bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigating the Obstacle Climbing Ability of a Coal Mine Search-and-Rescue Robot with a Hydraulic Mechanism
Authors: Shang Lei , Wang Haibo , Si Haiqing , Li Yao , Pan Ting
Published: October 2022

Due to the perilous conditions in coal mine accidents, trapped people need to be rescued as soon as possible. The danger and complexity of this environment have brought great difficulties for search and rescue. The emergence of rescue robots has addressed this problem, and the improvement of their search-and-rescue ability is a key concern for rescue robot designers. Based on previous experience of a tracked mobile robot, this paper proposes a new solution via the addition of adjustive rocker arms. For this purpose, a hydraulic unit is installed between the rocker arms and the robot, which enables the rocker arms to be pulled back and forth, enabling its adaptation to more complex environments. In addition, based on kinematics equations, by analyzing the motion rules and characteristics of climbing typical obstacles including stairs, grooves, and lug steps, the present research not only works out the centroid coordinates but also explores the maximal obstacle height. The results show that when the rocker arms are extended by hydraulic pressure, the obstacle-climbing height of the robot increases 16.7 percent. This demonstrates the improvement in obstacle climbing ability and rescue efficiency in complex environments.
Effects of Focal Muscle Vibration on Gait and Balance in Parkinson Patients: Preliminary Results
Authors: Ferrara Paola Emilia , Gatto Dario Mattia , Codazza Sefora , Zordan Paolo , Stefinlongo Gioia , Coraci Daniele , Lo Monaco Maria Rita , Ricciardi Diego , Ronconi Gianpaolo
Published: October 2022

Background: Postural instability has a major impact on the mobility and daily life activities of Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients as it often leads to reduced mobility, insecure stance and falls. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of focal vibration on the static and dynamic balance of a group of Parkinson’s disease patients. Methods: Twenty-three idiopathic PD patients (14 M; 9 F), Hoehn and Yahr (HeY) stage II–III, underwent three weeks of focal muscle vibration applied to the quadriceps, soles of the feet and trapezius muscles bilaterally in addition to conventional physiotherapy. The static and dynamic balance was assessed at baseline (T0), after 3 weeks of treatment (T1) and after 1 month from the last treatment (T2) with the Tinetti scale and stabilometry evaluations. Results: There was a statistically significant improvement in the mean Tinetti score at T1, and in the Romberg area (CE/OE) of oscillation and oscillation velocity on the x-axis with the eyes closed at T2. Conclusions: Focal muscle vibration in conjunction with physiotherapy is a useful tool in the rehabilitation of gait and balance disorders of patients with Parkinson’s disease HeY stage II–III.
Structure-Function Coupling Reveals Seizure Onset Connectivity Patterns
Authors: Maher Christina , D’Souza Arkiev , Barnett Michael , Kavehei Omid , Wang Chenyu , Nikpour Armin
Published: October 2022

The implications of combining structural and functional connectivity to quantify the most active brain regions in seizure onset remain unclear. This study tested a new model that may facilitate the incorporation of diffusion MRI (dMRI) in clinical practice. We obtained structural connectomes from dMRI and functional connectomes from electroencephalography (EEG) to assess whether high structure-function coupling corresponded with the seizure onset region. We mapped individual electrodes to their nearest cortical region to allow for a one-to-one comparison between the structural and functional connectomes. A seizure laterality score and expected onset zone were defined. The patients with well-lateralised seizures revealed high structure-function coupling consistent with the seizure onset zone. However, a lower seizure lateralisation score translated to reduced alignment between the high structure-function coupling regions and the seizure onset zone. We illustrate that dMRI, in combination with EEG, can improve the identification of the seizure onset zone. Our model may be valuable in enhancing ultra-long-term monitoring by indicating optimal, individualised electrode placement.
XCT and DLW: Synergies of Two Techniques at Sub-Micrometer Resolution
Authors: Fritzsche Sven , Jaenisch Gerd-Rüdiger , Pavasarytė Lina , Funk Alexander
Published: October 2022

Direct Laser Writing (DLW) and X-ray computed tomography (XCT) both offer unique possibilities in their respective fields. DLW produces full three-dimensional (3D) polymer structures on the microscale with resolutions below 100 nm. The fabricated structures can be analysed by XCT or X-ray microscopy (XRM), which incorporates additional X-ray lenses, in three dimensions down to a minimal basic spatial resolution of about 500 nm or 50 nm, respectively. In this work, two different DLW structures are analysed via XCT. Internal defects are detected and analysed for the purpose of quality control. Defects and structures with sizes down to 1.5 µm are successfully analysed. A 3D reconstruction and internal, hidden features of the fabricated structures are shown and discussed. In a first-of-its-kind study, we demonstrate the detectability of a single-voxel line inside a fabricated structure that would not be detectable with SEM or light microscopy. Furthermore, the direct fabrication on a PET substrate is shown to overcome the high X-ray absorbance of commonly used glass substrates. Attenuation spectra of SZ2080 and glass substrates are compared to a fabrication route direct on a 170 µm PET foil. The practical aspects of XCT measurements for DLW structures on different substrates will be discussed.
Systematic Machine Translation of Social Network Data Privacy Policies
Authors: Tanoli Irfan Khan , Amin Imran , Junejo Faraz , Yusoff Nukman
Published: October 2022

