Flat Profile Research Articles

Methane Gas Transport in Ca-MMT Shale Nanoslits Considering Water Content Effects: Insights from Molecular Dynamics Simulations.

Two-phase flow remains a significant challenge in the development of water-bearing shale gas, particularly regarding the flow of gases through clay minerals in such formations. Nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulation is investigated to research the two-phase flow of water (H2O) and methane (CH4) through Ca-montmorillonite (MMT) shale nanoslits. The results indicate that water molecules preferentially adsorb onto the surfaces of the Ca-MMT shale nanoslits, leading to the formation of water bridges within the nanoslits as water content increases. Notably, CH4 molecules exhibit complete solubility in the water phase, and their maximum velocity gradually decreases, resulting in a flattened parabolic flow profile with a higher gas-water percent (GWP). In the two-phase flow, CH4 continues to flow without slip in the inorganic nanopores due to water molecules occupying the surfaces and creating a water film. However, when the water content (GWP) exceeds 80.87%, CH4 gas molecules become dissolved in the water, filling the inorganic nanoslits and leading to a zero-gas flux. This condition causes CH4 retention in adjacent nanoslits, creating a "water lock gas" effect. This research provides a theoretical foundation for understanding multiphase flow in water-bearing shale gas and offers a refined description of the shale gas extraction process for future application.

Clinical outcomes with a new diffractive multifocal intraocular lens optimized by the dynamic light utilization algorithm.

To evaluate the refractive outcomes, optical performance, and the quality of vision in patients implanted with a new diffractive intraocular lens (IOL), the Intensity Hanita. This observational, prospective, longitudinal study included 64 eyes underwent bilateral cataract surgery with the Intensity IOL (Hanita Israel) implantation. Main outcome measures after 6 months were the following visual acuities (VAs) of uncorrected and corrected distance (UDVA and CDVA), uncorrected and distance corrected intermediate VAs (UIVA and DCIVA), uncorrected and distance corrected near (UNVA and DCNVA), refraction, slitlamp biomicroscopy, defocus curve (DFC),high ocular aberrations (HOA), contrast sensitivity (CS), optical quality, subjective quality of vision (QoV) and near activity visual questionnaires (NAVQ). Sixty-six percent of eyes having UDVA 0.10 logMAR or better. DFC showed maximum vision at distance (0.02 ± 0.07 LogMAR at 0.0 D), with flat decline through intermediate and near vision (0.11 ± 0.08 LogMAR at -1.5 D and 0.12 ± 0.12 at -2.5 D). No significant changes in CS were found (all spatial frequencies, p ≥ 0.06). The RMS of HOA, coma, trefoil, and SA were 0.21 ± 0.10, 0.10 ± 0.06, 0.11 ± 0.07, and 0.00 ± 0.04 μm and the Strehl ratio was 0.12 ± .04 at 6 months. Subjective symptoms (halos and glare) were reported mild but well tolerated, not causing significant disturbance in daily activities. The NAVQ showed high levels of satisfaction performing daily near-vision tasks. The Hanita Intensity diffractive IOL successfully restores all distances of vision. The flat profile of the monocular defocus curve confirms the five-foci distribution principle that provides vision at all ranges while increasing the depth of focus.

Stabilizing Pipe Flow by Flattening the Velocity Profile

It is important to control turbulence in industrial processes. Past experimental and numerical researches have shown that a turbulent puff in pipe flow can be removed or delayed by flattening the profile of the upstream velocity because a flattened velocity profile causes the point of inflection on it to collapse. The energy gradient theory has been developed to study turbulent transition, and the relevant studies have shown that turbulence arises due to the generation of singularities in the flow field. In pressure-driven flows like the pipe flow, the point of inflection on the velocity profile leads to the appearance of a singular point in the unsteady Navier–Stokes equation. In this study, the energy gradient theory is used to demonstrate why the point of inflection on the profile of velocity of pipe flow is the critical point for generating turbulence. Then, it is shown how flattening the velocity profile leads to the elimination of the point of inflection on the velocity profile of pipe flows to delay turbulent transition. It is also clarified why this technique is not effective at higher Reynolds number because the flattened velocity profile violates the criterion for flow stability relating to transition to turbulence.

