High Utilization Rate Research Articles

Numerical simulation study on discharge characteristics of the Dual hollow cathode plasma source using magnetic mirror field

The Dual hollow cathode plasma source uses hollow cathode cylindrical sputtering and ionizing metal elements, which has a high material utilization rate and has potential application in the field of material modification. Its performance index requires the cooperation of electrode discharge parameters and the rational utilization of the inner surface of the hollow cathode. In this paper, a two-dimensional fluid model of a Dual hollow cathode structure is developed to simulate the basic distribution of the Dual hollow cathode discharge, which fills the central region of the Dual hollow cathode structure and the electrons oscillate on the axis. The effects of electrode parameters and hollow cathode radius on the discharge were investigated. The results show that the radial electron density of the hollow cathode increases with increasing heated cathode voltage, but as the hot cathode voltage continues to expand beyond 1200 V this trend becomes less obvious. The enhancement of the wall ion current by the heated cathode voltage is very pronounced, and the hollow cathode discharge is the result of the mutual enhancement of the heated cathode voltage and the hollow cathode voltage. Hollow cathode sputtering needs to reach a voltage threshold of 300 V, and the existence of an optimal radius (r = 4 mm−6 mm) to achieve a high plasma density and at the same time favor hollow cathode sputtering.

Optimal Configuration of Electricity-Heat Integrated Energy Storage Supplier and Multi-Microgrid System Scheduling Strategy Considering Demand Response

Shared energy storage system provides an attractive solution to the high configuration cost and low utilization rate of multi-microgrid energy storage system. In this paper, an electricity-heat integrated energy storage supplier (EHIESS) containing electricity and heat storage devices is proposed to provide shared energy storage services for multi-microgrid system in order to realize mutual profits for different subjects. To this end, electric boiler (EB) is introduced into EHIESS to realize the electricity-heat coupling of EHIESS and improve the energy utilization rate of electricity and heat storage equipment. Secondly, due to the problem of the uncertainty in user-side operation of multi-microgrid system, a price-based demand response (DR) mechanism is proposed to further optimize the resource allocation of shared electricity and heat energy storage devices. On this basis, a bi-level optimization model considering the capacity configuration of EHIESS and the optimal scheduling of multi-microgrid system is proposed, with the objectives of maximizing the profits of energy storage suppliers in upper-level and minimizing the operation costs of the multi-microgrid system in lower-level, and solved based on the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) condition and Big-M method. The simulation results show that in case of demand response, the total operation cost of multi-microgrid system and the total operation profit of EHIESS are 51,687.73 and 11,983.88 CNY, respectively; and the corresponding electricity storage unit capacity is 9730.80 kWh. The proposed model realizes the mutual profits of EHIESS and multi-microgrid system.

Heart failure burden among adults with congenital heart disease

Abstract Background Adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) is associated with high rates of healthcare utilization and mortality. Data on Heart failure (HF) burden among ACHD patients are limited. Purpose To study the association between HF and healthcare utilization and mortality among ACHD patients in the community. Methods The retrospective cohort study comprised 11,653≥ 18 year old ACHD patients insured by two large Israeli healthcare providers between January 2007 and December 2011. We used multivariable Cox proportional hazard and negative binomial models to study the associations of HF with mortality and healthcare utilization, respectively. Inverse treatment probability weighting accounted for drug indication. Results ACHD-HF patients (N=908; 7.8%) were older (median: 69 vs. 45 years), more likely men (53% vs. 45%), with complex congenital heart disease (14% vs. 4%), and higher comorbidity rates than ACHD patients without HF. HF was associated with higher healthcare utilization. Compared to patients without HF, ACHD-HF patients had higher adjusted relative rates (RR) of primary care (1.26, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.17-1.3), and cardiology clinic visits (1.9, 95% CI: 1.7-2.0), higher hospitalization rates (RR=2.0, 95% CI: 1.7-2.1), and higher risk of death (mortality hazard ratio [HR]: 1.9, 95% CI: 1.5-20.) over the study period. Among ACHD-HF patients, Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers, beta-blockers, and diuretics were associated with a lower mortality risk (treated vs. untreated HR=0.56, 95% CI: 0.48-0.65; HR=0.7, 95% CI: 0.6-0.8; HR=0.84, 95% CI: 0.73-0.97; respectively). Conclusions HF presents a major burden on ACHD patients and health care systems. Drugs recommended to the general HF patient population are also associated with lower risk of hospitalization and mortality in ACHD patients. Clinical trials are needed to establish the benefit of HF pharmacotherapy in ACHD patients.Age adjusted ACHD patient survival by HF

