Switching discharge phenomena when use composite materials Сu—Сr under low voltage DC inductive load a small power

Paper presents and discusses investigated results of composite materials Cu—Cr used in electric contacts operating under DC low voltage loads of a small power. Formulates conclusions of possibility of the use of just such material to control the arc to glow transformation for practical use in electric auxiliary switching devices.Предложены результаты исследований композиционных материалов Cu—Cr, используемых в качестве электрических контактов при коммутации в цепях постоянного тока низкого напряжения малой мощности. Сделан вывод о возможности использования именно этого материала для контроля изменения свечения дуги при практическом использовании в электрических вспомогательных коммутационных устройствах.Представлено результати досліджень композиційних матеріалів Cu—Cr, що використовують в якості електричних контактів при комутації в ланцюгах постійного струму низької напруги малої потужності. Зроблено висновок про можливість використання саме цього матеріалу для контролю зміни світіння дуги при практичному використанні в електричних допоміжних комутаційних пристроях

Performance of laminated contact material Cu—Mo in open air AC low voltage contactors

In the paper performance of laminated contact material Cu—Mo when use in open air ac low voltage contactors is presented and discussed. On the basis of the investigated results conclusions on effective application of such material to replace silver based compositions are formulated.Представлены и обсуждаются эксплуатационные качества слоистого контактного материала Cu—Mo, используемого в низковольтных контакторах на открытом воздухе. По результатам исследований сформулированы рекомендации по эффективному применению такого материала взамен серебросодержащего.Представлено і обговорюються експлуатаційні властивості шаруватого контактного матеріалу Cu—Mo, який використовується в низьковольтних контакторах на відкритому повітрі. За результатами досліджень сформульо-вано рекомендації щодо ефективного застосування такого матеріалу замість срібловміщуючого

An improved method for constructing and selectively silanizing double-barreled, neutral liquid-carrier, ion-selective microelectrodes

We describe an improved, efficient and reliable method for the vapour-phase silanization of multi-barreled, ion-selective microelectrodes of which the silanized barrel(s) are to be filled with neutral liquid ion-exchanger (LIX). The technique employs a metal manifold to exclusively and simultaneously deliver dimethyldichlorosilane to only the ion-selective barrels of several multi-barreled microelectrodes. Compared to previously published methods the technique requires fewer procedural steps, less handling of individual microelectrodes, improved reproducibility of silanization of the selected microelectrode barrels and employs standard borosilicate tubing rather than the less-conventional theta-type glass. The electrodes remain stable for up to 3 weeks after the silanization procedure. The efficacy of a double-barreled electrode containing a proton ionophore in the ion-selective barrel is demonstrated in situ in the leaf apoplasm of pea (Pisum) and sunflower (Helianthus). Individual leaves were penetrated to depth of ~150 μm through the abaxial surface. Microelectrode readings remained stable after multiple impalements without the need for a stabilizing PVC matrix

Toward shared decision-making in degenerative cervical myelopathy: Protocol for a mixed methods study

Health care decisions are a critical determinant in the evolution of chronic illness. In shared decision-making (SDM), patients and clinicians work collaboratively to reach evidence-based health decisions that align with individual circumstances, values, and preferences. This personalized approach to clinical care likely has substantial benefits in the oversight of degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM), a type of nontraumatic spinal cord injury. Its chronicity, heterogeneous clinical presentation, complex management, and variable disease course engenders an imperative for a patient-centric approach that accounts for each patient's unique needs and priorities. Inadequate patient knowledge about the condition and an incomplete understanding of the critical decision points that arise during the course of care currently hinder the fruitful participation of health care providers and patients in SDM. This study protocol presents the rationale for deploying SDM for DCM and delineates the groundwork required to achieve this. The study's primary outcome is the development of a comprehensive checklist to be implemented upon diagnosis that provides patients with essential information necessary to support their informed decision-making. This is known as a core information set (CIS). The secondary outcome is the creation of a detailed process map that provides a diagrammatic representation of the global care workflows and cognitive processes involved in DCM care. Characterizing the critical decision points along a patient's journey will allow for an effective exploration of SDM tools for routine clinical practice to enhance patient-centered care and improve clinical outcomes. Both CISs and process maps are coproduced iteratively through a collaborative process involving the input and consensus of key stakeholders. This will be facilitated by Myelopathy.org, a global DCM charity, through its Research Objectives and Common Data Elements for Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy community. To develop the CIS, a 3-round, web-based Delphi process will be used, starting with a baseline list of information items derived from a recent scoping review of educational materials in DCM, patient interviews, and a qualitative survey of professionals. A priori criteria for achieving consensus are specified. The process map will be developed iteratively using semistructured interviews with patients and professionals and validated by key stakeholders. Recruitment for the Delphi consensus study began in April 2023. The pilot-testing of process map interview participants started simultaneously, with the formulation of an initial baseline map underway. This protocol marks the first attempt to provide a starting point for investigating SDM in DCM. The primary work centers on developing an educational tool for use in diagnosis to enable enhanced onward decision-making. The wider objective is to aid stakeholders in developing SDM tools by identifying critical decision junctures in DCM care. Through these approaches, we aim to provide an exhaustive launchpad for formulating SDM tools in the wider DCM community. DERR1-10.2196/46809. [Abstract copyright: ©Irina Sangeorzan, Grazia Antonacci, Anne Martin, Ben Grodzinski, Carl M Zipser, Rory K J Murphy, Panoraia Andriopoulou, Chad E Cook, David B Anderson, James Guest, Julio C Furlan, Mark R N Kotter, Timothy F Boerger, Iwan Sadler, Elizabeth A Roberts, Helen Wood, Christine Fraser, Michael G Fehlings, Vishal Kumar, Josephine Jung, James Milligan, Aria Nouri, Allan R Martin, Tammy Blizzard, Luiz Roberto Vialle, Lindsay Tetreault, Sukhvinder Kalsi-Ryan, Anna MacDowall, Esther Martin-Moore, Martin Burwood, Lianne Wood, Abdul Lalkhen, Manabu Ito, Nicky Wilson, Caroline Treanor, Sheila Dugan, Benjamin M Davies. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (https://www.researchprotocols.org), 09.10.2023.

