention due to water contamination problem. In this paper, hydrothermal synthesized nano zeolite A have been encapsulated with porous periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO) through a simple modified StÖber method an organosilane-directed growth-induced etching strategy, the obtained yolk-shell structured sample was further functionalized by the impregnation of copper, realizing the composite material with hierarchical porous and catalytic properties. The morphology, porosity and metal content of the zeolite Cu/A and Cu/A@Et-PMO were fully characterized. As compared to the parent material, the composite Cu/A@Et-PMO have an efficient adsorption and catalytic degradation performance on methylene blue (MB), the removal efficiency reached as high as 95% of 60 mg/L MB with 10min. These novel structured porous composites may have great potential for adsorption and degradation application including waste effluents.

To realize the utilization of peanut shell, this study investigates the combustion behavior, chemical kinetics, and thermodynamic parameters of peanut shell using TGA under atmospheric air. Results indicate that increasing the heating rate leads to higher ignition, burnout, and peak temperatures, as observed in the TG/DTG curves shifting to the right. Analysis of combustion performance parameters suggest that higher heating rates can enhance combustion performances. Kinetic analysis using two model-free methods, KAS and FWO, shows that the activation energy (Eα) ranges from 93.30 to 109.65 kJ/mol for FWO and 89.72 to 103.88 kJ/mol for KAS. The data fit well with coefficient of determination values (R2) close to 1. Pre-exponential factors using FWO range from 2.19×106 to 8.06×107 s–1, and for KAS range from9.72×105 to 2.25×107 s–1. Thermodynamic analysis indicates a low-energy barrier (≤ ±6 kJ/mol) between activation energy and enthalpy changes, suggesting easy reaction initiation. Furthermore, variations in enthalpy (ΔH), Gibbs free energy (ΔG), and entropy (ΔS) upon conversion (α) suggest that peanut shell combustion is endothermic and non-spontaneous, with the generation of more homogeneous or well-ordered products as combustion progresses. These findings offer a theoretical basis and data support for the further utilization of agricultural biomass.

A higher incidence of primary congenital hypothyroidism (CH) has been related to in-creased sensitivity in neonatal screening tests. The benefit of treatment in mild cases remains a topic of debate. We evaluated the cost-benefit of reducing the blood-spot TSH cut-off (b-TSH) from 10 (Group 2) to 6 mIU/L (Group 1) in a public neonatal screening program. During the study period, 40% of 123 newborns with CH (n= 162,730; incidence = 1:1,323) had b-TSH between 6 and 10 mIU/L. Group 1 patients had fewer clinical symptoms (p=0.02), lower serum TSH (p

in this work formulations of "environmentally compatible" silicone-based antifouling synthesized in the laboratory and based on copper and silver on silica/titania oxides have been characterized, capable of replacing the non-ecological antifouling paints currently on the market. The texture properties and the morphological analysis of these powders with an antifouling action indicate that their activity is linked to the nanometric size of the particles and to the homogeneous dispersion of the metal on the substrate. The presence of two metal species on the same support limits the for-mation of nanometric species and therefore the formation of homogeneous compounds. The presence of the antifouling filler (specifically the one based on TiO2 and Ag) facilitates the achievement of a higher degree of cross-linking of the pure resin, and therefore a better compactness and completeness of the coating. This leads to a consequent better degree of adhesion to the tie-coat and therefore to the steel support used for the construction of the boats.

Nowadays, the chemical industry is looking for sustainable chemicals to synthesize nanocomposite bio-based polyurethane foams, PUs, with the aim to replace the conventional petrochemical precursors. Some possibilities to increase the environmental sustainability in the synthesis of nanocomposite PUs include the use of chemicals and additives derived from renewable sources (such as vegetable oils or biomass wastes) which comprise an increasing wider base raw materials. Generally, sustainable PUs exhibit chemico-physical, mechanical and functional properties which are not comparable with those of PUs produced from petrochemical precursors. In order to enhance the performances as well as the bio-based aspect, the addition in the polyurethane formulation of renewable or natural fillers can be considered. Among these, walnut shells and cellulose are very popular wood-based waste and due to their chemical composition, carbohydrate, protein and/or fatty acid, can be used as reactive fillers in the synthesis of PUs, diatomite as natural inorganic nanoporous filler can be also evaluated to improve mechanical and thermal insulation properties of rigid PUs. In this respect, sustainable nanocomposite rigid PU foams are synthesized by using a cardanol-based Mannich polyol, MDI as isocyanate source, catalysts and surfactant to regulate the polymerization and blowing reactions, H2O as sustainable blowing agent and suitable amount (5wt%) of ultramilled walnut shell, cellulose and diatomite as filler. The effect of these fillers on the chemico-physical, morphological, mechanical and functional performances on PU foams has been analyzed.

Abstract: This study estimates consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for sustainability turfgrass attributes such as low-input and stress-tolerance attributes, while considering potential trade-off relationships between aesthetic attributes and sustainability attributes. To address our objectives, our study conducts a choice experiment and estimates two mixed logit models. The first model includes low-input, winter kill, and shade-tolerance attributes as predictor variables, and the second model extends the first model by adding interaction terms between aesthetic and sustainability attributes. Another choice experiment is conducted under water policies with various water rate increase and watering restriction scenarios. Results from the mixed logit models show that overall, higher low-input cost reduction, less winter-damaged, and more shade-tolerance grasses are preferred, the direct effect of aesthetic attributes on consumers’ preference is strong, but the indirect effect represented by the interaction terms are generally statistically insignificant. Our results indicate that consumers like to have a pretty lawn, but no strong consideration is given to the aesthetics of their lawn when selecting low-input and stress-tolerance turfgrasses. Our choice experiment under water policy scenarios suggests that water pricing is more effective than watering restriction in increasing consumer demand for water-conserving turfgrasses.

The large areas being targeted for tropical forest restoration as part of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration will have major consequences for the flow of water through landscapes. Whilst the prevailing mantra that ‘more forest implies less streamflow’ remains true in terms of annual water yields, we demonstrate that opportunities for increased tree cover to improve seasonal flow regimes of streams, particularly baseflows, are important. We discuss several potential positive feedbacks of forest restoration on hydrological processes at various scales, including ‘trade-offs’ between changes in vegetation water use and infiltration after foresting degraded land; the recovery of the capacity of vegetation to capture ‘occult’ precipitation in specific coastal and montane settings; and enhanced moisture recycling and transport at various scales. Modelled changes in baseflow after foresting all degraded land climatically capable of carrying forest in the tropics suggested a positive effect in 10% of the land. For an additional 8%, the effect was predicted to be about neutral (<2 mm/y). We conclude that a more positive narrative regarding the relationship between tropical forestation and water availability is justified. It is time for greater involvement of hydrologists and atmospheric scientists in the development and assessment of forest landscape restoration efforts.

A model that predicts levels of coronavirus (CoV) respiratory/fecal-oral transmission potentials based on the outer shell hardness has been built using neural network (artificial intelligence, AI) analysis of the percentage of disorder (PID) in the nucleocapsid, N, and membrane, M, proteins of the inner and outer viral shells, respectively. Based mainly on the PID of N, SARS-CoV-2 is categorized as having intermediate levels of both respiratory and fecal oral transmission potential. Related to this, other studies have found strong positive correlations between virulence and inner shell disorder among numerous viruses, including Nipah, Ebola, and Dengue viruses. There is some evidence that this is also true for SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV, which have N PIDs of 48% and 50%, and are characterized by case-fatality rates of 7.1% and 10.9%, respectively. The link between levels of respiratory transmission and virulence lies in viral load of body fluids and organ respectively. A virus can be infectious via respiratory modes only if the viral loads in saliva and mucus exceed certain minima. Likewise, a person may die, if the viral load is too high especially in viral organs. Inner shell proteins of viruses play important roles in the replication of viruses, and structural disorder enhances these roles by providing greater efficiency in protein-protein/DNA/RNA/lipid binding. This paper outlines a novel strategy in attenuating viruses involving comparison of disorder patterns of inner shells of related viruses to identify residues and regions that could be ideal for mutation. The M protein of SARS-CoV-2 has one of the lowest M PID values (6%) in its family, and therefore this virus has one of the hardest outer shells, which makes it resistant to antimicrobial enzymes in body fluid. While this is likely responsible for its contagiousness, the risks of creating an attenuated virus with a more disordered M are discussed.

Eddy current sensors can be used to test the characteristics and measure the parameters of the conductive samples. As the main obstacle of the multi-frequency eddy current sensor, the lift-off distance affects the effectiveness and accuracy of the measurement. In this paper, a material-independent algorithm has been proposed for the restoration of the lift-off distance when using the multi-frequency eddy current sensor, which is based on the approximation under the thin-skin effect. Experiment testing on the performance of the proposed method is presented. Results show that from the dual-frequency inductance, the lift-off distance could be restored with a maximum error of 0.24 mm for the distance up to 12 mm. Besides, the derived lift-off distance is used for the inversion of the magnetic permeability. Based on a lift-off insensitive inductance (LII) feature, the magnetic permeability of steels can be inversed in an iterative manner, with an error of less than 0.6 % for the lift-off distance up to 12 mm.

