The perpetual significance of the pharmaceutical industry in society necessitates ongoing research efforts to enhance the efficacy of its manufacturing processes. Given that drug product manufacturing typically involves powder processing, a thorough understanding of powder characterization is needed for optimal process performance. Powder rheology is commonly examined in pharmaceutical manufacturing to elucidate the relationship between powder properties and the performance of pharmaceutical processes. This paper provides a brief discussion of recent literature regarding the various powder properties and characterization techniques encompassed in powder rheology. The powder properties are categorized into particle size, particle morphology, friability, electrostatics, permeability, wettability, cohesion, bulk density, and agglomeration sections. A distinct focus is placed on the segment about powder wettability. This review informs readers about the fundamental properties of powders known to influence pharmaceutical processes. It discusses the interrelationships among these properties, powder characterization techniques, and ideal states of powder properties that lead to optimal process performance. Full article

This paper explores the life and teachings of the renowned Chinese Buddhist monk Master Hongyi (1880–1942), focusing on his transformative encounters with impermanence and their relevance for contemporary death education. Drawing upon historical records, personal writings, and the accounts of his contemporaries, this study traces Master Hongyi’s profound spiritual journey from intense grief and existential crisis to enlightened equanimity in the face of mortality. It examines how his skillful application of Buddhist practices enabled him to find meaning, purpose, and liberation amidst the challenges of aging, illness, and dying. Through an in-depth analysis of Master Hongyi’s wisdom and lived experience, this paper proposes the “Hongyi Model”, an innovative paradigm for integrating the spiritual, psychological, and artistic dimensions of his approach into modern death education. The findings underscore the transformative potential of Buddhist teachings for fostering a more authentic, meaningful, and spiritually grounded engagement with mortality, offering valuable insights for educators, counselors, and healthcare professionals working in end-of-life care. Full article

Cervical cancer is caused by a persistent and high-grade infection. It is caused by the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), which, when entering cervical cells, alters their physiology and generates serious lesions. HPV 18 is among those most involved in carcinogenesis in this region, but there are still no drug treatments that cause cure or total remission of lesions caused by HPV. It is known that L-asparaginase is an amidohydrolase, which plays a significant role in the pharmaceutical industry, particularly in the treatment of specific cancers. Due to its antitumor properties, some studies have demonstrated its cytotoxic effect against cervical cancer cells. However, the commercial version of this enzyme has side effects, such as hypersensitivity, allergic reactions, and silent inactivation due to the formation of antibodies. To mitigate these adverse effects, several alternatives have been explored, including the use of L-asparaginase from other microbiological sources, which is the case with the use of the fungus Aspergillus niger, a high producer of L-asparaginase. The study investigated the influence of the type of fermentation, precipitant, purification, characterization, and in vitro cytotoxicity of L-asparaginase. The results revealed that semisolid fermentation produced higher enzymatic activity and protein concentration of A. niger. The characterized enzyme showed excellent stability at pH 9.0, temperature of 50 °C, resistance to surfactants and metallic ions, and an increase in enzymatic activity with the organic solvent ethanol. Furthermore, it exhibited low cytotoxicity in GM and RAW cells and significant cytotoxicity in HeLa cells. These findings indicate that L-asparaginase derived from A. niger may be a promising alternative for pharmaceutical production. Its attributes, including stability, activity, and low toxicity in healthy cells, suggest that this modified enzyme could overcome challenges associated with antitumor therapy. Full article

Speleothem δ¹³C in monsoonal China differs from speleothem δ¹⁸O, which is widely used as a climatic proxy for several complex control reasons. Nevertheless, δ¹³C records have the potential to reveal the implications of hydroclimatic changes. This study reports a speleothem δ¹³C record from Didonghe (DDH) Cave in central China spanning 34 to 13 kyr BP. After we investigated the factors that influence speleothem δ¹³C, we found that the δ¹³C record showed that DDH Cave can prompt directional shifts via local hydroclimatic changes, such as in vegetation types, biomass, and rock–water interaction processes, suggesting that δ¹³C is mainly controlled by the local hydroclimate. Ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) results revealed a coupling relationship between δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C on multiple timescales, which suggested that changes in precipitation caused by large-scale monsoonal circulation are controlled by regional hydrological conditions to a great extent. However, the hydrological conditions of the cave were relatively mild and humid during the last glacial maximum (LGM), which revealed the impact of evaporation on changes in the region’s hydrological conditions. We also found that the δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C profiles decoupled when δ¹³C changed with a shift in the location of the westerly during HS1. The δ¹³C record correlates well with other paleoclimate records, suggesting that regional hydrological conditions are also modulated by the Earth’s internal and external driving factors. Full article

