bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Constructing Ru‐Co2P Lewis Acid–Base Pairs to Prompt Hydrogen Evolution Reaction in Alkaline Seawater Electrolyte
Authors: Jiang Binbin , Xiao Han , Li Jiayi , Tang Huiling , Chen Hao , Deng Shengjue , Tan Yiwei , Yu Can , Wang Junwei , Huang Aijian , Cheng Tao , Yang Hao , Yin Kui , Wu Konglin
Published: November 2024

Seawater electrolysis is an ideal approach to generating green hydrogen. Nevertheless, the sluggish kinetics of water dissociation and the detrimental chlorine chemistry environment are serious obstructions for industrial applications. Herein, constructing unique (Co) Lewis acid and (Ru–P) base pair sites in Ru‐Co2P decorated on nitrogen and phosphorus co‐doped carbon (Ru‐Co2P/NPC) significantly optimizes the energy barrier of water dissociation and enhances the anti‐corrosive ability for alkaline seawater splitting. As expected, the optimal Ru‐Co2P/NPC‐2 exhibits exceptional hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performances with overpotentials as low as 22.0 and 26.0 mV to derive 10 mA cm−2 and operate steadily (@ 50 mA cm−2) over 30 h in alkaline and alkaline seawater electrolytes. The experimental and theoretical results elucidate that Co acting as Lewis acid sites prompts the water adsorption and breakage of the H─O bond, whereas Ru–P as Lewis base sites facilitates the hydrogen desorption in alkaline media. Furthermore, modulated chemical microenvironments can be beneficial to hinder chloride corrosion on the active sites of catalysts. This work sheds light on the rational construction of a highly efficient electrocatalyst for alkaline HER in seawater.
A Li‐Rich Fluorinated Lithium Zirconium Chloride Solid Electrolyte for 4.8 V‐Class All‐Solid‐State Batteries
Authors: Zhang Yini , Song Zhenyou , Wang Likuo , Chen Yuwei , Yu Qian , Sun Guang , Deng Ya , Kan Wang Hay , Luo Wei
Published: November 2024

Chloride solid‐state electrolytes (SEs) represent an important advance for applications in all‐solid‐state batteries (ASSBs). Among various chloride SEs, lithium zirconium chloride (Li2ZrCl6) is an attractive candidate considering the high natural abundance of Zr. However, Li2ZrCl6 meets the challenge in practical ASSBs because of its limited ionic conductivity and instability when paired with high‐voltage cathodes. This is a major drawback, which can result in a high internal resistance, a low capacity utilization of cathode, and poor cycle stability, especially at high voltage. Existing methods cannot achieve simultaneous enhancement on both ionic conductivity and high‐voltage stability due to a trade‐off between lithium‐ion migration and structural stability. Here a two‐pronged strategy based on partial fluorination and incorporation of lithium ions in excess of stoichiometric ratios is introduced that enables high‐voltage stability while increasing ionic conductivity concurrently. The Li‐rich fluorinated halide SE (Li2.3ZrCl6.1F0.2) exhibits a significant advancement in performance, with an ionic conductivity that is double that of the pristine Li2ZrCl6 and much better high‐voltage stability. By leveraging Li2.3ZrCl6.1F0.2 with the LiCoO2 cathode and the Li–In anode, the all‐solid‐state cell exhibits a remarkable initial specific capacity (198.0 mAh g−1 at 0.1 C) and a high capacity retention (78.5% after 150 cycles) within 3.0–4.8 V.
A Multi‐Enzyme Nanocascade to Target Disease‐Relevant Metabolites
Authors: Cao Zheng , Ren Jie , Yang Alena , Wang Zi , Love Maxwell , Chen Wenting , Yuan Xintong , Guo Xinheng , Chen Irvin , Lu Yunfeng , Wen Jing
Published: November 2024

Metabolic processes in living organisms depend on the synergistic actions of enzymes working in proximity and in concert, catalyzing reactions effectively while regulating the formation of metabolites. This enzyme synergy offers promising therapeutic application for diseases such as alcohol intoxication, cancer, and hyperinflammation. Despite their potential, the clinical translation of enzyme cascades is restricted by challenges including poor enzyme stability, short half‐life, and a lack of delivery strategies that maintain enzyme proximity. In this study, multi‐enzyme nanocascades synthesized are developed through in situ atom transfer radical polymerization using a zwitterionic monomer. This method markedly enhances enzyme stability and proximity, thereby prolonging their circulation half‐life after systemic administration. It is demonstrated that the nanocascades of uricase and catalase effectively reduce uric acid levels without excessive hydrogen peroxide production, providing a potential antidote for hyperuricemia. Moreover, in a murine breast cancer model, the nanocascades of glucose oxidase and catalase inhibited tumor progression and enhanced the therapeutic efficacy of doxorubicin. The prolonged circulation and promoted reaction efficacy of these nanocascades underscore their substantial potential in enzyme replacement therapy and the treatment of various diseases.
Electrochemical Synthesis of Metasequoia‐Like Reduced Graphene Oxide Coated Cobalt‐Silver Catalyst for Stable and Efficient Electrocatalytic Nitrate Reduction to Ammonia
Authors: Liu Zhengyang , Huang Xiaohan , Liu Xing , Liu Jie , Wang Mengting , Ding Tao , Yan Linghui , Zhang Zehui , Shi Guosheng
Published: November 2024

