bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
2D NiFe2O4/Ni(OH)2 Heterostructure‐Based Self‐Supporting Electrode With Synergistic Surface/Interfacial Engineering for Efficient Water Electrooxidation
Authors: Zhang Hongbo , Zhao Yiting , Cheng Zhenfeng , Jiang Jingyun , Fu Jianwei , Xu Qun 
Published: August 2024

AbstractTo meet the industrial demand for overall water splitting, oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts with low‐cost, highly effective, and durable properties are urgently required. Herein, a facile confined strategy is utilized to construct 2D NiFe2O4/Ni(OH)2 heterostructures‐based self‐supporting electrode with surface‐interfacial coengineering, in which abundant and ultrastable interfaces are developed. Under the high molar ratio of Ni/Fe, both spinel oxide and hydroxides phases are formed simultaneously to obtain 2D NiFe2O4/Ni(OH)2 heterostructure. The in‐depth analysis indicates that the NiFe2O4/Ni(OH)2 interface displays strong electronic interactions and triggers the formation of crystalline‐amorphous coexisting catalytic active NiOOH. Meanwhile, the stable catalyst‐collector interface favors the electron transfer and oxygen molecules transport. The resultant 2D NiFe2O4/Ni(OH)2@CP electrode exhibits superior OER performance, including a low overpotential of 389 mV and a long operating time of 12 h at 1 A cm−2. This work paves a novel method for fabricating efficient and low‐cost electrocatalysts for electrochemical conversation devices.
Foundational perspectives on systems practice for professions
Authors: Goede Roelien 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThe 2023 meeting of the International Society of Systems Sciences was held in the Kruger National Park in South Africa. The venue provided a suitable milieu for discourse on systems practice for professions. Surrounded by evidence of complexities of development, indigenous communities and nature, scholars shared their practices. It surfaced that systemic practice is guided by systemic methodology which in turn is rooted in specific frameworks of understanding. In a sense, it is unexpected that a meeting, focusing on practice, evolved into a discussion about worldviews and perspectives. This special issue attempts to represent the sense of belonging inspired by unity through diversity experienced by the participants of the meeting. This editorial reflects on the papers in terms of their frameworks for understanding, methodologies used, and their areas of application. African perspectives are explicitly included to celebrate the situatedness of the meeting. The issue showcases how systemic practice brings hope for improvement to various problem situations.
Hydrogen bond producers in powerful protic ionic liquids for enhancing dissolution of natural cellulose
Authors: Chen Shi‐Peng , Zhao Dan‐Yang , Zhu Jin‐Long , Wang Jing , Zhong Gan‐Ji , Huang Hua‐Dong , Li Zhong‐Ming 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThe manipulation of hydrogen bonding within protic ionic liquids is conducive to conquering the robust hydrogen bonding interactions in cellulose for its effective dissolution, but it is a great challenge to establish the delicate balance of hydrogen bonding network between solvent and cellulose. Herein, we proposed the concept of “hydrogen bond producers” for urea molecules in 1,1,3,3‐tetramethylguanidinium methoxyacetate acid ([TMGH][MAA]) to enhance the dissolution of cellulose. The optimization of physicochemical properties for [TMGH][MAA] solvent as a function of urea concentration revealed a remarkable increase in cellulose solubility from 13% to 17% (w/w) by adding only 0.25 wt% urea, highlighting the efficiency of [TMGH][MAA] as a powerful solvent for the dissolution of cellulose. The experimental and simulation results verified that the significant improvement on dissolution of cellulose was attributed to the hydrogen bonding interaction of urea molecules with ion pairs and part of free ions, reducing the interference with the active ions bonded to cellulose. Furthermore, the considerable enhancement on comprehensive properties of regenerated cellulose films demonstrated the effectiveness of [TMGH][MAA]/urea solvent. The concept of “hydrogen bond producers” presented here opens a new avenue for significantly enhancing the dissolution of natural cellulose, promoting the sustainable development in large‐scale processing of cellulose.
Adaptation and Heavy Metal Degradation by Bacillus sp.: Insights Into Biofilm Formation, Exopolysaccharide (EPS) Production, and Antibiotic Resistance Under Copper (Cu) and Lead (Pb) Stress
Authors: Sraboni Farzana Sayed , Mohal Mst. Mamotaz , Islam Shirmin , Akhtar‐E‐Ekram Md. , Saleh Md. Abu , Zaman Shahriar 
Published: August 2024

