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Mummification refers to a process of desiccation with loss of up to 60–70% of the body weight. It may be unintentional when a body is exposed to dry heat, extreme cold or to reduced amounts of air, or it may be intentional from embalming or drying. To evaluate mummification in a contemporary medicolegal situation selected Pathology Files at Forensic Science SA (FSSA), Adelaide, Australia, were searched from 2004 to 2023 for autopsy cases where bodies had been described as completely mummified. Twenty-one cases were identified (out of a total of 2872 cases - <1%) consisting of 17 males and 4 females (M:F = 4:1) with an age range of 27 to 95 years (average 62 years). The estimated post mortem intervals ranged from 2 to 16 weeks (average 5 weeks) with 16 cases (76%) occurring during the warmer months. Nineteen bodies (91%) were found inside home addresses Causes of death were determined in only seven cases (33%) (3 drug toxicity; 3 cardiovascular disease and 1 hypothermia). Thus, the most typical case involved a socially isolated older male during summer at his home address. Changes to the body after mummification, with distortion and loss of tissues and organs, present challenges to forensic practitioners who may have difficulties in determining the time, cause and manner of death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study examined the wealth-related inequality in women healthcare seeking behaviour for under-five children illness in Afghanistan and its determinants. Methods: Data of 32409 mothers/caregivers of children under-five were extracted from Afghanistan Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey conducted in 2022. Wealth-related inequalities in women healthcare seeking behaviour for under-five children illness was investigated using Erreygers and Wagstaff concentration indices and curve. Contributions of selected factors to the total inequality were estimated using the Erreygers decomposition technique. Results: The Erreygers and Wagstaff normalized concentration indices for women healthcare seeking behaviour for under-five children illness was 0.040; p < 0.000 and 0.042; p < 0.000 respectively. Hence, women healthcare seeking behaviour for children under-five illness was heavily concentrated among women from richer households and disfavoured women from poorer households. The decomposition findings revealed that household wealth (265%), residency in rural areas (-125%), access to mobile phone (-83%), access to internet (67%) and mothers' education (26%) were the major determinants of pro-rich inequalities. Conclusion: Policy makers, the private and development actors in Afghanistan should promote inclusive income generation interventions and healthcare awareness programmes, including women from poor households to eliminate wealth-related inequalities in women healthcare seeking behaviour. There is need for decentralizing health facilities in both rural and urban areas to improve equitable access to healthcare services. There is scope for disseminating health education through mobile phones and internet, reaching out to all areas to improve knowledge on children's illnesses and subsequently reduce inequalities in women health seeking behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Existing evidence suggests a lower uptake of cervical cancer screening among Indian women. Coverage is lower in rural than urban women, but such disparities are less explored. So, the present study was conducted to explore the self-reported coverage of cervical cancer screening in urban and rural areas stratified by socio-demographic characteristics, determine the spatial patterns and identify any regional variations, ascertain the factors contributing to urban-rural disparities and those influencing the likelihood of screening among women aged 30–49 years factors residing in urban, rural, and overall Indian settings. Methods: We did a secondary analysis of the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey in India (2019-21) data with a sample size of 3,48,882 women. The coverage of cervical cancer screening was estimated using sampling weights. Urban-rural differences were compared using the chi-square test. Spatial patterns were analysed using aggregated district-level data, and the contribution of different independent variables to the urban-rural disparities was estimated using multivariate decomposition analysis. Multivariable logistic regression was conducted using STATA 17 to obtain the significant factors of reported screening in urban and rural areas. Results: The nationwide coverage of cervical cancer screening was 2.0% (95% CI: 1.9-2.0). The urban (2.4%; 2.3–2.5) participants had higher screening coverage than their rural (1.8%; 1.7–1.8) counterparts. Moran's I statistic confirmed the presence of spatial dependence and geographical gradient. Decomposition analysis depicted small urban-rural differences in the screening coverage of 0.60% (0.4–0.8). Endowment and coefficient contributed to 88.15% and 11.85% of the disparities. Compositional changes were contributed majorly by regional differences, low education, scheduled tribes, and having living children > 2. Higher odds of having screening were associated with older age (AOR 1.45, 95% CI: 1.03–1.28), higher education (1.32; 1.13–1.55), higher age of first intercourse (1.60; 1.43–1.79), married (1.25; 1.08–1.45) and diabetic (1.39; 1.17–1.65) women, and those from South India (6.76; 5.90–7.75). The odds were lower among Muslims, scheduled tribes and participants using hormonal contraceptives. Conclusion: There are significant urban-rural disparities in cervical cancer screening uptake that can be attributed to regional variation, educational inequalities, tribal groups, socio-economic inequalities and parity, necessitating the need to comprehensively design tailor-made advocacy initiatives and simultaneously address the broader determinants of health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While studying abroad as part of a degree programme is increasingly common, there are widespread concerns about socioeconomic inequalities in participation. Using large-scale high-quality administrative data from Ireland, we show that students from affluent backgrounds are 1.5 times (46%) more likely to study abroad than non-affluent students. Applying a Gelbach decomposition, we find that prior academic performance and field of study explain most of the observed difference. We also show, for the first time, considerable heterogeneity in the relationship between participation and socioeconomic status by field of study and that inequalities are much greater for high-performing students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic decomposition is the natural process by which organic matter breaks down into simpler materials through the actions of decomposers such as fungi, microorganisms, and other decomposers that ultimately recycle nutrients back into an ecosystem. Despite having experiences with mold and decay, many students would benefit from developing a deep understanding of the biological science ideas that underpin decomposition. Moreover, with explicit attention, the ideas of organic decomposition can be used to engage students in thoughtful consideration of personal and community environmental habits, particularly with littering, disposing of waste, and avoiding unnecessary plastics. However, these connections are rarely intuitive and require concrete learning experiences with deliberate scaffolding to make connections between scientific ideas and environmental mindfulness. This composting inquiry activity with scaffolding promotes students' deep understanding of matter cycling and environmentally responsible mindfulness and action. While knowledge is not likely to result in environmental behaviors, it is a crucial predecessor to responsible action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known of how Neotropical freshwater ecosystems will respond to future climate scenarios. In Neotropical rainforests, a substantial fraction of the freshwater available to the aquatic fauna is found within phytotelmata, plant-held waters that form aquatic islands in a terrestrial matrix. We hypothesized that phytotelmata in close proximity have higher resilience capacity to severe drought than the isolated ones, under the assumption that immigration from nearby sources promotes faster recovery. We used rainshelters to emulate an extreme drought (67 days without rainfall) in tank-forming bromeliads arranged in patches of 1, 3 or 6 plants in a primary forest of French Guiana. Habitat size was a stronger determinant of invertebrate species richness and biomass per bromeliad than patch size. Larger bromeliad patches attenuated the adverse effect of drought on the biomass of predators, probably because short-range migration within dense patches allowed individuals to find moist refuges. However, the recovery of aquatic communities and ecosystem functions was mostly supported by in situ resistance, and a rescue effect of immigration was weak. Whilst environmental management plans tend to focus on dense networks of connected water bodies, our study shows that efforts should not omit the isolated ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summand absorbing submodules are common in modules over (additively) idempotent semirings, for example, in tropical algebra. A submodule W of V is summand absorbing, if x + y ∈ W