bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Kinetic Study of the Aluminum–water Reaction Using NaOH/NaAlO2 Catalyst for Hydrogen Production from Aluminum Cans Waste
Authors: Fadhilah Nur , Muharja Maktum , Risanti Doty Dewi , Wahyuono Ruri Agung , Satrio Dendy , Khamil Achri Isnan , Fadilah Siska Nuri
Published: November 2023

The presence of oxide layers covering the surface of aluminum is known to impede the hydrogen production reaction. These oxide layers can be broken by adding catalysts and increasing the aluminum-water reaction temperature. Common catalysts used are alkaline catalysts that are capable of achieving high hydrogen production rates in a short time at lower temperatures, while intermediate temperatures of above 50 °C can accelerate the hydration reaction of the oxide layer. Herein, the mixture of NaOH and NaAlO2 catalysts was employed to attain a stable NaAlO2 solution and continuous reaction of NaOH and aluminum. This research analyzes the influence of temperature between 32 and 80 °C on the aluminum, 0.3 M NaOH and 0.001 M NaAlO2 catalysts solution at atmospheric pressure. All solutions produces a similar hydrogen yields and rate. Solutions containing NaAlO2 indicate reverse reaction that surpressing the Al(OH)3 precipitation. Residue from the reaction is investigated using X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infra Red (FTIR), and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The volume of hydrogen produced is evaluated using a mathematical mass reduction and shrinking core model. The rate of hydrogen production depends largely on the aqueous solution's temperature, with an activation energy of 47.4 kJ/mol. Based on the findings, it is readily apparent that the reaction only produced gibbsite and bayerite, with gibbsite and bayerite being dominant at 32–70 °C and 80 °C, respectively. The mass reduction model fits well with the present results with only an average 5.1 mL deviation, whereas the shrinking core model generally tends to result in underestimated values with an average deviation of 23.9 mL. Copyright © 2023 by Authors, Published by BCREC Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA   License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).
Effect of a Novel Multicomponent Intervention to Improve Patient Access to Kidney Transplant and Living Kidney Donation
Authors: Garg Amit X. , Yohanna Seychelle , Naylor Kyla L. , McKenzie Susan Q. , Mucsi Istvan , Dixon Stephanie N. , Luo Bin , Sontrop Jessica M. , Beaucage Mary , Belenko Dmitri , Coghlan Candice , Cooper Rebecca , Elliott Lori , Getchell Leah , Heale Esti , Ki Vincent , Nesrallah Gihad , Patzer Rachel E. , Presseau Justin , Reich Marian , Treleaven Darin , Wang Carol , Waterman Amy D. , Zaltzman Jeffrey , Blake Peter G.
Published: November 2023

Importance

Patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) have the best chance for a longer and healthier life if they receive a kidney transplant. However, many barriers prevent patients from receiving a transplant.

Objectives

To evaluate the effect of a multicomponent intervention designed to target several barriers that prevent eligible patients from completing key steps toward receiving a kidney transplant.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This pragmatic, 2-arm, parallel-group, open-label, registry-based, superiority, cluster randomized clinical trial included all 26 CKD programs in Ontario, Canada, from November 1, 2017, to December 31, 2021. These programs provide care for patients with advanced CKD (patients approaching the need for dialysis or receiving maintenance dialysis).

Interventions

Using stratified, covariate-constrained randomization, allocation of the CKD programs at a 1:1 ratio was used to compare the multicomponent intervention vs usual care for 4.2 years. The intervention had 4 main components, (1) administrative support to establish local quality improvement teams; (2) transplant educational resources; (3) an initiative for transplant recipients and living donors to share stories and experiences; and (4) program-level performance reports and oversight by administrative leaders.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary outcome was the rate of steps completed toward receiving a kidney transplant. Each patient could complete up to 4 steps: step 1, referred to a transplant center for evaluation; step 2, had a potential living donor contact a transplant center for evaluation; step 3, added to the deceased donor waitlist; and step 4, received a transplant from a living or deceased donor.

Results

The 26 CKD programs (13 intervention, 13 usual care) during the trial period included 20 375 potentially transplant-eligible patients with advanced CKD (intervention group [n = 9780 patients], usual-care group [n = 10 595 patients]). Despite evidence of intervention uptake, the step completion rate did not significantly differ between the intervention vs usual-care groups: 5334 vs 5638 steps; 24.8 vs 24.1 steps per 100 patient-years; adjusted hazard ratio, 1.00 (95% CI, 0.87-1.15).

Conclusions and Relevance

This novel multicomponent intervention did not significantly increase the rate of completed steps toward receiving a kidney transplant. Improving access to transplantation remains a global priority that requires substantial effort.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03329521
Speed and Nighttime Usage Restrictions and the Incidence of Shared Electric Scooter Injuries
Authors: Pakarinen Oskari , Kobylin Arja , Harjola Veli-Pekka , Castrén Maaret , Vasara Henri
Published: November 2023

Importance

Electric scooter (e-scooter) crashes have become a serious health issue worldwide. The need for effective e-scooter regulations has been established in numerous instances.

Objective

To investigate the association of restrictions on top speed and nighttime usage on the incidence of e-scooter–related injuries.

