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The aim of this study was to identify the most common threats and non-compliances occurring during the production of unpasteurized fruit juices in relation to the requirements of the IFS standard. Additionally, this study aimed to demonstrate how the IFS standard supports the introduction of sustainable practices in the production of fruit juices. The research material was data from internal audits conducted in three plants producing unpasteurized fruit juices and final product microbial assessment and swabs from the production environment taken from the three plants. These plants are located in western Poland. Based on the assessment carried out, it was found that most non-compliances were identified in the areas covered by prerequisite programs, but the final product and production environment met product and production safety requirements. It was also stated that the corrective actions proposed and approved by the auditors correct the existing non-compliance without the aspect of continuous improvement. The research and audits carried out as part of this work allowed us to conclude that international standards, such as the IFS, are an excellent tool for introducing the principles of a sustainable approach to production plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated farming system (IFS) aims to diversify the agricultural landscapes by incorporating different components to meet the multifarious needs of the burgeoning population. The present study was undertaken to understand the impact of different cropping systems on soil organic carbon (SOC) stock, aggregate distribution, and aggregate associated organic carbon (AAOC) in 2-IFS models of varying sizes (0.4 and 0.8 ha) established during 2008-2009. After 10 years of the study, the fodder system registered the greatest TOC and carbon stocks across IFS models, with surface soil (0-15 cm) accumulating 17 and 13% higher TOC and C stock, respectively, in 0.4 and 0.8 ha models. In 0-15 cm, macroaggregates (Ma) represented the highest proportion (75-76%) in both models. Among cropping systems, the fodder system recorded the highest large macroaggregates in both IFS models. Within 0-30 cm depth, small macroaggregates are mostly found in the perennial system (fodder, guava+turmeric, and lemon intercropping system), indicating the potential to improve the aggregate stability over the seasonal (shorter duration) system. In general, micro aggregate (Mi) fraction was pre-dominant in sub-surface soil (17.35%). The maximum AAOC was found in Ma compared to Mi fractions, with approximately 67 and 63% of total carbon associated with Ma in 0.4 and 0.8 ha IFS models, respectively. Interestingly, the 0.8 ha IFS model had higher TOC (~11%) and carbon stock (~12%) than the 0.4 ha model, but AAOC did not show a similar result, indicating the influence of cropping systems on AAOC. The study indicated that the fodder-based production system had better performance in terms of soil physical health and increased aggregate stability and content of soil carbon. This is indicative of the advantages of perennial-based systems over seasonal- or annual-based cropping systems for soil sustainability in Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum logic (QL) and fuzzy logic (FL) have been gaining attention nowadays due to its potential to be used in quantum computing and information theory. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of QL models of fuzzy representations viz. fuzzy sets (FSs), interval valued fuzzy sets (IVFSs), intuitionistic fuzzy sets (IFSs) and interval valued intuitionistic fuzzy sets (IVIFSs). These QL models can be used to analyze the behavior of quantum logical systems in a fuzzy environment, which is particularly useful for dealing with uncertainty and imprecision in quantum environment. Furthermore, this paper explores the concept of effect algebras (EAs), which are algebraic structures that provide a natural framework for studying FL. Specifically, it is shown that the family of FS, IVFS, IFS and IVIFS can be organized into an EA if the Lukasiewicz operations are considered. This result is significant because EAs can be used to model a wide range of physical and mathematical systems, including quantum systems, and provide a useful tool for analyzing the properties of FL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated farming system (IFS) aims to diversify the agricultural landscapes by incorporating different components to meet the multifarious needs of the burgeoning population. The present study was undertaken to understand the impact of different cropping systems on soil organic carbon (SOC) stock, aggregate distribution, and aggregate associated organic carbon (AAOC) in 2-IFS models of varying sizes (0.4 and 0.8 ha) established during 2008–2009. After 10 years of the study, the fodder system registered the greatest TOC and carbon stocks across IFS models, with surface soil (0–15 cm) accumulating 17 and 13% higher TOC and C stock, respectively, in 0.4 and 0.8 ha models. In 0–15 cm, macroaggregates (Ma) represented the highest proportion (75–76%) in both models. Among cropping systems, the fodder system recorded the highest large macroaggregates in both IFS models. Within 0–30 cm depth, small macroaggregates are mostly found in the perennial system (fodder, guava+turmeric, and lemon intercropping system), indicating the potential to improve the aggregate stability over the seasonal (shorter duration) system. In general, micro aggregate (Mi) fraction was pre-dominant in sub-surface soil (17.35%). The maximum AAOC was found in Ma compared to Mi fractions, with approximately 67 and 63% of total carbon associated with Ma in 0.4 and 0.8 ha IFS models, respectively. Interestingly, the 0.8 ha IFS model had higher TOC (~11%) and carbon stock (~12%) than the 0.4 ha model, but AAOC did not show a similar result, indicating the influence of cropping systems on AAOC. The study indicated that the fodder-based production system had better performance in terms of soil physical health and increased aggregate stability and content of soil carbon. This is indicative of the advantages of perennial-based systems over seasonal- or annual-based cropping systems for soil sustainability in Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains.