implies x ∈ W , y ∈ W for any x , y ∈ V. This paper proceeds the study of these submodules, and more generally of additive monoids, with emphasis on their archimedean classes and quotient structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experiments on methylamine (CH3NH2${\rm CH}_3{\rm NH}_2$) decomposition in shock tubes, flow reactors, and batch reactors have been re‐examined to improve the understanding of hydrocarbon/amine interactions and constrain rate constants for CHx${\rm CH}_{ x}$ + NHy${\rm NH}_{ y}$ reactions. In high‐temperature shock tube experiments, the rapid thermal dissociation of CH3NH2${\rm CH}_3{\rm NH}_2$ provides a fairly clean source of CH3${\rm CH}_3$ and NH2${\rm NH}_2$ radicals, allowing an assessment of reactions of CH3${\rm CH}_3$ with NH2${\rm NH}_2$ and NH. At the lower temperatures in batch and flow reactors, CH3NH2${\rm CH}_3{\rm NH}_2$ is mostly consumed by reaction with H to form CH2NH2${\rm CH}_2{\rm NH}_2$ + H2${\rm H}_2$; these results are useful in determining the fate of the CH2NH2${\rm CH}_2{\rm NH}_2$ radical. Interpretation of these data, along with flow reactor data for the CH3NH2${\rm CH}_3{\rm NH}_2$/H system at lower temperature, indicates that at temperatures up to about 1400 K at atmospheric pressure and above 2000 K at 100 atm, the CH3${\rm CH}_3$ + NH2${\rm NH}_2$ reaction forms mainly methylamine. At sufficiently high temperature, H‐abstraction to form CH4${\rm CH}_4$ + NH and addition–elimination to form CH2NH2${\rm CH}_2{\rm NH}_2$ + H become competitive. The CH3${\rm CH}_3$ + NH reaction, with a rate constant close to collision frequency, forms CH2NH${\rm CH}_2{\rm NH}$ + H, also leading into the hydrocarbon amine pool. Thus, methylamine can be expected to be an important intermediate in co‐combustion of natural gas and ammonia, and more work on the chemistry of CH3NH2${\rm CH}_3{\rm NH}_2$ is desirable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Succession is one of the most extensively studied ecological phenomena, yet debates persist about the importance of dispersal and external factors in driving this process. We aimed to quantify the influence of these factors by investigating how wing‐related traits evolve across succession of blowfly (Diptera: Calliphoridae) communities in South Brazil. Rat carrion was placed in both forest and grassland habitats, and the associated blowfly communities were documented throughout the decomposition process. Using morphometric analysis, we measured wing and thorax traits and assessed trait changes over succession through mixed models. Our findings revealed that carrion succession follows distinct trajectories in forest and grassland environments. Specifically, we observed that Calliphora lopesi predominantly visited carcasses during the final phase of decomposition, resulting in significant differences in species composition and wing size between habitats. In forests, wing size increased toward the later stages of succession, whereas an opposite trend was observed in grasslands. Notably, these trait patterns were only evident at the species level, indicating that intraspecific trait variation is irrelevant. Stronger dispersers tend to arrive during the later stages of succession, suggesting that dispersal has a negligible role in shaping successional dynamics. Instead, environmental differences between habitats drive trait patterns throughout succession. Our results suggest that community composition in ephemeral resources is governed by deterministic processes and that successional stages can be predicted based on blowfly wing traits. Specifically, the presence of the large‐winged C. lopesi indicates late decay, while the small‐winged Chrysomia albiceps and Lucilia eximia are indicative of early decay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Coarse roots represent a globally important belowground carbon pool, but the factors controlling coarse root decomposition rates remain poorly understood relative to other plant biomass components. We compiled the most comprehensive dataset of coarse root decomposition data including 148 observations from 60 woody species, and linked coarse root decomposition rates to plant traits, phylogeny and climate to address questions of the dominant controls on coarse root decomposition. We found that decomposition rates increased with mean annual temperature, root nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations. Coarse root decomposition was slower for ectomycorrhizal than arbuscular mycorrhizal associated species, and angiosperm species decomposed faster than gymnosperms. Coarse root decomposition rates and calcium concentrations showed a strong phylogenetic signal. Our findings suggest that categorical traits like mycorrhizal association and phylogenetic group, in conjunction with root quality and climate, collectively serve as the optimal predictors of coarse root decomposition rates. Our findings propose a paradigm of the dominant controls on coarse decomposition, with mycorrhizal association and phylogeny acting as critical roles on coarse root decomposition, necessitating their explicit consideration in Earth‐system models and ultimately improving confidence in projected carbon cycle–climate feedbacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Deadwood represents globally important carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) pools. Current wood nutrient dynamics models are extensions of those developed for leaf litter decomposition. However, tissue structure and dominant decomposers differ between leaf and woody litter, and recent evidence suggests that decomposer stoichiometry, in combination with litter quality, may affect nutrient release. We quantified decomposition and release of C and nutrients from woody litter for two stem sizes of 22 tree species in a P‐limited temperate forest near Sydney, Australia, and compared these to estimates from leaf litter literature. Following theory, N and P accumulated during early decomposition, but began to decline earlier than expected based on work in leaves. Woody litter converged on higher C : N (50) and N : P (80) ratios than in leaf litter studies. C : N at which N was released was higher in larger stems (c. 124) than in smaller stems (c. 82), both being higher than in leaf litter. Drawing from the literature, these differences in N and P dynamics may be due to the identity of wood decomposers. C : N of wood decomposers is higher than the mean C : N of leaf litter decomposers, and this difference in stoichiometry may have important flow‐on effects for nutrient cycles in forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent developments in spatially resolved transcriptomics (SRT) enable the characterization of spatial structures for different tissues. Many decomposition methods have been proposed to depict the cellular distribution within tissues. However, existing computational methods struggle to balance spatial continuity in cell distribution with the preservation of cell-specific characteristics. To address this, we propose Spall, a novel decomposition network that integrates scRNA-seq data with SRT data to accurately infer cell type proportions. Spall introduced the GATv2 module, featuring a flexible dynamic attention mechanism to capture relationships between spots. This improves the identification of cellular distribution patterns in spatial analysis. Additionally, Spall incorporates skip connections to address the loss of cell-specific information, thereby enhancing the prediction capability for rare cell types. Experimental results show that Spall outperforms the state-of-the-art methods in reconstructing cell distribution patterns on multiple datasets. Notably, Spall reveals tumor heterogeneity in human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma samples and delineates complex tissue structures, such as the laminar organization of the mouse cerebral cortex and the mouse cerebellum. These findings highlight the ability of Spall to provide reliable low-dimensional embeddings for downstream analyses, offering new opportunities for deciphering tissue structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil organic matter (SOM) transformation processes are regulated by the activities of plants, microbes, and fauna. Compared with plants and microbes, effects of soil fauna are less understood because of their high taxonomic and functional diversity, and mix of direct and indirect effect mechanisms. Trait‐based approaches offer a generic perspective to quantify mechanistic relationships between soil fauna and SOM transformations, including decomposition, translocation, and stabilisation of organic carbon. Yet, at present, we lack a consensus concerning relevant key effect traits of soil fauna (i.e. those affecting ecosystem functioning). Here, we address this knowledge gap by focusing on relationships between soil fauna effect traits and SOM transformations. Based on existing literature, we identify key processes linked to SOM transformations, and fauna effect traits universally applicable across taxa and soil types, and discuss the process‐trait links. We define eight SOM transformation processes that are directly affected by soil fauna: (i) litter mass loss, (ii) litter fragmentation, (iii) SOM aggregation in faeces, (iv) SOM aggregation in soil mineral particles, (v) decomposition of faeces, (vi) SOM and mineral translocation, (vii) pore space creation and maintenance and (viii) SOM stabilisation. We link these processes to general effect traits classified into four categories: (a) food selection and ingestion, (b), digestion and excretion, (c) mobility, and (d) body mass and metabolic rate. We also propose proxies when effect trait measurements are laborious. The proposed links between effect traits and SOM transformation processes need to be validated in targeted experiments. We urge researchers to obtain quantitative experimental data, together with metabolic approaches, to integratively quantify soil fauna contributions to soil functioning. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Decomposition is a critical enabler of complex system development, as it enables both task specialization and efficiency through parallel work. The process of decomposing involves partitioning system parameters into tightly coupled modules and managing any cross‐module coupling by designing passive interfaces or through active coordination. A rich literature has developed algorithms and tools to support this process. However, we contend that this view has placed too much emphasis on module selection, and not enough on the interaction with interface design. This perspective has significant implications for lifecycle costs and development time. To that end, this study explores how earlier consideration of interface design can create more valuable options to better navigate performance, cost, and schedule tradeoffs. Specifically, through an abstract simulation experiment, we demonstrate that (1) a sequential approach that first selects modules and then designs interfaces to support those modules, yields lower performance than an integrated approach that considers modules and supporting interfaces simultaneously; and (2) this result is even stronger when schedule and cost are considered as part of the evaluation. In other words, an integrated approach provides more options for project managers seeking to navigate the performance‐cost‐schedule tradeoff known as the golden triangle. These results emphasize the need for a decomposition aid that adopts a holistic view of the optimization problem, accounting for interface creation, intra‐organization collaboration, and valuing nonperformance measures of effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractMore than two-thirds of jail inmates are unconvicted—i.e. detained pretrial. Detention status has been shown to have substantial downstream effects on criminal case processing, ranging from the likelihood of conviction to sentence outcomes. Yet, most sentencing studies lack information on detention status, leading to concerns of omitted variable bias as a possible explanation for any observed racial disparity. This study seeks to determine the extent to which pretrial status accounts for racial differences in sentencing. In addition to the standard release files from the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing, we incorporate supplemental data on bail decisions to determine whether—and why—defendants were detained pretrial. We use general linear models decomposition to determine the degree to which pretrial status differences and the differential impact of pretrial status across groups account for observed differences between Black, White, and Hispanic defendants’ likelihood of incarceration and departure and incarceration length. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), multivariate analysis (MVA) methods such as principal component analysis (PCA) are routinely employed to differentiate spectra. However, additional insights can often be gained by comparing processes, where each process is characterized by its own start and end spectra, such as when identical samples undergo slightly different treatments or when slightly different samples receive the same treatment. This study proposes a strategy to compare such processes by decomposing the loading vectors associated with them, which highlights differences in the relative behavior of the peaks. This strategy identifies key information beyond what is captured by the loading vectors or the end spectra alone. While PCA is widely used, partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) serves as a supervised alternative and is the preferred method for deriving process-related loading vectors when classes are narrowly separated. The effectiveness of the decomposition strategy is demonstrated using artificial spectra and applied to a ToF-SIMS materials science case study on the photodegradation of N719 dye, a common dye in photovoltaics, on a mesoporous TiO2 anode. The study revealed that the photodegradation process varies over time, and the resulting fragments have been identified accordingly. The proposed methodology, applicable to both labeled (supervised) and unlabeled (unsupervised) spectral data, can be seamlessly integrated into most modern mass spectrometry data analysis workflows to automatically generate a list of peaks whose relative behavior varies between two processes, and is particularly effective in identifying subtle differences between highly similar physicochemical processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In addition to examining the highest yield production of Levulinic acid (LA) from artichoke leaves by the subcritical catalytic hydrothermal decomposition, the studies were carried out on also increasing the production yields of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), Acetic and Formic acid from this biomass. In order to obtain the most suitable reaction conditions, the effect of different reaction conditions, including different temperature, reaction time, pH and catalyst types, on the decomposition of artichoke leaves and product yields were investigated. The subcritical thermal decomposition studies of artichoke leaves were carried out in an autoclave system at temperatures (120°C, 140°C, 160°C, and 180°C) for reaction times of 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 min in the presence of H2SO4, HNO3, and HCL catalysts with different pH values; these reactions were realized also without adding a catalyst. As a result of the detailed research, it was seen that the most suitable experimental conditions for the production of LA with the highest yield from artichoke leaves could be achieved by adding sulfuric acid with a pH of 0.5 at a reaction temperature of 180°C and a reaction time of 50 min. The investigations were continued till achieving the highest product yields. After carrying out the experiments stated above, the optimal yields of the products produced from the artichoke biomass by the reactions were found as 209.39 g/kg biomass for LA, 117.40 g/kg biomass for formic acid, 72.27 g/kg biomass for acetic acid, and 39.04 g/kg biomass for 5-HMF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though similar motor unit (MU) discharge properties have been observed during slow sustained contractions between chronically strength-trained (ST) and untrained (UT) individuals, it is currently unknown whether differences between these groups exist for when maximal in vivo MU discharge rate is assessed during rapid, maximal rate of force development (RFD) contractions. Therefore, we compared MU discharge characteristics and RFD during rapid contractions in chronic ST and UT individuals. The investigations were performed in two independent cohorts of chronically ST men, with trained elbow flexors (experiment 1, n = 13, 6 ± 4 yr of training experience) or knee extensors (experiment 2, n = 11, 9 ± 4 yr of experience), and compared with those of UT (n = 12 and n = 10, respectively). ST individuals had greater absolute elbow flexion and knee extension RFD throughout the first 150 ms of rapid contractions compared with UT, but this difference was absent for relative RFD. ST exhibited higher initial MU discharge rate in both biceps brachii (74 [68, 80] vs. 56 [50, 63] pulses per second (pps), P < 0.0001) and vastus lateralis (102 [90, 115] vs. 76 [63, 90] pps, P = 0.0025) and a greater average number of MU discharges per second in both trained muscles in the early phase of rapid contractions. We provide novel evidence for a higher maximal MU discharge rate in strength-trained individuals. Interestingly, despite the augmented output of the spinal cord, no differences in relative RFD were observed, which suggests either greater maximal force enhancement of ST compared with UT and/or slowing of the intrinsic contractile properties by prolonged strength training. NEW & NOTEWORTHY: Chronically strength-trained and untrained individuals show similar motor unit discharge rates during slow sustained contractions, however, potential differences in motor unit discharge rates during rapid contractions remained unclear. Here, we show greater maximal motor unit discharge rates during rapid contractions of chronically strength-trained individuals. However, the augmented spinal cord output of strength-trained individuals did not lead to greater relative maximal rate of force development compared with untrained men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent surge in the application of geosciences in forensics has yielded significant insights into taphonomy and decomposition processes, particularly with regard to the identification and interpretation of evidence pertaining to the interaction between the cadaver and the outdoor post-depositional environment. Given that a substantial proportion of current knowledge about decomposition dynamics can be attributed to forensic taphonomy experiments