bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Research on Slug Flow Elimination Method Based on Kinetic Energy Conversion
Authors: Liao Ruiquan , Zhou Donghui , Wang Zhihui , Yang Weixia , Zhang Xingkai
Published: January 2023

Slug flow is one of the most common flow patterns in the petrochemical industry. It will affect the normal operation of oil well surface pipelines and connected equipment, especially gas well multiphase flowmeters. The extant slug flow traps are complex in structure and limited in application sites. To reduce the influence of slug flow on gas-liquid two-phase measurement, a slug flow elimination device is designed based on the kinetic energy conversion method. The gas-liquid two-phase flow law inside the device and its energy loss are investigated using a combination of indoor experiments and numerical simulations. This study evaluates the device’s working performance, including the flow pattern, pressure fluctuation, velocity distribution, and energy loss. The results show that the flow rate and pressure fluctuation of the gas-liquid two-phase flow are weakened after the device. And the flow pattern changes from intermittent slug flow to gas-liquid continuous flow. The pressure drop calculation method for the device is developed based on the share of different structures in the total pressure drop, with a prediction error of 20%. The slug elimination device is designed to provide a flow pattern basis for metering equipment, improve metering accuracy, and further promote the development of multiphase metering technology.
Study on Calculation Method of Foundation Nonlinear Settlement Based on In Situ Loading Test
Authors: Wen Yong , Yang Guanghua , Zhong Zhihui
Published: February 2023

In this paper, a nonlinear deformation modulus method is proposed for foundation settlement calculation. In the proposed method, the nonlinear deformation modulus under different stress levels is obtained from the load-settlement curve of in situ loading test, which are then applied to the layerwise summation method for calculating foundation settlement. On this basis and referring to the Duncan-Chang model, a variable modulus constitutive model suitable for numerical calculation of foundation settlement is further proposed. The required parameters of this model are the same as those of the nonlinear deformation modulus method and can be determined by the in situ loading test. The validity of the proposed calculation methods of foundation settlement is verified by the in situ loading tests under different plate sizes. The results illustrate that both the nonlinear deformation modulus method and the variable modulus constitutive model compare quite well with the test results, and the deduced results can better reflect the nonlinearity of foundation settlement.
ENPP1 Immunobiology as a Therapeutic Target
Authors: Ruiz-Fernández de Córdoba Borja , Martínez-Monge Rafael , Lecanda Fernando
Published: January 2023

ENPP1 (ecto-nucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase) participates in the hydrolysis of different purine nucleotides in an array of physiologic processes. However, ENPP1 is frequently overexpressed in local relapses and tumor metastases, which are associated with poor prognosis and survival in a range of solid tumors. ENPP1 promotes an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) by tilting the balance of ATP/adenosine (Ado) in conjunction with other components (CD38, CD39/ENTPD1, and CD73/NT5E). Moreover, ENPP1 intersects with the stimulator of interferon genes (STING), impairing its robust immune response through the hydrolysis of the effector 2´,3´-cyclic GMP–AMP. Thus, ENPP1 blockade emerges as a unique target eliciting immune remodeling and leveraging the STING pathway. Several ENPP1 inhibitors have shown an immunostimulatory effect, and their combination with other therapeutic modalities, such as immune-checkpoint blockade, STING activation, DNA damage response (DDR) inhibitors, and radiotherapy (RT), represents a promising avenue to boost antitumor–immune responses and to improve current clinical outcomes in several tumors. This comprehensive review summarizes the current state of the art and opens new perspectives for novel treatment strategies.
Five plus Three for the Pancreas
Authors: Löhr J.-Matthias , Pantel Klaus
Published: January 2023

Preneoplastic high-risk lesions in the pancreas need to be differentiated from low-risk lesions warranting surveillance and eventually surgical intervention. Imaging is used so far; however, certain imaging features are subject to interpretation and hence have their intrinsic flaws. In a recent article, a liquid biopsy with protein and RNA markers demonstrates differentiation based on a blood test.

See related article by Zhang et al., p. 1535
Trends and Factors Associated with Fecal Occult Blood Test Utilization among Hispanic Adults in Puerto Rico and the United States: BRFSS 2012–2020
Authors: Castaneda-Avila Maira A. , Oyinbo Atinuke G. , Epstein Mara M. , Ortiz-Ortiz Karen J. , Tortolero-Luna Guillermo , Lapane Kate L.
Published: January 2023

Identifying factors associated with colorectal cancer screening utilization is important to guide colorectal cancer prevention and control programs. We evaluated trends and factors associated with previous-year fecal occult blood test (FOBT) use among Hispanic adults living in Puerto Rico and the U.S. mainland. Using data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (2012–2020), trends in FOBT use were analyzed using joinpoint regression to estimate annual percentage change (APC). Logistic regression stratified by location identified factors associated with FOBT use. FOBT was more common among Hispanic adults ages 50 to 75 years living in Puerto Rico than in the U.S. mainland [Puerto Rico: 20.5%[2012] to 45.6%[2020], APC = 11.4%; U.S. mainland: 9.9%[2012] to 16.7%[2020], APC = 5.9%]. Factors inversely associated with FOBT use were similar in Puerto Rico and the U.S. mainland, including lack of health insurance, not having a personal doctor, having a checkup >12 months ago, and not being able to see a doctor due to cost, as were factors associated with higher FOBT use, including older age, retirement, or having two or more chronic diseases. Among Hispanics living in the U.S. mainland, lack of exercise and less education were inversely associated with FOBT. Factors related to poor access to healthcare were associated with lower use of FOBT among Hispanics. Efforts to improve colorectal cancer screening in Hispanics are necessary to address health disparities across the colorectal cancer care continuum.

