bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Radar Interferometric Experimental Reconstruction of Three-Dimensional Displacement Vectors and Mode Shapes for Masonry Constructions
Authors: Castellano A , Camassa D , Fraddosio A , Piccioni M D
Published: April 2022

Radar interferometry is an innovative measurement technique capable of remotely measuring vibrations in terms of displacement history. It apparently allows overcoming some major drawbacks of the plodding and time-consuming conventional accelerometric experimental setup for vibration testing. Indeed, radar interferometry does not require any access to the structure; moreover, its use is simpler and faster. Therefore, this technique appears very appealing for ambient vibration testing on structures, and in particular on architectural heritage masonry constructions. However, radar interferometry is still affected by some relevant limitations, that currently outweigh the advantages. One of the most important limitations is that displacements are measured only along the line-of-sight; therefore, it is not possible to determine the whole three-dimensional displacement vector for moving structural points and, consequently, to reconstruct three-dimensional mode shapes of structures, whose knowledge is crucial for characterizing the dynamic behavior of structures and for detecting eventual damages. In this paper, a theoretical and experimental approach for reconstructing both three-dimensional displacement vectors and mode shapes of masonry constructions is proposed. This approach is based on the simultaneous use of two synchronized radar interferometers, and on the application of a theoretical model assuming a specific kinematical constraint, which is generally plausible in the case of masonry constructions. The proposed approach has been validated through in-situ experimental tests on a masonry bell tower.
Portable Spectroscopic Techniques for the Non-invasive Identification of two historical yellow pigments: Applications and Practical Challenges
Authors: Ciaramitaro V. , Armetta F. , Mollica Nardo V. , Ponterio R.C. , Saladino M. L.
Published: April 2022

Decades of technological advances in instrumental analysis have transformed many techniques from laboratory in portable analytical tools with increasing their applicability in situ to the study of cultural heritage. It is known that the painting realisation varies from artist to artist, and the identification of the pigments provides a decisive contribution to trace their authenticity and to support an appropriate restoration work. However, in some cases, due to the complexity of painting composition, it is difficult to distinguish between pigments having a similar chemical composition and colour. Here, a systematic study through combined use of portable non-invasive spectroscopic techniques such as Raman, Total Reflectance FT-IR spectroscopy, Fiber Optical Reflectance spectroscopy and X-Ray Fluorescence was carried out on two yellow pigments, the Naples Yellow (Pb2Sb2O7) and the Giallorino (Pb2SnO4 or PbSnO3 or PbSn1-xSixO3), which sometimes are difficult to distinguish. The results emphasize the techniques’ main advantages and drawbacks as well as their limits and the importance of their combination for the discrimination of such pigments.
Benchmark Based Selection Of Point Cloud Registration Algorithms For Cultural Heritage 3D Digitization
Authors: Korres Georgios , Eid Mohamad , Anagnostopoulos Christos - Nikolaos
Published: April 2022

This work aims to address the point cloud global registration algorithm selection problem by proposing a pipeline for testing and evaluating such algorithms. Moreover, this benchmark-based evaluation automates the algorithm selection process by assessing the point cloud registration algorithms under the same universal benchmark, using complete and diverse datasets. We demonstrate its performance by comparing two State-of-the-art global registration algorithms that are tested on a set of problems created by diverse, unstructured datasets, acquired by various types of sensors, and in different environmental conditions. Furthermore, a comprehensive metric is proposed, which serves as a qualitative metric, rather than an absolute result for the evaluation process. Finally, the different outcomes of the algorithms benchmarking performance are thoroughly presented and discussed.
Corrosion products characterisation aimed at restoration of Bronze Age metal artefacts from Garda Lake
Authors: Labate M , Sirello C , Longhi C , Aceto M , Operti L , Agostino A
Published: April 2022

Conservation is a complex field that needs an exchange of views among different professionals including archaeologists, conservators, restorers and scientists. Diagnostic analyses can give useful information able to lay down the documentation about the artefacts conservation status before and after the restoration; to define the restoration plan and to lead to the most suitable conservation strategies, materials and methods; to evaluate and track the restoration work and to reproduce it in similar contexts. For all of these reasons, a scientific restoration treatments on cultural heritage need materials and alteration products characterisation as a propaedeutic phase. This awareness has guided the study approach of some Bronze Age metal findings from Garda Lake, analysed in order to know the nature of corrosion products in case of upcoming restoration.
Raman spectroscopic characterization of corrosion products of archaeological iron
Authors: Vietti A , Angelini E , Grassini S , Donato N
Published: April 2022

