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In the linear induction motor control system, the optical grating speed transducer is susceptible to strong magnetic field interference. What's more, it may reduce motor integration and raise device costs. Therefore a speed identification method to replace grating speed transducer is studied in this article. This speed identification method for linear induction motor mainly adopts Model Reference Adaptive Method (Abbreviated as MRAS) and Popov Hyperstability Theory. The research content of this paper can be divided into four parts. First, the mathematical model of the motor based on the model reference adaptive system structure is deduced. Second, the adaptive law of the estimated speed is solved by Popov hyper-stability theory, which ensures the stability of the system. Third, the simulation model of the linear induction motor speed identification control system based on model reference adaptation is built in the MATLAB environment. Finally, the simulation test and analysis are carried out. The simulation results show that the speed identification control system can track the actual speed of the linear induction motor well in the no-load operation and the load operation, and the stability of the system is guaranteed in the full speed range.

The microstructure and oxidation behaviour of the pure AlON ceramics and 8 wt.% SiC-AlON composite were investigated at 700-1500°C. With increasing oxidation temperature, the surface morphology of two ceramics showed a change from acicular to flaky-like and then to granular features. With the addition of nanosized SiC particles, the oxidation resistance of the ceramics was remarkably enhanced above 1100°C. This is attributed to the formation of a dense oxide layer composed of Al2O3, SiO2 and mullite, which could cover the whole matrix and suppress further penetration of oxygen. Due to the dense oxide layer, the oxidation kinetics of the 8 wt.% SiC-AlON composites conformed to a parabolic law, while that of the pure AlON conformed to a linear law. After oxidation at 1500 °C for 40 h, the weight gain of the 8 wt.% SiC-AlON composites was 3.07mg/cm2, which was only 22.5% of that of the pure AlON.

The synthesis and crystal structure of peptide 6,6′-dimethyl biphenyl hybrid are described. The title compound was synthesized by reaction between 6,6′-dimethyl-[1,1′-biphenyl]-2,2′-dicarbonyl dichloride in CH2Cl2, amine HN–proline–phenylalanine–alanine–COOMe and Et3N at 273 K under N2 atmosphere and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The asymmetric unit contains one peptide molecule and a quarter of a water molecule. A disorder of a methyl and methoxycarbonyl group of one alanine residue is observed with occupancy ratio 0.502 (6):0.498 (6). The structure is consolidated by intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonds.

A peptide biphenyl hybrid compound {systematic name: dimethyl 2,2′-[((2S,2′S)-2,2′-{[(2S,2′S)-1,1′-([1,1′-biphenyl]-2,2′-dicarbonyl)bis(pyrrolidine-1,2-diyl-2-carbonyl)]bis(azanediyl)}bis(3-phenylpropanoyl))bis(azanediyl)](2S,2′S)-dipropionate hemihydrate}, C50H56N6O10·0.5H2O, was prepared by coupling of [1,1′-biphenyl]-2,2′-dicarbonyl dichloride, triethylamine and the tripeptide Pro–Phe–Ala in CH2Cl2 at 273 K under an N2 atmosphere. In the crystal, the asymmetric unit contains the peptide biphenyl hybrid accompanied by one-half of a water molecule. A C atom of one of the proline rings is disordered between two positions in a 0.746 (11):0.254 (11) ratio. An important structural aspect of peptide compounds is their capacity to self-associate mediated by intermolecular and intramolecular hydrogen bonding. This characteristic can be useful in understanding the interactions between peptides and biomacromolecular targets, as well as to explain peptide properties.

Seeking a strategy for triggering the cryptic natural product biosynthesis to yield novel compounds in the plant-associated fungus Xylaria sp., the effect of culture conditions on metabolite production was investigated. A shift in the production of five known cytochalasin-type analogues 1–5 to six new α-pyrone derivatives, xylapyrones A–F (compounds 6–11), from a solid to a liquid medium was observed. These compounds were identified by analysis of 1D and 2D NMR and HRMS data. Compounds 1–3 showed moderate cytotoxicity against HepG2 and Caski cancer cell lines with IC50 values ranging from 25 to 63 μM and compounds 4–11 were found to be inactive, with IC50 values >100 μM.

