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Experimental study on the liquid dripping in a capillary flow focusing process is performed. Due to the high-speed gas stream that drives the inner liquid co-flowing through an orifice, complex phenomena for the droplet formation in dripping regime can be found as the gas pressure drop and the liquid flow rate change. Periodic dripping mode can produce uniform droplets, and non-periodic ones can result in satellites and droplets of different diameters. The droplet-droplet coalescence in the core of co-flowing gas stream is also obtained. The size of resultant droplets is measured under different values of gas pressure drop and liquid flow rate. It can be seen that the droplet size tends to decrease as the gas pressure drop increases and keeps nearly the same as the liquid flow rate increases. The results also indicate that the dynamic behavior of droplet formation in dripping mode of capillary flow focusing is mainly dominated by the gas pressure drop, and the capillary flow focusing technique can produce droplets with high throughput even in the dripping regime. Cited as: Si, T. Dynamic behavior of droplet formation in dripping mode of capillary flow focusing. Capillarity, 2021, 4(3): 45-49, doi: 10.46690/capi.2021.03.01

Crustal earthquakes in low-strain-rate regions are rare in the human life span but can generate disastrous consequences when they occur. Such was the case in the Canterbury earthquake sequence that began in 2010 and eventually led to almost 200 fatalities. Our study explores this earthquake sequence’s origins by producing an enhanced earthquake catalog in the Canterbury Plains and Otago, South Island, New Zealand. We investigate seismicity rate changes from 2005 to before the 2010 Mw 7.2 Darfield earthquake. During this time, major subduction-zone earthquakes, such as the 2009 Mw 7.8 Dusky Sound earthquake, created measurable coseismic and postseismic strain in the region. We use template matching to expand the catalog of earthquakes in the region, and use a support vector machine classifier to remove false positives and poor detections. We then compare the newly obtained seismicity rates with the coseismic and postseismic crustal strain fields, and find that seismicity rate and crustal strain are positively correlated in the low-stress, low-seismicity region of the northern Canterbury Plains. In contrast, near fast-moving plate-boundary faults, the seismicity rate changes rise without much change in the strain rate. Our analysis reveals a substantial seismicity rate decrease in the western rupture area of the Darfield earthquake, which we infer to be an effect of coseismic and postseismic deformation caused by the Dusky Sound earthquake. We show in low-strain-rate regions, stress perturbation of a few kPas creates substantial seismicity rate change. However, the implication that such seismic quiescence is responsible for the nucleation of the Darfield earthquake requires further studies.

As a climacteric fruit, bananas continue to ripen after being harvested and it’s accelerated by ethylene produced by the product. Post-harvest handling is needed to slow changes in the physical quality parameters of bananas for longer shelf life . Variation ozone gas exposure and storage room temperature are a potential methods to extend the shelf - life of banana s . The purpose of this study was to build a mathematical model of stored k epok bananas with variations in the duration of ozone gas exposure and storage room temperature. Green mature kepok bananas were used as the sample. The duration time of ozone exposure treatments used were 0 (untreated), 10, 15, and 20 minutes every day with a flow rate of 0.0279 ppm/menit. While the storage temperatures used were 5, 15, and 27 o C (ambient temperature). Mathematical models are used to predict change rate (k) in the product quality during storage and predict the value of physical quality parameters (firmn ess, brix, pH, weight loss, and moisture content ) . The results of the change rate of quality of physical parameters show that the lower storage temperature and the longer of ozone gas exposure cause the rate change in the quality of the physical parameters to be lower. Meanwhile, the results of the model validation using the correlation coefficient (R 2 ) and the P-value on chi-square (X 2 ) show that mathematical models are well developed in predicting the value of physical quality parameters.

Stress sensitivity in reservoirs is critical during the exploitation of oil and gas fields. As a deep clastic reservoir under strong tectonic compression, the Ahe Formation in the northern tectonic zone of the Kuqa depression exhibited strong stress sensitivity effect. However, the conventional evaluation method by using permeability damage rate as a constraint restricts the mechanistic understanding of the strong stress sensitivity effect. In this study, morphology of stress sensitivity test curve, coupled with rate change of permeability and extent of irreversible damage in actual sample measurement through micro-CT in-situ scanning, is used to characterize differentially. The strong stress sensitivity effects of the studied intervals can be divided into three types: (1) rapid change in permeability–weak irreversible damage, (2) moderate change in permeability–strong irreversible damage and (3) moderate change in permeability–moderate irreversible damage. The strong stress sensitivity is caused by the micro-pores and micro-fractures, which are widely developed in the studied reservoir. The mechanisms caused by the two types of pore are different. The stress sensitivity effects in micro-fracture-rich reservoirs are characterized by rapid change in permeability and weak irreversible damage. Meanwhile, the stress sensitivity effects in micro-pore-rich reservoirs are manifested as moderate change in permeability and strong irreversible damage. The study shows that the differences in the content of micro-pores and micro-fractures and their reverse mechanisms of stress sensitivity co-create different types of stress sensitivity within the samples. Accordingly, the differences of the stress sensitivity type in macroscopic samples are caused by the competition between the microscopic differences of pore types.

