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Abstract Background Digital imaging combined with deep-learning-based computational image analysis is a growing area in medical diagnostics, including parasitology, where a number of automated analytical devices have been developed and are available for use in clinical practice. Methods The performance of Parasight All-in-One (AIO), a second-generation device, was evaluated by comparing it to a well-accepted research method (mini-FLOTAC) and to another commercially available test (Imagyst). Fifty-nine canine and feline infected fecal specimens were quantitatively analyzed by all three methods. Since some samples were positive for more than one parasite, the dataset consisted of 48 specimens positive for Ancylostoma spp., 13 for Toxocara spp. and 23 for Trichuris spp. Results The magnitude of Parasight AIO counts correlated well with those of mini-FLOTAC but not with those of Imagyst. Parasight AIO counted approximately 3.5-fold more ova of Ancylostoma spp. and Trichuris spp. and 4.6-fold more ova of Toxocara spp. than the mini-FLOTAC, and counted 27.9-, 17.1- and 10.2-fold more of these same ova than Imagyst, respectively. These differences translated into differences between the test sensitivities at low egg count levels (< 50 eggs/g), with Parasight AIO > mini-FLOTAC > Imagyst. At higher egg counts Parasight AIO and mini-FLOTAC performed with comparable precision (which was significantly higher that than Imagyst), whereas at lower counts (> 30 eggs/g) Parasight was more precise than both mini-FLOTAC and Imagyst, while the latter two methods did not significantly differ from each other. Conclusions In general, Parasight AIO analyses were both more precise and sensitive than mini-FLOTAC and Imagyst and quantitatively correlated well with mini-FLOTAC. While Parasight AIO produced lower raw counts in eggs-per-gram than mini-FLOTAC, these could be corrected using the data generated from these correlations. Graphical Abstract

Background: Digital imaging combined with deep-learning-based computational image analysis is a growing area in medical diagnostics, including parasitology, where a number of automated analytical devices have been developed and are available for use in clinical practice. Methods: The performance of Parasight All-in-One (AIO), a second-generation device, was evaluated by comparing it to a well-accepted research method (mini-FLOTAC) and to another commercially available test (Imagyst). Fifty-nine canine and feline infected fecal specimens were quantitatively analyzed by all three methods. Since some samples were positive for more than one parasite, the dataset consisted of 48 specimens positive for Ancylostoma spp., 13 for Toxocara spp. and 23 for Trichuris spp. Results: The magnitude of Parasight AIO counts correlated well with those of mini-FLOTAC but not with those of Imagyst. Parasight AIO counted approximately 3.5-fold more ova of Ancylostoma spp. and Trichuris spp. and 4.6-fold more ova of Toxocara spp. than the mini-FLOTAC, and counted 27.9-, 17.1- and 10.2-fold more of these same ova than Imagyst, respectively. These differences translated into differences between the test sensitivities at low egg count levels (< 50 eggs/g), with Parasight AIO > mini-FLOTAC > Imagyst. At higher egg counts Parasight AIO and mini-FLOTAC performed with comparable precision (which was significantly higher that than Imagyst), whereas at lower counts (> 30 eggs/g) Parasight was more precise than both mini-FLOTAC and Imagyst, while the latter two methods did not significantly differ from each other. Conclusions: In general, Parasight AIO analyses were both more precise and sensitive than mini-FLOTAC and Imagyst and quantitatively correlated well with mini-FLOTAC. While Parasight AIO produced lower raw counts in eggs-per-gram than mini-FLOTAC, these could be corrected using the data generated from these correlations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium metal batteries (LMBs) have attracted worldwide attention for next-generation energy storage systems. However, lithium metal anode is prone to harmful reactions with traditional liquid electrolytes (LEs) leading to oxidative decomposition. Especially uncontrolled lithium dendrite growth and unstable solid electrolyte interface (SEI), which often lead to serious capacity attenuation and safety problems, hindering the development of LMBs. Herein, a solvation structure engineering strategy based on tuning intermolecular interactions is proposed to design polymer electrolyte. The interface additive of fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) was introduced into the electrolyte precursor. By using FEC to modify the solvation structure of the electrolyte, an enhanced LiF-rich SEI was engineered to regulate the electrode/electrolyte interface composition and prevent continuous reactions on the lithium metal surface. Li|PHTL-10%FEC|Li symmetrical cell demonstrated cycling of 200 h at 0.2 mA cm−2, while matching LiFePO 4 cathode exhibited stable cyclic performance. This study enables long cycling performance and provides a guiding principle in electrolyte design for LMBs. The addition of FEC is conducive to the formation of dense SEI, which greatly improved the deposition of Li+ and ionic conductivity. [Display omitted] • Solvation structure engineering strategy is proposed to design gel polymer electrolyte. • The introduction of FEC regulates the solvation structures of Li+, which is conducive to form stable LiF-rich interface. • The Li symmetrical cells (Li.