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Palmoplantar pustulosis (PPP) is often considered as pustular psoriasis of extremities. Benvitimod has been approved for mild to moderate psoriasis. We thus designed this study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of benvitimod for treating PPP. Of 47 PPP patients recruited from 4 hospitals, 40 finished 8 weeks visit and completed 4 weeks safety follow‐up visit. The Palmoplantar Pustular Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PPPASI) and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) scores fell continuously. At week 8, mean ± SD PPPASI and DLQI were 3.39 ± 3.86 (p < 0.0001) and 2.49 ± 3.34 (p < 0.0001), respectively. At week 8, 70% (28/40) achieved PPPASI‐50 response, 35% (14/40) achieved PPPASI‐75 response, and 17.5% (7/40) achieved PPPASI‐90 response. Relapse occurred in 7.5% (3/40) of the patients. Of 47 patients enrolled, self‐reported compliance was 12.77% (6/47). Common drug‐related adverse events (5/47) included xerosis cutis. Only one patient's disease progressed during treatment. Our study demonstrated the efficacy and safety of benvitimod. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Massively carbon-supersaturated (MCSed) tool steel dies were developed to make galling-free forging products from titanium bar feedstocks in dry conditions without lubricating oils. Two types of tool steel dies were used, SKD11 and ACD56, following the Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS). The plasma-immersion carburizing process was employed to induce massive carbon supersaturation in two kinds of tool steel dies at 673 K for 14.4 ks. A pure titanium bar was upset in a single stroke up to the reduction of thickness of 70% using the MCSed SKD11 die. Very few bulging displacements of the upset bar proved that μ = 0.05 on the contact surface of the MCSed SKD11 die to pure titanium work. Two continuous forging experiments were performed to demonstrate that an in situ lubrication mechanism played a role to prevent the contact surface from galling to titanium works in both laboratory- and industry-scaled forging processes. After precise microstructure analyses of the contact surface, the free-carbon film formed in situ acted as a lubricating tribofilm to reduce friction and adhesive wear in continuous forging processes. The MCSed ACD56 dies were also used to describe the galling-free forging behavior of manufacturing eyeglass frames and to evaluate the surface quality of the finished temples. The applied load was reduced by 30% when using the MCSed ACD56 dies. The average surface roughness of the forged product was also greatly reduced, from 4.12 μm to 0.99 μm, together with a reduction in roughness deviations. High qualification of forged products was preserved together with die life prolongation even in dry manufacturing conditions of the titanium and titanium alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This research investigated the pre-, per- and post cooling strategies used by competitive tennis players from various levels of play who occasionally train and compete in hot (>28°C) and humid (>60% rH), and dry (<60% rH) environments. Methods: 129 male tennis players (Mage = 24.9) competing at regional (N = 54), national (N = 30) and international (N = 45) levels, completed an online questionnaire regarding their use (i.e., timing, type, justification and effectiveness) of pre- (i.e., before practice), per- (i.e., during exercise) and post-cooling strategies when playing tennis in hot dry (HD) and hot humid (HH) conditions. Individual follow-up interviews were also carried on 3 participants to gain an in-depth understanding of the player's experience. Results: Competitive tennis players used both internal and external cooling strategies to combat the negative effects of HD and HH conditions, but considered the HH to be more stressful than HD and experienced more heatrelated illness in HH environments. International players used cold packs and cold towel more frequently than the regional and national players in hot environments, and used cold water immersion and cold vest more frequently than the latter in HH. Differences in strategy use were mostly observed during per-cooling where regional and national players more frequently used cold drinks than international players who more frequently used cold packs in HD and cold towel in HH conditions. Moreover the latter more frequently used cold towel, cold packs and cold water immersion as post-cooling strategies than regional players. Conclusion: When playing tennis in the heat, it is strongly recommended to employ cooling strategies to maintain health, limit declines in performance, and promote recovery. We also recommend improving education regarding the appropriate use and effectiveness of cooling strategies, and increasing their availability in tournaments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Amazon basin, spanning approximately 540,000 km2, exhibits distinct fluviometric surfaces that differentiate between the dry and rainy seasons. This seasonality, along with hydrological connectivity and the creation of new habitats during the rainy season, significantly promotes the migration, reproduction, and feeding of potamodromous fishes. To estimate the realized niches of species, species distribution models (SDMs) employ the extrapolation of environmental predictors and species occurrence data. Our objective was to compare the spatial distribution of migratory fish species in the Amazon basin using SDMs based on variables characterizing the dry season, rainy season, and a combination of both. All evaluated treatments demonstrated high performance and exhibited different distribution ranges in the applied SDMs, particularly when combining environmental variables with occurrence data during the rainy season. These findings support the hypothesis that spatial distribution is influenced by seasonality. The increased fluviometric surface and enhanced connectivity of the rainy season favor both longitudinal and lateral migrations of Amazonian migratory catfishes. Moreover, the spatial distribution reveals four critical spatial overlap (CSO) regions with higher population densities regardless of the season. These CSOs primarily coincide with the Amazon alluvial plain, which exhibits the highest rates of endemism, species richness, and abundance of organisms. Considering the discontinuous and heterogeneous nature of fluviometry when performing niche modeling processes is pivotal, although SDMs applied in the Amazon generally ignore such regional seasonality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To outline the prevalence of vitamin D and vitamin B12 deficiencies in enuretic children. Methods: An analytical descriptive study was conducted on enuretic children who were followed up at the outpatient clinic for nocturnal enuresis at the Children's Hospital, Cairo University. Sociodemographic and clinical data were recorded. The levels of vitamin D and vitamin B12 were assessed and correlated with the severity of enuresis. Results: Two hundred and eighty-eight children were enrolled. Insufficiency of Vitamin D predominated (n=139; 48.3%). Vitamin D deficiency was present in 31.3%, n=90 and it was normal in 20.5%, n=59). Vitamin B12 deficiency was observed in 25% of the studied children, n=72). The one-sample Wilcoxon signed-rank test was significant for both vitamins (P value =0.001). Vitamin D showed a stronger inverse correlation with the number of enuresis episodes per day than vitamin B12 (-0.680 vs. -0.219 respectively). A cut-off of 13.7 ng/ml for vitamin D was detected, below which the child was predicted to have failed dry nights. Using multivariate logistic regression, higher vitamin D levels and behavioural treatment coexistence were significant protective factors for the absence of dry nights. Conclusion: Low levels of vitamin D and B12 were detected in children with primary nocturnal enuresis, which could be considered a burden on the clinical severity of enuresis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) is prevalent worldwide, causing serious problems in the cattle industry. The BLV proviral load (PVL) is a useful index for estimating disease progression and transmission risk. We previously developed a quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assay to measure the PVL using the coordination of common motif (CoCoMo) degenerate primers. Here, we constructed a novel duplex BLV-CoCoMo qPCR assay that can amplify two genes simultaneously using a FAM-labeled MGB probe for the BLV LTR gene and a VIC-labeled MGB probe for the BoLA-DRA gene. This liquid duplex assay maintained its original sensitivity and reproducibility in field samples. Furthermore, we developed a dry duplex assay composed of PCR reagents necessary for the optimized liquid duplex assay. We observed a strong positive correlation between the PVLs measured using the dry and liquid duplex assays. Validation analyses showed that the sensitivity of the dry duplex assay was slightly lower than that of the other methods for the detection of a BLV molecular clone, but it showed similar sensitivity to the singleplex assay and slightly higher sensitivity than the liquid duplex assay for the PVL quantification of 82 field samples. Thus, our liquid and dry duplex assays are useful for measuring the BLV PVL in field samples, similar to the original singleplex assay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PurposeThis research investigated the pre-, per- and post cooling strategies used by competitive tennis players from various levels of play who occasionally train and compete in hot (>28°C) and humid (>60% rH), and dry (

