Generalized order statistics (GOSs) are often adopted as a tool for providing a unified approach to several stochastic models dealing with ordered random variables. In this contribution, we first recall various useful results based on the notion of total positivity. Then, some stochastic comparisons between spacings of GOSs from one sample, as well as two samples, are developed under the more general assumptions on the parameters of the model. Specifically, the given results deal with the likelihood ratio order, the hazard rate order and the mean residual life order. Finally, an application is demonstrated for sequential systems. Full article

Unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) are key technologies to conduct preventive inspection and maintenance tasks in offshore renewable energy plants. Making such vehicles autonomous would lead to benefits such as improved availability, cost reduction and carbon emission minimization. However, some technological aspects, including the powering of these devices, remain with a long way to go. In this context, underwater wireless power transfer (UWPT) solutions have potential to overcome UUV powering drawbacks. Considering the relevance of this topic for offshore renewable plants, this work aims to provide a comprehensive summary of the state of the art regarding UPWT technologies. A technology intelligence study is conducted by means of a bibliographical survey. Regarding underwater wireless power transfer, the main methods are reviewed, and it is concluded that inductive wireless power transfer (IWPT) technologies have the most potential. These inductive systems are described, and their challenges in underwater environments are presented. A review of the underwater IWPT experiments and applications is conducted, and innovative solutions are listed. Achieving efficient and reliable UWPT technologies is not trivial, but significant progress is identified. Generally, the latest solutions exhibit efficiencies between 88% and 93% in laboratory settings, with power ratings reaching up to 1–3 kW. Based on the assessment, a power transfer within the range of 1 kW appears to be feasible and may be sufficient to operate small UUVs. However, work-class UUVs require at least a tenfold power increase. Thus, although UPWT has advanced significantly, further research is required to industrially establish these technologies. Full article

Seismic performance of steel moment-resisting frames is investigated through the incorporation of U-shaped metallic dampers. The primary objective is to assess the effectiveness of these dampers in mitigating seismic responses by utilizing various analysis techniques. Two representative structural configurations (5 and 10-story) are studied in both damped and undamped states to reveal the impact of dampers on seismic response reduction. The study utilizes the endurance time analysis (ETA) method, known for its efficiency in evaluating structural seismic performance. To validate the analysis results, a benchmark comparison is made through nonlinear time history analysis (NTHA). Incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) is also conducted to assess structures’ intensity measures with respect to their damage intensity index. The findings demonstrate that U-shaped metallic dampers substantially reduce inter-story drift and story shear forces. Importantly, a close alignment between the results obtained from ETA and NTHA underscores the reliability of the former in assessing seismic performance with supplemental damping devices. Full article

Homogeneous waiting group (HWG) criteria are central to the patient referral process, guiding primary care physicians and hospitalists in directing patient care to specialists. This cross-sectional observational study, conducted in South Tyrol, Italy, in 2023, aimed to assess the implementation and impact of HWG criteria on healthcare from the perspective of general practitioners and hospital physicians. A questionnaire was developed to gain knowledge about referral practices as perceived by general practitioners and specialists. The survey included 313 participants (82 general practitioners and 231 hospital physicians) and was designed to capture a range of factors influencing the application of HWG criteria, including communication and collaboration practices. The results showed moderate levels of familiarity with HWG criteria and opinions about the need for criteria refinement among hospitalists, indicating that further education and refinement of these criteria are warranted. Both general practitioners and hospital physicians expressed dissatisfaction with the current specialist referral system, highlighting the significant gaps in effective communication and collaboration. The survey also demonstrated the influence of patient demands and waiting times on referral practices, and the need for streamlined and accessible specialist care. This study highlights the need for improvement and adaptation of HWG criteria to better meet the needs of healthcare providers and patients in South Tyrol. By addressing the identified gaps in communication, collaboration, and education related to the HWG system, the efficiency, effectiveness, and patient-centeredness of the referral process can be improved, ultimately leading to better health outcomes. Full article

