Search Results (6,378)

Utilization of waste tires via pyrolysis is a promising solution. The liquid hydrocarbons generated during this process could be used for enhancing low-reactivity coals for energy application. Current study investigates oxidation and combustion characteristics (including composition of gaseous combustion products) of low-reactivity coal mixed with liquid hydrocarbons from pyrolysis of waste tires with a concentration up to 20%wt at 700 °C. The oxidation tests via TG-analyzer revealed that at heating rates up to 10 °C/min, the process had one stage, associated with combined oxidation of coal-liquid hydrocarbons mixture. Starting from 10 °C/min the second stage occurred at temperature ~400 °C due to evaporation of light components of the mixture. Combustion tests at experimental setup at 700 °C revealed almost linear increase in fuel reactivity, expressed into decline in ignition delay time of mixtures (up to 71.6%) with increasing concentration of liquid hydrocarbons, while flame and diffusion combustion times were, in contrast, increasing (by up to 69.5%). Increasing concentration of additives from 2.5 to 20%wt resulted not only in change in the form of obtained mixture but also changed the combustion mechanism from predominantly heterogeneous smoldering to majorly homogeneous gas-phase ignition and combustion. Gas-phase combustion products concentration curves generally complimented previously observed peculiarities of combustion. Increased CO and NO_x concentrations in combustion products of coal mixed with liquid hydrocarbons revealed necessity in additional tailoring of burner characteristics for mitigating these effects. The compromise composition of mixture was found to include 10%wt of liquid hydrocarbons for enabling quick gas-phase ignition while maintaining moderate level of combustion products emissions. Full article

Recent deep learning methods have achieved promising performance in infrared small target detection (IRSTD) but with high computational cost, limiting deployment or operation on resource-limited scenarios. There is an urgent need to develop both lightweight and high-precision model compression methods. In this paper, we propose a Multi-Directional Contrast Spatial Attention-driven Feature Distillation (DSAD) method for achieving quick and high-performance IRSTD. Specifically, we first extract feature maps from teacher and student networks. Then, a standard Gaussian transformation is adopted to eliminate magnitude effects. After that, a Multi-Directional Contrast Spatial Attention (DSA) is designed to capture multi-directional spatial information from teacher features, which can make student networks pay more attention to small target areas while suppressing background. Finally, we propose a Perceptual Weighted Mean Square Error (PWMSE) distillation loss by combining the DSA with feature discrepancies, guiding student networks to learn more effective information from small target features. Experimental results on the two benchmark datasets (e.g., NUDT-SIRST and NUAA-SIRST) demonstrate that our distillation method can achieve remarkable detection performance compared with the teacher counterparts on several benchmark IRSTD networks (e.g., DNANet, AMFU-Net, and DMFNet) and introduce consistent gains in inference speed (i.e., 2× more) on edge devices (NVIDIA AGX and HUAWEI Ascend-310B). Full article

Common polymeric materials (neat polymers) are quite well known, and their properties are often available in appropriate material databases. However, material data, e.g., rheological data, for materials such as polymer blends, polymer composites (including wood plastic composites), and filled plastics are simply lacking in material databases. This paper addresses the problem of determining viscosity curves for one of the most widely used advanced polymeric materials: wood plastic composites. Studies were conducted in laboratory and production settings, i.e., on-line. Laboratory tests were conducted in two ways: on the basis of classical rheometric measurements, i.e., High-Pressure Capillary Rheometry (HPCR), and on the basis of Melt Flow Index (MFI) measurements, also including tests based on a limited number of measurement points. Tests in production conditions, i.e., on-line, were conducted during the extrusion process using the measurement of the process output (material flow rate) and pressure in a specialized extrusion die. The test results (viscosity curves) obtained from Melt Flow Index (MFI) measurements and on-line measurements were presented and evaluated against the background of the results (viscosity curves) obtained from classical capillary rheometry measurements (HPCR). Due to the lack of rheological data of wood plastic composites in available databases, in-house research methods based on the two-point viscosity curve determination in the plastometric (MFI) tests and the tests under production conditions, that is, on-line, have been proposed. The two-point method, based on the power law model, is quick and easy to implement, and allows for solving many polymer processing issues analytically. On-line tests have the significant advantage of being conducted under the actual flow conditions of the tested material, rather than under laboratory conditions, as is the case with rheometric and plastometric tests, which do not take into account the processing history of the tested material. The issues of rheology and modeling of wood plastic composite processing, e.g., extrusion and injection molding, which have not yet been resolved and require practical solutions, were also discussed. The results of this part of the study (viscosity curves and models) will be used in the second part of the study to evaluate the impact of rheological testing methods and rheological models on the accuracy of process modeling (extrusion). Full article

