bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exploiting Surrogate Safety Measures and Road Design Characteristics towards Crash Investigations in Motorway Segments
Authors: Nikolaou Dimitrios , Dragomanovits Anastasios , Ziakopoulos Apostolos , Deliali Aikaterini , Handanos Ioannis , Karadimas Christos , Kostoulas George , Frantzola Eleni Konstantina , Yannis George
Published: February 2023

High quality data on road crashes, road design characteristics, and traffic are typically required to predict crash frequency. Surrogate Safety Measures (SSMs) are an alternative category of indicators that can be used in road safety analyses in order to quantify various unsafe traffic events. The objective of this research is to exploit road geometry data and SSMs toward various road crash investigations in motorway segments. To that end, for this analysis, a database containing data on injury and property-damage-only crashes, road design characteristics, and SSMs of 668 segments was compiled and utilized. The results of the developed negative binomial regression model revealed that crash frequency is positively correlated with the average annual daily traffic volume, the length of the segment, harsh accelerations, and harsh braking. Moreover, four distinct clusters representing crash risk levels of the examined segments emerged from the hierarchical clustering procedure, ranging from more risk-prone, potentially unsafe locations to more safe locations. These four clusters also formed the response variable classes of a random forest model. This classification model used various road geometry data and SSMs as predictors and achieved high classification performance for all classes, averaging more than 88% correct classification rates.
Neutron/Gamma Radial Shielding Design of Main Vessel in a Small Modular Molten Salt Reactor
Authors: Yu Haiyan , Zhu Guifeng , Zou Yang , Yan Rui , Liu Yafen , Kang Xuzhong , Dai Ye
Published: February 2023

The SM-MSR (small modular molten salt reactor) has a good prospect for development with regards to combining the superiority of the molten salt reactor and modularization technologies, showing the advantages of safety, reliability, low economic cost and flexibility of site selection. However, because its internal structural parts are not easily replaced, and the outer shielding structure is limited, the lifespan of the reactor vessel and its in-reactor shielding design needs to be addressed. In order to find an optimal shielding model with both high fuel efficiency and strong radiation shielding capability, five different design schemes were proposed in this work, which varied in thickness and boron concentration in inner-shielding materials. The neutron/gamma flux and DPA (displacements per atom)/helium production rates were evaluated to obtain an appropriate scheme. Several beneficial results were obtained. Considering the above factors and the actual manufacturing process, 20 cm-thick boron graphite with a 5 wt% Boron-10 concentration combined with a 1 cm-thick Hastelloy barrel was chosen as the in-reactor shielding structure. Outside the reactor, the neutron flux was reduced to 8.33 × 1010 cm−2 s−1, and the gamma flux was decreased to 1.13 × 1011 cm−2 s−1. The vessel/barrel material could maintain a lifespan of more than 10 years, while the burnup depth was 6.25% lower than that of a model without inner-shielding. The conclusions of this research can provide important references for the shielding design and parameter selections of small molten salt reactors in the future.
Possibility of Using Waste Materials as Substitutes for Gravel or Water in Concrete Mix
Authors: Bieszczad Arkadiusz , Popardowski Ernest , Lubińska Weronika , Gliniak Maciej , Nawalany Grzegorz , Sokołowski Paweł
Published: February 2023

Analyzing the global waste management sector, we can see that some waste, due to its specificity, is a major challenge when it comes to its management. This group includes rubber waste and sewage sludge. Both items pose a major threat to the environment and human health. The remedy for this problem may be the solidification process, in which the presented wastes are used as substrates in the production of concrete. The aim of this work was to determine the effect of waste addition to cement in the form of an active additive (sewage sludge) and a passive additive (rubber granulate). An unusual approach to sewage sludge was used, which was introduced as a substitute for water, and not, as in most works, sewage sludge ash. In the case of the second waste, commonly used tire granules were replaced with rubber particles resulting from the fragmentation of conveyor belts. A wide range of the share of additives in the cement mortar was analyzed. The results for the rubber granulate were consistent with numerous publications. For the addition in the form of hydrated sewage sludge, the deterioration of the mechanical properties of concrete was demonstrated. It was found that the flexural strength of the concrete in which water was replaced with hydrated sewage sludge was lower than that of the sample without the addition of sludge. The compressive strength of concrete with the addition of rubber granules was higher than the control sample and did not significantly depend on the amount of granulate used.
Development and Characterization of Innovative Multidrug Nanoformulation for Cardiac Therapy
Authors: Gendron Amandine , Domenichini Séverine , Zanna Sandrine , Gobeaux Frédéric , Piesse Christophe , Desmaële Didier , Varna Mariana
Published: February 2023

