Search results for: BIOSORBENTS, CHLORINATED SOLVENTS, LOW-COST ADSORBENT, SORPTION
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Thermal Instability of Choline Chloride-Based Deep Eutectic Solvents and Its Influence on Their Toxicity─Important Limitations of DESs as Sustainable Materials
PublicationDeep eutectic solvents (DESs) have become a hot topic in many branches of science due to their remarkable properties. They have been studied in a wide variety of applications. In particular, choline chloride (ChCl)-based DESs are one of the most commonly used representatives of these fluids. Nevertheless, in order to apply DESs in some fields, it is essential to guarantee their stability, reusability, and biocompatibility. In this...
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A Multi Rig Screening Test for Thin Ceramic Coatings in Bio - Tribological Applications
PublicationA method is presented for the comparative testing of wear resistance of ceramic coatings made from materials potentially feasible in tribo - medical applications, mainly orthopaedic implants made from ceramics coated metals for low cost, long life and low wear particle emission into the body. The method was devised as the main tool for use in research and is comprised of flat on flat and ball on flat surface (sliding) tests. Seven...
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‘Green’ multi - residue methods for the determination of high importance currently used pesticides in environmental samples
PublicationThe purpose of the research has been to develop and apply ‘green’ analytical methodologies to control and monitor the level of currently used pesticides from different chemical groups in aqueous samples. For extraction of analytes solid - phase microextraction (SPME) and dispersive liquid - liquid microextraction (DLLME) have been applied and compared. For SPME, commonly used materials for coating fibers include: polydimethylsiloxane...
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Arterial cannula shape optimization by means of the rotational firefly algorithm
PublicationThe article presents global optimization results of arterial cannula shapes by means of the newly modified firefly algorithm. The search for the optimal arterial cannula shape is necessary in order to minimize losses and prepare the flow that leaves the circulatory support system of a ventricle (i.e. blood pump) before it reaches the heart. A modification of the standard firefly algorithm, the so-called rotational firefly algorithm,...
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Evaluation of the Commercial Electrochemical Gas Sensors for the Monitoring of CO in Ambient Air
PublicationAir pollution is a growing concern of civilized world, which has a significant impact on human health and the environment. Recent studies highlight that the exposure to polluted air can increase the incidence of diseases and deteriorate the quality of life. Hence, it is necessary to develop tools for real-time air quality monitoring. For air pollution monitoring a wide range of stationary gas and particulate analysers can be used....
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Reduced-cost surrogate modeling of input characteristics and design optimization of dual-band antennas using response features
PublicationIn this article, a procedure for low-cost surrogate modeling of input characteristics of dual-band antennas has been discussed. The number of training data required for construction of an accurate model has been reduced by representing the antenna reflection response to the level of suitably defined feature points. The points are allocated to capture the critical features of the reflection characteristic, such as the frequencies...
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Pose-Invariant Face Detection by Replacing Deep Neurons with Capsules for Thermal Imagery in Telemedicine
PublicationAbstract— The aim of this work was to examine the potential of thermal imaging as a cost-effective tool for convenient, non- intrusive remote monitoring of elderly people in different possible head orientations, without imposing specific behavior on users, e.g. looking toward the camera. Illumination and pose invariant head tracking is important for many medical applications as it can provide information, e.g. about vital signs, sensory...
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Pretreatment of Lignocellulosic Materials as Substrates for Fermentation Processes
PublicationLignocellulosic biomass is an abundant and renewable resource that potentially contains large amounts of energy. It is an interesting alternative for fossil fuels, allowing the production of biofuels and other organic compounds. In this paper, a review devoted to the processing of lignocellulosic materials as substrates for fermentation processes is presented. The review focuses on physical, chemical, physicochemical, enzymatic,...
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Modification of thermal and rheological characteristics of bitumen by waste PET/GTR blends
PublicationWaste poly(ethylene terephthalate) (wPET)/ground tire rubber (GTR) blends with variable compositions were applied as low-cost modifiers into bitumen and their performance has been evaluated via morphological, thermal and rheological analyses. Depending on the weight ratio of wPET/GTR, dispersion of single/composite domains of waste polymers in the bitumen has promoted the interaction between bitumen and blend components. Fourier...
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A Review of Recent Advances in Human-Motion Energy Harvesting Nanogenerators, Self-Powering Smart Sensors and Self-Charging Electronics
PublicationIn recent years, portable and wearable personal electronic devices have rapidly developed with increasing mass production and rising energy consumption, creating an energy crisis. Using batteries and supercapacitors with limited lifespans and environmental hazards drives the need to find new, environmentally friendly, and renewable sources. One idea is to harness the energy of human motion and convert it into electrical energy...