Polyimide (PI) aerogels, renowned for their nano-porous structure and exceptional performance across a spectrum of applications, often encounter significant challenges during fabrication, primarily due to severe shrinkage. In this study, we innovatively incorporated ceramic fibers of varying diameters into the PI aerogel matrix to enhance the shape stability against shrinkage. The
structure of the resulting ceramic fiber-reinforced PI (CF-PI) aerogel composites as well as their performance in thermal decomposition, thermal insulation, and compression resistance were characterized. The results revealed that the CF-PI aerogel composites dried by supercritical ethanol achieved greatly reduced shrinkage as low as 5.0 vol.% and low thermal conductivity ranging from 31.2 mW·m−1·K−1 to 35.3 mW·m−1·K−1, showcasing their excellent performance in shape stability and thermal insulation. These composites also inherited the superior residue-forming ability of ceramic fibers and the robust mechanical attributes of PI, thereby exhibiting enhanced thermal stability and compression resistance. Besides, the effects of different drying conditions on the structure and properties of CF-PI aerogels were also discussed. The coupling use of supercritical ethanol drying with the addition of ceramic fibers is preferred. This preferred condition gives birth to low-shrinkage CF-PI aerogel composites, which also stand out for their integrated advantages include high thermal stability, low thermal conductivity, and high mechanical strength. These advantages attribute to CF-PI aerogel composites substantial potential for a wide range of applications, particularly as high-performance thermal insulation materials for extreme conditions. Full article

This study presents a systematic optimization of wide-angle metamaterial long-pass (LP) edge filters based on silicon nanospheres (SiNP). Multi-layered configurations incorporating SiNP-meta-films and anti-reflection coating (ARC) elements not previously considered in the literature are explored to enhance their filter performance in both stop and pass bands. This research has successfully developed an accurate model for the effective refractive index using Kramers–Kronig relations, enabling the use of classical thin-film design software for rapid device performance optimization, which is verified by full-wave numerical software. This systematic optimization has produced highly efficient, near-shift-free long-pass metamaterial filters, evidenced by their high optical density (OD = 2.55) and low spectral shift across a wide angular range (0°–60°). These advancements herald the development of high-efficiency metamaterial optical components suitable for a variety of applications that require a consistent performance across diverse angles of incidence. Full article

Bromhexine and ambroxol are among the mucolytic drugs most widely used to treat acute and chronic respiratory diseases. Entering the municipal wastewater and undergoing transformations during disinfection with active chlorine, these compounds can produce nitrogen- and bromine-containing disinfection by-products (DBPs) that are dangerous for aquatic ecosystems. In the present study, primary and deep degradation products of ambroxol and bromhexine obtained in model aquatic chlorination experiments were studied via the combination of high-performance liquid and gas chromatography with high-resolution mass spectrometry. It was shown that at the initial stages, the reactions of cyclization, hydroxylation, chlorination, electrophilic ipso-substitution of bromine atoms with chlorine, and oxidative N-dealkylation occur. Along with known metabolites, a number of novel primary DBPs were tentatively identified based on their elemental compositions and tandem mass spectra. Deep degradation of bromhexine and ambroxol gives twenty-four identified volatile and semi-volatile compounds of six classes, among which trihalomethanes account for more than 50%. The specific class of bromhexine- and ambroxol-related DBPs are bromine-containing haloanilines. Seven of them, including methoxy derivatives, were first discovered in the present study. One more novel class of DBPs associated with bromhexine and ambroxol is represented by halogenated indazoles formed through dealkylation of the primary transformation products containing pyrazoline or tetrahydropyrimidine cycle in their structure. Full article

