bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Artificial Neural Networks for Modelling and Predicting Urban Air Pollutants: Case of Lithuania
Authors: Bekesiene Svajone , Meidute-Kavaliauskiene Ieva
Published: February 2022

This study focuses on the Vilnius (capital of Lithuania) agglomeration, which is facing the issue of air pollution resulting from the city’s physical expansion. The increased number of industries and vehicles caused an increase in the rate of fuel consumption and pollution in Vilnius, which has rendered air pollution control policies and air pollution management more significant. In this study, the differences in the pollutants’ means were tested using two-sided t-tests. Additionally, a 2-layer artificial neural network and a pollution data were both used as tools for predicting and warning air pollution after loop traffic has taken effect in Vilnius Old Town from July of 2020. Highly accurate data analysis methods provide reliable data for predicting air pollution. According to the validation, the multilayer perceptron network (MLPN1), with a hyperbolic tangent activation function with a 4-4-2 partition, produced valuable results and identified the main pollutants affecting and predicting air quality in the Old Town: maximum concentration of sulphur dioxide per 1 hour (SO2_1 h, normalized importance = 100%); carbon monoxide (CO) was the second pollutant with the highest indication of normalized importance, equalling 59.0%.
Commuter Bus Operation Rules under Two Traffic Scenarios and Two Weather Conditions: Naturalistic Driving Study on Vehicle Speed and Clearance
Authors: Huang Qiuju , Feng Shumin , Zhang Guosheng , Zhang Yu , Harumain Yong Adilah Shamsul
Published: February 2022

This study provides insights into the building of environmentally and socially sustainable and livable cities by investigating commuter buses’ vehicle speed and clearance, considering two traffic scenarios (working days and weekends) and two weather conditions on urban roads. Thirty participants drove ten different routes during natural driving. The drivers were observed under the following traffic conditions: free flow (Grade I), steady flow (Grades II and III), unsteady flow (Grade IV), working days and weekends, and sunny and heavy snow weather. A method for collecting accurate traffic flow data was developed using a radar sensor to measure the real-time distance between vehicles. The real-time vehicle spacing and speed were detected using a radar sensor and a mobile app, respectively. The results showed that speed decreased obviously from 11.2% to 16.5% on working days compared to a similar situation on weekends, especially in heavy snow weather (from 33.8% to 40.7%). The lowest average speed was obtained in the traffic environment Grade IV. Commuter buses maintained a minimum vehicle clearance during working or heavy snow days in traffic environment Grade IV. Policymakers should consider the insights of this study to develop new, dynamic commuter schedules under diverse conditions.
Robust Adaptive Estimation of Graph Signals Based on Welsch Loss
Authors: Wang Wenyuan , Sun Qiang
Published: February 2022

This paper considers the problem of adaptive estimation of graph signals under the impulsive noise environment. The existing least mean squares (LMS) approach suffers from severe performance degradation under an impulsive environment that widely occurs in various practical applications. We present a novel adaptive estimation over graphs based on Welsch loss (WL-G) to handle the problems related to impulsive interference. The proposed WL-G algorithm can efficiently reconstruct graph signals from the observations with impulsive noises by formulating the reconstruction problem as an optimization based on Welsch loss. An analysis on the performance of the WL-G is presented to develop effective sampling strategies for graph signals. A novel graph sampling approach is also proposed and used in conjunction with the WL-G to tackle the time-varying case. The performance advantages of the proposed WL-G over the existing LMS regarding graph signal reconstruction under impulsive noise environment are demonstrated.
Fractional Integral of a Confluent Hypergeometric Function Applied to Defining a New Class of Analytic Functions
Authors: Alb Lupaş Alina , Oros Georgia Irina
Published: February 2022

The study on fractional integrals of confluent hypergeometric functions provides interesting subordination and superordination results and inspired the idea of using this operator to introduce a new class of analytic functions. Given the class of functions An=f∈HU:fz=z+an+1zn+1+…,z∈U written simply A when n=1, the newly introduced class involves functions f∈A considered in the study due to their special properties. The aim of this paper is to present the outcomes of the study performed on the new class, which include a coefficient inequality, a distortion theorem and extreme points of the class. The starlikeness and convexity properties of this class are also discussed, and partial sums of functions from the class are evaluated in order to obtain class boundary properties.
Magnetic Circuit Analysis of Halbach Array and Improvement of Permanent Magnetic Adsorption Device for Wall-Climbing Robot
Authors: Jiao Shilong , Zhang Xiaojun , Zhang Xuan , Jia Jidong , Zhang Minglu
Published: February 2022

