bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Choroid Plexus: The Orchestrator of Long-Range Signalling Within the CNS
Authors: Kaiser Karol , Bryja Vitezslav
Published: July 2020

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is the liquid that fills the brain ventricles. CSF represents not only a mechanical brain protection but also a rich source of signalling factors modulating diverse processes during brain development and adulthood. The choroid plexus (CP) is a major source of CSF and as such it has recently emerged as an important mediator of extracellular signalling within the brain. Growing interest in the CP revealed its capacity to release a broad variety of bioactive molecules that, via CSF, regulate processes across the whole central nervous system (CNS). Moreover, CP has been also recognized as a sensor, responding to altered composition of CSF associated with changes in the patterns of CNS activity. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in our understanding of the CP as a signalling centre that mediates long-range communication in the CNS. By providing a detailed account of the CP secretory repertoire, we describe how the CP contributes to the regulation of the extracellular environment—in the context of both the embryonal as well as the adult CNS. We highlight the role of the CP as an important regulator of CNS function that acts via CSF-mediated signalling. Further studies of CP–CSF signalling hold the potential to provide key insights into the biology of the CNS, with implications for better understanding and treatment of neuropathological conditions.
Role of Extracellular Matrix in Pathophysiology of Patent Ductus Arteriosus: Emphasis on Vascular Remodeling
Authors: Lin Ting-Yi , Yeh Jwu-Lai , Hsu Jong-Hau
Published: July 2020

The ductus arteriosus (DA) is a shunt vessel between the aorta and the pulmonary artery during the fetal period that is essential for the normal development of the fetus. Complete closure usually occurs after birth but the vessel might remain open in certain infants, as patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), causing morbidity or mortality. The mechanism of DA closure is a complex process involving an orchestration of cell–matrix interaction between smooth muscle cells (SMC), endothelial cells, and extracellular matrix (ECM). ECM is defined as the noncellular component secreted by cells that consists of macromolecules such as elastin, collagens, proteoglycan, hyaluronan, and noncollagenous glycoproteins. In addition to its role as a physical scaffold, ECM mediates diverse signaling that is critical in development, maintenance, and repair in the cardiovascular system. In this review, we aim to outline the current understandings of ECM and its role in the pathophysiology of PDA, with emphasis on DA remodeling and highlight future outlooks. The molecular diversity and plasticity of ECM present a rich array of potential therapeutic targets for the management of PDA.
Role of Macrophages and Microglia in Zebrafish Regeneration
Authors: Var Susanna R. , Byrd-Jacobs Christine A.
Published: July 2020

Currently, there is no treatment for recovery of human nerve function after damage to the central nervous system (CNS), and there are limited regenerative capabilities in the peripheral nervous system. Since fish are known for their regenerative abilities, understanding how these species modulate inflammatory processes following injury has potential translational importance for recovery from damage and disease. Many diseases and injuries involve the activation of innate immune cells to clear damaged cells. The resident immune cells of the CNS are microglia, the primary cells that respond to infection and injury, and their peripheral counterparts, macrophages. These cells serve as key modulators of development and plasticity and have been shown to be important in the repair and regeneration of structure and function after injury. Zebrafish are an emerging model for studying macrophages in regeneration after injury and microglia in neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. These fish possess a high degree of neuroanatomical, neurochemical, and emotional/social behavioral resemblance with humans, serving as an ideal simulator for many pathologies. This review explores literature on macrophage and microglial involvement in facilitating regeneration. Understanding innate immune cell behavior following damage may help to develop novel methods for treating toxic and chronic inflammatory processes that are seen in trauma and disease.
The Impact of Single-Cell Genomics on Adipose Tissue Research
Authors: Deutsch Alana , Feng Daorong , Pessin Jeffrey E. , Shinoda Kosaku
Published: July 2020

Adipose tissue is an important regulator of whole-body metabolism and energy homeostasis. The unprecedented growth of obesity and metabolic disease worldwide has required paralleled advancements in research on this dynamic endocrine organ system. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), a highly meticulous methodology used to dissect tissue heterogeneity through the transcriptional characterization of individual cells, is responsible for facilitating critical advancements in this area. The unique investigative capabilities achieved by the combination of nanotechnology, molecular biology, and informatics are expanding our understanding of adipose tissue’s composition and compartmentalized functional specialization, which underlie physiologic and pathogenic states, including adaptive thermogenesis, adipose tissue aging, and obesity. In this review, we will summarize the use of scRNA-seq and single-nuclei RNA-seq (snRNA-seq) in adipocyte biology and their applications to obesity and diabetes research in the hopes of increasing awareness of the capabilities of this technology and acting as a catalyst for its expanded use in further investigation.
Reproducible Large-Scale Isolation of Exosomes from Adipose Tissue-Derived Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells and Their Application in Acute Kidney Injury
Authors: Lee Jun Ho , Ha Dae Hyun , Go Hyeon-kyu , Youn Jinkwon , Kim Hyun-keun , Jin Richard C. , Miller Randy B. , Kim Do-hyung , Cho Byong Seung , Yi Yong Weon
Published: July 2020

