Reflection Type Research Articles

Fully Connected Feedforward Neural Network for the Prediction of Amorphous Silicon Grating Couplers Efficiency

Photonic circuits are an enabling technology for the development of novel solutions in different fields such as healthcare, quantum computing, neural networks, communications, and manufacturing. Interconnections between devices and systems require low-loss light coupling strategies. Grating couplers are a promising solution to couple light between photonic circuits and optical fibres due to their off-plane coupling capabilities. Hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H), which can be deposited by PECVD over a substrate of silica or glass, is a suitable low-cost solution for the production of such light coupling devices. In this work we developed, trained and tested a fully connected feedforward neural network for coupling efficiency prediction in a-Si:H grating couplers. The light coupling gratings were simulated by twodimensional finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) analysis and field distributions were analysed with the Finite Element Method (FEM). Simulated gratings include non-apodized, linear and quadratic refractive index variation designs featuring full or partial etching, operating at 1550 nm. Not featuring any type of bottom reflector, the couplers exhibit coupling efficiencies up to about 40 % (~ -4 dB). The neural network multiclass grating coupler efficiency classifier was trained with over 3000 simulation results, reaching an accuracy over 85%, for coupling efficiencies between 0 and 30%+.

К вопросу о дихотомии образа змеи в южнославянской традиции

An appeal to figurative representations preserved by folk tradition is an attempt to study mentality, understanding the world of a particular culture. Immersion in the world of mythological and fairy-tale formations makes it possible to reveal social representations, the specifics of intercultural interaction at the level of folk tradition. The relevance of this article lies in the possibility of identifying supra-ethnic processes of intercultural interaction in the South Slavic realm, as well as their social, cultural and ideological aspects. The symbolism of the snake in the cultures of various samples is known from Paleolithic times. According to a biological point of view, this is one of the most common groups of animals, neighboring in the past and today to humans all around the globe. Emotional perception of the quality of a snake (danger, secrecy, unusual appearance) and its mythological derivatives, make it possible to identify alternative, but common types of the snake image reflection that take place in Western and especially Eastern Slavic, Romanesque, Albanian, Germanic, Indo-Iranian, Greco-Roman and other mythological traditions. Their correct understanding of the ethical and aesthetic cultural paths of development of modern Slavic peoples, who have entered into a regulated dynamic cultural convergence with the whole world, is an urgent scientific and social task. The main sources of the article are songs, fairy tales, descriptions of the rituals of the Serbs, Croats, Slovenes, Bulgarians, Macedonians. Perception of the image of a snake and giving it fabulous and mythological features in historical times revealing the inconsistency of Slavic ideas about the objects present, their natural, emotional coloring of images and detection with a person.

Психологические предикторы профессиональной активности преподавателей вузов

Background. Currently, in connection with the reform in the system of higher education, studying characteristics of the university teacher that are the basis of ability to be a subject of work is a relevant task. Professional activity is one of these characteristics, which is a predictor of professional and personal development. Based on this, the need to study the structure, factors and dynamics of professional activity of university teachers is obvious. The study of this psychological phenomenon will give us the opportunity to create an effective system of methods for the development of professional activity. Objective. The goal is to study and describe objective and psychological predictors of professional activity in university teachers, compiling a professional activity equation. Studi Participants. 445 teachers from different universities in Russia, 150 men and 295 women aged 24 to 83 years were involved in the study. Methods. We used the following methods: research questionnaire of professional activity and a form on professional activity, a questionnaire of formal-dynamic properties of temperament by V.M. Rusalov and a questionnaire “Differential type of reflection” by D.A. Leontyev. Results. It has been shown that the predictors of professional activity include gender (β = 0,10; F = 28,25; p = 0,00; R2 = 0,34 for research questionnaire of professional activity; β = 0,16; F = 9,06; p = 0,00; R2 = 0,14 for a question form on professional activity), experience of pedagogical activity (β = 0,21; F = 9,06; p = 0,00; R2 = 0,14 for a question form on professional activity), formal-dynamic properties of individuality: total level of activity (β = 0,20; F = 28,25; p = 0,00; R2 = 0,34 for research questionnaire of professional activity; β = 0,18; F = 9,06; p = 0,00; R2 = 0,14 for a question form on professional activity) and reflection: systemic reflection (β = 0,31; F = 28,25; p = 0,00; R2 = 0,34 for research questionnaire of professional activity; β = 0,15; F = 9,06; p = 0,00; R2 = 0,14 for a question form of professional activity) and introspection (β = –0,34; F = 28,25; p = 0,00; R2 = 0,34 for research questionnaire of professional activity; β = –0,15; F = 9,06; p = 0,00; R2 = 0,14 for a question form of professional activity). Conclusions. The development of professional activity is determined by natural qualities, namely the general level of activity on the one hand. While, on the other hand, qualities that indicate the maturity of the personality as systemic reflection also determine professional activity. The data can be used in the development of professional activity training. Of course, the objective parameters and properties of temperament cannot be corrected. However, we can take them into account in our work, providing an individual approach, and focusing on the development of systemic professional reflection.

