External Processes Research Articles

Performance evaluation of a wet air oxidation reactor with external circulation for high-chemical oxygen demand wastewater treatment

The presence of high-concentration organic contaminants in wastewater poses considerable risks to the health of both humans and ecosystems. Wet air oxidation (WAO) is an attractive treatment option, but current dilution and retreatment processes do not align with economic and environmental principles. Here we report an external circulation wet oxidation treatment process that utilizes oxidizing liquids to reduce feed concentration. By coupling energy consumption model with computational fluid dynamics model, we explore the optimal parameters for an industrial external circulation reactor. A 90 kt/a external circulation wastewater treatment system has been established, achieving a 21.6% increase in chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency and a 34.8% reduction in energy consumption. These findings provide a promising pathway for the efficient, low-energy treatment of high-concentration organic wastewater while minimizing freshwater resource consumption.

Central composite design-assisted visual and non-invasive detection of sertraline by sweet lemon waste-derived core-shell AuNPs@CDs

This study reports a fast and visual detection method of antidepressant sertraline (SRT) drug by the core-shell AuNPs@CDs as the nanoprobes. The CDs has been eco-friendly synthesized from sweet lemon wastes to directly reduce Au+ to AuNPs without any external photoirradiation process or additional reductants. Optimizing key variables that impact the sensing process has been done using the central composite design (CCD) approach to simulate the assay condition before the analysis. Adding SRT with different concentrations to the nanoprobes under mildly acidic conditions presents an absorbance peak at 560 nm with purple color tonalities that differ from the behavior of alone nanoprobes (530 nm, pink color). The obtained absorption change is linearly proportional to the increase of SRT concentration from 1 μM to 35 μM with a limit of detection (LOD) value of 100 nM. The color changes with a vivid tonality from pink and purple to violet as the colorful fingerprint patterns are readily traceable by the naked eye, allowing the visual assay of SRT. The greenness of the developed approach is well evaluated by some international indexes including the complimentary green analytical procedure (ComplexGAPI) and also, the analytical greenness (AGREE) indexes. The proposed waste-derived nanoprobes based on the eco-friendly procedure not only conduct quantitative and qualitative non-invasive analysis of SRT by the naked eye but also, may widen for other applications in various fields.

Policy variation in the external evaluation of research for tenure at U.S. universities

Abstract There is a robust literature documenting differences in peer review processes for scholarly outlets. Knowledge of this variability has provoked thoughtful debate about the best approach for promoting rigor and innovation in scientific research (e.g. single-blind vs. double-blind review, or more recently, double-blind vs. open review). We aim to expand this conversation to external peer review processes specified in rank and tenure guidelines. We qualitatively analyze a corpus of publicly available rank and tenure procedures at research-intensive universities in the United States. Results indicate significant variation in (1) the required minimum and maximum number of external reviews, (2) the candidate’s role in the reviewer selection process, (3) the level of ensured anonymity for reviewers, and (4) attention to potential conflict of interest scenarios. We argue that many of the debates about best practices in research evaluation for journals and funding agencies are also relevant for rank and tenure procedures. Moreover, rank and tenure policies may be subject to unique tensions, such as cases where external reviews are formally cast as disinterested assessments by referees but informally understood as letters of recommendation by sponsors. We discuss the relevance of our findings for existing work on the perceived clarity of evaluation criteria—especially how guideline ambiguity can be linked to inequality and how labor issues can conflict with idealized assessment principles.

The Social Construction of Tolerance Discourse through Online Media: Study of NU Online

As the largest Islamic organization in Indonesia, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) plays a major role in maintaining the country's diversity. As we know, intolerance among Indonesians has become a major problem for the nation. This research examines how NU constructs and spreads the value of tolerance through its online media, called “NU Online.” The theory of the social construction of reality, written by Berger and Luckmann, is used as a theoretical framework to depict internalization, objectification, and externalization processes in NU Online while constructing and spreading tolerance issues. Data were collected using a qualitative method, interviewing NU Online's members and editorial teams. The results of this study show that NU has an organizational value that regards tolerance as an important aspect of religious life. Moreover, the Islamic value of NU became a behavioral basis for all NU members, including members of NU Online. This value is called Ahlusunnah Waljamaah. Since becoming NU members, they have been internalized by the Ahlusunnah Waljamaah as a core value of the organization. Furthermore, in NU Online, this value spreads to the public through objectification and externalization processes.

