Microwave reflectometric systems and monitoring apparatus for diffused-sensing applications

<p class="Abstract">Most sensing networks rely on punctual/local sensors; they thus lack the ability to spatially resolve the quantity to be monitored (e.g. a temperature or humidity profile) without relying on the deployment of numerous inline sensors. Currently, most quasi-distributed or distributed sensing technologies rely on the use of optical fibre systems. However, these are generally expensive, which limits their large-scale adoption. Recently, elongated sensing elements have been successfully used with time-domain reflectometry (TDR) to implement diffused monitoring solutions. The advantage of TDR is that it is a relatively low-cost technology, with adequate measurement accuracy and the potential to be customised to suit the specific needs of different application contexts in the 4.0 era. Based on these considerations, this paper addresses the design, implementation and experimental validation of a novel generation of elongated sensing element networks, which can be permanently installed in the systems that need to be monitored and used for obtaining the diffused profile of the quantity to be monitored. Three applications are considered as case studies: monitoring the irrigation process in agriculture, leak detection in underground pipes and the monitoring of building structures.</p>

Flexural Strengthening of Reinforced Concrete Beams with Externally Bonded Hybrid FRP Laminate

This paper enumerates the effectiveness of externally bonded Hybrid Fiber Reinforced Polymers (HyFRP) laminates on reinforced concrete beams for flexural strengthening. A total of 5reinforced concrete beams of size 150 x 250 in cross section and length of 3000mm were considered in this study. All the beams were tested in four-point bending over a simple span of 2800 mm. Of the above five beams, one beam served as reference beam and the other four beams were HyFRP laminated. The variables considered in this study included thickness of HyFRP laminate and composite ratio. Adequate measurement was acquired on load and deflection characteristic of HyFRP strengthened as well as reference beam.

PENGEMBANGAN MEDIA E-LEARNING BERBASIS MOODLE SEBAGAI SUPLEMEN PEMBELAJARAN GEOGRAFI PADA MATERI MITIGASI BENCANA ALAM

This study aims to analyze the feasibility and practicality of moodle-based e-learning as supplement to learning geography in natural disaster mitigation materials. This type of research is research and development of the four d model, namely: Define, Design, Development, Desiminate. The research subjects of SMA N 3 Padang class XI IPS. Moodle-based e-learning development includes validation of media, education and language experts. The validation data were processed using the interclass correlation coefficient and the results obtained were 0.957. If the value is more than 0.5, it can be concluded that the level of validation is adequate. Measurement of the feasibility of the media is obtained from data processing using Microsoft Excel so that a total score of 282 is obtained with a mean of 4.90 and a percentage of 98% with a very good predicate. The practicality test of moodle-based e-learning media was based on questionnaire data and obtained a total score of 4077 with a mean of 4.1 and a percentage of 82% with the very practical category.

Algorithm for measurement and analysis of authority and influence of users in social and professional networks

The measurement and analysis of the authority and influence exercised by a person in an organization or social network, be it formal or informal, has been the subject of numerous researches in several fields of science. At present, this phenomenon has taken on greater connotation due to its irruption in the digital space and the importance of having this knowledge for decision-making in spheres such as politics, education and the dissemination of information. In this research, an algorithm was developed for the measurement and analysis of the authority and influence of users in social and professional networks. The study had a mixed approach, with correlational scope and experimental design. A random sample n = 30 specialists was used, which was carried out between May 2019 and October 2020. It was based on the premise that, in order to carry out an adequate measurement and analysis of authority and influence, the structure of the graph must be considered that represents the social network and the interactions that occur between users. As a result, the Total Authority algorithm is developed, a computer tool for the generation of the graph and a case study, which evaluates its relevance, operation and applicability, which shows satisfactory results in its comparison with the HITS algorithm and a sociogram.

Detection and monitoring of minimal residual disease in acute megakaryoblastic leukemia in children