Reflection in action of the HEI lecturers using digital tools

This article is devoted to the analysis of the balance of development of reflective skills among higher education lecturers in the process of scientific and pedagogical activity. The analysis is conducted in two directions: reflection on the activity (reflection of the result) and reflection in the activity (reflection of the process of obtaining the result). The authors present an analysis of two aspects of reflection on the example of teaching language disciplines in the specialty "Foreign Language: Two Foreign Languages" on the basis of JSC "Kostanay Regional University named after A. Baitursynov". A total of 12 teachers from higher education institutions participated in the initial phase of the research. An algorithm for implementing the balance of development of the reflective skills of HEI (higher educational institution) lecturers has been developed. The article presents the initial and intermediate results of the participation of the HEI lecturers in the program "Media Literacy - Reflection on / in action", built on the basis of a massive open online course of the Coursera web platform. The available results obtained in the course of the study indicate the presence of the imbalance in the development of skills for reflecting the process of obtaining a result and reflecting the result itself on the basis of digital resources. The presented program has a balanced influence on the formation of two types of reflection of HEI lecturers - reflection on activity (the effective, control and measuring / assessing component of the pedagogical activity, the aspect of assessment, self-assessment, peer assessment of teaching results), and reflection of the activity itself (methodological and technological component of pedagogical activity, aspect of stage-by-stage planning, forecasting, mapping and foresight of the prospects for the development of the process of implementing the pedagogical activity itself in the higher educational institutions).

Reflective Teaching Practice: Insight(s) from Indonesia’s Pesantren

Reflective teaching (RT) is a strategy used by teachers to improve their professionalism in the learning process. This indicator has long been debated and investigated in the field of education. However, few have examined the realm of Islamic education institutions, which have distinct qualities. As a result, the purpose of this study was conducted to investigate how teachers in Indonesian Islamic education institution implement RT. Quantitative questionnaires were administered via Google Forms, and semi-structured interviews were conducted via online focus group discussions (FGDs). This study included 19 pesantren teachers from Indonesia's Java, Sumatra, and Sulawesi Islands. The findings revealed that pesantren teachers used three types of reflection positively well. All the six RT indicators for teacher were proved to be significant. RT in Islamic education institution has been shown to apply Kyai's guidance as one of several techniques for improving teaching quality. However, the RT technique of writing a journal has not been generally adopted by teachers in pesantren.