IoT devices and embedded systems are deployed in critical environments, emphasizing attributes like power efficiency and computational capabilities. However, these constraints stress the paramount importance of device security, stimulating the exploration of lightweight cryptographic mechanisms. This study introduces a lightweight architecture for authenticated encryption tailored to these requirements. The architecture combines the lightweight encryption of the LED block cipher with the authentication of the PHOTON hash function. Leveraging shared internal operations, the integration of these bases optimizes area–performance tradeoffs, resulting in reduced power consumption and a reduced logic footprint. The architecture is synthesized and simulated using Verilog HDL, Quartus II, and ModelSim, and implemented on Cyclone FPGA devices. The results demonstrate a substantial 14% reduction in the logic area and up to a 46.04% decrease in power consumption in contrast to the individual designs of LED and PHOTON. This work highlights the potential for using efficient cryptographic solutions in resource-constrained environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a novel approach to deal with the multi-objective optimization of a two-stage bevel helical gearbox by applying the Taguchi method and Grey Relation Analysis (GRA). The goal of the study is to find optimal main design factors that minimize the gearbox volume and maximize the gearbox efficiency. To accomplish this, five main design parameters were selected: the coefficients of wheel face width (CWFW) of the bevel and the helical gear sets, the allowable contact stresses (ACS) of the first and the second stages, and the gear ratio of the first stage. Furthermore, two single targets were investigated: minimum gearbox volumes, and maximum gearbox efficiency. Also, the multi-objective optimization problem is solved through two steps: Step 1 for closing the gap between variable levels and Step 2 for determining the optimal main design factors. The study's findings were used to introduce the optimum values of five major design parameters for designing a two-stage helical gearbox. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a major foodborne pathogen in aquatic animals and a threat to human health worldwide. This study investigated the prevalence, antimicrobial resistance, antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs), and biofilm formation of V. parahaemolyticus strains isolated from fish mariculture environments in Cat Ba Island, Vietnam. Methods In total, 150 rearing water samples were collected from 10 fish mariculture farms in winter and summer. A polymerase chain reaction assay was used to identify V. parahaemolyticus, its virulence factors, and ARGs. The antimicrobial resistance patterns and biofilm formation ability of V. parahaemolyticus strains were investigated using the disk diffusion test and a microtiter plate-based crystal violet method, respectively. Results Thirty-seven V. parahaemolyticus isolates were recovered from 150 samples. The frequencies of the tdh and trh genes among V. parahaemolyticus isolates were 8.1% and 21.6%, respectively. More than 90% of isolates were susceptible to ceftazidime, cefotaxime, and chloramphenicol, but over 72% were resistant to ampicillin, tetracycline, and erythromycin. Furthermore, 67.57% of isolates exhibited multidrug resistance. The presence of ARGs related to gentamicin (aac(3)-IV), tetracycline (tetA) and ciprofloxacin (qnrA) in V. parahaemolyticus isolates was identified. Conversely, no ARGs related to ampicillin or erythromycin resistance were detected. Biofilm formation capacity was detected in significantly more multidrug-resistant isolates (64.9%) than non-multidrug-resistant isolates (18.9%). Conclusion Mariculture environments are a potential source of antibiotic-resistant V. parahaemolyticus and a hotspot for virulence genes and ARGs diffusing to aquatic environments. Thus, the prevention of antibiotic-resistant foodborne vibriosis in aquatic animals and humans requires continuous monitoring.

Summary: Background: No study has compared the virological and immunological status of young people with perinatally-acquired HIV infection (P-HIV) with that of people with HIV adulthood (A-HIV) having a similar duration of infection. Methods: 5 French cohorts of P-HIV and A-HIV patients with a known date of HIV-infection and receiving antiretroviral treatment (ART), were used to compare the following proportions of: virological failure (VF) defined as plasma HIV RNA ≥ 50 copies/mL, CD4 cell percentages and CD4:CD8 ratios, at the time of the most recent visit since 2012. The analysis was stratified on time since infection, and multivariate models were adjusted for demographics and treatment history. Findings: 310 P-HIV were compared to 1515 A-HIV (median current ages 20.9 [IQR:14.4–25.5] and 45.9 [IQR:37.9–53.5] respectively). VF at the time of the most recent evaluation was significantly higher among P-HIV (22.6%, 69/306) than A-HIV (3.3%, 50/1514); p ≤ 0.0001. The risk of VF was particularly high among the youngest children (2–5 years), adolescents (13–17 years) and young adults (18–24 years), compared to A-HIV with a similar duration of infection: adjusted Odds-Ratio (aOR) 7.0 [95% CI: 1.7; 30.0], 11.4 [4.2; 31.2] and 3.3 [1.0; 10.8] respectively. The level of CD4 cell percentages did not differ between P-HIV and A-HIV. P-HIV aged 6–12 and 13–17 were more likely than A-HIV to have a CD4:CD8 ratio ≥ 1: 84.1% vs. 58.8% (aOR = 3.5 [1.5; 8.3]), and 60.9% vs. 54.7% (aOR = 1.9 [0.9; 4.2]) respectively. Interpretation: P-HIV were at a higher risk of VF than A-HIV with a similar duration of infection, even after adjusting for treatment history, whereas they were not at a higher risk of immunological impairment. Exposure to viral replication among young patients living with HIV since birth or a very early age, probably because of lower adherence, could have an impact on health, raising major concerns about the selection of resistance mutations and the risk of HIV transmission. Funding: Inserm - ANRS MIE.

Multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) is a research area that entails analyzing various available options in a situation involving social sciences, medicine, engineering, and many other fields. This is due to the fact that it is used to select the best solution from a set of alternatives. The MCDM methods have been applied not only in economics, medicine, transportation, and the military, but also in mechanical processing processes to determine the best machining option. In this study, determining the best dressing mode for external grinding SKD11 tool steel using an MCDM method—the MABAC (multi-attributive border approximation area comparison) method—was introduced. The goal of this research is to find the best dressing mode for achieving the minimal surface roughness (RS), the maximum wheel life (T), and the minimal roundness (R) all at the same time. To perform this work, an experiment was carried out with six input parameters: the fine dressing depth, the fine dressing passes, the coarse dressing depth, the coarse dressing passes, the non-feeding dressing, and the dressing feed rate. In addition, the Taguchi method and an L16 orthogonal array were used to design the experiment. Furthermore, the MEREC (method based on the removal effects of criteria) and entropy methods were used to determine the weight of the criteria. The best dressing mode for external cylindrical grinding has been proposed based on the results. These findings were also confirmed by comparing them to the TOPSIS (technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution) and MARCOS (measurement of alternatives and ranking according to compromise solution) methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coptosapelta flavescens Korth. is one of the medicinal plants used as a traditional medicine in Vietnam for a long time. However, few documents proved its safety for a long time. Therefore, the study aimed to determine the toxicity effects of the aqueous extract of C. flavescens by determining its effects after subchronic oral administration in Swiss albino mice. The toxicity of C. flavescens extract was tested at doses of 400 and 1200 mg/kg, respectively, over 30 and 60 days on an in vivo model. Animal weight, behavior, and condition changes were monitored throughout the process. At the end of the observation periods, hematological indices and histopathological features of the animal specimens were analyzed. The administration of C. flavescens extract at doses of 400 and 1200 mg/kg caused a weight difference in male mice after 30 days and in both sexes after 60 days of administration compared to the control group. There were no significant changes in hematological parameters and biochemical indexes of the liver and kidney compared with the control group. The histological structure of the liver showed changes when treated with C. flavescens at both doses after 60 days, whereas the histological structure of the kidneys exhibited differences only at the dose of 400 mg/kg. Overall, the findings of this study indicate that Coptosapelta flavescens Korth. is unlikely to have subacute and subchronic oral toxicity. However, there are some minor effects on the liver and kidneys.

