bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Vibration of the Biomass Boiler Tube Excited with Impact of the Cleaning Device
Authors: Cveticanin Dragan , Herisanu Nicolae , Biro Istvan , Zukovic Miodrag , Cveticanin Livija
Published: September 2020

In boilers with biomass fuel, a significant problem is caused due to the slag layer formed from the unburned particles during combustion. In the paper, a tube cleaning method from slag is proposed. The method is based on the impact effect of the end of the tube with the aim to produce vibration for slag elimination. The tube is modeled as a clamped-free nonlinear oscillatory system. The initial impact of the tube causes vibrations. The mathematical model of the system is a nonlinear partial differential equation with zero initial deflection. To obtain the ordinary differential equations, the Galerkin method is applied. By discretizing the equation into a finite degree of freedom system, using the undamped linear mode shapes of the straight beam as basic functions, the reduced order model, consisting of ordinary differential equations in time, is obtained. The ordinary time equations are analytically solved by adopting the Krylov–Bogoliubov procedure. Special cases of nonlinear differential equations are investigated. In the paper, the influence of the nonlinear parameters and initial conditions on the vibration properties of the tube is obtained. We use the procedure developed in the paper and the analytical results for computation of the impact parameters of the cleaning device.
Medicinal Cannabis and Synthetic Cannabinoid Use
Authors: Pichini Simona , Lo Faro Alfredo Fabrizio , Busardò Francesco Paolo , Giorgetti Raffaele
Published: September 2020

Cannabis products have been used for centuries by humans for recreational and medical purposes. Resent research, proposed the promising therapeutic potential of cannabis and related cannabinoids for a wide range of medical conditions, including psychiatric and neurological diseases. This Special Issue presents the latest updates on medicinal cannabis and synthetic cannabinoids pharmacology, toxicology and new analytical methods to identify and quantify these compounds in conventional and non-conventional biological matrices. Moreover, it provides current data regarding their adverse effects, safety, application for medical purposes and their harmful effects.
Tissue Integration and Biological Cellular Response of SLM-Manufactured Titanium Scaffolds
Authors: Băbțan Anida-Maria , Timuș Daniela , Sorițău Olga , Boșca Bianca Adina , Barabas Reka , Ionel Anca , Petrescu Nausica Bianca , Feurdean Claudia Nicoleta , Bordea Ioana Roxana , Saraci George , Vesa Ştefan Cristian , Ilea Aranka
Published: September 2020

Background: SLM (Selective Laser Melting)–manufactured Titanium (Ti) scaffolds have a significant value for bone reconstructions in the oral and maxillofacial surgery field. While their mechanical properties and biocompatibility have been analysed, there is still no adequate information regarding tissue integration. Therefore, the aim of this study is a comprehensive systematic assessment of the essential parameters (porosity, pore dimension, surface treatment, shape) required to provide the long-term performance of Ti SLM medical implants. Materials and methods: A systematic literature search was conducted via electronic databases PubMed, Medline and Cochrane, using a selection of relevant search MeSH terms. The literature review was conducted using the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA). Results: Within the total of 11 in vitro design studies, 9 in vivo studies, and 4 that had both in vitro and in vivo designs, the results indicated that SLM-generated Ti scaffolds presented no cytotoxicity, their tissue integration being assured by pore dimensions of 400 to 600 µm, high porosity (75–88%), hydroxyapatite or SiO2–TiO2 coating, and bioactive treatment. The shape of the scaffold did not seem to have significant importance. Conclusions: The SLM technique used to fabricate the implants offers exceptional control over the structure of the base. It is anticipated that with this technique, and a better understanding of the physical interaction between the scaffold and bone tissue, porous bases can be tailored to optimize the graft’s integrative and mechanical properties in order to obtain structures able to sustain osseous tissue on Ti.
Nanomechanical Characterization for Cold Spray: From Feedstock to Consolidated Material Properties
Authors: Sousa Bryer C. , Gleason Matthew A. , Haddad Baillie , Champagne Victor K. , Nardi Aaron T. , Cote Danielle L.
Published: September 2020

Cold gas-dynamic spray is a solid-state materials consolidation technology that has experienced successful adoption within the coatings, remanufacturing and repair sectors of the advanced manufacturing community. As of late, cold spray has also emerged as a high deposition rate metal additive manufacturing method for structural and nonstructural applications. As cold spray enjoys wider recognition and adoption, the demand for versatile, high-throughput and significant methods of particulate feedstock as well consolidated materials characterization has also become more notable. In order to address the interest for such an instrument, nanoindentation is presented herein as a viable means of achieving the desired mechanical characterization abilities. In this work, conventionally static nanoindentation testing using both Berkovich and spherical indenter tips, as well as nanoindentation using the continuous stiffness measurement mode of testing, will be applied to a range of powder-based feedstocks and cold sprayed materials.
Metabolic Characterization and Consequences of Mitochondrial Pyruvate Carrier Deficiency in Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: Simard Chloé , Lebel Andréa , Allain Eric Pierre , Touaibia Mohamed , Hebert-Chatelain Etienne , Pichaud Nicolas
Published: September 2020

