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Smoke taint in wine has become a critical issue in the wine industry due to its significant negative impact on wine quality. Data-driven approaches including univariate analysis and predictive modeling are applied to a data set containing concentrations of 20 VOCs in 48 grape samples and 56 corresponding wine samples with a taster-evaluated smoke taint index. The resulting models for predicting the smoke taint index of wines are highly predictive when using as inputs VOC concentrations after log conversion in both grapes and wines (Pearson Correlation Coefficient PCC = 0.82; R2 = 0.68) and less so when only grape VOCs are used (Pearson Correlation Coefficient PCC = 0.76; R2 = 0.56), and the classification models also show the capacity for detecting smoke-tainted wines using both wine and grape VOC concentrations (Recall = 0.76; Precision = 0.92; F1 = 0.82) or using only grape VOC concentrations (Recall = 0.74; Precision = 0.92; F1 = 0.80). The performance of the predictive model shows the possibility of predicting the smoke taint index of the wine and grape samples before fermentation. The corresponding code of data analysis and predictive modeling of smoke taint in wine is available in the Github repository (https://github.com/IBPA/smoke_taint_prediction).

In drinking water distribution systems, the oxidation of zerovalent chromium, Cr(0), in iron corrosion scales by chlorine residual disinfectant is the dominant reaction to form carcinogenic hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI). This study investigates inhibitive corrosion control strategies through adjustments of chemical water parameters (i.e., pH, silicate, phosphate, calcium, and alkalinity) on Cr(VI) formation through oxidation of Cr(0)(s) by free chlorine under drinking water conditions. The results show that an increase in pH, silicate, alkalinity, and calcium suppressed Cr(VI) formation that was mainly attributed to in situ surface precipitation of new Cr(III) solids on the surface of Cr(0)(s), including Cr(OH)3(s), Cr2(SiO3)3(s), CrPO4(s), Cr2(CO3)3(s), and Cr10Ca(CO3)16(s). The Cr(III) surface precipitates were much less reactive with chlorine than Cr(0)(s) and suppressed the Cr redox reactivity. The concentration of surface Cr(III) solids was inversely correlated with the rate constant of Cr(VI) formation. Adding phosphate either promoted or inhibited the Cr(VI) formation, depending on the phosphate concentration. This study provides fundamental insight into the Cr(VI) formation mechanisms via Cr(0) oxidation by chlorine and the importance of surface precipitation of Cr(III) solids with different corrosion control strategies and suggests that increasing the pH/alkalinity and addition of phosphate or silicate can be effective control strategies to minimize Cr(VI) formation.

Chlorate (ClO3-) is a toxic oxyanion pollutant from industrial wastes, agricultural applications, drinking water disinfection, and wastewater treatment. Catalytic reduction of ClO3- using palladium (Pd) nanoparticle catalysts exhibited sluggish kinetics. This work demonstrates an 18-fold activity enhancement by integrating earth-abundant vanadium (V) into the common Pd/C catalyst. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electrochemical studies indicated that VV and VIV precursors are reduced to VIII in the aqueous phase (rather than immobilized on the carbon support) by Pd-activated H2. The VIII/IV redox cycle is the predominant mechanism for the ClO3- reduction. Further reduction of chlorine intermediates to Cl- could proceed via VIII/IV and VIV/V redox cycles or direct reduction by Pd/C. To capture the potentially toxic V metal from the treated solution, we adjusted the pH from 3 to 8 after the reaction, which completely immobilized VIII onto Pd/C for catalyst recycling. The enhanced performance of reductive catalysis using a Group 5 metal adds to the diversity of transition metals (e.g., Cr, Mo, Re, Fe, and Ru in Groups 6-8) for water pollutant treatment via various unique mechanisms.

BackgroundThe challenge of preventing in-patient falls remains one of the most critical concerns in health care. ObjectiveThis study aims to investigate the effect of an integrated Internet of Things (IoT) smart patient care system on fall prevention. MethodsA quasi-experimental study design is used. The smart patient care system is an integrated IoT system combining a motion-sensing mattress for bed-exit detection, specifying different types of patient calls, integrating a health care staff scheduling system, and allowing health care staff to receive and respond to alarms via mobile devices. Unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression models were used to investigate the relationship between the use of the IoT system and bedside falls compared with a traditional patient care system. ResultsIn total, 1300 patients were recruited from a medical center in Taiwan. The IoT patient care system detected an average of 13.5 potential falls per day without any false alarms, whereas the traditional system issued about 11 bed-exit alarms daily, with approximately 4 being false, effectively identifying 7 potential falls. The bedside fall incidence during hospitalization was 1.2% (n=8) in the traditional patient care system ward and 0.1% (n=1) in the smart ward. We found that the likelihood of bedside falls in wards with the IoT system was reduced by 88% (odds ratio 0.12, 95% CI 0.01-0.97; P=.047). ConclusionsThe integrated IoT smart patient care system might prevent falls by assisting health care staff with efficient and resilient responses to bed-exit detection. Future product development and research are recommended to introduce IoT into patient care systems combining bed-exit alerts to prevent inpatient falls and address challenges in patient safety.

