24-hour Duration Research Articles

FUZZY LOGIC-BASED POWER MANAGEMENT IN GRID-CONNECTED SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS

With the ever-increasing application of photovoltaic systems on the power grid, energy flow management and grid stability have become a key factor, especially under varying conditions like variable cloud cover and fluctuating load demands. The paper looks forward to proposing a fuzzy logic approach to the management of energy regarding a solar energy system connected to a grid, aiming at obtaining an optimised power distribution among PV generation, the grid, and battery storage. The proposed system will be driven by five input parameters, PV value, grid availability, load demand, battery state of charge, and tariff rate, to regulate the energy flow activity within different scenarios. The simulation results developed in the MATLAB Simulink environment proved the effectiveness of the applied controller in maintaining energy stability and fulfilling the requirements of a load within seven case studies for a 24-hour duration. The work points out the potential of fuzzy logic, besides reliability, in enhancing the efficiency of various renewable energy systems integrated with conventional energy supply grids.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0799/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Establishing Climate Change on Rainfall Trend, Variation and Change Point Pattern in Umuahia, Nigeria

This study investigates the prevailing conditions of changing climatic trends and change point dates in Umuahia, Nigeria, using daily annual maximum series (AMS) rainfall data spanning 31 years. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) was employed to downscale the time series data into durations ranging from 5 minutes to 24 hours. Mann-Kendall (MK) trend and Sen's Slope Estimator (SSE) tests revealed a statistically significant increasing trend across all durations. The Sen's Slope magnitude ranged from 0.1373 mm/year for 5-minute duration to 0.9045 mm/year for 24-hour duration, corresponding to a variation rate of 9.05 mm/decade for the 24-hour duration. Trend change-point analysis, utilizing Distribution-free CUSUM and Sequential Mann-Kendall tests, identified 2002 as the initial rainfall change-point date. These results provide robust evidence of positive changing climatic conditions for rainfall in Umuahia, indicating that non-stationary Intensity-Duration-Frequency (IDF) modelling may be more appropriate for flood risk management and urban planning in this area.

Locally released dexamethasone and its effects on osteogenic activity at implant-tissue interface.

The osseointegration of titanium implants within the host tissue holds crucial importance. The introduction of functional coatings at tissue-implant interface enhances the bioactivity of titanium implants, improves their therapeutic outcomes, and enhances the effectiveness of treatments. In this study, we focused on enhancing the bioactivity of titanium-based implant materials by coating the titanium surfaces with chitosan microspheres, which are loaded with osseointegration-promoting agent dexamethasone (DEX). Initially, chitosan microspheres were successfully produced, followed by DEX loading through diffusion, resulting in a drug loading efficiency of around 50.2 (wt %). The subsequent drug release profile displayed a 24-hour duration, releasing approximately 32.6 (wt %) of the loaded DEX. In cell proliferation assays using human osteosarcoma (SAOS-2) cells, Ti surfaces coated with DEX-loaded chitosan microspheres initially exhibited lower cell numbers compared with DEX-free ones. This observation was attributed to transient osteogenic differentiation effects of DEX, since a notable increase in cell proliferation was observed on the 7th day. Von Kossa staining revealed mineralization beginning on the 14th day, particularly evident in DEX-loaded samples. Moreover, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity displayed a pattern of initial increase and subsequent decrease, with DEX release from chitosan microspheres showing a clear influence on the osteogenic differentiation, especially on the 7th day. These findings align with literature, highlighting DEX's potential to enhance osteogenic differentiation and cellular behavior on chitosan microsphere-coated titanium surfaces. This study emphasizes the promising implications for functionalizing surfaces of implant materials with DEX-loaded chitosan microspheres to improve their biocompatibility and bioactivity.

Associations of Infant Sleep Characteristics with Childhood Cognitive Outcomes.