Electrocatalytic nitrate (NO3−) reduction to ammonia (NH3) is a green and efficient NH3 synthesis technology. Metallic silver (Ag) is one of the well‐known electrocatalysts for NO3− reduction. However, under alkaline conditions, its poor water‐splitting ability fails to provide sufficient protonic hydrogen required for NH3 synthesis, resulting in low NH3 selectivity. Additionally, metal catalysts are prone to leaching and oxidation during electrocatalysis, resulting in poor stability. Herein, cobalt (Co) into Ag (CoAg) catalyst is doped, which not only increases the NH3 selectivity by 34.4%, but also reduces the reduction potential by 0.1 V. Meanwhile, reduced graphene oxide (rGO) as a protective “armor” is used to encapsulate the CoAg catalyst (rGO2.92@CoAg). The rGO2.92@CoAg catalyst shows excellent stability for over 300 hours (h) of continuous reaction. The Co and Ag contents in the rGO2.92@CoAg catalyst after continuous tests decreases by only 4.3% and 3.1%, respectively, which are much lower than those of the CoAg catalyst without the rGO (90.8%, 52.6%). Moreover, the rGO2.92@CoAg catalyst shows high Faradaic efficiency (99.3%) and NH3 yield rate (1.47 mmol h−1 cm−2). Therefore, a high performance and strong stability rGO2.92@CoAg catalyst is obtained by Co doping and rGO coating, which provides theoretical basis for practical industrial application.
Welding Pollen‐Based Solar Evaporator for Clean Water Production
Authors: Geng Wenjing , Zhang Hongjie , Lei Weiwei , Zhao Xiaoli , Chen Cheng
Published: November 2024

The world faces a trade‐off between water availability and food supply, as agricultural irrigation consumes the largest freshwater globally. Inspired by inherent water transport channels in plants, a cost‐effective welding pollen‐based solar evaporator (PSE) is developed to obtain clean water from seawater desalination. Based on the convex and folded surface structure of natural pollen (Helianthus annuus) and the porous structure of welding pollen evaporator interconnection, the PSE reveals an efficient evaporation rate of 1.86 kg m−2 h−1 under one‐sun illumination and further exhibits excellent cycling performance for 10 cycles tested in 7.0 wt.% saline water without salt accumulation. In addition, PSE has superior mechanical stability (3.44 MPa) and remains stable after being immersed in pH 1 and 14 solutions for 24 h without sacrificing mechanical properties. Importantly, the work has demonstrated the success of the freshwater collected from the evaporation process, which can effectively facilitate the cultivation of lettuce, rice, and wheat. These findings highlight the practical application of pollen as a low‐cost, eco‐friendly natural resource in interfacial solar evaporation. Furthermore, they inspire addressing current global water scarcity and promoting sustainable agriculture.
31P Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy for Monitoring Organic Reactions and Organic Compounds
Authors: Marcos Anghinoni João , Irum  , Ur Rashid Haroon , João Lenardão Eder , Santos Silva Márcio
Published: November 2024

31P NMR spectroscopy is a consolidated tool for the characterization of organophosphorus compounds and, more recently, for reaction monitoring. The evolution of organic synthesis, mainly due to the combination of elaborated building blocks with enabling technologies, generated great challenges to understand and to optimize the synthetic methodologies. In this sense, 31P NMR experiments also became a routine technique for reaction monitoring, accessing products and side products yields, chiral recognition, kinetic data, intermediates, as well as basic organic parameters, such as acid‐base and hydrogen‐bonding. This review deals with these aspects demonstrating the essential role of the 31P NMR spectroscopy. The recent publications (the last ten years) will be explored, discussing the experiments of 31P NMR and the strategies accomplished to detect and/or quantify distinct organophosphorus molecules, approaching reaction mechanism, stability, stereochemistry, and the utility as a probe.
The Impact of Institutional Orientation on Export Performance: Mediating Role of Firm Innovativeness
Authors: Zouari Abir , Khemakhem Romdhane
Published: November 2024

In international marketing research, innovativeness is usually considered as an important element for firms that adopt an export orientation and that wonder about their success in foreign markets. It might help exporters to better ensure their international orientations. This study aims to test the relationship between institutional orientation, innovativeness, and export performance. It also aims to test the mediating effect of innovativeness in the relationship between institutional orientation and export performance. For this reason, a questionnaire was administered to 260 exporting companies. Results show that institutional orientation has an effect on export performance, especially through its dimension “conformity.” They also show that innovativeness can mediate the link between institutional orientation and export performance.
Intercultural Experience as a Unique Facilitator of Immigrant Entrepreneurship
Authors: Yang Xiaohua , Li Peter Ping , Chen Roger , Hunter Keith
Published: November 2024

