bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A New Type Bionic Foldable Wing Design for High Maneuverable Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
Authors: Zhang Xitong , Cheng Gui , Chen Gang
Published: July 2023

With the improvement of aircraft requirements in civil and military fields, aircraft are developing towards the direction of high efficiency and multi-mission. Foldable wing aircraft with large deformation capability will be able to meet flight requirements and performance under different conditions. Based on the bionic design concept, a feather-like foldable morphing wing based on a multi-link mechanism from the flight characteristics of birds was designed. In order to validate the feasibility of the proposed morphing wing conception, a UAV with bionic foldable wings was fabricated. The aerodynamic performance of the prototype model was tested under different working conditions by wind tunnel test and flight test. The simulation and wind tunnel experimental test showed that the prototype has excellent longitudinal and transverse directional aerodynamics. When the wing is symmetrically morphing, the optimal lift-to-drag ratio can be maintained under different flow velocities. When the wing is asymmetrically morphing, it can replace the aileron to achieve an efficient roll maneuver.
Effect of a Desensitizing Agent on Shear Bond Strength of Ceramic Bracket on Previously Bleached Teeth
Authors: Mahardhika Muhammad Haikal , Karunia Dyah , Pudyani Pinandi Sri , Alhasyimi Ananto Ali
Published: July 2023

This study aims to analyze the effect of desensitizing agents on the shear bond strength (SBS) of ceramic brackets after in-office bleaching procedures. Twenty-seven extracted premolars were equally divided into three groups (n = 9). Group 1 served as the control; bleaching was performed with 37% hydrogen peroxide. In group 2, bleaching and the application of a fluoride-containing desensitizing agent (CPP-ACFP) were performed. In group 3, bleaching and the application of a non-fluoride-containing desensitizing agent (CPP-ACP) were performed. Ceramic brackets were bonded with composite resin. SBS was tested using a universal testing machine. The site of bonding failure was measured using the adhesive remnant index (ARI) score. There was a statistically significant difference in mean SBS values (p < 0.05). Group 1 showed the lowest SBS value (6.32 ± 4.83 MPa), which differed significantly with groups 2 and 3 (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference between group 2 (15.36 ± 4.67 MPa) and group 3 (12.19 ± 6.81 MPa) (p > 0.05). The ARI score did not show a significant difference. The conclusion is that the application of fluoride-containing and non-fluoride desensitizing agents increases the shear bond strength of ceramic brackets on bleached teeth with composite resin cementation. The application of both desensitizing agents had no impact on the results of the ARI score, with the highest ARI score in each group being 4, indicating that less than 10% of the adhesive substance remains on the enamel.
Influence of Coolant Properties and Chip Former Geometry on Tool Life in Deep Drilling
Authors: Kočiško Marek , Pollák Martin , Grozav Sorin D. , Ceclan Vasile
Published: July 2023

The aim of the article is to find a correlation between a change in the properties of the cooling agent and a change in the geometry of the chipformer, as both are reflected in the service life of the tool after deep drilling. The reason for carrying out the research is the requirement of practice to obtain the economic efficiency of the production of such a demanding process as deep drilling. When applying the latest designs of gun drills, it is very important to correctly set the technological parameters to maintain the stability of the cutting process. One of the most important parameters is the correct removal of heat from the cutting site, and this will be ensured by the stability of pressure, temperature, and percentage of emulsion in the cooling medium, as well as the adjustment of the geometry of the chip former. On this basis, a large number of tests were carried out, consisting of testing the number of drilling cycles carried out by new, unfluted gun drills at constant feed rates and spindle rotation frequencies. After testing, it is possible to modify and supplement the existing methodology of deep drilling technology in terms of managing the cooling emulsion and chip-forming geometry. The tests were aimed at increasing the service life and the number of possible re-grindings of the gun drills depending on changes in the percentage of the emulsion concentration, the pressure and temperature of the cooling agent, and the associated chipformer geometry.
OpenFog-Compliant Application-Aware Platform: A Kubernetes Extension
Authors: Cuadra Julen , Hurtado Ekaitz , Pérez Federico , Casquero Oskar , Armentia Aintzane
Published: July 2023

Distributed computing paradigms have evolved towards low latency and highly virtualized environments. Fog Computing, as its latest iteration, enables the usage of Cloud-like services closer to the generators and consumers of data. The processing in this layer is performed by Fog Applications, which are decomposed into smaller components following the microservice paradigm and encapsulated into containers. Current state-of-the-art container orchestrators can manage hundreds of simultaneous containers. However, Kubernetes, being the de facto standard, does not consider the application itself as a top-level entity, which limits its orchestration capabilities. This raises the need to rearchitect Kubernetes to benefit from application-awareness, which refers to an orchestration method optimized for managing the applications and the set of components that comprise them. Thus, this paper proposes an application-aware and OpenFog-compliant architecture that manages applications as first-level entities during their lifecycle. Furthermore, the proposed architecture allows the definition of organizational structures to group subordinated applications based on user-defined hierarchies. This logical structuring makes it possible to outline how orchestration should be shaped to reflect the operating model of a system or an organization. The proposed architecture is implemented as a Kubernetes extension and provided as an operator.
Current-Sensing Topology with Multi Resistors in Parallel and Its Protection Circuit
Authors: Gou Xuan , Tang Zhongmin , Gao Yuhan , Chen Kai , Wang Houjun
Published: July 2023

