bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Improving the Indoor Air Quality of Residential Buildings during Bushfire Smoke Events
Authors: Rajagopalan Priyadarsini , Goodman Nigel
Published: February 2021

Exposure to bushfire smoke is associated with acute and chronic health effects such as respiratory and cardiovascular disease. Residential buildings are important places of refuge from bushfire smoke, however the air quality within these locations can become heavily polluted by smoke infiltration. Consequently, some residential buildings may offer limited protection from exposure to poor air quality, especially during extended smoke events. This paper evaluates the impact of bushfire smoke on indoor air quality within residential buildings and proposes strategies and guidance to reduce indoor levels of particulates and other pollutants. The paper explores the different monitoring techniques used to measure air pollutants and assesses the influence of the building envelope, filtration technologies, and portable air cleaners used to improve indoor air quality. The evaluation found that bushfire smoke can substantially increase the levels of pollutants within residential buildings. Notably, some studies reported indoor levels of PM2.5 of approximately 500µg/m3 during bushfire smoke events. Many Australian homes are very leaky (i.e., >15 ACH) compared to those in countries such as the USA. Strategies such as improving the building envelope will help reduce smoke infiltration, however even in airtight homes pollutant levels will eventually increase over time. Therefore, the appropriate design, selection, and operation of household ventilation systems that include particle filtration will be critical to reduce indoor exposures during prolonged smoke events. Future studies of bushfire smoke intrusion in residences could also focus on filtration technologies that can remove gaseous pollutants.
Foam Quality of Foams Formed on Capillaries and Porous Media Systems
Authors: Starov Victor , Trybala Anna , Johnson Phillip , Vaccaro Mauro
Published: February 2021

Foams are of great importance as a result of their expansive presence in everyday life—they are used in the food, cosmetic, and process industries, and in detergency, oil recovery, and firefighting. There is a little understanding of foam formation using soft porous media in terms of the quality of foam and foam formation. Interaction of foams with porous media has recently been investigated in a study by Arjmandi-Tash et al., where three different regimes of foam drainage in contact with porous media were observed. In this study, the amount of foam generated using porous media with surfactant solutions is investigated. The aim is to understand the quality of foam produced using porous media. The effect of capillary sizes and arrangement of porous in porous media has on the quality of foam is investigated. This is then followed by the use of soft porous media for foam formation to understand how the foam is generated on the surface of the porous media and the effect that different conditions (such as concentration) have on the quality of the foam. The quality of foam is a blanket term for bubble size, liquid volume fraction, and stability of the foam. The liquid volume fraction is calculated using a homemade dynamic foam analyser, which is used to obtain the distribution of liquid volume fraction along with the foam height. Soft porous media does not influence substantially the rate of decay of foam produced, however, it decreases the average diameter of the bubbles, whilst increasing the range of bubble sizes due to the wide range of pore sizes present in the soft porous media. The foam analyser showed the expected behaviour that, as the foam decays and becomes drier, the liquid volume fraction of the foam falls, and therefore the conductivity of foam also decreases, indicating the usefulness of the home-made device for future investigations.
Sensitive Skins May Be Neuropathic Disorders: Lessons from Studies on Skin and Other Organs
Authors: Misery Laurent
Published: February 2021

Sensitive skin can be considered a neuropathic disorder. Sensory disorders and the decrease in intra-epidermal nerve ending density are strong arguments for small-fiber neuropathies. Sensitive skin is frequently associated with irritable bowel syndrome or sensitive eyes, which are also considered neuropathic disorders. Consequently, in vitro co-cultures of skin and neurons are adequate models for sensitive skin.
RETRACTED: Interpreting Locked Photographic Data: The Case of Apollo 17 Photo GPN-2000-00113
Authors: Amathes Pyrrhon , Christodoulides Paul
Published: February 2021

Photography can be used for pleasure and art but can also be used in many disciplines of science, because it captures the details of the moment and can serve as a proving tool due to the information it preserves. During the period of the Apollo program (1969 to 1972), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) successfully landed humans on the Moon and showed hundreds of photos to the world presenting the travel and landings. This paper uses computer simulations and geometry to examine the authenticity of one such photo, namely Apollo 17 photo GPN-2000-00113. In addition, a novel approach is employed by creating an experimental scene to illustrate details and provide measurements. The crucial factors on which the geometrical analysis relies are locked in the photograph and are: (a) the apparent position of the Earth relative to the illustrated flag and (b) the point to which the shadow of the astronaut taking the photo reaches, in relation to the flagpole. The analysis and experimental data show geometrical and time mismatches, proving that the photo is a composite.
Analysis, Design, and Comparison of Machine-Learning Techniques for Networking Intrusion Detection
Authors: Dini Pierpaolo , Saponara Sergio
Published: February 2021

