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Abstract The used methods in our papers [1–13] named new modified and extended auxiliary equation methods. The calculations of our article were correct. All solutions satisfied the partial differential equations in our papers. Highlights • The hydrodynamic mathematical methods. • We present nonlinear Schrodinger equation. • Solitary wave to the generalized nonlinear higher order of dynamical equation. • Fractional generalized reaction duffing equations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypotheses (1) The equilibrium size and characteristics of a radially wicked fluid on porous material such as paper is expected to be dependent on the fluid properties and therefore could serve as a diagnostic tool. (2) The change in wicked stain size between biological fluids is dependent on a change in solid-liquid surface interfacial energy due to protein adsorption. Experiments Sessile droplets of increasing volume of blood, its components, and model fluids were deposited onto paper and the equilibrium stain size after coming to a halt was recorded. The contact angle of fluid droplets on model cellulose surfaces was measured to quantify the effect that blood protein adsorption at the solid-liquid interface has on radially wicked equilibrium size. Finally the significance of droplet evaporation for the time scale of interest was analysed. Findings The final stain area of all fluids tested on paper scales remarkably linearly with droplet volume. Different fluids were compared and the gradient of this linear relation was measured. Model fluids varying in surface tension and viscosity all behave similarly and exhibit a constant gradient. Blood and its components produce smaller stains, demonstrated by lower gradients. The gradient is a function of protein concentration, thus the mechanism of this phenomenon was identified as protein adsorption at the cellulose-liquid interface. The slope of the area/volume relationship for droplets is an important quantitative mechanistic variable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes a study on the viability of using waste from the paper industry: biomass boiler ash and green liquor dregs to fabricate mortars and concretes. Both types of ash were characterized by obtaining their chemical and mineralogical composition, their organic matter content, granulometry, adsorption and other common tests for construction materials. Seven different mortars were fabricated, one for reference made up of cement, sand, and water, three in which 10, 20, or 30% of the cement was replaced by biomass ash, and three others in which 10, 20, or 30% of the cement was replaced with dregs. Test specimens were fabricated with these mortars to conduct flexural and compression tests. Flexural strength is reduced for all the mortars studied. Compressive strength increases for the mortars fabricated with biomass ash and decreases for the mortar with dregs. Finally, 5 concretes were made, one of them as a reference (neither biomass ash nor dregs added), two of them with replacements of 10 and 20% of biomass ash instead of cement and another two with replacements of 10 and 20% of dregs instead of cement. The compressive and tensile splitting strength increase when a 10% of ash is replaced and decrease in all the other cases. The modulus of elasticity always decreases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waste paper fly ash (WPFA) and bottom ash (WPBA), derived from fluidised bed combustion of a paper recycling plant, exhibit cementitious properties owing to its mineralogical composition, and hence, could be proposed as a hydraulic binder. However, it may also contain some traces of heavy metals. Considering it is necessary to understand the effect of reusing any kind of waste on the environment, this study proposes of reusing WPFA/WPBA as a hydraulic road binder by evaluating its mineralogical composition and leaching activity. Chemical, physical, and mineralogical properties of raw WPFA/WPBA and the microstructural evolution of binders were carried out. Results showed that both ashes undergo hydration reactions while showing some cementitious properties by forming C–S–H gel, Friedel's salt, and calcite. According to the European standard EN 13282–1, both WPFA and WPBA can be categorised as N1 considering they reach 5.3 and 3.6 MPa, respectively, at 56 days. Furthermore, the mechanical performance of various soils was improved by using WPFA and WPBA as a binder. From the environmental point of view, the amount of barium in WPFA and WPBA, which is the main problem, was significantly decreased by using these ashes as a binder. • Ashes from a plant using 100% recycled paper to produce paper are studied. • WPFA and WPBA have cementitious properties. • The hydrated products are calcite, C–S–H gel, and Friedel's salt. • Implementation of WPFA on six different soils was successful. • A stabilised soil with WPFA can be categorised as an inert material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The removal of xenotrpic murine leukemia virus (xMuLV) by size-exclusion filter paper composed of 100% naturally derived cellulose was validated. The filter paper was produced using cellulose nanofibers derived from Cladophora sp. algae. The filter paper was characterized using atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, helium pycnometry, and model tracer (100 nm latex beads and 50 nm gold nanoparticles) retention tests. Following the filtration of xMuLV spiked solutions, LRV ≥5.25 log 10 TCID 50 was observed, as limited by the virus titre in the feed solution and sensitivity of the tissue infectivity test. The results of the validation study suggest that the nanocellulose filter paper is useful for removal of endogenous rodent retroviruses and retrovirus-like particles during the production of recombinant proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, plant-scale process integration was applied to an Indian paper mill using the water cascade analysis (WCA) technique. Three limiting constraints, chemical oxygen demand (COD), total dissolved solids (TDS), and adsorbable organic halides (AOX), were considered for the study. A nearest neighbor algorithm was used to distribute the freshwater and recycled water among the plant operations. It was found that the limiting critical constraint depends upon the types of processes and streams involved in the integration. The limiting critical constraint can differ for different sections of the same industry, and can differ in different schemes of integration. After process integration, a 55.6% reduction in effluent flow, a 36% reduction in COD, and a 73% reduction in AOX were observed. After process integration, a 35.21% reduction in pollution costs can be achieved and, assuming the average production of the mill to be 225 tons per day, a savings of Indian rupees (INR) 1.73 per kg of paper produced can be achieved by employing process integration. The water cess was calculated as INR 3024.77 per day without integration for the sections that were considered for integration, while after integration, a 41.53% savings in the form of water cess was calculated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract Bisphenol A (BPA) is a high-production-volume chemical with endocrine disrupting properties commonly used as color developer in thermal paper. Concerns about the potential hazards of human BPA exposure have led to the increasing utilization of alternatives such as bisphenol S (BPS) and bisphenol F (BPF). This study was designed to assess: (i) BPA, BPS, and BPF concentrations in 112 thermal paper receipts from Brazil, France, and Spain by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS); and (ii) hormone-like activities of these receipts using two receptor-specific bioassays, the E-Screen for (anti-)estrogenicity and PALM luciferase assay for (anti-)androgenicity. BPA was present in 95.3% of receipts from Spain, 90.9% of those from Brazil, and 51.1% of those from France at concentrations up to 20.27 mg/g of paper. Only two samples from Brazil, two from Spain, and ten from France had a BPS concentration ranging from 6.46 to 13.29 mg/g; no BPA or BPS was detected in 27.7% of French