Design, Setting, and Participants

A retrospective comparative cohort study of all patients with an injury related to shared e-scooter riding sustained in Helsinki, Finland. Data were collected from the electric patient database from 3 trauma hospitals representing all public hospitals treating patients with acute trauma in Helsinki. Shared e-scooter injuries from 2 periods were compared: an unrestricted period (January 1 to August 31, 2021) and a restricted period (January 1 to August 31, 2022). Data were analyzed from September 2022 to September 2023.

Exposures

The restrictions established for shared e-scooters during the restricted period were: (1) the daytime top speed of 20 km/h, as opposed to the previous top speed of 25 km/h, (2) the use of shared e-scooters was prohibited on Friday and Saturday nights between 12 am and 5 am, and (3) the nighttime top speed was decreased to 15 km/h from Sunday to Thursday between 12 am and 5 am, as opposed to 25 km/h.

Main outcome

The incidence of e-scooter injuries compared with the total trips made by e-scooters.

Results

There were 528 e-scooter injuries requiring hospital care during the unrestricted period and 318 injuries during the restricted period of similar length. The median (IQR) age of the patients in the study periods was 25 (21-32) and 28 (22-37), respectively; 308 (58%) and 191 (60%) were male, respectively. The incidence of e-scooter injuries was 19 (95% CI, 17-20) for every 100 000 rides during the unrestricted period and 9 (95% CI, 8-10) per 100 000 rides during the restricted period. In the risk analysis, the odds ratio for shared e-scooter injuries was 0.5 (95% CI, 0.4-0.6) for the restricted period when adjusted for hourly temperature, rain amount, wind speed, and visibility. After introducing the restrictions, the number of e-scooter injuries decreased significantly between 11 pm and 5 am.

Conclusion and Relevance

The number of injuries decreased after implementing restrictions on the top speed and nighttime usage of e-scooters. Similar restrictions in cities with shared e-scooter services should be explored.
Personalised neoantigen‐based therapy in colorectal cancer
Authors: Zhu Ya‐Juan , Li Xiong , Chen Ting‐Ting , Wang Jia‐Xiang , Zhou Yi‐Xin , Mu Xiao‐Li , Du Yang , Wang Jia‐Ling , Tang Jie , Liu Ji‐Yan
Published: November 2023

Colorectal cancer (CRC) has become one of the most common tumours with high morbidity, mortality and distinctive evolution mechanism. The neoantigens arising from the somatic mutations have become considerable treatment targets in the management of CRC. As cancer‐specific aberrant peptides, neoantigens can trigger the robust host immune response and exert anti‐tumour effects while minimising the emergence of adverse events commonly associated with alternative therapeutic regimens. In this review, we summarised the mechanism, generation, identification and prognostic significance of neoantigens, as well as therapeutic strategies challenges of neoantigen‐based therapy in CRC. The evidence suggests that the establishment of personalised neoantigen‐based therapy holds great promise as an effective treatment approach for patients with CRC.
Interrater reliability of interictal EEG waveforms in Lennox–Gastaut Syndrome
Authors: Hu Derek K. , Rana Mandeep , Adams David J. , Do Linda , Shrey Daniel W. , Hussain Shaun A. , Lopour Beth A.
Published: November 2023

Objective

Identification of EEG waveforms is critical for diagnosing Lennox–Gastaut Syndrome (LGS) but is complicated by the progressive nature of the disease. Here, we assess the interrater reliability (IRR) among pediatric epileptologists for classifying EEG waveforms associated with LGS.

Methods

A novel automated algorithm was used to objectively identify epochs of EEG with transient high power, which were termed events of interest (EOIs). The algorithm was applied to EEG from 20 LGS subjects and 20 healthy controls during NREM sleep, and 1350 EOIs were identified. Three raters independently reviewed the EOIs within isolated 15‐second EEG segments in a randomized, blinded fashion. For each EOI, the raters assigned a waveform label (spike and slow wave, generalized paroxysmal fast activity, seizure, spindle, vertex, muscle, artifact, nothing, or other) and indicated the perceived subject type (LGS or control).

Results

Labeling of subject type had 85% accuracy across all EOIs and an IRR of κ =0.790, suggesting that brief segments of EEG containing high‐power waveforms can be reliably classified as pathological or normal. Waveform labels were less consistent, with κ =0.558, and the results were highly variable for different categories of waveforms. Label mismatches typically occurred when one reviewer selected “nothing,” suggesting that reviewers had different thresholds for applying named labels.

Significance

Classification of EEG waveforms associated with LGS has weak IRR, due in part to varying thresholds applied during visual review. Computational methods to objectively define EEG biomarkers of LGS may improve IRR and aid clinical decision‐making.
Reproductive justice activism in the post‐Dobbs era
Authors: Zavella Patricia
Published: November 2023

Reproductive governance and anti‐abortion discourse increased dramatically after the Dobbs decision ended Roe. To reproductive justice advocates, this decision came after the pandemic lockdown that left staff working from home and they see it as a human rights crisis. In light of these radical changes, how are reproductive justice debates framed in the United States by women of color? Drawing on ethnographic research, I suggest that while the abortion landscape has provoked more polarization, reproductive justice activists, particularly women of color, have deepened their commitment to their human rights and intersectional approach that advocates for the most structurally vulnerable.
Do Children with Previous COVID Infection Have Hyposmia?
Authors: Bacon Beatrice R. , Viola Francesca C. , Carr Michele M.
Published: November 2023

Objective

Our goal was to see if children with a history of COVID infection had subclinical hyposmia.