Hypoactivation of the language network during auditory imagery contributes to hallucinations in Schizophrenia

Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) involve perceptions, often voices, in the absence of external stimuli, and rank among the most common symptoms of schizophrenia. Metrical stress evaluation requires determination of the stronger syllable in words, and therefore requires auditory imagery, of interest for investigation of hallucinations in schizophrenia. The current functional magnetic resonance imaging study provides an updated whole-brain network analysis of a previously published study on metrical stress, which showed reduced directed connections between Broca's and Wernicke's regions of interest (ROIs) for hallucinations. Three functional brain networks were extracted, with the language network (LN) showing an earlier and shallower blood-oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) response for hallucinating patients, in the auditory imagery condition only (the reduced activation for hallucinations observed in the original ROI-based results were not specific to the imagery condition). This suggests that hypoactivation of the LN during internal auditory imagery may contribute to the propensity to hallucinate. This accords with cognitive accounts holding that an impaired balance between internal and external linguistic processes (underactivity in networks involved in internal auditory imagery and overactivity in networks involved in speech perception) contributes to our understanding of the biological underpinnings of hallucinations.

Advertising as An Influencing Factor on Consumer Behavior

Objectives: The objective of this study is to examine the role of advertising as a management strategy in contemporary business environments. It aims to explore how advertising interacts with customers and influences both internal and external organizational processes and activities. Additionally, the study seeks to address misconceptions surrounding advertising's purpose and societal impact, particularly regarding its perceived manipulation of consumers for monetary gain. Methods: This study employs a qualitative approach to investigate the role of advertising in modern business practices. It involves a comprehensive review of literature and existing research to analyze the relationship between advertising, consumer behavior, and organizational management strategies. Results: The analysis reveals that advertising serves as a crucial management tool for businesses, facilitating interaction with customers and driving organizational processes. Contrary to misconceptions, advertising is not solely aimed at manipulating consumers for profit but also serves to fulfill customer needs for information about brands, services, and products. Additionally, the study finds that factors such as age, income, and satisfaction with promoted goods after purchase do not significantly influence the impact of advertisements on consumer purchasing decisions. Conclusion: In conclusion, advertising plays a multifaceted role in contemporary business environments, serving as both a communication tool and a management strategy. While it is often misunderstood and criticized for its perceived manipulative nature, advertising remains a fundamental aspect of modern marketing practices. By understanding the complexities of advertising's influence on consumer behavior, businesses can develop more effective marketing strategies and better serve their customers' needs.

On the inaccuracies of point-particle approach for char conversion modeling

Char conversion is a complex phenomenon that involves not only heterogeneous reactions but also external and internal heat and mass transfer. Reactor-scale simulations often use a point-particle approach (PP approach) as sub-models for char conversion because of its low computational cost. Despite a number of simplifications involved in the PP approach, there are very few studies that systematically investigate the inaccuracies of the PP approach. This study aims to compare and identify when and why the PP approach deviates from resolved-particle simulations (RP approach). Simulations have been carried out for CO2 gasification of a char particle under zone II conditions (i.e., pore diffusion control) using both PP and RP approaches. Results showed significant deviations between the two approaches for the effectiveness factor, gas compositions, particle temperature, and particle diameter. The most significant sources of inaccuracies in the PP approach are negligence of the non-uniform temperature inside the particle and the inability to accurately model external heat transfer. Under the conditions with low effectiveness factors, the errors of intra-particle processes were dominant while the errors of external processes became dominant when effectiveness factors were close to unity. Because it assumes uniform internal temperature, the models applying the PP approach always predict higher effectiveness factors than the RP approach, despite its accurate estimation of intra-particle mass diffusion effects. As a consequence, the PP approach failed to predict the particle size changes accurately. Meanwhile, no conventional term for external heat transfer could explain the inaccuracy, indicating the importance of other sources of errors such as 2D/3D asymmetry or penetration of external flows inside the particles.

