| 1. |
- Alqudhaibi, Adel, et al.
(author)
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Securing Industry 4.0: Assessing Cybersecurity Challenges and Proposing Strategies for Manufacturing Management
- 2025
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In: Cyber Security and Applications. - 2772-9184. ; 3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Industry 4.0 represents the foundation of the fourth industrial revolution, characterised by the integration of innovative technology into the manufacturing process. This integration enhances automation, diagnostics, data analysis, and autonomous decision-making through the networking of equipment and machinery. However, the increased reliance on technology raises concerns about the implementation and maintenance of cybersecurity. This paper aims to address cybersecurity challenges in the manufacturing industry and suggest strategies to reduce risks. In particular, it examines the level of awareness and understanding of cybersecurity issues among manufacturing employees, establishes accountability for cyberattacks, and evaluates the effectiveness of existing industry practices. The current cybersecurity landscape in the manufacturing industry was thoroughly analysed. Data were gathered through surveys, interviews, and case studies to measure awareness, identify knowledge gaps, and assess existing practices. The research findings indicate a significant knowledge gap regarding cybersecurity among manufacturing employees. This vulnerability can be attributed to the lack of funding and training, especially compared to the resources provided to information technology departments and corporate employees. The study emphasises the importance of redirecting cybersecurity resources and protocols towards the manufacturing industry. This paper puts forward a series of recommendations to mitigate risks and safeguard the manufacturing industry.
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| 2. |
- Battestini-Vives, Mariona, et al.
(author)
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Response surface methodology to optimize membrane cleaning in nanofiltration of kraft black liquor
- 2025
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In: Separation and Purification Technology. - 1383-5866. ; 354
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Better understanding of membrane fouling and cleaning can help implementation of membrane filtration processes in the pulp and paper industry. The aim of this study was to optimize membrane cleaning in the nanofiltration of kraft black liquor ultrafiltered permeate for the recovery of lignin. This work wants to assess whether the cleaning process removes the main foulants; as well as the economic viability of the optimized cleaning compared to a standard cleaning in a nanofiltration membrane plant on industrial scale. The optimization of membrane cleaning was investigated using the response surface methodology. The factors studied were time, temperature, and cleaning agent (Ultrasil 110) concentration, and flux recovery was used to evaluate the success of cleaning. Experiments were performed on laboratory scale where flat-sheet polymeric membranes were fouled with kraft black liquor ultrafiltered permeate and cleaned using various combinations of the three factors. The model developed predicted a flux recovery of 88 % when cleaning was performed for 60 min with a solution of 0.8 wt% Ultrasil 110 at 40 °C. The flux recovery measured experimentally with these cleaning parameters was 80 %. Scanning electron microscopy combined with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis confirmed that the optimized cleaning removed the main foulants from the membrane surface. Moreover, increasing the cleaning agent concentration or the cleaning temperature did not always lead to a higher flux recovery. The techno-economic evaluation revealed that 16 % of the cleaning costs could be saved by optimizing the cleaning process.
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| 3. |
- Gao, Guangbin, et al.
(author)
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Understanding filamentous cyanobacteria and their adaptive niches in Lake Honghu, a shallow eutrophic lake
- 2025
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In: Journal of Environmental Sciences (China). - 1001-0742. ; 152, s. 219-234
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Freshwater lakes globally are witnessing an escalation in the frequency and intensity of cyanobacterial harmful blooms. However, underlying factors influencing the succession or coexistence of cyanobacteria, especially filamentous ones, remain poorly understood. Lake Honghu, a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance with degrading aquatic ecological quality, served as a case study to elucidate the intricate relationship between environmental changes and cyanobacterial dynamics. Our analysis revealed a significant increase in the dominance of filamentous cyanobacteria, marked by high spatiotemporal variability in community structure. This dominance of filamentous diazotrophic cyanobacteria is attributed to a decrease in the ratio of dissolved inorganic nitrogen to total phosphorus and their capacity to utilize organic phosphorus in phosphorus-deficient conditions. Species-specific density variations were linked to diverse environmental factors, with total nitrogen or total phosphorus concentration remaining as a crucial factor influencing dominant cyanobacterial density fluctuations. The dominance of low-temperature-tolerant Aphanizomenon and Pseudanabaena was evident in spring and winter, whereas Dolichospermum and Cylindrospermopsis, which prefer higher temperatures, thrived in summer and autumn. Additionally, non-algal turbidity and heterogeneity can potentially alter the competitive outcome among filamentous cyanobacteria or foster coexistence under conditions of elevated temperatures and nutrient limitation. This study predicts that filamentous cyanobacteria may spread and persist in lakes spanning a wide trophic range. Current findings enhance our comprehension of the dynamic responses exhibited by filamentous bloom-forming cyanobacteria in the face of environmental changes within shallow eutrophic lakes and provide valuable insights for lake managers involved in the remediation of degraded shallow lakes.
