Continuous Increment Research Articles

Application of Natural Antimicrobial Additives and Protective Culture to Control Aerobic Spore Forming Bacteria in Low Salt Soft Cheese

There is an increasing interest in the application of natural antimicrobials instead of chemical ones to enhance the microbiological quality of dairy products. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of some natural antimicrobial additives and protective culture for reducing the usage of chemical preservatives, shelf-life extension, retarding microbial spoilage in low-salt soft cheese. The antimicrobial agents (protective culture, nisin, lysozyme, and natamycin) were studied on the activity of 28 isolates of spore-forming bacteria. Inhibitory effect of different natural antimicrobial additives as protective culture (Lactobacillus rhamnosus, 40 mg kg -1), nisin (25 mg kg -1), lysozyme (100 mg kg -1), combination of nisin and lysozyme (25 mg kg -1/100 mg kg -1), and combination of protective culture and natamycin (40 mg kg -1/25 mg kg -1) were studied on the growth of aerobic spore-forming bacteria in low-salt soft cheese during the storage period (30 days) at 4±1°C. The results revealed that the addition of different natural antibacterial additives with various concentrations had a significant effect on aerobic spore-forming bacteria, compared to other treatments and control. The growth pattern of aerobic spore-forming bacteria gradually decreased in all treatments along the storage period with variable reduction percentages in comparison with control cheese which was in continuous increment. The application of a combination of nisin and lysozyme had the most significant reduction of aerobic spore-forming bacteria, compared to control and other treatments.

ДИНАМІКА ПОКАЗНИКІВ ЗАХВОРЮВАНОСТІ ТА СМЕРТНОСТІ НА РАК ПРОСТАТИ В УКРАЇНІ: СУЧАСНИЙ СТАН ПРОБЛЕМИ

Introduction. Prostate cancer (PC) accounts for about 12% of all malignancies in men. Over the last 10 years, there has been a significant increase in the incidence of this tumor, as evidenced by statistics. Objectives. The purpose of this study was to analyze the dynamics of PC morbidity and mortality rate in Ukraine and its regions in recent years. Materials and methods. The analysis of PC morbidity and mortality rates in Ukraine was performed in accordance with the 1999-2012 Bulletin of the National Cancer Registry of Ukraine. The following indicators were analyzed: raw (average) morbidity and mortality indicators standardized by age, world standard population that is widely used for indicator comparison across countries, Ukrainian standard population calculated based on the age structure of the Ukrainian population. Results. The 1999-2018 analysis of the dynamics of prostate cancer incidence showed its growth both in Ukraine in general and in each region separately. In 1999, the incidence rate (world standard) for prostate cancer in Ukraine was 9.3 and in 2018 it was 22.1. The 1999-2018 analysis of the dynamics of mortality rate due to prostate cancer showed a clear trend towards its growth in Ukraine in general and in each region separately. In 1999, the mortality rate (world standard) due to prostate cancer in Ukraine was 2.7 and in 2018 it was already 4.1. Conclusions. The study showed a clear incremental tendency towards increased morbidity and mortality in patients with PC in Ukraine and its regions in the period from 1999 to 2012. Herewith, some gender differences were observed - both figures were significantly higher among male patients than female. Continuous increment growth of morbidity and mortality rate in patients with PC requires the revision of protocols for diagnostics and treatment of such patients.

Spatial and temporal variability of sea surface temperature during El-Niño Southern Oscillation and Indian Ocean Dipole in the Strait of Malacca and Andaman Sea