К РАСЧЕТУ ЖИДКОСТНЫХ ТАРЕЛЬЧАТЫХ СЕПАРАТОРОВ С ПАРАБОЛИЧЕСКИМИ ВСТАВКАМИ

The object of the study is liquid disk separators with curvilinear inserts, which are described by equations of the type . The study was conducted to study the effect of the insert shape on the intensity of the centrifugal force on the liquid flow, as well as on the length of the sedimentation path (or float) of dispersed medium particles. The efficiency of clarification of dispersed media is predetermined by two design characteristics of the device - the length of the particle sedimentation path and the direction of the centrifugal force relative to the walls of the curved channel. For parabolic inserts, the distance between them and the angle of inclination of the walls are variable quantities. To calculate these quantities, nonlinear equations are constructed and an algorithm for numerical calculations is proposed. The calculation results are presented as graphical dependencies of the above parameters along the channel length. The calculations were performed for paraboloids of revolution with degrees m=2, 3 and 4 at coefficient a=2, 3 and 4. As the coefficient a increases, the distance between the inserts decreases. The influence of the exponent m on the gap between the paraboloids of revolution is more complex. The gap size along the channel length decreased from 3 cm to several millimeters. The angle of inclination of the walls relative to the rotation axis decreased in the range from 70 to 10 degrees. As the parameters a and m increase, this angle decreases, therefore, the component of the centrifugal force directed perpendicular to the channel wall increases. The equations of motion of the liquid system were solved by the method of equal flow surfaces, according to which the flow is represented as several layers with their own velocities. At the inlet section, the velocity diagram develops from a flat profile to a parabolic form. As a result of the action of the centrifugal force, an asymmetry of the velocity profile is observed. The obtained results can be used to justify the geometric characteristics of a plate separator with parabolic inserts and to coordinate them with the flow regime parameters.

Linear and nonlinear dynamics of self-consistent collisionless tearing modes in toroidal gyrokinetic simulations

We investigate tearing modes (TM) driven by current density gradient in collisionless tokamak plasmas by using the electromagnetic gyrokinetic simulation code ORB5. We elucidate the TM width by simulations for flat profiles, as the absence of background diamagnetic flows implies a small rotation speed, while finite gradients are included to investigate the TM rotation. For flat profiles, the initial saturation width of nonlinearly driven magnetic islands is related to the TM linear growth rate; however, large islands in the initial saturation phase are prone to current density redistribution that reduces the island width in the following evolution. Island-induced E×B and diamagnetic sheared flows develop at the separatrix, able to destabilize the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability (KHI). The KHI turbulence enhances a strong quadrupole vortex flow that reinforces the island decay, resulting in a strong reduction of the island width in an eventual steady state. This process is enhanced by trapped electrons. For finite gradients profile, the TM usually rotates in the electron diamagnetic direction but can change direction when the ion temperature gradient dominates the other gradients. The reduced growth of the TM by diamagnetic effects results in a moderate island size, which remains almost unchanged after the initial saturation. At steady state, strong zonal flows are nonlinearly excited and dominate the island rotation, as expected from previous theoretical and numerical studies. When β is increased, the TM mode is suppressed and a mode with the same helicity but with twisting parity, coupled with the neighboring poloidal harmonics, is destabilized, similar to the kinetic ballooning mode.

200 cm2/Vs electron mobility and controlled low 1015 cm−3 Si doping in (010) β -Ga2O3 epitaxial drift layers

