Major Changes Research Articles

Study of synchronous RF pulsing in dual frequency capacitively coupled plasma

Low-pressure multi-frequency capacitively coupled plasmas (CCPs) are used for numerous etch and deposition applications in the semiconductor industry. Pulsing of the radio-frequency (RF) sources enables control of neutral and charged species in the plasma on a millisecond timescale. The synchronous (i.e. simultaneous, in-phase) pulsing of both power sources in a dual frequency CCP is examined in this article. Due to the low gas pressure, modeling has been done using the electrostatic particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision method. The objective of this work is to investigate the sensitivity of the plasma properties to small changes in timing during synchronous pulsing of the two RF sources. It is demonstrated that small deviations in the on and off times of the two RF sources can lead to major changes in the plasma characteristics. This high sensitivity is of concern for process repeatability but can be utilized to enable better control of the dynamics of plasma-surface interaction. In the simulations, the pulsing parameters (on and off times and ramp rates) are varied and the temporal evolution of plasma characteristics such as electron density (ne ), species current at the electrode, and electron temperature are examined. It is demonstrated that if the low-frequency (LF) source is turned off a few μs before (or after) the high-frequency source, ne during the off-state is significantly higher (or lower) due to the frequency coupling effect. Similarly, turning on the LF source with a small delay results in a sharp increase in the plasma density when the RF sources are turned on.

Exploring the use of emotional sentiment to understanding market response to unexpected corporate pivots

This article studies the influence of social media sentiment on stock prices, focusing on significant shifts by Eastman Kodak. Utilising a unique emotion-based lexicon, the research indicates that social media sentiment immediately reflects stock market responses to major corporate changes. The sentiment techniques used align with the timeline of Kodak’s announcements. Excitement was found to have the greatest impact on Kodak’s prices. However, emotions like anxiety, panic, and revulsion indicated a notable negative social media reaction. The study cautions against the potential volatility in the market when many investors react to the same dubious information. These findings emphasise the significance of adhering to legal and regulatory standards in corporate governance and advocate for transparency and accountability in policy-making for a more reliable financial system.

Design validation of the CMS Phase-2 Triple-GEM detectors

The High-Luminosity LHC will deliverproton-proton collisions at 5.0–7.5 times the nominal LHC luminosity, with anexpected number of 140–200 pp-interactions per bunch crossing. To maintain the performance of muon triggering and reconstruction underhigh background, the forward part of the Muon spectrometer of the CMSexperiment will be upgraded with Gas Electron Multipliers (GEM) and improvedResistive Plate Chambers detectors. Particularly challenging isthe extension of the pseudorapidity of the muon system up to |η| < 2.8with a 6-layer station, named ME0, that will be installed behind the newhigh granularity calorimeter and that will see particle rates up to150 kHz/cm2 and integrate a dose of 250 krad by the end of the High Luminosity phase of the LHC.In this contribution we will present the major design changes of the Triple-GEMdetectors to adapt them for the harsh radiation environment and the highparticle rate. We shall summarize the performance of prototype Triple-GEMdetectors measured with X-rays and gamma at theCERN GIF++ irradiation facility.

Analysis adapted from text mining quantitively reveals abrupt and gradual plant-community transitions after fire in sagebrush steppe

