Two-dimensional laser-induced photofragmentation fluorescence (LIPF) was employed to quantitatively visualize the potassium hydroxide (KOH) and potassium chloride (KCl) vapor in the plume above burning wood and straw pellets. In the LIPF measurement, two excitation lasers at 266 and 193 nm were adopted to discriminate KOH and KCl. Meanwhile, tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS), las

Visualization of the reaction zone of flames using CH radicals as markers is restricted by the low concentration of CH in fuel-lean conditions. To address this, methyl radicals (CH3) are employed as a substitution of CH in premixed methane/air flames. A pump-probe method was adopted with the pump laser photolyzing CH3 and the probe laser detecting the photolyzed CH(X25) fragments. Laser excitation

Ignition has a significant impact on combustion efficiency and combustion emissions. Long-gap spark discharge ignition can increase the initial flame kernel and reduce the flame propagation time. However, long-gap spark discharge ignition requires increased discharge voltage and suffers from the fluctuation in ignition time and position. Here, we propose a long-gap ignition technique using femtose

Background: The prescribed radiation dose to patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) is standardized, even if the prognosis for individual patients may differ. Easy-at-hand pre-treatment risk stratification methods are valuable to individualize therapy. In the current study we assessed the prognostic impact of primary tumor volume for p16-positive and p16-negative tumors and in

This work concerns the spectroscopic properties of micro- and nanoscale LuPO4:Pr3+ and microscale YPO4:Pr3+ upon excitation by VUV synchrotron radiation at a wide range of energies (5–45 eV) and two different temperatures (7 and 300 K). Both Pr3+ doped host materials show more intense UV-C emission than other Pr3+ phosphors studied earlier at FinEstBeAMS beamline under the same measurement conditi

A combined anaerobic–aerobic (CAO) system is a feasible animal wastewater treatment approach, and one of the prerequisites for its sustainable application is to realise energy self-sufficiency. Here, we built an energy balance model to calculate the probability of achieving energy self-sufficiency in three CAO systems with multiple uncertainties through Monte Carlo simulation. Upon comparison with

BACKGROUND: Adolescents are reporting increasing symptoms of anxiety, depression and somatization and an increase in perceived stress is a plausible explanation. The first aim of this study was to examine the occurrence of perceived stress and health outcomes in adolescents, and to evaluate if there are any sex differences. The second aim was to investigate if there is an association between perce

Introduction The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the effects of exercise on (i) the prevention of cancer-related lymphedema (CRL) and (ii) the treatment of CRL, lymphedema-associated symptoms, and other health outcomes among individuals with CRL. Methods An electronic search was undertaken for exercise studies measuring lymphedema and involving individuals at ri

The beam-foil excitation technique has been applied to determine lifetimes of the 3p2P1/2, 2P3/2 and 3d2D3/2, 2D5/2 levels in Na-like Cl VII. Using the ANDC method accurate values have been obtained which confirm recent theoretical values and explain some previously noted differences between theoretical and experimental oscillator strengths for transitions in multiply ionized Na-like ions.

Recently, it has been shown and validated that presence and severity of emphysema on computed tomography could be estimated by a novel spirometry based index, the emphysema severity index (ESI). However, the clinical relevance of the index has not been established. We conducted cox-regression analyses with adjustment for age, smoking, sex, forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and forced vital ca

The energy levels of the 2p54f configuration in neon-like sulphur, S VII, have been derived from spectral lines in the region 330-375 Å. The lines, which were identified as belonging to the 3d-4f transition, were emitted from a laser-produced plasma. The structure in the 4f configuration has been studied through a parametric fit of Slater integrals.

We present a compact, few-cycle, short-wave infrared light source delivering 13 μJ, carrier-envelope phase (CEP) stable pulses around 2 μm, operating at 200 kHz repetition rate. Starting from an ytterbium fiber amplifier, the seed is produced via white-light generation followed by difference frequency generation, and later amplified in two BiBO nonlinear crystals. A pulse duration of 15.8 fs is me

Energy levels of the configurations 4s4p and 4p2 in zink-like Zr, Nb and Mo have been derived through the identification of spectral lines emitted from laser-produced plasmas. Intercombination lines in the 4s4p-4p2 transition connect the singlet and triplet systems. Wavelengths for spinforbidden and magnetic quadrupole ground term combinations have been derived from the energy levels.

While both innate and adaptive immune system mechanisms have been implicated in resistance against the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), studies on the role of specific MHC haplotypes on Bd infection are rare. Here, we studied variation in MHC Class IIB loci in the common toad Bufo bufo along a latitudinal gradient across Sweden. In general, Swedish toad populations had few MHC C

Oat is susceptible to several Fusarium species that cause contamination with different trichothecene mycotoxins. The molecular mechanisms behind Fusarium resistance in oat have yet to be elucidated. In the present work, we identified and characterised two oat UDP-glucosyltransferases orthologous to barley HvUGT13248. Overexpression of the latter in wheat had been shown previously to increase resis

Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) maps can be effectively produced by cost‐effective and frequent satellite observations. Powerful cloud computing platforms are emerging as a growing trend in the high utilization of freely accessible remotely sensed data for LULC mapping over largescale regions using big geodata. This study proposes a workflow to generate a 10 m LULC map of Europe with nine classes, ELUL

The internal heat exchangers of a vehicle in driving are excited by forced vibration due to road bumps. But the effect of this phenomenon on the thermal-hydraulic performance of the heat exchanger has not been systematically studied. To investigate the influence of this vibration on the heat transfer characteristics, a numerical model of the rectangular heat exchanger unit channel under vibration

Reduced walking ability is common in persons with late effects of polio (LEoP). Here, we explored how many walking limitations persons with LEoP perceive, and how these limitations influence daily life, by using a mixed-methods design. Fourteen persons (mean age 70 years, whereof 7 women) with LEoP responded to the Walking Impact Scale (Walk-12), and were inter-viewed individually. Qualitative dat

Objectives To explore the relationship between creatinine and cystatin C based estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in actively working sugarcane cutters. Methods This cohort study included 458 sugarcane cutters from Nicaragua and El Salvador. Serum samples were taken before and at end of harvest seasons and analysed for creatinine and cystatin C. Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collabo