Aperiodic Research Articles

Links between Quantum Distinguishers Based on Simon’s Algorithm and Truncated Differentials

In this paper, we study the quantum security of block ciphers based on Simon’s period-finding quantum algorithm. We explored the relations between periodic functions and truncated differentials. The basic observation is that truncated differentials with a probability of 1 can be used to construct periodic functions, and two such constructions are presented with the help of a new notion called difference-annihilation matrix. This technique releases us from the tedious manual work of verifying the period of functions. Based on these new constructions, we find an 8-round quantum distinguisher for LBlock and a 9/10/11/13/15-round quantum distinguisher for SIMON-32/48/64/96/128 which are the best results as far as we know. Besides, to explore the security bounds of block cipher structures against Simon’s algorithm based quantum attacks, the unified structure, which unifies the Feistel, Lai-Massey, and most generalized Feistel structures, is studied. We estimate the exact round number of probability 1 truncated differentials that one can construct. Based on these results, one can easily check the quantum security of specific block ciphers that are special cases of unified structures, when the details of the non-linear building blocks are not considered.

Functionality of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi varies across different growth stages of maize under drought conditions

Physio-biochemical regulations governing crop growth period are pivotal for drought adaptation. Yet, the extent to which functionality of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM fungi) varies across different stages of maize growth under drought conditions remains uncertain. Therefore, periodic functionality of two different AM fungi i.e., Rhizophagus irregularis SUN16 and Glomus monosporum WUM11 were assessed at jointing, silking, and pre-harvest stages of maize subjected to different soil moisture gradients i.e., well-watered (80% SMC (soil moisture contents)), moderate drought (60% SMC), and severe drought (40% SMC). The study found that AM fungi significantly (p < 0.05) affected various morpho-physiological and biochemical parameters at different growth stages of maize under drought. As the plants matured, AM fungi enhanced root colonization, glomalin contents, and microbial biomass, leading to increased nutrient uptake and antioxidant activity. This boosted AM fungal activity ultimately improved photosynthetic efficiency, evident in increased photosynthetic pigments and photosynthesis. Notably, R. irregularis and G. monosporum improved water use efficiency and mycorrhizal dependency at critical growth stages like silking and pre-harvest, indicating their potential for drought resilience to stabilize yield. The principal component analysis highlighted distinct plant responses to drought across growth stages and AM fungi, emphasizing the importance of early-stage sensitivity. These findings underscore the potential of incorporating AM fungi into agricultural management practices to enhance physiological and biochemical responses, ultimately improving drought tolerance and yield in dryland maize cultivation.

Peak Flow Event Durations in the Mississippi River Basin and Implications for Temporal Sampling of Rivers

AbstractThe impact of an episodic river flood is intimately linked to its duration. Yet it is still unclear how often should a river be observed to accurately determine the occurrence and duration of extreme events. Here we assess flow statistics along with peak flow event detection and duration as a function of the discharge sampling period for large tributaries of the Mississippi basin using hourly gages over 2010–2022. Median event durations above high quantiles spatially vary from around 2 days upstream to 30 days downstream. Discharge mean, standard deviation, and quantiles can all be estimated within 2.5% error for sampling periods up to 8 days. A minimum temporal sampling 4× (2×) finer than peak flow event median duration is required to detect 95 ± 3% (85 ± 5%) of events and to estimate their duration within 90 ± 5% (75 ± 10%) median accuracy. Our findings have direct implications for future satellite missions concerned with capturing flood events.

Correlation properties of complete code of binary spread spectrum phase-shift keyed signals with polarization coding

