bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Superhydrophobic Anti-Icing Surface with a Honeycomb Nanopore Structure
Authors: Li Bo , Xiang Huiying , Dai Xu , Zhu Tao , Hua Xujiang , Yuan Yuan
Published: November 2023

Recently, the icing disaster of transmission lines has been a serious threat to the safe operation of the power system. A superhydrophobic (SHP) anti-icing surface with a honeycomb nanopore structure was constructed using anodic oxidation technology combined with a vacuum infusion process. When the current density was 87.5 mA/cm2, the honeycomb porous surface had the best superhydrophobic performance (excellent water mobility), lowest ice-adhesion strength (0.7 kPa) and best anti-frosting performance. Compared with other types of alumina surfaces, the ice-adhesion strength of the SHP surface (87.5 mA/cm2) was only 0.2% of that of the bare surface. The frosting time of the SHP surface (87.5 mA/cm2) was 150 min, which was much slower. The former is attributed to the air cushion within the porous structure and the stress concentration, and the latter is attributed to the self-transition of the droplets and low solid–liquid heat transfer area. After 100 icing or frosting cycles, the SHP surface (87.5 mA/cm2) maintained a low ice-adhesion strength and superhydrophobic performance. This is because the anodic oxidation process forms a hard porous film, and the nano porous structure with a high aspect ratio can store modifiers to realize self-healing. The results indicate that the SHP surface with a honeycomb nanopore structure presents excellent anti-icing performance and durability.
Comparative Study of the Physico-Chemical Properties of Sorbents Based on Natural Bentonites Modified with Iron (III) and Aluminium (III) Polyhydroxocations
Authors: Kussainova Bakytgul , Tazhkenova Gaukhar , Kazarinov Ivan , Nurlybayeva Aisha , Lamichova Anna , Kusepova Lyazat , Mashan Togzhan , Tantybayeva Batima , Saurbayeva Bekzat , Seitbekova Gulnaziya , Kulbayeva Dilbar , Kudaibergenova Rabiga
Published: November 2023

A comparative study of the physicochemical properties of natural bentonite clays of Pogodayevo (Republic of Kazakhstan, mod. 1) and Dash-Salakhli (Republic of Azerbaijan, mod. 2) deposits and modification of the bentonite clay with polyhydroxocations of iron (III) and aluminium (III). The amount of bentonite in the concentration of iron (aluminum) was 5 mmol Me3+/g. It was established that the modification of natural bentonites using polyhydroxocations of iron (III) (mod. 1_Fe_5-c, mod. 2_Fe_5-c) and aluminum (III) (mod. 1_Al_5-c, mod. 2_Al_5-c) by the method of “co-precipitation” leads to a change in their chemical composition, structural and sorption properties. The results showed that hydroxy-aluminum cations ([Al3O4(OH)24(H2O)12]7+) and poly-hydroxyl-Fe or polyoxo-Fe were intercalated into clay layers, which led to an increase in the values of d001 and specific surface areas compared to those of the original bentonite, from 37 to 120 m2/g for the Pogodaevo bentonite and from 51 to 172 m2/g respectively, for bentonite from the Dash-Salakhli deposit. It is shown that modified sorbents based on natural bentonite are finely porous objects with a predominance of pores of 1.5–8.0 nm in size. As a result, there is a significant increase in the specific surface area of sorbents. Modification of bentonite with polyhydroxocations of iron (III) and aluminum (III) by the “co-precipitation” method also leads to an increase in the sorption capacity of the sorbents obtained with respect to nickel (II) cations. Modified bentonites were used for the adsorption of Ni (II) ions from the model solution. Ni (II) was absorbed in a neutral pH solution. The study of equilibrium adsorption showed that the data are in good agreement with the Langmuir isotherm model. The maximum adsorption capacity of the Ni (II) obtained from the Langmuir equation was 25.0 mg/g (mod. 1_Al_5-c), 18.2 mg/g (mod. 2_Al_5-c) for Al-bentonite and 16.7 mg/g (mod. 1_Fe_5-c), 10.1 (mod. 2_Fe_5-c) for Fe-bentonite. The kinetics of adsorption is considered. The high content of Al-OH anion exchange centers in them determines the higher sorption activity of Al-modified bentonites.
Smart Contract-Based Access Control Framework for Internet of Things Devices
Authors: Hasan Md. Rahat , Alazab Ammar , Joy Siddhartha Barman , Uddin Mohammed Nasir , Uddin Md Ashraf , Khraisat Ansam , Gondal Iqbal , Urmi Wahida Ferdose , Talukder Md. Alamin
Published: November 2023

The Internet of Things (IoT) has recently attracted much interest from researchers due to its diverse IoT applications. However, IoT systems encounter additional security and privacy threats. Developing an efficient IoT system is challenging because of its sophisticated network topology. Effective access control is required to ensure user privacy in the Internet of Things. Traditional access control methods are inappropriate for IoT systems because most conventional access control approaches are designed for centralized systems. This paper proposes a decentralized access control framework based on smart contracts with three parts: initialization, an access control protocol, and an inspection. Smart contracts are used in the proposed framework to store access control policies safely on the blockchain. The framework also penalizes users for attempting unauthorized access to the IoT resources. The smart contract was developed using Remix and deployed on the Ropsten Ethereum testnet. We analyze the performance of the smart contract-based access policies based on the gas consumption of blockchain transactions. Further, we analyze the system’s security, usability, scalability, and interoperability performance.
Effects of In and Ga on Spreading Performance of Ag10CuZnSn Brazing Filler Metal and Mechanical Properties of the Brazed Joints
Authors: Zhang Junqian , Xu Jiachen , Fu Yucan , Xue Songbai , Zhang Yuhai
Published: November 2023