Background The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funds the Colorectal Cancer Control Program (CRCCP) to increase colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates in primary care clinics by implementing evidence-based interventions (EBIs). This study examined differences in clinic characteristics and implementation efforts among clinics with differential changes in screening rates over time. Methods CRCCP clinic data collected by the CDC were used. The outcome was the clinic status (highest quartile [Q4] vs lowest quartile [Q1]), which was based on the absolute screening rate change between the first and second program years. Five clinic characteristic variables and 12 clinic-level CRCCP variables (eg, EBIs) were assessed in bivariable analyses, and logistic regression was used to determine significant predictors of the outcome. Results Each group included 78 clinics (N = 156). Clinics with a Q4 status saw a 14.9 percentage point increase in the screening rate, whereas clinics with a Q1 status experienced a 9.1 percentage point decline. Q4s were more likely than Q1s to have a CRC champion, implement 4 EBIs versus fewer EBIs, implement at least 1 new EBI, and increase the number of implemented EBIs. The adjusted odds of Q4 status were 5.3 times greater (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.9-14.9) if a clinic implemented an additional EBI. The adjusted odds of Q4 status increased to 7.1 (95% CI, 2.2-23.1) if a clinic implemented 2 to 4 additional EBIs. Conclusions Implementing new EBIs or enhancing existing ones improves CRC screening rates. Additionally, clinics with lower screening rates had greater rate increases and may have benefited more from the CRCCP.

This study compares a longitudinal population-based sample of spouses bereaved by suicide and those bereaved by other sudden deaths to determine if suicide-bereaved spouses (SBS) experience greater rates of physician-diagnosed mental disorders.First, married individuals whose spouse died by suicide, sudden natural death (SND) and unintentional injury (UI) were compared to non-bereaved matched cohorts to determine if there were differences in mental disorder rates between bereavement groups and non-bereaved matches. Second, SBS (n = 365), spouses bereaved by SND (n = 1000), and spouses bereaved by UI (n = 270), were compared using inverse probability treatment weighting and generalized estimating equations to calculate relative rates of mental disorders 5 years before/after death.All bereaved cohorts had higher rates of mental disorders compared to non-bereaved cohorts. SBS had the greatest rate of depression post-bereavement (50·96%), followed by UI (38·52%) and SND (33·70%) spouses. When comparing bereavement cohorts, a significant group-by-time interaction (P = 0·047) revealed the rate change for depression was significantly different between suicide and UI-bereaved spouses, with SBS having higher rates of depression before bereavement. SBS had increased rates of any mental disorder both pre (ARR = 1·35, 95% CI = 1·03-1·18, P·05) and post spousal death (ARR = 1·24, 95% CI = 1·03-1·45, P·05) when compared to UI spouses signifying pre-existing mental disorders. Post-bereavement, SBS had greater rates of depression only when compared to SND-bereaved spouses (ARR = 1·31, 95% CI = 1·10-1·55, P·01).SBS have the greatest rates of depression and any mental disorder before the death of their spouse, suggesting suicide bereavement may be unique. Sudden spousal bereavement is a vulnerable time for mental disorders.

The article deals with the issues related to the study of the forms of connection of moisture removed during the drying of coriander seeds. A study was carried out to determine the quantitative moisture content of various forms of communication by two methods and a comparative analysis was carried out. It is shown that the existing methods for studying the forms of moisture-material bond have significant drawbacks and generally give a qualitative assessment of the state of moisture in the material or are very laborious and require lengthy laboratory research. An approach is proposed to determine the forms of moisture bond in coriander seeds based on graph-analytical analysis of the drying kinetics, which makes it possible to qualitatively and quantitatively assess the state of moisture in the seeds. With the help of a graphical editor, the curves of the kinetics of drying of coriander seeds were processed and the dependences of the value characterizing the rate of change in the rate of drying of coriander seeds on the moisture content of the product were obtained, and the introduction of a new concept into the theory of drying of this value as "acceleration of drying" was proposed. The analysis of the obtained curves is carried out, indicating the presence of extrema and points of inflection to the corresponding critical moisture content, as well as the presence of areas with a slowdown or acceleration of the drying rate change, which make it possible to establish the intervals of moisture removal with different binding energies. The approach considered in the article to determine the forms of moisture bond in coriander seeds will allow not only to give a qualitative and quantitative assessment of the state of moisture in products, but also to reduce the time spent on analysis and increase the accuracy of the results.

Many geothermal and volcanic regions experience remote and regional triggering following large earthquakes. The transient or permanent changes in stresses acting on faults and fractures can lead to changes in seismicity rates following either the passage of teleseismic waves or the permanent change in stresses following regional events. One such region of prevalent triggering is the Coso Geothermal Field (CGF) in eastern California, which is located roughly 30 km to the north of the 2019 Mw 7.1 Ridgecrest epicenter. Previous regional earthquakes have not only seemingly caused increase in seismicity rate surrounding the CGF, but also showed an absence of such rate increases in the CGF itself. To test whether seismicity rates in the CGF were dissimilar to the surrounding area following the Mw 7.1 Ridgecrest earthquake, I carry out seismicity rate change calculations using a catalog of seismicity compiled using a local seismic network and find that the behavior at CGF is identical to the surrounding area. Comparisons of seismicity rate changes calculated using a regional-network-derived catalog, and the local-network-derived catalog show that for a moderate, regional earthquake (2009 Mw 5.2 Olancha, California), the local network catalog reveals a change in seismicity rate whereas the regionally network catalog shows no significant changes. The differences are possibly related to incomplete sampling of seismicity using the regional network due to the existence of a shallow brittle–ductile transition centered on the CGF. The CGF, thus, is prone to triggering from both teleseismic and regional earthquakes.

