Microstructured optical fibres (MOFs) are a new type of optical fibres that possess a wide range of optical properties and many advantages over common optical fibres. Those are provided by unique structures defined by a pattern of periodic or quasi-periodic arrangement of air holes that run through the fibre length. In recent years, MOFs have opened up new possibilities in the field of optics and photonics, enabling the development of advanced devices and novel optical systems for different applications. The key application areas of PCFs vary from telecommunications and high-power energy transmission to quantum optics and sensing. The stack-and-draw method is a standard manufacturing technique for MOFs, where a preform is first manually created and then drawn in a high-tech furnace into a fibre with the required final dimensions and position of the air holes. Since in the manufacturing process experimenters can control only a few parameters, mathematical models and numerical simulations of the drawing process are highly requested. They not only allow to deepen the understanding of physical phenomena occurring during the drawing process, but they also accurately predict the final cross-section shape and size of the fibre. In this manuscript, we assume thermal equilibrium between the furnace and the fibre and propose a functional form of the fibre temperature distribution. We utilise it with asymptotic mass, momentum, and evolution equations for free surfaces already available in the literature to describe the process of fibre drawing. By doing so, the complex heat exchange problem between the fibre and the furnace need not be solved. The numerical results of the whole asymptotic model overall agree well with experimental data available in the literature, both for the case of annular capillaries and for the case of holey fibres.

The paper discusses how joint damage and deterioration affect the seismic response of existing reinforced concrete frames with sub-standard beam-column joints. The available simplified modeling techniques are critically reviewed to propose a robust, yet computationally efficient technique for simulating the nonlinear behavior of substandard beam-column joints. Improvements over the existing models include simulation of the cyclic deterioration of joint stiffness and strength as well as pinching in the hysteretic response, implemented considering a deteriorating hysteretic rule. A fibre-section forced-based inelastic beam-column element is developed; considering improved material models and fixed-end rotation due to bond failure, rebars-slip and inelastic extension, to simulate the deteriorating cyclic behavior of existing pre-cracked beam-column members. For the assessment of frames with substandard exterior beam-column joints, a nonlinear model for the exterior joint is developed and validated through a full-scale quasi-static cyclic test performed on a substandard T-joint connection. The proposed model allows considering structural performance in risk assessment while accounting for true inelastic mechanisms at the joints.

Fibre reinforced concrete (FRC) has become an alternative for structural applications due its outstanding mechanical properties. The appearance of new types of fibres and the fibre cocktails that can be configured mixing them has created FRC that clearly exceed the minimum mechanical properties required in the standards. Consequently, in order to take full advantage of the contribution of the fibres in construction projects, it is of great interest to have constitutive models that simulate the behaviour of the materials. This study aimed to simulate the fracture behaviour of five types of FRC, three with steel hooked fibres, one with a combination of two types of steel fibres and one with a combination of polyolefin fibres and two types of steel fibres, by means of an inverse analysis based on the cohesive crack approach. The results of the numerical simulations defined the softening functions of each FRC formulation and have pointed out the synergies that are created through use of fibre cocktails. The information obtained might suppose a remarkable advance for designers using high-performance FRC in structural elements.

The implementation of Boolean functions using Nano crossbar- based switching lattices has been suggested as a substitute for conventional CMOS-based approaches in digital circuits . This alternative may satisfy the needs of future electronic designs, con- sidering the expected end of Moore’s law. This study introduces CVM, a Crossbar-based circuit Verification through Modeling tech- nique

In the field of modeling social systems, the use of agent-based models (AM) has become a powerful tool for understanding processes occurring in society, in particular, for studying the spread of infections among the population. The agent model is based on a synthetic population consisting of agents, their interactions and sometimes the territory in which the interaction occurs. The choice of an appropriate method for creating such artificial populations and the selection of parameters becomes a key issue affecting the realism of the model and its ability to reflect real-world scenarios. This article delves into the interplay between agent-based modeling, synthetic population construction, and parameter selection, offering our insight into the complex process of modeling infectious disease dynamics. The review concludes with an exploration of extending the Covasim model [1] to experiments in computational epidemiology. Covasim, a dynamic transmission modeling tool, is known for its ability to adapt to different scenarios and offers predictive information critical for managing epidemiological situations. The Covasim model could include improvements to better simulate real-world epidemic conditions, including a revised transmission strategy to account for accumulation through daily contacts. In addition, we propose to add a module for intercity travel and a visualization package that will significantly expand the functionality of Covasim. These improvements make Covasim a more versatile and efficient tool for modeling and analyzing epidemic processes.

As part of the efforts to reduce the environmental impacts caused by the aviation sector, the use of bio-based instead of fossil-based materials has been assessed as a possible mitigation option. Natural Fibre Polymer Composites have proven to have a higher environmental performance in the automotive sector and are emerging as an option for weight reduction in aircraft. This study quantifies, though Life Cycle Assessment, the environmental performance of specific flax-based composite panels intended for aircrafts as interior fitting elements (i.e. partition panels, tray tables, baggage compartments) compared to a glass fibre/epoxy composite with a honeycomb core. Through system expansion, the fate of co-products issued from the production of the flax fibre technical textile used as reinforcement in the biocomposite material were considered in the assessment. Results showed that for an application in the aeronautics sector, the weight of the panels is the upmost critical parameter shaping the overall environmental performance of panels. Focusing on the panel production only, the biocomposite panel showed a higher environmental performance in the categories of climate change and marine eutrophication compared to the conventional panel, and the fire suppressant agent was identified as the main contributor to the environmental impacts of the bio-based panel. Yet these gains were negligible when considering the full life cycle of the panels, due to the higher weight (14%) of the bio-based panels; which is linked to the bio-based panel being at a prototype stage.In order to improve the environmental performance of the biocomposite panel and thus reduce its weight, it was shown relevant to optimize geometry of the panel itself, especially its core, so less resin could be used.

This study investigates the cyclic load application impact on fly ash-based geopolymer composites that are reinforced with a low amount of fibre reinforcement. For reinforcement purposes, PVA and steel fibres are used. For testing purposes, four geopolymer composite mixes were made, 3 of which had fibre reinforcement. Simultaneously specimens were tested for shrinkage, static load-induced creep, and cyclic load-induced creep. For static and cyclic creep testing, specimens were loaded with 20% of their strength. For cyclic creep testing, load application and release cycles were seven days long. When each cycle was introduced, the load was added in steps. In 5 minutes, by 25% steps of the necessary load, the specimens were loaded or unloaded. Only plain specimens show that static creep strains are within cyclic creep strains. For all the other specimens, the static load is higher than the cyclic load-induced creep amplitude. Also, 1% PVA fibre-reinforced specimens show the most elastic characteristics under cyclic load, and 1% steel fibre-reinforced specimens appear to be the most resistant to the cyclic load introduction.

Fibre reinforced cementitious materials (FRC) have become an attractive alternative for structural applications. Among such FRC, steel and polyolefin fibre reinforced concrete and glass fibre reinforced concrete are the most used ones. However, in order to exploit the properties of such materials structural designers need constitutive relations that reproduce FRC fracture behaviour accurately. This contribution analyses the suitability of multilinear softening functions combined with a cohesive crack approach for reproducing the fracture behaviour of the FRC previously mentioned. The implementation performed accurately simulates the fracture behaviour while being versatile, robust and efficient from a numerical point of view.

Polyolefin fibre reinforced concrete (PFRC) has become an attractive alternative to steel for the reinforcement of concrete elements mainly due to its chemical stability and the residual strengths that can be reached with lower weights. The use of polyolefin fibres can meet the requirements in the standards, although the main constitutive relations are based on the experience with steel fibres. Therefore, the structural contributions of the fibres should be assessed by inverse analysis. In this study, the fibre dosage has been fixed at 6kg/m³ and both self-compacting concrete and conventional concrete have been used to compare the influence of the positioning of the fibres. An idealized homogeneous distribution of the fibres with such fibres crossing from side to side of the specimen has been added to self-compacting concrete. The experimental results of three-point bending tests on notched specimens have been reproduced by using the cohesive crack approach. Hence, the constitutive relations were found. The significance of this research relies on the verification of the formulations found to build the constitutive relations. Moreover, with these results it is possible to establish the higher threshold of the performance of PFRC and the difficulties of limiting the first unloading branch typical of fracture tests of PFRC.

To date, most people prefer softer and stickier rice with high glycaemic index, which has led to the study of the association between the dietary fibre profile and the textural properties to balance between the eating quality, and health benefits. A slight variation was observed in the dietary fibre composition among rice varieties with different amylose content. The percentage of insoluble dietary fibre (IDF) in whole grain rice varied from 1.65–4.32 while the percentage of soluble dietary fibre (SDF) ranged from 0.26–1.37. We demonstrated that the SDF/IDF ratio was higher in soft texture rice with low amylose and it shared a negative correlation with hardness and chewiness of cooked whole grain rice determined by a texture analyser, which suggested that the distribution of SDF throughout the rice endosperm influences the reduction of the hardness of cooked rice. According to the importance of dietary fibre, we proposed a simple linear regression method to estimate the amount of IDF and total dietary fibre with r = 0.97 and 0.92, respectively, of whole grain rice based on its bran layer, determined by the alternative alkaline method. Furthermore, low amylose rice has higher content of -glucan and pectin, which are classified as soluble dietary fibre, than high amylose rice. The percentage of -glucan and pectin in whole grain rice ranged from 0.03 and 0.07 respectively, for high amylose rice to 0.14 and 0.27 respectively for low amylose rice,

In this paper is shown the dynamic modeling and design of a passivity based controller for the RV-3SB robot. Firstly, the dynamic modeling of the of the Mitsubishi Rv-3SB robot is done by the Euler-Lagrange formulation in order to obtain a decoupled dynamic model considering the actuators orientation besides the position of this analyzed robot. It is important to remark that the dynamic model of the RV-3SB robot is done based in the kinematic model obtention in which is developed by the implementation of screw theory. Then the passivity based controller is obtained by separating the end effector variables and the actuator variables by making an appropriate coordinate transformation. The passivity based controller is obtained by selecting an appropriate storage function and by the Lyapunov theory the passivity based control law is obtained in order to drive the error variaable, which is the difference between the measured end effector position variable and the end effector desired position variable. The passivity based controller makes that the error variable reach the origin in finite time taking into consideration the dissipation properties of the proposed controller in order to stabilizes the desired end effector position. A numerical simulation experiement is performed in order to validate the theoretical results obtained in this research study. It is verified by numerical experimentation that the proposed control strategy is efficient and effective in order to drive the error variable to the origin in comparison with other modified techniques found in the literature. Finally, the appropriate discussion and conclusion of this research study are provided.

Microbiomes, comprised of diverse microbial species and viruses, play pivotal roles in human health, environmental processes, and biotechnological applications and interact with themselves, their environment, and hosts via metabolites and signaling molecules. Our understanding of microbiomes is still limited and hampered by their complexity. A concept improving this understanding is systems biology, which focuses on the holistic description of biological systems utilizing experimental and computational methods. An important set of such experimental methods are metaomics methods which analyze microbiomes and output lists of molecular features. These lists of data are integrated, interpreted, and compiled into computational microbiome models, to predict, optimize, and control microbiome behavior. There exists a gap in understanding between microbiologists and modelers/bioinformaticians, stemming from a lack of interdisciplinary knowledge. This knowledge gap hinders the establishment of computational models in microbiome analysis. This review aims to bridge this gap and is tailored for microbiologists, researchers new to microbiome modeling, and bioinformaticians. To achieve this goal, it provides an interdisciplinary overview of microbiome modeling, starting with fundamental knowledge of microbiomes, metagenomics methods, and modeling formalisms. Furthermore, the review explains model building, examples of microbiome model applications for prediction, optimization, and control. It concludes with guidelines, software, and repositories for modeling. Each section provides entry-level information, serving as a valuable resource for comprehending and navigating the complex landscape of microbiome research and modeling.

As both governments and customers push for sustainable and recyclable textile products, textile companies will have to change their linear business model to a circular one. The aim of the present work is to help these companies take action by providing an update of the state-of-the-art of textile recycling technologies. Extensive desktop research was performed in order to prepare an overview of existing textile recycling technologies, their current state and prognosis, including also facilitating technologies for sorting and disintegration of textile products as well as virtual platforms that connect stakeholders and inform consumers.

