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For population systems modeled by age‐structured hyperbolic partial differential equations (PDEs), we redesign the existing feedback laws, designed under the assumption that the dilution input is directly actuated, to the more realistic case where dilution is governed by actuation dynamics (modeled simply by an integrator). In addition to the standard constraint that the population density must remain positive, the dilution dynamics introduce constraints of not only positivity of dilution, but possibly of given positive lower and upper bounds on dilution. We present several designs, of varying complexity, and with various measurement requirements, which not only ensure global asymptotic (and local exponential) stabilization of a desired positive population density profile from all positive initial conditions, but do so without violating the constraints on the dilution state. To develop the results, we exploit the relation between first‐order hyperbolic PDEs and an equivalent representation in which a scalar input‐driven mode is decoupled from input‐free infinite‐dimensional internal dynamics represented by an integral delay system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition from hydrocarbon-based to carbon-free fuels is imperative owing to environmental concerns and stricter regulations. However, the combustion of hydrogen (H 2) and ammonia (NH 3) generates nitrogen oxide (NO) and faces operational constraints. Hence, technologies like flameless and moderate or intense low-oxygen dilution combustion are being explored to mitigate NO formation. This study analyzed flameless combustion of H 2 /NH 3 /N 2 fuel mixture, assessing the impacts of varying fuel velocity, feed strategy, equivalence ratio, and O 2 content on NO emissions. Using a laboratory-scale combustor, flameless combustion was achieved via controlled flow and internal recirculation. Lower fuel velocity improved combustor temperature uniformity and reduced NO emissions. Feeding NH 3 separately decreased NO emissions compared to mixing it with fuel. Decreasing excess O 2 enhanced temperature uniformity, suppressed fuel-NO formation, and reduced NO emissions. N 2 dilution improved fuel-oxidizer mixing, enhancing temperature uniformity and reducing NO emissions, highlighting how parameter optimization enhances temperature uniformity and lowers NO emissions. • We investigated H 2 /NH 3 /N 2 flameless combustion characteristics and NO emissions. • Decreasing the fuel velocity decreased NO emissions. • Feeding ammonia separately decreased NO emissions. • An increased equivalence ratio decreased NO emissions. • A reduced O 2 content in the oxidizer decreased NO emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the potential impacts of projected atmospheric carbon dioxide (pCO2) levels reaching 800 ppm by the end of the century, focusing on ocean acidification effects onmarine ecosystems in the coastal areas of Bohai.We investigated how acidification affects the grazing patterns of microzooplankton using dilution techniques and ecophysiological methods. Our findings indicate that acidic conditions shift the phytoplankton community structure, changing dominant species. Elevated CO2 concentrations reduced grazing pressure on phytoplankton, with less steep declines in growth rates at 800 ppm CO² (spring: 2.43 d-1 vs. 2.16 d-1, summer: -0.46 d-1 vs. -0.73 d-1, autumn: -0.45 d-1 vs. -0.90 d-1) and significant decreases in grazing pressure percentages (%Pp from 0.84 to 0.58 and %Pi from 0.64 to 0.46). Short-term acid exposure significantly increased superoxide dismutase activity in both microplankton (from 0.03 to 0.08 U mg-1, p<0.01) and nanoplankton (from 0.05 to 0.09 U mg-1, p<0.001), indicating an adaptive response to oxidative stress. These results highlight that elevated CO2 levels primarily boost phytoplankton growth by reducing microzooplankton grazing pressure, resulting in higher growth rates and a shift towards smallersized phytoplankton, reflecting complex short-term ecological responses to acidification. Further research is needed to understand the long-term effects of ocean acidification on microzooplankton and their role in marine secondary productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reveal the deflagration hazard and propagation law of hydrogen-enriched natural gas (H 2 NG) in closed spaces, this paper studied the deflagration characteristic parameters under different H 2 blended ratio (λ) and inert gas dilution fraction (X dilution) in slender closed pipelines with steel circular hole obstacles. The results indicate that the positive feedback mechanism's sustained effect, failure, and re-action leads to a "three-zone" distribution of H 2 NG explosion overpressure along the pipeline, namely the acceleration, attenuation, and rebound zones. The maximum explosion overpressure (P max), maximum pressure rise rate ((dP/dt) max), and peak shock wave propagation velocity (V p) all increase with the increase of λ. The rise of λ has the most significant enhancement effect on (dP/dt) max , while the enhancement effect on V p is the smallest. This is because the main reasons affecting their increase are different. P max , (dP/dt) max , and V p exhibit exponential decay with increased N 2 and CO 2. However, CO 2 has a more significant inhibitory effect on the H 2 NG deflagration process. When X CO2 = 25% and X CO2 = 30%, the deflagration process of H 2 NG with λ = 20% and λ = 80% can be inhibited entirely, respectively, which has important guiding significance for the safe application of H 2 NG. • The evolution law of deflagration shock waves in slender closed pipelines by H 2 NG was researched. • Effects of H 2 blended ratio and N 2 /CO 2 dilution fraction on H 2 NG deflagration characteristics were revealed. • The effects of N 2 /CO 2 dilution fraction on the P max , (dP/dt) max , and V p were predicted by an exponential model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasma-assisted reforming shows great promise for making ammonia compatible with current engine technology, with minimal modifications required. This study examines the impact of various discharge, flow, and composition parameters on ammonia conversion into hydrogen using a new well-stirred homogeneous plasma reactor. Gas chromatography was used to measure hydrogen and oxygen, while ICCD imaging evaluated plasma homogeneity. Initial mixture composition significantly influences the response to plasma conditions. Relative to the initial ammonia composition, the conversion of pure ammonia yields a lower hydrogen percentage when compared to air-diluted mixtures. Introducing air changes the relationship between pulsed energy deposition and hydrogen production, resulting in a more substantial increase in conversion. Efficiency calculations demonstrate that high ammonia content and high pulse frequencies improve yields, while longer residence times in the reactor result in higher temperatures, also increasing yields. These findings provide insights into the underlying mechanisms of ammonia cracking and reforming in a discharge, and will serve to promote further investigation into plasma reforming strategies. • Enhanced hydrogen production from plasma-assisted reforming of ammonia influenced by initial mixture composition. • Optimal hydrogen yields achieved with high ammonia content and high pulse repetition frequency of plasma discharges. • Effective reforming strategies demonstrated for longer residence times in reactor due to gas heating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functionally graded material is a type of material characterized by gradual variations in the chemical composition and structure over volume. Dilution is a major concern in producing such materials produced using welding techniques. In this paper, the effects of the number and thickness of weld overlay layers on the dilution were systematically investigated for two common wire arc additive manufacturing processes. Gas metal arc welding and flux-cored arc welding processes were used to clad plain carbon steel substrate by 410 stainless steel and Stellite 6, respectively. Welding speed was varied to create weld layers with a thickness of 2 mm to 8 mm. The results showed that the weld thickness had the main effect on the dilution. Regarding the number and arrangement of the thin or thick weld layers, no direct effects on the dilution were observed. Consequently, by controlling the