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Cellular signaling is based on calcium ions (Ca2+), with proteins called buffers regulating their concentration. Previous research works have often treated buffer levels as constant but it is essential to acknowledge that buffers also undergo diffusion, causing fluctuations in their concentration within cells. Previous research works have overlooked the interconnected dynamics of calcium and buffers in cells. This research presents a novel two-dimensional framework integrating reaction–diffusion equations, governing calcium ions and buffers within both normal and obese hepatocyte cells. Additionally, it incorporates blip and puff phenomena which serve as significant sources influencing cellular signaling pathways. Cell’s physiological conditions are used to formulate boundary and initial conditions. This research delves into the repercussions of various parameters by employing finite element simulation, including the SERCA pump, inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate receptor (IP3R) and diffusion coefficient, on the spatio-temporal dynamics of calcium and buffers. Furthermore, it conducts a comparative examination of calcium dynamics between normal and obese hepatocyte cells. This model provides a heightened verisimilitude by encompassing the intertwined regulatory influences of calcium and buffers, distinguishing itself from prevailing models that treat these signaling mechanisms as isolated entities within hepatocyte cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractFocal analyses (also known as ‘buffer’ or ‘neighbourhood’ analyses) seek to characterise a location based on its surroundings and are commonplace in GIS applications across many fields and disciplines. However, the implicit assumptions made by researchers in these analyses result in an unintended bias towards the periphery of the focal window, which we term Focal Area Bias (FAB). FAB can have a substantial impact upon the resulting values, and in the most extreme cases can result in paradoxical outcomes. Where geographical weighting functions are used, the interaction between the weighting function and FAB means that it will not have the expected effect, leading to the misinterpretation of results. This research characterises the issue of FAB, before presenting a corrective function to remove it. The efficacy of the proposed corrective function and the spatial characteristics of FAB are then evaluated to demonstrate the importance of this issue. We recommend that researchers and practitioners should consider the impact of FAB when undertaking focal analysis and make use of the corrective functions presented here to remove this issue, particularly where geographical weighting is desired. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design of effective ultrafiltration/diafiltration processes for protein formulation requires the use of membranes with very high protein retention. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of specific buffers on the retention of a model protein (bovine serum albumin) during ultrafiltration. Albumin retention at pH 4.8 was significantly reduced in phosphate buffer compared with that in acetate, citrate, and histidine. This behavior was consistent with a small change in the effective albumin hydrodynamic diameter as determined by dynamic light scattering. The underlying conformational changes leading to this change in diameter were explored using circular dichroism spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. These results provide important insights into the factors controlling protein retention during ultrafiltration and diafiltration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration, microenvironmental challenges such as decreasing levels of glucose, oxygen, and pH play crucial roles in cell survival and matrix turnover. Antacids, such as Mg(OH)2 and CaCO3, entrapped in microcapsules are capable of neutralizing acidic microenvironments in a controlled fashion and therefore may offer the potential to improve the acidic niche of the degenerated IVD and enhance cell‐based regeneration strategies. The objectives of this work were, first, to develop and characterize antacid microcapsules and assess their neutralization capacity in an acidic microenvironment and, second, to combine antacid microcapsules with cellular microcapsules in a hybrid gel system to investigate their neutralization effect as a potential therapeutic in a disc explant model. To achieve this, we screened five different pH‐ neutralizing agents (Al(OH)3, Mg(OH)2, CaCO3, and HEPES) in terms of their pH neutralization capacities, with Mg(OH)2 or CaCO3 being carried forward for further investigation. Antacid‐alginate microcapsules were formed at different concentrations using the electrohydrodynamic spraying process and assessed in