bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Metal Carbide‐Based Cocatalysts for Photocatalytic Solar‐to‐Fuel Conversion
Authors: He Kelin , Campbell Eric , Huang Zimo , Shen Rongchen , Li Qin , Zhang Shanqing , Zhong Yu Lin , Zhang Peng , Li Xin
Published: September 2022

Semiconductor‐based photocatalytic solar‐to‐fuel conversion has proven an appealing strategy for achieving carbon‐neutral and green‐hydrogen production. However, almost all semiconductors exhibit unsatisfactory photocatalytic performance due to insufficient surface‐active sites, weak selectivity, and fast charge‐carrier recombination. For these reasons, cocatalyst loading has become an encouraging strategy for improving photocatalytic activity and selectivity. Owing to the scarcity, and cost of noble metal‐based cocatalysts, utilization of low‐cost noble‐metal‐free cocatalysts, such as metal carbide‐based cocatalysts, has aroused tremendous attention. This review highlights some recent crucial advances in active metal carbide‐based cocatalysts for photocatalytic solar‐to‐fuel conversion. First, the fundamentals of metal carbide‐based cocatalysts are presented, including the photocatalytic mechanism, advantages, drawbacks, and design rules. Second, three synthesis approaches of high‐active metal carbide‐based cocatalysts, namely constructing metal carbide nanostructures, epitaxial synthesis of metal carbides on nanostructured carbon, and crystal imperfection construction on metal carbides, are thoroughly addressed. Subsequently, applications of metal carbide‐based cocatalysts in photocatalytic hydrogen production, CO2 reduction, and nitrogen reduction are further discussed. Finally, the crucial challenges and important directions of metal carbide‐based cocatalysts for photocatalytic solar‐to‐fuel conversion are proposed. This review demonstrates some new options for rationally designing and developing novel and efficient metal carbide‐based cocatalysts for highly active and selective photocatalytic solar‐to‐fuel conversion.
Carbon and Carbon/Metal Hybrid Structures Enabled by Ultrafast Heating Methods
Authors: Lai Leo , Li Jing , Deng Yeyu , Yu Zixun , Wei Li , Chen Yuan
Published: September 2022

High‐temperature thermal treatment is a standard step in synthesis of many materials. Recently, ultrafast heating methods, such as Joule heating, laser, light, or microwave irradiations, have been used to create novel carbon materials and carbon/metal hybrid structures, demonstrating unique and often superior properties compared with those synthesized by conventional heating methods. They have shown promising application potentials in catalysis, batteries, supercapacitors, fuel cells, sensors, implants, actuators, lighting devices, and waste recycling. Herein, recent findings in creating novel carbon and carbon/metal hybrid structures by ultrafast heating methods are reviewed. The most frequently used ultrafast heating methods, their advantages, and their limitations are first described. Then, different carbon structures created by these methods, including graphene, reduced graphene oxide, hard carbon, carbon nanotube architectures, and other carbon hybrids, are summarized. Next, novel carbon/metal hybrid structures are reviewed, including carbon‐supported nanoparticles of monometals, metal alloys, metal composites, high‐entropy alloys, and single‐atom catalysts. Heating methods, critical precursors used, synthesis parameters affecting material structures, and mechanistic understanding of their unique synthesis processes are focused on. The essential properties of these novel structures and their applications are also summarized. Finally, knowledge gaps and technical challenges in using these methods for scalable material production are discussed.
Dual‐Functional Stacked Polymer Fibers for Stable Lithium Metal Batteries in Carbonate‐Based Electrolytes
Authors: Han Dong-Yeob , Song Gyujin , Kim Sungho , Park Soojin
Published: September 2022

Lithium (Li) metal has long been thought to be an ideal anode material for high‐energy‐density Li metal batteries (LMBs). Nonetheless, a variety of safety risks and short cycle life due to uncontrollable Li dendrite growth limit its practical application. Here, a novel polymer‐based 3D host composed of stacked polymer fibers (SPF) is purposefully designed using a simple electrospinning method to achieve dual‐functional properties that endow bottom‐up Li filling and morphologically regulate Li metal deposition over the host structure. As a result, the SPF allows for uniform Li‐ion flux in the electrode, leading to densely packed Li deposition and further stable cycling in conventional carbonate‐based electrolytes. Besides, a full cell paired with LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2 (NCM622) cathode results in a high‐energy‐density battery with a low negative/positive capacity ratio and a wide operating temperature range. This study presents a rational design for improving the stability and safety of Li metal anodes in conventional carbonate‐based electrolytes for advanced LMBs.
Self‐Assembly Construction of Carbon Nanotube Network‐Threaded Tetrathiafulvalene‐Bridging Covalent Organic Framework Composite Anodes for High‐Performance Hybrid Lithium‐Ion Capacitors
Authors: Yan Wen , Yu Fei , Jiang Ying , Su Jian , Ke Si-Wen , Tie Zuoxiu , Zuo Jing-Lin , Jin Zhong
Published: September 2022