Aflatoxins, which are potentially genotoxic and carcinogenic substances, are mainly produced by the Aspergillus section Flavi, including Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus. Current Aspergillus spp. detection is often based on molecular methods, such as real-time PCR and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), targeting genes of the aflatoxin biosynthetic cluster. In this study, we developed a Lab-on-a-Chip (LoC) method based on real-time PCR and on LAMP for the specific detection of aflatoxigenic strains of A. flavus and A. parasiticus from infected hazelnuts. LoC-LAMP and LoC-real-time PCR assays were tested in terms of specificity, sensitivity, speed, and repeatability. The microfluidic chip allowed quick, specific, sensitive, simple, automatized, cheap, and user-friendly detection of aflatoxigenic strains of A. flavus and A. parasiticus. The LoC-LAMP showed a limit of detection (LOD) of 10 fg of DNA, while the LoC-real-time PCR showed a LOD of 10 pg of DNA. Achieving comparable sensitivity to that of LAMP and real-time PCR techniques, both LoC methods developed in this work offer the advantages of automation, minimal sample requirements, reagent requirements, and cost-effectiveness. Overall, the developed methods open the perspective for alternative monitoring of aflatoxigenic fungi in the agri-food industry. Full article

Background/Objectives: Composite resins are widely used restorative materials, but their surface properties may be altered by bleaching procedures. This study aimed to compare the effects of two bleaching techniques—light-activated (zoom) and diode laser-activated—on the surface roughness of nanohybrid and microhybrid composites using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) for topographic evaluation. Methods: A total of 60 composite resin disks were fabricated, with 30 nanohybrid and 30 microhybrid samples. Each type was divided into three subgroups: control, zoom bleaching, and laser bleaching (n = 10 per group). Zoom bleaching employed 40% hydrogen peroxide gel activated by the Philips Zoom system, while laser bleaching used a 940 nm diode laser (QuickLase, Kent, UK) in combination with QuickLase bleaching gel containing approximately 35–40% hydrogen peroxide. Surface roughness parameters (Sa) were measured using AFM, and statistical analysis was performed. Results: Both bleaching protocols increased surface roughness compared to controls. Microhybrid composites showed higher roughness after zoom (103.12 ± 19.25 nm) and laser bleaching (106.16 ± 25.21 nm), while nanohybrid composites had lower values after zoom (57.77 ± 13.88 nm) and laser bleaching (78.13 ± 23.29 nm). Significant differences were found between composite types post-bleaching (p < 0.001 for zoom; p = 0.019 for laser). However, differences between bleaching methods within the same composite type were not significant (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Both zoom and laser bleaching negatively affect composite surfaces, with laser bleaching showing a greater impact. Nanohybrid composites demonstrated superior resistance to surface alteration, suggesting better clinical durability. These findings are relevant for clinicians when planning restorative treatments in patients likely to undergo bleaching. Full article

The increase in global air traffic volumes has significant economic and ecological impacts. A key factor in this context is the development of the noise situation around airports. However, assessing the development of the noise situation at multiple airports simultaneously and in detail requires comprehensive calculations. Therefore, there is a strong need for a simple method to evaluate how the growth of air traffic affects the noise impact around airports, especially under considerations of different what-if scenarios. This can be achieved by assigning a noise-equivalent value to each aircraft that represents its noise impact. These noise points indicate how many movements of a reference aircraft would be required to produce approximately the same noise impact as one movement of the aircraft under consideration. The concept allows for an easy and quick assessment of aircraft noise by summing such noise points, because, as shown in this study, the noise point sum can directly be related to a change in noise levels and contour area. This article presents a promising method for determining noise points and applies it to aircraft groups from a recently proposed database of the German aircraft noise calculation method AzB. The noise point concept is verified at various airports, demonstrating its effectiveness in representing noise situations and developments. The differences of analyzed contour areas obtained via noise calculations and via the noise point concept remain below 3.6% over a generic 30-year forecast. Full article

