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This study aimed to develop a laboratory method that allows the in vitro maintenance of honey bee drones for several days while preserving their reproductive capacity and to create a new open-source software for the automatic analysis of their sperm quality. Three experiments were performed. The first experiment was designed to validate the new open-source software named CASABee for sperm quality assessment specifically designed for the honey bee. The software was able to identify motile and static spermatozoa with high precision. Results showed a high correlation between the results of sperm quality obtained both manually and by the CASABee system (0.95 and 0.96 for sperm motility and concentration, respectively, p < 0.001). In the second and third experiments, the effect of in vitro maintenance of drones without attendant workers for four days on their ejaculatory capacity and sperm quality, respectively, was evaluated. Survival rate was 98.68%, 89.48%, 75.93%, and 60.97% on average on days 1, 2, 3, and 4 after capturing, respectively. A high proportion of the drones (80.37% on average) were able to ejaculate providing semen, and there were no significant differences in the ejaculatory capacity and sperm quality of drones on the different days of in vitro maintenance, except for sperm viability, which decreased slightly on day 4 (71.71% vs 82.8% on day 0, p < 0.05). It was concluded that the new CASABee system and the method for laboratory maintenance of honey bee drones facilitate the study of reproduction in this species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) are commonly used in both commercial and agricultural sectors. As a result, ZnO-NPs are extensively discharged into soil ecosystems, creating a significant environmental issue. Therefore, it is crucial to assess their influence on the soil ecology to ensure its secure and enduring utilization in the future. The exact degree of toxicity associated with ZnO-NPs and their ionic form is still uncertain. To address the challenges, the study used the soil bioindicator earthworm species Eudrilus eugeniae as an experimental model to evaluate the effects of two zinc species (ZnO-NPs and ZnCl2) at 100, 250, 500, and 750 mg kg−1 and control (0 mg kg−1) in garden soil over 28 days. The investigation also examined the impact of exposure on survival, reproduction, neuro-biomarker, avoidance behavior, and accumulation. The highest avoidance rates were 27.5% for ZnO-NP and 37.5% for ZnCl2 at 750 mg kg−1. ZnCl2 treatment reduced juvenile production by 3.73 ± 1.73, while ZnO-NPs showed 4.67 ± 1.15. At 750 mg kg−1, soils with ZnCl2 (63.3%) demonstrated lower survival rates than those with ZnO-NPs (53.3%), likely because of higher Zn ion levels. After 28 days of exposure, ZnCl2 (536.32 ± 11 mol min−1) activated AChE enzymes more than ZnO-NPs (497.7 ± 59 mol min−1) at the same dose, compared to control (145.88 ± 28 to 149.41 ± 23 mol min−1). Nanoparticles and zinc ions bioaccumulated and reacted negatively with the neurotoxic marker AChE, affecting earthworm reproduction and behavior. However, earthworms exposed to ZnCl2 exhibited less intestinal Zn than those exposed to NPs. The present work contradicts the finding that ZnO-NPs have hazardous effects on soil organisms. The results indicate that earthworm E. eugeniae may significantly affect soil metal uptake from metallic nanoparticles (NPs). This may help design NP soil pollution mitigation strategies. The study offers valuable information for establishing a relationship between the environmental toxicity of ZnO-NPs and soil ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salmonella bacteria, a zoonotic pathogen, are frequently transmitted through food and water, causing foodborne outbreaks and illnesses. Bioaerosols are a growing concern as pathogenic microorganisms could be transmitted to the indoor and ambient air environments. The airborne transmission of pathogenic microorganisms is considered a risk of contamination or a route of infection. Salmonella have been found in rare numbers in the air, but their detection indicate their ability to survive in the air environment. Physical, biological and environmental stressors affect the survival of airborne microorganisms. The infectivity of airborne Salmonella is determined by its pathogenicity, infective dose and individual health conditions. The accurate assessment of Salmonella in aerosols is a problem due to the synergistic influence of many uncontrollable environmental conditions and a lack of standardized analysis and sampling protocols. Knowledge of the airborne transmission of Salmonella and factors influencing their viability is critical to understanding their potential health risk and the related control measures. This review provides evidence for the transmission of Salmonella in different air environments, focusing on the presence of Salmonella in the air as a risk of biocontamination. The sampling, detection and enumeration methodologies of Salmonella in the air are discussed with recommended mitigation and control strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing the vulnerability of a platform, i.e., the risk of being affected by hostile objects, is of paramount importance in the design process of vehicles, especially aircraft. A simple and effective way to decrease vulnerability is to introduce protective structures to intercept and possibly stop threats. However, this type of solution can lead to a significant increase in weight, affecting the performance of the aircraft. For this reason, it is crucial to study possible solutions that allow reducing the vulnerability of the aircraft while containing the increase in structural weight. One possible strategy is to optimize the topology of protective solutions to find the optimal balance between vulnerability and the weight of the added structures. Among the many optimization techniques available in the literature for this purpose, multiobjective genetic algorithms stand out as promising tools. In this context, this work proposes the use of a in-house software for vulnerability calculation to guide the process of topology optimization through multi-objective genetic algorithms, aiming to simultaneously minimize the weight of protective structures and vulnerability. In addition to the use of the in-house software, which itself represents a novelty in the field of topology optimization of structures, the method incorporates a custom mutation function within the genetic algorithm, specifically developed using a graph-based approach to ensure the continuity of the generated structures. The tool developed for this work is capable of generating protections with optimized layouts considering two different types of impacting objects, namely bullets and fragments from detonating objects. The software outputs a set of non-dominated solutions describing different topologies that the user can choose from. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT)‐based low noise amplifiers (LNAs) are an integral part of microwave receiver systems to enhance signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR). The noise of LNA itself becomes critical for systems requiring high SNR, such as imaging and satellite communication systems. This paper discusses the design of a three‐stage LNA operating at the X‐band in the frequency range of 8.0–12.0 GHz. The amplifier's design and small signal, noise, and linearity characterizations are discussed. Stagewise analysis for gain, noise figure (NF), and matching network losses at the design stage results in achieving promising results. The proposed LNA provides a gain of 23.2 dB with ± 1.0 $\pm \ 1.0$ dB gain ripple. Its NF is below 1.5 dB, output power at 1 dB gain compression is 16.4 dBm, and third‐order intercept point is 24.7 dBm at 10 GHz. LNA's survivability is validated to input stress as high as 42 dBm. This LNA is the best reported NF and survivability combination in the 8.0–12.0‐GHz frequency range. The reverse recovery time of LNA is measured under two different pulse conditions, and it has been shown that LNA has better recovery times for lower pulse width signals. This LNA finds its applications in radars and satellite communication systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gut serves in the digestion of foods, the absorption of nutrients, and the maintenance of the host's health. Intestinal flora maintains a healthy gut by interacting with intestinal cells and inhibiting pathogens from adhering to the gut wall. Probiotics are widely used to regulate intestinal microflora, prevent and treat intestinal disorders,, and promote growth by replacing antibiotics in poultry. The current paper focuses on the effects of probiotics on gut health in general and stress factors that affect probiotic survivability from handling to the host animal's distal intestinal tract. We also go through the various ways of dealing with these stressful factors and methods adopted for industrial use. The use of encapsulation to preserve probiotics has been proven to be effective. The encapsulation strategy directly benefits stability by providing a physical barrier to safeguard them from unfavorable environments. Probiotics have been encapsulated using a variety of approaches. Here, we also discuss the effects of encapsulation on probiotic stability during different stages from processing to animal gut. Choosing the appropriate encapsulating process and encapsulating material during is crucial for producing the best microcapsule as an additive for animal feed, which ultimately improves the animal's intestinal health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The network design problem with vulnerability constraints and probabilistic edge reliability (NDPVC‐PER) is an extension of the NDPVC obtained by additionally considering edge reliability. We consider the design of a telecommunication network in which every origin‐destination pair is connected by a hop‐constrained primal path, and by a hop‐constrained backup path when certain edges in the network fail. The edge failures occur with respect to their reliability, and the network is designed by considering a minimum reliability level. Therefore, a hop‐constrained backup path must be built by considering all simultaneous edge failures that have a certain probability of realization. While there exist models to solve the NDPVC without enumerating all edge subsets, edge reliability cannot be dealt with by applying the techniques applied to the NDPVC. Therefore, we develop models based on a new concept of resilient length‐bounded cuts, and solve the NDPVC‐PER without edge set enumerations. We perform extensive testing of the model to determine the best performing settings, and demonstrate the computational efficiency of the developed model. Our findings on these instances show that, in the dataset considered in this study, increasing the reliability level from 90% to 95% increases the average cost only by 12.4%, while increasing it from 95% to 99% level yields a cost increase of 93.9%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing the vulnerability of a platform, i.e., the risk of being affected by hostile objects, is of paramount importance in the design process of vehicles, especially aircraft. A simple and effective way to decrease vulnerability is to introduce protective structures to intercept and possibly stop threats. However, this type of solution can lead to a significant increase in weight, affecting the performance of the aircraft. For this reason, it is crucial to study possible solutions that allow reducing the vulnerability of the aircraft while containing the increase in structural weight. One possible strategy is to optimize the topology of protective solutions to find the optimal balance between vulnerability and the weight of the added structures. Among the many optimization techniques available in the literature for this purpose, multi-objective genetic algorithms stand out as promising tools. In this context, this work proposes the use of a in-house software for vulnerability calculation to guide the process of topology optimization through multi-objective genetic algorithms, aiming to simultaneously minimize the weight of protective structures and vulnerability. In addition to the use of the in-house software, which itself represents a novelty in the field of topology optimization of structures, the method incorporates a custom mutation function within the genetic algorithm, specifically developed using a graph-based approach to ensure the continuity of the generated structures. The tool developed for this work is capable of generating protections with optimized layouts considering two different types of impacting objects, namely bullets and fragments from detonating objects. The software outputs a set of non-dominated solutions describing different topologies that the user can choose from.

Salmonella bacteria, a zoonotic pathogen, are frequently transmitted through food and water, causing foodborne outbreaks and illnesses. Bioaerosols are a growing concern as pathogenic microorganisms could be transmitted to the indoor and ambient air environments. The airborne transmission of pathogenic microorganisms is considered a risk of contamination or a route of infection. Salmonella have been found in rare numbers in the air, but their detection indicate their ability to survive in the air environment. Physical, biological and environmental stressors affect the survival of airborne microorganisms. The infectivity of airborne Salmonella is determined by its pathogenicity, infective dose and individual health conditions. The accurate assessment of Salmonella in aerosols is a problem due to the synergistic influence of many uncontrollable environmental conditions and a lack of standardized analysis and sampling protocols. Knowledge of the airborne transmission of Salmonella and factors influencing their viability is critical to understanding their potential health risk and the related control measures. This review provides evidence for the transmission of Salmonella in different air environments, focusing on the presence of Salmonella in the air as a risk of biocontamination. The sampling, detection and enumeration methodologies of Salmonella in the air are discussed with recommended mitigation and control strategies.