The Conscious Experience of Being Hypnotized with a Metaphorical Story Script: A Case Study

<p>背景與目的：催眠為一經驗現象，但研究者一直無法獲得完整的第一人稱經驗描述，也就無從對其進行研究分析，這阻礙了催眠研究的進展。本研究的目的即在於獲得催眠經驗之意識過程的精細且精確描述，並分析其中的意識經驗現象。方法：本研究採取以催眠現象為標的的案例研究，設計由隱喻故事構成之催眠腳本所進行的催眠歷程，訪談參與者經驗，最後以現象學方法分析之。結果：本研究結果揭示了催眠意識經驗歷程的形式結構與內容結構。催眠意識經驗的歷程形式結構是由本研究所得之催眠經驗描述與意識三重構作理論對話後所得到的理解。催眠意識經驗的意義內容歷程則是可以用經驗生成為主題來提顯其核心意涵。本研究也從催眠過程中的無意義視覺現象獲得意識與生理作用之間關係的假設性理解。結論與建議：本研究不但揭露了催眠過程的形式結構與內容結構，也推進了對意識性質與特徵的討論，可作為意識研究的一項基礎。</p> <p> </p><p>Context and Objective: Hypnosis refers to a state of deep relaxation and heightened suggestibility that either occurs spontaneously or is induced through guidance by others. Hypnosis is a topic of academic interest because it could help researchers understand the composition and operation of human consciousness. A major question in the study of hypnotic experience is how to obtain first-person reports and how to determine the relationship between its experiential content and external processes, that is, the relationship between hypnotic experience and hypnotic methods. This question arises because hypnosis is characterized by dissociation, and subjects are often unable to clearly describe what they experienced when under hypnosis; even if there are fragmentary content reports, it is not easy to determine their temporal sequence. This lack of first-person description has hindered the progress of hypnosis research. In an attempt to reduce this research gap, this study aimed to obtain a detailed and accurate description of the conscious process of hypnotic experience and to analyze the consciousness phenomena therein. Method: A case-study framework was adopted. The study implementation relied on three research maneuvers: a research design that can obtain first-person reports of hypnotic experiences, a phenomenological method for analyzing first-person experiences, and a theoretical model of consciousness operation obtained from Taiwan’s indigenous psychological healing phenomena, the tripartite theory of consciousness. The research design was as follows. Before conducting the hypnosis session and experiential interviews, the researcher and the research participant co-wrote a hypnosis script with three parts: guidance into a hypnotic state, metaphorical stories, and guidance out of a hypnotic state. It was read word-for-word to the research participant during the hypnosis session, and the entire session was videotaped. An experiential interview was conducted immediately after hypnosis. Through the hypnosis script and video playback, the research participant could identify the correspondence between the hypnotic guidance and her experience and report her experiential process in sequence. Thus, by transcribing the interview recording into a verbatim transcript, this study obtained a first-person report of hypnotic experience that could be matched with the content and sequence of the script. Second, after obtaining the first person report of the hypnotic experience, a phenomenological method was used to analyze the data. Third, the analysis results were examined based on the tripartite theory of consciousness to gain a structural understanding of the hypnotic consciousness process. The function of the tripartite theory of consciousness in this study was to serve as an aid to expand understanding rather than as theoretical conceptualization prior to research analysis. Result: The results can be presented in two parts: the formal structural process of hypnotic consciousness experience and the meaning content process. The formal structural process of hypnosis is the understanding obtained after the participant’s description of the hypnosis experience and the analysis through the lens of the tripartite theory of consciousness. The function of the utterance of hypnotic guidance was significantly demonstrated. Through the three dimensions of content, speaking speed, and rhythm, hypnotic guidance can make different connections and influences on the conscious acts toward the significative, the imaginal, and the somatic. The meaning content process of hypnosis can be described by the theme of experience generation. This study describes the characteristic of openness of consciousness, the phenomenon and function of experiential adhesion and saturation, and the conscious operation structure that can change the texture of the hypnotized person’s experience through experiential interweaving and experiential rewriting. In this way, the hypnotic consciousness experience process carried out with a metaphorical story script is presented as a process of generating meaningful experiences, and the tripartite construction of consciousness is the basic structure for generating experiences. Finally, this study also obtained a hypothetical understanding of the relationship between consciousness and physiological effects during hypnosis. Conclusion and Suggestion: The present study does not just disclose the structure of the processes of conscious experience in hypnosis, but also provides a discussion on the features and qualities of consciousness, which can serve as a basis for future exploration.</p> <p> </p>

