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We present a method for calculating the mass ejected during the reflection of a shock wave on a triangular groove. This calculation is based on the combination of two models taken from the literature, BMPT-2, on the one hand, for the calculation of the velocity and density of the jet, and fragmentation zone propagation (FZP) on the other hand, for the calculation of the ejected mass, certain parameters required for FZP being determined by BMPT-2. Compared with previous work, FZP has been extended to deal with the various stages of jet formation. The approach was first evaluated on tin using a large-scale molecular dynamics simulation. This first step validated the overall phenomenology and the associated theoretical tools, and enabled us to propose a procedure for adjusting FZP. Next, we used the BMPT-2/FZP combination to analyze ejected mass measurement experiments using Asay foil. The areal mass curves are well reproduced with few parameters, showing that there is no inconsistency between BMPT-2/FZP and the experiments. Finally, a more detailed analysis of the results obtained enables us to set the limits of the jet thickness at the moment of rupture, and to propose a simple analytical form of its profile compatible with the model used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The overall objective of this study is to investigate claims found in the literature that fossil groups, characterized by a large magnitude gap between their two brightest galaxies, are darker, i.e. exhibit higher mass-to-light (M/L) ratios, compared to regular groups. Specifically, we aim to measure the mass of these systems using the weak gravitational lensing technique. To achieve this, we obtained deep images of four fossil systems with the CFHT telescope in the |$r$| and g bands. Through a careful process of weak gravitational shear measurement, including corrections for the point spread function (PSF) and contamination from group and foreground galaxies, we fit NFW models and obtained mass measurements as a result. Similarly, we quantified the light distribution produced by these groups, taking into account relevant data gaps in the images due to the presence of bright stars, as well as contamination from foreground and background galaxies. We obtained masses and M/L ratios that are consistent with previous results where mass was estimated from galaxy dynamics. Indeed, the four fossil systems studied here exhibit high M/L ratios compared to the general population of systems. Drawing more generalizable conclusions from a sample of only four systems is challenging. However, the procedure outlined in this study can be applied to large image surveys, allowing for a revisiting of this question with significantly reduced statistical uncertainties. This will enable a more homogeneous comparison between fossil groups and clusters and the overall population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measuring the mass concentration (PM0.1) of ultrafine particles (UFPs; diameter less than 100 nm) continuously, automatically, and accurately poses a considerable challenge because of the typically low PM0.1 concentration levels and susceptibility to interference from larger particles during the measurement processes. Previous work has shown that PM0.1 has a strong and stable correlation with the number concentration of particles with diameter above 50 nm (N50). This suggests that the indirect measurement of PM0.1 might be possible by measuring N50. In this work, the feasibility of using a Condensation Particle Counter (CPC) that measures PM0.1 by measuring N50 is examined. A water-based CPC was modified to measure N50 (CPC50). The CPC50's ability to measure PM0.1 was then evaluated by comparing its measurements with the PM0.1 measurements of a Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS) in a suburban area. PM0.1 measured by the CPC50 was in good agreement with PM0.1 measured by the SMPS with a fractional bias (FBIAS) of 4% and a fractional error (FERROR) of 21% for hourly measurements. These findings indicate that a CPC50 could serve as a cheaper alternative to the SMPS, allowing for continuous and real-time measurement of PM0.1. Copyright © 2024 American Association for Aerosol Research [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The increasing recognition of the health impacts from human exposure to per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) has surged the need for sophisticated analytical techniques and advanced data analyses, especially for assessing exposure by food of animal origin. Despite the existence of nearly 15,000 PFAS listed in the CompTox chemicals dashboard by the US Environmental Protection Agency, conventional monitoring and suspect screening methods often fall short, covering only a fraction of these substances. This study introduces an innovative automated data processing workflow, named PFlow, for identifying PFAS in environmental samples using direct infusion Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (DI-FT-ICR MS). PFlow's validation on a bream liver sample, representative of low-concentration biota, involves data pre-processing, annotation of PFAS based on their precursor masses, and verification through isotopologues. Notably, PFlow annotated 17 PFAS absent in the comprehensive targeted approach and tentatively identified an additional 53 compounds, thereby demonstrating its efficiency in enhancing PFAS detection coverage. From an initial dataset of 30,332 distinct m/z values, PFlow thoroughly narrowed down the candidates to 84 potential PFAS compounds, utilizing precise mass measurements and chemical logic criteria, underscoring its potential in advancing our understanding of PFAS prevalence and of human exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The photosynthetic oxygen‐evolving center (OEC) is a unique Mn4CaO5‐cluster that catalyses water splitting into electrons, protons, and dioxygen. Precisely structural and functional mimicking of the OEC is a long‐standing challenge and pressingly needed for understanding the structure‐function relationship and catalytic mechanism of O−O bond formation. Herein we report two simple and robust artificial Mn3Ce2O5‐complexes that display a remarkable structural similarity to the OEC in regarding of the ten‐atom core (five metal ions and five oxygen bridges) and the alkyl carboxylate peripheral ligands. This Mn3Ce2O5‐cluster can catalyse the water‐splitting reaction on the surface of ITO electrode. These results clearly show that cerium can structurally and functionally replace both calcium and manganese in the cluster. Mass spectroscopic measurements demonstrate that the oxide bridges in the cluster are exchangeable and can be rapidly replaced by the isotopic oxygen of H218O in acetonitrile solution, which supports that the oxide bridge(s) may serve as the active site for the formation of O−O bond during the water‐splitting reaction. These results would contribute to our understanding of the structure‐reactivity relationship of both natural and artificial clusters and shed new light on the development of efficient water‐splitting catalysts in artificial photosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the problem that the dust mass measurement of the existing dust monitoring devices in the process of farmland dust monitoring was susceptible to the influence of ambient temperature and humidity, resulting in zero drift and a large measurement error, this study designed a dust monitoring device based on temperature and humidity compensation. The device included temperature and humidity sensors, mass sensor, data acquisition system, etc., which could realize cross-regional, remote, real-time online measurement of dust mass. The zero drift and temperature and humidity data of the four dust monitoring devices collected by the temperature and humidity correlation test showed that the temperature and humidity had a significant correlation with the zero drift of the dust monitoring device (the mean values of |p| were 0.59 and 0.62, respectively),and the correlation between zero drift of the dust monitoring device and absolute humidity was more stable than relative humidity performance, a linear expression of absolute humidity and zero drift of the dust monitoring device was provided, the humidity coefficient of the expression was positively correlated with temperature. When the temperature changed from 40 ℃ to 60 ℃, the single-factor test of the temperature and the output signal of dust monitoring device showed that the zero drift was 65.7 times that of the sensitivity change, zero drift was a key factor affecting the measurement accuracy of dust monitoring device. A compensation model of the zero-point drift dust monitoring device of BP network based