bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A New Perspective on the Role of Glutamine Synthetase in Nitrogen Remobilization in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)
Authors: Wei Yihao , Wang Lulu , Qin Butan , Li Huiqiang , Wang Xiaoran , Zhang Zhiyong , Zhu Xiaobo , Ma Xinming , Wang Xiaochun
Published: October 2021

Glutamine synthetase (GS), a key enzyme in plant nitrogen metabolism, is closely related to nitrogen remobilization. However, how GS isoforms participate in nitrogen remobilization remains unclear. Here, the spatiotemporal expression of the TaGS gene family after anthesis was investigated, and the results showed that TaGS1;1 was mainly encoded by TaGS1;1-6A, while the other isozymes were mainly encoded by TaGS localized on the A and D subgenomes. TaGS1;2-4A/4D had the highest expression level, especially in rachis and peduncle. Furthermore, immunofluorescence showed TaGS1;2 was located in the phloem of rachis and peduncle. GUS (β-glucuronidase) staining confirmed that ProTaGS1;2-4A/4D::GUS activity was mainly present in the vascular system of leaves, roots, and petal of Arabidopsis. Ureides, an important transport form of nitrogen, were mainly synthesized in flag leaves and transported to grains through the phloem of peduncle and rachis during grain filling. TaAAH, which encodes the enzyme that degrades ureides to release NH4+, had a higher expression in rachis and peduncle and was synchronized with the increase in NH4+ concentration in phloem, indicating that NH4+ in phloem is from ureide degradation. Taking the above into account, TaGS1;2, which is highly expressed in the phloem of peduncle and rachis, may participate in N remobilization by assimilating NH4+ released from ureide degradation.
Aluminum Doped Titania as a Support of Copper Catalysts for SCR of Nitrogen Oxides
Authors: Guziewicz Wojciech , Białas Anna , Napruszewska Bogna D. , Zimowska Małgorzata , Gurgul Jacek
Published: October 2021

Aluminum doped titania samples were synthesized as supports of copper oxide catalysts for NO reduction with ammonia. Samples were prepared by the sol-gel method with various ratios of aluminum to titanium. Their thermal stability was examined by TG/DSC methods which revealed that precursors were decomposed at 450 °C. The XRD measurements showed that aluminum caused the diminishing of titania crystallites and was built into the anatase structure or formed an amorphous phase. The admixture of aluminum in titania resulted in a significant increase in specific surface area of mesoporous supports as determined by low temperature sorption of nitrogen. Results of the catalytic tests over copper/aluminum-titania samples obtained by impregnation pointed out that the addition of aluminum broadened the temperature window of high catalytic activity. The increase in Al concentration shifted the temperature of maximum activity to higher values, and at the same time lowered nitrous oxide formation as well. Better catalytic efficiency could result from high copper dispersion on the catalysts surface, as well as the synergistic interaction between Ti and Cu causing reduction in CuO species as confirmed by XPS measurements. It was shown that copper was present as Cu+ species mainly, forming Cu-O-Ti bonds on the catalysts surface.
The Effect of Touch-Cure Polymerization on the Conversion and Hardness of Core Build-Up Resin Composites: A Laboratory Study
Authors: Dimitriadi Maria , Petropoulou Aikaterini , Masouras Konstantinos , Zafiropoulou Maria , Zinelis Spiros , Eliades George
Published: October 2021

To improve the self-curing capacity and interfacial strength with dentine of dual-cured composite materials, touch-cure activators have been introduced. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of these activators on the hardness and conversion of dual-cured resin composite core build-up restoratives. The materials tested were Clearfil DC Core Plus (CF) and Gradia Core (GC) with the corresponding adhesives Clearfil S3 Bond Plus (for CF) and G-Premio Bond/G-Premio DCA activator (for GC). Disk-shaped specimens (n = 6/group) were prepared for the following groups: dual-cured, self-cured and self-cured in contact with the adhesive activators at the bottom surface. After a 3-week storage period (dark/dry/37 °C) the Martens hardness (HM) and degree of conversion (DC%) were determined for the previously mentioned groups and the top surfaces of groups in contact with the adhesives. A statistical analysis was performed by a one-way ANOVA and Holm–Sidak test per material and a Pearson’s correlation analysis (HM vs. DC%) at an α = 0.05. The self-cured specimens resulted in significantly lower HM and DC% values from the dual-cured group, as expected. However, in the presence of the adhesives with touch-cure activators, the conversion of the self-cured groups showed insignificant differences in HM and DC% from the dual-cured in both composite materials. The improvements on the bottom composite surfaces in contact with the adhesives did not extend to the entire specimen length. Nevertheless, improved interfacial curing may improve interfacial durability.
Comparison of Root Filling Quality of Two Types of Single Cone-Based Canal Filling Methods in Complex Root Canal Anatomies: The Ultrasonic Vibration and Thermo-Hydrodynamic Obturation versus Single-Cone Technique
Authors: Cho Yong-Sik , Kwak Youngjun , Shin Su-Jung
Published: October 2021