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of physical measures and the applications of phosphorus fertilizer and soil conditioner on the growth of lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and its uptake of cadmium (Cd). In a solar greenhouse that contained soil enriched with cadmium (Cd) (1.75 ± 0.41 mg/kg) with lettuce used as a test plant, field experimental methods were utilized to explore the influence of physical measures, such as deep plowing and soil covering, and the applications of phosphorus fertilizer, including diammonium phosphate (DAP), calcium magnesium phosphate (CMP), and calcium superphosphate (SSP), and soil conditioners, such as biochar, attapulgite clay, and nano-hydroxyapatite, on the uptake of Cd in lettuce. The results indicated that the concentrations of Cd in the aboveground parts of lettuce were 1.49 ± 0.45, 1.26 ± 0.02, 1.00 ± 0.21, and 0.24 ± 0.13 mg/kg when the soil was plowed 30, 40, and 50 cm deep, respectively, and when the soil was covered with 15 cm, this resulted in reductions of 27.5%, 38.3%, 51.4%, and 88.4%, respectively, compared with the control treatment that entailed plowing to 15 cm. When 75, 150, and 225 kg/ha of phosphorus pentoxide (P₂O₅) were applied compared with the lack of application, the contents of Cd in the aboveground parts of lettuce increased by 2.0%, 54.5%, and 73.7%, respectively, when DAP was applied; by 52.5%, 48.5%, and 8.1%, respectively, when CMP was applied; and by 13.1%, 61.6%, and 90.9%, respectively, when SSP was applied. When the amounts of biochar applied were 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 t/ha, the contents of Cd in the aboveground parts of lettuce were 1.36 ± 0.27, 1.47 ± 0.56, 1.80 ± 0.73, 1.96 ± 0.12, 1.89 ± 0.52, 1.44 ± 0.30, and 1.10 ± 0.27 mg/kg, respectively. Under concentrations of 0, 40, 80, 120, 160, and 200 kg/ha, the application of nano-hydroxyapatite resulted in Cd contents of 1.34 ± 0.56, 1.47 ± 0.10, 1.60 ± 0.44, 1.70 ± 0.21, 1.31 ± 0.09, and 1.51 ± 0.34 mg/kg, respectively. The concentrations of Cd in the aboveground parts of lettuce treated with attapulgite clay were 1.44 ± 0.48, 1.88 ± 0.67, 2.10 ± 0.80, 2.24 ± 0.75, 1.78 ± 0.41, and 1.88 ± 0.48 mg/kg, respectively. In summary, under the conditions in this study, deep plowing and soil covering measures can reduce the concentration of Cd in the aboveground parts of lettuce. The application of phosphorus fertilizer increased the concentration of Cd in the aboveground parts of lettuce. The application of higher amounts of DAP and SSP led to greater concentrations of Cd in the aboveground parts of lettuce. The application of higher amounts of CMP caused a lower concentration of Cd in the aboveground parts of lettuce. When biochar, attapulgite clay, and nano-hydroxyapatite were applied, the concentration of Cd in the aboveground parts of lettuce increased in parallel with the increase in the concentration of application when low amounts were applied. In contrast, when high amounts were applied, the concentration of Cd in the aboveground parts of lettuce began to decrease. Full article

This surveillance study aimed to estimate the proportion of antimicrobial resistant strains and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) profiles of E. coli isolates detected from the intestinal contents of veal and dairy calves in the Veneto Region, Northeaster Italy. Additionally, we investigated the differences in AMR profiles between dairy and veal calves over the period 2017–2022. Overall 1150 E. coli isolates were tested from calves exhibiting enteric disease, with 868 from dairy and 282 from veal calves. The percentage of resistant isolates to nine antimicrobials was notably higher in veal calves compared to dairy calves, except for ampicillin. Throughout the study period, we observed a significant increase in the proportion of resistant isolates to florfenicol, gentamycin, paromomycin, tetracycline and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole in dairy calves, while we did not detect any significant increase in the proportion of resistant isolates among veal calves. A substantial proportion (75.9%) of the isolated E. coli exhibited multi-drug resistance (MDR). The proportion of multi-drug resistant isolates was significantly higher in veal calves (91.7%) compared to dairy calves (74.3%) all through the surveillance period (2017–2022), with no significant variation in MDR proportion among veal calves between 2017 and 2022 but a significant increase among dairy calves. Full article