The objective of this study was to quantify associations of infant 24-hour sleep duration and nighttime sleep consolidation with later child cognition. This study included children from Project Viva, a prospective cohort in Massachusetts with (1) sleep measures in infancy (median age 6.4 months) and (2) child cognition in early childhood (median age 3.2 years) or mid-childhood (median age 7.7 years). Main exposures were parental reports of infant 24-hour sleep duration and nighttime sleep consolidation (% of total daily sleep occurring at nighttime). Cognitive outcomes were (1) early childhood vocabulary and visual-motor abilities and (2) mid-childhood verbal and nonverbal intelligence quotient (IQ), memory, and visual-motor abilities. We examined associations of infant sleep with childhood cognition using linear regression models adjusted for child sex, age, and race or ethnicity; maternal age, education, and parity; and household income. Early and mid-childhood analyses included 1102 and 969 children, respectively. Most mothers reported infant race or ethnicity as White (69%) and were college graduates (71%). The mean infant 24-hour sleep duration was 12.2 ± 2.0 hours, and the mean nighttime sleep consolidation was 76.8% ± 8.8%. Infant 24-hour sleep duration was not associated with any early or mid-childhood outcomes. Higher infant nighttime sleep consolidation was associated with higher mid-childhood verbal intelligence (β: 0.12 points per % nighttime sleep; 95% CI, 0.01-0.22), but not with any early childhood cognitive measures. In this cohort, higher infant nighttime sleep consolidation was associated with higher verbal IQ in mid-childhood. Future studies should investigate causal relationships of infant sleep consolidation with child cognition among diverse populations.

Exploring anti-cancer constituents and cytotoxic effects of Feijoa sellowiana fruit extract on breast cancer

Breast cancer remains a leading cause of mortality among women, necessitating heightened attention and innovative treatment approaches. Given the heterogeneous nature of breast cancer, exploring novel therapeutic avenues is crucial. Natural products, with their potential to offer less aggressive alternatives to conventional chemotherapy, have garnered interest. In this study, the potential cytotoxic effect of Feijoa sellowiana fruit extract (FE) was investigated on a panel of human breast cancer cells. GC-MS analysis was performed to identify the active constituents present in the FE extract and MTT analysis was conducted to evaluate the cytotoxicity of FE against breast cancer cells. Results showed a strong efficacy of FE against MDA-MB-453 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines. The cytotoxicity was evident after a 24-hour treatment duration for both lines. It was observed that the two cell lines in which the FE extract was most effective belonged to the triple-negative breast cancer category. The viability of MCF-7 cells decreased to 23.2% after 72 hours of exposure to 1000 μg/mL FE, and this decline was also noticeable at lower concentrations. Conversely, the BT-474 cell line displayed the least susceptibility, with a viability of 43.9% even at the highest concentration of 1000 μg/mL FE. These findings underscore FE's targeted efficacy against triple-negative breast cancer cells, indicating its promise as an alternative avenue to tackle this formidable cancer subtype.

Effect of commercial probiotics and antibiotics on the growth of Campylobacter isolated from chicken meat in Ho Chi Minh city markets

This study explores the antibiotic susceptibility of Campylobacter, a prominent foodborne pathogen, isolated in Ho Chi Minh city markets and the efficacy of commercial probiotics in inhibiting these bacteria for enhancing food safety and treating Campylobacter infections. Bacteria were isolated from chicken meat in modified coal deoxycholate cefoperazone agar (mCCD), followed by characterization as per standard procedures. Ten isolates with Gram negative, catalase positive and oxidase positive characteristics were collected. Antibiotic susceptibility is ascertained through the determination of the inhibited zone and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of five distinct antibiotics against Campylobacter on Muller Hinton agar plates, culminating in a comprehensive assessment after a 24-hour incubation duration. The antibiotic susceptibility results underscore substantial diversity in Campylobacter isolates among meat samples, thereby accentuating discernible distinctions among the various antibiotic products. The research also evaluated the suitability of 5 commercial probiotic products (re-named as A, B, C, D, and E for fair assessment) by examining their impact on the growth of Campylobacter colonies. The antimicrobial effect of probiotics against Campylobacter is assessed using the agar well diffusion assay and co-culture method. We obtained consistent results from two methods, indicating no variation in Campylobacter species among meat samples but significant variations among probiotic products. The outcomes of this research provide valuable insights into the antimicrobial potential of each probiotic and antibiotic on Campylobacter, informing recommendations for food hygiene practices and underscoring the role of both probiotics and antibiotics in combating Campylobacter infections.