ABSTRACTAn extensive concentration of heavy metals in our environment creates a harmful impact on living organisms, including microorganisms. Regardless of exploring the remediation potential of bacteria, their corresponding changes have not been extensively examined, which might be crucial before promoting bioremediation technology. The present study aimed to determine the effects of both essential (Cu) and nonessential (Pb) heavy metals on the bioactivity of a ubiquitous bacterium Bacillus sp., to gain knowledge about the adaptive mechanisms the strain has developed to withstand exposure to these metals. Bacterial adaptation is related to the formation of biofilm and the production of exopolysaccharides (EPSs) along with other tactics that assist in the survival of bacteria. When Bacillus sp. was cultured with Cu and Pb, changes in its bioactive characteristics were observed, such as a significant reduction in biofilm formation by 30.13% compared to the initial value. Moreover, the output of EPS by the bacterial strain in the presence of Pb increased to 0.782 mg/mL compared to the control condition, where no EPS was formed. In the presence of Cu, a low concentration of EPS (0.103 mg/mL) was detected. Moreover, the bacterial strain demonstrated adapted resistance to 6 out of 11 tested antibiotics, where the strain transformed from intermediate sensitivity to being susceptible to doxycycline, chloramphenicol, and gentamycin. Finally, the Cu‐ and Pb‐degrading capacity of the bacterium was scrutinized using a flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer, where the bacterium exhibited significant degradation rates, breaking down 14.49% of Cu and 37.30% of Pb within 7 days. This research revealed the adaptability of the bacterial strain to survive in the presence of Cu and Pb while degrading them, by changing its bioactive properties, through the downregulation of biofilm formation, the productivity of EPS, and the heavy metal degradation process.
The Potential of Elephantorrhiza goetzei Seed Extract as a Coagulant for Household Drinking Water Treatment
Authors: Diver Denzil , Nhapi Innocent , Ruziwa Walter , Wang Hongtao , Li Fengting 
Published: August 2024

ABSTRACTPoor access to adequate, clean, and safe water is one of the greatest world problems people encounter. There has been considerable attention in recent times toward the use of natural coagulants for water treatment. This study seeks to promote this by investigating the potential of Elephantorrhiza goetzei (E. goetzei) seed extract as natural coagulants for water treatment. This included the determination of key ingredients responsible for the coagulation process and optimal dosages for the removal of turbidity, fluoride, manganese, and iron. The residual content of organic matter in the treated water and the quality of sludge produced were also investigated. The methodology consisted of a proximate analysis procedure to investigate the active ingredient(s) responsible for coagulation and standard jar tests. Standard methods were used for the analyses. Coagulant dosages ranging from 0 to 300 mg/L at a rapid mixing speed of 120 rpm for 1 min, a slow mixing speed of 30 rpm for 15 min, and a settling time of 15 min were used for the jar test. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) using IBM SPSS Version 20 was conducted, and regression models were developed to determine the effect of coagulant dosage on turbidity, pH, total dissolved solids, fluoride, iron, manganese, chemical oxygen demand (COD), nitrogen, and phosphorus. The results obtained from the proximate analysis of E. goetzei seed extract show that values of 5.25%, 21.40%, 8.23%, 32.99%, 2.20%, and 29.93% were obtained for moisture, crude protein, crude fiber, fat, ash, and carbohydrate content, respectively. Moreover, seed extract of E. goetzei achieved removal efficiencies up to 94.8%, 50.1%, 90.0%, and 53.9% for turbidity, fluoride, iron, and manganese in water, respectively. The coagulant has the potential to achieve the desired World Health Organization (WHO) drinking water standards for turbidity, fluoride, iron, and manganese. The COD increased from 55.3 to 419.3 mg/L as the coagulant dosage increased from 0 to 100 mg/L. This could cause an unwanted rise in microbial activities, affecting the microbiological quality of the treated water. The total nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations obtained in the sludge at 100 mg/L were 0.343 and 0.194 µg/kg, respectively, and this compromises its attractiveness for agricultural reuse purposes.
Dye Removal From Tannery Wastewater Utilizing Footwear Waste: A Sustainable Approach
Authors: Shakil Saidur Rahman , Paul Adhir Chandra , Abdulla‐Al‐Mamun Md. , Thirtho Sainik Roy , Naim Mustafizur Rahman 
Published: August 2024