on temperature and humidity was established, the experimental results showed that the data fluctuation range of the proposed model was 8.8% lower than that of the basing on temperature-humidity second-order polynomial compensation model, and 60.3% lower than that of the basing on temperature compensation model of BP network. A field measurement experiment was conducted for the dust monitoring device based on temperature and humidity compensation of this paper. The results showed the device in this paper reduces the final measurement error by 57.5% and the fluctuation of measurement results by 34.2% compared to the uncompensated device, effectively reduced the measurement error of dust mass. The research results could provide technical support for the research on online real-time monitoring of farmland dust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the analysis of the microlensing event OGLE-2015-BLG-0845, which was affected by both the microlensing parallax and xallarap effects. The former was detected via the simultaneous observations from the ground and Spitzer , and the latter was caused by the orbital motion of the source star in a relatively close binary. The combination of these two effects led to a mass measurement of the lens object, revealing a low-mass (⁠|$0.14 \pm 0.05 \, \mathrm{ M}_{\odot }$|⁠) M dwarf at the bulge distance (⁠|$7.6 \pm 1.0$| kpc). The source binary consists of a late F-type subgiant and a K-type dwarf of |$\sim 1.2$| and |$\sim 0.9 \mathrm{ M}_{\odot }$|⁠ , respectively, and the orbital period is |$70 \pm 10$| d. OGLE-2015-BLG-0845 is the first single-lens event in which the lens mass is measured via the binarity of the source. Given the abundance of binary systems as potential microlensing sources, the xallarap effect may not be a rare phenomenon. Our work thus highlights the application of the xallarap effect in the mass determination of microlenses, and the same method can be used to identify isolated dark lenses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monoclonal antibody (mAb) glycoengineering has the potential to improve the efficacy of biopharmaceuticals by fine-tuning specific biological properties. Glycosylation analysis is key to monitoring the glycoengineering process. Various mass spectrometry (MS)-based methods are available to characterize mAb glycosylation at different structural levels, but comprehensive analysis is typically time-consuming and costly. Here, we present an approach that combines conventional intact mass measurement of glycoforms by direct infusion ESI-MS with an advanced MALDI-in-source decay FT-ICR MS method for direct analysis of glycans in intact mAbs, without the need for enzymatic release and separation. Using a sodium-doped MALDI matrix, glycans were directly released as ISD fragment ions from the intact mAbs during the ionization process. Measurement of 0,2A fragment signals yielded reproducible glycan profiles that were consistent with conventional methods, yet was achieved with unprecedented speed, providing complementary information to that obtained through intact mass measurement. The methods were applied to standard and glycoengineered trastuzumab and rituximab, allowing rapid glycosylation profiling and structural analysis of glycans by tandem MS of selected ISD fragment ions. This fast approach can facilitate the early-phase development of glycoengineering processes by constraining further in-depth analyses. We envision a broader applicability in studies focused on glycosylation changes in mAbs. Glycoengineering of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) has the potential to improve the efficacy of biopharmaceuticals, however, monitoring the glycoengineering process by glycosylation analysis often requires a multi-method approach. Here, the authors present a direct glycosylation analysis of intact mAbs by combining conventional ESI-MS of intact glycoforms and MALDI-in-source decay FT-ICR MS of glycan fragments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present results from the JWST First Reionization Epoch Spectroscopically Complete Observations survey on the star-forming sequence (SFS) of galaxies at 1.0 < z < 1.7, around the peak of the cosmic star formation history. Star formation rates (SFRs) are measured from the redshifted, relatively dust-insensitive Paschen- α emission line, and stellar mass measurements include the F444W (4.4 μ m; rest-frame H) band. We find SFRs of galaxies with log(M */ M ⊙) > 9.5 that are lower than found in many earlier studies by up to 0.6 dex, but in good agreement with recent results obtained with the Prospector fitting framework. The difference (log(SFR(Pa α)-SFR(Prospector)) is −0.09 ± 0.04 dex at 1010−11 M ⊙. We also measure the empirical relation between Paschen- α luminosity and rest-frame H- band magnitude and find that the scatter is only 0.04 dex lower than that of the SFR– M * relation and is much lower than the systematic differences among relations in the literature due to various methods of converting observed measurements to physical properties. We additionally identify examples of sources—that, with standard cutoffs via the UVJ diagram, would be deemed quiescent—with significant (log(sSFR)> −11 yr−1), typically extended, Paschen- α emission. Our results may be indicative of the potential unification of methods used to derive the SFS with careful selection of star-forming galaxies and independent SFR and stellar mass indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glaciers in the Alps are losing mass at unprecedented and accelerating rates. Monitoring of glacier mass change as well as relevant atmospheric parameters plays an important role in improving understanding of local and downstream impacts. We present sub-seasonal, seasonal, and annual glaciological mass balance data and meteorological observations from Mullwitzkees and Venedigerkees, two glacier monitoring sites in the Hohe Tauern range of the Austrian Alps. Ablation stake networks were established on Mullwitzkees in 2006/07 and on Venedigerkees in 2011/12. Monitoring is ongoing. In addition to stake readings at sub-seasonal intervals, accumulation measurements (snow pits and probing) are carried out seasonally. The glaciological dataset consists of sub-seasonal floating-date measurements as well as fixed-date seasonal and annual values. The fixed-date glacier-wide mass balance was derived from annual point mass balance values. Automatic weather stations measuring standard meteorological parameters were installed near Mullwitzkees and Venedigerkees in 2020 and 2019, respectively. Meteorological data are provided in 10 min intervals. Uncertainties in individual point mass balance measurements were computed following the approach of the Swiss Glacier Monitoring (GLAMOS) programme, taking into account estimated density and reading errors. The sub-seasonal mass balance records highlight shorter-term variability in mass loss and the linkage with meteorological conditions. The most negative annual point mass balance recorded in the period of record was -5.8 ± 0.66 m w.e. at an elevation of 2536 m on Venedigerkees, and 2022 stands out as the most negative mass balance year to date in both time series, particularly at higher elevations. The cumulative specific mass balances (glacier-wide) over the period of record were -14.68 m w.e. at Mullwitzkees and -8.79 m w.e. at Venedigerkees. Data are available in the PANGAEA publication series and the associated datasets. The main publication series are updated annually. The Mullwitzkees mass balance datasets can be found in (10.1594/PANGAEA.965660) and (10.1594/PANGAEA.965719). The Venedigerkees data can be found in (10.1594/PANGAEA.965648) and (10.1594/PANGAEA.965729). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atmospheric carbonyl sulfide (COS) has received increasing attention as a potential tracer for investigating the global carbon cycle. Owing to the irreversible photosynthetic absorption of COS, changes in the atmospheric COS mole fraction can be related to terrestrial gross primary production. However, the instability of COS in high-pressure cylinders has hampered the accurate determination of atmospheric COS. Here, we report a dynamic dilution method for generating reference gas mixtures containing COS at ambient levels (ca. 500 pmol mol -1). Our method combined a dynamic dilution system employing a high-accuracy mass flow measurement system and a dry reference gas mixture prepared gravimetrically as a parent gas mixture containing a micromole-per-mole level of COS filled in a high-pressure aluminium cylinder. The storage stability of COS at this level was experimentally validated for three gravimetrically prepared dry reference gases over a period of more than 1 decade. We evaluated the dilution performance of the developed method using a gravimetric parent gas mixture containing approximately 1 µ mol mol -1 of COS and chlorodifluoromethane (HCFC-22). Excellent repeatability (0.2 % for COS and 0.4 % for HCFC-22 in terms of relative standard deviation; RSD), reproducibility (COS: 0.1 %; HCFC-22: 0.3 %), and dilution linearity (R2>0.99 for both COS and HCFC-22) were obtained and were corroborated by the nearly constant ratio of the normalized gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS) response of COS to HCFC-22. The dilution accuracy was examined by comparing the determined HCFC-22 mole fractions in a dynamically diluted parent gas mixture from a mass flow rate measurement system and GC/MS calibrated using a gravimetrically diluted parent gas mixture. The mole fractions of HCFC-22 from these two methods agreed within an acceptable difference of approximately 2 pmol mol -1 , validating the dilution accuracy of the developed method. By re-evaluating the experimental data, we determined the mole fractions of COS and HCFC-22 in an ambient-air-based reference gas mixture, with relative standard deviations of 0.1 % for COS and 0.3 % for HCFC-22. These results demonstrated that the developed method can accurately generate reference gas mixtures containing COS at ambient levels, which we expect will support long-term observations of atmospheric COS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new gram scale experiment with well characterised boundary conditions is proposed for pyrolysis experiments. The set-up consists of a tube furnace, based on ISO19700, with a newly designed concept for a balance within the oven, allowing for online mass loss measurements. Samples with a length up to 50 cm can be investigated in this apparatus. The oven allows for experiments at fixed temperatures or at fixed heating rates, under controlled atmosphere, w.r.t. gas composition and flow rate. A thorough characterisation of the set-up is presented, including aspects like reproducibility of the heating rate or the precision of the balance. The functionality of the balance has been demonstrated with calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ) experiments. This material was chosen because it decomposes in a single reaction, which only releases CO 2 . This allows for comparison between the mass loss rate of the balance and the CO 2 production rate, measured by a gas analyser. Results for two different heating rates: 3 K/min and 5 K/min and for different masses (25 g and 8.5 g) are presented. The two measurement methods are in excellent agreement. Finally, the data obtained from the new experimental set-up is compared to results from thermogravimetric analyser (TGA) experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Therapeutic messenger RNAs (mRNAs) have emerged as powerful tools in the treatment of complex diseases, especially for conditions that lack efficacious treatment. The successful application of this modality can be attributed to its ability to encode entire proteins. While the large nature of these molecules has supported their success as therapeutics, its extended size creates several analytical challenges. To further support therapeutic mRNA development and its deployment in clinical trials, appropriate methods to support their characterization must be developed. In this review, we describe current analytical methods that have been used in the characterization of RNA quality, identity, and integrity. Advantages and limitations from several analytical techniques ranging from gel electrophoresis to liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry and from shotgun sequencing to intact mass measurements are discussed. We comprehensively describe the application of analytical methods in the measurements of capping efficiency, poly A tail analysis, as well as their applicability in stability studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ZMT04 muscovite serves as a quality control reference material for K--Ar dating, with a recommended age of 1804 ± 21 Ma (2σ). Here, we check the homogeneity for ZMT04 muscovite and compare its age against the reference material Fish Canyon sanidine (FCs). Five sub-samples of ZMT04 muscovite were irradiated in three different reactors with different irradiation doses, analysed at varying sample masses over different time periods, and subjected to different mass spectrometric measurement procedures in two independent laboratories, which yielded consistent plateau ages with a mean of 1772.2 ± 2.7 Ma (2σ, MSWD = 1.30, and P = 0.18) and RFCs=28.294±0.072Ma ZMT04 = 105.53 ± 0.25 (2sd, MSWD = 0.88, and P = 0.57). The single-grain results are consistent with the multi-grain stepwise heating results, indicating good reproducibility and homogeneity of 40Ar* and K at the single-grain level. A single grain is sufficient to yield a high precision result when the J-value >0.01. We recommend 1 mg as the minimum sample mass to yield enough neutron-induced 39Ar signals for high-precision analysis (J-value <0.001). Accordingly, ZMT04 muscovite can represent a reliable 40Ar/ 39Ar dating and K--Ar dating reference material for Paleoproterozoic geological samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dempster-Shafer (D-S) evidence theory has extensive applications in the field of data fusion. It uses the mass function to replace the probability distribution in Bayesian Probability theory, which has the advantages of weak constraints and representing uncertainty. However, many existing uncertainty measures can not be well applied to the mass function, leading to many defects in some scenarios. For example, many methods can not fully reflect the relationship between focal elements. Therefore, how to improve the uncertainty measurement, and make full use of the advantages of the mass function, so as to further accurately express the system state, is still a hot topic worth studying. To solve this problem, we propose a Belief Interval Euclidean Distance (BIED) entropy of the mass function. This method combines nonspecificity and discord measurement of the mass function and is suitable for various situations. In this paper, we introduce a large number of numerical examples to demonstrate the practicality of the BIED entropy. Compared with existing advanced methods, the BIED entropy can better identify the quantity relationship and similarity relationship between focal elements, and exhibit a linear trend with the changing cardinality of focal elements. Finally, we implement a BIED entropy-based multi-sensor data fusion on various kinds of datasets. The experimental results indicate that BIED entropy has relatively high robustness, with the target recognition accuracy close to 79.33% and the F1-Score close to 77.29%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The radial distribution of material feeding onto a screen surface is an important factor affecting vibration screening performance, and it is also the main basis for the optimization of the operating parameters of a vibration screening system. In this paper, based on near-infrared properties, a real-time measurement method for the mass flow rate of grain vibration feeding was proposed. A laser emitter and a silicon photocell were used as the measuring components, and the corresponding signal processing circuit mainly composed of a T-type I/V convertor, a voltage follower, a low-pass filter, and a setting circuit in series was designed. Calibration test results showed that the relationship between grain mass flow rate and output voltage could be described using the Gaussian regression model, and the coefficient of determination was greater than 0.98. According to the working principle of the grain cleaning system of combine harvesters, the dynamic characteristics of grain vibration feeding were analyzed using discrete element method (DEM) simulations, and the monitoring range of the sensor was determined. Finally, grain mass flow rate measurement tests were carried out on a vibration feeding test rig. The results indicated that the grain mass measurement error could be controlled within 5.0% with the average grain mass flow rate in the range of 3.0–5.0 g/mm·s. The proposed measurement method has potential application value in the uniform feeding control systems of vibration feeders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few studies have explored how science communication projects are evaluated and what impact they have. This study aims to fill this gap by analyzing the results of science communication projects carried out by academics. Drawing on the theory of change and evaluation models, possible results of science communication projects are conceptually distinguished at the levels of outputs, outcomes, and impacts. The study draws on a dataset of 128 science communication projects funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation from 2012 to 2022. Quantitative content analysis reveals few rigorous evaluation designs and a focus on reporting outputs, while outcomes and societal impacts are often neglected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen refueling stations play a pivotal role in advancing hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Ensuring the accuracy and reliability of these stations is crucial for their safe and efficient operation. This study proposes a hybrid metrology evaluation system for the comprehensive cross-validation of hydrogen refueling stations. The system combines experimental measurements with computational models to thoroughly assess the stations' performance. The main objectives of this study are to evaluate the precision, accuracy, and reliability of hydrogen refueling stations and to identify potential uncertainties or sources of error in measurements. Six refueling experiments were conducted, varying the refueling pressure from 476 bar to 735 bar and the refueling rate from 0.601486 kg/min to 0.702694 kg/min. The maximum refueling capacity was determined to be approximately 6.3 kg, based on the specifications of the NEXO vehicle.Throughout the experiments, data on critical parameters such as pressure, weight, and flow rate were collected. These data were meticulously analyzed and compared with expected values derived from computational models. The results convincingly demonstrate that the hybrid metrology evaluation system offers a robust and precise evaluation of hydrogen refueling stations. The system adeptly identifies discrepancies between experimental measurements and computational models, facilitating the correction of potential measurement errors.This study contributes significantly to the enhancement of metrological cross-validation techniques for hydrogen refueling stations, ensuring their precision and dependability. The study findings can inform the development of standardized metrological protocols and guidelines for the certification and calibration of hydrogen refueling stations. By establishing accurate and dependable metrological validation methods, the adoption of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles can be expedited, promoting a sustainable and environmentally friendly transportation system.

In this article, we present a detailed study of the masses of all gauge bosons, as well as explaining recent experimental data regarding the W-boson mass presented by the CDF collaboration and even possible changes that these data can bring to experimental measurements of the masses of Z-boson mass in the context of the Minimal Supersymmetric SU (3) C ⊗ SU (3) L ⊗ U (1) N Model. We also intend to show a phenomenological analysis of possible mixtures of gauge bosons in this model. We will show that our numerical predictions for the masses of the physical gauge bosons are within the current experimental limits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current stage of proteomic research in the field of biology, medicine, development of new drugs, population screening, or personalized approaches to therapy dictates the need to analyze large sets of samples within the reasonable experimental time. Until recently, mass spectrometry measurements in proteomics were characterized as unique in identifying and quantifying cellular protein composition, but low throughput, requiring many hours to analyze a single sample. This was in conflict with the dynamics of changes in biological systems at the whole cellular proteome level upon the influence of external and internal factors. Thus, low speed of the whole proteome analysis has become the main factor limiting developments in functional proteomics, where it is necessary to annotate intracellular processes not only in a wide range of conditions, but also over a long period of time. Enormous level of heterogeneity of tissue cells or tumors, even of the same type, dictates the need to analyze biological systems at the level of individual cells. These studies involve obtaining molecular characteristics for tens, if not hundreds of thousands of individual cells, including their whole proteome profiles. Development of mass spectrometry technologies providing high resolution and mass measurement accuracy, predictive chromatography, new methods for peptide separation by ion mobility and processing of proteomic data based on artificial intelligence algorithms have opened a way for significant, if not radical, increase in the throughput of whole proteome analysis and led to implementation of the novel concept of ultrafast proteomics. Work done just in the last few years has demonstrated the proteome-wide analysis throughput of several hundred samples per day at a depth of several thousand proteins, levels unimaginable three or four years ago. The review examines background of these developments, as well as modern methods and approaches that implement ultrafast analysis of the entire proteome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gamma-ray emitting narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies are a unique class of objects that launch powerful jets from relatively lower-mass black hole systems compared to the Blazars. However, the black hole masses estimated from the total flux spectrum suffer from the projection effect, making the mass measurement highly uncertain. The polarized spectrum provides a unique view of the central engine through scattered light. We performed spectropolarimetric observations of the gamma-ray emitting narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy 1H0323 + 342 using SPOL/MMT. The degree of polarization and polarization angle are 0.122 |$\pm$| 0.040 per cent and 142 |$\pm$| 9 degrees, while the H |$\alpha$| line is polarized at 0.265 |$\pm$| 0.280 per cent. We decomposed the total flux spectrum and estimated broad H |$\alpha$| full width at half maximum of 1015 km s |$^{-1}$| . The polarized flux spectrum shows a broadening similar to the total flux spectrum, with a broadening ratio of 1.22. The Monte Carlo radiative transfer code 'STOKES' applied to the data provides the best fit for a small viewing angle of 9–24 deg and a small optical depth ratio between the polar and the equatorial scatters. A thick broad-line region with significant scale height can explain a similar broadening of the polarized spectrum compared to the total flux spectrum with a small viewing angle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Triggering the lattice oxygen oxidation mechanism is crucial for improving oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance, because it could bypass the scaling relation limitation associated with the conventional adsorbate evolution mechanism through the direct formation of oxygen–oxygen bond. High‐valence transition metal sites are favorable for activating the lattice oxygen, but the deep oxidation of pre‐catalysts suffers from a high thermodynamic barrier. Here, taking advantage of the Jahn–Teller (J–T) distortion induced structural instability, we incorporate high‐spin Mn3+ (t2g3eg1 ${{t}_{2g}^{3}{e}_{g}^{1}}$) dopant into Co4N. Mn dopants enable a surface structural transformation from Co4N to CoOOH, and finally to CoO2, as observed by various in situ spectroscopic investigations. Furthermore, the reconstructed surface on Mn‐doped Co4N triggers the lattice oxygen activation, as evidenced experimentally by pH‐dependent OER, tetramethylammonium cation adsorption and online electrochemical mass spectrometry measurements of 18O‐labelled catalysts. In general, this work not only offers the introducing J–T effect approach to regulate the structural transition, but also provides an understanding about the influence of the catalyst's electronic configuration on determining the reaction route, which may inspire the design of more efficient catalysts with activated lattice oxygen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sturgeon is an important commercial aquaculture species in China. The measurement of sturgeon mass plays a remarkable role in aquaculture management. Furthermore, the measurement of sturgeon mass serves as a key phenotype, offering crucial information for enhancing growth traits through genetic improvement. Until now, the measurement of sturgeon mass is usually conducted by manual sampling, which is work intensive and time consuming for farmers and invasive and stressful for the fish. Therefore, a noninvasive volume reconstruction model for estimating the mass of swimming sturgeon based on RGB-D sensor was proposed in this paper. The volume of individual sturgeon was reconstructed by integrating the thickness of the upper surface of the sturgeon, where the difference in depth between the surface and the bottom was used as the thickness measurement. To verify