This paper discusses the Bible in relation to the history and culture of the Jewish people along with its place in world culture.Through translation and Christianity its influence extended into the development of lite...This paper discusses the Bible in relation to the history and culture of the Jewish people along with its place in world culture.Through translation and Christianity its influence extended into the development of literacy among many of the language’s world.The biblical promise to Abraham continues today in the reemergence of the Jewish people as a sovereign nation in the land of Israel after two millennia of wandering.While Bible stories and poetry,primarily through the Psalms,inspired creativity in the visual arts,literature,and music throughout in the Western world.展开更多
The determination of musical pitch has been a major concern of music theory,East and West,in all climes and cultures,throughout the ages.This paper discusses the intricacies of pitch determination from historic,geogra...The determination of musical pitch has been a major concern of music theory,East and West,in all climes and cultures,throughout the ages.This paper discusses the intricacies of pitch determination from historic,geographic,and scientific perspectives.Its standardization nowadays has permitted the manufacture and tuning of musical instruments on a universal scale.展开更多
Cardiac tissue engineering aims to efficiently replace or repair injured heart tissue using scaffolds,relevant cells,or their combination.While the combination of scaffolds and relevant cells holds the potential to ra...Cardiac tissue engineering aims to efficiently replace or repair injured heart tissue using scaffolds,relevant cells,or their combination.While the combination of scaffolds and relevant cells holds the potential to rapidly remuscularize the heart,thereby avoiding the slow process of cell recruitment,the proper ex vivo cellularization of a scaffold poses a substantial challenge.First,proper diffusion of nutrients and oxygen should be provided to the cell-seeded scaffold.Second,to generate a functional tissue construct,cells can benefit from physiological-like conditions.To meet these challenges,we developed a modular bioreactor for the dynamic cellularization of full-thickness cardiac scaffolds under synchronized mechanical and electrical stimuli.In this unique bioreactor system,we designed a cyclic mechanical load that mimics the left ventricle volume inflation,thus achieving a steady stimulus,as well as an electrical stimulus with an action potential profile to mirror the cells’microenvironment and electrical stimuli in the heart.These mechanical and electrical stimuli were synchronized according to cardiac physiology and regulated by constant feedback.When applied to a seeded thick porcine cardiac extracellular matrix(pcECM)scaffold,these stimuli improved the proliferation of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells(MSCs)and induced the formation of a dense tissue-like structure near the scaffold’s surface.Most importantly,after 35 d of cultivation,the MSCs presented the early cardiac progenitor markers Connexin-43 andα-actinin,which were absent in the control cells.Overall,this research developed a new bioreactor system for cellularizing cardiac scaffolds under cardiac-like conditions,aiming to restore a sustainable dynamic living tissue that can bear the essential cardiac excitation–contraction coupling.展开更多
Aqueous batteries are an emerging next-generation technology for large-scale energy storage.Among various metal-ion systems,manganese-based batteries have attracted significant interest due to their superior theoretic...Aqueous batteries are an emerging next-generation technology for large-scale energy storage.Among various metal-ion systems,manganese-based batteries have attracted significant interest due to their superior theoretical energy density over zinc-based battery systems.This study demonstrates oxygen vacancy-engineered vanadium oxide(V_(2)O_(4.85))as a high-performance cathode material for aqueous manganese metal batteries.The V_(2)O_(4.85) cathode had a discharge capacity of 212.6 mAh g^(-1) at 0.1 A g^(-1),retaining 89.5%capacity after 500 cycles.Oxygen vacancies enhanced ion diffusion and reduced migration barriers,facilitating both Mn^(2+)and H^(+)ion intercalation.Proton intercalation dominated charge storage,forming Mn(OH)_(2) layers,whereas Mn^(2+)contributed to surface-limited reactions.Furthermore,manganese metal batteries had a significantly higher operating voltage than that of aqueous zinc battery systems.Despite challenges with hydrogen evolution reactions at the Mn metal anode,this study underscores the potential of manganese batteries for future energy storage systems.展开更多
