bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Validation of the General and Sport Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire (GeSNK) in Spanish Adolescents
Authors: Manzano-Felipe María Ángeles , Cruz-Cobo Celia , Bernal-Jiménez María Ángeles , Santi-Cano María José
Published: December 2022

The General and Sport Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire (GeSNK) is an instrument that has been developed and validated to assess the level of nutrition knowledge in adolescents and young adults. The aim of the present study was to validate the GeSNK questionnaire in a group of Spanish adolescents in the framework of a Nutrition Education Programme in Secondary Schools in Andalusia, Spain. This cross-sectional questionnaire validation study was developed in two phases: translation-cultural adaptation and validation. A total of 305 adolescents aged 11 to 17 years, studying from the first to the third year of compulsory secondary education, participated on a voluntary basis. The GeSNK questionnaire consists of 62 items: 29 items for the General Nutrition section and 33 items for the Sports Nutrition section. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the complete questionnaire (GeSNK Total) was: 0.934; for the GeSNK General Nutrition section it was 0.918; and for the GeSNK Sports Nutrition section it was 0.856. The stability measured by the correlation coefficient for the General Nutrition section was 0.406 (p = 0.000); for the Sports Nutrition section it was 0.198 (p = 0.017); and for GeSNK Total the stability was 0.545 (p = 0.000). The questionnaire also demonstrated adequate construct validity. We therefore conclude that the Spanish version of the GeSNK questionnaire is a valid instrument to measure the level of knowledge in general nutrition and sports nutrition in adolescents.
The Role and Mechanism of Polysaccharides in Anti-Aging
Authors: Guo Xinlu , Luo Junjie , Qi Jingyi , Zhao Xiya , An Peng , Luo Yongting , Wang Guisheng
Published: December 2022

The elderly proportion of the population is gradually increasing, which poses a great burden to society, the economy, and the medical field. Aging is a physiological process involving multiple organs and numerous reactions, and therefore it is not easily explained or defined. At present, a growing number of studies are focused on the mechanisms of aging and potential strategies to delay aging. Some clinical drugs have been demonstrated to have anti-aging effects; however, many still have deficits with respect to safety and long-term use. Polysaccharides are natural and efficient biological macromolecules that act as antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, and immune regulators. Not surprisingly, these molecules have recently gained attention for their potential use in anti-aging therapies. In fact, multiple polysaccharides have been found to have excellent anti-aging effects in different animal models including Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila melanogaster, and mice. The anti-aging qualities of polysaccharides have been linked to several mechanisms, such as improved antioxidant capacity, regulation of age-related gene expression, and improved immune function. Here, we summarize the current findings from research related to anti-aging polysaccharides based on various models, with a focus on the main anti-aging mechanisms of oxidative damage, age-related genes and pathways, immune modulation, and telomere attrition. This review aims to provide a reference for further research on anti-aging polysaccharides.
The History of the Intestinal Microbiota and the Gut-Brain Axis
Authors: Lewandowska-Pietruszka Zuzanna , Figlerowicz Magdalena , Mazur-Melewska Katarzyna
Published: December 2022

The gut-brain axis and the intestinal microbiota have been an area of an intensive research in the last few years. However, it is not a completely novel area of interest for physicians and scientists. From the earliest centuries, both professionals and patients turned their attention to the gastrointestinal system in order to find the root of physical and mental disturbances. The approach to the gut-brain axis and the therapeutic methods have changed alongside the development of different medical approaches to health and illness. They often reflected the social changes. The authors of this article aim to provide a brief history of the gut-brain axis and the intestinal microbiota in order to demonstrate how important the study of these systems is for both scientists and medical professionals, as well as for the general public. We analysed the publications accessible through PubMed regarding the microbiota and gut-brain axis history. If available, we accessed the original historical sources. We conclude that although the history of this science might be long, there are still many areas that need to be researched, analysed, and understood in future projects. The interest in the subject is not diminishing, but rather it has increased throughout the years.
Piracetam as a Therapeutic Agent for Doxorubicin-Induced Cognitive Deficits by Enhancing Cholinergic Functions and Reducing Neuronal Inflammation, Apoptosis, and Oxidative Stress in Rats
Authors: Mani Vasudevan , Rabbani Syed Imam , Shariq Ali , Amirthalingam Palanisamy , Arfeen Minhajul
Published: December 2022