feasibility, three experimental groups were conducted, achieving prediction accuracies of 0.897, 0.861, and 0.883, which indicated that the method can obtain the reliable, accurate mass of the sturgeon. The strategy requires no special hardware or intensive calculation, and it provides a key to uncovering noncontact, high-throughput, and highly sensitive mass evaluation of sturgeon while holding potential for evaluating the mass of other cultured fishes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of systems for weighing vehicles in motion aims to introduce systems allowing automatic enforcement of regulations. HSWIM (high speed weight-in-motion) systems enable measurement of a mass of vehicles passing through a measurement station without disturbing the traffic flow. This article focuses on the calibration of a weighing station for moving vehicles, where strain gauge sensors are used to measure pressures. A solution was proposed to replace the calibration coefficients with calibration functions. The analysis was performed for two methods of determining wheel loads: based on the maximum of the signal from strain gauge sensors and on a method using the field under the signal and the vehicle's speed. Calibration functions were determined jointly for all test vehicles and separately for each of them. The use of a calibration function for a specific vehicle type made it possible to determine wheel pressure and gross weight with a level of accuracy that allowed the weigh-in-motion station to be classified as a direct enforcement system. The achieved improvement in the accuracy of weighing in motion did not require any interference with the measurement station. The proposed change in the method of calibration and, ultimately, determination of wheel loads required only a change in the algorithm for determining wheel loads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fe3(CO)12 reacted with azadiethylthiols afforded [Fe2(μ‐S(CH2)2NR(CH2)2S)(CO)6]2 (R = nPr, 1A; iPr, 2A). Structure analysis revealed that 1A features the anti‐(a,e,a,e) configuration, while its iso‐propyl 2A adopts the syn‐(a,e,a,e) arrangement. NMR measurements at room temperature confirmed this structure, showing distinct signals for 2 NCH2 and 2 SCH2 methylene groups. Acid treatment of 1–2 yielded N‐protonated species (1A–H, 2A–H), maintaining the anti‐(a,e,a,e) configuration. Isolation of 1B–H revealed both the syn‐(a,e,e,a) and anti‐(a,e,e,a) configuration by X‐ray single‐crystallography. Protonation of 1A–H induced downfield shifts in methylene proton signals, with NH hydrogen recorded at 6.96 ppm. Furthermore, 1B–H displays similar NMR behavior, indicating the coexistence of two isomeric molecules of 1B–H, syn‐(a,e,e,a) and anti‐(a,e,e,a), which is consistent with the crystallographic results. Moreover, ion mobility‐mass spectrometry (IM‐MS) is harnessed for the swift identification and differentiation of these isomeric complexes in solution. By leveraging accurate mass measurements and MS/MS analyses, the molecular formula and constituents are validated. The sample mobility enables straightforward characterization of 1A, 1B, and 2A in relation to their stereo‐ and regio‐configurations, obviating the need for extensive time or sample quantities. Integration of findings from X‐ray crystallography, NMR, and IM‐MS furnishes precise and comprehensive structural insights into the coordination complexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There have been increasing interests in developing proteomics‐based protein adduct detection for monitoring carcinogen exposure risk. Generating adducted protein standards and characterizing the adduction sites by bottom‐up proteomics, however, require lengthy adduction and enzymatic digestion. Here we demonstrated that microdroplet can greatly accelerate the catechol estrogen adduction on hemoglobin (Hb) as well as one‐pot reaction of adduction and enzyme digestion in millisecond for bottom‐up characterization. The adducted Hb generated by microdroplet reaction was characterized to contain one to two catechol estrogens with the β chain of Hb (Hb‐β) by online in situ intact measurement of mass spectrometry. The adduction sites were further identified to be C112‐Hb‐β or C93‐Hb‐β by microdroplet one‐pot or two‐step adduction and digestion. These results were consistent with the intact measurement and also same as the bulk or endogenous reaction. This method is expected to be applicable to prepare protein standards adducted by other reactive oxidizing species to greatly save time and sample amount. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study considers a possibility of studying the manifestation of the major background ions derived from the main elements (H, N, O, and Ar) of inductively coupled plasma under low-temperature ("cold") plasma conditions through thermodynamic simulation. These ions, known to induce significant spectral interferences, are always observed when aqueous samples are injected into inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometers (ICP–MS). Using thermodynamic simulation in the temperature range from 2000 to 5000 K, the quantitative composition of the major background ions in ICP–MS was determined as a function of plasma temperature. A comparison of the theoretical calculations and experimental data from mass spectral measurements of the major background ions was conducted, revealing a high degree of correlation between the two sets of the results. This agreement between the calculations and experiments confirms the validity of the thermodynamic model used for thermochemical processes in ICP–MS and its applicability to subsequent calculations in addressing analytical challenges. Additionally, a method is proposed for the unambiguous evaluation of the gas kinetic temperature of the plasma, while simultaneously considering practically all major background ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sufficiently precise measurement of black hole spin is required to carry out quantitative tests of the Kerr metric and to understand several phenomena related to astrophysical black holes. After 24 yr, XTE J2012+381 again underwent an outburst in 2022 December. In this work, we focused on the measurement of the spin and mass of the black hole candidate XTE J2012+381 using broad-band spectral analysis of X-ray data from Swift/XRT and NuSTAR. Using the relxillCp model, the spin and inclination of the source were found to be |$0.883_{-0.061}^{+0.033}$| and |$46.2_{-2.0}^{+3.7}$| deg, respectively, for high disc density (⁠|$i.e.\,\,10^{20}\,\,\mathrm{cm}^{-3}$|⁠). We further test our results for lamp-post geometry using the relxilllpCp model. The spin and inclination of the source were found to be |$0.892_{-0.044}^{+0.020}$| and |$43.1_{-1.2}^{+1.4}$| deg, respectively. Then 'continuum-fitting' method was used for the soft state to estimate the mass of BH and found to be |$7.95_{-3.25}^{+7.65}\,\,\mathrm{M}_{\odot }$| and |$7.48_{-2.75}^{+5.80}\,\,\mathrm{M}_{\odot }$| for the spin and inclination estimated from the relxillCp and relxilllpCp model, respectively. We used a distance of 5.4 kpc as measured by Gaia using the parallax method. This study also addresses the issue of supersolar iron abundance in XTE J2012+381 using reflionx-based reflection model and found high disc density for the source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the detection of nine new planet candidates orbiting M dwarfs, identified using an independent search and vetting pipeline applied to TESS Full-Frame Image data from Sectors 1 to 63. Our candidates include planets as small as 1.4  |$\mathrm{ R}_{{\oplus }}$|⁠ , with orbital periods up to 20 d. Among the nine new candidates, we identified five gas giants, which represent a rare and unexpected outcome of planet formation. Our findings add to the growing sample of giant planets around M dwarfs found by TESS. We discuss their follow-up potential for mass measurements through radial velocity observations and atmospheric characterization through transmission spectroscopy. We highlight TIC 12999193.01 as a particularly unique gas giant candidate in an eccentric orbit and excellent potential for atmospheric characterization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