Raman spectroscopy is a versatile analytical technique which allows the detection of different molecules analysing the vibrational modes. As a matter of facts, the vibrational frequencies are typical of a specific chemical bond or of a structural symmetry. In this study, the Raman technique is used for the determination of iron corrosion products, mainly oxides and hydroxides. Metallic artefacts buried in soil are affected, in dependence of their electrochemical nobility, by corrosion phenomena of various entities, which partially modify their chemical composition and their structure. The process may occur both during burial time and after the extraction from the archaeological site, implying the potential loss of information about the metallurgical technology and structure of the object. The study of the corrosion phenomena allows to propose tailored strategies for the restoration and conservation of the artefacts, especially in view of the storage of the artefacts in a museum. This study validates the use of the Raman technique for this purpose, showing its efficiency in the identification of the iron corrosion products in favourable conditions for the analysis of Cultural Heritage artefacts, as the possibility of performing in situ analysis without the need of a previous sample preparation.
Integrated survey procedures for seismic protection of monumental liturgical furniture
Authors: Trizio I , Savini F , Marra A , Fabbrocino G
Published: April 2022

The research herein reported deals with the digital survey potential in the knowledge and documentation of particular sculptural artefacts located in medieval churches, such as pulpits, candelabra and ciboria, with careful attention to the issues related to modelling for structural analysis of these artefacts. In particular, the pulpit’s typology has been analysed; it is a piece of liturgical furniture that has its own response to external stresses, although it is not a structural element. An operational procedure was defined through the discussion of a real case located in the L’Aquila territory. The procedure starts from the knowledge phase of the artefacts enabling the implementation of a digital model by integrating the data of terrestrial photogrammetry and laser scanner. The results achieved highlight the advantages of using detailed digital models for cognitive analysis but also the open issues in the context of model optimisation for specific analyses, such as structural ones, required within integrated approaches for heritage protection and conservation.
Analysis of the distribution of titanium oxide nanoparticles on paintings
Authors: Pasquale S. , Politi G. , Pronti L. , Romani M. , Viviani G. , Cestelli Guidi M. , Angelucci M. , Gueli A.M.
Published: April 2022

This work is addressed to analyse the distribution of titanium dioxide nanoparticles on painting crossing data coming from two methodologies. Scanning Electron Microscope and Proton Induced X-Ray emission techniques have been employed in the study of the interaction between a colloidal dispersion constituted by titanium dioxide nanoparticles and the painting surface. The former e was used to understand and morphology of the painting and to investigate the distribution of the nanoparticles on the entire cross section of the pictorial layers. Proton induced X-ray emission is aimed at examining the surface titanium distribution by mapping. This study is important because the exploitation of the photocatalytic activity of the titanium dioxide is possible only in the case of absorption of proper energy that can promote the oxide reduction reactions and thus the dirt and dust degradation.
Measurement of temperature gradients during Er:YAG laser irradiation of poly(vinyl alcohol)
Authors: Chillè C , Agresti J , Ciofini D , Mencaglia A , Osticioli I , Siano S
Published: April 2022

In this work the interaction of a pulsed Er:YAG (2940 nm) laser beam with mock-ups of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVOH) has been investigated. Online time resolved temperature peaks induced by single-pulse laser irradiations were measured for the first time through the development of a dedicated setup based on a fast IR detector. Tests were performed using fluences ranging between 1.1-2.8 J/cm2 and pulse durations of 160-430μs. A multiple heterojunction IR photovoltaic detector with bandwidth 2-12 μm and risetime <7 ns was used to study the surface temperature transient upon Er:YAG laser irradiation of PVOH. Tests and thermal modelling allowed to verify effectiveness and reliability of the novel sensor developed.
GPR 3D model in the area of the San Nicola church, Misterbianco (Sicily)
Authors: Capizzi P , Martorana R , Bottari C , Canzoneri A , Civico R
Published: April 2022

In 1669 the most destructive eruption on Etna volcano was recorded since historical times (about 700 BCE), whose lava flow destroyed completely the ancient town of Misterbianco, located on the southern slope of Mount Etna. San Nicola church is one of the three churches that historically were covered by lava flow. In the 1980s, some works for the construction of a parking lot allowed to discover an ancient wall belonging to the church. Some georadar prospections were carried out in the investigated area finalized to reconstruct the planimetric development of the ancient church and to direct future excavation works.
RE-SEMIRTO project: an innovative network of wireless sensors for microclimate monitoring on the Royal Palace of Carditello
Authors: Spagnuolo Antonio , Vetromile Carmela , Masiello Antonio , Alberghina Maria Francesca , Schiavone Salvatore , Cicco Maria Rosa di , Formato Roberto , Lubritto Carmine
Published: April 2022

