Fermenter is a vessel that maintains optimum environment for the development of significant microorganism used in large scale fermentation process and the commercial production of products like Alcoholic beverages, Enzymes, Antibiotics, Organic acids etc. The fermenter aims to produce biological product like vaccines and hormones, it is necessary to monitor and control the different parameters like external and internal mass transfer, heat transfer, fluid velocity, shear stress, agitation speed, aeration rate, cooling rate or heating intensity, and the feeding rate, nutrients, base or acid valve. Fermentation in the fermenter are accomplished in several configuration and these simple configurations are batch, fed-batch and continuous fermentation process. Fermentation process is carried out in small or large size fermenter depending on product quantity. The selection of the suitable process depends on the fermentation kinetics, type of microorganism used and process economic aspects. Improved modelling tools, reactor operation and reactor design in bioreactor is because of mass transfer behavior and it is important for reaction rate maximizing, throughput rates optimization and cost minimizing. The fermenter design, fermentation process, types of the fermenter that are used in industries and heat and mass transfer in fermenter is discussed.

The rapidly increasing adoption of high-resolution accurate-mass methods in analytical laboratories has fueled demand for instruments that combine high performance and reliability with small size and greater ease-of-use. This paper presents the major design principles that are driving the evolution of the hybrid quadrupole-Orbitrap instrument architecture to enable a greater range of applications and users. These principles may be summarized as follows: better usage of physical space and better access for service by means of size reduction of pumping and ion optics; expanded use of technologies from electronics in ion-optical design; flexibility in performance via modularity of design of the hardware and software components; and, harmonization of interfaces with other instruments to facilitate sharing and transferability of analytical workflows. The design of a novel family of hybrid mass spectrometers is described in detail, and performance evaluation is carried out on a wide variety of samples for its three representatives: the Orbitrap Exploris 120, Orbitrap Exploris 240 and Orbitrap Exploris 480 mass spectrometers.The new instrument family is shown to offer compelling potential not only for high-end proteomics and biopharmaceutical applications, but also for screening, trace, targeted and clinical analysis by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry methods.

This paper addresses the modeling of the iron ore direct reduction process, a process likely to reduce CO₂ emissions from the steel industry. The shaft furnace is divided into three sections (reduction, transition, and cooling), and the model is two-dimensional (cylindrical geometry for the upper sections and conical geometry for the lower one), to correctly describe the lateral gas feed and cooling gas outlet. This model relies on a detailed description of the main physical–chemical and thermal phenomena, using a multi-scale approach. The moving bed is assumed to be comprised of pellets of grains and crystallites. We also take into account eight heterogeneous and two homogeneous chemical reactions. The local mass, energy, and momentum balances are numerically solved, using the finite volume method. This model was successfully validated by simulating the shaft furnaces of two direct reduction plants of different capacities. The calculated results reveal the detailed interior behavior of the shaft furnace operation. Eight different zones can be distinguished, according to their predominant thermal and reaction characteristics. An important finding is the presence of a central zone of lesser temperature and conversion.

A multi-tool analytical practice was used for characterization of 16^th century carpet manufactured in Cairo. Mild extraction method with hydrofluoric acid enabled isolation of intact flavonoids and their glycosides, anthraquinones, tannins and indigoids from fibre samples. High-performance liquid chromatography coupled to spectroscopic and mass spectrometric detectors was used for identification of natural dyes present in the historical samples. Weld, young fustic and brazilwood were identified as the dye sources in yellow thread samples. Red fibres have been colored with lac dye, whereas green fibre shades were obtained with indigo and weld. Tannin-containing plant material in combination with indigo and weld were used to obtain brown hue of thread. Four uncommon and thus-far unknown dye components were also found in the historical samples. These compounds probably represent unique fingerprint of dyed threads from this region. Scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray detector (SEM-EDS) and Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) were used for identification and characterization of substrates and mordants present in the historical carpet. Carbon and oxygen were detected in large quantities as a part of the wool protein. The presence of aluminum, iron and calcium indicated their usage as mordants. FT-IR analysis showed bands characteristic to woolen fibres and SEM micrographs definite structure of wool.

In this paper, we will revisit the derivation of Heisenberg's uncertainty principle. We will see how the Heisenberg principle collapses at the Planck scale by introducing a minor modification. The beauty of our suggested modification is that it does not change the main equations in quantum mechanics; it only gives them a Planck scale limit where uncertainty collapses. We suspect that Einstein could have been right after all, when he stated, ``God does not throw dice." His now-famous saying was an expression of his skepticism towards the concept that quantum randomness could be the ruling force, even at the deepest levels of reality. Here we will explore the quantum realm with a fresh perspective, by re-deriving the Heisenberg principle in relation to the Planck scale. We will show how this idea also leads to an upper boundary on uncertainty, in addition to the lower boundary. These upper and lower boundaries are identical for the Planck mass particle; in fact, they are zero, and this highlights the truly unique nature of the Planck mass particle. Further, there may be a close connection between light and the Planck mass particle: In our model, the standard relativistic energy momentum relation also seems to apply to light, while in modern physics light generally stands outside the standard relativistic momentum energy relation. We will also suggest a new way to look at elementary particles, where mass and time are closely related, consistent with some of the recent work in experimental physics. Our model leads to a new time operator that does not appear to be in conflict with the Pauli objection. This indicates that both mass and momentum come in quanta, which are perfectly correlated to an internal Compton `clock' frequency in elementary particles.

Polylactic Acid (PLA) is an organic polymer commonly used in fused deposition (FDM) printing and biomedical scaffolding that is biocompatible and immunologically inert. However, variations in source material quality and chemistry make it necessary to characterize the filament and determine potential changes in chemistry occurring as a result of the FDM process. We used several spectroscopic techniques, including laser confocal microscopy, Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and photoacousitc FTIR spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) in order to characterize both the bulk and surface chemistry of the source material and printed samples. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) were used to characterize morphology, crystallinity, and the glass transition temperature following printing. Analysis revealed calcium carbonate-based additives which were reacted with organic ligands and potentially trace metal impurities, both before and following printing. These additives became concentrated in voids in the printed structure. This finding is important for biomedical applications as carbonate will impact subsequent cell growth on printed tissue scaffolds. Results of chemical analysis also provided evidence of the hygroscopic nature of the source material and oxidation of the printed surface, and SEM imaging revealed micro and sub-micron scale roughness that will also impact potential applications.

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.

A portable laser photoacoustic sensor based on a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is reported for methane detection. A tunable DFB diode laser in the 1654 nm wavelength range is used as an excitation source. The photoacoustic signal processing was implemented by a FPGA device. A small resonant photoacoustic cell is designed. The minimum detection limit (1σ) of 10 ppm for methane (CH₄) is demonstrated.

Nowadays, all the stakeholders, policy makers, regulators, aircraft designers, producers, operators, etc.) are intensively working on development of the aircraft with full electric and hybrid propulsion systems. However, the technical, technological constrains (like limit on accumulator energy density) require introducing a new approach to conceptual design of such aircraft. The new methods is based on energy and mass balance evaluation. This paper analyses the identified constrains; integrates the energy and mass balance equations into the preliminary definition and calculations of the aircraft performance. By this way, the technological constrains might be transferred into the limitation on the aircraft energy and mass breakdown, that initiates a new approach to aircraft conceptual design uses the knowledge based multidisciplinary optimization. The paper describes the developed methodology for conceptual design of aircraft. It show results of implementing this new development philosophy to conceptual design of a four-seat small electric/hybrid aircraft and a special hybrid cargo UAV. The discussion of the results including got by using the emerging and enabling new technologies and new methods and solutions (including for example distributed propulsion system, unconventional forms, morphing, biomimics, etc.), demonstrates the possible implementation of the new development philosophy, new approach to aircraft conceptual design.

Samples of sunflower Waste Cooking Oils (WCOs) subjected to several cycles of frying were treated with water under four different combinations of temperature and pH. The variation of the chemical composition of the oil samples was monitored through headspace Solid-Phase Microextraction (HS-SPME) coupled with gas-chromatographic technique (GC), ¹H NMR spectroscopy and ESI⁺ mass spectrometry measurements. The possibility to modify the chemical composition of the recycled vegetable oil by tuning the water treatment parameters was exploited for the designing of a mini-plant for the production of bio-lubricants. A full description of the proposed prototype is also reported.

A structure-based view on mesons is given, based upon the concept of an archetype quark, described as a pointlike source producing an energy flux, the spatial description of which is derived from Dirac’s second dipole moment. This enables to conceive the archetype meson (pion) as a structure that behaves as a one-body anharmonic quantum mechanical oscillator. All mesons appear being excitations of the archetype, thereby allowing a calculation of the mass spectrum without the use of empirical parameters for the masses of the quark flavors. This includes a physically comprehensible analysis of the spin-spin interaction between quarks. It also provides a solution for the eta-etaprime puzzle. Next to this, it is shown that quite some particles that are presently regarded as elementary, have a common root and can be traced back to a few archetypes only.

Water resources provided by alpine glaciers are an important pillar for people living in the arid regions in the west of China. In this study, the HBV (Hydrologiska Byrans Vattenavdelning) light model was applied to simulate glacier mass balance and runoff in the Koxkar River Basin (KRB) on the south slope of Mt. Tumur, western Tianshan Mts.. Daily temperature and precipitation were calculated by multiple linear regressions and gradient-inverse distance weighting, respectively, based on in-situ observed data by automatic weather stations (AWSs) in the basin (2007–2009) and at four meteorological stations neighbering the basin (1959–2009). Observed daily air temperature and precipitation were taken as input data for the HBV model, which was calibrated using runoff in 2007/08 and 2009/10, and validated in 2008/09 and 2010/11. Generally, the model could simulate runoff very well. The annual glacier mass balance and runoff were calculated using the HBV model driven by interpolated meteorological data for the period of 1959–2009. The simulated glacier mass balance were reasonable when compared with those observed values at nearby glaciers, indicating a decrease trend of mass balance in the basin with an average value of –370.4 mm a^-1 since 1959. The annual runoff showed a slight increase trend (5.51 mm a^-1). Futher analysis indicated that the runoff is more sensitive to temperature than precipitation amuont in the Koxkar river basin.

Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) systems for e-health applications usually suffer of poor signal detection mainly due to a low end-to-end signal to noise ratio of the electronics chain. Lock-In Amplifiers (LIA) historically represent a powerful technique helping to improve performances in such circumstances. In this work it has been designed and implemented a digital LIA system, based on a Zynq® Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), trying to explore if this technique might improve fNIRS system performances. More broadly, FPGA based solution flexibility has been investigated, with particular emphasis applied to digital filter parameters, needed in the digital LIA, and it has been evaluated its impact on the final signal detection and noise rejection capability. The realized architecture was a mixed solution between VHDL hardware modules and software ones, running within a softcore microprocessor. Experimental results have shown the goodness of the proposed solutions and comparative details among different implementation will be detailed. Finally a key aspect taken into account throughout the design was its modularity, allowing an ease increase of the input channels while avoiding the growth of the design cost of the electronics system.

Diabetic patients need long-term and frequent glucose monitoring to assist in insulin intake. The current finger-prick devices are painful and costly which make noninvasive glucose sensors highly demanded. In this review paper, we discuss several advanced electromagnetic (EM) wave based technologies for noninvasive glucose measurement, including infrared (IR) spectroscopy, photoacoustic (PA) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, fluorescence, optical coherent tomography (OCT) and microwave sensing. Development and progress of each method are discussed regarding fundamental principle, system setup and experimental results. Despite the promising achievements reported previously, there is no established product to obtain FDA approval or survive marketing test. Limitations and prospects of these techniques are discussed at the end of this review.

Our understanding of the fate and distribution of micro- and nano- plastics in the marine environment and their impact on the biota compartment is limited by the intrinsic difficulties of conventional analytical techniques (light scattering, FT-IR, Raman, optical and electron microscopies) in the detection, quantification and chemical identification of small particles in liquid samples. Here we propose the use of optical tweezers, a technique awarded in 2018 with the Nobel prize, as an analytical tool for the study of micro- and nano- plastics in sea water. In particular, we exploit the combination of optical tweezers with Raman spectroscopy (Raman Tweezers, RTs) to optically trap plastic particles with sizes from tens of µm down to 90 nm and unambiguously reveal their chemical composition. RTs applications are shown on particles made of the most common plastic pollutants, including polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon and polystyrene, that are artificially fragmented and aged directly in seawater. RTs allow us to assess the size and shapes of microparticles (beads, fragments, fibers) and can be applied to investigate particles covered with organic layers. Furthermore, operating at the single particle level, RTs enable unambiguous distinction of plastic particles from marine microorganisms and seawater minerals, overcoming the capacities of standard Raman spectroscopy in liquid, limited to average measurements. Coupled to suitable extraction and concentration protocols, RTs could have a strong impact in the study of the fate of micro and nanoplastics in marine environment, as well as in the understanding of the fragmentation processes on a multi-scale level.