Methods

Consecutive patients at a pediatric otolaryngology clinic aged 5–17 years were recruited. Demographics including gender, race, use of nasal topical medications (NTM), previous nasal surgery including adenoidectomy (NSA), and previous COVID‐19 infection were collected. Each child performed a test of their sense of smell using the Pediatric Smell Wheel (PSW, Sensonics Intl, USA) under the direct supervision and scores were compared.

Results

260 children were included; mean age 10.1 years (95% CI 9.7–10.5), 128 (49.2%) female and 132 (50.8%) male. 65 (25%) used steroid nasal sprays, 100 (38.5%) had undergone adenoidectomy, and 36 (13.8%) had other nasal surgery. 120 (46.2%) had a previous COVID‐19 infection. The COVID+ and COVID− groups were the same for age, gender, race, use of NTMs, and previous NSA (p > 0.05). Mean PSW score was 7.8 (95% CI 7.6–8.0), median of 8, ranging from 2 to 11. The mean PSW score was 8.0 for the COVID− group and 7.6 for the COVID+ group (p = 0.005). There was no significant difference in total PSW scores based on gender, race, use of NTMs, previous NSA. Linear regression showed previous COVID infection was significantly negatively associated with total PSW score (Beta −0.636, p = 0.006) with age significantly positively associated (Beta 0.122, p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Children with a history of COVID infection performed slightly worse when identifying odors than children without a COVID history. More study into the rates of pediatric anosmia related to COVID infection is needed.

Level of Evidence

3 Laryngoscope, 134:901–906, 2024
Light‐controllable energy‐saving and control overhead‐saving metasurface based on photoresistor
Authors: Guo Boyan , Deng Li , Zhang Hongtao
Published: November 2023

Intelligent metasurfaces are artificially engineered structures that can real‐time control electromagnetic (EM) waves. However, the manipulating ability is usually realized by adopting the wired electrical control method, which is effective and robust, but there are still some limitations. Here, we propose an energy‐efficient light‐controllable intelligent metasurface consisting of meta‐atoms with the ability to manipulate EM waves without energy consumption and control overhead. As demonstrated, the resistance‐based metasurface is illuminated under different strengths of illumination to generate different radiation patterns. The measured results show that the metasurface can well realize dynamic beam steering under different illumination conditions. The proposed intelligent metasurface establishes the connection between microwave and light, which could promote the development of related multiphysics applications, such as photoelectric reconfigurable intelligent surface and internet of things devices.
Effect of irregular silicon carbide and tackifying phenolic resin on friction coefficients of rubber compounds
Authors: Zhu Youzhang , Lu Hang , Cui Jian , Wang Yimiao , Li Hengrong , Tian Anwei , Pang Song , Zhao Shuai , Yan Yehai
Published: November 2023

Rubber compounds with high friction coefficients are widely used in safety shoes, functional shoes, etc. However, in the presence of a liquid lubrication layer, friction coefficients between rubber compounds and the opposing surface are generally very low. In this work, friction coefficients of rubber compounds are improved by a two‐pronged method. First, micron silicon carbides (SiC) with irregular shape and knife‐edge are selected as fillers to improve the plowing friction in dry state, and to improve the adhesive friction in wet state via piercing the liquid lubrication layer. Second, tackifying phenolic resin is added to increase the damping performance of rubber compounds, so as to improve the hysteresis friction in both dry and wet states. The results show that the comprehensive static and dynamic friction properties of rubber compounds are the best in both dry and wet states (0.5 wt% sodium dodecyl sulfate solution or 90 wt% glycerol solution), when SiC size is 7–14 μm and SiC content is 75–90 phr. Phenolic resin can increase the loss factor (tanδ) and loss modulus (E") of rubber compounds, and improve the static and dynamic friction coefficients in wet state (90 wt% glycerol solution). At the same time, it can improve the hardness of rubber compounds and reduce the relative content of SiC, thus reducing the static and dynamic friction coefficients of rubber compounds in dry and wet states (0.5 wt% sodium lauryl sulfate aqueous solution). In general, the optimal content of phenolic resin is 10–15 phr.

Highlights

Rubber friction coefficients improved via both adhesion and hysteresis friction.

Irregular silicon carbides pierce liquid layer to improve adhesive friction of rubber.

Phenolic resin increases hysteresis friction of rubber via damping property.
V2XCom: Lightweight and secure message dissemination scheme for Internet of vehicles
Authors: Bodkhe Umesh , Tanwar Sudeep
Published: November 2023