Problem statement. Investigation of correlation properties of complete code of binary spread spectrum phase-shift keyed signals as the limiting case of large systems is a topical task for building large systems of binary spread spectrum phase-shift keyed signals with polarization coding with optimal correlation properties. Also, this task is of independent academic interest due to the fact that the alphabet of symbols for these signals lacks multicasting properties unlike the familiar cases of complete codes of spread spectrum phase-shift keyed signals. Objective. To accurately define the distribution laws as well as the moments about zero and the mean for the n-th order of presented values of aperiodic and periodic correlation functions of the complete code of binary spread spectrum phase-shift keyed signals with polarization coding. To offer approximations of accurate distribution laws suitable for engineering applications. Results. The accurate distribution laws for presented values of aperiodic and periodic correlation functions of the complete code of binary spread spectrum phase-shift keyed signals with polarization coding were found in the form of the related distribution series. The analytic expressions for the n-th order of presented values of these functions for the complete code of the specified signals were assigned. The calculation example for the distribution series of presented values of aperiodic and periodic correlation functions for the complete code of the specified signals with the length of vector code sequences N=4 was given. The values of the relative frequencies of the correlation functions values for this case were found by the means of direct computing and their exact match with the corresponding predicted probability values was demonstrated. The approximations of the accurate distribution laws were given: for periodic correlation functions case – by Gaussian probability density, and for the aperiodic functions case – by the Pearson curve of VII type. Practical relevance. The found accurate laws for presented values of aperiodic and periodic correlation functions of the complete code of binary spread spectrum phase-shift keyed signals with polarization coding and their approximations allow to assess the correlation properties of large systems of such signals.

Phenomenological toy model for flash effect in proton therapy

We present a simple model based on general assumptions for the FLASH effect in radiotherapy, leading to a rate equation with only three free parameters. The model can predict the biological effect ratio between healthy and tumoral tissue for arbitrary input treatments, given as a dose rate versus time function. We analyze the behavior of the model and its sensitivity to its free parameters, and decide on suitable parameter values in accordance with available experimental data from the literature. Then we apply our model to study different sets of treatments, modeled as square pulse periodic functions with different pulse peak dose rate, pulse width and repetition period, in order to illustrate how it may be used to guide future experiment design. The model predicts that, for a given average dose rate above the FLASH threshold, a more prominent FLASH effect would be observed for continuous beams than for ultra-pulsated beams with an infinitely short irradiation time. This finding needs to be validated with suitable experiments.

Effects of perineal massage at different stages on perineal and postpartum pelvic floor function in primiparous women: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundPerineal massage, as a preventive intervention, has been shown to reduce the risk of perineal injuries and may have a positive impact on pelvic floor function in the early postpartum period. However, there is still debate concerning the best period to apply perineal massage, which is either antenatal or in the second stage of labor, as well as its safety and effectiveness. Meta-analysis was used to evaluate the effect of implementing perineal massage in antenatal versus the second stage of labor on the prevention of perineal injuries during labor and early postpartum pelvic floor function in primiparous women.MethodsWe searched nine different electronic databases from inception to April 16, 2024. The randomized controlled trials (RCTs) we included assessed the effects of antenatal and second-stage labor perineal massage in primiparous women. All data were analyzed with Revman 5.3, Stata Statistical Software, and Risk of Bias 2 was used to assess the risk of bias. Subgroup analyses were performed based on the different periods of perineal massage. The primary outcomes were the incidence of perineal integrity and perineal injury. Secondary outcomes were perineal pain, duration of the second stage of labor, postpartum hemorrhage, urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence, and flatus incontinence.ResultsThis review comprised a total of 10 studies that covered 1057 primigravid women. The results of the analysis showed that perineal massage during the second stage of labor reduced the perineal pain of primigravid women in the immediate postpartum period compared to the antenatal period, with a statistical value of (MD = -2.29, 95% CI [-2.53, -2.05], P < 0.001). Additionally, only the antenatal stage reported that perineal massage reduced fecal incontinence (P = 0.04) and flatus incontinence (P = 0.01) in primiparous women at three months postpartum, but had no significant effect on urinary incontinence in primiparous women at three months postpartum (P = 0.80).ConclusionsReducing perineal injuries in primiparous women can be achieved by providing perineal massage both antenatally and during the second stage of labor. Pelvic floor function is improved in the postnatal phase by perineal massage during the antenatal stage.Trial registrationCRD42023415996 (PROSPERO).