Current-sensing topology with multi resistors in series has limitations in improving the dynamic range of current acquisition, so a sensing topology with multi resistors in parallel is proposed. The overcurrent state of a parallel shunt circuit cannot be latched, resulting in protection hiccups. A dual threshold-detection circuit is designed to achieve protection state latching and self-recovery. The rectified mean circuit is applied for overcurrent magnitude detection and its validity is proved. But the delay and ripple of the output waveform of the rectified mean circuit may also cause protection hiccups. Combining Fourier series representation, Fourier transform and inverse transform, the time domain expressions of the output of the rectified mean circuit for three common waveforms are obtained. Furthermore, the estimation formulas for the residual ripple amplitude of the three waveforms are derived. In an experiment, the protection hiccup issue in parallel sensing topology was eliminated, while the time constants and hysteresis ratios of the protection circuits were properly set according to theoretical calculation results. With five parallel sensing resistors, the ratio of the maximum to minimum range of the single current channel reaches 1.28×104, which is higher than counterparts with multiple series sensing resistors. The advantages of parallel sensing topology in improving dynamic range are confirmed.
An Efficient and Secure Cryptographic Algorithm Using Elliptic Curves and Max-Plus Algebra-Based Wavelet Transform
Authors: Sattar Kanza Abdul , Haider Takreem , Hayat Umar , Bustamante Miguel D.
Published: July 2023

With the advent of communication networks, protecting data from security threats has become increasingly important. To address this issue, we present a new text encryption scheme that uses a combination of elliptic curve cryptography and max-plus algebra-based wavelet transform to provide enhanced security and efficiency. The proposed encryption process consists of three main phases. In the first phase, the plaintext is encoded using ASCII characters, followed by the introduction of diffusion in its representation. In the second phase, points are computed on an elliptic curve, and a mapping method is applied to introduce randomness into the data. Finally, in the third phase, the output is decomposed using a max-plus algebra-based wavelet transform to generate the ciphertext. We conduct a comprehensive security analysis of our scheme that includes NIST analysis, entropy analysis, correlation analysis, key space, key sensitivity, plaintext sensitivity, encryption quality, ciphertext-only attack, known-plaintext attack, chosen-plaintext attack, and chosen-ciphertext attack. The findings indicate that the proposed scheme exhibits excellent encryption quality, surpassing a value of 76, which is closer to the ideal value. Moreover, the sensitivity of the plaintext is greater than 91%, indicating its high sensitivity. The correlation between the plaintext and ciphertext is very close to the ideal value of zero. The encrypted texts exhibit a high level of randomness and meet the necessary criteria for a strong key space. These characteristics contribute to its superior security, providing protection against various cryptographic attacks. Additionally, the encryption process for a 5995-character plaintext only takes 0.047 s, while decryption requires 0.038 s. Our results indicate that the proposed scheme offers high levels of security while maintaining reasonable computational efficiency. Thus, it is suitable for secure text communication in various applications. Moreover, when compared with other state-of-the-art text encryption methods, our proposed scheme exhibits better resistance to modern cryptanalysis.
NTPP-MVSNet: Multi-View Stereo Network Based on Neighboring Tangent Plane Propagation
Authors: Zhao Qi , Deng Yangyan , Yang Yifan , Li Yawei , Yuan Ding
Published: July 2023

Although learning-based multi-view stereo algorithms have produced exciting results in recent years, few researchers have explored the specific role of deep sampling in the network. We posit that depth sampling accuracy more directly impacts the quality of scene reconstruction. To address this issue, we proposed NTPP-MVSNet, which utilizes normal vector and depth information from neighboring pixels to propagate tangent planes. Based on this, we obtained a more accurate depth estimate through homography transformation. We used deformable convolution to acquire continuous pixel positions on the surface and 3D-UNet to account for the regression of depth and normal vector maps without consuming additional GPU memory. Finally, we applied homography transformation to complete the mapping of the imaging plane and the neighborhood surface tangent plane to generate a depth hypothesis. Experimental trials on the DTU and Tanks and Temples datasets demonstrate the feasibility of NTPP-MVSNet, and ablation experiments confirm the superior performance of our deep sampling methodology.
Estimation of Road Transportation Emissions in Colombia from 2010 to 2021
Authors: Mantilla-Romo Laura , Camargo-Caicedo Yiniva , Bolaño-Diaz Sindy , Tovar-Bernal Fredy , Garrido-Galindo Angélica
Published: July 2023