To solve the problems that the theoretical analysis of Halbach array magnetic circuit is insufficient and that calculating the magnetic adsorption force of a permanent magnet by using the magnetic node method is complex, the magnetic flux density of a Halbach array magnetic circuit composed of multiple permanent magnets with perpendicular magnetization directions is calculated. On the basis of the concentrated magnetic phenomenon of the ferromagnetic material and the end effect of the permanent magnet, a method for calculating the magnetic adsorption force of the Halbach array magnetic circuit by using the equivalent magnetic flux density is proposed, and the variation trend of magnetic adsorption force after changing the parameters of the magnetic circuit is obtained. ANSYS software is used to analyze several magnetic circuits that produce large magnetic adsorption force, a magnetic circuit structure that produces the largest magnetic adsorption force is determined, and the permanent magnetic adsorption device of the wall-climbing robot is improved. The magnetic adsorption force of the wall-climbing robot before and after the improvement of the permanent magnetic adsorption device is measured through experiments. The experimental results show that the magnetic adsorption force after the improvement is increased by 24.63% compared to before the improvement.
Effective Current Pre-Amplifiers for Visible Light Communication (VLC) Receivers
Authors: Poulis Simon-Ilias , Papatheodorou Georgios , Papaioannou Christoforos , Sfikas Yiorgos , Plissiti Marina E. , Efthymiou Aristides , Liaperdos John , Tsiatouhas Yiorgos
Published: February 2022

Visible light communication (VLC) is an upcoming wireless communication technology. In a VLC system, signal integrity under low illumination intensity and high transmission frequencies are of great importance. Towards this direction, the performance of the analog front end (AFE) sub-system either at the side of the transmitter or the receiver is crucial. However, little research on the AFE of the receiver is reported in the open literature. Aiming to enhance signal integrity, three pre-amplification topologies for the VLC receiver AFE are presented and compared in this paper. All three use bipolar transistors (BJT): the first consists of a single BJT, the second of a double BJT in cascade connection, and the third of a double BJT in Darlington-like connection. In order to validate the performance characteristics of the three topologies, simulation results are provided with respect to the light illumination intensity, the data transmission frequency and the power consumption. According to these simulations, the third topology is characterized by higher data transmission frequencies, lower illuminance intensity and lower power consumption per MHz of operation.
DNA Methylation and Detoxification in the Earthworm Lumbricus terrestris Exposed to Cadmium and the DNA Demethylation Agent 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine
Authors: Aigner Gerhard P. , Nenning Pamela , Fiechtner Birgit , Šrut Maja , Höckner Martina
Published: February 2022

Earthworms are well-established model organisms for testing the effects of heavy metal pollution. How DNA methylation affects cadmium (Cd) detoxification processes such as the expression of metallothionein 2 (MT2), however, is largely unknown. We therefore exposed Lumbricus terrestris to 200 mg concentrations of Cd and 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (Aza), a demethylating agent, and sampled tissue and coelomocytes, cells of the innate immune system, for 48 h. MT2 transcription significantly increased in the Cd- and Cd-Aza-treated groups. In tissue samples, a significant decrease in MT2 in the Aza-treated group was detected, showing that Aza treatment inhibits basal MT2 gene activity but has no effect on Cd-induced MT2 levels. Although Cd repressed the gene expression of DNA-(cytosine-5)-methyltransferase-1 (DNMT1), which is responsible for maintaining DNA methylation, DNMT activity was unchanged, meaning that methylation maintenance was not affected in coelomocytes. The treatment did not influence DNMT3, which mediates de novo methylation, TET gene expression, which orchestrates demethylation, and global levels of hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), a product of the demethylation process. Taken together, this study indicates that Aza inhibits basal gene activity, in contrast to Cd-induced MT2 gene expression, but does not affect global DNA methylation. We therefore conclude that Cd detoxification based on the induction of MT2 does not relate to DNA methylation changes.
Experimental Study of the Positive Ion Feedback from Gas to Liquid in a Dual-Phase Argon Chamber and Measurement of the Ion Mobility in Argon Gas
Authors: Romero Luciano , Santorelli Roberto , Sánchez García Edgar , Lux Thorsten , Leyton Michael , di Luise Silvestro , García Abia Pablo , López Manzano Rodrigo , Cela-Ruiz José Manuel , Quizhpi Sebastián , Pesudo Vicente
Published: February 2022

The dynamics of the positive ions created by particle interactions inside argon time projection chambers plays an important role in characterizing the next generation of massive detectors planned for the direct search for dark matter and the study of neutrino properties. We have constructed a 1 L liquid argon chamber (ARION: ARgon ION experiment) with a high voltage pulse generator capable of injecting, in a controlled manner, a sizeable ion current into the drift region. This chamber is capable of reproducing a volume charge similar to that found in large detectors, allowing its effects to be studied systematically. New experimental results regarding ion dynamics in the liquid and direct demonstration of ion feedback from the gas to the liquid are discussed in this paper. In addition, a novel technique to measure the drift velocity of argon ions is introduced along with preliminary results obtained in gas.
Recent Achievements of the ERNA Collaboration
Authors: Buompane Raffaele , Di Leva Antonino , Gialanella Lucio , Imbriani Gianluca , Morales-Gallegos Lizeth , Romoli Mauro
Published: February 2022