The present study ascertains the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and students' science self-efficacy using data involving 509,182 15-year-old students and 17,678 school principals in 69 countries/regions who participated in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015. Hierarchical linear modelling results show that, after controlling for science teachers' instructional practices (science class disciplinary climate, inquiry-based instruction, teachers' support, direct instruction, provision of feedback, instructional adaptation), school science resources and various student variables (gender, grade levels, type of school programme), SES was related to students' science self-efficacy in the majority of countries/regions (62-68 countries/regions, depending on the SES indicators used). Specifically, SES was related to students' science self-efficacy in a larger number of countries/regions when it was measured using home cultural resources, home educational resources or a composite indicator (economic, social and cultural status) than when it was measured using parental education levels or occupational status. In contrast, students' science self-efficacy was unrelated to the science teachers' instructional practices examined (except inquiry-based instruction) in most of the countries/regions. These results expand our understanding of students' science self-efficacy, as a type of learning motivation, from being a largely psychological attribute to one that is also influenced by social origins such as family SES. They imply that SES may have a larger influence on student achievement than we may have assumed if we include the indirect influence of SES on student achievement via students' self-efficacy.

Abstract Background Current evidence from epidemiologic studies suggested that phthalate metabolites might be associated with blood pressure (BP) changes. However, the special relationship between phthalate metabolites and BP changes in children has not been clearly elucidated in existing researches. Objectives We investigated the links between phthalate metabolites and various BP parameters, including systolic/diastolic BP, mean arterial pressure (MAP), and the presence of hypertension. Methods The population sample consisted of 1036 children aged 8 to 17 years from the 2013–2018 NHANES in the United States. High performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry was used to measure urinary concentrations of 19 phthalate metabolites. Systolic/diastolic BP were derived from the average of three valid measurements, and MAP was calculated as (systolic BP + 2 × diastolic BP)/3. Hypertension was defined as mean systolic BP and/or diastolic BP that was ≥ 95th percentile for gender, age, and height reference. Linear regression, logistic regression, and weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression models were employed to assess the associations between phthalate exposure and systolic/diastolic BP, MAP, and hypertension. Results Ten of 19 phthalate metabolites including MCNP, MCOP, MECPP, MBP, MCPP, MEP, MEHHP, MiBP, MEOHP, and MBzP had detection frequencies > 85% with samples more than 1000. MCNP, MCOP, MECPP, MBP, MCPP, MEHHP, MiBP, MEOHP, and MBzP were generally negatively associated with systolic/diastolic BP and MAP, but not protective factors for hypertension. These associations were not modified by age (8–12 and 13–17 years) or sex (boys and girls). The above-mentioned associations were further confirmed by the application of the WQS analysis, and MCOP was identified as the chemical with the highest weight. Conclusion Phthalate metabolites were associated with modest reductions in systolic/diastolic BP, and MAP in children, while appeared not protective factors for hypertension. Given the inconsistent results among existing studies, our findings should be confirmed by other cohort studies.

Adding CrIII or AlIII salts into the water suspension of platinum group metal (PGM) catalysts accelerated oxyanion pollutant reduction by up to 600%. Our initial attempts of adding K2CrVIO4, K2CrVI2O7, or KCrIII(SO4)2 into Pd/C enhanced BrO3- reduction with 1 atm H2 by 6-fold. Instrument characterizations and kinetic explorations collectively confirmed the immobilization of reduced CrVI as CrIII(OH)3 on the catalyst surface. This process altered the ζ-potentials from negative to positive, thus substantially enhancing the Langmuir-Hinshelwood adsorption equilibrium constant for BrO3- onto Pd/C by 37-fold. Adding AlIII(OH)3 from alum at pH 7 achieved similar enhancements. The Cr-Pd/C and Al-Pd/C showed top-tier efficiency of catalytic performance (normalized with Pd dosage) among all the reported Pd catalysts on conventional and nanostructured support materials. The strategy of adding inert metal hydroxides works for diverse PGMs (palladium and rhodium), substrates (BrO3- and ClO3-), and support materials (carbon, alumina, and silica). This work shows a simple, inexpensive, and effective example of enhancing catalyst activity and saving PGMs for environmental applications.

