Abstract: In this paper, we consider some integrable Heisenberg
Ferromagnet Equations with self-consistent potentials. We study
their Lax representations. In particular we derive their equivalent
counterparts in the form of nonlinear Schr¨odinger type equations.
We present the integrable reductions of the Heisenberg Ferromagnet
Equations with self-consistent potentials. These integrable Heisenberg
Ferromagnet Equations with self-consistent potentials describe
nonlinear waves in ferromagnets with some additional physical fields.
Abstract: In recent research copper and manganese systems
were found to be the most active in CO and organic compounds
oxidation among the base catalysts. The mixed copper manganese
oxide has been widely studied in oxidation reactions because of their
higher activity at low temperatures in comparison with single oxide
catalysts. The results showed that the formation of spinel
CuxMn3−xO4 in the oxidized catalyst is responsible for the activity
even at room temperature. That is why the most of the investigations
are focused on the hopcalite catalyst (CuMn2O4) as the best coppermanganese
catalyst. Now it’s known that this is true only for CO
oxidation, but not for mixture of CO and VOCs. The purpose of this
study is to investigate the alumina supported copper-manganese
catalysts with different Cu/Mn molar ratio in terms of oxidation of
CO, methanol and dimethyl ether. The catalysts were prepared by impregnation of γ-Al2O3 with
copper and manganese nitrates and the catalytic activity
measurements were carried out in two stage continuous flow
equipment with an adiabatic reactor for simultaneous oxidation of all
compounds under the conditions closest possible to the industrial. Gas
mixtures on the input and output of the reactor were analyzed with a
gas chromatograph, equipped with FID and TCD detectors. The
texture characteristics were determined by low-temperature (- 196oС)
nitrogen adsorption in a Quantachrome Instruments NOVA 1200e
(USA) specific surface area & pore analyzer. Thermal, XRD and
TPR analyses were performed. It was established that the active component of the mixed Cu-
Mn/γ–alumina catalysts strongly depends on the Cu/Mn molar ratio.
Highly active alumina supported Cu-Mn catalysts for CO, methanol
and DME oxidation were synthesized. While the hopcalite is the best
catalyst for CO oxidation, the best compromise for simultaneous
oxidation of all components is the catalyst with Cu/Mn molar ratio
1:5.
Abstract: Obesity and osteoporosis are the two diseases whose
increasing prevalence and high impact on the global morbidity and
mortality, during the two recent decades, have gained a status of
major health threats worldwide. Obesity purports to affect the bone
metabolism through complex mechanisms. Debated data on the
connection between the bone mineral density and fracture prevalence
in the obese patients are widely presented in literature. There is
evidence that the correlation of weight and fracture risk is sitespecific.
This study is aimed at determining the connection between
the bone mineral density (BMD) and trabecular bone score (TBS)
parameters in Ukrainian women suffering from obesity. We
examined 1025 40-89-year-old women, divided them into the groups
according to their body mass index: Group A included 360 women
with obesity whose BMI was ≥30 kg/m2, and Group B – 665 women
with no obesity and BMI of
Abstract: To explore how the brain may recognise objects in its
general,accurate and energy-efficient manner, this paper proposes the
use of a neuromorphic hardware system formed from a Dynamic
Video Sensor (DVS) silicon retina in concert with the SpiNNaker
real-time Spiking Neural Network (SNN) simulator. As a first step
in the exploration on this platform a recognition system for dynamic
hand postures is developed, enabling the study of the methods used
in the visual pathways of the brain. Inspired by the behaviours of
the primary visual cortex, Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs)
are modelled using both linear perceptrons and spiking Leaky
Integrate-and-Fire (LIF) neurons.
In this study’s largest configuration using these approaches, a
network of 74,210 neurons and 15,216,512 synapses is created and
operated in real-time using 290 SpiNNaker processor cores in parallel
and with 93.0% accuracy. A smaller network using only 1/10th of the
resources is also created, again operating in real-time, and it is able
to recognise the postures with an accuracy of around 86.4% - only
6.6% lower than the much larger system. The recognition rate of the
smaller network developed on this neuromorphic system is sufficient
for a successful hand posture recognition system, and demonstrates
a much improved cost to performance trade-off in its approach.