For more than two decades, the ERNA collaboration has investigated nuclear processes of astrophysical interest through the direct measurement of cross sections or the identification of the nucleosynthesis effects. Measurements of cross-section, reported in this publication, of radiative capture reactions have been mainly conducted using the ERNA Recoil Mass Separator, and more recently with an array of charged particle detector telescopes designed for nuclear astrophysics measurements. Some results achieved with ERNA will be reviewed, with a focus on the results most relevant for nucleosynthesis in AGB and advanced burning phases.
Constraining MOdified Gravity with the S2 Star
Authors: Della Monica Riccardo , de Martino Ivan , de Laurentis Mariafelicia
Published: February 2022

We have used publicly available kinematic data for the S2 star to constrain the parameter space of MOdified Gravity. Integrating geodesics and using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm, we have provided the first constraint on the scales of the Galactic Centre for the parameter α of the theory, which represents the fractional increment of the gravitational constant G with respect to its Newtonian value. Namely, α≲0.662 at 99.7% confidence level (where α=0 reduces the theory to General Relativity).
Current Trend in Antiviral Therapy for Chronic Hepatitis B
Authors: Chien Rong-Nan , Liaw Yun-Fan
Published: February 2022

Since active hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication is the key driver of hepatic necroinflammation and disease progression, the treatment aim of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is to suppress HBV replication permanently to prevent hepatic decompensation, liver cirrhosis and/or hepatocellular carcinoma and prolong survival. Currently, pegylated interferon (Peg-IFN), entecavir (ETV), tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) and tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) are the first-line drugs of choice. Peg-IFN therapy has been used rarely due to its subcutaneous injection and significant side effect profile. Once daily oral ETV, TDF and TAF can suppress HBV DNA profoundly but have no direct action on cccDNA of the HBV-infected hepatocytes, hence continuing long-term therapy is usually needed to maintain HBV suppression, but the ultimate goal of HBsAg loss was rarely achieved (10 year 2%). In addition, long-term NUC therapy comes with several concerns such as increasing cost, medication adherence and loss-to-follow-up. Studies, mainly from Taiwan, have shown that finite NUCs therapy of two to three years in HBeAg-negative patients is feasible, safe and has a great benefit of much increasing HBsAg loss rate up to 30%/5 year. These have led an emerging paradigm shift to finite NUC therapy in HBeAg-negative patients globally. However, off-NUC relapse with hepatitis B flares may occur and have a risk of decompensation or even life-threatening outcomes. Therefore, proper monitoring, assessment, and retreatment decisions are crucial to ensure safety. Ideally, retreatment should be not too late to ensure safety and also not too early to allow further immune response for further HBsAg decline toward HBsAg loss. Assessment using combined HBsAg/ALT kinetics during hepatitis flare is better than biochemical markers alone to make a right retreatment decision. The strategy of finite NUC therapy has set a benchmark of high HBsAg loss rate to be achieved by the new anti-HBV drugs which are under preclinical or early phase study.
V5 and GFP Tagging of Viral Gene pp38 of Marek’s Disease Vaccine Strain CVI988 Using CRISPR/Cas9 Editing
Authors: Li Weicheng , Zhang Yaoyao , Moffat Katy , Nair Venugopal , Yao Yongxiu
Published: February 2022

Marek’s disease virus (MDV) is a member of alphaherpesviruses associated with Marek’s disease, a highly contagious neoplastic disease in chickens. The availability of the complete sequence of the viral genome allowed for the identification of major genes associated with pathogenicity using different techniques, such as bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) mutagenesis and the recent powerful clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9)-based editing system. Thus far, most studies on MDV genome editing using the CRISPR/Cas9 system have focused on gene deletion. However, analysis of the expression and interactions of the viral proteins during virus replication in infected cells and tumor cells is also important for studying its role in MDV pathogenesis. The unavailability of antibodies against most of the MDV proteins has hindered the progress in such studies. This prompted us to develop pipelines to tag MDV genes as an alternative method for this purpose. Here we describe the application of CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing approaches to tag the phosphoprotein 38 (pp38) gene of the MDV vaccine strain CVI988 with both V5 and green fluorescent protein (GFP). This rapid and efficient viral-gene-tagging technique can overcome the shortage of specific antibodies and speed up the MDV gene function studies significantly, leading to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of MDV pathogenesis.
Naïve Human Macrophages Are Refractory to SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Exhibit a Modest Inflammatory Response Early in Infection
Authors: Zhang Ziyun , Penn Rebecca , Barclay Wendy S. , Giotis Efstathios S.
Published: February 2022