With the growing popularity of online social networks, one common desire of people is to use of social networking services for establishing social relations with others. The boom of social networking has transformed common users into content (data) contributors. People highly rely on social sites to share their ideas and interests and express opinions. Social network sites store all such activities in a data form and exploit the data for various purposes, e.g., marketing, advertisements, product delivery, product research, and even sentiment analysis, etc. Privacy policies primarily defined in Natural Language (NL) specify storage, usage, and sharing of the user’s data and describe authorization, obligation, or denial of specific actions under specific contextual conditions. Although these policies expressed in Natural Language (NL) allow users to read and understand the allowed (or obliged or denied) operations on their data, the described policies cannot undergo automatic control of the actual use of the data by the entities that operate on them. This paper proposes an approach to systematically translate privacy statements related to data from NL into a controlled natural one, i.e., CNL4DSA to improve the machine processing. The methodology discussed in this work is based on a combination of standard Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques, logic programming, and ontologies. The proposed technique is demonstrated with a prototype implementation and tested with policy examples. The system is tested with a number of data privacy policies from five different social network service providers. Predominantly, this work primarily takes into account two key aspects: (i) The translation of social networks’ data privacy policy and (ii) the effectiveness and efficiency of the developed system. It is concluded that the proposed system can successfully and efficiently translate any common data policy based on an empirical analysis performed of the obtained results.
A Singular Perturbation Approach-Based Non-Cascade Sliding Mode Control for Surface-Mounted PMSMs
Authors: Che Zhiyuan , Yu Haitao , Mobayen Saleh , Ali Murad , Bartoszewicz Andrzej , Bouteraa Yassine
Published: October 2022

Motivated by the fact that electrical transients are rather fast compared with mechanical response, the traditional cascade control structure constituted by the inner current and outer speed loops is usually employed in the permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) servo control community. According to the above-mentioned time-scale characteristic of the PMSMs drive systems, this technique addresses the problems of the non-cascade sliding mode control (SMC) strategy for the surface-mounted PMSMs. Firstly, by appropriately introducing the singular perturbation theory, the corresponding mathematical equations are modeled as a singular perturbation system. Meanwhile, a composite sliding mode surface is constructed based on the Lyapunov equation, such that the system stability can be also guaranteed. Then, according to the exponential reaching law, a standard non-cascade SMC law is designed. Furthermore, an optimal nonlinear function-based tracking differentiator (TD) is presented to smooth the reference velocity value, while providing differential signals. As a result, a novel TD-based SMC strategy is synthesized by incorporating a nonlinear function, thus improving the inherent chattering phenomenon. Finally, a surface-mounted PMSM servo system is performed to illustrate the advantages and effectiveness of the proposed approaches. The main contribution of this paper is to present an alternative non-cascade SMC framework based on the singular perturbation approach, which provides a novel control structure for a PMSM speed regulation system.
Conceptual Design of a Compact Divertor Heat Load Simulation Device: HIT-PSI
Authors: Huang Tao , Nie Qiuyue , Wang Min , Xu Fengyu , Wang Xiaogang
Published: October 2022

Linear plasma devices have been increasingly applied in investigating plasma–surface interaction (PSI) processes and divertor/scraped-off-layer (D/SOL) physics because of their economy, flexibility, and expandability. However, only a few existing linear plasma devices are able to obtain high heat and particle fluxes. In this work, we report a compact superconducting linear device, with its scientific goals and specific design methods, at Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), HIT-PSI, capable of implementing an extreme plasma environment with beams of a long discharge pulse, as well as high heat and particle fluxes in the future fusion reactor regime of ITER/CFETR-like parameters. A five-coil integrated superconducting magnet is designed to generate a >2.0 Tesla steady-state magnetic field for confining a long pulse plasma beam with a density of >1020 m−3 produced by a cascaded arc plasma source. With a pump set of 2500 L/s and a water-cooled target system with bias voltage, it is expected to obtain high-density and low-temperature plasma beams with a heat flux of over 10 MW/m2. Subsystems of the platform, including the plasma source, superconducting magnets, vacuum system, and target holder system, are described in detail. In addition, the function and performance of the platform are numerically simulated and represented by SOLPS-ITER code to predict the laboratory simulation results.
GB-RAR Deformation Information Estimation of High-Speed Railway Bridge in Consideration of the Effects of Colored Noise
Authors: Wang Cheng , Zhou Lv , Ma Jun , Shi Anping , Li Xinyi , Liu Lilong , Zhang Zhi , Zhang Di
Published: October 2022

