Unusual Behavior Research Articles

Uncovering the Pathway of Serine Octamer Magic Number Cluster Formation during Electrospray Ionization: Experiments and Simulations.

Electrospray ionization (ESI) of serine (Ser) solution generates Ser8H+ as an abundant magic number cluster. ESI clustering of most other solutes yields nonspecific stoichiometries. It is unclear why Ser8H+ dominates in the case of Ser, and how Ser8H+ forms during ESI. Even the location of Ser8H+ formation is contentious (in solution, in ESI droplets, or elsewhere). Here we unravel key aspects of the l-Ser8H+ formation pathway. Harsh ion sampling conditions promote the collision-induced dissociation (CID) of regular ESI analytes. Unexpectedly, Ser8H+ was seemingly resistant against CID during ion sampling, despite its extremely low tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) stability. This unusual behavior reveals that Ser8H+ forms during ion sampling. We propose the following pathway: (1) Nonspecific Ser clusters are released when ESI droplets evaporate to dryness. These initial clusters cover a wide size range, from a few Ser to hundreds or thousands of monomers. (2) The clusters undergo dissociation during ion sampling, mostly via successive loss of neutral monomers. For any source activation voltage, there is a subpopulation of clusters for which this CID cascade tends to terminate at the octamer level, culminating in Ser8H+-dominated product distributions. Mobile proton molecular dynamics simulations were used to model the entire pathway. Ser8H+ structures formed in these simulations were consistent with ion mobility experiments. The most compact structures resembled the model of [Scutelnic, V. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 7554-7560], with numerous intermolecular salt bridges and H-bonds. Our findings illustrate how the interplay of association and dissociation reactions across phase boundaries can culminate in magic number clusters.

KRF-AD: Innovating anomaly detection with KDE-KL and random forest fusion

Anomaly detection in Intrusion Detection System (IDS) data refers to the process of identifying and flagging unusual or abnormal behavior within a network or system. In the context of IoT, anomaly detection helps in identifying any abnormal or unexpected behavior in the data generated by connected devices. Existing methods often struggle with accurately detecting anomalies amidst massive data volumes and diverse attack patterns. This paper proposes a novel approach, KDE-KL Anomaly Detection with Random Forest Integration (KRF-AD), which combines Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) and Kullback-Leibler (KL) divergence with Random Forest (RF) for effective anomaly detection. Additionally, Random Forest (RF) integration enables classification of data points as anomalies or normal based on features and anomaly scores. The combination of statistical divergence measurement and density estimation enhances the detection accuracy and robustness, contributing to more effective network security. Experimental results demonstrate that KRF-AD achieves 96% accuracy and outperforms other machine learning models in detecting anomalies, offering significant potential for enhancing network security.

Unusual cobalt behaviors and enrichment in cobalt-rich crust from the Magellan seamounts in the Western Pacific

Marine cobalt-rich (Co-rich) crusts are submarine critical metal resources with high economic value. In this study, detailed in-situ fine-scale morphological, mineralogical, and geochemical analyses were conducted on Co-rich crust from the Western Pacific. The Co-rich crust can be divided into three layers: (1) Layer 1 is the oldest anthracite layer and contacts with the substrate, showing a very dense laminated/columnar texture. Layer 1 can be further divided into two distinct sublayers: a lower black, massive, dense sublayer (Layer 1–1) and an upper black-to-brown sublayer (Layer 1–2). (2) Layer 2 is porous and locally vuggy, and its pore space is filled with a large amount of silicate detrital minerals and clay minerals. (3) Layer 3, on the top, is black and dense, with a dendritic, columnar/laminated texture. Co is very unevenly distributed throughout the whole crust, with three distinct Co-rich areas. Layer 3 is a typical hydrogenetic crust and has not undergone late alteration. The main processes for Co enrichment are specific adsorption-oxidation on Mn-oxides and the structural incorporation of Co3+ into Mn-oxide phases. The average Co content of the Layer 3 is much higher than that of the other two layers. The presence of abundant detrital and clay minerals, along with high levels of Al, Si, and Ti in Layer 2, indicates the incorporation of terrigenous material, resulting in a high average growth rate. However, these processes are not conducive to Co enrichment. In the phosphatized Layer 1, fluctuations in element content are significantly greater than in the upper, non-phosphatized layers. Phosphatization has resulted in the partial decomposition of the initial Co-rich micro-layers, which may have reactivated and migrated Co, contributing to secondary Co enrichment.