For most Internet-of-Things (IoT) applications, embedded processors typically execute lightweight tasks such as sensing and communication. The typical IoT program senses some information and sends them via a channel, usually a wireless channel with an RF circuit. These IoT nodes often require a system with networking capabilities and a low-power harvester implementation. This brief presents a sub-μW 8-bit processor which is suitable for such IoT applications. The processor implements the Open8 Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) with an 8-bit datapath and 16-bit bus addressing. The chip contains the processor and a 4-KB of Static Random-Access-Memory (SRAM), and is fabricated by the 65-nm Silicon-On-Thin-Box (SOTB) process. The SOTB process is one of the Fully-Depleted Silicon-On-Insulator (FD-SOI) technology. Hence, the ability to control biasing voltages is one of its key advantages to achieve low-power. The experimental results show that the power consumption at the reverse-body bias can reach down to 50-nW with 0.5-V supply voltage and 32-KHz operating clock frequency. The completed microcontroller consists of the Open8 processor, 32-KB of Read-Only-Memory (ROM), 4-KB of SRAM, Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI), SPI programmer, debug module, General-Purpose In-Outs (GPIOs), and UART. The system was tested using an XC7A100T Xilinx Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA); it yielded 1.8% of the total FPGA utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the large-scale grid connection of new energy power, the random fluctuation existing in the power system is intensified, which leads to frequent fluctuation of load instructions of thermal power units. It is of great significance to improve the variable load performance of the coal-fired units. It is more difficult to control the superheated steam temperature (SST). In order to improve the control performance of SST, a state variable fuzzy predictive control method is proposed in this paper. Firstly, Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy state observer is used to approximate the non-linear plant of the SST. At the same time, based on the state observer, a fuzzy state feedback controller is designed to improve its dynamic characteristics. Thirdly, based on the extended predictive model of the state feedback controller, a model predictive controller is designed to realize the SST tracking control. Dynamic simulation shows the effectiveness of the strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract When optimizing the process parameters of the acidic ethanolic organosolv process, the aim is usually to maximize the delignification and/or lignin purity. However, process parameters such as temperature, time, ethanol and catalyst concentration, respectively, can also be used to vary the structural properties of the obtained organosolv lignin, including the molecular weight and the ratio of aliphatic versus phenolic hydroxyl groups, among others. This review particularly focuses on these influencing factors and establishes a trend analysis between the variation of the process parameters and the effect on lignin structure. Especially when larger data sets are available, as for process temperature and time, correlations between the distribution of depolymerization and condensation reactions are found, which allow direct conclusions on the proportion of lignin's structural features, independent of the diversity of the biomass used. The newfound insights gained from this review can be used to tailor organosolv lignins isolated for a specific application.

This paper uses first-order shear deformation theory and the finite element method to analyze the vibrations of rectangular plates with one or more cracks. The study investigated the influence of cracks (length, angle of inclination), the number of cracks, and the ratio of plate thickness to the natural vibration frequency of the plate, using phase field simulation. Plate thickness varies nonlinearly with the parabolic function. The results of the proposed method were compared with reputable studies to verify its reliability. In addition, some pictures of the characteristic vibration patterns of the plate with varying thickness are presented when cracks appear.

The authors present a novel wideband two‐dimensional voltage‐controlled attenuator (VCA). The proposed design employs both stacked‐FET configuration and distributed structure to achieve wideband performance, high power, and high dynamic range simultaneously. A systematic design methodology is also illustrated along with a fabricated prototype to verify the concept. The chip fabricated in a 0.15‐μm Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) process exhibiting a measured power at 1‐dB compression (P1dB) of 25.5 dBm with a corresponding dynamic range of 32 dB. The insertion loss ranges from 2 to 5 dB over the bandwidth from 2 to 40 GHz. Furthermore, the chip is not only very compact (0.84 mm2), but it also requires only a single positive supply voltage, which makes it more appealing to highly integrated wireless applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attention should be paid to tunnels' seismic behaviour since many of them have been damaged by earthquakes. The paper presented a seismic study of a shallow circular tunnel by physical modelling on shaking table test. A small scale tunnel model of the Hanoi pilot metro line's underground segment was placed in the middle of a rigid soil container and buried in Red River sand (Vietnam). The table was vibrated along the soil container's long wall, with a simulated seismic wave created from the 1788 Tolmezzo (Italia) accelerogram. Five testing campaigns were executed, and the model's acceleration data were studied. The uni-directional vibration created by the shaking table caused the three-directional vibration of the physical model. The Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) frequency spectrum analyses were performed. The vibration characteristics of the model (i.e., frequency graph's structure, maximal acceleration, dominant frequency, strong-motion duration) in three orthogonal directions under the artificial earthquake action were compared. The obtained results proved the complicated seismic impacts on a shallow tunnel.