Safety assessment must accurately grasp deformation information of a high-speed railway bridge. When the ground-based radar collected high-frequency data, white and colored noises will be present in the radar signal due to the influence of environment and instrument errors. The existence of the above-mentioned two kinds of noises will affect the accurate estimation of deformation information. Based on the above situation, a ground-based real aperture radar (GB-RAR) deformation information estimation method considering the effect of colored noise was proposed in this work. The proposed method was applied to the safety monitoring and analysis of East Lake High-tech Bridge during the Wuhan Metro Line 11 shield tunnel crossing underneath this bridge. First, the settlement deformation time series of the bridge was derived based on GB-RAR, and it was verified by leveling at an accuracy better than 0.27 mm. Second, white, and colored noises were detected in the denoised settlement deformation time series through a power spectral analysis and maximum likelihood estimation, and the colored noise spectral indexes were approximately −1. Finally, according to the proposed method, the estimated settlement rates of No. 7 and 8 piers were 0.0112 ± 0.0026 and −0.0046 ± 0.0053 mm/h, and the accumulative settlement values were −0.40 and −0.16 mm, respectively. The results were in good agreement with the results of leveling measurement and more accurate than those of the deformation information estimation method without considering the effect of colored noise. The research results showed the reliability and effectiveness of the method in this work, and the bridge was stable and safe during the monitoring period.
Dual Band Antenna Design and Prediction of Resonance Frequency Using Machine Learning Approaches
Authors: Haque Md. Ashraful , Sarker Nayan , Sawaran Singh Narinderjit Singh , Rahman Md Afzalur , Hasan Md. Nahid , Islam Mirajul , Zakariya Mohd Azman , Paul Liton Chandra , Sharker Adiba Haque , Abro Ghulam E. Mustafa , Hannan Md , Pk Ripon
Published: October 2022

An inset fed-microstrip patch antenna (MPA) with a partial ground structure is constructed and evaluated in this paper. This article covers how to evaluate the performance of the designed antenna by using a combination of simulation, measurement, creation of the RLC equivalent circuit model, and the implementation of machine learning approaches. The MPA’s measured frequency range is 7.9–14.6 GHz, while its simulated frequency range is 8.35–14.25 GHz in CST microwave studio (CST MWS) 2018. The measured and simulated bandwidths are 6.7 GHz and 5.9 GHz, respectively. The antenna substrate is composed of FR-4 Epoxy, which has a dielectric constant of 4.4 and a loss tangent of 0.02. The equivalent model of the proposed MPA is developed by using an advanced design system (ADS) to compare the resonance frequencies obtained by using CST. In addition, the measured return loss of the prototype is compared with the simulated return loss observed by using CST and ADS. At the end, 86 data samples are gathered through the simulation by using CST MWS, and seven machine learning (ML) approaches, such as convolutional neural network (CNN), linear regression (LR), random forest regression (RFR), decision tree regression (DTR), lasso regression, ridge regression, and extreme gradient boosting (XGB) regression, are applied to estimate the resonant frequency of the patch antenna. The performance of the seven ML models is evaluated based on mean square error (MSE), mean absolute error (MAE), root mean square error (RMSE), and variance score. Among the seven ML models, the prediction result of DTR (MSE = 0.71%, MAE = 5.63%, RMSE = 8.42%, and var score = 99.68%) is superior to other ML models. In conclusion, the proposed antenna is a strong contender for operating at the entire X-band and lower portion of the Ku-band frequencies, as evidenced by the simulation results through CST and ADS, it measured and predicted results using machine learning approaches.
Consecutive and Effective Facial Masking Using Image-Based Bone Sensing for Remote Medicine Education
Authors: Chen Sinan , Nakamura Masahide , Sekiguchi Kenji
Published: October 2022

Unlike masking human faces from images, facial masking in real-time, frame by frame from a video stream, presents technical challenges related to various factors such as camera-to-human distance, head direction, and mosaic schemes. In many existing studies, expensive equipment and huge computational resources are strongly required, and it is not easy to effectively realize real-time facial masking with a simpler approach. This study aims to develop a secure streaming system to support remote medicine education and to quantitatively evaluate consecutive and effective facial masking using image-based bone sensing. Our key idea is to use the facial feature of bone sensing instead of general face recognition techniques to perform facial masking from the video stream. We use a general-purpose computer and a USB fixed-point camera to implement the eye line mosaic and face mosaic. We quantitatively evaluate the results of facial masking at different distances and human head orientations using bone sensing technology and a depth camera. we compare the results of a similar approach for face recognition with those of bone sensing. As the main results, consecutive face masking using bone sensing is unaffected by distance and head orientation, and the variation width of the mosaic area is stable within around 30% of the target area. However, about three-fourths of the results using conventional face recognition were unable to mask their faces consecutively.
Methods for Underwater Gravity Measurement Error Compensations Based on Correlation Analysis
Authors: Yu Dongyao , Xiong Zhiming , Cao Juliang , Cai Shaokun , Yu Ruihang , Liu Wei
Published: October 2022

The measurement of Earth’s gravitational field is important in geophysics, geodynamics, geodesy, oceanography, and space science. The ocean covers 71% of the earth’s surface; therefore, measuring the ocean’s gravitational field is crucial. Compared with shipborne gravimetry, underwater gravimetry near the seafloor is closer to gravity sources and can obtain short-wavelength gravity information that is useful for small-scale deposit detection and seawater intrusion monitoring. This article focuses on gravimetric errors caused by the poor dynamics of the carrier; an error compensation method for underwater gravimetry based on correlation analysis is proposed. By analyzing the error sources that affect the dynamics of the carrier, the relationship between the gravimetry error and impact factors related to the dynamics was established, and the model’s parameters were estimated by the least-squares fitting method. The experimental data show that this method can effectively compensate for gravimetric errors caused by carrier dynamics and provide the theoretical basis and algorithm model for underwater gravimetry in the bottom-tracking mode.
A Novel Non-Parametric Spatiotemporal Scan Statistic: An Application to Detect Disease Outbreaks
Authors: Hettige Kethmi H. , Tilakaratne Chandima D.
Published: October 2022