This study synthesized and modified a semi-interpenetrating polymer network hydrogel from polyacrylamide, N,N′-dimethylacrylamide, and maleic acid in a potassium hydroxide solution. The chemical composition, interior morphology, thermal properties, mechanical characteristics, and swelling behaviors of the initial hydrogel (SH) and modified hydrogel (SB) in water, salt solutions, and buffer solutions were investigated. Hydrogels were used as phosphate fertilizer (PF) carriers and applied in farming techniques by evaluating their impact on soil properties and the growth of mustard greens. Fourier-transform infrared spectra confirmed the chemical composition of SH, SB, and PF-adsorbed hydrogels. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed that modification increased the largest pore size from 817 to 1513 µm for SH and SB hydrogels, respectively. After modification, the hydrogels had positive changes in the swelling ratio, swelling kinetics, thermal properties, mechanical and rheological properties, PF absorption, and PF release. The modification also increased the maximum amount of PF loaded into the hydrogel from 710.8 mg/g to 770.9 mg/g, while the maximum % release of PF slightly increased from 84.42% to 85.80%. In addition, to evaluate the PF release mechanism and the factors that influence this process, four kinetic models were applied to confirm the best-fit model, which included zero-order, first-order, Higuchi, and Korsmeyer–Peppas. In addition, after six cycles of absorption and release in the soil, the hydrogels retained their original shapes, causing no alkalinization or acidification. At the same time, the moisture content was higher as SB was used. Finally, modifying the hydrogel increased the mustard greens’ lifespan from 20 to 32 days. These results showed the potential applications of modified semi–IPN hydrogel materials in cultivation. Full article

Ti-Cr-V-based alloys have been utilized across various domains, including aerospace structural and functional materials and hydrogen storage materials. Investigating the phase relations in the Ti-Cr-V system is significant in supporting the material design for these applications. In the present work, the isothermal sections at 1000, 1100, and 1200 °C for the Ti-Cr-V system were precisely determined through a systematic investigation using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The phase region of Cr₂Ti was entirely elucidated for the first time. As the temperature decreased from 1200 to 1000 °C, the V solubility range of Cr₂Ti increased from 5.3 wt.% to 10.0 wt.%, while the Ti solubility range essentially remained constant at approximately 31.0–33.9 wt.%. In addition, it was suggested that the stable structure of Cr₂Ti was C36 at 1200 °C and C15 at 1000 and 1100 °C. The present work will support thermodynamic re-assessment research. Full article

The lifespan of an electrical transformer, primarily determined by the condition of its solid insulation, is well known under various operating conditions when mineral oil is the coolant in these machines. However, there is a trend toward replacing this oil with biodegradable fluids, especially esters; therefore, an understanding of the ageing of solid insulation with these fluids is essential. Currently available data do not allow for the selection of the best ester among those available on the market, as each study applies different conditions, making it impossible to compare results. Thus, this paper analyses the degradation of Kraft and Thermally Upgraded Kraft papers with the following five most promising commercial esters: sunflower, rapeseed, soybean, palm, and synthetic. The materials underwent accelerated thermal ageing at 130, 150, and 170 °C, and the integrity of the papers was evaluated through their polymerisation degree and the obtaining of the degradation kinetic models. The wide range of materials studied in this work, which were subjected to the same treatments, allows for a comparison of the esters, revealing significant differences in the impact of the alternative fluids. Sunflower, rapeseed, and soybean esters provided the best paper protection, i.e., the degree of polymerisation of Kraft paper in the tests at 150 °C decreased by 71% with these fluids, compared to the 83% reduction with mineral oil, 79% reduction with palm ester, and 75% reduction with synthetic ester. Furthermore, different kinetic models were obtained to predict the degradation; it was concluded that the Emsley model provides the best fit. Additionally, it was found that the behaviour of a dielectric fluid with one type of paper cannot be extrapolated, which is only noticeable in broad-scope studies. Full article