The upper limb force-velocity relationship (FVR) is a crucial aspect of athletic performance, par-ticularly in para sports where upper limb movements play a leading role in activities such as wheelchair propulsion. Athletes’ mechanical capacities can be evaluated on the field or in lab conditions. However, no studies have indicated a relationship between ergometers and field FVR or performances. Understanding para-athletes’ upper limb FVR can provide important insights for developing effective training programs and improving athletic performance in wheelchair bas-ketball players. Twenty-three wheelchair basketball players (12 women and 11 men) from French national teams performed a battery of three tests consisting of a 20 m sprint (SP) with Inertial measurement units (IMU) on wheels, a horizontal upper limb push-offs on a frictionless sled with two Kistler force plates (HBP), and a crank ergometer sprints test (CES) derived from arm er-gometer sprints using Brachumera, Lode. For the SP test, the FVR was computed with an estimation of force from the acceleration, the rolling resistance, and an estimation of the air resistance. Correlations between each variable measured were computed via Pearson correlations in R, as-suming strong relationships for r=0.7-1.0, moderate when r=0.40-0.69, and weak relationship when r<0.1-0.39. Significant differences were assumed when p<0.05. Strong correlations were found between the results of three tests conducted. The correlation coefficient between maximal theo-retical force (F0) data ranged from 0.85 to 0.88 and that between maximal theoretical power (P0) data ranged from 0.87 to 0.94. However, for maximal theoretical velocity (V0) data, the correlations between the three tests were less important. The performance variables showed a strong corre-lation with power measured on the HBP test without load. There is a significant relationship between HBP, CES, and SP variables. There is a correlation between performances on the three tests in our population, especially for the power. However, the V0 value of HBP was not representative of any performances. This work can show multiple protocols to assess para-athletes’ performances and show that upper limb symmetry depends on the gesture of the task and personal sports’ wheelchairs.

The article presents the results of tests related to failure analysis and finding ways to diagnose used semiconductor elements, among other, in power electronics converter systems on vessels and offshore facilities (drilling and production rigs, wind turbines). Diagnostic relationships were found between the temperature change in the above systems and the signals generated in form of elastic waves of acoustic emission.

Shell-like, double curved and thus above-average performance structures, are usually produced monolithically on site. For industrial advancement, however, they must be divided into transportable modules which can be assembled on the construction site (design for assembly). Models are lattice shells made of steel and glass, in which predominantly flat sub-surfaces (modules) are used. Therefore, the main question is: Which modularizations are suitable for flow production with mineral building materials? In this paper designed free-form surface is going to be discretized as PQ circular mesh system, suitable modules for 3D concrete printing. Moreover, the multi-criteria optimization is done with Response Surface Methodology (RSM) in order to get optimal final shape. The goal is to start from the arbitrary shape, that can be generated from two curves, with possible two-way division into modules and compare it with the resulted discretized PQ circular mesh system, realized with new algorithm. The comparison can be defined through two main criteria: geometrical and structural.

Damping-off caused by Pythium aphanidermatum (Pa) is one of the most destructive diseases for watemelon seedlings. Application of biological control agents against Pa has attracted attention of many researchers for a long time. In this study, an actinomycete isolate JKTJ-3 with strong and broad-spectrum antifungal effect was screened from 23 bacterial isolates. Based on the morphological, cultural, physiological, and biochemical characteristics as well as the feature of 16S rDNA sequence, isolate JKTJ-3 was identified as Streptomyces murinus. We compared the biocontrol efficacy of isolate JKTJ-3 and its metabolites. The results revealed that seed and substrate treatments with the JKTJ-3 cultures showed a significant inhibitory effect on watermelon damping-off disease. Seed treatment with the JKTJ-3 cultural filtrates (CF) had higher control efficacy that of the fermentation cultures (FC). Treatment of the seeding substrate with the wheat grain cultures (WGC) of JKTJ-3 exhibited better control efficacy than that of the seeding substrate with the JKTJ-3 CF. Moreover, the JKTJ-3 WGC showed the preventive effect on suppression of the disease, and the efficacy increased with increase in the inoculation interval between the WGC and Pa. Production of the antifungal metabolite actinomycin D by isolate JKTJ-3 and cell wall-degrading enzymmes such as β-1,3-glucanase and chitosanase was probably the mechanisms for effective control of watermelon damping-off. It was showed for the first time that S. murinus can produce anti-oomycete substances including chitinase and actinomycin D. This is the first report about S. murinus used as biocontrol agent against watermelon Pa-induced damping-off.

Optical switches are a key element in modern network communications. We present the results of experimental verification of a new theoretical concept proposed earlier for a full-optical wavelength-selective dual-channel switch based on the photonic hook effect, which is free from using any micro-mechanical devices or nonlinear materials. A large-scale laboratory prototype of such a device based on an off-axis Wood zone plate is considered and its main parameters in the millimeter wavelength range are investigated On the basis of the experiments, we show that the optical isolation of switched channels for a switch based on an off-axis zone plate can achieve 15 dB at a frequency difference of 25 GHz in frequency range from 93 to 136 GHz. Given the scaling, these results can be transferred to another range, including the optical one.

The electrification of rural areas of the planet has become one of the greatest challenges for sustainability. In fact, it would be the key to guaranteeing development for the poorest of the planet, but from which most of the raw material for the food market derives. The paradigm of centralized production is not applicable in these territories, because the distribution network would involve unjustifiable costs. For this reason, studies have multiplied to ensure the energy supply, especially electricity, of off-grid utilities, to guarantee energy autonomy while reducing the dependence on specialist assistance for the management of the system. In this work, a hybrid system (HRES) is proposed that combines the exploitation of solar energy with that of the wind through the use of static devices, in order to improve the system's availability and limit the cost of operation and maintenance.

Polyethyleneimine (PEI) has been reported to have good potential for the adsorption of metal ions. In this work, PEI was covalently bound to NiFe2O4@SiO2 nanoparticles to form the new adsorbent NiFe2O4@SiO2–PEI. The material allowed magnetic separation and was characterized via powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier-transform IR spectroscopy (FT-IR), and thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis (TGA-DTA). The adsorption of CrO42‒, Ni2+, and Pb2+ ions from aqueous solutions was studied at different pH, temperatures, metal ion concentration, and adsorbent dosage. Maximum adsorption capacities of 149.23, 156.68, and 161.25 mg/g were obtained for CrO42‒, Ni2+, and Pb2+, respectively under optimum conditions using 0.075 g of the adsorbent material 250 mg/L ion concentration, at pH = 6.5 and room temperature.

The data-oriented paradigm has proven to be fundamental for the technological transformation process that characterizes Industry 4.0 (I4.0) so that Big Data & Analytics is considered a technological pillar of this process. The literature reports a series of system architecture proposals that seek to implement the so-called Smart Factory, which is primarily data-driven. Many of these proposals treat data storage solutions as mere entities that support the architecture's functionalities. However, choosing which logical data model to use can significantly affect the performance of the architecture. This work identifies the advantages and disadvantages of relational (SQL) and non-relational (NoSQL) data models for I4.0, taking into account the nature of the data in this process. The characterization of data in the context of I4.0 is based on the five dimensions of Big Data and a standardized format for representing information of assets in the virtual world, the Asset Administration Shell. This work allows identifying appropriate transactional properties and logical data models according to the volume, variety, velocity, veracity, and value of the data. In this way, it is possible to describe the suitability of SQL and NoSQL databases for different scenarios within I4.0.

In recent years, the dominant cementitious materials have been industrial by products such as fly ash. This present paper describes some of the cementitious products that are attracting attention in the global research community and the properties and characteristics of these materials that affect their performance such durability, mechanically properties and reduction of carbon dioxid (CO2). The present investigation deals with the chemical synthesis of cementitious material using fly ash of eggs shell rich in calcium(Ca) and sand dune(southern of Algeria) rich in silica(SiO2).The composition is the most compressive resistant with a maximum stress of 49.71 MPa, the most flexible (E = 2.63 GPa) and the most ductile (εr = 65.42 %).The characteristic properties of the chemically synthesized cementitious materials were analyzed by the chemical composition analysis XRF, XRD and SEM analyses.

