Alkaline delignification of wood tissue is the core of the global pulping technology and the most prominent large-scale separation of the main wood components. This work aims at improved understanding of the interplay between the topochemistry of alkaline pulping and the associated morphological changes. Morphology and chemical structure of partially soda-delignified wood chips were studied combin

This paper presents a wireless power transmission system which is able to deliver power to multiple loads by making use of a time-division multiplexing technique. Similar loads are placed into the slots in a row, and two power transmitters, at the bottom and top, supply them with sufficient amount of power. This system operates in two phases; within one phase, the transmitters are in-phase, and th

In this paper, a model inspired by Grand Unification principles featuring three generations of vector-like fermions, new Higgs doublets and a rich neutrino sector at the low scale is presented. Using the state-of-the-art Deep Learning techniques we perform the first phenomenological analysis of this model focusing on the study of new charged vector-like leptons (VLLs) and their possible signatures

5-Azacitidine (AZA) therapy is used in high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) patients who often show abnormalities in their immunophenotype. We explored the potential impact of AZA on these immunophenotypic abnormalities in serial bone marrow studies performed in 81 patients from five centers. We compared the immunophenotypic features before and after therapy with AZA, established definitions c

The fate of excited charge carriers in metal halide perovskite semiconductors is influenced by energetic disorder and defects. Here, photoluminescence (PL) blinking is used to probe metastable nonradiative (NR) centers and the nanoscale energy landscape. Temporal activation of an NR center creates a local region with increased NR recombination. Activation and deactivation of this local PL quenchin

This study focuses on the production of subject–verb (SV) agreement in number in L2 French and investigates the role of cross-linguistic influence (CLI) in this particular morphosyntactic domain. CLI is a well-known phenomenon in Second Language Acquisition (SLA) research but it has rarely been investigated systematically in relation to SV agreement in French. The participants of the study are 114

The synthesis of 5,10,15,20-tetrakis((5,10-bis((2-hexyldecyl)oxy)dithieno[3,2-c:3′,2′-h][1,5]naphthyridin-2-yl)ethynyl)porphyrin zinc(II) (Por4NT), a near-infrared (NIR) emitting compound, comprising a zinc porphyrin core linked with triple bonds through its meso positions to four 5,10-bis((2-hexyldecyl)oxy)dithieno[3,2-c:3′,2′-h][1,5]naphthyridine (NT) arms is reported. Por4NT featured high solub

We analyze the problem of allocating indivisible objects and monetary compensations to a set of agents. In particular, we consider envy-free and budget-balanced rules that are least manipulable with respect to agents counting or with respect to utility gains. A key observation is that, for any profile of quasi-linear preferences, the outcome of any such least manipulable envy-free rule can be obta

We estimated the discriminatory power of area of residence (census tract) on the prevalence of main risk factors for chronic diseases. Results, based on a sample of 21,007 participants from the 2011–2012 National Health Survey of Spain, show a differential influence of the geosocial environment on the four health risk factors. Accounting for census tracts substantially increases the discriminatory

Climate change alters frequencies and intensities of soil drying-rewetting and freezing-thawing cycles. These fluctuations affect soil water availability, a crucial driver of soil microbial activity. While these fluctuations are leaving imprints on soil microbiome structures, the question remains if the legacy of one type of weather fluctuation (e.g., drying-rewetting) affects the community respon

Iron deficiency is a common cause of morbidity and can arise as a consequence or complication from many diseases. The use of intravenous iron has increased significantly in the last decade, but concerns remain about indications and administration. Modern intravenous iron preparations can facilitate rapid iron repletion in one or two doses, both for absolute iron deficiency and, in the presence of

Background: It remains clinically important to identify ER positive breast cancers likely to respond to tamoxifen (TAM) and so we aimed to select a group of biomarkers able to predict response. We also assessed whether data from different sample types [tumor microarrays (TMAs) and core biopsies] or tumor sites could be combined for biomarker studies.Methods: A total of 123 endocrine treatment naïv

This study investigates values and narratives of urban biodiversity in the highly culturally and biologically diverse city Cape Town, South Africa. Local expressions of values of biodiversity are explored, in the context of the challenge of accounting for diverse values of biodiversity through a green infrastructure approach. Based on interviews with practitioners involved in green space and biodi

The world of work is facing an ongoing pandemic and an economic downturn with severe effects worldwide. Workers trapped in precarious employment (PE), both formal and informal, are among those most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Here we call attention to at least 5 critical ways that the consequences of the crisis among workers in PE will be felt globally: (a) PE will increase, (b) workers in

The present dissertation concerns how brain tissue properties reflect proficiency in two aspects of language use: the ability to use tonal cues on word stems to predict how words will end and the aptitude for learning foreign languages. While it is known that people differ in their language abilities and that damage to brain tissue cause loss of cognitive functions, it is largely unknown if differ

Background: Dizziness is common among patients with first time stroke. It affects self-perceived health and is a risk factor for falls. Vestibular rehabilitation (VR) is effective for treating dizziness among various conditions, but the effect of dizziness with origin in the central nervous system is poorly studied. This pilot study of a randomized controlled trial aimed at investigating a vestibu