This study investigated the influence of different alpha-naphthalene acetic acid (ANAA) levels on the growth performance of Kawayang kiling during bamboo propagation. A randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four treatments and three replications was employed. The treatments comprised varying ANAA concentrations: T0-0 ppm, T1-2 ppm, T2-4 ppm, and T3-6 ppm. The study found no significant effect of ANAA application on the growth performance of Kawayang kiling cuttings, measured by the number of shoots developed, shoot height, number of leaves, number of roots, and root length. However, for branch cuttings, supplementing with 2 ppm ANAA resulted in improved growth and survival. This indicates that ANAA is effective in encouraging root formation and overall plant health, making it a valuable tool in horticulture and plant propagation. By using ANAA, growers may see better results in the propagation process, leading to stronger, more resilient plants. Further research could explore optimizing ANAA concentrations and application methods to maximize its benefits, potentially enhancing bamboo propagation techniques and supporting sustainable agricultural practices.

The gut serves in the digestion of foods, the absorption of nutrients, and the maintenance of the host's health. Intestinal flora maintains a healthy gut by interacting with intestinal cells and inhibiting pathogens from adhering to the gut wall. Probiotics are widely used to regulate intestinal microflora, prevent and treat intestinal disorders,, and promote growth by replacing antibiotics in poultry. The current paper focuses on the effects of probiotics on gut health in general and stress factors that affect probiotic survivability from handling to the host animal's distal intestinal tract. We also go through the various ways of dealing with these stressful factors and methods adopted for industrial use. The use of encapsulation to preserve probiotics has been proven to be effective. The encapsulation strategy directly benefits stability by providing a physical barrier to safeguard them from unfavorable environments. Probiotics have been encapsulated using a variety of approaches. Here, we also discuss the effects of encapsulation on probiotic stability during different stages from processing to animal gut. Choosing the appropriate encapsulating process and encapsulating material during is crucial for producing the best microcapsule as an additive for animal feed, which ultimately improves the animal's intestinal health.

Abstract: A wet-bulb temperature of 35 ∘C is widely used as the threshold for human survivability, but the wet-bulb temperature is not a particularly accurate metric for human heat stress. For a person in the shade, a more accurate metric is the heat index, which is based on a model of human thermoregulation that accounts for metabolic heat, radiation, respiratory ventilation, and finite wind speeds. The heat index has two critical values: the highest heat index for which a healthy core temperature can be maintained and the highest heat index that is survivable. It is shown here that a wet-bulb temperature of 35 ∘C corresponds to conditions between these two critical values. For example, in a world warmer than pre-industrial by 10 ∘C, about 30% of the world’s population would be exposed once or more per year to a wet-bulb temperature above 35 ∘C, but the heat index reveals that less than 2% would be exposed to fatal conditions while over 60% would be exposed to conditions that would cause hyperthermia.

The aim of this study was to determine some reproductive and growth characteristics and was to analyses some environmental factors the growth and survival performance of lambs between 2017 and 2020 reared within the framework of the National Small Ruminant Project in Altunhisar district of Nigde. The data of the study were collected from 24000 heads ewes and 24869 male and female lambs raised in 25 different farms. The average of infertility, fertility, fecundity, litter size, single and twining rates of Akkaraman ewes were found to be 7.90, 92.10, 1.04, 1.13, 87.49 and 12.51%, respectively. The effects of year of birth, type of birth, age of dam and gender on birth, 60th day and 120th day live weights of Akkaraman lambs were found to be statistically significant (P

Failure of a safety-critical system during mission execution can result in significant financial losses. Implementing mission abort policies is an effective strategy to mitigate the system failure risk. This research delves into systems that are subject to cumulative shock degradation, considering uncertainties in shock damage. To account for the varied degradation parameters, we employ a dynamic Bayesian learning method using real-time sensor data for accurate degradation estimation. Our primary focus is on modeling the mission abort policy with an integrated parameter learning approach within the framework of a finite-horizon Markov decision process. The key objective is to minimize the expected costs related to routine inspections, system failures, and mission disruptions. Through an examination of the structural aspects of the value function, we establish the presence and monotonicity of optimal mission abort thresholds, thereby shaping the optimal policy into a controlled limit strategy. Additionally, we delve into the relationship between optimal thresholds and cost parameters to discern their behavior patterns. Through a series of numerical experiments, we showcase the superior performance of the optimal policy in mitigating losses compared with traditional heuristic methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Cascode HEMTs exhibit high gain and broadband performance. Promising reverse transmission makes matching networks simpler and insensitive to impedance on either side of the HEMT. On the other hand, common source (CS) HEMTs with intentional small inductance at the source provide simultaneous match for optimum noise and input impedance. This paper provides a performance comparison of 4×50 μm cascode HEMTs‐based low‐noise amplifier and 4×50 μm CS HEMTs‐based low‐noise amplifiers with specific emphasis on robustness, including survivability and reverse recovery time (RRT). Cascode LNA survives an input power of 33 dBm while CS LNA handles 30 dBm power, each having a 1 k Ω passive limiting resistor on the gate bias line. RRT of cascode LNA is also better. Better survivability and RRT for cascode LNA are attributed to its HEMT's stacked configuration. The designs of LNAs are described, along with their small‐signal, noise, and large‐signal characteristics in the X‐band. Cascode LNA has a better input match, while CS LNA has a better output match. Gains are comparable, while CS LNA has better P1dB at higher band edge frequency. The noise figure for both LNAs is less than 1.9 dB, with CS LNA having a slight edge over cascode. This study benefits RF designers in choosing appropriate HEMT topology as per application for designing robust low‐noise amplifiers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of probiotics in functional foods has gained significant interest due to their various beneficial effects to human when consumed in adequate amounts. However, the low survivability of probiotics subjected to adverse environmental conditions during processing, storage and gastrointestinal passage limited their commercial applications. Double emulsion microbial encapsulation is a promising approach to provide probiotic living cells with a full protection to resist adverse environmental conditions. Based on numerous cases of double emulsions applied for probiotic encapsulation, this report reviews various factors influencing the encapsulation yield and viability of probiotics, including emulsification methods, emulsifier selection, effect of probiotics, and modification of emulsification technique, also the targeted release mechanisms of these double emulsions triggered by various manners. This information can be useful to optimize the formulation and emulsification technique of double emulsion in order to improve the use efficacy and beneficial effects of probiotics in different commercial products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Mycosystema is the property of Mycosystema Editorial Board 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 National University of Defense Technology / Guofang Keji Daxue Xuebao is the property of NUDT Press 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.)

