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Proteinuria is a condition in which an excessive amount of protein is excreted in urine. It is, among others, an indicator of kidney disease or risk of cardiovascular disease. Rapid and reliable diagnosis and monitoring of proteinuria is of great importance for both patients and their physicians. For that reason, a paper-based sensor for proteinuria diagnosis was designed, optimized, and validated utilizing smartphone-assisted signal acquisition. In the first step, a few commonly employed protein assays were optimized and compared in terms of analytical performance on paper matrix. The tetrabromophenol blue method was selected as the one providing a sufficiently low limit of detection (39 mg·L−1) on the one hand and appropriate long-term stability (up to 3 months) on the other hand. The optimized assay was employed for protein-to-creatinine ratio (PCR) determination on a single paper-based sensor. For both analytes the linear ranges were within the clinically relevant range. The analytical usefulness of the developed sensors was demonstrated by a PCR recovery study in artificial urine. The obtained PCR recoveries were from ca. 80 to 150%.

The accuracy of a predictive system is critical for predictive maintenance and to support the right decisions at the right times. Statistical models, such as ARIMA and SARIMA, are unable to describe the stochastic nature of the data. Neural networks, such as long short-term memory (LSTM) and the gated recurrent unit (GRU), are good predictors for univariate and multivariate data. The present paper describes a case study where the performances of long short-term memory and gated recurrent units are compared, based on different hyperparameters. In general, gated recurrent units exhibit better performance, based on a case study on pulp paper presses. The final result demonstrates that, to maximize the equipment availability, gated recurrent units, as demonstrated in the paper, are the best options.

In simple dyadic games such as rock, paper, scissors (RPS), people exhibit peculiar sequential dependencies across repeated interactions with a stable opponent. These regularities seem to arise from a mutually adversarial process of trying to outwit their opponent. What underlies this process, and what are its limits? Here, we offer a novel framework for formally describing and quantifying human adversarial reasoning in the rock, paper, scissors game. We first show that this framework enables a precise characterization of the complexity of patterned behaviors that people exhibit themselves, and appear to exploit in others. This combination allows for a quantitative understanding of human opponent modeling abilities. We apply these tools to an experiment in which people played 300 rounds of RPS in stable dyads. We find that although people exhibit very complex move dependencies, they cannot exploit these dependencies in their opponents, indicating a fundamental limitation in people’s capacity for adversarial reasoning. Taken together, the results presented here show how the rock, paper, scissors game allows for precise formalization of human adaptive reasoning abilities.

This study investigates the efficacy of using discarded textile (cotton and polycotton) and paper waste (newspaper and corrugated cardboard) as substrates to form sheets with optimum tensile strength. The effect of alkali treatment (sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3)), compressive loads (200 N and 500 N), and the use of binding agents (blackstrap molasses, sodium alginate, and cornstarch) were studied to optimize the tensile strength of homogeneous sheets. The alkali treatment using 5% NaOH for 5 h of soaking demonstrated the highest increase in tensile strength of 21% and 19% for cotton and newspaper, respectively. Increasing compressive load from 200 N to 500 N showed the highest increase in tensile strength of 37% and 42% for cotton and newspaper, respectively. Remarkably, among the binders, cornstarch at 20% concentration obtained an increase in tensile strength of 395%, 320%, 310%, and 185% for cotton, polycotton, corrugated cardboard, and newspaper sheets, respectively. The optimum results obtained from this study will be utilized to develop biodegradable seedling pots using discarded textile and paper waste.

A novel paper-based potentiometric platform for the simple and fast monitoring of water hardness is presented. First, potentiometric ion-selective electrodes for calcium and magnesium printed on a paper substrate were built and optimized. These sensors, which display near-Nernstian sensitivity, were used for the determination of the concentration of these cations and the calculation of the water hardness. Second, the incorporation of a solid-state reference electrode allowed building an integrated paper-based potentiometric cell for the determination of the hardness of artificial and real samples (mineral waters). The validation of the results shows good ability to predict hardness in the conventional scale. Truly decentralized measurements were demonstrated by integration of a miniaturized instrument and dedicated software in a portable device. The measurements were able to be performed in just under two minutes, including a two-point calibration. Since the method is simple to use and cost-effective, it can be implemented in domestic and industrial settings.

To explore whether the brain contains pattern differences in the rock–paper–scissors (RPS) imagery task, this paper attempts to classify this task using fNIRS and deep learning. In this study, we designed an RPS task with a total duration of 25 min and 40 s, and recruited 22 volunteers for the experiment. We used the fNIRS acquisition device (FOIRE-3000) to record the cerebral neural activities of these participants in the RPS task. The time series classification (TSC) algorithm was introduced into the time-domain fNIRS signal classification. Experiments show that CNN-based TSC methods can achieve 97% accuracy in RPS classification. CNN-based TSC method is suitable for the classification of fNIRS signals in RPS motor imagery tasks, and may find new application directions for the development of brain–computer interfaces (BCI).

This research studied the strategies that players use in sequential adversarial games. We took the Rock-Paper-Scissors (RPS) game as an example and ran players in two experiments. The first experiment involved two humans, who played the RPS together for 100 times. Importantly, our payoff design in the RPS allowed us to differentiate between participants who used a random strategy from those who used a Nash strategy. We found that participants did not play in agreement with the Nash strategy, but rather, their behavior was closer to random. Moreover, the analyses of the participants’ sequential actions indicated heterogeneous cycle-based behaviors: some participants’ actions were independent of their past outcomes, some followed a well-known win-stay/lose-change strategy, and others exhibited the win-change/lose-stay behavior. To understand the sequential patterns of outcome-dependent actions, we designed probabilistic computer algorithms involving specific change actions (i.e., to downgrade or upgrade according to the immediate past outcome): the Win-Downgrade/Lose-Stay (WDLS) or Win-Stay/Lose-Upgrade (WSLU) strategies. Experiment 2 used these strategies against a human player. Our findings show that participants followed a win-stay strategy against the WDLS algorithm and a lose-change strategy against the WSLU algorithm, while they had difficulty in using an upgrade/downgrade direction, suggesting humans’ limited ability to detect and counter the actions of the algorithm. Taken together, our two experiments showed a large diversity of sequential strategies, where the win-stay/lose-change strategy did not describe the majority of human players’ dynamic behaviors in this adversarial situation.

