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Found 6327 publications
Hierarchical Diagnostics and Risk Assessment for Energy Supply in Military Vehicles
Publication Name: Energies
Publication Date: 2022-07-01
Volume: 15
Issue: 13
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
Hybrid vehicles are gaining increasing global prominence, especially in the military, where unexpected breakdowns or even power deficits are not only associated with greater expense but can also cost the lives of military personnel. In some cases, it is extremely important that all battery cells and modules deliver the specified amount of capacity. Therefore, it is recommended to introduce a new measurement line of rapid diagnostics before deployment, in addition to the usual procedures. Using the results of rapid testing, we recommend the introduction of a hierarchical three-step diagnostics and assessment procedure. In this procedure, the key factor is the building up of a hierarchical tree-structured fuzzy signature that expresses the partial interdependence or redundancy of the uncertain descriptors obtained from the rapid tests. The fuzzy signature structure has two main important components: the tree structure itself, and the aggregations assigned to the internal nodes. The fuzzy signatures that are thus determined synthesize the results from the regular maintenance data, as well as the effects of the previous operating conditions and the actual state of the battery under examination; a signature that is established this way can be evaluated by “executing the instructions” coded into the aggregations. Based on the single fuzzy membership degree calculated for the root of the signature, an overall decision can be made concerning the general condition of the batteries.
Open Access: Yes
DOI: 10.3390/en15134791
Effect of Chemical Composition of Clay on Physical-Mechanical Properties of Clay Paving Blocks
Publication Name: Buildings
Publication Date: 2022-07-01
Volume: 12
Issue: 7
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
Clay paving blocks made of natural, environmentally friendly materials have their own originality and colorful authenticity, but due to the complex technological production process, they are also relatively expensive products; therefore, their environmental resistance properties are strictly defined and controlled by the standards. The physical and mechanical properties of clay paving blocks are the key factors aiming to ensure the longevity of products and their long-term success in the market. Therefore, ensuring high physical and mechanical properties of clay paving blocks have become a most crucial challenge for the manufactures. This article considers the parameters of the technological production process of clay paving blocks manufacturing and evaluates the influence of the chemical composition of three different types of clay on the physical and mechanical properties of the paving blocks. Water absorption, linear shrinkage, freeze/thaw, acid resistance, and transverse breaking load of clay paving blocks are investigated. This study reveals the importance of raw material selection in the production process of clay paving blocks and provides the concept of main quality factors of clay.
Open Access: Yes
Food security management in developing countries: Influence of economic factors on their food availability and access
Publication Name: Plos One
Publication Date: 2022-07-01
Volume: 17
Issue: 7 July
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
The research presents an analysis of the food security policy effectiveness on the component of food availability and access in two developing countries, Colombia and Kyrgyzstan, during the period from 2000 to 2018. Determining the state of their food balance trade and the regression analysis for the Food Production Index of the countries, considering four economic indicators. Thus the study attempts to show that policies and strategies have not reached the expected results in terms of reduction of food imports dependency and strengthening of national production and export industry. Furthermore was found that among the economic indicators considered, food inflation, food imports, food exports, and extreme monetary poverty; the last one was the indicator that presented influence on the Food Production Index of both countries, during the period analyzed, showing that access was the main component that defines the food production. The results highlighted the need of integrating food security with the monetary and trade policies of these countries.
Open Access: Yes
Optimal Design of Wood/Rice Husk-waste-Filled PLA Biocomposites Using Integrated CRITIC–MABAC-Based Decision-Making Algorithm
Publication Name: Polymers
Publication Date: 2022-07-01
Volume: 14
Issue: 13
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
Based on the criteria importance through inter-criteria correlation (CRITIC) and the multi-attributive border approximation area comparison (MABAC), a decision-making algorithm was developed to select the optimal biocomposite material according to several conflicting attributes. Poly(lactic acid) (PLA)-based binary biocomposites containing wood waste and ternary biocompos-ites containing wood waste/rice husk with an overall additive content of 0, 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10 wt.% were manufactured and evaluated for physicomechanical and wear properties. For the algorithm, the following performance attributes were considered through testing: the evaluated physical (density, water absorption), mechanical (tensile, flexural, compressive and impact) and sliding wear proper-ties. The water absorption and strength properties were found to be the highest for unfilled PLA, while modulus performance remained the highest for 10 wt.% rice husk/wood-waste-added PLA biocomposites. The density of PLA biocomposites increased as rice husk increased, while it decreased as wood waste increased. The lowest and highest density values were recorded for 10 wt.% wood waste and rice husk/wood-waste-containing PLA biocomposites, respectively. The lowest wear was exhibited by the 5 wt.% rice husk/wood-waste-loaded PLA biocomposite. The experimental results were composition dependent and devoid of any discernible trend. Consequently, prioritizing the performance of PLA biocomposites to choose the best one among a collection of alternatives became challenging. Therefore, a decision-making algorithm, called CRITIC–MABAC, was used to select the optimal composition. The importance of attributes was determined by assigning weight using the CRITIC method, while the MABAC method was employed to assess the complete ranking of the biocomposites. The results achieved from the hybrid CRITIC–MABAC approach demonstrated that the 7.5 wt.% wood-waste-added PLA biocomposite exhibited the optimal physicomechanical and wear properties.
