bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Financial innovation of Small and Medium Enterprises in Morocco in the area of energy optimization: State of the art
Authors: Boutbhirt Naima , Adaskou Mohamed
Published: August 2023

The Moroccan entrepreneurial ecosystem is composed mainly of small and mediumsized enterprises (SMEs). These SMEs are currently undergoing profound changes after the financial and health crises, characterized by upheavals and uncertainty. This global context has prompted SMEs to be more and more competitive in order to cope with high degrees of turbulence and unpredictability. This requires the adoption of financial innovations and the inclusion of new modes of financing, in order to overcome the constraints of limited access to resources and the problems of undercapitalization that are related to information asymmetry and insufficient guarantees. These enterprises are using financial innovation can help SMEs understand the financing mechanisms available and encourage them to invest in energy efficiency projects. The objective of this work is to draw up an inventory of different techniques of financial innovation put in favor of Moroccan SMEs and adapting financial innovation in Moroccan SMEs can play an important role in optimizing energy consumption. To this end, the entrepreneurial orientation of SME owner-managers aims at adopting innovative financing means, such as Private Equity, Crowdfunding, Business Angeles, Venture Capital and Digital Finance to facilitate their sustainable development.
Comparative Analysis of Transfer Learning-Based CNN Approaches for Recognition of Traffic Signs in Autonomous Vehicles
Authors: Fatima Ezzahra Khalloufi , Najat Rafalia , Jaafar Abouchabaka
Published: August 2023

Traffic signs recognition has a crucial role in enhancing the safety and efficienty of autonomous vehicles (AVs). This AVs can contribute to a cleaner and healthier environment by improving fuel efficiency, minimizing travel distances, and deacreasing air pollution. Many artificial intelligence (AI) approaches contribute to develop AVs. Therfore, Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) have shown remarkable performance in image classification tasks for AVs, inculding traffic signs recognition. However, training deep CNNs from scratch for traffic sign recognition requires a significant amount of labeled data, which can be time-consuming and ressource-intensive to obtain. Transfer Learning, a technique that leverages pre-trained models on large-scale datasets,offers a promising solution by enabling the transfer of learned feautres from one task to another. This paper presents a comprehensive comparative analysis of three popular transfer learning based CNN approaches, namely ResNet, VGGNet, and MobileNet,for the recognition of traffic signs in the context of AVs.
Investigation of factors involved in Moroccan economic development
Authors: Khellat Mouna , Bouich Amal , Baddih Hindou , Guaita Pradas Inmaculada
Published: August 2023

Recently, Morocco has initiated an extensive program of economic, financial, and social reforms aimed at achieving sustainable development. These reforms are mostly structural changes that take years to yield results. The green plan proposed by Morocco integrates an approach that addresses issues related to water scarcity and offers a chance to make the agriculture sector an engine of the economy, thereby rebalancing the trade balance. The strategy aims to give the sector a dynamic of balanced evolution, exploit the potential for progress, preserve the balance of social and economic issues, and support the profound change that the global agri-food system is undergoing. This investigation reveals that demographic development has a tangible impact on economic and sustainable development, and we must manage the risks associated with changes in today’s world.
Anomaly-Based Intrusion Detection System To Detect Advanced Persistent Threats: Environmental Sustainability
Authors: Oughannou Zahra , El Rhadiouini Zakaria , Chaoui Habiba , Bourekkadi Salmane
Published: August 2023

In an evolving digital world, Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) pose severe cybersecurity challenges. These extended, stealthy cyber-attacks, often elude conventional Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS). To bridge this gap, our research introduces a novel, environmentally conscious, deep learning-based IDS designed for APT detection. The system encompasses various stages from objective definition, data collection and preprocessing, to model development, integration, validation, and deployment. The system, utilizing deep learning algorithms, scrutinizes network traffic to detect patterns characteristic of APTs. This approach improves IDS accuracy and allows real-time threat detection, enabling prompt response to potential threats. Importantly, our system contributes to environmental protection by minimizing power consumption and electronic waste associated with cyberattacks, promoting sustainable cybersecurity practices. Our research outcomes are expected to enhance APT detection, providing robust defense against sophisticated cyber threats. Our environmentally-conscious perspective adds a unique dimension to the cybersecurity domain, underlining its role in sustainable practices.
Nearctic Dactylogyrus species (Platyhelminthes, Monogenea) parasitizing cypriniform fishes in the context of morphology and phylogeny, with descriptions of seven new species
Authors: Řehulková Eva , Seifertová Mária , Francová Kateřina , Šimková Andrea
Published: August 2023

