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Climate is one of the important factors in architecture. The historical architecture experience of the inhabitants of the desert zones has created invaluable knowledge on the design of residential environments in these aggressive conditions. Climate also is an important ecological component in the formation of vernacular architecture in the Saharan desert, it had a strong influence on the formation of desert settlements, the Saharan traditional dwellings are an indispensable source for studying organizations and architectural typologies and the adaption to the harsh climate. The article discusses the climatic conditions in which the dwellings in the Sahara desert were built and the important strategies and passive climatization techniques of the design of the dwellings and presents a review of the various techniques developed. These various passive methods and strategies give the Saharan dwellings, adaptation, efficiency, and durability in these hot-arid conditions of the desert and can be a great source of architectural inspiration for new projects.

Douglas C Wolf,1 Srihari Jaganathan,2 Chakkarin Burudpakdee,3 Arpamas Seetasith,3 Robert Low,2 Edward Lee,4 Jay Gucky,2 Mohamed Yassine,4 David A Schwartz5 1Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates, Atlanta, GA, 2UCB Pharma, Smyrna, GA, 3IQVIA, Fairfax, VA, 4UCB Pharma, Atlanta, GA, 5Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA Background: Patient support programs have a positive effect on adherence to therapy. Certolizumab pegol (CZP) is a tumor necrosis factor antagonist for the treatment of Crohn’s disease. Objectives: To assess, using real-world claims data, whether home health nurse assistance had an effect on patients’ adherence to CZP and to measure its impact on health care use and costs. Methods: A retrospective analysis of medical and pharmacy claims data from the IQVIA Real-World Data Adjudicated Claims Database was conducted using data from January 1, 2007 through September 30, 2015. CZP patients with Crohn’s disease were eligible to receive self-administration instructions from a nurse or nurse-administered CZP injections, or both. These services were provided by CIMplicity®, a home health nurse program sponsored by UCB Pharma. Cohorts were based on patients with and without nurse assistance and were matched based on gender and categorical age. Adherence to CZP was determined using the medication possession ratio (MPR) and proportion of days covered (PDC). A Kaplan–Meier analysis was performed to compare time to discontinuation of CZP between the two cohorts. Multivariate regression analyses were performed, adjusting for additional covariates to compare the effect of CZP with and without nurse assistance on hospitalization and total health care costs. Results: Patients with at least 12 months of continuous enrollment post-index date were evaluated for adherence to CZP (n=276 in each cohort). The mean and median PDC and MPR values were higher with nurse assistance than without. Time to discontinuation was significantly longer in patients who received CZP with nurse assistance than without (P=0.0004). Results from the multivariate analyses showed a significant reduction in all-cause hospitalization (-55.8%; P=0.0026) and total health care costs (-14.3%; P=0.0045) with nurse assistance. Conclusion: This analysis suggests that home health nurse assistance increases adherence to CZP and reduces health care costs in patients with Crohn’s disease. Keywords: certolizumab pegol, adherence, cost, nurse assistance, patient support program, Crohn’s disease, claims data

YxAl1 − xN in its wurtzite phase has been identified as a prospective wide bandgap semiconductor and a promising competitor of ScxAl1 − xN in application devices. Notwithstanding theoretical predictions of the high stability of YxAl1 − xN in the wurtzite structure even at high alloy concentrations, experimental studies have revealed significant challenges in achieving the requisite high concentration films. This study demonstrates that strain is an effective parameter on the growth of wurtzite YxAl1 − xN, which can be tuned by engineering growth methods, such as the introduction of different buffer layers. Conversely, difficulties have been encountered in achieving Y concentrations above x = 0.4, despite the incorporation of Y atoms into the layers, with the formation of amorphous structures occurring prior to the predicted structural phase transition to the rock salt crystal. A comprehensive grasp of the structural characteristics of YxAl1 − xN thin films offers invaluable insight that will prove to be beneficial for future research on this material system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Non-adherence to prescribed medications represents an