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| 4. |
- Klintman, Mikael
(author)
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Framing : The Social Art of Influence
- 2025
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Book (peer-reviewed)abstract
- From back cover: "A smart, incisive toolkit for understanding how the framing of information influences the way we see the world.In today's chaotic media landscape, working out who and what to believe is a daunting task. Lies and misinformation are only part of the problem - often the way a story is presented has just as much effect on us as what the story is.In Framing, sociologist Mikael Klintman offers a cutting-edge toolkit for exposing and analysing the rhetoric that saturates our everyday lives. Combining insights from the social sciences, economics and evolutionary biology, he lays out a four-part approach to understanding how information is 'framed' for us, built around the key elements of texture, temperature, position and size.Demonstrating this approach through an array of real-world examples, from climate change denial to the subtle messaging of caviar ads, Klintman reveals how canny communicators mislead us without relying on overt deception. At the same time, he probes the deeper evolutionary and cultural roots of our susceptibility to frames."
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| 5. |
- Ouchn, Rachid, et al.
(author)
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Advancing Sustainable Direct Contact Membrane Distillation : Performance and Stability of Novel Polymer Inclusion Membranes
- 2025
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In: Separation and Purification Technology. - 1383-5866. ; 354
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Novel hydrophobic membranes for direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) were developed using poly(1,1-difluoroethylene) (PVDF) loaded with the ionic liquid methyltrioctylammonium bis(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate (MTOA-DEHP). These polymer inclusion membranes (PIMs) were fabricated via non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS). Detailed characterization revealed that MTOA-DEHP significantly enhances the morphological and physicochemical properties of the PIMs. Through a series of DCMD experiments, the membrane's flux, salt rejection, and stability under varying conditions, including different feed solutions (i.e., synthetic NaCl solution and real seawater from the Atlantic Ocean), were assessed. Our results demonstrate that the PVDF/20 %MTOA-DEHP membrane exhibits superior performance, maintaining consistent transmembrane flux values (8.98 ± 0.61 kg·m−2·h−1) over multiple cycles and achieving high salt rejection rates (>99.9 %). Furthermore, the membrane demonstrates excellent stability, with minimal degradation observed even after prolonged operation. The results affirm the viability of PIMs as a promising avenue for achieving sustainable and efficient desalination via DCMD, particularly in real-world operational scenarios.
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| 6. |
- Yue, Xiaoqi, et al.
(author)
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Unveiling nano-scale chemical inhomogeneity in surface oxide films formed on V- and N-containing martensite stainless steel by synchrotron X-ray photoelectron emission spectroscopy/microscopy and microscopic X-ray absorption spectroscopy
- 2025
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In: Journal of Materials Science & Technology. - : Chinese Society of Metals. - 1005-0302. ; 205, s. 191-203
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Nano-scale chemical inhomogeneity in surface oxide films formed on a V- and N-containing martensite stainless steel and tempering heating induced changes are investigated by a combination of synchrotron- based hard X-ray Photoelectron emission spectroscopy (HAXPES) and microscopy (HAXPEEM) as well as microscopic X-ray absorption spectroscopy (μ-XAS) techniques. The results reveal the inhomogeneity in the oxide films on the micron-sized Cr2N- and VN-type particles, while the inhomogeneity on the martensite matrix phase exists due to localised formation of nano-sized tempering nitride particles at 600 °C. The oxide film formed on Cr2N-type particles is rich in Cr2O3 compared with that on the martensite matrix and VN-type particles. With the increase of tempering temperature, Cr2O3 formation is faster for the oxidation of Cr in the martensite matrix than the oxidation of Cr nitride-rich particles.
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| 7. |
- A. B. Marçal, L., et al.
(author)
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Spatially resolved structural and chemical properties of the white layer in machined Inconel 718 super alloy
- 2024
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In: Materials and Design. - 0264-1275. ; 239
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Inconel 718 is one type of nickel-based alloy used for a large range of applications, including gas turbines and aeroengines components. Although mechanical and thermodynamic properties of this material have been deeply studied in the past years, a method able to investigate local properties of the thin white layer formed on the alloy surface after machining remains challenging. Here, a 90 nm X-ray beam is used to probe the local strain, crystal orientation, and chemical composition of grains in the white layer. Data reveals mosaicity induced by the tool during machining. The high spatial resolution, combined with crystal lattice sensitivity, shows that the average grain size is around 30 nm throughout the white layer, while the strain is anisotropic nearest to the surface. Results provide new insights on the basic properties of the white layer in super alloys, revealing important information about the impact of finish machining which might help to explain fatigue and cracking formation on these materials during their usage phase.