ABSTRACTWaste‐to‐3R (reduce, reuse, and recycle) is a promising mass balance approach in the leather sector for addressing the current challenge of overproduction of rubber sole waste in the footwear industry and dye pollution in tanneries. In this study, low‐cost charcoal derived from discarded natural rubber (NR) soles was effectively employed to remove anionic and cationic dyes from a model tannery dye solution, aligning with mass balance approaches in the leather sector. Discarded rubber charcoal (DRC) was prepared at 350°C using a self‐fabricated pyrolytic cell. The resulting charcoal was then dried, ground, and separated through 40‐mesh size lab‐scale sieves, and it was subsequently employed for the removal of dyes from tannery wastewater. The dye removal performance was optimized by adjusting parameters such as dosage, pH, contact time, and concentration. The maximum adsorption capacity and removal efficiency of the anionic acid dye (AD) were found to be 158.22 mg/g and 88.39% at pH 1, respectively, while those of the cationic methylene blue dye were 166.18 mg/g and 85.53% at pH 12, respectively, between 15 and 30 min, depending on the DRC conditions. Fresh charcoal and dye‐loaded charcoal were characterized through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, x‐ray diffraction, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and transmission electron microscope with Energy‐Dispersive X‐ray (EDX) Spectroscopy for respective functional groups and morphology studies, and zeta potential measurements were employed to characterize the charcoal surface charge. The SEM image revealed that the shape of the DRC particles resembles a honeycomb structure, with an average size of 573.56 µm. The adsorption kinetic study indicates that the Freundlich isotherm model and pseudo‐second‐order kinetics were well‐fitted for dye removal in this study. The charcoal exhibited robust stability, retaining its capacity of 57.42 mg/g of AD and 44.94 mg/g of MB dye after four reuse cycles. This resilience was observed in treatment with various desorption agents, including HCl, CH3COOH, NaOH, and C2H5OH. The findings of this study suggest that NR‐derived charcoal could be used as a successful substitute for commercial activated carbon in wastewater treatment to get rid of the acid and basic dyes of the leather industry. Based on the observed results, a plausible mechanism was also proposed.
Introduction
Authors: Merian Katharina 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThis study discusses selected memories of Marielle Franco from the perspective of the concept of dangerous memory (Johann Baptist Metz). Franco was a Brazilian human-rights activist and city councilor of Rio de Janeiro who was assassinated on March 14, 2018. Today she is considered an international symbol in the fight for human, women, and LGBTQ+ rights. This work aims to show what meanings people in her surroundings attributed to her life and how they have transformed following her murder. It argues that the memory of Franco transmitted by people who closely interacted with her represents a decolonial dangerous memory of individual and collective self-empowerment of Black women, LGBTQ+ people, and favelados.The introductory chapter serves to familiarize readers with Franco’s story and the ambiguous reactions to her assassination. It shows that Franco was remembered as a martyr of God’s kingdom to assert her legacy and to defend her memory against attempts of criminalization. Building on this framing, the study is designed as a contribution to constructive political theology. It analyzes memories of Franco’s life, her surroundings, and the events in the aftermath of her assassination, all of which made visible the everyday oppression and resistance of those who live on Rio de Janeiro’s margins.
Clarifying main nutritional aspects and resting energy expenditure in children with Smith-Magenis syndrome
Authors: Proli F. , Sforza E. , Faragalli A. , Giorgio V. , Leoni C. , Rigante D. , Kuczynska E. , Veredice C. , Limongelli D. , Zappalà A. , Rosati J. , Pennuto M. , Trevisan V. , Zampino G. , Onesimo R. 
Published: August 2024