Background/Objectives: Passing is the most frequent and impactful action in soccer. It requires players to control the ball and pass accurately with either foot, make quick decisions, and scan the field while under pressure. Using a recently developed series of passing tests that vary in complexity and scanning demands, we examined how a player’s choice of technique when controlling and passing the ball, along with their ability to scan effectively, influenced passing performance. Methods: Forty-five elite U12 and U13 players from a Brazilian academy completed three passing tests involving directional turns across 120°, 180°, and 360°. Each pass was video-coded based on foot orientation (back or front foot), foot dominance (dominant or nondominant), and pass direction (toward the dominant or nondominant side). The study tested whether (i) the most common technique used varied with pass direction due to a preference for the dominant foot, (ii) performance varied across foot techniques, and (iii) scanning prior to ball reception enhanced outcomes. Results: Players preferred techniques that used their dominant foot, such as controlling and passing with their back foot (back–back) when turning to the dominant side (58% in 120° and 57% in 180° tests) and controlling with their back foot and passing with the front (back–front) for the nondominant side (66% and 55%; χ² = 292.96 and 312.87, p < 0.001). However, using the dominant foot sometimes led to slower, less efficient actions. In the 120° test, back–front was the fastest technique (+1.11 passes/min vs. back–back), while front–back was the slowest (−4.20 passes/min, p < 0.001). In the 360° test, scanning improved turn accuracy (from 51% to 73%) and performance, resulting in 4.20 more passes/min, fewer control errors (11% vs. 31%), and fewer target misses (3% vs. 10%; all p < 0.001). Conclusions: These findings highlight the value of effective scanning and foot technique under varied conditions, and offers coaches a practical tool for player analysis, feedback, and development. Full article

With the quick development of network technology, the number of active IoT devices is growing rapidly. Numerous network scanning organizations have emerged to scan and detect network assets around the clock. This greatly facilitates illegal cyberattacks and adversely affects cybersecurity. Therefore, it is important to discover and identify network scanning organizations on the Internet. Motivated by this, we propose a network scanning organization discovery method based on a graph convolutional neural network, which can effectively cluster out network scanning organizations. First, we constructed a network scanning attribute graph to represent the topological relationship between network scanning behaviors and targets. Then, we extract the deep feature relationships in the attribute graph via graph convolutional neural network and perform clustering to get network scanning organizations. Finally, the effectiveness of the method proposed in this paper is experimentally verified with an accuracy of 83.41% for the identification of network scanning organizations. Full article

This work shows that inverse Judd–Ofelt (JO) analysis of relative absorption spectra, anchored by a single lifetime, provides JO parameters and radiative rates without absolute calibration. The method is applied to Er³⁺, Dy³⁺, and Sm³⁺ in a compositionally identical oxyfluoride glass. Three well-resolved ground-state 4f–4f absorption bands were selected. After baseline removal and wavenumber-domain integration, their normalized strengths S_rel,k (k = 1, 2, 3; k∈S) define a 3 × 3 system solved by non-negative least squares to obtain the anchor-independent ordering (Ω₂:Ω₄:Ω₆). Absolute scaling uses a single lifetime anchor. We report lifetime-scaled Ω_t and A_rad, and the normalized fractions p_k within the selected triplets; as imposed by the method, the anchor-independent ordering (Ω₂:Ω₄:Ω₆) is analyzed, while absolute A_rad and Ω_t scale with τ_ref. The extracted parameters fall within the expected ranges for oxyfluoride hosts and reveal clear ion-specific trends: Ω₂ follows Dy³⁺ > Er³⁺ > Sm³⁺ (site asymmetry/hypersensitive response), while the ordering Ω₄ > Ω₆ holds across all ions (oxide-rich networks). Er³⁺ exhibits the largest Ω₄ and the smallest Ω₆, indicative of pronounced medium-range “rigidity” with suppressed long-range polarizability; Sm³⁺ shows the lowest Ω₂ (more symmetric/less covalent coordination); and Dy³⁺ the highest Ω₂ (strong hypersensitive behavior). Uncertainty was quantified by Monte Carlo resampling of the preprocessing steps, yielding compact 95% confidence intervals; the resulting JO-parameter trends (Ω₂, Ω₄, Ω₆) and normalized f_k fractions reproduce the characteristic spectroscopic behavior known for each ion. This method enables quantitative JO outputs from uncalibrated spectra, allowing direct spectroscopic comparisons and quick screening when only relative absorption data are available. Full article

Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) involves plenty of genetic disorders in organisms that can be passed down to the next generation or cause the stimulant signal that leads to early mortality in infants, especially within humankind. In medical field, real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is the most popular method for disease diagnosis. The investigation of genetic maps for the prediction of inherited illnesses needs the collaboration of sequencing technique and genome analysis. Although these methods are popular now, the cost for each test is quite high. Moreover, there is the requirement of extra machines and skillful technician or specialist level. Among these popular methods, the allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (AS-PCR), allele-specific loop isothermal mediated amplification (AS-LAMP), and allele-specific recombinase polymerase amplification (AS-RPA) are brought up for screening the nucleotide differences in the genetic sequence which will be noticed in this review as their availability, novelty, and potential for quick distinguishing of disease caused by SNP. Point-of-care testing (POCT) is a system built in a portable size but can perform the entire process of SNP recognition. Along with that, the POCT is intersected with the mentioned amplification methods and the genetic material preparation steps to become a united framework for higher efficiency and accuracy and lower cost. According to that, this review will focus on three common amplification techniques and their combination with POCT in the upstream and downstream process to genotype SNP related to human diseases. Full article

Background: Upper-extremity morbidity after breast cancer surgery—including pain, lymphedema, and restricted shoulder range of motion—often develops gradually, emerging months after treatment and limiting daily activities. We aimed to characterize morbidity trajectories, physical therapy utilization, and predictors of physical therapy use. Methods: A retrospective multicenter cohort included 1602 women treated with breast surgery 0–36 months earlier. Patient-reported outcomes included Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (QuickDASH), pain, range of motion limitation, axillary web syndrome, and lymphedema. Clinical variables included surgery type and nodal procedure. Outcomes were summarized across four postoperative windows (0–6, 7–12, 13–24, 25–36 months). Logistic and multinomial regression identified predictors of physical therapy uptake and timing (early, ≤3 months vs. late, >3 months; No physical therapy). Results: Anxiety declined across postoperative windows (p < 0.001), and axillary web syndrome decreased from early to later periods (p < 0.001). In contrast, range of motion restriction and decreased function remained common without significant differences between windows (p = 0.145 and p = 0.273). Pain was generally low-to-moderate by median [interquartile range], with a modest rise at 7–12 months (p < 0.001). In adjusted multinomial models (reference: Early physical therapy ≤ 3 months), higher pain was associated with No physical therapy and Late physical therapy (both p < 0.05); lymphedema with No PT and Late physical therapy (both p < 0.05); and axillary web syndrome with Late physical therapy (p = 0.001). Other symptoms (range of motion, function level, anxiety and physical activity) were not independently associated with physical therapy timing. Conclusions: Long-term postoperative morbidity is common. Early assessment and structured follow-up can mitigate its impact and should be embedded as core elements of survivorship health-promotion policy. Full article

Sepsis represents a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection, and is considered a medical emergency. Therefore, quick diagnosis and treatment are required in order to improve survivability. Currently, patient evaluation in sepsis is based on the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score to determine the severity of the disease; however, novel biomarkers are also actively researched with the aim to develop quicker diagnostic tools and better therapy. Endothelin-1 is one of the most potent vasoconstrictors found in the human body and is involved in the pathophysiology of both sepsis and other conditions involving organs that make up the SOFA score. In this narrative review, we aimed to gather information of this peptide’s multiple effects and to help determine whether or not it could prove a valuable biomarker in the evaluation of patients with multi-organ dysfunction in sepsis. Full article