Entry by brute force: An unusual behaviour displayed by Scaurus uncinus (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), to access nests of Messor barbarus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Spain

Entry by brute force: An unusual behaviour displayed by Scaurus uncinus (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), to access nests of Messor barbarus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Spain

Fluidized spanlastics for intranasal brain delivery of lacosamide aiming to control Status Epilepticus: Design, Characterization, Ex-vivo permeation, Radioiodination and In-vivo biodistribution studies

Status Epilepticus (SE) is a neurological condition characterized by anomalous brain activity, causing repetitive seizures lasting for more than 5 min or periods of unusual behavior without returning to a normal level of consciousness between episodes. Chitosan has shown various pharmaceutical benefits, particularly in intranasal administration. In the current manuscript, novel ultra-deformable vesicles (fluidized spanlastics) loaded with lacosamide (LCM), a model anti-epileptic drug, were formulated and compared with their chitosan containing counterparts. The formed vesicles were assessed for their particle size (PS), zeta potential (ZP), entrapment efficiency (EE%) and storage stability. Surface morphology, pH and viscosity measurements, in-vitro release study and release kinetics, and ex-vivo permeation across nasal sheep mucosa were carried out on the optimized formulations. The bio-distribution and pharmacokinetic studies were performed using the radioiodinated-LCM (131I-LCM) utilizing different routes of administration to assess the in-vivo performance of intravenous solutions (IVs), intranasal solutions (INs) and the intranasal administered optimized formula (INFS). LCM-vesicles showed PS ranging from 109.90 to 418.4 nm, negative ZP values ranging from −28.00 to −48.30 mV in case of regular vesicles and shifted to +16.70 to +18.72 mV in case of chitosan coated vesicles, high EE% values having a range of 65.76–97.25 % and good storage stability properties. The optimized formulation showed spherical shape and enhanced ex-vivo permeation approximately 4-fold higher compared to LCM solution. The results of the in-vivo study demonstrated that the brain/blood ratio (B/B) of INs was 3.3-fold higher than IVs and INs of 131I-LCM in the first 5 min. Accordingly, the prepared system has been shown to possess a promising potential for brain diagnosis and/or therapy.

Exploring the Value and Affordances of Psychoanalysis in the Teaching of English Literary Texts in South African Secondary Education

Teachers and learners at South African secondary schools face a variety of challenges, of which some are psychological, emotional, and hidden from the untrained eye. It is, therefore, crucial to search for methods or theories to help learners with emotional and psychological challenges. The study explored and interrogated one overlooked theory that could help in this regard: the psychoanalytic theory. This Freudian theory is believed to offer a different kind of literary criticism which focuses on the subconscious mental activities and unusual behaviours in literary texts to resolve psychological challenges in education and society. The study investigated the nature, affordances, teaching methods, and challenges and solutions associated with the theory. The study also revealed some practical benefits of the theory for English literary education and life in general. Additionally, the study found that the theory is valuable in equipping teachers and learners with psychoanalytic knowledge and skills to critically analyse English literary content. The study also established that psychoanalytic abilities can help identify and resolve psychological challenges in an educational environment and society in general.