Among the existing insulator defect detection methods, the automatic detection of inspection robots based on the instance segmentation algorithm is relatively more efficient, but the problem of the limited accuracy of the segmentation algorithm is still a bottleneck for increasing inspection efficiency. Therefore, we propose a single-stage insulator instance defect segmentation method based on both an attention mechanism and improved feature fusion network. YOLACT is selected as the basic instance segmentation model. Firstly, to improve the segmentation speed, MobileNetV2 embedded with an scSE attention mechanism is introduced as the backbone network. Secondly, a new feature map that combines semantic and positional information is obtained by improving the FPN module and fusing the feature maps of each layer, during which, an attention mechanism is introduced to further improve the quality of the feature map. Thirdly, in view of the problems that affect the insulator segmentation, a Restrained-IoU (RIoU) bounding box loss function which covers the area deviation, center deviation, and shape deviation is designed for object detection. Finally, for the validity evaluation of the proposed method, experiments are performed on the insulator defect data set. It is shown in the results that the improved algorithm achieves a mask accuracy improvement of 5.82% and a detection speed of 37.4 FPS, which better complete the instance segmentation of insulator defect images. Full article

Climate change affects water resources through the decrease in rainfall and the increase in temperatures and evapotranspiration. An indirect impact of climate change is also the increase in water uses by human activities. In this review, 320 papers were retrieved, of which 134, spanning five continents and dealing with impacts and solutions, were selected to be used to better understand the effects of climate change on water resources, ecosystems, human health, security, and socio-economic aspects. Here, suggestions and proposals towards solutions by scientists from around the world, tips and ideas to deal with climate change, and the best solutions for future water management are presented. The main solutions highlighted concern integrated water resource management, political direction, policies, an increase in knowledge, and new technologies. Furthermore, most of the analyzed papers underline that water resource management needs to incorporate the protection and restoration of ecosystems and their services. Nature-based solutions need to be the starting point of new scientific and innovative ways to deal with climate change and look towards future climate adaptation. In this complex evolution of the water resource, the political position of Italy is also shown, illustrating what actions could be implemented for water resource management. Full article

The supply and control of iron is essential for all cells and vital for many physiological processes. All functions and activities of iron are expressed in conjunction with iron-binding molecules. For example, natural chelators such as transferrin and chelator–iron complexes such as haem play major roles in iron metabolism and human physiology. Similarly, the mainstay treatments of the most common diseases of iron metabolism, namely iron deficiency anaemia and iron overload, involve many iron–chelator complexes and the iron-chelating drugs deferiprone (L1), deferoxamine (DF) and deferasirox. Endogenous chelators such as citric acid and glutathione and exogenous chelators such as ascorbic acid also play important roles in iron metabolism and iron homeostasis. Recent advances in the treatment of iron deficiency anaemia with effective iron complexes such as the ferric iron tri-maltol complex (feraccru or accrufer) and the effective treatment of transfusional iron overload using L1 and L1/DF combinations have decreased associated mortality and morbidity and also improved the quality of life of millions of patients. Many other chelating drugs such as ciclopirox, dexrazoxane and EDTA are used daily by millions of patients in other diseases. Similarly, many other drugs or their metabolites with iron-chelation capacity such as hydroxyurea, tetracyclines, anthracyclines and aspirin, as well as dietary molecules such as gallic acid, caffeic acid, quercetin, ellagic acid, maltol and many other phytochelators, are known to interact with iron and affect iron metabolism and related diseases. Different interactions are also observed in the presence of essential, xenobiotic, diagnostic and theranostic metal ions competing with iron. Clinical trials using L1 in Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases, as well as HIV and other infections, cancer, diabetic nephropathy and anaemia of inflammation, highlight the importance of chelation therapy in many other clinical conditions. The proposed use of iron chelators for modulating ferroptosis signifies a new era in the design of new therapeutic chelation strategies in many other diseases. The introduction of artificial intelligence guidance for optimal chelation therapeutic outcomes in personalised medicine is expected to increase further the impact of chelation in medicine, as well as the survival and quality of life of millions of patients with iron metabolic disorders and also other diseases. Full article

