The aim of the study was to observe the effectiveness of a photo-biomodulation (PBM) protocol for the prevention of oral mucositis (OM) in patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (aHSCT). A case-control study was conducted on 40 patients undergoing aHSCT. The patients were divided into two groups; the preventive group (PG) included 20 patients (7 females and 13 males)

The industry of alcoholic beverage production has been, historically, both an important economic engine and a source of wastes and pollution (due to the production processes by themselves and to the energy requirements) in a number of countries. In the small region of Cantabria, in northern Spain, the production of alcoholic beverages as an economic sector has been growing in importance in recent years

In the present work we reveal the existence of the hot carrier photovoltage induced across a p–n junction in addition to the classical carrier generation-induced and thermalization-caused photovoltages. On the basis of the solution of the differential equation of the first-order linear time-invariant system, we propose a model enabling to disclose the pure value of each photovoltage component. The

This paper presents a case study on how to improve the energy efficiency of an institutional building of significant heritage value through retrofitting the external wall system. This building is located in Upper Silesia, Poland. Due to the architectural value of the facade, thermal insulation had to be applied from the inside. As part of this publication, basing on the measurements and simulations

In this article, we propose a new scheme for a fuzzy logic controller, which includes acceleration as one of its linguistic variables, as opposed to other techniques and approaches that have been developed and reported in the literature. This method is used for controlling the tracking of the trajectory followed by the joints of a 2-DoF manipulator robot. To this end, a complete simulation environment

Thulium fiber laser with a wavelength of 1.94 µm is widely used in urology for lithotripsy. This paper studies the mechanism of lithotripsy and evaluates its clinical efficiency using the superpulse thulium fiber laser with a wavelength of 1.94 µm and a peak power of 500 W. An experimental setup was developed to study the mechanism of lithotripsy. The superpulse thulium fiber laser (TFL) with a wavelength

Accurate vehicle configurations (vehicle speed, number of axles, and axle spacing) are commonly required in bridge health monitoring systems and are prerequisites in bridge weigh-in-motion (BWIM) systems. Using the ‘nothing on the road’ principle, this data is found using axle detecting sensors, usually strain gauges, placed at particular locations on the underside of the bridge. To improve axle detection

To quantify the annual probability of earthquake ground motion (GM) exceeding a given threshold, the extensively used method named by probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) can be adopted. The PSHA software made this method more effortless for estimating earthquake hazards for a seismic site. The main motivation of the PSHRisk-tool is to evaluate the PSHA by a user-friendly graphical interface

The deep learning feature extraction method and extreme learning machine (ELM) classification method are combined to establish a depth extreme learning machine model for wood image defect detection. The convolution neural network (CNN) algorithm alone tends to provide inaccurate defect locations, incomplete defect contour and boundary information, and inaccurate recognition of defect types. The nonsubsampled

After the Industry 4.0 discussion in Germany in 2011, much attention has been paid to smart factory in Korea. Since 2014, smart factories have been established and expanded in Korea. However, about 80% of them were established at a low level. In this paper, we analyze smart factory statuses in detail through an empirical research on 113 manufacturing companies that have established smart factories

In many countries around the world (including the United States, Canada, and Spain), research is being conducted into the impact of air pollution on the formation of various types of cancer. For a long time it was thought that the inhalation of pollutants could lead to lung diseases. Now the effects of air pollutants on tumors in the airways, kidneys, bladder, breast, and colon have been investigated

Extracellular DNA (ecDNA) is a potential marker and predictor in several inflammatory diseases. Periodontitis, a chronic inflammatory disease, is associated with epithelial cell death and could lead to release of DNA. Our aim was to analyze salivary DNA concentration and deoxyribonuclease (DNase) activity in periodontitis patients. We hypothesized that salivary ecDNA will be higher than in controls

The demand for ubiquitous telecommunications services forces operators to have a special concern about signal quality and the coverage area they offer to their customers. This was usually checked by using suitable propagation models for Single Input Single Output (SISO) systems, which are no longer the case for new and future mobile generations, such as 5G and beyond. To guarantee good signal quality

A hybrid montmorillonite (Mt)-rich/chitosan composite (MCC) with high adsorption performance was synthesized for the decolorization of water used in the joss paper process. The performance was reported in terms of the dye removal. The composite expressed higher performance than chitosan or Mt-rich clay, respectively. The optimum condition for complete dye removal was achieved when using at least 0

Laryngeal lesions can cause great inconvenience to patients. Early diagnosis and corresponding treatments are critical to the survival of patients. However, the diagnosis and precise removal of tumors remain a challenge under the use of a white light laryngoscope. In this work, an integrated, multifunctional laryngoscope was designed and tested for the imaging evaluation and precision laser surgery

