Split-attention effects in multimedia learning environments: eye-tracking and EEG analysis

Multimedia Tools and Applications - This study aimed to evaluate the split-attention effect in multimedia learning environments via objective measurements as EEG and eye-tracking. Two different...     

The electrical and dielectric characterization of the Co/ZnO-Rods/p-Si heterostructure depending on the frequency

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics - Zinc oxide (ZnO) rods film was fabricated by homemade and simple spray pyrolysis technique on a p-type silicon (Si) substrate, and the film...     

Groundwater Level Simulation Using Soft Computing Methods with Emphasis on Major Meteorological Components

Water Resources Management - Precise estimation of groundwater level (GWL) might be of great importance for attaining sustainable development goals and integrated water resources management....     

Polar Lipids Reduce In Vitro Duodenal Lipolysis Rate of Oat Oil and Liquid Oat Base Products

Alternative ways for increased appetite control are today widely sought for due to the growing global health issues connected to obesity. In in vivo studies, oat has been proven an attractive candidate for inducing satiety. Oat is rich in polar lipids, of which the galactolipids are especially interesting, and a hypothesis is that these lipids play an important role for the ileal brake mechanism. In this study, the aim is to investigate the role of polar oat lipids on pancreatic lipolysis rate, using a pH-stat based in vitro digestion model of the duodenum. Lipolysis of oat oil, a mix of oat oil/rapeseed oil (RSO), as well as a liquid oat base (OB) simulating an oat drink with different polar lipid content are investigated, and compared with RSO as control. Increasing the polar lipid content of the product digested leads to a significantly decreased lipolysis rate, and this effect is even observed when mixing RSO with a low amount of oat oil (10%). The results support the hypothesis that polar lipids can delay lipolysis also in a complex, natural system like the liquid OB, and even a minor amount of oat lipids can have large effect on lipolysis rates. Practical applications: The number of studies connecting galactolipids with a decreasing effect on duodenal lipolysis is growing; however, the mechanism behind this phenomenon is still not clarified. Here, the same effect is seen in a complex, natural food system. These findings open up for interesting future food products, where inclusion of oat oil, even at low concentrations, can have a prolonging effect on satiety. Oat for human consumption is an increasing market, thanks to the positive health benefits oat has been connected to, in combination with the current trend toward climate-friendly plant-based options for meat and dairy products. It is believed that oat oil can be attractive as an ingredient in various food products, for example, protein bars and spreads. More studies are needed to confirm the results in vivo. However, a great potential is seen for the use of oat oil to enhance appetite control.     

One step densification of SDC—Na2CO3 nano-composite electrolytes for SOFC applications by cold sintering process

Sm_0.2Ce_0.8O_1.9- 30% Na₂CO₃ (Sm doped ceria (SDC)-30N) nano-composite electrolytes were densified in a single step via cold sintering process (CSP). At 200°C and 450 MPa of uniaxial pressure, samples up to 97% of their theoretical density could be obtained. The effect of processing parameters, such as temperature, uniaxial pressure, processing duration, and moisture content, on the densification of the nano-composite electrolytes was investigated. The thermal, microstructural, and electrical properties of nano-composites were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffractometer, scanning electron microscope, and EIS analysis. SDC crystallite sizes were found to be around 25 nm, barely coarsened after CSP by which the true nano nature of the nano-composite could be preserved. Because, by conventional processing high density values could not be attained and high processing temperatures in excess of 600°C had to be used, promoting particle coarsening. The highest total electrical conductivity was found to be 2.2 × 10⁻² S cm⁻¹ at 600°C, with an activation energy of 0.83 eV for SDC-30N nano-composites. The present investigation revealed that the implementation of cold sintering technique resulted in significant enhancements in the densification of nano-composite electrolytes, thereby rendering them suitable for efficient utilization in SOFC applications, as compared to the conventional production methods.     

TENET: a new hybrid network architecture for adversarial defense

International Journal of Information Security - Deep neural network (DNN) models are widely renowned for their resistance to random perturbations. However, researchers have found out that these...     

Robust and Practical Analog-to-Digital Conversion With Exponential Precision

Beta-encoders with error correction were introduced by Daubechies, DeVore, Guumlntuumlrk and Vaishampayan as an alternative to pulse-code modulation (PCM) for analog-to-digital conversion. An N-bit beta-encoder quantizes a real number by computing one of its N-bit truncated beta-expansions where betaisin(1,2) determines the base of expansion. These encoders have (almost) optimal rate-distortion properties like PCM; furthermore, they exploit the redundancy of beta-expansions and thus they are robust with respect to quantizer imperfections. However, these encoders have the shortcoming that the decoder needs to know the value of the base of expansion beta, a gain factor in the circuit used by the encoder, which is an impractical constraint. We present a method to implement beta-encoders so that they are also robust with respect to uncertainties of the value of beta. The method relies upon embedding the value of beta in the encoded bitstream. We show that this can be done without a priori knowledge of beta by the transmitting party. Moreover the algorithm still works if the value of beta changes (slowly) during the implementation