Search Results (96)

We present a freeze-out approach for describing the formation of heavy elements in expanding nuclear matter. Applying concepts used in modeling heavy-ion collisions or ternary fission, we determine the abundances of heavy elements taking into account in-medium effects such as Pauli blocking and the Mott effect, which describes the dissolution of nuclei at high densities of nuclear matter. With this approach, we search for a universal initial distribution in a quasi-equilibrium state from which the coarse-grained pattern of the solar abundances of heavy elements freezes out and evolves by radioactive decay of the excited states. The universal initial state is characterized by the Lagrange parameters, which are related to temperature and chemical potentials of neutrons and protons. We show that such a state exists and determine a temperature of 5.266 MeV, a neutron chemical potential of 940.317 MeV and a proton chemical potential of 845.069 MeV, with a baryon number density of 0.013 fm⁻³ and a proton fraction of $0.13$. Heavy neutron-rich nuclei such as the hypothetical double-magic nucleus ³⁵⁸Sn appear in the initial distribution and contribute to the observed abundances after fission. We discuss astrophysical scenarios for the realization of this universal initial distribution for heavy-element nucleosynthesis, including supernova explosions, neutron star mergers and the inhomogeneous Big Bang. The latter scenario may be of interest in the light of early massive objects observed with the James Webb Space Telescope and opens new perspectives on the universality of the observed r-process patterns and the lack of observations of population III stars. Full article

Solid-state ¹³C NMR spectroscopy using cross-polarization magic-angle spinning is a highly valuable technique for the semi-quantitative analysis of complex solid matrices. One of its key advantages is that it does not require any manipulation of the matrix, such as extractions or other treatments, which is particularly important for preserving the integrity of unstable secondary metabolites. Glucosinolates (β-thioglucoside-N-hydrosulphates) are crucial secondary metabolites specific to Brassica species, and many of them are known to be highly unstable. In this study, we evaluated solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy as an alternative method for the identification and quantification of total glucosinolates in the seeds of Sisymbrium officinale, Brassica napus, Sinapis alba, Brassica nigra, and Moringa oleifera. The results obtained with this method showed good agreement with those from conventional chemical analyses of the seed material. Although, based on a limited number of samples, this preliminary study suggests that the proposed approach could be a useful alternative for quantifying total glucosinolate content in seeds. Full article

Nitrogen is a crucial element that impacts rice yield and its constituent factors. The effects of reduced nitrogen levels on yield constitute is a complex quantitative trait that is controlled by multiple genes, and its genetic basis requires further exploration. In this study, 562 MAGIC line population and 284 germplasm varieties were used for genome-wide association analysis (GWAS) and haplotype analysis, aiming to detect quantitative trait loci (QTL) and candidate genes associated with tolerance to low nitrogen levels. The ratio of effective panicle number per plant (REPN), total number of grains per panicle (RTGN), seed setting rate (RSSR), thousand grain weight (RTGW), biomass (RBM), harvest index (RHI), and grain yield per plant (RGY) of low to normal nitrogen conditions were measured in this study. The RBM and RHI were directly closely related to RGY, while the RSSR indirectly and positively affected RGY through RHI, and the REPN and RTGN mainly indirectly and positively affected RGY through RBM. LOC_Os06g06440 was the most likely gene affecting low-nitrogen-tolerance-related traits in rice within the region, ranging from 2.898 Mb to 3.046 Mb (148 kb) on chromosome 6, and the haplotype AA, with a significantly larger mean RGY of 0.95 and 1.53 in the MAGIC and germplasm varieties, respectively, was the advanced allele of LOC_Os06g06440. Nine xian (indica) varieties (IRIS_313-11624, IRIS_313-10932, CX382, B067, B249, IRIS_313-8215, IRIS_313-10544, B052, and B233) carrying the superior haplotype (AA) of LOC_Os06g06440 and having a higher RGY were selected for the molecular marker-assisted selection of low nitrogen tolerance in rice. These results will enhance our knowledge of the genetic basis of tolerance to low levels of nitrogen and provide valuable information for improving tolerance to low levels of nitrogen in rice-breeding programs. Full article

