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The effect of external load on ultrasonic wave attenuation in steel bars under bending stresses
PublicationThe stress state in deformed solids has a significant impact on the attenuation of an ultrasonic wave propagating through the medium. Measuring a signal with certain attenuation characteristics can therefore provide useful diagnostic information about the stress state in the structure. In this work, basic principles behind a novel attenuation-based diagnostic framework are introduced. An experimental study on steel bars under three-point...
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Stochastic optimisation algorithm for optimisation of controller parameters for control of dissolved oxygen in wastewater treatment plant
PublicationWastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are very important facilities for mankind. They enable the removal and neutralisation of man-made pollutants. Therefore, it is important for wastewater treatment plants to operate as efficiently as possible so that the level of pollutants in the treated wastewater meets specific requirements. This paper concerns the design of a hierarchical nonlinear adaptive control system for dissolved oxygen...
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Comparative wear test of journal sliding bearings with sintered bronze and Babbitt alloy bushes lubricated by environmentally acceptable/adapted lubricants (EAL)
PublicationA growing awareness of the negative effects of mineral oils on the natural environment has resulted in the introduction of new regulations related to environmental protection. One of these regulations requires the use of environmentally acceptable/adapted lubricants (EAL) to lubricate marine main shaft bearings, in place of the mineral lubricating oils that have been used for decades. Classification Societies, which supervise...
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Analysis of the effect of the seismic gap on the response of buildings experiencing pounding during earthquakes
PublicationThe aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of the seismic gap on the dynamic response of buildings experiencing earthquake-induced pounding. Three buildings have been analysed, which are 5-storey, 7-storey and 9-storey structures. Three possible pounding scenarios have been considered, which are pounding between 5-storey and 7-storey buildings, pounding between 5-storey and 9-storey buildings and pounding between 7-storey...
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Influence of geometrical and operational parameters on tooth wear in the working mechanism of a satellite motor
PublicationThis article describes the phenomena affecting the wear of the rotor of the working mechanism in a hydraulic satellite motor. The basic geometrical relationships that allow the calculation of the coordinates of the points of contact between the satellite and the rotor and the curvature are presented. A method for calculating the number of contacts of the satellite teeth with the rotor teeth and of the satellite teeth with the curvature...
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Genetic Hybrid Predictive Controller for Optimized Dissolved-Oxygen Tracking at Lower Control Level
PublicationA hierarchical two-level controller for dissolvedoxygenreference trajectory tracking in activated sludge processeshas been recently developed and successfully validated on a realwastewater treatment plant. The upper level control unit generatestrajectories of the desired airflows to be delivered by theaeration system to the aerobic zones of the biological reactor. Anonlinear model predictive control algorithm is applied to designthis...
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Embedded system using Bluetooth Low Energy sensors for smart farming applications
PublicationThe main goal of this Bachelor of Engineering project titled Embedded system using Bluetooth Low Energy sensors for smart farming applications is to create a prototype of a system consistent with Agriculture 4.0 concept using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology. Developed solution shall be easy in implementation and its main functionality shall be periodic gathering of data from environmental sensors...
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Selektywne chłodzenie mózgu noworodka po niedotlenieniu okołoporodowym. Cześć 3. Hybrydowy system selektywnego chłodzenia mózgu noworodka
PublicationZapoczątkowane brakiem tlenu procesy biochemiczne mają zgubne skutki dla układu nerwowego, w szczególności rozwijającego się. Hipotermia, czyli stan oziębienia poniżej pewnych wartości temperatur, spowalnia znacznie lub całkowicie wyhamowuje poszczególne reakcje, i to leży u podstaw jej własności neuroprotekcyjnych. Powyższe twierdzenie poparte licznymi faktami naukowymi leży u podstaw koncepcji selektywnego chłodzenia mózgu i...
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Al-Kindi’s “The Real One”: Considerations of a mathematician or of a metaphysician?
PublicationThe aim of the article is to analyze Al-Kindi’s concept of the True (Essential) One and certain additional issues, also taking into account the influence on his position from both classical philosophy and source texts of Islam. In the opening part of the article, Al-Kindi’s innovative approach to the application of mathematics in research in other areas of knowledge is discussed. In the next part,...
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Computing algebraic transfer entropy and coupling directions via transcripts
PublicationMost random processes studied in nonlinear time series analysis take values on sets endowed with a group structure, e.g., the real and rational numbers, and the integers. This fact allows to associate with each pair of group elements a third element, called their transcript, which is defined as the product of the second element in the pair times the first one. The transfer entropy of two such processes is called algebraic transfer...