samples. No BPF was detected in any receipt. Estrogenic activity was observed in all samples from Brazil and Spain and in 74.5% of those from France. Anti-androgenic activity was observed in > 90% of samples from Brazil and Spain and in 53.2% of those from France. Only 25.5% of French samples were negative for both estrogenic and anti-androgenic activity. Estrogenic and anti-androgenic activities per gram of paper were up to 1.411 µM estradiol (E 2) equivalent units (E 2 eq) and up to 359.5 mM procymidone equivalent units (Proceq), respectively. BPA but not BPS concentrations were positively correlated with both estrogenic and anti-androgenic activities. BPA still dominates the thermal paper market in Brazil and Spain, and BPS appears to be one of the main alternatives in France. There is an urgent need to evaluate the safety of alternatives proposed to replace BPA as developer in thermal printing. The large proportion of samples with hormonal activity calls for the adoption of preventive measures. Highlights • BPA or BPS but not BPF was present in nearly all thermal paper receipts. • Hormone-like activity was detected in > 80% of the receipts. • BPA levels were 30- to 100-fold higher than the EU-recommended level (0.2 mg/g). • BPS only appears to be an alternative to BPA in thermal paper from France. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paper is kind of essential materials in our daily life. However, it can be easily destroyed by water owing to its superhydrophilic surface. Here, we reported a simple and green fabrication of coloured superhydrophobic paper via swelling and approximate dissolution of cotton followed by precipitation of cellulose and doping coloured stearates. The obtained paper exhibited uniform colour and superhydrophobicity, of which the colour was consistent with the doped stearates owing to the adhesion of stearate powders to the tiny floc fiber surface and we proved that the superhydrophobicity could not be damaged after abrasion resulting from the inner and outer superhydrophobicity and the increased surface roughness. This coloured superhydrophobic paper would be avoided from moisture damage and may be useful in different fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • We presented a metapopulation model with different victory rates in the rock-scissors-paper game. • We numerically obtained the solutions of reaction-diffusion equations on the graphs with two and three nodes. • We also analytically derived the approximate solutions of the equations. • When victory rates between subpopulations are heterogeneous, the solution approaches stable focuses. • The heterogeneity of victory rates promoted the coexistence of species. Abstract Recently, metapopulation models for rock-paper-scissors games have been presented. Each subpopulation is represented by a node on a graph. An individual is either rock (R), scissors (S) or paper (P); it randomly migrates among subpopulations. In the present paper, we assume victory rates differ in different subpopulations. To investigate the dynamic state of each subpopulation (node), we numerically obtain the solutions of reaction-diffusion equations on the graphs with two and three nodes. In the case of homogeneous victory rates, we find each subpopulation has a periodic solution with neutral stability. However, when victory rates between subpopulations are heterogeneous, the solution approaches stable focuses. The heterogeneity of victory rates promotes the coexistence of species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study analyzed the high heating values (HHVs) of various waste biomass materials intending to the effective management and more sustainable consumption of waste as clean energy source. Various biomass waste samples including date leaves, date branches, coconut leaves, grass, cooked macaroni, salad, fruit and vegetable peels, vegetable scraps, cooked food waste, paper waste, tea waste, and cardboard were characterized for proximate analysis. The results revealed that all the waste biomass were rich in organic matter (OM). The total OM for all waste biomass ranged from 79.39% to 98.17%. Likewise, the results showed that all the waste biomass resulted in lower ash content and high fixed carbon content associated with high fuel quality. Based on proximate analysis, various empirical equations (HHV=28.296-0.2887(A)-656.2/VM, HHV=18.297-0.4128(A)+35.8/FC and HHV=22.3418-0.1136(FC)-0.3983(A)) have been tested to predict HHVs. It was observed that the heterogeneous nature of various biomass waste considerably affects the HHVs and hence has different fuel characteristics. Similarly, the HHVs of waste biomass were also determined experimentally using the bomb calorimeter, and it was observed that among all the selected waste biomass, the highest HHVs (21.19 MJ kg−1) resulted in cooked food waste followed by cooked macaroni (20.25 MJ kg−1). The comparison revealed that experimental HHVs for the selected waste biomass were slightly deviated from the predicted HHVs. Based on HHVs, various thermochemical and biochemical technologies were critically overviewed to assess the suitability of waste biomass to energy products. It has been emphasized that valorizing waste-to-energy technologies provides the dual benefits of sustainable management and production of cleaner energy to reduce fossil fuels dependency. However, the key bottleneck in commercializing waste-to-energy systems requires proper waste collection, sorting, and continuous feedstock supply. Moreover, related stakeholders should be involved in designing and executing the decision-making process to facilitate the global recognition of waste biorefinery concept. [Display omitted] • The high heating values (HHVs) of biomass waste were assessed with the aim for the sustainable consumption of waste as a source of clean energy. • All the biomass waste were rich in organic matter and fixed carbon content that ranged from 79.39% to 98.17% and 50.64%–54.26% respectively. • The maximum HHVs (21.19 MJkg−1) were recorded for cooked food waste. • The heterogeneous nature of various biomass waste considerably affects the HHVs and hence serve as suitable feedstock for various energy conversion technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the mate choice literature has focused primarily on the choices that females make, under certain circumstances males are expected to make mating decisions as well. Such circumstances include when males provide a significant energetic investment in a female or her offspring. Male orthopterans can invest considerable resources in females and have been studied for their mating investment decisions. However, while males provide acoustic information to females, females do not provide reciprocal acoustic information to males. Here, we tested the hypothesis that Laupala males use chemical signals to make mating decisions. We found that males and females have discernable differences in cuticular lipid expression when considering both whole-body and antennae-only extracts. Furthermore, access to the antennae alone resulted in males showing more courtship towards females and more aggressive behaviours towards males. Finally, males showed higher levels of association and courtship behaviour near female-exposed filter paper than they did near male-exposed and control filter paper. These results suggest that Laupala males use chemical signals when deciding whether to initiate courtship and open the possibility that chemical communication has played a role in the diversification of this genus. • Whole-body and antennae-only CHC expression differed in male and female Laupala. • Males spent more time near female antennae than male antennae. • Males tended to show courtship behaviour towards female antennae. • Males tended to show aggression towards male antennae. • Male courtship was elicited more often by female- than by male-exposed filter paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ascorbic acid is very important to human health because of its excellent antioxidant effect. Developing sensitive and on-site detection methods is therefore in high demand. In this work, a portable paper-based colorimetric sensor with a smartphone platform with an ultrahigh