We offered the circuit of a discrete analog filter (DAF) low frequencies of second-order on switchable capacitors, which differs from the known ones in that three capacitors with one terminal are connected to a common bus, and the frequency of the DAF pole depends not only on the ratio of the capacitances of the frequency-setting capacitors, but also on the ratio of resistances two additional resistors in the feedback. This allows at constant values ​​of the capacitances and a fixed switching frequency of electronic switches, control the pole frequency by changing the resistance ratio of additional resistors. Computer simulation of the developed circuit was performed in the Micro-Cap environment. It has been established that the DAF has a transmission coefficient close to minus one at very low frequencies and a transmission coefficient close to zero at higher frequencies.

For many years, energy monitoring at the most disaggregate level has been mainly sought through the idea of Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring (NILM). Nevertheless, a practical application of this concept in the residential sector should address the underlying concerns raised by the technical specifications of case studies. From one side, such an operation must handle common matters related to the essence of any NILM system. Although this aspect has been thoroughly investigated by basic research, it is limited to the properties of public datasets. On the other side, it must deal with specific concerns corresponding to uncommon situations. These circumstances impose further restrictions on existent NILM schemes, however, they have been overlooked due to the lack of pertinent databases to scrutinize. Accordingly, this paper presents applied research on a potential solution to NILM for Quebec residences. It carries out a relevant investigation into the multi-faceted nature of this problem in order to reveal barriers to feasible implementations in the context of Quebec. This work commences with a concise discussion about the NILM idea to highlight its essential requirements for a fruitful practice. Afterward, it provides a comparative statistical analysis to represent the specificity and potential challenges of the case study in accordance with NILM necessities. For this purpose, the examination exploits data from real-world measurement systems in the same and European regions. Subsequently, this study focuses on a load identification exercise by proposing a combinatory approach that utilizes the promise of sub-meter smart technologies to integrate the intrusive aspect of load monitoring with the non-intrusive one. The former is aimed at extracting overall heating demand from the aggregate one by a supervised procedure based on Deep Learning (DL) models while the latter is designed for disaggregating the residual load through an unsupervised process on the basis of clustering techniques. The results demonstrate that geographically-dependent cases create electricity consumption scenarios under which existing NILM methods can be questioned. From a realistic standpoint, this research elaborates on critical remarks to realize viable NILM systems, particularly, in Quebec houses.

Low-sodium salt substitute (LSSS) has the potential in regulating sodium and potassium intake and has been available in China market for years. However, its real-world use and impact to sodium\potassium intake is unclear. Baseline data of 4000 adult participants who participated in three similar-designed randomized controlled trails were pooled together for this study. Self-reported awareness and use of LSSS were collected using the uniform questionnaire, and the 24-h urinary sodium and potassium excretion was used to estimate their dietary intake. Mixed-effects models were developed to assess the relationship between LSSS and 24-h urinary sodium and potassium excretion. 32.0% of the participants reported awareness of LSSS and 11.7% reported its current use. After adjusting location, sex, age, and education, compared with the group of participants unaware of LSSS, participants who were aware but not using LSSS and those who were using LSSS had a lower 24-h urinary sodium excretion by –356.1(95% CI: –503.9, –205.9) mg/d and –490.6(95% CI: –679.2, –293.7), respectively (p<0.001). No significant difference was found for 24-h urinary potassium excretion and sodium-to-potassium ratio among the three groups (p>0.05). In conclusion, although associated with lower sodium intake, the awareness and real-world use of LSSS are still very low in China.

An inter- and transdisciplinary concept has been developed, focusing on the scaling of industrial circular construction using innovative compacted mineral mixtures (CMM) derived from various soil types (sand, silt, clay) and recycled mineral waste. The concept aims to accelerate the systemic transformation of the construction industry towards carbon neutrality by promoting the large-scale adoption and automation of CMM-based construction materials, which incorporate natural mineral components and recycled aggregates or industrial by-products. In close collaboration with international and domestic stakeholders in the construction sector, the concept explores the integration of various CMM-based construction methods for producing wall elements in conventional building construction. Leveraging a digital urban mining platform, the concept aims to standardize the production process and enable mass-scale production. The ultimate goal is to fully harness the potential of automated CMM-based wall elements as a fast, competitive, emission-free, and recyclable alternative to traditional masonry and concrete construction techniques. To achieve this objective, the concept draws upon the latest advances in soil mechanics, rheology, and automation and incorporates open-source digital platform technologies to enhance data accessibility, processing, and knowledge acquisition. This will bolster confidence in CMM-based technologies and facilitate their widespread adoption. The extraordinary transfer potential of this approach necessitates both basic and applied research. As such, the proposed transformative, inter- and transdisciplinary concept will be conducted and synthesized using a comprehensive, holistic, and transfer-oriented methodology.

Urinary incontinence (UI) is a common geriatric syndrome affecting bladder health and is especially prevalent in nursing homes (NHs). The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of UI and its associated factors in 5 Spanish NHs. UI (measured with Minimum Data Set 3.0.), sociodemographic and health-related variables were collected. Chi- square (or Fisher’s) or Student’s t-test (or Mann Whitney U) for bivariate analysis were used, with Prevalence Ratio (PR) as an association measure. The prevalence of UI was 66.1% (CI:95%, 53.6–77.2) and was significantly associated with frailty (PR 1.84; 95%CI 0.96–3.53), faecal incontinence (FI) (PR 1.65; 95%CI 1.02–2.65), anxiety (PR 1.64; 95%CI 1.01–2.66), physical performance (PR 1.77; 95%CI 1.00–3.11) and cognitive state (PR 1.95; 95%CI 1.05–3.60). Statistically significant differences between incontinent-continent groups were found for activities of daily living (ADL) limitations, mobility, quality of life, sedentary behaviour (SB) and handgrip strength. It can be concluded that 2/3 of the residents experienced UI, and its significant associated factors were mainly physical (SB, frailty, physical performance, ADL limitations, mobility, FI and handgrip strength) followed by psycho-cognitive factors (cognition, anxiety and quality of life).

Today, more disciplines are intercepting each other, giving rise to “cross-disciplinary” research. Technological advancements in material science and device structure and production have paved the way towards development of new classes of multi-purpose sensory devices. Organic phototransistors (OPTs) are photo-activated sensors based on organic field-effect transistors that convert incident light signals into electrical signals. The organic semiconductor (OSC) layer and three-electrode structure of an OPT offer great advantages for light detection compared to conventional photodetectors and photodiodes, due to their signal amplification and noise reduction characteristics. Solution processing of the active layer enables mass production of OPT devices at significantly reduced cost. The chemical structure of OSCs can be modified accordingly to fulfil detection at various wavelengths for different purposes. Organic phototransistors have attracted substantial interest in a variety of fields, namely biomedical, medical diagnostics, healthcare, energy, security, and environmental monitoring. Lightweight and mechanically flexible and wearable OPTs are suitable alternatives not only at clinical levels but also for point-of-care and home-assisted usage. In this review, we aim to explain different types, working mechanism and figures of merit of organic phototransistors and highlight the recent advances from the literature on development and implementation of OPTs for a broad range of research and real-life applications.

Insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs) are critical modulators of the metabolism. In adults, IGFBPs are associated with obesity and insulin resistance but the association of IGFBPs with metabolic homeostasis in children and adolescents is not fully characterized. In this study we investigated the association of plasma IGFBPs (IGFBP-1, 3 and 7) with weight status, central adiposity and cardiovascular disease markers Hs-CRP and Ox-LDL. A total of 420 adolescents (age 11-14 years) were randomly recruited from public middle schools in Kuwait. IGFBPs were measured using bead-based multiplexing while Hs-CRP and Ox-LDL were measured using ELISA. IGFBP-1 levels were significantly lower in obese and overweight participants compared to normal weight children. Only IGFBP-1 was negatively associated with waist circumference to height (WC/Ht) ratio. IGFBP-1 was negatively correlated with Hs-CRP while IGFBP-3 and IGFBP-7 were negatively correlated with Ox-LDL. These data demonstrate a robust negative association of IGFBP-1, but not IGFBP-3 or -7, with overweight and obesity, and the inflammation marker Hs-CRP. Central adiposity (WC/Ht ratio) was a stronger predictor of IGFBP-1 than BMI-for-age z-score. IGFBP-1 could thus be used as a sensitive predictive diagnostic tool for obesity and its subsequent effects in screening and monitoring of obesity-related metabolic complications in adolescents.

The epidemic transmission of Zika virus (ZIKV) in Brazil has been identified as a cause of microcephaly and other neurological malformations in babies of ZIKV-infected women. This study provides a descriptive analysis, since the onset of symptoms to the delivery, of a cohort who were registered as having ZIKV infection in pregnancy, from November 2015 to December 2016. Suspected cases were registered at a referral center for infectious and tropical diseases in Manaus, in the Brazilian Amazonian region. A total of 834 women with suspected ZIKV in pregnancy were included, of whom 91.4% had confirmed pregnancy. Reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) confirmed ZIKV infection in 42.2% of the cohort. In 35.2% of the cohort, ZIKV was the sole infection identified. Severe adverse pregnancy outcomes (abortion, stillbirth, or microcephaly) were observed in both RT-PCR ZIKV-positive (4.96%) and ZIKV-negative (2.15%) cases. Women with suspected ZIKV infection were much more likely to have adverse pregnancy outcomes if they were symptomatic during the first trimester of pregnancy (odds ratio 10.5; 95% confidence interval 4.0–27.0; p<0.001). Among pregnant women with suspected ZIKV infection, the occurrence of symptoms in the first trimester is associated with an especially high risk of severe adverse pregnancy outcomes.

The slate aggregate has long been perceived as a substandard, low quality waste material with its physical and chemical properties not being competitive with those of the primary aggregates. It is assumed that the slate aggregate particles are not strong, that is not durable and will not compact. This research aims to address those claims and review the available literature on the performance of the slate aggregate. The review inaugurates by analysing the physical, chemical and mechanical properties of slate, before expanding into a literature review of laboratory testing’s on the effect of moisture content on density, compaction and layer thickness of slate aggregate.The paper reviews case studies of construction projects in North Wales, where the slate aggregate has been used for general fill and road building for many years. Some of the case studies include the A55 coastal road and duelling of the A5 in Anglesey (WRAP, 2004), where slate aggregate was successfully used as sub-base. The paper also investigates why many civil engineers are reluctant to use the slate aggregate and regard the material as sub-standard, flaky aggregate. The research paper reviews the potential usages and various products the slate aggregate is suitable for and satisfies the requested standards. The final topic reviewed is the cost of transporting slate aggregate compared with the cost of transport for primary aggregate and the introduction of the Primary Aggregates Tax (Parliament of the United Kingdom, 2011). The last topic includes a critical analyses of the claims that the slate aggregate a commercially viable construction material despite its remote location (Woodward et al, 2004). The transportation cost and the supply chain complexities must be evaluated prior to considering the long-term sustainability of the product (Radanliev et al^1-6, 2014, 2015, 2016).

A model for enabling the production of lower carbon cement paste is proposed in this research. The model is based on predicting the strength of cement pastes with partial replacement of wheat straw ash (WSA) and silica fume (SF), two major wastes of agricultural and industrial production. The model is set up based on response surface methodology and Box-Behnken design, and included a suite of mechanical tests with distinct replacements following a micro an meso characterization. The model shows capability for predicting strength of any cement paste, including partial substitution of WSA and/or SF at any combination level with excellent accuracy, which is verified with three validation mixtures demonstrating maximum errors of less than 6% at the three ages. The analysis of the response surface evidences that any cement replacement in the range of 0-20% WSA and above 5% SF allows the reduction of the carbon footprint by maximizing the incorporation of both wastes. The proposed model can be used by setting the required strength of cement paste and calculating the maximum possible replacement, which should contribute to making the construction industry more sustainable by utilizing local waste.

A new clothing resistance model is described and applied to characterize the human thermal and moisture climates. The climate was described by the thermal (rcl,t) and evap-orative (rcl,e) resistances of comfortable, imaginary clothing. The key input variable of the model is the rate of sweating (λEsw). Since sweating is an individual-specific process, the model applies to the individual. The observations were carried out by a single individual in Martonvásár (Hungarian lowland, Central Europe) in the summer of 2023 and the winter of 2024. During the observations, the observer walked at a speed of 1.1-1.7 ms-1 in weather-appropriate clothing. Among the results, we would highlight the following: Dur-ing large environmental heat surpluses, the rcl,t values were found to be between 0.1-0.5 clo-t (clo-t = 0.155 m2·℃·W-1), while the rcl,e values fell between 0.4-0.8 clo-e (clo-e = 0.155 m2·hPa·W-1). The values of the parameters close to 0 were caused by intense sweating (λEsw > 200 Wm-2). The applicability of the model is limited and largely depends on the rela-tionship between λEsw and the metabolic heat flux density.

The paper describes an application of machine learning approach for parameter optimization. The method is demonstrated for the elasto-viscoplastic model with both isotropic and kinematic hardening. It is shown that the proposed method based on long-short term memory networks enabled to obtain reasonable agreement of stress-strain curves for cyclic deformation in low-cycle fatigue regime. The main advantage of the proposed approach over traditional optimization schemes lies in the possibility to get parameters for a new material without the necessity to conduct any further optimizations. As the power and robustness of the developed method was demonstrated on the very challenging problem (cyclic deformation, crystal plasticity, self-consistent model, isotropic and kinematic hardening), it is directly applicable to other experiments and models.

