bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of Paired Remote Ischemic Preconditioning on Postreperfusion Syndrome in Living-Donor Liver Transplantation: A Propensity-Score Matching Analysis
Authors: Huh Jaewon , Chae Min Suk
Published: November 2024

Background and Objectives: Postreperfusion syndrome (PRS) is a significant challenge in liver transplantation (LT), leading to severe circulatory and metabolic complications. Ischemic preconditioning (IPC), including remote IPC (RIPC), can mitigate ischemia-reperfusion injury, although its efficacy in LT remains unclear. This study evaluated the impact of paired RIPC, involving the application of RIPC to both the recipient and the living donor, on the incidence of PRS and the need for rescue epinephrine during living-donor LT (LDLT). Materials and Methods: This retrospective observational cohort analysis included 676 adult patients who had undergone elective LDLT between September 2012 and September 2022. After applying exclusion criteria and propensity score matching (PSM), 664 patients were categorized into the paired RIPC and non-RIPC groups. The primary outcomes were the occurrence of PRS and the need for rescue epinephrine during reperfusion. Results: The incidence of PRS and the need for rescue epinephrine were significantly lower in the paired RIPC group than in the non-RIPC group. Furthermore, the incidence of postoperative acute kidney injury was lower in the paired RIPC group. Multivariable logistic regression adjusted for propensity scores indicated that paired RIPC was significantly associated with a reduced occurrence of PRS (odds ratio: 0.672, 95% confidence interval: 0.479–0.953, p = 0.021). Conclusions: Paired RIPC, involving both the recipient and the living donor, effectively reduces the occurrence of PRS and the need for rescue epinephrine during LDLT. These findings suggest that paired RIPC protects against ischemia-reperfusion injury in LDLT. Future randomized controlled trials are needed to verify our results and to explore the underlying mechanisms of the protective effects of RIPC.
Carbon-Doped TiO2 Nanofiltration Membranes Prepared by Interfacial Reaction of Glycerol with TiCl4 Vapor
Authors: Zhang Wenjing , Luo Jiangzhou , Ling Honglei , Huang Lei , Xue Song
Published: November 2024

In the pursuit of developing advanced nanofiltration membranes with high permeation flux for organic solvents, a TiO2 nanofilm was synthesized via a vapor–liquid interfacial reaction on a flat-sheet α-Al2O3 ceramic support. This process involves the reaction of glycerol, an organic precursor with a structure featuring 1,2-diol and 1,3-diol groups, with TiCl4 vapor to form organometallic hybrid films. Subsequent calcination in air at 250 °C transforms these hybrid films into carbon-doped titanium oxide nanofilms. The unique structure of glycerol plays a crucial role in determining the properties of the resulting nanopores, which exhibit high solvent permeance and effective solute rejection. The synthesized carbon-doped TiO2 nanofiltration membranes demonstrated impressive performance, achieving a pure methanol permeability as high as 90.9 L·m−2·h −1·bar−1. Moreover, these membranes exhibited a rejection rate of 93.2% for Congo Red in a methanol solution, underscoring their efficacy in separating solutes from solvents. The rigidity of the nanopores within these nanofilms, when supported on ceramic materials, confers high chemical stability even in the presence of polar solvents. This robustness makes the carbon-doped TiO2 nanofilms suitable for applications in the purification and recovery of organic solvents.
Direct Discrimination and Growth Estimation of Foodborne Bacteria in Raw Meat Using Electronic Nose
Authors: Gonçalves Wellington Belarmino , Teixeira Wanderson Sirley Reis , Sampaio Aryele Nunes da Cruz Encide , Martins Otávio Augusto , Cervantes Evelyn Perez , Mioni Mateus de Souza Ribeiro , Gruber Jonas , Pereira Juliano Gonçalves
Published: November 2024

Evaluation concerning the presence of bacteria in meat products is mandatory for commercializing these goods. Although food bacteria detection is based on microbiological methods, these assays are usually laborious and time-consuming. In this paper, an electronic nose is used to differentiate Salmonella spp. (SA), Escherichia coli (EC), and Pseudomonas fluorescens (PF) inoculated in raw meat (beef, chicken, and pork) and incubated at 22 °C for 3 days. The obtained data were evaluated by principal component analysis (PCA) and different machine learning algorithms. From the graphical analysis of the PCA, on day 1, the clusters were close to each other for beef, chicken, and pork, while on days 2 and 3, more separated bacteria clusters were obtained regardless of the meat type, allowing for the discrimination of the samples for the latter days. To estimate the growth rates of the microorganisms, the distance between clusters was calculated and provided a pattern for the three bacteria, with the slowest-, moderate-, and fastest-growing being EC, SA, and PF, respectively. Concerning the machine learning algorithms, the accuracy varied from 93.8 to 100% for beef and chicken, while for pork, it varied from 75% to 100%. Thus, these results suggest that the proposed methodology based on electronic nose has the potential for the direct discrimination of bacteria in raw meat, with reduced analysis time, costs, and manipulating steps.
Phytochemical Profiling and Biological Activities of Extracts from Bioreactor-Grown Suspension Cell Cultures of Schisandra henryi
Authors: Jafernik Karolina , Kokotkiewicz Adam , Dziurka Michał , Kruk Aleksandra , Hering Anna , Jędrzejewski Krzysztof , Waligórski Piotr , Graczyk Piotr , Kubica Paweł , Stefanowicz-Hajduk Justyna , Granica Sebastian , Łuczkiewicz Maria , Szopa Agnieszka
Published: November 2024

