Minimum Size Research Articles

Single-species quotas drive discards by multi-species trawlers in the Celtic Seas ecoregion when their relative abundance fluctuates

Abstract Our study investigated discarding patterns by bottom otter trawlers over 17 years prior to the full implementation of the Landing Obligation. A generalized additive modelling approach was applied to at-sea sampling data to examine the most important drivers of the discards per unit effort (DPUE) of cod, whiting, hake, and haddock in the Celtic Seas ecoregion from 2002 to 2018. Many operational, environmental, regulatory, and spatio-temporal factors were tested. Fish above and below the minimum conservation reference size (MCRS) were modelled separately to compare drivers of discarding of these categories of unwanted catch. In the full time period analysis, the three most important factors in determining DPUE were geographic location, an interaction between geographic location and year, and year interacting with month. Further analysis of a subset of the time series indicated that quota availability significantly impacted the DPUE for <MCRS haddock, <MCRS whiting, and >MCRS hake, while the quota allocated for one species often significantly influenced the DPUE of other species and size classes. Quota interacting with abundance had a significant impact for all >MCRS species and <MCRS hake. This indicates that changes in relative abundance compound discarding under quota constraints. Collectively, these results empirically demonstrate that single-species quotas majorly contribute to discards in a mixed-fisheries context.

A Semi-Supervised Transformer-Based Deep Learning Framework for Automated Tooth Segmentation and Identification on Panoramic Radiographs

Automated tooth segmentation and identification on dental radiographs are crucial steps in establishing digital dental workflows. While deep learning networks have been developed for these tasks, their performance has been inferior in partially edentulous individuals. This study proposes a novel semi-supervised Transformer-based framework (SemiTNet), specifically designed to improve tooth segmentation and identification performance on panoramic radiographs, particularly in partially edentulous cases, and establish an open-source dataset to serve as a unified benchmark. A total of 16,317 panoramic radiographs (1589 labeled and 14,728 unlabeled images) were collected from various datasets to create a large-scale dataset (TSI15k). The labeled images were divided into training and test sets at a 7:1 ratio, while the unlabeled images were used for semi-supervised learning. The SemiTNet was developed using a semi-supervised learning method with a label-guided teacher–student knowledge distillation strategy, incorporating a Transformer-based architecture. The performance of SemiTNet was evaluated on the test set using the intersection over union (IoU), Dice coefficient, precision, recall, and F1 score, and compared with five state-of-the-art networks. Paired t-tests were performed to compare the evaluation metrics between SemiTNet and the other networks. SemiTNet outperformed other networks, achieving the highest accuracy for tooth segmentation and identification, while requiring minimal model size. SemiTNet’s performance was near-perfect for fully dentate individuals (all metrics over 99.69%) and excellent for partially edentulous individuals (all metrics over 93%). In edentulous cases, SemiTNet obtained statistically significantly higher tooth identification performance than all other networks. The proposed SemiTNet outperformed previous high-complexity, state-of-the-art networks, particularly in partially edentulous cases. The established open-source TSI15k dataset could serve as a unified benchmark for future studies.

Pengaruh Brand Ambassador Boy Group EXO dan Variasi Produk Terhadap Minat Beli Konsumen Produk Skincare Scarlett Whitening dengan Brand Image Sebagai Variabel Intervening

The purpose of this study was to determine whether brand ambassadors and product variations have a direct influence on buying interest, and to determine the effect of brand ambassadors and product variations on buying interest through Brand Image mediation. The research approach used is quantitative research. The type of data used in this study is primary data, namely research data obtained directly from original sources (respondents). The population in this study are all consumers who have and have not used Scarlett Whitening products. From the calculation using the formula (hair, 2020) recommends that the minimum sample size is 5 times the number of indicator items contained in the questionnaire, the indicators in this study consisting of 3 independent variables and 1 dependent variable totaled 23 indicators, so the sample size of this study was determined to be 115 respondents. The research data was processed using the smartPLS 4.0 analysis tool and the research method in this study used Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), namely an equation model with a variance-based approach or component-based structural equation modeling. The results of this study indicate that the first and third hypotheses are not supported because, Brand ambassador (X1) and Product Variety (X2) have no significant effect on Purchase Intention (Y), the second and fourth hypotheses are supported because, Brand ambassador (X1) and Product Variety (X2) have a significant effect on Brand Image (M), the fifth hypothesis is supported because, Brand Image (M) has a significant positive effect on Purchase Interest (Y), and it can be concluded that Brand ambassadors (X1) and Product Variety (X2) cannot affect Purchase Interest (Y) directly, but Brand ambassadors (X1) and Product Variety (X2) can affect Purchase Interest (Y) by going through Brand Image (M) as a mediating variable.

