Intermediate Values Research Articles

Low‐cost tools for large‐scale seed scarification: efficiency in two species from South American arid lands

The use of native plants for arid land restoration requires the application of pre‐germination treatments to alleviate seed dormancy mechanisms. As it is known, scarification allows several valuable species to overcome the primary forms of dormancy. However, supplying large quantities of scarified seeds at a low cost represents a significant challenge. In this context, our objective was to evaluate locally constructed machines accessible to people of degraded lands in a state of poverty. The effectiveness was evaluated by comparing two native shrubs from South American arid lands, Larrea divaricata and L. cuneifolia. Four treatments were applied: control (T0), mechanical scarification with a hand drill equipped with sandpaper on its head (T1), and mechanical scarification for 15 seconds (T2) and 30 seconds (T3) with a self‐constructed machine, capable of regulating pressure and speed. For both species, the germination probability was higher with T2 (0.82 ± 0.02) compared to T0 (0.28 ± 0.03) and T1 (0.65 ± 0.03). T3 presented intermediate values (0.75 ± 0.03) but did not differ significantly from T1 and T2. Our results show the effectiveness of a locally constructed seed scarification tool to upscale seed‐based restoration in arid lands.

Connectedness of Soft-Ideal Topological Spaces

Despite its apparent simplicity, the idea of connectedness has significant effects on topology and its applications. An essential part of the intermediate-value theorem is the idea of connectedness. In many applications, such as population modeling, robotics motion planning, and geographic information systems, connectedness is significant, and it is a critical factor in differentiating between various topological spaces. This study uses soft open sets and the concept of soft ideals as a new class of soft sets to present and explore the ideas of soft connected spaces and strongly soft connected spaces with soft ideals. Also, under certain assumptions regarding the subsequent concepts—soft-ideal connectedness and stronglysoft-ideal connectedness in soft-ideal topological spaces—we characterize this new class of sets by employing soft open sets and soft ideals to examine its fundamental features. Furthermore, we look at a symmetry between our new notions and other existing ones, and this study examines the relationships between these concepts.

Comparative study of the growth, survival and morphology of the whitefish hybrids and parent species in the first year of rearing in cage aquaculture

The purpose of the work: to estimate fish breeding indicators of three hybrid forms of whitefish in comparison with parental species when grown in cage aquaculture.Methods used: the production and cultivation of hybrids and parental species were carried out using standard technology for whitefish from November 2021 to May 2022. We have studied the survival and growth rate of fingerlings, and we also conducted a comparative assessment of the exterior of yearlings using factor and cluster analyses.Novelty: for the first time, three hybrid forms of peled and parent species (peled, muksun, broad whitefish, nelma) were grown in cages, and a comparative analysis of survival, growth and morphology of hybrids and parent species was performed.Results: all hybrid forms occupy an intermediate position in terms of growth rate, surpassing the maternal species (peled), yielding to the paternal ones. The best results in terms of weight and linear growth among hybrids were noted in pelchir. In terms of survival, oneyearlings of all hybrids show the effect of heterosis, although at the stage of larvae and early juveniles, the superiority in survival of hybrid forms over the parental pair was noted only in pelnelm. The survival rate of hybrid eggs, as well as the survival rate of pelchir and pelmuk at the early stages of cultivation, had intermediate values — lower than that of peled, but significantly higher than that of paternal species. The lowest survival rate of eggs among hybrids is shown in pelchir. The peled has the most significant morphological differences from other pure species and hybrid forms used in the experiment, all hybrid forms show more similarity with the paternal species.Practical significance: results provide a potential assessment of whitefish hybrids for the prospect of their use in commercial aquaculture.