Plant biotechnology creates opportunities for the cultivation of plants regardless of their natural habitats, which are often protected or difficult to access. Maintaining suspension cell cultures in bioreactors is an advanced part of biotechnological research that provides possibilities for obtaining plant tissue on a large scale. In this study, the suspension culture cultivation of a Chinese endemic plant, Schisandra henryi, in a stirred tank bioreactor was elaborated for the first time. The phytochemical profile of the tissue extracts was determined with UHPLC-MS/MS for the lignans (fifteen dibenzocyclooctadiene lignans, one aryltetralin lignan, and two neolignans) and UHPLC-DAD-ESI-MS3 for the phenolic compounds (procyanidins and their derivatives and catechin). The maximum total lignan content of 1289 µg/100 g DW was detected for the extracts from suspensions cultured in a bioreactor for over 10 days. For the phenolic compounds, catechin was the dominant compound (390.44 mg/100 g DW). The biological activity of the extracts was tested too. To determine antioxidant potential we used DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), ABTS (2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid), Molybdenum reduction, and β-carotene bleaching tests. The inhibition activity of the S. henryi extract on the enzymes responsible for skin aging, hyaluronidase and tyrosinase, was assessed with spectrophotometry. The cytotoxic activity of the extracts was estimated on human ovarian SKOV-3, cervical HeLa, and gastric AGS cancer cells and non-cancer, normal fibroblasts by an MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay. The results showed the great potential of the obtained cell biomass extracts. The results of the antioxidant tests indicated their strong ability to reduce the level of free radicals, similarly to that of ascorbic acid, as well as the weak capacity to protect lipids from oxidation. Moreover, anticancer potential, particularly on the cervical and gastric cancer cells, was confirmed too.
Supersaturated Liquid Formulation of Pazopanib Hydrochloride Loaded with Synergistic Precipitation Inhibitors
Authors: Park Jin Woo , Lee Sa-Won , Lee Jun Hak , Jee Jun-Pil , Maeng Han-Joo , Jang Dong-Jin , Cho Kwan Hyung
Published: November 2024

This study aimed to develop a supersaturated liquid formulation (SSLF) to enhance the solubility and dissolution of pazopanib hydrochloride (PZH). SSLFs were prepared by a simple stirring method in a heated silicon oil bath (70 °C). PZH showed highly pH-dependent solubility (pH 1.2 > water >> pH 4.0 and pH 6.8) at 37 °C. The SSLF containing glycerol and polyvinylpyrrolidone K30 (PVP K30) increased PZH dispersion solubility (273.66 ± 48.91 μg/mL) at pH 6.8 by more than 50-fold compared with that of glycerol alone (<5 μg/mL), and the PZH precipitate particle size was considerably small (<100 nm). Moreover, the dispersion solubility of PZH from SSLF containing additional propylene glycol (PG) increased to 364.41 ± 2.47 μg/mL. The optimized SSLF10 (PZH/glycerol/PG/PVP K30 = 10/50/20/20, w/w) exhibited a high dissolution rate at pH 4.0 (>90%) and 6.8 (>55%) until 360 min, whereas PZH powder and PZH glycerol solution showed pH-dependent, low dissolution rates (<10%) under similar conditions. The supersaturation ratio of SSLF10 was very high at 29.88 and 18.36 at pH 6.8 and 4.0, respectively, indicating a stable PZH supersaturation solution. In the transmission electron microscopy analysis, PVP K30 and PG in SSLF10 synergistically suppressed PZH precipitation and recrystallization with small amorphous particles (<200 nm). Therefore, SSLF10 would be a promising formulation with enhanced solubility and dissolution rates regardless of medium pH.
Phytochemical Analysis and Biological Evaluation of Carob Leaf (Ceratonia siliqua L.) Crude Extracts Using NMR and Mass Spectroscopic Techniques
Authors: Venianakis Themistoklis , Parisis Nikolaos , Christou Atalanti , Goulas Vlasios , Nikoloudakis Nikolaos , Botsaris George , Goričan Tjaša , Grdadolnik Simona Golič , Tzakos Andreas G. , Gerothanassis Ioannis P.
Published: November 2024