Prophylactic antibiotics in patients with alcohol-associated hepatitis receiving steroids: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The benefits of prophylactic antibiotics in patients with alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH) receiving steroids remain unclear. We aimed to assess the clinical impact of prophylactic antibiotics in AH patients receiving steroids. We systematically reviewed four electronic databases from inception to 30 November 2023. Pooled estimates were analysed using random-effects models. The primary outcome was 90-day survival. Secondary outcomes included infection at days 30 and 90 days, hepatorenal syndrome (HRS), acute kidney injury (AKI), hepatic encephalopathy (HE) and drug-related adverse events (AE). Trial sequential analyses were performed for the primary outcome of 90-day mortality. We screened 419 articles and included six eligible studies (four RCTs and two matched cohort studies) with a total of 510 patients. Compared to standard medical treatment (SMT), prophylactic antibiotics were associated with a lower risk of infection at 30 days (OR: 0.35, 95%CI: 0.20-0.59, I 2 = 0%), infection at 90 days (OR: 0.26, 95%CI: 0.10-0.67, I 2 = 0%) and a lower rate of HE (OR: 0.32, 95%CI: 0.12-0.87, I 2 = 0%). However, prophylactic antibiotics did not improve 90-day survival, sepsis-related mortality, HRS, or AKI. The risks of drug-related AE and fungal infections were similar in patients with AH who received prophylactic antibiotics or SMT. Using trial sequential analysis, the minimum sample size required to detect a 15% relative risk reduction in 90 days mortality with prophylactic antibiotics was 1171. In hospitalized AH patients receiving steroid therapy, prophylactic antibiotics reduced the risk of infection and HE, but did not improve survival or prevent AKI compared to SMT.

Creep condition-oriented design of molybdenum alloys with La2O3 addition assisted by microstructure-based crystal plasticity modeling

Molybdenum (Mo) alloys are essential for applications requiring outstanding mechanical properties at high temperatures across various industrial sectors. Understanding and predicting the creep properties of Mo alloys is crucial for service safety and the design of new materials. This study introduces a physics-based crystallographic creep model dedicated to the characteristic hierarchical microstructure of Mo–La2O3 alloys. By sourcing most parameters from existing literature and calibrating others within recommended ranges, the model efficiently predicts creep behavior beyond its initial calibration scope. Through the integration of microstructure descriptors, we systematically explored the impact of different microstructural features on creep behavior and identified underlying mechanisms. This analysis yielded two pivotal concepts: the minimum acceptable grain size and the necessary nanoparticle number density. These metrics, readily obtainable from the model, quantify the requisite grain size and nanoparticle content to achieve the target steady-state creep rates for operational demands, thus providing essential insights for the creep condition-oriented design of Mo–La2O3 alloys. The model is also expected to be adaptable for developing other Mo alloys reinforced by second phase particles, aimed at achieving desired creep properties under specified conditions, assuming that relevant parameters are accessible through literature or lower-scale simulations.

Field evidence and indicators of rockfall fragmentation and implications for mobility