Hybrid lithium‐ion capacitors (HLICs), a special class of electrochemical energy storage devices composed of battery‐type anodes and capacitor‐type cathodes, have the potential to bridge the gap between high‐energy‐density batteries and high‐power‐density capacitors. Nevertheless, the key challenge for developing high‐performance HLICs is the imbalances of the electrochemical kinetics and lifespans between the battery‐type anodes and capacitor‐type cathodes. Herein, the self‐assembly preparation of the 3D‐crosslinked carbon nanotube (CNT) network‐threaded tetrathiafulvalene‐bridging covalent organic framework (TTF‐COF) composite via in situ growth of the 2D‐stacked TTF‐COF capping layer alongside the outer walls of 3D‐interlaced CNTs is reported. Originated for the electron‐donating and redox‐switchable TTF units, the TTF‐COF component has abundant active sites and high charge conductivity for reversible Li+ storage. Moreover, due to the 3D‐assembled architecture, the TTF‐COF/CNT composite possesses abundant open nanochannels for ion transfer and 3D‐interconnected conductive CNT network for electron transfer. When used in HLICs, the TTF‐COF/CNT composite anodes exhibit ultrahigh specific capacity (609 mAh g−1 at 100 mA g−1) and outstanding power density (12 000 W kg−1 at 4000 mA g−1). Herein, the design of advanced COF composite materials with high activity, porosity, and conductivity can be a promising route for boosting the overall performances of high‐power‐type energy storage devices.
Feasibility assessment on use of proximal geophysical sensors to support precision management
Authors: Becker Sophia M. , Franz Trenton E. , Abimbola Olufemi , Steele Dean D. , Flores J. Paulo , Jia Xinhua , Scherer Thomas F. , Rudnick Daran R. , Neale Christopher M. U.
Published: September 2022

A study was conducted at three sites in North Dakota to strengthen understanding of the usefulness of different proximal geophysical data types in agricultural contexts of varying pedology. This study hypothesizes that electromagnetic induction (EMI), gamma‐ray sensor (GRS), cosmic‐ray neutron sensor (CRNS), and elevation data layers are all useful in multiple linear regression (MLR) predictions of soil properties that meet expert criteria at three agricultural sites. In addition to geophysical data collection with vehicle‐mounted sensors, 15 soil samples were collected at each site and analyzed for nine soil properties of interest. A set of model training data was compiled by pairing the sampled soil property measurements with the nearest geophysical data. Eleven models passed expert‐defined uncertainty criteria at Site 1, 16 passed at Site 2, and 14 passed at Site 3. Electrical conductivity (EC), organic matter (OM), available water holding capacity, silt, and clay were predicted at Site 1 with an R‐squared of prediction > .50 and acceptable root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP). Bulk density (BD), OM, available water capacity, silt, and clay were predicted with > .50 and acceptable RMSEP at Site 2. At Site 3, no soil properties were predicted with acceptable RMSEP and an > .50. These results confirm feasibility of our method, and the authors recommend the prioritization of EMI data collection if geophysical data collection is limited to a single mapping effort and calibration soil samples are few.
Learners’ Strategies in Interactive Sorting Tasks
Authors: Noster Norbert , Hershkovitz Arnon , Tabach Michal , Siller Hans-Stefan
Published: September 2022

Using examples and non-examples is a common technique to demonstrate concepts’ characteristics and boundaries. Based on their properties, certain objects are accepted as examples or non-examples intuitively, while others are accepted or neglected non-intuitively. This 2*2 classification is powerful when designing technology-enhanced learning experiences in which feedback could be provided in real-time. That is, feedback could be based not only on the correctness of student response, but also on the specifics of the objects with which they were engaged. Following this framework, we developed an interactive sorting task that aims at strengthening elementary school students’ understanding of reflective symmetry. We studied learners’ interaction with the objects presented to them, and their success. Our study included 29 elementary school students (ages 9 to 12) from both Israel and Germany. We used screen recording to code participants’ shape-movements, and defined quantitative measures of these movements. Our findings support the need for designing feedback that takes into consideration object’s properties and students’ behavior.
Enumeration of Some Classes of Pattern Avoiding Matchings, with a Glimpse into the Matching Pattern Poset
Authors: Cervetti Matteo , Ferrari Luca
Published: September 2022

A matching of the set $$[2n]=\{1,2,\ldots ,2n\}$$

[
2
n
]
=
{
1
,
2
,
…
,
2
n
}

is a partition of [2n] into blocks with two elements, i.e. a graph on [2n], such that every vertex has degree one. Given two matchings $$\sigma $$
σ
and $$\tau $$
τ
, we say that $$\sigma $$
σ
is a $$pattern $$

pattern

of $$\tau $$
τ
when $$\sigma $$
σ
can be obtained from $$\tau $$
τ
by deleting some of its edges and consistently relabelling the remaining vertices. This is a partial order relation turning the set of all matchings into a poset, which will be called the matching pattern poset. In this paper, we continue the study of classes of pattern avoiding matchings (see below for previous work on this subject). In particular, we work out explicit formulas to enumerate the class of matchings avoiding two new patterns, obtained by juxtaposition of smaller patterns, and we describe a recursive formula for the generating function of the class of matchings avoiding the lifting of a pattern and two additional patterns. Moreover, we introduce the notion of unlabeled pattern, as a combinatorial way to collect patterns, and we provide enumerative formulas for two classes of matchings avoiding an unlabeled pattern of order three. In one case, the enumeration follows from an interesting bijection between the matchings of the class and ternary trees. The last part of the paper initiates the study of the matching pattern poset, by providing some preliminary results about its Möbius functions and the structure of some simple intervals.
Denitrification in intertidal sediments of a tropical estuary subject to increasing development pressures
Authors: Fortune Julia , Kaestli Mirjam , Butler Edward C. V. , Gibb Karen
Published: September 2022

