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Concealed information test (CIT) has been utilized for long to perform single measurements. The combination of multiple measures outperforms single measures because of the diverse cognitive processes they reflect and the reduction in random errors facilitated by multiple measures. To further explore the performance of the CIT with multiple measurements, 57 participants were recruited and randomly assigned into guilty and innocent groups. Subsequently, simultaneously recorded reaction time (RT), skin conductance responses (SCRs), heart rate (HR), and neuroimaging data were collected from functional near‐infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to detect participants' concealed information in a standard CIT. The results demonstrated that all indicators including RT (area under the curve (AUC) = 0.87), SCRs (AUC = 0.79), HR (AUC = 0.78), and fNIRS (channel 8, AUC = 0.85) could differentiate guilty and innocent groups. Importantly, the use of multiple indicators achieved higher detection efficiency (AUC = 0.96) compared to the use of any single indicator. These results illustrate the effectiveness and feasibility of integrating multiple indicators for concealed information detection in CIT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Heat shock proteins (HSPs) as an adjuvant induce antigen‐specific immunity through facilitating antigen presentation and stimulating T cells. In this study, the immunostimulatory properties of two major fragments of Hsp70 (N‐Hsp70(aa 1–387) with ATPase property and C‐Hsp70 (aa 508–641) with peptide‐binding capacity) and the full length of Hsp27 as vaccine adjuvants were evaluated to boost HIV‐1 Nef antigen‐specific immunity in both in vitro and in vivo experiments. Method s : At first, the nanoparticles harbouring DNA fusion constructs (i.e. N‐Hsp70‐Nef, C‐Hsp70‐Nef and Hsp27‐Nef) complexed with HIV Rev (34–50) cell‐penetrating peptide were generated to deliver DNA into the cells. Then, the recombinant Nef, Hsp27‐Nef, N‐Hsp70‐Nef and C‐Hsp70‐Nef proteins were generated in E.coli expression system. Next, the immunostimulatory properties of these fusion constructs were evaluated in both in vitro and in vivo studies. Finally, the secretion of main cytokines from single‐cycle replicable (SCR) HIV‐1 virion‐exposed splenocytes was investigated. Results: Our data showed that the stable and non‐toxic DNA/Rev nanoparticles could successfully deliver the genes of interest into the cells. Moreover, higher secretion of antibodies and cytokines was detected in mice receiving the Hsp‐Nef constructs than in mice receiving Nef antigen. The C‐Hsp70 was also superior for inducing Nef‐specific Th1 and CTL immunity compared with N‐Hsp70 and Hsp27. The T‐cell activity was maintained in the SCR‐exposed splenocytes, especially the splenocytes of mice receiving the C‐Hsp70‐Nef regimen. Conclusion: Altogether, these findings demonstrate the significance of Hsps as enhancers of antigen‐specific immunity. Notably, the C‐Hsp70 region showed better adjuvant properties for inducing cellular immunity in the improvement of HIV‐1 therapeutic vaccines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reliable estimates of population density are fundamental for managing and conserving wildlife. Spatially explicit capture–recapture (SECR) models in combination with information‐theoretic model selection criteria are frequently used to estimate population density. Variation in density and detectability is inevitable and, when unmodeled, can lead to erroneous estimates. Despite this knowledge, the performance of SECR models and information‐theoretic criteria remain relatively untested for populations with realistic levels of variation in density and detectability. We addressed this issue using simulations of American black bear (Ursus americanus) populations with variable density and detectability between sexes and across study areas. We first assessed the reliability of Akaike information criterion adjusted for small sample sizes (AICc) to correctly identify the true data generating model or a good approximating model. We then assessed the bias, accuracy, and precision of density estimates when such a model was selected or not. We demonstrated that unmodeled heterogeneity in detection and, more importantly, density can lead to pronounced bias. However, when a good approximating model is included in the candidate set, models with lower AICc included important forms of variation and yielded accurate estimates. We encourage researchers and practitioners to consider the impact of unmodeled variation in SECR models when making inferences and to strive to include covariates likely to be the most influential based on the species biology and ecology in candidate model sets. Doing so can improve the robustness of wildlife density estimation methods that can be leveraged to make more sound conservation and management decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nitrogen oxides (NOx) can result in a series of environmental issues (haze, photochemical smog and acid rain) that endanger human health. Currently, selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NOx with ammonia (NH3‐SCR) has been considered to be one of the most efficient techniques to eliminate NOx. Results: Novel Co‐modified chromium/cerium (CrCe) catalysts were synthesized by the citric acid method to improve their insufficient SCR activity and sulfur dioxide (SO2) resistance for NOx removal at middle–low temperatures. Cobalt (Co) addition could significantly increase the catalytic activity of CrCe catalysts, and the 5CoCrCe catalyst exhibited the highest catalytic activity with ≤95% NOx conversion and >80% N2 selectivity within 180–280 °C. In addition, the 5CoCrCe catalyst exhibited outstanding SO2 resistance as well as reversibility, with >90% NO conversion under 600 ppm SO2 for 510 min. Conclusion: It was determined by characterizations that Co addition can increase SSA, Cr6+ concentration, electron transfer between Co and Cr by redox cycle (Cr6+ + 4Co2+ ↔ 4Co3+ + Cr2+) and the redox properties of the CrCe catalyst. The 5CoCrCe catalyst surface consists mainly of Lewis acid and its NH3‐SCR reactions follows the Eley–Rideal (E–R) mechanism. The 5CoCrCe catalyst exhibited outstanding SO2 resistance due to higher Cr3+, Ce3+ and Oα concentrations and strong redox cycles (3Ce4+ + Cr3+ ↔ 3Ce3+ + Cr6+ and Cr6+ + 3Co2+ ↔ 3Co3+ + Cr3+). Furthermore, in situ DRIFTS results revealed that SO2 could induce more adsorbed NOx and NH3 species instead of bulk sulfate, which also was responsible for good SO2 resistance. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exposure to adverse experiences is a well‐established major risk factor for affective psychopathology. The vulnerability of deleterious sequelae is assumed in maladaptive processes of the defensive system, particularly in emotional processing. More specifically, childhood maltreatment has been suggested to be associated with the recruitment of specific and distinct defensive response profiles. To date, it remains unclear whether these are specific or generalizable to recent adversity in adulthood. This pre‐registered study aimed to investigate the impact of exposure to childhood and recent adversity on emotional processing in 685 healthy adults with the "Affective Startle Modulation" Paradigm (ASM). First, we replicated higher trait anxiety and depression levels in individuals exposed to both types of adversity. Second, we observed increased general skin conductance reactivity in individuals exposed to recent adversity. Third, individuals exposed to childhood maltreatment showed reduced, while individuals exposed to recent adversity showed increased discrimination between pictures of negative and neutral valence, compared with non‐exposed individuals in SCR. No association between exposure to adversity and fear potentiated startle was observed. Furthermore, explorative analyses revealed moderate dimensional and categorical agreement between two childhood maltreatment questionnaires and provide insight into potential adversity‐type specific effects. Our results support experience‐dependent plasticity in sympathetic nervous system reactivity and suggest distinct response profiles in affective modulation in individuals exposed to early versus recent adversity. We emphasize the need to further explore distinct adversity profiles to further our understanding on specific psychophysiological profiles and their potential implication for prevention and intervention. Our results of an exceptionally large data set provide evidence that both childhood and recent adverse experiences "get under the skin" and manifest as distinct affect‐related response profiles in sympathetic nervous system reactivity. Our work is particularly timely in light of frequent global outbreaks (COVID‐19 pandemic, war in the Ukraine) and contributes to a research line with the long‐term goal to optimize prevention and intervention approaches and potentially tailor them to specific individual profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The addition of La onto Cu‐Ce modified MWW type zeolite (MCM‐49 and MCM‐22) catalysts were synthesized by ion exchange process and the effect of different support (MCM‐49 and MCM‐22) on the activity was also discussed for ammonia selective catalytic reduction of NOx (NH3−SCR). The addition of La can significantly improve the catalytic performance of Cu‐Ce/MCM‐49. Furthermore, the addition of La can also facilitate electron transfer by the cycle of oxidation of Cu2++Ce3+→Cu++Ce4+ for Cu‐Ce‐La/MCM‐49. The electron transfer is beneficial to "FAST SCR" in that it can promote