Carob leaves have gained attention for their bioactive properties and traditional medicinal uses, including as treatment for diabetes, digestive disorders, and microbial infections. The aim of this study was to explore the phytochemical composition of carob leaf acetone extracts using advanced spectroscopic techniques. The combined use of heteronuclear nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments with 1D selective nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy (NOESY) offers detailed structural insights and enables the direct identification and quantification of key bioactive constituents in carob leaf extract. In particular, the NMR and mass spectrometry techniques revealed the presence of myricitrin as a predominant flavonoid, as well as a variety of glycosylated derivatives of myricetin and quercetin, in acetone extract. Furthermore, siliquapyranone and related gallotannins are essential constituents of the extract. The potent inhibitory effects of the carob leaf extract on Staphylococcus aureus (MIC = 50 μg mL−1) and a-glucosidase enzyme (IC50 = 67.5 ± 2.4 μg mL−1) were also evaluated. Finally, the antibacterial potency of carob leaf constituents were calculated in silico; digalloyl-parasorboside and gallic acid 4-O-glucoside exert a stronger bactericidal activity than the well-known myricitrin and related flavonoids. In summary, our findings provide valuable insights into the bioactive composition and health-promoting properties of carob leaves and highlight their potential for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications.
Coexistence of Superconductivity and Magnetic Ordering in the In–Ag Alloy Under Nanoconfinement
Authors: Likholetova Marina V. , Charnaya Elena V. , Shevchenko Evgenii V. , Kumzerov Yurii A. , Fokin Aleksandr V.
Published: November 2024

The impact of the interface phenomena on the properties of nanostructured materials is the focus of modern physics. We studied the magnetic properties of the nanostructured In–Ag alloy confined within a porous glass. The alloy composition was close to the eutectic point in the indium-rich range of the phase diagram. Temperature dependences of DC magnetization evidenced two superconducting transitions at 4.05 and 3.38 K. The magnetization isotherms demonstrated the superposition of two hysteresis loops with low and high critical fields below the second transition, a single hysteresis between the transitions and ferromagnetism with weak remanence in the normal state of the alloy. The shape of the loop seen below the second transition, which closes at a low magnetic field, corresponded to the intermediate state of the type-I superconductor. It was ascribed to strongly linked indium segregates. The loop observed below the first transition is referred to as type-II superconductivity. The secondary and tertiary magnetization branches measured at decreasing and increasing fields were shifted relative to each other, revealing the proximity of superconducting and ferromagnetic phases at the nanometer scale. This phenomenon was observed for the first time in the alloy, whose components were not magnetic in bulk. The sign of the shift shows the dominant role of the stray fields of ferromagnetic regions. Ferromagnetism was suggested to emerge at the interface between the In and AgIn2 segregates.
A Concept-Value Network as a Brain Model
Authors: Greer Kieran
Published: November 2024

This paper suggests a statistical framework for describing the relations between the physical and conceptual entities of a brain-like model. Features and concept instances are put into context, where the paper suggests that features may be the electrical wiring; although, chemical connections are also possible. With this idea, the actual length of the connection is important, because it is related to firing rates and neuron synchronization, but the signal type is less important. The paper then suggests that concepts are neuron groups that link feature sets and concept instances are determined by chemical signals from those groups. Therefore, features become the static horizontal framework of the neural system and concepts are vertically interconnected combinations of these. With regards to functionality, the neuron is then considered to be functional, and the more horizontal memory structures can even be glial. This would also suggest that features can be distributed entities and not concentrated to a single area. Another aspect could be signal ‘breaks’ that compartmentalise a pattern and may help with neural binding.
Quality of Life and Coping Strategies in Children with and Without Learning Disabilities from the Perspective of Their Parents and Caregivers
Authors: Lone Ayoob , Khan Abdul Sattar , AlWadani Fahad Abdullah Saeed , Almaqhawi Abdullah
Published: November 2024

Background: Children with learning disability (LD) often experience a poor quality of life (QOL) compared to their peers without a known history of LD. Coping strategies are known to play a role in influencing their QOL. Objectives: This study aims to compare the QOL and coping strategies between children with and without LD. Additionally, it seeks to evaluate how coping strategies impact the QOL of children with LD in the Eastern Governorate of Saudi Arabia. Method: A representative sample of 6 to 18-year-old children with (n = 97) and without (n = 89) LD were recruited from different schools. The Short Form-12 (SF-12) health survey was used to assess both physical and mental health components, while the validated Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Inventory (Brief-COPE) measured coping strategies. Data analysis included descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, percentage), independent t-tests, Spearman’s correlation, and binary logistic regression. Results: The results reveal that participants with LD show poor QOL in terms of role functioning, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, role emotion, and mental health in comparison to non-disabled children. Participants with LD show greater reliance on substance abuse and religious coping than non-disabled children. The results clearly indicate a fairly to moderately strong correlation between the physical component summary and all approaches to coping strategies except religious coping. Of all the approaches to coping methods, we observe a weak correlation among denial (r = −0.17, p < 0.05), substance abuse (r = −0.15, p < 0.05), and behavioral disengagement (r = −0.18, p < 0.05) with the mental component summary aspect of QOL. The results of logistic regression analysis indicate that grade (OR = 3.79; p = 0.01) is significantly related to LD. The physical component summary score is significantly associated with denial (β = −0.33, CI = −6.87–−2.19, p < 0.01), and substance abuse (β = −0.14, CI = −4.96–0.40, p < 0.05), while the mental component summary is significantly associated with active coping (β = −0.30, CI = −4.50–0.76, p < 0.01), behavioral disengagement (β = −0.20, CI = −4.48–0.30, p < 0.05), and humor coping strategy (β = 0.22, CI = 0.06–4.55, p < 0.05). Conclusion: These findings are relevant to researchers, psychologists, special educators, teachers, and clinicians, given the need to understand the coping variables to improve the QOL of these learning-disabled children.
BDCOA: Wavefront Aberration Compensation Using Improved Swarm Intelligence for FSO Communication
Authors: Shankarnahalli Krishnegowda Suhas , Ganesh Arvind Kumar , Bidare Divakarachari Parameshachari , Shankarappa Veena Yadav , Gollara Siddappa Nijaguna
Published: November 2024