obstacle toward achieving treatment goals. This problem is more pronounced in patients with chronic illness. Objective: To identify the extent of adherence in Lebanese outpatients with chronic diseases, and to suggest possible predictors of non-adherence in this population. The secondary objective was to assess if medication adherence affects patients' quality of life. Methods: A questionnaire was administered face-to-face to a sample of Lebanese adults visiting the external clinics at two Tertiary Care Hospitals in Beirut. The level of adherence was assessed using the 8-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale which was first validated. The health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients was measured using the EQ-5D. Linear regression and logistic regression analyses examined possible predictors of adherence. Results: Out of the 148 patients included in this study, 42.6% were classified as adherent. In the univariate analyses, statistically significant predictors of high adherence included good physician-patient relationship (p=0.029) and counseling (p=0.037), a high level of HRQoL (p

In this work, the value and the polarity of the spontaneous and piezoelectric polarization have been investigated, as the use of two different reference structures for wurtzite-type group-III nitrides, namely, the zinc-blende and the layered-hexagonal crystal lattice, have resulted in different predictions. It was found that although the differences in value and polarity of the polarization for heterostructures such as wurtzite Al1−xScxN/GaN lead to similar interface sheet charges, a significant mismatch is observed when polarization reversal is considered. The interface sheet charge predicted before and after the polarization reversal in the wurtzite Al1−xScxN layer on GaN using the zinc-blende lattice as a reference predominantly shows a change in sign. When using the layered-hexagonal lattice as a reference, not only is the same polarity of the interface sheet charge maintained after polarization reversal, but it is even 30 times larger. In this case, the giant and positive spontaneous polarization values for metal-polar Al1−xScxN extracted from the ferroelectric switching, as well as the alignment of the piezoelectric polarization to it, were observed to be consistent with the predictions referenced to the layered-hexagonal lattice. Thus, it is concluded that the layered-hexagonal reference is not only more suitable for predicting the ferroelectric properties of wurtzite Al1−xScxN but should also be the correct reference when considering polarization reversal in heterostructures. If the significant increase in the interface sheet charge after polarization reversal is experimentally detected, it will allow the design and fabrication of novel devices for future high-frequency and power electronics applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A review of the structural, elastic, and thermodynamic properties of cubic and hexagonal ScxAl1−xN crystals over the range of possible random alloys is provided. Based on measured and simulated lattice and internal cell parameters of NaCl (B1), CsCl (B2), and α-ZnS (B3) type cubic ScxAl1−xN lattices as well as of β-ZnS (B4), lh-MgO (Bk), and NiAs (B81) type hexagonal ScxAl1−xN crystals, their atomic positions, distances to nearest neighbor atoms, geometric dimensions of crystal cells, mass density, as well as their average bond length and bond angles are presented in dependence on the alloy composition. The understanding gained about the crystal lattices is used to provide a model for the transitions from the β-ZnS to the lh-MgO or NaCl lattice induced by the alloying of AlN with ScN. Based on published data sets of stiffness coefficients, the compliance coefficients, Young's modulus, shear modulus, Poisson's ratio, compressibility, and the sound velocities are presented in relation to the orientation of representative crystal planes and axes for rock salt, layered hexagonal, and wurtzite ScxAl1−xN crystals. Particular attention is paid to the directional anisotropies of elastic properties of the different crystal lattices if Sc atoms substitute an increasing number of Al atoms. Based on sound velocities determined, an overview of the fundamental thermodynamic properties of cubic and hexagonal ScxAl1−xN alloys is provided, such as the Debye temperature, heat capacity, minimum heat conduction, and melting temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structural, elastic, and basic thermodynamic properties of hexagonal ScxAl1−xN crystals are calculated and discussed over the whole range of possible random alloys, including the transition from wurtzite to the layered hexagonal structure. Based on a review of lattice and internal parameters in combination with complete datasets of