Implementation and characterisation of a sterilisation module consisting of novel 265 nm UVC LED packages

To efficiently fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, a sterilisation module using 265 nm UVC LED packages was developed. In this paper, the performance of the sterilisation module in terms of irradiance uniformity, junction temperature increase and sterilisation efficiency were characterised. The irradiance uniformity fluctuation across the four corners and the centre point in a 130 mm × 130 mm area was below 10%, exhibiting good uniformity. Uniform irradiance was important to achieve consistent sterilisation, which was the primary difference between the UVC LED package developed and commercial UVC LED packages. Key to achieving uniform irradiance was the structure, consisting of a stacked silicon reflector and a secondary optical lens designed by ray tracing simulation. The junction temperature increase of the 265 nm UVC LED package driving at 200 mA was only 28°C, sufficiently low to exhibit better reliability and performance. A 99.99% sterilisation efficiency on E. coli bacteria was achieved within one minute with UV dosage of 2.7 mJ/cm2 at 200 mA driving current. From the results, the novel 265 nm UVC LED package was a time-efficient solution for disinfection purposes.

MOJAVE. XIX. Brightness Temperatures and Intrinsic Properties of Blazar Jets

We present multiepoch, parsec-scale core brightness temperature observations of 447 active galactic nucleus (AGN) jets from the MOJAVE and 2 cm Survey programs at 15 GHz from 1994 to 2019. The brightness temperature of each jet over time is characterized by its median value and variability. We find that the range of median brightness temperatures for AGN jets in our sample is much larger than the variations within individual jets, consistent with Doppler boosting being the primary difference between the brightness temperatures of jets in their median state. We combine the observed median brightness temperatures with apparent jet speed measurements to find the typical intrinsic Gaussian brightness temperature of 4.1( ± 0.6) × 1010 K, suggesting that jet cores are at or below equipartition between particle and magnetic field energy in their median state. We use this value to derive estimates for the Doppler factor for every source in our sample. For the 309 jets with both apparent speed and brightness temperature data, we estimate their Lorentz factors and viewing angles to the line of sight. Within the BL Lac optical class, we find that high-synchrotron-peaked BL Lacs have smaller Doppler factors, lower Lorentz factors, and larger angles to the line of sight than intermediate and low-synchrotron-peaked BL Lacs. We confirm that AGN jets with larger Doppler factors measured in their parsec-scale radio cores are more likely to be detected in γ rays, and we find a strong correlation between γ-ray luminosity and Doppler factor for the detected sources.

The Nature and Ontological Status of Appearances

It is shown that things in themselves and appearances are numerically distinct existents whose primary difference consists in that the former are mind-independent while the latter are mind-dependent, in a sense that is explicated in detail. On the proposed reading, the world, understood as the sum total of everything that has reality, comprises several levels of reality, most importantly, a mind-independent, transcendental level, at which things in themselves exits, and a mind-dependent, empirical level, at which appearances exist. Appearances are identified to be intentional objects of experience. The nature and ontological status of appearances is further investigated by way of an examination of Kant’s account of perception and his theory of experience, including a detailed consideration of the formal and material conditions of experience and of the implications of the mathematical antinomies for the specific flavor of Kant’s idealism about appearances.

Mediation of Interstate Conflicts and Civil Wars

Mediation is a process of managing or resolving a conflict through the intervention of a third party, based on the consent of the combatants. It is one of the primary diplomatic tools available to third parties seeking to decrease violence, find joint agreements on conflictual issues, and transform bellicose relationships. There are different types of mediators. While mediators are always individuals, the mediating agency providing the basis for mediation in interstate conflicts and civil wars can be a single country, formal or informal groups of countries, regional or global intergovernmental organizations, civil society organizations inside or outside the country in conflict, or even, occasionally, individuals acting on their own. These different types of mediators all take actions bringing the parties together toward an agreement on the substance of the conflict or on the procedure for managing it, without relying on the use of direct force or a law-based authority. However, they differ in their motivations, styles, access to—as well as leverage over—the parties, degree of biasness and neutrality, and their ability for internal coordination. On the path from war to peace, mediation plays an important role. Mediators contribute with marginal but important tasks in the process, including the diagnosis of the problem, getting the parties to the table, finding a formula for a settlement, and helping to work out implementation guarantees as well as many other duties. In order to perform these tasks, mediators need to build trust, mount pressure, and sometimes do both. However, mediation is not the only factor and often not the primary one behind the peaceful settlement of armed conflicts. Whereas there are many structural similarities when mediating between governments (interstate conflicts) versus between governments and nonstate armed actors (civil wars), the primary difference is that civil war contexts are permeated more intensively by issues relating to international recognition, power asymmetry, fragmentation, and complexity.

Impact of Apparatus Orientation and Gravity in Electrospinning—A Review of Empirical Evidence

Electrospinning is a versatile fibre fabrication method with applications from textile to tissue engineering. Despite the appearance that the influencing parameters of electrospinning are fully understood, the effect of setup orientation has not been thoroughly investigated. With current burgeoning interest in modified and specialised electrospinning apparatus, it is timely to review the impact of this seldom-considered parameter. Apparatus configuration plays a major role in the morphology of the final product. The primary difference between spinning setups is the degree to which the electrical force and gravitational force contribute. Since gravity is much lower in magnitude when compared with the electrostatic force, it is thought to have no significant effect on the spinning process. But the shape of the Taylor cone, jet trajectory, fibre diameter, fibre diameter distribution, and overall spinning efficiency are all influenced by it. In this review paper, we discuss all these developments and more. Furthermore, because many research groups build their own electrospinning apparatus, it would be prudent to consider this aspect as particular orientations are more suitable for certain applications.