Smart cities provide a sustainable transport ecosystem to connect smart vehicles through sensors and networking units. Internet‐of‐vehicles (IoV) is vital in disseminating various messages, including road safety, exact location sharing, road accidents and blocks, collision warning, driver assistance, network congestion, or toll payment among vehicle‐to‐anything (V2X) units. Due to the mission‐critical nature of the IoV ecosystem, it requires reliable, lightweight, and real‐time communication for vehicle‐to‐vehicle (V2V) and V2X units. However, due to the availability of insecure wireless channels, an adversary can perform several security attacks such as replay, password guessing, masquerade, trace, message tampering, Man‐in‐the‐middle attack (MIMA), and plain‐text attacks in an IoV environment which may lead to potential disruptions. Motivated by the aforementioned facts, we propose a V2XCom, a lightweight and secure message dissemination scheme for the IoV network using low‐cost cryptographic SHA‐256, XoR operation, and concatenation. We performed security verification of V2XCom using the Scyther and AVISPA tools. Moreover, security proofs are provided for an informal security analysis of the proposed scheme. We have done a comparative analysis of a V2XCom with recent dissemination schemes in the IoV ecosystem concerning security features, communication latency, computational cost, and energy usage.
Chlorate‐based homemade explosives: A review
Authors: Horrocks Aaron J. , Detata David , Pitts Kari , Lewis Simon W.
Published: November 2023

Chlorates and perchlorates, inorganic salts known for their potent oxidizing properties, find utility in various products such as pyrotechnics, matches, and disinfectants. Their chemical properties also make them suitable for homemade explosives, resulting in their extensive use by criminals. Hence, the forensic analysis of these compounds is vital for investigating crimes involving their utilization. A wide array of analytical techniques is available for detecting and quantifying these substances, offering forensic investigators an extensive toolkit to effectively analyze and identify chlorates and perchlorates in various samples. Recent research highlights the potential for leveraging the information obtained from analyzing these materials, including for intelligence purposes. The future of forensic analysis in this domain lies in extracting additional information, such as source attribution, through methods like chemometrics, thereby enhancing forensic intelligence capabilities.

This article is categorized under:

Forensic Chemistry and Trace Evidence > Explosive Analysis

Forensic Chemistry and Trace Evidence > Trace Evidence

Forensic Chemistry and Trace Evidence > Emerging Technologies and Methods
Uncovering doubly charged scalars with dominant three-body decays using machine learning
Authors: Flacke Thomas , Kim Jeong Han , Kunkel Manuel , Ko Pyungwon , Pi Jun Seung , Porod Werner , Schwarze Leonard
Published: November 2023

Abstract

We propose a deep learning-based search strategy for pair production of doubly charged scalars undergoing three-body decays to $$ {W}^{+}t\overline{b} $$

W
+

t

b
¯

in the same-sign lepton plus multi-jet final state. This process is motivated by composite Higgs models with an underlying fermionic UV theory. We demonstrate that for such busy final states, jet image classification with convolutional neural networks outperforms standard fully connected networks acting on reconstructed kinematic variables. We derive the expected discovery reach and exclusion limit at the high-luminosity LHC.
Distraction osteogenesis versus induced membrane technique for infected tibial non-unions with segmental bone loss: a systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis of available studies
Authors: Wakefield Sophia M. , Papakostidis Costas , Giannoudis Vasileios P. , Mandía-Martínez Alfonso , Giannoudis Peter V.
Published: November 2023

Introduction

Infected tibial non-unions with associated bone loss can be challenging to manage. At present, the two main methods utilized in the management of these fractures include the Ilizarov technique of Distraction Osteogenesis (DO) using external fixator devices, or alternatively, the Induced Membrane Technique (IMT), devised by Masquelet. As there is a paucity of data directly comparing the outcomes of these techniques, there is no universal agreement on which strategy a surgeon should choose to use.

Aims

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to summarize the outcomes of both DO and IMT, in terms of primary outcomes (bone union and infection elimination), and secondary outcomes (complication rates and functional outcomes).

Methods

A PRISMA strategy was used. Medline, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and Google Scholar library databases were interrogated using pre-defined MeSH terms and Boolean operators. Quality of evidence was evaluated using OCEBM and GRADE systems.

Results

Thirty-two studies with 1136 subjects met the inclusion criteria. With respect to the primary outcomes of interest, union was observed in 94.6% (DO method) and 88.0% (IMT method); this difference, however, was not significant between the two techniques (p = 0.45). In addition, infection elimination rates were also higher in the Ilizarov DO group when compared to Masquelet (Mq) IMT (93.0% vs 80.4% respectively). Again, no significant difference was observed (p = 0.06). For all secondary outcomes assessed (unplanned re-operations, re-fracture rates amputation rate), no statistically significant differences were documented between the treatment options.

Conclusion

This study demonstrated that there is no clinical difference in outcomes for patients treated with Ilizarov DO versus Mq IMT techniques. The evidence base at present is relatively sparse and, therefore, we would recommend for further Level I studies to be conducted, to make more meaningful conclusions.
Genetic Features of Young and Aged Animals After Peripheral Nerve Injury: Implications for Diminished Regeneration Capacity
Authors: Huang Weixiao , Yi Sheng , Zhao Lili
Published: November 2023

