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The complex dynamics of tribofilm formation on boundary-lubricated steel surfaces were investigated in real time by combining in situ measurements of the temporal variation of the coefficient of friction and contact voltage. Sliding experiments were performed with various blends consisting of base oil, zinc dialkyl dithiophosphate (ZDDP) additive, and two different dispersants at an elevated oil temperature for a wide range of normal load and fixed sliding speed. The evolution of the transient and steady-state coefficient of friction, contact voltage, and critical sliding distance (time) for stable tribofilm formation were used to evaluate the tribological performance of the tribofilms. The blend composition affected the load dependence of the critical sliding distance for stable tribofilm formation. Tribofilm friction was influenced by competing effects between the additive and the dispersants. Among various formulations examined, the tribofilm with the best friction characteristics was found to be the blend consisting of base oil, a small amount of ZDDP, and a bis-succinimide dispersant treated with ethylene carbonate. The results of this study demonstrate the effectiveness of the present experimental approach to track the formation and removal of protective tribofilms under boundary lubrication conditions in real time.

Aiming to further improve the properties of novel MgAl 2 O 4 -Si 3 N 4 ceramic used as solar thermal absorbing material in concentrating solar power, effects of Sm 2 O 3 and TiO 2 on performance of the composites were investigated especially the mechanisms of different additives on microstructure and high temperature stability. The results show that both additives can accelerate sintering, reduce sintering temperature, improve the density and high temperature stability via liquid phase sintering mechanism. Besides, TiO 2 can form displacement solid solution with Al 2 O 3 to promote the sintering process. Sm 2 O 3 is more conducive to improving the bending strength due to its function of increasing the length diameter ratio of β-Si 3 N 4. TiO 2 is more favorable for improving solar absorption owing to the distinctive absorption spectrum and large number of cation vacancy caused by substitution of Al3+ by Ti4+. MgAl 2 O 4 -Si 3 N 4 composites with Sm 2 O 3 and TiO 2 additives have better performance than MgAl 2 O 4 -Si 3 N 4 , Si 3 N 4 and SiC ceramics prepared via the same procedure, which makes it a certain choice for solar thermal absorbing material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive Summary: The morphology of the active layer plays a crucial role in the performance of organic photovoltaics. Although volatile additives are commonly used to manipulate the morphology, their mechanism of action remains poorly understood. In this study, we conducted a systematic exploration of the mechanism of the traditional volatile additive 1‐CN in film formation kinetics of typical PM6:Y6 system. We found that 1‐CN induces a secondary aggregation effect, improving film morphology and promoting face‐on crystalline orientation. Through elucidating its impact on exciton dynamics, we established a link between morphology optimization and increased exciton diffusion length and accelerated charge separation. Our findings unveil the unique mechanism of action of volatile additive, providing a new perspective for improving the morphology and enhancing the performance of organic photovoltaic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mounting global concern over the environmental consequences of petroleum-based plastics has prompted significant research into sustainable alternatives, with bioplastics emerging as a forerunning solution. This systematic review elucidates the multifaceted synthesis processes of bioplastics, which are derived from renewable sources such as plant starches, cellulose, and waste materials. The synthesis encompasses stages from raw material selection, pre-treatment, to the incorporation of various additives, with the aim to achieve specific properties in the resultant bioplastics. A substantial focus of this review lies in comprehensively understanding the role of additives, which serve as the pivotal agents in tailoring the mechanical and thermal characteristics of bioplastics. Additives, including cross-linking agents, plasticizers, fillers, compatibilizers, and reinforcement agents, are critically examined for their influence on attributes such as tensile strength, flexibility, thermal stability, and biodegradability. Factors such as intermolecular interactions, hydrogen bonding, and moisture content, play a determining role towards the resultant properties. The prospects for bioplastics are rapidly expanding, signalling a transformative shift in various applications ranging from eco-friendly packaging to advanced biomedical devices. This article serves as a comprehensive guide to both researchers and industry stakeholders, providing deep insights into the synthesis of bioplastics and the transformative role additives play in their functional properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Wiener–Hopf factorisation of a Lévy or Markov additive process describes the way that it attains new extrema in terms of a pair of so-called ladder height processes. Vigon's theory of friendship for Lévy processes addresses the inverse problem: when does a process exist which has certain prescribed ladder height processes? We give a complete answer to this problem for Markov additive processes, provide simpler sufficient conditions for constructing processes using friendship, and address in part the question of the uniqueness of the Wiener–Hopf factorisation for Markov additive processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since pure tobacco stalk (TS) biomass pellet fuels tend to slag, five anti-slagging agents were added to the crushed TS to obtain a pellet fuel that could be used in biomass burners to provide heat for tobacco curing. The obtained results revealed that the main component of TS pellet fuel was K2Si2O5. During fuel combustion process, additives generated higher melting point silicate compounds by Al–K, Ca–K, and Ca–K elemental structures to replace single K elemental structure of TS, enhancing the anti-slagging efficiency of the pellet fuel from 21.63% to 78.29% and promoting the precipitation of K, Mg, and Na elements in the slag block. By investigating the anti-slagging mechanism pathways of the additives in TS biomass pellet fuels, altering of the structure of silicate ion group pathway was found to improve anti-slagging effects that met the requirements of production formula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores a scenario where a decision maker