Abstract—The static and fatigue analysis of plates with holes, made of 2D woven roving composites, is conducted. The parametrization of convex holes is proposed. Experimental results of specimens without holes and with different shapes of notches are discussed. The fatigue behaviour is considered with the use of the low cycle fatigue method. The analysis is supplemented by the numerical finite element modeling. The present work is an extension of the results discussed in the literature. The finite element modeling of plates with holes is presented in details in Ref [1-3] including also the problems of the accuracy. The experimental results and the form of specimens are shown in Ref [4]. Two parametrical description of static and fatigue behaviour of plates with holes characterizes the goal and the novelty of the paper. The fuzzy approach is employed to reduce the number of experimental data [5].

While providing safe water for the rural poor is considered a basic human right, there are numerous issues associated with existing technologies with shortcomings. Performance issues have continued to fail to meet the needs of impoverished families due to issues including high cost, difficulties with performance, and continuing needs for maintenance. These issues have severely interfered the safe water accessibility. Key aspects of the Guelph Water Filter (GWF) system can avoid/minimize many of these issues. The GWF as described herein enables delivery of low cost, long-term performance at 3Log removal of E.coli and can deliver 1 to 3 L of treated water per hour. The GWF is simple to operate, has an ability to provide sufficient water for a family, maintains longevity of performance, is easy to maintain and has protection against breakage during the cleaning process, is repairable at village level, and operates using a sizable reservoir of water to supply raw water, meaning the technology does not need to be refilled frequently. Hence, the capability of the novel GWF technology is shown to bypass many of the troublesome features of alternative low-tech water treatment technologies. The potential for the GWF to function for 2 days continuously avoids the need for young girls to fetch raw water frequently during a day, thereby enabling them to attend school. Hence, the GWF enhances the potential to result in ‘safe water and full schools’, providing the opportunity for girls to receive education and capture socio-economic benefits for the community.

: Low-temperature growth of diamond films by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method is not so widely reported and especially its initial periods of nucleation and growth phenomenon are of particular interest to the researchers. Four sets of substrates were selected for growing diamond films by linear antenna microwave plasma enhanced CVD (LA-MPCVD). Among them, silicon and sapphire substrates were pre-treated with detonation nanodiamond (DND) seeds before diamond growth for enhancement of its nucleation. On the other hand, carbon nanotube (CNT) films on Si substrates were also used as another template for LA-MPCVD diamond growth. In order to enhance the diamond nucleation during CVD growth, some of the CNT films were again pre-treated by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) of diamond nanoparticles. All these substrates were then put inside the LA-MPCVD chamber for growing diamond films under variable processing conditions. Microwave input powers (1100 – 2800 W), input power modes (pulse or continuous), antenna to stage distances (5 - 6.5 cm), process gas recipes (with or without CO2), methane gas percentages (3 - 5%), deposition times (11 – 120 minutes) were altered to investigate their effect on the growth of diamond film on the pre-treated substrates. The substrate temperatures were found to vary from as low as 170oC to a maximum of 307oC during the alteration of the different processing parameters. Contrary to the conventional MPCVD, it was observed that during the first hour of LA-MPCVD diamond growth, DND seeds or the nucleating structures, do not coalesce together to make a continuous film. Deposition time was the most critical factor in fully covering the substrate surfaces with diamond film, since the substrate temperature could not become stable during the first hour of LA-MPCVD. CNT was found to be oxidised rapidly under LA-MPCVD plasma conditions; therefore, a CO2-free process gas recipe was used to reduce CNT burning. Moreover, EPD-coated CNT was found to be less oxidised by the LACVD plasma during diamond growth.

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) belongs to the ErbB family, a group of four transmembrane glycoproteins with tyrosine kinase activity, all structurally related to the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). These tyrosine kinases are involved in the transmission of cellular signals controlling normal cell growth and differentiation. If this transmission goes awry, it can lead to dysregulated growth of the cell. HER2 specifically can be implicated in the pathogenesis of at least eight malignancies. HER2 positivity quickly became a well characterized indicator of aggressiveness and poor prognosis, with high rates of disease progression and mortality. After realizing the implication of HER2, it first became investigated as a target for treatment in breast cancer, and later expanded to areas of research in other cancers types. To this day, the most therapeutic advancements of anti-HER2 therapy have been in breast cancer, however, there have been strong advancements made in the incorporation of anti HER2 therapy in other cancer types as well. This comprehensive review dissects HER2 to its core incorporating the most up to date information. The topics touched upon are discussed in detail and up to 200 published sources from the most highly recognized journals have been integrated. The importance of knowing about HER2 is exemplified by the groundbreaking advancements that have been made, and the change in treatment plans it has brought to the oncological world in the last twenty years. Since, its ground breaking discovery there has been significant breakthroughs in knowledge regarding the actual receptor, the receptors biology, its mechanism of action, advancements in tests to detect HER2 and significant strides on how to best incorporate targeted treatment. Due to the success of this field thus far, the review concludes by discussing the future of novel anti-HER2 therapy currently in development that everyone should be aware of.

Iterative Stochastic decoding is an alternative to standard fixed-point decoding of Low-density parity check codes (LDPC) to reduce inter-node routing. In this paper, we propose a Flexible Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA)-Based Stochastic decoding (SD) hardware architecture for LDPC codes in the Fifth-Generation (5G) New Radio (NR) Standard that supports decoding of set of various code rates. This decoder’s runtime flexibility is desirable to switch a better performing code rate automatically based on the channel conditions without the extra time needed for reprogramming of FPGA. An offline design method is implemented to generate the hardware description language (HDL) code description of the decoder for the required code-rate set, which is further synthesized and integrated into the Xilinx Kintex-7 series FPGA board to determine the hardware resource utilisation and processing throughput. The Synopsys design tools were employed during both the simulation and synthesis stages, in combination with TSMC 65-nm CMOS standard cell technology, to facilitate comparative analysis. Compared with state-of-the-art designs, the proposed architecture reduces hardware utilization by up to 26% and achieved energy efficiency by 52%.

Our objective was to evaluate whether pregnancy is prolonged by use of a proteomics-based maternal serum screening test followed by treatment interventions. This is a secondary analysis of the PREVENT-PTB randomized trial comparing screening with the PreTRM test versus no screening. The primary trial analysis found no significant between-group difference in preterm birth rate. Rather than considering a dichotomous outcome (preterm vs term), we treated gestational age at birth as a continuous variable using survival analysis. We also evaluated between-group difference in NICU length of stay and duration of respiratory support. Results indicated that pregnancy was significantly prolonged in subjects screened with PreTRM test compared to controls (adjusted hazard ratio 0.53, 95% confidence interval 0.36-0.78, P &lt;0.01). Newborns of screened subjects had significantly shorter NICU stay but no significant decrease in duration of respiratory support. In the PreTRM screen-positive group, interventions that were associated with pregnancy prolongation included care management and low-dose aspirin but not 17-hydroxyprogesterone caproate. We concluded that screening with the PreTRM test followed by interventions for screen-positive pregnancies can prolong pregnancy and reduce NICU-LOS.

Applications for Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) range from monitoring the environment to automating factories. However, sustained and effective functioning is made more difficult by Sensor Nodes (SNs) limited energy supplies in which optimization is the main issue. So with the aim of increasing the lifespan by decreasing the energy consumption of WSN, Low-Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy (LEACH) protocol with Deep Learning (DL) algorithm is analyzed in this paper. LEACH is a hierarchical mechanism that elects Cluster Heads (CHs) and regularly rotates their positions in order to allocate energy use effectively by using the same amount of energy. However, Deep Learning (DL) method is used to further improve energy optimization. In many applications, the types of Deep Learning methods like Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) have shown to be very useful. Using this method, WSNs may make more efficient decisions that reduce energy consumption. Data aggregation, duty cycling, and transmission protocols may all be optimized by Deep Learning model's ability to recognize patterns and forecast network behavior. This results in lower energy consumption, a longer lifespan for the network, and better overall performance.

Powerful emitters of the ultraviolet C (UVC) light in the wavelength range of 230-280nm are necessary for the development of effective and safe optical disinfection technologies, high-sensitive optical spectroscopy and non-line-of-sight optical communication. This review considers such UVC-emitters with electron-beam pumping of heterostructures with quantum wells in the (Al,Ga)N material system. The important advantages of these emitters include the absence of the critical problem of p-type doping and the possibility of achieving record (up to several tens of watts for peak values) output optical power values in the UVC range. The review consistently considers about a decade of world experience in the implementation of various UV emitters with various types of thermionic, field-emission, and plasma-cathode electron guns (sources) used to excite various designs of active (light-emitting) regions in heterostructures with quantum wells AlxGa1-xN/AlyGa1-yN (x = 0 − 0.5, y = 0.6 − 1) fabricated either by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition or by plasma-activated molecular beam epitaxy. Special attention is paid to the production of heterostructures with multiple quantum wells/two-dimensional(2D) quantum disks GaN/AlN with a monolayer (1ML ~ 0.25nm) thickness, which ensures a high internal quantum efficiency of radiative recombination in the UVC range, low elastic stresses in heterostructures, and a high output UVC-optical powers.

The DNS of film boiling requires strong computational resources that are difficult to obtain for a daily CFD use by the practitioners of the industrial R&amp;D experts. On the other hand, the film boiling experiments are associated with the usage of the expensive and highly sophisticated apparatus, and the research to this end is found to be relatively difficult due to high heat flow rates that are present in the process itself. When combined with a transient heat conduction in a solid, the problem becomes significantly difficult. Therefore, a novel method in computation of conjugate heat transfer during film boiling in a quiescent liquid has been proposed in this paper. The method relies on the solution of mass, momentum and energy conservation equations in a two-fluid framework, supplemented with the appropriate closures. Furthermore, the turbulent flow has been found as an important parameter in obtaining the accurate solution of the temperature field evolution in a solid specimen, via the proper modeling of turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) value, that has been imposed as a constant value, i.e., the frozen turbulence approach. It was found, in addition, that the appropriate TKE value can be obtained by use of Kelvin-Helmholtz instability theory in conjunction with the boundary layer theory. The obtained results show excellent agreement with the experimental data within the first 15 s of the experiment, i.e., the first ca. 10 % of the total duration of the film boiling mode of heat transfer. Furthermore, the heat transfer coefficient has matched the error bands prescribed by the authors of the paper that has presented the correlations, whilst the averaged values are far beyond this band, i.e., are slightly more than 30 % higher. The further inspection has revealed a measure of similarity between the computational result of the volume fraction field distribution and the experiment, thus confirming the capability of the method to obtain realistic interface evolution in time. The method has shown full capability for further pursuing the industrial-scale film boiling problems that involve turbulent flow and the conjugate heat transfer approach.

In many developing countries, plastic waste management is left to citizens. This usually results in hazardous landfilling or open-air burning, leading to emissions that are harmful to human health and the environment. An easy, profitable, and clean method of processing and transforming the waste into value is required. In this context, this study provides an open-source methodology to transform low-density polyethylene drinking water sachets, into pavement blocks by using a streamlined do-it-yourself approach that requires only modest capital. Two different materials, sand, and ashes are evaluated as additives in plastic composites and the mechanical strength of the resulting blocks are tested for different proportion mix of plastic, sand, and ash. The best composite had an elastic modulus of 169MPa, a compressive strength of 29MPa, and a water absorptivity of 2.2%. The composite pavers can be sold at 100% profit while employing workers at 1.5X the minimum wage. In the West African region, this technology has the potential to produce 19 million pavement tiles from 28,000 tons of plastic water sachets annually in Ghana, Nigeria, and Liberia. This can contribute to waste management in the region while generating a gross revenue of 2.85 billion XOF (4.33 million USD).

There is a systematic exclusion of gender-based violence, safe abortion, reproductive cancers, infertility services, comprehensive sexuality education, sexuality services, and STI’s other than HIV in essential health packages in LMICs. To accelerate progress on sexual reproductive health (SRH), the Guttmacher–Lancet Commission proposed the adoption of these interventions into an essential health package of SRH services that should be universally available. In this commentary, we use a healthcare priority-setting processes lens to review the importance of these services for universal health coverage. We isolate inherent challenges in social value judgments for terminal, process and content evidence for their healthcare priority-setting. We then advance promising emerging practical examples from low to middle-income countries on evidence-informed decision-making processes. We recommend capacity development through regional support, generating equity and efficiency evidence and strengthening political and publicly acceptable processes to institutionalise and operationalise evidence-informed decision-making.

This paper is a mini literature review about electromagnetic field’s effects on cells, tissues and new treatment modalities. We have reviewed a papers which have been published in high quality journals in the last 5 years as two authors. This review’s aim is to be a resource for experimental studies about electricity’s effects on cell biology and pathophysiology. As a result of this literature review, we found that especially extremely low electric frequency and intermediate frequency fields have very important pathophysiological effects. We have mentioned four important expressions on this subject; electroporation, electrofusion, electrochemotherapy, gene electrotransference. Two different new treatment approaches have been developed by use of these two important electrical waves. First is tumor treating fields and the other is pulsed electric fields. Most studies in literature have been done with extremely low frequency and pulsed electric fields. In terms of diseases, most studies are about glioblastoma multiforme and malign melanoma.Most studies in literature have been done with extremely low frequency and pulsed electric fields. In terms of diseases, most studies are about glioblastoma and melanoma.