In insect, pyruvate is generally the predominant oxidative substrate for mitochondria. This metabolite is transported inside mitochondria via the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier (MPC), but whether and how this transporter controls mitochondrial oxidative capacities in insects is still relatively unknown. Here, we characterize the importance of pyruvate transport as a metabolic control point for mitochondrial substrate oxidation in two genotypes of an insect model, Drosophila melanogaster, differently expressing MPC1, an essential protein for the MPC function. We evaluated the kinetics of pyruvate oxidation, mitochondrial oxygen consumption, metabolic profile, activities of metabolic enzymes, and climbing abilities of wild-type (WT) flies and flies harboring a deficiency in MPC1 (MPC1def). We hypothesized that MPC1 deficiency would cause a metabolic reprogramming that would favor the oxidation of alternative substrates. Our results show that the MPC1def flies display significantly reduced climbing capacity, pyruvate-induced oxygen consumption, and enzymatic activities of pyruvate kinase, alanine aminotransferase, and citrate synthase. Moreover, increased proline oxidation capacity was detected in MPC1def flies, which was associated with generally lower levels of several metabolites, and particularly those involved in amino acid catabolism such as ornithine, citrulline, and arginosuccinate. This study therefore reveals the flexibility of mitochondrial substrate oxidation allowing Drosophila to maintain cellular homeostasis.
A Multiproxy Approach to the Reconstruction of an Ancient Manufacturing Technology: A Case Study of a Faience Ptolemaic Bowl from Tell Atrib (Nile Delta)
Authors: Zaremba Małgorzata , Trzciński Jerzy , Rogulska Magdalena , Kaproń Grzegorz , Welc Fabian , Południkiewicz Anna
Published: September 2020

Faience objects produced from the fourth millennium BC in ancient Egypt are considered as the first high-tech ceramics in human history. Despite extensive studies on manufacturing technology, many aspects of this complex technology remain a mystery and there is no methodology in place to unravel the techniques of Egyptian faience object production. Detailed studies presented herein fill the gaps, verifying standing opinions and allowing certain aspects of faience manufacturing technology to be reconstructed. The object of this innovative investigation is a hemispherical faience bowl discovered by archaeologists excavating a Ptolemaic workshop district at the site of Tell Atrib in the southern Nile Delta. The multiproxy analysis included the application of specialised software and preparation techniques coupled with complementary methods of light and digital microscopy, SEM with EDS, XRD, STA with EGA, as well as image analysis. Sources of raw and accessory materials (mineral and organic binders, fluxes, colourants) used for preparing the silica paste and glaze slurry were determined. The results helped to reconstruct how the raw material was prepared and how faience vessels were made. The bowl was moulded by compression using a two-part mould. The moulded and dried bowl was then covered by glaze slurry using the application method. A synthetic colourant, Egyptian Blue, was probably used to colour the glaze. The item was fired once at a temperature of 1050–1150 °C. Oxidised conditions were maintained in the kiln during the firing process and firing at the maximal temperature was relatively short. Application of the multiproxy approach has shed light on the technological aspects of faience bowl manufacturing. The obtained results have confirmed the usefulness of the comprehensive methodology that was applied for the reconstruction of particular manufacturing stages of faience objects.
Tourmaline Composition of the Kışladağ Porphyry Au Deposit, Western Turkey: Implication of Epithermal Overprint
Authors: Bozkaya Ömer , Baksheev Ivan A. , Hanilçi Nurullah , Bozkaya Gülcan , Prokofiev Vsevolod Y. , Öztaş Yücel , Banks David A.
Published: September 2020

The Kışladağ porphyry Au deposit occurs in a middle Miocene magmatic complex comprising three different intrusions and magmatic-hydrothermal brecciation related to the multiphase effects of the different intrusions. Tourmaline occurrences are common throughout the deposit, mostly as an outer alteration rim around the veins with lesser amounts disseminated in the intrusions, and are associated with every phase of mineralization. Tourmaline mineralization has developed as a tourmaline-rich matrix in brecciated zones and tourmaline-quartz and/or tourmaline-sulfide veinlets within the different intrusive rocks. Tourmaline was identified in the tourmaline-bearing breccia zone (TBZ) and intrusive rocks that had undergone potassic, phyllic, and advanced argillic alteration. The tourmaline is present as two morphological varieties, aggregates of fine crystals (rosettes, fan-shaped) and larger isolated crystals and their aggregates. Four tourmaline generations (tourmaline I to IV) have different compositions and substitutions. Tourmaline I in TBZ and INT#1 is distinguished by the highest Fetot and enriched in Fe3+. Tourmalines II and III occur as fine aggregates, accompanied by the formation of isolated crystals and are characterized by lower Fetot and Fe3+. Tourmaline IV is characterized by the lowest Fetot, enriched in Cl, and has the highest proportion of X-site vacancy among all the tourmalines. Tourmaline I may be attributed to the potassic stage in INT#1 and early tourmaline in TBZ. Tourmalines II and III from INT#1 and the TBZ could be referred to the phyllic stage. The low Fe content in tourmaline is caused by the simultaneous deposition of sulfide minerals. Tourmaline IV from the TBZ and tourmaline II from INT#3 are distinguished by the high X-site vacancy proportion up to the formation of X-site vacant species as well as enriched in Cl; they can be attributed to the argillic stage of the hydrothermal process. The textural and especially chemical data of the tourmaline from the Kışladağ Au deposit provide information on the physico-chemical conditions during the porphyry to epithermal transition and subsequent epithermal overprinting.
Harringtonine Inhibits Zika Virus Infection through Multiple Mechanisms
Authors: Lai Zheng-Zong , Ho Yi-Jung , Lu Jeng-Wei
Published: September 2020