The Multi-Parent Advanced Generation Inter-Cross (MAGIC) population is a powerful tool for dissecting the genetic architecture controlling natural variation in complex traits. In this work, the natural variation available in Arabidopsis thaliana MAGIC lines was evaluated by mapping quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for primary root length (PRL), lateral root number (LRN), lateral root length (LRL), adventitious root number (ARN), and adventitious root length (ARL). We analyzed the differences in the root structure of 139 MAGIC lines by measuring PRL, LRN, LRL, ARN, and ARL. Through QTL mapping, we identified new potential genes that may be responsible for these traits. Furthermore, we detected single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the coding regions of candidate genes in the founder accessions and the recombinant inbred lines (RILs). We identified a significant region on chromosome 1 associated with AR formation. This region encompasses 316 genes, many of which are involved in auxin and gibberellin signaling and homeostasis. We discovered SNPs in the coding regions of these candidate genes in the founder accessions that may contribute to natural variation in AR characteristics. Additionally, we found a novel gene that encodes a protein from the hydroxyproline-rich glycoprotein family, which exhibits differential SNPs in accessions with contrasting AR formation. This study provides genetic insights into the natural variation in AR numbers using MAGIC lines linked to hormone-related genes. Full article

Current Satellite-Based Augmentation Systems (SBASs) improve the positioning accuracy and integrity of GPS satellites and provide safe civil aviation navigation services for procedures from en-route to LPV-200 precision approach over specific regions. SBAS systems, such as WAAS, EGNOS, GAGAN, and MSAS, already operate. The development of operational SBAS systems is in transition due to the extension of L1 SBAS services to new regions and the improvements expected by the introduction of dual frequency multi-constellation (DFMC) services, which allow the use of more core constellations such as Galileo and the use of ionosphere-free L1/L5 signal combination. The UKSBAS Testbed is a demonstration and feasibility project in the framework of ESA’s Navigation Innovation Support Programme (NAVISP), which is sponsored by the UK’s HMG with the participation of the Department for Transport and the UK Space Agency. UKSBAS Testbed’s main objective is to deliver a new L1 SBAS signal in space (SIS) from May 2022 in the UK region using Viasat’s Inmarsat-3F5 geostationary (GEO) satellite and Goonhilly Earth Station as signal uplink over PRN 158, as well as L1 SBAS and DFMC SBAS services through the Internet. SBAS messages are generated by GMV’s magicSBAS software and fed with data from the Ordnance Survey’s station network. This paper provides an assessment of the performance achieved by the UKSBAS Testbed during the last two years of operations at the SIS and user level, including a number of experimentation campaigns performed in the aviation and maritime domains, comprising ground tests at airports, flight tests on aircraft and sea trials on a vessel. This assessment includes, among others, service availability (e.g., APV-I, LPV-200), protection levels (PL), and position errors (PE) statistics over the service area and in a network of receivers. Full article

Critical care medicine is a highly complex field where diagnosing diseases and selecting effective therapies pose daily challenges for clinicians. In critically ill patients, biomarkers can play a crucial role in identifying and addressing clinical problems. Selecting the right biomarkers and utilizing them effectively can lead to more informed decisions, ultimately impacting patient outcomes. However, each biomarker has its strengths and limitations, making a thorough understanding essential for accurate diagnosis and treatment management. For instance, neuron-specific enolase (NSE) is commonly used to predict outcomes in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), procalcitonin (PCT) levels strongly correlate with bacterial infections, and NT-proBNP serves as a reliable indicator of cardiac stress. Additionally, serum creatinine (SCr) remains fundamental in renal diagnostics, while prealbumin helps differentiate catabolic and anabolic phases in critically ill patients. This narrative review highlights a carefully selected set of biomarkers known for their clinical utility and reliability in guiding critical care decisions. Further refining the application of biomarkers—especially by integrating them into a multimodal approach—will enhance clinicians’ ability to navigate the challenges of critical care, always striving to improve patient outcomes. Full article

Magic squares have been widely studied, with publications of mathematical interest dating back over 100 years. Most studies construct and analyse specific subsets of magic squares, with some exploring links to puzzles, number theory, and graph theory. The subset of magic squares this paper focuses on are those termed prime strictly concentric magic squares (PSCMS), and their general definitions, examples, and important properties are also presented. Previously, only the minimum centre cell values of PSCMS of odd order 5 to 19 were presented, by Makarova in 2015. In this paper, the corresponding list of primes for all minimum PSCMS of order 5 is given, and the number of minimum PSCMS of order 5 is enumerated. Full article

