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2022-01-01 | The guidelines of the North American and European Societies for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (NASPGHAN/ESPGHAN) define gastroesophageal reflux (GER) as the physiologic passage of gastric contents into the esophagus and GER disease (GERD) as reflux associated with troublesome symptoms or complications. Although there is overlap between GER and GERD, their recognition is important to implement best management practice across all pediatric age groups. Clinical manifestations of GER and GERD in term infants, children, and adolescents allow to identify patients who can be managed with conservative treatment or who need referral for a diagnostic workup. History and physical examination including elimination of alarm symptoms remain the cornerstones and are important to rule out differential diagnoses. Endoscopy and histology are the standard diagnostic tool for esophagitis, enabling the diagnosis of eosinophilic esophagitis. Esophageal impedance measures acid and nonacid reflux episodes and allows to better evaluate a time association between symptoms and GER. The diagnosis of nonacid GERD avoids the unneeded administration of acid-blocking medication. Similar to the adult population, there is an increasing but inappropriate prescription rate of proton-pump inhibitors in pediatrics, but especially in infants when presenting with inconsolable crying. Adverse effects on proton-pump inhibitors such as dysbiosis, small bowel bacterial overgrowth, increased respiratory and gastrointestinal tract infections, nutritional consequences, hypomagnesemia, etc. have been highlighted. The management of nonacid GER(D) remains a challenge as long as there is no effective drug. Conservative recommendations such as reassurance, dietary, and positional treatment are indicated in patients with uncomplicated troublesome regurgitation and GERD. In infants, GER(D) may be difficult to distinguish from cow’s milk protein allergy as the presenting symptoms may be very similar. Children with acid GERD may benefit from acid-blocking medication. Laparoscopic surgery is indicated to manage more severe cases, such as children with intractable symptoms or who are at risk for severe complications of GERD. | Gastroesophageal Reflux | 10.1007/978-3-030-80068-0_10 |
2022-01-01 | The ladder-bucket apple harvest method has a number of shortcomings, including inefficiency, high cost, and causing occupational injuries. Harvest-assist platform is a potential approach to replace the conventional ladder-bucket method. The platform replaces the ladders, and thus could improve the harvest efficiency and avoid ladder fall accidents. Since all existing harvest-assist platforms are large in size, pricy and unsuitable for small orchards, a low-cost apple harvest-assist unit for small orchards was designed, fabricated and tested. The unit consists of a commercially available ORSI platform, and harvest-assist device (receiver, tube, manifold, and distributor) independently designed/fabricated by our team. A distance sensor was used to monitor the apple height in the bin, which can trigger a motor to gradually lift up the harvest-assist device while apples accumulating. The first year field tests demonstrated the multi-hole distributor was the major source for bruising, and based on the first year’s field test, a second version cone-shape distributor was designed, which was integrated into the low-cost harvest-assist unit for the second year test. The second year field experiment demonstrated that the optimal distributor speed was 28 revolutions per minute, under which speed the fruit bruising conditions met the fresh market apple requirements. For the high level apples (height > 210 cm from the ground) on the tree, the harvest efficiencies were 0.2 and 0.4 apples/s for ladder-bucket method and harvest-assist unit, respectively. This study demonstrated that the newly developed low-cost apple harvest-assist unit could increase 100% harvest efficiency compared to ladder-bucket method with satisfactory bruising conditions on the harvested apples. The developed system provides a potential new approach for harvesting fresh market apples for small orchards. | Design, Test, and Improvement of a Low-Cost Fresh Market Apple Harvest-Assist Unit | 10.1007/978-981-16-5316-2_2 |
2022-01-01 | Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are, nowadays, used for implementing critical applications. However, ANN is not inherently fault tolerant. In the hardware implementation of constituent neuron comprising of adder and multiplier should be made fault tolerant, for the system to perform faultless. The building unit of a neuron or any arithmetic processing unit comprises of adders and by reduction in size of these devices, they are prone to transient errors. The power and area overhead in these implementations along with reliability have to be addressed. Here, a hybrid one-bit adder design is presented which resulted in reduction of 20% in number of transistors used and maintained the outputs at full swing thereby retaining the fidelity of the outputs. Power dissipated by the circuit is optimized to the extent which may be acceptable in any of the applications such as automotive, chip design, multimedia applications, and many more. | A Hybrid Design for Low-Power Fault Tolerant One-Bit Full Adder for Neural Network Applications | 10.1007/978-981-16-8542-2_22 |
2022-01-01 | The unorganized sector highly contributes to economic growth in India and provides enormous employment opportunities. Street Vendors form an inevitable and prominent part of the unorganized retail sector. Fulfilling the daily needs of almost every Indian household, they are considered the lifeline of every Indian city. In recent years, the organized sector has enormously increased, posing a great challenge to the unorganized sector. Unorganized retail dwelling upon traditional technology setup and constrained funds is not able to compete with superior technology and infrastructure-based organized retail. It severely affects the social structure and occupational well-being of the unorganized retailers, especially the street vendors. There lies a dire need to equip them with technology-enriched low-cost design interventions that may empower them to compete with the organized retail. Several researchers have advocated the need of designing and developing context-specific design interventions as a mitigating solution. In the present research, the authors have looked into the problems and challenges faced by street vendors and proposed a low-cost, multipurpose vending cart to empower the street vendors. It will enable them to compete with their counterparts. Its market potential, probable user-acceptance, and enablement aspects have been tested and accumulated using the System Usability Scale and securing Intellectual Property Rights. This paper highlights the developed innovative intervention with its working details. It may act as a ready reckoner and potential literature source for the researchers, entrepreneurs, social scientists to develop similar kinds of innovative solutions to equip the lower strata population for their betterment and occupational well-being. | Multipurpose, Low-Cost and Electricity-Free Cold Storage Cum Vending Cart for Vegetable and Fruit Vendors | 10.1007/978-3-030-94277-9_54 |
2022-01-01 | In the context of 3 ChArMEx field campaigns conducted in summer 2012 and 2013, 16 boundary-layer pressurized balloons (BLPBs), carrying ozone payloads, were launched over the western Mediterranean from 3 sites, in order to measure photochemical ozone formation. Such balloons allow a quasi-Lagrangian monitoring approach, at least over selected measurement periods. Rather slow net ozone growth rates, ranging from +1.2 to +2.2 ppbv h −1 , were observed in the Mediterranean lower troposphere during ChArMEx. On the contrary, larger values, up to about +15 ppbv h −1 , had been encountered during the 2001 ESCOMPTE summer campaign around Marseille, mostly over land. Differences could be due to different meteorological and flight conditions during both periods. Also decreased precursor emissions (NO x , VOC), as well as enhanced dilution during long-range flights over the sea, should contribute to smaller photochemical ozone formation rates. | Ozone Photochemical Production Rates in the Western Mediterranean | 10.1007/978-3-030-82385-6_8 |
2022-01-01 | Due to favourable living conditions, the Lower Danube River Basin in Serbia has constantly been populated since prehistory, which has caused different impacts on the environment. This chapter aims to address human impacts on water resources in this area. These impacts involve the use of aquatic resources for water supply, hydropower, navigation, fishing, tourism and recreation. The multiple purposes of the Đerdap Hydropower and Navigation System (also known as Iron Gate) are also presented. Human activities cause changes in the hydrochemistry and living conditions for aquatic organisms in the Danube River and its tributaries. Water quality and pollution was assessed using the water quality indices, including the Serbian Water Quality Index (SWQI), Canadian Water Quality Index (CWQI), Agri-food Water Quality Index (AFWQI), and the Water Pollution Index (WPI). Measurements are performed on three hydrological stations: Tekija, Brza Palanka and Radujevac. Results show that water quality depends on parameters used in different indices. However, general conclusion is that the lowest water quality is recorded at Radujevac, which is the farthest downstream. Anthropogenic pollution sources include Copper Mine in Majdanpek, industrial zone in Mosna, the production of phosphoric and mineral fertilizers in Elixir Prahovo, untreated wastewater and landfills, emissions from road traffic and navigation, pesticides and other chemicals from agriculture. Besides significant multifunctional role of the Đerdap Hydropower and Navigation System, the construction of Đerdap reservoir had negative impact on migratory fish species. The chapter also addressed issues on protection and restoration of water resources. In this context, protective measures and international projects jointly implemented by Serbia and Romania are presented and the role of the Đerdap National Park for the conservation of water resources was emphasized. | Human Impacts on Water Resources in the Lower Danube River Basin in Serbia | 10.1007/978-3-031-03865-5_7 |
2022-01-01 | This paper presents a study of the influence of groundwater quality on supply network pipes in Illizi town, southeast of Algeria by assessing 5 parameters (pH, TDS, TH, TAC, and temperature) from 10 existent wells. All of the wells are used for drinking water supply from the lower Devonian layer. The influence of groundwater on the supply network was assessed by the calculation of Langelier stability index “LSI,” Ryznar stability index “RSI,” and aggressivity index “AI.” The results show that all 10 samples are characterized by a under saturated waters. LSI ranged from – 0.38 to – 0.83, RSI range from 7.34 to 8.33 and AI range from 10.66 to 11.27 which means that the groundwater of the lower Devonian, theoretically, is moderately aggressive. The spatial distribution of Ryznar index was realized using ordinary kriging as a method of interpolation. The map shows that as we move to the ZHUN 103 well, the groundwater’s under saturation increases, although the calculation classified the groundwater as moderately aggressive. But, the presence of iron ions and oxidation process in water plays an opposite role by scaling Fe 3+ on interior surfaces of metallic accessories. | Groundwater Stability Assessment with Geospatial Modeling Using GIS: A Case Study of Illizi Town, Algeria | 10.1007/978-3-030-76081-6_6 |
2022-01-01 | The abuse of new psychoactive substances (NPS) is increasingly rising to a global issue exposing especially young healthy persons to serious, in many cases life-threatening complications. N -benzylphenethylamines (NBOMes) are potent agonists of the serotonin receptor 5-HT 2A and were initially developed for research purposes. The side effects in consumers comprise a clinical appearance similar to the effects of intake of other drugs such as cocaine, amphetamines, or tetrahydrocannabinol, the most serious being vasoconstriction, hemostasis, thrombosis, ischemia, seizures, hyperthermia, and rhabdomyolysis. Patients often present to the clinical ward with severe limb or cardiac ischemia. Rapid clinical diagnosis and appropriate therapy is crucial for muscle/ limb salvage. However, long-term patient outcome is determined to a great extent by the cessation of drug abuse. The following chapter aims at raising awareness on serious side effects of NBOMes affecting the vascular system, of which the consumers are mostly unconscious. | Pathological Effects and Adverse Events Associated with the Phenylethylamine Derivative NBOMe | 10.1007/978-3-030-92392-1_165 |
2022-01-01 | Aswathy, J. Surendra Singh, Patel Sai Krishna, V Kumar, Navjot Panchariya, P. C. Low field $$^{1} $$ 1 H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (LF NMR) Spectroscopy is an efficient tool to capture a research sample’s content and purity. LF NMR is employed for the qualitative analysis of Edible oils that are available in Indian Market. Edible oils used for the study include Coconut, Groundnut, Olive, Mustard, Rice bran, and Soyabean oil. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is used to build a model initially that could classify the oils based on their chemical composition. This model built using PCA could capture 96% of total variance in data. Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) was used to build a model that could classify with 100% accuracy. The results provide successful proof for detecting adulteration and further classification of edible oils using Low field $$^{1} $$ 1 H NMR Spectroscopy in conjunction with Multivariate Statistical methods such as PCA and LDA. | Qualitative Analysis of Edible Oils Using Low Field
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H NMR Spectroscopy and Multivariate Statistical Methods | 10.1007/978-981-16-2422-3_62 |
2022-01-01 | Exposure to ambient Particulate Matter (PM) of air pollution is a leading risk factor for morbidity and mortality. The most common approach for air quality monitoring is to rely on environmental monitoring stations, which are expensive to acquire as well as to maintain. Moreover, such stations are typically sparsely deployed, thereby resulting in limited spatial resolution for measurements. Recently, low-cost air quality sensors have emerged as an alternative for improving the granularity of monitoring. We are making an effort to explore the framework for air quality data collection by employing low-cost sensors. In this paper, we have reported our initial experiences and observations concerning PM data collection for four months starting from October 2021 in the city of Hyderabad in India. | Air Quality Data Collection in Hyderabad Using Low-Cost Sensors: Initial Experiences | 10.1007/978-3-031-11217-1_29 |
2022-01-01 | In this work, we propose a rail-to-rail output buffer with low static-power and high speed for OLED display applications. To guarantee low static power consumption, low tail-current is designed in the buffer’s first stage and the output stage is cut off in the static operation. To improve the transient response, dynamic-current-bias technique is used, and it also improves the system stability by pushing away the non-dominant pole. Meanwhile, we balance the large-signal slew-rate and system stability with dual-output buffer structure. Placing compensation resistor across the dual outputs creates zero for suitable phase margin, while the real output still behaves with low ON resistance and keeps high slew rate. The proposed design has been verified by a 0.18 μm 1.8 V/5 V CMOS process, which shows that the buffer only draws 2.8-μA static current. Under a 1-nF capacitance load and a 5-V power supply, the buffer achieves 1.18-μs settling time, which is only 41% of the single-output-stage structure with the same chip size (52 μm $$\times$$ × 59 μm). | High-Speed Low-Power Rail-to-Rail Buffer using Dynamic-Current Feedback for OLED Source Driver Applications | 10.1007/s10470-021-01834-x |
2022-01-01 | The Malaysia Smart City Framework (MSCF) launched in September 2019 serves as a national guideline for cities and their local governments, as well as for other relevant agencies and stakeholders, in developing and implementing smart city initiatives. The involvement of national, state, and local authority agencies, along with the private sector, has coordinated and streamlined the efforts of developing smart cities across Malaysia. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA), the Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change (MESTECC), and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) (for financial support) have deployed a project that highlights cities with low-carbon entitled ‘Green Technology Application for the Development of Low-Carbon Cities’ (GTALCC) (Lee, N. (2019). Low-Carbon cities—Malaysia’s response to global climate emergency. UNDP). This project is imminent to generate an ideal urban infrastructure that meets the demands of citizens seeking better quality of life. As such, this case study looked into the Petaling Jaya City Council (PJCC) Smart City initiatives based on various low-carbon projects for urban planning, as well as their attainment thus far. This study sheds light on the initiatives taken by PJCC that emphasise on low-carbon approach with a touch of modern intelligent technology to formulate a smart city that is resilient to climate change. The presented discussion is beneficial in terms of policy knowledge for other local authorities who wish to mimic such initiatives. | Envisioning Sustainable and Resilient Petaling Jaya Through Low-Carbon and Smart City Framework | 10.1007/978-3-030-95037-8_10 |