sensitivity has been designed for on-site and quantitative analysis of ascorbic acid based on AuNPs nanozyme activity. The developed excellent peroxidase-like nanozymes, could effectively catalyze the oxidation of chromogenic substrates by H 2 O 2. Herein, the AuNPs nanozyme activity are embedded on paper pieces to construct paper-based microfluidic chips for visual detection. Meanwhile, a smartphone platform is integrated for the signal readout. Using ascorbic acid as an analyte model, the proposed paper-based analysis platform shows a reliable and sensitive detection of ascorbic acid with a low detection limit of 0.406 μmol/L. The platform also works well in various real samples. This analysis method is facile in design, showing a great application potential for on-site and mass screening of ingredients in the environment and in foods. [Display omitted] • The mimics enzymes that has the high catalytic activity of natural enzymes. • A paper-based microfluidic chip was combined with a smartphone for visual detection. • The color changing of solution and paper chips can be simply visualized by the naked eye. • RGB intensities were measured to quantify ascorbic acid concentration. • The on-site device for AA determining based on smartphone, paper chips and AuNPs was developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Li-rich dual-phase Li-Cu alloy is a promising candidate toward practical application of Li metal anode due to its in situ formed unique three-dimensional (3D) skeleton of electrochemical inert LiCu x solid-solution phase. Since a thin layer of metallic Li phase appears on the surface of as-prepared Li-Cu alloy, the LiCu x framework cannot regulate Li deposition efficiently in the first Li plating process. Herein, a lithiophilic LiC 6 headspace is capped on the upper surface of the Li-Cu alloy, which can not only offer free space to accommodate Li deposition and maintain dimensional stability of the anode, but also provide abundant lithiophilic sites and guide Li deposition effectively. This unique bilayer architecture is fabricated via a facile thermal infiltration method, where the Li-Cu alloy layer with an ultrathin thickness around 40 μm occupies the bottom of a carbon paper (CP) sheet, and the upper part of this 3D porous framework is reserved as the headspace for Li storage. Notably, the molten Li can quickly convert these carbon fibers of the CP into lithiophilic LiC 6 fibers while the CP is touched with the liquid Li. The synergetic effect between the LiC 6 fibers framework and LiCu x nanowires scaffold can ensure a uniform local electric field and stable Li metal deposition during cycling. As a consequence, the CP capped ultrathin Li-Cu alloy anode demonstrates excellent cycling stability and rate capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a simulation method that is used to study subcritical vibrations of a tube roll in a paper machine. This study employs asymmetric 3D beam elements based on the Timoshenko beam theory. An asymmetric beam model accounts for varying stiffness and mass distributions. Additionally, a detailed rolling element bearing model defines the excitations arising from the set of spherical roller bearings at both ends of the rotor. The results obtained from the simulation model are compared against the results from the measurements. The results indicate that the waviness of the bearing rolling surfaces contributes significantly to the subcritical vibrations while the asymmetric properties of the tube roll have only a fractional effect on the studied vibrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The amount of compostable bioplastics collected with the food waste is constantly growing, particularly due to the bags used for collection. According to the Italian legislation, compostable bioplastics must be accepted by all biological treatment plants, including aerobic and anaerobic facilities. Anyway, the compostability standard requires only the assessment of the aerobic degradability, while it is generally not required to test the behaviour under anaerobic conditions. This aspect is evaluated in the paper, where the anaerobic degradability of bioplastic bags used for the food waste collection is assessed. First, Biochemical Methane Potential (BMP) tests were performed on four commercial types of bioplastic bags, including those designed only for the collection of food waste and the shoppers, that can be reused for the same purpose. Subsequently, an innovative approach for this kind of substrate was applied, subjecting two bags to semi-continuous co-digestion tests together with the food waste. Both tests were performed by comparing the behaviour of bioplastic bags with that of an alternative collection paper bag. Finally, tests to evaluate the influence of physical phenomena on the degradation of bioplastics were performed to better understand the results of biological tests. BMP tests indicated a good degradability (>71%) of bioplastic bags, while semi-continuous tests showed a much lower degradability (<27%), confirmed by the observation of the undigested bag pieces. On the contrary, the paper bag presents interesting characteristics, because its degradability in the semi-continuous tests (82%) resulted even higher than that observed in the BMP tests (74%). These results highlight an important difference between the bags mono-digestion by means of BMP tests and the semi-continuous co-digestion tests with food waste, which better simulate the full-scale operational conditions. [Display omitted] • Bioplastic and paper bags were tested with BMP and semi-continuous digestion tests. • Paper bags show a good degradability in both the tests (>74%). • The BMP tests on bioplastic bags indicate a good degradability (>71%). • Semi-continuous digestion of bioplastics with food waste shows a low degradability. • The degradability of bioplastics is influenced by physical factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The pulp and paper industry is highly dependent on forest and water resources. It has more concerns on fair utilization of these resources and their conservation for its further expansion. Present study emphasizes on the use of rice straw (agro waste) in papermaking to protect wood based resources. It further deals with ozone bleaching (Z) prior to elemental chlorine free bleaching that proved to be significant in terms of reducing the effluent load specially the reduction in toxic, recalcitrant and carcinogenic compounds. Z based sequences resulted in pulp brightness of ∼85% that was 3.6% higher than the elemental chlorine free bleaching. Bleached pulps of Z based sequences were found to be having better strength properties than elemental chlorine based sequence and thus may be adopted as improved bleaching technology. The analysis of handsheets prepared after pulp bleaching was performed using X-Ray diffraction, ATR-FTIR and SEM. Incorporating ozone stage resulted in marked reduction of 58% and 63% in total solids in bleaching wastewater. Reduction of more than 80% in BOD, COD and adsorbable organic halides was achieved in Z based bleaching in comparison to chlorine bleaching. The amount of chlorophenols, guaiacols, catechols, vanillins and syringols became negligible (approx. 90% reduction) in effluents of Z based bleaching sequences. The chlorine dioxide followed by peroxide bleaching after Z stage was found to be the most promising to reduce the effluent load. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Ozone stage was incorporated prior to bleaching to reduce wastewater pollution. • Ozone based sequences showed higher brightness than conventional bleaching process. • Ozone bleaching showed better tensile and burst indices than elemental chlorine. • COD and BOD of bleaching effluent was reduced by 80% in ozone based sequences. • Chlorolignin compounds were reduced by 90% in effluent of ozone based sequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Environmental pollution due to various elements is increasing all across the planet owing to their use in industrial processes. The tobacco plants and the vegetables used in the manufacturing of smoking paper may accumulate these elements from the environment. Thus, tobacco and smoking paper may be relevant contributors among the content of elements in cigarettes, including some emerging pollutants such as rare earth elements (REEs). Thirty-two elements related to hi-tech industrial processes were analyzed in tobacco, rolling paper, and filters (n = 257 samples) by ICP-MS. A variety of industrial brands and "roll-your-own" cigarette papers were considered. The potential maximum daily exposure to these elements by a hypothetical heavy smoker was calculated for each type of cigarette. We found significant differences in the levels of most elements, both in the tobacco and in the paper. Black tobacco cigarettes contained the maximum levels. We found that the paper used in roll-your-own cigarettes may significantly modify their concentration of elements. Fast-burning, bleached, and flavored papers also contribute to higher levels of these pollutants. Thus, the differences in theoretical exposure depending on the type of cigarette consumed–either branded or hand-rolled–may be very striking, of up to 35–40 times. In addition to the number of cigarettes consumed per day, it is necessary to consider the type of cigarette consumed to assess the risk of exposure to toxic elements. Tobacco paper is a prominent source of exposure to toxic elements. Cigarette smoke is another source of exposure to emerging contaminants such as REE. Highlights • The type of cigarettes consumed influences the exposure to toxic elements. • Black tobacco cigarettes contain the highest concentrations of toxic elements. • The rolling paper may be a major contributor to the concentration of toxic elements released. • Cigarette consumption represents an additional source of exposure to rare earth elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A new method was employed to synthesize a novel high voidage ZIF-8 membrane over paper-like stainless steel fibers (PSSF). Firstly, paper-like stainless steel fibers (PSSF) were prepared by wet lay-up papermaking and sintering process, then the ZIF-8 membrane was coated on the PSSF support by secondary growth process. The effects of the seed layer growth time, the Hmim (2-methylimidazole)/Zn (Zinc nitrate hexahydrate) molar ratios, the solvothermal synthesis temperature and time on properties of ZIF-8 membrane/PSSF composites were investigated by modern characterization methods. The experimental results indicated that the void volume of ZIF-8 membrane/PSSF composites reached 89%. The optimal specific surface area of composites was 398 m2/g and the total pore volume was 0.174 cm3/g. Specifically, the size of seeds were approximately 250 nm when Hmim/Zn molar ratios and seed layer deposition time were 80 and 12 h, respectively. Under the condition of optimal seed layer, ZIF-8 membrane/PSSF composites showed outstanding continuity, compactness, free-defect and crystal shape when solvothermal synthesis time and solvothermal synthesis temperature were 24 h and 100 °C, respectively. Graphical abstract fx1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Abstract In this work, we constructed a sensing system on Janus paper with hydrophilic side and hydrophobic side via depositing polymer precursor onto one side of qualitative filter paper. Water in humid environment (including liquid water, condensed moisture airflow and gaseous humid atmosphere) will be captured and gathered in the hydrophilic region of Janus paper due to the asymmetric hydrophobicity and hygroscopicity, which can induce the novel directional deformation. Additionally, MWCNTs (multiwalled carbon nanotubes) were loaded onto hydrophobic region beforehand to construct conductive network. The resistance of the conductive network changes synergistically as the Janus paper deforms in humid environment. Thus, the novel Janus paper realized the induction of environment humid factors, and conversion from the deformation signals to the desirable electric signals. The Janus paper also shows excellent stability in cycle use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this note we offer some criticism on the paper “On an identity for zeros of Bessel functions” by Baricz et al. [3]. The paper gives identities of type Stieltjes–Calogero for the sums of reciprocals of differences of fourth powers of zeros of Bessel functions. Although interesting in principle, by containing one too many sums of similar complexity the identities fail to convey the true spirit of the work of Stieltjes and Calogero. We rectify this by providing what we think is the correct type of identity for the above-said sums, in the general setup of entire functions of order <2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) has been regarded as a risk predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Despite there are many methods to detect hs-CRP, quantitative, rapid, convenient, multiplex and highly sensitive measurement of it is still a challenge for point-of-care applications. In this study, we developed a paper-based ELISA to detect hs-CRP and the sensitive chemiluminescence was applied as detection signal. In this developed assay method, CRP concentration and chemiluminescence intensity were linearly correlated (r = 0.999) with a limit of detection (LOD) as low as 0.49 ng mL−1, which was comparable to that of conventional ELISA and superior to most of the current reported POCT methods for detection of hs-CRP. The precision of the assay was confirmed for low coefficient of variations, less than 7% for intra-assay and less than 10% for inter-assay. In clinical sample analysis, the results of hs-CRP detected by this assay were in good accordance with which obtained by commercial high sensitivity ELISA kit for in vitro diagnosis (r = 0.975). This assay required only 4 μL of sample and could be finished in less than 30 min. It may therefore be employed as a rapid pre-screening tool to identify patients with elevated risk of CVD. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • A chemiluminescence p-ELISA for detection of hs-CRP with the LOD of 0.49 ng mL−1. • Biotin-streptavidin system has been employed to improve the sensitivity of the assay. • Detection with less sample volume (4 μL) in shorter period of time (less than 30 min). • This assay has successfully detected hs-CRP in clinical serum samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract With rapid growth of digital publishing, a great deal of document datum has been published online for a widely spread of knowledge innovations, which is an important resource for human survival and social development. However, it is a time-consuming and difficult task to conduct a high-efficiency access of valuable papers from an extremely large document database. A set of ranking techniques have been proposed to evaluate the influence of articles by counting the number and quality of citations, such as PageRank. In fact, the influence of an article does not merely depend on the account of citations, which is also highly related to the citation network. In this paper, we propose a visual analytics system for visual ranking of academic influence of articles, based on an insightful analysis of citation network. Firstly, a characterization of articles is established through word2vec model, based on an analogy between the articles in citation network and natural language processing (NPL) terms. Then, the difference between articles in the vectorized space is employed to optimize the PageRank model and achieve desired influence ranking results. A set of meaningful visual encodings are also designed to present the relationships among articles, such as the visualization of high-dimensional vectors and time-varying citation networks. At last, a visualization framework is implemented for visual ranking of academic influence of articles, with the ranking models and visual designs integrated. Case studies based on real-world datasets and interviews with domain experts have demonstrated the effectiveness of our system in the evaluation of academic influence of articles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is an immunological assay commonly used to measure antibodies, antigens, proteins, and glycoproteins in biological samples. While the procedure is routine and straightforward, there are a number of variables (reagent selection, volume measurement, temperature, and time) that if not carefully considered, can affect the test outcome. Herein, we describe the development of microfluidic thread/paper-based analytical devices (µTPAD), microfluidic fabric-based analytical devices (µFAD), and microfluidic thread-based analytical devices (µTAD) as new platforms for ELISA. The quantitative detection of biotinylated goat anti-mouse IgG (system one) and rabbit IgG (system two) antibodies via colorimetric analysis is detailed. We explain the design and fabrication of the devices and the step-by-step protocol for the ELISA. A comparison between the techniques is described and the results obtained from them elucidated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an inborn error of phenylalanine (Phe) metabolism. Besides dietary treatment, some patients are responsive to and treated with tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4). Our primary objective was to examine whether the 48-hour BH4 loading test misses BH4-responsive PKU patients. Secondary, we assessed if it would be beneficial to 1) use a cut-off value of 20% Phe reduction instead of commonly used 30%, and 2) extend the loading test to 7 days. 24 patients with a 20–30% decrease of blood Phe levels during their initial 48-hour BH4 loading test or at least one mutation associated with long-term BH4 responsiveness, were invited to participate. 22 of them underwent the 7-day BH4 loading test. During the BH4 loading test, BH4 was administered orally once daily for 7 days (20 mg/kg/day). Blood samples on filter paper were collected at 13 time points. Potential BH4 responders (≥20% decrease in blood Phe concentrations at ≥1 moment within the first 48 h or ≥30% at ≥1 moment during the entire test) underwent a treatment trial to assess true long-term responsiveness (≥30% decrease of Phe levels compared to baseline and/or ≥50% increase in natural protein tolerance in accordance with the Dutch guidelines before 2017). The duration of the treatment trial varied from 2 to 18 months. Of the 22 patients who completed the 7-day BH4 loading test, 2 were excluded, 8 had negative tests and 12 were considered to be potential BH4 responders. Of these 12 potential BH4-responsive PKU patients, 5 turned out to be false positive, 6 true-responder and 1 was withdrawn. Even though the 48-hour BH4 loading test has proven its efficacy in the past, a full week may be necessary to detect all responders. So, if blood Phe concentrations during the 48-hour BH4 test shows a clear tendency, but not sufficient decrease, a full week (with only measurements each 24 h) could be offered. A threshold of ≥20% decrease within 48 h is not useful for predicting true BH4 responsiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we consider the vanishing viscosity limit of solutions to the initial boundary value problem for the compressible viscoelastic equations in the half space. When the initial deformation gradient does not degenerate and there is no vacuum initially, we establish the uniform regularity estimates of solutions to the initial-boundary value problem for the three-dimensional compressible viscoelastic equations in the Sobolev spaces. Then we justify the vanishing viscosity limit of solutions of the compressible viscoelastic equations based on the uniform regularity estimates and the compactness arguments. Both the no-slip boundary condition and the Navier-slip type boundary condition on velocity are addressed in this paper. On the one hand, for the corresponding vanishing viscosity limit of the compressible Navier-Stokes equations with the no-slip boundary condition, it is impossible to derive such uniform energy estimates of solutions due to the appearance of strong boundary layers. Consequently, our results show that the deformation gradient can prevent the formation of strong boundary layers. On the other hand, our results also provide two different kinds of boundary conditions suitable for the well-posedness of the initial-boundary value problem of the elastodynamic equations via the method of vanishing viscosity. Finally, it is worth noting that we take advantage of the Lagrangian coordinates to study the vanishing viscosity limit for the fixed boundary problem in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Known as thin residually connected incidence geometry, hypertopes extend the framework of abstract polytopes, and can be built from Coxeter groups (not necessarily with linear diagrams). A regular hypertope is a flag-transitive hypertope. In this paper, we present infinite families of regular hypertopes of ranks 5, 6 and 7, in terms of a certain group covering approach (analogous to a method introduced by Conder and the author in an earlier paper on abstract chiral polytopes, but with wider adaptation). Although the illustrative examples within these families are derived from Coxeter groups exhibiting Y-shaped diagrams, this approach is applicable to obtaining regular hypertopes from Coxeter groups with other diagrams, such that the size of the family members grows linearly with entries of their types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We continue the study of (tw , ω) -bounded graph classes, that is, hereditary graph classes in which the treewidth can only be large due to the presence of a large clique, with the goal of understanding the extent to which this property has useful algorithmic implications for the Maximum Independent Set and related problems. In the previous paper of the series [Dallard, Milanič, and Štorgel, Treewidth versus clique number. II. Tree-independence number, J. Comb. Theory, Ser. B, 164 (2024) 404–442], we introduced the tree-independence number , a min-max graph invariant related to tree decompositions. Bounded tree-independence number implies both (tw , ω) -boundedness and the existence of a polynomial-time algorithm for the Maximum Weight Independent Packing problem, provided that the input graph is given together with a tree decomposition with bounded independence number. In particular, this implies polynomial-time solvability of the Maximum Weight Independent Set problem. In this paper, we consider six graph containment relations—the subgraph, topological minor, and minor relations, as well as their induced variants—and for each of them characterize the graphs H for which any graph excluding H with respect to the relation admits a tree decomposition with bounded independence number. The induced minor relation is of particular interest: we show that excluding either a K 5 minus an edge or the 4-wheel implies the existence of a tree decomposition in which every bag is a clique plus at most 3 vertices, while excluding a complete bipartite graph K 2 , q implies the existence of a tree decomposition with independence number at most 2 (q − 1). These results are obtained using a variety of tools, including ℓ -refined tree decompositions, SPQR trees, and potential maximal cliques, and actually show that in the bounded cases identified in this work, one can also compute tree decompositions with bounded independence number efficiently. Applying the algorithmic framework provided by the previous paper in the series leads to polynomial-time algorithms for the Maximum Weight Independent Set problem in an infinite family of graph classes, each of which properly contains the class of chordal graphs. In particular, these results apply to the class of 1-perfectly orientable graphs, answering a question of Beisegel, Chudnovsky, Gurvich, Milanič, and Servatius from 2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greenhouse production of fruits and vegetables in developed countries is challenged by labour scarcity and high labour costs. Robots offer a good solution for sustainable and cost-effective production. Acquiring accurate spatial information about relevant plant parts is vital for successful robot operation. Robot perception in greenhouses is challenging due to variations in plant appearance, viewpoints, and illumination. This paper proposes a keypoint-detection-based method using data from an RGB-D camera to estimate the 3D pose of peduncle nodes, which provides essential information to harvest the tomato bunches. Specifically, this paper