The energy crisis is currently a major topic in scientific and managerial discussions in the building and construction industry. While employing low-cost strategies for reducing energy usage is beneficial for principals and decision-makers, the primary purpose of this study is to recommend the use of phase change materials (PCM) to improve cooling and heating load management in buildings. In order to accomplish this, the study applies design-builder simulations to a developing country case study. The results indicate that integrating PCM in buildings can reduce energy usage by around 6 percent. Although this value may be lower than other techniques, it is nevertheless important for reaching green building goals in both developed and developing nations. The case study, which takes place in a four-season region, demonstrates the significant potential of the PCM system for both cooling and heating energy management. In addition, the reciprocal performance improvement of PCMs is a remarkable characteristic, especially when contrasted to some conventional systems that focus on a single energy management objective in buildings. Lastly, it should be underlined that the suggested platform is consistent with Sustainable Development Goal 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy Targets).

This paper proposes a new cascaded three-phase multilevel inverter based on a cascaded submultilevel and single-phase H-bridge structure. The voltage source of the traditional single-phase H-bridge is replaced with the proposed cascaded submultilevel. Cascading two basic units forms the submultilevel unit. The basic and submultilevel units generate positive voltage only hence the need for an H-bridge to generate both polarities of load voltage. Five algorithms of source voltage are proposed and the optimal algorithm selected to generate the peak load voltage and output levels. The proposed three-phase cascaded multilevel inverter generates 31-level of load voltage. The per-phase component distribution of the proffered inverter are twelve power switches, four dc sources and twelve driver circuits accordingly. Principal merits of the proposed 31-level inverter are high quality load waveforms, production of high levels of load voltage utilizing reduced component quantity, simple cascaded layout, decreased inverter area, minimal inverter cost, minimum inverter losses and utilizing lower rated switches. Also, the proposed topology is highly suited for employment in PV-DVR and other power systems. To validate these advantages of the proposed multilevel inverter, contrastive analysis of the proposed inverter and existing topologies are studied. Finally, the functionality of the proposed inverter is substantiated by simulation in PSCAD/ EMTDC software.

This paper proposes a novel phase-resolved partial discharge (PRPD) sensor embedded in MV-class bushing for high-accuracy insulation analysis. The design, fabrication, and evaluation of a PRPD sensor embedded in MV-class bushing aimed to detect partial discharge (PD) pulses that are phase-synchronized with the applied primary HV signals. A prototype PRPD sensor was composed of a flexible printed circuit board (PCB) with dual-sensing electrodes, utilizing a capacitive voltage divider (CVD) principle for voltage measurement and D-dot principle for PD detection, and a signal transducer with passive elements. A PD simulator was prepared to emulate typical PD defects, i.e., a metal protrusion. The voltage measurement precision of the prototype PRPD sensor was satisfied with the accuracy class of 0.2 specified in IEC 61869-11, as the maximum corrected voltage error ratios and corrected phase errors in 80%, 100%, and 120% of the rated voltage (13.2 kV) were less than 0.2% and 10 minutes, respectively. In addition, the prototype PRPD sensor had good linearity and high sensitivity for PD detection compared with a conventional electrical detection method. According to performance evaluation tests, the prototype PRPD sensor embedded in the MV-class bushing can measure PRPD patterns phase-synchronized with the primary voltage without any additional synchronization equipment or system. Therefore, the prototype PRPD sensor holds potential as a substitute for conventional commercial PD sensors. Consequently, this advancement could lead to the enhancement of power system monitoring and maintenance, contributing to the digitalization and minimization of power apparatus.

Oxide additive-free α- ⇀ β-Si3N4 phase transformation of a high-purity commercial α-Si3N4 powder was investigated at 1600 to 1900 ℃ under nitrogen pressure of 980 kPa. The XRD analysis revealed that the α- ⇀ β-Si3N4 phase transformation proceeded mainly at 1900 ℃, and was completed by the extensive 1900 ℃-heat treatment for 20 h. This phase transformation temperature was 33 ℃ lower than the theoretical α-Si3N4 dissociation temperature and confirmed as completely different from that often discussed for the liquid phase sintering of α-Si3N4 powder by direct comparison with the phase transformation behavior of a reference powder, α-Si3N4 powder doped with 1 mol% Y2O3. The unique α- ⇀ β-Si3N4 phase transformation was further studied by a set of characterization techniques including elemental analysis, HAADF-STEM and STEM-EDS analyses. The results strongly suggested that the oxide additive-free α- ⇀ β-Si3N4 phase transformation was governed by the for-mation of metastable solid solution between α-Si3N4 and impurity oxygen of approximately 0.6 wt%, which promoted the dissociation below the theoretical α-Si3N4 dissociation temperature to afford thermodynamically favorable β-Si3N4. Along with the β-Si3N4 formation, the impurity oxygen was concentrated at the Si3N4 crystal grain boundaries and subsequently released from the sample via the grain boundary diffusion.

This study investigates the nonlinearities in three-phase inverters for SiC-based systems and compares their performance to IGBT-based systems. An analytical model of inverter voltage distortion is developed, which accounts not only for dead time (td), switching delay time, switching frequency (fs), and voltage drops of power devices, but also for output parasitic capacitance (Cout). Experimental tests validate the model, which provides a more accurate estimate of the inverter’s output phase voltage distortion. The power device characteristics are obtained from datasheets, while Cout is determined through experimentation. Three-phase inverters with varying switching frequencies, fundamental frequencies, and dead-time values are used in simulations and experiments to determine the influence of nonlinearity on phase voltage deviation and current distortion. The results show that, due to SiC devices’ faster switching time, the phase voltage deviation and phase current distortion are lower in SiC-based inverters than in IGBT-based ones for high-frequency applications, as the dead time can be reduced.

The purpose of this paper is to study the influence of diffusion and thermal loading due to pulsed laser heating on a thermoelastic solid with voids in the context of the model of three-phase-lag. The non-dimensional governing equations are formulated and then the exact expressions for the temperature field, the displacement components, the stress components, the concentration field and the change in the volume fraction field are obtained using the normal mode technique. The material is an isotropic, homogeneous elastic half-space and heated by a non-Gaussian laser beam with pulse duration of ps. The magnesium crystal element is used as an application to compare the predictions induced by diffusion and laser pulse on poro-thermoelastic medium of the model of three-phase-lag with those for the theory of Green–Naghdi of type III. The results obtained for thermal changes are verified by comparison with two theories of thermoelasticity, namely the model of three-phase lag (3PHL) and the Green and Nagdi type III theory. Plot the expressions to examine the effect of the laser pulse at two different values of time and the effect void parameter. This study also yields some interesting special cases.

As development progresses, when the bottom hole flowing pressure or formation pressure is less than the saturation pressure of crude oil in the reservoir, oil and gas two-phase seepage occurs in the reservoir. Due to the characteristics of oil and gas two-phase seepage, after the oil and gas two-phase seepage occurs in the reservoir, the well production will be reduced, or even greatly reduced. Therefore, how to predict the horizontal well capacity better in this case is an important problem that needs to be solved urgently. In this paper, the method and process of establishing the transient calculation model of two-phase flow in horizontal wells are introduced in detail from three aspects: fluid physical properties, reservoir oil-gas two-phase seepage, and the coupling model of Inflow Performance and Flow in Wellbore. The model is more reliable through the verification of production data from five wells in two oilfields.

In this study, we demonstrate how the incorporation of appropriate feature engineering together with the selection of a Machine Learning (ML) algorithm that best suits the available dataset, leads to the development of a predictive model for transformation temperatures that can be applied to a wide range of shape memory alloys. We develop a gradient boosting ML surrogate model capable of predicting Martensite Start, Martensite Finish, Austenite Start, and Austenite Finish transformation temperatures with an average accuracy of more than 95% by explicitly taking care of potential distribution changes when modeling different alloy systems. We included heat treatment, rolling, extrusion processing parameters, and alloy system categorical features in the model input features to achieve more accurate and realistic results. In addition, using Shapley values, which are calculated based on the average marginal contribution of features to all possible coalitions, this study was able to gain insights into the governing features and their effect on predicted transformation temperatures, providing a unique opportunity to examine the critical parameters and features in martensite transformation temperatures.

We evaluated hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HTAB) for use in radio frequency (RF) applications in which liquid crystals (LCs) are used in layered structures that have various cell gap conditions. HTAB is a surfactant that can self-align vertically on the surface of indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates, and can induce homeotropic alignment of the LCs. For implementing RF devices with HTAB and LCs, we should consider limitations caused by the design conditions which are different from conventional liquid crystal displays such as cell gap. We quantified the concentration of HTAB ([HTAB]) that is necessary to form and maintain a sufficiently dense vertical alignment of 5CB (4-Cyano-4'-pentylbiphenyl). The required [HTAB] for full-homeotropic alignment was proportional to the cell gap until it was too large to support the transfer of the surface alignment to the LC, due to the weak anchoring nature of HTAB. We also showed the phase-change characteristic of the LC mixture depended on [HTAB] for the design of RF devices driven by light or heat. This work may help to guide the development of new approaches to designing efficient RF devices that use LCs.

The unsteady flow around the monopile under the influence of wave and vibration is studied by numerical method. Based on VOF model and SST Turbulence model, combined with Intermittent Transition model and dynamic mesh method, wave generation and pile vibration in numerical flume are simulated. The flow field around vibrating monopile in a calm water flume and a wave flume is simulated and the simulation results are compared. The calculation results show that the monopile vibration has a great disturbance to the unsteady flow around the pile, and the disturbance degree intensifies with the increase of the vibration amplitude of the monopile: Under the action of inertia, the vibration of the monopile leads to the reattachment of the shedding vortices; Under the influence of the reattachment vortices, the asymmetry of the vorticity on the side wall of the monopile intensifies; The intensification of the disturbance causes the reduction of the phase lead angle of the bed shear stress on the side of the single pile, and an additional high bed shear stress appears on the side of the monopile. In addition, the vortex structure formed alternately around the monopile during the vibration process leads to the periodic change of the high bed shear stress.

Thermodynamics and phase transitions of magnetic Anti-de Sitter black holes are studied. We consider an extended phase space thermodynamics with the cosmological constant being a thermodynamic pressure and the black hole mass is treated as a chemical enthalpy. The extended phase space thermodynamics of black holes mimics the behavior of the Van der Walls liquid. Quantities conjugated to the coupling of nonlinear electrodynamics (NED) and a magnetic charge are obtained. Thermodynamic critical points of phase transitions are investigated. It is demonstrated that the first law of black hole thermodynamics and the generalized Smarr relation take place. The Joule--Thomson adiabatic expansion of NED-AdS black holes is studied. The dependence of inversion temperature on pressure and the minimum of inversion temperature are found.

