Abstract We present a low-frequency accelerometer calibration system based on rotation in the gravitational field. Example characterizations of three accelerometers from (0.01 to 1.5) Hz with an uncertainty analysis demonstrate k = 2 magnitude and phase uncertainty of <0.1 % and <0.2 ◦ , respectively. This rotational system complements the linear shakers in the NIST Primary Vibration Calibration Laboratory by improving uncertainty in the range of overlap and extending accelerometer calibration capability to lower frequencies. We demonstrate a magnitude comparison between the linear and rotational approaches, showing agreement to within the rotational calibration uncertainty of <0.1 %.

Resolving proton transport at specific polymer–substrateinterfaces is essential for understanding ultrathin ionomer films,yet conventional impedance spectroscopy under N2 typicallyyields only a single semicircle, inhibiting the clear discussion onsubstrate-dependent conductivity. Here, we demonstrate for the firsttime that combining extended low-frequency measurements under nitrogenenvironment with systematic modulation of interdigitated electrode(IDE) pad length enables experimental separation of multiple interfacialcontributions in 54 ± 4 nm thick Nafion films. Nafion was depositedon IDE substrates containing SiO2 gaps and embedded Ptor carbon pads. Varying the pad length (20–100 μm) shiftedthe RC time constants associated with each interface, allowing thehigh-frequency (first, R1) and low-frequency(second, R2) resistance components tobe distinguished under conditions where they previously appeared merged.After geometric normalization, the extracted proton conductivitiesbecame independent of IDE geometry. The high-frequency component correspondedto Nafion/SiO2 transport, whereas the low-frequency componentreflected Nafion/Pt and Nafion/carbon transport. Even when not visuallyresolved on Nyquist plot, the second component yielded consistentconductivity values across pad lengths, establishing an intrinsicinterfacial origin. The interface-specific conductivities associatedwith SiO2, carbon and Pt supports were of the same orderof magnitude, with only modest differences (within a factor of abouttwo) among them, while remaining highly reproducible across IDE geometries.This methodology provides the first geometry-independent frameworkfor quantifying proton transport at individual interfaces in supportedionomer films under an inert atmosphere.

The current study aimed to evaluate the developmental course of the interplay between the componential analysis of two-digit numbers, the conflict associated with magnitude processing, and the possible inhibitory mechanism used to resolve interference. To this end, children aged 7-11years-old performed a magnitude comparison task involving two-digit numbers in sequences of two trials. The first trial involved compatible comparisons where the decade and the unit of one number were larger than those of the other number (i.e., 21-73), or incompatible comparisons where the decade of one number was larger but the unit was smaller than those of the other number (i.e., 61-53). The second trial involved related number pairs that contained the previously presented units (i.e., 41-43) or unrelated number pairs with units that had not appeared before (i.e., 48-49). Performance in the first trial was worse in incompatible trials than in compatible trials, and this compatibility effect increased with age. In the second trial, performance in related trials after incompatible trials was worse than in unrelated trials and this relation effect was found in all age groups. These results suggest that the development of numerical knowledge fosters the componential-parallel processing of multidigit numbers and that children need time to overcome inhibition after conflict resolution.

Fraction processing presents an important test case for investigating the development of numerical cognition, as fraction proficiency in elementary school is a unique predictor of later mathematical achievement. Building on previous mouse-tracking research investigating the dynamics of fraction processing in adults, we used three-dimensional hand tracking to assess the dynamics of fraction processing in preadolescents (n = 30, 10-12 years of age) and young adults (n = 30, 18-22 years of age) performing a fraction magnitude comparison task. Preadolescents and adults showed limited evidence of global magnitude representations of fractions featuring congruent components and magnitudes (e.g., fractions like 1/3 and 1/4 in which the size of the components and the magnitudes of the fractions cued the same "small" response). However, clear evidence of global magnitude representations was observed on trials featuring incongruent components and magnitudes (e.g., fractions like 2/3 and 3/4 in which the size of the components cued a "small" response, but the magnitudes of the fraction cued a "large" response). The component-magnitude congruency effect observed in movement times was significantly larger in preadolescents than in adults, and the distance effect used to identify global magnitude representations was significantly larger in large magnitude fractions for preadolescents than for adults. Taken together, these results suggest that age-related changes in fraction processing reflect improved inhibitory control. More generally, our results challenge recent dual-process models of fraction processing, with performance more parsimoniously accounted for by differences in strategy rather than the involvement of distinct processes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