Ribosomal DNA sequences are currently available for 32 morphologically recognized species of Dactylogyrus parasitizing Nearctic cypriniforms, but only 16 of them are assigned to nominal species. Herein, morphological data on 28 of the 32 species are provided, together with comments on their phylogenetic relationships in the context of the morphology of taxonomically important structures. Seven new species of Dactylogyrus are described from five species of leuciscids and one species of catostomids, as follows: D. aduncus n. sp. from Campostoma spadiceum, D. cloutmani n. sp. from Luxilus chrysocephalus isolepis, D. cornifrons n. sp. from Cyprinella venusta, D. fimbratus n. sp. from Rhinichthys cataractae, D. mcallisteri n. sp. from Semotilus atromaculatus, and D. chieni n. sp. and D. haneki n. sp. from Hypentelium nigricans. Four previously described species of Dactylogyrus, D. atromaculatus from S. atromaculatus, D. eos from C. neogaeus, D. parvicirrus from Notemigonus crysoleucas and D. perlus from L. c. isolepis, are redescribed and/or figured. As for the remaining 17 species, only the male copulatory organs (MCOs) taken from the respective hologenophores are illustrated. On the basis of phylogenetic analyses, two main clades of Nearctic Dactylogyrus were recognized and supported by the different morphology of the MCO. The first one included 22 strictly Nearctic species sharing the same MCO type with Dactylogyrus spp. parasitizing cyprinids likely of Asian origin. The second clade encompassed Dactylogyrus spp. with diverse MCO morphology and was placed in the sister position to Dactylogyrus spp. parasitizing European leuciscids and North-West African cyprinids.
L’approche Constructiviste dans l’Enseignement des Sciences de la Vie et de la Terre au Maroc
Authors: Ghariz G. , Boucetta N. , Boubih S. , El Alaoui M. , Idrissi R. Janati , Seghir H.
Published: August 2023

Le constructivisme est une approche pédagogique majeure dans l’enseignement des sciences, mettant l’accent sur l’implication active des apprenants dans la construction de leur propre connaissance. Cependant, les études menées au Maroc révèlent un faible niveau de compétences en sciences de la vie et de la terre chez les élèves, révélant des lacunes dans leur compréhension des concepts scientifiques. Dans ce contexte, notre recherche se concentre sur la pratique enseignante des professeurs de sciences de la vie et de la terre (SVT) au Maroc, en examinant plus précisément le rôle des conceptions initiales des élèves. Notre objectif est d’étudier comment les enseignants abordent ces conceptions dans leur pratique pédagogique et comment cela influence l’enseignement du concept d’écosystème en sciences de la vie et de la terre. Pour mener cette étude, nous avons utilisé un questionnaire à choix multiple pour collecter des données auprès des enseignants de SVT dans différentes académies régionales du Maroc. En analysant leur pratique, nous cherchons à déterminer quelle approche est adoptée par les enseignants et comment cela peut influencer la construction des concepts scientifiques chez les élèves marocains. Notre objectif ultime est d’améliorer l’apprentissage des sciences en identifiant les meilleures pratiques pédagogiques qui favorisent une meilleure compréhension des concepts scientifiques, en particulier le concept d’écosystème, chez les élèves marocains.
Travailler dans les champs : les défis environnementaux et les conditions de travail pénibles des ouvrières agricoles au Maroc
Authors: Jehouani Rachida , Naji Meryem
Published: August 2023

Le secteur agricole au Maroc repose fortement sur la main-d’œuvre féminine, jouant un rôle crucial dans la production et apportant une expertise spécifique. Cependant, malgré leurs contributions inestimables, les ouvrières agricoles font face à des conditions de travail pénibles et à des défis environnementaux menaçant leur santé et leur bien-être. L’objectif principal de cette recherche est de dévoiler les contraintes auxquelles elles sont confrontées, mettant en lumière divers aspects tels que les longues heures de travail, les environnements physiquement exigeants et les risques pour la santé dus aux changements climatiques et aux engrais industriels. Il est également important de comprendre et d’analyser les stéréotypes de genre qui peuvent influencer ces conditions de travail. Afin d’éviter de considérer ce groupe de femmes comme une entité homogène, cette étude adopte une approche microsociologique basée sur l’observation directe des ouvrières dans les champs et les exploitations, ainsi que des entretiens semi-directifs. L’objectif est d’observer de près les ouvrières et d’écouter leurs discours pour mieux comprendre leur expérience et les conditions dans lesquelles elles travaillent. Les résultats de l’étude confirment que, en plus des différenciations genrées dans l’espace et des représentations stigmatisantes de leur entourage, les ouvrières sont confrontées à des obstacles d’accès et d’exercice de leur travail, ainsi qu’à des conséquences néfastes sur leur santé et leur bien-être découlant de leur environnement de travail.
Connaissances et symboles
Authors: Makhoukh Fouad
Published: August 2023

L’article suivant approche le problème de la « connaissance » et la multiplicité de ses formes à partir des relations liant certains types cognitifs aux « symboles ». La raison en est due à la diversité du domaine de la connaissance lui-même, ainsi que ses symboles et les différentes façons de les étudier.Cela rend la réflexion sur la nature des connaissances humaines complexe et problématique, et son étude nécessite de prendre ces différences en considération. Pour éclairer ce sujet, cet article évoque, suivant une démarche analytique et synthétique, deux types de connaissances : le premier est issu des sciences exactes et le second des sciences humaines. Ainsi aborde-t-il, d’une part, le procédé symbolisant adopté par les sciences naturelles, et met en lumière les rapports qui lient les concepts scientifiques à ce qui est symbolique. D’autre part, il cherche à montrer le statut des symboles et leur interprétation dans le champ de la psychanalyse.
A comparative analysis of the fuzzy and intuitionistic fuzzy environment for group and individual equipment replacement Models in order to achieve the optimized results
Authors: Saranya Vijaya Kumar , Murugan Shanmuga Sundari
Published: August 2023