Prevention Relevance:

Colorectal cancer screening reduces cancer incidence and mortality. All screening modalities, including less invasive FOBT tests, are underutilized, especially in non-White and low-income populations. Evaluation of trends and factors associated with the increase in the use of colorectal cancer screening can inform programs to address the lack of screening among racial minorities.
Alopecia areata im Kindesalter: Ein Wirksamkeitsvergleich zweier Therapieansätze
Authors: Tanew Adrian
Published: January 2023

Oral mini pulse (OMP) corticosteroids and diphencyclopropenone (DPCP) contact sensitisation are commonly used treatment modalities in severe cases of Alopecia areata (AA) in children but with scarce studies comparing the two modalities in children. In this study we aimed to compare the effectiveness and safety of dexamethasone OMP with DPCP contact sensitization in severe non progressive AA in children. This randomized open label study was undertaken in 30 children less than 18 years of age with extensive non progressive AA divided in two groups. Group I included 15 patients who received dexamethasone (5 mg/week) OMP as five tablets of 0.5 mg dexamethasone (i.e., 2.5 mg dexamethasone) on two consecutive days in a week. Group II included 15 patients who were treated with DPCP contact sensitization. The treatment was continued in all patients for 24 weeks. Patients were followed up every 4 weeks and records were maintained. Response rate was 100% in OMP group and 53.3% in DPCP group at 24 weeks. In Group I, complete regrowth was seen in 20% patients, and cosmetically acceptable regrowth in 66.7% while in Group II, complete regrowth was not seen in any of the patients, and cosmetically acceptable regrowth in 20% (p = 0.001). Hair regrowth started at mean duration of 7.7 weeks in Group I, while 11.3 weeks in Group II. Response rate of treatment with dexamethasone OMP leads to a significantly faster and better hair regrowth compared to DPCP contact immunotherapy in non-progressive extensive AA in children.
EPOC: El impacto de la ventilación no invasiva en la calidad del sueño
Authors: Romero-López Zaira
Published: January 2023

Background: Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) has been shown to be the most appropriate therapy for COPD patients with chronic respiratory failure. While physiological parameters and long-term outcome frequently serve as primary outcomes, very few studies have primarily addressed the impact of NIV initiation on sleep quality in COPD. Methods: This single-center prospective cohort study comprised NIV-naïve patients with COPD. All patients underwent polysomnographic evaluation both at baseline and at 3 months follow-up, accompanied by the assessment of health-related quality of life (HRQL) using the Severe Respiratory Insufficiency Questionnaire (SRI) and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). A subgroup evaluation was performed to address the impact of comorbid obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). Results: Forty-six patients were enrolled and twenty-five patients completed the follow-up period (66.7 ± 7.4 years). NIV resulted in an increase in slow-wave sleep (+2% (-3.5/7.5), p = 0.465) and rapid eye movement sleep (+2.2% (-1.0/5.4), p = 0.174), although no statistical significance could be detected. ESS (-1.7(-3.6/0.1), p = 0.066) also showed a positive trend. Significant improvements in the Respiratory Disturbance Index (RDI) (-12.6(-23.7/-1.5), p = 0.027), lung function parameters, transcutaneous PCO2 and the SRI summary scale (4.5(0.9/8), p = 0.016) were observed. Conclusions: NIV therapy does not decrease sleep quality and is even capable of improving HRQL, transcutaneous PaCO2, daytime sleepiness and RDI, and the latter especially holds true for patients with comorbid OSAS.
Alopecia areata: Januskinase-Inhibitoren im Praxiseinsatz
Authors: Sticherling Michael
Published: January 2023