For several decades, various peptides have been under investigation to prevent ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, including cyclosporin A (CsA) and Elamipretide. Therapeutic peptides are currently gaining momentum as they have many advantages over small molecules, such as better selectivity and lower toxicity. However, their rapid degradation in the bloodstream is a major drawback that limits their clinical use, due to their low concentration at the site of action. To overcome these limitations, we have developed new bioconjugates of Elamipretide by covalent coupling with polyisoprenoid lipids, such as squalenic acid or solanesol, embedding self-assembling ability. The resulting bioconjugates were co-nanoprecipitated with CsA squalene bioconjugate to form Elamipretide decorated nanoparticles (NPs). The subsequent composite NPs were characterized with respect to mean diameter, zeta potential, and surface composition by Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), Cryogenic Transmission Electron Microscopy (CryoTEM) and X-ray Photoelectron Spectrometry (XPS). Further, these multidrug NPs were found to have less than 20% cytotoxicity on two cardiac cell lines even at high concentrations, while maintaining an antioxidant capacity. These multidrug NPs could be considered for further investigations as an approach to target two important pathways involved in the development of cardiac I/R lesions.
Study on Deterioration Process of Magnesium Oxychloride Cement under the Environment of Dry–Wet Cycles
Authors: Chang Chenggong , An Lingyun , Dong Jinmei , Zheng Weixin , Wen Jing , Yan Fengyun , Xiao Xueying
Published: February 2023

To reveal the deterioration process of magnesium oxychloride cement (MOC) in an outdoor, alternating dry–wet service environment, the evolution of the macro- and micro-structures of the surface layer and inner core of MOC samples as well as their mechanical properties and increasing dry–wet cycle numbers were investigated by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), an X-ray diffractometer (XRD), a simultaneous thermal analyser (TG-DSC), a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR), and an microelectromechanical electrohydraulic servo pressure testing machine. The results show that as the number of dry–wet cycles increases, the water molecules gradually invade the interior of the samples, causing the hydrolysis of P 5 (5Mg(OH)2·MgCl2·8H2O) and hydration reactions of unreacted active MgO. After three dry–wet cycles, there are obvious cracks on the surface of the MOC samples, and they suffer from warped deformation. The microscopic morphology of the MOC samples changes from a gel state and a short, rod-like shape to a flake shape, which is a relatively loose structure. Meanwhile, the main phase composition of the samples becomes Mg(OH)2, and the Mg(OH)2 contents of the surface layer and inner core of the MOC samples are 54% and 56%, respectively, while the P 5 amounts are 12% and 15%, respectively. The compressive strength of the samples decreases from 93.2 MPa to 8.1 MPa and reduces by 91.3%, and their flexural strength declines from 16.4 MPa to 1.2 MPa. However, their deterioration process is delayed compared with the samples that were dipped in water continuously for 21 days whose compressive strength is 6.5 MPa. This is primarily ascribed to the fact that during the natural drying process, the water in the immersed samples evaporates, the decomposition of P 5 and the hydration reaction of unreacted active MgO both slow down, and the dried Mg(OH)2 may provide the partial mechanical properties, to some extent.
Optical Characterization of Thin Films by Surface Plasmon Resonance Spectroscopy Using an Acousto-Optic Tunable Filter
Authors: Khasanov Ildus Sh. , Knyazev Boris A. , Lobastov Sergey A. , Anisimov Alexander V. , Nikitin Pavel A. , Kameshkov Oleg E.
Published: February 2023

The paper presents the application of the acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) in surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectroscopy to measure the optical thickness of thin dielectric coatings. The technique presented uses combined angular and spectral interrogation modes to obtain the reflection coefficient under the condition of SPR. Surface electromagnetic waves were excited in the Kretschmann geometry, with the AOTF serving as a monochromator and polarizer of light from a white broadband radiation source. The experiments highlighted the high sensitivity of the method and the lower amount of noise in the resonance curves compared with the laser light source. This optical technique can be implemented for nondestructive testing in the production of thin films in not only the visible, but also the infrared and terahertz ranges.
General Reference and Design S–N Curves Obtained for 1.2709 Tool Steel
Authors: Böhm Michał , Niesłony Adam , Derda Szymon , Owsiński Robert , Kepka Miloslav , Zetkova Ivana , Zetek Miroslav , Houdková Šárka , Prażmowski Mariusz
Published: February 2023

At present, due to advanced fatigue calculation models, it is becoming more crucial to find a reliable source for design S–N curves, especially in the case of new 3D-printed materials. Such obtained steel components are becoming very popular and are often used for important parts of dynamically loaded structures. One of the commonly used printing steels is EN 1.2709 tool steel, which has good strength properties and high abrasion resistance, and can be hardened. The research shows, however, that its fatigue strength may differ depending on the printing method, and may be characterized by a wide scatter of the fatigue life. This paper presents selected S–N curves for EN 1.2709 steel after printing with the selective laser melting method. The characteristics are compared, and conclusions are presented regarding the resistance of this material to fatigue loading, especially in the tension–compression state. A combined general mean reference and design fatigue curve is presented, which incorporates our own experimental results as well as those from the literature for the tension–compression loading state. The design curve may be implemented in the finite element method by engineers and scientists in order to calculate the fatigue life.
Mechanical and Corrosion Behavior of Zr-Doped High-Entropy Alloy from CoCrFeMoNi System
Authors: Brito-Garcia Santiago , Mirza-Rosca Julia , Geanta Victor , Voiculescu Ionelia
Published: February 2023