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Photonic sensor to detect rapid changes in CRP levels
PublicationOne of the most important biomarkers used to determine inflammation is C-reactive protein (CRP). Its level, when it is within the range that does not define inflammation, informs about the risk of cardiovascular events. If the norm is exceeded and inflammation is detected in the body, CRP level can increase 1000 times within a few hours. The type of infection can also be determined based on the level of elevated CRP. All this makes...
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MobileNet family tailored for Raspberry Pi
PublicationWith the advances in systems-on-a-chip technologies, there is a growing demand to deploy intelligent vision systems on low-cost microcomputers. To address this challenge, much of the recent research has focused on reducing the model size and computational complexity of contemporary convolutional neural networks (CNNs). The state-of-the-art lightweight CNN is MobileNetV3. However, it was designed to achieve a good trade-off between...
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Framework for Structural Health Monitoring of Steel Bridges by Computer Vision
PublicationThe monitoring of a structural condition of steel bridges is an important issue. Good condition of infrastructure facilities ensures the safety and economic well-being of society. At the same time, due to the continuous development, rising wealth of the society and socio-economic integration of countries, the number of infrastructural objects is growing. Therefore, there is a need to introduce an easy-to-use and relatively low-cost...
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Application of Web-GIS for Dissemination and 3D Visualization of Large-Volume LiDAR Data
PublicationThe increasing number of digital data sources, which allow for semi-automatic collection and storage of information regarding various aspects of life has recently granted a considerable rise in popularity to the term “Big data”. As far as geospatial data is concerned, one of the major sources of Big data are Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) scanners, which produce high resolution three-dimensional data on a local scale. The...
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Development of nanoscale morphology and role of viscoelastic phase separation on the properties of epoxy/recycled polyurethane blends
PublicationA novel and cost-effective approach towards the modification of epoxy matrix has been developed using recycled polyurethane for the first time without sacrificing any of the intrinsic properties of the resin. Polyurethane, recycled from waste foam by glycolysis process (RPU), was found to be very effective in improving the properties of the thermosetting resin based on Diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA). The effect of the...
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Processing, mechanical and thermal behavior assessments of polycaprolactone/agricultural wastes biocomposites
PublicationIn this paper, brewer’s spent grain (BSG) was applied as potential lignocellulose biofiller in biocompos-ites based on polycaprolactone (PCL). The PCL/BSG biocomposites filled with varying content of biofillerswere prepared via low-temperature melt-compounding. These conditions allow limiting thermal degra-dation of used biofillers during processing. The influence of biofiller content (ranging from 25 to 200parts by weight on 100...
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Influence of the Tool Rotational Speed on Physical and Chemical Properties of Dissimilar Friction-Stir-Welded AA5083/AA6060 Joints
PublicationAluminum alloys have been successfully used in the railroad and automotive industries because of their potential to significantly reduce component weights, and their good mechanical and anti-corrosion properties. Problems with joining aluminum alloys are characterized by low weldability, which influences the need for studies focused on unconventional methods. The environmentally friendly and low-cost friction-stir-welding method...
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Maximum Power Point Technique (MPPT) for PV System Based on Improved Pert and Observe (P&O) Method with PI Controller
PublicationPhotovoltaic power generation system has key rule in electricity production. Although, it is clean renewable energy with unlimited resources but it has some drawbacks in efficiency. In order to maximize the efficiency, PV array must drive at maximum power point. For the reason so, several algorithms are used in PV system to track MPP and reduce the...
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Methods for physical impairment constrained routing with selected protection in all-optical networks
PublicationIn this paper, we investigate the problem of survivable all-optical routing in WDM networks with physical impairments. One of the recent key issues in survivable optical network design refers to maximization of the ratio of routeable demands while keeping the overall network cost low. In WDM networks, this goal can be achieved by routing as many demands in all-optical way as possible. Based on the latest technical trends driven...
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N-doped mesoporous carbon nanosheets obtained by pyrolysis of a chitosan–melamine mixture for the oxygen reduction reaction in alkaline media.
PublicationBy simple thermal decomposition of low-cost precursors (chitosan, melamine) in an inert atmosphere, nitrogen-doped porous carbonaceous materials were prepared. The samples pyrolyzed at 700 C are composed of mainly mesoporous nitrogen-doped carbon nanosheets and partially graphitized carbon. The nanosheets contain a disordered area due to the strain imposed by the presence of nitrogen and/or oxygen groups in their structure. Some...