Estimating sediment yield accurately in watershed areas is always a concern for planners. A noteworthy aspect in this regard is the variation in river behavior within watershed areas during dry and wet periods. The objective of this study is to investigate sediment variations during dry and wet periods at both upstream and downstream stations of the Karkheh Dam. To achieve this, flow and sediment statistics from the Afrineh-Kashkan station upstream of the dam and the Pay-Pol station downstream, spanning a 38-year period (1350-1398), were utilized. For this purpose, dry and wet periods were initially identified, and for each, sediment rating curve was plotted. To enhance the sediment rating curve relationship, corrective factors including FAO, QMLE and Smearing were employed. Performance evaluation of each was conducted using indicators such as RMSE, ME and P. The results of the sediment analysis at each station during dry and wet periods indicate that the specific sediment yield has decreased during dry periods and experienced a significant increase during wet periods. Moreover, the specific sediment yield at the downstream station (Pay-Pol) of the Karkheh Dam has also shown a considerable reduction, indicating the dam's impact on sediment regulation downstream.

Purpose To outline the prevalence of vitamin D and vitamin B12 deficiencies in enuretic children.Methods An analytical descriptive study was conducted on enuretic children who were followed up at the outpatient clinic for nocturnal enuresis at the Children’s Hospital, Cairo University. Sociodemographic and clinical data were recorded. The levels of vitamin D and vitamin B12 were assessed and correlated with the severity of enuresis.Results Two hundred and eighty-eight children were enrolled. Insufficiency of Vitamin D predominated (n = 139; 48.3%). Vitamin D deficiency was present in 31.3%, n = 90 and it was normal in 20.5%, n = 59). Vitamin B12 deficiency was observed in 25% of the studied children, n = 72). The one-sample Wilcoxon signed-rank test was significant for both vitamins (P value =0.001). Vitamin D showed a stronger inverse correlation with the number of enuresis episodes per day than vitamin B12 (-0.680 vs. −0.219 respectively). A cut-off of 13.7 ng/ml for vitamin D was detected, below which the child was predicted to have failed dry nights. Using multivariate logistic regression, higher vitamin D levels and behavioural treatment coexistence were significant protective factors for the absence of dry nights.Conclusion Low levels of vitamin D and B12 were detected in children with primary nocturnal enuresis, which could be considered a burden on the clinical severity of enuresis.