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a fatal medical episode caused by sudden kidney damage or failure, leading to the death of patients within a few hours or days. Previous studies demonstrated that exosomes derived from various mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSC-exosomes) have positive effects on renal injuries in multiple experimental animal models of kidney diseases including AKI. However, the mass production of exosomes is a challenge not only in preclinical studies with large animals but also for successful clinical applications. In this respect, tangential flow filtration (TFF) is suitable for good manufacturing practice (GMP)-compliant large-scale production of high-quality exosomes. Until now, no studies have been reported on the use of TFF, but rather ultracentrifugation has been almost exclusively used, to isolate exosomes for AKI therapeutic application in preclinical studies. Here, we demonstrated the reproducible large-scale production of exosomes derived from adipose tissue-derived MSC (ASC-exosomes) using TFF and the lifesaving effect of the ASC-exosomes in a lethal model of cisplatin-induced rat AKI. Our results suggest the possibility of large-scale stable production of ASC-exosomes without loss of function and their successful application in life-threatening diseases.
NRF2, a Transcription Factor for Stress Response and Beyond
Authors: He Feng , Ru Xiaoli , Wen Tao
Published: July 2020

Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) is a transcription factor that regulates the cellular defense against toxic and oxidative insults through the expression of genes involved in oxidative stress response and drug detoxification. NRF2 activation renders cells resistant to chemical carcinogens and inflammatory challenges. In addition to antioxidant responses, NRF2 is involved in many other cellular processes, including metabolism and inflammation, and its functions are beyond the originally envisioned. NRF2 activity is tightly regulated through a complex transcriptional and post-translational network that enables it to orchestrate the cell’s response and adaptation to various pathological stressors for the homeostasis maintenance. Elevated or decreased NRF2 activity by pharmacological and genetic manipulations of NRF2 activation is associated with many metabolism- or inflammation-related diseases. Emerging evidence shows that NRF2 lies at the center of a complex regulatory network and establishes NRF2 as a truly pleiotropic transcription factor. Here we summarize the complex regulatory network of NRF2 activity and its roles in metabolic reprogramming, unfolded protein response, proteostasis, autophagy, mitochondrial biogenesis, inflammation, and immunity.
An Internet of Things Approach to Contact Tracing—The BubbleBox System
Authors: Polenta Andrea , Rignanese Pietro , Sernani Paolo , Falcionelli Nicola , Mekuria Dagmawi Neway , Tomassini Selene , Dragoni Aldo Franco
Published: July 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic exploded at the beginning of 2020, with over four million cases in five months, overwhelming the healthcare sector. Several national governments decided to adopt containment measures, such as lockdowns, social distancing, and quarantine. Among these measures, contact tracing can contribute in bringing under control the outbreak, as quickly identifying contacts to isolate suspected cases can limit the number of infected people. In this paper we present BubbleBox, a system relying on a dedicated device to perform contact tracing. BubbleBox integrates Internet of Things and software technologies into different components to achieve its goal—providing a tool to quickly react to further outbreaks, by allowing health operators to rapidly reach and test possible infected people. This paper describes the BubbleBox architecture, presents its prototype implementation, and discusses its pros and cons, also dealing with privacy concerns.
Feeling Uncertain—Effects of a Vibrotactile Belt that Communicates Vehicle Sensor Uncertainty
Authors: Krüger Matti , Driessen Tom , Wiebel-Herboth Christiane B. , de Winter Joost C. F. , Wersing Heiko
Published: July 2020

With the rise of partially automated cars, drivers are more and more required to judge the degree of responsibility that can be delegated to vehicle assistant systems. This can be supported by utilizing interfaces that intuitively convey real-time reliabilities of system functions such as environment sensing. We designed a vibrotactile interface that communicates spatiotemporal information about surrounding vehicles and encodes a representation of spatial uncertainty in a novel way. We evaluated this interface in a driving simulator experiment with high and low levels of human and machine confidence respectively caused by simulated degraded vehicle sensor precision and limited human visibility range. Thereby we were interested in whether drivers (i) could perceive and understand the vibrotactile encoding of spatial uncertainty, (ii) would subjectively benefit from the encoded information, (iii) would be disturbed in cases of information redundancy, and (iv) would gain objective safety benefits from the encoded information. To measure subjective understanding and benefit, a custom questionnaire, Van der Laan acceptance ratings and NASA TLX scores were used. To measure the objective benefit, we computed the minimum time-to-contact as a measure of safety and gaze distributions as an indicator for attention guidance. Results indicate that participants were able to understand the encoded uncertainty and spatiotemporal information and purposefully utilized it when needed. The tactile interface provided meaningful support despite sensory restrictions. By encoding spatial uncertainties, it successfully extended the operating range of the assistance system.
Early Prediction of Quality Issues in Automotive Modern Industry
Authors: Khoshkangini Reza , Sheikholharam Mashhadi Peyman , Berck Peter , Gholami Shahbandi Saeed , Pashami Sepideh , Nowaczyk Sławomir , Niklasson Tobias
Published: July 2020