The outbreak of COVID-19 from Wuhan, China in 2019 has spread across the world, with more than 687 million confirmed coronavirus cases still increasing. Vaccines and medicines are one aspect of fighting the pandemic outbreak, but modern Information Technologies, web/ mobile-based technologies, blockchain, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices are being used to control the pandemic outbreak at an earlier/later stage. The IoT devices with sensors, and mobile apps/ websites having self-assessment tests can help in tracking COVID-19 infections. These people's tracking information and self-assessment tests are generating huge amounts of data. This white paper introduces an IoT and cloud-based architectural framework in the COVID-19 pandemic to predict infection risk based on citizens' self-assessments and storage of data in the cloud and the intelligent technique of hesitant Intuitionistic Fuzzy Set (IFS) has been used on the self-assessment dataset to predict the risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key Points: Acute invasive fungal sinusitis (IFS) is a rare disease with high mortalityThere is no designated International Classification of Diseases code for IFSWe propose a novel method to identify IFS using optimized codes complemented by medications [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shopping center plays an important role in distribution system and marketing. These canters provide an appropriate atmosphere for customers; so that, the customers achieve the best service within a short time. However, there is an intense competition among shopping centers to attract more customers for increasing the profit. Therefore, a powerful model assists authorities in identifying the critical competitive aspects and directing their efforts toward performance improvement. However, a number of strategies have been developed to identify the most relevant components. The Delphi technique under intuitionistic fuzzy environment, called intuitionistic fuzzy Delphi method (IFDM) study, is a group-based technique that can simply formulate the uncertainty imposed by decision making circle. On the other hand, multi criteria decision making (MCDM) method such as analytical network process (ANP) is a mathematical tool for taking into account mutual relationships in order to rank a number of criteria. Nonetheless, the ANP is unable to account for the uncertainty involved in the decision-making process. Similarly, the intuitionistic fuzzy set (IFS) can express ambiguity and vagueness by utilizing the given scale. Because the IFS is robust in dealing with complexity and ambiguity, the IFS-GANP (an integrated model of the IFS and ANP methods under group decision) can result in a more specific description of the situation. As a result, the IFS-GANP approach outperforms both conventional ANP and fuzzy ANP. To demonstrate the model's feasibility, a case study rating the essential aspects impacting the attractiveness of retail centers is shown. The result demonstrates factor C31 (Location) with value of 0.202 plays the greatest role in attracting customers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice-based integrated farming system improves the productivity and profitability by recycling resources efficiently. In the sub-humid tropics, rice production without sufficient nutrient replenishment often leads to soil health and fertility degradation. There has been very limited research on soil health and fertility after adopting a multi-enterprising rice-based integrated farming system (IFS), notably in the rice-fish-livestock and agroforestry system, when compared to a conventional farming system (CS). Therefore, the present study analyzed the dynamics of soil properties, soil bacterial community structure and their possible interaction mechanisms, as well as their effect on regulating soil quality and production in IFS, IFSw (water stagnant area of IFS) and CS. The results indicated that soil nutrient dynamics, bacterial diversity indices (Shannon index, Simpson index, Chao 1, ACE and Fisher index) and system productivity were higher in IFSw and IFS compared to CS. Moreover, relative operational taxonomic units of dominant bacterial genera (Chloroflexi, Acidobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, Planctomycetes, Cyanobacteria, Crenarchaeota and Gemmatimonadetes) were also higher in IFSw and IFS compared to CS. Mean soil quality index (SQI) was highest in IFSw (0.780 ± 0.201) followed by IFS (0.770 ± 0.080) and CS (0.595 ± 0.244). Moreover, rice equivalent yields (REY) and rice yields were well correlated with the higher levels of soil biological indices (SQIBiol) in IFS. Overall, our results revealed that rice-based IFS improved the soil health and fertility and ensuing crop productivity through positive interaction with soil bacterial communities and nutrient stoichiometry leading to agroecosystem sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shopping center plays an important role in distribution system and marketing. These canters provide an appropriate atmosphere for customers; so that, the customers achieve the best service within a short time. However, there is an intense competition among shopping centers to attract