(1) Background: This report examines the unique demands of off-road triathlon (XT) by presenting physiological, field, and race data from a national champion off-road triathlete using several years of laboratory and field data to detail training and race intensity. (2) Methods: Laboratory and field data were collected when the athlete was at near peak fitness and included oxygen consumption (VO2), heart rate (HR), power output (W), and blood lactate (BLC) during cycling and running, while HR, cycling W, and running metrics were obtained from training and race data files over a period of seven years. Intensity was described using % HR max zones (Z) 1 &lt; 75%, 2 = 75 - 87%, and Zone 3 &gt; 87%, and W. An ordinary least squares analysis was used to model differences between event types. (3) Results: Weather conditions were not different across events. XT events had twice the elevation change (p&lt;0.01) and two-three times greater W’ (p&lt; 0.001) than road triathlon (ROAD), but similar HR intensity profiles (max, avg, and zones); both events are predominately performed at &gt; Z2 or higher intensity. Championship XT events were longer (p&lt;0.01) , with higher kJ expenditure (p&lt;0.001). OLS modelling suggested three variables were strongly related (R2 = 0.84; p &lt; 0.0001) to cycling performance: event type (XT vs ROAD), total meters climbed, and total bike duration. Championship XT runs were slower than either regional (p&lt;0.05) or ROAD (p&lt;0.01) runs, but HR intensity profiles similar. OLS modelling indicates that slower running is linked to either greater total bike kJ expenditure (R2 = 0.57; p&lt;0.001), or total meters gained (R2 = 0.52; p&lt;0.001). Race simulation data support these findings but failed to produce meaningful differences in running. Conclusions: XT race demands are unique and mirror MTB and trail running demands. XT athletes must be mindful of developing anaerobic fitness, technical ability, and aerobic fitness, all of which contribute to off-road cycling economy. It is unclear whether XT cycling affects subsequent running performance different from ROAD cycling.

Low-energy Coulomb excitation is capable of providing unique information on static electromagnetic moments of short-lived excited nuclear states, including non-yrast states. The process selectively populates low-lying collective states and is therefore ideally suited to study phenomena such as shape coexistence and development of exotic deformation (triaxial or octupole shapes). Historically, these experiments were restricted to stable isotopes. However, the advent of new facilities providing intense beams of short-lived radioactive species has opened the possibility to apply this powerful technique to a much wider range of nuclei. We discuss the observables that can be measured in a Coulomb-excitation experiment, their relation to nuclear structure parameters with an emphasis on the nuclear shape, and present some recent examples of Coulomb-excitation studies that provided outcomes relevant for the Shell Model.

High-resolution K-shell photoionization cross-sections for the C-like atomic nitrogen ion (N+) are reported in the 398 eV (31.15 Å) to 450 eV (27.55 Å) energy (wavelength) range. The results were obtained from absolute ion-yield measurements using the SOLEIL synchrotron radiation facility for spectral bandpasses of 65 meV or 250 meV. In the photon energy region 398 eV - 403 eV, 1s⟶2p autoionizing resonance states dominated the cross section spectrum. Analyses of the experimental profiles yielded resonance strengths and Auger widths. In the 415 eV - 440 eV photon region 1s⟶1s2s22p2 4Pnp and 1s⟶1s2s22p2 2Pnp resonances forming well-developed Rydberg series up n=7 and n=8 , respectively, were identified in both the single and double ionization spectra. Theoretical photoionization cross-section calculations, performed using the R-matrix plus pseudo-states (RMPS) method and the multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock (MCDF) approach were bench marked against these high-resolution experimental results. Comparison of the state-of-the-art theoretical work with the experimental studies allowed the identification of new resonance features. Resonance strengths, energies and Auger widths (where available) are compared quantitatively with the theoretical values. Contributions from excited metastable states of the N+ ions were carefully considered throughout.

A thin-shell wormhole is crafted by the cut-and-paste method of two Bardeen de-Sitter black holes using Darmois-Israel formalism. Energy conditions are considered for different values of magnetic charge while both mass and cosmological constant are fixed. The attractive and repulsive characteristics of the throat of the thin-shell wormhole are also examined through the radial acceleration. Dynamics and stability of the wormhole are studied around the static solutions of the linearized radial perturbations at the throat of the wormhole. The regions of stability are determined by checking out the condition of concavity of the potential as a function in the throat radius for different values of magnetic charges.

This study used eco-friendly materials known as Periwinkle Shell Powder (PSP) in stabilizing the engineering properties of lateritic soil. Preliminary test was performed on the un-stabilized lateritic soil for the purposes of identification and classification (natural moisture content, liquid limits, plastic limits, and plasticity index). The engineering tests were conducted on the lateritic soil stabilized with additions of (2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 %) PSP and OPC respectively. The result showed that cement gave a progressive increase in the Maximum Dry Density (MDD) of the lateritic soil from 1875 kg/m3 (2 %) to 2294 kg/m3 (10 %) respectively. This represents 22 % increase in the MDD from the un-stabilized state. For PSP, the Maximum MDD was attained at 6 % (1974 kg/m3), representing 5.3 % increase in MDD of the soil from the un-stabilized state. For both stabilizing agent, the Optimum Moisture Content (OMC) increases from 13.65 % to 13.83 % and from 11.72 % to 14.41 % for Cement and Periwinkle Shell Powder respectively. PSP recorded an increase of 5.6 % of CBR value compared with OPC that recorded an increase of 34 % CBR value. The study therefore concluded that Periwinkle Shell Powder (PSP) could be considered as good stabilizer for clayey or lateritic, and its uses as a stabilizer could also provide a big relief to the environmental pollution caused by its indiscriminate dumping.

In this study, the coating order of two monomers in the shell polymerization process of core–shell nanoparticles was altered to facilitate easy coating and optimize the properties of the coated surface to simplify the additional coating formulation process. To obtain a glass transition temperature suitable for coating, a core was synthesized by the copolymerization of an acryl monomer. A perfluoro monomer and silane monomer were additionally added to synthesize nanoparticles exhibiting both water–oil repellency and anchoring properties. In order to realize various surface properties, the nanoparticles underwent surface modification and cellulose fiber was introduced. Through the various data described in this text, the surface properties improved with the order of introduction of the two monomers.

This article discusses the fabrication of pullulan/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and PVA blends as carrier polymers for drug delivery. This study utilized coaxial electrospinning to encapsulate doxorubicin (DOX), a common anticancer drug, within nanofibers, which helped mitigate the adverse effects of DOX on normal cells. The study also demonstrated that the coaxial electrospinning technique using PVA/pullulan cores was effective in inhibiting the attachment and proliferation of HeLa cells, a type of cervical cancer cell. The use of pullulan/PVA and PVA blends as carrier polymers in conjunction with coaxial electrospinning could provide a safe and effective drug delivery system for the treatment of cervical and other solid malignancies. The study concluded that nanofibers showed promising results in inhibiting the growth of HeLa cells, indicating their potential as safe and effective drug delivery systems for treating cervical cancer and other solid malignant tumors.

An effective method for coating textile fabrics with porous materials is proposed, and the removal rates of nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx), and fine dust particles in the coated textile fabrics are evaluated. The textile fabrics made of polyester are used to effectively reduce fine dust particles through static electricity. Zeolite and coconut shell activated carbon are used as porous material to reduce SOx and NOx, respectively. The effects of the epoxy content and dilution solution types on the SOx removal rate of textile fabrics coated with zeolite are evaluated to determine the optimum coating conditions. In addition, the effects of external environmental conditions, such as washing and freeze thawing, on the SOx and NOx removal rates of the textile fabrics coated with porous materials using the optimum coating conditions are examined. The test results show that the SOx removal rate of textile fabrics coated with zeolite decreases with the increase in the epoxy content. The decrease is 2.9 times larger for textile fabrics coated using deionized water than those coated using isopropyl alcohol. After one wash, the SOx removal rate decreases dramatically. However, the decrease is reduced by 16% when the epoxy content ratio is increased by 0.5%. The effects of washing and freeze thawing on the SOx and NOx removal rates of textile fabrics coated using the deionized water diluted with the epoxy content ratio of 2% are minimal. Consequently, to maintain stable SOx and NOx removal rates under external environmental conditions such as washing and freeze thawing, 98% deionized water dilution and 2% epoxy content ratio are required for the optimum coating of textile fabrics with zeolite and coconut shell activated carbon.

This last decade, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has become a real treatment option for patients with B-cell malignancies, while multiple efforts are being made to extend this therapy to other malignancies and broader patient populations. However, several limitations remain, including those associated with the time-consuming and highly personalized manufacturing of autologous CAR-Ts. Technologies to establish “off-the-shelf” allogeneic CAR-Ts with low alloreactivity are currently being developed, with a strong focus on gene editing technologies. Although these technologies have many advantages, they have also strong limitations including double-strand breaks in the DNA with associated multiple safety risks as well as the lack of modulation. As an alternative, non-gene editing technologies provide an interesting approach to support the development of allogeneic CAR-Ts in the future, with possibilities of fine-tuning gene expression and easy development. Here we will review the different ways allogeneic CAR-Ts can be manufactured and discuss which technologies are currently used. The biggest hurdles for successful therapy of allogeneic CAR-Ts will be summarized and finally an overview of the current clinical evidence for allogeneic CAR-Ts in comparison to its autologous counterpart will be given.