Utilizing non-specular reflection of bounded ultrasonic beams for assessing damage in solid plates

This paper investigates the potential of utilizing non-specular reflection of a bounded ultrasonic beam in a liquid-solid-liquid structure as a method for assessing damage in solid plates. The study focuses on understanding the acoustic field formulation resulting from this type of reflection, as well as examining the impact of incident angles and material damage (indicated by reduced Young's modulus) on the non-specular reflection field. To quantify the effects of non-specular reflections, the specular reflection coefficient (SRC) proposed by the authors is employed (Wang and Deng, 2023) [1]. A finite-element (FE) model is developed to analyze the SRC response concerning the incident angle and material damage. Through FE simulations involving obliquely incident bounded ultrasonic beams at different angles, the research reveals a significant, monotonically increasing sensitivity of the SRC change rate at the S0 critical angle to the level of material damage. This finding offers a precise approach for accurately evaluating material damage in plates. Experimental tests are conducted on a water-aluminum sheet-water structure, which validates the theoretical predictions and FE simulation results. The experimental results consistently demonstrate an increased change rate of the SRC at the S0 critical angle in response to the fatigue cycle, confirming the effectiveness of using non-specular reflection of a bounded ultrasonic beam at the S0 critical angle as a method for evaluating material damage in plates.

Spiritual and moral aspects of personality and reflexivity in the context of research on spiritual capacities

The article reflects the results of studying the relationship of the spiritual and moral aspects: spiritual and moral qualities, altruism, striving for meaning (as sub-components of the moral component of spiritual capacities) with reflexivity (considered as a sub-component of the mental component of spiritual capacities). It is noted that there are different types of reflection: productive and unproductive. The purpose of the study is to find out whether there is a connection between aspects of the spiritual and moral sphere with reflexivity (its different types). On the basis of a sample of 274 people, a significant positive relationship of the aspects of spiritual and moral sphere of personality with a productive type of reflection (systemic reflection) was established and a significant negative connection or lack of connection with unproductive types of reflection (introspection and quasi-reflection) was found, which makes it possible to identify the sub-component of the mental component of spiritual abilities "reflexivity" with productive (systemic) reflection.

Coupled hydrogeophysical inversion of an artificial infiltration experiment monitored with ground-penetrating radar: synthetic demonstration

Abstract. In this study, we investigate the use of ground-penetrating radar (GPR) time-lapse monitoring of artificial soil infiltration experiments. The aim is to evaluate this protocol in the context of estimating the hydrodynamic unsaturated soil parameter values and their associated uncertainties. The originality of this work is to suggest a statistical parameter estimation approach using Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods to have direct estimates of the parameter uncertainties. Using the GPR time data from the moving wetting front only does not provide reliable results. Thus, we propose to use additional information from other types of reflectors to optimize the quality of the parameter estimation. Water movement and electromagnetic wave propagation in the unsaturated zone are modeled using a one-dimensional hydrogeophysical model. The GPR travel time data are analyzed for different reflectors: a moving reflector (the infiltration wetting front) and three fixed reflectors located at different depths in the soil. Global sensitivity analysis (GSA) is employed to assess the influence of the saturated hydraulic conductivity Ks, the saturated and residual water contents θs and θr, and the Mualem–van Genuchten shape parameters α and n of the soil on the GPR travel time data of the reflectors. Statistical calibration of the soil parameters is then performed using the MCMC method. The impact of the type of reflector (moving or fixed) is then evaluated by analyzing the calibrated model parameters and their confidence intervals for different scenarios. GSA results show that the sensitivities of the GPR data to the hydrodynamic soil parameters are different between moving and fixed reflectors, whereas fixed reflectors at various depths have similar sensitivities. Ks has a similar and strong influence on the data of both types of reflectors. Concerning the other parameters, for the wetting front, only θs and α have an influence, and only at long time steps since the total variance is zero at the very beginning of the experiment. On the other hand, for the fixed reflectors, the total variance is not zero at the very start and the parameters θs, θr, α and n can have an influence from the very beginning of the infiltration. Results of parameter estimation show that the use of calibration data from the moving or fixed reflectors alone does not enable a good identification of all soil parameters. With the moving reflector, the error between the estimated mean value and the exact target value for θr and α is 9 % and 45 %, respectively, and less than 3 % for the other parameters. The best reduction of the size of the parameter distribution is obtained for n, with a posterior distribution 9 times smaller than the prior one. For the others, this reduction ratio varies between 1 and 5. For the fixed reflectors, the estimated mean values are far from the target values for α, θr and n, representing for a reflector located at 120 cm 15 %, 27 %, and 121 %, respectively. On the other hand, when both data are combined, all soil parameters can be well estimated with narrow confidence intervals. For instance, when using both data from the moving wetting front and a fixed reflector located at 120 cm for calibration, the estimated mean values of the errors of all parameters are less than 5 %. Moreover, all parameter distributions are well reduced, with a maximum reduction for Ks, leading to a posterior distribution being 46 times smaller than the prior one, and the worst but still satisfactory being for θr for which the posterior distribution is 8 times smaller than the prior one. The methodology was applied to fine, medium, and coarse sands with very good results, particularly for the finest soil. The thickness of the unsaturated zone was also tested (0.5, 1, and 2 m) and a better estimation of the hydrodynamic parameters is obtained when the water table is deeper. In addition, the height of water applied in the infiltrometry test influences the speed of the test without affecting the performance of the proposed method.