The spontaneous regeneration capacity of peripheral nerves is fundamentally reduced with advancing age, leading to severe and long-term functional loss. The cellular and molecular basis underlying incomplete and delayed recovery of aging peripheral nerves is still murky. Here, we collected sciatic nerves of aged rats at 1d, 4d, and 7d after nerve injury, systematically analyzed the transcriptional changes of injured sciatic nerves, and examined the differences of injury responses between aged rats and young rats. RNA sequencing revealed that sciatic nerves of aged and young rats exhibit distinctive expression patterns after nerve injury. Acute and vigorous immune responses, including motivated B cell receptor signaling pathway, occurred in injured sciatic nerves of both aged and young rats. Different from young rats, aged rats have more CD8+ T cells and B cells in normal state and the elevation of M2 macrophages seemed to be more robust in sciatic nerves, especially at later time points after nerve injury. Young rats, on the other hand, showed strong and early up-regulation of cell cycle-related genes. These identified unique transcriptional signatures of aged and young rats help the understanding of aged-associated injury responses in the wound microenvironments and provide essential basis for the treatment of regeneration deficits in aged population.
Short digital-competence test based on DigComp2.1: Does digital competence support research competence in undergraduate students?
Authors: Mieg Harald A. , Klieme Katrin E. , Barker Emma , Bryan Jane , Gibson Caroline , Haberstroh Susanne , Odebiyi Femi , Rismondo Frano P. , Römmer-Nossek Brigitte , Thiem Janina , Unterpertinger Erika
Published: November 2023

This article presents a ten-item short scale for measuring digital competence. The scale is based on the Digital Competence Framework for Citizens, DigComp2.1 (Carretero et al., 2017). For our surveys, we used five items from the DigCompSat study (Clifford et al., 2020) and created five new ones to address the competence areas defined by DigCom2.1. We tested the scale on a sample of 1416 students from four countries (Germany, Lithuania, Austria, UK), using the questionnaire in two languages (English, German). The scale proved to be reliable (Cronbach’s α of 0.87 and McDonald’s ωtof 0.88) and valid (construct and content validity). Using the scale, we replicated findings from previous studies on differences in digital literacy by gender, study subject, and level of study. Despite the inhomogeneous structure of items from five different competence areas (according to DigComp2.1) and of two different types (specific, general), the scale does not seem to be multifactorial. A detailed analysis of digital competence and undergraduate research in the context of the pandemic shows: digital competence seems to support research competence and may even support inclusion.
Retention of fish biodiversity in a mixed-use agroecosystem in Cambodia
Authors: Tilley Alexander , Freed Sarah , Cagua E. Fernando , Longobardi Lorenzo , Sean Vichet , Mith Samonn , Miratori Kim , Kura Yumiko
Published: November 2023

Fisheries of the Mekong Basin are crucial to regional food security. They rely on seasonal monsoon rains that inundate rice fields and reconnect water bodies. Species assemblages vary over time and space, but infrastructure developments and climate change are negatively impacting the timing and magnitude of the flood pulse as well as fish migration routes and populations. In lowland rice field landscapes of Cambodia, community fish refuges (CFRs) are used to maintain fish abundance and biodiversity, with varying success. There is little knowledge of the drivers of this variation to guide management interventions. We used beta diversity to explore the effectiveness of 40 CFRs in maintaining species abundance and diversity during the dry seasons from 2012 to 2015. Results show CFR connectivity to the floodplain is important and suggest the type of inlet/outlet influences fish retention. CFRs connected to a large area of rice fields during the wet season had lower losses in species abundance through the dry season. However, large CFRs, or those part of a larger body of water, had higher losses in species abundance. Key design features of CFRs must be coupled with strong management capacity to guide the conservation and fisheries strategy in the Mekong Basin.
Learning autoencoder ensembles for detecting malware hidden communications in IoT ecosystems
Authors: Cassavia Nunziato , Caviglione Luca , Guarascio Massimo , Liguori Angelica , Zuppelli Marco
Published: November 2023

Modern IoT ecosystems are the preferred target of threat actors wanting to incorporate resource-constrained devices within a botnet or leak sensitive information. A major research effort is then devoted to create countermeasures for mitigating attacks, for instance, hardware-level verification mechanisms or effective network intrusion detection frameworks. Unfortunately, advanced malware is often endowed with the ability of cloaking communications within network traffic, e.g., to orchestrate compromised IoT nodes or exfiltrate data without being noticed. Therefore, this paper showcases how different autoencoder-based architectures can spot the presence of malicious communications hidden in conversations, especially in the TTL of IPv4 traffic. To conduct tests, this work considers IoT traffic traces gathered in a real setting and the presence of an attacker deploying two hiding schemes (i.e., naive and “elusive” approaches). Collected results showcase the effectiveness of our method as well as the feasibility of deploying autoencoders in production-quality IoT settings.
A radiochemistry laboratory exercise: determination of uranium in tap water by solvent extraction and liquid scintillation counting
Authors: Magugliani Gabriele , Mossini Eros , Negrin Maddalena , Galluccio Francesco , Santi Andrea , Giola Marco , Macerata Elena , Mariani Mario
Published: November 2023

Environmental radiochemistry is a key pillar of the education of nuclear engineering students and young professionals. Teaching the fundamentals of this multidisciplinary field is best performed also through well-designed hands-on experiments. A simple and fast radiochemical procedure has been developed to determine uranium in tap water by liquid scintillation counting. The proposed method provides reliable and repeatable results, with accuracy and precision within 5%. It can be proficiently executed by undergraduate students, who have appreciated the engagement and got acquainted with standard analysis protocols, from sample collection and manipulation to radiometric measure and data analysis.
Quantification of the efficiency of magnetic targeting of nanoparticles using finite element analysis
Authors: Casallas Luz Helena Camargo , Patarroyo Diego Julián Rodríguez , Benavides Jaime Francisco Pantoja
Published: November 2023