This work aimed to estimate the emissions associated with the transport sector in Colombia during the 2010–2021 period for the following four groups of pollutants: greenhouse gases or GHG (CO2, CH4, N2O), ozone precursors (CO, NMVOC, NOx), acidifying gases (NH3, SO2), and aerosols (PM, BC), based on the data provided by the Ministry of Mines and Energy. The estimate of emissions from road transportation was calculated using a standardized method with a top-down approach consistent with the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National GHG Inventories and the EEA/EMEP Emission Inventory Guidebook 2019. Total annual emissions and the emissions for regions were estimated, and a comparison was made between estimated emissions and the emissions calculated by the Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR). Total annual emissions by road transport showed a progressive increase except for the annual emissions in 2020, which registered a reduction due to the COVID-19 lockdown. The highest yearly emissions were reported in 2021, with the most significant contributions by GHG (33,109.29 Gg CO2, 201.55 Gg CO2 Eq. CH4, and 512.43 Gg CO2 Eq. N2O). The Andean region was the one with the highest contributions of total emissions within the four groups of pollutants (57–66%), followed by the Caribbean (12–20%) and the Pacific region (14–18%). The most-used fuel was gasoline, with an increase of 103% for personal cars and motorcycles throughout the study period. These results contribute to decision-making at local, regional, and national levels regarding energy transition opportunities and strategies to adopt in the transport sector.
Assessing the Impact of Climate Change on the Biodeterioration Risk in Historical Buildings of the Mediterranean Area: The State Archives of Palermo
Authors: Verticchio Elena , Frasca Francesca , Matè Donatella , Giammusso Federico Maria , Sani Matilde , Sebastiani Maria Letizia , Sclocchi Maria Carla , Siani Anna Maria
Published: July 2023

The growing sensitivity towards environmental sustainability, particularly in the light of climate change, requires a reflection on the role that historical buildings can play in heritage conservation. This research proposed an interdisciplinary approach combining climate and biological expertise to evaluate the biodeterioration risk associated with different IPCC outdoor climate scenarios. Conduction heat transfer functions and dose–response functions were used to model the indoor climate of a historical building and the related climate-induced risk of mould and pest proliferation. The approach was applied to a case study in the Mediterranean area, i.e., the State Archives of Palermo (Italy) housed in a 15th-century convent. In 2018, a survey conducted by ICPAL-MiC experts warned about past infestations and risks deriving from climate conditions. An environmental monitoring campaign conducted in 2021 allowed for the characterisation of the buffering effect in a historical building in response to the outdoor climate and the simulation of future indoor climate. Since indoor temperature and mixing ratio are expected to raise in future scenarios, it was found that there is an increased risk of insects’ proliferation, combined with a decreased risk of spore germination and mould growth. Such evidence-based evaluation allows for the design of tailored preventive conservation measures to enhance the durability of both the archival collections and the building.
Inhibition of Dust Re-Deposition for Filter Cleaning Using a Multi-Pulsing Jet
Authors: Wu Quanquan , Li Xiaohai , Xing Zhenqiang , Kuang Qin , Li Jianlong , Huang Shan , Huang Hong , Ma Zhifei , Wu Daishe
Published: July 2023

The re-deposition of detached dust during online pulse-jet cleaning is an important issue encountered during filter regeneration. To reduce dust re-deposition, multi-pulsing jet cleaning schemes were designed and experimentally tested. A pilot-scale pulse-jet cleaning dust collector was built with one vertically installed pleated filter cartridge. The effects of pulse duration and interval on the pulse pressure were tested, and the dust re-deposition rate and mechanism were studied and analyzed. It was found that, for the single-pulsing jet, the pulse duration had a critical value of approximately 0.080 s in this test, above which the pulse pressure remained at approximately 0.75 kPa and did not increase further. For the multi-pulsing jet with a small pulse interval (less than approximately 0.10 s), the pulse flows superimposed and reached a higher pulse pressure with a slight inhibition of dust re-deposition. For the multi-pulsing jet with a long pulse interval (over 0.15 s), dust re-deposition was clearly inhibited. The re-deposition rate decreased from 63.8% in the single-pulsing scheme to 24.4% in the multi (five)-pulsing scheme with the same total pulse duration of 0.400 s. The multi-pulsing scheme lengthens the duration of reverse pulse flow, resulting in more elapsed time for the detached dust to freely fall, and inhibiting the re-deposition of dust. The elapsed time in the five-pulsing jet scheme with the recommended pulse duration of 0.080 s and interval of 0.25 s was 2.8 times higher than that of the single-pulsing jet with the same total pulse duration.
Geometric Properties of Planar and Spherical Interception Curves
Authors: Aliyev Yagub N.
Published: July 2023

In this paper, some geometric properties of the plane interception curve defined by a nonlinear ordinary differential equation are discussed. Its parametric representation is used to find the limits of some triangle elements associated with the curve. These limits have some connections with the lemniscate constants A,B and Gauss’s constant G, which are used to compare with the classical pursuit curve. The analogous spherical geometry problem is solved using a spherical curve defined by the Gudermannian function. It is shown that the results agree with the angle-preserving property of Mercator and Stereographic projections. The Mercator and Stereographic projections also reveal the symmetry of this curve with respect to Spherical and Logarithmic Spirals. The geometric properties of the spherical curve are proved in two ways, analytically and using a lemma about spherical angles. A similar lemma for the planar case is also mentioned. The paper shows symmetry/asymmetry between the spherical and planar cases and the derivation of properties of these curves as limiting cases of some plane and spherical geometry results.
Microbial PolyHydroxyAlkanoate (PHA) Biopolymers—Intrinsically Natural
Authors: Mukherjee Anindya , Koller Martin
Published: July 2023