This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of ultrasonic vibration and thermo-hydrodynamic obturation (VibraTHO) using two types of root canal sealers, in comparison to the single-cone (SC) technique and a calcium silicate-based root canal sealer in complex root canal anatomies. Thirty single-rooted human maxillary premolars with two canals that had a complex root canal anatomy of transverse anastomoses or ramifications were prepared and assigned to the following three experimental groups, according to the filling method: SE group, SC technique with Endoseal TCS; VE group, VibraTHO with Endoseal TCS; and VG group, VibraTHO with GuttaFlow 2. Each tooth was scanned using micro-computed tomography, and the volume percentages of the filling material were calculated. The analysis of variance was used to analyze the statistical differences between the three groups (p < 0.05). The mean volume of the filling material was higher in the VG and VE groups than that in the SE group (p < 0.05) along the apical to middle-to-coronal thirds, and significant differences were observed between each root canal area (p < 0.05), with the only exception being at the apical thirds between the VE and SE groups. The VibraTHO technique using GuttaFlow 2 can be a more effective root canal filling method for anatomically complex root canal systems than the SC technique with Endoseal TCS. On the other hand, the VibraTHO technique using Endoseal TCS has a limited effect on improving the quality of the root filling at the apical portion of anatomically complex root canal systems, compared to the SC technique with Endoseal TCS.
Effect of Microstructure on Thermophysical Properties of Heat-Treated Duplex Steel
Authors: Koniorczyk Piotr , Sienkiewicz Judyta , Zmywaczyk Janusz , Dębski Andrzej , Zieliński Mateusz , Preiskorn Marek
Published: October 2021

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of heat treatments and resulting changes in microstructure on the thermophysical properties of commercial 1.4462 duplex stainless steel. Three types of heat treatment and a raw sample were used. In the first heat treatment, a duplex steel bar was annealed in an air atmosphere furnace for one hour at 1200 °C and then quickly cooled in water (1200 °C + water). The second heat treatment was the same as the first, but afterwards, the bar was annealed in an air atmosphere furnace for 4 h at 800 °C and then slowly cooled down in the furnace to room temperature (1200 °C + water + 800 °C). In the third heat treatment, the duplex steel bar was annealed in the furnace in an air atmosphere for one hour at 900 °C and then slowly cooled in the furnace to room temperature (900 °C). As a result, the weight percentages of ferrite and austenite in the samples achieved the following ratios: 75:25, 65:35 and 44:56. Light microscope examinations (LM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Vickers micro-hardness measurements and thermophysical studies using a laser flash apparatus (LFA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and push-rod dilatometry (DIL) were performed to reveal the microstructure and changes in thermophysical properties including thermal diffusivity, thermal conductivity, thermal expansion and specific heat. Along with presenting these data, the paper, in brief, presents the applied investigation procedures.
Influence of Selective Laser Melting Technology Process Parameters on Porosity and Hardness of AISI H13 Tool Steel: Statistical Approach
Authors: Véle Filip , Ackermann Michal , Bittner Václav , Šafka Jiří
Published: October 2021

The correct setting of laser beam parameters and scanning strategy for Selective Laser Melting (SLM) technology is a demanding process. Usually, numerous experimental procedures must be taken before the final strategy can be applied. The presented work deals with SLM technology and the impact of its technological parameters on the porosity and hardness of AISI H13 tool steel. In this study, we attempted to map the dependency of porosity and hardness of the tested tool steel on a broad spectrum of scanning speed—laser power combinations. Cubic samples were fabricated under parameters defined by full factorial DOE, and metallurgic specimens were prepared for measurement of the two studied quantities. The gathered data were finally analyzed, and phenomenological models were proposed. Analysis of the data revealed a minimal energy density of 100.3 J/mm3 was needed to obtain a dense structure with a satisfactory hardness level. Apart from this, the model may be used for approximation of non-tested combinations of input parameters.
Composite Polyurethane-Polylactide (PUR/PLA) Flexible Filaments for 3D Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) of Antibacterial Wound Dressings for Skin Regeneration
Authors: Szarlej Paweł , Carayon Iga , Gnatowski Przemysław , Glinka Marta , Mroczyńska Martyna , Brillowska-Dąbrowska Anna , Kucińska-Lipka Justyna
Published: October 2021

This paper addresses the potential application of flexible thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) compositions as a material for the production of antibacterial wound dressings using the Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) 3D printing method. On the market, there are medical-grade polyurethane filaments available, but few of them have properties required for the fabrication of wound dressings, such as flexibility and antibacterial effects. Thus, research aimed at the production, characterization and modification of filaments based on different TPU/PLA compositions was conducted. The combination of mechanical (tensile, hardness), structural (FTIR), microscopic (optical and SEM), degradation (2 M HCl, 5 M NaOH, and 0.1 M CoCl2 in 20% H2O2) and printability analysis allowed us to select the most promising composition for further antibacterial modification (COMP-7,5PLA). The thermal stability of the chosen antibiotic—amikacin—was tested using processing temperature and HPLC. Two routes were used for the antibacterial modification of the selected filament—post-processing modification (AMI-1) and modification during processing (AMI-2). The antibacterial activity and amikacin release profiles were studied. The postprocessing modification method turned out to be superior and suitable for wound dressing fabrication due to its proven antimicrobial activity against E. coli, P. fluorescens, S. aureus and S. epidermidis bacteria.
Identifying Potential Antioxidant Properties from the Viscera of Sea Snails (Turbo cornutus)
Authors: Kang Nalae , Kim Eun-A , Kim Junseong , Lee Seung-Hong , Heo Soo-Jin
Published: October 2021