Investigation of the temperature-dependent photoluminescence characteristics in Mn2+-doped (PEA)2PbBr4 perovskite

The two-dimensional organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites demonstrate significant potential for use in photodetectors and white light-emitting diodes. In this study, we successfully synthesized pure and Mn2+-doped (PEA)2PbBr4 perovskite via rapid crystallization. The morphology, structure, magnetic properties, and optical characteristics of them were comprehensively characterized. The unusual behavior of free exciton emission is mainly attributed to electron-phonon coupling and negative thermal quenching effects. The self-trapped exciton emission results from self-trapped excited states and electron-phonon coupling. Moreover, energy transfer phenomena are observed between free exciton emission, self-trapped exciton emission, and Mn2+ emission. These findings offer valuable insights into the luminescence mechanism of two-dimensional layered perovskites.

Testing screened modified gravity with SDSS-IV-MaNGA

ABSTRACT Fifth forces are ubiquitous in modified gravity theories and must be screened to evade stringent local tests. This can introduce unusual behaviour in galaxy phenomenology by affecting galaxies’ components differently. Here, we use the SDSS-IV (Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV)-MaNGA (Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory) data set to search for a systematic excess of gas circular velocity over stellar circular velocity, expected in thin-shell-screened theories in the partially screened regime. Accounting for asymmetric drift and calibrating our model on screened subsamples, we find no significant evidence for a screened fifth force. We bound the fifth-force strength to $\Delta G/G_\text{N} < 0.1$ for all astrophysical ranges, strengthening to $\sim$0.01 at Compton wavelength of 3 Mpc for the Hu–Sawicki model, for instance. This implies a stringent constraint on scalar–tensor theories, for example $f_{\mathcal {R}0} \lesssim 10^{-8}$ in Hu–Sawicki $f(\mathcal {R})$ gravity.

Relaxation and fluctuations of a mass- and dipole-conserving stochastic lattice gas

Han [] have recently introduced a classical stochastic lattice gas model which, in addition to particle conservation, also conserves the particles' dipole moment. Because of its intrinsic nonlinearity this model exhibits unusual macroscopic scaling behaviors, different from those of lattice gases that conserve only the number of particles. Here we investigate some basic relaxation and fluctuation properties of this model at large scales and at long times. These properties crucially depend on whether the total number of particles is infinite or finite. We find similarity solutions, describing relaxation of the dipole-conserving gas (DCG) in several standard settings. A major part of our effort is an extension to this model of the macroscopic fluctuation theory (MFT), previously developed for lattice gases where only the number of particles is conserved. We apply the MFT to the calculation of the variance of nonequilibrium fluctuations of the excess number of particles on the positive semi-axis when starting from an (either deterministic, or random) constant density at t=0. Using the MFT, we also identify the equilibrium Boltzmann-Gibbs distribution for the DCG. Finally, based on these results, we determine the probability distribution of, and the most probable density history leading to, a large deviation in the form of a macroscopic void of a given size in an initially uniform DCG at equilibrium. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Unlocking the Multistage Redox Property of Graphenic Radicals by π-Extension.

Delocalized organic π-radicals are intrinsically amphoteric redox systems; however, achieving their multistage redox capability presents a challenge. In addition, their instability often hampers their synthesis, isolation, and characterization. Herein, we report the synthesis of a stable π-extended nanographene π-radical (NR1) and its isolation in the crystalline form. NR1 exhibits an unusual four-stage amphoteric redox behavior, as revealed by cyclic voltammetry measurements. The stable charged species, including a cation and a radical dication, are characterized using spectroscopic methods. This study demonstrates that π-extension could serve as a viable approach to unlock the multistage redox ability of delocalized organic radicals.