|PHTL-10%FEC|Li) can stable cycle for 200 h at 0.2 mA cm−2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of the Internet and information technology, optical fiber communication systems need to meet people's information demand for large capacity and high speed. High-order phase modulation and channel multiplexing can improve the capacity and data rate of optical fiber communication systems, but they also bring the problem of bit error. To improve the transmission quality and reliability of optical fiber communication systems, forward error correction (FEC) coding techniques are commonly used, which serve as the fundamental approach to enhance the quality and reliability of fiber optic communication systems, ensuring that the received data remain accurate and reliable. The FEC in optical fiber communication systems is divided into three generations. The first generation FEC is mainly hard decision codewords, represented as RS code. The second generation FEC is mainly cascaded code, which stands for interleaved cascaded code. The third generation of FEC mainly refers to soft decision codes, which are represented as low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes. As a kind of FEC, LDPC codes stand out as pivotal contributors in the field of optical communication and have gained remarkable attention due to exceptional error correction performance and low decoding complexity. Based on IEEE802.16e standard, LDPC code with specific code length and rate is compiled and simulated in MATLAB and VPItransmissionMaker 10.1 and successfully incorporated into polarization multiplexed differential quadrature phase shift keying (PM-DQPSK) coherent optical transmission system. The simulation results indicate that the bit error rate (BER) can be reduced to 10−3 when the optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) reaches 14.2 dB, and the BER experiences a reduction by nearly three orders of magnitude when the OSNR is 17.2 dB. These findings underscore the efficacy of LDPC codes in significantly improving the performance of optical communication systems, particularly in scenarios demanding robust error correction capabilities. This study provides valuable, significant results regarding the potential of LDPC codes for enhancing the reliability of optical transmission in real-world applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Engineering (17264073) is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of South China Normal University (Natural Science Edition) / Huanan Shifan Daxue Xuebao (Ziran Kexue Ban) is the property of Journal of South China Normal University (Natural Science Edition) Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The objective was to identify the optimal stage of production to evaluate the resistance of Pelibuey ewes against gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN). Faecal egg count (FEC) was used to classify the ewes as resistant, sensible or intermediate against GIN. Forty-seven ewes were mating during 30 d. The gestation was verified by ultrasonography, and the breeding date was used to calculate the productive stages. Faeces were taken weekly to determine the FEC. Blood samples were taken to determine the packed cell volume (PCV), the peripheral eosinophils count (PEC), plasma protein concentration (PP), and Immunoglobulin A (IgA) against Haemonchus contortus. The body condition score (BCS) was recorded at each visit. Six moments during the study (early, mid and late gestation; early, mid and late lactation) were considered. The ewes were classified according to FEC (mean FEC ± three standard errors). The higher FEC occurred during all lactation stages than during early and mid-gestation stages (P

The study is devoted to the definition of a system of sustainability factors for the fuel and energy complex of the regional economic system, as well as the development of recommendations for improving the management of these factors in the regions of Russia. Based on the provisions of the Systemic Approach, econometric modeling and a comprehensive analysis of the influence of potential factors identified in the literature on the sustainability of the fuel and energy complex of modern regional economic systems around the world are carried out. The international experience of 120 countries in 2022 is projected onto Russia and compared with Russian regions. As a result, a system of factors has been formed, including the electrification factor, the clean energy availability factor and the carbon emission factor in cement production, which increases the predictability and manageability of the sustainable development of this system. The barriers to the sustainable development of the fuel and energy complex in the regions of modern Russia are identified, firstly, the incomplete availability of clean energy (90 %), which, however, is significantly higher than the average for the international sample (76.95 %). Secondly, a large amount of CO2 emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels and the production of cement (10.81 tCO2 per capita). The prospect for the period up to 2025 is disclosed and recommendations are proposed for improving the management of selected key factors for the sustainable development of the fuel and energy complex in the regions of Russia. The practical significance of the article is explained by the fact that the author’s recommendations proposed in it on improving the management of selected key factors will ensure