Mosquito-borne Zika virus (ZIKV) is a Flavivirus that came under intense study from 2014 to 2016 for its well-known ability to cause congenital microcephaly in fetuses and neurological Guillain–Barré disease in adults. Substantial research on screening antiviral agents against ZIKV and preventing ZIKV infection are globally underway, but Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatments are not available yet. Compounds from Chinese medicinal herbs may offer an opportunity for potential therapies for anti-ZIKV infection. In this study, we evaluated the antiviral efficacy of harringtonine against ZIKV. Harringtonine possessed anti-ZIKV properties against the binding, entry, replication, and release stage through the virus life cycle. In addition, harringtonine have strong virucidal effects in ZIKV and exhibited prophylaxis antiviral ability prior ZIKV infection. The antiviral activity also observed in the treatment against Japanese encephalitis reporter virus (RP9-GFP strain). Overall, this study demonstrated that harringtonine would be a favorable potential candidate for the development of anti-ZIKV infection therapies.
NOx-Reduction Performance Test for TiO2 Paint
Authors: Song Yong Woo , Kim Min Young , Chung Min Hee , Yang Young Kwon , Park Jin Chul
Published: September 2020

In South Korea, the gradual increase in particulate matter generation has received significant attention from central and local governments. Exhaust gas, which contains nitrogen oxides (NOx), is one of the main sources of particulate matter. In this study, the reduction of NOx using a coating material mixed with a titanium dioxide (TiO2) photocatalyst was demonstrated. The NOx reduction performance of the TiO2 photocatalyst-infused coating was evaluated by applying the ISO 22197-1: 2007 standard. Subsequently, the performance was evaluated by changing the NO gas concentration and ultraviolet (UV)-A irradiance under standard experimental conditions. It was determined that NOx reduction can be achieved even if the NO gas concentration and UV-A irradiance are lower than those under the standard conditions when the TiO2 photocatalyst-infused coating was used. This study revealed that NOx reduction can be realized through TiO2 photocatalyst-infused coating in winter or cloudy days with a low solar altitude. It was also confirmed that compared with the UV-A irradiance, the NO gas concentration has a greater effect on the NOx reduction performance of the TiO2 photocatalyst-infused coating. These findings can be used to evaluate a variety of construction materials with TiO2 photocatalysts in the future.
Design of Bio-Conjugated Hydrogels for Regenerative Medicine Applications: From Polymer Scaffold to Biomolecule Choice
Authors: Chimisso Vittoria , Aleman Garcia Miguel Angel , Yorulmaz Avsar Saziye , Dinu Ionel Adrian , Palivan Cornelia G.
Published: September 2020

Bio-conjugated hydrogels merge the functionality of a synthetic network with the activity of a biomolecule, becoming thus an interesting class of materials for a variety of biomedical applications. This combination allows the fine tuning of their functionality and activity, whilst retaining biocompatibility, responsivity and displaying tunable chemical and mechanical properties. A complex scenario of molecular factors and conditions have to be taken into account to ensure the correct functionality of the bio-hydrogel as a scaffold or a delivery system, including the polymer backbone and biomolecule choice, polymerization conditions, architecture and biocompatibility. In this review, we present these key factors and conditions that have to match together to ensure the correct functionality of the bio-conjugated hydrogel. We then present recent examples of bio-conjugated hydrogel systems paving the way for regenerative medicine applications.
Exploring the Power of Multimodal Features for Predicting the Popularity of Social Media Image in a Tourist Destination
Authors: Gupta Vibhuti , Jung Kwanghee , Yoo Seung-Chul
Published: September 2020

Social media platforms are widely used nowadays by various businesses to promote their products and services through multimedia content. Instagram is one of those platforms, which is used not only by companies to promote their products but also by local governments to promote tourist destinations. Predicting the popularity of the promotional tourist destination images helps marketers to plan strategically. However, given the abundance of images posted on Instagram daily, identifying the factors that determine the popularity of an image is a big challenge, due to informal and noisy visual content, frequent content evolution, a lack of explicit visual elements, and people’s informal behavior in liking, commenting on, and viewing the images. We present an approach to identify the factors most responsible for the popularity of tourist destinations-related images on Instagram. Our approach provides a proof of concept for an artificial intelligence (AI)-based real-time content management system, which will help to promote a tourist destination. The experiments on a collection of posts crawled from the official Instagram account of Jeju Island, which is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Korea, show that the recency of the post is the most important predictor of the number of likes and comments it will receive. Moreover, the combination of visual content and context features is an excellent predictor of popularity. The number of likes and comments are found to be complementary to each other for predicting image popularity.
Electrosprayed Ultra-Thin Coating of Ethyl Cellulose on Drug Nanoparticles for Improved Sustained Release
Authors: Huang Wei-Dong , Xu Xizi , Wang Han-Lin , Huang Jie-Xun , Zuo Xiao-Hua , Lu Xiao-Ju , Liu Xian-Li , Yu Deng-Guang
Published: September 2020