Clinical Investigation of Valsartan Sustained-Release Matrix Tablets: Formulation Design and Performance Evaluation

The primary objective of this main study is to develop and assess the sustained-release matrix tablets containing Valsartan, an angiotensin II receptor type 1 antagonist. The powder mixtures underwent a thorough examination of pre-compression parameters and observed angle of repose, bulk density, tapped density, and Carr’s index, all of which exhibited satisfactory results. Following compression, the tablets were subjected to post-compression evaluations, including weight variation, thickness, hardness, friability, drug content, in-vitro dissolution, and stability studies. In-vitro dissolution investigations are conducted over 24 hours, employing 0.1 N HCL for the initial 2 hours and pH 6.8 phosphate buffer for the subsequent 24 hours. Notably, formulations F4 and F7 demonstrated promising dissolution profiles, effectively controlling the release of the drug. These formulations, enriched with higher concentrations of chitosan and sodium alginate in addition to other polymers, successfully sustained the drug release for the entire 24-hour duration. The compatibility of the drug, polymers, and other excipients was meticulously assessed using FT-IR Spectroscopy, affirming the harmonious interaction among these components. Further analysis involved fitting the release data to various mathematical models, including Zero-order, First-order, Higuchi equation, and Korsmeyer-Peppas model, to ascertain the kinetics and mechanisms governing drug release. Results indicated that the drug release adhered to first-order kinetics, with a non-Fickian mechanism prevailing. Stability studies conducted for 3 months provided reassurance regarding the stability of the selected formulations (F4 and F7), bolstering confidence in their potential for sustained release of Valsartan.

Sleep characteristics and changes in sleep patterns among infants in Bhaktapur, Nepal

ObjectiveSleep undergoes major changes during the first year of life, but the characteristics of sleep among infants in low and middle-income countries are not well documented. This study describes sleep characteristics and changes in sleep patterns in infants at 6 and 12months of age from Bhaktapur, Nepal. MethodsThis was a community-based longitudinal study comprising 735 infants. Sleep characteristics were obtained by interview with the mother using the Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaires. The stability of sleep duration and night awakenings were estimated by logistic regression analysis. ResultsCosleeping in the parent’s bed at 6 and 12months of age was almost universal (>97%). At 6months of age, 254 (35%) and at 12months of age, 341 (46%) infants had a total 24-hour sleep duration <12 hours. Night awakenings >3 times per night were common (65%) both at 6 and 12months of age. Infants with frequent nightly awakenings at 6months had increased odds of frequent nightly awakenings at 12months (OR=2.2; 95% CI: 1.6, 2.9). Very few (<3%) mothers reported sleep problems in their infants at 6 and 12months of age. ConclusionsCosleeping was almost universal among Nepalese infants, and very few of the mothers reported sleep problems in their infants. Infants at 6 and 12months had similar patterns for both sleep duration and nocturnal awakenings. For infants, there were increased odds of having similar sleep duration and nocturnal awakening at 6 and 12months.