Objectives Methodological concerns relating to acute-to-chronic workload ratios (ACWR) have been raised. This study aimed to assess the relationship between an alternative predictor variable named ‘differential load’, representing the smoothed week-to-week rate change in load, and injury risk in first class county cricket (FCCC) fast bowlers. Design Prospective cohort study. Methods Bowling loads and injuries were recorded for 49 professional male fast bowlers from six FCCC teams. A range of differential loads and ACWRs were calculated and subjected to a variable selection procedure. Results Exponentially-weighted 7-day differential load, 9:21-day ACWR, 42-day chronic load, and 9-day acute load were the best-fitting predictor variables in their respective categories. From these, a generalized linear mixed-effects model combining 7-day differential load, 42-day chronic load, and 9-day acute load provided the best model fit. A two-standard deviation (2SD) increase in 7-day differential load (22 overs) was associated with a substantial increase in injury risk (risk ratio [RR] = 2.47, 90% CI: 1.27–4.80, most likely harmful), and a 2SD increase in 42-day chronic load (17.5 overs/week) was associated with a most likely harmful increase in injury risk (RR = 6.77, 90% CI: 2.15–21.33). For 9-day acute load, very low values (≤1 over/week) were associated with a most likely higher risk of injury versus moderate (17.5 overs/week; RR: 15.50, 90% CI: 6.19–38.79) and very high 9-day acute loads (45.5 overs/week; RR: 133.33, 90% CI: 25.26–703.81). Conclusions Differential loads may be used to identify potentially harmful spikes in load, whilst mitigating methodological issues associated with ACWRs.

Water-sensitivity is a factor that must be paid attention to in the reservoir development stage of oil and gas fields. As a clastic reservoir, the water effect of Ahe formation in the northern structural belt of Kuqa is strong as a whole, but the mechanism analysis of medium and strong water-sensitivity effect is restricted by the evaluation method with permeability damage rate as the main parameter. Taking the shape of water-sensitivity test curve as the starting point, combined with the analysis of microscopic pore throat and clay minerals, the difference of permeability change rate measured by samples is characterized. The strong to medium water-sensitivity effects in the study layer are divided into three types: The permeability gradually decreases in the early stage-the rapid decrease in the late stage, the continuous decrease in the permeability, and the rapid decrease in the early stage-the slow decrease in the later stage. As a widely developed reservoir space in the study section, the micropore not only has the characteristics of fine pore size and easy blockage, but also serves as the occurrence space of the main water-sensitive mineral illite-smectite mixed layer. Therefore, the change types of the above different water sensitivity test curves are mainly controlled by the difference of micropore content. When the micropore content is low, the permeability decreases slowly in the early stage and decreases rapidly in the later stage (type I), while when the micropore content is high, the permeability decreases rapidly in the early stage and slowly decreases in the later stage (type II), while when the micropore content is medium, the permeability decreases continuously, and there is no obvious rate change (type III) before and after the micropore content. The results show that the structural characteristics and relative content differences of micropores in the samples are the internal mechanism of the difference of water sensitivity effect types. Keywords: Water-sensitive, Illite-smectite mixed layer, Pore types, Ahe formation, Kuqa depression

Massive inter predictive modes are adopted in latest High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard to eliminate temporal redundancies, which results in stronger inter-frame dependency among neighboring frames than previous standards like H.264. The inter-frame dependency makes currently independent rate-distortion optimization (RDO) non-optimal any more. Quantization parameter (QP) selection algorithm taking inter-frame dependency into consideration is supposed to optimize RDO based rate control greatly. According to our research, the inter-frame dependency is reflected by the linear relationship between QP change (ΔQP) and the resulting change of distortion (ΔD). An adaptive QP selection algorithm for global RDO is proposed based on the modeling function between ΔD and ΔQP in this paper. Firstly, based on intensive statistic analysis, three parameters (initial QP ($\overline {QP}$), the length of pictures of group (GOP), and the average of SATD of one frame) are used to formulate the relationship between ΔD and ΔQP. Secondly, the resulting rate change ΔR relative to ΔQP is also formulated similarly. Thirdly, optimized Lagrangian multiplier (λ) is calculated with these two mathematic models. Finally, we refine QP values based on the optimized λ in terms of dependent RDO. The experimental results show that the proposed frame-level QP selection algorithm can decrease Bj⊘tegaard Delta BitRate (BD-BR) by about 1.62% at the random-access (RA) configuration and 1.13% at the low-delay (LD) configuration, respectively. At the same time, it doesn’t increase complexity significantly.

This research article describes the impact of the depressurization rate change on the morphology of microcellular polycarbonate foams (PCMFs) using batch-wise foaming with carbon dioxide as...

Although the Internet has contributed to lowering the cost of adjusting hotel room rates on Internet-enabled distribution channels and promoted last-minute hotel booking, research on the frequency of dynamic price adjustments of hotel rooms remains scarce. Using panel data techniques involving count data models, this study examined online pricing data of hotels in a cosmopolitan tourism city to identify supply-side factors and location attributes that can be used in conjunction with the established demand-based pricing strategy to explain the frequency of adjusting room rates. After controlling for spatial locations and demand, results indicated that the frequency of room rate change is also related to seller density, hotel size, star rating, and consumer heterogeneity reflected in different booking days. Practically, the findings have revealed subtle differences in the implementation of demand-based dynamic pricing that can be used by practitioners and consumers for strategic decision-making.

