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Control rooms play a crucial role in monitoring and managing safety-critical systems, such as power grids, emergency response, and transportation networks. As these systems become increasingly complex and generate more data, the role of human operators is evolving amid growing reliance on automation and autonomous decision-making. This paper explores the balance between leveraging automation for efficiency and preserving human intuition and ethical judgment, particularly in high-stakes scenarios. Through an analysis of control room trends, operator attitudes, and models of human-computer collaboration, this paper highlights the benefits and challenges of automation, including risks of deskilling, automation bias, and accountability. The paper advocates for a hybrid approach of collaborative autonomy, where humans and systems work in partnership to ensure transparency, trust, and adaptability.
Impact of Geometry on Chemical Analysis Exemplified for Photoelectron Spectroscopy of Black Silicon
(2025)
For smooth surfaces, chemical composition can be readily analyzed using various spectroscopic techniques, a prominent example is X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), where the relative proportions of the elements are mainly determined by the intensity ratio of the element-specific photoelectrons. However, this analysis becomes more complex for nanorough surfaces like black silicon (b-Si) due to the geometry's steep slopes, which mimic local variations in emission angles. In this study, this effect is explicitly quantified through an integral geometric analysis using Minkowski tensors, correlating XPS chemical data with topographical information from Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). This approach yields reliable estimates of layer thicknesses for nanorough surfaces. For b-Si, it is found that the oxide layer is ≈50%–80% thicker than the native oxide layer on a standard Si wafer. This study underscores the significant impact of nanoscale geometries on chemical property analysis.
The Active Radar Interferometer (AcRaIn) represents a novel approach in secondary radar technology, aimed at environments with high reflective clutter, such as pipes and tunnels. This study introduces a compact design minimizing peripheral components and leveraging commercial semiconductor technologies operating in the 24 GHz ISM band. A heterodyne principle was adopted to enhance unambiguity and phase coherence without requiring synchronization or separate communication channels. Experimental validation involved free-space and pipe measurements, demonstrating functionality over distances up to 150 m. The radar system effectively reduced interference and achieved high precision in both straight and bent pipe scenarios, with deviations below 1.25% compared to manual measurements. By processing signals at intermediate frequencies, advantages such as improved efficiency, isolation, and system flexibility were achieved. Notably, the integration of amplitude modulation suppressed passive clutter, enabling clearer signal differentiation. Key challenges identified include optimizing signal processing and addressing logarithmic signal attenuation for better precision. These findings underscore AcRaIn’s potential for pipeline monitoring and similar applications.
Physiotherapists’ knowledge, attitude and practice of clinical prediction rules in low-back pain
(2024)
Background and aim: Clinical prediction rules (CPRs) are mathematical tools that are intended to guide clinicians in clinical decision making or predict a future outcome, but they seem rather unknown, under-utilized, or avoided by clinicians. This study aimed to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice of CPRs in low-back pain (LBP) among physiotherapists.
Methods: A cross-sectional study involving 45 consenting specialist musculoskeletal physiotherapists from three public-funded teaching hospitals in Nigeria was carried out. An adapted validated questionnaire on facilitators and barriers to CPRs utilization, and a socio-demographic proforma were used to collect data. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed to analyze data. Alpha level was set at p < 0.05.
Results: Respondents were mostly males (71.1%), married (64.4%) and first-degree holders (55.6%). Twenty-eight (62.2%) of the respondents had above-average knowledge of CPRs in LBP. Rates for positive attitude towards, and utilization of CPRs were 37.8% and 15.6%. Knowledge and attitude about CPRs in LBP were not significantly influenced by socio-demographic factors (p > 0.05). However, there was a significant association between the utilization of CPRs and years of experience (χ2 = 10.339 p = 0.016).
Conclusion: Most Nigerian physiotherapists had above-average knowledge, but a negative attitude and low utilization of CPRs in LBP. Clinicians’ years of clinical experience influence the usage of CPR. There is a need to incorporate training in CPRs into undergraduate and continuous professional development programmes.
This research delves into the emerging paradigm of biocultural systems, focusing on the intricate social-ecological dynamics which created and maintained an ancient farming system, the European wood-pastures. Innovatively conceptualizing wood-pastures as biocultural systems, this study employs a network approach to unravel the complex interactions between human activities and the natural particularities within these environments. By using field surveys and interviews conducted in Transylvania, Romania, this research reconstructs the traditional social-ecological drivers behind the preservation of ancient wood-pastures and their Nature’s Contributions to People (NCP). It identifies key variables and their centrality within the biocultural network, emphasizing that the rich natural values of wood-pastures are inextricably linked to management features. We employ RLQ and fourth corner analyses to investigate the interconnections among biophysical context, biocultural features (i.e. human made and natural features), and NCP, revealing significant correlations and gradients between the broad biophysical setting and the wood-pasture NCP. The findings underscore the importance of maintaining traditional management practices and stewardship to conserve the biodiversity and cultural heritage of wood-pastures. We contribute to a deeper comprehension of biocultural systems and offer insights for effective management and governance of traditional farming landscapes in Europe and beyond.