Free Space Optical (FSO) communication is extensively utilized in the telecommunication industry for both ground and space wireless links, as well as last-mile applications, as a result of its lesser Bit Error Rate (BER), free spectrum, and easy relocation. However, atmospheric turbulence, also known as Wavefront Aberration (WA), is considered a serious issue because it causes higher BER and affects coupling efficiency. In order to address this issue, a Sensor-Less Adaptive Optics (SLAO) system is developed for FSO to enhance performance. In this research, the compensation of WA in SLAO is obtained by proposing the Brownian motion and Directional mutation scheme-based Coati Optimization Algorithm, BDCOA. Here, the BDCOA is developed to search for an optimum control signal value of actuators in Deformable Mirror (DM). The incorporated Brownian motion and directional mutation are used to avoid the local optimum issue and enhance search space efficiency while searching for the control signal. Therefore, the dynamic control signal optimization for DM using BDCOA helps to enhance the coupling efficiency. Thus, the WAs are compensated for and optical signal concentration is enhanced in FSO. The metrics used for analyzing the BDCOA are Root Mean Square (RMS), BER, coupling efficiency, and Strehl Ratio (SR). The existing methods, such as Simulated Annealing (SA) and Stochastic Parallel Gradient Descent (SPGD), Advanced Multi-Feedback SPGD (AMFSPGD), and Oppositional-Breeding Artificial Fish Swarm (OBAFS), are used for evaluating the performance of BDCOA. The RMS of BDCOA for iterations 500 is 0.12, which is less than that of the SA-SPGD and OBAFS.
A Refined Model for Ablation Through Cavitation Bubbles with Ultrashort Pulse Lasers
Authors: Verma Shwetabh , Arba Mosquera Samuel
Published: November 2024

(1) Background: Ultrashort high-energy laser pulses may cause interaction mechanisms, including photodisruption and plasma-induced ablation in the medium. It is not always easy to distinguish between these two processes, as both interaction mechanisms rely on plasma generation and overlap. The purpose of this paper is to discuss prominent cavitation bubble models describing photodisruption and plasma-induced ablation and to explore their nature for different threshold energies. This exploration will help to better distinguish the two interaction mechanisms. As a second aim, we present an alternative model for the low-energy regime close to the laser-induced optical breakdown (LIOB) threshold, representing the phenomenological effect of the plasma-induced ablation regime. (2) Methods: The cavitation bubble models for photodisruption and plasma-induced ablation were used to calculate the bubble radius for a series of threshold energies (ETh = 30, 50, 70, and 300 nJ) that loosely represent commercial systems currently used in ultrashort-pulse tissue ablation. Taking a photodisruption model coefficient commonly used in the literature, the root mean square error between the two interaction models was minimized using the generalized reduced gradient fitting method to calculate the optimum scaling factors for the plasma model. The refined models with optimized coefficients were compared for a range of pulse and threshold energies. (3) Results: For low ETh (30, 50, and 70 nJ), the plasma-induced ablation model dominates for low energies that are close to the threshold energy. The photodisruption model dominates for high energies that are well above the threshold energy. At very high pulse energies, for all the simulated cases, the photodisruption model transitions and crosses over to the plasma-induced ablation model. The cross-over points from which the photodisruption model dominates tend to be reduced for larger ETh. A new universally applicable model for plasma-induced ablation has been hypothesized that considers the cavitation bubble volume and potentially better explains the bubble dynamics during intrastromal processes. (4) Conclusions: This theoretical exploration and the comparison of the outcomes to empirical data substantiate that inadvertently using the photodisruption model to explain the cavitation bubble dynamics for the entire spectrum of pulse energies and laser systems might provide erroneous estimates of cavitation bubble sizes. A reliable estimate of the true size (the maximum radius) of the cavitation bubble can be reasonably retrieved as the maximum predicted size from the fit of the photodisruption model and the newly proposed plasma-induced ablation model at any given pulse energy.
Enhanced Carrier Phase Recovery Using Dual Pilot Tones in Faster-than-Nyquist Optical Transmission Systems
Authors: You Jialin , Yang Tao , Zhang Yuchen , Chen Xue
Published: November 2024