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Local-Global Space Mapping for Rapid EM-Driven Design of Compact RF Structures
PublicationIn this work, we introduce a robust and efficient technique for rapid design of compact RF circuits. Our approach exploits two-level space mapping (SM) correction of an equivalent circuit model of the structure under design. The first SM layer (local correction) is utilized to ensure good matching between the equivalent circuit and the electromagnetic model at the component level. On the other hand, the global correction allows...
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Design Space Reduction for Expedited Multi-Objective Design Optimization of Antennas in Highly-Dimensional Spaces
PublicationA surrogate-based technique for efficient multi-objective antenna optimization is discussed. Our approach exploits response surface approximation (RSA) model constructed from low-fidelity antenna model data (here, obtained through coarse-discretization electromagnetic simulations). The RSA model enables fast determination of the best available trade-offs between conflicting design goals. The cost of RSA model construction for multi-parameter...
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an intelligent image processing sensor - the algorithm and the hardware implementation
PublicationW artykule przedstawiono algorytm przeznaczony do rozpoznawania obiektów ruchomych w obrazie do celu analizy ruchu pojazdów. Algorytm został zrealizowany w układzie FPGA.Ang.: This paper describes the idea and theimplementation of the robust algorithm dedicated toextraction of moving vehicles from real-time cameraimages for the evaluation of traffic parameters, suchas the number of vehicles, their direction of movementand their...
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Microgrid Energy Management System
PublicationIn the era of rapid development of "green energy” and storage devices, microgrids implemented in line with the concept of distributed generation can be an effective form of power management. There is a need for an efficient, optimal and reliable control of the combined infrastructure. The article presents a flexible, configurable microgrid's resources control system, which executes the task of meeting the electricity demand of...
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Advanced operating methods
PublicationSelected operating methods of resistive gas sensors were presented. The methods utilize flicker noise (1/f noise), which gives additional information about ambient gas when compared with the recorded changes of DC resistance only. Methods of flicker noise measurements were outlined. Recently developed prototype gas sensors comprising golden nanoparticle functionalized with organic ligands can generate intense flicker noise induced...
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Chemical surface etching methods for ground tire rubber as sustainable approach for environmentally-friendly composites development– a review
PublicationGround tire rubber (GTR) has been used as a sustainable low-cost modifier in various composites. However, due to the hydrophobic nature of GTR, it is in compatible with most matrices and results in deterioration in both mechanical and physical properties of composites. This necessitates pre-modification of the powdered rubber to improve the interfacial bonding at the rubber-matric interface. The most common GTR modification research...
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Free-standing TiO2 nanotubes decorated with spherical nickel nanoparticles as a cost-efficient electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction
PublicationHere, we report significant activity towards the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) of spherical nickel nanoparticles (NPs) electrodeposited onto free-standing TiO2 nanotubes (TNT) via cyclic voltammetry. It has been shown that simple manipulation of processing parameters, including scan rate and number of cycles, allows for formation of the NPs in various diameters and amounts. The polarization data with respect to transmission electron...
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The effect of hybridization of fire retarded epoxy/flax-cotton fiber laminates by expanded vermiculite: Structure-property relationship study
PublicationThe study describes the hybridization of epoxy/flax-cotton (EP/FF) composites containing ammonium polyphosphate (APP) with micrometric expanded vermiculite (VMT) (1–10 wt%). The efficiency of hybridization of flame retarded epoxy/flax-cotton composites was assessed by performing static tensile and flexural strength evaluation, supplemented by impact strength measurements of the composites. Moreover, thermal and thermomechanical...
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Gelatin and gelatin/starch-based films modified with sorbitol for wound healing
PublicationGelatin-based films modified with sorbitol were produced from gelatin solution or gelatin/starch blends using a simple and low-cost solvent casting method, and subsequently, their physicochemical, mechanical, and biocompatibility properties were characterized. This work focused on developing and optimizing a biopolymeric blend to improve the pure biopolymers’ properties for potential biomedical applications such as wound dressing....
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Cascaded Buck Hybrid Interlink Converter for Multiple-Input / Multiple-Output Operation
PublicationThe provision of isolated- and non-isolated DC output voltages by Power electronics power-conditioning devices in the recent ‘green-energy-revolution’ era is on course. In this paper, a structure for multi-input multi-output(MIMO) DC–DC buck converter is proposed to generate output voltages of varying levels with fewer component-count. The DC output voltage of each of the constituting buck converters can be used independently or...