the conversion of NO to NO2, thus improving denitrification performance. Moreover, La can also provide the excellent surface acidity, which is favorable for the generation of oxygen vacancies. Compared with Cu‐Ce‐La/MCM‐22, Cu‐Ce‐La/MCM‐49 catalyst exhibited better SCR activity within 200–450 °C on account of the good redox performance and the more Ce3+ content. In addition, Ce3+ can generate oxygen vacancies, thereby enhancing the catalytic performance. More than anything, Cu‐Ce‐La/MCM‐49 has excellent sulfur tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In south Florida, white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are the primary prey of the endangered Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi). Deer populations in some regions of south Florida have declined in recent years, and the role of fawn survival and recruitment in these declines is unknown. Determining known‐fate survival of fawns is challenging, requires invasive and costly methods, and often has a limited geographic scope. We deployed 180 cameras throughout the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge and the Big Cypress National Preserve to understand how environmental variables influence fawn survival. We identified 271 fawns from 12,715 photographs in 2015 and 2016. We utilized a noninvasive sampling method coupled with a spatial capture–recapture model to estimate the number of fawns born, the spatial distribution of birth locations, and the number of fawns that survived to recruitment (180 days old) during two fawning seasons. We found strong evidence of temporal variation in survival, but little evidence of spatial variation. Within the 10,941‐ha study area, we estimated that 305 (95% CI: 245–385) fawns were born in 2015 and 278 (212–381) fawns were born in 2016. In 2015, 36% (110) of the estimated 305 fawns survived to 180 days. However, in 2016, only 13% (36) of the estimated 278 fawns survived to 180 days. The large difference in recruitment between years was likely driven by record flooding in 2016. Our data suggest that extreme weather events, coupled with high adult mortality, likely contributed to recent deer population decline in south Florida through reduced fawn recruitment. Unlike studies of known‐fate fawn survival that require labor‐intensive and invasive capture of both adults and neonates, our approach relies exclusively on camera data, which makes it possible to conduct studies over broad spatiotemporal scales in challenging environments to illuminate the drivers of variation in juvenile survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geopolymer‐based ceramics as catalysts or catalyst supports have attracted tremendous interests in recent years owing to their low‐cost and zeolite‐like structure characteristics. However, most of the reported works focus on alkaline‐based geopolymers, whereas the catalytic performance of acid based geopolymer has not yet been evaluated. This study aims to investigate the application potential of phosphoric acid–based geopolymer (PAG) for selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NOx with NH3. To this end, the SCR reactivity of PAG and metal oxide (MnOx)‐loaded PAG were evaluated. Moreover, an activated carbon‐based hard template route was proposed for further enhancing the SCR reactivity of the PAG‐based catalyst. The as‐prepared catalyst under the optimal condition exhibited a high NO conversion greater than 85% in a wide temperature range of 250–350°C, which is among the top literature‐reported values, demonstrating its promising application prospect. A systematical X‐ray diffraction, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, Brunauer–Emmet–Teller, NH3‐temperature‐programed desorption, and H2‐temperature‐programed reduction spectroscopic analyses were also conducted to better understand the structure evolution of PAG under elevated temperature and the SCR catalytic mechanism of the acid‐based geopolymer catalysts. This study would provide valuable information on the potential application prospect of PAG and its modified form for efficient NOx removal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geopolymer‐based ceramics as catalysts or catalyst supports have attracted tremendous interests in recent years owing to their low‐cost and zeolite‐like structure characteristics. However, most of the reported works focus on alkaline‐based geopolymers, whereas the catalytic performance of acid based geopolymer has not yet been evaluated. This study aims to investigate the application potential of phosphoric acid–based geopolymer (PAG) for selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NOx with NH3. To this end, the SCR reactivity of PAG and metal oxide (MnOx)‐loaded PAG were evaluated. Moreover, an activated carbon‐based hard template route was proposed for further enhancing the SCR reactivity of the PAG‐based catalyst. The as‐prepared catalyst under the optimal condition exhibited a high NO conversion greater than 85% in a wide temperature range of 250–350°C, which is among the top literature‐reported values, demonstrating its promising application prospect. A systematical X‐ray diffraction, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, Brunauer–Emmet–Teller, NH3‐temperature‐programed desorption, and H2‐temperature‐programed reduction spectroscopic analyses were also conducted to better understand the structure evolution of PAG under elevated temperature and the SCR catalytic mechanism of the acid‐based geopolymer catalysts. This study would provide valuable information on the potential application prospect of PAG and its modified form for efficient NOx removal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In SCR denitrification technology, the conventional coprecipitation method has the disadvantages of high temperature and difficulty in controlling the precipitation rate. Various CexCuTiO2 catalysts were synthesized using ice‐melting (CexCuTi‐Ice) and conventional coprecipitation (CexCuTi‐Con) methods for the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO with NH3. Ce0.4CuTi‐Ice catalyst exhibited excellent catalytic activity among the CexCuTiO2 catalysts, and 80% NOx conversion was achieved within a temperature range of 250–375 °C, exceeding that of Ce0.4CuTi‐Con catalyst by 20%; in addition, N2 selectivity was nearly 100%. To elucidate the release characteristics of the precursor solution during ice‐melting synthesis, the changes of Cu and Ce concentrations in the solution were investigated by ICP‐OES. The precursor solution was released at a slow rate via the ice‐melting method, resulting in a large surface area, small crystallite sizes, and effective uniform nanoparticles with abundant active species and increased surface acidity. The promoted mechanism could be attributed to the enhanced oxidation of NO to NO2 at low temperatures and the rapid reaction between NO species and coordinated NH3 at high temperatures. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Developing environmentally benign and non‐vanadium SCR catalysts remains a challenging task for NOx abatement. In this article, Fe–Ce catalysts including Fe–Ce(S) and Fe(S)–Ce catalysts with different molar ratios of Fe/Ce were synthesized by different precursors of active species expecting to gain high catalytic activity for the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NOx with NH3 in a wide temperature range. Results: The Fe–Ce(S) catalyst exhibited better catalytic activity than the Fe(S)–Ce catalyst. The characterization results indicated the Fe–Ce(S)catalyst possessed better dispersion of active species, which would favor the contact of active sites and reactant molecules and thus enhance the catalytic performance. Moreover, higher ratios of Fe3+ and Ce3+ and more surface chemisorbed oxygen were observed over the Fe–Ce(S) catalyst. In addition, the Fe–Ce(S) catalyst held better low‐temperature redox properties and more weak acid sites. Conclusions: The precursor effect was closely related to the catalytic activity of catalysts. All of the mentioned above might be the main reasons for the superior catalytic performance of the Fe–Ce(S) catalyst, especially at low temperatures. These findings indicate that Fe–Ce(S) catalyst is a promising catalyst for the SCR reaction to replace V‐W‐Ti catalysts and can provide guidance for the development of environmentally benign and non‐vanadium SCR catalysts. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrodermal signals are commonly used outcome measures in research on arousal, emotion, and habituation. Recently, we reported on heterogeneity in skin conductance response quantification approaches and its impact on replicability. Here we provide complementary work focusing on within‐approach heterogeneity of specifications for skin conductance response quantification. We focus on heterogeneity within the baseline‐correction approach (BLC) which appeared as particularly heterogeneous—for instance with respect to the pre‐CS baseline window duration, the start, and end of the peak detection window. We systematically scrutinize the robustness of results when applying different BLC approach specifications to one representative pre‐existing data set (N = 118) in a (partly) pre‐registered study. We report high agreement between different BLC approaches for US and CS+ trials, but moderate to poor agreement for CS− trials. Furthermore, a specification curve of the main effect of CS discrimination during fear acquisition training from all potential and reasonable combinations of specifications (N = 150) and a prototypical trough‐to‐peak (TTP) approach indicates that resulting effect sizes are largely comparable. A second specification curve (N = 605 specific combinations) highlights a strong impact of different transformation types. Crucially, however, we show that BLC approaches often misclassify the peak value—particularly for CS− trials, leading to stimulus‐specific biases and challenges for post‐processing and replicability of CS discrimination across studies applying different approaches. Lastly, we investigate how negative skin conductance values in BLC, appearing most frequently for CS− (CS− > CS+ > US), correspond to values in TTP quantification. We discuss the results considering prospects and challenges of the multiverse approach and future directions. This study navigates through the robustness of different non‐model based skin conductance quantification approaches. Systematic multiverse perspectives on different ways to quantify the data highlight that even with overall high agreement and replicability of large effects between different quantification approaches, caution is warranted in light of systematic biases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Classical views suggest that experienced affect is related to a specific bodily response, whereas recent perspectives challenge this view postulating that similar affective experiences rather evoke different physiological responses. To further advance this debate in the field, we used representational similarity analysis to investigate the correspondence between subjective affect (arousal and valence ratings) and physiological reactions (skin conductance response [SCR], startle blink response, heart rate, and corrugator activity) across various emotion induction contexts (picture viewing task, sound listening task, and imagery task). Significant similarities were exclusively observed between SCR and arousal in the picture viewing task. However, none of the other physiological measures showed a significant relation with valence and arousal ratings in any of the tasks. These findings are discussed within the framework of the Populations hypothesis, suggesting that physiological responses do not depend on the experienced affect but are directly associated with the context in which they are evoked. We used representational similarity analysis to provide new insights into the relationship between subjective affect and physiological reactivity across three affect‐inducing tasks. Similarities between representational patterns of subjective affect and physiological reactivity only emerged for one physiological variable (SCR and arousal) in a specific context (i.e., passive picture viewing task). Our findings inform the ongoing debate on the relationship between physiological changes and the valence and arousal properties of affect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keeping appropriate interpersonal distance is an evolutionary conserved behavior that can be adapted based on learning. Detailed knowledge on how interpersonal space is represented in the brain and whether such representation is genetically influenced is lacking. We measured brain function using functional magnetic resonance imaging in 294 twins (71 monozygotic, 76 dizygotic pairs) performing a distance task where neural responses to human figures were compared to cylindrical blocks. Proximal viewing distance of human figures was compared to cylinders facilitated responses in the occipital face area (OFA) and the superficial part of the amygdala, which is consistent with these areas playing a role in monitoring interpersonal distance. Using the classic twin method, we observed a genetic influence on interpersonal distance related activation in the OFA, but not in the amygdala. Results suggest that genetic factors may influence interpersonal distance monitoring via the OFA whereas the amygdala may play a role in experience‐dependent adjustments of interpersonal distance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, brain imaging data from functional near‐infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) associated with skin conductance response (SCR), heart rate (HR), and reaction time (RT) were combined to determine if the combination of these indicators could improve the efficiency of deception detection in concealed information test (CIT). During the CIT, participants were presented with a series of names and cities that served as target, probe, or irrelevant stimuli. In the guilty group, the probe stimuli were the participants' own names and hometown cities, and they were asked to deny this information. Our results revealed that probe items were associated with longer RT, larger SCR, slower HR, and higher oxyhemoglobin (HbO) concentration changes in the inferior prefrontal gyrus (IFG), middle frontal gyrus (MFG), and the superior frontal gyrus (SFG) compared with irrelevant items for participants in the guilty group but not in the innocent group. Furthermore, our results suggested that the combination of RT, SCR, HR, and fNIRS indicators could improve the deception detection efficiency to a very high area under the ROC curve (0.94) compared with any of the single indicators (0.74–0.89). The improved deception detection efficiency might be attributed to the reduction of random error and the diversiform underlying the psychophysiological mechanisms reflected by each indicator. These findings demonstrate a feasible way to improve the deception detection efficiency by using combined multiple indicators. The current study demonstrates the use of multiple indicators as a feasible method to improve the detection of deception with a high detection efficiency (0.94). This is the first study to combine brain imaging data from fNIRS with SCR, HR and RT to detect deception in a concealed information test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of Ir‐based catalysts were prepared by ultrasonic‐assisted equal‐volume impregnation to evaluate the catalytic performance of selective catalytic reduction of NOx by CO (CO‐SCR) with excess O2 in simulated flue gas. We investigated the effects of different carrier, Ir loading, and composite carrier ratio (W/Si) on the CO‐SCR activities. The results showed that WO3 and SiO2 were effective carriers for the CO‐SCR reaction under oxygen‐rich conditions. Results of XRD and H2‐TPR studies indicated that metal Ir strongly interacted with carrier WO3 and SiO2, respectively, which improved the surface dispersion of active component Ir species and was conducive to the removal of NOx and CO. When W/Si molar ratio was 1/9 and Ir loading was 2 wt%, the Ir/WO3‐SiO2 catalyst reached 49 % NOx conversion and 76 % CO conversion at 225°C, while NO2 yield was also only 5 ppm. The effects of O2, SO2, and H2O on the structure of Ir/WO3‐SiO2 were analyzed by XRD and XPS characterization methods. It was found that O2 could oxidize Ir species to IrO2, thereby inhibiting NOx reduction. A low concentration of SO2 can weaken the process of Ir oxidation, promote NOx reduction, and improve catalytic activity. H2O can reduce the NOx conversion rate and inhibit the CO‐SCR reaction, but the inhibition effect is reversible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Imagery‐based extinction procedures have long been used in the treatments of fear‐related conditions. The assumption is that imagery can substitute for the perceptual stimuli in the extinction process. Yet, experimental validations of this assumption have been limited in number and some have relied exclusively on measures of autonomic reactivity without consideration of conscious feelings of fear. The current investigation sought to assess whether imagery‐based exposure could lead to extinction of conditioned fear to the corresponding perceptual stimulus. Conditioned fear responses were measured by both a physiological (i.e., skin conductance response [SCR]) and a subjective (i.e., self‐reported fear) measure. Participants (N = 56) first underwent perceptual differential fear conditioning, then imagery extinction, then perceptual extinction. SCR evidence was found for successful fear conditioning, generalization of fear from viewing to imagery, and most importantly, the absence of differential fear after imagery extinction upon re‐exposure to the conditioned perceptual stimulus. Self‐reported fear confirmed the acquisition and generalization of fear and provided evidence of a significant reduction in differential fear conditioning across extinction. Consistent with clinical evidence of the efficacy of imagery extinction and the existing limited experimental literature, this study offers support for fear extinction to perceptual stimuli via imagery exposure. The present study provides experimental evidence that imagery of a fear conditioned stimulus can produce differential fear extinction as measured both physiologically (i.e., skin conductance response) and subjectively (i.e., self‐reported fear), which extends the extant literature of mental imagery and fear extinction. These findings provide empirical support for the clinical application of extinction‐based imagery treatments in fear‐related affective disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Past research has shown that presenting unconditional stimuli (US) during extinction training, either paired with the conditional stimulus (CS) or explicitly unpaired, can reduce spontaneous recovery and slow the re‐acquisition of conditional fear. Whether contextual renewal of conditioned fear as indexed by electrodermal responses and self‐report measures of anxiety and CS evaluations is also reduced after presentation of paired or unpaired USs during extinction training is currently unclear. Three groups of participants (Paired, Unpaired, Standard Extinction) completed a sequence of