Plug-in electric vehicle dynamic pricing strategies for bidirectional power flow in decentralized and centralized environment

With the increasing number of plug-in electric vehicles (PEV) power demand management without increasing existing facilities is becoming challenging. To address the issue two novel pricing strategies one for centralized and other for decentralized environments considering bidirectional flow of power in a dynamic power pricing market are proposed in this paper. The two proposed strategies aim to fulfil the requirement of PEV owners and the power system operated by the Distribution System Operator (DSO). In the proposed approach load demand management with peak saving and valley filling for charging/discharging of PEV is done, while the base load connected to the system is not affected. While availing Vehicle to Grid (V2G) services battery degradation cost is considered for increasing service effectiveness and encouraging PEV owners to participate. The randomness of PEV in terms of time, SOC, battery capacity and level of charging/discharging is considered to be in accordance with the real-time scenario. The two proposed strategies are compared based on objective achievement, loading on the distribution transformer and finding a real-time suitable environment for a 24-hour duration. The numerical case study of the proposed strategies are carried out by considering Indian environment.

The association of circadian rhythms with academic, physical, and cognitive performance: A systematic review

Introduction. Biological cycles exist across diverse time spans. Circadian rhythms are the most thoroughly examined and significantly influence individuals. These rhythms in physiological measures are affected by cyclical variations in human actions and surroundings over a 24-hour duration. Aim. The present research aims to analyse the association of biorhythm factors with performance in students considering research in the field of chronobiology in relation to the educational field. Research methodology and methods. The present systematic review summarises 34 records treating sleep quality, lifestyle, and circadian preferences in their association with the academic, physical, and cognitive performance of students during their daily life; using a PRISMA model. Results. The current review paper has cited numerous studies that confirm the significant impact of sleep and circadian preference on a student’s academic, psychomotor, and cognitive performance. These two factors play a crucial role in the rhythmicity of a student’s life. Scientific novelty. This study introduces a novel interdisciplinary method that applies findings from the study of biological rhythms to education, revealing how these rhythms affect student learning and performance. By merging chronobiology with educational theory, it opens new research paths and enhances our understanding of the relationship between students’ circadian rhythms and their academic, cognitive and physical results, representing a significant progression in how the field of education is linked with chronopsychology. Practical significance. Educational professionals can use the results obtained to gain a deeper insight into how chronobiological factors may affect student performance, thereby enhancing their comprehension of student productivity and potentially identifying more efficient ways to improve it.

Performance evaluation of electrokinetic bioremediation for weathered petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated soil

This study investigates the impact of Electrokinetic Remediation (EKR) time on total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) removal from soil, focusing on electroosmotic phenomena guided by Helmholtz-Smoluchowski theory. Soil samples were exposed to a constant 2 V/cm voltage gradient for 8, 16, and 24 hours, utilizing a 0.05 M Na2SO4 solution as an electrolyte to enhance soil conductivity. Biostimulation was combined with EKR, and TPH levels and microbial colonies (TPC) were monitored over a 4-week period. Maintaining optimal conditions (25-40°C, pH 6-8, 30-60% water content) was crucial for effective biodegradation. Results showed that a 24-hour EKR duration was most effective, achieving an 87.9% removal rate. The 16-hour duration closely followed at 85.7%, while the 8-hour duration exhibited lower effectiveness at 62.5%. TPC counts increased in the fourth week for the 16-hour and 24-hour durations but decreased for the 8-hour duration. Post-EKR, a gradual decline in TPH levels indicated electroosmotic flow’s (EOF) positive impact on TPH desorption and biodegradation. Electroosmosis influence was evident in varying TPH concentrations among segments after EKR, with higher levels near the cathode in the 16-hour and 24-hour durations. Lower TPH near the cathode in the 8-hour variation suggested electroosmosis-induced desorption, while reduced concentrations in regions A (near anode) and B (middle) resulted from biodegradation and microbial mobility due to electrophoresis. Confirmation of electroosmosis across all durations was supported by observed water content and EOF volume. The 24-hour duration exhibited the highest EOF proportion in the cathode chamber at 22.2%, followed by 16 hours at 16.1%, and 8 hours at 8.6%.

Longitudinal Associations Between Physical Activity and Sleep Duration in Infants and Toddlers.