2022-01-01 | Management of all patients with lymphedema begins with nonsurgical management. Lymphedema physical therapy using complete decongestive therapy (CDT) is the mainstay of lymphedema management and consists of two phases: the reduction phase and the maintenance phase. The reduction phase involves either the use of low-stretch bandages or a specialized reduction garment, complemented by manual lymphatic drainage (MLD), to achieve an intensive volume decrease, with adjunctive exercises and skin care. This is followed by a maintenance phase to retain the reduction achieved, which consists primarily of compression garment use with adjunctive use of MLD or a sequential gradient pump. Optimized conservative therapy reduces the rate of disease progression and the risk of cellulitis by reducing the lymphatic fluid stasis and thereby lowering the inflammation. Patients are encouraged to maintain a normal body mass index, exercise, and engage in all activities that do not provoke swelling. Although CDT is an important component of the postoperative management of patients that have undergone surgery for lymphedema, there is increasing emphasis on its role as part of a prehabilitation process to optimize patients before surgery. In this chapter, we describe the techniques and approach for the nonsurgical management of lymphedema. | Nonsurgical Management of the Lymphedema Patient | 10.1007/978-3-030-93039-4_6 |
2022-01-01 | At present, the production of crude oil in low permeability oil field accounts for more than 70% of the new production and the low permeability oil field have become the main battlefield of petroleum exploration and development. Injecting CO 2 into reservoir as oil displacement agent can greatly improve oil recoveries and CO 2 water-alternating-gas injection is one of the commonly used technologies. But the factors affecting the productivity of CO 2 water-alternating-gas injection are one of the key problems to be solved. Although the production model of CO 2 water-alternating-gas injection is complex and diverse, it can’t truly reflect the production of CO 2 water-alternating-gas injection due to fewer factors and a variety of assumptions. Aiming at the problem, the method of grey correlation and CRITIC (Criteria Importance Though Intercrieria Correlation) method are adopted in this article and analyze the effects of reservoir permeability, reservoir thickness, porosity, permeability contrast, reservoir pressure, sand intensity, liquid intensity, injection pressure, injection rate, and water/gas ratio on productivity of crude oil from the geology, development and fracturing construction. Then the comprehensive weight of each factor is calculated. The comprehensive weight calculated by the grey correlation analysis method and CRITIC were applied to the TOPSIS Model. The evaluation results show that the corresponding well with higher K value has higher production. Clarifying the production influencing factors and main controlling factors of CO 2 water-alternating-gas injection in low permeability reservoirs, which is beneficial to adjust the development parameters of CO 2 water-alternating-gas injection and improve the development effect of CO 2 water-alternating-gas injection in low permeability reservoirs. | Main Factors of Production with CO2 Water-Alternating-Gas Injection in Low Permeability Reservoirs | 10.1007/978-981-19-2149-0_314 |
2022-01-01 | Improving the oil production rate and recovery ratio is a difficult problem in the development of low-permeability oilfields. Low-permeability oilfields generally have low natural energy, high permeability resistance, fast energy consumption, rapid pressure drop, and large output decline. The ultra-low permeability reservoir, S Oilfield, Block A was put into production in 2005, and the water injection pressure was very high at the beginning in this block. By 2011, most water wells could only be injected intermittently. Since 2011, active gas injection has been carried out successively to 6 water injection wells in the northern part of the block, which have initially seen good development results. In 2015, the area launched an industrial test of carbon dioxide flooding. This paper analyzes the oil displacement effect of water flooding stage, the carbon dioxide flooding stage which is active gas injection flooding and the industrialization test stage. Starting from the carbon dioxide flooding mechanism, block injection conditions, injection well pattern design, injection parameter optimization, etc., analyzes the carbon dioxide flooding effect of Block A. | Analysis of Development Effect of Water Flooding and Carbon Dioxide Flooding in Block A | 10.1007/978-981-19-2149-0_181 |
2022-01-01 | A healthy spine is of utmost importance when it comes to our quality of life. Many aspects of our lives including posture, exercise, nutrition, smoking, sleep and stress impact the spine. A fundamental understanding of the anatomy of our spine and how various factors affect spine health is important. The tremendous rise in technology has also significantly impacted spine health. The various electronic devices are often used for prolonged periods of time in the same position by adults and children for work, school and entertainment. In addition, the recent global matter of the pandemic and the major shift of the working population from the office to the home has affected our spine health. This mostly revolves around suboptimal work environments and work stations. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle both at work and home is important in keeping our spine and bodies in optimal shape and condition. | Lifestyle Management of Spine Patient | 10.1007/978-3-031-04990-3_1 |
2022-01-01 | Object detection and identification with great accuracy and speed in real time are a major issue in present growing applications, deep learning models, such as deep neural networks, convolutional neural networks, and modified models like YOLO, SSD are achieving sufficient performance in object identification with great computational power and better processing environment, and consequently this is the great drawback to run this deep learning (DL) models in low-end devices like embedded applications and portable applications. In this paper, we have used Tiny Yolo v3, K-means clustering algorithm of unsupervised learning and IR images has been used to address the issue of high-computational power and low-resolution human detection. We have used IR images instead of RGB images, and thermal images are great solution to the issue of low-illumination object identification. K-means clustering algorithm retrieves the object and classifies the object by segmenting the given image. The deep learning model Tiny Yolo extracts the object features and identifies the proper bounding box. Proposed model describes real-time low-resolution human identification in two steps, identifying anchor boxes by using K-means clustering algorithm of unsupervised learning model and predicting proper bounding boxes based on the anchor boxes by using Tiny Yolo of deep learning model. | Human Identification Using Low-Resolution Thermal and High-Resolution RGB Images | 10.1007/978-981-16-7637-6_21 |
2022-01-01 | In the Remote Health monitoring system measurement of heart rate and oxygen saturation (SpO2) are the most important parameters needed to be monitored. Effective measurement of these parameters may reduce the risk of sudden death or heart stroke and other diseases. In this paper, we developed a low-cost pulse oximeter which can measure SpO2 level and Heart rate with the best accuracy and transmit these data to a secure server where the data is stored and can be accessed by a medical practitioner. Both Heartrate and SpO2 are measured using a single customized Pulse oxygen sensor module. The sensor module is developed by using components such as BP34 Photodiode, and CA3140AEZ Operational Amplifier for detecting and measuring SpO2 and Heart rate values. By using above said components cost of the developed oximeter gets reduced and accuracy has been improved. The data transmission from the sensor to the Cloud server is done by using hypertext transfer protocols (HTTPS) protocol to defend data from security loopholes. | IoT Based Low-Cost Pulse Oximeter for Remote Health Monitoring | 10.1007/978-3-031-23724-9_18 |
2022-01-01 | Power system stabilizer (PSS) has been traditionally used to damp low-frequency oscillation (LFO). But multi-band PSS (MBPSS) provides damping of local, inter-plant, and inter-area oscillations. Again, pertaining to random SPV penetration, LFO damping is going to be a challenging task. In this work, optimal MBPSS is proposed to damp LFO, subject to random variation in SPV penetration, where the parameters of MBPSS are tuned by modified DE (MDE) technique. Time and frequency analysis has been performed with step and random change in SPV output, and oscillations are investigated with only PSS and MBPSS optimized by DE and MDE algorithm. Time domain simulation for 200 s has been performed with detail Eigen analysis. It has been found that damping capability of PSS is much enhanced with MBPSS and effective tuning of MBPSS parameters by MDE, enhances damping efficacy of PSS. To verify effectiveness of proposed control action, multi-machine system with varying SPV penetrations has been considered in this work. | Design of Optimal Multi-band PSS for Variable Solar-Penetrated Power System | 10.1007/978-981-16-7076-3_23 |
2022-01-01 | Fetal lower urinary tract obstruction (LUTO) is a bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) resultant from congenital urinary tract outflow anomalies. It represents a spectrum of pathologies characterized by dilated fetal bladder and bilateral hydronephrosis that can occur as an isolated defect or be accompanied by other congenital abnormalities in approximately 20% of cases. LUTO is associated with high degree of perinatal mortality and long-term morbidity. The severity of obstruction is highly variable and dependent on the underlying mechanism. Posterior urethral valve (PUV) is the most common cause of LUTO, representing up to 63% of cases. Other causes include urethral atresia, urethral stenosis, and prune belly syndrome. Mild forms of the disease can have favorable outcomes but, when more severe, usually formed early in gestation, it leads to dysplastic kidney changes and eventually oligohydramnios or anhydramnios that may result in secondary pulmonary hypoplasia and renal failure that generates significant postnatal morbidity and mortality. Some prenatal fetal interventions as serial amnioinfusion, percutaneous shunting, and fetal cystoscopy have been attempted and offer variable results to improve the prognosis and mostly to obtain a pulmonary survivor. Usually, these techniques should be adapted case to case, depending particularities and require a multidisciplinary trained team. Prenatal diagnosis of these urological conditions at early stage and its categorization are essential to provide an accurate parental counseling and fetal therapy. | Prenatal Minimally Invasive Procedures for Fetal Lower Urinary Tract Obstruction | 10.1007/978-3-030-99280-4_51 |
2022-01-01 | In the last decades, researchers have used the physical-Human–Robot-interaction (pHRI) to develop rehabilitation and assistance wearable robots. The control strategies implementation based on impedance control considers the force/torque generated between the user and the wearable robot such as the lower-limb exoskeleton. In this sense, the development of these control strategies comprises the acquisition of different user’s kinetic and kinematic parameters, a processing module, and a mechanical structure to transmit the system response. This chapter presents the control strategies development for gait rehabilitation implemented in the AGoRA lower-limb exoskeleton covered as follows: (1) Human–Robot interaction (HRI) definition; (2) sensory interface to estimate the user’s lower-limb movements; (3) actuation system; (4) impedance controller; and (5) impedance controller case study. | Impedance Control Strategies for Lower-Limb Exoskeletons | 10.1007/978-3-030-79630-3_8 |
2022-01-01 | Wireless sensor networks consist of spatially dispersed sensors for monitoring physical parameters in various applications and in organizing the collected data at centralized location. These days, energy is one of the main factors that need to be intelligently consumed in wireless sensor networks. Techniques which can perform energy efficient clustering are required to maintain reliable sensing. In this paper, we consider both static and dynamic nodes. For static nodes, direct communication and low energy adaptive clustering hierarchy algorithm calculations are examined and discussed. For dynamic nodes, the distance-based algorithm is presented which ensures that work is allocated evenly to the nodes. Further, the distance and energy-based algorithm ensures that the nodes drain out evenly. Simulations are carried out on MATLAB. An easy-to-understand graphical user interface allows us to handily analyze the energy proficiency for various amount of nodes and clusters. The results are shown for four nodes and one cluster. | A GUI to Analyze the Energy Consumption in Case of Static and Dynamic Nodes in WSN | 10.1007/978-981-16-1866-6_40 |
2022-01-01 | Modern web technologies allow novel types of sensor networks that collect measurements from different sources ranging from citizen-collected data to official sources. In this paper, we propose a scheme to deal with measurement sources of different quality for time-series prediction of urban particulate matter. Our approach is based on a neural kernel network deep kernel learning model that takes the highly heterogeneous and uncertain measurements provided by a post-hoc hybrid low-cost sensor network as input. And predicts the daily average PM10 mass concentration for the next day. Furthermore, we also validate the contribution of ultra-low-cost sensors in the SmartAQnet sensor network, which reduces the average MAE of our model pipeline from 4.18 $$\upmu $$ μ g/m $$^{3}$$ 3 to 3.67 $$\upmu $$ μ g/m $$^{3}$$ 3 and increases the PCC from 0.589 to 0.665. In contrast to existing approaches, we can model the uncertainty of the prediction based on the quality and quantity of input signals crawled. | Neural Kernel Network Deep Kernel Learning for Predicting Particulate Matter from Heterogeneous Sensors with Uncertainty | 10.1007/978-3-031-21047-1_22 |
2022-01-01 | This paper examines the design of low-cost digital solutions for manufacturing. A set of criteria are established that consider the limited designer experience and limited time budget that accompany a low-cost project. Alternatives are assessed and a design approach is proposed that addresses these criteria using a set of identified features. Development of the proposed approach is not yet complete; however, it already provides a simple, accessible, and streamlined method for implementing low-cost digital solutions. | Designing Shoestring Solutions: An Approach for Designing Low-Cost Digital Solutions for Manufacturing | 10.1007/978-3-030-99108-1_18 |
2022-01-01 | The challenge of fine-grained visual recognition often lies in discovering the key discriminative regions. While such regions can be automatically identified from a large-scale labeled dataset, a similar method might become less effective when only a few annotations are available. In low data regimes, a network often struggles to choose the correct regions for recognition and tends to overfit spurious correlated patterns from the training data. To tackle this issue, this paper proposes the self-boosting attention mechanism, a novel method for regularizing the network to focus on the key regions shared across samples and classes. Specifically, the proposed method first generates an attention map for each training image, highlighting the discriminative part for identifying the ground-truth object category. Then the generated attention maps are used as pseudo-annotations. The network is enforced to fit them as an auxiliary task. We call this approach the self-boosting attention mechanism (SAM). We also develop a variant by using SAM to create multiple attention maps to pool convolutional maps in a style of bilinear pooling, dubbed SAM-Bilinear. Through extensive experimental studies, we show that both methods can significantly improve fine-grained visual recognition performance on low data regimes and can be incorporated into existing network architectures. The source code is publicly available at: https://github.com/GANPerf/SAM . | Improving Fine-Grained Visual Recognition in Low Data Regimes via Self-boosting Attention Mechanism | 10.1007/978-3-031-19806-9_26 |
2022-01-01 | Purpose Unaccustomed eccentric contractions generally result in a long-lasting contractile impairment, referred to as prolonged low-frequency force depression (PLFFD), and delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). We here used repeated drop jumps (DJs) as an eccentric contraction model and studied the effects of increasing the time between DJs from 20 s to 5 min. We hypothesized that both PLFFD and DOMS would be less marked at the longer DJ interval due to the longer time to restore structural elements between DJs. Methods Young men ( n = 12) randomly performed 50 DJs with either 20-s (DJ-20 s) or 5-min (DJ-5 min) rest between DJs. Voluntary, 20 Hz and 100 Hz electrically stimulated isometric knee extension torques and muscle soreness were monitored before and for 7 days after DJs; serum CK activity was measured to assess muscle fibre protein leakage. In additional experiments, changes in mRNA levels were assessed in muscle biopsies collected before and 1 h after exercise. Results A marked PLFFD was observed with both protocols and the extent of 20 Hz torque depression was smaller immediately and 1 day after DJ-5 min than after DJ-20 s ( p < 0.05), whereas the MVC and 100 Hz torques were similarly decreased with the two protocols. Markedly larger differences between the two protocols were observed for the muscle soreness score, which 1–4 days after exercise was about two times larger with DJ-20 s than with DJ-5 min ( p < 0.01). Conclusions The larger protective effect of the longer DJ interval against DOMS than against PLFFD indicates that their underlying mechanisms involve different structural elements. | Increasing the resting time between drop jumps lessens delayed-onset muscle soreness and limits the extent of prolonged low-frequency force depression in human knee extensor muscles | 10.1007/s00421-021-04834-x |
