Background: Recurrent approximation of retention parameters in reversed-phase HPLC is effective for revealing anomalies difficult to detect otherwise, namely, the reversible hydration of analytes. This was demonstrated previously for restricted sets of analytes with acetonitrile–water eluents. Expanding the number of analytes and eluents seems to be a topical problem. Two kinds of derivatives of aromatic carbonyl compounds were characterized: unsubstituted hydrazones and oximes. Methods: If analyte demonstrates no anomalies in dependences of retention times vs. concentration of organic modifier, the recurrent approximations of these dependences are linear. To explain the features of recurrent approximations, the numerical experiments were proposed and considered. The artificial shifting of one, two, or more points allows modeling the different kinds of deviations of approximations from linearity. Results: It was shown that hydrazones are the class of analytes having no anomalies of retention parameters. On the contrary, several anomalies were detected for oximes. Downward deviations of points in the plots of recurrent approximations of retention times are the signs of reversible hydration. This effect for methanol–water eluents was detected for the first time. Some of oximes underwent hydrolysis. Conclusion: Recurrent approximation of retention times allows detecting chemical transformations of analytes during RP HPLC analysis.

Electrospun ultrathin fibers based on binary compositions of polylactide (PLA) and poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) with different ratios of polymer components from 0/100 to 100/0 wt. % were studied. Using a combination of thermal (DSC) and relaxation (EPR) measurements, the effect of biopolymers content on the characteristics of the crystal structure of PLA and PCL and the diffusive rotational mobility of the stable TEMPO radical in the amorphous regions of PLA/PCL compositions was shown. It was revealed that after PLA and PCL blending, significant changes in the degree of crystallinity of PLA, PCL segmental mobility, sorption capacity of the radical as well as activation energy of rotational diffusion in the amorphous regions of PLA/PCL composition are observed. The characteristic region of biopolymers’ composition from 50/50 to 30/70 % PLA/PCL blends ratio was found, where the inversion transition of PLA from dispersive medium to dispersive phase where an inversion transition is assumed when the continuous medium of the PLA transforms into a discrete phase. The performed studies made it possible for the first time to carry out a comprehensive analysis of the effect of the system component ratio on the structural and dynamic characteristics of the PLA/PCL film material at the molecular level.

Optical materials with a tunable localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) are of a great interest for applications in photonics and optoelectronics. In the present study we explored the potential of generating the LSPR band with an ultra-broad range of over 1000 nm in gold nanoparticles (NPs) precipitated through the thermal treatment in ZnO-Al2O3-SiO2 glass. Using the optical absorption spectroscopy, we demonstrated that the LSPR band's position and shape can be finely controlled by varying the thermal treatment route. Comprehensive methods including Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy were used to study the glass structure, while computational approaches were used for the theoretical description of the absorption spectra. Obtained results allowed us to suggest a scenario responsible for such abnormal LSPR band broadening which includes possible interparticle plasmonic coupling effect taking place during the liquid-liquid phase separation of the heat-treated glass. The formation of gold NPs with an ultra-broad LSPR band in glasses holds promise for sensitizing rare earth ion luminescence for new photonics devices.

Pyrethroid pesticides (PYRs) as the third most widely used pesticides, following organophosphorus and carbamate pesticides, which are of significant importance in the analysis and detection of vegetables. However, the current pretreatment technology for PYRs confronts challenges of difficult separation and low enrichment efficiency, resulting in a cumbersome and time-consuming pretreatment process with poor selectivity. Here, a simple and efficient magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) strategy was developed to simultaneously purify and enrich five PYRs in vegetables, with the magnetic covalent organic framework nanomaterial COF-SiO2@Fe3O4 as an adsorbent. The COF-SiO2@Fe3O4 was prepared by a simple solvothermal conditions method, using Fe3O4 as magnetic core, benzidine and 3,3,5,5-tetraaldehyde biphenyl as two building units. COF-SiO2@Fe3O4 could effectively capture the targeted PYRs by virtue of its abundant π-electron system and hydroxyl groups. The impact of various experimental parameters on extraction efficiency was investigated to optimize the MSPE conditions, including adsorbent amount, extraction time, elution solvent type and elution time. Subsequently, method validation was conducted under the optimal conditions in conjunction with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Within the range of 5.00–100 μg·kg-1 (1.00–100 μg·kg-1 for bifenthrin and 2.5–100 μg·kg-1 for fenpropathrin), the five PYRs exhibited a strong linear relationship, with determination coefficients ranging from 0.9990 to 0.9997. The limits of detection (LODs) were 0.3–1.5 μg·kg-1, and the limits of quantification (LOQs) were 0.9–4.5 μg·kg-1. The recoveries were 80.2–116.7% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) below 7.0%. Finally, COF-SiO2@Fe3O4, NH2-SiO2@Fe3O4 and Fe3O4 were compared as MSPE adsorbents for PYRs. The results indicated that COF-SiO2@Fe3O4 was an efficient and rapid selective adsorbent for PYRs. This method holds promising prospects for the determination of PYRs in real samples.

In the article, the results of research on a NiTi alloy with a high nickel content (51.7 at.%), produced using the additive technology SLM method and subjected to isothermal aging after so-lution annealing, are presented. The study involved the determination of the sequence of phase transformations occurring using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and the determination of the temperature range of these transformations. In parallel, the phase composition was determined using the XRD method; hardness and the Young’s modulus were also determined. The analysis of the DSC results obtained indicates the following characteristic features of the NiTi alloy, which change with ageing time: (1) during cooling (from +1500C to -500C), the type of transformation changes from a one-step transformation after solution annealing to a two-step transformation after the ageing process over 1, 20 and 100 hours at 500°C; (2) during heating (from -500C to +1500C) for all the samples, regardless of the ageing time, only a one-step transformation from martensite M(B19’) to austenite A(B2) is observed; (3) the temperature at which the transformation starts increases with the ageing time, (4) the width of the total temperature range of the transformation M(B19’)  A(B2) during heating changes from large (∆T=49,7°C), after solution annealing, to narrow (∆T=19.3°C and ∆T=17.9°C after 20 h and 100 h of ageing) and, most importantly, (5) a comparison with literature data shows that, irrespective of the composition of the NiTi alloy and the manufacturing technology of the alloy samples (regardless of the fact whether this was traditional or additive technology), a sufficiently long ageing process period leads to the occurrence of the martensite  austenite transformation in the same temperature range.

An analytical method was established by HPLC-DAD-ELSD with C18-NH2 column tandem for the simultaneous determination of hydrophobic components atractylenolide I, II, III, atractylone and hydrophilic compounds glucose, fructose and sucrose in the dried rhizome of Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz (a natural raw material for health foods, Bai-Zhu aka. in Chinese). The method combines different separation capabilities of reversed-phase liquid chromatography and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography, can provide a new choice for the simultaneous determination of hydrophilic and hydrophobic compounds in traditional Chinese medicines and health foods. It provided a reference method for the quality control of Bai-Zhu. The results showed that the linear correlation coefficients of the established column tandem chromatographic method were all greater than 0.9990, the relative standard deviation was 0.1%-2.8%, and the average recovery was 96.7%-103.1%. The contents of atractylenolide I, II, III, atractylone, fructose, glucose, and sucrose in 17 batches of Baizhu were 172.3-759.8 μg/g, 201.4-612.8 μg/g, 160.3-534.2 μg/g, 541.4-8723.1 μg/g, 6.9-89.7 mg/g, 0.7-7.9 mg/g, and 1.2-21.0 mg/g, respectively.

An extensive thermodynamic study of N-methylformamide (CAS RN: 123-39-7) and N,N-dimethylformamide (CAS RN: 68-12-2), is presented in this work. The liquid heat capacities of N-methylformamide were measured by Tian–Calvet calorimetry in the temperature interval (250 – 300) K. The vapor pressures for N-methylformamide and N,N-dimethylformamide were measured using static method in the temperature range 238 K to 308 K. The ideal-gas thermo-dynamic properties were calculated using a combination of the density functional theory (DFT) and statistical thermodynamics. A consistent thermodynamic description was developed using the method of simultaneous correlation, where the experimental and selected titerature data for vapor pressures, vaporization enthalpies, and liquid phase heat capacities and calculated ide-al-gas heat capacities are treated together to ensure overall thermodynamic consistency of the results. Resulting vapor pressure equation is valid from the triple point to the normal boiling point temperature.

The endometrium, the inner mucosal lining of the uterus, undergoes complex molecular and cellular changes across the menstrual cycle in preparation for embryo implantation. Transcrip-tome-wide analyses have mainly been utilized to study the endometrial receptivity, the prerequisite for successful implantation, with most of the studies, so far, comparing the endometrial transcriptomes between (i) secretory versus proliferative endometrium or (ii) mid-secretory versus early-secretory endometrium. In the current study, we provide the complete transcriptome description of the endometrium across the entire menstrual cycle and, for the first time, comprehensively characterize the proliferative phase of the endometrium. Our temporal transcriptome analysis includes five time points: mid-proliferative, late-proliferative (peri-ovulatory phase), early-secretory, mid-secretory, and late-secretory phases. Thus, we exhaustively unveil the transitions between the consecutive proliferative and secretory phases, highlighting their unique gene expression profiles and possible distinct biological functions. Transcriptome analysis reveals many differentially expressed genes (DEGs) across the menstrual cycle, most of which are phase-specific. As an example of the coordinated gene activity, the expression profile of his-tone-encoding genes within the HIST cluster on chromosome 6 showed an increase in cluster activity during the late-proliferative and a decline during the mid-secretory phase. Moreover, numerous DEGs are shared among all phases. In conclusion, in the current study, we delineate the endometrial proliferative phase-centered view of transcriptome dynamics across the menstrual cycle. Data analysis highlights significant transcriptomic and functional changes occurring during the late-proliferative phase – an essential transition point from the proliferative to the secretory phase. Future studies should explore how the biology of the late-proliferative phase endometrium impacts the achievement of mid-secretory endometrial receptivity or contributes to molecular aberrations leading to embryo implantation failure.

The generation of high-quality wideband frequency sweeps presents a significant challenge, particularly in modern telecommunication, radar, and measurement systems where miniaturization is paramount. While phase-locked loops (PLLs) have become the dominant technique for signal generation, their application in broadband sweeps necessitates fractional-N operation. This, in turn, degrades phase noise and introduces unwanted spurs. This paper proposes a novel approach for broadband signal generation. By cascading two PLLs and utilizing a coaxial resonator, we achieve a high-performance oscillator that operates without the excessive fractional spurs, maintaining their level below -80 dBc across the entire frequency band. The prototype demonstrates non-degraded phase noise performance, reaching -102 dBc/Hz at 100 kHz offset and -121 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset for signal at 10 GHz. Despite significant frequency jumps, our design achieves lock times below 41 µs. These results, supported by theoretical analysis, validate the proposed method's effectiveness in generating low-noise broadband frequency sweeps, ideal for local oscillator applications.

The aim of this study is to solve the problems of complicated pretreatment and high analytical cost in the detection technology of trace drug toxicants in municipal wastewater. A high-performance magnetic sorbent was synthesized for enrichment of trace drug substances in wastewater to develop magnetic solid-phase extraction pretreatment combined with the acoustic ejection mass spectrometry (AEMS) analytical methods for the molecules in wastewater drug toxicants. The magnetic nanospheres was successfully prepared by magnetic nanoparticles modified with divinylbenzene and vinyl pyrrolidone.The results showed that the linear dynamic range of 17 drugs was 1-500 ng/L, the recovery was 43%-105%, the matrix effect was more than 67%, the limit of quantitative detection was 1-2 ng/L, and the detection time of each sample was 2.98s. It can be seen that the developed magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) method is a good solution to the problem of complicated pre-treatment and analytical cost in the detection of drugs in wastewater. The developed magnetic material and acoustic excitation coupled mass spectrometry analysis method can realize the low-cost, efficient enrichment and fast analysis of different kinds of drug molecules in urban sewage.