ContextPlant communities vary both abruptly and gradually over time but differentiating between types of change can be difficult with existing classification and ordination methods. Structural topic modeling (STRUTMO), a text mining analysis, offers a flexible methodology for analyzing both types of temporal trends.ObjectivesOur objectives were to (1) identify post-fire dominant sagebrush steppe plant association types and ask how they vary with time at a landscape (multi-fire) scale and (2) ask how often major association changes are apparent at the plot-level scale.MethodsWe used STRUTMO and plant species cover collected between 2002–2022 across six large burn areas (1941 plots) in the Great Basin, USA to characterize landscape change in dominant plant association up to 14 years post-fire. In a case study, we assessed frequency of large annual changes (≥ 10% increase in one association and decrease in another) between associations at the plot-level scale.ResultsSTRUTMO revealed 10 association types dominated by either perennial bunchgrasses, mixed perennial or annual grasses and forbs, or exotic annual grasses. Across all study fires, associations dominated by large-statured perennial bunchgrasses increased then stabilized, replacing the Sandberg bluegrass (Poa secunda)-dominated association. The cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum)-dominant association decreased and then increased. At the plot-level, bidirectional changes among associations occurred in ~ 75% of observations, and transitions from annual invaded to perennial associations were more common than the reverse.ConclusionsThe analysis revealed that associations dominated by some species (i.e. crested wheatgrass, Agropyron cristatum, Siberian wheatgrass, Agropyron fridgida, or medusahead, Taeniatherum caput-medusae) were more stable than associations dominated by others (i.e. Sandberg bluegrass or cheatgrass). Strong threshold-like transitions were not observed at the multi-fire scale, despite frequent ephemeral plot-level changes.

Analyzing land use land cover (LULC) changes induced by the run-of river project and respondent survey: a case of Ghazi Barotha Hydropower Project on Indus River, Pakistan

Land use land cover (LULC) change determination caused by development projects is always mandatory as land is the major source of local livelihoods and regional economy. Worldwide, very limited studies have been conducted to determine LULC changes caused by run-of-the-river projects, which are generally considered safe due to their design. Present study used Google Earth Engine (GEE) to examine the LULC changes caused by Ghazi Barotha Hydropower Project (GBHP), which is a run-of-the-river project, built in 2002 on Indus River in Pakistan. The project diverts river water from Ghazi barrage, for a 6,600 GWh annual power production, through an open concrete power channel of 100 m width and 9 m depth. Field surveys were carried out to assess respondents’ opinions about LULC changes and their major causes. LULC determination was carried out from 1990–2020 through processing Landsat images in GEE, and Random Forest (RF) machine learning technique was used for supervised classification of the study area. 384 respondents were consulted during the field survey and their responses were collected using semi-structured self-administered proformas. Results showed that after functioning, GBHP caused major LULC changes in project downstream areas from 2002–2010, as there was a significant decrease in area under agriculture by 29.10% and 47%, during summer and winter seasons respectively. The trend was concurrent with a decrease in area under water and was also followed by a marked increase in area under vegetation and baresoil. However, from 2010–2020, agriculture area again increased by 75.61% and 84.53% in summer and winter seasons respectively, as compared to 2002–2010. Respondents during the field survey revealed that agriculture reduction from 2002–2010 was due to water scarcity caused by GBHP; also leading to vegetation and baresoil increase. Recovery of agriculture from 2010–2020 was attributed to groundwater development intervention, better seeds, and farmers’ capacity building.

Gene co-expression patterns in Atlantic salmon adipose tissue provide a molecular link among seasonal changes, energy balance and age at maturity.

Sexual maturation in many fishes requires a major physiological change that involves a rapid transition between energy storage and usage. In Atlantic salmon, this transition for the initiation of maturation is tightly controlled by seasonality and requires a high-energy status. Lipid metabolism is at the heart of this transition since lipids are the main energy storing molecules. The balance between lipogenesis (lipid accumulation) and lipolysis (lipid use) determines energy status transitions. A genomic region containing a transcription co-factor of the Hippo pathway, vgll3, is the main determinant of maturation timing in Atlantic salmon. Interestingly, vgll3 acts as an inhibitor of adipogenesis in mice and its genotypes are potentially associated with seasonal heterochrony in lipid storage and usage in juvenile Atlantic salmon. Here, we explored changes in expression of more than 300 genes directly involved in the processes of adipogenesis, lipogenesis and lipolysis, as well as the Hippo pathway in the adipose tissue of immature and mature Atlantic salmon with distinct vgll3 genotypes. We found molecular evidence consistent with a scenario in which immature males with different vgll3 genotypes exhibit contrasting seasonal dynamics in their lipid profiles. We also identified components of the Hippo signalling pathway as potential major drivers of vgll3 genotype-specific differences in adipose tissue gene expression. This study demonstrates the importance of adipose gene expression patterns for directly linking environmental changes with energy balance and age at maturity through genetic factors bridging lipid metabolism, seasonality and sexual maturation.

