Half Of Period Research Articles

Burials with the ochre of Corded Ware culture in the Upper Dnister region

Burials with the ochre of the CWC on the territory of the Upper Dnister region, the higher concentration of which was recorded on the territory of the right bank of the Dnister river, within the Drohobych Upland, were considered. It has been established that now about 30 burials were found on this territory, in which this mineral substance was found, evidenced both inside the burials and at the level of the ancient horizon under the barrow mounds. It was observed that the body of the deceased was covered with ochre, or it was placed as separate lumps inside the burial. It is noted that the remains of wooden structures in the form of flooring and ceilings are often present in burials with ochre. It was defined that burials with the ochre of the CWC on the territory of Upper Dnister region date to the period of the first half of the 3rd millennium B. C. and are related to influences from the environment of Yamna culture.

P119: The Valladolid Multicenter Study: The Use of Benzodiacepines in the Elderly and Falls Reported By a Liaison Psychiatry Units

Objective:The objective of this study is to describe the prevalence of benzodiazepine in a sample of patients (≥65 years) attended by liaison psychiatry units (LPU) in Spain and its possible relation to falls.Methods:This is an observational., cross-sectional, multicenter study. We obtained data from a sample of 165 patients (≥65 years) admitted to 7 general hospitals in Spain referred from different departments to each liaison psychiatry unit. Data was collected for a month and a half period. Psychiatric evaluations were performed while the patients were on wards.Results:We obtained a sample of 165 patients (78 women, 88 men) with a mean age of 76,03 years old (42.10% <75 years, 57,83% ≥ 75 years). Most of them were married and they lived accompanied (67,27%). Only 5,45% lived in a nursing home. 65,45% of patients had prescribed at least one psychotropic drug before LPU intervention; mainly (50,9%) benzodiazepines (60%women/40%men). 70,9% of these group of patients had more than one psychotropic drug prescribed before LPU. After LPU intervention in 39,39% at least one drug was withdrawn (in 50,81 % of cases benzodiazepines). Falls in the past 6 months were reported in 24.8% of total patients. Patients under benzodiazepine treatment had fallen in 29% of cases. After LPU intervention benzodiazepines were withdrawn in 56,25% % of them.Conclusions:Benzodiazepines are widely used in our sample and frequently is associated with polypharmacy. LPU intervention might be a useful tool to reduce the use of them, specially for those who reported falls.Longitudinal studies might be carried out to study these factors and their possible relationship with falls, given that Benzodiazepines are consistently associated with a higher risk of falls. It is unclear whether specific subgroups such as short-acting benzodiazepines and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are safer in terms of fall risk. Ppropriate prescription of medications such as BZDs is an important public health issue.

P112: Valladolid Multicenter Study: Diagnostic agreement between physicians and liaison psychiatry units in an elderly population in 7 hospitals in Spain.

Objective:The objective of this study is to describe the diagnostic agreement between physicians and liaison psychiatry units (LPU) in 7 general hospitals of Spain for elderly patients and to analyze possible factors related to it.Methods:This is an observational., cross-sectional, multicenter study. We obtained data from a sample of 165 patients (≥65 years) admitted to 7 general hospitals in Spain referred from different departments to each liaison psychiatry unit. Data was collected for a month and a half period. Psychiatric evaluations were performed while the patients were on wards.Results:We obtained a sample of 165 patients (78 women, 88 men) with a mean age of 76,03 years old (42.10% <75 years, 57,83% ≥ 75 years). Most of them were married and they lived accompanied (67,27%). Only 5,45% lived in a nursing home.In 55.15% the main reason to referral was anxiety/depression symptoms. 42,42% had no psychiatry medical background. After LPU visit a new diagnosis was done in 56.96%. Main diagnoses were adjustments disorders (26,66%), delirium (20,6%) and no psychiatric pathology (14,54%)Cohen’s kappa statistics were used to estimate the agreement between the diagnoses made by LPU and the diagnoses considered by the referring doctors. We obtained a moderate global agreement (kappa= 0,4971) between observers (0,424 for <75 years, 0,557 for ≥65 years) Moderate agreement was found for alcohol or substance abuse (kappa= 0,41) and low agreement was found for affective disorders (kappa= 0,3278) and delirium/ psychological and behavioral symptoms in dementia (Kappa= 0,2341).We analyzed factors which might affect de agreement between physicians and LPU such is group of age, functional impairment, comorbidity by Charlson index and previous diagnosis of dementia.Conclusions:Further longitudinal studies might help in the future to analyze the factors related to agreement between doctors and might help to establish educational programs

P128: The Valladolid Multicentre Study: Delirium characteristics in patients attended in seven liaison psychiatry services in Spain.