thickness of the weld overlay, the changes in the chemical composition in each weld layer could be justified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, there has been a radical change in understanding of the nature of drugs based on highly diluted solutions. It has been established that their activity does not depend on the content of the original substance in dilutions, but is a consequence of the technological processing (TP) of dilutions with vibration, which accompanies each dilution during the preparation of solutions and, among others, leads to the formation of nanoparticles with certain properties. Repeated vibration treatment leads to the appearance of modifying activity that is absent in the original substance, and these effects of TP solutions can be exerted without direct contact with their targets, which clearly indicates the physical nature of the TP solution's activity. In the framework of this article, a statistically significant effect of TP antibodies to the insulin receptor on glucose consumption by CHO cells both with and without contact exposure, as compared with control (P < 0.05) was shown in the vast majority of the experiments. The obtained results shed light on a possible source of activity of drugs based on TP antibodies, which should be associated with the applied vibration effect and can manifest itself both with contact exposure and without it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phage lysin field has done nothing but grow in the last decades. As a result, many different research groups around the world are contributing to the field, often with certain methodological differences that pose a challenge to the interpretation and comparison of results. In this work, we present the case study of three Acinetobacter baumannii‐targeting phage lysins (wild‐type endolysin LysMK34 plus engineered lysins eLysMK34 and 1D10) plus one lysin with broad activity against Gram‐positive bacteria (PlySs2) to provide exemplary evidence on the risks of generalization when using one of the most common lysin evaluation assays: the killing assay with resting cells. To that end, we performed killing assays with the aforementioned lysins using hypo‐, iso‐ and hypertonic buffers plus human serum either as the reaction or the dilution medium in a systematic manner. Our findings stress the perils of creating hypotonic conditions or a hypotonic shock during a killing assay, suggesting that hypotonic buffers should be avoided as a test environment or as diluents before plating to avoid overestimation of the killing effect in the assayed conditions. As a conclusion, we suggest that the nature of both the incubation and the dilution buffers should be always clearly identified when reporting killing activity data, and that for experimental consistency the same incubation buffer should be used as a diluent for posterior serial dilution and plating unless explicitly required by the experimental design. In addition, the most appropriate buffer mimicking the final application must be chosen to obtain relevant results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This research aimed to replicate the Swinson, D., Snaith, J., Buckberry, J., & Brickley, M. (2010). High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in the investigation of gout in paleopathology. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 20, 135–143. https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.1009 method for detecting uric acid in archeological human remains to investigate gout in past populations and to improve the original High Performance Liquid Chromatography‐ultraviolet (HPLC‐UV) method by using HPLC‐mass spectrometry (HPLC‐MS), a more sensitive, compound‐specific detection method. Materials and Methods: We used reference samples of uric acid to create a dilution series to assess the limits of quantification and detection. Samples from individuals with and without gout lesions were taken from foot bones and ribs from the English cemeteries of Tanyard, Hickleton, Gloucester, and Lincoln. Results: We could not replicate the results of Swinson and colleagues using HPLC‐UV. Tests using a dilution series of uric acid showed HPLC‐MS was approximately 100× more sensitive than HPLC‐UV, with the additional benefit of being compound specific. A newly developed hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) method improved retention characteristics. Fourteen samples from eight individuals, five with skeletal lesions consistent with gout, were analyzed with the final method. None showed evidence of uric acid despite the newly developed method's improved sensitivity and specificity. Discussion: The lack of detectable uric acid extracted from these samples suggests that (1) urate crystals were not present in any of the bone samples, regardless of gout status; (2) urate crystals did not survive these specific archeological conditions; or (3) the concentration of uric acid in our bone extracts was low, and thus larger samples would be required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to investigate how weld overlays with nickel superalloys are important for the integrity, due the high temperatures and corrosive environments that can be experienced in mineral processing environments, of mining and processing equipment. The Ni-Cr-Mo superalloy Inconel 686 overlays are fabricated through automatic gas metal arc welding with variations in arc voltage and travel speed (i.e., heat input), and they have overlap between adjacent weld tracks for applications in the mining and minerals sector. The impact of variations in the process parameters and the size of the weld overlapping on the dilution, solidification morphology, microsegregation, and microhardness were investigated. Both geometric and chemical composition definitions were used to quantify the extent of the weld dilution. Subsequently, the weld geometry and dilution were correlated with the solidification microstructure and phase transformations. The maximum dilutions were measured to be 13.63% (1/2 overlap, 5.96 kJ·cm−1) and 15.39% (1/3 overlap, 4.77 kJ·cm−1), which shows that less of an overlap increases the dilution level. Scanning electron microscopy and chemical composition analysis revealed that an increase in weld heat input and dilution level led to higher levels of microsegregation for Mo and Cr, as well as the volume fraction of Mo- and Cr-rich phases in the interdendritic/intercellular regions in the overlay layer. Analysis of the weld overlays in the current study revealed strong and unprecedented connections between the weld overlay process conditions, the resultant metallurgy (i.e., dendrite arm spacing, microsegregation, and phase formation), and the hardness of the overlay. It was concluded that the optimal weld overlays in the processing window studied in this investigation were fabricated at mid-level heat inputs (i.e., 4–5 kJ·cm−1) and a 1/2 track overlap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the effect of limestone content on the mechanical performance and the heat of hydration of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) was investigated. Changes in the phase assemblage were analyzed through XRD and thermodynamic modeling. The purpose of the study was to identify the optimal limestone content in OPC. As a result of the experiment, all samples were found to have equal fluidity. Increasing the limestone content accelerated the hydration of the cement before approximately 13 h and shortened the setting time due to the acceleration of the initial hydration reaction. The compressive strength of the cement mortar showed a dilution effect, with lower compressive strength compared to the reference sample at an early age, but it gradually recovered at a later age. This is because, as shown in the XRD and thermodynamic modeling results, the carboaluminate phases formed due to the chemical effect of limestone contributed to the development of compressive strength. As a result, within the scope of this study, it is believed that maintaining the limestone content in OPC within 10% is optimal to minimize quality degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigated the effect of kitchen wastewater (KWW) concentrations and pretreatment methods on Chlorella vulgaris biomass production, lipid content and nutrient removal. This study was divided into two separate experiments. The first experiment determined the appropriate dilution rate of KWW for the growth of