Copyright of Journal of Polytechnic is the property of Journal of Polytechnic and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In recent time of looming radio frequency (RF) spectrum crisis, visible light communication using lighting infrastructure emerged as a potential alternative at an indoor environment. This paper addresses the setback associated with ambient light interference in an indoor Visible Light Communication (VLC) system to ensure joint communication and illumination performance inside an office room. A novel VLC architecture with suitable white light emitting diode (WLED) luminaire arrangement is presented to minimize the dispersion of signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) across the room. Luminaires are categorized in two groups viz. data transmitting illuminants and illuminants for lighting purpose. The first group is dedicated to transmit data as well as serves the purpose of illumination. The other set creates only ambient illumination to achieve quality lighting attributes. The proposed forward error corrected receiver configuration discards the ambient light noise originated by the illuminants that serve the ambient illumination. Tail biting convolutional encoder and viterbi decoder are used at the encoding section of the transmitter and decoding section of the receiver respectively to improve bit error rate. Results obtained through MATLAB simulation shows better average bit error rate (BER) in the order of 10−8 measured at uniformly distributed 25 grid points over the working plane. At the same time achieved average horizontal illuminance with good uniformity comply with ISO recommendation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LoRa technology is being integrated into industrial applications as part of Industry 4.0 owing to its longer range and low power consumption. However, noise, interference, and the fading effect all have a negative impact on LoRa performance in an industrial environment, necessitating solutions to ensure reliable communication. This paper evaluates and compares LoRa's performance in terms of packet error rate (PER) with and without forward error correction (FEC) in an industrial environment. The impact of integrating an infinite impulse response (IIR) or finite impulse response (FIR) filter into the LoRa architecture is also evaluated. Simulations are carried out in MATLAB at 868 MHz with a bandwidth of 125 kHz and two spreading factors of 7 and 12. Many-to-one and one-to-many communication modes are considered, as are line of sight (LOS) and non-line of Sight (NLOS) conditions. Simulation results show that, compared to an environment with additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN), LoRa technology suffers a significant degradation of its PER performance in industrial environments. Nevertheless, the use of forward error correction (FEC) contributes positively to offsetting this decline. Depending on the configuration and architecture examined, the gain in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) using a 4/8 coding ratio ranges from 7 dB to 11 dB. Integrating IIR or FIR filters also boosts performance, with additional SNR gains ranging from 2 dB to 6 dB, depending on the simulation parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most significant challenges wireless broadcasting systems face are channel effects and Inter Symbol Interference (ISI). Many different kinds of channel coding are employed to get around these issues. Digital Video Broadcasting for Satellite Telecommunication Second Generation (DVB-S2) uses a serial concatenation of Bose, Ray-Chaudhuri, and Hocquenghem (BCH) code and Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC) code as a Forward Error Correction (FEC) for error detection purpose and correction. In this work, a MATLAB code (m-files) is constructed to simulate the standard DVB-S2 Bit-Interleaved Coded Modulation (BICM) system according to the ETSI Technical Report (EN 302 307 1). Then, the traditional design is redesigned with a Parallel Concatenation Convolutional (PCC) Turbo coding in concatenation with LDPC coding to enhance the (FEC). The two approaches have been tested under the official modulation types QPSK, 8PSK, 16APSK, and 32APSK with 2/3, 3/4, 3/5, 4/5, and 5/6 code rates (RC). Over a Rayleigh Fading channel, the two models are compared. The proposed model performed better than the standard model regarding bit error rate (BER) mitigation when operating at varying signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) levels, especially in 8PSK 3/5 MODCODE. The proposed model achieved (2.6272×10-3) BER mitigation value with power gain equal to 4 dB.