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Active Kriging-based conjugate first-order reliability method for highly efficient structural reliability analysis using resample strategy
PublicationEfficient structural reliability analysis method is crucial to solving reliability analysis of complex structural problems. High-computational cost and low-failure probability problems greatly limit the efficiency in structural reliability analysis problems, causing the safety and reliability of the structure to be questioned. In this work, a highly efficient structural reliability analysis method coupling active Kriging algorithm...
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Voltage Control of a Stand-Alone Multiphase Doubly Fed Induction Generator
PublicationThis article presents a multiphase doubly fed induction generator (MDFIG) with a dedicated and unique control algorithm in a stand-alone wind energy conversion system. The algorithm has been developed and elaborated in the case of different emergency modes. Compared with the traditional double-fed induction generator, the MDFIG has increased reliability, reduced current level per phase, and low rotor harmonic currents. The control...
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Kriging metamodels and design re‐utilization for fast parameter tuning of antenna structures
PublicationThe paper addresses the problem of computationally efficient electromagnetic (EM)‐driven design closure of antenna structures. The foundations of the presented approach are fast kriging interpolation metamodels, utilized for two purposes: (a) producing a good starting point for further parameter tuning, and (b) yielding a reasonable Jacobian matrix estimate to jump‐start the optimization procedure. The models are rendered using...
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Numerical analysis of CO2-water separation in a horizontal double T-junction
PublicationCarbon dioxide is considered one of the main factors leading to global warming. Considering the significant impacts of CO2 on climate change, various technologies have been developed in recent decades to control carbon emission, such as for example CO2 capture and storage. The developed cycle of a negative CO2 emission power plant includes some devices, out of which, separator plays an indispensable role. To this end, T-junction...
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Preparation and Properties of Thermoplastic Polyurethane Composites Filled with Powdered Buckwheat Husks
PublicationBio-based fillers for the polymer composites are still interesting from the scientific and industrial point of view, due to their low cost and renewable nature. In this work partially green composites were obtained by the mixing of thermoplastic poly(ester-urethane) with the unmodified and modified (by acetylation) grinded buckwheat husks. Obtained biocomposites were characterized in the terms of their chemical structure (FTIR),...
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Low-Power Receivers for Wireless Capacitive Coupling Transmission in 3-D-Integrated Massively Parallel CMOS Imager
PublicationThe paper presents pixel receivers for massively parallel transmission of video signal between capacitive coupled integrated circuits (ICs). The receivers meet the key requirements for massively parallel transmission, namely low-power consumption below a single μW, small area of less than 205 μm2, high sensitivity better than 160 mV, and good immunity to crosstalk. The receivers were implemented and measured in a 3-D IC (two face-to-face...
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Quasi-Global Optimization of Antenna Structures Using Principal Components and Affine Subspace-Spanned Surrogates
PublicationParametric optimization is a mandatory step in the design of contemporary antenna structures. Conceptual development can only provide rough initial designs that have to be further tuned, often extensively. Given the topological complexity of modern antennas, the design closure necessarily involves full-wave electromagnetic (EM) simulations and—in many cases—global search procedures. Both factors make antenna optimization a computationally...
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Expedited Machine-Learning-Based Global Design Optimization of Antenna Systems Using Response Features and Multi-Fidelity EM Analysis
PublicationThe design of antenna systems poses a significant challenge due to stringent per-formance requirements dictated by contemporary applications and the high com-putational costs associated with models, particularly full-wave electromagnetic (EM) analysis. Presently, EM simulation plays a crucial role in all design phases, encompassing topology development, parametric studies, and the final adjustment of antenna dimensions. The latter...
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Machine-learning-based precise cost-efficient NO2 sensor calibration by means of time series matching and global data pre-processing
PublicationAir pollution remains a considerable contemporary challenge affecting life quality, the environment, and economic well-being. It encompasses an array of pollutants—gases, particulate matter, biological molecules—emanating from sources such as vehicle emissions, industrial activities, agriculture, and natural occurrences. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a harmful gas, is particularly abundant in densely populated urban areas. Given its...
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Improved-Efficacy EM-Driven Optimization of Antenna Structures Using Adaptive Design Specifications and Variable-Resolution Models
PublicationOptimization-driven parameter tuning is an essential step in the design of antenna systems. Although in many cases it is still conducted through parametric studies, rigorous numerical methods become a necessity if truly optimum designs are sought for, and the problem intricacies (number of variables, multiple goals, constraints) make the interactive approaches insufficient. The two practical considerations of electromagnetic (EM)-driven...