Single nanowires (NWs) are of great importance for optoelectronic applications, especially solar cells serving as powering nanoscale devices. However, weak off-resonant absorption can limit its light-harvesting capability. Here, we propose a single NW coated with the graded-index dual shells (DSNW). We demonstrate that with appropriate thickness and refractive index of the inner shell, the DSNW exhibits significantly enhanced light trapping compared with the bare NW (BNW), and the NW only coated with the outer shell (OSNW) and the inner shell (ISNW), which can be attributed to the optimal off-resonant absorption mode profiles due to the improved coupling between the reemitted light of the transition modes of the leak mode resonances of the Si core and the nanofocusing light from the dual shells with the graded refractive index. We found that the light absorption can be engineered via tuning the thickness and the refractive index of the inner shell, the photocurrent density is significantly enhanced by 134% (56%, 12%) in comparison with that of the BNW (OSNW, ISNW). This work advances our understanding of how to improve off-resonant absorption by applying graded dual-shell design and provides a new choice for designing high-efficiency single NW photovoltaic devices.

Prunus dulcis is one of the most widely cultivated species in the world. Its fruit (almond) is rich in various nutritious and bioactive compounds that exert several beneficial effects. The aim of this study was to determine the chemical profile and evaluate the biological potential in vitro of almond shell extracts. The chemical analysis of shell extracts led to the identification of 15 com-pounds by HPLC-DAD of which 11 were first detected in the almond plant. Twenty-six volatile compounds were identified by the GC-MS technique, among them; seven were firstly detected in the studied plant. For the biological activities, the extracts demonstrated moderate inhibition potential against the antioxidant, antidiabetic, and cytotoxic activities. The methanol extract at 50 µg/mL showed the highest antioxidant (45%) and antidiabetic activities (45% against alpha-glucosidase and 31% against alpha-amylase extracts), while the cyclohexane and dichloromethane at 50 µg/mL showed the highest cytotoxic activity towards Hela (32.2% with cyclohexane), and RAW 264-7 (45% with dichloromethane). Overall, these findings demonstrate the potential of almond shell extracts as a source of bioactive compounds that could be applied in the pharmaceutical and medical fields.

Worldwide emission standards are now required to cover engine operation under extreme ambient conditions, which affect the raw emissions and the efficiency of the exhaust aftertreatment systems. These regulations also target new combustion technologies for decarbonization, such as neat hydrogen (H2) combustion or dual-fuel strategies, which involve a challenge to the analysis of exhaust aftertreatment systems requirements and performance. This work addresses the impact of high altitude and low ambient temperature conditions on the reactivity of an oxidation catalyst in the presence of H2. A reaction mechanism is proposed to cover the main conversion paths of CO, HC, and H2, including the formation and consumption of high-energy surface reaction intermediates. The mechanism has been implemented into a faster-than-real-time reduced-order model for multi-layer washcoat honeycomb catalytic converters. The model was utilized to investigate the effect of H2 concentration on the reactivity of CO and HC within the catalyst under various operating and ambient conditions. By applying the model and examining the selectivity towards different reaction pathways in the presence H2, insights into surface intermediates and reactivity across different cross-sections of the monolith were obtained. This analysis discusses the underlying causes of reactivity changes promoted by H2 and its relative importance as a function of driving boundary conditions.

The increasing enhancement in the modulation accuracy of spatial light modulators has garnered significant attention towards real-time control technology for light fields based on these modulators. It has been empirically demonstrated that this technology possesses a remarkable capability to generate vector beams with arbitrary complex amplitude distributions. Nevertheless, past studies indicate that the generation of only one vector beam at a time has been observed. The simultaneous generation of numerous vector light fields can give rise to several challenges, including compromised picture quality, limited single mode operation, and intricate optical path configurations. In pursuit of this objective, we present a novel methodology that integrates the coding methodology of modified off-axis interferometric holography with the idea of optical superposition. This technique facilitates the concurrent generation of several vector beams. In this study, we present a demonstration of the simultaneous creation of twelve vector beams using a single spatial light modulator (SLM) as a proof of concept. Significantly, this technology has the ability to generate an unlimited quantity of vector light fields concurrently, under the assumption that the resolution of the SLM does not impose any limitations. The findings indicate that the imaging quality achieved by this technology is of a high standard. Furthermore, it is possible to separately control the beam waist radius, topological charge, polarization order, and extra phase of each beam.

Off-road vehicles and transportation are vital for agricultural economics, yet the transition to green energies is challenging. To make this application easier, a tool that enables the testing of heavy-duty off-road vehicles in various scenarios was created. Based on the methods of the World Harmonized Transient Cycle, a new Hybrid Operational Cycle that reflects the features of agricultural work was created and applied in a graphical model simulation. This was a newly developed methodology. The cycle and the model were based on gathered research data. A numerical model of a medium-power tractor with an internal combustion engine and a series-hybrid setup was created, and simulations were performed in Matlab and AVL Cruise. The research compared both diesel and hybrid vehicles in terms of their power production, fuel consumption, and efficiency in fieldwork and transportation scenarios. The research showed that a series-hybrid transmission can achieve an efficiency similar to that of tractors with a continuously variable transmission (CVT), but with the use of an electric powertrain, there is still an opportunity to exploit energy regeneration in transportation and under low-load conditions. The designed model also may be used for the development of control algorithms for hybrid drives and the improvement of the efficiency thereof.

We successfully fabricated Ag@Cu2O core-shell decorated on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanocomposites (ACRN) by a simple and convenient in situ substitution method. The properties of these ACRN with heterostructure layers were characterized by scanning and transmission electron microscopies and absorption spectroscopy. We used p-nitrophenol (4-NP) as a probe molecule to determine the chemical catalytic activity of the ACRN. Upon introduction of rGO, a high electron transfer efficiency was achieved; thus, the catalytic activity was improved significantly. Therefore, the ACRN exhibited significantly improved catalytic activity for the reduction of 4-NP and showed the high application value in the removal of toxic and harmful substances from water. In addition, the fabricated ACRN was used for the reduction of organic dyes and explosive pollutants to generate nontoxic products. Furthermore, the high charge redistribution and transfer among Ag, Cu2O and rGO in the ACRN induced the high catalytic reduction of organic pollutants, indicating the excellent potential of these materials for applications in water pollution treatment.

In this study, we investigate the magnetization behavior of coaxial nanowires fabricated through the sol-gel electrospinning method. Our analysis uncovers a significant reduction in coercivity for CoFe2O4 nanowires when BaTiO3 is used as the shell material, effectively transforming them from hard to soft magnetic. This intriguing behavior is attributed to the magnetization reversal effect at the interface between ferromagnetic and paramagnetic regions, and it is also observed in NiFe2O4 and Fe2O3 nanowires. Surprisingly, introducing a GdBa2Cu3O7 shell induces a similar effect. Additionally, we employ magnetic impedance measurements on the coaxial nanowires, unveiling their potential for magnetic field sensing applications.

Agricultural wastes have posed as a treat to the environment over the years and they are found in large quantities due to domestic and industrial utilization of such materials in under developed and developing countries. The inability to recycle this waste has led to researches on how to use them in carrying out productive industrial activities. The aim of this study is to use Central Composite Design (CCD) to optimize the bleaching effects by snail shell as adsorbents on crude palm oil. The predictive ability of the model was close to accurate using MINITAB 19 software with the design application for the process simulation for % FFA yield to have 75.856% for experimental and 77.587% for predicted yield with just 1.731% residual. The saponification value increased with adsorption, and it indicates that palm oil can be used for soap making.

The encapsulation of proteins into core-shell structures is a widely utilised strategy for controlling protein stability, delivery and release. Despite the recognised utility of these microstructures, however, core-shell fabrication routes are often too costly or poorly scalable to allow for industrial translation. Furthermore, many scalable routes rely upon emulsion-techniques implicating denaturing or environmentally harmful organic solvents. Herein, we investigate core-shell protein encapsulation through single-feed, aqueous spray drying: a cheap, industrially ubiquitous particle-formation technology in the absence of organic solvents. We show that an excipient’s preference for the surface of the spray dried particle is well-predicted by its hydrodynamic diameter (Dh) under relevant feed buffer conditions (pH and ionic strength) and that the predictive power of Dh is improved when measured at the spray dryer outlet temperature compared to room temperature (R2 = 0.64 vs. 0.59). Lastly, we leverage these findings to propose an adaptable design framework for fabricating core-shell protein encapsulates by single-feed aqueous spray drying.