Background: Pittosporum tobira (Thunb.) Aiton is an aromatic medicinal plant widely cultivated in the world. However, the essential oils (EOs) from P. tobira flowers for anti-cancer potential is still not systematically studied. The present aim to elucidate the phytochemical composition of the EOs and to explore mechanism of anticancer action. Methods: The EOs were extracted and analyzed by headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Volatile components were identified according to Kovats retention index (KI) and NIST database. The anti-neoplasm mechanisms of the EOs was comprehensively investigated in lung carcinoma A549 and H460 cells. Results: A total of 47 secondary metabolites representing 94.18% of the EOs were successfully identified: monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes were the dominant terpenoids. The EOs exhibited antiproliferative activity on A549 and H460 lung carcinoma cells. Hoechst 33324 fluorescent staining indicated the typical characteristics of apoptosis and induced cycle phase arrest. AnnexinV/PI staining revealed that the number of apoptotic cells was increased. Furthermore, the EOs also induced the caspase-mediated mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. Conclusions: Findings suggest that the full-scale chemical composition and first characterization of anticancer activities of the EOs, it could be used for integrative natural anti-cancer agents in health care should be pay more attention.

Cocrystallizaiton could improve most physicochemical properties of specific active pharmaceutical ingredients, which has great potential in pharmaceutical development. In this study, the cocrystal of nitrofurantoin and 4-aminobenzoic acid was prepared with solid-state (solvent-free or green-chemistry) grinding approach, and the above cocrystal has been characterized by Raman and terahertz vibrational spectroscopic techniques. Spectral results show that the vibrational modes of the cocrystal within the whole spectral region are different from those of the corresponding parent materials. The dynamic process of such pharmaceutical cocrystal formation has also been monitored directly with Raman spectra. These results offer us unique means for characterizing the cocrystal conformation from molecule-level and also provide us rich information about the reaction dynamic of cocrystal formation within pharmaceutical fields.

Mass transfer restrictions of scaffolds are currently hindering the development of three-dimensional (3D), clinically viable, and tissue engineered constructs. For this situation, a 3D poly(lactide-co-glycolide)/hydroxyapatite porous scaffold, which was much favorable for transfer of nutrients to and waste products from the cells in the pores, was developed in this study. The 3D scaffold had an innovative structure, including macropores with diameters of 300−450 μm for cell ingrowth and microchannels with diameters of 2−4 μm for nutrition and waste exchange. The mechanical strength in wet state was strong enough to offer the structural support. The typical structure was more beneficial for the attachment, proliferation, and differentiation of rabbit bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (rBMSCs). The alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and calcium (Ca) deposition were evaluated on the differentiation of rBMSCs, and the results indicated that the microchannel structure was very favorable for differentiating rBMSCs into maturing osteoblasts. For repairing rabbit radius defects in vivo, there was rapid healing in the defects treated with the 3D porous scaffold with microchannels, where the bridging by a large bony callus was observed at 12 weeks post-surgery. Based on the results, the 3D porous scaffold with microchannels was a promising candidate for bone defect repair.

Exposure to malachite green (MG) may pose great health risks to humans, thus it is of prime importance to develop fast and robust methods to quantitatively screen the presence malachite green in environment. Herein application of extractive electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (EESI-MS) has been extended to the trace detection of MG within lake water and aquiculture water, due to the intensive use of MG as biocide in fisheries. This method has the advantage of obviating offline liquid-liquid extraction or tedious matrix separation prior to the measurement of malachite green in native aqueous medium. The experimental results indicate that the extrapolated detection limit for MG was ~3.8 ug L-1 (S/N=3) in lake water samples and ~ 0.5 ug L-1 in ultrapure water under optimized experimental conditions. The signal intensity of MG showed good linearity over the concentration range of 10–5000 ug L-1. Measurement of practical water samples fortified with MG at 0.01 and 0.1 mg L-1 gave a good validation of the established calibration curve. The average recoveries of malachite green in lake water and Carassius carassius fish farm effluent water were 114.9% (6.6% RSD) and 85.4% (9.2% RSD), respectively. Overall, the established EESI-MS/MS method has been demonstrated suitable for sensitive and rapid (<2 min per sample) quantitative detection of malachite green in various aqueous media, indicating its potential for online real-time monitoring of real life samples.

A spinning gyroscope precesses about the vertical due to a torque acting upon the wheel. The torque is generated by the shift of moment of force by gravity and it points to the vertical instead of the tangential direction of precession. This intuition offers an alternative and straightforward view of precession dynamics in comparison with the literature. It also presumes a dynamic balance of momentum between circular motions of the wheel spin and precession. Accordingly, the gyroscopic dynamics is then applied to the study of galactic motion of the solar system in space and the Galactic mass is calculated with the inclusion of gyroscopic effect of the solar planets. Results indicate that the gyroscopic effect of Mercury orbiting around the Sun can increase the calculated Galactic mass by 23% in comparison with the result obtained by the classic approach.

Propolis is a bee product widely used as a dietary supplement and included in sweets or baby foods due to its well-known antioxidant and nutritional properties that are directly correlated with its phenolic composition. For this reason, this study analysed the total contents of flavones and flavonols, flavanones and dihydroflavonols, and the antioxidant capacity by using the methods of ABTS and linoleic acid/β-carotene in 99 samples of propolis from Spain and Chile. A rapid method was developed for quantifying these parameters in raw propolis using near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy with an optical fibre probe of remote reflectance applied directly to the ground up sample. The models developed allow the determination of the total of flavones and flavonols (0-183 mg rutin/ g propolis), of the total of flavanones and dihydroflavonols (9-109 mg pinocembrin/ g propolis extract), and the antioxidant capacity by the ABTS method (0-3212 nmolesTrolox/ mg of propolis) and of linoleic acid/β-carotene (22-86% inhibition). The NIR spectroscopy models were applied in external validation to different samples of the calibration group, which led to the conclusion that the methods developed provide significantly identical data to the initial chemical data of reference.

Urea cycle disorders (UCDs) are common inborn errors of metabolism, with an incidence of one in 30,000 births. They are caused by deficiencies in any of six enzymes and two carrier proteins, the most common being Ornithine Transcarbamylase Deficiency (OTCD). OTCD results in impairment to excrete nitrogen, causing toxic buildup of ammonia with resultant encephalopathy. Hyperammonemia (HA) induces the conversion of glutamate to glutamine in the brain. Excess glutamine in the brain causes osmotic changes cerebral edema, changes in astrocyte morphology, and cell death. Acute symptoms of HA include vomiting, hyperventilation, seizures, and irritability. Long-term neurological changes include deficits in working memory and executive function. To date, there are no predictors of prognosis of infants with neonatal onset OTCD outside of plasma ammonia level at presentation and duration of hyperammonemic coma. We provide a comprehensive analysis of a 16-year-old male with neonatal onset of OTCD as an example of how brain biomarkers may be useful to monitor disease course and outcome. This male presented at 8 days post natal with plasma ammonia and glutamine of 677 and 4024 micromol/L and had a missense mutation in Exon 4 (p.R129H). Treatment included protein restriction, sodium benzoate, and citrulline, arginine, and iron. He suffered recurrent acute hyperammonemic episodes despite compliance, triggered by infections or catabolic stressors. We discuss the long-term effects of the hyperammonemic episodes by following MRI based disease biomarkers.

In the field of construction, materials referred to as sustainable are currently undergoing a process of technological development. This study aims to contribute to the understanding of the behavior of the fundamental properties of concretes prepared with recycled coarse aggregates that incorporate in their matrix a polyethylene terephthalate-based additive in an attempt to reduce their high porosity. Techniques to measure the gas adsorption, water porosity and x-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to evaluate the effect of the additive on the physical, mechanical and microstructural properties of these concretes. Porosity reductions of up to 30.60% are achieved with the addition of 1, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 9% of the additive, defining a new state in the behavioral model of the additive (the overdosage point) in the concrete matrix; in addition, the porous network of these concretes and their correlation whit other physical and mechanical properties are also explained.

Lactoperoxidase (LP), which is a high-value minor whey protein, has recently drawn extensive attention from research scientists and industry due to its multi-function and potential therapeutic applications. In this study, the separation and optimization of two similar-sized proteins, LP and lactoferrin (LF) were investigated using strong cation exchange column chromatography. Optimization was started with central composite design based experiments to characterize the importance of different decision variables. The three variables used in the optimization were flow rate, length of gradient and final salt concentration in the linear elution gradient step. The obtained empiric functional model represented the effect of the significant factors on the yield as the objective function. Afterwards, the calibrated mechanistic model was employed to predict accurate optimal set of variables. The optimal operating points were found and the results were compared with validation experiments. Predictions respecting yield confirmed a very good agreement with experimental results while keeping purity, a product quality characteristic, equal or above to a predefined value.

This study presents an exact solution to the free vibration analysis of a uniform Timoshenko beam, with a harmonic vibration being assumed. The Timoshenko beam theory covers cases associated with small deflections based on shear deformation and rotary inertia considerations. In this paper, a moment-shear force-circular frequency-curvature relationship was presented. The complete study was based on this relationship and closed-form expressions of efforts and deformations were derived. The free vibration response of single-span systems and spring-mass systems was analyzed; closed-form formulations of matrices expressing the boundary conditions were presented and the natural frequencies were determined by solving the eigenvalue problem. Systems with intermediate mass, spring, or spring-mass system were also analyzed. Furthermore, first-order dynamic stiffness matrices in local coordinates were derived. Finally, a second-order analysis of beams resting on an elastic Winkler foundation was conducted. The results obtained in this paper were in good agreement with those of other studies.

Studies on the gait's parameters have been identified on the patients population. Most researchers confirm that the patients walk differently than normal people and they may have a risk for falls. Consistent finding and description of gender, age, and body mass index differences in gait studies is rare in healthy subjects. A cross-sectional study with forty-five young adult (F = 20, M = 25) was conducted. Stadiometer and Physilog 4 inertial sensors were used for data collection. A gait analyser 5.2 software (GaitUp, S.A. Lausanne, Switzerland) was used to determine spatiotemporal parameters. No statistically significant differences were found in any bilateral foot gait parameters with respect to gender, age, and body mass index. Females are found with higher total double support and cadence than males. Cadence also increases with age. Obese people showed lower gait speed, cadence, and total double support. These findings may be beneficial to those who have abnormal gait pattern due to age, body mass index differences, decreased muscle strength, spasticity, and joint mobility. This important informations should be considered to rehabilitate patients with abnormal gait patterns to controlling dynamic balance and riks to falling.

Nickel nitrate diammine, Ni(NH₃)₂(NO₃)₂, can be synthesised from the thermal decomposition of the nickel nitrate hexammine, Ni[(NH₃)₆](NO₃)₂. The hexammine decomposes in 2 distinct steps; the first releases 4 equivalents of ammonia while the second involves the release of NO_x, N₂ and H₂O to yield NiO. The intermediate diammine compound can be isolated following the first deammoniation step or synthesised as a single phase from the hexammine under vacuum. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXD) experiments have allowed the structure of Ni(NH₃)₂(NO₃)₂ to be solved for the first time. The compound crystallises in orthorhombic space group Pca2₁ (a = 11.0628 (5) Å, b = 6.0454 (3) Å, c = 9.3526 (4) Å; Z = 4) and contains 11 non-hydrogen atoms in the asymmetric unit. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy demonstrates that the bonding in the ammine is consistent with the structure determined by PXD.

Metabolomics analysis generates vast arrays of data, necessitating comprehensive workflows involving expertise in analytics, biochemistry and bioinformatics, in order to provide coherent and high-quality data that enables discovery of robust and biologically significant metabolic findings. In this protocol article, we introduce NoTaMe, an analytical workflow for non-targeted metabolic profiling approaches utilizing liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis. We provide an overview of lab protocols and statistical methods that we commonly practice for the analysis of nutritional metabolomics data. The paper is divided into three main sections: the first and second sections introducing the background and the study designs available for metabolomics research, and the third section describing in detail the steps of the main methods and protocols used to produce, preprocess and statistically analyze metabolomics data, and finally to identify and interpret the compounds that have emerged as interesting.