Rockfall fragmentation can play an important role in hazard studies and the design of protective measures. However, the current lack of modeling tools that incorporate rock fragmentation mechanics is a limitation to enhancing studies and design. This research investigates the fragmentation patterns of rockfalls and analyzes the resulting distribution of fragment sizes within corresponding rockfall deposits. We focus on small rock fragments, which provide insights into the dynamics of the rockfall event and can be used as input for numerical modeling. We analyzed multiple rockfall events from locations worldwide, each exhibiting different degrees of fragmentation. Using image analysis techniques, we mapped all visible blocks, determined their volumes, and measured the distances they travelled from the initial point of impact. A key finding is the identification of three indicators of fragmentation. First, in cases where fragmentation was largely absent, we observed a trend of increasing block size with distance from the impact point or source area, which aligns with previously published findings. However, for energetic rockfall events characterized by intense fragmentation, we observed that small fragments exhibited longer travel distances compared to larger fragments. This distinction allowed us to differentiate blocks primarily resulting from the disaggregation process from those primarily resulting from dynamic fragmentation, with implications for rockfall mobility. Second, although the size distribution of rockfall deposits exhibits a power-law scaling for volumes larger than a minimum size threshold corresponding to a rollover of the distribution, in some case studies a deviation from power-law scaling is observed, indicating a process of larger block comminution due to fragmentation. Third, we found that rockfalls with fragmentation experience reduced mobility, indicated by higher reach angles, and higher lateral dispersion showing a wider distribution of trajectories. We interpret these findings as being directly related to the energy-consuming nature of fragmentation, which prevents farther deposition of fragmented rock blocks.

Post-quantum identity-based traitor tracing

In the distribution of digital content, users may collude and utilize their secret keys to create pirate decoders which enable illegally users to receive the same service. As a useful countermeasure, the notion of identity-based traitor tracing (IBTT) scheme was introduced for the data owner to trace down pirates and simplify certificate management process. However, while various IBTT schemes have been proposed in the literature, all of them, as far as we know, are designed based on classical hardness assumptions, which are believed to become broken in the coming post-quantum era. To address this issue, we propose the first post-quantum IBTT scheme in this work. The new IBTT scheme is proved to be secure in the quantum security model, assuming the quantum-resistant hardness of the underlying learning with errors problem. Notably, compared with other IBTT schemes, our construction has the minimal size increasing to make the underlying encryption scheme traitor tracing.

Experimental and theoretical analysis of strain hardening behavior of friction-stir-welded Al-4.2Zn-3.1Mg aluminium alloy

The strain hardening behavior of friction stir welded AA7039 (Al-4.2Zn-3.1 Mg) alloy was explored in terms of dislocation density, crystallite size, hardening capacity, hardening exponent, and strain hardening rate. Strain hardening behavior was analyzed for base metal and friction stir welded specimens. Four different models were used to calculate the dislocation density viz., Scherrer model, uniform strain model (USM), uniform stress distribution model (USDM), and uniform strain energy distribution model (USDEM). Maximum dislocation density was obtained in base metal for all models (maximum for USM, 3.9 × 10 15 m − 2 ) with a minimum crystallite size of 15.81 nm. The low dislocation density in FSW samples is due to the higher heat input in the FSW process. Strain hardening stages were shown by Kocks–Mecking type plots. Lower strain hardening capacity was obtained for BM, i.e. 0.427 as compared to FSW samples, due to the higher dislocation density of BM. It was determined that there is an inverse relationship between the strain hardening capacity and the strain hardening exponent. Strain hardening rate was higher for BM than FSW specimens, and similar results were obtained from mathematical relations that indicate the adequacy of the results. The ultimate tensile strength was 2.5% higher than the BM at a rotational speed of 1325 rpm, 35 mm/min of welding speed and 1.65° tilt angle. The maximum strength friction stir-welded specimen showed a more ductile fracture surface than the BM because the grain boundary phase disappeared or broke up in the thermomechanical affected zone.

Virtual Social Sexual Networks and Their Impact on Family Upbringing in Palestinian Society

This study aimed to measure the extent of Palestinian youth’s use of social networks for sexual purposes, analyze the nature of sexual content exchanged on these networks, explore the motivations driving youth to use social networks for sexual purposes, assess the impact of using social networks for sexual purposes on family interaction and relationships, and examine the effect of family guidance and supervision on the use of social networks for sexual purposes. The descriptive-analytical method was used, targeting all Palestinian youth in the West Bank governorates aged between 18-29 years, totaling (915,191) according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. The minimum sample size was (384), and data were collected through an electronic questionnaire distributed on Palestinian social media, resulting in a final sample size of (619) individuals. The results showed that social sexual networks have a significant negative impact on family upbringing in the Palestinian community. The extent of use, the nature of the exchanged content, and the motivations behind using social networks for sexual purposes all have negative effects on family upbringing. The findings also indicated that respondents’ responses do not differ significantly based on gender or educational level, but they do differ between singles and married individuals, with a greater impact of social sexual networks on married individuals and a greater impact on family upbringing among singles. Based on these results, the study recommends enhancing family awareness and digital guidance, supporting mental health, developing educational content, strengthening regulations and legislation, cooperating with educational institutions, creating safe platforms for youth, and providing alternative programs for entertainment and social interaction.