Fatty acid profile of black soldier fly larvae and frass as affected by different growing substrates

Abstract This study aimed to evaluate how different food wastes used as growth substrates affected the lipid composition of Hermetia illucens larvae; the relationship among substrates, larvae, and frass fatty acid (FA) composition was studied. Six thousand five-day-old Hermetia illucens larvae were allotted to one of four different substrates named CTRL (a control substrate made of broiler feed), V50 + B50 (vegetable and butchery wastes, 1:1 ratio), V75 + B25 (vegetable and butchery wastes, 3:1 ratio), and V100 (entirely composed of vegetables). Lipids were extracted from substrates, larvae, and frass separately and the FAs were quantified. Saturated FAs (SFAs) prevailed in all the groups. The CTRL larvae had the highest SFA (64.3%), while the V100 and V50 + B50 larvae had the lowest percentages. The V100 frass recorded a significantly higher SFA value (44.8%) than the others. Lauric acid (C12:0) was high in CTRL (0.2%) and V100 (0.3%) substrates and amount at 7.6 and 9.6% in their correspondent frass, respectively. However, C12:0 content was higher in the CTRL larvae than in the V100 ones (36.7 and 24.5%, respectively), while it had an intermediate value (28.9%) in the V75 + B25 larvae. Finally, the n-3 polyunsaturated FAs (PUFAs) level was high in the V100 substrate and larvae but not in the V100 frass. The relationship between frass FAs and their correspondent amounts in substrates and larvae was significant for C12:0, C18:2n-6, MUFAs, and n-6 PUFAs. There was a positive relationship for C12:0 and MUFAs with both substrates and larvae, while for C18:2n-6 and n-6 PUFAs, the relationship was positive for substrates but negative for larvae. In conclusion, the V100 substrate appeared to be the most suitable treatment for rearing Hermetia illucens because of the positive effects on the fatty acid content of larvae (low SFA and high n-3 PUFA content) and frass (optimal lauric acid levels for fertilizers).

Wave Dynamics Around a Floating Circular Flexible Plate Over a Permeable Bed

Abstract In this paper, to determine the efficacy of the porous bed on damping far-field wave energy, the wave dynamics around a circular plate is studied. By combining the appropriate boundary conditions, the unknown potential is attained for the free surface and the plate-covered region. The Bessel series solution is attained further, by employing the matched eigenfunction expansion technique. Wave force excitation on the circular plate, deflection of the plate, and flow distribution is calculated and examined to comprehend the efficacy of the current investigation. Moreover, the motion of the plate is assessed in the time domain. The study reveals a substantial reduction in wave amplitude on the plate’s leeward side because of the energy dissipation by the porous bed. Also the study concludes that for intermediate values of porosity with larger wavenumbers, approximately 50% of wave power is dissipated with respect to incident wave power.

Prediction of Compressive Behavior of Laser-Powder-Bed Fusion-Processed TPMS Lattices by Regression Analysis

Triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) structures offer lightweight and high-stiffness solutions to different industrial applications. However, testing of these structures to calculate their mechanical properties is expensive. Therefore, it is important to predict the mechanical properties of these structures effectively. This study focuses on the effectiveness of using regression analysis and equations based on experimental results to predict the mechanical properties of diamond, gyroid, and primitive TPMS structures with different volume fractions and build orientations. Gyroid, diamond, and primitive specimens with three different volume fractions (0.2, 0.3, and 0.4) were manufactured using a laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) additive manufacturing process using three different build orientations (45°, 60°, and 90°) in the present study. Experimental and statistical results revealed that regression analysis and related equations can be used to predict the mass, yield stress, elastic modulus, specific energy absorption, and onset of densification values of TPMS structures with an intermediate volume fraction value and specified build orientation with an error range less than 1.4%, 7.1%, 19.04%, 21.6%, and 13.4%, respectively.

TECH preserves global cognition of older adults with MCI compared with a control group: a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundCognitive training using touchscreen tablet casual game applications (apps) has potential to be an effective treatment method for people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).AimsThis study aimed to establish the effectiveness of ‘Tablet Enhancement of Cognition and Health’ (TECH), a novel cognitive intervention for improving/preserving cognition in older adults with MCI.MethodsA single-blind randomized controlled trial with assessments pre-, post-, and at 6-month follow-up was conducted. TECH entailed 5 weeks of daily self-training utilizing tablet apps, facilitated by weekly group sessions. Global cognition was assessed by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and specific cognitive components were assessed using WebNeuro computerized battery. Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) assessed health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Intention-to-treat analysis was conducted and the %change was calculated between pre–post and between pre–follow-up. Cohen’s d effect size was also calculated.ResultsSixty-one participants aged 65–89 years were randomly allocated to TECH (N = 31, 14 women) or to standard care (N = 30, 14 women). Pre–post and pre–follow-up MoCA %change scores were significantly higher in TECH than control (U = 329.5, p < .05; U = 294.5, p < .05) with intermediate effect size values (Cohen’s d = .52, Cohen’s d = .66). Forty percent of TECH participants versus 6.5% of control participants achieved a minimal clinical important difference in MoCA. Pre–post between-group differences for specific cognitive components were not found and HRQoL did not change.Discussion and conclusionsTECH encouraged daily self-training and showed to preserve global cognition of older adults with MCI. The implementation of TECH is recommended for older adults with MCI, who are at risk for further cognitive decline.