The main goal of this research is to compare group and individual replacement models based on fuzzy replacement theory and intuitionistic fuzzy replacement theory. The capital costs are assumed to be triangular fuzzy numbers, triangular intuitionistic fuzzy numbers, and trapezoidal intuitionistic fuzzy numbers, respectively. As a result, interpreting the direct relationship between volatility and ambiguity is critical. It is difficult to predict when specific equipment will unexpectedly fail. This problem can be solved by calculating the probability of failure distribution. Furthermore, the failure is assumed to occur only at the end of period t. In this situation, two types of replacement policies are used. The first is the Individual Replacement Policy, which states that if an item fails, it will be replaced immediately. The Group Replacement Policy states that all items must be replaced after a certain time period, with the option of replacing any item before the optimal time. The dimensions of the prosecution are fuzzy, and they are then assessed using mathematical and logical procedures. The fuzzy assessment criteria of the replacement model are provided as a set of outcomes, whereas the intuitionistic fuzzy replacement model has many advantages. A methodological technique is used to determine quality measurements in which fuzzy costs or values are kept without being merged into crisp values, allowing us to draw mathematical inferences in an uncertain setting. A comparison conceptualise is created for each fuzzy number, and in an uncertain environment, a comparison study on group and individual replacement was also conducted.
Harninkontinenz
Authors: Zimmermann Uwe
Published: August 2023

Ein unwillkürlicher Urinverlust ist für die Betroffenen ein
großes hygienisches und psychosoziales Problem. Alterungsprozesse und
Erkrankungen führen bei beiden Geschlechtern zu Veränderungen
der Anatomie und Funktion des unteren Harntrakts und der Beckenbodenstrukturen,
in deren Folge eine Harninkontinenz auftreten kann. Dieser Artikel gibt einen
Überblick über die häufigsten
Störungsmechanismen, welche die Blase und die Funktion des Beckenbodens
und des darin eingebetteten Sphinktersystems beeinflussen, sowie, wie diese
diagnostiziert und therapiert werden können.
Age as an Exclusion Criterion for Nonoperative Management in Simple Acute Appendicitis in Children
Authors: Becker Gal , Fuhrer Audelia Eshel , Kremer Keren , Hochschild Annabella , Kammar Haguy , Sukhotnik Igor
Published: August 2023

Objective Nonoperative management (NOM) for simple acute appendicitis (SAA) is an acceptable mode of treatment in healthy children. Previous studies of NOM routinely excluded young children (< 5 years); however, the effect of age on NOM failure has not been directly assessed. Efficiency of NOM in young adults is questionable. Therefore, adolescents may also be at greater risk of NOM failure. Our aim was to investigate the effect of age on NOM failure.

Methods This is a retrospective analysis of children with SAA who received NOM between January 1, 2019, and June 30, 2021, at our institution. NOM failure was defined by subsequent appendectomy. Age was assessed as a continuous variable, and we also compared different age subgroups.

Results In this study, 151 children were included (60% male), mean age 11.2 ± 3.2 years (range: 5–17). Overall, 66 children (44%) failed NOM, 90% of them within the first year (median 7 weeks). Ten percent of the cohort were younger than 6 years of age and 33% of them failed NOM (p = 0.39). Per 1 year increase in age, the odds of NOM failure increased by 12% (p = 0.027). Children over 14 years of age had 2.46 times higher odds to fail NOM (p = 0.03). These higher odds remained after adjusting for appendiceal diameter and appendicolith. Linear regression showed a decrease by a factor of 12 at the time of NOM failure with every 1-year increase in age (β = −12, p = 0.09).

Conclusion The risk of NOM failure in children increases with age; therefore, age should be considered when deciding on the optimal management of SAA, especially in adolescents. Effectiveness of NOM in children younger than 6 years is noninferior to older children and therefore should not be excluded.
Arthroscopic Debridement for Treatment of Chronic Dynamic Scaphoid Instability
Authors: Steppe Cyrus , Seradge Houshang , Parker Winfred , Seradge Carrie , Steppe Kian , Steppe Kamran
Published: August 2023

Background There is a paucity of information on minimal surgical intervention for the treatment of chronic dynamic scaphoid instability (CDSI) that will achieve an acceptable mid-term result.

Purpose We hypothesize that by following a debride-first-then-wait protocol, some patients with CDSI can be treated with arthroscopic debridement alone and avoid a reconstructive procedure.

Patients and Methods We performed a retrospective, longitudinal study from January 2008 to December 2018 of all patients diagnosed with CDSI and treated with arthroscopic debridement of the scapholunate interosseous ligament. In all cases, a debride-first-then-wait protocol was followed that included a predetermined wait period after arthroscopic debridement, giving the patient a chance to experience possible symptom improvement. This approach integrated the patient's perceived wellness into the decision-making process. All wrists that remained symptomatic or experienced recurrence of symptoms were treated with a reconstructive procedure. The wrists were divided into two groups: arthroscopic debridement only (ADO) and reconstructive procedure (RP).