utilizing pigs as human models, a literature review was conducted, focusing on experiments incorporating geosciences into their investigative techniques. The results demonstrated the crucial role of this approach in ensuring accurate interpretation of data, both in the context of forensic cases and in experimental research. Furthermore, this manuscript presents the opening of the first Italian non-human forensic taphonomy facility, which was inaugurated by the LABANOF of the University of Milan in 2009 at the Lombardy Park of the Ticino (PV). The facility strives to integrate the use of non-human animals as human models while upholding a high ethical standard and minimizing the construction of artifacts, thereby striving for forensic realism. Furthermore, the most recent project conducted at the Italian FTF establishes a connection between the outcomes of preceding projects and underscores the significance of a pragmatic and intellectual disposition that embraces interdisciplinary collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measures that represent the degree of departure from symmetry, global symmetry, and conditional symmetry have been proposed to analyze square contingency tables. Additionally, a refined estimator of the symmetry measure has been suggested. This study provides refined estimators of the measures for global symmetry and conditional symmetry, and shows the relationship between the proposed estimators and the refined estimator. The proposed estimators can be obtained by the second-order term in the Taylor series expansion. Simulations studies demonstrate that as the sample size increases, the proposed estimators approach the true values faster than the former estimators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrocellulose is a vulnerable and sensitive energetic material that can easily be manufactured from ordinary household chemicals and used for illicit purposes. Hazards of this material can lead to incidents resulting from unplanned initiation in manufacturing, storage or handling.Thermal stability and hazard data for so-called improvised nitrocellulose (IN) are crucial to formulate guidance for storage and handling of such materials recovered from illegal possession. This study focused on the energy content, stability and safety properties of IN. The energy contents increase linearly with nitrogen contents of IN. Improvised nitrocellulose showed a similar sensitivity to impact and electrostatic discharge, but vacuum stability testing demonstrated more gas release (2.8–3.4 cm3 g−1) compared to commercial NC (1.7 cm3 g−1). Chemiluminescence analysis established activation energies for hydrolytic and thermolytic decomposition to be 36 and ~93 kJ mol-1, respectively. Results suggest that NC samples recovered from improvised devices or illegal possession should be handled with special care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decomposition of energetic materials, especially propellants, produces nitrous gas and free acid nitrates which accelerates its rate velocity. To inhibit this inconvenient autocatalytic reaction, molecules known as stabilizers are usually included in their composition. One of them, diphenylamine (DPA), is primarily used in single-base compositions. In this work, we used density functional theory, with the RI-B2PLYP-D3BJ exchange-correlation functional, to investigate the N-nitrosation mechanism corresponding to a reaction between DPA and a nitro compound producing N-nitroso-diphenylamine (NNDPA). For this purpose, geometry optimizations (equilibrium and transition states), minimum energy paths, Gibbs free activation energies, and rate constants of four reaction mechanisms were computed both in the gas phase and simulating the nitrocellulose environment, which produced similar results. We found that the N-nitrosation mechanism with HNO2 is the most favored, with a rate constant of 5.3 × 10−4 g·µmol−1·s−1. In contrast, the formation of NNDPA is less likely to depend on NO+ in agreement with the experimental results. Cationic reaction mechanisms are hardly viable, whereas interactions with NO or N2O3 are possible. Nonetheless, the former is too slow (1.02 × 10−35 g·µmol−1·s−1) and the latter depends on the scarcely available nitro compound as a reactant, despite being considerably fast (1.61 × 104 g·µmol−1·s−1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy dynamics of subtropical streams are diverse and depend essentially on the input of allochthonous organic matter, intermediated by decomposers. In these ecosystems, decomposition is carried out mainly by aquatic fungi. Recent studies about this community have focused on phenomena such as surrounding land use of streams and their environmental heterogeneity. In this context, we studied a biodiversity hotspot, the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, and sampled streams which were classified according to land uses: urban, rural and protected areas (PA). Mixes of leaves were collected and packaged for identification of fungi decomposing them. The beta diversity was estimated based on the species of aquatic hyphomycetes found in the land use categories and related to the limnological parameters of the different streams. Urban and rural streams (40 and 45 species, respectively) showed greater dissimilarity of species in relation to PA streams (29 species), although there are no differences between fungal communities of urban and rural streams. Since some of the PA streams indicated conditions similar to those largely impacted by human activity, this may cause the loss of fungal species and has repercussions on the reduction of ecosystem services. This study contributed to the knowledge base in fungal communities and their relationship with limnological parameters, providing information on species involved in energy flow in subtropical food chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The processing of organic matter is a central ecosystem function in freshwater ecosystems that allows the integration of terrestrial plant material into aquatic heterotrophic food webs. From an energetic perspective, many temperate aquatic systems fundamentally depend on such allochthonous inputs. Current research established that this central ecosystem function may be linked to population density of few yet dominant invertebrate detritivores, showing a negative density‐dependent relationship. Here, we extended the current knowledge and experimentally assessed the processing of leaf litter by freshwater amphipods, using broad density gradients, interspecific competition, and laboratory and field experiments. We used two species of dominant amphipods, namely the native Gammarus fossarum and the non‐native Gammarus roeselii, varying their density by two orders of magnitude, both in single‐species and two‐species treatments. Results from 252 mesocosms in the lab and 97 mesocosms in a natural stream show that per capita leaf litter processing rates are strongly negatively dependant on population density in monocultures. Interspecific competition in two‐species treatments corroborated the negative density‐dependent ecosystem function and highlighted the functional redundancy of the two detritivore species. We identified a flattening in the processing rates at previously unreported but well‐defined breakpoints. These breakpoints may reflect minimal metabolic requirements at which survival takes precedence over any other process, such as interference competition. The breakpoints were consistent across both species, indicating that they must process leaf litter equalling one fifth to one fourth of their dry body weight per day as a minimal nutritional threshold. Our results suggest the need for integrating nonlinear density‐dependencies and breakpoint population densities in key ecosystem functions in aquatic ecosystem modelling alongside classical biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships. Depending on the population density the corresponding ecosystem functioning could differ significantly. This corroborates the need to better understand biodiversity–abundance relationships when protecting aquatic ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deformation phenomena on Earth are inherently three dimensional. With SAR interferometry (InSAR), in many practical situations the maximum number of observations is two (ascending and descending), resulting in an infinite number of possible displacement estimates. Here we propose a practical solution to this underdeterminancy problem in the form of the strapdown approach. With the strapdown approach, it is possible to obtain “3D-global/2D-local” solutions, by using minimal and largely undisputed contextual information, on the expected driving mechanisms and/or spatial geometry. It is a generic method that defines a local reference system with transversal, longitudinal, and normal (TLN) axes, with displacement occurring in the transversal-normal plane only. Since the orientation of the local frame is based on the physics of the problem at hand, the strapdown approach gives physically more relevant estimates compared to conventional approaches. Moreover, using an a-priori uncertainty approximation on the orientation of the local frame it is possible to assess the precision of the final estimates. As a result, appropriate cartographic visualization using a vector map with confidence ellipses enables an improved interpretation of the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic inputs are key to increasing soil organic carbon in agricultural soils. This study aimed to unravel the process of mineralization and humification of chicken manure (CM) and composted kitchen waste (KW) using an in situ litterbag incubation experiment. The results indicated that over 50%, 64% to 72%, and 62% to 85% of the initial mass, carbon and nitrogen, respectively, were lost through incubation with a marked loss occurring during the first 28 days. Increased humic acids (HAs), humus (HS) and degree of humification, along with a decrease in the level of fulvic acids and precursors for humic substances were observed through incubation. By comparison, CM demonstrated higher carbon and nitrogen conservation efficiencies and greater humification compared to KW. Additionally, a higher degree of humifaction and larger quantities of HAs and HS were not favorable for carbon and nitrogen conservation. Further structural equation modeling indicated that microbial community had a strong effect on carbon loss and nitrogen release, while stoichiometric properties of organic inputs were the main determinant of the mineralization and humification processes. These findings will enhance understanding of litter decomposition in soils and provide valuable references for soil carbon sequestration with organic inputs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Resource storage is a critical component of plant life history. While the storage of nonstructural carbohydrates in wood has been studied extensively, the multiple functions of mineral nutrient storage have received much less attention. Here, we highlight the size of wood nutrient pools, a primary determinant of whole‐plant nutrient use efficiency, and a substantial fraction of ecosystem nutrient budgets, particularly tropical forests. Wood nutrient concentrations also show exceptional interspecific variation, even among co‐occurring plant species, yet how they align with other plant functional traits and fit into existing trait economic spectra is unclear. We review the chemical forms and location of nutrient pools in bark and sapwood, and the evidence that nutrient remobilization from sapwood is associated with mast reproduction, seasonal leaf flush, and the capacity to resprout following damage. We also emphasize the role wood nutrients are likely to play in determining decomposition rates. Given the magnitude of wood nutrient stocks, and the importance of tissue stoichiometry to forest productivity, a key unresolved question is whether investment in wood nutrients is a relatively fixed trait, or conversely whether under global change plants will adjust nutrient allocation to wood depending on carbon gain and nutrient supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we discuss dilaton shifts (Euler counterterms) arising in decomposition of two-dimensional quantum field theories with higher-form symmetries. Relative shifts between universes are fixed by locality and take a universal form, reflecting underlying (noninvertible, quantum) symmetries. The first part of this paper constructs a general formula for such dilaton shifts, and discusses related computations. In the second part of this paper, we comment on the relation between decomposition and ensembles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Incorporation of soil amendments with high organic carbon content (HCA) can reduce losses of mineral nitrogen (N) from agricultural soils. The magnitude of N immobilization and remobilization is strongly controlled by the availability of carbon (C) and phosphorus (P). However, the exact mechanisms and interactions between C, N, and P availability are poorly understood. An eight-month incubation experiment was conducted on recultivated mine soil with low organic C, mineral N and P background concentrations to investigate the effects of HCA in combination with 13C-labelled glucose and mineral P fertilization on greenhouse gas emissions, soil nutrient status (dissolved organic C (DOC), nitrate (NO3–), extractable P), and microbial biomass growth. The experiment had a factorial design of one N level × two P levels × six C treatments (control, wheat straw, poplar sawdust, glucose, and combinations of wheat straw or sawdust with glucose). The HCA increased the cumulative CO2 and CH4 emissions but decreased N2O emission, except for wheat straw. Addition of 13C-labelled glucose decreased the cumulative CH4 emission by 59 and 85 % in the sawdust and sawdust + P treatment, respectively. Glucose application reduced the NO3– content in the HCA-amended soil by 26–64 %, while P fertilizer further decreased the NO3– content in the wheat straw and sawdust treatments by 20 and 24 %, respectively. Both HCA and glucose treatments promoted microbial biomass growth and reduced the soil mineral N content. The δ13C of microbial biomass (δ13CMB) showed an increasing trend during the whole experiment, although 13C-labelled glucose was added only once at the beginning of the experiment. Addition of HCA decreased δ13CMB, while P addition had the opposite effect. In conclusion, adding a readily available C source to HCA may increase the efficacy of retaining N in post-harvest soils, particularly of more recalcitrant types of HCA like sawdust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Animal waste can contribute substantially to nutrient cycling and ecosystem productivity in many environments. However, little is known of the biogeochemical impact of animal excretion in wetland habitats. Here we investigate the effects of wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) tadpole aggregations on nutrient recycling, microbial metabolism and carbon cycling in geographically isolated wetlands. We used a paired mesocosm and field study approach that utilized measurements of tadpole excretion rates, microbial extracellular enzyme activities, and litter degradation. We found a strong relationship between tadpole development and nutrient excretion, demonstrating that ontological changes impact tadpole‐mediated nutrient cycling in wetland habitats. Further, the interplay between population‐level tadpole excretion and wetland hydrologic conditions increased ambient NH4+$$ {\mathrm{NH}}_4^{+} $$ and PO43−$$ {\mathrm{PO}}_4^{3-} $$ concentrations by 56 and 14 times, respectively, compared to adjacent wetlands without tadpoles. Within our mesocosm study, microbes decreased extracellular enzyme production associated with nitrogen acquisition in response to the presence of tadpole‐derived nitrogen. In addition to microbial metabolic responses, tadpole presence enhanced litter breakdown in both mesocosms and wetlands by 7% and 12%, respectively, in comparison to reference conditions. These results provide evidence for the functional and biogeochemical role of tadpole aggregations in wetland habitats, with important implications for ecosystem processes, biodiversity conservation, and ecosystem management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artifacts in computed tomography and X-ray microtomography are image distortions caused by various factors. Some can be reduced before or during the examination, while others are removed algorithmically after image acquisition. The latter group includes metallic artifacts caused by metal objects in the sample. This paper proposes a new method for eliminating metallic artifacts, applying a bone- and soft-tissue decomposition (BSTD) algorithm to microtomography raw data before the reconstruction process. We show that the decomposition algorithm can effectively remove metallic artifacts in microCT images, which increases the image contrast and allows for better visualization of regions near the metallic elements. For quantity analysis, we computed SSIM and PSNR factors, and we observed values increasing from 0.97 to 0.99 and from 40 dB to 43 dB, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our group has seen great promise in using substituted diaryl-hydrazones to alleviate oxidative stress in preeclampsia. Specifically, fluorinated diaryl-hydrazones have shown great efficacy, confirmed via antioxidant assays and animal trials using pregnant mice. In addition to efficient antioxidant properties, these diaryl-hydrazones are also considered non-toxic. While the synthesis of these compounds is relatively simple, it commonly utilizes undesirable solvents and glacial acetic acid as the catalyst; additional solvents are needed for the isolation of the desired products, which negatively affects the green synthesis of the hydrazones. To combat this possible industrial roadblock, we have begun incorporating the use of hydrostatic high pressure (HHP) in the synthesis. The use of HHP allowed us to synthesize substituted diaryl-hydrazones in a 1:1 molar ratio without the need for solvents or acid catalysts. The optimized procedure can produce nearly quantitative yields, leading to an easier isolation of the products. Different HHP methodologies, such as constant high-pressure treatment and cycling (with different number of cycles, holding and decompression times) were applied and cycling was observed to be the most efficient activation for the majority of the reactions. Stability experiments were also conducted with one of the products and observed that although the solid-state storage does not alter the hydrazone, storing it in various solvents may significantly decrease the concentration of the active component which should be considered when performing the biochemical/biological