Many industries today are struggling with early the identification of quality issues, given the shortening of product design cycles and the desire to decrease production costs, coupled with the customer requirement for high uptime. The vehicle industry is no exception, as breakdowns often lead to on-road stops and delays in delivery missions. In this paper we consider quality issues to be an unexpected increase in failure rates of a particular component; those are particularly problematic for the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) since they lead to unplanned costs and can significantly affect brand value. We propose a new approach towards the early detection of quality issues using machine learning (ML) to forecast the failures of a given component across the large population of units. In this study, we combine the usage information of vehicles with the records of their failures. The former is continuously collected, as the usage statistics are transmitted over telematics connections. The latter is based on invoice and warranty information collected in the workshops. We compare two different ML approaches: the first is an auto-regression model of the failure ratios for vehicles based on past information, while the second is the aggregation of individual vehicle failure predictions based on their individual usage. We present experimental evaluations on the real data captured from heavy-duty trucks demonstrating how these two formulations have complementary strengths and weaknesses; in particular, they can outperform each other given different volumes of the data. The classification approach surpasses the regressor model whenever enough data is available, i.e., once the vehicles are in-service for a longer time. On the other hand, the regression shows better predictive performance with a smaller amount of data, i.e., for vehicles that have been deployed recently.
RNAi in Insects: A Revolution in Fundamental Research and Pest Control Applications
Authors: Christiaens Olivier , Niu Jinzhi , Nji Tizi Taning Clauvis
Published: July 2020

In this editorial for the Special Issue on ‘RNAi in insect pest control’, three important applications of RNA interference (RNAi) in insects are briefly discussed and linked to the different studies published in this Special Issue. The discovery of the RNAi mechanism revolutionized entomological research, as it presented researchers with a tool to knock down genes, which is easily applicable in a wide range of insect species. Furthermore, RNAi also provides crop protection with a novel and promising pest control mode-of-action. The sequence-dependent nature allows RNAi-based control strategies to be highly species selective and the active molecule, a natural biological molecule known as double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), has a short environmental persistence. However, more research is needed to investigate different cellular and physiological barriers, such as cellular uptake and dsRNA degradation in the digestive system in insects, in order to provide efficient control methods against a wide range of insect pest species. Finally, the RNAi pathway is an important part of the innate antiviral immune defence of insects, and could even lead to applications targeting viruses in beneficial insects such as honeybees in the future.
Comparative Cutaneous Water Loss and Desiccation Tolerance of Four Solenopsis spp. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Southeastern United States
Authors: Ajayi Olufemi S. , Appel Arthur G. , Chen Li , Fadamiro Henry Y.
Published: July 2020

The high surface area to volume ratio of terrestrial insects makes them highly susceptible to desiccation mainly through the cuticle. Cuticular permeability (CP) is usually the most important factor limiting water loss in terrestrial insects. Water loss rate, percentage of total body water (%TBW) content, CP, and desiccation tolerance were investigated in workers of four Solenopsis species in the southeastern USA. We hypothesized that tropical/subtropical ants (S. invicta and S. geminata) will have lower CP values and tolerate higher levels of desiccation than temperate ants (S. richteri and S. invicta × S. richteri). The %TBW content was similar among species. Solenopsis invicta had a 1.3-fold and 1.1-fold lower CP value than S. invicta × S. richteri and S. richteri, respectively. Solenopsis geminata had a 1.3-fold lower CP value than S. invicta × S. richteri, and a 1.2-fold lower CP value than S. richteri. The LT50 values (lethal time to kill 50% of the population) ranged from 1.5 h (small S. geminata) to 8.5 h (large S. invicta). Desiccation tolerance ranged between 36 and 50 %TBW lost at death and was not related to a species’ location of origin. This study is the first report of water relations of S. invicta × S. richteri. It demonstrates that desiccation stress differentially can affect the survival of different Solenopsis species and implies that environmental stress can affect the distribution of these species in the southeastern USA.
Changes in Antioxidant Enzymes Activity and Metabolomic Profiles in the Guts of Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Larvae Infected with Ascosphaera apis
Authors: Li Zhiguo , Hou Mengshang , Qiu Yuanmei , Zhao Bian , Nie Hongyi , Su Songkun
Published: July 2020