microalgae, sterilized KWW was varied between 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%(v/v). The result indicated that 50%(v/v) showed the highest nutrient removal by 90.23%, 85.87%, and 80.64% of sCOD, TKN, and TP, respectively. The highest biomass and lipid content were obtained with 50%(v/v) (1.447 g/L, 37.9%). The second experiment was to find an effective physical pretreatment method, which separated the biotic contaminant, non-sterilized KWW was diluted 50%(v/v) and filtered with different mesh size filters (150 μm, 50 μm, and 30 μm) compared with sterilized KWW as a control sample. The result indicated that pretreatment with 50 μm filtration was found highest nutrient removal by 90.51%, 84.74%, and 77.50% of sCOD, TKN, and TP, respectively. The highest biomass and lipid content were obtained with 50 μm filtration (1.496 g/L, 39.4%). Our results support the hypothesis that the optimal dilution and proper filtration of KWW helps create more favorable environment for microalgal growth. The application of microalgae in actual wastewater treatment was the improper amount of nutrients and the presence of biotic contaminant in the non-sterilized wastewater, which is inhibit the microalgae growth. Hence, it is necessary to develop the technique for controlling biotic contamination and appropriately diluting wastewater to enable full-scale microalgae cultivation in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have successfully developed cryogen-free dilution refrigerators with medium cooling power that can be applied to quantum experiments. Breakthroughs have been made in some key technologies and components of heat switches and dilution units. Our prototype has been running continuously and stably for more than 100 hours below 10 mK, with a minimum temperature of 7.6 mK and a cooling power of 450 μW at 100 mK. At the same time, we have also made progress in the application of dilution refrigerators, such as quantum computing, low-temperature detector, and magnet integration. These indicators and test results indicate good prospects for application in physics, astronomy, and quantum information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need for elemental analysis in quality control of food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, taking into account human safety, has become an essential requirement for any product destinated for commercialization and targets in particular potentially toxic elements. The main objective is to obtain reliable data on elemental content that enables end-users to make informed decisions and to address problems effectively. To align with the principles of green and sustainable analytical chemistry, recent efforts have focused on incorporating new, low-cost screening and quantitative analytical tools such as total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (TXRF). This paper provides an overview of recent TXRF applications in the elemental analysis of food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetic samples. The state-of-the-art procedures for sample preparation with details on the sample type and amount, dilution steps, mixing agents, analysed elements, and addition of internal calibration standards are presented together with analytical parameters such as limits of detection and quantification. The current challenges for applying TXRF to each of these research fields are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated how structural parameters (including injection ducts and exhaust nozzle inner diameters) affect the internal flow field and dilution ratio of diesel particulate sampling diluters. Increasing air injection duct diameter increased the injection chamber pressure and decreased the air velocity peak, mixed gas flow velocity, sample temperature, and mixing rate. Excessively small tube diameters caused uneven and discontinuous flow field distributions, while substantial air blockage rendered the flow state poor. Increasing nozzle inner diameters increased the exhaust flow area and the sample temperature, but decreased the velocity of the exhaust and gas mixtures and the pressure drop. Compared with a 2.0 mm inner diameter, 2.5 and 3.0 mm diameters decreased the peak velocity by 11.18% and 14.41%, respectively, and mixing slowed significantly. Inner nozzle diameters of <1.5 mm increased the pressure drop significantly; the exhaust velocity also increased, exceeding the air velocity at the mixing position. The dilution ratio and relative error decreased with increasing inner nozzle diameter. At an air injection duct and an inner nozzle diameter of 0.1 and 2.0 mm, respectively, the dilutor's flow field distribution improved, the mixed gas flow stabilized, and the dilution ratio and relative error were 21.34% and 6.74%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Avances is the property of Instituto de Informacion Cientifica y Tecnologica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The aim of this paper is to show that Tilman’s graphical method for the study of competition between two species for two resources can be advantageously used for the study of commensalism or syntrophy models, where a first species produces the substrate necessary for the growth of the second species. The growth functions of the species considered are general and include both inhibition by the other substrate and inhibition by the species’ limiting substrate, when it is at a high concentration. Because of their importance in microbial ecology, models of commensalism and syntrophy, with or without self-inhibition, have been the subject of numerous studies in the literature. We obtain a unified presentation of a large number of these results from the literature. The mathematical model considered is a differential system in four dimensions. We give a new result of local stability of the positive equilibrium, which has only been obtained in the literature in the case where the removal rates of the species are identical to the dilution rate and the study of stability can be reduced to that of a system in two dimensions. We describe the operating diagram of the system: this is the bifurcation diagram which gives the asymptotic behavior of the system when the operating parameters are varied, i.e., the dilution rate and the substrate inlet concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This letter to the editor published in the Annals of Laboratory Medicine discusses the detection of a high-dose hook effect and the evaluation of dilutions of urine myoglobin specimens using a serum myoglobin assay. The authors explain that commercially available kits for measuring myoglobin levels are designed for serum or plasma, but severe muscle injuries can lead to myoglobin being released into the urine. The authors conducted experiments to determine the appropriate dilution factor for urine specimens to avoid the hook effect while still obtaining accurate results. They found that a 1:400 dilution was necessary for some specimens to obtain accurate results. The article recommends using a predilution step when analyzing urine specimens using the Roche Myoglobin assay. [Extracted from the article]

Copyright of GeSec: Revista de Gestao e Secretariado is the property of Sindicato das Secretarias e Secretarios do Estado de Sao Paulo (SINSESP) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

