Binocular rivalry: A window into emotional processing in aging.

Previous binocular rivalry studies with younger adults have shown that emotional stimuli dominate perception over neutral stimuli. Here we investigated the effects of age on patterns of emotional dominance during binocular rivalry. Participants performed a face/house rivalry task where the emotion of the face (happy, angry, neutral) and orientation (upright, inverted) of the face and house stimuli were varied systematically. Age differences were found with younger adults showing a general emotionality effect (happy and angry faces were more dominant than neutral faces) and older adults showing inhibition of anger (neutral faces were more dominant than angry faces) and positivity effects (happy faces were more dominant than both angry and neutral faces). Age differences in dominance patterns were reflected by slower rivalry rates for both happy and angry compared to neutral face/house pairs in younger adults, and slower rivalry rates for happy compared to both angry and neutral face/house pairs in older adults. Importantly, these patterns of emotional dominance and slower rivalry rates for emotional-face/house pairs disappeared when the stimuli were inverted. This suggests that emotional valence, and not low-level image features, were responsible for the emotional bias in both age groups. Given that binocular rivalry has a limited role for voluntary control, the findings imply that anger suppression and positivity effects in older adults may extend to more automatic tasks. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Detecting deception attacks in cyber-physical linear parameter varying systems with packet loss

The increased connectivity of cyber-physical systems (CPS) to enterprise networks raises challenging security concerns. Detecting attacks on CPS is a vital step to improving their security. Most of the existing attack detectors are for CPS with linear dynamics. In this study, an investigation is made for designing a detector of deception attacks in a cyber-physical linear parameter varying (LPV) system in the presence of packet loss. A model-based attack detector is designed to detect deception attacks on output measurements, actuators, or schedule variables. With an unreliable network, the LPV attack detector enhances detection capacity and attenuates disturbances on the detector module to improve detection accuracy. During communication, packet loss results in network unreliability, which is modeled by the Bernoulli process. Stochastic stability is used to determine LPV attack detector parameters. A residual signal is built by comparing the detector's output and the actual sensor measurement and provides the deception attack's essential data. However, the packet loss causes some impulse signals in the residual signal, resulting in false alarms. Therefore, the detector module is equipped with a median filter to suppress packet loss's effect on evaluating the residual signal. Tests and validations of the proposed approach are performed on a two-tank system and a continuous stirred tank reactor. According to evaluation results conducted on two testbeds, the proposed method accurately detects deception attacks even when there is packet loss.     

1,4-Diazabicyclo [2.2.2] Octane Functionalized Mesoporous Silica SBA-15 (SBA-15@DABCO): a Novel Highly Selective Adsorbent for Selective Separation/Preconcentration of Cr(VI) from Environmental Water Samples

Silicon - In this research, the potential application of 1,4-Diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO) functionalized mesoporous SBA-15 (SBA-15@DABCO) was evaluated as a new and efficient adsorbent for the...     

Laser-Induced,Green and Biocompatible Paper-Based Devices for Circular Electronics

The growing usage and consumption of electronics-integrated items into the daily routine has raised concerns on the disposal and proper recycling of these components. Here, a fully sustainable and green technology for the fabrication of different electronics on fruit-waste derived paper substrate, is reported. The process relies on the carbonization of the topmost surface of different cellulose-based substrates, derived from apple-, kiwi-, and grape-based processes, by a CO₂ laser. By optimizing the lasing parameters, electronic devices, such as capacitors, biosensors, and electrodes for food monitoring as well as heart and respiration activity analysis, are realized. Biocompatibility tests on fruit-based cellulose reveal no shortcoming for on-skin applications. The employment of such natural and plastic-free substrate allows twofold strategies for electronics recycling. As a first approach, device dissolution is achieved at room temperature within 40 days, revealing transient behavior in natural solution and leaving no harmful residuals. Alternatively, the cellulose-based electronics is reintroduced in nature, as possible support for plant seeding and growth or even soil amendment. These results demonstrate the realization of green, low-cost and circular electronics, with possible applications in smart agriculture and the Internet-of-Thing, with no waste creation and zero or even positive impact on the ecosystem.     

