bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Mechanical properties of blended cement mortar systems exposed to ammonium chloride environment
Authors: Babu Sheba , Sahad Mohammed , Vijeesh K P , Syamjith C K , Raneesh Mohammed , Ramaswamy K P , Nazeer M , Thowsif Mohammed 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
There are number of areas where cement composites can be exposed to ammonium based compounds such as agricultural land, chemical fertilizer plants, waste waters, polluted and industrial environments, which can induce severe and premature deterioration of concrete systems. Based on the review of literature, the most common and deleterious ammonium based salts were found to be ammonium nitrate, ammonium chloride and ammonium sulphate. The cementitious systems with Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) may be attacked easily by these ammonium based chemicals as the OPC hydrates such as Portlandite and C-S-H gel are considered to be unstable in these aggressive media. Thus, it is necessary to understand the alteration kinetics of cementitious systems and the effectiveness of Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCMs) in improving the resistance when exposed to ammonium based environments for develpoing more durable and sustainable concrete systems. The aim of this experimental study was to investigate the durability aspects in terms of the changes in mechanical properties of cement mortar specimens made with OPC and different combinations of various Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCMs) exposed to ammonium based salt solution prepared using chemical grade ammonium chloride (NH4Cl). The mortar specimens were exposed to ammonium chloride solution in two different concentrations (1.25 M and 2.5 M) for a maximum exposure duration of two and half months. The SCMs used for the study include Class F Fly ash (FA), Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS), and Silica fume (SF). The changes in the mechanical properties were evaluated on the basis of visual assessment, depth of penetration, changes in the compressive strength, changes in Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity (UPV) and relative dynamic modulus of elasticity. From all the test results, it can be concluded that the ternary blended mix with OPC, GGBS and Silica fume (OPC-GGBS-SF) has higher resistance to ammonium chloride attack. The results stress the need to include SCMs and the importance to tailor make the concrete for structures exposed to aggressive environment like ammonium chloride.
Analytical study on the behaviour of beam-column joints made of electric arc furnace concrete
Authors: Gowri Krishna S R , Ambi Rekha 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
The advancement of the construction industry towards using recycled materials has substantially reduced the consumption of natural resources. Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) slag is the by-product obtained from the production of steel and is procured after the separation of molten steel from impurities. In this paper, the impact of EAF concrete on the structural behaviour of beam-column joints and the resisting mechanism of these joints are evaluated using ANSYS software. One joint made with conventional concrete and two joints made with EAF concrete were analysed subjected to incremented loading. The results indicate that EAF concrete exhibits better structural performance than conventional concrete in terms of the ultimate load attained by the joint in the failure condition.
A parametric study on fatigue life of plate girder railway bridge with varying velocity of rolling stock
Authors: Ramzi Nasar K , Althaf M , Hisham Ajmal P C 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
It is important to measure the fatigue life of a structure as it helps in finding the probable life of a structure before its failure. It also helps in making cost effective decision on existing structure regarding replacement or rehabilitation in time. In this study deterministic approach is used for the estimation of fatigue life of a plate girder railway bridge. Finite element analysis is carried out using software to find the critical region of fatigue failure and the stress developed there. Number of cycles of different stress range during the movement of train is evaluated with the help of S-N curve. The S-N curve is selected based on type of welds and type of stress considered. Rain flow counting method is used for evaluating the number of cycles corresponding to each stress range. The fatigue damage is then evaluated by using Palm Miner damage accumulation rule and corresponding fatigue life is evaluated. The fatigue life corresponding to different velocity of train ranging from 30 kmph to 140 kmph is generated similarly and compared to find the influence of velocity of moving load on fatigue life of structure.