Introduction and objective:Delirium is an acute and fluctuating disorder characterized by a disturbance in attention and cognition that is commonly observed in hospitalized older adults; being present in up to 23% of patients admitted to a general medical service and as many as 85% of patients in the intensive care unit. Delirium causes complications such as increased morbidity, persistent functional decline, mortality, increased frailty and increased length of hospital stay. Nonetheless, it is often underdiagnosed, especially when it occurs in its hypoactive form. The objective of this study is to describe characteristics and factors associated with the presence of delirium in patients ≥65 years treated by the liaison psychiatric units in seven general hospitals.Methods:This is an observational, cross-sectional, multicentre study. We obtained data from a sample of 165 patients (≥65 years) admitted to seven general hospitals in Spain referred from different departments to each liaison psychiatry unit. Data was collected for a month and a half period. Psychiatric evaluations were performed while the patients were on wards.Results:We obtained a sample of 165 patients (78 women, 88 men) with a mean age of 76,03 years old (42.10% <75 years, 57,83% ≥ 75 years). Most of them were married and they lived accompanied (67,27%). Delirium was diagnosed in 20% of the consultations. A multivariate analysis was developed with the presence of delirium as the independent variable. The nature of the underlying pathology, the presence of a previous mental disorder, functionality using the Barthel and Lawton Brody Indexes and the prescribed pharmacological treatments were used as dependent variables. Cohen’s kappa statistics were used to estimate the agreement between delirium diagnose made by psychiatrists and the diagnoses considered by the referring doctors. Low agreement was found for the presence of delirium (Kappa= 0,2341). We also explored the relationship between the presence of delirium and the mean length of stay, as well as the discharge destination of these patients.Conclusions:There are still many difficulties in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with delirium. Better knowledge of the factors associated with its appearance would improve the management of these patients.

‘Occupying’ the womb: Disrupted kinship futures and sovereign logics in sexual violence during wars

This article seeks to ethnographically highlight the multiple uses of gene/alogy (as explored by Franklin and McKinnon in the 2000s) in the context of the Bangladesh war of 1971, and hence maps out the range of violence and ambivalences at the heart of kinship. It aims to do so by exploring the process through which disrupted kinship futures are seen as a cornerstone for discourses of war and sovereign practices to justify sexual violence during wars. The formation of Bangladesh in 1971 coincided with the rape of 200,000 (contested and official numbers) Bengali women perpetrated by the Pakistani army and its local collaborators. The article explores the occupation of the womb, that is, the connotation of genetic or ethnic fixing through sexual violence by the Pakistani army, which is apparently an attempt to disrupt the kinship futures of East Pakistan (that later became independent Bangladesh). The sovereign logic of disrupting kinship futures of those that one feels the need to attack, weaken and annihilate (in this case East Pakistanis) is, however, based on a process of naturalisation of inequalities drawn from historical and racialised accounts. The article argues that the sovereign belief in being able to genetically and behaviourally ‘fix’ East Pakistanis through wartime sexual violence, and to instil fear, is possible through the sovereign inhabitation of the inhumanity of sexual violence. Therein lies the vulnerability of sovereign power, the paradox of kinship and its processes of inclusions and ruptures in the future. In seeking to develop a wider theoretical contribution about kinship as the cornerstone of statecraft and wars, the article also seeks to show how military rape alters the grounds of the nation itself, the experiences and imaginations over a period of half a century, and instils various forms of ambiguities about the history of wartime sexual violence.

