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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]

Abstract: We study magnetothermal properties of the La0.775Gd0.225Mn2Si2 compound. The magnetic contribution to the heat capacity is estimated by zero-field and 0.5 T magnetic field data. According to Arrott plot, the La0.775Gd0.225Mn2Si2 has a second order transition at a Curie temperature (T C ) and a first order transition at a lower temperature. The λ-type peak in the heat capacity data also confirms the second order transition at the Curie temperature. We determined the electronic, magnetic and lattice contributions to the heat capacity. In addition, Debye temperature and N(E F) are estimated by heat capacity data as a function of temperature under zero and 0.5 T magnetic field. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The influences of iron-alloying on the structure, magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of the Tb5Si2Ge2 compound have been studied using X-ray powder diffraction and magnetization measurements. X-ray diffraction studies show that both the alloyed and non-alloyed samples crystallize in the P1121/a monoclinic structure at room temperature. As the temperature is lowered, a first-order magnetic transition is observed in the parent compound, whereas only a second-order magnetic transition is recorded for the compounds alloyed with iron. Iron-alloying in small amounts of 2x ≈0.05 reduces the magnetic hysteresis significantly while retaining the magnitude of the change in magnetic entropy change. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] 55Mn and 145Nd NMR have been observed for La1−x Nd x Mn2Si2 (x =0.35 and 0.40). [•] The temperature dependence of NMR for La0.65Nd0.35Mn2Si2 is different from that published previously for similar type of compound. [•] Magnetic moments of Mn and Nd have been obtained from hyperfine field analysis. [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.)

Introduction: The effect of intrauterine administration of Momordica charantia L. (MC) extract on oxidative changes and pregnancy rate in infertile cows was investigated., Material and Methods: Endometrial smear specimens were taken from 40 cows with fertility problems for cytological examination, and the cows were randomly divided into two groups: group I (n = 20) was subjected to intrauterine administration of 40 mL (0.25 g/mL) of MC extract, group II (n = 20) was subjected to intrauterine administration of 40 mL of pure olive oil. Blood samples were taken starting from the day of administration of MC extract or olive oil (day 0) and then for three weeks at weekly intervals (days 7, 14, 21). Blood serum samples were evaluated for total antioxidant capacity (TAS), total oxidant level (TOS), oxidative stress index (OSI), lipid hydroperoxide (LOOH), and nitric oxide (NO) levels. In addition, on the 14 th day following treatment, two doses of PGF2α were administrated to all cows at 14-day intervals. Following the second PGF2α administration, insemination and GnRH administration was performed at the 60 th h after PGF2α treatment. Smear samples were stained with Giemsa and immunohistochemically to determine cytological changes and inflammatory status., Results: According to cytological findings, subclinical endometritis was a prevalent disorder in cows with infertility problem (82.5%; 33/40). Additionally, 60.6% (20/33) of the cows with subclinical endometritis had acute inflammation, whereas remaining 13 cows had chronic endometritis. Of the cows with subclinical endometritis, 50% (8/16) and 35% (6/17) became pregnant in group I and II, respectively (P > 0.05). Although the oxidative stress parameters showed similarities between both groups (P > 0.05), there was a significant difference (P < 0.001) between the groups in terms of mean NO and LOOH levels (NO - 31.20 ± 11.38 vs 44.53 ± 11.50 μmol/L and LOOH - 1.22 ± 0.37 vs 1.89 ± 0.36 μmol/L)., Conclusion: The obtained results indicated that MC administration, especially in the presence of active inflammation, may improve the pregnancy rate by positive reduction of oxidative changes., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interests Statement: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this article.

In the present study, 13 clinical cases of canine mammary adenocarcinoma were evaluated in order to understand the effect of Tarantula cubensis extract (TCE) on tumor tissue. Punch biopsies were taken from the tumors before treatment with TCE. Subcutaneous injections of TCE were administered three times at weekly intervals (3 mL per dog). Between days 7 and 10 after the third injection, the tumor masses were extirpated by complete unilateral mastectomy. Pre- and post-treatment tumor tissues were immunohistochemically assessed. The expression of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) was found to be higher in pre-treatment compared to post-treatment tissues (p < 0.01) whereas Ki-67 expression was lower in post-treatment tissues (p < 0.01). No significant differences in fibroblast growth factor or vascular endothelial growth factor expression were observed between pre- and post-treatment tissues (p > 0.05). The apoptotic index was determined to be low before treatment and increased during treatment. These results suggest that TCE may be effective for controlling the local growth of canine mammary adenocarcinoma by regulating apoptosis.