habituation, acquisition, extinction, renewal, and re‐acquisition phases. During extinction, five CS–US pairings were presented in group Paired, whereas five US were presented alone in group Unpaired. No US were presented during standard extinction. For all groups, extinction was conducted in a context that was different from that of the other phases. Extinction of differential electrodermal responding was evident in groups Unpaired and Standard, but not in group Paired. Contextual renewal and fast re‐acquisition, as indexed by differential electrodermal responding, were evident in group Standard, but not in group Unpaired and differential electrodermal responding persisted in group Paired. After extinction, self‐reported anxiety was higher in groups Paired and Unpaired, but differential CS evaluations were evident in group Paired only. The current results suggest that presenting additional unpaired USs during extinction training strengthens extinction and protects against the renewal of differential electrodermal responding. Relapse after successful exposure‐based therapy of anxiety disorders is a major problem. We assessed whether the extinction of conditioned fear, an experimental analog of exposure‐based therapy, is strengthened by presenting occasional conditional stimulus (CS)–unconditional stimulus (US) pairings or occasional unpaired USs during extinction training. Occasional CS–US pairings prevented extinction. Relative to standard extinction training, extinction with occasional US presentations reduced the return of conditioned fear as indexed by electrodermal responses after a context change and slowed re‐acquisition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unbiased population density estimates are critical for ecological research and wildlife management but are often difficult to obtain. Researchers use a variety of sampling and statistical methods to generate estimates of density, but few studies have compared estimates across methods. During 2016–2017, we surveyed Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) in southwestern Yukon Territory, Canada, using track transect counts, hair snares, camera traps, live traps, and Global Positioning System (GPS) collars. From these data, we estimated lynx density with two linearly scaled count methods, one spatial mark–recapture method, three spatial mark–resight methods, and one cumulative‐time method. We found up to fivefold variation in point density estimates despite adhering to method requirements and assumptions in a manner consistent with other studies. Our results highlight the dependency of density estimates on sampling process and model assumptions and demonstrate the value of careful and unbiased sampling design. Further research is needed to fully assess the accuracy and limitations of the many wildlife density estimation methods that are currently in use so that techniques can be appropriately applied to typical study systems and species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the multicomponent view, emotion is expressed through subjective feelings and thoughts, physiological activation, and behavioral responses. In human fear conditioning research, the former two are much more popular than the third category. One concern is that concurrent behavioral probes may interfere with the conditioning process. To allow triangulation of emotion research through simultaneous employment of subjective, physiological, and behavioral measurement, it is necessary to find behavioral measures that meet the criteria of causing no interference while being sensitive to conditioning. In this study, a basic visual attention task was examined in terms of its impact on differential fear conditioning as measured by both subjective (i.e., self‐reported fear and shock estimation) and physiological (i.e., skin conductance response/SCR) expression; and its ability to detect fear conditioning indicated by a reaction time (RT) or accuracy difference between the two conditioned stimuli (CS+ vs. CS−). While participants in the probe group (n = 86) completed differential fear conditioning with the behavioral task, those in the no‐probe group (n = 76) underwent conditioning by itself. Based on self‐reported fear, shock estimation, and SCR, both groups successfully acquired differential fear with no apparent between‐group difference in the degree of conditioning. In the probe group, RT but not accuracy exhibited a difference between CS+ and CS−. These findings suggest that the selected visual attention task does not interfere with differential fear conditioning measured via SCR and self‐report and is a sensitive measure of differential conditioning. Exploratory individual analyses also revealed significant relationships between the above measures. Human fear conditioning research lacks behavioral assays, limiting comparisons with animal models, and hindering a multicomponent examination of fear. Our research provides new evidence of a non‐interfering and sensitive behavioral measure of differential fear conditioning. We also confirm and complement previous individual difference findings that emotion is multiply determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND NOx emissions are very toxic and cause serious adverse environmental effects. NOx reduction technologies have been developed due to the harmful effects of NOx and increasingly stringent emission standards which apply in many countries. Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) is the most effective method of removing NOx from engine exhaust. The suitable active catalysts are important for providing higher NOx conversion efficiencies in the SCR system. Catalyst production methods affect catalytic activity due to change in elemental composition, morphology, dispersion of catalytic elements, and total surface area. In this study, de‐NOx performance of Ce/TiO2 and Au‐Ce/TiO2 catalysts were investigated with real exhaust gases. Tests were carried out within 200–300 °C temperature range to evaluate low temperature performance of the catalysts. Cordierite material was used as the support material and pre‐treated with hot acid solution to enhance surface area. Ce content of synthesized catalysts with impregnation method was adjusted as 4 wt% and Au content as 0.4, 0.8, and 1.6 wt%. The catalysts were characterized with Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), X‐Ray Diffractometer (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR) analysis. RESULTS: Maximum NOx conversion ratios obtained at 300 °C with the Ce/TiO2, 0.4 Au‐Ce/TiO2, 0.8 Au‐Ce/TiO2, and 1.6 Au‐Ce/TiO2 catalysts were 95.1%, 92%, 92.6%, and 90.2%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that in general, de‐NOx effect of the Ce/TiO2 catalyst was greater than the Au doped Ce/TiO2 catalysts. Au addition adversely affected surface properties of the catalyst and therefore activity of the Au‐Ce/TiO2 catalysts decreased. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial capture–recapture (SCR) has emerged as the industry standard for estimating population density by leveraging information from spatial locations of repeat encounters of individuals. The precision of density estimates depends fundamentally on the number and spatial configuration of traps. Despite this knowledge, existing sampling design recommendations are heuristic and their performance remains untested for most practical applications. To address this issue, we propose a genetic algorithm that minimizes any sensible, criteria‐based objective function to produce near‐optimal sampling designs. To motivate the idea of optimality, we compare the performance of designs optimized using three model‐based criteria related to the probability of capture. We use simulation to show that these designs outperform those based on existing recommendations in terms of bias, precision, and accuracy in the estimation of population size. Our approach, available as a function in the R package oSCR, allows conservation practitioners and researchers to generate customized and improved sampling designs for wildlife monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resource availability is a key component in animal ecology, yet the manner in which carnivore populations respond to spatial and temporal fluctuations of resources remains unclear. We take a population‐level approach to determine how resource pulses, in this case a temporary hyper‐abundance of prey, influence the densities and space‐use of cheetahs Acinonyx jubatus. The Maasai Mara in Kenya experiences an annual migration of > 1.4 million wildebeest Connochaetes taurinus and large numbers of zebras Equus quagga and Thomson's gazelle Eudorcas thomsonii thereby providing a natural experiment to examine the influence of resource pulses on carnivore movement and densities. To draw inferences on fluctuating cheetah densities and space‐use, we collected unstructured search‐encounter data during eight sampling sessions, four during and four out of the migration, and analysed these using Bayesian spatially‐explicit capture–recapture (SECR) models with sex‐specific detection function parameters. Both densities and space‐use fluctuated seasonally but this varied according to sex. Local cheetah densities increased in areas and during times when prey abundance was highest but this was more pronounced for females than males. In terms of space‐use, movements were larger during the migration than out of the migration but this was more pronounced for males than females. These results suggest that males are influenced more by resource distribution whereas females by resource abundance. Overall densities did vary but there was no clear pattern in relation to resource