This paper presents a framework for the derivation of a noise budget and the subsequent utilization in the optimization of the control design, using the laser frequency stabilization loop in the Virgo interferometer, which is a complex nested feedback system, as an experimental case study. First, the system dynamics and noise sources are modeled and experimentally verified to produce the noise budget, after which an optimization problem using the H2 norm is formulated and tailored to the specific design requirements for the detector. The structure of the synthesized controller is then used to produce an improved control design. Experimental verification of the developed controller on the Virgo interferometer shows roughly a factor 3 reduction in root-mean-square error, illustrating the effectiveness of the presented method.@en

In this article Reference 10 was incorrect as ‘van der Zwanenburg LC, Koldenhof JJ, Suijkerbuijk KPM, Schellekens MPJ (2024) What patients with advanced cancer experience as helpful in navigating their life with a long-term response: a qualitative study. Support Care Cancer 32(4):222’ and should have been ‘Zwanenburg LC, van der Lee ML, Koldenhof JJ, Suijkerbuijk KPM, Schellekens MPJ (2024) What patients with advanced cancer experience as helpful in navigating their life with a long-term response: a qualitative study. Support Care Cancer. 32(4):222. PMID: 38470541.’@en

Dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) MRI is commonly part of brain tumor imaging. For quantitative analysis, measurement of the arterial input function and tissue concentration time curve is required. Usually, a linear relationship between the MR signal changes and contrast agent concentration ([Gd]) is assumed, even though this is a known simplification. The aim of this study was to develop a realistic 3D simulation model as an efficient method to assess the relationship between ΔR2(*) and [Gd] both in whole blood and brain tissue. We modified an open-source 3D simulation model to study different red blood cell configurations for assessing whole-blood ΔR2(*) versus [Gd]. The results were validated against previously obtained 2D data and in vitro data. Furthermore, hematocrit levels (30%–50%) and field strengths (1.5–3.0–7.0 T) were varied. Subsequently, realistic tumor vascular networks were derived from intraoperative high framerate Doppler ultrasound data to study the influence of vascular structure and orientation with respect to the main magnetic field (1.5–3.0–7.0 T) for the calculation of ΔR2(*) versus [Gd] in brain tissue. For whole blood, good agreement of the 3D model was found with in vitro and 2D simulation data when red blood cells were aligned with the blood flow. For brain tissue, minor differences were found between the vascular networks. The effect of vessel direction with respect to B0 was apparent in case of clear directionality of the main vessels. The dependency on field strength agreed with previous reports. In conclusion, we have shown that the relationship between ΔR2(*) and [Gd] is affected by the organization of red blood cells and orientation of blood vessels with respect to the main magnetic field, as well as the field strength. These findings are important for further optimization of the realistic 3D model that could eventually be used to improve the estimation of hemodynamic parameters from DSC-MRI.@en

Herein, the effect of the Ru:Ni bimetallic composition in dual-function materials (DFMs) for the integrated CO2 capture and methanation process (ICCU-Methanation) is systematically evaluated and combined with a thorough material characterization, as well as a mechanistic (in-situ diffuse reflectance infrared fourier-transform spectroscopy (in-situ DRIFTS)) and computational (computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling) investigation, in order to improve the performance of Ni-based DFMs. The bimetallic DFMs are comprised of a main Ni active metallic phase (20 wt%) and are modified with low Ru loadings in the 0.1–1 wt% range (to keep the material cost low), supported on Na2O/Al2O3. It is shown that the addition of even a very low Ru loading (0.1–0.2 wt%) can drastically improve the material reducibility, exposing a significantly higher amount of surface-active metallic sites, with Ru being highly dispersed over the support and the Ni phase, while also forming some small Ru particles. This manifests in a significant enhancement in the CH4 yield and the CH4 production kinetics during ICCU-Methanation (which mainly proceeds via formate intermediates), with 0.2 wt% Ru addition leading to the best results. This bimetallic DFM also shows high stability and a relatively good performance under an oxidizing CO2 capture atmosphere. The formation rate of CH4 during hydrogenation is then further validated via CFD modelling and the developed model is subsequently applied in the prediction of the effect of other parameters, including the inlet H2 concentration, inlet flow rate, dual-function material weight, and reactor internal diameter.@en