New innovative wireless sensors designed for specific needs of Cultural Heritage field have been developed and their effectiveness has been tested in the rooms of the Royal Palace of Carditello (San Tammaro, Caserta - Italy). The analyses are carried out in the context of the project “RE-SEMIRTO Network of wireless sensors for monitoring the microclimate on the Carditello Real site” funded by the Campania Region (FERS Operational Program Campania 2014-2020 – Axis III. Specific objective 3.3. Action 3.3.2.). The main goal of the ongoing project activities is to provide innovative and user-friendly methods for conservation and valorisation of Cultural Heritage, through simultaneously environmental and archaeometric analyses. Indeed, besides the evaluation e recording by remote system of the parameters related to temperature, moisture, air quality and mechanical vibrations and then the constant control and prevention of the degradation risk, also non-destructive investigations were carried out to identify original, restoration materials and/or degradation products for different kinds of works of art displayed in the monitored site. In particular, at this step, a XVII century oil painting, recently acquired by Italian Minister of Culture in favour of Royal Palace of Carditello, has been analysed and the results are here discussed. This simultaneous approach allows to assess the real conservation state under the current environmental conditions, highlighting which constituent materials (pigments, supports, etc.) of the analysed artwork are most sensitive to the recorded thermohygrometric variations or detected pollution. At last, the project also wants to underline how the scientific data appropriately presented and narrated can be collected into new multimedia tool aimed to visitors for an innovative valorisation of the whole historical site and its artworks.
Focus-stacking system for 3D acquisition of sculptures and archaeological manufacts
Authors: Daffara C. , Mazzocato S. , Ambrosini D.
Published: April 2022

In this paper we present the basic features of the Shape from Focus techniques and discuss the potentiality of its application in the 3D imaging of small sculptures and archaeological manufacts. A scanning system for optimizing the image stack acquisition in laboratory was assembled, while 3D reconstruction was done in ImageJ.
Measurement of constant radius swept features in cultural heritage
Authors: Di Angelo L. , Di Stefano P , Morabito A.E.
Published: April 2022

The dimensional characterization of archaeological fragment is a very complex operation and could prove to be useful for identifying the presence of standard attributes in the ceramics found from a specific archaeological site, or for making comparisons and analysis of similarities or for studying ancient technologies used for manufacture of objects. The dimensional analysis of the fragments is now carried out manually with traditional measuring devices. Typically, the results obtained are inaccurate and non-repeatable measurements.

This paper focuses on the dimensional characterization of a specific geometric class of features: the constant radius swept features (called here CRS features). Several archaeological features, such as rims, bases, decorative motifs, processing marks and grooves are referable from a geometric point of view to the class of CRS features. These are detail features, which may be very interesting for the investigation of some aspects related to the historical-archaeological classification of the find. CRS features are often found on worn, damaged (e.g. chipped) or fragmented objects; they are frequently characterized, from a geometric point of view, by free form surfaces and by a limited cross sectional extension. In some cases, CRS features can be of axially symmetrical geometry: this occurs quite frequently in the case of archaeological pottery. For all these reasons, it is often difficult to apply traditional manual methods for the quantitative dimensional characterization of CRS features.

This paper describes an original methodology for the measurement of CRS features acquired by scanning technologies. The algorithmic implementation of this methodology, consisting of a suitable processing of the feature nodes, allows to carry out automatically the dimensional characterization of the feature.
Point cloud management for a holographic visualization
Authors: Bolognesi C. M. , Balin S.
Published: April 2022

This document aims to describe and verify the workflow from a digital survey of a building of historical value to its set up in an innovative holographic view. Via Lulli is a low-cost building of the beginning of the century organized in a closed-block part of a complex with rather small courtyards; the research topic concerns the verification of the process from acquisition with digital survey to convert the survey dataset into a hologram, considering the huge potential of this display system. Comparison among different point clouds, with different accuracy and dimension are related to the final navigation when transformed in holograms; several tests have been carried out to compare cloud density with the ability to see holograms in details with different zooms in to display small details, and zooms out in real time to view the entire model. First possibility to extend workflow with unity support and other plug-ins are supposed.
Processing of XRF elementary data from the painted ceramic surface with innovative tools.
Authors: Chirco Gabriella , Chiari Giacomo , Martino Delia Francesca Chillura
Published: April 2022

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Investigation of archaeological amphorae from the Egadi battles
Authors: Armetta Francesco , Ciaramitaro Veronica , Sójka Małgorzata , Saladino Maria Luisa , Zych Eugeniusz
Published: April 2022

Archaeological ceramics are considered one of the most important sources of both technological and chronological information. Here, the investigation of some archaeological underwater amphorae from the Egadi’s Battle, that decided the end of the First Punic War (241 B.C.), is reported. X-ray Diffraction (XRD), X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), petrography, and Thermoluminescence (TL) were used to determine the composition of the amphorae and to evaluate the compatibly of their age with the above Battle. Considering the historical importance of the act and the well-defined historical collocation these amphorae represent an interesting archaeometric case study.
Integrated geophysical and geomatic studies at Ghar Dalam Cave, Malta’s oldest prehistoric site
Authors: Galone L. , Colica E. , D’Amico S. , Cardona D. , Portelli P. , Fontanelli F. , Borg J.J.
Published: April 2022