Discrimination early Alzheimer’s disease from mild cognitive impairment by using Easy Z‐score Imaging System for ECD SPECT

AbstractBackgroundProdromal AD progresses to dementia at a higher annual rate. Since cholinesterase inhibitor benefits early AD patients, discrimination between MCI due to AD and non‐MCI due to AD remains important.MethodWe conducted a retrospective study of MCI cases at National Cheng Kung University Hospital (NCKUH) from 2017 to 2019. Those who showed hypometabolism at posterior cingulate cortex, precuneus, or posterior parietal cortex on brain ECD SPECT and EZIS severity greater than 1.19 were categorized as MCI due to AD; in contrast, patients with EZIS severity lesser than 1.19 were categorized as non‐MCI due to AD. Clinical outcomes included deterioration of CASI, MMSE, SB scores and conversion from MCI to dementia.ResultThere was positive correlation between EZIS severity and deterioration of CASI, MMSE, SB according to multiple regression results, indicating EZIS severity could predict cognitive progression in three years follow‐up. There was no difference in dementia conversion rate between two groups either by chi‐square method or Kaplan‐Meier method, and EZIS severity was not a significant variable in binary logistic regression analysis for conversion. However, there was a trend toward greater dementia conversion rate in the EZIS‐favored MCI due to AD group, and in the second half period of follow‐up as seen on Kaplan‐Meier curves.ConclusionDuring three years of follow‐up, MCI patients with greater EZIS severity were significantly associated with worse cognitive assessment scores, and there was a trend toward greater dementia conversion rate based on cutoff value 1.19 of EZIS severity.

Hydroelastic response of Froude scaled stiffened steel panels exposed to design-critical wave slamming

Stiffened steel panels of offshore ocean structures may experience violent wave impacts which needs to be accounted for in design. The slamming pressures are often measured in scaled wave tank tests and imposed on finite element models to obtain local structural responses. These responses are sometimes high, which has raised the question if hydroelastic effects are properly accounted for. One way to address the uncertainty of hydroelasticity, is to carry out hydroelastic model tests and compare measurements statistically with FEA calculations. This paper presents the hydroelastic model tests required for this type of comparison. Approximate elastic panels representing Froude scaled stiffened steel panels were 3D printed, validated, and then installed in a vertical column in a wave tank. The elastic panels were exposed to design critical wave slamming during irregular wave conditions relevant for the North Atlantic. Two different elastic panels were tested, one strong and one weak panel. The hydroelastic response of the elastic panels are reported in detail and shows that the panel responds with a limited set of frequencies. In most cases the strain time series of the stiffeners and girders obtain its maximum value during the first half period of vibration. Furthermore, the vibration of the panels generally show strong decay after the time of maximum strain. The extreme strains fit reasonably well with the Gumbel distribution. Furthermore, the variability of the extreme strains, measured as the coefficient of variation (COV), is comparable to the variability of slamming pressures from literature, for the strong elastic panel, but is found to be reduced significantly for the weak elastic panel.

To the problem of significance of the parameter «peak height velocity» in puberty as the biomarker of chronobiological status of the population in growth studies

Introduction. The significance of peak height velocity (PHV) in screening studies of children and adolescents as the biomarker of the chronobiological status of the population is in the focus of the study. Material and methods. The analysis embraces a significant specter of samples (N=37, literary data), including different ethnoterritorial groups of Russia and former USSR, examined through the vast historical period of second half of XX century – beginning of the XXI century. The analysis of interpopulation variability of the parameter of peak height velocity of growth changes of the average level of height through the adolescence is under discussion – its absolute value (MPHV, cm) and chronological age (APHV, years); intragroup sexual differences of these characteristics are under consideration as well. Results. Dynamic curves of height increase for urban samples from USSR territory, both native populations and Russian, have dome-shaped form, monotonous height increase/gain velocities up to the peak, slump further on. Traditional Mongolian groups and rural Abkhazian show the dynamic curve with descending wavy form. Histograms of intergroup distribution of the parameter APHV both for boys and girls differ from normal Gaussian distribution and gravitate towards double-peak form. Population values of APHV for boys are two and a half years later as compared to girls; MPHV is a more solid parameter, sex differences here are 0.41 cm with boys’ advantage. Factor analysis revealed definite autonomy of the process of pubertal spurt for male and female adolescents: the first factor describes growth activity of boys, the second — of girls (35% and 30% of the total variability of parameters correspondingly). Conclusion. The results allowed to conclude, that the variability of the parameter points to the significant social/anthropogenic base of chronobiological status of the population and independent growth strategies of male and female sexes, which suggests to interpret PHV as the valid and perspective biomarker in population growth studies. @ 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Undecorated Tomb No. 18 at Beni Hassan and the Succession of Its Ruling Family