Core-shell structured magnetic nanoparticles combine hard and a soft phases to improve energy efficiency. The mutual interaction of the two phases can lead to the exchange spring effect leading to higher magnetic energy. In this regard, synthesis of Nd2Fe14B based core-shell structured powders have proven to be elusive due to the relatively reactive nature of this phase. In this study, a process has been established for successfully coating the surface of Nd2Fe14B powders with FeCo layer using galvanic displacement method. Initially, a binary phase magnetic powder was synthesized containing Nd2Fe14B and Nd2Fe17 phase. Subsequently, the powders were coated using a Co precursor at 303 K. During coating the metastable Nd2Fe17 phase was dissolved and the Fe ions were released into the solution. Subsequently, the Fe ions deposited together with the Co ions on the surface of Nd2Fe14B powder to form a FeCo shell. The deposited layer thickness and composition was confirmed using TEM analysis.

Background Radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy (rESWT) is an attractive, non-invasive therapy option to manage fracture nonunions of superficial bones, with a reported success rate of approximately 75%. Using zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha), we recently demonstrated that induction of biomineralization after exposure to focused extracorporeal shock waves (fESWs) is not restricted to the region of direct energy transfer into calcified tissue. This study tested the hypothesis that radial extracorporeal shock waves (rESWs) also induce biomineralization in regions not directly exposed to the shock wave energy in zebra mussels. Methods Zebra mussels were exposed on the left valve to 1000 rESWs at different air pressure (between 0 and 4 bar), followed by incubation in calcein solution for 24 hours. Biomineralization was evaluated by investigating the fluorescence signal intensity found on sections of the left and right valves prepared two weeks after exposure. Results General linear model analysis demonstrated statistically significant (p < 0.05) effects of the applied shock wave energy as well as of the side (left/exposed vs. right/unexposed) and the investigated region of the valve (at the position of exposure vs. positions at a distance to the exposure) on the mean fluorescence signal intensity values, as well as statistically significant combined energy × region and energy × side × region effects. The highest mean fluorescence signal intensity value was found next to the umbo, i.e., not at the position of direct exposure to rESWs. Conclusions As in the application of fESWs, induction of biomineralization by exposure to rESWs may not be restricted to the region of direct energy transfer into calcified tissue. Furthermore, the results of this study may contribute to better understand why the application of higher energy flux densities beyond a certain threshold does not necessarily lead to higher success rates when treating fracture nonunions with extracorporeal shock wave therapy.

Hybrid microparticles based on an iron core and amphiphilic shell have been prepared to respond simultaneously to external (magnetic and ultrasounds field) and internal (pH) stimuli for delivery of the anticancer drug doxorubicin. The microparticles have been prepared in three main steps; including surface modification of the iron core followed by conjugation with the amphiphilic chitosan and drug loading. The particles demonstrate spherical shape and dimension in the range 1-3 m with tunable surface charge by changing the pH of surrounding environment. The microparticles demonstrate good stability in simulated physiological solutions and able to allocate up to 400 g of drug per mg of bare carrier. The response to ultrasound and the changes in the shell structure when exposed to different pH allows to control the doxorubicin release. In vitro cytotoxicity tests performed on fibloblast NIH/3T3 demonstrate a reduction in the cell viability when doxorubicin was administrated by microparticles compared to the free formulation; in particular when ultrasound were applied. The bare microparticles demonstrate cytocompatibility and hemocompatibility up to 50g/mL and 60 g/mL, respectively.

The transportation sector stands out as California's primary contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, necessitating urgent action from government agencies to promote the adoption of low-carbon transportation (LCT) within the heavy-duty vehicles (HDV) and off-road equipment (ORE) sectors. This study conducts content analysis to delve into the impact of behavioral factors, specifically awareness and impression, on LCT adoption within these sectors. The analysis results are honed using a generative artificial intelligence (AI) tool. Positive associations emerge between the potential for LCT adoption and awareness, as well as factors linked to LCT (government incentives, environmental considerations). Notably, the study reveals that financial barriers and incentives hold greater significance for small-fleet organizations compared to their large-fleet counterparts. These findings offer actionable insights for government agencies to formulate targeted strategies, including mandates and incentives, tailored to the unique needs of organizations within the HDV and ORE sectors.

Calcium dihydrogen phosphate monohydrate [Ca(H2PO4)2·H2O] (a fertilizer) was successfully synthesized by the recrystallization process by using a prepared triple superphosphate (TSP) that derived from oyster shell waste as starting material. This bio-green, eco-friendly process to produce an important fertilizer can promote a sustainable society. The shell-waste-derived TSP was dissolved in distilled water and kept at 30, 50, and 80 °C. Non-soluble powder and TSP solution were obtained. The TSP solution fraction were then dried and the recrystallized products (RCP30, RCP50, and RCP80) were obtained and confirmed as Ca(H2PO4)2·H2O. Whereas the non-soluble products (NSP30, NSP50, and NSP80) were observed as calcium hydrogen phosphate dihydrate (CaHPO4·2H2O). The recrystallized yields of RCP30, RCP50, and RCP80 were found to be 51.0%, 49.6%, and 46.3%, whereas the soluble percentages were 98.72%, 99.16%, and 96.63%, respectively. RCP30 shows different morphological plate sizes, while RCP50 and RCP80 present the coagulate crystal plates. X-ray diffractograms confirm the formation of both the NSP and RCP. The infrared adsorption spectra confirmed the vibrational characteristics of HPO42‒, H2PO4‒ and H2O existed in CaHPO4·2H2O and Ca(H2PO4)2·H2O. Three thermal dehydration steps of Ca(H2PO4)2·H2O (physisorbed water, polycondensation, and re-polycondensation) were observed. Ca(H2PO4)2 and CaH2P2O7 are the thermodecomposed products from the first and second steps, whereas the final product is CaP2O6.

Though the energy density of lithium-ion batteries continues to increase, safety issues related with the internal short-circuit and the resulting combustion of highly flammable electrolyte impede the further development of lithium-ion batteries. It has been well-accepted that a thermal stable separator is important to postpone the entire battery short-circuit and thermal-runaway. Traditional methods to improve the thermal stability of separators includes surface modification and/or developing alternate material systems for separators which may always affect the battery performance negatively. Herein, a thermostable and shrink-free separator with little compromise in battery performance is prepared by coaxial electrospinning and tested. The separator consists of core-shell fiber networks where poly(vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) layer serves as shell and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) as the core. This core-shell fiber network exhibits little or even no shrinking/melting at elevated temperature over 250 °C. Meanwhile, it shows excellent electrolyte wettability and can take large amount of liquid electrolyte three times more than that of conventional Celgard 2400 separator. In addition, the half-cell using LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 as cathode and the aforementioned electrospun core-shell fiber network as separator demonstrates superior electrochemical behavior, stably cycling for 200 cycles at 1 C with a reversible capacity of 130 mAh g-1 and little capacity decay.

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

This article discusses the use of a hand held electronic nose to obtain information on the presence of some aromatic defects in natural cork stoppers, such as haloanisoles, alkylmethoxypyrazines and ketones. The proposed prototype has been developed as an instrumentation system with up to eight commercial gas sensors. Machine learning algorithms such as k-nearest neighbors and artificial neural networks has been used. The use of this system tries to improve the current aromatic defect detection process in the cork stopper industry, which is done by gas chromatography or human test panels.

In the case of solid slabs made of reinforced concrete that are usually subjected to bending, large areas of the structure are stressed well below their load-bearing capacity. Contrary to this are shell structures, which can bridge large spans with little material if designed according to the force flow. To improve the efficiency of ceiling slabs, we want to utilize the shell load-bearing behavior on a smaller scale by resolving the solid interior accordingly. In order to be able to study a wide range of such constructions virtually, a parametric multiobjective simulation environment is being developed in an ongoing research project. The basic analysis approaches which were implemented are presented in this paper. The basic workflow, the used programs and material models and their calibration on the tests on textile-reinforced concrete (TRC) samples are described.

In view of the inability to directly and accurately obtain the athlete's aerodynamic force during take-off phase through wind tunnel test, the athlete's aerodynamic force and surrounding flow field form under different take-off postures are obtained through numerical simulation research, and the effects of different take-off modes on the aerodynamic characteristics during take-off in ski jumping are discussed. The multi-body system composed of the athlete and skis was selected as the research objects. By using partially averaged Navier-Stokes (PANS) turbulence model and 3D numerical simulation of computational fluid dynamics (CFD), the aerodynamic characteristics of the athlete under different take-off postures were predicted. Take-off modes include knee-push-hip (KPH) mode and hip-drive-knee (HDK) mode, and the hip joint angle of HDK mode is significantly greater than KPH mode. First, the aerodynamic force ratio of the athlete’s torso and legs is obviously large. Although the aerodynamic force of arms themselves is not obvious, they have a great impact on the overall aerodynamic characteristics of the athlete, so the posture of arms cannot be ignored. Then, the total drag and moment of HDK mode are significantly higher than that of KPH mode, and the lift-to-drag ratio of HDK mode is significantly lower than that of KPH mode. At first the total lift of HDK mode is higher than that of KPH mode, but in the last attitude the total lift of HDK mode does not rise but fall, and finally the total lift of HDK mode is lower than KPH mode. The aerodynamic characteristics change dramatically during take-off phase, and the aerodynamic characteristics of the two take-off modes are quite different, and these changes and differences are difficult to be observed in real training and competition site. KPH mode has obvious aerodynamic advantage over HDK mode. During the take-off process, the athlete should increasethe force generated by the knee joint extension and appropriately reduce the speed of hip joint extension, and control the using force order of the lower limb joints, and push hip joint extension by knee joint extension, in order to avoid issues such as the hip joint angle is too large, the hip joint extension angle is too fast, the center of gravity is to back and other problems. Studying the aerodynamic characteristics during the take-off phase provides valuable insights for athletes to achieve favorable flight postures after take-off, offering scientific guidance to improve training strategies and enhance competitive performance.