Turbo cornutus, the horned turban sea snail, is found along the intertidal and basaltic shorelines of Jeju Island, Korea. T. cornutus feeds on seaweeds (e.g., Undaria sp., and Ecklonia sp.) composed of diverse antioxidants. This study identified potential antioxidant properties from T. cornutus viscera tissues. Diverse extracts were evaluated for their hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) scavenging activities. T. cornutus viscera protamex-assisted extracts (TVP) were purified by gel filtration chromatography (GFC), and potential antioxidant properties were analyzed for their amino acid sequences and its peroxidase inhibition effects by in silico molecular docking and in vitro analysis. According to the results, T. cornutus viscera tissues are composed of many protein contents with each over 50%. Among the extracts, TVP possessed the highest H2O2 scavenging activity. In addition, TVP-GFC-3 significantly decreased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and increased cell viability in H2O2-treated HepG2 cells without cytotoxicity. TVP-GFC-3 comprises nine low molecular bioactive peptides (ELR, VGPQ, TDY, ALPHA, PAH, VDY, WSDK, VFSP, and FAPQY). Notably, the peptides dock to the active site of the myeloperoxidase (MPO), especially TDY and FAPQY showed the MPO inhibition effects with IC50 values of 646.0 ± 45.0 µM and 57.1 ± 17.7 µM, respectively. Altogether, our findings demonstrated that T. cornutus viscera have potential antioxidant properties that can be used as high value-added ingredients.
Evidence Update on the Relationship between Diet and the Most Common Cancers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Study: A Systematic Review
Authors: Ubago-Guisado Esther , Rodríguez-Barranco Miguel , Ching-López Ana , Petrova Dafina , Molina-Montes Esther , Amiano Pilar , Barricarte-Gurrea Aurelio , Chirlaque María-Dolores , Agudo Antonio , Sánchez María-José
Published: October 2021

The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) is a multicentre prospective study conducted in 23 centres in 10 European countries. Here we review the findings from EPIC on the relationship between diet-related exposures and incidence or mortality from the four most frequent cancers in the European population: colorectal, breast, lung, and prostate cancer. We conducted a systematic review following PRISMA guidelines and identified 110 high-quality studies based on the EPIC cohort. Fruit and vegetable consumption had a protective effect against colorectal, breast, and lung cancer, whereas only fruit had a protective effect against prostate cancer. A higher consumption of fish and lower consumption of red and processed meat were related with a lower risk of colorectal cancer; and higher consumption of fatty fish with lower risk of breast cancer. Calcium and yogurt intake were found to protect against colorectal and prostate cancer. Alcohol consumption increased the risk for colorectal and breast cancer. Finally, adherence to the Mediterranean diet emerged as a protective factor for colorectal and breast cancer. The EPIC study results are in agreement with the latest evidence from leading authorities on cancer prevention and help to inform public prevention policies and strategies.
First-Principle Study of Rh-Doped Nitrogen Vacancy Boron Nitride Monolayer for Scavenging and Detecting SF6 Decomposition Products
Authors: Shi Zhen , Xia Sheng-Yuan
Published: October 2021

The scavenging and detection of sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) decomposition products (SO2, H2S, SO2F2, SOF2) critically matters to the stable and safe operation of gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) equipment. In this paper, the Rh-doped nitrogen vacancy boron nitride monolayer (Rh-VNBN) is proposed as a gas scavenger and sensor for the above products. The computational processes are applied to investigate the configurations, adsorption and sensing processes, and electronic properties in the gas/Rh-VNBN systems based on the first-principle calculations. The binding energy (Eb) of the Rh-VNBN reaches −8.437 eV, while the adsorption energy (Ead) and band gap (BG) indicate that Rh-VNBN exhibits outstanding adsorption and sensing capabilities. The density of state (DOS) analysis further explains the mechanisms of adsorption and sensing, demonstrating the potential use of Rh-VNBN in sensors and scavengers of SF6 decomposition products. This study is meaningful as it explores new gas scavengers and sensors of SF6 decomposition products to allow the operational status assessment of GIS equipment.
A New Three-Component Photo-Initiating System for Visible Light Recording of Volume Holograms with Single-Pulsed Laser
Authors: Berneth Horst , Bruder Friedrich Karl , Fäcke Thomas , Hansen Sven , Kawamura Koichi , Pitzer Lena , Kern Stephan , Wewer Brita , Rölle Thomas
Published: October 2021