evaluates bundles by adding up the utility of the options that attract her attention. We introduce a novel attention rule called the "idempotent attention rule" and examine additive representations under this rule. With idempotent attention rules, we can narrow our focus to a subset of bundles to reveal attention rules and utility functions. As a generalization of attention filters, this rule sheds light on how alternatives interact in forming attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 2- (v , k , λ) design is additive (or strongly additive) if it is possible to embed it in a suitable abelian group G in such a way that its block set is contained in (or coincides with) the set of all zero-sum k-subsets of its point set. Explicit results on the additivity or strong additivity of symmetric designs and subspace 2-designs are presented. In particular, the strong additivity of PG d (n , q) , which was known to be additive only for q = 2 or d = n - 1 , is always established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let n k (s) be the maximal length n such that a quaternary additive [ n , k , n - s ] 4 -code exists. We solve a natural asymptotic problem by determining the lim sup λ k of n k (s) / s for s going to infinity, and the smallest value of s such that n k (s) / s = λ k. Our new family of quaternary additive codes has parameters [ 4 k - 1 , k , 4 k - 4 k - 1 ] 4 = [ 2 2 k - 1 , k , 3 · 2 2 k - 2 ] 4 (where k = l / 2 and l is an odd integer). These are constant-weight codes. The binary codes obtained by concatenation with inner code [ 3 , 2 , 2 ] 2 meet the Griesmer bound with equality. The proof is in terms of multisets of lines in P G (l - 1 , 2) . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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AbstractA gluten-free diet is the only treatment for patients with coeliac disease, who report dissatisfaction with the availability and variety of products, especially bread and pasta. The aim was to compare availability, cost, nutritional composition and ingredients of gluten-free and conventional bread and pasta products. Census of breads and pastas available in online commerce belonging to the third largest supermarket chain in southern Brazil. Information was collected at supermarket′s and brand’s websites. One hundred and fourteen products were analysed (n = 37 breads and n = 77 pastas): 32.4% (n = 12) gluten-free breads and 18.2% (n = 14) gluten-free pastas. Both gluten-free breads and pastas were significantly more expensive when compared to gluten-containing breads and pastas. Gluten-free breads have higher fat content, gluten-free pastas have higher content of sodium and ingredients. Gluten-free breads and pastas are less available, more expensive and have lower nutritional value compared to conventional versions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In situ removable (ISR) solid additive can employ cold sublimation process to optimize active layer morphology for organic solar cells (OSCs), thus remaining unique potential. Herein, a feasible guideline is proposed to discover a new ISR solid additive 1‐bromo‐4‐chlorobenzene (CBB), whose removing time (TR) is between those of reported ISR solid additives 1,4‐dichlorobenzene (DCB) and 1‐chloro‐4‐iodobenzene (CIB). The CBB with a moderate TR is beneficial for affording the optimal active layer morphology and achieving the highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 18.58% for D18:L8‐BO binary active layer, as supported by the most efficient exciton splitting, the fastest exciton transfer, and the most balanced carrier transports. Due to the unique ISR ability, DCB, CBB, and CIB are further proposed to optimize the aggregation of PDINN cathode interlayer. Particularly, the CBB‐ and CIB‐treated PDINN interlayers afforded the D18:L8‐BO based binary OSCs with excellent PCEs of 19.38% and 19.26%, along with remarkable fill factors of 80.98% and 81.37%, respectively. The CBB‐ and CIB‐treated PDINN interlayers can suppress non‐radiative recombination of the devices, resulting in higher open‐circuit voltage. This work not only provides an effective approach to flourish ISR solid additives but also expands the application of the ISR solid additive in OSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A visible light-induced cycloaddition of 1,3-dienes and p-quinonemethides through EDA complexation is reported. The reaction does not require any external photocatalyst, oxidant or additive. The generality of the method is established through a broad substrate scope. This newly developed strategy presents an exciting prospect for the development of metal-free photocatalytic [4+2] cycloaddition reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The multifunctional phenylphosphinamide additive is used in flexible inverted perovskite solar cells to release tensile strain and increase the toughness of the perovskite film, achieving enhanced device efficiency and stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe Additive Voronoi Tessellations (AddiVortes) model is a multivariate regression model that uses Voronoi tessellations to partition the covariate space in an additive ensemble model. Unlike other partition methods, such as decision trees, this has the benefit of allowing the boundaries of the partitions to be non-orthogonal and non-parallel to the covariate axes. The AddiVortes model uses a similar sum-of-tessellations approach and a Bayesian backfitting MCMC algorithm to the BART model. We utilize regularization priors to limit the strength of individual tessellations and accepts new models based on a likelihood. The performance of the AddiVortes model is illustrated through testing on several data sets and comparing the performance to other models along with a simulation study to verify some of the properties of the model. In many cases, the AddiVortes model outperforms random forests, BART and other leading black-box regression models when compared using a range of metrics. Supplementary materials for this article are available online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The practical implementation of aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (AZIBs) has encountered obstacles stemming from the limited reversibility of the zinc anode, primarily due to dendrite proliferation and water‐induced reactions occurring. In this investigation, a novel bifunctional interphase is proposed by integrating nitrogen and oxygen group graphene quantum dot (N‐O‐GQD) additives into the electrolyte. Experimental results and theoretical calculations demonstrate that the amphipathic N‐O‐GQD additive enhances the stability of the electrode by forming a protection layer on Zn surface. The zincophilic and hydrophobic nitrogen function