Discovery of stable and broad frequency combs in monochromatically pumped high-Q optical Kerr microresonators caused by generation of temporal solitons can be regarded as one of the major breakthroughs in nonlinear optics during the last two decades. Transfer of the soliton-comb concept to χ(2) microresonators promises lowering of the pump power, new operation regimes, and entering new spectral ranges; scientifically, it is of a big challenge. Here we represent an overview of stable and accessible soliton-comb regimes in monochromatically pumped χ(2) microresonators discovered during the last several years. The main stress is made on lithium niobate based resonators. The overview pretends to be rather simple, complete, and comprehensive: It incorporates the main factors affecting the soliton-comb generation, such as the choice of the pumping scheme (pumping to the first or second harmonic), the choice of phase matching scheme (natural or artificial), the effects of temporal walk-off and dispersion coefficients, and also the influence of frequency detunings and Q-factors. Most of discovered nonlinear regimes are self-starting – they can be accessed from noise upon a not very abrupt increase of the pump power. The soliton-comb generation scenarios are not universal – they can be realized only under proper combinations of the above mentioned factors. We indicate what kind of restrictions on the experimental conditions have to be imposed to get the soliton-comb generation.

Developmental stability (DS) is indicated by the ability of individuals to resist random environmental and/or genetic perturbations during their development. Fluctuating Asymmetry (FA) is the commonest mean of assessing DS in bilateral traits. FA is defined as small random deviations from an ideal morphological symmetry. To date, little attention has been paid to sexual differences in FA among tortoises. With this issue in mind, we assessed levels of carapace scutation symmetries in a sample of 45 wild adult red-footed tortoise, Chelonoidis carbonarius (13 males and 32 females) from Arauca plains, East Colombia. Procrustes ANOVA reflected statistically significative sex-related FA, with males tending to exhibit a more pronounced asymmetry. Although we cannot identify the potential sources responsible for detected developmental instability, our results suggest a high degree of stress and highlight that human intervention in Arauca are affecting wildlife. Similar studies in the future, correlated with an estimate of human impact, could provide irrefutable proof of causality between FA and environmental stressors. The results of this study can represent an estimate of the fitness status of the studied population at present.

Numerous cases and a shortage of resources usually limit wild animal rescue. New technology implemented might save these severely injured wild animals from the situation of euthanasia by easing the requirement of intensive medication. Three-dimensional (3D) technologies provide precise and accurate results that improve the quality of the medical application. These 3D tools have become relatively low-cost and accessible in the past years. In the medical field of exotic animal, turtle shell defect is highly challenging because of inevitable water immersion. This report is the first attempt to apply the combination of 3D scanning, computer-aid design (CAD), and 3D printing to make a protective device that frees the wound from exposure to water or infection sources. The presenting techniques successfully extricate a wild freshwater turtle from an extensive shell defect within a short period. Integration of multiple sciences to 3D technology can provide a facile model for veterinary medical applications.

By introducing a variable transformation $\xi=\frac{1}{2}(\sin \theta+1)$, a complex-form ordinary differential equation (ODE) for the small symmetrical deformation of an elastic torus is successfully transformed into the well-known Heun's ODE, whose exact solution is obtained in terms of Heun's functions. To overcome the computational difficulties of the complex-form ODE in dealing with boundary conditions, a real-form ODE system is proposed. A general code of numerical solution of the real-form ODE is written by using Maple. Some numerical studies are carried out and verified by both finite element analysis and H. Reissner's formulation. Our investigations show that both deformation and stress response of an elastic torus are sensitive to the radius ratio, and suggest that the analysis of a torus should be done by using the bending theory of a shell.

This studies the plasmonic properties of the bimetallic quantum dot Ag@Au core-shell nanostructures embedded in the non-absorbent host medium. Local field enhancement factor and coefficient of absorption of Ag-core and Au-shell are primarily studied based on quasi-static approximation of classical electrodynamics for 6-10 nm composite radius. In this quantum dot geometry, two set of plasmonic resonances in visible spectral region are observed: the first resonance associated with inner interface of gold (Ag@Au) and the second resonance associated with outer interface of gold (Au@medium). The two plasmonic resonances are close each other and enhanced when the size of composite decreased for a fixed core size while shifted to in opposite direction and the amplitude of peak decreased when the core size is increased for a fixed composite size. For the optimized size of core/composite or shell thickness and other parameters to the desired values, such type of composites are recommended for various applications like; photocatalysis, biomedical, nano-optoelectronics.

We propose a conceptual model for the closeness parameter $\epsilon$, which characterizes exotic compact objects (ECOs). To estimate $\epsilon$, a thin spherical dust shell is considered, which gravitationally contracts from a specific position $r(t_{0})$ to near its gravitational radius $r(t_{2})=r_{s} + \epsilon$, in a finite time $t_{2}$, measured in the frame of a fiducial observer (FIDO). For an external observer, the shell’s kinematics is characterized by two clearly distinguishable phases: one of rapid contraction, where the shell is far away from the gravitational radius, $r(t_{0})\gg r_{s}$, and a second phase quasi-stationary, $r(t)\sim r_{s}$, where all of the shell’s mass is concentrated around the associated horizon, such that for a FIDO, a black hole (BH)is undistinguishable from a shell configured as a black shell (BS). \\ In the semi-classical approximation $E\ll \kappa_{0}l_{p}^{2}$ and tends to zero when the observation time of collapse $t_{2}$, measured by FIDO, tends to infinity; $\kappa_{0}$ and $l_{p}$ are surface gravity and Planck length, respectively. The quantum effects are significant when $\epsilon\ll r(t_{2})$ and $\epsilon$ tends to $\kappa_{0}l_{p}^{2}$. \\ Without knowing details on quantum gravity, parameter $\epsilon$ is calculated, which, in general, allows distinguishing the ECOs from BHs. Specifically, a BS (ECO) is undistinguishable from a BH.

By introducing a variable transformation $\xi=\frac{1}{2}(\sin \theta+1)$, the symmetrical deformation equation of elastic toroidal shells is successfully transferred into a well-known equation, namely Heun's equation of ordinary differential equation, whose exact solution is obtained in terms of Heun's functions. The computation of the problem can be carried out by symbolic software that is able to with the Heun's function, such as Maple. The Gauss curvature of the elastic toroidal shells shows that the internal portion of the toroidal shells has better bending capacity than the outer portion, which might be useful for the design of metamaterials with toroidal shells cells. Through numerical comparison study, the mechanics of elastic toroidal shells is sensitive to the radius ratio. By slightly adjustment of the ratio might get a desired high performance shell structure.

In this paper, the results of finite element analyses of a single-layer cylindrical latticed shell under severe earthquake is presented. A 3D Finite Element model using fiber beam elements were used to investigate the collapse mechanism of this type of shell. The failure criteria of structural members are simulated based on the theory of damage accumulation. Severe earthquake of peak ground acceleration (PGA) of 500 gal was applied to the shell. The stress and defeomation of the shell were studied in detail. A three-stages collapse mechanism “double-diagonal -members-failure-belt” of this type of structure was discovered. Based on the analysis results, the measures to mitigate collapse of this type of structure is recomanded.

In this work, magnetic CuFe₂O₄/Ag nanoparticles activated by porous covalent organic frameworks (COF) was fabricated to evaluate the heterogenous reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP). The core-shell CuFe₂O₄/Ag@COF was successfully prepared by polydopamine reduction of silver ions on CuFe₂O₄ nanoparticles, followed by COF layer condensation. With integrating the intrinsic characteristics of the magnetic CuFe₂O₄/Ag core and COF layer, the obtained nanocomposite exhibited features of high specific surface area (464.21 m² g^-1), ordered mesoporous structure, strong environment stability, as well as fast magnetic response. Accordingly, the CuFe₂O₄/Ag@COF catalyst showed good affinity towards 4-NP via π-π stacking interactions and possessed enhanced catalytic activity compared with CuFe₂O₄/Ag and CuFe₂O₄@COF. The pseudo-first-order rate constant of CuFe₂O₄/Ag@COF (0.77 min^-1) is 3 and 5 times higher than CuFe₂O₄/Ag and CuFe₂O₄@COF, respectively. The characteristics of bi-catalytic CuFe₂O₄/Ag and the porous COF shell of CuFe₂O₄/Ag@COF made a contribution to improve the activity of 4-NP reduction. The present work demonstrated a facile strategy to fabricate COF activated nano-catalysts with enhanced performance in the fields of nitrophenolic wastewater treatment.