The aim of the paper is to study the Zr addition effect on the mechanical properties and corrosion behavior of a high-entropy alloy from the CoCrFeMoNi system. This alloy was designed to be used for components in the geothermal industry that are exposed to high temperature and corrosion. Two alloys, one Zr-free (named Sample 1) and another one doped with 0.71 wt.% Zr (named Sample 2), were obtained in a vacuum arc remelting equipment from high-purity granular raw materials. Microstructural characterization and quantitative analysis by SEM and EDS were performed. The Young modulus values for the experimental alloys were calculated on the basis of a three-point bending test. Corrosion behavior was estimated by linear polarization test and by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The addition of Zr resulted in a decrease in the value of the Young modulus but also in a decrease in corrosion resistance. The beneficial effect of Zr on the microstructure was the grain refinement, and this ensured a good deoxidation of the alloy.
TiSiCN as Coatings Resistant to Corrosion and Neutron Activation
Authors: Mirzayev Matlab N. , Parau Anca C. , Slavov Lyubomir , Dinu Mihaela , Neov Dimitar , Slavkova Zdravka , Popov Evgeni P. , Belova Maria , Hasanov Kanan , Aliyev Fuad A. , Vladescu (Dragomir) Alina
Published: February 2023

The aim of the present paper was to evaluate the effect of neutron activation on TiSiCN carbonitrides coatings prepared at different C/N ratios (0.4 for under stoichiometric and 1.6 for over stoichiometric). The coatings were prepared by cathodic arc deposition using one cathode constructed of Ti88 at.%-Si12 at.% (99.99% purity). The coatings were comparatively examined for elemental and phase composition, morphology, and anticorrosive properties in 3.5% NaCl solution. All the coatings exhibited f.c.c. solid solution structures and had a (111) preferred orientation. Under stoichiometric structure, they proved to be resistant to corrosive attack in 3.5% NaCl and of these coatings the TiSiCN was found to have the best corrosion resistance. From all tested coatings, TiSiCN have proven to be the most suitable candidates for operation under severe conditions that are present in nuclear applications (high temperature, corrosion, etc.).
Occurrence of Human Defensins and S100 Proteins in Head and Neck Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) Entities: hBD3 and S100A4 as Potential Biomarkers to Evaluate Successful Surgical Therapy
Authors: Dröge Eva , Probstmeier Rainer , Wenghoefer Matthias , Winter Jochen
Published: February 2023

Background: The goal of this study is the identification of potential marker molecules for characterizing different basal cell carcinoma entities, to help improve clinical decisions for surgical resection therapy. Methods: Three different entities, sclerodermiform, solid and superficial basal cell carcinomas, were subjected to immunohistochemical microscopy and histomorphometric analyses for human α- (DEFA1/3; DEFA4) and β-defensins (hBD1/2/3) and special S100 proteins (S100A4/7/8/9). Thirty specimens of the three entities were evaluated. Analyses were performed by comparing tissue and cellular localization and staining intensities of tumorous with non-tumorous areas. Staining intensities were semiquantitatively examined by using an RGB-based model. Results: Human defensins are present in all three entities of basal cell carcinomas. They all show cytoplasmic immunostaining in cells of the epithelium, stroma and tumor. Notably, human β-defensin3 is accumulated in the cell nuclei of sclerodermiform and superficial basal cell carcinomas. S100A4 and A7 are undetectable in tumor regions. However, S100A4 occurs in cancer-associated stroma cells with nuclear staining in superficial basal cell carcinomas. Conclusion: Two candidates, namely hBD3 and S100A4, might be used as potential clinical tools for evaluating successful surgical resection therapy to avoid aesthetic and functional facial deformation.
Circular Construction Indicator: Assessing Circularity in the Design, Construction, and End-of-Life Phase
Authors: Anastasiades Kostas , Blom Johan , Audenaert Amaryllis
Published: February 2023

The construction industry is responsible for half of the currently excavated amount of raw materials. In addition, a quarter of all waste in the European Union is construction waste. This construction waste comprises numerous materials that can still be reused or recycled. Thus, a shift to a circular construction sector is necessary. To make this shift, it is vital to enable the measurement of and the progress toward circularity. Therefore, this paper investigates the currently available circularity indicators with regard to the 4 Rs—Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover. Subsequently, a comprehensive Circular Construction Indicator framework is introduced that evaluates a construction project according to the three typical construction phases: design, construction, and end-of-life. In this, new partial indicators to assess material scarcity, structural efficiency, and service life prediction should help designers consider these aspects already in the conceptual design stage. Lastly, suggestions for further research are defined to develop further said new partial indicators.
A Bio-Inspired Spiking Neural Network with Few-Shot Class-Incremental Learning for Gas Recognition
Authors: Huo Dexuan , Zhang Jilin , Dai Xinyu , Zhang Pingping , Zhang Shumin , Yang Xiao , Wang Jiachuang , Liu Mengwei , Sun Xuhui , Chen Hong
Published: February 2023