Pickering emulsion of pepper essential oil stabilized by Octenyl succinic acid starch: Characterization, in vitro release and anticancer activity.

Under high humidity and high temperature conditions, the quality of pepper essential oil easily deteriorates, and the oxidation of oil restricts its application, especially for the insolubility in water. This study investigated pepper essential oil encapsulated in Pickering emulsion with octenyl succinic acid starch, which was effectively able to reduce 100 times of the release rate. The smooth surface and complete particles of the emulsion were observed and no new chemical bonds were formed. The minimum particle sizes were 2.05µm and 1.89µm, when the Pickering emulsion was set to different storage conditions at pH 5 and 0.1M NaCl, respectively. During gastrointestinal digestion, the release of essential oils was effectively delayed in the Pickering emulsion and the digestibility of the emulsion was 16.93% in 120min. Compared with untreated cells, Pickering emulsion can effectively inhibit the proliferation of MCF-7 (52.71%). All these results indicate that OSA starch stabilized pepper essential oil can effectively increase solubility, improve stability, and expand the application range. Therefore, it can provide a theoretical basis for applications of pepper essential oil, especially for the functional drug application.

Polyaniline/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites for electrochemical and solar cell applications

Polyaniline nanocomposites are synthesized via in situ chemical oxidation method by reinforcing reduced graphene oxide nanoparticles of various weight percentage. Structural, optical, thermal and electrochemical studies are performed to know the significance of introducing reduced graphene oxide into polyaniline and to analyse the importance of filler weight percentage in determining various properties of the nanocomposites. X-ray diffraction peak intensity is appeared to be maximum for nanocomposite doped with 2% filler. This composite shows minimum crystallite size and maximum photoluminescence intensity. Maximum ID/IG ratio obtained for 2% filler added nanocomposite from Raman spectroscopy studies proved that the presence of more surface defects and recombination of charge carriers are the reasons for enhanced photoluminescence. Thermal stability is found to be better for a nanocomposite with 1% reduced graphene oxide and obtained a mass retention of 60% even after heating up-to 600 °C. SEM images give various shapes of nanocomposite such as nanorods, spherical nanoparticles and button shaped nanocomposites for different filler weight percentage. Carbon to oxygen ratio is observed to be decreased as the filler percentage increased from 1% to 4% in SEM-EDAX analysis. Polymer nanocomposite with 1% reinforcement possess maximum UV and visible absorption and is found to be decreased as filler concentration increased from 1 to 4%. Electrochemical analysis is performed for polyaniline and 1% reduced graphene oxide reinforced polyaniline nanocomposite. Specific capacitance of the electrode is obtained as 212 F g−1 and 609 F/g for polyaniline and nanocomposite respectively at a scan rate of 0.01 V/S. Solar cell device performance study shows that power conversion efficiency is 5.54% for 1% reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite, 4.7% for 2% reinforced, 4.16% for 3% filler and 3.61% for 4% nanocomposite.

Starch Nanoparticles Based on Ultrasonication Pretreatment and Enzyme Posttreatment: Preparation, Optimization, and Biophysical Characterization

AbstractStarch nanoparticles (SNPs), due to their minimum particle size and maximum surface to volume ratio do not have starch limitations such as low solubility and digestibility. SNPs in colloidal form were enzymatically produced using enzyme of α‐amylase in combination toultrasinication technique to accomplished SNPs gelatinization. Results indicated that SNPs with smallest particle size (109 nm) and polydispersity index (0.560), and highest zeta potential (−32.16 mV) and antioxidant activity (30%) values was obtained using 2.10 mL enzyme and ultrasonication time of 69 s. SNPs in powder form were produced using obtained optimum conditions and a laboratory freeze dryer with chamber temperature and pressure of −70 °C and 100 Pa, for 24 h, and characterized Results indicated that the provided native starch had particle size of ranging 6 to 10 µm with zeta potential value of −4.50 mV, prepared SNPs powder had spherical shape and flat surface with mean particle size, zeta potential and specific surface area values of 105 nm, −26.7 mV and 4.70 m2 g−1, respectively. Furthermore, oil separation time for the emulsions having starch and powder of SNPs, were 43 and 297 s, respectively. While, for the sample without emulsifier (control), this time was 22 s.