Dimensionless dynamics: Multipeak and envelope solitons in perturbed nonlinear Schrödinger equation with Kerr law nonlinearity

In this work, the dimensionless form of the improved perturbed nonlinear Schrödinger equation with Kerr law of fiber nonlinearity is solved for distinct exact soliton solutions. We examined the multi-wave solitons and rational solitons of the governing equation using the logarithmic transformation and symbolic computation using an ansatz functions approach. Multi-wave solitons in fluid dynamics describe the situation in which a fluid flow shows several different regions (or peaks) of high concentration or intensity of a particular variable (e.g., velocity, pressure, or vorticity). Multi-wave solitons in turbulent flows might indicate the existence of several coherent structures, like eddies or vortices. These formations are areas of concentrated energy or vorticity in the turbulent flow. Understanding how these peaks interact and change is essential to comprehending the energy cascade and dissipation in turbulent systems. Furthermore, a sub-ordinary differential equation approach is used to create solutions for the Weierstrass elliptic function, periodic function, hyperbolic function, Chirped free, dark-bright (envelope solitons), and rational solitons, as well as the Jacobian elliptic function, periodic function, and rational solitons. Also, as the Jacobian elliptic function's' modulus m approaches values of 1 and 0, we find trigonometric function solutions, solitons-like solutions, and computed chirp free-solitons. Envelope solitons can arise in stratified fluids and spread over the interface between layers, such as layers in the ocean with varying densities. Their research aids in the management and prediction of wave events in artificial and natural fluid settings. In fluids, periodic solitons are persistent, confined wave structures that repeat on a regular basis, retaining their form and velocity over extended distances. These structures occur in a variety of settings, including internal waves in stratified fluids, shallow water waves, and even plasma physics.

A nomogram to predict long-term facial nerve function after vestibular schwannoma resection: a contemporary multi-institutional study

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to develop a nomogram to predict long-term facial nerve (FN) function after vestibular schwannoma (VS) resection. METHODS A retrospective cohort study of two tertiary academic skull base referral centers was performed. Consecutive adults &gt; 18 years of age with sporadic unilateral VS who underwent resection between September 2016 and May 2021 were included. FN function in the immediate postoperative period and at the most recent evaluation was measured. RESULTS A total of 306 patients (mean age 49 years, 63% female) were included, with a mean follow-up of 18 months. The mean maximum tumor diameter was 19 mm (range 1–50 mm), and 80 (26.1%) tumors were &gt; 25 mm. Overall, 85% of patients showed good immediate postoperative FN function (House-Brackmann [HB] grade I or II) and 89% maintained good FN function at &gt; 12 months of follow-up. An intraoperative FN electromyographic (EMG) response ≥ 100 µV to 0.05 mA of stimulation (OR 18.6, p &lt; 0.001) was the strongest predictor of good HB grade in the immediate postoperative period. EMG response ≥ 100 µV (OR 5.70, p &lt; 0.001), tumor size ≤ 25 mm (OR 3.09, p &lt; 0.05), and better immediate postoperative HB grade (OR 1.48, p = 0.005) predicted good long-term FN function on multivariable analysis. A point-of-care nomogram based on these data predicted long-term FN function with a sensitivity of 89% and specificity of 69%. CONCLUSIONS Better immediate postoperative HB grade, intraoperative FN EMG response ≥ 100 µV, and tumor size ≤ 25 mm strongly predicted good long-term FN function after VS resection. A point-of-care nomogram based on these variables could serve as a useful tool for postoperative counseling and prognosis of long-term FN recovery.

Dynamics of a multilink wheeled vehicle: Partial solutions and unbounded speedup

A mathematical model featuring the motion of a multilink wheeled vehicle is developed using a nonholonomic model. A detailed analysis of the inertial motion is made. Fixed points of the reduced system are identified, their stability is analyzed, and invariant manifolds are found. For the case of three platforms (links), a phase portrait for motion on an invariant manifold is shown and trajectories of the attachment points of the wheel pairs of the three-link vehicle are presented. In addition, an analysis is made of motion in the case where the leading platform has a rotor whose angular velocity is a periodic function of time. The existence of trajectories for which one of the velocity components increases without bound is established, and the asymptotics for it is found.