Compared with high spectrum efficiency faster-than-Nyquist (FTN) backbone network, an enhanced carrier phase recovery based on dual pilot tones is more sensitive to capital cost in FTN metropolitan areas as well as inter-datacenter optical networks. The use of distributed feedback (DFB) lasers is a way to effectively reduce the cost. However, under high symbol rate FTN systems, equalization-enhanced phase noise (EEPN) induced by a DFB laser with large linewidth will significantly deteriorate the system performance. What is worse, in FTN systems, tight filtering introduces inter-symbol interference so severe that the carrier phase estimation (CPE) algorithm of the FTN systems is more sensitive to EEPN, thus it will lead to a more serious cycle slip problem. In this paper, an enhanced carrier phase recovery based on dual pilot tones is proposed to mitigate EEPN and suppress cycle slip, in which the chromatic dispersion (CD)-aware Tx and LO laser phase noise is estimated, respectively. Offline experiments results under 40 Gbaud polarization multiplexing (PM) 16-quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) FTN wavelength division multiplexing (FTN-WDM) systems at 0.9 acceleration factor, 5 MHz laser linewidth, and 500 km transmission demonstrate that the proposed algorithm could bring about 0.65 dB improvement of the required SNR for the normalized generalized mutual information of 0.9 compared with the training sequence-based cycle slip suppression carrier phase estimation (TS-CSS) algorithm.
Prediction of Syngas Composition During Gasification of Lignocellulosic Waste Mixtures
Authors: Muñoz-Huerta Carlos Andrés , Jiménez-García Gladys , Hernández-Pérez Luis Germán , Maya-Yescas Rafael
Published: November 2024

Avoiding global dependence on fossil oils and improving the environmental impact of energy production are factors that drive research into renewable energies. Considering lignocellulosic biomass residues as a raw material for gasification, a thermochemical process that converts lignocellulosic resources into synthesis gas (H2, CO, CH4, and CO2) is an alternative under study due to its low costs, high efficiency, and wide variety of applications. Fortunately, there are still areas for its improvement and technological development. For example, this can be achieved by gasification. Distinct types of lignocellulosic biomass, such as sugarcane bagasse, wheat straw, pine sawdust, or corn cob, differ in their physical, chemical, and morphological properties, which can affect the characteristics of the gasification process. This work uses the generalized stoichiometry and mass and atomic balances in the gasification reactor to predict the composition of syngas produced via the gasification of both individual substrates and mixtures. The results provide useful information for the design and operation of gasification reactors with an operating region between 2.0 bar and 4.5 bar and between 1023.15 K and 1223.15 K, particularly with regard to understanding the effects of distinct types of biomasses in terms of their humidity and molecular weight on the operation and performance of the process. One important conclusion reached after simulating the addition of more vapor is that the (H2/CO) ratio cannot be increased indefinitely: it is limited by the thermodynamic equilibrium reached by the system.
Correlation Analysis of Subjective and Objective Texture Properties: Color and Heterocyclic Amine Content of Grilled Chicken Breast Fillet
Authors: Pleva Dániel , Lányi Katalin , Pásztor-Huszár Klára , Friedrich László , Laczay Péter , Darnay Lívia
Published: November 2024

The present study discusses the technofunctional properties (color, texture) of grilled chicken with both objective (colorimeter, texture profile) analysis and subjective (sensory) analysis. Besides them, the total content of potentially carcinogenic heterocyclic amines (HCAs) was also monitored by the applied grilling time–temperature combinations. The same samples were analyzed during the heat treatment of chicken breast samples for 5–15 min at 150–230 °C on an electric contact grill. The grilling variables included the effect of skin cover. Among the structural parameters, hardness exhibited a significant difference between the groups of skin-covered and not-covered ones, and in this case, a linear connection was also found with the time and temperature values, respectively. The structural parameters obtained by sensory and instrumental analysis were compared to each other. In addition, the structural parameters were compared to the color ones (sensory, color according to the CIELAB system: brightness, redness, and yellowness) and to the total HCA content. In the case of closed grilling, sensory-evaluated parameters such as juiciness and tenderness showed a strong negative correlation to instrumentally measured hardness (R = −0.879; −0.749) and chewiness (R = −0.872; −0.718) due to the water loss from the increase in grilling temperature and time. The total HCA content positively correlated to chewiness (R = 0.789). The sensory color parameter and the brightness had a strong connection with juiciness (R = 0.738; 0.723), hardness (R = −0.795; −0.706), and chewiness (R = −0.843; −0.818); redness showed positive correlation to cohesiveness (R = 0.764) and chewiness (R = 0.829). Accordingly, juiciness and chewiness showed a connection to the total HCA levels, which makes it possible to carry out further research on instrumental and sensory parameters that may predict the formation of hazardous amounts of carcinogenic heterocyclic amines.
Evaluation of the Compatibility Between Formation and Injection Water in Ultra-Low Permeability Reservoirs
Authors: Gong Zhaobo , Zhang Leilei , Zhang Tingting , Yan Zhong , Cong Shuping , Zhou Zhenyu , Kong Debin
Published: November 2024

This study focuses on the reservoir scaling and the under-injection issues of the water injection well during the water injection development of an ultra-low permeability reservoir in Xinjiang due to the complex composition of injected water. Microfluidic experiments were applied to visualize the flow channel changes during water flooding, indoor core flooding experiments were employed to analyze the permeability and ion concentration, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) was used to evaluate the pore structure damage. Together, these experiments were used to clarify the scaling and precipitation characteristics as the injected water met the formation water in porous media and the effects on reservoir damage. The research results showed that the poor compatibility of the injected water with the formation water could easily produce calcium carbonate scaling. The scaling products exhibited a unique network structure of blocks and a radial distribution, mainly composed of calcium carbonate and aluminosilicate. The scaling in the porous media exhibited the characteristics of unstable crystal precipitation, migration, and repeated scaling following water mixing, while the scale crystal growth occurred in the pores and the throats. According to the scaling characteristics, the damage to the reservoir permeability by scaling can be divided into the induction, damage, and stabilization stages. The filling and clogging of the scale crystals enhanced the pore structure heterogeneity, with the median pore radius reduced by 21.61% and the permeability reduced by 50%.
An Improved Reduced-Dimension Robust Capon Beamforming Method Using Krylov Subspace Techniques
Authors: Wang Xiaolin , Jiang Xihai , Chen Yaowu
Published: November 2024