 
 
 The uninscribed and unfinished tomb No. 18 at Beni Hassan represents a key to understanding the architectural development of the tombs in this site as well as to the study of the succession of members of the nomarchic family of the 16th Upper Egyptian province. The location, approach, and design of the chapel, as well as the number and type of architraves and columns place the tomb immediately after the neighbouring one, No. 17, of Khety I, and make it likely that it belonged to the latter’s son, Khety II. It is argued that following the successive deaths of Khety I and Khety II, probably due to the bellicose conditions at the time, Khnumhotep I of tomb No. 14, a likely son or descendant of Baqet III of tomb No. 15, became a governor and cut his tomb adjacent to that of the latter. The architectural and artistic similarities between the two tombs are striking. An examination of the skeletal remains of Baqet II, Khety I, and probably Khety II, shows evidence of a possible involvement in wars and indicates that they died at young age. The representation of specific individuals and certain themes in a number of tombs at Beni Hassan suggests that these tombs belonged to members of the same family and that all date to a relatively short period in the second half of the Eleventh Dynasty and the first half of the Twelfth.
 
 

The Initial Upper Paleolithic of the Altai: New radiocarbon determinations for the Kara-Bom site

The Initial Upper Paleolithic (IUP) is one of the most important phases in the recent period of the evolution of humans. During a narrow period in the first half of Marine Isotope Stage 3 laminar industries, accompanied by developed symbolism and specific blade technology, emerged over a vast area, replacing different variants of the Middle Paleolithic. In western Eurasia, the earliest appearance of IUP technology is seen at the Boker Tachtit site, dated ca. 50 ka cal BP. The earliest evidence of IUP industries in the Balkans and Central Europe, linked to the spread of Homo sapiens, has been dated to around 48 ka cal BP. A key area of IUP dispersals are the mountains and piedmont of southern Siberia and eastern Central Asia. One of the reference assemblages here is Kara-Bom, an open-air site in the Siberian Altai. Three major settlement phases are distinguished in the sediment sequence. In this paper, we present the results of new radiocarbon determinations and Bayesian models. We find that the latest phase of the IUP, Upper Paleolithic 1 (‘UP1’) is bracketed between 43 and 35 ka cal BP (at 95.4% probability). The earliest IUP phase, ‘UP2’, begins to accumulate from ca. 49 ka cal BP and ends by ca. 45 ka cal BP. The Middle Paleolithic ‘MP2’ assemblages all fall prior to 50 ka cal BP. We can detect a spatial distribution of dates from the geographic core of the IUP beyond the Altai where it appears around 47–45 ka cal BP. The current distribution of dates suggests a west–east dispersal of the IUP technocomplex along the mountain belts of Central Asia and South Siberia.

Effects of piezoelectric synthetic jet actuator parameters on synthetic jet formation process and actuator performance