Widespread insect losses are a critical global problem. Mitigating this problem requires identifying the principal drivers across different taxa and determining which insects are covered by protected areas. However, doing so is hindered by missing information on most species owing to extremely high insect diversity and difficulties in morphological identification. To address this knowledge gap, we used one of the most comprehensive insect DNA metabarcoding data sets assembled (encompassing 31,846 flying insect species) in which data were collected from a network of 75 Malaise traps distributed across Germany. Collection sites encompass gradients of land cover, weather, and climate, along with differences in site protection status, which allowed us to gain broader insights into how insects respond to these factors. We examined changes in total insect biomass, species richness, temporal turnover, and shifts in the composition of taxa, key functional groups (pollinators, threatened species, and invasive species), and feeding traits. Lower insect biomass generally equated to lower richness of all insects and higher temporal turnover, suggesting that biomass loss translates to biodiversity loss and less stable communities. Spatial variability in insect biomass and composition was primarily driven by land cover, rather than weather or climate change. As vegetation and land-cover heterogeneity increased, insect biomass increased by 50% in 2019 and 56% in 2020 and total species richness by 58% and 33%, respectively. Similarly, areas with low-vegetation habitats exhibited the highest richness of key taxa, including pollinators and threatened species, and the widest variety of feeding traits. However, these habitats tended to be less protected despite their higher diversity. Our results highlight the value of heterogeneous low vegetation for promoting overall insect biomass and diversity and that better protection of insects requires improved protection and management of unforested areas, where many biodiversity hotspots and key taxa occur.
Penicillium sp. (IBWF 040-09) produces a protease inhibitor that can potentially be used against the main protease of human African trypanosomiasis. Since the target substance is formed intracellularly (under nutrient limitation), the fungal pellet is preferred compared to the free mycelia in bioreactor cultivation. The optimization of the production of protease inhibitor became the main focus of this study. The effects of the concentrations of spores, calcium chloride, and Pluronic F68 were investigated with regard to fungal growth, pellet morphology, and the production of protease inhibitor. The combination of adjusting the spore concentration and adding Pluronic F68 and calcium chloride increased the probability of achieving the desired morphology. This ensured better reproducibility of the production of the target substance by Penicillium sp. (IBWF 040-09) with the bioreactor system used. In addition, the protease inhibitor was tested in a resazurin assay and showed no noticeable cytotoxic effects on peripheral blood mononuclear cells isolated from whole blood cells.
(1) Objective: This study aims to lay a foundation for noncontact intensive care monitoring of premature babies.
(2) Methods: Arterial oxygen saturation and heart rate were measured using a monochrome camera and time-division multiplex controlled lighting at three different wavelengths (660 nm, 810 nm and 940 nm) on a piglet model.
(3) Results: Using this camera system and our newly designed algorithm for further analysis, the detection of a heartbeat and the calculation of oxygen saturation were evaluated. In motionless individuals, heartbeat and respiration were separated clearly during light breathing and with only minor intervention. In this case, the mean difference between noncontact and contact saturation measurements was 0.7% (RMSE = 3.8%, MAE = 2.93%).
(4) Conclusions: The new sensor was proven effective under ideal animal experimental conditions. The results allow a systematic improvement for the further development of contactless vital sign monitoring systems. The results presented here are a major step towards the development of an incubator with noncontact sensor systems for use in the neonatal intensive care unit.
The Duffing equation containing a cubic nonlinearity is probably the most popular example of a nonlinear oscillator. For its harmonically excited, slightly damped, and softening version, stationary large amplitude solutions at subcritical excitation frequencies are obtained when standard semi-analytical methods like Harmonic Balance or Perturbation Analysis are applied. These solutions have the shape of a nose in the amplitude-frequency diagram. In prior work, it has been observed that these solutions may contain large errors and that high ansatz orders may be necessary when applying the Harmonic Balance or other semi-analytical methods to make them converge. Some of these solutions are observed to be asymptotically stable, while in most cases, they are unstable. The current paper aims to give a descriptive explanation for this behavior of the nose solutions, which is mainly related to the exact solution of the free undamped vibrations. Based on this, approximations of the nose solutions are calculated with a procedure combining properties of Perturbation Analysis and Harmonic Balance. Therein, the exact solution of the free undamped vibrations is taken as the zeroth approximation, while higher-order solution parts are calculated by balancing the harmonics, and the phase shift of the zeroth approximation is calculated by a residuum minimization. This method just requires the solution of a system of linear algebraic equations, while systems of nonlinear algebraic equations have to be solved in the case of directly applying Harmonic Balance.
Epistemological Implications of a System — Theoretical Understanding for Sustainability Models
(2025)
In the sense of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), global efforts to create a sustainable society will not be sufficiently successful under the current geopolitical and socio-economic trends. For this reason, recent sustainability research has increasingly focused on systemic coherence, the subject of cognition, and psychological and epistemological aspects. With regard to the sustainability discourse, this article proposes a perspective based on systems theory's findings in its enactivist interpretation. It understands this as a joint process of sense-making that must be actively maintained on an ongoing basis. Scientific knowledge and human experience are not described as mutually exclusive and informing spheres but as part of the world of experience actively spanned by the organism in its self-execution, which inherently involves ambiguities and complexity reductions that leave the subject and object undetermined. Such an understanding of systemic thinking should help to prevent the process of sustainable development itself from being called into question when some goals are inevitably missed.