The properties of the annual, semiannual and triennial oscillations (AO, SAO and TO) in the middle atmosphere have been investigated using the TIMED/SABER temperature data. The Lomb-Scargle and wavelet spectra were used to determine the dominant oscillations in the background temperature field. The AO is prominent at the mid-latitudes. The AO amplitudes present an asymmetry between the two Hemispheres, being larger in the mesosphere than in the stratosphere. The SAO dominates the tropical regions, with three amplitude maxima at altitudes of 45, 75, and 85 km. The SAOs in the upper mesosphere (75 km) are out of phase with those in the mesopause (85 km) in the tropical regions, which can generate an enhancement of 11 K at each equinox, contributing to the lower mesospheric inversion layer. The TO is significant in the tropical region, with amplitude being maximum at 35, 45 and 85 km. Result shows that there may be potential interaction by the TO with SAO at 85km at the equator. The relation between ENSO and TO has also been discussed. The ENSO signal may modulate the amplitude of the TO, mainly in the lower stratosphere. The real origin of the TO may lie in the wave-mean-flow interaction.

Using coherent optical detection and digital signal processing, laser phase noise and equalization enhanced phase noise can be effectively mitigated using the feed-forward and feed-back carrier phase recovery approaches. In this paper, theoretical analyses of feed-back and feed-forward carrier phase recovery methods have been carried out in the long-haul high-speed n-level phase shift keying (n-PSK) optical fiber communication systems, involving a one-tap normalized least-mean-square (LMS) algorithm, a block-wise average algorithm, and a Viterbi-Viterbi algorithm. The analytical expressions for evaluating the estimated carrier phase and for predicting the bit-error-rate (BER) performance (such as the BER floors) have been presented and discussed in the n-PSK coherent optical transmission systems by considering both the laser phase noise and the equalization enhanced phase noise. The results indicate that the Viterbi-Viterbi carrier phase recovery algorithm outperforms the one-tap normalized LMS and the block-wise average algorithms for small phase noise variance (or effective phase noise variance), while the one-tap normalized LMS algorithm shows a better performance than the other two algorithms for large phase noise variance (or effective phase noise variance). In addition, the one-tap normalized LMS algorithm is more sensitive to the level of modulation formats.

We develop an 1/n expansion method for the systematic approxi- mation of the solutions of classical spin systems (tri-dimensional vec- tors) which can describe general spin-spin interactions and phases with complex magnetization pattern. This method is applied to study the phase transitions observed in pyrochlore crystals (e.g. Gd₂ Ti₂ O₇ ) and the results have qualitative agreement with the experimental ones.

Hierarchical tungsten oxide assemblies such as spindle-like, flowers with sharp petals, nanowires and regular hexagonal structures are successfully synthesized via a solvothermal reduction method by simply adjusting the reaction conditions. On the basis of the experimental results, it is determined that the reaction time significantly influences the phase transition, microstructure and photocatalytic activity of the prepared samples. The possible mechanisms for the phase transition and morphology evolution process have been systematically proposed. Moreover, the as-prepared products exhibit significant morphology-depended photocatalytic activity. The flower-like W18O49 prepared at 6 h possesses large specific surface area (150.1 m²g^-1), improved separation efficiency of electron-hole pairs and decreased electron-transfer resistance by the photoelectrochemical measurements. As a result, the flower-like W₁₈O₄₉ prepared at 6 h exhibits the highest photocatalytic activity for the degradation of Methyl orange aqueous solution. The radical trap experiments showed that the degradation of MO was driven mainly by the participation of h⁺ and •O²⁻ radicals.

Separation of polyethylene glycols (PEGs) into single homologs by reversed-phase chromatography is investigated experimentally and theoretically. The used core-shell column is shown to achieve baseline separation of PEG homologs up to molar weights of at least 5000 g/mol. A detailed study is performed elucidating the role of the operating conditions temperature, eluent composition, and degree of polymerization of the polymer. Applying Martin's rule yields a simple model for retention times that holds for a wide range of conditions. In combination with relations for column efficiency, the role of the operating conditions is discussed and separations are predicted for analytical-scale chromatography. Finally, the approach is included in an efficient process model based on discrete convolution, which is demonstrated to predict with high accuracy also advanced operating modes with arbitrary injection profiles.

Single-phase-to-ground fault in non-effectively grounded systems poses serious public safety concern. Along with increasing deployment of low-voltage (LV) sensors, new opportunities and ways are created for solving this traditional problem in distribution systems. A new approach, identifying primary single-phase-to-ground line fault and locating it through measurement data from smart sensors deployed in the secondary side of distribution transformers, is proposed in this paper. When a fault occurs in primary distribution feeder, the transient aerial mode voltage (AMV) of each LV smart sensor is calculated. The fault line can be identified by an abrupt change value of AMV at LV side. Next, by finding the position of the maximum value of this AMV from LV sensors on the fault line, the fault location can be pinpointed to two neighboring distribution transformers. The proposed method has been proven to be efficient and reliable by simulation studies.

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

The short-lived positron-emitter carbon-11 (t1/2 = 20.4 min; b+, 99.8%) is prominent for labeling tracers for use in biomedical research with positron emission tomography (PET). Carbon-11 is produced for this purpose with a cyclotron, nowadays almost exclusively by the 14N(p,a)11C nuclear reaction, either on nitrogen containing a low concentration of oxygen (0.1–0.5%) or hydrogen (~ 5%) to produce [11C]carbon dioxide or [11C]methane, respectively. These primary radioactive products can be produced in high yields and with high molar activities. However, only [11C]carbon dioxide has some utility for directly labeling PET tracers. Primary products are required to be converted rapidly and efficiently into secondary labeling synthons to provide versatile radiochemistry for labeling diverse tracer chemotypes at molecular positions of choice. This review surveys known gas phase transformations of carbon-11 and summarizes the important roles that many of these transformations now play for producing a broad range of labeling synthons in carbon-11 chemistry.

Permafrost covers about 23% ~ 25% of the land in the northern hemisphere, mainly in Russia, Canada, Alaska, Northeast and Qinghai Tibet Plateau (QTP) in China. Many engineering especially the transportation has been in the permafrost regions above. Under the action of highways construction and global warming, permafrost under infrastructures is degraded and causes serious damage. Two phases closed thermosyphon (TPCT) is a widely accepted green countermeasure against the problem in permafrost regions. Although it has been applied to prevent permafrost degradation, their application presents significant challenges on account of the stronger endothermic action of asphalt pavement. This paper focused on the thermosyphon technology and application in the permafrost. Moreover, the article highlighted the excellent working performance of the TPCT that improving the stability of the infrastructures and prevent it degrading due its excellent efficiency of heat transfer. The industrial applications of the TPCT were also summarized, along with their limitations. Finally, the results reported in this paper can provide a valuable guidance for the design of the TPCT and construction of the permafrost regions in the future.

This study presents the synthesis and electrochemical evaluation of nitrogen-doped vanadium oxide (N-V2O3/C) as a cathode material for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs), using a hydrothermal method. Compared to undoped V2O3/C, N-V2O3/C exhibits enhanced electrical conductivity, capacity, and electrochemical kinetics, attributed to the incorporation of pyridinic and pyrrolic nitrogen. Initial charge-discharge cycles indicate phase transitions to amorphous vanadium oxides, enhancing conductivity. N-V2O3/C shows a high specific capacity of 168.4 mAh g−1 at 10 A g−1 and remarkable reversibility, highlighted by the transient existence of intermediate species during cycling. Optimal electrochemical performance is achieved with a vanadium to nitrogen molar ratio of 2:3, indicating the significant impact of nitrogen doping concentration on the material’s efficiency. This work underscores the potential of N-V2O3/C as a superior cathode material for AZIBs.

The purpose of this study was to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) for stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) in the treatment of non-metastatic prostate cancer. This study was a phase 1 dose escalation trial conducted in Japan. Patients with histologically proven prostate cancer without lymph node or distant metastasis were enrolled. The prescribed doses were 42.5, 45, or 47.5 Gy in five fractions. Dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) was defined as grade (G) 3+ gastrointestinal or genitourinary toxicity within 180 days after SBRT completion and a 6 plus 6 design was used as the method of dose escalation. A total of 16 patients were enrolled, with 6 in the 42.5 Gy group and 10 in the 45 Gy group. No DLT was observed in the 42.5 Gy group. In the 45 Gy group, one patient experienced G3 rectal hemorrhage, and another had G4 rectal perforation, leading to the determination of 42.5 Gy as the MTD. None of the patients experienced biochemical recurrence or death during the follow-up period. We concluded that SBRT for non-metastatic prostate cancer at 42.5 Gy in 5 fractions could be safely performed, but a total dose of 45 Gy increased severe toxicity.

This study proposes an innovative pharmacovigilance approach, VIGI-4, leveraging ChatGPT Teams Pro version. Our method involves aggregating data from all phase 4 studies published in February 2024 to identify adverse reactions. These results are categorized by disease state alphabetically, demonstrating the method's capacity to generate structured and easily navigable outputs. The results section is tailored to exemplify the valuable, actionable insights attainable through our workflow. This research emphasizes the game-changing potential of integrating advanced technologies such as ChatGPT into pharmacovigilance, signaling a new era in safeguarding drug safety.

This work intends to present a study on relations between a Lie algebra called dispersion operators algebra, linear canonical transformation and a phase space representation of quantum mechanics that we have introduced and studied in previous works. The paper begins with a brief recall of our previous works followed by the description of the dispersion operators algebra which is performed in the framework of the phase space representation. Then, linear canonical transformations are introduced and linked with this algebra. A multidimensional generalization of the obtained results is given.

Pharmaceuticals contain biologically active components that can pollute water courses as a result of the excretions from individuals and/or uncontrolled release of residues from chemical plants, and they can pose a hazard to health. Pharmaceutical residues can persist at low concentrations in the environment, and thus may be potentially harmful to aquatic animals and to humans. Controlling and monitoring such residues are therefore a prime interest, for example, a solid-phase extraction uses solid sorbents to purify and preconcentrate the residues prior to their chemical analysis. In the present study, poly (acrylonitrile-co-divinylbenzene-80) sorbents are synthesised by varying the comonomer feed ratios under precipitation polymerisation conditions to deliver a family of porous polymer microspheres. Acrylonitrile confers polar characters onto the sorbents, and the acrylonitrile-derived nitrile groups can be chemically transformed via polymer-analogous reactions into thioamide and sulfonated residues which make the sorbents even more suitable for the capture of polar analytes, including selected pharmaceuticals. The utility of the porous thioamide-sulfonated containing sorbents is demonstrated via the dispersion-solid phase extraction of mefenamic acid from aqueous media; mefenamic acid is an anthranilic acid derivative which is a potent, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug which is found in environmental waters at low concentrations.

The cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) 2b protein is a suppressor of plant defenses and a pathogenicity determinant. Amongst the 2b protein’s host targets is the RNA silencing factor Argonaute 1 (AGO1), which it binds to and inhibits. In Arabidopsis thaliana, if 2b-induced inhibition of AGO1 is too efficient it induces reinforcement of antiviral silencing by AGO2, and triggers increased resistance against aphids, CMV’s insect vectors. These effects would be deleterious to CMV replication and transmission, respectively, but are moderated by the CMV 1a protein by sequestering sufficient 2b protein molecules into P-bodies to prevent excessive inhibition of AGO1. Mutant 2b protein variants were generated and red and green fluorescent protein fusions used to investigate subcellular colocalization with AGO1 and the 1a protein, and the effects of mutations on complex formation with the 1a protein and AGO1 were investigated using bimolecular fluorescence complementation and co-immunoprecipitation assays. Although we found that residues 56-60 influenced the 2b protein’s interactions with the 1a protein and AGO1, it appears unlikely that any single residue or sequence domain is solely responsible. In silico predictions of intrinsic disorder within the 2b protein secondary structure were supported by circular dichroism (CD) but not by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Intrinsic disorder provides a plausible model to explain the 2b protein’s ability to interact with AGO1, the 1a protein and other factors. However, the reasons for the conflicting conclusions provided by CD and NMR must first be resolved.

