Provenance of Leon Idzykovsky’s book collection as a source of historical and bibliological research

Висвітлено значення провенієнцій як історичного джерела в реконструкції бібліотечних фондів історичних бібліотек. Охарактеризовано різновиди провенієнцій, які розкривають шляхи формування та організацію книгозбірні Леона Ідзіковського та є важливим джерелом при виявленні та реконструкції цього книжкового зібрання.The article deals with provenance as a source of historical and bibliological research. Compiled has been the list of provenance on the books from Leon Idzykovsky’s books collection. The author studies the role of provenance in the reconstruction of library collections

Design and Characterization of a Low-Cost and Efficient Torsional Spring for ES-RSEA

The design of torsional springs for series elastic actuators (SEAs) is challenging, especially when balancing good stiffness characteristics and efficient torque robustness. This study focuses on the design of a lightweight, low-cost, and compact torsional spring for use in the energy storage-rotary series elastic actuator (ES-RSEA) of a lumbar support exoskeleton. The exoskeleton is used as an assistive device to prevent lower back injuries. The torsion spring was designed following design for manufacturability (DFM) principles, focusing on minimal space and weight. The design process involved determining the potential topology and optimizing the selected topology parameters through the finite element method (FEM) to reduce equivalent stress. The prototype was made using a waterjet cutting process with a low-cost material (AISI-4140-alloy) and tested using a custom-made test rig. The results showed that the torsion spring had a linear torque-displacement relationship with 99% linearity, and the deviation between FEM simulation and experimental measurements was less than 2%. The torsion spring has a maximum torque capacity of 45.7 Nm and a 440 Nm/rad stiffness. The proposed torsion spring is a promising option for lumbar support exoskeletons and similar applications requiring low stiffness, low weight-to-torque ratio, and cost-effectiveness

Modified Surface Relief Layer Created by Holographic Lithography: Application to Selective Sodium and Potassium Sensing

Point-of-care diagnostics will rely upon the development of low-cost, noncomplex, and easily integrated systems in order to examine biological samples such as blood and urine obtained from the patient. The development of metal ion sensors is a subject of significant relevance for physiological samples. The level of different blood electrolytes, mainly H+, Na+, K+ and Cl− is considerably used to monitor irregular physiologies. The particular challenge in biosensing, and in fact for any other sensor, is signal differentiation between non-specifically bound material and the specific detecting of the target molecule/ion. The biosensors described in this paper are fabricated by a holographic recording of surface relief structures in a photopolymer material. The surface structures are modified by coating with either dibenzo-18-crown-6 (DC) or tetraethyl 4-tert-butylcalix[4]arene (TBC), which are embedded in a polymer matrix. Interrogation of these structures by light allows indirect measurement of the concentration of the analyte. The influence of polymer matrices with different porosities, plasticised polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and a sol-gel matrix, on the performance of the sensors for detection of K+ and Na+ is examined. Here we demonstrate a proof of concept that by using a matrix with higher porosity one can increase the sensitivity of the sensor. The results showed that the DC sensing layer provides a selective response to K+ over Na+ and the TBC modified grating is more responsive to Na+ over K+. The sensor responds to K+ and Na+ within the physiological concentration range

An Ensemble of Optimal Trees for Classification and Regression (OTE)

Predictive performance of a random forest ensemble is highly associated with the strength of individual trees and their diversity. Ensemble of a small number of accurate and diverse trees, if prediction accuracy is not compromised, will also reduce computational burden. We investigate the idea of integrating trees that are accurate and diverse. For this purpose, we utilize out-of-bag observation as validation sample from the training bootstrap samples to choose the best trees based on their individual performance and then assess these trees for diversity using Brier score. Starting from the first best tree, a tree is selected for the final ensemble if its addition to the forest reduces error of the trees that have already been added. A total of 35 bench mark problems on classification and regression are used to assess the performance of the proposed method and compare it with kNN, tree, random forest, node harvest and support vector machine. We compute unexplained variances and classification error rates for all the methods on the corresponding data sets. Our experiments reveal that the size of the ensemble is reduced significantly and better results are obtained in most of the cases. For further verification, a simulation study is also given where four tree style scenarios are considered to generate data sets with several structures

Exploring experiences and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young racially minoritised people in the United Kingdom: A Qualitative Study

