Conductance model for single-crystalline/compact metal oxide gas-sensing layers in the nondegenerate limit: Example of epitaxial SnO2(101)

Semiconducting metal oxide (SMOX)-based gas sensors are indispensable for safety and health applications, for example, explosive, toxic gas alarms, controls for intake into car cabins, and monitor for industrial processes. In the past, the sensor community has been studying polycrystalline materials as sensors where the porous and random microstructure of the SMOX does not allow a separation of the phenomena involved in the sensing process. This led to conduction models that can model and predict the behavior of the overall response, but they were not capable of giving fundamental information regarding the basic mechanisms taking place. The study of epitaxial layers is a definite improvement, allowing clarifying the different aspects and contributions of the sensing mechanisms. A detailed analytical model of the transduction function for n-A nd p-type single-crystalline/compact metal oxide gas sensors was developed that directly relates the conductance of the sample with changes in the surface electrostatic potential. Combined dc resistance and work function measurements were used in a compact SnO2(101) layer in operando conditions that allowed us to check the validity of our model in the region where Boltzmann approximation holds to determine the surface and bulk properties of the material.Fil: Simion, Cristian Eugen. Institut de Physique Des Matériaux, Bucarest-magurele; RumaniaFil: Schipani, Federico. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales; ArgentinaFil: Papadogianni, Alexandra. Paul Drude Institut Fur Festkorperelektronik; AlemaniaFil: Stanoiu, Adelina. Institut de Physique Des Matériaux, Bucarest-magurele; RumaniaFil: Budde, Melanie. Paul Drude Institut Fur Festkorperelektronik; AlemaniaFil: Oprea, Alexandru. Universität Tübingen; AlemaniaFil: Weimar, Udo. Universität Tübingen; AlemaniaFil: Bierwagen, Oliver. Paul Drude Institut Fur Festkorperelektronik; AlemaniaFil: Barsan, Nicolae. Universität Tübingen; Alemani

Some aspects of psychodermatology

În opinia specialiștilor, pielea reprezintă individualitatea umană, prelungirea sentimentelor, legătură între interior și exterior, precum și echilibrul dintre aceste două aspecte. Orice dezechilibru emoţional legat de percepţia umană faţă de mediul exterior, de siguranţă, de încredere faţă de cei din jur, toate acestea pot afecta în mod direct pielea și bunul mers al acestor roluri ale ei. Din punct de vedere al somatizării, în funcţie de cum se percepe părerea celorlalţi și cât de prietenos sau ostil percepem un anumit context, pielea corpului uman poate avertiza printr-o serie de afecţiuni mai mult sau mai puţin grave sau neplăcute, precum: psoriazis, eczeme, acnee, diverse alergii, diverse răni, infecţii precum și cancer al pielii. Pacienţii cu oricare dintre bolile menţionate trebuie să consulte iniţial un dermatolog care are responsabilitatea de a descoperi dacă sau nu starea pielii este legată de factori psihologici și sau psihiatrici. Dacă da, profesionistul direcţionează pacientul la un psihiatru. Cu toate acestea, în realitate, această situaţie este împiedicată din cauza reticenţei pacienţilor de a căuta ajutor, deoarece s-ar putea să nu vadă condiţia sa ca a tulburare psihică. O soluţie adesea practicată în Europa se bazează pe desfășurarea unei evaluări „psihodermatologice”. Aceasta este o consultaţie multidisciplinară, în care un medic dermatolog, un farmacist și un psihiatru sunt strânși implicaţi în evaluări și scheme de tratament în comun. Luând în vedere faptul că epiderma pielii cu un strat cornos și dur la suprafaţă, are celule ce trăiesc circa 20 de zile, după care cad și sunt înlocuite de altele, prin schimbarea modului de interpretare a realităţii înconjurătoare, se poate de adus informaţie nouă și sănătoasă în celule noi prin dezvoltarea capacităţii de ascultare activă și empatică dar și prin studiul abilităţilor de comunicare și interacţiune socială.According to specialists, the skin is the extension of human individuality, of feelings, the connection between the inside and the outside, as well as the balance between these two aspects. Any emotional imbalance related to human perception towards the external environment, safety, trust towards those around them, they can directly affect the skin and the smooth running of these roles of hers. From the point of view of somatization, depending on how the opinion of others is perceived and how friendly or hostile we perceive a certain context, the skin of the human body can warn through a series of more or less serious or unpleasant conditions, such as: psoriasis, eczema, acne, various allergies, various wounds, infections, even skin cancer. Patients with any of the mentioned diseases should initially consult a dermatologist who has the responsibility to discover if the not healthy skin is related to psychological and or psychiatric factors. If so, the professional redirect the patient to a psychiatrist. However, in reality, the situation is hampered by patients’ reluctance to seek help, as they may not see the condition as a mental disorder. An often practical solution in Europe is based on conducting a “psychodermatological” assessment. This is a multidisciplinary consultation, where a dermatologist, a pharmacist and a psychiatrist are closely involved in joint assessments and treatment schemes. Considering that the epidermis of the skin, with the stratum corneum on the surface, has cells that live for about 20 days, after which they fall and are replaced by others, by changing the way of interpreting the surrounding reality, it is possible to bring new and healthy information in the new cells by developing active and emphatic listening capacities but also by studying communication and social interaction skills