Comparison of efficacy of long follicular phase regimen and antagonist regimen on pregnancy outcome of fresh cycle or freeze-thawed cycle embryo transfer

Objective: To compare the pregnancy outcome of the fresh cycle or freeze-thaw cycle embryo transfer of patients treated with a long follicular phase regimen and antagonist regimen, and explore the clinical therapeutic effect of the two regimens. Methods: This was a retrospective study. The data of a total of 543 patients who underwent in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection and embryo transfer (IVF/ICSI-ET) or frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) in Baoding Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital from January 2020 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed in this study and were divided into four group to analyze the basic conditions, medication, laboratory indicators and clinical outcomes after embryo transfer of patients in each group. Results: The pregnancy rate and implantation rate in Groups A, B and C were higher than those in Group-D, and the differences were statistically significant (p<0.05). The difference in multiple pregnancy rate and abortion rate among groups was not statistically significant (p>0.05). The influencing factors of clinical pregnancy rate were identified by binary Logistic regression analysis. Advanced age was found to be a risk factor for improving the pregnancy rate, while the increase in the number of oocytes retrieved is a protective factor for improving the pregnancy rate. The differences were statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: The antagonist regimen has a low dosage and short medication time and can achieve a high embryo utilization rate and blastula formation rate, saving time and cost for patients. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.10.9050 How to cite this: Li P, Zhai J, Liu T, Guo M, Wang Y. Comparison of efficacy of long follicular phase regimen and antagonist regimen on pregnancy outcome of fresh cycle or freeze-thawed cycle embryo transfer. Pak J Med Sci. 2024;40(10):2170-2175. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.10.9050 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Stress-Strain Behavior and Strength Development of High-Amount Phosphogypsum-Based Sustainable Cementitious Materials.

Phosphogypsum is a common industrial solid waste that faces the challenges of high stockpiling and low utilization rates. This study focuses on the mechanical properties and internal characteristics of cementitious materials with a high phosphogypsum content. Specifically, we examined the effects of varying amounts of ground granulated blast furnace slag (5-28%), fly ash (5-20%), and hydrated lime (0.5-2%) on the stress-strain curve, unconfined uniaxial compressive strength, and elastic modulus (E50) of these materials. The test results indicate that increasing the ground granulated blast furnace slag content can significantly enhance the mechanical properties of phosphogypsum-based cementitious materials. Additionally, increasing the fly ash content can have a similar beneficial effect with an appropriate amount of hydrated lime. Furthermore, microscopic analysis of the cementitious materials using a scanning electron microscope revealed that the high sulfate content in phosphogypsum leads to the formation of calcium aluminate as the main product. Concurrently, a continuous reaction of the raw materials contributes to the strength development of the cementitious materials over time. The results could provide a novel method for improving the reusing phosphogypsum amount in civil engineering materials.