EBLM J0608 |$-$| 59/TOI-1338/BEBOP-1 is a 12 |$^{\rm th}$| -magnitude, F9 V star in an eclipsing binary with a much fainter M dwarf companion on a wide, eccentric orbit (P  = 14.6 d). The binary is orbited by two circumbinary planets: one transiting on a 95-d orbit and one non-transiting on a 215-d orbit. We have used high-precision photometry from the TESS mission combined with direct mass measurements for the two stars published recently to measure the following model-independent radii: |$R_1 = 1.32 \pm 0.02 {\rm R}_{\odot }$|⁠ , |$R_2 = 0.309 \pm 0.004 {\rm R}_{\odot }$|⁠. Using |$R_1$| and the parallax from Gaia EDR3, we find that this star's angular diameter is |$\theta = 0.0309 \pm 0.0005$|  mas. The apparent bolometric flux of the primary star corrected for both extinction and the contribution from the M dwarf (⁠|$\lt 0.4$|  per cent) is |${\mathcal {F}}_{{\oplus },0} = (0.417\pm 0.005)\times 10^{-9}$|  erg cm |$^{-2}$|  s |$^{-1}$|⁠. Hence, this F9 V star has an effective temperature |$T_{\rm eff,1} = 6031{\rm \, K} \pm 46{\rm \, K\, (rnd.)} \pm 10 {\rm \, K\, (sys.)}$|⁠. EBLM J0608 |$-$| 59 is an ideal benchmark star that can be added to the sample of such systems we are establishing for 'end-to-end' tests of the stellar parameters measured by large-scale spectroscopic surveys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbonaceous particles, such as soot, make up a notable fraction of atmospheric particulate matter and contribute substantially to anthropogenic climate forcing, air pollution, and human health impacts. Thermal–optical analysis (TOA) is one of the most widespread methods used to speciate carbonaceous particles and divides total carbon (TC) into the operationally defined quantities of organic carbon (OC; carbon that has evolved during slow heating in an inert atmosphere) and elemental carbon (EC). While multiple studies have identified fundamental scientific reasons for uncertainty in distinguishing OC and EC, far fewer studies have reported on between-laboratory reproducibility. Moreover, existing reproducibility studies have focused on complex atmospheric samples. The real-time instruments used for regulatory measurements of the mass concentration of aircraft engine non-volatile particulate matter (nvPM) emissions are required to be calibrated to the mass of EC, as determined by TOA of the filter-sampled emissions of a diffusion flame combustion aerosol source (DFCAS). However, significant differences have been observed in the calibration factor for the same instrument based on EC content determined by different calibration laboratories. Here, we report on the reproducibility of TC, EC, and OC quantified using the same TOA protocol, instrument model (Model 5L, Sunset Laboratory), and software settings (auto-split-point: Calc405) across five different laboratories and instrument operators. Six unique data sets were obtained, with one laboratory operating two instruments. All samples were collected downstream of an aircraft engine after treatment with a catalytic stripper to remove volatile organics. Between-laboratory contributions made up a majority of the within-filter uncertainties for EC and TC, even for these relatively well-controlled samples. Overall, expanded (k = 2) uncertainties due to measurement reproducibility correspond to 17 %, 15 %, and 13 % of the nominal values for EC, OC, and TC, respectively, and 7.3 % in the EC / TC ratio. These values are lower than previous studies, including atmospheric samples without volatile organic removal; therefore, they likely represent lower limits for the uncertainties of the TOA method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaporation control is a critical facility resource during solidification experiments that limits processing time and must be tracked to ensure facility health. A thermodynamic analysis was performed on a ternary FeCrNi sample processed onboard the International Space Station (ISS) using ESA Electromagnetic Levitation (EML) facility in a microgravity environment. A non-ideal solution-based mathematical model was applied for the overall sample mass loss prediction during this study. The overall sample mass loss prediction is consistent with the post-flight mass loss measurements. The species-specific findings from this study were validated using post-mission SEM-EDX surface evaluations by three different facilities. The bulk composition prediction was validated using SEM-EDX and wet chemical analysis. The non-ideal solution model was then applied to predict the composition of the dust generated during EML testing. The thicknesses of the deposited layer on the EML coil at various locations were also calculated using the geometry of the facility and results were validated with near-real-time dust layer predictions from toxicity tracking software developed by the German Space Center (DLR) Microgravity User Support Center (MUSC). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Measurements of aldosterone by mass spectrometry are more accurate and less prone to interferences than immunoassay measurements, and may produce a more accurate aldosterone:renin ratio (ARR) when screening for primary aldosteronism (PA). Methods: Differences in diagnostic performance of the ARR using mass spectrometry vs immunoassay measurements of aldosterone were examined in 710 patients screened for PA. PA was confirmed in 153 patients and excluded in 451 others. Disease classifications were not achieved in 106 patients. Areas under receiver-operating characteristic curves (AUROC) and other measures were used to compare diagnostic performance. Results: Mass spectrometry-based measurements yielded lower plasma aldosterone concentrations than immunoassay measurements. For the ARR based on immunoassay measurements of aldosterone, AUROCs were slightly lower (P = 0.018) than those using mass spectrometry measurements (0.895 vs 0.906). The cutoff for the ARR to reach a sensitivity of 95% was 30 and 21.5 pmol/mU by respective immunoassay and mass spectrometry-based measurements, which corresponded to specificities of 57% for both. With data restricted to patients with unilateral PA, diagnostic sensitivities of 94% with specificities >81% could be achieved at cutoffs of 68 and 52 pmol/mU for respective immunoassay and mass spectrometry measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractMarine fuels are consumed worldwide in quantities of more than 200 million tons per year. It is not a uniform product, but rather heterogeneous mixtures of hydrocarbons with a wide range of viscosities. Due to the production processes, marine diesel contains dimethylsiloxanes. These lead to damage to marine exhaust catalysts in connection with combustion reactions in the ships’ engines. A novel analytical method, presented here, was developed that allows to investigate these processes and to monitor the dimethylsiloxane contents in complex marine fuel matrices. The key steps of the analytical procedure are analyte enrichment by solid phase extraction (SPE) using thermally activated silica gel and chromatographic separation and measurement by heart-cutting gas chromatography - mass spectrometry. Authentic reference substances for quantification by standard addition are used for the dimethylsiloxane analytes. The clean-up enabled a 90% reduction of the matrix content in the analysis solutions compared to the initial sample. Recovery rates in the range of 87.8% to 111.4% were determined for all analytes (Si3 to Si9). The detection limits of analytes ranged from 0.06 μg/L to 5.68 μg/L. Values of 0.71 μg/L to 23.6 μg/L were determined for the limits of quantification. The newly designed analytical method was successfully applied to real marine fuel samples. The analytical procedure is to be made available to commercial and industrial laboratories as a practical method for controlling siloxane contents in marine fuels to contribute this way to efficiently functioning marine exhaust gas purification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present spatially resolved Keck Cosmic Web Imager stellar spectroscopy of the Virgo cluster dwarf galaxies VCC 9 and VCC 1448. These galaxies have similar stellar masses and large half-light radii but very different globular cluster (GC) system richness (∼25 versus ∼99 GCs). Using the KCWI data, we spectroscopically confirm 10 GCs associated with VCC 1448 and one GC associated with VCC 9. We make two measurements of dynamical mass for VCC 1448 based on the stellar and GC velocities, respectively. VCC 1448's mass measurements suggest that it resides in a halo in better agreement with the expectation of the stellar mass–halo mass relationship than the expectation from its large GC counts. For VCC 9, the dynamical mass we measure agrees with the expected halo mass from both relationships. We compare VCC 1448 and VCC 9 to the GC-rich galaxy Dragonfly 44 (∼74 GCs), which is similar in size but has ∼1 dex less stellar mass than either Virgo galaxy. In dynamical mass – GC number space, Dragonfly 44 and VCC 1448 exhibit richer GC systems given their dynamical mass than that of VCC 9 and other 'normal' galaxies. We also place the galaxies in kinematics–ellipticity space finding evidence of an anticorrelation between rotational support and the fraction of a galaxy's stellar mass in its GC system, that is, VCC 9 is more rotationally supported than VCC 