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In this work, we studied the nature and dilemma of the inverse magnetocaloric effect using Ni50Mn36In14 magnetic shape memory alloy. In this context, the inverse magnetocaloric effects of Ni50Mn36In14 magnetic shape memory alloy polycrystalline samples were investigated as a function of annealing heat treatments by the thermo-magnetometry method. Two forms of Ni49TiMn36In14 magnetic shape memory alloy were studied: one that predominantly undergoes a magnetic phase transition and the other that exhibits both a magnetic and martensitic phase transition. The magnetic behaviors and magnetocaloric properties of these alloys were analyzed to investigate the competition between magnetic and lattice contributions to the total entropy change. Finally, the mutually contradictory role of magnetic and lattice contributions was demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Electrode‐assisted techniques are well suited for the separation of ions from solutions with reduced energy and chemical consumption. This emerging platform can benefit greatly from the convection enhanced and zero‐gap reactor designs unlocked by macroporous electrodes, but immobilizing ion‐selective layers on such complex 3D architectures is challenging. Electropolymerization of conductive polymers is proposed as a coating methodology to fabricate highly conformal coatings with electrochemically switchable ion‐exchange functionality. To demonstrate this, the synthetic parameters, resulting morphology, and ionic separation performance of poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) on commercially available carbon paper electrodes are studied. Electropolymerization of PEDOT in organic solvents results in rougher morphologies with high sensitivity to electrochemical protocols employed. When polymerized in aqueous solutions of poly(4‐styrenesulfonate) (PSS−), the resulting PEDOT/PSS blend polymer forms smooth coatings with a controllable thickness down to 0.1 µm. With appropriate voltage bias, PEDOT/PSS coated electrodes can take up and release Ni2+ in the presence of excess Na+. Increasing the coating thickness decreases the adsorption capacity due to mass transfer limitations, and the maximum adsorption capacity for Ni2+ is reached for the thinnest coatings at 228 mg g−1. Through a systematic study of PEDOT/PSS coated carbon paper, electropolymerization is identified to be a promising avenue for porous electrode functionalization.

Real-time immersive video has been an area of interest for the research and standardization community over the past few years. It has gained particular importance in the era of 5G services. 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) Release 17 includes Immersive teleconferencing for Multimedia Telephony services over IP Multimedia System. Viewport-dependent delivery (VDD) is a mechanism for bandwidth savings by assigning more bits to the part of the 360-degree video currently in the viewport and fewer or no bits to the areas of the 360-degree video that a user does not currently view. The technique has been extensively studied in the context of adaptive HTTP streaming of immersive video, where the 360-degree video is pre-encoded in different versions, and the appropriate version is selected and requested by the viewer’s client application, depending on their current viewport orientation. However, conversational video has more stringent latency requirements than HTTP streaming; the time from capture to rendering is in the order of a few milliseconds for a good user experience. Conversational immersive video also allows adapting the encoding during the media delivery session according to the user viewport and network bandwidth characteristics. This paper explores tile-based and viewport region encoding for VDD and how they apply to conversational video. In particular, we explore the challenges related to the absence of periodic intra-coded frames in conversational video. Based on simulation results, we show that VDD methods may not always be a performant alternative to viewport-independent delivery in conversational use cases. We also discuss possible encoder optimization that would improve the VDD performance.