The increasing number and complexity of cyber–physical systems in vehicles necessitate a rigorous approach to identifying functional safety and cybersecurity hazards during the concept phase of product development. This study establishes a systematic method for identifying safety and security requirements for E/E components in the automotive sector, utilizing the SysML language within the CAMEO environment. The method’s activities and work products are grounded in the ISO 26262:2018 and ISO/SAE 21434:2021 standards. Comprehensive requirements were defined for the method’s application environment and activities, including generic methods detailing the creation of work products. The method’s metamodel was developed using the MagicGrid framework and validated through an application example. Synergies between the two foundational standards were identified and integrated into the method. The solution generation was systematically described by detailing activities for result generation and the production of standard-compliant work products. To facilitate practical implementation, a method template in SysML was created, incorporating predefined stereotypes, relationships, and tables to streamline the application and enhance consistency. Full article

Global climate change minimizes fresh water resources used in agriculture worldwide. It causes drought stress, which has adverse effects on plants. To ensure food security, crops and vegetables capable of tolerating shortages of water over the growth period are needed. This study aimed to elucidate the morphological and biochemical responses of three colored cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis) cultivars (Clapton, Trevi, and Di Sicilia Violetto) and one broccoli cultivar (Brassica oleracea var. italica var. Magic) to different irrigation treatments (85–100%, 65–80%, 45–60%, and 25–40% field capacity). Assessment of growth parameters revealed no significant difference among all the treatments for root fresh weight, leaf area, and floret size. Major water shortages reduced the floret and stem fresh weight of the Clapton cultivar. Additionally, under severe drought stress, only the Di Sicilia Violetto cultivar had a decrease in plant height, but no impact on the number of leaves was observed. The measurement of pigment contents in the leaves showed no significant difference in carotenoids in all the cultivars; just the chlorophyll contents decreased with moderate stress in the Di Sicilia Violetto cultivar. This research demonstrates that cauliflower and broccoli are likely drought-tolerant vegetables and common irrigation regimes may be reviewed. Full article

Whether $Z=126$ is a proton magic number has been controversial in nuclear physics. The even-even ${}_{126}\mathrm{Ubh}$ isotopes are calculated based on the DRHBc calculations with PC-PK1. The evolutions of quadrupole deformation and pairing energies for neutron and proton are analyzed to study the possible nuclear magicity. Spherical shape occurs and neutron pairing energy vanishes at $N=258$ and 350, which are the results of possible neutron magicity, while the proton pairing energy never vanishes in Ubh isotopes, which does not support the proton magicity at $Z=126$. In the single-proton spectrum, there is no discernible gap at $Z=126$, while significant gaps appear at $Z=120$ and 138. Therefore, $Z=126$ is not supported as a proton magic number, while $Z=120$ and 138 are suggested as candidates of proton magic numbers. Full article

In the framework of axial symmetric relativistic Hartree–Bogoliubov (RHB) theory and the Skyrme Hartree–Fock–Bogoliubov (HFB) theory, the evolution of shell structure, density distribution, and ground state deformation in superheavy nuclei proximate to $N=258$ are investigated within the relativistic functionals DD-PC1 and DD-ME2, as well as the non-relativistic functional UNEDF0. The results from DD-ME2 and UNEDF0 indicate that $N=258$ is a neutron magic number, whereas DD-PC1 does not anticipate the existence of a bound $N=258$ magic nucleus. Further discussion suggests that the emergence of the magic number $N=258$ is related to the depression of the central density. Full article

This study provides a comprehensive examination of the surface properties—particularly the symmetry energy and its contributing components—of isotonic chains across various mass ranges, including light, medium, heavy, and superheavy nuclei. We establish a correlation between nuclear symmetry energy and isospin asymmetry in different mass regions along isotonic chains with magic and semi-magic neutron numbers of N = 20, 40, 82, 126, and 172. Our approach integrates the coherent density fluctuation model within the relativistic mean-field (RMF) framework, utilizing both the non-linear NL3 and density-dependent DD-ME2 parameter sets. The methodology employs the Brueckner energy density functional in conjunction with our recently developed relativistic energy density functional (relativistic-EDF). The relativistic parameterization of the EDF at local density facilitates a consistent exploration of isospin-dependent surface properties across the nuclear landscape. In the present work, we successfully reproduce established shell closures and demonstrate that the relativistic approach yields significantly improved predictions for recognized magic numbers, particularly Z = 28 and 50. Additionally, we present compelling evidence for the presence of novel shell and sub-shell closures, specifically at Z = 34, 58, 92, and 118. These findings contribute to a nuanced understanding of nuclear surface properties while serving as a benchmark for future investigations and validations of nuclear models. Full article