(1) Background: The increasing life expectancy brings an increase in geriatric syndromes, specifically frailty. The literature shows that exercise is a key to preventing, or even reversing, frailty in community-dwelling populations. The main objective is to demonstrate how an intervention based on multicomponent exercise produces an improvement in frailty and pre-frailty in a community-dwelling population. (2) Methods: a prospective observational study of a multicomponent exercise program for geriatric revitalization with people aged over 65 holding Barthel Index scores equal to, or beyond, 90. The program was developed over 30 weeks, three times a week, in sessions lasting 45–50 min each. Frailty levels were registered by the Short Physical Performance Battery, FRAIL Questionnaire Screening Tool, and Timed “Up & Go” at the beginning of the program, 30 weeks later (at the end of the program), and following 13 weeks without training; (3) Results: 360 participants completed the program; a greater risk of frailty was found before the program started among older women living in urban areas, with a more elevated fat percentage, more baseline pathologies, and wider baseline medication use. Furthermore, heterogeneous results were observed both in training periods and in periods without physical activity. However, they are consistent over time and show improvement after training. They show a good correlation between TUG and SPPB; (4) Conclusions: A thirty-week multicomponent exercise program improves frailty and pre-frailty status in a community-dwelling population with no functional decline. Nevertheless, a lack of homogeneity is evident among the various tools used for measuring frailty over training periods and inactivity periods. Full article

Background and Objectives: The investigation of oncogenic viruses and their potential association with breast cancer (BC) remains an intriguing area of study. The current work aims to assess evidence of three specific viruses, human papillomavirus (HPV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), and Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) in BC samples and to explore their relationship with relevant clinicopathological variables. Materials and Methods: The analysis involved BC samples from 110 Jordanian female patients diagnosed with BC and breast tissue samples from 30 control patients with no evidence of breast malignancy, investigated using real-time PCR. The findings were then correlated with various clinico-pathological characteristics of BC. Results: HPV was detected in 27 (24.5%), CMV in 15 (13.6%), and EBV in 18 (16.4%) BC patients. None of the control samples was positive for HPV or CMV while EBV was detected in only one (3.3%) sample. While (HPV/EBV), (HPV/CMV), and (EBV/CMV) co-infections were reported in 1.8%, 2.7%, and 5.5%, respectively, coinfection with the three viruses (HPV/CMV/EBV) was not reported in our cohort. A statistically significant association was observed between HPV status and age (p = 0.047), and between clinical stage and CMV infection (p = 0.015). Conclusions: Our findings indicate the presence or co-presence of HPV, CMV, and EBV in the BC subpopulation, suggesting a potential role in its development and/or progression. Further investigation is required to elucidate the underlying mechanisms that account for the exact role of oncoviruses in breast carcinogenesis. Full article

Concrete crack measurement is important for concrete buildings. Deep learning-based segmentation methods have achieved state-of-art results. However, the model size of these models is extremely large which is impossible to use in portable crack measuring devices. To address this problem, a light-weight concrete crack segmentation model based on the Feature Sparse Choosing VIT (LTNet) is proposed by us. In our proposed model, a Feature Sparse Choosing VIT (FSVIT) is used to reduce computational complexity in VIT as well as reducing the number of channels for crack features. In addition, a Feature Channel Selecting Module (FCSM) is proposed by us to reduce channel features as well as suppressing the influence of interfering features. Finally, Depthwise Separable Convolutions are used to substitute traditional convolutions for further reducing computational complexity. As a result, the model size of our LTNet is extremely small. Experimental results show that our LTNet could achieve an accuracy of 0.887, 0.817 and 0.693, and achieve a recall of 0.882, 0.805 and 0.681 on three datasets, respectively, which is 3–8% higher than current mainstream algorithms. However, the model size of our LTNet is only 2 M. Full article

Southern stem rot (SSR) is caused by Athelia rolfsii and is an economically important disease of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.). Application of protectant fungicides is an effective management component for reducing levels of this soil-borne disease. The majority of peanut hectarage in South Carolina and Mississippi is rainfed. Timely precipitation has the potential to aid the movement of foliar-applied fungicides through the canopy and into contact with soil interfaces where SSR infections occur. Questions have arisen as to the quantitative relationship of post-application precipitation and fungicide-active ingredient efficacy in managing SSR and protecting associated pod yield potentials. To examine this, fungicide efficacy experiments were screened for inclusion in a meta-analysis, from which eleven experiments conducted from 2015 to 2023 were selected and paired with environmental data from nearby weather stations. Precipitation during the two days following fungicide application was associated with significant reduction in SSR incidence (logit rate of −0.0039/mm) and increased pod yield (log slope of 0.0028/mm). Active ingredient interactions with precipitation among pod yield but not SSR incidence data were present for benzovindiflupyr plus azoxystrobin, flutolanil, and tebuconazole. Fungicides with the greatest levels of control per application at maximum label rates were inpyrfluxam (18.8%), benzovindiflupyr plus azoxystrobin (15.4%), flutolanil (12.3%), and prothioconazole plus tebuconazole (10.5%). Micronized sulfur neither contributed to SSR control nor pod yield increase. Tebuconazole was associated with the greatest % SSR control per fungicide product cost (0.47%/$/ha/application) but was also the treatment with the least amount of control (3.5%) at its maximum label rate. Maximum label rates of benzovindiflupyr plus azoxystrobin (USD 637) and inpyrfluxam (USD 548) were estimated as conferring the greatest returns over the chlorothalonil-only control. Results serve as a helpful reference for farmers and practitioners in selecting fungicide management options and targeting application times, as feasible, to utilize natural precipitation to improve management outcomes. Full article