Video velocity measurement: a two-stage flow velocity prediction method based on deep learning

Abstract Due to the uncertainty in output caused by environmental changes, significant discrepancies are expected between the surface flow velocities predicted using deep learning methods and the instantaneous flow velocities. In this paper, a two-stage deep learning flow velocity measurement algorithm is proposed. During the external calibration process, the upper and lower frames of the recorded water flow video are cyclically traversed to acquire predicted flow velocity values using the deep learning velocity measurement algorithm. Meanwhile, the pixel displacement is obtained using the sparse optical flow tracking method and then post-processed to derive the velocity calibration value and pixel calibration value. During the detection process, the deep learning-predicted flow velocity is internally calibrated using the velocity calibration value and the pixel calibration value to adapt to changes in water flows. Compared with the pre-improved algorithm, the method achieves the minimum root mean square error in five different flow velocity videos and maintains high accuracy when the flow velocity changes rapidly. The obtained results are very promising and can help improve the reliability of video flow rate assessment algorithms.

“At Least I Can Push this Morphine”: PICU Nurses’ Approaches to Suffering Among Dying Children

ContextParents of children who die in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) carry memories of their child's suffering throughout a lifelong grieving experience. Given their prolonged time at the bedside, PICU nurses are poised to attend to dying children's suffering. ObjectivesWe aimed to explore how PICU nurses identify, assess, and attend to EOL suffering. MethodsInterpretive descriptive qualitative study with thematic analysis of virtual focus groups from a geographically diverse sample of PICU nurses. ResultsNurses participated in five focus groups (N = 19). Most identified as White (89%) females (95%) with a range of 1-24 years of PICU experience and involvement in >10 EOL care cases (89%). Nurses described approaches to suffering within five themes: 1) Identifying and easing perceptible elements; 2) Recognizing and responding to subtleties moment-to-moment; 3) Acclimating to family interdependence; 4) Synchronizing nurse in-the-room insight with systemic complexity; and 5) Accounting for ambiguity. Nurses detailed elements of suffering they could “fix” with straightforward, external interventions (e.g., pain medication). More complex tasks like optimizing care within familial and interprofessional team relationships while navigating psychosocial responses from children and families challenged nurses. Nurses attempted to minimize EOL suffering amidst ambiguity and complexity using internal processes including managing the environment and titrating moment-to-moment care. ConclusionsWhile physical suffering may be remedied with direct nursing care, holistically attending to EOL suffering in the PICU requires both bolstering external processes and strengthening PICU nurses’ internal resources. Improving psychosocial training and optimizing interprofessional care systems could better support dying children and their families.

Barriers and enablers for externally and internally driven implementation processes in healthcare: a qualitative cross-case study

BackgroundQuality in healthcare is a subject in need of continuous attention. Quality improvement (QI) programmes with the purpose of increasing service quality are therefore of priority for healthcare leaders and governments. This study explores the implementation process of two different QI programmes, one externally driven implementation and one internally driven, in Norwegian nursing homes and home care services. The aim for the study was to identify enablers and barriers for externally and internally driven implementation processes in nursing homes and homecare services, and furthermore to explore if identified enablers and barriers are different or similar across the different implementation processes.MethodsThis study is based on an exploratory qualitative methodology. The empirical data was collected through the ‘Improving Quality and Safety in Primary Care – Implementing a Leadership Intervention in Nursing Homes and Homecare’ (SAFE-LEAD) project. The SAFE-LEAD project is a multiple case study of two different QI programmes in primary care in Norway. A large externally driven implementation process was supplemented with a tracer project involving an internally driven implementation process to identify differences and similarities. The empirical data was inductively analysed in accordance with grounded theory.ResultsEnablers for both external and internal implementation processes were found to be technology and tools, dedication, and ownership. Other more implementation process specific enablers entailed continuous learning, simulation training, knowledge sharing, perceived relevance, dedication, ownership, technology and tools, a systematic approach and coordination. Only workload was identified as coincident barriers across both externally and internally implementation processes. Implementation process specific barriers included turnover, coping with given responsibilities, staff variety, challenges in coordination, technology and tools, standardizations not aligned with work, extensive documentation, lack of knowledge sharing.ConclusionThis study provides understanding that some enablers and barriers are present in both externally and internally driven implementation processes, while other are more implementation process specific. Dedication, engagement, technology and tools are coinciding enablers which can be drawn upon in different implementation processes, while workload acted as the main barrier in both externally and internally driven implementation processes. This means that some enablers and barriers can be expected in implementation of QI programmes in nursing homes and home care services, while others require contextual understanding of their setting and work.