Among the various types of gas sensors, the chemoresistive gas sensors based on metal oxides are considered the most attractive ones due to their simple operation, low costs and miniaturization. Thin films of V2O5 undoped and doped with TiO2 were studied as nitrogen dioxide, methane and hydrogen sensors. The experimental kinetics of the electrical conductivity changes due to introduction and removal of gas on metal oxide gas sensors were successfully explained in terms of the Langmuir adsorption theory.

Micro-combs [1-4] - optical frequency combs generated by integrated micro-cavity resonators – offer the full potential of their bulk counterparts [5,6], but in an integrated footprint. The discovery of temporal soliton states (DKS – dissipative Kerr solitons) [4,7-11] as a means of mode-locking micro-combs has enabled breakthroughs in many fields including spectroscopy [12,13], microwave photonics [14], frequency synthesis [15], optical ranging [16,17], quantum sources [18,19], metrology [20,21] and more. One of their most promising applications has been optical fibre communications where they have enabled massively parallel ultrahigh capacity multiplexed data transmission [22,23]. Here, by using a new and powerful class of micro-comb called “soliton crystals” [11], we achieve unprecedented data transmission over standard optical fibre using a single integrated chip source. We demonstrate a line rate of 44.2 Terabits per second (Tb/s) using the telecommunications C-band at 1550nm with a spectral efficiency – a critically important performance metric - of 10.4 bits/s/Hz. Soliton crystals exhibit robust and stable generation and operation as well as a high intrinsic efficiency that, together with a low soliton micro-comb spacing of 48.9 GHz enable the use of a very high coherent data modulation format of 64 QAM (quadrature amplitude modulated). We demonstrate error free transmission over 75 km of standard optical fibre in the laboratory as well as in a field trial over an installed metropolitan optical fibre network. These experiments were greatly aided by the ability of the soliton crystals to operate without stabilization or feedback control. This work demonstrates the capability of optical soliton crystal micro-combs to perform in demanding and practical optical communications networks.

Developmental hazard evaluation is an important part of assessing chemical risks during pregnancy. Toxicological outcomes from prenatal testing in pregnant animals result from complex chemical-biological interactions, and while New Approach Methods (NAMs) based on in vitro bioactivity profiles of human cells offer promising alternatives to animal testing, most of these assays lack cellular positional information, physical constraints, and regional organization of the intact embryo. Here, we engineered a fully computable model of the embryonic disc in the compucell3d.org modeling environment to simulate epithelial-mesenchymal transition of epiblast cells and self-organization of mesodermal domains (chordamesoderm, paraxial, lateral plate, posterior/extraembryonic). Cell fate in the model is determined by an autonomous homeobox (HOX) clock driven by morphogenetic signals (e.g., FGF, WNT, ATRA, CDX). Executing the model renders a quantitative cell-level computation of mesodermal subpopulations and consequences of perturbation based on known embryogeny. For example, synthetic perturbation of the control network rendered altered phenotypes (cybermorphs) mirroring experimental mouse embryology, with 50% reductions in FGF4, FGF8 and BMP4 signaling resulting in 86%, 98% and 59% reductions, respectively in the posterior mesodermal population, while ATRA exposure also resulted in a 78% decrease in this population. This model enables integration of in vitro chemical bioactivity data for specific molecular targets with known embryology to test mechanistic veracity and quantitative prediction of altered development.

Read-Across Structure-Activity Relationship (RASAR) is an emerging cheminformatic approach that combines the usefulness of a QSAR model and similarity-based Read-Across predictions. In this work, we have generated a simple, interpretable, and transferable quantitative-RASAR (q-RASAR) model which can efficiently predict the cytotoxicity of TiO2-based multi-component nanomaterials. The data set involves 29 TiO2-based nanomaterials which contain specific amounts of noble metal precursors in the form of Ag, Au, Pd, and Pt. The data set was rationally divided into training and test sets and the Read-Across-based predictions for the test set were generated using the tool Read-Across-v4.1 available from https://sites.google.com/jadavpuruniversity.in/dtc-lab-software/home. The hyperparameters were optimized based on the training set data and using this optimized setting, the Read-Across-based predictions for the test set were obtained. The optimized hyperparameters and the similarity approach, which yields the best predictions, were used to calculate the similarity and error-based RASAR descriptors using the tool RASAR-Desc-Calc-v2.0 available from https://sites.google.com/jadavpuruniversity.in/dtc-lab-software/home. These RASAR descriptors were then clubbed with the physicochemical descriptors and were subjected to features selection using the tool Best Subset Selection v2.1 available from https://dtclab.webs.com/software-tools. The final set of selected descriptors was used to develop multiple linear regression based q-RASAR models, which were validated using stringent criteria as per the OECD guidelines. Finally, a random forest model was also developed with the selected descriptors. The final machine learning model can efficiently predict the cytotoxicity of TiO2-based multi-component nanomaterials superseding previously reported models in the prediction quality.

The study presents a comparative approach between response surface methodology (RSM) and hybridized, genetic algorithm artificial neural network (GA-ANN) in predicting the water absorption, compressive strength, flexural strength split tensile strength and slump for steel fiber reinforced concrete. The effect of process variables such as aspect ratio, water cement ratio and cement content were investigated using the central composite design of response surface methodology. This same experimental design was used in training the hybrid-training approach of artificial neural network. The predicting ability of both methodologies were compared using the root mean sqaured error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), model predictive error (MPE) and absolute average deviation (AAD). The RSM model was found more accurate in prediction compared to hybrid GA-ANN.

Agent-based models (ABMs) are computational models for simulating the actions and interactions of autonomous agents in time and space. These models allow users to simulate the complex interactions between individual agents and the landscapes they inhabit and are increasingly used in epidemiology to understand complex phenomena and make predictions. However, as the complexity of the simulated systems increases, notably when disease control interventions are considered, model flexibility and processing speed can become limiting. Here we introduce SamPy, an open-source Python library for stochastic agent-based modeling of epidemics. SamPy is a modular toolkit for model development, providing adaptable modules that capture host movement, disease dynamics, and disease control interventions. Memory optimization and design provide high computational efficiency allowing modelling of large, spatially-explicit populations of agents over extensive geographical areas. In this article, we demonstrate the high flexibility and processing speed of this new library. The version of SamPy considered in this paper is available at https://github.com/sampy-project/sampy-paper .

"The wisdom of crowd'' is so often observed in social discourses and activities around us. The manifestations of it are, however, so intrinsically embedded and behaviorally accepted that an elaboration of a social phenomenon evidencing such wisdom is often cheered as a discovery; or at least an astonishing fact. One such scenario is explored here, namely conceptualization and modeling of a food safety system, a system directly related to social cognition. Food safety is an area of concern these days. Models representing the food safety systems are recently published to study the effect of interactions between important entities of the system. For example, Knowles’s model finds conditions leading to a more efficient and dependable system of entities like consumers, regulators and stores with specific focus on regulators behavior and their impact on the food safety. The first contribution of this paper is reevaluation of Knowles’s model towards a more conscious understanding of ``the wisdom of crowd'' effects on inspection and consuming behaviors. The second contribution is augmenting of the model with social networking capabilities, which acts as a medium to spread information about stores and help consumers find stores which are not contaminated. Simulation results reveal that stores’ respecting social cognition improve effectiveness of the food safety system for consumers and stores both. Simulation findings also reveals that an active society has a capability to self-organize effectively even in the absence of any regulatory compulsion.

In this paper, we delve into the realm of aspect-level sentiment analysis, a sophisticated analytical task focused on pinpointing and interpreting the sentiment directed towards specific elements within a sentence. Traditional methods in this domain, primarily based on neural networks, have often overlooked the critical role of syntactic structures in sentences. To bridge this gap, we have developed the Syntax-Enhanced Sentiment Graph Network (SentiSyn). This pioneering model represents a significant step forward in aspect-level sentiment analysis, bringing to the forefront the utilization of word dependency relationships to enrich sentiment analysis. SentiSyn stands out by its innovative use of a dependency graph, a tool that meticulously maps out the intricate web of syntactic relationships surrounding a target aspect in a sentence. This approach allows SentiSyn to effectively capture and channel sentiment-related characteristics that are deeply rooted in the syntactic context of the aspect target. By doing so, SentiSyn unlocks a deeper understanding of sentiment dynamics in textual content, enabling a more nuanced and accurate sentiment analysis. Our comprehensive experimental evaluation of SentiSyn showcases its remarkable capabilities. When combined with advanced embedding techniques like GloVe and BERT, SentiSyn demonstrates a superior performance edge over several existing sentiment analysis methods. This performance leap is not just incremental; it represents a significant enhancement in the field of sentiment analysis, underscoring the importance of syntactic context in understanding sentiments. Furthermore, our analysis delves into how SentiSyn effectively leverages these embeddings to gain a more profound and contextually rich insight into sentiment dynamics. The results from our tests indicate that SentiSyn, with its unique approach to integrating syntactic structures and advanced embeddings, sets a new benchmark in aspect-level sentiment analysis, offering both enhanced accuracy and deeper sentiment understanding.

Surgical site infections (SSI) occur very frequently during post-operatory procedures and are often treated with oral antibiotics, which may cause some side-effects. This type of infections could be avoided by encapsulating antimicrobial/anti-inflammatory drugs within the surgical suture materials so that these can more efficiently act on the site of action during wound closure, avoiding post-operatory bacterial infection and spreading. This work was aimed at developing novel electrospun biobased anti-infective fiber-based yarns as novel suture materials for preventing surgical site infections. For this, yarns based on flying intertwined nanofibers were fabricated in-situ during the electrospinning process using a specially designed yarn collector. The electrospun yarn sutures were made of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) with different contents of 3HV units and contained ciprofloxacin hydrochloride (CPX) as the antimicrobial active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). The yarns were then analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, wide-angle X-ray scattering, differential scanning calorimetry and in vitro drug release. The yarns were also analyzed in terms of antimicrobial and mechanical properties. The material characterization indicated that the varying polymer molecular architecture affected the attained polymer crystallinity, which was correlated with the different drug-eluting profiles. Moreover, the materials exhibited the inherent stiff behavior of PHBV, which was further enhanced by the API. Lastly, all the yarn sutures presented antimicrobial properties for a time release of 5 days against both gram positive and gram-negative pathogenic bacteria. The results presented highlight the potential of the herein developed antimicrobial electrospun fiber yarns as potential innovative suture materials to prevent surgical infections.

This thesis presents the effects of work done on a software project for generative models and spreadsheets, allowing for a quick creation of the conceptual model of the aircraft. The subject of the work is a response to the current trends and needs prevailing in the field of computer design engineering CAD and aviation. In the initial chapters, theoretical issues related to the work being carried out were introduced and the methodology of creating software for construction and verification of the structure of aircraft along with the needs of interchange between databases of generative models was presented. In the next stages, the concepts and selected solutions for the user interface supporting the knowledge base were presented along with a set of procedures for its operation. Furthermore, the method of database integration with the methods of determining design features for the developed generative models and with the Siemens NX system. Furthermore, problems encountered in software development, as well as solution examples for model application are specified. The results obtained and the models generated on their basis were subjected to a strength analysis using Autodesk Inventor software and analysed in terms of meeting the initial assumptions. In the end, conclusions and observations resulting from the effects of the work presented in the project were formulated.

After 40 years of the discovery of metallocene catalysts, there are still several aspects that remain unresolved, especially when the “conventional” alkylaluminum activators are not used. Herein, we systematically investigate the synthesis of PE via three different zirconocene catalysts, with different alkyl substituents, activated via different organoboron compounds. The polymerization behavior, as well as the properties of the materials, are evaluated. The results demonstrate that the highest catalytic activity is shown by Bis(cyclopentadienyl)dimethylzirconium activated by trityl tetra(pentafluorophenyl)borate. Also finding that toluene is the optimum solvent for these systems and at these reaction conditions. Moreover, to validate our experimental results, a comprehensive mathematical model is developed on the basis of thermodynamic and kinetic principles. The concentration of ethylene transferred to the solvent phase (toluene) in a liquid-vapor equilibrium (LVE) system is estimated based on the Duhem’s theorem. Arrhenius expressions for the kinetic rate constants of a proposed kinetic mechanism are estimated by a kinetic model, in which the rate of polymerization is fitted by a least-square optimization procedure and the molecular weight averages by the method of moments. The simulations of the coordination polymerization suggest the presence of two types of active sites, principally at low temperatures, and the reactivation of the deactivated sites via a boron-based activator. However, the effect of the temperature on the reactivation step is no clear; a deeper understanding via designed experiments is required.