Exceptional resistance to dehydration allows species of bdelloid rotifers to tolerate desiccation stress in unpredictable habitats. The roles of exogenous and endogenous factors in resistance to short-term dehydration were investigated in Rotaria rotatoria to better understand this capacity among bdelloid rotifers. As the dehydration period was increased and the relative humidity (RH) was reduced, the proportion of rotifers active after the dehydration period decreased. The RH and dehydration period substantially influenced the recovery rate of R. rotatoria under rehydration for 1 h but had less effect under 12-h or 24-h rehydration treatment. The recovery rate was lower in rotifers subjected to a long dehydration period and short rehydration time, but improved by shortening the dehydration period and extending the rehydration treatment. Strain ZJ27 showed higher survivability than strain HX8, appropriate to their habitat near the sea in a region where drought and tropical rainstorms are frequent. Accordingly, species or strains originating from different climate regions and habitats will have experienced different frequencies of desiccation over their adaptive evolutionary history, resulting in varying levels of resistance among species. In addition, RH is shown to be a key factor in resistance to desiccation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The filamentous bacteriophage M13KO7 (M13) is the most used in phage display (PD) technology and, like other phages, has been applied in several areas of medicine, agriculture, and in the food industry. One of the advantages is that they can modulate the immune response in the presence of pathogenic microorganisms, such as bacteria and viruses. This study evaluated the use of phage M13 in the chicken embryos model. We inoculated 13-day-old chicken embryos with Salmonella Pullorum (SP) and then evaluated survival for the presence of phage M13 or E. coli ER2738 (ECR) infected with M13. We found that the ECR bacterium inhibits SP multiplication in 0.32 (M13-infected ECR) or 0.44 log UFC/mL (M13-uninfected ECR) and that the ECR-free phage M13 from the PD library can be used in chicken embryo models. This work provides the use of the chicken embryo as a model to study systemic infection and can be employed as an analysis tool for various peptides that M13 can express from PD selection. Key points: • SP-infected chicken embryo can be a helpful model of systemic infection for different tests. • Phage M13 does not lead to embryonic mortality or cause serious injury to embryos. • Phage M13 from the PD library can be used in chicken embryo model tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Literature evidence describes various treatment protocols that have been employed for the effectiveness in improving survival and addressing associated symptoms of cracked teeth. OBJECTIVE: This systematic review investigates the survivability of endodontically treated cracked teeth and associated assessments, focusing on various treatment protocols. METHODS: The PRISMA guidelines were utilised for guiding the article selection framework of this review. A comprehensive search of relevant literature was conducted in May 2023 across various databases, and studies meeting the inclusion criteria were selected. Data extraction, guided by a standardized form, captured crucial details, including study characteristics, treatment protocols, and treatment outcomes, enhancing the consistency and accuracy of information collection. Data extraction and synthesis was done by two reviewers independently. The Newcastle Ottawa tool was used to measure the methodological quality of the study. Six observational studies were eventually included. RESULTS: Mandibular molars are particularly prone to developing cracks, with research indicating a heightened susceptibility to this dental issue. Studies reveal that endodontically treated cracked teeth boast robust overall survival rates ranging from 75.8% to 100%. The risk of bias assessment, utilizing the Newcastle Ottawa scale, indicated a moderate risk across studies, highlighting the necessity for careful interpretation of findings. CONCLUSION: Endodontically treated cracked teeth show marked success in survival, with the incorporation of crowns post-endodontic treatment significantly enhancing longevity and resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to evaluate the survivability of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum PMO08 in the human gastrointestinal tract and its adaptability in the colon using in vitro models. After exposure to gastric and small intestinal conditions, the majority (92.70 ± 1.14%) of PMO08 was found to be damaged, as determined by confocal microscopy and flow cytometry. During in vitro colonic fermentation, PMO08 not only increased abundance up to 0.47 ± 0.04% compared with the control sample (0.00 ± 0.00%) at 24 h but also facilitated the growth of beneficial or commensal bacteria, thereby increasing the α-diversity indices. Additionally, PMO08 significantly elevated the levels of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and various organic acids. Our results demonstrate that PMO08 possesses moderate viability under gastrointestinal conditions but exhibits superior probiotic activity in the colon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous offshore wave energy converter (WEC) designs have been invented; however, none has achieved full commercialization so far. The primary obstacle impeding WEC commercialization is the elevated levelized cost of energy (LCOE). Consequently, there exists a pressing need to innovate and swiftly diminish the LCOE. A critical challenge faced by WECs is their susceptibility to extreme wave loads during storms. Promising concepts must demonstrate robust design features to ensure resilience in adverse conditions, while maintaining efficiency in harnessing power under normal sea states. It is anticipated that the initial commercial endeavors will concentrate on near-shore WEC technologies due to the cost advantages associated with proximity to the coastline, facilitating more affordable power transmission and maintenance. In response, this manuscript proposes