Versatile substituted electron-deficient trichloromethylarenes can easily be synthesized and combined with a Safranine O/triarylalkylborate salt to form a highly efficient three-component photo-initiation system that starts free radical polymerization to finally form holographic gratings with a single-pulsed laser. The mechanism of this photo-initiation most likely relies on an electron transfer from the borate salt into the semi-occupied HOMO of the excited dye molecule Safranine O, which after fragmentation generates an initiating alkyl radical and longer-lived dye radical species. This dye radical is most probably oxidized by the newly introduced trichloromethylarene derivative as an electron acceptor. The two generated radicals from one absorbed photon initiate the photopolymerization and form index gratings in a suitable holographic recording material. This process is purely photonic and does not require further non-photonic post treatments.
The Natural Pathways to Atheism: Cognitive Biases, Cultures, and Costs
Authors: Daniel-Hughes Brandon
Published: October 2021

Some recent scholarship in the bio-cultural sciences of religion has argued that atheism, like science and doctrinal theology, is less natural than religion. This scholarship, however, draws on problematic natural/unnatural and nature/culture binaries that denaturalize culture and reify a more basic essence/accident binary. Here, I argue that (1) while the suggestion that religion is more natural than atheism indicates something important, it reinforces assumptions about the naturalness of cognition and the unnaturalness of culture that confuse as much as they explain; (2) a clearer understanding of atheism requires the thorough naturalization of culture; (3) multiple pathways to atheism can then be understood as natural developments of both cognitive and cultural predispositions, and analyzed along continua of religion-reinforcing cultural scaffolding and religion-fostering cognitive intuitions; and (4) finally, I suggest an economic frame for better understanding atheist expressions that construes atheism, despite its relative costs and rarity, as a natural though expensive phenomenon. Because atheist expressions are differentiated by the mechanisms (cultural and cognitive) they utilize to pay the costs of overriding religion-fostering intuitions and religion-reinforcing cultural scaffolding, all atheist expressions are naturalized along with culture; however, the basic insight, indicated by the claim that religion is more natural than atheism, is preserved.
Spatio-Temporal Variations of Precipitable Water Vapor and Horizontal Tropospheric Gradients from GPS during Typhoon Lekima
Authors: Tu Manhong , Zhang Weixing , Bai Jingna , Wu Di , Liang Hong , Lou Yidong
Published: October 2021

GPS data during Typhoon Lekima at 700 stations in China were processed by the Precise Point Positioning (PPP) method. A refined regional Tm model was used to derive the precipitable water vapor (PWV) at these GPS stations. Spatio-temporal variations of PWV with the typhoon process were analyzed. As the typhoon approached, PWV at stations near the typhoon center increased sharply from about 50 mm to nearly 80 mm and then dropped back to about 40–50 mm as the typhoon left. Comparisons of GPS, radiosonde, the Global Data Assimilation System (GDAS) Global Forecast System (GFS) analysis products and ERA5 reanalysis products at four matched GPS-RS stations show overall overestimations of PWV from radiosonde, GFS and ERA5 compared with GPS in a statistical perspective. An empirical orthogonal functions (EOF) analysis of the PWV during the typhoon event revealed some different patterns of variability, with both the first EOF (~36.1% of variance) and second EOF (~30.3% of variance) showing distinctively large anomalies over the typhoon landing locations. The typhoon caused a large horizontal tropospheric gradient (HTG) with the magnitude reaching 5 mm and the direction pointing to the typhoon center when it made a landfall on mainland China. The magnitude and the consistency of the HTG direction decreased overall as the typhoon weakened.
Velocity Estimation of Ocean Surface Currents in along-Track InSAR System Based on Conditional Generative Adversarial Networks
Authors: Yan He , Hou Qianru , Jin Guodong , Xu Xing , Zhang Gong , Zhu Daiyin
Published: October 2021

Velocity estimation of ocean surface currents is of great significance in the fields of the fishery, shipping, sewage discharge, and military affairs. Over the last decade, along-track interferometric synthetic aperture radar (along-track InSAR) has been demonstrated to be one of the important instruments for large-area and high-resolution ocean surface current velocity estimation. The calculation method of the traditional ocean surface current velocity, as influenced by the large-scale wave orbital velocity and the Bragg wave phase velocity, cannot easily separate the current velocity, characterized by large error and low efficiency. In this paper, a novel velocity estimation method of ocean surface currents is proposed based on Conditional Generative Adversarial Networks (CGANs). The main processing steps are as follows: firstly, the known ocean surface current field diagrams and their corresponding interferometric phase diagrams are constructed as the training dataset; secondly, the estimation model of the ocean surface current field is constructed based on the pix2pix algorithm and trained by the training dataset; finally, the interferometric phase diagrams in the test dataset are input into the trained model. In the simulation experiment, processing results of the proposed method are compared with those of traditional ocean surface current velocity estimation methods, which demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of the novel method.
Accelerated Multi-View Stereo for 3D Reconstruction of Transmission Corridor with Fine-Scale Power Line
Authors: Huang Wei , Jiang San , He Sheng , Jiang Wanshou
Published: October 2021