Darwin Harbour is a working port and the most populated city in the Northern Territory of Australia. This macrotidal estuary is located in the wet–dry tropics of Northern Australia and notwithstanding mounting development pressures in the region, is largely unmodified. The prevailing oligotrophic condition of estuarine waters suggest that biogeochemical cycling in sediments remain active, buffering the influence of anthropogenic inputs. We tested the hypothesis that nutrient hotspots exist in depositional low-velocity zones, with a gradient of high to low nitrogen processing from the upper to outer reaches of the estuary. A number of factors were examined for their influence on the effectiveness of denitrification in these depositional zones, a putative key process driving nitrogen removal, with particular emphasis on carbon-loading extremes in tidal creeks, spatial gradients along the estuary and the influence of seasonality. There were significant differences in process rates between hypereutrophic/eutrophic tidal creeks that receive the largest proportion of treated sewage loads in the region and the mesotrophic/oligotrophic tidal creeks that were comparatively undisturbed. Net benthic nutrient fluxes and dinitrogen efflux rates were more than an order of magnitude higher and lower, respectively, in degraded (hypereutrophic/eutrophic) tidal creek systems where denitrification efficiency (DE%) was < 40%. Denitrification (Dinitrogen efflux) rates in tidal creeks (mesotrophic/oligotrophic) and broader estuarine sites were high (~ 8 mmol N m−2 day−1) and denitrification efficiency remained > 65%, particularly during the wet season. On a whole-of-estuary basis, denitrification in conjunction with mechanisms such as burial could feasibly make a substantial impact, abating the influence of anthropogenic inputs. Although considerable variability was encountered, particularly across seasons, the hypothesis of elevated denitrification rates as nutrient hotspots in depositional zones along the estuary was not convincing. More influential are tidal creeks as potential ‘reactors’ for N cycling and removal, but their capacity can be degraded by overloading with nutrients.
Temporal trends in the prevalence and incidence of depression and the interplay of comorbidities in patients with young- and usual-onset type 2 diabetes from the USA and the UK
Authors: Dibato John , Montvida Olga , Ling Joanna , Koye Digsu , Polonsky William H. , Paul Sanjoy K.
Published: September 2022

Aims/hypothesis

We aimed to investigate the prevalence and incidence of depression, and the interplay of cardiometabolic comorbidities, in the differentiation of depression risk between young-onset diabetes (diagnosis at age <40 years) and usual-onset diabetes (diagnosis at age ≥40 years).

Methods

Using electronic medical records from the UK and USA, retrospective cohorts of adults with incident type 2 diabetes diagnosed between 2006 and 2017 were examined. Trends in the prevalence and incidence of depression, and risk of developing depression, in participants with young-onset type 2 diabetes compared with usual-onset type 2 diabetes were assessed separately by sex and comorbidity status.

Results

In total 230,932/1,143,122 people with type 2 diabetes from the UK/USA (mean age 58/60 years, proportion of men 57%/46%) were examined. The prevalence of depression in the UK/USA increased from 29% (95% CI 28, 30)/22% (95% CI 21, 23) in 2006 to 43% (95% CI 42, 44)/29% (95% CI 28, 29) in 2017, with the prevalence being similar across all age groups. A similar increasing trend was observed for incidence rates. In the UK, compared with people aged ≥50 years with or without comorbidity, 18–39-year-old men and women had 23–57% and 20–55% significantly higher risks of depression, respectively. In the USA, compared with those aged ≥60 years with or without comorbidity, 18–39-year-old men and women had 5–17% and 8–37% significantly higher risks of depression, respectively.

Conclusions/interpretation

Depression risk has been increasing in people with incident type 2 diabetes in the UK and USA, particularly among those with young-onset type 2 diabetes, irrespective of other comorbidities. This suggests that proactive mental health assessment from the time of type 2 diabetes diagnosis in primary care is essential for effective clinical management of people with type 2 diabetes.

Graphical abstract
Characteristics of Laparoscopic Surgery for Trauma Patients and Risks of Conversion to Open Laparotomy
Authors: Yamamoto Ryo , Cestero Ramon F. , Kameyama Noriaki , Sasaki Junichi
Published: September 2022

Background

The discussion is ongoing about appropriate indications for laparoscopic surgery in trauma patients. As timing and risks of conversion to laparotomy remain unclear, we aimed to elucidate characteristics of and risks for conversion following laparoscopic surgery, using a nationwide database.

