A Radio Determination of the Time of the New Moon

The detection of the New Moon at sunset is of importance to communities based on the lunar calendar. This is traditionally undertaken with visual observations. We propose a radio method which allows a higher visibility of the Moon relative to the Sun and consequently gives us the ability to detect the Moon much closer to the Sun than is the case of visual observation. We first compare the relative brightness of the Moon and Sun over a range of possible frequencies and find the range 5--100\,GHz to be suitable. The next consideration is the atmospheric absorption/emission due to water vapour and oxygen as a function of frequency. This is particularly important since the relevant observations are near the horizon. We show that a frequency of $\sim 10$ GHz is optimal for this programme. We have designed and constructed a telescope with a FWHM resolution of 0$^\circ{}\!\!$.6 and low sidelobes to demonstrate the potential of this approach. At the time of the 21 May 2012 New Moon the Sun/Moon brightness temperature ratio was $72.7 \pm 2.2$ in agreement with predictions from the literature when combined with the observed sunspot numbers for the day. The Moon would have been readily detectable at $\sim 2^{\circ}$ from the Sun. Our observations at 16\,hr\,36\,min UT indicated that the Moon would have been at closest approach to the Sun 16\,hr\,25\,min earlier; this was the annular solar eclipse of 00\,hr\,00\,min\,UT on 21 May 2012.Comment: 11 pages, 15 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Validating The Impact of Psychological, Physical, and Social Factors On Workplace Well-Being at Construction Sites

A good workplace well-being environment can increase employee resilience, work engagement, project performance, and productivity, as well as reduce sick days. Research suggests that physical, psychological, and social factors are the underlying factors for a good workplace well-being However, the underlying factors for workplace well-being at construction sites may differ. This study aims to validate the relationships between underlying factors (i.e., physical, psychological, and social) and workplace well-being at construction sites. A questionnaire survey was developed from a list of factors influencing workplace well-being and distributed to construction professionals. The collected data was analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to validate the relationships between the underlying factors and workplace well-being at construction sites. The analysis revealed that physical, psychological, and social factors are also influencing workplace well-being at construction sites. Researchers and industry practitioners can use these findings to confidently establish strategies to increase workplace well-being of construction workers

Validating The Impact of Psychological, Physical, and Social Factors On Workplace Well-Being at Construction Sites

A good workplace well-being environment can increase employee resilience, work engagement, project performance, and productivity, as well as reduce sick days. Research suggests that physical, psychological, and social factors are the underlying factors for a good workplace well-being However, the underlying factors for workplace well-being at construction sites may differ. This study aims to validate the relationships between underlying factors (i.e., physical, psychological, and social) and workplace well-being at construction sites. A questionnaire survey was developed from a list of factors influencing workplace well-being and distributed to construction professionals. The collected data was analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to validate the relationships between the underlying factors and workplace well-being at construction sites. The analysis revealed that physical, psychological, and social factors are also influencing workplace well-being at construction sites. Researchers and industry practitioners can use these findings to confidently establish strategies to increase workplace well-being of construction workers

3-(Adamantan-1-yl)-4-(prop-2-en-1-yl)-1H-1,2,4-triazole-5(4H)-thione

The title mol­ecule, C15H21N3S, exists as the thione tautomer in the solid state. The 1,2,4-triazole ring is almost planar (r.m.s. deviation = 0.004 Å) and the prop-2-en-1-yl chain is close to being perpendicular to this plane [C—N—C—C torsion angle = 77.1 (5)°]. In the crystal, centrosymmetric dimeric aggregates are formed by pairs of N—H⋯S hydrogen bonds as parts of eight-membered (⋯HNCS)2 synthons. These are connected into layers parallel to (101) via C—H⋯π inter­actions, where the π-system is the triazole ring. The investigated sample was a nonmerohedral twin; the refined domain ratio was 0.655 (4):0.345 (4)

Comparing the efficacy and safety of faecal microbiota transplantation with bezlotoxumab in reducing the risk of recurrent Clostridium difficile infections:a systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

The risk of recurrent Clostridium difficile infections (RCDIs) is high when treated with standard antibiotics therapy (SAT) alone. It is suggested that the addition of faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) or bezlotoxumab after SAT reduces the risk of RCDI. In the absence of head-to-head randomised controlled trials (RCTs), this review attempts to compare the efficacy and safety of bezlotoxumab with FMT in reducing the risk of RCDI in hospitalised patients.Open access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Sorafenib, Rapamycin, and Venetoclax Attenuate Doxorubicin-Induced Senescence and Promote Apoptosis in HCT116 Cells