terms of size, buffering kinetics, cell compatibility, and cytotoxicity. Finally, the combination of cellular microcapsules and antacid capsules was examined in a bovine disc explant model under physiological degenerative conditions. Overall, CaCO3 was found to be superior in terms of neutralization capacities, release kinetics, and cellular response. Specifically, CaCO3 elevated the acidic pH to neutral levels and is estimated to be maintained for several weeks based on Ca2+ release. Using a disc explant model, it was demonstrated that CaCO3 microcapsules were capable of increasing the local pH within the core of a hybrid cellular gel system. This work highlights the potential of antacid microcapsules to positively alter the challenging acidic microenvironment conditions typically observed in degenerative disc disease, which may be used in conjunction with cell therapies to augment regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Like Kanban or classic inventory management, Demand Driven Material Requirements Planning (DDMRP) assumes that an order is created when the stock level drops below a given level. The assessment of this level can be continuous or periodic. A periodic evaluation can force better repartition of the load over time. DDMRP characterizes the demand for a product by its average daily demand. This aggregation specifies neither the average size of the elementary demands nor the average duration between two elementary demands. Based on a discrete event simulation model, this study suggests that, at least for a flow-shop organization, the DDMRP method, with continuous order generation, is suitable for large mean time between elementary orders, while periodic observation improves the method for small values of it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Optimizing DNA extraction for the preservation of telomere length – as a biomarker for ageing and vari-ous diseases – is highly important. Long-term stored blood samples are considered essential resources for genetic studies. In this study, different lysis buffers were used along with CTAB extraction buffer to inves-tigate the quality of extracted DNA and the effect of its accompanying inhibitors on quantitative PCR (q-PCR) in telomere studies. Materials and Methods: DNA extraction was performed using six RBC lysis buffers and CTAB-based extraction buffer. DNA integrity was evaluated by gel electrophoresis, quantity by absorbance at 260 nm and its purity with expected values of 1.8 and 2-2.2 for the ratios of A260/A280 and A260/A230. The quantitative effect of each buffer in q-PCR and the repeatability of the results were assessed by calculating the reaction efficiency, coefficient of determination (R2), and percentage of coefficient of variation (%CV). Results: Buffer number 5 (10 mM Tris-HCl, pH 7.6, 50 mM NaCl) yielded the highest amount of DNA extraction (324.93 ng/ml, %CV 11.53). All the extracted DNA samples were pure, as indicated by the acceptable A260/A280 and A260/A230ratios (p>0.05). Gel analysis revealed that the extracted DNA of all the buffers ex-cept one was intact. The DNA molecule extracted with buffer number 1 (155 mM NH4Cl, 10 mM KHCO3, and 5 mM EDTA) showed the best performance in q-PCR for HBG gene (efficiency=0.126, R2=0.97) and telomere (efficiency=0.99, R2=0.99). Conclusion: The DNA molecule extracted from frozen blood samples by buffer number 1 showed the least q-PCR inhibition for telomere study.

This study investigates the creep behavior of bentonite-sand mixtures as potential buffer materials for low-level radioactive waste (LLW) repositories, with a specific case study in Taiwan. To assess the long-term hydro-mechanical properties, constant-volume swelling pressure, hydraulic conductivity, strain-controlled shear, and stress-controlled shear tests were conducted on MX80 and KV1 bentonite-sand mixtures. The experimental results indicate that MX80-sand 70/30 mixtures are prioritized as the buffer materials with 2.10 MPa swelling pressure and 1 × 10−13 m/s hydraulic conductivity. However, the shear strength of mixtures was reduced by almost 50 % when fully saturated. Furthermore, this study proposed a novel stress-controlled direct shear apparatus to retrieve the creep model parameters. The numerical method based on the creep model efficiently supports and simulates the saturation process and creep displacement. The finite element method (FEM) result predicts that the buffer of both bentonite-sand mixtures will achieve an average degree of saturation of 95 % at the end of three decades and full saturation in 100 years. The simulated creep displacement results at key nodes suggest that both top and bottom parts in the buffer, assembled from MX80-sand 70/30 mixtures or KV1-sand 70/30 mixtures, will have almost equivalent values of 4 mm in the horizontal and 2 mm in the vertical directions eventually.