more customers for increasing the profit. Therefore, a powerful model assists authorities in identifying the critical competitive aspects and directing their efforts toward performance improvement. However, a number of strategies have been developed to identify the most relevant components. The Delphi technique under intuitionistic fuzzy environment, called intuitionistic fuzzy Delphi method (IFDM) study, is a group-based technique that can simply formulate the uncertainty imposed by decision making circle. On the other hand, multi criteria decision making (MCDM) method such as analytical network process (ANP) is a mathematical tool for taking into account mutual relationships in order to rank a number of criteria. Nonetheless, the ANP is unable to account for the uncertainty involved in the decision-making process. Similarly, the intuitionistic fuzzy set (IFS) can express ambiguity and vagueness by utilizing the given scale. Because the IFS is robust in dealing with complexity and ambiguity, the IFS-GANP (an integrated model of the IFS and ANP methods under group decision) can result in a more specific description of the situation. As a result, the IFS-GANP approach outperforms both conventional ANP and fuzzy ANP. To demonstrate the model’s feasibility, a case study rating the essential aspects impacting the attractiveness of retail centers is shown. The result demonstrates factor C31 (Location) with value of 0.202 plays the greatest role in attracting customers.

Global financial meltdown-2008 brought attention of states and market participants towards asset based Islamic Financial System (IFS). Global financial crises-2008 was not only the debt crises but actually it was the collapse of conventional system that caused surge in Sharia complaint products demand by many folds from every corner of the world. Pakistan where Islamic banking started to came in limelight after 2001 when old Islamic banking procedures were announced NULL and VOID by sharia court and SBP set new road map for next 20 years for Islamic Banking in Pakistan. Islamic Capital market (ICM) also started its growth with rising Islamic bank (IBs) deposits and financing. This paper investigates the ICM products to maximize its growth and challenges. This study is based on review of previous papers and analysis of available data on ICM business from annual reports of PSX, NCCPL, CDC, SECP and PSX brokers. The study found that itis still needed to work for the sustainable growth of ICM in Pakistan as the sector has witnessed very low growth Specially equity market as compared to improvement of IBs during last 8 years.

Integral field spectroscopy (IFS) is capable of simultaneously collecting two-dimensional high-resolution spatial image information and spectral information in a target field of view (FOV). The image slicer is the key element in IFS for segmenting the target FOV. Current micro-image slicer fabrication methods such as molecular assembling need strictly accurate control during sticking, which is time-consuming and expensive. In this study, we improved a direct-adhesive method for thin glass slicer manufacture and alignment. Thin glass is fabricated via single polishing and direct stitching to form a micro-image slicer. Based on charge coupled device (CCD) camera tests on parallel light, the manufacture accuracy for a six-channel image slicer reaches that of the molecular assembling scheme. This method can be applied to the fabrication of image slicers with different apertures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key points: Invasive fungal sinusitis (IFS) rate and risk factors in transplant recipients were exploredIFS rate is higher in allogeneic recipients with prior transplants and worse comorbidity scoresThe at‐risk timeframes for IFS development were identified [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiment is conducted at farmer’s field in Chidambaram Sathamangalam,Cuddalore district of TamilNadu, during Navarai 2021 (January 2021-April 2021) to assessment of weed dynamics in different rice farming systems and weed management practices. The experiment has a split plot design with four replications, two main treatments with various rice farming systems, namely M1 - Monocropping and M2 - Annamalai rice + fish + poultry farming system, and three sub treatments with weed management practises, namely S1 - Unweeded control, S2 - twice hand weeding on 20 and 40 DAT, and S3 - pre emergence (PE) application through tank mix of butachlor (50 percent EC) @ 1.25 kg 1.25 kg a.i. ha-1 and 2,4-DEE (38 percent EC) at 0.6 kg a.i. ha-1 was done next (S3 ).Among the agricultural systems, the Annamalai rice + fish + poultry farming system (M2) had the lowest weed population, weed DMP, and greatest weed control index (WCI) at 30 and 60 DAT, according to the data. The highest weed population, weed dry matter output, and lowest weed control index (WCI) were observed in rice monocropping (M1 ) at all phases of crop growth. The lowest weed parameters and highest weed control index were found in the weed management techniques of twice hand weeding on 20 and 40 DAT (S2 ). PE application through a tank mix of butachlor (50 percent EC) at 1.25 kg a.i. ha-1 and 2,4-DEE (38 percent EC) at 0.6 kg