We report on metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) growth of controllably Si-doped 4.5 μm thick β-Ga2O3 films with electron concentrations in the 1015 cm−3 range and record-high room temperature Hall electron mobilities of up to 200 cm2/Vs, reaching the predicted theoretical maximum room temperature phonon scattering-limited mobility value for β-Ga2O3. Growth of the homoepitaxial films was performed on Fe-doped (010) β-Ga2O3 substrates at a growth rate of 1.9 μm/h using TEGa as the Gallium precursor. To probe the background electron concentration, an unintentionally doped film was grown with a Hall concentration of 3.43 × 1015 cm−3 and Hall mobility of 196 cm2/Vs. Growth of intentionally Si-doped films was accomplished by fixing all growth conditions and varying only the silane flow, with controllable Hall electron concentrations ranging from 4.38 × 1015 to 8.30 × 1015 cm−3 and exceptional Hall mobilities ranging from 194 to 200 cm2/Vs demonstrated. C-V measurements showed a flat charge profile with the ND+–NA− values correlating well with the Hall-measured electron concentration in the films. SIMS measurements showed the silicon atomic concentration matched the Hall electron concentration with carbon and hydrogen below detection limit in the films. The Hall, C-V, and SIMS data indicate the growth of high-quality 4.5 μm thick β-Ga2O3 films and controllable doping into the mid 1015 cm−3 range. These results demonstrate MOCVD growth of electronics grade record-high mobility, low carrier density, and thick β-Ga2O3 drift layers for next-generation vertical β-Ga2O3 power devices.

Mother tongue-based education in a diverse society and the acquisition of foundational skills: Evidence from the Philippines

The Philippines is an ethnolinguistically diverse country with 180 languages spoken. In 2012, the government massively expanded the language of instruction (LoI) options, a shift from a bilingual Filipino-English education to mother tongue-based education using 19 languages targeting students in kindergarten to grade 3. The policy intended to create a closer link between the school instructional language and students’ mother tongue in the early stage of formal schooling, which would improve foundational skills and increase the students’ ability to acquire proficiency in additional languages. We use nationally representative data to evaluate the policy's impact on foundational reading and mathematics skills, exploiting a variation between student cohorts and the variation in the instructional languages before and after the policy. We find that the policy reduced the mean linguistic distance between children's mother tongue and school LoI by between 43 % to 76 %. However, we find a statistically significant and negative effect on foundational reading skills when tested in Filipino or English. The magnitude is not negligible given the Philippines’ flat learning profiles. We find the policy also negatively impacted the foundational mathematics skills of the first cohort fully exposed to the policy. Our findings imply that governments need to reconsider the mother tongue-based education policy as a tool to improve foundational skills in a diverse society.

Effects of Pressure on Nitrogen Content and Solidification Structure during Pressurized Electroslag Remelting Process with Composite Electrode

The nitrogen content and solidification structure of the 1Mn18Cr18N ingots produced by the customized laboratory‐scale vacuum induction melting furnace and the pressure electroslag remelting furnace (PESR) with novel composite electrode under different pressure and the same power consumption are compared and studied. The results show that there are perfectly uniform radial chromium and nitrogen profiles during the PESR process. The nitrogen uptake reaction in the PESR process with composite electrode takes place on the liquid metal film on the electrode. Nitrogen uptake could be improved by increasing the nitrogen partial pressure. In addition, the basin depth at a pressure of 0.1 and 1.22 MPa is about 41 and 38 mm, the angle of the grains with respect to the vertical axis is 35° and 31°, respectively. The flat metal basin profile resulted from the thermal resistance at the slag–mold interface decreasing with increasing pressure. Primary and secondary dendritic arm spacing (PDAS and SDAS) variations exhibit an increasing and subsequently decreasing the trend as they move further away from the center in a horizontal direction. Both PDAS and SDAS decrease with increasing pressure from 0.1 to 1.22 MPa.

Advancing glider-based acoustic measurements of underwater-radiated ship noise.

Ocean gliders are versatile and efficient passive acoustic monitoring platforms in remote marine environments, but few studies have examined their potential to monitor ship underwater noise. This study investigates a Slocum glider's capability to assess ship noise compared to the ability of fixed observers. Trials were conducted in shallow coastal inlets and deep bays in Newfoundland, Canada, using a glider, hydrophone array, and single-moored system. The study focused on (1) the glider's self-noise signature, (2) range-depth-dependent propagation loss (PL) models, and (3) identifying the location of the vessel to the glider using glider acoustic measurements. The primary contributors to the glider's self-noise were the buoyancy pump and rudder. The pitch-motor noise coincided with the buoyancy pump activation and did not contribute to the glider self-noise in our experiments. PL models showed that seafloor bathymetry and sound speed profiles significantly impacted estimates compared to models assuming flat and range-independent profiles. The glider's performance in recording ship noise was superior to that of other platforms. Using its hydrophones, the glider could identify the bearing from the vessel, although a third hydrophone would improve reliability and provide range. The findings demonstrate that gliders can characterize noise and enhance our understanding of ocean sound sources.

