Controlled Exposure Study of Air Pollution and T-Wave Alternans in Volunteers without Cardiovascular Disease

Background: Epidemiological studies have assessed T-wave alternans (TWA) as a possible mechanism of cardiac arrhythmias related to air pollution in high-risk subjects and have reported associations with increased TWA magnitude. Objective: In this controlled human exposure study, we assessed the impact of exposure to concentrated ambient particulate matter (CAP) and ozone (O:3) on T-wave alternans in resting volunteers without preexisting cardiovascular disease. Methods: Seventeen participants without preexisting cardiovascular disease were randomized to filtered air (FA), CAP (150 μg/m3), O3 (120 ppb), or combined CAP + O3 exposures for 2 hr. Continuous electrocardiograms (ECGs) were recorded at rest and T-wave alternans (TWA) was computed by modified moving average analysis with QRS alignment for the artifact-free intervals of 20 beats along the V2 and V5 leads. Exposure-induced changes in the highest TWA magnitude (TWAMax) were estimated for the first and last 5 min of each exposure (TWAMax_Early and TWAMax_Late respectively). ΔTWAMax (Late–Early) were compared among exposure groups using analysis of variance. Results: Mean ± SD values for ΔTWA:Max were –2.1 ± 0.4, –2.7 ± 1.1, –1.9 ± 1.5, and –1.2 ± 1.5 in FA, CAP, O3, and CAP + O3 exposure groups, respectively. No significant differences were observed between pollutant exposures and FA. Conclusion: In our study of 17 volunteers who had no preexisting cardiovascular disease, we did not observe significant changes in T-wave alternans after 2-hr exposures to CAP, O:3, or combined CAP + O3. This finding, however, does not preclude the possibility of pollution-related effects on TWA at elevated heart rates, such as during exercise, or the possibility of delayed responses

A comprehensive approach to the design of advanced well completions

Advanced Well Completions (AWCs) employing Downhole Flow Control (DFC) technology such as Inflow Control Devices (ICDs), Interval Control Valves (ICVs),Autonomous Inflow Control Devices (AICDs) and/or Annular Flow Isolations (AFIs) provide a practical solution to the challenges normally encountered by conventional wells. Both oilfield operating companies and several researchers have developed workflows to identify the optimum well location and field development well configuration. However, all these approaches do not at present consider optimising advanced well completions employing DFCs. The objective of this thesis is to provide an automated, comprehensive workflow to identify the optimum advanced well completion design that ensures an optimum well performance throughout the well’s and field’s life. This study starts by describing the history of ICD, AICD, ICV and AFI development with emphasis on the (near and) fully commercially available types and their areas of application. The thesis then reviews the flow performance of available ICD, ICV and AICD types. It reviews the available advanced completion modelling techniques and their historical development. This allows provision of guidelines on how to model DFC technologies performance when combined with AFIs over the well’s life. It shows how the value of such well-construction options can be quantified using these tools. The thesis introduces a novel workflow outlining the process of designing ICD completions with or without AFIs for different well architectures applied in different reservoir types for production or injection purposes. The workflow incorporates: the ICD restriction sizing; the requirement for AFI, their frequency and distribution; the impact of ICD reliability throughout the life of the well, the effect of uncertainty on the design parameters, installation risks and the resulting economic value. This workflow is then extended to the design and evaluation of AICD completions, through identification of the optimum control of water and excess gas production. The value and applicability of the proposed workflow is verified using synthetic and real field case studies. The latter include three oil fields (H-Field, S-Field and U-Field), one thin oil column/gas condensate field (NH-Field) and a gas field (C-Field). These cases also illustrated the value which can be gained from the application of Downhole Flow Control technologies

Power Approaches for Implantable Medical Devices.

Implantable medical devices have been implemented to provide treatment and to assess in vivo physiological information in humans as well as animal models for medical diagnosis and prognosis, therapeutic applications and biological science studies. The advances of micro/nanotechnology dovetailed with novel biomaterials have further enhanced biocompatibility, sensitivity, longevity and reliability in newly-emerged low-cost and compact devices. Close-loop systems with both sensing and treatment functions have also been developed to provide point-of-care and personalized medicine. Nevertheless, one of the remaining challenges is whether power can be supplied sufficiently and continuously for the operation of the entire system. This issue is becoming more and more critical to the increasing need of power for wireless communication in implanted devices towards the future healthcare infrastructure, namely mobile health (m-Health). In this review paper, methodologies to transfer and harvest energy in implantable medical devices are introduced and discussed to highlight the uses and significances of various potential power sources

High Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER) and Hydrogen Oxidation Reaction (HOR) Activity RhxSy Catalyst Synthesized with Na2S for Hydrogen-Bromine Fuel Cell

A RhxSy/C catalyst with high mass-specific electrochemical surface area (ECSA/mass), high hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR)/hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity, and high Nafion® ionomer-affinity was synthesized and evaluated. A new sulfur source, Na2S instead of (NH4)2S2O3, was applied to prepare the rhodium sulfide precursor Rh2S3 that resulted in a RhxSy catalyst with higher HOR/HER catalytic activity after thermal treatment. The higher activity was attributed to the higher quantity formation of the more active phase Rh3S4, in addition to the other active Rh17S15 phase, in the RhxSy catalyst. Using this new sulfur source, carbon substrate functionalization, and the mass-transfer-controlled nanoparticle growth process, the average particle size of this catalyst was reduced from 13.5 nm to 3.2 nm, and its ECSA/mass was increased from 9.3 m2/g-Rh to 43.0 m2/g-Rh. Finally, by applying the Baeyer–Villiger and ester hydrolysis process to convert the Nafion® ionomer-unfriendly ketone group on the carbon support surface to the Nafion ionomer-friendly carboxylic group, which increases the Nafion® affinity of this catalyst, its use in the hydrogen electrode of an H2-Br2 fuel cell resulted in a performance that is 2.5× higher than that of the fuel cell with a commercial RhxSy catalyst

Towards information sharing in virtual organisations: The development of an icon-based information control model

Today, innovation in information communication technology has encouraged contribution among different fields to tackle large-scale scientific problems or introduce novel inventories that, in both cases, demand extensive sharing of information among collaborating organisations in order to achieve the overall goal. Sharing information across different physical organisations, working as a single virtual organisation, raises a number of information security issues that limit the effectiveness, dynamism, and potential of collaborative working. Although extensive research has been conducted to provide secure information-sharing solutions within a single organisation, little research has investigated multi- organizational information-sharing environments where information requires to be protected but there are variations in information security needs and, in some cases, conflicts in applied information security controls. A key obstacle, the majority of research conducted in this area has overlooked, is not only the ability to govern remote access of users from one organisation to sensitive information stored in another organisation, but also having persistent control over owned information even after access has been granted and the information is either disseminated electronically, transformed into paper format, or even shared verbally. In addition, research was tailored to meet only specific research needs and address particular issues. Therefore, there is a lack of comprehensive, systematic approaches for controls on information usage shared electronically, regardless of specific circumstances. This paper aims to present a novel information control model that could keep information self-protected in dynamic collaborative environments by communicating information security needs along with the exchanged information using an Information Labelling Scheme. Based on SPIDER solution and Protective Commons, this scheme uses nine labelling icons (reflecting the protection type and level) associated with different information security controls (representing the information security mechanisms used to provide the protection). The model is demonstrated in the Microsoft Word 2007 application and a prototype has been developed as a plug-in software named Information Labelling Palette. It displays the nine self-explanatory icons in order for an information owner/user to label any information range within a single document using any icon. This consequently enforces the information security controls associated with the selected icon only into that particular range of electronic information, and secondly, communicates the information security needs to the recipient in a human-readable format, which would help keep recipients informed about how this information should be managed if printed out or shared verbally. Finally, the wide range of information security controls used in this proposed solution makes it widely applicable to meet the considerable diversity of organisations’ information security needs. Furthermore, it is believed to lay a solid foundation for future work in the area of information access control and control policy enforcement in collaborative environments