Aiming at the problem that the non-linearity between the piezoelectric vibrator deflection and the excitation amplitude of the piezoelectric synthetic jet actuator (SJA) causes it difficult to obtain the variation laws of the synthetic jet (SJ) velocity accurately, a theoretical model of the whole flow field of the piezoelectric SJA is established and four important parameters (half period jet mean velocity, Reynolds number, effective jet length and energy) for evaluating the performance of the SJ are proposed. Then a two-dimensional axisymmetric numerical simulation is carried out with k-ω turbulence model to study the SJ formation process and the velocity characteristics of the SJ at the orifice. The results show that the fluid pressure in the cavity is the main reason causing the non-linearity between the piezoelectric vibrator deflection and the excitation amplitude, the influence of which decreases with the increase of the orifice diameter. The SJ velocity increases first and then decreases slowly with the increase of excitation frequency. The extreme point occurs at the first resonant frequency of the piezoelectric vibrator and the position of the maximum velocity occurs at 0.5 mm outside the orifice. Other conditions being constant, both the piezoelectric vibrator deflection and jet velocity have a maximum value when the radius ratio of the piezoelectric layer to the elastic layer is 0.75. Smaller piezoelectric layer thickness leads to larger lateral displacement of the piezoelectric vibrator, and the optimum thickness ratio is 0.25. The results of this study have important guiding significance for accurately obtaining the variation laws of the SJ velocity as well as rationally designing the piezoelectric SJA.

CYTOTOXIC AND GENOTOXIC EFFECTS OF UV IRRADIATION ON ROOT MERISTEM CELLS OF ALLIUM CEPA L

The widespread use of ultraviolet radiation as a disinfectant necessitates an investigation into its possible harmful effects in living organisms. In the present study the effect of exposure to UVC radiation was studied using the Allium cepa assay. To determine the effect of UVC radiation, roots of four sets of A. cepa bulbs were irradiated with 254 nm UV radiation for durations of half, one, two and four hours, respectively. The cytotoxicity of UVC radiation was assessed by comparing the mitotic index of root meristem cells of exposed roots and unirradiated roots (control). Frequency of chromosomal aberrations in the dividing cells of the root meristem was taken as a measure of the genotoxicity of UVC radiation. The roots subjected to UVC exposure showed several types of chromosomal aberrations including sticky chromosomes, c-metaphase, vagrant chromosomes, irregular anaphase, multipolar anaphase, chromosomal bridges and laggards. The study clearly shows that exposure to UVC radiation for even a brief period of half an hour is cytotoxic and genotoxic.

Exploring the equilibrium and dynamic phase transition properties of the Ising ferromagnet on a decorated triangular lattice.

We study the equilibrium and dynamic phase transition properties of a two-dimensional Ising model on a decorated triangular lattice under the influence of a time-dependent magnetic field composed of a periodic square wave part plus a time-independent bias term. Using Monte Carlo simulations with a standard Metropolis algorithm, we determine the equilibrium critical behavior in zero field. At a fixed temperature corresponding to the multidroplet regime, we locate the relaxation time and the dynamic critical half period at which a dynamic phase transition takes place between ferromagnetic and paramagnetic states. Benefiting from finite-size scaling theory, we estimate the dynamic critical exponent ratios for the dynamic order parameter and its scaled variance, respectively. The response function of the average energy is found to follow a logarithmic scaling as a function of lattice size. At the critical half period and in the vicinity of a small bias field regime, the average of the dynamic order parameter obeys a scaling relation with a dynamic scaling exponent which is very close to the equilibrium critical isotherm value. Finally, in the slow critical dynamics regime, investigation of metamagnetic fluctuations in the presence of bias field reveals a symmetric double-peak behavior for the scaled variance contours of the dynamic order parameter and average energy. Our results strongly resemble those previously reported for kinetic Ising models.

Solar eclipses observed worldwide in the first half of the 15th century and ΔT determined from multiply observed eclipses

Abstract The main purpose of the present paper is to list all the solar eclipses which took place in the first half of the 15th century, to list all the available records of observation of these eclipses, and, by using the multiply observed or contemporaneously observed solar eclipses, to determine ΔT for a few periods of the first half of the 15th century. We make the table using solar eclipse records from East Asia (China, Korea, and Japan), India, West Asia, and Europe, though the table is not perfect because the compilation of records is not complete in some of the relevant areas. We evaluate the reliability of the Chinese records of solar eclipses. The Chinese official history book, the Mingshi, records visible eclipses, while it does not record invisible eclipses. A simple analysis shows that the reliability of the book is $97\%$. The marginally observable eclipses in China are useful for us to determine ΔT. We briefly consider the Māori eclipse observed in 1409. We extract the multiply observed eclipses and check whether these are useful for determining the value of ΔT. Finally, with newly added records of solar eclipses, we re-determine the value range of ΔT during the years 1431–1433 (see Tanikawa et al. 2019, in Proc. 5th Symposium on Historical Astronomical Records and Modern Science), and add a new ΔT in the year 1445.