a.i. ha-1 was done next (S3 ). Unweeded control had the most weeds, the heaviest weed load, and the lowest weed control index (S1 ). The Annamalai rice, fish and poultry agricultural system with twice hand weeding on 20 and 40 DAT (M2 S2 ) had the lowest weed population, weed dry weight, and highest weed control index during Navarai 2021, among interactions. The Annamalai rice + fish + poultry farming system was then implemented, coupled with the application of PE using a tank mix of butachlor (50 percent EC) at 1.25 kg a.i. ha-1 and 2,4-DEE (38 percent EC) at 0.6kg a.i.ha-1 (M2 S3 ). As a result, it can be said that the Annamalai rice, fish and poultry farming system outperforms rice monoculture by having the lowest weed population, weed dry weight and maximum weed control efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A hybrid framework to analysis Saudi renewable energy investments is proposed. • The framework proposed based on leontief and fuzzy group decision support models. • The analysis combines expert opinions with statistical data. • A sensitivity analysis assesses to what extend this hybrid framework is robust. This study aims to analyse potential future renewable energy investment scenarios and the evaluation criteria that influence the selection of an optimal scenario. For the first time in studying the renewable energy sector, a hybrid framework is proposed to address the selection process. The proposed hybrid framework combines these multi-disciplinary approaches: considering macroeconomic assumptions, using historical information as quantitative data and eliciting judgements from decision experts as qualitative data. Moreover, it tackles uncertainty regarding the future direction of renewable energy investments by utilising Intuitionistic Fuzzy Set theory. An application of the proposed hybrid framework for a case in Saudi Arabia was conducted in three phases. The first phase applied Leontief's input-output model and proposed three investment scenarios by 2030, namely: the 'based scenario' (investment of 112 billion Saudi Riyals), an 'alternative scenario 1' (investment of 75 billion Saudi Riyals) and an 'alternative scenario 2' (investment of 25 billion Saudi Riyals). The second phase established five decision criteria that are considered when selecting an optimal investment scenario, namely: 'Economic', 'Environmental', 'Social', 'Public preferences' and 'Risk'. The third phase applied a Fuzzy Group Decision Support model to rank the scenarios. The results indicate that the 'based scenario' and the 'alternative scenario 1' are always the compromise investment scenarios and that 'alternative scenario 2' is not preferred. A sensitivity analysis was applied to validate the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cross-Department Coordination of Emergency Management (CDCEM) is considered a critical dimension in China to solve the problem of emergency management. The Decision Experiment and Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) is a method used to build the structural correlation of criteria in uncertain environments to identify critical success factors (CSFs). There are coupling correlations and one-way correlations for interrelationship comparisons between selected factors of CDCEM. Therefore, there are two different assessment scales. However, most previous studies applied the DEMATEL method with a single assessment scale to identify CSFs. To fill this gap, an IFS-IVIFS-DEMATEL method is provided to comprehensively identify the CSFs of CDCEM in this study. The intuitionistic fuzzy set (IFS) is regarded as the assessment scales of coupling correlation, and the interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy set (IFIVS) is regarded as the assessment scales of one-way correlation. The two different types of assessment scales were transformed into interval information in the improved approach. Then, using the conduction correlation among factors, a comprehensive correlation matrix was constructed. After that, the ranking of the central degree and cause degree of the factors according to the traditional DEMATEL method was obtained. Finally, a case study of Nanjing's CDCEM was illustrated to demonstrate that the proposed method is more suitable and reasonable. It is found that the factors of "cross-department organization", "cross-department information communication and transmission", "information sharing technology platform", "cross-department material supply capability", and "cross-department prediction and early warning" in Nanjing are CSFs in CDCEM, which should be emphasized to strengthen CDCEM. The findings of this study shed light on the cross-department coordination of emergency management mechanisms in uncertain situations, which would be beneficial for improving the efficiency of governmental management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atanassov presented the dominant notion of intuitionistic fuzzy sets which brought revolution in different fields of science since their inception. The operations of t-norm and t-conorm introduced by Dombi were known as Dombi operations and Dombi operational parameter possesses natural flexibility with the resilience of variability. The advantage of Dombi