The sensitivity and selectivity profiles of gas sensors are always changed by sensor drifting, sensor aging, and the surroundings (e.g., temperature and humidity changes), which lead to a serious decline in gas recognition accuracy or even invalidation. To address this issue, the practical solution is to retrain the network to maintain performance, leveraging its rapid, incremental online learning capacity. In this paper, we develop a bio-inspired spiking neural network (SNN) to recognize nine types of flammable and toxic gases, which supports few-shot class-incremental learning, and can be retrained quickly with a new gas at a low accuracy cost. Compared with gas recognition approaches such as support vector machine (SVM), k-nearest neighbor (KNN), principal component analysis (PCA) +SVM, PCA+KNN, and artificial neural network (ANN), our network achieves the highest accuracy of 98.75% in five-fold cross-validation for identifying nine types of gases, each with five different concentrations. In particular, the proposed network has a 5.09% higher accuracy than that of other gas recognition algorithms, which validates its robustness and effectiveness for real-life fire scenarios.
Elucidating the Conducting Mechanisms in a Flexible Piezoresistive Pressure Sensor Using Reduced Graphene Oxide Film in Silicone Elastomer
Authors: Gilanizadehdizaj Golezar , Bhattacharyya Debes , Stringer Jonathan , Aw Kean
Published: February 2023

Sensors as a composite film made from reduced graphene oxide (rGO) structures filled with a silicone elastomer are soft and flexible, making them suitable for wearable applications. The sensors exhibit three distinct conducting regions, denoting different conducting mechanisms when pressure is applied. This article aims to elucidate the conduction mechanisms in these sensors made from this composite film. It was deduced that the conducting mechanisms are dominated by Schottky/thermionic emission and Ohmic conduction.
EEOA: Cost and Energy Efficient Task Scheduling in a Cloud-Fog Framework
Authors: Kumar M. Santhosh , Karri Ganesh Reddy
Published: February 2023

Cloud-fog computing is a wide range of service environments created to provide quick, flexible services to customers, and the phenomenal growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) has produced an immense amount of data on a daily basis. To complete tasks and meet service-level agreement (SLA) commitments, the provider assigns appropriate resources and employs scheduling techniques to efficiently manage the execution of received IoT tasks in fog or cloud systems. The effectiveness of cloud services is directly impacted by some other important criteria, such as energy usage and cost, which are not taken into account by many of the existing methodologies. To resolve the aforementioned problems, an effective scheduling algorithm is required to schedule the heterogeneous workload and enhance the quality of service (QoS). Therefore, a nature-inspired multi-objective task scheduling algorithm called the electric earthworm optimization algorithm (EEOA) is proposed in this paper for IoT requests in a cloud-fog framework. This method was created using the combination of the earthworm optimization algorithm (EOA) and the electric fish optimization algorithm (EFO) to improve EFO’s potential to be exploited while looking for the best solution to the problem at hand. Concerning execution time, cost, makespan, and energy consumption, the suggested scheduling technique’s performance was assessed using significant instances of real-world workloads such as CEA-CURIE and HPC2N. Based on simulation results, our proposed approach improves efficiency by 89%, energy consumption by 94%, and total cost by 87% over existing algorithms for the scenarios considered using different benchmarks. Detailed simulations demonstrate that the suggested approach provides a superior scheduling scheme with better results than the existing scheduling techniques.
A Time Synchronization Protocol for Barrage Relay Networks
Authors: Son Woong , Choi Jungwook , Park Soobum , Lee Howon , Jung Bang Chul
Published: February 2023

Time-division multiple access (TDMA)-based medium access control (MAC) protocol has been widely used for avoiding access conflicts in wireless multi-hop ad hoc networks, where the time synchronization among wireless nodes is essential. In this paper, we propose a novel time synchronization protocol for TDMA-based cooperative multi-hop wireless ad hoc networks, which are also called barrage relay networks (BRNs). The proposed time synchronization protocol is based on cooperative relay transmissions to send time synchronization messages. We also propose a network time reference (NTR) selection technique for improving the convergence time and average time error. In the proposed NTR selection technique, each node overhears the user identifier (UID) of other nodes, hop count (HC) from them to itself, and network degree, which denotes the number of 1-hop neighbor nodes. Then, the node with the minimum HC from all other nodes is selected as the NTR node. If there are multiple nodes with the minimum HC, the node with the larger degree is selected as the NTR node. To the best of our knowledge, the proposed time synchronization protocol with the NTR selection is introduced for the first time for cooperative (barrage) relay networks in this paper. Through computer simulations, we validate the proposed time synchronization protocol in terms of the average time error under various practical network scenarios. Furthermore, we also compare the performance of the proposed protocol with the conventional time synchronization methods. It is shown that the proposed protocol significantly outperforms the conventional methods in terms of the average time error and convergence time. The proposed protocol is shown to be more robust against packet loss as well.
Automated Low-Cost Soil Moisture Sensors: Trade-Off between Cost and Accuracy
Authors: Schwamback Dimaghi , Persson Magnus , Berndtsson Ronny , Bertotto Luis Eduardo , Kobayashi Alex Naoki Asato , Wendland Edson Cezar
Published: February 2023