AbstractOur study aims to define resting energy expenditure (REE) and describe the main nutritional patterns in a single-center cohort of children with Smith-Magenis syndrome (SMS). REE was calculated using indirect calorimetry. Patients’ metabolic status was assessed by comparing measured REE (mREE) with predictive REE (pREE). Patients also underwent multidisciplinary evaluation, anthropometric measurements and an assessment of average energy intake, using a 3-day food diary, which was reviewed by a specialized dietitian. Twenty-four patients (13 M) were included, the median age was 9 years (IC 95%, 6–14 years), 84% had 17p11.2 deletion, and 16% had RAI1 variants. REE was not reduced in SMS pediatric patients, and the mREE did not differ from the pREE. In patients with RAI1 variants (16%, n = 3/24), obesity was more prevalent than those with 17p11.2 deletion (100% vs 38%). Lower proteins intake and higher total energy intake were reported in obese and overweight patients, compared to healthy weight children. No significant difference was found between males and females in energy or macronutrient intake. Conclusions: In SMS, the onset of obesity is not explained by REE abnormalities, but dietary factors seem to be crucial. Greater concern should be addressed to patients with RAI1 variants. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms causing obesity in SMS patients could set the basis for possible future targeted therapies.

What is Known:• More than 90% of SMS patients after the age of 10 are overweight or obese.

What is New:• Onset of overweight and obesity in SMS pediatric patients is not explained by abnormal resting energy expenditure.• The development of syndrome-specific dietary guidelines for SMS patients should be of utmost relevance and are highly needed.
Schauder estimates for parabolic equations with degenerate or singular weights
Authors: Audrito Alessandro , Fioravanti Gabriele , Vita Stefano 
Published: August 2024

AbstractWe establish some $$C^{0,\alpha }$$

C

0
,
α

and $$C^{1,\alpha }$$

C

1
,
α

regularity estimates for a class of weighted parabolic problems in divergence form. The main novelty is that the weights may vanish or explode on a characteristic hyperplane $$\Sigma $$
Σ
as a power $$a > -1$$

a
>
-
1

of the distance to $$\Sigma $$
Σ
. The estimates we obtain are sharp with respect to the assumptions on coefficients and data. Our methods rely on a regularization of the equation and some uniform regularity estimates combined with a Liouville theorem and an approximation argument. As a corollary of our main result, we obtain similar $$C^{1,\alpha }$$

C

1
,
α

estimates when the degeneracy/singularity of the weight occurs on a regular hypersurface of cylindrical type.
Use of groundwater level measurements to support hydrogeological studies in the Maputo aquifer, Mozambique
Authors: Meng Xue , Zhou Yangxiao , Wang Jinguo , Stigter Tibor , Mussa Fatima , Juizo Dinis , Yang Yun , Xu Xiao 
Published: August 2024

