A novel application of inverse gas chromatography for estimating contact angles in porous media.

Hypothesis: Surface wettability is a critical factor in multi-phase flow within porous media, a processes essential in various applications e.g. in the energy sector.

Dynamic ammonium retention for nutrient separation from manure digestate.

Extensive nitrogen emissions with negative impact on nature and the environment urge effective valorization of manure and fractionation of nutrients to enable precision fertilization. Typically, manure is fed to a digester to produce biogas. The remaining digestate is then mechanically separated into a solid phosphorous-rich fraction and a liquid fraction containing both NH and K.

One-Step Synthesis of Closed-Loop Recyclable and Thermally Superinsulating Polyhexahydrotriazine Aerogels.

Organic aerogels are an advanced class of materials renowned for their ultralow thermal conductivity and highly porous architecture, making them ideal for applications in thermal insulation, catalysis, and chemical absorption. However, these polymeric networks pose environmental concerns as their permanently crosslinked scaffold makes recycling back to the original monomers virtually impossible. To tackle this issue and develop next-generation organic aerogel, a set of polyhexahydrotriazine (PHT) aerogels specifically designed for closed-loop chemical recycling are prepared.

On the isomeric purity of endcap molecules in cholesteric liquid crystal oligomers for near-infrared thermochromic coatings.

Structurally coloured responsive materials provide an interesting avenue for the development of autonomous temperature regulating window films. One interesting class of such thermochromic materials is cholesteric liquid crystals. However, cholesteric liquid crystals have rarely been applied in coatings for smart window applications.

Influence of impurities on the use of Fe-based powder as sustainable fuel.

Sustainable energy production, inherently transient and non-uniformly distributed around the world, requires the rapid development of sustainable energy storage technologies. Recently, pure iron powder was proposed as a high-energy density carrier. While promising, challenges are faced, such as nanoparticle emissions, micro-explosions or cavitation.

Human-centered evaluation of explainable AI applications: a systematic review.

Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) aims to provide insights into the inner workings and the outputs of AI systems. Recently, there's been growing recognition that explainability is inherently human-centric, tied to how people perceive explanations. Despite this, there is no consensus in the research community on whether user evaluation is crucial in XAI, and if so, what exactly needs to be evaluated and how.

Effective deep-learning brain MRI super resolution using simulated training data.

Background: In the field of medical imaging, high-resolution (HR) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is essential for accurate disease diagnosis and analysis. However, HR imaging is prone to artifacts and is not universally available. Consequently, low-resolution (LR) MRI images are typically acquired.

Toward assessment of rupture risk predictors in abdominal aortic aneurysms including intraluminal thrombus based on 3D+t ultrasound images.

Image-based patient-specific rupture risk analysis for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) has shown considerable promise. However, clinical translation has been hampered by the use of invasive and costly imaging modalities. Despite being a promising alternative, ultrasound (US) makes a full analysis, including intraluminal thrombus (ILT), not trivial.

nanoFeatures: a cross-platform application to characterize nanoparticles from super-resolution microscopy images.

Super-resolution microscopy and Single-Molecule Localization Microscopy (SMLM) are powerful tools to characterize synthetic nanomaterials used for many applications such as drug delivery. In the last decade, imaging techniques like STORM, PALM, and PAINT have been used to study nanoparticle size, structure, and composition. While imaging has progressed significantly, image analysis has often not advanced accordingly and many studies remain limited to qualitative and semi-quantitative analyses.

Using a Supramolecular Monomer Formulation Approach to Engineer Modular, Dynamic Microgels, and Composite Macrogels.

Microgels show advantages over bulk hydrogels due to convenient control over microgel size and composition, and the ability to use microgels to modularly construct larger hierarchical scaffold hydrogel materials. Here, supramolecular chemistry is used to formulate supramolecular polymer, dynamic microgels solely held together by non-covalent interactions. Four-fold hydrogen bonding ureido-pyrimidinone (UPy) monomers with different functionalities are applied to precisely tune microgel properties in a modular way, via variations in monomer concentration, bifunctional crosslinker ratio, and the incorporation of supramolecular dyes and peptides.

Modeling traffic pollutants in a street canyon by CFD: Idealized line sources versus multiple realistic car sources.