Within high-income-countries, the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted people from racially minoritised backgrounds. There has been significant research interrogating the disparate impact of the virus, and recently, interest in the long-term implications of the global crisis on young people’s mental health and wellbeing. However, less work explores the experiences of young people from racialised backgrounds as they navigate the pandemic, and the specific consequences this has for their mental health. Forty young people (age 16-25) from black, mixed and other minority backgrounds and living in London, participated in consecutive focus group discussions over a two-month period, to explore the impact of the pandemic on their lives and emotional wellbeing. Thematic analysis identified seven categories describing the impact of the pandemic, indicating: deepening of existing socioeconomic and emotional challenges; efforts to navigate racism and difference within the response; and survival strategies drawing on communal and individual resources. Young people also articulated visions for a future public health response which addressed gaps in current strategies. Findings point to the need to contextualise public health responses to the pandemic in line with the lived experiences of racialised young people. We specifically note the importance of long-term culturally and socio-politically relevant support interventions. Implications for policy and practice are discusse

Effect of corrosion on mechanical properties of the joining of materials

The effect of corrosion behavior in critical environmental conditions on the mechanical properties of composite/metal materials joints was investigated by immersing metalic materials into 5wt% hydrochloric acid solutions. The current study was carried out on a single lab joint with a total thickness of 4mm; thus, a destructive test was undertaken to investigate the corrosion behavior induced degradation of mechanical properties followed by Scanning electron microscope analysis (SEM). The joined specimens were examined under both non-corrosive and corrosive environmental conditions. Moreover, the Taguchi analysis of experimental data for maximizing the required output is carried out to validate the impact and significance of input factors. Experimental results have shown that the weight losses of the mild steel and aluminum materials are 7.45% and 16.7%, respectively, in 5% wt hydrochloric acid after three weeks. The corrosive environment affected the strength of the joints and obtained an early failure on the joint region that leads to a reduction on the strength of the materials by almost 15% compared to the non-corroded joint. The joining of non-corroded similar steel obtained the highest maximum stress among all other specimens, where the maximum recorded stress was 140.5MPa as compared to 125MPa for corroded specimen. Furthermore, the mode of failure and hardness tests were obtained and analyzed for all specimens. A significant reduction in the hardness of the materials after exposure to the HCl acid was observed

Impacts of heat shock on productivity and quality of Triticum aestivum L. at different growth stages

The transitional phase of climate change is becoming a threat worldwide. Fluctuations in temperature are frequently observed in the life cycles of field crops. The current study was intended to evaluate heat stress (HS) at sensitive stages on four wheat cultivars’ growth, grain yield, and quality traits during two consecutive seasons. The experiment included four spring wheat cultivars that were exposed to HS durations (i.e., 0, 48, 96 and 144 h) at booting and anthesis stages. Pots were kept in an open-air, and labeled pots were moved to the glasshouse at the respective growth stage. After HS treatments, pots were moved from the glasshouse to the original position in the open air. The results showed that the cultivars differed in yield and grain quality traits, but their collective mean effect was significantly expressed with HS and HS duration (HSd) on the measured traits. Spike length was significantly affected by HS at the anthesis in comparison to those obtained from the control. However, the increase in HSd did not cause a significant effect on spike length compared to other treatments. Spike weight was significantly decreased in plants exposed to HS at booting and anthesis as well as by increasing HSd. In addition, grain weight and numbers were decreased in plants exposed to HS at booting and anthesis stages with a similar pattern by increasing HSd. Moreover, a reduction in amylose content was observed in grains of plants exposed to HS at booting and anthesis stages or when plants as exposed to a longer period of HSd. Nonetheless, amylopectin, wet gluten (WG) and grain N (GN) showed an increase in plants exposed to HS at booting and anthesis stages and/or extending HSd. This study concludes that plants exposed to different HS treatments during the life cycle had lower values for spike length, grains weight, and grains number per spike including amylose content in comparison to those obtained from the control. The decrease was significantly noted in the yield and grain quality of wheat when plants were exposed to HS at the booting stage in comparison to those exposed to HS at anthesis

Edge-Coupling of O-Band InP Etched-Facet Lasers to Polymer Waveguides on SOI by Micro-Transfer-Printing

O-band InP etched facets lasers were heterogeneously integrated by micro-transfer-printing into a 1.54~\mu \text{m} deep recess created in the 3~\mu \text{m} thick oxide layer of a 220 nm SOI wafer. A 7\times 1.5\,\,\mu \text{m}^{2} cross-section, 2 mm long multimode polymer waveguide was aligned to the ridge post-integration by e-beam lithography with \u3c 0.7~\mu \text{m} lateral misalignment and incorporated a tapered silicon waveguide. A 170 nm thick metal layer positioned at the bottom of the recess adjusts the vertical alignment of the laser and serves as a thermal via to sink the heat to the Si substrate. This strategy shows a roadmap for active polymer waveguide-based photonic integrated circuits