The use of machine-learning techniques is becoming more and more frequent in solving all those problems where it is difficult to rationally interpret the process of interest. Intrusion detection in networked systems is a problem in which, although it is not fundamental to interpret the measures that one is able to obtain from a process, it is important to obtain an answer from a classification algorithm if the network traffic is characterized by anomalies (and hence, there is a high probability of an intrusion) or not. Due to the increased adoption of SW-defined autonomous systems that are distributed and interconnected, the probability of a cyber attack is increased, as well as its consequence in terms of system reliability, availability, and even safety. In this work, we present the application of different machine-learning models to the problem of anomaly classification in the context of local area network (LAN) traffic analysis. In particular, we present the application of a K-nearest neighbors (KNN) and of an artificial neural network (ANN) to realize an algorithm for intrusion detection systems (IDS). The dataset used in this work is representative of the communication traffic in common LAN networks in military application in particular typical US Air Force LAN. This work presents a training phase of the different models based on a multidimensional-scaling preprocessing procedure, based on different metrics, to provide higher performance and generalization with respect to model prediction capability. The obtained results of KNN and ANN classifiers are compared with respect to a commonly used index of performance for classifiers evaluation.
New Criteria on Oscillatory and Asymptotic Behavior of Third-Order Nonlinear Dynamic Equations with Nonlinear Neutral Terms
Authors: Grace Said R. , Alzabut Jehad , Özbekler Abdullah
Published: February 2021

In the paper, we provide sufficient conditions for the oscillatory and asymptotic behavior of a new type of third-order nonlinear dynamic equations with mixed nonlinear neutral terms. Our theorems not only improve and extend existing theorems in the literature but also provide a new approach as far as the nonlinear neutral terms are concerned. The main results are illustrated by some particular examples.
Nonlinear Cointegrating Regression of the Earth’s Surface Mean Temperature Anomalies on Total Radiative Forcing
Authors: Nam Kyungsik
Published: February 2021

This study proposes a nonlinear cointegrating regression model based on the well-known energy balance climate model. Specifically, I investigate the nonlinear cointegrating regression of the mean of temperature anomaly distributions on total radiative forcing using estimated spatial distributions of temperature anomalies for the Globe, Northern Hemisphere, and Southern Hemisphere. Further, I provide two types of nonlinear response functions that map the total radiative forcing level to mean temperature anomalies. The proposed statistical model provides a climatological implication that spatially heterogenous warming effects play a significant role in identifying nonlinear climate sensitivity. Cointegration and specification tests are provided that support the existence of nonlinear effects of total radiative forcing.
Influencing Factors of Commercial Energy Consumption Intention of Rural Residents: Evidence from Rural Chengdu
Authors: Jiang Aichun , Zhong Qian , Wang Yan , Ao Yibin , Chen Chuan
Published: February 2021

With rapid rural urbanization and new rural construction, the commercial energy consumption of rural residents shows a trend of rapid growth, and China’s rural areas are also faced with environmental challenges brought by the increase of commercial energy consumption. China’s commercial energy consumption behavior of rural residents has also undergone tremendous changes. However, scholars have neglected the research on rural residents’ commercial energy consumption intention from a micro perspective. Therefore, this study takes the 5 villages in Chengdu out of the 100 representative villages in the Sichuan province as examples. From the perspective of the head of a family of permanent rural residents, extended planned behavior theory, exploratory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling are used to explore the influencing factors of rural resident commercial energy consumption intention and their relationship. Findings show that subjective norm, perceived behavioral control (PBC), and habit significantly affect residents’ behavioral intention. Habits significantly influence subjective norms and PBC. Therefore, in the new rural construction, rural residents are the main body and participants of energy consumption. Local government departments should plan reasonably according to the needs and characteristics of residents, constantly improve commercial energy infrastructure, improve service level, and further strengthen farmers’ attitude and satisfaction toward commercial energy. Moreover, they should increase the publicity and education of commercial energy, advocate green housing, and promote energy saving consumption reduction, and sustainable development in new rural areas.
On the Use of Modern Engineering Codes for Designing a Small Wind Turbine: An Annotated Case Study
Authors: Papi Francesco , Nocentini Alberto , Ferrara Giovanni , Bianchini Alessandro
Published: February 2021

While most wind energy comes from large utility-scale machines, small wind turbines (SWTs) can still play a role in off-grid installations or in the context of distributed production and smart energy systems. Over the years, these small machines have not received the same level of aerodynamic refinement of their larger counterparts, resulting in a notably lower efficiency and, therefore, a higher cost per installed kilowatt. In an effort to reduce this gap during the design of a new SWT, the scope of the study was twofold. First, it aimed to show how to combine and best exploit the modern engineering methods and codes available in order to provide the scientific and industrial community with an annotated procedure for a full preliminary design process. Secondly, special focus was put on the regulation methods, which are often some of the critical points of a real design. A dedicated sensitivity analysis for a proper setting is provided, both for the pitch-to-feather and the stall regulation methods. In particular, it is shown that stall regulation (which is usually preferred in SWTs) may be a cost-effective and simple solution, but it can require significant aerodynamic compromises and results in a lower annual energy output in respect to a turbine making use of modern stall-regulation strategies. Results of the selected case study showed how an increase in annual energy production (AEP) of over 12% can be achieved by a proper aerodynamic optimization coupled with pitch-to-feather regulation with respect to a conventional approach.
Electrical Load Forecast by Means of LSTM: The Impact of Data Quality
Authors: Nespoli Alfredo , Ogliari Emanuele , Pretto Silvia , Gavazzeni Michele , Vigani Sonia , Paccanelli Franco
Published: February 2021