A reduced-dimension robust Capon beamforming method using Krylov subspace techniques (RDRCB) is a diagonal loading algorithm with low complexity, fast convergence and strong anti-interference ability. The diagonal loading level of RDRCB is known to become invalid if the initial value of the Newton iteration method is incorrect and the Hessel matrix is non-positive definite. To improve the robustness of RDRCB, an improved RDRCB (IRDRCB) was proposed in this study. We analyzed the variation in the loading factor with the eigenvalues of the reduced-dimensional covariance matrix and derived the upper and lower boundaries of the diagonal loading level; the diagonal loading level of the IRDRCB was kept within the bounds mentioned above. The computer simulation results show that the IRDRCB can effectively solve the problems of a sharp decline in the signal-to-noise ratio gain and an invalid diagonal loading level. The experimental results demonstrate that the interference noise of the IRDRCB is 3~5 dB higher than that of conventional adaptive beamforming, and the computational complexity is reduced by 15% to 20% compared with that of the RCB method.
Plasmonic Sensors Based on a Metal–Insulator–Metal Waveguide—What Do We Know So Far?
Authors: Butt Muhammad A.
Published: November 2024

Metal–insulator–metal (MIM) waveguide-based plasmonic sensors are significantly important in the domain of advanced sensing technologies due to their exceptional ability to guide and confine light at subwavelength scales. These sensors exploit the unique properties of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) that propagate along the metal–insulator interface, facilitating strong field confinement and enhanced light–matter interactions. In this review, several critical aspects of MIM waveguide-based plasmonic sensors are thoroughly examined, including sensor designs, material choices, fabrication methods, and diverse applications. Notably, there exists a substantial gap between the numerical data and the experimental verification of these devices, largely due to the insufficient attention given to the hybrid integration of plasmonic components. This disconnect underscores the need for more focused research on seamless integration techniques. Additionally, innovative light-coupling mechanisms are suggested that could pave the way for the practical realization of these highly promising plasmonic sensors.
FMI-CAECD: Fusing Multi-Input Convolutional Features with Enhanced Channel Attention for Cardiovascular Diseases Prediction
Authors: Lin Tao , Fan Mengyao
Published: November 2024

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) have become a major public health problem affecting the national economy and social development, and have become one of the major causes of death. Therefore, the prevention, control and risk assessment of CVD have been increasingly emphasized. However, current CVD prediction models face limitations in capturing complex relationships within physiological data, potentially hindering accurate risk assessment. This study addresses this gap by proposing a novel Framework for Multi-Input, One-dimensional Convolutional Neural Network (1D-CNN) with Attention Mechanism for CVD (FMI-CAECD). This framework leverages the feature extraction capabilities of Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) alongside an Attention Mechanism to adaptively identify critical features and non-linear relationships within the data. Additionally, Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP) analysis is incorporated to provide deeper insights into individual feature importance for disease prediction. Performance evaluation on the BRFSS 2022 dataset demonstrates that FMI-CAECD achieves superior accuracy (97.45%), sensitivity (96.84%), specificity (95.07%), and F1-score (92.44%) compared to traditional machine learning baselines and other deep learning models. These findings suggest that FMI-CAECD offers a promising approach for CVD risk assessment.
EADC: An Efficient Anonymous Data Collection Scheme with Blockchain in Internet of Things
Authors: Si Zhiwei , Wang Juhao , Zhao Pengbiao , Wang Xiaopei , Song Jingcheng 
Published: November 2024

The integration of smart contracts (SCs) within blockchain technology represents a pivotal direction in the evolution of the Internet of Things (IoT), enabling decentralization and enhancing user trust in the system. However, ensuring data privacy is a fundamental challenge that must be addressed during the deployment of these SCs. Many scholars have adopted data aggregation to protect privacy, but these methods are difficult to achieve fine-grained data collection. To this end, this paper proposes an efficient anonymous data collection (EADC) scheme suitable for the IoT environment. The scheme combines matrix algorithms with homomorphic encryption (HE) technology to effectively cut off the connection between users and data during data upload. In addition, the EADC scheme introduces a sophisticated data grouping protocol to improve the overall efficiency of the system. Analysis shows that the scheme can achieve efficient data collection without compromising user privacy.
Workplace Inclusion Initiatives Across the Globe: The Importance of Leader and Coworker Support for Employees’ Attitudes, Beliefs, and Planned Behaviors
Authors: Dalessandro Cristen , Lovell Alexander
Published: November 2024