Ag-based brazing filler metals are preferred in many industries, but the high price of Ag restricts their wider application. Therefore, developing novel low-Ag brazing filler metals has aroused extensive interest. In this study, the effects of the In and Ga elements on the melting behavior and spreading property of Ag10CuZnSn filler metal and the microstructure and strength of the brazed joints were investigated. The results show that both In and Ga can significantly decrease the solidus and liquidus temperatures of the filler metal. The In element can dissolve into the liquid filler metal and the Ga element can decrease the surface tension of the melted filler metal, which, in turn, improves the spreading area. The In element prefers to dissolve into the Ag-rich phase, and the Ga element prefers to dissolve into the Cu-rich phase; both improve the strength of the filler metal through solid-solution strengthening. The shear strength of the 304 stainless-steel brazed joint reached a peak value of 396 MPa when the Ag10CuZnSn-1.5In-2Ga (wt%) filler metal was used. However, the excessive addition of In and Ga forms brittle intermetallic compounds (IMCs) in the brazing seam, which decreases the strength of the brazed joint.
Electrochemical Characterization Method of Laves Phase in 9Cr Martensitic Heat-Resistant Steel and Creep Life Prediction
Authors: Yuan Sui , Li Ji , Guo Qi , Tang Liying , Xu Jian , Zhou Rongcan , Zhang Hongjun
Published: November 2023

The Laves phase formed during the long-term creep of 9% Cr heat-resistant steels plays an important role in their high-temperature mechanical properties. Detecting and quantifying the Laves phase is one of the main problems in predicting the creep residual life. This study detects and quantifies the Laves phase in various 9% Cr heat-resistant steel samples by anodic polarization. Both T92/P92 samples after creep and 9Cr ferritic martensitic samples after thermal ageing precipitate Laves phase particles, and the content of the Laves phase increases with the service time. Comparing the results obtained by the electrochemical method with those obtained by the traditional SEM observation method, it can be found that there is a similar two-stage linear relationship between the two results in all materials, which is related to the diameter change of Laves phase particles during service. According to the correlation between the Laves phase content and creep time, an extrapolation method for the prediction of the residual creep life is proposed. The results show that the creep life of P92 can be predicted by using the dissolved charge density of the Laves phase with high prediction accuracy. This method has the potential to evaluate the service states of materials and predict the long-term creep life in the industrial field.
Morphological, Structural, and Optical Features of Thermally Annealed Slag Powders Generated from the Iron and Steel Industry: A Source of Disordered Iron Oxide Composites
Authors: Saeedi Ahmad M. , Almarri Hana M. , Alabdallah Nadiyah M. , Alamri Mohammed A. , Albaqawi Hissah Saedoon , Algamdi Amira R. , Alfayez Fayez A. , Alluqmani Saleh M.
Published: November 2023

Steel slag waste produced by the steel industry accumulates in open areas or is disposed of in landfills, causing harm to the environment and human health. Valorizing steel slag through comprehensive data analysis is imperative and could add value to the product with respect to energy conversion and storage applications. This study investigated the morphological, structural, and optical characteristics of a thermally annealed steel slag composite generated from iron and steel factories. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, and UV–visible spectrophotometry were subsequently used to evaluate the impact of thermal treatment on the morphology, structure, elemental composition, and optical properties. It was found that the pre-treated slag composites contained a variety of irregular grain sizes and microscale fragments, primarily composed of C (18.55%), O (50.85%), and Fe (29.41%), with lower amounts of Mg (0.31%), Si (0.44%), and Ca (0.44%), indicating the natural formation of a disordered iron composite. Thermal treatment at different temperatures (300 °C, 600 °C, and 900 °C) increased the grain density and clustering, resulting in denser two-dimensional microstructures at 900 °C. Additionally, XRD and Raman analyses of both untreated and thermally treated slag composites revealed the presence of a disordered iron oxide composite, including (Fe3O4), hematite (α-Fe2O3), and maghemite (γ-Fe2O3) phases. A significant increase in optical absorbance was also observed after annealing at 600 °C, highlighting the successful optimization of the elemental composition of the slag composite. A band gap energy of approximately 2.2 eV was obtained from this optimization at 600 °C. The optical conductivity of the composite reached 2.1 × 106 S−1 at 600 °C, which indicates an enhancement in charge transfer among the optimized chemical elements in the waste composite. These findings suggest an optimization method for novel composites derived from steel slag waste, indicating its potential as a low-cost material for energy storage systems (batteries, supercapacitors, and fuel cells) and optoelectronic devices.
Concentration of Secreted Frizzled-Related Proteins (SFRPs) in Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma Subtypes—A Preliminary Study
Authors: Gaździcka Jadwiga , Świętek Agata , Hudy Dorota , Dąbrowska Natalia , Gołąbek Karolina , Rydel Mateusz , Czyżewski Damian , Strzelczyk Joanna Katarzyna
Published: November 2023