The fungus Ascosphaera apis, an obligate fungal pathogen of honey bee brood, causes chalkbrood disease in honey bee larvae worldwide. Biological characteristics of the fungal pathogen and the molecular interactions between A. apis and honey bees have been studied extensively. However, little is known about the effects of A. apis infection on antioxidant enzyme activities and metabolic profiles of the gut of honey bee larvae. In this study, sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and LC-MS based untargeted metabolomic analysis were employed to determine the changes in the specific activities of antioxidant enzymes and the metabolomic profiles in gut tissues of A. apis-infected larvae (105 A. apis spores per larva) and controls. Results showed that specific activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione S-transferase were significantly higher in the guts of the control larvae than in the guts of the A. apis-infected larvae. The metabolomic data revealed that levels of 28 and 52 metabolites were significantly higher and lower, respectively, in the guts of A. apis-infected larvae than in the guts of control larvae. The 5-oxo-ETE level in the infected larvae was two times higher than that in the control larvae. Elevated 5-oxo-ETE levels may act as a potential metabolic biomarker for chalkbrood disease diagnosis, suggesting that A. apis infection induced obvious oxidative stress in the honey bee larvae. The levels of metabolites such as taurine, docosahexaenoic acid, and L-carnitine involved in combating oxidative stress were significantly decreased in the gut of A. apis-infected larvae. Overall, our results suggest that A. apis infection may compromise the ability of infected larvae to cope with oxidative stress, providing new insight into changing patterns of physiological responses to A. apis infection in honey bee larvae by concurrent use of conventional biochemical assays and untargeted metabolomics.
On the Performance and Recyclability of a Green Composite Based on AESO Resin
Authors: Seabra Cláudio P. , Sousa Ana Catarina , Bragança Ivo M. F. , Silva Carlos M. A. , Robalo M. Paula , Loja M. Amélia R. , Martins Paulo A. F.
Published: July 2020

The aims and objectives of this paper are two-fold: first to investigate the production of a green composite manufactured with renewable materials (i.e., jute fabric as reinforcement, acrylate epoxidase soybean oil (AESO) as matrix and sisal particles (SP) as filler), by the wet layup method; second, to propose a recycling procedure to recover the individual materials and reuse them in the production of a second-life composite. In the first part, different combinations of SP (0, 5 and 10 wt%) and hardener (2, 5 and 10 wt%) were mixed with AESO resin, poured into a mould, cured and submitted to mechanical and physicochemical characterizations to identify the best conditions for the composite production. Virgin green composites with 10 wt% SP, 5 wt% hardener and 5 layers of jute fabric, capable of assuring 91 HA of hardness and 10.6 MPa of tensile strength, were fabricated. The second part describes the recycling process of the composites with acetone, an organic solvent recommended by the safety, health and environmental criteria, to breakdown the resin matrix and recover the jute fabric reinforcement and resin particles, which were then reused to fabricate a second-life composite. Although the hardness values of the second-life composite were smaller (4%) and the tensile strength varied with composition, the absorption of water was considerably reduced (in the range of 22 to 51%). This last result mitigates one of the green composite’s limitations and fosters circular economy by assuring the applications of the second-life composite in the field of transportations, packing and furniture, among others.
The Impact of Draping Effects on the Stiffness and Failure Behavior of Unidirectional Non-Crimp Fabric Fiber Reinforced Composites
Authors: Kunze Eckart , Galkin Siegfried , Böhm Robert , Gude Maik , Kärger Luise
Published: July 2020

Unidirectional non-crimp fabrics (UD-NCF) are often used to exploit the lightweight potential of continuous fiber reinforced plastics (CoFRP). During the draping process, the UD-NCF fabric can undergo large deformations that alter the local fiber orientation, the local fiber volume content (FVC) and create local fiber waviness. Especially the FVC is affected and has a large impact on the mechanical properties. This impact, resulting from different deformation modes during draping, is in general not considered in composite design processes. To analyze the impact of different draping effects on the mechanical properties and the failure behavior of UD-NCF composites, experimental results of reference laminates are compared to the results of laminates with specifically induced draping effects, such as non-constant FVC and fiber waviness. Furthermore, an analytical model to predict the failure strengths of UD laminates with in-plane waviness is introduced. The resulting stiffness and strength values for different FVC or amplitude to wavelength configurations are presented and discussed. In addition, failure envelopes based on the PUCK failure criterion for each draping effect are derived, which show a clear specific impact on the mechanical properties. The findings suggest that each draping effect leads to a “new fabric” type. Additionally, analytical models are introduced and the experimental results are compared to the predictions. Results indicate that the models provide reliable predictions for each draping effect. Recommendations regarding necessary tests to consider each draping effect are presented. As a further prospect the resulting stiffness and strength values for each draping effect can be used for a more accurate prediction of the structural performance of CoFRP parts.
Automatic Crack Detection on Road Pavements Using Encoder-Decoder Architecture
Authors: Fan Zhun , Li Chong , Chen Ying , Wei Jiahong , Loprencipe Giuseppe , Chen Xiaopeng , Di Mascio Paola
Published: July 2020