A new species of Lysinoe (Gastropoda: Helicoidea) from the Oligocene of Mexico

In her 1945 study on the Tertiary fossil mollusks of northeastern Mexico, Gardner listed only 2 taxa of land snails: Holospira eva Gardner, 1945 and “Helix” sp. The latter is recognized here as a new species of Lysinoe Adams & Adams, 1855 (Helicoidea, Xanthonychidae). The new species can be diagnosed from its congeners by its flattened shell profile, a lower body whorl with a faint angulation on its median portion, a ridge-like angulation around the umbilicus, and a likely wide umbilicus. The species is known to occur in 2 nearby Upper Middle Oligocene outcrops in the eastern part of the state of Nuevo León.

Multistep evolution of harzburgitic mantle underneath pipe 200 kimberlite, northern Lesotho: a study on xenoliths and their implication on diamond-barren nature of pipe 200 kimberlite

The Pipe 200 kimberlite in northern Lesotho on the southeast margin of the Kaapvaal Craton is a diamond-poor deposit despite its proximity to economically viable kimberlites like the Liqhobong kimberlite. We study harzburgite xenoliths' mineral composition, geochemistry, and pressure–temperature evolution to understand factors influencing diamond destruction. The xenoliths are classified into five types based on their petrography and geochemistry. The diversity in the mineral assemblage correlates with a sampling depth of ~ 100 to 175 km (~ 2.8 to < 5.0 GPa). The signatures of metasomatism are evident in type 3 and 4 xenoliths, where garnet breaks down to form a cluster (henceforth assemblage) of phlogopite, chromite, and diopside. Fine-grained melts associated with an uplift in the mantle to shallower depths of < 90 km (< 2.3 GPa) encompass the minerals in the assemblage, which display resorption at the boundaries. Water contents (structural hydroxyl) of olivine and possibly orthopyroxene are lower in the xenoliths with metasomatism-induced breakdown of garnet. The structural hydroxyl distribution in the nominally anhydrous minerals shows flat distribution profiles of re-equilibration due to residence in the kimberlite magma. It is supported by the disruption of the inter-mineral water partition coefficient due to olivine water diffusion during residence in the kimberlite magma. The barren nature of the Pipe 200 kimberlite is attributed to the signatures of mantle metasomatism and residence in kimberlite magma, which led to the diamond destruction.Graphical abstract

Absolute Quantification of Glutathione Using Top-Hat Optics for IR-MALDESI Mass Spectrometry Imaging.

Infrared matrix-assisted laser desorption electrospray ionization (IR-MALDESI) uses an infrared laser to desorb neutral biomolecules with postionization via ESI at atmospheric pressure. The Gaussian profile of the laser with conventional optics results in the heating of adjacent nonablated tissue due to the energy profile being circular. A diffractive optical element (DOE) was incorporated into the optical train to correct for this disadvantage. The DOE produces a top-hat beam profile and square ablation spots, which have uniform energy distributions. Although beneficial to mass spectrometry imaging (MSI), it is unknown how the DOE affects the ability to perform quantitative MSI (qMSI). In this work, we evaluate the performance of the DOE optical train against our conventional optics to define the potential advantages of the top-hat beam profile. Absolute quantification of glutathione (GSH) was achieved by normalizing the analyte of interest to homoglutathione (hGSH), spotting a dilution series of stable isotope labeled glutathione (SIL-GSH), and analyzing by IR-MALDESI MSI with either the conventional optical train or with the DOE incorporated. Statistical comparison indicates that there was no significant difference between the quantification of GSH by the two optical trains as evidenced by similar calibration curves. Results support that both optical trains can be used for qMSI without a change in the ability to carry out absolute quantification but providing the benefits of the top-hat optical train (i.e., flat energy profile and square ablation spots)-for future qMSI studies.