Fast reconstruction of power lines and corridors is a critical task in UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle)-based inspection of high-voltage transmission corridors. However, recent dense matching algorithms suffer the problem of low efficiency when processing large-scale high-resolution UAV images. This study proposes an efficient dense matching method for the 3D reconstruction of high-voltage transmission corridors with fine-scale power lines. First, an efficient random red-black checkerboard propagation is proposed, which utilizes the neighbor pixels with the most similar color to propagate plane parameters. To combine the pixel-wise view selection strategy adopted in Colmap with the efficient random red-black checkerboard propagation, the updating schedule for inferring visible probability is improved; second, strategies for decreasing the number of matching cost computations are proposed, which can reduce the unnecessary hypotheses for verification. The number of neighbor pixels necessary to propagate plane parameters is reduced with the increase of iterations, and the number of the combinations of depth and normal is reduced for the pixel with better matching cost in the plane refinement step; third, an efficient GPU (graphics processing unit)-based depth map fusion method is proposed, which employs a weight function based on the reprojection errors to fuse the depth map. Finally, experiments are conducted by using three UAV datasets, and the results indicate that the proposed method can maintain the completeness of power line reconstruction with high efficiency when compared to other PatchMatch-based methods. In addition, two benchmark datasets are used to verify that the proposed method can achieve a better F1 score, 4–7 times faster than Colmap.
Assessment of the Temperature Effects in SMAP Satellite Soil Moisture Products in Oklahoma
Authors: Hoang Kim Oanh , Lu Minjiao
Published: October 2021

Soil moisture is a notably important component in various studies in water sciences, including hydrology, agriculture, and water management. To achieve extensive or global spatial coverage, satellites focusing on soil moisture observation have been launched, and many satellite products, such as SMAP and SMOS soil moisture products, have been provided. Most of these satellite observations are based on the dielectric properties of wet soil, and most soil moisture retrieval algorithms are calibrated or evaluated using in situ soil moisture. While the in situ data observed by dielectric sensors, which are the most widely used, are reported to include errors caused by the so-called “temperature effects” of these sensors, the temperature dependency of bulk soil dielectric constant has rarely been discussed on satellite data. Since both in situ dielectric measurements and satellite observations are based on the same physical variable, the dielectric constant and the dielectrically measured in situ soil moisture data are also used as ground truth, it is necessary to assess the impact of temperature effects on satellite products. In this work, we attempted to identify the existence of the temperature effects and evaluate the consequences of removing these effects on in situ and satellite soil moisture and the relationships between the brightness temperature at the soil surface and the brightness temperature provided by satellite observation. To achieve the goals of this study, we analyzed the temperature effects on surface soil moisture data provided by a SMAP mission in Oklahoma, the United States. The results show that temperature effects exist in SMAP soil moisture products in Oklahoma, and the removal of these effects will potentially improve the accuracy of these products.
Automated ELISA On-Chip for the Detection of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies
Authors: González-González Everardo , Garcia-Ramirez Ricardo , Díaz-Armas Gladys Guadalupe , Esparza Miguel , Aguilar-Avelar Carlos , Flores-Contreras Elda A. , Rodríguez-Sánchez Irám Pablo , Delgado-Balderas Jesus Rolando , Soto-García Brenda , Aráiz-Hernández Diana , Abarca-Blanco Marisol , Yee-de León José R. , Velarde-Calvillo Liza P. , Abarca-Blanco Alejandro , Yee-de León Juan F.
Published: October 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has been the most critical public health issue in modern history due to its highly infectious and deathly potential, and the limited access to massive, low-cost, and reliable testing has significantly worsened the crisis. The recovery and the vaccination of millions of people against COVID-19 have made serological tests highly relevant to identify the presence and levels of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Due to its advantages, microfluidic-based technologies represent an attractive alternative to the conventional testing methodologies used for these purposes. In this work, we described the development of an automated ELISA on-chip capable of detecting anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in serum samples from COVID-19 patients and vaccinated individuals. The colorimetric reactions were analyzed with a microplate reader. No statistically significant differences were observed when comparing the results of our automated ELISA on-chip against the ones obtained from a traditional ELISA on a microplate. Moreover, we demonstrated that it is possible to carry out the analysis of the colorimetric reaction by performing basic image analysis of photos taken with a smartphone, which constitutes a useful alternative when lacking specialized equipment or a laboratory setting. Our automated ELISA on-chip has the potential to be used in a clinical setting and mitigates some of the burden caused by testing deficiencies.
Development of a Thin-Film Sensor for In Situ Measurement of the Temperature Rise in Rolling Contacts with Fluid Film and Mixed Lubrication
Authors: Emmrich Stephan , Plogmeyer Marcel , Bartel Dirk , Herrmann Christoph
Published: October 2021