Nowadays, productivity enhancement in machining operations in eco-friendly machining environment is a front-end requirement in the machining industries. In general, minimizing tool wear (Vb) and surface roughness (Ra) in machining processes can directly boost productivity. Therefore, the current effort attempts to improve productivity by regulating tool wear and surface roughness in an environmentally friendly machining environment. In this study, innovative textured tools (TT) were created, and the machinability performance of the produced tools was assessed under dry, conventional, and MQL conditions. According to the study's findings, MQL cooling with TT considerably reduced the cutting temperature (T), Vb, and Ra to maximum values of 13%, 17%, and 29%, respectively, over untextured tools (UT). In addition, it was shown that MQL cooling considerably enhanced turning performance in both tools compared to without cooling and conventional cooling, respectively. Additionally, chip morphology research was done and showed promise using textured tools in MQL conditions as opposed to other machining settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estimating sediment yield accurately in watershed areas is always a concern for planners. A noteworthy aspect in this regard is the variation in river behavior within watershed areas during dry and wet periods. The objective of this study is to investigate sediment variations during dry and wet periods at both upstream and downstream stations of the Karkheh Dam. To achieve this, flow and sediment statistics from the Afrineh-Kashkan station upstream of the dam and the PayPol station downstream, spanning a 38-year period (1350-1398), were utilized. For this purpose, dry and wet periods were initially identified, and for each, sediment rating curve was plotted. To enhance the sediment rating curve relationship, corrective factors including FAO, QMLE and Smearing were employed. Performance evaluation of each was conducted using indicators such as RMSE, ME and P. The results of the sediment analysis at each station during dry and wet periods indicate that the specific sediment yield has decreased during dry periods and experienced a significant increase during wet periods. Moreover, the specific sediment yield at the downstream station (Pay-Pol) of the Karkheh Dam has also shown a considerable reduction, indicating the dam's impact on sediment regulation downstream. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High temperature and drought are widely known to cause a reduction of crop yield, but the simultaneously occurring risks in major producing countries and the associated uncertainty across various climate change scenarios remain unclear at the global scale. Here, we evaluate global maize yield loss risk (i.e., the probability of yield reduction by over 10% relative to historical trend yield during 1981–2010) across 30 hot and dry scenarios using regression, machine learning and process‐based models. Besides examining yield loss risk in a single country, we predict the potential risks simultaneously occurring in the top two and top ten producing countries. The three approaches agree on the aggravation of yield loss risk under dry and hot scenarios, but show large discrepancy in the magnitude and sensitivities. Specifically, 2°C warming alone could lead to a global yield loss risk of 73%, 100% and 62% based on regression, long‐short term memory (LSTM) and process‐based models, respectively, and warming‐induced risks can be further aggravated by droughts especially in process models. Global yield loss by over 10% would even become the new norm (i.e., yield loss probability is 100%) when temperature increases by over 2°C in some models. Importantly, the probabilities of yield loss simultaneously occurring in the top two countries (i.e., United States and China) and top ten countries are unexpectedly high and could even become 100% under extreme hot and dry scenarios. Our results highlight the large risks that future climate change may bring to multiple exporting and importing countries simultaneously, thus threating global food market and security. We also emphasize the important value of using different types of prediction approaches for yield projection under hot and dry scenarios, which enables more realistic estimation of uncertainty range than a single type of model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen strengthened austenitic stainless steels are uneasy to machine. 22-13-5 stainless steel better known as Nitronic-50 is also not an exception. The current study deals with such an investigation where Nitronic-50 has been machined under varied cutting speeds, feeds and depths of cut and its machinability has been tried to be adjudged on the basis of cutting forces, apparent coefficient of friction, tool-tip temperature, chip reduction coefficient, flank wear width, chip morphology and surface roughness. It is seen that while using higher cutting speed-lower feed-higher depth of cut combination, tangential cutting forces were 18.83% and 29.57%, apparent coefficient of friction was 9.48% and 12.90%, tool-tip temperature was 11.02% and 22.31%, flank wear was 41.25% and 29.91%, and surface roughness was 22.91% and 24.27% lesser as compared to the higher values obtained with higher cutting speed-higher feed-higher depth of cut and intermediate cutting speed-higher feed-higher depth of cut combinations, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moisturizers are cosmetic compounds designed to increase the moisture content of the skin. There are many types of these products in the market making it difficult for consumers to select the most effective moisturizer according to their age and gender. Hence, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of different moisturizers on skin hydration as well as to figure out any dependencies of the effects of these products on age or gender-related differences. We investigated the short-term moisturizing effects of five different skin moisturizers on 60 participants by using a low frequency electrical instrument. Skin surface susceptance was recorded and compared before and after the application of moisturizers. Statistically significant differences were observed in the moisturizing effect among different types of products. However, with respect to gender and age differences, there were insignificant differences in the effects of the moisturizers. Results of this study suggest that some types of moisturizers that exist in the markets are not as effective as required, which calls for a further evaluation of the moisturizers before entering markets and offering them for sale. In addition, findings suggest that gender or age differences are perhaps not important to consider in the application of moisturizers.