Results Seventy-nine wrists (72 patients) of 191 consecutive wrist arthroscopies met the inclusion criteria. The ADO group consisted of 43 wrists (54%). An average of 6.3 years later (range: 2–11 years), these patients remained satisfied with the results of the arthroscopic debridement and did not want further treatment. The RP group included 36 wrists (46%) with 91.7% of reconstructive surgeries occurring within 6 months of the arthroscopy. With a mid-term follow-up, 75% of Geissler grade II ligament tears, 48% of grade III tears, and 39% of grade IV tears were successfully treated with arthroscopic debridement alone and avoided a reconstructive surgery.

Conclusion By adopting a debride-first-then-wait protocol, some patients with CDSI can be treated with a more limited intervention, arthroscopic debridement. In this series, 54% of wrists with CDSI avoided a reconstructive surgery for an average of 6.3 years.

Type of Study / Level of Evidence Case Series, Level IV.
Plasma Soluble Glycoprotein VI, Platelet Function, Bleeding, and Ischemic Events in Patients Undergoing Elective Percutaneous Coronary Intervention
Authors: Lahu Shqipdona , Adler Kristin , Mayer Katharina , Hein-Rothweiler Ralph , Bernlochner Isabell , Ndrepepa Gjin , Schüpke Stefanie , Holdenrieder Stefan , Bongiovanni Dario , Laugwitz Karl-Ludwig , Schunkert Heribert , Gawaz Meinrad , Massberg Steffen , Kastrati Adnan , Münch Götz
Published: August 2023

Background and Aims Glycoprotein VI (GPVI) is the major platelet-specific collagen receptor. GPVI shedding with generation of soluble GPVI (sGPVI) is an endogenous feedback mechanism preventing platelet overstimulation. sGPVI has not been investigated in patients with chronic coronary syndrome (CCS) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), especially regarding its potential value as a predictor of ischemic and bleeding risk.

Methods Baseline plasma sGPVI levels were available in 318 patients with CCS undergoing PCI. Platelet function was assessed by measuring both adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and collagen-induced platelet aggregation. Co-primary endpoints were a composite of death or myocardial injury at 48 hours after PCI, and Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) type 1 to 5 bleeding at 30 days.

Results There was no significant correlation between sGPVI and platelet function at baseline or at 48 hours after PCI and loading with antiplatelet drugs. Baseline plasma sGPVI levels were not associated with the ischemic risk: the incidence of the ischemic endpoint was 25.0% in the lower, 22.9% in the middle, and 26.7% in the upper sGPVI tertile (p = 0.82). There was a significant nonlinear relationship between sGPVI and the risk of bleeding: the incidence of the bleeding endpoint was 11.8% in the lower, 12.6% in the middle, and 26.4% in the upper sGPVI tertile (p = 0.006).

Conclusion In patients with CCS undergoing PCI, plasma levels of sGPVI did not correlate with ADP- or collagen-induced platelet aggregation. Patients with higher baseline levels of sGPVI may carry an increased risk of bleeding at 30 days after PCI but no excess risk of ischemic events.
The influence of marketing communications agencies on activist brands’ moral competency development and ability to engage in authentic brand activism: Wieden+Kennedy ‘Just Does It’
Authors: Rohmanue Abdul , Jacobi Erik S.
Published: August 2023

To compel people to bring about social change, activist brands must develop moral competency to ensure that they are perceived as authentic. However, there is limited research on the processes underpinning brands’ moral competency development. Furthermore, prior research on authentic brand activism has largely conceived of brands as singular entities as opposed to networks of diverse actors. Consequently, little is known about how inter-organisational collaborations influence brands’ moral competency development and ability to engage in authentic activism. We address this gap by presenting a case study of Nike, Inc./Wieden+Kennedy campaigns from 2017 to 2021 centred on women’s empowerment and of controversies from this period surrounding discrimination of female employees at Nike, Inc. By locating brand activism within the advertising client–agency relationship, we develop a cyclical model of activist brands’ moral competency development. Our model highlights that moral competency is not a static feature of brands but develops dynamically, and we identify the mobilisation of interactional expertise as a key driver of moral competency development. Furthermore, our model shows that a brand’s moral competency is not developed by a single organisation but through inter-organisational collaborations. We also demonstrate the challenges emerging from these collaborations and develop practical implications for activist brands.
Uncertain commodities: egg banking and value in Ukraine
Authors: Vlasenko Polina
Published: August 2023

The development of vitrification techniques has increased the use of donor ova by allowing for their cryopreservation, storage, and international transportation. However, the implications of egg banking for the valuation of eggs remain little studied. Building on ethnographic fieldwork in a Ukrainian egg bank, in this article I examine different mechanisms and calculations that allow the bank to transform vitrified ova—products with volatile outcomes—into valuable but uncertain commodities. This article reveals how the bank staff can never completely secure their profits because of the variability of the egg quality assessment and unpredictability of their expenses. I demonstrate how the dilemmas that arise when the egg banking industry tries to turn oocytes into commodities trigger certain efforts to develop quality control in vitrification techniques and donor selection, as well as classification and accounting schemes related to oocyte quality.
Single- and two-photon absorption induced all-optical control of gallium selenide integrated silicon nitride photonic devices in the 700–800 nm wavelength range
Authors: Prosad Asish , Biswas Rabindra , A S Lal Krishna , Srinivas T. , Raghunathan Varun
Published: August 2023