The Ghar Dalam cave, southern Malta, hosts the oldest human evidence in the Maltese archipelago. Although the internal stratigraphy of the cave and its biotic record is well studied, the possibility of archaeological / paleontological prospects in the surrounding areas requires additional studies. In this work we use aerial and ground-based photogrammetry to reconstruct the interior and the surface of the cave, and various geophysical techniques (GPR, passive seismic and ERT) to study the subsurface of the cave and its surroundings. The results have clarified the geometry of the soil-rock contact above and at the entrance of the cave and possible karstic structures have been identified. The authors conclude that this multidisciplinary methodology allows more reliable results to be achieved and is essential for studies where direct observation is not possible.
From 3D surveying to replica, a resource for the valorisation of museum artifacts. The case of the bas-relief of Giovanni da Legnano in Bologna.
Authors: Bitelli G , Girelli V A , Medica M , Tini M A
Published: April 2022

This paper describes the experience carried out by the Geomatics group of the DICAM Dept. (Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering) of the University of Bologna, in collaboration with the Civic Medieval Museum, about the digitization and reproduction by 3D printing of the bas-relief of Giovanni da Legnano. This artwork is one of the symbols of the University of Bologna, the oldest of the western world, and consequently of all European academic tradition. In the text, the 3D surveying and physical reproduction operations of this object are described. The faithful copy of the object was presented in Brussels in 2017, on the occasion of the inauguration of the House of the European History.
OSL dating of mortars from constructive phases of the old chapel San Breixo de Ouvigo (NW Spain)
Authors: Sanjurjo-Sánchez Jorge , Blanco-Rotea Rebeca , Carlos Sánchez-Pardo José , Freire-Lista David M.
Published: April 2022

The use of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating on ancient mortars have provided increasing knowledge of the history of buildings in the last years. In this work, we apply OSL dating on mortars of a key building for the history of NW Spain: the old chapel of San Breixo de Ouvigo. After archaeological excavations, more than 40 years ago, it was generally accepted that this building preserves, at least, a Late Roman (4th and 5th centuries) constructive phase with later modifications introduced in the Early and Late Middle Ages. However, neither stratigraphical nor chronological evidence confirmed this interpretation. Five samples from three different constructive phases have been taken for OSL dating. Small quartz multi-grain aliquots were used for dating. Results provide ages in agreement with expectations for the mortars of the Late Roman phase but, they show the need of a new interpretation of the chronological model assigned to the building. Such model could be corroborated in a next phase of the project that intends to characterize the mortars and using radiocarbon dating.
Environmental monitoring solution for cultural heritage
Authors: Lombardo L. , Parvis M. , Grassini S. , Angelini E.
Published: April 2022

Environmental monitoring is crucial factor in the safeguard and conservation of the cultural heritage. Unsuitable environmental conditions can easily accelerate the degradation of several materials and, as consequence, damage the stored artifacts. Moreover, environmental conditions can easily change in an unpredictable way and, therefore, the employment of an environmental monitoring system is mandatory in almost all locations, including museums, storage rooms and outdoor exhibitions. This paper tries to explain the main constraints required for environmental monitoring in the cultural heritage field. Moreover, a novel distributed monitoring system, developed at Politecnico di Torino, is described and compared to several solutions that are commercially available. The proposed solution demonstrated excellent characteristics which satisfy the requirements of environmental monitoring in the cultural heritage at a very competitive cost.
Development of a new procedure for the assessment of particulate matter (PM) carbonaceous fraction on stone materials exposed to atmospheric pollution
Authors: Bergomi Andrea , Comite Valeria , Pina Cristina Della , Cavaterra Cecilia , Gianelle Vorne Luigi , Fermo Paola
Published: April 2022

The present study deals with the set-up and development of a new methodology to quantify the carbonaceous fraction (i.e., OC, organic carbon and EC, elemental carbon) in black crusts samples present on marble stone surfaces of historical buildings and monuments exposed to outdoor pollution. It is worth noting that OC and EC represent one of the main fractions of atmospheric particulate matter and, mainly EC, is responsible for the black colour of the crusts. The same method has been applied to resuspend known quantities of atmospheric particulate matter on marble mock-up specimens suitably realized to study the crusts’ formation process starting from known quantities of the precursors in the formation process, i.e., PM and SO2, and submitting them to an accelerated aging process.
Doping of two thallium atoms in silicene nanoribbons in the electric field
Authors: Ngoc Hoang Van
Published: April 2022

The low-dimensional material that revolutionizes technology, silicene is a monolayer of silicon molecules, which is a potential material. Silicene nanoribbons (SNRs) are one-system silicene ribbons with two hydrogen-modified edges. Two thallium atoms will be doped in each unit cell of the SNRs, the electric field acting on the doped system has a magnitude of 0.1V/angstrom. The configurations studied here all exhibit stability because of the bonds between atoms. The configurations studied here all exhibit stability because of the bonds between atoms. Density functional theory (DFT) and VASP software are used to study and simulate materials.
Preparation and characterization of acetylated starch mediated silver nanoparticles: The effect of solution ratio and time-varying exposure
Authors: Tarmizi Zatil Izzah , Burhanuddin Muhammad Fahmi Burhan , Shahrul Mohd , Mokhtar Mohamad Aizad Mohd , Zhe Justin Chan , Taib Siti Husnaa Mohd , Sukri Siti Nur Amalina
Published: April 2022