The formulation of biopharmaceutical drugs is designed to eliminate chemical instabilities, increase conformational and colloidal stability of proteins, and optimize interfacial stability. Among the various excipients involved, buffer composition plays a pivotal role. However, conventional buffers like histidine and phosphate buffers may not always be the optimal choice for all monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). In this study, we investigated the effects of several alternative buffer systems on seven different mAbs, exploring various combinations of ionic strengths, concentrations of the main buffer component, mAb concentrations, and stress conditions. Protein stability was assessed by analyzing soluble aggregate formation through size exclusion chromatography. At low protein concentrations, protein instability after temperature stress was exclusively observed in the bis-TRIS/ glucuronate buffer. Conversely, freeze-thaw stress led to a significant increase in aggregate formation in tested formulations, highlighting the efficacy of several alternative buffers, particularly arginine/ citrate, in preserving protein stability. Under temperature stress, the introduction of arginine to histidine buffer systems provided additional stabilization, while the addition of lysine resulted in protein destabilization. Similarly, the incorporation of arginine into histi-dine/HCl buffer further enhanced protein stability during freeze--thaw cycles. At high protein concentrations, the histidine/citrate buffer emerged as one of the most optimal choices for addressing temperature and light-induced stress. The efficacy of histidine buffers in combating light stress might be attributed to the light-absorbing properties of histidine molecules. Our findings demonstrate that the development of biopharmaceutical formulations should not be confined to conventional buffer systems, as numerous alternative options exhibit comparable or even superior performance.

Aim: Microrefugia on alpine slopes may allow species to persist in a warming climate. How plant species richness could respond to of the effectiveness of climatic buffering, defined as the difference in climate change in a microrefugium in comparison to that of an open alpine slope as mediated by competitive priority effects, is explored. Location: Alpine habitat anywhere. Taxon: Vascular plants. Methods: A simple spatially explicit model of plant species with adaptations across a climatic gradient simulates reproduction, dispersal, and mortality through climatic change. The effectiveness of microrefugia in buffering climate change and levels of competitive priority effects are included as factors that alter demographic rates in an experimental framework. Spatial patterns of microrefugia and differences in dispersal are also simulated. Differences in mean species richness were analysed. Results: The number of species conserved, relative to an instantaneous equilibrium calculation with the same climatic change, decreases with inclusion of a period of change (transient vs. instantaneous, equilibrium change) and further with competitive priority effects. In these simulations, the number of species conserved does not simply increase with buffer effectiveness, as hypothesized, but instead is bimodal. Main Conclusions: The dip in number of species conserved in the middle range of buffer effectiveness occurs because barriers develop. These are temporal ecological traps, wherein species adapted to the middle of a climatic gradient become extinct, because their colonization of microrefugia is blocked by an extinction debt of resident species. The inertia that allows these demographic consequences is increased by competitive priorities. The highest levels of buffering and resulting inertia will not be ubiquitous but the bimodal pattern indicates that assessments of the role of microrefugia need to recognize the temporal species‐environment and species‐species interactions that will change the number of species conserved versus extinctions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Margins are defined as the difference between a design parameter's minimum required value to ensure functionality, and its actual capability. Margins allow engineers to mitigate uncertainties of various kinds. While some margins are intentionally allocated, some others may get included inadvertently in designs or arise from changes to requirements. Although common in use, the concept of margins has not been formalised systematically. This paper offers the first systematic literature review of margins. Concepts related to margins can be found in various interrelated domains with similar underlying principles. However, these concepts have developed in isolation, leading to a divergent and fragmented understanding. This paper brings these strands together by differentiating between margins which may be deliberately added or discovered during a typical product lifecycle and relates this to various domains such as safety, manufacturing etc. The paper discusses approaches to model, size and allocate margins. The thematic analysis presents insights into the importance of systematic use and management of margins and also raises currently observable gaps in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

