Fingermark initial composition and aging using Fourier transform infrared microscopy (μ-FTIR)

This study investigated fingermark residues using Fourier transform infrared microscopy (μ- FTIR) in order to obtain fundamental information about the marks' initial composition and aging kinetics. This knowledge would be an asset for fundamental research on fingermarks, such as for dating purposes. Attenuated Total Reflection (ATR) and single-point reflection modes were tested on fresh fingermarks. ATR proved to be better suited and this mode was subsequently selected for further aging studies. Eccrine and sebaceous material was found in fresh and aged fingermarks and the spectral regions 1000-1850 cm-1 and 2700-3600 cm-1 were identified as the most informative. The impact of substrates (aluminium and glass slides) and storage conditions (storage in the light and in the dark) on fingermark aging was also studied. Chemometric analyses showed that fingermarks could be grouped according to their age regardless of the substrate when they were stored in an open box kept in an air-conditioned laboratory at around 20°C next to a window. On the contrary, when fingermarks were stored in the dark, only specimens deposited on the same substrate could be grouped by age. Thus, the substrate appeared to influence aging of fingermarks in the dark. Furthermore, PLS regression analyses were conducted in order to study the possibility of modelling fingermark aging for potential fingermark dating applications. The resulting models showed an overall precision of ±3 days and clearly demonstrated their capability to differentiate older fingermarks (20 and 34-days old) from newer ones (1, 3, 7 and 9-days old) regardless of the substrate and lighting conditions. These results are promising from a fingermark dating perspective. Further research is required to fully validate such models and assess their robustness and limitations in uncontrolled casework conditions

QoS Supportive MAC Protocols for WSNs: Review and Evaluation

The use of wireless sensor networks technology is growing in different applications of monitoring. Since it is a relatively new technology, the interest of researchers to improve the network performance and behaviour has been enormous. In this context, new resource allocation scheme that takes into account traffic priority and load has been introduced. The evaluation of this scheme is intended to be achieved by implementing a custom simulator. This report discusses and evaluates all the important concerns needed to be considered during the development of this project. Moreover, this work also reviews the related literature in order to afford optimisations to the scheme

Visualising the past – an evaluation of processes and sequences for fingermark recovery from old documents

This study aimed to collect data on the effectiveness of most of the fingermark visualisation reagents currently used on porous surfaces on fingermarks aged for up to 90 years, significantly extending the timescales for which such information exists. A limited subset of the variables associated with processing of old fingermarks was explored, with a focus on the use of 1,8 diazafluoren-9-one (DFO), 1,2-indandione, ninhydrin, and physical developer. These techniques were used in sequence on batches of cheques between 11 and 32 years old, and on documents dating from the 1920s and 1940s. The potential for applying a physical developer enhancement process (blue toning) as the final step in the sequence was also explored. The benefits of using processing sequences on porous items were clearly demonstrated, with all processes in the sequence adding value in terms of additional marks found on the cheques up to 32 years old. In addition, physical developer was found to be capable of developing fingermarks up to 90 years old, whereas the amino acid reagents appear less effective on documents of 70 years and older. An experimental physical developer formulation with reduced environmental impact was found to be as effective as the existing process in these experiments. Blue toning was found to visualise an additional 10-25% of marks, and its wider use after silver-based deposition processes is recommended based on the evidence from this study.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Open Problems in α\alpha Particle Condensation

$\alpha$ particle condensation is a novel state in nuclear systems. We briefly review the present status on the study of $\alpha$ particle condensation and address the open problems in this research field: $\alpha$ particle condensation in heavier systems other than the Hoyle state, linear chain and $\alpha$ particle rings, Hoyle-analogue states with extra neutrons, $\alpha$ particle condensation related to astrophysics, etc.Comment: 12 pages. To be published in J. of Phys. G special issue on Open Problems in Nuclear Structure (OPeNST

Three different glacier surges at a spot: What satellites observe and what not

In the Karakoram, dozens of glacier surges occurred in the past 2 decades, making the region a global hotspot. Detailed analyses of dense time series from optical and radar satellite images revealed a wide range of surge behaviour in this region: from slow advances longer than a decade at low flow velocities to short, pulse-like advances over 1 or 2 years with high velocities. In this study, we present an analysis of three currently surging glaciers in the central Karakoram: North and South Chongtar Glaciers and an unnamed glacier referred to as NN9. All three glaciers flow towards the same small region but differ strongly in surge behaviour. A full suite of satellites (e.g. Landsat, Sentinel-1 and 2, Planet, TerraSAR-X, ICESat-2) and digital elevation models (DEMs) from different sources (e.g. Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, SRTM; Satellite Pour l'Observation de la Terre, SPOT; High Mountain Asia DEM, HMA DEM) are used to (a) obtain comprehensive information about the evolution of the surges from 2000 to 2021 and (b) to compare and evaluate capabilities and limitations of the different satellite sensors for monitoring surges of relatively small glaciers in steep terrain. A strongly contrasting evolution of advance rates and flow velocities is found, though the elevation change pattern is more similar. For example, South Chongtar Glacier had short-lived advance rates above 10 yr-1, velocities up to 30 d-1, and surface elevations increasing by 170 m. In contrast, the neighbouring and 3-times-smaller North Chongtar Glacier had a slow and near-linear increase in advance rates (up to 500 yr-1), flow velocities below 1 d-1 and elevation increases up to 100 m. The even smaller glacier NN9 changed from a slow advance to a full surge within a year, reaching advance rates higher than 1 yr-1. It seems that, despite a similar climatic setting, different surge mechanisms are at play, and a transition from one mechanism to another can occur during a single surge. The sensor inter-comparison revealed a high agreement across sensors for deriving flow velocities, but limitations are found on small and narrow glaciers in steep terrain, in particular for Sentinel-1. All investigated DEMs have the required accuracy to clearly show the volume changes during the surges, and elevations from ICESat-2 ATL03 data fit neatly to the other DEMs. We conclude that the available satellite data allow for a comprehensive observation of glacier surges from space when combining different sensors to determine the temporal evolution of length, elevation and velocity changes

Transient vitamin B5 starving improves mammalian cell homeostasis and protein production.

Maintaining a metabolic steady state is essential for an organism's fitness and survival when confronted with environmental stress, and metabolic imbalance can be reversed by exposing the organism to fasting. Here, we attempted to apply this physiological principle to mammalian cell cultures to improve cellular fitness and consequently their ability to express recombinant proteins. We showed that transient vitamin B5 deprivation, an essential cofactor of central cellular metabolism, can quickly and irreversibly affect mammalian cell growth and division. A selection method was designed that relies on mammalian cell dependence on vitamin B5 for energy production, using the co-expression of the B5 transporter SLC5A6 and a gene of interest. We demonstrated that vitamin B5 selection persistently activates peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR), a family of transcription factors involved in energy homeostasis, thereby altering lipid metabolism, improving cell fitness and therapeutic protein production. Thus, stable PPAR activation may constitute a cellular memory of past deprivation state, providing increased resistance to further potential fasting events. In other words, our results imply that cultured cells, once exposed to metabolic starvation, may display an improved metabolic fitness as compared to non-exposed cells, allowing increased resistance to cellular stress

Colloquium: Gravitational Form Factors of the Proton

The physics of the gravitational form factors of the proton, and their understanding within quantum chromodynamics, has advanced significantly in the past two decades through both theory and experiment. This Colloquium provides an overview of this progress, highlights the physical insights unveiled by studies of gravitational form factors, and reviews their interpretation in terms of the mechanical properties of the proton.Comment: 22 pages, 15 figure