Search

Traditionally, two different techniques have been used to enhance the spectral operating range of a photodetector, i.e., either combining materials of different bandgaps or combining semiconductor materials to form tertiary alloys. However, these methods involve multiple synthesis/processing steps and complex clean room-based fabrication. Addressing this, a simple and novel step in device architecture is demonstrated by surface engineering of Cu buffer layer in between a paper substrate and Cu2S to develop a highly responsive photodetector with tunable operating range. Cu2S nanoparticles were grown directly on the surface of Cu pre-deposited paper substrate using facile hydrothermal technique to obtain Ag/Cu2S/Ag - metal semiconductor metal (MSM) configuration on Cu/paper substrate. The morphological characterization revealed the uniform distribution of Cu2S nanoparticles on the surface of cellulose microfibers and the structural studies confirmed the formation of highly crystalline cubic - Cu2S with Cu-S stretching vibrations. In comparison to the pristine Ag/Cu2S/Ag on paper photodetector, the buffer-based Ag/Cu/Cu2S/Ag photodetector displayed excellent response from visible to NIR region. A superior responsivity and detectivity of 27 mA/W and 2.5 ×108 Jones respectively are observed for Cu buffer/Cu2S photodetector. The obtained response of the paper/Cu/Cu2S device can be attributed to the synergistic combination of Cu buffer layer induced reduction of defect sites and LSPR induced transfer of electrons from the Cu metal to Cu2S. The paper-based photodetector displayed a fast response time of 0.09 sec, and excellent mechanical stability and durability for 1000 bending cycles. The surface engineering of a buffer layer in the photodetector architecture certainly bridges a technological gap and presents a new strategy for development of high-performance optoelectronic devices. © 2022 Elsevier B.V.

Traditionally, two different techniques have been used to enhance the spectral operating range of a photodetector, i.e., either combining materials of different bandgaps or combining semiconductor materials to form tertiary alloys. However, these methods involve multiple synthesis/processing steps and complex clean room-based fabrication. Addressing this, a simple and novel step in device architecture is demonstrated by surface engineering of Cu buffer layer in between a paper substrate and Cu2S to develop a highly responsive photodetector with tunable operating range. Cu2S nanoparticles were grown directly on the surface of Cu pre-deposited paper substrate using facile hydrothermal technique to obtain Ag/Cu2S/Ag - metal semiconductor metal (MSM) configuration on Cu/paper substrate. The morphological characterization revealed the uniform distribution of Cu2S nanoparticles on the surface of cellulose microfibers and the structural studies confirmed the formation of highly crystalline cubic - Cu2S with Cu-S stretching vibrations. In comparison to the pristine Ag/Cu2S/Ag on paper photodetector, the buffer-based Ag/Cu/Cu2S/Ag photodetector displayed excellent response from visible to NIR region. A superior responsivity and detectivity of 27 mA/W and 2.5 ×108 Jones respectively are observed for Cu buffer/Cu2S photodetector. The obtained response of the paper/Cu/Cu2S device can be attributed to the synergistic combination of Cu buffer layer induced reduction of defect sites and LSPR induced transfer of electrons from the Cu metal to Cu2S. The paper-based photodetector displayed a fast response time of 0.09 sec, and excellent mechanical stability and durability for 1000 bending cycles. The surface engineering of a buffer layer in the photodetector architecture certainly bridges a technological gap and presents a new strategy for development of high-performance optoelectronic devices. © 2022 Elsevier B.V.

In the past few decades, we saw a proliferation of scientific articles available online. This data-rich environment offers several opportunities but also challenges, since it is problematic to explore these resources and identify all the relevant content. Hence, it is crucial that they are appropriately annotated with their relevant concepts so to increase their chance of being properly indexed and retrieved. In this paper, we present R-Classify, a web tool that assists users in identifying the most relevant concepts according to a large-scale ontology of research areas in the field of Computer Science.

Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) inhibition is a mainstay of the pharmacological treatment of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). In the last years RAAS blockade has been improved by the introduction of the Angiotensin Receptor-Neprilysin Inhibitor (ARNI) sacubitril/valsartan, that combines RAAS inhibition with the block of neprilysin, boosting the positive effects of natriuretic peptides. The PARADIGM-HF trial demonstrated a significant advantage of sacubitril/valsartan over enalapril on the reduction of cardiovascular (CV) mortality and heart failure hospitalizations rates. Then, several randomized clinical trials and observational studies investigated its role in different clinical settings and its efficacy has been fully recognized in the most recent HFrEF European and USA guidelines. The effects of sacubitril/valsartan on major CV outcomes are associated with reduction of NT-proBNP levels and reverse cardiac remodeling and mitral regurgitation, recognized as one of the mechanistic effects of the drug explaining the favorable prognostic effects. A careful evaluation of patients’ clinical profile is relevant to implement the use of ARNI in the clinical practice and to obtain the maximal treatment efficacy. The present Position Paper reports the opinion of the Italian Society of Cardiology on the optimal blockade of the RAAS system in HF patients with the aim of fostering widespread implementation of scientific evidence and practice guidelines in the medical community.

The CO2 concentration in the atmosphere is increasing and threatening the earth's climate. Selective CO2 capture at large point sources will help to reduce the CO2 emissions to the atmosphere. Biochar with microporous structure could be a potential material to capture CO2. The impact of feedstock type, pyrolysis temperature and steam activation of biochars were evaluated for CO2 adsorption capacity. Pine sawdust biochars were produced at 550 °C, and steam activated for 45 min at the same temperature after completing the pyrolysis (PS550 and PSS550). Paper mill sludge biochars were produced at 300 and 600 °C (PMS300 and PMS600). The CO2 adsorption capacity of biochars was tested at 25 °C using a volumetric sorption analyzer. Pine sawdust biochars showed significantly higher CO2 adsorption capacity than paper mill sludge biochars due to high surface area and microporosity. Pine sawdust biochars were then evaluated for dynamic adsorption under representative post-combustion flue gas concentration conditions (15% CO2, 85% N2) using a breakthrough rig. Both materials showed selective CO2 uptake over N2 which is the major component along with CO2 in flue gas. PSS550 had slightly higher CO2 adsorption capacity (0.73 mmol g^-1 vs 0.67 mmol g^-1) and CO2 over N2 selectivity (26 vs 18) than PS550 possibly due to increase of microporosity, surface area, and oxygen containing basic functional groups through steam activation. Pine sawdust biochar is an environmentally friendly and low-cost material to capture CO2.

QC 20201026

Scope Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection reactivation is associated with high morbidity and mortality in patients with haematologic malignancy and/or haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). However, information on this issue is limited. The scope of this position paper is to provide recommendations on HBV screening, monitoring, prophylaxis, treatment and vaccination in the patients described above. Methods These recommendations were developed from one meeting of experts attended by different Italian scientific societies as well as from a systematic literature review (of articles published through December 31, 2016) on HBV infection in haematologic patients and in patients who underwent haematopoietic stem cell transplantation published in the same issue of the journal. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology was used to assess each recommendation's quality. Questions addressed These recommendations provide the answers to the following questions: (a) HBV screening and monitoring: Who should be screened before chemotherapy? Which screening tests should be used? Should HBV-DNA detection be used to monitor HBV reactivation before starting antivirals? What is the best timeline to monitor HBV reactivation? (b) Prophylaxis in HBsAg-positive patients: Which antiviral drugs should be used to treat HBsAg-positive patients? How long should antiviral prophylaxis be provided to HBsAg-positive patients? (c) Prophylaxis in patients with resolved HBV infection: Which patients with resolved HBV infection should receive antiviral prophylaxis? Which antiviral drug should be used? How long should antiviral prophylaxis be provided? (d) HBV infection management strategy in autologous (auto-HSCT) and allogeneic HSCT (allo-HSCT): Which HSCT recipients should receive antiviral prophylaxis? Which antiviral drug should be used? How long should antiviral prophylaxis be provided? (e) Choice of antiviral drugs in the treatment of HBV reac

This review summarizes our current understanding of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a multi-factorial systemic disease resulting from a complex interaction between a specific genetic background and multiple environmental/metabolic “hits”. The role of gut microbiota, lipotoxicity, inflammation and their molecular pathways is reviewed in-depth. We also discuss the epidemiology and natural history of NAFLD by pinpointing the remarkably high prevalence of NAFLD worldwide and its inherent systemic complications: hepatic (steatohepatitis, advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis), cardio-metabolic (cardiovascular disease, cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias and type 2 diabetes) and neoplastic (primary liver cancers and extra-hepatic cancers). Moreover, we critically report on the diagnostic role of non-invasive biomarkers, imaging techniques and liver biopsy, which remains the reference standard for diagnosing the disease, but cannot be proposed to all patients with suspected NAFLD. Finally, the management of NAFLD is also reviewed, by highlighting the lifestyle changes and the pharmacological options, with a focus on the innovative drugs. We conclude that the results of ongoing studies are eagerly expected to lead to introduce into the clinical arena new diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, prevention and surveillance strategies as well as to new drugs for a tailored approach to the management of NAFLD in the individual patient.