In nanopharmaceutics, polymeric coating is a popular strategy for modifying the drug release kinetics and, thus, new methods for implementing the nanocoating processes are highly desired. In the present study, a modified coaxial electrospraying process was developed to formulate an ultra-thin layer of ethyl cellulose (EC) on a medicated composite core consisting of tamoxifen citrate (TAM) and EC. A traditional single-fluid blending electrospraying and its monolithic EC-TAM nanoparticles (NPs) were exploited to compare. The modified coaxial processes were demonstrated to be more continuous and robust. The created NPs with EC coating had a higher quality than the monolithic ones in terms of the shape, surface smoothness, and the uniform size distribution, as verified by the SEM and TEM results. XRD patterns suggested that TAM presented in all the NPs in an amorphous state thanks to the fine compatibility between EC and TAM, as indicated by the attenuated total reflection (ATR)-FTIR spectra. In vitro dissolution tests demonstrated that the NPs with EC coating required a time period of 7.58 h, 12.79 h, and 28.74 h for an accumulative release of 30%, 50%, and 90% of the loaded drug, respectively. The protocols reported here open a new way for developing novel medicated nanoparticles with functional coating.
On Nonlinear Bending Study of a Piezo-Flexomagnetic Nanobeam Based on an Analytical-Numerical Solution
Authors: Malikan Mohammad , Eremeyev Victor A.
Published: September 2020

Among various magneto-elastic phenomena, flexomagnetic (FM) coupling can be defined as a dependence between strain gradient and magnetic polarization and, contrariwise, elastic strain and magnetic field gradient. This feature is a higher-order one than piezomagnetic, which is the magnetic response to strain. At the nanoscale, where large strain gradients are expected, the FM effect is significant and could be even dominant. In this article, we develop a model of a simultaneously coupled piezomagnetic–flexomagnetic nanosized Euler–Bernoulli beam and solve the corresponding problems. In order to evaluate the FM on the nanoscale, the well-known nonlocal model of strain gradient (NSGT) is implemented, by which the nanosize beam can be transferred into a continuum framework. To access the equations of nonlinear bending, we use the variational formulation. Converting the nonlinear system of differential equations into algebraic ones makes the solution simpler. This is performed by the Galerkin weighted residual method (GWRM) for three conditions of ends, that is to say clamp, free, and pinned (simply supported). Then, the system of nonlinear algebraic equations is solved on the basis of the Newton–Raphson iteration technique (NRT) which brings about numerical values of nonlinear deflections. We discovered that the FM effect causes the reduction in deflections in the piezo-flexomagnetic nanobeam.
The Influence of Photoactive Heterostructures on the Photocatalytic Removal of Dyes and Pharmaceutical Active Compounds: A Mini-Review
Authors: Enesca Alexandru , Andronic Luminita
Published: September 2020

The diversification of pollutants type and concentration in wastewater has underlined the importance of finding new alternatives to traditional treatment methods. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), among others, are considered as promising candidate to efficiently remove organic pollutants such as dyes or pharmaceutical active compounds (PhACs). The present minireview resumes several recent achievements on the implementation and optimization of photoactive heterostructures used as photocatalysts for dyes and PhACs removal. The paper is focused on various methods of enhancing the heterostructure photocatalytic properties by optimizing parameters such as synthesis methods, composition, crystallinity, morphology, pollutant concentration and light irradiation.
Comparative Analysis of Machine Learning Models for Nanofluids Viscosity Assessment
Authors: Shateri Mohammadhadi , Sobhanigavgani Zeinab , Alinasab Azin , Varamesh Amir , Hemmati-Sarapardeh Abdolhossein , Mosavi Amir , S Shahab
Published: September 2020

The process of selecting a nanofluid for a particular application requires determining the thermophysical properties of nanofluid, such as viscosity. However, the experimental measurement of nanofluid viscosity is expensive. Several closed-form formulas for calculating the viscosity have been proposed by scientists based on theoretical and empirical methods, but these methods produce inaccurate results. Recently, a machine learning model based on the combination of seven baselines, which is called the committee machine intelligent system (CMIS), was proposed to predict the viscosity of nanofluids. CMIS was applied on 3144 experimental data of relative viscosity of 42 different nanofluid systems based on five features (temperature, the viscosity of the base fluid, nanoparticle volume fraction, size, and density) and returned an average absolute relative error (AARE) of 4.036% on the test. In this work, eight models (on the same dataset as the one used in CMIS), including two multilayer perceptron (MLP), each with Nesterov accelerated adaptive moment (Nadam) optimizer; two MLP, each with three hidden layers and Adamax optimizer; a support vector regression (SVR) with radial basis function (RBF) kernel; a decision tree (DT); tree-based ensemble models, including random forest (RF) and extra tree (ET), were proposed. The performance of these models at different ranges of input variables was assessed and compared with the ones presented in the literature. Based on our result, all the eight suggested models outperformed the baselines used in the literature, and five of our presented models outperformed the CMIS, where two of them returned an AARE less than 3% on the test data. Besides, the physical validity of models was studied by examining the physically expected trends of nanofluid viscosity due to changing volume fraction.
Engineering Smart Targeting Nanovesicles and Their Combination with Hydrogels for Controlled Drug Delivery
Authors: Elkhoury Kamil , Koçak Polen , Kang Alex , Arab-Tehrany Elmira , Ellis Ward Jennifer , Shin Su Ryon
Published: September 2020