groups stick to the surface of Zn electrodes to form a hydrophobic layer that shields water molecules from the electrode and promotes the uniform deposition of Zn. The hydrophilic hydroxyl function groups are exposed to the electrolyte to improve the compatibility at the electrode/electrolyte interface. As a result, the amphipathic N‐O‐GQD additive enables a robust cycling performance at high depth of discharge (DOD). Significantly, cells incorporating N‐O‐GQDs demonstrate a remarkable Coulombic efficiency of 99.7% over 900 cycles and sustain dendrite‐free cycling for 564 h (DOD = 51%). Particularly noteworthy is the performance of the modified Zn||ZnVO full cell with robust cycling behavior, enduring 4 000 cycles at 10 A g−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review examines the impact of recycled aggregates (RAs) on the fresh and mechanical properties of high-strength concrete (HSC). The results revealed that incorporating RAs can reduce the compressive strength of HSC by up to 25%, with strength values ranging from 40 to 70 MPa depending on the RA content. The addition of supplementary materials like silica fume, fly ash, and polycarboxylate ether significantly mitigated these negative effects, enhancing the compressive strength by approximately 15–20% compared with the control mixes without additives. Furthermore, the tensile strength was observed to decrease by up to 18% with increasing RA content, but fiber reinforcement improved this by 10%, demonstrating the potential of additives to offset mechanical weaknesses. The modulus of elasticity also declined by up to 30% with higher RA dosages, highlighting the critical impact of the adhered mortar quality on the overall stiffness of the concrete. According to the literature, it was noticed that, when the dosage of RCAs is increased, there is a drop in the strength activity index (SAI). When the substitute dosage exceeded 50%, the SAI decreased. These findings underscore the importance of using optimized additive combinations to improve the mechanical performance of RA concrete, making it a viable option for sustainable construction. Overall, the findings suggest that, although RAs may negatively affect certain physical traits of HSC, the use of appropriate additives can optimize its performance, making it a viable option for sustainable construction practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient manipulation of crystallization and control over defects are crucial for optimizing the performance and durability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). In this study, a novel organic multifunctional additive, 2‐(furan‐3‐yl)ethanamine hydrochloride (FFEACl), is introduced which plays a pivotal role in regulating the crystallization process of FAPbI3. Incorporating FFEACl into the perovskite precursor solution effectively suppresses the formation of undesirable non‐perovskite phase impurities while promoting the oriented crystallization of the α‐phase FAPbI3. Moreover, the addition of FFEACl leads to a more uniform surface potential and reduced defect density in the resulting FAPbI3 film. Consequently, the top‐performing PSC exhibits an impressive power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 25.41%, along with enhanced operational stability. Notably, the fabricated PSCs maintain over 80% of their initial PCE even after 1000 h of continuous operation under one‐sun illumination. The findings present a facile and effective strategy for fabricating perovskite photovoltaic devices with exceptional performance and long‐term reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An induced additive action on a projective variety X ⊆ ℙn is a regular action of the group 픾am on X with an open orbit, which can be extended to a regular action on the ambient projective space ℙn. In this work, we classify all projective hypersurfaces admitting an induced additive action with a finite number of orbits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study demonstrated a dynamic analysis to investigate the ion migration in p-type perovskite MAPbI3 films under an electric field, revealing its detrimental effects on the electrical performance of MAPbI3-based devices. An additive strategy was proposed to suppress ion migration, thereby facilitating the fabrication of high-performance MAPbI3-based devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on the sintering phenomenon that easily occurs during the direct combustion of molded fuel made from fungus bran (FB). To investigate the key factors influencing sintering, experiments are designed and conducted using a muffle furnace and a high-temperature drop furnace. The experimental results show that the combustion temperature is the primary factor triggering the sintering phenomenon. To effectively mitigate this issue, this study proposes two improvement strategies: water washing pretreatment and the use of additives. The analysis shows that water washing pretreatment effectively removes K and Mg elements, with the removal rates increasing as the washing temperature and time increase. Specifically, the removal rate of K ranges from 37.68% to 55.91%, and that of Mg ranges from 33.16% to 58.52%. Water washing pretreatment also reduces the degree of sintering; at 1400 °C, the TSF (tendency to slag formation) of the fuel increases by 25–40% after pretreatment, with a greater increases observed at higher washing temperatures and longer durations. Kaolin, used as an additive, significantly raises the ash melting point of FB and alleviates sintering, while P2O5 exacerbates it. Increasing the proportion of kaolin does not significantly enhance the TSF of high-temperature ash, but raising the P2O5 content from 5% to 10% lowers the TSF by 10–20% at the corresponding temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let Y be a real vector metric space and K ⊂ Y be a closed convex cone such that K ∩ (− K) = {0}. We prove that a convex compact-valued map F : ℝ → 2Y ∖ {∅} is K-continuous and K-additive if and only if there are non-empty convex compact sets A, B ⊂ Y such that 0 ∈ A − B ⊂ K and F is equal "modulo K" to the continuous set-valued map G (t) = t A , t ≥ 0 , t B , t < 0. Next, we use this result to characterize convex compact-valued maps F : ℝN → 2Y ∖ {∅}. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the impact of bovine serum albumin (BSA) inclusion in the thawing extender on boar sperm quality. Thawing protocols in sperm cryopreservation are vital, yet underexplored. It has been determined that BSA can interact with membranes, stabilizing them and preventing damage during the freezing process, for this reason it could also have a beneficial effect during thawing. Our study explores modifications in the conventional Beltsville thawing solution, incorporating BSA at different concentrations (0.005, 0.01, 0.025 and 0.050 g/mL), and evaluating the sperm quality after up to 150 min post‐thawing incubation (37°C). All BSA concentrations preserved plasma membrane and acrosome integrity, relative to control (BSA absence). In addition, 0.025 g/mL BSA group preserves acrosome integrity over time without compromising motility or kinetic parameters. Our study suggests that BSA inclusion in thawing extenders should be considered as an additive for improving post‐thaw boar sperm quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides information on the synthesis and properties of polylactic acid (PLA), a biodegradable plastic made from renewable resources. It discusses the use of tin(II) chloride for PLA synthesis and the addition of additives to alter its properties. The article also explores the environmental impact and sustainability of bioplastics, highlighting the need for comprehensive life cycle assessments and improved recycling infrastructure. It suggests that a focus on energy aspects and global recycling may be more promising than solely relying on bioplastics. [Extracted from the article]

Evaluation and strengthening of existing bridges – historical outlines and findings regarding the Hessian road bridge inventory Two short histographical sketches introduce the concepts of refurbishment, condition and load‐bearing capacity assessment between 1700 and 2010 and take a look at the development of the recalculation of existing bridges. Based on project sketches, the hidden safety features of existing road bridges are worked out and procedures for achieving efficient structural bridge strengthening are presented. The focus is on the determination of real object‐specific traffic load models, calibrated structural analyses and additive and non‐destructive strengthening methods. Some critical comments on planning acceleration and the current approval system, together with the demand that bridge construction should be reflected in the common objective of "traffic", broaden the definition of strengthening holistically. This offers the opportunity to stimulate a discussion about the sensible handling of existing bridges as part of our road infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let H be a real or complex Hilbert space and $ {\mathcal B}(H) $ B (H) the algebra of all bounded linear operators on H. Recall that a map $ \delta :{\mathcal B}(H)\to {\mathcal B}(H) $ δ : B (H) → B (H) is called an inner Jordan $ * $ ∗ -derivation if there exists some $ T\in \mathcal B(H) $ T ∈ B (H) such that $ \delta (A)=AT-TA^* $ δ (A) = AT − T A ∗ for all $ A\in {\mathcal B}(H) $ A ∈ B (H). In this paper, it is proved that inner Jordan $ * $ ∗ -derivations are the only additive maps δ of $ {\mathcal B}(H) $ B (H) with the property that $ \delta (P)=\delta (P)P^*+P\delta (P) $ δ (P) = δ (P) P ∗ + Pδ (P) for all idempotent operators $ P\in {\mathcal B}(H) $ P ∈ B (H) if $ \dim H=\infty $ dim ⁡ H = ∞ , which is satisfied by additive local Jordan $ * $ ∗ -derivations. For the finite dimensional case, additional conditions are required for δ to be an inner Jordan $ * $ ∗ -derivation. As applications, it is shown that, for any given $ C,D\in {\mathcal B}(H) $ C , D ∈ B (H) , δ satisfies $ \delta (A)B^*+B\delta (A)+\delta (B)A^*+A\delta (B)=D $ δ (A) B ∗ + Bδ (A) + δ (B) A ∗ + Aδ (B) = D for all $ A,B\in {\mathcal B}(H) $ A , B ∈ B (H) with AB + BA = C if and only if δ is an inner Jordan $ * $ ∗ -derivation and $ D=\delta (C) $ D = δ (C). Also, several known results are generalized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let $ \mathbb {F} $ F be a field, $ n\geq ~3 $ n ≥ 3 and let $ M_n $ M n be the ring of all $ n\times n $ n × n matrices with entries in $ \mathbb {F}. $ F. For a given subset H of $ M_n, $ M n , consider $ \bar {H}=H\cup \mathbb {V} $ H ¯ = H ∪ V with $ \mathbb {V}=\{\alpha E_{ii}\mid \alpha \in \mathbb {F}\ \mbox {and}\ E_{ii}\ \mbox {is a matrix unit for each}\ i=1,\ldots,n\}. $ V = { α E ii ∣ α ∈ F and E ii is a matrix unit for each i = 1 , ... , n }. In this paper, under a mild technical assumption on $ \mathbb {F}, $ F , we describe additive maps $ G:M_n\to M_n $ G : M n → M n satisfying $ [G(X),X]=G(X)X-XG(X)=0 $ [ G (X) , X ] = G (X) X − XG (X) = 0 for all $ X\in \bar {H} $ X ∈ H ¯ in the following settings: $ H=\mathbb {E}=\{A\in M_n\mid A\ \mbox {is idempotent}\}; $ H = E = { A ∈ M n ∣ A is idempotent } ; $ H=S=\{A\in M_n\mid A\ \mbox {is algebraic of degree}\ 2\}; $ H = S = { A ∈ M n ∣ A is algebraic of degree 2 } ; $ H=\mathbb {P}=\{X\in M_n(\mathbb {F})\mid \mbox {tr}(X)\in \mathbb {L}\} $ H = P = { X ∈ M n (F) ∣ tr (X) ∈ L } where $ \mathbb {L} $ L is the prime field of $ \mathbb {F}. $ F. These maps are so-called commuting on $ \bar {H}. $ H ¯. Our findings will allow us to conclude that for H = S the map G has the so-called standard form. Moreover, we will show that G is commuting on $ \overline {\mathbb {E}} $ E ¯ if and only if G is commuting on $ \overline {\mathbb {P}}. $ P ¯. Our investigation will lead us to consider functional identities on $ \mathbb {F} $ F of the form $ H_{1}(r)s+H_{2}(s)r=0 $ H 1 (r) s + H 2 (s) r = 0 with r, s belonging to a 2-point subset of $ \mathbb {F}. $ F. At the end, we will discuss about the existence of non-standard additive commuting maps on $ \overline {\mathbb {E}} $ E ¯ which are not commuting on the set of rank 1 matrices and vice versa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamic multiple-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach has drawn immense attention in the decision analysis domain over recent years. An essential problem of this dynamic process is how to retrieve the utmost from historical data. Although most previous dynamic MCDM studies process historical data only with external representatives, namely scores given to alternatives on each criterion, we argue that internal patterns of historical data are also essential to achieve a more comprehensive evaluation of alternatives. Nevertheless, a data-driven methodology aiming to capture internal patterns of historical data and consequently provide decision-makers with meaningful insights is still lacking. In this paper, we propose a framework that serves as integration within which both external representations and internal patterns are used to make a more comprehensive evaluation. Then we apply our framework to student evaluations and country-level risk assessments in the contexts of additive and fuzzy measures, respectively. Both cases show that either using external representatives or internal patterns alone leads to entirely different and even biased results. On the contrary, integrating external representations and internal patterns can offer more flexibility and higher interpretation