The relationship between liver disease and pregnancy is of great clinical impact. Severe liver disease in pregnancy is rare; however, pregnancy-related liver disease is the most frequent cause of liver dysfunction during pregnancy and represents a severe threat to foetal and maternal survival. A rapid differential diagnosis between liver disease related or unrelated to pregnancy is required in women who present with liver dysfunction during pregnancy. This report summarizes the recommendation of an expert panel established by the Italian Association for the Study of the Liver (AISF) on the management of liver disease during pregnancy. The article provides an overview of liver disease occurring in pregnancy, an update on the key mechanisms involved in its pathogenesis, and an assessment of the available treatment options. The report contains in three sections: (1) specific liver diseases of pregnancy; (2) liver disease occurring during pregnancy; and (3) pregnancy in patients with pre-existing chronic liver disease. Each topic is discussed considering the most relevant data available in literature; the final statements are formulated according to both scientific evidence and clinical expertise of the involved physicians, and the AISF expert panel recommendations are reported.

The relationship between liver disease and pregnancy is of great clinical impact. Severe liver disease in pregnancy is rare; however, pregnancy-related liver disease is the most frequent cause of liver dysfunction during pregnancy and represents a severe threat to foetal and maternal survival. A rapid differential diagnosis between liver disease related or unrelated to pregnancy is required in women who present with liver dysfunction during pregnancy. This report summarizes the recommendation of an expert panel established by the Italian Association for the Study of the Liver (AISF) on the management of liver disease during pregnancy. The article provides an overview of liver disease occurring in pregnancy, an update on the key mechanisms involved in its pathogenesis, and an assessment of the available treatment options. The report contains in three sections: (1) specific liver diseases of pregnancy; (2) liver disease occurring during pregnancy; and (3) pregnancy in patients with pre-existing chronic liver disease. Each topic is discussed considering the most relevant data available in literature; the final statements are formulated according to both scientific evidence and clinical expertise of the involved physicians, and the AISF expert panel recommendations are reported.

Superhydrophobic alkyl ketene dimer (AKD) layers were successfully produced on top of untreated paper surfaces by a rapid expansion of supercritical CO2 solution (RESS) process. The new method resulted in a degree of hydrophobicity, as measured by contact angles of water droplets on AKD surfaces, dramatically higher, up to 173 degrees, compared to a conventional method consisting in melting AKD granules directly on the paper substrate, giving contact angles of around 109 degrees. Experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of varying pre-expansion pressure (100-300 bar), pre-expansion temperature (40 and 60 degrees C) and spraying distance (10 and 50 mm) on the properties of the treated surfaces. The surfaces were analyzed regarding AKD particle size, surface morphology and hydrophobicity with the aid of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and contact angle measurements. The average AKD particle size after RESS processing was between 1 and 2 mu m depending upon the experimental conditions used, being slightly smaller when using higher pre-expansion pressure and temperature as well as shorter spraying distance.

Industrial manual assembly, especially within the area of large-scale assembly, often lacks process monitoring since the feedback about performed assembly tasks is only generated by the worker. Optical sensor systems thereby offer the potential to monitor assembly states automatically and derive the required information without intervening the work in progress. With the growing trend of customization, not only the assembly process itself, but also the monitoring system must be adapt- able at short notice. However, most machine vision systems, as they are today, are commonly task-specific solutions and are therefore hard to be transferred to another inspection task or other work objects. To lower the barriers on applying machine vision into varying environments, this paper introduces an automated CAD-based sensor planning and implementation pipeline. An analysis and derivation of common constraints in assembly design is laid out, followed by a method of generating and optimizing inspection features and sensor poses. A strategy to implement the image processing pipeline based on the derived features is presented and applied on an assembly use case., Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz (BMWK)

Graph-based clustering commonly provides promising clustering effectiveness as it can preserve samples’ local geometric information. Inspired by it, multi-view graph clustering was developed to integrate complementary information among graphs of diverse views and it has received intensive attention recently. Nevertheless, on the one hand, most existing methods require extra k-means after obtaining embedding representations to generate a discrete cluster indicator, which reduces effectiveness due to the two-stage mismatch. On the other hand, numerous complex noises in real-world multi-view data challenge the robustness of existing clustering methods. In this paper, we established a discrete correntropy-based multi-view anchor-graph clustering (DCMAC) model that not only emphasizes the aforementioned issues but also makes use of anchor graphs to improve the efficiency of the graph construction stage. To optimize this non-convex model, we propose a fast half-quadratic-based coordinate descent strategy to acquire the discrete cluster indicator directly without extra k-means. Furthermore, we extend the DCMAC model to a single-view form and provide optimization strategies for it. Extensive experiments illustrate that the proposed method is effective and robust compared to those advanced baselines. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.