I wish to suggest a physiological function for alpha-synuclein (a-syn) that has the potential to explain its role in pathology. Intraneuronal proteinaceous Lewy Bodies (LBs), the pathological hallmark of Parkinson’s disease and other synucleinopathies, consist majorly of a-syn. Ample evidence suggests that LBs are not the result of simple amyloidosis of cytosolic a-syn. Benign soluble unstructured a-syn gets converted into toxic species which preferentially accumulates in LBs. But how these aberrant a-syn molecules are produced in the cytosol, is still not clear. The present hypothesis is an effort to relate a metabolic reaction specific to neuronal function, that is, phase transition, with the pathobiology of a-syn. During high frequency stimulation, which entails rapid phase transition reactions at the presynaptic compartment, aberrant interaction of a-syn with the membrane occasionally generates toxic a-syn molecules. My conjecture is that the physiological function of a-syn is to modulate membrane fluidity by a process wherein it goes through a conformation cycle driven by a flux of energy from mitochondria. It is the range of toxic a-syn produced during aberrant phase transition reaction that is responsible for pathology, not the normal a-syn that reenters the conformation cycle, thereby, resolving the paradox of the Janus-face of a-syn.

We show that the van der Waals gas does not exhibit just the celebrated liquid-gas 1 transition but also a quantum-classical one. We study the issue with reference to the LMC statistical 2 complexity and in relation to the order-disorder contrast.

The application of electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) as a direct method for detecting reactive intermediates is a technique of developing importance in the routine monitoring of solution-phase reaction pathways. Here, we utilize a novel on-line photolysis ESI-MS approach to detect the photoproducts of riboflavin in aqueous solution under mildly alkaline conditions. Riboflavin is a constituent of many food products, so its breakdown processes are of wide interest. Our on-line photolysis setup allows for solution-phase photolysis to occur within a syringe using UVA LEDs, immediately prior to being introduced into the mass spectrometer via ESI. Gas-phase photofragmentation studies via laser-interfaced mass spectrometry of deprotonated riboflavin, [RFH], the dominant solution-phase species under the conditions of our study, are presented alongside the solution-phase photolysis. The results obtained illustrate the extent to which gas-phase photolysis methods can inform our understanding of the corresponding solution-phase photochemistry. We determine that the solution-phase photofragmentation observed for [RFH] closely mirrors the gas-phase photochemistry, with the m/z 241 ion being the only major condensed-phase photoproduct. Further gas-phase photoproducts are observed at m/z 255, 212, and 145. The value of exploring both the gas- and solution-phase photochemistry to characterize photochemical reactions is discussed.

With the development of designing and manufacturing level for micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) gyroscopes, the control circuit system becomes a key point to determine their internal performances. Nevertheless, phase delay of electron components may result in some serious hazards. This paper describes a real-time circuit phase delay correction system for MEMS vibratory gyroscopes. A detailed theoretical analysis is provided to clarify the influences of circuit phase delay on the in-phase and quadrature (IQ) coupling characteristics and zero rate output (ZRO) utilizing force-to-rebalance (FTR) closed-loop detection and quadrature correction system. By deducing the relationship between amplitude-frequency, phase-frequency of MEMS gyroscope and the phase relationship of the whole control loop, a real-time correction system is proposed to automatically adjust the phase reference value of phase-locked loop (PLL) and thus compensate for the real-time circuit phase delay. The experimental results show that the correction system can accurately measure and compensate the circuit phase delay in real time. Furthermore, the unwanted IQ coupling can be eliminated and the ZRO is decreased by 755% to 0.095°/s. This correction system realizes a small angle random walk of 0.978°/√h, and a low bias instability of 9.458°/h together with a scale factor nonlinearity of 255 ppm at room temperature. Besides, the thermal drift of ZRO is reduced to 0.0034°/s/°C at a temperature range from -20°C to 70°C.

Interleaved power factor correction (PFC) is widely used circuit topology due to good efficiency and power density for single-switch boost PFC. As the differential mode (DM) electromagnetic interference (EMI) noise magnitude depends upon the input current ripple, this research details a comprehensive study of DM EMI filter design for interleaved boost PFC with the aim of minimizing the component size. It is also demonstrated that the different numbers of interleaved stages and switching frequency influence the filter attenuation requirement and, thus, the EMI filter size. First, an analytical model is derived on the basis of the Norton equivalent circuit model for the differential mode noises of interleaved boost PFC within the frequency range of 9-500 kHz. The derived model can help identify the optimal phase shifting among the interleaved boost converters in order to minimize the considered differential mode noises at the filter design frequency. So, a novel phase-shift method is developed to get a minimized attenuation required by a filter in Band B. Further, a volume optimization of the required DM filter was introduced based on the calculated filter attenuation and volumetric component parameters. Based on the obtained results, unconventional and conventional phase shifts have demonstrated a good performance in decreasing the EMI filter volume in Band B and Band A, respectively. A 2-kW interleaved PFC case study is presented to verify the theoretical analyses and the impact of phase-shifting on EMI filter size.

Gravel packing completion method for horizontal wells has the advantages of maintaining high oil production for a long time, maintaining wellbore stability and preventing sand production, so it has become the preferred completion method for horizontal wells. At present, this technology still faces the problems of high sand bed height and poor gravel migration. In order to improve the efficiency of gravel packing in horizontal wells, pulsed gravel packing technology for horizontal wells is proposed for the first time. Based on the mechanism of hydraulic pulse, the Eularian model, RNG K-ε model and CFD model are used to simulate the solid-liquid two-phase flow. By optimizing the parameters such as frequency and amplitude of pulse waveform, the optimal pulse waveform of pulsed gravel packing in horizontal wells is determined. The effects of parameters such as sand-carrying fluid displacement, sand-carrying fluid viscosity, sand-carrying ratio, gravel particle size and string eccentricity on pulsed gravel packing in horizontal wells are studied, and the distribution law of gravel migration velocity and volume fraction in horizontal wells is obtained. According to the results, it can be seen that with the increase of displacement and viscosity of carrier fluid, the volume fraction of fixed bed and moving bed decreases gradually, while that of suspension bed increases gradually. With the increase of sand-carrying ratio, gravel particle size and string eccentricity, the volume fraction of fixed bed and moving bed increases gradually, while that of suspended bed decreases gradually. Comparing the effects of conventional gravel packing and pulsed gravel packing in horizontal wells, it can be concluded that the efficiency of pulsed gravel packing in horizontal wells is higher. The volume fraction of fixed bed and moving bed decreased by 30% and 40% respectively, while the volume fraction of suspended bed increased by 20%. The migration velocity of moving bed and suspended bed increased by 40% and 25% respectively. And the migration ability of gravel improved obviously.

We study the hadron-quark hybrid equation of state (EOS) of compact-star matter. The Nambu—Jona-Lasinio (NJL) local SU(3) model with vector-type interaction is used to describe the quark matter phase, while the relativistic mean field (RMF) theory with scalar-isovector $\delta$-meson effective field adopted to describe the hadronic matter phase. It is shown that the larger the vector coupling constant, the lower the threshold density for the appearance of strange quarks. For a sufficiently small value of the vector coupling constant, the functions of the mass dependence on the baryonic chemical potential have regions of ambiguity which leads to a phase transition in non-strange quark matter with an abrupt change in the baryon number density. We show that within the framework of the NJL model, the hypothesis on the absolute stability of strange quark matter is not realized. In order to describe the phase transition from hadronic matter to quark matter, the Maxwell's construction is applied. It is shown that the greater the vector coupling, the greater the stiffness of the EOS for quark matter and the phase transition pressure. Our results indicate that the infinitesimal core of the quark phase, formed in the center of the neutron star, is stable.

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

Complex dynamical fluctuations, from molecular noise within cells, collective intelligence, brain dynamics or computer traffic have been shown to display noisy behaviour consistent with a critical state between order and disorder. Living close to the critical point can have a number of adaptive advantages and it has been conjectured that evolution could select (and even tend to) these critical states. One way of approaching such state is by means of so-called self-organized criticality (SOC) where the system poises itself close to the critical point. Is this the case of living cells? It is difficult to test this idea given the enormous dimensionality associated with gene and metabolic webs. In this paper, we present an alternative approach: to engineer synthetic gene networks displaying SOC behaviour. This is achieved by exploiting the presence of a saturation (congestion) phenomenon of the ClpXP protein degradation machinery in E. coli cells. Using a feedback design that detects and then reduces ClpXP congestion, a {\em critical motif} is built from a two-gene network system, where SOC can be successfully implemented. Both deterministic and stochastic models are used, consistently supporting the presence of criticality in intracellular traffic. The potential implications for both cellular dynamics and designed intracellular noise are discussed.

The silanol activity and trace metal detection methods for chemically bonded silica gels were evaluated in silico. Test compounds with large molecular sizes may demonstrate negative results because of the possibility of indirect hydrogen bonding via short alkyl groups or siloxane of the silica gels. This hypothesis was based on the observation of weak hydrogen bonding energy values similar to those observed in the study of the alkyl group effect on the hydrogen bonding of alkanols. Consequently, smaller molecules may be a better choice for the analysis of bonded-phase quality.

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

In the application of classical nucleation theory (CNT) and all other theoretical models of crystallization of liquids and glasses it is always assumed that nucleation proceeds only after the supercooled liquid or the glass have completed structural relaxation processes towards the metastable equilibrium state. Only employing such assumption, the thermodynamic driving force of crystallization and the surface tension can be determined in the way it is commonly performed. The present paper is devoted to the theoretical treatment of a different situation when nucleation proceeds concomitantly with structural relaxation. To treat the nucleation kinetics theoretically for such cases, we need adequate expressions for the thermodynamic driving force and the surface tension accounting for the contributions caused by the deviation of the supercooled liquid from metastable equilibrium. In the present paper, such relations are derived. They are expressed via deviations of structural order parameters from their equilibrium values. Relaxation processes result in changes of the structural order parameters with time. As a consequence, the thermodynamic driving force and surface tension, and basic characteristics of crystal nucleation, such as the work of critical cluster formation and the steady-state nucleation rate, also become time-dependent. We show that this scenario may be realized in the vicinity and below the glass transition temperature, and it may occur only if diffusion (controlling nucleation) and viscosity (controlling the alpha-relaxation process) in the liquid decouple. Analytical estimates are illustrated and confirmed by numerical computations for a model system. The theory is successfully applied to the interpretation of experimental data. Several further consequences of this newly developed theoretical treatment are discussed in detail. In line with our previous investigations, we reconfirm that only when the characteristic times of structural relaxation are of similar order of magnitude or longer than the characteristic times of crystal nucleation, elastic stresses evolving in nucleation may significantly affect this process. Completing the analysis of elastic stress effects, for the first time expressions are derived for the dependence of the surface tension of critical crystallites on elastic stresses. As the result, a comprehensive theoretical description of crystal nucleation accounting appropriately for the effects of deviations of the liquid from the metastable states and of relaxation on crystal nucleation of glass-forming liquids, including the effect of simultaneous stress evolution and stress relaxation on nucleation, is now available. As one if its applications, this theoretical treatment provides a new tool for the explanation of the low-temperature anomaly in nucleation in silicate and polymer glasses (the so-called \breakdown" of CNT at temperatures below the temperature of the maximum steady-state nucleation rate). We show that this anomaly results from much more complex features of crystal nucleation in glasses caused by deviations from metastable equilibrium (resulting in changes of the thermodynamic driving force, the surface tension, and the work of critical cluster formation, in the necessity to account of structural relaxation and stress effects) than assumed so far.