power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a commonly used nonparametric model to overcome the curse of dimensionality, the additive model continually attracts attentions of researchers. Our recent work (He et al., 2022) proposed to reduce the number of unknown functions to be estimated through learning an adaptive subspace shared by the additive component functions. Equipped with an efficient algorithm, our proposed reduced additive model outperforms the state‐of‐the‐art alternatives in numerical studies. However, the asymptotic properties of the proposed estimators have not been explored and the empirical findings are short of theoretical explanation. In this work, we fill in the theoretical gap by showing the resulting estimator has faster convergence rate than the estimation without subspace learning; and this is true even when the reduced additive model is only an approximation, provided that the subspace approximation error is small. Moreover, the proposed method is able to consistently identify the relevant predictors. The developed theoretical results back up the earlier empirical findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of works have explored expletive negation in clause-linkage constructions. Most of them have shown that this type of negative marker can be omitted from the adverbial clause without affecting the interpretation holding between clauses. The study shows, based on the analysis of natural discourse data, that expletive negation has developed an intriguing discourse function in three types of 'until' constructions in Huasteca Nahuatl: 'not...until' constructions, scalar additive 'until' constructions, and beginning-to-end constructions. When the negative marker amo appears in the 'until' clause, the proposition should be characterized as expressing surprise. When it is absent from the 'until' clause, the proposition does not express surprise. This function of the expletive negative marker amo does not appear in elicited sentences, but only in spontaneous speech. It is proposed that Huasteca Nahuatl developed expletive negation in 'not...until' constructions due to contact with Spanish. However, the development of expletive negation in scalar additive 'until' constructions and beginning-to-end constructions is an internally motivated development in Huasteca Nahuatl that cannot be attributed to Spanish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selection of a proper binder–aggregate combination is an important step to ensure optimum resistance to moisture-induced damage in asphalt mixes. In recent years, such selection has become more crucial as asphalt industries are using various additives and modifiers in asphalt mixes that can substantially change bonding strength of a binder–aggregate system. Also, environmental factors such as oxidative aging can affect the chemical compositions of the binder and influence moisture-induced damage resistance of a mix. In order to understand the mechanisms of moisture-induced damage, it is important to determine the chemical and thermodynamic properties of constituent materials of a mix and identify their contributions to the bond strength. The present study was undertaken to explore the effects of aggregate types, additives, and aging on the moisture susceptibility of asphalt mixes using chemical and thermodynamic approaches. For this purpose, a PG 64-22 and a PG 76-28 binder were blended with a warm mix asphalt (WMA) additive, an antistripping agent (ASA), a reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) binder and polyphosphoric acid (PPA). The surface free energy (SFE) components of these binder blends under unaged, short-term aged, and long-term aged conditions were determined using the dynamic Wilhelmy plate (DWP) method for measuring dynamic contact angle. Chemical analyses of the binder blends were carried out using x-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Properties of five commonly available local aggregates were determined using XRF and universal sorption device (USD) testing. The SFE components of the binders and aggregates were used to quantify bonding characteristics of binder–aggregate systems under dry and wet conditions. Aggregate properties significantly influenced the moisture-induced damage potential of a mix. In addition, an increase in carbonyl and sulfoxide functional groups resulted in increased moisture susceptibility with aging. Therefore, the presence of amine functional groups in both WMA and ASA is expected to provide resistance to moisture-induced damage and conversely the presence of PPA may reduce resistance to moisture-induced damage of a binder–aggregate system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Beef burgers are perishable meat products, and to extend their shelf life, EU Regulation 1129/11 permits the use of certain additives. Objectives: However, given the concerns of health-conscious consumers and the potential toxicity of synthetic substances, this study aimed to explore the use of fennel waste extracts as natural preservatives. Methods: This study characterized the bioactive compounds (phenolic content), the antioxidant activity (ABTS+ and DPPH assay), and the antimicrobial properties (against Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereusi, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) of different fennel waste extracts (LF, liquid fraction; SF, solid fraction and PF, pellet fraction). Additionally, the potential use of the best fennel extract was evaluated for its impact on beef burger shelf life (up to 18 days at 4 ± 1 °C) in terms of microbiological profile, pH, and activity water (aw). Results: The PF extract, which was rich in flavones, hydroxybenzoic, and hydroxycinnamic acids, demonstrated the highest antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Microbiological analyses on beef burgers with PF identified this extract as a potential antimicrobial substance. The aw and pH values did not appear to be affected. Conclusions: In conclusion, fennel extracts could be proposed as natural compounds exploitable in beef burgers to preserve their quality and extend their shelf-life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microplastic pollution is a problem of increasing concern in food, and while food safety issues around the world are serious, an increasing number of food safety issues related to microplastics have become the focus of people's attention. The presence of microplastics in food is a worldwide problem, and they are present in all kinds of foods, foods of both animal and plant origin, food additives, drinks, plastic food packaging, and agricultural practices. This can cause problems for both humans and the environment. Microplastics have already been detected in human