French number words provide a unique window into the relationship between numerical cognition and language, because numbers above 60 follow a vigesimal (base-20) word structure (e.g., 72 = “60–12”). In a two-digit magnitude comparison task with sixty French native speakers, we replicated the classic unit-decade compatibility effect (UDCE; slower responses when unit and decade comparisons conflict) and within-decade effect (faster responses when decades are identical), reflecting the place-value structure of Arabic numerals. Given the French vigesimal system, we expected not only the classic UDCE and within-decade effect but also their vigesimal counterparts driven by magnitudes of number words: a unit-vigintade compatibility effect (UVCE) and a within-vigintade effect, in which pairs sharing the same decade word (e.g., “soixante” for the 60s and 70s) are processed faster than other between-decade pairs. Linear mixed models revealed both a UDCE for numbers larger than 60 and a UVCE, indicating that number words were accessed during processing. Participants also responded faster to within-vigintade items (86 vs. 95) than to between-vigintade items (76 vs. 85) and as fast as to within-decade items (82 vs. 85), indicating a verbal equivalent of the within-decade effect. This effect is unaffected by decade distance and can only be explained by access to number words so that the decades were identical (“80–6” vs. “80–15”). Overall, our data indicate that verbal representations can shape basic numerical judgments and that number processing may be more closely tied to language than previously assumed.

Sodium-activated Algerian bentonite with improved surface properties and topical barrier performance.

The Residue Number System (RNS) is a non-positional number system that represent number in the form of residues modulo a set of coprime moduli. This nature of RNS makes it advantageous in achieving carry-free arithmetic. However, due to the non-positional nature of RNS, direct number comparisons to determine the magnitude of RNS numbers is nearly impossible. In this paper, a magnitude comparison scheme is proposed and is theoretically proven and evaluated. The proposed scheme compares the relative magnitude of any two RNS numbers via sign detection. It first computes the modular differences of the residues of the two RNS numbers, and , and then computes the sum of the results, ,which is then proven to be equal to zero. The final implementation of the technique requires the reverse conversion of . Then sign detection is performed on and the results determine whether or . Further analysis proves that the proposed scheme accurately compares the magnitude of any two RNS numbers, whether a signed or unsigned number. The proposed scheme was evaluated and compared with another state-of-the-art scheme based on three key matrices, Area, Delay and Area-Delay product. The proposed scheme outperformed the state-of-the-art scheme in all three-matrix evaluations.

Accessibility indicators derived from web-map platforms are increasingly used in sustainable spatial planning, service allocation, and land-value modelling, particularly in data-constrained regions. Yet the reliability of such source-dependent measures for decision-making remains insufficiently examined. Using paired parcel-level data from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, this study conceptualizes accessibility as a spatial measurement process with structured source uncertainty by directly comparing platform-derived (PD) and field-verified (FV) nearest-facility distances across five facility types. Cross-source analysis reveals substantial facility-specific discrepancies in both magnitude and rank ordering, with certain facility types exhibiting near-random or reversed parcel rankings between sources. Spatial diagnostics further demonstrate that discordance events are geographically clustered rather than randomly distributed. An exploratory local amenity-density check further shows that mismatch prevalence varies systematically with nearby POI context, although the relationship is heterogeneous rather than uniformly sparse-driven. Under spatial block cross-validation, land-value models using FV accessibility consistently outperform PD-based models, while PD-based models display fold-level instability. Moreover, coefficient sign orientation and relative importance vary systematically across sources, indicating interpretation sensitivity to measurement choice. Importantly, reducing magnitude error alone does not restore decision reliability when ordering instability persists. These findings show that accessibility source choice can reshape spatial prioritization and inferred price gradients, introducing decision risk into sustainability-oriented planning. We therefore propose a minimum reliability protocol—including discrepancy profiling, ordering diagnostics, spatial discordance mapping, and spatially structured validation—to support transparent and defensible accessibility analytics in data-constrained environments.