Calcium is a decisive messenger for neuronal vivid functions. The calcium intracellular sequestering major unit is the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER). Brownian motion of calcium could be bound to different buffers like S100B, calmodulin, etc, and different organelles. Plasma membrane channels like voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCC) and Plasma Membrane Calcium ATPase (PMCA), Orai channel could perturb the calcium concentration. To investigate the calcium interplay for intracellular signaling we have developed the two-dimensional time fractional reaction–diffusion equation. To solve this model analytically, we have used the Laplace and Fourier cosine integral transform method. By using Green's function we obtained the compact solution in closed form with Mainardi's function and Wright's function. Uniqueness and existence proved the more fundamental approach to the fractional reaction–diffusion problem. The fractional Caputo approach gives better insight into this real-life problem by its nonlocal nature. Significant effects of different parameters on free calcium ions were obtained and the results are interpreted with normal and Alzheimeric cells. Non-local property and dynamical aspects are graphically presented which might provide insight into the Stromal interaction molecule (STIM) and S100B parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban areas are often associated with higher crime rates, which is a growing concern among communities. This study aims to investigate the spatial relation between landuse and property crime in Kuching, Sarawak through location quotient analysis. Three methods were applied in this study: multiple buffer analysis, Pearson's correlation, and location quotient. Based on initial findings, there is an observed increase in crime levels as the distance from the centroid extends from 150 to 750 meters and decreases beyond 750 meters. The study findings reveal a strong and consistent positive correlation between property crime and land use areas across 2015-2017. Property crime is more prevalent in urban and associated areas compared to other land use categories. Offenders in Kuching often utilise various tools to break into houses and dig holes, break locks, climb gates, engage in snatch theft using motorcycles, and break car windows to steal handbags that are placed on the right seat. In certain locations, CCTV cameras are positioned far away from the target areas. All of these factors contribute to creating opportunities for offenders. Property crimes were more common during the daytime than at night as during the daytime, which may be attributed to more people being active outside their homes, providing criminals with easier targets. At night, people tend to stay home, and the opportunity for property crimes decreases. The study provides crucial geographic crime information to the Commission of Kuching North City Hall and the Council of the City of Kuching South to enhance urban safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving the cooperative scheduling efficiency of equipment is the key for automated container terminals to cope with the development trend of large-scale ships. In order to improve the solution efficiency of the existing space-time network (STN) model for the cooperative scheduling problem of yard cranes (YCs) and automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and extend its application scenarios, two improved STN models are proposed. The flow balance constraints in the original model are decomposed, and the trajectory constraints of YCs and AGVs are added to acquire the model STN_A. The coupling constraint in STN_A is updated, and buffer constraints are added to STN_A so that the model STN_B is built. As the size of the problem increases, the solution speed of CPLEX becomes the bottleneck. So a heuristic method containing three groups of heuristic rules is designed to obtain a near-optimal solution quickly. Experimental results show that the computation time of STN_A is shortened by 49.47% on average and the gap is reduced by 1.69% on average compared with the original model. The gap between the solution of the heuristic rules and the solution of CPLEX is less than 3.50%, and the solution time of the heuristic rules is on average 99.85% less than the solution time of CPLEX. Compared with STN_A, the computation time for solving STN_B increases by 58.93% on average. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Typical landscape-scale studies comprise the delimitation of landscapes followed by the calculation of one or more landscape metrics. Performing an analysis at multiple spatial scales is often required, occasionally followed by the selection of a particular scale according to the response variable of interest. More complex research goals might require a thorough inspection of landscapes, plus a selection of landscapes that would fulfill certain conditions regarding their landscape metrics. These tasks can usually be programmatically challenging, especially if multiple spatial scales are being analyzed. Objectives: The R package multilandr builds on several spatial-oriented R packages to provide a toolbox to develop and inspect multi-scale landscapes based on simple spatial inputs. Methods and results: The package delivers functions to calculate metrics within a multi-scale framework. Also, it provides several utility functions to visualize correlations between metrics, filter landscapes that fulfill certain predefined conditions or select a wide-range gradient of landscapes for a given metric, among other useful tasks. This paper introduces the functionality of multilandr through a step-by-step instruction guide and case studies. Conclusions: The R package multilandr provides a set of functions to facilitate typical methodological workflow of landscape-scale studies in the R environment, for both beginner and expert R users. It provides the functionality to perform a systematic filtering and selection of landscapes according to a given experimental design. The package is especially programmed to develop multi-scale designs but is