The synthesis and crystal structure of peptide 6,60-dimethyl biphenyl hybrid are described. The title compound was synthesized by reaction between 6,60- dimethyl-[1,1'-biphenyl]-2,2'-dicarbonyl dichloride in CH2Cl2, amine HN-- proline--phenylalanine--alanine--COOMe and Et3N at 273 K under N2 atmosphere and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The asymmetric unit contains one peptide molecule and a quarter of a water molecule. A disorder of a methyl and methoxycarbonyl group of one alanine residue is observed with occupancy ratio 0.502 (6):0.498 (6). The structure is consolidated by intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A peptide biphenyl hybrid compound {systematic name: dimethyl 2,2'-[((2S,2'S)-2,2'-{[(2S,2'S)-1,1'-([1,1'-biphen­yl]-2,2'-dicarbon­yl)bis­(pyrrolidine-1,2-diyl-2-carbon­yl)]bis­(aza­nedi­yl)}bis­(3-phenyl­propano­yl))bis­(aza­nedi­yl)](2S,2'S)-dipropionate hemihydrate}, C50H56N6O10·0.5H2O, was prepared by coupling of [1,1'-biphen­yl]-2,2'-dicarbonyl dichloride, tri­ethyl­amine and the tripeptide Pro-Phe-Ala in CH2Cl2 at 273K under an N2 atmosphere. In the crystal, the asymmetric unit contains the peptide biphenyl hybrid accompanied by one-half of a water mol­ecule. A C atom of one of the proline rings is disordered between two positions in a 0.746(11):0.254(11) ratio. An important structural aspect of peptide compounds is their capacity to self-associate mediated by inter­molecular and intra­molecular hydrogen bonding. This characteristic can be useful in understanding the inter­actions between peptides and biomacromolecular targets, as well as to explain peptide properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overhead hoist transportation systems (OHTS) have been the subject of worldwide research and development in recent years. The majority of these systems are utilized in semi-automated or fully automated factories. This article proposes a new solution for OTHS based on the concept of the modulation of mobile units that can move on a railway structure from one point to another. The OHTS mentioned in this article is a group of shuttles that can operate independently but which also have the ability to cooperate together to complete the desired tasks. By using the space below the ceiling, this system can operate without affecting the original design of the factories. There are many potential fields of application for picking-up and delivering, such as the medical field, the food and beverage fields, automotive and electrical appliances, etc. Moreover, by applying Dijkstra’s algorithm in the controller design, the transportation speed among the stations in the whole system can be improved. The real prototype of the whole system, including three shuttles, is also manufactured to explore and assess the design and operation of the proposed system and its controller.

Recently, the development of Kubernetes (K8s) containerization platform has enabled cloud-based, lightweight, highly scalable, and agile services in both general and telco use-cases. Ensuring high availability, reliable and continuous containerized services is a major requirement of service providers to provide fault-tolerance, transparent service experiences to end-users. To satisfy this requirement, fault prediction and proactive stateful service recovery features must be applied in cloud systems. Prior proactive failure recovery approaches mostly focused on either improving fault prediction performance based on different machine learning time series forecasting techniques or optimizing recovery service placement after fault prediction. However, a mechanism that enables stateful containerized service migration from the predicted faulty node to the healthy destination node has not been studied. Service migration in previous proactive works is only simulated or performed by virtual machine (VM) migration techniques. In this paper, we propose a proactive stateful fault-tolerant system for K8s containerized services that pipelines a Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (Bi-LSTM) fault prediction framework and a novel K8s stateful service migration mechanism for service recovery. Experimental results show how the Bi-LSTM model improved prediction performance against other time-series forecasting models used prior proactive works. We then combined the Bi-LSTM fault prediction framework with both the default K8s and our stateful migration mechanisms. The comparison between these two proactive systems proves our system efficiency in terms of reducing Quality of Service (QoS) violation percentage and service recovery time.

This study developed an ankle rehabilitation device for post-stroke patients. First, the research models and dynamic equations of the device are addressed. Second, the Sliding Mode Controller for the ankle rehabilitation device is designed, and the device's response is simulated on the software MATLAB. Third, the ankle rehabilitation device is successfully manufactured from aluminum and uses linear actuators to emulate dorsiflexion and plantarflexion exercises for humans. The advantages of the device are a simple design, low cost, and mounts onto rehabilitative equipment. The device can operate fast through experiments, has a foot drive mechanism overshoot of 0°, and a maximum angle error of 1°. Moreover, the rehabilitation robot can operate consistently and is comfortable for stroke patients to use. Finally, we will fully develop the device and proceed to clinical implementation.

Peptic ulcer disease (PUD) is a common disease and frequently encountered in the clinic. Accumulating evidence suggests that PUD is associated with the gastrointestinal microbiota. Electroacupuncture (EA) is an improved version of acupuncture, which can improve the clinical effect by increasing the stimulation and delivering appropriate electrical pulses to needles. This method has been widely used in the treatment of peptic ulcer disease. However, its effect on gastrointestinal microbiota remains unclear. Therefore, in the present study, the ameliorative effect of EA was evaluated on the gastroduodenal mucosa, and the regulatory effect of the gastroduodenal microbiota was assessed in PUD mice. A total of 48 male Kun Ming mice were randomly divided into the following groups: normal control group (NC), PUD model group (PUD), Shousanli group (LI10), and Zusanli group (ST36) (n=12). The mice in groups LI10 and ST36 were treated with EA at LI10 and ST36, respectively. This intervention was continued for 7 days. Subsequently, we evaluated the morphological changes in the gastric and duodenal mucosa, and specific indices were measured, including the contents of serum dopamine (DA), the trefoil factor (TFF), and the vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP). In addition, the gastric and duodenal microbiota were assessed via 16S ribosomal DNA sequencing. The results indicated that EA at LI10 or ST36 significantly reduced the injury of the gastroduodenal mucosa in PUD mice. The gastric microbial community structure of the groups LI10 and ST36 was similar to that of the NC group following comparison with the microbial community structure of the PUD model group. Moreover, the abundance of Firmicutes in the stomach was decreased, whereas that of Bacteroidetes was increased, and the abundance of Firmicutes in the duodenum was decreased. Furthermore, the microbial diversity and richness of the gastric microbiota in group LI10 were also significantly increased, and the serum dopamine and trefoil factor levels in group ST36 were significantly increased. Therefore, it is suggested that EA ameliorating PUD is in association with improving the levels of DA and TFF and regulating the relative abundances of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes in the gastric microbiota.