Microbial dehydrogenase activity can help to determine the oxidizing capacity of activated sludge. Here we propose an innovative and automated express-method based on rapid determination of dehydrogenase activity. The measurement is based on the rate of methylene blue reduction by living microbial cells in suspension. A single analysis takes 10 min. The method was adapted for biofilms immobilized on the floating carriers of industrial bioreactors and the kinetics of biological oxidation by activated sludge and biofilms was compared. New parameters were proposed to characterize the biological oxidation under low oxygen levels. The obtained make it possible to quickly determine the dehydrogenase activity of activated sludge and biofilms and promptly monitor the effectiveness of industrial biological wastewater treatment.

We propose a paper solar cell based on carbon nanotube (CNT)-composite papers. To fabricate this cell, we use dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) for generating power through the redox reaction of dyes in conjunction with CNT-composite papers, which are composite materials containing CNTs and pulp (raw paper material) that can be fabricated easily by using a method based on the Japanese washi papermaking technique. The demand for CNT applications is expected to increase due to their high conductivity and metallic or semiconducting characteristics. This CNT-composite paper can also have metallic or semiconducting characteristics based on the contained CNTs in the composite paper. We previously fabricated a DSC that generates electricity by using CNT-composite papers stacked in a typical DSC structure. However, the conversion efficiency of this DSC was just 0.188%, which is not practical. To overcome this low power generation issue, we tried improving the DSC structure by applying electrodes to the CNT-composite papers in grid patterns for efficient current collection and applying an optimally mixed dye for efficient electron excitation. Results showed that the conversion efficiency improved to 0.58%. Moreover, we demonstrated that using a mixed dye can improve the conversion efficiency of the paper DSC. We expect these types of CNT-composite papers to be used as material for new DSCs.

The pulp and paper (P&P) sector is a dynamic manufacturing industry and plays an essential role in the Austrian economy. However, the sector, which consumes about 20 TWh of final energy, is responsible for 7% of Austria’s industrial CO2 emissions. This study, intending to assess the potential for improving energy efficiency and reducing emissions in the Austrian context in the P&P sector, uses a bottom-up approach model. The model is applied to analyze the energy consumption (heat and electricity) and CO2 emissions in the main processes, related to the P&P production from virgin or recycled fibers. Afterward, technological options to reduce energy consumption and fossil CO2 emissions for P&P production are investigated, and various low-carbon technologies are applied to the model. For each of the selected technologies, the potential of emission reduction and energy savings up to 2050 is estimated. Finally, a series of low-carbon technology-based scenarios are developed and evaluated. These scenarios’ content is based on the improvement potential associated with the various processes of different paper grades. The results reveal that the investigated technologies applied in the production process (chemical pulping and paper drying) have a minor impact on CO2 emission reduction (maximum 10% due to applying an impulse dryer). In contrast, steam supply electrification, by replacing fossil fuel boilers with direct heat supply (such as commercial electric boilers or heat pumps), enables reducing emissions by up to 75%. This means that the goal of 100% CO2 emission reduction by 2050 cannot be reached with one method alone. Consequently, a combination of technologies, particularly with the electrification of the steam supply, along with the use of carbon-free electricity generated by renewable energy, appears to be essential.

The fabrication of underwater devices is necessary for the exploration of water environments and interactions in the Human–Computer Interaction (HCI) field. However, there are fewer approaches to support prototyping used in water environments. The existing prototype methods lack systematic waterproof treatments and provide insufficient software for balance and buoyancy analysis. To address these limitations, we present ElectroPaper, a new approach for the design and fabrication of prototypes used in water environments (surface or beneath) with paper-based electronic interfaces with a crease layer, hardware distribution layer, and hollow-out layer to support physical properties, such as waterproofing, foldability, and conformability. The approach includes a computational design tool for assisting in balance analysis, three-dimensional (3D) model unfolding, and circuit drawing. We describe the design and fabrication process and provide several example applications to illustrate the feasibility and utility of our approach. ElectroPaper provides an inexpensive and effective medium for the fabrication of customized digital prototypes for water environment use.

Physicochemical treatment, consisting of a combination of primary settling, coagulation&ndash, flocculation-aided clarification (alum, lime and magnesium sulfate as coagulants) and activated carbon adsorption, was employed for the treatment of pulp and paper mill wastewater. Treatability studies were undertaken to assess the feasibility of recycling the effluents from a paper mill. The results of laboratory scale investigation showed that the hydraulic retention time (HRT) of four hours for plain settling was effective to reduce 30% of the pollution load from pulp and board mill wastewater (PBMWW). The chemical secondary treatment reduced turbidity (89%), Chemical Oxygen Demand (84%), total suspended solids (90%) and color (89%) at the mass loading of 3400 mgl-1 of magnesium sulfate (MgSO4), when primary-treated effluent was subsequently treated by the coagulation&ndash, flocculation process. The combination of primary settling and lime coagulation (optimum dosage of 1400 mgl-1) resulted in a turbidity removal of 94%, a COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) reduction of 86%, a Total Suspended Solids (TSS) removal of 93% and color removal of 91.6% at an initial pH of 11. The combination of this primary settling and coagulation&ndash, flocculation treatment trial indicated that the pollutant reduction efficiency of alum was better than the other two coagulants (MgSO4, lime), because the plain settling and coagulation&ndash, flocculation process with alum (optimum dosage of 1200 mg/L) resulted in a turbidity removal of 98%, COD reduction of 93%, TSS removal of 98% and color removal of 96% at the pH 6.0 with the sludge volume index of 156 mg/L. This chemically-treated water required further treatment with activated carbon in a batch reactor for up to four hours to meet the paper mill water quality standards. Pollutant reductions at the rate of 99.5%, 99.1%, 99.4% and 99.5% were obtained for turbidity, COD, TSS and color, respectively, with the combination of the sedimentation, coagulation&ndash, flocculation process and activated carbon adsorption meeting the production process quality standards. The study revealed that a hybrid end-of-pipe physicochemical treatment was effective in reducing the pollutant load of paper mills effluent and meeting the discharging standards.