The majority of the widely used scan statistics are based on distributional assumptions. Contrary to the existing methods, with a new perspective in clustering, the Mann-Whitney Scan Statistic was introduced to detect clusters in continuous data indexed by time or space, without any distributional assumptions or parameters to set up. We propose an extension of the Mann-Whitney Scan Statistic that can be applied to spatiotemporal data based on spatiotemporal distance measure. This novel scan statistic is distribution-free and seems to be powerful against parametric spatiotemporal scan statistics. The results are applicable in a wide variety of spatiotemporal domains, including epidemiology, socioeconomic analysis and climate sciences, irrespective of continuous or discrete data.
Thermomechanical Analysis of Steel-to-Timber Connections under Fire and the Material Density Effect
Authors: Gomes Carlos , Fonseca Elza M. M. , Lopes Hernâni M.
Published: October 2022

This work presents a thermomechanical numerical analysis of a steel-to-timber connection with dowels in tension when exposed to fire using ANSYS ® software. Three different wood density materials were considered. The connection is built by a three-dimensional model with a thermomechanical boundary condition. A nominal temperature–time curve, ISO 834, was used to simulate the fire effect. Numerical simulation to determine the field of thermal and mechanical stresses was performed using a combined problem. A temperature field was imposed for a given time instant of fire exposure, calculated through a thermal analysis in a transient regime. This temperature profile was coupled to an incremental tensile load, allowing the determination of the maximum mechanical resistance of the connection. According to this methodology, the load-bearing capacity of the connections in each fire rating will be determined. In addition, the numerical results allow verification of the wood density influence on the mechanical resistance of the connection exposed to fire. In conclusion, the load-bearing capacity decreases with fire exposure and with lower material density. With the proposed methodology, the effect of the wood density on the heat transferred through the connection under fire can be verified, and a thermomechanical complex model is proposed to solve and analyze this type of problem, which is the great motivation in this work. The numerical methodology represents well the thermomechanical behavior of the connection under fire. This procedure can be used, considering other different parameters, to improve the design and allow the study of the connection behavior as an alternative to the experimental tests.
Comparison of Allogeneic Bone Plate and Guided Bone Regeneration Efficiency in Horizontally Deficient Maxillary Alveolar Ridges
Authors: Cinar Ihsan Caglar , Gultekin Bahattin Alper , Saglanmak Alper , Akay Ayse Sumeyye , Zboun Mohammed , Mijiritsky Eitan
Published: October 2022

(1) Background: Bone Lamina Technique and Guided Bone Regeneration (GBR) are commonly used for horizontally-deficient maxillary ridge reconstruction, although more detailed evaluation to assess the differences between such techniques is necessitated. (2) Methods: In this retrospective study, patients having a horizontal bone width of ≤4 mm in the maxilla, who were treated with Cortical Strut (CS), were collected to represent the “test group”, and those treated with GBR with no CS involvement represented the “control group”. A 1:1 mixture of autogenous bone (AB) and anorganic bovine bone (ABB) with resorbable collagen membrane was applied to both groups. Volumetric changes between groups were measured with cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). The primary outcome represented volumetric graft resorption rate whilst the secondary outcomes represented any probable complications and implant insertion torque. (3) Results: A total of 36 patients were included in this study (36 grafted sites; 18 for CS group and 18 for GBR group). Mean bone graft volume reduction in the CS and GBR groups was 8.26 ± 1.60% and 14.36 ± 3.55%, respectively. The GBR group showed significantly more bone resorption than the CS group (p < 0.001). Complications and insertion torque were similar between the groups (p > 0.05). (4) Conclusions: Both CS and GBR techniques for hard-tissue augmentation provided sufficient bone graft mass volume for implant insertion, whereas CS demonstrated lower resorption rate at maxillary augmented sites, compared to GBR.
Seismic Structure Beneath the Molucca Sea Collision Zone from Travel Time Tomography Based on Local and Regional BMKG Networks
Authors: Rachman Gazali , Santosa Bagus Jaya , Nugraha Andri Dian , Rohadi Supriyanto , Rosalia Shindy , Zulfakriza Zulfakriza , Sungkono Sungkono , Sahara David P. , Muttaqy Faiz , Supendi Pepen , Ramdhan Mohamad , Ardianto Ardianto , Afif Haunan
Published: October 2022