Performance analysis of a molten salt packed-bed thermal energy storage system using three different waste materials

Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) is a critical technology for the renewable energy transition, offering high power output at elevated temperatures. However, further integration of CSP plants requires a reduction in investment costs. This study investigates the use of cost-effective, sustainable, waste-based TES materials—such as Electric Arc Furnace Black Slag (BS) and Tundish (TN) from the steel industry, as well as Demolition Waste (DW) from urban regeneration projects—as packing materials in TES systems to reduce the capital expenditure of CSP plants. A One-Dimensional Continuous Solid Phase (1D-2P) model was employed to evaluate and compare the performance of DW, TN, and BS. The results revealed that all materials demonstrated comparable properties, with TN exhibiting the highest energy storage capacity (44.7 kWh) and energy storage density (296 kWh/m³). With high utilization rates of 73–75 %, waste-based TES systems show strong potential for application in CSP plants. The TES systems were scaled for a 110 MW CSP plant, which currently operates with a 2-tank molten salt TES system providing 4648.4 MWh of storage capacity. TN required the smallest storage volume of 22,273 m³ for the 110 MW CSP plant. The reduction of molten salt usage by up to 31,000 tons in the waste-based packed-bed TES system could significantly enhance the economic feasibility of CSP plants.

Increasing Vitamin K2 Synthesis in Bacillus subtilis by Controlling the Expression of MenD and Stabilizing MenA.

As an indispensable member of the family of lipid vitamins, vitamin K2 (MK-7) plays an important role in blood coagulation, cardiovascular health, and kidney health. Microbial fermentation is favored due to its high utilization rate of raw materials, simple operation, and moderate conditions. However, the biosynthesis pathway of vitamin K2 in microorganisms is highly complex, which hinders its industrial production in microbial cell factories. One of the major challenges is the stable expression and deregulation of key enzymes in the vitamin K2 biosynthesis pathway, which remains unclear and has undergone little investigation. In this study, 2-succinyl-5-enolpyruvyl-6-hydroxy-3-cyclohexene-1-carboxylic-acid synthase (MenD) and 1,4-dihydroxy-2-naphthoate polyprenyltransferase (MenA) were identified as pivotal enzymes in the biosynthesis of vitamin K2. To investigate the catalytic efficiency of MenD in the biosynthesis pathway of vitamin K2, structure-based mutation design and site-directed mutagenesis were performed. Three mutation sites were identified in MenD: A115Y, R96 M, and R323M, which improve the expression level and protein stability. Meanwhile, the MenA mutant T290M, which exhibits improved protein stability, was obtained by modifying its hydrophobic stacking structure. Finally, an engineered strain noted ZQ13 that combinatorially overexpressed MenD (A115Y) and MenA (T290M) mutants was constructed and achieved 338.37 mg/L vitamin K2 production in a 3-L fermenter.

Enhancing Cloud Task Scheduling with Multi-Objective Optimization Using K-Means Clustering and Dynamic Resource Allocation

The scheduling and resource allocation procedure is an essential component of cloud resource management. Effective resource allocation is severely hampered by the task arrival rates' erratic and unclear behavior. To prevent under or overusing resources, an effective scheduling strategy is necessary. To improve scheduling and allocation performance, a multi-objective optimization technique is presented for the best resource allocation and task scheduling inside scientific workflow datasets in a heterogeneous environment. In the first stage, the system calculates four key metrics: Communication Cost, Computation Cost, Earliest Finished Time on a particular VM, and Total Task Length for a specific scientific workflow dataset. These metrics provide a comprehensive understanding of the resource requirements and help make informed scheduling decisions. In the second stage, tasks are clustered using the K-Means clustering algorithm. This clustering groups similar tasks together, making managing and scheduling them easier. In the third stage, the proposed resource allocation algorithm allocates the clustered tasks to the appropriate VMs. This step ensures that the tasks are assigned to the best-suited resources, optimizing the overall system performance and resource utilization. By following this multi-stage process, the system aims to achieve optimal resource allocation and task scheduling, thereby improving the efficiency and effectiveness of cloud resource management. The proposed method significantly outperforms PSO, CSO, and GWO by consistently achieving lower Makespan—under 400 units at 50 tasks—while maintaining high resource utilization rates above 0.75, demonstrating superior efficiency in task execution and resource management.