assays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a kinetic study and modeling of the decomposition of a rock sample in an ascorbic acid medium with a high content of lepidolite phase were carried out, the results of which are of great importance due to the sample's high lithium (Li) content. The rock sample was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and the mineral species detected in the sample were lepidolite, at 65.3%, quartz, at 30.6%, and muscovite, at 4.1%, with a quantitative chemical analysis indicating the presence of elements such as Li, Si, K, Na, O, Al and, to a lesser extent, Fe and Ti; this highlights that the Li content present in the sample was 3.38%. Lithium was the element with which the chemical analysis of the kinetics was performed, resulting in decomposition curves comprising the induction period, progressive conversion and stabilization; this highlighted that the reaction progressed during the first two periods, obtaining a reaction order (n) of 0.4307 for the induction period and an activation energy (Ea) of 48.58 kJ mol−1, followed by a progressive conversion period with n = 0.309 and Ea = 25.161 kJ mol−1. This suggested a mixed control regime present in the lower temperature ranges, with a transition from chemical control to transport control present at high temperatures, with the study of the nature of the reaction and the concentration effect showing that chemical control predominates. The kinetic parameters and kinetic expressions for both periods were obtained, with the modeling showing that the calculated and experimental data do not present a major discrepancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low fertility is not conducive to healthy population development. The total fertility rate (TFR) is influenced by the education expansion (measured by the proportion of non-student women, NSP), marriage delay (measured by the proportion of married women, MP), and marital fertility rate (MFR). This study decomposes the TFR change into the changes in NSP, MP, and MFR using China's census and 1% population sample survey data. During 1990–2020, the changes in NSP, MP, and MFR contributed − 22%, − 90%, and 12%, respectively, to the changes in TFR. The continuous decline in NSP reduced the TFR, and the intensity continued to increase over time. As the primary negative driving force, the rapid decline in MP also consistently reduced the TFR. The marital fertility rate had a downward effect on the TFR before 2000 and an upward effect after 2000. The effects of NSP, MP, and MFR on the TFR varied with the birth order, age and region (among cities, towns, and villages). In summary, China's TFR has considerably changed in combination with changes in NSP, MP, and MFR. Without effective measures, China's TFR may further decline into the lowest-low fertility trap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Legacy effects after the removal of invasive plants present significant challenges to restoration. The pivotal role of soil microbial communities in shaping these legacy effects is increasingly recognized, yet there is a lack of effective methods to mitigate altered microbial communities. In Point Reyes National Seashore (California), although the invaded European beachgrass (Ammophila arenaria [L.] Link) was successfully controlled by herbicide treatment, beachgrass litter remained undecomposed for over 5 years, leaving pronounced legacy effects on soil organic matter and microbial community composition. We hypothesized that soil inoculation from uninvaded dune scrub can accelerate the decomposition of beachgrass litter in herbicide‐treated sites by restoring the soil microbial communities and the abundance of microbial decomposers. Three litterbags containing European beachgrass litter or litter from two common shrubs at dune scrub were deployed into each plot to assess the impact of soil inoculation on litter decomposition rates. Our results revealed that soil inoculation, regardless of the inoculation level, did not accelerate the decomposition of European beachgrass. Only the decomposition of bush lupine litter, which had the highest litter quality among three types of litter, was accelerated at the highest inoculation level (approximately 11,880 g/m2). Additionally, soil inoculation increased the richness and compositional homogeneity of soil microbial communities, along with the relative abundances of wood saprotrophic fungi, soil saprotrophic fungi, and lichenized fungi. Although these findings demonstrate the potential of soil inoculation, the cost‐effectiveness of soil inoculation limits its feasibility in accelerating the delayed decomposition of European beachgrass litter in Point Reyes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fertility is one of the three main components which determines the size, structure, and composition of a population, and fertility preferences are important measures for forecasting fertility levels of a population. Therefore, this study aims to assess the impacts of the inequalities in the utilization of key maternal health services on fertility preference among high parity women in four selected regions (i.e., Afar, Beninshangul-Gumuz, Gambella and Somali) of Ethiopia. Methods: The study used data collected for the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Surveys (EDHS) survey. It includes a total of 977 high parity women (104 urban and 873 rural) residing in the four regions of the study. Bivariate logistic regression was used to select the potential variables by using a cut off p-value < 0.2 and then the multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the association between the selected explanatory variables (i.e., control and exposure variables) and the outcome variable (i.e. fertility preference). Further, the study employed a Population Attributable Fractions (PAFs) to examine the population level impacts of the inequalities in maternal and child health service variables on fertility preference. Results: The results showed that religion, household wealth index, place of delivery and contraceptive use were significantly associated with fertility preference. The results of the PAFs analysis indicated that contraceptive use had the biggest impact (80%), meaning that non-use of contraceptive increased fertility preference among women in the four regions. Similarly, out of health facility delivery increased fertility preference by 37%. Conclusion: The study findings underscore the critical factors influencing women's fertility preferences in the studied regions. Low utilization of maternal health services had an impact on fertility preference, accounting for more than half of the observed variations in fertility preferences. To address this issue, targeted interventions are recommended: enhancing access to maternal health services, strengthening fertility control programs, promoting the benefits of using these services, and actively addressing inequalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protists show diverse lifestyles and fulfill important ecological roles as primary producers, predators, symbionts, and parasites. The degradation of dead microbial biomass, instead, is mainly attributed to bacteria and fungi, while necrophagy by protists remains poorly recognized. Here, we assessed the food range specificity and feeding behavior of the algivorous flagellate Orciraptor agilis (Viridiraptoridae, Cercozoa) with a large‐scale feeding experiment. We demonstrate that this species is a broad‐range necrophage, which feeds on a variety of eukaryotic and prokaryotic algae, but fails to grow on the tested fungi. Furthermore, our microscopic observations reveal an unexpected flexibility of O. agilis in handling food items of different structures and biochemistry, demonstrating that sophisticated feeding strategies in protists do not necessarily indicate narrow food ranges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exceptional synergy of ceramic and metallic properties within MAX phases positions them as highly promising for a wide array of applications. However, their stability has been threatened by the phenomenon of A-site metal whisker growth. Herein, we have significantly mitigated tin whisker growth in Ti 2 SnC by incorporating vanadium solutes at its M-site. With an increase in vanadium concentration, there is a marked reduction in the degree of decomposition of the M-site solid solution when subjected to the same level of externally destructive treatments, thereby inhibiting whisker proliferation. Both experimental outcomes and theoretical calculations reveal that the vanadium solid solution augments the hardness, Pugh's ratio, and Poisson's ratio of Ti 2 SnC, enhancing its mechanical strength and toughness. The incorporation of V atoms introduces stronger V–C and V–Sn bonds, as evidenced by its electronic density of states and bulk modulus, thus significantly bolstering the resistance of MAX phases against decomposition and effectively curtailing whisker growth. Additionally, the phenomenon reported in this paper also conforms to the electrostatic theory of whisker growth. This work for the first time achieves the suppression of A-site whisker growth through an M-site solid solution, thereby extending their potential for applications where durability and reliability are paramount. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Termites are important ecosystem engineers in many ecosystems globally. Hence, surveys of termite species composition, abundance and activity can be important for understanding ecosystem function—especially in biomes where they tend to be abundant, such as tropical savannas. However, comprehensively surveying termites can be challenging due to their cryptic nature and varied feeding and nesting habits, which strongly influence the effectiveness of different survey methods. Baiting and active searches of reduced transects are two methods commonly used to sample termites, and while these methods have been evaluated in the savannas of South Africa, this has not occurred in the extensive tropical savannas of northern Australia. Thus, this study evaluated the effectiveness of baits and reduced transects to assess termite species richness and activity across 18 × 1 ha experimental plots in a tropical savanna near Darwin, Australia. Surveys in each plot consisted of two 60 × 2 m transects and a 9 × 3 baiting grid of alternating buried wood and paper baits and surface straw baits. Baits were checked three times: at 4‐, 7‐ and 10‐week intervals following placement. Upon survey completion, the sampling effort, efficacy and costs of each method were compared. Reduced transects detected all 32 species recorded in this study, representing four feeding groups (from undecayed wood to highly decayed organic material in the soil). Baiting detected 20 species, but failed to detect some of the species that fed on decayed materials. Paper baits, checked only twice (at 4 and 10 weeks following placement), were required to detect all species sampled at both wood and paper baits. Therefore, overall baiting costs could be reduced (without data loss) by using paper baits only and reducing the number of bait checks. Compared with baiting using all three bait types, reduced transects detected the most species and had the lowest per‐species cost. Consequently, reduced transect surveys are the most effective method in these northern Australian savannas when assessing species composition. However, if the abundance of species that feed on undecayed wood or levels of termite activity are being assessed, then reduced baiting is a more appropriate method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: This study investigates the impact of envenomation with snake venom on the decomposition of rabbit carcasses and the subsequent attraction of necrophilous coleopteran beetles, a crucial factor in forensic entomology. The research aimed to assess how venoms from the Egyptian cobra (Naja haje) and the horned viper (Cerastes cerastes) influence decomposition stages and beetle colonization patterns. Results indicated that snake envenomation accelerated the decomposition process, particularly shortening the fresh and bloating stages, and reduced the number of beetles attracted to envenomed carcasses compared to controls. Notably, fewer beetles were associated with N. haje envenomed carcasses. The findings highlight the significant role of snake venom in altering carcass decomposition and insect succession, providing valuable insights for forensic investigations. Understanding these relationships can enhance the accuracy of estimating the postmortem interval in legal cases, ultimately contributing to more effective crime scene analyses and improving public safety through more effective forensic practices. Background: Coleoptera is the second-most significant insect group associated with decomposing carcasses, yet its role in the decomposition process and postmortem colonization following envenomation is poorly understood. Purpose of the Study: This study aimed to investigate the effects of the venoms from Cerastes cerastes and Naja haje on the decomposition of rabbit carcasses while evaluating the main beetle taxa attracted to these decaying remains. Methods: Three groups of rabbits, each with five individuals, were utilized. The first group was injected with the venom of Cerastes cerastes, the second with Naja haje venom, and the control group received 0.85% physiological saline before euthanasia with CO2. Results: Four decomposition stages (fresh, bloating, decay, and dry) with durations varying based on venom type and carcass condition were observed. A total of 647 individual beetles of six species (Necrobia rufipes, Attagenus sp., Dermestes frischii, D. maculatus, Bledius sp., and Apentanodes sp.) belonging to four families (Cleridae, Dermestidae, Staphylinidae, and Tenebrionidae) were collected and identified. D. maculatus was the most abundant species. Fewer beetles were attracted to carcasses envenomed with N. haje compared to the other groups. Conclusions: Envenomation by snake venom influences the attraction and succession rate of necrophilous coleopterans to carcasses, which is important for forensic investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of emergence, or synergy in its simplest form, is widely used but lacks a rigorous definition. Our work connects information and set theory to uncover the mathematical nature of synergy as the failure of distributivity. For the trivial case of discrete random variables, we explore whether and how it is possible to get more information out of lesser parts. The approach is inspired by the role of set theory as the fundamental description of part–whole relations. If taken unaltered, synergistic behavior is forbidden by the set-theoretic axioms. However, random variables are not a perfect analogy of sets: we formalize the distinction, highlighting a single broken axiom—union/intersection distributivity. Nevertheless, it remains possible to describe information using Venn-type diagrams. The proposed multivariate theory resolves the persistent self-contradiction of partial information decomposition and reinstates it as a primary route toward a rigorous definition of emergence. Our results suggest that non-distributive variants of set theory may be used to describe emergent physical systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To get better insight into the effect of plasticizer 1,5-diazido-3-oxopentane (AZDEGDN) on the decomposition of nitrocellulose (NC) binders, thermogravimetric and reactive forcefield (ReaxFF) simulation was conducted. The decomposition process of NC and NC/AZDEGDN was simulated at different temperatures (1000–3500 K), as well as the reaction path, main products, and decomposition mechanism. The main decomposition products of NC/AZDEGDN by ReaxFF were N2, H2, NH3, H2O, CO2, and NO2, and the main generation pathways were summarized and verified by the radial distribution function. The addition of AZDEGDN decreased the activation energy of NC and accelerated the decomposition of NC. Some molecules and fragments decomposed from AZDEGDN reacted with the intermediates of NC molecular chains and promoted the decomposition of NC. Meanwhile, NO2 decomposed from NC acted on AZDEGDN molecules to accelerate the decomposition of AZDEGDN. This study provides atomic insights into the decomposition process of NC/AZDEGDN, which may be helpful for further research on the reaction mechanism of energetic fuels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, people's health and wealth are affected by the outbreak of the corona virus. It is a virus, which infects from common fever to severe acute respiratory syndrome. It has the potency to transmit from one person to another. It is established that this virus spread is augmenting speedily devoid of any symptoms. Therefore, the prediction of this outbreak situation with mathematical modelling is highly significant along with necessary. To produce informed decisions along with to adopt pertinent control measures, a number of outbreak prediction methodologies for COVID-19 are being utilized by officials worldwide. An effectual COVID-19 outbreaks' prediction by employing Squirrel Search Optimization Algorithm centric Tanh Multi-Layer Perceptron Neural Network (MLPNN) (SSOA-TMLPNN) along with Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) methodologies is proposed here. Initially, from the openly accessible sources, the input time series COVID-19 data are amassed. Then, pre-processing is performed for better classification outcomes after collecting the data. Next, by utilizing Sine-centered Empirical Mode Decomposition (S-EMD) methodology, the data decomposition is executed. Subsequently, the data are input to the Brownian motion Intense (BI) - SSOA-TMLPNN classifier. In this, the diseased, recovered, and death cases in the country are classified. After that, regarding the time-series data, the corona-virus's future outbreak is predicted by employing ARIMA. Afterwards, data visualization is conducted. Lastly, to evaluate the proposed model's efficacy, its outcomes are analogized with certain prevailing methodologies. The obtained outcomes revealed that the proposed methodology surpassed the other existing methodologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under study is the stability of Persidskii systems with distributed delay. We assume that the sector-type functions on the right-hand sides of the system are essentially nonlinear. Also, we propose some original construction of the Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional of use in deriving new asymptotic stability conditions of the zero solution. The approach is applied to the stability analysis of the Lurie indirect control system and a mechanical system with essentially nonlinear positional forces. Using some development of the averaging method, we obtain the conditions that guarantee