Effect of chemically active medium on frequency dependence of magnetic losses in soft magnetic Fe-based amorphous alloys

The effects of the electrolytic hydrogenation and oxidation and of the interaction of the surface ribbon with water and vapor on the frequency dependence of magnetic losses per magnetization-reversal cycle are studied based on the example of soft magnetic Fe81B13Si 4C2 amorphous alloy, which exhibits a positive saturation magnetostriction. It was shown that, after the hydrogenation and oxidation of soft magnetic amorphous alloys, their frequency dependences of magnetic losses per magnetization-reversal cycle, which are reduced to unit induction, exhibit groups of hydrogen- and oxygen-related peaks in the frequency ranges of 35-55 and 55-80 Hz, which can be explained by the formation of O-A and H-A atomic pairs (where A are atoms of alloy components) and their reorientation in a magnetic field in the course of magnetization reversal at certain frequencies. The formation of analogous groups of peaks for samples of soft magnetic Fe-based amorphous alloys was observed after the interaction of the ribbon surface with water and vapor and after heat treatment in air. This fact confirms the possibility of the hydrogenation and oxidation of the alloys during the aforementioned processes. © 2013 Pleiades Publishing, Ltd

The Challenge of Machine Learning in Space Weather Nowcasting and Forecasting

The numerous recent breakthroughs in machine learning (ML) make imperative to carefully ponder how the scientific community can benefit from a technology that, although not necessarily new, is today living its golden age. This Grand Challenge review paper is focused on the present and future role of machine learning in space weather. The purpose is twofold. On one hand, we will discuss previous works that use ML for space weather forecasting, focusing in particular on the few areas that have seen most activity: the forecasting of geomagnetic indices, of relativistic electrons at geosynchronous orbits, of solar flares occurrence, of coronal mass ejection propagation time, and of solar wind speed. On the other hand, this paper serves as a gentle introduction to the field of machine learning tailored to the space weather community and as a pointer to a number of open challenges that we believe the community should undertake in the next decade. The recurring themes throughout the review are the need to shift our forecasting paradigm to a probabilistic approach focused on the reliable assessment of uncertainties, and the combination of physics-based and machine learning approaches, known as gray-box.Comment: under revie

МЕЗОНИННОЕ ФИНАНСИРОВАНИЕ: ОСОБЕННОСТИ И ИНСТРУМЕНТЫ

A growing number of financial institutions are unable to raise the required amount of equity and have to raise their own funds by means of public mezzanine. If these problems continue, the role of hybrids may become more significant, as they may be considered as a replacement of common equity for the purpose of counter-cyclical buffers, capital surcharges and so on. Thus, the importance of mezzanine capital for the financial system is already established and has a potential for further growth, while regulatory aspects and risk assessment of these relatively new instruments remain unsolved. In the article, the author analyses key regulatory concerns of Basel Accords in regards to mezzanine instruments, assesses the methodology of rating agencies to evaluate the risks incorporated in hybrid securities and compares the risk profiles of traditional convertible and recently developed contingent convertible bonds. The results articulate that measures applied by both Basel Committee members and rating agencies (Fitch, Moody’s, etc.) are not sufficient to manage risks incorporated in hybrid securities. The latter may contribute to the growth of financial failures we have observed in recent years.Растущее число финансовых учреждений, не способных привлечь необходимое количество акционерного капитала, вынуждены привлекать средства через инструменты мезонинного финансирования. Если данные трудности продолжатся, то роль гибридных ценных бумаг может стать более существенной, так как их можно будет рассматривать в качестве замены обычным акциям в целях контрциклического буфера капитала, удовлетворению дополнительных требований увеличения капитала и т.д. Таким образом, важность мезонинного финансирования как для банковского сектора, так и прочих отраслей экономики очевидна и имеет потенциал для дальнейшего роста, однако нормативные аспекты и риски новых инструментов остаются до конца не исследованными. С этим связан интерес к такому методу финансирования участников российского финансового рынка, а задача обеспечения приемлемости уровня риска, передаваемого инвестору при структурировании мезонинного финансирования, в условиях кризиса приобретает особую остроту. В статье автор анализирует ключевые аспекты Базельских соглашений в отношении регулирования инструментов мезонинного финансирования, методологию рейтинговых агентств по оценке гибридных ценных бумаг и изучает влияние механизма конвертации на уровень риска гибридных ценных бумаг

Two-body quantum mechanical problem on spheres

The quantum mechanical two-body problem with a central interaction on the sphere ${\bf S}^{n}$ is considered. Using recent results in representation theory an ordinary differential equation for some energy levels is found. For several interactive potentials these energy levels are calculated in explicit form.Comment: 41 pages, no figures, typos corrected; appendix D was adde

Potential health impacts of heavy metals on HIV-infected population in USA.