blood, heart, placenta, and breastmilk, but their effects in humans are not well understood. Studies with mammals and human cells or organoids have given perspective about the potential impact of micro(nano)plastics on human health, which affect the lungs, kidneys, heart, neurological system, and DNA. Additionally, as plastics often contain additives or other substances, the potentially harmful effects of exposure to these substances must also be carefully studied before any conclusions can be drawn. The study of microplastics is very complex as there are many factors to account for, such as differences in particle sizes, constituents, shapes, additives, contaminants, concentrations, etc. This review summarizes the more recent research on the presence of microplastic and other plastic-related chemical pollutants in food and their potential impacts on human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium metal batteries (LMBs) outperform lithium-ion batteries in the aspect of energy density as they use lithium metal as the anode that has extremely high energy density and low potential. However, the development of LMBs is hampered by uncontrollable Li plating morphology and inferior Coulombic efficiency (CE) during cycling. In the past decade, electrolyte development has been recognized as one of the most effective strategies to tackle these two challenges. Much progress has been made through designing advanced electrolytes, especially ether-based electrolytes, in developing LMBs. Herein, we focus on summarizing the use of additives in ether-based electrolytes to enable high-performance LMBs. The impact of additives in electrolytes on lithium metal anode (LMA) protection, cathode protection, extreme temperature operation, and fast charging for LMBs are systematically discussed. The review reveals the significance of additive engineering in developing advanced electrolytes for high-energy–density LMBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We devise exact conditions under which a join semilattice with a weak contact relation can be semilattice embedded into a Boolean algebra with an overlap contact relation, equivalently, into a distributive lattice with additive contact relation. A similar characterization is proved with respect to Boolean algebras and distributive lattices with weak contact, not necessarily additive, nor overlap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we examine the Poissonian pair correlation (PPC) statistic for higher dimensional real sequences. Specifically, we demonstrate that for d⩾3$d\geqslant 3$, almost all (α1,...,αd)∈Rd$(\alpha _1,\ldots ,\alpha _d) \in \mathbb {R}^d$, the sequence ({xnα1},⋯,{xnαd})$\big (\lbrace x_n\alpha _1\rbrace,\dots,\lbrace x_n\alpha _d\rbrace \big)$ in [0,1)d$[0,1)^d$ has PPC conditionally on the additive energy bound of (xn)$(x_n)$. This bound is more relaxed compared to the additive energy bound for one dimension as discussed in [Aistleitner, El‐Baz, and Munsch, Geom. Funct. Anal. 31 (2021), 483–512]. More generally, we derive the PPC for ({xn(1)α1},⋯,{xn(d)αd})∈[0,1)d$\big (\lbrace x_n^{(1)}\alpha _1\rbrace,\dots,\lbrace x_n^{(d)}\alpha _d\rbrace \big) \in [0,1)^d$ for almost all (α1,...,αd)∈Rd$(\alpha _1,\ldots ,\alpha _d) \in \mathbb {R}^d$. As a consequence we establish the metric PPC for (nθ1,...,nθd)$(n^{\theta _1},\ldots ,n^{\theta _d})$ provided that all of the θi$\theta _i$ are greater than two. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distortion risk measures (DRM) are risk measures that are law invariant and comonotonic additive. The present paper is an extensive inquiry into this class of risk measures in light of new ideas such as qualitative robustness, prudence and no reward for concentration, and tail relevance. Results include several characterizations of prudent DRMs, a novel representation of coherent DRMs as well as an axiomatization of the Expected Shortfall alternative to the one recently provided by Wang and Zitikis. By linking the two axiomatizations, the paper provides a new perspective on the idea of no reward for concentration. The paper also contains results of independent interest such as the lower semicontinuity with respect to convergence in distribution of the Haezendonck–Goovaerts risk measures, the extension of non‐necessarily convex risk measures as well as the structure of the core of a general submodular distortion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oats (Avena sativa L.) are rich in nutrients and bioactive compounds, serving as a roughage source for ruminants. This study investigated the impact of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), cellulase (M), and their combinations (LM) on the fermentation quality and metabolic compounds of oat silage. Results demonstrated that all additive treatments significantly increased lactic acid content compared to the control group (P < 0.05), with the lactic acid bacteria treatment group exhibiting the lowest pH value (P < 0.05). Analysis of antioxidant activity and metabolites in oat silage over 60 days revealed 374 differential metabolites with 113 up-regulated and 261 down-regulated, and all treatment groups showing higher antioxidant activity than raw oat materials (P < 0.05). Although no significant differences in antioxidant activity were observed among the various treatment groups in this experiment, notable changes in metabolic pathways were identified. Furthermore, two metabolites (carboxylic acids and derivatives and benzene and substituted derivatives) were identified through non-targeted metabolomics technology, both of which are strongly associated with the antioxidant activity of oat silage. This finding provides a theoretical basis for the efficient use of oat silage in animal husbandry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduced the developmental history of masks and reviewed the latest research advancements in polymer nonwoven filter materials and corresponding electret technologies. These electret techniques included corona charging, hydrocharging, and electrospinning, which were required for the addition of electret additives. The commonly used polymer nonwoven filter materials mainly included polypropylene and polylactic acid. Meanwhile, the prospect of the future trends in this field were proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humans make irrational decisions in the presence of irrelevant distractor options. There is little consensus on whether decision making is facilitated or impaired by the presence of a highly rewarding distractor, or whether the distractor effect operates at the level of options’ component attributes rather than at the level of their overall value. To reconcile different claims, we argue that it is important to consider the diversity of