Crime Dynamics in Russia - Model Analysis

Introduction. The article proposes a mathematical model of the dynamics of one of the indicators of crime ― the number of persons who have committed crimes. The indicator is aggregated, so it is considered as a generalized characteristic of the behavior of crime in general. The analysis of the dynamics of the indicator in the context of the political, economic and legal situation in the country and the world is carried out.Materials and methods. As a statistical base for the crime indicator, data from the statistical yearbook "Russia in figures" has been used. For global oil demand, data from the monthly review of the International Energy Agency (Monthly Oil Market Report // International Energy Agency) has been used. To build mathematical models, time series analysis and modeling methods were used, and correlation analysis methods were used when comparing models. General scientific research methods were also used - systematic and historical approaches.Results of the study. A mathematical model is proposed, which is the sum of periodic functions and a trend. The functions have several settings and only one argument – time. The model adequately describes the behavior of the indicator therefore it can be used to obtain short-term forecasts. The historical period is highlighted, in which the correlation between the dynamics of crime and the dynamics of the global economic situation is traced. The stabilization of crime dynamics in recent years has been noted, when the processes of restoring Russia's economic sovereignty accelerated.Discussion and conclusion. The proposed mathematical model gives good results of fitting the crime indicator to a time series on the entire observation period. And this period covers very different historical situations: from unlimited entry into the global economic system to strengthening economic sovereignty. The reliability of the model over the entire interval indicates the validity of its use even with new economic benchmarks. The result of demonstrating a rapid decrease in the amplitude of fluctuations in the crime rate while strengthening the sovereignty of the Russian economy in recent years is indicative. The processes that were analyzed in the work have many differences, but they are well described by models of the same type. A possible explanation for this invariance is the hypothesis that some complex socio-economic processes not only affect each other's condition, but synchronize their dynamics.

A Unified Treatment of Kepler Occurrence to Trace Planet Evolution. II. The Radius Cliff Formed by Atmospheric Escape

The Kepler mission enabled us to look at the intrinsic population of exoplanets within our galaxy. In period-radius space, the distribution of the intrinsic population of planets contains structure that can trace planet formation and evolution history. The most distinctive feature in period-radius space is the radius cliff, a steep drop-off in occurrence between 2.5 and 4R ⊕ across all period ranges, separating the sub-Neptune population from the rarer Neptunes orbiting within 1 au. Following our earlier work to measure the occurrence rate of the Kepler population, we characterize the shape of the radius cliff as a function of orbital period (10–300 days) as well as insolation flux (9500S ⊕–10S ⊕). The shape of the cliff flattens at longer orbital periods, tracking the rising population of Neptune-sized planets. In insolation, however, the radius cliff is both less dramatic and the slope is more uniform. The difference in this feature between period space and insolation space can be linked to the effect of EUV/X-ray versus bolometric flux in the planet’s evolution. Models of atmospheric mass loss processes that predict the location and shape of the radius valley also predict the radius cliff. We compare our measured occurrence rate distribution to population synthesis models of photoevaporation and core-powered mass loss in order to constrain formation and evolution pathways. We find that the models do not statistically agree with our occurrence distributions of the radius cliff in period space or insolation space. Atmospheric mass loss that shapes the radius valley cannot fully explain the shape of the radius cliff.

Effect of continuous positive airway pressure helmet on respiratory function following surgical procedures in brachycephalic dogs: A randomized controlled trial.

To evaluate the effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on respiratory function in the early postoperative period of brachycephalic dogs. Prospective, randomized clinical trial. A total of 32 dogs. Dogs were assigned to recover with or without CPAP (control) and assessed at specific time points over 1 h. Treatment was discontinued for dogs with a CPAP tolerance score of 3 or more (from a range of 0-4). The primary outcome was pulse oximetry (SpO2). Secondary outcomes were arterial O2 pressure (PaO2)/FiO2 ratio (PaO2/FiO2), arterial CO2 pressure (PaCO2), and rectal temperature. For dogs that reached a CPAP tolerance score of 3 or more, only the data collected up to the time point before discontinuation were included in the analysis.The treatment effect (β) was analyzed using random effects models and the results were reported with 95% confidence intervals. Dogs were assigned randomly to each protocol. Baseline characteristics in both groups were comparable. Arterial blood gases were obtained in seven control group dogs and nine CPAP group dogs. Treatment did not affect SpO2 (β = -0.1, -2.1 to 2.0) but affected the PaO2/FiO2 ratio (β = 58.1, 2.6 to 113.6), with no effects on PaCO2 (β = -4.3, -10.5 to 1.9) or temperature (β = 0.4, -0.8 to 1.6). In postoperative brachycephalic dogs, CPAP had no effect on SpO2 but improved the PaO2/FiO2 ratio in brachycephalic dogs postoperatively. Continuous positive airway pressure offers a valuable solution to improve gas exchange efficiency, a prevalent concern in postoperative brachycephalic dogs, with the potential to enhance overall outcomes.