2022-01-01 | Currently, the world is witnessing a rapid development in the area of wireless sensor networks. It holds a potential to transform many features of our economy and life, starting from bio diversity mapping to industry automation, transportation, healthcare monitoring. These networks primarily aim to develop protocols to utilize the sensor node energy efficiently and thereby maximize the lifetime of the network. In this research paper, we compare the energy efficient clustering-based protocols used in wireless sensor networks. The work involves implementation of homogeneous protocols, namely low-energy adaptive clustering hierarchy (LEACH), energy aware multi-hop multi-path hierarchical (EAMMH). Next, the heterogeneous protocols such as enhanced distributed energy efficient clustering (EDEEC) and stable election protocol (SEP) are executed. The analysis is carried out in terms of number of nodes and probability of election for cluster head (CH). The observations and results obtained for these protocols are presented. | Performance Analysis and Assessment of Various Energy Efficient Clustering-Based Protocols in WSN | 10.1007/978-981-19-0898-9_11 |
2022-01-01 | The health monitoring technology of gear transmission system is developing towards the direction of big data information mining, high real-time performance and advanced prediction. By using performance degradation assessment and noise prediction technology, sensitive degradation or fault information can be extracted from gear vibration and noise signals, which plays a vital role in the integration of health monitoring systems. In this solution, based on the analysis of gear performance degradation mechanism, a gear transmission system vibration and noise data sensing collection experimental platform are constructed, and a gear performance degradation state sensing operation and maintenance system is constructed following the concept of low-carbon operation and maintenance. Aiming at the problem of noise interference in signal quantitative feature extraction, a preprocessing method for reducing noise interference is proposed. Combined with the advantages of high identification of high-frequency and low-frequency information by wavelet packet, a calculation method based on multi-scale for stepwise filtering of high-frequency signal information (SFH-fre) is proposed. The permutation entropy (PE) is calculated for multi-scale signals, and the ordering distribution at each scale can be obtained. The Wasserstein distance between normal and degraded signals is calculated from the perspective of similarity discrimination, which is used as the quantitative feature of gear degradation under different degradation states, and then the signal feature of gear performance degradation degree data is extracted. | Design of Signal Feature Extraction Solution for Gear Performance Degradation | 10.1007/978-981-16-7381-8_128 |
2022-01-01 | For power-limited wireless sensor networks, energy efficiency is a critical concern. Receiving packages is proven to be one of the most power-consuming tasks in a WSN. To address this problem, the asynchronous communication is based on wake-up receivers. The proposed receiver circuit can detect on-off keying pulses inside the 868 MHz band with a sensitivity of $${-60}$$ - 60 dBm. The power consumption of the circuit is only 3.6 $$\upmu {W}$$ μ W . The circuit design is kept simple, only requiring commercial off-the-shelf components like general-purpose operational amplifiers and comparators. | Improved Wake-Up Receiver Architectures with Carrier Sense Capabilities for Low-Power Wireless Communication | 10.1007/978-3-031-17718-7_4 |
2022-01-01 | Cell-free protein synthesis can enable the combinatorial screening of many different components and concentrations. However, manual pipetting methods are unfit to handle many cell-free reactions. Here, we describe a microfluidic method that can generate hundreds of unique submicroliter scale reactions. The method is coupled with a high yield cell-free system that can be applied for broad protein screening assays. | High-Throughput Experimentation Using Cell-Free Protein Synthesis Systems | 10.1007/978-1-0716-1998-8_7 |
2022-01-01 | The operational amplifier (op amp) design in very deep submicron technology endure the barriers like exponential increase in leakage current, process variations, quantum–mechanical tunnelling, and lithographic limitations. This results in low gain stages and decreased impedance thereby degrading the performance of op amp. In order to provide improvements in electrostatics over complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) and to sustain Moore’s law in near future, various advanced and beyond CMOS devices are evolved over the period such as ultra-thin body single or multiple-gate field effect transistors (MG-FETs), FinFET, dynamic threshold MOSFET, silicon on insulator (SOI) FETs, strained silicon and, Carbon Nanotube Field Effect Transistors (CNFET). CNFET is one of these embryonic technologies evolved through the contemporary innovations which provides very high throughput, due to near ballistic transport of charge carriers and large mean free path. Very low leakage current and high output resistance of CNFET makes further miniaturization of transistors possible sustaining Moore’s law in future. Therefore, CNFETs have been reconnoitred as the stimulating aspirant for the future generations of integrated circuit (IC) devices. In this paper, Positive Feedback Compensation (PFC) technique is proposed for a LVLP three-stage amplifier. The proposed CNFET based three-stage op amp is designed and simulated at 32 nm technology node using HSPICE software. The proposed op amp is capable of providing gain of 65.8 dB at 0.9 V input supply voltage using 1400 carbon nanotubes. Moreover the op amp is stable with 46° phase margin and capable of operating at wide frequency range with unity gain frequency to be 778 MHz. The power consumed by the proposed op amp is just 36 µW. Hence, CNFET provides low power solution for op amp designed at very deep submicron technology node. | A Low-Power Positive Feedback Operational Amplifier Using Carbon Nanotube Field Effect Transistor | 10.1007/978-981-16-7985-8_98 |
2022-01-01 | Particulate matter refers to suspended particles in the air that was responsible for 1.2 million deaths in the world in 2012, raising this number to 10 million by 2021. For this reason, air quality becomes a major interest area for governments in developed and undeveloped countries due to its high mortality rate. The air quality in the majority of cities around the world is getting worst given the exponential growth of population and their necessities. Some studies show the relation of high concentrations of PM to many negative effects on human health regarding respiratory diseases. There is a worldwide increase in the usage of low-cost sensor technology for the construction of portable air pollution measuring stations to support the official stations. In this paper, we present a study to analyze the performance of three commercial particle counter sensors with similar characteristics. The experiment required a system in which the sensors are simultaneously measured and the data is sent to a visualization interface for IoT. Both measurements PM-2.5 and PM-10 are statistically analyzed to prove the trend and show the behavior in particular locations in Queretaro City. For comparing the sensor measurements obtained, a commercial particle counter instrument was employed as a reference. The sensors presented a similar behavior for which it becomes necessary to realize some comparisons. The worst performance is by the Plantower PMS3003S sensor, which has the lower determination coefficient and the higher Root Mean Squared Error values. In contrast, the best performance is by the Sensirion SPS030 sensor. | A Study on the Behavior of Different Low-Cost Particle Counter Sensors for PM-10 and PM-2.5 Suspended Air Particles | 10.1007/978-3-031-18082-8_3 |
2022-01-01 | Wireless sensor network (WSN) is implemented using low priced sensor nodes. These nodes are constrained in terms or memory, battery life, and computations. WSNs can monitor environmental conditions and are typically deployed in places that cannot be attended by humans like forests. The sensor nodes can be attacked in many ways and are vulnerable where a clone attack is one of the most dangerous attacks. In a clone attack, the sensor nodes are captured and clone where many sensors have the same ID. Secret information like credentials and keys are shared and deployed in other networks. Since, identifying a clone node is difficult, the attacker exploits these situation and uses it as the base for several dangerous attacks like black hole. Thus, detecting such loose points in a WSN is a challenging activity. This paper reviews different types of attacks on WSNs and existing detection mechanisms. This review can help in understanding the minimum elements required while designing a generic defense wall against node replication attacks. | A Systematic Review on Various Attack Detection Methods for Wireless Sensor Networks | 10.1007/978-981-16-3071-2_17 |
2022-01-01 | Nowadays Lima, Mauro , digital Morgado, José F. marketing Duarte, Rui P. has become an indispensable tool for companies to promote and sell high-quality products to cope with increasingly competitive markets. For these to be shaped according to the customer’s interests and preferences, technology has been pushed to evolve every day trying to keep up with high global demand. However, there is a particular problem in identifying and locating people in indoor spaces. Many applications were developed leveraging beacon technology that ranges from user’s localization and indoor navigation to personalized assistants that would assist in the decision-making process. This, however, is still an open problem due to the difficulty in creating scalable indoor navigation systems, that are independent of the physical plan, and lack of precision in the detection of the customer indoor position. This paper will disclose the possibility to develop an efficient, low-cost indoor navigation system that solves both problems. It proposes an improvement on the accuracy of customer-beacon proximity distance, and a plan-free navigation method is proposed which allows customers to travel from a position to a specific beacon. Moreover, we integrate this with the concept of proximity marketing to embed the system in a physical context, focused on product promotions to increase customer loyalty. | Low-Cost Embedded System for Customer Loyalty | 10.1007/978-981-16-1781-2_67 |
2022-01-01 | Aiming at the problems of low signal-to-noise ratio, low resolution and low illumination in low illumination environment, this paper proposes a low illumination images enhancement method based on generative adversarial networks with self attention mechanism. Firstly, the DenseNet framework is used to build the generator network, and the self attention mechanism module and constraint conditions are introduced. At the same time, the average discriminator is used to improve the traditional binary discriminator. Secondly, the low illumination images is introduced into the generator network to generate the illumination enhancement images, and then the discriminator network is used to supervise the enhancement effect of the generator on the low illumination images. Through the game between the generator and the discriminator, the network weight is continuously optimized, and finally the generator has better enhancement effect on the low illumination images. Experimental results show that, compared with the existing mainstream methods, this method not only has obvious advantages in brightness enhancement and clarity restoration of low illumination images, but also has significant advantages in objective evaluation indexes of images quality such as peak signal-to-noise ratio and structural similarity. | A Low Illumination Images Enhancement Method Based on Conditional Generative Adversarial Networks with Self Attention Mechanism | 10.1007/978-3-030-89698-0_93 |
2022-01-01 | Feature extraction is one of the main parts of Machine Learning. Regardless of the nature of solving tasks, developers either need to use standard sets of features for a certain problem or try to generate their own features from raw data. In this paper, we present the genetic programming (GP) algorithm for feature generation issues in affect recognition tasks. We tested this approach in human affect recognition tasks on two corpora the WESAD and the RECOLA. We also used classical methods for feature space reduction Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Independent Component Analysis (ICA). The results show the effectiveness of the GP approach in comparison with PCA and ICA and its capability to significantly reduce the feature space saving a high performance of classifiers in affect recognition tasks. | Self-Configuring Genetic Programming Feature Generation in Affect Recognition Tasks | 10.1007/978-3-031-20980-2_40 |
2022-01-01 | An electrocardiogram (ECG) monitors the electrical activity generated by the heart and is used to detect fatal cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Conventionally, to capture the precise electrical activity, clinical experts use multiple-lead ECGs (typically 12 leads). Recently, large-scale deep learning models have been used to detect these diseases, however, they require large memory and long inference time. We propose a low-parameter model, Low Resource Heart-Network (LRH-Net), that detects ECG anomalies in a resource-constrained environment. On top, multi-level knowledge distillation (MLKD) is employed to improve model generalization. MLKD distils the dark-knowledge from higher parameter models (teachers) trained on different lead configurations to LRH-Net. The LRH-Net has 106 $$\times $$ × fewer parameters and 76% faster inference than the teacher model for detecting CVDs. Using MLKD, the performance of LRH-Net on reduced lead data was scaled up to 3.25%, making it suitable for edge devices. | LRH-Net: A Multi-level Knowledge Distillation Approach for Low-Resource Heart Network | 10.1007/978-3-031-18523-6_18 |
2022-01-01 | Today, the Internet has become an integral part of people's lives, so that it is impossible for some people to imagine life without the Internet. With the spread of the Internet, and the diversity of Internet use, a new type of Internet use called the Internet of Things (IoT) has emerged. In the Internet of Things, information is collected, managed, and communicated in the daily life of man through the Internet. In this chapter, an improved method Low power and Lossy Network is proposed to control and monitor the Alzheimer's patient in the cloud robot on the Internet of Things in smart homes. In the proposed method, load balancing in the routing protocol in LLN networks based on RPL is presented. The proposed method improves the structure of the P2P (pair-to-pair) path. Data packets are sent as RPL sorted and irregular. Paths sent in P2P mode have been improved to reduce computational overhead and balance load on the network. Elimination of control messages and load balancing in routing are among the advantages of the proposed method. The proposed method is compared with the RPL base car, and experiments based on a test environment will be performed in NS2 software. The results show that the ENRPL proposed in this study performs better in P2P communications and improves path construction in P2P and data transmission. It also affects the efficiency of MP2P point-to-point transmission of data. The results of the proposed method show that the proposed method is much more effective for sending data and creating load balance. The proposed ENRPL method, based on the removal and reduction of control messages, also shows a significant improvement over conventional RPL. | Improving Monitoring and Controlling Parameters for Alzheimer’s Patients Based on IoMT | 10.1007/978-981-19-2057-8_8 |
2022-01-01 | To study the semi-active nonlinear low-disturbance follower, based on the time delay interference observer and the sky-hook damping control theory, a simple structure and strong practical control strategy are proposed, and based on this design A control system of semi-active low-frequency vibration isolator based on time delay estimation is proposed. According to the designed control system, the simulation analysis of its control performance under sinusoidal excitation and random excitation was carried out, and a set of experimental systems was established to verify the experiment. The simulation and test results show that the control system is in the low and mid-frequency bands, and has a lower vibration displacement transmission rate, and the greater the interference of the glass, the better the control. | Control and Test Research of Semi-active Low-Frequency Vibration Isolator Based on Time Delay Estimation | 10.1007/978-981-19-1309-9_161 |
2022-01-01 | In high connectivity knowledge graph, distance based knowledge graph embedding methods show promising performance on link prediction task, and are capable of encoding complex relations and key relation patterns. However, the existing methods fail to achieve excellent results in knowledge graph with poor context structure information. To mitigate this problem, we propose Bi2E, a bidirectional model based on subject-object feature spaces. To enhance the efficiency of data utilization and perceive more potential semantic links, we utilize the bidirectionality of relation to model from both forward and reverse directions. And Bi2E represents triples in the subject-object feature spaces, which enables it to capture richer feature information from rare data. In addition, Bi2E employs adaptive margin $$\gamma $$ γ which makes embedded representation more flexible by only using a small amount of feature information. Experiments on link prediction benchmarks demonstrate the proposed key capabilities of Bi2E. Moreover, we set a new state-of-the-art on two low connectivity knowledge graph benchmarks. | Bi2E: Bidirectional Knowledge Graph Embeddings Based on Subject-Object Feature Spaces | 10.1007/978-3-031-17834-4_1 |