Silicon photonics efficient fiber coupler based on a metastructure with minimum feature size of 150 nm

Silicon photonics efficient fiber coupler based on a metastructure with minimum feature size of 150 nm

On the Physical Consistency of an Open Quantum Region with a Classical Reservoir in Molecular Simulation

AbstractThe possibility of treating a molecular liquid in an open region at ab initio electronic resolution embedded in a classical reservoir of energy and particles, is investigated. Because of its challenging properties and its relevance in many field of current research, the system chosen as prototype of molecular liquid is water at room conditions. A numerical protocol based on the mathematical model of open particle system is applied and the results are compared with results of a full ab initio simulation of reference. The key conclusion is that one can claim the existence of a mandatory minimal size of the quantum region in which structural and electronic properties reproduce those of reference and, at the same time, the exchange of molecules with the environment takes place as expected. This work provides a proof of concept about the possibility to systematically define a physically well founded open quantum system embedded in a classical environment. In turn, the proof of concept is a key information for the design of numerically efficient algorithms for ab initio molecular dynamics simulations of open systems.

A facile synthesis of pectin/red clover extract nanoemulsions and nanofibers

The aim of this article was to generate pectin(P)/red clover extract (RCE) nanoemulsions (NEs) and nanofibers via a simple and short procedure for potential applications in women’s health. To that end, stock aqueous RCE NEs were prepared first in the absence and presence of a surfactant mixture consisting of 1/3 Span® 80/Tween® 80 with the help of an ultrasonic homogenizer using various processing times (0, 1, 5, and 10 min). Droplet sizes of RCE NEs were measured and statistically evaluated. The most significant factor was revealed to be the presence of surfactant mixture. The minimum droplet size (51 ± 1 nm) could be achieved by determining the ultrasonication time as 5 min in the presence of the surfactant mixture. Stock aqueous RCE NEs were exploited for preparing pectin-containing RCE NEs. Independent of the surfactant mixture, addition of pectin increased the droplet sizes substantially (372–458 nm and 509–728 nm in the absence and presence of the surfactant mixture). Neat pectin nanofibers had fiber diameters of 389 ± 87 nm. However, addition of the RCE NEs led to fiber with larger diameters (569 ± 134 nm and 763 ± 188 nm in the absence and presence of the surfactant mixture, respectively).

Acceptance sampling plans based on percentiles for extended generalized exponential distribution with real data application

In this paper, when the life test is truncated at a pre-determined time, new acceptance sampling plans (ASP) are developed based on percentile lifetime as a quality parameter for the extended generalized exponential distribution (EGED). An inspection of a representative sample of goods or materials from a big lot or batch is used in quality control testing under acceptance sampling plans to assess whether the lot satisfies predetermined quality requirements. For the suggested new acceptance sampling plans, the minimum sample sizes needed to emphasize the determined lifetime percentile are obtained for a given customer's risk. The sample plans' operating characteristic function values and the producer's risk are built at various quality levels for some distribution parameters. Some numerical examples are presented to show how the suggested ASP can be used. A genuine industrial data set from a top Korean automobile is fitted to the EGED relative to other competitors and the applicability of the suggested ASP is illustrated. It is found that the suggested ASP for the EGED can be applied by the researchers in production engineering fields.