Involvement of macrophages in the SARS-CoV-2-associated cytokine storm, the excessive secretion of inflammatory/anti-viral factors leading to the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in COVID-19 patients, is unclear. In this study, we sought to characterize the interplay between the virus and primary human monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM). MDM were stimulated with recombinant IFN-α and/or infected with either live or UV-inactivated SARS-CoV-2 or with two reassortant influenza viruses containing external genes from the H1N1 PR8 strain and heterologous internal genes from a highly pathogenic avian H5N1 or a low pathogenic human seasonal H1N1 strain. Virus replication was monitored by qRT-PCR for the E viral gene for SARS-CoV-2 or M gene for influenza and TCID50 or plaque assay, and cytokine levels were assessed semiquantitatively with qRT-PCR and a proteome cytokine array. We report that MDM are not susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 whereas both influenza viruses replicated in MDM, albeit abortively. We observed a modest cytokine response in SARS-CoV-2 exposed MDM with notable absence of IFN-β induction, which was instead strongly induced by the influenza viruses. Pre-treatment of MDM with IFN-α enhanced proinflammatory cytokine expression upon exposure to virus. Together, the findings concur that the hyperinflammation observed in SARS-CoV-2 infection is not driven by macrophages.
Collection of Monoclonal Antibodies Targeting SARS-CoV-2 Proteins
Authors: Pribanić Matešić Marina , Kučan Brlić Paola , Lenac Roviš Tihana , Mačak Šafranko Željka , Chaouat Abigael Eva , Miklić Karmela , Malić Suzana , Ivanković Nina , Schubert Maren , Bertoglio Federico , Markotić Alemka , Mandelboim Ofer , Jonjić Stipan , Brizić Ilija
Published: February 2022

In early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic sparked a global crisis that continues to pose a serious threat to human health and the economy. Further advancement in research is necessary and requires the availability of quality molecular tools, including monoclonal antibodies. Here, we present the development and characterization of a collection of over 40 new monoclonal antibodies directed against different SARS-CoV-2 proteins. Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 proteins were expressed, purified, and used as immunogens. Upon development of specific hybridomas, the obtained monoclonal antibody (mAb) clones were tested for binding to recombinant proteins and infected cells. We generated mAbs against structural proteins, the Spike and Nucleocapsid protein, several non-structural proteins (nsp1, nsp7, nsp8, nsp9, nsp10, nsp16) and accessory factors (ORF3a, ORF9b) applicable in flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, or Western blot. Our collection of mAbs provides a set of novel, highly specific tools that will allow a comprehensive analysis of the viral proteome, which will allow further understanding of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis and the design of therapeutic strategies.
Interferon-β Suppresses Transcriptionally Active Parvovirus B19 Infection in Viral Cardiomyopathy: A Subgroup Analysis of the BICC-Trial
Authors: Schultheiss Heinz-Peter , Bock Claus-Thomas , Aleshcheva Ganna , Baumeier Christian , Poller Wolfgang , Escher Felicitas
Published: February 2022

Human parvovirus B19 (B19V) is the predominant virus currently detected in endomyocardial biopsies (EMBs). Recent findings indicate that, specifically, transcriptionally active B19V with detectable viral RNA is of prognostic relevance in inflammatory viral cardiomyopathy. We aimed to evaluate B19V replicative status (viral RNA) and beneficial effects in a sub-collective of the prospective randomized placebo-controlled phase II multi-center BICC-Trial (Betaferon In Chronic Viral Cardiomyopathy) after interferon beta-1b (IFN-β) treatment. EMBs of n = 64 patients with B19V mono-infected tissue were retrospectively analyzed. Viral RNA could be detected in n = 18/64 (28.1%) of B19V DNA positive samples (mean age 51.7 years, 12 male), of whom n = 13 had been treated with IFN-ß. Five patients had received placebo. PCR analysis confirmed in follow-up that EMBs significantly reduced viral RNA loads in n = 11/13 (84.6%) of IFN-ß treated patients (p = 0.001), independently from the IFN-ß dose, in contrast to the placebo group, where viral RNA load was not affected or even increased. Consequently, a significant improvement of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) after treatment with IFN-ß was observed (LVEF mean baseline 51.6 ± 14.1% vs. follow-up 61.0 ± 17.5%, p = 0.03). In contrast, in the placebo group, worsening of LVEF was evaluated in n = 4/5 (80.0%) of patients. We could show for the first-time the beneficial effects from treatment with IFN-ß, suppressing B19V viral RNA and improving the hemodynamic course. Our results need further verification in a larger prospective randomized controlled trial.
Prevalence and Clinical Impact of Coinfection in Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Korea
Authors: Jeong Seri , Lee Nuri , Park Yeeun , Kim Jaehong , Jeon Kibum , Park Min-Jeong , Song Wonkeun
Published: February 2022

Coinfection rates with other pathogens in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) varied during the pandemic. We assessed the latest prevalence of coinfection with viruses, bacteria, and fungi in COVID-19 patients for more than one year and its impact on mortality. A total of 436 samples were collected between August 2020 and October 2021. Multiplex real-time PCR, culture, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing were performed to detect pathogens. The coinfection rate of respiratory viruses in COVID-19 patients was 1.4%. Meanwhile, the rates of bacteria and fungi were 52.6% and 10.5% in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, respectively. Respiratory syncytial virus, rhinovirus, Acinetobacter baumannii, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans were the most commonly detected pathogens. Ninety percent of isolated A. baumannii was non-susceptible to carbapenem. Based on a multivariate analysis, coinfection (odds ratio [OR] = 6.095), older age (OR = 1.089), and elevated lactate dehydrogenase (OR = 1.006) were risk factors for mortality as a critical outcome. In particular, coinfection with bacteria (OR = 11.250), resistant pathogens (OR = 11.667), and infection with multiple pathogens (OR = 10.667) were significantly related to death. Screening and monitoring of coinfection in COVID-19 patients, especially for hospitalized patients during the pandemic, are beneficial for better management and survival.
Evaluation of the Safety, Tolerability and Immunogenicity of ShigETEC, an Oral Live Attenuated Shigella-ETEC Vaccine in Placebo-Controlled Randomized Phase 1 Trial
Authors: Girardi Petra , Harutyunyan Shushan , Neuhauser Irene , Glaninger Katharina , Korda Orsolya , Nagy Gábor , Nagy Eszter , Szijártó Valéria , Pall Denes , Szarka Krisztina , Kardos Gábor , Henics Tamás , Malinoski Frank J.
Published: February 2022