Automatic crack detection from images is an important task that is adopted to ensure road safety and durability for Portland cement concrete (PCC) and asphalt concrete (AC) pavement. Pavement failure depends on a number of causes including water intrusion, stress from heavy loads, and all the climate effects. Generally, cracks are the first distress that arises on road surfaces and proper monitoring and maintenance to prevent cracks from spreading or forming is important. Conventional algorithms to identify cracks on road pavements are extremely time-consuming and high cost. Many cracks show complicated topological structures, oil stains, poor continuity, and low contrast, which are difficult for defining crack features. Therefore, the automated crack detection algorithm is a key tool to improve the results. Inspired by the development of deep learning in computer vision and object detection, the proposed algorithm considers an encoder-decoder architecture with hierarchical feature learning and dilated convolution, named U-Hierarchical Dilated Network (U-HDN), to perform crack detection in an end-to-end method. Crack characteristics with multiple context information are automatically able to learn and perform end-to-end crack detection. Then, a multi-dilation module embedded in an encoder-decoder architecture is proposed. The crack features of multiple context sizes can be integrated into the multi-dilation module by dilation convolution with different dilatation rates, which can obtain much more cracks information. Finally, the hierarchical feature learning module is designed to obtain a multi-scale features from the high to low- level convolutional layers, which are integrated to predict pixel-wise crack detection. Some experiments on public crack databases using 118 images were performed and the results were compared with those obtained with other methods on the same images. The results show that the proposed U-HDN method achieves high performance because it can extract and fuse different context sizes and different levels of feature maps than other algorithms.
Calibration of Steel Rings for the Measurement of Strain and Shrinkage Stress for Cement-Based Composites
Authors: Zieliński Adam , Kaszyńska Maria
Published: July 2020

Concrete shrinkage is a phenomenon that results in a decrease of volume in the composite material during the curing period. The method for determining the effects of restrained shrinkage is described in Standard ASTM C 1581/C 1581M–09a. This article shows the calibration of measuring rings with respect to the theory of elasticity and the analysis of the relationship of steel ring deformation to high-performance concrete tensile stress as a function of time. Steel rings equipped with strain gauges are used for measurement of the strain during the compression of the samples. The strain is caused by the shrinkage of the concrete ring specimen that tightens around steel rings. The method allows registering the changes to the shrinkage process in time and evaluating the susceptibility of concrete to cracking. However, the standard does not focus on the details of the mechanical design of the test bench. To acquire accurate measurements, the test bench needs to be calibrated. Measurement errors may be caused by an improper, uneven installation of strain gauges, imprecise geometry of the steel measuring rings, or incorrect equipment settings. The calibration method makes it possible to determine the stress in a concrete sample leading to its cracking at specific deformation of the steel ring.
Effect of the Strain Rate on the Damping and Mechanical Properties of a ZK60 Magnesium Alloy
Authors: Feng Xuhui , Sun Youping , Lu Yuwei , He Jiangmei , Liu Xiao , Wan Siyu
Published: July 2020

High strain rate rolling (HRSS) of a ZK60 magnesium alloy at 300 °C with a strain rate from 5 s−1 to 25 s−1 was used to research the effect of the rate on the mechanical properties and damping capacity of the ZK60 alloy. The results show that as the strain rate increases, the tensile strength decreases from 355 MPa at 25 s−1 to 310 MPa at 5 s−1. Two damping peaks (P1 and P2) are detected in the high strain rate rolled ZK60 alloys at different strain rates. The P1 peak appears at low temperatures and is caused by grain boundaries sliding. The P2 peak appears at high temperatures and is caused by recrystallization. As the strain rate increases from 5 to 20 s−1, the dynamic recrystallization (DRX) volume percent rises and the dislocation density decreases, both of which cause the P1 peak to become more and more obvious, and activation energy rises. At the same time, the dislocation density decreases and leads to a decrease in the storage energy, which reduces the recrystallization driving force and shifts the P2 peak to high temperatures. When the strain rate reaches 20 and 25 s−1, DRX occurs fully in the sheet, so the activation energy of the P1 peak and the temperature where the P2 peak appears are basically equal.
Circular Economy on Construction and Demolition Waste: A Literature Review on Material Recovery and Production
Authors: Ginga Clarence P. , Ongpeng Jason Maximino C. , Daly Ma. Klarissa M.
Published: July 2020

Construction and demolition waste (CDW) accounts for at least 30% of the total solid waste produced around the world. At around 924 million tons in the European Union in 2016 and 2.36 billion tons in China in 2018, the amount is expected to increase over the next few years. Dumping these wastes in sanitary landfills has always been the traditional approach to waste management but this will not be feasible in the years to come. To significantly reduce or eliminate the amount of CDW being dumped, circular economy is a possible solution to the increasing amounts of CDW. Circular economy is an economic system based on business models which replaces the end-of-life concept with reducing, reusing, recycling, and recovering materials. This paper discusses circular economy (CE) frameworks—specifically material recovery and production highlighting the reuse and recycling of CDW and reprocessing into new construction applications. Likewise, a literature review into recent studies of reuse and recycling of CDW and its feasibility is also discussed to possibly prove the effectivity of CE in reducing CDW. Findings such as effectivity of recycling CDW into new construction applications and its limitations in effective usage are discussed and research gaps such as reuse of construction materials are also undertaken. CE and recycling were also found to be emerging topics. Observed trends in published articles as well as the use of latent Dirichlet allocation in creating topic models have shown a rising awareness and increasing research in CE which focuses on recycling and reusing CDW.
1D Titanium Dioxide: Achievements in Chemical Sensing
Authors: Kaur Navpreet , Singh Mandeep , Moumen Abderrahim , Duina Giorgio , Comini Elisabetta
Published: July 2020