Perovskite-related materials show very promising properties in many fields. Pb-free perovskites are particularly interesting, because of the toxicity of Pb. In this study, hybrid double perovskite MA2KBiCl6 (MA = methylammonium cation) was found to have interesting variable temperature behaviours. Both variable temperature single crystal X-ray diffraction, synchrotron powder diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy were conducted to reveal a rhombohedral to cubic phase transition at around 330 K and an order to disorder transition for inorganic cage below 210 K.

Purpose: The study aims to examine the influence of soft skill integration on the interpersonal soft skill levels of diploma business students in the private higher education institutions based in the northern region of Peninsular Malaysia. Research Methods: The study was guided by the Soft Skill Development Model (2006) and the Soft Skill Integration method, according to Devadason, Subramaniam and Daniel (2010). This paper applied a descriptive quantitative survey method to assess the levels and relationships between the variables. A set of self-administered questionnaires were adapted based on Devadason, Subramaniam and Daniel's (2010) instruments. The questionnaires were distributed through a proportionate stratified random sampling method to 429 respondents from 12 private higher learning institutions in three northern states of Peninsular Malaysia. Descriptive analysis, correlation, and regression analyses were applied in the findings. Findings: The results revealed a significant influence of the overall soft skill integration towards communication and teamwork levels. The study also advocated the significant impact of soft skill integration in problem-solving and critical thinking on all of the four essential soft skills elements. Implications for Research and Practice: Despite decades of emphasis on soft skill development, soft skill integration in Malaysia is still not at an optimal level. Embedding soft skills would lead to more real-life experiences, and they will horn students' skills, especially their problem-solving ability. The empirical evidence of soft skill integration contributes towards innovative teaching and learning experiences, social innovation, and the impact on school policies to develop what is required in the industry.

Contextualized in the debate on the (mis)use of habitus in educational research, the present study addresses two research questions: (a) What are the different functions that habitus (i.e., the dispositions underpinning cultural capital that are accumulated through socialization and that guide individuals' daily practices) serves in students' educational experiences? and (b) What characterizes the pattern of continuity or discontinuity for habitus across different contexts? Results of the meta-ethnographic review synthesizing findings from 37 qualitative studies show that there was a typology of different functions associated with habitus (academic socialization, motivating learning, facilitating content learning, developing learners' self-identity and aspirations). These functions transcended cognitive, affective, and social dimensions in students' present and future learning. However, habitus could also serve as a coping or risk-mitigation mechanism. Furthermore, results show that habitus could be continuous or discontinuous across fields (student, familial, institutional) and sub-fields (educational levels, types of learning, subjects, programs, learners). These results suggest that the prolific use of habitus in research should not be simply dismissed as conceptual infidelity; rather, it enables researchers to clarify how habitus serves different functions in educational experiences of students varying in their learning needs at different stages of their learning and in different contexts. The study contributes to the development of a conceptual framework for habitus that can inform future research. Practical implications for improving disadvantaged students' learning are discussed.

Decades of research have been conducted on the factors [i.e. family socioeconomic status (SES), urban-rural divide (household registration) and high-school type] associated with higher education selection. However, few studies have disentangled the relationship between each factor and the mechanisms of inequality among these factors in higher education selection. The present study, analysing China Family Panel Studies data (N = 3043), first examined the factors that predicted higher education selection and then ascertained the interplay of family SES, household registration and high-school type. The two major findings were: (1) family SES and high-school type (key/non-key schools) were positively associated with the predicted probability of students' access to higher education and elite universities, while household registration (the urban-rural divide, hukou) was only associated with the predicted probability of students' access to higher education; and (2) either urban or rural students and either key or non-key school students from socioeconomically advantaged families had a higher probability of access to both higher education and elite universities compared to their counterparts from socioeconomically disadvantaged families. The study also found that family SES did not drive the urban-rural attainment gaps (access to both higher education and elite universities), while the key/non-key school attainment gap in access to higher education was primarily attributable to family SES. However, the attainment gap between key and non-key high schools in admission to elite universities was not dependent on family SES. The present study contributes to the existing literature on higher education by shedding light on the determinants of educational attainment in terms of higher education selection and by enabling a greater understanding of the real possibility of confounding between family SES, household registration and high-school type in higher education selection.