In this paper, we found new classes of exact models to the Einstein-Maxwell system of equations which describe the internal structure of a compact star made of strange matter considering the equation of state proposed by Rocha, Bernardo, de Avellar and Horvath in 2019. It has been assumed that this matter is composed of equal number of up, down and strange quarks and a small amount of electrons required to reaching the charge neutrality. If this hypothesis is correct, the neutron stars could be strange stars or hybrid stars with a thin crust of nuclei where the temperatures and pressures are capable of converting hadronic matter into this new stable phase of quarks. We have chosen a particular form of gravitational potential Z(x) that depends on an adjustable parameter related to degree of anisotropy of the models and the new solutions can be written in terms of elementary and polynomial functions. The obtained models satisfy all physical features expected in a realistic star and the expressions for mass, density and stellar radius are comparable with the experimental results.

The Ni-Co-Cr-W-Mo system is critical for the design of nickel-based super-alloys. This system stabilizes different topologically close packed (TCP) phases in many of the commercially super-alloys with high W and Mo contents. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and thermodynamic calculations are applied to investigate the thermodynamics of the precipitates in two different W content Ni-Co-Cr-W-Mo super-alloys. Computational thermodynamics verified experimental observation of the f u phase formation as a function of temperature and alloy chemistry, but the kinetics for the precipitation of M6C phase do not agree with the experimental findings. The major precipitates of alloy 1 at temperatures 700 and 750 °C during long time exposure are M23C6, γ′ phase, and MC, and alloy 2 are M23C6, γ′ phase, MC, M6C and u phase. The W addition is found to promote the precipitation of M6C and u phase during exposure. The M6C has higher W and lower Ni content than that of u phase, meanwhile, M6C is an unstable phase would transform into M12C after 5000 h exposure at 750 °C. A great quantity of needle-like u phases precipitated after exposure at 750 °C for 5000h, which have no effect on the impact property of alloy 2.

In this study, the effect of heat treatment was investigated to influence the occurrence of fracture during manufacturing process of Alloy B steel with boron contents as high as 130 ppm. As the content of boron increases, it affects the phase transformation temperature and texture. The development of {111}<uvw> components in the γ-fiber is affected depending on the austenite fraction after phase transformation. The Alloy B steel indicated that the increase in the boron content increased the α to γ phase transformation temperature such that sufficient transformation did not occur in the normalizing condition. The cracks occurred at the point of the transition from elastic to plastic deformation in the ND direction during the rolling process, thereby resulting in failure. Therefore, it is necessary to avoid the intermediate heat treatment condition in which γ-fiber does not fully develop, i.e., an imperfect normalization.

The present work describes the optimization and validation of a highly selective and sensitive analytical method using solid phase extraction and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (SPE LC-MS/MS) for the determination of some frequently prescribed pharmaceuticals in urban wastewater received and treated by Sharjah sewage treatment plant (STP). The extraction efficiency of different SPE cartridges was tested and the simultaneous extraction of pharmaceuticals was successfully accomplished using hydrophilic-lipophilic-balanced reversed phase Waters^® Oasis HLB cartridge (200 mg/ 6 mL) at pH 3. The analytes were separated on an Aquity BEH C₁₈ column (1.7 µm, 2.1 mm x 150 mm) using gradient elution and the mass spectrometric analysis were performed in multiple reactions monitoring (MRM) selecting two precursor ions to produce ion transition for each pharmaceutical using positive electrospray ionization (+ESI) mode. The correlation coefficient values in the linear calibration plot for each target compound exceeded 0.99 and the recovery percentages of the investigated pharmaceuticals were more than 84%. Limit of detection (LOD) varied between 0.1-1.5 ng/L and limit of quantification (LOQ) was 0.3-5 ng/L for all analytes. The precision of the method was calculated as the relative standard deviation (RSD%) of replicate measurements and was found to be in the ranges of 2.2% to 7.7% and 2.2% to 8.6% for inter and intra-day analysis, respectively. All of the obtained validation parameters satisfied the requirements and guidelines of analytical method validation.

The water-rich liquid layer immobilized on the surface of the polar stationary phases is critical to the retention of polar compounds in hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC). Although the presence of the adsorbed water layer has been investigated and confirmed by multiple techniques, there is a lack of quantitative measure that can be easily determined and linked to chromatographic parameters. This study proposes a simple measure termed volume ratio (the ratio of the adsorbed water layer volume and the mobile phase volume) that provides a relative, but quantitative information on the adsorbed water layer and may be linked to the phase ratio. The volume ratio can be easily determined using toluene elution volume. The volume ratio values are measured in 25 polar stationary phases in various mobile phase conditions. In addition to the acetonitrile content in the mobile phase, ammonium acetate concentration in the mobile phase and column temperature also have significant influences on the volume ratio and the adsorbed water layer.

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

In this paper, a numerical modeling of the impact, spreading, and eventually rebound of a viscoelastic droplet is reported. The numerical model is based on the volume of fluid (VOF) method coupled with the FENE-CR constitutive equations, and accounts for both the surface tension and the substrate wettability. The FENE-CR constitutive equations are used to model the polymer solution, while taking advantage of its rheological characterization. The comparison is performed between droplets of Newtonian solvent and a monodisperse polymer solution. The droplet impact on both hydrophilic and superhydrophobic substrate is analyzed through a detailed analysis of the spreading diameter evolution. It is found that while the droplet kinematic phase seems independent of the substrate and fluids properties, the recoiling phase is highly related to all of them. In addition, the model infers a critical polymer concentration above which the droplet rebound from a superhydrophobic substrate is suppressed. The simulation is of particular interest to ink-jet processing, and demonstrates the capability of the model to handle complex non-Newtonian droplet dynamics.

Among all the processing technologies of heat-treatable aluminum alloys like 2219 aluminum alloy, using friction stir welding (FSW) as the joining technology and using electromagnetic forming (EMF) for plastic forming technology both have obvious advantages and successful applications. Therefore, there is a broad prospect for the compound technologies which can be used on the 2219 aluminum alloy to manufacture the large-scale thin-wall parts in the astronautic industry. The microstructure and mechanical properties of 2219 aluminum alloy under the process compounded of FSW, heat treatment, and EMF were investigated by means of tensile test, optical microscope (OM), and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results show that the reduction of strength, which was caused during the FSW process, can be recovered effectively by the post-welding heat treatment composed of solid solution and aging, while the ductility was still reduced after heat treatment. Under the compound technology of FSW, heat treatment, and EMF, the forming limit of 2219 aluminum alloy decreased distinctly due to the poor ductility of the welding joint. A ribbon-pattern, which was formed due to the banded structure caused by FSW process, was found on the fracture surface of welded 2219 aluminum alloy after EMF treatment. During the EMF process, because of the effects of induced eddy current, a unique structure, which was manifested as a molted-surface appearance under the SEM observation, was formed as the material fractured.

We present a numerical study in which large-scale bulk simulations of self-assembled DNA constructs have been carried out with a realistic coarse-grained model. The investigation aims at obtaining a precise, albeit numerically demanding, estimate of the free energy for such systems. We then, in turn, use these accurate results to validate a recently proposed theoretical approach that builds on a liquid-state theory, the Wertheim theory, to compute the phase diagram of all-DNA fluids. This hybrid theoretical/numerical approach, based on the lowest order virial expansion and a nearest-neighbor DNA model, can provide, in an undemanding way, a thermodynamic description of DNA associating fluids that is in semi-quantitative agreement with experiments. We show that the predictions of such scheme are as accurate as the ones obtained with more sophisticated methods. We also demonstrate the flexibility of the approach by incorporating non-trivial additional contributions that go beyond the nearest-neighbor model to compute the DNA hybridization free energy.

With large-scale distributed generators (DGs) in an active distribution network (ADN), conventional load flow convergence failure is incurred by heavy power transmission. The Holomorphic Embedding Load Flow Method (HELM) has proven to be more robust than the Newton–Raphson method under heavy power transmission. At present, HELM is mainly designed for balanced transmission networks. In this study, we developed a three-phase HELM model to accommodate DGs, delta connection loads, and ZIP loads for ADN. The effectiveness and better performance of the proposed method under heavy load situations were validated using modified unbalanced IEEE 13, 34, 37, and 123 test feeders.

Effect of abrasive shape on the three-body abrasion behaviors of monocrystalline silicon was investigated by Molecular dynamics modelling. The axial ratio of abrasive particle was varied from 1.00, i.e., a complete sphere, to 0.40 to mimic abrasive shape. The particle’s movement turns toward sliding from rolling when the axial ratio becomes less than a critical value 0.46. In the abrasion process, the friction force and normal force showed an approximately sinusoid-like fluctuation for the rolling ellipsoidal particles, while the front cutting of particle caused that friction force increased and became larger than normal force for sliding particles. The phase transformation process was tracked under different particle’ movement patterns. The Si-II and Bct5 phase producing in loading process can partially transform to Si-III/Si-XII phase and backtrack to original crystal silicon under pressure release, which also occurred in the abrasion process. The secondary phase transformation showed difference for particles’ rolling and sliding movements after three-body abrasion. The rolling of particle induced the periodical and inhomogeneous deformation of substrates, while the sliding benefited producing high-quality surface in CMP process. This study aiming to construct more precise model to understand the wear mechanism benefits evaluating the MEMS wear and CMP process of crystal materials.

The demands for high power and low emissions put focus on energy efficiency when developing new engines. An important part is the UAV engine cooling system, which cools the engine structure below damaging temperatures. For high temperatures in the cooling system there is a risk that boiling occurs and while the initial nucleate boiling enhances the cooling effect, the subsequent Film boiling decreases the heat transfer drastically. It is important to understand the benefits and limitations of various fluids when designing a two-phase cooling system. This paper proposes an alternative organic coolant. Its normal application range is 15°C to 400°C, and its pressure range is from atmospheric to 10.6 bar. DOWTHERM A fluid possesses unsurpassed thermal stability at temperatures of 400°C. This fluid, in both the liquid and vapor form, is noncorrosive toward common metals and alloys. Even at the high temperatures involved, the equipment usually exhibits excellent service life. Original equipment in many systems is still being used after 30 years of continuous service. The numerical results, described in this paper, show the potential of DOWTHERM A as a good alternative for cooling a UAV engine. It will extend the working temperature range of the Diesel engine and will maintain the structural integrity of the piston, cylinder and the piston rings.