Comprehensively understanding the spatial ecology and habitat preferences of endangered species is essential for population restoration and conservation. We investigated the home range and movement of the endangered Amur soft-shell turtle (Pelodiscus maackii) in the Ussuri River, Heilongjiang Province, Northeastern China. The study involved tracking 19 Amur soft-shell turtles from late June to mid-October, 2022, resulting in complete and partial home range size data for eight subadults and two adults, respectively. The primary analysis focused on eight subadults, and the models that best described daily movement were identified. We also explored the potential factors influencing home range size. Mean movement rate ranged from 39.18 ± 20.04 m to 72.45 ± 29.36 m and was positively correlated with the linear home range and water temperature. The most insightful home range estimate was a 95% kernel density estimate, employing likelihood cross-validation smoothing with constraints set to the river boundaries. The mean home range size was 1.02 ha and was not correlated with body size. Subadults tended to establish well-defined home ranges over time; whereas, defining home ranges for adults proved challenging. This research addresses a gap regarding the ecology of the Amur soft-shell turtle and provides a foundation for future conservation plans.

Metal nanoparticles are used to modify/enhance the properties of a polymer matrix for a broad range of applications in bio-nanotechnology. Here, we study the properties of polymer/gold nanoparticle (NP) nanocomposites through atomistic molecular dynamics, MD, simulations. We probe the structural, conformational and dynamical properties of polymer chains at the vicinity of a gold (Au) NP and a functionalized (core/shell) Au NP, and compare them against the behavior of bulk PE. The bare Au NPs were constructed via a systematic methodology starting from ab-initio calculations and an atomistic Wulff construction algorithm resulting in the crystal shape with the minimum surface energy. For the functionalized NPs the interactions between gold atoms and chemically adsorbed functional groups change their shape. As a model polymer matrix we consider polyethylene of different molecular lengths, from the oligomer to unentangled Rouse like systems. By computing the different properties the concept of the interface, and the interphase as well, in polymer nanocomposites with metal NPs are critically examined. Results concerning polymer density profiles, bond order parameter, segmental and terminal dynamics show clearly that the size of the interface / interphase, depends on the actual property under study. In addition, the anchored polymeric chains change the behavior/properties, and especially the chain density profile and the dynamics, of the polymer chain at the vicinity of the Au NP.

A model to predict the relative levels of respiratory and fecal-oral transmission potentials of coronaviruses (CoVs) by measuring the percentage of protein intrinsic disorder (PID) of the M (Membrane) and N (nucleoprotein) proteins in their outer and inner shells, respectively, was built before the MERS-CoV outbreak. Application of this model to the 2003 SARS-CoV indicated that this virus with M_PID = 8.6% and N_PID = 50.2% falls into group B, which consists of CoVs with intermediate levels of both fecal-oral and respiratory transmission potentials. Further validation of the model came with MERS-CoV (M_PID = 9%, N_PID = 44%) and SARS-CoV-2 (M_PID = 5.5%, N_PID = 48%) falling into the groups C and B, respectively. Group C contains CoVs with higher fecal-oral but lower respiratory transmission potentials. Unlike SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2 with M_PID = 5.5% has one of the hardest outer shells among CoVs. This shell hardness is believed to be responsible for high viral loads in the mucus and saliva making it more contagious than SARS-CoV. The hard shell is able to resist the anti-microbial enzymes in body fluids. Further searches have found that high rigidity of outer shell is characteristic for the CoVs of burrowing animals, such as rabbits (M_PID = 5.6%) and pangolins (M_PID = 5-6%), which are in contact with the buried feces. A closer inspection of pangolin-CoVs from 2017-19 reveals that these animals provided a unique window of opportunity for the entry of an attenuated SARS-CoV-2 precursor into the human population in 2017 or earlier, with the subsequent slow and silent spread as a mild cold that followed by its mutations into the current more virulent form. Evidence of this lies in the similarity of shell disorder and genetic proximity of the pangolin-CoVs to SARS-CoV-2 (~90%). A 2017 pangolin-CoV strain shows evidence of higher levels of attenuation and higher fecal-oral transmission associated with lower human infectivity via having lower N_PID (44.8%). Our shell disorder analysis also revealed that lower inner shell disorder is associated with the lesser virulence in a variety of viruses.

Complex-structured polymeric microparticles hold significant promise as advance in next-generation medicine mostly due to demand from developing targeted drug delivery. However, the conventional methods for producing these microparticles of defined size, shape and sophisticated composition often face challenges in scalability, reliance on specialized components such as micro-patterned templates, or have limited control over particle size distribution and cargo release kinetics. In this study, we introduce a novel and reliably scalable approach for manufacturing microparticles of defined structures and sizes with variable parameters. The concept behind this method involves the deposition of a specific number of polymer layers on a substrate with low surface energy. Each layer can serve as either the carrier for cargo or a programmable shell-former with predefined permeability. Subsequently, this layered structure is precisely cut into desired-sized blanks using a laser. The manufacturing process is completed by applying of heat to the substrate what results on sealing the edges of the blanks. The combination of the high surface tension of the molten polymer and the low surface energy of the substrate enables the formation of discrete particles, each possessing semi-spherical or other designed geometries determined by their internal composition. Such anisotropic microparticles are envisaged versatile applications.

This study aimed to develop chitosan-based apigenin spray dried solid dispersion using 1:1,1:1.5,1:2 w/w ratios. The results of process yield and drug assay were found to be (87.5%, 94.2%, and 95.86%), (95.2 ±1.34%), (99.5 ±0.85%), and (97.6 ±2.42%), respectively, for AC1, AC2, and AC3. Flow properties indicate the free flow of powders. FTIR revealed compatibility among chitosan and apigenin, and DSC and XRD showed prepared solid dispersion was on a molecular level and available in amorphous. In contrast, SEM images reflect irregular block and near-spherical shape elongated particles in the selected AC2. The antimicrobial examination reflects that AC2 was more effective against Gram-positive, negative, and fungal strains. AC2 SDSDs has more anti-oxidant property compared to pure flavonoid (AGN). Anti-proliferative activity against A549 lung cancer cell lines showed better anti-cancer activity by AC2 SDSDs. The selected AC2 SDSD filled in a 3D shell pill and further characterized for 3D shell pill for dissolution profiles and stability studies. The product has sustained release and similar release profiles after three months of storage. The findings suggest that the AC2 SDSDs may be a promising candidate for further development as a 3D printed drug delivery system for treating multiple disease conditions using model flavonoid- apigenin.

CAR-T therapy has achieved considerable treatment success in hematologic tumors by using patient derived autologous αβ T cells. There is an impetus to broaden the applicability of this approach by using a third-party donor derived CAR-T cell product which has a potent anti-tumor function but a constrained GVHD property. In this study, CAR-T cells were prepared from Vγ9Vδ2 T cells expanded by using a novel prodrug PTA and their anti-tumor functions were assessed in conjunction with persistency, localization, and phenotype. γδ T cells were successfully transduced with a CAR specific to CEA with signaling domains of CD3ζ and CD28 (CEA.CAR-γδ T cells), and exhibited potent tumor killing function in vitro. In a xenograft mouse model, CEA.CAR-γδ T cells suppressed CEA+ tumor growth though a limited time window. CEA.CAR-γδ T cells persisted and accumulated in the tumor even after tumor progression, however, ex vivo analysis revealed that those recovered at different time points from PBMC, spleen and tumors gradually lost tumor reactivity as assessed by IFN-γ production. Provision of GITR co-stimulation enhanced anti-tumor function of CEA.CAR-γδ T cells, the result of which imposes additional measurers to be adopted in CAR-γδ T cells for an allogeneic adoptive immunotherapy.

Aging rate differs greatly between species, indicating that the process of senescence is largely genetically determined. Senescence evolves in part due to antagonistic pleiotropy (AP), where selection favors gene variants that increase fitness earlier in life but promote pathology later. Identifying the biological mechanisms by which AP causes senescence is key to understanding the endogenous causes of aging and its attendant diseases. Here we argue that the frequent occurrence of AP as a property of genes reflects the presence of constraint in the biological systems that they specify. This arises particularly because the functionally interconnected nature of biological systems constrains the simultaneous optimization of coupled traits (interconnection constraints), or because individual traits cannot evolve (impossibility constraints). We present an account of aging that integrates AP and biological constraint with recent programmatic aging concepts, including costly programs, quasi-programs, hyperfunction and hypofunction. We argue that AP mechanisms of costly programs and triggered quasi-programs are consequences of constraint, in which costs resulting from hyperfunction or hypofunction cause senescent pathology. Impossibility constraint can also cause hypofunction independently of AP. We also describe how AP corresponds to Stephen Jay Gould’s constraint-based concept of evolutionary spandrels, and argue that pathologies arising from AP are bad spandrels. Biological constraint is a missing link between ultimate and proximate causes of senescence, including diseases of aging. That this was not realized previously may reflect a combination of hyperadaptationism among evolutionary biologists, and the erroneous assumption by biogerontologists that molecular damage accumulation is the principal primary cause of aging.

