Organic Geochemistry of Permian Organic-rich Sediments from the Sudetes Area, SW Poland

Lacustrine and marine sediments from the Permian rift-basins of southwestern Poland were analysed using GC-MS and petrographic techniques. High Pr/Ph ratios, gamma- and beta-carotanes and gammacerane in the lacustrine sediments indicate deposition under elevated water salinities. The primary organic matter is represented by bacterial and algal lipids with variable terrestrial input. Marine algal lipids with minor bacterial and cyanobacterial lipids are the primary source of organic matter in the marine sediments. Extended hopanes, n-alkanes with even-odd predominance and low Ts/Tm ratios are consistent with deposition in a closed, evaporitic basin with substantial carbonate sedimentation

Overview of polymer laminates applicable to elements of light-weight ballistic shields of special purpose transport means

The paper reviews and evaluates the possibility of using polymer fibrous composites for lightweight passive bulletproof armors for application in special-purpose means of transport. The shielding properties of the composite ballistic plates manufactured based on fibers commonly used for such applications: aramid (Kevlar, Twaron) and polyethylene ones (Spectra, Dyneema) as well as ceramic-laminate systems built based on the both above-mentioned ones have been characterized. Examples of application of lightweight, polymer ballistic laminates in armors and supplementary armors of special-purpose transport vehicles, illustrated by aircraft constructions, have been presented in accordance with literature sources and manufacturers' information

Global disparities in surgeons’ workloads, academic engagement and rest periods: the on-calL shIft fOr geNEral SurgeonS (LIONESS) study

: The workload of general surgeons is multifaceted, encompassing not only surgical procedures but also a myriad of other responsibilities. From April to May 2023, we conducted a CHERRIES-compliant internet-based survey analyzing clinical practice, academic engagement, and post-on-call rest. The questionnaire featured six sections with 35 questions. Statistical analysis used Chi-square tests, ANOVA, and logistic regression (SPSS® v. 28). The survey received a total of 1.046 responses (65.4%). Over 78.0% of responders came from Europe, 65.1% came from a general surgery unit; 92.8% of European and 87.5% of North American respondents were involved in research, compared to 71.7% in Africa. Europe led in publishing research studies (6.6 ± 8.6 yearly). Teaching involvement was high in North America (100%) and Africa (91.7%). Surgeons reported an average of 6.7 ± 4.9 on-call shifts per month, with European and North American surgeons experiencing 6.5 ± 4.9 and 7.8 ± 4.1 on-calls monthly, respectively. African surgeons had the highest on-call frequency (8.7 ± 6.1). Post-on-call, only 35.1% of respondents received a day off. Europeans were most likely (40%) to have a day off, while African surgeons were least likely (6.7%). On the adjusted multivariable analysis HDI (Human Development Index) (aOR 1.993) hospital capacity > 400 beds (aOR 2.423), working in a specialty surgery unit (aOR 2.087), and making the on-call in-house (aOR 5.446), significantly predicted the likelihood of having a day off after an on-call shift. Our study revealed critical insights into the disparities in workload, access to research, and professional opportunities for surgeons across different continents, underscored by the HDI

How to design & implement a modern communication middleware based on ZeroMQ

In 2011, CERN's Controls Middleware (CMW) team started a new project aiming to design and implement a new generation equipment access framework using modern, open-source products. After reviewing several communication libraries [1], ZeroMQ [2] was chosen as the transport layer for the new communication framework. The main design principles were: scalability, flexibility, easy to use and maintain. Several core ZeroMQ patterns were employed in order to provide reliable, asynchronous communication and dispatching of messages. The new product was implemented in Java and C++ for client and server side. It is the core middleware framework to control all CERN accelerators and the future GSI FAIR [3] complex. This paper presents the overall framework architecture; choices and lessons learnt while designing a scalable solution; challenges faced when designing a common API for two languages (Java and C++) and operational experience from using the new solution at CERN for 3 years. The lessons learnt and observations made can be applied to any modern software library responsible for fast, reliable, scalable communication and processing of many concurrent requests

SIP4C/C++ at CERN - Status and lessons learned

After 4 years of promoting the Software Improvement Process for C/C++ (SIP4C/C++) initiative at CERN, we describe the current status for tools and procedures along with how they have been integrated into our environment. Based on feedback from four project teams, we present reasons for and against their adoption. Finally, we show how SIP4C/C++ has improved development and delivery processes as well as the first-line support of delivered products.A C/C++ software improvement process (SIP4C/C++) has been increasingly applied by the CERN accelerator Controls group since 2011, addressing technical and cultural aspects of our software development work. A first paper was presented at ICALEPCS 2013*. On the technical side, a number of off-the-shelf software products have been deployed and integrated, including Atlassian Crucible (code review), Google test (unit test), Valgrind (memory profiling) and SonarQube (static code analysis). Likewise, certain in-house developments are now operational such as a Generic Makefile (compile/link/deploy), CMX (for publishing runtime process metrics) and Manifest (capturing library dependencies). SIP4C/C++ has influenced our culture by promoting integration of said products into our binaries and workflows. We describe our current status for technical solutions and how they have been integrated into our environment. Based on testimony from four project teams, we present reasons for and against adoption of individual SIP4C/C++ products and processes. Finally, we show how SIP4C/C++ has improved development and delivery processes as well as the first-line support of delivered products

The EuQoS System

The European research project End-to-End Quality-of-Service support over heterogeneous networks (EuQoS) defined a novel architecture that builds, uses and manages the end-to-end (e2e) application exchanges and network paths with Quality-of-Service (QoS) guarantees across different administrative domains and heterogeneous networks. This chapter presents the architecture of the EuQoS system as a case study of the concepts introduced in previous chapters. The EuQoS architecture provides a clear interface that allows the end user to request a specific QoS level, without changing its application signalling protocol and using the basic connectivity of the local service provider. A complete set of supporting functions was implemented: (i) Security, Authentication, Authorisation and Accounting (SAAA); (ii) Admission Control; (iii) Charging; (iv) Signalling and Service Negotiation; (v) Monitoring and Measurements Functions and System (MMF/MMS); (vi) QoS Routing (QoSR); (vii) Failure Management; and (viii) Traffic Engineering and Resource Optimisation (TERO). The EuQoS system was deployed as a prototype including all the above features, encompassing the most common access networks, i.e., xDSL, UMTS, WiFi and Ethernet, connected through a core network composed by the National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) of the project partners and GÉANT (the European research network). This section describes the main features of the EuQoS system and presents the mechanisms, algorithms and protocols that were developed in the project. The results achieved validate the design choices of the EuQoS system, and confirm the potential impact that this project is likely to have in the near future