Abstract: This study was aimed to investigate the machining
stability of a spindle tool with different preloaded amount. To this end,
the vibration tests were conducted on the spindle unit with different
preload to assess the dynamic characteristics and machining stability
of the milling machine. Current results demonstrate that the tool tip
frequency response characteristics and the machining stabilities in X
and Y direction are affected to change due to the different preload of
spindle bearings. As found from the results, a high preloaded spindle
tool shows higher limited cutting depth at mid position, while a spindle
with low preload shows a higher limited depth. This indicates that the
machining stability of a milling machine is affected to vary by the
spindle unit when it was assembled with different bearing preload.
Abstract: Image segmentation and color identification is an
important process used in various emerging fields like intelligent
robotics. A method is proposed for the manipulator to grasp and place
the color object into correct location. The existing methods such as
PSO, has problems like accelerating the convergence speed and
converging to a local minimum leading to sub optimal performance.
To improve the performance, we are using watershed algorithm and
for color identification, we are using EPSO. EPSO method is used to
reduce the probability of being stuck in the local minimum. The
proposed method offers the particles a more powerful global
exploration capability. EPSO methods can determine the particles
stuck in the local minimum and can also enhance learning speed as
the particle movement will be faster.
Abstract: When neck pain is associated with pain, numbness, or
weakness in the arm, shoulder, or hand, further investigation is
needed as these are symptoms indicating pressure on one or more
nerve roots. Evaluation necessitates a neurologic examination and
imaging using an MRI/CT scan. A degenerating disc loses some
thickness and is less flexible, causing inter-vertebrae space to narrow.
A radiologist diagnoses an Intervertebral Disc Degeneration (IDD) by
localizing every inter-vertebral disc and identifying the pathology in
a disc based on its geometry and appearance. Accurate localizing is
necessary to diagnose IDD pathology. But, the underlying image
signal is ambiguous: a disc’s intensity overlaps the spinal nerve
fibres. Even the structure changes from case to case, with possible
spinal column bending (scoliosis). The inter-vertebral disc
pathology’s quantitative assessment needs accurate localization of the
cervical region discs. In this work, the efficacy of multilevel set
segmentation model, to segment cervical discs is investigated. The
segmented images are annotated using a simple distance matrix.
Abstract: Current research is targeting new molecular
mechanisms that underlie non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
and associated metabolic disorders like non-alcoholic steatohepatitis
(NASH). Forty New Zealand White rabbits have been used and fed a
high protein (HP) and energy diet based on grains and containing
11.76 MJ/kg. Boron added to 3 experimental groups’ drinking waters
(30 mg boron/L) as boron compounds. Biochemical analysis
including boron levels, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) based
metabolomics evaluation, and mRNA expression of peroxisome
proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) family was performed. LDLcholesterol
concentrations alone were decreased in all the
experimental groups. Boron levels in serum and feces were increased.
Content of acetate was in about 2x higher for anhydrous borax group,
at least 3x higher for boric acid group. PPARα mRNA expression
was significantly decreased in boric acid group. Anhydrous borax
attenuated mRNA levels of PPARγ, which was further suppressed by
boric acid. Boron supplementation decreased the degenerative
alterations in hepatocytes. Except borax group other boron groups did
not have a pronounced change in tubular epithels of kidney. In
conclusion, high protein and energy diet leads hepatocytes’
degenerative changes which can be prevented by boron
supplementation. Boric acid seems to be more effective in this
situation.
Abstract: We investigated the structure and electronic properties
of the compound Mg1-xBixO with varying concentrations of 0, ¼, ½,
and ¾ x bismuth in the the cesium chloride (CsCl), zinc-blende
(ZnS), nickel arsenide (NiAs) NaCl (rock-salt) and WZ (wurtzite)
phases. We calculated. The calculations were performed using the
first-principles pseudo-potential method within the framework of spin
density functional theory (DFT).
Abstract: Honeys are produced by Apis mellifera and stingless
bees (Meliponini) in Ecuador. We studied honey produced in
beeswax combs by Apis mellifera, and honey produced in pots by
Geotrigona and Scaptotrigona bees. Chloroform extracts of honey
were obtained for fast NMR spectra. The 1D spectra were acquired at
298 K, with a 600 MHz NMR Bruker instrument, using a modified
double pulsed field gradient spin echoes (DPFGSE) sequence.
Signals of 1H NMR spectra were integrated and used as inputs for
PCA, PLS-DA analysis, and labelled sets of classes were successfully
identified, enhancing the separation between the three groups of
honey according to the entomological origin: A. mellifera,
Geotrigona and Scaptotrigona. This procedure is therefore
recommended for authenticity test of honey in Ecuador.