Alopecia areata ist eine Autoimmunerkrankung, die durch raschen Haarausfall auf der Kopfhaut, den Augenbrauen und den Wimpern gekennzeichnet ist und für die es nur wenige Behandlungsmöglichkeiten gibt. Baricitinib, ein oraler, selektiver, reversibler Inhibitor der Janus-Kinasen 1 und 2, könnte die Zytokin-Signalübertragung unterbrechen, die in die Pathogenese der Alopecia areata involviert ist. Es wurden zwei randomisierte, placebokontrollierte Phase-3-Studien (BRAVE-AA1 und BRAVE-AA2) durchgeführt, an denen Erwachsene mit schwerer Alopecia areata und einem SALT-Score (Severity of Alopecia Tool) von 50 oder höher (Bereich 0 [kein Haarausfall] bis 100 [vollständiger Haarausfall]) teilnahmen. Die Patienten wurden nach dem Zufallsprinzip in einem Verhältnis von 3:2:2 auf eine einmal täglich zu verabreichende Dosis von 4 mg Baricitinib, 2 mg Baricitinib oder Placebo verteilt. Der primäre Endpunkt war ein SALT-Wert von 20 oder weniger in Woche 36. Es wurden 654 Patienten in die BRAVE-AA1-Studie und 546 in die BRAVE-AA2-Studie aufgenommen. Der geschätzte Prozentsatz der Patienten, die in Woche 36 einen SALT-Wert von 20 oder weniger aufwiesen, betrug in der BRAVE-AA1-Studie mit 4 mg Baricitinib 38,8 %, mit 2 mg Baricitinib 22,8 % und mit Placebo 6,2 %, in der BRAVE-AA2-Studie 35,9 %, 19,4 % bzw. 3,3 %. In BRAVE-AA1 betrug der Unterschied zwischen 4 mg Baricitinib und Placebo 32,6 Prozentpunkte (95 % Konfidenzintervall [KI], 25,6 bis 39,5) und der Unterschied zwischen 2 mg Baricitinib und Placebo 16,6 Prozentpunkte (95 % KI, 9,5 bis 23,8) (P<0,001 für jede Dosis gegenüber Placebo). In BRAVE-AA2 betrugen die entsprechenden Werte 32,6 Prozentpunkte (95% CI, 25,6 bis 39,6) und 16,1 Prozentpunkte (95% CI, 9,1 bis 23,2) (P<0,001 für jede Dosis im Vergleich zu Placebo). Die sekundären Ergebnisse für Baricitinib in einer Dosis von 4 mg, aber nicht in einer Dosis von 2 mg, sprachen im Allgemeinen für Baricitinib gegenüber Placebo. Akne, erhöhte Kreatinkinase-Werte und erhöhte Werte von Low- und High-Density-Lipoprotein-Cholesterin traten unter Baricitinib häufiger auf als unter Placebo.
Skin Cancer Development Is Strongly Associated with Actinic Keratosis in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients: A Danish Cohort Study
Authors: Wenande Emily , Togsverd-Bo Katrine , Hastrup Anna , Lei Ulrikke , Philipsen Peter A. , Haedersdal Merete
Published: February 2023

Background and Objectives: Solid organ transplant recipients (SOTRs) are at increased risk of skin cancer and suffer from greater disease-specific morbidity and mortality. To risk stratify the expanding SOTR population for more targeted skin cancer screening, a detailed understanding of risk factors is needed. Using combined clinical and pathological data to capture prevalence of actinic keratosis (AK) and skin cancer, this study aimed to identify risk factors of skin cancer development in a Danish SOTR cohort. Methods: The trial comprised a retrospective cohort study of patients attending organ transplant clinics at the dermatological departments of Bispebjerg and Gentofte Hospitals in Copenhagen, Denmark, between 2009 and 2021. In addition to pathology records, AK prevalence was determined by review of electronic medical records (EMRs) of SOTR visits which specifically included descriptions of clinical AK. Prevalence of skin cancer, here defined as basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (invasive or in situ), or melanoma (invasive or in situ), was determined by EMR and pathology code review. Additional data extracted from EMRs included age, sex, Fitzpatrick skin type, transplantation date and type, and immunosuppressive therapy. The effect of risk factors on skin cancer was calculated by Cox proportional hazards regression. Results: A total of 822 SOTRs were included with a mean follow-up duration of 10.8 years (SD 2.4 years). A skin dysplasia diagnosis was identified in 30% (n = 250) of the population, consisting of either AK (22%; n = 177), skin cancer (23%; n = 186) or both (14%; n = 113). An AK diagnosis predicted both SCC (odds ratio [OR]: 31.5 [95% CI: 9.8–100.6], p < 0.0001) and BCC development (OR: 2.3 [95% CI: 1.6–3.3], p < 0.0001), with AKs diagnosed an average 3.1 years before the first SCC (p < 0.0001). Correspondingly, while the risk of SCC in SOTRs without AK was 1.4% 25 years after transplantation, SOTRs with AKs had a 23% SCC risk only 10 years posttransplant. Other identified risk factors included Fitzpatrick skin type I (BCC: OR: 2.4 [95% CI: 1.2–5.0], p = 0.018; SCC: 3.2 [95% CI: 1.2–8.2], p = 0.016) and transplantation duration >15 years (BCC: OR: 1.8 [95% CI: 1.2–2.7], p = 0.007). No significant association between skin cancer development and sex or immunosuppressive regimen was shown. Conclusion: Keratinocyte carcinoma is strongly associated with an AK diagnosis in SOTRS and should prompt intensified skin cancer screening in affected individuals.
The Effects of Treatment Regimen on the Initial Management of Macular Neovascularization Subtypes in Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Authors: Kodaday Kenny , Kodjikian Laurent , Gadiollet Etienne , Chirpaz Nicolas , Loria Olivier , Feldman Audrey , De Bats Flore , Burillon Carole , Denis Philippe , Pradat Pierre , Mathis Thibaud
Published: January 2023

Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of initial treatment regimen individualization (pro re nata or treat-and-extend [TAE]), according to macular neovascularization (MNV) subtype, on the functional and anatomical response in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). The secondary objective was to compare the treatment burden between each MNV subtype. Methods: Consecutive treatment-naïve nAMD patients were retrospectively included. MNV subtype was graded by 2 independent blinded investigators on multimodal imaging. Functional and anatomical outcomes were analysed according to treatment regimen and MNV subtypes. Results: A total of 281 eyes from 243 patients were included in the study. According to the treatment regimen, there was no significant difference in best-corrected visual acuity gain within the first 2 years of treatment for type 1 (p = 0.106) and type 3 MNV (p = 0.704). Conversely, there was a significant difference in favour of TAE regimen for type 2 (p = 0.017) and type 4 MNV (p = 0.047). Type 1 MNV had a higher proportion of visits with subretinal fluid (p = 0.0007) but not with intraretinal fluid (p = 0.22). The mean interval between the last 2 injections was significantly shorter for type 1 MNV (p = 0.0045). Conclusion: The individualization of the initial treatment protocol according to MNV subtype can improve the functional outcome and may decrease the treatment burden.
Short-Term Safety and Efficacy of Intravitreal Brolucizumab Injections for Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Multicenter Retrospective Real-World Study
Authors: Kim Dong Ju , Jin Ki Won , Han Jeong Mo , Lee Seung Hyun , Park Yong Seok , Lee Joo Yong , Lee Eun Kyoung , Lee Jun Sung , Kim Seong Taeck , Shin Min Ho , Lee Christopher Seungkyu , Jung Hyun Ho , Jang Jae Yong , Kim Min , Kim Yung Hui , Kim Jae Hui , Park Kyu Hyung , Park Sang Jun , Joo Kwangsic , Ji Yong Sok , Sagong Min , Woo Se Joon
Published: January 2023