Global pollution from fossil plastics is one of the top environmental threats of our time. At their end-of-life phase, fossil plastics, through recycling, incineration, and disposal result in microplastic formation, elevated atmospheric CO2 levels, and the pollution of terrestrial and aquatic environments. Current regional, national, and global regulations are centered around banning plastic production and use and/or increasing recycling while ignoring efforts to rapidly replace fossil plastics through the use of alternatives, including those that occur in nature. In particular, this review demonstrates how microbial polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), a class of intrinsically natural polymers, can successfully remedy the fossil and persistent plastic dilemma. PHAs are bio-based, biosynthesized, biocompatible, and biodegradable, and thus, domestically and industrially compostable. Therefore, they are an ideal replacement for the fossil plastics pollution dilemma, providing us with the benefits of fossil plastics and meeting all the requirements of a truly circular economy. PHA biopolyesters are natural and green materials in all stages of their life cycle. This review elaborates how the production, consumption, and end-of-life profile of PHAs are embedded in the current and topical, 12 Principles of Green Chemistry, which constitute the basis for sustainable product manufacturing. The time is right for a paradigm shift in plastic manufacturing, use, and disposal. Humankind needs alternatives to fossil plastics, which, as recalcitrant xenobiotics, contribute to the increasing deterioration of our planet. Natural PHA biopolyesters represent that paradigm shift.
Information-Rich Multi-Functional OCT for Adult Zebrafish Intra- and Extracranial Imaging
Authors: Yang Di , Wang Weike , Yuan Zhuoqun , Liang Yanmei
Published: July 2023

The zebrafish serves as a valuable animal model for both intra- and extracranial research, particularly in relation to the brain and skull. To effectively investigate the development and regeneration of adult zebrafish, a versatile in vivo imaging technique capable of showing both intra- and extracranial conditions is essential. In this paper, we utilized a high-resolution multi-functional optical coherence tomography (OCT) to obtain rich intra- and extracranial imaging outcomes of adult zebrafish, encompassing pigmentation distribution, tissue-specific information, cranial vascular imaging, and the monitoring of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Notably, it is the first that the channels through the zebrafish cranial suture, which may have a crucial function in maintaining the patency of the cranial sutures, have been observed. Rich imaging results demonstrated that a high-resolution multi-functional OCT system can provide a wealth of novel and interpretable biological information for intra- and extracranial studies of adult zebrafish.
StackDPP: Stacking-Based Explainable Classifier for Depression Prediction and Finding the Risk Factors among Clinicians
Authors: Al-Zahrani Fahad Ahmed , Abdulrazak Lway Faisal , Ali Md Mamun , Islam Md Nazrul , Ahmed Kawsar
Published: July 2023

Mental health is a major concern for all classes of people, but especially physicians in the present world. A challenging task is to identify the significant risk factors that are responsible for depression among physicians. To address this issue, the study aimed to build a machine learning-based predictive model that will be capable of predicting depression levels and finding associated risk factors. A raw dataset was collected to conduct this study and preprocessed as necessary. Then, the dataset was divided into 10 sub-datasets to determine the best possible set of attributes to predict depression. Seven different classification algorithms, KNN, DT, LGBM, GB, RF, ETC, and StackDPP, were applied to all the sub-datasets. StackDPP is a stacking-based ensemble classifier, which is proposed in this study. It was found that StackDPP outperformed on all the datasets. The findings indicate that the StackDPP with the sub-dataset with all the attributes gained the highest accuracy (0.962581), and the top 20 attributes were enough to gain 0.96129 accuracy by StackDPP, which was close to the performance of the dataset with all the attributes. In addition, risk factors were analyzed in this study to reveal the most significant risk factors that are responsible for depression among physicians. The findings of the study indicate that the proposed model is highly capable of predicting the level of depression, along with finding the most significant risk factors. The study will enable mental health professionals and psychiatrists to decide on treatment and therapy for physicians by analyzing the depression level and finding the most significant risk factors.
Biofunctionalized Decellularized Tissue-Engineered Heart Valve with Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for Controlled Release of VEGF and RunX2-siRNA against Calcification
Authors: Yu Wenpeng , Zhu Xiaowei , Liu Jichun , Zhou Jianliang
Published: July 2023

The goal of tissue-engineered heart valves (TEHV) is to replace normal heart valves and overcome the shortcomings of heart valve replacement commonly used in clinical practice. However, calcification of TEHV is the major bottleneck to break for both clinical workers and researchers. Endothelialization of TEHV plays a crucial role in delaying valve calcification by reducing platelet adhesion and covering the calcified spots. In the present study, we loaded RunX2-siRNA and VEGF into mesoporous silica nanoparticles and investigated the properties of anti-calcification and endothelialization in vitro. Then, the mesoporous silica nanoparticle was immobilized on the decellularized porcine aortic valve (DPAV) by layer self-assembly and investigated the anti-calcification and endothelialization. Our results demonstrated that the mesoporous silica nanoparticles delivery vehicle demonstrated good biocompatibility, and a stable release of RunX2-siRNA and VEGF. The hybrid decellularized valve exhibited a low hemolysis rate and promoted endothelial cell proliferation and adhesion while silencing RunX2 gene expression in valve interstitial cells, and the hybrid decellularized valve showed good mechanical properties. Finally, the in vivo experiment showed that the mesoporous silica nanoparticles delivery vehicle could enhance the endothelialization of the hybrid valve. In summary, we constructed a delivery system based on mesoporous silica to biofunctionalized TEHV scaffold for endothelialization and anti-calcification.
Electrospun Biomolecule-Based Drug Delivery Systems
Authors: Yu Deng-Guang , Huang Chang
Published: July 2023