Accurate forecast of aggregate end-users electric load profiles is becoming a hot topic in research for those main issues addressed in many fields such as the electricity services market. Hence, load forecast is an extremely important task which should be understood more in depth. In this research paper, the dependency of the day-ahead load forecast accuracy on the basis of the data typology employed in the training of LSTM has been inspected. A real case study of an Italian industrial load with samples recorded every 15 min for the year 2017 and 2018 was studied. The effect in the load forecast accuracy of different dataset cleaning approaches was investigated. In addition, the Generalised Extreme Studentized Deviate hypothesis testing was introduced to identify the outliers present in the dataset. The populations were constructed on the basis of an autocorrelation analysis that allowed for identifying a weekly correlation of the samples. The accuracy of the prediction obtained from different input dataset has been therefore investigated by calculating the most commonly used error metrics, showing the importance of data processing before employing them for load forecast.
Using Fractal Calculus to Solve Fractal Navier–Stokes Equations, and Simulation of Laminar Static Mixing in COMSOL Multiphysics
Authors: Pishkoo Amir , Darus Maslina
Published: February 2021

Navier–Stokes equations describe the laminar flow of incompressible fluids. In most cases, one prefers to solve either these equations numerically, or the physical conditions of solving the problem are considered more straightforward than the real situation. In this paper, the Navier–Stokes equations are solved analytically and numerically for specific physical conditions. Using Fα-calculus, the fractal form of Navier–Stokes equations, which describes the laminar flow of incompressible fluids, has been solved analytically for two groups of general solutions. In the analytical section, for just “the single-phase fluid” analytical answers are obtained in a two-dimensional situation. However, in the numerical part, we simulate two fluids’ flow (liquid–liquid) in a three-dimensional case through several fractal structures and the sides of several fractal structures. Static mixers can be used to mix two fluids. These static mixers can be fractal in shape. The Sierpinski triangle, the Sierpinski carpet, and the circular fractal pattern have the static mixer’s role in our simulations. We apply these structures just in zero, first and second iterations. Using the COMSOL software, these equations for “fractal mixing” were solved numerically. For this purpose, fractal structures act as a barrier, and one can handle different types of their corresponding simulations. In COMSOL software, after the execution, we verify the defining model. We may present speed, pressure, and concentration distributions before and after passing fluids through or out of the fractal structure. The parameter for analyzing the quality of fractal mixing is the Coefficient of Variation (CoV).
Crustal Structure of the Eastern Anatolia Region (Turkey) Based on Seismic Tomography
Authors: Medved Irina , Polat Gulten , Koulakov Ivan
Published: February 2021

Here, we investigated the crustal structure beneath eastern Anatolia, an area of high seismicity and critical significance for earthquake hazards in Turkey. The study was based on the local tomography method using data from earthquakes that occurred in the study area provided by the Turkiye Cumhuriyeti Ministry of Interior Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate Earthquake Department Directorate of Turkey. The dataset used for tomography included the travel times of 54,713 P-waves and 38,863 S-waves from 6355 seismic events. The distributions of the resulting seismic velocities (Vp, Vs) down to a depth of 60 km demonstrate significant anomalies associated with the major geologic and tectonic features of the region. The Arabian plate was revealed as a high-velocity anomaly, and the low-velocity patterns north of the Bitlis suture are mostly associated with eastern Anatolia. The upper crust of eastern Anatolia was associated with a ~10 km thick high-velocity anomaly; the lower crust is revealed as a wedge-shaped low-velocity anomaly. This kind of seismic structure under eastern Anatolia corresponded to the hypothesized existence of a lithospheric window beneath this collision zone, through which hot material of the asthenosphere rises. Thus, the presented results help to clarify the deep structure under eastern Anatolia.
Detection and Identification of Possible Gel Residues on the Surface of Paintings after Cleaning Treatments
Authors: Riedo Chiara , Rollo Giulia , Chiantore Oscar , Scalarone Dominique
Published: February 2021

Important features required for gels used for the cleaning of paintings are viscoelastic properties ensuring good adaptability to the morphology of the surfaces and complete gel removal after application. Poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-borax gels containing different liquid phases are often used as cleaning materials, but still little is known about their ability to leave no residues. This study reports the development of an analytical method based on attenuated total reflectance–Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy and pyrolysis–gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) for the identification of PVA-borax gel residues on mock-ups and on works of art after cleaning treatments. The effect of additives in the formulation (i.e., poly (ethylene oxide)) and of clearing treatments with organic solvents after the gel removal was assessed both with respect to the effectiveness of the cleaning and the presence of residues on the painted surfaces. The results obtained show that clearing the surfaces with cotton swabs and organic solvents after the application of the gel is necessary to ensure a good removal of gel residues. Moreover, Py-GC/MS analyses in single-ion-monitoring (SIM) mode are more sensitive and selective, allowing the detection of gel residues even on surfaces where no residue is detected by ATR-FTIR.
Research Agenda of Climate Change during and after the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic
Authors: Nishiura Hiroshi , Mimura Nobuo
Published: February 2021