Fund Allocation and Budget Utilization Rate in Relation to SUC Leveling Performance

In the academe, the realization of desired educational goals and objectives counts largely on the effective planning and management of school funds by the school administrators. The amount of funds allocated to schools by the government and the budget utilization rate of the recipient are some factors to be considered in meeting the programs, projects, and activities. This study aimed to determine the fund allocation and Budget Utilization Rate (BUR) in relation to SUC leveling performance among technological State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) of Region VIII in terms of Personal Services (PS), Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE), and Capital Outlay (CO). The respondents were budget and planning officers in each SUC. Descriptive-evaluative research was utilized in this study since it assessed or examined the level of fund allocation and budget utilization rate in relation to SUC leveling performance. Percentage and mean were used to analyze the pertinent data, and coefficient correlation was applied to establish the significant relationships among the variables. Findings revealed that the bigger fund allocation with a correspondingly high budget utilization rate gave favorable SUC leveling performance. It is suggested to incorporate a conceptual model that links Information and Communications Technology (ICT) that accounts for budget allocation and utilization in future studies.

Robust bilayer solid electrolyte interphase for Zn electrode with high utilization and efficiency

Construction of a solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) of zinc (Zn) electrode is an effective strategy to stabilize Zn electrode/electrolyte interface. However, single-layer SEIs of Zn electrodes undergo rupture and consequent failure during repeated Zn plating/stripping. Here, we propose the construction of a robust bilayer SEI that simultaneously achieves homogeneous Zn2+ transport and durable mechanical stability for high Zn utilization rate (ZUR) and Coulombic efficiency (CE) of Zn electrode by adding 1,3-Dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone as a representative electrolyte additive. This bilayer SEI on Zn surface consists of a crystalline ZnCO3-rich outer layer and an amorphous ZnS-rich inner layer. The ordered outer layer improves the mechanical stability during cycling, and the amorphous inner layer homogenizes Zn2+ transport for homogeneous, dense Zn deposition. As a result, the bilayer SEI enables reversible Zn plating/stripping for 4800 cycles with an average CE of 99.95% (± 0.06%). Meanwhile, Zn | |Zn symmetric cells show durable lifetime for over 550 h with a high ZUR of 98% under an areal capacity of 28.4 mAh cm−2. Furthermore, the Zn full cells based on the bilayer SEI functionalized Zn negative electrodes coupled with different positive electrodes all exhibit stable cycling performance under high ZUR.

Expedited program and utilization for anticancer drug approval in China and the United States

Objective: To systematically summarize and comparatively analyze the development, establishment and usage of oncology drugs speedy review approaches in China and in the United States between 2012 and 2021. Methods: Based on National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) websites, the development and current status of the speedy review approaches were consulted and summarized. Approved oncology drugs in China and in the United States (87 in China, 118 in the United States) over the past decade were analyzed using chi-square test for group comparison. Results: Five speedy approaches have been established in China and in the United States, three of which are the same, priority review, conditional approval or accelerated approval and breakthrough therapy. The rest two are special review and approval, special examination and approval in China, and fast track and real-time oncology review in the United States. Compared to the United States, speedy review approaches in China set up late (1992 vs. 2005). The overall utilization rates of the oncology drugs speedy review approaches were similar between the China and United States (90.8% vs. 92.4%, P=0.800) in the previous 10 years, and priority review have highest utilization rates in both China and the United States without significant group difference (77.0% vs. 82.2%, P=0.381); relatively low utilization rates of conditional approval (31.0% vs. 44.9%, P=0.041) and breakthrough therapy (2.3% vs. 50.0%, P＜0.001) were seen in China. 52.9% of new drugs applied for special examination and approval in China and 40.7% of new drugs applied for fast track in the United States. Overall, the priority review both in China and the United States are stable, with a similar average annual utilization rate (84.8% vs. 83.7%); accelerated approval and breakthrough therapies in the United States fluctuate wildly, but the situation is tending towards stability in the last 3 years. Conclusions: Both China and the United States have established a relatively complete accelerated review system, with an overall utilization rate over 90%; China's accelerated review started late, although the overall utilization rate is close to that of the United States. The utilization rates of conditional approval and breakthrough therapy are still relatively low. Flexible usage of speedy review approaches, gaining regulatory recognition to use alternative endpoints, achieving real-time review and guidance are keys to accelerate new drug development in China.