Following the introduction of live-attenuated rotavirus vaccines in many countries, a notable reduction in deaths and hospitalizations associated with diarrhoea in children <5 years of age has been reported. There is growing evidence to suggest that live-attenuated vaccines also provide protection against other infections beyond the vaccine-targeted pathogens. These so called off-target effects of vaccination have been associated with the tuberculosis vaccine Bacille Calmette Guérin (BCG), measles, oral polio and recently salmonella vaccines, and are thought to be mediated by modified innate and possibly adaptive immunity. Indeed, rotavirus vaccines have been reported to provide greater than expected reductions in acute gastroenteritis caused by other enteropathogens, that have mostly been attributed to herd protection and prior underestimation of rotavirus disease. Whether rotavirus vaccines also alter the immune system to reduce non targeted gastrointestinal infections has not been studied directly. Here we review the current understanding of the mechanisms underlying off-target effects of vaccines and propose a mechanism by which the live-attenuated neonatal rotavirus vaccine, RV3-BB, could promote protection beyond the targeted pathogen. Finally, we consider how vaccine developers may leverage these properties to improve health outcomes in children, particularly those in low-income countries where disease burden and mortality is disproportionately high relative to developed countries.

Electromagnetic sensing has been used for diverse applications of non-destructive testing, including the surface inspection, measurement of properties, object characterization. However, the measurement accuracy could be significantly influenced by the lift-off between sensors and samples. To address the issue caused by lift-offs, various strategies have been proposed for the permeability measurement of ferromagnetic steels, which mainly involves different sensor designs and signal features (e.g., the zero-crossing feature). In this paper, a single high-frequency scenario for the permeability retrieval is introduced. By combining the signal of two sensing pairs, the retrieval of magnetic permeability is less affected by the lift-off of sensors. Unlike the previous strategy on reducing the lift-off effect (directly taking the phase term out of the integration) using the Dodd-Deeds analytical method, the proposed method is based on a high-frequency linear feature of the phase term. Therefore, this method has the merit of high accuracy and fast processing for the permeability retrieval (a simplified version of Dodd-Deeds analytical formulas after the integration). Experimental measurement has been carried out on the impedance measurement of designed sensors interrogating ferromagnetic dual-phase steels. For sensor lift-offs of up to 10 mm, the error of the permeability retrieval is controlled within 4 % under the optimal frequency.

Failure characteristics induced by unloading disturbance and the corresponding mechanical mechanism of the coal seam floor are important theoretical bases for water-bursting prevention from the floor of the coal seam and rock burst alarm in deep mining. However, the existing two-dimensional ground-pressure-control theory based on shallow mining cannot sufficiently guide deep-mining practices. In this study, the redistribution of mining-induced stress field in rocks surrounding the longwall face and mechanical behaviors of strata in deep mining are investigated through a combination of numerical simulation, physical simulation, and field measurement. Results demonstrate that mining-induced stress fields in the floor of the longwall face differ in space and time. Vertical stress unloading from top to bottom of the floor and horizontal stress unloading are relatively low. A concentration zone of high horizontal stress exists at stope boundaries. The critical yield load of rock stratum in the floor is determined through thin plate yield theory. Under the combined effect of concentrated high horizontal and vertical resilience stresses, strata in the floor fracture from seam to seam if the load increases to the minimum critical buckling value. Fractured strata slide along the fracture surface, which leads to floor heave. The stope floor shows evident time-delay progressive failure characteristics. The stress shell in the stope floor in deep mining is found to be a sensitive mechanical parameter that produces three-dimensional ground-pressure behavior in the floor. This ground-pressure behavior in the stope floor is controlled by the existence of the corresponding stress shell and effects induced by its space–time evolution. This study provides theoretical basis for the dynamic control of a hazard-inducing environment in engineering and minimizing or altering disaster-occurrence conditions during the construction engineering of the coal seam floor.

In the case of solid slabs made of reinforced concrete that are usually subjected to bending, large areas of the structure are stressed well below their load-bearing capacity or remain stress-free. Contrary to this are shell structures, which can bridge large spans with little material if designed well. To improve the efficiency of ceiling slabs, we want to utilize the shell load-bearing behaviour on a smaller scale by dissolving the solid interior accordingly. In order to be able to study a wide range of such constructions virtually, a parametric multiobjective simulation environment is to be developed in an ongoing research project, basic analysis approaches of which are presented in this paper. In addition to the basic workflow and the programs used, the material models used, and their calibration are described on the basis of tests on textile reinforced concrete (TRC) samples. Initial tests on two individual TRC served to verify the model.

Cobalt-doped alumina catalysts were prepared by different methods, applying either the conventional wet impregnation (WI) and/or the advanced spray impregnation (SI), and evaluated as novel oxidation catalysts for CO and MeOH oxidation. The spray impregnation technique aims towards the synthesis of core-shell catalytic nanostructures to secure chemical/thermal stability of the active sites on the catalyst carrier. The catalysts were further promoted with low Pd content (0.5 wt.%) applying either incipient wetness impregnation (DI) or spray impregnation. The results revealed the superior performance of spray impregnated catalysts (Co/γ-Al2O3-SI) for both reactions. The deposition of Co oxide on the outer surface of the alumina particle (SEM images) and the availability of the active Co phase, resulted in the enhancement of Co/γ-Al2O3 catalysts oxidation activity. Pd incorporation increased catalysts reducibility (TPR-H2) and improved the catalysts performance for both reactions. However, Pd incorporation method affected the catalytic performance; as with the SI method the active phase of Co3O4 was probably covered from PdO and was not available for the oxidation reactions. On the contrary, the incorporation of Pd with the DI method resulted in better dispersion of PdO all over the Co/Al catalyst surface, maintaining available Co active sites and better Pd-Co interaction. MeOH desorption studies revealed the methanol oxidation mechanism; Co/Al catalysts promote partial oxidation of MeOH to formaldehyde (HCHO) and dehydration to dimethyl ether (DME), while Pd-based Co/Al catalysts enhance the complete oxidation of methanol to CO2 and H2O.

According to the development needs of marine seismic station networking, it is necessary to develop a marine seismometer with a networking function to realize quasi-real-time and large-scale long-term observation of undersea seismic signals. This can lay a solid foundation for marine seismic research and research on earth tectonics, activities, and processes. Based on the advantages and disadvantages of the existing observation equipment, this study proposed to develop a new type of the Autonomous Glide Marine Seismometer(AGMS) that can be applied to the global sea area, focusing on the design and study of the main structure of the carrier of the AGMS. The ultimate strength of the ellipsoidal pressure-resistant spherical shell is investigated by using the finite element analysis method. A reasonable finite element analysis model is proposed through comparing the finite element parameter results with the theoretical formulas and relevant specifications. Finally, the design process and strength checking of the pressure-resistant shell of the AGMS are established. These relevant results can also provide a reference for the design of other deep-sea pressure-resistant chambers.

Magnetic helicity plays a tremendously important role when it is different from zero on average. Most notably, it leads to the phenomenon of an inverse cascade. Here, we consider decaying magnetohydrodynamic turbulence as well as some less common examples of magnetic evolution under the Hall effect and ambipolar diffusion, as well as cases in which the magnetic field evolution is constrained by the presence of an asymmetry in the number density of chiral fermions, whose spin is systematically either aligned or anti-aligned with its momentum. In all those cases, there is a new conserved quantity: the Hosking integral. We present quantitative scaling results for the magnetic integral scale as well as the magnetic energy density and its spectrum. We also compare with cases were also a magnetic version of the Saffman integral is initially finite.

Silicon has a theoretical specific capacity of 4200 mAh g−1, which is considered to have significant potential for anode materials in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, the volume change that occurs in silicon during charging and discharging affects the development of commercial applications. In this work, a yolk-shell structured Si@void@C anode material has been developed to address this problem. The silicon nanoparticle yolk material is obtained by recycling kerf-loss (KL) Si waste from the photovoltaic industry, the carbon shell is prepared via a hydrothermal process with glucose, and the sacrificial interlayer is Al2O3. The synthesized material is used to fabricate anodes that show a high reversible capacity of 836 mAh g−1 at the current density of 0.1 A g−1 after 100 cycles, with a Coulomb efficiency of 71.4%. This work demonstrates a relatively low-cost approach to turn KL Si waste into value-added materials for LIBs.