Coordinates: 42°39′25″N 23°21′28″E / 42.6569°N 23.3578°E / 42.6569; 23.3578The University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy (Bulgarian: Химикотехнологичният и металургичен университет) is a state university in Sofia, Bulgaria, founded in 1953..
Automated vulnerability detection in critical-infrastructure software confronts a fundamental barrier: industrial software is routinely deployed as stripped, symbol-free binaries that deprive conventional Software Composition Analysis of the source-level transparency it requires. Existing binary analysis techniques close this Semantic Gap only partially – graph-based detectors preserve structural syntax but discard behavioral semantics, while large language models supply rich semantic cues at the cost of unstable, hallucination-prone inference. To address this gap, we present a semantic-enhanced neuro-symbolic framework that reconstructs behavioral semantics directly from opaque binaries and performs tractable global risk reasoning. Three tightly coupled mechanisms drive this capability: (1) abstract interpretation combined with a reflexive prompting pipeline that structurally constrains a local LLM agent, effectively suppressing hallucinations; (2) a surjective transformation that compresses raw Code Property Graphs into typed Software Supply Chain Knowledge Graphs amenable to scalable reasoning; and (3) a domain-adapted Graphormer that captures long-range vulnerability propagation, augmented by embedding-space subgraph matching to uncover zero-day and APT-style attack patterns. Evaluated across three benchmarks of increasing domain specificity, the framework consistently outperforms all baselines on detection accuracy, semantic lifting fidelity, and APT fingerprint matching. Deployment on a hybrid virtual-physical testbed incorporating production-grade hardware from five ICS vendors further confirms strong detection coverage of high-impact CVEs while substantially reducing false-positive rates relative to leading commercial tools.
Polymeric micelles have become a versatile and clinically significant class of nanocarriers for cancer therapy. They effectively solubilize poorly water-soluble anticancer drugs, extend their circulation in the bloodstream, and promote accumulation in tumors. Early studies focused on conventional PEG-based polymeric micelles that utilize passive targeting based on the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect, with several of these advancing to clinical trials. Active targeting strategies using modified polymer micelles with various targeting ligands have been introduced to enhance cellular uptake and improve tumor specificity. Recently, the field has shifted toward smart polymer micelles that can respond to both internal (endogenous) and external (exogenous) stimuli. These stimuli-responsive systems enable controlled drug release, enhance delivery inside cells, and improve therapeutic effectiveness, all while reducing systemic toxicity. This review summarizes recent advancements in polymer design, drug-loading techniques, preparation methods, and targeting strategies for polymeric micelles, highlighting both preclinical progress and systems that have reached clinical stages. The transition from conventional to smart polymer micelles is a significant advancement toward achieving more precise, effective, and personalized cancer nanomedicine.
Results of experiments on iron cementation of copper from aqueous solutions in magnetically controlled particle beds are presented in this study. The Helmholtz pair's axial magnetic field was employed. Despite the particle bed structures created for cementation, an increase in fluid flow rate results in a decrease in external mass transfer resistance, which raises copper recovery. In a typical fixed bed with constant fluid velocity, the field intensity significantly increases the copper recovery.When iron is utilized as a particle bed in column operation, the bed structures play a significant part in the cementation process's effective operation. The mass transfer coefficients and separation efficiencies of the frozen beds (using the Magnetization LAST mode) and the moderately enlarged magnetically stabilized beds (MSB) are nearly comparable. Nonetheless, the frozen beds outperform MSB at modest particle Reynolds and Rosensweig numbers in the one-pass flow mode (no recirculation), while MSB is more suitable for long-time operations with flow recirculations.
Quantitative data on the bending capacity and rotational stiffness of corner joints made from acrylic solid-surface PMMA/ATH composites are limited, despite their widespread use in furniture and interior components. The study provides comparative bending moment and rotational-stiffness benchmarks for 18 PMMA/ATH corner-joint series, using a stiffness-evaluation procedure tailored to corner-joint testing. L-type joints produced from two commercial PMMA/ATH materials (Kerrock and Corian) at 6- and 12-mm thickness were manufactured in 18 configurations, including glued butt, 45 degrees mitre, reinforced mitre, rebate, groove variants, and detachable Minifix eccentric and Lamello Clamex connectors. Specimens were tested under arm-compression bending and maximum bending moment (Mmax), and joint rotational stiffness was derived. The best-glued solution was the 12 mm Kerrock 45 degrees mitre with Mmax 186.21 N & centerdot;m, whereas the strongest 6 mm joint reached 40 N & centerdot;m. Reinforcing the 12 mm Kerrock mitre joint increased stiffness to 9521 N & centerdot;m/rad but did not increase bending capacity relative to the non-reinforced mitre. Detachable joints formed a clearly distinct low-rigidity class with bending moments of 2.22-3.89 N & centerdot;m and stiffness below 194 N & centerdot;m/rad. Overall, thickness and joint geometry dominate both strength and stiffness, and the tested detachable connectors should be reserved for applications requiring disassembly rather than for load-bearing corners.
Waste lignin from the hydrolysis of lignocellulosic materials is an abundant but underused by-product of the pulp and biorefinery industries. Phenolic compounds derived from lignin, rich in aromatic structures, show strong antioxidant potential and can be applied in polymer stabilization, food, and medical fields. This study evaluated the radical-scavenging activity of phenolic fractions obtained from alkaline-treated waste lignin against DPPH● and ABTS•+, using Trolox as a reference. Both spectrophotometric and electrochemical techniques were employed, providing deeper insight into the underlying mechanisms. Depending on the assay, the phenolic extracts demonstrated substantial radical-scavenging capacity, in some cases matching or surpassing that of Trolox. This behavior was linked to electron/proton transfer pathways, radical reactivity, and solubility effects. The combined use of multiple antioxidant tests offered a comprehensive characterization of the bioactivity of lignin-derived phenolics and supports their potential as sustainable sources of antioxidant compounds within a circular economy framework. Furthermore, the study examined how toluene-extracted phenolics affect the thermo-oxidative stability of model polyurethane films. Incorporating small amounts (1%, 3%, 5%) into the polymer matrix showed that a 1% loading provides the most effective stabilization. At higher concentrations, however, additional oxidative processes seem to be activated, as indicated by FTIR measurements and thermogravimetric analysis.