Search

Acute alcohol intoxication impairs cognitive and psychomotor abilities leading to various public health hazards such as road traffic accidents and alcohol-related violence. Intoxicated individuals are usually identified by measuring their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) using breathalysers that are expensive and labour-intensive. In this paper, we developed the Audio-based Deep Learning Algorithm to Identify Alcohol Inebriation (ADLAIA) that can instantly predict an individual's intoxication status based on a 12-second recording of their speech.ADLAIA was trained on a publicly available German Alcohol Language Corpus that comprises a total of 12,360 audio clips of inebriated and sober speakers (total of 162, aged 21-64, 47.7% female). ADLAIA's performance was determined by computing the unweighted average recall (UAR) and accuracy of inebriation prediction.ADLAIA was able to identify inebriated speakers-with BAC of 0.05% or higher-with an UAR of 68.09% and accuracy of 67.67%. ADLAIA had a higher performance (UAR of 75.7%) in identifying intoxicated speakers (BAC0.12%).Being able to identify intoxicated individuals solely based on their speech, ADLAIA could be integrated in mobile applications and used in environments (such as bars, sports stadiums) to get instantaneous results about inebriation status of individuals.

Summary Background Pediatric thoracoscopic lobectomy is a technically challenging procedure that may result in better pain control, better cosmetic results, and shorter hospital stay. However, data describing the learning curve of total thoracoscopic lobectomy (TTL) have yet to be obtained. To evaluate our learning curve for TTL in children, we reviewed the safety and efficiency of our initial experiences with TTL in pediatric patients with congenital lung malformation. Methods This was a retrospective study of all pediatric patients undergoing TTL between March 2011 and January 2017. Cumulative summation (CUSUM) analysis of operative time (OT) was used. Results One hundred patients were retrospectively analyzed and chronologically divided into three phases: the ascending (A), plateau (B), and descending (C) phases of CUSUM of OT. Phases A, B, and C comprised 35, 22, and 43 cases, respectively. OT decreased significantly from phases A to B (P = 0.035) and B to C (P = 0.019). Age and weight of patients both reduced significantly from phase A to B (p = 0.017 and p = 0.012, respectively), while the two measures did not vary from phase B to C (p = 0.987 and p = 0.874, respectively). Chest tube duration and length of hospital stay had similar trend. All complications occurred in five cases in phase A (5/35). Six cases were converted to open surgery (6%). Four conversions occurred within phase A and two in phase C (4/35 vs 2/43, p = 0.490). There were no mortalities. Conclusions Repeated standardized training plays a role in overcoming the learning curve for thoracoscopic lobectomy in children, and CUSUMOT indicates that a learning curve of approximately 57 cases is required in our institute.

In this paper, a novel adaptive smooth disturbance observer-based fast finite-time adaptive backstepping control scheme is presented for the attitude tracking of the 3-DOF helicopter system subject to compound disturbances. First, an adaptive smooth disturbance observer (ASDO) is proposed to estimate the composite disturbance, which owns the characteristics of smooth output, fast finite-time convergence, and adaptability to the disturbance of unknown derivative boundary. Then, a finite-time backstepping control protocol is construct to drive the elevation and pitch angles to track reference trajectories. To tackle the "explosion of complexity" and "singularity" problems in the conventional backstepping design framework, a fast finite-time command filter (FFTCF) is utilized to estimate the virtual control signal and its derivative. Moreover, a fractional power-based auxiliary dynamic system is introduced to compensate the error caused by the FFTCF estimation. Furthermore, an improved fractional power-based adaptive law with the $\sigma $-modification term is designed to attenuate the observer approximation error, such that the tracking performance is further enhanced. In terms of the fast finite-time stability theory, the signals of the closed-loop system are all fast finite-time bounded while the attitude tracking errors can fast converge to a sufficiently small region of the origin in finite time. Finally, a contrastive numerical simulation is carried out to validate the effectiveness and superiority of the designed control scheme., Comment: 26 pages,9 figures

Considering the strong nonlinearity of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) resulting from high Angle of Attack (AoA) and fast maneuvering, we present a multi-model predictive control strategy for UAV maneuvering, which has a small amount of online calculation. Firstly, we divide the maneuver envelope of UAV into several sub-regions on the basis of the gap metric theory. A novel algorithm is then developed to determine the ploytopic model for each sub-region. According to this, a Robust Model Predictive Control based on the Idea of Comprehensive optimization (ICE-RMPC) is proposed. The control law is designed offline and optimized online to reduce the computational expense. Then, the ICE-RMPC method is applied to design the controllers of sub-regions. In addition, to guarantee the stability of whole closed-loop system, a multi-model switching control strategy based on guardian maps is put forward. Finally, the tracking performance of proposed control strategy is demonstrated by an illustrative example.

