Solvay (Belgium)

Clouds exert a fundamental control over the Earth’s radiative balance by modulating both incoming shortwave solar radiation and outgoing longwave terrestrial radiation, resulting in a net radiative cooling of approximately 19 Wm-2. In contrast to well-mixed greenhouse gases such as CO2 and methane, the radiative impact of clouds exhibits strong spatial and temporal variability, making it intrinsically difficult to quantify and one of the dominant sources of uncertainty in contemporary climate models.This study addresses a complementary and often overlooked aspect of this problem: the cloud–clear-sky interface, characterized by a continuous transition between cloudy and cloud-free conditions. Due to this gradual transition, defining the boundaries of a cloud region is not straightforward and depends strongly on the observational context. In numerical models, clouds are typically defined using relative humidity thresholds, whereas satellite-based cloud detection relies on radiance thresholds that vary across spectral bands.Here, we analyze ground-based thermal infrared imagery (10–12 µm) by comparing observations with modeled clear-sky radiances. Using radiance exceedances relative to clear-sky emission, we quantify the radiative effect associated with the cloud–clear-sky transition. A preliminary analysis based on a limited subset of the available dataset indicates that the selection of cloud spectral radiance thresholds can lead to differences of approximately 0.4 Wm-2µm-1 when compared with definitions that classify clouds only under high-confidence conditions. A comprehensive analysis will be completed prior to the conference.The data were collected at four distinct sites: the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains (SGP) observatory in Oklahoma, USA; the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), Diadema campus, located in the metropolitan region of São Paulo, Brazil; and two sites in the Amazon region—Amazonas State University (UEA), Escola Normal Superior, near downtown Manaus, Brazil, and Embrapa Amazônia Ocidental, situated in a rural area of Manaus. Measurements conducted in the Amazon region are part of the project “Measurements of cloud properties relevant to improving the prediction of intense rainfall in Manaus”, funded by Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Amazonas (FAPEAM).

This paper presents a modulation method based on the selective harmonic elimination-pulse width modulation (SHE-PWM) technique. The aim is to determine the optimal switching angles (SA) using the teaching learning-based optimization algorithm (TLBOA), capable of reducing the voltage total harmonic distortion (THD) present in the output waveform of single-phase multi-level inverters (MLIs). The performance of proposed technique has been verified through simulation using Matlab script and Simulink environment. The TLBOA-based SHE-PWM technique is applied to a 17-level inverter to eliminate 5th, 7th, 11th, 13th, 17th, 19th and 23rd harmonics, achieving an improvement of up to 4.31% in the phase voltage THD content in the range of modulation index (MI) 0.5 to 0.95. Furthermore, the superiority of the proposed technique was confirmed by comparison with conventional modulation techniques, which showed that the proposed technique produces lower THD than those used in the equal phase (EP), half-equal phase (HEP), feed forward (FF) and half height (HH) methods.

ABSTRACT Project failures are common in innovative organizations, and mitigating the negative consequences on R&D employees' job attitudes and outcomes is a critical managerial task. While prior research has emphasized the motivational costs and coping mechanisms associated with experiencing personal project failure, the demotivational impact of working in environments where others' projects frequently fail, and how such effects can be mitigated, remains underexplored. Drawing on job demands‐resources theory, we conceptualize a perceived failure context as a hindrance demand that impairs R&D employees' work engagement and, in turn, job satisfaction. We further examine managerial responsibility and individual failure experience as key job and personal resources that buffer these negative effects. Using data from 437 R&D employees across 49 innovative organizations, we find that perceived failure contexts lower work engagement and indirectly reduce job satisfaction but that R&D employees with managerial responsibility or individual failure experience are less affected. Our findings contribute to the literature on failure, work engagement, and critical resources in innovation contexts.

ABSTRACT Voiding in solder joints remains a concern for manufacturers of printed circuit board assemblies (PCBAs). High voiding levels may lead to electrical, thermal, or mechanical failures. In some cases, challenging void limits are established as a ‘safety factor’ to avoid the potential of failures. Low voiding limits create the need for methods of reduction of voiding in solder joints. This work investigates reflow profiling which is a popular method of influencing void formation. Reflow profiles are easily changed and are expected to influence void behavior. The question is ‘can reflow profiles really improve voiding in solder joints?’ Several no-clean SAC305 solder pastes were tested with multiple reflow conditions and voiding measured in QFN thermal pads. The PCBAs were reflowed a 2nd time and voiding evaluated to determine the effects of 2nd side reflow on voiding. The results were summarized and recommendations made to ‘Fill the Void.’