Infrared spectroscopy is an effective method for the determination of compositions and concentrations of liquids, with advantages of fast response, no-sampling, flexible in use and is able for on-line monitoring. However, for trace substances in drinking water, such as nitrates and heavy metals, infrared spectroscopy is not sensitive enough for the quantitative and qualitative measurement. In this study, we improved the sensitivity of infrared spectroscopy for nitrite determination by developing an ion-exchange-enhanced diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, which consist of an accessory based on ion-exchange resin for enrichment and a FTIR spectrometer for measurement. Using this method, the limit of detection for nitrate is 1.7 mg/L, which is enough for drinking water sensing. We also verified the quantitative measurement ability of the method. Furthermore, the limit of detection and quantitative measuring range could be adjusted by changing the mass of resin and adsorption time. This study demonstrated the method can be used to detect trace nitrites in drinking water, can be applied in the field, and is sensitive, rapid, and inexpensive with a wide dynamic range.

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) and aluminum oxide (Al2O3) coatings have been investigated in a wide range of bio-applications due to their biodegradation and biocompatibility properties, that are key parameters for their use in the food packaging and biomedical devices fields. The present study evaluates and compares the electrochemical behavior of the non-coated, commercial resin-coated, TiO2-coated and Al2O3-coated aluminum in commercial beer electrolyte. For this, TiO2 and Al2O3 thin films were deposited on aluminum (Al) substrates using atomic layer deposition (ALD). The evaluation of the corrosion barrier layer properties was performed by linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). In addition, profilometry, grazing incidence X-ray diffractometry (GIXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analyses were performed to investigate the physical and chemical properties of the pristine and / or corroded samples. TiO2 and Al2O3 films presented an amorphous structure, a morphology that follows Al substrate surface, and a thickness of around 100 nm. Analysis of LSV data showed that ALD coatings promoted a considerable increase in corrosion barrier efficiency being 86.3% for TiO2-coated Al and 80% for Al2O3-coated Al in comparison with 7.1% of commercial resin-coated Al. This is mainly due to the lower electrochemical porosity, 11.4% for TiO2-coated Al and 20.4% for Al2O3-coated Al in comparison with 96% of the resin-coated Al, i.e. an increase of up to twofold in the protection of Al when coated with TiO2 compared to Al2O3 coated. The EIS results allow us to complement the discussions about the reduced corrosion barrier efficiency of the Al2O3 film for beer electrolyte once SEM and FT-IR analyzes did not show drastic changes in both investigated ALD films after the corrosion assays. The above results indicate that ALD TiO2 and Al2O3 films may be a viable alternative to replace the synthetic resin coatings frequently used in aluminum cans of use in the food industry.

In this work, we experimentally investigate mass and heat transport phenomena in a modular device while converting a solution salinity difference into a temperature difference. Operations occur under fixed total ambient pressure and without mechanical moving parts, thus realizing a fully static conversion. Provided that a constant salinity gradient can be imposed, the proposed device is able to generate a steady cooling capacity. Here, we purposely operate with environmentally benign and easily accessible sodium chloride water solutions only. A numerical model is finally elaborated, validated and used to explore a wider range of possible device configurations and operating conditions.

This work communicates results from optical emission spectroscopy following laser-induced optical breakdown at or near nanomaterial. Selected atomic lines of silver are evaluated for consistent determination of electron density. Comparisons are presented with Balmer series hydrogen results. Of particular interest are measurements free of self-absorption effects. For several silver lines, asymmetries are observed in the recorded line profiles. Electron densities of interest range from 0.5 to 3 × 10¹⁷ cm^-3, for 5 nanosecond Q-switched Nd:YAG radiation at wavelengths of 1064, 532, and 355 nm, and for selected silver emission lines including 328.0, 338.2, 768.7, and 827.3 nm, and the hydrogen alpha Balmer series line at 656.3 nm. Line asymmetries are presented for the 328.0 nm Ag I line that is measured following generation of the plasma due to multiple photon absorption. This work explores electron density variations for different irradiance levels, and reports spectral line asymmetry of resonance lines for different laser fluence levels.

Corona viruses hijack human enzymes to assembly sugar coat on Spike glycoproteins. The mechanism that human antibodies may uncover the antigenic viral peptide epitopes hidden by sugar coat are unknown. In this study, we analyzed recombinant SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein secreted from BTI-Tn-5B1-4 cells, by trypsin and chymotrypsin digestion followed by mass spectrometry analysis. We acquired MS/MS spectrums for glycopeptides of all 22 predicted N-glycosylated sites. We further analyzed the surface accessibility of Spike proteins according to Cryo-EM and homolog-modeled structures, and available antibodies that bind to SARS-CoV-1. The results showed that all 22 N-glycosylated sites of SARS-CoV-2 are modified by high-mannose type of N-glycans. MS/MS fragmentation clearly established the glycopeptide identities. Electron densities of glycans cover most of the Spike receptor binding domain of SARS-CoV-2, except YQAGSTPCNGVEGFNCYFPLQSYGFQPTNGVGYQ, similar to a region FSPDGKPCTPPALNCYWPLNDYGFYTTTGIGYQ in SARS-CoV-1. Other surface-exposed domains included those located on Central Helix, between amino acids 967 and 1016 of SARS-CoV-1, and 985 to 1034 of SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein. As the majority of antibody paratopes bind to peptide portion with or without sugar modification, we propose a snake-catcher model that a minimal length of peptide is first clamped by a paratope, and the binding is either strengthened by sugars close to peptide, or not interfered by sugar modification.

This study provides designs for a low-cost, easily replicable open source lab-grade digital scale that can be used as a precision balance. The design is such that it can be manufactured for use in most labs throughout the world with open source RepRap-class material extrusion-based 3-D printers for the mechanical components and readily available open source electronics including the Arduino Nano. Several versions of the design were fabricated and tested for precision and accuracy for a range of load cells. The results showed the open source scale was found to be repeatable within 0.1g with multiple load cells, with even better precision (0.01g) depending on load cell range and style. The scale tracks linearly with proprietary lab-grade scales, meeting the performance specified in the load cell data sheets, indicating that it is accurate across the range of the load cell installed. The smallest loadcell tested(100g) offers precision on the order of a commercial digital mass balance. The scale can be produced at significant cost savings compared to scales of comparable range and precision when serial capability is present. The cost savings increase significantly as the range of the scale increases and are particularly well-suited for resource-constrained medical and scientific facilities.

We attempted to apply the optoelectronic sensor entitled 'OPT101' in intensive care unit clinics, based on its optoelectronic response characteristics in near-infrared wavelength range and near-infrared spectroscopy principle. The successful novel applications in our lab include early-diagnosis and therapeutic effect tracking of thrombus, noninvasive monitoring of patients' shock severity, and fatigue evaluation. This study also expects further improvements of the detector in noninvasive clinical applications.

The present study evaluates the bioremediation potential of indigenous bacterial species isolated from dye-contaminated soil samples from small dyeing outlet located in Ilorin. The water pollution index was estimated based on the physicochemical characteristics and heavy metal concentrations of the raw (Day 0) and treated textile wastewater such as pH, biochemical oxygen demand-5, chemical oxygen demand, total suspended solids and total dissolved solid with mean values of 8.85±0.45 mg/L, 1200±21.3 mg/L, 2440±31.3 mg/L, 1660±17.2 mg/L and 2650±28.1 mg/L respectively, similarly, Lead was the most abundant heavy metal detected in the sample while Cadmium concentration was the lowest with the mean values of 3.52±0.00 mg/L and 2.18±0.00 mg/L respectively. The bacterial strain with highest dye decolorization capacity was screened and identified as Bacillus licheniformis ZUL012.The isolate was consequently used for the bioremediation of the wastewater over a period of 10 days. The results showed an incredible reduction in the physiochemical characteristics and heavy metal concentrations of the textile wastewater in the following ranges (8.85-6.55), (1200-300) mg/L, (2440-518) mg/L, (1660-666) mg/L and (2650-920) mg/L with the highest removal efficiency of 75 %, 78 %, 60%, 65%, recorded for biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, total suspended solid, total dissolved solid, respectively while that of heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, chromium and nickel were 80 %, 60 %, 67 %, 72 % reduction, respectively. Laccase and Azoreductase activities tend to decrease as the pH gradually moved towards acidic condition during the bioremediation process. Toxicity of the treated effluent was assessed using Maize and Bean seed germination test. Conclusively, these research findings can serve as a framework for the outlet design of wastewater treatment plant for local textile outlets.

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) was implemented to monitor the moisture content of broadleaf litters. Partial least-squares regression (PLSR) models, incorporating optimal wavelength selection techniques, have been proposed to better predict the litter moisture of forest floor. Three broadleaf litters were used to sample the reflection spectra corresponding the different degrees of litter moisture. Maximum normalization preprocessing technique was successfully applied to remove unwanted noise from the reflectance spectra of litters. Four variable selection methods were also employed to extract the optimal subset of measured spectra for establishing the best prediction model. The results showed that the PLSR model with the peak of beta coefficients method was the best predictor among all candidate models. The proposed NIRS procedure is thought to be a suitable technique for on-the-spot evaluation of litter moisture.

A gold(I) complex with a triphenylphosphine and a monodentate N,N-dimethyldithiocarbamate ligand was synthesized and characterized by Raman spectroscopy and single crystal X-ray diffraction. DFT calculations (Gaussian 09, PBE1PBE/Lanl2dz) were undertaken for a single complex in the gas-phase. The DFT-optimized structure is in good agreement with the crystal structure and the DFT-calculated Raman spectrum also is in excellent agreement with the experimental spectrum. Assignments of the Raman peaks are based on these DFT calculations. Frontier molecular orbitals were calculated and their nature is discussed.

Extreme overvalued beliefs (EOB) are rigidly-held, shared beliefs that are the motive behind most acts of terrorism and mass shootings. EOBs are differentiated from delusions and obsessions. The concept of overvalued idea was first described by Wernicke and later applied to terrorism by McHugh. Our group of forensic psychiatrists (Rahman, Resnick, Harry) refined the definition as an aid in the differential diagnosis seen in acts of violence. The form and content of EOBs is discussed as well as group effects, conformity and obedience to authority. Religious cults such as: The People’s Temple, Heaven’s Gate, Aum Shinrikyo, Islamic State (ISIS) and conspiracy beliefs such as assassinations, moon-hoax and vaccine-induced autism beliefs are discussed using this construct. Finally, some concluding thoughts on countering violent extremism, including its online presence is discussed utilizing information learned from online eating disorder and consumer experience.

The crack geometry and associated strain field around Berkovich and Vickers indents on silicon have been studied by X-ray diffraction imaging and micro-Raman spectroscopy scanning. The techniques are complementary, the Raman data coming from within a few micrometers of the indentation, whereas the X-ray image probes the strain field at a distance of typically tens of micrometers. For example, Raman data provides an explanation for the central contrast feature in the X-ray images of an indent. Strain relaxation from breakout and high temperature annealing are examined and it is demonstrated that millimeter length cracks, similar to those produced by mechanical damage from misaligned handling tools, can be generated in a controlled fashion by indentation within 75 micrometers of the bevel edge of 200mm diameter wafers.

The biophysical consequences of nanoscale curvature have been challenging to resolve due to size-dependent membrane behavior and the experimental resolution limits imposed by optical diffraction. Recent advances in nanoengineering and super-resolution techniques have enabled new capabilities for creating and observing curvature. In particular, draping supported lipid bilayers over lithographically patterned substrates provides a model system for endocytic pits. The experiments and simulations presented below describe the possible detection of membrane curvature through fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP), fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS), single particle tracking (SPT), and polarized localization microscopy (PLM). FRAP and FCS depend on diffraction-limited illumination and detection. In particular, a simulation of FRAP shows no effects on lipids diffusion due to a 50 nm diameter membrane bud at any stage in the budding process. Simulated FCS demonstrated small effects due to a 50 nm radius membrane bud that was amplified with curvature-dependent lipid mobility changes. However, PLM and SPT achieve sub-diffraction-limited resolution of membrane budding and lipid mobility through the identification of the single-lipid positions with ≤15 nm spatial and ≤20 ms temporal resolution. By mapping the single-lipid step lengths to locations on the membrane, the effects of curvature on lipid behavior have been resolved.