Non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) is the most common lung cancer worldwide. Secreted frizzled-related proteins (SFRPs) are important tumour suppressors and antagonists of the Wnt signalling pathway, which is linked with cancer development. The aim of this study was to evaluate the concentrations of SFRP1, SFRP2, and SFRP5 proteins in tumour and non-tumour (NT) samples obtained from 65 patients with primary NSCLC. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure the concentrations of SFRPs in the tissue homogenates. A significantly lower SFRP2 protein concentration was found in the total NSCLC tumour samples and the following NSCLC subtypes: squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and adenocarcinoma (AC) (p > 0.05, p = 0.028 and p = 0.001, respectively). AC tumour samples had a higher SFRP1 level than NT samples (p = 0.022), while the highest SFRP1 concentration was found in NSCLC samples from patients with clinical stage T4 cancer. Increased concentrations of SFRP1 and SFRP5 were present in stage III NSCLC samples, while the tumour samples with high pleural invasion (PL2) had an increased level of SFRP2. The results from this study suggest that the tumour suppressor or oncogenic roles of SFRPs could be connected with the NSCLC subtype. The levels of SFRPs varied according to the clinicopathological parameters of NSCLC.
Low-Grade Pseudomyxoma Peritonei Behaving as a High-Grade Disease: A Case Series and Literature Review
Authors: Bangeas Petros , Kyziridis Dimitrios , Kalakonas Apostolos , Tentes Apostolis A.
Published: November 2023

Patients with low-grade appendiceal mucinous carcinomas (LAMNs) treated with cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) have a favorable prognosis. However, a subgroup of patients presents a clinically aggressive course with disease progression despite receiving treatment. The purpose of this study is to report the experience of clinically aggressive LAMN patients treated by the same team, and to present a review of the literature. The cases of four patients with clinically aggressive LAMNs were reviewed. Clinical and histopathological characteristics were re-examined. Recurrences and the time of recurrence, as well as the survival time, were recorded. These patients were four men with clinically aggressive LAMNs treated with CRS plus HIPEC. One of them underwent CC-0 surgery, two underwent CC-1 surgery, and one underwent CC-3 surgery. All patients received systemic chemotherapy after surgery. Recurrence was recorded in three of the patients within 4–23 months after the initial treatment. Two of the patients underwent secondary CRS. Three patients died of disease recurrence within 13–23 months, and one is alive with a disease relapse at 49 months after his initial surgery. LAMNs were identified in both the initial specimens and the specimens obtained during reoperation. The prognosis of LAMN patients treated with CRS plus HIPEC is favorable. A small number of patients present a clinically aggressive course that is unresponsive to any treatment. Molecular and genetic studies are required to identify this group of LAMN patients who have an unfavorable prognosis.
Metal Concentration in Palaemon elegans along the Coastal Areas of Gran Canaria (Canary Islands): Potential Bioindicator of Pollution
Authors: Lozano-Bilbao Enrique , González José Antonio , Lorenzo José María , Thorne-Bazarra Thabatha , Hardisson Arturo , Rubio Carmen , González-Weller Dailos , Paz Soraya , Gutiérrez Ángel J.
Published: November 2023

Ocean pollution poses a significant issue in the marine ecosystem. Coastal areas are particularly impacted by this pollution, and consequently, organisms associated with these coasts bear the brunt of its effects. Therefore, the presence of robust bioindicators, such as the shrimp species Palaemon elegans, is critically important. In this study, 20 P. elegans specimens were examined in each of the five areas on Gran Canaria Island. Water samples were collected to assess the potential existence of elevated concentrations. Significant discrepancies were observed in the levels of Al and Li across all zones, except those previously mentioned. The highest concentrations were recorded in Arguineguín (Southern sector), reaching 49.14 ± 4.51 mg/kg (Al) and 47.64 ± 2.86 mg/kg (Li). The authors contend that P. elegans proves to be a reliable bioindicator for tourist and port-related pollution, specifically for the metals Al, Zn, Cd, Pb, Ni, Fe, B, and Li analyzed in this research.
Fleas as Useful Tools for Science
Authors: Linardi Pedro Marcos
Published: November 2023

Adult fleas are blood-feeding insects that exclusively infest mammals, acting as parasites and disease vectors. Although certain species exclusively inhabit nests, others are commonly found on the bodies of mammals. Immature stages develop in the soil, inside or near the nests of their respective hosts, making them susceptible to environmental alterations. On hosts, flea infestations are usually defined by abundance, prevalence, and diversity, varying according to host age, sex, size, behavior, habitat, and climate. However, in spite of their vast parasitological importance, fleas have only occasionally been used in applied research. This review focuses especially on the use of mammal fleas as tools or indicators in solving biological, epidemiological, ecological, and phylogenetic questions, and raises new perspectives for future studies.
Modeling Current and Future Distribution of Cochlodina laminata in Eastern Europe under Climate Change
Authors: Adamova Valeria V. , Ukrainskiy Pavel A.
Published: November 2023