a pioneering near-shore WEC concept designed with a survivability mode that is engineered to mitigate wave loads during severe sea conditions. Moreover, prior investigations have highlighted favorable resonance properties of this novel concept, enhancing wave power extraction during recurrent energetic sea states. This study employs numerical and physical modelling techniques to evaluate wave loads on the proposed WEC. The results indicate a remarkable 65% reduction in wave loads on the moving floater of the WEC during a range of sea states under the implemented survivability mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Altruism is a key concept in the design of decentralized systems with high survivability. We focus on a community of vampire bats to reveal how intra-group altruism produces group-wide survivability. Although these bats die within three days if food is unavailable, they can survive for over 10 years by developing a highly sophisticated social community in which they share food. This food-sharing behavior occurs not only among blood relatives, but also among unrelated individuals through self-organizing social relationships based on grooming behavior. We propose a simple network model that focuses on the relationship between food sharing and grooming. We performed simulations under periodic, stationary, and irregular feeding environments, and found that suitable update rules for social relationships depend on the type of environment. Our findings provide insights into how decentralized systems with high survivability can be designed based on altruism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The C+L band elastic optical networks (C+L-EONs) increase the network capacity significantly. However, the introduction of an L band enhances the inter-channel stimulated Raman scattering effect (ISRS), consequently deteriorating the quality of transmission (QoT) of the signal. Furthermore, spectrum allocation leads to spectrum fragmentation inevitably, which escalates the bandwidth blocking rate. In addition, in C+L-EONs, a single fiber carries more services, and once one of the links fails, a huge number of requests will be interrupted, resulting in huge economic losses. Therefore, this paper proposes a survivability routing, band, modulation, and spectrum allocation (RBMSA) algorithm that effectively guarantees service survivability and reduces the impact of ISRS and spectrum fragmentation. The algorithm employs shared backup path protection and a band partitioning method, whereby the spectrum resource of the primary path is assigned in the L band and the backup path is assigned in the C band in order to minimize the impact of ISRS on the QoT of the request while ensuring the survivability of the network. Furthermore, a fragmentation metric accounting for both the free and shared spectrum resource is proposed to mitigate both free and shared spectrum fragmentation. The simulation results reveal that the proposed RBMSA algorithm reduces the bandwidth blocking probability (BBP) and the fragmentation rate (FR) by 47.7% and 21.3%, respectively, and improves the optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) by 4.17 dB in NSFNET. In COST239, the BBP, FR, and OSNR are 22.1%, 21.5%, and 4.71 dB, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of the present paper is to analyze the performance of a human heart considering failures of heart in different stages and their treatments. The aim of heart treatments is to progress through the stages or to slow down the progression from one stage to another. The artificial replacement of the heart is also possible these days. Keeping this in view, a stochastic model has been developed and investigated. The analysis of the model in terms of its performance measures is carried out on the basis of Markov process and regenerative point technique. Various conclusions are drawn on the basis of graphical study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gladiolus is a highly allogamous flower plant, but owing to the prolonged juvenile phase, asexual propagation is preferred, which acts as a barrier for the induction of natural genetic variability in gladiolus. Therefore, the induced mutagenesis could be utilized for the creation of desirable genotypes, without altering their basic agronomic features. An analysis of the optimum doses of γ radiation for the induction of fruitful mutations could be achieved in short period of time, compared with the conventional method of breeding. The objectives of this study were to perform radiosensitivity tests on various gladiolus genotypes using different doses of gamma rays and to determine the optimal dose of radiation dose for obtaining the greatest number of mutants. The present experiment was carried out during the winter-spring seasons, for the four consecutive years of 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, and 2020–21. The seven genotypes of gladiolus were exposed to seven doses of gamma rays (60Cobalt). Plants irradiated with radiation doses lower than 4.5 Kr (G1) had greater plant survivability than the higher doses of gamma rays (≥5.0 Kr). The radiation of G0 (0 Kr) result in highest plant survivability, while radiation dose of G6 (6.5 Kr) resulted lowest survivability. LD25 and BD50 for all the genotypes were achieved except for V5 and V7, similarly the median lethal doses (LD50) for V3 and V4 genotypes had been achieved. The highest flower blindness percent and percent abnormal plants were observed at G5 and G6 and between the 4.0 Kr (G1) and 5.5 Kr (G4) gamma ray doses, respectively. The flower colour mutation frequency was recorded highest in genotypes Tiger Flame at 5.0 Kr (V7G3), while the Flower colour mutation spectrum was identified between 4.0 Kr (G1) to 5.5 Kr (G4) in all the genotypes except for genotypes V5 and V7. For the generation of higher phenotypic variations, radiation dose between 4.0 Kr (G1) and 5.5 Kr (G4) were found the most prominent. Specifically the gamma rays radiation dose of 5.5 Kr (G4) resulted in the highest flower colour mutation frequency. These isolated mutant lines will broaden the gladiolus gene pool and support future gladiolus breeding experiments.