stability under nonstationary perturbations with zero mean values for the systems under study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of woody detritus as a source of soil organic matter is not well constrained. We quantified the recovery of 13C derived from isotopic-enriched sugar maple wood in various C fractions of two temperate forest soils in central New York, USA. Decay rates of small woody debris were quite rapid (k = 0.362 to 0.477 per year) and after 10 years less than 1% of the original wood mass remained in incubation bags. After six years we recovered only 0.26% (± 0.025) of the added 13C in the upper 5 cm of underlying soil. After 10 years this recovery declined to 0.11% (± 0.020) indicating substantial lability of retained SOC; most of this decline occurred from year 6 to 8 in the 1–5 cm depth increment, suggesting that the residue was quite stable at 10 years. The largest fraction of 13C was recovered in microaggregates (45%), especially those occluded within macroaggregates (30%), with a smaller proportion associated with the silt + clay fraction (20%). These proportions did not change significantly from year 6 to 10. Faster decay and higher 13C recovery were coincident with abundant saproxylic invertebrates from Scarabaeidae at one of the sites. We conclude that small woody debris is a minor source of stable SOC in these temperate forests (that is, less than 1% of annual SOC accumulation). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leaf litter in coastal wetlands lays the foundation for carbon storage, and the creation of coastal wetland soils. As climate change alters the biogeochemical conditions and macrophyte composition of coastal wetlands, a better understanding of the interactions between microbial communities, changing chemistry, and leaf litter is required to understand the dynamics of coastal litter breakdown in changing wetlands. Coastal wetlands are dynamic systems with shifting biogeochemical conditions, with both tidal and seasonal redox fluctuations, and marine subsidies to inland habitats. Here, we investigated gene expression associated with various microbial redox pathways to understand how changing conditions are affecting the benthic microbial communities responsible for litter breakdown in coastal wetlands. We performed a reciprocal transplant of leaf litter from four distinct plant species along freshwater‐to‐marine gradients in the Florida Coastal Everglades, tracking changes in environmental and litter biogeochemistry, as well as benthic microbial gene expression associated with varying redox conditions, carbon degradation, and phosphorus acquisition. Early litter breakdown varied primarily by species, with highest breakdown in coastal species, regardless of the site they were at during breakdown, while microbial gene expression showed a strong seasonal relationship between sulfate cycling and salinity, and was not correlated with breakdown rates. The effect of salinity is likely a combination of direct effects, and indirect effects from associated marine subsidies. We found a positive correlation between sulfate uptake and salinity during January with higher freshwater inputs to coastal areas. However, we found a peak of dissimilatory sulfate reduction at intermediate salinity during April when freshwater inputs to coastal sites are lower. The combination of these two results suggests that sulfate acquisition is limiting to microbes when freshwater inputs are high, but that when marine influence increases and sulfate becomes more available, dissimilatory sulfate reduction becomes a key microbial process. As marine influence in coastal wetlands increases with climate change, our study suggests that sulfate dynamics will become increasingly important to microbial communities colonizing decomposing leaf litter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vertebrate scavengers represent important taphonomic agents that can act on a body, particularly when in an outdoor environment. Understanding the effects of these agents will direct how and where to search for human remains and influence the likelihood of discovery in a particular region. The current study aimed to identify the taphonomic impact of scavenger guilds in the peri‐urban and rural regions of southeastern British Columbia. Vertebrate scavenger activity on pig carcasses was recorded remotely using trail cameras and analyzed to determine temporal scavenging profiles. Both the peri‐urban and rural environments produced comparable scavenger guilds, namely: turkey vultures, American crows/northern ravens (classified as "corvids"), American black bears, and coyotes. Although the two locations had different study lengths due to variable degrees of scavenging, for the period that was common to both locations (summer to early fall), the black bear was the most frequent scavenger followed by coyote. However, the dispersal of remains by the mammalian scavengers was distinctly different between sites. Only 12%–33% of skeletal elements were recovered at the rural sites compared to 80%–90% recovered at the peri‐urban sites, even though the latter sites had a longer study timeframe. The extended timeframe of the peri‐urban sites confirmed that certain scavengers (e.g., turkey vultures and black bears) are only seasonally active in this region. These findings demonstrate the variability of scavenger behavior and the need to assign caution and local ecological knowledge when predicting scavenger trends. Such taphonomic information is relevant for human remains searches in regions with comparable scavenger guilds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute intermittent hypoxia (AIH) is an emerging technique for enhancing neuroplasticity and motor function in respiratory and limb musculature. Thus far, AIH‐induced improvements in strength have been reported for upper and lower limb muscles after chronic incomplete cervical spinal cord injury (iSCI), but the underlying mechanisms have been elusive. We used high‐density surface EMG (HDsEMG) to determine if motor unit discharge behaviour is altered after 15 × 60 s exposures to 9% inspired oxygen, interspersed with 21% inspired oxygen (AIH), compared to breathing only 21% air (SHAM). We recorded HDsEMG from the biceps and triceps brachii of seven individuals with iSCI during maximal elbow flexion and extension contractions, and motor unit spike trains were identified using convolutive blind source separation. After AIH, elbow flexion and extension torque increased by 54% and 59% from baseline (P = 0.003), respectively, whereas there was no change after SHAM. Across muscles, motor unit discharge rates increased by ∼4 pulses per second (P = 0.002) during maximal efforts, from before to after AIH. These results suggest that excitability and/or activation of spinal motoneurons is augmented after AIH, providing a mechanism to explain AIH‐induced increases in voluntary strength. Pending validation, AIH may be helpful in conjunction with other therapies to enhance rehabilitation outcomes after incomplete spinal cord injury, due to these enhancements in motor unit function and strength. Key points: Acute intermittent hypoxia (AIH) causes increases in muscular strength and neuroplasticity in people living with chronic incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI), but how it affects motor unit discharge rates is unknown.Motor unit spike times were identified from high‐density surface electromyograms during maximal voluntary contractions and tracked from before to after AIH.Motor unit discharge rates were increased following AIH.These findings suggest that AIH can facilitate motoneuron function in people with incomplete SCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In urban metro systems, unexpected events often occur to cause discordance in the planned timetable and delay in passenger travel. Therefore, this study focuses on the timetable rescheduling problem by adopting a stop-skipping strategy during the off-peak period. In addition, there are a number of existing optimization models that minimize the total passenger waiting time, which can cause fairness issues for a small group of passengers having longer waiting time at some stations. In this study, a rescheduling model is proposed to consider passenger waiting time fairness and train travel time cost. This model is tested with a randomly designed delay scenario of Nanjing Metro Line 2, which can be efficiently solved by a designed iterative algorithm based on decomposition method. Compared to the standard stop pattern, the result shows that the stop-skipping pattern can better alleviate the impact of sudden delays, while simultaneously ensuring the passenger waiting time fairness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radiolysis of transplutonium elements and rare earths (REE)-containing solutions in radiochemical processes destroys complexing reagents and precipitates target products. We investigated the effect of the radiation-absorbed dose (AD) and acidity on the behavior of simulated DTPA and NTA REE-containing solutions to eliminate precipitation. We measured the AD by bichromate dosimetry. Without nitric acid, the AD = 0.12–0.24 MGy causes abundant precipitation of REEs. In the presence of HNO3 up to 2 mol L−1, no precipitation occurred up to 1.53 MGy. At HNO3 1 mol L−1 and AD = 1.02 MGy, DTPA is entirely decomposed. We have suggested a method to avoid precipitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]