stiffness coefficients published in the literature, differing in the considered alloying intervals and the predicted structural transitions, changes in the crystal lattices caused by the substitution of aluminum by scandium atoms are discussed and illustrated. Crystal properties like the mass densities, average bond angles, and bond lengths are calculated, and the compliance coefficients, Young's modulus, shear modulus, Poisson's ratio, compressibility, and sound velocities are determined depending on the alloy composition and in relation to the orientation of crystal planes and axes. Particular attention is paid to the occurring directional anisotropies and the changes in structural and elastic properties in the alloy region of the structural transition between wurtzite and layered hexagonal ScxAl1−xN crystals. The acoustic velocities determined are used to calculate basic thermodynamic properties such as the Debye temperature, heat capacity, and minimum heat conduction, as well as to evaluate both the influence of the alloying and the structural transition on these properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The direct impact of structural quality on the ferroelectric properties of hexagonal Al1–xScxN with an Sc-content of x = 0.3 was investigated using dynamic hysteresis measurements, high-resolution x-ray diffraction (HRXRD), and atomic force microscopy. The films investigated were deposited on p-doped (001)-Si substrates by reactive pulsed DC magnetron sputtering under different gas mixtures to vary the structural quality and surface morphology between samples. Misoriented grains were identified as ferroelectrically inactive, as these grains resulted in an underestimation and distortion of the ferroelectric quantities. In fact, a high amount of misoriented volume was found to have a significant effect on the coercive electric field, as this is mainly determined by the crystal strain in the ferroelectric [0001]-oriented regions, independent of its origin. Furthermore, it was concluded that the crystal quality does not have a pronounced effect on the coercive field strength. Conversely, the polarization in the film is mainly determined by the crystal quality, as a difference of 1° in the HRXRD FWHM of the ω-scan resulted in a 60% loss of polarization. The amount of polarization was influenced to a lesser extent by the misoriented grains since the ferroelectric volume of the layers was only slightly overestimated. This reveals that optimizing reproducible and transferable properties, such as crystal quality and surface morphology, is more reasonable, as the film with the lowest misoriented volume and the highest degree of c-axis orientation showed the highest polarization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electron charges and distribution profiles induced by polarization gradients at the interfaces of pseudomorphic, hexagonal ScxAl1−xN/GaN- and ScxAl1−xN/InN-heterostructures are simulated by using a Schrödinger–Poisson solver across the entire range of random and metal-face ScxAl1−xN-alloys, considering the transition from wurtzite to hexagonal layered crystal structure. In contrast to previous calculations of polarization-induced sheet charges, we use Dryer's modern theory of polarization, which allows for consideration of the spontaneous polarization measured on ferroelectric ScxAl1−xN-layers. Because the sheet density of the electrons accumulating at the heterostructure interfaces can strongly depend both on the data set of the piezoelectric and structural coefficients and on the alloying region of the ScxAl1−xN-layers in which the transition from the wurtzite to the hexagonal layered crystal structure occurs, we have calculated the charge carrier sheet densities and profiles for three representative data sets and evaluated their relevance for devices. We predict electron sheet densities of (2.26 ± 0.20) × 10 14 c m − 2 and (6.25 ± 0.20) × 10 14 c m − 2 for all three sets of data for Ni/AlN/InN- and Ni/ScN/InN-heterostructures, respectively. We demonstrate that the polarization-induced interface charges of Ni/ScxAl1−xN/InN-heterostructures are always positive, tend to increase with increasing Sc-content, and can cause electron accumulations that lead to flooding of the triangular quantum wells at the semiconductor interface. We identify Ni/ScxAl1−xN/GaN-heterostructures with 0.13 ≤ x ≤ 0.19 as particularly promising candidates for the processing of energy-efficient high electron mobility transistors due to their missing or low mechanical strain and their large electron sheet densities between (4.11 ± 0.20) × 10 13 c m − 2 and (6.37 ± 0.20) × 10 13 c m − 2 . Furthermore, we present simulation results of highly strained Ni/ScxAl1−xN/GaN-heterostructures for 0.81 ≤ x ≤ 1.0 , which point to electron accumulations of up