Background: Shigella spp. and enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) cause high morbidity and mortality worldwide, yet no licensed vaccines are available to prevent corresponding infections. A live attenuated non-invasive Shigella vaccine strain lacking LPS O-antigen and expressing the ETEC toxoids, named ShigETEC was characterized previously in non-clinical studies. Methods: ShigETEC was evaluated in a two-staged, randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled Phase I clinical trial. A single dose of increasing amounts of the vaccine was given to determine the maximum tolerated dose and increasing number of immunizations were administered with an interval based on the duration of shedding observed. Results: Oral immunization with ShigETEC was well tolerated and safe up to 4-time dosing with 5 × 1010 colony forming units. ShigETEC induced robust systemic immune responses against the Shigella vaccine strain, with IgA serum antibody dominance, as well as mucosal antibody responses evidenced by specific IgA in stool samples and in ALS (Antibodies in Lymphocyte Supernatant). Anti- ETEC toxin responses were detected primarily in the 4-times immunized cohort and for the heat-labile toxin correlated with neutralizing capacity. Conclusion: ShigETEC is a promising vaccine candidate that is scheduled for further testing in controlled human challenge studies for efficacy as well as in children in endemic setting for safety and immunogenicity.
Effect of Different Water Treatments in Soil-Plant-Atmosphere Continuum Based on Intelligent Weighing Systems
Authors: Gao Hairong , Guo Rui , Shi Kaili , Yue Huanfang , Zu Shaoying , Li Zhiwei , Zhang Xin
Published: February 2022

In order to meet the needs of dynamic continuous monitoring of soil-plant-atmosphere continuum (SPAC), a new soil, plant, atmosphere analysis system has been established based on an intelligent weighing system (IWS). Four types of irrigation treatments (90%, 80%, 70%, and 60% of field capacity (FC)) were conducted on lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. ramosa Hort.) for two-season planting experiments. Regarding the soil, the relative system weight of IWS showed a significant linear correlation with the soil volumetric moisture content (SWC) (R2 = 0.64–0.94). When the SWC increased by 1.00%, the soil weight increased by 56–62 g. Regarding plants, the IWS also clearly reflected the changes in plant weight gain, transpiration rate, and stomatal conductance at different growth stages. After verification, the relative errors of the transpiration rate and stomatal conductance measured by the IWS were −9.60–22.30% and −7.20–22.20%, respectively. Regarding the atmospheric environment, the variation trend of the crop evapotranspiration (ETc) based on the IWS and the reference crop evapotranspiration (ET0) calculated with meteorological parameters were consistent. However, the numerical difference was in the uncertainty of the crop coefficient (Kc). The ETc of lettuce under the 80% FC treatment was the highest. Accordingly, a daily online measurement method for Kc was established. The Kc values of lettuce at different growth stages were 0.88, 1.22, and 2.43, respectively. The growth, yield, and water use efficiency (WUE) of crops under 80% FC treatment compared with other treatments significantly increased by 11.07–21.05%, 0.91–9.89%, and 2.16–15.80%, respectively. Therefore, the 80% FC was adopted as the irrigation low limit of potted lettuce. The experimental results provide a theoretical basis for further guiding crop irrigation.
IoT Security Using AES Encryption Technology based ESP32 Platform
Authors: Al-Mashhadani Mohammad , Shujaa Mohamed
Published: February 2022

The Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the most important modern technologies that have attracted the most interesting areas of life, whether industrial, academic, or other, in recent years. The main goal is to integrate the physical world with the digital world through a seamless ecosystem, and this constitutes a new era for the Internet. This technology provides high commercial value to enterprises as it provides many opportunities in many applications such as energy, health, and other sectors. However, this technology suffers from many security problems, as it is considered the biggest challenge due to its complex environment and the limited resources of its devices. There is a lot of research to find successful security solutions in IoT, in this research, a proposed solution to secure IoT systems using Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) technology is achieved. Some sensors were linked as an example of the Internet of Things. The data is received by the card created and developed by Espressif Systems (ESP32) module, where its encrypted then sends to the internet site through an authorized person to be received from anywhere, and it is also possible to receive it via a published IP which is announced within the internal network of the ESP32 device module. The decryption part is proposed at last to find out the true values of the sensors. The proposed approach shows good secured and balanced results at the end
Editorial for inaugural issue
Authors: Bouziani Tayeb
Published: February 2022