operational parameter is very important to express the experts' attitude in decision-making. This study aims to propose intuitionistic fuzzy rough TOPSIS method based on Dombi operations. For this, first we propose some new operational laws based on Dombi operations to aggregate averaging and geometric aggregation operators under the hybrid study of intuitionistic fuzzy sets and rough sets. On the proposed concept, we present intuitionistic fuzzy rough Dombi weighted averaging, intuitionistic fuzzy rough Dombi ordered weighted averaging, and intuitionistic fuzzy rough Dombi hybrid averaging operators. Moreover, on the developed concept, we present intuitionistic fuzzy rough Dombi weighted geometric, intuitionistic fuzzy rough Dombi ordered weighted geometric, and intuitionistic fuzzy rough Dombi hybrid geometric operators. The basic related properties of the developed operators are presented in detailed. Then the algorithm for MCGDM based on TOPSIS method for intuitionistic fuzzy rough Dombi averaging and geometric operators is presented. By applying accumulated geometric operator, the intuitionistic fuzzy rough numbers are converted into the intuitionistic fuzzy numbers. The massive outbreak of the pandemic COVID-19 promoted the challenging scenario for the world organizations including scientists, laboratories, and researchers to conduct special clinical treatment strategies to prevent the people from COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, an illustrative example is proposed to solve MCGDM problem to diagnose the most severe patient of COVID-19 by applying TOPSIS. Finally, a comparative analysis of the developed model is presented with some existing methods which show the applicability and superiority of the developed model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel compact circular shaped fractal monopole patch antenna (FMPA) with defected ground structure (DGS). The suggested fractal geometry has been created by using an iterated function system (IFS). The primary aim behind the inclusion of this fractal geometry is used to achieve miniaturization and wideband performance. The complete geometry of the prescribed FMPA for 5G applications is constructed by incorporating fractals with square and star with eight segments; in each segment we create a square with a rotation of 45° from one segment to another. The dimension of proposed fractal geometry is 14 x 6 mm². The bottom plane of the antenna consists of defected ground structures (DGS) to acquire better isolation and miniaturization. The proposed structure provides a good performance metrics such as gain, and reflection coefficient. The substrate used in this work is Rogers RO4003C, which has a dielectric constant of 3.55, a high of 0.2 mm, and loss tangent of 0.025. Computer Simulation Technology-Microwave Studio (CST) is used to evaluate this antenna. The suggested antenna operates at 26 GHz with an impedance bandwidth of 0.357 GHz along with maximum reflection coefficient of – 24.426 dB. The prescribed antenna attains a peak gain of 3.83 dB, maximum radiation efficiency of 95.78 % and desired radiation patterns by maintaining its compact size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider small perturbations of a conformal iterated function system produced by either adding or removing some generators with small derivative from the original. We establish a formula, utilizing transfer operators arising from the thermodynamic formalism à la Sinai–Ruelle–Bowen, which may be solved to express the Hausdorff dimension of the perturbed limit set in series form: either exactly, or as an asymptotic expansion. Significant applications to the dimension theory of continued fraction Cantor sets include strengthening Hensley's asymptotic formula from 1992, which improved on earlier bounds due to Jarník and Kurzweil, for the Hausdorff dimension of the set of real numbers whose continued fraction expansion partial quotients are all ≤ N ; as well as its counterpart for reals whose partial quotients are all ≥ N due to Good from 1941. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India, 80 per cent of the farmers are small and marginal farmers. They primarily depend on agriculture and allied activities for their livelihood security. The rice-rice cropping system reduces farm income, declined soil fertility and other soil degradation problems. The farming system approach is a holistic tool to address the problems of mono-cropping through diversification that enhances farm income, production and employment. A field study was conducted during 2011–2018 to study the impact of the rice-based integrated crop-livestock system (ICLS) for profitability, carbon emission and sustainability. Recycling of resources and residues led to higher productivity (58.9 %) and net profit (48.5 %) over the initial year by adopting rice-based ICLS. This system had a net profit of $ 3097/year and generated 776 man T days/ha/year employments. In ICLS, the recyclable farm waste material of 28.98 tons is converted into organic manures of 16.03 tons and saves the fertilizer’s cost of $ 504 per year. It can be a sustainable model with a sustainable yield index (0.11) of for wet situations with less carbon-emitting and profitable.