Solvent-free, single-ion conducting electrolytes are sought after for use in electrochemical energy storage devices. Here, we investigate the ionic conductivity and how this property is influenced by segmental mobility and conducting ion number in crosslinked single-ion conducting polyether-based electrolytes with varying tethered anion and counter-cation types. Crosslinked electrolytes are prepared by the polymerization of poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA), poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether acrylate, and ionic monomers. The ionic conductivity of the electrolytes is measured and interpreted in the context of differential scanning calorimetry and Raman spectroscopy measurements. A lithiated crosslinked electrolyte prepared with PEG₃₁DA and STFSI monomers is found to have a lithium ion conductivity of 3.2 × 10^-6 and 1.8 × 10⁻⁵ S/cm at 55 and 100 °C, respectively. The percentage of unpaired anions for this electrolyte was estimated at about 23% via Raman spectroscopy. Despite the large variances in metal cation – STFSI binding energies as predicted via DFT and large variations in ionic conductivity, STFSI-based crosslinked electrolytes with the same charge density and varying cations (Li, Na, K, Mg, and Ca) were estimated to all have unpaired anion populations in the range of 19 to 29%.

This paper deals with the analytical modeling and control of rectilinear snake robots. During recent times snake robots have created much interest among researchers. The rectilinear pattern gait is one of the four biological snake locomotion modes. Rectilinear snakes have been widely used in rescue operations especially in rough terrains especially in narrow spaces where human intervention is not easy. Computational analysis of rectilinear motion is done using MATLAB.

An understanding of the mechanism underlying fruit ripening is critical for fruit quality improvement. Although post-harvest ethylene application is known to enhance the onset of fruit ripening, exact mechanisms remain unclear. To characterize the fruit ripening process and mechanism, we investigated the effects of exposing kiwifruit cultivars ‘Hayward’ and ‘Gamrok’ to exogenous ethylene treatment post-harvest using comprehensive proteomic analyses. Comparative two-dimensional gel electrophoresis showed that most of the proteins aggregated in ethylene-treated samples compared to the control (non-treated). We observed that among all ethylene treatments, 95 proteins from ‘Hayward’ and 106 from ‘Gamrok’ were differentially expressed. Interestingly, among the elicited protein successfully identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometry, 50% from “Hayward’ and 60% from ‘Gamrok’ are associated with fruit ripening. Furthermore, 18% and 10% of proteins, respectively, are associated with defense response, whereas other major proteins are related to protein biosynthesis and photosynthesis/Calvin cycle. Interactions between identified proteins were demonstrated by bioinformatic analysis, providing insights into biological pathways and molecular functions in post-harvest kiwifruit ripening elicited by ethylene application. The present proteomic study in accordance with physiological analysis provides a quantitative evaluation of fruit ripening in response to exogenous ethylene in post-harvest kiwifruit.

Almond is worldwide consumed and renowned as a valuable healthy food. In spite of this, it is also a potent source of allergenic proteins able to trigger several mild to life-threatening immunoreactions. Food processing proved to alter biochemical characteristics of proteins, thus affecting the respective allergenicity. In this paper we investigated the effect of autoclaving, preceded or not by a hydration step, on the biochemical and immunological properties of almond proteins. Any variation in the stability and immunoreactivity of almond proteins extracted from the treated materials, were evaluated by total protein quantification, ELISA assay and protein profiling by electrophoresis-based separation (SDS-PAGE). The autoclaving alone was found to weakly affect almond proteins stability, despite what observed for the combination of hydration and autoclaving, which resulted in a loss of approximately 70% of total protein content compared to untreated sample, and in a final negligible immunoreactivity, as well. The final SDS-PAGE protein pattern recorded for almonds hydrated and autoclaved disclosed significant changes. In addition, the same samples were further submitted to in vitro simulated gastro-duodenal (GI) digestion to evaluate potential changes induced by these processing on allergens digestibility. Digestion products were identified by HPLC-HRMS/MS analysis followed by software-based data mining, and complementary information were provided by analyzing the proteolytic fragments lower that 6 kDa in size. The autoclave based treatment was found not to alter the allergens digestibility, whereas an increased susceptibility to proteolytic action of digestive enzymes was observed in almonds subjected to the combination of prehydration and autoclaving. Finally, the residual immunoreactivity of the GI resistant peptides was investigated in-silico by bioinformatic tools, confirming that by following both approaches, no epitopes survived the almond digestion, thus demonstrating the potential effectiveness of these treatments to reduce almond allergenicity.

Concentrations of six polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (benzanthrone, benz[a]anthracene, chrysene, fluoranthene, pyrene, and triphenylene) of soil samples from Diboll, an East Texas city (USA), were analyzed with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Samples were collected from five sites; Old Orchard Park, two heavy traffic intersections (Judd Street and Lumberjack Drive), an industrial site (West Borden Drive), and a truck stop. Acetone and dichloromethane extracts in all samples showed the presence of fluoranthene and pyrene. The sum of fluoranthene and pyrene concentrations in sites followed the order West Borden Drive > Judd Street > Lumberjack Drive > Old Orchard Park > truck stop. Concentrations of fluoranthene and pyrene were in the range 12.3 – 396.5 μg kg^-1 (ppb) and 13.6 – 209.8 μg kg^-1 ₍in dry soil₎, respectively. Benzanthrone, benz[a]anthracene, chrysene, and triphenylene concentrations were < 2 ppb levels. The higher concentrations in soils were associated with sites close to heavy traffic and vehicular emissions.

Rhizophora mangle L. is a well-known medicinal plant found in mangroves worldwide used to treatment diabetes. This study evaluated the chemical composition of the acetonic extract from Rhizophora mangle barks (AERM), by HPLC-PDA and FIA-ESI-IT-MS/MS and the effects on high-fat diet induced obesity in mice and its mechanism of action by gene expression of inflammatory markers (Pparg, Ppara, Srebf1, Cd36, Tnf, Ccl2, Lep, Il10, Il6, Fasn, 18s). High-fat diet fed mice during 12 weeks was used as model of obesity and associated alterations. The results were very satisfactory, the extract, rich in polyphenolic compounds, flavonoids and phenolic acids, displayed intense antioxidant activity in vitro (608 µmol Trolox/g), and showed excellent activity against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and reverse insulin resistance in a model of diet-induced obesity. We can registered a modulatory effect of AERM in liver PPAR-γ mRNA expression associated to an important inhibition of CD36 mRNA expression suggesting that AERM induces the down regulation of CD36 mRNA via PPAR-gamma inhibition. These results support the traditional knowledge about the use of R. mangle for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and reveal the potential of AERM for the treatment of NAFLD and management of obesity and comorbidities.

Food pathogens contaminate food products that allow their growth on the shelf and also under refrigerated conditions. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to lower the limit of detection (LOD) of the method used and to obtain the results within hours to few days. Biosensor methods exploit the available technologies to individuate and provide an approximate quantification of the bacteria present in a sample. The main bottleneck of these methods depend on the aspecific binding to the surfaces and on a change in sensitivity when bacteria are in a complex food matrix in respect to bacteria in a liquid food sample. In this review we introduce Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR), new advancements in SPR techniques, and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS), as label-free biosensing technologies for the detection of L. monocytogenes in foods. The application of the two methods has made possible the detection of L. monocytogenes with LOD of 1 log CFU/mL. Further advancement are envisaged through the combination of biosensor methods with immunoseparation of bacteria from larger volumes.

In past years, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) can be found in every aspect of life, and batteries, as energy storage systems (ESSs), need to offer electric vehicles (EVs) more competition to be accepted in markets for automobiles. Thick electrode design could reduce the use of non-active materials in batteries that its energy density would be improved and its cost would be cut. However, thick electrodes are limited by their weak mechanical stability and poor electrochemical performance, these limitations could be classified as the critical cracking thickness (CCT) and the limited penetration depth (LPD). The understanding of the CCT and the LPD have been proposed and the recent works on breaking the CCT and improving the LPD are listed in this article. By comprising these attempts, some thick electrodes could not offer higher mass loading or higher accessible areal capacity that would defeat the purpose.

This research focuses on the effect of trampling on vegetation in high-mountain ecosystems through the electromagnetic spectrum’s interaction with plant pigments, cell structure, water content and other substances that have a direct impact on leaf properties. The most heavily visited part of the High Tatras in Poland was divided into polygons and, after selecting the dominant species within alpine swards, a detailed analysis of trampled and reference patterns was performed. An ASD FieldSpec 3 was used to acquire high-resolution spectral properties of plants, their fluorescence and the leaf chlorophyll content with the ts-ta temperature index and fraction of accumulated radiation in the range of photosynthesis (fAPAR) used as reference data. The results show that, along tourist trails, vegetation adapts to trampling with the impact depending on the species. A lower chlorophyll value was confirmed by a decrease in fluorescence, and the state of cellular structures was degraded in trampled compared to reference species, with a lower leaf reflectance. Also, at the extreme, trampling can eliminate certain species such as Luzula alpino-pilosa.

Throughout the ages and times, the need to use everything that reflects women's beauty and helps them maintain their vision and health, and if the need to use the precious materials has been put in place, it is important that they produce the desired results without attention to the harmful chemicals and heavy metals that they contain. Over time, the toxicity of these heavy metals increases in our environment because of their long-term exposure to these pollutants, whether low or high-level in toxicity, animal-prednmost, environment, including air we breathe, water, food, etc. Cosmetics are one of these sources through which humans are exposed to heavy toxic metals. Heavy metals have been estimated in a number of previous studies, and in our study here, we aim to estimate the amount of cadmium metal and study it in various cosmetics such as Lipstick, Eye shadow, Face whitening cream. Two samples were taken from each of the locomoys and cadmium was estimated using the photometer of atomic absorption, one of the samples being expensive and the other low-cost, and purchased from the wholesale markets of Taiz City. Cadmium has been found prominently in these products and the highest rate found in the lowest cost-effective, Eye shadow, that the use of these cosmetic products exposes users to low- conc. heavy metals, which may pose a danger to their health. They are known to be clustered in their biological systems over time, resulting in an imbalance of body and environment. The results found that the low-priced color samples contained a higher concentration of cadmium than the high-price samples in low-priced samples, cadmium concentration was in order of eye shadow > lipstick = face whitening cream. The similar pattern are shown also for higher price product, which are lipstick > face whitening cream > eye shadow.

This paper presents the design and implementation of a multichannel bio-impedance spectroscopy system on field programmable gate arrays (FPGA). The proposed system is capable of acquiring multiple signals from multiple bio-impedance sensors, process the data on the FPGA and store the final data in the on-board Memory. The system employs the Digital Automatic Balance Bridge (DABB) method to acquire data from biosensors. The DABB measures initial data of a known impedance to extrapolate the value of the impedance for the device under test. This method offers a simpler design because the balancing of the circuit is done digitally in the FPGA rather than using an external circuit. Calculations of the impedance values for the device under test were done in the processor. The final data is sent to an onboard Flash Memory to be stored for later access. The control unit handles the interfacing and the scheduling between these different modules (Processor, Flash Memory) as well as interfacing to multiple Balance Bridge and multiple biosensors. The system has been simulated successfully and has comparable performance to other FPGA based solutions. The system has a robust design that is capable of handling and interfacing input from multiple biosensors. Data processing and storage is also performed with minimal resources on the FPGA.

Dynamic tribochemical processes for dicationic ionic liquid containing a germinal imidazolium cation head groups bridged by a poly(ethylene glycol) and bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide anion were studied using time-resolved Mechanically Stimulated Gas Emission Mass-Spectrometry (MSGE-MS). In comparison with similar monocationic imidazolium ionic liquids with short alkylic or long polyether side chains the dicationic ionic liquid had lower coefficient of friction on Ti6Al4V alloy and smoother behaviour. The analysis of volatile decomposition products suggested multiple tribochemical reactions in which both anionic and cationic moieties are involved. Tribochemical degradation of cations was mainly through detachment of the side and bridging chains from the imidazolium head groups. Absence of volatile products containing nitrogen implies that imidazole group remained unchanged. Hydrogen and water desorption were attributed to the reactions of hydrogen fluoride being a product of anion degradation with titanium and titanium oxide.