The Cameroon Kabir chicken has several production traits which makes it desirable by many farmers and hobbyists. This study was aimed at evaluating the potential of P. ginseng as a feed additive in the diet of Cameroon kabir hens reared under intensive conditions. A total of 84 kabir chickens were weighed and assigned to four dietary treatments. The birds in T0 were fed the control diet (0 % PGRM), while those in T1, T2, T3, were fed diets containing 0.5, 0.75 and 1 % PGRM respectively. The results showed that there was a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the egg lay, egg mass and hen-day egg production of the birds between the 0.5 % and 0.75 % PGRM groups. The 0.75 % PGRM group recorded the highest mean egg weight, and it was significantly (p < 0.05) different from the other PGRM groups, but similar (p > 0.05) to the control. There was also a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the hatchability percent between the 0.5 % and 0.75 % treatments groups, with the 0.5 % group recording the highest hatchability percent of 65.14 %, and the 0.75 % group recording the least hatchability percent of 12.94 %. Results for the chick hatching weights showed significant differences (p < 0.05) between the 0.75 % PGRM group and the control. In conclusion, P. ginseng as a feed additive in the diet of Cameroon kabir hens at 0.5 % improved their reproductive performance, and also improved the survivability of their offspring better but not in the number of eggs laid by chicks

Introduction. Spatial rod metal structures of high level of responsibility are the most frequently used as structural systems for covering large spans of buildings and structures. However, progressive destruction can actively develop in these systems under unfavorable combination of factors. The aim of the research is to develop scientific justification of new approaches to the design of optimal spatial metal structures resistant to the development of progressive collapse of high level of responsibility with guaranteed levels of reliability of key and secondary elements.Materials and methods. The main research methods in the work are methods of structural mechanics in the form of the finite element method, methods of similarity theory, and methods of the theory of reliability of building structures.Results. As a result of the research work for the considered structures, a 2-stage algorithm for assessing reliability was developed, which differs from the previously developed ones by the possibility of assessing the development of progressive collapse. The results of its testing for frame-cantilever structures of coverings over stadium stands are presented in the form of established values of reliability indicators for a set of key elements. A similar assessment was made for the implemented reconstruction project of the long-span covering of the “Ilyichevets” sports complex (Mariupol).Conclusions. To assess the reliability of the studied structures, taking into account the tendency to the development of progressive collapse, a universal algorithm is proposed and tested in practical design, the main components of which are computer modelling of the process of successive failures of structural elements, and the establishment of failure probability values for the selected set of key elements. The studies carried out on the basis of its algorithm made it possible to identify a set of key elements of the cantilever part for the frame-cantilever coverings above the stadium stands, the failure of which initiates the beginning of an avalanche-like collapse, and to set limits for them to change the values of safety characteristics and survivability reserve. Additionally, the main provisions of the developed approach were experimentally tested during the development and implementation of the project of reinforcement of large-span bearing structures of the covering of the “Ilyichevets” sports complex (Mariupol).

The scientific article is devoted to the greening of technologies and its individual aspects, which is an important agricultural measure that can curb further decline in soil fertility, stabilize production systems, and reduce dependence on technological factors. Of the entire complex of agrotechnical measures in biologically based soybean cultivation technologies, the lowest material and labor costs are incurred for pre-sowing seed treatment with bacterial preparations and treatment of crops with growth regulators. The effect of biological products – growth regulators is due to their influence on the plant organism at certain stages of organogenesis and is associated with significant changes in the process of metabolism, restructuring of a number of metabolic systems. In the course of experimental studies, a variant with seed treatment with Rizogumin-Plus and two-time treatment of crops with the retardant chlormequat chloride was identified by the manifestation of the studied soybean traits: first – in phase of the 3rd trifoliate leaf, second – in the budding phase. The main objective of the research was to study the patterns of manifestation and formation of productivity elements and yield level of soybean agrophytocenoses depending on varietal composition, pre-sowing treatment of seeds with a bacterial preparation and concentration of retardant. During 2018-2022, a three-factor experiment will be conducted in the Right-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine. The material of the research was soybean varieties of domestic selection – Azimuth and Golubka, which were studied according to the following field experiment scheme: control (no treatment), seed inoculation (treatment of seed with the biological preparation Rizogumin), concentration of retardant (no treatment, 0.5%, 0.75% and 1% solution). The relevance of the research is reinforced by the task of applied research on the topic: «Development of scientific and technological support for improving soil fertility and rational use of bioresources potential» (state registration number: 0124U000444).

