Search

Last year, the KSTAR divertor material was changed from carbon to tungsten tiles. An optimized collection optic design for divertor Thomson scattering diagnostics in KSTAR was conducted for electron temperature (1–100 eV) and electron density (1 × 1018–1 × 1019 m−3) profile diagnostics. This diagnostic system will utilize a 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser directly from the K-top port toward the beam dump located at K-bottom, while collecting scattered light from five spatial points in the divertor area via collection optics situated in the j-middle port. Given spatial limitations, the solid angle of measurement points is limited, and the collection optic design facing the tungsten divertor is susceptible to stray light. So, the design of the collection optic is important for divertor Thomson scattering diagnostics. For optimal performance, we performed two types of collection optic designs: Cooke-triplet and double-Gaussian. We present performance ray tracing analysis results for both designs and derive the optimal design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have modified the fabrication processes of metallic magnetic calorimeters (MMCs) to improve production yield. Key modifications include (i) the stress mitigation of the sputtered Nb film by optimizing the Argon deposition gas pressure, (ii) an optimized SiO x insulator layer fabrication by switching from a lift-off to a wet-etching method and controlling the optimizing the temperature, (iii) the joint electroplating of thick gold structures for persistent current switch leads and a thermalization layer, and (iv) a reduced sputter-deposition time of the Ag:Er sensor material by introducing a new wafer holder. These modifications contribute to increased production yield, reduced fabrication time, and enhanced overall performance. Tests on MMCs fabricated with these modifications demonstrated uniformly improved critical current of the Nb meander coils, enhanced SiO x insulation properties, strengthened persistent current switch systems, and reduced probability of Ag:Er oxidation. These modified MMC detectors also functioned well in tests for alpha spectrometry measurements, demonstrating good performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the development of a dual-detector system designed for investigating the spectral shape of forbidden non-unique beta decays. Two PbMoO 4 scintillating crystals were carefully prepared for heat and light detection at milli-Kelvin (mK) temperatures. Notably, one crystal was synthesized using archaeological lead, while the other was composed of natural modern lead. The significance of employing two crystals lies in their identical dimensions and proximity, resulting in similar environmental background exposure. Their distinct internal radioactivities, particularly associated with 210 Pb, introduce a distinguishing factor between the spectra measured in the two detectors. Our detection method includes achieving clear particle identification through the relative amplitudes of light and heat signals for both crystals. This report compares the electron-induced spectra within energy regions both below and above the endpoint of 210 Bi beta decay. This comparative study provides valuable insights into an exact measurement of the 210 Bi decay spectrum, forbidden non-unique beta decay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present advancements in a finite element method for computing the physical properties of magnetic microcalorimeters (MMCs). Utilizing the COMSOL package, we conducted 3D simulations of a meander-shaped Nb coil with a realistic geometry. The resulting magnetic field distribution showed good agreement with a previous 2D simulation and revealed non-negligible differences at the side edge of the sensor material. Employing the simulation results, we calculated the MMC properties and compared them with previous measurements. Our calculated values closely align with the measured values for the sensor magnetization, the pulse heights from alpha detection, and the coil inductance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Hyperangulated videolaryngoscopes are known to increase the success rate of tracheal intubation in the setting of difficult airway management when used with a stylet or bougie. However, there is controversy over which adjunct is more useful. This randomised study aimed to compare first attempt tracheal intubation success rate between a stylet and bougie when using a hyperangulated videolaryngoscope. We recruited patients aged > 20 years who were scheduled for elective surgery under general anaesthesia and required tracheal intubation. We only included patients with factors predicting difficult tracheal intubation based on pre‐anaesthesia airway evaluation. Tracheal intubation was attempted using a Glidescope® with either a stylet or bougie as an adjunct according to group assignment. Primary outcome was the success rate of the first tracheal intubation attempt, and secondary outcomes were success of second and third attempts; tracheal intubation time; and occurrence of sore throat, dysphagia or hoarseness. A total of 166 patients were included. The success rate of the first tracheal intubation attempt was significantly higher in patients allocated to the bougie group compared with those allocated to the stylet group (81/83 (98%) vs. 73/83 (88%), respectively; p = 0.032). The number of patients who needed two attempts was significantly lower in those allocated to the bougie group compared with those allocated to the stylet group (1/83 (1%) vs. 9/83 (11%), respectively; p = 0.018). Each group had one patient (1%) where tracheal intubation was achieved after a third attempt. There was no significant difference in the occurrence of sore throat, dysphagia and hoarseness between the two groups. When difficult tracheal intubation is anticipated and a hyperangulated videolaryngoscope is used, the success rate of the first attempt is higher when a bougie is used compared with a stylet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a comprehensive study of the nonproportionality of NaI(Tl) scintillation detectors within the context of dark matter search experiments. Our investigation, which integrates COSINE-100 data with supplementary γ spectroscopy, measures light yields across diverse energy levels from full-energy γ peaks produced by the decays of various isotopes. These γ peaks of interest were produced by decays supported by both long and short-lived isotopes. Analyzing peaks from decays supported only by short-lived isotopes presented a unique challenge due to their limited statistics and overlapping energies, which was overcome by long-term data collection and a time-dependent analysis. A key achievement is the direct measurement of the 0.87 keV light yield, resulting from the cascade following electron capture decay of 22 Na from internal contamination. This measurement, previously accessible only indirectly, deepens our understanding of NaI(Tl) scintillator behavior in the region of interest for dark matter searches. This study holds substantial implications for background modeling and the interpretation of dark matter signals in NaI(Tl) experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the development of a heat flow model utilizing a scintillating crystal for heat and light detection. By