With the continuous growth of energy demand, the advantages of nuclear power, such as high energy density, low emissions, and cleanliness, are gradually highlighted. However, the increasing capacity of the turbine generator in nuclear power plants has led to greater losses and critical heating issues. Designing an effective cooling system plays an important role in improving the rotor’s heat dissipation ability, especially under the condition of limited rotor space. In this study, the cooling effects of the rotor using a radial straight-type cooling structure and a composited radial–axial–radial cooling structure are compared and analyzed for a 1555 MVA hydrogen-cooled nuclear turbine generator. Three-dimensional fluid thermal coupled models of the rotor with both cooling structures are established, and corresponding boundary conditions are provided. The models are solved using the finite volume method. The flow law of cooling hydrogen gas inside the rotor and the temperature distribution of various parts of the rotor are studied in detail. Compared with the radial straight-type cooling structure, adopting the composited radial–axial–radial cooling structure can reduce the average temperature of the rotor field windings by 4.5 °C. The research results provide a reference for the design and optimization of the rotor cooling system for large-capacity nuclear turbine generators. Full article

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) are highly prevalent conditions, each significantly contributing to the global burden of morbidity and mortality. CVD and CKD share a great number of common risk factors, such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and smoking, among others. Their relationship extends beyond these factors, encompassing intricate interplay between the two systems. Within this complex network of pathophysiological processes, vitamin D has emerged as a potential linchpin, exerting influence over diverse physiological pathways implicated in both CKD and CVD. In recent years, scientific exploration has unveiled a close connection between these two prevalent conditions and vitamin D, a crucial hormone traditionally recognized for its role in bone health. This article aims to provide an extensive review of vitamin D’s multifaceted and expanding actions concerning its involvement in CKD and CVD. Full article

The repairing and strengthening of concrete structures using external and internal partial confinements are inevitable in the construction industry due to the new standards and rapid developments. The conventional materials and methods of confinement are unable to meet modern safety and functional standards. The fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) enhances the strength and ductility of deteriorating and new concrete columns by reducing lateral confinement pressure and resistance against seismic shocks. The precise methods of partial confinement are inevitable for effective FRP-concrete bonding, durability, and cost-effectiveness under different loading conditions and to cope with external environmental factors. Predictive modeling and simulation techniques are pivotal for the optimization of confinement materials and methods by investigating the FRP-concrete novel confinement configurations, stress–strain responses, and failure modes. The novel materials and methods for concrete columns’ partial confinement lack high compressive strength, ductility, chemical attack resistivity, and different fiber orientation impacts. This review provides an overview of recent confinement materials, novel methods, and advanced modeling and simulation techniques with a critical analysis of the research gaps for partial FRP confinement of concrete columns. The current challenges and future prospects are also presented. Full article

Wood exhibits a limited elastic deformation capacity under external forces due to its small range of elastic limit, which restricts its widespread use as an elastic material. This study presents the development of a stretchable wood-based elastomer (SWE) that is highly mechanical and flexible, achieved without the use of chemical cross-linking. Balsa wood was utilized as a raw material, which was chemically pretreated to remove the majority of the lignin and create a more abundant pore structure, while exposing the active hydroxyl groups on the cellulose surface. The polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solution was impregnated into delignified wood, resulting in the formation of a cross-linked structure through multiple freeze–thaw cycles. After eight cycles, the tensile strength in the longitudinal direction reached up to 25.68 MPa with a strain of ~463%. This excellent mechanical strength is superior to that of most wood-based elastomers reported to date. The SWE can also perform complex deformations such as winding and knotting, and SWE soaked in salt solution exhibits excellent sensing characteristics and can be used to detect human finger bending. Stretchable wood-based elastomers with high mechanical strength and toughness have potential future applications in biomedicine, flexible electronics, and other fields. Full article

Effective investment in transportation infrastructure ensures sustainable urban development and high-quality economic development. Understanding transportation and socioeconomic relationships is crucial for developing investment strategies. Existing research focuses on analyzing the contribution of transportation to the economy or the contribution of economic development to transportation, neglecting the identification of transportation infrastructure weaknesses to initiate targeted investment and construction. In this study, we propose an assessment framework based on the node–place model to identify the shortcomings in transportation infrastructure. The framework encompasses the adaptability of the current transportation infrastructure and the stage of economic development, evaluating whether the current transportation infrastructure is ahead of or lagging behind the level of economic development. We conduct a case study on three kinds of transportation infrastructure, including railways, highways, and civil aviation, in Zhejiang Province, China. The results show that Zhejiang Province’s transportation infrastructure generally meets economic development requirements, and most cities have relatively advanced transportation systems. However, significant gaps in transportation facilities in certain areas still need to be targeted and supplemented. These findings help to explore the theoretical relationship between transportation and socioeconomics, providing a basis for economic investment decisions on transportation infrastructure. Full article