This paper outlines a novel simple protocol for tuning the structure and properties of jute using sodium periodate (NaIO4) oxidation and coating with alginate. When compared to the raw jute, fabrics oxidized with a 0.2 or 0.4 % NaIO4 solution for 30–120 min exhibited an increased aldehyde group content (0.185 vs. 0.239–0.398 mmol/g), a significantly increased negative zeta potential (from − 8.57 down to − 20.12 mV), a slight disruption of fiber crystallinity, 15.1–37.5 % and 27.9–49.8 % lower fabric maximum force and stiffness, respectively. Owing to the removal of hydrophobic surface barrier, decreased crystallinity index and the presence of micropores on the fabrics' surfaces, oxidized fabrics have a 22.3–29.6 % improved ability for moisture sorption compared to raw fabric. Oxidized fabrics characterized by very long wetting times and excellent antioxidant activities (> 98 %), can find applications as hydrophobic packaging materials. To further extend the utilization of jute in biocarpet engineering such as water-binding geo-prebiotic supports, oxidized fabrics were coated with alginate resulting in 7.9–24.9 % higher moisture sorption and 352–660 times lower wetting times than their oxidized counterparts. This modification protocol has never been applied to lignocellulosic fibers and sheds new light on obtaining jute fabrics with tuned structure and properties intended for various applications.

This paper outlines a novel simple protocol for tuning the structure and properties of jute using sodium periodate (NaIO4) oxidation and coating with alginate. When compared to the raw jute, fabrics oxidized with a 0.2 or 0.4 % NaIO4 solution for 30–120 min exhibited an increased aldehyde group content (0.185 vs. 0.239–0.398 mmol/g), a significantly increased negative zeta potential (from − 8.57 down to − 20.12 mV), a slight disruption of fiber crystallinity, 15.1–37.5 % and 27.9–49.8 % lower fabric maximum force and stiffness, respectively. Owing to the removal of hydrophobic surface barrier, decreased crystallinity index and the presence of micropores on the fabrics' surfaces, oxidized fabrics have a 22.3–29.6 % improved ability for moisture sorption compared to raw fabric. Oxidized fabrics characterized by very long wetting times and excellent antioxidant activities (> 98 %), can find applications as hydrophobic packaging materials. To further extend the utilization of jute in biocarpet engineering such as water-binding geo-prebiotic supports, oxidized fabrics were coated with alginate resulting in 7.9–24.9 % higher moisture sorption and 352–660 times lower wetting times than their oxidized counterparts. This modification protocol has never been applied to lignocellulosic fibers and sheds new light on obtaining jute fabrics with tuned structure and properties intended for various applications.

Ontologies play a pivotal role in knowledge representation, particularly beneficial for the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) sector due to its inherent data diversity and intricacy. Despite the growing interest in ontology and data integration research, especially with the advent of knowledge graphs and digital twins, a noticeable lack of consolidated academic synthesis still needs to be addressed. This review paper aims to bridge that gap, meticulously analysing 142 journal articles from 2000 to 2021 on the application of ontologies in the AEC sector. The research is segmented through systematic evaluation into ten application domains within the construction realm- process, cost, operation/maintenance, health/safety, sustainability, monitoring/control, intelligent cities, heritage building information modelling (HBIM), compliance, and miscellaneous. This categorisation aids in pinpointing ontologies suitable for various research objectives. Furthermore, the paper highlights prevalent limitations within current ontology studies in the AEC sector. It offers strategic recommendations, presenting a well-defined path for future research to address these gaps. © 2023 The Author(s)

With the vigorous development of today’s wireless communication industry, the Internet of Vehicles (IoV), as one of its application scenarios, has received extensive attention from researchers. Ensuring the security of information transmission is one of the many problems to be solved in the IoV system. To fit the actual scene, this paper considers the impacts of both the channel characteristics of Nakagami-m fading and the distribution of the vehicles’ positions in the real road scenario of the IoV. According to the random distribution characteristics of vehicle terminal position, a system model with a transmitter base station, a legitimate vehicle terminal, and an eavesdropper is established. The approximate and asymptotic analytical expressions of the secrecy outage probability over the Nakagami-m fading channels are derived. Finally, the correctness of the proposed analysis models established in this paper is verified by Monte Carlo simulation and numerical analysis. The secrecy outage performance and the influencing factors of the considered model in the Nakagami-m fading environment are discussed and analyzed.

Rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease (RP-ILD) clearly harms the prognoses of dermatomyositis/polymyositis (DM/PM) patients, however there is a dearth of numerical prevalence and therapy comparison in this field. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of RP-ILD in DM/PM patients and compare prognoses, including remission rate and survival data, between treatments. Studies with reports of RP-ILD in DM/PM patients and studies with definite remission and/or survival data of DM/PM-RP-ILD were included in the study. Data sources were Pubmed, Embase, and Cochrane Library without language restrictions. Two authors (WHL and WWQ) extracted independently the data. Estimates of the pooled effects were calculated using the Mantel-Haenszel technique (random effects). The prevalence meta-analysis included 18 papers with 6058 DM/PM patients, and 31 papers were analyzed for treatment effects, including remission rate, 6-month survival rate, 1-year survival rate, and 5-year survival rate. Database search yielded 1816 articles. In the DM/PM population, the combined prevalence of RP-ILD was 8.9% (95% CI, 5.8% to 12.1%). Patients with RP-ILD have a remission rate of 58.4% (95% CI, 47.3% to 69.4%), with biologic treatment with the highest remission rate, followed by triple therapy (defined as adding a third intravenous medication, including cyclophosphamide and immunoglobulin). Biologics therapy had the highest overall survival rate at six months (95% CI, 49.8% to 73.9%), followed by cDMARDs, plasma exchange, and triple therapy. The 1-year survival rate was 77.4% (95% CI, 66.7% to 88.1%), and triple therapy and cDMARDs had the best survival rates. The 5-year survival rate was 40.0% (95% CI, 10.0% to 69.9%). The prevalence of RP-ILD in DM/PM was approximately 8.9%, with a poor long-term prognosis. The use of biological agents appears to provide the best therapeutic outcomes, providing RP-ILD management with a novel evidence-based therapy. The use of

The paper examines the determinants of FDI profit repatriation in the Czech Republic and OECD countries as a group from 2013 to 2019. By applying the Lintner model about repatriation decisions at the national level, the paper finds the following findings. Firstly, the repatriation rate in the Czech Republic is higher than in most OECD countries. Secondly, financial development and investment opportunities negatively affect the payout ratio of OECD countries as a group, while the appreciation of host countries' currency and higher effective rates positively affect the payout ratio of OECD countries as a group. However, in the case of the Czech Republic, two factors that cause a higher payout ratio are financial development and anti-corruption enforcement. It implies that the Czech Republic should improve its financial market development and reduce the level of corruption to keep the profit from FDI in the country. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.

Underwater object recognition is a prerequisite for the realization of automated seafood harvesting. To solve the problems of low recognition accuracy and poor generalization ability of existing underwater small object, this paper takes sea cucumber as research objects to research the small object recognition approach in complex underwater environment. In this paper, a sea cucumber dataset is established to solve the problem of lacking sea cucumber dataset in the real seabed environment. A deep learning model SO-YOLOv5 is proposed based on YOLOv5 for underwater small object recognition, which improves the recognition ability of the algorithm for different sizes of objects in complex environment. The proposed model embeds a large-scale feature extraction layer in structure to increase the detection ability of small objects by referring to the idea of the Bi-directional Feature Pyramid Network. SO-YOLOv5 fuses the features between deep and shallow layers and balances the feature information of different scales, and integrates the Coordinate Attention mechanism to enhance the sensitivity of the algorithm to the direction and position information. The experimental results illustrate that the mAP of the proposed approach achieves 95.47% for sea cucumber recognition in the complex seabed environment, which is 3.42%, 6.79%, and 5.46% higher than the traditional Faster R-CNN, SSD, and YOLOv5 algorithms, respectively. This research not only provides an effective approach for sea cucumber recognition in complex environment but also has certain reference significance for the recognition of small objects in other complex environments. In addition, the proposed approach has practical application value to improve intelligence level in aquaculture. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.