Superpositions of Ornstein-Uhlenbeck type (supOU) processes provide a rich class of stationary stochastic processes for which the marginal distribution and the dependence structure may be modeled independently. We show that they can also display intermittency, a phenomenon affecting the rate of growth of moments. To do so, we investigate the limiting behavior of integrated supOU processes with finite variance. After suitable normalization four different limiting processes may arise depending on the decay of the correlation function and on the characteristic triplet of the marginal distribution. To show that supOU processes may exhibit intermittency, we establish the rate of growth of moments for each of the four limiting scenarios. The rate change indicates that there is intermittency, which is expressed here as a change-point in the asymptotic behavior of the absolute moments., Comment: Stochastic Processes and their Applications

In restoration ecology, the Field of Dreams Hypothesis posits that restoration efforts that create a suitable environment could lead to eventual recovery of the remaining aspects of the ecosystem through natural processes. Natural processes following partial restoration has lead to ecosystem recovery in both terrestrial and aquatic systems. However, understanding the efficacy of a “field of dreams” approach requires comparison of different approaches to partial restoration in terms of spatial, temporal, and ecological scale to what would happen with more comprehensive restoration efforts. We explore the relative effect of partial restoration and ongoing recovery on restoration efficacy with a dynamical model based on temperate rocky reefs in Northern California. We analyze our model for both the ability and rate of bull kelp forest recovery under different restoration strategies. We compare the efficacy of a partial restoration approach with a more comprehensive restoration effort by exploring how kelp recovery likelihood and rate change with varying intensities of urchin removal and kelp outplanting over different time periods and spatial scales. We find that, for the case of bull kelp forests, setting more favorable initial conditions for kelp recovery through implementing both urchin harvesting and kelp outplanting at the start of the restoration project has a bigger impact on the kelp recovery rate than applying restoration efforts through a longer period of time. Therefore partial restoration efforts, in terms of spatial and temporal scale, can be significantly more effective when applied across multiple ecological scales in terms of both the capacity and rate of achieving the target outcomes.

Marshallese and Latino communities in Benton and Washington counties, Arkansas, were disproportionately affected by COVID-19. We evaluated the effectiveness of a comprehensive community-based intervention to reduce COVID-19 disparities in these communities. We examined all laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases in the 2 counties reported from April 6, 2020, through December 28, 2020. A 2-sample serial t test for rate change was used to evaluate changes in case rates before and after implementation of the intervention. After implementation, the proportions of cases among Marshallese and Latino residents declined substantially and began to align more closely with the proportions of these 2 populations in the 2 counties. Infection rates remained lower throughout the evaluation period, and weekly incidence also approximated Marshallese and Latino population proportions. Leveraging community partnerships and tailoring activities to specific communities can successfully reduce disparities in incidence among populations at high-risk for COVID-19 .

Background The Chinese population has aged significantly in the last few decades. Comprehensive health losses including both fatal and non-fatal health outcomes associated with ageing in China have not been detailed. Methods Based on freely accessible disability adjusted life years (DALYs) estimated by the Global Burden of Diseases (GBD) 2017, we adopted a robust decomposition method that ascribes changes in DALYs in any given country across two time points to changes resulting from three sources: population size, age structure, and age-specific DALYs rate per 100,000 population. Using the method, we calculated DALYs associated with population ageing in China from 1990 to 2017 and examined the counteraction between the effects of DALYs rate change and population ageing. This method extends previous work through attributing the change in DALYs to the three sources. Results Population ageing was associated with 92.8 million DALYs between 1990 and 2017 in China, of which 65.8% (61.1 million) were years of life lost (YLLs). Males had comparatively more DALYs associated with population ageing than females in the study period. The five leading causes of DALYs associated with population ageing between 1990 and 2017 were stroke (23.6 million), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (18.3 million), ischemic heart disease (13.0 million), tracheal, bronchus, and lung cancer (6.1 million) and liver cancer (5.0 million). Between 1990 and 2017, changes in DALYs associated with age-specific DALY rate reductions far exceeded those related to population ageing (− 196.2 million versus 92.8 million); 57.5% (− 112.8 million) of DALYs were caused by decreases in rates attributed to 84 modifiable risk factors. Conclusion Population ageing was associated with growing health loss in China from 1990 to 2017. Despite the recent progress in alleviating health loss associated with population ageing, the government should encourage scientific research on effective and affordable prevention and control strategies and should consider investment in resources to implement strategies nationwide to address the future challenge of population ageing.

A cikk a szimmetrikus homlokmarással elkészített síkfelületek érdességének változását mutatja be az előtolás változásának függvényében. A kísérleteket rombusz alakú gyémánt lapkával végeztük, állandó fordulatszám és fogásmélység mellett. A mérési eredményeket három, az előtolási iránnyal párhuzamos síkban ismertetjük. Elemeztük az érdességi mérőszámok értékeinek változását, illetve az profilgörbéket is.

In this study, the possibility of detecting a significant seismicity rate change prior to a hazardous earthquake was examined along the Indonesian Sunda margin (ISM), Indonesia, using the seismological Z value method. The completeness inter- and intraplate seismicity data with a Mw ≥ 4.0 recorded during 1980–2016 was the dataset analyzed in this study. Based on an iterative test with 13 major or great earthquake case studies, the most suitable free parameters for detecting the precursory seismic quiescence by Z value analysis along the ISM were N = 25 events and Tw = 2.5 years. Investigation of the Z value in both temporal variation and spatial distribution revealed at least seven areas along the ISM with prominent Z value anomalies that are still quiescent from any hazardous earthquake and so are potential earthquake sources. These are northern and southern Praya, northern and southern Bajawa, eastern Dili, southern Ambon and southeastern Palu. Three of these seven areas (northern Praya, northern Bajawa and southwestern Pala) conform fairly well to the previously proposed eight risk areas in the Indonesian island chain derived from analysis of the b value of the frequency–magnitude distribution model. Therefore, it is concluded that there is a high possibility in the near future of seismic and/or tsunami hazard impact in the Indonesian island chain due to ISM seismic activities.