Digital university: Approaches to the concept definition

Introduction. The modern period of development of higher education is directly related to the ongoing digital transformation of public relations. The changes that occur in universities, in their external interactions and functions, basic principles and value-normative foundations, require methodological analysis and research. Aim. The aim of the research is to analyse the theoretical approaches to disclosing the concept and essence of digital universities. Methodology and research methods. The mix-method was used as a research design: qualitative analysis (studying the content of theoretical sources and context, analysing the content of a concept) and quantitative analysis (scientometric analysis of publications and keywords in databases). Results. The study showed that in the methodological terms, there is a problem of defining the concept of “digital university”: there are several theoretical approaches based on different understanding of the phenomenon and its role in the digital development of the university. The methodological problem is complicated by the urgent need to systematise the practical activities of modern universities, which classify themselves in one way or another in the “digital” format; therefore, this is much more difficult to do without a coordinated approach to the concept itself. Scientific novelty lies in an attempt to systematise theoretical approaches to defining the concept of “digital university” and the problem of the absence of a holistic interdisciplinary approach has been identified. Practical significance of the study is associated with the need to develop a regulatory model of a digital university based on a holistic concept for the subsequent analysis of the activities of universities. The results of the analysis can be used in scientific discussion to further define the concept of “digital university” and develop a general model of a digital university.Введение. Современный период развития высшей школы непосредственно связан с происходящей цифровой трансформацией общественных отношений. Изменения, происходящие внутри университетов, в их внешних взаимодействиях и функциях, базовых принципах и ценностно-нормативных основаниях, требуют методологического анализа и исследования. Цель статьи – провести анализ современных теоретических подходов к раскрытию понятия и сущности цифровых университетов. Методология и методы исследования. В качестве дизайна исследования применялся mix-метод: качественный анализ (изучения содержания теоретических источников и контекста, анализ содержания концепта) и количественный анализ (наукометрический анализ публикаций и ключевых слов в базах данных). Результаты. Исследование показало, что в методологическом плане существует проблема определения концепта «цифровой университет»: сложилось несколько теоретических подходов, основанных на различном понимании феномена и его роли в цифровом развитии университета. Методологическая проблема осложняется необходимостью систематизации практической деятельности современных университетов, относящих себя так или иначе к формату «цифровых», а без согласованного подхода относительно самого концепта это сделать намного сложнее. Научная новизна заключается в попытке систематизации теоретических подходов для концептуализации понятия «цифровой университет», в ходе которой обозначилась проблема отсутствия целостного подхода. Практическая значимость исследования связана с необходимостью разработки на основе целостного концепта нормативной модели цифрового университета для последующего анализа деятельности вузов. Результаты анализа могут быть использованы в научной дискуссии для дальнейшей концептуализации понятия «цифровой университет» и выработки общей модели цифрового университета.The article was prepared with the support of the School of Public Administration and Entrepreneurship of the Institute of Economics and Management of the Ural Federal University named after the First President of Russia B. N. Yeltsin.Статья подготовлена при поддержке Школы государственного управления и предпринимательства Института экономики и управления Уральского федерального университета имени первого Президента России Б. Н. Ельцина

DIGITAL UNIVERSITY: APPROACHES TO THE CONCEPT DEFINITION

Introduction. The modern period of development of higher education is directly related to the ongoing digital transformation of public relations. The changes that occur in universities, in their external interactions and functions, basic principles and value-normative foundations, require methodological analysis and research. Aim. The aim of the research is to analyse the theoretical approaches to disclosing the concept and essence of digital universities. Methodology and research methods. The mix-method was used as a research design: qualitative analysis (studying the content of theoretical sources and context, analysing the content of a concept) and quantitative analysis (scientometric analysis of publications and keywords in databases). Results. The study showed that in the methodological terms, there is a problem of defining the concept of “digital university”: there are several theoretical approaches based on different understanding of the phenomenon and its role in the digital development of the university. The methodological problem is complicated by the urgent need to systematise the practical activities of modern universities, which classify themselves in one way or another in the “digital” format; therefore, this is much more difficult to do without a coordinated approach to the concept itself. Scientific novelty lies in an attempt to systematise theoretical approaches to defining the concept of “digital university” and the problem of the absence of a holistic interdisciplinary approach has been identified. Practical significance of the study is associated with the need to develop a regulatory model of a digital university based on a holistic concept for the subsequent analysis of the activities of universities. The results of the analysis can be used in scientific discussion to further define the concept of “digital university” and develop a general model of a digital university. © 2022 Authors. All rights reserved

Under the corporate radar: examining insider business cybercrime victimization through an application of routine activities theory

Cybercrime is recognized as one of the top threats to UK economic security. On a daily basis, the computer networks of businesses suffer security breaches. A less explored dimension of this problem is cybercrimes committed by insiders. This paper provides a criminological analysis of corporate insider victimization. It begins by presenting reviews of insider criminal threats and routine activities theory as applied to cybercrime. Analysis of the nationally representative Cardiff University UK Business Cybercrime Survey then informs statistical models that predict the likelihood of businesses suffering insider cyber victimization, using routine activities and guardianship measures as predictors