The escalating levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) due to anthropogenic activities have raised significant concerns regarding their far-reaching consequences, including potential impacts on human brain function. This study employs Agent-Based Modeling (ABM) and a comprehensive literature review to comprehensively examine the effects of varying atmospheric CO₂ concentrations on human brain activity. Historical and projected CO₂concentration data, along with neuroscientific insights, were integrated into the ABM framework to simulate brain activity responses under different CO₂ scenarios. The simulations revealed that elevated CO₂ levels disrupt neural activity and alter neurotransmitter profiles, indicating potential cognitive consequences. Sensitivity analysis emphasized the importance of accurate parameterization for robust simulations. The findings underscore the urgent need to address global CO₂ emissions to preserve cognitive health. Further research is essential to validate and refine the model, incorporating additional factors for a comprehensive understanding of the cognitive repercussions of rising CO₂ levels, crucial for informed policy-making and public awareness campaigns.

System-of-systems (SoS) evolution is a complex and unpredictable process. Although various principles to facilitate collaborative SoS evolution have been proposed, there is a lack of experimental data validating their effectiveness. To address these issues, we present an Agent-Based Model (ABM) for SoS evolution in the Internet of Vehicles (IoV) , serving as a quantitative analysis tool for SoS research. By integrating multiple complex and rational behaviors of individuals, we aim to simulate real-world scenarios as accurately as possible. To simulate the SoS evolution process, our model employs multiple agents with autonomous interactions and incorporates external environmental variables. Furthermore, we propose three evaluation metrics: evolutionary time, degree of variation, and evolutionary cost, to assess the performance of SoS evolution. Our study demonstrates that enhanced information transparency significantly improves the evolutionary performance of distributed SoS. Conversely, the adoption of uniform standards only brings limited performance enhancement to distributed SoSs. Although our proposed model has limitations, it stands out from other approaches that utilize Agent-Based Modeling to analyze SoS theories. Our model focuses on realistic problem contexts and simulates realistic interaction behaviors. This study enhances the comprehension of SoS evolution processes and provides valuable insights for the formulation of effective evolutionary strategies.

Regulation of the diet in terms of the content of soluble and insoluble fibre is of great importance from the point of view of dietetics, microbiology of the gastrointestinal tract and immunology of the organism. Dietary fibre plays an important role in maintaining the balance between the con-tinuity of gut mucus production (intestinal mucosa), the stability of the intestinal microbiome composition, the regeneration of the intestinal epithelium and the immune status within the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) are played by pectin and their metabolic products in the form of pectin oligosaccharides. The main purpose of this review was to focus on pectin, their functions, their impact on the human's health and on some of the most promising prebiotics due to their solubility in the gastrointestinal tract in the form of pectin oligosaccharides. They have the properties of pectin, but have also additional features and postbiotics obtained in fermentation process can affect the intestinal microbiome and GALT-related immunity. They can be obtained from plant agro-wastes.

The use of interleaving material with viscoelastic properties is one of the most effective solutions to improve the damping capacity of CFRP laminates. Improving composite damping without threatening mechanical performance is challenging and the use of nanomaterials should lead to the target. In this paper, the effect of a nanostructured interlayer based on Graphite Nanoplatelets (GNPs) on the damping capacity and fracture toughness of CFRP laminates has been investigated. High-content GNP/Epoxy (70wt/30wt) coating was sprayed on the surface of CF/Epoxy prepregs at two different areal weight (10 and 40 g/m2) and incorporated at the middle-plane of a CFRP laminate. The effect of the GNP areal weight on viscoelastic and the mechanical behaviour of the laminates was investigated. Coupons with low-areal weight GNP interlayer showed a 25% increase in damping capacity with a trivial reduction of the elastic modulus. Moreover, a reduction in interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) and fracture toughness (both mode I and mode II) was observed in the composites with GNPs interlayer. GNPs alignment and degree of compaction reached during process were found as key parameters on material performances. By increasing the areal weight a mitigation on the mechanical performances drop was achieved (-15%).

We wanted to investigate the current knowledge on the impact of diet on anti-TNF response in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), to identify dietary factors that warrant further investigations in relation to anti-TNF treatment response, and, finally, to discuss potential strategies for such investigations. PubMed was searched using specified search terms. One small prospective study on diet and anti-TNF treatment in 56 patients with CD found similar remission rates after 56 weeks among 32 patients with good compliance that received concomitant enteral nutrition and 24 with poor compliance that had no dietary restrictions (78% versus 67%, p = 0.51). A meta-analysis of 295 patients found higher odds of achieving clinical remission and remaining in clinical remission among patients on combination therapy with specialised enteral nutrition and Infliximab (IFX) compared with IFX monotherapy (OR 2.73; 95% CI: 1.73–4.31, p < 0.01, OR 2.93; 95% CI: 1.66–5.17, p < 0.01, respectively). In conclusion, evidence-based knowledge on impact of diet on anti-TNF treatment response for clinical use is scarce. Here we propose a mechanism by which Western style diet high in meat and low in fibre may promote colonic inflammation and potentially impact treatment response to anti-TNF drugs. Further studies using hypothesis-driven and data-driven strategies in observational, animal and interventional studies are warranted.

Mixing is considered as a critical process parameter (CPP) during process development due to its significant influence on reaction selectivity and process safety. Nevertheless, mixing issues are difficult to identify and solve owing to their complexity and dependence on knowledge of kinetics and hydrodynamics. In this paper, we proposed an optimization methodology using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) based compartmental modelling to improve mixing and reaction selectivity. More importantly, we have demonstrated that through the implementation of surrogate-based optimization, the proposed methodology can be used as a computationally non-intensive way for rapid process development of reaction unit operations. For illustration purpose, reaction selectivity of a process with Bourne competitive reaction network is discussed. Results demonstrate that we can improve reaction selectivity by dynamically controlling rates and locations of feeding in the reactor. The proposed methodology incorporates mechanistic understanding of the reaction kinetics together with an efficient optimization algorithm to determine the optimal process operation and thus can serve as a tool for quality-by-design (QbD) during product development stage.

A copula is a useful tool for constructing bivariate and/or multivariate distributions. In this article, we consider a new modified class of (Farlie-Gumbel-Morgenstern) FGM bivariate copula for constructing several dierent bivariate Kumaraswamy type copulas and discuss their structural properties, including dependence structures. It is established that construction of bivariate distributions by this method allows for greater flexibility in the values of Spearman's correlation coefficient rho,  and Kendall's tau . For illustrative purposes, one representative data set is utilized to exhibit the applicability of these proposed bivariate copula models.

The biofibres wide application as mortars enhancement have been so far restricted by factors related to their chemical composition and hygroscopic nature. Their hydrophilic behavior increases the water demand of mortar-mixtures and diminishes their adhesion to the matrix, while further moisture-related fibre degradation issues may arise. Additionally, the natural fibres seem to be susceptible to degradation caused during the exposure to alkaline environments conditions, such as those of cement mortars, restricting their utilization in construction industry. Therefore, the current study focusses on the potential of fibre modification through treatments that would permanently alter their structure and chemical composition in the whole mass or surface towards their performance improvement. In this study, mild hydrothermally treated wood fibres of black pine and beech species were prepared and incorporated in cement mortars to assess their performance, applying the proportion of 1.5% v/v in the mortar. The mortars workability (at fresh state), physical, hygroscopic, chemical, thermal, and mechanical characteristics at the age of 28, 90 and 365 days and weathering performance by subjecting them at different artificial ageing environments (freeze-thaw cycles or outdoor exposure) were examined. The results indicated the beneficial role of the treated fibres in the dimensional stability, flexural strength, thermal insulation properties and capillary absorption of the mortar specimens, especially during ageing process, with the black pine fibres to reveal the highest improvement. The hydrothermally treated wood fibres seem to ensure the integrity maintenance of cement mortars under all ageing conditions, proving that the specific bio-additives could provide low-cost and eco-friendly mortar enhancement pathways.

The production, processing of agricultural products results in massive generation of waste, which has an environmental impact. In current study on the node of valorisation of the processed waste, orange and banana peel waste are utilized for the production of biscuits. The fortified biscuits were analysed for proximate and sensory analysis. The fibre content of the fortified biscuits increases several folds. From the sensory score the proportion of biscuits with 7.5% and 10% has undesirable quality parameters, whereas up to 5% concentration all the parameters are more desirable. Fortifying biscuits with orange and banana peel powder may be an excellent source of dietary fibre and an enhanced valorisation technique.

The effects of carbon fiber hybridisation on the thermal properties of woven kenaf reinforced epoxy composites kenaf fibre were studied. Woven kenaf hybrid composites at the different weave designs of plain and satin, and fabric count of 5 × 5 and 6 × 6 were manually prepared by vacuum infusion technique. Thermal properties of pure carbon fibre and hybrid composites were conducted by using thermogravimetric analyser (TGA) and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). It was found that at high kenaf fibre content showed better thermal stability while the highest thermally stable was found in pure carbon fibre composite. The TG and DTG results showed that the amount of residue decreased in plain-designed hybrid composite compared to satin-designed hybrid composite. The DSC data revealed that the presence of woven kenaf increase decomposition temperature.

Aquaporin-3 (AQP3) is one of the aquaglyceroporins, which is expressed in the basolateral layer of the skin membrane. Studies have reported that human skin squamous cell carcinoma overexpresses AQP3 and inhibition of its function may alleviate skin tumorigenesis. In the present study, we have applied a virtual screening method that encompasses filters for physicochemical properties and molecular docking to select potential hit compounds that bind to the Aquaporin-3 protein. Based on molecular docking results, the top 20 hit compounds were analyzed for stability in the binding pocket using unconstrained molecular dynamics simulations and further evaluated for binding free energy. Furthermore, examined the ligand-unbinding pathway of the inhibitor from its bound form to explore possible routes for inhibitor approach to the ligand-binding site. With a good docking score, stability in the binding pocket, and free energy of binding, these hit compounds can be developed as Aquaporin-3 inhibitors in the near future.

This work presents some characteristics of MoNet, a computerized platform for the modeling and visualization of complex systems. Emphasis is on the ideas that allowed the successful progressive development of this modeling platform, which goes along with the implementation of applications to the modeling of several studied systems. The platform has the capacity to represent different aspects of systems modeled at different observation scales. This tool offers advantages in the sense of favoring the perception of the phenomenon of the emergence of information, associated with changes of scale. Some criteria used for the construction of this modeling platform are included. The power of current computers has made practical representing graphic resources such as shapes, line thickness, overlaying-text tags, colors and transparencies, in the graphical modeling of systems made up of many elements. By visualizing diagrams conveniently designed to highlight contrasts, these modeling platforms allow the recognition of patterns that drive our understanding of systems and their structure. Graphs that reflect the benefits of the tool regarding the visualization of systems at different scales of observation are presented to illustrate the application of the platform.

As of today, 20 disease modifying drugs (DMD) have been approved for the treatment of relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) and, based on their efficacy, they can be grouped into moderate-efficacy DMDs and high-efficacy DMDs. The choice of the drug mostly relies on the judgement and experience of neurologists and the evaluation of therapeutic response can only be obtained by monitoring clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) status during follow up. In an era where therapies are focused on personalization, the aim of this study is to develop a modeling infrastructure to predict the evolution of relapsing MS and the response to treatments. We built a computational modeling infrastructure named UISS (Universal Immune System Simulator) able to simulate the main features and dynamics of the immune system activities. We extended UISS to simulate all the underlying MS pathogenesis and its interaction with the host immune system. This simulator is a multi-scale, multi-organ, agent based simulator with an attached module capable of simulating the dynamics of specific biological pathways at the molecular level. We simulated six MS patients with different relapsing-remitting courses. These patients were characterized on the basis of their age, sex, presence of oligoclonal bands, therapy and MRI lesion load at onset. The simulator framework is made freely available and can be used following the links provided in the availability section. Even though the model can be further personalized employing immunological parameters and genetic information, based on the available data we generated a few simulation scenarios for each patient, including those who matched the real clinical and MRI history. Moreover, for two patients, the simulator anticipated the timing of subsequent relapses, which really occurred, suggesting that UISS may have the potential to assist MS specialists in predicting the course of the disease and the response to treatment.