Automated soil moisture systems are commonly used in precision agriculture. Using low-cost sensors, the spatial extension can be maximized, but the accuracy might be reduced. In this paper, we address the trade-off between cost and accuracy comparing low-cost and commercial soil moisture sensors. The analysis is based on the capacitive sensor SKU:SEN0193 tested under lab and field conditions. In addition to individual calibration, two simplified calibration techniques are proposed: universal calibration, based on all 63 sensors, and a single-point calibration using the sensor response in dry soil. During the second stage of testing, the sensors were coupled to a low-cost monitoring station and installed in the field. The sensors were capable of measuring daily and seasonal oscillations in soil moisture resulting from solar radiation and precipitation. The low-cost sensor performance was compared to commercial sensors based on five variables: (1) cost, (2) accuracy, (3) qualified labor demand, (4) sample volume, and (5) life expectancy. Commercial sensors provide single-point information with high reliability but at a high acquisition cost, while low-cost sensors can be acquired in larger numbers at a lower cost, allowing for more detailed spatial and temporal observations, but with medium accuracy. The use of SKU sensors is then indicated for short-term and limited-budget projects in which high accuracy of the collected data is not required.
Cross-Domain Transfer of EEG to EEG or ECG Learning for CNN Classification Models
Authors: Yang Chia-Yen , Chen Pin-Chen , Huang Wen-Chen
Published: February 2023

Electroencephalography (EEG) is often used to evaluate several types of neurological brain disorders because of its noninvasive and high temporal resolution. In contrast to electrocardiography (ECG), EEG can be uncomfortable and inconvenient for patients. Moreover, deep-learning techniques require a large dataset and a long time for training from scratch. Therefore, in this study, EEG–EEG or EEG–ECG transfer learning strategies were applied to explore their effectiveness for the training of simple cross-domain convolutional neural networks (CNNs) used in seizure prediction and sleep staging systems, respectively. The seizure model detected interictal and preictal periods, whereas the sleep staging model classified signals into five stages. The patient-specific seizure prediction model with six frozen layers achieved 100% accuracy for seven out of nine patients and required only 40 s of training time for personalization. Moreover, the cross-signal transfer learning EEG–ECG model for sleep staging achieved an accuracy approximately 2.5% higher than that of the ECG model; additionally, the training time was reduced by >50%. In summary, transfer learning from an EEG model to produce personalized models for a more convenient signal can both reduce the training time and increase the accuracy; moreover, challenges such as data insufficiency, variability, and inefficiency can be effectively overcome.
Microphones as Airspeed Sensors for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Authors: Makaveev Momchil , Snellen Mirjam , Smeur Ewoud J. J.
Published: February 2023

This paper puts forward a novel design for an airspeed instrument aimed at small fixed-wing tail-sitter unmanned aerial vehicles. The working principle is to relate the power spectra of the wall-pressure fluctuations beneath the turbulent boundary layer present over the vehicle’s body in flight to its airspeed. The instrument consists of two microphones; one flush-mounted on the vehicle’s nose cone, which captures the pseudo-sound caused by the turbulent boundary layer, and a micro-controller that processes the signals and computes the airspeed. A feed-forward single-layer neural network is used to predict the airspeed based on the power spectra of the microphones’ signals. The neural network is trained using data obtained from wind tunnel and flight experiments. Several neural networks were trained and validated using only flight data, with the best one achieving a mean approximation error of 0.043 m/s and having a standard deviation of 1.039 m/s. The angle of attack has a significant impact on the measurement, but if the angle of attack is known, the airspeed could still be successfully predicted for a wide range of angles of attack.
Assessment of GNSS Galileo Contribution to the Modernization of CROPOS’s Services
Authors: Šugar Danijel , Kliman Ana , Bačić Željko , Nevistić Zvonimir
Published: February 2023

CROPOS, as the Croatian GNSS network, was modernized and upgraded to support the Galileo system in 2019. Two of CROPOS’s services—VPPS (Network RTK service) and GPPS (post-processing service)—were assessed for the contribution of the Galileo system to their performance. A station used for field testing was previously examined and surveyed to determine the local horizon and to carry out a detailed mission planning. The whole day of observation was divided into several sessions, each with a different visibility of Galileo satellites. A special observation sequence was designed: VPPS (GPS-GLO-GAL), VPPS (GAL-only), and GPPS (GPS-GLO-GAL-BDS). All observations were taken on the same station with the same GNSS receiver, Trimble R12. Each static observation session was post-processed in Trimble Business Center (TBC) in two different ways: considering all available systems (GGGB) and considering GAL-only observations. A daily static solution based on all systems (GGGB) was considered as the reference for the accuracy assessment of all obtained solutions. The results obtained with VPPS (GPS-GLO-GAL) and VPPS (GAL-only) were analyzed and assessed; the results obtained with GAL-only have shown a slightly higher scatter. It was concluded that the inclusion of the Galileo system in CROPOS has contributed to the availability and reliability of solutions but not to their accuracy. By complying with the observation rules and taking redundant measurements, the accuracy of GAL-only results can be improved.
Fiber Bundle Image Reconstruction Using Convolutional Neural Networks and Bundle Rotation in Endomicroscopy
Authors: Eadie Matthew , Liao Jinpeng , Ageeli Wael , Nabi Ghulam , Krstajić Nikola
Published: February 2023