Methods

A retrospective observational study was conducted, using Japanese Trauma Data Bank (2004–2018). We included adult trauma patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery as an initial surgical intervention. Conversion to laparotomy was defined as laparotomy at the initial surgery. Patient demographics, mechanism and severity of injury, injured organs, timing of surgery, and clinical outcomes were compared between patients with and without conversion. Risks for conversion were analyzed focusing on indications for laparoscopic surgery, after adjusting patient and institution characteristics.

Results

Among 444 patients eligible for the study, 31 required conversions to laparotomy. The number of laparoscopic surgeries gradually increased over the study period (0.5–4.5% of trauma laparotomy), without changes in conversion rates (5–10%). Patients who underwent conversion had more severe abdominal injuries compared with those who did not (AIS 3 vs 2). While length of hospital stay and in‐hospital mortality were comparable, abdominal complications were higher among patients with conversion (12.9 vs. 2.9%), particularly when laparoscopy was performed for peritonitis (OR, 22.08 [5.11–95.39]). A generalized estimating equation model adjusted patient background and identified hemoperitoneum and peritoneal penetration as risks for conversion (OR, 24.07 [7.35–78.75] and 8.26 [1.20– 56.75], respectively).

Conclusions

Trauma laparoscopy for hemoperitoneum and peritoneal penetration were associated with higher incidence of conversion to open laparotomy.
Small Bowel Obstruction in Patients without Prior Abdominal Surgery: To Operate or Not?
Authors: Blich Ori , Nesher Gilad , Tankel James , Boaz Elad , Dagan Amir , Reissman Petachia , Yellinek Shlomo
Published: September 2022

Introduction

Surgical exploration is still considered mandatory in the setting of small bowel obstruction (SBO) in patients without prior intra‐abdominal surgery. However, recent studies have challenged this ‘classic’ approach describing success with conservative non‐surgical treatment. The aim of this study is to identify clinical, radiological and biochemical variables that may be associated with the absence of intra‐abdominal pathology in patients with SBO who have not undergone previous surgery.

Methods

This is a retrospective cohort study of prospectively recorded data. Patients with SBO without prior abdominal surgery who presented to a single tertiary referral medical center between 2009 and 2019 were included.

Results

Eighty‐seven patients were included of whom 61(70.0%) were allocated to the ‘therapeutic exploration’ group and 26 (30.0%) to the ‘non‐therapeutic exploration’ group. Forty‐eight patients (55.0%) had adhesions, 17.2% had closed‐loop obstruction, 10.0% had an internal hernia, 27.6% had bowel ischemia and 5.7% had bowel necrosis. Although multiple clinical, laboratory, radiological and preoperative factors were examined, none were significantly associated with pathological findings during surgical exploration. There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of complications when comparing between those groups.

Conclusions

In this series, no variables were associated with intra‐abdominal pathology in patients who underwent surgery for SBO with no history of prior abdominal surgery. However, the fact that 27.0% had ischemic bowel upon surgical exploration suggests that this approach is still mandatory for this specific group of patients. Furthermore, clinicians and patients should be aware that negative exploration may be expected in up to 30.0%.
Foraging microhabitat preferences of invertivorous fishes within tropical macroalgal meadows: identification of canopy specialists
Authors: Chen Yi-Yang , Jennions Michael , Fox Rebecca J.
Published: September 2022

Invertivorous fishes are key middle-order consumers that connect energy flows across different trophic levels. However, the potential for distinct functional roles to exist within this trophic guild has not been satisfactorily explored to date, meaning that current assessments of ecosystem resilience are likely to over-estimate the level of functional redundancy within a given invertivorous fish assembly. Our study examined the foraging behaviour and microhabitat preferences of invertivorous fish communities within the productive canopy macroalgal meadows of Ningaloo Marine Park, Western Australia. Our aim was to identify foraging specialisations that could yield distinct functional roles for species belonging to the guild. We found that invertivorous fishes at this location were chiefly represented by species belonging to the Labridae, Lethrinidae and Mullidae families. Individual species demonstrated strong preferences for foraging within specific microhabitat types, suggesting that the guild can be grouped into three categories of foraging specialists: ‘canopy forager’, ‘generalist’ and ‘abiotic forager’. Our results highlight subtle niche partitioning of foraging microhabitats within the trophic guild of invertivorous fishes associated with tropical macroalgal meadows. Moreover, this partitioning is consistent across seasons, despite significant fluctuations in canopy structure and biomass. The resulting refinement of foraging specialisations allows us to identify the functional roles of invertivorous fishes and afford greater protection to individual species that might otherwise be considered functionally redundant. Our results will help to inform knowledge of the functional impact of particular species and their ecological specialisations and improve our understanding of trophic flows in marine food webs for appropriate management and conservation.
Development of castration resistance in prostate cancer patients treated with luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analogues (LHRHa): results of the ANARESISTANCE study
Authors: Angulo J. C. , Ciria Santos J. P. , Gómez-Caamaño A. , Poza de Celis R. , González Sala J. L. , García Garzón J. M. , Galán-Llopis J. A. , Pérez Sampietro M. , Perrot V. , Planas Morin J. ,   on behalf of ANARESISTANCE study group, Abascal José Manuel , Barrond Víctor , Benedicto Antonio , Carballo Ana , Cortiñas José Ramón , Fernández Manuel , Ferrer Eduardo , Guzmán Pablo Luís , López Miguel Ángel , Martínez José Carlos , Olivier Carlos , Peleteiro Paula , Pérez Pedro Julio , Pesqueira Daniel , Ponce José , Ruibal Manuel , Segarra Josep , Solsona Eduardo , Suárez José Francisco , Rosa José , Tabernero Ángel , Vesga Félix , Zapatero Almudena
Published: September 2022