The Molucca Sea Plate, and Sangihe and Halmahera plates have a complex tectonic setting and interact to create the Molucca Sea Collision Zone. We re-picked 1647 events recorded from 2010 to 2017 from 32 of The Agency for Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics (BMKG) stations and obtained P- and S-arrivals of ~17,628 phases. Hypocenter locations were determined using the software NonLinLoc. Then, we performed a travel time tomography in order to image the subsurface and approximate the Molucca Sea Plate subduction angle beneath Sulawesi’s north arm, the relationship subduction zone and volcanic activity in Halmahera, and depth comparison of the Molucca Sea Plate. Our results show that (i) high Vp, high Vs, and low Vp/Vs are associated with the Molucca Sea Plate beneath Sulawesi’s north arm, and the approximate subduction angle is ~40°. (ii) Low Vp, low Vs, and high Vp/Vs beneath the northern and southern Halmahera Volcanic Arc are associated with a possible magma source. Volcanoes in the north have experienced eruptions and are dormant in the south. This group of volcanoes is connected by partial melting above the Molucca Sea Plate subducts to the east. (iii) High Vp, high Vs, and low Vp/Vs are interpreted as double subduction of the Molucca Sea Plate. It is submerged deeper in the north compared with the south, which is nearer to the surface.
Documenting Archaeological Petroglyph Sites with the Use of 3D Terrestrial Laser Scanners—A Case Study of Petroglyphs in Kyrgyzstan
Authors: Kęsik Jacek , Miłosz Marek , Montusiewicz Jerzy , Israilova Nella
Published: October 2022

The use of 3D terrestrial laser scanners (TLS) in the documentation of archaeological sites is an effective method of collecting information about the area under study. The wide range of acquired data makes this method a versatile tool, and not limited only to documentation tasks. This article presents the possibilities of 3D TLS and their postprocessing software in the pioneering work related to the digitization of exhibits in The Petroglyphs of Cholpon-Ata Open-air Museum near Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan. A 3DScaMITE methodology adapted for that task is highlighted. The data obtained during the scanning were used to build high-accuracy 3D digital petroglyph models, together with their location within the open-air museum area. The acquired models also allowed a detailed analysis of the geometric parameters of the cavities forming the petroglyph figures. The results of the analysis confirmed the thesis about improper preservation of petroglyphs. It has been demonstrated in this way that the used TLS method is completely universal in documenting petroglyphs, including the location and shape of their place of creation, as well as creating a sufficiently accurate analysis of the structure of drawings.
A Hybrid Linear Iterative Clustering and Bayes Classification-Based GrabCut Segmentation Scheme for Dynamic Detection of Cervical Cancer
Authors: Magaraja Anousouya Devi , Rajapackiyam Ezhilarasie , Kanagaraj Vaitheki , Kanagaraj Suresh Joseph , Kotecha Ketan , Vairavasundaram Subramaniyaswamy , Mehta Mayuri , Palade Vasile
Published: October 2022

Cervical cancer earlier detection remains indispensable for enhancing the survival rate probability among women patients worldwide. The early detection of cervical cancer is done relatively by using the Pap Smear cell Test. This method of detection is challenged by the degradation phenomenon within the image segmentation task that arises when the superpixel count is minimized. This paper introduces a Hybrid Linear Iterative Clustering and Bayes classification-based GrabCut Segmentation Technique (HLC-BC-GCST) for the dynamic detection of Cervical cancer. In this proposed HLC-BC-GCST approach, the Linear Iterative Clustering process is employed to cluster the potential features of the preprocessed image, which is then combined with GrabCut to prevent the issues that arise when the number of superpixels is minimized. In addition, the proposed HLC-BC-GCST scheme benefits of the advantages of the Gaussian mixture model (GMM) on the extracted features from the iterative clustering method, based on which the mapping is performed to describe the energy function. Then, Bayes classification is used for reconstructing the graph cut model from the extracted energy function derived from the GMM model-based Linear Iterative Clustering features for better computation and implementation. Finally, the boundary optimization method is utilized to considerably minimize the roughness of cervical cells, which contains the cytoplasm and nuclei regions, using the GrabCut algorithm to facilitate improved segmentation accuracy. The results of the proposed HLC-BC-GCST scheme are 6% better than the results obtained by other standard detection approaches of cervical cancer using graph cuts.
Insulators and Defect Detection Based on the Improved Focal Loss Function
Authors: Li Yuhang , Zou Guoping , Zou Hongliang , Zhou Chen , An Siguang
Published: October 2022

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) inspection has become the mainstream of transmission line inspection, and the detection of insulator defects is an important part of UAV inspection. On the premise of ensuring high accuracy and detection speed, an improved YOLOv5 model is proposed for defect detection of insulators. The algorithm uses the weights trained on conventional large-scale datasets to improve accuracy through the transfer learning method of feature mapping. The algorithm employs the Focal loss function and proposes a dynamic weight assignment method. Compared with the traditional empirical value method, it is more in line with the distribution law of samples in the data set, improves the accuracy of difficult-to-classify samples, and saves a lot of time. The experimental results show that the average accuracy of the insulator and its defect is 98.3%, 5.7% higher than the original model, while the accuracy and recall rate of insulator defects are improved by 5.7% and 7.9%, respectively. The algorithm improves the accuracy and recall of the model and enables faster detection of insulator defects.
The Visuality of Hortus Mirabilis in Krystyna Miłobędzka’s Poetry—A Study of Selected Examples
Authors: Walczak-Delanois Dorota
Published: October 2022

