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Photometric evolution unveils debris generation process of rocket bodies in geostationary transfer orbits
Abstract The study of the long-term evolution of space debris is critically important for understanding debris generation mechanisms and, consequently, for the protection of orbital resources. Here we present a photometric survey of the CZ-3 series rocket bodies in Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO), revealing that their standardized brightness exhibits a multi-stage variation pattern over an in-orbit timespan of 41 years. Specifically, the brightness initially decreases, then rapidly increases, followed by a subsequent decrease that eventually stabilizes. Based on our understanding of the CZ-3 rocket bodies’ multilayer surface structure, we propose that the shedding of surface materials caused by space weathering is the primary driver behind these brightness variations. A similar evolutionary trend is observed in the Atlas V series rocket bodies. Based on this mechanism, we also explore the potential origins of previously unidentified debris in GTO reported in earlier studies.
Identifying co-occurrences of message chains and member ignoring method in android applications using static program analysis and dynamic stacking ensemble
Experimental evaluation of silicon carbide P-N detectors under thermal and fast neutron irradiation at the RA-6 nuclear research reactor
Abstract Silicon carbide (SiC) detectors present key advantages for neutron detection in harsh radiation environments, including high radiation hardness, low leakage current, and excellent thermal stability. In this work, we report on the characterization of SiC P–N diodes manufactured at the Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona (IMB-CNM-CSIC) for both thermal and fast neutron detection. For thermal neutron measurements, 50 µm and 100 µm SiC diodes coupled to a 6 LiF conversion layer were tested at the RA-6 Nuclear Research Reactor, San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina. The detectors exhibited a linear response with reactor power up to 500 kW, with no evidence of saturation or dead-time effects, and an intrinsic detection efficiency of (4.39±0.22)%. The detection efficiency was characterized as a function of the neutron incidence angle, showing a monotonic increase. For fast neutrons, 100 µm diodes coupled to polypropylene layers of varying thicknesses were characterized using an AmBe source. The results showed that the intrinsic detection efficiency increased with converter thickness, reaching a maximum value of (0.57±0.04)% for an 800 µm layer. PHITS Monte Carlo simulations reproduced the experimental data, validating the interpretation of the measured spectra. These results confirm the potential of SiC-based detectors for reliable monitoring of thermal and fast neutrons in environments with high gamma background, including radiotherapy, nuclear reactors, and others.
FDSNet: dynamic multimodal fusion stage selection for autonomous driving via feature disagreement scoring
Abstract Robust and efficient 3D perception is critical for autonomous vehicles operating in complex environments. Multi-sensor fusion, such as Camera+LiDAR, Camera+Radar, or all three modalities, significantly enhances scene understanding, However, most existing frameworks fuse data at a fixed stage, categorized as early fusion (raw data level), mid fusion (intermediate feature level), or late fusion (detection output level), neglecting semantic consistency across modalities. This static strategy may result in performance degradation or unnecessary computation under sensor misalignment or noise. In this work, we propose FDSNet (Feature Disagreement Score Network), a dynamic fusion framework that adaptively selects the fusion stage based on measured semantic consistency across sensor modalities. Each sensor stream (Camera, LiDAR, and Radar) independently extracts mid-level features, which are then transformed into a common Bird’s Eye View (BEV) representation, ensuring spatial alignment across modalities. To assess agreement, a Feature Disagreement Score (FDS) is computed at each BEV location by measuring statistical deviation across modality features. These local scores are aggregated into a global FDS value, which is compared against threshold to determine the fusion strategy. A low FDS, indicating strong semantic consistency across modalities, triggers mid-level fusion for computational efficiency, whereas a high FDS value activates late fusion to preserve detection robustness under cross-modal disagreement. We evaluate FDSNet on the nuScenes dataset across multiple configurations: Camera+Radar, Camera+LiDAR, and Camera+Radar+LiDAR. Experimental results demonstrate that FDSNet achieves consistent improvements over recent multimodal baselines, with gains of up to +3.0% in NDS and +2.6% in mAP on the validation set, and +2.1% in NDS and +1.6% in mAP on the test set, highlighting that dynamic stage selection provides both robustness and quantifiable advantages over static fusion strategies.