The global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) rapidly spread worldwide during the first few months of 2020 [...]
Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Low-Level Laser Therapy in Patients with Perennial Allergic Rhinitis: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial
Authors: Jung Hahn Jin , Chung Young-Jun , Choi Young-Seok , Chung Phil Sang , Mo Ji-Hun
Published: February 2021

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common disease that interferes with the daily activities and reduces the quality of life. Conventional treatments often do not provide complete resolution of the symptoms, and many new treatment modalities have been tried. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) for AR in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Patients diagnosed with AR were randomly allocated to receive LLLT or sham treatment. The primary outcome was a change in the reflective total nasal symptom score (TNSS). The secondary outcome was quality of life scores assessed using the Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire. Incidences of adverse events were also recorded. Among 67 randomized subjects, 41 subjects (22 in LLLT group and 19 in sham treatment group) were included for efficacy analysis. The LLLT group showed a significantly improved TNSS score compared to the sham treatment group for decreasing AR symptom severity (p = 0.011) and improving quality of life regarding nasal symptoms (p = 0.036) at the end of treatment. Throughout the treatment period, no severe adverse events occurred. This clinical trial showed that LLLT is an effective and safe option for the management of AR regarding symptom relief and quality of life improvement.
A Moving-Mesh Finite-Difference Method for Segregated Two-Phase Competition-Diffusion
Authors: Baines Michael John , Christou Katerina
Published: February 2021

A moving-mesh finite-difference solution of a Lotka-Volterra competition-diffusion model of theoretical ecology is described in which the competition is sufficiently strong to spatially segregate the two populations, leading to a two-phase problem with a coupling condition at the moving interface. A moving mesh approach preserves the identities of the two species in space and time, so that the parameters always refer to the correct population. The model is implemented numerically with a variety of parameter combinations, illustrating how the populations may evolve in time.
INCO-GAN: Variable-Length Music Generation Method Based on Inception Model-Based Conditional GAN
Authors: Li Shuyu , Sung Yunsick
Published: February 2021

Deep learning has made significant progress in the field of automatic music generation. At present, the research on music generation via deep learning can be divided into two categories: predictive models and generative models. However, both categories have the same problems that need to be resolved. First, the length of the music must be determined artificially prior to generation. Second, although the convolutional neural network (CNN) is unexpectedly superior to the recurrent neural network (RNN), CNN still has several disadvantages. This paper proposes a conditional generative adversarial network approach using an inception model (INCO-GAN), which enables the generation of complete variable-length music automatically. By adding a time distribution layer that considers sequential data, CNN considers the time relationship in a manner similar to RNN. In addition, the inception model obtains richer features, which improves the quality of the generated music. In experiments conducted, the music generated by the proposed method and that by human composers were compared. High cosine similarity of up to 0.987 was achieved between the frequency vectors, indicating that the music generated by the proposed method is very similar to that created by a human composer.
Approximation of Gaussian Curvature by the Angular Defect: An Error Analysis
Authors: Hartig Marie-Sophie
Published: February 2021

It is common practice in science and engineering to approximate smooth surfaces and their geometric properties by using triangle meshes with vertices on the surface. Here, we study the approximation of the Gaussian curvature through the Gauss–Bonnet scheme. In this scheme, the Gaussian curvature at a vertex on the surface is approximated by the quotient of the angular defect and the area of the Voronoi region. The Voronoi region is the subset of the mesh that contains all points that are closer to the vertex than to any other vertex. Numerical error analyses suggest that the Gauss–Bonnet scheme always converges with quadratic convergence speed. However, the general validity of this conclusion remains uncertain. We perform an analytical error analysis on the Gauss–Bonnet scheme. Under certain conditions on the mesh, we derive the convergence speed of the Gauss–Bonnet scheme as a function of the maximal distance between the vertices. We show that the conditions are sufficient and necessary for a linear convergence speed. For the special case of locally spherical surfaces, we find a better convergence speed under weaker conditions. Furthermore, our analysis shows that the Gauss–Bonnet scheme, while generally efficient and effective, can give erroneous results in some specific cases.
Cation Disorder Caused by Olivine-Ringwoodite Phase Transition Mechanism, Possible Explanation for Blue Olivine Inclusion in a Diamond
Authors: Bassett William , Skalwold Elise
Published: February 2021

