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In the present investigation, aluminum metal matrix composites (AMMs) reinforced with aluminum nitride (AlN) nanoparticulates at different volumetric ratios of (0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 vol.%) were manufactured via a microwave-assisted powder metallurgy technique. The morphological, physical, mechanical, and electrochemical properties of the produced billets were examined to reflect the impact of the successive addition of AlN into the aluminum (Al) matrix. The morphological analysis revealed the high crystalline patterns of the formation of the Al-AlN composites. The microstructural analysis confirmed the presence of the elemental constituents of Al and AlN particles in the fabricated composites, showing an enhanced degree of agglomeration in conjunction with the additional amount of AlN. Positive behavior exhibited by the micro- and nanohardness was noticeable in the Al-AlN composites, especially at the ultimate concentration of AlN in the Al matrix of a 2 vol.%, where it reached 669.4 ± 28.1 MPa and 659.1 ± 11 MPa compared to the pure Al metal at 441.2 ± 20 MPa and 437.5 ± 11 MPa, respectively. A declining trend in the compressive strength was recorded in the reinforced Al samples. The corrosion resistance of the AlN-reinforced Al metal matrix was estimated at 3.5 wt.% NaCl using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic polarization. The results reveal that the inclusion of 2.0 vol.%AlN led to the lowest corrosion rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the simultaneous decoration of vertically aligned molybdenum disulfide nanostructure (VA-MoS2) with Ag nanoparticles (NPs) and nitrogen functionalization. Nitrogen functionalization was achieved through physical vapor deposition (PVD) DC-magnetron sputtering using nitrogen as a reactive gas, aiming to induce p-type behavior in MoS2. The utilization of reactive sputtering resulted in the growth of three-dimensional silver structures on the surface of MoS2, promoting the formation of silver nanoparticles. A comprehensive characterization was conducted to assess surface modifications and analyze chemical and structural changes. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed the presence of silver on the MoS2 surface. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed successful decoration with silver nanoparticles, showing that deposition time affects the size and distribution of the silver on the MoS2 surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This experiment aimed to ascertain whether adding chitosan-oligosaccharides (COS) to the diet will affect Mandarah laying hens' productivity and reproductive efficiency. At the age of 34 weeks, 120 laying hens and 12 cocks of the Mandarah chicken strain were separated into four groups, each consisting of 30 hens and three cocks. The 1st group served as a control group, receiving only a basic diet. The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th experimental groups received 0.1, 0.2, and 0.5 g/kg of chitosan-oligosaccharides as an addition to the base diet, respectively. According to the findings of this study, the majority of the analyzed attributes differed significantly between treatment groups. Comparing the COS-treated birds to the control birds, the COS-treated birds significantly increased egg production, improved feed conversion, Haugh unit score, shell thickness, fertility, hatchability, ovary weight, and the number of yellow ovarian follicles as well as blood estradiol-17β (E2) and testosterone concentrations. Furthermore, compared to the other treated groups, introducing COS at a level of 0.1 g/kg diet resulted in the best laying rate, egg mass, and feed conversion. The highest percentage of fertility, hatchability of hatching eggs, ovary weight, number of yellow ovarian follicles, and serum E2 concentration was also found in birds fed COS at a dose of 0.2 g/kg feed. In addition, compared to the control diet, COS treatment at 0.1, 0.2, and 0.5 g/kg enhanced relative economic efficiency by 464.43, 457.41, and 352.75%, respectively. It is concluded that chitosan improves economic efficiency, reproductive performance, productivity in laying hens, and overall health when used at 0.1 g/kg diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hot pressing represents a promising consolidation technique for ball-milled bismuth telluride alloys, yet deep investigations are needed to understand its effect on the thermoelectric properties. This paper studies the effect of hot-pressing parameters (temperature and pressure) on the thermoelectric properties of the n-type Gr-Bi2Te2.55Se0.45 nanocomposite. Ultra-high pressure, up to 1.5 GPa, is considered for the first time for consolidating Bi2(Te,Se)3 alloys. Results from this study show that increasing the temperature leads to changes in chemical composition and causes noticeable grain growth. On the contrary, increasing pressure mainly causes improvements in densification. Overall, increments in these two parameters improve the ZT values, with the temperature parameter having a higher influence. The highest ZT of 0.69 at 160 °C was obtained for the sample hot-pressed at 350 °C and 1 GPa for 5 min, which is indeed an excellent and competitive value when compared with results reported for this n-type Bi2Te2.55Se0.45 composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterobasidion spp. are among the most destructive root rot pathogens, causing severe economic losses to conifer forestry. High infection frequency has been observed in Scots pine stands growing on dry sandy soils with low organic matter or former agricultural soils. In this study, we investigated the incidence of Heterobasidion spp. infection in Scots pine forests established on low-risk sites where the trees looked healthy and unlikely to be infected. In total, 135 healthy-looking pine trees from nine different stands were examined for Heterobasidion spp. presence. Heterobasidion spp. was detected in six stands and infection frequency was 13%–33%. There was a significant correlation between site index and infection frequency, which was higher in pine stands established on more fertile soils. There was no correlation between disease incidence and defoliation level, diameter of tree at breast height, root