We study the impact of the 2016 increase in the Irish minimum wage on the hours worked and the probability of job loss of minimum‐wage workers. We pay particular attention to temporary‐contract workers, who may be more susceptible to changes to their working conditions than permanent employees. The results indicate that the increase in the minimum wage had a negative and statistically significant effect on the hours worked of minimum‐wage workers, with an average reduction of approximately 0.6 hours per week. For temporary workers, the effect was greater, with a decline of approximately 3 hours per week. We find no evidence that the increase in the minimum wage led to an increased probability of becoming jobless in the six‐month period following the rate change, nor did it affect employment shares in sectors employing large numbers of minimum‐wage workers.

Remaining useful life prediction has been one of the important research topics in reliability engineering. For modern products, due to physical and chemical changes that take place with usage and with age, a significant degradation rate change usually exists. Degradation models that do not incorporate a change point may not accurately predict the remaining useful life of products with two-phase degradation. For this reason, we consider the degradation analysis for products with two-phase degradation under gamma processes. Incorporating a probability distribution of the time at which the degradation rate changes into the degradation model, the remaining useful life prediction for a single product can be obtained, even though the rate change has not occurred during the inspection. A Bayesian approach and a likelihood approach via stochastic expectation-maximization algorithm are proposed for the statistical inference of the remaining useful life. A simulation study is carried out to evaluate the performance of the developed methodologies to the remaining useful life prediction. Our results show that the likelihood approach yields relatively less bias and more reliable interval estimates, while the Bayesian approach requires less computational time. Finally, a real dataset on LEDs is presented to demonstrate an application of the proposed methodologies.

To review the evolution of female continence surgical practice in Australia over the last 20 years and observe whether vaginal mesh controversies impacted these trends. From January 2000 to December 2019, medicare benefit schedule codes for female continence procedures were identified and extracted for: mesh sling, fascial sling, bulking agent, female urethral prosthesis, colposuspension, and removal of sling. Population-adjusted incidences per 100,000 persons were calculated using publicly available demographic data. Three discrete phases were defined over the study time frame for analysis: 2000–2006; 2006–2017, and 2017–2019. Interrupted time-series analyses were conducted to assess for impact on incidence at 2006 and 2017. There were 119,832 continence procedures performed in Australia from 2000 to 2019, with the mid-urethral sling (MUS) the most common (72%). The majority of mesh (n = 63,668, 73%) and fascial sling (n = 1864, 70%) procedures were in women aged

During the mitotic cycle, the rod-shaped fission yeast cells grow only at their tips. The newly born cells grow first unipolarly at their old end, but later in the cycle, the 'new end take-off' event occurs, resulting in bipolar growth. Photographs were taken of several steady-state and induction synchronous cultures of different cell cycle mutants of fission yeast, generally larger than wild type. Length measurements of many individual cells were performed from birth to division. For all the measured growth patterns, three different functions (linear, bilinear and exponential) were fitted, and the most adequate one was chosen by using specific statistical criteria, considering the altering parameter numbers. Although the growth patterns were heterogeneous in all the cultures studied, we could find some tendencies. In cultures with sufficiently wide size distribution, cells large enough at birth tend to grow linearly, whereas the other cells generally tend to grow bilinearly. We have found that among bilinearly growing cells, the larger they are at birth, the rate change point during their bilinear pattern occurs earlier in the cycle. This shifting near to the beginning of the cycle might finally cause a linear pattern, if the cells are even larger. In all of the steady-state cultures studied, a size control mechanism operates to maintain homeostasis. By contrast, strongly oversized cells of induction synchronous cultures lack any sizer, and their cycle rather behaves like an adder. We could determine the critical cell size for both the G1 and G2 size controls, where these mechanisms become cryptic. TAKE AWAY: Most individual fission yeast cells in steady-state cultures grow bilinearly. In strongly oversized fission yeast cells, linear growth dominates over bilinear. Above birth length thresholds, both the G1 and G2 size controls become cryptic.

Background The rapid increase of bacterial antibiotic resistance could soon render our most effective method to address infections obsolete. Factors influencing pathogen resistance prevalence in human populations remain poorly described, though temperature is known to contribute to mechanisms of spread. Aim To quantify the role of temperature, spatially and temporally, as a mechanistic modulator of transmission of antibiotic resistant microbes. Methods An ecologic analysis was performed on country-level antibiotic resistance prevalence in three common bacterial pathogens across 28 European countries, collectively representing over 4 million tested isolates. Associations of minimum temperature and other predictors with change in antibiotic resistance rates over 17 years (2000–2016) were evaluated with multivariable models. The effects of predictors on the antibiotic resistance rate change across geographies were quantified. Results During 2000–2016, for Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, European countries with 10°C warmer ambient minimum temperatures compared to others, experienced more rapid resistance increases across all antibiotic classes. Increases ranged between 0.33%/year (95% CI: 0.2 to 0.5) and 1.2%/year (95% CI: 0.4 to 1.9), even after accounting for recognised resistance drivers including antibiotic consumption and population density. For Staphylococcus aureus a decreasing relationship of −0.4%/year (95% CI: −0.7 to 0.0) was found for meticillin resistance, reflecting widespread declines in meticillin-resistant S. aureus across Europe over the study period. Conclusion We found evidence of a long-term effect of ambient minimum temperature on antibiotic resistance rate increases in Europe. Ambient temperature might considerably influence antibiotic resistance growth rates, and explain geographic differences observed in cross-sectional studies. Rising temperatures globally may hasten resistance spread, complicating mitigation efforts.