This study examined longitudinal associations between average physical activity (PA) levels in children and their sleep duration, and whether changes in PA levels are associated with their sleep duration. Data were collected on 108 children at 4 time points: when children were 6, 12, 18, and 24months of age (44% female, 50% Non-Hispanic White). PA was assessed using accelerometry. Children's daytime, nighttime, and 24-hour sleep duration were measured with actigraphy. Linear mixed model analyses estimated the associations between average PA levels over time and changes in PA over time, treating each sleep duration variable as an outcome in separate linear mixed model analyses. Children with higher total PA levels slept less during the day compared with children with lower total PA levels over the 2-year period. The strength of the relationship between a child's PA levels and their 24-hour sleep duration decreased as they approached 24months of age. The results suggest that while PA may be developmentally beneficial overall, it appears that its relationship with sleep duration is not clinically relevant in very young children.

Comparative Studies of Continuous Versus Pulsatile Delivery of a Novel Mammalian Cell-Derived Variant of GDNF (GDNFv) into the Rhesus Macaque Striatum

Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) remains a promising disease modifying therapeutic agent for the dopamine-containing neurons that are affected in Parkinson’s disease and recent clinical findings show renewed promise for its use in patients with Parkinson’s disease. However, translating this approach from research laboratories to the clinic has been met with obstacles, including insufficient brain biodistribution, immunogenicity, and poor stability of unglycosylated wildtype GDNF produced from bacteria. We have previously reported that continuous infusion of a novel glycosylated mammalian variant of GDNF (GDNFv) has increased biodistribution compared to wildtype GDNF along with increased dopamine turnover in the non-human primate brain. Here, we extend these findings by comparing continuous versus pulsatile intrastriatal infusion of GDNFv in intact rhesus macaques. Intermittent, pulsatile delivery paradigms were explored to possibly enhance drug distribution in the brain while decreasing the total amount of drug and infusion volume needed to achieve target activation. Vehicle or GDNFv was directly administered into the putamen via a pump and catheter system using a constant flow rate or using pulsatile profiles of two patterns: pulsatile infusion of 24-hour duration or 48-hour duration. Study endpoints involved comparisons of brain biodistribution, retrograde transport to nigral neurons and dopamine turnover. Each catheter was placed in or near the center of the putamen as confirmed by post-operative magnetic resonance imaging. Our results support that continuous and pulsatile administration of GDNFv was well tolerated in all animals. In addition, pulsatile delivery of GDNFv demonstrated favorable physiological activity of potential therapeutic value with biodistribution, retrograde transport to nigral cells and significant dopamine turnover modulation comparable or better than that achieved with continuous flow delivery. More importantly, the animals administered GDNFv via pulsatile protocols only received half the total drug amount and half the infused volume used in the continuously-infused animals, while still attaining a similar efficacy in increasing dopamine turnover. These data suggest that pulsatile delivery of trophic factors, such as GDNFv, may be a viable disease altering strategy for patients with Parkinson’s disease by offering a means to reduce the drug amount needed to improve dopamine function while limiting potential therapeutic barriers.

GENDER DIFFERENCES IN ASSOCIATIONS OF SLEEP INTRAINDIVIDUAL VARIABILITY AND MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT

Abstract Previous studies suggest that cognitive function in older adults is related to sleep, with females more vulnerable to poor sleep. Little is known about the relationship between cognition and intraindividual variability of sleep (IIV). We examined the cross-sectional relationship between sleep IIV and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) by gender using data from the Einstein Aging Study. We hypothesize that individuals with MCI have a greater IIV in daily sleep characteristics, and these associations will be stronger for females. Eighty-nine men (age = 76.81±4.73, 61% White, 28% Black, 27% MCI) and 197 women (age = 76.60 ± 4.93, 40% White, 46% Black, 29% MCI) were included in the analysis. Individuals completed 2 weeks of actigraphy (mean ± SD = 15.7 ± 1.1 days), and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, and MCI was based on the Jack/Bondi criteria. Sleep IIV was estimated as within person standard deviation of nighttime sleep duration, 24-hour sleep duration, wake after sleep onset, and nighttime sleep midpoint. Linear regression models evaluated associations between sleep IIV and MCI status separately by gender, controlling for BMI, age, ethnicity/race, nocturnal hypoxemia, Oxygen Desaturation Index ≥15. Among women, having MCI was associated with greater IIV in nighttime sleep midpoint (b=0.19, p=.002), and in 24-hour total sleep duration (b=13.10, p = .047) with a similar trend in nighttime sleep duration (p = .050). No significant associations were found among men. Findings suggest the importance to keep considering gender in work to understand how sleep variability relates to MCI status in older adults.

Hypoglycemic Effect of Orally Delivered Insulin Nanoparticles Compared to Subcutaneous Recombinant Human Soluble Insulin in Hyperglycemic Male Rats

Background: Insulin is available as an injectable drug and remains the mainstay of therapy. Researchers have attempted to develop an oral formulation of insulin, particularly utilizing nanoparticles (NPs). Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of insulin-loaded D-α-Tocopherol polyethylene glycol succinate (TPGS)-emulsified PEG-capped PLGA NP in comparison to insulin-loaded PLGA NP and subcutaneous (SC) insulin in an in vitro and in vivo diabetic rat model. Methods: Two biocompatible and biodegradable NPs were used, in which 20 IU/kg of recombinant human soluble insulin was incorporated. NP1 was PLGA-loaded with human insulin, while NP2 was PLGA-PEG-TPGS-loaded with human insulin. The physical characteristics of the NPs were examined in an in vitro and in vivo study on a hyperglycemic rat model for a 24-hour duration. Results: For the first 3 hours, SC insulin showed a better reduction in serum glucose levels (SG) compared to both NP1 and NP2. A smooth, sustained reduction in SG was observed and maintained till the end of 24 hours with both NPs. NP1 maintained SG reduction for 6 hours before experiencing an increase, while NP2 demonstrated superior sustained reduction in SG beyond the 12-hour evaluation period. Conclusions: PLGA-PEG-TPGS NP can act as a potential carrier for oral insulin delivery and maintain good glycemic control for up to 24 hours.

Evaluation of future flood probability in agricultural reservoir watersheds using an integrated flood simulation system

In agricultural reservoir watersheds, the presence of various agricultural hydraulic structures combined with the influence of climate change necessitates effective flood risk analysis. This study aims to develop a flood risk evaluation technique for agricultural basins by incorporating the low temporal resolution of climate change scenarios. The approach utilizes flood probability as a key component and incorporates the Multiplicative Random Cascade model as a probability-based rainfall time decomposition model to capture the inherent uncertainty in climate change data. Reliability analysis with the limit state equation is employed for probability-based risk evaluation. Given that agricultural watersheds typically consist of agricultural reservoirs and farmland, the study develops a hydraulic and hydrological linkage model to comprehensively calculate flood probability, simulating from the agricultural reservoir in the upper side to the farmland located at the bottom edge of the watershed. The flood risk assessment is applied to the Yedang Reservoir watershed in Korea, using the Shared Socio-economic Pathways climate change scenario. Results indicate that flood probability is the highest in river levees during future precipitation events, converging to nearly 100% under 24-hour duration rainfall, irrespective of the rain frequency. Despite the hydraulic structures at the farmland being designed for a lower frequency of rain events, the average probability of flooding in the farmland have reached 50%. The agricultural reservoir exhibits a low risk of flooding even under climate change conditions. The proposed method not only enables the establishment of flood countermeasures but also facilitates the evaluation and prediction of future flood risk for each hydraulic structure located in rural areas affected by climate change.