For a long time, ethnic minorities in Ninh Thuan province have combined ''Day Khai'' (Coptosapelta flavescens Korth) with many other medicinal herbs, creating an esoteric remedy called ''Cao Khai''-an aqueous extract from Day Khai. This study tested an aqueous extract from ''Day Khai'' for total phenolics, total flavonoids, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activity in an in vivo mice model. The aqueous extracts of raw materials C. flavescens collected in different regions were found to have phenolics, flavonoids, and antioxidant capacity in vitro according to DPPH, ABTS, RP, TAC, and FRAP methods. This study evaluated the effect of C. flavescens on arthritis of Complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) induced-mice by observing changes in the degree of edema in the leg joints blood index and histology. The findings indicated that the ''Cao Khai'' had anti-inflammatory benefits and lowered the inflammatory symptoms in mice equivalent to Mobic medications (p < 0.05) while also limiting cartilage tissue damage after 14 days of usage. As a result, it is clear that ''Cao Khai'' can be considered a medicinal herb with tremendous potential for usage as an addition to illness therapy that should be protected and cultivated.

This study presents a numerical investigation of the elastic critical lateral-torsional buckling of a steel beam subjected to simultaneous transverse loading at the top flange and negative end moments. Here, the elastic critical buckling of the steel beam was estimated by utilizing the finite element software ABAQUS. In addition, the influence of the length-to-height ratio was taken into account. Additionally, the predicted values for elastic critical buckling when applying existing design codes and a previous study were also analyzed and compared to the numerical results of the finite element analysis. The result of the comparison revealed that the projected values from the design codes and the study are conservative for the majority of cases and have a tendency to be too conservative when the length-to-height ratio increases. Furthermore, a new equation with a factor considering the influence of the length-to-height ratio and transverse loading on the top flange is proposed, and the proposed equation shows sufficient accuracy and less conservative values for most cases.

Ebstein anomaly (EA) results from the failure of proper delamination of the tricuspid valve leaflets from the right ventricle (RV) myocardium. The severity of EA occurs on a spectrum that results in varying degrees of tricuspid regurgitation, atrial dilation, RV dilation, and dysfunction. These effects have the potential to create substrates that can give rise to atrial arrhythmia, ventricular arrhythmia, and a greater incidence of Wolff–Parkinson–White (WPW) syndrome Wackel et al. (2018) accounting for 0.5% of all congenital heart diseases (Oh et al. 1985). In the case of atrial fibrillation and WPW, it is very dangerous for the patient because of hemodynamic compromise, syncope, and sudden death. In this case report, we share our experience in using radiofrequency ablation to ablate right lateral accessory pathway, with modified Carpentier technique in operation to treat an adult patient diagnosed with Ebstein anomaly, atrial septal defect, atrial fibrillation, and WPW syndrome.

The center of gravity of a vehicle (CG) is a critical parameter in influencing the quality of driveability and safety, such as for preventing rollover accidents. Therefore, it is important to identify a vehicle’s CG in practical situations. In particular, it is strongly desired to make it possible to measure the height of the CG of trucks and trailers freighted with various voluminous and heavy loads on business operation. The technology of Weigh-In-Motion (WIM) is being developed to identify the gross weight of trucks and trailers and detect overload. In this paper, the authors propose a method for the estimation of a vehicle’s CG, especially the height of CG, based on the WIM system. The basic theory is described at first, and the validity is shown by means of basic experiments using a light truck and a motorbike.

Thermotolerant yeasts are widely considered to be alternative strains to traditional yeasts for bioethanol production at high temperatures. In this study, thirty-two yeasts isolated from lychees were screened for thermotolerance, and seven selected isolates were identified as Candida tropicalis (isolates H8, H19, and H23), Meyerozyma guilliermondii (isolates H1 and H12) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (isolates H10 and H18). They tolerated up to 45 °C, 12% (v/v) ethanol concentration, 10 g/L acetic acid, and 5 g/L furfural, respectively, and produced 47.96 to 70.18 g/L of ethanol from 160 g/L glucose at 40 °C during 48 h of fermentation. Among the evaluated yeasts, M. guilliermondii H1 showed great potential for second-generation bioethanol fermentation with its ability to ferment xylose and arabinose. Under the optimal conditions resulting from a Plackett Burman design and a Box Behnken design, the highest ethanol concentration of 11.12 g/L was produced from 40 g/L substrate-based sugarcane bagasse hydrolysate (non-detoxified hydrolysate) at 40 °C by M. guilliermondii H1. These findings suggested that the newly isolated thermotolerant yeast M. guilliermondii H1 is a good candidate for ethanol production from agricultural wastes.

Static weight estimation of a vehicle in motion is challenging, especially when the vehicle is accelerating and decelerating. This paper presents a new estimation method for accelerating and decelerating vehicles. This method uses at least two miniature load measurement devices cascaded in traffic lane and consideration of transfer load between the front and rear wheels of a motorbike. Both individual axle load and the gross mass of the motorbike are estimated with accuracy under field conditions.

Accurately and reliably measuring the gross weight and static load of the axles of moving vehicles, especially trucks, is important for preventing road damage and improving traffic safety and monitoring efficiency. This type of vehicle weight measurement is called “weigh-in-motion” (WIM). The conventional purpose of WIM is solely the estimation of the vehicle gross weight. However, WIM is also valuable for estimating the static axle load and the height of the vehicle’s center of gravity, and possibly additional measurements. In this study, a method based on the averaging principle is proposed for signal processing in WIM systems. A preliminary experimental investigation, which involved two types of motorbikes and a light truck as test vehicles, and miniature plate-type measurement devices built by the authors, is presented. The gross weight and the static load of each axle of the vehicles, which traveled at various speeds up to approximately 40 km/h, are estimated with high accuracy.