Cancer chemotherapy is known to cause cognitive defects in patients. Our study investigated the effect of piracetam (PIRA; 200 or 400 mg/kg) against doxorubicin (DOX)-induced cognitive deficits in a rat model. The cognitive parameters were analyzed using elevated plus-maze, novel object recognition, and Y-maze tests. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE), neuroinflammatory mediators (cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α)), apoptotic proteins (B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), Bcl2 associated X protein (Bax), cysteine aspartate specific protease-3 (caspase-3)), oxidative parameters (malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT), and glutathione (GSH)) were also determined in the brain. PIRA administration offered significant protection against DOX-induced cognitive deficits in all maze tests and restored cholinergic functions via a significant reduction in AChE levels. Additionally, PIRA suppressed DOX-induced neuroinflammatory mediators (COX-2, PGE2, NF-κB, and TNF-α), pro-apoptotic proteins (Bax and caspase-3), and oxidative stress (MDA). Besides, it facilitated antioxidant (CAT and GSH) levels. Hence, our study highlighted that the neuroprotective activity of PIRA against DOX-induced cognitive deficits can be linked to reductions of AChE levels, neuro-inflammatory mediators, pro-apoptotic proteins, and oxidative stress.
Enhanced Micro-Channeling System via Dissolving Microneedle to Improve Transdermal Serum Delivery for Various Clinical Skincare Treatments
Authors: Sim Jeeho , Gong SeongDae , Kang Geonwoo , Jang Mingyu , Yang Huisuk , Park Jaesung , Kim Youngchan , Lee Hyunkyu , Jung Hyunji , Kim Youseong , Jeon Chansol , Ahn Hyeri , Kim Minkyung , Choi Jaibyung , Lee Ho , Jung Hyungil
Published: December 2022

Topical liquid formulations, dissolving microneedles (DMNs), and microscale needles composed of biodegradable materials have been widely used for the transdermal delivery of active compounds for skincare. However, transdermal active compound delivery by topical liquid formulation application is inhibited by skin barriers, and the skincare efficacy of DMNs is restricted by the low encapsulation capacity and incomplete insertion. In this study, topical serum application via a dissolvable micro-channeling system (DMCS) was used to enhance serum delivery through micro-channels embedded with DMNs. Transdermal serum delivery was evaluated after the topical-serum-only application and combinatorial serum application by assessing the intensity of allophycocyanin (APC) loaded with the serum in the porcine skin. APC intensity was significantly higher in the skin layer at a depth of 120–270 μm upon combinatorial serum application as compared to topical-serum-only application. In addition, the combinatorial serum application showed significantly improved efficacy in the clinical assessment of skin hydration, depigmentation, improvement of wrinkles, elasticity, dermal density, skin pores, and skin soothing without any safety issues compared to the serum-only application. The results indicate that combinatorial serum application with DMCS is a promising candidate for improving skincare treatments with optimal transdermal delivery of active compounds.
Anomalous Strain Recovery after Stress Removal of Graded Rubber
Authors: Do Quoc-Viet , Kida Takumitsu , Yamaguchi Masayuki , Washizu Kensuke , Nagase Takayuki , Tada Toshio
Published: December 2022

Mechanical responses after the uniaxial deformation of graded styrene–butadiene rubber (SBR) with a gradient in the crosslink points in the thickness direction were investigated as compared with those of homogenously vulcanized SBR samples. The elongational residual strain of a graded sample was found to depend on the part with a high crosslink density. Therefore, it showed good rubber elasticity. After stress removal, moreover, the graded sample showed a marked warpage. This suggested that shrinking stress acted on the surface with a high crosslink density, which would avoid a crack growth on the surface. The sample shape was then recovered to be flat very slowly, indicating that the shrinking stress worked for a long time. This unique rubber elasticity, i.e., slow strain recovery with an excellent strain recovery, makes graded rubber highly significant.
Aminolysis of Poly-3-Hydroxybutyrate in N,N-Dimethylformamide and 1,4-Dioxane and Formation of Functionalized Oligomers
Authors: Boyandin Anatoly Nikolayevich , Bessonova Viktoriya Aleksandrovna , Ertiletskaya Natalya Leonidovna , Sukhanova Anna Alekseevna , Shalygina Taisiya Aleksandrovna , Kondrasenko Alexander Alexandrovich
Published: December 2022

The degradation pattern of bacterial poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) in dimethylformamide (DMF) and dioxane solutions at 100 °C assisted by ethylenediamine, 1,4-diaminobutane and monoaminoethanol was studied. When diamines were introduced into the PHB solution in DMF in the amount of 1 mol of the reagent to 5 or 10 mol of PHB monomers, a rapid decrease in the molecular weight of the polymer was observed. The initial value of the weight average molecular weight (Mw) 840 kDa had decreased by 20–30 times within the first 10–20 min of the experiment, followed by its gradual decrease to several thousand Da. When a similar molar quantity of aminoethanol was added, the molecular weight decreased slower. PHB had been degrading much slower in the dioxane solution than in DMF. By varying the number of reagents, it was possible to reach stabilization of the Mw at 1000–3000 Da when using diamines and 8000–20,000 Da using aminoethanol. 1H NMR analysis of the oligomers revealed of amino and amido groups forming in their structure. From the opposite end of the polymer chain, residues of 3-hydroxybutyric, crotonic and isocrotonic acids were formed during degradation. Differential scanning calorimetry indicated that after oligomerization there was a decrease in the melting point from 178 °C to 140–170 °C depending on the decrease in the molecular weight. The method proposed can be used for obtaining aminated PHB oligomers.
Construction of Direct Z−Scheme SnS2 Quantum Dots/Conjugated Polyimide with Superior Photocarrier Separation for Enhanced Photocatalytic Performances
Authors: Yang Changqing , Ma Chenghai , Zhang Duoping , Luo Zhiang , Zhu Meitong , Li Binhao , Zhang Yuanyuan , Wang Jiawei
Published: December 2022