analyzing the measured light signals from α - and β / γ -induced events in a CaMoO 4 crystal, we describe the time-dependent behavior of the scintillation emission and the subsequent generation of delayed phonons in the crystal. The phonon detection channel model incorporates both prompt and delayed generation of a thermal phonons; these are absorbed in a phonon collector film on the crystal surface or converted into a thermal phonon distribution in the crystal. A reasonable agreement is observed in the comparison between the measured signals and the simulated signals derived from the model study. We attribute the observed pulse shape discrimination to the presence of the delayed phonons associated with the scintillation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout the history of crop domestication, desirable traits have been selected in agricultural products. However, such selection often leads to crops and vegetables with weaker vitality and viability than their wild ancestors when exposed to adverse environmental conditions. Considering the increasing human population and climate change challenges, it is crucial to enhance crop quality and quantity. Accordingly, the identification and utilization of diverse genetic resources are imperative for developing disease‐resistant plants that can withstand unexpected epidemics of plant diseases. In this review, we provide a brief overview of recent progress in genome‐editing technologies, including zinc‐finger nucleases (ZFNs), transcription activator‐like effector nucleases (TALENs), and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)‐associated protein 9 (Cas9) technologies. In particular, we classify disease‐resistant mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana and several crop plants based on the roles or functions of the mutated genes in plant immunity and suggest potential target genes for molecular breeding of genome‐edited disease‐resistant plants. Genome‐editing technologies are resilient tools for sustainable development and promising solutions for coping with climate change and population increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses a rare case of extracranial meningioma with middle ear invasion via the jugular foramen. The patient, a 42-year-old female, presented with hearing loss and acute otitis media. After undergoing tympanoplasty and debulking of the tumor, the patient received adjuvant proton therapy. At the last follow-up, the patient had stable disease and resolution of symptoms. The article highlights the importance of a multimodal treatment approach for skull base meningioma and adds to the limited body of literature on this rare presentation. [Extracted from the article]

A single crystal of Zn2Te3O8 (ZTO) was grown using the conventional Czochralski technique. TGA analysis showed that the melting point of ZTO is 681 °C, while it exhibits a structural phase transition at 621 °C. The powder X-ray diffraction analysis of ZTO confirmed that it possesses a single crystalline monoclinic structure with the C2/c space group. An indirect band gap of 3.75 eV was estimated for the ZTO crystal based on its absorption spectrum. The X-ray-induced luminescence of the grown crystal comprised a broad band peaking at 565 nm, which can be tentatively assigned to the self-trapped exciton emission from the (Te3O8)4− molecular complexes. The photoluminescence measured under 280 nm excitation showed a broad band luminescence peaking at about 600 nm, and its intensity was significantly enhanced upon cooling the crystal from 300 K to 10 K. The photoluminescence decay time under 280 nm excitation was shown to have two exponential components in the range from 10 K to 175 K, which became a single exponential upon further heating the crystal. Low scintillation light was observed at room temperature both under α- and β-particle excitations from 241Am and 90Sr sources, respectively. The scintillation light yield measured under β-particle excitation from the 90Sr source was enhanced by about five orders of magnitude at 10 K in comparison to that at 300 K. The scintillation light yield measured at 10 K under the same experimental conditions for ZTO in comparison with the well-known cryogenic scintillator Li2MoO4 (LMO) was shown to have four times higher scintillation light. A single-crystal ingot of ZTO was obtained for the first time; however, it had several cracks due to its phase transition. Notably, scintillation at low temperatures for a Te-based crystal was observed for the first time. These preliminary findings are very promising and show that ZTO will be a good candidate for cryogenic phonon scintillation detectors for the 0νββ decay search of 130Te. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inclusive research—in which people with an intellectual disability both collaborate with researchers and work as researchers themselves—has gained increased attention over the last three decades. Although the foundational principles of conducting inclusive research are well‐established at this point, there is a relative dearth of insights concerning the underlying reasons for collaborating as part of inclusive research projects. Therefore, this study sought to identify the reasons why researchers with experiential knowledge (n = 9), academic researchers (n = 8) and principal investigators (n = 10) collaborate within inclusive research projects. All 27 participants were interviewed individually, in order to explore their reasons for collaborating within one of the six inclusive research projects, which encompassed a range of research avenues within the field of intellectual disability research. A thematic analysis was conducted to gain insight into these reasons. For the three groups of participants, several themes emerged, such as experiencing full participation (researchers with experiential knowledge), making research (processes) better suited to the needs of participants with an intellectual disability (academic researchers) and striving for equivalence (principal investigators). Understanding why people collaborate within inclusive research projects is important for facilitating collaborative partnerships, which are a precondition for inclusive research projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potassium aluminium gadolinium phosphate (KAGP) doped with difference contents of Sm3+ ion were synthesized by melt-quenching technique. The samples were further used to measure some physical, optical and luminescence properties. Absorption spectra show the hypersensitive transitions 6H5/2 → 6P3/2 and 6H5/2 → 6F7/2 at the wavelengths 402 and 1233 nm respectively. The photoluminescence spectra were recorded under 401 nm excitation, displayed the emission bands at 562, 597, 644 and 703 nm that corresponding to the transitions 4G5/2 → 6HJ (J = 5/2, 7/2, 9/2, 11/2) respectively, and the concentration quenching of Sm3+ showed at 1.0 mol%. Using the highest concentration of Sm3+ for emission spectra, Judd–Ofelt (J–O) analysis was performed to calculate the various radiative properties such as transition probabilities (AR), radiative lifetimes (τR), branching ratios (βR) and stimulated emission cross-section (σ(λp)) for different excited states. From the results of J–O parameter found to be Ω2 > Ω6 > Ω4 and the highest value of radiative properties was 4G5/2 → 6H7/2 transition. The decay curve for lower concentration was single exponential and became non-exponential for higher concentrations of the 4G5/2 level. According to the chromaticity coordinates (Commission Internationale de l′Eclairage), it indicated that the KAGP glass doped Sm3+ ion at 1.0 mol% lies in orange region. The KAGP glass doped concentration of Sm3+ at 1.0 mol% has potential application in developing the orange laser and suitable for optical device also. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Er3+ doped alkali oxyfluorophosphate glasses were prepared by the melted quenching method and characterized their optical and photoluminescence properties. Firstly, the chemical compositions of glasses were varied by changing alkali fluoride (LiF and NaF), whereas the concentration of Er3+ was fixed at 1.00 mol%. The optical absorption pattern and intensity were resemblance. Broadband 1.53 μm emission was one prominent peak of Er3+ in glass and the highest emission intensity was obtained for NaF glass under the stimulating at 521 nm. Secondly, the NaF glass was prepared by variation of Er3+ concentration (0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 mol%). The emission intensity of glasses increases with an increase in Er2O3 concentration up to 2.00 mol% and decreases for higher Er2O3 concentration, because of the concentration quenching effect. Broadband emission was observed that it covers three telecommunication windows: S, C, and L bands. The absorption and emission cross-section of 2.00 mol% of Er3+ doped alkali oxyfluorophosphate were found to be 1.3895 x 10−20 cm2 and 1.7248 x 1020 cm−2, respectively by using the McCumber theory. Both values led to the estimate of the internal gain coefficient for 4I13/2→4I15/2 emission transition. The gain coefficient is positive when P is higher than 40%. All results point out that Er3+ doped alkali oxyfluorophosphate glass could be useful for fiber optic communication material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of the present report wasto describe a novel technique of robotic abdominoperineal resection (APR) for the treatment of T4b low rectal cancer using the da Vinci® Single-Port (SP) system (Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, CA, USA). Methods: A 3-cm transverse incision was made in the left lower quadrant of the abdomen, in the area designated for permanent colostomy. A Uniport® (Dalim Medical, Seoul, Korea) was introduced and a 25 mm multichannel SP trocar was inserted into the Uniport. A 5-mm laparoscopic assistant port was introduced on the upper midline. A video showing each step of the technique is attached. Results: Two consecutive female patients (70 and 74 years old) underwent SP robotic APR with partial resection of the vagina 8 weeks after preoperative chemoradiotherapy. In both cases, rectal cancer was located 1 cm above the anal verge and invaded the vagina (initial stage and ymrT stage T4b). Operative time was 150 and 180 min, respectively. Estimated blood loss was 10 and 25 ml, respectively. No postoperative complications occurred. The length of postoperative hospital stay was 5 days in both cases. The final pathological stage was ypT4bN0 and ypT3N0 respectively. Conclusions: In this first experience, SP robotic APR appears to be a safe and feasible procedure for locally advanced low rectal cancer. In addition, the invasiveness of the procedure is reduced by means of the SP system, which only requires a single incision in the area designated for colostomy. Prospective studies on a larger number of patients are necessary to confirm the outcomes of this technique compared to other minimally invasive approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Dietary fiber intake is associated with a lower risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. However, it is unknown whether dietary fiber has a beneficial effect on preventing the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Design, Setting, Participants and Measurements: Using the UK Biobank prospective cohort, 110,412 participants who completed at least one dietary questionnaire and had an estimated glomerular filtration rate ≥60 mL/min/1.73 m2, urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio <30 mg/g, and no history of CKD were included. The primary exposure was total dietary fiber density, calculated by dividing the absolute amount of daily total fiber intake by total energy intake (g/1,000 kcal). We separately examined soluble and insoluble fiber densities as additional predictors. The primary outcome was incident CKD based on diagnosis codes. Results: A total of 3,507 (3.2%) participants developed incident CKD during a median follow-up of 9.9 years. In a multivariable cause-specific model, the adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs; 95% confidence intervals [CIs]) for incident CKD were 0.85 (0.77–0.94), 0.78 (0.70–0.86), and 0.76 (0.68–0.86), respectively, for the second, third, and highest quartiles of dietary fiber density (reference: lowest quartile). In a continuous model, the aHR for each +Δ1.0g/1,000 kcal increase in dietary fiber density was 0.97 (95% CI, 0.95–0.99). This pattern of associations was similar for both soluble and insoluble fiber densities and did not differ across subgroups of sex, age, body mass index, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, and inflammation. Conclusion: Increased fiber intake was associated with a lower risk of CKD in this large well-characterized cohort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The melt-quenching approach was implemented to create terbium-doped lithium sodium potassium borate glasses (LNKBTb). Archimedes' principle, absorption and luminescence spectra, including CIE chromaticity were used to characterize the properties of glasses. Terbium in glasses absorbs photon in the visible and near infrared ranges. The intense green emission at 544 nm was generated by the terbium 5D4 to 7F5 transition when excited with ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) light. The emission intensities of LNKBTb glasses increased with increasing terbium concentrations up to 4 mol%, after which they decreased, resulting in the concentration quenching effect, whereas decay time decreases as Tb2O3 content increases. In CIE 1931, the overall color of emission is green. May bring can continue to develop to use as a photonic material in green light sources and lasers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cerium bromide (CeBr3) scintillation crystal were studied and analyzed from the photon and electron response measurements. For photon response measurements, the radioactive source has been used for the energy range of 0.356 MeV ≤ E ≤ 1.332 MeV. The 137Cs source irradiated with gamma ray energy at 0.662 MeV was used for the electron response measurement using Compton coincidence technique. The variable angles (θ) would generate the gamma energies corresponding to a scattering angle of 30° to 120°. The results of number of photoelectron (Nphe) show responds to linear trends for photon and electron response. The light yield shows increase with increasing the photon and electron energy. The results showed the non-proportionality of photon response and electron response demonstrated good proportional properties of all energy ranges and as the result, the crystal is a promising candidate for gamma or X-rays detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observation of growing phase space density (PSD) peak in the outer electron radiation belt has been considered evidence for local wave‐driven acceleration as a primary cause of radiation belt enhancement. However, recent studies showed that strong substorm‐associated MeV electron injections can also cause significant radiation belt enhancements on fast timescales (∼10s min). Such rapid enhancements pose challenges for determining true spatial PSD profiles. To address this, we conduct a detailed spatiotemporal analysis of electron flux and PSD during an enhancement event, using Van Allen Probes data. Our analysis reveals rapid and intermittent flux enhancements. During these rapid enhancements, inbound spacecraft observed false PSD peaks, due to spacecraft's relatively slow movement. However, we identify time intervals of stable fluxes between enhancements, enabling us to determine quasi‐stationary PSD profiles with no noticeable peaks. This study provides new insights into accurate PSD analysis, critical for understanding the mechanisms underlying radiation belt enhancements. Plain Language Summary: Radiation belt physics studies the origin and dynamics of high‐energy electrons trapped in the Earth's radiation belts. The radial profiles of these electrons' phase space density (PSD) are essential parameters for investigating their origin and dynamics. Outward‐increasing PSD profiles indicate that electrons have been transported radially (injections) from outside the radiation belt, while locally peaked profiles suggest that they were generated locally within the belt. Obtaining accurate PSD profiles is challenging due to significant temporal changes in electron flux, particularly rapid flux enhancements from injections as observed in recent studies. To examine the impact of rapid flux enhancements on PSD analysis, we closely tracked electron flux changes in space and time during an enhancement event using data from NASA's Van Allen Probes. Our results show that inbound spacecraft can observe falsely peaked PSD profiles during rapid flux enhancements, which are temporal artifacts from relatively slower spacecraft motion. By identifying time intervals of stable electron flux between enhancements, we were able to determine the true spatial PSD profiles, which overall exhibited outward‐increasing trends, consistent with injections. Our findings offer new perspective on accurately determining PSD radial profiles, which is essential for unraveling the origins of high‐energy electrons in the Earth's radiation belts. Key Points: Rapid and intermittent electron enhancement pattern significantly impacts phase space density (PSD) analysisInbound spacecraft can observe a temporal PSD peak during rapid electron enhancements driven by injectionsQuasi‐stationary time intervals between enhancements enable accurate determination of PSD radial profiles [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The feeding ecology of red seabream, Pagrus major was studied using 1046 specimens collected by danish seine and bottom trawl from January to December 2018 in the Korea Strait. The size of the individuals ranged from 18.4 to 70.4 cm in fork length. Red seabream was a carnivore that consumed mainly anthozoans, brachyurans, and cephalopods. Its diets included also small quantities of amphipods, anomurans, ophiurids, gastropods, polychaetas, etc. We calculated the trophic level as 3.57 for red seabream. As red seabream grows, the proportion of relatively small prey items such as anomurans and ophiuroids decreases, while that of large prey items such as anthozoans, brachyurans, and cephalopods increases. In the largest size class (≥45 cm FL), cephalopods and pisces are its main prey. Alsoe, the body size of red seabream increased the mean weight of prey per stomach tended to increase significantly (One-way ANOVA: p < 0.05). The diet composition of red seabream showed seasonal changes. The cephalopods were the dominant prey items for all seasons. The weight proportion of brachyurans was higher in summer and autumn, whereas anthozoans feeding rate was the highest in winter. PERMANOVA analysis showed significant variations among size classes and seasons. The feeding intensity by size class and season observed no significant difference (One-way ANOVA: p > 0.05). As a result of the feeding strategy analysis, red seabream was a generalized feeder, with a wide niche width. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ships and ship-shaped offshore installations are commonly equipped with pneumatic or solid rubber fenders to absorb kinetic energy during collisions, thereby reducing structural damage. The energy absorption capacity of these fenders must be precisely evaluated via reliable experimental, analytical, and numerical methods to ensure that the fenders are capable of preventing collision-associated structural failures. Accordingly, this study developed computational modelling techniques for analysing the energy absorption capacity of solid rubber fenders. Modelling was performed using LS-DYNA, a commercial software package for finite element simulation, and the developed models were validated by comparison with data from crushing tests on two types of solid rubber fender models - circular tube and V-shaped rubber fenders. The validated computational models were applied to examine a case study of a low-speed collision between a Suezmax class shuttle tanker and a very-large-crude-oil-carrier (VLCC) class ship-shaped offshore installation working side-by-side in offloading operation, with the latter equipped or not equipped with V-shaped rubber fenders, respectively. The results revealed that such fenders were effective protection against structural damage in such a collision scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a correction notice for an article titled "Thermal Model Improvement in Phonon Detection Channels Using a Scintillating Crystal" published in the Journal of Low Temperature Physics. The correction addresses several errors in the original article, including incorrect terms and subscripts. The corrected version of the article can be found online. The document also includes contact information for the author. [Extracted from the article]

This article is a response to a comment on a previous study about intubation aids in hyperangulated videolaryngoscopy. The authors acknowledge the significance of the shape of the stylet in tracheal intubation success and discuss the variations in materials, characteristics, and techniques associated with these adjuncts. They also clarify that the Cormack and Lehane grading system, which evaluates the view achieved during intubation, holds value in airway evaluation and difficult tracheal intubation analysis. The authors agree that future research should specify the experience of airway management practitioners and highlight the importance of selecting the most suitable adjunct for hyperangulated videolaryngoscopy. [Extracted from the article]