This study seeks to unpack some underlying factors for immigrant entrepreneurial success. Specifically, we develop an integrative framework for immigrant entrepreneurship utilizing three key pillars or building blocks: home–host cultural asymmetry (related to cultural distance), home–host cultural integration (related to cultural interface), and immigrant entrepreneurship (related to adaptive learning). Through a phenomenon‐driven research approach, our study finds (1) when the home‐cultural heritage and family values interface with host country's cultural values, such interface is likely to have significant effects on the process of immigrant entrepreneurship; (2) immigrant entrepreneurs may go through the same sequential stages of cultural shock and cultural adaptation that other immigrants do; (3) we further find that immigrant entrepreneurs' business success may depend on a process of effective intercultural integration, with the process of intercultural integration that may shape the microfoundations of immigrant entrepreneurship and the choice of entrepreneurial strategy. Our study contributes to the growing research streams on immigrant entrepreneurship: the specific intercultural integration for immigrant entrepreneurship and the unique microfoundations of immigrant entrepreneurship.
Extracts from the leaves of knotweeds (Reynoutria spp.) have a stimulating effect on the germination and initial growth of wheat grains
Authors: Šerá Božena , Doshi Pratik , Věchet Lubomír
Published: November 2024

Knotweed (Reynoutria sp.) plants are known in the world mainly as invasive plants. However, it is known that their rhizomes or leaves contain secondary metabolites with biological activity. Our goal was to determine which of the three knotweed plants (Reynoutria japonica, Reynoutria × bohemica, and Reynoutria sachalinensis) is most suitable for seed growth stimulation. We tested alcoholic extracts of all three knotweed species by seed priming method on wheat germination and seedling characteristics, when 12 measured characteristics were monitored. Extracts from all three species of Reynoutria sp. generally showed an improvement in wheat germination and growth compared to the control. R. × bohemica appears to be the best source for stimulating wheat growth, as seedling vigor indexes I and II, R/S dry weight, shoot and seedling lengths, root, shoot, and seedling dry weights were significantly different (ANOVA, Duncan’s test, α < 0.05). The plants Reynoutria spp. seem to be possible sources for the protection and stimulation of agriculture crops.
Retromuscular, periprosthetic drainage after hernioplasty with sublay mesh reinforcement in ventral hernias results in less retromuscular fluid collections but longer hospital stay and analgetic use with unclear effect on clinical outcome - a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Pochhammer Julius , Ibald Caroline , Weller Marie-Pascale , Schäffer Michael
Published: November 2024

Purpose

To determine whether periprosthetic drain insertion for hernioplasty using sublay mesh augmentation influences retromuscular fluid collections (RFC) and the clinical course.

Methods

Forty-two patients with open repair of midline hernias (M2-4, W1, European Hernia Society classification) were allocated to groups with or without retromuscular drains. Subcutaneous drainages were used in both groups to avoid confounding from surgical site occurrences due to superficial, subcutaneous fluid collections. The participants underwent clinical and ultrasound assessments on postoperative days (POD) 14 and 30 to detect RFC, subcutaneous seromas, and wound complications. The sample size was estimated using the RFC of a test cohort with drainage; the assumed relevant volume (5 ml) was calculated comprising 84% (mean + 1 SD) of these patients.

Results

In the retromuscular drainage group, the RFC median volume was reduced by 75.2% on POD 14, and by POD 30, no RFC were found [0.2 vs. 25.8 (p < 0.001) and 0 vs. 4.0 (p = 0.02) on PODs 14 and 30, respectively]. The number of patients with RFC ≥ 5 mL was also significantly lower in the drainage group [4 vs. 12 (p = 0.02) and 1 vs. 8 (p = 0.02) on PODs 14 and 30, respectively]. No surgical site infections occurred in either group, but retromuscular hematoseroma led to one revision surgery and one needle aspiration in the group without drainage. In the drainage group, a significantly longer hospital stay (6.5 days vs. 4 days; p = 0.01) and longer regular analgetic intake (6 vs. 3 days; p = 0.03) were observed. Multivariable regression revealed that retromuscular drainage usage was the only independent predictor of the RFC volume.

Conclusion

We found that the use of retromuscular drains after hernioplasty with sublay hernia repair reduced periprosthetic fluid collections in our population but prolonged hospital stay. Whether the reduction of RFC can prevent SSO or revision surgery cannot be determined from our data, the relevance is therefore not assessable. Hence, further larger studies are required to determine the clinical relevance of drains.
The first record of Culicoides deltus as a putative vector of Onchocerca flexuosa in Slovak red deer (Cervus elaphus)
Authors: Kočišová Alica , Schreiberová Andrea , Kasičová Zuzana , Janošková Nikola
Published: November 2024

