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Electric vehicles (EVs) are gaining widespread adoption, which requires expanding the charging infrastructure. This infrastructure is part of a complex ecosystem that consists of multiple entities interacting with each other and exchanging (often personal) user data. Such a heterogeneous system with multiple participants exchanging personal data poses severe privacy risks to users. State-of-the-art literature insufficiently covers privacy aspects of charging ecosystem use cases. In this paper, a profound analysis of this ecosystem with respect to privacy is provided: First, the EV charging ecosystem and its entities are defined. Second, high-level use cases for EV charging identified in literature are analyzed and used for defining data flows within the charging ecosystem. Third, the identified use cases are compared in terms of privacy guarantees and adherence to standards. Fourth, representative implementations of these use cases are evaluated, i.e., all actors and (unintended) data flows are described and potential privacy threats are identified and visualized. It is found that privacy is not sufficiently covered by standards and implementations of EV charging use cases from literature. Furthermore, recommendations and future directions for protecting user privacy in the EV charging ecosystem are derived. In summary, stricter adherence to standards and privacy by design are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Many open source software (OSS) quality assessment models are proposed and available in the literature. However, there is little or no adoption of these models in practice. In order to guide the formulation of newer models so they can be acceptable by practitioners, there is need for clear discrimination of the existing models based on their specific properties. Based on this, the aim of this study is to perform a systematic literature review to investigate the properties of the existing OSS quality assessment models by classifying them with respect to their quality characteristics, the methodology they use for assessment, and their domain of application so as to guide the formulation and development of newer models. Searches in IEEE Xplore, ACM, Science Direct, Springer and Google Search is performed so as to retrieve all relevant primary studies in this regard. Journal and conference papers between the year 2003 and 2015 were considered since the first known OSS quality model emerged in 2003. Results: A total of 19 OSS quality assessment model papers were selected. To select these models we have developed assessment criteria to evaluate the quality of the existing studies. Quality assessment models are classified into five categories based on the quality characteristics they possess namely: single-attribute, rounded category, community-only attribute, non-community attribute as well as the non-quality in use models. Our study reflects that software selection based on hierarchical structures is found to be the most popular selection method in the existing OSS quality assessment models. Furthermore, we found that majority (47%) of the existing models do not specify any domain of application. Conclusions: In conclusion, our study will be a valuable contribution to the community and helps the quality assessment model developers in formulating newer models and also to the practitioners (software evaluators) in selecting suitable OSS in the midst of alternatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IoT and Embedded devices grow at an exponential rate, however, without adequate security mechanisms in place. One of the key challenges in the cyber world is the security of these devices. One of the main reasons that these devices are active targets for large-scale cyber-attacks is a lack of security standards and thorough testing by manufacturers. Manufacturer-specific operating systems or firmware of various architectures and characteristics are typically included with these devices. However, due to a lack of security testing and/or late patching, the underlying firmware or operating systems are vulnerable to numerous types of vulnerabilities. Reverse engineering and in-depth research of the firmware is required to detect the vulnerabilities. In this paper, we've delved into various aspects of IoT and embedded devices. This includes a comprehensive survey on the architecture of firmware, techniques for firmware extraction, and state-of-the-art vulnerability analysis frameworks for the detection of vulnerabilities using various approaches like static, dynamic, and hybrid approaches. Furthermore, we've scrutinized the challenges of existing vulnerability analysis frameworks and proposed a novel framework to address these issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are several possibilities for rehabilitating quarries after mineral resource excavation. In Estonia, creating forest, water body, meadow, arable land or recreational area are main reuse alternatives to rehabilitate sand, gravel, clay, limestone, dolomite and oil shale quarries. Rehabilitation decisions are currently being made inconsistently based on different limited arguments and without the involvement of stakeholders. To choose the optimal alternative for each site, legislative, environmental and socio-economic criteria should be considered in a systematic way. The main aim of the paper is to create a decision model containing decision tree with restrictive criteria and decision-matrix with comparison criteria, and test it to choose the optimal reuse alternatives for three quarries in Estonia. This increases the transparency of such decisions and creates a tool for choosing optimal reuse alternative for mineral resource quarries. Decision tree was created in cooperation with experts based on environmental and legislative criteria. To find out the comparison criteria and their weights, 93 stakeholders such as landowner, local communities, experts from governmental agencies, environmental NGOs, universities, environmental management and excavation companies were engaged via survey. The decision model succeeded to find optimal reuse alternative for three tested quarries, and application of this decision model supports the sustainable land-use and development. With some country-specific or legislation-based modifications, the model can be applied also in other countries. The model is easily usable and will fasten making sustainable decisions of the reuse of quarry areas and give clear arguments in the communication with the stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the number of Arabic corpora is constantly increasing, there is an obvious and growing need for concordancing software for corpus search and analysis that supports as many features as possible of the Arabic language, and provides users with a greater number of functions. This paper evaluates six existing corpus search and analysis tools based on eight criteria which seem to be the most essential for searching and analysing Arabic corpora, such as displaying Arabic text in its right-to-left direction, normalising diacritics and Hamza, and providing an Arabic user interface. The results of the evaluation revealed that three tools: Khawas, Sketch Engine, and aConCorde, have met most of the evaluation criteria and achieved the highest benchmark scores. The paper concluded that developers' conscious consideration of the linguistic features of Arabic when designing these three tools was the most significant factor behind their superiority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the increasing complexity of software systems, there is a growing need for automated and scalable software synthesis and analysis. In the last decade, active research in the formal methods community brought interesting results and valuable tools. However, there are still challenges to face and hard problems that need to be solved. We briefly outline some recent trends, and review some of the latest achievements, introducing six papers selected from the 20th International Conference on Tools and Algorithms for the Construction and Analysis of Systems (TACAS 2014). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Roller clinching is a variation of conventional clinching by using rotational tool movement. The joining quality of roller clinching is significantly affected by tooling geometries and motions. Considering the formation difference of joints at different locations, this paper investigated the deformation features of roller clinching of square joints and utilized multiple linear regression analysis to optimize the processing parameters. It was found that roller geometry has significant impact on the formation of interlocks of the front/rear sides of joints, while the impact on the formation of lateral sides is less. With the increase of roller diameters, the clearance variation of front/rear sides decreases; meanwhile, the separation clearance s at the front side after forming decreases. In the study, when the roller diameter is raised from 35 to 150 mm, the connection strength increases by 44%. If the diameter difference w of rollers increases, the squeezing degree of the front side decreases, and the joining quality increases; however, if the squeezing degree of the rear side increases, then the joining quality of the rear side and s decrease. In the sample, an increase in w by 3 mm enhanced the connection strength by 9%. When the clearance difference t between the rollers increases, the capability to contain metal increases in the rear side. When t increases by 0.6 mm, the connection strength augments by 12%. The separation clearance s of the front side is greatly affected by friction μ, roller diameter, w, and draft angle γ of the lower roller, while the effect of draft angle β of the upper roller on s is small. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of the fourth industrial revolution, the movement to apply various enabling technologies under the name of Industry 4.0 is being promoted worldwide. Because of the wide range of applications and the capacity of manufacturing workpieces flexibly, machine tools are regarded as essential industrial elements. Hence, much research has been concerned with applying various enabling technologies such as cyber-physical systems to machine tools. To realize a machine tool suitable for Industry 4.0, development should be done in a systematic manner rather than the ad-hoc application of enabling technologies. In this paper, we propose a functional architecture for the Industry 4.0 version of machine tools, namely smart machine tool system. To reflect the voices of various stakeholders, stakeholder requirements are identified and transformed into design considerations. The design considerations are incorporated into the conceptual model and functional modeling, both of which are used to derive the functional architecture. The implementation procedure and an illustrative case study are presented for the application of the functional architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dengue is one of the vector borne diseases that threatened human race. It is imperative to understand the transmission dynamics of dengue, so that proficient and useful control can be developed. In this paper, we formulated dynamic transmission of two strains super-infection dengue. We used next generation matrix to obtain the basic reproduction numbers R 1 , R 2 , R 12 . The obtained basic reproduction numbers are then used to test for stabilities whenever R 1 < 1 , R 2 < 1 , R 12 < 1 , disease free-equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable or otherwise unstable. We also carried out numerical simulation with the aid of python software. Our results reveal that decreasing the value of tansmission probability α , slows down the spread of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an important engineering material, aluminum alloy profile is widely used in each department of national economy. With polyurethane mandrel in the hollow of the profiles, equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) can be used to refine mechanical properties of these hollow materials with good shape control effects. However, based on existing researches, the hollow profiles are only limited to circular ones. In this paper, a mechanical analysis of a square tube in ECAP with polyurethane mandrel is provided. Through the slab method in different deformation planes, the mechanical mechanism of shape control effects is found. The thicknesses can be maintained as its initial ones after ECAP. Both simulations and experiments are used to verify the calculated results by the analysis. After calculating, most errors between the final and initial thicknesses in both simulations and experiments are less than 10%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new multi-residue method for the quantification of more than 142 anthropogenic compounds of emerging concern (CECs) in various environmental matrices. These CECs are from a wide range of major classes including pharmaceuticals, household, industrial and agricultural. This method utilises ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) for analysis of five matrices (three liquid and two solid) from wastewater treatment processes and the surrounding environment. Relative recoveries were predominantly between 80 and 120%; however, due to the complexity of the matrices used in this work, not all compounds were recovered in all matrices, from 138/142 analytes in surface water to 96/142 analytes in digested solids. Method quantification limits (MQLs) ranged from 0.004 ng L−1 (bisoprolol in surface water) to 3118 ng L−1 (creatinine in wastewater treatment work (WwTW) influent). The overall method accuracy was 107.0%, and precision was 13.4%. To test its performance, the method was applied to the range of environmental matrices at WwTWs in South West England. Overall, this method was found to be suitable for application in catchment-based exposure-driven studies, as, of the total number of analytes quantifiable in each matrix, 61% on average was found to be above their corresponding MQL. The results confirm the need for analysing both the liquid and solid compartments within a WwTW to prevent under-reporting of concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fractional circuits have attracted an extensive attention of scholars and researchers for their superior performance and potential applications. The passive realization of the fractional-order immittance function plays an important role in fractional circuits theory, which is useful in fractional circuits design and modeling. This paper deals with the analysis and passive synthesis of fractional two-element-kind network. Firstly, the time-domain response of fractional two-element-kind network is analyzed based on its immittance function expressions, and the response shows oscillation only in fractional L β C α circuits. Then, necessary and sufficient conditions to realize the fractional-order immittance functions by a passive network with only two kinds of elements are obtained in view of impedance scaling. A procedure is also proposed to realize such immittance functions using two-element-kind network. Finally, three examples are given to illustrate the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the automatic recognition of map projection, its inverse and re-projection. Our analysis leads to the unconstrained