Emergence of spiral and antispiral patterns and its CGLE analysis in leech-heart interneuron model with electromagnetic induction

Neurons can exhibit various rhythmic activities such as bursting, spiking, and quiescent states when exposed to external input current stimulus. In this paper, a model of medicinal leech's heart (LH) interneuron is considered to describe the dynamics of neurons with a varied range of electrical activities. The crucial insights into the model's dynamics are explored in three different parameter regimes: phasic spiking, regular spiking, and bursting, based upon the codimension-one bifurcation of the model by considering VK2shift as a bifurcation parameter. The spatiotemporal dynamics of the model are explored by allowing 1D and 2D diffusion in the membrane voltage. The 1D diffusive system produces irregular bursting dynamics for the intermediate value of diffusion coefficients, whereas, at higher values, it shows synchronized oscillations. In the presence of 2D diffusion, the emergence of different types of spiral patterns is observed in the system. Furthermore, the system is extended by incorporating electromagnetic induction in the membrane voltage to explore the effect of induction on the various dynamics of neural model. By varying its intensities, the membrane voltage in the extended model produces a variety of discharge modes, such as periodic spiking, fast-spiking, resting, and spike-adding phenomena. In addition, the emergence of anti-spiral patterns in the extended model near subcritical Hopf bifurcation is analytically verified using the complex Ginzburg-Landau equation (CGLE). These findings demonstrate that the firing patterns vary based on the control parameters, and these variations contribute to our understanding of how the brain system transmits and processes the signals.

Explicit zero-free regions for the Riemann zeta-function

We prove that the Riemann zeta-function ζ(σ+it)\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\zeta (\\sigma + it)$$\\end{document} has no zeros in the region σ≥1-1/(55.241(log|t|)2/3(loglog|t|)1/3)\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\sigma \\ge 1 - 1/(55.241(\\log |t|)^{2/3} (\\log \\log |t|)^{1/3})$$\\end{document} for |t|≥3\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$|t|\\ge 3$$\\end{document}. In addition, we improve the constant in the classical zero-free region, showing that the zeta-function has no zeros in the region σ≥1-1/(5.558691log|t|)\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\sigma \\ge 1 - 1/(5.558691\\log |t|)$$\\end{document} for |t|≥2\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$|t|\\ge 2$$\\end{document}. We also provide new bounds that are useful for intermediate values of |t|\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$|t|$$\\end{document}. Combined, our results improve the largest known zero-free region within the critical strip for 3·1012≤|t|≤exp(64.1)\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$3\\cdot 10^{12} \\le |t|\\le \\exp (64.1)$$\\end{document} and |t|≥exp(1000)\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$|t| \\ge \\exp (1000)$$\\end{document}.

Pleural effusion in severe aortic stenosis: marker of an adverse haemodynamic constellation and poor prognosis.