Aqueous batteries with metal anodes exhibit robust anodic capacities,but their energy densities are low because of the limited potential stabilities of aqueous electrolyte solutions.Current metal options,such as Zn an...Aqueous batteries with metal anodes exhibit robust anodic capacities,but their energy densities are low because of the limited potential stabilities of aqueous electrolyte solutions.Current metal options,such as Zn and Al,pose a dilemma:Zn lacks a sufficiently low redox potential,whereas Al tends to be strongly oxidized in aqueous environments.Our investigation introduces a novel rechargeable aqueous battery system based on Mn as the anode.We examine the effects of anions,electrolyte concentration,and diverse cathode chemistries.Notably,the ClO_(4)-based electrolyte solution exhibits improved deposition and dissolution efficiencies.Although stainless steel(SS 316 L)and Ni are stable current collectors for cathodes,they display limitations as anodes.However,using Ti as the anode resulted in increased Mn deposition and dissolution efficiencies.Moreover,we evaluate this system using various cathode materials,including Mn-intercalation-based inorganic(Ag0.33V2O5)and organic(perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride)cathodes and an anionintercalation-chemistry(coronene)-based cathode.These configurations yield markedly higher output potentials compared to those of Zn metal batteries,highlighting the potential for an augmented energy density when using an Mn anode.This study outlines a systematic approach for use in optimizing metal anodes in Mn metal batteries,unlocking novel prospects for Mn-based batteries with diverse cathode chemistries.展开更多
This paper focuses on the investigation of a hybrid seismic isolation system with passive variable friction dampers for protection of structures against near fault earthquakes. The seismic isolation can be implemented...This paper focuses on the investigation of a hybrid seismic isolation system with passive variable friction dampers for protection of structures against near fault earthquakes. The seismic isolation can be implemented by replacing the conventional columns fixed to the foundations by seismic isolating ones. These columns allow horizontal displacement between the superstructure and the foundations and decouple the building from the damaging earthquake motion. As a result, the forces in the structural elements decrease and damage that may be caused to the building by the earthquake significantly decreases. However, this positive effect is achieved on account of displacements occurring in the isolating columns. These displacements become very large when the structure is subjected to a strong earthquake. In this case, impact may occur between the parts of the isolating column yielding their damage or collapse. In order to limit the displacements in the isolating columns, it is proposed to add variable friction dampers. A method for selecting the dampers＇ properties is proposed. It is carried out using an artificial ground motion record and optimal active control algorithm. Numerical simulation of a sevenstory structure shows that the proposed method allows efficient reduction in structural response and limits the displacements at the seismic isolating columns.展开更多
Liquid marbles （non-stick droplets） containing crude petroleum are reported. Liquid marbles were ob- tained by use of fluorinated decyl polyhedral oligomeric silsequioxane （FD-POSS） powder. Marbles containing crud...Liquid marbles （non-stick droplets） containing crude petroleum are reported. Liquid marbles were ob- tained by use of fluorinated decyl polyhedral oligomeric silsequioxane （FD-POSS） powder. Marbles containing crude petroleum remained stable on a broad diversity of solid and liquid supports. The effective surface tension of marbles filled with petroleum was established. The mechanism of friction of the marbles is discussed. Actuation of liquid marbles containing crude petroleum with an electric field is presented.展开更多
Mesenchymal stem cells(MSCS)are pluripotent stem cells isolated from various tissues,but mostly from bone marrow,adipose tissue,and umbilical cord blood.Well known for their mesenchymal lineages differentiation(e.g.,b...Mesenchymal stem cells(MSCS)are pluripotent stem cells isolated from various tissues,but mostly from bone marrow,adipose tissue,and umbilical cord blood.Well known for their mesenchymal lineages differentiation(e.g.,bone,cartilage and fat tissues),it was suggested that MSCs possess plasticity prop-erties enabling them to differentiate into non-mesenchymal lineages.Indeed,several protocols claimed for differentiating MSCs to neurons in vitro,but concern was raised for the ef-fectiveness and in vivo relevance of such differentiation.Thus,though their neurogenic differentiation properties are still in debate,they were nevertheless,suggested as candidates for treat-ing neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's diseases,multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease(AD).展开更多