Machine learning has become more prevalent as a tool used for biogeochemical analysis in agricultural management. However, a common drawback of machine learning models is the lack of interpretability, as they are black boxes that provide little insight into agricultural management. To overcome this limitation, we compared three tree-based models (decision tree, random forest, and gradient boosting) to explain soil organic matter content through Shapley additive explanations (SHAP). Here, we used nationwide data on field crops, soil, terrain, and climate across South Korea (n = 9,584). Using the SHAP method, we identified common primary controls of the models, for example, regions with precipitation levels above 1400 mm and exchangeable potassium levels exceeding 1 cmol+ kg-1, which favor enhanced organic matter in the soil. Different models identified different impacts of nutrients on the organic matter level in the soil. The SHAP method is practical for assessing whether different machine learning models yield consistent findings in addressing these inquiries. Increasing the explainability of these models means determining essential variables related to soil organic matter management and understanding their associations for specific instances.

The importance of predicting the exposure to environmental hazards is highlighted by issues like global climate change, public health problems caused by environment stresses, and property damages and depreciations. Several approaches have been used to assess potential exposure and achieve optimal results under various conditions, for example, for different scales, groups of people, or certain points in time. Micro-simulation tools are becoming increasingly important in human exposure assessment, where each person is simulated individually and continuously. This paper describes an agent-based model (ABM) framework that can dynamically simulate human exposure levels, along with their daily activities, in urban areas that are characterized by environmental stresses such as air pollution and heat stress. Within the framework, decision making processes can be included for each individual based on rule-based behavior to achieve goals under changing environmental conditions. The ideas described in this paper are implemented in a free and open source NetLogo platform. A simplified modeling scenario of the ABM framework in Hamburg, Germany, further demonstrates its utility in various urban environments and individual activity patterns, and portability to other models, programs and frameworks. The prototype model can potentially be extended to support environmental incidence management by exploring the daily routines of different groups of citizens and compare the effectiveness of different strategies. Further research is needed to fully develop an operational version of the model.

In this work, we have developed a non-ordinary state-based peridynamic model for multiple crack initiation and propagation due to compression-compression fatigue load. In each loading cycle, the fatigue loading is redistributed among the peridynamic solid body, leading to the progressive fatigue damage initiation and propagation in an autonomous fashion. The proposed fatigue model parameters are firstly validated by 3D numerical benchmark tests, and then it is applied to simulate widespread fatigue damage evolution of the aircraft wing corner box. The modified constitutive damage model has been implemented into the peridynamics framework at finite strain. Furthermore, the criterion algorithm from multiple initiation to propagation is discussed. It is shown that the numerical results obtained from peridynamics simulations are in general agreement with those from the experiment data. The comparison of experimental and numerical results indicates that the proposed non-ordinary state-based peridynamics fatigue model has the ability to capture the multiple crack initiation and propagation and other features of the aluminium alloy material.

In order to address the issues of weight, cost and sustainability issues associated with the application of glass fibre in structural composites, plant fibres are proposed as an alternative to reduce and replace the usage of glass fibres. Despite this, there is still a gap in comprehensive research on plant fibre composites, especially with regard to their durability in real structural applications. This research investigates the fatigue and impact properties of pultruded hybrid polyester composites reinforced with glass fibre and kenaf, tailored for structural applications. Utilising kenaf fibres in mat form, unidirectional glass fibre direct roving yarns and unsaturated polyester resin as key components, pultruded kenaf/glass hybrid profiles were meticulously fabricated. Comparative cost and weight analyses were conducted between pultruded hybrid and non-hybrid profiles. The study showed that the pultruded kenaf/glass alternative laminates exhibit commendable fatigue and impact resistance, making them suitable for use in moderately loaded structural applications. Moreover, the use of kenaf as a hybrid alternative shows significant cost and weight reductions. This research provides a basis for the development of sustainable and efficient structural materials and highlights the significant role of material design in shaping the future of engineering applications.

The disc brake rotors are designed to withstand both, Maximum possible deceleration (emergency braking) and a series of frequent braking cycles. A effective rotor design and superior heat dissipating material provide better performance during the braking mechanism. In this experiment, modified ventilated disk brake rotors are developed with holes and slots and the stress, deformation, heat flux and temperature distribution has been analysed. Designing of the Finite element models of the rotor are created with SolidWorks and simulated using ANSYS. Structural and thermal characteristics are compared with a reference disk brake rotor of the motorcycle (TVS Apache RTR180). It is found that the modified rotors outperform the conventional one in terms of stress generation, temperature distribution and deformation. Furthermore, this Analysis helps us to find out the best suited material for one of the proposed designs. This experiment provides us an insight of the structural and thermal characteristics of the geometrically modified rotor that can be used to upgrade and outperform the current disc brake rotor used in the motorcycle (TVS Apache RTR180).

The wheat aleurone layer is, according to millers, the main bran fraction. It is a source of nutritionally valuable compounds, such as dietary fibres, proteins, minerals and vitamins, that may exhibit health benefits. Despite these advantages, the aleurone layer is scarce on the market, probably due to issues related to its extraction. Many processes exist with some patents, but a choice must be made between the quality and quantity of the resulting product. Nonetheless, its potential has been studied mainly in bread and pasta. While the nutritional benefits of aleurone-rich flour addition to bread agree, opposite results have been obtained concerning its effects on end-product characteristics (namely loaf volume and sensory characteristics), thus ensuing different acceptability responses from consumers. However, the observed negative effects of aleurone-rich flour on bread dough could be reduced by subjecting it to pre- or post-extracting treatments meant to either reduce the particle size of the aleurone’s fibres or to change the conformation of its components.

The study of a flexible body immersed in a flowing medium is one of best way to find its aerodynamic shape. This Letter revisited the problem first studied by Alben, Shelley and Zhang (Nature 420, 479-481, 2002). The aerodynamic shape of the fibre is found by simpler approach and universal drag scaling laws of the flexible fibre in flowing medium are proposed by using dimensional analysis. The Alben scaling laws is being generalized and confirmed to be universal. Our study show that the Alben number is a measurement of maximum curvature of the fibre forced by dynamic pressure. A complete Maple code is provided for finding aerodynamic shape of the fibre in the flowing medium.

Magnesium is one of the lightest structural metal used in different industrial sector and many works are present in literature about the study of its reinforcement by fillers addition. Basalt fibres are natural fillers with good mechanical properties, excellent resistance to high temperature and lower cost than carbon fibres. For these aspects, in the last years they are increasingly used in the production of composite materials with polymeric matrices. However, very few information are presents in literature about the use of basalt fibres as reinforcement in metal matrix composite materials. It is well known that the impregnation of fibres reinforcement affects the mechanical behavior of composites materials. The aim of this study is to investigate the impregnation and the behavior of basalt fibres in a magnesium alloy composite material manufactured by a centrifugal casting technique.

Synthesis of activated carbon from waste biomass is of current interest towards sustainability. The properties of biomass derived activated carbon largely depends on the carbonization process. This study reports preparing extremel high surface area mesoporous activated carbon from hemp bast fibre using hydrothermal processing. Processing in hot water (390-500^oC), then activation using KOH and NaOH was investigated at different loading ratios. The described approach was found to enhance the mesoporosity (centered at 3.0 to 4.5 nm) of the hemp derived activated carbon (HAC) from activation (confirmed by BJH pore size distribution and TEM imaging). BET results showed that the product has an extremely high surface area (2425 m²/g) while the surface functional groups (-OH, COOH, C=C/C-C) were confirmed and quantified by XPS and FTIR results. Increasing KOH concentration was found to enhance the surface area with an optimum biochar to KOH ratio of 1:3. The crystallite domain size of HAC was determined using Raman spectroscopy of different wavelengths. The procedure described in this study is an environmentally friendly scalable route for the mass production of activated carbon using hemp fiber.

Researchers have developed and used several three-dimensional (3D) culture systems, including spheroids, organoids, and tumoroids. Drug resistance is a crucial issue involving recurrence in cancer patients. Many studies on anticancer drugs have been done in 2D culture systems, where-as 3D cultured tumoroids have many advantages for assessing drug sensitivity and resistance. Here, we aim to investigate whether Cisplatin (a DNA crosslinker), Imatinib (a multiple tyro-sine kinase inhibitor), and 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU: an antimetabolite) alter tumoroid growth of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). To establish a liquid-based 3D multiplexing reporter assay system, LuM1 (a murine mCRC cell line) was stably transfected with the Mmp9 promoter-driven ZsGreen reporter gene, which was designated as LuM1/m9 cells and cultured in NanoCulture Plate (NCP), a 3D culture device. The larger tumoroids were not sensitive to Cisplatin and ex-pressed ABCG2 (a marker of cancer stem cells, a.k.a. a drug efflux transporter), whereas smaller cell-aggregates were more sensitive to Cisplatin. Both Imatinib and Cisplatin significantly in-creased tumoroid growth (larger than 300 μm2) and Mmp9 promoter activity and were not cytotoxic to the mCRC tumoroids. On the other hand, 5-FU was cytotoxic to the tumoroids and significantly inhibited tumoroid growth, although not completely. Thus, platinum resistance and imatinib resistance in mCRC were modeled using the liquid-based 3D cultured tumoroid system. The tumoroid culture is useful and easily accessible for the assessment of drug sensitivity and resistance.

It is crucial to immediately curb the spread of a disease once an outbreak is identified in a pandemic. An agent based simulator will enable the policymakers to evaluate the effectiveness of different hypothetical strategies and policies with a higher level of granularity. This will allow them to identify the vulnerabilities and asses the threat level more effectively, which in turn can be used to build resilience within the community against a pandemic. This study proposes a PanDemic SIMulator (PDSIM ) which is capable of modeling complex environments while simulating realistic human motion patterns. The ability of PDSIM to track the infection propagation patterns, contact paths, places visited, characteristics of people, vaccination, and testing information of the population, allows the user to check the efficacy of different containment strategies and testing protocols. The results obtained based on the case studies of Covid-19 are used to validate the proposed model. However, it is highly extendable to all pandemics in general, enabling robust planning for more sustainable communities.

Fibre-based dietary interventions are at the forefront of gut microbiome modulation research, with a wealth of 16S rRNA information to demonstrate the prebiotic effects of isolated fibres. However, there is a distinct lack of data relating to the effect of a combination of soluble and insoluble fibres in a convenient to consume fruit juice food matrix on gut microbiota structure, diversity, and function. Here, we aimed to determine the impact of the MOJU Prebiotic Shot, a fruit juice drink blend containing chicory inulin, baobab, golden kiwi, and green banana powders, on gut microbiota structure and function. Healthy adults (n = 20) were included in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study receiving 60ml MOJU Prebiotic Shot or pla-cebo (without the fibre mix) for 3 weeks with a 3-week wash-out between interventions. Shotgun metagenomics revealed significant between-group differences in alpha and beta diversity. In addition, the relative abundance of the phyla Actinobacteria and Desulfobacteria was significantly increased as a result of the prebiotic intervention. 9 species were observed to be differentially abundant (uncorrected p-value of <0.05) as a result of the prebiotic treatment. Of these, Bifidobacterium adolescentis and CAG-81 sp900066785 (Lachnospiraceae) were present at increased abundance relative to baseline. Additionally, KEGG analysis showed an increased abundance in pathways associated with arginine biosynthesis and phenylacetate degradation during the prebiotic treatment. Our results show the effects of the daily consumption of 60ml MOJU Prebiotic Shot for 3 weeks and provide insight to the functional potential of B. adolescentis

Parts of shotgun cartridges are a significant source of plastic litter in the marine environment. Empty cartridge shells may not be picked up by the hunter who fired them, and plastic wads that serve to separate the propellant from the shot load, are lost down-range when a shot is fired. Such litter items constitute a cosmetic and aesthetic problem on coastlines and may cause harm to marine animals and in the later stages of decomposition break down into harmful micro plastic particles. There exists no reliable estimate of the global exposure of marine ecosystems to this plastic source. However, in some countries it has been subject to closer examination, including for example, Denmark where the annual contribution of plastic wads into marine systems was estimated to 600,000 pieces (c2 tonnes), and the accumulated density of washed-up items (both wads and shells) was 3.7 items per 100 m coastline. Increasing awareness of this problem has caused scientists, hunters’ communities and governments to suggest altered practice including transition to the use of biodegradable cartridge components, first and foremost wads as this item is invariable lost during hunting. Several manufacturers provide shotgun cartridges containing biodegradable wads based on different types of materials, including fibers and various types of plastics, for example PVAL (poly(vinyl alcohol)) and PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate). In this paper, we review the most recent literature on the amounts and related environmental hazards of plastic dispersed from hunting ammunition into marine ecosystems. We summarize the market availability of shotgun cartridges with biodegradable wads and discuss chemical, technical, economical and legal aspects of a transition to the use of such products.