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) were synthesized and applied for the selective extraction of oblongifolin C (OC) from fruit extracts of Garcinia yunnanensis Hu. A series of experiments and computational approaches were employed to improve the efficiency of screening for optimal MIP systems in the study. The molar ratio (1:4) was chosen at last based on the comparison of the binding energy of the complexes between the template (OC) and functional monomers using density functional theory (DFT) at the RI-PBE-D3-gCP/def2-TZVP level of theory. The binding characterization and the molecular recognition mechanism of MIPs were further explained using the molecular modeling method and NMR and IR spectra data. The reusability of this approach was demonstrated in over 20 batch rebinding experiments. 140.5 mg of OC (>95% purity) was obtained from the 5 g extracts with 2 g of MIPs with the best binding properties through gradient elution program from 35% to 70% methanol-water solution. At the same time, another structural analog, 46.5 mg of guttiferone K (GK) (>88% purity), was also obtained by the gradient elution procedure. Our results showed that the structural analogs could be separated from the crude extracts by the molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) using a gradient elution procedure for the first time.

Abstract: The quantitative analysis of the chromatographic behavior of basic compounds was performed in silico. The liquid chromatography (LC) data measured with pentyl-, hexenyl-, and octyl-bonded silica gels were analyzed in silico employing model phases. The main retention force was the van der Waals (VW) interaction, and the main desorption force was an electrostatic (ES) interaction. The contribution of hydrogen bonding (HB) was weak compared to that for acidic compounds. The quantitative explanation was achieved utilizing the calculated VW, HB, and ES energy values obtained from a molecular mechanics program. The electron localization was observed at the molecular interaction-site calculated MOPAC program. This fundamental approach was like that of explaining chemical reactions. The difference was electron localization in chromatography or electron transfer in a chemical reaction.

Owing to the nondiffracting, self-accelerating, and self-healing properties, Airy beams of different nature have become a subject of immense interest in the past decade. Their interesting properties have opened doors to many diverse applications. Consequently, the questions of how to properly design spatial manipulation of Airy beams or how to implement them in different setups have become important and timely in the development of various optical devices. Here, based on our previous work, we present a short review on the spatial control of Airy beams, including the interactions of Airy beams in nonlinear media, beam propagation in harmonic potential, and the dynamics of abruptly autofocusing Airy beams in the presence of a dynamic linear potential. We demonstrate that under the guidance of nonlinearity and external potential, the trajectory, acceleration, structure, and even the basic properties of Airy beams can be adjusted to suit specific needs. We describe other fascinating phenomena observed with Airy beams, such as self-Fourier transformation, periodic inversion of Airy beams, and the appearance of spatial solitons in the presence of nonlinearity. These results have promoted the development of Airy beams, and have been utilized in various applications, including particle manipulation, self-trapping, and electronic matter waves.

Retention mechanisms in HILIC have been investigated and reported in literature. However, the current understanding of the retention mechanisms is qualitative and lacks quantitative details. Previously, mechanism elucidation was based on indirect evidence, and unambiguous assignment of retention mechanisms has not been reported based on direct data. This study aims to quantitatively determine the contributions of two major retention mechanisms in HILIC, hydrophilic partitioning and surface adsorption to the overall retention of neutral compounds. Using the methodologies we developed previously, the phase ratio for adsorbed water layer and distribution coefficients were measured and used to calculate the retention factors attributed to hydrophilic partitioning. The methodology allows the determination of the contribution of surface adsorption simultaneously. The evaluation of five test compounds demonstrates that the retention may be controlled by hydrophilic partitioning, surface adsorption or both depending on compound characteristics. Quantitative assessment of retention mechanisms also makes it possible to better understand the effect of acetonitrile on retention in HILIC.

Due to environmental concerns, natural refrigerants and their use in refrigeration and air conditioning systems are receiving more attention from manufacturers, end users and the scientific community. The study of heat transfer and pressure drop is essential for accurate design and more energy efficient cycles using natural refrigerants. The aim of this work is to provide an overview of the latest outcomes related to heat transfer and pressure drop correlations for ammonia, propane, isobutane and propylene and to investigate the current state of the art in terms of operating conditions. Available data on the existing correlations of heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop for natural refrigerants have been collected through a systematic search. Whenever possible, validity intervals are given for each correlation and the error is quantified. It is the intention of the authors that this could be a valuable support for researchers and an aid to design, with particular reference to heat pumps. A procedure based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement was adopted, and the Scopus database was used to query the relevant literature. A total of 135 publications qualified for inclusion in the survey; 34 articles report experimental investigations for not usual geometric conditions. Of the 101 selected papers related to usual geometric conditions, N = 50 deal only with HTC, N = 16 deal only with pressure drop and the remainder (N = 35) analyse both HTC and pressure drop. Among the 85 HTC papers (N = 53) deal with the evaporating condition, N = 30 with condensation and only N = 2 with the heat transfer correlations under both conditions. Most of the 101 articles concern propane and isobutane. The high temperatures are less widely investigated.

The article delves into the intricate phase transitions of 1-Octadecanol and n-Nonadecane within a binary system, unveiling dynamic structural changes under varying conditions. Through Fouri-er-transform infrared (FTIR) analysis, specific molecular vibrations were identified, shedding light on the molecular composition and interactions. The study highlights the challenges in detecting subtle phase transitions and emphasizes the individuality of molecular behaviours in closely related compounds. The findings underscore the complexity of phase transitions in binary systems and advocate for a nuanced approach to studying molecular structures and behaviours. Addi-tionally, the research contributes valuable insights into the molecular dynamics of Organic Polymer Functional Adsorption Materials, offering implications for synthetic waxy layers in plant epidermis.

Abstracts In this article, we describe a simple procedure for evaluating the sterility of nutrient media using a shear-horizontal surface acoustic wave (SH-SAW) biosensor. We used the SH-SAW biosensor platform to monitor the time-dependent phase responses of the material for the media that binds to a monolayer of 3-mercaptopropanyl-N-hydroxy succinimide on the biosensor surface. Increases in the phase shift less than 50% of the starting phase shift recorded 180 minutes after the sterilization indicate a successful sterility test of the media. Our devices were then applied to sterility testing using a viable Escherichia coli (E. coli) K-12 solution to confirm our hypothesis. Filtered LB Broth was the negative control, and a 24-hour culture of E. coli was the positive control. Before testing, the cell solution was pelleted, the media decanted, and then replaced with a 1x phosphate-buffered saline solution (1x PBS). Since we know that the N-hydroxysuccinimide residues will bind to amine groups, only in cases where microbial species are present will the surface binding increase greater than 50%. We confirmed our hypothesis using SH-SAW biosensors and overnight E. coli cultures. The sensitivity for our 250 MHz quartz SH-SAW sensors was calculated based on the response from the E. coli K-12 solution over the linear dynamic range, which appears to be 2x10^4 – 2x10^7 CFU per ml and has a sensitivity of S = 1.655x10^5 o m2 Kg-1. The limit of detection (LOD) for these sensors was calculated to be approximately 2x10^-9 grams (g), which is estimated to be approximately 2,000 Escherichia coli (E. coli) K-12 cells. However, the sensitivity and insertion loss remained approximately unchanged before and after coating the sensor with 3,3'-Dithiobis(succinimidyl) Propionate (DSP).

As a high-frequency carrier, the Terahertz (THz) wave is essential for achieving high-data-rate wireless transmission due to its ultra-wide bandwidth. Phase stabilization becomes crucial to enable phase-shift-based multilevel modulation for high-speed data transmission. We developed a Mach-Zehnder interferometric phase stabilization technique for photomixing, which has proved a promising method for phase-stable continuous THz-wave generation. However, this method faces inefficiencies in generating phase-modulated THz waves due to the impact of the phase modulator on the phase stabilization system. By photomixing, which is one of the promising methods for generating THz waves, the phase of the generated THz waves can be controlled in the optical domain so that the stability of the generated THz wave can be controlled by photonics technologies. Thus, we have devised a new phase stabilization approach using backward-directional lightwave, which is overlapped with the THz wave generation system. This study presents a conceptual and experimental framework for stabilizing the phase differences of optical carrier signals. We compare the optical domain and transmission performances between forward-directional and backward-directional phase stabilization methods. Remarkably, our results demonstrate error-free transmission at a modulation frequency of 3 Gbit/s and higher.

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.

Recently, due to the decrease in labor force, increase in labor costs, and the desire for improved quality of life, research on robots has been actively conducted to address these issues. However, it is currently difficult to find robots that physically interact with humans. The reason is that the actuators of robots do not have high torque density on their own. To solve this problem, high torque density motors, such as proprioceptive actuators, are being researched. However, the torque density is still insufficient for physical interaction with humans, so we have developed a motor with higher torque density. However, high torque density motors have the disadvantage of lower speed characteristics due to increased Back-EMF. Therefore, to address the deterioration of speed characteristics in the developed motor, we applied the Independent 3-Phase winding structure to improve the speed characteristics. Consequently, through comparison with Y-Connection and Delta-Connection, we propose the most suitable winding structure for high torque density motors intended for physical interaction with humans.

Patients with metastatic epidural spinal cord compression (MESCC) and favorable survival prognoses may benefit from radiation doses exceeding 10 x 3.0 Gy. In a multi-center phase 2 trial, patients receiving 15 x 2.633 Gy (41.6 Gy10) or 18 x 2.333 Gy (43.2 Gy10) were evaluated for local progression-free survival (LPFS), motor/sensory functions, ambulatory status, pain, distress, toxicity, and overall survival (OS). They were compared (propensity score adjusted Cox regression) to a historical control group (N=266) receiving 10 x 3.0 Gy (32.5 Gy10). In the phase 2-cohort, 50 (of 62 planned) patients were evaluable for LPFS. Twelve-month rates of LPFS and OS were 96.8% and 69.9%, respectively. Motor and sensory functions improved in 56% and 57.1% of patients, and 94.0% were ambulatory following radiotherapy. Pain and distress decreased in 84.4% and 78.0% of patients. Ten and two patients experienced grade 2 and 3 toxicities, respectively. Phase 2 patients showed significantly better LPFS than the control group (p = 0.039) and a trend for improved motor function (p = 0.057). Ambulatory and OS rates were not significantly different. Radiotherapy with 15 x 2.633 Gy or 18 x 2.333 Gy was well tolerated and appeared superior to 10 x 3.0 Gy.

To enhance the applicability of dual-phase high-entropy alloys (HEAs) like Fe32Cr33Ni29Al3Ti3, fabricated via selective laser melting (SLM), a focus on improving their mechanical properties is essential. As part of this effort, heat treatment was explored. This study compares the microstructure and mechanical properties of the as-printed sample with those cooled in water after undergoing heat treatment at temperatures ranging from 1000 to 1200 ℃ for 1 hour. Both pre- and post-treatment samples reveal a dual-phase microstructure comprising FCC and BCC phases. Although heat treatment led to a reduction in tensile and yield strength, it significantly increased ductility compared to the as-printed sample. This strength-ductility trade-off is related to changes in grain sizes with ultrafine grains enhancing strength and micron grains optimizing ductility, also the influence of the content of FCC/BCC phases and dislocation density. In particular, the sample heat-treated at 1000 °C for 1 hour and then water-cooled exhibited a better combination of strength and ductility, a yield strength of 790 MPa, and an elongation of 13%. This research offers innovative perspectives on crafting dual-phase HEA of Fe32Cr33Ni29Al3Ti3, allowing for tailorable microstructure and mechanical properties through a synergistic approach involving SLM and heat treatment.

The multiphase motors due to their reliability find new areas of application in the industry and transportation. Developing of any system with multiphase motors at first requires elaborate model of the system, define control mode and controllers. The model of control system for the six-phase drive is based on its conventional d-q mathematical model and indirect field-oriented control. Simulink model of six-phase drive with indirect field-oriented control and simulated with two types PID and PID fuzzy controllers. The simulation results, reflecting step response and provided speed reference law as well as load application at constant speed, are presented and analyzed. Fuzzy controller with 49 rules is considered and applied. Six-phase electric drive with field-oriented control at well-tuned PID controller has good step response specifications: settling time 0.13 s at starting without load, step response has no overshoot, small about 1 % short time decrease of speed at load of 5 Nm application. The system employing PID fuzzy controller shows slightly better results in response to torque application: the decrease in speed 1 % is eliminated in shorter time. Simulation results indicate the robustness of both systems with six-phase drive to disturbance and provide high quality transient specifications at determined reference speed.