B6O7OH62− is a highly polymerized borate anion of three six‐membered rings. Limited research on the B6O7OH62− hydrolysis mechanism under neutral solution conditions exists. Calculations based on density functional theory show that B6O7OH62− undergoes five steps of hydrolysis to form H3BO3 and BOH4−. At the same time, there are a small number of borate ions with different degrees of polymerization during the hydrolysis process, such as triborate, tetraborate, and pentaborate anions. The structure of the borate anion and the coordination environment of the bridging oxygen atoms control the hydrolysis process. Finally, this work explains that in existing experimental studies, the reason for the low B6O7OH62− content in solution environments with low total boron concentrations is that it depolymerizes into other types of borate ions and clarifies the borate species. The conversion relationship provides a basis for identifying the possibility of various borate ions existing in the solution. This work also provides a certain degree of theoretical support for the cause of the "dilution to salt" phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the release of giant liposome (∼100 μm in diameter) content was imaged by shadow electrochemiluminescence (ECL) microscopy. Giant unilamellar liposomes were pre-loaded with a sucrose solution and allowed to sediment at an ITO electrode surface immersed in a solution containing a luminophore ([Ru(bpy)3]2+) and a sacrificial co-reactant (tri-n-propylamine). Upon polarization, the electrode exhibited illumination over its entire surface thanks to the oxidation of ECL reagents. However, as soon as liposomes reached the electrode surface, dark spots appeared and then spread over time on the surface. This observation reflected a blockage of the electrode surface at the contact point between the liposome and the electrode surface, followed by the dilution of ECL reagents after the rupture of the liposome membrane and release of its internal ECL-inactive solution. Interestingly, ECL reappeared in areas where it initially faded, indicating back-diffusion of ECL reagents towards the previously diluted area and thus confirming liposome permeabilization. The whole process was analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively within the defined region of interest. Two mass transport regimes were identified: a gravity-driven spreading process when the liposome releases its content leading to ECL vanishing and a diffusive regime when ECL recovers. The reported shadow ECL microscopy should find promising applications for the imaging of transient events such as molecular species released by artificial or biological vesicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The GMAW process with rotating electrode (GMAW-RE) process is an advance of the GMAW process, with the rotational movement of the wire-electrode providing more homogeneous weld bead profiles suitable to weld claddings. Besides the lower dilution, it can contribute to achieving the main geometric parameters, reinforcement, and penetration, useful to acceptable mechanical and corrosion properties using less volume of deposited metal. Based on these characteristics, this work evaluates the feasibility of the GMAW-RE to deposit a single layer of Inconel 625 weld cladding with suitable properties. Initially, the effect of the diameter and rotation frequency was investigated through single layer claddings with three welding passes. Afterward, the properties of the single and double layer claddings using the selected parameters were studied. The microstructure was observed by electron microscopy while tension, bending, and microhardness tests evaluated the mechanical properties. Electrochemical corrosion tests were conducted to obtain the pitting potential and critical pitting temperature. The results showed a homogeneous weld penetration profile, low dilution ratio, and adequate reinforcement. The austenitic microstructure containing a low amount of secondary phases provided mechanical and corrosion resistance equivalent to those obtained by low dilution processes and base metals. These results indicate that the GMAW-RE process has the potential to be an alternative for claddings used in the oil and gas industry because single layer deposits can show acceptable performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen-enriched oxy-combustion gas-turbine technology has been actively studied to meet the challenge of global decarbonization, zero emission, and pursuing higher energy efficiency. Motivated by the development of the Graz cycle, the objective of this work is to investigate the fundamental characteristics of hydrogen-blending oxy-combustion in a steam-diluted environment. The laminar flame speed and ignition delay time of H 2 /CH 4 /O 2 with steam dilution are numerically studied over a wide range of H 2 O dilution ratios (up to 70%) and H 2 contents (0–1) at atmospheric pressure. The results show that steam dilution leads to a reduction in the laminar flame speed and an increase in the ignition delay time. At low dilution ratios, the laminar flame speed decreases almost linearly, except for cases with high H 2 contents. Conversely, at high dilution ratios, the decreasing trend of laminar flame speed diminishes and deviates from linearity. Furthermore, we find that the effect of H 2 addition on the laminar flame speed can be categorized into three zones: linear hydrogen-promoting zone, transition zone, and linear methane-inhibited zone. With increasing dilution ratio, the linear hydrogen-promoting zone expands and the linear methane-inhibited zone reduces. A virtual H 2 O molecule is proposed to identify the thermal and chemical effects of steam dilution at different H 2 contents. Generally, the thermal effect is the major role of steam dilution, and the chemical effect further reduces the laminar flame speed and increases the ignition delay time. The thermal effect on the laminar flame speed increases approximately linearly with dilution ratio, while the chemical effect exhibits a strong nonlinear variation which first increases and then decreases with increasing dilution ratio. Interestingly, the chemical effect of a small amount of H 2 O at high H 2 content even promotes the laminar flame speed. For the ignition delay time, the chemical effect of H 2 O dilution consistently increases with dilution ratio. Moreover, the rate of production analysis indicates that the chemical effect of H 2 O dilution alters the radical pool structure and heat release rate, primarily attributed to the participation of H 2 O in reactions involving crucial radicals. Sensitivity analysis also shows that steam dilution and increasing H 2 content amplify the sensitivity coefficients of rate constants of the elementary reactions. • Laminar flame speed and ignition delay time of H 2 /CH 4 /O 2 flames with H 2 O dilution (0–70 vol%) were numerically studied. • The hydrogen-promoting zone of flame speed expands and the methane-inhibited zone reduces with increasing dilution ratio. • Thermal and chemical effect of H 2 O dilution on H 2 /CH 4 /O 2 flames was quantitatively studied. • The chemical effect on laminar flame speed first increases and then decreases with increasing dilution ratio. • The chemical effect of small amount of H 2 O dilution at high H 2 contents promotes the laminar flame speed of H 2 /CH 4 /O 2 flame. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Submerged cultivation of edible filamentous fungi (Agaricomycetes) in bioreactors enables maximum mass transfer of nutrients and has the potential to increase the volumetric productivity of fungal biomass compared to solid state cultivation. These aspects are paramount if one wants to increase the range of bioactives (e.g. glucans) in convenient time frames. In this study, Trametes versicolor (M9911) outperformed four other Agaricomycetes tested strains (during batch cultivations in an airlift bioreactor). This strain was therefore further tested in semi-continuous cultivation. Continuous and semi-continuous cultivations (driven by the dilution rate, D) are the preferred bioprocess strategies for biomass production. We examined the semi-continuous cultivation of T. versicolor at dilution rates between 0.02 and 0.1 h−1. A maximum volumetric productivity of 0.87 g/L/h was obtained with a D of 0.1 h−1 but with a lower total biomass production (cell dry weight, CDW 8.7 g/L) than the one obtained at lower dilution rates (12.3 g/L at D of 0.04 and vs 13.4 g/L, at a D of 0.02 h−1). However, growth at a D of 0.1 h−1 resulted in a very short fermentation (18 h) which terminated due to washout (the specific D exceeded the maximum growth rate of the fungal biomass). At a D of 0.04 h−1, a CDW of 12.3 g/L was achieved without compromising the total residence time (184 h) of the fermentation. While the D of 0.04 h−1 and 0.07 h−1 achieved comparable volumetric productivities (0.5 g/L/h), the total duration of the fermentation at D of 0.07 h−1 was only 85 h. The highest glucan content of cells (27.8 as percentage of CDW) was obtained at a D of 0.07 h−1, while the lowest glucan content was observed in T. versicolor cells grown at a D of 0.02 h−1. Key points: • The highest reported volumetric productivity for fungal biomass was 0.87 g/L/h. • Semi-continuous fermentation at D of 0.02 h−1 resulted in 13.4 g/L of fungal biomass. • Semi-continuous fermentation at D of 0.07 h−1 resulted in fungal biomass with 28% of total glucans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermal surface properties of graphenes and carbon materials are