Visible, near-infrared and shortwave-infrared(VNIR-SWIR) spectroscopy is an efficient approach for predicting soil properties because it reduces the time and cost of analyses. However, its advantages are hampered by t...Visible, near-infrared and shortwave-infrared(VNIR-SWIR) spectroscopy is an efficient approach for predicting soil properties because it reduces the time and cost of analyses. However, its advantages are hampered by the presence of soil moisture, which masks the major spectral absorptions of the soil and distorts the overall spectral shape. Hence, developing a procedure that skips the drying process for soil properties assessment directly from wet soil samples could save invaluable time. The goal of this study was twofold:proposing two approaches, partial least squares(PLS) and nearest neighbor spectral correction(NNSC), for dry spectral prediction and utilizing those spectra to demonstrate the ability to predict soil clay content. For these purposes, we measured 830 samples taken from eight common soil types in Israel that were sampled at 66 different locations. The dry spectrum accuracy was measured using the spectral angle mapper(SAM) and the average sum of deviations squared(ASDS), which resulted in low prediction errors of less than 8% and 14%, respectively. Later, our hypothesis was tested using the predicted dry soil spectra to predict the clay content, which resulted in R^2 of 0.69 and 0.58 in the PLS and NNSC methods, respectively. Finally, our results were compared to those obtained by external parameter orthogonalization(EPO) and direct standardization(DS). This study demonstrates the ability to evaluate the dry spectral fingerprint of a wet soil sample, which can be utilized in various pedological aspects such as soil monitoring, soil classification,and soil properties assessment.展开更多
Shaking tables with moving platforms are widely used in laboratory testing of structural models and full-sized devices. In most cases, the platform＇s movement should reproduce real ground acceleration records. Howeve...Shaking tables with moving platforms are widely used in laboratory testing of structural models and full-sized devices. In most cases, the platform＇s movement should reproduce real ground acceleration records. However, the stroke of the platform, required for reproduction of real records, is usually rather large. This limitation does not allow an accurate realization of the ground motion by the shaking table. Commonly, in order to overcome this problem, original records are modified, which causes a significant change in the acceleration records＇ spectra. That is why structural responses to the original and to the modified records are different. A new method for modification of original acceleration records is proposed, in which the original record is corrected by an additional artificial one that changes the shaking platform＇s displacement. The corrected record is obtained as a sequence of impulses, The magnitude and duration of each impulse, as well as their location on the time scale, are obtained by an optimization procedure. The optimization is implemented according to a performance index, aimed to minimize the influence of the correcting acceleration record on the specmam of the original one. The proposed method has higher reproduction accuracy, compared to other known methods. Its effectiveness is demonstrated by comparison of response spectra and dynamic behaviors of three multi-story structures subjected to natural and modified seismic excitations.展开更多
A spectroscopic method for human sperm evaluation and characterization using Fourier Transform Infra Red (FTIR) is presented. The high sensitivity of FTIR to changes in chemical structure and arrangement of molecules ...A spectroscopic method for human sperm evaluation and characterization using Fourier Transform Infra Red (FTIR) is presented. The high sensitivity of FTIR to changes in chemical structure and arrangement of molecules and proteins makes it a powerful diagnostic tool. Our experimental results show that a simple MIR (400 cm-1?- 4000 cm-1) transmission spectrum of a human sperm is very fast and can be used to determine the level of structure, compare to conventional LAB tests. No sample preparations are required, the semen has to be put on a special ZnSe substrate and inserted into the measurement compartment of the FTIR. Furthermore, this method can distinguish between immature sperm cell to white blood cell which by using a microscope is difficult and re-quires experience.展开更多
Modern engineering design optimization often relies on computer simulations to evaluate candidate designs, a setup which results in expensive black-box optimization problems. Such problems introduce unique challenges,...Modern engineering design optimization often relies on computer simulations to evaluate candidate designs, a setup which results in expensive black-box optimization problems. Such problems introduce unique challenges, which has motivated the application of metamodel-assisted computational intelligence algorithms to solve them. Such algorithms combine a computational intelligence optimizer which employs a population of candidate solutions, with a metamodel which is a computationally cheaper approximation of the expensive computer simulation. However, although a variety of metamodels and optimizers have been proposed, the optimal types to employ are problem dependant. Therefore, a priori prescribing the type of metamodel and optimizer to be used may degrade its effectiveness. Leveraging on this issue, this study proposes a new computational intelligence algorithm which autonomously adapts the type of the metamodel and optimizer during the search by selecting the most suitable types out of a family of candidates at each stage. Performance analysis using a set of test functions demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, and highlights the merit of the proposed adaptation approach.展开更多