This paper is concerned with the multi-objective optimization of thickness-wise CNT distribution in functionally graded porous CNT-reinforced composite (FG-porous CNTRC) beams. The mechanical behaviors of FG-porous CNTRC structures are strongly influenced by the thickness-wise distributions of CNTs and porosity. Nevertheless, several linear functions were simply adopted to represent the thickness-wise CNT distribution without considering the porosity distribution, so these assumed linear primitive CNT distribution patterns are not sufficient to respond to arbitrary loading and boundary conditions. In this context, this study presents the multi-objective optimization of thickness-wise CNT distribution in FG-CNTRC porous beams to simultaneously minimize the peak effective stress and the peak deflection. The multi-objective function is defined by the larger value between two normalized quantities and the design variable vector is composed of the layer-wise CNT volume fractions. The constrained multi-objective optimization problem is formulated by making use of the exterior penalty-function method and the aspiration-level adjustment. The proposed optimization method is demonstrated through the numerical experiments, and the optimization solutions are investigated with respect to the porosity distribution and the combination of aspiration levels for two single-objective functions. It is found from the numerical results that the optimum CNT distribution is significantly affected by the porosity distribution. Furthermore, the proposed method can be successfully used to seek an optimum CNT distribution within FG-porous CNTRC structures which simultaneously enhances the multi-objective functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High detection efficiency for X- and γ-rays, the possibility for fast neutron detection, and other excellent scintillation performances of Tl2LaCl5 (TLC) make it a potential radiation detector for applications in space exploration, medical imaging, homeland security, radiation monitoring, and nuclear and particle physics experiments. We evaluated the luminescence and scintillation performance of pure TLC and TLC doped with 5 mol% Ce (TLC:Ce) and co-doped with 5 mol% Ce and 0.2 mol% Ba, Ca, and Sr crystals, separately (TLC:Ce,Ba, TLC:Ce,Ca and TLC:Ce,Sr). The effect of co-doping on the luminescence and scintillation performance of TLC:Ce is studied for the 1st time. The room temperature radio- and photoluminescence shows characteristic Ce3+ luminescence for the Ce-doped and co-doped TLC crystals. We found that the co-doped crystals show improvement in terms of light yield, while improvement in the energy resolution and non-proportionality is observed in TLC co-doped with Ce and Sr. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advanced Mo-based rare process experiment (AMoRE) is an international project searching for the neutrinoless double beta ( 0 ν β β ) decay of 100 Mo using low-temperature calorimetric detection of heat and light signals based on magnetic microcalorimeter (MMC) readouts. Li 2 MoO 4 crystals have been considered as the main target crystals for the second phase of the AMoRE project, which aims to use 100 kg of 100 Mo. However, the hygroscopicity of Li 2 MoO 4 requires moistureless processes during surface treatment, storage, detector assembly, and installation. PbMoO 4 crystals are nonhygroscopic and exhibit high scintillation efficiency, often leading to high particle discrimination power in the phonon channel via pulse-shape analysis and light/heat ratio variation. A low-temperature detector setup with a 1 cm 3 cubic crystal of PbMoO 4 was prepared for simultaneous heat and light detection based on MMC readouts. After study of internal background control using archeological Pb, PbMoO 4 crystal can be a promising candidate crystal. We present a feasibility study of PbMoO 4 crystals for a 0 ν β β experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of heavy elements to build a stable system increases the effective atomic number, making it useful in a variety of applications such as radiation detection and shielding. This study reports the density functional theory (DFT) based investigations on new Thallium based heavy fluoroperovskites TlAF3 (A = Ge, Sn and Pb). These compounds have a cubic perovskite structure with optimal lattice constants ranging from 4.49 to 4.85 Å. Electronic behaviors of the compounds is found to be insulating with the maximum band gap of up to 1.90 eV, having indirect band nature. In all investigated compounds, the fluorine atom provides a significant number of electronic states to the valence and conduction bands. The optical activity is evaluated by determining the refractive index, extinction coefficient, optical conductivity, reflectivity, and absorption coefficients up to photon energies of 20 eV. The properties of present compounds are being reported for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of CeF3 concentration and γ-irradiation on the physical, optical and luminescence properties of Gd2O3–B2O3–CeF3 glasses were studied in this work. Before irradiation, the addition of CeF3 in glass degraded the network connectivity observed from FTIR and possibly created the non-bridging oxygen (NBO) in glass structure. This NBO caused the reduction of Ce3+/Ce4+ ratio in XANES, the red-shift in transmission spectra and the raise of refractive index with addition of CeF3 content. Such red-shift also was influenced by 4f–5d transition of Ce3+ dopant. This ion generated the strongest photoluminescence (PL) and radioluminescence (RL) in 0.3 mol% CeF3-doped glass with nanoseconds decay time. The irradiation with γ-rays damaged the glass structure, broke the chemical bonds, and created color center in the glass network. The non-bridging oxygen hole center (NBOHC), that absorbed photons in the visible light region, caused the darkening, color change and increment of refractive index. These irradiation effects on glass were mitigated by the addition of CeF3 that the electron donation of Ce3+ decreased the number of NBOHC. The Ce3+/Ce4+ ratio in most glasses after irradiation then reduced compared to them before irradiation, resulting to the decrease in PL and RL intensity. Our results confirm that CeF3 can enhance the radiation hardness of glass and the 0.3 mol% CeF3-doped glass is a promising glass scintillator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2-Amino-4-methyl pyridinium glutaric acid (2A4MGA) was synthesized and single crystals were grown from solution for the first time. From the single crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) measurements, it was confirmed that the title compound crystallizes as a triclinic system and has a centrosymmetric nature with the space group P1?. The calculated unit cell parameters are as follows: a = 7.1853(7) Å, b = 9.5314(9) Å, c = 11.0896IJ11) Å, a = ? = 90°, ß = 105.665IJ3)° and volume = 731.27(12) Å3. The crystal structure was connected by the protonated 2-amino-4-methylpyridinium cations and the H-atoms in the carboxylic groups of the glutaric acid anions. The presence of various functional groups was studied, wherein the in-plane/out-ofplane stretching and symmetric/asymmetric vibrations were investigated through Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectral analysis. From the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements, the thermal properties of the sample were investigated. The lower absorption edge was observed at 340 nm through UV-vis (ultraviolet-visible) spectral analysis, and the optical band gap was calculated to be 3.6 eV. The third-order optical susceptibility (?(3)) of the sample was studied through the Z-scan spectra. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra for the grown crystal were recorded at room temperature and the peak emission was observed at 364 nm upon an excitation of 340 nm. The X-ray-induced emission spectrum shows a maximum peak at 364 nm. It has a fast scintillation decay time of 12 ns under ?-ray excitation from a 137Cs radiation source, which is comparable with that of currently available organic scintillators. The results suggest that this crystal can be used as an organic scintillator and in NLO applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the assessment of wheat diseases (e.g., leaf rust and tan spot) via visual observation is subjective and inefficient, this study focused on developing an automatic, objective, and efficient diagnosis approach. For each plant, color, and color-infrared (CIR) images were collected in a paired mode. An automatic approach based on the image processing technique was developed to crop the paired images to have the same region, after which a developed semiautomatic webtool was used to expedite the dataset creation. The webtool generated the dataset from either image and automatically built the corresponding dataset from the other image. Each image was manually categorized into one of the three groups: control (disease-free), disease light, and disease severity. After the image segmentation, handcrafted features (HFs) were extracted from each format of images, and disease diagnosis results demonstrated that the parallel feature fusion had higher accuracy over features from either type of image. Performance of deep features (DFs) extracted through different deep learning (DL) models (e.g., AlexNet, VGG16, ResNet101, GoogLeNet, and Xception) on wheat disease detection was compared, and those extracted by ResNet101 resulted in the highest accuracy, perhaps because deep layers extracted finer features. In addition, parallel deep feature fusion generated a higher accuracy over DFs from a single-source image. DFs outperformed HFs in wheat disease detection, and the DFs coupled with parallel feature fusion resulted in diagnosis accuracies of 75, 84, and 71% for leaf rust, tan spot, and leaf rust + tan spot, respectively. The methodology developed directly for greenhouse applications, to be used by plant pathologists, breeders, and other users, can be extended to field applications with future tests on field data and model fine-tuning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The luminescent powders from rare-earth ions doped oxides have been successfully used for latent fingerprint detection due to high efficiency, high contrast and low background interface. The Gd2MoB2O9:Eu3+ phosphors with varying compositions of Eu3+ions were synthesized by solid state reaction method. These phosphors were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL), and decay curves studies. Multiphoton relaxation decay rate and coupling strength was evaluated using phonon side band spectrum showing 0.4 mol% doped samples show less non radiative decay rate. The 0.40 mol% of Eu3+ ion concentration doped in the Gd2MoB2O9 host lattice show highest photoluminescence emission intensity at 613 nm, in orange red region, monitored at 394 nm excitation. The Gd2MoB2O9:Eu3+ phosphors samples were optimized to 900 °C sintering temperature and optimum milling time at 3 min in the present work. The latent fingerprints detection that developed from Gd2MoB2O9:Eu3+ phosphors in this work exhibited clearly ridge characteristics under UV illumination. The results revealed thatGd2MoB2O9:Eu3+ phosphors are potential practical forensic science applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of Eu3+-doped lead sodium borate glasses in composition of (79-x)B2O3: 20Na2O: xPbO: 1Eu2O3 and x are 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50 and 55 mol%) were studied by using the melt-quenching technique. The absorption spectra show a maximum of 5 transition, where the strongest absorption bands were shown at 394 and 2101 nm in visible light and near-infrared region, respectively. The emission spectra of glasses were measured at 394 nm excitation wavelength. The highest peak of emission spectra corresponding due to 5D0 to 7F2 transition centered at 613 nm. The intensity of emission spectra increased with the increasing of PbO concentration upto 5 mol%. The radioluminescence spectrum (RL) has four peaks similar to photoluminescence, While, the transition at 612 nm strong strongest, identified at 0 mol% of PbO. In addition, the calculated integral scintillation efficiency of 5 mol% is 5.37% as compared with BGO crystal. The values of the color chromaticity coordinates were (0.65, 0.35) locating on the orange region of CIE diagram. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Dy3+ ions-doped 25Li2O:20BaO:5Gd2O3:(50-x) SiO2 glasses were synthesized by the melt quenching technique with various Dy2O3 concentrations to investigate physical, optical and luminescence properties. The results showed that the density and the molar volume trend to be increased along with increasing Dy3+ concentration. The absorption spectra showed characteristic absorption peaks in the visible and near infrared regions. The emission spectra of the glasses illustrated the highest emission intensity at 574 nm wavelength, which corresponding to Dy3+ transition of 4F9/2→6H13/2 level. The CIE 1931 chromaticity investigation showed that Dy3+-doped glasses emitted light with white color. J–O analysis indicates that the glass sample performs a good potential for using as white light applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Borosilicate glasses were fabricated with antimony oxide (Sb2O3)-doped in the formula of SiO2-B2O3-Na2O-CaO-ZnO, by using the melt-quenching method at 1200 °C which various soaking time of 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 h. The results show that the density, molar volume and refractive index of glasses increased with increasing of Sb2O3 concentration. However, the density of glasses decreases with increasing soaking time. The transmittance spectra present the absorption around 1050 nm and 450 nm which corresponds to Fe2+ ion and Fe3+ ion, respectively. This absorption strength decreases with increasing Sb2O3 concentration which shows the highest strength at 0.0 mol% of Sb2O3 content. Moreover, the decrease in the number of bubbles in the glass is dependent on the increase of the Sb2O3 concentration and soaking time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research intended to fabricate and develop an electrical furnace as the vacuum systems for melting glass by normal melt quenching technique under vacuum atmosphere. The 60Li2O: 10Y2O3: 29.5 B2O3: 0.5CeF3 glass system was prepared by this furnace. The properties of glass that prepare in air and vacuum atmosphere and comparative studied various properties such as physical, optical, luminescence. The result has shown that the density and refractive index was slightly decrease. The absorption edge of vacuum sample was shifted to shorter wavelength. The indirect and direct band gap of the vacuum glass sample higher than the air atmosphere glass sample which corresponded to the molar volume increase representing the enhancement of non-bridging oxygen (NBO) number in glass network. The photoluminescence of glass which preparing in vacuum was higher than in air about 2 times while the decay time are 101.83 ns (air) and 