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Urban morphology is a crucial contributor to urban heat island (UHI) effects. However, few studies have explored the complex effect of 2D/3D urban morphology on UHIs from a multiscale perspective. In this study, we chose the central area of Jinan city, which is commonly known as the "furnace," as the case study area. The 2D/3D urban morphology indexes-building coverage ratio (BCR) (for assessing the 2D building density), building volume density (BVD) (for assessing the 3D building density), and frontal area index (FAI) (for assessing 3D ventilation conditions) were calculated and derived to investigate the complexity of the relationship between 2D/3D urban morphology and the land surface temperature (LST) at different scales using the maximum information coefficient (MIC) and geographically weighted regression (GWR). The results indicated that (1) these 2D/3D urban morphology indexes are essential factors that are responsible for LST variation, and BCR is the most important urban morphology index affecting LST, followed by BVD and FAI. Importantly, the relationship between the BCR, BVD, FAI, and LST was an inverse U-shaped curve. (2) The relationship between 2D/3D urban morphology and LST variation showed a significant scale effect. With increased grid size, the correlation between the BCR, BVD, and FAI and the LST strengthened, "inflection point" of inverse U-shaped curve significantly declined, and their explanation rate of the LST first increased and then decreased, with a maximum value at the 700 m scale. Additionally, the FAI exerted a stronger negative effect, while the BCR and BVD generally had stronger positive effects on the LST as the grid size increased. This study extends our scientific understanding of the complex effect of urban morphology on the LST and is of great practical significance for multiscale urban thermal environment regulation.

Objectives We quantify 3-D microarchitectural properties of femoral head cancellous bones from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA, n ​= ​12), osteoarthritis (OA, n ​= ​15), osteoporosis (OP, n ​= ​24), or donor controls (CNT, n ​= ​8); and investigate their rod- and plate-like trabecular morphometric properties of trabecular bone tissues and compare these properties between them. Methods Femoral heads were harvested during total hip replacement surgeries or collected from donors. Four cubic cancellous bone samples produced from each femoral head were micro-CT scanned to quantify their microarchitectural and rod- and plate-like trabecular properties. The samples were then tested in compression to determine mechanical properties. Results The microarchitectural properties of femoral head cancellous bone revealed significant differences among the 4 groups, but not between RA and OA. Bone volume fraction was significantly greater in the RA and the OA than in the OP and the CNT. Structure model index was significantly lower in the RA and the OA than in the OP. Number of rods in the RA was significantly greater than in the other 3 groups. Number of plates and plate volume density in the RA and the OA were significantly greater than in the OP and the CNT. Mechanical properties were significantly greater in the RA and the OA than in the OP. The single best determinant for mechanical properties was bone volume fraction. Conclusions This study demonstrates significant differences in 3-D microarchitectural properties and rod- and plate-like trabecular morphometric properties among patients with RA, OA, or OP. The RA and OA cancellous bones displayed similar patterns of microarchitectural degeneration and pronounced different microarchitectures from the OP. The OP group revealed the weakest cancellous bone strength, while the RA and OA groups exhibited a compensatory effect that maintains bone tissues, and hence mechanical properties. The translational potential of this article The study enhances the understanding of microarchitectural degeneration of diseased cancellous bone. The OP group had the weakest cancellous bone strength, while the RA and OA groups exhibited a compensatory effect that maintains bone tissues, and hence mechanical properties. These results are particularly important for design and survival of joint prosthesis.

Hierarchical structural composites were prepared by combining Al2O3–SiO2 aerogel with alumina frameworks. The alumina framework, which acted as matrix, was composed of interlocked hexagonal alumina platelets. The Al2O3–SiO2 aerogel was led into the matrix by vacuum impregnation method. The results of this research demonstrated that the introduction of Al2O3–SiO2 aerogel resulted in an increase of the specific surface area and of the compression strength. The volume density, apparent porosity, specific surface area and compression strength of the Al2O3–SiO2 aerogel/alumina framework composite were 1.29 g/cm3, 63.1%, 57.8 m2/g and ~21 MPa, respectively. The hierarchical porous structure and properties of the proposed composite material demonstrate its suitability for catalyst supporting applications at high reaction temperatures.

The necessity of further development or improvement of protective equipment based on the use of ordinary rock with special design features for effective maintenance of preparatory workings behind stoping face during underground coal mining in the conditions of mines in the Ukrainian Donbass is justified. The mechanism of formation of load-bearing rock structures is considered, as well as the factors that affect their stability are analyzed, and the most influential of them are identified. To establish the rational parameters of these structures, analytical studies were carried out to study the features of load transfer in rock structures. For this purpose, analytical models were proposed for composing equations for the boundary equilibrium of elementary volumes over the height and width of a rock embankment with lateral resistance. The solution of differential equations made it possible to establish analytical dependences of stresses in the rock structure on the main factors affecting: the value of the load on the structure, its height and width, the angle of internal friction of the embedded material and its volume density. It is established that stresses decrease exponentially in the height and width of ordinary rock structures. The established regularities make it possible to determine the amount of required resistance to the side walls to ensure the stability of rock structures, taking into account the main influencing factors.