Grating (moiré) interferometry is one of the well-known methods for full-field in-plane displacement and strain measurement. There are many design solutions for grating interferometers, including systems with a microinterferometric waveguide head. This article proposes a modification to the conventional waveguide interferometer head, enabling the implementation of a polarization fringe phase shift for automatic fringe pattern analysis. The article presents both the theoretical consideration of the proposed solution and its experimental verification, along with the concept of the in-plane displacement/strain sensor using the described head.

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

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

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

Digital-Radio-Frequency-Memory (DRFM) has emerged as an advanced technique to achieve diverse jamming signals, due to its capability of intercepting waveforms within a short time. Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) radars can transmit agile orthogonal waveform sets for different pulses to combat the DRFM-based jamming, where any two groups of waveform sets are also orthogonal. In order to design multiple groups of orthogonal waveform sets at the same time, this article formulates a group orthogonal waveforms optimal design model, whose objec-tive function is the weighted sum of the intra- and inter-group orthogonal performances metrics. To solve this optimization problem, this article proposes a group orthogonal waveforms design algorithm. Based on a primal-dual type method and proper relaxations, the proposed algorithm transforms the original problem into a series of simple sub-problems. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm has the ability to balance the intra- and inter-group orthogonal performances by adjusting the weighting factors, which is not available using other state-of-the-art orthogonal waveform design algorithms.

Femtoscopy is a unique tool to investigate the space-time geometry of the matter created in ultra-relativistic collisions. If the probability density distribution of hadron emission is parametrized, then the dependence of its parameters on particle momentum, collision energy, and collision geometry can be given. In recent years, several measurements came to light that indicated the adequacy of assuming a Lévy-stable shape for the mentioned distribution. In parallel, several new phenomenological developments appeared, aiding the interpretation of the experimental results, or providing tools for the measurements. In this paper we review and discuss some of these advances, phenomenological and experimental.

In order to utilize high-alumina coal gangue (HACG) as auxiliary cementitious admixture, it is of fundamental significance to thermally activating Al2O3 effectively in HACG and promoting formation of hydratable products containing Al2O3. In this paper, a new preparation technology is developed to make HACG auxiliary cementitious admixture by thermal activation of HACG-Ca(OH)2 (CH) mixture. HACG powders mixed with 20wt.% CH were calcined within a temperature range of 600-900oC, the thermal transformation and mineral phase formation were analyzed by thermogavimetric analyzer (TGA), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS). The hydration reaction between activated HACG-CH mixture and cement was also investigated. HACG experienced a conventional transformation from kaolinite to metakaolin at 600oC and finally to mullite at 900oC. However, CH underwent an unexpected transformation process from CH to CaO, then to CaCO3, and finally to CaO again with increasing calcining temperature. These substances states were associated with dehydroxylation of CH, chemical reaction between CaO and CO2 generating from combustion of carbon in HACG, and decomposition of CaCO3, respectively. It is the formation of a large amount of CaO above 800oC that favors the formation of hydratable products containing Al2O3 in the calcining process and C-A-H gel in hydration process. The mechanical properties of HACG-cement mortar specimens were measured, from which the optimal calcination temperature for preparing HACG auxiliary cementitious admixture was determined to be 850oC. As compared with pure cement mortar specimens, the maximum 28-d flexural and compressive strength of HACG-cement mortar specimens increased by 5.4% and 38.2%, respectively.

The extraction method for simultaneously analyzing fatty acids (Myristic acid, cis-Palmitvaccenic acid, Palmitic acid, Palmitic-9,9-d2 acid, Oleic acid, Stearic acid and Stearic-2,2-d2 acid) related to biodiesel fuel in large algae was developed. The introduction of trimethylaminoethyl (TMAE) derivatives into the hydroxyl group (-OH) functional group of the analyte was able to improve ionization and obtain high sensitivity. Liquid Chromatography (LC) was used to investigate the optimal mobile phase composition and flow rate for the separation of five derived fatty acids. In this study, a solid phase extraction (SPE) column was introduced for efficient extraction of fatty acids, and the optimal conditions for SPE were set by comparing the recovery rate according to the solvent for each step (loading, washing, and elution) of SPE from macroalgae.

The research community has shown significant interest in the aqueous synthesis of nanomaterials due to its ability to eliminate the need for complex organic solvents. This synthesis approach aligns with the principles of green chemistry, attracting considerable attention. Aqueous solution technology in fabricating nanostructures has gained recognition for its potential to create ultrasensitive, low-energy, and ultrafast optoelectronic devices. This report focuses on synthesizing lead iodide (PbI2) nanoplates using a water-based solution technique and fabricating a planar photodetector. The photodetectors with a planar type of device structure (ITO/PbI2 NPs/Au) demonstrated a remarkable photosensitivity of 3.9×103 and a photoresponsivity of 0.51 mA/W at a wavelength of 405 nm. Notably, the asymmetrical output properties of ITO/PbI2 NPs/Au detector deliver additional evidence of the effective creation of a Schottky contact. Thus, the photodetector exhibited a photoresponse even at 0 V bias, leading to the realization of self-powered photodetectors. Additionally, the device exhibited a rapid photoresponse of 0.21/0.38 s (−5 V) in the visible range. This study has expanded the horizons for the aqueous-phase synthesis of nanoplate nanostructures, enabling the large-area fabrication of high-performance photodetectors.

The mechanism of vapor-gas deposition of vinyltrimethoxysilane (VS) and ethylene glycol (EG) from azeotropic solutions is investigated, which allows to reduce the evaporation temperature of the components of working mixtures. The need for such studies is associated with the development of a new direction in the technology of vapor-gas deposition of polymer coatings. Methods have been developed for monitoring the chemical composition of working solutions in evaporators using optical spectroscopy, which allow calculating the partial pressures of vapor phase components. Based on these studies, compositions of working solutions are proposed that allow to equalize the partial pressures of the components of working mixtures with a large difference in boiling point. A new method of vapor-gas deposition of non-volatile powder inhibitors on metals is proposed. Chemical compositions of siloxane coatings were determined using XPS and mechanisms of interaction of VS with polymerization promoters ethylene glycol and 1-hydroxy ethylidene-1,1-diphosphonic acid (HEDP) were proposed.

Scientific advancements in the food industry have resulted in the discovery of natural substances that can serve various functions in food. Essential oils, in particular, can act as food preservatives or flavoring agents due to their abundance of natural antioxidants, which possess preservative properties. In this study, the composition of Thymus vulgaris essential oil was determined using GC-MS and HS-SPME. The essential oil obtained from Thymus vulgaris L. through hydro-distillation yielded approximately 4%. GC/MS analysis of the essential oil identified 11 components, with a predominant presence of oxygenated monoterpenes (56.97%). Notably, carvacrol (37.63%) and thymol (17.35%) were present in significant amounts, accounting for 54.98% of the overall composition. The in vitro antioxidant activity of the essential oil was evaluated using three methods. The DPPH free radical scavenging test yielded an IC50 of 0.51±0.11 mg mL-1. The β-carotene/linoleic acid bleaching test resulted in an IC50 of 2.58±0.10 mg mL-1. Finally, the ABTS assay indicated relatively lower antioxidant activity compared to ascorbic acid.

The two-phase flow of water and reactive gas in the channel of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) plays an important role in high-quality water management. In this study, the removal effect of 3D wave channel and 2D straight channel for liquid water was studied by volume of fluid method. The dynamic behavior of droplet emerge from the gas diffusion layer (GDL) into the channel under the influence of gas flow was investigated. The effects of droplet growth, deformation, detachment, force, pore size on water critical behavior and water content in the channel are discussed. The results show that the 3D wave channel is superior to the removal of liquid water than the 2D straight channel. The increase of velocity is conducive to the discharge liquid water. While infinite increase of velocity will cause more parasitic power loss. The larger pore size of GDL is not advantageous to the performance of PEMFC, but the appropriate increase of pore size is conducive to the discharge of liquid water. The basic knowledge obtained in this study will help to deepen the understanding of droplet dynamics in PEMFC gas channels, and help to optimize the design and working conditions of these channels.

In this paper, Fe-Cr-C-N-Al-Y wear-resistant surfacing alloy was prepared by open arc surfacing with self-shielded flux-cored wire. The wear properties of the surfacing alloy were analyzed by MLS-23 rubber wheel wet sand wear tester. The phase composition and microstructure of the surfacing alloy were analyzed by XRD, SEM, EBSD and TEM, and the strengthening mechanism and wear mechanism of the alloy were discussed. The results show that the microstructure of Fe-Cr-C-N-Al-Y surfacing alloy is composed of M + γ-Fe + M7C3 + AlN. When the content of nano-Y2O3 is 0.456wt. %, the formability of the surfacing alloy is the best and the wetting angle is the smallest, which is 50.8°, AlN and M7C3 precipitate the most, and the microstructure grain is the smallest. At this time, the hardness value of the surfacing alloy is up to 62.3 HRC, which is 11.8 % higher than that of the unmodified surfacing alloy. The minimum wear weight loss is 0.125 g, and the wear resistance is increased by 41.86 %. The wear mechanism of surfacing alloy is mainly plastic deformation mechanism, and the material removal process is micro cutting and furrow wear.

Applying of blood biopolymers to regulate the phase composition is promising in designing the hydroxyapatite-based hybrid biomaterials with controllable resorbability. Hybrid materials based on hydroxyapatite and platelet-poor plasma (PPP) were formed in conditions of chemical precipi-tation at pH 11, [Ca2+] / [PO43–] ratio 1.67, PPP volume fraction of 6–24%, maturing time of 4–9 days. Mineral component of the materials was represented as 53% hydroxyapatite / 47% amor-phous calcium phosphate after 4 days of maturation, and 100% hydroxyapatite after 9 days of maturation. Varying PPP content from 6% to 24% provided forming of materials with rather de-fined content of amorphous calcium phosphate and biopolymer component, having desired mor-phology ranging from typical apatitic conglomerates to hybrid apatite-biopolymer fibers. Co-precipitated hybrid materials based on hydroxyapatite and PPP are promising for bone regen-eration in osteoplastic and maxillofacial applications.

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have attracted a great interest in nanomedical research. MNPs exhibit many important properties, particularly, magnetic hyperthermia for selective killing of cancer cells is one of them. In hyperthermia treatment, MNPs act as nano-heaters when they are under the influence of an alternating magnetic field (AMF). In this work, micromagnetic simulations have been used to investigate the magnetization dynamics of a single-domain nanoparticle of magnetite in an external AMF. Special attention is paid to the circumstances dealing with a dynamic phase transition (DPT). Besides, we focus on the influence of the orientation of the magnetic easy-axis of the MNP on the dynamic magnetic properties. For amplitudes of the external AMF above certain critical value, the system is not able to follow the magnetic field and it is found in a dynamically ordered phase; whereas for larger amplitudes, the state corresponds to a dynamically disordered phase and the magnetization follows the external AMF. Our results suggest that the way how the order-disorder DPT takes place, and both the metastable lifetime as well as the specific loss power (SLP), are strongly dependent on the interplay between the orientation of the magnetic easy-axis and the amplitude of the external AMF.