Introduction: The aim of the study was to determine the short-term real-world safety and efficacy of intravitreal brolucizumab injections in Korean patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). Methods: This multicenter retrospective study involved 294 eyes (treatment naïve 20 eye [6.8%] and nontreatment naïve 274 eyes [93.2%]) of 290 patients from 13 hospitals or retinal centers in South Korea. Patients with nAMD who received brolucizumab injection(s) between April 1 and November 30, 2021, with a follow-up ≥1 month, were included. Primary outcomes were safety, incidence of intraocular inflammation (IOI), and potential risk factors. The secondary outcome was efficacy, i.e., change in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and optical coherence tomography-measured macular thickness and retinal fluid. Results: The mean age was 71.63 ± 8.66. The follow-up period was 2.38 ± 0.79 months. The mean number of brolucizumab injections during the follow-up was 1.52 ± 0.58. The overall incidence of IOI was 13.9% (n = 41 eyes). Most IOI cases were of anterior uveitis (8.8%, 26 eyes), followed by retinal vasculitis (2.4%, seven eyes) and occlusive retinal vasculitis (0.3%, one eye). Most eyes showed IOI resolution (n = 40, 97.5%) and BCVA restoration (n = 39, 95.1%) with or without corticosteroid treatment during the follow-up. Age, sex, IOI history, or other anti-vascular endothelial growth factor injection histories were not associated with the occurrence of IOI. However, only thin subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) was associated with the occurrence of IOI (odds ratio = 0.995, p = 0.020). BCVA at 1 month improved from baseline (baseline 0.518 ± 0.356 vs. 1 month 0.503 ± 0.383, p = 0.023), but the improvement was not maintained. Anatomical improvement was significant after 3 months. Conclusion: In Korean patients with nAMD, the incidence of IOI following brolucizumab injections was 13.9%. IOI was well-controlled with or without steroid treatment. Most IOI eyes (95.1%) were restored to the level of vision before. IOI occurrence and occlusive vasculitis was rare. In the short term, brolucizumab injection effectively improved vision at 1 month and dried retinal fluid for 3 months.
The Effect of Social Isolation on Sarcopenia: A Longitudinal Study among the Middle-Aged and Older Population in China
Authors: Hu Peipei , Zhang Dexing , Wong Samuel Yeung Shan , Woo Jean , Yu Ruby , Yip Benjamin Hon Kei , Poon Paul Kwok Ming
Published: January 2023

Introduction: Although social isolation is associated with premature death and somatic and mental diseases, evidence of its long-term effect on sarcopenia is scarce. This study aimed to examine the longitudinal association between social isolation and possible sarcopenia. Methods: We extracted baseline and 4-year follow-up data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study and included participants aged 45 years or above. Social isolation was measured by factors including living alone, marital status, frequency of contact with adult children and friends, and participation in social activity. The change in social isolation from baseline to follow-up was classified into stable, progressive, and regressive groups. Possible sarcopenia was detected using the handgrip strength and five-time chair-stand test. Using mixed-effects logistic regression, we studied the effect of baseline isolation and the change in isolation status on possible sarcopenia at a 4-year follow-up. Results: A total of 5,289 participants aged 45–90 years and without possible sarcopenia at baseline were included. After 4 years, possible sarcopenia was detected in 21.7% (1,146/5,289) of the participants. Compared with the low social isolation group, the middle (OR = 1.53, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.16–2.04, p = 0.003) and high social isolation groups (OR = 1.65, 95% CI = 1.26–2.18, p < 0.001) were associated with a higher risk of possible sarcopenia. Being not married/cohabiting (OR = 1.58, 95% CI = 1.19–2.10, p = 0.002), lack of contact with children (OR = 1.86, 95% CI = 1.21–2.85, p = 0.004), and lack of social activities (OR = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.04–1.53, p = 0.019) were associated with an increased risk of possible sarcopenia. Compared with the stable social isolation group, the progressive group was associated with a greater risk of possible sarcopenia (OR = 1.51, 95% CI = 1.17–1.95, p = 0.001). Conclusions: Social isolation is associated with an increased risk of possible sarcopenia. Progressive social isolation further elevates the risk. The most vulnerable groups are middle-aged and older people who live alone, are not socially active, and lack contact with their children.
Induction motors with copper rotor: a new opportunity for increasing motor efficiency
Authors: Viego Felipe Percy R. , Sousa Santos Vladimir , Gómez Sarduy Julio R. , Monteagudo Yanes José P. , Quispe Enrique Ciro
Published: January 2023