Novel zoonosis COVID-19 first emerged in Wuhan,China,but rapidly spread to the other regions in China.The spread of this severe acute respiratory syndrome led to the quarantine of 60 million Chinese citizens.Such isol...Novel zoonosis COVID-19 first emerged in Wuhan,China,but rapidly spread to the other regions in China.The spread of this severe acute respiratory syndrome led to the quarantine of 60 million Chinese citizens.Such isolation measures have been associated with increased depression,stress and emotional disturbance.1-3 However,major traumatic events can amplify both positive and negative aspects of interpersonal relations,leading to competing narratives of both harm and enhancem ent.4 Quarantine can create family dependencies,threaten livelihoods and lead to the stigmatisation of those infected/b School closures and disruption of family care seriously disrupt regular domestic practices.展开更多
In this paper,in vivo spectra from 23 patients'blood samples with various Creatinine(Cr)concentration levels ranging from 0.96 to 12.5 mg/dL were measured using Fourier transform near-infrared spectrometer(FT-NIRS...In this paper,in vivo spectra from 23 patients'blood samples with various Creatinine(Cr)concentration levels ranging from 0.96 to 12.5 mg/dL were measured using Fourier transform near-infrared spectrometer(FT-NIRS)and spectrum quantitative analysis method.Since Cr undergoes passive filtration,it serves as a key biomarker of kidneys function via the estimation of glomerular filtration rate.Thus,increased blood Cr concentration reflects impaired renal func-tion.After spectra pre processing and outlier exclusion,a spectral model was developed based on partial least squares regression(PLSR)method,wherein Cr concentrations correlated with filtered NIR spectra across several peaks,where Cr is know n to absorb NIR light.Several statistical metrics were applied to estimate the model efficiency during data analysis.Comparison of spectra-derived concentrations to reference Cr measurements by the current gold-standard Jaffe's method held in hospital lab revealed a Cr prediction accuracy of 1.64 mg/dL with good corre-lation of R=0.9.Bland-Altman plots were used to compare between our calculations and ref-erence lab values and reveal minimal bias between the two.The finding presented the potential of FT-NIRS coupled with PLSR technique for Cr determination.展开更多
With the prevalent conception of self-replication (SR, a hallmark of living systems) as a non-equilibrium process subject to thermodynamic laws, a complementary approach derives the low energy quantum states arising f...With the prevalent conception of self-replication (SR, a hallmark of living systems) as a non-equilibrium process subject to thermodynamic laws, a complementary approach derives the low energy quantum states arising from a Hamiltonian that appears to be specific for bio-systems by its containing some strongly binding terms. The bindings attract <em>properties</em> of the template (T) and the reactants to form a replicate (R). The criterion for SR that emerges from the theory is that second order (bi-linear) interaction terms between degrees of motion of T-R and the thermal bath dominate negatively over a linear self-energy term, and thereby provide a binding between the attributes of T and R. The formalism (reminiscent of the Kramers-Anderson mechanism for superexchange) is from first principles, but hinges on a drastic simplification by modelling the T, R and bath variables on interacting qubits and by congesting the attraction into a single (control) parameter. The development relies on further simplifying features, such as Random Phase Approximations and an Effective Hamiltonian formalism. The entropic balance to replication is considered and found to reside in the far surroundings.展开更多
文摘This paper discusses the Bible in relation to the history and culture of the Jewish people along with its place in world culture.Through translation and Christianity its influence extended into the development of literacy among many of the language’s world.The biblical promise to Abraham continues today in the reemergence of the Jewish people as a sovereign nation in the land of Israel after two millennia of wandering.While Bible stories and poetry,primarily through the Psalms,inspired creativity in the visual arts,literature,and music throughout in the Western world.