2022-01-01 | In our work, we extend the search space of the differentiable N eural A rchitecture S earch (NAS) by adding bitwidth. The extended NAS algorithm is performed directly with low-precision from scratch without the proxy of full-precision. With our low-precision NAS, we can search for low- and mixed-precision network architectures of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) under specific constraints, such as power consumption. Experiments on the ImageNet dataset demonstrate the effectiveness of our method, where the searched models achieve better accuracy (up to 1.2 percentage point) with smaller model sizes (up to $$27\%$$ 27 % smaller) and lower power consumption (up to $$27\%$$ 27 % lower) compared to the state-of-art methods. In our low-precision NAS, sharing of convolution is developed to speed up training and decrease memory consumption. Compared to the FBNet-V2 implementation, our solution reduces training time and memory cost by nearly 3 $$\times $$ × and 2 $$\times $$ × , respectively. Furthermore, we adapt the NAS to train the entire supernet instead of a subnet in each iteration to address the insufficient training issue. Besides, we also propose the forward-and-backward scaling method, which addresses the issue by eliminating the vanishing of the forward activations and backward gradients. | Neural Architecture Search for Low-Precision Neural Networks | 10.1007/978-3-031-15937-4_62 |
2022-01-01 | In this paper, a design and analysis of wideband bandpass filter with compact size are proposed. Chebyshev and elliptic approximation model is considered for the filter design. The filter is designed, and the analysis is carried out by three, five and seven parallel coupled lines. The model can be used for GSM, WiMAX and WiFi applications for both licensed and unlicensed frequency bands. The filter is designed to give a high gain and less insertion loss, while operating in the bandwidth range of 2–5.2 GHz. The proposed filter is fabricated on an FR4 substrate with a relative dielectric constant of 4.4 and 1.6 mm of substrate thickness and fed by two 50 Ω microstrip lines. | Design and Analysis of Microstrip High-Frequency Filter | 10.1007/978-981-16-8721-1_23 |
2022-01-01 | In context to smart city initiatives in India, the paper proposes development and deployment of LoRa-based smart water management for campus, a framework for Green Campus. Water is a vital resource, and maintaining this is a key role. Present manual distributing of water in campus is leading to improper management and is time intense. The authors propose a LoRa-based system to automate water distribution in the campus. Lora is used to enable low data communication by sensors and gateway for M2M and IoT. The sensor unit is a low-power design consuming 4 µA in sleep mode and 16 mA in wakeup mode. The web-based solution takes care of water distribution based on the need. The system makes use of solenoid valves. The management of these valves is through cloud-based solution. The solution depicts the day-to-day consumption of water. This data is used in future for predicting water requirement using data analytical and for leakage management of water. | Framework for a Green Campus-LoRa™-Based Low-Power Smart Water Management for Campus | 10.1007/978-981-16-0739-4_35 |
2022-01-01 | The lower Palaeozoic sedimentary succession of the Baltic Basin forms a petroleum system with several commercial hydrocarbon accumulations predominantly present in Cambrian reservoirs. The main petroleum generation area is situated at the SW part of the basin due to maximum subsidence. The central part of the basin hosts three excellent source rock horizons, each several metres thick, in addition to more than a hundred-metre-thick section with fair and good hydrocarbon generation potential. In this study, a set of organic petrographical and geochemical analyses was applied in order to study the quantity, composition and thermal maturity of the organic matter. A broad spectrum of thermal maturities ranging from immature to the late phase of oil window was determined with corresponding changes in kerogen composition and organic petrological properties. | Petroleum Generation Potential of the Lower Palaeozoic Organic Matter-Rich Shales in the Central Part of the Baltic Sedimentary Basin | 10.1007/978-3-030-73026-0_88 |
2022-01-01 | Over the years, many recent advances for diagnosis as well as treatment of lower limb edema have evolved. The current diagnostic tool indocyanine green lymphography (ICG-LG) can detect dermal lymph backflow in asymptomatic legs even at stage 0. At symptomatic stage ≥1, ultrasonography, magnetic resonance imaging-lymphography/computed tomography-lymphography (MRI-LG/CT-LG), and lymphoscintigraphy are also useful. Management includes modification of lifestyle and decompressive physiotherapy, which are mainstay of treatment. Medical management and surgical intervention are considered when the former fails and have limited role and are mostly optional some new therapies are also under trial which may prove to be of great benefit in the future. The goal of therapy is to restore function, reduce physical and psychological suffering, and prevent the development of abnormalities. | Overview of Management in Lower Limb Edema | 10.1007/978-981-16-6206-5_18 |
2022-01-01 | The lower sequence metavolcanic rocks consist primarily of biotite two-pyroxene plagioclase gneisses, clinopyroxene hornblende plagioclase gneisses, amphibolites, hornblende plagioclase gneisses, and biotite plagioclase gneisses, which were metamorphosed primarily under amphibolite to granulite facies. These metavolcanic rocks were erupted during 2558–2536 Ma and can be subdivided into a basaltic-andesitic group, a high-MgO dacitic group, and a low-MgO dacitic group based on their distinct geochemical characteristics. The basaltic-andesitic samples exhibit calc-alkaline affinities with high MgO contents, and were most likely generated by the partial melting of mantle wedge materials metasomatized by dehydration fluids and partial melts derived from subducted slabs and sediments. The high-MgO dacitic samples display chemical affinities to high-SiO 2 adakites and were probably derived from the partial melting of descending slabs and sediments, with the ascending melts contaminated by the overlying mantle wedge materials. The low-MgO dacitic samples show high SiO 2 and low MgO contents, and were likely derived from the partial melting of lower crustal high-K mafic rocks and metasedimentary rocks. | Lower Sequence Metavolcanic Rocks | 10.1007/978-981-19-4395-9_6 |
2022-01-01 | With the development of new wearable technologies, the use of exoskeletons is gradually gaining ground in the world’s advanced militaries. The aim of this paper is to explore the current status of exoskeletons and describe the requirements of exoskeletons for military use towards the specifics of use. The most important movement of a soldier in the field is walking, and therefore the analysis of the current state will focus primarily on lower limb exoskeletons and their subsystems. The paper will compare active and passive lower limb exoskeletons and their use in military practice. Subsequently, the requirements for individual subsystems of the mechatronic system of the exoskeleton will be specified. Sensor subsystems, actuator subsystems, control subsystems and man-machine interface will be described. Recommendations for further analysis and use of exoskeletons in the military can thus contribute not only to increased performance but also to the safety of the users themselves - individual soldiers. | Current State and Design Recommendations of Exoskeletons of Lower Limbs in Military Applications | 10.1007/978-3-030-98260-7_29 |
2022-01-01 | A new control method using jet to control airfoil is proposed through arranged jet on the lower surface of the trailing edge (LSTE jet). Commercial computational fluid dynamics software CFX was utilized to compute the flow field around the airfoil. Through comparing the changes of the flow field before and after the jet was applied, we studied the flow control effects and laws of LSTE jet. We also studied the change rule of lift and drag characteristics with jet position, momentum coefficient and forward angle. Our results showed that, first, LSTE jet caused low-pressure zone at airfoil trailing edge and forced the flow to deflect downward, which increased the effective curvature of the airfoil and so increased the lift. Second, aerodynamic coefficients were sensitive to all of the three parameters of jet position, momentum coefficient and forward angle. LSTE jet closer to the trailing edge caused greater lift and less drag because it created a larger low-pressure area. At small angle of attack, lift coefficient increased as jet momentum coefficient increased and had good linearity. The best forward angle was 70°, at which point the lift was greatest and the drag was least. In general, LSTE jet can effectively influence aerodynamic characteristics of NACA0012 airfoil and had a good application prospect in flow control of aircraft. | Influence of Continuous Jet at the Lower Surface on Airfoil Aerodynamic Performance | 10.1007/978-981-15-8155-7_147 |
2022-01-01 | A landmark-selection optimization method based on a relaxation optimization algorithm is proposed for autonomous optical planetary landing navigation systems. The objective function of the optimal problem is constructed using the Cramér–Rao lower bound and the Mahalanobis distance; the Cramér–Rao lower bound is used to evaluate the accuracy of system-state estimation, and the Mahalanobis distance is used to normalize the state variables so that discrepancies caused by the different dimensions of different state variables can be eliminated. In this way, the optimization results can notably improve the accuracy of navigation. To satisfy the constraint of limited on-board computational resources, a relaxation optimization algorithm is used to find the optimal solutions. Simulations were used to compare the navigation performance of different landmark-selection methods, and the results indicate that the proposed method has notable advantages. | Landmark-Selection Optimization Method for Autonomous Optical Planetary Landing Navigation Systems Using a Relaxation Optimization Algorithm | 10.1007/978-981-16-6320-8_54 |
2022-01-01 | This chapter discusses the utilization of various peripheral nerve block techniques in the format of single administration as well as continuous catheters and their clinical applications to address bedside pain management. Peripheral nerve blocks can be used in the perioperative setting for acute pain management of surgical patients and also in the setting of acute trauma for non-surgical patient pain management. Brief explanations of a variety of nerve blocks and their bedside utilizations under various settings are addressed. | Bedside Peripheral Nerve Blockade: Overview | 10.1007/978-3-031-11188-4_6 |
2022-01-01 | Domestic work has various risk factors and hazards like the other working sector. Studies show women are more likely to MSDs than men as they are consistently found to spend more time at work. The present study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of musculoskeletal discomfort and its associations with work-related factors among the rural housewives in Chhattisgarh, India. The present study was conducted on 500 housewives from selected villages (Kapasda, Raita, Tiwaraiya of Dharsiwa Block, Godhi and Bhansoj of Arang Block) of Raipur district of Chhattisgarh, India. Subjects were selected by random sampling for data collection. Assessment of prevalence of MSDs was done by Standardized Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire and evaluation of work characteristics by ergonomics checklist. Analysis of body posture by REBA was done to assess the Level of MSD Risk for the postures adopted by the housewives during their daily working activity. Out of 500 housewives, 303 (60.6%) women had musculoskeletal disorders. Out of 303 affected housewives, 39.27% had pain in the hip region, 37.95% were suffering from lower back pain and 19.47% had pain in both the knees. Individual factors such as age, BMI, and the number of pregnancies were found a significant association ( p < 0.05) with occurrences for musculoskeletal pain in various regions. A Significant association ( p < 0.05) was found with Musculoskeletal Discomforts and various work-related factors (work type, posture, load, duration, temperature, etc.). This study confirmed the associations of work work-related factors with musculoskeletal discomfort; therefore, a preventive measure at the workplace should be directed to the housewives for the improvement of the work environment, safety awareness, and workload optimization. | Impact of Work-Related Factors on Musculoskeletal Discomfort Among the Rural Housewives in Central India | 10.1007/978-3-030-94277-9_128 |
2021-12-30 | In this study, an attempt has been made to assess the farmers’ perception of climate change over the last 30 years (1986 to 2015) and adaptation strategies in agriculture along with their determinants in Lower Gangetic Plain, India. A total of 528 households from nine villages have been surveyed in Maldah district located in the Lower Gangetic Plain of India. Spearman’s rho test (Lehmann and D’Abrera 1975 ; Sneyers 1990 ) has been used to detect the trends in annual and monthly maximum and minimum temperatures, average temperature and rainfall during the study period. Binary logistic regression model has been employed to assess the influence of farmers’ socio-economic conditions and farm characteristics on the decision to select appropriate adaptation strategies. The farmers in the study area have perceived an increase in annual and summer temperature and decrease in winter temperature during 1986 to 2015. Meanwhile, regarding rainfall variability they have perceived decreasing annual, rainy and dry season rainfall. The outcomes of binary logistic regression models portray that size of land holdings, farming experience, subsidiary income source, access to agricultural information and gross irrigated area to gross cropped area have most significant influence on selection of appropriate adaptation strategies of farmers. The study has recommended region specific policy development and implementation to enhance farmers’ adaptive capacity to mitigate climate change vulnerability. | Farmers’ perception of climate change and adaptation strategies: a study of the Lower Gangetic Plain in India | 10.1007/s12517-021-09390-4 |
2021-12-30 | Dioximes as ligands are used as analytical reagents and serve as models for biological systems as well as catalysts in chemical processes. A number of novel mixed complexes of the type [Fe(DioxH) 2 (amine) 2 ] have been prepared and characterised by FTIR, 57 Fe Mössbauer and mass spectroscopy by us. We have found strong Fe–N donor acceptor interactions and iron occurred in low-spin Fe II state in all complexes. Later, we have also found that the incorporation of branching alkyl chains (isopropyl) in the complexes alters the Fe–N bond length and results in high-spin iron(II) state [1, 2]. The question arises: can the spin state of iron be manipulated generally by replacing the short alkyl chains with high volume demand ones in Fe-azomethine-amine complexes? To answer the question we have synthetized novel iron-bis-glioxime and iron-tris-gloxime complexes when long chain alkyl or aromatic ligands replaced the short alkyl ones and studied by 57 Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy, MS, FTIR, UV-VIS, TG-DTA-DTG and XRD methods. Novel iron-bis-glyoxime and iron-tris-glyoxime type complexes, [Fe(Diethyl-Diox) 3 (BOH) 2 ], [Fe(Diethyl-Diox) 3 (BOEt) 2 ] and [Fe(phenyl-Me-Diox) 3 (BOEt) 2 ], were synthesized similarly as described in [2]. The FTIR, UV-VIS, TG-DTA-DTG and MS measurements indicated that the expected novel complexes could be successfully synthesized. | Mössbauer study of some novel iron-bis-glyoxime and iron-tris-glyoxime complexes | 10.1007/s10751-021-01738-2 |
2021-12-27 | Beneficiation of low-grade phosphate deposits through direct froth flotation has captured more attention to satisfy the future needs of phosphorous industry. This is owing to the excessive consumption of the global reserves of high-grade phosphate deposits. Phosphate flotation using mixed collectors has been proved to give greater selectivity and high recovery of apatite comparing with fatty acids, which require selective depressant to be effective. However, the recovery of apatite from gangue minerals does not only rely on the selection of flotation reagents, but also the adsorption mechanism all together with solution chemistry. Accordingly, the current paper reviews the froth flotation studies conducted on phosphate ores, with highlighting the crucial role and optimization of collector types, depressants, and pH. Also, this review will provide some directions as an encouragement to the phosphate industries for the valorization of phosphorus from low-grade phosphate ore. | Review of the reagents used in the direct flotation of phosphate ores | 10.1007/s12517-021-09293-4 |
2021-12-26 | Background Systemic lupus erythematosus is an inflammatory disease affecting several organs. Serositis is one of the systemic lupus erythematosus presentations, but peritonitis is a relatively rare presentation. Particularly, it is extremely rare to observe peritonitis as the first presentation of systemic lupus erythematosus. Case presentation Here, we present a case of peritonitis without other symptoms of systemic lupus erythematosus, in a patient who was finally diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus. Our patient was a 27-year-old Persian/Caucasian male with fatigue, weakness, weight loss, abdominal distension, massive ascites, and normocytic hemolytic anemia. He did not mention any prior medical conditions and did not use any drugs. There were no signs of thyroid dysfunction, cardiac dysfunction, cancers, infectious diseases, hepatitis, kidney diseases, or other diseases. Low-gradient, high-protein ascites fluid, and positive antinuclear antibody and anti-double stranded DNA were in favor of systemic lupus erythematosus. Corticosteroid pulse therapy led to resolution of ascites, and the patient was discharged with prednisolone and hydroxychloroquine. Conclusion Peritonitis is a rare presentation of systemic lupus erythematosus, particularly as the first presentation and in the absence of other signs and symptoms; however, systemic lupus erythematosus should be considered as one the differential diagnoses for peritonitis when other etiologies have been ruled out. | Peritonitis as the first presentation of systemic lupus erythematous: a case report | 10.1186/s13256-021-03216-3 |