High-velocity fluid flow in porous media frequently exhibits non-Darcy behavior, where inertial losses lead to nonlinear pressure gradient velocity behavior. Predicting the Forchheimer coefficient β remains challenging because β varies sensitively with pore geometry and is often not constrained by porosity and permeability alone. This study develops a structure-based method to estimate β using intrinsic descriptors obtained from the Darcy regime flow characterization and image-based geometry analysis. A set of two-dimensional granular porous media was generated with controlled variations in porosity, particle size distribution, and grain size variability. Single phase simulations are simulated with a body-force multiple-relaxation-time lattice Boltzmann method. The transition from Darcy flow to non-Darcy flow is identified from the velocity and pressure gradient response, and β is determined by fitting the inertial flow regime. Two tortuosity responses were observed. In uniform media, hydraulic tortuosity remained nearly constant in the Darcy regime and then gradually decreased. In disordered media, hydraulic tortuosity first increased with the onset of recirculation and then decreased as dominant flow paths became stable. Based on these results, a dimensionless inertial factor was correlated with porosity, intrinsic hydraulic tortuosity, and a pore structure index derived from specific surface area and hydraulic pore size. The resulting model predicts β from permeability and structural descriptors. The resulting correlation provides β estimates from Darcy permeability and geometry descriptors. Validation with quasi-two-dimensional microfluidic pillar array data showed that the model captured both the magnitude and relative ordering of β for the tested geometries. The proposed framework should be regarded as a proof of concept for idealized granular porous media and quasi-two-dimensional structured systems.

This longitudinal study investigates the role of domain-general cognitive abilities in predicting domain-specific numerical abilities across early school years. Using von Aster and Shalev's four-step developmental model of numerical cognition (2007) and Ackerman's general theory of skill acquisition (1988), we examined how cognitive abilities (e.g., phonological processing, verbal working memory) contribute to children's counting knowledge, digit magnitude comparison, and number line estimation from kindergarten through second grade. The sample comprised 296 children (50.3% girls), who began participation at approximately six years ( M age = 6.7 years). Findings highlight the influence of domain-general cognitive functions throughout early numerical development. Specifically, phonological processes and processing speed significantly predict prior to formal education, while verbal working memory and nonverbal logical reasoning become more important after starting formal education. While the importance of certain domain-general abilities increases over time, others decline. Our results align with both von Aster and Shalev's (2007) model (positing that cognitive demands increase when learning new, more complex numerical abilities) and with Ackerman's (1988) theory (suggesting that reliance on cognitive abilities decreases as skills become more automated). Together, these frameworks complement each other, offering a comprehensive understanding of how cognitive abilities support numerical development. Our study highlights the important role of early cognitive abilities in forming the foundation for successively more complex numerical skills. While each framework provides valuable insights, integrating them may better capture the complexities of early numerical development. These findings emphasize the varying roles of domain-general cognitive abilities and the nuanced trajectories depicted by these theoretical models.

A bidirectional relationship between conceptual and procedural understanding in the development of arithmetic skills has often been reported. We investigated whether domain-specific longitudinal predictors of procedural arithmetic performance at the beginning of primary school also predict conceptual understanding two years later. We assessed conceptual and procedural understanding of arithmetic and mathematical reasoning in 195 UK children (mean age 8 years 2 months) in Year 3. Conceptual understanding was defined as children’s understanding of principles underlying arithmetic procedures. Performance on a speeded arithmetic task was taken as an indicator of children’s procedural understanding of arithmetic. The same children had been assessed in Year 1 on potential cognitive and numerical predictors including number transcoding, symbolic and non-symbolic magnitude comparison, arithmetic performance, verbal and visuo-spatial working memory, and non-verbal reasoning. A structural equation model including arithmetic performance, number transcoding and non-verbal cognitive skills measured in Year 1 predicted 33% of the variance in conceptual understanding in Year 3. Arithmetic performance and number transcoding in Year 1 were also significant longitudinal predictors of both procedural arithmetic understanding and mathematical reasoning in Year 3. When we ran a second structural equation model without arithmetic performance in Year 1, number transcoding and non-verbal cognitive skills remained the only significant longitudinal predictors of conceptual understanding in Year 3. Our study highlights substantial similarities as well as some differences in the longitudinal predictors of conceptual versus procedural understanding of arithmetic in early primary school.