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Changing patterns in export of goods versus international competitiveness. A comparative analysis for Central-East European countries in the period 2000-2011.
PublicationThis paper discusses the existing links between changing patterns in the export of goods, broken down by technology-intensity, versus intrenational competitiveness. The study covers nine Central-East European (CEE) economies: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and the Slovak Republic, in the time span 2000-2011. We examine the hypothesis of a strong, positive and statistically significant...
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Finite-element analysis of a base-isolated multi-storey steel building under seismic motions
PublicationNumerical simulation of the seismic behaviour of a multi-storey steel building, both fixed-base and base-isolated, under the 1940 El Centro earthquake was performed in this paper. The analyzed 4-storey building was decoupled from the shaking ground with the Polymeric Bearings, which can be considered a proposal of a new seismic isolation system. It consists of rectangular-shaped blocks made of a specially prepared flexible polymeric...
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AN ORIGINAL APPROACH IN THE FIELD OF PREPARATION REFERENCE MATERIALS OF VOLATILE ANALYTES
PublicationStandard gas mixtures (SGM) are indispensable reference materials for ensuring the reliability of analytical work. Reference materials are an excellent tool for the quality control and assurance of analytical results. Standard gas mixtures are unique among reference materials. The rapid progress of SGM production is connected with the instability of gaseous analytes which make them difficult to obtain. The use of standards with...
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Analytical Steady-State Model of the Pipeline Flow Process
PublicationThe paper addresses the issue of modeling the flow process in transmission pipelines. A base model used for numerical simulation is introduced. Under certain assumptions concerning steady state analysis, the differential equations describing the process are solved analytically for two cases: zero and nonzero inclination angle α. These equations describe a constant flow rate and a corresponding distribution of the pressure along...
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Wave Frequency Effects on Damage Imaging in Adhesive Joints Using Lamb Waves and RMS
PublicationStructural adhesive joints have numerous applications in many fields of industry. The gradual deterioration of adhesive material over time causes a possibility of unexpected failure and the need for non-destructive testing of existing joints. The Lamb wave propagation method is one of the most promising techniques for the damage identification of such connections. The aim of this study was experimental and numerical research on...
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Nitrogen mass balance and mathematical model of a Structured- Bed Reactor (SBRRIA)
PublicationAn up-flow structured-bed reactor subjected to recirculation and intermittent aeration (SBRRIA) was operated under varying influent conditions. The influent COD/N ratio was adjusted by maintaining a stable organic loading rate (average of 1.07 kgCOD m-3 d-1) and changing the nitrogen loading rate from 0.1 to 0.4 kg N m-3. Therefore, three different COD/N ratios were tested: 9.7±1 (Scenario 1); 7.6±1 (Scenario 2) and 2.9±1 (Scenario...
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A Task-Scheduling Approach for Efficient Sparse Symmetric Matrix-Vector Multiplication on a GPU
PublicationIn this paper, a task-scheduling approach to efficiently calculating sparse symmetric matrix-vector products and designed to run on Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) is presented. The main premise is that, for many sparse symmetric matrices occurring in common applications, it is possible to obtain significant reductions in memory usage and improvements in performance when the matrix is prepared in certain ways prior to computation....
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The Effect of Fly Ash Microspheres on the Pore Structure of Concrete
PublicationThe fly ash microspheres (FAMs) formed during the mineral transformation stage in coal combustion are hollow spherical particles with a density less than water. This paper presents the results of X‐ray micro‐computed tomography and an automatic image analysis system of the porosity in the structure of hardened concrete with microspheres. Concrete mixtures with ordinary Portland cement and two substitution rates of cement by microspheres—5%...
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Application of Analytic Signal and Smooth Interpolation in Pulse Width Modulation for Conventional Matrix Converters
PublicationThe paper proposes an alternative and novel approach to the PWM duty cycles computation for Conventional Matrix Converters (CMC) fed by balanced, unbalanced or non–sinusoidal AC voltage sources. The presented solution simplifies the prototyping of direct modulation algorithms. PWM duty cycles are calculated faster by the smooth interpolation technique, using only vector coordinates, without trigonometric functions and angles. Both...