2021-12-24 | Enterobacter cloacae AKS7 was previously reported to degrade UV-treated low-density polyethylene (LDPE) more efficiently than UV-untreated LDPE. However, the degradation of LDPE by Enterobacter cloacae AKS7 at the LDPE-contaminated soil remained unaddressed. To address this issue, soil microcosms were prepared in which an equal amount of either UV-treated or UV-untreated LDPE was added. Then, the microcosms were either augmented with AKS7 or left non-augmented. We observed that the bioaugmented microcosms exhibited approximately twofold greater polymer degradation than non-bioaugmented microcosms. To investigate the underlying cause, we found that the abundance of LDPE-degrading organisms got increased by approximately fivefold in bioaugmented microcosms than non-bioaugmented microcosms. The microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen content got enhanced by approximately twofold in bioaugmented microcosms as contrasted to non-bioaugmented microcosms. Furthermore, the bioaugmented microcosms showed almost twofold increase in the level of dehydrogenase and fluorescein diacetate (FDA) hydrolyzing activity than the non-bioaugmented microcosms. To add on, Shannon-diversity index and Gini coefficient were determined in each microcosm to measure the microbial richness and evenness, respectively, using the results of carbon source utilization pattern of BiOLOG ECO plate. The bioaugmented microcosms exhibited ~ 30% higher functional richness and ~ 30% enhanced functional evenness than the non-bioaugmented microcosms indicating the formation of an enriched ecosystem that could offer various functions including polymer degradation. Taken together, the results suggested that Enterobacter cloacae AKS7 could be used as a promising bioaugmenting agent for the sustainable degradation of LDPE waste at a contaminated site. | Bioaugmentation of Enterobacter cloacae AKS7 causes an enhanced degradation of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) in soil: a promising approach for the sustainable management of LDPE waste | 10.1007/s00203-021-02645-4 |
2021-12-23 | The problem of detecting pollutants in water with non-invasive and low-cost sensors is an open question. In this paper, we propose a system for the detection and classification of pollutants based on the improvement of a previous proposal, focused on geometric cones. The solution is based on a classifier suitable to be implemented aboard the so-called Smart Cable Water (SCW) sensor, a multi-sensor based on SENSIPLUS ® technology developed by Sensichips s.r.l. The SCW endowed with six interdigitated electrodes is a smart-sensor covered by specific sensing materials that allow differentiating between different water contaminants. Using the PCA or LDA decomposition, we obtain a data compression that makes data suitable for the “edge computing” paradigm with a reduction from a 10-dimensional space to a 3-dimensional space. We defined an ad-hoc classifier to distinguish contaminants represented by points in the 3-dimensional space. We used an evolutionary algorithm to learn the classifier’s parameters. Finally, we compared the performance of our system with that achieved by the old classification system based only on PCA, as well as those achieved by other machine learning algorithms. The proposed system achieved the best accuracy of 87%, outperforming the other state-of-the-art systems compared. The novelty of the system proposed lies in the usage of an evolutionary algorithm for the optimization of the parameters of a novel PCA-based classification algorithm for the detection of water pollutants. | Evolutionary Computation to Implement an IoT-Based System for Water Pollution Detection | 10.1007/s42979-021-00986-x |
2021-12-20 | The use of calcined clays as supplementary cementitious materials provides the opportunity to significantly reduce the cement industry’s carbon burden; however, use at a global scale requires a deep understanding of the extraction and processing of the clays to be used, which will uncover routes to optimise their reactivity. This will enable increased usage of calcined clays as cement replacements, further improving the sustainability of concretes produced with them. Existing technologies can be adopted to produce calcined clays at an industrial scale in many regions around the world. This paper, produced by RILEM TC 282-CCL on calcined clays as supplementary cementitious materials (working group 2), focuses on the production of calcined clays, presents an overview of clay mining, and assesses the current state of the art in clay calcination technology, covering the most relevant aspects from the clay deposit to the factory gate. The energetics and associated carbon footprint of the calcination process are also discussed, and an outlook on clay calcination is presented, discussing the technological advancements required to fulfil future global demand for this material in sustainable infrastructure development. | Clay calcination technology: state-of-the-art review by the RILEM TC 282-CCL | 10.1617/s11527-021-01807-6 |
2021-12-20 | Background Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common subtype of renal cancer and one of the most common cancers. While survival for localized ccRCC is good, the survival of metastatic disease is not, and thirty percent of patients with ccRCC develop metastases during follow-up. Although current scoring methods accurately identify patients at low progression risk, a small subgroup of those patients still experience metastasis. We therefore aimed to identify ccRCC progression biomarkers in “low-risk” patients who were potentially eligible for adjuvant treatments or more intensive follow-up. Methods We assembled a cohort of ccRCC patients (n = 443) and identified all “low-risk” patients who later developed progressing tumors (n = 8). Subsequently, we performed genome-wide expression profiling from formalin-fixed samples obtained at initial surgery from these “low-risk” patients and 16 matched patients not progressing to recurrence with metastasis. The patients were matched for Leibovich sore, creatinine, age, sex, tumor size and tumor stage. Key results were confirmed with qPCR and external data from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Results Principal component analysis indicated that systematic transcriptomic differences were already detectable at the time of initial surgery. One thousand one hundred sixty-seven genes, mainly associated with cancer and immune-related pathways, were differentially expressed between progressors and nonprogressors. A search for a classifier revealed that overexpression of AGAP2-AS1 , an antisense long noncoding RNA, correctly classified 23 of 24 samples, years (4.5 years average) in advance of the discovery of metastasis and without requiring larger gene panels. Subsequently, we confirmed AGAP2-AS1 gene overexpression by qPCR in the same samples ( p < 0.05). Additionally, in external data from The Cancer Genome Atlas, overexpression of AGAP2-AS1 is correlated with overall unfavorable survival outcome in ccRCC , irrespective of other prognostic predictors ( p = 2.44E−7). Conclusion AGAP2-AS1 may represent a novel biomarker identifying high-risk ccRCC patients currently classified as “low risk” at the time of surgery. | AGAP2-AS1 as a prognostic biomarker in low-risk clear cell renal cell carcinoma patients with progressing disease | 10.1186/s12935-021-02395-9 |
2021-12-18 | Background One limiting factor of short amplicon 16S rRNA gene sequencing approaches is the use of low DNA amounts in the amplicon generation step. Especially for low-biomass samples, insufficient or even commonly undetectable DNA amounts can limit or prohibit further analysis in standard protocols. Results Using a newly established protocol, very low DNA input amounts were found sufficient for reliable detection of bacteria using 16S rRNA gene sequencing compared to standard protocols. The improved protocol includes an optimized amplification strategy by using a digital droplet PCR. We demonstrate how PCR products are generated even when using very low concentrated DNA, unable to be detected by using a Qubit. Importantly, the use of different 16S rRNA gene primers had a greater effect on the resulting taxonomical profiles compared to using high or very low initial DNA amounts. Conclusion Our improved protocol takes advantage of ddPCR and allows faithful amplification of very low amounts of template. With this, samples of low bacterial biomass become comparable to those with high amounts of bacteria, since the first and most biasing steps are the same. Besides, it is imperative to state DNA concentrations and volumes used and to include negative controls indicating possible shifts in taxonomical profiles. Despite this, results produced by using different primer pairs cannot be easily compared. | ddPCR allows 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing of very small DNA amounts from low-biomass samples | 10.1186/s12866-021-02391-z |
2021-12-16 | The mining process in a coal industry is responsible for a large environmental impact, 60% of the total extracted are discarded and sent to a controlled dam due to its potential toxicological effect when exposed to the environment. On the other hand, polymer consumption has grown at an annual rate of 5%, exceeding 300 million tons/year. Therefore, the main objective of this work is the preparation of a composite using recycled low-density polyethylene polymer and coal mining waste, aiming to improve mechanical and thermal properties and mitigate the environmental impacts. Composites in fractions between 20 and 80% wt coal mining waste were prepared and characterized. Formulations with up to 60% of coal mining waste showed properties of interest for the development of new materials in civil and architectural construction. | Mechanical and Thermal Behavior of Recycled Low-Density Polyethylene Composites with Coal Mining Waste | 10.1007/s42824-021-00049-9 |
2021-12-15 | Low-temperature germinability (LTG) is an important agronomic trait that can affect the planting time, planting area, and grain yield of staple crops, such as rice. However, the genetic mechanism of LTG is still unclear. In this study, a multi-parental permanent population with 208 single segment substitution lines (SSSLs) was used to conduct a genetic dissection for LTG across four cropping seasons. LTG was a typical quantitative trait with a high combined broad-sense heritability of 0.71. By comparison with the recipient parent, Huajingxian74, 24 SSSLs were identified as carrying LTG QTLs, which were further merged into integrated QTLs with shorter genetic distances by substitution mapping. Finally, 14 LTG QTLs were mapped on ten chromosomes, including seven positive-effect and seven negative-effect QTLs, with additive effect contributions ranging from 19.2 to 39.9%. qLTG3a , a main-effect and novel QTL, was confirmed by bulk segregant analysis using an F 2 segregating population, and five key recombinants were selected to develop F 3 populations for progeny testing. Marker-trait association analysis fine mapped qLTG3a to a 332.7-kb physical region between markers M6026 and M6341. Within this interval, 40 annotated genes were revealed, and three genes ( Os03g0213300 , Os03g0214400 , and Os03g0214600 ) were considered as pivotal candidate genes for qLTG3a based on their sequence variations and expression patterns. Besides low temperature, qLTG3a can also enhance seed germination under standard temperature and osmotic stress. In summary, this study identified some genetic factors regulating LTG and opened a new window for breeding elite direct-seeded rice varieties. It will help reduce the climate risk in the production process of rice, which is of great significance to ensuring food security. | Integrative QTL Identification, Fine Mapping and Candidate Gene Analysis of a Major Locus qLTG3a for Seed Low-Temperature Germinability in Rice | 10.1186/s12284-021-00544-2 |
2021-12-15 | In experiments searching for rare signals, background events from the detector itself are some of the major factors limiting search sensitivity. Screening for ultra-low radioactive detector materials is becoming ever more essential. We propose to develop a gaseous time projection chamber (TPC) with a Micromegas readout for radio screening. The TPC records three-dimensional trajectories of charged particles emitted from a flat sample placed in the active volume of the detector. The detector can distinguish the origin of an event and identify the particle types with information from trajectories, which significantly increases the screening sensitivity. For α particles from the sample surface, we observe that our proposed detector can reach a sensitivity higher than 100 μ Bq m −2 within two days. | Screener3D: a gaseous time projection chamber for ultra-low radioactive material screening | 10.1007/s41365-021-00983-y |
2021-12-13 | Background Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the world, affecting mainly women residing in low- and middle-income countries. Progression from a pre-invasive phase to that of an invasive phase generally takes years and provides a window of opportunity to screen for and treat precancerous lesions. Methods This study is being conducted at four sites in north Karnataka, India. Community sensitization activities have been organized in the study areas to create awareness among stakeholders, including elected representatives, physicians, health care workers, and potential participants. Organized community based as well as hospital-based screening is being conducted using visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA). Screen positive women are referred to respective study hospitals for colposcopy and directed biopsy. Participants with confirmed high-grade cervical dysplasia (high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions or HSIL) who fit all other eligibility criteria will be recruited to the study and will receive cryotherapy using CryoPop®, an innovative new cryotherapy device. Discussion There is a need to develop an inexpensive, simple, and effective cryotherapy device for use by frontline health care providers at locations where screening and timely treatment can be given, accelerating access to cervical cancer prevention services and minimizing loss to follow-up of women with precancerous lesions who need treatment. Trial registration Clinical Trial Registry - India CTRI/2019/01/017289 ClinicalTrials.Gov number NCT04154644 . Registered on November 6, 2019. | Safety and efficacy of the new CryoPop® cryotherapy device for cervical dysplasia in low- and middle-income countries: study protocol for a multicenter open-label non-inferiority clinical trial with historical controls | 10.1186/s13063-021-05802-8 |
2021-12-13 | Background Complex orthoplastic lower limb trauma in individuals with multiple injuries requires considerable resources and interdisciplinary collaboration for good outcomes. We present the first reported end-to-side free flap microanastomosis for lower limb trauma reconstruction involving a peronea arteria magna without radiographic collaterals. Case presentation A 55-year-old Caucasian gentleman involved in road traffic collision sustained an open tibial fracture on the anteromedial distal third of the left lower leg with local degloving and a subtotal right foot and ankle degloving. Both injuries were reconstructed with free tissue transfer. A left lower limb peronea arteria magna successfully received a free gracilis muscle flap by end-to-side microanastomosis and perfusion of the foot was preserved. This rare anatomical variant and its anatomy is reviewed, as well as a description of the suggested preoperative planning and technique for reconstruction. Conclusions Successful free flap reconstruction may be performed to a lower limb with a peronea arteria magna recipient as the lone vessel supplying the foot in trauma, although preoperative counseling of the risks, benefits, and options are essential. Level of evidence Level V, case report | Free gracilis end-to-side microanastomosis to a peronea arteria magna: a case report | 10.1186/s13256-021-03133-5 |
2021-12-09 | This study investigates the influence of the chemical and physical properties of two abundantly available waste by-products in Sri Lanka, fly ash and rice husk ash (RHA) as precursor materials for the synthesis of alkali-activated binders. The suitability of the two types of fly ash and the replacement of fly ash by RHA (10% and 20% by weight of the binder content) were assessed. The study reports the development of compressive strength together with an in-depth analysis of the reaction mechanism of the blended RHA alkali-activated binders. The 100% fly ash mortar achieved the optimum compressive strength of 38.9 MPa at 28 days. Replacement of the fly ash with 10% and 20% RHA reduced the compressive strength by approximately 14% and 43%, respectively. The higher specific surface area of RHA and relatively higher unburnt carbon content in RHA were identified as the major factors influencing the low compressive strength obtained. Furthermore, the addition of RHA increases the reactive silica in the gel matrix and leads to an increase in the Si/Al ratio (3.70–3.89), which has a negative effect on the compressive strength. The difference in solubility rate of precursor fly ash and RHA negatively affect the formation of the gel matrix which is hypothesized as a further reason for the lower compressive strength observed in the RHA mixes. | Investigation of the reaction mechanism of blended fly ash and rice husk ash alkali-activated binders | 10.1007/s43452-021-00349-6 |