Optimization of high strength concrete with construction and demolition waste
Authors: Geetha S , Selvakumar M , Muthulakshmi S 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
The development in the Infrastructure Sector has led to a revolution in the Construction Industry with fast track projects. Hence the use of prefabricated construction is gaining importance in India in the recent days. The structural elements like beams, columns and wall panels are fabricated in a factory and assembled at the site. The concrete used in the fabrication of these members are conventional concrete with density range 2400-2500 kg/m3. The transport, handling and erection of these members involve large machineries. Moreover due to the use of conventional concrete the self weight of the structure also increases leading to large column size and foundations. Hence this work is based in optimizing reactor powder with mineral admixtures, construction and demolition waste and steel fibres that can be used in precast construction. The compressive strength achieved is 63.12 Mpa, flexural strength is 6.21 and tensile strength is 6.38MPa. Rapid chloride penetration test (RCPT) was done to test the durability of the concrete and it was found to be 469 coulombs which proved it to be resistant to chloride penetration.
Theoretical Foundations of Water-Conducting Belt Design for Wide Coverage Sprinklers Using Numerical Simulation
Authors: Skvortsov A. A. , Zhuravleva L. A. 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Improvement of wide-coverage sprinkler technical level requires provision of high irrigation productivity and quality with the minimum cost of construction, rational use of water and energy. It is necessary to maintain the required flow-pressure characteristics regardless of sprinkler external operating conditions and the length of the water supply belt. The article discusses the possibility of mathematical modeling application for a wide sprinkler design. The studies showed that during the calculation it is possible to get by with the finite equations without resorting to the differential equations of fluid motion theory with variable mass. The obtained dependences served as the basis for the development of water-conducting belt calculation methods for a wide-sprinkler.
A numerical simulation of the water supply belt operation of the KASKAD sprinkler is presented with standard values for the pipeline diameters and the variable length of the sprinkler. Numerically obtained graphs of the flow rate and the required pressure dependences on water supply belt length for two design options: with a sector end sprinkler and an end longrange sprinkler operating from a booster pump. By eliminating the length of the water supply belt for the considered two design options, they designed the flow-discharge characteristics of the sprinkler. They presented an example of a constructive solution selection for the water-conducting belt of a sprinkler according to flow-pressure characteristics.
Digital Photogrammetry for Fruit Disease Identification
Authors: Saranya G , Vidhya B , Dhivya Dharshini V , Divya Kamala Bharathi M 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Nowadays horticulture takes about 25% of the agriculture enterprise that has a excellent impact in the fruits field. Effective growth of crops and improved field culture must be incorporated to insure honest yield. To achieve that farmers need an environment friendly monitoring system. Farmers find it difficult to discover fruit ailment and its cause. Also, fruits are more prone to get infection in the course of cultivation, due to changing environmental condition and climate. The previous method concerning detecting fruit ailment was once more time ingesting and failed to supply information regarding the type of disease. Using the proposed fruit ailment discovery system, the agriculturist can determine the kind of the disease, and find preventive measures or suggestions. Image processing techniques are used for the enhancement of the received images. Then, convolution neural network has been used to make the model learn and classify the fruits and its disease. This system will benefit farmers across India.
Hardware Design and Implementation of Microcontroller Based Reduced Switch Multilevel Inverter Topology for Harmonic Studies Using MRPWM
Authors: Uma D , Augusti Lindiya S , Lindiya  , Subashini N , Vijayakumar A 
Published: December 2020