An optimized Koch based fractal patch antenna with twin lower leafs has been designed for appropriate wireless communication applications and capable of exhibiting penta-band behavior. The proposed structure has been created by introducing modified Koch curve on a rhombus shaped fractal patch having compact dimensions of 60 mm×50 mm×1.6 mm with defected ground structure. The reflection coefficient (S11) values of the proposed antenna are -11.97 dB, -20.29 dB, - 25.38 dB, -13.91 dB and -23.48 dB at resonating frequencies of 2.8649 GHz, 6.3514 GHz, 7.1622 GHz, 8.2973 GHz, and 8.9459 GHz, respectively. It has values of VSWR at all resonating frequencies within acceptable range of 1 to 2. The prototype of the proposed structure has been designed on easily available and low cost FR4 epoxy substrate material. The bandwidths of 1.39 GHz, 3.30 GHz, 10.19 GHz, 1.93 GHz and 2.23 GHz has been obtained at all resonating frequencies. The measured results has been analyzed and compared with simulated results and bears a close approximation. The developed prototype can be utilized for applications in S, C, and X frequency band which can further be used for various communication applications like radar, satellite communication and wireless computer networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese ice-ray lattices are perhaps one of the earliest and controlled designs of asymmetric and complex patterns applied as a traditional motif in windows. Such intricate and complex designs developed centuries back have created an evident curiosity to explore its underlying geometric rules. Some scholars used the Shape Grammar as a tool to explain and recreate similar patterns. The previous studies conceive the ice-ray lattice design as the iterative subdivisions of a polygon. However, they missed explaining this geometric quality through the discussion of fractal geometry, which can explain the shapes consuming self-similar or self-affine repetitions of itself at different scales. As a novel approach, this paper analytically focuses on the fractal characters of ice-ray lattice designs and uses fractal geometry as a unique tool for generating different types of ice-ray lattices. The significance of this study is the demonstration of the efficacy of fractal geometry and the simple geometric rule of IFS for analyzing and algorithmically modeling complex lattices and cracked-like patterns.

Integral field spectroscopy (IFS) is capable of simultaneously collecting two-dimensional high-resolution spatial image information and spectral information in a target field of view (FOV). The image slicer is the key element in IFS for segmenting the target FOV. Current micro-image slicer fabrication methods such as molecular assembling need strictly accurate control during sticking, which is time-consuming and expensive. In this study, we improved a direct-adhesive method for thin glass slicer manufacture and alignment. Thin glass is fabricated via single polishing and direct stitching to form a micro-image slicer. Based on charge coupled device (CCD) camera tests on parallel light, the manufacture accuracy for a six-channel image slicer reaches that of the molecular assembling scheme. This method can be applied to the fabrication of image slicers with different apertures.

Two extreme temperature events (ETEs), both triggered by atmospheric blocking situations, were monitored by a pure rotational Raman lidar 20 km south of Paris. The first ETE lasted 6 days in late February 2018 with the onset of a cold wave surging from Siberia, and the second was a short heatwave that occurred at the end of July 2020. After calibration using simultaneous radiosoundings, lidar vertical profiles of temperature are derived with an uncertainty of less than 1 °C within both the planetary boundary layer and the lower/middle free troposphere (~3/6 km above ground level [a.g.l.] for day/night), with a final vertical resolution of 50 m and a temporal resolution of 30 min. Such capabilities fulfil the observational requirements of the World Meteorological Organisation and contribute to fill a gap left behind by current operational instruments, which struggle to follow the diurnal cycle of the planetary boundary layer due to insufficient spatial and temporal resolutions in the low troposphere. These case studies allow to assess how such weather events are represented by numerical weather prediction modelling and whether they can be correctly observed by the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) spaceborne mission. Our results demonstrate that during these events both ECMWF reanalyses and forecasts are in overall very good accordance with lidar observations (correlation >0.9 in average). Still, they show warm biases (~1°C–2°C) compared with the lidar and improvable temperature field representation in the boundary layer. The radiances measured by IASI, assimilated in the operational model, do not capture temperature profiles adequately below ~2–3 km a.g.l., mainly due to the altitude location of its weighting functions. The bias computed against the lidar reaches 2°C during the heatwave and 4°C during the cold wave case in the first 2 km of the atmosphere, beyond expected errors found in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Two extreme temperature events (ETEs), both triggered by