Sequencing effects of balance and change of direction training on physical fitness in young male and highly trained soccer players
Abstract The capacity to quickly change directions is a critical success factor in soccer. Accordingly, change-of-direction training (CODT) should be part of soccer training. Whether there is a sequencing effect of CODT with other training modalities is currently unresolved. Thus, the study objective was to examine the sequencing effects of balance training (BT) and CODT on selected measures of physical fitness and soccer-specific performance in highly-trained young soccer players. Thirty-seven highly-trained male pubertal soccer players aged 12–13 years (Tier 3) exercised for eight weeks with two weekly CODT (forward, backward and lateral drills) or BT (e.g., bi- and unilateral exercises on unstable surfaces) sessions included in regular soccer training sessions. While experimental group 1 ( n = 18) performed four weeks of BT followed by four weeks of CODT, group 2 ( n = 19) followed the opposite sequencing scheme (CODT before BT). BT or CODT lasted 20 min per session and replaced parts of the soccer-specific training, including technical, tactical drills and small-sided games. Pre and post-training, tests were conducted for the assessment of static, dynamic balance (i.e., center of pressure surface area, velocity on firm, foam surfaces), linear sprint speed (i.e., 5-m, 10-m, 30-m) and change-of-direction (COD) ability (i.e., 15-m COD ability test) with and without the ball. Vertical and horizontal jump performances were tested using the countermovement and the standing long jump tests. Once statistical assumptions were met, a two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was computed with the factors ‘group’ (BT before CODT vs. CODT before BT) as the between-subject factor and ‘time’ (pre-test vs. post-test) as the within-subject factor. Findings showed significant group-by-time interactions for all proxies of static ( d = 0.45–1.12; all p < 0.01) and dynamic balance ( d = 0.40 − 0.27; all p < 0.03), COD with ( d = 0.64; p < 0.02) and without the ball ( d = 0.24; p < 0.04), horizontal and vertical jump performances ( d = 1.89–2.94; all p < 0.001) and linear sprints ( d = 0.29–0.73; all p < 0.04). Post-hoc tests indicated significant pre-post changes for all tested variables for the group that performed BT before CODT ( d = 0.28–1.97; all p < 0.05) and to a lesser extent for the opposite sequencing scheme ( d = 0.10–0.28; all p < 0.05). A mesocycle commencing with BT prior to CODT appears to have a preconditioning effect, resulting in better outcomes in balance, speed, and jump performances in highly-trained young soccer players. Strength and conditioning professionals working with young male soccer players may apply a block of BT before CODT to enhance their players’ performance.
Characterization of the chloroplast genome of a relict tree, Pterocarya fraxinifolia (Juglandaceae), and its comparative analysis
Investigating probe-receptor interactions and enhancing fluorescence guided surgery with fluorescence lifetime imaging and NF-800 in HER-2 positive esophageal adenocarcinoma
Freezing and unfreezing of antiferromagnetic spins in CoO(111) epitaxial films on a ferromagnetic support
Abstract Epitaxial CoO(111)/Fe(110) bilayers grown on W(110) single crystal were studied using magneto-optic Kerr effect and X-ray magnetic linear dichroism techniques. A variety of possible configurations of frozen antiferromagnetic spins and in-plane easy axis of ferromagnet in CoO(111)/Fe(110) bilayers is presented. Our study shows that the blocking temperature, which marks the onset of exchange bias effect, strongly depends on the thickness of CoO layer. We confirmed that this dependence can be explained with the thermal stability of rotatable antiferromagnetic moments, that goes beyond classical finite-size effects. Partial unfreezing of antiferromagnetic spins at the vicinity of blocking temperature can be employed to reorient rotatable antiferromagnetic spins and refreeze them in a new orientation after subsequent cooling down the system.