Fiber-bundle endomicroscopy has several recognized drawbacks, the most prominent being the honeycomb effect. We developed a multi-frame super-resolution algorithm exploiting bundle rotation to extract features and reconstruct underlying tissue. Simulated data was used with rotated fiber-bundle masks to create multi-frame stacks to train the model. Super-resolved images are numerically analyzed, which demonstrates that the algorithm can restore images with high quality. The mean structural similarity index measurement (SSIM) improved by a factor of 1.97 compared with linear interpolation. The model was trained using images taken from a single prostate slide, 1343 images were used for training, 336 for validation, and 420 for testing. The model had no prior information about the test images, adding to the robustness of the system. Image reconstruction was completed in 0.03 s for 256 × 256 images indicating future real-time performance is within reach. The combination of fiber bundle rotation and multi-frame image enhancement through machine learning has not been utilized before in an experimental setting but could provide a much-needed improvement to image resolution in practice.
Wide-Field-of-View Multispectral Camera Design for Continuous Turfgrass Monitoring
Authors: Smeesters Lien , Verbaenen Jef , Schifano Luca , Vervaeke Michael , Thienpont Hugo , Teti Giancarlo , Forconi Alessio , Lulli Filippo
Published: February 2023

Sustainably using resources, while reducing the use of chemicals, is of major importance in agriculture, including turfgrass monitoring. Today, crop monitoring often uses camera-based drone sensing, offering an accurate evaluation but typically requiring a technical operator. To enable autonomous and continuous monitoring, we propose a novel five-channel multispectral camera design suitable for integrating it inside lighting fixtures and enabling the sensing of a multitude of vegetation indices by covering visible, near-infrared and thermal wavelength bands. To limit the number of cameras, and in contrast to the drone-sensing systems that show a small field of view, a novel wide-field-of-view imaging design is proposed, featuring a field of view exceeding 164°. This paper presents the development of the five-channel wide-field-of-view imaging design, starting from the optimization of the design parameters and moving toward a demonstrator setup and optical characterization. All imaging channels show an excellent image quality, indicated by an MTF exceeding 0.5 at a spatial frequency of 72 lp/mm for the visible and near-infrared imaging designs and 27 lp/mm for the thermal channel. Consequently, we believe our novel five-channel imaging design paves the way toward autonomous crop monitoring while optimizing resource usage.
Enhancing Circular Polarization Performance of Low-Profile Patch Antennas for Wearables Using Characteristic Mode Analysis
Authors: Chen Zhensheng , Zheng Xuezhi , Song Chaoyun , Zhang Jiahao , Volskiy Vladimir , Li Yifan , Vandenbosch Guy A. E.
Published: February 2023

A wearable antenna functioning in the 2.4 GHz band for health monitoring and sensing is proposed. It is a circularly polarized (CP) patch antenna made from textiles. Despite its low profile (3.34 mm thickness, 0.027 λ0), an enhanced 3-dB axial ratio (AR) bandwidth is achieved by introducing slit-loaded parasitic elements on top of analysis and observations within the framework of Characteristic Mode Analysis (CMA). In detail, the parasitic elements introduce higher-order modes at high frequencies that may contribute to the 3-dB AR bandwidth enhancement. More importantly, additional slit loading is investigated to preserve the higher-order modes while relaxing strong capacitive coupling invoked by the low-profile structure and the parasitic elements. As a result, unlike conventional multilayer designs, a simple single-substrate, low-profile, and low-cost structure is achieved. While compared to traditional low-profile antennas, a significantly widened CP bandwidth is realized. These merits are important for the future massive application. The realized CP bandwidth is 2.2–2.54 GHz (14.3%), which is 3–5 times that of traditional low-profile designs (thickness < 4 mm, 0.04 λ0). A prototype was fabricated and measured with good results.
Catalytic Ozonation for Pulp and Paper Mill Wastewater Treatment: COD Reduction and Organic Matter Degradation Mechanism
Authors: Zhou Chenxu , Zhang Jiaming , Cai Yuxuan , Xiong Jianhua
Published: February 2023

Rapid degradation of pulping and papermaking wastewater in a pulp and paper mill is crucial for recycling purposes yet challenging to achieve. The purpose of this research is to provide a technical guide for the ozone degradation treatment process of pulp and paper mill wastewater and to explore the reaction mechanism of dissolved and colloidal substances (DCSs). This study is vital for effectively treating pulp and paper mill wastewater through ozonation. In the catalytic ozonation process to treat pulp and paper mill wastewater, a polyurethane sponge loaded with titanium dioxide was used as a catalyst. The optimal process conditions were determined to be 8 min of treatment time, a 16 mg/L ozone concentration, pH 9, and a 7.5% catalyst filling ratio. The COD reduction under these conditions is approximately 52%. The catalytic ozonation system, according to the FI-IR and GC-MS analyses, could degrade the large-molecule volatile organic compounds in the raw wastewater into small-molecule substances. Furthermore, the relative content of common DCSs in paper wastewater, such as palmitic acid and stilbene, could be reduced. The catalytic ozonation system is more effective for treating refractory organic compounds and has a higher COD reduction than the ozonation system.
Analysis of Sugars in Honey Samples by Capillary Zone Electrophoresis Using Fluorescence Detection
Authors: Andrasi Melinda , Gyemant Gyongyi , Sajtos Zsofi , Nagy Cynthia
Published: February 2023