ABSTRACT
Multilevel inverter (MLI) is the recent advancement in power electronics which employed to synthesize a high-quality output voltage waveform. This paper focuses on developing a single phase modified nine-level inverter with the reduced number of switches for improving the quality of output voltage waveform. Single carrier and multireference Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) technique is utilized for generating the switching pulses. The proposed topology consists of a single DC source, level generation part (balancing capacitor and bidirectional switches) and polarity generation part (H-Bridge). The operation of the proposed topology is examined for generating 9-level output voltage using MATLAB/SIMULINK. The result of the proposed topology is verified through laboratory-based prototype model. For experimental setup, the switching pulses are generated by PIC16F877A microcontroller. This proposed lab experimental and simulation can be used to study the value of %THD at output side of the inverter.
Design and methodology of algorithm for the enhancement of breast tumor images
Authors: Shwetha S V , Dharmanna L , Basavaraj Anami S 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Breast cancer is the second largest disease in the world having high mortality rate among ladies. Breast image enhancement is required for the foundation of high accuracy segmentation. Several features are extracted from the ROI of mammogram in order to detect the cancer tumor in the early stage. Ultrasound breast images have the speckle noise during the capturing of image. In mammogram images also, the noises like Guassian, Normal and Poisson are introduced. There are no proper enhancements algorithms are designed to enhance the images for the preprocessing of the images. The image enhancement is broadly categorized into two different domains such as spatial and frequency. The spatial domain algorithms will smoothen the image quality and frequency domain algorithms will sharpen the image. Till today there is no concrete work on suitable algorithm methods using different domains of enhancement. The research work has been implemented in two stages. In the first stage we are identifying various noises in the mammogram and ultrasound images. In second stage the algorithms like mean, median, Homomorphic, Weiner, Modified Gabor, Anisoid diffusion filter, Contrast limited Adaptive Histogram equalization (CLAHE), Bilateral filter and Guided filter are worked out. Among all these filters we modified Gabor filter that clearly highlights the portion of the tumor. For all these filters Mean Square Error (MSE), RMSE, PSNR, VAR, SSIM, SD are computed. The best PSNR is obtained for the modified Gabor filter.
Design and Simulation of MIMO Antennas for Mobile Communication
Authors: Bhargava D. S. , Padmavathy T. V. , Reddy Yadhamuri Vinitha , Kavitha Neelapareddy , Hema Vuppalapati 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
A MIMO based antenna structure for next generation mobile communication is proposed. The antenna structure consists of 4 symmetric F-shaped elements placed at the centre of the FR_4 substrate with dielectric constant of 4.4 and loss tangent value of 0.001. The thickness of the substrate is 1.6 mm and the overall dimensions of the proposed structure are 122 x 147 x 0.8 mm3. The designed antenna works in the frequency range of 3.4-3.6 GHz (LTE band 42) with impedance bandwidth of 125MHz. The antenna is designed using CST 3D simulation software and antenna parameters namely Return Loss, Voltage Standing Wave Ratio, Gain, Directivity and Efficiency are analysed. Simulated results show better antenna performance in the desired frequency range.
Efficient Communication Routing Through WiMax Network During Disaster
Authors: Vanitha U , Sivaramakrishnan S , Karthika S , Babukarthik R G 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
During emergency situation like flood, Volcano, tsunami etc., the communication has to reach all the people in that area within a short span of time ensuring the necessary quality of service (QoS). The time at which the information is conveyed save a lot of life. In this paper we propose a communication through a Wi-max technology which broadcast information to all the nodes within the location. The node cooperates among them so that the information is conveyed to all the nodes within the coverage range of the Wi-max. Many cities are affected by some natural disaster where many lives are lots. The implementation of this technology cannot prevent the natural disturbance and certainly give warnings to people and save the valuable human lives. The WiMax network is implemented in Qualnet and various network parameters are measured when the node is mobile and non-mobile.
Multi-sensor optical profilometer for measurement of large freeforms at nm-level uncertainty
Authors: Heikkinen Ville , Nysten Johan , Byman Ville , Hemming Björn , Lassila Antti 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Optical measurement of large freeform samples is often limited by the resolution, size and slope limits of measurement devices. This trade-off can be solved using stitching—which, however, creates several difficulties often linked to accuracy of movement of the sample or objective. We present a stitching multisensor freeform topography instrument based on scanning white light interferometer, confocal sensor and accurate movements of the sample tracked using laser interferometers. The interferometers track the sample in 2D at an accuracy of a few nm over a 10 cm × 10 cm area. The instrument is thoroughly characterized and uncertainty is estimated to ensure traceable results. Based on the characterization results the instrument allows topography measurement of freeform sample with 54 nm standard uncertainty for datasets of a few hundred sub-images.
Germline Cancer Predisposition Variants in Pediatric Rhabdomyosarcoma: A Report From the Children’s Oncology Group
Authors: Li He , Sisoudiya Saumya D , Martin-Giacalone Bailey A , Khayat Michael M , Dugan-Perez Shannon , Marquez-Do Deborah A , Scheurer Michael E , Muzny Donna , Boerwinkle Eric , Gibbs Richard A , Chi Yueh-Yun , Barkauskas Donald A , Lo Tammy , Hall David , Stewart Douglas R , Schiffman Joshua D , Skapek Stephen X , Hawkins Douglas S , Plon Sharon E , Sabo Aniko , Lupo Philip J 
Published: December 2020