Robust Reflection Removal With Flash-Only Cues in the Wild.

We propose a simple yet effective reflection-free cue for robust reflection removal from a pair of flash and ambient (no-flash) images. The reflection-free cue exploits a flash-only image obtained by subtracting the ambient image from the corresponding flash image in raw data space. The flash-only image is equivalent to an image taken in a dark environment with only a flash on. This flash-only image is visually reflection-free and thus can provide robust cues to infer the reflection in the ambient image. Since the flash-only image usually has artifacts, we further propose a dedicated model that not only utilizes the reflection-free cue but also avoids introducing artifacts, which helps accurately estimate reflection and transmission. Our experiments on real-world images with various types of reflection demonstrate the effectiveness of our model with reflection-free flash-only cues: our model outperforms state-of-the-art reflection removal approaches by more than 5.23dB in PSNR. We extend our approach to handheld photography to address the misalignment between the flash and no-flash pair. With misaligned training data and the alignment module, our aligned model outperforms our previous version by more than 3.19dB in PSNR on a misaligned dataset. We also study using linear RGB images as training data. Our source code and dataset are publicly available at https://github.com/ChenyangLEI/flash-reflection-removal.

Multiple and Coherent Noise Removal from X-Profile 2D Seismic Data of Southern Iraq Using Normal Move Out-Frequency Wavenumber Technique

Multiple eliminations (de-multiple) are one of seismic processing steps to remove their effects and delineate the correct primary refractors. Using normal move out to flatten primaries is the way to eliminate multiples through transforming these data to frequency-wavenumber domain. The flatten primaries are aligned with zero axis of the frequency-wavenumber domain and any other reflection types (multiples and random noise) are distributed elsewhere. Dip-filter is applied to pass the aligned data and reject others will separate primaries from multiple after transforming the data back from frequency-wavenumber domain to time-distance domain. For that, a suggested name for this technique as normal move out- frequency-wavenumber domain method for multiple eliminations. The method is tested on a fake reflection event to authorize their validity, and applied to a real field X-profile 2D seismic data from southern Iraq. The results ensure the possibility of internal multiple types existing in the deep reflection data in Iraq and have to remove. So that the interpretation for the true reflectors be valid. The final processed stacked seismic data using normal move out- frequency-wavenumber domain technique shows good, clear, and sharp reflectors in comparison with the conventional normal move out stack data. Open-source Madagascar reproducible package is used for processing all steps of this study and the package is very efficient, accurate, and easy to implement normal move out, frequency-wavenumber domain, Dip-filter programs. The aim of the current study is to separate internal multiples and noise from the real 2D seismic data.