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| 8. |
- Aacharya, Ananta, et al.
(author)
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Development of a novel solar dryer with an incorporated heat exchanger
- 2024
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In: Solar Energy. - 0038-092X. ; 269
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This study analyzes the thermal performance of an indirect-type solar dryer incorporated with a heat exchanger to recover heat from the exhaust. Data were recorded for 8 h from 9:00 to 17:00 from November to January to determine the drying rate for varying airflows from 2 l/s to 12 l/s under the weather conditions of Nepal and Bhutan. The air temperatures in multiple locations in the dryer were recorded and logged for 30-second intervals. The results indicated that incorporating a simple heat exchanger can achieve 78 % and 81 % effectiveness for the lowest tested airflow of 2.5 l/s and 2 l/s in Nepal and Bhutan. The heat transfer effectiveness increases with decreasing flow, resulting in a higher cold side outlet temperature of the heat exchanger for lower airflows. The solar air collector demonstrated efficient performance, achieving 80 % and 90 % efficiencies for the highest tested airflows of 12 l/s and 10 l/s in Nepal and Bhutan, respectively. Due to an increased heat transfer coefficient, the incoming air can effectively remove the accumulated heat from the absorber plate for higher airflows. The drying rates were observed to be the highest for 12 l/s, with a value of 85 g/(h × m2) for apples and 10 l/s, with a value of 56 g/(h × m2) for gingers in Nepal and Bhutan, respectively. From both cases, it can be concluded that the highest tested airflows provide higher air circulation for effective heat and mass transfer from the product to the surrounding air for drying.
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| 9. |
- Aad, G., et al.
(author)
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A search for top-squark pair production, in final states containing a top quark, a charm quark and missing transverse momentum, using the 139 fb−1 of pp collision data collected by the ATLAS detector
- 2024
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In: Journal of High Energy Physics. - : Springer Nature. - 1029-8479 .- 1126-6708. ; 2024:7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper presents a search for top-squark pair production in final states with a top quark, a charm quark and missing transverse momentum. The data were collected with the ATLAS detector during LHC Run 2 and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb−1 of proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of s = 13 TeV. The analysis is motivated by an extended Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model featuring a non-minimal flavour violation in the second- and third-generation squark sector. The top squark in this model has two possible decay modes, either t~1→cχ~10 or t~1→tχ~10, where the χ~10 is undetected. The analysis is optimised assuming that both of the decay modes are equally probable, leading to the most likely final state of tc+ETmiss. Good agreement is found between the Standard Model expectation and the data in the search regions. Exclusion limits at 95% CL are obtained in the mt~1 vs. mχ~10 plane and, in addition, limits on the branching ratio of the t~1→tχ~10 decay as a function of m(t~1) are also produced. Top-squark masses of up to 800 GeV are excluded for scenarios with light neutralinos, and top-squark masses up to 600 GeV are excluded in scenarios where the neutralino and the top squark are almost mass degenerate. © The Author(s) 2024.
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| 10. |
- Aad, G, et al.
(author)
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Azimuthal Angle Correlations of Muons Produced via Heavy-Flavor Decays in 5.02 TeV Pb+Pb and pp Collisions with the ATLAS Detector
- 2024
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In: Physical Review Letters. - 0031-9007. ; 132:20
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Angular correlations between heavy quarks provide a unique probe of the quark-gluon plasma created in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions. Results are presented of a measurement of the azimuthal angle correlations between muons originating from semileptonic decays of heavy quarks produced in 5.02 TeV Formula Presented and Formula Presented collisions at the LHC. The muons are measured with transverse momenta and pseudorapidities satisfying Formula Presented and Formula Presented, respectively. The distributions of azimuthal angle separation Formula Presented for muon pairs having pseudorapidity separation Formula Presented, are measured in different Formula Presented centrality intervals and compared to the same distribution measured in Formula Presented collisions at the same center-of-mass energy. Results are presented separately for muon pairs with opposite-sign charges, same-sign charges, and all pairs. A clear peak is observed in all Formula Presented distributions at Formula Presented, consistent with the parent heavy-quark pairs being produced via hard-scattering processes. The widths of that peak, characterized using Cauchy-Lorentz fits to the Formula Presented distributions, are found to not vary significantly as a function of Formula Presented collision centrality and are similar for Formula Presented and Formula Presented collisions. This observation will provide important constraints on theoretical descriptions of heavy-quark interactions with the quark-gluon plasma. © 2024 CERN, for the ATLAS Collaboration.
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