Synchrotron X-ray diffraction, as well as visual observations, in a diamond anvil cell (DAC) using soft metal gaskets or slightly reducing gas environment, have revealed that the olivine-ringwoodite transition in olivines of several compositions take place in two steps: step 1: displacive restacking of the oxygen layers, followed by step 2: diffusive reordering of the cations. The initiation of the phase transition was observed at temperatures as low as 200 °C below the reported temperature for the phase transition under hydrostatic conditions. These observations, especially residual disordered cations, have important implications for deep-focus earthquakes, the ability of ringwoodite to host surprising amounts of water, and possibly the observation of a blue olivine inclusion in a natural diamond from Brazil and in a pallasitic meteorite from Russia.
Supercritical Fluid Extract of Putranjiva roxburghii Wall. Seeds Mitigates Fertility Impairment in a Zebrafish Model
Authors: Balkrishna Acharya , Nain Pradeep , Joshi Monali , Khandrika Lakshmipathi , Varshney Anurag
Published: February 2021

Putrajeevak (Putranjiva roxburghii Wall.; synonym Drypetes roxburghii (Wall.) Hurus) seeds have been used since ancient times in the treatment of infertility in the Ayurvedic system of medicine in India. In this study, the oil component of Putrajeevak seeds (PJSO) was extracted using the supercritical fluid extraction (SCFE) method using liquid CO2 and the constituents were analyzed using gas chromatography-flame ionized detectorand high-performance thin-layer chromatography. PJSO contained trace amounts of β-sitosterol with oleic and linoleic acids as the major fatty acid constituents. Male and female zebrafish were mutagenized with N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) and fish that produced less than 20 viable embryos were selected for the study. SCFE oil extracts from the P. roxburghii seeds were used in this study to reverse fertility impairment. The mutant fish were fed with PJSO for a period of 14 days and the rates of fertility, conception, and fecundity were determined with wild-type healthy fish as a breeding partner. Treatment with PJSO increased the ovarian follicle count as well as the number of mature eggs, while reducing the number of ovarian cysts. Sperm count as well as sperm motility were greatly enhanced in the ENU-mutagenized male zebrafish when treated with PJSO. The results obtained in this study demonstrate the effectiveness of P. roxburghii seed oil in reversing impaired fertility in both male and female zebrafish models.
Particles —First 100 Papers Milestone Achieved
Authors: Sedrakian Armen
Published: February 2021

Particles (ISSN 2571-712X), which is a peer-reviewed, open access journal launched in 2018, has now reached a significant milestone—the 100th paper has been published [...]
Social Practices and Embubblement
Authors: Giovagnoli Raffaela , Magnani Lorenzo
Published: February 2021

The present contribution describes the nature of social practices based on habitual behavior. The first part concerns the notion of “habit” from a perspective that crosses philosophy and science. Habits structure our daily life and possess a social nature, as shown by informally shared habits and institutionalized rituals. After a brief reference to the philosophical debate, we point out the fundamental dimensions of habitual behavior, i.e., routine and goal-directed behavior. They also characterize shared social habits like rituals because we need to: (a) simply follow social institutional practices and (b) actively cooperate to reach a certain goal. Our descriptive strategy aims at promoting the aspect of “control” in habitual behavior, namely, the possibility of accepting or refusing to do something. This control does not work in many pathological cases and cases of auto-illusion. The second part of the article will illustrate the interesting but disregarded case of the epistemic and moral embubblement, explaining it as an individual cognitive process and as a specific social practice that once followed or institutionalized becomes a shared practice routinely performed. The main features of an epistemic bubble concern the widespread situation in which the cognitive agents always resolve the tension between their thinking that they know P and their knowing P in favor of knowing that P”. The related case of the moral bubble indicates the situation in which agents are potentially or actually violent and unaware of it. This cognitive process expresses how difficulties in recognizing one’s own violence leads to disregarding the possible or actual inflicted harm: in this case, a process of what can be called “autoimmunity” is at play. We will contend that the concept of moral bubble can provide an integrated and unified perspective able to interpret in a novel way many social practices in which morality and violence are intertwined.
Progress in Enzymatic Biodiesel Production and Commercialization
Authors: Lv Liangliang , Dai Lingmei , Du Wei , Liu Dehua
Published: February 2021

Enzymatic biodiesel production has attracted tremendous interest due to its well-recognized advantages. However, high enzyme costs limit the application of enzymatic processes in industrial production. In the past decade, great improvements have been achieved in the lab and the industrial scale, and the production cost of the enzymatic process has been reduced significantly, which has led to it being economically competitive compared to the chemical process. This paper summarizes the progress achieved in enzymatic biodiesel research and commercialization, including reducing enzyme cost, expanding low-quality raw materials, and novel reactor designs. The advantages and disadvantages of different enzymatic processes are also compared.
Textile Recognition and Sorting for Recycling at an Automated Line Using Near Infrared Spectroscopy
Authors: Cura Kirsti , Rintala Niko , Kamppuri Taina , Saarimäki Eetta , Heikkilä Pirjo
Published: February 2021