For the last two decades, titanium dioxide (TiO2) has received wide attention in several areas such as in medicine, sensor technology and solar cell industries. TiO2-based gas sensors have attracted significant attention in past decades due to their excellent physical/chemical properties, low cost and high abundance on Earth. In recent years, more and more efforts have been invested for the further improvement in sensing properties of TiO2 by implementing new strategies such as growth of TiO2 in different morphologies. Indeed, in the last five to seven years, 1D nanostructures and heterostructures of TiO2 have been synthesized using different growth techniques and integrated in chemical/gas sensing. Thus, in this review article, we briefly summarize the most important contributions by different researchers within the last five to seven years in fabrication of 1D nanostructures of TiO2-based chemical/gas sensors and the different strategies applied for the improvements of their performances. Moreover, the crystal structure of TiO2, different fabrication techniques used for the growth of TiO2-based 1D nanostructures, their chemical sensing mechanism and sensing performances towards reducing and oxidizing gases have been discussed in detail.
Spot-Weld Service Life Estimate Based on Application of the Interfacial Crack Concept
Authors: Nikolić Ružica R. , Djoković Jelena M. , Hadzima Branislav , Ulewicz Robert
Published: July 2020

In the automotive industry, spot-welding is the most common method of joining components. Thus, determining the service life of spot-welds is of great importance in designing assemblies or structures. It is well-known that lately there has been a trend in the industry toward reducing the fuel consumption and harmful gasses emissions, as well as the weight of structures with the application of the lightweight materials, like aluminum alloys. In this paper, research is presented on the behavior of a spot-weld between the plates made of the two dissimilar materials—aluminum alloy and steel. In addition, the influence of the plates’ thickness and the weld nugget’s diameter on welds’ service life is presented. In this analysis, a concept of the interface crack between the two linear elastic materials was applied. Obtained results show that the plates’ thickness and the nugget’s size, as well as the working load, impose significant influences on the service life of a spot-weld between the two dissimilar materials.
Optical Characterization of AsxTe100−x Films Grown by Plasma Deposition Based on the Advanced Optimizing Envelope Method
Authors: Minkov Dorian , Angelov George , Nestorov Radi , Nezhdanov Aleksey , Usanov Dmitry , Kudryashov Mikhail , Mashin Aleksandr
Published: July 2020

Three AsxTe100−x films with different x and dissimilar average thickness d ¯ are characterized mainly from one interference transmittance spectrum T(λ = 300 to 3000 nm) of such film on a substrate based on the advanced optimizing envelope method (AOEM). A simple dual transformation of T(λ) is proposed and used for increasing the accuracy of computation of its envelopes T+(λ) and T−(λ) accounting for the significant glass substrate absorption especially for λ > 2500 nm. The refractive index n(λ) of As40Te60 and As98Te2 films is determined with a relative error <0.30%. As far as we know, the As80Te20 film is the only one with anomalous dispersion and the thickest, with estimated d ¯ = 1.1446 nm, ever characterized by an envelope method. It is also shown and explained why the extinction coefficient k(λ) of any of the three AsxTe100−x films is computed more accurately from the quantity Ti(λ) = [T+(λ)T−(λ)]0.5 compared to its commonly employed computation from T+(λ). The obtained results strengthen our conviction that the AOEM has a capacity for providing most accurate optical characterization of almost every dielectric or semiconductor film with d ¯ > 300 nm on a substrate, compared to all the other methods for characterization of such films only from T(λ).
Life Extension of Aged Jointed Plain Concrete Pavement through Remodeling Index–Based Analysis
Authors: Jung Haekook , Kim Yongjae , Kim Seungwon , Park Cheolwoo , Nam Jeong-Hee
Published: July 2020

As jointed plain concrete pavements (JPCP) age in South Korea, the cost of pavement maintenance is increasing annually. To extend the life of jointed concrete pavements through preventive maintenance, this study used 2017 pavement management system data to analyze the effects of traffic volume, alkali–silica reaction (ASR) grade, age, smoothness, and damaged area on the remodeling index (RMI—a measure of expressway pavement condition). In addition, this study evaluates the final RMI as well as the corresponding pavement condition and change in RMI value after conducting preventive maintenance in lieu of resurfacing or overlaying. The results demonstrated that the effect of ASR grade increased as the RMI forecast year increased and that change in surface distress (△SD) increased with age (most intensively when the pavement was 15–20 years of age). Moreover, change in international roughness index (△IRI) increased with age and traffic volume (similarly within 15–20 years of pavement age). Hence, preventive maintenance is a must for sections with high traffic volume and age even if the RMI is low. Finally, performing repairs through preventive maintenance decreases the number of expressway sections requiring resurfacing and overlaying, thus extending the life of the concrete pavement.
Process-Induced Distortions Characterization of MBWK Fabric Reinforced Composite Helmet Shell
Authors: Xiang He , Jiang Yaming , Qi Yexiong , Li Jialu
Published: July 2020