In laser joining of copper (Cu) and aluminum (Al) sheets, the Al sheet is widely chosen as the top surface for laser irradiation because of increased absorption of laser beam and lower melting temperature of Al in contrast to Cu. This research focus on welding from Cu side to Al sheet. The main objective of irradiating the laser beam from the copper side (Cu on top) is to exploit higher solubility of Al in Cu. A significantly lower laser power can be used with 515 nm laser in comparison to 1030 nm. In addition to low laser power, a stable welding is obtained with 515 nm. Because of this advantage, 515 nm is selected for the current research. By fusion of Cu and Al the two sheet metals are welded, with presence of beneficial Cu solid solution phase and Al+Al2Cu in the joint with the brittle phases intermixed between the ductile phase. Therefore the mixed composition strengthens the joint. However excessive mixing leads to formation of more detrimental phases and less ductile phases. Therefore optimum mixing must be maintained. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis indicate that large amount of beneficial Cu solid solution and Al rich phases is formed in the strong joint. From the tensile shear test for a strong joint, fracture is obtained on the heat-affected zone (HAZ) of Al. Therefore the key for welding from copper side is to have optimum melt with beneficial phases like Cu and Al+ Al2Cu and the detrimental phases intermixed between the ductile phases

The four solvent extractives obtained from aerial parts of Leucophyllum frutescens were evaluated for their Total Antioxidant Activity (TAA) by ammonium molybdate method, scavenging potential by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and Trolox-Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (TEAC) assays, metal-reducing potential by Cupric Reducing Antioxidant Capacity (CUPRAC) and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) assays, Total Phenolic Content (TPC), Total Flavonoid Content (TFC) and their biological activities. The study concluded that BULE exhibited total antioxidant activity (226.235±1.222 mg AA.Eq.gm-1 DE±S.D) by molybdate method, CHLE exhibited more scavenging potential (DPPH 209.589±8.500 mg trolox Eq.gm-1 DE±S.D and TEAC 210.166±7.954 mg trolox Eq.gm-1 DE±S.D) and reducing potential (CUPRAC 646.889±16.889 mg trolox Eq.gm-1 DE±S.D & FRAP 472.981±15.625 mg trolox Eq.gm-1 DE±S.D). Phytochemical quantification concluded high TPC by BULE (189.369±1.393 mg GA.Eq.gm-1 DE±S.D) and high TFC by CHLE (232.458±1.589 mg Qu.Eq.gm-1 DE±S.D). Strong inhibition of α-glucosidase and urease enzymes was observed by HELE (IC50 0.3321±0.007 mg.ml-1±SD) and BULE (IC50 4.09±0.357 mg.ml-1±SD) extractives, respectively. The hemolytic effect shown by hexane extract (HELE) was higher with HA50 25.545±0.927 ug.ml-1±SD whereas methanol (MELE), chloroform (CHLE), and butanol (BULE) exhibited hemolytic effects at higher concentration with HA50 400.067±1.364, 321.394±1.332, and 332.957±0.465 µg.ml-1±SD, respectively. GC-MS profiling of HELE of L. frutescens was performed for qualitative analysis. The principal phytochemicals tentatively identified by GC-MS analysis of HELE accounts for fatty acids (60.221%), lignans (17.687%), ketones (3.358%), phenols (2.584%), sesquiterpenes (1.265%), and aldehydes (0.345%).

The research is devoted to the acute problem of cinema influence on the young audience. With the continuous development of mass media, cinema is still one of the most popular leisure activities, remaining an influential tool on the picture of the world, values, stereotypes, the behavior of viewers, etc. The paper studies the effects of the cinema on young viewers in relation to their ideas about the elderly. Using a psychosemantic technique that includes 25 scales designed specifically to identify the content of representation of older people, respondents evaluated their various characteristics before and after watching the film. It should be noted that after watching a film about the elderly, the respondents changed their representations of motivational and regulatory, cognitive and emotional characteristics of the older people. However, the changes were not similar in different groups of young people: students seemed to have more negative representation, graduate students’ assessment, on the contrary, changed for a better one. The discovered opposite effects of the cinema influence can be explained by a number of reasons starting from age, personal experience of the respondents, the formation of ideas to the special features of the film itself. In this regard, the contribution of individual factors to the efficiency of the cinema impact and the prediction of its specific effects requires further study.

Malaria and Pneumonia are leading causes of serious illness in children and adults worldwide with their death rate and prevalence on the rise. Such alarming statistics may retard the milestones so far achieved in meeting the Millennium Development Goals 4 and 6 whose targets are to improve child survival and reverse the high prevalence of diseases such as pneumonia and malaria respectively. Two sub-models of malaria-pneumonia co-infection namely malaria model and pneumonia model were considered first and then followed by the full malaria-pneumonia co-infection model. The malaria model, pneumonia model and co-infection model basic reproduction numbers denoted by R_m, R_p and R_mp respectively was obtained using the Next Generation Matrix method. The model disease free equilibrium’s local and global stability was analysed using Descartes’ Rule of signs and Comparison method. The bifurcation analysis for the malaria, pneumonia and co-infection models was studied using the Centre Manifold Theory. The sensitivity indices of the model basic reproduction numbers R_m, R_p and R_mp to the parameters in the models were calculated. Optimal control theory was applied using the Pontryagins’ Maximum Principle to investigate optimal strategies for controlling the spread of malaria, pneumonia and co-infection models using insecticide treated bed nets (u₁(t)) spraying of mosquitoes insecticides (u₂(t)), sanitation (u₃(t)), vaccination (u₄(t)), anti-malaria drugs (u₅(t)), anti-pneumonia drugs (u₆(t)), both anti-malaria drugs and anti-pneumonia drugs (u₇(t)) as the system time control variables. Numerical simulations using a set of parameter values were provided to validate the analytical results.

A fatty hydroxamic acid (FHA) mixture synthesized from olive oil triacylglycerides by hydroxylaminolysis and composed predominantly of oleyl and linoleyl hydroxamic acid (OHA and LHA, respectively) was characterized by means of IR, Raman, MS and 1D and 2D ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR spectroscopy. The ratio of OHA and LHA (4:1) was confirmed by MALDI TOF/TOF mass spectrometry. The radical scavenging and the Fe²⁺-chelating activity, as well as antioxidant activity in β-carotene-linoleic acid and the Fe³⁺-reducing power assays of the FHAs yielded positive results. The results of FHA cell toxicity on normal fibroblast (BJ) and a tumour cell line (HeLa) revealed that the normal cell line was sensitive to FHAs within the entire range of applied concentrations (5 × 10⁻⁴ mg/mL to 5 × 10⁻¹ mg/mL), while the HeLa tumour cell line was sensitive only at the highest FHA concentration (5 × 10⁻¹ mg/mL). In silico target prediction indicated cannabinoid receptors 1 and 2, the fatty-acid amide hydrolase 1 and hystone deacetylases as the most probable targets of OHA and LHA. According to ADMET predictor analysis, the safety profiles of OHA and LHA are comparable to that of SAHA (vorinostat) the histone deacetylase inhibitor in use as an antineoplastic and immunomodulating agent.

The present investigation has been conducted on one hundred tissue fragments of breast cancer, collected and immediately cryopreserved following the surgical resection. The fragments were selected from patients with invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast, the most common and potentially aggressive type of mammary cancer, with the objective to increase the knowledge of breast cancer molecular markers, useful for diagnostic and prognostic categorization of patients, in assessing post-surgical therapeutic regimes. The proteomic screening, by 2D-IPG and mass spectrometry, allowed us to identify two main classes of protein clusters: proteins expressed ubiquitously at high levels in all patients, and proteins expressed sporadically among the same patients. Within the group of ubiquitous proteins, glycolytic enzymes and proteins with anti-apoptotic activity were predominant. Among the sporadic ones, proteins involved in cell motility, molecular chaperones and proteins involved in the detoxification appeared prevalent. The data of the present study indicates that the primary tumor growth is generally supported by two concurrent pathways: the inhibition of apoptosis and the stimulation of cellular proliferation. The second phase of the evolution of the tumor can be prematurely scheduled by the occasional presence of proteins involved in cell motility and in the defenses of the oxidative stress. To our knowledge this report on large-scales proteomics of breast cancer is currently a unique approach in the literature that offers the opportunity to evaluate the presence and recurrence of proteins to be used as prognostic indicators and susceptibility to metastasis in patients operated on for invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast.

One of the most common limits to gas sensor performance is the presence of unwanted interference fringes or etalons arising, for example, from multiple reflections between surfaces in the optical path. Additionally, since the amplitude and the frequency of these interference depend on the distance and alignment of the optical elements, they are affected by temperature changes and mechanical disturbances, giving rise to a drift of the signal. In this work, we present a novel semi-parametric algorithm which allows the extraction of a signal, like the spectroscopic absorption line of a gas molecule, from a background containing arbitrary disturbances, without having to make any assumption on the functional form of these disturbances. The algorithm is applied first to simulated data and then to oxygen absorption measurements in presence of strong fringes.To the best of the authors' knowledge, the algorithm enables an unprecedented accuracy particularly if the fringes have a free spectral range and amplitude comparable to those of the signal to be detected. The described method presents the advantage of being based purely on post processing, and to be of extremely straightforward implementation if the functional form of the Fourier transform of the signal is known. Therefore it has the potential to enable interference-immune absorption spectroscopy. Finally, its relevance goes beyond absorption spectroscopy for gas sensing since it can be applied to any kind of spectroscopic data.

Obesity is treatment-resistant, and is linked with a number of serious, chronic diseases. Adult obesity rates in the United States have tripled since the early 1960s. Recent reviews show that an increased ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids contributes to obesity rates by increasing levels of the endocannabinoid signals AEA and 2-AG, overstimulating CB₁R and leading to increased caloric intake, reduced metabolic rates, and weight gain. Cannabis, or THC, also stimulates CB₁R and increases caloric intake during acute exposures. The present meta-analysis reveals significantly reduced body mass index and rates of obesity in Cannabis users, in conjunction with increased caloric intake. We provide for the first time a causative explanation for this paradox, in which rapid and long-lasting downregulation of CB₁R following acute Cannabis consumption reduces energy intake and storage and increases metabolic rates, thus reversing the impact on body mass index of elevated dietary omega-6/omega-3 ratios.

The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between coffee consumption and obesity in Korean women. We included 5,995 women who participated in a health screening examination at the Korean National Cancer Center between 2007 and 2016. Daily coffee consumption was evaluated using the food frequency questionnaire. Obesity was assessed by body mass index (BMI), and abdominal obesity was assessed by waist circumference (WC). A multiple logistic regression model was used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) of obesity according to coffee consumption. After multivariate adjustment, high coffee consumption was positively associated with obesity measured by BMI (≥ 3 cups vs. no drinks, OR = 2.52; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.91-3.34; P for the trend < 0.001) and abdominal obesity measured by WC (≥ 3 cups vs. no drinks, OR = 2.11; 95% CI = 1.59-2.79; P for the trend < 0.001). The positive association between daily coffee consumption and obesity prevalence was not altered by menopause. The amount of coffee consumed per day by Korean women was positively correlated with the prevalence of obesity, but the mechanism underlying this phenomenon remains to be elucidated.

This case report describes evidence of intratubular biomineralization in root canal filled with calcium enriched material after 8 years of clinical maintenance. The schematic findings of dentinal tubules were investigated with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The root canal obturation material was closely adapted to root dentin surface, suggesting the possibility of chemical bonding between the two interfaces. SEM and EDS observation of dentinal tubules showed intratubular biomineralized crystal structures with Ca/P ratio in a range of 1.30–2.12, suggesting bioactive capacity of calcium enriched cement.

A novel type of graphene-like quantum dots, synthesized by oxidation and cage-opening of C60 buckminsterfullerene, has been studied as a fluorescent and absorptive probe for heavy-metal ions. The lattice structure of such unfolded fullerene quantum dots (UFQDs) is distinct from that of graphene since it includes both carbon hexagons and pentagons. The basic optical properties, however, are similar to those of regular graphene oxide quantum dots. On the other hand, UFQDs behave quite differently in the presence of heavy-metal ions, in that multiple sensitivity to Cu2+, Pb2+ and As(III) was observed through comparable quenching of the fluorescent emission and different variations of the transmittance spectrum. By dynamic light scattering measurements we confirmed, for the first time in metal sensing, that this response is due to multiple complexation and subsequent aggregation of UFQDs. Nonetheless, the explanation of the distinct behaviour of transmittance in the presence of As(III) and the formation of precipitate with Pb2+ require further studies. These differences, however, also make it possible to discriminate between the three metal ions in view of the implementation of a selective multiple sensor.

We aimed to explore university students’ perceptions and experiences of SARS-CoV-2 mass asymptomatic testing, social distancing and self-isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. This qualitative study comprised of four rapid online focus groups conducted at a higher education institution in England during high alert (tier 2) national COVID-19 restrictions. Data were analysed thematically. Participants were purposively sampled university students (n = 25) representing a range of gender, age, living circumstances (on/off campus) and SARS-CoV-2 testing/self-isolation experiences. Six themes with 16 sub-themes emerged from the analysis of the qualitative data: ‘Term-time Experiences’, ‘Risk Perception and Worry’, ‘Engagement in Protective Behaviours’, ‘Openness to Testing’, ‘Barriers to Testing’ and ‘General Wellbeing’. Students described feeling safe on campus, believed most of their peers are adherent to protective behaviours and were positive towards asymptomatic testing in university settings. University communications about COVID-19 testing and social behaviours need to be timely and presented in a more inclusive way to reach groups of students who currently feel marginalised. Barriers to engagement with SARS-CoV-2 testing, social distancing and self-isolation were primarily associated with fear of the mental health impacts of self-isolation, including worry about how they will cope, high anxiety, low mood, guilt relating to impact on others and loneliness. Loneliness in students could be mitigated through increased intra-university communications and a focus on establishment of low COVID-risk social activities to help students build and enhance their social support networks. These findings are particularly pertinent in the context of mass asymptomatic testing programmes being implemented in educational settings and high numbers of students being required to self-isolate. Universities need to determine the support needs of students during self-isolation and prepare for the long-term impacts of the pandemic on student mental health and welfare support services.