In order to add value to recycled textile material and to guarantee that the input material for recycling processes is of adequate quality, it is essential to be able to accurately recognise and sort items according to their material content. Therefore, there is a need for an economically viable and effective way to recognise and sort textile materials. Automated recognition and sorting lines provide a method for ensuring better quality of the fractions being recycled and thus enhance the availability of such fractions for recycling. The aim of this study was to deepen the understanding of NIR spectroscopy technology in the recognition of textile materials by studying the effects of structural fabric properties on the recognition. The identified properties of fabrics that led non-matching recognition were coating and finishing that lead different recognition of the material depending on the side facing the NIR analyser. In addition, very thin fabrics allowed NIRS to penetrate through the fabric and resulted in the non-matching recognition. Additionally, ageing was found to cause such chemical changes, especially in the spectra of cotton, that hampered the recognition.
Balancing of the Orthoglide Taking into Account Its Varying Payload
Authors: Geng Jing , Arakelian Vigen , Chablat Damien , Lemoine Philippe
Published: February 2021

For fast-moving robot systems, the fluctuating dynamic loads transmitted to the supporting frame can excite the base and cause noise, wear, and fatigue of mechanical components. By reducing the shaking force completely, the dynamic characteristics of the robot system can be improved. However, the complete inertial force and inertial moment balancing can only be achieved by adding extra counterweight and counter-rotation systems, which largely increase the total mass, overall size, and complexity of robots. In order to avoid these inconveniences, an approach based on the optimal motion control of the center of mass is applied for the shaking force balancing of the robot Orthoglide. The application of the “bang–bang” motion profile on the common center of mass allows a considerable reduction of the acceleration of the total mass center, which results in the reduction of the shaking force. With the proposed method, the shaking force balancing of the Orthoglide is carried out, taking into account the varying payload. Note that such a solution by purely mechanical methods is complex and practically inapplicable for industrial robots. The simulations in ADAMS software validate the efficiency of the suggested approach.
Electromyogram in Cigarette Smoking Activity Recognition
Authors: Senyurek Volkan , Imtiaz Masudul , Belsare Prajakta , Tiffany Stephen , Sazonov Edward
Published: February 2021

In this study, information from surface electromyogram (sEMG) signals was used to recognize cigarette smoking. The sEMG signals collected from lower arm were used in two different ways: (1) as an individual predictor of smoking activity and (2) as an additional sensor/modality along with the inertial measurement unit (IMU) to augment recognition performance. A convolutional and a recurrent neural network were utilized to recognize smoking-related hand gestures. The model was developed and evaluated with leave-one-subject-out (LOSO) cross-validation on a dataset from 16 subjects who performed ten activities of daily living including smoking. The results show that smoking detection using only sEMG signal achieved an F1-score of 75% in person-independent cross-validation. The combination of sEMG and IMU improved reached the F1-score of 84%, while IMU alone sensor modality was 81%. The study showed that using only sEMG signals would not provide superior cigarette smoking detection performance relative to IMU signals. However, sEMG improved smoking detection results when combined with IMU signals without using an additional device.
The Cerium/Boron Insertion Impact in Anatase Nano-Structures on the Photo-Electrochemical and Photocatalytic Response
Authors: Flores-Caballero Aurora A. , Manzo-Robledo Arturo , Alonso-Vante Nicolas
Published: February 2021

Boron- and cerium-doped titania (Anatase) were prepared via sol-gel method. Phase composition and morphology were assessed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), BET, diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS), and XPS. Photo-electrochemistry of these materials, deposited onto fluorine-doped SnO2 (FTO), was investigated in acid and acid-containing methanol. The boron-doped sample showed the best opto-electronic properties among the investigated samples. On the other hand, the cerium-doped titania samples annihilate to a certain extent the titania surface states, however, photogenerated charge separation was limited, and certainly associated to surface Ce3+/Ce4+ species. The substitutional effect of boron ions for O sites and interstitial sites was confirmed by XRD and XPS analyses.
TRENDS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF TEXTBOOK CREATION IN THE PRIMARY EDUCATION IN THE FIRST DECADE OF STATE INDEPENDENCE OF UKRAINE (1991–2001)
Authors: Havrylenko Tetiana , Rozlutska Galyna
Published: February 2021

The analysis of educational books published in the first decade of independent Ukraine allowed us to determine the following trends in the development of textbook creation in primary education: revision of the content of textbooks taking into account the principles of child-centrism, National Orientation, humanization; development of a new generation of educational literature by Ukrainian authors; preparation of unified educational books for three-year and four-year primary schools; creation of new types of textbooks and manuals – alternative, two-level, integrated, general development in nature; introduction of their testing and passing the "stamp" procedure. Along with positive trends in the development of textbook-making in primary education, we also note negative ones: deepening the problem of publishing educational literature, providing it to younger schoolchildren in a timely manner, preparing educational literature by low-professional authors, and returning payment for using textbooks.
Patient complaints in general practice seen through the lens of professionalism: a retrospective observational study
Authors: Barnhoorn Pieter C , Essers Geurt TJM , Nierkens Vera , Numans Mattijs E , van Mook Walther NKA , Kramer Anneke WM
Published: February 2021

Background

Professionalism is a key competence for physicians. Patient complaints provide a unique insight into patient expectations regarding professionalism. Research exploring the exact nature of patient complaints in general practice, especially focused on professionalism, is limited.