AbstractHigh-frequency dataloggers for groundwater level monitoring were used in combination with other tools to analyze tidal effects on groundwater levels (GWLs) in the Maputo aquifer, Mozambique. Power spectral analysis was used to ascertain the dominant periodic components in the tide and GWLs, and cross-spectral analysis was used to determine the lag time between them. Wavelet analysis was applied to investigate changes in periodic components over the measured period in the time-frequency domain. The estimated amplitudes and lag times were then used to estimate aquifer diffusivity and the water-table fluctuation (WTF) method was used to compute groundwater recharge. The results identified a 12.42 h dominant periodic component both in the tide and GWLs in the coastal area. However, GWLs lag behind the tide by 2–4 h, depending on the distance of the observation wells to the coastline. The wavelet analysis results showed no changes in the dominant periodic components over time. The estimated specific storage values for four piezometers were estimated to be 3.19 × 10–5, 5.04 × 10–5 and 1.02 × 10–4 1/m, respectively. Annual groundwater recharge for the young sand dune aquifer was estimated for one piezometer with a specific yield of 0.15–0.25 was within the range of 123–205, 185–309, 504–840 and 244–407 mm, for four hydrological years from 2018 to 2021. Estimated specific storage values and recharge rates are essential inputs to support the construction of transient groundwater models for the Maputo aquifer.
Sea state contributions to thermosteric sea-level in high-resolution ocean-wave coupled simulations
Authors: Bonaduce Antonio , Pham Nam Thanh , Staneva Joanna , Grayek Sebastian , Raj Roshin P. , Breivik Øyvind 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThis study examines the impact of wave-induced processes (WIPs) in modulating thermosteric sea-level changes, highlighting the need to include these processes in future sea-level rise assessments and climate projections. The impact of wave-induced processes on thermosteric sea-level changes is investigated using coupled ocean-wave simulations. These simulations include the effects of Stokes-Coriolis forcing, sea-state dependent surface stress and energy fluxes, and wave-induced mixing. The experiments use a high-resolution configuration of the Geesthacht COAstal Model SysTem (GCOAST), covering the Northeast Atlantic, the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. The GCOAST system uses the Nucleus for European Modelling of the Ocean (NEMO) ocean model to account for wave-ocean interactions and ocean circulation. It is fully coupled with the WAM spectral wind wave model. The aim is to accurately quantify the sea state contribution to thermosteric sea level variability and trends over a 26-year period (1992–2017). The ability of wave-ocean coupled simulations to reveal the contribution of sea state to sea level variability and surge is demonstrated. It is clear that wave-induced processes (WIPs) play a significant role in sea surface dynamics, ocean mixing (mixed layer thickness) and modulation of air-sea fluxes (e.g. heat flux) in both winter (10–20%) and summer (10%), which in turn affect thermosteric sea level variability. The North Atlantic (in summer) and the Norwegian Trench (in winter) show significant contributions (40%) to the thermosteric sea-level variability due to wave-induced processes. The influence of WIPs on thermosteric sea level trends in the North Atlantic is up to the order of 1 mm yr-1 in both winter and summer, in the open ocean and at the shelf break. Smaller contributions are observed over the shelf areas of the North Sea. This study underscores the crucial role of WIPs in modulating sea-level changes and highlights the importance of including these processes in future sea-level rise assessments and climate projections.
Truthful interval covering
Authors: Deligkas Argyrios , Filos-Ratsikas Aris , Voudouris Alexandros A. 
Published: August 2024

AbstractWe initiate the study of a novel problem in mechanism design without money, which we term Truthful Interval Covering (TIC). An instance of TIC consists of a set of agents each associated with an individual interval on a line, and the objective is to decide where to place a covering interval to minimize the total social or egalitarian cost of the agents, which is determined by the intersection of this interval with their individual ones. This fundamental problem can model situations of provisioning a public good, such as the use of power generators to prevent or mitigate load shedding in developing countries. In the strategic version of the problem, the agents wish to minimize their individual costs, and might misreport the position and/or length of their intervals to achieve that. Our goal is to design truthful mechanisms to prevent such strategic misreports and achieve good approximations to the best possible social or egalitarian cost. We consider the fundamental setting of known intervals with equal lengths and provide tight bounds on the approximation ratios achieved by truthful deterministic mechanisms. For the social cost, we also design a randomized truthful mechanism that outperforms all possible deterministic ones. Finally, we highlight a plethora of natural extensions of our model for future work, as well as some natural limitations of those settings.
Performance metrics for multi-step forecasting measuring win-loss, seasonal variance and forecast stability: an empirical study
Authors: Strøm Eivind , Gundersen Odd Erik 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThis paper addresses the evaluation of multi-step point forecasting models. Currently, deep learning models for multi-step forecasting are evaluated on datasets by selecting one error metric that is aggregated across the time series and the forecast horizon. This approach hides insights that would otherwise be useful for practitioners when evaluating and selecting forecasting models. We propose four novel metrics to provide additional insights when evaluating models: 1) a win-loss metric that shows how models perform across time series in the dataset , allowing the practitioner to check whether the model is superior for all series or just a subset of series. 2) a variance weighted metric that accounts for differences in variance across the seasonal period. It can be used to evaluate models for seasonal datasets such as rush hour traffic prediction, where it is desirable to select the model that performs best during the periods of high uncertainty. 3) a delta horizon metric measuring how much models update their forecast for a period in the future over the forecast horizon. Less change to the forecast means more stability over time and is desirable for most forecasting applications. 4) decomposed errors that relate the forecasting error to trend, seasonality, and noise. Decomposing the errors allows the practitioners to identify for which components the model is making more errors and adjust the model accordingly. To show the applicability of the proposed metrics, we implement four deep learning architectures and conduct experiments on five benchmark datasets. We highlight several use cases for the proposed metrics and discuss the applicability in light of the empirical results.