optimization solved by the hybrid BFGS nonlinear least squares technique. The objective function is represented by the squared sum of the residuals. For the map re-projection the partial differential equations of the inverse transformation are derived. They can be applied to any map projection. Illustrative examples of the stereographic and globular Nicolosi projections frequently used in early maps are involved and their inverse formulas are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The foundational-cum-descriptive study aims to document Rangri vowel realizations acoustically. The Rangri is a member of the Indo-Aryan language family. Ranghar Muhajir of Pakistani Punjab and some parts of Sindh speak Rangri-a zero-resource dialect of Haryanvi. Analyzing native Rangri speakers' vowels phonetically is the purpose of the current investigation. Native speakers of Rangri recorded their voice samples. Information about the acoustic realizations of Rangri vowels produced by native Rangri speakers is the primary goal of the study. A few words in IPA transcription—[sɪr, mi:, hʊɳ, ʤeɳ, bʰɜːɽ, ʧɔːl, kæy, kʌdʰ, ɡuːɳ, and roʤ]—have ten vowel sounds incorporated in them, reflecting their production and perception in Rangri speech. The vowel sounds: /ɪ/, /i: /, /e/, /o/, /u: /, /ʊ/, /ɜː/, /ɔː/, /æ/, /ʌ/ were recognized as monophthongs. The current investigation identifies 180 voice samples total-10 vowels × 6 speakers × 3 repetitions. A high-quality Android smartphone was used for each recording, thus there was almost no background noise. The four parameters that were included for the analysis were F0, F1, F2, and duration. Pitch is measured with F0, tongue height with F1, vowel back-ness with F2, and vowel length with duration. The recorded voice samples were analyzed using Praat Speech Recognition software. With the exception of six native speakers, this study adds to our knowledge of the phonetic characteristics of Rangri and exposes the intricacies of this distinctive dialect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to characterize, classify and evaluate the suitability of Medjerda River water for irrigation, a hydrochemical assessment was conducted. It accounts for 80 % of the total Tunisian surface water. In this paper, hydrographical methods and PHREEQC geochemical program were used to characterize water quality of Medjerda River, whereas its suitability for irrigation was determined in accordance with its electrical conductivity (EC), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) and sodium concentrations. It was established that the water samples were undersaturated with calcite, dolomite, aragonite, anhydrite, gypsum and halite except in one water sample which is supersaturated with carbonate minerals. The quality assessment of Medjerda River for irrigation purposes showed that some points belonged to the excellent-to-good and good-to-permissible irrigation water categories, while the remaining ones were classified as doubtful to unsuitable for irrigation making the river water use limited to plants with high salt tolerance. Moreover, based on FAO guidelines, almost all water samples may cause immediate salinity to gradual increasing problem but no soil infiltration problems except for two sampling points. However, immediate development or possible increasing of severe toxicity problems may be caused by the continuous use of this water for irrigation due to troublesome concentrations of chloride and sodium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Music is ubiquitous in our everyday lives, and lyrics play an integral role when we listen to music. The complex relationships between lyrical content, its temporal evolution over the last decades, and genre-specific variations, however, are yet to be fully understood. In this work, we investigate the dynamics of English lyrics of Western, popular music over five decades and five genres, using a wide set of lyrics descriptors, including lyrical complexity, structure, emotion, and popularity. We find that pop music lyrics have become simpler and easier to comprehend over time: not only does the lexical complexity of lyrics decrease (for instance, captured by vocabulary richness or readability of lyrics), but we also observe that the structural complexity (for instance, the repetitiveness of lyrics) has decreased. In addition, we confirm previous analyses showing that the emotion described by lyrics has become more negative and that lyrics have become more personal over the last five decades. Finally, a comparison of lyrics view counts and listening counts shows that when it comes to the listeners' interest in lyrics, for instance, rock fans mostly enjoy lyrics from older songs; country fans are more interested in new songs' lyrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Formal analysis of functional properties of system requirements needs precise descriptions. However, the stakeholders sometimes describe the system with ambiguous, vague or fuzzy terms, hence formal frameworks for modeling and verifying such requirements are desirable. The Fuzzy If-Then rules have been used for imprecise requirements representation, but verifying their functional properties still needs new methods. In this paper, we propose a refinement-based modeling approach for specification and verification of such requirements. First, we introduce a representation of imprecise requirements in the set theory. Then we make use of Event-B refinement providing a set of translation rules from Fuzzy If-Then rules to Event-B notations. After that, we show how to verify both safety and eventuality properties with RODIN/Event-B. Finally, we illustrate the proposed method on the example of Crane Controller. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isocyanates are a group of low molecular weight, highly reactive compounds with a functional isocyanate group. The main human exposure route is via inhalation of airborne isocyanates, although dermal exposure has also been reported. The inhalation of isocyanates is associated with severely adverse health effects such as asthma, inflammation in the respiratory tract and cancer. During thermal degradation of polyurethane materials, airborne isocyanates can be sampled in the fire effluent. This paper discusses the reactivity and commercial applications of isocyanates and the generation of airborne isocyanates during thermal degradation, the human health effects as well as the environmental fate of some of the most commercially important isocyanates. This is followed by a review of the generation of isocyanates from large-scale fire testing and bench-scale test methods as well as sampling techniques and derivatisation agents necessary to stabilise the isocyanates and analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the arrival of the nineteenth century, a process of change guided the treatment of three basic elements in the development of mathematics: rigour, the arithmetization and the clarification of the concept of function, categorised as the most important tool in the development of the mathematical analysis. In this paper we will show how several prominent mathematicians contributed greatly to the development of these basic elements that allowed the solid underpinning of mathematics and the consideration of mathematics as an axiomatic way of thinking in which anyone can deduce valid conclusions from certain types of premises. This nineteenth century stage shares, possibly with the Heroic Age of Ancient Greece, the most revolutionary period in all history of mathematics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contamination concerns in the dairy industry are motivated by outbreaks of disease in humans and the inability of thermal