Parental Health Literacy and Acute Care Utilization in Children With Medical Complexity.

Health literacy is the ability to find, understand, and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions. Inadequate health literacy is associated with health disparities, poor health outcomes, and increased emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations. Children with medical complexity (CMC) have high rates of acute health care utilization. We examined the association of parental health literacy with acute care utilization and costs in CMC. This cross-sectional study included parents of CMC receiving primary care at a free-standing children's hospital. We measured parental health literacy using the Single Item Literacy Screener, which measures the assistance needed to read health care materials. Our main predictor was parental health literacy, categorized as adequate versus inadequate. In a sensitivity analysis, we categorized health literacy as never needing assistance versus needing any assistance. Main outcomes were annual ED visits, hospitalizations, and associated costs. Of the 236 parents of CMC, 5.5% had inadequate health literacy. Health literacy was not associated with acute care utilization or associated costs. In our sensitivity analysis, CMC whose parents need any assistance to read health care materials had 188% higher ED costs (adjusted rate ratio 2.88 [95% confidence interval: 1.63-5.07]) and 126% higher hospitalization costs (adjusted rate ratio 2.26 [95% confidence interval: 1.49-3.44]), compared with CMC whose parents never need assistance. Inadequate parental health literacy was not associated with acute care utilization. However, CMC of parents needing any assistance to read health materials had higher ED and hospitalization costs. Further multicenter studies are needed.

Case Study and Literature Review on 3D Data Acquisition Technology for Small Artifacts

This study typification artifacts and data acquisition technologies and derived implications through a survey of domestic and oversea cases related to 3D data acquisition technology for small artifacts equal to or less than 15 cm. In terms of the type of relics, ceramics and earthenware(44.8%) and metals(27.6%) occupied the top ranks, while the proportion of wood and stone was relatively very low. In terms of technology, X-ray CT(61.2%), 3D scanning(15.5%), and photogrammetry(11.7%) showed high utilization rates. In order to ensure the sustainability and utilization of cultural heritage at a macro level, it is necessary to establish an accurate analysis of relics and a preservation strategy that complements the limitations of 3D data acquisition technology through the convergence of various technologies to increase the effectiveness of data acquisition, and to determine the external shape of the relics. An in-depth approach to future convergence technology is required to acquire high-precision 3D data, including information as well as internal structure and manufacturing techniques.

Sustainable Business Models for Innovative Urban Mobility Services

Any sharing mobility service aims to make urban mobility sustainable to help reduce environmental impacts and improve the quality of life for all in cities. Many transport services are not currently self-sustainable. The Life for Silver Coast (LifeSC) opened its mobility services on 22 May 2021 and offered electric mobility services during the summer for a few cities in Tuscany. E-bikes and e-scooters can be financially neutral, and even profitable, thanks to the low costs of the vehicles, but they only see a high utilization rate in winter. Shared electric cars, meanwhile, are not profitable. A new shared service that is viable must be profitable to become widely adopted and significantly contribute to sustainability. A few key characteristics have been identified, and one has been tested with a new business model that combines ride-sharing and car-sharing. The innovative Ride Sharing Algorithm (RSA) has been tested based on data from a potential city, Monterondo, where many commuters travel daily to Rome by train. The Italian census and local survey data allowed for the simulation of the scheduling of vehicle rides and an evaluation of the economic results, which could be positive if enough interest for such a system exists among the people, as at least 400 commuters from Monterotondo go to the train station daily in the morning and return in the afternoon. Such a transport demand would justify a new commercial sharing service by using the model tested with the RSA algorithm.