The American Association of Equine Practitioners strongly advocates evidence-based intestinal strongyle control in horses. It recommends targeted treatment of all heavy egg shedders (>500 eggs per gram (EPG) of feces), while the low shedders (0–200 EPG) are left untreated. As 50–75% of adult horses in a herd are low shedders, preventing them from unnecessary anthelmintic exposure is critical for tackling resistance. There are various fecal egg count (FEC) techniques with many modifications and variations in use, but none is identified as a gold standard. The hypothesis of the study was that the diagnostic performance of 12 commonly used quantitation methodologies (three techniques with four variants) differs. In this regard, method comparison studies were performed using polystyrene beads as proxy for intestinal strongyle eggs. Mini-FLOTAC-based variants had the lowest coefficient of variation (CV%) in bead recovery, whereas McMaster variants had the highest. All four variants of Mini-FLOTAC and the NaNO3 1.33 specific gravity variant of modified Wisconsin followed a linear fit with R2 > 0.95. In contrast, the bead standard replicates for modified McMaster variants dispersed from the regression curve, causing a lower R2. The Mini-FLOTAC method seems less influenced by the choice of floatation solution and has better repeatability parameters and linearity for bead standard recovery. For FEC tests with high R2 (>0.95) but that underestimated the true bead count, a correction factor (CF) was determined to estimate the true count. Finally, the validity of CF was analyzed for 5 tests with R2 > 0.95 to accurately quantify intestinal strongyle eggs from 40 different horses. Overall, this study identified FEC methodologies with the highest diagnostic performance. The limitations in standardizing routine FEC tests are highlighted, and the importance of equalization of FEC results is emphasized for promoting uniformity in the implementation of parasite control guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Przegląd Elektrotechniczny is the property of Przeglad Elektrotechniczny and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

We investigate key aspects of coherent optical communications on inter-satellite links (ISLs) for the next-generation ultra-dense low-Earth orbit (LEO) constellations. Initially, the suitability of QPSK, 8-QAM, and 16-QAM modulation formats with different symbol rates (28 GBaud, 60 GBaud, and 120 GBaud) and channel coding schemes (oFEC and staircase codes) for intra- and interorbital connections is evaluated. We provide SNR margins for all investigated sets and determine unfeasible operating points. We show that sets with higher-order modulation formats combined with high symbol rates can prove unfeasible, even for first-neighbor connections. Furthermore, the presence or absence of optical pre-amplification as well as the choice for a more robust channel coding technique, such as the oFEC, can be decisive in certain LEO-LEO links. Next, we characterize the Doppler shift (DS) and its time derivative for first-neighbor interorbital connections in two different topologies and for general connections established between any pairs of satellites. Our results reveal that while the maximum Doppler-generated frequency shift amplitude can be considerably higher than those typically found in fiber-optic communications, the time derivative values are significantly lower. Finally, we address all-digital DS compensation in extreme cases of frequency offset amplitude and derivative where the typical Mth-power algorithm is not sufficient. To this end, we propose a filtered version of an existing two-stage method combining spectral shifts with the Mth-power method. The simulation results indicate that this approach provides an appropriate solution for all examined cases.

Most of the turbo encoding schemes at standards are parallel-based, so different architectures for efficient implementation are common in the literature. However, a serial turbo decoder is not that common. This scheme is used in CCSDS 131.2-B-1 standard, which is attracting much of attention recently due to its higher performance for satellite communications. In this paper, an efficient architecture for the decoder is proposed and analyzed. It is intended to show an architecture that can be modeled in a circuit description language (such as VHDL and Verilog) in such a way that it can be easily implemented on a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). This work describes in detail this architecture explaining the encoding operations that are performed at the transmitter and then, how to undo them at the receiver. The proposed algorithm works by using independent components to divide the tasks and to obtain a pipeline architecture to improve the efficiency. The results of simulating and implementing the proposed architecture on a Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoC ZCU28DR board with XCZU28DR-2FFVG1517E RFSoC are shown. The final results presented demonstrate how the hardware operations give equivalent results to the software simulation and do not consume board resources aggressively as usually the turbodecoder does.

Background: The American Board of Surgery (ABS) has required Fundamentals of Endoscopic Surgery (FES) certification for general surgery applicants since 2018. Flexible Endoscopy Curriculum (FEC) completion is recommended prior to taking the FES exam. The objective of the study was to determine if FEC completion prepares individuals to pass the FES manual skills test. Methods: Participants included first-attempt FES examinees from June 2014 to February 2019. De-identified data were reviewed, Self-reported data included gender, PGY, glove size, upper (UE) and lower (LE) endoscopy experience, simulation training time, and participation in an endoscopy rotation (ER). FES skills exam performance was reported by FES staff. Those completing all vs. none of the FEC were compared. Results: Of 2023 participants identified, 809 (40.0%) reported completion of all FEC components, 1053 (52.1%) completed of some, and 161 (8.0%) completed none. Men and candidates taking FES later in residency were more likely to complete all FEC requirements (p = 0.002, p < 0.001). FES pass rates were higher for those who completed all FEC components compared to those who completed none (88.4% vs 72.7%, p < 0.001). On logistic regression analysis, completion of all components (OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.5–3.7, p < 0.001) and male gender (OR 3.1, 95% CI 1.7–5.7, p < 0.001) were predictors of passing, while glove size (OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.0–2.5, p = 0.08), simulator time (OR 1.1, 95% CI 0.9–1.4, p = 0.37) and PGY were not (OR 1.1, 95% CI 0.9–1.4, p = 0.38). On multivariate analysis controlling for glove size and gender, completion of all FEC components was still associated with a higher likelihood of passing the FES skills exam (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.2–2.1, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Completion of FEC is strongly associated with passing the FES skills test. This study supports the ABS recommendation for completion of FEC prior to taking the FES skills test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes the formation of the coal industry complex in China and the current state of the industry, which exists in the tough realities of the conflict between growing of the country's economy, which requires a strong energy base and problems, China is facing as a result of excess coal consumption. While analyzing the coal industry in China, we find it necessary to show the reasons of industry's stability, current trends and development prospects, as well as problems that China faces because of the prevalence of the coal industry in China's fuel and energy complex. The purpose of our article is to give a full description of the Chinese coal industry and to outline the trends of its future development. The main question raised in the article is the course the government of PRC set out for the development of the coal industry and, which have been already made according to that course. The author notes that despite the course of reducing coal usage and increasing the usage of oil, natural gas and alternative energy sources in FEC of the country, however coal is still playing and will play the leading role in future.