Selenium-rich Au-Ag mineralization has been discovered in the Kremnica ore district, central Slovakia. The mineralization is hosted by a single quartz-dolomite vein hosted by Neogene propyllitized andesites of the Kremnica stratovolcano. Ore mineralogy and crystal chemistry of individual ore minerals have been studied here. The early base-metal ore mineralization composed of pyrite, sphalerite and chalcopyrite lacks selenium, whereas the superimposed Au-Ag paragenesis is Se-enriched. The Au-Ag alloys, uytenbogaardtite, minerals of the galena-clausthalite series, acanthite-naumannite series, diaphorite, miargyrite, pyrargyrite-proustite, polybasite group, minerals of the tetrahedrite group and andorite branch (andorite IV, andorite VI, Ag-excess fizélyite), freislebenite, and rare Pb-Sb sulphosalts (scaiinite, robinsonite, plagionite) have been identified here. Besides selenides, the most Se-enriched phases are miargyrite, proustite-pyrargyrite, and polybasite-pearceite, whose Se contents are among the highest reported worldwide. In addition, one new phase has been found, corresponding to a Se-analogue of pearceite containing 2.08 - 3.54 apfu Se. The style of mineralization, paragenetic situation, and chemical trends observed in individual minerals are comparable to those of Au-Ag low-sulphidation epithermal Au-Ag mineralizations of the Kremnica and neighboring Štiavnica and Hodruša-Hámre Ore Districts, however, the pronounced enrichment in selenium is a specific feature of the studied vein only.

The application of the sensors optical fiber in the areas of scientific instrumentation and industrial instrumentation is very attractive due to its numerous advantages. In the industry of civil engineering for example, quasi-distributed sensors made with optical fiber are used for reliable strain and temperature measurements. Here, a quasi-distributed sensor in the frequency domain is discussed. The sensor consists of a series of low-finesse Fabry-Perot interferometers where each Fabry-Perot interferometer acts as a local sensor. Fabry-Perot interferometers are formed by pairs of identical low reflective Bragg gratings imprinted in a single mode fiber. All interferometer sensors have different cavity length, provoking the frequency-domain multiplexing. The optical signal represents the superposition of all interference patterns which can be decomposed using the Fourier transform. The frequency spectrum is analyzed and sensor´s properties were defined. Following, a quasi-distributed sensor was numerically simulated. Our sensor simulation considers sensor properties, signal processing, noise system and instrumentation. The numerical results show the behavior of resolution vs. signal-to-noise ratio. From our results, the Fabry-Perot sensor has high resolution and low resolutions. Both resolutions are conceivable because the FDPA algorithm elaborates two evaluations of Bragg wavelength shift

Results-Based Financing (RBF) in pediatrics, in regions with scarce resources like Northern Uganda, provides an innovative approach to enhancing healthcare delivery. RBF aligns financial incentives with desired health outcomes, boosting service quality, efficiency, and effectiveness by tying compensation to achieving specific, measurable health targets. Lacor and Kalongo hospitals, before the introduction of RBF, faced numerous challenges, including limited resources, staffing shortages, and inconsistent quality of care. RBF adoption requires critical health outcomes to target, such as lowering child mortality rates, enhancing vaccination coverage, and increasing the frequency of timely prenatal care visits. The empirical application of RBF in pediatric services at Lacor and Kalongo Hospital from 2018 to 2024 shows improved healthcare quality and outcomes. Healthcare systems can identify ways to implement RBF models better, ensuring that financial incentives effectively contribute to attaining superior health outcomes.

In this study, the fundamentals of electroencephalography signals, their categorization into frequency sub-bands, the circuitry used for their acquisition, and the impact of noise interference on signal acquisition are examined. Additionally, design specifications for medical-grade and research-grade EEG circuits and a comprehensive analysis of various analog front-end architectures for electroencephalograph (EEG) circuit design are presented. Three distinct selected case studies are examined in terms of comparative evaluation with generic EEG circuit design templates. Moreover, a novel one-channel battery-supplied EEG analog front-end circuit designed to address the requirements of usage protocols containing strong com-pound muscle movements is introduced. Furthermore, a realistic input signal generator circuit is proposed that models the human body and the Electromagnetic Interference from its surroundings. Experimental simulations are conducted in 50 Hz and 60 Hz electrical grid environments to evaluate the performance of the novel design. The results demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed system, particularly in terms of bandwidth, portability, common mode rejection ratio , gain, suppression of muscle movement artifacts, electrostatic discharge and leakage current protection. Conclusively, the novel design is cost-effective and suitable for both commercial and research single-channel EEG applications. It can be easily incorporated in Brain Computer Interfaces and neurofeedback training systems.

In this work, an analog front-end (AFE) circuit for Electrocardiogram (ECG) detection system has been designed, implemented, and investigated in an industry-standard Cadence simulation framework using advanced technology node of 45 nm. The AFE consists of an instrumentation amplifier, a Butterworth band-pass filter (with fifth-order low-pass and second-order high-pass sections), and a second-order notch filter- all are based on two-stage, Miller-compensated operational transconductance amplifiers (OTA). The OTAs have been designed employing the $g_m/I_D$ methodology. Both the pre-layout and post-layout simulation were carried out. The layout consumes an area of 0.0058 mm$^2$ without the resistors and capacitors. Analysis of various simulation results were carried out for the proposed AFE. The circuit demonstrates a post-layout bandwidth of 239 Hz with a variable gain between 44 to 58 dB, a notch depth of -56.4 dB at 50.1 Hz, a total harmonic distortion (THD) of -59.65 dB (less than 1\%), an input referred noise spectral density of $

It’s well known that existing horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing technology that is used to achieve large-scale cost-effective production from immature to low-moderate maturity continental shale in China, where the organic matter mainly exists in the solid form is fairly ineffective. To overcome the obstacles, in-situ conversion technology seems feasible, while implementing it in the target layer along with estimating the amount of expected recoverable hydrocarbon in such shale formations seems difficult. This is because there is no guideline to choose the most appropriate method and select relevant key parameters for this purpose. Hence, based on thermal simulation experiments during the in-situ conversion of crude oil from the Triassic Chang 73 Formation in the Ordos Basin and the Cretaceous Nenjiang Formation in the Songliao Basin, this deficiency in knowledge was addressed. First, relationships between the in-situ converted total organic carbon (TOC) content and the vitrinite reflectance (Ro) of the shales and between the residual oil volume and the hydrocarbon yield was established. Second, the yields of residual oil and in-situ converted hydrocarbon were measured, revealing their sensitivity to fluid pressure and crude oil density. In addition, a model was proposed to estimate the amount of in-situ converted hydrocarbon based on the TOC, hydrocarbon generation potential, Ro, residual oil volume, fluid pressure, and crude oil density. Finally, a method was established to determine key parameters on the final hydrocarbon yield from immature to low-moderate maturity organic material during in-situ conversion in shales. Following the procedure outlined in this paper, estimated recoverable in-situ converted oil in the shales of the Nenjiang Formation in the Songliao Basin was estimated to be approximately 292×108 tons, along with 18.5×1012 cubic meters of natural gas, in an area of approximately 8×104 square kilometers. Collectively, the method developed in this study is independent from the organic matter type and other geological and/or petrophysical properties of the formation and can be applied to other areas globally where there isn’t any available in-situ conversion thermal simulation experimental data.

An imbalance between production and excretion of amyloid β peptide (Aβ) in the brain tissues of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients leads to Aβ accumulation and formation of noxious Aβ oligomers/plaques. A promising approach to AD prevention is reduction of free Aβ level by directed enhancement of Aβ binding to its natural depot, human serum albumin (HSA). We previously demonstrated the ability of specific low-molecular-weight ligands (LMWLs) of HSA to improve its affinity for Aβ. Here we develop this approach by bioinformatic search for the clinically approved AD-related LMWLs of HSA, followed by classification of the candidates according to the predicted location of their binding sites on HSA surface, ranking of the candidates, and selective experimental validation of their impact on HSA affinity for Aβ. The top 100 candidate LMWLs were classified into the five clusters. The specific representatives of the different clusters exhibit dramatically different behavior, with 3- to 13-fold changes in equilibrium dissociation constants for the HSA-Aβ40 interaction: prednisone favors HSA-Aβ interaction, mefenamic acid shows the opposite effect, while levothyroxine exhibits the bidirectional effects. Overall, the LMWLs of HSA chosen here provide a basis for drug repurposing for AD prevention, and for search for the medications promoting AD progression.

The lung microbiota is a complex community of microorganisms that colonize the respiratory tract of individuals from or even before birth. Although the lungs were traditionally believed to be sterile, recent research has shown that there is a diversity of bacterial species in the respiratory system. Knowledge about the lung microbiota in the newborn and its relationship with bacterial infections is of vital importance to understand the pathogenesis of respiratory diseases in neona-tal patients undergoing mechanical ventilation. In this article, the current evidence on the compo-sition of the lung microbiota in the newborn will be reviewed, as well as its role in the develop-ment of bacterial infections in mechanically ventilated neonates. Although advances in many as-pects of the neonatal intensive care unit care have significantly improved the survival of preterm infants, the diagnosis and treatment of ventilator-associated pneumonia has not progressed in recent decades. Avoiding dysbiosis caused by inappropriate use of antibiotics around birth, as well as avoiding intubation of patients or promoting early removal of endotracheal tubes are among the most important preventive measures for ventilator-associated pneumonia. The use of probiotics and prebiotics to prevent infectious, allergic or metabolic complications in the short or long term constitutes a very important field of research in perinatal medicine.

In space application, hybrid pixel detectors of the Timepix family have been considered mainly for measurement of radiation levels and radiation dosimetry in low earth orbits. By the example of the Space Application of Timepix Radiation Monitor (SATRAM), we demonstrate the unique capabilities of Timepix-based miniaturized radiation detectors for particle separation. Using a novel method for proton spectrum reconstruction, we were able to measure the spectrum of protons trapped in the inner Van-Allen radiation belt, for the first time with a single-layer detector. We assess the measurement stability and the resiliency of the detector to the space environment demonstrating that, even though degradation is observed, data quality has not been affected significantly over more than 10 years. Based on the SATRAM heritage and the capabilities of the latest-generation Timepix-series chips, we discuss their applicability for use in a compact magnetic spectrometer for deep-space mission or in the high radiation environment of the Jupiter radiation belts, and their capability for use as single-layer X- and γ-ray polarimeter. The latter was supported by measurement of the polarization of scattered radiation in a laboratory experiment, where a modulation of 80% was found.

This study aimed to evaluate the proliferation and migration of fibroblast cells derived from chronic wounds and investigate the impact of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on their growth and migration. A total of 60 dermal samples were obtained from three sites of chronic pressure ulcers and diabetic ulcers in 20 patients. Following collection in the operating room, the dermal samples were isolated using the procedure described by Freshney RI. Fibroblasts from the wound base (Site 1) exhibited a slow proliferation rate and a decrease in proliferative capacity. Fibroblasts from wound margins (Site 2) and adjacent healing skin (Site 3) could be successfully isolated and maintained for multiple generations without any morphological changes. Fibroblasts from chronic wounds at Sites 2 and 3 showed slower proliferation rates and reduced migration capabilities compared to normal dermal fibroblasts (control samples). The fibroblast cells were exposed to LLLT at different energy levels (2.5, 3, and 3.5 J/cm2). The laser-treated groups demonstrated a significantly higher increase in cell count compared to the control sample, with the highest increase observed at an energy level of 3 J/cm2. These findings suggest that LLLT at an energy level of 3 J/cm2 could effectively enhance fibroblast migration, indicating its potential as a therapeutic intervention for chronic wounds.

Machine Learning can be used for social good. In this paper, we discuss how it can be used to combat climate change and facilitate land management and farming in developing countries and in particular in Côte d’Ivoire. This paper explores models that improve land and water management and agricultural farming cultivation to contrast climate change. Côte d’Ivoire is the largest producer of cocoa beans (43%) in the world, but deforestation, lack of rainfall, drought, and climate change threaten crops and the already fragile economy of Ivorian farmers. It is important to combat climate change with methods and techniques that are affordable to the local farmers and also induce positive effects in production. We discuss the use of low-cost sensors to collect data on the soil and open data and open source software to develop AI tools. We show that using deep neural networks (YOLOv5m) is effective for detecting healthy plants and pods of cocoa from damaged ones only using mobile phone images. Focusing on a single land is not enough to combat climate change, which has different causes and involves also knowledge at a higher scale. We propose a new method of forecasting for the analysis of remote sensors. Remote sensor data come from GRACE NASA Mission and ERA5 produced by the Copernicus Climate Change Service at ECMWF. We implement a new deep neural network architecture named CIWA-net. It is based on a Fully Convolutional Neural Network (FCN) [ 1] and it is a U-net like architecture [2]. The aim of CIWA-net is to forecast Total Water Storage Anomalies (TWSA). We show the quality of our model with a comparison to a vanilla Convolutional Neural Network. CIWA-net could be used also for the detection of lands that interfere with agricultural work and yields, such as deserted areas, water-soaking soil areas, zones at risk of desertification, and poor land use. The employment of AI at the service of agriculture can decrease crop losses and waste, lower the inputs onto the soil of fertilizers, responsible for the increase of Greenhouse Gases. It could be useful to help the small farmers (at a local scale) and also the policy-makers and farmers’ cooperatives (at the regional scale) to take valid and coordinated countermeasures to improve the correct use of the lands, helping to contrast and adapt to climate change.