pulses. Understanding the behavioural drivers of population dynamics in relation to resource pulses can provide important insights into ecological processes at multiple ecological levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the SCR properties of MIL‐88B(V) and MIL‐101(V) MOFs materials by hydrothermal synthesis were investigated, and the effect of the coordination and spatial topology of MOFs materials on the coordination state, chemical state and surface properties of V ions, as well as the relationship with SCR catalysis, were discussed. The results showed that the NO conversion of MIL‐88B(V) can be as high as 80 %, while those of MIL‐101(V) can only reach to 20 %, but the SCR reaction selectivity of both were excellent. The coordination structure and spatial topological structure of MOFs materials had a great influence on the coordination state, chemical state and surface properties of V ions, resulting in different SCR catalytic performance. The reaction performance of SCR was related to the structural properties of V3Ox units and followed the E‐R mechanism. The staggered and layer upon layer close‐packed structure of MIL‐88B(V) made the density of V3Ox unit cluster higher and the distance of adjacent V3Ox unit cluster smaller. More V5+ ions and V−O−V bonds can form more Brønsted acid sites, also was conducive to the progress of the SCR reaction. Although MIL‐88B(V) has insufficient high temperature stability, but its good SCR reaction selectivity and SCR catalytic performance at medium and low temperature can still have the application prospect of medium and low temperature industrial denitration in non‐electric industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the SCR properties of MIL‐88B(V) and MIL‐101(V) MOFs materials by hydrothermal synthesis were investigated, and the effect of the coordination and spatial topology of MOFs materials on the coordination state, chemical state and surface properties of V ions, as well as the relationship with SCR catalysis, were discussed. The results showed that the NO conversion of MIL‐88B(V) can be as high as 80 %, while those of MIL‐101(V) can only reach to 20 %, but the SCR reaction selectivity of both were excellent. The coordination structure and spatial topological structure of MOFs materials had a great influence on the coordination state, chemical state and surface properties of V ions, resulting in different SCR catalytic performance. The reaction performance of SCR was related to the structural properties of V3Ox units and followed the E‐R mechanism. The staggered and layer upon layer close‐packed structure of MIL‐88B(V) made the density of V3Ox unit cluster higher and the distance of adjacent V3Ox unit cluster smaller. More V5+ ions and V−O−V bonds can form more Brønsted acid sites, also was conducive to the progress of the SCR reaction. Although MIL‐88B(V) has insufficient high temperature stability, but its good SCR reaction selectivity and SCR catalytic performance at medium and low temperature can still have the application prospect of medium and low temperature industrial denitration in non‐electric industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent advances in noninvasive genetic sampling and spatial capture‐recapture (SCR) techniques are particularly useful for monitoring cryptic wildlife species such as carnivores. In southern Arizona, USA, coyotes (Canis latrans) are thought to negatively affect endangered Sonoran pronghorn (Antilocapra americana sonoriensis), although no estimates of coyote abundance or monitoring programs exist. Sonoran pronghorn are provided supplemental feed and water in this region, resulting in areas where pronghorn and other species are congregated. Because of the higher density of artificial water sources for Sonoran pronghorn on the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge (CPNWR), we predicted that coyote density would be higher relative to the Barry M. Goldwater Range (BMGR), where artificial water sources are less dense. We used discrete Bayesian SCR models in a local evaluation approach to provide baseline estimates of coyote abundance and understand how coyote density varied between 2 contrasting areas of land use. We identified 106 individuals from scat samples across 3 sessions in 2013 and 2014 and achieved high genotyping and individual identification success rates (~78%). Encounter rates at water catchments were nearly 11 times higher compared to road and trail transects. As predicted, we found that coyote density was on average 2 times higher on the CPNWR (11.2 coyotes/100 km2) compared to the BMGR (5.3 coyotes/100 km2). The local evaluation approach significantly reduced computational time, making the discrete Bayesian approach more practical to implement across a large study area. Our study represents an important contribution towards developing a robust monitoring program for coyotes. We hope that our novel implementation of the local evaluation approach increases the ability of wildlife managers to understand the effects of land use and other ecological influences on large carnivore populations. © 2020 The Wildlife Society. Even in areas of relatively low coyote density, our method of fecal DNA sampling provides a reliable method for monitoring coyote abundance and density and the use of a local evaluation approach further increases the use by saving time during analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

V2O5−WO3/TiO2 (VWTi) catalysts are widely employed for selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NOx. However, due to their poor thermal stability the application in diesel particulate filters (DPFs), i. e. 2‐way SCRonDPF is limited. In this study, the potential of Ce‐ and Fe‐doped VWTi systems for hydrocarbon and soot oxidation in addition to the SCR activity was systematically investigated for fresh and thermally aged samples. The formation of metal vanadates upon thermal aging, as identified by X‐ray diffraction, Raman and X‐ray adsorption spectroscopy, prevents drastic sintering of the support and maintains a high NOx−SCR and hydrocarbon oxidation activity. Additionally, the doped VWTi catalysts show a slight increase of the CO2 selectivity during hydrocarbon oxidation, which represents an important aspect for such multifunctional catalysts. Despite of the advantages, the formation of metal vanadates hinders the mobility of vanadium species and decreases the soot oxidation ability of the doped catalysts. Interestingly, a promising soot oxidation activity was identified for the VWTi−Fe sample after aging at 650 °C, which resulted in decomposition of the iron vanadate and generation of highly dispersed and mobile V2O5. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advances in mobile and wireless technology have expanded the scope of electrodermal research. Since traditional electrodermal measurement sites are not always suitable for laboratory research and are rarely appropriate for ambulatory measurements, there is a need to explore and contrast alternate measurement locations. We evaluated bilateral electrodermal activity (EDA) from five measurement sites (fingers, feet, wrists, shoulders, and calves). In a counterbalanced, randomized, within‐subjects design study, participants (N = 115) engaged in a 4‐min‐long breathing exercise and were exposed to emotionally laden and neutral stimuli. High within‐subject correlations were found between the EDA measured from fingers bilaterally (r =.89), between the left fingers and both feet (r =.72). Moderate correlations were found between EDA measured from the left fingers and wrists (r =.30 and r =.33), low correlations between the left fingers and the shoulders (r = −.03 and r = −.06) or calves (r =.05 and r =.14). Response latency was the shortest on the fingers while it was the longest on the lower body. Short response windows would miss some of the responses from the palmar surfaces and a substantial number from other evaluated locations. The fingers and the feet are the most reliable locations to measure from, followed by the wrists. We suggest setting site‐specific response windows for different measurement locations. An investigation of repeatability showed that within‐subject correlations, response frequencies, response amplitudes show a similar pattern from the first measurement time to a later one. We evaluated measurement locations regarding the measured skin conductance level, response magnitude, response frequency, response latency, and compared them to measurements obtained from the nondominant fingers. The fingers and the feet are the most reliable locations to measure from, followed by the wrists. In addition to this we propose that response windows for the detection of electrodermal responses should be site‐specific. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suggested mechanisms for NH3−SCR on V2O5/TiO2 based catalysts contain both oxidized and reduced vanadium species. The degree of reduction and the importance of the redox properties of the catalyst are however still widely discussed. Here we show the presence of significant amounts of oxidovanadium(IV), VO2+ using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy of V2O5/TiO2 and V2O5/WO3/TiO2 under operando selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO with NH3 in a fixed bed plug flow reactor operating at high space velocity: 420,000 h−1. The V(IV) content at the completely oxidized and reduced states is also analyzed. It is found that a significant part of the vanadium is reduced to the EPR active species, VO2+ at operando SCR conditions and even more when O2 is removed from the SCR gas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the emissions of a single‐cylinder diesel engine fueled with biodiesel, using selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) techniques. The aim of this paper is to compare both EGR and SCR techniques, which were studied under different brake powers. Grape seed biodiesel was used as a test fuel. Experiments were performed by both techniques at different loads and rates to find out the performance change in the engine and the change in the emission rates using both the techniques. Then the observations from both the techniques were compared, concluding that both the techniques show a sufficient reduction in NOx. Using the abovementioned techniques, a reduction in hydrocarbon (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and smoke was observed. The EGR technique is more suitable for low‐load engine vehicles, as it affects the efficiency of the engine with an increase in the fuel consumption, whereas the SCR technique is suitable for high‐load engines, which do not affect the efficiency of the engine with a decrease in the fuel consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To effectively manage wildlife populations, it is essential to reliably estimate their abundance. This is particularly the case for small, isolated populations, which are vulnerable to extirpation. Lake Nakuru National Park in Kenya is one such small, isolated area where an introduced population of African lions (Panthera leo) is vulnerable to genetic degradation and catastrophic events. A founder population of six individuals was introduced between 1984 and 1992, with no further recorded immigration. We used Bayesian spatially‐explicit capture–recapture models to estimate lion density and abundance based on unstructured spatial sampling. For individuals over the age of 1 year, posterior mean lion density was estimated to be 6.75 (mode = 5.93, posterior SD = 0.92) individuals/100 km2, with a mean abundance of 11.37 (mode = 10, posterior SD = 1.54), and a sex ratio of 1.38♀:1♂. Previous reports provided abundance figures much higher than ours. However, our estimates are the result of the first scientifically robust survey and we discuss why they should be viewed as a baseline rather than being suggestive of population decline, and how the discrepancy highlights the need for regular systematic surveys using a standardized framework. Given the small population size and prolonged genetic isolation, we provide long‐term management recommendations to secure this lion population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accumulation of waste plastics and their disposal have been a perennial problem across the globe and conversion of waste plastic into useful fuel could solve the global problems of environmental pollution and fast depletion of fossil reserves. Emissions control in internal combustion engines can be achieved through fuel modification, engine modification, or by tailpipe gas treatment. The concept of tailpipe gas treatment is comparatively easier owing to a little or no engine modification requirement and one among them is selective catalytic reduction (SCR). In the present study, an attempt has been made to control NO emission of a plastic oil‐fuelled CI engine through fuel modification as well as exhaust after‐treatment technique. Waste plastics have been converted to plastic oil (PO) through pyrolysis process and investigation has been carried out in a four‐stroke, mono barrel diesel engine fueled with diesel‐PO blend (50:50), added with antioxidant phenylenediamine. The engine is incorporated with the SCR technique through the injection of water urea solution in the tailpipe at 0.2 lit/min to examine the engine performance and NO and other emissions reduction potential. The test results revealed that oil generated through waste plastic could be a good substitute to fossil diesel, and the combined effect of antioxidant addition and incorporation of the SCR technique is very effective in reducing NO emission to the tune of 66% without much compromise in the engine brake thermal efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Early assessment of renal allograft function post‐transplantation is crucial to minimize and control allograft rejection. Biopsy — the gold standard — is used only as a last resort due to its invasiveness, high cost, adverse events (e.g., bleeding, infection, etc.), and the time for reporting. To overcome these limitations, a renal computer‐assisted diagnostic (Renal‐CAD) system was developed to assess kidney transplant function. Methods: The developed Renal‐CAD system integrates data collected from two image‐based sources and two clinical‐based sources to assess renal transplant function. The imaging sources were the apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) extracted from 47 diffusion‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW‐MRI) scans at 11 different b‐values (b0, b50, b100,..., b1000 s/mm2), and the transverse relaxation rate (R2*) extracted from 30 blood oxygen level‐dependent MRI (BOLD‐MRI) scans at 5 different echo times (TEs = 2, 7, 12, 17, and 22 ms). Serum creatinine (SCr) and creatinine clearance (CrCl) were the clinical sources for kidney function evaluation. The Renal‐CAD system initially performed kidney segmentation using the level‐set method, followed by estimation of the ADCs from DW‐MRIs and the R2* from BOLD‐MRIs. ADCs and R2* estimates from 30 subjects that have both types of scans were integrated with their associated SCr and CrCl. The integrated biomarkers were then used as our discriminatory features to train and test a deep learning‐based classifier, namely stacked autoencoders (SAEs) to differentiate non‐rejection (NR) from acute rejection (AR) renal transplants. Results: Using a leave‐one‐subject‐out cross‐validation approach along with SAEs, the Renal‐CAD system demonstrated 93.3% accuracy, 90.0% sensitivity, and 95.0% specificity in differentiating AR from NR. Robustness of the Renal‐CAD system was also confirmed by the area under the curve value of 0.92. Using a stratified tenfold cross‐validation approach, the Renal‐CAD system demonstrated its reproducibility and robustness by a diagnostic accuracy of 86.7%, sensitivity of 80.0%, specificity of 90.0%, and AUC of 0.88. Conclusion: The obtained results demonstrate the feasibility and efficacy of accurate, noninvasive identification of AR at an early stage using the Renal‐CAD system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low‐rank activated coke (AC) is widely used for industrial flue gas purification due to its multipollutant cooperative removal capability. To enhance the denitrification capacity of AC for the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO with NH3, several transition metal (Fe, Mn, Ce, V) oxides were uniformly loaded into AC by solvent impregnation. Compared to untreated AC, modified AC showed excellent denitrification efficiency above 90%. N2 adsorption‐desorption and Raman spectroscopy techniques were used to characterize the pore size distribution and crystal structure of AC samples. The introduction of transition metal oxides had little effect on the pore structure of AC but increased the nitrogen‐containing functional groups, which facilitated NO removal. Moreover, x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to analyze the valence changes of metal elements before and after denitrification. After the reaction, the content increase of the low‐valence metal oxides indicated that the transition metal oxides were involved in the reaction of NO with NH3. High‐valence metal oxides oxidized NO to NO2, which reacts more easily with NH3, thereby increasing the denitrification efficiency. Importantly, in the presence of SO2, modified AC still presented high denitrification performance. This transition metal oxides doping method can effectively improve the ability of low‐rank AC to remove NO in multi‐contaminant flue gas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current state‐of‐the‐art NH3‐SCR technology based on vanadium catalysts suffers problems associated with NH3 slip and poisoning of the catalyst and blockage of heat recovery steam generators (HRSG). If environmentally‐friendly catalysts capable of efficient operation at lower temperatures could be developed that used a reductant other than NH3, the issues with current state‐of‐the‐art SCR could be significantly lessened. Hence, in this study, activated carbon (AC) supported copper oxide‐based catalysts for SCR while using C2H4 as a reductant was discussed. Reaction testing of catalysts demonstrated high initial NO conversion with steeply declining activity over 2 h of testing when C2H4 was used as the reductant; in comparison, with the same catalyst and NH3 as the reductant, stable, long‐term NO conversion was achieved, but at a lower rate than the initial reactivity with C2H4. As a consequence, catalyst characterization studies were performed to assess deactivation mechanisms when C2H4 was the reductant. These studies included x‐ray diffraction, BET surface area and porosity, temperature programmed reduction, scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy of both fresh and deactivated catalysts. The analytical results showed the surface area and porosity of the catalyst remained unchanged and the initially highly‐dispersed Cu species became agglomerated and more crystalline during reaction testing. Furthermore, carbon black was also detected on the catalyst surface after testing, presumably formed during the decomposition of C2H4. Both agglomeration of the active Cu species and blockage by carbon deposits would decrease the availability of active sites and lead to decreased