of crucial importance in the chemistry of materials, chemical engineering, and many industrial processes. Background: The determination of these surface properties is carried out using inverse gas chromatography at infinite dilution, which leads to the retention volume of organic solvents adsorbed on solid surfaces. This experimental and fundamental parameter actually reflects the surface thermodynamic interactions between injected probes and solid substrates. Methods: The London dispersion equation and the Hamieh thermal model are used to quantify the London dispersive and polar surface energy of graphenes and carbon fibers as well their Lewis acid-base constants by introducing the coupling amphoteric constant of materials. Results: The London dispersive and polar acid-base surface energies, the free energy of adsorption, the polar enthalpy and entropy, and the Lewis acid-base constants of graphenes and carbon materials are determined. Conclusions: It is shown that graphene exhibited the highest values of London dispersive surface energy, polar surface energy, and Lewis acid-base constants. The highest characteristics of graphene justify its great potentiality and uses in many industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Syngas, which is used as both a fuel and a raw material, presents numerous safety risks during its utilization. In this paper, the effects of H 2 /CO ratio (R = 0%, 30%, 50%, 70% and 100%) and CO 2 dilution ([CO 2 ] = 0%–20%) on the explosion behaviors of syngas/air mixtures with different equivalence ratios (φ = 0.8, 1.0, 1.6, and 2.5) are examined via experiments and numerical calculations. The results show that the peaks of explosion pressure and OH* spectral intensity are significantly influenced by the H 2 percentage in the syngas. The introduction of CO 2 notably decreases these parameters in oxygen-rich and severe oxygen-poor states. Additionally, the flame propagation speed noticeably increases with increasing H 2 proportion in the syngas. The influence of CO 2 on the buoyancy instability of the spherical flame of syngas is considered negligible when compared to that of other combustible gases, such as CH 4. Nevertheless, the presence of CO 2 decreases the density ratio between the unburned gas and burned gas and increases the flame thickness of syngas/air mixtures. This trend reduces the cellular instability of the spherical flame, particularly in severe oxygen-poor states. Notably, there is a definite correlation between the formation of cellular flames and the rise rate of explosion pressure. The cellular structure on the flame surface becomes more pronounced when the rise rate of explosion pressure increases. Conversely, it develops later or is noticeably inhibited. Furthermore, the main reaction pathways are H 2 → ∙OH → H 2 O 2 → H 2 O and H 2 → ∙OH → CO → CO 2 during the syngas explosion process. ∙OH is critical in the entire chain reaction because it promotes the conversion of H 2 to H 2 O and acts as a vital connection between the reactants H 2 and CO in the explosion process. • The P max and I max were investigated with H 2 addition and CO 2 dilution. • The cellular instability of the spherical flame was analyzed. • The interaction of flame development and explosion pressure was revealed. • The main reaction pathways during the syngas explosion process were examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background • Camphora officinarum (CO) is a commonly used homeopathic remedy for treating colds, collapse, and recurrent eruptive illnesses. Objective • Due to the non-availability of safety data on CO, the current study intended to determine the oral toxicity of CO in its ethanol-potentized dilutions 6C, 30C, and 200C in Wistar albino rats as per OECD guidelines. Materials and methods • A single oral dose of CO-6C, 30C, and 200C (2000 μl/kg) was administered, and the animals were monitored for behavior and mortality for up to 14 days in an acute toxicity study. In the subacute study, the effects of daily oral administration of CO-6C, 30C, and 200C (200 μl/kg) for 28 days were observed for clinical signs, change in body weight, and mortality. Hematological, biochemical, and histopathological analyses were assessed and organ weights were determined. Results • Results indicate no mortality of CO in its potencies in the acute toxicity study and was found to be safe at 2000 μl/kg dosage in the subacute toxicity study. CO (200 μl/kg/day) did not show any signs of toxicity in the hematological, biochemical, and histopathological analyses, along with organ weights. Conclusion • In conclusion, the findings suggest that CO in potencies of 6C, 30C, and 200C is safe up to a single oral dose of 2000 μl/kg body weight, and the No Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL) was determined to be greater than 200 μl/kg/day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increase in transendothelial water permeability is an essential etiological factor in a variety of diseases like edema and shock. Despite the high clinical relevance, there has been no precise method to detect transendothelial water flow until now. The deuterium oxide (D2O) dilution method, already established for measuring transepithelial water transport, was used to precisely determine the transendothelial water permeability. It detected appropriate transendothelial water flow induced by different hydrostatic forces. This was shown in four different endothelial cell types. The general experimental setup was verified by gravimetry and absorbance spectroscopy. Determination of transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER) and immunocytochemical staining for proteins of the cell-cell contacts were performed to ensure that no damage to the endothelium occurred because of the measurements. Furthermore, endothelial barrier function was modulated. Measurement of transendothelial water flux was verified by measuring the TEER, the apparent permeability coefficient and the electrical capacity. The barrier-promoting substances cyclic adenosine monophosphate and iloprost reduced TEER and electrical capacity and increased permeability. This was accompanied by a reduced transendothelial water flux. In contrast, the barrier-damaging substances thrombin, histamine and bradykinin reduced TEER and electrical capacity, but increased permeability. Here, an increased water flow was shown. This newly established in vitro method for direct measurement of transendothelial water permeability was verified as a highly precise technique in various assays. The use of patient-specific endothelial cells enables individualized precision medicine in the context of basic edema research, for example regarding the development of barrier-protective pharmaceuticals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to widespread impacts on mental health. Although affective attentional processes are implicated in mental health concerns broadly, there has been limited research on the influence of COVID-19 related loss on affective attentional processes. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the impact of a COVID-19 related loss on affective attentional processes. Methods: We recruited participants through Amazon Mechanical Turk in an initial study (Study 1: n = 136) and pre-registered replication (Study 2: n = 206). To measure affective attentional processes, participants completed the Emotional Stroop Dilution Task with word stimuli that were either neutral, generally trauma-related, or specific to COVID-19. To quantify affective attentional processes, novel response-based computation with superior psychometric properties and traditional attention bias computation approaches were used. Results: Using response-based measures COVID-19 related loss was associated with greater attention capture and facilitation in response to COVID-19 specific words in Study 1. In Study 2 (pre-registered replication), we again found COVID-19 related loss was associated with high conflict attention capture and facilitation for COVID-19 related stimuli only. No associations between the two studies were replicated with the traditional approach. Conclusions: Taken together, findings from these studies suggest that experiencing a COVID-19 related loss is associated with dysregulation of affective attentional processes, specific to COVID-related stimuli. Future research should examine whether dysregulated affective attentional processes can be addressed (e.g., with attention bias modification) which may be helpful for addressing mental health concerns in the wake of COVID-19 related loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibiotic resistance represents a growing medical crisis and is predicted to cause over 10 million deaths globally per year by 2050. Among the most dangerous resistant bacteria are the critical priority pathogens denoted by the World Health Organization (WHO). Fortunately, phage therapy, a high potential treatment method that uses viruses to infect and lyse bacteria, can successfully clear antibiotic-resistant infections. However, it has not passed clinical trials due to the lack of a streamlined process for phage characterization, highlighting the need to compare phage host range determination (HRD) techniques to simplify this process. To address this, phage primary research papers with HRD data were collected from PubMed and Google Scholar. 