New Horizons of Science, Technology and Culture Vol. 12

Cybersecurity in the Digital Twin Era: AI-Driven Threat Intelligence, Resilience, and Trustworthy Cyber-Physical Systems

2026-07-18T07:29:52+00:00

Digital twin technology has evolved from a conceptual modelling tool into an operational backbone for cyber-physical systems across manufacturing, energy, transport, and healthcare. As these virtual replicas synchronise continuously with physical assets, they extend the attack surface available to adversaries while simultaneously offering a new vantage point for defence. This review synthesises recent literature on the intersection of digital twins, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity, examining how machine learning, federated learning, and explainable models are being applied to threat intelligence, anomaly detection, and resilience engineering within cyber-physical environments. The review traces the evolution of digital twin security architectures, evaluates zero trust and identity-centric approaches to industrial Internet of Things protection, and considers the role of explainability in building operator trust in automated security decisions. Particular attention is given to the dual-use nature of digital twins, which can serve as honeypots, simulation testbeds, and attack surrogates while themselves becoming targets for model poisoning and data manipulation. The review identifies persistent gaps in standardisation, dataset realism, computational overhead, and regulatory alignment, and outlines future research directions centred on federated and privacy-preserving intelligence sharing, post-quantum readiness, and human-centred trust calibration. The discussion is intended to support researchers, system architects, and policymakers seeking a coherent account of how digital twins are reshaping the practice of cybersecurity in cyber-physical infrastructure.

Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S): Gender-Based Impacts on Athlete Health and Performance: A Critical Narrative Review

2026-07-18T07:33:31+00:00

Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) describes a constellation of physiological and psychological impairments that arise when athletes do not consume enough dietary energy to support the combined demands of exercise, growth and everyday physiological function. The condition was first articulated as a broadening of the Female Athlete Triad, yet it is now understood to affect male athletes through related, though not identical, pathways. This critical narrative review synthesises contemporary evidence on how the manifestations, detection and consequences of RED-S differ between women and men who compete in sport. The review traces the shared metabolic origins of low energy availability before examining sex-specific divergence in reproductive, skeletal, psychological and performance outcomes. Female athletes more often present with menstrual dysfunction and accelerated bone loss linked to oestrogen suppression, while male athletes tend to present with subtler reductions in testosterone, libido and bone accrual that are easily mistaken for normal training adaptation. Eating disorders and disordered eating remain more prevalent and more readily recognised among women, although under-detection in men appears to reflect stigma and screening gaps rather than true biological immunity. Screening instruments, clinical assessment frameworks and prevention guidance have historically been developed for and validated in women, leaving male-specific tools comparatively immature. The review also engages critically with unresolved debates, including the continuing tension between the Triad and RED-S models, the disproportionate evidence base favouring female physiology, and methodological confounds introduced by inconsistent reporting of menstrual status and hormonal contraceptive use. The review concludes that a genuinely sex-aware approach to RED-S, rather than a female-derived model retrofitted to men, is required to protect the health and performance of all athletes.

Exploring the Impact of Walnut Shell Powder in Enhancing the Mechanical Properties of Case-Hardened Steel

2026-07-18T07:36:36+00:00

Steam and chemical activation techniques are widely used in the production of activated carbon. Agricultural wastes that were previously disregarded are increasingly being utilised to enhance engineering products, including the case hardening of steel surfaces. This study investigated the use of walnut shell powder for case hardening steel. The walnut material was obtained from trees at Itaogbolu, Ondo State, Nigeria. It was divided into two portions: one was pre-treated, while the other was used as received. The material was cleaned and broken to separate the shells, which were dried, ground using a roller mill, and further pulverised using a mini-pulveriser. The resulting powder was sieved to obtain a particle size of 36 microns. Pre-treated and as-received powders were used at 850°C with soaking times of 45, 60, and 75 minutes, designated A, B, and C, respectively. Uniaxial tensile testing was used to characterise the tensile properties and fracture toughness, while a metallurgical microscope was used to examine and analyse the sample microstructures. Sample A1, case-hardened in pre-treated walnut shell powder at 850°C for 45 minutes, exhibited a favourable combination of improved properties and a distinctly refined, more compact grain structure at the microstructural edge. This observation was attributed to carbon diffusion from the carburiser into the sample surface. Overall, the study evaluated pre-treated and as-received walnut shell powders at a fixed temperature and varying soaking times for the case hardening of steel.

Fabrication and Installation of Holographic Set Up for Non-destructive Testing

2026-07-18T07:40:39+00:00

This study presents the fabrication and installation of a holographic system intended for non-destructive assessment of the geometry and surface microrelief of complex-shaped components. The installation records a holographic image of a component surface, extracts profile maps in mutually perpendicular directions, and supports the construction of a three-dimensional geometric model for comparison with a reference surface. The system incorporates a vibration-isolated holographic table that permits flexible positioning of optical elements on magnetic bases, a programmable optical shutter, a scanning electromagnetic-field indicator, and equipment for recording a complete holographic image over an angular range of 0–360°. A holographic plate holder using a neodymium-magnet podium and a ceramic superconductor is also described as a means of reducing holder microvibrations through Meissner-effect levitation. In addition, a second-generation electromagnetic-field indicator is proposed, using a translational electric motor and a CCD sensor to obtain microrelief maps for computer-based reconstruction. The installation is intended for passive, non-destructive inspection of external surface geometry and microrelief; internal defects require a complementary X-ray diffraction scanner. Several subsystems, including the full-image recording device, levitating plate-holder platform, and second-generation indicator, remain at the prototype-development stage. The work consolidates the principal mechanical, optical, electronic, and computational elements of the Sofya Varvarchuk installation for holographic surface measurement and three-dimensional reconstruction.