Smart engineered and naturally derived nanovesicles, capable of targeting specific tissues and cells and delivering bioactive molecules and drugs into them, are becoming important drug delivery systems. Liposomes stand out among different types of self-assembled nanovesicles, because of their amphiphilicity and non-toxic nature. By modifying their surfaces, liposomes can become stimulus-responsive, releasing their cargo on demand. Recently, the recognized role of exosomes in cell-cell communication and their ability to diffuse through tissues to find target cells have led to an increase in their usage as smart delivery systems. Moreover, engineering “smarter” delivery systems can be done by creating hybrid exosome-liposome nanocarriers via membrane fusion. These systems can be loaded in naturally derived hydrogels to achieve sustained and controlled drug delivery. Here, the focus is on evaluating the smart behavior of liposomes and exosomes, the fabrication of hybrid exosome-liposome nanovesicles, and the controlled delivery and routes of administration of a hydrogel matrix for drug delivery systems.
Resistance against Penetration of Electromagnetic Radiation for Ultra-light Cu/Ni-Coated Polyester Fibrous Materials
Authors: Yang Kai , Periyasamy Aravin Prince , Venkataraman Mohanapriya , Militky Jiri , Kremenakova Dana , Vecernik Josef , Pulíček Roman
Published: September 2020

Resistance against penetration of various rays including electromagnetic waves (EM), infrared rays (IR), and ultraviolet rays (UV) has been realized by using copper (Cu)-coated fabrics. However, the corrosion of the Cu on coated fabrics influenced the shielding effectiveness of the various rays. Besides, the metal-coated fabrics have high density and are unbreathable. This work aims to solve the problem by incorporating nickel (Ni) into the Cu coating on the ultra-light polyester fibrous materials (Milife® composite nonwoven fabric—10 g/m2, abbreviation Milife) via electroless plating. The electromagnetic interference (EMI), IR test, ultraviolet protection factor (UPF), water contact angle, and air permeability of the Cu/Ni-coated Milife fabric were measured. All the samples were assumed as ultra-light and breathable by obtaining the similar fabric density (~10.57 g/m2) and large air permeability (600–1050 mm/s). The Cu/Ni deposition on the Milife fabrics only covered the fibers. The EM shielding effectiveness (SE) decreased from 26 to 20 dB, the IR reflectance (Rinfrared) decreased from 0.570 to 0.473 with increasing wNi from 0 to 19.5 wt %, while the wNi improved the UPF from 9 to 48. Besides, addition of Ni changed the Cu/Ni-coated Milife fabric from hydrophilicity to the hydrophobicity by observing WCA from 77.7° to 114°.
Sorption Features of Polyurethane Foam Functionalized with Salicylate for Chlorpyrifos: Equilibrium, Kinetic Models and Thermodynamic Studies
Authors: Bouraie Mohamed El , Abdelghany Amr
Published: September 2020

Commercial polyurethane foam was treated with salicylate salt to synthesize PUFSalicylate (PUFS) as a novel, promising, stable and inexpensive adsorbent for chlorpyrifos (CPF) extraction. The properties of PUFS were investigated using UV–Vis spectroscopy, apparent density, FTIR spectroscopy, pHZPC, BET surface area, elemental analysis, TGA and DTG tests. Batch experiments were performed for the sorption of CPF under different salicylate concentrations, pH, shaking time, ionic strength, agitation speed, sorbent mass, batch factor and initial concentration of CPF. The results confirmed that 97.4% of CPF in a 25 mL solution, 10 μg/L concentration, could be retained by only 0.3 mg of PUFS (1:105mass ratio of PUFS: solution). In addition, the maximum capacity of PUFS for the sorption of CPF was 1249.8 μg/mg (3.9 × 10−5 mol/g) within 180 min. The negative values of ΔH° and ΔG° indicated that the sorption of CPF onto PUFS is an exothermic spontaneous process (favorable). The calculated data from the experimental procedures fitted perfectly with Freundlich isotherm (R2 = 0.9952) and the kinetic Equation of pseudo-second order. In addition, the R2 value in the Elovich Equation recorded higher when compared to the Morris–Weber and Bangham Equations; hence, the pore diffusion is not the rate-determining step. Thus, the use of PUFSalicylate for the removal of chlorpyrifos contaminations from agriculture runoff is applicable.
The Theology of Avatāra in the Bhāgavata Purāṇa
Authors: Theodor Ithamar
Published: September 2020