to (8.02 ± 0.40) × 10 14 c m − 2 . These heterostructures are not suitable for transistor devices, but they may be of great interest for the implementation of low impedance contacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The piezoelectric and spontaneous polarization of wurtzite ScxAl1−xN, GaxAl1−xN, and InxAl1−xN ternary compounds dramatically affects the electrical properties of pseudomorphic MexAl1−xN/GaN, MexAl1−xN/AlN, and MexAl1−xN/InN heterostructures and devices (Me: = Sc, Ga, In), due to bound interface charges caused by gradients in polarization at surfaces and heterointerfaces. We have calculated the piezoelectric and spontaneous polarization of undoped, metal polar ScxAl1−xN barrier layers (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.5) pseudomorphically grown on InN, GaN, and AlN buffer layers, in order to compare the polarization induced surface and interface charges determined to the ones predicted and measured in heterostructures with GaxAl1−xN and InxAl1−xN barriers (0 ≤ x ≤ 1.0). To facilitate the inclusion of the predicted polarization in future simulations, we give explicit prescriptions to calculate polarization induced bound interface charges for arbitrary x and barrier thicknesses up to 50 nm in each of the ternary III-N alloy heterostructures. In addition, we predict the electron sheet charges confined in heterostructures with positive polarization induced interface charges taking limitations for the epitaxial growth by strain and critical barrier thicknesses into account. Based on these results, we provide a detailed comparison of the sheet resistances and current-carrying capabilities of the heterostructures investigated, pointing to a superior potential of ScAlN/GaN based heterostructures for processing improved high electron mobility transistors for high-frequency and power electronic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Wild fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) is a very common plant used in traditional medicine to treat several diseases. In recent years, scientific research proved its biological properties. However, the protective effect of fennel against bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis (BLM-IPF) is not yet study. Purpose: Fennel essential oil (FEO) composition was characterized and its protective effect was assessed. Methods: GC–MS was employed to determine the chemical composition of fennel essential oil. The antioxidant activity was evaluated using TAC, DPPH, RAP and ABTS assays. After inducing fibrosis by bleomycin, several biological assays were used to evaluate the protective effect [proteins content, malondialdehyde MD, thiol group, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT)]. Results: FEO was rich in estragole (77.55 %), fenchone (9.23 %), and limonene (9.23 %), and phenolic compounds and showed a significant antioxidant potential. The effects on BLM-IPF were revealed by disruption and alteration of oxidative stress biomarkers in lung, liver and kidney. Treatment of rats with FEO improved abnormal fluctuations in protein and thiol levels, decreased oxidative stress in terms of MDA and also restored the response of the antioxidant system, measured in terms of SOD and CAT, in lung, liver and kidney. The biological activity was recorded in a dose response manner. The potential of FEO in limiting the progress of the histopathologic effects of BLM-IPF was confirmed by microscopic histological observations, with a reduction of the fibrosis score and the inflammatory index in the FEO treated lung tissue. Conclusion: These results, proved that FEO could attenuate BLM-induced PF, thus suggesting that the latter could serve as a potential therapeutic approach for PF.

α-tricalcium phosphate (α-TCP) is the most widespread raw material for hydraulic calcium phosphate cements (CPCs). CPCs are widely used in bone repair due to their injectability, setting ability, and osteoconductivity. This study investigated the reactivity of α-TCP powders, focusing on the impact of minor phase impurities, β-calcium pyrophosphate and hydroxyapatite, and the synthesis temperature. The α-TCP powders were synthesized via a solid-state reaction of calcium carbonate and anhydrous dicalcium phosphate, with varying Ca/P molar ratios (1.4850–1.5075) and synthesis temperatures (1175°C–1350 °C). Powders produced with a Ca/P molar ratio below 1.50 and synthesized at a temperature above the melting point of β-CPP (1296 °C) had a broader size distribution and a two to fourfold lower hydraulic reactivity. Conversely, a higher Ca/P molar ratio improved reactivity. The study underscores the importance of precise control over synthesis parameters to enhance the performance of α-TCP-based CPCs, offering insights for optimizing material design in biomedical applications.