processes to eliminate bacteria completely in processed products. HACCP principles are an important tool used in the food industry to identify and control potential food safety hazards in order to meet customer demands and regulatory requirements. Milk testing is of importance to the milk industry regarding quality assurance and monitoring of processed products by researchers, manufacturers and regulatory agencies. Due to the availability of numerous methods used for analysing the microbial quality of milk in literature and differences in priorities of stakeholders, it is sometimes confusing to choose an appropriate method for a particular analysis. The objective of this paper is to review the advantages and disadvantages of selected techniques that can be used in the analysis of bacteria in milk. SSC, HRMA, REP, and RAPD are the top four techniques which are quick and cost-effective and possess adequate discriminatory power for the detection and profiling of bacteria. The following conclusions were arrived at during this review: HRMA, REP and RFLP are the techniques with the most reproducible results, and the techniques with the most discriminatory power are AFLP, PFGE and Raman Spectroscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hybrid power transmission system (HPTS) is a promising way to save energy in a hydraulic excavator and the electric machine is one of the key components of the system. In this paper, a design process for permanent-magnet synchronous machines (PMSMs) in a hybrid hydraulic excavator (HHE) is presented based on the analysis of the working conditions and requirements of an HHE. A parameterized design approach, which combines the analytical model and the 2D finite element method (FEM), is applied to the electric machine to improve the design efficiency and accuracy. The analytical model is employed to optimize the electric machine efficiency and obtain the stator dimension and flux density distribution. The rotor is designed with the FEM to satisfy the flux requirements obtained in stator design. The rotor configuration of the PMSM employs an interior magnet structure, thus resulting in some inverse saliency, which allows for much higher values in magnetic flux density. To reduce the rotor leakage, a disconnected type silicon steel block structure is adopted. To improve the air gap flux density distribution, the trapezoid permanent magnet (PM) and centrifugal rotor structure are applied to PMSM. Demagnetization and armature reactions are also taken into consideration and calculated by the FEM. A prototype of the newly designed electric machine has been fabricated and tested on the experimental platform. The analytical design results are validated by measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a broadband linearization technique for CMOS Gilbert-based mixer in zero IF receivers. In the proposed mixer the second order distortion is reduced by using feedback technique in the RF transconductance stage. Creating a negative feedback loop is better suited for achieving broadband IIP2 improvement compared to other technique. Moreover, the added circuit increases the conversion gain of the mixer. Simulation results, using 0.13 μm CMOS TSMC model, show that the proposed technique improves IIP2 of more than 20 dB in the 900 MHz-6 GHz RF input frequency rang for 100 MHz output bandwidth in comparison with the conventional mixer. So this technique is suitable for multi-band DCR application. The total power consumption is 3.3 mW and the excess power consumption due to additional circuits used to implement cancellation mechanism is less than 1 mW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM) or Acoustic Micro Imaging (AMI) is a powerful, non-destructive technique that can detect hidden defects in elastic and biological samples as well as non-transparent hard materials. By monitoring the internal features of a sample in three-dimensional integration, this technique can efficiently find physical defects such as cracks, voids, and delamination with high sensitivity. In recent years, advanced techniques such as ultrasound impedance microscopy, ultrasound speed microscopy, and scanning acoustic gigahertz microscopy have been developed for applications in industries and in the medical field to provide additional information on the internal stress, viscoelastic, and anisotropic, or nonlinear properties. X-ray, magnetic resonance, and infrared techniques are the other competitive and widely used methods. However, they have their own advantages and limitations owing to their inherent properties such as different light sources and sensors. This paper provides an overview of the principle of SAM and presents a few results to demonstrate the applications of modern acoustic imaging technology. A variety of inspection modes, such as vertical, horizontal, and diagonal cross-sections have been presented by employing the focus pathway and image reconstruction algorithm. Images have been reconstructed from the reflected echoes resulting from the change in the acoustic impedance at the interface of the material layers or defects. The results described in this paper indicate that the novel acoustic technology can expand the scope of SAM as a versatile diagnostic tool requiring less time and having a high efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the processing of large and ultra-large forgings, the heated billets need to be properly placed on the lower forging die as quickly as possible before the plastic forming, or else the cooling of billets incurs enormous risks to the operation. This paper presents a novel methodology for examining the positioning status of billets on a forging die based on multi-body dynamics simulation and design of experiment (DOE). Using this method, the position and posture of a billet can be theoretically predicted after falling into the cavity of lower die from a manipulator with varying initial states. The method can also clarify the initial geometrical position parameters of the billet that should be strictly controlled in the operation of the manipulator above the lower die. Furthermore, finite element method (FEM) simulation can be used to analyze plastic deformations of the billets on the lower die surface with varying states, to attain in-depth understanding of the influence of the geometric states of billets in forming processes. A case study of forging with Al 7050 indicates that the method can provide a valuable reference for the rapid positioning of billets on the lower die. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a panel generation framework for seakeeping analysis of multiple bodies and offshore structures. The configurations of multiple bodies and offshore structures are different from those of a single ship. In particular, the topological structure of the free surfaces becomes complicated due to the multiple floating bodies, resulting in multiple classifications for the free surfaces based on their genus. The multi-body configuration consists of two floating bodies placed in two configurations, i.e., side by side and tandem, which would generate two holes in the free surface. For the offshore structure case, multiple holes are generated in the free-surface domain due to the legs of the offshore structure. In this work, strategies for generating body and free-surface panels are provided, and the results are analyzed. A software prototype that implements the proposed methods is developed to provide efficient panel generation for multiple bodies and offshore structures. Examples demonstrate that the proposed framework can be successfully used for seakeeping analysis of multiple bodies and offshore structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Due to the