Within the research conducted in the years 2016–2022 in the area of Volovsky Mountains in Slovakia, 63,950 biting midges were collected during 74 trapping sessions. The aim of the study was to identify species composition of biting midges, their host preference and potential transmission of parasites by these insects under natural conditions. The collected biting midges fell into 29 species and the most common were the Culicoides (C. obsoletus/C. scoticus/C. montanus) that accounted for 47.9% of the collected biting midges. Identification of species was based on the morphology of biting midges and the use of molecular methods. We confirmed positive suckling results on red deer in three samples namely C. montanus, C. scoticus and C. deltus. We examined these samples for the presence of Onchocerca worm DNA. We confirmed the presence of O. flexuosa DNA in one C. deltus sample. The host preference of biting midges was identified by molecular technique that involved sequencing a 350-bp sequence of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene (cyt b). The presence of Onchocerca flexuosa DNA in C. deltus was confirmed by sequencing of fragments of mitochondrial genes cox1. The sequences matched the previously published sequences for O. flexuosa. Data on high prevalence of infections caused by Onchocerca worms in red deer in Slovakia have already been published and indicated favourable conditions for the vectors and a suitable environment for parasite circulation in Slovakia. According to the authors’ knowledge, this was the first ever detection of O. flexuosa in C. deltus in wild nature.
DevSecOps practices and tools
Authors: Prates Luís , Pereira Rúben
Published: November 2024

Nowadays, software development happens at a fast pace. At the same time, Information Technology organizations face higher demands and competition while struggling with external threats such as cyberattacks. Therefore, many organizations adopt DevOps as a working culture to improve their Software Development Lifecycle (SDL). However, the success of DevOps adoption remains inconsistent, and recently, IEEE introduced a DevOps standard that might help improve DevOps adoption. The standard mentions DevSecOps as the security aspect of DevOps, adding security practices to the SDL from inception, but what are these practices or capabilities? Which tools can be used to implement these practices? Therefore, a Multivocal Literature Review was performed to identify DevSecOps practices and their definitions, and which tools can be used to implement them.
An architecture for coupled digital twins with semantic lifting
Authors: Gil Santiago , Kamburjan Eduard , Talasila Prasad , Larsen Peter Gorm
Published: November 2024

To enable the reuse of Digital Twins, in the form of simulation units or other forms of behavioral models, of single physical components, one must be able to connect and couple them. Current platform and architectures consider mostly monolithic digital twins and offer little support for coupling and checking the consistency of the coupling. The coupling must be internally consistent—satisfy constraints related to their co-simulation—and externally consistent—mirror the structure of the composed physical system. In this paper, we propose an extension to a behavior-extended Digital Twin architecture for individual Digital Twins to include co-simulation scenarios for coupled systems lifted from configuration files, which can be implemented along with a Digital-Twin-as-a-Service platform to make assets reusable in time. To monitor and query these connections, we introduce a semantic lifting service, which interprets the coupled Digital Twins as Knowledge Graphs and enables the use of queries to express internal and external consistency constraints. Two representative case studies for systems with coupled behavior are used for the demonstration of this approach and show that it indeed enables reusability of components and services between different Digital Twins.
The use of skylark plots by the European Skylark (Alauda arvensis) in Germany
Authors: Beninde Jannik , Hunke Philip
Published: November 2024

The Eurasian Skylark is still undergoing a strong population decline. A simple and cheap measure to provide support are bare patches in winter cereal fields (“skylark plots”). Previous studies showed mixed evidence about their effectiveness. In this study, over 7 years, a total of 68 fields in Germany with skylark plots were monitored. Fields with skylark plots had significantly higher densities of Eurasian Skylark sightings compared to control fields (median 15%), but only on 50% of farms. Crop diversity within 500 m radius was the only consistent factor in the best models to explain the variability in effectiveness. Due to their low costs and high potential effectiveness, we recommend a wide implementation of skylark plots.
On J-folded Alcove Paths and Combinatorial Representations of Affine Hecke Algebras
Authors: Guilhot Jérémie , Little Eloise , Parkinson James
Published: November 2024

We introduce the combinatorial model of J-folded alcove paths in an affine Weyl group and construct representations of affine Hecke algebras using this model. We study boundedness of these representations, and we state conjectures linking our combinatorial formulae to Kazhdan-Lusztig theory and Opdam’s Plancherel Theorem.
Perceived Access to HIV Prevention Services Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) and MSM Sex Workers in France, Russia, and Türkiye
Authors: Jackson Kristopher J. , Sullivan Tadhg , Howell Sean , Garner Alex , Santos Glenn-Milo
Published: November 2024

This study examined the association between self-identification as a sex worker (SW) and perceived access to pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic HIV prevention methods among MSM in France, Russia, and Türkiye amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Globally, 17,250 MSM recruited through a geosocial networking smartphone application completed the COVID-19 disparities survey, which was administered between October and November 2020. Approximately 38% of survey respondents were identified as living in France (n = 1269), Russia (n = 3882), and Türkiye (n = 3141) at the time of survey completion. Given the diverse sociodemographic factors and attitudes toward both MSM behavior and commercial sex work in these countries, we conducted a secondary analysis of survey data exploring the relationship between SW status and perceived access to pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic HIV prevention methods during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among respondents in Russia and France, MSM SW status was associated with a reduction in perceived access to condoms/lubricants (p = .001 in Russia, p < .001 in France). MSM SW in France were less likely to report never using PrEP as compared to non-SW peers (RR = 0.40, p = .005). Our findings highlight the disparities in access to HIV prevention for MSM SW living in these three countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on our findings, COVID-19 may have exacerbated pre-existing inequities in HIV prevention among populations experiencing intersecting stigmas.
Disparities in quantification of mitral valve regurgitation between cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging and trans-thoracic echocardiography: a systematic review
Authors: el Mathari Sulayman , Bhoera Rahul A. , Hopman Luuk H. G. A. , Heidendael Josephine , Malekzadeh Arjan , Nederveen Aart , van Ooij Pim , Götte Marco J. W. , Kluin Jolanda
Published: November 2024