As organizations face a rapidly changing marketing environment, they have an increased investment in training programs that aim to improve employees’ hard skills to successfully execute tasks and soft skills for healthy social relationships. Although managers question the transfer problem in hard- and soft-skills training, researchers have limited knowledge on this topic. This study focuses on improving the initial training transfer, an essential phase of the transfer process. Specifically, drawing on signaling theory, we introduce training characteristics (i.e., training content validity and transfer design) as the antecedents. This study also assesses the potential underlying mechanisms by examining the roles of training engagement and training criticality. Using a sample of 182 employees enrolled in a typical hard- and soft-skills training program (i.e., quality management training), we test a mediation model. As expected, the results indicate that both training content validity and transfer design positively impact initial training transfer. Furthermore, the links between training characteristics and initial training transfer are mediated by training engagement and training criticality. This study contributes to the research on initial training transfer by exploring training characteristics as the antecedents and integrating the research on transfer and personal attitudes under hard- and soft-skills training.

Several Ni-W-P-TiO2 nanocomposite coatings were developed by the sol-enhanced electroplating method. The phase and elemental compositions of coatings were determined, and the surface and cross-section morphology were characterized. The mechanical and corrosion performance were systematically tested. The results revealed the addition of 5 ml·L−1 TiO2 sol caused a compact coating surface, while higher concentrations of TiO2 reduced the coating thickness and led to the inferior surface microstructure. The comparison in physiochemical properties of prepared coatings confirmed the superior performance of the Ni-W-P-TiO2 nanocomposite coating at 5 ml·L−1 TiO2 sol addition. Under this condition, the best mechanical properties were achieved when abrasive wear was the dominating wear-resistance mechanism, and the best corrosion resistance was obtained due to its smooth and compact surface microstructure.

This work aims to investigate the effect of hBN on the friction and wear resistance of Sialon composite. Sialon and its composite with 10 wt% hBN were fabricated by SPS sintering. The effect of hBN additive on the phase composition, microstructure, densification behavior, mechanical and dry sliding tribological properties of Sialon material was studied. Being sintered at 1600 °C for 10 min, compared to monolithic Sialon, Sialon-hBN composite has more refined β-Sialon grains with smaller aspect ratios and slightly declined relative density. The hardness of the Sialon-hBN composite was reduced due to the weak bonding between Sialon and hBN grains. Nevertheless, its fracture toughness increased ascribing to the toughening mechanisms, including crack deflection and crack bridging. hBN had an essential impact on the tribological performances of the composite due to its lower friction coefficient and good lubrication action. Under the same densification level (i.e., with a relative density of around 97.5%), the friction and wear resistance of Sialon-hBN composite were much better than monolithic Sialon. The main wear mechanisms were tribolayer formation, oxidized wear, and abrasive wear.

The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is already higher than those of other thin-film photovoltaic technologies, but the stability issue limits their applications. The introduction of sulfur-based compounds in PSCs could contribute to their stability. Herein, sulfur-based compounds have been embedded into each functional layer to stabilize carbon-based PSCs (C-PSCs). Results showed that the simultaneous introduction of sulfur-based compounds could decrease the trap states of perovskite film, enlarge the grain size of perovskite, and accelerate the charge transfer and extraction, leading to an improved performance. Comparing with the device without sulfide (10.77%), all sulfide C-PSCs obtained a PCE of 15.38%. The stability test showed much better resistance to humidity and thermal stress for all sulfide C-PSCs. They could retain 80% of initial PCE after aging about 700 h at relative humidity (RH) 45% ± 10% and 80 °C.