Evaluation of Regulatory B Cell Subpopulations CD24++CD38++, CD24++CD27+, Plasmablasts and Their Correlation with T Regs CD3+CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ in Dialysis Patients and Early Post-Transplant Rejection-Free Kidney Recipients.

Background: B and T regulatory cells, also known as Bregs and Tregs, are involved in kidney transplantation. The purpose of this study is to monitor changes in the frequency and absolute numbers of Tregs (CD3+CD4+CD25+FoxP3+), transitional Bregs (tBregs) (CD24++CD38++), memory Bregs (mBregs) (CD24++CD27+), and plasmablasts before (T0) and six months (T6) after transplantation. Additionally, we aim to investigate any correlation between Tregs and tBregs, mBregs, or plasmablasts and their relationship with graft function. Methods: Flow cytometry was used to immunophenotype cells from 50 kidney recipients who did not experience rejection. Renal function was assessed using the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Results: At T6, there was a significant decrease in the frequency of Tregs, plasmablasts, and tBregs, as well as in the absolute number of tBregs. The frequency of mBregs, however, remained unchanged. Graft function was found to have a positive correlation with the frequency of tBregs and plasmablasts. A significant correlation was observed between the frequency and absolute number of tBregs only when the eGFR was greater than 60 but not at lower values. At an eGFR greater than 60, there was a positive correlation between the absolute numbers of Tregs and mBregs but not between Tregs and tBregs. No correlation was observed for any cell population in dialysis patients. Conclusions: The data show a correlation between the frequency and absolute number of tBregs and the absolute number of Tregs and mBregs with good renal function in the early post-transplant period.

S-asymptotically ω periodic solutions of heat equation

We mean by an S-asymptotically ω-periodic function any continuous and bounded function from the real axis to a Banach space that converges to a periodic function as t tends to infinity. We study in this paper the existence, uniqueness and differentiable dependence on the S-asymptotically ω-periodic mild solution of a heat equation on the space of continuous functions from a non-empty n-dimensional bounded domain with a Lipschitz boundary to the real axis. The dependence of the solution concerns the initial conditions, more precisely when the initial conditions is a S-asymptotically ω-periodic function we study the differentiable dependence of the S-asymptotically ω-periodic solution of heat equation. To show our main result in this work we introduce the properties of the superposition operator, or also called Nemytskii operator, in the space of S-asymptotically ω-periodic functions. The notion of derivation for the last operator will also be highlighted. We also use in this paper semi-groups which have become important tools for differential equations. In this study, our focus shifted from seeking an s-asymptotically w-periodic solution for our heat equation, which is a problem in dynamic systems, to one in functional analysis. More precisely, our strategy consists of applying the implicit function theorem on a certain operator that we constructed on our workspaces in order to achieve the objective described in our main theorem. In fact our theorem gives conditions to ensure that around a mild S-asymptotically ω-periodic solution of our heat equation with an initial value, there exists a regular (in the usual sens) mild S-asymptotically ω-periodic solution which depends on a neighboring initial condition.

#1431 Risk factors of adverse cardiovascular events in the early postoperative period in kidney transplant recipients