Emerging evidence has shown that the therapy-induced senescent growth arrest in cancer cells is of durable nature whereby a subset of cells can reinstate proliferative capacity. Promising new drugs named senolytics selectively target senescent cells and commit them into apoptosis. Accordingly, senolytics have been proposed as adjuvant cancer treatment to cull senescent tumor cells, and thus, screening for agents that exhibit senolytic properties is highly warranted. Our study aimed to investigate three agents, sorafenib, rapamycin, and venetoclax for their senolytic potential in doxorubicin-induced senescence in HCT116 cells. HCT116 cells were treated with one of the three agents, sorafenib (5 µM), rapamycin (100 nM), or venetoclax (10 µM), in the absence or presence of doxorubicin (1 µM). Senescence was evaluated using microscopy-based and flow cytometry-based Senescence-associated-β-galactosidase staining (SA-β-gal), while apoptosis was assessed using annexin V-FITC/PI, and Muse caspase-3/-7 activity assays. We screened for potential genes through which the three drugs exerted senolytic-like action using the Human Cancer Pathway Finder PCR array. The three agents reduced doxorubicin-induced senescent cell subpopulations and significantly enhanced the apoptotic effect of doxorubicin compared with those treated only with doxorubicin. The senescence genes IGFBP5 and BMI1 and the apoptosis genes CASP7 and CASP9 emerged as candidate genes through which the three drugs exhibited senolytic-like properties. These results suggest that the attenuation of doxorubicin-induced senescence might have shifted HCT116 cells to apoptosis by exposure to the tested pharmacological agents. Our work argues for the use of senolytics to reduce senescence-mediated resistance in tumor cells and to enhance chemotherapy efficacy

Critical success factors for concrete recycling in construction projects

This study explores the success factors of concrete recycling in construction projects, using Malaysia as a case study. The objectives include (1) identifying the critical success factors for concrete recycling in construction projects, (2) comparing the critical success factors between large enterprises (LEs) and small–medium enterprises (SMEs), and (3) developing constructs that group the critical success factors. First, a list of success factors was identified through semi-structured interviews with fifteen construction industry professionals and a systematic literature review of journal articles. This list was then incorporated into a questionnaire and disseminated to industry professionals. Eighty-nine valid responses were collected and analyzed using mean score ranking, normalization, agreement analysis, and factor analysis techniques. The analyses showed ten critical success factors for concrete recycling. The critical success factors include the availability of uniform standards for concrete recycling, adequate awareness among project stakeholders on concrete recycling, appropriate construction waste management plans, government policies to support concrete recycling, good marketing strategy for concrete recycling, good communication among employees, applications for recycled concrete in sub-industries, provisions in work method statements on concrete recycling, positive legislation toward concrete recycling, and availability of concrete recycling infrastructure. However, the percentage of agreement between SMEs and LEs for the ten critical success factors was only 22%. In other words, there is no consensus on criticality across organizational sizes. Finally, the critical success factors can be categorized into two interrelated groups: external and internal. This study contributes to the literature by analyzing the necessary success factors for concrete recycling. The study findings allow researchers and practitioners to develop strategies to promote concrete recycling

Temperature dependence on the mass susceptibility and mass magnetization of superparamagnetic Mn–Zn–ferrite nanoparticles as contrast agents for magnetic imaging of oil and gas reservoirs

The mass susceptibility (χmass) and mass magnetization (Mmass) were determined for a series of ternary manganese and zinc ferrite nanoparticles (Mn–Zn ferrite NPs, MnxZn1−xFe2O4) with different Mn:Zn ratios (0.08 ≤ x ≤ 4.67), prepared by the thermal decomposition reaction of the appropriate metal acetylacetonate complexes, and for the binary homologs (MxFe3−xO4, where M = Mn or Zn). Alteration of the Mn:Zn ratio in Mn–Zn ferrite NPs does not significantly affect the particle size. At room temperature and low applied field strength the mass susceptibility increases sharply as the Mn:Zn ratio increases, but above a ratio of 0.4 further increase in the amount of manganese results in the mass susceptibility decreasing slightly, reaching a plateau above Mn:Zn ≈ 2. The compositional dependence of the mass magnetization shows less of a variation at room temperature and high applied fields. The temperature dependence of the mass magnetization of Mn–Zn ferrite NPs is significantly less for Mn-rich compositions making them more suitable for downhole imaging at higher temperatures (>100 °C). For non-shale reservoirs, replacement of nMag by Mn-rich Mn–Zn ferrites will allow for significant signal-to-noise enhancement of 6.5× over NP magnetite

3-(Adamantan-1-yl)-4-ethyl-1H-1,2,4-triazole-5(4H)-thione

In the title compound, C14H21N3S, the 1,2,4-triazole ring is nearly planar, with a maximum deviation of 0.003 (4) Å. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked into inversion dimers by pairs of N—H⋯S hydrogen bonds