Ni–Fe–Sn electrocatalyst supported on nickel foam (Ni–Fe–Sn/NF) with high efficiency of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) has been successfully fabricated through one-step potentiostatic electrodeposition route. The optimized Ni–Fe–Sn/NF displayed an extremely low overpotential of, respectively, 144 and 180 mV at 50 and 100 mA cm−2 for HER in alkaline condition. Moreover, it could retain its superior stability for at least 12 h. The remarkable electrocatalytic activity of our electrocatalyst is ascribed to the high conductivity originated from synergistic effects between Ni, Fe, and Sn during HER process.

Background and Aims Bacterial swarming, a collective movement on a surface, has rarely been associated with human pathophysiology. This study aims to define a role for bacterial swarmers in amelioration of intestinal stress. Methods We developed a polymicrobial plate agar assay to detect swarming and screened mice and humans with intestinal stress and inflammation. From chemically induced colitis in mice, as well as humans with inflammatory bowel disease, we developed techniques to isolate the dominant swarmers. We developed swarm-deficient but growth and swim-competent mutant bacteria as isogenic controls. We performed bacterial reinoculation studies in mice with colitis, fecal 16S, and meta-transcriptomic analyses, as well as in vitro microbial interaction studies. Results We show that bacterial swarmers are highly predictive of intestinal stress in mice and humans. We isolated a novel Enterobacter swarming strain, SM3, from mouse feces. SM3 and other known commensal swarmers, in contrast to their mutant strains, abrogated intestinal inflammation in mice. Treatment of colitic mice with SM3, but not its mutants, enriched beneficial fecal anaerobes belonging to the family of Bacteroidales S24-7. We observed SM3 swarming associated pathways in the in vivo fecal meta-transcriptomes. In vitro growth of S24-7 was enriched in presence of SM3 or its mutants; however, because SM3, but not mutants, induced S24-7 in vivo, we concluded that swarming plays an essential role in disseminating SM3 in vivo. Conclusions Overall, our work identified a new but counterintuitive paradigm in which intestinal stress allows for the emergence of swarming bacteria; however, these bacteria act to heal intestinal inflammation.

Summary Electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) has attained great attention as it can transform the greenhouse gas CO2 to value-added chemicals, such as carbon monoxide, formic acid, ethylene, ethanol, and n-propanol. However, the electrocatalytic performance of materials, especially the metal materials, toward the CO2RR is still limited due to the complex reaction processes and broad product distribution. Very recently, surface modification of metal materials has emerged as an effective way to boost their electrocatalytic CO2RR performance. Herein, recent advances in the surface modification of metal materials, which includes surface molecular functionalization, surface elemental doping, and surface plasma treatment, for CO2RR are presented. The surface modification-induced variations of surface states and electrocatalytic performances of metal materials, together with the underlying mechanisms, are highlighted. It is believed that the development of surface modification could promote the rational design and preparation of advanced CO2RR electrocatalysts toward practical applications.

The numerical simulation was conducted to investigate the coupling effects of H2 and CO2 on the laminar flame speed and reaction pathways of the biogas-hydrogen mixtures. The same proportions of H2 and CO2 were considered in the study. The dilution effects, chemical effects and thermal effects of H2 and CO2 were isolated, while the contributions of different effects were also calculated to identify the dominating factor. The results show that H radical pool plays the important role in the variation of laminar flame speed of biogas-hydrogen mixture. The coupling dilution effects of H2 and CO2 lead to the considerable decrease of H radical and dominate the decreased laminar flame speed. The H2 chemical effects improve R84 (OH + H2 = H2O + H) and R3 (O + H2 = H + OH) quite effectively, which results in the reduced dropping trends of H radical and laminar flame speed from BG60H40 to BG40H60. The CO2 chemical effects suppress the major H radical production reactions of R84, R3, R99 (OH + CO = H + CO2) and R10 (O + CH3 = H + CH2O) more apparently at the fuel-rich condition, while importance of major consumption reactions (R53: H + CH4 = CH3+H2, R52: H + CH3(+M) = CH4(+M) and R58: H + CH2O = HCO + H2) are higher at the fuel-rich condition. This dominates the more evident decrease of H radical and laminar flame speed at the fuel-rich condition. Based on the ROP analysis, R3, R46 (H + HO2 = 2OH), R52, R84, R99 and R158 (2CH3(+M) = C2H6(+M)) have the major contributions on the chemistry transition caused by the coupling effects of H2 and CO2. The decreased contribution of R158 and R99 indicate the weakened CH4-related chemistry while the increased contributions of R3, R46, R52 and R84 indicate the improved H2-related chemistry in the biogas-hydrogen flame. Furthermore, coupling effects of H2 and CO2 or H2/CO2-related chemistry can be monitored by the contribution variations of R84 and R99 on the OH radical concentration.