Experimental optimization of Ni/P atomic ratio for nickel phosphide catalysts in reverse water-gas shift

Nickel phosphide catalysts show a high level of selectivity for the reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) reaction, inhibiting the competing methanation reaction. This work investigates the extent to which suppression of methanation can be controlled by phosphidation and tests the stability of phosphide phases over 24-hour time on stream. Herein the synthesis of different phosphide crystal structures by varying Ni/P atomic ratios (from 0.5 to 2.4) is shown to affect the selectivity to CO over CH4 in a significant way. We also show that the activity of these catalysts can be fine-tuned by the synthesis Ni/P ratio and identify suitable catalysts for low temperature RWGS process. Ni12P5-SiO2 showed 80–100% selectivity over the full temperature range (i.e., 300–800 °C) tested, reaching 73% CO2 conversion at 800 °C. Ni2P-SiO2 exhibited CO selectivity of 93–100% over a full temperature range, and 70% CO2 conversion at 800 °C. The highest CO2 conversions for Ni12P5-SiO2 at all temperatures among all catalysts showed its promising nature for CO2 capture and utilisation. The methanation reaction was suppressed in addition to RWGS activity improvement through the formation of nickel phosphide phases, and the crystal structure was found to determine CO selectivity, with the following order Ni12P5 >Ni2P > Ni3P. Based on the activity of the studied catalysts, the catalysts were ranked in order of suitability for the RWGS reaction as follows: Ni12P5-SiO2 (Ni/P = 2.4) > Ni2P-SiO2 (Ni/P = 2) > NiP-SiO2 (Ni/P = 1) > NiP2-SiO2 (Ni/P = 0.5). Two catalysts with Ni/P atomic ratios; 2.4 and 2, were selected for stability testing. The catalyst with Ni/P ratio = 2.4 (i.e., Ni12P5-SiO2) was found to be more stable in terms of CO2 conversion and CO yield over the 24-hour duration at 550 °C. Using the phosphidation strategy to tune both selectivity and activity of Ni catalysts for RWGS, methanation as a competing reaction is shown to be no longer a critical issue in the RWGS process for catalysts with high Ni/P atomic ratios (2.4 and 2) even at lower temperatures (300–500 °C). This opens up potential low temperature RWGS opportunities, especially coupled to downstream or tandem lower temperature processes to produce liquid fuels.

Urticarial Vasculitis Differs From Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria in Time to Diagnosis, Clinical Presentation, and Need for Anti-Inflammatory Treatment: An International Prospective UCARE Study.

Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) and urticarial vasculitis (UV) share several clinical features including the occurrence of wheals. As of yet, the criteria for differentiating the 2 disorders are not clearly defined. Here, we aimed to identify differences, similarities, and the likelihood for specific clinical features in patients with UV versus those with CSU. Across 10 Urticaria Centers of Reference and Excellence, 106 patients with skin biopsy-confirmed UV and 126 patients with CSU were prospectively recruited to complete a questionnaire on the clinical features, course, and response to treatment of their disease. As compared with CSU, patients with UV more often experienced postinflammatory skin hyperpigmentation, wheals of ≥24-hour duration, eye inflammation, and fever (6.9, 4.0, 3.6, and 2.4 times, respectively). Clinical features that increased the risk for UV diagnosis when present at the onset of disease included wheals of ≥24-hour duration (7.3-fold), pain of the skin (7.0-fold), postinflammatory hyperpigmentation (4.1-fold), and fatigue (3.1-fold). The diagnostic delay was markedly longer for normocomplementemic UV as compared with hypocomplementemic UV and CSU (21 vs 5 vs 6 months, respectively). Oral corticosteroids and omalizumab were the most effective treatments in patients with UV and CSU, respectively. Patients with UV showed a higher need for immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory therapies than patients with CSU. Long wheal duration, skin pain and hyperpigmentation, and systemic symptoms point to UV rather than CSU as the underlying disease and should prompt further diagnostic workup including a skin biopsy.