In the open literature, there are numerous studies on the normal and extreme (flood and drought) behavior of wet and dry periods based on the understanding of the standard precipitation index (SPI), which provides a series of categorizations by considering the standard normal (Gaussian) probability distribution function (PDF). The numerical meaning of each categorization assessment is quite lacking in terms of future predictions of wet and dry period duration based on historical records. This paper presents a new approach for calculating possible formations of future wet and dry period durations based on historical records through an effective fractal geometric forecasting approach. The essence of the proposed methodology is based on the number of dry periods (steps) of non-overlapping monthly duration along consecutive broken line paths in the SPI classification for wet and dry period durations. It has been observed that the plot of periods on double logarithmic paper falls along a straight line against the number of such periods, implying a power function, which is the essence of fractal geometry. Extending the empirically derived straight line provides the number of periods that may occur in the future over a range of SPI levels. This methodology is referred to as SPI fractal (SPIF), and the classic SPI classification is converted into SPIF wet and dry polygons, which provide additional information about the drought period number within a valid polygonal area, compared to the classic SPI results. The wet and dry period features of any hydro-meteorology time series are constrained in SPIF polygons. The application of the methodology was carried out on monthly rainfall records on the European side of the Istanbul Florya meteorological station in Turkey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to make full use of jujube resources and further explore the processing and utilization value of jujube fruit, the changes of jujube nutrition, color and quality indexes after natural drying, hot air drying and vacuum freeze-drying in different harvesting stages were compared and analyzed using mu-jujube fruit as the test material. The results showed that the contents of VC, crude fiber, flavonoids and triterpenoids of white ripe dates were higher than those of semi-red dates, and those of semi-red dates were higher than those of all-red dates under the same drying methods. The contents of soluble sugars and polysaccharides of white ripe dates were significantly (P0.05). The original color, quality and texture of jujube were kept by vacuum freeze drying, while the flesh of white ripe period and half red stage jujube turned green to red, and the color difference and hardness increased after natural drying and hot air drying, which were close to or even higher than that of full red stage jujube. It could be concluded that the early harvested white and semi-red jujube fruit had better processing characteristics, and vacuum freeze-drying was the best drying method for high-value drying process. The results would provide a theoretical basis for early harvesting and processing of jujube fruit.

Objective： This study aimed to obtain suitable turbulence model for simulation infrared combined spouted bed numerical valued. Methods: Two equation models (SST k-ε and Realizable k-ε) were used for numerical simulation to obtain the performance parameters of the infrared spouted bed and the velocity, temperature and particle concentration distribution of the flow field in the drying chamber under different working conditions. The particle drying experiment of the infrared spouted bed was carried out. Results: When under the working conditions of air inlet velocity of infrared spouted bed drying chamber of 8 m/s and a temperature of 50 ℃, the values obtained by Realizable k-ε simulation are similar to those obtained by SST k-ε. The particle volume fraction distribution, velocity distribution and temperature distribution in the fluid domain of the drying chamber obtained by numerical simulation with the two turbulence models were similar, and the overall effect is good, which showed that the application of the two turbulence models to the equipment is feasible. The turbulence model of Realizable k-ε converged faster, but the stability of SST k-ε was better. Conclusion: The Realizable k-ε turbulence model is more reasonable to describe three-dimensional flow field of infrared spouted bed.

Objective： Optimized the drying process of jujube slices and improved the product quality. Methods： Taking jujube slices as the research object, the correlation between conversion moisture content, infrared temperature and slice thickness and drying time and drying rate was studied, and the change rule of effective moisture diffusion coefficient of jujube slices in FD-IRD with conversion moisture content, infrared temperature and slice thickness was calculated, and the drying activation energy of jujube slices in FD-IRD was calculated according to the test data. Results： The lower the conversion moisture content is, the shorter the infrared drying time was. But the lower the conversion moisture content would greatly increase the freeze drying time. Proper increase of infrared drying temperature was beneficial to increase the effective diffusion coefficient of water. The thinner the slice is, the higher the drying rate was. Reducing the slice thickness can improve the effective water diffusion coefficient and shorten the drying time. The front and rear two stages were both speeds reducing drying processes. The effective moisture diffusion coefficients of freeze-drying and infrared drying under different drying conditions by solving Fick's second law were 3.39×10-9~9.47×10-9 and 3.34×10-9~2.01×10-8 m2/s, respectively; The drying activation energy of the infrared drying stage was 59.03 kJ/mol calculated by Anius formula. Conclusion： The conversion moisture content is 30%, and the infrared temperature is 60 ℃. Under the condition of slice thickness of 6 mm, the freeze infrared combined drying technology has short drying time and high efficiency.

There are several methods of analysis used in the metalworking industry for dry machining processes and with Minimum Quantity Lubrication (MQL). Evolutionary methods [1] have been used in the decision-making process in the machining process to select the optimal data and to analyze the behavior of variables such as cutting speed (V), feed rate (f) and cutting depth (ap). This work addresses the use of evolutionary algorithms of low dominance class II and III (NSGA-II and NSGA-III) to analyze from the multicriteria approach the initial wear of the cutting tool (VB), the energy consumption (E) and the machining time (t) in the turning process of the AISI 316L steel workpiece for biomedical purposes. As input variables to the algorithm with 54 records, there are: cutting speed (V: 200, 300, 400 m/min) and feed rate (f: 0.1, 0.15, 0.2 mm/rev). The experiment was developed for a dry (1) turning operation and with the use of MQL (-1). For the MQL lubrication regime, a TRI-COOL MD-1 lubricant was employed, a vegetable type used in ferrous and non-ferrous metal cutting operations. A BIDEMICS JX1 ceramic cutting tool was used.