Multiple and Coherent Noise Removal from X-Profile 2D Seismic Data of Southern Iraq Using Common Depth Point Muting Procedures and Depending on Madagascar Open-Source Package

This article describes how to predict different types of multiple reflections in pre-track seismic data. The characteristics of multiple reflections can be expressed as a combination of the characteristics of primary reflections. Multiple velocities always come in lower magnitude than the primaries, this is the base for separating them during Normal Move Out correction. The muting procedure is applied in Time-Velocity analysis domain. Semblance plot is used to diagnose multiples availability and judgment for muting dimensions. This processing procedure is used to eliminate internal multiples from real 2D seismic data from southern Iraq in two stages. The first is conventional Normal Move Out correction and velocity auto picking and stacking, and the second stage is muting. Many Common Depth Point gathers are tested to select the proper muting dimension, later on; the auto pick for the muted semblance is done for the whole 2D seismic data. The following step is to stack the Normal Move Out corrected data. Differences are calculated between the two stages of the process which greatly help to determine the eliminated multiple locations within the sedimentary secession. This will reduce the risk of interpreting these sequences as primary reflectors spatially within deep thin layers. Madagascar open source package is used in these processing steps. Madagascar open source package is very efficient, accurate, and easy to correct any part of the Python code used in the two stages of processing.

Metasurface-based conformal linear-to-circular polarization converter for emerging wireless applications

This paper proposes the analysis and design aspects of a metasurface-based reflective type linear-to-circular polarization (LCP) converter in both planar and conformal profiles. The metasurface unit cell consists of a diagonally placed split circular metallic ring on top of a metal backed dielectric substrate. The structure provides LCP conversion with axial ratio (AR) < 3 dB at two frequency bands, which are 27.38–28.61GHz and 33.1–52GHz corresponding to fractional bandwidths of 4.4% and 44.5%, respectively. It exhibits two different handedness at the aforementioned two bands for a TE (or TM) linearly polarized incident wave. Moreover, it shows dual polarized and angularly stable (up to 25°) characteristics. It is observed from the far-field characteristics that the LCP converter with an array of 29 × 29 unit cells (12λ×12λ) produces peak gain of 26dBi, cross polarization level 20 dB below the maximum main lobe level when illuminated by a linearly polarized source at far-field. Subsequently, the same unit cell is used to design a cylindrical conformal metasurface with different radius of curvatures (r). It provides quite stable AR, gain and radiation patterns till r=100mm. The array has been fabricated to experimentally validate the numerical results of both the planar and conformal geometries.

Getting comfortable with discomfort: supporting primary science teacher educators’ capacity for socially just pedagogy

ABSTRACT Despite longstanding calls for social justice-oriented teaching, there remains limited understanding of how to achieve it. This paper reports findings from a research-development project that explored the experiences of UK-based primary science teacher educators participating in a nine-month equity-oriented professional development programme and offers insights for supporting teacher learning for social justice. Analysis of written reflections and open-ended interviews with 15 teacher educators identified three types of reflection that supported justice-oriented practice: personal privilege in relation to race, class, gender and science; the norms and values of educational professional development; and practical implementation of justice-orientated professional development with teachers and schools. We discuss the importance of creating safe and brave spaces for critical reflection for primary science teacher educators and highlight the productive potential of experiences of discomfort that generated humility, empathy and insights that resulted in more equitable practice. The paper underlines the value of supporting educators to embrace discomfort as part of social justice-orientated professional development and calls for a greater valuing of and support for expanded models of professional development that foreground critical reflection and go beyond ‘top tips’, ‘quick fixes’, and dominant norms around professional ‘politeness’.

Analytical study of optical dielectric interfaces for sensing applications

Dynamic optical sensors, as those based on the reflectivity of isotropic dielectrical interfaces, can be useful for measuring small changes in the refractive index of fluid media. Exact and approximated explicit formulas for their sensitivity are developed. These expressions clarify the influence of each of the constructive parameters of the device, both in partial and in total reflection. It is analytically found that sensitivities are always greater when the angle of incidence approaches the angle of total reflection. It is also demonstrated that close to the critical angle for both types of reflection, the sensitivity of the p mode is greater than that of the s mode.