proposes a method that detects four anatomical landmarks in the colour image and then integrates 3D point-cloud information to determine the 3D pose. A comprehensive evaluation was conducted in a commercial greenhouse to gain insight into the performance of different parts of the method. The results showed: (1) high accuracy in object detection, achieving an Average Precision (AP) of AP@0.5=0.96 ; (2) an average Percentage of Detected Joints (PDJ) of the keypoints of PhDJ@0.2 = 94.31%; and (3) 3D pose estimation accuracy with mean absolute errors (MAE) of 11o and 10o for the relative upper and lower angles between the peduncle and main stem, respectively. Furthermore, the capability to handle variations in viewpoint was investigated, demonstrating the method was robust to view changes. However, canonical and higher views resulted in slightly higher performance compared to other views. Although tomato was selected as a use case, the proposed method has the potential to be applied to other greenhouse crops, such as pepper, after fine-tuning. • Accurate 3D pose-estimation of peduncle nodes in a commercial greenhouse. • Combination of colour image and 3D point cloud to estimate 3D pose. • Comprehensive evaluation covering object, keypoints, pose and, viewpoints aspects. • Robust to variations caused by view change. • Canonical and higher views are superior while lateral views should be avoided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For nonnegative integers h , g with h ≥ 2 , a set A of nonnegative integers is defined as a B h [ g ] sequence if, for every nonnegative integer n , the number of representations of n with the form n = a 1 + a 2 + ⋯ + a h is no larger than g , where a 1 ≤ ⋯ ≤ a h and a i ∈ A for i = 1 , 2 , ⋯ , h. Let Z be the set of integers and N be the set of positive integers. In 2013, by introducing the method of Inserting Zeros Transformation , Cilleruelo and Nathanson obtained the following result: let f : Z → N ⋃ { 0 , ∞ } be any function such that lim inf | n | → ∞ f (n) ≥ g and let B be any B h [ g ] sequence. Then, for any decreasing function ϵ (x) → 0 as x → ∞ , there exists a sequence A of integers such that r A , h (n) = f (n) for all n ∈ Z and A (x) ≫ B (x ϵ (x)). Recently, Nathanson further considered Sidon sets for linear forms. In this paper, we apply the Inserting Zeros Transformation into Sidon sets for linear forms and generalize the above result related to the inverse problem of representation functions. For a video summary of this paper, please visit https://youtu.be/KRtew2rLbXY. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let k be a field, let n ≥ 2 be a nonsquarefree integer not divisible by the characteristic of k. Assume that all roots of unity of degree n are contained in k. In the first part of the paper we consider pairs of symbol algebras over k with common slots D 1 ≃ (e , x) n ≃ (r , u) n , D 2 ≃ (e , y) n ≃ (r , v) n , exp D 1 = exp D 2 = n , and show that in general (e , x , y) n ≠ (r , u , v) n. As a consequence we prove that in general it is impossible to connect the pair { (e , x) n ; (e , y) n } and the pair { (r , u) n ; (r , v) n } by a chain of pairs of symbol algebras with a common slot and isomorphic to (D 1 ; D 2) in such a way that any two neighboring pairs in the chain are obtained from one another by a "natural" transformation. In the second part of the paper we prove that in contrast to the case n = 2 for any n divisible by 4 there exist symbol algebras D 1 , D 2 with deg ⁡ D 1 = deg ⁡ D 2 = n and exp D 1 = exp D 2 = n without common slot such that i D 1 + j D 2 is a symbol algebra of degree n for any i , j ∈ Z. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we design a binder GG-CA-GLY (abbreviation: GGC) for silicon negative electrode by guar gum as the backbone chain with self-healing function, combing and straightening the guar molecular chain of guar gum through the plasticizing effect of glycerol. The condensation reactions between the exposed hydroxyl sites of guar gum and the carboxyl groups of citric acid create a stronger hydrogen bond, so as to achieve the effect of self-healing and cope with the serious volume expansion effect of silicone-based materials. [Display omitted] • A easy polycondensation reaction is used to create a mechanically strong self-healing polymer (GGC). • GGC adhesives have excellent mechanical properties and facilitate rapid self-healing. • GGC@Si electrodes were prepared with excellent rate capability and higher cycling stability. • GGC adhesives have the ability to repair cracks and other damage on prepared silicon anodes, returning them to their original state. Silicon is a promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries with its superior capacity. However, the volume change of the silicon anode seriously affects the electrode integrity and cycle stability. The waterborne guar gum (GG) binder has been regarded as one of the most promising binders for Si anodes. Here, a unique steric molecular combing approach based on guar gum, glycerol, and citric acid is proposed to develop a self-healing binder GGC, which would boost the structural stability of electrode materials. The GGC binder is mainly designed to weaken van der Waals' forces between polymers through the plasticizing effect of glycerol, combing and straightening the guar molecular chain of GG, and exposing the guar hydroxyl sites of GG and the carboxyl groups of citric acid. The condensation reaction between the hydroxyl sites of GG and the carboxyl groups of citric acid forms stronger hydrogen bonds, which can help achieve self-healing effect to cope with the severe volume expansion effect of silicone-based materials. Silicon electrode lithium-ion batteries prepared with GGC binders exhibit outstanding electrochemical performance, with a discharge capacity of up to 1579 mAh/g for 1200 cycles at 1 A/g, providing a high capacity retention rate of 96%. This paper demostrates the great potential of GGC binders in realizing electrochemical performance enhancement of silicon anode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rational fertilisation of olive trees, based on adding exclusively the nutrients that are actually needed, is important from both the economic and environmental sustainability points of view. This paper employs UAV-obtained multispectral data collected from five different orchards located in Southern Spain to build a set of models for the prediction of the leaf nutrient content of olive trees using Support Vector Regression. The paper shows the convenience of addressing the problem as a Multiple Instance Regression, and compares two strategies of data aggregation and different choices of feature vectors derived from the raw multispectral data. The models provided good results for N, P and K (r 2 = 0.76, r 2 = 0.87 and r 2 = 0.91, respectively for the Hojiblanca model, and r 2 = 0.79, r 2 = 0.80 and r 2 = 0.80 for the Picual model). The rest of nutrients studied also offered good results for both the Picual and Hojiblanca models, ranging from r 2 = 0.69 for B to r 2 = 0.93 for Cu. The results indicate a robust performance of the models and a potential for improvement with the addition of more data, along with an advantage of considering individual models for each cultivar variety. Overall, these results are very promising for the estimation of the leaf nutrient content of olives trees and the detection of spatial variability in the fertilisation needs of orchards. [Display omitted] • Leaf nutrient content of olive trees is predicted from UAV multispectral data. • Multiple Instance Regression is applied and its benefits discussed. • Models provide good results for N, P and K in the Hojiblanca and Picual models. • The rest of nutrients also show acceptable results. • Results are promising for detecting spatial variability in fertilisation needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an extension of Bhargava's theory of factorials associated to any nonempty subset S of Z. Bhargava's factorials k ! S are invariants, constructed using the notion of p -orderings of S where p is a prime. This paper defines b -orderings of any nonempty subset S of Z for all integers b ≥ 2 , as well as "extreme" cases b = 1 and b = 0. It