Improving biocide evaluation using propidium monoazide (PMA) viability staining technique
Abstract Chemical biocides are commonly employed to manage problems caused by microbial processes. In the energy sector, for example, engineered systems are often treated with biocides to control microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC), biofouling, and the biological generation of hydrogen sulfide. Standard DNA-based methods that are widely used to assess biocide effectiveness often cannot distinguish between live and dead microorganisms, potentially leading to inflated estimates of living cell populations. Incorporating propidium monoazide (PMA) viability staining technique offers a promising solution to this limitation. In this study, we explored the application of PMA within a standard DNA-based workflow to evaluate biocide performance more accurately. A model sulfate-reducing microbial consortium, derived from oilfield produced water, was exposed to widely used biocides including glutaraldehyde (Glut) and tetrakis(hydroxymethyl)phosphonium sulfate (THPS). PMA was applied prior to standard DNA extraction and subsequent qPCR and amplicon sequencing procedures. We observed PMA-derived microbial abundance at least an order of magnitude lower compared to that without PMA. The reduced PMA-derived microbial abundance correlated with the lower ability of the model microbial communities to produce hydrogen sulfide – an association that was absent based on the usual approach without PMA. Biocide-treated communities, in comparison to untreated controls, displayed significant alterations in their microbial ecological properties, such as alpha diversity, beta diversity, and taxonomic composition, as determined through 16S rRNA gene sequencing – differences that were only apparent when PMA was applied. These results confirm that incorporating PMA into standard DNA-based biocide assessment protocols is both feasible and beneficial. Since PMA implementation requires minimal additional effort, we advocate for its adoption in future biocide performance studies, in particular for engineered systems in the energy industry.
Dual dimension assessment and green driven model for high quality industrial development level in Yangtze River Delta
Impact of spatial lesion symmetry on the structural response of hydroxylated B-DNA
Comprehensive molecular docking and antifungal activity analysis of Moringa extracts targeting Candida auris dihydrofolate reductase (8CRH)
Abstract Candida auris is an emerging multidrug-resistant fungal pathogen posing serious global healthcare challenges due to its persistence, frequent misidentification, and resistance to all major antifungal drugs. This study aimed to explore natural therapeutic alternatives by investigating the antifungal and molecular properties of Moringa peregrina and Moringa oleifera leaf extracts. Ethanolic and aqueous extracts of both Moringa species were prepared and evaluated against C. auris and other Candida species ( Candida spp .) using zone of inhibition (ZI), minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) assays. Phytochemical composition was characterized through fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analyses, while cytotoxicity on mammalian MCF-7 cells was assessed using the MTT assay. Molecular docking and 100-ns molecular dynamics simulations were conducted to examine the binding of key bioactive compounds to C. auris dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR; PDB: 8CRH). Ethanolic extracts exhibited the strongest antifungal activity (ZI: 16–16.5 mm; MIC: 0.5–0.7 mg/mL), whereas aqueous extracts were comparatively less effective. FTIR spectra revealed prominent peaks corresponding to hydroxyl (O–H), carbonyl (C = O), and C–O functional groups, confirming the presence of alcohols, esters, phenols, and carboxylic acids, while GC–MS identified β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, dihydroxanthin, and vitamin E derivatives as predominant constituents. Docking results revealed high binding affinities for vitamin E (− 86.6 kcal/mol) and stigmasterol (− 83.5 kcal/mol), exceeding that of fluconazole (− 27.3 kcal/mol). Molecular dynamics confirmed stable protein–ligand complexes, with hydrophobic and van der Waals forces dominating the interactions. Cytotoxicity assays revealed low toxicity at antifungal concentrations (IC₅₀ ≥ 120 µg/mL). These findings demonstrate that Moringa extracts—particularly the ethanolic fractions—harbor potent bioactive compounds with promising antifungal activity against C. auris , highlighting their potential as novel, plant-derived therapeutic candidates to combat resistant fungal infections.