FLIM nanoscopy resolves the structure and preferential adsorption in the co-nonsolvency of PNIPAM microgels in methanol-water

Polymer microgels are swollen macromolecular networks with a typical size of hundred of nanometers to several microns that show an extraordinary open and responsive architecture to different external stimuli, being therefore important candidates for nanobiotechnology and nanomedical applications such as biocatalysis, sensing and drug delivery. It is therefore crucial to understand the delicate balance of physical-chemical interactions between the polymer backbone and solvent molecules that to a high extent determine their responsivity.In particular, the co-nonsolvency effect of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) in aqueous alcohols is highly discussed, and there is a disagreement between molecular dynamics (MD) simulations (from literature) of the preferential adsorption of alcohol on the polymer chains and the values obtained by several empirical methods that mostly probe the bulk solvent properties.It is our contention that the most efficacious method for addressing this problem requires a nanoscopic method that can be combined with spectroscopy and record fluorescence spectra and super-resolved fluorescence lifetime images of microgels labeled covalently with the solvatochromic dye Nile Red. By employing this approach, we could simultaneously resolve the structure of sub-micron size objects in the swollen and in the collapsed state and estimate the solvent composition inside of them in ▪–▪ mixtures for two very different polymer architectures. We found an outstanding agreement between the MD simulations and our results that estimate a co-solvent molar fraction excess of approximately 3 with a very flat profile in the lateral direction of the microgel.

Massive Quiescent Disk Galaxies at 0.5 ≤ z ≤ 1 in CANDELS: Color Gradients and Likely Origin

A rare population of massive disk-dominated quiescent galaxies has recently drawn much attention, which intrudes the red sequence (RS) population without destroying the underlying stellar disks. In this study, we have carefully identified 48 RS, disk-dominated galaxies with M * > 1010 M ⊙ between redshift 0.5 and 1.0 in all five CANDELS fields. These galaxies are well fitted by a two-component bulge plus disk model, and have the bulge-to-total ratio B/T < 0.4 in the both F814W and F160W bands. The fitting results indicate that these galaxies generally have extended stellar disks (∼3 kpc on average) and tiny bulge components (∼0.5 kpc on average). To understand their possible origins, we have also selected two control samples of 156 green valley (GV) and 309 blue cloud (BC) disk-dominated galaxies according to the same selection criteria. We study the UVI(U − V versus V − I) color gradients of these galaxies to infer their specific star formation rate (sSFR) gradients out to the maximum acceptable radii. We show that on average the disks in disk-dominated RS galaxies are fully quenched at all radii, whereas both the BC and GV disks are not fully quenched at any radii. We find that all the BC, GV, and RS disk galaxies generally have nearly flat sSFR profiles. We propose a potential formation mechanism, acknowledging that various other mechanisms (e.g., central compaction and active galactic nucleus feedback) might contribute, where massive quiescent disk-dominated galaxies are predominantly formed via a process of secular disk fading.

Evaluation of a Slim Modiolar Electrode Array: A Temporal Bone Study.

Evaluation of the Slim Modiolar (SM) electrode in temporal bones (TB) will elucidate the electrode's insertion outcomes. The SM electrode was designed for atraumatic insertion into the scala tympani, for ideal perimodiolar positioning and with a smaller caliber to minimize interference with cochlear biological processes. The SM electrode was inserted into TBs via a cochleostomy. First, the axial force of insertion was measured. Next, TBs were inserted under fluoroscopy to study insertion dynamics, followed by histologic evaluation of electrode placement and cochlear trauma. A subset of TBs were inserted with the Contour Advance (CA) electrode for comparison. Sixteen of 22 insertions performed to measure the axial force of insertion had flat or near zero insertion force profiles. Six insertions had increased insertion forces, which were attributed to improper sheath depth before electrode insertion. Under real-time fluoroscopy, 23 of 25 TBs had uneventful insertion and good perimodiolar placement. There was 1 scala vestibuli insertion due to suboptimal cochleostomy position and 1 tip roll over related to premature electrode deployment. When compared with the CA electrode, 14 of 15 insertions with the SM electrode resulted in a more perimodiolar electrode position. No evidence of trauma was found in histologic evaluation of the 24 TBs with scala tympani insertions. TB evaluation revealed that the SM electrode exerts minimal insertion forces on cochlear structures, produces no histologic evidence of trauma, and reliably assumes the perimodiolar position. Nonstandard cochleostomy location, improper sheath insertion depth, or premature deployment of the electrode may lead to suboptimal outcomes.