Current product composition and quality test methods for the paper and pulp industries are rooted in wet-bench chemistry techniques which cannot be used to distinguish between virgin and secondary fibers. We have recently demonstrated the application of an in situ and nondestructive assessment method based on dielectric spectroscopy (DS), which can address this deficiency in the testing of paper. The DS technique, which employs a resonant microwave cavity, could be applicable to quality assurance techniques such as gauge capability studies and real-time statistical process control (SPC), and may have inherent forensic capabilities. In this paper, we show how this DS technique can be used to distinguish between office copier paper products which may contain recycled fibers. We show a reasonable correlation between the dielectric characteristics (e.g., dielectric loss) and the atomistic level chemical changes that result from the paper recycling process.

A colorimetric polydiacetylene (PDA) paper strip sensor that can specifically recognize Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) HD-73 spores is described in this work. The target-specific aptamer was combined with PDA, and the aptamer-conjugated PDA vesicles were then coated on polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) paper strips by a simple solvent evaporation method. The PDA-aptamer paper strips can be used to detect the target without any pre-treatment. Using the paper strip, the presence of BT spores is directly observable by the naked eye based on the unique blue-to-red color transition of the PDA. Quantitative studies using the paper strip were also carried out by analyzing the color transitions of the PDA. The specificity of this PDA sensor was verified with a high concentration of Escherichia coli, and no discernable change was observed. The observable color change in the paper strip occurs in less than 1 h, and the limit of detection is 3 &times, 107 CFU/mL, much below the level harmful to humans. The PDA-based paper sensor, developed in this work, does not require a separate power or detection device, making the sensor strip highly transportable and suitable for spore analysis anytime and anywhere. Moreover, this paper sensor platform is easily fabricated, can be adapted to other targets, is highly portable, and is highly specific for the detection of BT spores.

Managing a large fleet of ageing assets has become a technical challenge faced by many electricity utilities in developed countries. Asset managers are increasingly interested in techniques that can help extend the useful lifetime of a transformer. Oil regeneration is one of such techniques. In this paper, oil regeneration experiments were performed on a 6.4/0.4 kV retired distribution transformer to investigate the effect of oil regeneration on improving paper conditions. Oil regeneration was conducted in two stages, with the first stage aimed at ‘cleaning the oil’ and the second stage targeted at ‘cleaning the paper’. Oil samples were collected at regular intervals throughout the process and paper samples were obtained from the transformer before and after each oil regeneration stage. It was found that oil regeneration restores oil parameters, including moisture and acidity, similar to those of new oils at the end of stage 1. Analysis of paper samples indicated a reduction in paper moisture at the end of stage 2 by nearly 40%, while low molecular weight acids (LMA) in paper exhibited a reduction by around 30% on average. It is found that the extended oil regeneration period, i.e., stage 2, is necessary to improve the paper condition and hence to reduce the paper ageing rate.

The continual growth of pulp and paper industry has led to the generation of tremendous volumes of fly ash as byproducts of biomass combustion processes. Commonly, a major part of it is landfilled; however, updated environmental regulations have tended to restrict the landfilling of fly ash due to rising disposal costs and the scarcity of suitable land. The pulp and paper industries are therefore urgently seeking energy-efficient mechanisms and management for the beneficial use of fly ash in an ecological and economical manner. This paper offers a comprehensive review of existing knowledge on the major physicochemical and toxicological properties of pulp and paper mill fly ash to assess its suitability for various bound and unbound applications. The current state of various methods used for the valorization of pulp and paper mill fly ash into more sustainable geomaterials is briefly discussed. This paper also presents promising and innovative applications for pulp and paper mill fly ash, with particular reference to agriculture and forestry, the construction and geotechnical industries, and the immobilization of contaminants. It was identified from a literature review that modified pulp and paper mill fly ash can be environmentally and economically advantageous over commercial coal-based fly ash in various sustainable applications.

Food safety remains one of the most important issues in most countries and the detection of food hazards plays a key role in the systematic approach to ensuring food safety. Rapid, easy-to-use and low-cost analytical tools are required to detect chemical hazards in foods. As a promising candidate, microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (μPADs) have been rarely applied to real food samples for testing chemical hazards, although numerous papers have been published in this field in the last decade. This review discusses the current status and concerns of the μPAD applications in the detection of chemical hazards in foods from the perspective of food scientists, mainly for an audience with a background in mechanical and chemical engineering who may have interests in exploring the potential of μPAD to address real-world food safety issues.

We studied the feasibility of image-based quantitative analysis of foxing stains on collections of old (16th&ndash, 20th century) European books stored in the Rare Book Library of the Seoul National University in Korea. We were able to quantitatively determine the foxing affected areas on books from their photographs using a newly developed image processing software (PicMan) including cultural property characterization applications, specifically. Dimensional and color analysis of photographs were successfully done quantitatively. Histograms of RGB (red, green, blue) pixels of photographs clearly showed the change in color distribution of foxing stains compared to the other areas of the photographs. Several sample images of quantitative measurement of foxing stains and virtually restored images were generated to provide easy visual inspection and comparison between restored images and the original photographs. Image quality, resolution, and digital file format requirements for quantitative analysis are described. Image-based quantitative analysis of foxing stains on paper documents are found to be very promising towards automation for objective characterization of photographs of cultural properties. This technique can be used to create a cultural property digital database. Quantitative and statistical analysis techniques can be introduced to monitor the effect of storage and conservation environment on the cultural properties.

3D city models are mainly viewed on computer screens, but many municipalities also use 3D printing to make urban planning tangible. Since 3D color printing is still comparatively expensive and the colors often fade over time, many of these models are monochrome. Here, color textured paper models offer an inexpensive and under-appreciated alternative. In this paper, a greedy algorithm adapted to CityGML building models is presented, which creates print templates for such paper models. These 2D layouts consist of cut edges and fold edges that bound polygons of a building. The polygons can be textured or left blank depending on the existence of CityGML textures. Glue tabs are attached to cut edges. In addition to the haptic 3D visualization, the quality of the 3D models can sometimes be better assessed on the basis of the print templates than from a perspective projection. The unfolding procedure was applied to parts of the freely available CityGML model of Berlin as well as to parts of models of the cities of Dortmund and Krefeld.