Since coffee has been shown to influence positively the metabolism of subjects with metabolic syndrome (MetS), we aimed to evaluate the short- and long-term effects of a coffee-based supplement on different features of diet-induced MetS. 24 Sprague Dawley rats were divided into control or nutraceuticals groups to receive a high-fat/high fructose diet with or without a mixture of caffeic acid (30 mg/day), trigonelline (20 mg/day), and cafestol (1 mg/day) for 12 weeks. An additional 11 rats were assigned to an acute crossover study. In the chronic experiment, nutraceuticals did not alter body weight or glycemic control but improved fed hyperinsulinemia and HOMA-IR, and plasma adiponectin levels. The impact of nutraceuticals on post-prandial glycemia tended to be more pronounced after acute administration than at the end of the chronic study. Circulating and intrahepatocellular alanine transaminase activity, assessed by hyperpolarized-¹³C NMR spectroscopy, were reduced by coffee nutraceuticals at endpoint. There was also a tendency towards lower liver triglyceride content and histological steatosis score in the intervention group. In conclusion, a mixture of coffee nutraceuticals improved insulin sensitivity and exhibited hepatoprotective effects in a rat model of MetS. Higher dosages with or without caffeine deserve to be studied in the future.

Abstract: I present a generalization of quantum electrodynamics which includes Diracmagnetic monop oles and the Salam magnetic photon. This quantum electromagnetodynamics has many attractive features. (1) It explains the quantization of electric charge. (2) It describes symmetrized Maxwell equations. (3) It is manifestly covariant. (4) It describes local four-potentials. (5) It avoids the unphysical Dirac string. (6) It predicts a second kind of electromagnetic radiation which can be veried by a tabletop experiment. An eect of this radiation may have been observed by August Kundt in 1885. Furthermore I discuss a generalization of General Relativity which includes Cartan's torsion. I discuss the mathematical denition, concrete description, and physical meaning of Cartan's torsion. I argue that the electric-magnetic duality of quantum electromagnetodynamics is analogous to the spin-mass duality of Einstein-Cartan theory. A quantum version of this theory requires that the torsion tensor corresponds to a spin-3 boson called tordion which is shown to have a rest mass close to the Planck mass. Moreover I present an empirically satised fundamental equation of unied eld theory which includes the fundamental constants of electromagnetism and gravity. I conclude with the remark that the concepts presented here require neither Grand Unication nor supersymmetry.

Mass timber products, together with careful forestry management, could help decarbonize the construction industry. These products must be long-lasting, to safely store atmospheric carbon for decades or centuries, and multi-functional, to displace materials and equipment that are emissions-intensive. This paper shows how to optimize mass timber panels as heat-exchangers, suggesting how to eliminate insulation while simplifying HVAC systems. Test panels measured the heat-exchange in steady and transient conditions, when the ventilation was driven by a fan or by thermal buoyancy. The total heatexchange was predicted accurately by theory in all cases. Further investigation is needed to understand the possible heat-recovery effects at the exterior surface.

In the last 20 years, a huge amount of experimental results about halogen bonding (XB) has been produced. Most of the systems have been characterized by solid state X-ray crystallography, whereas in solution the only routine technique is the titration (by using ¹H and ¹⁹F NMR, IR, UV-Vis or Raman spectroscopies, depending on the nature of the system), with the aim of characterizing the strength of the XB interaction. Unfortunately, the titration techniques have many intrinsic limitations and they should be coupled with other, more sophisticated techniques to have an accurate and detailed description of the geometry and stoichiometry of the XB adduct in solution. In this review, it will be shown how crucial information about XB adducts can be obtained by advanced NMR techniques, as Nuclear Overhauser Effect-based Spectroscopies (NOESY, ROESY, HOESY…) and diffusion NMR techniques (PGSE or DOSY).

Knowledge of a lasers beam’s profile throughout a laser system and experiment can help immensely in diagnosing laser problems and assisting in beam alignment and focusing at a sample. Obtaining such profiles is a trivial task in the ultraviolet-visible wavelength range but more challenging with near-infrared to infrared beams. Scientific grade bolometer arrays, suitable for such a task, do exist but are extremely costly, relatively large and have a large pixel size, of the order of 80 μm, which is adequate for profiling larger beams but poses an issue when trying to profile sub 100 μm beams for example at a focal point. This communication identifies a micro-bolometer array for near- to mid-infrared laser beam profiling, which is extremely low cost. In addition, the device is very compact, enabling use in confined spaces, and has a small, 12 μm, pixel size permitting the profiling of focused laser beams. The best scientific grade device identified has a pixel size of 17 μm. This device is a powerful tool for infrared laser spectroscopists, reducing the time required to measure the spot size of beams and to achieve spatial overlap of multiple infrared beams as used in two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy, saving many hours of setup time. The use of the bolometer array as a spectrographic detector and probe of long-term beam drifts is also demonstrated.

This study evaluated the antimicrobial activity of Leptospermum scoparium (Mānuka) and Cryptomeria japonica (Sugi) essential oils and assessed the effect of seasonal chemical variation on the oils’ antimicrobial efficacies. Plate based assays were conducted to elucidate the oils’ spectrum of in vitro antimicrobial activity and to determine the oils’ minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) as a measure of antimicrobial efficacy. Gas chromatography – mass spectrometry was adopted to chemically profile oils distilled in different seasons. The resultant compositional information in conjunction with MIC data was used to evaluate the effect of seasonal variation on the oils’ antimicrobial efficacy. Both Mānuka and Sugi essential oils were active against all classes of target microorganisms. However, limited activity was observed against Gram-negative bacteria. The oils displayed consistent chemotypic characteristics regardless of the time of distillation. Nonetheless, there were quantitative differences in compound abundance in both essential oils. Significant differences in the MIC of Sugi essential oil was observed against target microorganisms as a result of seasonal variation in constituent abundances while Mānuka essential oil’s antimicrobial efficacy was unaffected. This study demonstrates that seasonal chemical variation is an important quality assurance parameter to consider for future application of essential oils as antimicrobial agents in consumer products.

Estimates of dog population sizes are a prerequisite for delivering effective canine rabies control. However, dog population sizes are generally unknown in most rabies-endemic areas. Several approaches have been used to estimate dog populations but without rigorous evaluation. We compare post-vaccination transects, household surveys and school-based surveys to determine which most precisely estimates dog population sizes. These methods were implemented across 28 districts in southeast Tanzania, in conjunction with mass dog vaccinations, covering a range of settings, livelihoods and religious backgrounds. Transects were the most precise method, revealing highly variable patterns of dog ownership, with human: dog ratios ranging from 12.4:1 to 181.3:1 across districts. Both household and school-based surveys generated imprecise and sometimes inaccurate estimates, possible due to low sample size. Transect data were subsequently used to develop a predictive model for estimating dog populations in districts lacking transect data. We predicted a dog population of 2,316,000 (95% CI 1,573,000-3,122,000) in Tanzania and an average human: dog ratio of 20.7:1. Our modelling approach has the potential be applied to predicting dog population size in other districts where mass dog vaccination is carried out, given census and livelihood data. We recommend transects as a rapid and effective method to refine dog population estimates across large geographic areas and guide dog vaccination programs.

Atmospheric pollution arising from diesel-powered engines can result in acute and chronic diseases of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. The annual carnival festival that takes place in the city of Salvador, Bahia-Brazil, is a large-scale event that gathers approximately 2 m revelers and 170,000 workers who accompany dozens of sound-trucks, or trios elétricos, for a period of seven days. These slow-moving sound-trucks run on diesel fuel, constantly exposing those around them to exhaust fumes. The present study aimed to evaluate air quality along the approximately 10km-long carnival parade circuit and determine possible impacts on human health. We applied a three-phase risk analysis strategy from 2007–2009: 1) hazard identification, 2) risk characterization and 3) risk management. Our quantification of atmospheric particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) concentrations revealed variable levels of PM2.5 ranging from 19 µg/m³ to 580 µg/m³, with peaks of up to 800 μg/m³ at sound-truck concentration areas. We then assessed the effects of air pollution on human health using ophthalmologic parameters obtained from 28 carnival volunteers, who often presented symptoms of eye irritation. Finally, we established strategies to communicate the study’s objectives and obtained results to the population through media outlets and open discussions with government agencies. According to our risk analysis, carnival sound-trucks represent the main source of atmospheric PM2.5 and NO₂ pollution during the annual 7-day carnival festival. As a consequence of our research, the municipal government of Salvador issued an addendum to its carnival legislation mandating organizers to monitor atmospheric pollution, and, subsequently, all large-scale public events. Municipal government authorities have also promoted a shift from petroleum-based diesel fuel to biodiesel, a less-polluting fuel, for all adapted carnival sound-trucks. Our approach, which employed easily accessible and inexpensive methodology, provided substantial scientific evidence to support improvements in the regulation of air quality during large-scale public events held in the city of Salvador.Keywords: environmental

According to known laws of physics, chronic positive mass balance is the actual etiology of obesity, not positive energy balance. The relevant physical law in terms of body mass regulation is the Law of Conservation of Mass, not the Law of Conservation of Energy. A recently proposed mass balance model (MBM) describes the temporal evolution of body weight and body composition under a wide variety of feeding experiments, and it seems to provide a highly accurate description of the very best experimental human feeding data. By shifting to a mass balance paradigm of obesity, a deeper understanding of this disease may follow in the near future. The purpose of this living review is to present the core issues of the upcoming paradigm shift as well as some practical applications related to the topic.

Steroid analysis is important in the clinical assessment of endocrine function in health and disease. Although tandem mass spectrometry methods coupled with chromatographic separation are considered the gold standard analytical technique in this setting, enabling profiling of multiple steroids in a single sample, sample processing can be labour-intensive. Here we present a simple, efficient automated 96-well Supported Liquid Extraction method with dichloromethane/isopropanol as organic solvent, carried out on a Extrahera automated sample handler (Biotage), which completes sample preparation of 80 plasma samples (200µL) in 90 minutes. Compounds were separated on a Kinetex C18 column (150x3mm;2.6um) using a mobile phase of methanol and water (0.1% formic acid). The run time was 16 minutes on a Nexera uHPLC system (Shimadzu) with a QTrap 6500+ linear ion trap mass spectrometer (AB Sciex). Precisions ranged 8.1 to 18.1% RSD, bias -10.1-5.8%, and extraction recoveries 73.5-111.9%. LOQs ranged between 0.025–0.500 ng/mL.

The system of non-interacting electrically charged core-massless spring-shell mechanical units, demonstrating negative effective mass, is considered, seen as a Drude-Lorentz gas. When such an ideal gas is exposed to the external harmonic field, it demonstrates as the certain conditions the negative frequency-dependent electrical conductivity. The negative value of the electrical conductivity implies that the electrical current will flow against the direction of the electric field and correspondingly the direction of the electrical force. Low- and high-frequency asymptotic behavior of the electrical conductivity is addressed. The same system demonstrates at low frequencies the negative asymptotic refraction. Experimental realization of the introduced model system, based on the exploitation of plasma oscillations of the free electron gas is suggested.

With an ever broadening use of composite materials manufacturers are in high demand of efficient curing cycles to reduce costs and speed up production cycles. One method to to archive this goal is active cure monitoring to determine the exact time of curing needed. This article provides a novel method to measure the cure inside of closed tools by using ultrasonic spectroscopy. For this a simple experiment is used to show the change of the ultrasonic spectrum during the cure of an epoxy. The results clearly show a direct correlation of amplitude and state of cure where the amplitude reaches a global minimum at the glass point.