Continued population growth demands a significant increase in agricultural production to ensure food security. However, agricultural output is limited by environmental crises and the negative impacts of open-field farm practices. As an alternative, vertical farming techniques, such as aeroponics, can be utilized to optimize the use of resources. However, the uneven size and distribution of spray droplets in aeroponics, issues that affect root development and nutrient delivery, continue to be problematic in spray performance analysis. In aeroponics, nutrient solutions are delivered to plant roots through pressurized nozzles, and the effectiveness of this delivery depends on the spray characteristics. Variations in flow rates directly affect droplet size, density, and coverage, which in turn influence nutrient uptake and crop growth. In this study, the flow rate was adjusted (3, 4.5, and 6 L/min) to quantitatively analyze spray performance using water-sensitive paper (WSP) as a deposit collector via a quick assessment method. Subsequently, image-processing techniques such as threshold segmentation and morphological operations were applied to isolate individual spray droplets on the WSP images. This technique enabled the quantification of the droplet’s coverage area, size, density, and uniformity to effectively evaluate spray performance. One-way ANOVA indicated that all the spray parameters varied significantly with respect to the flow rate (p < 0.05): For example, the average diameters of the droplets increased from 0.73 mm at 3 L/min to 1.29 mm at 6 L/min. The droplets’ densities decreased from 85.53 drops/cm² to 30.00 drops/cm² across the same flow range. The average uniformity index improved from 30.53 to 15.95 as the flow rate increased. These results indicate that the application of WSP is an effective and scalable approach for analyzing spray performance in aeroponics, as WSP can be rapidly digitized with simple tools, such as a cell phone camera, avoiding the limitations of flatbed scanners or specialized imaging systems. Full article

The interference fit connection with slug rivets is widely used in aircraft assembly, and an appropriate interference value is vital for aircraft structural integrity. This study proposed a prediction–optimization framework that a deep neural network (DNN) surrogate was trained on a parametric finite element dataset to regress four interference measurements (G1–G4), and the trained DNN was embedded into a genetic algorithm (GA) to search process parameters that meet prescribed target interference. An orthogonal design with range analysis was employed to rank factor importance and provide interpretable trends, while finite element model (FEM) re-runs were used for validation. Compared with support vector regression, random-forest regression, and Bayesian regression, the DNN demonstrated superior fitting accuracy and a more favorable error distribution on held-out data. GA solutions obtained using the DNN surrogate achieved the target interference with a maximum relative deviation of 9.75%, confirming the effectiveness of the proposed workflow for rapid, physics-consistent interference control. The contributions of the study were as follows: (i) an end-to-end, quick-response, reproducible FEM→DNN→GA pipeline for slug-rivet interference; (ii) quantitative factor ranking with mechanistic interpretation; and (iii) minute-scale parameter optimization suitable for engineering deployment. Full article

Osteoarthritis (OA) in the trapeziometacarpal joint (TM) is a prevalent form of hand OA, yet research on biomarkers specific to hand OA remains limited. This study aims to identify systemic plasma biomarkers at baseline in TM OA patients that are associated with patient-reported outcomes one year post-treatment. Blood samples and clinical data were collected prospectively from 143 TM OA patients undergoing conservative therapy, fat grafting, or surgery, with one-year follow-up. Supervised machine learning with Lasso regularization analyzed associations among 10 systemic biomarkers related to cartilage turnover, bone remodeling, pain, or lipid metabolism. Generalized estimating equation models evaluated baseline biomarker associations with one-year outcomes. Patients averaged 61 years, were mostly female (69%), and were primarily treated conservatively (47%). The machine learning model identified associations between outcomes and biomarkers, including PIIANP, Visfatin, adiponectin, and leptin. Adjusted analyses revealed baseline PIIANP associated with VAS, QuickDASH, and TASD improvements, while Visfatin correlated with VAS worsening. We could identify two different plasma markers that could predict the clinical outcome of TM OA treatment. Baseline PIIANP is associated with improvement, while Visfatin is associated with worsening in TM OA outcomes up to one year post-treatment. Further prospective studies are needed to confirm and solidify these findings. Full article