2021-12-08 | Space heating in buildings represents nearly half of the final heat demand in Europe. The potential to save emissions from existing fossil-based heating supply systems is substantial. The Netherlands announced in 2018 its decision to phase out natural gas by 2050 and to supply buildings from 2021 with sustainable heating. Models with a high level of spatial resolution can support the assessment of potential low-carbon heating systems at the local level. This study introduces the Vesta MAIS model, an open-source tool developed for local governments and urban planners in the Netherlands to support the development of municipal roadmaps. The method presented in this study can be applied for a neighbourhood or city and provides new insights for Dutch local authorities and researchers on the suitability and limitations of the Vesta MAIS model. Four scenarios, including individual and district heating technologies and building shell improvements, are compared up to 2030 from a techno-economic and environmental perspective. Our results demonstrate that district heating appears to be the most suitable strategy for the studied area, but with subtle underlying differences in the optimal levels of network temperature, heat density and building insulation. A further investigation of the most favourable combination of these parameters, the use of local data, and the inclusion of additional criteria, next to costs and CO 2 emissions, is suggested to increase the practical use of model outcomes. This research serves as a showcase emphasizing the importance of a local analysis in the decision-making of potential heating strategies. | Exploring sustainable heating solutions for buildings at the neighbourhood level | 10.1007/s12053-021-10004-x |
2021-12-08 | This paper describes an ongoing research project which explores the design and use of inexpensive robotics, artificial intelligence techniques, and human–computer interaction methods, to enrich assisted living environments. Such environments provide help to the inhabitants of a home or office, assisting them to perform daily activities, helping them to socialize and interact with others, and to provide enhanced levels of security and safeness. We present the development of an inexpensive robotic solution to help people with disabilities and/or older adults to perform their daily activities. It can be used as a remote controlled surveillance system, and also as a personal assistant. It is able to recognize each inhabitant, his/her emotions, and detect abnormal situations such as falls and health problems. The whole system is designed to operate solely within a local network and special attention is given to the privacy and data protection of the users. | Towards Richer Assisted Living Environments | 10.1007/s42979-021-00983-0 |
2021-12-07 | Requirement of clean energy sources urges us to find substitutes for fossil fuels. Microorganisms provide an option to produce feedstock for biofuel production by utilizing inexpensive, renewable biomass. Rhodotorula toruloides ( Rhodosporidium toruloides ), a non-conventional oleaginous yeast, can accumulate intracellular lipids (single cell oil, SCO) more than 70% of its cell dry weight. At present, the SCO-based biodiesel is not a price-competitive fuel to the petroleum diesel. Many efforts are made to cut the cost of SCO by strengthening the performance of genetically modified R. toruloides strains and by valorization of low-cost biomass, including crude glycerol, lignocellulosic hydrolysates, food and agro waste, wastewater, and volatile fatty acids. Besides, optimization of fermentation and SCO recovery processes are carefully studied as well. Recently, new R . toruloides strains are developed via metabolic engineering and synthetic biology methods to produce value-added chemicals, such as sesquiterpenes, fatty acid esters, fatty alcohols, carotenoids, and building block chemicals. This review summarizes recent advances in the main aspects of R. toruloides studies, namely, construction of strains with new traits, valorization of low-cost biomass, process detection and optimization, and product recovery. In general, R. toruloides is a promising microbial cell factory for production of biochemicals. | Rhodotorula toruloides: an ideal microbial cell factory to produce oleochemicals, carotenoids, and other products | 10.1007/s11274-021-03201-4 |
2021-12-07 | Background Doxorubicin (Dox) is a widely used anthracycline drug to treat cancer, yet numerous adverse effects influencing different organs may offset the treatment outcome, which in turn affects the patient’s quality of life. Low-level lasers (LLLs) have resulted in several novel indications in addition to traditional orthopedic conditions, such as increased fatigue resistance and muscle strength. However, the mechanisms by which LLL irradiation exerts beneficial effects on muscle atrophy are still largely unknown. Results The present study aimed to test our hypothesis that LLL irradiation protects skeletal muscles against Dox-induced muscle wasting by using both animal and C2C12 myoblast cell models. We established SD rats treated with 4 consecutive Dox injections (12 mg/kg cumulative dose) and C2C12 myoblast cells incubated with 2 μM Dox to explore the protective effects of LLL irradiation. We found that LLL irradiation markedly alleviated Dox-induced muscle wasting in rats. Additionally, LLL irradiation inhibited Dox-induced mitochondrial dysfunction, apoptosis, and oxidative stress via the activation of AMPK and upregulation of SIRT1 with its downstream signaling PGC-1α. These aforementioned beneficial effects of LLL irradiation were reversed by knockdown AMPK, SIRT1, and PGC-1α in C2C12 cells transfected with siRNA and were negated by cotreatment with mitochondrial antioxidant and P38MAPK inhibitor. Therefore, AMPK/SIRT1/PGC-1α pathway activation may represent a new mechanism by which LLL irradiation exerts protection against Dox myotoxicity through preservation of mitochondrial homeostasis and alleviation of oxidative stress and apoptosis. Conclusion Our findings may provide a novel adjuvant intervention that can potentially benefit cancer patients from Dox-induced muscle wasting. | Low-level laser prevents doxorubicin-induced skeletal muscle atrophy by modulating AMPK/SIRT1/PCG-1α-mediated mitochondrial function, apoptosis and up-regulation of pro-inflammatory responses | 10.1186/s13578-021-00719-w |
2021-12-06 | The local structure around iron atom is important to show spin-crossover phenomenon in the assembled Fe(II) complexes. In the present study, the low symmetry bridging ligand, 2,6-diethyl-bis(4-pyridyl)benzene (2,6-debpb) (A-B type ligand) was synthesized. And the assembled Fe(II) complexes, [Fe(NCX) 2 (2,6-debpb) 2 ] n (X = S, Se, BH 3 ), were synthesized. [Fe(NCS) 2 (2,6-debpb) 2 ] n showed the temperature independent high-spin state, while small amount of low-spin state was observed in 57 Fe Mössbauer spectrum at 78 K for [Fe(NCX) 2 (2,6-debpb) 2 ] n (X = Se, BH 3 ). Magnetic susceptibility measurement supported the 57 Fe Mössbauer results. X-ray structural analysis for [Fe(NCBH 3 ) 2 (2,6-debpb) 2 ] n revealed that the local structure around iron atom is distorted, disturbing the approach of the ligand to iron atom not to show complete spin-crossover phenomenon. The local structure is FeA 2 B 2 type and there was no disorder in the bridging ligand. | SCO phenomenon for assembled Fe(II) complexes using low symmetry ligand | 10.1007/s10751-021-01744-4 |
2021-12-06 | Vibrio cholerae and Vibrio vulnificus are critical foodborne pathogens that need to be intensively controlled for their infection due to the intake and distribution of seafood, especially raw oysters. For this reason, various methods have already been developed for the detection and enumeration of these bacteria. The most probable number (MPN)-PCR (polymerase chain reaction) method is commonly used with the selective-differential medium for the efficiency and convenience of cell enumeration. One of the most frequently used for detecting Vibrio spp. is thiosulfate-citrate-bile salts-sucrose (TCBS) agar. But this selective-differential medium can fail to distinguish between V. cholerae , V. vulnificus , and Vibrio alginolyticus. For this reason, the conventional MPN-PCR method with TCBS medium for the detection of Vibrio spp. has a problem with processing PCR two times. This study suggests a simple and minimized detection method using one-time PCR and non-NaCl Luria–Bertani (LB-0) medium culture. This detection method is based on the difference in salt requirement between V. cholerae and V. vulnificus . Employing the developed methodology, the simultaneous cell enumeration of V. cholerae and V. vulnificus can be possible at a low cost. Furthermore, this study proposes a new specific primer to detect virulence-related genes from V. cholerae and V. vulnificus . This advanced MPN-PCR method was verified using bioaccumulated pacific oysters ( Crassostrea gigas ) by V. cholerae and V. vulnificus . | Simultaneous isolation and enumeration of virulent Vibrio cholerae and Vibrio vulnificus using an advanced MPN-PCR method | 10.1007/s00203-021-02613-y |
2021-12-04 | Background Atmospheric Low-Temperature Plasma (ALTP) can be used as an effective tool in conjunctival cyst ablation, but little is known about how conjunctival ALTP-exposure affects the concentration of inflammatory mediators and also the duration of inflammatory responses. Methods We used 8 female adult Lewis rats that were followed up in 4 groups. The right eye of each rat was selected for the test, whereas the left eye was considered as a control. The ALTP was generated and used to target 3 spots of the conjunctiva. The digital camera examinations were performed to follow-up the clinical outcomes after ALTP exposure. Tear and serum samples were isolated—at 2 days, 1 week, 1 month, and 6 months after treatment—from each rat and the concentration of candidate pro-inflammatory (i.e. IL-1α, IL-2, IL-6, IFN-γ, and TNF-α) and anti-inflammatory cytokines (i.e. IL-4 and IL-10) were measured using flow cytometry. Results The external and digital camera examinations showed no ocular surface complications in all ALTP-exposed rats after 1 week. The analyses revealed that the ALTP transiently increases the concentration of pro-inflammatory cytokines—IL-1α and IL-2 in tear samples in 1 week and 2 days after exposure, respectively; no differences were observed regarding other pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in the tear or serum samples. Conclusions ALTP can probably be used as a minimally-invasive therapeutic method that triggers no permanent or continual inflammatory responses. The results of this study might help the patients to shorten the consumption of immunosuppressive drugs, e.g. corticosteroids, that are prescribed to mitigate the inflammation after ALTP-surgery. | The assessment of the concentration of candidate cytokines in response to conjunctival-exposure of atmospheric low-temperature plasma in an animal model | 10.1186/s12886-021-02167-z |
2021-12-04 | Nitrogen (N), a fundamental macronutrient for plant growth and development, is absorbed from the soil primarily in the form of ammonium (NH 4 + ) and uptaken through a plant’s ammonium transporters (AMTs). While AMT proteins have been documented within diverse plant taxa, there has been no systematic analysis of their activity in cassava ( Manihot esculenta Crantz), which is highly resistant to nitrogen deficiency. Here, we perform a comprehensive genome-wide analysis to identify and characterize the functional dynamics of cassava ammonium transporters 1 (MeAMT1). We identified a total of six AMT1 genes in the cassava genome ( MeAMT1;1 to MeAMT1;6 ), the phylogenetic analysis of which fell into three distinct subgroups based on the conserved motifs and gene structures. Collinearity analysis showed that segmental duplication events played a key role in expansion of the MeAMT1 gene family. Synteny analysis indicated that two MeAMT1 genes were orthologous to Arabidopsis and rice. MeAMT1 promoters were additionally found to include various cis -acting elements related to light responsiveness, hormones, stress, and development processes. According to the RNA-seq data, the majority of MeAMT1 genes displayed specific patterns in the tested tissues. qRT-PCR revealed that all the tested MeAMT1 genes were up-regulated by low ammonium exposure. Furthermore, Arabidopis transformed with MeAMT1;1 gene grew well than wild-type plants in response to ammonium deficiency, suggesting that MeAMT1s play important role in response to low ammonium. Overall, our work lays the groundwork for new understanding of the AMT1 gene family in cassava and provides a basis for breeding efficient nitrogen use in other plants. | Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of ammonium transporter 1 (AMT1) gene family in cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) and functional analysis of MeAMT1;1 in transgenic Arabidopsis | 10.1007/s13205-021-03070-6 |
2021-12-04 | Background Transfemoral amputees experience a complex host of physical, psychological, and social challenges, compounded by the functional limitations of current transfemoral prostheses. However, the specific relationships between human factors and prosthesis design and performance characteristics have not yet been adequately investigated. The present study aims to address this knowledge gap. Methods A comprehensive single-cohort survey of 114 unilateral transfemoral amputees addressed a broad range of demographic and clinical characteristics, functional autonomy, satisfaction and attitudes towards their current prostheses, and design priorities for an ideal transfemoral prosthesis, including the possibility of active assistance from a robotic knee unit. The survey was custom-developed based on several standard questionnaires used to assess motor abilities and autonomy in activities of daily living, prosthesis satisfaction, and quality of life in lower-limb amputees. Survey data were analyzed to compare the experience (including autonomy and satisfaction) and design priorities of users of transfemoral prostheses with versus without microprocessor-controlled knee units (MPKs and NMPKs, respectively), with a subsequent analyses of cross-category correlation, principal component analysis (PCA), cost-sensitivity segmentation, and unsupervised K-means clustering applied within the most cost-sensitive participants, to identify functional groupings of users with respect to their design priorities. Results The cohort featured predominantly younger (< 50 years) traumatic male amputees with respect to the general transfemoral amputee population, with pronounced differences in age distribution and amputation etiology (traumatic vs. non-traumatic) between MPK and NMPK groups. These differences were further reflected in user experience, with MPK users reporting significantly greater overall functional autonomy, satisfaction, and sense of prosthesis ownership than those with NMPKs, in conjunction with a decreased incidence of instability and falls. Across all participants, the leading functional priorities for an ideal transfemoral prosthesis were overall stability, adaptability to variable walking velocity, and lifestyle-related functionality, while the highest-prioritized general characteristics were reliability, comfort, and weight, with highly variable prioritization of cost according to reimbursement status. PCA and user clustering analyses revealed the possibility for functionally relevant groupings of prosthesis features and users, based on their differential prioritization of these features—with implications towards prosthesis design tradeoffs. Conclusions This study’s findings support the understanding that when appropriately prescribed according to patient characteristics and needs in the context of a proactive rehabilitation program, advanced transfemoral prostheses promote patient mobility, autonomy, and overall health. Survey data indicate overall stability, modularity, and versatility as key design priorities for the continued development of transfemoral prosthesis technology. Finally, observed associations between prosthesis type, user experience, and attitudes concerning prosthesis ownership suggest both that prosthesis characteristics influence device acceptance and functional outcomes, and that psychosocial factors should be specifically and proactively addressed during the rehabilitation process. | Survey of transfemoral amputee experience and priorities for the user-centered design of powered robotic transfemoral prostheses | 10.1186/s12984-021-00944-x |
2021-12-01 | This study investigates the bulk density, sintering behaviour, and microwave dielectric properties of the MgO-2B 2 O 3 series ceramics synthesised by solid-state reaction. According to the X-ray diffraction and microstructural analyses, the as-prepared MgO-2B 2 O 3 ceramics possess a single-phase structure with a rod-like morphology. The effects of different quantities of H 3 BO 3 and BaCu(B 2 O 5 ) (BCB) on the bulk density, sintering behaviour, and microwave dielectric properties of the MgO-2B 2 O 3 ceramics were investigated. Accordingly, the optimal sintering temperature was obtained by adding 30 wt% H 3 BO 3 and 8 wt% BCB. We also reduced the sintering temperature to 825 °C. Furthermore, the addition of 40 wt% H 3 BO 3 and 4 wt% BCB increased the quality factor, permittivity, and temperature coefficient of resonance frequency of MgO-2B 2 O 3 to 44,306 GHz (at 15 GHz), 5.1, and −32 ppm/°C, respectively. These properties make MgO-2B 2 O 3 a viable low-temperature co-fired ceramic with broad applications in microwave dielectrics. | Sintering behaviour and microwave dielectric properties of MgO-2B2O3-xwt%BaCu(B2O5)-ywt%H3BO3 ceramics | 10.1007/s40145-021-0503-0 |
2021-12-01 | With the support of density functional theory (DFT) calculation, the amelioration of sintering and dielectric properties of the Mg 3 B 2 O 6 (MBO) ceramic was realized through the substitution of magnesium with nickel. The TE-mode cylindrical cavity method was used to measure the dielectric properties at different frequencies. The thermo-mechanical analysis and simultaneous thermal analysis were used to characterize the chemical and mechanical properties. The phase composition was determined through the X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectrum. The microstructure was investigated using the scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Magnesium substitution with nickel (4 mol%) could ionize the B-O bond of BO 3 , modify the vibration mode, improve the order degree, densify the microstructure, decrease the intrinsic densification temperature, and ameliorate the dielectric properties of the MBO ceramics. The maximum values were achieved for the ceramics with 4 mol% nickel and sintered at 1175 °C, that is, 97.2% for relative density, 72,600 GHz (10 GHz), 75,600 GHz (11.4 GHz), and 92,200 GHz (15 GHz) for Q × f , 7.1 (10 GHz), 7.01 (11.4 GHz), and 6.91 (15 GHz) for ε r , and −56.3 ppm/°C for τ f . | Amelioration of sintering and multi-frequency dielectric properties of Mg3B2O6: A mechanism study of nickel substitution using DFT calculation | 10.1007/s40145-021-0515-9 |