Plastic packaging is widely used in food industry to protect and maintain food freshness. However, plastic packaging also contributes to solid waste problem and can become the contamination area of microbial activities which in turn affecting the shelf-life of the food product and may causing food-borne illness towards consumer. Thus, the demands on biodegradable polymer as plastic packaging has grown widely especially among the food industry. The employment of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) can improve physical properties of biopolymer as well as promoting antimicrobial properties on the plastic packaging. The aim of this study is to synthesize of AgNPs by utilising acetylated starch (AS) as reducing agent with different parameters via microwave irradiation method. The effect of different ratio of acetylated starch and microwave time-varying exposure is evaluated. The synthesized silver nanoparticles were characterized via UV-VIS spectroscopy (UV-VIS), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) analysis. The absorbance peak emerges at 420nm on UV-VIS shows that silver nanoparticles is successfully produced. 15 minutes microwave time exposure and 1:1 ratio is identified as the optimum condition to produce silver nanoparticles. The peak emerges on FTIR spectra shows the involvement of starch in reduction process in synthesizing AgNPs. The XRD results shows the amorphous structure of starch and crystalline peak of silver appear in 2Θ regions 37.4°, 43.4°, 63.1° and 75.7°. In conclusion, the significant outcome from the study is the AgNPs were successfully synthesized via microwave irradiation method and be a function of time varying exposure and acetylated starch ratio.
Evaluation of physically modified kenaf core adsorbent for carbon dioxide adsorptive study
Authors: Nurhidayah A , Zaini N , Zulhaziman M , Salleh M , Zulbadli N , Mohamad Noor Ashikin , Ezaty S N , Shafie N S , Sahri Dzulkarnain Mohd , Mohd Najib Siti Sarah Aliah
Published: April 2022

This paper evaluates on the capability of kenaf core (Hibiscus CannabinusL.) material as the proposed solid adsorbent for CO2 adsorption study via physical treatment modification. The proposed physical treatment was successfully conducted by undergoing two stages of carbonization and activation treatment to improve the pore development structure of the material. The carbonized kenaf core (CKC) was prepared by carbonizing the raw kenaf core (RKC) at 800°C with constant nitrogen flow for 5 hours. Activation process took placed by impregnating KOH in the furnace with alternately switching to CO2 up to 800C for 2 hours. The morphological and structural characterization studies were conducted using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The CO2 adsorption process was carried in the gravimetric analyzer by varying the effect of bed pressure and gas flowrate. This study revealed that the AKC has the highest CO2 adsorption capacity of 1.70 mmol/g (1 bar) and 2.85 mmol/g (30 bar). Based on the morphology, AKC demonstrated better small micropore development that helps in providing a larger adsorption site; hence attributes to the higher CO2 adsorption capacity. This study contributes to the development of knowledge on enhancing the CO2 adsorption on the physically-modified kenaf core material that would be used as an alternative material for CO2 adsorbent.
Environmental impact hotspots of an integrated wet anaerobic digestion through life cycle assessment for food waste management
Authors: Abu R , Aziz M A A , Hassan C H C , Noor Z Z , Jalil R A
Published: April 2022

Wet anaerobic digestion (AD) is one of the most widely implemented systems that valorize food waste (FW) for biogas production. Despite the undeniable AD benefits, the environmental impact of AD could differ depending on the biogas systems used. This article examines the hotspots on environmental impact of FW management such as global warming and ozone depletion based on integrated wet AD by utilizing a life cycle assessment approach. The integrated wet AD scenario in this study is a technology that combines wet AD, aerobic windrow composting and a landfill. The scenario modelling was accomplished by applying GaBi v6.0 software with 1 ton of pre-treated FW as a functional unit, and the analysis was based on the ReCiPe (H) v1.07 characterization technique. At the midpoint level, it was observed that the integrated wet AD presented the most significant environmental impact in terms of ionizing radiation (1.4×100 kg U235-eq), followed by water depletion (1.11×103 m3-eq), global warming (6.27×102 kg CO2-eq), fossil depletion (2.18×102 kg oil-eq) and human toxicity (2.89×101 kg 1,4-DB-eq). The disadvantages of the integrated wet AD in global warming were associated with CO2, CH4, and N2O emissions from the energy used for process treatment and fossil fuels during transportation, primarily in landfill activities, followed by wet AD and aerobic windrow composting stages. Regarding single-score indicators, integrated wet AD presented the most resource damaging impact (3.50×103 Pt), mainly due to fossil depletion. This study emphasizes the necessity of reducing the life cycle consequences related to CH4, N2O and NH3 emissions throughout the decomposition process in integrated wet AD, particularly landfill activities.
Enhancing proton conductivity on polybenzimidazole (PBI) membrane doped acid
Authors: Daud Nur Anati Bazilah
Published: April 2022