A series of Si-bearing MgAl₂O₄-spinels were synthesized at 1500-1650 °C and 3–6 GPa. These spinels had SiO₂ contents up to ~1.03 wt%, and showed a substitution mechanism of Si⁴⁺ + Mg²⁺ = 2Al³⁺. Unpolarized Raman spectra were collected from polished single grains, and displayed a set of well-defined Raman peaks at ~610, 823, 856 and 968 cm^-1 which had not been observed before. Aided with the Raman features of natural Si-free MgAl₂O₄-spinel, synthetic Si-free MgAl₂O₄-spinel, natural low quartz, synthetic coesite, synthetic stishovite and synthetic forsterite, we infer that these Raman peaks should belong to the SiO₄ groups. The relations between the Raman intensities and SiO₂ contents of the Si-bearing MgAl₂O₄-spinels suggest that at some P-T conditions some Si must adopt the M-site. Unlike the SiO₄ groups with very intense Raman signals, the SiO₆ groups are largely Raman-inactive. We have further found that the Si cations primarily appear on the T-site at P-T conditions ≤ ~3–4 GPa and 1500 °C, but attain a random distribution between the T-site and M-site at P-T conditions ≥ ~5–6 GPa and 1630–1650 °C. This Si-disordering process observed for the Si-bearing MgAl₂O₄-spinels hints that similar Si-disordering might happen to the (Mg,Fe)₂SiO₄-spinels (ringwoodite), the major phase in the lower part of the mantle transition zone of the Earth and the index mineral for the very strong shock stage experienced by extraterrestrial materials. The likely consequences have been explored.

Background: Diabetes is among the most prevalent diseases worldwide, of all the affected individuals a significant proportion of the population remains undiagnosed because of a lack of specific symptoms early in this disorder and inadequate diagnostics. Diabetes and its associated sequela, i.e., comorbidity are associated with microvascular and macrovascular complications. As diabetes is characterized by an altered metabolism of key metabolites and regulatory pathways. Metabolic phenotyping can provide us with a better understanding of the unique set of regulatory perturbations that predispose to diabetes and its associated comorbidities. Methodology: The present study utilizes the analytical platform NMR spectroscopy coupled with Random Forest statistical analysis to identify the discriminatory metabolites of diabetes (DB) and diabetes-related comorbidity (DC) along with the healthy control (HC) subjects. A combined and pairwise analysis was performed, between the serum samples of HC (n=50), and DB (n=38), and DC (n=35) individuals to identify the discriminatory metabolites responsible for class separation. The perturbed metabolites were further rigorously validated using t-test, AUROC analysis to examine the statistical significance of the identified metabolites. Results: The DB and DC patients were well discriminated from HC. However, 15 metabolites were found to be significantly perturbed in DC patients compared to DB, the identified panel of metabolites are TCA cycle (succinate, citrate), methylamine metabolism (trimethylamine, methylamine, betaine), -intermediates; energy metabolites (glucose, lactate, pyruvate); and amino acids (valine, arginine, glutamate, methionine, proline and threonine). The metabolites were further used to identify the perturbed metabolic pathway and correlation of metabolites in DC patients. Conclusion: The 1H NMR metabolomics may prove a promising technique to differentiate and predict diabetes and its comorbidities on their onset or progression by determining the altered levels of the metabolites in serum.

Transplant of human cancer cells into zebrafish larvae has emerged as a useful methodology in cancer research. Zebrafish have very low husbandry costs, are amenable to large-scale drug screening, and are unmatched for optical clarity in live animal imaging. However, there is currently no consensus on the ideal methods for xenograft of human cancer cells into zebrafish. Here, we have examined the effects of transplant site and housing temperature on both zebrafish larvae and human cancer cells using survival analyses, metabolomic approaches, and in vivo imaging. Our data show that while zebrafish larvae can adapt to the ideal conditions for mammalian cells, human cancer cells are highly sensitive to both temperature change and transplant site. Human cells housed in slightly cooler than physiologic temperatures had a significantly altered metabolism that resulted in changes in growth, survival, and response to chemotherapy. Cancer cells xenografted into the yolk of the larvae also had reduced proliferation and drug response compared to those xenografted into the soma, in part due to the differences in metabolites available at these sites. In total, temperature and transplant site can have profound effects on xenografted cells. Standardization of zebrafish xenograft methods will enhance data reproducibility between individual laboratories.

Tourmalines are a group of minerals which may concentrate various accessory components, e.g. Cu, Ni, Zn, Bi, Ti, Sn. The paper presents fluor-elbaite and elbaite from a dyke of the Julianna pegmatitic system at Piława Górna, at the NE margin of the Bohemian Massif, SW Poland, containing up to 6.32 and 7.37 wt.% ZnO, respectively. Such high amounts of ZnO are almost two times higher than in the second most Zn-enriched tourmaline known to date. The compositions of the Zn-rich tourmalines from Piława Górna, studied by electron microprobe and Raman spectroscopy, correspond to the formulae: (Na0.73Ca0.01•0.25)Σ1(Al1.03Li0.79Zn0.76Fe2+0.33Mn0.09)Σ3Al6B3Si6O27(OH)3(F0.66OH0.34), and (Na0.78Ca0.01•0.21)Σ1(Al1.06Li0.87Zn0.88Fe2+0.10Mn0.09)Σ3Al6B3Si6O27(OH)3(OH0.84F0.16), respectively, with Zn as one of the main octahedral occupants. A comparison with other tourmalines and associated Zn-rich fluor-elbaite and elbaite from the pegmatite indicates that atypically high Zn-enrichment is not a result of Zn-Fe fractionation, but dissolution and reprecipitation induced by a late (Na,Li,B,F)-bearing fluid within the assemblage of gahnite spinel and primary schorl-type tourmaline. This strongly suggests Na-Li-B-F metasomatism of gahnite-bearing mineral assemblages as that is the only environment that can promote crystallization of a hypothetical Zn-dominant tourmaline. The compositions of the Zn-rich fluor-elbaite and elbaite suggest three possible end-members for such a hypothetical tourmaline species: NaZn3Al6B3Si6O27(OH)3(OH), •(Zn2Al)Al6B3Si6O27(OH)3(OH) and Na(Zn2Al)Al6B3Si6O27(OH)3O.

Background: Lithium di-silicate dental ceramics bonding, realized by using different resins, is strictly dependent on micro-mechanical retention and chemical adhesion. The aim of this in vitro study was to investigate the capability of a 1070 nm fiber laser for their surface treatment. Methods: Samples were irradiated by a pulsed fiber laser at 1070 nm with different parameters (Peak Power from 5 kW to 5 kW, RR 20 kHz, speed from 10 to 50 mm/s, total Energy Density from 1.3 to 27 kW/cm²) and the thermal elevation during the experiment was recorded by a Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) temperature sensor. Subsequently, the surface modifications were analysed by optical microscope, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS). Results: With a Peak Power of 5 kW, RR of 20 kHz and speed of 50 mm/s, the microscopic observation of the irradiated surface showed increased roughness with small areas of melting and carbonization. EDS analysis revealed that, with these parameters, there are no evident differences between laser-processed samples and controls. Thermal elevation during laser irradiation ranged between 5 °C and 9 °C. Conclusions: 1070 nm fiber laser can be considered as a good device to increase the adhesion of Lithium di-silicate ceramics.

In this paper only one basic assumption has been made: if we try to describe black holes, their behavior should be understood in the same language as the one we use for particles; black holes should be treated just like atoms. They must be quantum forms of matter, moving in accordance with Schrödinger equations just like everything else. In particular, Rosen’s quantization approach to the gravitational collapse is applied in the simple case of a pressureless “star of dust” by finding the gravitational potential, the Schrödinger equation and the solution for the collapse’s energy levels. By applying the constraints for a Schwarzschild black hole (BH) and by using the concept of BH effective state, previously introduced by one of the authors (CC), the BH quantum gravitational potential, Schrödinger equation and the BH energy spectrum are found. Remarkably, such an energy spectrum is in agreement (in its absolute value) with the one which was conjectured by Bekenstein in 1974 and consistent with other ones in the literature. This approach also permits to find an interesting quantum representation of the Schwarzschild BH ground state at the Planck scale. Moreover, two fundamental issues about black hole quantum physics are addressed by this model: the area quantization and the singularity resolution. As regards the former, a result similar to the one obtained by Bekenstein, but with a different coefficient, has been found. About the latter, it is shown that the traditional classical singularity in the core of the Schwarzschild BH is replaced, in a full quantum treatment, by a two-particle system where the two components strongly interact with each other via a quantum gravitational potential. The two-particle system seems to be non-singular from the quantum point of view and is analogous to the hydrogen atom because it consists of a “nucleus” and an “electron”.

Vibrational spectroscopies (FTIR, Raman) are exceptionally valuable tools for the identification and crystal-chemical study of fibrous minerals, and asbestos amphiboles in particular. Raman spectroscopy has been widely applied in toxicological studies and thus a large corpus of reference data on regulated species is found in the literature. However, FTIR spectroscopy has been mostly used in crystal-chemical studies and very few data are found on asbestos amphiboles. This paper is intended to fill this gap; we report new FTIR data collected on a suite of well-characterized samples of the five regulated amphibole species: anthophyllite, amosite and crocidolite, provided by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) Organization, and tremolite and actinolite, from two well-known occurrences. The data from these reference samples have been augmented by results from additional specimens to clarify some aspects of their spectroscopic features. We show that the FTIR spectra in both the OH-stretching region and in the lattice modes region can be effective for rapid identification of the asbestos type.

Three-dimensional quantized space model is newly introduced. Quantum mechanics and relativity theory are explained in terms of the warped three-dimensional quantized spaces with the quantum time width (Dt=t_q). The energy is newly defined as the 4-dimensional space-time volume of E = cDtDV in the present work. It is shown that the wave function of the quantum mechanics is closely related to the warped quantized space shape with the space time-volume. The quantum entanglement and quantum wave function collapse are explained additionally. The special relativity theory is separated into the energy transition associated with the space-time shape transition of the matter and the momentum transition associated with the space-time location transition. Then, the quantum mechanics and the general relativity theory are about the 4-dimensional space-time volume and the 4-dimensional space-time distance, respectively.

Our study aims to implement a strategy to reduce the carbon steel corrosion rate in sulfuric acid solution, using an expired drug with adsorption affinity on the metal surface. To investigate the corrosion protection efficiency of an environmental friendly inhibitor, namely neomycin sulfate (NMS), the electrochemical measurements were applied on carbon steel immersed in 1.0 M H₂SO₄ solution with and without NMS. The protective layer formed on the steel surface was studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) showed that the presence of the neomycin sulfate in acid solution leads to the decrease in corrosion current density (i_corr) and the increase of polarization resistance (R_p). The mixed mechanism between physical and chemical adsorption of NMS molecules on the steel surface was proposed according to the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) indicated that the NMS molecules contributed to a protective layer formation by their adsorption on the steel surface. The AFM parameters such as: root-mean-square roughness (R_q); average roughness (R_a) and maximum peak to valley height (R_p-v) revealed that in the presence of NMS a smoother surface of carbon steel was obtained, compared to the steel surface corroded in sulfuric acid blank solution.

Appropriate diagnostic testing to identify persons infected with SARS-COV-2 is a vital part of a health system’s ability to control the global pandemic of COVID-19 disease. The primary purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the mass testing strategy implemented throughout the UAE and the overall impact it has made on containing and controlling the spread of the disease. This study describes the mass testing strategy and capacity of the UAE during the pandemic of the new coronavirus SARS-COV-2. The UAE has conducted 15 million polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests to SARS-COV-2, as of 15 November 2020. The number of tests per day varied from 10,000 by the end of March to 120,000 tests per day in November 2020. The mass testing initiative across the entire UAE forms an integral part of a bigger strategy focusing on testing, tracing contacts and isolating positive cases.