catalytic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial capture–recapture (SCR) methods have become widely applied in ecology. The immediate adoption of SCR is due to the fact that it resolves some major criticisms of traditional capture–recapture methods related to heterogeneity in detectabililty, and the emergence of new technologies (e.g. camera traps, non‐invasive genetics) that have vastly improved our ability to collection spatially explicit observation data on individuals. However, the utility of SCR methods reaches far beyond simply convenience and data availability. SCR presents a formal statistical framework that can be used to test explicit hypotheses about core elements of population and landscape ecology, and has profound implications for how we study animal populations. In this software note, we describe the technical basis and analytical workflow of oSCR, an R package for analyzing spatial encounter history data using a multi‐session sex‐structured likelihood. The impetus for developing oSCR was to create an accessible and transparent analysis tool that allows users to conveniently and intuitively formulate statistical models that map directly to fundamental processes of interest in spatial population ecology (e.g. space use, resource selection, density and connectivity). We have placed an emphasis on creating a transparent and accessible code base that is coupled with a logical workflow that we hope stimulates active participation in further technical developments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatially explicit capture–recapture methods use data from the detection of marked animals at known points in space to estimate animal population density without bias from edge effects. Detection is by means of stationary devices such as traps, automatic cameras or DNA hair snags. Data collection is often expensive, and it is not obvious how to optimize the frequency of sampling and the spatial layout of detectors. Results from a pilot study may be extrapolated by simulation to predict the effectiveness of different configurations of multiple detectors, but simulation is slow and requires technical expertise.Another approach for evaluating novel designs is to compute intermediate variables such as the expected number of detected individuals E(n) and expected number of recapture events E(r), and to seek relationships between these variables and quantities of interest such as precision and power.We present formulae for the expected counts and power. For many scenarios the relative standard error (RSE) of estimated density is close to 1/min{E(n),E(r)}, and for maximum precision E(n) ≈ E(r). We compare the approximation for RSE(D^) with more rigorous results from simulation.Computation of E(n) and E(r) is deterministic and much faster than simulation, so it is readily included in interactive software for designing studies with enough power to answer ecological questions. The related approximation for RSE(D^) is adequate for many purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reactivity with a NO/NH3 mixture of Cu‐nitrate complexes formed on the surface of a Cu−CHA catalyst active in the Selective Catalytic Reduction of NOx with NH3 (NH3−SCR) was followed at 50 °C by in situ spectroscopic techniques. The catalyst (Si/Al=15; Cu/Al=0.5) was first exposed to NO/O2 (mimicking the SCR oxidative half‐cycle), mainly resulting in the formation of chelating bidentate framework‐interacting CuII‐nitrates. These intermediates were gradually detached from the framework in the presence of NO/NH3 (or NH3 alone), forming mixed‐ligand mobile [CuII(NH3)3(NO3)]+ complexes, with infrared bands at 1624 (δNH3), 1430 and 1325 cm−1 (monodentate nitrate νNO2asym and νNO2sym, respectively). X‐ray absorption and Diffuse Reflectance UV‐Vis spectroscopies showed that during this transformation the CuII/CuI reduction, observed under similar conditions at 200 °C, hardly occurred. DFT calculations confirmed the stability of nitrate ligands in the monodentate conformation in [CuII(NH3)3(NO3)]+ complexes when solvated by ammonia. The resulting structure was successfully used to fit the corresponding experimental EXAFS spectra. The gradual change of ligands in the CuII coordination sphere was confirmed by the blue shifts of both d-d and Ligand to Metal Charge Transfer bands in Diffuse Reflectance UV‐Vis spectra, with formation of features (27500, 32000 and 38000 cm−1) ascribable to the mixed‐ligand configuration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new numerical method is proposed and analyzed for the Allen–Cahn (AC) equation. We divide the AC equation into linear section and nonlinear section based on the idea of operator splitting. For the linear part, it is discretized by using the Crank–Nicolson scheme and solved by finite element method. The nonlinear part is solved accurately. In addition, a posteriori error estimator of AC equation is constructed in adaptive computation based on superconvergent cluster recovery. According to the proposed a posteriori error estimator, we design an adaptive algorithm for the AC equation. Numerical examples are also presented to illustrate the effectiveness of our adaptive procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The limited chemical shift range of protons and pairwise interaction among all the abundant nuclear spins of a molecule makes 1H spectrum too complicated. As a consequence, the straightforward analysis and the accurate extraction of their interaction strengths from the 1H spectrum of a complex spin system are formidably difficult or often impossible. This problem persists in the determination of scalar couplings be it between two abundant homonuclear spins or between 1H and an abundant heteronuclear spin (viz., 19F and 31P). Such problems are encountered in many situations where the determination of homonuclear and heteronuclear couplings is challenging. The several pure shift based one‐dimensional and two‐dimensional NMR strategies recently developed in our laboratory for the straightforward extraction of homonuclear and heteronuclear interaction parameters in diverse situations are discussed. Initially, the unique application of pure shift technique that paves the way for easy and straightforward extraction of magnitudes of heteronuclear couplings, namely, nJHX (where X stands for 19F, 31P, etc.), is discussed. Subsequently, several pure shift edited one‐dimensional and two‐dimensional NMR strategies that are developed for the direct extraction of homonuclear and heteronuclear couplings and for achieving ultra‐high‐resolved 1H spectra with complete eradication of zero frequency peaks and the evolution of unwanted couplings. The enhancement in the sensitivity has also been achieved in the slice‐selective pure shift experiments by the rapid acquisition of proton spectrum where the polarization from the adjacent protons is transferred to the selectively excited proton. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The catalytic performances of various transition metal (M = Cu, Mn, and Ni) cobaltites prepared by the nanocasting method were investigated for the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO under lean burn conditions. KIT‐6 was used as a hard template in the nanocasting method for preparation of catalysts. The catalyst samples were characterized by various techniques such as XRD, low‐temperature N2 physisorption, SEM‐EDS, and XPS. The catalysts were examined for the SCR of NO by NH3 and H2‐LPG in a packed bed tubular flow reactor under the following reaction conditions: 500 ppm NO, 8 % O2, (0.1 % NH3) or (1000 ppm LPG, 1 % H2) in Ar with 200 mg catalyst. The inlet and outlet gases of the reactor were analyzed by an Eco Physics CLD 62 chemiluminescence NO/NOx analyzer and online GC. NO and NO2 measurements were done by an Eco Physics CLD 62 chemiluminescence NO/NOx analyzer. Two separate GCs equipped with Porapak Q/capillary columns and FID/ECD detectors were used to analyze the hydrocarbons/−N2O respectively. The addition of 1 % H2 with LPG promoted NO reduction at a remarkably low temperature. It was found that the nature of the dispersed metal strongly affects the light‐off temperature (52 °C) and enhances NO conversion. The oxygen‐deficient MnCo2O4 spinel structure enhanced NO reduction (87.1 %) at a lower temperature of 250 °C as compared to Cu and Ni cobaltites using H2‐LPG‐SCR. The H2‐LPG reductant showed the best de‐NOx activity and the order of catalyst activity followed the sequence: MnCo2O4 > CuCo2O4 > NiCo2O4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In a urea selective catalytic reduction (urea‐SCR) system for diesel engines, the atomization, evaporation, and mixing conditions of urea water solution (UWS) play a crucial role for NOX conversion and ammonia slip in the SCR process. In this paper, a series of novel mixing modules were proposed to improve UWS evaporation, mixing, and distribution for NOX reduction in the SCR system. Experimental investigations were conducted on the performances of the existing and developed mixing modules under various engine test conditions, including particle size test, NOX conversion efficiency, flow bench tests, etc. To determine ammonia slip, the urea and ammonia distribution patterns were constructed and the non‐uniformity index was then calculated. Compared with the baseline (without mixing module) and existing mixing module, the NOX conversion efficiency of the SCR system with a developed mixing module is improved by 37.7 and 14.1 % at maximum, respectively. Furthermore, ammonia slip and distribution are ameliorated significantly with low‐pressure drops simultaneously. Among the mixing modules, Concept 3 design exhibits superior