In this study, we focused on the eastern part of the Cochlodina laminata range. Although this door snail is widespread in Europe, even a widespread species may lose habitats if future climate change projections are realized. The range shift is one of the consequences of climate change. We applied SDM methods to model the current potential range of C. laminata and the range shift after 40 and after 80 years. We used climatic parameters as predictors. The annual mean temperature has the greatest impact on the modeling results (about 30–60% among models). The precipitation of the warmest quarter also had a high relative importance (about 15–40% among models). For future projections, we considered two shared socio-economic pathways (ssp245 and ssp585). We applied three algorithms: the generalized additive model (GAM), support vector machine (SVM) and multilayer perceptron (MLP) and ensemble prediction. Our projections showed a decrease in habitable area in the eastern part of the range of C. laminata in 40 and in 80 years. According to the forecast, the habitat suitable area will become more fragmented. The range shift with new suitable areas is expected toward the east direction.
Bacterial Community Composition and Presence of Plasmids in the Endosphere- and Rhizosphere-Associated Microbiota of Sea Fig (Carpobrotus aequilaterus)
Authors: Sánchez-Salazar Angela M. , Acuña Jacquelinne J. , Sadowsky Michael J. , Jorquera Milko A.
Published: November 2023

The plant microbiome is one of the most important environments for ecological interactions between bacteria that impact the plant and the ecosystem. However, studies on the diversity of mobile genetic elements (such as plasmids) associated with the plant microbiome are very scarce. Here, we determined the bacterial community composition and the occurrence of plasmids in the microbiota associated with sea fig, Carpobrotus aequilaterus (N.E. Br.), a succulent species widely used as an ornamental plant in Chile. The abundance and composition of the endophytic and rhizospheric bacterial communities were determined by quantitative PCR (qPCR) and DNA metabarcoding analysis. Plasmid diversity in the plant microbiome was determined by plasmid DNA extraction and screened by endpoint PCR of backbone genes for four different incompatibility groups (Inc). The results showed about 106 copies of the 16S rRNA gene in the endosphere and rhizosphere, showing significant differences according to the diversity index. Proteobacteria (Pseudomonadota; 43.4%), Actinobacteria (Actinomycetota; 25.7%), and Bacteroidetes (Bacteroidota; 17.4%) were the most dominant taxa in both plant compartments, and chemoheterotrophy (30%) was the main predicted function assigned to the microbiota. Plasmid diversity analysis showed the presence of transferable plasmids in the endosphere and rhizosphere of C. aequilaterus, particularly among environmental plasmids belonging to the IncP and IncN incompatibility groups.
Editorial on the Special Issue Titled “Pathology and Diagnosis of Gynecologic Diseases”
Authors: Giacometti Cinzia , Ludwig Kathrin
Published: November 2023

In the medical and diagnostic daily routine, gynecologic diseases present many different scenarios [...]
Prognosis Following Surgery for Recurrent Ovarian Cancer and Diagnostic Criteria Predictive of Cytoreduction Success: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Gaba Faiza , Blyuss Oleg , Chandrasekaran Dhivya , Bizzarri Nicolò , Refky Basel , Barton Desmond , Ind Thomas , Nobbenhuis Marielle , Butler John , Heath Owen , Jeyarajah Arjun , Brockbank Elly , Lawrence Alexandra , Manchanda Ranjit , Dilley James , Phadnis Saurabh ,   on behalf of the GO SOAR Collaborative
Published: November 2023

For women achieving clinical remission after the completion of initial treatment for epithelial ovarian cancer, 80% with advanced-stage disease will develop recurrence. However, the standard treatment of women with recurrent platinum-sensitive diseases remains poorly defined. Secondary (SCS), tertiary (TCS) or quaternary (QCS) cytoreduction surgery for recurrence has been suggested to be associated with increased overall survival (OS). We searched five databases for studies reporting death rate, OS, cytoreduction rates, post-operative morbidity/mortality and diagnostic models predicting complete cytoreduction in a platinum-sensitive disease recurrence setting. Death rates calculated from raw data were pooled based on a random-effects model. Meta-regression/linear regression was performed to explore the role of complete or optimal cytoreduction as a moderator. Pooled death rates were 45%, 51%, 66% for SCS, TCS and QCS, respectively. Median OS for optimal cytoreduction ranged from 16–91, 24–99 and 39–135 months for SCS, TCS and QCS, respectively. Every 10% increase in complete cytoreduction rates at SCS corresponds to a 7% increase in median OS. Complete cytoreduction rates ranged from 9–100%, 35–90% and 33–100% for SCS, TCS and QCS, respectively. Major post-operative thirty-day morbidity was reported to range from 0–47%, 13–33% and 15–29% for SCS, TCS and QCS, respectively. Thirty-day post-operative mortality was 0–6%, 0–3% and 0–2% for SCS, TCS and QCS, respectively. There were two externally validated diagnostic models predicting complete cytoreduction at SCS, but none for TCS and QCS. In conclusion, our data confirm that maximal effort higher order cytoreductive surgery resulting in complete cytoreduction can improve survival.
Early Detection of Lung Nodules Using a Revolutionized Deep Learning Model
Authors: Srivastava Durgesh , Srivastava Santosh Kumar , Khan Surbhi Bhatia , Singh Hare Ram , Maakar Sunil K. , Agarwal Ambuj Kumar , Malibari Areej A. , Albalawi Eid
Published: November 2023