Pleural effusion (PE) is a common chest radiography (CXR) finding in patients with advanced cardiac disease. The pathophysiology and clinical value of PE in this setting are incompletely defined. We aimed to assess the haemodynamic correlates and prognostic impact of PE in patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS). We studied 471 patients (mean age 74±10years) with severe AS (indexed aortic valve area 0.42±0.12cm2/m2, left ventricular ejection fraction 58±12%) undergoing right heart catheterization and upright CXR prior to aortic valve replacement (AVR). Two radiologist independently evaluated all CXR for the presence of bilateral PE, unilateral, or no PE, blinded to any other data. There were 49 (10%) patients with bilateral PE, 32 (7%) patients with unilateral PE, and 390 (83%) patients with no PE. Patients with bilateral PE had the highest mean right atrial pressure, mean pulmonary artery wedge pressure (mPAWP), and pulmonary vascular resistance, and had the lowest stroke volume index while those with unilateral PE had intermediate values. In the multivariate analysis, mPAWP was an independent predictor of any PE and bilateral PE. After a median (interquartile range) post-AVR follow-up of 1361 (957-1878) days mortality was highest in patients with bilateral PE (2.7 times higher than in patients without PE), whereas patients with unilateral PE had similar mortality as those without PE. In severe AS patients, the presence of PE, particularly bilateral PE, is a marker of a poor haemodynamic constellation. Bilateral PE is associated with a substantially increased post-AVR mortality.

Are human-induced changes good or bad to dynamic landscape connectivity?

Land managers must find a compromise between rapidly changing landscapes and biodiversity conservation through ecological networks. Estimating ecological networks is a key approach to enhance or maintain functional connectivity by identifying the nodes and links of a graph, which represent habitats and their corresponding functional corridors, respectively. To understand the current state of biodiversity, it is necessary to consider dynamic landscape connectivity while relying on relevant land cover maps. Although a current land cover map is relatively easy to produce using existing data, this is challenging for past landscapes. Here we investigated the impact of changes in landscape connectivity in an urban landscape at a fine scale on the habitat availability of two bird species: the tree pipit Anthus trivialis and the short-toed treecreeper Certhia brachydactyla. These species, exhibiting different niche ecologies, have shown contrasting population trends at a medium-term scale. The occurrences of C. brachydactyla were better correlated with resistance values that maximise the use of corridors, whereas the occurrences of A. trivialis better fitted with intermediate resistance values. The statistical approach indirectly highlighted relevant information about the ecology the capacity of both species to use urban habitats. Landscape connectivity increased for both species over the 24-year study period and may have implications for local abundances, which could explain, at the national scale, the increase in populations of C. brachydactyla, but not the decrease in populations of A. trivialis. Thus, more attention must be paid on rural habitats and their associated species that are more impacted by human activities, but efforts could also be achieved in urban areas especially for highly corridor-dependent species. Studying dynamic landscape connectivity at a fine scale is essential for estimating past and future land cover changes and their associated impacts on ecological networks, to better reconcile human and biodiversity concerns in land management.

Floquet stability analysis of a two-layer oscillatory flow near a flexible wall

We investigate the linear Floquet stability of two fluid layers undergoing oscillations in the direction parallel to the flexible wall that separates them. This canonical configuration is inspired by the cerebrospinal fluid flow in the spinal canal of subjects with hydromyelia/syringomyelia. The analysis focuses on the marginal conditions for the onset of instability, and how these depend on the spatial wavelength of the perturbation, and on the values of the control parameters, which are the two channel widths, the Reynolds number and the wall stiffness. Unstable perturbations are found to oscillate synchronous with the base flow. The wavelength of the most unstable perturbation, of the order of the stroke length of the basic oscillatory motion, depends strongly on the wall stiffness, but is only weakly influenced by the channel widths and the Reynolds number. In general, around criticality, it was found that increasing the Reynolds number has a destabilizing effect, and that decreasing the canal widths stabilizes the instability. The wall stiffness on the other hand has a non-monotonic effect, exhibiting an intermediate value for which the instability is maximally amplified. The present analysis is a first step towards a better understanding of the physical mechanisms that govern many (bio)fluid mechanical problems that involve oscillatory flows near compliant walls.

Quantitative De Giorgi methods in kinetic theory for non-local operators

We derive quantitatively the Harnack inequalities for kinetic integro-differential equations. This implies Hölder continuity. Our method is based on trajectories and exploits a term arising due to the non-locality in the energy estimate. This permits to quantitatively prove the Intermediate Value Lemma for the full range of non-locality parameter s∈(0,1). Our results recover the results from Imbert and Silvestre, The weak Harnack inequality for the Boltzmann equation without cut-off, 2020. The paper is self-contained.