also useful for the calculation of metrics of a set of landscapes from any GIS-related project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Currently, lack of standardization for fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in equine practice has resulted in highly variable techniques, and there is no data on the bacterial metabolic activity or viability of the administered product. The objectives of this study were to compare the total and potentially metabolically active bacterial populations in equine FMT, and assess the effect of different frozen storage times, buffers, and temperatures on an equine FMT product. Fresh feces collected from three healthy adult horses was subjected to different storage methods. This included different preservation solutions (saline plus glycerol or saline only), temperature (-20 °C or -80 °C), and time (fresh, 30, 60, or 90 days). Samples underwent DNA extraction to assess total bacterial populations (both live and dead combined) and RNA extraction followed by reverse transcription to cDNA as a proxy to assess viable bacteria, then 16s rRNA gene amplicon sequencing using the V1-V2 region. Results The largest difference in population indices and taxonomic composition at the genus level was seen when evaluating the results of DNA-based (total) and cDNA-based (potentially metabolically active) extraction method. At the community level, alpha diversity (observed species, Shannon diversity) was significantly decreased in frozen samples for DNA-based analysis (P

It is very important that fire trucks can reach the fire scene quickly during an emergency. In this direction, many factors such as the location of fire stations in the city, road conditions, road network, adequacy of fire brigade equipment, type of fire, etc. have a first-degree effect on the fast or slow response to the incident. The study area covers Eyyübiye, Haliliye, and Karaköprü districts, which are the central districts of Şanlıurfa. There are a total of 5 fire stations in these districts. When we look at the ratio of fires in the central districts to all fires in the study area between 2020-2023, it corresponds to 19.72% of building fires, 10.19% of workplace fires, 7.2% of vehicle fires, and 5.37% of garbagelandfill and forest fires. In 2023, the highest number of fires occurred in Haliliye district with 1,098. In Eyyübiye District 749 and Karaköprü district 595 fire incidents occurred. In the light of this information, in the study, the access time of the existing 5 fire stations in Şanlıurfa central districts (Haliliye, Eyyübiye, Karaköprü) was calculated by using Geographical Information Systems (GIS). While calculating the access time of fire trucks, buffer analysis was performed in ArcGIS 10.8. Based on the fire stations in the central districts, an impact area from 500 m to 75 km was determined and the access time of fire trucks was calculated as a zone. While the access time between 500 m-10. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

Epitaxial buffer layers such as ceria (CeO2)/yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) allow the direct integration of functional oxide single crystal thin films on silicon (Si). Microcracks in the buffer layer, often evolving from the large thermal tensile stress, are detrimental to the integration of high-quality complex oxide thin films on Si. In this study, we investigated the evolution of microcracks in sputter-grown epitaxial CeO2 layers by systematically varying the sputtering power and thickness of CeO2 thin films on YSZ single crystal (low thermal mismatch) and YSZ-buffered Si (high thermal mismatch) substrates. Using a plane stress model, we revealed that as the sputtering power increased, the epitaxial CeO2 thin films tended to be more compressively strained at the growth temperature. This could accommodate the tensile strain arising during cooling to room temperature, thereby suppressing the evolution of microcracks. Our result provides not only a method to suppress microcracks in the oxide heterostructure on Si, but also a tool to control their strain state, by controlling their growth parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

In this study, we systematically explore the impact of C/Si ratio, pre-carbonization time, H2 etching time, and growth pressure on the buffer layer and subsequent epitaxial layer of 6-inch 4H-SiC wafers. Our findings indicate that the buffer layer's C/Si ratio and growth pressure significantly influence the overall quality of the epitaxial wafer. Specifically, an optimal C/Si ratio of 0.5 and a growth pressure of 70 Torr yield higher-quality epitaxial layers. Additionally, the pre-carbonization time and H2 etching time primarily affect the uniformity and surface quality of the epitaxial wafer, with a pre-carbonization time of 3 s and an H2 etching time of 3 min found to enhance the surface quality of the epitaxial layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional off-line data analysis method has many shortcomings in processing the data with high immediacy and large flow, while the online detection model can meet the real time requirements of data flow analysis. This study proposes an online detection method based on the multi - threshold template. The proposed method combines TSTKS (Ternary Search Tree and Kolmogorov - Smirnov) algorithm for online detection, and updates the window length based on the mutation point density to improve the mutation point detection accuracy. Self-learning, matching and classification of time series data are realized by equal grading strategy, so as to detect and predict the status of large scale lesion data. The experimental results of simulation experiment and lesion data show