Recently, transformer-based face super-resolution (FSR) approaches have achieved promising success in restoring degraded facial details due to their high capability for capturing both local and global dependencies. However, while existing methods focus on introducing sophisticated structures, they neglect the potential feature map information, limiting FSR performance. To circumvent this problem, we carefully design a pair of guiding blocks to dig for possible feature map information to enhance features before feeding them to transformer blocks. Relying on the guiding blocks, we propose a spatial-channel mutual attention-guided transformer network for FSR, for which the backbone architecture is a multi-scale connected encoder–decoder. Specifically, we devise a novel Spatial-Channel Mutual Attention-guided Transformer Module (SCATM), which is composed of a Spatial-Channel Mutual Attention Guiding Block (SCAGB) and a Channel-wise Multi-head Transformer Block (CMTB). SCATM on the top layer (SCATM-T) aims to promote both local facial details and global facial structures, while SCATM on the bottom layer (SCATM-B) seeks to optimize the encoded features. Considering that different scale features are complementary, we further develop a Multi-scale Feature Fusion Module (MFFM), which fuses features from different scales for better restoration performance. Quantitative and qualitative experimental results on various datasets indicate that the proposed method outperforms other state-of-the-art FSR methods. Full article

Today, there is an increasing consumption of ultra-processed food products (UPFs), while more healthy options are available; however, there is no scale available that can adequately measure this phenomenon. In this context, the present study aims to develop and validate a measurement scale of the consumers’ acceptance of ultra-processed food products. Research data (n = 478) were analyzed using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), followed by a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). The results confirm the validity of the proposed measurement scale comprising nine factors: the quality of ultra-processed food products, ability to save time, low affordable price, effortless preparation, convenience, hedonic nature, marketing strategies, satisfaction and purchase intention. The present study makes a noticeable contribution to food marketing, and food companies could consider these factors to design and commercialize ultra-processed foods. Full article

High-speed train operation may cause vibration near track facilities and propagate far through the ground, affecting people’s lives, work, and normal use of precision instruments in an urban environment. An efficient numerical method is proposed to calculate the non-uniform ground vibration under a moving high-speed railway load. The theory of stochastic variables is used to describe the soil spatial variability of the non-uniform layered elastic ground, and the coupled 2.5D random finite element method (FEM) is proposed to reduce the computational cost without losing accuracy. Vibration propagation and attenuation of the non-uniform layered ground are investigated and the effect of train speed and soil non-homogeneity are analyzed. Results show that (1) at cross speed and high speed, the homogeneity coefficient of the layered ground has the most important influence on the ground vibration amplitude; (2) the upward acceleration is much larger than the downward acceleration at most speeds, and at cross speed and high speed, the acceleration amplitude decreases with the increase in the homogeneity coefficient; (3) as train speed increases from 60 m/s to 130 m/s, the influencing range of the homogeneity coefficient increases to 10 m from 2 m; and (4) the phenomenon of an in increase in local rebound can be observed in the velocity and acceleration attenuation curve at cross speed when the ground soil has a weaker homogeneity. Full article

Cashmere and wool are both natural animal fibers used in the textile industry, but cashmere is of superior quality, is rarer, and more precious. It is therefore important to distinguish the two fibers accurately and effectively. However, challenges due to their similar appearance, morphology, and physical and chemical properties remain. Herein, a terahertz electromagnetic inductive transparency (EIT) metasurface biosensor is introduced for qualitative and quantitative identification of cashmere and wool. The periodic unit structure of the metasurface consists of four rotationally symmetric resonators and two cross−arranged metal secants to form toroidal dipoles and electric dipoles, respectively, so that its effective sensing area can be greatly improved by 1075% compared to the traditional dipole mode, and the sensitivity will be up to 342 GHz/RIU. The amplitude and frequency shift changes of the terahertz transmission spectra caused by the different refractive indices of cashmere/wool can achieve highly sensitive label−free qualitative and quantitative identification of both. The experimental results show that the terahertz metasurface biosensor can work at a concentration of 0.02 mg/mL. It provides a new way to achieve high sensitivity, precision, and trace detection of cashmere/wool, and would be a valuable application for the cashmere industry. Full article

