In the present study, the electrical conductivity of the soil solution (σp) was predicted using a linear model in which the bulk soilelectrical conductivity (σb) effect on the apparent dielectric permittivity (εs) was considered. The performance of the proposed model wasevaluated by measurements with a dielectric sensor (the WET sensor) in four porous media at four different levels of electrical c

Climate change poses an unprecedented challenge to agriculture. While growers have always struggled with year-to-year variation in climate – early rains or unusually hot summers – climate change provides a major directional shift in mean climate. Across the globe, growing regions are warming and plants are shifting in both time and space. Current and future shifts pose a major challenge to researc

Improving our understanding of biological motors, both to fully comprehend their activities in vital processes, and to exploit their impressive abilities for use in bionanotechnology, is highly desirable. One means of understanding these systems is through the production of synthetic molecular motors. We demonstrate the use of orthogonal coiled-coil dimers (including both parallel and antiparallel

We investigate the concentration-controlled formation of clusters in β-lactoglobulin (BLG) protein solutions combining structural and dynamical scattering techniques. The static structure factor from small-angle X-ray scattering as well as de-Gennes narrowing in the nanosecond diffusion function D(q) from neutron spin echo spectroscopy support a picture of cluster formation. Using neutron backscat

Due to the complexity of built environment, urban design patterns considerably affect the microclimate and outdoor thermal comfort in a given urban morphology. Variables such as building heights and orientations, spaces between buildings, plot coverage alter solar access, wind speed and direction at street level. To improve microclimate and comfort conditions urban design elements including vegeta

We study the surface diffusion and alloying of Sb into GaAs nanowires (NWs) with controlled axial stacking of wurtzite (Wz) and zinc blende (Zb) crystal phases. Using atomically resolved scanning tunneling microscopy, we find that Sb preferentially incorporates into the surface layer of the {110}-terminated Zb segments rather than the {1120}-terminated Wz segments. Density functional theory calcul

Aims: To assess the agreement between the Ross treadmill method and the Åstrand ergometer cycle method, and the repeatability of each method. Methodology: Twenty healthy people aged 22.5 ± 2.2 years were tested on two different days, each day with both methods with a pause of 30 min between the tests. The tests were executed in the reverse order the following test day. Major findings: There was no

Identification of pathogenic microorganisms by traditional methods is slow and cumbersome. Therefore, the focus today is on developing new and quicker analytical methods. In this study, a Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) sensor with a microcontact imprinted sensor chip was developed for detecting Salmonella paratyphi. For this purpose, the stamps of the target microorganism were prepared and then,

Most chemistry, including chemistry where relativistic effects are important, occurs in an environment, and in many cases, this environment has a significant effect on the chemistry. In nonrelativistic quantum chemistry, a lot of progress has been achieved with respect to including environments such as a solvent or protein in the calculations, and now is the time to extend the possibilities for al

Permafrost in the Arctic is thawing, exposing large carbon and nitrogen stocks for decomposition. Gaseous carbon release from Arctic soils due to permafrost thawing is known to be substantial, but growing evidence suggests that Arctic soils may also be relevant sources of nitrous oxide (N2O). Here we show that N2O emissions from subarctic peatlands increase as the permafrost thaws. In our study, t

Background: Gene duplication has led to a most remarkable adaptation involved in vertebrates' host-pathogen arms-race, the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). However, MHC duplication history is as yet poorly understood in non-mammalian vertebrates, including birds. Results: Here, we provide evidence for the evolution of two ancient avian MHC class IIB (MHCIIB) lineages by a duplication event

We propose a general approach to describe spreading widths of monopole, dipole, and quadrupole giant resonances in heavy and superheavy spherical nuclei. Our approach is based on the ideas of the random matrix distribution of the coupling between one-phonon and two-phonon states generated in the random-phase approximation. We use the Skyrme interaction SLy4 as our model Hamiltonian to create a sin

The production of K∗(892)0 and φ(1020) mesons in proton-proton (pp) and lead-lead (Pb-Pb) collisions at sNN=2.76TeV has been analyzed using a high luminosity data sample accumulated in 2011 with the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Transverse momentum (pT) spectra have been measured for K∗(892)0 and φ(1020) mesons via their hadronic decay channels for pT up to 20GeV/c. The measur

Personal data is found at the core of the digital economy, and from a consumer perspective it is increasingly difficult to assess when it's collected, how it is utilised or traded and by what third parties it is handled over time. As Rhoen (2016) argues, a broader application of consumer protection regulation to user agreements may increase accountability for operators who collect and manage perso

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors targeting the BCR-ABL oncoprotein in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) are remarkably effective inducing deep molecular remission in most patients. However, they are less effective to eradicate the leukemic stem cells (LSC), resulting in disease persistence. Therefore, there is great need to develop novel therapeutic strategies to specifically target the LSC. In an experime

Student engagement is an important factor when it comes to the learning process. Students who do not feel engaged in their studies are more likely to fail their exams and might even drop out of their education. Different methods have been tried in order to increase student engagement. One of them is the contributing student pedagogy, where students contribute to the learning of others and also val

In sensor network applications with low traffic intensity, idle channel listening is one of the main sources of energy waste. The use of a dedicated low-power wake-up receiver (WRx), which utilizes duty-cycled channel listening, can significantly reduce the idle listening energy cost. Extreme low-power design typically leads to performance losses, indirectly increasing energy costs. Striking the r