The development of soft electronic devices capable of autonomous self-healing (SH) holds immense potential across various endeavours, promising to revolutionize product durability, reliability, and maintenance practices. Despite some progress has been made, underwater stable SH continues to be an active area of research. Herein, SH polymer PDMS-MDI0.4-TFB0.6 (SHP) with excellent mechanical property was composited with MXene to investigate the piezoelectric nature under various circumstance. By leveraging MXene into SHP not only improves the material properties of mechanical stress but also permittivity of the elastomer. Thus, MXene incorporated SHP (mSHP) induce high polarized charges under mechanical pressure. The fabrication of mSHP piezoelectric nanogenerator (mSHP-PENG) device via spray coating AgNWs on the surface forms ohmic contact, which facilitate high sensitivity and flexibility. Nevertheless, the generated piezoelectricity (30 V, 4.2 μA: 3 Hz) upon mechanical pressure gives maximum power density of 128 μW/m2 indicating that our device can act as a reliable power source for portable electronic gadgets. In addition, SHP with amphiphilic functional groups sustain the original shape even after immerse into water for so long. Taking this into account, our device undergoes effective deformation even at low pressures, thus render to fabricate touch sensitive piezo-switches for both atmospheric and aquatics environments.@en

In the collaborative effort towards standardisation of out-of-plane permeability measurement, an international benchmarking exercise was carried out whereby 19 participants worldwide were instructed to measure the out-of-plane permeability following a number of strict guidelines, informed by the outcomes of the first international benchmarking exercise completed in 2021. This paper presents the results of the exercise and an assessment of the reproducibility of the data and the suitability of the proposed test method. The data returned were subjected to a number of statistical analysis methods, which showed that adherence to the test guidelines resulted in a high likelihood of a participant not being an outlier and therefore providing evidence that the test method proposed in this paper is a suitable way forward for a standardised test method.@en

HollandPTC is an independent outpatient center for proton therapy, scientific research, and education. Patients with different types of cancer are treated with Intensity Modulated Proton Therapy (IMPT). Additionally, the HollandPTC R&D consortium conducts scientific research into the added value and improvements of proton therapy. To this end, HollandPTC created clinical and pre-clinical research facilities including a versatile R&D proton beamline for various types of biologically and technologically oriented research. In this work, we present the characterization of the R&D proton beamline of HollandPTC. Its pencil beam mimics the one used for clinical IMPT, with energy ranging from 70 up to 240 MeV, which has been characterized in terms of shape, size, and intensity. For experiments that need a uniform field in depth and lateral directions, a dual ring passive scattering system has been designed, built, and characterized. With this system, field sizes between 2 × 2 cm² and 20 × 20 cm² with 98 % uniformity are produced with dose rates ranging from 0.5 Gy/min up to 9 Gy/min. The unique and customized support of the dual ring system allows switching between a pencil beam and a large field in a very simple and fast way, making the HollandPTC R&D proton beam able to support a wide range of different applications.

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Introduction
The field of forensic DNA analysis has undergone rapid advancements in recent decades. The integration of massively parallel sequencing (MPS) has notably expanded the forensic toolkit, moving beyond identity matching to predicting phenotypic traits and biogeographical ancestry. This shift is of particular significance in cases where conventional DNA profiling fails to identify a single suspect. Supplementing forensic analyses with estimated biological age may be valuable but involves a complex and time-consuming DNA methylation analysis. This study explores and validates the performance of a comprehensive forensic third-generation sequencing assay utilizing Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) in an adaptive and direct sequencing approach. We incorporated the most widely used forensic markers, i.e., STRs, SNPs, InDels, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), and two methylation-based clock classifiers, thereby combining forensic genetic and epigenetic analysis in one single workflow.

Methods and results
In our investigation, DNA from six anonymous individuals was sequenced using the ONT standard adaptive direct sequencing approach, reaching a mean percentage of on-target reads ranging from 6.6 % to 7.7 % per sample. ONT data was compared to standard MPS data and Illumina EPIC DNA methylation profiles. Basecalling employed recommended ONT software packages. TREAT was used for ONT-based analysis of autosomal and Y-chromosome STRs, achieving 90–92 % correct calls depending on allelic read depth thresholds. InDel analyses for two lower-quality samples proved challenging due to inadequate read depth, while the remaining four samples significantly contributed to the observed percentage markers (60.9 %) and correct calls (97.8 %). SNP analysis achieved a 98 % call rate, with only two mismatches and two missed alleles. ONT-generated DNA methylation data demonstrated Pearson’s correlation coefficients with EPIC data ranging from 0.67 to 0.97 for Horvath’s clock. Additional age-associated markers exhibited Pearson’s correlation coefficients with chronological age between 0.14 (ELOVL2) and 0.96 (FHL2) at read depths of <30 and <20, respectively. Despite excluding mtDNA from our targeted sequencing approach, adaptive proof-reading fragments covered the complete mtDNA with an average read depth of 21–72, showing 100 % concordance with reference data.