The emerging technology of rotating synthetic aperture (RSA) presents a promising solution for the development of lightweight, large-aperture, and high-resolution optical remote sensing systems in geostationary orbit. However, the rectangular shape of the primary mirror and the distinctive imaging mechanism involving the continuous rotation of the mirror lead to a pronounced decline in image resolution along the shorter side of the rectangle compared to the longer side. The resolution also exhibits periodic time-varying characteristics. To address these limitations and enhance image quality, we begin by analyzing the imaging mechanism of the RSA system. Subsequently, we propose a single-image super-resolution method that utilizes a rotated varied-size window attention mechanism instead of full attention, based on the Vision Transformer architecture. We employ a two-stage training methodology for the network, where we pre-train it on images masked with stripe-shaped masks along the shorter side of the rectangular pupil. Following that, we fine-tune the network using unmasked images. Through the strip-wise mask sampling strategy, this two-stage training approach effectively circumvents the interference of lower confidence (clarity) information and outperforms training the network from scratch using the unmasked degraded images. Our digital simulation and semi-physical imaging experiments demonstrate that the proposed method achieves satisfactory performance. This work establishes a valuable reference for future space applications of the RSA system. Full article

Cannabis sativa L. (hemp) is a herbaceous plant rich in cannabinoids with a long history of use in pain treatment. The most well-characterized cannabinoids, cannabidiol (CBD) and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), garnered much attention in chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) treatment. However, few studies have investigated the biological benefits and mechanism of hemp extract on CIPN. In the present study, hemp extract (JG) rich in cannabinoids was extracted by supercritical fluid carbon dioxide extraction (SFCE). The antinociceptive efficacy was evaluated using a paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy (PIPN) rat model based on behavioral tests. Further omics-based approaches were applied to explore the potential mechanisms. The results showed that JG decreased mechanical allodynia, thermal hyperalgesia, and inflammatory cytokines in PIPN rats significantly. Transcriptome analysis identified seven key genes significantly regulated by JG in PIPN model rats, mainly related to the neuroactive ligand–receptor interaction pathway, PPAR signaling pathway, and cAMP signaling pathway. In metabolomic analysis, a total of 39 significantly altered metabolites were identified, mainly correlated with pentose and glucuronate interconversions and the glycerophospholipid metabolism pathway. Gut microbiota analysis suggested that increased community Lachnoclostridium and Lachnospiraceae_UCG-006 in PIPN rats can be reversed significantly by JG. In conclusion, hemp extract exhibited antinociceptive effects on PIPN. The analgesic mechanism was probably related to the regulation of inflammation, neuroactive ligand–receptor interaction pathway, sphingolipid metabolism, etc. This study provides novel insights into the functional interactions of Cannabis sativa L. extract on PIPN. Full article

The largest and the deepest landslides in Serbia occurred on the right valley side of the Danube. General conclusions about landslides along the Danube were obtained on the basis of their comprehensive, detailed investigations: the Sloboda bridge in Novi Sad, the Beška bridge, the large settlement of Bocke, and the high-speed railway viaduct in Čortanovci. These areas are actually large, unstable slopes with deep and shallow landslides. Deep landslides consist of several sliding blocks with 20–40 m in depth. All these landslides were formed in clays and sands of the Pliocene age in the decayed crust of these sediments. The general conclusions about landslides presented in this paper will be of great use for the construction of new facilities in the entire unstable area along the Danube, which is about 100 km in length. Full article