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Structural, functional, and stability change predictions in human telomerase upon specific point mutations,
PublicationOverexpression of telomerase is one of the hallmarks of human cancer. Telomerase is important for maintaining the integrity of the ends of chromosomes, which are called telomeres. A growing number of human disease syndromes are associated with organ failure caused by mutations in telomerase (hTERT or hTR). Mutations in telomerase lead to telomere shortening by decreasing the stability of the telomerase complex, reducing its accumulation,...
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Analysis of air mass back trajectories with present and historical volcanic activity and anthropogenic compounds to infer pollution sources in the South Shetland Islands (Antarctica)
PublicationThis work analyses atmospheric transport of natural and anthropogenic pollution to the South Shetland Islands (SSI), with particular reference to the period September 2015 – August 2017. Based on data from the Global Volcanism Program database and air mass back trajectories calculated using the HySPLIT model, it was found that it is possible that in the analysed period volcanic pollution was supplied via long-range transport from...
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Comparing traffic intensity estimates employing passive acoustic radar and microwave Doppler radar sensor
PublicationThe purpose of our applied research project is to develop an autonomous road sign with built-in radar devices of our design. In this paper, we show that it is possible to calibrate the acoustic vector sensor so that it can be used to measure traffic volume and count the vehicles involved in the traffic through the analysis of the noise emitted by them. Signals obtained from a Doppler radar are used as a reference source. Although...
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Evaluating the antibacterial activity of muramyl dipeptide derivatives, retro-tuftsin derivatives, and anthraquinone oligopeptides against a range of pathogenic bacteria
PublicationSearch for new and efficient antibiotic is crucial because of microbial drug resistance and problems with side effects of the administered medication. In this study, we evaluate the in vitro microbiological activity of muramyl dipeptide derivatives, retro-tuftsin derivatives (i.e., tuftsin with reversed amino acid sequences), and combinations of retro-tuftsin derivatives with substituted anthraquinones. The potency of the investigated...
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Topical delivery of pharmaceutical and cosmetic macromolecules using microemulsion systems
PublicationMicroemulsions are transparent, thermodynamically stable colloidal systems. Over the recent years, they have been increasingly investigated due to their potential as skin delivery vehicles for a wide range of drug molecules. The nanoscale particle size and the specificity of microemulsion components are the main features determining the skin permeation process. However, in order to effectively cross the skin barrier, the active...
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What should we know when choosing feather, blood, egg or preen oil as biological samples for contaminants detection? A non-lethal approach to bird sampling for PCBs, OCPs, PBDEs and PFASs
PublicationBirds are considered as good bio-monitors and they can provide highly valuable data about the level of contamination in their habitat. During the design of biomonitoring studies one of the first issues after choosing species is the choice of biological material. Non-lethally collected samples have recently been gaining greater attention as they offer several ethical and practical advantages. However, not all sample matrices are...
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Size effect at aggregate level in microCT scans and DEM simulation – Splitting tensile test of concrete
PublicationThe paper describes an experimental and numerical study of size effect on concrete cylindrical specimens in splitting tensile test. Own experimental campaign was performed on specimens with 5 various diameters from D = 74, 105, 150, 192 and 250 mm with hardboard loading strips (distributed load according to standard methods) scaled proportionally to the specimen diameter. The crack opening-control system was applied to obtain the...
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POLISH PUBLISHERS OPEN ACCESS POLICIES DATABASE - FUNCTIONALITIES AND ROLE IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF OPENNESS POLICIES
PublicationThe aim of the article is to present a base of Polish Publishers Open Access Policies as a tool supporting the scientific community in the implementation of openness policies. It is the first national platform to gather and analyze a publishing policy in the field of Open Access to Polish scientific journals. For scientists, it is a tool for searching for a Polish journal meeting certain criteria. It enables grant recipients to...
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Automatic Singing Voice Recognition EmployingNeural Networks and Rough Sets
PublicationCelem badań jest automatyczne rozpoznawanie głosów śpiewaczych w kategorii rodzaju i jakości technicznej śpiewu. W artykule opisano stworzoną bazę danych głosów, która zawiera próbki głosu śpiewaków profesjonalnych i amatorskich. W dalszej części opisano parametry zdefiniowane w oparciu o zjawiska biomechaniczne w narządzie głosu podczas śpiewania. W oparciu o stworzone macierze parametrów wytrenowano i porównano automatyczne klasyfikatory...
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Mathematical Models of Control Systems of Angular Speed of Steam Turbines for Diagnostic Tests of Automatic and Mechatronic Devices
PublicationAccurate modeling of physical processes of many automatics and mechatronics systems is often necessity. In power system such a process is control of angular velocity of power objects during connection to operation in parallel. This process is extremely dynamic. For this reason response of control system depends from changes of many physical parameters (temperature, pressure and flow of the medium, etc.). Precision modeling influences...