In this work, we report single- and two-photon absorption (TPA) induced transmission and resonance modulation in a multilayer gallium selenide (GaSe) integrated silicon nitride (Si3N4) waveguide and ring resonator operating in the 700–800 nm wavelength range. Intensity dependent saturable absorption at low optical powers followed by TPA at higher power levels in GaSe integrated Si3N4 waveguides is observed at 785 nm pulsed laser excitation. A TPA coefficient of 0.117 cm/GW for the GaSe–Si3N4 composite waveguide and a three-photon absorption coefficient of 7.876 × 10−6 cm3/GW2 for the bare Si3N4 waveguide are extracted from intensity dependent transmission measurements. The single-photon absorption process induced by a blue laser incident on the multilayer GaSe transferred on top of the Si3N4 ring resonator is used for all-optical resonance tuning through the free-carrier refraction effect. A strong blue shift of the resonance by ∼12.3 pm/mW combined with resonance broadening is observed due to the free-carrier induced refractive index and absorption modulation. The TPA in the GaSe integrated Si3N4 ring resonator is also shown to result in a blue shift of the resonances excited using a 785 nm pulsed laser. This work demonstrates the all-optical control of 2D material integrated Si3N4 guided-wave structures operating in the shorter near-infrared wavelength range with potential applications in integrated quantum photonics, miniaturized sensing devices, and biomedical imaging.
Effect of temperature and cultivar on pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Hemiptera: Aphididae) life history
Authors: Morgan D. , Walters K.F.A. , Aegerter J.N.
Published: August 2023

Life history parameters of the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum were studied at five constant temperatures on two cultivars of peas, Scout and Sancho. The development and mortality of juveniles and the life-span, age-specific fecundity and survivorship of adult aphids were recorded and used to construct life tables. The juvenile development period (from birth to adulthood) was longest at 11.9°C (16.8 days on cv. Scout and 16.2 days on cv. Sancho) and shortest at 26.7°C (8.5 days on cv. Scout and 8.8 days on cv. Sancho). At all temperatures, except 26.7°C, juveniles developed faster on cv. Sancho than on cv. Scout. On both pea varieties juvenile mortality was highest at temperatures above 19.6°C and lowest at 19.6°C. Highest cumulative juvenile mortality was recorded on cv. Scout at 26.7°C when only 9% of aphids survived from birth to reproductively mature adults. Fecundity rates were unaffected by temperature in the range tested on cv. Sancho but increased with increasing temperatures between 11.9 and 19.6°C on cv. Scout. These differences in life history parameters were reflected in the population growth (rm) of aphids on both pea cultivars which increased with increasing temperatures between 11.9 and 23.1°C on cv. Sancho and 11.9 and 19.6°C on cv. Scout, declining thereafter. Population growth was consistently greater at all temperatures for aphids reared on cv. Sancho than those reared on cv. Scout.
Age structure of a population of Ixodes ricinus (Acari: Ixodidae) in relation to its seasonal questing
Authors: Walker A.R.
Published: August 2023

Three sites in south west Scotland, each having one deciduous and one coniferous woodland with populations of roe deer, were sampled over three years for Ixodes ricinus Linnaeus ticks using cloth drags. Nymphs and adult ticks were age graded by dissection of gut and Malpighian tubules and staining for lipid with Sudan red. Temperature and relative humidity were recorded in developmental and questing microclimates. Two annual cohorts of both nymphs and adults were found. For both instars one cohort became apparent in early spring and the other in autumn. The timing of the cohorts of nymphs corresponded to peaks of numbers questing, but neither females nor males had any clear seasonal pattern of questing. The maximum life of questing nymphs and adults was three to four months. Nymphs and adults were found questing at all months of the year and at temperatures ranging from 3.5°C to 29.3°C. Questing of larvae in summer peaks of numbers was positively correlated with temperature and negatively correlated with relative humidity. These results are explained by a descriptive model which invokes behavioural and morphogenetic diapause. Tests of the model are discussed and it is proposed that the main adaptive advantage of the complex life cycle is to permit moulting and oviposition to occur at favourable summer temperatures in ticks that have engorged at any time of the year.
Synonymy between two spider mite species, Tetranychus kanzawai and T. hydrangeae (Acari: Tetranychidae), shown by ribosomal ITS2 sequences and cross-breeding experiments
Authors: Navajas M. , Gutierrez J. , Williams M. , Gotoh T.
Published: August 2023

Amplification of the second internal transcribed spacer (ITS2) of ribosomal DNA was used to compare seven samples of the Tetranychus kanzawai Kishida–T. hydrangeae Pritchard & Baker mite complex from five different countries: Australia, the Congo, Indonesia, Japan and the USA. No morphological differences were detected between these mites and their ITS2 sequences displayed strong similarity except for a small nucleotide divergence of 0.2% in specimens from Australia and Indonesia. Reciprocal crosses and backcrosses between mites assumed to be T. kanzawai and T. hydrangeae respectively showed reproductive compatibility. Fertile hybrid females were obtained in all cases, indicating conspecificity of the mites tested. It is concluded that T. hydrangeae is a synonym of T. kanzawai. The evidence suggests that T. kanzawai originated in South-east Asia and probably spread throughout the world on Hydrangea spp. cuttings.
Dramatic developmental changes in larval knockdown response enhance genetic sexing based on DDT resistance in Anopheles stephensi (Diptera: Culicidae)
Authors: Malcolm C.A. , Robinson A.S.
Published: August 2023