Effect of fluid elasticity and shear thinning on heat transfer from a heated sphere at moderate Reynolds numbers

The drag and heat transfer characteristics of an isothermal sphere in a FENE-P-type viscoelastic fluid have been studied in the steady axisymmetric flow regime. The governing equations, namely, mass, momentum, and energy equations, together with FENE-P type viscoelastic constitutive equations, have been solved using the finite volume method based opensource CFD code OpenFOAM over the following ranges of conditions: Reynolds number, 1 ≤ Re ≤ 100 ; Prandtl number, 1 ≤ Pr ≤ 50 ; Weissenberg number, 0 ​ ≤ Wi ≤ 10 and polymer extensibility parameter, 10 ≤ L 2 ≤ 500 for a fixed value of the polymer viscosity ratio of β = 0.5 . At low Reynolds numbers, fluid viscoelasticity causes an upward and downward shifting in the axial velocity profiles with reference to that in a Newtonian fluid along the upstream and downstream axis of the sphere, respectively. However, such a shift progressively diminishes with the increasing Reynolds number. Furthermore, a “velocity overshoot” and/or a “negative wake” is also observed in a viscoelastic polymer solution at low Reynolds numbers, and this is accentuated with the increasing Weissenberg number. The separation of boundary layers is seen to be suppressed with the increasing Weissenberg number. The drag coefficient decreases with the Reynolds number irrespective of the fluid type and the corresponding dependence on the Weissenberg number is found to be non-monotonic depending upon the values of Re and L 2. The average Nusselt number always increases with the increasing values of Re, Pr, and Wi and with the decreasing value of L 2. A limited number of simulations have also been carried out to show the effect of the temperature-dependent viscosity of the fluid on the flow dynamics and heat transfer characteristics. Finally, simple correlations for the drag coefficient and average Nusselt number are presented which not only capture the functional dependence but also can be used for the interpolation of the present results for the intermediate values of the governing parameters in a new application.

Natural resonance-theoretic conceptions of extreme electronic delocalization in soft materials.

In the broad context of Dalton's atomic hypothesis and subsequent classical vs. quantum understanding of macroscopic materials, we show how Pauling's resonance-type conceptions, as quantified in natural resonance theory (NRT) analysis of modern wavefunctions, can be modified to unify description of interatomic interactions from the Lewis-like limit of localized e-pair covalency in molecules to the extreme delocalized limit of supramolecular "soft matter" aggregation. Such "NRT-centric" integration of NRT bond orders for hard- and soft-matter interactions is illustrated with application to a long-predicted and recently synthesized organometallic sandwich-type complex ("diberyllocene") that exhibits bond orders ranging from the soft limit (bBeC ≈ 0.01) to the typical values (bCC ≈ 1.35) of molecular resonance-covalency in the organic domain, with intermediate value (bBeBe ≈ 0.86) for intermetallic Be⋯Be interaction.

Financial intermediation services and competition analyses: Review and paths forward for improvement

Financial intermediation has distinct value from transforming financial claims to create liquidity and mitigate risks. However, research and policy competition analyses often neglect this value or minimally account for it. We review findings to better incorporate this value. We suggest shifting the mix of individual services analyzed to better represent the distinct value, focusing more on topics closely aligned with the distinct value concept beyond individual services, and accounting for the multimarket nature of financial intermediation. We recommend attention on future competition with digital FinTech, BigTech, and DeFi firms and policies to best preserve the distinct value of financial intermediation.

Carrier conduction mechanisms in MIS capacitors with ultra-thin Al2O3 at cryogenic temperatures

In this work, a study comprising the electrical characterization and analysis of the electrical response of metal–insulator–semiconductor Al/Al2O3/Si capacitors in a temperature range from ambient temperature down to 3.6 K is presented. An ultra-thin 6 nm Al2O3 film, deposited by atomic layer deposition, was used as an insulating layer. Current–voltage and electrical stress measurements were performed on the capacitors in the specified temperature range, and the experimental data obtained were analyzed using current transport equations to model the conduction mechanisms that allow charge transport through the Al2O3. Energetic parameters associated with trap levels within the Al2O3 bandgap corresponding to the Poole–Frenkel emission and trap-assisted tunneling mechanisms were obtained, and their temperature dependances were studied and associated with the presence of physical material defects. The analysis of the modeling results points to trap-assisted tunneling as the dominant mechanism at low temperatures for intermediate electric field values. Additional phenomena that limit charge transport were also observed, such as charge trapping in the bulk of the Al2O3 upon the application of electrical stress at ambient temperature and silicon freeze out at cryogenic temperatures. Our findings constitute an effort at understanding the physical phenomena that govern the electrical behavior of thin-film Al2O3-based capacitors, especially at cryogenic temperatures, given that these materials and devices are of considerable importance for applications in CMOS-based cryoelectronics and quantum technologies, among others.