Although compost is widely used as an organic soil amendment or conditioner, little is known of how it affects the characteristics or interactions among soil constituents. To address this, mixture theory was used to describe the mass–volume–density–porosity attributes and interactions among bulk soil, the mineral constituent, and the organic matter constituent of a sandy loam soil in a no-till corn field that had received one-time additions of yard waste compost at rates of 0 (control), 64, 154, and 380 dry t ha−1. Bulk density (BD, 0–10 cm depth) decreased consistently and near-linearly with increasing soil organic matter (SOM) mass fraction (FOM) for all six growing seasons (2012–2017) after compost addition. Fitting mixture theory expressions to BD vs. FOMdata and to soil particle density vs. FOMdata for 2013–2017 yielded constant mineral and SOM self-packing densities of DM = 1.673 Mg m−3and DO = 0.335 Mg m−3, respectively, and constant mineral and SOM particle densities of ρM = 2.760 Mg m−3and ρO = 1.409 Mg m−3, respectively. On a self-packing basis, soil mineral and SOM domain porosities were constants at nM = 0.39 and nO = 0.76, respectively. On a bulk soil volume basis, soil mineral and SOM porosities and volume ratios were linear functions of FOM. The porosity and volume characteristics of the SOM domain differed substantially from those of bulk soil and the mineral domain, and may therefore control the agri-environmental performance of soil, given that organic matter influences soil functioning more than mineral matter.

We measure the gas disc thicknesses of the edge-on galaxy NGC 4013 and the less edge-on galaxies (NGC 4157 and 5907) using CO (CARMA/OVRO) and/or HI (EVLA) observations. We also estimate the scale heights of stars and/or the star formation rate (SFR) for our sample of five galaxies using Spitzer IR data (3.6 $\mu$m and 24 $\mu$m). We derive the average volume densities of the gas and the SFR using the measured scale heights along with radial surface density profiles. Using the volume density that is more physically relevant to the SFR than the surface density, we investigate the existence of a volumetric star formation law (SFL), how the volumetric SFL is different from the surface-density SFL, and how the gas pressure regulates the SFR based on our galaxy sample. We find that the volumetric and surface SFLs in terms of the total gas have significantly different slopes, while the volumetric and surface SFLs in terms of the molecular gas do not show any noticeable difference. The volumetric SFL for the total gas has a flatter power-law slope of 1.26 with a smaller scatter of 0.19 dex compared to the slope (2.05) and the scatter (0.25 dex) of the surface SFL. The molecular gas SFLs have similar slopes of 0.78 (volume density) and 0.77 (surface density) with the same rms scatter. We show that the interstellar gas pressure is strongly correlated with the SFR but find no significant difference between the correlations based on the volume and surface densities., Comment: 19 pages, 18 figures, Accepted for publication in MNRAS

In this study volume density of gray and white matter of cervical segments of spinal cords of rats were investigated using stereological method. Twelve male Wistar albino rats were used in the study as two different age groups 1 month and 5 months. All animals were fixed by perfusing 10% buffered formalin. Rats were dissected and spinal cords of rats were removed. In the study cervical segments of 1 and 5 months age rats were obtained. One of the first 15 section were selected randomly when the sections were taken. And following every 50th section was determined by systematic random sampling. Thus, 8-10 sections of 5µm thickness were obtained from cervical segments of each animal’s medulla spinalis. These sections were stained by hemotoxylin eosin and they were photographed at microscope. Densities of volumes of all tissue of cervical segments of whole spinal cord and white and gray matters were calculated using dotted area ruler by Cavalieri Principle. SHTEREOM 1.5 package programme was used for counting dotted area. In addition, the volume vales of total cervical segment, volume values of the white matter and the gray matter and the ratios of these volume values to each other were evaluated in the study.

The aim of the research was to studying histological and some morphomethrics feathers of the liver and related with them lethality during experimental complete and partial obstruction of the extrahepatic bile ducts (COEHBD and POEHBD). Materials and methods. The experiment was included 83 rats that were sacrificed on the 3rd, 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th and 35th days. COEHBD was modeled by ligation and transaction of the common bile duct, POEHBD was modeled by ligation of the common bile duct with a needle of a given diameter. Histological analyses of the liver was performed together with morphometric study. Results. The death of rats occurs during the first 3 days of the experiment and after 14 days, with a predominance of mortality on 14-35 days compared to the period up to 14 days (p

The volume density of vehicles is a problem that often occurs in every city, as for the impact of vehicle density is congestion. Classification of vehicle density levels on certain roads is required because there are at least 7 vehicle density level conditions. Monitoring conducted by the police, the Department of Transportation and the organizers of the road currently using video-based surveillance such as CCTV that is still monitored by people manually. Deep Learning is an approach of synthetic neural network-based learning machines that are actively developed and researched lately because it has succeeded in delivering good results in solving various soft-computing problems, This research uses the convolutional neural network architecture. This research tries to change the supporting parameters on the convolutional neural network to further calibrate the maximum accuracy. After the experiment changed the parameters, the classification model was tested using K-fold cross-validation, confusion matrix and model exam with data testing. On the K-fold cross-validation test with an average yield of 92.83% with a value of K (fold) = 5, model testing is done by entering data testing amounting to 100 data, the model can predict or classify correctly i.e. 81 data.

The continuously increasing trend of natural gas (NG) consumption due to its clean nature and abundant availability indicates an inevitable transition to an NG-dominated economy. Solidified natural gas (SNG) storage via combustible ice or clathrate hydrates presents an economically sound prospect, promising high volume density and long-term storage. Herein, we establish 1,3-dioxolane (DIOX) as a highly efficient dual-action (thermodynamic and kinetic promoter) additive for the formation of clathrate (methane sII) hydrate. By synergistically combining a small concentration (300 ppm) of the kinetic promoter L-tryptophan with DIOX, we further demonstrated the ultra-rapid formation of hydrates with a methane uptake of 83.81 (±0.77) volume of gas/volume of hydrate (v/v) within 15 min. To the best of our knowledge, this is the fastest reaction time reported to date for sII hydrates related to SNG technology and represents a 147% increase in the hydrate formation rate compared to the standard water–DIOX system. Mixed methane–DIOX hydrates in pelletized form also exhibited incredible stability when stored at atmospheric pressure and moderate temperature of 268.15 K, thereby showcasing the potential to be industrially applicable for the development of a large-scale NG storage system.