Role of Reflection in Education and Practice in Anaesthesia: Purpose, Process, Pitfalls and Promotion

Reflection facilitates medical education and professional practice by enhancing active and deep learning from experiences. The reflection period is a time for self-awareness and self-assessment of learning events and experiences to improve future experiences (e.g., skill acquisition). Advocates for reflection suggest that reflective practice has the power to enhance professionalism as it provides an opportunity for critical thinking. It can be of variable length and depth; however, the process should be explorative and factual. Critical reflection is a broader and in-depth consideration of historical, cultural and political contexts to challenge and change one’s or a group’s assumptions and actions. Although the process is beneficial to achieving the intended learning objectives, its impact on educational and clinical outcomes remains unclear in anaesthesia. The usefulness of reflection in the learning process or work practices varies depending on personal, professional and organisational factors. Several models and approaches are described to facilitate the reflection process. However, assessment of reflection within the curriculum boundaries and for workplace-based learning activities is complex and challenging due to the lack of validated tools for different types of reflection. PubMed and Google Scholar were searched for articles on reflection and its application in anaesthesia. The anaesthesia literature has minimal information on the theoretical and research aspects of reflective learning and teaching. This review aims to outline the purpose of reflection, discuss the utilisation of commonly used reflection models and underline the intricacy of reflection in anaesthesia learning, teaching and practice. This article highlights crucial factors which may foster or hinder reflection and its effectiveness in achieving meaningful intended outcomes.

Shot noise in topological insulator-based ferromagnet/p-wave superconductor junctions

The differential shot noise and Fano factor in topological insulator-based ferromagnet/p-wave superconductor (TI-based FM/p-wave SC) junctions is theoretically investigated based on the Dirac-Bogoliubov-de Gennes equation. Three kinds of pairings px, py, and px+ipy-waves for SC are chosen. It is found that the shot noise spectrum strongly depends on the finite-quasi-particle lifetime, the magnetic gap m induced by an applied magnetization, the Fermi-energy mismatch between FM and SC as well as the type of the pair potential symmetry. Shortening the quasi-particles lifetime leads to the dips in the shot noise smoothed out. Increasing the magnetic gap can suppress the shot noise and Fano factor when the conventional Andreev retro-reflection is the dominant process but the shot noise can be enhanced when the dominant process is the specular Andreev reflection. Which type of reflection dominates the tunneling process with a turning point at the Fermi energy EF =m, where the values of shot noise in all energy ranges become zero. This result can be used not only to distinguish the specular Andreev reflection from the Andreev retro-reflection in thin film TI-based FM/p-wave SC structures but also to determine the energy-mass gap induced by the applied magnetization.

The impact of COVID-19 trauma on healthcare workers: Examining the relationship between stress and growth through the lens of memory.

The COVID-19 pandemic constituted tremendous traumatic stress among the frontline healthcare workers. In the present study, we investigated relationships of two types of rumination, namely brooding and reflection, with traumatic stress and post-traumatic growth and the mediating role of recollective experience in these relationships. A total of 88 healthcare workers (75% female, Mage=54.91) actively providing service to COVID-19 patients reported two memories of events that impacted them the most at the first peak of the pandemic and rated their recollective experience (i.e., phenomenological characteristics of memories). We used structural equation modelling to test whether recollective experience mediated the link of brooding and reflection with post-trauma reactions of stress and growth. The findings showed that brooding and reflection were associated with higher levels of traumatic stress and post-traumatic growth. Importantly, recollective experience mediated the relationship of rumination with traumatic stress but this differed for the type of rumination. Higher brooding was associated with greater traumatic stress and that relationship was independent of how well the memories were recollected, while for reflection, high reflection was associated with stronger recollective experience, which predicted higher traumatic stress and post-traumatic growth. The present study shows the functional dimensions of reflective rumination and presents novel findings that demonstrates the discrete mnemonic mechanisms underlying the association between brooding, reflection, and post-trauma reactions.