Purpose

Evaluate the percentage of patients with prostate cancer treated with luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analogues (LHRHa) that develop castration resistance after a follow-up period of 3 years. The secondary objective is to evaluate the variables potentially related to the progression to castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC).

Methods

A post-authorization, nation-wide, multicenter, prospective, observational, and longitudinal study that included 416 patients treated with LHRHa between 2012 and 2017 is presented. Patients were followed for 3 years or until development of CRPC, thus completing a per-protocol population of 350 patients. A Cox regression analysis was carried out to evaluate factors involved in progression to CRPC.

Results

After 3 years of treatment with LHRHa 18.2% of patients developed CRPC. In contrast, in the subgroup analysis, 39.6% of the metastatic patients developed CRPC, compared with 8.8% of the non-metastatic patients. The patients with the highest risk of developing CRPC were those with a nadir prostate-specific antigen (PSA) > 2 ng/ml (HR 21.6; 95% CI 11.7–39.8; p < 0.001) and those receiving concomitant medication, most commonly bicalutamide (HR 1.8; 95% CI 1–3.1, p = 0.0431).

Conclusions

The proportion of metastatic patients developing CRPC after 3 years of treatment with LHRHa is consistent with what has been previously described in the literature. In addition, this study provides new findings on CRPC in non-metastatic patients. Concomitant medication and nadir PSA are statistically significant predictive factors for the time to diagnosis of CRPC, the nadir PSA being the strongest predictor.
Opposite trends of sea-breeze speeds and gusts in Eastern Spain, 1961–2019
Authors: Bedoya-Valestt Shalenys , Azorin-Molina Cesar , Gimeno Luis , Guijarro Jose A. , Sanchez-Morcillo Victor J. , Aguilar Enric , Brunet Manola
Published: September 2022

Most studies on wind variability have deepened into the stilling vs. reversal phenomena at global to regional scales, while the long-term changes in local-scale winds such as sea-breezes (SB) represent a gap of knowledge in climate research. The state-of-the-art of the wind variability studies suggests a hypothetical reinforcement of SB at coastal stations. We first developed a robust automated method for the identification of SB days. Then, by using homogenized wind observations from 16 stations across Eastern Spain, we identified 9,349 episodes for analyzing the multidecadal variability and trends in SB speeds, gusts and occurrence for 1961–2019. The major finding is the opposite trends and decoupled variability of SB speeds and gusts: the SB speeds declined significantly in all seasons (except for winter), and the SB gusts strengthened at the annual scale and in autumn–winter, being most significant in autumn. Our results also show that the SB occurrence has increased across most of Eastern Spain, although presenting contrasting seasonal trends: positive in winter and negative in summer. We found that more frequent anticyclonic conditions, NAOI + and MOI + are positively linked to the increased winter occurrence; however, the causes behind the opposite trends in SB speeds and gusts remain unclear. The SB changes are complex to explain, involving both large-scale circulation and physical-local factors that challenge the understanding of the opposite trends. Further investigation is needed to assess whether these trends are a widespread phenomenon, while climate models could simulate the drivers behind these decoupled SB changes in a warmer climate.
Knowledge-aware attentional neural network for review-based movie recommendation with explanations
Authors: Liu Yun , Miyazaki Jun
Published: September 2022

In this paper, we propose a knowledge-aware attentional neural network (KANN) for dealing with movie recommendation tasks by extracting knowledge entities from movie reviews and capturing understandable interactions between users and movies at the knowledge level. In most recommendation systems, review information is already widely utilized to uncover the explicit preferences of users for items, especially for domains including movie recommendations, music recommendations, and book recommendations, as reviews are full of knowledge entities relevant to the domain. When processing review information, current methods usually use word embeddings to represent reviews for modeling users and items. As a result, they may split the meaning of a phrase, and thereby induce erroneous predictions. Moreover, most methods capture high-order interactions between users and items after obtaining latent low-dimensional representations, which means they cannot discover understandable interactions or provide knowledge-level explanations. By incorporating knowledge graph representation into movie recommendation tasks, the proposed KANN can not only capture the inner attention among user (movie) reviews but also compute the outer attention values between users and movies before generating corresponding latent vector representations. These characteristics enable the explicit preferences of users for movies to be learned and understood. We test our model on two datasets (IMDb and Amazon) for the movie rating prediction task and the click-through rate prediction task and show that it outperforms some of the existing state-of-the-art models and gains outstanding prediction performances in cases with a very small amount of reviews. Furthermore, we demonstrate the high explainability of the proposed KANN by visualizing the interaction between users and movies through a case study. Our results and analyses highlight the relatively high effectiveness and reliability of KANN for movie recommendation tasks.
Influence-aware memory architectures for deep reinforcement learning in POMDPs
Authors: Suau Miguel , He Jinke , Congeduti Elena , Starre Rolf A. N. , Czechowski Aleksander , Oliehoek Frans A.
Published: September 2022