This study examined the long-term trends and the impacts of climate variability caused by El-Niño Southern/Oscillation (ENSO) and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) by using 33-year Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) sea surface temperature (SST). The data were retrieved from year 1982 to 2014, hence enabled the observation of both ENSO and IOD events based on this long-term SST trends in the Strait of Malacca (SoM) and Andaman Sea. The 4-km resolution of satellite-derived SST data had been gathered from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Geographical location portrayed that the seasonal cycle of SST in the SoM and Andaman Sea was characterised by the Asian Monsoon. The correlations between monthly SST in regions with wind velocity, SST anomaly, and indices (Oceanic Niño Index (ONI) and Dipole Mode Index (DMI)) were analysed based on wavelet coherence (WTC) analysis. The seasonal SST in SoM revealed that the temperature was above normal trend during the southwest monsoon, wherein the region experienced warmer temperature especially during the ENSO period due to seasonal wind velocity. The results demonstrated that in certain years, such as in 1992, ENSO was dominating while in 1994, IOD was influential. During the strong El-Niño event in 1997, ONI did not correlate with SST trends in the SoM, whereas during positive IOD in 1994 revealed that DMI did not correlate with SST trends in both SoM and Andaman Sea. The warming trend seemed to have significantly increased over the past 33 years, as displayed by the continuous increment in temperature throughout the years in the study region.

Glass transition and crystallization kinetics of Na2O – B2O3 – Nb2O5 – Bi2O3 ceramic glasses

A series of Na2O – B2O3 – Nb2O5 – Bi2O3 glasses are synthesized, and their differential thermal analysis (DTA) thermograms are explored at different heating rates. Based on the DTA thermograms, the glass transition temperature (Tgl) and the crystallization peak temperature (Tpc) along with the activation energy of glass transition (EGl) and the activation energy of crystallization (Epc) were determined. The results revealed a decrement of Tgl and EGl upon increasing the Nb2O5 + Bi2O3 content from 0 to 0.15, then, both Tgl and EGl increase beyond this limit. Meanwhile, there is a decrement in the values of Tpc and Epc with a continuous increment of the Nb2O5 + Bi2O3 content. The behavior of the thermal parameters is correlated to the structural variations in the glass network as a function of the Nb2O5 + Bi2O3 content. The XRD curves of the explored glasses indicate the presence of the polycrystalline phases Na2B4O7, BiNbO4, BNbO4 in the amorphous matrix.

Temperature Profiles From Two Close Lidars and a Satellite to Infer the Structure of a Dominant Gravity Wave

AbstractGravity waves (GW) are a crucial coupling mechanism for the exchange of energy and momentum flux (MF) between the lower, middle, and upper layers of the atmosphere. Among the remote instruments used to study them, there has been a continuous increment in the last years in the installation and use of lidars (light detection and ranging) all over the globe. Two of them, which are only night operating, are located in Río Gallegos (−69.3° W, −51.6° S) and Río Grande (−67.8° W, −53.8° S), in the neighborhood of the austral tip of South America. This is a well‐known GW hot spot from late autumn to early spring. Neither the source for this intense activity nor the extent of its effects have been yet fully elucidated. In the last years, different methods that combine diverse retrieval techniques have been presented in order to describe the three‐dimensional (3‐D) structure of observed GW, their propagation direction, their energy, and the MF that they carry. Assuming the presence of a dominant GW in the covered region, we develop here a technique that uses the temperature profiles from two simultaneously working close lidars to infer the vertical wavelength, ground‐based frequency, and horizontal wavelength along the direction joining both instruments. If in addition within the time and spatial frame of both lidars there is also a retrieval from a satellite like SABER (Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry), then we show that it is possible to infer also the second horizontal wavelength and therefore reproduce the full 3‐D GW structure. Our method becomes verified with an example that includes tests that corroborate that both lidars and the satellite are sampling the same GW. The improvement of the Río Gallegos lidar performance could lead in the future to the observation of a wealth of cases during the GW high season. Between 8 and 14 hr (depending on the month) of continuous nighttime data could be obtained in the stratosphere and mesosphere in simultaneous soundings from both ground‐based lidars.