increasing usage of plastic, microplastics or plastic particles with a length of 1 to 5 mm are omnipresent in the environment, including freshwater, agricultural soil and seas. The majority of plastic trash is made up of microplastic debris, which has lately started to threaten ecosystems. This calls for immediate management and analysis to ensure the traceability of microplastics in the environment. The polymeric variety, irregular shape and microscopic size of microplastics make it difficult to quantify their presence in the environment. In this review, the analytical techniques for evaluating microplastics are discussed. The techniques included Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, laser diffraction particle, thermal analysis, scanning electron microscope, pyrolysis gas chromatography, dynamic light scattering, and atmospheric solid analysis probe (ASAP) paired with quadrupole mass spectrometry (MS). Short conclusion: The purpose of the present review is to give a summary of the most efficient cutting-edge techniques for more accurate and precise microplastic examination in the environmental samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible manufacturing system (FMS) is one of the solutions that enables any manufacturing system to withstand changing requirements of the market. An FMS consists of different automated workstations, material handling devices, and storage systems, all of which work under computer control. In the present work, analysis and modeling of a real problem has been considered for performance improvement. Modeling is done for analyzing the performance of an existing model, to propose a new layout for the system. Effect of factors like part mix, layout type, and batching condition, on the system performance in terms of productivity, system utilization rate, and cycle time is analyzed. The work includes simulation study along with Taguchi's experimental design framework for studying how different factors with varying levels affect system performance. ProModel software is used for simulating existing and proposed models of the manufacturing firm. Further, analysis of variance (ANOVA) is employed for finding the most important factor that affects system performance. Proposed methodology helps in determining best factor-level combination for each performance parameter. The results show that the system performs well with the implementation of loop layout having many numbers of batches. Towards the end, the scope of further is highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive physicochemical characterization of heterogeneous nanoplastic (NPL) samples remains an analytical challenge requiring a combination of orthogonal measurement techniques to improve the accuracy and robustness of the results. Here, batch methods, including dynamic light scattering (DLS), nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA), tunable resistive pulse sensing (TRPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), as well as separation/fractionation methods such as centrifugal liquid sedimentation (CLS) and field-flow fractionation (FFF)–multi-angle light scattering (MALS) combined with pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry (pyGC–MS) or Raman microspectroscopy (RM) were evaluated for NPL size, shape, and chemical composition measurements and for quantification. A set of representative/test particles of different chemical natures, including (i) polydisperse polyethylene (PE), (ii) (doped) polystyrene (PS) NPLs, (iii) titanium dioxide, and (iv) iron oxide nanoparticles (spherical and elongated), was used to assess the applicability and limitations of the selected methodologies. Particle sizes and number-based concentrations obtained by orthogonal batch methods (DLS, NTA, TRPS) were comparable for monodisperse spherical samples, while higher deviations were observed for polydisperse, agglomerated samples and for non-spherical particles, especially for light scattering methods. CLS and TRPS offer further insight with increased size resolution, while detailed morphological information can be derived by electron microscopy (EM)–based approaches. Combined techniques such as FFF coupled to MALS and RM can provide complementary information on physical and chemical properties by online measurements, while pyGC–MS analysis of FFF fractions can be used for the identification of polymer particles (vs. inorganic particles) and for their offline (semi)quantification. However, NPL analysis in complex samples will continue to present a serious challenge for the evaluated techniques without significant improvements in sample preparation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terpene synthases (TPSs) catalyze terpenoid synthesis and affect the intracellular isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) and dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP) concentration. In this study, we mined the in silico genome-wide TPS genes of Hevea brasiliensis and identified 47 full-length TPS genes. They had DDXXD, DXDD, NSE/DTE, RR(X)8 W, EA(X)W, and other conserved motifs. The phylogenetic tree analysis revealed that the TPSs of H.brasiliensis (HbTPSs) were divided into five subfamilies, TPS-a, TPS-b, TPS-c, TPS-e/f, and TPS-g. HbTPSs were predicted to have functions in the cellular components, molecular functions, and biological processes. HbTPSs were involved in seven pathways, which were K14173, K14175, K15803, K04120, K04121, K17982, and K12742 in the secondary metabolite pathway prediction. Three-dimensional structures of HbTPSs of 7 pathways were predicted, and DDXXD, NSE/DTE, and EA(X)W conserved motifs near the binding sites were found. Cis-acting elements analysis showed that they had more cis-acting elements related to phytohormone responsiveness, which indicated that terpenoid biosynthesis might be related to phytohormone regulation. RNA-Seq analysis showed that different HbTPSs were expressed differentially in different tissues. This study's results help reveal the role of HbTPSs and their molecular mechanism and help resolve the regulatory mechanism of terpenoid biosynthesis in H.brasiliensis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metabolomics experiments generate highly complex datasets, which are time and work-intensive, sometimes even error-prone if inspected manually. Therefore, new methods for automated, fast, reproducible, and accurate data processing and dereplication are required. Here, we present UmetaFlow, a computational workflow for untargeted metabolomics that combines algorithms for data pre-processing, spectral matching, molecular formula and structural predictions, and an integration to the GNPS workflows Feature-Based Molecular Networking and Ion Identity Molecular Networking for downstream analysis. UmetaFlow is implemented as a Snakemake workflow, making it easy to use, scalable, and reproducible. For more interactive computing, visualization, as well as development, the workflow is also implemented in Jupyter notebooks using the Python programming language and a set of Python bindings to the OpenMS algorithms (pyOpenMS). Finally, UmetaFlow is also offered as a web-based Graphical User Interface for parameter optimization and processing of smaller-sized datasets. UmetaFlow was validated with in-house LC–MS/MS datasets of actinomycetes producing known secondary metabolites, as well as commercial standards, and it detected all expected features and accurately annotated 76% of the molecular formulas and 65% of the structures. As a more generic validation, the publicly available MTBLS733 and MTBLS736 datasets were used for benchmarking, and UmetaFlow detected more than 90% of all ground truth features and performed exceptionally well in