Welcome to the inauguration issue of our new publication: Journal of Building Materials and Structures (JBMS). JBMS has been installed thanks to the open source solutions developed by Public Knowledge Project. My great thanks also goes out to my co-editors and editorial office team for accepting to guide with me this journal from initial planning to the first steps it is taking now.The main objective of JBMS is to provide a repository of knowledge for building materials and structural engineering sciences. The choice of open access format to JBMS is to ensure free access to knowledge which is linked to the economic development and seems in agreement to the spirit of scientific thought. It is important to note that all contributions, upon approval by our peer review process, are for beginning, indexed in Google Scholar and archived in the Open Archive Initiative (OAI).The peer review procedure will match knowledgeable reviewers with submitted manuscripts to produce high quality articles of interest and scientific merit. The procedure is confidential so that recommendations and revisions are made in the fairest way possible. The final decision on publication will be made by the editor in charge.As new teaching systems, such as License-Master-Doctorate (LMD) system or the national project works carried out by researchers, take root in universities and laboratories, especially across Algeria, the roles that conducting research projects and writing scientific articles play within these institutions are increasing.In light of this development, our new journal looks at the potential of new researches and high quality contribution works within laboratories and universities, as well as the ways in which research development can impact beyond higher journal articles quality.Finally, I thank our contributors and readers for their interest and efforts in completing this inauguration issue and I also look forward to a most interesting future for JBMS.
Effect of bentonite on the saturated hydraulic conductivity of landfill liners based on dune sand
Authors: Gueddouda Mohamed Kamel , Goual Idriss , Taibi Said , Aboubekr Nabil , Lamara Mohamed
Published: February 2022

Sand-bentonite (SB) mixtures have been used successfully for construction of hydraulic barriers when clayey soils are not available. Compacted layers of SB mixtures have been proposed and used in a variety of geotechnical structures as engineered barriers for the enhancement of impervious landfill liners. In the practice we will try to get an economical mixture that satisfies the hydraulic and mechanical requirements.The effects of the bentonite additions are reflected in lower water permeability, and acceptable shear strength. In order to get an adequate dune sand bentonite mixtures, an investigation relative to the hydraulic and mechanical behavior is carried out in this study for different mixtures. According to the results obtained, the adequate percentage of bentonite should be between 12% and 15 %, which result in a hydraulic conductivity less than 10E–6 cm/s, and good shear strength.
Self-compactibility of flowing sand-concrete containing dune sand and marble powder
Authors: Bouziani Tayeb
Published: February 2022

This paper evaluates the self-compactibility of flowing sand-concretes (FSC) mixtures, incorporated various dune sand and marble powder contents, by testing flowability (determined by slump flow and v-funnel tests), passing ability (determined by L-box test) and segregation (determined by the visual stability index). The compressive strength at 28 days was also determined. Results show that the slump flow of all FSC mixtures lie between 450 and 840 mm, thus satisfying flowability according the recommendations of AFGC, except for the mixture made with 150 kg/m3 of marble powder (with a slump flow of 450 mm). V-funnel flow time, T500 time and L-box ratio of all mixtures were about 1.7-3.8 s, 0.6-2.3 s and 0.5-0.93 respectively. These results indicate that FSC have a v-funnel time shorter than the range proposed by EFNARC recommendations (8-12 s). Despite lower v-funnel times, no visual stability loss has been observed for all studied mixtures (all mixtures have a visual segregation index of 0 and 1).
The effect of coal bottom ash (CBA) on mechanical and durability characteristics of concrete
Authors: Khan Rizwan Ahmad , Ganesh Atluri
Published: February 2022

The present paper would contribute to the efforts being made in the field of concrete technology towards development of concretes possessing good strength and durability properties along with economic and ecological advantage. In the present study it was found that with increase in amount of coal bottom ash, standard consistency, initial and final setting time increase at the same time workability of concrete decreases. Early age strength is less for bottom ash concrete compare to control mix, but as the age increases they show good improvement in strength due to pozzalanic reaction. Optimum dosage is observed to be 10% Grinded Bottom Ash (GBA) which shows about 14 % more strength compared to control mix at 56 days. Also 20% replacement by GBA gives results comparable to control concrete. GBA concrete shows more resistance to acid attack compared to Original Bottom Ash (OBA). Mix M7 with 30 % replacement by GBA shows highest resistance to acid attack. With the increase in amount of bottom ash water absorption capacity of concrete increases, also as the age increases for all the mix water absorption capacity decreases. It was also found that at optimum dosage i.e at 10% replacement of cement with GBA it is also economical and also less amount of CO2 is emitted that mean it is also environmental friendly compared to control mix.
Effect of inclusion of crumb rubber on the unconfined compressive strength and wet-dry durability of cement stabilized clayey soil
Authors: Yadav Jitendra Singh , Tiwari Suresh Kumar
Published: February 2022