Abstract: The capability of exploiting the electronic charge and
spin properties simultaneously in a single material has made diluted
magnetic semiconductors (DMS) remarkable in the field of
spintronics. We report the designing of DMS based on zinc-blend
ZnO doped with Cr impurity. The full potential linearized augmented
plane wave plus local orbital FP-L(APW+lo) method in density
functional theory (DFT) has been adapted to carry out these
investigations. For treatment of exchange and correlation energy,
generalized gradient approximations have been used. Introducing Cr
atoms in the matrix of ZnO has induced strong magnetic moment
with ferromagnetic ordering at stable ground state. Cr:ZnO was found
to favor the short range magnetic interaction that
reflect tendency of Cr clustering. The electronic structure of ZnO is
strongly influenced in the presence of Cr impurity atoms where
impurity bands appear in the band gap.
Abstract: Nanofibers of PVA /nickel nitrate/silica/alumina
izopropoxide/boric acid composite were prepared by using sol-gel
processing and electrospinning technique. By high temperature
calcinations of the above precursor fibers, nanofibers of
NiO/Al2O3/B2O3/SiO2 composite with diameters about 500 nm
could be successfully obtained. The fibers were characterized by
XRD and SEM analyses.
Abstract: It is well known that in recent years magnetic
materials have received increased attention due to their properties.
For this reason a significant number of patents that were published
during the last decade are oriented towards synthesis and study of
such materials. The aim of this work is to create and study ferrite
nanocrystalline materials with spinel structure, using sol-gel
technology with participation of auto-combustion. This method is
perspective in that it is a cheap and low-temperature technique that
allows for the fine control on the product’s chemical composition.
Abstract: In this study, polycaprolactone (PCL) was dissolved
in chloroform:ethanol solvent system at a concentration of 18 w/v %.
1, 2, 4, and 6 droplets of formic acid were added to the prepared 10ml
PCL-chloroform:ethanol solutions separately. Fibrous webs were
produced by electrospinning technique based on the horizontal
working principle. Morphology of the webs was investigated by
using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) whereas fiber diameters
were measured by Image J Software System. The effect of formic
acid addition to the mostly used chloroform solvent on fiber
morphology was examined.
Results indicate that there is a distinct fall in fiber diameter with
the addition of formic acid drops. The average fiber diameter was
measured as 2.22μm in PCL /chloroform:ethanol solution system. On
the other hand, 328nm and 256 nm average fiber diameters were
measured for the samples of 4 drops and 6 drops formic acid added.
This study offers alternative solvent systems to produce nanoscaled,
nontoxic PCL fibrous webs by electrospinning technique.
Abstract: This exploratory study gives an overview of the
evolution of the main financial and performance indicators of the
Academic Spin-Off’s and High Growth Academic Spin-Off’s in year
3 and year 6 after its creation in the region of Catalonia in Spain. The
study compares and evaluates results of these different measures of
performance and the degree of success of these companies for each
University.
We found that the average Catalonian Academic Spin-Off is small
and have not achieved the sustainability stage at year 6. On the
contrary, a small group of High Growth Academic Spin-Off’s
exhibits robust performance with high profits in year 6. Our results
support the need to increase selectivity and support for these
companies especially near year 3, because are the ones that will bring
wealth and employment. University role as an investor has rigid
norms and habits that impede an efficient economic return from their
ASO investment.
Universities with high performance on sales and employment in
year 3 not always could sustain this growth in year 6 because their
ASO’s are not profitable. On the contrary, profitable ASO exhibit
superior performance in all measurement indicators in year 6. We
advocate the need of a balanced growth (with profits) as a way to
obtain subsequent continuous growth.
Abstract: Nanofibers are effective materials which have
frequently been investigated to produce high quality air filters. As an
environmental approach our aim is to achieve nanofibers by melting.
In spun-bond systems extruder, spin-pump, nozzle package and
attenuator are used. Molten polymer which flows from extruder is
made steady by spin-pump. Regular melt passes through nozzle holes
and forms fibers under high pressure. The fibers pulled from nozzle
are shrunk to micron size by an attenuator; after solidification, they
are collected on a conveyor. In this research different designs of
attenuator system have been studied; and also CFD analysis has been
done on these different designs. Afterwards, one of these designs
tested and finally some optimizations have been done to reduce
pressure loss and increase air velocity.