Aim

To characterise patient complaints in primary care and to explore in more detail which issues with professionalism exist.

Design & setting

A retrospective observational study in which all unsolicited patient complaints to a representative out-of-hours general practice (OOH GP) service provider in The Netherlands were analysed over a 10-year period (2009–2019).

Method

Complaints were coded for general characteristics and thematically categorised using the CanMEDS Physician Competency Framework (CanMEDS) as sensitising concepts. Complaints categorised as professionalism were subdivided using open coding.

Results

Out of 746 996 patient consultations (telephone, face-to-face, and home visits) 484 (0.065%) resulted in eligible complaint letters. The majority consisted of two or more complaints, resulting in 833 different complaints. Most complaints concerned GPs (80%); a minority (19%) assistants. Thirty-five per cent concerned perceived professionalism lapses of physicians. A rich diversity in the wording of professionalism lapses was found, where'not being taken seriously'was mentioned most often. Forty-five per cent related to medical expertise, such as missed diagnoses or unsuccessful clinical treatment. Nineteen per cent related to management problems, especially waiting times and access to care. Communication issues were only explicitly mentioned in 1% of the complaints.

Conclusion

Most unsolicited patient complaints were related to clinical problems. A third, however, concerned professionalism issues. Not being taken seriously was the most frequent mentioned theme within the professionalism category.
Concepciones diferentes del término raíz: aportes de la experiencia vivencial del trabajo de campo
Authors: Vera Antonio
Published: February 2021

Se determinaron concepciones diferentes del término raíz durante la experiencia vivencial del trabajo de campo. La metodología fue descriptiva, de campo y no experimental. Los estudiantes “descubrieron” raíces con rasgos anatómicos, morfológicos, ecológicos y fisiológicos diferentes en comparación al concepto convencional. Se identificaron raíces haustorios (hemiparásitas); para la fijación física-mecánica a sustratos (epífitas); engrosadas por acumulación de sustancias de reserva (arbusto); fúlcreas para el “anclaje” y la ultrafiltración de sales (mangle rojo) y neumatóforos con geotropismo negativo para absorber oxígeno atmosférico (mangles blanco y negro). Los estudiantes obtuvieron alcances como focalización de la atención a situaciones problema, consolidación de analisis y conclusiones, analisis de nuevas interrelaciones cognitivas, enriquecimiento del conocimiento disciplinar y lenguaje científico, aplicación de procesos mentales y método científico, afianzamiento de interacciones ecológicas y adaptaciones, comparación y analisis de nuevas concepciones con el concepto tradicional de raíz y socialización del conocimiento. Las nuevas concepciones podrían generar cambios conceptuales en los estudiantes.
Requerimientos para la gestión de mantenimiento en la industria petrolera venezolana división occidente
Authors: Hernández Ángel
Published: February 2021

El presente artículo es un avance de una investigación de mayor alcance, la cual tuvo como objetivo analizar la gestión de mantenimiento; de allí, en este avance se determinan los requerimientos  para la gestión de mantenimiento en la industria petrolera división occidente. La investigación es de tipo descriptiva, con diseño no experimental, transeccional y de campo. Se empleó un censo poblacional, para un total de 30 sujetos de investigación pertenecientes a las gerencias que prestan mantenimiento a taladros de perforación en la industria petrolera división occidente. Para recolectar la información, se aplicó un cuestionario, validado por el juicio de expertos, con un valor de 0,83 considerado de muy fuerte confiabilidad, según el coeficiente Alfa Crombach. El análisis de los datos se realizó mediante la estadística descriptiva, a través del estudio de la media aritmética, apoyada en las frecuencias registradas. Se evidencio alta presencia de los recursos humanos, técnicos y financieros.
Abordagem multiprofissional na Doença de Krabbe: relato de caso
Authors: Lima Karini Martins , Maia Daniela Maria Silva , Menezes Jean Carlos de Oliveira , Silva Jessica Bruna Florência e , Silva Joelma Gomes da
Published: February 2021

A doença de Krabbe é uma doença neurodegenerativa autossômica recessiva ocorrida por uma mutação do cromossomo 14q31.3. Diante disto, o objetivo deste trabalho foi descrever um caso de um paciente com Doença de Krabbes submetido a um tratamento multiprofissional. Até os 4 meses a criança apresentou seu desenvolvimento motor normal e logo após apareceu os primeiros sintomas. Aos 8 meses recebeu o diagnóstico e permaneceu até os 5 anos e 2 meses em atendimento domiciliar com acompanhamento de equipe Multiprofissional. Durante esse período apresentou-se estável, sem complicações e histórico de internações, ressaltando a relevância desse acompanhamento na sobrevida desses pacientes.
Jūzenji, ou l’enfance du divin
Authors: Faure Bernard
Published: February 2021