Discussion
Our exploratory study using ONT adaptive sequencing for conventional forensic and age associated DNA methylation markers showed high sequencing accuracy for a significant number of markers, showcasing ONT as a promising (epi)genetic forensic method. Future studies must address three critical aspects: determining clear quantity and quality measures and detection thresholds for accuracy, optimizing input DNA quantity for forensic casework expectations, and addressing ethical considerations associated with phenotype and ancestry analysis to prevent ethnic biases.@en

In this study, the deposition, annealing process, and oxidation properties of HfNbTaTiZr high-entropy alloy thin films were thoroughly investigated. The films, approximately 250 nm thick, were deposited on MgO substrates by DC magnetron sputtering using a single target. The preparation temperature was identified as a key factor influencing the resulting structure. Amorphous films formed at room temperature, whereas nanocrystalline films, characterized by multiple intermetallic phases, were obtained either by deposition at elevated temperatures (600 °C – 750 °C) or through in situ annealing of amorphous films (600 °C – 700 °C). Positron annihilation spectroscopy revealed that nanocrystalline films predominantly contain vacancy-like misfit defects, with concentration decreasing as the preparation temperature increases. Additionally, amorphous films exhibited a high concentration of large vacancy clusters. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed greater oxygen absorption in amorphous films due to their defective structure, with preferential oxidation of Zr and Hf. Further annealing of naturally oxidized films in a vacuum at temperatures up to 1400 °C led to films' recrystallization and eventually the formation of complex oxides, including ZrO2, HfO2, and various Mg-containing oxides, indicating a reaction with the MgO substrate. This work demonstrates the ability to fine-tune the microstructure and defect characteristics of high-entropy alloy films and highlights their direct correlation with oxidation properties.@en

Organic Rankine cycle (ORC) systems are a class of distributed power-generation systems that are suitable for the efficient conversion of low-to-medium temperature thermal energy to useful power. These versatile systems have significant potential to contribute in diverse ways to future clean and sustainable energy systems through, e.g., deployment for waste-heat recovery in industrial facilities, but also the utilisation of renewable-heat sources, thereby improving energy access and living standards, while reducing primary energy consumption and the associated emissions. The energetic and economic performance, but also environmental sustainability of ORC systems, all depend strongly on the working fluid employed, and therefore a significant effort has been made in recent years to select, but also to design novel working fluids for ORC systems. In this context, computer-aided molecular design (CAMD) techniques have emerged as highly promising approaches with which to explore the key role of working fluids, and present an opportunity, by focusing on the design of new eco-friendly fluids with low environmental footprints, to identify alternatives to traditional refrigerants with improved characteristics. In this review article, an overview of working-fluid and system optimisation methodologies that can be used for the design and operation of next-generation ORC systems is provided. With reference to wide-ranging applications from waste-heat recovery in industrial and automotive applications, to biomass, geothermal and solar-energy conversion and/or storage, this review represents a comprehensive, forward-looking exposition of the application of CAMD to the design of ORC technology.

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The electrochemical conversion of CO₂ into acetaldehyde offers a sustainable and green alternative to the Wacker process. However, current electrocatalysts cannot effectively compete with heterogeneous processes owing to their limited selectivity towards acetaldehyde, resulting in low energy efficiencies. Here we report a theory-guided synthesis of a series of Cu-cluster catalysts (~1.6 nm) immobilized on various heteroatom-doped carbonaceous supports, produced via spark ablation of Cu electrodes (2.6 μg h⁻¹ production rate, 6 Wh energy consumption). These catalysts achieve acetaldehyde selectivity of up to 92% at only 600 mV from the equilibrium potential. In addition, the catalysts exhibit exceptional catalytic stability during a rigorous 30 h stress test involving three repeated start–stop cycles. In situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy reveals that the initial oxide clusters were completely reduced under cathodic potential and maintained their metallic nature even after exposure to air, explaining the stable performance of the catalyst. First-principles simulations further elucidate a possible mechanism of CO₂ conversion to acetaldehyde. (Figure presented.)