XLSSC 122 caught in the act of growing up

Context. How protoclusters evolved from sparse galaxy overdensities to mature galaxy clusters is still not well understood. In this context, detecting and characterizing the hot intracluster medium (ICM) at high redshifts (z ∼ 2) is key to understanding how the continuous accretion from the filamentary large-scale structure and the mergers along it impact the first phases of cluster formation. Aims. We study the dynamical state and morphology of the z = 1.98 galaxy cluster XLSSC 122 with high-resolution observations (≈5″) of the ICM through the Sunyaev–Zeldovich (SZ) effect. XLSSC 122 is the highest redshift optically confirmed galaxy cluster found in an unbiased, widefield survey. Methods. Via Bayesian forward modeling, we mapped the ICM on scales from the virial radius down to the core of the cluster. To constrain such a broad range of spatial scales, we employed a new technique that jointly forward-models parametric descriptions of the pressure distribution to interferometric ACA and ALMA observations and multiband imaging data from ACT. Results. We detect the SZ effect with 11σ significance in the ALMA+ACA observations and find a flattened inner pressure profile that is consistent with a noncool core classification with a significance of ≥3σ. In contrast to the previous works, we find better agreement between the SZ effect signal and the X-ray emission as well as the cluster member distribution. Further, XLSSC 122 exhibits an excess of SZ flux in the south of the cluster where no X-ray emission is detected. By reconstructing the interferometric observations and modeling in the uv-plane, we obtain a tentative detection of an infalling group or filamentary-like structure in the southeast that is believed to boost and heat up the ICM while the density of the gas is still low. In addition to characterizing the dynamical state of the cluster, we provide an improved SZ mass estimate M500,c = 1.66−0.20+0.23 × 1014 M⊙. Conclusions. Altogether, the observations indicate that we see XLSSC 122 in a dynamic phase of cluster formation while a large reservoir of gas is already thermalized.

Accessing Cation and Anion Redox in a 1-D Iron-Chalcogenide, Na3Fe2S4-XSex (x = 0, 2, & 4), in Na-Ion Batteries

The utilization of anionic redox activity is gaining significant interest in chalcogen based alkali-ion batteries. In this study, we are reporting reversible Na-ion (de)intercalation in one-dimensional structure of Na3Fe2S4-xSex (x = 0, 2, and 4). The crystal structure of Na3Fe0.5 2+Fe0.5 3+Q4 (Q = S and Se) can be visualized as a mixed valent iron, Fe2+/Fe3+ , forming infinite edge-shared chain of FeQ 4 tetrahedra with Na-ion residing in the interchain voids. While cycling the cathodes within a potential range of 1.5 – 2.5 V vs. Na/Na+, we could reversibly (de)intercalate one mole of Na from the structure. Mössbauer spectroscopy reveals a complete Fe2+ to Fe3+ oxidation in all the charged samples. Substitution of less electronegative Se2– in the structure systematically lowers the Fe2+/3+ redox couple during cycling. After 100 cycles at 1C rate, the cathode retains 83 % of its initial reversible capacity. While cycling the same cathode at a higher voltage range of 1.5 – 3.0 V, we observed a flat plateau profile at ~2.6 V with capacity reaching 255 mAh/g for Na3Fe2S4 cathode. This high capacity can be directly attributed to the anion oxidation for the charge compensation process during ~3.0 Na-ion deintercalation as supported by XPS analysis. The flat plateau profile further decreases from 2.6 to 2.5 V with the substitution of Se2–. The GITT results show two distinct kinetic behavior for the cation (fast) and anion (sluggish) redox. The decoupling of cation and anion redox in this system can enable us to understand and optimize the utilization of both redox chemistries to achieve a high energy density cathode.

What defines dry skin? Correlating a range of skin hydration parameters with InVivo Confocal Raman Spectroscopy.