Primary mitral regurgitation (MR) is a prevalent valvular heart disease. Therapy stratification for MR depends on accurate assessment of MR severity and left ventricular (LV) dimensions. While trans-thoracic echocardiography (TTE) has been the standard/preferred assessment method, cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) has gained recognition for its superior assessment of LV dimensions and MR severity. Both imaging modalities have their own advantages and limitation for therapy guidance. However, the differences between the two modalities for assessing/grade severity and clinical impact of MR remains unclear. This systematic review aims to evaluate the differences between TTE and CMR in quantifying MR severity and LV dimensions, providing insights for optimal clinical management. A literature search was performed from inception up to March 21st 2023. This resulted in 2,728 articles. After screening, 22 articles were deemed eligible for inclusion in the meta-analysis. The included study variables were, mitral valve regurgitation volume (MRVOL), regurgitation fraction (MRFRAC), LV end-diastolic volume (LVEDV), LV end-systolic volume (LVESV), LV stroke volume (LVSV), and LV ejection fraction (LVEF). TTE showed a significant higher MRVOL (10.4 ml, I2 = 88%, p = 0.002) and MRFRAC (6.3%, I2 = 51%, p = 0.05) compared to CMR, while CMR demonstrated a higher LVEDV (21.9 ml, I2 = 66%, p =  < 0.001) and LVESV (16.8 ml, I2 = 0%, p =  < 0.001) compared to TTE. Our findings demonstrate substantial disparities in TTE and CMR derived measurements for parameters that play a pivotal role in the clinical stratification guidelines. This discrepancy prompts a critical question regarding the prognostic value of both imaging modalities, which warrants future research.

Graphical abstract
Integration of indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) into climate change mitigation and adaptation endeavours: milestones and gaps in South Africa and Zimbabwe’s climate policy frameworks
Authors: Nyahunda Louis
Published: November 2024

This article was poised to unravel the merits of integrating IKS and the demerits of its exclusion in climate change programmes and policies. The harrowing impacts of climate change in Sub-Saharan Africa make adaptation and mitigation unescapable discourses. As such, climate change policies demonstrate governments’ commitment to fostering adaptation and mitigating climate change impacts evident in every sector of society. The effectiveness of climate policies is measured by their responsiveness to the different needs, aspirations and circumstances of populations plagued by climate change. In the absence of technoscience-based adaptation and mitigation mechanisms, African communities still rely on the repository of indigenous knowledge systems as a source of information, decision-making, and prediction tools for predicting weather changes. For this reason, in formulating climate change mitigation and adaptation endeavours at policy level, it is critical to identify specific strategies where IKS has been used as a warrant towards its usage. This study was qualitative and operated within the traditional descriptive, analytical and interpretive approaches. It relied on a desktop review of journal articles on climate change and IKS, and climate change policies of South Africa and Zimbabwe. These were purposively sampled based on their relevance to the aim of the study. The Discourse Content Analysis was utilised to analyse data from which the findings were derived. The article established that despite the wide recognition of the role played by IKS in climate change adaptation, mitigation and disaster risk reduction, IKS has not featured predominantly South Africa’s climate change policies as compared to Zimbabwe’s climate policies. Notably, disregarding IKS in climate change policies makes them bereft of effectiveness in vulnerability reduction, fostering adaptation and resilience building for African communities that rely on IKS, among other capitals essential in fostering mitigation and adaptation in the face of climate change.
Towards GPU-enabled serverless cloud edge platforms for accelerating HEVC video coding
Authors: Salcedo-Navarro Andoni , Peña-Ortiz Raúl , Claver Jose M. , Garcia-Pineda Miguel , Gutiérrez-Aguado Juan
Published: November 2024

Multimedia streaming has become integral to modern living, reshaping entertainment consumption, information access, and global engagement. The ascent of cloud computing, particularly serverless architectures, plays a pivotal role in this transformation, offering dynamic resource allocation, parallel execution, and automatic scaling-especially beneficial in HTTP Adaptive Streaming (HAS) applications. This study presents an event-driven serverless cloud edge platform with graphics processing units (GPUs), managed by Knative, tailored for video encoding. Two implementations of the High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) codec have been encapsulated in the functions: HEVC NVENC (Nvidia Encoder), that uses GPU acceleration, and x265 that only uses CPUs. Experiments focused on measuring the impact of replica requested resources on cold start, scalability and resource consumption with different allocated resources on slim and fat virtual machines (VMs). The best results are obtained when four slim replicas of the functions are deployed on a fat VM with a 8.4% reduction in encoding time for x265 and a 15.2% improvement for HEVC NVENC compared with other deployment scenarios. Comparatively, HEVC NVENC encoding is 8.3 times faster than x265. In multiresolution scenarios, GPU encoding drastically reduces segment encoding time by a factor of 12.4 between non-GPU and GPU-accelerated. These findings are important for live streaming applications where low latency is critical at all stages of the streaming process.
An efficient deep reinforcement learning based task scheduler in cloud-fog environment
Authors: Choppara Prashanth , Mangalampalli Sudheer
Published: November 2024