It was demonstrated during the past decade that ultra-short intense laser pulse tightly focused deep inside a transparent dielectric generates the energy density in excess of several MJ/cm$^3$. Such energy concentration with extremely high heating and quenching rates leads to unusual solid-plasma-solid transformation paths overcoming kinetic barriers to formation of previously unknown high-pressure material phases, which are preserved in the surrounding pristine crystal. These results were obtained with the pulse of Gaussian shape in space and in time. Recently it was shown that the Bessel-shaped pulse could transform much larger amount of a material and allegedly create even higher energy density than that was achieved with the Gaussian (GB) pulses. Here we present a succinct review of previous results and discuss the possible routes for achieving higher energy density employing the Bessel beams (BB) and take advantage of its unique properties.

The Double Random Phase Encoding (DRPE) image encryption method has garnered significant attention in color image processing and optical encryption, thanks to its parallel encryption of R, G, B. However, DRPE-based color image encryption faces two challenges. Firstly, it disregards the correlation of R, G, and B, compromising the encrypted image's robustness. Secondly, DRPE schemes relying on Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) and Discrete Fractional Fourier Transform (DFRFT) are vulnerable to linear attacks, such as Known Plaintext Attack (KPA) and Chosen Plaintext Attack (CPA). Quantum walk stands out as a remarkable tool for designing modern cryptographic mechanisms, offering resistance to potential attacks from both classical and quantum computers.Therefore, this study presents an optical color image encryption algorithm that combines two-dimensional quantum walk with 24-bit plane permutation, dubbed OCT. This approach employs pseudo-random numbers generated by Two-Dimensional Quantum Walking (TDQW) for phase modulation in DRPE and scrambles the encrypted image's real and imaginary parts using the Generalized Arnold Transform. The 24-bit plane permutation helps reduce correlation of the R, G, B, while the Generalized Arnold Transform bolsters DRPE's resistance to linear attacks. By incorporating TDQW, the key space is significantly expanded. Experimental results validate the effectiveness and security of proposed method.

Quantum physics is intrinsically probabilistic. The entropy of a quantum state quantifies the amount of randomness (or information loss) of such state. The degrees of freedom of a quantum state are position and spin, and upon their specification Born's rule in phase space defines randomness. We focus on the spin degree of freedom and elucidate the spin entropy. Then, we present some of its properties and show how entanglement increases spin entropy. Some speculative predictions on the decay of the $Z^0,W^{+,-}$ gauge bosons conclude the paper.

An optical frequency comb (OFC) generator based on an electro-optic Talbot laser and cross-phase modulation (XPM) in a high nonlinear fiber (HNLF) is designed and demonstrated. The Talbot laser is an electro-optic frequency shifting loop to produce repetition rate multiplied pulses, and these pulses working as a pump signal induce XPM process in the HNLF to modulate the phase of a probe signal. At the output of the HNLF, OFCs with a multiplied line-spacing can be generated. The effects of the pump power and the HNLF length on the performance of the generated OFCs are theoretically analyzed. In the experiments, the line-spacing of the generated OFCs is respectively multiplied to be 10 GHz, 15 GHz and 20 GHz with a factor of 2, 3 and 4. The center of the OFCs is tuned in a 4-nm range by adjusting the wavelength of the probe signal.

Chemical analysis of the organic components in beers has applications to quality control, authenticity and improvements to the flavor characteristics and brewing process. This study aims to show the complementary nature of two instrumental techniques which in combination can identify and quantify the majority of organic components in a beer sample. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) was used to provide concentrations of twenty five different organic compounds including alcohols, organic acids, carbohydrates, and amino acids. Calorie content was also estimated for the samples. NMR data for ethanol concentrations were validated by comparison to a Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry (FTIR) method. Headspace Solid-Phase Microextraction (SPME) Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GCMS) was used to identify a range of volatile compounds such as alcohols, esters and hop derived aroma compounds. A simple and inexpensive conversion of a Gas Chromatography Flame Ionization Detector (GC FID) instrument to allow the use of Solid-Phase Microextraction was found to be useful for the quantification of volatile esters.

Ketogenic diet (KD) is getting in the focus as auxiliary cancer therapy, since it provides sufficient energy supply for healthy cells, while impairing energy production in tumor cells underlying the Warburg effect. Thereby, it can assist in inhibiting tumor growth and simultaneously counteract cachexia, which is frequently observed in cancer patients under chemotherapy. In order to provide molecular evidence for the proposed synergistic inhibition of tumor growth, we applied untargeted quantitative metabolome analysis on a breast cancer xenograft mouse model. Healthy mice and such bearing breast cancer xenografts and receiving chemotherapy were compared after treatment with control diet and KD. Metabolomic profiling was performed on plasma samples, applying high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. Statistical analysis revealed metabolic fingerprints comprising numerous significantly regulated features in the group of mice bearing breast cancer. This fingerprint disappeared after treatment with KD, resulting in recovery to the metabolic status observed in healthy mice receiving control diet. Moreover, amino acid metabolism as well as fatty acid transport were found to be affected by both, the tumor and the applied KD. Our results provide clear evidence of a significant molecular effect of KD in the context of tumor growth inhibition.

Polyhydroxyalcanoates (PHAs) are biodegradable polymers synthesized in cytoplasmic granules in bacteria, such as Cupriavidus necator (Ralstonia eutropha), Alcaligenes latus, Pseudomonas spp., Comamonas spp. and other species. PHAs accumulation occurs in response to stress conditions, i.e. under high carbon and low nitrogen (24:1 ratio). PHA can be synthesized using recombinant microorganisms (provided with the operon phbA/phbB/phbC), escaping the constrains of nutrient request, except addition of high amount of sugar (glucose, lactose, fructose). In this study; E. coli was genetically modified for PHB production in biofermentors. The production of PHA at industrial scale requires a continuous supplementation of fermentable sugars to support the availability of nutrients and to assess the level of the exponential growth phase; since sugars are required either for bacterial growth either for PHA synthesis and energy storage. The biofermentors need to be run in automated system. Sensors are used at many points in fermentators; in the evaluation of parameters: consumption of sugars; cell density; quantification of PHB synthesis. The need of operational control during the fermentation has prompted us to application of three measurements; one unit linked to a Nanodrop to evaluate OD; one linked to a reaction chamber to measure sugars consumed by enzyme based fluorescence detection; and one for bacteria Nile Blue staining and fluorescence intensity reads. The growth of bacteria on three different plant by-products was monitored and PHB production in four days using a banana by-product feed was optimised. These detectors will make possible to exploit the full potential of bioreactors optimizing the time of use and maximizing the number of bacteria synthesizing PHA.

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

Microplastics (MPs) quantification in benthic marine sediments is typically performed by time-consuming and moderately accurate mechanical separation and microscopy detection. In this paper we describe the results of our innovative Polymer Identification and Specific Analysis (PISA) of microplastic total mass, previously tested on either less complex sandy beach sediment or less demanding (because of the high MPs content) wastewater treatment plant sludges, applied to the analysis of benthic sediments from a sublittoral area north-west of Leghorn (Tuscany, Italy). Samples were collected from two shallow sites characterized by coarse debris in a mixed seabed of Posidonia oceanica, and by a very fine silty-organogenic sediment, respectively. After sieving at <2 mm the sediment was sequentially extracted with selective organic solvents and the two polymer classes polystyrene (PS) and polyolefins (PE and PP) were quantified by pyrolysis-GC/MS. A contamination in the 8-65 ppm range by PS could be accurately detected. Acid hydrolysis on the extracted residue to achieve total depolymerization of all natural and synthetic polyamides, tagging of all aminated species in the hydrolyzate with a fluorophore, and reversed-phase HPLC (RP-HPLC) analysis, allowed to quantify within the 137-1523 ppm range the individual mass of contaminating Nylon 6 and Nylon 6,6, based on the detected amounts of the respective monomeric amines 6-aminohexanoic acid (AHA) and hexanediamine (HMDA). Finally, alkaline hydrolysis of the residue from acid hydrolysis followed by RP-HPLC analysis of the purified hydrolysate showed contamination by polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in the 12.1-2.7 ppm range, based on the content of its comonomer, terephthalic acid.

Cenospheres are hollow particles in fly-ash, a by-product of coal burning, and are widely used as reinforcement for developing low density composites called syntactic foams. This study investigates the physical, chemical, and thermal properties of cenospheres obtained from 3 different sources, CS1, CS2, and CS3, for the development of syntactic foams. Description of floatation method to separate broken particles is given, and it was seen that up to 11 % of the particles were damaged. Post heat treatment samples show development of SiO2 phase in the cenosphere, which is not present in the as received product. CS3 had the highest quantity of Si element, compared to the other two, showing the difference in the source quality. The particle size distribution for CS2 is very narrow while for the others is much broader. All censopheres have porous walls but the morphology of CS2 is the most uniform and smooth. For the application of metallic layer and subsequent consolidation via spark plasma sintering, CS2 was deemed the most physically, thermally, and chemically suitable.

In this paper, a new approach to the sliding-mode control of single-phase inverters under linear and non-linear loads is introduced. The main idea behind this approach is to utilize a non-linear, flexible and multi-slope function in controller structure. This non-linear function makes the controller possible to control the inverter by a non-linear multi-slope sliding surface. In general, this sliding surface has two parts with different slopes in each part and the flexibility of the sliding surface makes the multi-slope sliding-mode controller (MSSMC) possible to reduce the total harmonic distortion, to improve the tracking accuracy, and to prevent overshoots leading to undesirable transient-states in output voltage which are occurred when the load current sharply rises. In order to improve the tracking accuracy and to reduce the steady-state error, an integral term of the multi-slope function is also added to the sliding surface. The improved performance of the proposed controller is confirmed by simulations and finally, the results of the proposed approach are compared with a conventional SMC and a SRFPI controller.

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

From the wide range of engineering materials traditional Stellite 6 alloy exhibits excellent cavitation erosion (CE) resistance. In this work, the effect of nitrogen ion implantation of HIPed Stellite 6 on the improvement of CE resistance and both cobalt-rich matrix phase transformation due to nitrogen implantation and CE were stated. The CE resistance of stellites ion-implanted by 120 keV N+ ions two fluences: 5x1016 cm-2 and 1x1017 cm-2 were comparatively analysed with the unimplanted stellite and AISI 304 stainless steel. CE tests were conducted according to ASTM G32 with stationary specimen method. Erosion rate curves and mean depth of erosion confirm that the nitrogen implanted HIPed Stellite 6 two times exceeds the resistance to CE than unimplanted stellite, and has almost 10 times higher CE reference than stainless steel. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirms that HIPed Stellite 6 nitrogen ion implantation favours transformation of the ɛ(hcp) to γ(fcc) structure. Unimplanted stellite ɛ-rich matirx is less prone to plastic deformation than γ and consequently, increase of γ phase effectively holds carbides in cobalt matrix and prevents Cr7C3 debonding. This phenomenon elongates three times the CE incubation stage, slows erosion rate and mitigates the material loss. Metastable γ structure formed by ion implantation consumes the cavitation load for work-hardening and γ → ɛ martensitic transformation. In further CE stages, phases transform as for unimplanted alloy namely, the cavitation-inducted recovery process, removal of strain, dislocations resulting in increase of fcc phase. The CE mechanism was investigated using a surface profilometer, atomic force microscopy, SEM-EDS and XRD. HIPed Stellite 6 wear behaviour relies on the plastic deformation of cobalt matrix, starting at Cr7C3/matrix interfaces. Once the Cr7C3 losing their restrain, are debonding and removed. Carbides detachment creates cavitation pits which initiate cracks propagation through cobalt matrix, the loss of matrix phase and CE proceeds with a detachment of massive chunk of materials.