文摘The determination of musical pitch has been a major concern of music theory,East and West,in all climes and cultures,throughout the ages.This paper discusses the intricacies of pitch determination from historic,geographic,and scientific perspectives.Its standardization nowadays has permitted the manufacture and tuning of musical instruments on a universal scale.
基金funded by the Israeli Ministry of Innovation,Science and Technology(Grant No.3-11873)the Israel Science Foundation(Grant No.1563/10)+1 种基金the Randy L.and Melvin R.Berlin Family Research Center for Regenerative Medicinethe Gurwin Family Foundation.
文摘Cardiac tissue engineering aims to efficiently replace or repair injured heart tissue using scaffolds,relevant cells,or their combination.While the combination of scaffolds and relevant cells holds the potential to rapidly remuscularize the heart,thereby avoiding the slow process of cell recruitment,the proper ex vivo cellularization of a scaffold poses a substantial challenge.First,proper diffusion of nutrients and oxygen should be provided to the cell-seeded scaffold.Second,to generate a functional tissue construct,cells can benefit from physiological-like conditions.To meet these challenges,we developed a modular bioreactor for the dynamic cellularization of full-thickness cardiac scaffolds under synchronized mechanical and electrical stimuli.In this unique bioreactor system,we designed a cyclic mechanical load that mimics the left ventricle volume inflation,thus achieving a steady stimulus,as well as an electrical stimulus with an action potential profile to mirror the cells’microenvironment and electrical stimuli in the heart.These mechanical and electrical stimuli were synchronized according to cardiac physiology and regulated by constant feedback.When applied to a seeded thick porcine cardiac extracellular matrix(pcECM)scaffold,these stimuli improved the proliferation of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells(MSCs)and induced the formation of a dense tissue-like structure near the scaffold’s surface.Most importantly,after 35 d of cultivation,the MSCs presented the early cardiac progenitor markers Connexin-43 andα-actinin,which were absent in the control cells.Overall,this research developed a new bioreactor system for cellularizing cardiac scaffolds under cardiac-like conditions,aiming to restore a sustainable dynamic living tissue that can bear the essential cardiac excitation–contraction coupling.
基金supported by the Global Joint Research Program funded by Pukyong National University(202411790001)supported by the Nano&Material Technology Development Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF),funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT(RS-2024-00446825)by the Technology Innovation Program(RS-2024-00418815)funded by the Ministry of Trade,Industry&Energy(MOTIE,Korea).
文摘Aqueous batteries are an emerging next-generation technology for large-scale energy storage.Among various metal-ion systems,manganese-based batteries have attracted significant interest due to their superior theoretical energy density over zinc-based battery systems.This study demonstrates oxygen vacancy-engineered vanadium oxide(V_(2)O_(4.85))as a high-performance cathode material for aqueous manganese metal batteries.The V_(2)O_(4.85) cathode had a discharge capacity of 212.6 mAh g^(-1) at 0.1 A g^(-1),retaining 89.5%capacity after 500 cycles.Oxygen vacancies enhanced ion diffusion and reduced migration barriers,facilitating both Mn^(2+)and H^(+)ion intercalation.Proton intercalation dominated charge storage,forming Mn(OH)_(2) layers,whereas Mn^(2+)contributed to surface-limited reactions.Furthermore,manganese metal batteries had a significantly higher operating voltage than that of aqueous zinc battery systems.Despite challenges with hydrogen evolution reactions at the Mn metal anode,this study underscores the potential of manganese batteries for future energy storage systems.