This paper presents an innovative method of optimizing energy consumption by a low-capacity adsorption oxygen generator. As a result of the applied optimization, reduction in the energy consumption of oxygen separation by about 40% with a possible increase in the maximum efficiency by about 80% was achieved. The experiments were carried out on a test stand with the use of a commercially available adsorption

Superselective intra-arterial chemotherapy (SSIAC) for oral cancer can deliver a higher concentration of anticancer agent into a tumor-feeding artery than intravenous systemic chemotherapy. However, the agent distribution between the lingual artery and facial artery (FA) is not clear in SSIAC for patients with the linguofacial trunk. The agent distribution in the SSIAC method was investigated using

The screen-cam process, which is taking pictures of the content displayed on a screen with mobile phones or cameras, is one of the main ways that image information is leaked. However, traditional image watermarking methods are not resilient to screen-cam processes with severe distortion. In this paper, a screen-cam robust watermarking scheme with a feature-based synchronization method is proposed.

Drying is considered one of the industrial processes that requires more energy than other processes, being a topic of much interest to the agricultural sector, especially the evaluation of energy consumption for rice and corn dryers. To meet this goal, an overview survey matrix and protocols for temperature measurements of dryers were developed. The study evaluated 49 rice dryers and 14 yellow corn

Exercise has been demonstrated to improve health in people with diabetes. However, exercise may increase risk for foot ulcers because of increased plantar pressure during most weight-bearing physical activities. To date, there is no study investigating the effect of various walking speeds and durations (i.e., the most common form of exercise in daily living) on the plantar foot. The objective of this

In this research, we propose innovative ideas for digital art combined with educational applications for the library. It also presents the library’s information services to be more humane and interesting. By taking interactive devices as the basis, this research integrates college library borrowing data and an interactive artwork in order to perform an information visualization service for a user in

High-Performance Computing systems rely on the software’s capability to be highly parallelized in individual computing tasks. However, even with a high parallelization level, poor scheduling can lead to long runtimes; this scheduling is in itself an NP-hard problem. Therefore, it is our interest to use a heuristic approach, particularly Cellular Processing Algorithms (CPA), which is a novel metaheuristic

Gewang (Corypha utan Lamk.) is one of the endemic palm species which has been used as a building material for many years in Indonesia. The objective of this study was to enhance the overall resistance of gewang wood to biological deterioration by using smoke treatment. Samples taken from different parts of the trunks, namely bottom, middle, and upper parts in a longitudinal direction and outer and

Sharing energy storage (SES) is a novel business model in order to increase the profits and improve the utilization rate of idle energy storage facilities. On the other hand, blockchains can be competently applied in the transaction and operation of SES because of distributed network architecture, traceability and tamper proof. In this paper, a management model of SES based on proxy signatures in the

This study aims to compare the potential environmental impact of the manufacture and production of recycled and by-product aggregates based on a life cycle assessment and to evaluate the environmental impact and cost when they are used as aggregates in concrete. To this end, the six potential environmental impacts (i.e., abiotic depletion potential, global warming potential, ozone-layer depletion potential

This study presents an estimation of the mechanical property enhancing mechanism of electrospun-nanofiber-blended cementitious materials. Four types of electrospun nanofibers (NFs) were introduced into Portland cement: nylon 66 nanofibers, tetraethyl orthosilicate/polyvinylpyrrolidone nanofibers (TEOS/PVP), hybrid nanofibers containing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and nylon 66, and hybrid nanofibers containing

Electrocardiogram (ECG) analysis is important for the detection of pace pulse artifacts, since their existence indicates the presence of a pacemaker. ECG gives information on the proper functionality of the device and could help to evaluate the reaction of the heart. Beyond the challenges related to the diversity of ECG arrhythmias and pace pulses, the existence of electromyogram (EMG) noise could

Hexamethylenediamine (HMDA), a chemical for producing nylon, was produced on Raney Ni and Raney Co catalysts via the hydrogenation of adiponitrile (ADN). HMDA was hydrogenated from ADN via 6-aminohexanenitrile (AHN). For the two catalysts, the effects of five different reaction parameters (reaction temperature, H2 pressure, catalyst loading, and ADN/HMDA ratio in the reactant) on the hydrogenation

Digital devices are being increasingly adopted for healthcare purposes. The present study investigates the continuous intention of older adults in virtual reality leisure activities by using a sports commitment model and the theory of planned behavior to develop a new planned behavior model, and by testing the model using a sample of 388 older adults following three months of firsthand experience.