Contactless and Longitudinal Monitoring of Nocturnal Sleep and Daytime Naps in Older Men and Women: A Digital Health Technology Evaluation Study.

To compare the 24-hour sleep assessment capabilities of two contactless sleep technologies (CSTs) to actigraphy in community-dwelling older adults. We collected 7 to 14 days of data at home from 35 older adults (age: 65-83), some with medical conditions, using Withings Sleep Analyser (WSA, n=29), Emfit-QS (Emfit, n=17), a standard actigraphy device (Actiwatch Spectrum [AWS, n=34]) and a sleep diary. We compared nocturnal and daytime sleep measures estimated by the CSTs and actigraphy without sleep diary information (AWS-A) against sleep diary assisted actigraphy (AWS|SD). Compared to sleep diary, both CSTs accurately determined the timing of nocturnal sleep (ICC: going to bed, getting out of bed, time in bed > 0.75) whereas the accuracy of AWS-A was much lower. Compared to AWS|SD, the CSTs overestimated nocturnal total sleep time (WSA: +92.71±81.16min; Emfit: +101.47±75.95min) as did AWS-A (+46.95±67.26min). The CSTs overestimated sleep efficiency (WSA: +9.19±14.26 %; Emfit: +9.41±11.05 %) whereas AWS-A estimate (-2.38±10.06 %) was accurate. About 65% (n=23) of participants reported daytime naps either in-bed or elsewhere. About 90% in-bed nap periods were accurately determined by WSA while Emfit was less accurate. All three devices estimated 24-h sleep duration with an error of ≈10% compared to the sleep diary. CSTs accurately capture the timing of in-bed nocturnal sleep periods without the need for sleep diary information. However, improvements are needed in assessing parameters such as total sleep time, sleep efficiency and naps before these CSTs can be fully utilized in field settings.

FCEVAL: An effective and quantitative platform for evaluating fuzzer combinations fairly and easily

Multiple base fuzzers collaborate as a fuzzer combination. Fuzzer combinations have been proven to perform more robustly and efficiently when fuzzing complicated real-world programs. The efficiency of finding bugs with limited computational resources would greatly benefit from the fuzzer combinations chosen by an effective and quantitative performance evaluation. However, evaluating fuzzer combinations remains challenging due to the lack of infrastructure for collaborative fuzzing, high enough collaboration efficiency of base fuzzers, unified benchmarks, comprehensive metrics, and unified analysis methods of coverage and bugs. This prevents us from selecting efficient fuzzer combinations and thus impairs vulnerability mining on real-world targets. In this paper, we design and implement FCEVAL, the first open-source platform for evaluating fuzzer combinations. In detail, we propose a new test case-sharing policy for increasing fuzzing potential so that we can provide a more efficient running environment for fuzzer combinations and thus improve evaluation effectiveness. Also, we select a unified set of diverse benchmarks and comprehensive metrics while adopting unified independent methods of real-time coverage statistics and multiple-sanitizers-based bug analysis for evaluation fairness and quantification. In addition, we design tools and guidelines covering the whole evaluation process for usability. With the above methodologies, we first construct an infrastructure special for collaborative fuzzing as the base of FCEVAL. After comparing two test case-sharing policies on the infrastructure and choosing the promising one as a substantial part of FCEVAL, we leverage FCEVAL to evaluate fuzzer combinations for more than 40,000 CPU hours and come up with five important conclusions, including (a) an efficient test case-sharing policy improving fuzzing potential and thus evaluation effectiveness, (b) comprehensive metrics being essential, (c) 24-hour duration and 20 repetitions for evaluation being substantial, (d) independent analysis methods of code coverage and bugs deserving of extensive adoption, and (e) FCEVAL being able to evaluate fuzzer combinations effectively, fairly, comprehensively, and easily. Meanwhile, we suggest how to improve collaborative fuzzing. In addition, source codes and test data are publicly available.