The analogy between the theory of phase transitions in simple fluids and vehicular traffic flow has long been suspected, promising a new level of understanding of urban congestion by standing on one of the firmer foundations in physics. The obstacle has been the interpretation of the thermal energy of the gas-particle system, which remains unknown. This paper proposes the flow of cars through the network as a viable interpretation, where the fundamental diagram for traffic flow would be analogous to the coexistence curve in gas-liquid phase transitions. Thanks to the power-law form of the coexistence curve, it was possible to formalize that the resulting network traffic model belongs to the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang universality class. The scaling relationships arising in this universality class are found to be consistent with West's scaling theory for cities. It is shown that congestion costs (delays + fuel consumption) scale superlinearly with city population, possibly and worryingly more so than predicted by West's theory. Implications for sustainability and resiliency are discussed.

This paper proposes how to reduce the consumption of active electrical energy (kwh) by 90.3% while maintaining the same mechanical work speed (RPM) at variable torque loads (fans or air-fluid blowers, centrifugal pumps are not included). of water and similar fluids), by using the “Fan Law” in an innovative way in PMSM-type synchronous motors (a comparative study never before carried out on the Fan Law). The work is carried out comparatively between brushless a-synchronous motors with starting loop (or motor with a short-circuited loop) versus brushed a-synchronous motors and PMSM-type synchronous motors without the need to use VDF (variable frequency drives), simplifying technology (electronics) and saving costs in an innovative way (R+D+i). The case study was developed on a design applied to a centrifugal air extractor/blower with PMSM/IPM type synchronous motor. Applying one of the fan affinity laws –with the impeller diameter 10.5 (mm) constant- the electrical power absorbed by the blower motor is proportional to the cube of the shaft speed: . Being “P” power (Watts) and “N” speed (RPM). Carrying out a comparative study between power (watts), active energy consumption (kwh) and rotational speed (RPM). This has a direct impact on the costs of residential and commercial single-phase active electrical energy consumption, measured in kilowatt-hours (kwh). Carrying out a comparative study between three (3) types of alternating current (AC) electrical machines, according to the NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association); AC motors fall into three (3) categories. One (1), synchronous motors (Syncrhonous Motor) of three types: (1a) excitation by DC (DC Excited Motor), (1b) permanent magnet (Permanent Magnet Motor) and (1c) reluctance motor (Reluctance Motor) or motor Step by Step. Two (2), asynchronous induction motors of two types: (2a) Squirrel-Cage Induction Motor and (2b) Wound-Rotor Induction Motor. Three (3) series-wound motor (Series-Wound Motor) also called universal motor (they have carbons).

Fiber distributed optical fiber acoustic sensor (DAS) is generally used in distributed long-distance acoustic/vibration measurement. We found that DAS with excellent performance of low self-noise and anti-fading in combination with the plastic structure in daily life as an acoustic transducer can achieve high-sensitivity acoustic measurement at a single point rather than designing a state-of-the-art acoustic transducer or using special enhanced scattering fiber. The simple acoustic transducer we proposed for DAS can reach the sensitivity level of -106.5dB re. 1rad/μPa at a sensing range of 5.1 km, which can meet many demands on the industrial site.

From the formalism of the thermodynamics of irreversible processes and the theory of complex systems, characterization of longevity and aging and its relationship with the emergence and evolution of cancer was carried out. It was found that: 1. The rate of entropy production can be used as an index of robustness, plasticity, the aggressiveness of cancer, and as a measure of biological age; 2. The aging process, as well as the evolution of cancer, goes through what we have called “biological phase transition”; 3. The process of metastasis, which occurs through epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), appears as a phase transition far from thermodynamic equilibrium and exhibits Shilnikov chaos-like dynamic behavior. This dynamic guarantees the robustness of the process and, in turn, its unpredictability; 4. It was shown that as the ferroptosis process is strengthened, the complexity of the dynamics associated with the emergence and evolution of cancer decreases. The theoretical framework developed contributes to a better understanding of the biophysical-chemical phenomena of longevity and aging and their relationship with cancer.

We experimentally demonstrate enhanced spectral broadening of femtosecond optical pulses after propagation through silicon-on-insulator (SOI) nanowire waveguides integrated with two-dimensional (2D) graphene oxide (GO) films. Owing to the strong mode overlap between the SOI nanowires and the GO films with a high Kerr nonlinearity, the self-phase modulation (SPM) process in the hybrid waveguides is significantly enhanced, resulting in greatly improved spectral broadening of the femtosecond optical pulses. A solution-based, transfer-free coating method is used to integrate GO films onto the SOI nanowires with precise control of the film thickness. Detailed SPM measurements using femtosecond optical pulses are carried out, achieving a broadening factor of up to ~4.3 for a device with 0.4-mm-long, 2 layers of GO. By fitting the experimental results with theory, we obtain an improvement in the waveguide nonlinear parameter by a factor of ~3.5 and the effective nonlinear figure of merit (FOM) by a factor of ~3.8, relative to the uncoated waveguide. Finally, we discuss the influence of GO film length on the spectral broadening and compare the nonlinear optical performance of different integrated waveguides coated with GO films. These results confirm the improved nonlinear optical performance for silicon devices integrated with 2D GO films.

In the context of all-digital radar systems, phase-modulated continuous wave (PMCW) based on pseudorandom binary sequences (PRBSs) appears a prominent candidate modulation scheme for applications such as autonomous driving. Among the reasons for that are its simplified transmitter architecture and lower linearity requirements, e.g., compared to orthogonal-frequency division multiplexing radars, as well as its high velocity unambiguity and multiple-input multiple-output operation capability that are characteristic of digital radars. For appropriate operation of a PMCW radar, choosing a PRBS whose periodic autocorrelation function (PACF) has low sidelobes and high robustness to Doppler shifts is paramount. In this sense, this article performs an analysis of Doppler shift tolerance of the PACFs of typically adopted PRBSs in PMCW radar systems supported by simulation and measurement results. To accurately measure the Doppler-shift-induced degradation of PACFs, peak power loss ratio (PPLR), peak sidelobe level ratio (PSLR), and integrated-sidelobe level ratio (ISLR) were used as metrics. Furthermore, to account for effects on targets whose ranges are not multiples of the range resolution, oversampled PACFs are analyzed.

A theoretical description of quantum jumps at the level of elementary particles is proposed, based on a micro-cosmological interpretation of their de Broglie phase. The third quantization formalism proposed in current literature for the description of baby universes in quantum cosmology is used here to describe the breakdown of unitarity in the transition from the pre-jump to the post-jump wave function. The corpuscular aspect manifested by the particle in the micro-interaction that originates the jump is represented by a pair of evanescent "micro-universes", respectively pre- and post-jump, connected by a wormhole. The latter represents the actual implementation of the interaction that leads to the projection on the outgoing state; this interaction is always local, even when the selected outgoing state is entangled. Therefore, the decoherence which leads to the emergence of classicality is originated by the same fundamental interactions of the Standard Model involved in the unitary evolution of the wave function. The objective nature of the reduction process admits implications on the possibility of using the formalism in the cosmological context, which are briefly discussed.

Although lithium-ion batteries have extensively been used in various applications because of their high energy capacity, fracture and failure, the by-products of large strains and stresses caused by fast charging and discharging need yet to be addressed. The size effects on the mechanical behavior of the nano-sized structures are significant; however, the classical elasticity theory may not consider such effects. On the other hand, surface stress theory, as a robust and potential theory, is suitable in considering size effects in nano-scale structures. Therefore, in this paper, in order to involve the surface stress effects on the fracture behavior of Li-ion batteries, the following steps are taken. Firstly, a phase-field model is used to determine the evolution of the concentration profile. Subsequently, the stress distribution is obtained by using the surface stress theory combined with chemical equations for a planar electrode. Afterward, by using the weight function method for an edge crack in the plate, the stress intensity factor is derived for all time steps and possible crack lengths during the process. It is found that with increasing phase boundary thickness parameter or decreasing phase-separation phenomenon, the surface mechanics parameters become more influential. Furthermore, in the presence of positive surface stress, the diffusion-induced stress distribution decreases, which in turn reduces the stress intensity factor. In addition, in this paper, the two states of surface stress are compared either for elastic or total strain. Concerning stresses and concentrations, the results indicate a big difference at the beginning of the deintercalation process showing, in particular, 2% for stresses, but the differences diminish gradually.

The influence of the hot isostatic pressing (HIP) post-processing step on structural and phase changes, porosity healing and mechanical strength in a powder metallurgy Ti35Nb2Sn alloy was studied. Powders were pressed at room temperature at 750 MPa, and then sintered at 1,350°C in a vacuum for 3 h. The standard HIP process at 1,200°C and 150 MPa for 3 h was performed to study its effect on a Ti35Nb2Sn powder metallurgy alloy. The influence of the HIP process and cold rate on density, microstructure, the quantity of interstitial elements, mechanical strength and Young's modulus was investigated. HIP post-processing for 2 h at 1,200°C and 150 MPa led to greater porosity reduction and a marked retention of the β phase at room temperature. The slow cooling rate during the HIP process affected phase stability, with a large amount of α”-phase precipitate, which decreased the titanium alloy’s yield strength.

Selection of appropriate friction factors is paramount for accurate prediction of key flow characteristics in gas–liquid two-phase flows. In this work, experimental investigation of vertical air and oil (with viscosities up to 200 mPa s) flow in a 0.060-m ID pipe is reported. Superficial air and oil velocity ranges utilized are from 22.37 to 59.06 m/s and 0.05 to 0.16 m/s respectively. The influence of estimation of interfacial friction factor on accurate determination of film thickness, void fraction and pressure gradient was investigated using a two-fluid model. The results indicated that the two-fluid model is capable of accurately predicting flow characteristics. Further, it reveals that the best performing correlations are the Belt et al. and Ambrosini et al. correlations.

Organic-organic interactions play important roles in the secondary organic aerosol formation, but the interactions are complex and poorly understood. Here we use environmental molecular beam experiments combined with molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the interactions between methanol and nopinone, as atmospheric organic proxies. In the experiments, methanol monomers and clusters are sent to collide with three types of surfaces, i.e., graphite, thin nopinone coating on graphite and multilayer surfaces, at temperatures between 140 K and 230 K. Methanol monomers are efficiently scattered from the graphite surface, whereas the scattering is substantially suppressed from nopinone surfaces. The desorption from the three surfaces is similar, suggesting that all the surfaces have weak or similar influences on the methanol desorption. The molecular dynamics results show that upon collisions the methanol clusters shatter, and the shattered fragments quickly diffuse and recombine to clusters. The desorption involves a series of processes, including detaching from clusters and desorbing as monomers. The experimental results also show that all trapped methanol molecules completely desorb within a short experimental time scale at temperatures of 180 K and above. At lower temperatures, the desorption rate decreases, and a long experimental time scale is used to resolve the desorption, where three desorption components are identified. The fast component is beyond the experimental detection limit. The intermediate component exhibits multi-step desorption character and has an activation energy of E_a = 0.18 ± 0.03 eV, in good agreement with simulation results. The slow desorption component is related to diffusion processes due to the weak temperature dependence.