Green food supply chain design considering risk and post-harvest losses: a case study

The global food insecurity, malnourishment and rising world hunger are the major hindrances in accomplishing the zero hunger sustainable development goal by 2030. Due to the continuous increment of wheat production in the past few decades, India received the second rank in the global wheat production after China. However, storage capacity has not been expanded with similar extent. The administrative bodies in India are constructing several capacitated silos in major geographically widespread producing and consuming states to curtail this gap. This paper presents a multi-period single objective mathematical model to support their decision-making process. The model minimizes the silo establishment, transportation, food grain loss, inventory holding, carbon emission, and risk penalty costs. The proposed model is solved using the variant of the particle swarm optimization combined with global, local and near neighbor social structures along with traditional PSO. The solutions obtained through two metaheuristic algorithms are compared with the optimal solutions. The impact of supply, demand and capacity of silos on the model solution is investigated through sensitivity analysis. Finally, some actionable theoretical and managerial implications are discussed after analysing the obtained results.

Phylogeography of Equine Infectious Anemia Virus

Equine Infectious Anemia virus (EIAV) is the causative agent of one of the most impacting infectious diseases affecting equids. EIAV is genetically diverse with several lineages circulating globally. To elucidate EIAV global spread patterns, we studied its spatiotemporal dynamics applying Bayesian phylodynamic analyses, using a worldwide compiled dataset composed of unique sequences of the gag gene. In addition, we performed a scoping review of 1.470 publications on EIAV to characterize the spatiotemporal trends in EAIV research. Phylogeographic reconstruction suggested Hungary as the most likely country of origin for current EIAV circulation (root state posterior probability = 0.21), and one of the most important centers of diversification for the disease. Historical EIAV spread was predominantly characterized by long-distance spread across continents. As a result, we found that the American and Asian circulating EIAV (i.e., Mongolia) are more related to European lineages than to other Asian countries, being Europe the continent with the highest EIAV phylogenetic diversity. Our bibliometric analysis showed a continuous increment in the number of publications per year, where the United States and China appeared as the countries with highest EIAV-related scientific production. This study provides a historical geographic mapping of the EIAV linages’ spread patterns. In addition, we identified important asymmetry between the current research effort and the availability of genetic data which restricted our abilities to quantify for example the time frame of virus dispersal.

Condominium price dynamics in Sri Lanka: correlation with inflation and periods of concern

ABSTRACT This study conducted in Sri Lanka’s commercial capital – Colombo, investigated temporal variation of condominium prices from 1998 to 2018, to identify price – inflation relationships and periods of concern. The price increased non-linearly with time without abnormal trends. Unit root, cointegration and vector error correction method tests showed inflation can explain temporal variation of semi-luxury condominium’s price appreciation, and it showed a statistically significant (P < 0.01) positive impact in the long run. Price appreciation and inflation showed a weak negative, yet statistically significant impact for luxury condominiums. The impact of inflation on price appreciation in the short run was mostly a negative correlation and as per explanatory powers the impact was minor. It seemed that Sri Lankan condominium market would mostly be without any periods of concern considering the increasing presales and the decreasing price to rental ratios. However, there is a continuous increment of the ratio between the price and household annual income, and it was about 5.25 as at 2018 (price bubbles occurred when this ratio is over six). More studies are recommended specially on future periods of concern and studies that incorporate ultra-luxury apartments being developed by international developers.

The utilization of flour made of the non-milled rice as analog rice ingredients

The continual increment of a population requires sufficient food, while agricultural land for rice cultivation keeps on declining. Therefore, the habit of consuming rice needs to be reduced. This study was aimed to get the best quality analog rice from non-milled rice based on the proportion of raw materials, time, and sensory. This study used the ingredients of cassava flour, sorghum, sweet potatoes, corn + lablab bean, and soybeans. Cooking oil, salt, glycerol monostearate, Na-alginate, and sodium three polyphosphates were used as additional ingredients and mixed in various formulation/ratios. These formula ingredients were extruded using KL Protecal Twin-screw to produce analog rice grains. A randomized block design was used in this study. The randomized block design was repeated three times. In order to determine the best treatment, this study employed the 5% LSD test. The results of this study showed that flour from cassava, sweet potato, sorghum, corn + lablab bean, and soybeans can be formulated as an analog rice ingredient. Cassava flour, sweet potato, sorghum, corn + lablab bean were used as the source of carbohydrates, and the soy flour was used as a source of protein. This study found that the best ratio would be 4.5: 4.5: 1 for cassava flour: 50% corn + 50% lablab bean flour: soy flour. The cooking process required 1.5 mL to 2 mL of water per gram of analog rice, and the cooking time would be 10-15 mins. The sensory values of color, taste, aroma, and texture were on the scale of average like to very like.