1448, which is more rotationally supported than Dragonfly 44. This trend may be expected if a galaxy's GC content depends on its natal gas properties at formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IW And-type dwarf novae are anomalous Z Cam stars featured with outbursts happening during standstill states, which are not expected in the standard disc instability model. The physical mechanisms for these variations remain unclear. In this study, we report the discovery of a new candidate IW And-type dwarf nova J0652+2436, identified with its frequent outbursts from the slowly rising standstill states. Luckily, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite observations during a long standstill state and the earlier K2 observations give a chance to find the orbital and negative superhump period in the light curve of J0652+2436, allowing the measurement of its mass ratio of 0.366. This mass ratio is marginally possible for the tidal instability to set in according to previous smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulations. Thus, we propose that the outbursts in J0652+2436 are likely to be caused by the growing accretion disc during standstills, in favour of the previous hypothesis of the mechanisms lying in all IW And stars. We conclude that J0652+2436 might be the first IW And star with both a precessing tilted disc and tidal instability, which will be an important laboratory for studying the accretion disc dynamics and help understand the IW And phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research addresses an analytical methodology to quantify elements of interest in fusion‐relevant materials using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). For this purpose, internal standards have been fabricated by ion implantation to avoid the well‐known matrix effect of this technique. In particular, chromium has been implanted at an energy of 12 MeV using two fluences in high‐purity iron and tungsten matrices together with Si control substrates. The latter were applied to determine the Cr concentration implanted through experimental and semiempirical methods. Specifically, the IBA technique Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) provided the quantitative results being 3.1 × 1019 at/cm3 and 1.6 × 1019 at/cm3 for the high and low dose, respectively. The SIMS depth profiles of Cr for the Fe and W matrices established an ion implantation depth close to 2 μm on both substrates in agreement with the calculations previously performed by Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter (SRIM) simulations. Correlation between the integration of SIMS profiles and known concentrations of the implanted ion resulted in the calibration curve for each matrix, obtaining the SIMS quantification approach by means of this relative sensitivity factor (RSF). Additionally, a cross‐check of the method by comparing commercial Fe‐Cr alloys with the Cr‐implanted Fe matrices of the present study pointed out the need to produce standards with higher chromium concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large amount of the radiation into the environment is contributed through the soil and construction materials by the process of exhalation and emanation. The present study was performed for the mass exhalation rate (using a Scintillation detector) of radon from the collected soil samples in the Chakrata region of the Garhwal Himalaya, India. The outdoor gamma dose rate for all sixty selected locations was also measured. The average mass exhalation and outdoor gamma dose rate were found 14.94 ± 0.38 mBq kg−1 h−1 and 0.16 ± 0.02 µSv h−1, respectively. The obtained results will strengthen the radiological database of the selected areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hot‐dip Zn55Al‐coated steel samples have been exposed for up to 6 years at 11 different weathering sites, including marine, marine‐industrial, acid‐rain and dry atmospheres. From the mass loss measurements, Zn55Al metallic coating showed globally long‐term good corrosion resistance in all weathering conditions compared with hot‐dip Zn‐0.2Al‐coated steel (Z). Yet, weaker performance was observed on Zn55Al in high SO2 polluted atmosphere, particularly when combined with seawater aerosols. This is explained by a more acidic surface condition linked to high SO2. Although the extent of corrosion in this phase was different at the different sites, the final corrosion products formed after 6 years were rather similar at all sites. This consists of hydrous aluminium sulphate or hydrous aluminium hydroxy sulphate and, probably also a smaller amount of sulphate‐containing zinc corrosion products or Al/Zn products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mass (M BH) of a supermassive black hole (SMBH) can be measured using spatially resolved kinematics of the region where the SMBH dominates gravitationally. The most reliable measurements are those that resolve the smallest physical scales around the SMBHs. We consider here three metrics to compare the physical scales probed by kinematic tracers dominated by rotation: the radius of the innermost detected kinematic tracer R min normalized by the SMBH's Schwarzschild radius (R Schw ≡ 2 GM BH/ c 2, where G is the gravitational constant and c the speed of light), sphere-of-influence (SOI) radius (⁠|$R_\mathrm{SOI}\equiv GM_\mathrm{BH}/\sigma _\mathrm{e}^2$|⁠ , where σe is the stellar velocity dispersion within the galaxy's effective radius), and equality radius [the radius R eq at which the SMBH mass equals the enclosed stellar mass, M BH = M *(R eq), where M *(R) is the stellar mass enclosed within the radius R ]. All metrics lead to analogous simple relations between R min and the highest circular velocity probed V c. Adopting these metrics to compare the SMBH mass measurements using molecular gas kinematics to those using megamaser kinematics, we demonstrate that the best molecular gas measurements resolve material that is physically closer to the SMBHs in terms of R Schw but is slightly farther in terms of R SOI and R eq. However, molecular gas observations of nearby galaxies using the most extended configurations of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array can resolve the SOI comparably well and thus enable SMBH mass measurements as precise as the best megamaser measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new analytical method for chronic kidney disease (CKD) detection utilizing paper spray mass spectrometry (PS-MS) combined with machine learning is presented. The analytical protocol is rapid and simple, based on metabolic profile alterations in urine. Anonymized raw urine samples were deposited (10 μL each) onto pointed PS-MS sample strips. Without waiting for the sample to dry, 75 μL of acetonitrile and high voltage were applied to the strips, using high resolution mass spectrometry measurement (15 s per sample) with polarity switching to detect a wide range of metabolites. Random forest machine learning was used to classify the resulting data. The diagnostic performance for the potential diagnosis of CKD was evaluated for accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity, achieving results >96% for the training data and >91% for validation and test data sets. Metabolites selected by the classification model as up- or down-regulated in healthy or CKD samples were tentatively identified and in agreement with previously reported literature. The potential utilization of this approach to discriminate albuminuria categories (normo, micro, and macroalbuminuria) was also demonstrated. This study indicates that PS-MS combined with machine learning has the potential to be used as a rapid and simple diagnostic tool for CKD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large and downed woody fuels remaining behind a wildfire's flame front tend to burn in a smoldering regime, producing large quantities of toxic gases and particulate emissions, which deteriorates air quality and compromises human health. Smoldering burning rates are affected by fuel type and size, the amount of oxygen reaching the surface, and heat losses to the surroundings. An external wind has the dual effects of bringing fresh oxidizer to the fuel surface and porous interior, while at the same time enhancing convective cooling. In this work, a series of experiments were conducted on single and adjacent poplar dowels to investigate the effect of fuel geometry and wind speed on smoldering of woody fuels, including its burning rate and combustion products. Dowels had variable thickness (19.1 and 25.4 mm), aspect ratios, and arrangement (number of dowels and spacing between them). Using measurement of mass loss, CO, and HC production as indicators of the smoldering intensity, the results indicate that the arrangement of smoldering objects