Objective: To describe the function of Fec, CA5A and CLSTN2 genes during ovulation in ewes. Design/methodology/approach: A search and analysis of scientific information related to Fec, CA5A and CLSTN2 genes in sheep was performed. Results: Fec, CA5A and CLSTN2 genes are involved at the ovarian level; ewes carrying the first gene were found to have increased ovulation rate, folliculogenesis and granulosa cell differentiation. CA5A stimulates an increased follicular rate and plays an important role in pre-implantation. While CLSTN2 has activity in ovarian development and growth; it also can interact with other genes involved in follicular maturation, granulosa cell differentiation and development of the ovarian follicle. Limitations on study/implications: Ewes carrying these genes increase the prolificacy rate in the flock. Findings/conclusions: The expression of these genes acts synergistically in the ovulatory process, enhancing the ovulatory response by contributing to endocrine, paracrine, and molecular synchronization, so that the maturation of the oocyte occurs, leading to ovulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) and service migration policies have shown promising results to improve the user experience and optimize infrastructure resources. In addition, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) appear as a promising solution to provide cloud service in collaboration with traditional MEC scenarios. However, in conjunction with the resources available on users' devices, contextual information has been ignored by most policies. In this article, we propose a service migration strategy based on contextual information and evaluate the influence of user mobility on migration strategies, called DVSM. Simulation results highlight the superior performance of the DVSM compared to state-of-the-art algorithms and a performance equivalent to the optimal solution when the collection and analysis of context information are carried out correctly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Fading, interference, and collisions cause unpredictable data loss in a wireless channel. In the recent past, the use of polar codes for error detection and correction scaled downed the data error rate considerably. With the introduction of 5G mobile network, minimizing the data loss and enhancing the performance becomes imperative. Here, the use of polar codes based OFDM‐HARQ mechanism with CRC is simulated and implemented. The proposed technique was tested for various fading channels. A bundling mechanism is used to attain the optimal number of retransmissions to accomplish better frame dropping ratio and throughput. It has been observed that the bit error rate of the proposed system has improved by optimizing Eb/No and bandwidth. At this optimum setting, the bit error rate has been enhanced by 25%. At the same time, the system optimizes retransmission count to a value of three, which improves frame error rate at the desirable bit error rate of 10−6. Further, the use of the proposed optimized polar code reduces complexity computations from one third to one fifth as compared to conventional system modeling using turbo codes. An enhancement in frame dropping ratio by 8% to 12% as well as throughput by 10.23% to 14.33% is achieved. The work carried on the hardware system shows that data loss in the OFDM‐HARQ communication system can be minimized by improving the bit error rate and throughput required for device‐to‐device communication in the 5G network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Goats are considered as the future livestock of choice due to its adaptability potential, feed efficiency and product quality. Gastro intestinal parasitism in particular and nematodosis in general pose serious annoyance to goat production in humid tropical state of Kerala. Farmers in the state mainly depend upon chemotherapy for parasitic control. Chemical control of parasitism is not an ideal option for sustainable animal production due to mounting drug resistance. In the current study incidence of strongylosis was evaluated during the monsoon season in a Goat Farm at Kallur (Thrissur). The study goats were screened for parasitic load and morbidity markers of parasitism. Faecal samples collected was assessed by faecal egg count (FEC) using modified McMaster technique. Anaemia score and body condition score were assessed. All the faecal samples collected were negative for strongylosis during the monsoon season which is most favourable for the development of the GI nematode parasite in Kerala. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LoRa technology is being integrated into industrial applications as part of Industry 4.0 owing to its longer range and low power consumption. However, noise, interference, and the fading effect all have a negative impact on LoRa performance in an industrial environment, necessitating solutions to ensure reliable communication. This paper evaluates and compares LoRa’s performance in terms of packet error rate (PER) with and without forward error correction (FEC) in an industrial environment. The impact of integrating an infinite impulse response (IIR) or finite impulse response (FIR) filter into the LoRa architecture is also evaluated. Simulations are carried out in MATLAB at 868 MHz with a bandwidth of 125 kHz and two spreading factors of 7 and 12. Many-to-one and one-to-many communication modes are considered, as are line of sight (LOS) and non-line of Sight (NLOS) conditions. Simulation results show that, compared to an environment with additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN), LoRa technology suffers a significant degradation of its PER performance in industrial environments. Nevertheless, the use of forward error correction (FEC) contributes positively to offsetting this decline. Depending on the configuration and architecture examined, the gain in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) using a 4/8 coding ratio ranges from 7 dB to 11 dB. Integrating IIR or FIR filters also boosts performance, with additional SNR gains ranging from 2 dB to 6 dB, depending on the simulation parameters.

