Research works

We are not all the same: Preference-based market segmentation among public transport users in Soweto, South Africa

Identifying travel needs and preferences of different market segments is important in planning public transport systems. Preference-based market segmentation has been researched globally but rarely in the Sub-Saharan African context. This paper seeks to investigate variations in...

Multi-Time-Scale Distributed Voltage Optimization for AC/DC Hybrid Distribution Networks with High-Penetration Photovoltaics

After high-penetration distributed photovoltaics (DPVs) are integrated into AC/DC hybrid distribution networks, stochastic source-load fluctuations, AC-DC coupling, and heterogeneous response characteristics of voltage-regulation devices jointly aggravate voltage violations and r...

Postoperative factors associated with hazardous alcohol use after metabolic and bariatric surgery

Abstract Introduction There is an increased risk of hazardous alcohol use following metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS). Identifying risk factors of hazardous alcohol use, particularly factors that may differentiate risk among those with regular postoperative alcohol consumptio...

Anion States andDissociation Pathways of the UniversalRadiosensitizer Model 2,4-Dichloro-5-nitropyrimidine

Abstract We present a computational investigation into the anion states of 2,4-dichloro-5-nitropyrimidine (NDP), focusing on dissociative electron attachment pathways motivated by recent mass spectrometry experiments. The molecule exhibits a unique combination of low-energy elect...

Contrasting Water-Use Strategies of Ailanthus altissima and Crataegus orientalis Under Drought Stress Reveal Restoration Potential in Mediterranean Drylands

Water availability is the primary environmental factor limiting plant establishment in arid and semi-arid ecosystems, and increasing drought-stress due to climate change is making forest restoration efforts in the Mediterranean basin increasingly critical. The Eastern Mediterrane...

When Institutions Become a Burden: Embedded Institutional Process Mapping as a Framework for Understanding Student Success

The transition into higher education is one of the most consequential junctures in a young person’s trajectory. Institutional retention is an institutional responsibility. When students leave before completing their degree, the default response has been to look at the student, th...

Microelectromechanical Systems-based Acoustic Metamaterials: Design Principles, Microfabrication Strategies, and Emerging Microacoustic Applications

Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS)-based acoustic metamaterials (AMMs) enable precise manipulation of acoustic waves at the microscale through engineered compact, lightweight, subwavelength structures. Unlike most macroscale AMMs fabricated by additive manufacturing, MEMS-base...

Quantifying the 24-h pattern and daily mean behavioural variables of dairy herds related to the environmental temperature and humidity

This study addressed the hypothesis that 24-h patterns of behavioural variables of dairy cows for specific periods within a day (i.e., reflecting the 24-h behavioural pattern) are sensitive to increasing daily mean temperature-humidity index (THI) and may provide complementary in...

Phytochemical profile and in vitro antimicrobial, antiviral, and anticancer activities of Echium angustifolium ethanolic extract

Echium angustifolium is traditionally valued for its therapeutic properties; yet comprehensive studies on its biological activities are limited. Aerial flowering parts were sequentially extracted with solvents of varying polarity. Extracts were analyzed for yield, phytochemical c...

Exercise Training Characteristics and Psycho-Bio-Chemical Outcomes in Individuals with Addictive Behaviours: A Scoping Review

Addictive behaviours are associated with substantial neurobiological, psychological, and behavioural impairments. Exercise training has emerged as a potential complementary strategy in addiction treatment; however, the characteristics of exercise interventions and their associate...

Robust recognition of Tamil inscription letters using a hybrid model combining recurrent neural networks, graph neural networks, and attention mechanisms

Background Character recognition in ancient Tamil inscriptions is a difficult process because of the complex nature, overlapping, and varied sizes of the characters. Traditional Optical Character Recognition (OCR) methods cannot perform optimally in such situations, making it imp...

Advances in Binocular Stereo Vision-Driven 3D Perception and Intelligent Analysis Methods for Agriculture

Binocular stereo vision is a low-cost and scalable 3D perception technology that shows strong potential in agricultural phenotyping and smart agriculture. By estimating depth from multi-view RGB images, it enables non-contact, high-precision sensing of crop structure, canopy morp...

Analysis of CH groups of electrically conductive carbon black

A qualitative and quantitative analysis of aliphatic, aromatic, and olefinic CH groups of conductive carbon black samples obtained by the furnace method was performed in this work. Using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), it was revealed that aliphatic CH groups are...

Design and Experimental Study of a Semi-Active Boom Vibration Damping System for a Shielded Soybean-Maize Sprayer

For the problem that, under the soybean-maize strip intercropping pattern, the installation of anti-drift shields changes the mass and inertia characteristics of the boom of a shielded sprayer, making it prone to severe vibration under complex field excitations and thereby affect...

Experimental mechanical performance and optimized micromechanical modeling of almond and pistachio bio-waste-reinforcement glass-epoxy composites

The increasing need for sustainable and economical composite materials is driving interest in replacing traditional synthetic fillers with eco-friendly, bio-based reinforcements. The cumulative effects of agricultural waste microparticles, particle size, post-curing processes, ma...

NEXAFS and XPS and Structural, Electrical and Thermal Properties of Zn and Ni Codoped Bismuth Antimonate Pyrochlore

The crystal structure and physicochemical properties of a new Ni/Zn codoped bismuth antimonite pyrochlore, synthesized by the solid-phase reaction method, were investigated. The most optimal outcomes of Rietveld refinement for Bi2.7Zn0.46Ni0.70Sb2O10+Δ were achieved for the model...

Ultrafast Auger-MediatedInterlayer Electron Transferin 2D Perovskites: Ab Initio Quantum Dynamics Simulation

Abstract Interlayer charge transport in two-dimensional perovskites is limited by the electronically insulating nature of spacer cations. Here, we identify an unconventional, highly efficient mechanism that overcomes this limitation. Ab initio quantum dynamics reveals that spacer...

Transplant Infectious Diseases Work Standards—Results From a Mid‐Atlantic Regional Survey

BACKGROUND: As transplantation and cellular therapy expand, so must the transplant infectious diseases (TID) workforce; yet little is known about regional or national TID work standards for the existing workforce. This survey of TID clinicians in the mid-Atlantic region seeks to...

IMU- and Vision-Based Measurement Techniques for Joint Kinematics: A Narrative Review

Accurate assessment of joint kinematics is fundamental to biomechanics, rehabilitation, and sports science. Although optical motion capture (OMC) remains the laboratory reference standard for biomechanical validation, its cost, infrastructure requirements, and limited applicabili...

Thrombus in Transit Following Hemodynamic Stabilization in Acute Pulmonary Embolism: A Therapeutic Dilemma

Risk stratification and therapeutic decision-making in acute pulmonary embolism (PE) remain challenging, particularly in patients with apparent hemodynamic stability after an initially unstable presentation. We present the case of a 61-year-old woman with a history of type 2 diab...