significantly affects burning rates and emissions. Specifically, spacings of 1/8 and 1/4 of the dowel thickness enhanced the smoldering process. The smoldering intensity was also enhanced by increased external wind (ranging between 0.3 m/s and 1.5 m/s), but its effect was dependent upon the spacing between the dowels. The convective losses associated with the spacing were further investigated with a simplified computational model. The simulations show that the wind significantly increases convective losses from the smoldering surfaces, which in turn may offset the increase in smoldering intensity related to the higher oxygen flux at higher wind speeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cuttage is a common plant cultivation method, and the key to its survival is the restoration of water refilling, which remains unclear up to now. We report 3D dynamic imaging of water refilling of cuttage without resorting to any contrast agent. Hydrodynamics of the refilled water flow over time reveals the existence of a unit mass force field with a gradient along the refilling direction, which means that cutting plants also have a gradient force field to drive the recovery of water refilling, as predicted by Cohesion-Tension theory in normal plants. We found that force fields of different functional regions are isolated and independently distributed, which is conducive to ensure the safety of water transmission. At the same time, we also found that there is a so-called "inchworm effect" in the mass force field, which contributes to the force transfer inside the cutting through local force accumulation. Results of this paper demonstrate that the developed method for the measurement of mass force field in-vivo is applicable to help decipher the mechanism of plant water refilling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stellar kinematics of low-mass galaxies are usually observed to be very unsmooth with significant kinematical fluctuations in small scales, which cannot be consistent with the projected centrosymmetric stellar kinematics obtained from commonly used dynamical models. In this work, we aim to test whether the high degree of kinematical fluctuations affects the dynamical mass estimate of galaxies. We use the asymmetry parameter η obtained from the 180° rotation self-subtraction of stellar kinematics of galaxies to quantify the degree of kinematical small-scale fluctuations. We use TNG50 numerical simulation to construct a large sample of mock galaxies with known total masses, and then obtained the virial dynamical mass estimator of these mock galaxies. We find that the dynamical masses within three-dimensional R e to the mock galaxy centres are overall averagely accurate within around 0.1 dex under the symmetric assumption, while R e means the projected circularized half-stellar mass radius in this work. We study the local virial mass estimation bias for mock galaxies of different η. The maximum bias difference of two η bins is around 0.16 dex, which with other local biases may help apply the observational virial mass estimators obtained from massive galaxies to other types of galaxies. We find that the Spearman's ρ of η with the intrinsic mass estimation deviations is near zero if the local bias is eliminated properly. The results indicate that even for low-mass galaxies, the existence of high degree of kinematical small-scale fluctuations does not affect the measurement of the dynamical mass of galaxies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: The microchip laser and its driver control system designed in this study possess the characteristics of being lightweight, compact, and low power consumption. It serves as a fitting candidate for planetary mass spectrometry missions, particularly as a micro-focusing excitation light source for Time-of-Flight (TOF) mass spectrometers. The output laser wavelength is 1064 nm, with pulse duration as low as 410 ps, a continuously adjustable frequency range from 100 to 1000 Hz, a minimum focal spot size of 15 μm, and a single pulse energy reaching up to 16.8 μJ. Additionally, the overall weight is only 106 g. This microchip laser allows for adjustable focal length, spot size, and laser power output, making it versatile for tasks such as compositional analysis and in-situ dating in deep space exploration. Additionally, it can serve as a portable device for mineral exploration and non-destructive testing, presenting extensive application prospects in the field of mass spectrometry analysis. To fulfill the requisites of planetary mass spectrometry applications, this paper introduces the creation of a miniaturized, low-power passive Q-switched microchip laser system. The entire system, inclusive of the laser and all electronic components, weighs 106 g, with power consumption below 3 W. The laser output exhibits a pulse duration of 410 ps, accompanied by a single pulse energy of 16.8 μJ. Augmented by the optical focusing system, the system attains a focal spot size of approximately 15 μm and laser irradiance of up to 22 GW/cm2. The driving control system facilitates versatile regulation of parameters such as output current amplitude, pulse duration, and frequency, thereby modulating the laser output frequency and duty cycle. The microchip laser fully meets the power requirements for exciting plasma from planetary rocks and soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Process Analytical Technology (P A T) plays a crucial role in the design of today's manufacturing lines as continuous manufacturing becomes more important. Until now P A T tools to measure the ribbon solid fraction (S F r i b b o n ) in-line are not commonly used in roll compaction. The aim of this study was therefore to establish a new approach as P A T for in-line ribbon solid fraction determination. Different placebo formulations with different binders and one formulation containing active pharmaceutical ingredient were investigated using in-line laser triangulation measurement to detect the ribbon thickness after compaction. With this the ribbon elastic recovery was determined in-line (E R i n − l i n e ) while the ribbons are attached to the roll surface. It was found that the ratio (E R r a t i o ) between the total elastic recovery and E R i n − l i n e is formulation specific and not influenced by any process parameters. This enables E R r a t i o as prediction tool for S F r i b b o n , if the solid fraction at gap (S F g a p ) width is known. S F g a p was determined with ribbon mass flow measurement or based on the Midoux model, a simplified Johanson model, gaining two prediction models for S F r i b b o n . Both models showed good agreement of the predicted S F r i b b o n and the measured one. [Display omitted] • Novel in-line laser triangulation measurement of ribbon elastic recovery in roll compaction. • In-line prediction of ribbon solid fraction as Process Analytical Technology (PAT). • Ribbon mass flow and Midoux number based model were established. • Prediction model based on Midoux number showed superior results and applicability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report precise radial velocity (RV) observations of HD 212657 (= K2-167), a star shown by K2 to host a transiting sub-Neptune-sized planet in a 10 d orbit. Using Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) photometry, we refined the planet parameters, especially the orbital period. We collected 74 precise RVs with the HARPS-N spectrograph between August 2015 and October 2016. Although this planet was first found to transit in 2015 and validated in 2018, excess RV scatter originally limited mass measurements. Here, we measure a mass by taking advantage of reductions in scatter from updates to the HARPS-N Data Reduction System (2.3.5) and our new activity mitigation method called CCF Activity Linear Model (CALM), which uses activity-induced line shape changes in the spectra without requiring timing information. Using the CALM framework, we performed a joint fit with RVs and transits using exofast v2 and find Mp  = |$6.3_{-1.4}^{+1.4}$|   |$\, M_{\hbox{$\oplus $}}$| and Rp  = |$2.33^{+0.17}_{-0.15}$|   |$\, R_{\hbox{$\oplus $}}$|⁠ , which places K2-167 b at the upper edge of the radius valley. We also find hints of a secondary companion at a ∼22 d period, but confirmation requires additional RVs. Although characterizing lower mass planets like K2-167 b is often impeded by stellar variability, these systems especially help probe the formation physics (i.e. photoevaporation, core-powered mass-loss) of the radius valley. In the future, CALM or similar techniques could be widely applied to FGK-type stars, help characterize a population of exoplanets surrounding the radius valley, and further our understanding of their formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]