We use origami to create a compact, scalable three-dimensional (3-D) biobattery stack that delivers on-demand energy to the portable biosensors. Folding allows a two-dimensional (2-D) paper sheet possessing predefined functional components to form nine 3-D microbial fuel cells (MFCs), and connect them serially within a small and single unit (5.6 cm × 5.6 cm). We load the biocatalyst Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 in predefined areas that form the MFCs, and freeze-dry them for long-term storage. The biobattery stack generates a maximum power and current of 20 μW and 25 μA, respectively, via microbial metabolism when the freeze-dried cells are rehydrated with readily available wastewater. This work establishes an innovative strategy to revolutionize the fabrication, storage, operation, and application of paper-based MFCs, which could potentially make energy available even in resource-limited settings.

It is now well-established that moisture in the oil paper insulation used in power and instrument transformers significantly reduces the transformers’ lifetimes, and can eventually lead to premature failure. This moisture should, therefore, always be removed, not only during production but also after repairs. At the final stage of manufacturing, the drying process should be carried out to remove water and air vacuoles contained in the cellulose-based paper before impregnation. Successful drying helps increase the residual life of transformers, because the presence of moisture and air vacuoles accelerates the aging/degradation process of the oil paper insulation. Proper estimation of residual moisture before impregnation and the determination of the time required for drying play key roles in the time-consuming process of drying. In this paper, the disadvantages of inadequate drying are addressed, followed by a mathematical approach to model the paper drying process. A mathematical model describing the kinetics of drying according to temperature, initial moisture, paper weight, final moisture, and extraction rate is proposed. This model also estimated the amount of moisture removed at the end of the drying process.

Este artículo se encuentra disponible en la siguiente URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/11/8/386 TheWorldHealth Organization (WHO) officially declared the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) as a pandemic on 11 March 2020, and educational institutions have had to modify most of their activities (face-to-face activities were suspended). This situation forced academic institutions to modify the evaluation format of students. The use of proctoring systems quickly became widespread, although some controversies arose. The twomain discussions regarding these systems are the integrity of the assessment and the capacity of the students to adapt to this new assessment method, without changes in theirs scores. To elucidate two controversies, we have analyzed the preferences and the scores obtained from a trial of 660 scores from 332 students of the third grade of Veterinary Medicine. The experiment involved three modalities of exam: an online format from home using the Respondus Lockdown Browser system (Modality 1), online in person using the Respondus Lockdown Browser system with the supervision of a teacher (Modality 2), or paper format in person with the supervision of a teacher (Modality 3). The results obtained showed that the students preferred Modality 1 (online at home with Respondus Lockdown Browser system). No statistical differences between the scores obtained by students were found between the three modalities analyzed. The proctoring system is a good method to adjudicate exams in higher education institutions, and the scores of students are similar to those obtained through traditional evaluation and control systems.

Color 3D printing allows for 3D-printed parts to represent 3D objects more realistically, but its surface color quality evaluation lacks comprehensive objective verification considering printing materials. In this study, a unique test model was designed and printed using eco-friendly and vivid paper-based full-color 3D printing as an example. By measuring the chromaticity, roughness, glossiness, and whiteness properties of 3D-printed surfaces and by acquiring images of their main viewing surfaces, this work skillfully explores the correlation between the color representation of a paper-based 3D-printed coloring layer and its attached underneath blank layer. Quantitative analysis was performed using ΔE*ab, feature similarity index measure of color image (FSIMc), and improved color-image-difference (iCID) values. The experimental results show that a color difference on color-printed surfaces exhibits a high linear correlation trend with its FSIMc metric and iCID metric. The qualitative analysis of microscopic imaging and the quantitative analysis of the above three surface properties corroborate the prediction of the linear correlation between color difference and image-based metrics. This study can provide inspiration for the development of computational coloring materials for additive manufacturing.

Sickle cell anemia (SCA) is a genetic blood disorder that is particularly lethal in early childhood. Universal newborn screening programs and subsequent early treatment are known to drastically reduce under-five SCA mortality. However, in resource-limited settings, cost and infrastructure constraints limit the effectiveness of laboratory-based SCA screening programs. To address this limitation our laboratory previously developed a low-cost, equipment-free, point-of-care, paper-based SCA test. Here, we improved the stability and performance of the test by replacing sodium hydrosulfite (HS), a key reducing agent in the hemoglobin solubility buffer which is not stable in aqueous solutions, with sodium metabisulfite (MS). The MS formulation of the test was compared to the HS formulation in a laboratory setting by inexperienced users (n = 3), to determine visual limit of detection (LOD), readout time, diagnostic accuracy, intra- and inter-observer agreement, and shelf life. The MS test was found to have a 10% sickle hemoglobin LOD, 21-min readout time, 97.3% sensitivity and 99.5% specificity for SCA, almost perfect intra- and inter-observer agreement, at least 24 weeks of shelf stability at room temperature, and could be packaged into a self-contained, distributable test kits comprised of off-the-shelf disposable components and food-grade reagents with a total cost of only $0.21 (USD).

Diagnostic testing of blood samples for parasite antigen Og4C3 is used to assess Wuchereria bancrofti in endemic populations. However, the Tropbio ELISA recommends that plasma and dried blood spots (DBS) prepared using filter paper be used at different dilutions, making it uncertain whether these two methods and dilutions give similar results, especially at low levels of residual infection or resurgence during the post-program phase. We compared results obtained using samples of plasma and DBS taken simultaneously from 104 young adults in Myanmar in 2014, of whom 50 (48.1%) were positive for filariasis antigen by rapid antigen test. Results from DBS tests at recommended dilution were significantly lower than results from plasma tested at recommended dilution, with comparisons between plasma and DBS at unmatched dilutions yielding low sensitivity and negative predictive values of 60.0% and 70.6% respectively. While collection of capillary blood on DBS is cheaper and easier to perform than collecting plasma or serum, and does not need to be stored frozen, dilutions between different versions of the test must be reconciled or an adjustment factor applied.