This study provides various condition for acid doped polybenzimidazole (PBI) membrane which giving the best proton conductivity result with respect to the High Temperature-Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell (HT-PEMFC). A highly phosphonated polymer membrane based on acid-base complex membrane system was introduced where phytic acid (PyA) was chosen as an acid doping instead of phosphoric acid (PA) due to its properties of having high phosphate group content and ability to participate in H bonding interactions with the functionalities in PBI matrix. By introducing this PBI/phytic acid membrane helped to overcome the issues arise from PBI/PA membrane system especially on acid leaching problem. In this study, a simple and cost effective technique on porous PBI membrane fabrication and acid doping condition were employed to search an optimum acid-doping level and to further improve the stability and durability of the membrane.
A short review on Ni-based catalyst supporter for carbon monoxide (CO) methanation process
Authors: Hatta A.H. , Jalil A.A. , Hassan N.S. , Hamid M.Y.S. , Rahman A.F.A. , Aziz M.A.H.
Published: April 2022

Since the discovery of methane synthesis by the interaction between carbon oxide and hydrogen by Sabatier and Senderens in 1902, the methanation reaction has been extensively established and is frequently utilized in chemical manufacturing, comprising the elimination of trace quantities of CO from feed gas containing a rich amount of hydrogen, refining of the reformate gas for fuel cells, and production of new energy sources, which is synthetic natural gas (SNG). It is feasible for SNG to be carried and distributed using the present pipeline infrastructure, which is favourable from a cost-effectiveness standpoint. Since CO methanation is highly exothermic, the development of exceedingly effective catalysts with promising activity in the CO methanation process is essential to address this problem. Because of their economical price and high catalytic performance, nickel-based catalysts have been extensively studied as CO methanation catalysts. Coke deposition and Ni sintering invariably occur on Ni-based catalysts, and these catalysts also have inadequate low-temperature activity and stabilities. So, the advancement of exceedingly effective nickel-based catalysts with outstanding low-temperature catalytic capabilities has emerged as the primary research attention as well as a significant technical encounter in this sector. This brief overview covers recent developments for a supporter for extremely efficient nickel-based catalysts for CO methanation.
A simple and scalable 3D printing methodology for generating aligned and extended human and murine skeletal muscle tissues
Authors: Cakal Selgin D , Radeke Carmen , Alcala Juan F , Ellman Ditte G , Butdayev Sarkhan , Andersen Ditte C , Calloe Kirstine , Lind Johan U
Published: April 2022

Preclinical biomedical and pharmaceutical research on disease causes, drug targets, and side effects increasingly relies on in vitro models of human tissue. 3D printing offers unique opportunities for generating models of superior physiological accuracy, as well as for automating their fabrication. Towards these goals, we here describe a simple and scalable methodology for generating physiologically relevant models of skeletal muscle. Our approach relies on dual-material micro-extrusion of two types of gelatin hydrogel into patterned soft substrates with locally alternating stiffness. We identify minimally complex patterns capable of guiding the large-scale self-assembly of aligned, extended, and contractile human and murine skeletal myotubes. Interestingly, we find high-resolution patterning is not required, as even patterns with feature sizes of several hundred micrometers is sufficient. Consequently, the procedure is rapid and compatible with any low-cost extrusion-based 3D printer. The generated myotubes easily span several millimeters, and various myotube patterns can be generated in a predictable and reproducible manner. The compliant nature and adjustable thickness of the hydrogel substrates, serves to enable extended culture of contractile myotubes. The method is further readily compatible with standard cell-culturing platforms as well as commercially available electrodes for electrically induced exercise and monitoring of the myotubes.
Correlation of theophylline levels in rat exhaled breath and lung tissue after its intravenous injection
Authors: Matsushima Miyoko , Tanihata Souma , Kusakabe Junpei , Okahira Momoha , Ito Hiroshi , Yamamoto Atsushi , Yamamoto Masanori , Yamamoto Ryohei , Kawabe Tsutomu
Published: April 2022

It is important to know the drug level in the target tissue to determine its dose. Some methods rely on blood levels of a drug to estimate its concentration in the tissues, which can be inaccurate. We thought that drug levels in exhaled breath aerosol (EBA) to give a more accurate value of the level of a test drug in the lung. Rats were intravenously injected with the bronchodilator theophylline and exhaled breath was collected up to 10–20 min after administration. Immediately after breath collection, lung, liver, kidney, and blood were collected and the pharmacokinetics were examined using these samples. Awake free-moving rats were used to efficiently collect exhaled breath from rats with low tidal volume. The amount of exhaled breath of rats was estimated by the amount of exhaled water vapor, and the drug concentration in exhaled breath sample was expressed by the amount of water vapor as the denominator. By using the active sampling method in which the adsorbent is sucked by a pump, theophylline in rat exhaled breath could be measured accurately. When the correlation of theophylline concentration in each sample was examined, a high correlation (r
2 = 0.74) was found only in exhaled breath and lung tissue. EBA was considered better than blood in pharmacokinetic analysis of lung tissue.
Review on long afterglow nanophosphors, their mechanism and its application in round-the-clock working photocatalysis
Authors: Bidwai Dipti , Kumar Sahu Niroj , Dhoble S J , Mahajan Ashutosh , Haranath D , Swati G
Published: April 2022