The applicability of capillary electrophoresis (CE) with light-emitting diode-induced fluorescence detection (LEDIF) for the separation of sugars in honey samples was studied. An amount of 25 mM ammonium acetate (pH 4.5) with 0.3% polyethylene oxide (PEO) was found to be optimal for the efficient separation of carbohydrates. 8-aminopyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid (APTS) was used for the labeling of the carbohydrate standards and honey sugars for fluorescence detection. The optimized method was applied in the quantitative analysis of fructose and glucose by direct injection of honey samples. Apart from the labeling reaction, no other sample preparation was performed. The mean values of the fructose/glucose ratio for phacelia honey, acacia honey and honeydew honey were 0.86, 1.61 and 1.42, respectively. The proposed method provides high separation efficiency and sensitive detection within a short analysis time. Apart from the labeling reaction, it enables the injection of honeys without sample pretreatment. This is the first time that fluorescence detection has been applied for the CE analysis of sugars in honeys.
Conservation Agriculture and Soil Organic Carbon: Principles, Processes, Practices and Policy Options
Authors: Francaviglia Rosa , Almagro María , Vicente-Vicente José Luis
Published: February 2023

Intensive agriculture causes land degradation and other environmental problems, such as pollution, soil erosion, fertility loss, biodiversity decline, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which exacerbate climate change. Sustainable agricultural practices, such as reduced tillage, growing cover crops, and implementing crop residue retention measures, have been proposed as cost-effective solutions that can address land degradation, food security, and climate change mitigation and adaptation by enhancing soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration in soils and its associated co-benefits. In this regard, extensive research has demonstrated that conservation agriculture (CA) improves soil physical, chemical, and biological properties that are crucial for maintaining soil health and increasing agroecosystem resilience to global change. However, despite the research that has been undertaken to implement the three principles of CA (minimum mechanical soil disturbance, permanent soil organic cover with crop residues and/or cover crops, and crop diversification) worldwide, there are still many technical and socio-economic barriers that restrict their adoption. In this review, we gather current knowledge on the potential agronomic, environmental, and socio-economic benefits and drawbacks of implementing CA principles and present the current agro-environmental policy frameworks. Research needs are identified, and more stringent policy measures are urgently encouraged to achieve climate change mitigation targets.
On Weak Convergence of the Bootstrap Copula Empirical Process with Random Resample Size
Authors: Bouzebda Salim
Published: February 2023

The purpose of this note is to provide a description of the weak convergence of the random resample size bootstrap empirical process. The principal results are used to estimate the sample rank correlation coefficients using Spearman’s and Kendall’s respective methods. In addition to this, we discuss how our findings can be applied to statistical testing.
The Linear Skew-t Distribution and Its Properties
Authors: Adcock C. J.
Published: February 2023

The aim of this expository paper is to present the properties of the linear skew-t distribution, which is a specific example of a symmetry modulated-distribution. The skewing function remains the distribution function of Student’s t, but its argument is simpler than that used for the standard skew-t. The linear skew-t offers different insights, for example, different moments and tail behavior, and can be simpler to use for empirical work. It is shown that the distribution may be expressed as a hidden truncation model. The paper describes an extended version of the distribution that is analogous to the extended skew-t. For certain parameter values, the distribution is bimodal. The paper presents expressions for the moments of the distribution and shows that numerical integration methods are required. A multivariate version of the distribution is described. The bivariate version of the distribution may also be bimodal. The distribution is not closed under marginalization, and stochastic ordering is not satisfied. The properties of the distribution are illustrated with numerous examples of the density functions, table of moments and critical values. The results in this paper suggest that the linear skew-t may be useful for some applications, but that it should be used with care for methodological work.
Meta-Analysis on the Importance of Entrepreneurship in Canada’s Music Industry
Authors: Wall-Andrews Charlie
Published: February 2023

This article draws on research to evaluate the skills and traits required to be a successful music entrepreneur and Canadian musician in the face of digitalization. Theoretical and empirical studies emphasize entrepreneurship in every career. Researchers found that successful businessmen had unique skills that helped them achieve their goals faster. Creativity, timing, resource management, and opportunity awareness are connected to career success. This research explores academic entrepreneurs’ best practices. Entrepreneurship is varied; therefore, the study found comparable effects and distinct conflict causes. Comparing general commercial success determinants to the skills musicians need to succeed in Canada and abroad generated four surprising findings: 1. Musicians require entrepreneurial skills. Musicians need skills to succeed and make money. 2. To capitalize on music industry digitalization, Canadian artists must strengthen their business skills. 3. Canadian artists need digital distribution and copyright skills to succeed in the internet era. 4. Entrepreneurship may be taught. Empirical research shows that entrepreneurs can learn better via experience than didactic training. These findings should support earlier research and assist policymakers develop “industry-specific” entrepreneurship tools for Canadian music practitioners.
Innovation in the Arts
Authors: Brown Kathryn
Published: February 2023

An arts entrepreneurship professor reviews Jason White's Innovation in the Arts: Concepts, Theories, and Practices.
The analgesic efficacy of multimodal analgesia pathway after cesarean delivery
Authors: Tran Thi Sau , Nguyen Van Minh
Published: February 2023