Efficient task scheduling in cloud and fog computing environments remains a significant challenge due to the diverse nature and critical processing requirements of tasks originating from heterogeneous devices. Traditional scheduling methods often struggle with high latency and inadequate processing times, especially in applications demanding strict computational efficiency. To address these challenges, this paper proposes an advanced fog-cloud integration approach utilizing a deep reinforcement learning-based task scheduler, DRLMOTS (Deep Reinforcement Learning based Multi Objective Task Scheduler in Cloud Fog Environment). This novel scheduler intelligently evaluates task characteristics, such as length and processing capacity, to dynamically allocate computation to either fog nodes or cloud resources. The methodology leverages a Deep Q-Learning Network model and includes extensive simulations using both randomized workloads and real-world Google Jobs Workloads. Comparative analysis demonstrates that DRLMOTS significantly outperforms existing baseline algorithms such as CNN, LSTM, and GGCN, achieving a substantial reduction in makespan by up to 26.80%, 18.84, and 13.83% and decreasing energy consumption by up to 39.60%, 30.29%, and 27.11%. Additionally, the proposed scheduler enhances fault tolerance, showcasing improvements of up to 221.89%, 17.05%, and 11.05% over conventional methods. These results validate the efficiency and robustness of DRLMOTS in optimizing task scheduling in fog-cloud environments.
Modifications of the respiratory chain of Bacillus licheniformis as an alkalophilic and cyanide-degrading microorganism
Authors: Uribe-Ramírez Daniel , Romero-Aguilar Lucero , Vázquez-Meza Héctor , Cristiani-Urbina Eliseo , Pardo Juan Pablo
Published: November 2024

Bacillus licheniformis can use cyanide as a nitrogen source for its growth. However, it can also carry out aerobic respiration in the presence of this compound, a classic inhibitor of mammalian cytochrome c oxidase, indicating that B. licheniformis has a branched respiratory chain with various terminal oxidases. Here, we studied the modifications in the respiratory chain of B. licheniformis when cells were cultured in Nutrient Broth, an alkaline medium with ammonium, or an alkaline medium with cyanide. Then, we measured oxygen consumption in intact cells and membranes, enzyme activities, carried out 1D and 2D-BN-PAGE, followed by mass spectrometry analysis of BN-PAGE bands associated with NADH, NADPH, and succinate dehydrogenase activities. We found that cell growth was favored in a nutrient medium than in an alkaline medium with cyanide. In parallel, respiratory activity progressively decreased in cells cultured in the rich medium, alkaline medium with ammonium, and the lowest activity was in the cells growing in the alkaline medium with cyanide. B. licheniformis membranes contain NADH, NADPH, and succinate dehydrogenases, and the proteomic analysis detected the nitrate reductase and the bc, caa3, aa3, and bd complexes. The succinate dehydrogenase migrated with a molecular mass of 375 kDa, indicating its association with the nitrate reductase (115 kDa + 241 kDa, respectively). The NADH dehydrogenase of B. licheniformis forms aggregates of different molecular mass.
Spirituality in Professional Patient-Centered Care for Adults with Primary Brain Tumors: An Exploratory Scoping Review
Authors: Grabenweger Reinhard , Völz Daniela , Weck Christiane , Hau Peter , Paal Piret , Bumes Elisabeth
Published: November 2024

People with primary brain tumors face spiritual challenges due to neuro-cognitive disturbances such as aphasia and rapid neurological deterioration. This scoping review aimed to map the evidence regarding professional spiritual care in this neuro-oncological population. The literature search was conducted utilizing two databases (PubMed, CINAHL) and two peer-reviewed journals (‘Spiritual Care’, ‘Journal of Religion and Health’). In total, 27 studies were analyzed, and five thematic categories were identified: (1) spiritual needs, (2) integrating the spiritual dimension in care, (3) spiritual care generalist interventions, (4) spiritual care specialist interventions, (5) assessments. Early integration of spiritual care and specific training are important.
The influence of impurities on the evaporation behavior of Po from liquid Pb–Bi eutectic at high temperatures
Authors: Zivadinovic Ivan , Neuhausen Jörg , Ivan Ana Maria , Dressler Rugard , Steinegger Patrick
Published: November 2024

This study presents an in-depth analysis of the polonium evaporation from high-energy and high-intensity proton-irradiated liquid lead-bismuth eutectic. The applied experimental conditions closely mimic those encountered within an accelerator-driven nuclear reactor, particularly focusing on the interaction of other impurities with polonium. Utilizing proton-irradiated lead-bismuth eutectic with an impurity spectrum similar to that of a real reactor, this research establishes reliable data for the polonium evaporation in the presence of said impurities, employing the transpiration method. The results agree well with those of prior model experiments using pure lead-bismuth eutectic. This indicates that the other coexisting impurities have a negligible impact on the polonium evaporation. The good agreement of the experimental values with literature data emphasizes the reliability of the applied methods and the robustness of the current understanding. These findings have significant implications for the operation and safety assessment of heavy metal-cooled nuclear reactors and support the advancement of Generation IV accelerator-driven systems.
Habitat use by nomadic ibis and spoonbills post-dispersal from breeding sites
Authors: McGinness Heather M. , Lloyd-Jones Luke R. , Robinson Freya , Langston Art , O’Neill Louis G. , Rapley Shoshana , Jackson Micha V. , Hodgson Jessica , Piper Melissa , Davies Micah , Martin John M. , Kingsford Richard , Brandis Kate , Doerr Veronica , Mac Nally Ralph
Published: November 2024