Semiconductor assisted photocatalysis is one of the most efficient methods for the degradation of complex organic dyes. A major limiting factor of semiconductor assisted photocatalysis is the requirement of a continuous source of light to perform a redox reaction. One of the upcoming solutions is photon energy-storing long afterglow/persistent phosphors. They are an unusual kind of rechargeable, photon energy capturing/trapping phosphors that can trap charge carriers (electrons/holes) in their meta-stable energy levels, thereby resulting in persistent luminescence. Persistence luminescence from such materials can range from minutes to hours. The coupling of long afterglow phosphors (LAP) with the conventional semiconductor is a promising way to support the photocatalytic process even in dark. In addition, dissimilar band structures of LAPs and semiconductor results in formation of heterojunction which further suppresses the recombination of charge. Such an encouraging idea of LAP for round-the-clock working photocatalytic system is in its premature stage; which is required to be investigated fully. Thus, we present a state-of-art review on the potential materials for assisting round-the-clock photocatalysis, trapping-detrapping mechanism in LAP materials, fabrication strategies and their associated characterization tools. Review also covers LAP materials and their photocatalytic mechanism briefly.
Electrical property and phase transition analysis of KNN-based lead-free ferroelectric films
Authors: Li Teng , Dai Song , Xu Liqiang , Liu Yiwen , Zhuo Hao , Wang Ke , Wang Haifeng , Chen Feng
Published: April 2022

The electrical properties, phase construction, thermal stability and phase transition behavior are investigated in 0.95(K0.49Na0.49Li0.02)(Ta0.2Nb0.8)O3–0.05BaZrO3 with 2 wt% MnO2 (KNNLT-BZM) lead-free epitaxial ferroelectric film on LaNiO3 (LNO)-coated SrTiO3 (STO) (001) substrate. The x-ray diffraction results show that a mixed orthorhombic (O) and tetragonal (T) phase is obtained in KNNLT-BZM film. The MnO2 doping can effectively suppress its leakage current, which greatly improves the electrical performance featured by a lower leakage value of 8 × 10–11 A cm−2, a twice remnant polarization of 44.7 μC cm−2, and frequency-dependent ferroelectricity between 50 Hz and 10 kHz. Strikingly, the KNNLT-BZM film maintained ferroelectric nature up to 200 °C, and exhibit a phase transition from O + T mixed phase to T phase (T
Mix-T) at 300 °C with a high Curie temperature above 440 °C. These results suggest great application potentials of KNN-based films in lead-free micro-electronic devices.
Preprint Highlight: Cell adhesions link subcellular actomyosin dynamics to tissue-scale-force production during vertebrate convergent extension
Authors: Ebrahim Seham
Published: April 2022

Convergent extension (CE) is a fundamental morphogenetic process where the coming together of cells along one axis causes an extension of the perpendicular axis. CE is driven by actomyosin contractility within individual cells. However, the mechanisms at cell–cell adhesions that transduce these cellular-scale forces to drive tissue-scale changes are not well understood. Combining proteomics, biomechanical, and cell biological approaches, this study identifies a poorly characterized adhesion protein, Arvcf catenin, as a key regulator of CE in Xenopus embryo development. Without Arvcf catenin, recruitment of cell adhesion and cytoskeletal proteins to cell membranes was impaired, ultimately causing failure in organism development. These findings show how reduced cellular-scale-force production causes organism-scale phenotypes, an important question at the intersection of developmental and cellular biomechanics.
Ockham’s razor, not a barber’s weapon but a writer’s tool
Authors: Danek Adrian , Rainer Thomas , Della Sala Sergio
Published: April 2022

Danek et al. propose a new interpretation of Ockham’s razor. ‘Novacula’ (razor) identifies also the scraping knife used by medieval scribes to correct errors on parchments. Accordingly, Ockham’s razor is not a call for simplicity, but a means to updating, amending and evaluating hypotheses, however complex they need be.
Second-order fear conditioning involves formation of competing stimulus-danger and stimulus-safety associations
Authors: Fam Justine , Chieng Billy , Westbrook R Frederick , Laurent Vincent , Holmes Nathan M
Published: April 2022