that the proposed method has the advantages of high efficiency and accurate classification, which provides a new method for the rapid classification of large scale time series data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Live video broadcasting is a popular application properly considered in lately developed standard, Versatile Video Coding (H.266/VVC). In live video broadcasting, both the bandwidth and buffer volume are limited, while a high quality level is demanded. In order to solve these problems, a Quantization Parameter Estimation Algorithm (QEA) is proposed. The core of the proposed algorithm is a neuro-fuzzy system that changes the Quantization Parameter (QP) gradually to produce a bandwidth-compliant bit rate and prohibit buffer saturation and starvation while providing high quality. The estimation is conducted according to the proportional, integral, and derivative components of the bit error. In other words, the proposed QEA is a Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller. The optimal parameters of the neuro-fuzzy system are obtained through the training process. The required data set for the training process is established by taking advantage of dynamic programming. The experiments affirm that the proposed approach achieves the target rate with an average error equal to 1.41% and fully respects the buffering boundaries. This method has at least a 2.48% bit rate reduction rather than other QEAs. Meanwhile, the proposed QEA is faster than other algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cross talk between calcium (Ca2+), IP3 and buffer dynamics regulate various mechanisms in hepatocyte cells. The study of independent systems of calcium, IP3, and buffer signaling provides limited information about cell dynamics. In the current study, coupled reaction-diffusion equations are used to design a cross-talk model for IP3, buffer, and calcium dynamics in a hepatocyte cell. The one-way feedback of calcium, buffer, and IP3 in ATP production, ATP degradation, and NADH production rate is incorporated into the model. Numerical simulation has been done using the Finite Element Method (FEM) along the spatial direction and the Crank-Nicolson (C-N) method along the temporal direction. The numerical results are analysed to determine the effects of alterations in processes of cross-talking dynamics of IP3, buffer, and calcium on ATP and NADH production and degradation rate of ATP in a hepatocyte cell under normal and obesity conditions. The comparative analysis of these findings unveils notable distinctions induced by obesity in calcium dynamics, ATP and NADH synthesis, and ATP degradation kinetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A precise UV spectroscopic method was developed for accurately quantifying tinidazole (TNZ) using the Shimadzu 1900i UV spectrophotometer. Different sample solutions containing TNZ were scanned across a range of concentration 6 μg mL-1 to 26 μg mL-1 between 200-400 nm, generating overlay TNZ spectra showing an absorption maximum at 318nm in vaginal buffer which is made up of phosphate buffer (PB) 4.2 pH with 2% Tween 80® LR and 4 mL of methanol. The construction of a six-point calibration curve demonstrated the linearity of TNZ within the 6-26 μg mL-1 concentration range. The regression equation derived from this calibration curve was subsequently employed to accurately determine the concentration in accuracy studies. In the analysis of bulk TNZ, a recovery rate ranging from 98.41% to 102.28% was achieved. The analysis results were validated following ICH (International Council on Harmonization) guidelines and compiled with the required criteria and standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Geography & Geographic Information Science is the property of Geography & Geo-Information Science Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

We quantified the bias and accuracy of U.S. West Coast Chinook and coho salmon abundance forecasts using lognormal distributions fitted to annual ratios between postseason abundance estimates and preseason forecasts, or constrained to assume unbiased forecasts. Accuracy was modest to low, with CVs exceeding 50% for 8/19 Chinook and 17/17 coho stocks. We evaluated the fitted median as a bias correction, and uncertainty buffers based on quantiles below the median. We tested whether retrospective application of bias corrections and/or buffers brought forecasts closer on average to postseason estimates; and performed retrospective and prospective analyses of consequences for stock status, harvest, and escapement for Sacramento River Fall Chinook (SRFC), a key fishery stock. Bias corrections and/or buffers improved most forecasts, with buffers providing improvement more often. For SRFC, bias correction alone could have led to one less year of overfished status, while buffers could have further shortened or avoided overfished status and reduced the frequency of under-escapement. Reductions in mean annual harvest resulting from applying bias corrections and/or moderate buffers were predicted to be smaller than the increases in harvest resulting from forecast and implementation error. Prospective simulations showed buffers could reduce risks of overfished status and under-escapement, at small costs to long-term mean harvests. However, this metric misses substantial harvest reductions in some years, since mean harvest is most sensitive to harvest at high abundance; though our analyses also neglected benefits of increased escapement for future production. Future work should incorporate observation error and nonstationarity, and the combined effects of forecast and implementation error on the probability of missing escapement goals.