基金supported by the Global Joint Research Program funded by the Pukyong National University(202411790001)。
文摘Aqueous batteries with metal anodes exhibit robust anodic capacities,but their energy densities are low because of the limited potential stabilities of aqueous electrolyte solutions.Current metal options,such as Zn and Al,pose a dilemma:Zn lacks a sufficiently low redox potential,whereas Al tends to be strongly oxidized in aqueous environments.Our investigation introduces a novel rechargeable aqueous battery system based on Mn as the anode.We examine the effects of anions,electrolyte concentration,and diverse cathode chemistries.Notably,the ClO_(4)-based electrolyte solution exhibits improved deposition and dissolution efficiencies.Although stainless steel(SS 316 L)and Ni are stable current collectors for cathodes,they display limitations as anodes.However,using Ti as the anode resulted in increased Mn deposition and dissolution efficiencies.Moreover,we evaluate this system using various cathode materials,including Mn-intercalation-based inorganic(Ag0.33V2O5)and organic(perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride)cathodes and an anionintercalation-chemistry(coronene)-based cathode.These configurations yield markedly higher output potentials compared to those of Zn metal batteries,highlighting the potential for an augmented energy density when using an Mn anode.This study outlines a systematic approach for use in optimizing metal anodes in Mn metal batteries,unlocking novel prospects for Mn-based batteries with diverse cathode chemistries.
文摘实现绿色甲醇电解制氢需要高效的双功能催化剂。本文采用热处理结合乙二醇还原法成功制备了MoP-NC纳米球负载的超细Pt纳米粒子(平均粒径为2.53 nm)复合催化剂(Pt/MoP-NC)用于高效甲醇电解制氢。MoP-NC纳米球不仅能提高Pt纳米粒子的分散性并且增强Pt的抗中毒能力。电化学测试表明Pt/MoP-NC催化剂在酸性甲醇氧化反应(MOR)和析氢反应(HER)中具有较高的催化性能;其中,MOR的正向扫描峰值电流密度为90.7 m A·cm^(-2),是商业Pt/C催化剂的3.2倍,在10 mA·cm^(-2)的电流密度下,HER的过电位低至30 m V,与商业Pt/C接近。由Pt/MoP-NC||Pt/MoP-NC组装的两电极电解槽驱动10 mA·cm^(-2)的电流密度仅需要0.67 V的电压,比相同条件下电解水的电压低1.02 V,大大降低了能量输入。Pt/MoP-NC的高催化性能主要来源于Pt活性中心与相邻层状多孔球形结构的MoP-NC载体之间电子效应及配体效应引起的抗一氧化碳中毒能力的提升和含氧物种的容易生成。
文摘This paper focuses on the investigation of a hybrid seismic isolation system with passive variable friction dampers for protection of structures against near fault earthquakes. The seismic isolation can be implemented by replacing the conventional columns fixed to the foundations by seismic isolating ones. These columns allow horizontal displacement between the superstructure and the foundations and decouple the building from the damaging earthquake motion. As a result, the forces in the structural elements decrease and damage that may be caused to the building by the earthquake significantly decreases. However, this positive effect is achieved on account of displacements occurring in the isolating columns. These displacements become very large when the structure is subjected to a strong earthquake. In this case, impact may occur between the parts of the isolating column yielding their damage or collapse. In order to limit the displacements in the isolating columns, it is proposed to add variable friction dampers. A method for selecting the dampers＇ properties is proposed. It is carried out using an artificial ground motion record and optimal active control algorithm. Numerical simulation of a sevenstory structure shows that the proposed method allows efficient reduction in structural response and limits the displacements at the seismic isolating columns.