By this contribution we would like to briefly highlight the problems in conceiving the “Hydrogen Bond” (HB) as a real short-range, directional, electrostatic, attractive interaction and to reframe its nature through the non-approximated view of condensed matter offered by a Quantum Electro-Dynamic (QED) perspective. We focus our attention on water, as the paramount case to show the effectiveness of this 40-years’ old theoretical background, which depicts water as a two-fluid system (where one of the two phases is coherent). The HB emerge to be the result of the electromagnetic field gradient in the coherent phase of water, whose vacuum level is lower than the non-coherent (gas-like) fraction. Thus, the HB can be properly looked at, i.e. no more as a “dipolar force” among molecules, but as the phenomenological effect of their collective thermodynamic tendency to occupy a lower ground-state, compatibly with temperature and pressure. This perspective allows to account for many “anomalous” behaviours of water and to understand why the calculated energy associated to HB should change when considering two molecules (water-dimer), or the liquid state, or the several kinds of ice. The emergence of a condensed, liquid, phase at room temperature is indeed the consequence of the boson condensation as described in the framework of spontaneous symmetry breakings (SSB). The switch from a still semi-classical Quantum Mechanical (QM) in the 1st quantization to a Quantum Field Theory (QFT) view embedded in the 2nd quantization is advocated for a more realistic and authentic description of water, condensed matter and living systems.

We consider the financial planning problem of a retiree wishing to enter a retirement village at a future uncertain date. The date of entry is determined by the retiree's utility and bequest maximisation problem within the context of uncertain future health states. In addition, the retiree must choose optimal consumption, investment, bequest and purchase of insurance products prior to her full annuitisation on entry to the retirement village. A hyperbolic absolute risk-aversion (HARA) utility function is used to allow necessary consumption for basic living and medical costs. The retirement village will typically require an initial deposit upon entry. This threshold wealth requirement leads to exercising the replication of an American put option at the uncertain stopping time. From our numerical results, active insurance and annuity markets are shown to be a critical aspect in retirement planning.

This study aimed to evaluate the safety and tolerability of STP1, a combination of ibudilast and bumetanide, tailored for the treatment of a specific subgroup of patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), namely ASD Phenotype 1 (ASD-Phen1). We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group phase 1b study with two 14-day treatment phases (registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT04644003). Nine ASD-Phen1 patients were administered STP1, while three received a placebo. We assessed safety and tolerability, along with electrophysiological markers, such as EEG, Auditory Habituation, and Auditory Chirp Synchronization, to better understand STP1's mechanism of action. Additionally, we used several clinical scales to measure treatment outcomes. The results showed that STP1 was safe and well-tolerated, with electrophysiological markers indicating a significant and dose-related reduction of gamma power in the whole brain and in brain areas associated with executive function and memory. Treatment with STP1 also increased alpha 2 power in frontal and occipital regions and improved habituation and neural synchronization to auditory chirps. Although numerical improvements were observed in several clinical scales, they did not reach statistical significance. Overall, this study suggests that STP1 is safe and well-tolerated in ASD-Phen1 patients and shows indirect target engagement in ASD brain regions of interest.

The early diagnosis of mastitis represents an essential factor for a prompt detection of the animal for further actions. In fact, if not culled, infected cows must be segregated from the milking herd and milked last, or milked with separate milking units. Besides microbiological analysis, the somatic cell count (SCC) commonly used as predictor of intramammary infection, frequently lead to a misclassification of milk samples. To overcome these limitations, more specific biomarkers are continuously evaluated. Total amino acid content increases significantly in mastitic milk compared to normal one. Bovine mastitis can arise as a result of infection of the mammary gland by Staphylococcus aureus. Multiplication of this bacterium within the mammary gland is required for infection to persist. S. aureus requires branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs: isoleucine, leucine, valine) for protein synthesis, branched-chain fatty acids synthesis and environmental adaptation by responding to their availability via transcriptional regulators. The importance of BCAAs for S. aureus physiology necessitates that it either synthesize them or scavenge them from the environment. Increase of BCAAs in composite milk has been postulated to be linked to mammary infection by S. aureus. In the present work, we demonstrated, by a direct ion-pairing reversed-phase method based on the use of the evaporative light-scattering detector (IP-RP-HPLC-ELSD), applied to 65 composite cow milk samples, a correlation between the concentration of isoleucine and leucine and S. aureus load.

An overview of the link between nonequilibrium thermodynamics and complexity theory is offered. It is shown how the rate of entropy production can be quantified through the spectrum of the Lyapunov exponents. It was shown how the entropy production per unit of time meets the necessary and sufficient conditions to be a Lyapunov function and constitutes per se an extremal principle. The entropy production fractal dimension conjecture was established. It is shown how the rate of entropy production as a non-extremal criterion represents an alternative way of sensitivity analysis of differential equations. Finally, an extension to biophysical-chemical systems, on the one hand, the use of the dissipation function is shown, as a thermodynamic potential out of equilibrium, in the characterization of biological phase transitions. On the other hand, it was evidenced how the rate of entropy production represents a physical quantity to evaluate the complexity and robustness of cancer.

The theory and working principle of fabric phase sorptive extraction (FPSE) is presented that eloquently explains the mystery behind this new and powerful sample preparation technique. FPSE innovatively integrates the benefits of sol-gel coating technology and the rich surface chemistry of cellulose/polyester/fiberglass fabric, resulting in a microextraction device with very high sorbent loading in the form of an ultra-thin coating. This porous sorbent coating and the permeable substrate synergistically facilitate very fast extraction equilibrium. The flexibility of the FPSE device allows for direct insertion into original, unmodified samples of different origin. Strong chemical bonding between the sol-gel sorbent and the fabric substrate permits the exposure of FPSE devices to any organic solvent for analyte back-extraction/elution and to highly acidic or basic environments (pH 1-12) if required. A sol-gel derived sorbent, highly polar sol-gel poly(ethylene glycol) coating, was generated on cellulose substrates. Five cm2 segments of these coated fabrics were used as the FPSE devices for sample preparation using direct immersion. An important class of environmental pollutants, substituted phenols, was used as model compounds to evaluate the extraction performance of FPSE. The high primary contact surface area (PCSA) of the FPSE device and porous structure of the sol-gel coatings resulted in very high sample capacities and incredible extraction sensitivities for both the compound classes in a relatively short period of time. Different extraction parameters were evaluated and optimized. The new extraction devices demonstrated part per trillion level detection limits for substituted phenols, a wide range of detection linearity, and good performance reproducibility.

The star matter composed of nucleons deep inside the compact star like a neutron star is believed to be very dense and various new types of concepts and physical phenomena due to the nontrivial strong correlations are naturally expected. Peudo-conformality in dense star matter has been discussed recently assuming the hidden underlying scale symmetry, which is partly supported by the recent discussions of infrared conformal window of QCD. It is found that the appearance of dilaton and the dilatonic mean field calculation of nucleonic matter lead to the density independent nucleon mass at higher density regime than normal nuclear matter density. Non-vanishing constant nucleon mass can be considered as a chiral invariant mass of the parity doublet model, in which the chiral symmetry is manifested even in the massive nucleon sector provided with a parity doubling. In this paper we will discuss how the chiral and scale symmetry are correlated to lead the parity doublet symmetry inside the core of the compact star. A simple schematic model is adopted. The star matter at T=0 is basically composed of the nucleons. As a first approximation, they can be treated as free fermions with the effective mass filled up to fermi surface. There is a nontrivial feature due to the interplay between vector meson and nucleon(or equivalently dilaton, χ). The trace of energy momentum tensor approaches density independent, the pseudo-conformal phase. Local fluctuations inside the star matter will be travelling with the speed of sound which depends on the equation of state. In the pseudo-conformal phase, the speed of sound approaches to the conformal velocity for the scale symmetric matter, vc=13c. The excitations of the parity doublets in the compact star matter as an emerging phenomena in pseudo-conformal phase will be discussed in connection to the chiral symmetry. The possible implication on the corespondence of hadrons to quark degrees of freedom will be briefly discussed.

An immiscible blend of poly(hydroxy ether of bisphenol-A) (phenoxy) and poly(1,4-butylene terephthalate) (PBT) with phase separation was observed in as-blended samples. However, compatibilization of the phenoxy/PBT blends can be promoted through chemical exchange reactions of phenoxy with PBT upon annealing. In contrast to the as-blended samples, the annealed phenoxy/PBT blends had a homogeneous phase with a single T_g that could be enhanced by annealing at 260°C. Infrared (IR) spectroscopy demonstrated that phase homogenization could be promoted by annealing of the phenoxy/PBT blend, where alcoholytic exchange occurred between the dangling hydroxyl group in phenoxy and the carbonyl group in PBT in the heated blends. The alcoholysis reaction changes the aromatic linkages to aliphatic linkages in carbonyl groups, which initially led to the formation of a graft copolymer of phenoxy and PBT with an aliphatic/aliphatic carbonyl link. The progressive alcoholysis reaction resulted in the transformation of the initial homopolymers into block copolymers and finally into random copolymers, which promoted phase compatibilization in blends of phenoxy with PBT. Due to the fact that the amount of copolymers increased upon annealing, crystallization of PBT was inhibited by alcoholytic exchange in the blends.

The utilization of selective laser melting (SLM) for high entropy alloys (HEAs) holds significant promise in commercial applications, and substantial experimental research efforts have been directed toward this domain. To take advantage of the reported experimental data of SLM manufactured (SLM-ed) HEAs and reduce unnecessary experimentation, this study incorporates machine learning (ML) techniques for the phase and tensile properties prediction of SLM-ed HEAs, thus presenting a novel avenue for accelerating the discovery of new SLM-ed HEAs. Through the adjustment of material descriptors and machine learning models, a model has been developed with an impressive accuracy of 93.8% in distinguishing between face-centered cubic (FCC), body-centered cubic (BCC), and dual-phase (FCC+BCC). Additionally, optimized models have been devised for the prediction of tensile properties, namely ultimate tensile strength (UTS), yield strength (YS), and elongation (δ), achieving noteworthy MAPEs (mean absolute percentage errors) of 10.33%, 8.55%, and 28.48%, respectively. Furthermore, several HEAs were fabricated using SLM, and the experimental outcomes exhibited a favorable alignment with the predicted results. These efforts carry significant implications in advancing the utilization of SLM for HEAs.

Leaf mass per area (LMA) is a key structural parameter that reflects the functional traits of leaves and plays a vital role in simulating the material and energy cycle of plant ecosystems. In this study, vertical whorl-by-whorl sampling of LMA was conducted in a young Larix principis-rupprechtii plantation during the growing season at the Saihanba Forest Farm. The vertical and seasonal variations in LMA were analysed. Subsequently, a predictive model of LMA was constructed. The results revealed that the LMA varied significantly between different crown whorls and growing periods. In the vertical direction of the crown, the LMA decreased with increasing crown depth, but the range of LMA values from the tree top to the bottom was, on average, 30.4 g/m2, which was approximately 2.5 times greater in the fully expanded phase than in the early leaf-expanding phase. The LMA exhibited an allometric growth trend that increased during the leaf-expanding phase and then tended to stabilize. However, the range of LMA values throughout the growing period was, on average, 40.4 g/m2. Among the univariate models, the leaf dry matter content (LDMC) performed well (Ra2=0.45, RMSE=13.48 g/m2) in estimating the LMA. The correlation between LMA and LDMC significantly differed at different growth stages and at different vertical crown whorls. The dynamic predictive model of LMA constructed with the RDINC and DOY as independent variables was reliable in both the assessments (Ra2=0.68, RMSE=10.25 g/m2) and the validation (MAE=8.05 g/m2, FI=0.682). Dynamic simulations of crown LMA provide a basis for elucidating the mechanism of crown development and laying the foundation for the construction of an ecological process model..