Abstract Background and Aims Kidney transplantation improves quality of life and increases life expectancy in patients with Stage 5 Chronic Kidney Disease. However, the frequency of adverse cardiovascular events in the postoperative period remains high and reduces the effectiveness of transplantation. The aim was to study the incidence of cardiovascular risk factors in the preoperative period in kidney transplant recipients with adverse cardiovascular events in the early postoperative period. Method The study included 51 kidney transplant recipients whose age was 46.1 ± 4.6 years. 12 (23.5%) recipients had adverse cardiovascular events (acute myocardial infarction, unstable angina, rhythm disturbance, complicated hypertensive crisis) in the early postoperative period. 39 (76.5%) recipients with uncomplicated postoperative period formed the comparison group. The study groups were comparable by gender and age. Results Traditional cardiovascular risk factors were assessed. The study groups had comparable rates of arterial hypertension, obesity, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia and smoking in the preoperative period and graft function in the postoperative period. The study groups didn't have significant differences in the incidence of anemia and hemoglobin blood concentration. But the erythropoietin blood level in the preoperative period in recipients with adverse cardiovascular events was higher—38.5 (23.5-155.0) mU/mL versus 16.0 (10.0-32.0) mU/mL, p &amp;lt; 0.01, and hypererythropoietinemia was diagnosed more often—58.3% (n = 7) versus 25.6% (n = 10), p &amp;lt; 0.05, than in patients without cardiovascular events. The incidence of elevated interleukin-6 blood level in the preoperative period was higher in recipients with adverse cardiovascular events—25.0% (n = 3) versus 5.1% (n = 2), p &amp;lt; 0.05. At the same time C-reactive protein levels and white blood cell counts were not significantly different. Recipients with adverse cardiovascular events had a lower left ventricular ejection fraction—59.5 ± 10.6% versus 65.6 ± 7.1%, p &amp;lt; 0.05, and a higher incidence of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in the preoperative period—75.0% (n = 9) versus 35.9% (n = 14), p &amp;lt; 0.05, than in recipients without cardiovascular complications. Conclusion Kidney transplant recipients with adverse cardiovascular events in the early postoperative period had a higher incidence of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, increased blood levels of erythropoietin and interleukin-6 and a lower left ventricular ejection fraction before transplantation than recipients with an uncomplicated postoperative period.

Analysis of the Effects of Preoperative Hepatic Artery Chemoembolization and Quality Nursing Intervention on the Perioperative Safety and Short-term Prognosis of Liver Transplantation in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Objective: To investigate the effects of preoperative hepatic artery chemoembolization (TACE) and quality nursing interventions on the perioperative safety and short-term prognosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing liver transplantation. Methods: The study period spanned from January 2021 to December 2023, and 125 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma admitted to our hospital were selected, all of whom underwent liver transplantation. They were randomly divided into an observation group (n = 63) and a control group (n = 62). The patients in the control group did not undergo TACE before the operation, and the patients in the observation group underwent TACE and quality nursing intervention before the operation. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, length of hospitalization, liver-free period, complication rate, short-term prognosis, and liver function indexes between the two groups were compared. Results: There was no significant difference in operation time, intraoperative blood loss, and length of hospitalization between the two groups (P &lt; 0.05). The liver-free period of patients in the observation group was longer than that of the control group (P &lt; 0.05). The two groups had no significant difference in the incidence of biliary complications, vascular complications, and postoperative infections (P &gt; 0.05). The rate of immune reactive complications in the observation group was lower than that of the control group (P &lt; 0.05). There was no significant difference in the perioperative mortality rate, 1-year postoperative survival rate, and 2-year postoperative survival rate (P &gt; 0.05). The two groups had no significant difference in postoperative liver function indexes (P &gt; 0.05). Conclusion: Preoperative TACE and high-quality nursing intervention in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma had no adverse effect on the perioperative safety and short-term prognosis, prolonged the liver-free time, and reduced the incidence of immune-reactive complications.

Weak interlayer interactions and nearly temperature independent electrical transport in p-type 1T′-MoTe2/Sb2Te3 superlattice-like films

Thermoelectric superlattices (SLs) are one of the important focuses in the thermoelectric field due to their ordered stacking structure and the potential to obtain extremely high thermoelectric performance. To understand the critical effects of interlayer interactions, this work fabricates p-type (1T′-MoTe2)x(Sb2Te3)y SLs and investigates their electrical properties as functions of SL period and temperature. The results discovered that the weak interlayer interactions could be driven by both the small work function difference and temperature. This brings forth hole donation and energy filtering and leads to increased hole density and the carrier effective mass of (1T′-MoTe2)x(Sb2Te3)y SLs. Strikingly, the SL structure is beneficial for achieving temperature independent electrical properties, owing to the temperature driven interlayer interaction. Several SLs acquire the largest average power factor among all SLs, which is about 1.10 mWm−1K−2 within 300∼473 K, favorable for thermoelectric applications near room temperature. This work points out the beneficial effect of the SL structure on obtaining high thermoelectric properties in a wide temperature range.