In this study, a novel direct Z-scheme SnS2 quantum dots/sulfur-doped polyimide (SQDs/SPI) photocatalyst was firstly fabricated by an in situ crystallization growth of SnS2 quantum dots on sulfur-doped polyimide through a facile hydrothermal method. The photocatalytic hydrogen production activity of 5SQDs/SPI samples reached 3526 μmoL g−1 in the coexistence of triethanolamine and methanol used as hole sacrificial agents, which is about 13 times higher than that of SPI under the same conditions and 42 times higher than that of SPI only as a hole sacrificial agent. The improvement can be related to the direct Z-scheme charge transfer in the tight interface between SQDs and SPI, which promoted rapid separation and significantly prolonged the lifetime of photoexcited carriers. The Z-scheme charge transfer mechanism was proposed. This discovery comes up with a new strategy for the development of an efficient, environmentally friendly, and sustainable sulfide quantum dots/polymer non-noble metal photocatalyst.
Modelling of Propylene Polymerization in a Loop Reactor on the Titanium–Magnesium Catalyst Taking into Account the Transformation of Active Centers
Authors: Manuyko Galiya , Bronskaya Veronika , Kharitonova Olga , Ignashina Tatiana , Bashkirov Dmitriy , Balzamov Denis , Pliushchev Vladimir , Shaikhetdinova Ramiliya
Published: December 2022

The volume of consumed and produced polymers is increasing in the market every day. This is due to the indispensability and convenience of polymers in all industries. The article presents the distinctive features of the use of titanium–magnesium catalysts in the process of propylene polymerization. A mathematical model of the polypropylene polymerization is presented. This model is the basis of creating an expert control complex of the propylene–ethylene block copolymer (PEBC) synthesis process and allowing a quantitative connection to be made between technological parameters of reactors, which allows control of the technological mode with the acceptable accuracy. The experiment catalytic system is microspheric titanium trichloride (MS-TiCl3) and co-catalyst-diethylaluminum chloride. Dependences of different parameters on others are illustrated. The result of the research is as follows: according to the calculations, when increasing the number of blocks in the chain, the average values of molecular weights increase and the polydispersity index decreases; changing the values of the transformation rate coefficients of active centers by the donor k 12 and k 21 allows research into the effect of the donor type.
Reexamining the Different Paths to the Dao of the Daodejing
Authors: Tan Jing , Bao Xiangfei
Published: December 2022

The Daodejing has inconsistent editions and versions. There are controversial issues that lie in the theme, the intention, the significance, and the semantic meaning of the Daodejing. This article takes “Dao ke dao fei chang Dao” as an anchor to reexamine the different paths to the Dao of the Daodejing. We regard all of the editions and versions as an enrichment of the Daodejing. Drawing on the Chinese exegetics, we obtain two basic meanings of the verb dao (“to speak” and “to follow”), and two basic meanings of the adjective chang (“eternal” and “common”). Based on a philosophical analysis and review of the sinological interpretations, we discriminate three ways of speaking (conceptual way, metaphorical way, and transcendental way), two modes of following (to imitate the Dao and to merge identically with the Dao), and three types of eternal (immutable eternal, constantly changing as eternal, and eternal in the core). By examining different paths to the Dao, we conclude that Laozi’s Dao cannot be expressed conceptually or metaphorically. We must comprehend the Dao in a transcendental way. The Dao constantly changes with a stable core or law but differs from physical law, dialectical logic, and logos in the Western context. People can follow the Dao and become identical to it.
An Accelerated Hybrid Method for Electromagnetic Scattering of a Composite Target–Ground Model and Its Spotlight SAR Image
Authors: Li Juan , Meng Wei , Chai Shuirong , Guo Lixin , Xi Yongji , Wen Shunkang , Li Ke
Published: December 2022

In this paper, an accelerated hybrid method of physical optics (PO) shooting and bouncing ray (SBR)–physical theory of diffraction (PTD) is proposed to deal with the electromagnetic scattering of a complex target on rough ground. To accelerate the ray tracing progress, the ray marching technique based on octree structure is employed. In this technique, only the nodes passed by the ray are detected successively until the first facet intersected by ray is found or the ray passes through the bounding box, which greatly decreases the intersection test. Then, based on the accelerated PO-SBR-PTD method, the spotlight synthetic aperture radar (SAR) echo data of the composite target–ground model is obtained by the vector superposition of the echo on each meshed patch. Furthermore, the spotlight SAR image of the composite model is simulated by the polar format algorithm (PFA). In numerical simulations, both the EM scattering of the target and composite model are calculated and evaluated by comparing with the multilevel fast multipole method (MLFMM) in FEKO software. Meanwhile the spotlight SAR image of the composite target–ground model is also compared with the real image in MSTAR data, and a satisfactory similarity between them is obtained. In addition, the SAR images of two targets on rough ground for different pose angles are also presented and analyzed.
MCSNet: A Radio Frequency Interference Suppression Network for Spaceborne SAR Images via Multi-Dimensional Feature Transform
Authors: Li Xiuhe , Ran Jinhe , Zhang Hao , Wei Shunjun
Published: December 2022

Spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is a promising remote sensing technique, as it can produce high-resolution imagery over a wide area of surveillance with all-weather and all-day capabilities. However, the spaceborne SAR sensor may suffer from severe radio frequency interference (RFI) from some similar frequency band signals, resulting in image quality degradation, blind spot, and target loss. To remove these RFI features presented on spaceborne SAR images, we propose a multi-dimensional calibration and suppression network (MCSNet) to exploit the features learning of spaceborne SAR images and RFI. In the scheme, a joint model consisting of the spaceborne SAR image and RFI is established based on the relationship between SAR echo and the scattering matrix. Then, to suppress the RFI presented in images, the main structure of MCSNet is constructed by a multi-dimensional and multi-channel strategy, wherein the feature calibration module (FCM) is designed for global depth feature extraction. In addition, MCSNet performs planned mapping on the feature maps repeatedly under the supervision of the SAR interference image, compensating for the discrepancies caused during the RFI suppression. Finally, a detailed restoration module based on the residual network is conceived to maintain the scattering characteristics of the underlying scene in interfered SAR images. The simulation data and Sentinel-1 data experiments, including different landscapes and different forms of RFI, validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Both the results demonstrate that MCSNet outperforms the state-of-the-art methods and can greatly suppress the RFI in spaceborne SAR.
UAV-Based Estimation of Grain Yield for Plant Breeding: Applied Strategies for Optimizing the Use of Sensors, Vegetation Indices, Growth Stages, and Machine Learning Algorithms
Authors: Prey Lukas , Hanemann Anja , Ramgraber Ludwig , Seidl-Schulz Johannes , Noack Patrick Ole
Published: December 2022

Non-destructive in-season grain yield (GY) prediction would strongly facilitate the selection process in plant breeding but remains challenging for phenologically and morphologically diverse germplasm, notably under high-yielding conditions. In recent years, the application of drones (UAV) for spectral sensing has been established, but data acquisition and data processing have to be further improved with respect to efficiency and reliability. Therefore, this study evaluates the selection of measurement dates, sensors, and spectral parameters, as well as machine learning algorithms. Multispectral and RGB data were collected during all major growth stages in winter wheat trials and tested for GY prediction using six machine-learning algorithms. Trials were conducted in 2020 and 2021 in two locations in the southeast and eastern areas of Germany. In most cases, the milk ripeness stage was the most reliable growth stage for GY prediction from individual measurement dates, but the maximum prediction accuracies differed substantially between drought-affected trials in 2020 (R2 = 0.81 and R2 = 0.68 in both locations, respectively), and the wetter, pathogen-affected conditions in 2021 (R2 = 0.30 and R2 = 0.29). The combination of data from multiple dates improved the prediction (maximum R2 = 0.85, 0.81, 0.61, and 0.44 in the four-year*location combinations, respectively). Among the spectral parameters under investigation, the best RGB-based indices achieved similar predictions as the best multispectral indices, while the differences between algorithms were comparably small. However, support vector machine, together with random forest and gradient boosting machine, performed better than partial least squares, ridge, and multiple linear regression. The results indicate useful GY predictions in sparser canopies, whereas further improvements are required in dense canopies with counteracting effects of pathogens. Efforts for multiple measurements were more rewarding than enhanced spectral information (multispectral versus RGB).
Fragmentation Attacks and Countermeasures on 6LoWPAN Internet of Things Networks: Survey and Simulation
Authors: Alyami Sarah , Alharbi Randah , Azzedin Farag
Published: December 2022

The Internet of things is a popular concept in the current digital revolution. Nowadays, devices worldwide can be connected to the Internet, enhancing their communication, capabilities, and intelligence. Low-Power Wireless Personal Area Network (6LoWPAN) was specifically designed to build wireless networks for IoT resource-constrained devices. However, 6LoWPAN is susceptible to several security attacks. The fragmentation mechanism, in particular, is vulnerable to various attacks due to the lack of fragment authentication and verification procedures in the adaptation layer. This article provides a survey of fragmentation attacks and available countermeasures. Furthermore, the buffer reservation attack, one of the most harmful fragmentation attacks that may cause DoS, is studied and simulated in detail. A countermeasure for this attack is also implemented based on a reputation-scoring scheme. Experiments showed the harmful effects of the buffer reservation attack and the effectiveness of the implemented reputation-scoring countermeasure.
Research on Ultra-Wideband NLFM Waveform Synthesis and Grating Lobe Suppression
Authors: Liu Shuyi , Jia Yan , Liu Yongqing , Zhang Xiangkun
Published: December 2022