Osteoporotic spinal fractures represent an increasingly widespread health problem in our aging society. We aimed to investigate the treatment options for low-energy spinal fractures in the el-derly and their impact on mortality, focusing on surgical stabilization using minimally invasive and open techniques. We evaluated 1356 patients over 50 years of age with compression frac-tures sustained due to low energy trauma treated at a single trauma center. We compared the mortality of patients following stable and operated/non-operated unstable compression frac-tures and the eligibility to surgery using the open and minimally invasive approach. The pa-tients received surgical or conservative care according to severity and eligibility to surgery. The mortality hazard ratio of patients who underwent screw fixation was 1.02 (P > .91), of patients who refused surgery was 1.68 (P < .001) and that of patients with anesthesiological contraindica-tion was 1.57 (P = .08), compared to conservatively treated patients with stable fractures. The dif-ference in mortality between open and minimally invasive surgeries was not significant, but the number of patients eligible for surgery with the minimally invasive procedure was significantly higher (OR: 0.25; P < .001). Spinal stability after fractures may be an important predictor of sur-vival in patients with low-impact fractures.

Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) are common in children and adolescents. In recent years, interest in the role of diet in the treatment of FGIDs has increased. Currently, interest focus-es on the low-FODMAP diet (LFD), the fructose- or lactose-restricted diet (FRD or LRD), the glu-ten-free diet (GFD), and the Mediterranean diet (MD). In this review, we focus on the role of these dietary patterns in the FGIDs most commonly diagnosed in clinical practice, namely irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), functional abdominal pain (FAP), functional dyspepsia (FD), and func-tional constipation (FC). Fifteen clinical trials were systematically reviewed (both RCTs and sin-gle arm clinical trials). We demonstrated the lack of high-quality intervention trials. Based on current evidence, low-FODMAP diet, LRD, FRD, or GFD have no place in daily practice for the management of children and adolescents with FGIDs. Nevertheless, some patients with IBS or RAP may have some benefit from the use of a low-FODMAP diet or FRD/LRD. Limited data sug-gest that MD may be promising in the management of FGIDs, especially in IBS patients, but more data are required to investigate the mechanisms of its protective effects.

Background: In regenerative dentistry the graft material influences the success. It should act as an osteoconductive scaffold, providing a mineral substrate during resorption and inducing the activity of osteoinductive cells capable of producing new bone, platelet growth factors, and cell differentiation factors inducing the differentiation of undifferentiated mesenchymal cells into. Given that dentin shares many biochemical characteristics with bone tissue, it has recently attracted considerable interest as a biomaterial for bone repair. The aim of this study is to compare two grinder types in order to determine the optimal method for producing dentinal particles using a mechanical grinder. Materials and methods: A sample of 40 natural human teeth without restorations, prostheses or root canal treatments was used and divided into two groups subjected to two different grinder speeds (high-speed and low-speed). The high-speed showed a greater dispersion (53.5+-9.89% of the tooth) due to the pulverisation (highly thin granules) of part of the tooth. The low-speed grinder does not pulverize the dentin and the percentage of tooth loss is 9.16+/-2.34%. Conclusion: The low-speed gringer allows to save a major part of the tooth and to have a maximum quantity of graft material but requires more time. Further studies must be promoted to optimise the grinding procedures.

This research proposes a roof-mounted auxiliary power supply (APS) system for 600VDC low-floor light rail vehicle (LRV). The proposed APS system consists of five parallel-connected dc-ac inverter modules (modules 1-5). The inverter modules 1 and 2 are three-phase dc-ac inverters for compressor motors of the cooling system, and the inverter modules 3 and 4 are three-phase dc-ac inverters for air pump motors of the braking system. The inverter module 5 is single-phase dc-ac inverter for 220VAC power supply for onboard electric loads. Simulations and experiments were carried out under variable load torque and output frequency for modules 1 – 4; and under full and no resistive loads for the inverter module 5. The measured total input current and total input power of the proposed APS system under full load condition are 118.76A and 71.25kW. Essentially, the proposed APS system is operationally applicable to the 600VDC low-floor RLV. Besides, the novelty of this research lies in the use of five parallel-connected inverter modules, unlike in the conventional APS systems which require three-phase output transformer or isolated dc-dc converter. Specifically, the proposed APS system requires neither three-phase output transformer nor isolated dc-dc converter.

Maternal and child nutrition has been a critical component of health, sustainable development, and progress in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). While a decrement in maternal mortality is an important indicator, simply surviving pregnancy and childbirth does not imply better maternal health. One of the fundamental obligations of nations under international human rights law is to enable mothers and teenage girls to endure pregnancy and delivery as an aspect of their enjoyment of reproductive and sexual health and rights and live a dignified life. The aim of this study was to discover the correlation between the Maternal Observation and Motivation (MOM) program and m-Health support for maternal and newborn health. A Comparative study was done among 109 pregnant mothers (study group-94; control group-102 mothers) with not less than 20 weeks of gestation. Maternal outcomes such as Hb, weight gain and newborn results like birth weight and crown- heel length was obtained on the baseline, 28 and 36 weeks of gestation. Other secondary data collected were abortion, stillbirth, low birth weight, major congenital malformations, twin or triplet pregnancies, physical activity and maternal wellbeing. The MOM intervention included initial face to face education, three in-person visits and eight virtual health coaching by WhatsApp. The baseline data on Hb of the mothers show that 31(32.98%) vs 27(28.72%) of the study and control group had anaemia, which improved to 27.66% and 14.98% among study group mothers at 28 and 36 weeks of gestation (p<0.001). The weight gain (p< 0.001), level of physical activity (p< 0.001), and maternal wellbeing (p< 0.01) also had significant differences after the Intervention. Even after controlling for potentially confounding variables, the maternal food practices regression model revealed that birth weight was directly correlated with consumption of milk (p 0.001), fruits (p 0.01), and green vegetables (p 0.05).As per the physical activity and maternal wellbeing regression model, the birth weight and crown heel length were strongly related with the physical activity and maternal wellbeing of mothers at 36 weeks of gestation (p <0.05). Combining the MOM intervention with standard antenatal care is a safe and effective way to improve maternal welfare while upholding pregnant mothers' human rights.

Recent progress in deep learning has led to accurate and efficient generic object detection networks. Training of highly reliable models depends on large datasets with highly textured and rich images. However, in real-world scenarios, the performance of the generic object detection system decreases when (i) occlusions hide the objects, (ii) objects are present in low-light images, or (iii) they are merged with background information. In this paper, we refer to all these situations as challenging environments. With the recent rapid development in generic object detection algorithms, notable progress has been observed in the field of object detection in challenging environments. However, there is no consolidated reference to cover state-of-the-art in this domain. To the best of our knowledge, this paper presents the first comprehensive overview, covering recent approaches that have tackled the problem of object detection in challenging environments. Furthermore, we present the quantitative and qualitative performance analysis of these approaches and discuss the currently available challenging datasets. Moreover, this paper investigates the performance of current state-of-the-art generic object detection algorithms by benchmarking results on the three well-known challenging datasets. Finally, we highlight several current shortcomings and outline future directions.

In France, the regional airport’s demand for services is facing challenges due to the continuous expansion of the high-speed train, high-speed line, and highway networks. This study focuses on the viability of regional airports in France through technical efficiency using data envelopment, principle component analysis, Malmquist productivity index, and regression analysis using bootstrapping. To face the current competitive environment, the regional airports in France adopted strategies, such as the construction of low-cost carrier (LCC) dedicated terminals (LCCTs) with lower expenses to attract more LCCs, increasing non-aeronautical revenue, and hosting regional hubs of LCCs. This is the first study that analyzes all of the French regional airports. The findings indicate that the existence of LCCTs positively affects technical efficiency on the airport’s performance, and share of LCCs at a regional airport leads to neither the efficiency nor the profit level.

Abstract: Mass spectrometry research laboratories reported multiple probes for ambient ionization in the last years. Combining them with a mechanical moving stage enables automated sampling and imaging applications. We developed a robotic platform, which is based on RepRap 3D-printer components, and therefore easy to reproduce and to adopt for custom prototypes. The minimal step width of the Open LabBot is 12.5 μm, and the sampling dimensions (x, y, z) are 18 × 15 × 20 cm. Adjustable rails in an aluminium frame construction facilitate the mounting of additional parts such as sensors, probes, or optical components. The Open LabBot uses industry-standard G-code for its control. The simple syntax facilitates the programming of the movement. We developed two programs: 1) LABI-Imaging, for direct control via a USB connection and the synchronization with MS data acquisition. 2) RmsiGUI, which integrates all steps of mass spectrometry imaging: The creation of G-code for robot control, the assembly of imzML files from raw data and the analysis of imzML files. We proved the functionality of the system by the automated sampling and classification of essential oils with a PlasmaChip probe. Further, we performed an ambient ionization mass spectrometry imaging (AIMSI) experiment of a lime slice with laser desorption low-temperature plasma (LD-LTP) ionization, demonstrating the integration of the complete workflow in RmsiGUI. The design of the Open LabBot and the software are released under open licenses to promote their use and adoption in the instrument developers’ community.

This paper investigates if the polar groups induced by a plasma treatment can increase the lap shear strength of laser joined metal and plastic hybrids. Optimal laser joining parameters for cold-rolled AISI304 – Polyamide 6.6 and sandblasted AISI304 - Polypropylene hybrids are developed. The OWRK-method was utilized to identify the change in surface free energy of a low-pressure plasma treatment. Plasma treated samples were joined and tested. The fractured surfaces were investigated via light microscopy and SEM. The arithmetic means of the plasma treated hybrids lap shear strength with polyamide 6.6 varied slightly but all measured values were within the range of the untreated samples. The lap shear strengths of the polypropylene hybrids were significantly reduced. This was attributed to an overaging and the development of low molecular weight oxidized materials which lead to a weak boundary layer. No correlation between surface free energy and the lap shear strength could be found.

This article presents a unique set of voltage and current data from a public building and acquired using a hybrid measurement solution that combines Python and Grafana. The transversal purpose consists of contributing to the community with a vision of the quality of the supply more oriented to the monitoring of the state of the network, providing a more realistic vision, which allows a better understanding, and the adoption of the best decisions to achieve the efficient energy management and thus optimize the operation and maintenance of power systems. The work focuses on higher order statistical estimators that, combined with exploratory data analysis techniques, improve the characterization of the shape of the stress signal. These techniques and data, together with the acquisition and monitoring system, present a unique combination in the line of low-cost measurement solutions. It also incorporates the underlying benefit of the contribution to industrial benchmarking. The paper also includes a computational comparison between Python and LabVIEW to elicit the performance of the measurement solution.

The most popular schemes of digital potentiometers (DP) and digital-to-analog converters (DAC) are considered. DP and DAC use how elements of parameter adjustment of active RC-filters. The circuits of the DAC on the Kelvin-Varley divider, the Kelvin divider based on the R-2R matrix, and the architecture of the DAC with a segmented circuit are shown. The internal structure of DP an Analog Devices and Intersil company is shown, and also the DP switching circuits in a tunable low-pass filter and a band-pass filter, a programmable inverting amplifier and a voltage regulator are presented.

To understand great disparities in disease outcomes between CIVID-19 patients, we explore infection and host responses in kinetics. From existing data, we deduced a model that the lungs are damaged by rapidly rising flow resistance as a result of retaining white blood cells in lung tissues. The retention of white blood cells is initially triggered by viral infection but aggravated by injuries caused by low temperature. Lungs are initially damaged by fluid leakage, rapidly followed by extruding blood into alveolar spaces. The step of blood extruding is predicted to take place in a very short time. Our simulations show that as little as 0.1% retention of white blood cells in the lungs can lead to their failure in 5 to 10 days. The small degrees of imbalance implies that this imbalance could be corrected by a large number of factors that are known to reduce flow resistance. The model implies that the top priority is maintaining blood micro-circulation and preserving organ functions in the entire disease course, especially after the virus has spread the whole lungs. From exploring a large number of hypothetical infection modes, we propose preventive, mitigating and treatment strategies for ultimately ending the pandemic. The first strategy is avoiding exposures that could result in widespread damages to lungs and taking post exposure mitigating measures that would reduce disease severity. The second strategy is reducing death rate and disability rate from the current levels to one tenth for infected patients by using multiple factors health optimization method. The double reduction strategies are expected to generate a series of chain reactions that favor mitigating or ending the pandemic. Some reactions include a big reduction of the amount of viral discharges from infected patients into the air, the avoidance of panic, chronic stress and emotional distress, and cross-infections which are expected in quarantines. The double reductions would have a final effect of ending the pandemic.