Krystyna Miłobędzka (born 1932) is one of the most interesting and unique phenomena of the Polish poetry scene of the 20th and 21st centuries. Two characteristics of her poetry, the visual character of her many poems and her preoccupation with the concept of the garden-world, are worth a closer look. Miłobędzka’s poetry refers to the topoï of the garden-world in single poems and cycles of poetic texts. Her hortus mirabilis, inserts itself into the sphere of the metaphysical reflection of nature, giving Miłobędzka’s poetry a specific dynamic in which the “I”—the gardener—has a significant role as an observer, and as a creator of entities. The activity of looking, which happens, in fact, in all types of verbs and aspects, is in this specific sphere (look, watch, see), fundamental to defining oneself in the world and the world’s relationship to oneself. In this perspective, the image of the garden from childhood, is confronted by a necessary new visualization. The temporal aspect of the garden is at the center of existence, in the cyclical return of nature’s laws of rebirth and death, which are relevant to the personal, singular perspective of the end in many of Miłobędzka’s volumes. In Anaglify (Anaglyphs), some poems particularly fit the issue of visuality in poetry, not only at the conceptual level, the place granted to observation, the poet-particular observer, but the poem itself. They are conceived as graphic and pictorial realizations. Poems from the volume dwanaście wierszy w kolorze (twelve poems in color) or wszystkowiersze (omnipoems) are special cases of these. The selected words are conceived in color, and their arrangement on the space of the page has meaning. The parallel between looking and writing, which Miłobędzka consistently uses in her writing method and poetically admits, is also very important. Although her poetic diction alludes to historical avant-garde and linguistic poetry achievements, her lyrical savoir-faire is characterized by a certain new minimalist construction and a separate, recognizable style. Miłobędzka’s innovativeness lies in combining seemingly distant and sometimes poetically opposite categories: full, ambiguous image-in-poem and asceticism by means of expression, such as a minimal number of words. Her poetry is deeply rooted in perceiving, seeing, watching, and contemplating the world—faithful to its physicality but also open to the most essential questions of philosophy asking about existence and its limits. This new visibility of elements is reflected in authentic poetic delight and in the “visualizing” form, where the poem also becomes an image on the plane of a sheet of paper or becoming one side of the house wall as a mural poem.
Climatic Relationship of Vegetation in Forest Stands in the Mediterranean Vegetation Belt of the Eastern Adriatic
Authors: Ugarković Damir , Paulić Vinko , Šapić Irena , Poljak Igor , Ančić Mario , Tikvić Ivica , Stankić Igor
Published: October 2022

The Mediterranean vegetation belt on the eastern Adriatic covers an area of nearly 15,000 km2. It is comprised of forest stands that can be divided into three vegetation zones based on the presence of certain plant species within each: sub-Mediterranean, eu-Mediterranean, and steno-Mediterranean. The dominant ecological factors result in the domination of specific tree species within the floral composition between these vegetation zones. The aim of this study was to collect climate data from 38 weather stations over a 30-year period to compare climate data and bioclimate properties in the area of these three vegetation zones. The results confirmed statistically significant differences between the main climatic elements and most bioclimatic indices between the vegetation zones. Cooler and more humid conditions were found in the sub-Mediterranean zone, warmer and somewhat drier conditions in the eu-Mediterranean zone, and particularly pronounced warm and dry conditions in the steno-Mediterranean zone. However, the analysis of the main components for researching climate parameters showed that the mean annual air temperature, average minimum air temperature of the coldest month of the year and continentality index, length of the dry season, and de Martonne aridity index contribute the most to the grouping of vegetation in forest stands in the Mediterranean vegetation belt of the eastern Adriatic.
Impact of Cloud Condensation Nuclei Reduction on Cloud Characteristics and Solar Radiation during COVID-19 Lockdown 2020 in Moscow
Authors: Shuvalova Julia , Chubarova Natalia , Shatunova Marina
Published: October 2022

We used MODIS observations to retrieve number concentration of cloud droplets (Nd) at cloud lower boundary during spring 2018–2020 for the Moscow region. Looking through the similar synoptic situations of the northern clear air advection, we obtained Nd within the limits of 200–300 cm−3. During the lockdown period, with similar northern advection conditions, the reduction of Nd on 40–50 cm−3 (or 14–16%), with the increase in droplet effective radius by 8 ± 1% and cloud optical thickness reduction by 5 ± 2%, was observed in contrast to the values in typical conditions in 2018–2019. We used these values for setting up corresponding parameters in numerical simulations with the COSMO-Ru model. According to the numerical experiments, we showed that the observed reduction in cloud droplet concentration by 50 cm−3 provides a 5–9 W/m2 (or 9–11%) increase in global irradiance at ground in overcast cloud conditions with LWP = 200–400 g/m2.
Severe Precipitation Phenomena in Crimea in Relation to Atmospheric Circulation
Authors: Evstigneev Vladislav P. , Naumova Valentina A. , Voronin Dmitriy Y. , Kuznetsov Pavel N. , Korsakova Svetlana P.
Published: October 2022