Ultra-wideband (UWB) nonlinear frequency modulation (NLFM) waveforms have the advantages of low sidelobes and high resolution. By extending the frequency domain wideband synthesis method to the NLFM waveform, the synthetic bandwidth will be limited, and the grating lobe will grow as the number of subpulses increases at a fixed synthetic bandwidth. Aiming for the highly periodic grating lobes caused by equally spaced splicing and small subpulse time-bandwidth products (TxBW), a multisubpulse UWB NLFM waveform synthesis method is proposed in this paper. Random frequency hopping and spectral correction are utilized to disperse the energy of periodic grating lobes and optimize the matched filter of the subpulse, thereby reducing notches and Fresnel ripples in the synthesized spectrum. The results of the hardware-in-the-loop simulation experiment show that the peak sidelobe ratio (PSLR) and the integral sidelobe ratio (ISLR) of the NLFM synthetic wideband waveform (SWW) obtained by 50 subpulses with a bandwidth of 36 MHz are improved by 4.8 dBs and 4.5 dBs, respectively, when compared to the frequency domain wideband synthesis method, and that the grating lobe is suppressed by an average of 10.6 dBs. It also performs well in terms of point target resolution, and it has potential for 2D radar super-resolution imaging.
A Fast Specular Highlight Removal Method for Smooth Liquor Bottle Surface Combined with U2-Net and LaMa Model
Authors: Guo Shaojie , Wang Xiaogang , Zhou Jiayi , Lian Zewei
Published: December 2022

Highlight removal is a critical and challenging problem. In view of the complex highlight phenomenon on the surface of smooth liquor bottles in natural scenes, the traditional highlight removal algorithms cannot semantically disambiguate between all-white or near-white materials and highlights, and the recent highlight removal algorithms based on deep learning lack flexibility in network architecture, have network training difficulties and have insufficient object applicability. As a result, they cannot accurately locate and remove highlights in the face of some small sample highlight datasets with strong pertinence, which reduces the performance of some tasks. Therefore, this paper proposes a fast highlight removal method combining U2-Net and LaMa. The method consists of two stages. In the first stage, the U2-Net network is used to detect the specular reflection component in the liquor bottle input image and generate the mask map for the highlight area in batches. In the second stage, the liquor bottle input image and the mask map generated by the U2-Net are input to the LaMa network, and the surface highlights of the smooth liquor bottle are removed by relying on the powerful image inpainting performance of LaMa. Experiments on our self-made liquor bottle surface highlight dataset showed that this method outperformed other advanced methods in highlight detection and removal.
Analysis of the Magnetic Field Magnetoinductive Wave Characteristics of a Wireless Power Transfer System
Authors: Kang Jianwei , Zeng Deyu , Lu Jie , Shi Xiangyang
Published: December 2022

This study analyzes the magnetic field wave characteristics of a wireless power transfer (WPT) system from a time-varying view in the nonradiative near field. Phenomena of both forward and backward traveling waves were found. These wave phenomena refer to magnetoinductive waves (MIWs) according to the findings in this study and MIW theory and characteristics. A traditional MIW only appears in the MIW waveguide, which is always constructed by many parallel coils. However, this study analyzed MIWs in a two-coil WPT system, proving that MIWs exist not only in a multi-coil system but also in a basic two-coil system. The velocity of MIWs, a kind of a phase velocity, was calculated. An approximate equation for evaluating wave velocity is proposed. Furthermore, the MIWs in the two-coil WPT system were extended into a more general situation. In this general situation, two separated standing waves were set, and a traveling wave was generated by those two standing waves. The result explains the mechanisms of MIWs in a general situation from a time-varying view. Lastly, a simulation was conducted to verify the accuracy of the study. The results demonstrated that MIWs exist, and the approximate equation is correct. This study presents a novel view on the mechanisms of the WPT system from a wave view.
In Situ Photoacoustic Detection System for SO2 in High-Pressure SF6 Buffer Gas Using UV LED
Authors: Hu Wei , Li Kang , Chen Tunan , Qiu Zongjia , Zhang Guoqiang
Published: December 2022

Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is a key indicator for fault diagnosis in sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) gas-insulated equipment. In this work, an in situ photoacoustic detection system using an ultraviolet (UV) LED light as the excitation source was established to detect SO2 in high-pressure SF6 buffer gas. The selection of the SO2 absorption band is discussed in detail in the UV spectral regions. Based on the result of the spectrum selection, a UV LED with a nominal wavelength of 285 nm and a bandwidth of 13 nm was selected. A photoacoustic cell, as well as a high-pressure sealed gas vessel containing it, were designed to match the output optical beam and to generate a PA signal in the high-pressure SF6 buffer gas. The performance of the proposed system was assessed in terms of linearity and detection limit. An SO2 detection limit (1σ) of 0.17 ppm was achieved. Additionally, a correction method was supplied to solve PA signal derivation induced by pressure fluctuation. The method can reduce the derivation from about 5% to 1% in the confirmation experiment.
Identification of Nonlinear Soil Properties from Downhole Array Data Using a Bayesian Model Updating Approach
Authors: Ghahari Farid , Abazarsa Fariba , Ebrahimian Hamed , Zhang Wenyang , Arduino Pedro , Taciroglu Ertugrul
Published: December 2022