Genetic sexing systems based on a conditional lethal require good discrimination between the different phenotypes. DDT resistance in the early instars of Anopheles stephensi Liston is not a good candidate when based on mortality, but this study shows that the knockdown response gives exceptional discrimination between heterozygous resistant and homozygous susceptible individuals. One- and two-day-old larvae of the DlDDT strain showed high (417-fold) resistance to knockdown by DDT, but very low resistance to mortality (3.3-fold). This changes with the onset of the third instar, so that by the fourth instar, mortality resistance is high (108-fold) and knockdown resistance is low (6.5-fold). Susceptibility to DDT decreases from first to fourth instar in the susceptible strain by 443-fold for knockdown and 15-fold for mortality and in the resistant strain by 8.5-fold for knockdown and 491-fold for mortality. The DDT knockdown response in young larvae was successfully used to identify two Y-autosome translocations linked to the resistance gene, DDT. T(Y-3)69 and T(Y-3)72 gave recombination values between the translocation breakpoint and the DDT locus of 4.1 and 10.1 crossover units, respectively. T(Y-3)69 proved to be an adequate genetic sexing system for laboratory studies.
Trap efficiency for Glossina pallidipes (Diptera: Glossinidae) at Nguruman, south-west Kenya
Authors: Dransfield R.D. , Brightwell R.
Published: August 2023

An incomplete ring of electric nets was evaluated as a means of estimating trap efficiency for Glossina spp. This methodology assumes flies approach the trap directly, and then enter, or leave directly in random directions. These results showed that the ratio of the number of flies intercepted on the outside of the electric nets to the number on the inside was lower than predicted by this single-approach behavioural model. Moreover, an incomplete ring of nets around a trap reduced trap catch more than the model predicted. These inconsistencies were greater early in the day, and greater for females than for males. It is suggested that flies may make several approaches to a trap before entering or departing. This mixes arriving and departing flies on each side of the electric nets. Use of a complete ring of nets around a trap to estimate trap efficiency entails fewer behavioural assumptions. Catches at a complete ring around a trap were compared to catches in a trap without nets, replicated in a cross-over design. The efficiency of an odour baited NG2G trap was estimated to be 58% for males and 37% for females. Biconical traps were much less efficient. Both trap types were less efficient in the early morning, suggesting entry response is temperature dependent. The NG2G trap was more efficient for non-teneral nulliparous females than for other ages. For both trap types there was little difference between mean fat content of approaching and trapped males, but the mean fat content of trapped females was lower than that of approaching females.
Tracing the geographic origin of the cosmopolitan parthenogenetic insect pest Liposcelis bostrychophila (Psocoptera: Liposcelididae)
Authors: Mikac K.M. , Clarke G.M.
Published: August 2023

The randomly amplified polymorphic DNA technique was used to trace the geographic origin of Liposcelis bostrychophila Badonnel populations in Australia from unknown geographic sources internationally. Haplotype (or clonal) diversity was high, with 474 unique haplotypes found from 616 individuals genotyped. Gene diversity estimates (0.10–0.28) and percent polymorphic loci (38.1–88.1%) were moderate to high for most populations. This resulted in genetic distance estimates that ranged from 0.04 to 0.26 and were significantly different for most pairwise population combinations. GST values for all populations were also moderate (0.04–0.54) and again were significantly different for most pairwise population comparisons. Analysis of molecular variance revealed that the majority of variation was apportioned among individuals within populations regardless of the level at which they were grouped. Gene flow (Nm) was mostly low for all pairwise populations comparisons with an average Nm = 1.8. A non-significant negative correlation between genetic distance and geographic distance was found for worldwide populations. In contrast, within Australian populations a significant positive correlation between genetic distance and geographic distance was detected. Genetic relationships explored using unweighted pair group method analysis and non-metric multidimensional scaling indicated a mixed pattern of genetic similarities among all populations. Multiple introductions, from a wide range of international source populations, have obscured the ability to accurately determine the geographic origin of L. bostrychophila in Australia.
In situ quantitative topographic measurement and corrosion behaviour of low carbon steel in chloride solutions
Authors: Fanijo Ebenezer O. , Thomas Joseph G. , Zhu Yizheng , Cai Wenjun , Brand Alexander S.
Published: August 2023

This study applied a novel in situ spectral modulation interferometry (SMI) technique to quantitatively measure the spatiotemporal corrosion kinetics on the surface of low carbon steel. The 3D topography map showed an early formation of localised shallow pits on the surface subjected to a chloride-free solution. In contrast, the steel samples in chloride-enriched solution revealed early-age microcracks or intergranular defective sites. The quantitative analysis of the height profile data (acquired from SMI) verified the heterogeneity of the corrosion process of these samples susceptible to pitting corrosion and intergranular corrosion behaviour. The estimated volume loss followed a similar trend to the 3D surface topography data. Still, a distinct behaviour in the volume loss was observed when compared to the void volume obtained from the electrochemical data.
Corrosion behaviour of heterogeneous antimony-copper layers in chloride media
Authors: Tzaneva Boriana , Kostov Vasil
Published: August 2023