In accordance but more pronounced in comparison to the minimum thermal conductivity, which results from heat propagation by phonons, the diffusive thermal conductivity of I wz- i Sc I SB x sb i Al SB 1- I x i sb N decreases linearly with increasing I x i . Also, for I hl- i ScN ( HT ht ) the minimum thermal conductivity increases significantly with increasing temperature. Within the accuracy of our calculation, the minimum thermal conductivity of layered hexagonal crystals ( HT ht ) stays constant. [Extracted from the article]

The essential oils extracted from the leaves of five Eucalyptus species: E. astringens, E. camaldulensis, E. lehmannii, E. leucoxylon, and E. sideroxylon, were investigated for their antimicrobial properties. These species were growing in the same plantation area, exposed to identical conditions, and subjected to uniform agronomic practices. Processed and analyzed under consistent parameters, the essential oil yields ranged from 0.14 to 0.96% (w/w). Chromatographic analysis were resolved into 48 compounds, with 11 common to all oils. Terpenoids (oxygenated mono- and sesquiterpenes) dominated the oil profiles, constituting 55.66–76.67% of the composition. Major components identified included 1,8-cineole (21.97–50.93%), α-pinene (2.18–15.95%), p-cymene (0.83–15.94%), spathulenol (0–20.49%), globulol (4.09–14.26%), and aromadendrene (2.37–15.03%). Genetically driven interspecific variation in composition was observed through Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA), and heatmap clustering. Moreover, distinctive components were identified for each essential oil, offering a valuable tool for discriminating between Eucalyptus species and ensuring authentication and quality control in commercial samples. Results from antimicrobial disc-diffusion assays indicated robust antimicrobial activity in all essential oils, with those derived from E. camaldulensis, E. lehmannii, and E. leucoxylon exhibiting the highest effectiveness.

Many plants can produce essential oils (EOs), having various biological properties. This study evaluated the antioxidant, anti-enzymatic and antimicrobial effects of the EOs derived from leaves of Eucalyptus cladocalyx, E. angulosa, E. microcorys, E. ovata, E. diversicolor, E. saligna, E. sargentii and E. resinifera. The antioxidant activity of the EOs was carried out with three different methods (ABTS, DPPH and FRAP). In addition, their anti-colinesterases, anti α-amylase and anti α-glucosidase effects were assessed by spectrophotometric assays. The antimicrobial activities were tested against six phytopathogenic bacterial strains, including two G + ve (Bacillus mojavensis and Clavibacter michiganensis) and four G-ve (Pseudomonas fluorescence, P. syringae, Xanthomonas campestris and E. coli). The current study has also investigated the inhibition of biofilm formation and the possible effect on bacterial cells biofilm metabolism of three Gram-negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Acinetobacter baumannii) and two Gram-positive pathogenic bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes). The ABTS and DPPH tests indicated that E. diversicolor and E. saligna EOs showed high antioxidant activities, whereas FRAP test suggested that E. diversicolor EO exhibited the better antioxidant activity. E. resinifera and E. ovata EOs were the most active against cholinesterases instead E. ovata and E. sargentii EOs were more active against enzymes involved in diabetes. Antibacterial assays revealed that E. ovata and E. saligna EOs possess significant activity closely to tetracycline. Whereas, the antifungal assay revealed that all EOs have effectively suppressed the tested fungal growth. E. saligna EO showed substantial efficacy inhibiting both the mature biofilm (85.40 %) and metabolic activities (89.80 %) of L. monocytogenes. These results demonstrate the wide range of possible uses for Eucalyptus EOs in both agriculture and medicine fields, suggesting potential uses as strong antibiofilm agents and for biocontrol of phytopathogens.