The copper rotor induction motor (CURIM) was recently introduced because it has lower rotor fusion losses than the aluminum rotor (ALRIM). Furthermore, with CURIM, it is easier to reach IE4 and IE5 efficiency levels. The CURIM is advantageous for compact motors, escalators, and electric vehicle applications. However, CURIMs present slip, power factor, temperature increase, and torque decrease problems that must be analyzed. This study compared the economic feasibility of using CURIM with ALRIM by applying discount techniques. A case study was carried out in a sugar company with a cyclical operation, where 5.5 kW motors will be installed in the intermediate conductors of the mill's feeders. The facility works three shifts between 3 and 6 months. The cost increase (DCI) of CURIM over ALRIM was between 1.1 and 1.5 times. With 3,600 h/year and 4,000 h/year of operation, the DCI greater than 10%, it was found that the payback is more than four years, and the net present value (NPV) grows linearly.
Electric vehicles charging station configuration with closed loop control
Authors: Najem Wisam Mohamed , Alyozbaky Omar Sh. , Khudher Shaker M.
Published: January 2023

Recently, the demand for electric vehicles (EV) has been on the rise in global markets due to the orientation of national policies to reduce emissions and global warming through the electrification of the transportation sector and the use of clean energy sources. Electric vehicles function on batteries, which must be recharged, either by slow charging at home or by fast charging with a direct current. In the fast-charging process, the batteries can be charged in less than 15 minutes. In this paper, an off-board charger with a three-phase, six-pulse voltage rectifier was designed using the MATLAB/Simulink program. The closed control circuit was simulated, where the simulation results were influenced by changes to the input voltage. When the input voltage was increased or decreased by 5%, this control maintained the value of the current and voltage at the output to be equal to the reference values required to achieve fast charging. The simulation results showed that in the first case where no filter was used, the output voltage and current had a high amount of ripple that exceeded the permissible value. Therefore, a low-pass filter was designed to reduce the ripple factor to a value that was within the permissible limit.
Low-cost real-time internet of things-based monitoring system for power grid transformers
Authors: Talbi Kaoutar , El Ougli Abdelghani , Tidhaf Belkassem , Zrouri Hafida
Published: January 2023

One of the most common causes of blackouts is unexpected failures at power system transformer levels. The purpose of this project is to create a low-cost Internet of things (IoT)-based monitoring system for power grid transformers in order to investigate their working status in real-time. Our monitoring system’s key functions are the gathering and display of many metrics measured at the transformer level (temperature, humidity, oil level, voltage, vibration, and pressure). The data will be collected using various sensors connected to a microcontroller with an embedded Wi-Fi module (DOIT Esp32 DevKit v1), and then supplied to a cloud environment interface with a full display of all the ongoing changes. This technology will provide the power grid maintenance center with a clear image of the transformers’ health, allowing them to intervene at the right time to prevent system breakdown. The method described above would considerably improve the efficiency of a power transformer in a smart grid system by detecting abnormalities before they become critical.
Automatic food bio-hazard detection system
Authors: Jimenez Moreno Robinson , Baquero Javier Eduardo Martinez
Published: January 2023

This paper presents the design of a convolutional neural network architecture oriented to the detection of food waste, to generate a low, medium, or critical-level alarm. An architecture based on four convolution layers is used, for which a database of 100 samples is prepared. The database is used with the different hyperparameters that make up the final architecture, after the training process. By means of confusion matrix analysis, a 100% performance of the network is obtained, which delivers its output to a fuzzy system that, depending on the duration of the detection time, generates the different alarm levels associated with the risk.
Design and development of a delta robot system to classify objects using image processing
Authors: Duy Cong Vo , Hoai Phuong Le
Published: January 2023

In this paper, a delta robot is designed to grasp objects in an automatic sorting system. The system consists of a delta robot arm for grasping objects, a belt conveyor for transmitting objects, a camera mounted above the conveyor to capture images of objects, and a computer for processing images to classify objects. The delta robot is driven by three direct current (DC) servo motors. The controller is implemented by an Arduino board and Raspberry Pi 4 computer. The Arduino is programmed to provide rotation to each corresponding motor. The Raspberry Pi 4 computer is used to process images of objects to classify objects according to their color. An image processing algorithm is developed to classify objects by color. The blue, green, red (BGR) image of objects is converted to HSV color space and then different thresholds are applied to recognize the object’s color. The robot grasps objects and put them in the correct position according to information received from Raspberry. Experimental results show that the accuracy when classifying red and yellow objects is 100%, and for green objects is 97.5%. The system takes an average of 1.8 s to sort an object.
Decentralized proportional-integral controller based on dynamic decoupling technique using Beckhoff TwinCAT-3.1
Authors: Tshemese-Mvandaba Nomzamo , Mnguni Mkhululi Elvis Siyanda
Published: January 2023