Idealized sources are commonly used to reproduce the traffic emission in street canyons in experimental and numerical investigations. However, it remains unclear whether idealized sources can accurately reproduce the pollutant dispersion compared to more realistic sources. The goal of this paper is to investigate the impact of idealized and realistic sources on traffic-induced pollutant concentration in a street canyon by numerical simulation with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD).

Microwave Digital Twin Prototype for Shoulder Injury Detection.

One of the most common shoulder injuries is the rotator cuff tear (RCT). The risk of RCTs increases with age, with a prevalence of 9.7% in those under 20 years old and up to 62% in individuals aged 80 years and older.

Can retroreflective rings enhance drivers' safety perception of spatial right-of-way in freeway tunnels? A simulation exploration.

In order to investigate whether retroreflective rings can enhance drivers' perception of spatial right-of-way in freeway tunnels, this paper explores a simulation test. The characteristics of spatial right-of-way in tunnels are elucidated, and a comparative test is conducted using commonly used delineators and raised pavement markers against retroreflective rings to enhance the perception of spatial right-of-way. The test employs the perception of lateral deviation and longitudinal distance as indicators to reflect the lateral and longitudinal right-of-way.

Prosthetic Joint Infection Research Models in NZW Rabbits: Opportunities for Standardization-A Systematic Review.

Prosthetic joint infection (PJI) is a major complication following total arthroplasty. Rising antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to antibiotics will further increase therapeutic insufficiency. New antibacterial technologies are being developed to prevent PJI.

Remote Monitoring of Sympathovagal Imbalance During Sleep and Its Implications in Cardiovascular Risk Assessment: A Systematic Review.

Nocturnal sympathetic overdrive is an early indicator of cardiovascular (CV) disease, emphasizing the importance of reliable remote patient monitoring (RPM) for autonomic function during sleep. To be effective, RPM systems must be accurate, non-intrusive, and cost-effective. This review evaluates non-invasive technologies, metrics, and algorithms for tracking nocturnal autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity, assessing their CV relevance and feasibility for integration into RPM systems.

Miscibility of Non-Uniform Aliphatic Polyamide Mixtures.

Mixing different aliphatic polyamides provides opportunities to tune and optimize the properties of these semicrystalline polycondensates. Combining experiment and theory, we predict and explain the miscibility of aliphatic polyamide mixtures. Visual inspection and Raman spectroscopy of polyamide mixtures show that liquid/liquid phase demixing occurs in the melt due to limited miscibility.

Unveiling the influence of oxygen on drug release dynamics in semipermeable polymersomes.

Semipermeable polymersomes, a class of polymeric vesicles that allow molecular passage across their membranes, offer significant potential for controlled drug delivery. These vesicles can be designed for inherent or selective permeability through the choice of suitable copolymers or the incorporation of protein nanopores, respectively. In this study, we explore a novel approach using oxygen-producing enzymatic reactions within biodegradable poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(caprolactone-gradient-trimethylene carbonate) (PEG-p(CL-g-TMC)) polymersomes to modulate drug release.

Managing Vitality, Sustainable Performance and Fatigue in Nursing Home Staff: A Multi-Location Cross-Sectional Survey Study: Empirical Research Quantitative.

Aim: This study examines the moderating role of specific job resources in the association between job demands, vigour, sustainable performance and fatigue in nursing home staff.

Design: A multi-location cross-sectional survey study in line with the STROBE guidelines.

Methods: Online self-completion questionnaires were distributed in the Summer of 2022.

An l-isosorbide-based reactive chiral dopant with high helical twisting power for cholesteric liquid crystal polymers reflecting left-handed circularly polarized light.

For visible light reflective cholesteric liquid crystal polymers, reactive chiral dopant enantiomers with high helical twisting power are attractive. However, a chiral dopant for reflecting left-handed circularly polarized light has been missing so far. Here, we report the synthesis of a reactive, left-handed, l-isosorbide-based chiral dopant with a high helical twisting power of -48 μm that can be used in visible light reflective cholesteric liquid crystal polymers.

A Multiscale Mathematical Model for the Fetal Blood Circulation of the Second Half of Pregnancy.

Doppler ultrasound is a commonly used method to assess hemodynamics of the fetal cardiovascular system and to monitor the well-being of the fetus. Indices based on the velocity profile are often used for diagnosis. However, precisely linking these indices to specific underlying physiology factors is challenging.