Assessing road effects on bats: the role of landscape, road features, and bat activity on road-kills

Recent studies suggest that roads can significantly impact bat populations. Though bats are one of the most threatened groups of European vertebrates, studies aiming to quantify bat mortality and determine the main factors driving it remain scarce. Between March 16 and October 31 of 2009, we surveyed road-killed bats daily along a 51-km-long transect that incorporates different types of roads in southern Portugal. We found 154 road-killed bats of 11 species. The two most common species in the study area, Pipistrellus kuhlii and P. pygmaeus, were also the most commonly identified road-kill, representing 72 % of the total specimens collected. About two-thirds of the total mortality occurred between mid July and late September, peaking in the second half of August. We also recorded casualties of threatened and rare species, including Miniopterus schreibersii, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, R. hipposideros, Barbastella barbastellus, and Nyctalus leisleri. These species were found mostly in early autumn, corresponding to the mating and swarming periods. Landscape features were the most important variable subset for explaining bat casualties. Road stretches crossing or in the vicinity of high-quality habitats for bats—including dense Mediterranean woodland (‘‘montado’’) areas, water courses with riparian gallery, and water reservoirs—yielded a significantly higher number of casualties. Additionally, more roadkilled bats were recorded on high-traffic road stretches with viaducts, in areas of higher bat activity and near known roosts

Antagonistic Parent-Offspring Co-Adaptation

In species across taxa, offspring have means to influence parental investment (PI). PI thus evolves as an interacting phenotype and indirect genetic effects may strongly affect the co-evolutionary dynamics of offspring and parental behaviors. Evolutionary theory focused on explaining how exaggerated offspring solicitation can be understood as resolution of parent-offspring conflict, but the evolutionary origin and diversification of different forms of family interactions remains unclear.Methodology/Principal Findings In contrast to previous theory that largely uses a static approach to predict how “offspring individuals” and “parental individuals” should interact given conflict over PI, we present a dynamic theoretical framework of antagonistic selection on the PI individuals obtain/take as offspring and the PI they provide as parents to maximize individual lifetime reproductive success; we analyze a deterministic and a stochastic version of this dynamic framework. We show that a zone for equivalent co-adaptation outcomes exists in which stable levels of PI can evolve and be maintained despite fast strategy transitions and ongoing co-evolutionary dynamics. Under antagonistic co-adaptation, cost-free solicitation can evolve as an adaptation to emerging preferences in parents. Conclusions/Significance We show that antagonistic selection across the offspring and parental life-stage of individuals favors co-adapted offspring and parental behavior within a zone of equivalent outcomes. This antagonistic parent-offspring co-adaptation does not require solicitation to be costly, allows for rapid divergence and evolutionary novelty and potentially explains the origin and diversification of the observed provisioning forms in family life

RAFT polymerization of hydroxy-functional methacrylic monomers under heterogeneous conditions: effect of varying the core-forming block

Statistical copolymerization of a 1 : 1 molar ratio of a water-miscible monomer (2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, HEMA) with a water-immiscible monomer (4-hydroxybutyl methacrylate, HBMA) has been conducted in water via reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization using a water-soluble poly(glycerol monomethacrylate) macromolecular chain transfer agent (PGMA macro- CTA). In principle, such a hybrid formulation might be expected to be intermediate between RAFT dispersion polymerization and RAFT emulsion polymerization. Under such circumstances, it is of particular interest to examine whether both monomers are actually consumed and, if so, whether their rates of reaction are comparable. Given the water-solubility of both the PGMA macro-CTA and the free radical azo initiator, it is perhaps counter-intuitive that the water-immiscible HBMA is initially consumed significantly faster than the water-miscible HEMA, as judged by 1H NMR studies of this copolymerization. However, both comonomers are eventually almost fully consumed at 70 �C. A detailed phase diagram has been constructed for this RAFT formulation that enables reproducible syntheses of various pure copolymer morphologies, including spheres, worms and vesicles. It is emphasized that utilizing a 1 : 1 HEMA/HBMA molar ratio produces a core-forming statistical copolymer block that is isomeric with the poly(2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate) (PHPMA) core-forming block previously synthesized via RAFT aqueous dispersion polymerization (see A. Blanazs et al., Macromolecules, 2012, 45, 5099–5107). Hence it is rather remarkable that the thermo-responsive behavior of PGMA–P(HBMA-stat-HEMA) statistical block copolymer worm gels differs qualitatively from that exhibited by PGMA–PHPMA diblock copolymer worm gels