The dynamic die dry bending technology and its processing equipment were introduced. The technology could realize the softening, gluing, drying and non-destructive shaping of 360 ° arc bending of bamboo strips at one time, and realize the nin-free assembly of bamboo bending components, improving the automation and continuous level of bamboo bending products production. In addition, the method of segmental heating inside and outside at the same time makes the combined bamboo strips heated more evenly, and reduced the occurrence of cracks and glue opening. By adjusting the shape, size and curvature of the heating mold of the dynamic die dry bending equipment, the adhesive bending of multi-layer bamboo veneer was not only realized, the operating thickness of the bending part was increased, but also the bending and shaping of bamboo with various radians and shapes could be realized, and the operation was flexible. The related processing equipment included a dynamic die dry bending device and a hot press shaping device. The performance of bamboo bent products manufactured through the above equipment and methods could generally meet the relevant requirements of standards such as GB/T 3324-2017 General Technical Conditions for Wood Furniture, GB/T 35607-2017 Green Product Evaluation Furniture, and GB 18401-2020 National Basic Safety Technical Code for Textile Products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Turning operation of Ti6Al-4V alloy using conventional lathe is challenging owing to high hardness, high strength to weight ratio of the work material. Past researcher works have claimed that as compared to dry machining, cutting using minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) technique can enhance the quality of machining output measures. But, at the same time, the use of different cutting fluids is found hazardous, non-eco-friendly, vulnerable to human health and surrounding. To overcome this problem, the present research work investigates the effect of using soybean oil in MQL for turning of Ti6Al-4V alloy. A comparative study on the performance of turning operation under dry and MQL environments has been carried out. The effects of the machining parameters such as speed, feed and depth of cut on machining quality measures such as material removal rate (MRR), tool wear rate (TWR) and surface roughness (SR) are also investigated. Also, to further enhance the quality of machining performance measures, gray correlation-based technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (GC-TOPSIS) approach combined with fuzzy weights is employed to identify the optimal parametric combination. It has been found that to attain the best machining outputs, the optimal parametric combination should be set as speed = 575 rpm, feed rate = 0.02 mm/rev, and depth of cut = 0.1 mm. On the other hand, turning of Ti6Al-4V alloy under MQL cutting environment has shown significant improvement of 11, 18.18, and 46.39% for MRR, TWR, and SR, respectively, as compared to dry cutting. Analysis of variance results identifies spindle speed as the most influential processes parameter for both the dry and MQL cutting environments in determining the quality of measured response values. The developed surface plots will help a process engineer in selecting the most appropriate combination of process parameter for attaining desired performance measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: In order to solve the problem that temperature change during drying can detect the moisture content of Camellia oleifera seeds by visible/near infrared spectroscopy, a temperature modified Camellia oleifera seed moisture content detection model was proposed. Methods: Drying experiments were carried out at different temperatures （50，60，70 ℃） to collect spectral data. By acquiring the spectral data collected at different temperatures, the reasons why the temperature affected the spectrum were analyzed. Then, by comparing the three spectral preprocessing methods, using the Competitive Adaptive Reweighting （CARS） and Partial Least Squares Regression （PLSR） were used to establish the benchmark PLSR model at 60 ℃. Finally, the slope/bias method was used to correct the predicted values of external samples at 50 ℃ and 70 ℃, which greatly improved the precision and accuracy. Results: The coefficients of determination before and after correction at the two temperatures were 0.729 and 0.848, 0.763 and 0.862, respectively. The relative analytical error RPD values were 1.921 and 2.565, 2.054 and 2.692, respectively. Conclusion: The modified model could effectively improve the prediction accuracy, achieve good prediction effect, overcome the influence of temperature, and provide a new method to eliminate the influence of temperature when detecting the oil Camellia oleifera seed moisture content by visible/near infrared spectroscopy in the drying field.

According to the Paris climate change agreement, temperature increases of around 1.5 or 2.0 °C by 2050 are bound to increase the amounts of evaporation and evapotranspiration, which are among the losses from surface water bodies, such as rivers, lakes, reservoirs and dams. In order to reduce these losses and support local water supply, subsurface dam construction projects are at the forefront in many countries, especially in arid and semi-arid regions, even in subtropical climate regions. In the literature, there are classical methodological explanations for underground dams with quite insufficient and restrictive interpretations. In this paper, two very similar but different new alternatives are proposed as longitudinally and laterally supported underground dams with inspirations from historical qanat groundwater subsurface structures. Both types are supported by artificial trenches with higher hydraulic conductivity than the surrounding Quaternary alluvial deposits to increase external and meanwhile to support internal areal recharge possibilities between the trenches and the surrounding natural porous, weathered and fractured layers. It is noticed that trench-supported subsurface dams are more effective, affordable, sustainable and manageable than classical alternatives available in the literature. It is recommended that a more refined subsurface groundwater movement mathematical formulation should be developed in the future. HIGHLIGHTS Subsurface dams play an important role against climate change impacts in many regions.; Old qanat groundwater technology led to longitudinal and lateral trench-supported innovative subsurface dam designs.; These innovative subsurface dam designs provide rainfall and runoff harvesting possibilities.; Up-to-date literature review is presented and there is not enough subsurface dam information in the open literature.;