Drug delivery, mainly a professional term in pharmaceutics, is a field of interdisciplinary intersection and integration [...]
Underwater Undulating Propulsion Biomimetic Robots: A Review
Authors: Li Gongbo , Liu Guijie , Leng Dingxin , Fang Xin , Li Guanghao , Wang Wenqian
Published: July 2023

The traditional propeller-based propulsion of underwater robots is inefficient and poorly adapted to practice. By contrast, underwater biomimetic robots show better stability and maneuverability in harsh marine environments. This is particularly true of undulating propulsion biomimetic robots. This paper classifies the existing underwater biomimetic robots and outlines their main contributions to the field. The propulsion mechanisms of underwater biomimetic undulating robots are summarized based on theoretical, numerical and experimental studies. Future perspectives on underwater biomimetic undulating robots are also presented, filling the gaps in the existing literature.
Computational Fluid Dynamics Analysis in Biomimetics Applications: A Review from Aerospace Engineering Perspective
Authors: Basri Ernnie Illyani , Basri Adi Azriff , Ahmad Kamarul Arifin
Published: July 2023

In many modern engineering fields, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has been adopted as a methodology to solve complex problems. CFD is becoming a key component in developing updated designs and optimization through computational simulations, resulting in lower operating costs and enhanced efficiency. Even though the biomimetics application is complex in adapting nature to inspire new capabilities for exciting future technologies, the recent CFD in biomimetics is more accessible and practicable due to the availability of high-performance hardware and software with advances in computer sciences. Many simulations and experimental results have been used to study the analyses in biomimetics applications, particularly those related to aerospace engineering. There are numerous examples of biomimetic successes that involve making simple copies, such as the use of fins for swimming or the mastery of flying, which became possible only after the principles of aerodynamics were better understood. Therefore, this review discusses the essential methodology of CFD as a reliable tool for researchers in understanding the technology inspired by nature and an outlook for potential development through simulations. CFD plays a major role as decision support prior to undertaking a real commitment to execute any design inspired by nature and providing the direction to develop new capabilities of technologies.
Integration of Building Information Modeling with Sport and Facility: Current Status and Future Directions
Authors: Liu Zhen , An Ziheng , Osmani Mohamed
Published: July 2023

Currently, sport is considered an entertainment and leisure industry and includes activities such as athletics, water, and skiing. The influence of a sport event exceeds the event itself, which indicates the importance of a sport facility to the building and construction. A sport facility refers to a facility related to the sport industry, mainly including not only stadiums, swimming pools, and sport centers, but also water parks, ski resorts, and other amusement facilities. At present, there is a lack of comprehensive exploration of integrated building information modeling (BIM) with sport and facilities and performance of applications to help identify potential opportunities to support sustainable development. Therefore, this paper aims to explore the integration of BIM, sport, and facility by revealing the current research status and hotspots in the field, which identifies the development lineage and emerging areas of the research and highlights the development trends and directions for future research towards sustainable development. This paper adopts a quantitative research method to investigate the current research status, hotspots, emerging areas, development trends, and important directions in the integration of BIM, sport, and facilities from macro-quantitative perspectives via bibliometric tools, i.e., VOSviewer and CiteSpace software packages. The main findings of this paper are that the hot keywords on the integration of BIM, sport, and facilities are mainly focused on BIM, facility management, framework, management, sport, construction, and design. Moreover, over the past 26 years (year 1997 to 2022), hot keywords for each year have been revealed through keyword co-occurrence overlay visualization analysis and identified in five schemes, i.e., life cycle assessment, emerging technology, behavior and sport, health and wellbeing, and sustainable built environment. Furthermore, the application of deep learning, IoT, and immersive experience technologies are current hot topics which could provide more innovative breakthroughs for the integration of BIM, sport, and facilities in the future for sustainable development.
Integrating Information Entropy and Latent Dirichlet Allocation Models for Analysis of Safety Accidents in the Construction Industry
Authors: Liu Yipeng , Wang Junwu , Tang Shanrong , Zhang Jiaji , Wan Jinyingjun
Published: July 2023