Over the years, leaked fluids from the aircraft caused severe deterioration of the airfield pavement. The combined effect of hot exhaust from the auxiliary power unit of military aircraft and spilt aviation oils caused rapid pavement spalling. If the disintegrated concreted pieces caused by spalling is sucked into the jet engine, it may cause catastrophic damage to the aircraft engine or physical injury to maintenance crews. This study investigates the effectiveness of incorporating hybrid fibres into ordinary concrete to improve the residual mechanical and thermal properties to prevent spalling damage of pavement. Three fibre reinforced concrete samples made with micro steel fibre and polyvinyl alcohol fibre with a fibre content of zero, 0.3%, 0.5% and 0.7% by volume fraction. These samples were exposed to recurring high temperature and aviation oils. Tests were conducted to measure the effects of repeated exposure on the concrete's mechanical, thermal and chemical characteristics. The results showed that polyvinyl alcohol fibre reinforced concrete suffered a significant loss of thermal properties and residual mechanical strength than the micro steel fibre reinforced concrete. However, hybrid fibre reinforced concrete performed better in retaining higher residual properties, and no spalling of concrete was observed.

The authors of the paper have made an attempt to detect the fibre content and fibre spacing in a steel fibre reinforced concrete (SFRC) industrial floor. Two non-destructive testing (NDT) methods: an electromagnetic induction technique and a radar-based technique were applied. The first method allowed to detect the spacing in subsequent layers located in the thickness of the slab. The result of the second method was a 3D visualization of the detected fibre in the volume of concrete slab. The conducted tests showed aptitude and limitations of the applied methods in estimating fibre volume and spacing. The two techniques also allowed to locate the areas with relatively low fibre concentration which are very likely to be characterized by low mechanical properties.

The reinforcement of concrete by using polyolefin fibres may be considered in structural design to meet the requirements of the applicable code rules. In order to achieve a reliable use of such a composite material, use of full-scale real structures is needed. The conversion of lab testing data into real practice properties is challenging and significantly influenced by various aspects, among which the size effect is a key one. Given that the available literature does not report coinciding conclusions about such an effect on quasi-brittle materials reinforced with fibres, further research is justified. Therefore, this work studies the behaviour of notched beams with three proportional sizes by using self-compacting polyolefin reinforced concrete with a fibre volume fraction of 1.1%. Flexural testing was carried out according to the standard EN-14651, with the results revealing the existence of the size effect. In addition, a reduction of the residual strength identified in the larger specimens was observed in fracture surfaces with equal fibre content.

The early-mid Paleocene Farewell Formation is stratigraphically distributed across the southern Taranaki Basin (STB) which is also encountered within the Maui Gas Field. Using available 3D seismic and well log data, a challenging task to delineate the spatial distribution and geobody patterns of the potential reservoir sands of the formation was performed. Object based modeling coupled with sequential indicator simulation were used to analyze the spatial distribution of facies configuration and a conceptual model was developed based on the outputs from the structurally- modeled grids. The facies modeling followed a hierarchical object-based mechanism which was set to perform with constraints like channel geometry and heterogeneity within the formation. The resultant 3D geobody model showed that the distributary channels, mainly braided geobodies flowed from northeast cutting through several regional normal-fault systems to the southwest. Overbank facies was adhered to the fringe of the channels whereas the floodplain facies was at the periphery of the model. Meandering channel-sand facies were mostly observed at the center of the model flowing in a more random manner, occupying major flow directions of northwest to southwest and southeast to northwest within the model.

Fibre reinforced concrete (FRC) has been used for decades in certain applications of the construction industry, such as tunnel linings and precast elements, but has experienced an important progress in recent times, boosted by the inclusion of guidelines for their use in some national and international standards. Traditional steel fibres have been studied in depth and their performance is well known although in recent years new materials have been proposed as possible alternatives. Polyolefin macro-fibres, for instance, have proven to enhance the mechanical properties of concrete and the parameters that define their behaviour (fibre length, fibre proportion or casting method, for instance) have been identified. These fibres overcome certain traditional problems related to steel fibres, such as corrosion or their interaction with magnetic fields, which can limit the use of steel in some applications. The behaviour of polyolefin fibre reinforce concrete (PFRC) has been numerically reproduced with success through an embedded cohesive crack formulation that uses a trilinear softening diagram to describe the fracture behaviour of the material. Furthermore, concrete behaves well under high temperatures or fire events, especially when it is compared with other construction materials, but the behaviour of PFRC must be analysed if the use of these fibres is to be extended. To this end, the degradation of PFRC fracture properties has been recently experimentally analysed under a temperature range between 20ºC and 200ºC. As temperature increases, polyolefin fibres modify their mechanical properties and their shape, which reduce their performance as reinforcement of concrete. In this work, those experimental results, which include results of low (3 kg/m3) and high (10 kg/m3) proportion PFRC specimens, are used as reference to study the fracture behaviour of PFRC exposed to high temperatures from a numerical point of view. The experimental load-deflection diagrams are reproduced by modifying the trilinear diagram used in the cohesive model, which helps to understand how the trilinear diagram parameters are affected by high temperature exposure. Finally, some expressions are proposed to adapt the initial trilinear diagram (obtained with specimens not exposed to high temperature) in order to numerically reproduce the fracture behaviour of PFRC affected by high temperature exposure.

Size effect on plain concrete specimens is well known and can be correctly captured when performing numerical simulations by using a well characterised softening function, but in the case of fibre reinforced concrete this is not directly applicable, since an only diagram cannot capture the material behaviour on elements with different size due to dependence of the orientation factor of the fibres with the size of the specimen. In previous works, the use of a trilinear softening diagram proved to be very convenient for reproducing fracture of polyolefin fibre reinforced concrete elements, but only if it is previously adapted for each specimen size. In this work, a predictive methodology is used to reproduce fracture of polyolefin fibre reinforced concrete specimens of different sizes under three-point bending. Fracture is reproduced by means of a well known embedded cohesive model, with a trilinear softening function that is defined specifically for each specimen size. The fundamental points of these softening functions are defined a priori by using empirical expressions proposed in past works, based on an extensive experimental background. Therefore, the numerical results are obtained in a predictive manner, and then compared with a previous experimental campaign, showing that this approach properly captures the size effect, although some values of the fundamental points in the trilinear diagram could be defined more accurately.

There is currently an interest in “active” implantable biomedical devices that include mechanical stimulation as an integral part of their design. This paper reports the experimental use of a porous scaffold made of interconnected networks of slender ferromagnetic fibres that can be actuated in vivo by an external magnetic field applying strains to in-growing cells. Such scaffolds have been previously characterized in terms of their mechanical and cellular responses. In this study, it is shown that the shape changes induced in the scaffolds can be used to promote osteogenesis in vitro. In particular, immunofluorescence, gene and protein analyses reveal that the actuated networks exhibit higher mineralization and extracellular matrix production, and express higher levels of osteocalcin, alkaline phosphatase, collagen type 1a1, runt-related transcription factor 2 and bone morphogenetic protein 2 than the static controls at the 3-week time point. The results suggest that the cells filling the inter-fibre spaces are able to sense and react to the magneto-mechanically induced strains facilitating osteogenic differentiation and maturation. This work provides evidence in support of using this approach to stimulate bone ingrowth around a device implanted in bone and can pave the way for further applications in bone tissue engineering.

The unique porous crystal structure of zeolite offers various important utilizations, it is one of the considerations in selecting zeolite at this study as component of composite for restraining noise. It so happens, previous experiments show that banana stem has porous structure, fibrous, high flexibility and can be applied as material for many various products including as component of acoustic material. The combination of both is alleged that it has capability in absorbing noise. This paper presents an investigation on the composite that it was synthesized of Activated Zeolite and Banana Stem Fibre in various weight for determining its sound absorption coefficient alpha (a). Activating natural zeolite was conducted by using 6M HCl in order for enlarging zeolite pores. The sound absorption coefficient was measured in the frequency range between 125 Hz up to 6000 Hz. The results show that the different weight of banana stem fibre as component of the synthesized composite affects the value of alpha and shifts the frequency area.

The present work evaluates the food effect on the absorption of rivaroxaban (Riva), a BCS II drug, from the orally administered commercial immediate-release tablet (Xarelto IR) using physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) and conventional in vitro- in vivo correlation (IVIVC) models. The bioavailability of Riva upon oral administration of Xarelto IR tablet is reported to exhibit a positive food effect. The PBPK model for Riva was developed and verified using the previously reported in vivo data for oral solution (5 and 10 mg) and Xarelto IR tablet (5 and 10 mg dose strength). Once the PBPK model was established, the in vivo performance of the tablet formulation with the higher dose strength (Xarelto IR tablet 20 mg in fasted and fed state) was predicted using the experimentally obtained data of in vitro permeability, biorelevant solubility and in vitro dynamic dissolution data using United States Pharmacopeia (USP) IV flow-through cell apparatus. In addition, the mathematical IVIVC model was developed using the in vitro dissolution and in vivo profile of 20 mg strength Xarelto IR tablet in fasted condition. Using the developed IVIVC model, the pharmacokinetic (PK) profile of the Xarelto IR tablet in fed condition was predicted and compared with the PK parameters obtained via the PBPK model. A virtual in vivo PK study was designed using a single-dose, 3-treatment cross-over trial in 50 subjects to predict the PK profile of the Xarelto® IR tablet in the fed state. Overall, the results obtained from the IVIVC model were found to be comparable with that from the PBPK model. The outcome from both the model pointed to the positive food effect on the in vivo profile of the Riva. The developed models thus can be effectively extended to establish bioequivalence for the marketed and novel complex formulations of Riva such as amorphous solid dispersions.

Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a major embryo- and tumor-associated protein capable of binding and transporting variety of hydrophobic ligands including estrogens. AFP has been shown to inhibit estrogen receptor (ER)-positive tumor growth and this can be attributed to its estrogen-binding ability. Despite AFP has long been investigated, its three-dimensional (3D) structure has not been experimentally resolved and molecular mechanisms underlying AFP-ligand interaction remain obscure. In our study we constructed homology-based 3D model of human AFP (HAFP) with the purpose to perform docking of ERα ligands, three agonists (17β-estradiol, estrone and diethylstilbestrol) and three antagonists (tamoxifen, afimoxifene and endoxifen) into the obtained structure. Based on ligand docked scoring function, we identified three putative estrogen- and antiestrogen-binding sites with different ligand binding affinities. Two high-affinity sites were located in (i) a tunnel formed within HAFP subdomains IB and IIA and (ii) opposite side of the molecule in a groove originating from cavity formed between domains I and III, while (iii) the third low-affinity site was found at the bottom of the cavity. 100 ns MD simulation allowed studying their geometries and showed that HAFP-estrogen interactions occur due to van der Waals forces, while both hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions were almost equally involved in HAFP-antiestrogen binding. MM/GBSA rescoring method estimated binding free energies (ΔG_bind) and showed that antiestrogens have higher affinities to HAFP as compared to estrogens. We performed in silico point substitutions of amino acid residues to confirm their roles in HAFP-ligand interactions and showed that Thr132, Leu138, His170, Phe172, Ser217, Gln221, His266, His316, Lys453, and Asp478 residues along two disulfide bonds, Cys224-Cys270 and Cys269-Cys277 have key roles in both HAFP-estrogen and HAFP-antiestrogen binding. Data obtained in our study contribute to understanding mechanisms underlying protein-ligand interactions and anti-cancer therapy strategies based on ER-binding ligands.