56 suitable studies were grouped by critical priority pathogen and employed HRD technique. The quantity (mL) of agar, phage filtrate, and bacterial culture used was recorded. Means for each group were compared using a non-parametric ANOVA. For the E. coli O157:H7 research paper group, plaque testing used significantly less total material and agar than spot testing with dilutions (p 5 0.047, p 5 0.041), while spot testing without dilutions used significantly less phage filtrate than plaque testing (p 5 0.035) and significantly less bacterial culture than spot testing with dilutions (p 5 0.013), strongly suggesting that spot testing with dilutions should not be chosen over other methods when conducting HRD as it is the most resource-consumptive. Further investigation into other phage characterization metrics is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A diffusion-heat-flow coupling model at extremely low temperatures is established. • Friction and phase separation of 3He-4He mixtures are introduced in the model. • Mechanism of heat and mass transfer in mixing chamber is analyzed. • A temperature of 8.01 mK is obtained in the mixing chamber. • Parameter sensitivity analysis of the mixing chamber is performed. Dilution refrigeration using a 3He-4He mixture as a working medium has gradually become one of the most important methods to obtain millikelvin temperature. At present, the study on dilution refrigeration is mainly aimed at commercializing the whole product. However, the heat and mass transfer characteristics of 3He-4He at extremely low temperatures in the mixing chamber lack systematic study. In this study, a diffusion-thermal-flow coupling model in the mixing chamber is established for the first time in view of the low-temperature characteristics of 3He-4He mixtures. An improved two-fluid model is introduced, considering the finite solubility of 3He in the superfluid 4He and the friction between the components of the mixed working medium. The mechanism of refrigeration and diffusion at extremely low temperatures is analyzed. The refrigeration and mass transfer rates caused by diffusion have almost the same variation trend, and the cooling power of 4.9 μW at 20 mK is obtained. The sensitivity of the heat and mass transfer process to the 4He viscosity coefficient is analyzed. The lowest temperature of 8.01 mK is obtained through parameter adjustment in the mixing chamber. Finally, the cooling capacity is transferred layer by layer from the phase interface to both sides, and it is obviously affected by the inlet, showing a bending trend. The refrigeration capacity of the mixing chamber increases rapidly with the increase of the inlet flow rate when the inlet flow rate varies from 25 μmol/s to 50 μmol/s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study characterized metal contamination in the Blesbokspruit River waters, near the coal-mining town of Emalahleni in Mpumalanga, South Africa, using enrichment factors (EFs) and contamination factors (CFs). We investigated the potential of Fe and Al 'dilution factors' (stream water divided by overbank sediment concentrations) under base flow hydrological conditions to detect AMD-related trace metal contamination in the study site. Waters of the Blesbokspruit River were characterized by acidic (< 3) to near neutral (≈7) pH, high EC (up to 2240 µS/cm), high sulfate (up to 1530 mg/L), ultra-high degrees of Fe contamination and minor to moderately severe enrichment of trace metals, all of which strongly indicate that the river is affected by AMD. Fe and Al dilution factors showed moderate to strong positive correlations with dissolved trace metals (Co, Ni, Zn, Pb, Cr, and Cd), but not with Cu, which is likely more associated with kaolinite in the study area. In addition, correlation analysis showed that dilution factors were better for detecting aqueous Co and Cd, and comparable for detecting aqueous Ni, relative to stream pH and aqueous Fe and Al. Dilution factors have an advantage over stream pH and aqueous Al and Fe because, once calculated, they can be used to monitor AMD-related trace metal contamination in streams during dry seasons by using only Al and Fe content in sediments. This can be beneficial when preservation methods or storage necessary for water samples are not available. However, the robustness of dilution factors during wet seasons requires further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blood testing using flow cytometry is a common and rapid method for the initial screening and diagnosis of patients. Measurements are often combined with other scientific techniques, and analyzed samples are commonly diluted and discarded afterward. When the sample is recollected instead, sample dilution is a challenge when the sample is intended or needed for additional measurements. Therefore, it is advantageous to recollect the undiluted sample. In order to enable measurements of the same undiluted sample aliquot, we designed and constructed a purpose-built flow cytometer. Our instrument employs syringes, acoustic focusing, and an open fluidics system to recollect and reuse the unadulterated sample. The cytometer is compact, which reduces sample consumption. It acquires forward, sideward, and fluorescence signals, offering opportunities for diverse measurement approaches. In particular, our cytometer has been designed to be ready for additional downstream analysis of cells, e.g., applying mass spectrometry, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, or other analytical tools. This study presents results on instrument performance, a comparison with a cytometer that uses standard hydrodynamic focusing, and a proof of concept for multiple measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of heat and momentum losses on the steady solutions admitted by the reactive Euler equations with sink/source terms is examined for stoichiometric hydrogen–oxygen mixtures. Varying degrees of nitrogen and argon dilution are considered in order to access a wide range of effective activation energies, E a,eff / R u T 0 , when using detailed thermochemistry. The main results of the study are discussed via detonation velocity-friction coefficient (D– c f ) curves. The influence of the mixture composition is assessed, and classical scaling for the prediction of the velocity deficits, D (c f,crit) / D CJ , as a function of the effective activation energy, E a,eff / R u T 0 , is revisited. Notably, a map outlining the regions where set-valued solutions exist in the E a,eff / R u T 0 -- α space is provided, with α denoting the momentum–heat loss similarity factor, a free parameter in the current study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present two cases, in which end-of-life patients were inadvertently treated with bolus infusions of undiluted subcutaneous levetiracetam. The patients were treated for three and four days respectively. In both cases, the course of treatment was uneventful. Especially, no seizures, nor local irritation was observed. Administration of undiluted subcutaneous levetiracetam as intermittent bolus infusions by hand holds alluring properties for end-of-life patients. Amongst others reducing patient discomfort, increasing freedom of movement, and accessibility to essential seizure prophylaxis by eliminating the need for a syringe driver, thereby helping accommodate many patients wish to die in their own home. However, pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and safety, including the optimum dilution and administration time of the subcutaneous preparation remains