The lack of efficient drug delivery to tumor cells has led to investigations into the administration of magnetic drugs, which use magnetic fields to target treatment to specific organs, thereby reducing side effects compared to traditional treatments. The dynamics of MTD in breast arteries are currently unknown and can be modeled using second-order differential equations. Blood flow is generally assumed to be a non-Newtonian fluid due to its viscosity characteristics. In this study, we modeled the targeting efficiency of magnetic nanoparticles with sizes of 50 nm, 100 nm, and 200 nm under a constant magnetic field of 0.12 T using a computational tool based on the finite element technique. Our results showed that magnetic nanoparticle targeting efficiency was highest with simulated magnetic fields located 5 cm, 7.5 cm, and 15 cm away from the tumor when using nanoparticles of 50 nm and 100 nm.
Turning waste avocado stones and montmorillonite into magnetite-supported nanocomposites for the depollution of methylene blue: adsorbent reusability and performance optimization
Authors: El-Shafie Ahmed S. , Karamshahi Fatima , El-Azazy Marwa
Published: November 2023

The existence of methylene blue (MB) in wastewater even as traces is raising environmental concerns. In this regard, the performances of four adsorbents, avocado stone biochar (AVS-BC), montmorillonite (MMT), and their magnetite Fe3O4–derived counterparts, were compared. Results showed the superior performance of Fe3O4@AVS-BC and Fe3O4@MMT nanocomposites with removal percentages (%R) of 95.59% and 88%. The morphological features of AVS-BC as revealed by SEM analysis showed a highly porous surface compared to a plane and smooth surface in the case of MMT. Surface analysis using FT-IR and Raman spectroscopies corroborated the existence of the Fe–O peaks upon loading with magnetite. The XRD analysis confirmed the formation of cubic magnetite nanoparticles. The adsorption process in the batch mode was optimized using central composite design (CCD). Equilibrium and kinetic isotherms showed that the adsorption of MB onto Fe3O4@AVS-BC fitted well with the Langmuir isotherm and the pseudo-second-order (PSO) model. The maximum adsorption capacity (qm) was 118.9 mg/g (Fe3O4@AVS-BC) and 72.39 mg/g (Fe3O4@MMT). The Fe3O4@AVS-BC showed a higher selectivity toward MB compared to other organic contaminants. The MB-laden adsorbent was successfully used for the remediation of Cr (III), Ni (II), and Cd (II) with removal efficiencies hitting 100% following thermal activation.
Influenzaimpfung – Mehr als nur Influenzaschutz
Authors: Dechend Ralf
Published: November 2023

Die Influenza ist eine schwere Infektionskrankheit, die jedes Jahr weltweit zu erheblicher Morbidität und Mortalität führt. Kardiovaskuläre Ereignisse, insbesondere in den ersten 2 Wochen nach einer Influenzainfektion, sind die Haupttodesursache. Dabei haben insbesondere ältere Menschen aufgrund von Immunseneszenz, Multimorbidität und Gebrechlichkeit ein erhöhtes Risiko für schwere Krankheitsverläufe. Die Influenzaimpfung ist eine wirksame Strategie zur Verringerung von Influenzainfektionen und dadurch bedingten kardiovaskulären Komplikationen. Die Ständige Impfkommission (STIKO) empfiehlt daher die jährliche Influenzaimpfung für Personen ab 60 Jahren und für bestimmte Risikogruppen unabhängig vom Alter. Aufgrund der nachlassenden Abwehrleistung des Immunsystems sind Standardimpfstoffe bei älteren Personen häufig nicht so effektiv. Über verschiedene Optimierungsansätze, wie z. B. die Verwendung eines hochdosierten Influenzaimpfstoffs, wird daher versucht, die Immunantwort auf eine Influenzaimpfung zu erhöhen und die Effektivität zu verbessern. Aufgrund der guten Datenqualität für den Hochdosisimpfstoff wird dessen Einsatz von der STIKO ab einem Alter von 60 Jahren empfohlen. Randomisierte kontrollierte Studien wie auch Metaanalysen zeigen, dass der Hochdosisimpfstoff im Vergleich zum standarddosierten Influenzaimpfstoff die Wirksamkeit bezüglich Influenzainfektionen und kardiorespiratorischen Ereignissen verbessert. Auch bereits herzkranke Personen profitieren von der Influenzaimpfung. Patient*innen sollten daher von ihren behandelnden Ärzt*innen über die kardiovaskulären Vorteile der Influenzaimpfung informiert werden.
“Fractional” Vocational Working and Learning in Project Teams: “Project Assemblage” as a Unit of Analysis?
Authors: Guile David , Spinuzzi Clay
Published: November 2023