This paper presents a superconducting, magnetically-coupled, shuttle-flux shift register (SF-SR) that stores single flux quantum (SFQ) pulses. This shift register has a DC bias operating margin of ±34% at 10 GHz, with a power dissipation of 3.6μ W and 38% fewer Josephson junctions (JJs) when scaled up to multiple stages compared to a data flip-flop (DFF) based shift register. The clock input is inductively coupled and is independent from the data input. We then present three applications for our SF-SR. In the first application, we add two non-destructive readout (NDRO) cells to construct a buffer that temporarily stores the temporal information of a series of race logic (RL) pulses. The second application is a pseudo-random number generator based on a linear function shift register (LFSR). The third application is N parallel SF-SRs that can act similar to a deserializer or instead can emulate a single SF-SR of N times higher clock frequency. These three applications motivate deep shift registers with many shifting intervals, which our SF-SR can implement with fewer JJs and lower power consumption compared to DFF-based shift registers.

Introduction: Intestinal function in nutrient uptake depends on its morphology, and any change in villi structure, as well as changes in the differentiation and development of absorbent cells, can alter digestion and absorption capacity and thus function. Increasing the height and surface of Villus in the gastrointestinal tract of animals consuming high concentrates increases the absorption capacity and in turn, protects the animal from the accumulation of volatile fatty acids and a noticeable decrease in pH. In fact, it helps the lining of the gastrointestinal tract absorb volatile fatty acids faster and stabilize the pH. High starch in diets, followed by a decrease in pH, affects the morphology of the rumen and intestine. Any change in this morphology may predispose the intestines to dysfunction. Megasphaera elsdenii prevents a sharp decrease in ruminal pH due to lactic acid accumulation by consuming lactic acid, and in cases of subacute acidosis by converting lactic acid to propionic acid may provide an opportunity to reduce inflammation and improve energy balance in livestock. Saccharomyces cerevisiae also contributes to the growth and activity of cellulose-degrading bacteria, lactate consuming bacteria, and rumen protozoa and the concomitant use of lactate consuming bacteria with Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been confirmed. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of chemical and microbial buffer additives on histomorphometry and histopathology of the small intestine and large intestine during high concentrate feeding. Materials and Methods: Twelve Arabi male sheep at 9 ± 1 months old and initial body weight of 35.95±3.55 kg were used in a completely randomized design with three treatments and four replicates, and the duration of the experiment was 35 days. The experimental treatments consisted of a 1- control diet, 2- control diet + sodium bicarbonate buffer, 3- control diet + Megasphaera elsdenii, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (bacterial-yeast), which fed ad libitum. At the end of the experiment, the lambs were slaughtered and the small and large intestines were sampled for histomorphometry and histopathology studies. Each sample was placed separately in closed-sealed containers containing 10% formalin, and tissue changes were examined microscopically.Results and Discussion: No significant difference was observed between the experimental treatments for the tissue indices studied in the duodenum and jejunum. However, the ratio of villus height to crypt depth in the bacterium-yeast recipient treatment was numerically higher than other treatments. In ileum section, villi height, crypt depth and villi area in control treatment 653.33; 506.67; 258.42 compared to buffer treatment 430.00; 328.33; 161.40 and treatment containing bacterial-yeast 445.00; 365.00; 178.04 respectively were significantly higher (P

When designing the retractable landing gear of an aircraft oil-gas mixed type，the medium flow characteristics between the inner cavities should be fully considered. The damping aperture and fuel filling amount of a certain UAV landing gear buffer is taken as the research object，and the single factor experimental method is used to analyze the changes of gas-liquid flow inside the buffer caused by each factor. The gas-liquid characteristics of the buffer under different damping apertures and oil filling amounts in the lowering stage are simulated and calculated by Fluent software. The results show that the damping hole oil flow during the landing gear lowering process is only related to the size of the pore size，not affected by the oil filling amount of the buffer. Under the 637 mL oil filling required by this type of UAV，the buffer damping aperture should be greater than 6 mm. For other types of landing gear buffers，when the oil filling amount is determined，the gas-liquid filling of the buffer that meets the lowering stage should be used as one of the buffer damping hole design criteria.