The following study presents an in situ sensor system which can measure the temperature change of rolling contacts for heavy duty during fluid as well as mixed friction. This thin-film sensor was optimized with regard to its size, spatial resolution, and wear resistance. Extensive tests were carried out with a two-disk test rig and the data of the temperature change were presented. The results show the complex processes within a rolling contact and the strongly interaction of pressure, friction, and temperature development within the contact zone. Due to the detailed sensor and disk characterization, the data are suitable for comparing calculation methods.
Characterization of Leg Push Forces and Their Relationship to Velocity in On-Water Sprint Kayaking
Authors: Klitgaard Kent K. , Rosdahl Hans , Brund Rene B. K. , Hansen John , de Zee Mark
Published: October 2021

The purpose of this work was to describe the leg-muscle-generated push force characteristics in sprint kayak paddlers for females and males on water. Additionally, the relationship between leg pushing force characteristics and velocity was investigated. Twenty-eight paddlers participated in the study. The participants had five minutes of self-chosen warm-up and were asked to paddle at three different velocities, including maximal effort. Left- and right-side leg extension force were collected together with velocity. Linear regression analyses were performed with leg extension force characteristics as independent variables and velocity as the dependent variable. A second linear regression analysis investigated the effect of paddling velocity on different leg extension force characteristics with an explanatory model. The results showed that the leg pushing force elicits a sinus-like pattern, increasing and decreasing throughout the stroke cycle. Impulse over 10 s showed the highest correlation to maximum velocity (r = 0.827, p < 0.01), while a strong co-correlation was observed between the impulse per stroke cycle and mean force (r = 0.910, p < 0.01). The explanatory model results revealed that an increase in paddling velocity is, among other factors, driven by increased leg force. Maximal velocity could predict 68% of the paddlers’ velocity within 1 km/h with peak leg force, impulse over 10 s, and stroke rate (p-value < 0.001, adjusted R-squared = 0.8). Sprint kayak paddlers elicit a strong positive relationship between leg pushing forces and velocity. The results confirm that sprint kayakers’ cyclic leg movement is a key part of the kayaking technique.
Efficient Gradient Updating Strategies with Adaptive Power Allocation for Federated Learning over Wireless Backhaul
Authors: Yang Yunji , Hong Yonggi , Park Jaehyun
Published: October 2021

In this paper, efficient gradient updating strategies are developed for the federated learning when distributed clients are connected to the server via a wireless backhaul link. Specifically, a common convolutional neural network (CNN) module is shared for all the distributed clients and it is trained through the federated learning over wireless backhaul connected to the main server. However, during the training phase, local gradients need to be transferred from multiple clients to the server over wireless backhaul link and can be distorted due to wireless channel fading. To overcome it, an efficient gradient updating method is proposed, in which the gradients are combined such that the effective SNR is maximized at the server. In addition, when the backhaul links for all clients have small channel gain simultaneously, the server may have severely distorted gradient vectors. Accordingly, we also propose a binary gradient updating strategy based on thresholding in which the round associated with all channels having small channel gains is excluded from federated learning. Because each client has limited transmission power, it is effective to allocate more power on the channel slots carrying specific important information, rather than allocating power equally to all channel resources (equivalently, slots). Accordingly, we also propose an adaptive power allocation method, in which each client allocates its transmit power proportionally to the magnitude of the gradient information. This is because, when training a deep learning model, the gradient elements with large values imply the large change of weight to decrease the loss function.
Beamforming Using Exact Evaluation of Leakage and Ergodic Capacity of MU-MIMO System
Authors: Hassan Ahmad Kamal , Moinuddin Muhammad
Published: October 2021

Closed-form evaluation of key performance indicators (KPIs) of telecommunication networks help perform mathematical analysis under several network configurations. This paper deals with a recent mathematical approach of indefinite quadratic forms to propose simple albeit exact closed-form expressions of the expectation of two significant logarithmic functions. These functions formulate KPIs which include the ergodic capacity and leakage rate of multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) systems in Rayleigh fading channels. Our closed-form expressions are generic in nature and they characterize several network configurations under statistical channel state information availability. As a demonstrative example of the proposed characterization, the derived expressions are used in the statistical transmit beamformer design in a broadcast MU-MIMO system to portray promising diversity gains using standalone or joint maximization techniques of the ergodic capacity and leakage rate. The results presented are validated by Monte Carlo simulations.
In-Line Detection with Microfluidic Bulk Acoustic Wave Resonator Gas Sensor for Gas Chromatography
Authors: Hu Jizhou , Qu Hemi , Pang Wei , Duan Xuexin
Published: October 2021