基金made to the Donors of the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund for support of this research(Grant 52043-UR5)
文摘Liquid marbles （non-stick droplets） containing crude petroleum are reported. Liquid marbles were ob- tained by use of fluorinated decyl polyhedral oligomeric silsequioxane （FD-POSS） powder. Marbles containing crude petroleum remained stable on a broad diversity of solid and liquid supports. The effective surface tension of marbles filled with petroleum was established. The mechanism of friction of the marbles is discussed. Actuation of liquid marbles containing crude petroleum with an electric field is presented.
文摘Mesenchymal stem cells(MSCS)are pluripotent stem cells isolated from various tissues,but mostly from bone marrow,adipose tissue,and umbilical cord blood.Well known for their mesenchymal lineages differentiation(e.g.,bone,cartilage and fat tissues),it was suggested that MSCs possess plasticity prop-erties enabling them to differentiate into non-mesenchymal lineages.Indeed,several protocols claimed for differentiating MSCs to neurons in vitro,but concern was raised for the ef-fectiveness and in vivo relevance of such differentiation.Thus,though their neurogenic differentiation properties are still in debate,they were nevertheless,suggested as candidates for treat-ing neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's diseases,multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease(AD).
基金the Porter School of Environmental Studies,the GEO-CRADLE Project(The European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme)(No.690133)the Ministry of National Infrastructures,Energy,and Water Resources of Israel(No.212-17-025)+1 种基金the Ministry of Agriculture of Israel(No.13-21-0002)for financial support the Israel Science Foundation(No.1457/13)for supporting her research
文摘Visible, near-infrared and shortwave-infrared(VNIR-SWIR) spectroscopy is an efficient approach for predicting soil properties because it reduces the time and cost of analyses. However, its advantages are hampered by the presence of soil moisture, which masks the major spectral absorptions of the soil and distorts the overall spectral shape. Hence, developing a procedure that skips the drying process for soil properties assessment directly from wet soil samples could save invaluable time. The goal of this study was twofold:proposing two approaches, partial least squares(PLS) and nearest neighbor spectral correction(NNSC), for dry spectral prediction and utilizing those spectra to demonstrate the ability to predict soil clay content. For these purposes, we measured 830 samples taken from eight common soil types in Israel that were sampled at 66 different locations. The dry spectrum accuracy was measured using the spectral angle mapper(SAM) and the average sum of deviations squared(ASDS), which resulted in low prediction errors of less than 8% and 14%, respectively. Later, our hypothesis was tested using the predicted dry soil spectra to predict the clay content, which resulted in R^2 of 0.69 and 0.58 in the PLS and NNSC methods, respectively. Finally, our results were compared to those obtained by external parameter orthogonalization(EPO) and direct standardization(DS). This study demonstrates the ability to evaluate the dry spectral fingerprint of a wet soil sample, which can be utilized in various pedological aspects such as soil monitoring, soil classification,and soil properties assessment.
文摘Shaking tables with moving platforms are widely used in laboratory testing of structural models and full-sized devices. In most cases, the platform＇s movement should reproduce real ground acceleration records. However, the stroke of the platform, required for reproduction of real records, is usually rather large. This limitation does not allow an accurate realization of the ground motion by the shaking table. Commonly, in order to overcome this problem, original records are modified, which causes a significant change in the acceleration records＇ spectra. That is why structural responses to the original and to the modified records are different. A new method for modification of original acceleration records is proposed, in which the original record is corrected by an additional artificial one that changes the shaking platform＇s displacement. The corrected record is obtained as a sequence of impulses, The magnitude and duration of each impulse, as well as their location on the time scale, are obtained by an optimization procedure. The optimization is implemented according to a performance index, aimed to minimize the influence of the correcting acceleration record on the specmam of the original one. The proposed method has higher reproduction accuracy, compared to other known methods. Its effectiveness is demonstrated by comparison of response spectra and dynamic behaviors of three multi-story structures subjected to natural and modified seismic excitations.