The evolution of some pathogens and broomrape parasite attack and virulence, in sunflower crop, in Dobrogea area, Romania

Sunflower diseases represent one of the most serious constraints in sunflower crop in Romania. Dobrogea region has around 24% of the area cultivated with sunflower in Romania. The pathogens attack is frequently severe and yield losses can reach up to 50 – 70 %. In the last years, climate change has an influence on the development of the pathogens, also on the host/pathogens interaction. Some changes occur between pathogenic races, some pathogens increase their attack, according with their thermal preferences Our studies have demonstrated that some of the most important pathogens in sunflower have changed their behavior in different climatic conditions. Some pathogens (Macrophomina phaseolina, Puccinia helianthi) which in the past did not attack too much this crop, in Romania, are present in some cultivated areas with sunflower, in Dobrogea, in the last three years. Also, the pathogen Plasmopara halstedii has developed more virulent races, during the last period. The parasite broomrape (Orobanche cumana Wallr.) has also developed new and more virulent races, comparing with those present four years ago, especially in Constanta area

Improving the strategies of the market players using an AI-powered price forecast for electricity market

This paper analyses the recent evolution of the electricity price of one of the EastEuropean countries’ Balancing Markets (BM) – Romania, aiming to understand the prices trend and predict them in the current economic and geopolitical context. This is especially important as the electricity producers have to allocate their output between wholesale electricity market, ancillary services markets and BM targeting to maximize value and achieve a sustainable economic development. Therefore, in this paper, we propose an AI-powered electricity price forecast using several types of standout Machine Learning (ML) algorithms such as classifiers and regressors to predict the electricity price on BM. This approach, consisting of two steps, identifies the imbalance sign and significantly enhances the performance of the price forecast. The proposed method offers valuable insights into the market participants’ trading opportunities using two prediction solutions. The first prediction solution consists of averaging the results of five ensemble ML algorithms. The second one consists in weighting the results of the five forecasting ML algorithms using either a linear regression or a decision tree algorithm. Thus, we propose to combine supervised and unsupervised ML algorithms and find the fundamentals for creating optimal bidding strategies for electricity market players. First published online 14 November 202

Smart Cities and Awareness of Sustainable Communities Related to Demand Response Programs: Data Processing with First-Order and Hierarchical Confirmatory Factor Analyses

The mentality of electricity consumers is one of the most important entities that must be addressed when dealing with issues in the operation of power systems. Consumers are used to being completely passive, but recently these things have changed as significant progress of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and Internet of Things (IoT) has gained momentum. In this paper, we propose a statistical measurement model using a covariance structure, specifically a first-order confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using SAS CALIS procedure to identify the factors that could contribute to the change of attitude within energy communities. Furthermore, this research identifies latent constructs and indicates which observed variables load on or measure them. For the simulation, two complex data sets of questionnaires created by the Irish Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) were analyzed, demonstrating the influence of some exogenous variables on the items of the questionnaires. The results revealed that there is a relevant relationship between the social–economic and the behavioral factors and the observed variables. Furthermore, the models provided a good fit to the data, as measured by the performance indicators

Smart Cities and Awareness of Sustainable Communities Related to Demand Response Programs: Data Processing with First-Order and Hierarchical Confirmatory Factor Analyses