Comparison of deep learning models for milk production forecasting at national scale

Forecasting of agricultural variables at national scale is essential for developing policies aimed at guaranteeing food security and increase the stability of the entire agri-food chain. However, this is often a challenging task due to the fact that data are usually sparse and long records are rarely available. This work aims at evaluating the potentiality of ten deep learning models for predicting monthly milk production in France, Germany, and Italy, using as input, climatic and economic variables from open datasets. The results indicate that deep learning models are a better alternative to traditional statistical approaches, providing robust results without requiring complex model architectures. Furthermore, the prominent autoregressive nature of milk production highlights the inability of environmental variables to capture external processes that influence the milk production (e.g., milk quota). However, the high accuracy achieved by the models lays the ground for possible application of deep learning models to accurately forecast agricultural variables at national scale with potential implications for the development of dairy insurance products, and risk management practices.

Parallel FEM for structural analysis of reinforced systems

Calculations in software systems based on the finite element method (FEM), performed with account for genetic nonlinearity, i.e., assembling, are not feasible for a number of construction problems. In particular, in buildings made of factory-made and cast-in-place concrete, the latter is gradually involved in deformation and external load processes. In reconstructed buildings, during the increase in the element cross-section (e.g., reinforced concrete or metal casing), the reinforcing and reinforced materials are also involved in deformation and external load processes at different time. As a result, there are initial stresses and strains in the "old" part of the element by the time its "new" part installation and strength gain. At the same time, in the reinforcing material or cast-in-place element, the stress-strain state is zero until the additional load is applied.Thus, during the structural analysis, a change in the finite element stiffness is required. But FEM software systems have no finite element capable of changing (increasing) the stiffness. This determines the relevance of the developed algorithm for the structural analysis of factory-made and cast-in-place concrete buildings using the parallel FEM.Purpose: The aim of this work is to improve the parallel FEM and develop a calculation algorithm based on it.Research findings: Based on the parallel FEM, the calculation algorithm is proposed for factory-made and cast-in-place concrete buildings. The proposed algorithm accounts for the structural properties of such buildings, including the gradual involvement of different-aged materials in the deformation process. Using the proposed algorithm, the structural analysis is conducted for the reconstructed system, in which the finite element is replaced by the parallel element, and the hinge coupling of elements is simultaneously replaced by a rigid one.

Factors Affecting Supply Chain Integration in Omni-Channel Retailing

China’s retail industry has vigorously developed an omni-channel retail strategy in the last few years. However, quantitative research on this development remains relatively scarce. This article addresses this by building a theoretical model of the relationships between internal supply chain integration, external supply chain integration and financial performance in omni-channel retailing and then verifies it by using a structural equation model to analyze 356 omni-channel retailers. The results show that in the case of omni-channel retailers, the supply chain’s internal information integration has a significant positive impact on its external information integration and that the supply chain’s internal process and internal organization integration significantly positively impact its external process and external organization integration. And it also shows the supply chain’s external information integration and external organization integration positively impact omni-channel retailers’ financial performance. However, the supply chain’s external process integration is not found to have the same effect on financial performance. This study addresses a theoretical gap in the research on the impact of supply chain integration on firm performance in omni-channel retailing. In addition, it provides suggestions about how omni-channel strategies can be effectively implemented in China’s retail industry.