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

The classic Body Mass Index, (BMI), developed in the 19^th century by the Belgian mathematician Adolphe Quetelet [1] is an important indicator of the risk of death, of obesity, of negative health consequences, body fat percentage and of the shape of the body. While he BMI is assumed to indicate obesity in sedentary people and in people who do not practice sports, it is undisputed and a consensus among researchers [2][3][4][5][9][25] that Body Mass Index (BMI) is not a good indicator for obesity in people who developed their body through heavy physical work or sport but also in other segments of population such as those who appear to have a normal weight but in fact have a high body fat percentage and obese methabolism. The BMI also does not include all the variables essential for a health predictor. The BMI is not always a good predictor of metabolic disease, people who appear of healthy weight according to BMI have in some cases an obese metabolic syndrome. The BMI was developed as a law of natural sciences and “social physics” [1], as it was called then, before the middle of the 19^th century, and it had been used from the 70s for medical purposes, to detect obesity and the risk of mortality [6][7]. The BMI has a huge importance for modern society, affected by an obesity epidemic [8]. BMI has applications in medicine, sport medicine, sport, fitness, bodybuilding, insurance, nutrition, pharmacology. The main limitation of the BMI is that it does not account for body composition including non fat body mass such as muscles, joints, body frame and makes no difference between fat and non fat components of the body weight. The body composition and the proportion of fat and muscles make a difference in health outcomes [12][13][14][25][26][27][35][36][37] [38][39][40][41][42][43][44]…[100]. Body composition makes a difference also in the level of sport performance for athletes of every level. In nearly two centuries since the Body Mass Index was developed, no formula had been successfully developed to account for body composition and make the difference between muscle and fat in a consistent way. This can be considered a longstanding open problem of major importance for society. The objective of this analysis is to develop new formulae taking into account the health implication of body composition measured through indirect, simple indicators and making the difference between muscles and fat, healthy and non healthy metabolism. The formulae developed in this article are the only formula to successfully generalize BMI and make this difference. I develop a direct generalization of BMI, in the mathematical and physiological sense to account for fat and fat free mass and muscles, small and large body frames. It is the first such generalization because the classic BMI can be determined as a particular case of my formulae in the strict mathematical and practical physiologic sense. No other formula generalized the BMI to make the difference between fat and a large frame and muscles has ever been published in nearly two centuries since the BMI formula had been developed. The formulae I developed explain and generalize the conclusions of a large number of highly cited empirical experiments cited in the reference section. [35][36][37][38][38][39] [40][42][43][44]..[100] Most of the experimental proof I bring in support of my formulae and bodyweight quantification theory comes from many highly cited experimental research publications in medicine, sports medicine, sport science and physiology. My formulae explain also performance in decades of competitive sports and athletics

Functional osseoconductive coatings based on hydroxylapatite (HAp) and applied preferentially by atmospheric plasma spraying to medical implant surfaces are a mainstay of modern implantology. During contact with the hot plasma jet, HAp particles melt incongruently and undergo complex dehydration and decomposition reactions that alter their phase composition and crystallographic symmetry, and thus, the physical and biological properties of the coatings. Surface analytical methods such as laser-Raman and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopies are useful tools to assess the structural changes of HAp imposed by heat treatment during their flight along the hot plasma jet. In this contribution, the controversial information on the existence or non-existence of oxyapatite, i.e. fully dehydrated HAp as a thermodynamically stable compound is highlighted.

Bottom-up systems biology entails the construction of kinetic models of cellular pathways by collecting kinetic information on the pathway components (e.g. enzymes) and collating this into a kinetic model, based for example on ordinary differential equations. This requires integration and data transfer between a variety of tools, ranging from data acquisition in kinetics experiments, to fitting and parameter estimation, to model construction, evaluation and validation. Here, we present a workflow that uses the Python programming language, specifically the modules from the SciPy stack, to facilitate this task. Starting from raw kinetics data, acquired either from spectrophotometric assays with microtitre plates or from NMR spectroscopy time courses, we demonstrate the fitting and construction of a kinetic model using scientific Python tools. The analysis takes place in a Jupyter notebook, which keeps all information related to a particular experiment together in one place and thus serves as an e-labbook, enhancing reproducibility and traceability. The Python programming language serves as an ideal foundation for this framework because it is powerful yet relatively easy to learn for the non-programmer, has a large library of scientific routines and active user community, is open-source and extensible, and many computational systems biology software tools are written in Python or have a Python API. Our workflow thus enables investigators to focus on the scientific problem at hand rather than worrying about data integration between disparate platforms.

JBIR-99 is a secondary metabolite of marine fungi that has been shown to possess strong antibiotic activity. An efficient approach using a combination of size exclusion chromatography with a Sephadex LH-20 and high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) has been successfully developed for the isolation and purification of a polyketide from the solid-state fermentation of Meyerozyma guilliermondii. The active compound was isolated with purity >95% by HSCCC using an optimized solvent system composed of petroleum ether–ethyl acetate– 95% ethanol–water (5:3:5:3, v/v/v/v) after size exclusion chromatography. This compound was successfully purified in the quantity of 68 mg from 120 mg of the crude extract. The structure of JBIR-99 was elucidated and assigned by 1D, 2D NMR spectroscopic, and positive HRESITOFMS. Moreover, the relative configuration of compound JBIR-99, displaying a quite complex multi-ring structure, is determined by X-ray crystallography for the first time. The purification method developed for JBIR-99 will facilitate the further investigation and development of this antibiotic agent as a lead compound. Furthermore, it is suggested that the combination of size exclusion chromatography and HSCCC could be more widely applied for the isolation and purification of polyketides from marine fungi.

The phonon modes in YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ and YBa_2-xLa_xCu₃O_7-δ systems have been systematically studied by Raman spectroscopy. The new phonon modes of 104 cm^-1, 94 cm^-1, and 89 cm^-1 were found in all these samples. A crude estimate about the wavenumber of the collective vibration of the stable CuO2 plane was given in this paper. The standard deviations of the new phonons in YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ and YBa_2-xLa_xCu₃O_7-δ systems were discussed. The results of the calculation indicated that the 104 cm^-1 mode probably stands the c-direction collective vibration of the stable CuO2 plane, the 94 cm^-1 mode stands the a-direction vibration, and the 89 cm^-1 mode stands b-direction vibration. The relevance between these phonons and the superconductivity was discussed. It is found that, as the T_c decreased, the 104 cm^-1 mode and the 94 cm^-1 mode softened, and the 89 cm^-1 mode hardened slightly.

In this paper we show that the Schwarzschild radius can be extracted easily from any gravitationally-linked phenomena without having knowledge of the Newton gravitational constant or the mass size of the gravitational object. Further, the Schwarzschild radius can be used to predict any gravity phenomena accurately, again without knowledge of the Newton gravitational constant and also without knowledge of the size of the mass, although this may seem surprising at first. Hidden within the Schwarzschild radius are the mass of the gravitational object, the Planck mass (their relative mass), and the Planck length. We do not claim to have all the answers, but this seems to indicate that gravity is quantized, even at a cosmological scale, and this quantization is directly linked to the Planck units. This also supports our view that the Newton gravitational constant is a universal composite constant of the form $G=\frac{l_p^2{c}^3}{\hslash }$ , rather than relying on the Planck units as a function of G. This does not mean that Newton’s gravitational constant is not a universal constant, but that it is instead a composite universal constant that depends on the Planck length, the speed of light, and the Planck constant. Further, $\frac{G\times 1\hspace{0.17em}\mathrm{weight}\hspace{0.17em}\mathrm{unit}}{c^2}=\frac{G}{c^2}$ is the Schwarzschild radius off one weight unit. So G is only needed when we want to use gravity to find the weight of an object, such as weighing the Earth. This is, to our knowledge, the first paper that shows how a long series of major gravity predictions and measurements can be completed without any knowledge of the mass size of the object, or Newton’s gravitational constant. As a minimum we think it provides an interesting new angle for evaluating existing gravity theories, and it may even give us a small hint on how to combine quantum gravity with Newton and Einstein gravity.

In 2014, McCulloch showed, in a new and interesting way, how to derive a gravity theory from Heisenberg's uncertainty principle that is equivalent to Newtonian gravity. McCulloch utilizes the Planck mass in his derivation and obtains a gravitational constant of hbar*c/m_p^2. This is a composite constant, which is equivalent in value to Newton's gravitational constant. However, McCulloch has pointed out that his approach requires an assumption on the value of G, and that this involves some circular reasoning. This is in line with the view that the Planck mass is a derived constant from Newton's gravitational constant, while big G is a universal fundamental constant. Here we will show that we can go straight from the McCulloch derivation to measuring the Planck mass without any knowledge of the gravitational constant. From this perspective, there are no circular problems with his method. This means that we can measure the Planck mass without Newton's gravitational constant, and shows that the McCulloch derivation is a theory of quantum gravity that stands on its own. Even more importantly, we show that we can easily measure the Schwarzschild radius of a mass without knowing its mass, or Newton's gravitational constant, or the Planck constant. The very essence of gravity is linked to the Planck length and the speed of light, but here we will claim that we do not need to know the Planck length itself. Our conclusion is that Newton's gravitational constant is a universal constant, but it is a composite constant of the form G=l_p^2*c^3/hbar where the Planck length and the speed of light are the keys to gravity. This could be an important step towards the development of a full theory of quantum gravity.

The incidence of obesity which leads to insulin resistance (IR) and metabolic disorder increases in developing countries including Indonesia. Male adult has higher risk to have abdominal obesity than female which is associated with cardiometabolic disorders. Several anthropometric measurements have been proposed to predict IR. The aim of this study was to investigate whether body mass, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), body fat percentage (BF) or visceral fat percentage (VF) could become a better predictor of IR in healthy young male adult. Total of 140 healthy young male adults ranging from 18-25 years were recruited in the study. Insulin resistance was measured by calculating Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR). Subjects with HOMA-IR value >75th percentile with cut off 3.75 were defined as IR. Anthropometric measurements included body weight, BMI, WC were performed whereas BF and VC were measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). IR had significant strong correlation with body weight, BMI, WC, BF and VF. The area under curve of body mass, BF, VF were greater than WC and BMI. Anthropometric measurements correlated strongly with IR but body weight, BF, VF have stronger correlation than WC and BMI in healthy young male adult.

In this paper, optimum parameters of Tuned Mass Dampers (TMD) are considered to control the responses of 10-story shear building under harmonic loading and 22 set of seismic records of FEMA-P695. The criterion used to obtain the optimum parameters is to select mass ratio, the frequency (tuning) and damping ratio that would result in smallest lateral displacements. State-space equations of motion are presented to compute the structural responses by developing a MATLAB file. A 10-story shear building is presented as a case study to assess the effects of TMDs on the multi-story structures. The results indicate that using TMD can reduce structural responses up to the average 20% under earthquake excitation and up to 90% under harmonic loadings. TMDs are not always effective under any type of ground motion; therefore, being aware of the given location is significant to design TMDs properly.

Even 20 years after the first crystal structures of [FeFe]-hydrogenase have been published, several aspects of biological hydrogen turnover are heatedly discussed. In this perspective, we give an overview on how the diversity of naturally occurring and artificially prepared, semi-synthetic [FeFe]-hydrogenases deepens our understanding of hydrogenase chemistry. In parallel, we cover new results from biophysical techniques that go beyond the scope of conventional electrochemistry, X-ray diffraction, EPR, and FTIR spectroscopy. Taking into account both proton transfer and electron transfer as well as the notorious sensitivity of [FeFe]-hydrogenases towards carbon monoxide, the discussion further touches upon the molecular proceedings of biological hydrogen turnover.

This work aimed to characterize a DBD plasma equipment through optical and electrical measurements, seeking to obtain a greater knowledge of the plasma production process and how it behaves through the adopted parameters, such as frequency and voltage applied between electrodes, at a fixed distance of 1.7 mm. In order to measure them, three different characterization techniques were applied. The first method was the Lissajous figures, a technique quite effective for a complete electrical characterization of DBD equipment. The second technique used was the Optical Emission Spectroscopy, a tool used for the diagnosis of plasma, being it possible to identify the excited species produced in filamentary and diffuse discharge in the plasma. And finally, the triple Langmuir probe technique was used to obtain the electron temperature and electron density. Based on this study, it was possible to identify the equipment efficiency in different regimes. The electron temperature measurement for both systems analyzed were 27.96 eV and 20.69 eV to the filamentary and diffuse regimes, respectively. The density of electrons number to these regimes were 1.09 × 10²¹ m⁻³ and 1.56 × 10²¹ m⁻³.

Today, due to recent developments in technology, children devote plenty of time for screen viewing. However, its harmful effects are not yet clear. The purpose of present study was to examine the associations among screen viewing and sleep duration, and body mass index (BMI) in under-five years old children. This cross-sectional study was conducted with 322 under-five healthy children that were selected using multistage stratified cluster sampling method in 2017. The data that were gathered by time-use diary method were analyzed using Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Spearman correlation tests, multiple linear regression analysis, one-way ANCOVA, two-way ANCOVA. There was a negative correlation between screen time and sleep duration (rs = -0.42, p = 0.00), positive correlation between screen time and BMI (rs = 0.38, p = 0.00) and sleep duration negatively correlated with BMI (rs = -0.22, p = 0.00). screen viewing was a predictive factor for both sleep duration (β = -0.26, p = 0.00) and BMI (β = -0.26, p = 0.00). screen viewing had a significant impact on sleep duration (4, 314) = 5.02, P = 0.001) and BMI (F (4, 314) = 1.16, P=0.298). Results of this study indicated that screen viewing is related to sleep duration and BMI in under-five children. furthermore, screen time has an impact on sleep duration and BMI scores of children. findings of our study suggest that sleep duration negatively is associated with BMI in under-five-year-old children.