Motivated by the high speed but insufficient precision of the existing fast point feature histogram algorithm, a new fast point feature histogram registration algorithm based on density optimization is proposed. In this method, a 44-section blank feature histogram is first established, and then a principal component analysis is implemented to calculate the normal of each point in the point cloud. By translating the coordinate system in the established local coordinate system, the normal angle of each point pair and its weighted neighborhood are obtained, and then a fast point feature histogram with 33 sections is established. The reciprocal of the volume density for the central point and its weighted neighborhood are calculated simultaneously. The whole reciprocal space is divided into 11 sections. Thus, a density fast point feature histogram with 44 sections is obtained. On inputting the testing models, the initial pose of the point cloud is adjusted using the traditional fast point feature histogram and the proposed algorithms, respectively. Then, the iterative closest point algorithm is incorporated to complete the fine registration test. Compared with the traditional fine registration test algorithm, the proposed optimization algorithm can obtain 44 feature parameters under the condition of a constant time complexity. Moreover, the proposed optimization algorithm can reduce the standard deviation by 8.6% after registration. This demonstrates that the proposed method encapsulates abundant information and can achieve a high registration accuracy.

This article introduces a kind of composite material made of kapok fibre and polycaprolactone by the hot-pressing method. The effects of volume density, mass fraction of kapok fibre, and thickness on the sound-absorption performance of composites were researched using a single-factor experiment. The sound-absorption performance of the composites was investigated by the transfer function method. Under the optimal process parameters, when the density of the composite material was 0.172 g/cm3, the mass fraction of kapok was 40%, and the thickness was 2 cm, the composite material reached the maximum sound-absorption coefficient of 0.830, and when the sound-absorption frequency was 6300 Hz, the average sound-absorption coefficient was 0.520, and the sound-absorption band was wide. This research used the box dimension method to calculate composites’ fractal dimensions by using the Matlab program based on the fractal theory. It analysed the relationships between fractal dimension and volume density, fractal dimension and mass fraction of kapok fibre, and fractal dimension and thickness. The quantitative relations between fractal dimension and maximum sound-absorption coefficient, fractal dimension, and resonant sound-absorption frequency were derived, which provided a theoretical basis for studying sound-absorption performance. The results showed that kapok fibre/polycaprolactone composites had strong fractal characteristics, which had important guiding significance for the sound-absorption performance of kapok fibre composites.

Rocks enriched with organic matter (OM) are considered: Baltic combustible shale-kukersites and domanic deposits of the Volga-Ural basin, in which organic matter is one of the rock-forming components. The discrepancy between the volume and weight ratios of organic and mineral matter of rocks is noted. The volume significance of the OM of these rocks in the thickness of shale formations and domanic sediments is shown. The high content of OM determines the reduced strength of such rocks. The variability of OM concentrations and other irregularities of shale formations and Domanic rocks (texture, nodule bodies, etc.) are factors of mosaic distribution of areas with different density-strength properties and, as a result, non-uniform reduction of layers and their deformation in case of loss (full or partial) of organic matter.

Introduction: Elastic fibers are constituents of the dermal extracellular matrix, determining the histoarchitecture of the dermal connective tissue. Organization and density of elastic fibers change as skin ages. The aim of this paper was to determine the similarities and differences between the photo-aging and the physiological aging of skin by examining organization and quantifying the elastic fibers in the dermis during aging. The material included samples of photoexposed and photoprotected skin, obtained from 90 cadavers aged 0-82 years. The samples were classified into five age groups: newborns, young age, middle age, mature age and the oldest age. Skin samples were stained using the Halmi modification of Aldehyd fucshin staining method, as well as Alcian blue staining (the Spicer method). Volume density (VD) of the elastic fibers was measured using Image J program. Results: In the skin of newborns and young age group (neck and abdomen) elastic fibers appeared to form a network structure. In the photoexposed skin of the mature age and the oldest group, elastic fibers showed tendency to fragment, while the elastic material exhibited tendency to accumulate. VD of elastic network in the skin of the neck in the middle, mature and the oldest age group was greater than VD of abdominal skin of the respective age groups (3.66±0.28%, 5.61±0.22%, 6.24±0.21% respectively). Age-related statistically significant increase in VD of the elastic network in the skin of the neck, as well as a statistically significant reduction of elastic network VD in the abdominal skin, has been observed (middle age - oldest). Conclusion: Correlation of the organization and quantity of elastic fibers with age exhibits different pattern in photoexposed compared to photoprotected skin. A quantitative evaluation of the volume density of elastic fibers correlates with clinically visible signs of photo-aging, primarily with solar elastosis.

We study the scattering properties of a cloud of particles. The particles are spherical, close to the incident wavelength in size, have a high albedo, and are randomly packed to 20% volume density. We show, using both numerically exact methods for solving the Maxwell equations and radiative-transfer-approximation methods, that the scattering properties of the cloud converge after about ten million particles in the system. After that, the backward-scattered properties of the system should estimate the properties of a macroscopic, practically infinite system. (C) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

The use of recycled materials helps investors to save significantly on production costs, not only from raw material extraction cost but also in the production process. Especially, recycling waste materials helps reducing energy, fuel, and labor costs. Besides, the transportation of recycled materials is also less expensive than the transportation of raw materials. The workload involved in the recycling of materials is minimal but with economic and technical efficiency. Autoclaved aerated concrete (ACC - Autoclaved aerated concrete) has been widely applied in construction works in Vietnam and is considered a reasonable replacement of fired bricks due to lower volume density, and better soundproofing - insulation. The main materials used to make AAC concrete include ground quartz sand, cement, lime, gypsum, aluminum powder, and some other technological additives. However, due to the depletion of natural sand, the partial or complete replacement of natural sand in AAC concrete production plays an important signification. In this study, the AAC waste after the autoclaving process was reused to replace the ground natural sand. The research results show that the AAC waste bricks could be reused with a content of up to 25% to replace the natural sand in AAC fabrication. The main properties of products such as compressive strength, bulk volume density, and drying shrinkage meet the technical requirements of ASTM C1693.