88.72 ns (vacuum), respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lanthanum borate glasses doped with Pr3+ were prepared by the melt-quenching technique for study in physical and luminescence properties. The glass composition in this study is 27.5La2O3-(72.5-x)B2O3-xPr2O3, where x = 0.0, 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 mol%. The results showed that the doping of Pr2O3 with more concentration increased glass density and molar volume. Absorbed photons with 444 nm can excite the glass samples to release the strongest emission at 485 nm wavelength. The suitable concentration for adding Pr3+ into La2O3-B2O3-Pr2O3 glass, which can perform the strongest light emission, was 0.5 mol% of Pr2O3. The Judd–Ofelt (JO) Ωλ (λ = 2, 4, and 6) parameters were calculated to explore the nature of environment surrounding Pr3+ ions. The CIE chromaticity (x, y) coordinate was calculated from the emission spectra indicating its location in the yellowish and orange region. This research leads to availability for use of glass as a light source in the yellow-orange-emitting device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic, various adverse skin reactions to long‐term mask wearing have been reported. Aim: To assess the clinical features of mask‐induced dermatoses and to recommend prevention and treatment options. Methods: From April to August 2020, questionnaires including topics such as demographic information, pre‐existing skin disorders, reported mask‐related symptoms, daily mask‐wearing duration and frequency, types of masks used and whether the participant was a healthcare worker, were distributed to patients in 12 hospitals. Dermatologists assessed skin lesions, confirmed diagnosis and recorded treatments. Results: Itchiness was the most frequent symptom, mostly affecting the cheeks. The most common skin disease was new‐onset contact dermatitis (33.94%), followed by new‐onset acne (16.97%) and worsening of pre‐existing acne (16.97%). Daily wearing of masks was significantly (P = 0.02) associated with new‐onset contact dermatitis. More than half of patients with pre‐existing skin problems experienced disease worsening while wearing masks. Longer duration of wearing (> 6 h/day, P = 0.04) and use of cotton masks (P < 0.001) significantly increased acne flare‐up. Healthcare workers had a higher incidence of skin disease. Skin lesions were generally mild and well tolerated with topical treatment. The study had some limitations: the effect of seasonal characteristics and other risk factors were not assessed, and the patients were visiting dermatological clinics and had interest in their skin status, thus, there may have been selection bias. Conclusion: Mask‐induced/‐triggered dermatoses contribute to increase the dermatological burden during the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A broadband terahertz amplifier waveguide module is presented. The IC chip with a width of 390 $\mu \text{m}$ fits in the $E$ -plane of a standard WR-3.4 waveguide with 20 $\mu \text{m}$ air-gaps on either side. The input and output waveguide transitions integrated on the chip possess various design factors that include locations of the dipoles, back-short pedestal, and substrate vias carefully selected for near full-band characteristics. The measurements on a module containing a passive thru-line IC chip show only 2.7 dB of average loss across 220–300 GHz range. With an amplifier IC chip mounted inside, the module shows a peak gain of 17 dB at 288 GHz with a 3 dB bandwidth from 259 to 294 GHz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aragonite saturation state (Ωarag) was determined for the surface waters of the western Arctic Ocean over 3 years, from 2016 to 2018, in an investigation of the present state of acidification of its waters and the main factors controlling the spatial and temporal variations in the surface Ωarag. The study area was divided into the Chukchi marginal area (CMA) and the East Siberian marginal area (ESMA) along a longitude of 180°E. In the CMA, the surface Ωarag during the study period ranged from 0.86 to 1.77, with an average of 1.16, indicating near saturation with respect to aragonite. In the ESMA, the surface Ωarag during the study period ranged from 1.01 to 2.21, with a higher average (1.59) than the CMA. Aragonite undersaturation in the ESMA was not observed during any of the measurement periods, so ocean acidification was less serious there than in the CMA. The surface Ωarag of the CMA was mainly determined by the mixing of seawater and freshwater introduced from rivers and/or sea ice, whereas in the ESMA it was influenced by the mixing of seawater and freshwater but also biological production and lateral mixing. Plain Language Summary: The study was conducted in the western Arctic Ocean and included the Northwind Ridge, Chukchi Plateau, Chukchi Abyssal Plain, Chukchi Sea Slope, East Siberian Sea Slope, and Mendeleyev Ridge. The waters encompassed by these sites are highly vulnerable to acidification because of the inflow of lower‐pH water from the Pacific Ocean through the Bering Sea and the current rapid reduction in the amount of sea ice. The study area was divided into the Chukchi marginal area (CMA) and the East Siberian marginal area (ESMA) along a longitude of 180°E. In the CMA, the surface waters were almost saturated with respect to aragonite but in the ESMA they were undersaturated, indicating that oceanic acidification was more serious in the CMA than in the ESMA. In the near future, the aragonite undersaturation in the most of the surface waters of the CMA will prohibit the survival of calcareous organisms and may lead to their extinction from this area. However, a similar short‐term scenario is not expected in the ESMA, due to its relatively high biological production, which favors aragonite saturation and will thus delay aragonite undersaturation of the surface water. Key Points: In the Chukchi marginal area (CMA), aragonite saturation state (Ωarag) at the surface was determined mainly by the mixing of seawater and fresh waterIn the East Siberian marginal area, Ωarag was affected by freshwater mixing, biological production, and lateral mixingIn the near future, most of surface waters in the CMA will be undersaturated with respect to aragonite [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to develop a new method for predicting wave-induced hull girder loads acting on ship-shaped offshore installations in benign conditions. Unlike in trading ships, current classification society rules provide procedures to define the design values of wave-induced hull girder loads for ship-shaped offshore installations in survival conditions with site-specific metocean data considering that the installations always remain on site. However, ship-shaped offshore units with single-point or turret mooring systems can be disconnected to temporally evacuate from the fields during the severe storm. Also, some areas may be fully benign accommodating spread mooring systems. In these cases, their design wave-induced hull girder loads may be defined in a similar way to those of trading ships but associated with site-specific metocean data. This study proposes a probabilistic approach to determine the site-specific design values of wave-induced loads acting on ship-shaped offshore installations in benign conditions that also accounts for the