diameter, tree volume, or stand age. Overall, our results showed that, regardless of the soil type, Scots pine can be intensively infected by Heterobasidion pathogens while showing no outward signs. Therefore, the risk of Heterobasidion disease should be taken into consideration in management of pine forests growing on both low- and high-risk sites for more productive and sustainable forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2-Bromo, 3-bromothiophene, 2,5-dibromothiophene, 3,4-dibromothiophene and perbrominated thiophene have been oxidized under different conditions to target thiophene S,S-dioxide. Depending on the substitution, sulfone is obtained when the thiophene is hindered. On the other hand, monosubstituted thiophenes can't be transformed into sulfone, and the sulfoxide intermediate is too reactive and dimerizes. The obtaining of crystals allowed us to confirm the structures. The 3,4-dibromothiophene is the in-between compound since by modulating the oxidation, either the cycloadduct can be obtained or the sulfone can be isolated. The latter can even evolve to the formation of benzothiophene sulfone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of low kinetic energy hydrogen ion irradiation on the chemical composition and luminescence intensity of MoS2 nanoflowers (NFs) hydrothermally synthesized is reported. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) core‐level analysis of the as‐synthesized MoS2 NFs reveals the presence of the 2H‐MoS2 (semiconductor) crystal phase and MoOx. Furthermore, the relative amounts of oxygen and potassium decrease for increasing hydrogen ion irradiation time, whereas the photoluminescence (PL) intensity observed at 1.71 eV increased approximately three times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indian mackerel and Pangasius fish fillets were both subjected to a hot smoking procedure, and their products were used in the spread preparation. Proximate analysis, physicochemical, microbial and sensory properties were monitored before and after frozen storage for three months. The fat content (12.1%) and nutritional value (215.3 Kcal/100g) of the smoked Pangasius fillets were more than those recorded for smoked Indian mackerel fillets (2.5% & 144.1 Kcal/100g, respectively). During frozen storage of smoked Indian mackerel and Pangasius fillets, moisture content was reduced to 61.25 and 51.8%, while an increment was noticed in salt content (2.73 & 2.45%), pH (6.7 & 6.82), TVB-N (24.94 & 18.55 mgN/100g), TBA (2.4 & 2.98 mgMDA/kg), TPC counts (2.5×10³ & 5.3×10³ CFU/g), and yeast and mold counts (0.97×102 & 1.3×10² CFU/g), respectively. Sensory scores for smoked Indian mackerel and Pangasius fillets ranged between very good and good, and the overall acceptability scores became 38 and 35, respectively, at the end of frozen storage period. By adding feta cheese and ketchup to produce Indian mackerel and Pangasius spreads, the protein content decreased to 21.5 and 19.8%, while carbohydrates (10.2 & 8.5%), fat (4.1 & 13.3%) and nutritional value (163.7 & 232.9 Kcal/100g) increased, respectively. At the end of frozen storage, moisture content decreased to 58.08 and 50.97%, while salt content (3.81 & 2.85%), pH (5.84 & 6.72), TVB-N (33.44 & 23.91 mg N/100g), TBA (2.03 & 2.67 mg MDA/kg), TV counts (7.9×103 & 9.2×103 CFU/g), and yeast and mold counts (3.1×102 & 3.8×10² CFU/g) increased, respectively. Sensory scores for the Indian mackerel and Pangasius spreads ranged between very good and good, and the overall acceptability scores became 39 and 37, respectively. The quality of hot smoked fillets and spreads coincides with Egyptian standards for smoked products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Productivity can be increased by manipulators tracking the desired trajectory with some constraints. Humans as moving obstacles in a shared workspace are one of the most challenging problems for cable-driven parallel mechanisms (CDPMs) that are considered in this research. One of the essential primary issues in CDPM is collision avoidance among cables and humans in the shared workspace. This paper presents a model and simulation of a reconfigurable, fully constrained CDPM enabling detection and avoidance of cable–human collision. In this method, unlike conventional CDPMs where the attachment points are fixed, the attachment points on the rails can be moved (up and down on their rails), and then the geometric configuration is adapted. Karush–Kuhn–Tucker method is proposed, which focuses on estimating the shortest distance among moving obstacles (human limbs) and all cables. When cable and limbs are close to colliding, the new idea of reconfiguration is presented by moving the cable's attachment point on the rail to increase the distance between the cables and human limbs while they are both moving. Also, the trajectory of the end effector remains unchanged. Some simulation results of reconfiguration theory as a new approach are shown for the eight-cable-driven parallel manipulator, including the workspace boundary variation. The proposed method could find a collision-free predefined path, according to the simulation results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of the freshwaters worldwide are used for agriculture. Freshwater sources are expected to decline and will not suffice to support the food production needed for the growing population. Therefore, growing crops with seawater might constitute a solution. However, very little work has been done on the effect of seawater stress on wheat, an important cereal crop. The present study aimed to determine whether particular wheat genotypes provided better resistance to seawater stress. A set of 80 highly diverse spring wheat genotypes collected from different countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America was exposed to 50% seawater stress at the early growth stage. Four seeding shoot and root traits were scored for all genotypes. High genetic variations were found among all genotypes for the epicotyl length (EL), hypocotyl length (HL), number of radicles (NOR), and fresh weight (FW). Eight genotypes with high-performance scores of seedling traits were selected. The correlation analyses revealed highly significant correlations among all traits scored in this study. The strongest correlation was found between