According to theory, earthquakes may produce disturbances in surrounding areas and affect the major earthquake occurrence rate of surrounding faults. The MS 6.6 Jinghe Earthquake on 9th August, 2017 occurred in the Tienshan Seismic Belt where there is much tectonic activity and many strong earthquakes occur. The impact of this earthquake on major earthquake activity of surrounding areas is worth studying. This paper attempts to combine two models: the Brownian passage-time (BPT) model, which describes the quasi-periodic recurrence of major earthquakes, and the Coulomb Failure Stress model, which describes rock failure on faults. The amount of change in the rate of major earthquake occurrence caused by a nearby earthquake was calculated, and changes in major earthquake activity in the surrounding areas after the Jinghe Earthquake were re-estimated. There are few differences in major earthquake occurrence rate change by stress disturbances calculated with the BPT model or the Coulomb Failure Stress model. Calculation results are consistent with actual earthquake cases. The 2017 Jinghe Earthquake increased major earthquake activity on the Boluokenu Fault and Yili Basin North Fault, and the expected major earthquake recurrence times of the two faults were advanced by 11 years and 59 years, respectively. Conclusions of this paper provide a reference for time-dependent seismic hazard assessments in related areas.

Background: Expert opinion varies on the use of therapeutic unfractionated heparin during the peripartum period. While dosing guidelines have been suggested, their transition to clinical practice is lagging. Aim: To evaluate the protocols employed, adherence to these protocols, and monitoring of therapeutic unfractionated heparin in obstetric patients during the peripartum period in a quaternary teaching hospital. Method: This retrospective study investigated all women who received therapeutic heparin during the peripartum period between June 2014 and June 2016. The peripartum period was defined as 28 days prior to and post-delivery. Prescribing and administration information was obtained from the state-wide heparin infusion order form. Medical notes were studied to document the heparin infusion protocols utilised. Results: A variety of dosing approaches were used in the 20 patients studied. Heparin bolus dosing was correctly determined in 46% of results. Heparin infusion rate change was correctly determined in 64% of results. The activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) was correctly ordered by the medical officer in 230 results (66%), incorrectly ordered in 68 results (20%) and unable to make an interpretation in 48 results (14%). There were no cases of rethrombosis reported. Post-partum bleeding occurred in two patients. The APTT at the time of these bleeding events was noted to be subtherapeutic. Conclusion: This study highlights the variability in therapeutic heparin protocols utilised during the peripartum period. The desire by clinicians to target a low APTT range during the postnatal peripartum period to balance bleeding risk has also been identified in this study.

Shoreline change is an issue of concern to coastal stake holders because the coastal zone is home to over 60% of the world’s population. In Ghana, for instance, shoreline change has been associated with loss of economic lands and properties. Previous researches have showed that the coastline is eroding at variable rates in spatial times. Studies have also shown that shoreline change trends vary in geologic time scale, such that erosion or accretion is reversible along same shore at different time periods. The Eastern and Central Zones of the Ghanaian coast are said to be receding while the Western Zone is thought of as stable. This opinion, however, contrasts field observations and interview with local coastal community members. This research sought to determine the shoreline change trends in the study area over short-term (1974–2005) and long-term (1895–2005) interval so as to ascertain the variability of shoreline trends to aid future prediction. From available multi-temporal datasets of topographic maps and ortho photographs, the shoreline feature was extracted using the High Water Line (HWL) as an indicator. From which the shoreline time series datasets were overlaid before transects cast using DSAS an extension of ArcGIS. The shoreline change statistics were computed analysed. The results show a mean rate change of - 4.18 m/year for the entire study area, while the Western Section recorded a mean of 5.4 m/year and the Eastern Section recorded a mean of 2.36 m/year. An average shoreline change rate of −6.55 m/year recorded for the entire study area in the long term analysis. The Eastern Section is eroding at a rate of −2.18 m/year while a portion of the Western Section registered highest change rates with a mean of −11.64 m/year. Examination of the short and long terms shoreline change trends revealed a condition of long period of irreversible recession of the shoreline with little accretion at most portions of the study area.

Two data sets reporting apparent activation volumes Vapp of plastic deformation of ultrafine-grained Cu are compared. They differ strongly in magnitude and stress dependence of V app. It is suggested that the difference results from differences in testing method. While V app from stress relaxations appears to be consistent with expectations for the activation of thermally activated glide of dislocations in the bulk of the material, V app from rate change tests appears to characterize the quasi-stationary deformation where dynamic recovery plays a major role. This underscores the necessity to specify which of the various thermally activated subprocesses of deformation are tested.

The concepts of Ludwik Fleck (1896–1961), a microbiologist, historian, and philosopher of medicine, can be used to analyze the conservative nature of scientific ideas. This is discussed and applied to ideas dominant in the understanding of the eukaryotic cell cycle. These are (a) the G1-phase restriction point as a regulatory element of the mammalian cell cycle, (b) the Rate Change Point proposed to exist in fission yeast, and (c) the proposal that a large number of genes are expressed in a cell-cycle-dependent manner. Fleck proposed that scientific ideas become fixed and difficult to change because criticisms of current and dominant models are either ignored or turned to support of the current model. The idea of a thought-collective leading to the stability of scientific ideas is a central theme of the theory of Ludwik Fleck.