The idea of avatāra no doubt presents a philosophical challenge, as it appears to stand in contrast to the Vedāntic principle of non-duality; the Bhāgavata purāṇa (BhP) offers an opportunity to look into this question due to its unique structure, which combines the Vedānta and Rasa traditions. As such, this paper looks into the theology of Avatāra in the Bhāgavata purāṇa; it argues that reading the purāṇic genre in light of Śaṅkara’s Advaita Vedānta is not as conducive to the understanding of the avatāra as reading it in light of Rāmānuja’s Viśiṣṭādvaita Vedānta, which indeed is compatible with the purāṇic genre. Moreover, uncovering the underlying assumptions of Western notions of personhood, it seems that classical ideas of “the person” have to be looked into, and offering an alternative idea of personhood may be necessary in order to better understand the theology of avatāra.
Correction: Elfadaly, A.; Abate, N.; Masini, N.; Lasaponara, R. SAR Sentinel 1 Imaging and Detection of Palaeo-Landscape Features in the Mediterranean Area. Remote Sens. 2020, 12, 2611
Authors: Elfadaly Abdelaziz , Abate Nicodemo , Masini Nicola , Lasaponara Rosa
Published: September 2020

The authors wish to make the following corrections to this paper [1]: Due to mislabeling, replace: Figure 6Typical Neolithic settlements in the Tavoliere delle Puglie: (a) settlement of Masseria Schifata; (b) settlement of Passo di Corvo [36] [...]
Continuous Monitoring of Urban Land Cover Change Trajectories with Landsat Time Series and LandTrendr-Google Earth Engine Cloud Computing
Authors: Mugiraneza Theodomir , Nascetti Andrea , Ban Yifang
Published: September 2020

Producing accurate land cover maps is time-consuming and estimating land cover changes between two generated maps is affected by error propagation. The increased availability of analysis-ready Earth Observation (EO) data and the access to big data analytics capabilities on Google Earth Engine (GEE) have opened the opportunities for continuous monitoring of environment changing patterns. This research proposed a framework for analyzing urban land cover change trajectories based on Landsat time series and LandTrendr, a well-known spectral-temporal segmentation algorithm for land-based disturbance and recovery detection. The framework involved the use of baseline land cover maps generated at the beginning and at the end of the considered time interval and proposed a new approach to merge the LandTrendr results using multiple indices for reconstructing dense annual land cover maps within the considered period. A supervised support vector machine (SVM) classification was first performed on the two Landsat scenes, respectively, acquired in 1987 and 2019 over Kigali, Rwanda. The resulting land cover maps were then imported in the GEE platform and used to label the interannual LandTrendr-derived changes. The changes in duration, year, and magnitude of land cover disturbance were derived from six different indices/bands using the LandTrendr algorithm. The interannual change LandTrendr results were then combined using a robust estimation procedure based on principal component analysis (PCA) for reconstructing the annual land cover change maps. The produced yearly land cover maps were assessed using validation data and the GEE-based Area Estimation and Accuracy Assessment (Area2) application. The results were used to study the Kigali’s urbanization in the last three decades since 1987. The results illustrated that from 1987 to 1998, the urbanization was characterized by slow development, with less than a 2% annual growth rate. The post-conflict period was characterized by accelerated urbanization, with a 4.5% annual growth rate, particularly from 2004 onwards due to migration flows and investment promotion in the construction industry. The five-year interval analysis from 1990 to 2019 revealed that impervious surfaces increased from 4233.5 to 12116 hectares, with a 3.7% average annual growth rate. The proposed scheme was found to be cost-effective and useful for continuously monitoring the complex urban land cover dynamics, especially in environments with EO data affordability issues, and in data-sparse regions.
Recognition of Urban Functions and Mixed Use Based on Residents’ Movement and Topic Generation Model: The Case of Wuhan, China
Authors: Cui Haifu , Wu Liang , Hu Sheng , Lu Rujuan , Wang Shanlin
Published: September 2020

The rapid evolution of cities has brought new challenges to urban planning and management. The accurate evaluation of urban functional structure and mixed use is critical, especially at a fine scale such as by blocks. The composition and mixing of urban spatial functions calculated by remote sensing and statistics are non-quantitative and undetailed. The text topic models are often applied to process text data, but are rarely used to mine semantic information in quantitative data. Therefore, this paper attempts to carry out research on the recognition of urban functions and mixed use using a text topic generation model based on resident mobile data. First, the area within Wuhan Third Ring Road was divided into 2451 units at a grid size of 500 m × 500 m. The histogram-latent Dirichlet allocation (H-LDA) and information entropy were applied to assign different grid units to correct the functional topics and topic information entropy (TIE). Second, the functional categories of different analysis units were calculated using the point of interest (POI), frequency density (FD) and category proportion (CP) indicators, while the functional information entropy (FIE) based on the POI was calculated. Then, the urban functions and mixtures identified by the two kinds of data were compared and analyzed. Finally, referring to the geographic information in streetscape map and applying correlation analysis, the function and mixing results obtained from the experiment were verified. Studies have shown that the H-LDA model can identify bridges, which the POI data have shown is challenging to identify without attributes such as length. The function recognition accuracy of the H-LDA model is 89.3%, which is higher than K-means algorithm and Word2vec models. The correlation coefficient between FIE and TIE is 0.587, indicating that both are highly correlated. These explain the accuracy and rationality of identifying city functions and mixtures based on the H-LDA model. The H-LDA model can be applied to functional computing and fine-scale urban mixed function planning.
Improved Point–Line Visual–Inertial Odometry System Using Helmert Variance Component Estimation
Authors: Xu Bo , Chen Yu , Zhang Shoujian , Wang Jingrong
Published: September 2020