the NOR and the other seeding traits. Thus, the NOR might be an important adaptive trait for seawater tolerance. The genetic diversity among all genotypes was investigated based on genetic distance. A wide range of genetic distances among all genotypes was found. There was also a great genetic distance among the eight selected genotypes. In particular, the genetic distance between ATRI 5310 (France) and the other seven genotypes was the greatest. Such high genetic diversity might be utilized to select highly divergent genotypes for crossing in a future breeding program. The present study provides very useful information on the presence of different genetic resources in wheat for seawater tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid development of technology has brought about a revolution in healthcare stimulating a wide range of smart and autonomous applications in homes, clinics, surgeries and hospitals. Smart healthcare opens the opportunity for a qualitative advance in the relations between healthcare providers and end-users for the provision of healthcare such as enabling doctors to diagnose remotely while optimizing the accuracy of the diagnosis and maximizing the benefits of treatment by enabling close patient monitoring. This paper presents a comprehensive review of non-invasive vital data acquisition and the Internet of Things in healthcare informatics and thus reports the challenges in healthcare informatics and suggests future work that would lead to solutions to address the open challenges in IoT and non-invasive vital data acquisition. In particular, the conducted review has revealed that there has been a daunting challenge in the development of multi-frequency vital IoT systems, and addressing this issue will help enable the vital IoT node to be reachable by the broker in multiple area ranges. Furthermore, the utilization of multi-camera systems has proven its high potential to increase the accuracy of vital data acquisition, but the implementation of such systems has not been fully developed with unfilled gaps to be bridged. Moreover, the application of deep learning to the real-time analysis of vital data on the node/edge side will enable optimal, instant offline decision making. Finally, the synergistic integration of reliable power management and energy harvesting systems into non-invasive data acquisition has been omitted so far, and the successful implementation of such systems will lead to a smart, robust, sustainable and self-powered healthcare system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oil and gas industry is involved with severe corrosive/sour environmental conditions due to H2S, CO2, and moisture content. The National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) has developed standards to enable users to select suitable materials for given sour conditions which utilize laboratory testing. A failed piping sample (API-5L-X65) was removed from a pipeline after 15 years of service. Optical microscopy was used to compare the microstructure of the corroded sample near the exposed surface to both the service environment, and further away from it. Moreover, pitted samples were analyzed using a scanning electron microscope coupled with energy dispersive X-ray (SEM/EDS) to understand the deposits' morphology. Furthermore, XPS analysis proves the presence of a significant content of sulfur compound. Additionally, the mechanical properties of both corroded and non-corroded samples were evaluated and compared. Micro-hardness was carried out on the cross-section of the removed sample to understand any evident hardness variation from the inner diameter (ID) to the outer diameter (OD) of the piping. All the results suggest that prolonged service exposure has resulted in the development of micro defects, resulting in the reduction of strength and impact toughness, and the reduction in the hardness at the exposed surface of the corroded piping. Understanding the corrosion mechanism of pipelines exposed to sour media in the long-term helps in repair/replacement planning and extending the usable design life of the material, and paving the way for the oil and gas industry to develop additional ways to monitor the changes in the critical materials' properties when exposed to sour service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Four corner fusion (4CF) has long been the preferred treatment for stages II and III of scaphoid nonunion advanced collapse (SNAC) with intact radiolunate articulation. Three corner fusion (3CF) with excision of the triquetrum was then suggested aiming to improve wrist motion. Several concerns had been emerged regarding proprioceptive function of the triquetrum and risk of early progression to radiolunate arthritis following excision. Three corner fusion without triquetrum excision (3CFT) was suggested as a relevant alternative to conventional limited fusion techniques. Since then, there is an on-going debate on the best technique to use for SNAC wrist. The authors evaluated the functional and operative outcomes of 4CF versus 3CFT in SNAC wrist. Materials and Methods: A total of 34 patients underwent four corner fusion or three corner fusion without triquetrum excision for SNAC grade II and III. The average follow-up period was 1 year. Clinical evaluations were conducted and determined by radiographs, range of motion, grip strength, visual analog scale, and modified Mayo wrist scores. Results: There were no significant differences between the demographic data, preoperative and postoperative parameters between the two groups. There was a significant difference in the operative time between the two groups (P<0.001). There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding the complication rate. Conclusions: The authors concluded that 3CFT offered a comparable functional outcome to 4CF with less operative time with no significant complications or mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Highlight risk factors for pseudarthrosis in long-segment spinal fusions, collect the approaches carried to address this complication. Methods: Patients with ASD and fusion of ≥ 4 levels with minimum follow-up (FU) of ≥ 2 years were included. Full-body X-rays were done preoperatively, < 3 months and ≥ 2 years. Oswestry disability index (ODI), Scoliosis Research Society-22 and SF36 