Philosophy and the challenges of the digital age

This paper aims at showing the challenges that philosophy faces within the digital age and where it is located. The paper also attempted to show the role of the philosopher. In order to achieve these objectives, the following questioned have been asked: What is the position of philosophy within the digital societies and what challenges and solutions does it show? How does the philosophical, critical mind establish itself again within the takeover of digital age? And how do we establish for a philosophical thought that can get on with the issues of the digital age? The researcher used the analytical descriptive methodology. The study arrived at a range of results: Digitalization, these days, has led to a major change in the world. It also makes up the future. Today, the philosopher should be engaged in the world controlled by digitalization, which is regarded a new challenge for philosophy. The philosopher should also set his role and vision for the various up-to-date inquiries. Philosophy should restate itself regarding its major role as a tool for spreading intellectuality and critical thought. One of the challenges that philosophy faces within the digital age is the philosophical language used as a language of communication and speech. Philosophy should solve the society's problems related to digitalization. Philosophy does not only examine the current issues, but it is also a way of thinking of what should be.

The effects of free trade agreements on the stock market: Evidence from Vietnam.

This study examines the effects of news events related to the European Union-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) on the Vietnam stock market from 2010 to 2020. We calculate sectoral abnormal returns prior to, during, and after announcements and find that the Vietnamese stock market is susceptible to these events. We discovered that the announcement had a negative impact on the market, which might diminish the effectiveness of the Agreement. The findings show that more than half of Vietnam's sectors had an immediate reaction to EVFTA announcements, with fourteen reacting negatively and six responding positively. Two of the ten events did not have any immediate impact on these industries but all events resulted in either early or delayed reactions. We also find market scepticism and major changes in the deal led to the emergence of a diamond risk structure. We run multiple robustness tests to account for market integration and other factors that may affect stock returns. In addition, we explore potential sectoral systematic risk changes following these occurrences using different ARCH-type models. These additional tests confirm the robustness of our findings.

Interaction of Skating Agility Tests and Postural Stability in Hockey Players

Study purpose. In this work, we point out the interaction of complex postural stability (CPS) and skating agility tests among pupils in the hockey club HK Nové Zámky. We determined postural stability using the SEBT and agility with skating tests. We expected a significant interaction between performance in skating agility tests and CPS for both standing legs, which was most closely identified with the eight-item SEBT test. Materials and methods. The level of CPS was characterized by descriptive statistics. Laterality between right and left standing leg was assessed by t-test and Cohen’s “d”. The relationships between CPS and skating agility tests were determined by Pearson’s correlation coefficient “r”. Predictors were selected by stepwise regression. Statistical significance of differences and relationships was assessed at the 5% significance level. Results. The results showed no differences in the laterality of the CPS between the right and left standing leg. Correlation analysis demonstrated the interactions of the left and right standing leg with all skating agility tests. Stepwise regression was used to select the tests that were most identified with the performance on the eight-item SEBT test in terms of their skating expression. The Illinois test has the most significant informational power for CPS. Conclusions. The presence of positive interactions between skating agility and CPS in hockey players point to the importance of a balanced and stable stance of both legs in all directions. The perfect balance and stability of hockey players eliminates the fluctuations caused by skating movement in all directions and facilitates their execution without major changes in dynamic performance. The chance of shortening the activation time of the muscle chains involved in the technique of performing the test also increases significantly, or in the very structure of technique – the economics of ice hockey players’ skating.