defines generalized factorials k ! S , T and generalized binomial coefficients ( k + ℓ k ) S , T as nonnegative integers, for all nonempty S and allowing only b in T ⊆ N. It computes b -ordering invariants when S is Z and when S is the set of all primes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paul Erdos and Carl Pomerance have proofs on an asymptotic upper bound on the number of preimages of Euler's totient function ϕ and the sum-of-divisors functions σ. In this paper, we will extend the upper bound to the number of preimages of iterates of ϕ and σ. Using these new asymptotic upper bounds, a conjecture in de Koninck and Kátai's paper, "On the uniform distribution of certain sequences involving the Euler totient function and the sum of divisors function" is now proven and many corollaries follow from their proven conjecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let X be a finite connected poset, K a field of characteristic zero and I (X , K) the incidence algebra of X over K seen as a Lie algebra under the commutator product. In the first part of the paper we show that any 1 2 -derivation of I (X , K) decomposes into the sum of a central-valued 1 2 -derivation, an inner 1 2 -derivation and a 1 2 -derivation associated with a map σ : X < 2 → K that is constant on chains and cycles in X. In the second part of the paper we use this result to prove that any transposed Poisson structure on I (X , K) is the sum of a structure of Poisson type, a mutational structure and a structure determined by λ : X e 2 → K , where X e 2 is the set of (x , y) ∈ X 2 such that x < y is a maximal chain not contained in a cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let k be an algebraically closed field of characteristic 0. We study some cohomological properties of Lie subalgebras of the Witt algebra W = Der (k [ t , t − 1 ]) and the one-sided Witt algebra W ≥ − 1 = Der (k [ t ]). In the first part of the paper, we consider finite codimension subalgebras of W ≥ − 1. We compute derivations and one-dimensional extensions of such subalgebras. These correspond to Ext U (L) 1 (M , L) , where L is a subalgebra of W ≥ − 1 and M is a one-dimensional representation of L. We find that these subalgebras exhibit a kind of rigidity: their derivations and extensions are controlled by the full one-sided Witt algebra. As an application of these computations, we prove that any isomorphism between finite codimension subalgebras of W ≥ − 1 extends to an automorphism of W ≥ − 1. The second part of the paper is devoted to explaining the observed rigidity. We define a notion of "completely non-split extension" and prove that W ≥ − 1 is the universal completely non-split extension of any of its subalgebras of finite codimension. In some sense, this means that even when studying subalgebras of W ≥ − 1 as abstract Lie algebras, they remember that they are contained in W ≥ − 1. We also consider subalgebras of infinite codimension, explaining the similarities and differences between the finite and infinite codimension situations. Almost all of the results above are also true for subalgebras of the Witt algebra. We summarise results for W at the end of the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper investigates changes to Copenhagen's landscape of commemoration concerning its former colony, the Danish West Indies (DWI), prompted by the 2017 centennial anniversary of the Islands' sale to the US. It argues that Denmark, like other European nations, navigates a postcolonial identity crisis and that the landscape of commemoration plays a significant role within it. The paper advances our understanding of postcolonial Europe's identity crisis not only by shedding light on the under-explored case of Denmark, but also by emphasizing the role of the landscape of commemoration in this crisis. In addition to demonstrating how landscapes function as 'arenas' for negotiating expressions of hegemonic identity and territorial claims, it argues that the commemorative landscape is pivotal in tackling the construction of 'Europe' as a detached, self-made entity rather than a space (re)produced through connections with other (ed) places and people. It underscores that Europe's allegedly monochromatic historical fabric is woven from diverse global threads. Re-membering Europe with the people and regions vital to its (re)production re-writes them into European history and re-locates detached Europe (with)in the world. • Denmark can be situated within (post)colonial Europe's identity crisis. • Memories of the Danish West Indies are leveraged to negotiate Danish identity. • Copenhagen's commemorative landscape is instrumental in navigating the crisis. • Copenhagen's commemorative landscape redefines 'the Dane' and 'Denmark.'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the Linguistic Survey of India (LSI), a monumental exercise supervised by George Grierson to survey and classify the languages of colonial India. It considers why the LSI developed into an atypical scheme that corresponded with a multiethnic and multinational network of officials and scholars to survey India's languages. It makes the case that the networked practice of surveying was reciprocated at different scales, from localised linguistic surveys in districts and princely states to gather information and specimens, to a loosely governed transnational exercise involving Indians and Europeans to edit, review and publish results. The paper argues that the LSI's scalar geographies were negotiated by Grierson and, more importantly, his assistant Gauri Kant Roy and demonstrates that scale, as an analytic or process, was not an abstraction or predetermined for those entangled in the LSI's survey of India's languages. • Examines the Linguistic Survey of India from a historical geography perspective. • Highlights the LSI's uniqueness as a colonial Indian survey. • Draws on underutilised materials from National Archives of India. • Proposes a scalar and networked approach to the history of science and surveying. • Emphasises the significance of Gauri Kant Roy and various Indian surveyors in shaping India's linguistic geography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the re-animation of a geography departmental collection through a study of the archives and map collection of the School of Geography, University of Nottingham. The discussion is situated within parallel examples of work on geographical archives and map collections, and wider debates on engagement with archival sources. The paper considers how a previously dormant collection has been re-animated in recent years, conveys the range of source material involved, and discusses the possibilities of digitisation. The paper thereby raises questions which could be asked of the holdings of any academic department, from whatever time period. • The first detailed study of the re-animation of a geography departmental archival and map collection. • Shows a variety of original source material including photographic slides, plans, maps and posters. • Connects the study of a specific archive and map collection to wider debates on engagement with archival sources. • Examines the possibilities and implications of digitising analogue archival material. • Raises questions which could be asked of any archives and collections held by academic departments, from whatever period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is an attempt to understand a mesh of complex relationships among tangible and intangible socio-economic factors that turned a desert city into the headquarters of one of the mighty polities in the Middle East in the fourteenth century CE. This paper argues that proto-industrialization led to the growth of 'virtual water' that helped the city of Yazd, in central Iran, to break free from its water limitation for the first time in its history. Yazd was almost absent in history until the twelfth century, as a peripheral oasis whose sparse population lived off subsistence agriculture irrigated by qanat systems (groundwater-mining subterranean channels). Following the Mongol invasion in the thirteenth century, the influx of landless refugees changed the relations of production and paved the way for proto-industrialization whose