people’s styles of decision making and whether choice attributes are combined in an additive or multiplicative way. Employing a multi-laboratory dataset investigating the same experimental paradigm, we demonstrated that people used a mix of both approaches and the extent to which approach was used varied across individuals. Critically, we iden- tified that this variability was correlated with the distractor effect during decision making. Individuals who tended to use a multiplicative approach to compute value, showed a positive distractor effect. In contrast, a negative distractor effect (divisive normalisation) was prominent in individuals tending towards an additive approach. Findings suggest that the distractor effect is related to how value is constructed, which in turn may be influenced by task and subject specificities. This concurs with recent behavioural and neuroscience findings that multiple distractor effects co-exist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractWe propose a new method for the simultaneous selection and estimation of multivariate sparse additive models with correlated errors. Our method called Covariance Assisted Multivariate Penalized Additive Regression (CoMPAdRe) simultaneously selects among null, linear, and smooth non-linear effects for each predictor while incorporating joint estimation of the sparse residual structure among responses, with the motivation that accounting for inter-response correlation structure can lead to improved accuracy in variable selection and estimation efficiency. CoMPAdRe is constructed in a computationally efficient way that allows the selection and estimation of linear and non-linear covariates to be conducted in parallel across responses. Compared to single-response approaches that marginally select linear and non-linear covariate effects, we demonstrate in simulation studies that the joint multivariate modeling leads to gains in both estimation efficiency and selection accuracy, of greater magnitude in settings where signal is moderate relative to the level of noise. We apply our approach to protein-mRNA expression levels from multiple breast cancer pathways obtained from The Cancer Proteome Atlas and characterize both mRNA-protein associations and protein-protein subnetworks for each pathway. We find non-linear mRNA-protein associations for the Core Reactive, EMT, PIK-AKT, and RTK pathways. Supplementary Materials are available online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive Summary Given the crucial role of film morphology in determining the photovoltaic parameters of organic solar cells (OSCs), solvent or solid additives have been widely used to realize fine‐tuned film morphological features to further improve the performance of OSCs. However, most high‐performance OSCs are processed only using single component additive, either solvent additive or solid additive. Herein, a simple molecular building block, namely thieno[3,4‐b]thiophene (TT), was utilized as the solid additive to coordinate with the widely used solvent additive, 1‐chloronaphthalene (CN), to modulate the film morphology. Systematical investigations revealed that the addition of TT could prevent the excessive aggregation to form a delicate nanoscale phase separation, leading to enhanced charge transport and suppressed charge recombination, as well as superior photovoltaic performance. Consequently, the PM6:Y6 based OSCs with the addition of hybrid additive of CN + TT demonstrated the optimal PCE of 18.52%, with a notable FF of 79.6%. More impressively, the PM6:Y6:PC71BM based ternary OSCs treated with the hybrid additives delivered a remarkable efficiency of 19.05%, which ranks among the best values of Y6‐based OSCs reported so far. This work highlights the importance of the hybrid additive strategy in regulating the active layer morphology towards significantly improved performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a new class of error-detecting codes based on quasigroups using automorphisms of the finite field 픽pn and the additive group (픽p, +). We demonstrate that these codes are effective in detecting burst errors caused by hardware damage or noisy transmission. We also explore the codes ability to detect various types of double errors, including transposition errors, twin errors, and phonetic errors. Our analysis extends beyond bit-level errors to include block-level errors. Finally, we provide a comparative analysis and demonstrate the real-world applications of our code. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DNA hydrogels hold significant promise for biomedical applications and can be synthesized through enzymatic Rolling Circle Amplification (RCA). Due to the exploratory nature of this emerging field, standardized RCA protocols specifying the impact of reaction parameters are currently lacking. This study varied template sequences and reagent concentrations, evaluating RCA synthesis efficiency and hydrogel mechanical properties through quantitative PCR (qPCR) and indentation measurements, respectively. Primer concentration and stabilizing additives showed minimal impact on RCA efficiency, while changes in polymerase and nucleotide concentrations had a stronger effect. Concentration of the circular template exerted the greatest influence on RCA productivity. An exponential correlation between hydrogel viscosity and DNA amplicon concentration was observed, with nucleobase sequence significantly affecting both amplification efficiency and material properties, particularly through secondary structures. This study suggests that combining high‐throughput experimental methods with structural folding prediction offers a viable approach for systematically establishing structure‐property relationships, aiding the rational design of DNA hydrogel material systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new technique called generalized additive spatial smoothing (GASS) is introduced for modeling neighborhood effects within a regression framework. GASS has a number of desirable features, namely that it provides a data-driven mechanism for endogenously selecting neighborhoods based on a spatial scale hyperparameter. By allowing different scale hyperparameters to be selected for different relationships in the model, the technique is inherently multiscale and allows neighborhoods to vary by relationship. In addition, GASS includes a measure of uncertainty associated with each scale hyperparameter. These characteristics make it attractive for modeling phenomena where proximity might be an important aspect of a process, especially when a clear definition of proximity is not immediately available. Through multiscale data-driven spatial smoothing, GASS conducts a form of change of support and therefore also facilitates the