Context

Nomadic waterbirds are highly mobile across a range of spatial and temporal scales, which makes it difficult to monitor, quantify, and predict their habitat use with traditional methods, especially between breeding events when individuals and flocks can move over vast areas.

Objectives

This study aimed to provide accurate information on habitat use to improve strategic conservation management of these species, particularly the provisioning of environmental water.

Methods

To overcome the challenges of distance and remoteness, we analysed a 7-year GPS satellite telemetry dataset from 141 individuals. We quantified habitat selection post-dispersal from breeding sites, and predicted habitat preference for two wading waterbird species of the Threskiornithidae family that frequently nest together at the same sites: straw-necked ibis (Threskiornis spinicollis) and royal spoonbill (Platalea regia).

Results

Both long-term and short-term landscape-scale habitat associations differed between species. Royal spoonbills used fewer and more restricted habitat types than straw-necked ibis. Spoonbills displayed strong preferences for reservoirs, marshes and permanent wetlands, while ibis used both aquatic and terrestrial habitat, including areas of intensive animal production, modified pasture, and woodlands. Analysis of nocturnal versus diurnal space use showed that roosting and foraging habitat requirements for both species are distinct.

Conclusions

Analysing over 1 million telemetry points revealed species-level variability in habitat use, informing resource allocation for environmental water management. Royal spoonbills are more vulnerable to habitat change due to water regime alterations, highlighting the need for focused conservation management. Differences in day and night habitat use indicate the necessity of considering roosting habitats alongside foraging habitats for effective conservation. This comprehensive understanding of waterbirds' spatiotemporal interactions with their environment is crucial for long-term management aimed at increasing waterbird numbers and maintaining diversity.
Exergetic port-Hamiltonian systems for multibody dynamics
Authors: Lohmayer Markus , Capobianco Giuseppe , Leyendecker Sigrid
Published: November 2024

Multibody dynamics simulation plays an important role in various fields, including mechanical engineering, robotics, and biomechanics. Setting up computational models however becomes increasingly challenging as systems grow in size and complexity. Especially the consistent combination of models across different physical domains still requires significant effort. This motivates the study of formal languages that enable a compositional approach to modeling multiphysical systems with basic guarantees. The paper shows how multibody systems, or more precisely assemblies of rigid bodies connected by lower kinematic pairs, can be described as Exergetic Port-Hamiltonian Systems (EPHS). The EPHS modeling language features a straightforward graphical syntax for expressing the energy-based interconnection of hierarchically nested subsystems. This reduces cognitive load and facilitates clearer communication among experts, nonexperts, and computational tools. Hierarchical nesting of systems enables abstraction of lower-level details and promotes the reuse of models at different levels of complexity. At the lowest level, there are three basic kinds of systems, representing energy storage and reversible/irreversible energy exchange. The structured approach guarantees fundamental properties of macroscopic systems, such as conservation of energy and nonnegative entropy production. In combination with the compositional syntax, this makes building and modifying models simpler and less error-prone.
Quantum Cournot model based on general entanglement operator
Authors: Bolonek-Lasoń Katarzyna
Published: November 2024

The properties of the Cournot model based on the most general entanglement operator containing quadratic expressions which is symmetric with respect to the exchange of players are considered. The degree of entanglement of games dependent on one and two squeezing parameters and their payoff values in Nash equilibrium are compared. The analysis showed that the relationship between the degree of entanglement of the initial state of the game and the payoff values in Nash equilibrium is ambiguous. The phase values included in the entanglement operator have a strong influence on the final outcome of the game. In a quantum duopoly based on the initial state of a game that depends on one squeezing parameter, the maximum possible payoff in Nash equilibrium cannot be reached when the value of the phase parameter is greater than zero, in contrast with a game that depends on two parameters.
Connection beyond borders: exploring sense of belonging across urban satellites conurbed by a medium-sized Mexican city
Authors: Lemoine-Rodríguez Richard , Vieyra Antonio , MacGregor-Fors Ian
Published: November 2024