Inscriptions and Papyri

The chapter analyses naming practices and onomastic patterns in inscriptions and papyri from the Ptolemaic and the Roman periods in Egypt from a quantitative and comparative perspective. A number of examples of individuals who appear in both types of document are discussed. The primary difference between the two types of document are that papyri are directed to a limited audience (whether a single person in letters or contracts or groups of people in administrative documents) for a limited period of time (ranging from an invitation to dinner on a specific day to documents addressed to several generations for the sale of a house), whereas inscriptions are meant to be public and enduring. With the exception of graffiti, inscriptions, often erected on ceremonial or festive occasions when leading persons were present. also tend to show us the upper classes and an official version of the relevant events.

A Review of Pipe-Soil Interaction Models for Strain Demand Estimation

Since the mid-1970s, various pipe-soil interaction (PSI) models have been developed to estimate the strain demand imposed on buried pipelines by the movement of the surrounding soil. These PSI models can be broadly divided into four categories: analytical models, soil-spring models, full continuum models and discrete element method models. These models can be used for strain-based design, fitness-for-service evaluation of in-service pipelines, and post-event failure analysis. In this paper, the working principles and modeling characteristics of the four types of PSI models for strain demand estimation are briefly reviewed and summarized. Analytical models calculate the bending and/or membrane strains from functions that describe the deflected profile of the pipe. The other three types of models utilize finite element (FE) modeling to predict the pipe displacement and the corresponding strain demand under given soil movement patterns. The primary difference between the three types of PSI FE models is the representation of the soil geometry and its interaction with the pipe. The four types of PSI models have their own strengths and limitations, which are discussed in terms of their applicability, accuracy, and the level of effort needed for model application. Two case studies were presented to demonstrate the potential differences in strain demand estimates using different PSI models.

An eye-tracking study of attention to visual cues in L2 listening tests

Nonverbal and other visual cues are well established as a critical component of human communication. Under most circumstances, visual information is available to aid in the comprehension and interpretation of spoken language. Citing these facts, many L2 assessment researchers have studied video-mediated listening tests through score comparisons with audio tests, by measuring the amount of time spent watching, and by attempting to determine examinee viewing behavior through self-reports. However, the specific visual cues to which examinees attend have heretofore not been measured objectively. The present research employs eye-tracking methodology to determine the amounts of time 12 participants viewed specific visual cues on a six-item, video-mediated L2 listening test. Seventy-two scanpath-overlaid videos of viewing behavior were manually coded for visual cues at 0.10-second intervals. Cued retrospective interviews based on eye-tracking data provided reasons for the observed behaviors. Faces were found to occupy the majority (81.74%) of visual dwell time, with participants largely splitting their time between the speaker’s eyes and mouth. Detected gesture viewing was negligible. The reason given for most viewing behavior was determining characters’ emotional states. These findings suggest that the primary difference between audio- and video-mediated L2 listening tests of conversational content is the absence or presence of facial expressions.

Variable branching characteristics of peripheral taste neurons indicates differential convergence

ABSTRACTTaste neurons are functionally and molecularly diverse, but their morphological diversity remains completely unexplored. Using sparse cell genetic labeling, we provide the first reconstructions of peripheral taste neurons. The branching characteristics across 96 taste neurons show surprising diversity in their complexities. Individual neurons had 1 to 17 separate terminal arbors entering between 1 to 7 taste buds, 18 of these neurons also innervated non-taste epithelia. Axon branching characteristics are similar in gustatory neurons from male and female mice. Cluster analysis separated the neurons into four groups according to branch complexity. The primary difference between clusters was the amount of the nerve fiber within the taste bud available to contact taste-transducing cells. Consistently, we found that the maximum number of taste-transducing cells capable of providing convergent input onto individual gustatory neurons varied with a range of 1-22 taste-transducing cells. Differences in branching characteristics across neurons indicate that some neurons likely receive input from a larger number of taste-transducing cells than other neurons (differential convergence). By dividing neurons into two groups based on the type of taste-transducing cell most contacted, we found that neurons contacting primarily sour transducing cells were more heavily branched than those contacting primarily sweet/bitter transducing taste cells. This suggests that neuron morphologies may differ across functional taste quality. However, the considerable remaining variability within each group also suggests differential convergence within each functional taste quality. Each possibility has functional implications for the system.Significance statement: Taste neurons are considered relay cells, communicating information from taste-transducing cells to the brain, without variation in morphology. By reconstructing peripheral taste neuron morphologies for the first time, we found that some peripheral gustatory neurons are simply branched, and can receive input from only a few taste-transducing cells. Other taste neurons are heavily branched, contacting many more taste-transducing cells than simply branched neurons. Based on the type of receptor cell contacted, branching characteristics are predicted to differ across (and within) quality types (sweet/bitter vs sour). Therefore, functional differences between neurons likely depends on the number of taste-transducing cells providing input and not just the type of cell providing input.

A Review of Faith-Based Holistic Health Models: Mapping Similarities and Differences

This review identified and determined core aspects of holistic health models often used in faith-based global development to integrate the spiritual determinant of health into a multiple determinants framework. Understanding such models and their similarities and differences is essential when planning development opportunities. Seven holistic health models were identified for review. A similar feature among the models was the importance of understanding the impacts of a community’s worldview and beliefs on health to discussing the spiritual aspects of health and behavior change. Community engagement and cultivating relationships were two common themes motivating the models. A primary difference among the models was the direction of engagement. Some models intentionally focus on individual-level relationships and move toward larger community-level impact while others start at the community level and move toward individual-level engagement. Both approaches are helpful depending on the context, community readiness and available local leadership. Based on the review, two diagrams or maps were created to help organizations determine which models or parts of models may be applicable to their situation.