The American Association of Equine Practitioners strongly advocates evidence-based intestinal strongyle control in horses. It recommends targeted treatment of all heavy egg shedders (>500 eggs per gram (EPG) of feces), while the low shedders (0–200 EPG) are left untreated. As 50–75% of adult horses in a herd are low shedders, preventing them from unnecessary anthelmintic exposure is critical for tackling resistance. There are various fecal egg count (FEC) techniques with many modifications and variations in use, but none is identified as a gold standard. The hypothesis of the study was that the diagnostic performance of 12 commonly used quantitation methodologies (three techniques with four variants) differs. In this regard, method comparison studies were performed using polystyrene beads as proxy for intestinal strongyle eggs. Mini-FLOTAC-based variants had the lowest coefficient of variation (CV%) in bead recovery, whereas McMaster variants had the highest. All four variants of Mini-FLOTAC and the NaNO3 1.33 specific gravity variant of modified Wisconsin followed a linear fit with R2 > 0.95. In contrast, the bead standard replicates for modified McMaster variants dispersed from the regression curve, causing a lower R2. The Mini-FLOTAC method seems less influenced by the choice of floatation solution and has better repeatability parameters and linearity for bead standard recovery. For FEC tests with high R2 (>0.95) but that underestimated the true bead count, a correction factor (CF) was determined to estimate the true count. Finally, the validity of CF was analyzed for 5 tests with R2 > 0.95 to accurately quantify intestinal strongyle eggs from 40 different horses. Overall, this study identified FEC methodologies with the highest diagnostic performance. The limitations in standardizing routine FEC tests are highlighted, and the importance of equalization of FEC results is emphasized for promoting uniformity in the implementation of parasite control guidelines.

An FEC based low-concentration electrolyte with merely 0.25 mol/L lithium salt is prepared and exhibit satisfying performance in LiNi 0.6 Co 0.2 Mn 0.2 O 2 ||lithium cells. Li+ solvation structure is deciphered by both experiment and simulation. It proves that the relatively low solvating power of FEC renders reduced desolvation energy to Li+, which is of vital importance for the battery kinetics. [Display omitted] Li+ solvation structures have a decisive influence on the electrode/electrolyte interfacial properties and battery performances. Reduced salt concentration may result in an organic rich solid electrolyte interface (SEI) and catastrophic cycle stability, which makes low concentration electrolytes (LCEs) rather challenging. Solvents with low solvating power bring in new chances to LCEs due to the weak salt-solvent interactions. Herein, an LCE with only 0.25 mol L−1 salt is prepared with fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) and 1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethyl-2,2,3,3-tetrafluoropropylether (D 2). Molecular dynamics simulations and experiments prove that the low solvating power solvent FEC not only renders reduced desolvation energy to Li+ and improves the battery kinetics, but also promotes the formation of a LiF-rich SEI that hinders the electrolyte consumption. Li||Cu cell using the LCE shows a high coulombic efficiency of 99.20%, and LiNi 0.6 Co 0.2 Mn 0.2 O 2 ||Li cell also exhibits satisfying capacity retention of 89.93% in 200 cycles, which demonstrates the great potential of solvating power regulation in LCEs development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Selection of genetically resistant animals is one alternative to reduce the negative impact of gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) on sheep production. The aim of this study was to identify genomic regions associated with GIN resistance in Corriedale sheep by single-step genome-wide association studies (ssGWAS) using 170, 507 and 50K single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Analysis included 19,547 lambs with faecal egg counts (FEC) records, a pedigree file of 40,056 animals and 454, 711 and 383 genotypes from 170, 507 and 50K SNPs, respectively. Genomic estimated breeding values (GEBV) were obtained with single-step genomic BLUP methodology (ssGBLUP), using a univariate animal model, which included contemporary group, type of birth and age of dam as class fixed effects and age at FEC recording as covariate. The SNP effects as wells as p-values were estimated with POSTGSF90 program. Significance level was defined by a chromosome-wise False Discovery Rate of 5%. Significant genomic regions were identified in chromosomes 1, 3, 12 and 19 with the 170 SNP set, in chromosomes 7, 12 and 24 using the 507 SNP chip and only in chromosome 7 with the 50K SNP chip. Candidate genes located in these regions, using Oar_v4.0 as reference genome, were TIMP3, TLR5, LEPR and TLR9 (170 SNPs), SYNDIG1L and MGRN1 (507 SNP chip) and INO80, TLN2, TSHR and EIF2AK4 (50K SNP chip). These results validate genomic regions associated with FEC previously identified in Corriedale and other breeds and report new candidate regions for further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Arsenic is a carcinogenic substance, with