Due to its perceptual limitations, an agent may have too little information about the environment to act optimally. In such cases, it is important to keep track of the action-observation history to uncover hidden state information. Recent deep reinforcement learning methods use recurrent neural networks (RNN) to memorize past observations. However, these models are expensive to train and have convergence difficulties, especially when dealing with high dimensional data. In this paper, we proposeinfluence-aware memory, a theoretically inspired memory architecture that alleviates the training difficulties by restricting the input of the recurrent layers to those variables that influence the hidden state information. Moreover, as opposed to standard RNNs, in which every piece of information used for estimatingQvalues is inevitably fed back into the network for the next prediction, our model allows information to flow without being necessarily stored in the RNN’s internal memory. Results indicate that, by letting the recurrent layers focus on a small fraction of the observation variables while processing the rest of the information with a feedforward neural network, we can outperform standard recurrent architectures both in training speed and policy performance. This approach also reduces runtime and obtains better scores than methods that stack multiple observations to remove partial observability.
Adaptive 1-dimensional time invariant learning for inertial sensor-based gait authentication
Authors: Permatasari Jessica , Connie Tee , Ong Thian Song , Teoh Andrew Beng Jin
Published: September 2022

Wearable-sensor gait signals processed using advanced machine learning algorithms are shown to be reliable for user authentication. However, no study has been reported to investigate the influence of elapsed time on wearable sensor-based gait authentication performance. This work is the first exploratory study that presents accelerometer and gyroscope signals from 144 participants with slow, normal, and fast walking speeds from 2 sessions (1-month elapse time) to evaluate IMU gait-based authentication performance. Gait signals are recorded in six positions (i.e., left and right pocket, left and right hand, handbag, and backpack). The users' identities are verified using a robust gait authentication method called Adaptive 1-Dimensional Time Invariant Learning (A1TIL). In A1TIL, 1D Local Ternary Patterns (LTP) with an adaptive threshold is proposed to extract discriminative time-invariant features from a gait cycle. In addition, a new unsupervised learning method called Kernelized Domain Adaptation (KDA) is applied to match two gait signals from different time spans for user verification. Comprehensive experiments have been conducted to assess the effectiveness of the proposed approach on a newly developed time invariant inertial sensor dataset. The promising result with an Equal Error Rate (EER) of 4.38% from slow walking speed and right pocket position across 1 month demonstrates that gait signals extracted from inertial sensors can be used as a reliable means of biometrics across time.
Metavolcanic formations in the Paraautochthonous Triassic successions of the Bükk Mts, NE Hungary
Authors: Németh Norbert , Kristály Ferenc , Gál Péter , Móricz Ferenc , Lukács Réka
Published: September 2022

The Bükk Mts. in NE Hungary exposes Paleozoic and Mesozoic successions containing volcanic formations both in the oceanic crust-derived Szarvaskő Unit and in the continental crust-derived Paraautochthonous Unit. The rocks of this latter unit were subject of multiple metamorphic, also metasomatic alterations and deformation events obscuring and overprinting original petrographic and geochemical characteristics and producing a complex structure in which stratigraphic relationships are not always possible to be identified. This situation was leading to various stratigraphic hypotheses. This study aims to provide a basis for distinguishing metavolcanic formations using trace element geochemical data combined with quantitative mineralogical data based on XRD and EPMA. Our data were obtained from a wide range of samples collected in the Bükk Mts. Mineralogy and major element geochemistry reflect regional Alpine metamorphism and local alteration processes but high field strength elements remained relatively stable during most of these processes except local HFSE enrichment. Zr/TiO2, Nb/Y and Nb/Ta ratios were effectively used for classifying the rocks into three formations: Bagolyhegy Metarhyolite, Szentistvánhegy Metavolcanics and Szinva Metabasalt. Bagolyhegy Metarhyolite is a unique volcanic formation formed from highly differentiated and HFSE-depleted magma, probably in a single volcanic centre of uncertain age. Szentistvánhegy Metavolcanics comprises heterogeneous rocks of a calc-alkaline arc-type suite with wide distribution in a Ladinian chronostratigraphic horizon. Szinva Metabasalt represents within-plate-type alkaline lava flows and adjacent volcaniclastic, mostly peperitic rocks embedded in Carnian platform and basin facies limestone formations. Like the sedimentary formations of the Bükk Mts, rocks of magmatic origin can be correlated with the formations of the South Alpine and Dinaric successions with the significant difference that abundant metavolcanics are not accompanied by intrusive bodies.
Rates and risk factors of complications associated with operative treatment of pelvic fractures
Authors: Mostert C. Q. B. , Timmer R. A. , Krijnen P. , Meylearts S. A. G. , Schipper I. B.
Published: September 2022

Purpose

Post-operative complications following fixation of pelvic fractures can lead to mortality and increased morbidity. Available literature regarding complications is heterogeneous and knowledge on risk factors is limited. This study aims to identify the most common post-operative complications and their possible risk factors following pelvic fracture surgery.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study was performed in two level-1 trauma centers in the Netherlands between January 2015 and January 2021. Included patients were all adult patients (≥ 18 years) with an operatively treated pelvic fracture (pelvic ring and/or acetabular fractures). Post-operative complications included surgical site infections (SSI), material-related complications, neurological complications, malunion/non-union and performed reoperations. A forward stepwise multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify any risk factors associated with these complications.