The Effects of Freezing on the Nutritional Composition of Fish

The degradation of fish in the storage condition of the freezer is influenced by several factors which include the fishing species, the rate at which the fish is frozen, the temperature at which it is stored, the duration of storage, the type of freezing applied, and enzymatic processes. The freezing and frozen storage lead to macro- and microscale changes of fish muscles, with major changes being lipid oxidation inducing rancidity, protein denaturation and aggregation causing toughness, red color fading and freezer burn. The process of freezing involves transforming water to ice which in turn results into an increase in the concentration of dissolved substances, adjusting the acid-base balance. It can lead to pH changes of up to 1 unit, often towards acidity and in some cases up to 10 units due to salt and other compounds precipitation. The described changes permanently alter the properties of the physical-chemical nature of frozen fish including the convenience and storage conditions of the food, thereby directing attention to the necessity of new approaches in technologies. Keywords: Frozen storage, fish degradation, nutritional composition, enzymatic processes, freezing effects.

Valorisation Process Using Lactic Acid Bacteria Fermentation Induces Significant Changes in the Physical and Functional Properties of Brewers Spent Yeast

Brewer’s spent yeast (BSY) is a plentiful by-product of the brewing process. Currently regarded as a waste product, this low-value material is used in animal feed formulations or disposed of. However, BSY is known to be nutritionally dense, particularly regarding high-quality proteins, fibre, vitamins, and minerals. Previous work has examined the effect of a process including fermentation with Lactobacillus amylovorus FST 2.11 on BSY and indicates a reduction in bitterness intensity and an increase in sour and fruity flavours. The current study expands on this previous work, examining the changes in composition and functionality resulting from this upcycling process. The major changes include protein degradation and a decrease in pH, leading to increased protein solubility by 41%, increased foam stability by up to 69% at pH 7, and improved emulsion stabilising characteristics as well as differences in rheological behaviour during heating. Compositional changes are also detailed, with evidence of glucan and trehalose degradation. These changes in the physical and functional properties of BSY provide useful information, particularly with regard to the incorporation of BSY into food products for human consumption.

Challenges in the reduction of infant mortality in India: have we reached a plateau

The infant mortality rate is one of the major indicators of a country’s overall health and development. From time to time, many new initiatives were launched by the government of India to bring down the IMR of the country. Many of the initiatives launched in the early phases were able to substantially reduce the IMR to 26/100 live births by 2023. However, the decline has not been uniform and the IMR seems to have reached a plateau. Beyond this it will need some major changes at the health policy level to bring the IMR to a level which is compatible with the developed countries. This article attempts to highlight the trajectory of India towards reduction of Infant mortality, the various initiatives launched from time to time and the challenges in bringing it down further from the present plateau stage.

Japan's healthcare delivery system: From its historical evolution to the challenges of a super-aged society.

Although Japan's healthcare delivery system is highly regarded internationally, the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed its structural problems. Behind these issues lies a history of medical care provisions supported mainly by an unrestricted, "free labeling" system, and independently financed private hospitals. In addition, patients have a high degree of freedom of choice under the Japanese medical insurance system, making it difficult to provide comprehensive and continuous health management from initial diagnosis and treatment (primary care), specialized treatment, to supporting a return to home, providing nursing care and lifestyle support. As Japan becomes a "super-aged" society with individuals over 65 making up over 30% of the population, the nature of medical care will have to undergo major changes. Medical care's basic function must still be the treatment and cure of patients, but the system will also have to provide support. That means conceiving of care in a way that treats a person's life with dignity and does not sacrifice life for treatment. The implementation of a family doctor function and the clarification of the functions and roles of small and medium-sized community-based hospitals that support this function, as well as the establishment of a community comprehensive care network with multidisciplinary cooperation that goes beyond medical care, should also be set forth in future regional medical care plans.