Given the high number of vehicle-crash victims, it has been established as a priority to reduce this figure in the transportation sector. For this reason, many of the recent researches are focused on including control systems in existing vehicles, to improve their stability, comfort and handling. These systems need to know in every moment the behavior of the vehicle (state variables), among others, when the different maneuvers are performed, to actuate by means of the systems in the vehicle (brakes, steering, suspension) and, in this way, to achieve a good behavior. The main problem arises from the lack of ability to directly capture several required dynamic vehicle variables, such as roll angle, from low-cost sensors. Previous studies demonstrate that low-cost sensors can provide data in real-time with the required precision and reliability. Even more, other research works indicate that neural networks are efficient mechanisms to estimate roll angle. Nevertheless, it is necessary to assess that the fusion of data coming from low-cost devices and estimations provided by neural networks can fulfill the reliability and appropriateness requirements for using these technologies to improve overall safety in production vehicles. Because of the increasing of computing power, the reduction of consumption and electric devices size, along with the high variety of communication technologies and networking protocols using Internet have yield to Internet of Things (IoT) development. In order to address this issue, this study has two main goals: 1) Determine the appropriateness and performance of neural networks embedded in low-cost sensors kits to estimate roll angle required to evaluate rollover risk situations. 2) Compare the low-cost control unit devices (Intel Edison and Raspberry Pi 3 Model B), to provide the roll angle estimation with this artificial neural network-based approach. To fulfil these objectives an experimental environment has been set up composed of a van with two set of low-cost kits, one including a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B, low cost Inertial Measurement Unit (BNO055 - 37€) and GPS (Mtk3339 - 53€) and the other having an Intel Edison System on Chip linked to a SparkFun 9 Degrees of Freedom module. This experimental environment will be tested in different maneuvers for comparison purposes. Neural networks embedded in low-cost sensor kits provide roll angle estimations very approximated to real values. Even more, Intel Edison and Raspberry Pi 3 Model B have enough computing capabilities to successfully run roll angle estimation based on neural networks to determine rollover risks situation fulfilling real-time operation restrictions stated for this problem.

In this study, the degradation characteristics of radio-frequency (RF) low-noise amplifier (LNA) based on silicon-germanium (SiGe) heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) due to total ionizing dose (TID) are investigated. The small-signal equivalent model of a SiGe HBT is utilized to analyze circuit-level performance including the input and the output matching and noise figure (NF). As a target circuit, an LNA with a cascode common-emitter stage with emitter degeneration is studied and the equation of each performance parameter is derived. The RF LNA fabricated using commercial 350 nm SiGe technology was exposed to X-ray irradiation with the total dose up to 3 Mrad (SiO2). The experimental results exhibit that modeled device parameters estimate the degraded circuit performance. In addition, the relative impact of each parameter on the circuit metrics is revealed, which is expected from the derived design equations. The key device parameters for modeling TID-induced circuit degradations include the base resistance, the transconductance, and the base-to-emitter capacitance.

Air quality and environmental fairness have always been an area of prime interest across the globe. The significance low-cost air quality sensing and practices spikes during the time of pan-demic and epidemics when the air becomes a threat to living beings especially human beings. The gradual innovation and enrichment in low-cost air quality sensing sensors, nodes or devices, and systems are exponentially increasing for the last three decades. This work reviews the major contributions in a) low-cost scalable air quality assessment; b) low-cost air quality sensors, sensing approaches and technologies; c) low-cost state-of-the-art gas sensors fabrication methods (MEMS and CMOS); d) low-cost gas sensors measurement configurations and assemblies; and e) low-cost air quality sensors calibration and testing systems. A systematic review of past work with a goal to assist end-users, public health facilities, state agencies, researchers, scientists and air quality protection agencies has been rendered in this work. Starting from sensors electrodes to IoT based mobile smart nodes; all have been introduced in this article.

Background and Objectives: The relevance of red flags in serious spinal pathology (SSP) evolved throughout the last years. Recently, new considerations have been proposed to expand the consideration of red flags. The purpose of this study was to determine, approve and test a model for the triage and manage-ment process of SSP based on the latest data available in the literature. Materials and Methods: The SSP model was initially built on the basis of a literature re-view. The model was further determined and approved by an expert panel us-ing a Delphi process. Finally, clinical scenario were used to test the applicabil-ity of the model. Results: After three rounds of Delphi process, panellists reached a consensus on a final version of the model. The use of clinical scenari-os by experts bring about reflexive elements both on the determined model and on the evocative SSP of the clinical cases. Conclusions: The validation of the model and its implementation in the clinical field could help assess the skills of first-line practitioners managing spinal painful patients. To this end, the devel-opment of additional clinical scenarios fitting with the determined model should be further considered.

Patients with metastatic triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) need new therapies to improve the low survival rates achieved with standard treatments. In this work, we show that the survival of mice with metastatic TNBC can be markedly increased by replacing their normal diet with artificial diets in which the levels of amino acids (AAs) and lipids are strongly manipulated. After observing selective anticancer activity in vitro, we prepared five artificial diets and evaluated their anticancer activity in a challenging model of metastatic TNBC. The model was established by injecting 4T1 murine TNBC cells into the tail vein of immunocompetent BALB/cAnNRj mice. First-line drugs doxorubicin and capecitabine were used as positive controls. AA manipulation led to modest improvements in mice survival when the levels or lipids were normal. Reducing lipid levels to 1% markedly improved the activity of several diets with different AA content. Mice fed the artificial diets as monotherapy lived longer than mice treated with doxorubicin and capecitabine. An artificial diet without 10 non-essential AAs, with reduced levels of essential AAs, and with 1% lipids improved the survival not only of mice with TNBC but also of mice with other types of metastatic cancers.

Background Although high-density lipoprotein has cardioprotective effects, the association between serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and hypertension is poorly understood. Objective We investigated whether low and high concentrations of HDL-C are associated with hypertension using a large healthcare dataset. Methods In a community-based cross-sectional study of 1,493,152 Japanese people aged 40–74 years who underwent a health checkup, blood pressures and clinical parameters, including nine HDL-C concentrations (20–110 mg/dL or over) were investigated. Results A crude U-shaped relationship was observed between the nine HDL-C concentrations and blood pressure in males (n = 830,669), while a left-to-right inverted J-shaped relationship was observed in females(n = 662,483). An age-adjusted logistic regression analysis showed J-shaped relationships (left-to-right inversion in females) between HDL-C and odds ratios for hypertension (≥140/90 mmHg), with lower limits of 60–79 mg/dL in males and 90–99 mg/dL in females, which were unchanged after adjusting for smoking, habitual exercise, alcohol consumption, and pharmacotherapy for hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes. However, further adjustment for body mass index and serum triglyceride concentration revealed latent positive linear associations between HDL-C and hypertension, although the association between extremely high HDL-C (≥100 mg/dL) and hypertension was attenuated in non-alcohol drinkers. Conclusion Both low and extremely high HDL-C concentrations are associated with hypertension. The former association may be dependent on excess fat mass, which is often concomitant with low HDL-C, whereas the latter association may be dependent on frequent alcohol consumption.

To understand the physiological basis of tolerance to combined stresses to low phosphorus (P) and drought in mungbean (Vigna radiata (L.) R. Wilczek), a core set of 100 accessions were evaluated in hydroponics at sufficient (250 μM) and low (3 μM) P, and exposed to drought (dehydration) stress. The principal component analysis and ranking of accessions based on relative values revealed that IC280489, EC397142, IC76415, IC333090, IC507340 and IC121316 performed superior while IC119005, IC73401, IC488526 and IC325853 performed poorly in all treatments. Selected accessions were evaluated in soil under control (sufficient P, irrigated), low P (without P, irrigated), drought (sufficient P, withholding irrigation) and combined stress (low P, withholding irrigation). Under combined stress, a significant reduction in gas exchange traits (photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, transpiration, instantaneous water use efficiency), P uptake in seed and shoot was observed under combined stress as compared to individual stresses. Among accessions, IC488526 was most sensitive while IC333090 and IC507340 exhibited tolerance to individual or combined stress. The water balance and low P adaptation traits like membrane stability index, relative water content, specific leaf weight, organic acid exudation, biomass, grain yield and P uptake can be used as physiological markers to evaluate for agronomic performance. Accessions with considerable resilience to low P and drought stress can be either used as ‘donors’ in Vigna breeding program or cultivated in areas with limited P and water availability or both.

Vitamin C is an essential nutrient that must be obtained through the diet in adequate amounts to prevent hypovitaminosis C and the potentially fatal deficiency disease scurvy. Global vitamin C status and prevalence of deficiency has not previously been reported, despite vitamin C’s pleiotropic roles in both non-communicable and communicable disease. This review highlights the global literature on vitamin C status and the prevalence of hypovitaminosis C and deficiency. Related dietary intake is reported if assessed in the studies. We also explore if global vitamin C status has changed over time. Overall, the review illustrates the shortage of high quality epidemiological studies of vitamin C status in many countries, particularly low- and middle-income countries. The available evidence indicates that vitamin C deficiency is common in low- and middle-income countries and not uncommon in high income settings. Further high quality studies are required to confirm these findings, including in the countries not yet represented, and to fully understand associations with a range of disease processes. Our findings suggest a need for interventions to prevent deficiency in a range of at risk groups and regions of the world.

Low-cost personal exposure monitors (PEMs) to measure personal exposure to air pollution are potentially promising tools for health research. However, their adoption requires robust validation. This study evaluated the performance of twenty-one Plume Lab Flow2 (PLF) by comparing its air pollutant measurements, particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 μm or less (PM2.5), 10 μm or less (PM10), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), against several high-quality air pollution monitors under field conditions (at indoor, outdoor, and roadside locations). Correlation and regression analysis were used to evaluate measurements obtained by different PLFs against reference instrumentation. For all measured pollutants, the overall correlation coefficient between the PLFs and the reference instruments was often weak (r<0.4). Moderate correlation was observed for one PLF unit at indoor location and two units at roadside location, when measuring PM2.5, but not for PM10 and NO2 concentration. During periods of particularly higher pollution, 11 PLF tools showed stronger regression results (R2 values > 0.5) with one-hour and 9 PLF units with one-minute time interval. Results show that the PLF cannot be used robustly to determine high and low exposure to poor air. Therefore, the use of PLFs in research studies should be approached with caution if data quality is important to the research outputs.

Highly pathogenic (HP) avian influenza viruses (AIVs) are naturally restricted to H5 and H7 subtypes with a polybasic cleavage site (CS) in the hemagglutinin (HA) and any AIV with an intravenous pathogenicity index (IVPI) ≥1.2. Only few non-H5/H7 viruses fulfill the criteria of HPAIVs; nevertheless, it remains unknown why these viruses did not spread in domestic birds. In 2012, a unique H4N2 virus with a polybasic CS 322PEKRRTR/G329 was isolated from quails in California which, however, was avirulent in chickens. This is the only known non-H5/H7 virus with four basic amino acids in the HACS. Here, we investigated the virulence of this virus in chickens after expansion of the polybasic CS by substitution of T327R (322PEKRRRR/G329) or T327K (322PEKRRKR/G329) with or without reassortment with HPAIVs H5N1 and H7N7. The impact of single mutations or reassortment on virus fitness in vitro and in vivo was studied. Efficient cell culture replication of T327R/K carrying H4N2 viruses increased by trypsin, particularly in MDCK cells, and reassortment with HPAIV H5N1. Likewise, replication, virus excretion and bird-to-bird transmission of H4N2 was remarkably compromised by the CS mutations, but restored after reassortment with HPAIV H5N1, although not with HPAIV H7N7. Viruses carrying the H4-HA with or without R327 or K327 mutations and the other gene segments from HPAIV H5N1 exhibited high virulence and efficient transmission in chickens. Together, increasing the number of basic amino acids in the H4N2 HACS was detrimental for viral fitness particularly in vivo but compensated by reassortment with HPAIV H5N1. This may explain the absence of non-H5/H7 HPAIVs in poultry.

Introduction. “Vein definition” for locally advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (LA PDAC) assumes portal-to-superior mesenteric vein (PV/SMV) unreconstructability due to tumor involvement or occlusion. Radical pancreatectomies with SMV resection without PV/SMV reconstruction are scarcely discussed in the literature. Retrospective analysis of 19 radical pancreatectomies for “low” LA PDAC with SMV and all its tributaries resection without PV/SMV reconstruction has shown zero mortality, overall morbidity – 56%, Dindo-Clavien – 3-10,5%, R0- rate – 82%, mean operative procedure time – 355±154 min, mean blood loss – 330±170 ml, delayed gastric emptying– 25%, clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula – 8%. In three cases surgery was associated with superior mesenteric (n2) and common hepatic artery (n1) resection. Surgery was completed without vein reconstruction (n13) and with inferior mesenteric-to-splenic anastomosis (n6). There were no cases of liver, gastric, or intestinal ischemia. A specific complication of the SMV resection without reconstruction was 2-3 days-long intestinal edema (48%). Median overall survival – 25 months, median progression-free survival – 18 months. All the relapses, except two, were distant. The possibility of successful SMV resection without PV/SMV reconstruction can be predicted before surgery by CT-based reconstructions. The mandatory anatomical conditions for the procedure were: 1) preserved SMV-SV confluence; 2) occluded SMV for any reason (tumor or thrombus); 3) well-developed inferior mesenteric vein collaterals with dilated intestinal veins; 4) no right-sided vein collaterals, and 5) no varices in the upper abdomen. Conclusion: “Low” LA PDACs involving SMV with all its tributaries can be radically and safely resected in highly and specifically selected cases without PV/SMV reconstruction with an acceptable survival rate.