Lavenders include some 28 species of evergreen aromatic shrubs and subshrubs belonging to the mint family, the Lamiaceae. They occur mainly around the Mediterranean and their flowers range from pink to purple and white. It is known that Lavandula angustifolia Mill. is an unpretentious decorative and essential oil crop that is widely used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industries. Therefore, the planting material of this crop is in great demand in Ukraine. Cultivated varieties of lavender are very different for vegetative reproduction. A promising path is the testing for new effective and environmentally friendly rooting stimulants. The experiments were conducted in the Horticulture Laboratory of the Khortytsiа National Academy. The study tested the influence of aqueous solutions of a complex of amino acids, polypeptides, amino sugars, hexuronic acids, and microelements called “Bioglobin”, a complex of inorganic compounds containing (nitrogen – 4.7%, phosphorus – 3.4%, potassium – 4.6%, iron – 1.6%, zinc – 1.6%) and organic compounds (alginate acid, betaine, polysaccharides, vitamin complex of groups B, C, D) called “Ferti Root”, a complex of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids (C14–C28), polysaccharides, 15 amino acids, analogs of cytokinin and auxin nature phytohormones called “Emistim S”, a complex of 2.6-dimethylpyridine-1-oxide with α-phenylacetic acid called “Charkor”, disodium salt of 2-(quinolin-4-ylthio) succinic acid on the rooting and development of varieties "Stepova", "Vdala", "Sineva" one-year woodcuttings. The indicators were evaluated in comparison with the control without processing the cuttings before planting, and with the use of (4-(indol-3-yl) butyric acid) called “Kornevin”. Mother plants are 2–3 years old. The experiment was repeated three times, 30 cuttings each. Woodсuttings were planted in open-door ground at early October. In May, the number of rooted cuttings, as well as the number and length of roots was counted. It was found that two preparations had the maximum positive effect on the cuttings rooting: disodium salt of 2-(quinolin-4-ylthio) succinic acid at a concentration of 5 mg/L and “Ferti Root”. Consequently, the rooting percentage increased by 18–20% in all researched varieties compared to the control. The length and number of new formed roots in these experimental versions exceeded the control indicators by 1.5–2.0 times. Other researched preparations did not show a positive effect on the rooting cuttings indicators.

Purpose. The work is aimed at studying the peculiarities of organizational and technical measures to improve the level of explosion and fire safety of potentially dangerous objects. Methodology. To achieve this goal: 1) a study was conducted to identify possible hazards and risks at potentially hazardous facilities; 2) practical organizational and technical measures to improve the level of explosion and fire safety of hazardous facilities were analyzed; 3) the composition and capabilities of the system of early detection of the threat of emergencies and warning, as well as the possibility of implementing this system at the relevant facilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were assessed; 4) the main types of automated warning and the principles of their operation were considered, and the available technical solutions were analyzed. Findings. The peculiarities of organizational and technical measures to improve the level of explosion and fire safety of munitions storage facilities are summarized. The key stages of the implementation of technological solutions to ensure the survivability of potentially hazardous facilities are identified. Originality. For the first time, an analytical justification for the need to use hazard monitoring systems and timely warning of possible emergencies at munitions storage facilities and other potentially hazardous facilities was carried out. The features of design and technological solutions to improve the level of explosion and fire safety of munitions storage facilities through organizational and technical measures are considered. Practical value. The implementation of effective design and technological solutions for the use of hazard monitoring systems and timely warning of possible emergencies will allow to move from damage localization measures to the forecast and prevention of disasters and reliable protection of munitions storage facilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, other potentially dangerous facilities and critical infrastructure of the state.

Honey is a prebiotic food that has many health benefits. Honey contains oligosaccharides that can be used to protect sensitive bioactive compounds. The purpose of this study was to see how encapsulation affects the survival of probiotics under different conditions. L. rhamnosus GG was encapsulated with sodium alginate and honey. The study had three treatments: free probiotics (control), encapsulated probiotics with sodium alginate (MWS) and encapsulated probiotics with honey (MWH). The microcapsules were analyzed using morphology, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The survival of both free and encapsulated probiotics was tested under simulated gastrointestinal conditions and high temperatures. Encapsulation with honey had significantly higher encapsulation efficiency (97%) and the probiotics encapsulated with honey had a higher survival rate compared to free cells. In conclusion, adding honey to encapsulated probiotics can improve their viability and stability under stressful conditions.