According to the WHO (World Health Organization), lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths globally. In the future, more than 2.2 million people will be diagnosed with lung cancer worldwide, making up 11.4% of every primary cause of cancer. Furthermore, lung cancer is expected to be the biggest driver of cancer-related mortality worldwide in 2020, with an estimated 1.8 million fatalities. Statistics on lung cancer rates are not uniform among geographic areas, demographic subgroups, or age groups. The chance of an effective treatment outcome and the likelihood of patient survival can be greatly improved with the early identification of lung cancer. Lung cancer identification in medical pictures like CT scans and MRIs is an area where deep learning (DL) algorithms have shown a lot of potential. This study uses the Hybridized Faster R-CNN (HFRCNN) to identify lung cancer at an early stage. Among the numerous uses for which faster R-CNN has been put to good use is identifying critical entities in medical imagery, such as MRIs and CT scans. Many research investigations in recent years have examined the use of various techniques to detect lung nodules (possible indicators of lung cancer) in scanned images, which may help in the early identification of lung cancer. One such model is HFRCNN, a two-stage, region-based entity detector. It begins by generating a collection of proposed regions, which are subsequently classified and refined with the aid of a convolutional neural network (CNN). A distinct dataset is used in the model’s training process, producing valuable outcomes. More than a 97% detection accuracy was achieved with the suggested model, making it far more accurate than several previously announced methods.
Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Study in the mpMRI of the Prostate—Unnecessary or Underutilised? A Narrative Review
Authors: Guljaš Silva , Dupan Krivdić Zdravka , Drežnjak Madunić Maja , Šambić Penc Mirela , Pavlović Oliver , Krajina Vinko , Pavoković Deni , Šmit Takač Petra , Štefančić Marin , Salha Tamer
Published: November 2023

The aim of this review is to summarise recent scientific literature regarding the clinical use of DCE-MRI as a component of multiparametric resonance imaging of the prostate. This review presents the principles of DCE-MRI acquisition and analysis, the current role of DCE-MRI in clinical practice with special regard to its role in presently available categorisation systems, and an overview of the advantages and disadvantages of DCE-MRI described in the current literature. DCE-MRI is an important functional sequence that requires intravenous administration of a gadolinium-based contrast agent and gives information regarding the vascularity and capillary permeability of the lesion. Although numerous studies have confirmed that DCE-MRI has great potential in the diagnosis and monitoring of prostate cancer, its role is still inadequate in the PI-RADS categorisation. Moreover, there have been numerous scientific discussions about abandoning the intravenous application of gadolinium-based contrast as a routine part of MRI examination of the prostate. In this review, we summarised the recent literature on the advantages and disadvantages of DCE-MRI, focusing on an overview of currently available data on bpMRI and mpMRI, as well as on studies providing information on the potential better usability of DCE-MRI in improving the sensitivity and specificity of mpMRI examinations of the prostate.
Self-Calibration of UAV Thermal Imagery Using Gradient Descent Algorithm
Authors: Szostak Radosław , Zimnoch Mirosław , Wachniew Przemysław , Jasek-Kamińska Alina
Published: November 2023

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) thermal imagery offers several advantages for environmental monitoring, as it can provide a low-cost, high-resolution, and flexible solution to measure the temperature of the surface of the land. Limitations related to the maximum load of the drone lead to the use of lightweight uncooled thermal cameras whose internal components are not stabilized to a constant temperature. Such cameras suffer from several unwanted effects that contribute to the increase in temperature measurement error from ±0.5 °C in laboratory conditions to ±5 °C in unstable flight conditions. This article describes a post-processing procedure that reduces the above unwanted effects. It consists of the following steps: (i) devignetting using the single image vignette correction algorithm, (ii) georeferencing using image metadata, scale-invariant feature transform (SIFT) stitching, and gradient descent optimisation, and (iii) inter-image temperature consistency optimisation by minimisation of bias between overlapping thermal images using gradient descent optimisation. The solution was tested in several case studies of river areas, where natural water bodies were used as a reference temperature benchmark. In all tests, the precision of the measurements was increased. The root mean square error (RMSE) on average was reduced by 39.0% and mean of the absolute value of errors (MAE) by 40.5%. The proposed algorithm can be called self-calibrating, as in contrast to other known solutions, it is fully automatic, uses only field data, and does not require any calibration equipment or additional operator effort. A Python implementation of the solution is available on GitHub.
Non-Linear Measures of Postural Control in Response to Painful and Non-Painful Visual Stimuli
Authors: Vonesch Alexandre , Duhot Cassandre , Lelard Thierry , Léonard Guillaume , Błażkiewicz Michalina , Mouras Harold
Published: November 2023