Background\ud \ud Tissue microarrays (TMAs), where each block (and thus section) contains multiple tissue cores from multiple blocks potentially allow more efficient use of tissue, reagents and time in neuropathology.\ud \ud \ud \ud New Method\ud \ud The relationship between data from TMA cores and whole sections was investigated using ‘virtual’ TMA cores. This involved quantitative assessments of microglial pathology in white matter lesions and motor neuron disease, alongside qualitative TDP-43 inclusion status in motor neuron disease cases. Following this, a protocol was developed for TMA construction.\ud \ud \ud \ud Results\ud \ud For microglial pathology we found good concordance between virtual cores and whole sections for volume density using one 1.75 mm core (equivalent to a 2 mm core after accounting for peripheral tissue loss). More sophisticated microglial cell size and measures required two cores. Qualitative results of pTDP-43 pathology showed use of one 1.75 mm core gave a 100% sensitivity and specificity within grey matter, and 88.3% sensitivity and 100% specificity within white matter. A method of producing the TMAs was suitable for immunohistochemistry both manually and by autostainer, with the minimal core loss from the microscope slide.\ud \ud \ud \ud Comparison with Existing Methods\ud \ud TMAs have been used infrequently in post mortem neuropathology research. However, we believe TMAs give comparable tissue assessment results and can be constructed, sectioned and stained with relative ease.\ud \ud \ud \ud Conclusions\ud \ud We found TMAs could be used to assess both quantitative (microglial pathology) and qualitative pathology (TDP-43 proteinopathy) with greatly reduced quantities of tissue, time and reagents. These could be used for further work to improve data acquisition efficiency.

The chemical and physical evolution of starless and pre-stellar cores are of paramount importance to understanding the process of star formation. The Taurus Molecular Cloud cores TMC 1-C and TMC 1-CP share similar initial conditions and provide an excellent opportunity to understand the evolution of the pre-stellar core phase. We investigated the evolutionary stage of starless cores based on observations towards the prototypical dark cores TMC 1-C and TMC 1-CP, mapping them in the CS $3\rightarrow 2$, C$^{34}$S $3\rightarrow 2$, $^{13}$CS $2\rightarrow 1$, DCN $1\rightarrow 0$, DCN $2\rightarrow 1$, DNC $1\rightarrow 0$, DNC $2\rightarrow 1$, DN$^{13}$C $1\rightarrow 0$, DN$^{13}$C $2\rightarrow 1$, N$_2$H$^+$ $1\rightarrow 0$, and N$_2$D$^+$ $1\rightarrow 0$ transitions. We performed a multi-transitional study of CS and its isotopologs, DCN, and DNC lines to characterize the physical and chemical properties of these cores. We studied their chemistry using the state-of-the-art gas-grain chemical code Nautilus and pseudo time-dependent models to determine their evolutionary stage. Observational diagnostics seem to indicate that TMC 1-C is in a later evolutionary stage than TMC 1-CP, with a chemical age $\sim$1 Myr. TMC 1-C shows signs of being an evolved core at the onset of star formation, while TMC 1-CP appears to be in an earlier evolutionary stage due to a more recent formation or, alternatively, a collapse slowed down by a magnetic support., 26 pages, 10 figures

Considering the function of the toll road is to provide optimal services without any obstacles that can reduce the flow of vehicles, toll road providers or operators must strive for existing facilities to work optimally. Based on that, this study aims to indicate the number of optimum toll gates that should be operated to be able to control congestion and reduce the number of vehicles waiting in Pasteur 2 Toll Gate. Pasteur 2 Toll Gate is a toll gate with the heaviest volume of vehicles incorporated in the Purbaleunyi Toll Road. This toll gate is the entrance door for tourists who want to enter the city of Bandung. Vehicle volume density occurs during rush hour every day without exception at weekends, which results in the queue of vehicles. This study used a descriptive survey method by analyzing the queuing system after e-toll was implemented. Data collection is done through interviews and observations that are carried out every weekend within one month. This research was conducted to determine the optimal number of substations to be able to reduce the density that occurred. The results of this study indicate that the number of optimum substations that should be operated to be able to control congestion and reduce the number of vehicles waiting and being in the system or in smaller queues is 11 toll gates. https://doi.org/10.26905/jmdk.v8i2.4598

Nanozyme is a collection of nanomaterials with enzyme-like activity but exhibits higher environmental tolerance and long-term stability than their natural counterparts. Improving the catalytic activity and expanding the category of nanozymes are prerequisites to complement or even supersede natural enzymes. Specifically, a powerful hydrolytic nanozyme is demanded to degrade the unsustainable substance which natural enzymes hardly achieve. However, the development of hydrolytic nanozymes is still hindered by diverse hydrolytic substrates and following complicated mechanisms. Here, we apply two strategies which are informed by data to screen and predict catalytic active sites of MOF (metal–organic framework) based hydrolytic nanozymes. One is to increase the intrinsic activity by finely tuned Lewis acidity of the metal clusters. The other is to adjust the volume density of the active sites by shortening the length of ligands. Finally, we construct a Ce-FMA-MOF-based hydrolytic nanozyme with robust cleavage ability towards phosphate bonds, amide bonds, glycosidic bonds whose energy ascend in order; and even their mixture, biofilms. This work provides a rational methodology to design hydrolytic nanozyme, enriches the diversity of nanozymes, and potentially sheds a light on the evolution of enzyme engineering in the future.