While there are a wide range of approaches for the assessment of skin hydration, it is not always clear how data from them relate to one another or to the skin itself. With the development of invivo Confocal Raman Spectroscopy (ICRS), it has become possible to measure water concentration as a function of protein/depth within the stratum corneum (SC). This article reports a comparison between electrical skin hydration measures/visual/optical grading and water concentration profiles measured using ICRS, to better understand the relationship between these approaches. SC hydration of lower-leg skin with varying degrees of dryness was assessed using visual grading (live and from digital images), Corneometer®, Visioscan and ICRS. In addition, a custom fingerprint sensor was used to image surface capacitance (as a surrogate of SC hydration), and SC barrier function was assessed using evaporimetry (to measure trans-epidermal water loss; TEWL). Significant correlations were observed between a number of different skin grading/measurement approaches and ICRS data. ICRS hydration profiles also revealed a region near the SC surface with a relatively flat water profile in dry skin subjects. The advent of quantitative invivo analytical techniques such as ICRS, which can be used in a clinical setting, has enabled greater insight into more conventional approaches for assessing skin dryness. While traditional skin grading and biophysical methods for measuring skin hydration have varying degrees of correlation with one another, they also provide comparatively unique information about different regions within the SC. This should enable a more informed approach to product development in the future.

Lateral response of post-tensioned pendulum shear walls

This paper presents an experimental evaluation of a new interface configuration for unbonded post-tensioned shear (UPTS) walls. In the proposed configuration, the wall-base interface is shaped in a circular profile. This circular profile presents a major difference from the currently used flat profile at the wall-base interface of rocking UPTS walls. During lateral response, this circular profile induces the wall to predominantly rotate as a rigid body about a fixed point without uplift, and the system dissipates energy through the contact friction that develops at the wall-base interface. This rigid body motion resembles that of a pendulum, thereby designating this system as a pendulum UPTS wall. At this stage, research has demonstrated the many advantages of this system by proof-of-concept testing of a pendulum light-frame wood (LiF) UPTS wall specimen under increasing levels of post-tensioning force. Compared with rocking UPTS walls, experimental results demonstrate that besides performing damage-free when subjected to high drift levels, the proof-of-concept pendulum LiF-UPTS wall offers the following promising outcomes: (1) insignificant to no wall uplift, (2) insignificant to no wall base shear sliding, (3) reduced stress concentrations at the wall toes because contact stresses are distributed along the wall-base interface over a larger region, (4) nearly constant post-tensioning forces under high drift levels, which limits post-tensioning losses due to yielding of prestressing bars or tendons, (5) increase in energy dissipation capacity of the system through friction, and (6) decrease in the damping reduction factor and thus, reduction in the lateral displacement and force demands in pendulum LiF-UPTS walls. These research outcomes are likely to translate positively to other shear wall types, namely reinforced concrete (RC) precast pendulum UPTS walls.

A Comparison of Esthetic Preferences on Female Skeletal Class II Alterations among Laypeople of Different Facial Profiles.

This study aimed to investigate the influences of assessors' different personal profiles on the esthetic perception of Class II facial profile corrections and the agreement between profile and silhouette images. A profile photo of a female with skeletal Class II was digitally altered into three profile and three silhouette images (most pronounced Class II division 1 characteristic, more retruded upper lip position, and more protruded mandibular position). Ninety-six laypeople from three facial profile groups (straight, convex, and concave profiles) chose these images for facial attractiveness. Data were analyzed using an SPSS program. Cohen's kappa coefficient and intraclass correlation coefficients were applied to determine intraparticipant and intra-examiner reliabilities. Chi-square tests were used to test between-group preferences and the relationship of profile preference with other factors. Cohen's kappa coefficient was used to test the agreement in selecting profile and silhouette images (p = 0.05). All groups favored profiles with a protruded mandibular position (11-degree facial contour angle [FCA] and 91-degree nasolabial angle [NLA]). Despite facial profile differences, preference remained consistent (p = 0.649). The convex group showed a stronger inclination toward an untreated-simulating profile (17-degree FCA and 91-degree NLA). Preferences were consistent regardless of sex (p = 0.198) and education (p = 0.105). The percentage of agreement between profile and silhouette images in the total sample was 67.71% (kappa = 0.386). All groups of participants chose the more retruded upper lip position (17-degree FCA and 107-degree NLA) profile in silhouette more than in photograph. All groups preferred a mandibular advancement-simulating profile. Using the photographs or silhouettes to assess the esthetic preference resulted in a similar trend. However, the flatter profile was more preferred in silhouette than in photograph.