Construction accident investigation reports contain critical information, but extracting useful insights from the voluminous Chinese text is challenging. Traditional methods rely on expert judgment, which leads to time-consuming and potentially inaccurate results. To overcome this problem, we propose a novel approach that combines text mining techniques and latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) models to analyze standardized accident investigation reports in the Chinese construction industry. The proposed method integrates an information entropy term frequency-inverse document frequency (TF-IDF) weighting scheme to evaluate term importance and accounts for word and model uncertainty. The method was applied to a set of construction industry accident reports to identify the key factors leading to safety accidents. The results show that the causal factors of accidents in Chinese accident investigation reports consist of keywords and negative expressions, including “failure to timely identify safety hazards” and “inadequate site safety management”. Failure to timely identify safety hazards is the most common factor in accident investigation reports, and the negative expressions commonly used in the reports include “not timely” and “not in place”. The information entropy TF-IDF method is superior to traditional methods in terms of accuracy and efficiency, and the LDA model that considers word frequency and feature weights is better able to capture the underlying themes in the Chinese corpus. And the subject terms that make up the themes contain more information about the causes of accidents. This approach helps site managers more quickly and effectively understand the causal factors and key messages that lead to accidents from incident reports. It gives site managers insight into common patterns and themes associated with safety incidents, such as unsafe practices, hazardous work environments, and non-compliance with safety regulations. This enables them to make informed decisions to improve safety management practices.
Intelligent Bridge Health Monitoring and Assessment
Authors: Xin Jingzhou , Jiang Yan , Wu Bo , Yang Simon X.
Published: July 2023

Buildings play an indispensable role in urban development [...]
Effects of Superplasticizer and Water–Binder Ratio on Mechanical Properties of One-Part Alkali-Activated Geopolymer Concrete
Authors: Pham Thanh-Tung , Nguyen Ngoc-Linh , Nguyen Tuan-Trung , Nguyen Trung-Tu , Pham Thai-Hoan
Published: July 2023

This study presents an investigation of the mix proportion and mechanical properties of one-part alkali-activated geopolymer concrete (GPC). The procedure for determining the mix proportion of one-part alkali-activated GPC, which uses a solid alkali activator in crystal form, is proposed. The proposed procedure was applied to a series of mixed proportions of GPC with different amounts of solid crystalline alkali activator (AA), water (W), and superplasticizer (SP), using the ratio between them to the total amount of binder (B, fly ash, and granulated blast furnace slag) by weight in order to evaluate their effect on the workability and compressive strength of the GPC. The slump, compressive and tensile strength, and elastic modulus of the one-part alkali-activated GPC were tested in various ways. The test results showed that solid crystalline alkali activators, water, and superplasticizers have significant effects on both the workability and compressive strength of GPC. The amount of one-part alkali activator should not exceed 12.0% of the total binder amount by weight (AA/B = 0.12) in order not to lose the workability of GPC. The minimum W–B ratio should be at least 0.43 to ensure the workability of the sample when no superplasticizer is added. An amount of 2.5% can be considered as the upper bound when using superplasticizer-based polysilicate for GPC. In addition, the elastic modulus and various types of tensile strength values of the one-part alkali-activated GPC were evaluated and compared with that predicted from compressive strength using equations given by two common ACI and Eurocode2 codes for ordinary Portland cement (OPC) concrete. Modifications of the equations showing the relationships between splitting tensile strength and compressive strength, as well as between elastic modulus and compressive strength and the development of compressive strength under the time provided by ACI and Eurocode2 for OPC concrete, were also made for one-part alkali-activated GPC.
The Influence of Fly Ash from Sewage Sludge on the Concrete Carbonation Course
Authors: Rutkowska Gabriela , Żółtowski Mariusz , Rusakov Konstantin , Pawluk Katarzyna , Andrzejak Joanna , Żółtowski Bogdan
Published: July 2023

CO2 emission limits introduced by the European Union are encouraging works on new-generation materials with reduced clinker content. Currently, fumed silica from hard coal combustion is used in cement and concrete technology in Europe and Poland. Its wide application depends mainly on its chemical and phase composition, especially the reactivity of pozzolanic acids and its high fineness similar to cement Many authors studied the influence of fly ashes from hard coal combustion, in accordance with PN-EN 450-1 and 450-2, on the properties of concrete, including the course of the carbonation process. There are no studies in the literature involving ashes from sewage sludge. The objective of the research is to assess the course of carbonation of concrete produced on the basis of fly ash from the thermal transformation of sewage sludge over time and to describe this phenomenon in a mathematical form. An additional objective was to analyze the physicochemical composition of sludge ash in accordance with the requirements of EN 450-1, ASTM-C618-03. In addition, this study also demonstrated the possibility of producing fly ash-modified standard concrete through the thermal treatment of sewage sludge. The average compressive strengths of Krakow gray concrete after curing for 28, 56, 90, and 365 days were 50.1 MPa, 50.6 MPa, 50.8 MPa, and 61.9 MPa, respectively. On the one hand, the additives introduced in the concrete mixture accelerate the carbonation process by shifting the carbonation front deep into the concrete and, on the other hand, create a denser microstructure In all cases, the largest increase in carbonation depth was observed up to the 56th day of the study, while the smallest increase was observed between 90 and 180 days. The diffusivity decreases and the rate of carbonation is reduced. The determined regression coefficients of hyperbolic models indicate the proper adjustment of the adopted hyperbolic model to the results of laboratory tests under accelerated carbonation conditions (R = 0.85–0.99), regardless of the content of fly ash from sewage sludge in ordinary concrete samples.
Expression of Concern: Barańska, A.; Kanadys, W. Oral Contraceptive Use and Breast Cancer Risk for BRCA1 and BRCA2 Mutation Carriers: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Case–Control Studies. Cancers 2022, 14, 4774
Authors:   Cancers Editorial Office
Published: July 2023