Mobile platform visual image sequence inevitably has large areas with various types of weak textures, which affect the acquisition of accurate pose in the subsequent platform moving process. The visual–inertial odometry (VIO) with point features and line features as visual information shows a good performance in weak texture environments, which can solve these problems to a certain extent. However, the extraction and matching of line features are time consuming, and reasonable weights between the point and line features are hard to estimate, which makes it difficult to accurately track the pose of the platform in real time. In order to overcome the deficiency, an improved effective point–line visual–inertial odometry system is proposed in this paper, which makes use of geometric information of line features and combines with pixel correlation coefficient to match the line features. Furthermore, this system uses the Helmert variance component estimation method to adjust weights between point features and line features. Comprehensive experimental results on the two datasets of EuRoc MAV and PennCOSYVIO demonstrate that the point–line visual–inertial odometry system developed in this paper achieved significant improvements in both localization accuracy and efficiency compared with several state-of-the-art VIO systems.
Capacity of Satellite-Based and Reanalysis Precipitation Products in Detecting Long-Term Trends across Mainland China
Authors: Sun Shanlei , Shi Wanrong , Zhou Shujia , Chai Rongfan , Chen Haishan , Wang Guojie , Zhou Yang , Shen Huayu
Published: September 2020

Despite numerous assessments of satellite-based and reanalysis precipitation across the globe, few studies have been conducted based on the precipitation linear trend (LT), particularly during daytime and nighttime, when there are different precipitation mechanisms. Herein, we first examine LTs for the whole day (LTwd), daytime (LTd), and nighttime (LTn) over mainland China (MC) in 2003–2017, with sub-daily observations from a dense rain gauge network. For MC and ten Water Resources Regions (WRRs), annual and seasonal LTwd, LTd, and LTn were generally positive but with evident regional differences. Subsequently, annual and seasonal LTs derived from six satellite-based and six reanalysis popular precipitation products were evaluated using metrics of correlation coefficient (CC), bias, root-mean-square-error (RMSE), and sign accuracy. Finally, metric-based optimal products (OPs) were identified for MC and each WRR. Values of each metric for annual and seasonal LTwd, LTd, or LTn differ among products; meanwhile, for any single product, performance varied by season and time of day. Correspondingly, the metric-based OPs varied among regions and seasons, and between daytime and nighttime, but were mainly characterized by OPs of Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) 3B42, ECMWF Reanalysis (ERA)-Interim, and Modern Era Reanalysis for Research and Applications (MERRA)-2. In particular, the CC-based (RMSE-based) OPs in southern and northern WRRs were generally TRMM3B42 and MERRA-2, respectively. These findings imply that to investigate precipitation change and obtain robust related conclusions using precipitation products, comprehensive evaluations are necessary, due to variation in performance within one year, one day and among regions for different products. Additionally, our study facilitates a valuable reference for product users seeking reliable precipitation estimates to examine precipitation change across MC, and an insight (i.e., capacity in detecting LTs, including daytime and nighttime) for developers improving algorithms.
Remanufacturing System with Chatter Suppression for CNC Turning
Authors: Miądlicki Karol , Jasiewicz Marcin , Gołaszewski Marcin , Królikowski Marcin , Powałka Bartosz
Published: September 2020

The paper presents the concept of a support system for the manufacture of machine spare parts. The operation of the system is based on a reverse engineering module enabling feature recognition based on a 3D parts scan. Then, a CAD geometrical model is generated, on the basis of which a machining strategy using the CAM system is developed. In parallel, based on the geometric model, a finite element model is built, which facilitates defining technological parameters, allowing one to minimize the risk of vibrations during machining. These parameters constitute input information to the CAM module. The operation of the described system is presented on the example of machining parts of the shaft class. The result is a replacement part, the accuracy of which was compared by means of the iterative closest point algorithm obtaining the RMSE at the level of scanner accuracy.
EEG-Based BCI Emotion Recognition: A Survey
Authors: Torres Edgar P. , Torres Edgar A. , Hernández-Álvarez Myriam , Yoo Sang Guun
Published: September 2020

Affecting computing is an artificial intelligence area of study that recognizes, interprets, processes, and simulates human affects. The user’s emotional states can be sensed through electroencephalography (EEG)-based Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI) devices. Research in emotion recognition using these tools is a rapidly growing field with multiple inter-disciplinary applications. This article performs a survey of the pertinent scientific literature from 2015 to 2020. It presents trends and a comparative analysis of algorithm applications in new implementations from a computer science perspective. Our survey gives an overview of datasets, emotion elicitation methods, feature extraction and selection, classification algorithms, and performance evaluation. Lastly, we provide insights for future developments.
Software Tool for Soil Surface Parameters Retrieval from Fully Polarimetric Remotely Sensed SAR Data
Authors: Poreh Davod , Iodice Antonio , Natale Antonio , Riccio Daniele
Published: September 2020