Situated and Activity theories have exercised a significant influence in the field of vocational learning for some considerable time, both sharing a focus on bounded forms of work and forms of learning that facilitate learning in, or to changes to, bounded forms of work. Yet much learning occurs in unbounded contexts often referred to as projectification, where collaborations occur only for the life of a project thereby creating new contingent contexts for learning . Given the existence of this form of working and learning, what type of unit of analysis (UoA) is required to analyse that vocational working and learning in the context of projectification? To address this question, the paper advances the following inter-theoretical argument. Firstly, it is timely to develop a new unit of analysis (UoA) to capture the fractional (intermittent, discontinuous and concurrent) working and learning dynamics associated with the forms of projectification, where funding has to be procured in order to commence. Secondly, that unit of analysis is constituted by the concept of project assemblage, which is based on ideas from Actor Network Theory, Cultural-historical Activity Theory and Cultural Sociology. Thirdly, this new UoA enables researchers to identify the way in which project teams, where members are coming in-and-out, learn to use their different forms of specialist activity to enact objects, why team members will have different backgrounds and understandings of their work, why objects may not cohere, even though team members may treat them as unified and coherent, and how team members learn to incorporate one another’s insights and suggestions, and establish a finalized object.
An Index-Based Approach to Assess Social Vulnerability for Hamburg, Germany
Authors: von Szombathely Malte , Hanf Franziska S. , Bareis Janka , Meier Linda , Oßenbrügge Jürgen , Pohl Thomas
Published: November 2023

In this study, we set out to develop a new social vulnerability index (SVI). In doing so, we suggest some conceptual improvements that can be made to existing methodical approaches to assessing social vulnerability. To make the entanglement of socio-spatial inequalities visible, we are conducting a small-scale study on heterogeneous urban development in the city of Hamburg, Germany. This kind of high-resolution analysis was not previously available, but is increasingly requested by political decision makers. We can thus show hot spots of social vulnerability (SV) in Hamburg, considering the effects of social welfare, education, and age. In doing so, we defined SV as a contextual concept that follows the recent shift in discourse in line with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) concepts of risk and vulnerability. Our SVI consists of two subcomponents: sensitivity and coping capacity. Populated areas of Hamburg were identified using satellite information and merged with the social data units of the city. Areas with high SVI are distributed over the entire city, notably in the district of Harburg and the Reiherstieg quarter in Wilhelmsburg near the Elbe, as well as in the densely populated inner city areas of Eimsbüttel and St. Pauli. As a map at a detailed scale, our SVI can be a useful tool to identify areas where the population is most vulnerable to climate-related hazards. We conclude that an enhanced understanding of urban social vulnerability is a prerequisite for urban risk management and urban resilience planning.
On Sherds, Vessels, and Pragmatics: Reaction to Feathers
Authors: Shott Michael J.
Published: November 2023

Feathers addresses the dual challenges of inferring original vessel counts from sherds and inference to use life from reconstructed vessels. His solution assumes the validity of sherd assemblages as units of observation that considerable research invalidates and overlooks methods that estimate original vessels from sherds. Feathers also doubts that use life can be inferred for reconstructed vessels. Although not a focus of my article, the larger study from which it derived addresses this matter in detail that strongly warrants vessel size as use-life measure. Of course we must be pragmatic in quantifying pottery assemblages, but first we must identify valid units of observation, and only then attend to pragmatics.
The Hard Problem of Access for Epistemological Disjunctivism
Authors: Grad Paweł
Published: November 2023

In this paper, I identify the hard problem of access for epistemological disjunctivism (ED): given that perceptual experience E is opaque with respect to its own epistemic properties, subject S is not in a position to know epistemic proposition (i) (that E is factive with respect to empirical proposition p) just by having E and/or reflecting on E. This is the case even if (i) is true. I first motivate the hard problem of access (Section 2) and then reconstruct and analyze three of the ways in which EDists have argued for the internal accessibility of the factive character of perceptual experience. These arguments explain internal access in terms of the unity of perceptual and rational capacities (Section 3), favoring support (Section 4), and the outward-looking model of self-knowledge (Section 5). My conclusion (Section 6) is that none of these responses works. I then suggest how ED might be modified to succeed as an access internalist epistemology.
Conditional analysis on extreme wall shear stress and heat flux events in compressible turbulent boundary layers
Authors: Zhang Peng-Jun-Yi , Wan Zhen-Hua , Dong Si-Wei , Liu Nan-Sheng , Sun De-Jun , Lu Xi-Yun
Published: November 2023

This study presents a comprehensive analysis on the extreme positive and negative events of wall shear stress and heat flux fluctuations in compressible turbulent boundary layers (TBLs) solved by direct numerical simulations. To examine the compressibility effects, we focus on the extreme events in two representative cases, i.e. a supersonic TBL of Mach number

$M=2$

and a hypersonic TBL of

$M=8$

, by scrutinizing the coherent structures and their correlated dynamics based on conditional analysis. As characterized by the spatial distribution of wall shear stress and heat flux, the extreme events are indicated to be closely related to the structural organization of wall streaks, in addition to the occurrence of the alternating positive and negative structures (APNSs) in the hypersonic TBL. These two types of coherent structures are strikingly different, namely the nature of wall streaks and APNSs are shown to be related to the solenoidal and dilatational fluid motions, respectively. Quantitative analysis using a volumetric conditional average is performed to identify and extract the coherent structures that directly account for the extreme events. It is found that in the supersonic TBL, the essential ingredients of the conditional field are hairpin-like vortices, whose combinations can induce wall streaks, whereas in the hypersonic TBL, the essential ingredients become hairpin-like vortices as well as near-wall APNSs. To quantify the momentum and energy transport mechanisms underlying the extreme events, we proposed a novel decomposition method for extreme skin friction and heat flux, based on the integral identities of conditionally averaged governing equations. Taking advantage of this decomposition method, the dominant transport mechanisms of the hairpin-like vortices and APNSs are revealed. Specifically, the momentum and energy transports undertaken by the hairpin-like vortices are attributed to multiple comparable mechanisms, whereas those by the APNSs are convection dominated. In that, the dominant transport mechanisms in extreme events between the supersonic and hypersonic TBLs are indicated to be totally different.
NE SPADONES FIANT: DOMITIAN'S EMASCULATION BAN
Authors: Lewis Juan P.
Published: November 2023