to be determined in clinically controlled trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A crucial problem in the design of heat exchangers (HEx) for dilution refrigerators is thermal boundary resistances between liquid helium and substances rapidly increasing at low temperatures. In addition, thermal resistivity of liquid helium in restricted geometries also increases with decreasing temperature. To solve these problems, recently we developed the nanopore heat exchanger (NHEx), where nanoporous silicate and 75000-nm silver powder are used. Nanoporous materials have huge specific area about of 1000 m 2 /g, which is 3 orders larger compared with conventional fine silver powder sinters widely used for HExs. We have measured the Kapitza resistance of NHEx down to 22 mK and found that it is nearly 10 times smaller than that of conventional sinters with the same size. Use of 75000-nm silver powder instead of 70 nm also allows to reduce thermal resistivity of the liquid. In order to examine performance of the NHEx, quantitative evaluation is performed using numerical simulations. The result shows 3–10 times better performance of NHEx, compared with conventional HExs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Calcium hydroxylapatite‐carboxymethylcellulose (CaHA‐CMC) injectables have emerged as dual‐purpose fillers with bioregenerative and direct filling capabilities. Aims: This study investigates the rheological properties of CaHA‐CMC and its CMC carrier gel at various dilutions. Methods: The storage modulus (G′), loss modulus (G″), complex viscosity (η*), loss factor (tan δ), cohesivity, and extrusion force were evaluated for a range of CaHA‐CMC aqueous dilutions with an oscillatory rheometer, drop weight testing, and force analysis, respectively. Results: Results revealed a significant decrease in G′, η*, and increase in tan(δ) with increasing dilution, indicating a decline in the product's direct filling capabilities. Cohesivity decreased dramatically with dilution, potentially enhancing tissue biointegration and the product's biostimulatory effects. The CMC gel carrier displayed inelastic and non‐resilient properties, with rheological changes differing from CaHA‐CMC. Dilutional rheology was also correlated with previously published dilution‐dependent biostimulatory data where hyperdiluted CaHA‐CMC (>1:2) demonstrated a regenerative profile and diluted or hypodiluted mixtures retained meaningful filling properties and increased regeneration. Conclusions: These findings offer a continuum for tailoring the product's rheological profile to match specific tissue requirements. Customizable rheology allows CaHA‐CMC to be tuned for either filling and contouring or optimal regenerative effects. Importantly, safety implications related to vascular occlusion suggest that dilutional rheomodulation decreases the risk of vascular events. In conclusion, this study highlights the significant impact of aqueous dilution on the rheological properties of CaHA‐CMC and its carrier gel. The findings support the clinical application of tailored dilutions to achieve desired outcomes, providing versatility and safety for aesthetic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) offers significant signal enhancement compared to conventional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) in measuring the nuclear Overhauser effect. Owing to this enhancement, DNP enables the quantitative analysis of solvent–solute interactions, which are typically challenging to assess using standard NMR techniques. However, current experimental setups generally require the use of samples with relatively high solute concentrations because of large dilution factors. This limits the studies on solvent–solute interactions for bio‐related molecules, particularly those with low solubility. In such cases, the concentration of solute post‐dilution often falls below the detection limits. Herein, we introduce a novel dual injection system designed to considerably increase the dilution factor, thereby enabling the use of samples with lower solute concentrations while maintaining detectable signal levels. The effectiveness of this system was demonstrated in experiments using trifluoroacetic acid at concentrations 50 times lower than those used in the conventional method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predation threat is a major driver of behavior in many prey species. Animals can recognize their relative risk of predation based on cues in the environment, including visual and/or chemical cues released by a predator or from its prey. When threat of predation is high, prey often respond by altering their behavior to reduce their probability of detection and/or capture. Here, we test how a clonal fish, the Amazon molly (Poecilia formosa), behaviorally responds to predation cues. We measured aggressive and social behaviors both under 'risk', where chemical cues from predatory fish and injured conspecifics were present, and control contexts (no risk cues present). We predicted that mollies would exhibit reduced aggression towards a simulated intruder and increased sociability under risk contexts as aggression might increase their visibility to a predator and shoaling should decrease their chance of capture through the dilution effect. As predicted, we found that Amazon mollies spent more time with a conspecific when risk cues were present, however they did not reduce their aggression. This highlights the general result of the 'safety in numbers' behavioral response that many small shoaling species exhibit, including these clonal fish, which suggests that mollies may view this response as a more effective anti-predator response compared to limiting their detectability by reducing aggressive conspecific interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dissimilar welds between ferritic and austenitic steels represent a good solution for exploiting the best performance of stainless steels at high and low temperatures and in aggressive environments, while minimizing costs. Therefore, they are widely used in nuclear and petrochemical plants; however, due to the different properties of the steels involved, the welding process can be challenging. Fusion welding can be specifically applied to connect low-carbon or low-alloy steels with high-alloy steels, which have similar melting points. The welding of thick plates can be performed with an electric arc in multiple passes or in a single pass by means of laser beam equipment. Since the microstructure and, consequently, the mechanical properties of the weld are closely related to the composition, the choice of the filler metal and processing parameters, which in turn affect the dilution rate, plays a fundamental role. Numerous technical solutions have been proposed for welding dissimilar steels and much research has developed on welding metallurgy; therefore, this article is aimed at a review of the most recent scientific literature on issues relating to the fusion welding of ferritic/austenitic steels. Two specific sections are dedicated, respectively, to electric arc and laser beam welding; finally, metallurgical issues, related to dilution and thermal field are debated in the discussion section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The long-term stability of antibiotics in culture media remains underexplored in scientific literature. This study evaluated the stability of eight distinct antibiotic stock solutions—amoxicillin, cefotaxime, neomycin, oxytetracycline, florfenicol, enrofloxacin, colistin, and potentiated sulfonamide—and their 10-fold dilution series in tryptone soy broth (TSB) at 37 °C, over 12 days. Samples were collected immediately after preparation and on days 1, 2, 5, 7, 9, and 12, with active substance concentrations measured using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled with mass spectrometry. The results indicated that among the ultrapure water stock solutions, neomycin, florfenicol, and potentiated sulfonamide maintained stability (>95%). Within the culture medium, florfenicol showed consistent stability (100%) throughout the study, potentiated sulfonamide experienced minor degradation (>85%), and neomycin underwent significant degradation. Amoxicillin, oxytetracycline, and colistin displayed considerable degradation in both solution types but were more stable in ultrapure water solutions. The stability of cefotaxime and enrofloxacin in ultrapure water solutions and in the medium was