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As Nature Chemical Biology approaches its third decade we asked a collection of chemical biologists, “What do you think are the most exciting frontiers or the most needed developments in your main field of research?” — here is what they said.

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Silicon integrated circuits (ICs) are central to the next-generation miniature active neural implants, whether packaged in soft polymers for flexible bioelectronics or implanted as bare die for neural probes. These emerging applications bring the IC closer to the corrosive body environment, raising reliability concerns, particularly for chronic use. Here, we evaluate the inherent hermeticity of bare die ICs, and examine the potential of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), a moisture-permeable elastomer, as a standalone encapsulation material. For this aim, the electrical and material performance of ICs sourced from two foundries was evaluated through one-year accelerated in vitro and in vivo studies. ICs featured custom-designed test structures and were partially PDMS coated, creating two regions on each chip, uncoated “bare die” and “PDMS-coated”. During the accelerated in vitro study, ICs were electrically biased and periodically monitored. Results revealed stable electrical performance, indicating the unaffected operation of ICs even when directly exposed to physiological fluids. Despite this, material analysis revealed IC degradation in the bare regions. PDMS-coated regions, however, revealed limited degradation, making PDMS a suitable IC encapsulant for years-long implantation. Based on the new insights, guidelines are proposed that may enhance the longevity of implantable ICs, broadening their applications in the biomedical field.@en

The development of materials toward ppb-level nitric oxide (NO) sensing at room temperature remains in high demand for the monitoring of respiratory inflammatory diseases. In order to find an iron-containing molecule without steric hindrance to combine with graphene for room temperature NO gas sensing, here a supramolecular assembly of ferrocene (Fc) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was designed and prepared for NO sensing. The assembly of Fc/rGO was characterized using FT-IR, TEM, and XPS measurements. The Fc/rGO-based sensors exhibited superior NO sensing properties at room temperature including high response (R_a/R_g = 1.73, 1 ppm), high selectivity against other exhaled gases, reliable repeatability and stability (less than 4 % decrease after 40 days). A practical limit of detection (LOD) of 200 ppb was achieved. The theoretical simulation demonstrates that ferrocene is assembled via π-π interaction with rGO in edge-to-face configuration which provides relatively lower energy than face-to-face configuration does for the whole assembly. It was first verified that the enhanced adsorption capacity and the charge transfer between NO and Fc/rGO would result in improvement of the assembly's sensitivity toward NO after ferrocene was assembled with graphene. This work provides a fresh approach of anchoring iron on graphene for gas sensing via supramolecular methods.

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Plastic waste is a major environmental issue; converting it directly into valuable chemicals by using catalysts is a promising alternative to plastic recycling. Here, we report the selective catalytic cracking of polypropylene (PP), a typical commodity plastic, to high-value light olefins (C2–C5), below pyrolytic temperature (290 °C) and without external hydrogen supply, by using zeolite catalysts. Among the H+-form zeolites with different structures, HMFI showed the highest yields of light hydrocarbons (C2–C5), of which light olefins (C2–C5) were the major products. The HMFI-catalyzed PP conversion was applicable to the upcycling of a model PP waste, resulting in a 61.9% light hydrocarbon yield. The results of catalytic and in situ IR experiments using model HMFI catalysts with a small amount of external Brønsted acid sites suggested that the Brønsted acid sites on the external surface of HMFI are indispensable for the PP conversion and are posited to be the active sites for the cracking of PP into short-chain (oligomeric) hydrocarbon species as intermediate products. Density functional theory analyses were conducted to determine plausible reaction pathways by adopting 2,4-dimethylheptene as the shortest unit of the oligomeric species. The obtained results show that the β-scission of 2,4-dimethylheptene by Brønsted acid sites yields isobutene and propylene (or a propyl alkoxide group) via carbocation intermediates with an activation energy below 118 kJ mol–1. Operando UV–vis and IR experiments under the reaction conditions, combined with ex situ 1H NMR and 13C NMR analyses of the spent catalyst, show that some of the olefins are further converted to light or heavy aromatics (coke deposit), probably via carbenium ion species.@en

The publisher regrets that one of the authors is missing in the PDF and web version of the article. Namely, Anton Bouter, who is affiliated with the Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica as described above in this erratum. In table 1, a space is missing after the character “<” in the line `Cervix -> Sigmoid' in column `Sparing criteria'. In table 3, the `%' signs in first column (DVI) should also be in subscript, similar to how it is written in the first column of Table 4. The supplementary material should state that needle contribution is limited to up to 40% of the total given dwell time (in applicator and needles). Lastly, the article should be seen as a research article and the authors would like to be cited as “L.R.M. Dickhoff and R.J. Scholman et al”.