quantification and discriminating marker selection. We anticipate that UmetaFlow will provide a useful platform for the interpretation of large metabolomics datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review is devoted to the consideration of prospects and directions for the development of methods and approaches to the analysis of high-purity industrial gases and volatile hydrides, chlorides, fluorides, and organoelement compounds with natural and isotopically enriched compositions. The currently known capabilities for the determination of impurities in them using mass spectrometry, IR spectroscopy, gas chromatography, and chromatography–mass spectrometry are analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a literature review focused on the material performance of cold-formed, carbon steel, hollow structural sections under impulsive (highly dynamic) loading. Impulsive loading, represented by impact and blast, is characterized by a very rapid, time-dependent loading regime in the affected members and materials. Thus, the effect of high-strain-rate loading is initially reviewed. Next the material toughness, an important energy-absorption property and one measure of a material's ability to arrest fracture, is considered by means of studying the Charpy V-notch behavior. The response of hollow sections under axial and lateral impact loading is then reviewed. Studies of blast on hollow sections, most of which fall under the categories of contact/near-field loading or far-field loading are presented. Under large-scale field blast experiments, cold-formed hollow sections have shown excellent behavior. Software for modeling blast loading and structural response, the latter including single degree of freedom analysis and explicit finite element analysis, is described and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a novel approach to visualize and compare financial markets across the globe using chaos game representation (CGR) of iterated function systems (IFS). We modified a fractal method, widely used in life sciences, and applied it to study the effect of COVID-19 on global financial markets. This modified driven IFS approach is used to generate compact fractal portraits of the financial markets in form of percentage CGR (PC) plots and subtraction percentage (SP) plots. The markets over different periods are compared and the difference is quantified through a parameter called the proximity (Pr) index. The reaction of the financial market across the globe and volatility to the current pandemic of COVID-19 is studied and modeled successfully. The imminent bearish and a surprise bullish pattern of the financial markets across the world is revealed by this fractal method and provides a new tool to study financial markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Addressing the lack of English tests that measure critical thinking (CT) abilities of EFL learners, this study aims to develop an English Critical Thinking Test (ECTT) designed to measure the consistency, analysis, and inference CT skills. It is a follow-up to a pilot study to accumulate validity evidence for the use of the ECTT. A total of 262 Japanese EFL learners who were first-year college students took the ECTT, a Japanese Critical Thinking Test (JCTT), and an English proficiency test (EPT). The result of the internal structures of ECTT and JCTT revealed that both CT tests fit two-factor models better than three-factor models, with consistency as one factor and analysis and inference as the other factor. This implies that it is difficult to measure the CT skills' hierarchical nature. However, the model that included the three tests fit the data well and indicated moderately high correlations between the ECTT and EPT (r =.64) and between the ECTT and JCTT (r =.55). In addition, we confirmed that the skills that test-takers needed most in solving questions in each of the three CT sections (i.e., consistency, analysis, and inference CT skills) of the ECTT were as intended. Based on these findings, the validation of the ECTT has been improved; ECTT can be used for EFL learners at upper secondary and university levels in Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analytical characterization efforts carried out in support of the conservation treatment of Mark Rothko's painting 'Black on Maroon' 1958 (Tate T01170), involving the removal of graffiti (tag) ink, are summarized. The proprietary ink product, of unfamiliar and unknown composition, was investigated using a suite of analytical techniques (IR spectroscopy, GC–MS, ICP-MS, pyrolysis GC–MS, thin layer chromatography, SEC, MALDI-TOF–MS, and UHPLC-MS) to identify key colorants and other components. The ink solubility properties proved vital to informing the solvent selection process for the ink removal procedure, which helped enable the re-display of the painting at Tate Modern in 2014. The possible impact of ink residues remaining within the cotton duck canvas support of the conserved painting was also explored using mockup canvas mechanical strength data, measured before and after 'soiling' at two ink levels to assess whether the ink residues had any immediate and possible longer-term effects on canvas properties. These findings, elucidated using a range of complementary analytical techniques, provide information on this hitherto-unknown graffiti product, contribute to a growing body of knowledge in this area, and offer analytical approaches which may be useful for the characterization of similar unknown materials, whether used to damage, augment, or create works of art. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The Pharmacy Service of the Infanta Leonor University Hospital acquires, compounds, distributes and dispenses more than 3000 L of methadone oral solution to Drug Addiction Patients Centers per year. Our purpose is to develop and validate an improved high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method to quantify methadone hydrochloride in a new oral solution with methylhydroxybenzoate (methylparaben) and propylhydroxybenzoate (propylparaben) to be implemented in physicochemical stability studies that allow to provide more information and even to increase the beyond-use date. Methods: A HPLC-Agilent® 1100 equipment, comprising a quaternary pump and an ultraviolet diode-array-detector (DAD) was used. An analytical method development and validation was completed. The curve was constructed from methadone working concentrations of 75–125% (7.5, 9.0, 10.0, 11.0 and 12.5 mg/mL) to assess the linear relationship between the concentration of the analyte and the obtained areas. Precision and accuracy were calculated. Detection and quantification limit (LD, LQ) were estimated using the EURACHEM method. Forced-degradation studies were also performed. Results: Chromatographic conditions were: flow rate 1.6 mL/min; mobile phase 55% acetonitrile and 45% sodium phosphate 25 mM (pH = 10); injection volume was 5 µL. The column was a Waters-XTerra™ RP18, maintained at 40 °C. DAD was λ = 254 nm. Retention times for methadone, methylparaben and propylparaben were 4.34, 0.70 and 0.88 min respectively. The method was linear (y = 284.3x − 97.8, r = 0.996). Instrumental precision was 0.33% for standards (n = 10); intra-assay precision 0.53% (n = 6) and inter-assay precision 1.95% (n = 12). The relative standard deviation percentage for accuracy was 1.28%. The recovery percentage was 101.5 ± 1.5%. LQ and LD were 2.18 µg/mL and 2.0 µg/mL respectively. The most destabilizing conditions were oxidizing and alkaline. The chromatograms confirmed no interference with the methadone signal. Conclusions: The HPLC method has proved to be valid and reproducible for methadone quantification in a new oral solution with