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Energy-Efficient Self-Supervised Technique to Identify Abnormal User Over 5G Network for E-Commerce
PublicationWithin the realm of e-commerce networks, it is frequently observed that certain users exhibit behavior patterns that differ substantially from the normative behaviors exhibited by the majority of users. The identification of these atypical individuals and the understanding of their behavioral patterns are of significant practical significance in maintaining order on e-commerce platforms. One such method for accomplishing this...
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On the origin of surfaces-dependent growth of benzoic acid crystal inferred through the droplet evaporation method
PublicationCrystal growth behavior of benzoic acid crystals on different surfaces was examined. The performed experiments documented the existence of very strong influence introduced by polar surfaces as glass, gelatin, and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) on the growth of benzoic acid crystals. These surfaces impose strong orientation effect resulting in a dramatic reduction of number of faces seen with x-ray powder diffractions (XPRD). However,...
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On the origin of surfaces-dependent growth of benzoic acid crystal inferred through the droplet evaporation method
PublicationCrystal growth behavior of benzoic acid crystals on different surfaces was examined. The performed experiments documented the existence of very strong influence introduced by polar surfaces as glass, gelatin, and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) on the growth of benzoic acid crystals. These surfaces impose strong orientation effect resulting in a dramatic reduction of number of faces seen with x-ray powder diffractions (XPRD). However,...
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On the origin of surfaces-dependent growth of benzoic acid crystal inferred through the droplet evaporation method
PublicationCrystal growth behavior of benzoic acid crystals on different surfaces was examined. The performed experiments documented the existence of very strong influence introduced by polar surfaces as glass, gelatin, and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) on the growth of benzoic acid crystals. These surfaces impose strong orientation effect resulting in a dramatic reduction of number of faces seen with x-ray powder diffractions (XPRD). However,...
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Applications of semi-definite optimization in quantum information protocols
PublicationThis work is concerned with the issue of applications of the semi-definite programming (SDP) in the field of quantum information sci- ence. Our results of the analysis of certain quantum information protocols using this optimization technique are presented, and an implementation of a relevant numerical tool is introduced. The key method used is NPA discovered by Navascues et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 010401 (2007)]. In chapter...
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Numerical analysis of elastic wave propagation in unbounded structures
PublicationThe main objective of this paper is to show the effectiveness and usefulness of the concept of an absorbing layer with increasing damping (ALID) in numerical investigations of elastic wave propagation in unbounded engineering structures. This has been achieved by the authors by a careful investigation of three different types of structures characterised by gradually increasing geometrical and mathematical description complexities....
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Effective method for determining environmental loads on supporting structures for offshore wind turbines
PublicationThis paper presents a description of an effective method for determining loads due to waves and current acting on the supporting structures of the offshore wind turbines. This method is dedicated to the structures consisting of the cylindrical or conical elements as well as (truncates) pyramids of polygon with a large number of sides (8 or more). The presented computational method is based on the Morison equation, which was originally...
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Biological hazards in low noise, poroelastic road surfaces
PublicationDrainage pavements as well as poroelastic pavements ("PERS") are a very efficient way to decrease traffic noise by reducing tire/road noise at the source as well as noise propagation over the road surface. Many noise generating mechanisms at the tire/road interface are very much reduced by road porosity (pipe resonance, "air pumping", Helmholtz resonance and the horn effect). A well-designed porous or poroelastic road surface may...
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Acoustic lifecycle study of the double-layer porous asphalt on E4 in Huskvarna, Sweden
PublicationIn 2010 a double-layer porous asphalt concrete (DPAC) pavement was constructed on the E4 motorway through the Swedish city Huskvarna. Earlier experience in Sweden indicated that it was feasible to obtain a high initial noise reduction but due to the widespread use of studded tires in winter, clogging and ravelling created losses of around 2 dB per year, with an expected acoustical lifetime of only 3 years. However, the improved...
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Effective method for determining environmental loads on supporting structures for offshore wind turbines
PublicationThis paper presents a description of an effective method for determining loads due to waves, current and wind acting on the supporting structures of the offshore wind turbines. This method is dedicated to the structures consisting of the cylindrical or conical elements as well as (truncates) pyramids of polygon with a large number of sides (8 or more). The presented computational method is based on the Morison equation, which was...