performance under the engine test conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Monitoring the response of wild mammal populations to threatening processes is fundamental to effective conservation management. This is especially true for infectious diseases, which may have dynamic and therefore unpredictable interactions with their host. We investigate the long‐term impact of a transmissible cancer, devil facial tumour disease (DFTD), on the endemic Tasmanian devil. We analyse trends in devil spotlight counts and density across the area impacted by the disease. We investigate the demographic parameters which might be driving these trends, and use spatial capture‐recapture models to examine whether DFTD has affected home range size. We found that devils have declined by an average of 77% in areas affected by DFTD, and that there is a congruent trend of ongoing small decline in spotlight counts and density estimates. Despite this, devils have persisted to date within each of nine monitoring sites. One site is showing as yet unexplained small increases in density 8–10 years after the emergence of DFTD. We also found the prevalence of DFTD has not abated despite large declines in density and that diseased sites continue to be dominated by young devils. The long‐term impact of the disease has been partially offset by increased fecundity in the form of precocial breeding in 1‐year‐old females, and more pouch young per female in diseased sites. The lower densities resulting from DFTD did not affect home range size. Synthesis and applications. Transmission of devil facial tumour disease continues despite large declines in devil density over multiple generations. Plasticity in life history traits has ameliorated the impact of devil facial tumour disease, however broad‐scale trends in density show ongoing decline. In light of this, devil facial tumour disease and the impact of stochastic events on the reduced densities wrought by the disease, continue to threaten devils. In the absence of methods to manage disease in wild populations, we advocate managing the low population densities resulting from disease rather than disease per se. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first generation of digital-cinema projectors has now been deployed into the majority of movie theaters around the world. The illumination technology used for that first generation was xenon lamps. When that choice was made xenon was the only viable technology that could achieve digital cinema's goals. Today, cinema has a new set of challenges and a new set of technologies to choose from. Now that laser and laser-phosphor are mainstream illumination technologies cinema-projection engineers have an entirely new set of design decisions to make. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the impact of phase‐locked loop (PLL) and DC‐side voltage controller on small‐signal dynamics of the high‐voltage direct‐current (HVDC) inverter station system which utilises line commutated converter (LCC) technology. The studies are conducted based on eigenanalysis of a linearised model of a study system and verified by time‐domain simulation studies in the PSCAD platform. The studies show that under weak grid conditions, e.g. short‐circuit ratio (SCR) = 1, parameters of PLL and DC‐side voltage controller of the LCC‐HVDC station can highly impact the damping of the oscillatory modes and even cause instability. The studies also show that the voltage control parameters can be selected to prevent PLL‐induced instability. The studies also (i) show that maximum available power and critical SCR are highly affected by PLL and DC‐side voltage control and (ii) propose a procedure to systematically determine these indices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The embodiment of the NOx selective catalytic reduction (SCR) functionality in a diesel particulate filter (DPF), so-called SCR-on-Filter (SCRoF), is investigated through numerical modeling with SCR kinetics corresponding to Cu-Chabazite and Fe-ZSM5 catalysts. The results of the simulations of the SCR activity, performed in the absence and presence of soot, indicate that the presence of soot negligibly affects the NOx conversion efficiency, given the slow dynamics of passive regeneration. Conversely, the reduction in cake thickness by soot passive oxidation is significantly different in the absence of SCR activity (uncatalyzed DPF) compared to that in its presence (SCRoF). In fact, in the SCRoF only 60-80% of the original soot consumption obtained in the absence of SCR reaction over 1 h can be achieved. Individual Cu-Chabazite and Fe-ZSM5 catalysts, as well as in-series layers of the two catalysts, are investigated to devise the widest temperature window for SCRoF. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 63: 238-248, 2017 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maximum available power (MAP) is an index for analyzing power‐voltage stability in high‐voltage direct current (HVdc) converters. Earlier work on calculating MAP for voltage sourced converters (VSC) was not consistent with the methods used for line commutated converters (LCC). The Thévenin voltage source used in VSC‐HVdc analysis was set to 1.0 pu, but for LCC‐HVdc, it was calculated so as to provide rated conditions at the converter busbar. This study attempts to rationalize the approaches used for VSC‐HVdc and LCC‐HVdc calculations by making them mutually consistent. However, as the VSC can operate at much lower short‐circuit ratio (SCR) than can the LCC, the Thévenin equivalent voltage at low SCRs can be significantly larger than 1.0 pu. This would require an unreasonably large tap changer setting. As an alternative, the paper recommends that for calculating MAP for a VSC, an ac network equivalent be used where some reactive power is locally supplied by shunt capacitors. This renders a Thévenin voltage close to 1.0 pu. This study also considers the impact of the VSC's internal voltage limits on the MAP. The key results are validated using electromagnetic transients simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new structure for an advanced high holding voltage silicon controlled rectifier (AHHVSCR) is proposed. The proposed new structure specifically for an AHHVSCR-based electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit can protect integrated circuits from ESD stress. The new structure involves the insertion of a PMOS into an AHHVSCR so as to prevent a state of latch-up from occurring due to a low holding voltage. We use a TACD simulation to conduct a comparative analysis of three types of circuit -- (i) an AHHVSCR-based ESD protection circuit having the proposed new structure (that is, a PMOS inserted into the AHHVSCR), (ii) a standard AHHVSCR-based ESD protection circuit, and (iii) a standard HHVSCR-based ESD protection circuit. A circuit having the proposed new structure is fabricated using 0.18 µm Bipolar-CMOS-DMOS technology. The fabricated circuit is also evaluated using Transmission- Line Pulse measurements to confirm its electrical characteristics, and human-body model and machine model tests are used to confirm its robustness. The fabricated circuit has a holding voltage of 18.78 V and a second breakdown current of more than 8 A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, MOS-triggered silicon-controlled rectifier (SCR)-based electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuits for mobile application in 3.3 V I/O and SCR-based ESD protection circuits with floating N+/P+ diffusion regions for inverter and light-emitting diode driver applications in 20 V power clamps were designed. The breakdown voltage is induced by a grounded-gate NMOS (ggNMOS) in the MOS-triggered SCR-based ESD protection circuit for 3.3 V I/O. This lowers the breakdown voltage of the SCR by providing a trigger current to the P-well of the SCR. However, the operation resistance is increased compared to SCR, because additional diffusion regions increase the overall resistance of the protection circuit. To overcome this problem, the number of ggNMOS fingers was increased. The ESD protection circuit for the power clamp application at 20 V had a breakdown voltage of 23 V; the product of a high holding voltage by the N+/P+ floating diffusion region. The trigger voltage was improved by the partial insertion of a P-body to narrow the gap between the trigger and holding voltages. The ESD protection circuits for low- and high-voltage applications were designed using 0.18 µm Bipolar-CMOS-DMOS technology, with 100 µm width. Electrical characteristics and robustness are analyzed by a transmission line pulse measurement and an ESD pulse generator (ESS-6008). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shapes of skin conductance ( SC) and skin potential ( SP) responses are often similar, but can also be very different due to an unexplained cause. Using a new method to measure SC and SP simultaneously at the same electrode, this difference was investigated in a new way by comparing their temporal peak differences. SC, SP, skin susceptance ( SS), and transepidermal water loss ( TEWL) were recorded from 40 participants during relaxation and stress. The SP response could peak anywhere between the onset of an SC response to some time after the peak of an SC response. This peak time difference was associated with the magnitude of the SCR, the hydration of the skin, and the filling of the sweat ducts. Interpretation of the results in light of existing biophysical theories suggests that this peak difference may indicate the hydraulic capacity state of the sweat ducts at the time of a response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]