The need to improve both the cost of food production and lower the environmental impact of food production is key to being able to sustainably feed the projected growth of the human population. To attempt to understand how to improve yields under lower nitrogen (N) inputs, a diverse set of UK winter wheats encompassing ~80% of the genetic diversity in current winter wheats in the UK were grown under a range of N levels and their performance measured under various levels of N. This population has parents which encompass all four end-use categories to understand how breeding for differences in NUE may change across different end-use types of wheat. The growth of the eight parents of a MAGIC population showed significant differences in biomass per plant, ear number, yield and protein content of the grain when grown with differing levels of N. No consistent response to N was seen for the lines tested for all of the traits measured. However, the underlying difference in response to N was not due to N uptake or N translocation, as short-term ¹⁵N uptake and translocation showed no significant differences in the lines tested. RNASeq was then performed on two different bread-making varieties grown under low-N conditions to identify putative genes controlling the underlying differences seen in biomass production when grown on low N. This led to the identification of the genes involved in growth and C/N signaling and metabolism, which may explain the differences in growth and biomass production seen between the parents of this population. Full article

The investigation of magic numbers for nuclei in the hyperheavy region $(Z>120)$ is an interesting topic. The neutron magic number $N=350$ is carefully validated by the deformed relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov theory in continuum (DRHBc), via analysing even-even nuclei around $N=350$ of the $Z=136$ isotopes in detail. Nuclei with $Z=136$ and $340\le N\le 360$ are all found to be spherical in their ground states. A big drop of the two-neutron separation energy $S_{2n}$ is observed from $N=350$ to $N=352$ in the isotopic chain of $Z=136$, and a peak of the two-neutron gap ${\delta }_{2n}$ appears at $N=350$. There exists a big shell gap above $N=350$ around the spherical regions of single-neutron levels for nucleus with $(Z=136,N=350)$. These evidences from the DRHBc theory support $N=350$ to be a neutron magic number in the hyperheavy region. Full article

Background/Objectives: In vitro fertilization (IVF) is an assisted reproductive technique for women and couples experiencing difficulties in achieving a spontaneous pregnancy, often due to stressors that negatively affect fertility. Humor can be beneficial in these stressful situations, helping to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. The primary aim was to analyze the effectiveness of laughter therapy in increasing pregnancy rates in women undergoing IVF. The secondary aims were to identify different types of laughter therapy interventions and evaluate their benefits. Methods: A systematic review was conducted using Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, Cinahl, ProQuest and Lilacs, with the search terms “laughter”, “laughter therapy”, “fertilization in vitro” and “fertilization”. Intervention studies published in English, Spanish, or Portuguese were included, with no limits on the date of publication. Studies with other designs, those conducted with animals and grey literature were excluded. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tools. Results: In total, n = 3 studies (1 randomized clinical trial and 2 quasi-experimental) were included, evaluating pregnancy rates and symptoms of depression and anxiety. The interventions included clowns performing magic tricks and interpreting comic situations. Additionally, they incorporated hand clapping, breathing exercises, childlike playfulness, drinking milk, muscle relaxation exercises, candles, and music. Conclusions: This review does not provide clear evidence on the effectiveness of laughter therapy in increasing pregnancy success in IVF. Although it may have some positive effects in reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety, it is important to note that while the reduction of these symptoms may enhance the emotional well-being of patients, it has not been demonstrated to directly lead to an increase in pregnancy rates. Laughter therapy is an innovative, non-pharmacological intervention that is simple, non-invasive, easy to implement and cost-effective; however, the number of available studies is insufficient. More research is needed to provide better and higher-quality evidence using rigorous designs to evaluate this intervention in IVF clinical practice. Full article