Quantum phase transitions in skewed ladder systems.

In this brief review, we introduce a new spin ladder system called skewed spin ladders and discuss the exotic quantum phases of this system. The spin ladders studied are the 5/7, 3/4 and 3/5 systems corresponding to alternately fused 5 and 7 membered rings; 3 and 4 membered rings; and 3 and 5 membered rings. These ladders show completely different behaviour as the Hamiltonian model parameter is changed. When the Hamiltonian parameter is increased the 5/7 ladder switches from an initial singlet ground state to progressively higher spin ground state and then to a reentrant singlet state before finally settling to the highest spin ground state whose spin equals the number of unit cells in the system. The 3/4 ladder goes from a singlet ground state to a high spin ground state with each unit cell contributing spin 1 to the state, as the model parameter is increased. The 3/5 ladder shows a singlet ground state for small parameters and high spin ground state for intermediate values of the parameter and for still higher parameters, a reentrant singlet ground state. They can also show interesting magnetization plateaus as illustrated by studies on a specific spin ladder.

Geological Implications of Crustal Thickness, Vp/Vs, and Poisson's Ratio Beneath the Western Mesopotamian Plain Edge, Iraq

To know the crustal structure, composition, deformation, and evolution, it is crucial to appreciate the ratio between the velocity of the primary wave and the velocity of the secondary wave, Poisson's ratio, and crustal thickness. The receiver function inversion method was used to determine the (h), the primary wave and velocity of the secondary wave, and the Poisson's ratio. The chosen earthquakes' receiver functions were examined after being recorded at the two seismic stations in Anbar ANB1 and Karbala KAR2. According to the research, the westernmost part of the Mesopotamian plain has a crustal thickness between 44 and 46 km. The calculated crustal thickness value agrees with data from platform regions. The study area's crustal primary wave and velocity of the secondary wave is 1.79. For the platform region and andesitic rocks, this value is typical. The crustal Poisson's ratio was reported to have an intermediate value (0.27). It demonstrates that there are not many differences between the felsic and mafic compositions of the crust.

Inhibitory effects of trans-cinnamaldehyde on candida spp. Biofilm and planktonic form compared to nystatin: A comparative analysis

Trans-Cinnamaldehyde, an α, β-unsaturated aromatic aldehyde, was a derivative of Cinnamonnum obtusifolium - Lauraceae; its bioavailability allows it to be used in the treatment of fungal infections as Candida species causing opportunistic fungal infections are common today. Antibiotic resistance in fungi is often due to their ability to form biofilm. Therefore, new substances with antibiofilm were being investigated as alternative treatment. Representatives of Candida spp. were used to determine the MIC, MBIC50, MBIC80, MBIC100, and MFC of trans-Cinnamaldehyde compared to Nystatin which is used for treatment of Candida infections in Vietnam. The most important antibiofilm effect of trans-Cinnamaldehyde was demonstrated by the CLSI M27-A2 method. Trans-Cinnamaldehyde was given MBIC100 higher than PMIC from 10 to 20 times, while Nystatin was given MBIC100 higher than PMIC from 5 to 20 times. In addition, PMFC of trans-Cinnamaldehyde was equivalent (Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis) or only twice (Candida glabrata) PMIC. The jump in Candida biofilm inhibitory activity was short, from MBIC50 to MBIC100 (no intermediate value, MBIC80). Trans-Cinnamaldehyde extract, compared to Nystatin, had a generally similar effect in preventing the growth and loss of Candida spp. both in biofilm and planktonic form and was somewhat more effective against Candida spp. in biofilm form.