We have used catalogues from several Galactic plane surveys and dedicated observations to investigate the relationship between various maser species and Galactic star forming clumps, as identified by the ATLASGAL survey. The maser transitions of interest are the 6.7 & 12.2 GHz methanol masers, 22.2 GHz water masers, and the masers emitting in the four ground-state hyperfine structure transitions of hydroxyl. We find clump association rates for the water, hydroxyl and methanol masers to be 56, 39 and 82 per cent respectively, within the Galactic longitude range of 60�� > $l$ > -60��. We investigate the differences in physical parameters between maser associated clumps and the full ATLASGAL sample, and find that clumps coincident with maser emission are more compact with increased densities and luminosities. However, we find the physical conditions within the clumps are similar for the different maser species. A volume density threshold of $n$(H$_{2}$) > 10$^{4.1}$ cm$^{-3}$ for the 6.7 GHz methanol maser found in our previous study is shown to be consistent across for all maser species investigated. We find limits that are required for the production of maser emission to be 500 L$_{\odot}$ and 6 M$_{\odot}$ respectively. The evolutionary phase of maser associated clumps is investigated using the L/M ratio of clumps coincident with maser emission, and these have similar L/M ranges (~10$^{0.2}$ - 10$^{2.7}$ L$_{\odot}$/M$_{\odot}$) regardless of the associated transitions. This implies that the conditions required for the production of maser emission only occur during a relatively narrow period during a star's evolution. Lower limits of the statistical lifetimes for each maser species are derived, ranging from ~0.4 - 2 x 10$^{4}$ yrs and are in good agreement with the "straw man" evolutionary model previously presented., Accepted for publication in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 17 pages, 14 figures, 5 tables

We present APEX-LABOCA 870-μm observations of the fields surrounding the nine brightest high-redshift unlensed objects discovered in the South Pole Telescope’s (SPT) 2500 deg2 survey. Initially seen as point sources by SPT’s 1-arcmin beam, the 19-arcsec resolution of our new data enables us to deblend these objects and search for submillimetre (submm) sources in the surrounding fields. We find a total of 98 sources above a threshold of 3.7σ in the observed area of 1300 arcmin2, where the bright central cores resolve into multiple components. After applying a radial cut to our LABOCA sources to achieve uniform sensitivity and angular size across each of the nine fields, we compute the cumulative and differential number counts and compare them to estimates of the background, finding a significant overdensity of $\delta \, {\approx }\,$10 at $S_{870}= 14$ mJy. The large overdensities of bright submm sources surrounding these fields suggest that they could be candidate protoclusters undergoing massive star formation events. Photometric and spectroscopic redshifts of the unlensed central objects range from $z= $3 to 7, implying a volume density of star-forming protoclusters of approximately 0.1 Gpc−3. If the surrounding submm sources in these fields are at the same redshifts as the central objects, then the total star formation rates of these candidate protoclusters reach 10 000 M⊙ yr−1, making them much more active at these redshifts than seen so far in either simulations or observations.

Natural and synthetic esters are liquids characterized by insulating properties, high flash point, and biodegradability. For this reason, they are more and more often used as an alternative to conventional mineral oils. Esters are used to fill new or operating transformers previously filled with mineral oil (retrofilling). It is technically unfeasible to completely remove mineral oil from a transformer. Its small residues create with esters a mixture with features significantly different from those of the base liquids. This article presents electrostatic charging tendency (ECT) tests for mixtures of fresh and aged Trafo EN mineral oil with Envirotemp FR3 natural ester from the retrofilling point of view. Under unfavorable conditions, the flow electrification phenomenon can damage the solid insulation in transformers with forced oil circulation. The ECT of the insulating liquids has been specified using the volume density of the qw charge. This parameter has been determined using the Abedian&ndash, Sonin model on the basis of the electrification current measured in the flow system, as well as selected physicochemical properties of the liquids. It was shown that ECT is strongly dependent on the type of insulating liquid and pipe material, as well as the composition of the mixtures. The most important finding from the research is that a small amount (up to 10%) of fresh and aged mineral oil is effective in reducing the ECT of Envirotemp FR3 natural ester.

Fringing reefs have significant impacts on beach dynamics, yet there is little research on how they should be considered in beach nourishment design, monitoring, and conservation works. Thus, the behavior and characteristics of nourishment projects at two reef protected beaches, Royal Hawaiian Beach (RHB) in Hawaii, USA, and Victoria Beach (VB) in Cadiz, Spain, are compared to provide transferable information for future nourishment projects and monitoring in fringing reef environments. The nourishment cost at RHB was nine times higher than VB. This is partly due to lower total volume and a more complex placement and spreading method at RHB, despite the much closer borrow site at RHB. There was a significant difference in post-nourishment monitoring frequency and assessment of accuracy. RHB elevation was monitored quarterly for 2.7 years at 30 m-spaced profiles, compared to 5 years of biannual surveys of 50 m-spacing at VB. An additional problem related to the presence of reefs at both RHB and VB was estimating the beach volume increase after nourishment, due to variable definitions of the &lsquo, beach&rsquo, area and high alongshore variability in reef topography. At sites where non-native sediment is used, it is imperative to understand how wave and current energy changes due to reefs will influence nourishment longevity. Thus, differences in erosion and accretion mechanisms at both beaches have been detected, though are still little understood. Moreover, discrepancies in sediment porosity between the two sites (which should be surveyed in future nourishments) have been found, probably due to differences in the nourishment sand transportation and distribution methods. In summary, more dialogue is needed to explicitly consider the influence of fringing reefs on coastal processes and beach nourishment projects.