Results

Complications occurred in 55 (24%) of the 233 included patients. SSI’s were most common, occurring in 34 (15%) patients. Duration of surgery (odds ratio 1.01 per minute, 95% confidence interval 1.00–1.01) and obesity (odds ratio 1.10 per BMI point, 95% confidence interval 1.29–7.52) were independent risk factors for development of SSI. Less common post-operative complications were material-related complications (8%) and neurological damage (5%).

Conclusion

Limiting operation time by using less invasive and less time-consuming surgical approaches may reduce the risk of SSI. More awareness and post-operative screening for early signs of SSI is mandatory, especially in obese patients. Future research should include large prospective patient cohorts to determine risk factors for other post-operative complications associated with pelvic fracture surgery.
Prediction of Mode I Fracture Toughness of Shale Specimens by Different Fracture Theories Considering Size Effect
Authors: Xie Qin , Liu Xiling , Li Shengxiang , Du Kun , Gong Fengqiang , Li Xibing
Published: September 2022

In this study, mode I fracture tests on cracked straight-through Brazilian disc (CSTBD) and notched semi-circular bend (NSCB) shale specimens with different sizes were conducted to investigate the difference between maximum tangential stress fracture criterion and the size effect law (SEL) model in predicting apparent fracture toughness (Ka) of shale. In addition, the effects of specimen size and geometry on the Ka and the selection of fracture criterion on the prediction of the inherent fracture toughness (KIc) were also studied. The results show that the Ka increases with the increase of specimen size, and the difference between KIc of shale specimens with different sizes predicted by the fracture process zone length determined by the further improved maximum tangential stress (FIMTS) criterion is the smallest. For the prediction of Ka of NSCB specimen, the results predicted by the FIMTS criterion are the closest to the tested fracture toughness. However, the effect of SEL model applied to the prediction of Ka of NSCB specimens is poor. The effective establishment of SEL model requires high accuracy for test data, especially for the configuration with large variation of the dimensionless stress intensity factor (Y*) with normalized crack length (α).
Spinel structure of activated carbon supported MFe2O4 composites as an economic and efficient electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction in neutral media
Authors: Sabaa Hanaa M. , El-Khatib K. M. , El-Kady Mohamed Y. , Mahmoud Sawsan A.
Published: September 2022

For more sustainability and marketing of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) in wastewater treatment, the sluggish kinetics of cathode oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and platinum scarcity (with its high cost) should be swept away. So, this work aimed to synthesize metal ferrite (MFe2O4; M = Mn, Cu, and Ni) -based activated carbon composites as inexpensive ORR cathode catalysts. The composites were synthesized using a facile modified co-precipitation approach with low-thermal treatment and labeled as MnFe2O4/AC, CuFe2O4/AC, and NiFe2O4/AC. The as-synthesized catalysts are physicochemically characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared microscopy (FTIR), Barrett-Joyner-Halenda (BJH), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), and electron spin resonance (ESR). The electrochemical catalytic performance toward ORR was studied in a phosphate buffer solution (PBS) at neutral media via cyclic voltammetry (CV) and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV). MnFe2O4/AC has the highest onset potential (Eonset) value of − 0.223 V compared to CuFe2O4/AC (− 0.280 V) and NiFe2O4/AC (− 0.270 V). MnFe2O4/AC also has the highest kinetic current density (jK) and lowest Tafel slope (− 5 mA cm−2 and − 330 mV dec−1) compared to CuFe2O4/AC (− 3.05 mA cm−2 and − 577 mV dec−1) and NiFe2O4/AC (− 2.67 mA cm−2 and − 414 mV dec−1). The ORR catalyzed by MnFe2O4/AC at pH = 7 proceeds via a 4e− -kinetic pathway. The ESR is in good agreement with the electrochemical analysis due to the highest ∆Hppvalue for MnFe2O4/AC compared to CuFe2O4/AC and NiFe2O4/AC. Thus, MnFe2O4/AC is suggested as a promising alternative to Pt- electrocatalyst cathode for MFCs at neutral conditions.