The article is devoted to the research of economic cycles and crises, which are studied within the framework of the theory of long waves by N. D. Kondratiev (K-waves) using the mathematical apparatus of fractional calculus. The object of the study is the mathematical model of S.V. Dubovsky 3 and some of its modifications, which describe the dynamics of the economic system, characterizing the interaction between the efficiency of new technologies and the efficiency of capital productivity. Modifications in the model are determined by the following points: the mathematical model takes into account the dependence of the rate of accumulation on capital productivity, there is an external harmonic influence - the influx of investments and new technological solutions, the economic system has heredity, including time-dependent, which leads to a delayed effect - the system’s response to impact. The property of heredity in the mathematical model is taken into account using fractional derivatives of constant and variable orders. Mathematical model S.V. Dubovsky and its modifications are studied numerically using the Adams-Bashforth-Moulton algorithm. Oscillograms and phase trajectories are constructed, and an interpretation of the simulation results is given.

A homogenization of billets from Al-Cu-Li-Mg-Sc-Zr alloys should be accomplished at high annealing temperatures exceeding 500 °C. This type of aluminum alloy is susceptible to the depletion of surface layers from Li. Therefore, choosing a suitable homogenization temperature and duration is a crucial step in assuring a homogeneous distribution of alloying elements and optimal exploitation of the potential of the alloy. In-situ heating in an electron microscope was performed on a twin-roll cast Al-Cu-Li-Mg-Sc-Zr alloy to understand the peculiarities of the homogenization process. Four types of primary phase particles rich in Cu, Li, Mg, and Fe were identified in the as-cast material. They appear as coarse particles at the boundaries of eutectic cells. Their partial dissolution occurs at temperatures above 450 °C. They are almost fully dissolved at 550 °C, except for complex phases containing Fe and Cu. Small dimensions of eutectic cells in the range of 10 µm assure a homogeneous distribution of main alloying elements within the matrix after 20 min of annealing. Direct comparison with the same material prepared by mold-casting indicates that such short annealing times result in the dissolution of main primary phase particles but do not assure a homogeneous distribution of alloying elements in the whole volume of the specimen.

A revised reversed Carnot cycle without external heat source and temperature gap is proposed to challenge the classic reversed Carnot cycle, heat pumps based on the proposed cycle with super energy efficiency works just like electric heater fitted for any climate including extreme cold weather, the application of these new heat pumps is discussed with conclusion that little real obstacles exist for scale application to address the heating related climate change, also a demonstration case shows a remarkable results to encourage the applications of these new heat pumps.

In this paper, we identify several relative ordering properties of the modified proportional hazard rate and modified proportional reversed hazard rate models. For this purpose, we use two well-known relative orderings, namely the relative hazard rate ordering and the relative reversed hazard rate ordering. The investigation is to see how a relative ordering between two possible base distributions for the response distributions in these models is preserved when the parameters of the underlying models are changed. We will give some examples to illustrate the results and the conditions under which they are obtained.

Despite the successes earned in cataloguing and finding the role of the most of molecular components in living matter, the “biochemical and molecular” perspective, popular in biology, medicine and genetics, is unable to give account for crucial topics as the faculty of living systems to “feel”, to “perceive” what a given stimulus implies (means, indeed) for their survival. Condensed matter physics too, if bounded to a local, short-range, and perturbative approach, fails dramatically. This is also due to the role commonly assigned to water – actually the main constituent of living matter – deemed for long time to be merely chemical (as “solvent” or a reactant/product). Nonetheless, today many evidences show how living matter can be right conceived as a super-structured coherent water-based matrix, suggesting that the characterization of bio(electro)chemical and physical processes undertaken at molecular level in living matter, would let us unable to answer a question like this: what allows an amoeba, moreover without any neurons, to “know” to get closer to a nutrient or escape away from a toxin? I propose that to pursue such a fundamental inquiry it’s necessary an essentially relational approach, that is: to consider the living being at its grounding as the outcome of a physical history of relationships where symmetry-breakings, dissipation and coherence yield the emergence of the living state of matter, conceivable only as a time-dependent open process, and not as a portraited “body”. The effective tools to build up such an approach may be retrieved in far-from-equilibrium thermodynamics (TD), symmetry-breakings and gauge-fields theory, science of complexity, within the framework of a Quantum Field Theory. Indeed, within a field-view of matter, and of water especially, as it has been developed by a Quantum Electrodynamic (QED) description of condensed matter, it’s possible to give account for a physical basis too such an epistemologically elusive, though crucial, feature of living systems (i.e.: perception and meaning). The emerging landscape allows some important meditations about adaptation, evolution, ecodynamics, and about different conceptions of complexity and “information” in living realm. Furthermore, some neuroscientific themes like consciousness, qualia and their links to artificial intelligence could be supplied with due insights.

If we accept that human body is a dissipative structure, then the recovery of the body should be considered as a redirection of the enegy flows. The recovery of vertebral cartilage through redirecting of inner dissipative flow requires the understanding of how is this case the fact of reversibility can be proven. We proposed the approach, that according to the collected data, satisfies all the scientific requirements.

A rapid and efficient method using an alkyl functionalized magnetic nanoparticles-based extraction technique combined with Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography was developed for the detection of trace amounts of polycystic aromatic hydrocarbons in tea leaves. As a popular coating for chromatographic column packing materials, C18-alkyl has been demonstrated to be effective in separating polycystic aromatic hydrocarbons. And the magnetism of the nanomaterials accelerates the extraction process while their high surface ratio enables desirable dispersity in the sample matrix. Meanwhile, the adsorbents can be washed and reused 30 times without compromise on recovery, which greatly reduced the budget. The effects of various parameters were investigated and optimized, and the recoveries for five analytes were in the range of 84.8–103.7%. The reproducibility rate of intra-day and inter-day were below 7.1% and 11.3% respectively. The limits of detection and limits of quantification ranged from 1.69–9.97 ng g-1 and 5.12–30.21 ng g-1, indicating satisfactory sensitivity. Thus, the proposed methodology is rapid, highly efficient, and economical, and it expands the application of magnetic cleanup approaches in complex food matrices.

Doppler findings of persistent reverse end-diastolic flow (PREDF) in a fetal middle cerebral artery (MCA) are a very rare sonographic finding and are a marker of poor fetal condition. This finding often leads to intrauterine fetal death or early neonatal death. The reverse end-diastolic flow in the middle cerebral artery is the terminal hemodynamic event. Fetal cerebral circulation normally has a high impedance; in the event of fetal hypoxemia, impedance decreases, resulting in the central redistribution of blood flow to vital organs, which maintains the oxygen delivery to the brain. Reverse flow in the middle cerebral arteries describes the loss of this autoregulatory process. PREDF is a sequence happening due to increased extracranial or intracranial pressure. Previous case reports mentioned intracranial hemorrhage, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), fetal anemia, and fetal hepatic abnormalities as leading problems to PREDF. This condition presumably arises due to cerebral edema associated with severe hypoxemia. We reported Doppler findings of PREDF MCA in a 33-year-old female at 30 weeks gestation who was referred to the hospital with severe preeclampsia accompanied by IUGR and oligohydramnios. A cesarean section was performed due to severe preeclampsia and a low bishop score. Hypotheses on various etiologies and their association with intrauterine/neonatal death as well as the best management still require further investigation.

Theoretical and experimental approaches have been applied to study the polymer physics under-lying compaction of DNA in the bacterial nucleoid. Knowledge of the compaction mechanism is necessary to obtain a mechanistic understanding of the process of segregation of replicating chromosome arms (replichores) during the cell cycle. In the first part of this review light microscope observations are discussed that have demonstrated that the nucleoid has a lower refractive index and thus a lower density than the cytoplasm. A polymer-physical explanation for this phenomenon was given by the theory of Theo Odijk pro-posed in 1998. By assuming a phase separation between nucleoid and cytoplasm and by imposing equality of osmotic pressure and chemical potential between the two phases, a minimal energy situation is obtained in which soluble proteins are depleted from the nucleoid, thus explaining its lower density. The theory is compared with recent views for DNA compaction that are based on mere exclusion of polyribosomes from the nucleoid or on the transcriptional activity of the cell. These new views raise the question of whether they can still explain the lower refractive index or density of the nucleoid. In the second part of this review the question is discussed how DNA segregation occurs in Esche-richia coli, in the absence of the so-called active ParABS system, present in the majority of bacteria. How is entanglement prevented of nascent chromosome arms, generated at the origin in the pa-rental network of the E. coli nucleoid? The observations of the groups of Sherratt and Hansen in 2006, that the four nascent chromosome arms synthesized in the initial replication bubble, segre-gate to opposite halves of the sister nucleoids implies that extensive intermingling of daughter strands does not occur. Based on the hypothesis that leading and lagging replichores synthesized in the replication bubble, fold into micro-domains that do not intermingle, a passive "four-excluding-arms model" for segregation is proposed. This model implies that the key for seg-regation already lies in the structure of the replication bubble at the very start of DNA replication; it explains the different patterns of chromosome arms as well as the segregation distances between replicated loci as experimentally observed.

A quantitative description of the second law of thermodynamics in small scale systems and over short time scales comes from various fluctuation theorems. The applicability of the transient fluctuation theorem in particular to small scale systems perturbed from an initial equilibrium steady-state distribution has been demonstrated both theoretically and experimentally in several works over the past few decades. In addition, some experimental works in the past have also made successful attempts to demonstrate the applicability of the fluctuation theorem to small scale systems evolving from a certain nonequilibrium steady-state distribution over relatively long time scales. To this end, this paper seeks to demonstrate the transient fluctuation theorem for a Brownian particle confined within a power-law trapping potential by following the trajectory of the particle that itself is translating linearly along one dimension with constant acceleration in a viscous fluid. Considered herein is an idealized version of this model, in that it is assumed that the force of the trapping potential is only felt by the translating Brownian particle confined within the trap, and that this Brownian particle moves relative to the fluid molecules that are held stationary. The results presented herein show that the transient fluctuation theorem applies not only to equilibrium steady-state distributions but also to nonequilibrium steady-state distributions of an ideal colloidal system in an accelerated frame of reference in the asymptotic (long-time) limit.

Fluorescent labels, especially FRET probes, are promising tools for studying a number of bio-chemical processes. In this paper, we promoted 2 important applications of FRET probes (MUTMAC-R6G and FITC-R6G): i) the formation of micelles from surfactants of various natures and polymers (chitosan – fatty acid), as well as ii) monitoring of enzymatic activity with improved parameters (increased analytical signal and improved selectivity due to shift to the long-wavelength region). The formation of micelles is accompanied by the convergence of fluorophores in the hydrophobic micelle core by a distance closer than in the buffer solution, thus r/R0 (where R0 – Foerster radius) is chosen as an analytical signal of micelle formation, including critical micelle concentration (CMC) and critical pre-micelle concentration (CPMC). The CMC values calculated using FRET probes are in a good agreement with literature data. At the same time, the r/R0 function provides valuable information about the nature and mechanism of micelle formation. With the second analytical application of FRET probes, we considered the optimization of techniques for studying enzymatic activity. The enzyme catalyses the reaction with the release of a fluorescent product, the signal from which may not be enough for detection, or it may be quenched, for example, in the reverse micelles (AOT-octane). Here we have proposed a solution – a FRET probe containing a rhodamine 6G (R6G) acceptor, which allows us to monitor the enzymatic reaction selectively (in the red region, 550-600 nm), and obtain a significantly higher fluorescence yield (potentially from 10 to 250 times). Thus, we have demonstrated a high potential for the FRET probes application as indicators of micelle formation as well as for the study of the enzyme catalytic activity. In the future, the method developed has prospects for application in the visualization of the enzyme functioning in cells due to the shift of the fluorescence signal to the long-wavelength region with an increase in the signal selectivity to suppress autofluorescence.

Essential oils (EOs) have great potential in inhalation therapy for the treatment of respiratory infections, however, innovative methods for evaluation of antimicrobial activity of their vapors are still needed. The current study reports validation of the broth macrodilution volatilization method for assessment of the antibacterial properties of EOs and shows growth-inhibitory effect of Indian medicinal plants against pneumonia-causing bacteria in liquid and vapor phase. Among all samples tested, Trachyspermum ammi EO exhibited the strongest antibacterial effect against Haemophilus influenzae, with minimum inhibitory concentrations of 128 and 256 µg/mL in the liquid and vapor phases, respectively. Furthermore, Cyperus scariosus EO was found to be non-toxic to normal lung fibroblasts were assessed by modified thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide assay. Chemical analysis performed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry identified α-citral, cyperotundone, and thymol as the main constituents of Cymbopogon citratus, C. scariosus, and T. ammi EOs, respectively. In addition, β-cymene was identified as the major compound of T. ammi EO vapors when analyzed using solid-phase microextraction and gas-tight syringe sampling techniques. This study demonstrates the validity of the broth macrodilution volatilization method for antimicrobial screening of volatile compounds in the vapor phase and suggests the thera-peutic potential of Indian medicinal plants in inhalation therapy.