The Priority of Exploiting Fiscal Revenue or Lessening Public Expenditure: Evidence from China

In the past 28 years, we find that except for the fiscal revenue of 5,132.1 billion yuan in 2007, which is greater than the fiscal expenditure of 4,978.1 billion yuan, presenting a fiscal surplus, the fiscal expenditure of the rest years is greater than the fiscal revenue, showing the situation of public sector net cash requirement (psncr), especially in 2011, the deficit( the gap between fiscal expenditure and fiscal revenue) is 537.3 billion yuan. Since then, the gap between expenditure and revenue has been increasing with each passing year. In 2015, the fiscal deficit is 2,368 billion yuan. In 2018, the fiscal deficit has been expanded to 3,754.4 billion yuan. In order to avoid the continuous increment of the deficit. This paper discusses the causal relationship between China's fiscal revenue and public expenditure from 1990 to 2018. If fiscal revenue has a positive impact on public expenditure, showing that the government shall reduce fiscal deficit through tax increment. On the contrary, it makes public expenditure continue to expand, leading to the continuous deterioration of fiscal deficit, so as to further decide whether China's future fiscal policy should adopt increasing fiscal revenue or deducting public expenditure policy to reduce the deficit.

A Trimetallic Cu(II) Derivative as an Efficient and Stable Electrocatalyst for Reduction of Proton to Molecular Hydrogen

A trinuclear copper(II) complex, namely [Cu3(L)2(CF3COO)2] (1) is afforded integrating a ‘compartmental’ Schiff base, H2L [where H2L = N,N′-bis(salicylidene)-1,3-propanediamine] and fully characterized. Complex 1 is implemented for electrocatalytic proton reduction to originate molecular hydrogen in a homogenous system. The electrochemical study involving CV (cyclic voltammetry), CPE (controlled potential electrolysis) and GC (gas chromatography) reveals that in homogeneous system, 1 is highly active towards proton reduction in presence of trifluoro acetic acid as a proton source. Following CPE at − 1.8 V vs Ag/AgCl, the headspace gas is sampled and gas chromatography is carried out to quantify the amount of hydrogen discharged. The ratio of theoretical H2 production from charge aggregation during electrolysis to the practical amount of H2 resolved on GC is yielded a Faradaic efficiency value of 87%. Moreover, an extended bulk electrolysis experiment carried out for 35 h illustrates the presence of a stable catalytic system in which 230 C of charge is accumulated. As a consequence, this efficient and stable H2 evolution obtained using a Cu(II) derivative (CuII is cheap and earth abundant) has shown that the synthesis of judiciously designed copper complex is a promising strategy towards potential catalysts from proton reduction. Electrochemical and catalytic study of a trimetallic Cu(II) derivative in DMSO with the presence of trifluoroacetic acid as weak proton source shows the hydrogen evolution Faradaic efficiency as 87%. A continuous increment of the charge accumulation through time is observed, indicating the high stability of our catalyst under electrochemical H2 generation.

A SUMO Based Simulation Framework for Intelligent Traffic Management System

Continuous increments in world population demands transportation with essential vehicle facilities and directly effect on road traffic volume or congestion, mostly in metropolitan cities, and thus it needs significant investigation, analysis, and maintenance. In these regards, an Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) with a Deep-Neuro-Fuzzy model was proposed and implemented. Dijkstra algorithm is used to select optimum path from source to destination on the basis of calculated road segment weights from Deep-Neuro-Fuzzy framework. However, Deep-Neuro-Fuzzy framework needs some comprehensive analysis, other means some simulation or emulation, and etc, to proof the efficiency and workability of the model. In this paper, we are going to explore the Deep-Neuro-Fuzzy model in pragmatic style with an open-source traffic simulation model (SUMO) and helps to explore traffic-related issues including route choice, simulate traffic light or vehicular communication, etc in our ITMS. In addition, a new GUI is developed to control the simulation input attributes and presents the feedbacks into the traffic flow in SUMO environment. Results highlight that the proposed SUMO model can realistically simulate ITMS based on the road segment weights from Deep-Neuro-Fuzzy model. Different built-in routing algorithms are also used to proof the workability of this model.