Using mathematical programming with activity-based costing (ABC) and based on the theory of constraints (TOC), this study proposed a green production model for the traditional paper industry to achieve the purpose of energy saving and carbon emission reduction. The mathematical programming model presented in this paper considers (1) revenue of main products and byproducts, (2) unit-level, batch-level, and product-level activity costs in ABC, (3) labor cost with overtime available, (4) machine cost with capacity expansion, (5) saved electric power and steam costs by using the coal as the main fuel in conjunction with Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF). This model also considers the constraint of the quantity of carbon equivalent of various gases that are allowed to be emitted from the mill paper-making process to conform to the environmental protection policy. A numerical example is used to demonstrate how to apply the model presented in this paper. In addition, sensitivity analysis on the key parameters of the model are used to provide further insights for this research.

Undeniably, the Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem continues to evolve at a breakneck pace, exceeding all growth expectations and ubiquity barriers. From sensor to cloud, this giant network keeps breaking technological bounds in several domains, and wireless sensor nodes (motes) are expected to be predominant as the number of IoT devices grows towards the trillions. However, their future in the IoT ecosystem still seems foggy, where several challenges, such as (i) device&rsquo, s connectivity, (ii) intelligence at the edge, (iii) security and privacy concerns, and (iv) growing energy needs, keep pulling in opposite directions. This prospective paper offers a succinct and forward-looking review of recent trends, challenges, and state-of-the-art solutions of low-end IoT motes, where reconfigurable computing technology plays a key role in tomorrow&rsquo, s IoT devices.

Laboratory-based testing does not allow for the sufficiently rapid return of data to enable optimal therapeutic monitoring of patients with metabolic diseases such as phenylketonuria (PKU). The typical turn-around time of several days for current laboratory-based testing is too slow to be practically useful for effective monitoring or optimizing therapy. This report describes the development of a rapid, paper-based, point-of-care device for phenylalanine detection using a small volume (40 μL) of whole blood. The quantitative resolution and reproducibility of this device with instrumented readout are described, together with the potential use of this device for point-of-care monitoring by PKU patients.

Background: The cornerstone of the public health function is to identify healthcare needs, to influence policy development, and to inform change in practice. Current data management practices with paper-based recording systems are prone to data quality defects. Increasingly, healthcare organizations are using technology for the efficient management of data. The aim of this study was to compare the data quality of digital records with the quality of the corresponding paper-based records using a data quality assessment framework. Methodology: We conducted a desk review of paper-based and digital records over the study duration from April 2016 to July 2016 at six enrolled tuberculosis (TB) clinics. We input all data fields of the patient treatment (TB01) card into a spreadsheet-based template to undertake a field-to-field comparison of the shared fields between TB01 and digital data. Findings: A total of 117 TB01 cards were prepared at six enrolled sites, whereas just 50% of the records (n = 59, 59 out of 117 TB01 cards) were digitized. There were 1239 comparable data fields, out of which 65% (n = 803) were correctly matched between paper based and digital records. However, 35% of the data fields (n = 436) had anomalies, either in paper-based records or in digital records. The calculated number of data quality issues per digital patient record was 1.9, whereas it was 2.1 issues per record for paper-based records. Based on the analysis of valid data quality issues, it was found that there were more data quality issues in paper-based records (n = 123) than in digital records (n = 110). Conclusion: There were fewer data quality issues in digital records as compared with the corresponding paper-based records of tuberculosis patients. Greater use of mobile data capture and continued data quality assessment can deliver more meaningful information for decision making.

Frequency Domain Spectroscopy (FDS) is an effective tool allowing assessing the condition of oil-paper insulation system in power equipment. However, results from these measurements are known to be greatly influenced by various parameters, including insulation aging, moisture content, and insulation geometry/volume, together with environmental condition such as temperature. In this contribution, a series of experiments have been performed under controlled laboratory conditions. The dielectric response of the oil impregnated paper, along with the degree of polymerization and moisture content, were monitored. Since dielectric parameters are geometry dependent, poles (independent of the geometry) which depends on resistivity and permittivity, were considered to assess the condition of the insulation. From the investigations performed on new and aged samples, it is shown that poles (P) can be regarded as insulation aging indicator. It is also shown that a per unit value based on the Dielectric Dissipation Factor (DDF), measured in the frequency range from 1 to 1000 Hz can be correlated to moisture content in the insulation paper.

Appropriate organic amendment management is essential in potato production to increase soil productivity and potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) quality. The objectives of this two-year field study (2004–2005) were to evaluate the effects of organic amendment applications with or without mineral N fertilizer addition on potato yield, N uptake, N use efficiency (NUE), and on disease incidence. The experimental design was a split-plot, which included nine treatments with four different organic amendments applied in fall 2003 or in spring 2004 at a rate of 40 Mg ha−1 (wet basis) and an unamended control in main plots, and N fertilizer rates (0 and 90 kg N ha−1) in sub-plots. Organic amendments consisted of fresh cattle manure (FCM), composted cattle manure (CCM), paper mill sludge with C/N ratio 15 (PMS2) applied alone (0 kg N ha−1) or supplemented with mineral fertilizer at a rate 90 kg N ha−1. The N fertilizer rate in the unamended control consisted of 0 and 150 kg N ha−1. No organic amendments were applied in 2005 to evaluate residual effects. Fall and spring applications of FCM, CCM and PMS alone significantly increased N uptake and potato marketable yields by 2.5 to 16.4 Mg ha−1, compared to the unfertilized control. Combining organic amendments with N fertilizer at 90 kg N ha−1 increased potato yields, N uptake, and specific gravity, which were comparable to those obtained in mineral N fertilizer treatments (150 kg N ha−1). Residual effects of organic amendments alone had no significant effects on potato yields or on N uptake compared to the unfertilized control. Potato NUE for FCM, CCM and PMS ranged from 6% to 25% in the first year and from 2% to 8% in the residual year. The NUE values were higher for PMS with lower C/N ratio compared to FCM and CCM. This study did not show any difference between organic amendment applied in spring or fall on potato yield and quality. It was also demonstrated that mineral N fertilizer needed to be combined with organic amendments to sustain potato yield and N nutrition. This study showed that appropriate organic amendment management could increase potato yield and quality and reduce N fertilizer requirement.