Viral infections can endanger public health by causing serious illness, leading to pandemics and burdening healthcare systems. Moreover, in the situation of a global spread, disruptions occur in every aspect of life including business, education, and social life. Fast and accurate diagnosis of viral infections has huge implications for saving people’s lives, preventing spread of the diseases, and minimizing social and economic damages. In the last decades, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based techniques have been frequently used to detect viruses in the clinic. However, in a situation where rapid virus detection is the primary measure in preventing the spread, as in the case of ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, disadvantages of PCR, such as long processing times and requirement of sophisticated laboratory instruments, have been faced. Due to the urgent need for accurate techniques for virus detection, biosensor systems involved in many applications in biological detection are being developed for rapid, real-time, and high-throughput detection of viruses. Among various sensing platforms, optical devices are of great interest due to their advantages such as high sensitivity and direct readout. In the current review, usability of sensing techniques depending on optical phenomena, such as fluorescence-based sensors, surface plasmon resonance (SPR), surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), optical resonators and interferometry-based platforms, is discussed for virus diagnostics applications. Then, we focus on an interferometric biosensor developed by our group, single-particle interferometric reflectance imaging sensor (SP-IRIS), which has the capability to visualize single nanoparticles, to demonstrate its application for digital virus detection.

That how to improve the sensitivity and the detection ability of the Large-caliber sensor is critical to satisfy the requirement of heavy vehicle wear condition monitoring. In this paper, we introduced the LC resonance principle to the design of sensor with large flow channel (7mm). The resonant exciting coil increases the impedance change of the exciting circuit caused by wear particles which magnify the current difference between the two exciting coils and improve the sensitivity of the sensor. The resonant induction coil greatly suppresses the interference signals and magnifies the weak induced electromotive force which is beneficial to enhance the detection ability. In order to boost the detectability for different materials particles, a phase controlled variable-frequency exciting system (PCVFES) was adopted to automatically switch the exciting frequency between 284kHz for ferromagnetic particles and 420KHz for non-ferromagnetic particles. For the weak signal detection, based on the essential characteristic of the signal, we apply a simpler method that modified lock-in amplifier (MLIA) rather than the conventional algorithms (Wavelet transform, EMD). Results show that using these methods the sensitivity and the detection ability of the sensor are significantly improved and the 75μm iron particles and 220μm copper particles were successfully detected which realizes the initial abnormal wear monitoring for the large flow project.

Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) bending structure is widely used in the aviation field. The occurrence and propagation of delamination damage will reduce the safety of in-service bending structures. As a detection tool with high damage sensitivity, Lamb wave can effectively identify delamination damage. In this study, the signal difference coefficient (SDC) was introduced to quantify delamination damage and evaluate the sensitivity of A0 and S0 mode lamb waves to delamination damage. The simulation results show that compared with the S0 mode Lamb wave, the A0 mode Lamb wave exhibits higher delamination damage sensitivity. The delamination damage can be quantified based on the strong correlation between the SDC and the delamination damage size. The control effect of the linear array PZT phase time-delay method on Lamb wave mode was investigated by simulation. The phase time-delay method realizes the generation of a single-mode Lamb wave, which can separately excite the A0 mode and S0 mode Lamb wave to identify delamination damage of different sizes. The A0 mode Lamb wave was excited by the developed one-dimensional linear comb transducer (LCT), which was used to conduct the detection experiment on the CFRP bending plate with delamination damage sizes of Φ6.0 mm, Φ10.0 mm, and Φ15.0 mm. The experimental results verify the correctness of the simulation. According to the Hermite interpolation results of the finite-element simulation data, the relationship between the delamination damage size and the SDC was fitted by the Gaussian function, which can accurately quantify the delamination damage. The absolute error of the delamination damage quantification with fitting expression is not larger than 0.8 mm, and the percentage error is not more than 8%.

It is strongly desirable to accurately detect the clouds in hyperspectral images onboard before compression. However, conventional onboard cloud detection methods are not appropriate to all situation such as shadowed cloud or darken snow covered surfaces which are not identified properly in the NDSI test. In this paper, we propose a new spectral–spatial classification strategy to enhance the orbiting cloud screen performances obtained on hyperspectral images by integrating threshold exponential spectral angle map (TESAM), adaptive Markov random field (aMRF) and dynamic stochastic resonance (DSR). TESAM is performed to classify the cloud pixels coarsely based on spectral information. Then aMRF is performed to do optimal process by using spatial information, which improved the classification performance significantly. Some misclassification points still exist after aMRF processing because of the noisy data in the onboard environment. DSR is used to eliminate misclassification points in binary labeling image after aMRF. Taking level 0.5 data from hyperion as dataset, the average overall accuracy of the proposed algorithm is 96.28% after test. The method can provide cloud mask for the on-going EO-1 images and related satellites with the same spectral settings without manual intervention. The experiment indicate that the proposed method reveals better performance than the classical onboard cloud detection or current state-of-the-art hyperspectral classification methods.

In this research, atomistic molecular dynamics simulations are combined with mesoscopic phase-field computational methods in order to investigate phase-transformation in polycrystalline Aluminum microstructure. In fact, microstructural computational modeling of engineering materials could help to optimize their mechanical properties for industrial applications (e.g. directional solidification for turbine blades). As a result, a multiscale modeling approach is developed to find a relation between manufacturing variables (e.g. temperature) and microstructural properties of crystalline materials (e.g. grain size), which could be used to develop an advanced manufacturing process for sensitive applications. The results show that atomistic modeling of grain growth could be used as a first-principle approach in order to study phase transformation's kinetics, which could capture morphology of polycrystalline materials more accurately. On the other hand, phase-field mesoscopic approach needs less computational efforts, but still it relies on semi-empirical data to capture accurate phase transformation regimes, which makes this approach suitable for rapid examining of new manufacturing conditions as well as its effects on microstructural properties of polycrystalline materials.

Urination on carpet and subflooring can develop into persistent and challenging to mitigate odor. Very little or no information is published on how these VOCs change over time when urine is deposited on the carpet covering a plywood-type subflooring. This research has investigated the VOCs emitted from carpet+subflooring (control), carpet+subflooring sprayed with water (control with moisture), and cat urine-contaminated carpet+subflooring (treatment) over time (day 0 and 15). In addition, the effect of popular cleaning products on VOCs emitted and evaluated their efficacy in eliminating those indoor odors over time (day 0 and 15). Carpet-subflooring with all treatments were also contaminated with Micrococcus luteus, nonmotile obligate aerobe commonly found in household dust, to observe the impact of the aerobe on carpet-subflooring VOCs emission. VOCs emitted from carpet+subflooring receiving different treatments were collected from headspace using solid-phase microextraction (SPME). The VOCs were analyzed using a multidimensional gas chromatography-mass spectrometer attached to an olfactometry (GC-MS-O). Many common VOCs were released from the carpet on day one and day fifteen, specifically from urine contamination. Cleaning products were effective in masking several potent odors of cat urine contaminated carpet VOCs on day one but unable to remove the odor appeared on day 15 in most cases.

The frequency synthesizer is a critical component in Cs beam clock technology. In this paper, we present a demonstration of a direct microwave frequency-synthesis chain for a cesium-beam atomic clock, which utilizes frequency multiplication and a dual-phase-locked loop mode. A detailed analysis of the frequency-synthesis chain is conducted, and a mathematical model is established. The phase settling time and system stability are simulated, measured, and verified. The experimental results for the phase settling time align with the simulation outcomes. The phase settling time can be adjusted within the range of 644.5 µs to 1.5 ms, and the absolute phase noise values are -63.7 dBc/Hz, -75.7 dBc/Hz, -107.1 dBc/Hz, and -122.5 dBc/Hz at 1 Hz, 10 Hz, 1 kHz, and 10 kHz offset frequencies, respectively. Additionally, the Ramsey fringes are detected, and the Allan deviations of the 10 MHz output from the cesium-beam atomic clock are measured to be 2.99×10−12 at 1s and 8.02×10−14 at 10,000 s.

This paper reports a novel fabric phase sorptive extraction-high performance liquid chromatography-ultra violet detection (FPSE-HPLC-UV) method for the simultaneous extraction and analysis of four phenyltin derivatives that include triphenyltin hydroxide, triphenyltin acetate, triphenyltin chloride and tetraphenyltin in environmental water (agricultural waste water and municipal waste water) and canned food samples. The selected analytes were well resolved by Waters Nova pack C18 column (3.9 x 150 mm, 4 µm particle size) in isocratic elution mode within 15 minutes. The new microextraction media has been analytically evaluated using phenyltin derivatives as model compounds. The factors affecting the extraction efficiency of FPSE have been evaluated and the optimum extraction conditions were determined. Under these optimum conditions, the limits of detection (LODs) for sol-gel C18 coated fabric phase sorptive extraction (FPSE) media in combination with HPLC-UV for the analysis of the phenyltin derivatives were in the range of 10-100 ng/mL with high precision (low relative standard deviation) at 10 ng/mL concentration with good absolute recoveries. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first FPSE extraction procedure applied to environmental water and canned food samples for the simultaneous determination of phenyltin derivatives and could be readily adopted as a rapid and robust green analytical tool for routine environmental and food analytical laboratories.

In this paper, intrusion detection systems are thoroughly investigated utilizing the CSE-CIC-IDS-2018 dataset. The research is divided into three key phases: first, applying Data Cleaning, Exploratory Data Analysis, and Data Normalization techniques (min-max and z-score) for preparing data across distinct classifiers. Second, feature importance is reduced using a combination of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Random Forest (RF), with the goal of improving processing speed and decreasing model complexity. This stage comprises a comparison with the entire dataset. Finally, machine learning algorithms (XGBoost, CART, DT, KNN, MLP, RF, LR, and Bayes) are applied to specific features and preprocessing approaches. Surprisingly, the XGBoost, DT, and RF models outperform in both ROC values and CPU runtime. Following evaluation, which includes PCA and RF feature selection, an optimal set is produced.

We investigate numerically the interactions of in-phase Airy beams modulated by a fundamental Gaussian beam and fourth-order diffraction in Kerr nonlinear media. Directly numerical simulations show that normal (anomalous) fourth-order diffractions and in-phase (out-of-phase) Gaussian beam affect the interactions of solitons generated from Airy beams in unique manners. Different from previous results that interactions between in-phase (out-of-phase) conventional beams are always attractive (repulsive), many anomalous interactions of Airy beams are obtained. Stable bound states of breathing Airy soliton pairs can be formed with the help of fourth-order diffraction and fundamental Gaussian beam.

The development of mineral resources in China has gradually entered the stage of deep mining. Rock burst, collapse and other ground pressure disasters caused by deep high stress have become major hidden dangers restricting mine safety production. Microseismic monitoring technology is an important means of ground pressure risk prediction. In this paper, the wavelet coefficient threshold denoising method in time-frequency domain, STA/LTA method, AIC method, Skew and Kurtosis method are studied, and the automatic P-phase onset time picking model based on noise reduction and multiple detection indexes is established. Through the effect analysis of microseismic signals collected by microseismic monitoring system of coral Tungsten Mine in Guangxi, automatic P-phase onset time picking is realized. the reliability of the P-phase onset time picking method proposed in this paper based on noise reduction and multiple detection indexes is verified. The picking accuracy can still be guaranteed under the severe signal interference of background noise, power frequency interference and manual activity underground mine, Which is of great significance to the data processing and analysis of microseismic monitoring.