We present observations of HCN 3-2 emissions towards 37 local galaxies using 10-m Submillimeter Telescope (SMT). HCN 3-2 emission is detected in 23 galaxies. The correlation of infrared luminosity (LIR) and the luminosity of HCN 3-2 line emission measured in our sample is fitted with a slope of 1.11 and correlation coefficient of 0.91, which follows the linear correlation found in other dense gas tracers in the literatures. Although molecular gas above a certain volume density threshold (i.e., $n_{\rm H_2}\geq$ 10$^4$ cm$^{-3}$) statistically gave similar relation with infrared luminosity, the large scatter of HCN 3-2/HCN1-0 ratios for galaxies with different LIR indicates that dense gas masses estimated from the line luminosities of only one transition of dense gas tracers should be treated with caution for individual galaxies., 15 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in PASJ

The range limitation (>200 m) for high-frequency echosounders does not allow for complete multifrequency studies of the mesopelagic layers from vessel-mounted echosounders. The layers of mesopelagic fish and zooplankton in the Arctic region north of Svalbard (Spitsbergen) were studied using vessel-mounted echosounders and a profiling acoustic probe, using 38, 120, 200 and 333 kHz. Volume density estimates of mesopelagic fish have shown to be marginally higher with the probing system in relation with measured from the vessel-mounted echosounders at 38 kHz. This shows that the swimbladder resonance phenomenon is not occurring in low density layers with limited vertical migration. The use of the profiling probe allowed densities to be calculated with an in situ measured target strength (TS). In depths >200 m where high-frequency hull-mounted transducers cannot effectively reach, the profiling system measured a mixture of krill and amphipods down to 600 m. Vertical profiles of measured target categories, from vessel transducers and from the probing system are compared in relation to the biological sampling conducted during the survey. Profiling acoustics are shown to be a valuable tool to address some limitations in the current surveying methods for studying mesopelagic layers beyond the reach for high-frequency vessel-mounted systems.

Smelting fine ore into a block with the lower phosphorus content before entering the furnace can achieve cleaner production and value-added efficiency for ferromanganese alloy enterprises, and microwave sintering technology shows bright application prospects in the secondary utilization of waste materials and environmental-friendly preparation of high-performance alloy materials. In this work, FeMn78C8.0 grade bulk alloy with enhanced volume density properties was efficiently prepared via an environmental-friendly microwave sintering approach, using high-carbon ferromanganese powder with low processing efficiency in factories as the raw material. Results indicate that adding certain carbon can prevent the oxidation behavior of Mn and Fe elements during the sintering process, and the qualified FeMn78C8.0 alloy can be obtained by controlling sintering temperature and duration time, with the optimum sintering conditions determined at 1168 °C for 11 min and with the alloy powder of

In the present paper, we shall provide new examples of Stein manifolds enjoying the (algebraic) volume density property and compute their homology groups.

Reproducible and unbiased methods to quantify alveolar structure are important for research on many lung diseases. However, manually estimating alveolar structure through stereology is time consuming and inter-observer variability is high. The objective of this work was to develop and validate a fast, reproducible and accurate (semi-)automatic alternative. A FIJI-macro was designed that automatically segments lung images to binary masks, and counts the number of test points falling on tissue and the number of intersections of the air-tissue interface with a set of test lines. Manual selection remains necessary for the recognition of non-parenchymal tissue and alveolar exudates. Volume density of alveolar septa ([Formula: see text]) and mean linear intercept of the airspaces (Lm) as measured by the macro were compared to theoretical values for 11 artificial test images and to manually counted values for 17 lungs slides using linear regression and Bland-Altman plots. Inter-observer agreement between 3 observers, measuring 8 lungs both manually and automatically, was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). [Formula: see text] and Lm measured by the macro closely approached theoretical values for artificial test images (R2 of 0.9750 and 0.9573 and bias of 0.34% and 8.7%). The macro data in lungs were slightly higher for [Formula: see text] and slightly lower for Lm in comparison to manually counted values (R2 of 0.8262 and 0.8288 and bias of -6.0% and 12.1%). Visually, semi-automatic segmentation was accurate. Most importantly, manually counted [Formula: see text] and Lm had only moderate to good inter-observer agreement (ICC 0.859 and 0.643), but agreements were excellent for semi-automatically counted values (ICC 0.956 and 0.900). This semi-automatic method provides accurate and highly reproducible alveolar morphometry results. Future efforts should focus on refining methods for automatic detection of non-parenchymal tissue or exudates, and for assessment of lung structure on 3D reconstructions of lungs scanned with microCT. ispartof: PLOS ONE vol:15 issue:9 ispartof: location:United States status: published

Introduction: Photobiomodulation (PBM) assists in the processes of angiogenesis and cellular mitosis after skin lesion, contributing to tissue repair. Objective: to investigate the effects of photobiomodulation (during the proliferative phase) of 658 nm, 830 nm and 904 nm in the repair of skin lesions in an animal model. Method: 658 nm (G658), 830 nm (G830), 904 nm (G904) PBM, and control group (CG) integrated the research. We submitted the animals to an excisional wound and treatment at different wavelengths for 14 days. On the seventh and 14-1485004059th postoperative days, we calculated the area and percentage of lesion contraction. The animals were sacrificed on the 14-1485004056th postoperative day and cutaneous section of the injured region was collected for histomorphometric evaluation of the cellularity, neovascularization, thickness of the epidermis and volume density of collagen fibers colored with H&E and Picross Sirius respectively. For the statistical analysis, we applied the ANOVA test. Results: the G658 presented higher cellularity than GC (p = 0.03). The animals in the G658 group showed a significant increase in the neovascularization in relation to the CG (p = 0.01). Type III collagen significantly increased in G904 compared to G830 (p < 0.0001) and CG (p < 0.0001). The G658 had a significant increase in type III collagen fibers compared to G830 (p < 0.0001) and GC (p < 0.0001). We found no significant difference in the thickness of the epidermis, wound area, and in the percentage wound of contraction between the analyzed groups. Conclusion: PBM was effective to stimulate the tissue repair process, with better results for the 658 nm wavelength.