In the present study, the effect of inclusion of waste crumb rubber and cement on the unconfined compressive strength and wet-dry durability of clayey soil has been investigated. Crumb rubber and cement were added to clayey soil at ranges of 2.5%-10% and 3%-6% respectively. The results of the investigation revealed that the incorporation of crumb rubber influenced the unconfined compressive strength, axial strain at failure, energy absorption capacity and wet-dry durability of the cement-stabilized clay. The study reveals that as the content of crumb rubber in the cement-stabilized clayey soil increases the unconfined compressive strength decreases but prosperously changes the behavior of the cement-stabilized clay from brittle to ductile. The axial strain corresponding to peak axial stress and energy absorption capacity of the specimens can be increased by limiting the content of crumb rubber up to 5%. The weight loss of the cement-stabilized clay mixed with crumb rubber increases as the content of crumb rubber increases. With the prolongation of the curing period, the weight loss of cement-stabilized clay mixed with crumb rubber decreases. Further, the weight loss of 90 days cured specimens of clayey soil incorporated with 6% cement and crumb rubber up to 5% meets the recommendation of the material to be used in construction of road pavements as a base, sub-base, and shoulder. Most importantly, the utilization/disposal of this hazardous waste material reduces its impact on environment and health.
Strength and durability of low-impact environmental self-compacting concrete incorporating waste marble powder
Authors: Boukhelkhal Aboubakeur , Azzouz Lakhdar , Benchaa Benabed , Belaidi Akram Salah Eddine
Published: February 2022

This research studies the effect of waste marble powder (WMP) as substitute of Portland cement on strength and durability of self-compacting concrete (SCC) in order to produce SCC with reduced impact environmental. For this purpose, five mixtures were designed in which four mixtures contained WMP at substitution levels of 5, 10, 15, 20%, and mixture included only the Portland cement as control mix. The realized tests are compressive strength at 3, 7 and 28 days, water capillary absorption, water absorption by immersion and sulfate attack. The results show a reduction in the compressive strength with increasing WMP content. The use of WMP was found to increase both of the water capillary absorption and water absorption by immersion. SCC containing WMP subjected to magnesium sulfate attack presented a lower expansion and higher resistance to sulfate aggressions.
Mechanical behavior and durability of latex modified mortars
Authors: Benali Yacine , Ghomari Fouad
Published: February 2022

This article summarizes the results of an experimental program developed on latex-modified mortars. Fluidity tests, compressive strength tests, flexural strength tests, water absorption tests, adhesion tests on clay bricks and cementitious substrates were carried out. The test bodies were prepared by the pre-wetting method with different latex contents while partially substituting Portland cement by two types of latex: Styrene-Butadiene (SBR) and Styrene Acrylic (SA). In addition, samples of ordinary mortars are made in parallel as references.

The experimental results showed that the substitution of cement in mortars produced a notable improvement on fluidity and adhesion. In the case of clay substrates, a cohesive failure in the support above 10% substitution has been reported, whereas the rupture is always at the interface for all the mixtures tested on cementitious substrates. An improvement was also noted on the flexural tensile strength beyond 60 days. On the other hand, the compressive strength of the polymer mortars decreased with the substitution rate of cement for all the maturities studied. As for the absorption of water, the results show a clear reduction in the percentage of water absorption by increasing the substitution rate
Modeling of the interface between the concrete and the fibers grid in concrete slab
Authors: Bouzeboudja Fatma , Ali Ahmed Chafika
Published: February 2022

Fiber grid reinforcements are widely used in construction, especially in the rehabilitation of structures; short fibers are also used in concrete. However, reinforcing mortars with textiles (fiber gratings) which offers an improved concrete, and a wide variety of new and exciting architectural forms, is still a relatively new application that shows a need for research. Tests on the use of Glass Fiber Grids (GFG) and Polypropylene Grids (PPG) in the concrete matrix which can be an interesting solution to improve the bearing capacity and change the failure mode of slabs subjected to a load of punching have been realized. The results showed a significant increase in the bearing capacity, a better distribution of the cracks, as well as an improvement of the deflexion before failure; compared to unreinforced reference slabs.

In order to understand the behaviour of the concrete-GFG interface of the tested slabs, a modeling of this latter was carried out using a constitutive law expressing the shear stress between the two materials as a function of the relative sliding between the surfaces in contact, taking into account the mechanical characteristics of both materials. The analysis of the bond-slip curve obtained has shown that the use of the glass fiber grid inside the concrete matrix allows a better behaviour of the interface between constituent materials with respect to the glued fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) plates on the surface of the slab.
Reaction kinetics of cassava starch graft anionic nonionic type polymer internal curing agents
Authors: Liu Rongjin , Sun ZhiHui , Xiang Weiheng , Chen Ping , Zhou Ruizhe
Published: February 2022