Revealing the Unusual behavior of rhenium (I) tricarbonyl complex functionalized with Aza-Macrocycles in response to metal ions

Three new rhenium phenanthroline tricarbonyl complexes were synthesized and fully characterized to examine changes in their photophysical properties and spectroscopic behavior in the presence of metal ions. To achieve this, the complexes were designed with modifications in both the phenanthroline and the axial ligand. The 4,7–dichloro–1,10–phenanthroline (Cl2phen) precursor was functionalized with two units of 1–aza–15–crown–5 (1A15C5) to obtain the complex [Re((A15C5)2phen)(CO)3Br] (1) with the aim to study the spectroscopic perturbations induced by the binding of the metal ions by this receptor. Interestingly, the rhenium complex 1 shows a particular behavior towards Hg(II) and Pb(II), as a result of the halide abstraction assisted by these metal ions. Additionally, in the presence of Cu(II) the interaction and coordination/binding with the macrocycle cavities is also presumed. The chemical reaction assisted by Hg(II) was confirmed by changes in the absorption, emission and FT–IR spectra of [Re(Cl2phen)(CO)3Br] (2) in presence of the heavy metal ion. These obtained profiles had similar patterns to the ones shown by the cationic complex [Re(Cl2phen)(CO)3(CH3CN)]PF6 (3). As final confirmation, this last complex was also studied in the presence of metal ions and its spectra remained unaltered.

Shift-left in your fight against supply chain fraud

Supply chain operations rely upon various supply chain software systems, centred around the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. Traditional and still widely utilised and relied-upon audit techniques have addressed the issue of finding problems — particularly fraud — typically too late after they have happened. Inasmuch as the ERP system is considered the business system of record, it may not be the system of origination for every supply chain transaction, meaning that fraud examination needs to look beyond the ERP system and notably before the ERP general ledger. The closer to a transaction’s point of origin the unusual behaviour can be detected, the sooner the outlier issue can be fixed, and ideally averted in the future with the right corrective actions taken then and there. This all helps to prevent the problem — the bad data, the offending transaction, and possibly the incorrect goods — from travelling through the supply chain and manifesting into something worse. Ramifications can include knock-on effects to data analysis, impacts to decisions, passing bad information to supply chain partners, conveying the wrong goods and material effects on financial statements. This paper presents a supply chain perspective that reveals just how much control an enterprise really does have over its supply chain transactions, showcases how reactive fraud discovery methodologies remain firmly in place, and offers a more proactive business model that leverages what most companies already have to improve internal controls and decrease incidences of fraud.

On effective surface elastic moduli for microstructured strongly anisotropic coatings

The determination of surface elastic moduli is discussed in the context of a recently proposed strongly anisotropic surface elasticity model. The aim of the model was to describe deformations of solids with thin elastic coatings associated with so-called hyperbolic metasurfaces. These metasurfaces can exhibit a quite unusual behaviour and concurrently a very promising wave propagation behaviour. In the model of strongly anisotropic surface elasticity, strain energy as a function of the first and second deformation gradients has been introduced in addition to the constitutive relations in the bulk. In order to obtain values of surface elastic moduli, we compare dispersion relations for anti-plane surface waves obtained using the two-dimensional (2D) model and three-dimensional (3D) straightforward calculations for microstructured coatings of finite thickness. We show that with derived effective surface moduli, the 2D model can correctly describe the wave propagation.

Elucidation of amphoteric nature of Pr2O3 using XPS and conductivity measurement in lead-free NKBT host lattice