In vivo assessment of body composition and growth potential of modern broiler using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry

Context Genetic improvements in modern strains have led to continuous increments in broiler growth rates, which, as a consequence, have resulted in higher economic returns for broiler producers over the last decades. Aim The present study was conducted to characterise the potential growth of the body and feathers of Cobb 500, Hubbard Flex and Ross 308 male and female broilers, as well as to assess the changes in chemical composition that occur up to 16 weeks of age. Methods Birds were fed isoenergetic diets divided in four phases and formulated to marginally exceed the nutritional requirements of the strains throughout the growing period. They were maintained in a controlled environment so as not to limit growth. A dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scanner was used to follow the in vivo body composition of 12 broilers of each strain and sex (total of 72 broilers), and the feather weight and composition was determined in four birds of each strain and sex selected at intervals during the growing period (total of 288 broilers) through comparative slaughter with later chemical analysis. Key results Parameters of Gompertz growth curve to describe the strains were estimated for body and feather weight as well as for the growth of their chemical components. Conclusion Differences in the growth rates between strains were evident, indicating the possible differences in selection methods used by geneticists in the different breeding companies. These genetic parameters would explain part of the variation on broiler´s performance which impacts on the way they should be fed and housed during growth. Implications The accurate description of genetic growth potential is useful information to be associated with factorial models that predict nutritional and feed intake requirements of birds. The main advantage of DXA technology is to decrease the variation of body deposition on the Gompertz model, resulting from the use of the same bird throughout its life. Despite the speed of obtaining chemical values of the body, the method is unsuitable for measuring the growth of feathers, which is also important data to be collected and related to the broiler strains.

Aggrandizement in the Performance of Double slope Solar Still with the Incorporation of Peltier Effect in Addition To Water Depths

Because of continuous increment in the world population and pollution, the scarcity of water has been increasing constantly. Many researchers are doing research in the field of desalination to convert the impure or soar water into drinkable water. Even though many methodologies were followed, desalination using solar still is the oldest and less cost concept with higher lifetime. So research in this field is still undergoing by enhancing the distillate production by incorporating advanced technologies, by controlling the factors affecting the distillate production and introducing various designs. In this work, the double slope solar still had been used and the performance was found at 1 cm and 0.5 cm water depth. In addition to that, the introduction of Peltier module in the back side of the absorber plate had been fixed to generate the electricity during the day time due to the temperature difference in the Peltier module to charge the battery. The stored current is again used to activate the Peltier to increase the heat generation during the evening time. The performance was increased in both 1 cm water depth and 0.5 water depth by 13% and 9.1% respectively during the heating period in the evening hours.

Influence of Different Carbon-Based Fillers on Electrical and Mechanical Properties of a PC/ABS Blend.

The present work examines the influence of different carbon-based fillers on the performance of electrically conductive polymer blend composites. More specifically, we examined and compared the effects of graphene (GR), carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and carbon black (CB) on a PC/ABS matrix by morphological investigation, electrical and physic-mechanical characterization. Electrical analyses showed volume resistivity decreased when the CNTs and CB content were increased, although the use of melt-mixed GR did not really influence this property. For the latter, solution blending was found to be more suitable to obtain better GR dispersion, and it obtained electrical percolation with a graphene content ranging from 0.5% to 1% by weight, depending on the solvent removal method that was applied. There was a gradual improvement in all of the composites’ dielectric properties, in terms of loss factor, with temperature and the concentration of the filler. As expected, the use of rigid fillers increased the composite stiffness, which is reflected in a continuous increment in the composites’ modulus of elasticity. The improvements in tensile strength and modulus were coupled with a reduction in impact strength, indicating a decrease in polymer toughness and flexibility. TEM micrographs allowed us to confirm previous results from studies on filler dispersion. According to this study and the comparison of the three carbon-based fillers, CNTs are the best filler choice in terms of electrical and mechanical performance.

