We look for correlated changes in stellar mass and star formation rate (SFR) along filaments in the cosmic web by examining the stellar masses and UV-derived SFRs of 1799 ungrouped and unpaired ...spiral galaxies that reside in filaments. We devise multiple distance metrics to characterize the complex geometry of filaments, and find that galaxies closer to the cylindrical centre of a filament have higher stellar masses than their counterparts near the periphery of filaments, on the edges of voids. In addition, these peripheral spiral galaxies have higher SFRs at a given mass. Complementing our sample of filament spiral galaxies with spiral galaxies in tendrils and voids, we find that the average SFR of these objects in different large-scale environments are similar to each other with the primary discriminant in SFR being stellar mass, in line with previous works. However, the distributions of SFRs are found to vary with large-scale environment. Our results thus suggest a model in which in addition to stellar mass as the primary discriminant, the large-scale environment is imprinted in the SFR as a second-order effect. Furthermore, our detailed results for filament galaxies suggest a model in which gas accretion from voids on to filaments is primarily in an orthogonal direction. Overall, we find our results to be in line with theoretical expectations of the thermodynamic properties of the intergalactic medium in different large-scale environments.
The effects of thermal modification of wood have been well established, particularly in terms of reductions in mechanical performance. In recent years, there has been an increase in studies related ...to the Maillard reaction. More commonly associated with food chemistry, it involves the reaction of amines and reducing sugars during cooking procedures. This study has attempted to combine the use of amines and thermal modification, with subsequent properties investigated for the treatment of spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst) and beech (Fagus sylvatica L.). In this initial study, the combined effects of chemical treatments by tricine and bicine were investigated with thermal modification. Along with some preliminary data on mechanical properties, the modifications which appeared in the wood structure were evaluated by infrared spectroscopy and biological studies according to EN113 and EN117 methodologies. The hierarchal study interpretation of FTIR suggested interactions between the bicine or tricine and the wood, which was partly supported by the analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOC), though other tests were not as conclusive. The potential of the method warrants further consideration, which will be described.
The new economy and the knowledge-based society brought significant changes in all the areas of our daily lives. Also, the COVID-19 pandemic and the COVID-19 crisis implicated tremendous ...transformations in all the domains, on the one hand, threatening the balance of our society and, on the other hand, challenging the dynamic of the new economy development and the rhythm of the societal modernization. In these delicate times, the all-important relationship between ethics, leadership, teamwork, effective communication, productivity, and performance is brought to the attention, in particular, due to its benefits for our society, taking into consideration the pivotal advancement that a well governed relationship of this type could provide to the knowledge-based economy. The present research describes the implication of ethics in leadership, teamwork, effective communication, and productivity, which includes the application of ethical values as university graduates assume the role of each of the mentioned dimensions of study in the organizations. The absence of research that relates ethics to these four elements simultaneously was noticed. This information is essential to know how these dimensions influence the organizational level. The sample that included 410 university graduates was applied in Baja California, Mexico, and the industrial nucleus of great relevance, bordering California in the United States of America. The data was obtained using a questionnaire. A reliability and validity analysis of the measurement instrument was carried out in terms of the ethical values associated with the dimensions mentioned using the exploratory factor analysis by the principal components method. Qualitative items were also analyzed using the constant comparison method. The results obtained in this research provide a greater perspective and practical knowledge and support of usefulness and practical reality to businesspeople and employees, leaders and university graduates; and also extensive to students, teachers, and human beings in general, in order to be better prepared to give and apply solutions with their consequent ethical and productive achievements desired by all. Additionally, this current research has the purpose to raise the will to understand, at a higher level and at a more in-depth degree of knowledge, the relationship between ethics, leadership, teamwork, effective communication, productivity, and performance, in the attempt to foster a creative and innovative business environment, based on a robust and sustainable business administration and business competencies, capable to position at higher ranks the strengths, opportunities, aspirations and outcomes that today's new economy is due to offer and diminish the dangerous effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the COVID-19 crisis in all the domains.