Abstract: Using the first-principles full-potential linearized
augmented plane wave plus local orbital (FP-LAPW+lo) method
based on density functional theory (DFT), we have investigated the
electronic structure and magnetism of full Heusler alloys Co2ZrGe
and Co2NbB. These compounds are predicted to be half-metallic
ferromagnets (HMFs) with a total magnetic moment of 2.000 B per
formula unit, well consistent with the Slater-Pauling rule.
Calculations show that both the alloys have an indirect band gaps, in
the minority-spin channel of density of states (DOS), with values of
0.58 eV and 0.47 eV for Co2ZrGe and Co2NbB, respectively.
Analysis of the DOS and magnetic moments indicates that their
magnetism is mainly related to the d-d hybridization between the Co
and Zr (or Nb) atoms. The half-metallicity is found to be relatively
robust against volume changes. In addition, an atom inside molecule
AIM formalism and an electron localization function ELF were also
adopted to study the bonding properties of these compounds, building
a bridge between their electronic and bonding behavior.
As they have a good crystallographic compatibility with the lattice of
semiconductors used industrially and negative calculated cohesive
energies with considerable absolute values these two alloys could be
promising magnetic materials in the spintronic field.
Abstract: Poly vinyl acetate (PVA)-based titania (TiO2)–carbon
nanotube composite nanofibers (PVA-TCCNs) with various
PVA-to-solvent ratios and PVA-based TiO2 composite nanofibers
(PVA-TN) were synthesized using an electrospinning process,
followed by thermal treatment. The photocatalytic activities of these
nanofibers in the degradation of airborne monocyclic aromatics under
visible-light irradiation were examined. This study focuses on the
application of these photocatalysts to the degradation of the target
compounds at sub-part-per-million indoor air concentrations. The
characteristics of the photocatalysts were examined using scanning
electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, ultraviolet-visible
spectroscopy, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. For all the
target compounds, the PVA-TCCNs showed photocatalytic
degradation efficiencies superior to those of the reference PVA-TN.
Specifically, the average photocatalytic degradation efficiencies for
benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, and o-xylene (BTEX) obtained using
the PVA-TCCNs with a PVA-to-solvent ratio of 0.3 (PVA-TCCN-0.3)
were 11%, 59%, 89%, and 92%, respectively, whereas those observed
using PVA-TNs were 5%, 9%, 28%, and 32%, respectively.
PVA-TCCN-0.3 displayed the highest photocatalytic degradation
efficiency for BTEX, suggesting the presence of an optimal
PVA-to-solvent ratio for the synthesis of PVA-TCCNs. The average
photocatalytic efficiencies for BTEX decreased from 11% to 4%, 59%
to 18%, 89% to 37%, and 92% to 53%, respectively, when the flow
rate was increased from 1.0 to 4.0 L min1. In addition, the average
photocatalytic efficiencies for BTEX increased 11% to ~0%, 59% to
3%, 89% to 7%, and 92% to 13%, respectively, when the input
concentration increased from 0.1 to 1.0 ppm. The prepared
PVA-TCCNs were effective for the purification of airborne aromatics
at indoor concentration levels, particularly when the operating
conditions were optimized.
Abstract: It is likely that robots will cross the boundaries of
industry into households over the next decades. With demographic
challenges worldwide, the future ageing populations will require the
introduction of assistive technologies capable of providing, care,
human dignity and quality of life through the aging process. Robotics
technology has a high potential for being used in the areas of social
and healthcare by promoting a wide range of activities such as
entertainment, companionship, supervision or cognitive and physical
assistance. However such close Human Robotics Interaction (HRI)
encompass a rich set of ethical scenarios that need to be addressed
before Socially Assistive Robots (SARs) reach the global markets.
Such interactions with robots may seem a worthy goal for many
technical/financial reasons but inevitably require close attention to
the ethical dimensions of such interactions. This article investigates
the current HRI benchmark of social success. It revises it according
to the ethical principles of beneficence, non-maleficence and justice
aligned with social care ethos. An extension of such benchmark is
proposed based on an empirical study of HRIs conducted with elderly
groups.
Abstract: The pullout strength had an effect on the stability of
plate screw fixation when inserted in the cervical spine. Nine
different titanium alloy bone screws were used to test the pullout
strength through finite element analysis. The result showed that the
Moss Miami I can bear the highest pullout force at 1,075 N, which
causes the maximum von Mises stress at 858.87 MPa, a value over
the yield strength of titanium. The bone screw should have large
outer diameter, core diameter and proximal root radius to increase the
pullout strength.