This paper presents the design and measurement of an IEEE 802.11ad standard compatible RF transceiver for 60GHz wireless communication system. In addition to the traditional half-duplex (HD) mode, this work supports full-duplex (FD) operation to deliver better channel utilization and faster response time for the system. The isolation between the transmitter and receiver from the architecture design to system integration for FD operation has been fully considered. A digital self-interference cancellation (DSIC) is implemented in MATLAB to verify the FD performance. The super-heterodyne architecture with an intermediate frequency (IF) of 12GHz is designed to suppress the image frequencies without using extra filters. A flexible phase-locked loop (PLL) synthesizer provides a local oscillator (LO) frequency with a 2kHz resolution. Other than the time division duplex (TDD) mode used in the conventional 60GHz system, a wide bandwidth baseband digital variable gain amplifier (DVGA) with a 3dB bandwidth of more than 4GHz also supports frequency division duplex (FDD) operation. The transceiver chip is fabricated in Tower Jazz 0.18µm SiGe BiCMOS process. With on-board antenna, the transceiver covers all four channels in 802.11ad standard with MCS-12 (7.04Gbps under 1.76GSym/s and 16-QAM) under 1.5m. In the proposed system design, the RF frontend based self-interference (SI) suppression from the local transmitter to receiver LNA is around 54dB. To achieve a practical FD application, the SI is further suppressed with the help of digital SI compensation. The measured power consumption for transmitter and receiver configuration is 194mW and 231mW, respectively, in HD mode and 398mW for FDD or FD operation mode.

Fixed offshore wind turbines continue to be developed for high latitude areas where not only wind and wave loads need to be considered, but also moving sea ice. Current rules and regulations for the design of fixed offshore structures in ice-covered waters do not adequately consider effects of ice loading and its stochastic nature on fatigue life of the structure. Ice crushing on such structures results in ice-induced vibrations, which can be represented by loading the structure using a variable-amplitude loading (VAL) sequence. Typical offshore load spectra are developed for wave and wind loading. Thus, a combined VAL spectrum is developed for wind, wave, and ice action. To this goal, numerical models are used to simulate the dynamic ice-, wind-, and wave-structure interaction. The stress time-history at an exemplarily selected critical point in an offshore wind energy monopile support structure is extracted from the model and translated into a VAL sequence, which can then be used as a loading sequence for the fatigue assessment or fatigue testing of welded joints of offshore wind turbine support structures. This study presents the approach to determine combined load spectra and standardized time series for wind, wave, and ice action.

High dietary phosphate intake and poor adherence to phosphate-binding-therapy elevate the risk of hyperphosphatemia in maintenance hemodialysis (HD; MHD) patients. Therefore, chronic kidney disease-related mineral and bone disorder (CKD-MBD) indicators increase; consequently, risks of CKD-MBDs and inflammation are elevated. This double-blind, randomized control trial intervention study was designed to investigate the possibility of reducing blood CKD-MBD indicators and modulating inflammatory indicators by consuming low-phosphate (LP) meals accompanied by a minimum dose of a calcium-based phosphate binder (CaCO3). MHD patients were recruited and randomly assigned to an LP meal group (LP group) or a control group. After initial data collection, blood collection, and dietary counseling, subjects were asked to consume a washout diet for 1 week. During the washout diet period, subjects consumed their usual diet but took 1 tablet of calcium carbonate (1CaCO3) as a phosphate binder with each meal. After the washout diet period, subjects in the LP group and control group respectively consumed LP meals and regular meals twice a day for 1 week. Meat in the LP meals was boiled before the regular cooking process, but meat in control meals was not. All meals were supplied by a central kitchen so that the contents of phosphate and other nutrients could be identified. In total, 40 MHD patients completed the study program. After 1 week of the dietary intervention, the blood Ca x P product and dietary phosphate had significantly decreased in the LP group compared to the control group (p&lt;0.05). The LP group had significantly lower variations in dietary phosphate intake, blood calcium, Ca x P product, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α than the control group by comparing differences between after the dietary intervention and the baseline (△after intervention - baseline, p&lt;0.05). The increase in dietary phosphate intake (△3rd - 2nd dietary phosphate intake) augmented the increase in the TNF-α level by 6.24-fold (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: 6.24 [1.12~34.92], p&lt;0.05). These results highlighted the conclusion that LP meals accompanied by a minimum dose of CaCO3 downregulated pro-inflammation by reducing CKD-MBD indicators which was triggered by decreasing dietary phosphate intake.

According to the current European and Italian scenario related to urban re-generation, cultural and landscape heritage, valorisation is being also enhanced by the activation of innovative processes. These involve the development of methodologies and tools that are able to address decision-making processes among low entropy economy, complex values and creative practices. In this perspective, the research aims to investigate the possibilities of developing a Cultural Heritage Low Entropy Enhancement (CHLEE) approach by considering how the complex values of cultural heritage can vary not only through a physical transformation of spaces but also through a program of uses and activities able to produce new values, where the human experience is essential. This type of model modifies the objectives that characterise the valorisation of cultural heritage and landscape, recognising that the fruition is no longer “consumerist” but “experiential”. A crucial role is represented by the heterogeneity of creative practices that contribute to the identificationidentifying and implementation ofimplementing innovative management and governance models. The present paper explores the components of creative regenerative processes, based upon the ex-post evaluation of some Italian experiments, across the PROMETHEE-GAIA multi-criteria method, to understand how creative experiences are building innovation ecosystem thanks to low entropy economy and improve the ex-ante evaluation for new strategies and policies.

Improving the effectiveness of health interventions is a major challenge in public health research and program development. A large body of literature has found low or no impact of health education and promotional interventions. We aim to develop a conceptual framework in support of intervention designs for preventive health behavior improvement programs and outcomes. The proposed approach is based on a narrative review of empirical literature assessing the limitations of less effective or ineffective field experiments regarding preventive health education and promotion interventions. We found three major limitations regarding the mental model’s balance of treatment and comparison groups, treatment groups’ willingness to adopt suggested behaviors, and the type, length, frequency, intensity, and sequence of treatments. To minimize the influence of these concerns, we propose a mental model-based repeated multifaceted (MRM) intervention design framework to provide an intervention design for improving health education and promotional programs.

Under the main features required on portable devices in electrochemical instrumentation is to have a small size, low power consumption, economically affordable, and precision in the measurements. This paper describes the development of a programmable Embedded Potentiostat System (EPS) capable of performing electrochemical sensing over system-on-a-chip platforms. Furthermore, the study explains a circuit design and develops some validation of the entire system. The hardware validation is performed by electrochemical experiments such as Double Step Chronoamperometry (DSC), Linear Sweep Voltammetry (LSV) and Cyclic Voltammetry (CV); moreover, a comparison of the experimental signals between a commercial potentiostat and the EPS was done by analysis of errors on the response signal. Results illustrate that the EPS is capable of handling currents in the range of absolute values of 86.44 to 3000 nA, and having control voltages in the range of ± 2 V. The device can support from 50 to 2000 samples per second. The EPS capabilities were compared with other compact potentiostats. The programmable EPS is an original approach which hugely reduces the hardware complexity and leads the way to create new applications for Point-of-Care or industrial developments with a reusable full electronics module.

As the increase threat of flood risk and environmental safety due to the urbanization, Sponge city research has been attracting extensive attention both in practical and theoretical research field. To date, there are only scattered studies about Sponge city. Moreover, vary names of Sponge city prevalent in different countries, which leads to disconnection of literature in the same field of Sponge city. In this paper, a thorough systematic literature mining of Sponge city is presented. A literature analysis system is created, which includes literature export from Web of Sciences and systematic analysis via NoteExpress and CiteSpace. Some literature statistical results are derived. Challenges and opportunities for future research are anticipated. Our goals are to promote this promising thought, summarize past research, and identify issues for future research to create impacts on the practice of Sponge city.

In this paper, we investigate the so-called electronic dressed states, a unified quasiparticle resulting from the interaction between electrons in a two-dimensional material with an off-resonance optical dressing field. If the frequency of this field is much larger than all characteristic energies in the system, such as the Fermi energy or bandgap(s), the electronic band structure is affected by radiation so that some important properties of the electron dispersions could be modified in a way desirable for practical applications. For example, a circularly polarized light can be used to vary the bandgap of Dirac materials: it opens a gap in graphene and other metallic and semimetallic lattices, or modifies the magnitude of an existing gap. This will either enhance or reduce a gap, depending on its initial value as well as properties of a host material. Here, we consider gaped dice and Lieb lattices as samples, and put forward a full theoretical model to reveal how these electronic states are deformed by an elliptically-polarized irradiation with a focus on generation and modification of a bandgap.

A facile and environmentally benign method for a single-phase barium titanate synthesis in water vapor medium was studied to reveal the mechanism of phase transformation of the initial simple oxides mixture and estimate the capability of the product to be used as a raw material for low-frequency dielectric ceramics. The composition and structure of the reaction mixture treated in vapor at 130…150 °C as well as 230 °C for various time were investigated by means of XRD, SEM, HRTEM, EDX, and FTIR methods. The kinetics of the occurring phase transformation was described by Johnson-Mehl-Avrami-Erofeev equation. The reaction between the initial oxides was considered as a topochemical process with an apparent activation energy of 74…80 kJ mol^-1. A crucial role in this process belonged to the water vapor medium, which facilitated the generation of the reaction zone and its spreading inward the solid particles. The synthesized tetragonal barium titanate powder (mean particle size of 135 ± 24 nm) was sintered by a conventional technique at 1250 °C to obtain ceramics with grains of about 2 μm. Capacitance measurements performed a dielectric constant and loss tangent of ceramics, which reached 3879 and 6.7 10^-3, respectively, at 1 kHz and room temperature.

Indoor air quality and public health have always been an area of prime interest across the globe. The significance of low-cost air quality sensing and indoor public health practices spikes during the time of pandemic and epidemics when indoor air pollution becomes a threat to living beings especially human beings. Indoor diseases are hard to diagnose if they are due to the indoor environmental conditions. A major challenge was observed in establishing a baseline between the indoor air quality sensors and associated diseases. In this work, 10,000+ articles from top literature databases were reviewed using bibliometric analysis to formulate indoor air quality sensors and diseases correlation rubrics to critically review 500+ articles. A set of 200+ articles were selected based on for detailed study based on seven bibliometric indices for publications that used WHO, NIH, US EPA, CDC, and FDA defined principles. This review has been conducted to assist end-users, public health facilities, state agencies, researchers, scientists and air quality protection agencies.

The tryptophan (TRP)-kynurenine (KYN) metabolic pathway is a main player of TRP metabolism through which more than 95% of TRP is catabolized. The pathway is activated by acute and chronic immune responses leading to a wide range of illnesses including cancer, immune diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, and psychiatric disorders. The TRP-KYN pathway synthesizes multifarious metabolites including oxidants, antioxidants, neurotoxins, neuroprotectants, and immunomodulators. The immunomodulators are known to facilitate the immune system towards a tolerogenic state, resulting in chronic low-grade inflammation (LGI) that is commonly present in obesity, poor nutrition, exposer to chemicals or allergens, prodromal stage of various illnesses, and chronic diseases. KYN, kynurenic acid, xanthurenic acid, and cinnabarinic acid are aryl hydrocarbon receptor ligands that serve as immunomodulators. Furthermore, TRP-KYN pathway enzymes are known to be activated by the stress hormone cortisol and inflammatory cytokines, and genotypic variants were observed to contribute to inflammation and thus various diseases. The tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase, the indoleamine 2, 3-oxygenases, and the kynurenine-3-monooxygenase are main enzymes in the pathway. This review article discusses the TRP-KYN pathway with special emphasis on its interaction with the immune system and the tolerogenic shift towards chronic LGI and overviews the major symptoms, pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, and toxic and protective KYNs to explore the linkage between chronic LGI, KYNs, and major psychiatric, including depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, substance use disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, and autism spectrum disorder.

The paper presents an analysis of the latest developments in the field of stereo vision in the low-cost segment, both for prototypes and for industrial designs. We described the theory of stereo vision and presented information about cameras and data transfer protocols and their compatibility with various devices. The theory in the field of image processing for stereo vision processes is considered and the calibration process is described in detail. Ultimately, we presented the developed stereo vision system and provided the main points that need to be considered when developing such systems. The final, we presented software for adjusting stereo vision parameters in real-time in the python language in the Windows operating system.