The electrodeposited antimony-copper coatings demonstrate a varying degree of chemical and structural heterogeneity that determines their corrosion behaviour in 0.5M sodium chloride. The electrochemical and corrosion properties of layers at open circuit potential were investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and optical surface observation. Corrosion polarisation tests revealed that anodic behaviour of Sb–Cu alloys is similar for the all tested samples and depends on the antimony chemical resistance. Under anodic polarisation up to about −0.03 VAg/AgCl a multistep process of anodic oxide film transformation was registered. The observations by SEM revealed that at a higher anodic polarisation many submicron-sized pits are formed. The formation of microgalvanic corrosion cells results in preferential dissolution of the antimony phase at both OCP and anodic polarisation.
Ti3C2T
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quantum dots/leaf veins based sensors with ultra-broadrange high sensitivity
Authors: Zheng Yiqiang , Xu Hao , Lou Zheng , Wang Lili , Han Wei
Published: August 2023

Flexible pressure sensors and electronic skins have attracted more and more attention in human–machine interaction, intelligent robotics, and wearable health monitoring electronics. However, it is still challenging to trade off between high sensitivity and a wide working range to meet a variety of pressure applications. Herein, we reported a flexible pressure sensor assembled by a simple and cost-effective approach using coating Ti3C2T
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quantum dots on leaf veins. Due to the ultrahigh specific surface area, excellent electrical conductivity, and hierarchical micro-network structure, the device shows excellent sensitivity (25.83 kPa−1), a wide working range (0.1–1500 kPa), remarkable high-pressure resolution (5 kPa under high pressure of 100 kPa or 5%), high stability (over 4000 cycles) and fast response time (<0.3 s). Furthermore, we demonstrated the applications of body motion monitoring during different parts and activities. The results prove our device is a potential candidate for next-generation wearable electronics and human–machine interaction.
A simplified model for minor and major loop magnetic hysteresis and its application for inference of temperature in induction heated particle beds
Authors: Noble Jonathan P P , Bending Simon J , Muxworthy Adrian R , Hill Alfred K
Published: August 2023

In this work, a LangArc model is presented that successfully fits both major and minor hysteresis loops of a bed of magnetic particles in real time using instruments that detect changes in the magnetic field strength, such as in-situ pick-up coils. A novel temperature measurement application is demonstrated based on a real-time characterisation of a magnetic material, in this case magnetite, as a function of temperature. Magnetic hysteresis can be used to provide useful induction heating in a packed bed of magnetic materials. This can be used for general heating and to provide energy to chemical reactions in chemical processes. Accurate temperature measurement of magnetic particles under induction heating is a well-known challenge: conventional techniques give a single-point measurement, and are subject to inaccuracy due to self-heating of the instrument tip. Thermal lag can be problematic given the rapid heating rates that are characteristic of induction heating. The LangArc inferred temperature measurement technique is shown to detect heating rates in excess of 30 °C·s−1, under which circumstances an in-bed thermocouple was shown to lag by as much as 180 °C. This new method has significant importance for temperature measurement in applications involving the induction heating of magnetic materials as it avoids the location of an instrument inside the magnetic particle bed and is highly responsive under rapid heating where other techniques can give misleading results.
Research on point cloud simplification algorithm for ring forgings based on joint entropy evaluation
Authors: Zhang Yucun , Wu Zihao , Li Qun , Yang Zemeng
Published: August 2023

There are numerous redundant points in the point cloud model of ring forgings obtained by 3D laser scanner. How to remove the redundant points while keeping the model characteristics unchanged is a critical issue. This paper proposes a point cloud simplification algorithm based on the joint entropy evaluation theory. Firstly, the K-D tree is used to search for the K-neighbors of the sampled points. Secondly, a surface is fitted to the spatial neighborhood of the sampled points using the least squares method. The curvature operator of the sampled points is derived on the fitted surface using Riemannian geometry theory. After that, an energy operator is defined by using the normal vectors and distances of the sampled points and their neighborhood points. The joint entropy values of all points in the model are determined based on the probability distributions of these two operators in the local neighborhood. Finally, the data points are sorted by entropy value. Data points with high entropy values are put into the data set U1. Data points with low entropy values are clustered through the K-Means algorithm of swarm optimization. The redundant points outside the cluster centers are removed, and the cluster centers are put into the data set U2. The final simplification results are obtained by integrating data sets U1 and U2. The experimental results show that the point cloud simplification algorithm proposed in this paper is effective and feasible.
Magnetic ‘Coulomb’ barrier
Authors: Walsh Ray
Published: August 2023

The Coulomb barrier is a classic introductory physics concept and one that is key to understanding nuclear fusion. Yet the idea that fusing nuclei within a single system could exhibit both far-range repulsion and short-range attraction can result in significant cognitive dissonance in students. There are no classical examples of this behaviour and no commercially available demonstration kits. The magnetic ‘Coulomb’ barrier allows a visual and tactile demonstration of the central challenge of nuclear fusion: overcoming the electrostatic forces inherent in the Coulomb barrier. Students directly determine the kinetic energy required to overcome the magnetic potential energy barrier. The Magnetic ‘Coulomb’ Barrier won first place at the 2023 American Academy of Physics Teacher Apparatus Competition in Sacramento, California, USA.
Analysis of vertical displacement events in tokamaks removing the evolutionary equilibrium assumption
Authors: Isernia Nicola , Villone Fabio
Published: August 2023