This article reports the first results of a Nafion&reg, based, solid state, non-volatile, electronically reconfigurable Radio Frequency (RF)-switch integrated to a co-planar waveguide transmission line (CPW) in shunt mode, on a flexible paper substrate. The switch is based on a metal&ndash, insulator&ndash, metal structure formed respectively using Silver&ndash, Nafion&ndash, aluminum switching layers. The presented device is fully passive and shows good performance till 3 GHz, with an insertion loss less than 3 dB in the RF-on state and isolation greater than 15 dB in the RF-off state. Low-power direct current pulses in the range 10 V/0.5 mA and &minus, 20 V/0.15 A are used to operate the switch. The device was fabricated in an ambient laboratory condition, without the use of any clean room facilities. A brief discussion of the results and potential application of this concept in a re-configurable chipless RFID tag is also given in this article. This study is a proof of concept of fabrication of electronically re-configurable and disposable RF-electronic switches on low cost and flexible substrates, using a process feasible for mass production.

A substantial proportion of women who undergo BRCA1/2 testing learn that they carry a variant of uncertain significance[...]

In recent years the print industry has been facing constant and increasing competition from the double onslaught of the Internet and the proliferation of television channels. In order to survive as a viable industry, print enterprises must streamline and exploit up-to-date economizing measures. A key cost element in the print industry is paper, representing between 20% and 30% of total printing expenditures. Thus, any improvement in the operational efficiency of paper reel management has the potential of yielding considerable cost savings. It is in this context that we analyze the effect of enhancing the available paper reel supply chain information through the use of semi passive Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) technology. Focusing on the printing house, we develop both simulation models and formulas that forecast savings from having better information. Thereafter we implemented the system and compared the forecasts to actual savings. Using standard economic evaluation techniques we unequivocally show the economic imperative of introducing semi passive RFID technology. Even though this study was carried out in a specific printing house, we argue that its implications are far wider, affecting other industries.

The manufacturing of Portland cement is responsible for a big amount of energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission. Therefore, to date, it is imperative to find alternative materials to replace a major part of cement for sustainable concrete constructions. The present study forms a part of an on-going research project on the application of new cementitious matrices produced using different types of recycled materials. In particular, it focuses on the use of pulp and waste paper to partially replace Portland cement at varying percentages for producing a new lightweight mortar, frequently named papercrete. The development of this economical and eco-friendly material may permit of recycling a big amount of waste paper leading to lower housing costs with also ecological benefits. To this scope, an experimental campaign in the laboratory is carried out to characterize this new innovative material from a physical and mechanical point of view. The preliminary results of this on-going experimental campaign are illustrated and commented on in this paper. The obtained results confirm the possibility of applying this partially-recycled material as a possible alternative for strengthening existing panels of masonry.

Synthetic fuel production via gasification of residual biomass streams from the pulp and paper industry can be an opportunity for the mills to enable improved resource utilization and at the same time reduce the production of excess heat. This paper summarizes initial oxygen-blown gasification experiments with two bark residues from a European pulp and paper mill, i.e., a softwood bark and a hardwood bark. The gasification process was characterized by measuring syngas yields and process efficiency to find optimum operating conditions. In addition, impurities in the syngas and ash behavior were characterized. Maximum yields of CO and H2 were obtained from softwood bark and amounted to approximately 29 and 15 mol/kg fuel, respectively. Optimum cold gas efficiency was achieved at an oxygen stoichiometric ratio of &lambda, = 0.40 and was approximately 76% and 70% for softwood bark and hardwood bark, respectively. Increased &lambda, had a reducing effect on pollutants in the syngas, e.g., higher hydrocarbons, NH3, HCl, and soot. The situation for sulfur species was more complex. Evaluation of the bark ashes indicated that slag formation could start already from 800 &deg, C. Furthermore, a non-intrusive laser diagnostics technique gave rapid feedback on the millisecond scale. Measured syngas temperature and water content were in good agreement with the applied reference methods.

The state of cellulosic solid kraft paper (CSKP) insulation, to a large extent, is an indication of a transformer’s health. It not only reflects the condition of transformer but also diagnose its residual life. The quantity of 2-furfuraldehyde (2-FAL), carbon dioxide (CO2), and carbon monoxide (CO) dissolved in the transformer oil are useful diagnostic indicators to predict the state of the CSKP insulation. In this work, the current physical state of the CSKP is determined with the help of easily measurable parameters, like temperature, moisture, and the aging time. Here, the degree of deterioration of CSKP insulation has been determined using an integrated insulation health assessment system. This technique integrates a two-stage system comprising of a neural network (NN) model followed by a Smart Life Prediction Approach (SLPA). A thermo-moisture-aging multi-layer feed-forward NN model has been developed to predict the concentrations of 2-FAL, CO2, and CO, which are further correlated to estimate the Degree of Polymerization (DP) values adopting an SLPA. The advantage of the proposed integrated system is that it provides an alternative means of paper health assessment based on Dissolved Gas Analysis (DGA) without estimating dissolved gas concentrations in oil, thereby avoiding the use of sophisticated measuring instruments. The optimal configuration of the NN model has been achieved at minimum iterations with an average cross-validation mean square error of 3.78 × 10−7. The proposed system thereby avoids destructive and offline measurement of DP and facilitates real-time condition monitoring of oil-immersed transformers. The test results of the developed system show considerable reliability in determining insulation health using easily measurable parameters. Furthermore, the system’s performance is compared with reported work and has been found to provide encouraging outcomes.

The paper presents an experimental study regarding the treatment of a real textile wastewater using the spinning disc (SD) technology, either individually or associated with an advanced Fenton oxidation step. The SD efficiency was investigated by studying the color, suspended solids, or turbidity removals, at distinctive feeding flowrates (10–30 L/h) and disc rotating speeds (100–1500 rpm). The data revealed increasing removal trends and allowed to establish the highest removal values. Based on obtained experimental results, the wastewater treatment efficiency by SD technology was reasonably good and thus, the WW indicators can be improved within relatively short periods of time. Additionally, based on supervised learning algorithms, the study includes treatment modeling for turbidity and color removal, followed by turbidity removal optimization relying on the best learned models. Satisfactory results obtained with the modeling and optimization procedures provide useful predictions for the approached treatment processes. Furthermore, within this study, a Fenton oxidation process was applied to SD technology to minimize the color and solids content. The influence of pH, hydrogen peroxide and ferrous ions concentrations was also investigated in order to establish the highest removal efficiencies. Overall, the SD technology applied in textile effluents treatment proved to be an appropriate and efficient alternative to classical mechanical step applied within the primary treatment step and, when associated with an advanced oxidative process in the secondary step, rendered good improvement, namely of 62.84% and 69.46% for color and respectively, suspended solids removal.