In the automotive industry, 3D laser scanning is the most frequently used method to check the geometry of the shape and dimensions of a body in individual stages of production, where the scanned model is compared in a computer model. This procedure identifies excessive deformations around the roof antenna of an SUV. The manufacturer assumed that these deformations occurred during the antenna assembly

Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) digitalization and integration into clinical practice has widened its purpose, which makes it relevant to reconceptualize PRO accordingly. Therefore, this study aims to describe and critically discuss the purposes of PRO and to suggest an interdisciplinary definition of PRO aligned with current applications. The findings in this study are based on a formerly conducted

In this study, the LC-MS/MS was applied to explore the stability of four common dietary flavonols, kaempferol, quercetin, isorhamnetin, and myricetin, in the presence of hydrogen peroxide and saliva. In addition, the influence of saliva on the representative quercetin glycosides, rutin, quercitrin, hyperoside, and spiraeoside was examined. Our study showed that, regardless of the oxidative agent used

Microholes have crucial applications in aerospace, the automotive industry, and other industries. In this study, the microhole processing technology based on the femtosecond-laser spiral trepanning method was investigated. By adjusting the spiral scanning path, laser power distribution, and defocusing amount to control laser energy distribution, an inverted cone hole, straight hole, and normal cone

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) can be applied for the navigation of the high-orbit satellites. The system observability will change due to the changes in the visible satellite numbers and the spatial geometry between the navigation satellites and the users in the navigation system. The influence of the observability changing is not considered in the traditional navigation filter algorithm

This article describes the automated computed tomography (CT) image processing technique supporting kidney detection. The main goal of the study is a fully automatic generation of a kidney boundary for each slice in the set of slices obtained in the computed tomography examination. This work describes three main tasks in the process of automatic kidney identification: the initial location of the kidneys

Social distancing is a recommended solution by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to minimise the spread of COVID-19 in public places. The majority of governments and national health authorities have set the 2-m physical distancing as a mandatory safety measure in shopping centres, schools and other covered areas. In this research, we develop a hybrid Computer Vision and YOLOv4-based Deep Neural Network

In offshore drilling systems, the equipment localization rate is less than 20%, and the monopoly of a few foreign conglomerates over the equipment is intensifying. To break this monopoly, active technology development and market entry strategies are required. In a drillship or a floating production, storage, and offloading unit, the distance from the tank top to the upper deck is approximately 30–40

Accuracy in executing a motor task, i.e., in following a given trajectory under geometrical constraints, is of great interest in work operations as well as in biomechanics applications. In the framework of the Fitts’ law research on motor tasks, experimental studies usually refer to simple trajectories which are of low interest in practical applications. Furthermore, available models lack predicting

The synthesis of dimeric products from monoterpene hydrocarbons has been studied for the development of renewable high-density fuel. In this regard, the conversion of α-pinene in turpentine over stannic chloride molten salt hydrates (SnCl4·5H2O) as a catalyst was investigated, and the reaction products were analyzed with gas chromatography/flame ionization detector/mass spectrometer (GC/FID/MS). Overall

Finding similar code snippets is a fundamental task in the field of software engineering. Several approaches have been proposed for this task by using statistical language model which focuses on syntax and structure of codes rather than deep semantic information underlying codes. In this paper, a Siamese Neural Network is proposed that maps codes into continuous space vectors and try to capture their

Anaerobic digestion (AD) has long been critical technology for green energy, but the majority of the microorganisms involved are unknown and are currently not cultivable, which makes abundance tracking difficult. Developments in nanopore long-read sequencing make it a promising approach for monitoring microbial communities via metagenomic sequencing. For reliable monitoring of AD via long reads, we

This paper utilizes computational fluid dynamics as well as a group method of data handling (GMDH) method to predict the mean velocity of intake. Firstly, the three dimensional flow pattern in a 90-degree intake is simulated with ANSYS-CFX at a transverse ratio equal to one (W*b/W*m = 1) that W*m is the width of the main channel and W*b is the width of the branch channel. The comparison of mean velocity

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the macro- and micro-structure and the chemical composition of the surface of 5 different commercially available dental implants. Roughness values were also calculated. Materials and Methods: 1 zirconia implant (NobelPearl of Nobel Biocare) and 4 titanium implants, Syra (Sweden&Martina), Prama (Sweden&Martina), T3 (Biomet 3i), and Shard (Mech&Human)

Speaker identification is gaining popularity, with notable applications in security, automation, and authentication. For speaker identification, deep-convolutional-network-based approaches, such as SincNet, are used as an alternative to i-vectors. Convolution performed by parameterized sinc functions in SincNet demonstrated superior results in this area. This system optimizes softmax loss, which is