Introduction: Esports players experience excess stress due to performance expectations. Aim: This qualitative study was performed with 8 participants about the stress experience and stress coping strategies of esports players. Method: Voice recordings were made in the study which used the focus group interview method with a semi-structured leading question form about features related to stress and coping. Data were analyzed by identifying thematic content. Results: Data revealed that players experienced stress due to excitement before matches, individual performance concerns, competitors displaying good performance during games, lack of communication between the team and the desire to win the match. Esports players were identified to use emotion-focused coping methods more than other coping methods in order to deal with stress. Conclusions: The study recommends that information be given to esports players about what they can do in relation to stress management for effective coping with stress (like nutrition, sleep, physical activity, social support, positive thinking, breathing and relaxation exercises). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Giant barocaloric effects were recently reported for spin-crossover materials. The volume change in these materials suggests that the transition can be influenced by uniaxial stress, and give rise to giant elastocaloric properties. However, no measurements of the elastocaloric properties in these compounds have been reported so far. Here, we demonstrated the existence of elastocaloric effects associated with the spin-crossover transition. We dissolved particles of ([Fe(L) 2 ](BF 4 ) 2 , [L=2,6di(pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine]) into a polymeric matrix. We showed that the application of tensile uniaxial stress to a composite film resulted in a significant elastocaloric effect. The elastocaloric effect in this compound required lower applied stress than for other prototype elastocaloric materials. Additionally, this phenomenon occurred for low values of strain, leading to coefficient of performance of the material being one order of magnitude larger than that of other elastocaloric materials. We believe that spin-crossover materials are a good alternative to be implemented in eco-friendly refrigerators based on elastocaloric effects., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Introduction: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is the gold standard for patients with acute cholecystitis at early period. However, 15%-20% of patients with acute cholecystitis develop obstructive jaundice, cholangitis and bile duct stones ultimately requiring endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). In such cases, a two-session approach is usually recommended, first ERCP followed by LC thereafter. However, the effect of prior ERCP on the difficulty of subsequent LC is unknown. Hence, the aim of the present study is to determine the effects of previous ERCP on the results of LC., Patients and Methods: In this study, the files of 1500 patients who underwent LC were reviewed retrospectively. The patients were divided into three groups (500 patients for each group). The patients undergoing LC for asymptomatic cholelithiasis were assigned to the L-e group. The patients who underwent LC for acute cholecystitis were assigned to the L-c group. The patients with acute cholecystitis who underwent ERCP first and then LC were assigned to the L-ercp group. The rates of conversion to open cholecystectomy, operation times, complication rates and hospital stays of the three groups were compared., Results: The results of LC performed after ERCP are similar to the results of LC for cholecystitis without ERCP in terms of operation time, hospital stay, conversion and complications., Conclusions: Previous ERCP does not affect the safety and effectiveness of early LC in patients with acute cholecystitis., (Copyright © 2024 Copyright: © 2024 Journal of Minimal Access Surgery.)

In this study, we report the structural, magnetic, and magnetocaloric properties of B substitution on the Mn site in Ni 43 Mn 46- x B x In 11 ( x = 0.5, 1.0) Heusler alloys. Crystal structure analysis using room-temperature x-ray diffraction data reveals both samples have mixed phases composed of cubic and tetragonal phases. The structural and magnetic phase transition characteristic temperatures are determined using differential scanning calorimetry, isothermal magnetization (M T ), and isofield magnetization (MH) measurements. Both alloys exhibit inverse and direct magnetocaloric effects in the vicinity of their magnetostructural transition and Curie temperature ( T C ), respectively. For Ni 43 B 45.0 B 1.0 In 11 a maximum magnetic entropy change of 25.06 J kg -1 K -1 is observed at 250 K for a magnetic field change of 5 T., (Creative Commons Attribution license.)

The present study introduces a new gamified stepper device designed for bilateral lower limb rehabilitation, which is combined with a 3-D exergame. To the best of our knowledge, this is the initial study to utilize the stepping exercise for seated lower limb rehabilitation. The device comprises a stepping mechanism and a magnetic encoder. The modified stepper facilitates the bilateral training in the lower limb within its workspace. The magnetic encoder provides real-time rotational angle data during the exercise. A task-specific exergame platform was created and integrated with the device to enhance user compliance and engagement with the exercise. Experiments were conducted with ten healthy individuals with no history of lower limb injury to evaluate the system's feasibility for providing bilateral training and the effectiveness of the exergame platform. Participants were asked to perform bilateral lower limb exercise with a metronome and gamified stepper device in a seated position. Lower limb range of motion (ROM) and EMG activations were recorded during the exercises. The results indicate that the device was capable of providing cyclical ROM training with reduced muscle activation of the lower limb, and the exergame platform increased motivation to continue the exercises. This study can serve as the foundation for developing a robotic version of the proposed stepper device.

In this study, we examine Ni 49 Nb 1 Mn 36 In 14 (nom. at.%) magnetic shape memory alloy (MSMA) to illustrate the inverse magnetocaloric effect (MCE) using the fraction method. The magnetic entropy change,ΔSmag, was calculated with both, the fraction method and the thermomagnetic Maxwell relation. Our results demonstrate that there exists a large magnetization difference between field-cooling and field-heating histories in Ni 49 Nb 1 Mn 36 In 14 (nom. at.%) MSMA, which can be attributed to the pinning of lattice entropy and magnetic entropy, as it is well-known that the temperature and applied magnetic fields have an opposing effect on the total entropy change. In addition, we describe the inverse MCE and the contradictory roles on the total entropy change between the two stimuli via the fraction method., (Creative Commons Attribution license.)