atmospheric blocking situations, were monitored by a pure rotational Raman lidar 20 km south of Paris. The first ETE lasted 6 days in late February 2018 with the onset of a cold wave surging from Siberia, and the second was a short heatwave that occurred at the end of July 2020. After calibration using simultaneous radiosoundings, lidar vertical profiles of temperature are derived with an uncertainty of less than 1 °C within both the planetary boundary layer and the lower/middle free troposphere (~3/6 km above ground level [a.g.l.] for day/night), with a final vertical resolution of 50 m and a temporal resolution of 30 min. Such capabilities fulfil the observational requirements of the World Meteorological Organisation and contribute to fill a gap left behind by current operational instruments, which struggle to follow the diurnal cycle of the planetary boundary layer due to insufficient spatial and temporal resolutions in the low troposphere. These case studies allow to assess how such weather events are represented by numerical weather prediction modelling and whether they can be correctly observed by the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) spaceborne mission. Our results demonstrate that during these events both ECMWF reanalyses and forecasts are in overall very good accordance with lidar observations (correlation >0.9 in average). Still, they show warm biases (~1°C–2°C) compared with the lidar and improvable temperature field representation in the boundary layer. The radiances measured by IASI, assimilated in the operational model, do not capture temperature profiles adequately below ~2–3 km a.g.l., mainly due to the altitude location of its weighting functions. The bias computed against the lidar reaches 2°C during the heatwave and 4°C during the cold wave case in the first 2 km of the atmosphere, beyond expected errors found in the literature.

At least eight Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030 are being met by sericulture programmes and activities where the rearing of lepidopteran insect Antheraea mylitta D. for production of tasar silk is an agro-forestry and cottage based emerging activity for conservation and sustainable utilisation of natural resources. In this paper, the compatibility of tasar sericulture in integrated farming system (IFS) with other enterprises is discussed in terms of elements of sustainability and integration with other agricultural activities through flow diagram. The advantages of IFS for enhancing the income of the tribal tasar farmers are also discussed along with the limitations. Further, in order to harness the full benefits of integrating different enterprises in tasar sericulture, the thrust areas to be addressed are also listed. However, the need to develop region specific IFS modules based on availability of resources and their implementation for accelerated sustainable poverty elimination was emphasized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precise simulations of severe weather events are a challenge in the era of changing climate. By performing simulations correctly and accurately, these phenomena can be studied and better understood. In this paper, we have verified how different initial and boundary conditions affect the quality of simulations performed using the Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF). For our analysis, we chose a derecho event that occurred in Poland on 11 August 2017, the most intense and devastating event in recent years. High-resolution simulations were conducted with initialization at 00 and 12 UTC (11 August 2017) using initial and boundary conditions derived from the four global models: Global Forecast System (GFS) from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), Integrated Forecast System (IFS) developed by the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), Global Data Assimilation System (GDAS) and ERA5. For the last, we made separate calculations using data at the pressure and model levels. The results were evaluated against surface and radar data. We found that the simulations that used data from the GDAS and GFS models at 12 UTC were the more accurate, while ERA5 gave the worst predictions. However, all models were characterized by a low probability of detection and a high number of false alarms for simulations of extreme precipitation and wind gusts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Chinese ice-ray lattices are perhaps one of the earliest and controlled designs of asymmetric and complex patterns applied as a traditional motif in windows. Such intricate and complex designs developed centuries back have created an evident curiosity to explore its underlying geometric rules. Some scholars used the Shape Grammar as a tool to explain and recreate similar patterns. The previous studies conceive the ice-ray lattice design as the iterative subdivisions of a polygon. However, they missed explaining this geometric quality through the discussion of fractal geometry, which can explain the shapes consuming self-similar or self-affine repetitions of itself at different scales. As a novel approach, this paper analytically focuses on the fractal characters of ice-ray lattice designs and uses fractal geometry as a unique tool for generating different types of ice-ray lattices. The significance of this