incorporation of data from diverse sources. Finally, the technique is flexible and can be adapted and expanded with relative ease because it builds on generalized additive modeling. After providing an overview of the methodology, including a modified backfitting algorithm for calibration, a simulation experiment is described and an empirical example modeling bike-share usage is presented. The simulation results indicate that GASS can generally produce reliable results pertaining to both the regression coefficients and scale hyperparameters, and the results from the empirical example demonstrate that the GASS approach provides a better model fit and captures relationships that might otherwise be obfuscated. Overall, these results highlight the potential of the GASS framework and the importance of measuring multiscale neighborhood effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tremendously negative effects have been generated in recent decades by the continuously increasing production of conventional plastics and the inadequate management of their waste products. This demands the production of materials within a circular economy, easy to recycle and to biodegrade, minimizing the environmental impact and increasing cost competitiveness. Bioplastics represent a sustainable alternative in this scenario. However, the replacement of plastics must be addressed considering several aspects along their lifecycle, from bioplastic processing to the final application of the product. In this review, the effects of using different additives, biomass sources, and processing techniques on the mechanical and thermal behavior, as well as on the biodegradability, of bioplastics is discussed. The importance of using bioplasticizers is highlighted, besides studying the role of surfactants, compatibilizers, cross-linkers, coupling agents, and chain extenders. Cellulose, lignin, starch, chitosan, and composites are analyzed as part of the non-synthetic bioplastics considered. Throughout the study, the emphasis is on the use of well-established manufacturing processes, such as extrusion, injection, compression, or blow molding, since these are the ones that satisfy the quality, productivity, and cost requirements for large-scale industrial production. Particular attention is also given to fused deposition modeling, since this additive manufacturing technique is nowadays not only used for making prototypes, but it is being integrated into the development of parts for a wide variety of biomedical and industrial applications. Finally, recyclability and the commercial requirements for bioplastics are discussed, and some future perspectives and challenges for the development of bio-based plastics are discussed, with the conclusion that technological innovations, economic incentives, and policy changes could be coupled with individually driven solutions to mitigate the negative environmental impacts associated with conventional plastics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dry water (DW) is a relatively new type of fire extinguishing material with a nuclear shell structure. It is advantageous because it contains both dry powder and water mist—which are effective for extinguishing fires—and has extensive research prospects. DW contains a considerable amount of water, and research on the stability of its core shell structure is crucial. Different additives can also be incorporated into DW to improve its fire extinguishing efficiency. This study prepared six distinct DW samples, some of which had various additives. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to confirm the shapes and structures of these DW samples. The study determined the fundamental characteristics of the DW samples by examining their bulk densities and particle size distributions. Centrifugation tests and thermogravimetric analyses were conducted to examine the stability and water content of the DW samples. The study also performed a fire extinguishing experiment in a semiopen space to test the fire extinguishing effectiveness of the DW samples. The results revealed that the stability of DW samples was enhanced by gel additives and that their fire extinguishing efficiency could be improved by the various additives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides additive perturbation bounds for the generalized core inverse $ A^{d,\dag } $ A d , † of a complex matrix A. Given perturbation matrix E, we first present upper bounds for $ \frac {\|(A+E)^{d,\dag }-A^{d,\dag }\|_{2}}{\|A^{d,\dag }\|_{2}} $ ‖ (A + E) d , † − A d , † ‖ 2 ‖ A d , † ‖ 2 under the condition $ \mathcal {R}(E)\subseteq \mathcal {R}(A^k), \mathcal {N}(A^{k}A^{\dag })\subseteq \mathcal {N}(E), {\rm where}\ k=\mathrm {ind}(A) $ R (E) ⊆ R (A k) , N (A k A †) ⊆ N (E) , where k = ind (A) , and then under the condition $ (A+E)(A+E)^{d,\dag }=AA^{d,\dag } $ (A + E) (A + E) d , † = A A d , † . We then explore an integral formula for the generalized core inverse of a perturbed matrix associated with a semi-stable matrix. Furthermore, a perturbation bound for $ \|(A+E)^{d,\dag }-A^{d,\dag }\|_{F} $ ‖ (A + E) d , † − A d , † ‖ F is obtained without conditions. Sufficient conditions for the continuity of the generalized core inverse can be obtained as a result. Finally, numerical examples are presented to illustrate the derived bounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to isolate chitosan from shrimp shells using physical–chemical treatments and then evaluate the impact of additives on the chitosan matrix. Two different additives, glycerol and gel, were incorporated into the chitosan polymer using the casting process, and film thickness was measured to investigate the effect of additives on film properties. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM)-EDS was used to determine the morphology and percentage of elements in the film, while contact angle measurements were taken to assess the effect of film wettability on surface properties. The CT-gel sample exhibited a contact angle of 79.15° on the right and 78.17° on the left, which was crucial for CT, CT-gly, and CT-gly-gel. The mechanical behavior of the films was determined using a tensile test, and it was found that chitosan-glycerol systems had high transparency and homogeneity, with their properties depending on the content and types of additives. On the other hand, chitosan-gel systems had low transparency and a greenish hue, but were still homogeneous. Pure films and films with additives (CT, CT-gel, CT-gly, and CT-gel-gly) were found to be highly flexible due to their mechanical properties. These results provide insight into the role of additives in sample morphology and their impact on film properties, particularly for packaging applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]