Over the past decade, researchers have focused on studying the functional context of perceiving painful stimuli, particularly concerning the posturographic correlates of emotional processing. The aim of this study was to investigate the differential modulation of non-linear measures characterizing postural control in the context of perceiving painful stimuli. The study involved 36 healthy young participants who, while standing, viewed images depicting feet and hands in painful or non-painful situations, both actively (by imagining themselves affected by the situation) and passively. For Center of Pressure (COP) displacement, three non-linear measures (Sample Entropy, Fractal Dimension, and Lyapunov exponent) were calculated. The results suggest lower values of FD and LyE in response to active stimulation compared to those recorded for passive stimulation. Above all, our results pledge for the usefulness of the Lyapunov exponent for assessing postural modulation dynamics in response to painful stimuli perception. The feasibility of this calculation could provide an interesting insight in the collection of biomarkers related to postural correlates of emotional processes and their modulation in neurological disease where socio-affective functions can be often impaired before cognitive ones.
Machine Learning Approach to Analyze the Heavy Quark Diffusion Coefficient in Relativistic Heavy Ion Collisions
Authors: Guo Rui , Li Yonghui , Chen Baoyi
Published: November 2023

The diffusion coefficient of heavy quarks in a deconfined medium is examined in this research using a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) that is trained with data from relativistic heavy ion collisions involving heavy flavor hadrons. The CNN is trained using observables such as the nuclear modification factor RAA and the elliptic flow v2 of non-prompt J/ψ from the B-hadron decay in different centralities, where B meson evolutions are calculated using the Langevin equation and the instantaneous coalescence model. The CNN outputs the parameters, thereby characterizing the temperature and momentum dependence of the heavy quark diffusion coefficient. By inputting the experimental data of the non-prompt J/ψ(RAA,v2) from various collision centralities into multiple channels of a well-trained network, we derive the values of the diffusion coefficient parameters. Additionally, we evaluate the uncertainty in determining the diffusion coefficient by taking into account the uncertainties present in the experimental data (RAA,v2), which serve as inputs to the deep neural network.
Bild Conception of Scientific Theory Structuring in Classical and Quantum Physics: From Hertz and Boltzmann to Schrödinger and De Broglie
Authors: Khrennikov Andrei
Published: November 2023

We start with a methodological analysis of the notion of scientific theory and its interrelation with reality. This analysis is based on the works of Helmholtz, Hertz, Boltzmann, and Schrödinger (and reviews of D’Agostino). Following Helmholtz, Hertz established the “Bild conception” for scientific theories. Here, “Bild” (“picture”) carries the meaning “model” (mathematical). The main aim of natural sciences is construction of the causal theoretical models (CTMs) of natural phenomena. Hertz claimed that a CTM cannot be designed solely on the basis of observational data; it typically contains hidden quantities. Experimental data can be described by an observational model (OM), often based on the price of acausality. CTM-OM interrelation can be tricky. Schrödinger used the Bild concept to create a CTM for quantum mechanics (QM), and QM was treated as OM. We follow him and suggest a special CTM for QM, so-called prequantum classical statistical field theory (PCSFT). QM can be considered as a PCSFT image, but not as straightforward as in Bell’s model with hidden variables. The common interpretation of the violation of the Bell inequality is criticized from the perspective of the two-level structuring of scientific theories. Such critical analysis of von Neumann and Bell no-go theorems for hidden variables was performed already by De Broglie (and Lochak) in the 1970s. The Bild approach is applied to the two-level CTM-OM modeling of Brownian motion: the overdamped regime corresponds to OM. In classical mechanics, CTM=OM; on the one hand, this is very convenient; on the other hand, this exceptional coincidence blurred the general CTM-OM structuring of scientific theories. We briefly discuss ontic–epistemic structuring of scientific theories (Primas–Atmanspacher) and its relation to the Bild concept. Interestingly, Atmanspacher as well as Hertz claim that even classical physical theories should be presented on the basic of two-level structuring.
Evidence of the Development of Pedagogical Content Knowledge of Chemistry Teachers about Redox Reactions in the Context of a Professional Development Program
Authors: Goes Luciane Fernandes , Fernandez Carmen
Published: November 2023

In this study, we investigated the impact of a continuing professional development program (CPD) on the development of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of chemistry teachers regarding the topic of redox reactions. For this purpose, a CPD program designed to develop teachers’ PCK on redox reactions was examined. During the course, teachers were observed and their activities were analyzed. The data collected were based on responses to the CoRe instrument, lesson plans, vignettes, and audiovisual records of the CPD program. Qualitative thematic analysis was employed to analyze the data, focusing on the five components of PCK proposed by Park and Oliver. The results demonstrate that teachers, after participating in the continuing education program, were able to independently develop the components of PCK at different levels, with the knowledge of instructional strategies showing the most prominent improvement. Additionally, it was observed that the components could potentially be integrated, suggesting the potential for enhancing PCK in the context of redox reactions.
Experiences of Anti-Blackness in Islamic Educational Spaces: Implications for Islamic Teacher Education
Authors: González-Doğan Shyla
Published: November 2023