Social Change and Mutations in the Human Sciences Applied to Physical and Sporting Activities in Tunisia

This research focuses on the relationship that exists between scientific transformations in human sciences applied to physical and sporting activities during social change in Tunisia after the revolution. The main objective of our study is to identify the link between studies published in the sociology of sport in relation to the major social changes in Tunisia after the revolution. The data was collected through the analysis of research and studies published by teacher-researchers in sociology of sport at the higher institutes of sport and physical education of Tunisia in various international journals. The main results of this article show that the research carried out during this period is not directly linked to the changes that have arisen from the world of Tunisian physical education, but it aims to position it according to Western sporting social phenomena. In addition, the existence of certain studies which take into account the training process and the conceptions of learning physical education in contemporary Tunisian schools.

Social Justice in Education: Creating an Inclusive Culture at Schools Through Critical Multicultural Theory

During the 21st century, major social changes have occurred, such as technological development and the COVID-19 pandemic, along with war conflicts and economic crises, which have created refugee and migration flows. In addition, globally, by promoting social justice, efforts are made to combat any kind of discrimination and exclusion related to race, religion, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, and gender identification. School is an organization alive and open to society, affected by every social change. Within this organization, the citizens of the future are formed. Social justice in school education contributes significantly to this, as it is a process in which teachers and students actively contribute to the formation of a democratic, inclusive environment. This study presents the theoretical approaches of social justice in education, emphasizing, however, the critical multicultural theory, as it delves into finding the most effective ways to eliminate social inequalities and exclusion.

Adolescent sleep and mental health in times of COVID-19

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic caused major changes in public and private life, especially for adolescents. As a result, the mental health and sleep of many adolescents were significantly impaired, although some adolescents report also positive sleep changes. Objective The present study investigates how adolescents with positive subjective COVID-19-related sleep changes (CSC), without CSC, or with negative CSC differ in terms of their sleep parameters, resources, and mental health profiles. Methods Self-reports of 92 German adolescents (mean age 14.43 ± 1.69 years; 54% female) on mental health were collected before pandemic onset (T1; July 2019–March 2020) and during the pandemic (T2; June 2020–February 2021). Results A profile analysis indicated different profile patterns for adolescents with positive, negative, and no CSC, revealing decreased sleep onset latency, pre-sleep arousal, and stress experiences, and higher quality of life, sleep-related self-efficacy, and personal resources in adolescents with subjective positive CSC. However, no differences between T1 and T2 were found for mental health parameters, indicating that higher levels partly existed even before the pandemic. Conclusion Subjectively evaluated sleep improvements occur in conjunction with better mental health and personal resources, underscoring the need for holistic prevention. Accordingly, personal and sleep-specific resources should be strengthened in a targeted manner.

Impact of land-use change on salt marsh accretion

Salt marsh vertical accretion that keeps pace with relative sea-level rise (RSLR) promotes habitat resilience and a continuously growing carbon stock. Vertical accretion, however, hinges on various salt marsh biogeomorphic feedback loops that respond to changing sediment supply, storms events, accelerating RSLR, elevation, and vegetation density. During the latter half of the 20th century, a large proportion of watersheds on the lower coastal plain of North America experienced land cover change. Many salt marshes show slow rates of vertical accretion over that period suggesting degradation and destabilization attributed to reduced upstream sediment loads and changing proportions of mineral sediment to organic matter. Here, we investigated a potential dichotomy observed at many sites in coastal North America between previously published accretion rates of the subtidal bay bottoms and adjacent salt marshes that were exceeding and lagging behind RSLR since 1950 CE, respectively. In 12 small coastal watersheds that formed within tributary and coastal prism incised valleys, we coupled 210Pb-derived accumulation rates of fringing salt marshes and previously published data from adjacent tidal creek bay bottoms with geospatial analysis of watershed land cover change since 1959, inundation duration, and vegetation density. Accumulation rates were higher at marsh sites within tributary incised valleys with lower relief watersheds, smaller tidal ranges, shorter inundation times, higher vegetation densities, and where land cover changes were dominated by increased cleared forest area. Additionally, mass accumulation rates (MAR) accelerated at 8 of the 12 marsh sites after a Major Land Cover Change (MLCC). Despite this acceleration in MAR, only 2 marsh sites recorded average sediment accumulation rates (SAR) greater than RSLR after a MLCC, which suggests that most of the marsh sites are drowning or being converted to subtidal habitat. This may be misleading, however, because modern marsh platform elevations at all but one marsh site were above local mean sea level, so the marshes could be accommodation limited. This work supports the disconnect found in previous research suggesting that estuaries are accumulating sediment at sustainable rates while their fringing salt marshes are not, which illuminates the complexities associated with sedimentation regimes in small local watersheds and their fringing salt marshes.