Facile Fabrication of Monodispersed Carbon Sphere: A Pathway Toward Energy-Efficient Direct Air Capture (DAC) Using Amino Acids

Direct removal of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere, known as direct air capture (DAC) is attracting worldwide attention as a negative emission technology to control atmospheric CO₂ concentrations. However, the energy-intensive nature of CO₂ absorption-desorption processes has restricted deployment of DAC operations. Catalytic solvent regeneration is an effective solution to tackle this issue by accelerating CO₂ desorption at lower regeneration temperatures. This work reports a one-step synthesis methodology to prepare monodispersed carbon nanospheres (MCSs) using trisodium citrate as a structure-directing agent with acidic sites. The assembly of citrate groups on the surface of MCSs enables consistent spherical growth morphology, reduces agglomeration and enhances water dispersibility. The functionalization-assisted synthesis produces uniform, hydrophilic nanospheres of 100–600 nm range. This work also demonstrates that the prepared MCSs can be further functionalized with strong Brønsted acid sites, providing high proton donation ability. Furthermore, the materials can be effectively used in a wide range of amino acid solutions to substantially accelerate CO₂ desorption (25.6% for potassium glycinate and 41.1% for potassium lysinate) in the DAC process. Considering the facile synthesis of acidic MCSs and their superior catalytic efficiency, these findings are expected to pave a new path for energy-efficient DAC.     

Comparison of UV-Cl and UV-H2O2 advanced oxidation processes in the degradation of contaminants from water and wastewater: A review

Applications of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) in water and wastewater treatment have been the subject of growing interest throughout the last decade. Although UV/hydrogen peroxide (UV-H₂O₂) is the most established technology among the UV-AOPs, UV-chlorine (UV-Cl) is emerging as a reliable and potentially more cost-effective alternative. Recent studies have indicated that UV-Cl processes may be more efficient and economically favourable for the degradation of some chemicals of emerging concern from contaminated water. Moreover, in terms of the formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs), UV-H₂O₂ seems to have no superiority over UV-Cl. This said, more investigation in the assessment of genotoxicity and cytotoxicity of DBPs is required. Additionally, more pilot-scale and full-scale studies are required to establish UV-Cl as a reliable alternative to UV- H₂O₂. This paper compares UV-Cl and UV-H₂O₂ AOPs for the degradation of intractable chemicals from water and wastewater based on the practical considerations of efficiency, cost, DBP formation, kinetics and sensitivity to water matrix variability. Finally, various modelling approaches to UV-Cl have been reviewed. This review showed that UV-Cl is superior to UV-H₂O₂ in terms of degradation efficiency and cost effectiveness and can be a robust alternative in many UV-AOPs applications.     

The post-annealing effect on tribological and corrosion behaviors of CrN/AlCrN multilayered coating applied by CAE-PVD

The present study investigated the wear and electrochemical behaviors of CrN/AlCrN multilayered coatings post-annealed at 300, 450, and 600°C temperatures. The cathodic arc evaporation technique has been utilized to deposit the coatings. Scanning electron microscope, field emission SEM, energy-dispersive X-ray, grazing incidence X-ray diffraction, and Rockwell-C indenter methods were used to characterize the coatings and to investigate the interdiffusion between the multilayered CrN/AlCrN and the H13 base metal. The results showed that the sharp interface of the CrN and AlCrN layers was blurred by the annealing process supporting the interdiffusion of the layers. The reciprocating wear test and the microhardness tester were used to evaluate the coatings’ mechanical behavior. The hardness and roughness of the coatings were increased by increasing the post-annealing temperature. The smallest wear rates were observed for the samples treated at 300 and 450°C, which were approximately 17 times and 12 times smaller than the wear rate of the sample annealed at 600°C. Electrochemical testing was used to study the corrosion behavior of the coatings. The results showed that by increasing annealing temperature, corrosion resistances of the coatings are improved. As a result, the corrosion current density of the 600°C annealed coating was approximately 434 times smaller than as-deposited coatings.     