The Cancers Editorial Office is issuing this expression of concern to alert readers to concerns regarding the findings of the published manuscript [...]
Diabetes Mellitus in Pancreatic Cancer: A Distinct Approach to Older Subjects with New-Onset Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Bures Jan , Kohoutova Darina , Skrha Jan , Bunganic Bohus , Ngo Ondrej , Suchanek Stepan , Skrha Pavel , Zavoral Miroslav
Published: July 2023

Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is associated with a very poor prognosis, with near-identical incidence and mortality. According to the World Health Organization Globocan Database, the estimated number of new cases worldwide will rise by 70% between 2020 and 2040. There are no effective screening methods available so far, even for high-risk individuals. The prognosis of PDAC, even at its early stages, is still mostly unsatisfactory. Impaired glucose metabolism is present in about 3/4 of PDAC cases. Methods: Available literature on pancreatic cancer and diabetes mellitus was reviewed using a PubMed database. Data from a national oncology registry (on PDAC) and information from a registry of healthcare providers (on diabetes mellitus and a number of abdominal ultrasound investigations) were obtained. Results: New-onset diabetes mellitus in subjects older than 60 years should be an incentive for a prompt and detailed investigation to exclude PDAC. Type 2 diabetes mellitus, diabetes mellitus associated with chronic non-malignant diseases of the exocrine pancreas, and PDAC-associated type 3c diabetes mellitus are the most frequent types. Proper differentiation of particular types of new-onset diabetes mellitus is a starting point for a population-based program. An algorithm for subsequent steps of the workup was proposed. Conclusions: The structured, well-differentiated, and elaborately designed approach to the elderly with a new onset of diabetes mellitus could improve the current situation in diagnostics and subsequent poor outcomes of therapy of PDAC.
Prediction of Prognosis, Immunotherapy and Chemotherapy with an Immune-Related Risk Score Model for Endometrial Cancer
Authors: Wei Wei , Ye Bo , Huang Zhenting , Mu Xiaoling , Qiao Jing , Zhao Peng , Jiang Yuehang , Wu Jingxian , Zhan Xiaohui
Published: July 2023

Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most common gynecologic cancer. The overall survival remains unsatisfying due to the lack of effective treatment screening approaches. Immunotherapy as a promising therapy has been applied for EC treatment, but still fails in many cases. Therefore, there is a strong need to optimize the screening approach for clinical treatment. In this study, we employed co-expression network (GCN) analysis to mine immune-related GCN modules and key genes and further constructed an immune-related risk score model (IRSM). The IRSM was proved effective as an independent predictor of poor prognosis. The roles of IRSM-related genes in EC were confirmed by IHC. The molecular basis, tumor immune microenvironment and clinical characteristics of the IRSM were revealed. Moreover, the IRSM effectiveness was associated with immunotherapy and chemotherapy. Patients in the low-risk group were more sensitive to immunotherapy and chemotherapy than those in the high-risk group. Interestingly, the patients responding to immunotherapy were also more sensitive to chemotherapy. Overall, we developed an IRSM which could be used to predict the prognosis, immunotherapy response and chemotherapy sensitivity of EC patients. Our analysis not only improves the treatment of EC but also offers targets for personalized therapeutic interventions.
Long-Term Outcomes after Incomplete Resection of Intramedullary Grade II Ependymomas: Is Adjuvant Radiotherapy Justified?
Authors: Chaskis Elly , Bouchaala Mohamed , David Philippe , Parker Fabrice , Aghakhani Nozar , Knafo Steven
Published: July 2023

Ependymomas are the most common intramedullary tumors in adults. While gross total resection is the aim of surgery, tumor infiltration might limit resection. In cases of subtotal removal, the necessary adjuvant management remains unclear. The aim of our study was to assess the need for adjuvant radiotherapy after an incomplete resection of grade II intramedullary ependymomas (IME-II). We retrospectively reviewed all cases of IME-II operated upon at a single tertiary neurosurgical center from 2009 to 2018. Patients with anaplastic or myxopapillary ependymomas, and patients with a follow-up of less than three years, were excluded. We included 46 patients: 19 (41.3%) had a gross total resection; 21 (45.7%) had a subtotal resection; and 6 (13%) had a partial resection. None of the patients underwent adjuvant radiotherapy. Over a median follow-up of 79 months (range = 36–186), seven patients presented a radiological tumor progression with a mean delay of 50.9 months (range = 18–85), of which two were symptomatic (4.3%). Progression-free survival (PFS) was 90.1% at 5 years and 76.8% at 10 years. The extent of the resection was the only significant risk factor for secondary tumor progression (p = 0.012). Four of the seven patients with recurring IME-II were treated: three patients had a second surgery, leading to two GTR and one STR, followed by radiotherapy in one case, and one patient underwent radiotherapy alone. In this study, the rate of symptomatic progression and retreatment after incomplete resection of IME-II without adjuvant radiotherapy was low, suggesting a conservative approach in such cases.
Decoding Oncofusions: Unveiling Mechanisms, Clinical Impact, and Prospects for Personalized Cancer Therapies
Authors: Salokas Kari , Dashi Giovanna , Varjosalo Markku
Published: July 2023