This paper describes a nonorthogonal multiple access (NOMA)-based device-to-device (D2D) communication system underlaying in a cellular network sharing time and frequency resource. To optimize the total transmit power for all users in the network, we investigate a comprehensive resource allocation solution consisting of joint subchannel assignments, user pairings, and power control. The optimization problem is a mixed integer linear program, which is solved in three low-complexity steps. We first group D2D users to minimize mutual interference from cellular users (CU). Second, we demonstrate a heuristic solution for coupling D2D users in each group. Finally, we minimize the total transmit power of all devices in the network while maintaining the SINR requirements for both CU and D2D users. The optimal solution is derived off-line using the Rayleigh fading channels for any given QoS level of CU and NOMA-D2D users. We recognize that both subchannel assignment and user pairings play the important roles in reducing the total transmit power of the network, in which both cellular and D2D users coexist. However, optimization of the subchannel assignment contributes more toward minimizing the total network transmit power than the proposed model of optimizing user pairings.

This paper presents a nonlinear numerical study on the moment resistance of composite steel-concrete beam using fire insulation subjected to various fire scenarios and basic loading conditions. The temperature-dependent material properties of fire insulation, concrete and steel were taken into consideration. The nonlinear finite element analysis was done by utilizing a commercial finite element program, ABAQUS. The obtained moment capacity of the composite I-beam from the current fire code was also performed and compared. The results showed that the fire scenarios and the fire insulation thickness have a great influence on the temperature distribution and strength degradation of the composite beam. The capacity of the beam in hydrocarbon fires, which is the most severe scenario, decreases faster than that in ISO834 standard fire and external fire. The fire resistance of the beam increases as the fire insulation thickness increases due to the temperature degradation in the steel beam. The calculated results from the current fire codes give conservative value at normal temperature and low temperature. The current fire codes can give unconservative values at high temperature when there is a great temperature discrepancy between parts of the beam. A new factor was proposed to determine the fire moment resistance of the composite beam with non-uniform temperature.

Deep Learning (DL) has contributed to the success of many applications in recent years. The applications range from simple ones such as recognizing tiny images or simple speech patterns to ones with a high level of complexity such as playing the game of Go. However, this superior performance comes at a high computational cost, which made porting DL applications to conventional hardware platforms a challenging task. Many approaches have been investigated, and Spiking Neural Network (SNN) is one of the promising candidates. SNN is the third generation of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), where each neuron in the network uses discrete spikes to communicate in an event-based manner. SNNs have the potential advantage of achieving better energy efficiency than their ANN counterparts. While generally there will be a loss of accuracy on SNN models, new algorithms have helped to close the accuracy gap. For hardware implementations, SNNs have attracted much attention in the neuromorphic hardware research community. In this work, we review the basic background of SNNs, the current state and challenges of the training algorithms for SNNs and the current implementations of SNNs on various hardware platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive research in Vietnam and elsewhere has shown that live bird markets (LBMs) play a significant role in the ecology and zoonotic transmission of avian influenzas (AIs) including H5N1 and H7N9. Vietnam has a large number of LBMs reflecting the consumer preferences for live poultry. Under pressure to mitigate risks for H7N9 and other zoonotic AIs, Vietnam is considering, among other mitigation measures, temporary closures of LBMs as a policy to reduce risk of AI outbreaks. However, the efficacy of market closure is debated, particularly because little is known about how poultry traders may react, and whether trading may emerge outside formal marketplaces. Combining efforts of anthropologists, economists, sociologists, and veterinarians can be useful to elucidate the drivers behind poultry traders’ reactions and better understanding the barriers to implementing risk mitigation measures. In this paper, we present results from a stakeholder survey of LBM stakeholders in Vietnam. Our qualitative data show that trading outside formal markets is very likely to occur in the event of a temporary LBM market closure. Our data show that the poultry value chain in Vietnam remains highly flexible, with traders willing and able to trade poultry in many possible locations. Our results indicate that simplification of the poultry value chain along with strict enforcement, engagement of stakeholders, and adequate communication would be a necessary prerequisite before market closure could be an effective policy.

HEVC-standardized encoders employ the CABAC (context-based adaptive binary arithmetic coding) to achieve high compression ratios and video quality that supports modern real-time high-quality video services. Binarizer is one of three main blocks in a CABAC architecture, where binary symbols (bins) are generated to feed the binary arithmetic encoder (BAE). The residual video data occupied an average of 75% of the CABAC's work-load, thus its performance will significantly contribute to the overall performance of whole CABAC design. This paper proposes an efficient hardware implementation of a binarizer for CABAC that focuses on low area cost, low power consumption while still providing enough bins for high-throughput CABAC. On the average, the proposed design can process upto 3.5 residual syntax elements (SEs) per clock cycle at the maximum frequency of 500 MHz with an area cost of 9.45 Kgates (6.41 Kgates for the binarizer core) and power consumption of 0.239 mW (0.184 mW for the binarizer core) with NanGate 45 nm technology. It shows that our proposal achieved a high overhead-efficiency of 1.293 Mbins/Kgate/mW, much better than the other related high performance designs. In addition, our design also achieved a high power-efficiency of 8288 Mbins/mW; this is important factor for handheld applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although forward osmosis (FO) membranes have shown great promise for many applications, there are few studies attempting to create a systematization of the testing conditions at a pilot scale for FO membrane modules. To address this issue, hollow fiber forward osmosis (HFFO) membrane modules with different performances (water flux and solute rejection) have been investigated at different operating conditions. Various draw and feed flow rates, draw solute types and concentrations, transmembrane pressures, temperatures, and operation modes have been studied using two model feed solutions—deionized water and artificial seawater. The significance of the operational conditions in the FO process was attributed to a dominant role of concentration polarization (CP) effects, where the selected draw solute and draw concentration had the biggest impact on membrane performance due to internal CP. Additionally, the rejection of the HFFO membranes using three model solutes (caffeine, niacin, and urea) were determined under both FO and reverse osmosis (RO) conditions with the same process recovery. FO rejections had an increase of 2% for caffeine, 19% for niacin, and 740% for urea compared to the RO rejections. Overall, this is the first extensive study of commercially available inside-out HFFO membrane modules.