A microfluidic film bulk acoustic wave resonator gas sensor (mFBAR) adapted specifically as an in-line detector in gas chromatography was described. This miniaturized vapor sensor was a non-destructive detector with very low dead volume (0.02 μL). It was prepared by enclosing the resonator in a microfluidic channel on a chip with dimensions of only 15 mm × 15 mm × 1 mm. The device with polymer coating showed satisfactory performance in the detection of organophosphorus compound, demonstrating a very low detection limit (a dozen parts per billion) with relatively short response time (about fifteen seconds) toward the simulant of chemical warfare agent, dimethyl methylphosphonate. The in-line detection of the mFBAR sensor with FID was constructed and employed to directly measure the concentration profile on the solid surface by the mFBAR with the controlled concentration profile in the mobile phase at the same time. The difference of peak-maximum position between mobile phase and solid phase could be a convenient indicator to measure mass transfer rate. With the response of the mFBAR and FID obtained in one injection, an injection mass-independent parameter can be calculated and used to identify the analyte of interest.
Pad-Printing as a Fabrication Process for Flexible and Compact Multilayer Circuits
Authors: Jaafar Ahmad , Schoinas Spyridon , Passeraub Philippe
Published: October 2021

The purpose of this paper is to present a newly developed process for the fabrication of multilayer circuits based on the pad-printing technique. Even though the maturity level, in terms of accuracy, substrate type and print size of several printing industrial processes is relatively high, the fabrication complexity of multilayer printed electronics remains relatively high. Due to its versatility, the pad-printing technique allows the superposition of printed conductive and insulating layers. Compared to other printing processes, its main advantage is the ability to print on various substrates even on flexible, curved or irregular surfaces. Silver-based inks were used for the formulation of conductive layers while UV inks were employed to fulfil the functionality of the insulating layers. To demonstrate the functionality of the pad-printing results, a multilayer test pattern has been designed and printed on Kapton®. Furthermore, to demonstrate the efficacy of this approach, a multilayer circuit composed of three stacked layers has been designed and printed on various substrates including Kapton®, paper and wood. This electronic circuit controls an array of LEDs through the manipulation of a two-key capacitive touch sensor. This study, allowed us to define recommendations for the different parameters leading to high printing quality. We expect a long-term beneficial impact of this study towards a low-cost, fast, and environmental-friendly production of printed electronics.
Lane Detection Aided Online Dead Reckoning for GNSS Denied Environments
Authors: Jeon Jinhwan , Hwang Yoonjin , Jeong Yongseop , Park Sangdon , Kweon In So , Choi Seibum B.
Published: October 2021

With the emerging interest of autonomous vehicles (AV), the performance and reliability of the land vehicle navigation are also becoming important. Generally, the navigation system for passenger car has been heavily relied on the existing Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) in recent decades. However, there are many cases in real world driving where the satellite signals are challenged; for example, urban streets with buildings, tunnels, or even underpasses. In this paper, we propose a novel method for simultaneous vehicle dead reckoning, based on the lane detection model in GNSS-denied situations. The proposed method fuses the Inertial Navigation System (INS) with learning-based lane detection model to estimate the global position of vehicle, and effectively bounds the error drift compared to standalone INS. The integration of INS and lane model is accomplished by UKF to minimize linearization errors and computing time. The proposed method is evaluated through the real-vehicle experiments on highway driving, and the comparative discussions for other dead-reckoning algorithms with the same system configuration are presented.
Security-Related Hardware Cost Optimization for CAN FD-Based Automotive Cyber-Physical Systems
Authors: Xie Yong , Guo Yili , Yang Sheng , Zhou Jian , Chen Xiaobai
Published: October 2021

The introduction of various networks into automotive cyber-physical systems (ACPS) brings great challenges on security protection of ACPS functions, the auto industry recommends to adopt the hardware security module (HSM)-based multicore ECU to secure in-vehicle networks while meeting the delay constraint. However, this approach incurs significant hardware cost. Consequently, this paper aims to reduce security enhancing-related hardware cost by proposing two efficient design space exploration (DSE) algorithms, namely, stepwise decreasing-based heuristic algorithm (SDH) and interference balancing-based heuristic algorithm (IBH), which explore the task assignment, task scheduling, and message scheduling to minimize the number of required HSMs. Experiments on both synthetical and real data sets show that the proposed SDH and IBH are superior than state-of-the-art algorithm, and the advantage of SDH and IBH becomes more obvious as the increase about the percentage of security-critical tasks. For synthetic data sets, the hardware cost can be reduced by 61.4% and 45.6% averagely for IBH and SDH, respectively; for real data sets, the hardware cost can be reduced by 64.3% and 54.4% on average for IBH and SDH, respectively. Furthermore, IBH is better than SDH in most cases, and the runtime of IBH is two or three orders of magnitude smaller than SDH and state-of-the-art algorithm.
Optimizing 3D Convolution Kernels on Stereo Matching for Resource Efficient Computations
Authors: Xiao Jianqiang , Ma Dianbo , Yamane Satoshi
Published: October 2021