development hinged on skill and capital rather than water and land. Sufism and waqf (endowment tradition) contributed to the expansion of trading routes that facilitated the mobility of goods and people. The qanats were urbanized, and Yazd became an industrial hub where raw materials were processed into tradable products with considerable value added. This paper contributes to a broader understanding of the historical geography of the arid Middle East. • The Iranian city of Yazd rode out the Mongol invasion in the thirteenth century. • A surge of refugees upset the balance between population and agricultural resources. • Abundance of skilled workers led to a Middle Eastern mode of proto-industrialization. • Proto-industrialization engendered virtual water as an adaptation strategy. • Virtual water made a transition to a non-hydraulic society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We provide generalizations of a class of stochastic Gronwall inequalities that has been studied by von Renesse and Scheutzow (2010), Scheutzow (2013), Xie and Zhang (2020) and Mehri and Scheutzow (2021). This class of stochastic Gronwall inequalities is a useful tool for SDEs. Our focus are convex generalizations of the Bihari-LaSalle type. The constants we obtain are sharp. In particular, we provide new sharp constants for the stochastic Gronwall inequalities. The proofs are connected to a domination inequality by Lenglart (1977), an inequality by Pratelli (1976) and a characterization of Lenglart's concept of domination via the Snell envelope. The inequalities we study appear for example in connection with exponential moments of solutions to path-dependent SDEs: For non-path-dependent SDEs, criteria for the finiteness of exponential moments are known. To be able to extend these proofs to the path-dependent case, a convex generalization of a stochastic Gronwall inequality seems necessary. Using the results of this paper, we obtain a criterion for the finiteness of exponential moments which is similar to that known for non-path-dependent SDEs. Stochastic Gronwall inequalities can also be applied to study other types of SDEs than path-dependent SDEs: An estimate of this paper is applied by Agresti and Veraar (2023) to prove global well-posedness for reaction-diffusion systems with transport noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider the following elliptic system of Hamiltonian type on a bounded domain: (0.1) { − Δ u = K 1 (| y |) | v | p − 1 v , in B 1 (0) , − Δ v = K 2 (| y |) | u | q − 1 u , in B 1 (0) , u = v = 0 on ∂ B 1 (0) , where K 1 (r) and K 2 (r) are positive bounded functions, B 1 (0) is the unit ball in R N , (p , q) is a pair of positive numbers lying on the critical hyperbola: 1 p + 1 + 1 q + 1 = N − 2 N. We investigate the local uniqueness and the nondegeneracy of the bubbling solution for problem (0.1). Our proof is based on the local Pohozaev identities, blow-up analysis, and the properties of Greens function. Our results are quite different from single equation, which is mainly caused by the non-cooperative nonlinear terms and (p , q) lying on the critical hyperbola. We believe that the various new ideas and technique computations that we used in this paper would be very useful to deal with other related problems of Hamiltonian type with interact critical exponents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the following (p , q) -Laplacian equation with L p -constraint: { − Δ p u − Δ q u + λ | u | p − 2 u = f (u) , in R N , ∫ R N | u | p d x = c p , u ∈ W 1 , p (R N) ∩ W 1 , q (R N) , where 1 < p < q < N , Δ i = div (| ∇ u | i − 2 ∇ u) , with i ∈ { p , q } , is the i -Laplacian operator, λ is a Lagrange multiplier and c > 0 is a constant. The nonlinearity f is assumed to be continuous and satisfying weak mass supercritical conditions. The purpose of this paper is twofold: to establish the existence of ground states, and to reveal the basic behavior of the ground state energy E c as c > 0 varies. Moreover, we introduce a new approach based on the direct minimization of the energy functional on the linear combination of Nehari and Pohozaev constraints intersected with the closed ball of radius c p in L p (R N). The analysis developed in this paper allows to provide the general growth assumptions imposed to the reaction f. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper concerns static and evolution equations involving degenerate curls. The topic is motivated by the mathematical problems of Meissner states of anisotropic superconductors, and of the nonlinear magneto-static Maxwell equations with strong anisotropy. Two types of degenerate curls are studied, among them one is the directional curl along a unit length vector field, which has been introduced by the author before, and the other is the matrix-curl, which is introduced in this paper. Because of the degeneracy produced by the degenerate curl of the unknown vector field in the leading term of the equation, the boundary condition should be prescribed on part of the boundary according to the nature of the degenerate curl. We formulate the Dirichelt type and natural type boundary conditions, and give existence of solutions both for the static equations and for the evolution equations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1935, the introduction of the norm of a group by Reinhold Baer is a turning point in group theory. In fact, Baer proved that there is a very strong relationship between the structure of the norm and that of the whole group (see [1] , [2] , [3] , [4] , [5]). Since then, the norm has been playing a very significant roles in many aspects of group theory and its applications: it has been used in [43] to describe the connection between Hopf–Galois structures and skew braces; it has been used in [23] to describe some special types of profinite groups; and it has been fundamental in the theory of subgroup lattices of groups (see [40]). In this paper, we weaken the original definition of norm by taking into account only those subgroups that are "large" in some sense. Depending on the chosen concept of largeness, the resulting norm can have an impact on the structure of the whole group that is even greater than that of Baer's norm. This is exactly what happens with the non-polycyclic norm , and in fact, Theorem 4.17 gives a precise description of generalized soluble groups in which the non-polycyclic norm is non-Dedekind (and can be considered as the main result of the paper). Other times, the resulting norms have their own peculiar behaviour; this is the case if "large" means "infinite", "having infinite rank", "being non-Černikov", or "having cardinality m " for some given uncountable cardinal number m. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is the final one in the series of papers by the authors devoted to finite-dimensional singular (simple right-alternative with zero product in the even part) superalgebras. In previous papers, algebraically generated singular superalgebras were studied and it was proved that any such superalgebra has the structure of an extended double. In this article, we prove that any singular superalgebra is algebraically generated and, therefore, has the structure of an extended double. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines information structures that can guarantee full surplus extraction via collusion-proof mechanisms. Our collusion-proofness notion requires that there does not exist any coalition whose manipulation can affect the mechanism designer's payoff. When the mechanism designer is restricted to using standard Bayesian mechanisms, we show that under almost every prior distribution of agents' types, there exist payoff structures under which there is no collusion-proof full surplus extracting mechanism. However, when ambiguous mechanisms are allowed, we provide a weak necessary and sufficient condition on the prior such that collusion-proof full surplus extraction can be guaranteed. Thus, the paper sheds light on how the collusion-proofness requirement resolves the full surplus extraction paradox of Crémer and McLean (1985, 1988) and how engineering ambiguity in mechanism rules restores the paradox. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]