Dry eye disease is the most common complication and a frequent cause of patient dissatisfaction after corneal laser refractive surgery, which includes laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK), small-incision lenticule extraction (SMILE), and photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). It has a complex, multifactorial etiology and is characterized by a highly variable clinical presentation. A detailed preoperative screening and optimization of the ocular surface prior to refractive surgery are the key to minimizing the incidence and severity of postoperative dry eye. Diagnosis of postrefractive surgery dry eye remains a challenge as no single symptom or clinical parameter is confirmative of the condition, and the symptoms and signs may not correlate well in many cases. A thorough understanding of the pathomechanism of the disease and its manifestations is essential to facilitate a treatment approach that is individualized for each patient. This article reviews various aspects of postrefractive surgery dry eye including its epidemiology, etiopathogenesis, risk factors, diagnosis, and management.

In eastern Australia we expect to experience wet conditions during La Niña and dry during El Niño events. We explore how well these expectations match historical outcomes by assessing, for spring, how much rain fell during past La Niña and El Niño events. We use a tercile framing and find that for rainfall averaged across eastern Australia, La Niña approximately doubles the chance of spring rainfall being in the wet tercile whereas El Niño approximately doubles the chance of a dry spring. Also of note is that during La Niña, the dry tercile is mostly vacant and during El Niño, the wet tercile is mostly vacant, indicating that one should not expect dry conditions in La Niña or wet in El Niño for eastern Australia as a whole. At individual locations across Australia, the results vary, and in some cases, including the eastern seaboard, La Niña or El Niño events do not change the odds of wet and dry springs significantly beyond chance expectations. For example, in the Sydney region, the normal chance of experiencing a wet tercile spring is 33% and this increases only slightly in a La Niña to 38%, suggesting that La Niña is not a strong indicator for wet conditions in this region. These outcomes may help to manage our expectations for the likely rainfall outcomes during future El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events.

AISI 5140 steel is mostly used in gear manufacturing for variety of industries. Those gears can be manufactured via casting, powder metallurgy or forging techniques. Nevertheless, machining (via turning and milling processes) remains the most common manufacturing method to fabricate them. Milling of gears made from 5140 steel can be challenging due to the excessive energy consumption, rapid tool wear and poor surface finish. Therefore, traditional and environmentally friendly coolants are usually applied during machining to improve the surface finish and prolong tool life. The current study aims to investigate machinability performance of 5140 steel under different cooling/lubrication conditions. Several machinability metrics were investigated and analyzed (surface roughness, cutting temperature, tool wear, chip morphology, and energy consumption). Milling tests were performed under different cutting speeds (75 and 100 m/min), different feed rates (0.15 and 0.2 mm/rev) and dry, minimum quantity lubrication (MQL), and cryogenic liquid cooling/lubrication conditions (dry, MQL and cryo-LN2). The results showed that using Cryo-LN2 cooling/lubrication tended to improve all the investigated machinability metrics compared to dry condition. The surface roughness was reduced by approximately 54%, while the cutting temperature was reduced by 87%. Similarity, the cutting tool flank wear was reduced by 20% thus energy consumption was minimized by 15%. The current study shows the importance of cryogenic machining in industry for difficult to cut materials.

Marine concrete is a kind of construction material which is seeking its growing application in marine engineering. However, the marine concrete structures are exposed to aggressive environment and harmful ions. Therefore, it is crucial to improve the durability of marine concrete. The concrete structure located in the tidal zone is subjected to the dry–wet cycles caused by tidal action, chloride ion (Cl−) erosion in seawater, and CO2 erosion in air. When these factors work together, they cause great damage to the marine concrete structure. In view of the three environmental factors, namely, Cl− erosion, carbonation, and dry–wet cycles, taking fly ash, fibers, and nanomaterials as examples, this article expounds the research status of durability of marine concrete, introduces the latest research progress, the addition of fibers, fly ash, and nanomaterials can improve the Cl− corrosion resistance and dry–wet cycles resistance of marine concrete, while the addition of fly ash is unfavorable for carbonation resistance. And the future development trend of marine concrete is prospected.