The increase in the frequency and intensity of hazardous hydrometeorological phenomena is one of the most dangerous consequences of climate instability. In this study, we summarize the data on severe weather phenomena using the data from 23 meteorological stations in Crimea from 1976 to 2020. Particular attention was paid to the precipitation phenomena descriptions. For the last 45 years, a significant positive trend of interannual variability of the annual occurrence of severe weather phenomena was estimated to be +2.7 cases per decade. The trend for severe precipitation phenomena was estimated to be +1.3 cases per decade. The probable maximum annual daily precipitation as a quantitative indicator of hazardous events was estimated for each station by using both the stationary and the non-stationary GEV models. For at least half of the meteorological stations, a non-stationary GEV model was more appropriate for the estimation of the precipitation extremes. An analysis of the main synoptic processes that drive severe weather phenomena of precipitation was carried out. The greatest contribution to the formation of severe precipitation was made by Mediterranean–Black Sea cyclones. At the same time, half of all of the cases of extreme precipitation were caused by cyclones generated over the Black Sea only, in all seasons apart from winter. In the mid-troposphere, four types of meridional circulation were identified depending on the location of troughs and ridges, with respect to the Black Sea region. More than 42% of severe precipitation phenomena were accompanied by an isolated high-altitude cyclone in the mid-troposphere over the Black Sea region. The main recommendation that can be drawn from this study is that long-term climatic non-stationarity should be taken into account whenever the risk assessment or hazard analysis is to be carried out. The results can also favor the designing of drainage and sewerage systems in urban areas. The findings of atmospheric patterns can be used for the improvement of extreme precipitation forecasts.
Development of an Efficient Diagonally Implicit Runge–Kutta–Nyström 5(4) Pair for Special Second Order IVPs
Authors: Demba Musa Ahmed , Senu Norazak , Ramos Higinio , Watthayu Wiboonsak
Published: October 2022

In this work, a new pair of diagonally implicit Runge–Kutta–Nyström methods with four stages is constructed. The proposed method has been derived to solve initial value problems of special second-order ordinary-differential equations. The principal local truncation error of the new method is obtained, and the main characteristics of the new method are analyzed. Some numerical experiments are performed, which demonstrate the robustness and efficiency of the new embedded pair.
Understanding Aqueous Organic Redox Flow Batteries: A Guided Experimental Tour from Components Characterization to Final Assembly
Authors: Asenjo-Pascual Juan , Salmeron-Sanchez Ivan , Avilés-Moreno Juan Ramón , Mauleón Pablo , Mazur Petr , Ocón Pilar
Published: October 2022

The implementation of renewable energies into the electrical grid is one of our best options to mitigate the climate change. Redox flow batteries (RFB) are one of the most promising candidates for energy storage due to their scalability, durability and low cost. Despite this, just few studies have explained the basic concepts of RFBs and even fewer have reviewed the experimental conditions that are crucial for their development. This work aspired to be a helpful guide for beginner researchers who want to work in this exciting field. This guided tour aimed to clearly explain all the components and parameters of RFBs. Using a well-studied chemistry of anthraquinone (AQDS)-based anolyte and Na4[Fe(CN)6] catholyte, different techniques for the characterization of RFBs were described. The effects of some experimental parameters on battery performance such as electrolyte pH, O2 presence, membrane pretreatment and the capacity limiting side, were demonstrated. Furthermore, this analysis served to introduce different electrochemical techniques, i.e., load curve measurements, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and charge–discharge cycling tests. This work aimed to be the nexus between the basic concepts and the first experimental steps in the RFB field merging theory and experimental data.
Impact of Smoking Habit on Peri-Implant Indicators following Different Therapies: A Systematic Review
Authors: Farronato Davide , Azzi Lorenzo , Giboli Luca , Maurino Vittorio , Tartaglia Gianluca Martino , Farronato Marco
Published: October 2022

Peri-implant disease and its treatment is becoming a major concern for clinicians as the number of implants placed each year is rising. Smoking is a common habit, and it is associated with an increased risk of developing peri-implant disease. The role of smoking in the response to peri-implant treatment has never been investigated. Searches were conducted in electronic databases to screen articles published until August 2021. The included studies had at least two groups of patients: peri-implant disease only or peri-implant disease and smoking status. Outcomes of interest included plaque index (PI), probing depth (PD), bleeding on probing (BoP), radiographic crestal bone loss (CBL), and analysis of peri-implant sulcular fluid. Seven hundred and forty-nine articles were found in the databases, only 71 articles potentially qualified. A total of seven studies with a minimum follow-up of six months were included. There is no homogeneity in the diagnosis, smoker definition and treatment proposed. All surgical and non-surgical treatment have statistically significantly different outcomes in smokers and nonsmokers. Recognizing this study’s limitations, we conclude that smoking might play a significant role on the outcome of peri-implant disease treatment. None of the proposed treatments appear to be significantly more effective.
Current and Perspective Sensing Methods for Monkeypox Virus
Authors: Gul Ijaz , Liu Changyue , Yuan Xi , Du Zhicheng , Zhai Shiyao , Lei Zhengyang , Chen Qun , Raheem Muhammad Akmal , He Qian , Hu Qiuyue , Xiao Chufan , Haihui Zhang , Wang Runming , Han Sanyang , Du Ke , Yu Dongmei , Zhang Can Yang , Qin Peiwu
Published: October 2022