We study an air-fluidized granular monolayer, composed in this case of plastic spheres, which roll on a metallic grid. The air current is adjusted so that the spheres never loose contact with the grid, so that the dynamics may be regarded as pseudo two-dimensional (or two-dimensional, if the effects of sphere rolling are not taken into account). We find two surprising continuous transitions, both of them displaying two coexisting phases. Moreover, in all cases, we found the coexisting phases display strong energy non-equipartition. In the first transition, at weak fludization, a glassy phase coexists with a disordered fluid-like phase. In the second transition, a hexagonal crystal coexists with the fluid phase. We analyze, for these two-phase systems, the specific diffusive properties of each phase, as well as the velocity correlations. Surprisingly, we find a glass phase at very low packing fraction and for a wide range of granular temperatures. Both phases are characterized also by a strong anti-correlated velocities upon collision. Thus, the dynamics observed for this quasi two-dimensional system unveils phase transitions with peculiar properties, very different from the predicted behavior in well know theories for their equilibrium counterparts.

In this paper, the Phase-Scheduled-Command FXLMS algorithm with the phase error between the disturbance and command signal is analyzed in detail. The influence of the phase error on the convergence time constant, convergence rate, and performance of convergence is explained for both stationary and nonstationary disturbance signals case. For stationary disturbance, the phase error slightly increases the convergence rate but heavily increases the distance of the optimum vector from the initial value, leading to poor convergence time constant performance. For nonstationary disturbance, the existence of phase error leads to poor convergence performance in every step, resulting in poor sound profiling performance. And the estimation of the phase error influence is developed in the closed form. Simulations are performed to demonstrate the validity of the analysis results.

In the author's opinion, many global problems that face humanity - in the fields of education, medicine, management etc can be tackled more effectively if the cyclic nature of self-reproducing systems – including living beings – is taken into account. Summarizing the main physiological findings of the last decades on "adaptation reactions", one can very roughly say that the way of action which is effective in the sense of productive activity of people happens at the same time to be healthy, and it gives the participants of the process the feeling of happiness. The present paper represents a very short overview of the contemporary concepts of the adaptation reactions based on the fundamental understanding of their cyclic nature due to general properties of self-reproducing systems. One interesting feature of self-reproduction cycles is its first "phase of orientation" which was not discussed in detail in the past but plays a key role in the whole cycle.

Ni-Al alloys have good corrosion-resistant properties making them preferable as a material of choice compared to ordinary metals. A good understanding of the phase diagram and thermodynamic properties of the Ni-Al alloy binary system is essential in determining relevant industrial applications of the system. The Ni-Al phase diagram is being reassessed since those found in the literatures are based on very old experimental studies. The phase diagram and thermodynamic properties of the Ni-Al alloy is determined using the Thermo-Calc 2022b software over a temperature range of 200 K to 2000 K and 1 atm of pressure. A total of nineteen fields (including elemental Al and Ni) comprising of five single solid phases, one liquid phase, and twelve double regions was obtained from the equilibrium calculation. The thermodynamic calculation has six invariant reactions comprising of two eutectic reactions (914.83 ± 0.025 K and 1641.80 ± 0.025 K), three peritectic reactions (1123.55 ± 0.025 K, 1400.72 ± 0.025 K and 1642.65 ± 0.025 K), and one peritectoid reaction (913.96 ± 0.025 K). The solubility of Al in Ni is also determined. The Thermo-Calc temperature – composition of the Ni-Al alloy is compared with the existing experimental studies to identify the physical properties of the different thermodynamic properties of the Ni-Al alloy binary system.

The evolving multiphase induction generators (MPIG) with more than three phases are receiving prominence in high power generation systems. This paper aims at the development of a comprehensive model of the wind turbine driven seven-phase induction generator (7PIG) along with necessary the power electronic converters and controller for grid interface. The dynamic model of the system is developed in Maltlab/Simulink. Synchronous reference frame phase-locked loop (SRFPLL) system is incorporated for grid synchronization. The modeling aspects are detailed and the system response is observed for various wind velocities. The effectiveness of seven phase induction generator is demonstrated with the fault tolerant capability and high output power with reduced phase current when compared to conventional 3-phase wind generation scheme. The response of the PLL is analyzed and the results are presented.

Fabric phase sorptive extraction (FPSE) combines the advanced material properties of sol–gel derived microextraction sorbents and the flexible and permeable fabric support to create a robust, simple and green sample preparation device. It simultaneously improves the extraction sensitivity, and the speed of the extraction by incorporating high volume of sponge-like porous sol–gel hybrid inorganic–organic sorbents into permeable fabric substrates that is capable of extracting target analytes directly from simple to complex aqueous sample matrices. For the first time, this technique was applied to the trace level determination of selected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in environmental water samples using a non-polar sol–gel C18 coated FPSE media. Several extraction parameters were optimized to improve extraction efficiency and to achieve high detection sensitivity. Validation tests of spiked samples showed good linearity for four selected PAHs (R² = 0.9983–0.9997) over a wide range of concentrations (0.010-10 ng/mL). Limits of detection (LODs) and quantification (LOQs) were measured at pg/mL levels, 0.1–1 pg/mL and 0.3–3 pg/mL, respectively. Inter- and intra-day precision tests showed variations of 1.1–4.1% for four selected PAHs. Average absolute recovery values were in the range of 88.1–90.5% surpassed the recovery prediction model, with relative standard deviations below 5%. The developed FPSE-HPLC-FLD protocol was finally applied to analyze 8 environmental water samples. Out of four selected PAHs, fluoranthene (Flu) and phenanthrene (Phen) were the most frequently detected in four samples, at concentration levels of 5.6–7.7 ng/mL and 4.1-11 ng/mL, respectively followed by anthracene (Anth) and pyrene (Pyr) in two samples. The newly developed FPSE-HPLC-FLD protocol is simple, green, fast and economical, with adequate sensitivity for trace levels of four selected PAHs and seems to be promising in routine monitoring of water quality and safety.

Super duplex stainless steel (SDSS) is used for manufacturing large valves and pipes in offshore plants because of its excellent strength and corrosion resistance. Large valves and pipes are manufactured by forging after casting, and the outside and inside microstructures are different owing to the difference in the cooling rate caused by the thermal conductivity. This microstructural variation causes cracks during solution annealing, which breaks the materials. To study toe corrosion resistance of the SDSS forged material, the microstructure was conducted based on the difference in the cooling rate between the inside and outside of the cast SDSS. To analyze the effects of the secondary phase fraction before solution annealing on the solution and corrosion resistance, the corrosion resistance with and without solution annealing was measured using the potentiodynamic polarization test and critical temperature test after the precipitation of the secondary phase. In the potentiodynamic polarization test, the secondary phase decreased the activation polarization and increased the corrosion rate. The critical pitting temperature exhibited the effect of the secondary phase.

Three-dimensional nanocomposite networks consisting of percolated Si nanowires in a SiO₂ matrix, Si:SiO₂, were studied. The structures were obtained by reactive ion beam sputter deposition of SiO_x (x ≈ 0.6) thin films at 450 °C and subsequent crystallization using conventional oven as well as millisecond line focus laser annealing. Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, cross-sectional and energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy were applied for sample characterization. While oven annealing resulted in a mean Si wire diameter of 10 nm and a crystallinity of 72 % within the Si volume, almost single-domain Si structures with 30 nm in diameter and almost free of amorphous Si were obtained by millisecond laser application. The structural differences are attributed to the different crystallization processes: Conventional oven tempering proceeds via solid state, millisecond laser application via liquid phase crystallization of Si. The 5 orders of magnitude larger diffusion constant in the liquid phase is responsible for the three times larger Si nanostructure diameter. In conclusion, laser annealing offers not only significantly shorter process times but moreover a superior structural order of nano-Si compared to conventional heating.

In contrast to animals, adult organs in plants are not determined during embryogenesis but gen-erated from meristematic cells as plants advance through development. Plant development in-volves a succession of different phenotypic stages and the transition between these stages is termed phase transition. Phase transitions need to be tightly regulated and coordinated to ensure they occur under optimal seasonal, environmental conditions. Polycarpic perennials transition through vegetative stages and the mature, reproductive stage many times during their lifecycles and, in both perennial and annual species, environmental factors and culturing methods can re-verse the otherwise unidirectional vector of plant development. Epigenetic factors regulating gene expression in response to internal cues and external (environmental) stimuli influencing the plant’s phenotype and development have been shown to control phase transitions. How develop-mental and environmental cues interact to epigenetically alter gene expression and influence these transitions are not well understood and understanding this interaction is important considering the current climate change scenarios, since epigenetic maladaptation could have catastrophic con-sequences for perennial plants in natural and agricultural ecosystems. Here we review studies focussing on the epigenetic regulators of the vegetative phase change and highlight how these mechanisms might act in exogenously induced plant rejuvenation and regrowth following stress.

In this paper, the deformation and phase transformation of disorder α phase at (α + γ) two phase region in as-forged Ti-44Al-8Nb-(W, B, Y) alloy are investigated by hot compression and hot packed rolling. Detailed microstructural evolution demonstrates that the as-deformed microstructure is significantly affected by deformation conditions. The mircrostructure differences are mainly due to temperature drop and strain rate. The evolution of α lamelae into α grains is detailed descripted. Moreover, the disorder α lamellae can also be decomposed into some new α grains by the assisted decomposition mechanism of γ grains. Microstructure evolution model of current TiAl alloy at 1250 °C during hot rolling is built.

Lamb waves occur in thin-walled structures in two wave modes, the symmetric and antisymmetric mode. Their oscillation on the structures‘ surfaces is either in phase (symmetric) or shifted by a phase angle of π (antisymmetric). In this work, a method is developed to compare the surfaces‘ oscillation phase relation. It is based on the evaluation of time signals regarding the instantaneous phase angle using the continuous wavelet transformation and as a comparative method the short-time Fourier transformation. For this purpose, numerical simulations utilizing the finite element method provide time signals from the top and bottom surface of different thin-walled structures. They differ with respect to their material settings and laminate configurations. The numerically obtained time signals are evaluated by the developed methods. The occurring oscillation phase differences on the top and bottom surface are studied and both methods are compared. Subsequently, the oscillation phase is evaluated experimentally for the wave propagation in a fiber metal laminate. It is shown that the method based on the continuous wavelet transformation is suitable for the evaluation of oscillation phase relations in time signals. Additionally, it is proven that fiber metal laminates show only two phase relations which indicates the occurrence of Lamb waves.

The three-phase separator was perforated after four years’ service. The perforation position is at the bottom of the vessel under the baffle plate in an oil transfer station. The cause of perforation was investigated by chemical analysis using a direct-reading spectrometer, microstructure examined by optical microscope(OM), and lab simulated corrosion experiments by electrochemical workstation, and the corrosion products examined with scanning electron microscopy(SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer(EDS) in this paper. The analyses indicated that the coating at the base of the pressure vessel failed and this led to the direct exposure of the carbon steel plate to the corrosive medium. The electrical contact between the carbon steel and the stainless steel, sets up a galvanic cell that accelerated the corrosion of the pressure vessel which eventually led leads to the perforation.

The quadratic polynomial differential systems in the plane are the easiest nonlinear differential systems. They have been studied intensively due to their nonlinearity and to their big number of applications. These systems can be classified in ten classes. Here we provide all the topologically different phase portraits in the Poincaré disc of two of these classes.

We study different aspects of an exactly solvable master equation (ME). Its simplicity allows one direct access to the details of its workings, highlighting significant features and peculiarities. The existence of phase transitions is unveiled.

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

Nickel-base superalloys like VDM 780 may possess a high content of Cr and Co. This influences solution energies of phase-forming elements like Al and Ta (γ′-phase), Nb (γ′′- and δ-phase), and Ti (η-phase). We perform density functional theory studies of a nickel matrix at 0 K with high concentrations of either Co and Cr and calculate the influence of these elements on solution energies. In the case of Co, the solution energy can be predicted well by the nearest-neighbor interaction in the Co-rich matrix. For Cr, the effect is more complicated because Cr has a larger ionic radius and changes the magnetic state of the material. The effect of a Cr-rich matrix on the energy of Co is dominated by magnetic effects, interactions with the other elements by elastic deformation of the lattice.