The scientific article is devoted to the greening of technologies and its individual aspects, which is an important agricultural measure that can curb further decline in soil fertility, stabilize production systems, and reduce dependence on technological factors. Of the entire complex of agrotechnical measures in biologically based soybean cultivation technologies, the lowest material and labor costs are incurred for pre-sowing seed treatment with bacterial preparations and treatment of crops with growth regulators. The effect of biological products - growth regulators is due to their influence on the plant organism at certain stages of organogenesis and is associated with significant changes in the process of metabolism, restructuring of a number of metabolic systems. In the course of experimental studies, a variant with seed treatment with Rizogumin-Plus and two-time treatment of crops with the retardant chlormequat chloride was identified by the manifestation of the studied soybean traits: first - in phase of the 3rd trifoliate leaf, second - in the budding phase. The main objective of the research was to study the patterns of manifestation and formation of productivity elements and yield level of soybean agrophytocenoses depending on varietal composition, pre-sowing treatment of seeds with a bacterial preparation and concentration of retardant. During 2018-2022, a three-factor experiment will be conducted in the Right-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine. The material of the research was soybean varieties of domestic selection - Azimuth and Golubka, which were studied according to the following field experiment scheme: control (no treatment), seed inoculation (treatment of seed with the biological preparation Rizogumin), concentration of retardant (no treatment, 0.5%, 0.75% and 1% solution). The relevance of the research is reinforced by the task of applied research on the topic: «Development of scientific and technological support for improving soil fertility and rational use of bioresources potential» (state registration number: 0124U000444). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The three pillars of society--democracy, the market, and science and technology--are not systems that guarantee survival. This is because they will cause "future failures" that will eventually impose heavy burdens on future generations. Therefore, we need to design mechanisms to reinforce these three systems. This is called future design. Its basic concept is "futurability," which is the ability of the current generation to prioritize the interests of future generations. This study examines the necessity of futurability, its background, and its relationship with intergenerational equity. In particular, using a simple numerical model in which the investment of the current generation affects the resources of future generations, this article shows that if each generation looks only to its own interests, humanity will face extinction. To ensure the survivability of humanity, each generation must demonstrate futurability, especially the importance of demonstrating futurability in a non-steady state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of supplementing Hermetia illucens larval meal in pheasant diets on selected hatchability parameters and physicochemical properties of eggs. A total of 72 pheasants (63 females and 9 males) were randomly allocated to three groups: BSFL0, a basal diet without H. illucens, and BSFL10 and BSFL20 diets, with 100 and 200 g/kg H. illucens larval meal, respectively. The evaluation of selected egg production indices was based on 1200 properly developed eggs. The BSFL20 group exhibited the highest number of eggs and a reduced percentage of culled eggs compared to the control treatment. The lowest albumen height was determined in BSFL0, and the highest in BSFL20. In addition, the highest Haugh index values were also recorded for the BSFL20 group. Tendencies towards improved survival of chicks were observed up to day 7 and day 14 after hatching, connecting with the incrementing BSFL dose. Egg yolk dry matter and crude protein levels were increased in the BSFL20 group, accompanied by tendencies towards elevated crude ash and reduced cholesterol levels. A significant increase in C12:0 and C14:0 fatty acids in both experimental groups, and a decrease in C18:0 fatty acid levels in the BSFL20 group were observed. A reduction in C16:1 and monounsaturated fatty acid levels was noted in the experimental groups. The atherogenicity index was higher in the BSFL20 group, while the n-6/n-3 ratio was lower compared to the control. In conclusion, H. illucens can be implemented in pheasant diets with beneficial effects on the number of eggs and positive trends for selected survival indices. Furthermore, H. illucens full-fat meal positively modified the chemical composition of the eggs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In modern software development, OSS (Open Source Software) has become a crucial element. However, if OSS have few contributors and are lacking in maintenance activities, such as bug fixes, are used, it can lead to significant costs and resource allocation due to maintenance discontinuation. Since OSS are developed by a diverse group of contributors, the consistency of their involvement may vary, making continuous support and maintenance unpredictable. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the status of each OSS to avoid increased maintenance costs when selecting OSS for use. To address these issues, we use polynomial regression to predict trends in bug-fixing activities and evaluate the survivability of OSS accordingly. We predict the trend of bug-fixing activities in OSS, using factors such as popularity, number of contributors, and code complexity. A lower trend value indicates more vigorous activity. In this paper, we conduct data collection and extraction, generating model, and model testing and evaluation to predict survivability using these data. After collecting data through various tools, the models of different degrees are generated using K-fold cross-validation. The model with the highest performance is selected based on the RMSE (Root Mean Squared Error) and RSE (Residual Standard Error). Then, the chosen model is employed to predict the survivability of OSS and compare it with actual outcomes. This method is experimented with on OSS used in the KakaoTalk commercial messenger app. As a result, several OSS are predicted to have low survivability, and among them, five are analyzed. It is observed that, in reality, activities such as delayed or discontinued release updates occurred. These findings can support OSS users in selecting OSS for cost-saving purposes and alert OSS administrators to the need for solutions to ensure project survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information‐driven mission abort is an effective way to control the failure risk of safety‐critical systems during mission executions. We investigate the optimal sampling and mission abort decisions of partially observable safety‐critical systems, where the underlying system health state can only be revealed by sampling. In contrast to previous studies, we employ partial health information to jointly determine: (a) whether to execute sampling, and (b) when to abort the mission in a dynamic manner, so as to minimize the expected total cost incurred by sampling, mission failure, and system malfunction. Dynamic sampling and mission abort policies are devised following the belief state, whose optimization model is cast into the framework of a partially observable Markov decision process. Some structural insights with regard to the value function, control limit selection, and optimality existence are presented. The performance of the proposed sampling and abort policy is tested by numerical experiments, which are proved to outperform other heuristic abort policies in mission loss control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ring Star Problem consists in selecting a subset of nodes called hubs including the depot and linking them with a cycle, the remaining nodes being connected to exactly one hub, at minimum cost. We study a survivable variant of the Ring Star Problem where at most one node in a given subset of so‐called uncertain nodes can fail if selected as a hub. We model this problem as an Integer Linear Program (ILP), that is also addressed with a Branch‐and‐Benders‐cut decomposition. The Benders subproblem is turned into a linear program with the addition of new inequalities that are shown to be facet‐defining, and several enhancements to both the ILP and Branch‐and‐Benders‐cut algorithm are also presented. Both approaches are compared on the basis of extensive numerical experiments that bring the following conclusions. First, the survivable variant is shown to be much harder than the original Ring Star Problem, and the extra cost induced by survivability is significant. Second, the ILP formulation tends to produce tighter lower bounds but memory issues are frequent for large instances. Finally, the Branch‐and‐Benders‐cut algorithm returns feasible solutions that are often of better quality than those produced by ILP, and is less frequently subjected to memory issues on the considered set of instances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]