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A new cold-adapted beta-D-galactosidase from the Antarctic Arthrobacter sp. 32c - gene cloning, overexpression, purification and properties
PublicationThe development of a new cold-active β-D-galactosidases and microorganisms that efficiently ferment lactose is of high biotechnological interest, particularly for lactose removal in milk and dairy products at low temperatures and for cheese whey bioremediation processes with simultaneous bio-ethanol production. In this article, we present a new β-D-galactosidase as a candidate to be applied in the above mentioned biotechnological...
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DUAL CONSTELLATION GPS/GALILEO MOBILE SYSTEM FOR IMPROVING NAVIGATION OF THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED IN AN URBAN AREA
PublicationIt is well known by users of Portable Navigation Device (PND) and other GPS-based devices that positioning suffers from (local) significant decreases of accuracy in partially obscured environments like urbanized areas, where buildings (especially high buildings), trees or terrain block large portions of the sky. In such areas, GPS receiver performance is usually deteriorated by the reduced number of currently available satellite...
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DESIGN OF THE DUAL CONSTELLATION GPS/GALILEO MOBILE DEVICE FOR IMPROVING NAVIGATION OF THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED IN AN URBAN AREA
PublicationIt is well known by users of Personal Navigation Device (PND) and other GPS-based devices that positioning suffers from (local) significant decreases of accuracy in partially obscured environments like urbanized areas, where buildings (especially high buildings), trees or terrain block large portions of the sky. In such areas, GPS receiver performance is usually deteriorated by the reduced number of currently available satellite...
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Globalized Knowledge-Based Simulation-Driven Antenna Miniaturization Using Domain-Confined Surrogates and Dimensionality Reduction
PublicationDesign of contemporary antenna systems encounters multifold challenges, one of which is a limited size. Compact antennas are indispensable for the new fields of application such as inter-net of things or 5G/6G mobile communication. Still, miniaturization generally undermines elec-trical and field performance. When attempted through numerical optimization, it turns into a constrained problem with costly constraints requiring electromagnetic...
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User Authentication by Eye Movement Features Employing SVM and XGBoost Classifiers
PublicationDevices capable of tracking the user’s gaze have become significantly more affordable over the past few years, thus broadening their application, including in-home and office computers and various customer service equipment. Although such devices have comparatively low operating frequencies and limited resolution, they are sufficient to supplement or replace classic input interfaces, such as the keyboard and mouse. The biometric...
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Effect of Surface Treatment of Halloysite Nanotubes (HNTs) on the Kinetics of Epoxy Resin Cure with Amines
PublicationThe epoxy/clay nanocomposites have been extensively considered over years because of their low cost and excellent performance. Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) are unique 1D natural nanofillers with a hollow tubular shape and high aspect ratio. To tackle poor dispersion of the pristine halloysite (P-HNT) in the epoxy matrix, alkali surface-treated HNT (A-HNT) and epoxy silane functionalized HNT (F-HNT) were developed and cured with...
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Fast tolerance-aware design optimization of miniaturized microstrip couplers using variable-fidelity EM simulations and re-sponse features
PublicationManufacturing tolerances and other types of uncertainties may considerably affect operation and performance of microwave components and systems. Quantification of these effects is therefore an important part of the design process. It is even more important to obtain designs whose sensitivity to parameter deviations is reduced as much as possible. All of these require statistical analysis carried out at the level of electromagnetic...
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Predicting Performance of Lightweight Concrete with Granulated Expanded Glass and Ash Aggregate by Means of Using Artificial Neural Networks
PublicationLightweight concrete (LWC) is a group of cement composites of the defined physical, mechanical, and chemical performance. The methods of designing the composition of LWC with the assumed density and compressive strength are used most commonly. The purpose of using LWC is the reduction of the structure’s weight, as well as the reduction of thermal conductivity index. The highest possible strength, durability and low thermal conductivity...
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Novel Complementary Resonator for Dielectric Characterization of Substrates Based on Permittivity and Thickness
PublicationThis paper presents a novel complementary resonator featuring high sensitivity, low fabrication cost, and improved performance. The proposed structure consists of a complementary concentric square and circular ring resonator (CCSCRR) with multiple splits to enhance the inductance of the resonator. The proposed CCSCRR is coupled to a microstrip transmission line with an impedance of fifty ohms to create a high-sensitivity sensor....
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Nanostructure of the laser-modified transition metal nanocomposites for water splitting
PublicationAlthough hydrogen is considered by many to be the green fuel of the future, nowadays it is primarily produced through steam reforming, which is a process far from ecological. Therefore, emphasis is being put on the development of electrodes capable of the efficient production of hydrogen and oxygen from water. To make the green alternative possible, the solution should be cost-efficient and well processable, generating less waste...