Noninfectious comorbidities such as cardiovascular diseases have become increasingly prevalent and occur earlier in life in persons with HIV infection. Despite the emerging body of literature linking environmental exposures to chronic disease outcomes in the general population, the impacts of environmental exposures have received little attention in HIV-infected population. The aim of this study is to investigate whether individuals living with HIV have elevated prevalence of heavy metals compared to non-HIV infected individuals in United States. We used the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2010 to compare exposures to heavy metals including cadmium, lead, and total mercury in HIV infected and non-HIV infected subjects. In this cross-sectional study, we found that HIV-infected individuals had higher concentrations of all heavy metals than the non-HIV infected group. In a multivariate linear regression model, HIV status was significantly associated with increased blood cadmium (p=0.03) after adjusting for age, sex, race, education, poverty income ratio, and smoking. However, HIV status was not statistically associated with lead or mercury levels after adjusting for the same covariates. Our findings suggest that HIV-infected patients might be significantly more exposed to cadmium compared to non-HIV infected individuals which could contribute to higher prevalence of chronic diseases among HIV-infected subjects. Further research is warranted to identify sources of exposure and to understand more about specific health outcomes

Variation in guided streamer propagation along a DBD plasma jet by tailoring the applied voltage waveform

Experimental data on the evolution of a helium atmospheric pressure plasma jet driven by two different voltage waveforms are presented. The characteristics of directed ionization waves (guided streamers) were compared for a sinusoidal voltage waveform with a frequency of 52 kHz and a voltage waveform that was formed via the superposition of 41.6 kHz bipolar square pulses and 300 kHz oscillations. With the sinusoidal voltage, two consecutive ionization waves were observed. With a special tailoring voltage, control of the guided streamer propagation in a stepwise mode was achieved. The observed second streamer and the second step of propagation could be regarded as a secondary ionization wave for both voltages. A change in the voltage waveform led to significant variations in the secondary ionization wave formation and streamer parameters. The voltage waveform enabled the number of ionization waves and their propagation to change, which provided the possibility of controlling the plasma parameters of the jet

"I am not a priority": ethnic minority experiences of navigating mental health support and the need for culturally sensitive services during and beyond the pandemic

\ua9 Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2025. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ Group. BACKGROUND: Existing health inequalities and the lack of timely and appropriate support have long been a reality for many ethnic minority individuals living with mental health conditions, even before the pandemic. Limited access to services and the absence of culturally or religiously embedded care have led to increased severity of mental health problems. OBJECTIVE: To explore the complexity of interactions between ethnic minorities and mental health services and their experiences of seeking and receiving mental health support throughout the pandemic. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews with purposive and snowball sampling of ethnic minorities aged over 18 (n=32) across North East and North West in England were analysed using a framework approach. FINDINGS: Five themes were generated. Cultural stigma attached to mental health could lead to fear and reluctance to seek support. Individuals struggled to engage with non-culturally sensitive health services. Instead, they indicated a strong preference for wider community support, which continued through the pandemic despite interrupted health services. A collaboration between mental health services and ethnic minority communities was advocated to shape services to cultural contexts and improve patient-centred service delivery. CONCLUSIONS: Ethnic minorities with mental health face significant challenges and disparities in seeking and engaging in mental health services. They often seek support from multicultural community settings even though the support is not specifically targeted at addressing mental health issues. Understanding cultural beliefs, religious influences and family and community structures are necessary components of culturally appropriate care. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Culturally sensitive mental health services need to be integrated into existing systems through initiating collaborations with ethnic minority communities that tailor services to meet the needs of diverse populations, improving overall engagement and experiences

Mammalian end binding proteins control persistent microtubule growth

© 2009 Komarova et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 3.0. The definitive version was published in Journal of Cell Biology 184 (2009): 691-706, doi:10.1083/jcb.200807179.End binding proteins (EBs) are highly conserved core components of microtubule plus-end tracking protein networks. Here we investigated the roles of the three mammalian EBs in controlling microtubule dynamics and analyzed the domains involved. Protein depletion and rescue experiments showed that EB1 and EB3, but not EB2, promote persistent microtubule growth by suppressing catastrophes. Furthermore, we demonstrated in vitro and in cells that the EB plus-end tracking behavior depends on the calponin homology domain but does not require dimer formation. In contrast, dimerization is necessary for the EB anti-catastrophe activity in cells; this explains why the EB1 dimerization domain, which disrupts native EB dimers, exhibits a dominant-negative effect. When microtubule dynamics is reconstituted with purified tubulin, EBs promote rather than inhibit catastrophes, suggesting that in cells EBs prevent catastrophes by counteracting other microtubule regulators. This probably occurs through their action on microtubule ends, because catastrophe suppression does not require the EB domains needed for binding to known EB partners.This work was supported by the Netherlands Organization for Scientifi c Research grants to A.A., by Funda ç ã o para a Ci ê ncia e a Tecnologia fellowship to S.M. Gouveia, by a FEBS fellowship to R.M. Buey, by the National Institutes of Health grant GM25062 to G.G. Borisy and by the Swiss National Science Foundation through grant 3100A0-109423 and by the National Center of Competence in Research Structural Biology program to M.O. Steinmetz

Observation of an Excited Bc+ State

Using pp collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 8.5 fb-1 recorded by the LHCb experiment at center-of-mass energies of s=7, 8, and 13 TeV, the observation of an excited Bc+ state in the Bc+π+π- invariant-mass spectrum is reported. The observed peak has a mass of 6841.2±0.6(stat)±0.1(syst)±0.8(Bc+) MeV/c2, where the last uncertainty is due to the limited knowledge of the Bc+ mass. It is consistent with expectations of the Bc∗(2S31)+ state reconstructed without the low-energy photon from the Bc∗(1S31)+→Bc+γ decay following Bc∗(2S31)+→Bc∗(1S31)+π+π-. A second state is seen with a global (local) statistical significance of 2.2σ (3.2σ) and a mass of 6872.1±1.3(stat)±0.1(syst)±0.8(Bc+) MeV/c2, and is consistent with the Bc(2S10)+ state. These mass measurements are the most precise to date