Search

The analysis of diffraction by a semi‐infinite parallel‐plate waveguide with partial material loading is rigorously carried out using the Wiener–Hopf technique for the H‐polarised plane wave incidence. In solving the Wiener–Hopf equations, the authors apply the Modified Residue Calculus Technique (MRCT) to achieve highly accurate solutions. The scattered field in real space is explicitly derived by performing the inverse Fourier transform of the solution in the transform domain. Within the waveguide, the scattered field is represented in terms of the waveguide TM modes, while the external field is asymptotically evaluated by applying the saddle‐point method to yield a far field expression. The authors present representative numerical examples of the radar cross section for various physical parameters and discuss the far‐field scattering characteristics in detail. Comparisons with the E‐polarisation are also given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wildlife‐vehicle collisions have significant consequences for both humans and animals, including injuries, deaths, and vehicle damage. Therefore, analysis of accident data is important for planning countermeasures and appropriate wildlife management. In this research field, roadkill incidents have been extensively studied in many taxa, while railway accidents have received less attention despite their obvious impact on wildlife. Here we applied a Bayesian state‐space model to 31 years of collision data, both on railways and on roads, collected by the Ministry of the Environment in Hokkaido prefecture, Japan, to reveal the spatiotemporal dynamics of accidents for white‐tailed eagles, Steller's sea eagles, and red‐crowned cranes, for which over hundred accidents were reported in the data. Our analysis suggested that the mean annual number of individuals collected per collision site across Hokkaido increased 47,377‐fold in the white‐tailed eagle, 40,277‐fold in the Steller's sea eagle, and 50,584‐fold in the red‐crowned crane between 1991 and 2021. There have been concerns about the impact of traffic accidents on the population dynamics of these endangered birds, but no formal analyses have been conducted. Our analysis showed numerically that the negative impact has been increasing annually. These results suggest that long‐term data accumulation over large spatial scales allows us to understand the dynamics of accidents and predict potential factors underlying collision risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the outcomes of learning activities aimed at modifying naive concepts in an institute of technology, as identified in previous research by Kobayashi et al. In addition to incorporating the flipped classroom into classroom instructions, short presentations were introduced to promote students' active engagement and acquisition of scientifically accurate concepts. The effectiveness of these practices is assessed by comparing the questionnaire results of 154 students. The findings revealed an increase in the number of students who could provide answers and explanations based on correct knowledge through the proposed learning activities. These results suggest that the learning activities examined in this study have a positive effect on modifying naive concepts and acquiring accurate scientific concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to reveal the reality of students' misconceptions and the commonality of naive concepts by analyzing the results of a survey on the basic knowledge and naive concepts of chemistry among incoming students from different institutes of technology. Kobayashi et al. conducted a survey on the possession of naive concepts related to "properties of gases" and "properties of solutions" among first-year students at an institute of technology. The study revealed that there were numerous misunderstandings associated with these naive concepts. Therefore, we conducted a questionnaire survey focusing on the research problems suggested by previous studies among the first-year students of year 2022 from different institutes of technology. Moreover, we examined the commonality of the naïve concepts identified in previous studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Virus filtration is one of the most important steps in ensuring viral safety during the purification of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and other biotherapeutics derived from mammalian cell cultures. Regarding the various virus retentive filters, including Planova filters, a great deal of data has been reported on the virus retention capability and its mechanism. Along with the virus retention capability, filterability is a key performance indicator for designing a robust and high‐throughput virus filtration step. In order to obtain higher filterability, optimization of the feed solution conditions, and filter selection is essential; however, limited data are available regarding the filtration characteristics of Planova filters. Furthermore, for Planova 20N and Planova BioEX, the virus retention characteristics were reported to differ due to their respective membrane materials and layer structures. Whether these filters differ in their filtration characteristics is an interesting question, but no comparative evaluations have been reported. In this study, the filterability of the two filters was investigated and compared using 15 feed mAb solutions of a single mAb selected by design of experiments with different combinations of pH, NaCl concentration, and mAb concentration. The filterability of Planova 20N was affected not only by the feed solution viscosity, but also by the mAb aggregate content of the feed mAb solution and mAb‐membrane electrostatic interactions. In contrast, the filterability of Planova BioEX decreased under some buffer conditions. These findings and the established design spaces of these filters provide valuable insights into the process optimization of virus filtration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]