assessed pre- and postoperatively. The relationship between demographic, surgical and radiological variables with the development of pseudarthrosis was evaluated. Results: Out of 524 patients included, 65 patients (12.4%) developed pseudarthrosis and 53 underwent revision surgery. Notably, 88% of pseudarthrosis cases are associated with fusion length (OR = 1.17, 95% CI = 1.05–1.292, p = 0.004), osteotomy requirement (OR = 0.28, 95% CI = 0.09–0.85, p = 0.025), pelvic fixation (OR = 0.34, 95% CI = 0.13–0.88, p = 0.026) and combined approaches (OR = 3.29, 95% CI = 1.09–9.91, p = 0.034). Sagittal alignment is not related to the rate of pseudarthrosis. Health related and quality of life scores were comparable at last FU between patients revised for pseudarthrosis and those that didn't require revision surgery (ODI = 28% no revision and 30% revision group). Conclusions: Pseudarthrosis is not related to malalignment, but with the surgical techniques employed for its treatment. Anterior approaches with anterior support decrease the rate by 30%, while long fusions, osteotomies and pelvic fixation increase its rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To report an original technique for the surgical correction of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) based on hybrid construct using polyester bands placed under the thoracic transverse processes. Methods: We reviewed 105 patients operated between 2013 to 2017 for AIS with a minimum of 2 years follow-up. Clinical and radiological data, including 2D measurements of scoliosis parameters preoperatively, and at 3- and 24-months postoperatively were analyzed. Radiological analysis was performed by two independent observers using KEOPS (Smaio, Lyon-France, CE 2014) database. Results: Mean age was 14.6 ± 2 years. Mean follow-up was 23.7 ± 1.2 months. Most curves were classified as Lenke-1 (78%). The average number of vertebra involved in the construct was 10.9 ± 1.3 (range 7–13). A mean of 12.8 implants were used per construct (mean implant density 0.59). The number of subtransverse bands placed averaged 3 (range 1–5 bands). The mean frontal Cobb angle decreased from 57.9 to 21.2 ° (p < 0.05) postoperatively. The average T4-T12 kyphosis increased from 20.2°to 32.4° (p < 0.05) postoperatively and no loss of correction was observed at 2 years follow-up. We encountered one case of transverse process fracture intraoperativley. No neurological complications were observed. In the postoperative period, 4 cases were diagnosed with distal junctional failure, three of which required an extension of the construct, while the fourth case was treated by bracing. Conclusions: The use of subtransverse band is an efficient and safe method for the surgical correction of AIS. This technique incorporates technical ease (minimal risk of neurological injury), provides good frontal correction and restores thoracic kyphosis. Results are maintained over a two-year period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In healthcare applications, the remote monitoring of moving patients depends on wearable nodes that should be mobile. Thus, wearable nodes should be power mains-disconnected most of the time to enable natural wandering of patients in the area. Thus, easy-to-use models are utilized in a seamless way. From this perspective, it becomes necessary to develop a generation of wearable nodes that are energy self-sustainable with minimal dependency on fixed power sources and also more safe in light of world health organization recommendations. In this paper, a solar energy harvesting technique is proposed to provide a mains power supply for an independent continuous operation of a patient monitoring node in sunny environments. A case study is built experimentally whereas the proposed designed node is architected as a combined node that enables parallel measurements of heart rate, blood oxygen saturation (SpO2), and body temperature. The experimental results show that the wearable node can survive more than 28 h without battery recharging from the mains. While the charging time of the battery from the solar energy harvesting is approximately 2 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the novel effect of electric field (EF) on adult C. elegans egg-laying in a microchannel is discovered and correlated with neural and muscular activities. The quantitative effects of worm aging and EF strength, direction, and exposure duration on egg-laying are studied phenotypically using egg-count, body length, head movement, and transient neuronal activity readouts. Electric egg-laying rate increases significantly when worms face the anode and the response is EF-dependent, i.e. stronger (6 V cm−1) and longer EF (40 s) exposure result in a shorter egg laying response duration. Worm aging significantly deteriorates the electric egg-laying behaviour with an 88% decrease in the egg-count from day-1 to day-4 post young-adult stage. Fluorescent imaging of intracellular calcium dynamics in the main parts of the egg-laying neural circuit demonstrates the involvement and sensitivity of the serotonergic hermaphrodite specific neurons (HSNs), vulva muscles, and ventral cord neurons to the EF. HSN mutation also results in a reduced rate of electric egg-laying allowing the use of this technique for cellular screening and mapping of the neural basis of electrosensation in C. elegans. This novel assay can be parallelized and performed in a high-throughput manner for drug and gene screening applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a wearable medical sensor system is designed for long-term healthcare applications. This system is used for monitoring temperature, heartbeat, blood oxygen saturation (SpO2), and the acceleration of a human body in real-time. This system consists of a temperature sensor, a pulse oximeter sensor, an accelerometer sensor, a microcontroller unit, and a Bluetooth low energy module. Batteries are needed for supplying energy to this sensor system, but batteries have a limited lifetime. Therefore, a photovoltaic–thermoelectric hybrid energy harvester is developed to power a wearable medical sensor system. This harvester provides sufficient energy and increases the lifetime of the sensor system. The proposed hybrid energy harvester is composed of a flexible photovoltaic panel, a thermoelectric