Modulation and hysteresis in vortex-induced vibration of a spring-mounted cylinder in a slowly varying oscillatory stream

The response of a spring-mounted circular cylinder constrained to vibrate with a single degree of freedom transverse to an oscillating stream is investigated using two-dimensional flow simulations. The Keulegan–Carpenter number was set at large values with the ratio of the oscillatory flow frequency fo to the natural frequency of the cylinder fn assuming values of fo/fn=0.01, 0.02, and 0.04, so as to investigate the effect of very-slowly-varying reduced velocity on the transient response. A maximum reduced velocity of 5, corresponding to a maximum Reynolds number of 150, was employed in all cases. Under these conditions, the cylinder underwent intermittent vortex-induced vibration (VIV) with amplitude modulations at the period of the oscillatory flow. Maximum VIV amplitudes of approximately half diameter occurred near the end of the flow acceleration stage. Pronounced hysteresis was observed in the plots of the ensemble-averaged amplitude and frequency, both being greater during the deceleration stage than during the acceleration stage at the same instantaneous reduced velocity over a significant part of the flow half period. The hysteresis was found to be related to ‘transient’ operating points that, in the space of normalized amplitude and frequency, join smoothly the distinct branches of steady-VIV where operating points do not exist (for the same system with varying the reduced velocity). The main deterministic VIV features were similar at all three frequency ratios examined but the stochastic features became more pronounced as fo/fn was increased. We also found that the cylinder motion and the driving fluid force sometimes were not synchronized around the point of maximum flow velocity, although this point corresponds to well within the synchronization range in steady-VIV.

Вещественный комплекс периода развитой бронзы из поселения ирменской культуры Милованово-3

In this article, based on the materials of the settlement of the Irmen culture of the late Bronze Age Milovanovo-3, a small material complex of the developed bronze period of the 1st half of the 2nd millennium BC, including fragments of ceramics and part of a stone product, presumably a vessel, is identified. The purpose of this work is to confirm the identification of a complex of finds from the developed Bronze Age with reference to similar material sources in the archaeological cultures of Western Siberia and Central Asia, namely the sites of the Chemurchek type of China and Mongolia, as well as local cultures — Elunininskaya Samusskaya, Krotovskaya. The article draws attention to a rare find on the territory of the Novosibirsk region — a fragment of a stone vessel, which is the second largest in the region. Based on this find, analogies of which were found in Mongolia, neighboring Altai, Tuva, and on the basis of the ornament of another similar vessel from Krokhalevka-1, even in France, an assumption is made about the existence of cultural ties between the cultures of the southern area and their northern neighbors by finding two stone vessels.All these arguments make it possible to speak of the existence of sustain cultural ties between the between the cultures of the southern area and their northern neighbors.

Studying the Tonkean macaques of Strasbourg, a tale full of sound and fury.

In this paper, I chronicle the Strasbourg population of Tonkean macaques (Macaca tonkeana) over a period of half a century. In 1972, Tonkean macaques were imported from Sulawesi, Indonesia, to eastern France, leading to the establishment of two social groups in the Strasbourg region several years later. Our research team studied the social behavior and cognitive abilities of these Tonkean macaques for four decades. The species is characterized by a high degree of social tolerance. This has proven to be very informative in comparative studies of macaque social behavior, opening a new perspective on the evolution of primate societies. Over the years, the population has grown, and more social groups have been formed. However, the fact that some of the Tonkean macaques were healthy carriers of the herpes B virus led to disagreements over their management and eventually to the elimination of the positive individuals. Many individuals from the Strasbourg population are now kept in sanctuaries, and the number of captive breeding groups is limited. We still have much to learn about Tonkean macaques and there is a need for studies carried out in their native habitat in Sulawesi.