Just transitions in the Australian automotive sector?

ABSTRACT The closure of the Australian passenger vehicle industry in 2017 ended an important phase in the nation’s economic history. Closure affected up to 100,000 employees working across the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and the supply chain, with the impacts concentrated in two Australian states. This paper examines both the processes and the outcomes of this closure, making use of a Just Transitions lens to assess the wider impacts of this change. It reviews the measures put in place to assist workers displaced by plant closure, while also drawing on three waves of data from a survey of retrenched workers. The paper argues the process of transition for former employees was shaped by the distinctive characteristics of Australia’s system of industrial relations and the ambition of its governments to have as many affected workers find employment as possible. This objective was prioritised over quality of employment or the emerging skill needs of industries. The paper finds that while former auto workers have been able to re-establish themselves in the labour market, the management of this major change does not meet the expectations of a Just Transition as too little attention was directed to the wider societal impacts of this transformation.

Short‐term load and spinning reserve prediction based on LSTM and ANFIS with PSO algorithm

AbstractWith the increase in population and the growth of technology, the load demand has increased and major changes in spinning reserve are unavoidable. Short‐term forecasting to hourly predict the required load and spinning reserve is of great importance. All of the power system studies in planning and operation fields are depend on short‐term hourly load forecasting. In this work, the problem of load forecasting and spinning reserve based on deep learning (DL) algorithms and traditional methods is investigated with the help of the proposed information combination system. The proposed method tries to reduce the weaknesses of the stated methods and increase the accuracy of the predicted signal. First, short‐term predicting of load and spinning reserve is performed using a combination of adaptive network‐based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) and meta‐heuristic algorithms including differential evolution (DE), genetic algorithm (GA), and particle swarm optimization (PSO). The ANFIS‐PSO is selected as the best ANFIS combination in load and spinning reserve prediction with a lower error criterion than other methods. Also, the long short‐term memory (LSTM) network can provide good accuracy for load and spinning reserve forecasting. Therefore, the combination of ANFIS‐PSO and LSTM is used to reduce the average error and error variance.

CONDITIONS OF CHANGES IN THE REGIONAL SPECIALIZATION OF ANIMAL PRODUCTION IN POLAND

Aim: The study aimed to identify regional specialization and changes in competitiveness in the field of animal production in Poland. Methods: The analysis covered statistical data of the Central Statistical Office from 2010–2021 on a national scale and in individual voivodeships. The study used a comparative analysis of animal production in regional terms. In order to determine the specialization of the region and to analyze changes in competitiveness over time, the classic method of Shift-Share Analysis (SSA) was used. Results: Major changes are taking place in Poland in the stock of farm animals and the production of animals for slaughter. In the years 2010–2021, the pig stock decreased drastically, and the stock of cattle, especially for fattening and poultry, increased. Changes in livestock stock contributed to an increase in beef cattle and poultry production and a decrease in the production of live pigs. Conclusions: There is specialization in Poland, and the concentration of production of the most important livestock species in individual voivodeships is increasing. Specialization and concentration processes allow for more effective use of farm resources and greater competitiveness of regions. However, the accelerating concentration of production may threaten the sustainable development of agriculture and negatively affect the natural environment. Therefore, further research on the impact of specialization and concentration of animal production on food security and the natural environment is recommended.