A 3D graphene foam made of interconnected multilayer graphene flakes was produced on optical fibres (OF) by laser-induced transformation of a polyimide (PI) film coated on the OF cladding. This material, known as la-ser-induced graphene (LIG), was explored in the electrochemical detection and quantification of dopamine (DA) at physiologically relevant concentrations in the presence of the most relevant interfering molecules in biological fluids, ascorbic acid (AA) and uric acid (UA). The measured limit of detection is 100 nM, the linear range is 0.1 to 5 μM and a maximum sensitivity of 5.0 µA µM−1 cm−2 was obtained for LIG decorated with Pt nanoparticles (NPs). Moreover, immunity to AA and UA interference and to fouling was attained by decorating the LIG elec-trode with Pt NPs and coating with Nafion. These figures of merit underlines the potential of these sensors for the quantification of physiologically relevant concentrations of DA in biological fluids, paving the way for the development of hybrid electrochemical/optical sensing actuating platforms in a lab-on-fibre configuration, with relevant applications in biomedical engineering. The advantages of this hybrid arrangement include the possi-bility of in-situ counterproofing, extended measuring ranges, photoelectrochemical detection and the probing of inaccessible places. This elegant approach can also provide a simple and cost-effective way to fabricate biomed-ical devices with extended functionality, such as medical optical probes with added electrochemical capabilities, optogenetics combined with local electrochemical detection, among others.

Fatigue loading is critical to fibre reinforced polymer composites due to their anisotropic and heterogenous nature. This study investigated the tensile fatigue behaviour of polyester and vinyl ester based GFRP laminates to understand the critical aspects of failure mode and fatigue life under cyclic loading. GFRP laminates with two different resin systems (polyester and vinyl ester), two different stress ratios (0.1 and 0.5) and two different environmental conditions (air and water) were investigated at an applied stress of 80%, 60% and 40% of the ultimate capacity. Based on the investigated parameters (i.e., resin types, stress ratio, environmental conditioning and maximum applied stress), a fatigue model was proposed. Results show that the resin system plays a great role in fatigue failure mode while the stress ratio and environmental condition significantly affect the tensile fatigue life of GFRP laminates. The types of resin used in GFRP laminates and environmental conditions as input parameter in the proposed fatigue model is a unique contribution.

The aim of this research was to test recent developments in the use of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) to map pasture biomass yield and nutrient status, across a selected range of field sites throughout the rangelands of Queensland. Improved pasture management begins with an understanding of the state of the resource base, UAV based methods can potentially achieve this at improved spatial and temporal scales. This study developed predictive models of both pasture yield and pasture nutrient status. An automated pasture height surface modelling technique was developed, tested and used along with field site measurements of pasture yields, to predict further estimates across each field site. Both prior knowledge and automated predictive modelling techniques were employed to predict pasture yield and nutrition. Pasture height surface modelling was assessed against field measurements using a rising plate meter, results reported correlation coefficients (R2) ranging from 0.2 to 0.4 for both woodland and grassland field sites. Accuracy of the predictive modelling was determined from further field measurements of pasture yield and on average indicated an error of 0.8 t ha-1 in grasslands and 1.3 t ha-1 in mixed woodlands across both modelling approaches. Correlation analyses between measures of pasture quality, acid detergent fibre and crude protein (ADF, CP), and spectral reflectance data indicated the visible red (651 nm) and red-edge (759 nm) regions were highly correlated (ADF R2 = 0.9 and CP R2 = 0.5 mean values). These findings agreed with previous studies linking specific absorption features with grass chemical composition. These results conclude that the practical application of such techniques, to efficiently and accurately map pasture yield and quality, is possible at the field site scale, however further research is needed, in particular further field sampling of both yield and nutrient elements across such a diverse landscape, with the potential to scale up to a satellite platform for broader scale monitoring.

This article reveals a best possible design for hybrid dispersion compensating fiber (HyDCF) with high birefringence established on modified broadband compensating structure through S, C and L telecommunication bands. The simulation outcome exhibits relatively higher birefringence of 3.76×10-2 at wavelength of 1550 nm. The suggested fiber also has dispersion compensation characteristics in an inclusive series of wavelengths which covers 1400-1625 nm. The reported design can achieve dispersion quantity of – 606 ps/ (nm.km) at 1550 nm effective wavelength. The reported fiber design matches the relative dispersion slope (RDS) 0.003694 nm-1 similar to single mode fiber at 1550 nm operating wavelength. This fiber demonstrates negatively flattened effective dispersion of – 2.703 ± 0.734 ps/ (nm.km) within 180 nm flat band ranging from 1460-1640 nm wavelength. It is also convenient to optical high bit rate communication systems. The low confinement loss is found 3.756×10-10 dB/m at the operating wavelength. This design also achieves highly nonlinear coefficient of 50.34 W-1km-1. In some cases, it can also be used in sensing applications.

Abstract: This paper is focusing on the stabilisation of soil using jute fibre as soil stabilizer. Stabilisation is the process of modifying the properties of a soil to improve its engineering performance and used it for a variety of engineering works. This study examines the potential of soil stabilization with jute fibre when it is cut into roughly 30mm lengths as stabilizer. The varying percentages like 0.5%, 1%, 1.5 and 2% of pieces of jute fibre were used and mixed it with soil. The laboratory tests such as California Bearing Ratio (CBR) test, modified compaction tests and direct shear strength tests have been conducted to observe the change in engineering properties of soil. On the basis of the experiments performed, it can be concluded that the stabilization of soil using 30mm pieces of jute as stabilizer improves the strength characteristics of the soil so that it becomes usable as one of the reinforcing material for the construction of roadways, parking areas, site development projects, airports and many other situations where sub-soils are not suitable for construction.

Indonesia is one of the largest banana producing countries in the world remaining abundance solid waste of banana fruit bunch. The banana fruit bunch contains high natural fibers which were obtained by an impregnation process using potassium hydroxide (KOH) and followed by a carbonization process under steam at 250°C for 5 h. The nanomaterial of TiO₂/fibre was prepared by a hydrothermal process at 200°C for 4 h. Surface morphology proved that the TiO₂ was loaded into the fibre by an increasing roughness of the surface and irregular size of porosity. The development of amorphous to crystalline phase of TiO₂/fibre was clearly observed. The effectiveness of TiO₂/fibre for removal of rhodamine B was investigated from different parameters of adsorptions in aqueous solution. The equilibrium adsorptions show that the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm exhibited the best correlation coefficient (R² > 0.94) relating to the chemisorption and physisorption interaction in the adsorption process. Kinetic models were well described by the pseudo-first and second-order with the best correlation coefficient (R² > 0.99). These results indicate that nanomaterial TiO₂/fibre can be used as an effective adsorbent for removal of rhodamine B in aqueous solution.

Porous coatings on prosthetic implants encourage implant fixation. Enhanced fixation may be achieved using a magneto-active porous coating that can deform elastically in vivo on application of an external magnetic field, straining in-growing bone. Such coating, made of 444 ferritic stainless steel fibres, was previously characterised in terms of its mechanical and cellular responses. In this work, co-cultures of human osteoblasts and endothelial cells were seeded into a novel fibrin-based hydrogel embedded in a 444 ferritic stainless steel fibre network. Albumin was successfully incorporated into fibrin hydrogels improving the specific permeability and the diffusion of fluorescently-tagged dextrans without affecting their Young’s modulus. The beneficial effect of albumin was demonstrated by upregulation of osteogenic and angiogenic gene expression. Furthermore, mineralisation, extracellular matrix production and formation of vessel-like structures were enhanced in albumin-enriched fibrin hydrogels compared to fibrin hydrogels. Collectively, the results indicate that the albumin-enriched fibrin hydrogel is a promising bio-matrix for bone tissue engineering and orthopaedic applications.

In the history of high-performance polymer composite parts with continuous in-plane fibre reinforcement, the comparatively moderate structural-mechanical properties in their out-of- plane-z-direction and the limited load carrying capability between individual reinforcement layers within the laminated structures have always been one of the greatest challenges. Plenty of research work has been carried out to improve load transfer capability as well as fracture toughness for crack opening events between the reinforcement layers by means of out-of-plane fibre reinforcement implementation, for example by sewing or z-pinning technologies. However, the results have not become established across a wide range of applications so far, because the technologies used have led to considerable losses of in-plane strength properties. In this paper first results are presented for a new method of a low fraction z-fibre reinforcement by means of very thin diameter laser drilled holes filled with short carbon fibres, demonstrating potential to improve Mode II fracture toughness.

Background/objectives: The health benefits of resistant starch are well known, but there have not been many studies available documenting the effect of basmati rice products containg resistant starch upon blood glucose level and lipid profile in vivo efficacy. Methods: Common cooking methods were used to prepare basmati rice products including two boiling methods viz. boiling 1 (boiling by absorption), boiling 2 (boiling in extra amount of water), frying and pressure cooking. The cooked rice were held at various temperatures and times: it was made fresh (T1), kept at room temperature (20–22°C) for 24 h (T2), kept at 4°C for 24 h (T3), and then reheated after being kept at 4°C for 24 h(T4). Next, the products' proximate composition, total dietary fibre (soluble and insoluble), resistant starch (RS), and In vitro starch digestion rate (rapidly and slowly digested starch) were examined. The effect of RS on blood glucose and lipid profile were measured in humans and rats. Histopathological study of liver and pancreas in rats were also observed. Results: The basmati rice prepared by boiling 1 and stored with T3 was found more effective to control blood glucose and lipid profile. Similarly in rats, the blood glucose level, cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL were reduced about 29.7, 37.9, 31.3 and 30.5% respectively, after consumption of basmsti rice prepared by boiling 1 and stored at T3. Conclusion: Rice products stored at 4⁰C have a high amount of resistant starh, insoluble dietary fibre, slowly digestible starch and low glycemic index. Thus helps to inhibit glycogen and lipid synthesis.

We report on the study of the temperature dependence of the response of a BSO crystal based polarimetric current sensor with spectral interrogation. Two possible interrogation schemes are discussed. The spectral dependence of the optical rotation along the crystal caused by temperature and current changes has been investigated and approximate dependences for the sensitivities to current SI and temperature ST have been derived. A mixed term in the response with spectral interrogation has been revealed, the elimination of which is done by tracking wavelength shifts of two distinct extrema in the polarimetric response. A temperature independent second degree equation for the current changes as a function of the spectral shifts has been derived and tested.

The model of obesity induced by monosodium glutamate cytotoxicity on the hypothalamic nuclei is widely used in the literature. However, MSG promotes persistent muscle changes and there is a significant lack of studies that seek to elucidate the mechanisms by which damage refractory to reversal is established. This study aimed to investigate the early and chronic effects of MSG in-duction of obesity upon systemic and muscular parameters of Wistar rats. Animals were exposed to MSG subcutaneously (4 mg.g-1 b.w.) or saline (1.25 mg.g-1 b.w.) daily from PND01 to PND05 (n = 24). After, in PND15, 12 animals were euthanized to determine the plasma and inflammatory profile and to assess muscle damage. In PND142, the remaining animals were euthanized, and samples for histological and biochemical analyses were obtained. Our results suggest that early exposure to MSG reduced growth, and increased adiposity, induction hyperinsulinemia, and a pro-inflammatory scenario. In adulthood were found, peripheral insulin resistance, reduced muscle mass, oxidative capacity, neuromuscular junctions, increased fibrosis, and oxidative distress. Thus, we can conclude that the condition found in adult life and the difficulty in restoring the muscle profile are related to the metabolic damages established early.

Concrete has become the most common construction material showing among other advantages good behaviour when subjected to high temperatures. Nevertheless, concrete is usually reinforced with elements of other materials such as steel in the form of rebars or fibres. Thus, the behaviour under high temperatures of these other materials can be critical for structural elements. In addition, concrete spalling occurs when concrete is subjected to high temperature due to internal pressures. Micro polypropylene fibres (PP) have shown to be effective for reducing such spalling although this type of fibres barely improve any of the mechanical properties of the element. Hence, a combination of PP with steel rebars or fibres can be effective for the structural design of elements exposed to high temperatures. New polyolefin fibres (PF) have become an alternative to steel fibres. PF meet the requirements of the standards to consider the contributions of the fibres in the structural design. However, there is a lack of evidence about the behaviour of PF and elements made of polyolefin fibre reinforced concrete (PFRC) subjected to high temperatures. Given that these polymer fibres would be melt above 250 °C, the behaviour in the intermediate temperatures was assessed in this study. Uni-axial tests on individual fibres and three-point bending tests of PFRC specimens were performed. The results have shown that the residual load-bearing capacity of the material is gradually lost up to 200 °C, though the PFRC showed structural performance up to 185°C.