On‐farm performance evaluation of small‐scale irrigation schemes in the Ethiopian Rift Valley: Internal and external performance process approach

AbstractThis study evaluated the on‐farm performance of two small‐scale irrigation schemes, Furfuro and Bedene Alemtena (hereafter referred to as Bedene), in the Ethiopian Rift Valley. Two sets of performance indicator parameters were used. The first group was internal performance indicators, which included conveyance, water application and application uniformity. The water flow velocity through canals was monitored using the floating method. The amount of irrigation water applied to the fields was measured using a cutthroat flume. The second group was external performance indicators, including agricultural performance, water use performance and physical sustainability indicators. The results indicated that Furfuro had average conveyance, application and uniformity efficiencies of 84%, 59% and 50%, respectively, while that of Bedene were 79%, 63% and 55%, respectively. The overall efficiencies for both schemes were about 49%, which is lower than the minimum permissible values. The outputs per irrigation supply and consumed water for Furfuro were 0.14 and 0.16 US$/m3, respectively, and they were 0.11 US$/m3 for Bedene. The relative irrigation and total water supply of Furfuro were 1.21 and 1.20, respectively, indicating the presence of excess water in the command area during the study season. The relative irrigation and water supply of Bedene was 0.81, which indicated that the scheme was water deficient. Irrigation water management practices need improvement in the two schemes.

Methane emission from a cool brown dwarf

Beyond our Solar System, aurorae have been inferred from radio observations of isolated brown dwarfs1,2. Within our Solar System, giant planets have auroral emission with signatures across the electromagnetic spectrum including infrared emission of H3+ and methane. Isolated brown dwarfs with auroral signatures in the radio have been searched for corresponding infrared features, but only null detections have been reported3. CWISEP J193518.59-154620.3. (W1935 for short) is an isolated brown dwarf with a temperature of approximately 482 K. Here we report James Webb Space Telescope observations of strong methane emission from W1935 at 3.326 μm. Atmospheric modelling leads us to conclude that a temperature inversion of approximately 300 K centred at 1–10 mbar replicates the feature. This represents an atmospheric temperature inversion for a Jupiter-like atmosphere without irradiation from a host star. A plausible explanation for the strong inversion is heating by auroral processes, although other internal and external dynamical processes cannot be ruled out. The best-fitting model rules out the contribution of H3+ emission, which is prominent in Solar System gas giants. However, this is consistent with rapid destruction of H3+ at the higher pressure where the W1935 emission originates4.

How does the external context affect an implementation processes? A qualitative study investigating the impact of macro-level variables on the implementation of goal-oriented primary care

BackgroundAlthough the importance of context in implementation science is not disputed, knowledge about the actual impact of external context variables on implementation processes remains rather fragmented. Current frameworks, models, and studies merely describe macro-level barriers and facilitators, without acknowledging their dynamic character and how they impact and steer implementation. Including organizational theories in implementation frameworks could be a way of tackling this problem. In this study, we therefore investigate how organizational theories can contribute to our understanding of the ways in which external context variables shape implementation processes. We use the implementation process of goal-oriented primary care in Belgium as a case.MethodsA qualitative study using in-depth semi-structured interviews was conducted with actors from a variety of primary care organizations. Data was collected and analyzed with an iterative approach. We assessed the potential of four organizational theories to enrich our understanding of the impact of external context variables on implementation processes. The organizational theories assessed are as follows: institutional theory, resource dependency theory, network theory, and contingency theory. Data analysis was based on a combination of inductive and deductive thematic analysis techniques using NVivo 12.ResultsInstitutional theory helps to understand mechanisms that steer and facilitate the implementation of goal-oriented care through regulatory and policy measures. For example, the Flemish government issued policy for facilitating more integrated, person-centered care by means of newly created institutions, incentives, expectations, and other regulatory factors. The three other organizational theories describe both counteracting or reinforcing mechanisms. The financial system hampers interprofessional collaboration, which is key for GOC. Networks between primary care providers and health and/or social care organizations on the one hand facilitate GOC, while on the other hand, technology to support interprofessional collaboration is lacking. Contingent variables such as the aging population and increasing workload and complexity within primary care create circumstances in which GOC is presented as a possible answer.ConclusionsInsights and propositions that derive from organizational theories can be utilized to expand our knowledge on how external context variables affect implementation processes. These insights can be combined with or integrated into existing implementation frameworks and models to increase their explanatory power.