Post-disaster damage classification based on deep multi-view image fusion

This study aims to facilitate a more reliable automated postdisaster assessment of damaged buildings based on the use of multiple view imagery. Toward this, a Multi-View Convolutional Neural Network (MV-CNN) architecture is proposed, which combines the information from different views of a damaged building, resulting in 3-D aggregation of the 2-D damage features from each view. This spatial 3-D context damage information will result in more accurate and reliable damage quantification in the affected buildings. For validation, the presented model is trained and tested on a real-world visual data set of expert-labeled buildings following Hurricane Harvey. The developed model demonstrates an accuracy of 65% in predicting the exact damage states of buildings, and around 81% considering ±1 class deviation from ground-truth, based on a five-level damage scale. Value of information (VOI) analysis reveals that the hybrid models, which consider at least one aerial and ground view, perform better.     

Influence of polyethyleneimine layer and zinc nitrate on morphology and structure of PES-based membranes with highly selective properties

In this paper, nanofiltration (NF) polymer membranes based on polyestersulphone (PES) were prepared by the phase inversion method. Polyethyleneimine (PEI) and zinc nitrate (Zn(NO₃)₂) as a surface modifier and glutealdehyde (GA) as cross-linker was used. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis (FTIR) was used to confirm the chemical composition on the membrane surface. Membranes were also characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and 3D surface images. Water contact angle, average pore size and porosity measurements, water flux, salt rejection, and membrane anti-fouling ability were discussed. Modified membranes showed a smoother surface than the original membrane. The amount of pure water flux decreased with increasing the concentration of modifiers at the surface, but the yield of Na₂SO₄ salt increased, 53% in virgin membrane and 83% in M3 membrane. Modified membranes had better anti-fouling and hydrophilicity properties than primary membranes. The lowest contact angle value was 26.2° for M4. Also, the best anti-clogging comparable properties were for the M3 membrane with FRR = 63.37%, R_r = 10.69%, R_ir = 36.6%, and R_t = 47.3%. By increasing the concentration of modifiers, the removal of CuNO₃⁻ and CuSO₄ improved that the M1 membrane (97.59%) had the highest Cu(NO₃)₂ separation and the M4 membrane (87.5%) had the most increased CuSO₄ separation.     

Comprehensive kinetic study for Fischer–Tropsch reaction over KMoFe/CNTs nano-structured catalyst

The kinetics of the Fischer–Tropsch (FT) reaction was evaluated through detailed experimentation with a KMo bimetallic promoted Fe catalyst supported on carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The kinetic tests were conducted in a fixed-bed reactor under operating conditions of P = 6.9–41.3 bar, T = 543–563 K, H₂/CO = 1, gas hourly specific velocity (GHSV) = 2000 h⁻¹. This study aimed to investigate the mechanism prevailing in CO activation and the rate equation for CO consumption during FT reactions over a 0.5K5Mo10Fe/CNTs catalyst. To evaluate the synergistic effects of Fe, Mo, and K phases on the catalyst activity, both fresh and spent catalysts were thoroughly characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES), and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) to ascertain the different phases (active sites) present and relevant interactions. Based on the adsorption of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, 22 possible mechanisms for monomer formation were proposed for FT synthesis in accordance with the Langmuir–Hinshelwood–Hougen–Watson (LHHW) and Eley–Rideal (ER) adsorption theories. The best fit kinetic model was identified through a multi-variable non-linear regression analysis. The selected mechanistic model was based on carbide formation approach, where H₂-assisted adsorption of CO was considered for the derivation. Kinetic parameters such as activation energy, adsorption enthalpies of H₂, and CO were estimated to be 65.0, −13.0, and −54.0 kJ/mol, respectively. Considering the developed kinetic model, the effects of reaction temperature and pressure were assessed on Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) product distribution. Additionally, the kinetic model was compared with the typical Anderson–Schulz–Flory model, suggesting the effects of water-gas-shift and the existence of additional formation pathway such as secondary re-adsorption of olefins for heavier hydrocarbons.