This article questions the prevailing opinion that Domitian's prohibition of castration was intended as a protective measure devised to check masters’ abuses on their slaves, as part of a larger trend towards more enlightened attitudes towards slavery among the Romans. While brutal, castration was the only type of mutilation which increased the monetary value of slaves. Banning it curtailed slaves’ chances of social climbing and narrowed their channels towards positions of power. The emasculation ban is, instead, better understood as one of the many measures directed towards the control of the sexual behaviour and the sumptuary practices of the Roman elite. Introduced as a censorial decree, the ban gave Domitian the opportunity to act as the upholder of Republican traditions at the same time as he impinged on the private lives of his subjects and put senators and equestrians under his thumb. The article also argues that, contrary to what is usually argued, the constant re-enforcement of the prohibition to castrate by Domitian's successors is an indication of the effectiveness of the Roman legal machinery and its capacity to reach the most distant corners of the Roman empire.
Teaching Classics as an applied subject
Authors: König Alice
Published: November 2023

This article discusses the opportunities and challenges of teaching Classics as an ‘applied’ subject. It outlines the development of a new module at the University of St Andrews which asks student teams to research and design a project that draws on ancient sources, practices or ideas to address a challenge in the 21st century, such as ‘fake news’, racism, or climate change. It distinguishes Applied Classics from Public Classics and Reception Studies, defining the former as ‘the purposeful application of carefully-chosen aspects of antiquity as a useful intervention in a contemporary challenge.’ It also underlines its value as a form of ‘Citizen Scholarship’, a branch of academia that builds bridges to activism and has tangible impacts, creating change (not just disseminating knowledge) in the wider world. The article considers the ethics of Applied Classics; the mentoring that students require, to work in novel ways and on topics well outside their comfort zones; and the assessment challenges that come with project-based learning. It reflects on the skills that students acquire from this kind of module (in leadership, collaboration, creative thinking, critical self-reflection and outcomes-focused thinking), on their sense of empowerment as they identify ways to translate their studies into socially impactful work, and on the contributions they can make to wider debates about the future of Classics as a discipline.
Hydropower station scheduling with ship arrival prediction and energy storage
Authors: Zhou Enjiang , Liu Xiao , Meng Zhihang , Yu Song , Mei Jinxiu , Qu Qiang
Published: November 2023

Effectiveness improvement in power generation and navigation for grid-connected hydropower stations have emerged as a significant concern due to the challenges such as discrepancies between declared and actual ship arrival times, as well as unstable power generation. To address these issues, this paper proposes a multi-objective real-time scheduling model. The proposed model incorporates energy storage and ship arrival prediction. An energy storage mechanism is introduced to stabilize power generation by charging the power storage equipment during surplus generation and discharging it during periods of insufficient generation at the hydropower stations. To facilitate the scheduling with the eneragy storage mechanism, the arrival time of ships to the stations are predicted. We use the maximization of generation minus grid load demand and the maximization of navigability assurance rate as two objective functions in the scheduling process. The model uses the Non-Dominated Sorting Beluga Whale Optimization (NSBWO) algorithm to optimize and solve the real-time discharge flow scheduling of the hydropower stations in different time periods. The NSBWO algorithm combines the Elitist Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA-II) and the Beluga Whale Optimization (BWO). The experimental results show that the proposed method has advantages in predicting the expected arrival time of ships and scheduling the discharge flow. The prediction using XGBoost model reaches accuracy with more than 0.9, and the discharged flow obtained from scheduling meets the demand of hydropower stations grid load while also improves the navigation benefits. This study provides theoretical analysis with its practical applications in a real hyropower station as a case study for solving hydropower scheduling problems.
Brain activity characteristics of RGB stimulus: an EEG study
Authors: Khadir Alireza , Maghareh Mohammad , Sasani Ghamsari Shamim , Beigzadeh Borhan
Published: November 2023

The perception of color is a fundamental cognitive feature of our psychological experience, with an essential role in many aspects of human behavior. Several studies used magnetoencephalography, functional magnetic resonance imaging, and electroencephalography (EEG) approaches to investigate color perception. Their methods includes the event-related potential and spectral power activity of different color spaces, such as Derrington-Krauskopf-Lennie and red-green-blue (RGB), in addition to exploring the psychological and emotional effects of colors. However, we found insufficient studies in RGB space that considered combining all aspects of EEG signals. Thus, in the present study, focusing on RGB stimuli and using a data-driven approach, we investigated significant differences in the perception of colors. Our findings show that beta oscillation of green compared to red and blue colors occurs in early sensory periods with a latency shifting in the occipital region. Furthermore, in the occipital region, the theta power of the blue color decreases noticeably compared to the other colors. Concurrently, in the prefrontal area, we observed an increase in phase consistency in response to the green color, while the blue color showed a decrease. Therefore, our results can be used to interpret the brain activity mechanism of color perception in RGB color space and to choose suitable colors for more efficient performance in cognitive activities.