Forecasting streamflow accurately is essential to achieve an efficient integrated water resources management strategy and provide consistent support to water decision-makers. We present a simple, low-cost and robust approach for forecasting monthly and yearly streamflow during the hydrological year in course, applicable to headwater catchments. It combines the use of regression analysis techniques, the two-parameter Gamma continuous cumulative probability distribution function and the Monte Carlo method. It is based on a probabilistic comparison of the progression of the current hydrological year with the historic observed series. The methodology has been successfully applied to two headwater reservoirs within the Guadalquivir River Basin in southern Spain. The root-mean-square error and correlation coefficient were used to measure the accuracy of the model and the results showed good levels of reliability. The outputs are the probabilistic monthly and yearly streamflow and 80% confidence interval. Further reductions in prediction errors may be achieved from increasing the number of observed years. These risk-based predictions are of great value, especially, before the intensive irrigation campaign starts (usually in April), when Water Authorities are to take responsible management decisions about the best allocation of the available water volume between the different water users and environmental needs.

The UK economy is overly reliant on unsustainable production and consumption practices, depleting finite resources at rates that will increase production costs, business risk and economic instability. This over-consumption produces emissions and waste that cause climate change and environmental degradation, impacting on the wellbeing of people in the UK and beyond. The Resource Recovery from Waste programme (RRfW) promotes a transition towards waste and resource management in a circular economy that restores the environment, creates societal benefits and promotes clean growth by engaging relevant actors in the transition process. RRfW collaborates with academia, government, and industry to co-produce a shared vision and approach to realise such a transition. Reflecting insights from RRfW’s government engagement, this article presents a positive outlook for changing the UK economy and society. It envisions a long-term future for waste and resource management that maximises the value of materials by circulating them in the economy for as long as possible. Four themes and an approach are proposed, including recommendations for regulatory instruments and a stable policy framework. It recommends further collaborative research to capitalise on opportunities for economic growth, innovation and resilient infrastructure whilst contributing to quality jobs and welfare in all four UK nations.

The National Institute of Justice reported that current methods for processing sexual assault samples have a high failure rate, with 60 to 80 percent of tested kits unable to produce usable DNA profiles. Even when samples test positive for male DNA, 34 percent of sexual assault kits (SAK) do not yield recovered male DNA after differential extraction. Less than 30% recovery of available sperm DNA contributes to this low success rate. The SpermX™ method (SX) has been shown to recover 80 percent or more of sperm DNA from sexual assault samples. An interlaboratory evaluation compared SX to standard differential extraction (DE) protocols. Mock samples with known ratios of female epithelial cells and sperm cells were processed using both methods. Results revealed that SX consistently provided CODIS up-loadable DNA profiles, even with as few as 25 sperm cells, whereas DE failed to produce usable results. On average, SX yielded a seven-fold increase in the recovery of unshared male alleles compared to DE. In conclusion, SX outperformed DE in recovering higher quantities of male DNA with minimal female carryover in sexual assault-type samples. This improved success rate in obtaining usable DNA profiles can significantly aid in solving sexual assault cases. Keywords: Differential extraction, Sexual Assault Kit (SAK), Sperm DNA, STRmix™, Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), Forensic DNA analysis, Low Sperm Samples, DNA Mixtures, Autosomal STR Analysis, SpermX.

This paper presents an in-depth contextualized tutorial on Agricultural IoT (Agri-IoT), covering the fundamental concepts, assessment of routing architectures and protocols, and performance optimization techniques via systematic survey and synthesis of related literature. The negative impacts of climate change and the increasing global population on food security and unemployment threats have motivated the adoption of the wireless sensor network (WSN)-based Agri-IoT as an indispensable underlying technology in precision agriculture and greenhouses to improve food production capacities and quality. However, most related Agri-IoT testbed solutions have failed to achieve their performance expectations due to the lack of an in-depth and contextualized reference tutorial that provides a holistic overview of communication technologies, routing architectures, and performance optimization modalities based on users’ expectations. Thus, although IoT applications are founded on a common idea, each use case (e.g., Agri-IoT) varies based on specific performance and users expectations as well as its technological, architectural, and deployment requirements. Likewise, the agricultural setting is a unique and hostile area where conventional IoT technologies do not apply, hence the need for this tutorial. Consequently, this tutorial addresses these via the following contributions: (1) a systematic overview of the fundamental concepts, technologies, and architectural standards of WSN-based Agri-IoT, (2) an evaluation of the technical design requirements of a robust, location-independent, and affordable Agri-IoT, (3) a comprehensive survey of the benchmarking fault tolerance techniques, communication standards, routing and medium access control (MAC) protocols, and WSN-based Agri-IoT testbed solutions, and (4) an in-depth case study on how to design a self-healing, energy-efficient, affordable, adaptive, stable, autonomous, and cluster-based WSN-specific Agri-IoT from a proposed taxonomy of multi-objective optimization (MOO) metrics that can guarantee an optimized network performance. Furthermore, this tutorial established new taxonomies of faults, architectural layers, and MOO metrics for cluster-based Agri-IoT (CA-IoT) networks and a 3-tier objective framework with remedial measures for designing an efficient associated supervisory protocol for cluster-based Agri-IoT networks.

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is a lifelong pathogen characterized by asymptomatic latent infection in the trigeminal ganglia (TG) with periodic outbreaks of cold sores caused by virus reactivation in the TG and subsequent replication in the oral mucosa. While antiviral therapies can provide relief from cold sores, they are unable to eliminate HSV-1. We provide experimental results that highlight non-thermal plasma (NTP) as a new alternative therapy for HSV-1 infection that would resolve cold sores faster and reduce the establishment of latent infection in the TG. Additionally, this study is the first to explore the use of NTP as a therapy that can both treat and prevent human viral infections. We investigated the antiviral effect of NTP using an in vitro model for HSV-1 cold sores, involving the application of NTP from two separate devices to cell-free HSV-1, HSV-1-infected cells, and uninfected cells. We found NTP reduced the infectivity of cell-free HSV-1, reduced viral replication in HSV-1-infected cells, and diminished the susceptibility of uninfected cells to HSV-1 infection. This triad of antiviral mechanisms of action suggest the potential of NTP as a therapeutic agent effective against HSV-1 infection.

This paper reports an experimental investigation on compression after low-velocity impact response for two lay-up configurations of symmetric CFRP laminated composite specimens obtained by reversing their angle-ply orientation, namely [0/-45/45/90]s versus [90/45/-45/0]s, the impact velocity of the projectile up to the BVID level being subsequently considered. To this aim, a modified Compression-After-Impact (CAI) test device is proposed that involves clamping the specimen's upper and lower edges between two adjustable wide and flat anti-buckling plates through a removable bolt-nut assembly. Such a solution relies on the fact that the specimen's active length is shortened, reducing the risk of global buckling. Besides, the bolts carry part of the load with minor localized bearing damage, provided that the metallic plates act as washers by supporting the bolt-bearing region laterally, thus avoiding crashing failures at the specimens’ loaded edges. With these settings, roughly the same percent decrease in the average values of maximum compression load (i.e., 22%) was recorded for both lay-up configurations impacted up to their BVID threshold, whereas in terms of compressive stiffness behavior, a reduction of 17 % was found for [0/-45/45/90]s specimens compared to 6 % obtained for [90/45/-45/0]s specimens.

This paper studies the evaporative heat transfer characteristics of R744 at low temperatures in a horizontal smooth tube as a cascade refrigeration system (CRS) among hybrid cascade refrigeration systems (HCRSs). There is a lack of research on the low-temperature evaporative heat transfer characteristics of R744 under the operating conditions of evaporators used in actual CRSs used in supermarkets. Therefore, this study aims to provide basic data on the evaporative heat transfer characteristics of R744 in the evaporators of refrigerators used in supermarkets. The tube used in the evaporation experiment conducted herein was a smooth horizontal copper tube with an inner diameter and length of 11.46 mm and 8000 mm, respectively. The experimental pa-rameters were as follows: heat fluxes of 12–21.5 kW/m2, mass fluxes of 75–225 kg/(m2·s), and saturation temperatures of −50–−30 °C. The main results are summarized as follows. (1) When designing the R744 evaporator, the mass and heat fluxes must be maximized within the operating conditions, and the saturation temperature must be designed to be as low as possible. (2) The evaporative heat transfer coefficient of R744 can be predicted well by using the correlation formula of Chen at the evaporation temperature of −40 °C in the CRS.

Historical maps constitute unique sources of retrospective geographic information. Recently, several map archives containing map series covering large spatial and temporal extents have been systematically scanned and made available to the public. The geographic information contained in such data archives allows extending geospatial analysis retrospectively beyond the era of digital cartography. However, given the large data volumes of such archives and the low graphical quality of older map sheets, the processes to extract geographic information need to be automated to the highest degree possible. In order to understand the salient characteristics, data quality variation, and potential challenges in large-scale information extraction tasks, preparatory analytical steps are required to efficiently assess spatio-temporal coverage, approximate map content, and spatial accuracy of such georeferenced map archives across different cartographic scales. Such preparatory steps are often neglected or ignored in the map processing literature but represent highly critical phases that lay the foundation for any subsequent computational analysis and recognition. In this contribution we demonstrate how such preparatory analyses can be conducted using classical analytical and cartographic techniques as well as visual-analytical data mining tools originating from machine learning and data science, exemplified for the United States Geological Survey topographic map and Sanborn fire insurance map archives.

Abstract: Although the pathophysiology of fibromyalgia syndrome has been better understood in recent decades, a unified model of its pathogenesis and an effective therapeutic approach are still far from being realized. The main aim of this article will be to delve into the fundamental mechanisms of the pathophysiology of fibromyalgia conceptualized as stress intolerance syndrome. Using the biopsychosocial model of chronic pain syndromes, we will describe the potential role of the attachment system, C tactile fibers, and oxytocinergic system dysfunction in the pathophysiology of fibromyalgia syndrome and other central sensitivity syndromes. At the end of the article, the therapeutic implications of this new global and translational pathophysiological model will be briefly discussed.

: Considering that Einstein's relation between the diffusion coefficient and the drift mobility of the free randomly moving charge carriers in homogeneous materials including metals is always valid, it is shown that the effective electric force acting on free electrons in metal depends on the ratio between the kinetic free electron energy at the Fermi surface to the classical particle energy 3kT/2. The electrical resistivity of elemental metals dependence on very low temperatures has the quadratic term, which has been explained by electron-electron scattering. In this paper, it is shown that the quadratic term of the electrical resistivity at low temperatures is caused by scattering of the free RM electrons by electronic defects due to linear effective free electron scattering cross-section dependence on temperature, but not by electron-electron scattering.

With Internet of Things (IoT) gaining presence throughout different industries a lot of new technologies have been introduced to support this undertaking. Implications on one such technology, wireless systems allowed for the use of different communication methods to achieve the goal of transferring data reliably, with more cost efficiency and over longer distances. Anywhere from a single house with only a few IoT devices such as a smart light bulb or a smart thermostat connected to the network, all the way to a complex system that can control power grids throughout countries, IoT has been becoming a necessity in everyday lives. This paper presents an overview of the devices, systems and wireless technologies used in different IoT architectures (Healthcare, Vehicular Networks, Mining, Learning, Energy, Smart Cities, Behaviors and Decision Making), their upbringings and challenges to this date and some foreseen in the future.

In regions with low-temperature action transverse cracks can appear in asphalt pavements as a result of thermal stresses that exceed the fracture strength of materials used in asphalt layers. To better understand thermal cracking phenomenon, strength properties of different asphalt mixtures were investigated. Four test methods were used to assess the influence of bitumen type and mixture composition on tensile strength properties of asphalt mixtures: tensile strength using the Thermal Stress Restrained Specimen Test (TSRST) and the Uniaxial Tension Stress Test (UTST), flexural strength using the Bending Beam Test (BBT) and fracture toughness using the Semi-Circular Bending Test (SCB). The strength reserve behavior of tested asphalt mixtures was assessed as well. The influence of cooling rate on strength reserve was investigated and correlations between results from different test methods were also analyzed and discussed. It was observed that the type of bitumen is a factor of crucial importance to low-temperature properties of the tested asphalt concretes. This conclusion was proved by all test methods that were used. It was also observed that the level of cooling rate influences the strength reserve and, in consequence, resistance to low-temperature cracking. It was concluded that reasonably good correlations were observed between strength results for the UTST, BBT and SCB test methods.

The domain of construction engineering and management is evolving rapidly. Optimizing resource positioning is crucial for meeting the challenges of efficiency and productivity. This research presents a novel methodology that incorporates Agent-Based Modeling (ABM), Building Information Modeling (BIM), and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technologies, augmented with a Client Early Warning System (CEWS) and a Decision Support System (DSS). What makes this study unique is that it provides a real-time methodology for resource allocation and project management, tailored to address the complexities of modern construction projects. The application of this integrated technological framework marks a significant leap in construction management, empowering data-driven decision-making and significantly improving project efficiency. Empirically validated through a case study at Helwan University's College of Engineering and substantiated by expert surveys, this research showcases a transformative model for resource management. The findings not only underscore the practical applicability of this approach but also open new horizons for its adoption in global construction practices, offering insights for future research endeavors focused on expanding these methodologies to a wider range of resources.