This paper is an initial examination of anti-Blackness within a specifically Muslim context, and it presents the experiences of some Black community members who attended one U.S. city’s primary local mosque’s weekend school program and who either attended or had children who attended the city’s sole Islamic school. During this ethnographic project, 18 participants who identified as part of the Muslim community of the city were interviewed; semi-structured interviews and snowball sampling were used to obtain data. Research participants included parents of children in the Islamic school or weekend school program at the affiliated mosque, former students of the Islamic school or the mosque’s weekend school program, and former or current leaders in the community. The findings demonstrate that anti-Blackness in Islamic community spaces often manifests through the targeting of Black children for perceived misbehavior in educational spaces and through practices of exclusion toward Black community members. The findings also indicate that there is a need for increased education and training related to anti-Blackness and a need for the implementation of an anti-racist pedagogy in Islamic educational settings.
STEAM Activities in the Inclusive Classroom: Intentional Planning and Practice
Authors: Wade Clarissa Bunch , Koc Murat , Searcy Andreia , Coogle Christan , Walter Heather
Published: November 2023

The promotion of equity and access for all children to learn science is critical in early childhood settings. Considering the benefits of teaching science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM), it is important that educators embed this pedagogy across early childhood settings. In order to promote access in inclusive early childhood settings that include young children from birth to 8 years of age with or without disabilities to STEAM pedagogy, educators need to be intentional about their practice. This article provides a four-step approach to using an intentional framework, universal design for learning (UDL), to plan for and implement STEAM pedagogy in the inclusive classroom. Practical implications are illustrated through examples of an early childhood educator and a child with autism in an inclusive urban education setting.
The Resilient Teacher: Unveiling the Positive Impact of the Collaborative Practicum Model on Novice Teachers
Authors: Nissim Yonit , Danial-Saad Alexandra
Published: November 2023

The present quantitative, non-experimental comparative study, delves into the long-term effects of the collaborative practicum model (specifically the “academy-class” model) on novice teachers. The research aims to discern disparities in the professional self-efficacy of novice educators who underwent training within the collaborative practicum model as opposed to those who adhered to the conventional teaching model. This comparative analysis is based on three variables: perception of the teaching profession, professional self-efficacy, and socio-economic security. Furthermore, the study examines whether the collaborative model contributes to cultivating more favorable attitudes toward the teaching profession and a greater inclination to continue teaching for an extended period exceeding three years. The study encompasses a cohort of 436 Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) graduates from 22 Israeli Higher Education Institutions who completed their degrees within the past five years. The research findings underscore a higher level of teaching efficacy, socio-economic security, and a more positive outlook among those who participated in the collaborative practicum and expressed their intent to persist in the teaching profession. These outcomes underscore the vital role of the collaborative practicum model, hinting at its potential to positively influence the retention rate within the teaching profession. Furthermore, it underscores the crucial connection between comprehensive and meaningful training within a collaborative practicum framework and the sustainable professional growth of educators. This robust training approach can potentially secure the continued presence of dedicated and enthusiastic educators in the field over the long term.
Improving Throughput of Mobile Sensors via Certificateless Signature Supporting Batch Verification
Authors: He Chuan , Zhang Bo , Zhang Liang , Xi Zesheng , Fang Yuan , Wang Yunfan
Published: November 2023

Mobile sensors enjoy the advantages of easy installation and low consumption, which have been widely adopted in many information systems. In those systems where data are generated rapidly, the throughput of the sensors is one of the most fundamental factors that determine the system functionality. For example, to guarantee data integrity, digital signature techniques can be applied. In many practical scenarios, such as the smart grid system, data are generated rapidly and, hence, the signature together with the data must also be transmitted and verified in time. This requires the mobile sensors to support a high-throughput data processing ability. In this setting, how to achieve efficient signature schemes supporting batch verification must be considered. Many signatures, such as the original national cryptographic standard, namely, the SM2 algorithm, do not support batch verification and are in a public-key infrastructure setting. In this paper, we propose a SM2-based certificateless signature scheme with batch verification, which is suitable for the aforementioned environment. The scheme extends the Chinese cryptographic standard SM2 algorithm to the certificateless setting and multiple signatures can be verified simultaneously. Another advantage of this scheme is that its signing phase does not involve any pairing operation. The verification phase only requires a constant pairing operation, which is not related to the number of signatures to be verified. The construction is generic and can be instantiated using any traditional signature scheme.
Multimodal Emotion Recognition in Conversation Based on Hypergraphs
Authors: Li Jiaze , Mei Hongyan , Jia Liyun , Zhang Xing
Published: November 2023

In recent years, sentiment analysis in conversation has garnered increasing attention due to its widespread applications in areas such as social media analytics, sentiment mining, and electronic healthcare. Existing research primarily focuses on sequence learning and graph-based approaches, yet they overlook the high-order interactions between different modalities and the long-term dependencies within each modality. To address these problems, this paper proposes a novel hypergraph-based method for multimodal emotion recognition in conversation (MER-HGraph). MER-HGraph extracts features from three modalities: acoustic, text, and visual. It treats each modality utterance in a conversation as a node and constructs intra-modal hypergraphs (Intra-HGraph) and inter-modal hypergraphs (Inter-HGraph) using hyperedges. The hypergraphs are then updated using hypergraph convolutional networks. Additionally, to mitigate noise in acoustic data and mitigate the impact of fixed time scales, we introduce a dynamic time window module to capture local-global information from acoustic signals. Extensive experiments on the IEMOCAP and MELD datasets demonstrate that MER-HGraph outperforms existing models in multimodal emotion recognition tasks, leveraging high-order information from multimodal data to enhance recognition capabilities.
A Novel Secure Routing Design Based on Physical Layer Security in Millimeter-Wave VANET
Authors: Chai Mengqiu , Zhao Shengjie , Liu Yuan
Published: November 2023