Internal curing can help to improve the durability of concrete by preventing and minimizing initial cracks due to autogenous shrinkage and plastic shrinkage. Using a reliable internal curing agent is essential to the effectiveness of the internal curing process. This paper investigates the reaction kinetics of a starch graft anionic nonionic type polymer. The results demonstrate that initiator monomer concentration, and starch concentration are positively correlated with graft reaction rate Rp. Based on the research, the kinetics equation of this cassava starch graft anionic nonionic-type polymer has also been developed, which coincides well with the law of free radical polymerization. The obtained Rp equation is a first order dependence of the monomer concentration and the square root of the initiator concentration. And Rp is further correlated to the reaction temperature based on a sigmoid function instead of a linear function. It is also found that the polymerization reaction is characterized by the coexisted disproportion termination and coupling termination.
Behavior of Recycled Asphalt to the Fatigue
Authors: Bordjiba Abdelhak , Guenfoud Hamza
Published: February 2022

Climatic and traffic effects are the causes of aging of the surface layer of asphalt, which leads to the necessary renovation of the latter. The use of waste from the tread layer provides a viable and beneficial solution for the environment and the economy. However, this solution must meet the requirement of sustainable development, which necessitates that a road has a very long lifespan. In this study we investigated the performance of recycled asphalt in terms of fatigue (as an element of life-cycle control). All the formulas were tested by the fatigue test in order to define the influence of the proportions of the asphalt aggregates, penetrability of the new binder used, and the manufacturing temperature. The results obtained showed the relationship between the contribution binder (reproduced between the new binder and the old binder) and the fatigue resistance under the influence of the parameters that we have mentioned above. At the end an optimization study has been carried in order to determine exactly the doses required to formulate recycled asphalt resisted to fatigue, the optimization seeks to maximize the asphalt aggregates and minimized the temperature of manufacture with a class of the binder compatible.
Pathology Evaluation and Repair of Bridges in Masonry
Authors: Rehab Bekkouche Souhila , Boukhatem Ghania , Mendjel Djenette , Messast Salah
Published: February 2022

The field of repair and rehabilitation of civil engineering works is evolving. Indeed, most of these structures, especially masonry structures, are over 50 years old and many of them require maintenance and repair work due to their deteriorated condition. To achieve this objective, a study was carried out concerning the different pathologies affecting the masonry bridges, but also the ways and means necessary for the evaluation and repair of the affected works. The results of this work have not only helped to carry out the diagnosis and verification of the structural state of the bridge over river Kentra Stora Skikda (North-East of Algeria), on the section of the 3AA National Road Skikda, but also for the proposal of repair solutions best adapted to the disorders observed.
Effect on mechanical properties and stress strain characteristics of normal and high strength concrete at elevated temperature
Authors: Patel Vikas , Singh Brijesh , Ojha P N , Mohapatra B N
Published: February 2022

High strength concrete (HSC) has some disadvantages such as brittleness and poor resistance to fire. Fire exposure affects the concrete in way that the disintegration of concrete starts and a severe surface spalling occurs at very high temperatures. Therefore, the structural behaviour or response to the load will change after fire exposure and the structural members may not behave as they were designed. Further, the basics of flexural design depend on the stress- strain response of the concrete which is also affected upon fire exposure. Hence, this study is carried out to provide useful input to aid the provision of a fire resistance for structural behaviour of concrete by investigating the effects on mechanical properties of concrete after exposure to high temperatures up to 600°C and establishing a stress-strain relationship. The concrete cylinders of size 100 mm x 200 mm were exposed to the temperature of 2000C, 4000C and 6000C after which the residual compressive strength, split tensile strength and flexural strength were recorded. For stress strain characteristics, 100 × 200 mm cylinders with polypropylene fiber content of 0.5% by volume of concrete were subjected to temperature exposure of 6000C for durations of 1 hour. Curves for reduction factors of strength and stress strain characteristics after fire/elevated temperature exposure has been established. Just consideration of reduced strength for assessment after fire exposure will not serve the purpose as the change in load response and increased deformation capacity also needs to be addressed properly.
Pervious concrete, plastic concrete and controlled low strength material- a special applications concrete
Authors: P N Ojha , Kumar Suresh , Singh Brijesh , B N Mohapatra
Published: February 2022

The paper presents the study carried out for three special concretes like Pervious Concrete, Plastic Concrete and Controlled Low Strength Materials (CLSM) using locally available materials. Pervious concrete is a concrete with high porosity. It is used in a wide range of applications including pervious pavements and helps in improving pavement skid resistance and reducing hydroplaning. This concrete was designed to meet the requirement of 28-day compressive strength of 10 MPa and water permeability of 0.50 cm/sec. Plastic concrete has low compressive strength but higher ductility and lower permeability. It is used for creating an impermeable barrier (cut-off wall) for containment of contaminated sites or seepage control in highly permeable dam foundations. This concrete was designed to meet the requirement of 28-day unconfined compressive strength of 1.5 to 2.5 MPa and confined compressive strength of 2.5 to 3.5 Mpa at confining pressure of 4 Kg/cm2. Controlled Low Strength Material (CLSM) or flowable fill mixtures are typically specified and used in place of compacted fill especially for backfill, utility bedding, void fill and bridge approaches. CLSM is a self-compacting, flowable, low strength cementitious material which suits the requirement of different applications such as excavatable backfill and structural backfill. The properties of CLSM that were investigated included bleeding, density of hardened CLSM, permeability and unconfined compressive strength at 7 days and 28 days age.