Abstract

Background
Several cancer-susceptibility syndromes are reported to underlie pediatric rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS); however, to our knowledge there have been no systematic efforts to characterize the heterogeneous genetic etiologies of this often-fatal malignancy.

Methods
We performed exome-sequencing on germline DNA from 615 patients with newly diagnosed RMS consented through the Children’s Oncology Group. We compared the prevalence of cancer predisposition variants in 63 autosomal-dominant cancer predisposition genes in these patients with population controls (n = 9963). All statistical tests were 2-sided.

Results
We identified germline cancer predisposition variants in 45 RMS patients (7.3%; all FOXO1 fusion negative) across 15 autosomal dominant genes, which was statistically significantly enriched compared with controls (1.4%, P = 1.3 × 10–22). Specifically, 73.3% of the predisposition variants were found in predisposition syndrome genes previously associated with pediatric RMS risk, such as Li-Fraumeni syndrome (TP53) and neurofibromatosis type I (NF1). Notably, 5 patients had well-described oncogenic missense variants in HRAS (p.G12V and p.G12S) associated with Costello syndrome. Also, genetic etiology differed with histology, as germline variants were more frequent in embryonal vs alveolar RMS patients (10.0% vs 3.0%, P = .02). Although patients with a cancer predisposition variant tended to be younger at diagnosis (P = 9.9 × 10–4), 40.0% of germline variants were identified in those older than 3 years of age, which is in contrast to current genetic testing recommendations based on early age at diagnosis.

Conclusions
These findings demonstrate that genetic risk of RMS results from germline predisposition variants associated with a wide spectrum of cancer susceptibility syndromes. Germline genetic testing for children with RMS should be informed by RMS subtypes and not be limited to only young patients.
Cell-surface antigen profiling of pediatric brain tumors: B7-H3 is consistently expressed and can be targeted via local or systemic CAR T-cell delivery
Authors: Haydar Dalia , Houke Haley , Chiang Jason , Yi Zhongzhen , Odé Zelda , Caldwell Kenneth , Zhu Xiaoyan , Mercer Kimberly S , Stripay Jennifer L , Shaw Timothy I , Vogel Peter , DeRenzo Christopher , Baker Suzanne J , Roussel Martine F , Gottschalk Stephen , Krenciute Giedre 
Published: December 2020

Abstract

Background
Immunotherapy with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells is actively being explored for pediatric brain tumors in preclinical models and early phase clinical studies. At present, it is unclear which CAR target antigens are consistently expressed across different pediatric brain tumor types. In addition, the extent of HLA class I expression is unknown, which is critical for tumor recognition by conventional αβTCR T cells.

Methods
We profiled 49 low- and high-grade pediatric brain tumor patient-derived orthotopic xenografts (PDOX) by flow analysis for the expression of 5 CAR targets (B7-H3, GD2, IL-13Rα2, EphA2, and HER2), and HLA class I. In addition, we generated B7-H3-CAR T cells and evaluated their antitumor activity in vitro and in vivo.

Results
We established an expression hierarchy for the analyzed antigens (B7-H3 = GD2 &gt;&gt; IL-13Rα2 &gt; HER2 = EphA2) and demonstrated that antigen expression is heterogenous. All high-grade gliomas expressed HLA class I, but only 57.1% of other tumor subtypes had detectable expression. We then selected B7-H3 as a target for CAR T-cell therapy. B7-H3-CAR T cells recognized tumor cells in an antigen-dependent fashion. Local or systemic administration of B7-H3-CAR T cells induced tumor regression in PDOX and immunocompetent murine glioma models resulting in a significant survival advantage.