How do animals process experiences that provide contradictory information? The present study addressed this question using second-order fear conditioning in rats. In second-order conditioning, rats are conditioned to fear a stimulus, S1, through its pairings with foot-shock (stage 1); and some days later, a second stimulus, S2, through its pairings with the already-conditioned S1 (stage 2). However, as foot-shock is never presented during conditioning to S2, we hypothesized that S2 simultaneously encodes 2 contradictory associations: one that drives fear to S2 (S2-danger) and another that reflects the absence of the expected unconditioned stimulus and partially masks that fear (e.g. S2-safety). We tested this hypothesis by manipulating the substrates of danger and safety learning in the brain (using a chemogenetic approach) and assessing the consequences for second-order fear to S2. Critically, silencing activity in the basolateral amygdala (important for danger learning) reduced fear to S2, whereas silencing activity in the infralimbic cortex (important for safety learning) enhanced fear to S2. These bidirectional changes are consistent with our hypothesis that second-order fear conditioning involves the formation of competing S2-danger and S2-safety associations. More generally, they show that a single set of experiences can produce contradictory associations and that the brain resolves the contradiction by encoding these associations in distinct brain regions.
Distinct but cooperating brain networks supporting semantic cognition
Authors: Jung JeYoung , Lambon Ralph Matthew A
Published: April 2022

Semantic cognition is a complex multifaceted brain function involving multiple processes including sensory, semantic, and domain-general cognitive systems. However, it remains unclear how these systems cooperate with each other to achieve effective semantic cognition. Here, we used independent component analysis (ICA) to investigate the functional brain networks that support semantic cognition. We used a semantic judgment task and a pattern-matching control task, each with 2 levels of difficulty, to disentangle task-specific networks from domain-general networks. ICA revealed 2 task-specific networks (the left-lateralized semantic network [SN] and a bilateral, extended semantic network [ESN]) and domain-general networks including the frontoparietal network (FPN) and default mode network (DMN). SN was coupled with the ESN and FPN but decoupled from the DMN, whereas the ESN was synchronized with the FPN alone and did not show a decoupling with the DMN. The degree of decoupling between the SN and DMN was associated with semantic task performance, with the strongest decoupling for the poorest performing participants. Our findings suggest that human higher cognition is achieved by the multiple brain networks, serving distinct and shared cognitive functions depending on task demands, and that the neural dynamics between these networks may be crucial for efficient semantic cognition.
Unsuspected Clonal Spread of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Causing Bloodstream Infections in Hospitalized Adults Detected Using Whole Genome Sequencing
Authors: Talbot Brooke M , Jacko Natasia F , Petit Robert A , Pegues David A , Shumaker Margot J , Read Timothy D , David Michael Z
Published: April 2022

Background

Though detection of transmission clusters of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections is a priority for infection control personnel in hospitals, the transmission dynamics of MRSA among hospitalized patients with bloodstream infections (BSIs) has not been thoroughly studied. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) of MRSA isolates for surveillance is valuable for detecting outbreaks in hospitals, but the bioinformatic approaches used are diverse and difficult to compare.

Methods

We combined short-read WGS with genotypic, phenotypic, and epidemiological characteristics of 106 MRSA BSI isolates collected for routine microbiological diagnosis from inpatients in 2 hospitals over 12 months. Clinical data and hospitalization history were abstracted from electronic medical records. We compared 3 genome sequence alignment strategies to assess similarity in cluster ascertainment. We conducted logistic regression to measure the probability of predicting prior hospital overlap between clustered patient isolates by the genetic distance of their isolates.

Results

While the 3 alignment approaches detected similar results, they showed some variation. A gene family–based alignment pipeline was most consistent across MRSA clonal complexes. We identified 9 unique clusters of closely related BSI isolates. Most BSIs were healthcare associated and community onset. Our logistic model showed that with 13 single-nucleotide polymorphisms, the likelihood that any 2 patients in a cluster had overlapped in a hospital was 50%.

Conclusions

Multiple clusters of closely related MRSA isolates can be identified using WGS among strains cultured from BSI in 2 hospitals. Genomic clustering of these infections suggests that transmission resulted from a mix of community spread and healthcare exposures long before BSI diagnosis.
Financialised capitalism and the subordination of emerging capitalist economies
Authors: Bonizzi Bruno , Kaltenbrunner Annina , Powell Jeff
Published: April 2022

The variegated experiences of financialisation in Emerging Capitalist Economies (ECEs) require a theory of global structural transformation in which these appearances can be located. Such a transformation can be found in the substantive advancement of the internationalisation of the circuits of capital, marking the passage into a new stage of financialised capitalism. In this new stage, finance has taken the concrete form of a US dollar market-based system, while production is carried out through global production networks. The confluence of these new realities has impacted both the size and the nature of the transfer of value from subordinate regions. An increasing share of this transferred value is captured by finance, both as reward for services rendered and as opportunities for expropriation have proliferated. In financialised capitalism, ECEs are cast in a subordinate position in relation to the extraction, realisation, and ‘storage’ of value, and the agency of their public and private agents is severely constrained.