High-entropy materialsoften exhibit properties unexpected fromtheir simple components. Prior studies showed that as the pressureincreased from 0 to ∼40 GPa, the electrical resistance of thehigh-entropy oxide (HEO) (MgCoNiCuZn)O decreased more than 3 ordersof magnitude, far beyond the expected value based on the changes inthe semiconductor bandgap and carrier mobility. To tackle this enigma,we used different density-functional theory (DFT) computational methodsto study the electronic band structures of the HEO at different pressures.It was found that the DFT+U+2% HF method best reproducedthe experimentally observed pressure-dependent characteristics ofboth the resistance and optical bandgaps of the HEO. The calculationsrevealed the complex band structures of the HEO under high pressure,exhibiting spin-up bandgaps, spin-down bandgaps, a spin-down middlebandgap, and secondary optical transition bandgaps. Some of the spin-resolvedbandgaps close at high pressure, leading to a transition of the HEOfrom a semiconductor to a half-metal, which causes a significant decreasein the resistance above ∼20 GPa. The half-metallization wasfurther confirmed by the Boltzmann transport property calculations.This work unveils that the HEO (MgCoNiCuZn)O is a promising pressure-sensitivespintronics material not recognized before.

Ionic thermoelectric (TE) materials are considered as the next-generation TE materials mainly because of their high thermopower, which is two to three orders of magnitude higher than that of their electronic counterparts. They can be used in an ionic TE capacitor (ITEC) to harvest heat into electricity. TE conversion depends not only on the TE properties of the ionic materials but also on the capacitance of the ITECs. It is of great significance to deeply understand the capacitance of ITECs. Here, we report that TE capacitance mainly arises from the interface between the electrodes and the ionic TE layer instead of the capacitance due to the dielectric constant of the ionic TE material. The interfacial capacitance (Ci) is higher than that due to the bulk (Cb) ionic TE material by several orders in magnitude. Cations and anions accumulate at the two ends of an ionic TE material under temperature gradient. The accumulation of the cations (or anions) attracts electrons (or holes) from the external load to the cathode (or anode). This can give rise to very high capacitance because of the short separation between the cations (or anions) and the electrons (or holes) at the interface. This article is part of the discussion meeting issue 'Ionic liquids and the future of soft materials'.

We aimed to facilitate the comparison and communication of magnitudes of health inequality impact across interventions for different diseases, and to indicate the potential range of such impacts. We propose rescaling the slope index of inequality to measure the health inequality impact as the change in the gap in total predicted quality-adjusted life-years between the least and most socially disadvantaged groups, with linear regression predictions used to account for effects on intermediate groups. We suggest reporting the inequality impact relative to the total health opportunity cost to facilitate comparison across interventions varying in scale and unit costs. We illustrated the approach with aggregate distributional cost-effectiveness analyses of hypothetical treatments for 1336 diseases in England. We approximated benefit shares for neighbourhood deprivation quintile groups using disease-specific hospital admissions. We tested between-group equality using generalised linear regression and constructed uncertainty intervals using Monte Carlo simulation. We assumed an equal total health opportunity cost and benefit-cost ratio of one, with alternative scenarios in a sensitivity analysis. Health inequality impacts of hypothetical treatments ranged from - 33.1% of the total health opportunity cost (inequality increasing) to + 45.3% (inequality decreasing), and were ≤ - 5% for 1.6% of diseases, ≥ + 5% for 41.8% and ≥ + 20% for 1.6%. The impact was positively associated with the benefit-cost ratio and decreased when more deprived groups were assumed to incur proportionately more total health opportunity costs. Health inequality impacts can be compared using the change in the total predicted quality-adjusted life-year gap between the least and most socially disadvantaged groups as a proportion of the total health opportunity cost.