effects of mooring system type. Six target regions - the North Sea, Gulf of Mexico, western coast of Africa, eastern coast of South America, south eastern coast of Asia and north western coast of Australia - were studied to compare the results corresponding to various sea states. A set of wave scenarios representing all possible wave events for each target region were selected using the Latin hypercube sampling technique. To demonstrate this method, the design values of the wave-induced vertical bending moments were determined for a very large crude oil carrier (VLCC)-class structure with a hypothetical floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSO) unit. The effects of the mooring system type (e.g., single-point mooring versus spread mooring) on the wave-induced hull girder loads of the ship-shaped offshore installations were also evaluated. A case study of the developed method was made by comparison with existing results in the literature and design values provided by classification society rules. The novelty of this study is associated with a new approach that can accurately determine wave-induced hull girder loads of ship-shaped offshore installations in benign conditions, taking into account the effects of site-specific ocean environmental conditions and mooring system type, and its main contribution to industry is to provide a practical technology for the safe and economical design of ship-shaped offshore hull structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We developed a novel suprapubic single-port robotic right hemicolectomy (spRHC) procedure for patients with right colon cancer using a da Vinci SP Surgical System. The aim of this study was to determine the safety and feasibility of this technique. Methods: We performed the spRHC procedure on five patients with right colon cancers between July and September 2020. All procedures including colon mobilization, D3 lymphadenectomy, and intracorporeal anastomosis were completed using the single-port robotic platform through a mini-transverse suprapubic incision and an additional assistant port. Data regarding patient characteristics, perioperative outcomes and pathologic results were analyzed. Results: Four of the five patients were males. The median age was 69 years (range, 58–77 years).Two patients received preoperative chemotherapy for advanced colon cancer. The median total operative time was 160 min (range, 150–240 min). The median docking time was 4 min 40 s (range, 2 min 10 s–5 min 10 s). The median console time was 105 min (range, 100–120 min). There were no conversions to multiport or open surgeries. The median hospital stay was 7 days (range, 5–12 days). One patient experienced a wound infection. The median number of harvested lymph nodes was 41 (range, 39–50 lymph nodes). Conclusions: SpRHC is safe and feasible. However, further comparative studies are needed to assess whether this procedure can provide patients with significant benefits compared with multiport robotic surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Follicular T helper (Tfh) and regulatory (Tfr) cells are distinct subsets of CD4+ T lymphocytes, regulating humoral immune responses in the germinal center. It is widely accepted that dysregulated Tfh and Tfr cells are associated with autoimmunity. In this study, we evaluated the frequencies of circulating chemokine receptor (CXCR)5+ programmed cell death 1 (PD‐1+) Tfh (cTfh) and CXCR5+PD‐1+forkhead box protein 3 (FoxP3+) CD25+ Tfr (cTfr) cells, and their corresponding cytokines from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 28 patients with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) and 16 age‐ and sex‐matched healthy controls (HC). Subsets of cTfh cells by Th1‐ and Th17‐related surface markers (CXCR3 and CCR6) were also evaluated. We found that the frequency of cTfh cells was significantly higher in MS patients compared to that of HC. Conversely, the frequency of cTfr cells was lower in MS patients than that of HC. Interleukin (IL)‐21‐producing cTfh cells were significantly increased in MS patients, while IL‐10‐secreting cTfr cells were lower in MS patients compared to levels in HC. Among cTfh cells, cTfh17.1 cells were the major subtypes that were significantly increased in MS patients compared to HC, with the frequency of IL‐21‐secreting cells being the highest. These results suggest that an imbalanced distribution of cTfh and cTfr exist in MS patients, which contributes to the reciprocally altered IL‐21 and IL‐10 production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The da Vinci single-port (SP) system is designed to facilitate single-incision robotic surgery in a narrow space. We developed a new procedure of rectal resection using this system. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the technical feasibility and safety of SP robotic rectal resection for rectal cancer patients based on our initial experience. Methods: A study was conducted on consecutive patients with mid or low rectal cancer who had SP robotic resection at our institution between July and September 2020. The demographic characteristics, perioperative data, and pathology results of the patients were retrospectively analyzed. Results: There were 5 patients (3 males, 2 females, median age 57 years (range 36–73 years). The median tumor height from the anal verge was 4 cm (range 3−5 cm). Two patients received preoperative chemoradiotherapy for advanced rectal cancer. A single docking was conducted, and the median docking time was 4 min 20 s (range 3 min 30 s to 5 min). The median total operation time was 195 min (range 155−240 min), and the median time of pelvic dissection was 45 min (range 36−62 min). All patients had circumferential and distal tumor-free resection margins. One patient experienced an anastomosis-related complication. The median duration of hospital stay was 7 days (range 7−8 days). Conclusions: Our initial experience suggests that SP robotic rectal resection is safe and feasible. Further clinical trials comparing SP and multiport robotic rectal resection should be conducted to verify the superior aspects of this new system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Branches of physics and application technologies have widely utilized avalanche photodiodes (APDs) by coupling of scintillators with advantages of multiplication process and effective photosensitivity in a wide range of visible light wavelength. In addition, to meet the requirements for the purpose of each experiment, various types of APDs have been developed. The calibration system and characteristics of APD were constructed and studied by comparing several calibration methods. Electronics calibration is presented with charge injection and quantum efficiency (QE)-calibrated photodiode. By utilizing visible light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and with conventional electronic characteristics and a scintillation crystal with 22Na radioactive source, the APD gain was measured. Furthermore, the following were measured from the calibration method: QE, excess noise factor, and noise level. In this article, we compare our test results with one another, which are provided in the datasheet presented by the manufacturer, and discuss the possibility of standardizing the characterization of APDs by this calibration system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]