very similar when compared; however, 3.6% of the former and 88.7% of the latter remained detectable by day 12. These findings are crucial for minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assessments, especially in minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) studies, and in experiments concerning long-term evolution and co-selection. This study underscores the necessity of stability assessments in culture media to validate future experimental outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Critical equipments of process and heavy engineering industries are prone to significant wear due to intense service conditions. Uneven and uncontrolled wear causes significant changes in dimensional and geometrical accuracies of the part surfaces, which adversely affect the parts' functionality and service life of these parts. Shorter service life of these equipments and subsequent replacement of the same is one of the serious economic concerns. Hardfacing or hardsurfacing is comparatively an advanced metal deposition technology to deposit a hard and complex metal substrate layer on simple and softer base material surface. This process is gaining popularity at commercial level due to its unique capabilities to develop superior wear, corrosion, and impact resistance properties on worn out parts and offer huge economic advantage as substitute to costly replacement. The primarily aim of this study is to present a comprehensive review of the work done on the probable candidates for deposition materials, and summarize the influence of various process parameters on hard-faced surface characteristics. The critical issues like dilution, debonding, and residual stresses have been discussed for multi-layered hardfacing for iron-, nickel-, and cobalt-based hardfacing materials. The secondary aim of this study is to address practical issues such as selection of proper combination of base-substrate material, to understand the response characteristics of 'plasma transferred arc hardfacing (PTAHF)' process to minimize the de-bonding, dilution, and residual stresses and finally to improve quality of hardfacing practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the current practice in designing brine outfalls for seawater desalination plants has provided a level of protection to the coastal environment that is deemed acceptable, additional research can be pursued to further improve the state-of-the-art understanding as well as enable the integration of beneficial features introduced by the brine outfall. The present study performed both numerical simulations and laboratory experiments to investigate the mixing and spreading of an 45º inclined dense jet in coastal regions with submerged vegetation canopies at the seabed. The numerical simulations utilized the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations with the standard k-ε turbulence closure and non-interactive species transport model. The experiments were performed using the technique of Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence (PLIF) for verification. The overall results showed that the mixing of the inclined dense jet is enhanced just above the top of the submerged canopy due to the presence of stem-scale wakes and increased dispersity promoted by the spatial inhomogeneity near the canopy interface. A threshold value of 0.6 for the characteristic parameter, ϕFr, where Fr is the densimetric Froude number of jets and ϕ is the canopy density, has been observed above which the dilution coefficients reach a plateau and are no longer influenced by the canopy density. Within the canopy, however, the barrier effect prevails in the mixing process leading to constrained dilution particularly with denser canopies. In particular, the concentration at the impingement region within the canopy near the bottom is observed to increase with the increase in the general canopy density. Highlights: The effects of submerged canopy on the mixing and spreading of inclined dense jets are investigated numerically and experimentally. The presence of the canopy enhances the dilution of the inclined dense jet above canopies while increase the concentration within canopies. Quantitative influence depends on the discharge characteristics of the inclined dense jet as well as the characteristics of the canopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective pathogen detection is essential for plant disease control. However, plant sample preparation for downstream assays, such as quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), is challenging to perform outside of a laboratory. This paper reports two sample preparation methods featuring chemical and mechanical lysis and nucleic acid extraction using a micro-homogenizer, followed by serial dilution or nucleic acid purification with a paper disk before assay. Five minutes of lysis and extraction resulted in DNA and RNA yields of up to 76.5% and 63.3%, respectively, compared to mortar and pestle controls. Crude lysates were unsuitable for direct use in qPCR assays; however, serial dilution or quick wash using chromatography paper rendered samples ready for such assays. Additionally, the nucleic acids stored on paper disks under various storage conditions remained stable for one month. These methods can facilitate the in-field preparation of citrus samples and allow for both onsite and mail-in diagnostics for growers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the particle concentration of finely dispersed copper(II) oxide nanosuspensions as precursors for reductive laser sintering (RLS) is optimized on the basis of rheological investigations. For this metallization process, a smooth, homogeneous and defect-free precursor layer is a prerequisite for adherent and reproducible copper structures. The knowledge of the rheological properties of an ink is crucial for the selection of a suitable coating technology as well as for the adjustment of the ink formulation. Different dilutions of the nanosuspension were examined for their rheological behavior by recording flow curves. A strong shear thinning behavior was found and the viscosity decreases exponentially with increasing dilution. The viscoelastic behavior was investigated by a simulated doctor blade coating process using three-interval thixotropy tests. An overshoot in viscosity is observed, which decreases with increasing thinning of the precursor. As a comparison to these results, doctor blade coating of planar glass and polymer substrates was performed to prepare precursor layers for reductive laser sintering. Surface morphology measurements of the resulting coatings using laser scanning microscopy and rheological tests show that homogeneous precursor layers with constant thickness can be produced at a particle–solvent ratio of 1.33. A too-high particle content results in an irregular coating layer with deep grooves and a peak-to-valley height S z of up to 7.8 μm. Precise dilution control allows the fabrication of smooth surfaces with a S z down to 1.5 μm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) are anticipated to constitute a critical component of forthcoming communication networks due to their ability to establish controllable wireless environments. Furthermore, RIS can be leveraged to solve infeasible localization problems. This paper presents a novel adoption of the geometric dilution of precision (GDoP) analysis in the design of non-line of sight (NLoS) single anchor millimetre wave (mmWave) large RIS-aided localization in the near-field. Considering downlink transmission, the time difference of arrival (TDoA) is used to estimate the positioning by extracting the signal contribution of each RIS tile. Considering the enriched time of arrival (ToA) measurements provided by RIS, the RIS tiles involved in TDoA-based estimation should be selected properly. Therefore, the GDoP adopted in this context is to select RIS tile combinations that achieve minimum GDoP values. It has been shown via numerical simulation that the proposed design of the RIS-aided localization outperforms other state-of-the-art techniques that adopt the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for the selection of the RIS tiles. It is demonstrated that the proposed scheme can provide sufficient localization accuracy involving only 10% of RIS tiles, whereas the SNR method requires about (70–80) % of the tiles to approximately achieve the same accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]