Background: Multimodal analgesia is a combination of analgesic methods that act on different sites of the pain pathway. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of multimodal analgesia after cesarean delivery (CD) and to investigate the adverse effects of these methods. Materials and method: A total of 180 women received spinal anesthesia for CD were divided into three groups. Group Para-TAP received paracetamol and transverse abdominis plane block (TAP block); group Para-Diclo received paracetamol and diclofenac; group Para-Diclo-TAP received paracetamol, diclofenac and TAP block. Paracetamol was given intravenously (IV) 1 g, orally 1 g every 8 h for 24 h, diclofenac was inserted rectally 1 h after surgery, TAP block were performed when uterine palpation caused a VAS score of 2 points. Pain score was measured with the visual analogue scale (VAS) at rest and on movement at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 18 and 24 h for the first 24 h. Patient comfort and satisfaction with analgesia was evaluated at the end of 24 h. The primary outcome was VAS score and the rate of analgesic
request. The secondary measures of outcome were satisfaction with the pain management and side effects. Breakthrough pain was treated with 5 mg IV morphine when the VAS at rest ≥ 4 or on movement ≥ 5. Results: The VAS score ≤ 3 at rest of the 3 groups was 76.67%, 90% and 93.33%, respectively, the VAS score on movement ≤ 3 of the 3 groups was 38.33%, 61.67% and 76.67%, respectively. The rate of analgesic request of 3 groups was 23.33%, 10% and 6.7%, respectively, group Para-Diclo-TAP did not have the second analgesic request. All 3 groups had a low rate of itch and nausea, the difference between side effects was not significant. The Para-TAP group was more effective than the Para-Diclo group during the first 6h, the Para-Diclo group was more effectiveduring 12-24 h period, the Para-Diclo-TAP group was more ffective than the Para-Diclo group for a period of 18h. Conclusion: All 3 methods are effective in pain relief after CD, in which the combination of paracetamol, diclofenac, and TAP block brings outstanding efficiency but side effects are equivalent to other methods.
Key words: Cesarean delivery, multimodal analgesia, paracetamol, NSAID, TAP block.
Nutritional status among chronic renal failure patients and some related factors at can tho general hospital, 2020 - 2021
Authors: Vo Thanh Nhan , Pham Duy Tuong , Pham Thi Diep , Lam Huu Duc
Published: February 2023

Background: There is a rising trend in the number of patients with chronic kidney disease in the world and Vietnam. Many studies showed that malnutrition is popular in these subjects. Our research was aimed to assess the nutritional status and analysis of some related factors in patients with chronic kidney failure. Subjects and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 250 patients with chronic kidney failure at Can Tho General Hospital. This research used BMI, SGA tool to assess the nutritional status of these atients. The information of subjects such as age, sex, address, literacy, occupation, co-morbidities, illness duration, and treatment method was collected by interviewing and medical records. Results: The rate of
malnutrition among chronic kidney failure was 55.6% according to BMI. 64.8% of subjects were malnutrition according to SGA tool, which included 29.6% SGA-B, 35.2% SGA-C. Low literacy and long illness duration were factors related to increasing malnutrition. Some factors as age, co-morbidities, and treatment method are related to the nutritional status of patients. Conclusion: Patients with chronic kidney failure had high malnutrition rate. Some factors related to the nutritional status of patients were found such as age, literacy, duration of illness, co-morbidities, treatment method.
Key words: malnutrition, chronic kidney failure
Multimodal analgesia after open abdominal surgery: epidural versus intravenous patient-controlled
Authors: Tran Thi Thu Lanh , Pham Thi Minh Thu , Tran Xuan Thinh , Nguyen Huu Tri , Bui Thi Thuong , Nguyen Van Minh
Published: February 2023

Background: Abdominal surgery is a type of surgery with a high percentage in general surgery department. After this surgery, pain is severe and multimodal analgesia is recommended. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of epidural analgesia with intravenous bupivacaine-fentanyl plus paracetamol compared with ketorolac plus paracetamol and intravenous morphine as rescue. Materials and methods: In a randomized controlled clinical trial, 70 patients aged 18 years or older, ASA I - III, with an indication for open abdominal surgery were randomly divided into two treatment groups. The PCEA group received bupivacaine 0.1% + fentanyl 2mcg/ml and intravenous paracetamol, the IV-PCA group received ketorolac and paracetamol combined with intravenous morphine as rescue. VAS scores at rest and on movement, patient satisfaction, side effects. Results: VAS scores at rest and on movement in both groups were less than 4 in the first 48 hours postoperatively and in the PCEA group lower than the IV-PCA group (p < 0.05). The level of very satisfied in the PCEA group was statistically significantly higher than in the IV-PCA group (71.4% versus 22.9%). Satisfaction level in group IV-PCA accounted for 71.4%. Side effects of the two groups were low rate and mild. Conclusion: Multimodal analgesia by using epidural bupivacaine - fentanyl combined with intravenous paracetamol was more effective than ketorolac combined with intravenous paracetamol and rescue by intravenous morphine after open abdominal surgery. In cases where epidural analgesia is not applied, intravenous multimodal analgesia also provides good analgesia.
Key words: open abdominal surgery, multimodal analgesia, epidural, intravenous.