The retrieval of soil surface parameters, in particular soil moisture and roughness, based on Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data, has been the subject of a large number of studies, of which results are available in the scientific literature. However, although refined methods based on theoretical/analytical scattering models have been proposed and successfully applied in experimental studies, at the operative level very simple, empirical models with a number of adjustable parameters are usually employed. One of the reasons for this situation is that retrieval methods based on analytical scattering models are not easy to implement and to be employed by non-expert users. Related to this, commercially and freely available software tools for the processing of SAR data, although including routines for basic manipulation of polarimetric SAR data (e.g., coherency and covariance matrix calculation, Pauli decomposition, etc.), do not implement easy-to-use methods for surface parameter retrieval. In order to try to fill this gap, in this paper we present a user-friendly computer program for the retrieval of soil surface parameters from Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PolSAR) imageries. The program evaluates soil permittivity, soil moisture and soil roughness based on the theoretical predictions of the electromagnetic scattering provided by the Polarimetric Two-Scale Model (PTSM) and the Polarimetric Two-Scale Two-Component Model (PTSTCM). In particular, nine different retrieval methodologies, whose applicability depends on both the used polarimetric data (dual- or full-pol) and the characteristics of the observed scene (e.g., on its topography and on its vegetation cover), as well as their implementation in the Interactive Data Language (IDL) platform, are discussed. One specific example from Germany’s Demmin test-site is presented in detail, in order to provide a first guide to the use of the tool. Obtained retrieval results are in agreement with what was expected according to the available literature.
Modelling of Chest Wall Motion for Cardiorespiratory Activity for Radar-Based NCVS Systems
Authors: Singh Anuradha , Rehman Saeed Ur , Yongchareon Sira , Chong Peter Han Joo
Published: September 2020

Chest wall motion can provide information on critical vital signs, including respiration and heartbeat. Mathematical modelling of chest wall motion can reduce an extensive requirement of human testing in the development of many biomedical applications. In this paper, we propose a mathematical model that simulates a chest wall motion due to cardiorespiratory activity. Chest wall motion due to respiration is simulated based on the optimal chemical–mechanical respiratory control-based mechanics. The theory of relaxation oscillation system is applied to model the motion due to cardiac activity. The proposed mathematical chest wall model can be utilized in designing and optimizing different design parameters for radar-based non-contact vital sign (NCVS) systems.
Malaria and COVID-19: Common and Different Findings
Authors: Di Gennaro Francesco , Marotta Claudia , Locantore Pietro , Pizzol Damiano , Putoto Giovanni
Published: September 2020

Malaria and COVID-19 may have similar aspects and seem to have a strong potential for mutual influence. They have already caused millions of deaths, and the regions where malaria is endemic are at risk of further suffering from the consequences of COVID-19 due to mutual side effects, such as less access to treatment for patients with malaria due to the fear of access to healthcare centers leading to diagnostic delays and worse outcomes. Moreover, the similar and generic symptoms make it harder to achieve an immediate diagnosis. Healthcare systems and professionals will face a great challenge in the case of a COVID-19 and malaria syndemic. Here, we present an overview of common and different findings for both diseases with possible mutual influences of one on the other, especially in countries with limited resources.
Investigation of the Elliptic Flow Fluctuations of the Identified Particles Using the a Multi-Phase Transport Model
Authors: Magdy Niseem , Sun Xu , Ye Zhenyu , Evdokimov Olga , Lacey Roy
Published: September 2020

A Multi-Phase Transport (AMPT) model is used to study the elliptic flow fluctuations of identified particles using participant and spectator event planes. The elliptic flow measured using the first order spectator event plane is expected to give the elliptic flow relative to the true reaction plane which suppresses the flow fluctuations. However, the elliptic flow measured using the second-order participant plane is expected to capture the elliptic flow fluctuations. Our study shows that the first order spectator event plane could be used to study the elliptic flow fluctuations of the identified particles in the AMPT model. The elliptic flow fluctuations magnitude shows weak particle species dependence and transverse momentum dependence. Such observation will have important implications for understanding the source of the elliptic flow fluctuations.
Statistical Validation of Energy Efficiency Improvements through Analysis of Experimental Field Data: A Guide to Good Practice
Authors: Demestichas Konstantinos , Adamopoulou Evgenia
Published: September 2020

Often in the area of road transport solutions and intelligent transport systems, two or more alternative solutions or methods compete in terms of energy gains, time efficiency, or other aspects. Measurements collected from field trials are used to make a comparative assessment but are usually limited because of resource constraints. The present paper describes how statistical inference techniques can be used in a systematic way, in order to validate the superior performance of one method over the other. We adopt such an approach to study the performance of two alternative routing methods in terms of achievable energy savings, although the same methodology can be widely applied to other use cases as well. We specifically employ and describe three different techniques to achieve the intended comparison, namely paired sample tests, statistical testing of mean value in a normal population, and two-sample tests in normal populations with unknown yet equal variances. We reach conclusions on whether claims of outperformance of one routing method over the other can be supported by our collected experimental data and to what extent.