Background: To protect renewable packaging materials against autoxidation and decomposition when substituting harmful synthetic stabilizers with bioactive and bio-based compounds, extracts from Aesculus hippocastanum L. seeds were evaluated. The study objectives were to determine the antioxidant efficacy of bioactive compounds in horse chestnut seeds with regard to different seed fractions, improve their extraction, and to evaluate waste reuse. Methods: Different extraction techniques for field samples were evaluated and compared with extracts of industrial waste samples based on total phenolic content and total antioxidant capacity (2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS)). The molecular weight distribution and absorbance in ultraviolet range (UV) of seed coat extracts were determined, and the possibility of extracts containing proanthocyanidins was examined. Results: Seed coat extracts show a remarkable antioxidant activity and a high UV absorbance. Passive extractions are efficient and much less laborious. Applying waste product seed coats leads to a reduced antioxidant activity, total phenolic content, and UV absorbance compared to the field sample counterparts. In contrast to peeled seed extracts, all seed coat extracts contain proanthocyanidins. Discussion: Seed coats are a potential source of bioactive compounds, particularly regarding sustainable production and waste reuse. With minimum effort, highly bioactive extracts with high potential as additives can be prepared.

Lignocellulose feedstock (LCF) provides a sustainable source of components to produce bioenergy, biofuel, and novel biomaterials. Besides hard and soft wood, so-called low-input plants such as Miscanthus are interesting crops to be investigated as potential feedstock for the second generation biorefinery. The status quo regarding the availability and composition of different plants, including grasses and fast-growing trees (i.e., Miscanthus, Paulownia), is reviewed here. The second focus of this review is the potential of multivariate data processing to be used for biomass analysis and quality control. Experimental data obtained by spectroscopic methods, such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), can be processed using computational techniques to characterize the 3D structure and energetic properties of the feedstock building blocks, including complex linkages. Here, we provide a brief summary of recently reported experimental data for structural analysis of LCF biomasses, and give our perspectives on the role of chemometrics in understanding and elucidating on LCF composition and lignin 3D structure.

The antiradical and antimicrobial activity of lignin and lignin-based films are both of great interest for applications such as food packaging additives. The polyphenolic structure of lignin in addition to the presence of O-containing functional groups is potentially responsible for these activities. This study used DPPH assays to discuss the antiradical activity of HPMC/lignin and HPMC/lignin/chitosan films. The scavenging activity (SA) of both binary (HPMC/lignin) and ternary (HPMC/lignin/chitosan) systems was affected by the percentage of the added lignin: the 5% addition showed the highest activity and the 30% addition had the lowest. Both scavenging activity and antimicrobial activity are dependent on the biomass source showing the following trend: organosolv of softwood > kraft of softwood > organosolv of grass. Testing the antimicrobial activities of lignins and lignin-containing films showed high antimicrobial activities against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria at 35 °C and at low temperatures (0–7 °C). Purification of kraft lignin has a negative effect on the antimicrobial activity while storage has positive effect. The lignin release in the produced films affected the activity positively and the chitosan addition enhances the activity even more for both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Testing the films against spoilage bacteria that grow at low temperatures revealed the activity of the 30% addition on HPMC/L1 film against both B. thermosphacta and P. fluorescens while L5 was active only against B. thermosphacta. In HPMC/lignin/chitosan films, the 5% addition exhibited activity against both B. thermosphacta and P. fluorescens.

As a renewable, Miscanthus offers numerous advantages such as high photosynthesis activity (as a C4 plant) and an exceptional CO2 fixation rate. These properties make Miscanthus very attractive for industrial exploitation, such as lignin generation. In this paper, we present a systematic study analyzing the correlation of the lignin structure with the Miscanthus genotype and plant portion (stem versus leaf). Specifically, the ratio of the three monolignols and corresponding building blocks as well as the linkages formed between the units have been studied. The lignin amount has been determined for M. x giganteus (Gig17, Gig34, Gig35), M. nagara (NagG10), M. sinensis (Sin2), and M. robustus (Rob4) harvested at different time points (September, December, and April). The influence of the Miscanthus genotype and plant component (leaf vs. stem) has been studied to develop corresponding structure-property relationships (i.e., correlations in molecular weight, polydispersity, and decomposition temperature). Lignin isolation was performed using non-catalyzed organosolv pulping and the structure analysis includes compositional analysis, Fourier transform infradred (FTIR), ultraviolet/visible (UV-Vis), hetero-nuclear single quantum correlation nuclear magnetic resonsnce (HSQC-NMR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and pyrolysis gaschromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Structural differences were found for stem and leaf-derived lignins. Compared to beech wood lignins, Miscanthus lignins possess lower molecular weight and narrow polydispersities (2.5 beech) corresponding to improved homogeneity. In addition to conventional univariate analysis of FTIR spectra, multivariate chemometrics revealed distinct differences for aromatic in-plane deformations of stem versus leaf-derived lignins. These results emphasize the potential of Miscanthus as a low-input resource and a Miscanthus-derived lignin as promising agricultural feedstock.