Cancer-associated gene fusions, also known as oncofusions, have emerged as influential drivers of oncogenesis across a diverse range of cancer types. These genetic events occur via chromosomal translocations, deletions, and inversions, leading to the fusion of previously separate genes. Due to the drastic nature of these mutations, they often result in profound alterations of cellular behavior. The identification of oncofusions has revolutionized cancer research, with advancements in sequencing technologies facilitating the discovery of novel fusion events at an accelerated pace. Oncofusions exert their effects through the manipulation of critical cellular signaling pathways that regulate processes such as proliferation, differentiation, and survival. Extensive investigations have been conducted to understand the roles of oncofusions in solid tumors, leukemias, and lymphomas. Large-scale initiatives, including the Cancer Genome Atlas, have played a pivotal role in unraveling the landscape of oncofusions by characterizing a vast number of cancer samples across different tumor types. While validating the functional relevance of oncofusions remains a challenge, even non-driver mutations can hold significance in cancer treatment. Oncofusions have demonstrated potential value in the context of immunotherapy through the production of neoantigens. Their clinical importance has been observed in both treatment and diagnostic settings, with specific fusion events serving as therapeutic targets or diagnostic markers. However, despite the progress made, there is still considerable untapped potential within the field of oncofusions. Further research and validation efforts are necessary to understand their effects on a functional basis and to exploit the new targeted treatment avenues offered by oncofusions. Through further functional and clinical studies, oncofusions will enable the advancement of precision medicine and the drive towards more effective and specific treatments for cancer patients.
SaBrcada: Survival Intervals Prediction for Breast Cancer Patients by Dimension Raising and Age Stratification
Authors: Lin Shih-Huan , Chien Ching-Hsuan , Chang Kai-Po , Lu Min-Fang , Chen Yu-Ting , Chu Yen-Wei
Published: July 2023

(1) Background: Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among women. The accurate prediction of survival intervals will help physicians make informed decisions about treatment strategies or the use of palliative care. (2) Methods: Gene expression is predictive and correlates to patient prognosis. To establish a reliable prediction tool, we collected a total of 1187 RNA-seq data points from breast cancer patients (median age 58 years) in Fragments Per Kilobase Million (FPKM) format from the TCGA database. Among them, we selected 144 patients with date of death information to establish the SaBrcada-AD dataset. We first normalized the SaBrcada-AD dataset to TPM to build the survival prediction model SaBrcada. After normalization and dimension raising, we used the differential gene expression data to test eight different deep learning architectures. Considering the effect of age on prognosis, we also performed a stratified random sampling test on all ages between the lower and upper quartiles of patient age, 48 and 69 years; (3) Results: Stratifying by age 61, the performance of SaBrcada built by GoogLeNet was improved to a highest accuracy of 0.798. We also built a free website tool to provide five predicted survival periods: within six months, six months to one year, one to three years, three to five years, or over five years, for clinician reference. (4) Conclusions: We built the prediction model, SaBrcada, and the website tool of the same name for breast cancer survival analysis. Through these models and tools, clinicians will be provided with survival interval information as a basis for formulating precision medicine.
Gold Nanobipyramids for Near-Infrared Fluorescence-Enhanced Imaging and Treatment of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Authors: Theodorou Ioannis G. , Mpekris Fotios , Papagiorgis Paris , Panagi Myrofora , Kalli Maria , Potamiti Louiza , Kyriacou Kyriacos , Itskos Grigorios , Stylianopoulos Triantafyllos
Published: July 2023

There is an imminent need for novel strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of aggressive triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Cell-targeted multifunctional nanomaterials hold great potential, as they can combine precise early-stage diagnosis with local therapeutic delivery to specific cell types. In this study, we used mesoporous silica (MS)-coated gold nanobipyramids (MS-AuNBPs) for fluorescence imaging in the near-infrared (NIR) biological window, along with targeted TNBC treatment. Our MS-AuNBPs, acting partly as light amplification components, allow considerable metal-enhanced fluorescence for a NIR dye conjugated to their surfaces compared to the free dye. Fluorescence analysis confirms a significant increase in the dye’s modified quantum yield, indicating that MS-AuNBPs can considerably increase the brightness of low-quantum-yield NIR dyes. Meanwhile, we tested the chemotherapeutic efficacy of MS-AuNBPs in TNBC following the loading of doxorubicin within the MS pores and functionalization to target folate receptor alpha (FRα)-positive cells. We show that functionalized particles target FRα-positive cells with significant specificity and have a higher potency than free doxorubicin. Finally, we demonstrate that FRα-targeted particles induce stronger antitumor effects and prolong overall survival compared to the clinically applied non-targeted nanotherapy, Doxil. Together with their excellent biocompatibility measured in vitro, this study shows that MS-AuNBPs are promising tools to detect and treat TNBCs.