A novel polyphenol‑coated CoFe₂O₄ system was synthesized as a magnetic adsorbent by chemical oxidative polymerization process for magnetic solid-phase extraction of lawsone. The synthesized nanoadsorbent showed a spherical morphology with diameters under 50 nm by scanning electron microscopy images. The extraction efficiency of this adsorbent was studied towards the extraction of lawsone from saline aqueous solution in dispersion mode. Major parameters including the type and volume of desorption solvent, amount of sorbent, desorption time, extraction time, extraction temperature, ionic strength and pH were optimized. Under the optimum conditions the relative standard deviation in 0.005 µg mL^-1 (inter-day n = 6; intra-day: n = 6; and adsorbent to adsorbent n = 4) were obtained as 5.2, 8.07 and 11.7%, respectively. A linear calibration curve in the range of 0.003–0.5 µg mL^-1 with R² = 0.993 was obtained. The limit of detection and limit of quantification of the method were 0.001 µg mL^-1 and 0.003 µg mL^-1, respectively. The relative recovery percentages were in range of 90-96.4% for henna leaves, henna shampoo, and henna dermal lotion real samples.

The growth of solid particles during liquid phase sintering was modeled by the Cellular Automata method. The binary phase diagram and Fickian approach for the diffusion process were applied to simulate the chemical composition variation in liquid and solid phases during sintering. The Oswald-Ripening effect was considered during the dissolution of the solid phase in the liquid phase. It is used to define the probability of solid-phase dissolution by the liquid phase and develop the model to simulate the alloy with solid solubility. So, the microstructure could be modeled in the liquid phase sintering process.

This paper reports on the fabrication of alumina doped preforms using MCVD-vapor phase chelate delivery system with Al(acac)3 as the precursor. The objectives of the work are to study the deposition process, the efficiency of the fabrication process, and the quality of the fabricated fiber preforms. Two parameters are studied, Al(acac)3 sublimator temperature (TAl°C) and deposition direction (i.e. downstream and upstream). Other parameters such as oxygen flow and deposition temperature are fixed. The results showed that a high uniformity of refractive index difference (%RSD &lt; 2%) and core size (%RSD &lt; 2.4%) was obtained along the preform length using downstream deposition while for the combined upstream and downstream deposition the uniformity was deteriorated. The process efficiency was found to be about 21% for TAl°C of 185°C and downstream deposition. From the EDX elemental analysis, the refractive index was found to increase by 0.0025 per mole percent of alumina.

Knowledge about the formation energies of compounds is essential to derive phase diagrams of multi-component phases with respect to elemental reservoirs. The determination of formation energies using common (semi-)local exchange-correlation approximations of density functional theory (DFT) exhibits well-known systematic errors if applied to oxide compounds containing transition metal elements. In this work, we generalize, reevaluate and discuss a set of approaches proposed and widely applied in the literature to correct for errors arising from the over-binding of the O2 molecule and from correlation effects of electrons in localized transition-metal orbitals. The DFT+U method is exemplarily applied to iron oxide compounds, and a procedure is presented to obtain U values, which lead to formation energies and electronic band gaps comparable to experimental values. Using such corrected formation energies, we derive the phase diagrams for LaFeO3, Li5FeO4 and NaFeO2, which are promising materials for energy conversion and storage devices. A scheme is presented to transform the variables of the phase diagrams from the chemical potentials of elemental phases to those of precursor compounds of a solid-state reaction, which represents the experimental synthesis process more appropriately. The discussed workflow of methods can directly be applied to other transition metal oxides.

How does the human neurophysiological system self-organize to achieve optimal phase relationships among joints and limbs, such as in the composite rhythms of butterfly and front crawl swimming, drumming, or dancing? We conducted a systematic review of literature relating to CNS control of phase among joint/limbs in continuous rhythmic activities. SCOPUS and Web of Science were searched using keywords ‘Phase AND Rhythm AND Coordination’. This yielded 998 matches from which 23 papers were extracted for inclusion based on screening criteria. The empirical evidence arising from in-vivo, fictive, in-vitro, and modelling of neural control in humans, other species, and robots indicates that the control of movement is facilitated and simplified by innervating muscle synergies by way of spinal central pattern generators (CPGs). These typically behave like oscillators enabling stable repetition across cycles of movements. This approach provides a foundation to guide the design of empirical research in human swimming and other limb independent activities. For example, future research could be conducted to explore whether the two-layer CPG model proposed by Saltiel et al [1] to explain locomotion in cats might also explain the complex relationships among the cyclical motions in human swimming.

We investigate a notable class of states peculiar to a bosonic binary mixture featuring repulsive intraspecies and attractive interspecies couplings. We evidence that, for small values of the hopping amplitudes, one can access particular regimes marked by the fact that the interwell boson transfer occurs in a jerky fashion. This property is shown to be responsible for the emergence of a staircase-like structure in the phase diagram and to strongly resemble the mechanism of the superfluid-Mott insulator transition. Under certain conditions, in fact, we show that it is possible to interpret the interspecies attraction as an effective chemical potential and the supermixed soliton as an effective particle reservoir. Our investigation is developed both within a fully quantum approach based on the analysis of several quantum indicators and by means of a simple analytical approximation scheme capable of capturing the essential features of this ultraquantum effect.

The goal of this paper is to propose a dual version of the direct cosine simplex algorithm (DDCA) for general linear problems. Unlike the two-phase and the big-M methods, our technique does not involve artificial variables. Our technique solves the dual Klee-Minty problem in two iterations and solves the dual Clausen’s problem in four iterations. The utility of the proposed method is evident from the extensive computational results on test problems adapted from NETLIB. Preliminary results indicate that this dual direct cosine simplex algorithm (DDCA) reduces the number of iterations of two-phase method.

This paper presents the design of a high frequency zero voltage switching (ZVS) full-bridge converter with a phase-shifted driving signal for photovoltaic applications. The resonant power converter can provide high-power capacity under high-frequency operation. The proposed power converter can also reduce the size of the transformer under the same power rating. The high-frequency transformer was developed by using the resonant and switching frequencies of the power converter to reduce the switching loss and to improve the system efficiency. Phase-shifted modulation was selected to drive the switches of a full-bridge power converter based on the switching loss minimization method. The desired output voltage was controlled using a closed-loop controller under a loop gain stability margin. The simulation results showed that the output voltage can be controlled to the desired constant when the input voltage changes from 30 VDC to 60 VDC. The desired output voltage of power converter is constant at 400 VDC. The power converter can transfer the DC supply to a 220 VAC household via grid-connected inverter. Therefore, the proposed study showed the effectiveness of the phase-shift ZVS full-bridge power converter with high-frequency transformer. This power converter can control the operation of the desired voltage system and has a small sizing of power converter system, low switching loss, and high system efficiency.

We report on comparison between temperature-dependent magneto¬absorption and magnetotransport spectroscopy of HgTe/CdHgTe quantum wells in terms of detection of phase transition between topological insulator and band insulator states. Our results demonstrate that temperature-dependent magnetospectroscopy is a powerful tool to discriminate trivial and topological insulator phases, yet magnetotransport method is shown to have advantages for clear manifestation of the phase transition with accurate quantitative values of transition parameter (i.e. critical magnetic field Bc).

Fabric phase sorptive extraction, an innovative integration of solid phase extraction and solid phase microextraction principles, has been combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for the rapid extraction and determination of nineteen organochlorine pesticides in various fruit juices and water samples. FPSE consolidates the advanced features of sol-gel derived extraction sorbents with the rich surface chemistry of cellulose fabric substrate, which could directly extract target analytes from complex sample matrices and substantially simplifies the sample preparation operation. Important FPSE parameters including sorbent chemistry, extraction time, stirring speed, type and volume of back-extraction solvent and back-extraction time have been optimized. Calibration curves were obtained in the concentration range 0.1-500 ng/mL. Under the optimum conditions, the limits of detection were obtained in the range 0.007-0.032 ng/mL with satisfactory precision (RSD<6%). The relative recoveries obtained by spiking organochlorine pesticides in water and selected juice samples were in the range of 91.56–99.83%. The sorbent sol-gel poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(propylene glycol)-poly(ethylene glycol) was applied for the extraction and preconcentration of organochlorine pesticides in aqueous and fruit juice samples prior to analysis with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The results demonstrated that the present method is simple, rapid, and precise for the determination of organochlorine pesticides in aqueous samples.

The interlaminar shear behavior of a [±45°] laminated carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) specimen was investigated utilizing microscale strain mapping in a wide field of view. A three-point bending device was developed under a laser scanning microscope, and the full-field strain distributions including normal, shear and principal strains of CFRP in a three-point bending test were measured using a developed sampling Moire technique. The microscale shear strain concentrations at interfaces between each two adjacent layers were successfully detected and found to be positive-negative alternately distributed before damage occurrence. The 45° layers slipped to the right relative to the -45° layers, visualized from the revised Moire phases and shear strain distributions of the angle-ply CFRP under different loads. The absolute values of the shear strain at interfaces gradually rose with the increase of the bending load, and the sudden decrease of the shear strain peak value implied the occurrence of interlaminar damage. The evolution of the shear strain concentrations is useful in the quantitative evaluation of the potential interlaminar shear failure.

Bamboo plastic composites have become a hot research topic and a key focus of research. However, the many strong, polar, hydrophilic hydroxyl groups in bamboo flour (BF) results in poor interfacial compatibility between BF and hydrophobic polymers. Maleic anhydride-esterified (MAH-e-BF) and lactic acid-esterified bamboo flour (LA-e-BF) were prepared using an in situ solid-phase esterification method with BF as the raw material and maleic anhydride or lactic acid as the esterifying agent. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results confirmed that BF esterification with maleic anhydride and lactic acid was successful, with the esterification degrees of MAH-e-BF and LA-e-BF at 21.04 and 14.36%%, respectively. Esterified BF was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, contact angle testing, X-ray diffractometry, and thermogravimetric analysis. The results demonstrated that esterified BF surfaces were covered with graft polymer and the surface roughness and bonding degree of MAH-e-BF clearly larger than those of LA-e-BF. The hydrophobicity of esterified BF was significantly higher than BF and the hydrophobicity of MAH-e-BF better than LA-e-BF. The crystalline structure of esterified BF showed some damage, with MAH-e-BF exhibiting a greater decrease in crystallinity than LA-e-BF. Overall, the esterification reaction improved BF thermoplasticity, with the thermoplasticity of MAH-e-BF appearing better than LA-e-BF.