In the recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) applications have gained interest in the field of cardiovascular medical imaging, including positron emission tomography (PET). The use of AI in ...cardiac PET imaging is to date limited, although first, important results have been shown, overcoming technical issues, improving diagnostic accuracy and providing prognostic information. In this review we aimed to summarize the state-of-the-art regarding AI applications in cardiovascular PET.
Human resources are very important in a business; however, the return on investment in human resources is longer than in fixed assets, so entrepreneurs frequently consider how much to actually ...invest. This article, based on primary research, examines the motivations for investment when a 20% profit is typically invested with a model return of around 14%. Those findings are supported by the results presented in Archetype models based on similarity clustering. The results are based on an empirical study (278 respondents, omnibus survey) in the Czech Republic. Moreover, the study concludes that the business experience positively influences human resource management and future development to increase the investment share. In essence, this article displays the paramount importance of human resources and human resource management in the international business environment, demonstrating that investments in human resources are crucial to the success of all businesses, positively and consistently supporting organizations' performance, and entrepreneurship will continue to remain a vital component of the activities belonging to the post COVID-19 era. In addition, in an era governed by the influences specific to the knowledge-based society and the knowledge-based economy, in which intellectual capital will be considered one of the most relevant intangible assets of entities all over the world, the measurement of human resources investment will turn out to be essential for the success of all businesses, while taking the necessary steps in supporting sustainability, sustainability assessment and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Based on our sample of 10 095 galaxies with bulge–disc decompositions we derive the empiricalBMGC-band internal attenuation–inclination relation for galaxy discs and their associated central bulges. ...Our results agree well with the independently derived dust models of Tuffs et al., leading to a direct constraint on the mean opacity of spiral discs of τfB= 3.8 ± 0.7 (central face-on BMGC-band opacity). Depending on inclination, the BMGC-band attenuation correction varies from 0.2 to 1.1 mag for discs and from 0.8 to 2.6 mag for bulges. We find that, overall, 37 per cent of all BMGC-band photons produced in discs in the nearby Universe are absorbed by dust, a figure that rises to 71 per cent for bulge photons. The severity of internal dust extinction is such that one must incorporate internal dust corrections in all optical studies of large galaxy samples. This is particularly pertinent for optical Hubble Space Telescope comparative evolutionary studies as the dust properties will also be evolving. We use the new results to revise our recent estimates of the spheroid and disc luminosity functions. The implied stellar mass densities at redshift zero are somewhat higher than our earlier estimates: ρdiscs= (3.8 ± 0.6) → (4.4 ± 0.6) × 108 h M⊙ Mpc−3 and ρbulges= (1.6 ± 0.4) → (2.2 ± 0.4) × 108 h M⊙ Mpc−3. From our best-fitting dust models we derive a redshift zero cosmic dust density of ρdust≈ (5.3 ± 1.7) × 105 h M⊙ Mpc−3. This implies that (0.0083 ± 0.0027)h per cent of the baryons in the Universe are in the form of dust and (11.9 ± 1.7) h per cent (Salpeter-‘lite’ initial mass function) are in the form of stars (∼58 per cent reside in galaxy discs, ∼10 per cent in red elliptical galaxies, ∼29 per cent in classical galaxy bulges and the remainder in low-luminosity blue spheroid systems/components).
This study explores the potential utilization of walstromite (BaCa
Si
O
) as a foundational material for creating new bioceramics in the form of scaffolds through 3D printing technology. To achieve ...this objective, this study investigates the chemical-mineralogical, morphological, and structural characteristics, as well as the biological properties, of walstromite-based bioceramics. The precursor mixture for walstromite synthesis is prepared through the sol-gel method, utilizing pure reagents. The resulting dried gelatinous precipitate is analyzed through complex thermal analysis, leading to the determination of the optimal calcination temperature. Subsequently, the calcined powder is characterized via X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, indicating the presence of calcium and barium silicates, as well as monocalcium silicate. This powder is then employed in additive 3D printing, resulting in ceramic scaffolds. The specific ceramic properties of the scaffold, such as apparent density, absorption, open porosity, and compressive strength, are assessed and fall within practical use limits. X-ray diffraction analysis confirms the formation of walstromite as a single phase in the ceramic scaffold. In vitro studies involving immersion in simulated body fluid (SBF) for 7 and 14 days, as well as contact with osteoblast-like cells, reveal the scaffold's ability to form a phosphate layer on its surface and its biocompatibility. This study concludes that the walstromite-based ceramic scaffold exhibits promising characteristics for potential applications in bone regeneration and tissue engineering.