Despite its robust therapeutic potential, cancer immunotherapy has provided little progress towards improved survival rates for patients bearing immunologically refractory tumors. The implementation of advanced drug delivery systems represents a powerful means of improving cancer immunotherapy by relieving immunosuppression and promoting immune response; however, the overall impact of these systems on immunotherapy currently remains modest. Hyaluronic acid represents a widely used polymer in drug delivery; meanwhile, recent studies linking hyaluronic acid to the immune system make this polymer an attractive component in the design of next-generation cancer immunotherapies. Herein, we review our current understanding of the immunological properties of hyaluronic acid and discuss them in the context of bioactive functions and immune-related interactions with receptors, immune, and cancer cells. We analyze the potential of hyaluronic acid as a component in advanced drug delivery systems, highlighting strategies for the design of more effective vaccines and cancer chemo-immunotherapies. Finally, we discuss critical considerations to facilitate design and clinical translation to overcome existing challenges and maximize therapeutic potential.

Abstract A secession movement is an uncertain process that evolves over time. We develop a simple theoretical framework in which regions use news to update their decisions to secede. Uncertainty and economies of scale are necessary conditions to observe ‘domino secessions’ sequential interdependent secessions. Empirically, we use geographically-specific assets (state bonds) to assess how uncertainty and economies of scale influenced some slaveholding states’ decisions to secede from the U.S. in the 1860s. Uncertainty prevailed over the outcome of the secession movement with financial markets updating their priors on potential seceders at the election of Abraham Lincoln, but also every time a state seceded. We further document that financial markets priced in economies of scale to both state and federal debt.

Seekor kucing betina domestik short hair berumur 1 tahun datang ke Klinik Hewan Jogja, Solo dengan keluhan kesulitan melahirkan. Pada pemeriksaan fisik diketahui terdapat fetus yang sudah mati tersangkut di saluran kelahiran, kucing tidak bisa melahirkan fetus lain yang tersisa, dan kucing mengalami dehidrasi. Pemeriksaan ultrasonografi menunjukkan adanya 3 fetus di dalam uterus dengan kondisi tidak hidup dan cairan amnion yang keruh. Pemeriksaan hematologi menunjukkan adanya leukositosis, granulositosis, monositosis, eosinopenia, penurunan nilai MCV, dan peningkatan nilai MCHC. Penanganan kasus ini adalah sectio caesar dan ovariohisterektomi dengan anestesi umum untuk menyelamatkan induk. Premedikasi yang digunakan adalah atropin sulfat 0,6 ml SC dan petidine 0,2 ml IV. Anestesi yang diberikan adalah propofol 0,2 ml IV. Perawatan pascaoperasi dengan terapi injeksi antibiotik ceftriaxone 0,8 ml IV, analgesik pethidine 0,2 ml IV, agen hemostatik asam traneksamat 0,8 ml IV, multivitamin Injektivit B-Plex 0,2 ml SC, dan ChannaFit 1 ml PO q 12h selama 5 hari. Pengobatan topikal diberikan salep gentamicin dengan kandungan antibiotik q24h selama 5 hari. Kucing Omeng dinyatakan sembuh setelah 5 hari pengobatan dengan luka jahitan yang sepenuhnya menyatu dan mengering.

This study explores methods for enhancing full-body self-avatar animation in virtual reality (VR), particularly by leveraging 3D Cartesian positions of additional body joints. Self-avatar animation is essential to foster embodiment in virtual environments. However, it lacks accuracy when tracking signals are limited to head and hand controllers. We evaluated three state-of-the-art open source Transformer-based models to take advantage of lower- and upper-body joint data and analyze their impact on motion-tracking accuracy. The results show that augmenting the sparse VR inputs with the lower body joints (e.g. feet, knees) significantly improves the accuracy of the avatar, even for upper body motion. However, occlusion of these joints critically degrades the animation quality in every tested configuration, particularly in terms of temporal continuity and smoothness. We show that effectively handling occlusion artifacts is a crucial challenge in this research field.

Neste artigo retratamos a pesquisa operacional como elemento fundamental para redução de custos na recolha de resíduos sólidos na província de Malanje em Angola, na qual é feita uma intervenção da Matemática para maximização do rendimento financeiro na contratação das empresas de recolha de lixo na província. Assim, surge a seguinte questão de partida, como a Pesquisa Operacional pode ajudar no processo de tomada de decisão para a recolha de resíduos sólidos? Com isso, pretende – se objectivar em conhecer os elementos da Pesquisa Operacional como elemento do processo da tomada de decisão para a recolha de resíduos sólidos. E como as linhas orientadoras - descrever pontos relevantes sobre a província de Malanje; - analisar o funcionamento gerenciais aglutinadas na recolha de resíduos sólidos; - fundamentar teoricamente e operacionalmente o processo de tomada de decisão da recolha de resíduos sólidos. Para escrita deste artigo, foi possível se apegar no estudo de caso e, como técnicas e análise de conteúdo e pesquisa bibliográfica com recurso aos elementos do processo de tomada de decisão através da Pesquisa Operacional. Conclui – se que para maximizar a recolha de resíduos sólidos mensalmente, a empresa poderá recolher mil e oitocentos resíduos orgânicos e zero de resíduos recicláveis por dia, obtendo assim um ganho mensal no valor de 10.152.000.000.00. Com isso, a intervenção para a tomada de decisão na recolha de resíduo orgânico de forma constante em relação ao resíduo reciclável.