The influence of solid solution treatment (SST), artificial aging treatment (AAT), and deep cryogenic-aging treatment (DCAT) on the mechanical properties and microstructure evolution of 6082 aluminum alloy was investigated. The tensile test was performed to obtain the true stress–strain curves through an electronic universal testing machine. The results show that the yield strengths of the SST specimens in all three directions are the lowest, of less than 200 MPa. In addition, the maximum elongation of the SST specimen is over 16% and the value of in-plane anisotropy (IPA) is 5.40%. For the AAT specimen, the yield strengths of the AAT alloy in three directions have distinct improvements, which are beyond 340 MPa. However, the maximum elongation and the IPA were evidently reduced. The yield strength and elongation of the DCAT alloy exhibit a slight enhancement compared with those in the AAT condition, and the corresponding IPA is 0.61%. The studied alloy specimens in all conditions exhibit ductile fracture. The DCAT alloy has the highest density of precipitates with the smallest size. Therefore, the dislocation pinning effect of the DCAT specimens are the strongest, which exhibit the highest yield strength accordingly. In addition, the uniformly distributed precipitates in the matrix with a large ratio of long and short axes can suppress the anisotropy caused by elongated grains. Full article

To ensure the safe protection of marine engine systems, it is necessary to explore the hot surface ignition (HSI) characteristics of marine diesel in ship environments. However, an accurate model describing these complex characteristics is still not available. In this work, a new experimental method is proposed in order to enhance prediction performance by integrating testing data of the characteristics of HSI of marine diesel. The sensitivity of HSI is determined by various factors such as surface parameters, flow state, and the ship’s environment. According to variations in the HSI status of marine diesel in an engine room, the HSI probability is distributed in three phases. It is essential to determine whether the presence of marine diesel or surrounding items can intensify the risk of an initial fire beginning in the engine room. A vapor plume model was developed to describe the relationship between HSI height and initial specific buoyancy flux in vertical space. Further, field distribution revealed significant variation in the increase in temperature between 200 and 300 mm of vertical height, indicating a region of initial HSI. In addition, increasing surface temperature did not result in a significant change in ignition delay time. After reaching a temperature of 773 K, the ignition delay time remained around 0.48 s, regardless of how much the hot surface temperature increased. This study reveals the HSI evolution of marine diesel in a ship engine room and develops data-based predictive models for evaluating the safety of HSI parameters during initial accident assessments. The results show that the goodness of fit of the predictive models reached above 0.964. On the basis of the predicted results, the HSI characteristics of marine diesel in engine rooms could be gleaned by actively determining the parameters of risk. Full article

The objective of this study is to determine how to increase green space that can overlap with areas that are primarily used for transport in commercial areas and waterfront routes in communities in Thailand, where transportation is limited, in order to provide urban populations an opportunity to access green space in various forms. In this study, the following was found: (1) Commercial routes should be considered. Specifically, green spaces should be created in various forms by considering the sizes of footpaths as well as restrictions on planting; the plants should be native plants because they are easy to care for and help convey the boundaries of an area. A “landmark” that represents the identity of a community should be used to create a meeting point for people entering the commercial area, and designers should use the principles of universal design to make all groups of people feel confident and safe when accessing the area. Finally, vacant or abandoned areas between buildings may also be used. (2) Waterside travel routes should also be considered. Green spaces should be distributed into points, or some routes should be made wider to accommodate various activities; areas along canals or river banks or degraded waterways should be developed or improved to create a recreational area designed with the community’s unique identity in mind, which may develop into a destination for tourists. Importantly, agencies who are responsible for working with the people in the community need to continuously care for these green spaces to enhance sustainability. Full article