The neuroendocrine system can be modulated by a magnetic field and cerebral ischemia as external and internal stressors, respectively. This study deals with the separate or combined effects of an extremely low frequency (ELF) magnetic field (50 Hz, average magnetic field of 0.5 mT) for 7 days and global cerebral ischemia for 10 min on the morpho-functional features of pituitary adrenocorticotrophic (ACTH) and thyrotrophic (TSH) cells in 3-month-old gerbils. To determine the immediate and delayed effects of the applied stressors, measurements were made on the 7th and 14th days after the onset of the experiment. The ELF magnetic field and 10-min global cerebral ischemia, separately and particularly in combination, decreased (P < 0.05) the volume density of ACTH cells, while only in combination were intracellular ACTH content and plasma ACTH concentration increased (P < 0.05) on day 7. The ELF magnetic field elevated serum TSH concentration on day 7 and intracellular TSHβ content on day 14 (P < 0.05). Also, 10-min global cerebral ischemia alone increased serum TSH concentration (P < 0.05), while in combination with the ELF magnetic field it elevated (P < 0.05) intracellular TSHβ content on day 14. In conclusion, an ELF magnetic field and/or 10-min global cerebral ischemia can induce immediate and delayed stimulation of ACTH and TSH synthesis and secretion. This is the pre-peer reviewed version of the following article: Rauš Balind S, Manojlović-Stojanoski M, Šošić-Jurjević B, Selaković V, Milošević V, Petković B. An Extremely Low Frequency Magnetic Field and Global Cerebral Ischemia Affect Pituitary ACTH and TSH Cells in Gerbils. Bioelectromagnetics. 2020;41(2):91-103, which has been published in final form at [http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/bem.22237]. Related to: [http://ibiss-r.rcub.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/3764].

A proper morphogenesis of the renal microvasculature is crucial not only for fulfilling the renal function but also to slow down the progression of chronic kidney disease in adulthood. However, the current description of the developing microvasculature is incomplete. The present study investigated the morphogenesis and volume densities of the renal microvasculature using computer-assisted tubular tracing, immunohistochemistry for CD34, and unbiased stereology. The earliest glomerular capillaries were observed at the lower cleft of the S-shaped nephrons, as simple loops connecting the afferent and efferent arterioles. In parallel with this, the peritubular capillaries were established. Noticeably, from early nephrogenesis on, the efferent arterioles of the early-formed glomeruli ran in close proximity to their own thick ascending limbs. In addition, the ascending vasa recta arising from the arcuate or interlobular veins also ran in close proximity to the thick descending limb. Thus, the tubules and vessels formed the typical countercurrent relation in the medulla. No loop bends were observed between descending and ascending vasa recta. The volume density of the cortical and medullary peritubular capillary increased 3.3- and 2.6-fold, respectively, from 2.34 (0.13) and 7.03 (0.09)% [means (SD)] at embryonic day 14.5 (E14.5) to 7.71 (0.44) and 18.27 (1.17)% at postnatal day 40 (P40). In contrast, the volume density of glomeruli changed only slightly during kidney development, from 4.61 (0.47)% at E14.5 to 6.07 (0.2)% at P7 to 4.19 (0.47)% at P40. These results reflect that the growth and formation of the renal microvasculature closely correspond to functional development of the tubules.

A differentially weighted operator splitting Monte Carlo (DWOSMC) method is further developed to study multi-component aerosol dynamics. The proposed method involves the use of an excellent combination of stochastic and deterministic approaches. Component-related particle volume density distributions are examined, and the computational accuracy and efficiency of the two-component DWOSMC method is verified against a sectional method. For the one-component aerosol system, the sectional method is more computationally efficient than the DWOSMC method, while for two-component aerosol systems, the DWOSMC method proves to be much more computationally efficient than the sectional method. Using this newly developed multi-component DWOSMC method, compositional distributions of particles can be obtained to determine simultaneous coagulation and condensation processes that occur in different regimes of two-component aerosol systems.

Production of briquette bio-fuel is related to several aspects of densification process. The present paper deals with the relation between briquette volume density ρ (kg·m−3) and required deformation energy Ed (J). Wood, energy crop and cardboard feedstocks were compressed by a laboratory briquetting press of two diameters (40 and 65 mm); in this way six kinds of briquette samples (W40, W65, E40, E65, C40, C65) were produced. The values of compressing force F (N) and briquette volume density ρ were measured directly during feedstock densification; the deformation energy Ed was calculated subsequently. The amount of deformation energy Ed consumed within the achievement of specific briquette volume density ρ levels differed in case of all samples, the same as the maximum achieved briquette volume density ρ levels. Best results, i.e. efficiency of briquette production (the highest ρ, the lowest Ed), were achieved by cardboard samples, followed by wood and finally by energy crop samples. An overall evaluation indicated a higher production efficiency of briquette samples 40 mm in diameter and the disadvantage of the production of briquette samples with briquette volume density ρ > 1000 kg·m−3; above such level, the amount of consumed deformation energy Ed increased disproportionately sharply.