Agroecological practices have been promoted as a means of mitigating biodiversity loss in farmland. Current life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) methods have a limited ability to account for impacts of agroecological practices because they focus on a limited number of agricultural land use types, mainly annual and permanent crops. Here, we propose to leverage advancements in environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis to enhance current LCIA methods, enabling the integration of agroecological practices. To illustrate the steps necessary for transforming eDNA sample results into characterisation factors (CFs) for agroecological practices we analysed fungal diversity within a regenerative pasture field using eDNA and compared it to the fungal diversity of traditional rural biotope (TRB) as a semi-natural reference system of Finland. From both the regenerative pasture field and the TRB field, nine soil subsamples combined into 3 samples were taken by use of 50 m transect lines following the LIFEPLAN soil sampling protocol. Samples were analysed with a full turnkey analysis using state-of-the-art DNA metabarcoding protocols. We illustrate the implementation steps required to create CFs for biodiversity assessments of agroecological practices caused by land stress. Within these steps, we used eDNA results to calculate CFs by inserting acquired values in the equations presented by and following the distinctly different procedures and logic of the LCIA methods GLAM 3, LC-IMPACT, ReCiPe, and Impact World+. Our illustrative case study on fungal species richness showed that, even with two field measurements, CFs for regenerative farming can be created. The CFs created for regenerative pasture farming were in the expected magnitude of order of the original CFs of the respective methods. They further showed lower impacts than the minimum intensity level of GLAM 3, indicating the need to investigate the CFs for agroecological farming further. We demonstrate the possibility of using eDNA results to create CFs for agroecological farming. A key advantage of eDNA analysis is its ability to identify multiple taxonomic groups from a single sample, saving time and resources and detecting species that might be overlooked or difficult to identify morphologically. Using comprehensive eDNA data to update current land-stress CFs can enhance the accuracy of biodiversity assessments across agroecological farming systems or even those used for conventional farming. We recommend the integration of eDNA results to enhance land-stress CFs through existing equations provided by current LCIA methods.

Poly-ADP-ribosylation(PARylation) is a reversible post-translationalmodification that occurs in higher eukaryotes. While thousands ofPARylated substrates have been identified, the specific biologicalfunctions of most PARylated proteins remain elusive. PARylation stoichiometryis a critical parameter to assess the potential functions of a PARylatedprotein. Here, we developed a large-scale strategy to measure thestoichiometries of protein PARylation. By integrating chemically mildcell lysis conditions, boronate enrichment, and carefully designedtitration experiments, we were able to determine the PARylation stoichiometriesfor a total of 235 proteins. Importantly, this approach enables thecapture of all PARylation events, regardless of their amino acid acceptorlinkages. We revealed that PARylation occupancy spans over 3 ordersof magnitude. However, most PARylation events occur at low stoichiometricvalues (median 0.58%). Notably, we observed that high-stoichiometryPARylation (>1%) predominantly targets proteins involved in transcriptionregulation and chromatin remodeling. Thus, our study provides a system-scale,quantitative view of PARylation stoichiometries under genotoxic conditions,which serves as an invaluable resource for future functional studiesof this important protein post-translational modification.

Construction of fast ion-conduction channels is of great significance for the performance breakthrough of Li+ solid state electrolytes (LiSSE). It not only can significantly improve target ion transfer, but also enhance the Li+ migration number. This study reports a new type of solid electrolyte of metal-organic framework (MOF) covalently modified by Li+ ionic liquids derived from zwitterion APS group, namely UiO-66-APS⋅xLiTFSI (zwitterion APS = amino-1-propane sulfonate, LiTFSI = bis (trifluoromethane) sulfonimide lithium salt). Wherein, the Li+ ionic liquid moiety (APS⋅xLiTFSI) is confined and arranged along the order channel (< 1nm) within the framework of UiO-66 via covalent-bonded APS, leading to infinite paths and abundant lithium ion hopping sites for fast Li+ transmission. The enhancement of the Li+ conduction of UiO-66-APS⋅2.7LiTFSI is over 2 orders magnitude higher than that of the counterpart H2BDC-APS⋅2.7LiTFSI ionic liquid within a wide temperature range. This material exhibits excellent ionic conductivity, with the conductivity of 3.5 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹ and a lithium-ion transference number (tLi⁺) of 0.83 at room-temperature. The conductivity follows an Arrhenius-type temperature dependence, increasing linearly with temperature to reach 1.33 × 10⁻² S cm⁻¹ at 100°C. Structure and component effect on the new type of LiSSEs are investigated and fully characterized, and the features of non-flammability, non-leakage of high safety with high conduction are discussed.