Evidence that the woman's ovarian cycle is driven by an internal circamonthly timing system.

The ovarian cycle has a well-established circa-monthly rhythm, but the mechanisms involved in its regularity are unknown. Is the rhythmicity driven by an endogenous clock-like timer or by other internal or external processes? Here, using two large epidemiological datasets (26,912 cycles from 2303 European women and 4786 cycles from 721 North American women), analyzed with time series and circular statistics, we find evidence that the rhythmic characteristics of the menstrual cycle are more likely to be explained by an endogenous clock-like driving mechanism than by any other internal or external process. We also show that the menstrual cycle is weakly but significantly influenced by the 29.5-day lunar cycle and that the phase alignment between the two cycles differs between the European and the North American populations. Given the need to find efficient treatments of subfertility in women, our results should be confirmed in larger populations, and chronobiological approaches to optimize the ovulatory cycle should be evaluated.

Crush Analysis of External Inversion of Tubes with Variable Thickness Distribution

Axial crush tests on Uniform Thickness (UT) and Functionally Graded Thickness (FGT) tubes have been performed for external inversion process, and crashworthiness performance, and benefits of FGT tubes compared with their UT equivalents. Furthermore, in order to find detail verification about crush process of FGT tubes, Finite element (FE) models developed using explicit FE code under axial loading. Then, these FE models validated by experimental tests to ensure that they can accurately predict the responses of FGT inversion tubes. Our study shows that tube thickness distribution, die radius, and coefficient of friction between die and tube have great influence on the responses of FGT tubes inversion. The results give new design ideas to improve crashworthiness performance of inversion tubes. DOI: https://doi.org/10.52783/pst.272

Effectiveness of near-infrared spectroscopy to predict the chemical composition of feces and total-tract apparent nutrients digestibility estimated with undigestible neutral detergent fiber or acid-insoluble ash in lactating buffaloes' feces

Following a comparison of nutrient total-tract digestibility estimates in lactating buffaloes using single-point undigestible NDF (uNDF) or acid-insoluble ash (AIA) as internal markers, the potential of fecal near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to provide calibration equations for the assessment of the chemical composition of feces and nutrient total-tract digestibility estimated with internal markers was explored. Chemical analyses were performed on 147 fecal samples from lactating buffaloes reared on 5 farms in central Italy (Naples). Each farm fed a silage-based TMR to the buffaloes, and the TMR was sampled in the 2 d before the fecal collection. The TMR and individual fecal samples were collected and analyzed for DM, OM, ash, AIA, ether extract (EE), starch, fiber fractions (amylase-treated NDF without residual ash [aNDFom], amylase-treated NDF inclusive of residual ash [aNDF], ADF without residual ash [ADFom], ADF, hemicellulose, cellulose, ADL, uNDF), N, CP and CP bound to aNDF (NDICP) and to ADF (ADICP). The uNDF content was determined through a 240-h in vitro fermentation and employed, together with AIA as markers, to estimate the total-tract apparent digestibility and total-tract digestibility of DM, OM, ash, N, CP, EE, aNDFom, aNDF, NDIP, ADFom, and ADF, ADIN, ADL, hemicellulose, cellulose, starch, NFC, and the B3 fraction of N (NB3). No correlation was found between DM and OM digestibility estimated with AIA and uNDF as internal markers. Weak correlations were detected for all the other nutients digestibilities, and strong correlations were observed for EE, ADFom, hemicellulose, NDIN, ADIN, NB3, NFC, and starch. The sample set (n = 147) was divided in a calibration set (n = 111) and a validation set (n = 36) to "train" and "validate" the fecal NIRS curve through an external validation process. An estimation usable for preliminary or initial evaluation was obtained for N, CP, and aNDF fecal content. An excellent prediction was obtained for total tract digestibility of ADIN (R2 = 0.90) when estimated with uNDF as the internal marker. The NIRS technology was not able to accurately predict all the other traits and the estimated nutrient digestibility of lactating buffalo diets from fecal spectra.