The study of the piezoelectric response in praseodymium-doped (Na0.41K0.09Bi0.5)TiO3 (NKBT) revealed an unusual behaviour at doping level near 0.5 and 1.0 at%. Although there is a marginal increment in the piezoelectric charge coefficients for samples with praseodymium doping of 0.5–1.0 at% compared to undoped NKBT, importantly, the response drastically diminishes for doping concentrations exceeding 1.0 at%. To comprehend the observed anomaly, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and temperature dependent conductivity measurement was carried out. These investigations provided critical insights into the role of oxygen vacancy and the behaviour of praseodymium ions in the NKBT matrix. The XPS analysis revealed the presence of core level peak corresponding to O-1s with asymmetric broadening at higher energy side implying the presence of oxygen bound to the perovskite lattice (binding energy: 529.2±0.3 eV) along with oxygen vacancy (binding energy: 531.5±0.4 eV). The XPS study further revealed that the concentration of the oxygen vacancy is lowest around 0.5 at% of praseodymium doping and beyond this the oxygen vacancy increases. The high temperature conductivity measurement supported these findings by showing similar trends in the electrical conductivity. Both the XPS and conductivity measurements further corroborate the conjecture that praseodymium behaves as amphoteric ion. The praseodymium occupies the A-site of perovskite (Na0.41K0.09Bi0.5)TiO3 for lower praseodymium concentration (<1.0 at%), whereas for higher doping concentration (>1.0 at%) it occupies the B-site exhibiting acceptor like behavior that deteriorates the piezoelectric response.

Real-Time Surveillance with AI: A Comprehensive Approach to Security and Monitoring

The last ten years have been quite phenomenal for artificial intelligence and computer vision. For the past few years, it was unstoppable, with outstanding breakthroughs that moved towards advanced real-time surveillance systems-that wholesome approach to real-time surveillance through the power of AI in technological advancement for accuracy, scalability, and responsiveness. The system integrates facial recognition, object detection, and anomaly detection algorithms to give a very stable, adaptive response to the various facets of surveillance needs, such as public safety, institutional monitoring, and private security. Through deep learning models extracted from comprehensive datasets, the system is able to identify known individuals in real time and trace the movements and unusual behaviors of these people. A discussion of challenges in data privacy, computational efficiency, and false positives goes hand in hand with an in-depth analysis of system architecture, which includes thorough hardware and software configuration descriptions. The experimental results show the potential of the system in real-world environments as an alternate scalable solution for future security infrastructures.

Structural Rheology in the Development and Study of Complex Polymer Materials.

The progress in polymer science and nanotechnology yields new colloidal and macromolecular objects and their combinations, which can be defined as complex polymer materials. The complexity may include a complicated composition and architecture of macromolecular chains, specific intermolecular interactions, an unusual phase behavior, and a structure of a multi-component polymer-containing material. Determination of a relation between the structure of a complex material, the structure and properties of its constituent elements, and the rheological properties of the material as a whole is the subject of structural rheology-a valuable tool for the development and study of novel materials. This work summarizes the author's structural-rheological studies of complex polymer materials for determining the conditions and rheo-manifestations of their micro- and nanostructuring. The complicated chemical composition of macromolecular chains and its role in polymer structuring via block segregation and cooperative hydrogen bonds in melt and solutions is considered using tri- and multiblock styrene/isoprene and vinyl acetate/vinyl alcohol copolymers. Specific molecular interactions are analyzed in solutions of cellulose; its acetate butyrate; a gelatin/carrageenan combination; and different acrylonitrile, oxadiazole, and benzimidazole copolymers. A homogeneous structuring may result from a conformational transition, a mesophase formation, or a macromolecular association caused by a complex chain composition or specific inter- and supramolecular interactions, which, however, may be masked by macromolecular entanglements when determining a rheological behavior. A heterogeneous structure formation implies a microscopic phase separation upon non-solvent addition, temperature change, or intense shear up to a macroscopic decomposition. Specific polymer/particle interactions have been examined using polyethylene oxide solutions, polyisobutylene melts, and cellulose gels containing solid particles of different nature, demonstrating the competition of macromolecular entanglements, interparticle interactions, and adsorption polymer/particle bonds in governing the rheological properties. Complex chain architecture has been considered using long-chain branched polybutylene-adipate-terephthalate and polyethylene melts, cross-linked sodium hyaluronate hydrogels, asphaltene solutions, and linear/highly-branched polydimethylsiloxane blends, showing that branching raises the viscosity and elasticity and can result in limited miscibility with linear isomonomer chains. Finally, some examples of composite adhesives, membranes, and greases as structured polymeric functional materials have been presented with the demonstration of the relation between their rheological and performance properties.