Effect of Temperature on Oxymyoglobin and Metmyoglobin Denaturation Properties

ObjectivesPremature browning is a condition where the interior of patty/steak will appears fully cooked before the temperature necessary to kill foodborne pathogens is reached. Previous research reported that approximately 50% of ground beef retailed in the US is susceptible to premature browning. Myoglobin form present in the interior of steak or patties determines the cooked color appearance. Although previous studies noted that myoglobin denaturation is primarily responsible for the cooked color appearance, limited knowledge is currently available about the effect of temperature on oxymyoglobin and metmyoglobin denaturation properties. The objective of the current study was to determine the effects of myoglobin forms on thermal stability using circular dichroism spectroscopy.Materials and MethodsOxymyoglobin and metmyoglobin solutions at pH 5.6 in 50 mM sodium phosphate buffer were incubated in a continuous heat increment water bath for 10 min. At specific temperature points (65, 71, 73, and 76°C), myoglobin denaturation was determined by changes in myoglobin concentration and by protein unfolding (fluorescence and absorbance) methods. The myoglobin thermal stability was also determined by circular dichroism spectroscopy. Changes in secondary protein structure were determined every 2°C from 52 to 92°C. The data were analyzed as completely randomized using the Mixed Procedure of SAS. A significance level of 0.05 was used to determine differences between means.ResultsOxymyoglobin had greater (p &lt; 0.05) unfolding (as indicated by absorbance changes) than metmyoglobin at all temperatures. However, at 65, 71, and 73°C there were no differences (p &gt; 0.05) in fluorescence intensities between myoglobin forms. Circular dichroism spectroscopy indicates that oxymyoglobin is more heat labile than metmyoglobin.ConclusionThe results indicate that oxymyoglobin had greater denaturation and unfolding than metmyoglobin. Use of appropriate myoglobin denaturation quantification technique will help characterize premature browning.

QoE-Aware Self-Tuning of Service Priority Factor for Resource Allocation Optimization in LTE Networks

Long Term Evolution (LTE) brings to the theory of advanced leading-edge technologies which guarantees ubiquitous broadband access. As a result, the continuous increment in the number of user terminals (UT) and their expectation leads to the importance of managing and updating the networks as per the expectation of users. In this paper, the concept of self-tuning is used for adjusting the service priority factor in the scheduling algorithms to allocate the resource blocks (RBs) in order to give the appropriate Quality of Service (QoS) based on Quality of Experience (QoE). To access QoE-aware, a QoE model is created by using the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) algorithm to estimate the QoE score by using the QoS parameters. We propose the Particle Genetic Algorithm (PGA) to find the optimal parameter of service priority factors, and the proposed algorithm works efficiently by increasing the average QoE of the network along with maintaining the QoE threshold for each of the multi-service. The detailed comparison is presented between the proposed and reference algorithms to highlight the significance of the proposed algorithm and the simulation and analytical results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms the existing ones in terms of improving the allocation of resources under the environment of limited resources.

Examining Naturogenic Processes and Anthropogenic Influences on Tree Growth and Development via Stem Analysis: Data Processing and Computational Analytics