generator module, a DC–DC boost converter, and two super-capacitors. Experimentally, in active-sleep mode, the sensor system consumes an average power of 2.13 mW over 1 h and works without the energy harvester for 46 h. Finally, the experimental results illustrate the sustainable and long-term monitoring operation for the medical sensor system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The future demands for smart‐cities applications impose maximising the resources utilisation. This study achieves two main objectives to comply with fifth‐generation networks goals. First one is to enhance the Narrowband‐Internet of Things (NB‐IoT) spectral‐efficiency. The second is to alleviate the burden of two issues: The signalling during each transmission request for smart‐meters (SM) and queuing burden. First, we model the uplink scheduler for the NB‐IoT access network using state‐machine modelling methodology on Simulink environment. The simulation result is verified and validated with trusted modelling technique. Second, we optimise the NB‐IoT uplink scheduler which exploits the periodicity nature of SMs applications with putting envisage considering the emergency conditions. This is done by proposing integrated scheduling protocol which classifies the IoT traffic types and rearranges the transmission times of different SMs utilities and draws a map for the transmission schedule of them to better utilise the sparse time resources. The proposal comprises architecture, signalling, and algorithms. The optimisation is evaluated in term of numbers of SMs versus four spectral performance indicators; utilisation, efficiency, setup‐success‐percentage, and session‐drop‐rate according to a case study. The simulation results prove the ability of our proposal to increase the spectrum‐utilisation to 17.47%. This enhancement reflects on spectral‐efficiency that improved doubled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an autonomous wearable sensor node is developed for long-term continuous healthcare monitoring. This node is used to monitor the body temperature and heart rate of a human through a mobile application. Thus, it includes a temperature sensor, a heart pulse sensor, a low-power microcontroller, and a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) module. The power supply of the node is a lithium-ion rechargeable battery, but this battery has a limited lifetime. Therefore, a photovoltaic (PV) energy harvesting system is proposed to prolong the battery lifetime of the sensor node. The PV energy harvesting system consists of a flexible photovoltaic panel, and a charging controller. This PV energy harvesting system is practically tested outdoor under lighting intensity of 1000 W/m2. Experimentally, the overall power consumption of the node is 4.97 mW and its lifetime about 246 hours in active-sleep mode. Finally, the experimental results demonstrate long-term and sustainable operation for the wearable sensor node. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents an innovative technique to enhance the performance of the Savonius wind turbine. The new technique is based on introducing an upstream deflector and downstream baffle. The shape and location of both devices are optimized using a genetic algorithm. The performance of the turbine with the optimized devices is compared with the single Savonius turbine performance. The study employs the finite volume solver (ANSYS-FLUENT) to solve unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier–Stokes equations and turbulence model equations. The optimized configuration results in much higher power coefficient than the Savonius turbine. The average peak power coefficient using both deflector and baffle is 0.47 compared to 0.24 of the Savonius turbine. The peak power coefficient of the turbine corresponds to a speed ratio close to unity. This improved performance is attributed to the favorable aerodynamic interaction between the turbine and the downstream baffle which accelerates the flow around the rotor and generates larger turning torque. The baffle generates a jet effect on the advancing bucket and accelerates the flow behind the bucket creating a large zone of negative pressure and thereby increases the driving torque. Furthermore, the upstream deflector (also called shield or curtain) produces a shield for the returning bucket of the turbine which diminishes the adverse effect associated with the returning bucket on the aerodynamic torque of the turbine. This remarkable improvement of turbine performance will encourage the future application of the Savonius wind turbine in small power applications of wind energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Behavioral responses of zebrafish larvae to environmental cues are important functional readouts that should be evoked on-demand and studied phenotypically in behavioral, genetical and developmental investigations. Very recently, it was shown that zebrafish larvae execute a voluntary and oriented movement toward the positive electrode of an electric field along a microchannel. Phenotypic characterization of this response was not feasible due to larva's rapid movement along the channel. To overcome this challenge, a microfluidic device was introduced to partially immobilize the larva's head while leaving its mid-body and tail unrestrained in a chamber to image motor behaviors in response to electric stimulation, hence achieving quantitative phenotyping of the electrically evoked movement in zebrafish larvae. The effect of electric current on the tail-beat frequency and response duration of 5–7 days postfertilization zebrafish larvae was studied. Investigations were also performed on zebrafish exposed to neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine and larvae carrying a pannexin1a (panx1a) gene knockout, as a proof of principle applications to demonstrate on-demand movement behavior screening in chemical and mutant assays. We demonstrated for the first time that 6-hydroxydopamine leads to electric response impairment, levodopa treatment rescues the response and panx1a is involved in the electrically evoked movement of zebrafish larvae. We envision that our technique is broadly applicable as a screening tool to quantitatively examine zebrafish larvae's movements in response to physical and chemical stimulations in