An accurate seismic response simulation of civil structures requires accounting for the nonlinear soil response behavior. This, in turn, requires understanding the nonlinear material behavior of in situ soils under earthquake excitations. System identification methods applied to data recorded during earthquakes provide an opportunity to identify the nonlinear material properties of in situ soils. In this study, we use a Bayesian inference framework for nonlinear model updating to estimate the nonlinear soil properties from recorded downhole array data. For this purpose, a one-dimensional finite element model of the geotechnical site with nonlinear soil material constitutive model is updated to estimate the parameters of the soil model as well as the input excitations, including incident, bedrock, or within motions. The seismic inversion method is first verified by using several synthetic case studies. It is then validated by using measurements from a centrifuge test and with data recorded at the Lotung experimental site in Taiwan. The site inversion method is then applied to the Benicia–Martinez geotechnical array in California, using the seismic data recorded during the 2014 South Napa earthquake. The results show the promising application of the proposed seismic inversion approach using Bayesian model updating to identify the nonlinear material parameters of in situ soil by using recorded downhole array data.
Surface EMG Statistical and Performance Analysis of Targeted-Muscle-Reinnervated (TMR) Transhumeral Prosthesis Users in Home and Laboratory Settings
Authors: Wang Bingbin , Hargrove Levi , Bao Xinqi , Kamavuako Ernest N.
Published: December 2022

A pattern-recognition (PR)-based myoelectric control system is the trend of future prostheses development. Compared with conventional prosthetic control systems, PR-based control systems provide high dexterity, with many studies achieving >95% accuracy in the last two decades. However, most research studies have been conducted in the laboratory. There is limited research investigating how EMG signals are acquired when users operate PR-based systems in their home and community environments. This study compares the statistical properties of surface electromyography (sEMG) signals used to calibrate prostheses and quantifies the quality of calibration sEMG data through separability indices, repeatability indices, and correlation coefficients in home and laboratory settings. The results demonstrate no significant differences in classification performance between home and laboratory environments in within-calibration classification error (home: 6.33 ± 2.13%, laboratory: 7.57 ± 3.44%). However, between-calibration classification errors (home: 40.61 ± 9.19%, laboratory: 44.98 ± 12.15%) were statistically different. Furthermore, the difference in all statistical properties of sEMG signals is significant (p < 0.05). Separability indices reveal that motion classes are more diverse in the home setting. In summary, differences in sEMG signals generated between home and laboratory only affect between-calibration performance.
Optimization of Dominant Frequency and Bandwidth Analysis in Multi-Frequency 3D GPR Signals to Identify Contaminated Areas
Authors: Paredes-Palacios David , Mota-Toledo Francisco , Biosca Bárbara , Arévalo-Lomas Lucía , Díaz-Curiel Jesús
Published: December 2022

Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) has been widely used in investigations of contaminated areas because of its sensitivity to variations associated with the nature of pore fluids. However, most of the studies were usually based on the visual interpretation of radargrams or on a time domain amplitude analysis. In this work, we propose a methodology that consists of analyzing the spectral content of the signal recorded in multi-frequency 3D GPR profiles. A remarkable advantage of this type of antenna is its step-frequency system, which provides a much wider emission spectrum than the one corresponding to conventional single-frequency antennas. From the data in the frequency domain, the dominant frequency and bandwidth were calculated as parameters whose variation could be related to the presence of light non-aqueous phase liquid (LNAPL) in the subsurface. By analyzing the variations of these two parameters simultaneously, we were able to delimit the contaminated zones in a case study, associating them with a significant shift of the frequency spectrum with respect to the average of the study area. Finally, as a validation method of the proposed methodology, the results of the frequency analysis were compared with resistivity data obtained with an electromagnetic conductivity meter, showing a very good correlation between the results.
EmbedFormer: Embedded Depth-Wise Convolution Layer for Token Mixing
Authors: Wang Zeji , He Xiaowei , Li Yi , Chuai Qinliang
Published: December 2022

Visual Transformers (ViTs) have shown impressive performance due to their powerful coding ability to catch spatial and channel information. MetaFormer gives us a general architecture of transformers consisting of a token mixer and a channel mixer through which we can generally understand how transformers work. It is proved that the general architecture of the ViTs is more essential to the models’ performance than self-attention mechanism. Then, Depth-wise Convolution layer (DwConv) is widely accepted to replace local self-attention in transformers. In this work, a pure convolutional "transformer" is designed. We rethink the difference between the operation of self-attention and DwConv. It is found that the self-attention layer, with an embedding layer, unavoidably affects channel information, while DwConv only mixes the token information per channel. To address the differences between DwConv and self-attention, we implement DwConv with an embedding layer before as the token mixer to instantiate a MetaFormer block and a model named EmbedFormer is introduced. Meanwhile, SEBlock is applied in the channel mixer part to improve performance. On the ImageNet-1K classification task, EmbedFormer achieves top-1 accuracy of 81.7% without additional training images, surpassing the Swin transformer by +0.4% in similar complexity. In addition, EmbedFormer is evaluated in downstream tasks and the results are entirely above those of PoolFormer, ResNet and DeiT. Compared with PoolFormer-S24, another instance of MetaFormer, our EmbedFormer improves the score by +3.0% box AP/+2.3% mask AP on the COCO dataset and +1.3% mIoU on the ADE20K.
Validation of 2D Force Measurement Roller Ski and Practical Application
Authors: Zhao Shuang , Linnamo Vesa , Ruotsalainen Keijo , Lindinger Stefan , Kananen Timo , Koponen Petri , Ohtonen Olli
Published: December 2022