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Many nutrition delivery systems (NDSs) have been developed for the encapsulation, protection, and delivery of bioactive compounds, such as β-carotene. Most of those systems were prepared in solution, which is inconvenient for transportation and storage in the food industry. In the present work, we constructed an environmentally friendly dry NDS based on defatted soybean particles (DSPs) by milling a β-carotene-DSP mixture. The loading efficiency of the NDS reached 89.0%, and the cumulative release rate decreased from 15.1% (free β-carotene) to 6.0% within 8 h. The stability of β-carotene in the dry NDS was found to have increased in a thermogravimetric analysis. Stored for 14 days at 55 °C or under UV irradiation, the retaining rates of β-carotene in the NDS increased to 50.7% and 63.6%, respectively, while they were 24.2% and 54.6% for the free samples. The bioavailability of β-carotene was improved by the NDS too. The apparent permeability coefficient of the NDS reached 1.37 × 10−6 cm/s, which is 12 times that of free β-carotene (0.11 × 10−6 cm/s). Besides being environmentally friendly, the dry NDS can facilitate carriage, transportation, or storage in the food industry, and similar to other NDSs, it improves the stability and bioavailability of nutrients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluated the behavioural performance to coating mortar water with rubberized tyres. #0.60 mm and #1.19 mm grain sizes have been used with the incorporation of 10 and 20% (in volume), replacing the small units. The methodology has elapsed with capillary and drying tests; humidification and drying procedures with mass control, infrared thermography and measurement of humidity. The results indicated that in capillarity and drying the trace A20F (#0.60 mm particle size and incorporation of 20%) had have a low absorption rate and helped in the process of water disposal. In the humidification and drying process, both active as well as passive, the rubber possibly blocks the pores of mass, for the grain traits size #0.60 mm (A10F and primarily A20F) have proven easy to lose water, suggesting that the majority of water absorbed would be concentrated on the surface part of the composite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dry eye disease is the most common complication and a frequent cause of patient dissatisfaction after corneal laser refractive surgery, which includes laser‑assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK), small‑incision lenticule extraction (SMILE), and photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). It has a complex, multifactorial etiology and is characterized by a highly variable clinical presentation. A detailed preoperative screening and optimization of the ocular surface prior to refractive surgery are the key to minimizing the incidence and severity of postoperative dry eye. Diagnosis of postrefractive surgery dry eye remains a challenge as no single symptom or clinical parameter is confirmative of the condition, and the symptoms and signs may not correlate well in many cases. A thorough understanding of the pathomechanism of the disease and its manifestations is essential to facilitate a treatment approach that is individualized for each patient. This article reviews various aspects of postrefractive surgery dry eye including its epidemiology, etiopathogenesis, risk factors, diagnosis, and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precision machining of Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Composites needs to be explored further while addressing advanced engineering applications. However, force and temperature-driven damages while machining FRP composites, due to the non-homogenous and low thermal conducting behaviour of fibre-matrix interfaces, place the barrier in this direction. Surface machining using abrasive wheels has been projected as a promising option for fine removal of material in FRPs. However, conventional dry grinding strategy exhibited high grinding force due to continuous interaction of abrasive cutting edges, leading to accumulation of heat at the grinding interface. As the cutting action is continuous, heat dissipation also becomes difficult in this situation. Temperature-driven damages on composite matrix and subsequent failure of reinforced fibres were serious concerns in this case. Although attempted in some situations, usage of cutting fluids was not recommended fully due to wetting effects and agglomeration of swarf that hinder the grinding efficiency. Eccentric Sleeve Grinding (ESG), using an intermittent-progressive cuttings scheme, is proposed in this work as a potential dry grinding strategy for FRPs. Control of heat accumulation through progressive cutting strategy and enhancement of heat dissipation through intermittency in cutting cycle appears to be the unique characteristics of ESG. Experimentation of ESG on carbon fibre reinforced composite samples showed promising grinding temperature reduction, which was justified through a significant reduction in grinding forces, surface defects and roughness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Food & Machinery is the property of Food & Machinery 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.)

Abstract In this paper, the Innovative Trend Methodology (ITM) and their inspired approaches, i.e., Double (D-ITM) and Triple (T-ITM), were combined with Hilbert Huang transform (HHT) time frequency-based method. The new hybrid methods (i.e., ITM-HHT, D-ITM-HHT, and T-ITM-HHT) were proposed and compared to the DWT-based methods in order to recommend the best method. Three total annual rainfall time series from 1920 to 2011 were selected from three hydrological basins in Northern Algeria. The new combined models (ITM-HHT, D-ITM-HHT, and T-ITM-HHT) revealed that the 1950–1975 period has significant wet episodes followed by a long-term drought observed in the western region of Northern Algeria, while Northeastern Algeria presented a wet period since 2001. The proposed approaches successfully detected, in a visible manner, hidden trends presented in the signals, which proves that the removal of some modes of variability from the original rainfall signals can increase the accuracy of the used approaches.

The effects of the amount and opportunity of tea polyphenols addition on breaking rate, iodine blue value, sensory quality and texture characteristics of sweet potato starch noodles were investigated and the effects of the retention rate and free radical scavenging rate of tea polyphenols under dry storage at room temperature and fresh a frozen were studied with noodles as the control. It was found that the quality of sweet potato starch noodles made by adding tea polyphenols before gelatinization was generally better than that made by adding tea polyphenols after gelatinization, and the optimal adding amount of tea polyphenols was 0.15 g/100 g. The results showed that the retention rate of tea polyphenols was 60.73% and the free radical scavenging rate decreased by 16.29% after 60 days of dry and normal temperature storage. Under the condition of wet and frozen storage, the retention rate of tea polyphenols in sweet potato noodle was 71.54%, and the free radical scavenging rate decreased by 10.38%. Moreover, the protective effect of sweet potato starch noodles on the content and activity of tea polyphenols under the two storage conditions was significantly better than that of flour noodles.