The mentality of electricity consumers is one of the most important entities that must be addressed when dealing with issues in the operation of power systems. Consumers are used to being completely passive, but recently these things have changed as significant progress of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and Internet of Things (IoT) has gained momentum. In this paper, we propose a statistical measurement model using a covariance structure, specifically a first-order confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using SAS CALIS procedure to identify the factors that could contribute to the change of attitude within energy communities. Furthermore, this research identifies latent constructs and indicates which observed variables load on or measure them. For the simulation, two complex data sets of questionnaires created by the Irish Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) were analyzed, demonstrating the influence of some exogenous variables on the items of the questionnaires. The results revealed that there is a relevant relationship between the social–economic and the behavioral factors and the observed variables. Furthermore, the models provided a good fit to the data, as measured by the performance indicators

Evaluating the Influence of Data Entropy in the Use of a Smart Equipment for Traffic Management at Border Check Point

The transit through a Border Check Point of cargo vehicles supposes, in the case of the Romanian highway network, the carrying out of a process of weighing and verifying of transport licenses. The limited number of weighing equipment and the long duration of these processes cause large queues and long waiting times. A solution for these problems is to use smart equipment to identify the cargo vehicles and to separate the vehicles that require weighing from exempted ones. The separation process is made using external input data. The quality of received data can generate some dysfunctionality in the separation process. The discrete simulation model can be used to evaluate the influence of the uncertainty over the system serving parameters. A study case is developed for a real situation using real data collected from a Romanian Highway Traffic Control Center (HTMC). The results are used in the implementation of the new smart equipment in a Romanian Border Check Point

Evaluating the Influence of Data Entropy in the Use of a Smart Equipment for Traffic Management at Border Check Point

The transit through a Border Check Point of cargo vehicles supposes, in the case of the Romanian highway network, the carrying out of a process of weighing and verifying of transport licenses. The limited number of weighing equipment and the long duration of these processes cause large queues and long waiting times. A solution for these problems is to use smart equipment to identify the cargo vehicles and to separate the vehicles that require weighing from exempted ones. The separation process is made using external input data. The quality of received data can generate some dysfunctionality in the separation process. The discrete simulation model can be used to evaluate the influence of the uncertainty over the system serving parameters. A study case is developed for a real situation using real data collected from a Romanian Highway Traffic Control Center (HTMC). The results are used in the implementation of the new smart equipment in a Romanian Border Check Point

A Moderation effect of atmospheric conditions on PM2.5 traffic related concentration

The paper highlights the contribution of the road traffic to PM2.5 air pollution, taking in consideration the atmospheric parameters. But, despite other studies, temperature and relative humidity are considered as moderating variable. The concentration of particulate matter is also influenced by local geography, urban structure, and streets shape. The case study was done in Bucharest, in an open area. The PM2.5 air concentration time series is proved stationary, an autoregressive model with two lags being tested. While the main effects of road traffic and humidity are significant, temperature has not a significant direct effect. But both moderators show interactive effects. The conditional effects are getting down with increase in temperature and humidity, due to changes in air dynamics and precipitation phenomena

Wheat and Barley Grass Juice Addition to a Plant-Based Feed Improved Growth and Flesh Quality of Common Carp (<i>Cyprinus carpio</i>)

Phytogenics are plant extract additives used for their bioactive properties. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of plant extracts, wheat grass juice (WGJ) and barley grass juices (BGJ) addition to fish diet on growth and meat quality of common carp. Fish (51 ± 33 g initial weight) were fed for four weeks with three plant-based diets: (1) control feed (Con), (2) control feed supplemented with 2% WGJ (Con+WGJ), and (3) control feed supplemented with 2% BGJ (Con+BGJ). The results showed that the inclusion of the two juices in the plant-based feed stimulated the growth and improved meat quality by lowering the fat and ash content. Feed conversion ratio and condition factor were not affected. There were no significant differences in Fe and Zn contents of meat; however, Cu decreased, while Mn was lower in the Con+WGJ group and higher in the Con+BGJ group compared to Con. A high content of unsaturated fatty acids (FA, oleic acid and linoleic acid) and desirable ratios of saturated/unsaturated FA (0.27–0.29) and Ω6/Ω3 (2.5–2.78) were found in all groups. The juices were characterized in terms of lipid profile and polar compounds by GC-MS technique. The observed positive effects can be attributed to the rich composition of juices that included unsaturated FA, amino acids, sugars and organic compounds