2021-12-01 | We analyze the impact of in utero temperature exposure on the birth weight and an indicator for low birth weight using administrative data on singleton live births conceived between 2000 and 2016 in Hungary. We find that exposure to high temperatures during pregnancy decreases birth weight, but its impact on the probability of low birth weight is weaker. Exposure to one additional hot day (mean temperature > 25 °C) during the gestation period reduces birth weight by 0.46 g, relative to a 15–20 °C day. The second and third trimesters appear to be slightly more sensitive to temperature exposure than the first trimester. We project that climate change will decrease birth weight and increase the prevalence of low birth weight by the mid-twenty-first century. The projected impacts are the strongest for newborns conceived during the winter and spring months. | Temperature, climate change, and birth weight: evidence from Hungary | 10.1007/s11111-021-00380-y |
2021-12-01 | The feasibility of applying the grain boundary character distribution (GBCD) optimization to Inconel 625 for improving the intergranular corrosion (IGC) resistance was studied. The GBCD was obtained and characterized by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis, and its optimization was mainly attributed to annealing twins (Σ3) and twins related to boundaries formed during thermal-mechanical processing (TMP). Through TMP of 5% cold rolling and subsequent annealing at 1150 °C for 5 min, the proportion of low Σ coincidence site lattice (CSL) grain boundaries of the Inconel 625 can be enhanced to about 35.8% which mainly were of Σ3 n ( n =1, 2, 3) type. There is an increase of 24.8% compared with the solution-treated sample, and simultaneously the large-size highly-twinned grain-cluster microstructure is formed. The grain-cluster is mainly composed of Σ3-Σ3-Σ9 or Σ3-Σ9-Σ27 triple junctions, which is mainly caused by boundary reactions during grain growth. Among them, the IGC resistance of Σ3 grain boundaries, Σ9 grain boundaries and random grain boundaries is sequentially weakened. With the increase of the low ΣCSL grain boundary fraction, the IGC resistance of Inconel 625 improves. The essential reason is the amount of Σ3 boundaries interrupting the random boundary network increases and the large grain-cluster arrests the penetration of IGC. | Improving Intergranular Corrosion Resistance in Inconel 625 via Grain Boundary Character Distribution Optimization | 10.1007/s11595-021-2487-6 |
2021-12-01 | The preservation of foods at low temperatures is a well-established concept. While conventional methods of food freezing rely on the isobaric (constant pressure) approach, they often result in a series of irreversible changes that can significantly hamper the quality of frozen foods. In recent years, taking its roots from the biomedical industry, isochoric (constant volume) freezing is gaining both research and commercial interest as an effective method of food preservation. The focus of this review is to present the state of the art of isochoric freezing of foods, highlighting the underlying mechanisms that make it unique, and understanding its impact on food quality, considering reports published in the past decade. An exclusive section is dedicated to its non-food applications, and this work also provides insights into the costs and economics of the process. Importantly, as this is an emerging area, the review concludes by highlighting the challenges and provides perspectives on the directions for future research. | Isochoric Freezing and Its Emerging Applications in Food Preservation | 10.1007/s12393-021-09284-x |
2021-12-01 | The removal of NOx from low-temperature diesel engine emissions still represents a big challenge in view of the upcoming more stringent worldwide regulations. In our previous studies, we proved the ability of novel AdSCR (Adsorption + Selective Catalytic Reduction) systems, based on the combination of a chemical trapping compound and a conventional SCR catalyst, to trap cold start NOx emissions and to desorb and simultaneously reduce them with ammonia at higher temperature. In the present work, we extend the investigation of Cu-CHA + BaO/Al 2 O 3 systems under more realistic conditions, focusing on the impact of H 2 O and CO 2 . The experimental results reveal a reduction of the AdSCR system performances with respect to dry and CO 2 -free conditions. Despite this, the system is still able to store and reduce NOx. The NOx storage capacity on barium oxide is more affected by the presence of CO 2 than by H 2 O. However, H 2 O hinders the NO oxidative activation in the zeolite cages, which is a fundamental step in order to be able to trap NOx on the storage material at low temperature. We further demonstrate that the detrimental effect of H 2 O can be mitigated by small amounts of NO 2 in the gaseous feed or by including a 13X zeolite guard bed prior to the AdSCR bed. | AdSCR Systems (Adsorption + Selective Catalytic Reduction): Analysis of the Influence of H2O and CO2 on Low Temperature NOx Emission Reduction Performances | 10.1007/s40825-021-00204-3 |
2021-12-01 | A comparative study of the fracture features of a promising low-activation 12% chromium ferritic-martensitic steel EK-181 after uniaxial tensile tests in the temperature range from –196 to 800°C in the states after traditional heat treatment (THT) and high-temperature thermomechanical treatment (HTMT) is carried out. It is shown that the features of steel fracture weakly depend on the treatment mode and are determined by the temperature dependence of its yield stress. In the temperature range from –196 to 20°С, there are differences in the orientation of secondary microcracks depending on the treatment mode – after HTMT they are mainly parallel to the rolling plane, after THT their orientation is more chaotic. At Т ≥ 300°С, the differences in the type of steel fracture after the experimental treatments practically disappear. When the temperature decreases from 20 to –80°С, the fracture mechanism of steel after both treatments changes from mixed (by the mechanisms of transcrystalline dimple fracture and transcrystallite quasi-cleavage) to brittle fracture with quasi-cleavage. At the same time, some elements of brittle intercrystalline fracture are found, the fraction of which increases with the temperature decreasing from 20 to –196°С. In the region of positive temperatures from 350 to 800°С, destruction occurs by the mechanism of ductile transcrystalline dimple fracture. | Fracture Mechanisms of Low Activation 12% Chromium Ferritic-Martensitic Steel EK-181 in the Temperature Range from –196 to 800°C | 10.1007/s11182-022-02520-9 |
2021-12-01 | The present study was aimed to assess the effect of nitric oxide (NO) and the interaction of NO with hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) on plant tolerance to low temperatures in cucumber seedlings. Exogenous NO significantly increased the endogenous NO content, initial and total activities of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO), RuBisCO carboxylation rate ( V c,max ), RuBP regeneration rate ( J max ) and the transcript levels of related genes in cucumber seedlings under low temperatures (11 °C/7 °C); however, the effect of NO was blocked by PTIO (NO scavenger). In addition, the SNP treatment significantly improved the contents of glucose, fructose, sucrose, starch, and the activities of sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS), acid invertase (AI), sucrose synthase (SS), as well as the expression levels of SUCROSE PHOSPHATE SYNTHASE 1&2 ( SPS1 , SPS2 ), SUCROSE TRANSPORTER 1&2 ( SUT2 , SUT4 ), β-starch hydrolase ( BAM ), and invertase gene ( INVERTASE ) in cucumber leaves under low temperatures, and the positive effect of NO was impaired by PTIO. Furthermore, we found that the H 2 O 2 , induced by NO, participated in NO-induced elevation of ascorbic acid (AsA), glutathione (GSH), and increased activities of related enzymes in the AsA-GSH cycle at low temperatures. However, the positive effect of NO was blocked by l -NAME (NOS inhibitor), PTIO, DPI (inhibitor of NADPH oxidase), and DMTU (reactive oxygen species scavenger). Taken together, our findings indicate that NO increased the low temperature tolerance of cucumber seedlings via H 2 O 2 by improving the efficiency of the Calvin cycle, which in turn increased the carbohydrates content and accelerated the AsA-GSH cycle to enhance ROS scavenging. | Nitric Oxide and Its Interaction with Hydrogen Peroxide Enhance Plant Tolerance to Low Temperatures by Improving the Efficiency of the Calvin Cycle and the Ascorbate–Glutathione Cycle in Cucumber Seedlings | 10.1007/s00344-020-10242-w |
2021-12-01 | Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis is an economically relevant red macroalga whose cultivation is affected by temperature. This study investigated the molecular mechanism of G. lemaneiformis at low temperature. Transcriptomes were obtained after the algae were treated at 5 °C for 6 and 24 h. Among the total clean reads of the 3 groups, 35,324 unigenes were found, of which 81.22% were annotated in at least 1 database (Nr, Nt, Pfam, KOG/COG, Swiss-Prot, KEGG, and GO). A total of 2674 and 3855 differentially expressed genes were found, respectively, after 6 and 24 h of low-temperature treatment at 5 °C. The results of differentially expressed gene analysis by GO and KEGG enrichments showed that the expression of genes related to many pathways changed at low temperatures, such as glutathione metabolism, biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, alpha-linolenic acid metabolism, base excision repair, and photosynthesis. The expression of key genes involved in unsaturated fatty acid synthesis and basic excision repair pathways was significantly upregulated after 6-h low-temperature treatment; however, the expression of key genes involved in the glutathione synthesis pathway was promoted after 24 h. In addition, the expression of some heat shock proteins expected to play an important role in cold resistance was significantly upregulated under low-temperature stress. In summary, the genes related to stress response were induced, while the genes related to photosynthesis were suppressed, indicating that the growth of G. lemaneiformis was affected. | Transcriptome analysis of Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis at low temperature | 10.1007/s10811-021-02514-z |
2021-12-01 | Life prediction of low cycle fatigue under asymmetrical cyclic loading is still open because the mean stress has complex effect on the fatigue life. In this paper, the yield stress is introduced to the mean stress correction model with natural exponential function description and two novel improved versions of the Manson-Coffin model are proposed. Four sets of experimental fatigue data from SAE 1045 steel, 7075-T651 aluminum alloy, GH4133 super alloy and 16MnR steel are used to validate the proposed models, and the results are compared with those from Morrow model, SWT model and Kwofie model. In addition, life predictions of a turbine disc and a blisk in service conditions are implemented by the proposed models. The results show the proposed models have excellent prediction performance for low cycle fatigue life under asymmetrical cyclic loading. | Development of improved Manson-Coffin model considering the effect of yield stress under asymmetrical cyclic loading | 10.1007/s12206-021-1112-0 |
2021-12-01 | Waste bamboo-derived activated carbon (BAC), biomass char (BBC), and nitric acid-modified BACN and BBCN supports as well as commercial activated carbon (AC) and corresponding ACN were prepared for comparative study. Their denitrification performance in 100–250 °C decreased as BACN > ACN > BBCN > BAC > AC > BBC. BACN and ACN were separately loaded with different MO x (M = Mn, Ce, Fe, Cu, V) by wet impregnation. M/BACN showed slightly higher NO conversion than corresponding M/ACN. Mn/BACN exhibited the best denitrification performance with NO conversion of 92% at 200 °C. The physicochemical properties of supports and catalysts were characterized by BET, SEM-EDS, FTIR, XRD, and XPS. The results suggested that BAC was most sensitive to HNO 3 modification, thereby BACN possessed much more surface functional groups. This was the main reason for BACN exhibiting the best denitrification performance among the supports. Loading metal oxides introduced more strong active sites sharply increasing the catalytic activity, even though decreased the surface area and decomposed a few surface functional groups. Mn/BACN mainly followed the L–H mechanism at low temperature. Rich surface functional groups on BACN could promote the adsorption and activation of NH 3 and NO accelerating the reaction in L–H mechanism. | Comparative study on the physicochemical properties and de-NOx performance of waste bamboo-derived low-temperature NH3-SCR catalysts | 10.1007/s11164-021-04567-8 |
2021-12-01 | The investigation of inexpensive, effective, environmentally friendly next-generation energy storage devices is an urgent task due to the discontinuities of new generation energy that hinder their further widely application. Among the multitudinous explored energy storage devices, supercapacitors have been regarded as the most potential energy storage systems thanks to their distinctive features of ultralong cycling lifespan, ultrafast charge/discharge process, and high power density compared with batteries and conventional capacitors. Nevertheless, the existing defect of low energy density has always been a bottleneck problem to their long-term development and widespread applications. Meanwhile, the electrodes are the core component in supercapacitors, determining the electrochemical performance directly. Consequently, transition metal oxides were chosen as the promoting materials to design and fabricate appropriately and rationally act as supercapacitor electrodes to harvest the outstanding electrochemical performance of both high energy and power density simultaneously. Here, we summarized the recent advances in transition metal oxides with different dimensions as electrodes for high-performance supercapacitors, including zero-dimensional nanostructures (nanospheres, nanocrystals, nanoparticles), one-dimensional nanostructures (nanorods, nanowires and nanotubes), two-dimensional nanostructures (nanoflakes, nanoplatelets), three-dimensional nanostructures (spherical structure, hollow structure, flower-like structure, honeycomb structure, mesoporous structure), and the corresponding supercapacitors electrochemical performance, expecting to make a thorough inquiry of the relationship between structure and property for highlighting the route to design and synthesis high-performance transition metal oxide-based supercapacitor electrodes. Graphical abstract | Recent advances in transition metal oxides with different dimensions as electrodes for high-performance supercapacitors | 10.1007/s42114-021-00358-2 |
2021-12-01 | Durability indicators of products operating in extreme conditions largely depend on their working part material properties, the properties of the surface layer in particular. For the purposeful formation of these properties, the method of the surface layer exposure to a gas discharge of low-temperature plasma formed by the interaction of microwave electromagnetic and electrostatic fields has been developed directly around the product surface. As a result of this impact, a significantly harder structure may form in the surface layer due to consolidation of the surface layer material. The paper presents a study performed to answer the question about the mechanism that leads to the consolidation. The results showed that this mechanism is mostly related to local thermal effect on the surface layer that occurs due to the neutralization of negative ions, molecules, and molecular complexes formed in plasma. Ion formation depends on the appearance of slow electrons with energy of about 0–3.5 eV in the plasma. Maximum mechanism impact is achieved while ensuring a high rate of negative ion and molecule formation and attaining their maximum concentration on the surface. In this regard, to ensure the formation of negative ions and molecules, it is necessary, firstly, to select a technological mixture of gases in which plasma effects the surface so that it contains atoms and molecules that have high electron affinity, and secondly, to control the energy level of the microwave electromagnetic field. Practical implementation of these recommendations allowed the average 2.0–2.3-fold increase of the real product endurance. | Low-temperature plasma technique for skin structure consolidation | 10.1007/s00170-021-07041-2 |
2021-12-01 | Fluorite, a kind of critical non-metallic minerals, is the primary source of industrial fluorine. Sodium oleate (SO) is commonly used as the collector of fluorite ores. However, because of its some features (such as the low solubility, high solidifying point, and poor dispersion of SO) at low temperatures, it profoundly inhibits its collecting ability as well as the flotation performance. Herein, we have developed a low-temperature-resistant collector for the efficient flotation separation of fluorite from quartz. The advantages and disadvantages of the SO and sodium petroleum sulfonate (SPS) were analyzed by comparing the performance under different temperature conditions. The results of flotation tests suggest that SPS exhibited much better collecting performance than SO under low temperature. The flotation mechanism of the two collecting agents were further analyzed by contact angle measurements, zeta potential measurements, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and flotation kinetics. The results indicated that both collectors can selectively undergo electrostatic and chemical adsorption with fluorite, with no adsorption on quartz surface. The sulfonic acid group in SPS is a hydrophilic functional group, which has a relatively higher solubility in water. Therefore, the water solubility of SPS is better at low temperatures. | Comparison of Sodium Oleate and Sodium Petroleum Sulfonate for Low-Temperature Flotation of Fluorite and the Collecting Mechanisms | 10.1007/s42461-021-00494-9 |