We study how the sizes and radial profiles of galaxies vary with wavelength, by fitting Sérsic functions simultaneously to imaging in nine optical and near-infrared bands. To quantify the wavelength ...dependence of effective radius we use the ratio,
$\mathcal {R}$
, of measurements in two rest-frame bands. The dependence of Sérsic index on wavelength,
$\mathcal {N}$
, is computed correspondingly. Vulcani et al. have demonstrated that different galaxy populations present sharply contrasting behaviour in terms of
$\mathcal {R}$
and
$\mathcal {N}$
. Here we study the luminosity dependence of this result. We find that at higher luminosities, early-type galaxies display a more substantial decrease in effective radius with wavelength, whereas late types present a more pronounced increase in Sérsic index. The structural contrast between types thus increases with luminosity. By considering samples at different redshifts, we demonstrate that lower data quality reduces the apparent difference between the main galaxy populations. However, our conclusions remain robust to this effect. We show that accounting for different redshift and luminosity selections partly reconciles the size variation measured by Vulcani et al. with the weaker trends found by other recent studies. Dividing galaxies by visual morphology confirms the behaviour inferred using morphological proxies, although the sample size is greatly reduced. Finally, we demonstrate that varying dust opacity and disc inclination can account for features of the joint distribution of
$\mathcal {R}$
and
$\mathcal {N}$
for late-type galaxies. However, dust does not appear to explain the highest values of
$\mathcal {R}$
and
$\mathcal {N}$
. The bulge–disc nature of galaxies must also contribute to the wavelength dependence of their structure.
The study evaluates the osteointegration of hydroxyapatite (HAp) and hydroxyapatite-titanium (HApTi) biocomposites implanted in the femurs of rabbits. The biocomposites were fabricated using powder ...metallurgy and subjected to a two-step sintering process. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed to analyze the morphology, while mesenchymal stem cells were cultured to assess cytotoxicity and proliferation. In vivo experiments involved the implantation of HAp in the left femur and HApTi in the right femur of twenty New Zealand white rabbits. Computed tomography (CT) scans, histological, immunohistochemical, and histomorphometric analyses were performed to assess bone density and osteoblast activity. Results demonstrated that HApTi implants showed superior osteointegration, with higher peri-implant bone density and increased osteoblast count compared to HAp implants. This study concluded that HApTi biocomposites have potential for enhanced bone healing and stability in orthopedic applications.
Nowadays, sustainability assessment procedures, sustainability assessment indicators, and sustainability assessment models are regarded by specialists as powerful decision-supporting tools able to ...foster sustainable development worldwide by addressing the main economic, financial, social, and environmental challenges. In like manner, the role and relevance of intangible assets have managed to produce an irreversible change in today’s world which also seriously affected the general traits of our economic systems, leading to a phenomenon known by specialists as the “revolution of intangibles”. Over the last decades, the controversies regarding the recognition and measurement of intellectual capital (IC) have led, on the one hand, to the development of possible solutions and systems for calculating and disclosing the performance generated or stimulated by various components of IC, but, on the other hand, they have also been the main premise that favored the use of intangible assets, in general, and intellectual property (IP), in particular, the transfer of results and the reduction of the tax base by transferring income to tax havens or jurisdictions that do not tax these categories of assets. Against these aggressive methods of fiscal planning, the countries reacted unitarily and coordinated through the BEPS (Base Erosion and Profit Shifting Project) plan. Based on the country’s profile as well as on the results of the annual evaluations published by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), our study verifies whether there are premises for IP use for income transfer into favorable jurisdictions and whether the measures and solutions proposed by Action 5 of the BEPS end disputes over the recognition and evaluation of IC. In addition, our work presents a novel methodological framework for sustainability assessment, which focuses on establishing important connections between the recognition and measurement of intellectual capital, the role of sustainability assessment tools, and the implications of corporate social responsibility, since, these days, the real “values” associated with a country or business profile may be found in the intangible assets they possess.
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