investigations of Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases, and as a tool to combine recent advances in genome engineering of model organisms to uncover the biology of electric response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurological disorder associated with the loss of dopaminergic neurons (DNs) in the substantia nigra and the widespread accumulation of α-synuclein (α-syn) protein, leading to motor impairments and eventual cognitive dysfunction. In-vitro cell cultures and in-vivo animal models have provided the opportunity to investigate the PD pathological hallmarks and identify different therapeutic compounds. However, PD pathogenesis and causes are still not well understood, and effective inhibitory drugs for PD are yet to be discovered. Biologically simple but pathologically relevant disease models and advanced screening technologies are needed to reveal the mechanisms underpinning protein aggregation and PD progression. For instance, Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) offers many advantages for fundamental PD neurobehavioral studies including a simple, well-mapped, and accessible neuronal system, genetic homology to humans, body transparency and amenability to genetic manipulation. Several transgenic worm strains that exhibit multiple PD-related phenotypes have been developed to perform neuronal and behavioral assays and drug screening. However, in conventional worm-based assays, the commonly used techniques are equipment-intensive, slow and low in throughput. Over the past two decades, microfluidics technology has contributed significantly to automation and control of C. elegans assays. In this review, we focus on C. elegans PD models and the recent advancements in microfluidic platforms used for manipulation, handling and neurobehavioral screening of these models. Moreover, we highlight the potential of C. elegans to elucidate the in-vivo mechanisms of neuron-to-neuron protein transfer that may underlie spreading Lewy pathology in PD, and its suitability for in-vitro studies. Given the advantages of C. elegans and microfluidics technology, their integration has the potential to facilitate the investigation of disease pathology and discovery of potential chemical leads for PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated the effects of adding the powder of cactus Opuntia dillenii ( O. dillenii) seeds on the functional properties, fiber, antioxidants and acceptability of rice-based extrudates. The control blend consisting basically of rice flour was replaced with O. dillenii seed powder at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 15 and 20% then extruded at the optimum processing conditions. The extruded products were evaluated for their chemical composition, functional properties, color attributes, antioxidant activity and sensory characteristics. The results revealed that adding O. dillenii seeds powder enhanced the fiber, phenolics, flavonoid contents and antioxidant activity of extrudates. Expansion, bulk density and breaking strength were significantly decreased, while water absorption index, water solubility index and oil absorption index were significantly increased compared to the control. Furthermore, the mean scores of sensory evaluation indicated clear improvements in all tested sensory attributes, which significantly increased by increasing the level of O. dillenii seed powder up to 15%. The results confirmed that O. dillenii seed powder could be incorporated in rice to develop snack products of acceptable functional, nutritional and sensory properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper suggests an assistive system for the toilet with the objective of measuring human activities and to provide intelligent mechanical assistance to help seating and standing. The project intends to develop a seating assistance as a technical aid in order to reduce accidents and falls in the bathroom. The preferred technique is human-robot physical interaction algorithms known in collaborative robotics (cobot) and adapting it to a personalized assistance technology installed on a smart toilet. First, the design of the mechanical assistance is presented. Then, an admittance controller is designed and implemented in order to help the user in a similar way as a cobot could be used. This technique could be used to assist the user and improve balance with adequate training and an adequate configuration of the admittance controller. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical analysis of the nanoflowers shows the presence of 2H-MoS SB 2 sb and MoO SB x sb , the excess of oxygen atoms being detrimental to electronic and optical properties. B MoS SB 2 sb Nanoflowers b Scanning electron microscopy of hydrothermally synthesized MoS SB 2 sb reveals a morphology well-described by nanoflowers (see article number 2200393 by Carla Bittencourt and colleagues). Irradiating the nanoflowers using low-kinetic energy hydrogen ions decreases the relative oxygen amount, whereas the photoluminescence intensity observed at 1.71 eV is increased. [Extracted from the article]

The quest for low cost solar cells has resulted in attempts to use lower purity silicon rather than conventional electronic grade material. The metallic content of such 'solar silicon' is usually much higher than electronic grade material and this compromises the efficiency of photovoltaic conversion via a variety of recombination mechanisms. Molybdenum is a common metallic contaminant in Si which is difficult to getter because of its low diffusivity. It is known that Mo incorporates into the Si lattice as single interstitial atoms, introducing a deep donor level into the gap. In this work, we show that Mo in silicon can also form nano-precipitates which may represent a new general class of efficient recombination centres. We have observed the Mo precipitates by TEM as 5-10 nm clusters in Si samples into which molybdenum was introduced during growth or by ion implantation and annealing. In general, such precipitates can form in Si samples containing metals with low diffusivity during high-temperature treatments and subsequent cooling. We report the carrier capture and emission properties of Mo nano-precipitates, which show that these could be very effective recombination centres for minority carriers in p-type