Star-forming regions presenting a density gradient experience a higher star formation rate than if they were of uniform density. We refer to the ratio between the star formation rate of a spherical centrally-concentrated gas clump and the star formation rate that this clump would experience if it were of uniform density as the magnification factor $\zeta$. We map $\zeta$ as a function of clump mass, radius, initial volume density profile and star formation time-span. For clumps with a steep density profile (i.e. power-law slope ranging from $-3$ to $-4$, as observed in some high-density regions of Galactic molecular clouds), we find the star formation rate to be at least an order of magnitude higher than its top-hat equivalent. This implies that such clumps experience faster and more efficient star formation than expected based on their mean free-fall time. This also implies that measurements of the star formation efficiency per free-fall time of clumps based on their global properties, namely, mass, mean volume density and star formation rate, present wide fluctuations. These reflect the diversity in the density profile of star-forming clumps, not necessarily variations in the physics of star formation. Steep density profiles inside star-cluster progenitors may be instrumental in the formation of multiple stellar populations, such as those routinely observed in old globular clusters., Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

This study investigated whether the pesticide DDT (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) and its metabolites, DDE (Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene) and DDD (Dichlorobischlorophenylethane) were associated with adverse effects on multiple endpoints of the eggs of House Sparrows from the Thohoyandou area in South Africa, where DDT is used for malaria control. Eggshell thickness, pore numbers, pore shapes, and volume densities of the pores were measured to test possible adverse effects. Analysis was done using a scanning electron microscope and the concentrations of the pesticides were determined with the aid of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The highest concentrations recorded was p,p'-DDE at 0.84 μg/g wm (wet mass) in the eggs collected from Mangondi (a site last sprayed five years before sampling). Overall, the concentrations of total DDT recorded in this study were lower than reported by most other studies conducted in the same area. The association between DDT concentrations and House Sparrows eggshells were noticeable in the eggshell thicknesses, with significant differences between the eggs collected from Muledane (a site last sprayed 30 years before sampling) and Makula (a site sprayed both years of sampling) (P 0.0022). Limited differences were found between the pore numbers and pore density of eggshells from the various sites. It may be that the limited effect on the pore numbers and volume densities of the pores are associated with low concentrations of DDT in the House Sparrow eggs.

In this paper the author studies the isoperimetric problem in \begin{document} ${\mathbb{R}}^n$ \end{document} with perimeter density \begin{document} $|x|^p$ \end{document} and volume density 1. We settle completely the case \begin{document} $n = 2$ \end{document} , completing a previous work by the author: we characterize the case of equality if \begin{document} $0≤p≤1$ \end{document} and deal with the case \begin{document} $-∞ (with the additional assumption \begin{document} $0∈Ω$ \end{document} ). In the case \begin{document} $n≥3$ \end{document} we deal mainly with the case \begin{document} $-∞ , showing among others that the results in 2 dimensions do not generalize for the range \begin{document} $-n+1

Background/Objective Despite many researches have been carried out on the three-dimensional microarchitecture of cancellous bone, the morphometric properties of rod and plate trabeculae in adolescent cancellous bone have not yet been investigated. This study aimed to investigate three-dimensional morphometric properties of rod- and plate-like trabeculae in normal adolescent cancellous bone, and to compare them with adult cancellous bones to reveal morphometric changes from adolescence to adult life to obtain more insight into the subchondral bone adaptations during development and growth. Methods This study included 23 normal human proximal tibiae. These tibiae were divided into three groups: adolescents (9–17 years, n = 6), young adults (18–24 years, n = 9), and adults (25–30 years, n = 8). From each tibia, six cubic cancellous bone samples (dimensions 8 × 8 × 8 mm 3) were sawed from each medial and lateral condyle, yielding a total of 276 samples. These samples were scanned using micro computed tomography leading to three-dimensional cubic voxel sizes of 10.5 × 10.5 × 10.5 μm 3. The morphometric parameters of individual rod- and plate-like trabeculae were calculated and compared among three age groups. Results Significant differences in some morphometric parameters were revealed. The mean longitudinal length of rods was significantly greater in the adolescents than in the young adults. Plate volume density showed an increasing trend with age, although not significant. Trabeculae were more plate-like in adolescents in the medial condyle of adolescents than in the lateral condyle, and changed towards more plate-like trabeculae in the adults. The single best predictor for the mechanical properties was apparent density. Apparent density alone explained 59% variations in Young's modulus, 77% in ultimate stress and 34% in failure energy, respectively (all p < 0.01). Morphometric parameters might improve this prediction. Conclusion In conclusion, this study has reported for the first time the morphometric parameters of rod- and plate-like trabeculae in adolescent proximal tibial cancellous bone, which will improve our understanding of morphometric changes in individual trabeculae during development and growth. Furthermore, separate analysis of individual rods and plates may also help reveal disease-related morphometric changes beyond bone mineral density. The translational potential of this article A thorough quantification of individual trabeculae during development and growth may help understand disease-related 3-D morphometric changes beyond bone mineral density.

This review presents an historical overview of stereological methods used for the quantitative evaluation of plant anatomical and cytological structures. It includes the origins of these methods up to the most recent developments such as the application of stereology based on 3D images. We focus especially on leaf, as the vast majority of studies of plant microscopic structure examine this organ. An overview of plant cell ultrastructure measurements as well as plant anatomical characteristics (e.g. plant tissue volume density, internal leaf surface area, number and mean size of mesophyll cells and chloroplast number), which were estimated by stereological methods most frequently, is presented. We emphasize the importance of proper sampling needed for unbiased measurements. Furthermore, we mention other methods used for plant morphometric studies and briefly discuss their relevance, precision, unbiasedness and efficiency in comparison with unbiased stereology. Finally, we discuss reasons for the sparse use of stereology in plant anatomy and consider the future of stereology in plant research.

An attempt has been made to explore the possibility of manufacturing high performance needled fabrics by none-felt needling technology. The concept of half-cut cloth and none-felt needling were proposed. Experiments were designed to study the influence of different half-cut cloth and different base cloth on the structure parameters of the none-felt needled fabrics, as well as the interlayer peeling and in-plane tensile properties . It was observed that the needled fabrics prepared by none-felt needling technology depicted considerable enhancement in volume density, interlayer peeling strength and in-plane tensile strength . The fabric structure, density and half-cut width of half-cut cloth, and the density of the base cloth presented a significant influence on the mechanical properties of none-felt needled fabrics. The study established the possibilities of developing new high density needled fabrics, which greatly improved interlayer and in-plane performance. The none-felt needled fabric is expected to be used for high-speed aircraft radome materials.