methylparaben and propylparaben. This assay is a rapid, simple and reliable technique that can be used in daily analysis and physicochemical stability studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reconfigurable manufacturing system is an advanced field of research that has surpassed the efficiency of other manufacturing systems due to its high throughput, cost-effectiveness, and ability to accommodate product variety. An important problem addressed in the field of reconfigurable manufacturing systems is process planning which assigns configurations to different operations. Process planning has been the focus of research for almost two decades; however, a comprehensive review is lacking to highlight the possible streams of future contributions to this field of research. To this end, this study presents a systematic review of the process planning in a reconfigurable manufacturing system with a focus on optimization efforts. This review is organized in two interconnected phases, i.e., a theoretical phase and an implementation phase. The theoretical phase reviews the concerned literature regarding the levels of analysis, reconfigurable manufacturing system (RMS) characteristics, different research themes, and change agents. On the other hand, the implementation phase reviews the literature regarding the use of different objective functions, constraints, solution approaches, nature of problem/solution, and the use of industrial applications. Several future research streams are provided which can guide, in a broader sense, the advancement of process planning literature. As a demonstration, quality, supply chain, and human/operator issues are highlighted to advance the scope of applicability of the concerned literature. A thorough analysis of the operator aspects in scheduling literature is presented which can benefit practitioners working in a changeable/reconfigurable manufacturing environment. Moreover, practical process planning approaches are offered to analyze the cost, time, and quality aspects. Finally, the conclusion of the study is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The purpose of this article is to evaluate the positivity of conjunctival sac swab by PCR (Polymerase chain reaction) test in COronaVIrus Disease 19 (COVID-19) patients. Methods: Inclusion criteria of our study were COVID-19 patients hospitalized during March 2021 in inpatient wards at University Hospitals in towns Bratislava and Zilina, Slovakia. The conjunctival sac swabs collected by four ophthalmologists were stored for 24 h, then analyzed in the laboratory of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin, Comenius University, Slovakia. The sampling apparatus, used for conjunctival sac swab, was the Dacron polyester swab. Results: We examined one group of 302 COVID-19 patients, 168 Male (56%) and 134 Female (44%). The patients' mean age was 66.3 ± 13.66 years, ranging from 25 to 96 years, and the mean length of hospital stay in our patients with a nasopharyngeal positive PCR test was 7.33 ± 4.76, from 2 to 24 days. The PCR tests from the conjunctival sac swabs were positive in 33 patients (11%), negative in 259 patients (86%), and ten patients (3%) were with the unclear result. In the group of 33 positive patients were 17 males with a mean age of 74.6 ± 13.59 years and 16 females with a mean age of 70.63 ± 14.17 years. The cycle threshold (CT) values differed significantly between conjunctival sac swabs from the nasopharynx and the conjunctiva. Medians of the values were 25.1 (14.1, 32.1) and 31.5 (22.6, 36.6) (P < 0.001), respectively. Conclusion: This study affirmed that in COVID-19 patients the SARS-CoV-2 was detectable with PCR test in conjunctival sac swab, but the positivity rate was only about one to ten cases (11%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, big data are widely noticed in many fields like machine learning, pattern recognition, medical, financial, and transportation fields. Data analysis is crucial to converting data into more specific information fed to the decision-making systems. With the diverse and complex types of datasets, knowledge discovery becomes more difficult. One solution is to use feature subset selection preprocessing that reduces this complexity, so the computation and analysis become convenient. Preprocessing produces a reliable and suitable source for any data-mining algorithm. The effective features' selection can improve a model's performance and help us understand the characteristics and underlying structure of complex data. This study introduces a novel hybrid feature selection cloud-based model for imbalanced data based on the k nearest neighbor algorithm. The proposed model showed good performance compared with the simple weighted nearest neighbor. The proposed model combines the firefly distance metric and the Euclidean distance used in the k nearest neighbor. The experimental results showed good insights in both time usage and feature weights compared with the weighted nearest neighbor. It also showed improvement in the classification accuracy by 12% compared with the weighted nearest neighbor algorithm. And using the cloud-distributed model reduced the processing time up to 30%, which is deliberated to be substantial compared with the recent state-of-the-art methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the behavior of the borehole temperature recovery process, which influences drilling operations, requires an adequate estimation of fluid temperature. The presence of salt in a saline formation changes the composition of the annular fluid and has a significant impact on the fluid temperature distribution during drilling operations. As a result, while drilling a saline formation, it is vital to examine the key parameter that determines an accurate estimate of fluid temperature. Using python software and statistical quantitative methods, this study proposes a simplified user-friendly computational system that analyzes the drilling fluid systems performance evaluation and selection optimization. The fluid temperature distribution of X Field in China was analyzed using Shan mathematical model as a base model. When compared to MWD data from the field, the model predicted the temperature distribution of the field with less than 10% error. An adjustment factor was introduced to the base model to accommodate for changes in annular fluid composition while drilling a saline formation. The findings show that salt concentration has an impact on fluid temperature distribution during drilling. The fluid temperature at the wellbore condition changes by at least 7% with both high and low adjustment factors. Because the salt in the formation inflow dissolves in the drilling fluid near the annulus, the rheology of the fluid combination changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The three-dimensional linear stability characteristics of two-layer immiscible fluid with a free surface are considered, wherein a Newtonian fluid contains a small amount of sediment particles, and overlies a lower fluid that contents hyperconcentration of sediment. Rheological experiments are carried out on three kinds of artificial sediments with different silt-kaolin mixing ratios to study the rheological properties of the lower fluid. The results show that the rheological properties of the lower fluid conform to the power-law model. Based on this, the modified N–S and Squire equations in each layer are derived for the gravity-driven flow, which are calculated by using the finite difference method. The effect of various dimensionless parameters, such as the viscosity ratio ( c m) , the density ratio (s), the power-law index (n), and the thickness ratio ( h s) on the instability characteristics of