This study deals with the identification of the degradation products present on some Byzantine glasses coming from an archaeological excavation in Northern Tunisia. The main purpose of the present investigation is the identification of the products and the characterization of surface altered points, namely iridescent and black patinas, which are present on some selected glasses. Non-destructive techniques

This paper reviews recent deep learning-based registration methods. Registration is the process that computes the transformation that aligns datasets, and the accuracy of the result depends on multiple factors. The most significant factors are the size of input data; the presence of noise, outliers and occlusions; the quality of the extracted features; real-time requirements; and the type of transformation

The objective of the study is to investigate the strengthening mechanism of embedded meta-precipitates in the design of architected metamaterials. Four precipitate-type architected metamaterials are designed and prepared by fused deposition modelling (FDM). The difference of mechanical properties and deformation mode of these structures is analyzed. The strengthening effect of the introduced meta-precipitates

The pulp and paper industry generates substantial amounts of solid waste and wastewater, which contain waste fibres. The potential of using these recycled wood fibres for producing eco-friendly composites that were bonded with a formaldehyde-free adhesive (magnesium lignosulfonate) and their use in structural applications was evaluated in this study. Fibreboards were produced in the laboratory with

Note: In lieu of an abstract, this is an excerpt from the first page. Efficient and sustainable agriculture requires the application of new technologies in all aspects of the production system [...]

The Saudi government pays great attention to the usability and accessibility issues of e-government systems. E-government educational systems, such as Noor, Faris, and iEN systems, are some of the most rapidly developing e-government systems. In this study, we used a mixed-methods approach (usability testing and automated tools evaluation) to investigate the degree of difficulty faced by teachers with

The subgrade performance assessment and targeted maintenance of a highway during operation is very important and challenging. This paper focuses on the performance of the whole life-cycle of a highway subgrade during the operational period. Four roads with different traffic volume and geological conditions were selected; 20 test sections of these 4 roads were examined for a three-year distress survey

Abstract: Glibenclamide and lipoic acid are two drugs frequently recommended for the management of diabetes mellitus, and so, the development of a new formulation containing both substances has a great benefit in terms of efficiency and compliance, acting also as a multi-target drug system. Accordingly, the aim of this study was the formulation and physicochemicalcharacterization of new polymeric systems

Hydrocarbon supply chain (HCSC) is a complex network that extends from oil and gas fields to demand nodes. Integrating operation and maintenance activities along this complex network is crucial since the hydrocarbon industry is the most influential sector in the world economy, and any disruptions or variations in hydrocarbon product supply will affect the whole world economy. Therefore, effective and

In efforts to structure an expression for wave attenuation under a sand/dust storm, most established calculations pronounce optical visibility as an essential parameter. Although visibility information can be retrieved from weather stations, other commonly encountered sources may present it differently, i.e., as total suspended particles (TSP). Consequently, several empirical equations linking visibility

The application of silica mesoporous structures in drug delivery and the removal of pollutants and organic compounds through catalytic reactions is increasing due to their unique characteristics, including high loading capacities, tunable pores, large surface areas, sustainability, and so on. This review focuses on very well-studied class of different construction mesoporous silica nano(particles)

This paper presents a novel framework for robust linear quadratic regulator (LQR)-based control of pulse-width modulated (PWM) converters. The converter is modeled as a linear parameter-varying (LPV) system and the uncertainties, besides their rate of change, are taken into account. The proposed control synthesis method exploits the potential of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs), assuring robust stability

In this article, we present a method of analysis for 3D scanning sequences of human bodies in motion that allows us to obtain a computer animation of a virtual character containing both skeleton motion and high-detail deformations of the body surface geometry, resulting from muscle activity, the dynamics of the motion, and tissue inertia. The developed algorithm operates on a sequence of 3D scans with

Poly-ether-ether ketone (PEEK) is a great potential thermoplastic in industry and medical treatment and health. In this work, PEEK/graphene oxide (GO) and PEEK/MoS2 composites were prepared by a novel hot isostatic pressing method. The addition of GO alters the tribological behaviors mechanism; fatigue wear mechanism is predominant to PEEK/GO composites. However, the combination of abrasive and adhesive

Many test case prioritization (TCP) studies based on regression testing using a code-based development approach have appeared. However, few studies on model-based mutation testing have explored what kind of fault seeding is appropriate or how much the code-based results differ. In this paper, as automatic seeding for the mutation generation, several mutation operators were employed for the UML statechart

Mirrors are a subset of optical components essential for the success of current and future space missions. Most of the telescopes for space programs ranging from earth observation to astrophysics and covering the whole electromagnetic spectrum from x-rays to far-infrared are based on reflective optics. Mirrors operate in diverse and harsh environments that range from low-earth orbit to interplanetary