Conclusions
Our study highlights the importance of studying target antigen and HLA class I expression in PDOX samples for the future design of immunotherapies. In addition, our results support active preclinical and clinical exploration of B7-H3-targeted CAR T-cell therapies for a broad spectrum of pediatric brain tumors.
Operational Definitions for Chronic Liver Disease Manifestations and Recurring Clinical Events in Biliary Atresia
Authors: Shiau Henry , Schraw Jeremy M. , Cavallo Laurel , Leung Daniel H. , Harpavat Sanjiv , Lupo Philip J. , Shneider Benjamin L. 
Published: December 2020

ABSTRACTBackground:The disease course of biliary atresia (BA) may be complicated by development of chronic liver disease (CLD) manifestations (eg, ascites) and recurring clinical events (eg, cholangitis). Most pediatric CLD‐manifestations/events lack standardized operational definitions, leading to inconsistent identification in clinical research. This study aimed to develop operational research definitions of CLD‐manifestations/events in BA for application in retrospective analysis.Methods:Operational definitions of CLD‐manifestations/events were developed by literature review and revised by a panel of experienced pediatric hepatologists. Definitions were applied to a single‐center review of infants with BA post‐Kasai. Manifestations/events were captured until last clinical visit with native liver (SNL), liver transplantation (LT), or death. Native liver survival and event‐free survival were estimated by Kaplan‐Meier method. Cluster analysis was performed to identify similar patterns of manifestation/event development.Results:Of 65 infants with BA post‐Kasai (2006–18; median Kasai 56.8 days; 65% girls), 29 underwent LT (median 12.9 months) and 4 died without LT (median 6.9 months). Seventy‐six percent of CLD‐manifestations/events presented within the first year. Presence of definite clinically evident portal hypertension, thrombocytopenia, and dCE ascites were associated with poor transplant‐free survival (P < 0.01). Similar pattern developments of CLD‐manifestations/events identified 3 outcome groups: poor outcomes (87.8% LT/death), SNL with manifestations/events, and SNL with few/no events.Conclusions:Operational definitions can provide a timely description of the disease course progression in infants with BA. Research definitions may provide better consistency in future pediatric CLD studies. Furthermore, definitions may serve as endpoints in therapeutic trials or used as variables for disease pattern identification in potential multicenter studies.
ADAPTED SERVQUAL: A Health Service Quality Scale Incorporating Indicators of Sanitation and Hygiene
Authors: Asiamah Nestor , Frimpong Opuni Frank , Aggrey Mavis , Adu-Gyamfi Kwame 
Published: December 2020

Background and Objectives:
Many scales have been developed to measure health care quality over the years, but no scale available today incorporates all important indicators of sanitation and hygiene in health care. This study therefore assessed the psychometric properties of an adapted scale, hereby called ADAPTED SERVQUAL, in an attempt to provide a scale that includes relevant indicators of hospital hygiene and sanitation.

Methods:
The setting of the study was low- and medium-capacity hospitals in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Patients in wards and outpatient departments in the hospitals participated in the study. We used relevant statistical tools to estimate the psychometric properties of ADAPTED SERVQUAL. To understand the relative importance of the new scale, we compared and related it to a recent scale, HEALTHQUAL.

Results:
Principal component analysis yielded 6 factors: “tangibles,” “reliability,” “responsiveness,” “assurance,” “empathy,” and “sanitation and hygiene,” which explained 84% of the total variance. ADAPTED SERVQUAL has a good internal consistency (Cronbach α = 0.96). Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the 6-factor solution and produced satisfactory discriminant validity and convergent validity indicators. The adapted scale was highly correlated with all dimensions of HEALTHQUAL, including continuous quality improvement (r ≥0.75, P < .001). In multiple linear regression, the 5 domains of HEALTHQUAL explained 59% of the variance in ADAPTED SERVQUAL (P < .001).

Conclusions:
The study concluded that 8 items that make up a single factor (ie, sanitation and hygiene) and contribute most of the total variance satisfactorily fit into the SERVQUAL scale as additional indicators of health care quality.