A new formulation for a proposed solution to the 3D Navier-Stokes Equations in cylindrical co-ordinates coupled to the continuity and level set convection equation is presented in terms of an additive solution of the three principle directions in the radial, azimuthal and z directions of flow and a connection between the level set function and composite velocity vector for the additive solution is shown. For the case of a vertical tube configuration with small inclination angle, results are obtained for the level set function defining the interface in both the radial and azimuthal directions. It is found that the curvature dependent part of the problem alone induces sinusoidal azimuthal interfacial waves wheras when the curvature together with the equation for the composite velocity is considered oscillating radial interfacial waves occur. The implications of two extremes indicate the importance of looking at the full equations including curvature.

The stability of twenty seven composts and organic substrates (including raw, less stable and stable materials) was assessed using two different liquid phase tests were carried out. One of the tests was introduced in 1998 and was based on the calculation of a Specific Oxygen Uptake Rate (SOUR). The newly introduced liquid phase test presented here is simpler to set-up and to perform that the older liquid phase test. It is based on the quantification of oxygen consumption in the headspace of a BOD bottle that contains the liquid-solid solution. The results indicate that a marginal correlation does exist between the main indices calculated from both tests. The correlation was stronger for the indices calculated for stable-processed organics than for the raw (unprocessed materials). The SOUR ranged from 1520 to 3650mg O₂/kg VS-h for the raw materials and from 110 to 1150 mg O₂/kg VS-h for the processed materials, respectively. The corresponding stability rate related index (LSRI₂₄) of the new liquid phase test introduced here ranged from 240 to 1180 mg O₂/dry kg-h for the raw materials and from 64 to 792 mg O₂/dry kg-h for the processed ones.

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

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

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

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

In order to the effect of hydrated phase change materials on suppressing coal spontaneous combustion, the thermogravimetric experiment and reaction activation energy analysis experiment were used to explore the changes of combustion characteristic, parameters characteristic temperature and activating energy of gas coal, long flame coal, meagre coal, and lean coal before and after adding hydrated phase change materials. The research results showed that hydrated phase change materials increased the coal samples’characteristic temperature point and have effective inhibitory effects on different stages of oxidation process.However, the effect was best at low temperatures, as hydrated phase change materials undergo phase change and absorb heat when heated at low temperatures, isolating coal from contact with oxygen. The activating energy increased by 1.138 KJmol-1～23.048 KJmol-1 and the mass loss reduced by 1.6%～9.3% after the inhibition of the coal sample,indicating that the oxidation rate of various coal samples can be slowed down and the spontaneous combustion can be suppressed by using hydrated phase change materials.At the same time, this material can also reduce the combustibility index of meagre coal and lean coal, as well as the comprehensive combustion index and maximum loss rate of long flame coal and gas coal.

This study investigates the effect of Re addition on the microstructure evolution and oxidation resistance of Co-Cr-Ta-Ti-C alloys. The alloys tested in this study consist of a Co-rich matrix with mixed HCP and FCC phases, together with TaTiC2 and Ti-based carbides. The addition of Re promotes the precipitation and growth of a CoCr-rich σ phase. Differential thermal analysis (DTA) showed that the melting temperatures did not change drastically up to 10 at% Re addition, whereas 15 at% Re addition significantly increased the melting temperature of the alloys. Oxidation tests in air at 1200°C showed that excessive Re content could lead to deterioration in oxidation resistance, mainly due to the accelerated formation of volatile Re oxides.

This study delves into the atmospheric corrosion behavior of chromium-free complex-phase steel (CP), specifically investigating the influence of wet/dry frequency and ratio in cyclic corrosion tests (CCT). The study employs a modified ISO 14993 standard CCT method, which involves salt spray, dry, and wet stages. After 15 and 30 CCT cycles, mass loss, maximum corrosion depth, and corrosion products were analyzed to gain insights into corrosion mechanisms. In general, increasing the frequency and wet/dry stage ratio in CCT extends the time for autocatalytic reactions to occur, leading to accelerated localized CP corrosion and increased pitting factors. However, as the rust layer thickens, uniform corrosion may also intensify, so careful considerations are necessary. This study underscores the importance of controlling the frequency and ratio of wet/dry stages in CCT for effectively analyzing localized corrosion behavior in specimens.

This study employs the phase-field regularized cohesion model (PF-CZM) to simulate crack propagation and damage behavior in porous granite. We investigate how pore radius (r), initial crack-pore distance (D), and pore-crack angle (θ) impact crack propagation. The simulation findings reveal that, with a fixed deflection angle and initial crack-pore distance, larger pores are more likely to induce crack extension under identical loading conditions. Moreover, with r and θ keeping constant, the crack extension can be divided into two stages: from its initiation to the lower edge of the pore and then from the lower edge to the upper boundary of the model. By varying the values of D and r, we derive multiple combinations of different D/r ratios and pore radii. These results demonstrate that with constant r, cracks tend to deflect toward the pore closer to the initial crack. Conversely, when D is maintained constant, cracks will preferentially deflect toward pores with a larger r. In summary, the numerical simulation of rock pores and initial cracks, based on the PF-CZM, exhibits remarkable predictive capabilities and holds significant potential in advancing rock fracture analysis.

Bimetallic colloidal CoPt nanoalloys, with a very low platinum content, were successfully synthesized following a modified polyol approach. Powder X-ray diffraction, IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and Transmission Electron Microscopy studies were performed to estimate the crystal structure, morphology and surface functionalization of the colloids respectively, while the room temperature magnetic properties were measured using Vibrating Sample Magnetometer. The particles exhibit excellent uniformity, with a narrow size distribution, and display strong room temperature hysteretic ferromagnetic behavior even in the as-made form. Upon annealing at elevated temperatures, progressive formation and co-existence of exchange coupled both chemically ordered and disordered phases, significantly enhance the room temperature coercivity.

Alginate-gelatin hydrogels are extensively used in bioengineering. However, despite different formulations being utilized for growing different cell types in vitro, their pH and its effect, together with the crosslinking ions, of those formulations are still infrequently assessed. In this work we studied how these elements can affect hydrogel stability and printability and influence U2OS and NIH/3T3 cell viability and metabolism on the resulting 3D prints. In this context, 6% alginate + 2% gelatin hydrogels were prepared with 0.1 M MES buffer with pH 5.5, 6.5, 7.0 or 8.0, printed by extrusion-based 3D printing, and crosslinked immediately after printing with either CaCl2 or BaCl2. Our results showed that both the buffer pH and the crosslinking ion (Ca2+ or Ba2+) influence the swelling and degradation rates of the prints. Moreover, the buffer pH influenced the printability of the hydrogel in air, but when printed directly in a fluid-phase CaCl2 or BaCl2 crosslinking bath. In addition, both U2OS and NIH/3T3 cells showed greater cell metabolic activity on one-layer prints crosslinked with Ca2+. Besides, Ba2+ increased cell death of NIH/3T3 cells while had no effect on the U2OS cell viability. The pH of the buffer also caused an important impact on the cell behaviour. U2OS cells showed a 2.25-fold cell metabolism increase on one-layer prints prepared at pH 8.0 in comparison to those prepared at pH 5.5. Whereas, NIH/3T3 cells showed greater metabolism on one-layer prints with pH 7.0. Finally, we observed a difference on cell arrangement of the U2OS cells growing on prints prepared from hydrogels with acidic buffer in comparison to cells growing on those prepared using neutral or basic buffer. These results show that both pH and crosslinking ion influence hydrogel strength and cell behaviour.

Li-rich manganese-based cathode materials (LRMs) are considered one of the most promising cathode materials for the next generation lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) because of their high energy density. However, there are problems such as capacity decay, poor rate performance, and continuous voltage drop, which seriously limit their large-scale commercial applications. In this work, Li1.2Mn0.54Co0.13Ni0.13O2 coated with Li2MoO4 with unique spinel structure was prepared by wet chemistry method and the subsequent calcination process. The Li2MoO4 coating layer with spinel structure can provide a 3D Li+ transport channel, which is beneficial for improving rate performance, while protecting LRMs from electrolyte corrosion, suppressing interface side reactions, and improving cycling stability. The capacity retention rate of LRMs coated with 3wt% Li2MoO4 increased from 69.25% to 81.85% after 100 cycles at 1C, and the voltage attenuation decreased from 7.06 to 4.98 mV per cycle. The lower Rct also exhibits improved magnification performance. The results indicate that the Li2MoO4 coating effectively improves the cyclic stability and electrochemical performance of LRMs.

Early stable deep molecular response (DMR) of nilotinib is associated with goal of treatment-free remission (TFR) for patients with chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML-CP). It is significant to early distinguish patients who can obtain DMR and fit for TFR. We performed a multicenter study to explore early cumulative MR4.5 rate by 18 months with nilotinib in patients with newly diagnosed CML-CP (ND-CML-CP) in China. From 29 institutes, 106 ND-CML-CP patients received nilotinib (300mg BID). The cumulative MR4.5 rate of nilotinib by 18 months was 69.8% (74/106). The cumulative MMR and MR4.0 rates of nilotinib by 18 months were 94.3% (100/106) and 84.9% (90/106), respectively. Patients with ultra-early molecular response (u-EMR) at 6 weeks were not significantly different to obtain DMR or MMR by 24 months compared to those without u-EMR (P=0.7584, P=0.9543, respectively). Our study demonstrated that treatment with nilotinib in patients with ND-CML-CP contributed to obtain high early MR4.5.

This study will present a comprehensive review of the two-phase flow boiling heat transfer coefficient of hydrocarbons such propane (R-290), butane (R-600) and iso-butane (R-600a) and ethanol at various experimental conditions. Studying the multiphase flow heat transfer coefficient has a crucial importance for many heat transfer equipment to achieve higher efficiency for more compact design and cost reduction. One reason behind choosing hydrocarbons as refrigerants in this study is because hydrocarbons have zero ozone depletion potential (ODP=0) and insignificant direct global warming potential (GWP = 3). Moreover, thermodynamic and thermophysical characteristics of hydrocarbons qualify them to be a strong candidate for more heat transfer applications. Initially, by constructing a database for the working fluids from various experimental work available in the literature. The current data that this study has collected for the flow boiling of spans wide ranges of parameters, such as: mass flux, heat flux, operating pressure, and saturation temperature, etc. Furthermore, by comparing the experimental multiphase heat transfer coefficient database with the anticipated values of each correlation, the prediction performance of 26 correlations found in the literature was assessed. This study leads to the selection of the best prediction method based on the minimum deviation of predicted results from the experimental database provided by calculated mean absolute error (MAE) from the assessed correlations. The findings of this study can also be useful in the development of more accurate correlation methods for these fluids and improve the prediction of their flow boiling characteristics.