Several methods could be used to measure the forces from skis or roller skis in cross-country skiing. Equipment that could measure medio-lateral forces may be of good help for investigating the relevant skating techniques. The aim of this study was to validate a pair of newly designed two-dimensional force measurement roller skis. The vertical and medio-lateral forces which were perpendicular to the body of the roller ski could be measured. Forces were resolved into the global coordinate system and compared with the force components measured by a force plate. A static and dynamic loading situation for the force measurement roller ski was performed to reveal the validity of the system. To demonstrate whether the force measurement roller ski would affect roller skiing performance on a treadmill, a maximum speed test with the V2 technique was performed by using both normal and force measurement roller skis. The force-time curves obtained by these two different force measurement systems were shown to have high similarity (coefficient of multiple correlations > 0.940). The absolute difference for the forces in the X and Z directions over one push-off cycle was 3.9–33.3 N. The extra weight (333 g) of the force measurement roller ski did not affect the performance of the skiers. Overall, the newly designed two-dimensional force measurement roller ski in this study is valid for use in future research during daily training for skate skiing techniques.
Proposal of a Real-Time Test Platform for Tactile Internet Systems
Authors: Alves Pedro V. A. , Plentz Patricia D. M. , Fernandes Marcelo A. C.
Published: December 2022

This work aimed to develop a real-time test platform for systems associated with the tactile internet area. The proposal comprises a master device, a communication channel and a slave device. The master device is a tactile glove (wearable technology) that works as a tactile interface based on vibratory feedback. The master device can interact with virtual elements (local or remote). The Matlab/Simulink environment and a robotics toolbox form the communication channel and the slave device. The communication channel introduces a bidirectional connection of variable latency, and the slave device is defined as a robotic phantom omni manipulator emulated in Matlab/Simulink. The virtual robotic manipulator, the slave device, can generate different types of tactile sensations in the tactile glove, that is, in the master device. The platform can model tactile sensations such as coarse roughness, fine roughness, smoothness, dripping and softness. The proposed platform presented adequate results and can be used to test various algorithms and methods correlated to the tactile internet.
Adaptive Data Transmission Algorithm for the System of Inertial Sensors for Hand Movement Acquisition
Authors: Pielka Michał , Janik Paweł , Janik Małgorzata A. , Wróbel Zygmunt
Published: December 2022

Modern systems of intelligent sensors commonly use radio data transmission. Hand movement acquisition with the use of inertial sensors requires the processing and transmission of a relatively large amount of data, which may be associated with a significant load on the network structure. Network traffic limitation, without losing the quality of monitoring parameters from the sensor system, is therefore important for the functioning of the radio network which integrates both the teletransmission sensor system and the data acquisition server. The paper presents a wearable solution for hand movement acquisition, which uses data transmission in the Wi-Fi standard and contains 16 MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System) sensors. An adaptive algorithm to control radio data transmission for the sensor system has been proposed. The algorithm implemented in the embedded system controls the change of the frame length, the length of the transmission frame and the frequency of its sending, which reduces the load on the network router. The use of the algorithm makes it possible to reduce the power consumption by the sensor system by up to 19.9% and to limit the number of data transferred by up to about 91.6%, without losing the quality of the monitored signal. The data analysis showed no statistically significant differences (p > 0.05) between the signal reconstructed from the complete data and processed by the algorithm.
Low Latency and High Data Rate (LLHD) Scheduler: A Multipath TCP Scheduler for Dynamic and Heterogeneous Networks
Authors: Lubna Tabassum , Mahmud Imtiaz , Cho You-Ze
Published: December 2022

The scheduler is a crucial component of the multipath transmission control protocol (MPTCP) that dictates the path that a data packet takes. Schedulers are in charge of delivering data packets in the right order to prevent delays caused by head-of-line blocking. The modern Internet is a complicated network whose characteristics change in real-time. MPTCP schedulers are supposed to understand the real-time properties of the underlying network, such as latency, path loss, and capacity, in order to make appropriate scheduling decisions. However, the present scheduler does not take into account all of these characteristics together, resulting in lower performance. We present the low latency and high data rate (LLHD) scheduler, which successfully makes scheduling decisions based on real-time information on latency, path loss, and capacity, and achieves around 25% higher throughput and 45% lower data transmission delay than Linux’s default MPTCP scheduler.
A Novel Hybrid Multi-Modal Deep Learning for Detecting Hashtag Incongruity on Social Media
Authors: Dadgar Sajad , Neshat Mehdi
Published: December 2022