The study of loading-unloading cycle of hair showed that hair in water can resist to fatigue more than dry hair (65% RH). Hair fibers are also subjected to unfixed number of cycles of fatigue until the fiber was broken in order to understand the hysteresis behavior of these fibers in the two mentioned environmental situations. Results and discussions Hair mechanical behavior Tensile properties at 65% RH The mechanical behavior of hair fiber at 21°C and 65% RH is shown in Figure 1. Hair fiber consists of hair bulb, hair follicle and hair shafts. [Extracted from the article]

Copyright of Journal of Soil Science & Plant Nutrition / Toprak Bilimi ve Bitki Besleme Dergisi is the property of Soil Science Society of Turkey 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.)

The purpose of this study is to compare visual versus software detection of non-invasive tear break-up with the KOWA DR-1α tear interferometer and investigate the relationship between non-invasive tear break-up time (NIBUT) and dry eye clinical severity. Tear interferometry with the KOWA DR-1α, together with a standardized comprehensive ocular surface/tear evaluation, was performed on 348 consecutive eyes. Investigator visually detected or software detected non-invasive tear break-up and NIBUT were measured and compared on a subset of these examinations. The relationship between software-detected NIBUT and categorical dry eye severity based on irritation symptoms and corneal and conjunctival dye staining scores was determined. The sensitivity of visual (frame-by-frame) or software detected non-invasive tear break-up in eyes with tear instability (FBUT < 10) was similar (range 63–69%). NIBUT, measured visually or by software, had a correlation coefficient of 0.87. NIBUT was significantly lower in severity levels 2 and 3 compared to levels 0 + 1, and level 3 was significantly lower than level 2. In conclusion, there is a good correlation between investigator visually detected and software-detected tear break-up and tear break-up time in the KOWA DR-1α interferometric fringe images. Software-detected NIBUT is a clinically relevant measure of dry eye clinical severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Food & Machinery is the property of Food & Machinery 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.)

Skirted foundations are one of the solutions proposed to increase the bearing capacity of the soil. They assist in increasing the load and depth of failure in weak ground or soils with low shear resistance and reducing the foundation settlement if a soil improvement method cannot be applied or the cost of implementing deep foundations increases. This study examined and investigated the extent of soil bearing of skirted foundations on sandy soils and studied the effect of soil saturation cases and three cases of water content reduction to measure the matric suction value of unsaturated soil. A physical model was created to simulate the strip foundation and compare these cases (dry-fully saturated-partially saturated). It was found that the soil load carrying capacity in the case of unsaturated soil is the highest, where matric suction is at a depth of 450 mm, followed by the dry case and then the saturated case as it represents the weakest state of the soil.

Age-related macular degeneration(ARMD)is one of the main causes of irreversible visual impairment in the middle-aged and elderly people, which severely impacts the patient's life quality and poses a substantial health economic burden on society. There are two types of late ARMD in clinic: wet ARMD and dry ARMD. Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor drugs, as first-line clinical drugs for wet ARMD, achieved remarkable efficacy. For dry ARMD, however, effective therapies are in the air. This review focuses on the potential drugs, biological therapies and traditional Chinese medicines that made significant progresses in clinical trials for dry ARMD, including anti-inflammatory drugs(doxycycline and FHTR2163), anti-oxidants(risuteganib and elamipretide), complement inhibitors(APL-2 and zimura), visual cycle modulators(ALK-001), neuroprotective agents(brimonidine), stem cell transplantation(MA09-hRPE and BMMF), gene therapy(HMR59), and traditional Chinese medicine(saffron, curcumin, quercetin and resveratrol). The new drugs exhibited favorable clinical efficacy and broad application prospects, which would foster hope for improvement and treatment of ARMD.

Jeffrey K Luttrull,1 Gerry Gray2 1Ventura County Retina Vitreous Medical Group, Ventura, CA, USA; 2Regulatory Pathways, Inc, Laguna Beach, CA, USACorrespondence: Jeffrey K Luttrull, Ventura County Retina Vitreous Medical Group, 3160 Telegraph Road, Suite 230, Ventura, CA, 93003, USA, Tel +1 805-6500664, Fax +1 805 650-0865, Email jkluttrull@gmail.comPurpose: To access the impact of regular periodic subthreshold diode micropulse laser (SDM) as Vision Protection Therapy on the rate of neovascular conversion of dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD).Methods: Patient unidentified clinical data aggregated by Vestrum Health, LLC (VH) from 300 retina specialists across the United States was analyzed to examine the effect of a program of regular periodic panmacular low-intensity/high-density subthreshold diode micropulse laser as vision protection therapy (VPT) compared to standard care alone, on the incidence of neovascular conversion in patients with dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), between January 4, 2016, and September 30, 2020, producing 392,250 eyes for study.Results: After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, eyes were matched by propensity scoring for key risk factors. This produced 830 eyes managed by standard care plus VPT, performed on average every 108 days per eye; and 8300 eyes managed with standard care alone (SCA) in a 1/10 ratio for comparison. Comparison found that VPT eyes had a markedly lower rate of neovascular conversion than SCA eyes (hazard ratio 13.04) overall, and for each propensity score matched quintile. VA worsened over time in the SCA group but improved in the VPT group.Conclusion: Our findings suggest that, compared to standard care alone, VPT may markedly reduce the rate of neovascular conversion in AMD, the main cause of irreversible visual loss worldwide.Keywords: age-related macular degeneration, dry, neovascular, neuroprotection, prevention, real-world data, reset, subthreshold micropulse laser, vision protection therapy