Dynamic coupled coordination and spatial correlation between ice-snow tourism network attention and tourism industry development systems: Evidence from 31 provinces of China

Using the coupled coordination degree model, DEA coupled coordination efficiency model, and spatial autocorrelation model, this study explored the dynamic coupled coordination relationship and spatial correlation between the ice-snow tourism network attention and tourism industry development in 31 Chinese provinces and proposed suggestions pertaining to development. Our findings showed that (1) most provinces have not yet achieved excellent coordinated development between the two systems, and the coupled coordination efficiency is low. Each province's coupled coordination degree and coordination efficiency exhibited a small increase. (2) Spatial differences in the coupled coordination level and coordination efficiency of the two systems in each province were more evident. In seven provinces, including Heilongjiang, tourism industry development demonstrated a relatively high utilization rate and enhanced ice-snow tourism network attention. (3) The rankings of the coupled coordination degree and coordination efficiency of the two systems in each province remained relatively stable at the upper and lower ends, with large changes in the central provinces. The coupled coordination efficiency of Heilongjiang, Beijing, Jilin, and Shanghai remained at the top of the list steadily, whereas Tibet, Anhui, and Qinghai stayed at the bottom. In contrast, the ranking of the coupled coordination efficiency of Inner Mongolia, Henan, and Jiangsu displayed a great change. (4) The spatial correlation analysis revealed a positive correlation that decreased annually. Some provinces exhibited characteristics of spatial aggregation, with a high-high aggregation effect in Liaoning and Jilin, a low-low aggregation effect in Gansu and Qinghai, and no spatial aggregation effect in most other provinces.

Compressive behaviour of concrete columns confined with textile reinforced concrete composites

The enhancement of strength and deformation capacity in confined concrete members could be achieved through the application of advanced composite materials. Textile reinforced concrete (TRC), a novel cement-based composite material, is considered as a viable alternative to fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) sheets, addressing the limitations associated with organic resins. This study delved into the impact of various parameters, such as cross-section shapes, concrete strengths, and the number of TRC layers, on the confinement effect. The results reveal a consistent augmentation in both axial compressive strength and deformation capacity of confined concrete with an escalation in the number of TRC layers, irrespective of the cross-sectional configurations. Notably, the maximum enhancements in axial peak stress for rectangular, square, and circular specimens are recorded at 45.96 %, 49.98 %, and 90.06 %, respectively, accompanied by corresponding increases in axial strains of 56.28 %, 53.74 %, and 86.00 %, respectively. The effectiveness of TRC confinement exhibits a substantial correlation with the geometry of the cross-sections. The circular ones have higher utilization rates followed by the square ones, and the rectangular ones with section aspect ratio greater than 1.0 have the lowest utilization rates. Furthermore, an evaluation of existing confinement identification models indicates that both the Mirminan Model and Wu Model could effectively delineate the hardening and softening characteristics of circular and rectangular specimens. However, there exists scope for improving the accuracy of these models. Therefore, a novel modified identification model, predicated on the Mirminan model, was proposed to refine the confinement assessment process. The revised modified confinement ratio (MCR) is recommended at a value of 0.045, aiming to elevate the precision and reliability of confinement evaluations in concrete structures.

Research Progress of Pt-Based Catalysts toward Cathodic Oxygen Reduction Reactions for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) have been considered by many countries and enterprises because of their cleanness and efficiency. However, due to their high cost and low platinum utilization rate, the commercialization process of PEMFC is severely limited. The cathode catalyst layer (CCL) plays an important role in manipulating the performance and lifespan of PEMFCs, which makes them one of the most significant research focuses in this community. In the CCL, the intrinsic activity and stability of the catalysts determine the performance and lifetime of the catalyst layer. In this paper, the composition and working principle of the PEMFC and cathode catalyst layer are briefly introduced, focusing on Pt-based catalysts for oxygen reduction reactions (ORRs). The research progress of Pt-based catalysts in the past five years is particularly reviewed, mainly concentrating on the development status of emerging Pt-based catalysts which are popular in the current research field, including novel concepts like phase regulation (intermetallic alloys and high-entropy alloys), interface engineering (coupled low-Pt/Pt-free catalysts), and single-atom catalysts. Finally, the future research and development directions of Pt-based ORR catalysts are summarized and prospected.