The object of investigation in this paper is the nonlinear equations of motion for two-dimensional inviscid water flows with piecewise constant density stratification in a three-layer fluid with a flat bottom, a free surface and two interfaces. We establish a Hamiltonian formulation for the nonlinear governing equations in this set-up. The Hamiltonian of the system and the equations of motion of the surface and of the interfaces are expressed with the help of the Dirichlet–Neumann (DN) operators, which are introduced for each of the layers. Then the linear equations for small amplitudes of the elevation of the surface and of the interfaces in the leading order are derived, from which a bi-cubic equation for the dispersion relation is obtained, whose solutions are analysed. The six real solutions for the possible propagation speeds (three positive, related to right-moving waves, and three negative, related to left-moving waves) have magnitudes of different order. Upper and lower bounds for the previously mentioned roots are also given in terms of the coefficients of the equation. Subsequently, approximate formulas for the propagation speeds are derived. The importance of the DN operators is further illustrated in a separate analysis of the three-layer model with flat surface (rigid lid). The full nonlinear evolution equations are expressed again in terms of the DN operators, and the equations in the linear regime and the weakly nonlinear propagation regime (the Boussinesq approximation) are derived by a proper expansion of the DN operators. Limits to the two-layer free surface model are obtained as well. The obtained results are applicable to internal waves in lakes and in the ocean as well as to laboratory experiments with three superimposed fluid layers.

The approximate number system (ANS) is thought to mediate symbolic and non-symbolic numerical magnitude comparison. Challenging this view, the dual system model stipulates that non-symbolic comparisons rely on the ANS while symbolic comparisons rely on a discrete semantic system (DSS). In three experiments, the current study tests whether symbolic and non-symbolic magnitude comparisons rely on a common ANS or a DSS by examining the correlation between the size and distance effects in numerical magnitude comparison. We replicated previous studies, which used one-digit numbers 1 to 9, but also aimed to increase variance by using less familiar number ranges. Experiment 1 used a fixed-reference paradigm (reference = 55) with two-digit integers (11-99). Experiments 2 and 3 extended the design to decimals (0.01-0.98) with variable (Experiment 2) or fixed reference (Experiment 3). All experiments additionally included non-symbolic dot comparison in which the expected negative correlation between size and distance effect emerged. Across experiments, size and distance effects in less familiar number ranges were uncorrelated when presented in symbolic format, corroborating the idea that symbolic number comparison relies on a DSS. These findings were moderated by the observation of a significant correlation between size and distance effects in a subsample of participants who showed significant size and distance effects at the individual level. Interpretation of the current results must take into account limitations concerning specificities of multi-digit number processing, the reliability of the effects, and the possible role of unmeasured external factors in shaping the observed correlations.

People of color in the United States are disproportionately and unfairly exposed to air pollution. Equity-oriented scientific evaluations quantifying these disparities often use population-average exposure metrics to capture the overall inequality within a system. Utilizing these metrics involves choices about the exposure input for assessing disparity, the study geography, and the reference population, which are critical to understanding disparities and effectively designing interventions. Here, we use a case study of exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from California's agricultural sector to dissect the implications of these decisions. Using a reduced-complexity model and emissions of PM2.5 and precursors, we compare estimates of racial and ethnic disparities in exposure resulting from different combinations of these methodological choices. The full population distributions highlight differences between disparities at the extremes (e.g., 90th percentile) and at the mean. Additionally, the selection of study geography and reference population can influence the magnitude and relative ordering of exposure disparities. Thus, methodological choices can lead to different conclusions for the same concentration and population surfaces; this can impact not only the findings of an individual study but also have implications for mitigation strategies. We conclude with recommendations for best practices for making, justifying, and communicating these methodological decisions.