Continuity of Top-of-Atmosphere, Surface, and Nadir BRDF-Adjusted Reflectance and NDVI between Landsat-8 and Landsat-9 OLI over China Landscape

The successful launch of Landsat-9 marks a significant achievement in preserving the data legacy and ensuring the continuity of Landsat’s calibrated Earth observations. This study comprehensively assesses the continuity of reflectance and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) between Landsat-8 and Landsat-9 Operational Land Imagers (OLIs) over diverse Chinese landscapes. It reveals that sensor discrepancies minimally impact reflectance and NDVI consistency. Although Landsat-9’s top-of-atmosphere (TOA) reflectance is slightly lower than that of Landsat-8, small root-mean-square errors (RMSEs) ranging from 0.0102 to 0.0248 for VNIR and SWIR bands (and larger RMSE for NDVI at 0.0422) fall within acceptable ranges for Earth observation applications. Applying atmospheric corrections markedly enhances reflectance uniformity and brings regression slopes closer to unity. Further, Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) adjustments improve comparability, ensuring measurement reliability, and the NDVI maintains robust consistency across various reflectance types, time series, and land cover classes. These findings affirm Landsat-9’s success in achieving data continuity within the Landsat program, allowing interchangeable use of Landsat-8 and Landsat-9 OLI data for diverse Earth observation purposes. Future research may explore specific sensor correlations across different vegetation types and seasons while integrating data from complementary platforms, such as Sentinel-2, to enhance the understanding of data continuity factors.

Compilation of a Solar Mirror Materials Database and an Analysis of Natural and Accelerated Mirror Exposure and Degradation

Abstract The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has been conducting exposure experiments on solar reflectors for over four decades. Thousands of mirror samples from over 100 suppliers have been exposed to and monitored in a range of relevant environments. These test conditions include outdoor test settings and several controlled laboratory environments. These samples have been rigorously individually characterized using a series of reflectance measurements, visual inspections and, in some cases, in-depth composition analysis to identify degradation modes, reflectance losses, and other mirror properties integral to understanding the solar reflector’s life cycle. This article compiles the decades of measurement data into a concise statistical analysis. It includes exposure and degradation data for numerous reflector types, including secondary-surface reflector permutations of polymer and glass superstrates with silver and aluminum reflectors as well as front-surface reflectors. The results herein are intended to analyze environmental stressors and degradation trends among various historical and state-of-the-art solar reflectors. This article may be used to support solar reflector design, effective testing methodology, and inform manufacturing decisions moving forward. Presented are the results of the compiled database and an initial analysis for degradation rate modeling using full-spectrum and wavelength-dependent approaches. The database is a growing resource hosted on a live, publicly accessible website. In conjunction with the analysis presented here, the database provides a valuable resource to the solar reflector manufacturing and testing industry.

Ponderations on intestinal stoms: Interfaces and repercussions

An intestinal stoma is a surgical procedure in which the surgeon externalizes part of the small or large intestine. These stomies have the objective of eliminating the fecal content. An intestinal stoma is a surgical procedure in which the surgeon externalizes part of the small or large intestine. These stomies have the objective of eliminating the fecal content. It is worth mentioning that the making of the stoma is also a phenomenon that generates multiple psychosocial effects that directly influence the life condition of the patient in the postoperative period. The present study aims to ponder on intestinal stomas reflecting the interfaces and repercussions. This is a descriptive, qualitative study of the reflective analysis type, elaborated from a review of the literature about the "interfaces and repercussions of intestinal stomas". For this, a narrative review was carried out. Narrative review studies are publications with the purpose of describing and discussing the state of the art of a certain subject. With the objective of organizing and understanding the data that was collected from the present study, three categories with the following arguments were elaborated: Historical facts about intestinal stomas; Concepts and definitions facing Colostomy and Ileostomy; Interfaces of temporary/provisory and definitive intestinal stomas. In this sense, the study aims to ponder on intestinal stomies reflecting the interfaces and repercussions.