Short-range Internet of Things (IoT) sensor nodes operating at 2.4 GHz need to provide ubiquitous wireless sensor networks (WSNs) with energy-efficient, wide-range output power (POUT) and fully integrated on a single chip for wireless body area networks (WBANs) and wireless personal area networks (WPANs) using low-power Bluetooth (BLE) and Zigbee standards. The proposed fully integrated transmitter (TX) utilizes a digitally controllable current-mode class-D (CMCD) power amplifier (PA) with a second harmonic distortion (HD2) suppression to reduce VCO pulling in an integrated system while meeting harmonic limit regulations. The CMCD PA is divided into 7-bit slices that can be reconfigured between differential and single-ended topologies. Duty cycle distortion compensation is performed for HD2 suppression, and an HD2 rejection filter and a modified C-L-C low-pass filter (LPF) reduce HD2 further. Implemented in a 28 nm CMOS process, the TX achieves a wide POUT range of from 12.1 to -31 dBm and provides a maximum efficiency of 39.8% while consuming 41.1 mW at 12.1 dBm POUT. The calibrated HD2 level is -82.2 dBc at 9.93 dBm POUT, resulting in a transmitter figure of merit (TX_FoM) of -97.52 dB. Higher order harmonic levels remain below -41.2 dBm even at 12.1 dBm POUT, meeting regulatory requirements.

Several studies have shown that physical activity (PA) is related to physical and mental health. Yet, there are few studies on the frequency of PA as it relates to health and a healthy lifestyle. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the frequency of practicing different types of physical activities (dependent variables), living a healthy lifestyle (BMI, smoking and alcohol consumption), physical health (sum of all doctor visits except psychiatrists) and mental health (a sum of visits to psychiatrists) at different ages (independent variables). We fo-cused on three types of PA: (1) medium to high-intensity aerobic exercises; (2) low to medium intensity relaxing and stretching exercises, (3) outdoor leisure PA. 9,617 participants (ages: 19 -81) were included in the study (with health registries over a period of 10 years prior to a cross-sectional survey). Descriptive statistics and multinomial logistic regression on frequencies of three types of PA and factors related to health and healthy lifestyles, as well as age and sex, were performed in this study. The results indicate that a higher frequency of practicing PA had a higher probability of association with the following factors: lower BMI, less or non-smoking behavior (types 1 & 3); higher education (types 1 & 2); higher age (types 2 & 3) and better physical health (type 1). Occasional (practicing sometimes) PA, type 2, was positively associated with poorer mental health (higher number of psychiatrist visits). Women were more likely to practice PA type 2, and men – PA types 3 & 1. Conclusion: In general, a higher frequency of PA is related with better health and healthy life styles; with the exception of PA type 2 that is related to poorer mental health.

The formation and propagation of cracks occurs through irreversible dislocation movements at notches, material defects and grain boundaries. Since this process is partly thermally controlled, the resistance to dislocation movements at low temperatures increases. This slows both fatigue initiation and fatigue crack propagation. From recent experimental data, it can be seen that fatigue crack growth is accelerated below the fatigue transition temperature (FTT) that correlates with the ductile-brittle transition temperature (DBTT) found by well-known fracture mechanics tests, i.e., Charpy impact, fracture toughness, and CTOD. Hence, this study investigates the relation between FTT and DBTT in S500 high-strength steel base material and welded joints at low temperatures using fatigue crack growth, fracture toughness tests as well as scanning electron microscopy. From the tests, an almost constant decrease in fatigue crack propagation rate is determined with decreasing test temperature even below the DBTT.

Recently, due to the miniaturization of electronic products, printed circuit boards (PCBs) have also become smaller. This trend has led to the need for high-precision electrical test equipment to check PCBs for disconnections and short circuits. The purpose of this study is to improve the position repeatability of the platform unit up to ±2.5 μm in a linear stage type test equipment. For this purpose, the causes of position errors of the platform unit are analyzed. The platform unit holding the PCB is driven by a single-axis linear ball screw drive system offset from its geometric center due to design constraints. The yaw rotation of the platform is found to have a dominant effect on position repeatability. To address this problem, the methods of adding balancing weights to the platform unit and adjusting the stiffness of LM Guides are proposed. This reduces the yaw rotation by moving the centers of mass and stiffness closer to the linear ball screw actuator. In the verification tests, the position repeatability was decreased to less than ±1.0 μm.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the discovery that proteins with various cellular functions can be temporarily immobilized in the nucleolus, a process known as nucleolar sequestration. This review reflects on the progress made to understand the physiological roles of nucleolar sequestration and the mechanisms involved in protein immobilization. We discuss how nucleolar sequestration consists of a highly choreographed amyloidogenic liquid-to-solid phase transition that converts the nucleolus into Amyloid bodies (A-bodies). The study of solid condensates A-bodies will offer unique perspectives on cellular assembly of membrane-less compartments and provide alternative insights on pathological amyloidogenesis involved in neurological disorders.

Recent advances in nanomaterials have been heavily influenced by low-dimensional nanocarbon allotropes. In particular, carbyne has attracted attention for its potential as a true one-dimensional carbon chain with sp1 hybridization. To maximize the capabilities of this material, we employ a focused data-driven inverse design approach based on the carbon nanomaterials genome concept. This involves using deep learning neural network models to identify key descriptors tied to desired properties, enabling property prediction and reverse engineering of nanocarbons. Our iterative approach entails: (i) gathering growth/property data on nanostructures; (ii) identifying informative numerical/categorical predictors; (iii) developing deep learning models mapping descriptors to properties; (iv) refining models with new insights; (v) determining required descriptors/conditions for target properties via inverse mapping; (vi) validating models by synthesizing predicted nanostructures; and (vii) enhancing models with validation data. This allows uncovering hidden growth-property connections, precisely tuning nanocarbons for desired attributes. We introduce new methodologies including exciting synergistic effects, synchronizing atomic vibrations, active screen plasma, energy-driven transformations, surface acoustic micro/nano-manipulation, doping and directed self-assembly to expose relationships and integrate insights into the inverse design flow. This research promises to accelerate discovery of next-generation low-dimensional nanocarbons with exceptional properties and applications.

During the conceptual and preliminary design stage of a ship, designers need to ensure that the selected principal dimensions and parameters are good enough to deliver a stable ship (statically and dynamically) besides deadweight and speed. To support this, the initial intact stability of the proposed ship is required to be calculated, and in doing so, the lightship weight and its detailed breakdown are necessary to be known. After hull steel weight, machinery weight, mainly, marine propulsion and power generation machinery, play a vital role in the lightship weight estimate of a ship due to its robustness. The correct estimation of respective weights improves the accuracy of calculating a ship's initial stability typically to be designed and built. Hence, it would be advantageous for the designer to convince the ship owner. A total of 3006 marine propulsion (main marine diesel) engines and 348 power generation (auxiliary marine diesel) engines/generators of various power output (generators output for auxiliary engines), engine RPM and cylinder number of different engine makers are collected. These are analyzed and presented in both tabular and graphical forms to demonstrate the possible relationship between marine propulsion engine weight and power generation engine weight, and their respective power output, RPM, cylinder number, power-RPM ratio and power-RPM ratio per cylinder.In this article, the authors have attempted to investigate the behavior of marine propulsion engine weight and power generation engine/generator weight regarding engine power output, generator power output, engine RPM and cylinder number (independent variables). Further attempts have been made to identify those independent variables that influence the weight of the marine propulsion engine and power generation engine/generator (dependent variables), and their interrelationships. A mathematical model has thus been developed and proposed, as a guiding tool, for the designer to estimate the weight of main and auxiliary engines more accurately during the conceptual and preliminary design stage.

A typical halogen-free flame-retardant (HFFR) formulation for electric cables may contain polymers, various additives, and fire-retardant fillers. In this study, composites are prepared by mixing natural magnesium hydroxide (n-MDH) with linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) and a few types of ethylene-octene copolymers (C₈-POE). Depending on the content of LLDPE and C₈-POE, we obtained composites with different crystallinity that affected the final mechanical properties. The nucleation effect of the n-MDH and the variations in crystallinity caused by the blending of C₈-POE/LLDPE/n-MDH were investigated. In the C₈-POE/LLDPE blend, we found a decrease in the crystallization temperature of LLPDE compared to pure LLDPE and an increase in the crystallization temperature of C₈-POE compared to pure C₈-POE. On the contrary, the addition of n-MDH led to an increase in the crystallization temperature of LLDPE. As expected, the increase in the crystallinity of the polyolefin matrix of composites led to higher elastic modulus, higher tensile strength, and lower elongation at break. Overall, these results show how to obtain the required mechanical features for halogen-free flame-retardant compounds for electric cable applications depending on the quantities of the two miscible components in the final blend.

The swift progress in low-dimensional nanocarbons, specifically in the realm of the authentic one-dimensional carbon chain featuring sp¹ hybridization, has unveiled exciting prospects for integrating them into cutting-edge technologies across diverse industries. To fully harness their potential, precise control over the growth process is necessary to obtain desired nanostructure and functionality. However, optimizing properties through traditional approaches has been challenging due to complex interactions. To address this, we implement a focused data-driven strategy for nanocarbon inverse design by leveraging a state-of-the-art data-driven nanocarbon genome approach (NCGA). By uncovering relationships between growth parameters and resultant traits, this serves as an expedient catalyst in engineering nanostructures with tailored attributes. We introduce an extensive array of technological approaches aimed at precisely controlling the growth process. These methods encompass stimulating and precisely adjusting synergistic effects, coordinating atomic vibrations at a collective level through the implementation of multilayer nano-interfaces, harnessing the potential of active screen plasma surface engineering, utilizing nano-patterning and allotropic phase transformations, incorporating heteroatom doping, and effectively directing self-assembly. These aim to unlock nanomaterials' latent potential and reveal novel neural pathways within the data-driven NCGA, enhancing its predictive capabilities. Specifically, triggering self-organization during growth can potentially unlock previously unexplored neural pathways. The data-driven NCGA offers a paradigm shift, accelerating discovery and design of nanocarbons with optimized, application-specific properties.

The trafficking of illegal drugs by criminal networks at borders, harbors, or airports is an increasing issue in public health as these routes ensure the main supply of illegal drugs. The prevention of drug smuggling, including the installation of scanners and other analytical devices to detect ultra-small traces of drugs within a reasonable time frame, remains a challenge. The presented immunosensor is based on a monolithic affinity column with a large excess of immobilized hapten, which traps fluorescently labeled antibodies as long as the analyte cocaine is absent. In the presence of the drug, some binding sites of the antibody will be blocked, which leads to an immediate breakthrough of the labeled protein, detectable by highly sensitive laser-induced fluorescence with the help of a Peltier-cooled complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) camera. Liquid handling is performed with high-precision syringe pumps and microfluidic chip-based mixing devices and flow cells. The biosensor achieved limits of detection of 23 pM (7 ppt) of cocaine with a response time of 90 seconds and a total assay time below 3 minutes. With surface wipe sampling, the biosensor was able to detect 300 pg of cocaine. This immunosensor belongs to the most sensitive and fastest detectors for cocaine and offers near-continuous analyte measurement.

Structural health monitoring (SHM) is critical for ensuring the safety of infrastructures like bridges. This article presents a digital twin solution for SHM of railway bridges using low-cost wireless accelerometers and Machine Learning (ML). The system architecture combines edge on-premises computing and cloud analytics to enable efficient real-time monitoring and complete storage of relevant time-history datasets. After train crossings, accelerometers stream raw vibration data, which is processed in the frequency domain and analyzed via machine learning to detect anomalies indicating potential structural issues. The digital twin approach is demonstrated on an in-service railway bridge, where vibration data was collected over two years under normal operating conditions. By learning allowable ranges for vibration patterns, the digital twin model identifies abnormal spectral peaks, suggesting changes in structural integrity. The long-term pilot proves that this affordable SHM system can provide automated and real-time warning of bridge damage and also supports the use of in-house designed sensors of lower-cost and edge computing capabilities than those used in the demonstration. The successful on-premises-cloud hybrid implementation provides a cost effective and scalable model for expanding monitoring to thousands of railway bridges, democratizing SHM to improve safety by avoiding catastrophic failures.

Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN) enable a growing number of Internet-of-Things (IoT) applications with large geographical coverage, low bit-rate, and long lifetime requirements. LoRa (Long Range) is a well-known LPWAN technology that uses a proprietary Chirp Spread Spectrum (CSS) physical layer, while the upper layers are defined by an open standard - LoRaWAN. In this paper, we propose a simple yet effective method to improve the Quality-of-Service (QoS) of LoRa networks by fine-tuning specific radio parameters. Through a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) problem formulation, we find optimal settings for the Spreading Factor (SF) and Carrier Frequency (CF) radio parameters, considering the network traffic specifications as a whole, to improve the Data Extraction Rate (DER) and to reduce the packet collision rate and the energy consumption in LoRa networks. The effectiveness of the optimization procedure is demonstrated by simulations, using LoRaSim for different network scales. In relation to the traditional LoRa radio parameter assignment policies, our solution leads to an average increase of 6% in DER, and a number of collisions 13 times smaller. In comparison to networks with dynamic radio parameter assignment policies, there is an increase of 5%, 2.8%, and 2% of DER, and a number of collisions 11, 7.8 and 2.5 times smaller than equal-distribution, Tiurlikova's (SoTa), and random distribution, respectively. Regarding the network energy consumption metric, the proposed optimization obtained an average consumption similar to Tiurlikova's, and 2.8 times lower than the equal-distribution and random dynamic allocation policies. Furthermore, we approach the practical aspects of how to implement and integrate the optimization mechanism proposed in LoRa, guaranteeing backward compatibility with the standard protocol.