Perceptually enhanced spectral distance metric for head-related transfer function quality prediction.

Given the substantial time and complexity involved in the perceptual evaluation of head-related transfer function (HRTF) processing, there is considerable value in adopting numerical assessment. Although many numerical methods have been introduced in recent years, monaural spectral distance metrics such as log-spectral distortion (LSD) remain widely used despite their significant limitations. In this study, listening tests were conducted to investigate the correlation between LSD and the auditory perception of HRTFs.

Effects of spatial configuration and fundamental frequency on speech intelligibility in multiple-talker conditions in the ipsilateral horizontal plane and median planea).

Spatial separation and fundamental frequency (F0) separation are effective cues for improving the intelligibility of target speech in multi-talker scenarios. Previous studies predominantly focused on spatial configurations within the frontal hemifield, overlooking the ipsilateral side and the entire median plane, where localization confusion often occurs. This study investigated the impact of spatial and F0 separation on intelligibility under the above-mentioned underexplored spatial configurations.

Fe-Co Bimetallic Catalysts for Pyrolysis of Disposable Face Masks and Nitrile Gloves: Synthesis and Characterization of N-Doped Carbon Nanotubes.

The global spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has led to a widespread surge in the use of disposable medical face masks (DFMs) and waste nitrile gloves (WNGs). To address the immense disruption in waste management systems, the catalytic pyrolysis of DFMs and WNGs was undertaken to yield multiwalled carbon nanotubes. Two MgO-supported bimetallic catalysts, Fe-Co and Fe-Ni, were synthesized for catalytic pyrolysis.

Catalytic mechanism of N-containing biochar on volatile-biochar interaction for the same origin pyrolysis.

Nitrogen, as a common element, is widely present in biomass. The effects of nitrogenous substances on the same origin pyrolysis of biomass and the consequences of N-containing biochar on the catalytic process of volatiles are important for further analyzing the pyrolysis mechanism of biomass. In this research, N-containing biochar was prepared under different conditions, and the interaction between N-containing biochar and biomass pyrolysis volatiles at 400-700 °C was studied.

An individualization approach for head-related transfer function in arbitrary directions based on deep learning.

This paper provides an individualization approach for head-related transfer function (HRTF) in arbitrary directions based on deep learning by utilizing dual-autoencoder architecture to establish the relationship between HRTF magnitude spectrum and arbitrarily given direction and anthropometric parameters. In this architecture, one variational autoencoder (VAE) is utilized to extract interpretable and exploitable features of full-space HRTF spectra, while another autoencoder (AE) is employed for feature embedding of corresponding directions and anthropometric parameters. A deep neural networks model is finally trained to establish the relationship between these representative features.

Preparation and formation mechanism of biomass-based graphite carbon catalyzed by iron nitrate under a low-temperature condition.

Graphite is a widely used industrial material, which experienced a marked shortage caused by the growing demand for electrode anode material and the increased costs for raw material. Graphitic carbon from biomass is a promising approach that will result in low-cost and efficient preparation. Herein, Fe(NO) was selected as the catalyst for pine sawdust, and the effects of temperature and iron content on the graphitization of biochar were investigated.

Plastic-containing food waste conversion to biomethane, syngas, and biochar via anaerobic digestion and gasification: Focusing on reactor performance, microbial community analysis, and energy balance assessment.

To manage the mixture of food waste and plastic waste, a hybrid biological and thermal system was investigated for converting plastic-containing food waste (PCFW) into renewable energy, focusing on performance evaluation, microbial community analysis, and energy balance assessment. The results showed that anaerobic digestion (AD) of food waste, polyethylene (PE)-containing food waste, polystyrene (PS)-containing food waste, and polypropylene (PP)-containing food waste generated a methane yield of 520.8, 395.

Size-dependent adsorption of waterborne Benzophenone-3 on microplastics and its desorption under simulated gastrointestinal conditions.

Microplastics (MPs) are global pollutants with heightened environmental and health concerns in recent years because of their worldwide distribution across aquatic environments, ability to load chemical contaminants and the potential for ingestion by animals, including human. In this study, three commonly used and environmentally detected plastics, i.e.

Bimetallic carbon nanotube encapsulated Fe-Ni catalysts from fast pyrolysis of waste plastics and their oxygen reduction properties.

Carbon-based bimetallic electrocatalysts were obtained by catalytic pyrolysis of waste plastics with Fe-Ni-based catalysts and were used as efficient oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts in this study. The prepared iron-nickel alloy nanoparticles encapsulated in oxidized carbon nanotubes (FeNi-OCNTs) are solid products with a unique structure. Moreover, the chemical composition and structural features of FeNi-OCNTs were determined.

The densification of bio-char: Effect of pyrolysis temperature on the qualities of pellets.

The densification of bio-chars pyrolyzed at different temperatures were investigated to elucidate the effect of temperature on the properties of bio-char pellets and determine the bonding mechanism of pellets. Optimized process conditions were obtained with 128MPa compressive pressure and 35% water addition content. Results showed that both the volume density and compressive strength of bio-char pellets initially decreased and subsequently increased, while the energy consumption increased first and then decreased, with the increase of pyrolysis temperature.