An improved technique for the design of decentralized dynamic decoupled proportional-integral (PI) controllers to control many variables of column flotation was developed and implemented in this paper. This work was motivated by challenges when working with multiple inputs and multiple outputs (MIMO) systems that are not controllable by conventional linear feedback controllers. Conventional feedback control design consists of various drawbacks when it comes to complex industrial processes. The introduction of decentralization, decoupling, and many advanced controls design methods overcomes these drawbacks. Hence, the design and implementation of control systems that mitigate stability for MIMO systems are important. The developed closed-loop model of the flotation process is implemented in a real-time platform using TwinCAT 3.1 automation software and CX5020 Beckhoff programmable logic controllers (PLC) through the model transformation technique. The reasons for using the CX5020 as an implementation environment were motivated by the reliability, and is built according to new industry standards, allowing transformation, which makes it more advantageous to be used more than any other PLCs. This is done to validate the effectiveness of the recommended technique and prove its usability for any multivariable system. Comparable numerical results are presented, and they imply that industrial usage of this method is highly recommended.
Optimized design of an extreme low power datalogger for photovoltaic panels
Authors: Merabtane Bilal , Benabadji Noureddine
Published: January 2023

The paper focuses on the design and implementation of a low cost and compact data logger prototype using an extreme low power (XLP) and low pin count programmable interface controllers (PIC) microcontroller using its own flash memory for the periodic data acquisition storage, while many other works focus in the Arduino Eco-system. It is planned to pick four important analog measures from the photovoltaic system, and store them directly as 10-bit numerical counts, this yields to faster data acquisition and storage (no time consuming for mathematical computation to convert each numerical count of raw data to meaningful real-world data). Avoiding the use of any kind of display and keypad, and keeping the ratio run time over sleep time as low as possible, has a maximum impact on lowering the power consumption. This prototype can be serially linked to a personal computer (PC) to view the acquisition of measurements in real time, and to retrieve all collected data through a terminal application. The experimental results are stored in comma-separated values (CSV) files to ease post data analysis with any spread sheet software, for statistical calculations and graphs drawing, in order for instance, to find the faults of the photovoltaic system and optimize its management and its performance.
Pedestrian classification on transfer learning based deep convolutional neural network for partial occlusion handling
Authors: Thu May , Suvonvorn Nikom , Kittiphattanabawon Nichnan
Published: January 2023

The investigation of a deep neural network for pedestrian classification using transfer learning methods is proposed in this study. The development of deep convolutional neural networks has significantly improved the autonomous driver assistance system for pedestrian classification. However, the presence of partially occluded parts and the appearance variation under complex scenes are still robust to challenge in the pedestrian detection system. To address this problem, we proposed six transfer learning models: end-to-end convolutional neural network (CNN) model, scratch-trained residual network (ResNet50) model, and four transfer learning models: visual geometry group 16 (VGG16), GoogLeNet (InceptionV3), ResNet50, and MobileNet. The performance of the pedestrian classification was evaluated using four publicly datasets: Institut National de Recherche en Sciences et Technologies du Numérique (INRIA), Prince of Songkla University (PSU), CVC05, and Walailak University (WU) datasets. The experimental results show that six transfer learning models achieve classification accuracy of 65.2% (end-to-end CNN), 92.92% (scratch-trained ResNet50), 97.15% (pre-trained VGG16), 94.39% (pre-trained InceptionV3), 90.43% (pre-trained ResNet50), and 98.69% (pre-trained MobileNet) using data from Southern Thailand (PSU dataset). Further analysis reveals that the deeper the ConvNet architecture, the more specific information of features is provided. In addition, the deep ConvNet architecture can distinguish pedestrian occluded patterns while being trained with partially occluded parts of data samples.
Unloaded quality factor optimization of substrate integrated waveguide resonator using genetic algorithm
Authors: Akkader Souad , Bouyghf Hamid , Baghdad Abdennaceur
Published: January 2023

The main objective purpose of this paper is to study the enhancement techniques of the unloaded quality factor of substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) resonator, given that the quality of filters depends first on the quality of the resonators that compose it. Performance enhancement is achieved by employing a MATLAB-based genetic algorithm to optimize the geometrical parameters of the SIW resonator by iterative convergence to the target frequency (10 GHz frequency). On the other hand, the Ansys HFSS tool is used to model and optimize the SIW resonator with the suitable transition and plot the S-parameters for a frequency sweep range to validate its property. The results obtained allow increasing the unloaded Q-factor to be more than 1609 and reducing not only insertion and return losses but also reducing the size of the resonator. The proposed SIW resonator with its small size and low loss is directly useful for microwave and millimeter-wave applications.
Indexed-channel estimation under frequency and time-selective fading channels in high-mobility systems
Authors: Alqatawneh Ali , Al-Tarawneh Luae , Almajali Ziyad
Published: January 2023

Index modulation (IM) techniques have been employed in different communication systems to improve bandwidth efficiency by carrying additional information bits. In high-mobility communication systems and under both time-selective and frequency-selective fading channels with Doppler spread, channel variations can be tracked by employing pilot-aided channel estimation with minimum mean-squared error estimation. However, inserting pilot symbols among information symbols reduces the system's spectral efficiency in pilot-aided channel estimation schemes. We propose pilot-aided channel estimation with zero-pilot symbols and an energy detection scheme to tackle this issue. Part of the information bit-stream is conveyed by the indices of zero-pilot symbols leading to an increase in the system's spectral efficiency. We used an energy detector at the receiver to detect the transmitted zero-pilot symbols. This paper examines the impacts of diversity order on the zero-pilot symbol detection error probability and the mean-squared of error estimation. The impacts of pilot symbols number and the zero-pilot symbol number on the mean-squared error of the minimum mean-squared error (MMSE) estimator and the system error performance are also investigated in this paper.
A multi-hop routing protocol for an energy-efficient in wireless sensor network
Authors: Al-Mejibli Intisar Shadeed , Alharbe Nawaf Rasheed
Published: January 2023