With the continuous development of millimeter-wave communication technology, new requirements such as ultra-reliability and higher data rates pose new challenges to the security issues of traditional cryptographic encryption in vehicular ad hoc networks (VANET). Physical layer security uses the characteristics of different wireless channels to protect the information security. In this paper, we propose a novel VANET routing mechanism that utilizes physical layer security to improve the secrecy performance, which is compatible with the millimeter-wave vehicular network. Specifically, we design a new secure routing selection factor, the utility function, that takes into account the effects of both secrecy rate and single-hop transmission distance to achieve the hop selection. In addition, we propose a novel routing mechanism and design a waiting mechanism based on the utility function. Compared with the traditional routing algorithms, the greedy perimeter stateless routing (GPSR) and Dijkstra simulation results illustrate that our design achieves superior performance in secrecy performance and dynamic adaptability.
Taxonomy and Survey of Current 3D Photorealistic Human Body Modelling and Reconstruction Techniques for Holographic-Type Communication
Authors: Petkova Radostina , Bozhilov Ivaylo , Nikolova Desislava , Vladimirov Ivaylo , Manolova Agata
Published: November 2023

The continuous evolution of video technologies is now primarily focused on enhancing 3D video paradigms and consistently improving their quality, realism, and level of immersion. Both the research community and the industry work towards improving 3D content representation, compression, and transmission. Their collective efforts culminate in the striving for real-time transfer of volumetric data between distant locations, laying the foundation for holographic-type communication (HTC). However, to truly enable a realistic holographic experience, the 3D representation of the HTC participants must accurately convey the real individuals’ appearance, emotions, and interactions by creating authentic and animatable 3D human models. In this regard, our paper aims to examine the most recent and widely acknowledged works in the realm of 3D human body modelling and reconstruction. In addition, we provide insights into the datasets and the 3D parametric body models utilized by the examined approaches, along with the employed evaluation metrics. Our contribution involves organizing the examined techniques, making comparisons based on various criteria, and creating a taxonomy rooted in the nature of the input data. Furthermore, we discuss the assessed approaches concerning different indicators and HTC.
Personalized Text-to-Image Model Enhancement Strategies: SOD Preprocessing and CNN Local Feature Integration
Authors: Kim Mujung , Yoo Jisang , Kwon Soonchul
Published: November 2023

Recent advancements in text-to-image models have been substantial, generating new images based on personalized datasets. However, even within a single category, such as furniture, where the structures vary and the patterns are not uniform, the ability of the generated images to preserve the detailed information of the input images remains unsatisfactory. This study introduces a novel method to enhance the quality of the results produced by text-image models. The method utilizes mask preprocessing with an image pyramid-based salient object detection model, incorporates visual information into input prompts using concept image embeddings and a CNN local feature extractor, and includes a filtering process based on similarity measures. When using this approach, we observed both visual and quantitative improvements in CLIP text alignment and DINO metrics, suggesting that the generated images more closely follow the text prompts and more accurately reflect the input image’s details. The significance of this research lies in addressing one of the prevailing challenges in the field of personalized image generation: enhancing the capability to consistently and accurately represent the detailed characteristics of input images in the output. This method enables more realistic visualizations through textual prompts enhanced with visual information, additional local features, and unnecessary area removal using a SOD mask; it can also be beneficial in fields that prioritize the accuracy of visual data.
Design and Optimization of a Compact Super-Wideband MIMO Antenna with High Isolation and Gain for 5G Applications
Authors: Esmail Bashar A. F. , Koziel Slawomir , Pietrenko-Dabrowska Anna
Published: November 2023

This paper presents a super-wideband multiple-input multiple-output (SWB MIMO) antenna with low profile, low mutual coupling, high gain, and compact size for microwave and millimeter-wave (mm-wave) fifth-generation (5G) applications. A single antenna is a simple elliptical-square shape with a small physical size of 20 × 20 × 0.787 mm3. The combination of both square and elliptical shapes results in an exceptionally broad impedance bandwidth spanning from 3.4 to 70 GHz. Antenna dimensions are optimized using the trust-region algorithm to enhance its impedance bandwidth and maintain the gain within a predefined limit across the entire band. For that purpose, regularized merit function is defined, which permits to control both the single antenna reflection response and gain. Subsequently, the SWB MIMO system is constructed with four radiators arranged orthogonally. This arrangement results in high isolation, better than 20 dB, over a frequency band from 3.4 to 70 GHz band. Further, the system achieves an average gain of approximately 7 dB below 45 GHz and a maximum gain equal to 12 dB for 70 GHz. The system exhibits excellent diversity performance throughout the entire bandwidth, as evidenced by the low envelope correlation coefficient (ECC) (<3 × 10−3), total active reflection coefficient (TARC) (≤−10 dB), and channel capacity loss (CCL) (<0.3 bit/s/Hz) metrics, as well as the high diversity gain (DG) of approximately 10 dB. Experimental validation of the developed SWB MIMO demonstrates a good matching between the measurements and simulations.