The objective of this study was to develop a stem analysis data processing and computational algorithm and associated software suite that was (1) applicable to temperate and boreal forest tree species, (2) mathematically consistent with excurrent tree stem geometric and allometric principles, (3) compatible with data structures obtained using proprietary and non-proprietary imaging systems, and (4) executable on Windows®-based operating systems. Computationally, the suite denoted SAP (Stem Analysis Program), deployed sectional-specific formulae that were in accord with the following geometric assumptions: (1) stump section was treated as a solid of revolution resembling a cylinder; (2) sections between the stump and the tip were treated as a solid of revolution resembling a frustum of a cone for sections with continuous annual increments, otherwise treated as a cone; and (3) tip section was treated as a solid of revolution resembling a cone. The algorithm also corrected for the slant-based sectional length measurements using Pythagorean Theorem and eliminated the requirement to predict age-specific apex height development through the use of a linear interpolation procedure. Based on input data structures consisting of annual ring-width xylem sequences measured from cross-sectional disk samples acquired at multiple positions along the tree’s main stem, the suite produces a broad array of output, inclusive of radial and longitudinal ring-width sequences, apical growth increments, annual and cumulative sectional and cumulative volume production patterns, and historically reconstructed stem taper profiles. In total, the SAP creates six output data files for each tree analyzed: (1) input data reference summary (e.g., geometric mean ring-widths and resultant radii for each cross-section); (2) radial growth patterns for the cross-section sampled at breast-height (e.g., absolute and relative diameter and basal area growth estimates); (3) sectional (vertical) profiles of volume growth patterns (e.g., absolute and relative growth estimates within each section (bolt)); (4) cumulative volume growth patterns for the entire tree; (5) historical taper profile estimates (e.g., heights and diameters by year); and (6) texturally-labeled compendium of all output files generated. Additionally, real-time graphical output was produced for the purposes of data assessment and verification during the radial sequence data acquisition stage (e.g., graphical presentation of annual ring-width sequences by radii and disk, for use in validating input data structures and increment measurements derived from the imaging system), and interpreting growth and development patterns (e.g., vertical growth layer and specific volume increment profiles by age or year). The utility of the SAP suite was exemplified by processing WindendroTM-based annual ring-width xylem sequences obtained from cross-sectional disks extracted from a jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) tree via percent-height destructive stem analysis, and subsequently elucidating growth and developmental patterns within the context of silviculture treatment effects (thinning). The SAP suite provides the conceptual and logistical foundation for the continued deployment of the stem analysis approach in a wide range of investigations, including those examining the effect of naturogenic processes and anthropogenic influences on tree growth and development.

Origin of anomalous laminar cracking, volume expansion and weight increase of Ti2AlC MAX phase powders at 600 °C

Planar cracks tend to form in Al-containing Mn+1AXn phase materials after oxidation at an intermediate temperature range between 550 and 650 °C, although they have outstanding oxidation resistance beyond 1200 °C. Herein, Ti2AlC Mn+1AXn phase powders are employed as a model example to investigate such laminar cracks formation at 600 °C, accompanying with continuous volume expansion and weight increment with oxidation duration. Coupled with the crystallinity structure development during oxidation, density function theory calculation has been performed to elucidate the origin of such anomalous behavior at 600 °C for Ti2AlC, which can be applicable to other Mn+1AXn phase materials.

Simulating urban land use and cover dynamics using cellular automata and Markov chain approach in Addis Ababa and the surrounding

Efficient Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) monitoring and management require awareness of previous dynamics, current trends, and predictions of future developments. Understanding such an urban dynamics is, thus, necessary to deliberate a proper urban growth management approach. The study is aimed to simulate the LULC dynamics and develop a scenario-based LULC prediction for sustainable urban growth planning and management in the case of Addis Ababa and the surrounding area. The research employed a hybrid Cellular Automata, Markov chain (CA-Markov) and Multi-criteria Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) modeling approach. Accordingly, the research depicted continuous historical increment of Built-up spaces by consuming other ecologically valuable LULC classes. The quantitative measures of landscape metrics confirmed the benefit of Ecologically Sensitive Scenario (ESS) modeling as compared to Business As Usual Scenario (BAUS) as it keeps the dynamism of the city region more sustainable. ESS modeling enables an urban system to grow into a better way by making built-up augmentation relatively mild and controlling water bodies, forests and cultivated land losses. Therefore, this scenario-based simulation of the LULC dynamics providing decision-making options for those who strive for sustainable urban growth planning and management not only in the study region but also other similar cities.