Retraction Note: Improving the prediction rate of unusual behaviors of animal in a poultry using deep learning technique

Retraction Note: Improving the prediction rate of unusual behaviors of animal in a poultry using deep learning technique

Abnormal Driving Area Detection Using Multiple Vehicle Dynamic Model-Based Filter: Design and Experimental Validation

The main concern of remote control systems for autonomous ground vehicles (AGVs) is to perform the given mission according to the purpose of the operator. Although most remote systems are composed of a screen-based architecture, they are insufficient to transfer sufficient information to the remote operator. Therefore, in this paper, we present and experimentally validate an abnormal driving area detection system using an interacting multiple model (IMM) filter for the remote control system. In the proposed IMM filter, the unknown dynamic behavior of the vehicle, which changes according to changes in the driving environment, was lumped into a parameter change of the system model. As a result, we can obtain the probability of each model representing the reliability of each model, but an index can be used to infer the current status of the AGV and the driving environment. The index can help us detect both unusual behavior of the AGV such as skidding or sliding, and areas with low-friction road conditions that are not confirmed by images from the camera sensor. Thus, the remote operator can directly decide whether to continue operating or not. The proposed method is simple but useful and meaningful for the remote operator compared to the image-only method. The overall procedure of the proposed method was experimentally validated via a multi-purpose AGV on rough unpaved proving ground. Nine abnormal driving areas were discovered on the ground. In five of these areas, vehicles consistently exhibited abnormal driving behavior. The remaining four areas were confirmed to be affected by variables such as weather conditions and vehicle tire wear.

Application of multivariate binary logistic regression grouped outlier statistics and geospatial logistic model to identify villages having unusual health-seeking habits for childhood malaria in Malawi

BackgroundEarly diagnosis and prompt treatment of malaria in young children are crucial for preventing the serious stages of the disease. If delayed treatment-seeking habits are observed in certain areas, targeted campaigns and interventions can be implemented to improve the situation.MethodsThis study applied multivariate binary logistic regression model diagnostics and geospatial logistic model to identify traditional authorities in Malawi where caregivers have unusual health-seeking behaviour for childhood malaria. The data from the 2021 Malawi Malaria Indicator Survey were analysed using R software version 4.3.0 for regressions and STATA version 17 for data cleaning.ResultsBoth models showed significant variability in treatment-seeking habits of caregivers between villages. The mixed-effects logit model residual identified Vuso Jere, Kampingo Sibande, Ngabu, and Dzoole as outliers in the model. Despite characteristics that promote late reporting of malaria at clinics, most mothers in these traditional authorities sought treatment within twenty-four hours of the onset of malaria symptoms in their children. On the other hand, the geospatial logit model showed that late seeking of malaria treatment was prevalent in most areas of the country, except a few traditional authorities such as Mwakaboko, Mwenemisuku, Mwabulambya, Mmbelwa, Mwadzama, Zulu, Amidu, Kasisi, and Mabuka.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that using a combination of multivariate regression model residuals and geospatial statistics can help in identifying communities with distinct treatment-seeking patterns for childhood malaria within a population. Health policymakers could benefit from consulting traditional authorities who demonstrated early reporting for care in this study. This could help in understanding the best practices followed by mothers in those areas which can be replicated in regions where seeking care is delayed.

Superscattering engineering through combined resonant modes

Abstract A sub-wavelength particle with a total scattering cross section that exceeds the single channel limit is referred to as a superscatterer, which can provide ability to control light in nanoscale. A variety of superscatter structures have been suggested, most of them are typically constructed with strong forward scattering but minor backscattering. This unusual behavior can be attributed to the superposition of resonant modes in adjacent angular momentum channels. We reveal the mechanism of super backscattering for subwavelength column, which can be formed by recombining non-adjacent resonant modes, as confirmed by our numerical analysis.