Multimodal piezoelectric energy harvesting on a thin plate integrated with SSHI circuit: an analytical and experimental study

Multimodal piezoelectric energy harvesting can be achieved by integrating piezo-patch harvesters into plate-like structures available in marine, aerospace, and automotive applications. A synchronized switch harvesting on inductor (SSHI) interface as the harvesting circuit has been well studied for cantilever beams, considering the single vibration mode of the structure. However, integrating a two-dimensional electromechanical structure with a SSHI circuit for multimodal energy harvesting is missing in the literature. This paper evaluates the performance of the SSHI interface integrated with a piezoelectric energy harvester (PEH) on a plate-like host structure. The analytical solution is developed based on an equivalent impedance approach to predict the steady-state electrical response of the harvester as a closed-form solution. The experiments are conducted to validate the analytical solution for the system’s first and second vibration modes. The experimental results reveal that integration of SSHI to a plate-like harvester introduces a multi-switching behavior rather than a standard single-switching behavior. Due to the multimodal vibrational characteristics of the plate, the circuit switch is triggered several times at each half period of the vibration, which increases the energy dissipation of the circuit and thus reduces the output voltage. On the other hand, single switching at each half period of the vibration happens for lower piezoelectric voltage levels. This is the desired behavior of the SSHI circuit where the analytical prediction matches with the experimental data. Finally, the energy harvesting performance of the SSHI circuit is compared against the standard rectifier, showing 183% and 134% power output enhancement for the first and second vibration modes, respectively.

Constraining an Einstein-Maxwell-dilaton-axion black hole at the Galactic Center with the orbit of the S2 star

We derive new constraints on the dilaton parameter appearing in the spherically-symmetric black hole solution of Einstein-Maxwell-dilaton-axion gravity, by studying the geodesic motion of the S2 star in the Galactic Center. Einstein-Maxwell-dilaton-axion black holes represent a compelling alternative to the standard black hole paradigm in General Relativity. This theory emerges from the low energy effective action of the heterotic string theory and has been proven to predict peculiar observational features from the direct imaging of black hole shadows. At a fundamental level, Einstein-Maxwell-dilaton-axion includes additional electromagnetic, dilatonic and axionic fields coupled to the space-time metric. When considering charged non-rotating black hole solutions, the additional fields endow the metric with one extra parameter b, called dilaton parameter, that is theoretically bound to 0 < b < M. Using publicly available astrometric data for S2 we derive an upper bound on b ≲ 12M at 95% confidence level and we demonstrate that only including the measurement of the relativistic orbital precession for S2 is sufficient to reduce this bound to b ≲ 1.4M at the same confidence level. Additionally, using a mock data mimicking future observations of S2 with the GRAVITY interferometer, we show that improved astrometric precision can help further narrow down the allowed dilaton parameter range to b ≲ 0.033M after monitoring the S2 orbit for one and a half period.

FUNCTIONAL USE OF THE AREA OF PRAGUE CASTLE WITH EMPHASIS ON THE NORMALIZATION PERIOD

This paper deals with individual typological types and units in the Prague Castle area. It also focuses on the urban and historical development, as it is significantly influenced by the situation in the period under study. It focuses more closely on the period of the second half of the 20th century, and especially the period of normalization - the 1970s and 1980s. Prague Castle was and still is the seat of the monarch, or today the President of the Czech Republic. The historical context has had a considerable influence on the shape of the Castle (the succession of ruling personalities from different dynasties, the transformation from the position of the seat of the Habsburg monarchy and therefore the most important center in Central Europe to the position of the summer residence of the ruling family, etc.). Also unprecedented is the concentration of the main buildings of secular and ecclesiastical power in one area. The castle is a huge complex, combining morphological assumptions with the result of the work of a huge number of people. A number of foreign artists worked here, reaching world-class standards and both understanding and supporting the local genius loci. There are also many contrasts - political and constructional. For example, the imprints of monarchy and republic, church and secular power, ancient and modernist architecture, contrasts between the smallest buildings of houses and the largest palaces. On the basis of archival research and the study of expert literature, the reader is introduced to the progressive changes in the layout of the Castle complex and the associated changes in the functional use of the buildings and spaces in the aforementioned complex.