In order to characterize the process-induced distortions of 3D thin shell composites with complex shape, the multilayered biaxial weft knitted (MBWK) fabric reinforced high-performance composite helmet was selected as the research object, and the 3D laser scanning machine was used to scan the helmet surface, then the 3D scanning data was compared with the CAD model to evaluate the deformation. The results and discussion indicated that the conventional method was workable, but the speed of convergence was slow and the calculation results were easy to drop into local optimization. According to detailed analysis, a measurement method focusing on the principle of “Feature Distance” was developed. The measurement results shown that this method can not only give accurate results, but also reduce working procedure and greatly save the computing resources, which is proved to be a feasible approach for the deformation measurement foundation of 3D thin shell textile composites.
Deformation of Emulsion Droplet with Clean and Particle-Covered Interface under an Electric Field
Authors: Abbasi Muhammad Salman , Farooq Haroon , Ali Hassan , Kazim Ali Hussain , Nazir Rabia , Shabbir Aqsa , Cho Seongsu , Song Ryungeun , Lee Jinkee
Published: July 2020

The electrohydrodynamic deformation of an emulsion droplet with a clean and particle-covered interface was explored. Here, the electrohydrodynamic deformation was numerically and experimentally demonstrated under the stimuli of moderate and strong electric fields. The numerical method involves the coupling of the Navier–Stokes equation with the level set equation of interface tracking and the governing equations of so-called leaky dielectric theory. The simulation model developed for a clean interface droplet was then extended to a capsule model for densely particle-covered droplets. The experiments were conducted using various combinations of immiscible oils and particle suspensions while the electric field strength ~105 V/m was generated using a high voltage supply. The experimental images obtained by the camera were post-processed using an in-house image processing code developed on the plat-form of MATLAB software. The results show that particle-free droplets can undergo prolate (deformation in the applied electric field direction) or oblate deformation (deformation that is perpendicular to the direction of the applied electric field) of the droplet interface, whereas the low-conductivity particles can be manipulated at the emulsion interface to form a ‘belt’, ‘helmet’ or ‘cup’ morphologies. A densely particle-covered droplet may not restore to its initial spherical shape due to ‘particle jamming’ at the interface, resulting in the formation of unique droplet shapes. Densely particle-covered droplets behave like droplets covered with a thin particle sheet, a capsule. The deformation of such droplets is explored using a simulation model under a range of electric capillary numbers (i.e., the ratio of the electric stresses to the capillary stresses acting at the droplet interface). The results obtained are then compared with the theory and experimental findings. It was shown that the proposed simulation model can serve as a tool to predict the deformation/distortion of both the particle-free and the densely particle-covered droplets within the small deformation limit. We believe that this study could provide new findings for the fabrication of complex-shaped species and colloidosomes.
Application of the S-N Curve Mean Stress Correction Model in Terms of Fatigue Life Estimation for Random Torsional Loading for Selected Aluminum Alloys
Authors: Böhm Michał , Kluger Krzysztof , Pochwała Sławomir , Kupina Mariusz
Published: July 2020

The paper presents the experimental fatigue test results for cyclic constant amplitude loading conditions for the case of the torsion of the PA4 (AW-6082-T6), PA6 (AW-2017A-T4) and PA7 (AW-2024-T3) aluminum alloy for a drilled diabolo type test specimen. The tests have been performed for the stress asymmetry ratios R = −1, R = −0.7, R = −0.5 and R = −0.3. The experimental results have been used in the process of a fatigue life estimation performed for a random generated narrowband stress signal with a zero and a non-zero global mean stress value. The calculations have been performed within the time domain with the use of the rainflow cycle counting method and the Palmgren−Miner damage hypothesis. The mean stress compensation has been performed with the S-N curve mean stress model proposed by Niesłony and Böhm. The model has been modified in terms of torsional loading conditions. In order to obtain an appropriate R = 0 ratio S-N curve fatigue strength amplitude, the Smith−Watson−Topper model was used and compared with literature fatigue strength amplitudes. The presented solution extends the use of the correction model in terms of the torsional loading condition in order to obtain new S-N curves for other R values on the basis of the R = −1 results. The work includes the computational results for new fatigue curves with and without the mean stress effect correction. The results of the computations show that the mean stress effect plays a major role in the fatigue life assessment of the tested aluminum alloys and that the method can be used to assess the fatigue life under random conditions.
Relation between Resonance Parameters of Surface Plasmon-Polariton Waves with Properties of the Dielectric-Metal Film-Dielectric Waveguide
Authors: Bellucci Stefano , Fitio Volodymyr , Bendziak Andriy , Yaremchuk Iryna , Bobitski Yaroslav
Published: July 2020

The resonant excitation of the surface plasmon–polariton waves by the prism structure, where a thin silver film was coated on the prism, was studied. New analytical relations between the angular and spectral sensitivities on the change of the medium refractive index, adjacent to the metal film, were obtained. In addition, the analytical relation between the full width at the half maximum of the spectral and angular resonance dependencies were found.
Enhanced Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Primary Mesenchymal Stem and Progenitor Cultures on Graphene Oxide/Poly(methyl methacrylate) Composite Scaffolds
Authors: Krukiewicz Katarzyna , Putzer David , Stuendl Nicole , Lohberger Birgit , Awaja Firas
Published: July 2020