Si. In particular we present data and analysis of minority carrier charge exchange at these nano-dimension metallic defects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Propagation of pre-existing micro cracks and their associated residual contact stresses, generated from the wafer sawing process, is the leading cause for photovoltaic (PV) silicon wafer/cell breakage during handling and processing. In the current work, the impact of a single micro crack on the fracture strength of PV silicon wafer is investigated based on a controlled flaw method. Radial/median cracks with controllable scales are introduced through microindentation at the center of a PV silicon sample to simulate micro cracks resulting from wafer sawing, handling, or thermal processing. Results indicate that the fracture strength of PV silicon wafer decreases linearly with the increasing of the microindentation load (radial crack scale). In addition, it is found that the impurity carbon plays an important role in the contact cracking-fracture process. The fracture strength increased ≈21% when the substitutional carbon concentration is increased from 1.2 × 1018 to 6.4 × 1018 cm−3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoindentation was used to examine the impact of impurities and grain boundaries on the mechanical properties of a “model” (110)/(100) grain boundary (GB) interface prepared using direct silicon bonding via the hybrid orientation technique of (110) and (100) p-type silicon wafers. Remarkable differences were found between the mechanical behavior of Fe- and Cu-contaminated samples. The direct silicon bonded wafers contaminated with either Fe or Cu showed opposite effects on mechanical properties, with Fe enhancing the silicon hardness, while Cu contamination induces a gradual weakening. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy was used to verify that the abrupt hardness changes observed during increasing nanoindentation loading is attributed to local deformation induced by the GB interface, Cu precipitate colony induced dislocations, and the abrupt crystallographic orientation change across the GB. The resulting dislocation loop generation facilitated the deformation process during nanoindentation and therefore softened the material. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Mechanical attrition—the mechanical alloying or milling of powders—is a very versatile and potent method of obtaining nanocrystalline or ultrafine grain structures with enhanced properties. This article presents three examples of enhanced properties obtained by materials in which the grain size has been reduced to the nanoscale or ultrafine scale by ball milling and consolidation of powders. Very high strength/hardness—the highest hardness yet reported for crystalline Mg alloys—for a ball milled Mg97Y2Zn1 alloy is due in part to the nanocrystalline grain structure, along with nanoscale precipitates. A ternary Cu-base alloy with a low stacking fault energy was found to have both high strength and good ductility in a nanocrystalline material synthesized by the in situ ball milling consolidation method. This is another example that shows nanocrystalline materials need not be brittle. It is shown that bulk thermoelectric materials with superior properties can be produced by the ball milling and consolidation of powders to provide an ultrafine grain structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significance: Selective plane illumination microscopy (SPIM) is an emerging fluorescent imaging technique suitable for noninvasive volumetric imaging of C. elegans. These promising microscopy systems, however, are scarce in academic and research institutions due to their high cost and technical complexities. Simple and low-cost solutions that enable conversion of commonplace wide-field microscopes to rapid SPIM platforms promote widespread adoption of SPIM by biologist for studying neuronal expressions of C. elegans. Aim: We sought to develop a simple and low-cost optofluidic add-on device that enables rapid and immobilization-free volumetric SPIM imaging of C. elegans with conventional fluorescent microscopes. Approach: A polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based device with integrated optical and fluidic elements was developed as a low-cost and miniaturized SPIM add-on for the conventional wide-field microscope. The developed optofluidic chip contained an integrated PDMS cylindrical lens for on-chip generation of the light-sheet across a microchannel. Cross-sectional SPIM images of C. elegans were continuously acquired by the native objective of microscope as worms flowed in an L-shape microchannel and through the light sheet. Results: On-chip SPIM imaging of C. elegans strains demonstrated possibility of visualizing the entire neuronal system in few seconds at single-neuron resolution, with high contrast and without worm immobilization. Volumetric visualization of neuronal system from the acquired cross-sectional two-dimensional images is also demonstrated, enabling the standard microscope to acquire three-dimensional fluorescent images of C. elegans. The full-width at half-maximum width of the point spread function was measured as 1.1 and 2.4 μm in the lateral and axial directions, respectively. Conclusion: The developed low-cost optofluidic device is capable of continuous SPIM imaging of C. elegans model organism with a conventional fluorescent microscope, at high speed, and with single neuron resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider a mixed MTS/MTO policy to manage a single manufacturing facility producing two classes of end-products. A few end-products have high volume demands, whereas a fairly large number of end-products have low volume demands. In this situation, it is appealing to try to produce the high volume products according to an MTS policy and the low volume products according to an MTO policy. The purpose of this paper is to analyze and compare the impact of the choice of the scheduling policy on the overall performance of the system. We consider two policies: the classical FIFO policy and a priority policy (PR). The PR policy gives priority to production orders corresponding to low volume products over production orders corresponding to high volume products. Under some simple stochastic modeling assumptions, we