The publisher would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.@en

Background
To improve lifestyle guidance within cardiac rehabilitation (CR), a comprehensive understanding of the motivation and lifestyle-supporting needs of patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) is required.

Objectives
This study's purpose is to evaluate patients’ lifestyle and their motivation, self-efficacy and social support for change when starting CR.

Methods
1782 CVD patients (69 % male, mean age 62 years) from 7 Dutch outpatient CR centers participated between 2020 and 2022. Modifiable risk factors were assessed with a survey and interviews by healthcare professionals during CR intake.

Results
Most patients exhibited an elevated risk in 3–4 domains. Elevated risks were most prominent in domains of (1) waist circumference and BMI (2) physical exercise (3) healthy foods intake and (4) sleep duration. Most patients chose to focus on increasing physical exercise, but about 20 % also wanted to focus on a healthy diet and/or decrease stress levels. Generally, motivation, self-efficacy and social support to reach new lifestyle goals were high. However, patients with an unfavorable risk profile had lower motivation and self-efficacy to work on lifestyle changes, while patients with lower social support had a higher chance to quit the program prematurely.

Conclusions
Our results underscore the need to begin CR with a comprehensive lifestyle assessment and highlight the importance of offering lifestyle interventions tailored to patients’ specific modifiable risk factors and lifestyle-supporting needs, targeting multiple lifestyle domains. Expanding the current scope of CR programs to address diverse patient needs and strengthening support may enhance motivation and adherence and lead to significant long-term benefits for cardiovascular health.@en

Objective
To study the association between various radiographic definitions of acetabular dysplasia (AD) and incident radiographic hip osteoarthritis (RHOA), and to analyze in subgroups.

Methods
Hips free of RHOA at baseline and with follow-up within 4–8 years were drawn from the World COACH consortium. The Wiberg center edge angle (WCEA), acetabular depth width ratio (ADR), and the modified acetabular index (mAI) were calculated. AD was defined as WCEA≤25°, and for secondary analyses as WCEA≤20°, ADR ≤250, mAI ≥ 13°, and a combination. A logistic regression model with generalized mixed effects with 3 levels adjusted for age, biological sex, and body mass index (BMI) was used. Descriptive statistics stratified by age, biological sex and BMI were reported.

Results
A total of 18,807 hips from 9 studies were included. Baseline characteristics: age 61.84 (± 8.32) years, BMI 27.40 (± 4.49) kg/m², 70.1% women. 4766 hips (25.3%) had WCEA≤25°. Within 4–8 years (mean 5.8 ±1.6) follow-up, 378 hips (2.0%) developed incident RHOA. We found an association between AD and RHOA (adjusted OR [aOR] 1.80 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.40–2.34). In secondary analyses, all other definitions of AD were also associated with incident RHOA (aOR ranging from 1.52 95% CI 1.19–1.94 to 1.96 95% CI 1.26–3.02). Descriptive statistics showed that the relative risk (RR) in AD hips to develop RHOA was higher compared to non-AD hips in age group 61–70 (RR 1.70), BMI<25 (RR 1.66), and in female hips (RR 1.73).

Conclusion
AD was consistently associated with incident RHOA. Explorative analyses show that AD hips in women and age group 61–70 years seem to be more at risk of developing RHOA compared to non-AD hips.@en

Health implications of mobility during pregnancy entail a need to understand pregnant women's activity spaces. We present ActMAP, a framework for quantifying multiple aspects of activity spaces from distinct trips and stays derived from GPS data. We applied ActMAP to data from 238 pregnant women in Barcelona, Spain (2018–2020) and explored weekday, weekend and intraday associations between pregnancy trimester and activity spaces. Activities were more centred around the home later in pregnancy. However, the number of visited places and daily trips remained largely constant throughout pregnancy. By constructing activity spaces from individual trips and stays, ActMAP could provide a framework for GPS-based holistic assessments of mobility.@en

The authors regret that the affiliation of Joseph Ahn was incorrectly listed in the original article. The correct affiliation is:

Independent Researcher, Hwaseong-si, South Korea

This error has now been corrected in the online version of the article.

The authors would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.@en