This article investigates the potential environmental impacts of four-layer printed circuit board (PCB) production from cradle to grave. The study starts with a lifecycle assessment of conventional PCB production. Then, the alternative materials of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polylactic acid (PLA)/glass fiber composite and paper are investigated for the substrate. A conventional PCB adopts copper as the conductive material and requires an etching process. The environmental impacts of changing the conductive deposition method to an additive method by printing silver nanoparticles is studied. In a conventional PCB, electricity generation contributes 41% of the global warming potential (GWP) and 38% of the abiotic resource depletion (ADP), in the fossil category. By applying an additive manufacturing method, the GWP of PCB manufacturing can be reduced to 14% of that of the conventional method. A sensitivity analysis of silver recycling illustrates that a 40% higher silver recycling rate would decrease the GWP of silver material by about 48–60%. Uncertainty in the energy consumption of PCB production would alter the environmental impacts, however, even with the most conservative energy consumption in a conventional PCB production method, the environmental impacts of the additive method are about five times lower than those of conventional PCB production.

[EN] Emerging Industry 4.0 applications require ever-increasing amounts of data and new sources of information to more accurately characterize the different processes of a production line. Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technologies, and in particular Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), allow a large amount of data to be digitized at a low energy cost, thanks to their easy scalability and the creation of meshed networks to cover larger areas. In industry, data acquisition systems must meet certain reliability and robustness requirements, since other systems such as predictive maintenance or the digital twin, which represents a virtual mapping of the system with which to interact without the need to alter the actual installation, may depend on it. Thanks to the IEEE 802.15.4e standard and the use of Time-Slotted Channel Hopping (TSCH) as the medium access mechanism and IPv6 Routing Protocol for Low-Power and Lossy Networks (RPL) as the routing protocol, it is possible to deploy WSNs with high reliability, autonomy, and minimal need for re-configuration. One of the drawbacks of this communication architecture is the low efficiency of its deployment process, during which it may take a long time to synchronize and connect all the devices in a network. This paper proposes an analytical model to characterize the process for the creation of downstream routes in RPL, whose transmission of multi-hop messages can present complications in scenarios with a multitude of interfering nodes and resource allocation based on minimal IPv6 over the TSCH mode of IEEE 802.15.4e (6TiSCH). This type of multi-hop message exchange has a different behaviour than the multicast control messages exchanged during the synchronization phase and the formation of upstream routes, since the number of interfering nodes changes in each retransmission., The research leading to these results is part of the i4Q project that has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme, under Grant Agreement No. 958205.

Hydrotreated vegetable oils (HVOs) are currently a popular renewable energy source, frequently blended into a Diesel-fuel. In the paper, HVO potential as feedstock for the steam-cracking process was investigated, since HVOs promise high yields of monomers for producing green polymers and other chemicals. Prepared HVO samples of different oil sources were studied experimentally, using pyrolysis gas chromatography to estimate their product yields in the steam-cracking process and compare them to traditional feedstocks. At 800 °C, HVOs provided significantly elevated ethylene yield, higher yield of propylene and C4 olefins, and lower oil yield than both atmospheric gas oil and hydrocracked vacuum distillate used as reference traditional feedstocks. The HVO preparation process was found to influence the distribution of steam-cracking products more than the vegetable oil used for the HVO preparation. Furthermore, pyrolysis of HVO/traditional feedstock blends was performed at different blending ratios. It provided information about the product yield dependence on blending ratio for future process design considerations. It revealed that some product yields exhibit non-linear dependence on the blending ratio, and therefore, their yields cannot be predicted by the simple principle of additivity.

Kappa number variability at the continuous digester outlet is a major concern for pulp and paper mills. It is evident that the aforementioned variability is strongly linked to the feedstock wood properties, particularly lignin content. Online measurement of lignin content utilizing near-infrared spectroscopy at the inlet of the digester is paving the way for tighter control of the blow-line Kappa number. In this paper, an innovative approach of feedforwarding the lignin content to a model predictive controller was investigated with the help of modeling and simulation studies. For this purpose, a physics-based modeling library for continuous pulp digesters was developed and validated. Finally, model predictive control approaches with and without feedforwarding the lignin measurement were evaluated against current industrial control and proportional-integral-derivative (PID) schemes.

Synthetic gas generated from the gasification of biomass feedstocks is one of the clean and sustainable energy sources. In this work, a fixed-bed downdraft gasifier was used to perform the gasification on a lab-scale of rice husk, sawdust, and coconut shell. The aim of this work is to find and compare the synthetic gas generation characteristics and prospects of sawdust and coconut shell with rice husk. A temperature range of 650–900 °C was used to conduct gasification of these three biomass feedstocks. The feed rate of rice husk, sawdust, and coconut shell was 3–5 kg/h, while the airflow rate was 2–3 m3/h. Experimental results show that the highest generated quantity of methane (vol.%) in synthetic gas was achieved by using coconut shell than sawdust and rice husk. It also shows that hydrogen production was higher in the gasification of coconut shell than sawdust and rice husk. In addition, emission generations in coconut shell gasification are lower than rice husk although emissions of rice husk gasification are even lower than fossil fuel. Rice husk, sawdust, and coconut shell are cost-effective biomass sources in Bangladesh. Therefore, the outcomes of this paper can be used to provide clean and economic energy sources for the near future.

In the whole process of cement production, the electricity consumption of a raw material mill accounts for about 24% of the total. Based on the statistics of the electricity consumption of the raw material mill system of 1005 production lines in China between 2014 and 2019, it is found that the average electricity consumption of the raw material preparation process of all clinker production lines between 2014 and 2019 was 25.2 kWh/t. The average electricity consumption of different-tonnage production lines varies with time. In comparison with high-tonnage ones, the electricity consumption of low-tonnage production lines has wider distribution. The average electricity consumption of raw material mill dropped from 30.88 kWh/t in 2014 to 16.13 kWh/t in 2019, with a drop of more than half. At present, the raw material preparation process of new drying-process cement production enterprises mainly includes middle unloading drying tube mill raw material preparation system, vertical mill raw material final grinding system, and roller press raw material final grinding system. This paper compares the characteristics of several grinding systems and summarizes their influence on the electricity consumption.