The use of pencil ionization chamber with temporal readout capabilities to measure CT beam full width half maximum.

Measurement of Computed Tomography (CT) beam width is required by accrediting and regulating bodies for routine physics evaluations due to its direct correlation to patient dose. Current methods for performing CT beam width measurement require special hardware, software, and/or consumable films. Today, most 100-mm pencil chambers with a digital interface used to evaluate Computed Tomography Dose Index (CTDIvol) have a sufficiently high sampling rate to reconstruct a high-resolution dose profile for any acquisition mode. The goal of this study is to measure the CT beam width from the sampled dose profile under a single helical acquisition with the 100-mm pencil chamber used for CTDIvol measurements. The dose profiles for different scanners were measured for helical scans with varying collimation settings using a 100-mm pencil chamber placed at the isocenter and co-moving with the patient table. The measured dose profiles from the 100-mm pencil chamber were corrected for table attenuation by extracting a periodic correction function (PCF) to eliminate table interference. The corrected dose profiles were then deconvolved with the response function of the chamber to compute the beam profile. The beam width was defined by the full width half maximum (FWHM) of the resulting beam profile. Reference dose profiles were also measured using Gafchromic film for comparison. The beam widths, estimated using the innovative deconvolution method from the 100-mm pencil chamber, exhibit an average percentage difference of 1.6±1.8 when compared with measurements obtained through Gafchromic film for beam width assessment. The proposed approach to deconvolve the pencil chamber response demonstrates the potential of obtaining the CT beam width at high accuracy without the need of special hardware, software, or consumable films. This technique can improve workflow for routine performance evaluation of CT systems.

Improving lung allograft function in the early post-operative period through the inhibition of pyroptosis.

Lung transplantation is the only definitive therapy for end-stage pulmonary disease. Less than 20 % of offered lungs are successfully transplanted due to a limited ischemic time window and poor donor lung quality manifested by pulmonary edema, hypoxia, or trauma. Therefore, poor donor organ recovery and utilization are significant barriers to wider implementation of the life-saving therapy of transplantation. While ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) is often identified as the underlying molecular insult leading to immediate poor lung function in the post-operative period, this injury encompasses several pathways of cellular injury in addition to the recruitment of the innate immune system to the site of injury to propagate this inflammatory cascade. Pyroptosis is a central molecular inflammatory pathway thatis the most significant contributor to injury in this early post-operative phase. Pyroptosis is another form of programmed cell death and is often associated with IRI. The mitigation of pyroptosis in the early post-operative period following lung transplantation is a potential novel way to prevent poor allograft function and improve outcomes for all recipients. Here we detail the pyroptotic pathway, its importance in lung transplantation, and several therapeutic modalities that can mitigate this harmful inflammatory pathway.

Three-Body 3D-Kepler Electromagnetic Problem—Existence of Periodic Solutions

The main purpose of the present paper is to prove the existence of periodic solutions of the three-body problem in the 3D Kepler formulation. We have solved the same problem in the case when the three particles are considered in an external inertial system. We start with the three-body equations of motion, which are a subset of the equations of motion (previously derived by us) for any number of bodies. In the Minkowski space, there are 12 equations of motion. It is proved that three of them are consequences of the other nine, so their number becomes nine, as much as the unknown trajectories are. The Kepler formulation assumes that one particle (the nucleus) is placed at the coordinate origin. The motion of the other two particles is described by a neutral system with respect to the unknown velocities. The state-dependent delays arise as a consequence of the finite vacuum speed of light. We obtain the equations of motion in spherical coordinates and split them into two groups. In the first group all arguments of the unknown functions are delays. We take their solutions as initial functions. Then, the equations of motion for the remaining two particles must be solved to the right of the initial point. To prove the existence–uniqueness of a periodic solution, we choose a space consisting of periodic infinitely smooth functions satisfying some supplementary conditions. Then, we use a suitable operator which acts on these spaces and whose fixed points are periodic solutions. We apply the fixed point theorem for the operators acting on the spaces of periodic functions. In this manner, we show the stability of the He atom in the frame of classical electrodynamics. In a previous paper of ours, we proved the existence of spin functions for plane motion. Thus, we confirm the Bohr and Sommerfeld’s hypothesis for the He atom.