Urbanization influences the social dynamics of periurban settlements, altering the sense of belonging among residents in areas conurbed by expanding cities. However, the role of the conurbing decade and settlement type in this process remains largely unexplored within the Latin American context. In this study, we analyzed the urban expansion and resulting conurbing of the urban satellites of Morelia, a medium-sized Mexican city, during the 1970–2010s. Furthermore, we conducted 120 in-person, on-site surveys in settlement types such as colonias, pueblos and fraccionamientos conurbed by the city, focusing on residents who had lived in these areas prior to their integration into the city. We employed generalized linear models to identify the relationship between the sense of belonging and the decade when the settlements were conurbed by the city, the settlement type, and repondents’ sex, age, and length of residence in the settlement. During 1990–2010s, Morelia conurbed 20 colonias, 8 fraccionamientos, and 13 pueblos. Our results show that the conurbing decade, settlement type, and length of residence were the main determinants of the sense of belonging. The inhabitants of settlements conurbed longer time ago and with a larger length of residence showed the strongest sense of belonging. This might be related to the higher number of traditions and festivities which are preserved in pueblos, which promotes local identity and social cohesion. Our findings highlight the varied levels of sense of belonging that exist within cities and emphasize how settlement type continues to shape social bonds even after having been incorporated into a larger urban conglomerate.
Interpretable gradient boosting based ensemble learning and African vultures optimization algorithm optimization for estimating deflection induced by excavation
Authors: Liang Zenglong , Lin Shan , Dong Miao , Cao Xitailang , Guo Hongwei , Zheng Hong
Published: November 2024

Intelligent construction has become an inevitable trend in the development of the construction industry. In the excavation project, using machine learning methods for early warning can improve construction efficiency and quality and reduce the chances of damage in the excavation process. An interpretable gradient boosting based ensemble learning framework enhanced by the African Vultures Optimization Algorithm (AVOA) was proposed and evaluated in estimating the diaphragm wall deflections induced by excavation. We investigated and compared the performance of machine learning models in predicting deflections induced by excavation based on a database generated by finite element simulations. First, we exploratively analyzed these data to discover the relationship between features. We used several state-of-the-art intelligent models based on gradient boosting and several simple models for model selection. The hyperparameters for all models in evaluation are optimized using AVOA, and then the optimized models are assembled into a unified framework for fairness assessment. The comprehensive evaluation results show that the AVOA-CatBoost built in this paper performs well (RMSE = 1.84, MAE = 1.18, R2 = 0.9993) and cross-validation (RMSE = 2.65 ± 1.54, MAE = 1.17 ± 0.23, R2 = 0.998 ± 0.002). In the end, in order to improve the transparency and usefulness of the model, we constructed an interpretable model from both global and local perspectives.
Global Co-regulatory Cross Talk Between m6A and m5C RNA Methylation Systems Coordinate Cellular Responses and Brain Disease Pathways
Authors: Orji Oliver Chukwuma , Stones Joseph , Rajani Seema , Markus Robert , öz Merve Demirbugen , Knight Helen Miranda
Published: November 2024

N6 adenosine and C5 cytosine modification of mRNAs, tRNAs and rRNAs are regulated by the behaviour of distinct sets of writer, reader and eraser effector proteins which are conventionally considered to function independently. Here, we provide evidence of global cross-regulatory and functional interaction between the m6A and m5C RNA methylation systems. We first show that m6A and m5C effector protein transcripts are subject to reciprocal base modification supporting the existence of co-regulatory post-transcriptional feedback loops. Using global mass spectrometry proteomic data generated after biological perturbation to identify proteins which change in abundance with effector proteins, we found novel co-regulatory cellular response relationships between m6A and m5C proteins such as between the m6A eraser, ALKBH5, and the m5C writer, NSUN4. Gene ontology analysis of co-regulated proteins indicated that m6A and m5C RNA cross-system control varies across cellular processes, e.g. proteasome and mitochondrial mechanisms, and post-translational modification processes such as SUMOylation and phosphorylation. We also uncovered novel relationships between effector protein networks including contributing to intellectual disability pathways. Finally, we provided in vitro confirmation of colocalisation between m6A-RNAs and the m5C reader protein, ALYREF, after synaptic NMDA activation. These findings have important implications for understanding control of RNA metabolism, cellular proteomic responses, and brain disease mechanisms.
Mapping of Spatial Variance of Family Policy that Could Increase Fertility: Indices for 23 OECD Countries across 21 Year Period
Authors: Šmeringaiová Monika
Published: November 2024

In a period of falling fertility rates and increasing number of various family policies (FPs) that are designed to address this trend, our study explores spatial and temporal variance of such FP measures which could be associated with increased fertility. They have been implemented in a range of countries, but their variance has not yet been systematically mapped. We employ a novel approach, examining gender and economic dimensions of FP measures to develop FP indices scoring 23 European OECD countries throughout the 2000–2021 period and uncover spatial similarities and discrepancies therein. Our findings indicate that degenderizing FP measures are increasingly being adopted across countries, with both genderizing and generous financial measures also enduring. Interestingly, despite an overall decline in fertility rates, FP has become more robust across countries according to the indices. We agree with recent studies that degenderizing FPs are most common in Nordic countries and least so in Central and Eastern Europe. We provide evidence that Hungary and Estonia are exceptions, with different types and more extensive FP. We also found that countries categorised in different contextual clusters sometimes score similarly strongly on genderizing FP (Czechia, Luxembourg, Spain) or weakly on financial FP measures (Slovakia, the UK, Greece). In countries where index scores increased only recently (e.g., Switzerland, Spain), we expect potential increases in fertility rates in the future.