Open Access: Yes
Machine Olfaction to Evaluate the Stability of the Odor Profile of Pancakes Enriched with Docosahexaenoic Acid and Anthocyanins
Publication Name: Food Analytical Methods
Publication Date: 2022-07-01
Volume: 15
Issue: 7
Page Range: 1961-1967
Description:
Increasing consumer awareness on good health has drawn the attention to health promoting natural dietary substances. However, since the organoleptic profile of foods highly influences the consumers’ preference, and it is often decisive in the purchase, it is important to objectively describe and evaluate the effect of the applied bioactive ingredients on aroma. In this study, pancakes enriched with docosahexaenoic acid and anthocyanins were tested with electronic sensor array technology against control products. Samples were analyzed with an Alpha MOS FOX4000 electronic nose (EN) after 20 to 297 days of frozen storage at −20 °C. Multivariate analysis of the acquired EN data showed a strong relation between the number of days that samples were stored and the odor describing sensor signals of enriched samples (R2 = 0.59), but the observed relation was broken in the case of control (not enriched) samples (R2 = 0.08). When a supervised classification of enriched and control samples was done, the ratio of correctly identified samples in cross-validation was 95.1% at short-term storage (< 140 days), while the hit rate dropped to 80.4% at prolonged storage (> 140 days). This signified the existing but less intensive odor differences. The electronic nose technology was proven to be applicable in the characterization of one type of bioactive-enriched foods, while it was also useful in the monitoring of odor alterations during storage.
Open Access: Yes
Early pathways, biomarkers, and four distinct molecular subclasses of preeclampsia: The intersection of clinical, pathological, and high-dimensional biology studies
Publication Name: Placenta
Publication Date: 2022-07-01
Volume: 125
Issue: Unknown
Page Range: 10-19
Description:
Preeclampsia is a syndromic disease of the mother, fetus, and placenta. The main limitation in early and accurate diagnosis of preeclampsia is rooted in the heterogeneity of this syndrome as reflected by diverse molecular pathways, symptoms, and clinical outcomes. Gaps in our knowledge preclude successful early diagnosis, personalized treatment, and prevention. The advent of “omics” technologies and systems biology approaches addresses this problem by identifying the molecular pathways associated with the underlying mechanisms and clinical phenotypes of preeclampsia. Here, we provide a brief overview on how the field has progressed, focusing on studies utilizing state-of-the-art transcriptomics and proteomics methods. Moreover, we summarize our systems biology studies involving maternal blood proteomics and placental transcriptomics, which identified early maternal and placental disease pathways and showed that their interaction influences the clinical presentation of preeclampsia. We also present an analysis of maternal blood proteomics data which revealed distinct molecular subclasses of preeclampsia and their molecular mechanisms. Maternal and placental disease pathways behind these subclasses are similar to those recently reported in studies on the placental transcriptome. These findings may promote the development of novel diagnostic tools for the distinct subtypes of preeclampsia syndrome, enabling early detection and personalized follow-up and tailored care of patients.
Open Access: Yes
The Effect of Side Wall Cutout Sizes on Corrugated Box Compression Strength in the Function of Length-to-Width Ratios—An Experimental Study
Publication Name: Applied Sciences Switzerland
Publication Date: 2022-07-01
Volume: 12
Issue: 14
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
Packaging made from corrugated cardboard is a widely used solution in modern supply chains for the handling, storage and distribution of goods. These packages are required to maintain adequate protection conditions; however, in many cases, the cardboard box dimensions, handles and/or ventilation holes, quality and their configuration could compromise its protection strength. This study observes and evaluates the performance of corrugated cardboard boxes made with B-flute boards by considering different cutout sizes from the side walls (0%, 20%, 40%, 60% and 80%) in various box length–width ratios of 200 mm, 300 mm, 400 mm, 500 mm and 600 mm in length and a constant 300 mm width and height. Box compression tests were performed in a laboratory, and results were compared with mathematical statistics. In each cutout case, the maximum compression force was observed with the box with dimensions of 400 × 300 × 300 mm. The measurement results showed that the 1.33 length-to-width ratio has the best maximum compression force result. The statistical tests showed that there is no significant difference between the 0% and 20% cutout groups.
Open Access: Yes
DOI: 10.3390/app12146939
The Impact of Changes in Financial Supervision on the Profitability of the Hungarian Banking Sector
Publication Name: Economies
Publication Date: 2022-07-01
Volume: 10
Issue: 7
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
Since 2013, the central bank has been responsible for supervision in Hungary. In addition to the regulatory change, a law was published in the same year that started the process of abolishing the savings co-operative system. This paper investigates the impact of these two significant changes on the profitability of the Hungarian banking sector between 2003 and 2019 using dynamic panel model estimates. The supervisory change has reduced the profitability of credit institutions and tighter supervision has been implemented. The transformation of the savings co-operative system was in fact an integration that led to the disappearance of savings co-operatives by 2019. Competition in the market has been weakened, which has increased the profitability of the remaining financial institutions. The results were robust in terms of the multiple specifications and profitability ratio.
Open Access: Yes
Software-in-the-loop simulation of the forerunner UAV system
Publication Name: IFAC Papersonline
Publication Date: 2022-07-01
Volume: 55
Issue: 14
Page Range: 139-144
Description:
The forerunner UAV means a camera equipped drone flying in front of the advancing first responder units to increase driver situational awareness with an aerial view of the traffic situation and notification about imminent dangers. This article presents the software-in-the-loop (SIL) simulation of the concept including UNREAL4-Carla as the virtual reality environment with a firetruck driven through a game controller, the Matlab simulation of the DJI M600 forerunner hexacopter with UDP communication between firetruck and M600 and the real-time AI processing of synthetic images to detect ground vehicles and pedestrians. The target of SIL development is threefold. First, to test M600 autopilot and Al-based object detection in close to realistic conditions before the real flights. Second, to make an exhaustive feasibility study of the whole forerunner concept with several simulated situations. Third, to generate the required large amount of image data for AI object detection tuning. After introducing all parts of the SIL simulation the article presents an illustrative example evaluating the tracking of the ground vehicle with the M600 and the inference system results.
Open Access: Yes