文摘A spectroscopic method for human sperm evaluation and characterization using Fourier Transform Infra Red (FTIR) is presented. The high sensitivity of FTIR to changes in chemical structure and arrangement of molecules and proteins makes it a powerful diagnostic tool. Our experimental results show that a simple MIR (400 cm-1?- 4000 cm-1) transmission spectrum of a human sperm is very fast and can be used to determine the level of structure, compare to conventional LAB tests. No sample preparations are required, the semen has to be put on a special ZnSe substrate and inserted into the measurement compartment of the FTIR. Furthermore, this method can distinguish between immature sperm cell to white blood cell which by using a microscope is difficult and re-quires experience.
文摘Modern engineering design optimization often relies on computer simulations to evaluate candidate designs, a setup which results in expensive black-box optimization problems. Such problems introduce unique challenges, which has motivated the application of metamodel-assisted computational intelligence algorithms to solve them. Such algorithms combine a computational intelligence optimizer which employs a population of candidate solutions, with a metamodel which is a computationally cheaper approximation of the expensive computer simulation. However, although a variety of metamodels and optimizers have been proposed, the optimal types to employ are problem dependant. Therefore, a priori prescribing the type of metamodel and optimizer to be used may degrade its effectiveness. Leveraging on this issue, this study proposes a new computational intelligence algorithm which autonomously adapts the type of the metamodel and optimizer during the search by selecting the most suitable types out of a family of candidates at each stage. Performance analysis using a set of test functions demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, and highlights the merit of the proposed adaptation approach.
基金supported by an internal fund from the Research Authority in Ariel University(RA2000000106).
文摘Novel zoonosis COVID-19 first emerged in Wuhan,China,but rapidly spread to the other regions in China.The spread of this severe acute respiratory syndrome led to the quarantine of 60 million Chinese citizens.Such isolation measures have been associated with increased depression,stress and emotional disturbance.1-3 However,major traumatic events can amplify both positive and negative aspects of interpersonal relations,leading to competing narratives of both harm and enhancem ent.4 Quarantine can create family dependencies,threaten livelihoods and lead to the stigmatisation of those infected/b School closures and disruption of family care seriously disrupt regular domestic practices.
文摘In this paper,in vivo spectra from 23 patients'blood samples with various Creatinine(Cr)concentration levels ranging from 0.96 to 12.5 mg/dL were measured using Fourier transform near-infrared spectrometer(FT-NIRS)and spectrum quantitative analysis method.Since Cr undergoes passive filtration,it serves as a key biomarker of kidneys function via the estimation of glomerular filtration rate.Thus,increased blood Cr concentration reflects impaired renal func-tion.After spectra pre processing and outlier exclusion,a spectral model was developed based on partial least squares regression(PLSR)method,wherein Cr concentrations correlated with filtered NIR spectra across several peaks,where Cr is know n to absorb NIR light.Several statistical metrics were applied to estimate the model efficiency during data analysis.Comparison of spectra-derived concentrations to reference Cr measurements by the current gold-standard Jaffe's method held in hospital lab revealed a Cr prediction accuracy of 1.64 mg/dL with good corre-lation of R=0.9.Bland-Altman plots were used to compare between our calculations and ref-erence lab values and reveal minimal bias between the two.The finding presented the potential of FT-NIRS coupled with PLSR technique for Cr determination.
文摘With the prevalent conception of self-replication (SR, a hallmark of living systems) as a non-equilibrium process subject to thermodynamic laws, a complementary approach derives the low energy quantum states arising from a Hamiltonian that appears to be specific for bio-systems by its containing some strongly binding terms. The bindings attract <em>properties</em> of the template (T) and the reactants to form a replicate (R). The criterion for SR that emerges from the theory is that second order (bi-linear) interaction terms between degrees of motion of T-R and the thermal bath dominate negatively over a linear self-energy term, and thereby provide a binding between the attributes of T and R. The formalism (reminiscent of the Kramers-Anderson mechanism for superexchange) is from first principles, but hinges on a drastic simplification by modelling the T, R and bath variables on interacting qubits and by congesting the attraction into a single (control) parameter. The development relies on further simplifying features, such as Random Phase Approximations and an Effective Hamiltonian formalism. The entropic balance to replication is considered and found to reside in the far surroundings.