Local Load Migration in High-Capacity Fog Computing

Fog computing brings storage and computational capabilities closer to the data source, which reduces latency and enhances efficiency in processing data. However, these capabilities are resource-constrained at the fog nodes as compared to the cloud core. This limitation can result in high computational loads that yield in saturation and congestion at the fog nodes when processing large traffic volumes. Hence, this paper introduces a novel load migration scheme for delay-sensitive and computation-intensive requests in fog computing without relaying to the cloud core, thus avoiding prolonged link delays. First, a grouped service function chain (SFC) provisioning framework is embedded on a heterogeneous architecture composed of super fog (SF) and ordinary fog (OF) nodes, where all the virtual network functions (VNFs) in the SFC are mapped on a single SF node to reduce resource use. Here, the SF nodes are always in active mode to receive incoming traffic, whereas the OF nodes are maintained in idle mode to save power and computing resources. When the SF node approaches a saturation threshold alarm, it diffuses its load (hosted VNFs) gradually to neighboring OF nodes in the vicinity, thus avoiding saturation at the SF node and providing service continuity. The framework is implemented on a resource-constrained network to achieve realistic operating conditions. Overall, the proposed work achieves high admission and resource utilization rates, reduced delays, and power consumption, as compared to key network architectures and provisioning schemes that separately map delay-sensitive and computation-intensive on hierarchical fog layers, which incur increased delays, network traffic, and power usage.

Management of Teaching Space and Time: Evidence from Tertiary Institutions in Ghana

Overcrowding in classrooms is a common issue in tertiary institutions in Ghana. Proper management of teaching space and time is critical for maximising the use of available resources and stressful-free learning environment for students in tertiary institutions. This article aims to provide empirical evidence and practical recommendations for improving the management of teaching space and time in Ghana's tertiary institutions. The study is grounded in utilization theory, and adopted a descriptive survey design. The population for this study consists of 26 general-purpose lecture rooms available at a university in Ghana. Census Sampling was applied to select all the 26 general-purpose lecture rooms. The instruments used for data collection was an observation checklist. Quantitative results from the observation checklist were analysed using teaching space utilization formulas. The study revealed that general-purpose lecture rooms were underutilized in terms of time but were efficiently utilized in terms of space. The study also found that the lecture rooms have high utilization rates on Mondays and low utilization on Fridays. Additionally, morning sessions revealed efficient utilization, while afternoon and evening sessions were underutilized. The study recommends implementation of centralized timetabling and computerization of space allocation. Additionally, the study recommends for provision of a few more large general purpose lecture rooms to accommodate very large class sizes, which can also be partitioned effectively to accommodate small class sizes for efficient utilization of the lecture rooms.

Molecular Engineering of Porous Fe-N-C Catalyst with Sulfur Incorporation for Boosting CO2 Reduction and Zn-CO2 Battery.

Transition metal-nitrogen-carbon (M-N-C) catalysts have emerged as promising candidates for electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) due to their uniform active sites and high atomic utilization rate. However, poor efficiency at low overpotentials and unclear reaction mechanisms limit the application of M-N-C catalysts. In this study, Fe-N-C catalysts are developed by incorporating S atoms onto ordered hierarchical porous carbon substrates with a molecular iron thiophenoporphyrin. The well-prepared FeSNC catalyst exhibits superior CO2RR activity and stability, attributes to an optimized electronic environment, and enhances the adsorption of reaction intermediates. It displays the highest CO selectivity of 94.0% at -0.58V (versus the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE)) and achieves the highest partial current density of 13.64mA cm-2 at -0.88V. Furthermore, when employed as the cathode in a Zn-CO2 battery, FeSNC achieves a high-power density of 1.19mW cm-2 and stable charge-discharge cycles. Density functional theory calculations demonstrate that the incorporation of S atoms into the hierarchical porous carbon substrate led to the iron center becoming more electron-rich, consequently improving the adsorption of the crucial reaction intermediate *COOH. This study underscores the significance of hierarchical porous structures and heteroatom doping for advancing electrocatalytic CO2RR and energy storage technologies.