develop analytical/numerical solutions to optimise each system. We then provide insights regarding this issue with the help of numerical examples. It appears that for some range of parameters, the PR rule can outperform the FIFO rule in the sense that, to achieve the same service level constraint, the corresponding cost under the PR rule is much lower. This situation is encountered when the low volume products can be managed with an MTO policy under the PR scheduling rule, while they have to be managed according to an MTS policy under the FIFO scheduling rule. We also derive some theoretical properties that support our empirical findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study that examined the roll stabilization by passive anti-roll tank using an improved model of the tank-liquid motion. Overview of the lamp simulator; Equations of motion of a rigid ship and tank-fluid motion; Discussion of the forces and moments exerted on the ship by the moving liquid inside the tank.

The mechanical properties of Czochralski silicon (Cz-Si) crystals grown in vacancy rich regimes with elevated axial oxygen concentrations ranging from ∼6 × 1017 to ∼12 × 1017 atoms/cm3 have been investigated using nano- and micro-indentation techniques. Both hardness and fracture toughness were found to decrease with increasing oxygen concentration, while major differences in mechanical properties were found between the central core and the edge of the high oxygen concentration wafers. Photoluminescence imaging and Nomarski optical microscopy of high-oxygen wafers revealed the presence of a ring and swirl-like distributions of micro defects, including oxidation induced stacking faults. Micro-Raman analysis was used to measure local residual stress profiles associated with these characteristic defects. These results provide a quantitative understanding of the influence of the oxygen content and the associated defects resulting from the sub-optimal growth regimes within the Cz-Si process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we report a novel microfluidic method to conduct a Caenorhabditis elegans electrotaxis movement assay and neuronal imaging on up to 16 worms in parallel. C. elegans is a model organism for neurodegenerative disease and movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease (PD), and for screening chemicals that alleviate protein aggregation, neuronal death, and movement impairment in PD. Electrotaxis of C. elegans in microfluidic channels has led to the development of neurobehavioral screening platforms, but enhancing the throughput of the electrotactic behavioral assay has remained a challenge. Our device consisted of a hierarchy of tree-like channels for worm loading into 16 parallel electrotaxis screening channels with equivalent electric fields. Tapered channels at the ends of electrotaxis channels were used for worm immobilization and fluorescent imaging of neurons. Parallel electrotaxis of worms was first validated against established single-worm electrotaxis phenotypes. Then, mutant screening was demonstrated using the NL5901 strain, carrying human α -synuclein in the muscle cells, by showing the associated electrotaxis defects in the average speed, body bend frequency (BBF), and electrotaxis time index (ETI). Moreover, chemical screening of a PD worm model was shown by exposing the BZ555 strain, expressing green fluorescence protein (GFP) in the dopaminergic neurons (DNs), to 6-hydroxydopamine neurotoxin. The neurotoxin-treated worms exhibited a reduction in electrotaxis swimming speed, BBF, ETI, and DNs fluorescence intensity. We envision our technique to be used widely in C. elegans-based movement disorder assays to accelerate behavioral and cellular phenotypic investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have synthesized artifact-free bulk nanocrystalline copper samples with a narrow grain size distribution (mean grain size of 23 nm) that exhibited tensile yield strength about 11 times higher than that of conventional coarse-grained copper, while retaining a 14% uniform tensile elongation. In situ dynamic straining transmission electron microscope observations of the nanocrystalline copper are also reported, which showed individual dislocation motion and dislocation pile-ups. This suggests a dislocation-controlled deformation mechanism that allows for the high strain hardening observed. Trapped dislocations are observed in the individual nanograins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a unique way of using mechanical milling/in situ consolidation at both liquid-nitrogen and room temperature to produce artifact-free nanocrystalline Cu (23 nm) with a narrow grain size distribution. This nanocrystalline Cu exhibits an extraordinarily high yield strength (770 MPa), as predicted from a Hall–Petch extrapolation, along with good ductility (comparable with ∼30% uniform tensile elongation). Possible factors leading to this excellent optimization of strength and ductility are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanocrystalline (nc) Cu and Cu–1% Nb bulk materials are synthesized using a combination of cryogenic and room temperature ball milling. The grain size values of these in situ consolidated Cu and Cu–1% Nb, determined using transmission electron microscopy, are found to be 22 nm and 18 nm, respectively. In this investigation, isochronal heat treatments are performed for 1 h to establish grain size and microstructural changes as a function of temperature. The annealing of nc Cu–1% Nb at a temperature of 1073 K reveals a slight increase in the average grain size from 18 to 45 nm. The grain size of nc Cu, however, increases from 22 nm to about 3 μm after annealing at the same conditions. The present results indicate that solute entrapment plays a major role in thermal stability of the high purity contaminant‐free Cu with the addition of only 1 at% Nb after annealing for 1 h up to a homologous temperature of 0.8. Kinetic stabilization via clustering of Nb atoms on the grain boundaries and the triple junctions is also observed after annealing at high temperature for longer times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including on oxidation reduction growth (ORG) technique, synthesis and characterization of metal hydride and consolidation of amorphous powders by hot pressing.