Despite the benefits of inclusion at work, organizational inclusivity efforts—such as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) trainings—often fail. Thus, there is a need to investigate from an employee point of view which characteristics (including both organizational culture and inclusion training modalities themselves) may have the biggest impact when it comes to increasing inclusion in the workplace. Combining “planned behavior” and social constructionist theoretical approaches, this study uses logistic regression and data from an original survey with a diverse, international group of employees who have undergone inclusion training (n = 2043) to understand which factors matter for perceptions of inclusion success in the workplace. Findings indicate that coworker and leader support for inclusion predict employee optimism around the achievability of inclusion. In addition, leader and coworker support for inclusion predict employees’ attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions of how their own actions matter when it comes to inclusion. Despite the difficulty with identifying a “one-size-fits-all” approach, this research finds that globally, employees are more likely to believe in inclusion—and to believe that their own actions around inclusion matter—when they perceive that leaders and coworkers are also committed to the cause.
Elite Politics, Mass Discontent and Political Inequality in South Korea: Who Represents Me?
Authors: Han Seungwoo
Published: November 2024

In an era of heightened public skepticism toward political institutions, understanding the perceived divide between political elites and the general population has become increasingly essential. This study examines how Korean citizens perceive their political representatives, focusing on the socio-economic and demographic disparities between political elites and the wider public. To achieve this, this study concentrates on three core elements: citizens’ perceptions of politicians, the social networks of elite politicians, and the socio-economic and demographic attributes of these elites in comparison to the general population. Employing a data-driven approach—including text analysis, clustering, social network analysis, and visualization techniques—this study investigates data on political elites alongside district-level data. The findings reveal significant socio-economic and demographic disparities between political elites and the public, with elites predominantly emerging from narrow backgrounds characterized by affluence, high education, and an overrepresentation of males above the age of 60. These results underscore the need for measures that promote transparency, accountability, and inclusivity within the political system, highlighting the importance of bridging the divide between political elites and the general public to cultivate a more representative and responsive political environment.
Combining Transarterial Embolization and Percutaneous Cryoablation for Early-Stage Renal Cell Carcinoma: Embolization Materials and Impacts of Tumor Size
Authors: Terauchi Miki , Yamashiro Tsuneo , Sawamura Shungo , Koyama Shingo , Nakaigawa Noboru , Kondo Keiichi , Hasumi Hisashi , Makiyama Kazuhide , Utsunomiya Daisuke
Published: November 2024

Background/Objectives: Our aim was to compare the complication rates of different embolization materials (absolute ethanol and gelatin sponges) used for combined transarterial embolization (TAE) and to investigate the impact of tumor size on operative time and cryoneedle use during percutaneous cryoablation (PCA). Methods: We treated 27 patients (9 women and 18 men; mean age, 74 years) with 28 early-stage (T1a) renal cell carcinoma (RCC) lesions using combined TAE and PCA between September 2018 and January 2021. During TAE, 15 lesions in 14 patients were embolized using mixed absolute ethanol and iodized oil. The remaining 13 lesions (in 13 patients) were embolized using a gelatin sponge followed by iodized oil. The PCA was performed within 3 to 21 days of the TAE. We compared complications between the TAE subgroups (i.e., absolute ethanol and gelatin sponge) and assessed potential correlations between tumor size and the operative time of the PCA. Results: All patients were successfully treated by combined TAE-PCA. Local control was achieved for all patients (monitoring period, 1–48 months; median, 28 months). Although the effect of TAE did not differ between subgroups, a significantly higher number of patients in the absolute ethanol group experienced intraprocedural pain than in the gelatin sponge group (p < 0.05). The operative time of the PCA was significantly correlated with the size of the RCC lesion (p < 0.01). The number of cryoneedles used for the PCA was also correlated with the size of the RCC lesion (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: For TAE prior to PCA for early-stage RCC, gelatin sponges can replace absolute ethanol to reduce intraprocedural pain. Tumor size correlates with operative time and the number of cryoneedles needed for PCA, which suggests the total medical cost for PCA therefore varies based on the tumor’s size.
Linking Turbulent Interplanetary Magnetic Field Fluctuations and Current Sheets
Authors: Riazantseva Maria O. , Treves Timofey V. , Khabarova Olga , Rakhmanova Liudmila S. , Yermolaev Yuri I. , Khokhlachev Alexander A.
Published: November 2024

The study aims to understand the role of solar wind current sheets (CSs) in shaping the spectrum of turbulent fluctuations and driving dissipation processes in space plasma. Local non-adiabatic heating and acceleration of charged particles in the solar wind is one of the most intriguing challenges in space physics. Leading theories attribute these effects to turbulent heating, often associated with magnetic reconnection at small-scale coherent structures in the solar wind, such as CSs and flux ropes. We identify CSs observed at 1 AU in different types of the solar wind around and within an interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME) and analyze the corresponding characteristics of the turbulent cascade. It is found that the spectra of fluctuations of the interplanetary magnetic field may be reshaped due to the CS impact potentially leading to local disruptions in energy transfer along the cascade of turbulent fluctuations. Case studies of the spectra behavior at the peak of the CS number show their steepening at MHD scales, flattening at kinetic scales, and merging of the spectra into a single form, with the break almost disappearing. In the broader vicinity of the CS number peak, the behavior of spectral parameters changes sharply, but not always following the same pattern. The statistical analysis shows a clear correlation between the break frequency and the CS number. These results are consistent with the picture of turbulent reconnection at CSs. The CS occurrence is found to be statistically linked with the increased temperature. In the ICME sheath, there are two CS populations observed in the hottest and coldest plasma.
Foundational Issues in Dynamical Casimir Effect and Analogue Features in Cosmological Particle Creation
Authors: Hsiang Jen-Tsung , Hu Bei-Lok
Published: November 2024