The beetroot peels can be a sustainable source of betalains that can dye the wool materials through green processes based on low water and energy consumption. Green chemistry in the extraction of betalains from colored food waste/peels from red beetroot involved the use of water as a solvent, without other additives. In order for the extract obtained to be able to dye the wool, it was necessary to functionalize betalains or even the wool. Three types of sustainable functionalizations were performed, with (1) acetic acid, (2) ethanol, and (3) arginine. For each functionalization, the mechanism that can justify dyeing the wool in intense colors was elucidated. The characterization of the extract was performed with the data provided by UV-VIS and HPLC-MS analyses. The characterization of the wool dyed with the extract obtained from the red beetroot peels was possible due to the information resulting from the FTIR and CIELab analyses. The functionalizations of betalains and wool in acid environments lead to the most intense red colors. The color varies depending on the pH and the concentration of betalains.

An existing diesel engine was fitted with a common rail direct injection (CRDi) facility to inject fuel at higher pressure in CRDi mode. In the current work, rotating blades were incorporated in the piston cavity to enhance turbulence. Pilot fuels used are diesel and biodiesel of Ceiba pentandra oil (BCPO) with hydrogen supply during the suction stroke. Performance evaluation and emission tests for CRDi mode were carried out under different loading conditions. In the first part of the work, maximum possible hydrogen substitution without knocking was reported at an injection timing of 15° before top dead center (bTDC). In the second part of the work, fuel injection pressure (IP) was varied with maximum hydrogen fuel substitution. Then, in the third part of the work, exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), was varied to study the nitrogen oxides (NOx) generated. At 900 bar, HC emissions in the CRDi engine were reduced by 18.5% and CO emissions were reduced by 17% relative to the CI mode. NOx emissions from the CRDi engine were decreased by 28% relative to the CI engine mode. At 20%, EGR lowered the BTE by 14.2% and reduced hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide by 6.3%, 30.5% and 9%, respectively, compared to the CI mode of operation.

Phosphorus is one of the main factors causing water eutrophication, and the traditional phosphorus removal process causes phosphorus-rich sludge pollution. The facultative MBR process uses phosphate-reducing bacteria to convert phosphate into directly recyclable gaseous phosphine to solve this malpractice and make sewage become a new phosphorus resource. In order to investigate the phosphorus removal efficiency and the mechanism under facultative conditions, run the facultative MBR reactor for 30 days. The COD value, phosphate concentration, and phosphine yield were measured, and the changes of sludge metabolic pathway abundance and community composition in different periods were detected. According to the measurement, the maximum phosphorus removal efficiency is 43.11% and the maximum yield of phosphine is 320 μg/m3 (measured by the volume of sewage). Combined with thermodynamic analysis, the microbial mechanism of the reactor was proposed, and the possible transformation pathway of phosphorus was analyzed. At last, changes the phosphorus removal process from the ‘removal type’ to the ‘recycling type’.

Looking for new, sustainable ways to utilize plastics is still a very pertinent topic considering the amount of plastics produced in the world. One of the newest and intriguing possibility is the use of insects in biodegradation of plastics, which can be named entomoremediation. The aim of this work was to demonstrate the ability of the insect Tenebrio molitor to biodegrade different, real plastic waste. The types of plastic waste used were: remains of thermal building insulation polystyrene foam (PS), two types of polyurethane (kitchen sponge as PU1 and commercial thermal insulation foam as PU2), and polyethylene foam (PE), which has been used as packaging material. After 58 days, the efficiency of mass reduction for all of the investigated plastics was 46.5%, 41.0%, 53.2%, and 69.7% for PS, PU1, PU2, and PE, respectively (with a dose of 0.0052 g of each plastic per 1 mealworm larvae). Both larvae and imago were active plastic eaters. However, in order to shorten the duration of the experiment and increase the specific consumption rate, the two forms of the insect should not be combined together in one container.

The efficiency of different thermal insulation covers in minimizing temperature fluctuations in cool chain management was investigated to reduce postharvest loss and maintain okra quality during storage and transportation. The four thermal insulation covering materials: (1) heat reflective sheet with thin nonwoven (HRS + TNNW), (2) heat reflective sheet with thick nonwoven (HRS + TKNW), (3) metalized Tyvek® (MTyvek) and (4) metalized foam sheet (MFS) were studied and compared with perforated linear low-density polyethylene (P-LLDPE) as the typical handing package for okra distribution alongside no covering as the control. The material properties, transpiration rate, vital heat, temperature profiles (air and pulp temperatures), relative humidity, mass loss and incidence of decay were determined throughout a simulated supply chain. Results exhibited that HRS + TNNW and HRS + TKNW covers had the lowest thermal heat energy (Qx) and moderate R-value. These two covers maintained low temperature fluctuation with the lowest rate of air and pulp temperature changes, reflecting in lowest mass loss and decay in okra. The HRS + TNNW cover yielded less decay (1%) in okra, compared to commercial covers, MTyvek (16%) and MFS (9%). Results showed that HRS + TNNW exhibited great potential as a thermal insulation cover to reduce postharvest loss in okra (5%) compared to typical handling (11–18%) and could be considered as alternative material to reduce the use of foam sheets in cool chain management distribution packaging of okra under ambient environment conditions.

Whey is a primary by-product of dairy plants, and one that is often difficult to manage. As whey processing units are costly and complicated, only 15–20% of whey is recycled for use in the food industry. The difficulties in managing waste whey are particularly pronounced for small, local dairy plants. One possible solution to this problem is to use advanced and efficient digesters. The aim of this study was to present an innovative multi-section hybrid anaerobic bioreactor (M-SHAR) design and to identify how microwave radiation heating (MRH) affects methane fermentation of liquid dairy waste (LDW) primarily composed of acid whey. The MRH reactor was found to perform better in terms of COD removal and biogas production compared with the convection-heated reactor. The heating method had a significant differentiating effect at higher organic load rates (OLRs). With OLRs ranging from 15 to 25 kgCOD∙m−3∙d−1, the M-SHAR with MRH ensured a 5% higher COD removal efficiency and 12–20% higher biogas yields.