We present a case of remotely triggered seismicity in Southwest China by the 2015/04/25 M7.8 Gorkha, Nepal earthquake. A local magnitude M L 3.8 event occurred near the Qijiang district south of Chongqing city approximately 12 min after the Gorkha mainshock. Within 30 km of this M L 3.8 event there are 62 earthquakes since 2009 and only 7 M L > 3 events, which corresponds to a likelihood of 0.3% for a M L > 3 on any given day by a random chance. This observation motivates us to investigate the relationship between the M L 3.8 event and the Gorkha mainshock. The M L 3.8 event was listed in the China Earthquake National Center (CENC) catalog and occurred at shallow depth (∼3 km). By examining high-frequency waveforms, we identify a smaller local event ( ∼ M L 2.5 ) ∼ 15 s before the M L 3.8 event. Both events occurred during the first two cycles of the Rayleigh waves from the Gorkha mainshock. We perform seismic event detection based on envelope function and waveform matching by using the two events as templates. Both analyses found a statistically significant rate change during the mainshock, suggesting that they were indeed dynamically triggered by the Rayleigh waves. Both events occurred during the peak normal and dilatational stress changes (∼10–30 kPa), consistent with observations of dynamic triggering in other geothermal/volcanic regions. Although other recent events (i.e., the 2011 M9.1 Tohoku-Oki earthquake) produced similar peak ground velocities, the 2015 Gorkha mainshock was the only event that produced clear dynamic triggering in this region. The triggering site is close to hydraulic fracturing wells that began production in 2013–2014. Hence we suspect that fluid injections may increase the region's susceptibility to remote dynamic triggering.

To study the prospective areas of upcoming strong-to-major earthquakes, i.e., M w ≥ 6.0, a catalog of seismicity in the vicinity of the Thailand-Laos-Myanmar border region was generated and then investigated statistically. Based on the successful investigations of previous works, the seismicity rate change (Z value) technique was applied in this study. According to the completeness earthquake dataset, eight available case studies of strong-to-major earthquakes were investigated retrospectively. After iterative tests of the characteristic parameters concerning the number of earthquakes (N) and time window (T w ), the values of 50 and 1.2 years, respectively, were found to reveal an anomalous high Z-value peak (seismic quiescence) prior to the occurrence of six out of the eight major earthquake events studied. In addition, the location of the Z-value anomalies conformed fairly well to the epicenters of those earthquakes. Based on the investigation of correlation coefficient and the stochastic test of the Z values, the parameters used here (N = 50 events and T w = 1.2 years) were suitable to determine the precursory Z value and not random phenomena. The Z values of this study and the frequency-magnitude distribution b values of a previous work both highlighted the same prospective areas that might generate an upcoming major earthquake: (i) some areas in the northern part of Laos and (ii) the eastern part of Myanmar.

Non-stationarity of the rate or variance of events is a well-known problem in the description and analysis of time series of events, such as neuronal spike trains. A multiple filter test (MFT) for rate homogeneity has been proposed earlier that detects change points on multiple time scales simultaneously. It is based on a filtered derivative approach, and the rejection threshold derives from a Gaussian limit process L which is independent of the point process parameters. Here, we extend the MFT to variance homogeneity of life times. When the rate is constant, the MFT extends directly to the null hypothesis of constant variance. In the presence of rate change points, we propose to incorporate estimates of these in the test for variance homogeneity, using an adaptation of the test statistic. The resulting limit process shows slight deviations from L that depend on unknown process parameters. However, these deviations are small and do not considerably change the properties of the statistical test. This allows practical application, for example, to neuronal spike trains, which indicates various profiles of rate and variance change points.

Azo-BF2 switches 1 and 2 with their extended phenanthridinyl π-system exhibit red-light fluorescence whose intensity can be photomodulated using visible-light. The para-methoxy group in 2 leads to a bathochromic shift in the emission band, pushing its tail further to the near infrared region. This group also changes the isomerization properties in 2, as it does not display the concentration-dependent isomerization rate change observed in 1, most likely because of a change in mechanism from rotation to inversion, and weaker π−π interaction in the system.

The most recent Great Recession brought our attention to the issue of fiscal sustainability of local governments. Local governments often rely on their general fund balances to deal with contingencies and economic downturns. Empirical research, however, produces mixed results and is inconclusive about what determines the size of local savings. No previous research on this topic has considered strategic interactions and the spatial relationship among local governments. Using a panel dataset of all the county governments in Florida from 2007 to 2011, this study examines the factors that affect the size of unreserved fund balances and empirically tests the spatial effects concerning local fund balance policies in Florida. Empirical findings indicate the importance of the spillover effects of a county's millage rate change and reliance on intergovernmental transfers. This research contributes to the literature by accounting for the spatial effects in local fund balance behavior.

Alternative control schemes for an Advanced High Temperature Reactor system consisting of a reactor, an intermediate heat exchanger, and a secondary heat exchanger (SHX) are presented in this paper. One scheme is designed to control the cold outlet temperature of the SHX (Tco) and the hot outlet temperature of the intermediate heat exchanger (Tho2) by manipulating the hot-side flow rates of the heat exchangers (Fh/Fh2) responding to the flow rate and temperature disturbances. The flow rate disturbances typically require a larger manipulation of the flow rates than temperature disturbances. An alternate strategy examines the control of the cold outlet temperature of the SHX (Tco) only, since this temperature provides the driving force for energy production in the power conversion unit or the process application. The control can be achieved by three options: (1) flow rate manipulation; (2) reactor power manipulation; or (3) a combination of the two. The first option has a quicker response but requires a large flow rate change. The second option is the slowest but does not involve any change in the flow rates of streams. The third option appears preferable as it has an intermediate response time and requires only a minimal flow rate change.

The objective of this experimental study was to evaluate the surface roughness and hardness of laminated wood-based composite panels as a function of exposure to high relative humidity (RH). All samples were conditioned in a room having a temperature of 20 °C and a relative humidity of 65% before the tests were carried out. Surface roughness, Janka hardness and mass change rate of the raw and overlaid samples were determined before and after humidity exposure. The surface of the overlaid samples was also investigated by SEM. The stylus method was used to determine the fluctuations of the surface quality of the raw and overlaid composites. The surface quality and hardness of the samples were influenced by increases of the RH level and exposure time. The mass rate change was higher for the raw samples compared with the overlaid ones. The findings of this study can be applied to improve production techniques in furniture manufacturing and to enhance the use of overlaid composite panels.