During the medieval period and till the Meiji Restoration, Jūzenji was one of the preeminent gods of the Hie Shrines (known today as Hiyoshi Taisha). The very name “Jūzenji” sounds rather strange for a kami, and it has received various Buddhist and “Shintō” interpretations. It points toward a Buddhist monastic institution, that of the “ten dhyāna masters” (jūzenji),

which was important in the Nara and Heian periods but had declined by the time Jūzenji’s cult arose, toward the eleventh century. There are few representations of Jūzenji. He is usually represented as a young monk or as a youth (dōji or chigo). Indeed, youth is his most characteristic feature, and it links him not only with a category of more or less divine or demonic deities but also with an important figure often represented as a child or an adolescent, Shōtoku Taishi. The figure of Jūzenji is also intimately related to the image of the monkey, the emissary of Sannō Gongen, the main protector of Mount Hiei. Jūzenji was above all an oracular god. He delivered his oracles not only through incubatory dreams but also through children that he possessed. The sudden and violent nature of Jūzenji’s child possession, as reported in literary sources, reveals an unruly, demonic nature. Yet Jūzenji also came to be perceived as a deity watching over the destiny of humans. This transformation was made easier through his identification with the snake deity Ugajin, and, through him, with the so-called “wild gods of the placenta” (ena kōjin).

This identification took place within a specific context, that of the beliefs concerning placenta deities. In his role as placenta deity, Jūzenji was mostly a nurturing deity that brings “longevity and happiness,” yet, as “wild deity” (kōjin), he remained essentially ambivalent—and potentially dangerous when not properly initiated. The ascension of Jūzenji into the medieval pantheon led to identifying him with the “god of destiny,” Shukujin. This identification derives logically from the nature and functions of that deity—a child-deity related to Jizō, but also an oracular deity and a deity of limits, and a violent deity of the kōjin type, perceived as the aramitama of the mountain god Sannō Gongen. This latent symbolic complex was brought to the forefront with the emergence of certain social groups (the artistic guilds of the sarugakusha and biwa hōshi, and the inhabitants of the shuku, way-stations). This complex symbolic network explains how, even within the orthodox circles of Enryakuji and Hie Shrine, Jūzenji eventually became a “god of the warp and woof of Heaven and Earth.”
L’exégèse des mythes du Nihon shoki chez Yoshikawa Koretari : entre allégorie et théologie de la présence
Authors: Rocher Alain
Published: February 2021

In tune with the anti-allegorical stance of the Kokugakusha, most modern specialists of mythology consider the interpretation of myths advocated by the Yoshida school and its successors an artificial construct so dependent on Buddhist, Confucianist, and yin-yang concepts that it is alien to the very nature of the theo-cosmological narratives of the Nara period. The aim of the present article is to rehabilitate the hermeneutics of myth developed by esoteric Shinto in the course of its long history of commentaries on the Jindaikan.

Special attention is devoted to Yoshikawa Koretari, whose exegetical texts can be read as the grand “coda” of the Yoshida tradition as a whole. The concept of “divine words” appears to be the keystone of this interpretative system, and the Yoshida school hermeneuts radically change its meaning, giving it a wide spectrum: the “divine words” stop being limited to punctual utterances (prophetic or ritual) to acquire a complex syntactic dimension, referring to extensive narratives transmitting a secret knowledge to the men. The semantic density of the divine words explains the role played in the Yoshida schools by a unique, multilayered etymology (connotations borrowed from Buddhist, neo-Confucian, and vernacular cultures coexist in the decoding process), and the importance of theurgic practices (understood, as in the neo-Platonician tradition, in their double movement, descending and ascending). We then proceed to identify the conceptual tools produced (or borrowed) by the Yoshida schools to interpret the cosmological narrative. The fusion of different gods, associations between god names and neo-Confucian notions, numerological games, and systematic parallelism between the cosmogony and the theogony are the most common hermeneutical procedures. But the conceptual operator mishō/ishō plays an even more decisive role in the Yoshidian interpretative strategies: it allows us to distinguish different moments of the creation myth while, at the same time, playing the role of an ontologico-semantic tool (ritual artifacts described in the myth possess an invisible and a visible dimension). These functions are, in turn, subordinated to an original theological thesis. Far from being erased by the emergence of the forms in the cosmogonic process, the formless (the marokare as well as the pre-named Kuni no tokotachi) continue to exist/ insist in the world as a hidden dynamic principle. This theology of presence (the divine voice is inscribed in the text in the same way as the kami are immanent to the world and man’s heart) translates into an ethical system based on a reinterpretation of the virtue of humility (tsutsushimi) in gogyō terms (tsuchikane no hiketsu). Far-fetched as it may seem, this allegorical interpretation of the Jindaikan is paradoxically faithful to the polysemy and the narrative quality of the myth, to the point that it deserves the qualification of “mytheology.”