The outbreak of the monkeypox virus (MPXV) in non-endemic countries is an emerging global health threat and may have an economic impact if proactive actions are not taken. As shown by the COVID-19 pandemic, rapid, accurate, and cost-effective virus detection techniques play a pivotal role in disease diagnosis and control. Considering the sudden multicountry MPXV outbreak, a critical evaluation of the MPXV detection approaches would be a timely addition to the endeavors in progress for MPXV control and prevention. Herein, we evaluate the current MPXV detection methods, discuss their pros and cons, and provide recommended solutions to the problems. We review the traditional and emerging nucleic acid detection approaches, immunodiagnostics, whole-particle detection, and imaging-based MPXV detection techniques. The insights provided in this article will help researchers to develop novel techniques for the diagnosis of MPXV.
The Key Element Role of Metallophores in the Pathogenicity and Virulence of Staphylococcus aureus: A Review
Authors: Ghssein Ghassan , Ezzeddine Zeinab
Published: October 2022

The ubiquitous bacterium Staphylococcus aureus causes many diseases that sometimes can be fatal due to its high pathogenicity. The latter is caused by the ability of this pathogen to secrete secondary metabolites, enabling it to colonize inside the host causing infection through various processes. Metallophores are secondary metabolites that enable bacteria to sequester metal ions from the surrounding environment since the availability of metal ions is crucial for bacterial metabolism and virulence. The uptake of iron and other metal ions such as nickel and zinc is one of these essential mechanisms that gives this germ its virulence properties and allow it to overcome the host immune system. Additionally, extensive interactions occur between this pathogen and other bacteria as they compete for resources. Staphylococcus aureus has high-affinity metal import pathways including metal ions acquisition, recruitment and metal–chelate complex import. These characteristics give this bacterium the ability to intake metallophores synthesized by other bacteria, thus enabling it to compete with other microorganisms for the limited nutrients. In scarce host conditions, free metal ions are extremely low because they are confined to storage and metabolic molecules, so metal ions are sequestered by metallophores produced by this bacterium. Both siderophores (iron chelating molecules) and staphylopine (wide- spectrum metallophore) are secreted by Staphylococcus aureus giving it infectious properties. The genetic regulation of the synthesis and export together with the import of metal loaded metallophores are well established and are all covered in this review.
MEKK-3 Acts Cooperatively with NSY-1 in SKN-1-Dependent Manner against Oxidative Stress and Aging in Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Hwang Min , Shrestha Chandani , Kang Shinwon , Kim Jiyoon
Published: October 2022

Oxidative stress resulting from reactive oxygen species and other toxic metabolites is involved in human diseases, and it plays an important role in aging. In Caenorhabditis elegans, SKN-1 is required for protection against oxidative stress and aging. As p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling is activated in response to oxidative stress, SKN-1 accumulates in intestinal nuclei and induces phase II detoxification genes. However, NSY-1, a well-known mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase (MAPKKK) of C. elegans, acts as a partial regulator of the SKN-1-induced oxidative stress signaling pathway, suggesting that the regulator for optimal activation of SKN-1 remains unknown. Here, we report a MAPKKK, MEKK-3, as a new regulator required for full activation of SKN-1-mediated resistance against oxidative stress and aging. In RNA-interference-based screening, we found that the simultaneous knockdown of mekk-3 and nsy-1 significantly decreased the oxidative stress resistance and survival of SKN-1 transgenic worms. MEKK-3 was induced in response to oxidative stress. Mechanistic analysis revealed that double knockdown of mekk-3 and nsy-1 completely suppressed the nuclear localization of SKN-1. These results were reproduced in mutant worms in which SKN-1 is constitutively localized to intestinal nuclei. In addition, mekk-3 and nsy-1 were required for optimal induction of SKN-1 target genes such as gcs-1 and trx-1. These data indicate that MEKK-3 plays an essential role in the SKN-1-dependent signaling pathway involved in oxidative stress resistance and longevity by cooperating with NSY-1.
Addition of Natural Extracts with Antioxidant Function to Preserve the Quality of Meat Products
Authors: Bellucci Elisa Rafaela Bonadio , Bis-Souza Camila Vespúcio , Domínguez Rubén , Bermúdez Roberto , Barretto Andrea Carla da Silva
Published: October 2022

Antioxidants are used to prevent oxidation reactions and inhibit the development of unwanted sensory characteristics that decrease the nutritional quality, acceptance, and shelf-life of processed meat products, improving their stability. Synthetic antioxidants, although efficient, are related to the development of diseases because they present toxic and carcinogenic effects. Thus, researchers and the meat industry are studying natural alternatives to synthetic antioxidants to be used in meat products, thus meeting the demand of consumers who seek foods without additives in their composition. These natural extracts have compounds that exert antioxidant activity in different meat products by different mechanisms. Thus, this review work aimed to gather studies that applied natural extracts derived from different plant sources as possible antioxidants in meat products and their action in preserving the quality of these products.