2021-12-01 | In response to high-temperature corrosion after low NO x transformation with separate over fire air (SOFA), combined arrangement of corner and wall tangential firing burners, as well as anti-tangential and deflecting air technology are studied. Numerical simulation with realizable $$k-\varepsilon$$ k - ε two equation and Non-premixed combustion including probability density function model (PDF) is carefully adopted. Result conveys that application of combined arrangement can remarkably reduce the tangent circle in the furnace, lowering the probability that coal particles might strike the furnace wall. Also, lower CO and temperature near the wall would greatly decelerate the high-temperature corrosion. Further studies conclusively show that the performance has no linear relation to the angle in deviation cases. If properly arranged, combined burners layouts behave better than deviation (including anti-tangential) methods in restraint of high-temperature corrosion. All the technologies play effective roles in NO x reduction that the best-performing anti-tangential case 4 has a 50.7% drop from original case. Remission of high-temperature corrosion will have great economic and security importance. | Numerical investigation on the optimized arrangement for high-temperature corrosion after low NOx transformation | 10.1007/s10973-021-10734-1 |
2021-12-01 | Maize is a low-temperature (LT)-sensitive plant and its physiological responses towards LT of temperate regions developed is an adaptive trait. To further our understanding about the response of maize to LT at the physiological and photosynthesis level, we conducted Infrared Gas Analysis (IRGA using LICOR6400-XT in 45-day-old grown two maize genotypes, one from temperate region (Gurez-Kashmir Himalayas), viz., Gurez local (Gz local), and another from tropics (Gujarat), viz., GM6. This study was carried out to evaluate the underlying physiological mechanisms in the two differentially temperature-tolerant maize genotypes. Net photosynthetic rate ( A / P N ), 18.253 in Gz local and 25.587 (µmol CO 2 m −2 s −1 ) in GM6; leaf conductance (gs), 0.0102 in Gz local and 0.0566 (mmol H 2 O m −2 s −1 ) in GM6; transpiration rate (E), 0.5371 in Gz local and 2.9409 (mmol H 2 O m −2 s −1 ) in GM6; and water use efficiency (WUE), 33.9852 in Gz local and 8.7224 (µmol CO 2 mmol H 2 O −1 ) in GM6, were recorded under ambient conditions. Also, photochemical efficiency of photosystem II (PSII) ( F v / F m ), 0.675 in Gz local and 0.705 in GM6; maximum photochemical efficiency ( F v ′/ F m ′), 0.310234 in Gz local and 0.401391 in GM6; photochemical quenching (qP), 0.2375 in Gz local and 0.2609 in GM6; non-photochemical quenching (NPQ), 2.0036 in Gz local and 1.1686 in GM6; effective yield of PSII (ФPSII), 0.0789 in Gz local and 0.099 in GM6; and electron transport rate (ETR), 55.3152 in Gz local and 68.112 in GM6, were also evaluated in addition to various response curves, like light intensities and temperature. We observed that light response curves show the saturation light intensity requirement of 1600 µmol for both the genotypes, whereas temperature response curves showed the optimum temperature requirement for Gz local as 20 °C and for GM6 it was found to be 35 °C. The results obtained for each individual parameter and other correlational studies indicate that IRGA forms a promising route for quick and reliable screening of various stress-tolerant valuable genotypes, forming the first study of its kind. | Combined gas exchange characteristics, chlorophyll fluorescence and response curves as selection traits for temperature tolerance in maize genotypes | 10.1007/s11120-021-00829-z |
2021-12-01 | The vacuum carbothermal reduction behavior of low-grade phosphate ore was examined using coke powder as a reducing agent. The findings show that the reduction ratio of phosphate ore and the volatilization ratio of P increased with increasing temperature and holding time, of which the reduction temperature had a more significant influence on the reduction degree compared with the holding time. Above 1250 °C, the reaction rate was very high, but after 30 min, the rate of reaction began to slow. At 1080 °C, Ca 5 (PO 4 ) 3 F first reacted with a small amount of SiO 2 in the ore sample to form Ca 3 (PO 4 ) 2 , CaSiO 3 , and SiF 4 (escaped in the form of gas), and Ca 3 (PO 4 ) 2 was subsequently reduced by C. When the temperature reached 1300 °C, a large amount of Ca 5 (PO 4 ) 3 F in the phosphate rock started to react with C to produce CaO, P 2 (g), CO (g), and CaF 2 . Via the mutual verification trial-and-error method, it was concluded that the unitary reduction process was under the control of the shrinking core model and diffusion, and the activation energies of the unitary reduction were 124.67 kJ/mol and 265.9 kJ/mol. Meanwhile, the volatilization of P was under the control of the diffusion and shrinking core model, and the activation energies were 604.77 kJ/mol and 339.49 kJ/mol. Graphical Abstract | Experimental Approach for the Characterization of Low-Grade Phosphate Ore Performance in Isothermal Conditions | 10.1007/s40831-021-00451-2 |
2021-12-01 | Most of the reported coal spontaneous combustion events occur in surface and underground mines where low rank coals (i.e., subbituminous and lower for this particular studies) are extracted indicating their high propensities for spontaneous combustion. Low rank coals have high moisture content (15 to 45%) and are capable of absorbing more moisture in dried condition. However, it is hard to induce the initial stage of self-heating process for the low rank coal using the current laboratory R 70 testing method — a method widely used in the coal industry. Like a sponge, dry low rank coals can absorb water vapor in the air while the heat contained in the moist air is transferred to coal and served as the required activation energy to initiate the coal self-heating process. In order to prove this theorem and quantify the effects, the R 70 adiabatic oxidation testing method has been improved to introduce a controlled moist flow into the coal reaction vessel. Tests using the new method and its setup on low rank coals showed that the initial self-heating process of coal sample can be greatly accelerated by the added water vapor — impossible with the regular R 70 method. Once the self-heating is sustained, the removal of air moisture can further accelerate the process. | Improved R70 Method for Evaluating Heat of Wetting Effects on Low Rank Coal’s Self-heating Process | 10.1007/s42461-021-00487-8 |
2021-12-01 | A crosshead slipper-guide system, which bears a significant thrust force, is an essential friction pair in low-speed marine diesel engines. Owing to the low moving speed of the crosshead slipper during engine startup, it is difficult to form good hydrodynamic lubrication between the crosshead slipper and guide. Therefore, a detailed analysis of the crosshead slipper during engine startup is needed. In this study, a new transient tribo-dynamic model for a crosshead slipper during the engine startup process is presented. The model consists of a mixed lubrication model of the crosshead slipper-guide and dynamic models of the piston assembly, crosshead assembly, connecting rod, and crankshaft. The tribo-dynamic performances of the crosshead slipper during startup and under the rated conditions were simulated and compared. The results show that the tribo-dynamics of the crosshead slipper during the startup process are significantly different from those under the rated conditions. Some measures beneficial for the low friction of a crosshead slipper-guide under the rated conditions may significantly increase the friction loss of the crosshead slipper-guide system during the startup process. | Transient tribo-dynamic analysis of crosshead slipper in low-speed marine diesel engines during engine startup | 10.1007/s40544-020-0433-9 |
2021-12-01 | Inspired by nature, biomass-derived carbon has become a representative electromagnetic wave absorption (EMA) material due to its advantages of economy, renewability, and environmental protection. However, it is a challenge to make further breakthroughs in effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) and filling ratio. In this work, utilizing sustainable biomass Typha orientalis as a template, the hierarchically mace-like carbon fiber/ZnO nanorod composite (BDCFs@ZnO) was reasonably constructed to obtain the enhanced EMA performance for the first time. As a typical dielectric-loss absorber, the hollow structure of BDCFs and the construction of the interconnected conductive network contribute to conduction loss and multiple reflections. The ZnO nanorods grew uniformly on the surface of BDCFs, favoring impedance matching and interface polarization. Moreover, the oriented ZnO nanorods possess abundant inherent polar surfaces, promoting polarization loss. Remarkably, BDCFs@ZnO exhibits an exceptional RL of − 62.35 dB at 14.12 GHz under a matching thickness of 2.29mm when the filling ratio is only 15 wt%. Additionally, the EAB can reach 6.8 GHz, covering almost the whole Ku band. The excellent EMA performance stems from the synergetic action of conduction loss, multiple reflection, dipole polarization, and interfacial polarization. This work provides an essential strategy for the construction of hierarchical carbon-based materials and inspires the design of biomass-derived electromagnetic wave absorbers. Graphical abstract Mace-like carbon fiber/ZnO nanorod composites derived from Typha orientalis as ultralight and high-performance electromagnetic wave absorber | Mace-like carbon fiber/ZnO nanorod composite derived from Typha orientalis for lightweight and high-efficient electromagnetic wave absorber | 10.1007/s42114-021-00277-2 |
2021-12-01 | The broad emission and high photoluminescence quantum yield of self-trapped exciton (STE) radiative recombination emitters make them an ideal solution for single-substrate, white, solid-state lighting sources. Unlike impurities and defects in semiconductors, the formation of STEs requires a lattice distortion, along with strong electron-phonon coupling, in low electron-dimensional materials. The photoluminescence of inorganic copper(I) metal halides with low electron-dimensionality has been found to be the result of STEs. These materials were of significant interest because of their lead-free, all-inorganic structures, and high luminous efficiencies. In this paper, we summarize the luminescence characteristics of zero- and one-dimensional inorganic copper(I) metal halides with STEs to provide an overview of future research opportunities. | Self-trapped exciton emission in inorganic copper(I) metal halides | 10.1007/s12200-021-1133-4 |
2021-12-01 | Abstract The goal of the study is determination of the regularities of changes in cyclic strains and related deformation diagrams attributed to the existence of time dwells in the loading modes and imposition of additional variable stresses on them. Analysis of the obtained experimental data on the kinetics of cyclic elastoplastic deformation diagrams and their parameters revealed that, in contrast to regular cyclic loading (equal in stresses), additional deformations of static and dynamic creep are developed. The results of the studies are especially relevant for assessing the cyclic strength of unique extremely loaded objects of technology, including nuclear power equipment, units of aviation and space systems, etc. The experiments were carried out on samples of austenitic stainless steel under low-cycle loading and high temperatures of testing. Static and dynamic creep deformations arising under those loading conditions promote an increase in the range of cyclic plastic strain in each loading cycle and also stimulate an increase in the range of elastoplastic strain owing to active cyclic deformation. At the same time, the existence of dwells on extrema of stresses in cycles without imposition of additional variable stresses on them most strongly affects the growth of plastic strain ranges in cycles. Imposition of additional variable stresses on dwells also results in the development of creep strains, but their growth turns out to be somewhat less than in the presence of dwells without stresses imposed. The diagrams of cyclic deformation obtained in the experiments are approximated by power dependences, their kinetics being described in terms of the number of loading cycles using corresponding temperature–time functions. At the same time, it is shown that increase in the cyclic plastic deformation for cycles with dwells and imposition of additional variable stresses on them decreases low cycle fatigue life compared to regular loading without dwells at the same stress amplitudes; moreover, the higher the values of static and dynamic creep, the greater decrease in low-cycle fatigue life. This conclusion results from experimental data and analysis of conditions of damage accumulation for the considered forms of the loading cycle using the deformation criterion of reaching the limit state leading to fracture. | Features of the Kinetics of Cyclic Elastoplastic Deformation Diagrams at Dwells in Cycles and Superimposition of Variable Stresses on Them | 10.1134/S0020168521150073 |
2021-12-01 | The inappropriate disposal of plastic waste causes serious environmental problems. Nowadays, alternative processes are being studied for the sustainable reutilization of plastics. One of these options is the cracking into shorter liquid hydrocarbon fractions, while maintaining its basic chemical structure. The energetic potential from the original plastics structure remains and the fractions can be used as fuels and chemical precursors. This research addresses the kinetic study of thermal cracking of polypropylene (PP) and high- and low-density polyethylene (HDPE and LDPE) in a batch reactor. The kinetics of the reaction can be described as a first-order rate with the lowest activation energy using PP, followed by HDPE and LDPE with values of 367.28 kJ/mol, 453.37 kJ/mol and 457.96 kJ/mol, respectively. The yield obtained for the liquid fraction is highest for LDPE, with a value of 72% at 390 °C, followed by HDPE and PP with 69% and 62% at 375 °C. The liquid fractions obtained from the process were characterized according to ASTM standards, obtaining that LDPE and HDPE fractions have similar properties to diesel, while PP is closer to gasoline. The fractions were also analyzed by means of gas chromatography identifying the main products of the reaction and establishing a possible reaction mechanism. | Conversion of PP, HDPE and LDPE Plastics into Liquid Fuels and Chemical Precursors by Thermal Cracking | 10.1007/s10924-021-02150-1 |
2021-12-01 | A multidisciplinary approach combining multiscale geological-structural analyses (from field to microscale) and clay mineral transformations (clay mineralogy, illite and chlorite “crystallinity” and b cell dimension ( b 0 ) of K-white mica) was adopted to unravel the tectono-metamorphic evolution of low- and very low-grade tectono-metamorphic units from the Intra-Pontide suture zone in northern Turkey. The mineralogical study allowed to better evaluate the structural stacking outlined during the geological mapping, leading to distinguish three tectono-metamorphic units, two in epizone (Daday and Emirköy units) and one in anchizone (Çifter Unit) metamorphic conditions. The mesostructural and microstructural analyses suggest a polyphase tectonic-metamorphic evolution. The different macroscopic features observed between the two units characterized by the same epizone metamorphism, can be justified by the evidence that these metamorphic conditions were acquired during the last stages of exhumation in the Daday Unit, while they constrained the metamorphic-peak conditions in the Emirköy Unit. Contemporary analyses and comparison between structural and mineralogical data have thus proven to be a powerful tool to investigate the low-grade and very low-grade metamorphic environments, allowing at the same time to solve the apparent contradictions deriving from the mineralogical study and to significantly improve the detail of the geological mapping in the field. | Geological, Structural and Mineralogical Approach to Investigate the Evolution of Low- and very Low-Grade Metamorphic Units from the Intra-Pontide Suture Zone, Central Pontides, Turkey | 10.1007/s12583-021-1445-8 |
2021-12-01 | Abstract The Au/CeO 2 composite catalyst is prepared by pulsed laser ablation in liquid (PLAL). Dispersions of gold and cerium are prepared in alcohol and water, respectively, mixed, dried, and annealed at various temperatures: 450 °C, 600 °C, 800 °C. It is shown by a number of physical methods (XPS, XRD, HRTEM, Raman spectroscopy) that a contact interaction between gold and cerium oxide particles is formed as a result of annealing in air or upon exposure to a reaction medium. The XPS data indicate that, along with metal particles, there is an ionic gold state with E b (Au4 f 7/2 ) = 85.3 eV. According to the Raman spectroscopy data (λ = 785 nm), CeO 2 nanoparticles are highly defective and that gold clusters are stabilized on vacancies in the cerium oxide lattice. Catalytic tests in the CO+O 2 reaction show that annealing at 450-600 °C in air or in the reaction medium activates the catalysts and initiates intense low-temperature activity. The calculated values of the active site turnover frequency (TOF) are 0.08 s –1 at 0 °C and 0.17 s –1 at 20 °C. According to the XRD and XPS data, annealing the sample at 800°C leads to its complete reduction and to the sintering of gold into large particles resulting in a loss of low-temperature activity. | ACTIVATION OF Au–CeO2 COMPOSITES PREPARED BY PULSED LASER ABLATION IN THE REACTION OF LOW-TEMPERATURE CO OXIDATION | 10.1134/S0022476621120118 |
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