Graphical Abstract
Generalized multiplicative stochastic processes arising from one-dimensional maps with noise
Authors: Haruna Taichi , Nakajima Kohei
Published: September 2022

We propose a class of generalized multiplicative stochastic processes obtained by introducing an endo-perspective into one-dimensional maps with additive noise. We define an internal state for the noisy dynamics of a given one-dimensional map and study its statistical behavior. We found intermittency characterized by two power-laws in the dynamics of the internal state for the logistic map and the BZ map with noise which exhibit different noise-induced phenomena, namely, noise-induced chaos and noise-induced order, respectively. We show that the power-laws can be explained in a unified way from the theory of generalized multiplicative stochastic processes.
A semidefinite programming approach for the projection onto the cone of negative semidefinite symmetric tensors with applications to solid mechanics
Authors: Padovani Cristina , Porcelli Margherita
Published: September 2022

We propose an algorithm for computing the projection of a symmetric second-order tensor onto the cone of negative semidefinite symmetric tensors with respect to the inner product defined by an assigned positive definite symmetric fourth-order tensor $${\mathcal {C}}$$
C
. The projection problem is written as a semidefinite programming problem and an algorithm based on a primal-dual path-following interior point method coupled with a Mehrotra’s predictor-corrector approach is proposed. Implementations based on well-known symmetrization schemes and on direct methods are theoretically and numerically investigated taking into account tensors $${\mathcal {C}}$$
C
arising in the modelling of masonry-like materials. For these special cases, indications on the preferable symmetrization scheme that take into account the conditioning of the arising linear systems are given.
Are chrome extensions compliant with the spirit of least privilege?
Authors: Picazo-Sanchez Pablo , Ortiz-Martin Lara , Schneider Gerardo , Sabelfeld Andrei
Published: September 2022

Extensions are small applications installed by users and enrich the user experience of browsing the Internet. Browsers expose a set of restricted APIs to extensions. To be used, extensions need to list the permissions associated with these APIs in a mandatory extension file named manifest. In particular, Chrome’s permission ecosystem was designed in the spirit of the least privilege. Yet, this paper demonstrates that 39.8% of the analyzed extensions provided by the official Web Store are compliant with the spirit of least privilege. Also, we develop: (1) a browser extension to make aware regular users of the permissions the extensions they install; (2) a web app where extensions developers can check whether their extensions are compliant with the spirit of the least privileged; and (3) a set of scripts that can be part of the vendors’ acceptance criteria such that when developers upload their extensions to the official repositories, the scripts automatically analyze the extensions and generate a report about the permissions and the usage.
Magnetic nanodrug delivery in non-Newtonian blood flows
Authors: Fanelli Claudia , Kaouri Katerina , Phillips Timothy N. , Myers Timothy G. , Font Francesc
Published: September 2022

With the goal of determining strategies to maximise drug delivery to a specific site in the body, we developed a mathematical model for the transport of drug nanocarriers (nanoparticles) in the bloodstream under the influence of an external magnetic field. Under the assumption of long (compared to the radius) blood vessels the Navier-Stokes equations are reduced, to a simpler model consistently with lubrication theory. Under these assumptions, analytical results are compared for Newtonian, power-law, Carreau and Ellis fluids, and these clearly demonstrate the importance of shear thinning effects when modelling blood flow. Incorporating nanoparticles and a magnetic field to the model we develop a numerical scheme and study the particle motion for different field strengths. We demonstrate the importance of the non-Newtonian behaviour: for the flow regimes investigated in this work, consistent with those in blood micro vessels, we find that the field strength needed to absorb a certain amount of particles in a non-Newtonian fluid has to be larger than the one needed in a Newtonian fluid. Specifically, for one case examined, a two times larger magnetic force had to be applied in the Ellis fluid than in the Newtonian fluid for the same number of particles to be absorbed through the vessel wall. Consequently, models based on a Newtonian fluid can drastically overestimate the effect of a magnetic field. Finally, we evaluate the particle concentration at the vessel wall and compute the evolution of the particle flux through the wall for different permeability values, as that is important when assessing the efficacy of drug delivery applications. The insights from our work bring us a step closer to successfully transferring magnetic nanoparticle drug delivery to the clinic.
Hybrid limited memory gradient projection methods for box-constrained optimization problems
Authors: Crisci Serena , Porta Federica , Ruggiero Valeria , Zanni Luca
Published: September 2022

Gradient projection methods represent effective tools for solving large-scale constrained optimization problems thanks to their simple implementation and low computational cost per iteration. Despite these good properties, a slow convergence rate can affect gradient projection schemes, especially when high accurate solutions are needed. A strategy to mitigate this drawback consists in properly selecting the values for the steplength along the negative gradient. In this paper, we consider the class of gradient projection methods with line search along the projected arc for box-constrained minimization problems and we analyse different strategies to define the steplength. It is well known in the literature that steplength selection rules able to approximate, at each iteration, the eigenvalues of the inverse of a suitable submatrix of the Hessian of the objective function can improve the performance of gradient projection methods. In this perspective, we propose an automatic hybrid steplength selection technique that employs a proper alternation of standard Barzilai–Borwein rules, when the final active set is not well approximated, and a generalized limited memory strategy based on the Ritz-like values of the Hessian matrix restricted to the inactive constraints, when the final active set is reached. Numerical experiments on quadratic and non-quadratic test problems show the effectiveness of the proposed steplength scheme.