many cases of poisoning related to arsenic pollution in groundwater. In Taiwan arsenic in groundwater caused the notorious Blackfoot disease. Methods for arsenic removal from water include precipitation, membrane processes, ion exchange, and adsorption, but these processing technologies suffer from high investment costs and complex operations. The traditional adsorption method cannot be used for arsenic removal due to its high operating costs, difficulties in recovery, and low adsorption capacity. To address these issues, this study designed an adsorption material based on biochar for arsenic removal with higher adsorption properties and easy recovery. Biochar sources are readily available from waste wood as a cheap and environmentally friendly material. The efficiency of As (III) removal is also promoted by FeCl3 and KMnO4. The objectives of this research are to obtain optimum operation conditions by assessing the effects of different iron and manganese contents, different doses, different pH and different initial concentration. The adsorption mechanism between As (III) and biochar was studied by adsorption isotherms and the kinetic model. X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and elemental analyzer analysis results show that modified biochar has major elements of Fe and Mn. There is greater magnetism, 40 emu g− 1, in the modified biochar. The maximum adsorption efficiency of 81% and 0.72 mg g− 1 capacity occurs when the ratio of Mn, Fe and C is 4:1:1. The adsorption capacity is high under higher pH with pristine biochar and 1FeC under lower pH with 1Fe2MnC. The reaction mechanism is divided into four pathways. The first pathway is the attachment of As (III) ions into the pore of biochar via physical adsorption. In the second pathway, biochar can connect with As (III) through hydrogen bonding from the function group -OH in the biochar and the As (III) itself. In the third pathway, they can contact each other by electron force when the biochar surface is filled with a positive charge. In the fourth pathway, the compounds of manganese have strong oxidizability to oxidize As (III) to As(V). The iron ions then act as a bridge connecting the biochar and the As (III), resulting in the formation of new complex compounds.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-based streaming media transmission may become unstable when the bit rate generated by the source load exceeds the channel capacity owing to the UAV location and speed change. The change of the location can affect the network connection, leading to reduced transmission rate; the change of the flying speed can increase the video payload due to more I-frames. To improve the transmission reliability, in this paper we design a Client-Server-Ground&User (C-S-G&U) framework, and propose an algorithm of splitting-merging stream (SMS) for multi-link concurrent transmission. We also establish multiple transport links and configure the routing rules for the cross-layer design. The multi-link transmission can achieve higher throughput and significantly smaller end-to-end delay than a single-link especially in a heavy load situation. The audio and video data are packaged into the payload by the Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) before being transmitted over the User Datagram Protocol (UDP). The forward error correction (FEC) algorithm is implemented to promote the reliability of the UDP transmission, and an encryption algorithm to enhance security. In addition, we propose a Quality of Service (QoS) strategy so that the server and the user can control the UAV to adapt its transmission mode dynamically, according to the load, delay, and packet loss. Our design has been implemented on an engineering platform, whose efficacy has been verified through comprehensive experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: Cassava genetic transformation has mostly been reported for African cassava varieties, but not for Asian varieties. This is the first report of cassava transformation in Asian elite varieties using friable embryogenic calli. Agrobacterium-mediated cassava transformation via friable embryogenic calli (FEC) has enabled the robust production of transgenic cassava. So far, mostly the model cassava variety 60444 and African varieties have been transformed because of their good production and regeneration from embryogenic tissues. It is important to develop transformation methods for elite Asian cassava varieties to meet the changing needs in one of the world's major cassava production areas. However, a suitable transformation method for the Asian elite variety Kasetsart 50 (KU50) has not been developed. Here, we report a transformation method for KU50, the cultivar with the highest planting area in Thailand and Vietnam. In cassava transformation, the preparation of FEC as the target tissue for transgene integration is a key step. FEC induction from KU50 was improved by using media with reduced nutrients and excess vitamin B1, and somatic embryo and plant regeneration optimized by manipulation of naphthalene acetic acid (NAA), and benzylamino purine (BAP). The transformation efficiency for KU50 was 22%, approximately half that of 60444 at 45%. Transcriptome analysis indicated that the expression of genes related to cell-wall loosening