Acute megakaryoblastic leukemia (AMKL) is a rare subtype of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), which is associated with poor prognosis for all patients except children with t(1;22) or Down syndrome. The frequency of complete remission in case of AMKL is comparable to the frequency of complete remission in other variants of AML, and the median survival is much lower. This determines the necessity to update criteria for assessment of the effect of treatment using flow cytometry definition of the level of minimal residual disease (MRD). Nowadays, there are no unified and standardized approaches for the measurement of MRD in case of myeloid leukemia, including AMKL, which prohibits adequate assessment of the therapy effect and in some cases determination of the indications for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cells transplantation. The article identifies diagnostic features and describes approaches for the measurement of the level of MRD in case of AMKL. Aim. The aim is to demonstrate the algorithms for diagnosing and measuring MRD in case of AML-M7 in children. Materials and methods. The article analyzes the clinical and immunological profile of 10 boys and 4 girls with the initial diagnosis of AMKL between the ages of 3 months 12 years old, 13 of them have received treatment in the FSBI N.N. Blokhin National Medical Research Center of Oncology and one in the GBUZ Morozovsky DGKB between 1995 and 2020, The measurement of MRD was carried out in 6 patients. The measurement of MRD was carried out using both morphocytochemical method and multiparameter flow cytometry with megakaryocyte markers (CD61, CD42, CD41) in combination with other myeloid markers (CD13, CD33), CD34, CD117 and aberrant markers (mainly CD7). Results. We showed that adequate measurement of the level of MRD had required detailed immunophenotyping during diagnosis to determine the aberration of megakaryoblasts. CD9 marker (100%), CD33 myeloid marker (69.2%), stem cell antigen CD34 (46.2%), CD13 (38.2%) in addition to megakaryocyte markers (100%) were most often expressed on blast cells in case of AMKL. The CD117 antigen was present on the blasts in 33.3% of cases. The expression of the T-cell-associated CD7 antigen (46.2%) was frequent. The measurement of MRD was carried out during the treatment (usually after an induction course) on the basis of the markers of megakaryocytic cell line (CD61, CD41, CD42a, CD42b), weak CD45 expression, as well as the immunophenotype characteristics during initial diagnosis. The level of MRD ranged from completely negative (0%; 0.006%) to evident (1.05%). Conclusion. The detection of residual tumor megakaryoblasts in case of AML-M7 using flow cytometry is a promising method to evaluate the effect of therapy. The adequate measurement of the level of MRD requires detailed immunophenotyping during the diagnosis to determine the aberration of megakaryoblasts.

Cross-Cultural Comparison of the Benign and Malicious Envy Scale (BeMaS) Across Serbian and US Samples and Further Validation

The aim of this research was to validate the dual conception of envy in Serbian culture, measured by the Benign and Malicious Envy Scale (BeMaS). In Study 1 ( N = 404), the results confirmed cross-cultural invariance of the Malicious Envy scale across Serbian and US samples, with the US sample obtaining higher scores. However, two items in the Benign Envy scale showed significant differential item functioning across samples. Nonetheless, both scales in Serbian showed adequate measurement precision (information) and the expected distinction in relations with narcissistic admiration, narcissistic rivalry, and self-esteem, with more aversive characteristics associated with Malicious Envy. In Study 2 ( N = 404), Malicious Envy showed a negative relation with Conscientiousness and Openness, as well as higher negative correlations with Honesty-Humility, Agreeableness, psychopathy, and sadism compared to Benign Envy. Furthermore, Malicious Envy showed higher positive correlations with psychological distress, while Benign Envy showed negative correlations with some aspects of distress. The results support good psychometric properties of BeMaS scores of the Serbian adaptation and add to the cross-cultural validity of the dual conception of envy.

Definition and prevalence of familial short stature

Objective To verify the prevalence of novel definitions of familial short stature on a cross-sectional cohort of children referred for short stature when their height and that of both parents were measured. Methods We consecutively enrolled 65 individuals referred for short stature when both parents were present. We defined “target height-related short stature” (TH-SS) when child’s height is ≤ − 2 SDS and included in the range of target height; suspected “autosomal dominant short stature” (AD-SS) when child height and at least one parent height are ≤ − 2 SDS; “constitutional familial short stature” (C-FSS) when a child with TH-SS does not have any parents with height ≤ − 2 SDS. Results Of 65 children referred for SS, 48 individuals had a height ≤ − 2 SDS. Based on the parents’ measured heights, 24 children had TH-SS, 16 subjects AD-SS, and 12 individuals C-FSS. If we had considered only the parents’ reported height, 3 of 24 children with TH-SS, 9 of 16 with AD-SS, and 10 of 12 with C-FSS would have been lost. Conclusion We suggest novel definitions to adequately detect and approach the cases of FSS since C-FSS (25%) might not need any specific investigation, while on the contrary, AD-SS (33%) should undergo genetic evaluation. Moreover, this study underlines that adequate measurement and consideration of children’s and parents’ heights (individually and together) are crucial in the clinical evaluation of every child with short stature.

Six-degree-of-freedom pose estimation with µm/µrad accuracy based on laser multilateration

The estimation of the six-degree-of-freedom position and orientation of an end effector is of high interest in industrial robotics. High precision and data rates are important requirements when choosing an adequate measurement system. In this work, a six-degree-of-freedom pose estimation setup based on laser multilateration is described together with the measurement principle and self-calibration strategies used in this setup. In an experimental setup, data rates of 200 Hz are achieved. During movement, deviations from a reference coordinate measuring machine of 20 µm are observed. During standstill, the deviations are reduced to 5 µm.