study is the demonstration of the efficacy of fractal geometry and the simple geometric rule of IFS for analyzing and algorithmically modeling complex lattices and cracked-like patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although antibiotics have played a certain positive role in the prevention and treatment of poultry diseases, as well as the promotion of poultry growth, some farmers use antibiotics in an incorrect way in the breeding process, resulting in antibiotic residues in poultry tissues, organs and edible products. Residual antibiotics enter the human body through the food chain and accumulate, which not only causes poisoning and allergic reactions, but also drug resistance of pathogenic microorganisms, thus endangering the health of consumers. In this investigation, the residues of 24 antibiotics, including fluoroquinolones, sulfonamides, macrolides, tetracyclines, antivirals, lincomycin and florfenicol, were analyzed in 1211 poultry egg samples in Shandong, China, from 2018 to 2020. Then, based on the per capita intake of poultry eggs recommended in the dietary guidelines of Chinese residents, the maximum residue limit of veterinary drugs specified in Chinese regulations and the average weight of males and females aged 18 and over in 2020, the risk of residual antibiotics was evaluated by International Food Safety indices (IFS). The detection results showed that 104 of 1211 samples were detected with antibiotic residues, with a detection rate of 8.58%. Among them, the main residues were enrofloxacin, sulfonamides and florfenicol. The IFS calculation results showed that the IFS of residual antibiotics ranged from 1.44 × 10−7 to 0.102. Therefore, although enrofloxacin, sarafloxacin, danofloxacin, sulfonamides, tilmicosin, doxycycline, florfenicol, which are banned during egg laying, were detected in poultry eggs in Shandong, these residues did not pose a threat to the health of Chinese adult consumers, according to the daily dietary habits of Chinese people. However, it is strongly suggested that Shandong should strengthen the monitoring of antibiotic use during egg laying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: 5-Hydroxyisoflavonoids, no 5-deoxyisoflavonoids, in Lupinus species, are due to lack of CHRs and Type II CHIs, and the key enzymes of isoflavonoid biosynthetic pathway in white lupin were identified. White lupin (Lupinus albus) is used as food ingredients owing to rich protein, low starch, and rich bioactive compounds such as isoflavonoids. The isoflavonoids biosynthetic pathway in white lupin still remains unclear. In this study, only 5-hydroxyisoflavonoids, but no 5-deoxyisoflavonoids, were detected in white lupin and other Lupinus species. No 5-deoxyisoflavonoids in Lupinus species are due to lack of CHRs and Type II CHIs. We further found that the CHI gene cluster containing both Type I and Type II CHIs possibly arose after the divergence of Lupinus with other legume clade. LaCHI1 and LaCHI2 identified from white lupin metabolized naringenin chalcone to naringenin in yeast and tobacco (Nicotiana benthamiana), and were bona fide Type I CHIs. We further identified two isoflavone synthases (LaIFS1 and LaIFS2), catalyzing flavanone naringenin into isoflavone genistein and also catalyzing liquiritigenin into daidzein in yeast and tobacco. In addition, LaG6DT1 and LaG6DT2 prenylated genistein at the C-6 position into wighteone. Two glucosyltransferases LaUGT1 and LaUGT2 metabolized genistein and wighteone into its 7-O-glucosides. Taken together, our study not only revealed that exclusive 5-hydroxyisoflavonoids do exist in Lupinus species, but also identified key enzymes in the isoflavonoid biosynthetic pathway in white lupin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate calculation of departure points is crucial for the overall accuracy of a semi-Lagrangian advection scheme. The iterative method used in the semi-Lagrangian advection scheme of the ECMWF model IFS (Integrated Forecast System) is based on SETTLS (Stable Extrapolation Two-Time-Level Scheme). The scheme converges slowly due to the long timesteps that the spectral semi-implicit, semi-Lagrangian formulation permits: five iterations are needed for accurate determination of the departure points. Spherical coordinates increase the expense and complexity of the relevant code while computations become sensitive to arithmetic precision and require further approximations in the polar high-curvature region. In this article, an accurate alternative, derived by reformulating the current SETTLS scheme on a geocentric Cartesian framework, is proposed. The new scheme simplifies considerably the computations by avoiding the update of the Lagrangian trajectory equations in spherical coordinates, which involve additional expensive metric terms, eliminates approximations, and is advantageous for single precision. Methods to accelerate the convergence of the departure points were also investigated. The most accurate and efficient approach was to start the SETTLS iterations from the departure point of the previous timestep. Testing the proposed method in high-resolution global forecast and 4D-Var analysis experiments yields equally accurate results as the existing method, while reducing the cost of the iterative scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]