Despite recent stereo matching algorithms achieving significant results on public benchmarks, the problem of requiring heavy computation remains unsolved. Most works focus on designing an architecture to reduce the computational complexity, while we take aim at optimizing 3D convolution kernels on the Pyramid Stereo Matching Network (PSMNet) for solving the problem. In this paper, we design a series of comparative experiments exploring the performance of well-known convolution kernels on PSMNet. Our model saves the computational complexity from 256.66 G MAdd (Multiply-Add operations) to 69.03 G MAdd (198.47 G MAdd to 10.84 G MAdd for only considering 3D convolutional neural networks) without losing accuracy. On Scene Flow and KITTI 2015 datasets, our model achieves results comparable to the state-of-the-art with a low computational cost.
Maintenance Strategies for Industrial Multi-Stage Machines: The Study of a Thermoforming Machine
Authors: García Francisco Javier Álvarez , Salgado David Rodríguez
Published: October 2021

The study of reliability, availability and control of industrial manufacturing machines is a constant challenge in the industrial environment. This paper compares the results offered by several maintenance strategies for multi-stage industrial manufacturing machines by analysing a real case of a multi-stage thermoforming machine. Specifically, two strategies based on preventive maintenance, Preventive Programming Maintenance (PPM) and Improve Preventive Programming Maintenance (IPPM) are compared with two new strategies based on predictive maintenance, namely Algorithm Life Optimisation Programming (ALOP) and Digital Behaviour Twin (DBT). The condition of machine components can be assessed with the latter two proposals (ALOP and DBT) using sensors and algorithms, thus providing a warning value for early decision-making before unexpected faults occur. The study shows that the ALOP and DBT models detect unexpected failures early enough, while the PPM and IPPM strategies warn of scheduled component replacement at the end of their life cycle. The ALOP and DBT strategies algorithms can also be valid for managing the maintenance of other multi-stage industrial manufacturing machines. The authors consider that the combination of preventive and predictive maintenance strategies may be an ideal approach because operating conditions affect the mechanical, electrical, electronic and pneumatic components of multi-stage industrial manufacturing machines differently.
What Are Sheep Doing? Tri-Axial Accelerometer Sensor Data Identify the Diel Activity Pattern of Ewe Lambs on Pasture
Authors: Ikurior Seer J. , Marquetoux Nelly , Leu Stephan T. , Corner-Thomas Rene A. , Scott Ian , Pomroy William E.
Published: October 2021

Monitoring activity patterns of animals offers the opportunity to assess individual health and welfare in support of precision livestock farming. The purpose of this study was to use a triaxial accelerometer sensor to determine the diel activity of sheep on pasture. Six Perendale ewe lambs, each fitted with a neck collar mounting a triaxial accelerometer, were filmed during targeted periods of sheep activities: grazing, lying, walking, and standing. The corresponding acceleration data were fitted using a Random Forest algorithm to classify activity (=classifier). This classifier was then applied to accelerometer data from an additional 10 ewe lambs to determine their activity budgets. Each of these was fitted with a neck collar mounting an accelerometer as well as two additional accelerometers placed on a head halter and a body harness over the shoulders of the animal. These were monitored continuously for three days. A classification accuracy of 89.6% was achieved for the grazing, walking and resting activities (i.e., a new class combining lying and standing activity). Triaxial accelerometer data showed that sheep spent 64% (95% CI 55% to 74%) of daylight time grazing, with grazing at night reduced to 14% (95% CI 8% to 20%). Similar activity budgets were achieved from the halter mounted sensors, but not those on a body harness. These results are consistent with previous studies directly observing daily activity of pasture-based sheep and can be applied in a variety of contexts to investigate animal health and welfare metrics e.g., to better understand the impact that young sheep can suffer when carrying even modest burdens of parasitic nematodes.
Geospatial Data Analysis and Economic Evaluation of Companies for Sustainable Business Development—An Interdisciplinary Teaching Approach
Authors: Zimmermannova Jarmila , Redecker Andreas P. , Mensik Michal , Juergens Carsten
Published: October 2021

Sustainable business development is connected with environmental impact, natural resources and people. This makes the location a crucial factor for the operation of a business. Therefore, a combination of both geo-spatial data analysis and traditional economic evaluation of companies are advantageous. The consideration of geolocation is beneficial with calculations for process optimizations and cost efficiency as well as ecological and social compliance. Since integrating geospatial methods into economics is a rather new interdisciplinary approach, it seems necessary to establish innovative teaching concepts for the education of experts in this field. Creating and testing such new teaching concepts based on playful learning is the idea behind the ERASMUS+ project SPATIONOMY (“Spatial exploration of economic data—methods of interdisciplinary analytics”). An interdisciplinary team of teachers educates an interdisciplinary assembled group of international students. Hence, the fields of economics/business informatics and geography/geomatics are represented by participants and staff. Based on initial lessons about basic knowledge in the connected subjects, the central elements of the teaching concept are case studies and a simulation game, each with interdisciplinary challenges. The principal aim of the project—to educate students to become specialists in spatial economics—could be achieved. This paper aims to present, evaluate and discuss the methodological approach as well as the results from the application of the simulation game. The results show that the gamification of education is worthy. Simulation game-based learning appears to be more playful and experiential compared to traditional teaching approaches. Further research in this area should focus on the students’ engagement evaluation and attitude towards sustainable behaviour in their own business.