A key parameter for the vertical stabilisation system of future fusion devices like ITER is themaximum allowable vertical displacementwhich can be recovered by the magnetic control system (Gribov 2015Nucl. Fusion55073021). The computation of this figure of merit is based on MHD evolutionary equilibrium models: the perturbation of the vertical position implicitly considers a perturbation of the external passive currents which guarantees MHD equilibrium. In this paper, we quantify the consequences of considering non-equilibrium perturbations of the vertical position. In this case, one has to specify separately the initial perturbation of the vertical position and of the external currents. We show in particular under which circumstances the evolution of the vertical position, as predicted by the evolutionary equilibrium models, coincides with that obtained considering also plasma inertia.
Unpredictability and entanglement in open quantum systems
Authors: Kazemi Javad , Weimer Hendrik
Published: August 2023

We investigate dynamical many-body systems capable of universal computation, which leads to their properties being unpredictable unless the dynamics is simulated from the beginning to the end. Unpredictable behavior can be quantitatively assessed in terms of a data compression of the states occurring during the time evolution, which is closely related to their Kolmogorov complexity. We analyze a master equation embedding of classical cellular automata and demonstrate the existence of a phase transition between predictable and unpredictable behavior as a function of the random error introduced by the probabilistic character of the embedding. We then turn to have this dynamics competing with a second process inducing quantum fluctuations and dissipatively driving the system to a highly entangled steady state. Strikingly, for intermediate strength of the quantum fluctuations, we find that both unpredictability and quantum entanglement can coexist even in the long time limit. Finally, we show that the required many-body interactions for the cellular automaton embedding can be efficiently realized within a variational quantum simulator platform based on ultracold Rydberg atoms with high fidelity.
Partial-norm of entanglement: entanglement monotones that are not monogamous
Authors: Guo Yu
Published: August 2023

Quantum entanglement is known to be monogamous, i.e. it obeys strong constraints on how the entanglement can be distributed among multipartite systems. Almost all the entanglement monotones so far are shown to be monogamous. We explore here a family of entanglement monotones with the reduced functions are concave but not strictly concave and show that they are not monogamous. They are defined by four kinds of the ‘partial-norm’ of the reduced state, which we call them partial-norm of entanglement, minimal partial-norm of entanglement, reinforced minimal partial-norm of entanglement, and partial negativity, respectively. This indicates that, the previous axiomatic definition of the entanglement monotone needs supplemental agreement that the reduced function should be strictly concave since such a strict concavity can make sure that the corresponding convex-roof extended entanglement monotone is monogamous. Here, the reduced function of an entanglement monotone refers to the corresponding function on the reduced state for the measure on bipartite pure states.
Magnetic pinching of relativistic particle beams: a new approach to strong-field QED physics
Authors: Zhu Xing-Long , Liu Wei-Yuan , Chen Min , Weng Su-Ming , Wu Dong , Yu Tong-Pu , Wang Wei-Min , Sheng Zheng-Ming , Zhang Jie
Published: August 2023

Quantum electrodynamics (QED) is a foundation of modern physics, yet access to the strong-field QED regime in the laboratory remains a formidable challenge. Currently, high-power lasers at the multi-petawatt level and above are generally believed to be an important approach to test QED physics. Here, we present a different approach by use of an electron beam self-pinched to near-solid-density. The beam self-pinching is realized while it transports through a properly designed hollow cone target, where strong azimuthal magnetic fields are generated by the beam-induced plasma return currents at the inner surface of the cone target. In this way, the beam diameter can be reduced by more than an order of magnitude down to submicron and its density is increased by hundreds of times. The produced ultradense electron beams can unlock a new regime of QED-dominated beam–plasma interactions, for example, more than 60% of the beam energy can be converted into GeV gamma-rays with unprecedented brilliance when such a beam passes through a thin solid foil. Moreover, with proper parameter design, this beam-focusing scheme can also be applied to positron beams and thus may find applications in broad areas, such as particle colliders and strong-field physics.
A modified least squares-based tomography with density matrix perturbation and linear entropy consideration along with performance analysis
Authors: Mondal Subhadeep , Dutta Amit Kumar
Published: August 2023

Quantum state tomography identifies target quantum states by performing repetitive measurements on identical copies. In this paper, we have two key contributions aimed at improving traditional post-processing computational complexity and sample complexity of quantum tomography protocols. In the first case, we propose a new low-cost positivity constraint method based on density matrix perturbation after the least squares (LS) estimation of the density matrix. In the second case, we propose a new cost function with the maximum linear entropy and LS method to improve the sample average trace distance with reasonably low sample complexity. We call it the LS with the maximum entropy (LSME) method. Our proposed algorithm does not follow the iterative optimization technique, which is true for existing maximum likelihood and entropy-based ones. Performance analysis is conducted for our proposed methods by studying how they compare to the existing techniques for different sample complexities and dimensionalities. Extensive numerical simulations have been conducted to demonstrate the advantages of the proposed tomography algorithms.