Rotavirus (RV) replicates within viroplasms, membraneless electron-dense globular cytosolic inclusions with liquid–liquid phase properties. In these structures occur the virus transcription, replication, and packaging of the virus genome in newly assembled double-layered particles. The viroplasms are composed of virus proteins (NSP2, NSP5, NSP4, VP1, VP2, VP3, and VP6), single- and double-stranded virus RNAs, and host components such as microtubules, perilipin-1, and chaperonins. The formation, coalescence, maintenance, and perinuclear localization of viroplasms rely on their association with the cytoskeleton. A stabilized microtubule network involving microtubules and kinesin Eg5 and dynein molecular motors is associated with NSP5, NSP2, and VP2, facilitating dynamic processes such as viroplasm coalescence and perinuclear localization. Key post-translation modifications, particularly phosphorylation events of RV proteins NSP5 and NSP2, play pivotal roles in orchestrating these interactions. Actin filaments also contribute, triggering the formation of the viroplasms through the association of soluble cytosolic VP4 with actin and the molecular motor myosin. This review explores the evolving understanding of RV replication, emphasizing the host requirements essential for viroplasm formation and highlighting their dynamic interplay within the host cell. Full article

Soil water content (θ), matric potential (h) and hydraulic conductivity (K) are key parameters for hydrological and environmental processes. Several sensors have been developed for measuring soil θ–h–K relationships. The cost of such commercially available sensors may vary over several orders of magnitude. In recent years, some sensors have been designed in the framework of Internet of Things (i.e., IoT) systems to make remote real-time soil data acquisition more straightforward, enabling low-cost field-scale monitoring at high spatio-temporal scales. In this paper, we introduce a new multi-parameter sensor designed for the simultaneous estimation of θ and h at different soil depths and, due to the sensor’s specific layout, the soil hydraulic conductivity function via the instantaneous profile method (IPM). Our findings indicate that a second-order polynomial function is the most suitable model (R² = 0.99) for capturing the behavior of the capacitive-based sensor in estimating θ in the examined soil, which has a silty-loam texture. The effectiveness of low-cost capacitive sensors, coupled with the IPM method, was confirmed as a viable alternative to time domain reflectometry (TDR) probes. Notably, the layout of the sensor makes the IPM method less labor-intensive to implement. The proposed monitoring system consistently demonstrated robust performance throughout extended periods of data acquisition and is highly suitable for ongoing monitoring of soil water status. Full article

China’s sewage treatment standards have been gradually improving, yet there is a widening gap between sewage treatment fees and actual costs. This discrepancy, where the fees for sewage treatment are lower than the actual operational expenses, poses a significant bottleneck to the sustainable development of China’s sewage treatment industry. As a core aspect of environmental economic policies, sewage treatment fees are pivotal in regulating water pollution emissions and addressing water resource shortages. Currently, there are major issues with sewage treatment fees, including an incomplete pricing system, insufficient fees, unclear fee distribution, and a heavy reliance on local finances. These problems impede systematic planning, diminish management efficiency, and hinder the sustainable development of the sewage treatment industry. Thus, future research efforts should prioritize the establishment of a pricing mechanism that comprehensively covers the full cost of sewage treatment. This article presents a concise summary and review of the current situation, types of fee collection, cost accounting methodologies, challenges, and proposed countermeasures for sewage treatment fees, and could serve as a relevant reference for future research on sewage treatment fees. By comprehensively addressing these issues, the sewage treatment industry would progress towards healthier and more sustainable development, ultimately achieving the goal of green growth. Full article

The BC501A sensor is a liquid scintillator frequently used in nuclear physics for detecting fast neutrons. This paper describes a hardware implementation of digital pulse shape analysis (DPSA) for real-time analysis. DPSA is an algorithm that extracts the physically relevant parameters from the detected BC501A signals. The hardware solution is implemented in a MicroTCA system that provides the physical, mechanical, electrical, and cooling support for an AMC board (NAMC-ZYNQ-FMC) with a Xilinx ZYNQ Ultrascale-MP SoC. The Xilinx FPGA programmable logic implements a JESD204B interface to high-speed ADCs. The physical and datalink JESD204B layers are implemented using hardware description language (HDL), while the Xilinx high-level synthesis language (HLS) is used for the transport and application layers. The DPSA algorithm is a JESD204B application layer that includes a FIR filter and a constant fraction discriminator (CFD) function, a baseline calculation function, a peak detection function, and an energy calculation function. This architecture achieves an analysis mean time of less than 100 µs per signal with an FPGA resource utilization of about 50% of its most used resources. This paper presents a high-performance DPSA embedded system that interfaces with a 1 GS/s ADC and performs accurate calculations with relatively low latency. Full article