The low-energy adaptive clustering hierarchy (LEACH) protocol has been developed to be implemented in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) systems such as healthcare and military systems. LEACH protocol depends on clustering the employed sensors and electing one cluster head (CH) for each cluster. The CH nodes are changed periodically to evenly distribute the energy load among sensors. Updating the CH node requires electing different CH and re-clustering sensors. This process consumes sensors’ energy due to sending and receiving many broadcast and unicast messages thus reduces the network lifetime, which is regarded as a significant issue in LEACH. This research develops a new approach based on modifying the LEACH protocol to minimize the need of updating the cluster head. The proposal aims to extend the WSN’s lifetime by maintaining the sensor nodes’ energy. The suggested approach has been evaluated and shown remarkable efficiency in comparison with basic LEACH protocol and not-clustered protocol in terms of extending network lifetime and reducing the required sent messages in the network reflected by 15%, and, in addition, reducing the need to reformatting the clusters frequently and saving network resources.
Parkinson’s diagnosis hybrid system based on deep learning classification with imbalanced dataset
Authors: Ouhmida Asmae , Raihani Abdelhadi , Cherradi Bouchaib , Sandabad Sara
Published: January 2023

Brain degeneration involves several neurological troubles such as Parkinson’s disease (PD). Since this neurodegenerative disorder has no known cure, early detection has a paramount role in improving the patient’s life. Research has shown that voice disorder is one of the first symptoms detected. The application of deep learning techniques to data extracted from voice allows the production of a diagnostic support system for the Parkinson’s disease detection. In this work, we adopted the synthetic minority oversampling technique (SMOTE) technique to solve the imbalanced class problems. We performed feature selection, relying on the Chi-square feature technique to choose the most significant attributes. We opted for three deep learning classifiers, which are long-short term memory (LSTM), bidirectional LSTM (Bi-LSTM), and deep-LSTM (D-LSTM). After tuning the parameters by selecting different options, the experiment results show that the D-LSTM technique outperformed the LSTM and Bi-LSTM ones. It yielded the best score for both the imbalanced original dataset and for the balanced dataset with accuracy scores of 94.87% and 97.44%, respectively.
Towards understanding the influence of personality and team behaviors on requirements engineering activities
Authors: Salleh Norsaremah , Ya'u Badamasi Imam , Nordin Azlin
Published: January 2023

Requirements engineers play an important role in the development of software products and services. The nature of requirements engineering (RE) is multifaceted and influences the quality, success, or failure of software products. In gathering software requirements, engineers commonly work in a team, particularly when dealing with the customers or modeling the requirements, hence the team behavior may influence the RE activities. The investigation of requirements engineers’ personality and their team behavior associated with RE activities is still an open area in which research is still developing. This study aims to investigate the personality and team behavior of requirements engineers involved in RE activities using a systematic literature review approach. We included 64 primary studies that addressed the association between personality and team behavior of requirements engineers on the effectiveness of RE activities. The result shows that among personality dimensions, extraversion and conscientiousness were found to be the predominant personality traits that positively affect RE activities. Furthermore, team behavior of requirements engineers such as flexibility, collaboration, creativity, innovation, and norms were discovered as factors that influence the RE process, performance, and success. The findings of this study contribute to the body of knowledge and practice of RE by providing empirical evidence on the influence of requirements engineers’ personality and team behavior on the effectiveness of RE activities.
K-means variations analysis for translation of English Tafseer Al-Quran text
Authors: Ahmed Mohammed A. , Baharin Hanif , Ellyza Nohuddin Puteri Nor
Published: January 2023

Text mining is a powerful modern technique used to obtain interesting information from huge datasets. Text clustering is used to distinguish between documents that have the same themes or topics. The absence of the datasets ground truth enforces the use of clustering (unsupervised learning) rather than others, such as classification (supervised learning). The “no free lunch” (NFL) theorem supposed that no algorithm outperformed the other in a variety of conditions (several datasets). This study aims to analyze the k-means cluster algorithm variations (three algorithms (k-means, mini-batch k-means, and k-medoids) at the clustering process stage. Six datasets were used/analyzed in chapter Al-Baqarah English translation (text) of 286 verses at the preprocessing stage. Moreover, feature selection used the term frequency–inverse document frequency (TF-IDF) to get the weighting term. At the final stage, five internal cluster validations metrics were implemented silhouette coefficient (SC), Calinski-Harabasz index (CHI), C-index (CI), Dunn’s indices (DI) and Davies Bouldin index (DBI) and regarding execution time (ET). The experiments proved that k-medoids outperformed the other two algorithms in terms of ET only. In contrast, no algorithm is superior to the other in terms of the clustering process for the six datasets, which confirms the NFL theorem assumption.
A review of hyperspectral imaging-based plastic waste detection state-of-the-arts
Authors: Tamin Owen , Moung Ervin Gubin , Dargham Jamal Ahmad , Yahya Farashazillah , Omatu Sigeru
Published: January 2023