the flow is investigated. It is observed that increasing c m , s and h s is stabilizing for both long and short waves, which leads to an increase of the critical Reynolds number (Re wcr) , and a decrease of the bandwidth of the unstable wavenumbers. The disturbed velocities (u and w) are also decreased. Decreasing the shear-thinning tendency (increasing n) of the lower fluid is destabilizing for both long and short waves, which leads to a decrease of Re wcr and an increase of the disturbed velocities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, most shipping companies are aware of the importance of analysing seafarers' work performance. Thus, improving seafarers' work performance or finding out the ways by which seafarers' work performance can be enhanced is becoming one of the decisive factors for the success of any shipping company. Any organization aims to have employees who can accomplish corporate goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively. Manpower performance can be enhanced by putting more emphasis on factors that can stimulate employees' motivational level, creativity and job satisfaction. In this study, we use literature review and experts' opinions to identify determinants of workplace performance for seafarers working with Marine Services Company Limited (MSCL), a shipping company owned by the government of Tanzania. The data is collected from a random sample of 30 seafarers working for the MSCL and a Fuzzy Electre Model (FEM) is developed and applied to determine the significance of the factors and sub-factors for the work performance of seafarers. The fuzzy terms are adopted in order to integrate the uncertainty of subjective judgment when evaluating alternatives. The computational results validate the effectiveness of the developed evaluation model. This study is resourceful for the top management of MSCL, as it points out those factors that can directly affect the performance of her seafarers. Seafarers are important assets of any shipping company and thus, this study helps shipping enterprises devise efficient human resource strategies to get maximum benefit from this kind of assets. More importantly, enhanced seafarers' work performance leads to improved company's productivity and higher service quality and therefore make the shipping company competitive in the trading markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-carbon steel St37-2 is widely used in the bus-production industry. The gas-metal arc welding (GMAW) is strongly applied to join steel components due to its ease and low cost. Heat-affected zone (HAZ) is the area between the weld and the base metal, where the welded joint may have the lowest toughness and, hence, it has always been a matter of interest for numerous researchers. Our aim is to study the effects of GMAW parameters on the width of the HAZ. The Taguchi orthogonal array, signal-to-noise (S/N) ratios, and the analysis of variance (ANOVA) are used to investigate and analyze the effect of the welding parameters on the HAZ width. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

World Health Organization reports cancer as a leading cause worldwide in mortality and morbidity. Accurate and early cancer risk assessment in average- to high-risk population is vital in controlling the cancer-related suffering and mortality. Advanced bioinformatics and data mining techniques along with computer-aided cancer prediction and risk assessment are used extensively to assist in identifying the high-risk population as well as individual cancer diagnosis and treatment. An early detection minimizes the risk of cancer spreading to secondary sites and ensures appropriate treatment at the onset of the malignancy. The scope of our survey was to review over 90 publications centered around works done in the area of data analysis studies in the field of cancer prediction and detection. The motivation was to accumulate and categorize knowledge on the usage of data analytics for cancer prediction and detection. The aim was to do a comparative study of few of the major analytical approaches in cancer data analysis and highlight their effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been 36 years since ISO 4298:1984 was published, yet the role of sodium pyrophosphate in the oxidation of manganese(II) by potassium permanganate in this standard has not been fully recognized. The sample and reagent dosages exceed the actual detection needs, which creates challenges in the test operation and waste liquid treatment. In this study, a more scientific expression for the principle and reaction and the dosage of pyrophosphate in ISO 4298:1984 are discussed. The pyrophosphate ligand is involved in the oxidation of manganese(II) by potassium permanganate, and plays a role in preventing Mn(II) precipitation or Mn(III) dismutation during the whole reaction. The most appropriate amount of saturated sodium pyrophosphate is 150 mL for the test of manganese ores and concentrates with manganese content from 15% to 60%. The method developed by reducing sample size and reagent consumption was evaluated with ten certified reference materials, showing high accuracy and meeting the analytical performance requirements. These results can provide technical support for the revision of ISO 4298:1984. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The ubiquitous occurrence of microplastic particles in marine and aquatic ecosystems was intensively investigated in the past decade. However, we know less about the presence, fate, and input paths of microplastic in terrestrial ecosystems. A possible entry path for microplastic into terrestrial ecosystems is the agricultural application of sewage sludge and solid bio-waste as fertilizers. Microplastic contained in sewage sludge also includes polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which could originate as fiber from textile products or as a fragment from packaging products (foils, bottles, etc.). Information about microplastic content in such environmental samples is limited yet, as most of the used analytical methods are very time-consuming, regarding sample preparation and detection, require sophisticated analytical tools and eventually need high user knowledge. Results: Here, we present a simple, specific tool for the analysis of PET microplastic particles based on alkaline extraction of PET from the environmental matrix and subsequent determination of the monomers, terephthalic acid, using liquid chromatography with UV detection (LC-UV). The applicability of the method is shown for different types of PET in several soil-related, terrestrial environmental samples, e.g., soil, sediment, compost, fermentation residues, but also sewage sludge, suspended particles from urban water management systems, and indoor dust. Recoveries for model samples are between 94.5 and 107.1%. Limit of determination and limit of quantification are absolute masses of 0.031 and 0.121 mg PET, respectively. In order to verify the measured mass contents of the environmental samples, a method comparison with thermal extraction-desorption-gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (TED-GC/MS) was conducted. Both methods deliver similar results and corroborated each other. PET mass contents in environmental samples range from values below LOQ in agriculture soil up to 57,000 mg kg−1 in dust samples. Conclusions: We demonstrate the potential of an integral method based on chemical extraction for the determination of PET mass contents in solid environmental samples. The method was successfully applied to various matrices and may serve as an analytical tool for further investigations of PET-based microplastic in terrestrial ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]