Moving mirrors as analogue sources of Hawking radiation from black holes have been explored extensively but less so with cosmological particle creation (CPC), even though the analogy between the dynamical Casimir effect (DCE) and CPC based on the mechanism of the parametric amplification of quantum field fluctuations has also been known for a long time. This ‘perspective’ essay intends to convey some of the rigor and thoroughness of quantum field theory in curved spacetime, which serves as the theoretical foundation of CPC, to DCE, which enjoys a variety of active experimental explorations. We have selected seven issues of relevance to address, starting from the naively simple ones, e.g., why one should be bothered with ‘curved’ spacetime when performing a laboratory experiment in ostensibly flat space, to foundational theoretical ones, such as the frequent appearance of nonlocal dissipation in the system dynamics induced by colored noises in its field environment, the existence of quantum Lenz law and fluctuation–dissipation relations in the backreaction effects of DCE emission on the moving atom/mirror or the source, and the construction of a microphysics model to account for the dynamical responses of a mirror or medium. The strengthening of the theoretical ground for DCE is not only useful for improving conceptual clarity but needed for the development of the proof-of-concept type of future experimental designs for DCE. The results from the DCE experiments in turn will enrich our understanding of quantum field effects in the early universe because they are, in the spirit of analogue gravity, our best hopes for the verification of these fundamental processes.
Comparing a Gauge-Invariant Formulation and a “Conventional Complete Gauge-Fixing Approach” for l=0,1-Mode Perturbations on the Schwarzschild Background Spacetime
Authors: Nakamura Kouji
Published: November 2024

This article provides a comparison of the gauge-invariant formulation for l=0,1-mode perturbations on the Schwarzschild background spacetime, proposed by the same author in 2021, and a “conventional complete gauge-fixing approach” where the spherical harmonic functions Ylm as the scalar harmonics are used from the starting point. Although it is often stated that “gauge-invariant formulations in general-relativistic perturbations are equivalent to complete gauge-fixing approaches”, we conclude that, as a result of this comparison, the derived solutions through the proposed gauge-invariant formulation and those through a “conventional complete gauge-fixing approach” are different. It is pointed out that there is a case where the boundary conditions and initial conditions are restricted in a conventional complete gauge-fixing approach.
Automated Geographic Information System Multi-Criteria Decision Tool to Assess Urban Road Suitability for Active Mobility
Authors: Santos Bertha , Ferreira Sandro , Lucena Pollyanna
Published: November 2024

The planning of greener, more accessible, and safer cities is the focus of several strategies that aim to improve the population’s quality of life. This concern for the environment and the population’s quality of life has led to the implementation of active mobility policies. The effectiveness of the mobility solutions that are sought heavily depends on the identification of the main factors that favor their use, as well as how adequate urban spaces are in minimizing existing difficulties. This study presents an automated geographic information system (GIS) decision support tool that allows the identification of the level of suitability of urban transportation networks for the use of active modes. The tool is based on the determination of a set of mobility indices: walkability, bikeability, e-bikeability, and active mobility (a combination of walking and cycling suitability). The indices are obtained through a spatial multi-criteria analysis that considers the geometric features of roads, population density, and the location and attractiveness of the city’s main trip-generation points. The treatment, representation, and study of the variables considered in the analysis are carried out with the aid of geoprocessing, using the spatial and network analysis tools available in the GIS. The Model Builder functionality available in ArcGIS® was used to automate the various processes required to calculate walking, cycling, and e-biking travel times, as well as the mobility indices. The developed tool was tested and validated through its application to a case study involving the road network of the urban perimeter of the medium-sized city of Covilhã, Portugal. However, the tool is designed to be applied with minimal adaptation to different scenarios and levels of known input information, providing average or typical values when specific information is not available. As a result, a flexible and automated GIS-based tool was obtained to support urban space and mobility managers in the implementation of efficient measures compatible with each city’s scenario.
Fałszywe pierwszeństwo Ustawy rządowej z 1791 roku
Authors: Zakrzewski Andrzej
Published: November 2024

Historiografia polska określa Ustawę Rządową jako „drugą na świecie, pierwszą w Europie konstytucję spisaną”. Jednak cztery miesiące po konstytucji majowej 1791 roku uchwalono konstytucję francuską. W Szwecji znacznie wcześniej – w latach 1719–1720 i 1772 zaczęto spisywać „formy rządu” (Regeringsform). Brakowało w nich jednak wskazania zasad suwerenności narodu oraz podziału władz. Dlatego warto przyjrzeć się korsykańskiej Costituzione paolina z 1755 roku. Ta bowiem zasady takie – przynajmniej a prima vista – podawała. Dlatego pogląd o pierwszeństwie Konstytucji 3 maja należy odrzucić.