Recently, radio frequency (RF) energy harvesting (RFEH) has become a promising technology for a battery-less sensor module. The ambient RF radiation from the available sources is captured by receiver antennas and converted to electrical energy, which is used to supply smart sensor modules. In this paper, an enhanced method to improve the efficiency of the RFEH system using strongly coupled electromagnetic resonance technology was proposed. A relay resonator was added between the reader and tag antennas to improve the wireless power transmission efficiency to the sensor module. The design of the relay resonator was based on the resonant technique and near-field magnetic coupling concept to improve the communication distance and the power supply for a sensor module. It was designed such that the self-resonant frequencies of the reader antenna, tag antenna, and the relay resonator are synchronous at the HF frequency (13.56MHz). The proposed method was analyzed using Thevenin equivalent circuit, simulated and experimental validated to evaluate its performance. The experimental results showed that the proposed harvesting method is able to generate a great higher power up to 10 times than that provided by conventional harvesting methods without a relay resonator. Moreover, as an empirical feasibility test of the proposed RF energy harvesting device, a smart sensor module which is placed inside a meat box was developed. It was utilized to collect vital data, including temperature, relative humidity and gas concentration, to monitor the freshness of meat. Overall, by exploiting relay resonator, the proposed smart sensor tag could continuously monitor meat freshness without any batteries at the innovative maximum distance of approximately 50 cm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Consumption of dietary fiber and anthocyanin has been linked to a lower incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC). This study scrutinizes the potential antitumorigenic attributes of a black rice diet (BRD), abundantly rich in dietary fiber and anthocyanin. Our results demonstrate notable antitumorigenic effects in mice on BRD, indicated by a reduction in both the size and number of intestinal tumors and a consequent extension in life span, compared to control diet‐fed counterparts. Furthermore, fecal transplants from BRD‐fed mice to germ‐free mice led to a decrease in colonic cell proliferation, coupled with maintained integrity of the intestinal barrier. The BRD was associated with significant shifts in gut microbiota composition, specifically an augmentation in probiotic strains Bacteroides uniformis and Lactobacillus. Noteworthy changes in gut metabolites were also documented, including the upregulation of indole‐3‐lactic acid and indole. These metabolites have been identified to stimulate the intestinal aryl hydrocarbon receptor pathway, inhibiting CRC cell proliferation and colorectal tumorigenesis. In summary, these findings propose that a BRD may modulate the progression of intestinal tumors by fostering protective gut microbiota and metabolite profiles. The study accentuates the potential health advantages of whole‐grain foods, emphasizing the potential utility of black rice in promoting health.

This qualitative study examines the experiences of 55 participants enrolled in English-teachers preparation program at Foreign Languages Department at Vinh University in Vietnam and analyzes reflections on their motivation to become EFL (English as a foreign language) teachers. Multiple measures of data with triangulation have been collected from coursework, including reflection essays from 55 pre-service teachers and a semistructured interview with the pre-service teachers. The data are analyzed with thematic analysis and Key-word in context in order to find categories of factors that influence the pre-service teachers’ motivation to choose to be EFL teachers. The findings suggest that the incentives making pre-service teachers pursue the career of English teachers consist of personal, professional, and social aspects, in which teachers’ influences - one of the factors of social aspects - has been considered the most dominant factor influencing the desire of pre-service teachers to become EFL teachers. Some pedagogical implications are suggested to improve the strategy of training teachers and career orientation education for students.

Abstract Men demonstrate higher incidence and mortality rates of colorectal cancer (CRC) than women. This study aims to explain the potential causes of such sexual dimorphism in CRC from the perspective of sex‐biased gut microbiota and metabolites. The results show that sexual dimorphism in colorectal tumorigenesis is observed in both ApcMin/+ mice and azoxymethane (AOM)/dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)‐treated mice with male mice have significantly larger and more tumors, accompanied by more impaired gut barrier function. Moreover, pseudo‐germ mice receiving fecal samples from male mice or patients show more severe intestinal barrier damage and higher level of inflammation. A significant change in gut microbiota composition is found with increased pathogenic bacteria Akkermansia muciniphila and deplets probiotic Parabacteroides goldsteinii in both male mice and pseudo‐germ mice receiving fecal sample from male mice. Sex‐biased gut metabolites in pseudo‐germ mice receiving fecal sample from CRC patients or CRC mice contribute to sex dimorphism in CRC tumorigenesis through glycerophospholipids metabolism pathway. Sexual dimorphism in tumorigenesis of CRC mouse models. In conclusion, the sex‐biased gut microbiome and metabolites contribute to sexual dimorphism in CRC. Modulating sex‐biased gut microbiota and metabolites could be a potential sex‐targeting therapeutic strategy of CRC.

Spiking Neural Networks (SNNs) show their potential for lightweight low-power inferences because they mimic the functionality of the biological brain. However, one of the major challenges of SNNs like other neural networks is memory-wall and power-wall when accessing data (synaptic weights) from memory. It limits the potential of spiking neural networks implemented on edge devices. In this paper, we present a novel spiking computing hardware architecture named NASH-3DM using 3D-IC-based stacking memory with power supply awareness to effectively decrease power consumption for AI-enabled edge devices. Instead of storing one or multiple weights in a single memory word, we split them into small subsets and allocate each subset into a separate memory in every stacking layer. With the natural separation of stack layers, our system can activate and deactivate each layer separately. Therefore, it can offer in-situ (online, post-manufacture, and without interruption) dynamic quantization with multiple operating modes. With the CMOS 45nm technology, our energy per synaptic operation for MNIST classification can reduce by 36.67% while having 0.93%-1.14% accuracy loss at 5-bit quantization. The energy per synaptic operation reduction for the CIFAR10 dataset is 36.68% when switching from the 16-bit active operation to the in-situ 10-bit one with an accuracy loss of 5.69%.