Hashtags have been an integral element of social media platforms over the years and are widely used by users to promote, organize and connect users. Despite the intensive use of hashtags, there is no basis for using congruous tags, which causes the creation of many unrelated contents in hashtag searches. The presence of mismatched content in the hashtag creates many problems for individuals and brands. Although several methods have been presented to solve the problem by recommending hashtags based on the users’ interest, the detection and analysis of the characteristics of these repetitive contents with irrelevant hashtags have rarely been addressed. To this end, we propose a novel hybrid deep learning hashtag incongruity detection by fusing visual and textual modality. We fine-tune BERT and ResNet50 pre-trained models to encode textual and visual information to encode textual and visual data simultaneously. We further attempt to show the capability of logo detection and face recognition in discriminating images. To extract faces, we introduce a pipeline that ranks faces based on the number of times they appear on Instagram accounts using face clustering. Moreover, we conduct our analysis and experiments on a dataset of Instagram posts that we collect from hashtags related to brands and celebrities. Unlike the existing works, we analyze these contents from both content and user perspectives and show a significant difference between data. In light of our results, we show that our multimodal model outperforms other models and the effectiveness of object detection in detecting mismatched information.
Roller Speed Skating Kinematics and Electromyographic Analysis: A Methodological Approach
Authors: Bongiorno Giulia , Biancuzzi Helena , Dal Mas Francesca , Fasano Giuseppe , Miceli Luca
Published: December 2022

Roller speed skating is a discipline similar to hockey and ice skating from a biomechanical point of view, but there are no specific functional protocols for rehabilitation and performance improvement for these athletes. The aim of the study is to create a dedicated functional, kinematic and electromyographic protocol to be used as a tool for future studies on the subject. The protocol was created, starting from a correct and repeatable movement as a case study, on a world speed skating champion, using an inertial sensor positioned at the level of the first sacral vertebra, eight electromyographic probes positioned on one or the other lower limb, and a high-definition camera at 50 Hz. The results show the electromyographic activity of the muscles investigated, the degree of absolute muscle activation and compared to their maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC), the level of co-activation of the agonist/antagonist muscles, and the accelerations of the body on the three axes of space. The results will represent the basis for physiotherapy and specific training use. Future developments will include the analysis of a sample of elite athletes to be able to build a normal range on the parameters investigated, and the possibility of treating in the most appropriate way possible muscle injuries (which mostly occur in the groin in such athletes) once they have occurred, even with oriented MVIC or co-activation oriented exercises.
Optimisation of the Logistics System in an Electric Motor Assembly Flowshop by Integrating the Taguchi Approach and Discrete Event Simulation
Authors: Jiang Yongjian , Wang Dongyun , Xia Wenjun , Li Wencai
Published: December 2022

An electric motor assembly flowshop (EMAF) is a type of classical mixed-product assembly line that uses automatic guided vehicle (AGV) systems for material handling. To optimise the logistics system configuration and alleviate the impact of the AGV parameters on the efficiency of the EMAF, a modelling and optimisation method based on discrete event simulation (DES) combined with Taguchi orthogonal experimental design was proposed. A DES model of the entire production process for the EMAF was constructed using the Tecnomatix Plant Simulation software package. After optimisation of the principal layout in the DES model, the number of assembly stations was decreased from 13 to 9, and the balance ratio was increased from 65.08% to 84.65%. In addition, the combination of the Taguchi method with the DES model was further developed to achieve the optimal parameter combination of the AGVs in order to allow the AGVs to operate more efficiently under various states. The final overall theoretical throughput was increased from 134 to 295 units within the seven-hour observation period.
Simulation of Smoldering Combustion of Organic Horizons at Pine and Spruce Boreal Forests with Lab-Heating Experiments
Authors: Gorbach Nikolay , Startsev Viktor , Mazur Anton , Milanovskiy Evgeniy , Prokushkin Anatoly , Dymov Alexey
Published: December 2022

Wildfire is a threat for many boreal ecosystems and induces deep modifications in organic horizons. In this paper, we have considered fire-induced changes to the organic horizon properties. The effect of fire was studied by using a forest litter burning experiment. Sample heating was performed in the lab at fixed temperatures (200, 300 and 500 °C), on a set of O horizons developed under pine (Flavocetraria-Pinetum association) and spruce (Piceetum hylocomium splendens association) forest litters. Litters were analyzed in terms of pH, specific electrical conductivity, specific surface area, total carbon (Ctot) and nitrogen (Ntot) content, water-soluble carbon and nitrogen, δ13C and δ15N stable isotope analysis and 13C NMR spectroscopy. The mean pH values increased from ~5 to ~8.2 with an increase in the influence of temperature. The specific electrical conductivity and specific surface area properties increased as well from ~255 to ~432 and from 0.42 to 1.84, respectively. Ctot and Ntot decreased, but at the same time the inorganic carbon content increased. The aromaticity of organic matter after the fire increased. The results of the present study show that organic horizons are changed by wildfire and this discussion made it clear to help with the understanding how fire affects organic matter.