Precast concrete sandwich panels (PCSP) are energy efficient building system that is achieved through an insulation layer created between the concrete wythes. The insulation layer is usually of low bearing strength material making it more applicable for non-structural building systems. Hence, shear connectors are introduced to improve its structural capacity, which subsequently degrades it thermal performance by serving as thermal bridges across the panel. This article review researches of alternative materials and methods used to improve the thermal efficiency as well as reduced the strength loss due to insulation in PCSP. The alternative materials are basalt fibre reinforced polymer (BFRP), carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP), glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP), and foam concrete which are selected due to their low thermal conductivity for use in shear connection. While thermal path method has been used to prevent the effect of thermal bridges. Although, some of these materials have successfully achieved the desirable behaviours, however, several undesirable properties such as brittleness, bond slip, the sudden crushing of the panel system, and FRP failure below its ultimate strength were observed. Hence, the practicality of the alternative materials is still questionable despite its higher cost compared to the conventional steel and concrete used in the PCSP system.

Evidence shows that weightloss improves insulin sensitivity but few studies have examined the effect of macronutrient composition independently of weight loss on direct measures of insulin sensitivity. We randomised 89 overweight or obese women to either a standard diet (StdD) that was intended to be low in fat and relatively high in carbohydrate (n=42) or to a relatively high protein (up to 30% of energy), relatively high fibre (>30g/day) diet (HPHFib) (n=47) for 10 weeks. Advice regarding strict adherence to energy intake goals was not given. Insulin sensitivity and secretion was assessed by a novel method - the Dynamic Insulin Sensitivity and Secretion Test (DISST). Although there were significant improvements in body composition and most cardiometabolic risk factors on HPHFib, insulin sensitivity was reduced by 19.3% (95% CI: 31.8, 4.5%; p=0.013) in comparison with StdD. We conclude that the reduction in insulin sensitivity after a diet relatively high in both protein and fibre, despite cardiometabolic improvements, suggests insulin sensitivity may reflect metabolic adaptations to dietary composition for maintenance of glucose homeostasis, rather than impaired metabolism.

Cloud Computing is a promising and emerging technology that is rapidly being adopted by many IT companies due to a number of benefits that it provides, such as large storage space, low investment cost, virtualization, resource sharing, etc. Users are able to store a vast amount of data and information in the cloud and access it from anywhere, anytime on a pay-per-use basis. Since many users are able to share the data and the resources stored in the cloud, there arises a need to provide access to the data to only those users who are authorized to access it. This can be done through access control schemes which allow the authenticated and authorized users to access the data and deny access to unauthorized users. In this paper, a comprehensive review of all the existing access control schemes has been discussed along with analysis. Keywords: role-based access control, attribute-based access control, attribute-based encryption

HDPE (high-density polyethene) plastic waste is stronger, harder, and more resistant to high temperatures than other plastics. Using it as an additive in a concrete mixture is one solution to reduce this type of waste. We examined how HDPE-type plastics can be used as an additive material in the manufacture of concrete to improve its hardness, tensile strength and compressive strength. Using 156 samples, we aimed to identify the effect of HDPE plastic fibres on concrete of three qualities; B0, f'c10 MPa (low quality), and f'c25 MPa (medium and high quality). We added four compositions (2.5%, 5%, 10% and 20% by weight of cement) of HDPE plastic fibre to each quality of cement, with HDPE plastic fibre sizes of 1 x 1 cm, 0.5 x 2 cm or 0.25 x 4 cm. We found that the addition of 5% HDPE plastic fibre with a 0.5 x 2 cm cross-sectional shape to the f'c10 MPa concrete gives the best result, with increased tensile and compressive strength of the concrete.

Process induced defects during thermoforming are widespread problems in laminate manufacturing. The aim of this study is to describe the effects of holding time and pressure on several properties of the manufactured laminate. A design of experiments is performed, followed by an analysis of variance to examine significant effects. Subsequently, a regression model is created to predict the laminate’s properties, which is also validated. The highest values of tensile strength and elongation at break are found for low settings of holding time and pressure. The fibre volume fraction is not affected by the process parameters. As holding time and pressure increase, significant fibre misalignment takes place, leading to a decrease of the mechanical properties. The regression model corresponds well with the validation and should be extended with further variables in subsequent studies.

This study aims at better understanding the damage and fracture kinetics in flax fibres elements at both the unitary and bundle scales using an experimental setup allowing optical observation at high recording rate in the course of tensile loading. Defects issues from flax unitary fibre extraction are quantitated using polarized light microscopy. Tensile loading is conducted according to a particular setup adapted to fibres of 10 to 20 µm in diameter and 10 mm in length. Optical recording using high speed camera is performed during loading up to the failure at acquisition speed ranging from 108,000 to 270,000 frames per second. Crack initiation in polymer layers of fibre elements, propagation as well as damage mechanisms are captured. The results show different failure scenarios depending on the fibre element nature. In particular, fractured fibres underline either a fully transverse failure propagation or a combination of transverse and longitudinal cracking with different balances. Image recordings with high time resolution down to 3.7 μs suggest unstable system and transverse crack speed higher than 4 m/s and a slower propagation for longitudinal crack deviation.

One of the most widely available and extensively produced varieties of industrial hemp, which generates a substantial amount of consumer-increasing waste in the form of hemp cellulose. In this study, recycling with a compressed and high-speed method that combines crushing and alkali treatment effectively converts leftover hemp fiber into ultrafine powder. SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy), AFM (Atomic Force Microscope), FTIR (Fourier-transform Infrared Spectroscopy), and XRD (X-ray Diffraction) examined the original morphology of hemp fiber treated with alkali, fiber heated to 200 ℃, and crushed powder. Particle size, crystallinity, fiber surface, and strength increased and decreased. It became apparent that fiber strength decreased and fiber roughness significantly increased after alkali treatment. Fiber increased significantly, and crystallinity decreased after crushing. It was simple and effective for converting the leftover hemp fiber into micron-sized powder. In about 3 to 5 minutes, approximately 1 kg of dry ultrafine powder with a particle size of 10.44 μm was produced. This production method will significantly enhance future industrial applications of waste hemp fiber.

Natural Fibre Composites (NFC) are eco-friendly, sustainable alternatives to synthetic polymers. However, some intrinsic natural fillers´ properties hinder their widespread implementation as re-inforcement in polymeric matrices and require further investigation. In the scope of this study, the thermal, rheologic, mechanical (tension and flexural modes), morphological properties, water ab-sorption and dimensional stability of the NF polypropylene (PP) based injection moulded compo-sites with the rice husk (rh) and olive pits (op) of 20 wt% and 30% wt%, were investigated. The results suggest that the higher content of the rice husk and olive pits led to a similar reduction of the Melt Flow Index (MFI), independent of the additive type compared to virgin polypropylene (PPv). The melting and crystallization temperatures of the PPrh and PPop composites did not change with statistical significance. The composites are stiffer than the PP matrix by up to 49% and possess higher mechanical strength in what concerns the tension mode at the expense of de-creased ductility. PPrh and PPop have superior flexural modulus in the bending mode, while the flexural strength improvement was accomplished for the PP30%rh. The dimensional stability of the composites was improved as the linear shrinkage in the flow direction was decreased by 49% for PPrh and 30% for PPop, positively correlating with an increase in the filler content and stiff-ness. PPop was less susceptible to water sorption than PPrh due to fibres' composition and larger surface-to-area volume ratios.

Bodybuilders utilize peaking strategies in a bid to fine-tune their aesthetics for competition day. The most prevalent peaking strategies utilized by natural bodybuilders are unreported in the current literature. Eighty-one (M - 59, F - 22) natural bodybuilders were recruited from competitions during the 2016 and 2017 British Natural Bodybuilder Federation seasons. Competitors completed a 34-item questionnaire designed to investigate peaking and contest day strategies. The questionnaire listed commonly utilized peaking strategies and provided additional space for qualitative information. Analysis of the data indicated that carbohydrate (CHO), water and sodium manipulation were the most commonly utilized peak week strategies. The consumption of high glycemic index CHO was the most common competition day strategy. Only 6.2 % of competitors reported following their regular diet the week prior to competition. The CHO manipulation strategies were similar to classical CHO loading, whereby bodybuilders attempt to maximize muscle glycogen concentrations. Furthermore, bodybuilders attempted to remove superfluous water by exploiting the diuretic/polyuria effect associated with water loading/restriction. The potentially deleterious effects of peaking on bodybuilders' health is considered and the efficacy of these strategies to enhance appearance is discussed. The findings of the present investigation are likely to be of interest to bodybuilders and their coaches.

Many theoretical models of iron-based superconductors have been proposed but Tc calculations based on the models are usually missing. We have chosen two models of iron-based superconductors in the literature and then compute the Tc values accordingly: Recently two models have been announced which suggest that superconducting electron concentration involved in the pairing mechanism of iron-based superconductors may have been underestimated, and that the antiferromagnetism and the induced xy potential may even have a dramatic amplification effect on electron-phonon coupling. We use bulk FeSe, LiFeAs and NaFeAs data to calculate the Tc based on these models and test if the combined model can predict the superconducting transition temperature (Tc) of the nanostructured FeSe monolayer well. To substantiate the recently announced xy potential in the literature, we create a two-channel model to separately superimpose the dynamics of the electron in the upper and lower tetrahedral plane. The results of our two-channel model support the literature data. While scientists are still searching for a universal DFT functional that can describe the pairing mechanism of all iron-based superconductors, we base on the ARPES data to propose an empirical combination of DFT functional for revising the electron-phonon scattering matrix in the superconducting state, which ensures that all electrons involved in iron-based superconductivity are included in the computation. Our computational model takes into account this amplifying effect of antiferromagnetism and the correction of the electron-phonon scattering matrix together with the abnormal soft out-of-plane lattice vibration of the layered structure, which allows us to calculate theoretical Tc values of LiFeAs, NaFeAs and FeSe as a function of pressure that correspond reasonably well to the experimental values. More importantly, by taking into account the interfacial effect between an FeSe monolayer and its SrTiO3 substrate as an additional gain factor, our calculated Tc value is up to 91 K high, and provides evidence that the strong Tc enhancement recently observed in such monolayers with Tc reaching 100 K may be contributed from the electrons within the ARPES range.

Road-embedded inductive power transfer (IPT) systems have the potential to accelerate the electrification of the transportation sector. For these systems to be economically viable however, they need to have a similar durability and lifespan compared to that of asphalt roads. One area that has lacked investigation is thermally induced stresses in a primary IPT pad, which is caused by the increase in temperature of the pad when it is energized and the differing thermal expansion of the materials within. This paper presents an experimental and a finite-element based methodology for investigating the thermal-mechanical behaviour of a ¼-scale double-D pad, which was energized while suspended in air, as well as energized when embedded in pavement. A focus was placed on the measurement and prediction of strains in the magnetic ferrite cores because of their brittleness. Ferrite strains were measured using a combination of resistive strain gauges and non-metallic Fibre Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors. Coupled electromagnetic-thermal-structural simulations were conducted to predict temperature and strains in the system, with temperature-dependent properties obtained through physical testing. At an ambient temperature of 50°C, the temperature in the middle of the copper litz wire coil was predicted to be 100°C in both the suspended and embedded case. There was excellent correlation to experimental results, with a difference of less than 10% for most temperature measurements. When energized, the pad was predicted to experience an upward bow due to its temperature rise, resulting bending strains in the ferrite cores. At an ambient temperature of 50°C, maximum tensile strain in the ferrites of the embedded pad was measured to be 62 microstrain (με), with a root-mean square error that was 18 με across three sensors. The experimental and validated numerical methodology can be applied to full-scale operational IPT pads to analyse and improve their thermal-mechanical performance.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is the etiological agent of tuberculosis (TB), a disease that alt-hough preventable and curable, remains a global epidemic due to the emergence of resistance and a latent form responsible for a long period of treatment. Drug discovery in TB is a challenging task due to the heterogeneity of the disease, the emergence of resistance and an uncomplete knowledge of the pathophysiology of the disease. The limited permeability of the cell wall and the presence of multiple efflux pumps remain a major barrier to achieve effective intracellular drug accumulation. While the complete genome sequence of Mtb has been determined and several potential protein targets have been validated, the lack of adequate models for in vitro and in vivo studies is a limit-ing factor in TB drug discovery programs. In current therapeutic regimens, less than 0.5% of bac-terial proteins are targeted being the biosynthesis of the cell wall and the energetic metabolism two of the most important processes exploited for TB chemotherapeutics. This review provides an overview on the current challenges in TB drug discovery and emerging Mtb druggable proteins, and how chemical probes for protein profiling enabled the identification of new targets and bi-omarkers, paving the way to disruptive therapeutic regimens and diagnostic tools.