Inter-individual variability in elliptical and diagonal error distributions potentially relevant to optimal motor planning in football instep kicking

The distribution of motor errors can influence optimal motor planning (where to aim). In football instep kicking, it was shown that ball landing locations exhibit the right-up-left-down elliptical distribution in right-footed kickers and vice versa. However, this was reported as a result of mixed multiple kickers; the individual-level error distribution has been unclear. Here we show substantial inter-individual variability in error shape and error direction in the 30 kicks aimed at a target (1.7 m high, 11.0 m in front) by 27 male football players. All players exhibit right-up-left-down distributions with ellipticity (minor/major radius ratio of the 95% confidence ellipse) ranging from 0.25 to 0.77 and major axis angle ranging from 13 to 67° from the horizontal axis. The mean absolute error and the area of the 95% confidence ellipse are not significantly correlated with major axis angle (ρ ≤ 0.312) and ellipticity (|r| ≤ 0.343). By simulating shots aimed at the top-right and top-left edges of a goal with these observed ranges and normalised ellipse area, we reveal a wide range of probability of shots on goal (top-right: 2.7-fold difference, top-left: 1.5-fold difference) due to inter-individual variability in error shape and direction independent of error size. Further simulation shows that, depending on the shape-direction combination, the aiming points with the same 80% probability of shots on goal change by up to 0.3 m vertically, even for the same minimal error size. We highlight the importance for football players to consider not only accuracy/precision, but also error shape and direction to optimise motor planning.

High mixing enhancement for continuous uniformity Li/Al-LDHs in lithium extraction from low grade salt lakes

The enhancement of lithium extraction from low grade salt lake through the development of advanced adsorbents has become a primary focus in current research. A new method was developed in this work for the continuous fabrication of ultra-highly uniform lithium-aluminum layered double hydroxides (H-LDHs), used as lithium adsorbents, through a high mixing reactor. These H-LDHs featured a more consistent particle size distribution, which facilitated an enhanced vibrational density. This not only significantly increased the powder content in granules but also improved lithium adsorption efficiency. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling showed that the reactor reached peak mixing efficiency with a minimal gap size of 1 mm. The analysis further indicated that a Reynolds number of 75 led to enhanced mixing effects and stronger flow dynamics. Experiments with Qarhan salt lake brine demonstrated that the H-LDHs powders reached a lithium adsorption capacity of up to 7.27 mg/g, while the volumetric adsorption capacity of these H-LDHs granules exceeded that of traditional granules by 1.179 times. Subsequent desorption and cycling experiments verified the material’s enduring lithium adsorption efficacy and structural integrity, underscoring its considerable potential for industrial use.

Two-Dimensional Ferroelectric Materials: Synthesis, Characterization and Applications

In recent years, the continuous advancements in microelectronics have driven the evolution of electronic devices towards miniaturization and integration. However, at the nanoscale level, surface and size effects become significant, imposing constraints on the use of conventional bulk ferroelectric materials in contemporary industry. As a result, in the field of materials research, two-dimensional (2D) ferroelectric materials with stable spontaneous polarization and minimal size effects have gained significant attention. These novel 2D ferroelectric materials have great potential for future nano-level ferroelectric applications, enabling high levels of device integration. To begin with, this paper divides 2D ferroelectric materials into two categories: intrinsic ferroelectrics and sliding ferroelectrics. It also discusses the features and current state of research on each of these categories. Next, typical 2D ferroelectric material preparation and characterization techniques are outlined. Additionally, 2D ferroelectric memory devices like ferroelectric diodes (FD), ferroelectric field effect transistors (FeFET), ferroelectric semiconductor field-effect transistors (FeSFET), and ferroelectric tunnel junctions (FTJ) are introduced. Finally, this review also presents expectations and potential challenges in the domain of 2D ferroelectric materials.

Effects of font size, stroke, and background on the legibility of Chinese characters in virtual reality for the elderly

To investigate the legibility of Chinese characters’ font size, text background opacity, and font stroke for the elderly in virtual reality, we recruited old and young participants to conduct experiments with VR and used eye-tracking technology to record the data of task completion time and error rate. After analysis, we concluded that the minimum recognition font size for the elderly is 30 dmm, and the best font size is 60 dmm, which is 20 and 40 dmm for young people. The font style has a significant effect on old people (p = 0.000*). Besides, for font sizes smaller than 20 dmm and bigger than 50 dmm, text with strokes and over 50% semi-transparent backgrounds can improve legibility for the elderly. With a suitable font size, the influence of font style on the elderly is not significant. These conclusions can provide a reference for the elderly-oriented Chinese font design in VR.