was upregulated in FEC from KU50 compared with 60444, indicating that cell-wall production and assembly were disproportionate in the Asian variety. The transformation system for KU50 reported here will contribute to the molecular breeding of cassava plants for Asian farmers using transgenic and genome-editing technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vanadium polysulfide (VS4) is a promising material of construction for positive electrodes of next‐generation batteries due to its high theoretical capacity and electrical conductivity compared to those of elemental sulfur. In this study, we investigated the charge and discharge behavior of a low‐crystalline VS4 positive electrode using different electrolytes and under differing charge and discharge conditions. The electrolyte composed purely of cyclic carbonate exhibited higher cycle performance than the one containing linear carbonate. Furthermore, the addition of fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) to the electrolyte was very effective to improve the cycle performance. The effects of FEC on the VS4 positive electrode were investigated using electrochemical techniques, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and electron microscopy, the results whereof indicated that LiF‐containing components were formed on the VS4 surface, and probably contributed to the improvement of the charge and discharge behavior of the VS4 positive electrode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One control strategy for gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) is genetic selection. This study´s objective was to compare eggs per gram of feces (FEC) and fiber diameter (FD) estimated breeding values (EBV) and genomic EBV (GEBV) in Corriedale breed. Analysis included 19547 lambs with data, and 454, 711 and 383 genotypes from 170, 507 and 50K SNP chips, respectively. A univariate animal model was used for EBV and GEBV estimation, which included contemporary group, type of birth and dam age as fixed effects, and age at recording as covariate. Differential weights (α) were considered in the genomic relationship matrix (G), and the best fit models were identified using Akaike´s Information Criterion (AIC), which were later used for GEBV and accuracies estimation. The use of α only impacted on low density SNP chips. No differences were observed in mean accuracies for the whole population. However, in the genotyped subgroup accuracies increased by 2% with the 170 SNP chip (α=0.25), and by 5% (α=0.5) and 14% (α=0.75) with the 507 SNP chip. No differences were observed in FD EBV and GEBV mean accuracies. These results show that it is possible to increase GEBV accuracies despite the use of low-density chips.

The lack of diet effects on FEC during the post-anthelmintic treatment period should be fully considered because it calls into question the possible efficacy of providing sainfoin as a strategy to mitigate strongyle infection in horses at any time. This previous work did not report any effect of sainfoin on egg excretion, since FEC similarly declined in all horses during the 18 days of monitoring, despite a diet providing 70% DM sainfoin pellets. Among these natural products, sainfoin I (Onobrychis viciifolia) i , which contains high levels of condensed tannins and other polyphenols [[10]], has already been shown to reduce nematode burden and/or egg shedding in sheep [[12], [14], [16]], goats [[18], [20]] and, more recently, cattle [[21]]. [Extracted from the article]

The impact of facilities of various branches of Russia's fuel and energy complex (FEC) on the Arctic permafrost zone and their stability due to climate change and the state of the upper horizons of the permafrost zone are discussed. Effective approaches are described in the design, construction, and operation of FEC facilities in permafrost. For the most significant subsectors of the energy sector (oil and gas production and transportation, electricity provision), an assessment of the economic damage as a result of changes in engineering and cryological conditions under the influence of natural and anthropogenic factors was carried out. The necessity of introducing new design and construction methods, carrying out complex background and geotechnical monitoring at the FEC enterprises, and creating a center for analyzing the received data is shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce rQUIC, an integration of the QUIC protocol and a coding module. rQUIC has been designed to feature different coding/decoding schemes and is implemented in go language. We conducted an extensive measurement campaign to provide a thorough characterization of the proposed solution. We compared the performance of rQUIC with that of the original QUIC protocol for different underlying network conditions as well as different traffic patterns. Our results show that rQUIC not only yields a relevant performance gain (shorter delays), especially when network conditions worsen, but also ensures a more predictable behavior. For bulk transfer (long flows), the delay reduction almost reached 70% when the frame error rate was 5%, while under similar conditions, the gain for short flows (web navigation) was ≈ 55%. In the case of video streaming, the QoE gain (p1203 metric) was, approximately, 50%.