An increasing number of cellular congestion control algorithms (CCAs) are becoming reliant on measurements of the delivery rate observed at the receiver. Accordingly, early detection of changes in the receiver’s rate would improve the performance of such algorithms. In addition to CCAs, faster detection of rate can also benefit available throughput estimation tools that rely on rate measurements. The upper layers of a cellular receiver could achieve faster rate detection through rate measurements over short time intervals. However, for cellular receivers, upper-layer rate measurements over short time scales produce unreliable results due to the effect of underlying lower layer mechanisms such as scheduling and retransmissions. In this paper, we introduce a Kalman filter based rate estimation approach that reduces the variability observed in short time scale receiver rate measurements and allows faster rate change detection. We also integrate an adaptive mechanism to facilitate online estimations in a network with an unknown or changing characteristic.

The wear evolution of the glass fiber reinforced Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) sliding against duplex steel at elevated temperature was investigated using the interrupted wear tests coupling with the worn surface observations. The morphological changes of the PTFE composite during the sliding were related to the variation of the tribological properties to analyze the underlying wear mechanisms. Results show that the coefficient of friction and wear rate change with the increase of temperature. During the sliding, three regions can be identified regardless of the temperature. The high temperature is beneficial to the formation of tribo-film. The sequence of wear evolution is PTFE removal, load transfer to glass fiber, and minor formation of tribo-film for the low temperature condition. For high temperatures, the wear behaviors are more complicated. The different phenomena include the third body abrasion, flake delamination of PTFE matrix, scratching and reformation of transfer film on the counterface, and the filling of the large scale PTFE groove. These behaviors may dominate the different stages in the stable region, but occur simultaneously and cause the dynamic steady wear. As a result, the wear rate at 200 &deg, C is slightly fluctuant.

In this paper we apply a modified Evolutionary Strategy (ES) algorithm to the discrete optimization problem of solving Kakuro puzzles. Our ES modifies the mutation rate each generation based on the best fitness of the population. If the fitness improves then the mutation rate declines; if the fitness is stagnant for multiple generations then the mutation rate increases. We show that the dynamic mutation rate change leads to increased performance relative to a standard ($\mu , \lambda$) ES, a standard ($\mu +\lambda$) ES and a standard Genetic Algorithm. We compared the performance of the ES with dynamic mutation to the other algorithms with multiple puzzles of different sizes and the dynamic mutation ES, in general, found the correct solution more often and with less fitness function evaluations.

In this paper, 329 Landsat images combined with the Deeply Clear Water Extraction Index were applied to delineate boundaries of Hongjiannao Lake during 1986-2018. The net shoreline movement (NSM) and linear regression rate (LRR) achieved by Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) were employed to depict the distance and rate change of lake shorelines. Based on the waterline method and lake boundaries, the water levels were derived from ASTER GDEM V2. Water volume variations were evaluated using the combination of lake area and water level. The variations in Hongjiannao Lake can be grouped into three stages: (i) The lake area, water level, and volume variations slightly declined from 57.25 km2, 1211.15 m, and - 0.0220 km3 in 1986 to 56.36 km2, 1210.66 m, and - 0.036 km3 in 1997, respectively. The average degradation distance (NSM) and rate (LRR) of lake shorelines were 74.26 m and 3.48 m/a, respectively. Although these three aspects slightly decreased, they maintained a stable high level due to stability of natural factors. (ii) A rapid decrease in these three aspects during 1998-2015 was expressed by rates of - 1.15 km2/a (the total decrease was - 21.72 km2), - 0.18 m/a (the total decrease was - 3.45 m), and - 0.0068 km3/a (the total decrease was - 0.1419 km3), respectively. The average shrinkage distance (NSM) and rate (LRR) of lake boundaries were 1049.35 m and 55.00 m/a, respectively, and gradually intensifying human activities were the leading factor. (iii) These three aspects increased from 31.75 km2, 1207.03 m, and - 0.1852 km3 in 2016 to 36.19 km2, 1207.23 m, and - 0.1883 km3, respectively, in 2018. The average enlargement distance (NSM) and rate (LRR) of lake shorelines were 196.87 m and 67.85 m/a, respectively, mainly caused by closing of small mines, sluicing activities, and increase in annual precipitation.

Paper shows the performance analysis of the boreholes being the lower heat source for the brine-to-water heat pump. Researchers focused on the changes of the specific power extraction rate change in time and in various loads. The measurements were the continuation of the analysis of the differences between the Thermal Response Test (TRT) and exploitation data made in 2016/2017 heating season. The heat source performance under greater load and in longer period have been examined. The analysis showed brine temperature drop in overload work conditions even when ambient temperature was high and severe heat source destabilization despite a return to original performance.

Evidence shows that expansionary monetary policy shocks raise output persistence more when inflation is below or equal to 6 % than when it is above 6 %. Output persistence rises more to a scenario of successive policy rate cuts of varying magnitude than a constant policy rate change scenario. The findings indicate that low economic policy uncertainty magnifies the output persistence response to expansionary monetary policy shocks. By contrast, high economic policy uncertainty lowers the output persistence response to an expansionary monetary policy shock. In policy terms, this implies that a larger expansionary monetary policy shock than expected will raise output persistence significantly and the amplification effects will be enlarged when inflation is in the low inflation regime.