Abstract: Self-regulated Learning has become one of educational psychology's most critical research areas. Contemporary research indicates that student creativity is crucial to the success of arts education. However, there is limited research on creativity in arts education in Self-regulated Learning. Therefore, this study aims to define the creativity characteristics that determine the quality of students’ work. This study implemented a creative competition in painting and composition for first-year undergraduates. It evaluated the characteristics of creativity during the three main phases of the task: planning, execution, and completion. We discovered through semi-open questionnaires (n=178)，and using the content analysis method. According to the competition results, the students with the highest scores in Flow, Inspiration, and Idea Generation in the Performance phase had the best quality work. In the Forethought phase, Analogical Thinking and Idea Generation worked best for most students, while in the Performance phase, Flow Sense, Idea Generation, and Idea Manipulation worked best.Data on creativity characteristics at different work phases and final quality might adequately guide and organize educational procedures. These findings can serve as a theoretical foundation for quantifying the creativity phase in Self-regulated Learning and offer arts educators a reference for creativity instruction.

An exact solution for the Nagel-Schreckenberg model for v_max = 1 is known since the 90s, yet for v_max > 1 it remains an open question. It is conjectured here that this general solution can be generated from the basic solution (for v_max = 1) by a linear coordinate transformation, the shear mapping, which requires no additional parameters in the deterministic case, and two additional parameters otherwise. The proposed solutions show remarkable agreement with existing numerical solutions, except in the congested regime where the Monte Carlo data shows more concavity than the more linear congested branches predicted by the theory. More research is needed to investigate this bias.

Voltage Source Inverters (VSI) are the integral part of Electrical Vehicles (EV) to enhance the reliability of supply power to critical loads in vehicle to load (V2L) applications. Inherent properties of sliding mode control (SMC) makes it one of the best vailable options to achieve desired voltage quality under variable load conditions. Intrinsic characteristic of robustness associated with SMC is achieved generally at the cost of unwanted chattering along the sliding surface. To manage this compromise better, optimal selection of sliding surface coefficient is applied with proposed composite exponential reaching law (C-ERL). The novelty of proposed C-ERL is associated with the intelligent mix of exponential, power and difference functions blended with rotating sliding surface selection (RSS) technique for three phase two level VSI. Moreover, proposed reaching law along with power rate exponential reaching law(PRERL), enhanced exponential reaching law(EERL) and repeatitive reaching law(RRL) are implemented on two level three phase VSI under variable load condtions. Comparative analysis of which strongly advocates the authenticity and effectiveness of proposed reaching law in achieving well regulated output voltage, with high level of robustness, reduced chattering and low %THD.

The term deviation frequency denotes the boundary between the variable part of the amplitude and phase scintillation spectrum and the part of uninformative noises. We suggested the concept of the “characteristic deviation frequency” during the observation period which is defined as the most probable value of the deviation frequency under current local conditions. This work is a case study of the characteristic deviation frequency (fd) registered for GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and SBAS signals under quiet and weakly disturbed geomagnetic conditions in April 2021 at the mid-latitude GNSS station. Our results demonstrated that the fd value for all signal components of GPS, GLONASS and GALILEO signals varied within 15-22 Hz. The characteristic deviation frequency was 20 Hz for the mentioned GNSS signals. In difference, the deviation frequency was limited within 13-20 Hz for SBAS with the lower characteristic deviation frequency at 18 Hz. We assume that the concept of the characteristic deviation frequency can be used to determine the optimal sampling rate of the GNSS carrier phase data for the ionospheric studies. The characteristic deviation frequency can also characterize the state of the regular trans-ionospheric radio channel.

This paper discusses the basic concepts of phase dislocations and vortex formation in the electric fields of fundamental air core mode of hollow core waveguides with specific types of rotational symmetry of the core – cladding boundary. Analysis of the behavior of the electric field phase in the transmission bands shows that the mechanism of light localization in the hollow core waveguides with discrete rotational symmetry of the core – cladding boundary cannot be completely described by the ARROW model. For an accurate description of the phase behavior, it is necessary to account for phase jumps of the magnitude of π when passing through the phase dislocations.

In this work, a small-strain phase-field model is presented, which is able to predict crack propagation in systems with anisotropic brittle and ductile constituents. To model the anisotropic brittle crack propagation, an anisotropic critical energy release rate is used. The brittle constituents behave linear-elastically, in a transversely isotropic manner. Ductile crack growth is realised by a special crack degradation function, depending on the accumulated plastic strain, which is calculated by following the J2-plasticity theory. The mechanical jump conditions are applied in solid-solid phase transition regions. The influence of the relevant model parameters on a crack, propagating through a planar brittle-ductile interface, and furthermore a crack developing in a domain with a single anisotropic brittle ellipsoid, embedded in a ductile matrix, is investigated. We demonstrate that important properties, concerning the mechanical behaviour of grey cast iron, such as the favoured growth of cracks along the graphite lamellae and the tension-compression load asymmetry of the stress-strain response, are covered by the model. The behaviour is analysed on basis of a simulation domain consisting of three differently oriented elliptical inclusions, embedded in a ductile matrix, which is subjected to tensile and compressive load. The used material parameters correspond to graphite lamellae and pearlite.

Two-dimensional mass spectrometry (2D MS) is a method for tandem mass spectrometry that relies on manipulating ion motions to correlate precursor and fragment ion signals. 2D mass spectra are obtained by performing a Fourier transform in both the precursor ion mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) dimension and the fragment ion m/z dimension. The phase of the ion signals evolves linearly in the precursor m/z dimension and quadratically in the fragment m/z dimension. This study demonstrates that phase-corrected absorption mode 2D mass spectrometry improves signal-to-noise ratios by a factor of 2 and resolving power by a factor of 2 in each dimension compared to magnitude mode. Furthermore, phase correction leads to an easier differentiation between ion signals and artefacts, and therefore easier data interpretation.

The aim of this work was to investigate the microstructure and the mechanical properties of la-ser-welded joints combined of DP800 and DP1000 high strength thin steel sheets. The welded joints (WJ) comprised of similar/dissimilar steels with similar/dissimilar thickness were consisted of different zones and exhibited similar microstructural characteristics. The trend of microhard-ness for all WJs was consistent, characterized of the highest value at hardening zone (HZ) and lowest at softening zone (SZ). The degree of softening was more severe and the size of SZ was wider in the WJ combinations of DP1000 than DP800. The tensile test fractures were located at the base material (BM) for all DP800 weldments, while the fractures occurred at the fusion zone (FZ) for the weldments with DP1000 and those with dissimilar sheet thicknesses. The DP800-DP1000 weldment presented similar yield strength (YS) and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) values but lower elongation (EI) in comparison with the DP800-DP800 weldment, which showed similar strength properties as the BM of DP800. However, the EI of DP1000-DP1000 weldment was much lower in comparison with the BM of DP1000. The DP800-DP1000 weldment with dissimilar thicknesses showed the highest YS and UTS values compared with the other weldments, but with the lowest EI. The fatigue fractures occurred at the WJ for all types of weldments. The DP800-DP800 weldment had the highest fatigue limit and DP800-DP1000 with dissimilar thick-nesses had the lowest fatigue limit. The fatigue crack initiated from the weld surface.

In the last years, the Distribution Grid Operators (DGOs) assumed transition strategies of the distribution grids towards an active area associated with the "Smart Grids" concept. They are considering the use of Artificial Intelligence techniques, combined with advanced technologies and real-time remote communication solutions of the enormous data amounts, to develop smart solutions into the small size distribution grids, also called microgrids (μGs). These solutions will provide support for the DGOs to ensure an optimal operation of the technical infrastructure of the μGs. In this context, a bi-level methodology for solving the phase load balancing problem in the μGs with complex topologies and a high number of single-phase consumers, considering a clustering-based selection criterion of the consumers for placement of the switching devices, was proposed in the paper. A real μG from a rural area, with 114 consumers integrated into the Smart Metering System (SMS), belonging to the DGO from Romania, was considered in testing the proposed methodology. An implementation degree of 17.5%, corresponding to the phase load balancing equipment installed to only 20 consumers from the μG, led to a faster computational time with 43% and reducing the number of switching operations by 92% than in the case of a full implementation degree (100%). The performance indicators related to the unbalance factor and energy-saving used in the evaluation of the technical benefits highlighted the efficiency of the proposed methodology.

Abstract: This study reviewed aspects of the biology of two members of the glucosinolate family, namely sinigrin and glucoraphanin and their anti-tumour and anti-microbial properties. Sinigrin and glucoraphanin are converted by the β-sulphoglucosidase myrosinase or the gut microbiota into their bioactive forms, allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) and sulphoraphanin (SFN) which constitute part of a sophisticated defence system plants developed over several hundred million years of evolution to protect them from parasitic attack from aphids, ticks, bacteria or nematodes. Delivery of these components from consumption of cruciferous vegetables rich in the glucosinolates also delivers many other members of the glucosinolate family so the dietary AITCs and SFN do not act in isolation. In-vitro experiments with purified AITC and SFN have demonstrated their therapeutic utility as antimicrobials against a range of clinically important bacteria and fungi. AITC and SFN are as potent as Vancomycin in the treatment of bacteria listed by the World Health Organisation as antibiotic-resistant "priority pathogens" and also act as anti- cancer agents through the induction of phase II antioxidant enzymes which inactivate potential carcinogens. Glucosinolates may be useful in the treatment of biofilms formed on medical implants and catheters by problematic pathogenic bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus and are potent antimicrobials against a range of clinically important bacteria and fungi. The glucosinolates have also been applied in the prevention of bacterial and fungal spoilage of food products in advanced atmospheric packaging technology which improves the shelf-life of these products.

Traditional phase change composites usually suffer poor mechanical property and easy collapsing in the phase changing process. Herein, a highly flexible phase change composite is fabricated using thermoplastic elastomer as the basic gel and the expanded graphite/paraffin as the filler. This new phase change composite shows a tensile strength of 2.1 MPa and a breaking elongation of 220%. It has a melting enthalpy of 145.4 J•g^-1 and a thermal conductivity of 2.2 W•m^-1•K^-1 with 70% of expanded graphite/paraffin. The thermoplastic elastomer based phase change composite exhibits great reversible property after 200 heating/cooling cycles. This flexible phase change composite demonstrates good photo-thermal energy charging/discharging property and shows great potential to be applied in the solar thermal energy systems.

Printed electronic devices are attracting significant interest due to their versatility and low cost; however, quality control during manufacturing is a significant challenge, preventing the widespread adoption of this promising technology. We show that terahertz (THz) radiation can be used for the in situ inspection of printed electronic devices, as confirmed through a comparison with conventional electrical conductivity methods. Our in situ method consists of printing a simple test pattern exhibiting a distinct signature in the THz range that enables the precise characterization of {the static} electrical conductivities of the printed ink. We demonstrate that contactless dual-wavelength THz spectroscopy analysis, which requires only a single THz measurement, is more precise and repeatable than the conventional four-point probe conductivity measurement method. Our results open the door to a simple strategy for performing contactless quality control in real time of printed electronic devices at any stage of its production line.