Background: Optimizing DNA extraction for the preservation of telomere length – as a biomarker for ageing and vari-ous diseases – is highly important. Long-term stored blood samples are considered essential resources for genetic studies. In this study, different lysis buffers were used along with CTAB extraction buffer to inves-tigate the quality of extracted DNA and the effect of its accompanying inhibitors on quantitative PCR (q-PCR) in telomere studies. Materials and Methods: DNA extraction was performed using six RBC lysis buffers and CTAB- based extraction buffer. DNA integrity was evaluated by gel electrophoresis, quantity by absorbance at 260 nm and its purity with expected values of 1.8 and 2-2.2 for the ratios of A260/A280 and A260/A230. The quantitative effect of each buffer in q-PCR and the repeatability of the results were assessed by calculating the reaction efficiency, coefficient of determination (R²), and percentage of coefficient of variation (%CV). Results: Buffer number 5 (10 mM Tris-HCl, pH 7.6, 50 mM NaCl) yielded the highest amount of DNA extraction (324.93 ng/ml, %CV 11.53). All the extracted DNA samples were pure, as indicated by the acceptable A260/A280 and A260/A230 ratios (p>0.05). Gel analysis revealed that the extracted DNA of all the buffers except one was intact. The DNA molecule extracted with buffer number 1 (155 mM NH4Cl, 10 mM KHCO3, and 5 mM EDTA) showed the best performance in q- PCR for HBG gene (efficiency=0.126, R²=0.97) and telomere (efficiency=0.99, R²=0.99). Conclusion: The DNA molecule extracted from frozen blood samples by buffer number 1 showed the least q-PCR inhibition for telomere study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the first time, an optical buffer based on 1D quaternary photonic crystal (QPC) is proposed in this paper. This QPC consists of 12 periods of four different material layers. This QPC buffer can delay light of desired wavelengths. The wavelength transmitted by this buffer can be changed by changing the layer parameters of the QPC structure. Different values of delay times can be obtained through this optical buffer by changing the structural parameters and/or number of periods in this structure. These 1D QPC-based optical buffers generate high values of delay time as compared to 1D binary and ternary photonic crystal-based optical buffers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the neural networks with convolution computation is widely used for image classification and recognition. For real-time implementation, the video buffer is required to store the image temperately. However, traditional buffers like CLSB (content line shift buffer) may experience delays during the read process, particularly when encountering line breaks or image changes. As for N × N convolution, the delay time is N−1 clocks for every row changing. As the image width is W, the delay time is 2W + N clocks for every frame changing. These delays can impact the efficiency and performance of the neural network. To overcome this challenge, this paper presented novel buffer design to avoid the delay at the line ends and frame change. By proactively fetching data ahead of time, the buffer can dynamically schedule the read operation and ensure that the subsequent data are correctly placed for efficient processing. This improvement in read latency contributes to enhanced performance and better utilization of computational resources within the hardware system. Then the full convolutional network accelerator is implemented with the fast buffer design and common computational kernel to save the hardware cost based on LeNet model. The results show that the accuracy can achieve 99.1% with MNIST dataset verification. By eliminating the waiting time, the modified buffer allows for more efficient processing in the image, and the fame rate for a computer vision can achieve 46 per second, to meet the real-time requirement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a low quiescent current structure with self-regulation impedance buffer and bandgap amplifier is presented. With the bandgap amplifier, the function of voltage reference and error amplifier can be achieved simultaneously, which can efficiently reduce the consumption. The low-dropout regulator has been implemented in a 0.18µm process with die size 0.03mm². The circuit module designed in this paper are simulated by the Cadence software and the simulation results are validated. Experimental result shows that the overshoot and undershoot of line transient response are less than 30mV/V. The load regulation is about 0.1%/A, and line regulation is about 0.07mV/V at no load condition. Through the test results, it is found that the simulation results are consistent with the measured data. This conclusion ensures the stability and reliability of this module in the subsequent application scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]