Due to its versatility, small size, large surface area, and ability to interact with biological cells and tissues, graphene oxide (GO) is an excellent filler for various polymeric composites and is frequently used to expand their functionality. Even though the major advantage of the incorporation of GO is the enhancement of mechanical properties of the composite material, GO is also known to improve bioactivity during biomineralization and promote osteoblast adhesion. In this study, we described the fabrication of a composite bone cement made of GO and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), and we investigated its potential to enhance osteogenic differentiation of human primary mesenchymal stem and progenitor cells. Through the analysis of three differentiation markers, namely alkaline phosphatase, secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine, and bone morphogenetic protein-2 in the presence and in the absence of an osteogenic differentiation medium, we were able to indicate a composite produced manually with a thick GO paper as the most effective among all investigated samples. This effect was related to its developed surface, possessing a significant number of voids and pores. In this way, GO/PMMA composites were shown as promising materials for the applications in bone tissue engineering.
Synthesis of Hybrid Carbon Materials Consisting of N-Doped Microporous Carbon and Amorphous Carbon Nanotubes
Authors: Zielinski Wojciech , Kamedulski Piotr , Smolarkiewicz-Wyczachowski Aleksander , Skorupska Malgorzata , Lukaszewicz Jerzy P. , Ilnicka Anna
Published: July 2020

The N-doped hybrid carbon materials containing amorphous carbon nanotubes (ACNTs) were obtained by free growth of a polymer at 200 °C. The improvement of electrical conductivity was achieved by a final carbonization at 600–800 °C under the flow of nitrogen. The microstructure of ACNT/N-doped hybrids was characterized using a transmission electron microscope and X-ray diffusion. Furthermore, their elemental composition was measured using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and an elemental analyzer. The experimental results indicated that the ACNTs had a diameter in the range of 40–60 nm and the N-doped carbon background contained nitrogen atoms in most bonded pyrrolic-N and quaternary-N groups. The results revealed that the microstructure of the as-grown nanotubes, prepared by the proposed method, is mainly amorphous. This technique introduces the advantages of low cost and process simplicity, which may redeem some drawbacks of the methods commonly used in ACNT synthesis.
Investigations on Surface Roughness and Tool Wear Characteristics in Micro-Turning of Ti-6Al-4V Alloy
Authors: Aslantas Kubilay , Danish Mohd , Hasçelik Ahmet , Mia Mozammel , Gupta Munish , Ginta Turnad , Ijaz Hassan
Published: July 2020

Micro-turning is a micro-mechanical cutting method used to produce small diameter cylindrical parts. Since the diameter of the part is usually small, it may be a little difficult to improve the surface quality by a second operation, such as grinding. Therefore, it is important to obtain the good surface finish in micro turning process using the ideal cutting parameters. Here, the multi-objective optimization of micro-turning process parameters such as cutting speed, feed rate and depth of cut were performed by response surface method (RSM). Two important machining indices, such as surface roughness and material removal rate, were simultaneously optimized in the micro-turning of a Ti6Al4V alloy. Further, the scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis was done on the cutting tools. The overall results depict that the feed rate is the prominent factor that significantly affects the responses in micro-turning operation. Moreover, the SEM results confirmed that abrasion and crater wear mechanism were observed during the micro-turning of a Ti6Al4V alloy.
The Effect of the Distribution Head Tilt and Diffuser Variants on the Evenness of Sowing Rye and Oat Seeds with a Pneumatic Seed Drill
Authors: Gierz Łukasz , Markowski Piotr
Published: July 2020

Due to the sustainable development of agriculture machines with large working widths of 4–6 m or even 9–12 m are increasingly often used for agrotechnical operations. The sowing machinery whose working widths are much bigger than the width of the seed box is equipped with a pneumatic system for transporting seeds from the seed box to coulters. One of the structural elements that affect the sowing accuracy in such seed drills is the distribution head with a diffuser. This article is about research on the influence of the distribution head deviation from the vertical position and constructional variants of the diffuser (the number of diffusion rings and the configuration of their position in the diffuser pipe, which is the distance between them) on the accuracy of distribution of a stream of rye and oat seeds (a seed-and-air stream), which differ in physical characteristics. The main elements, i.e., the innovative stream distributor in the head and the diffusion rings were made using an original design and the rapid prototyping method. The research proved that a change of 0–10° in the angle of the distribution head deviation from the vertical position significantly affected the sowing quality of oat seeds only. The position (density) of the diffusion rings in the lower section of the diffuser (near the supply elbow) was the most effective for both oat and rye seeds, where the average values of the coefficient of variation were 5.31% and 4.62%, respectively. The research results can be used to redesign the construction of the diffuser of the seed drill distribution head so as to reduce the resistance of transport of the seed-and-air mixture in order to improve seed sowing evenness.