The nano SiC coatings were prepared on the surface of graphite by laser irradiation under different laser energy densities (7.07–14.15 kJ/cm2). The influence of laser energy density on the structure and quality of coatings was systematically investigated. The results show that laser irradiation can transform the preset micron-SiC particle coating into nano-SiC particle coating. The nano-SiC coating prepared by laser irradiation can effectively enhance the high temperature oxidation resistance of the graphite substrate. When the laser energy density is 7.07 kJ/cm2, the prepared coating displays a single crystal structure and a good morphology without cracks and spheroidization. The coating prepared under the laser density of 10.61 kJ/cm2 shows a mixed crystal structure with obvious spheroidization. Further increase the laser energy density to 14.15 kJ/cm2, the main structure of prepared coating turns to polycrystalline and obvious cracks can be observed. The cross-section analysis of coating prepared under laser energy density of 7.07 kJ/cm2 indicates that there existed elemental diffusion between the coating and the substrate which increased the adhesion of coating. The calculations based on the Arrhenius formula present that this prepared coating has higher activation energy and therefore it has better high temperature oxidation resistance than the other prepared coatings.

Using alternative power sources to drive hydrogen production in microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) is important to implementation of MEC technology. Herein, thermoelectric generators (TEG) were to power MECs using simulated waste heat. With the MEC anolyte as a cold source for TEG, current generation of the MEC increased to 2.46 ± 0.06 mA and hydrogen production reached 0.14 m3 m−3 d-1, higher than those of the TEG-MEC system without hydraulic connection (1.16 ± 0.07 mA and 0.07 ± 0.01 m3 m−3 d-1). A high recirculation rate of 30 mL min-1 doubled both current generation and hydrogen production with 10 mL min-1, benefited from a stronger cooling effect that increased the TEG voltage output. However, the optimal recirculation rate was determined as 20 mL min-1 because of comparable performance but potentially less energy requirement. Reducing anolyte hydraulic retention time to 4 h has increased hydrogen production to 0.25 ± 0.05 m3 m−3 d-1 but decreased organic removal efficiency to 69 ± 2%. Adding three more TEG units that captured more heat energy further enhanced hydrogen production to 0.36 m3 m−3 d-1. Those results have demonstrated a successful integration of TEG with MEC through both electrical and hydraulic connections for simultaneous wastewater treatment and energy recovery.

Flue gas carbonation of three commonly used cement-based building products, concrete masonry blocks, cement-bond fiberboards and cement-bond bead boards, was studied to investigate the feasibility of using as-captured cement kiln flue gas to accelerate hydration and store carbon dioxide for emission reduction. Compared to pure gas carbonation, the use of flue gas does not require chemical separation which is energy-intensive. However, the reaction efficiency was low because of low CO2 concentration in flue gas. It could take up to two weeks to achieve required strength. This paper presents an innovative process in which flue gas carbonation was carried out in 5 h with 7 cycles of injection and release. Cement-based building products could achieve 5-6% CO2 uptake independent from types of products. Compared to pure gas carbonation, degree of carbonation was low in flue gas but strength gain was in the same order of magnitude. Reaction product was typical calcium silicate carbo-hydrates, a carbonate modified hydrate. The size of carbonate crystal was much smaller by flue gas carbonation. However, their contribution to strength gain was comparable to larger crystals in pure gas carbonation. The successful capture and utilization of cement kiln flue gas made it feasible to establish a network to link cement plants (CO2 sources) to concrete plants (CO2 sinks) for emission reduction through utilization.