Plastic waste issues emerged from the build-up of plastics that negatively impacts the environment. As a result, plastic waste detection is proposed in many research studies to tackle the problems. Therefore, this paper aims to review hyperspectral imaging techniques and machine learning in plastic waste detection. Hyperspectral imaging techniques are found to be effective in detecting plastic waste and microplastics as they were able to capture plastic reflectance spectral by using the near-infrared sensor. However, the review also shows that hyperspectral imaging techniques were less efficient in capturing the electromagnetic spectrum of black plastics due to carbon-black absorption properties. Carbon-black strongly absorbs light in the ultraviolet and infrared spectral range of the electromagnetic spectrum, therefore not detected by the near-infrared sensor. This paper also reviews how machine learning can alternatively detect and sort all types of waste, including plastics. Multiple studies show that the machine learning model achieved good accuracy in detecting all types of plastics based on the waste dataset. Finally, it can be seen that the spectral information of plastic can be used as feature extraction for machine learning models for better plastic detection. It is hoped that this study will contribute to more systematic research on the same topic.
Design and analysis of asymmetrical low-k source side spacer halo doped nanowire metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor
Authors: Kumar Padakanti Kiran , Balaji Bukya , Rao Karumuri Srinivasa
Published: January 2023

In this paper, we propose a low-k source side asymmetrical spacer halo-doped nanowire metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) design and analysis. High-k spacer materials are now being researched extensively for improving electrostatic control and suppressing short-channel effects in nanoscaled electronics. However, the high-k spacers' excessive increase in fringe capacitance degrades the dynamic circuit performance. Surprisingly, this approach achieves a significant reduction in gate capacitance by maximizing the use of high-k spacer material. Three different structures, symmetrical dual-k spacer, low-k drain side asymmetrical spacer, low-k source side asymmetrical spacer halo doped nanowire MOSFET architectures are simulated and among them low-k source side asymmetrical spacer halo doped nanowire MOSFET architecture giving lower gate capacitance. After doing 3D simulations in Silvaco technology computer-aided design (TCAD) we observed that the gate capacitance and intrinsic delay are 1.23x10-17 farads and 1.11x10-12 seconds respectively for low-k source side asymmetrical spacer architecture and these are less as compared to high-k spacer architecture. So, the proposed structure is highly recommended for digital applications.
Research Notebooks: The institutionality of culture and sociocultural changes: N. 1
Authors: Silva Liliana Sousa e ,   Universidade de São Paulo. Instituto de Estudos Avançados, Coelho Neto José Teixeira ,   Universidade de São Paulo. Escola de Comunicações e Artes, Cobos Carla Pinochet ,   Universidad Alberto Hurtado
Published: February 2023

The Research Notebook: The institutionality of culture and sociocultural changes brings together the initial thoughts and considerations of Néstor García Canclini’s tenure as the holder of Olavo Setubal Chair of Art, Culture and Science (2020/2021). This publication offers a compilation of the speeches from the inauguration ceremony, in addition to the research proposals planned for the period. Canclini urges us to rethink the classical notion of cultural institutions, considering the tension with the new forms of production, intermediation and access that digital devices promote. What is the role of these institutions in the development of a citizenship guided by interculturality, by the rights and duties of coexistence?
Macrophage Galactose Lectin Contributes to the Regulation of FVIII (Factor VIII) Clearance in Mice—Brief Report
Authors: Ward Soracha E. , Guest Thomas , Byrne Ciara , Lopes Patricia , O’Sullivan Jamie M. , Doherty Dearbhla , O’Connell David , Gutierrez Llaneza Sara , Chion Alain , Fazavana Judicael , Fallon Padraic G. , Preston Roger J.S. , Johnsen Jill M. , Pipe Steven W. , Turecek Peter L. , O’Donnell James S. ,   on behalf of the iPATH Study Group
Published: February 2023

Background:

Although most plasma FVIII (Factor VIII) circulates in complex with VWF (von Willebrand factor), a minority (3%–5%) circulates as free-FVIII, which is rapidly cleared. Consequently, 20% of total FVIII may be cleared as free-FVIII. Critically, the mechanisms of free-FVIII clearance remain poorly understood. However, recent studies have implicated the MGL (macrophage galactose lectin) in modulating VWF clearance.

Methods:

Since VWF and FVIII share similar glycosylation, we investigated the role of MGL in FVIII clearance. FVIII binding to MGL was assessed in immunosorbent and cell-based assays. In vivo, FVIII clearance was assessed in

MGL1
−/−

and

VWF
−/−

/FVIII
−/−

mice.

Results:

In vitro–binding studies identified MGL as a novel macrophage receptor that binds free-FVIII in a glycan-dependent manner.

MGL1
−/−

and

MGL1
−/−

mice who received an anti-MGL1/2 blocking antibody both showed significantly increased endogenous FVIII activity compared with wild-type mice (
P
=0.036 and
P
<0.0001, respectively). MGL inhibition also prolonged the half-life of infused FVIII in

FVIII
−/−

mice. To assess whether MGL plays a role in the clearance of free FVIII in a VWF-independent manner, in vivo clearance experiments were repeated in dual

VWF
−/−

/FVIII
−/−

mice. Importantly, the rapid clearance of free FVIII in

VWF
−/−

/FVIII
−/−

mice was significantly (
P
=0.012) prolonged in the presence of anti-MGL1/2 antibodies. Finally, endogenous plasma FVIII levels in

VWF
−/−

mice were significantly increased following MGL inhibition (
P
=0.016).

Conclusions:

Cumulatively, these findings demonstrate that MGL plays an important role in regulating macrophage-mediated clearance of both VWF-bound FVIII and free-FVIII in vivo. We propose that this novel FVIII clearance pathway may be of particular clinical importance in patients with type 2N or type 3 Von Willebrand disease.