Lake Rawapening, Semarang Regency, Indonesia, has incorporated a holistic plan in its management practices. However, despite successful target achievements, some limitations remain that a review of its management plan is needed. This paper identifies and analyzes existing lake management strategies as a standard specifically in Lake Rawapening by exploring various literature, both legal frameworks and scholarly articles indexed in Google Scholar and published in Water by MDPI about lake management in many countries. There are two major types of lake management, namely pillar-based and object-based. While the former is the foundation of a conceptual paradigm that does not comprehensively consider the roles of finance and technology in the lake management, the latter indicates the objects to manage so as to create standards or benchmarks for the implementation of various programs. Overall, Lake Rawapening management should include more programs on erosion-sedimentation control and monitoring of operational performance using information systems.

Nature-based solutions (NbS) are increasingly recognised for their potential to address both the climate and biodiversity crises. These outcomes are interdependent, and both rely on the capacity of NbS to support and enhance the health of an ecosystem: its biodiversity, the condition of its abiotic and biotic elements, and its capacity to function normally despite environmental change. However, while understanding of ecosystem health outcomes of nature-based interventions for climate change mitigation is growing, the outcomes of those implemented for adaptation remain poorly understood with evidence scattered across multiple disciplines. To address this, we conducted a systematic review of the outcomes of 109 nature-based interventions for climate change adaptation using 33 indicators of ecosystem health across eight broad categories (e.g. diversity, biomass, ecosystem functioning and population dynamics). We showed that 88% of interventions with positive outcomes for climate change adaptation also reported measurable benefits for ecosystem health. We also showed that interventions were associated with a 67% average increase in local species richness. All eight studies that reported benefits in terms of both climate change mitigation and adaptation also supported ecosystem health, leading to a triple win. However, there were also trade-offs, mainly for forest management and creation of novel ecosystems such as monoculture plantations of non-native species. Our review highlights two major limitations of research to date. First, only a limited selection of metrics are used to assess ecosystem health and these rarely include key aspects such as functional diversity and habitat connectivity. Second, taxonomic coverage is poor: 67% of outcomes assessed only plants and 57% did not distinguish between native and non-native species. Future research addressing these issues will allow the design and adaptive management of NbS to support healthy and resilient ecosystems, and thereby enhance their effectiveness for meeting both climate and biodiversity targets.

Due to their increased surface area, extent of swelling and active substance loading capacity and flexibility, nanogels made from natural and synthetic polymers have gained significant interest in the scientific and industrial areas. Especially, customized design and implementation of non-toxic, biocompatible, and biodegradable micro/nano carriers makes their usage very feasible for a range of biomedical applications, including drug delivery, tissue engineering, and bioimaging. The design and application methodologies of nanogels have been outlined in this review. Additionally, the most recent advancements in nanogel biomedical applications have been discussed, with a particular emphasis on applications for the delivery of drugs and biomolecules.

Vision-based tactile sensors (VBTS) have become the de facto method of giving robots the ability to obtain tactile feedback from their environment. Unlike other solutions to tactile sensing, VBTS offers high spatial resolution feedback without compromising on instrumentation costs or incurring additional maintenance expenses. However, conventional cameras used in VBTS have a fixed update rate and output redundant data, leading to computational overhead downstream. In this work, we present a neuromorphic vision-based tactile sensor (N-VBTS) that employs observations from an event-based camera for contact angle prediction. Particularly, we design and develop a novel graph neural network, dubbed TactiGraph, that asynchronously operates on graphs constructed from raw N-VBTS streams exploiting their spatiotemporal correlations to perform predictions. Although conventional VBTS uses an internal illumination source, TactiGraph is reported to perform efficiently in both scenarios, with and without an internal illumination source. Rigorous experimental results revealed that TactiGraph achieved a mean absolute error of 0.62∘ in predicting the contact angle and was faster and more efficient than both conventional VBTS and other N-VBTS, with lower instrumentation costs. Specifically, N-VBTS requires only 5.5% of the compute-time needed by VBTS when both are tested on the same scenario.

For disciplines like biological science, security, and the medical field, link prediction is a popular research area. To demonstrate the link prediction many methods have been proposed. Some of them that have been demonstrated through this review paper are TransE, Complex, DistMult, and DensE models. Each model defines link prediction with different perceptions. We argue that the practical performance potential of these methods, having similar parameter values, using the fine-tuning technique to evaluate their reliability and reproducibility of results. We describe those methods and experiments; provide theoretical proofs and experimental examples, demonstrating how current link prediction methods work in such settings. We use the standard evaluation metrics for testing the model's ability.

Zoos are increasingly putting in place formalized animal welfare assessment programs to allow monitoring of welfare over time, as well as to aid in resource prioritization. These programs tend to rely on assessment tools that incorporate resource-based and observational animal- focused measures since it is rarely feasible to obtain measures of physiology in zoo-housed animals. A range of assessment tools are available which commonly have a basis in the Five Domains framework. A comprehensive review of the literature was conducted to bring together recent studies examining welfare assessment methods in zoo animals. A summary of these methods is provided with advantages and limitations of the approach es presented. We then highlight practical considerations with respect to implementation of these tools into practice, for example scoring schemes, weighting of criteria, and innate animal factors for consideration. It is concluded that would be value in standardizing guidelines for development of welfare assessment tools since zoo accreditation bodies rarely prescribe these. There is also a need to develop taxon or species- specific assessment tools to inform welfare management.

Herein we report the expansion of the chemical space available from the chitin, accessible via the biogenic N-platforms 3A5AF, M4A2C and di-HAF. The biologically active heteroaromatics furo[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4-one and furo[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4-amine can be selectively accessed from 3A5AF and M4A2C, respectively. The chiral pool synthon di-HAF is a viable substrate for the Achmatowicz rearrangement, providing streamlined access to 2-aminosugars possessing a versatile hydroxymethyl group at C5.

The evolution of photovoltaic cells is intrinsically linked to advancements in the materials from which they are fabricated. This review paper provides an in-depth analysis of the latest developments in silicon-based, organic, and perovskite solar cells, which are at the forefront of photovoltaic research. We scrutinize the unique characteristics, advantages, and limitations of each material class, emphasizing their contributions to efficiency, stability, and commercial viability. Silicon-based cells are explored for their enduring relevance and recent innovations in crystalline structures. Organic photovoltaic cells are examined for their flexibility and potential for low-cost production, while perovskites are highlighted for their remarkable efficiency gains and ease of fabrication. The paper also addresses the challenges of material stability, scalability, and environmental impact, offering a balanced perspective on the current state and future potential of these material technologies.

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL)-based instruction versus lecture-based instruction on Grade 12 students’ performance in circular motion unit. A quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest design, the impact of POGIL-based instruction versus lecture-based instruction on students’ performance as measured by three types of cognitive outcomes: Knowing, Applying and Reasoning (KAR). The total number of participants was approximately 110 students (N=110); 54 were assigned to treatment groups (25 girls and 29 boys) and 56 were assigned to control groups (27 girls and 29 boys). The treatment group was taught a unit of circular motion in physics using POGIL-based instruction while the control group was taught the unit using lecture-based instruction. The findings of the study showed statistically significant differences between students of the control group and the treatment group in favor of the later regarding their circular motion performance, suggesting the superiority of the POGIL in enhancing student understanding of the circular motion.

This article investigates the prospect of implementing multidisciplinary and multicultural student teamwork (MMT) involving Case-based Learning (CBL) and Problem-based Learning (PBL) as a sustainable teaching practice. Based on a mixed methods approach, which includes direct observation (both physical and virtual), questionnaire distribution and focus-group interviews the study reveals that MMT through CBL and PBL can both facilitate and hinder sustainable learning. Our findings show that while MMT enhances knowledge sharing, it also poses a wide range of challenges, raising questions about its social significance as a sustainable teaching practice. The study suggests the implementation of certain mechanisms, such as ‘Teamwork Training’ and ‘Pedagogical Mentors’, aiming to strengthen the sustainable orientation of MMT through CBL and PBL.

In MBSE there is yet no converged terminology. The term ’system model’ is used in different contexts in literature. In this study we elaborated the definitions and usages of the term ’system model’, to find a common definition. 104 publications have been analyzed in depth for their usage and definition as well as their meta-data e.g., the publication year and publication background to find some common patterns. While the term is gaining more interest in recent years it is used in a broad range of contexts for both analytical and synthetic use cases. Based on this three categories of system models have been defined and integrated into a more precise definition.

This article discusses the use of game design as a method for interdisciplinary project-based teaching in secondary school education to convey informatics and society topics. There is a lot of knowledge about learning games but little background on project-based teaching using game design as a method. We present the results of an analysis of student-created games and an evaluation of a student-authored database on learning contents found in commercial off-the-shelf games. We further contextualise these findings using a group discussion with teachers. Results underline the effectiveness of project-based teaching to raise awareness for informatics and society topics. We further outline informatics and society topics that are particularly interesting to students, genre preferences and potentially engaging game mechanics stemming from our analyses.

The ubiquity of mobile sensors (such as GPS, accelerometer and gyroscope) together with increasing computational power have enabled an easier access to contextual information, which proved its value in next generation of the recommender applications. The importance of contextual information has been recognized by researchers in many disciplines, such as ubiquitous and mobile computing, to filter the query results and provide recommendations based on different user status. A context-aware recommendation system (CoARS) provides a personalized service to each individual user, driven by his or her particular needs and interests at any location and anytime. Therefore, a contextual recommendation system changes in real time as a user’s circumstances changes. CoARS is one of the major applications that has been refined over the years due to the evolving geospatial techniques and big data management practices. In this paper, a CoARS is designed and implemented to combine the context information from smartphones’ sensors and user preferences to improve efficiency and usability of the recommendation. The proposed approach combines user’s context information (such as location, time, and transportation mode), personalized preferences (using individuals past behavior), and item-based recommendations (such as item’s ranking and type) to personally filter the item list. The context-aware methodology is based on preprocessing and filtering of raw data, context extraction and context reasoning. This study examined the application of such a system in recommending a suitable restaurant using both web-based and android platforms. The implemented system uses CoARS techniques to provide beneficial and accurate recommendations to the users. The capabilities of the system is evaluated successfully with recommendation experiment and usability test.

Hospital-based programs democratize mRNA therapeutics by facilitating the processes to translate a novel RNA idea from the bench to the clinic. Because mRNA is essentially biological software, therapeutic RNA constructs can be rapidly developed. The generation of small batches of clinical grade mRNA to support IND applications and first-in-man clinical trials, as well as personalized mRNA therapeutics delivered at the point-of-care, is feasible at a modest scale of cGMP manufacturing. Advances in mRNA manufacturing science and innovations in mRNA biology, are increasing the scope of mRNA clinical applications.

Drug discovery utilizes high-throughput screening (HTS) methods applying target and cell-based assays. This review discusses the challenges and benefits associated with these assays in HTS. Discussed the strategies that can be applied for the development of screening assays through primary and secondary screens for target identification. Further discussion on identify-ing the most efficacious drugs following these approaches in cancer. Even though various drugs have been identified to treat cancer, there is high demand of more relevant phenotypic assays to produce desired diseased phenotype to only highlighting the specific targets instead of off-targets. Hopefully, the new developing strategies could provide innovative drugs to treat cancer patients to reduce mortality rate.

The correlations of seismic noise, recorded during 1997-2022 at 229 stations around the world are investigated. The property of waveforms, known as the Donoho-Johnston threshold, is analyzed, which separates the absolute values of the orthogonal wavelet coefficients into "small" and "large". Network of 50 reference points is considered. For each reference point, a time series with a time step of 1 day is calculated as the median of the values of the DJ index from the 5 nearest stations. For each reference point, the correlations between the values of the DJ index at other reference points are calculated in a sliding time window of 365 days. Average values of the DJ index decrease, which is interpreted as indicators of global seismic hazard increasing. The maximum distances between reference points with strong correlations show an explosive increase after 2011. Bursts in the mean coherences between the length of day (LOD) and the values of the DJ index at the reference points precede the release of seismic energy with a delay of about 530 days. High amplitude of the DJ index response to LOD for the times 2020-2022 was identified, which may forecast a strong earthquake in the second half of 2023.