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The Analysis of Overall Ship Fuel Consumption in Acceleration Manoeuvre using Hull-Propeller-Engine Interaction Principles and Governor Features
PublicationThe problem of reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in shipping is currently addressed by many research works and related industries. There are many existing and visionary technologies and ideas, which are conceptually defined or practically realised. This goal can be achieved in different ways, and reducing fuel consumption is one of the major methods. In these circumstances, the aim of this study is to analyse the possibility...
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Arithmetic Loophole in Bell's Theorem: Overlooked Threat to Entangled-State Quantum Cryptography
PublicationBell’s theorem is supposed to exclude all local hidden-variable models of quantum correlations. However,an explicit counterexample shows that a new class of local realistic models, based on generalized arith-metic and calculus, can exactly reconstruct rotationally symmetric quantum probabilities typical oftwo-electron singlet states. Observable probabilities are consistent with the usual arithmetic employedby macroscopic observers...
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THE COST ANALYSIS OF CORROSION PROTECTION SOLUTIONS FOR STEEL COMPONENTS IN TERMS OF THE OBJECT LIFE CYCLE COST
PublicationSteel materials, due to their numerous advantages - high availability, easiness of processing and possibility of almost any shaping are commonly applied in construction for carrying out basic carrier systems and auxiliary structures. However, the major disadvantage of this material is its high corrosion susceptibility, which depends strictly on the local conditions of the facility and the applied type of corrosion protection system....
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Determination of Selected Metals in Fruit Wines by Spectroscopic Techniques
PublicationThe determination of metals in different types of food and beverages samples has drawn significant attention due to several reasons with the most important one being the nutritional and toxic effects of these elements or their compounds. The knowledge of certain elements content in wines/fruit wines is of special interest due to their toxicity in case of excessive intake and also the effect they seem to have on the organoleptic...
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Minimizing Distribution and Data Loading Overheads in Parallel Training of DNN Acoustic Models with Frequent Parameter Averaging
PublicationIn the paper we investigate the performance of parallel deep neural network training with parameter averaging for acoustic modeling in Kaldi, a popular automatic speech recognition toolkit. We describe experiments based on training a recurrent neural network with 4 layers of 800 LSTM hidden states on a 100-hour corpora of annotated Polish speech data. We propose a MPI-based modification of the training program which minimizes the...
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Polymer journal bearings behaviour research under limited lubrication and cooling conditions conducted on high torque test rig
PublicationPolymer journal bearings are frequently used as a water-lubricated bearings of small marine units’ propeller shafts . Choice of these bearings is based on their simple construction and relatively low purchase and maintenance costs. Although properly designed and installed water lubricated bearings may well last for over a decade, rapid wear or failure of these bearings can be observed...
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Preferences of the Facade Composition in the Context of Its Regularity and Irregularity
PublicationAbstract: The aim of this study is to determine the preferences of Polish society towards building facades depending on the degree of the composition regularity of the facade elements. The subject matter is inspired by the authors’ observations in relation to the current architectural trends. The purposefulness of the conducted research results from several issues. Firstly, the reports of psychology and neurosciences clearly indicate...
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A Numerical Study on Baseline-Free Damage Detection Using Frequency Steerable Acoustic Transducers
PublicationIn structural health monitoring (SHM) a considerable amount of damage detection algorithms based on guided waves (GW) have been developed. Most of them rely on extensive transducer networks, besides preliminary reference measurements of the structures. This originated a growing demand for hardware simplification and cost reduction of the wave-based SHM methods, driving the conception of new solutions enabling both: the reduction...
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IgG Avidity Test as a Tool for Discrimination between Recent and Distant Toxoplasma gondii Infection—Current Status of Studies
PublicationToxoplasma gondii, an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite, is the causative agent of one of the most prevalent zoonoses worldwide. T. gondii infection is extremely important from a medical point of view, especially for pregnant women, newborns with congenital infections, and immunocompromised individuals. Thus, an accurate and proper diagnosis of this infection is essential. Among the available diagnostic tests, serology...
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Privacy-Preserving, Scalable Blockchain-Based Solution for Monitoring Industrial Infrastructure in the Near Real-Time
PublicationThis paper proposes an improved monitoring and measuring system dedicated to industrial infrastructure. Our model achieves security of data by incorporating cryptographical methods and near real-time access by the use of virtual tree structure over records. The currently available blockchain networks are not very well adapted to tasks related to the continuous monitoring of the parameters of industrial installations. In the database...
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Enhancing seismic performance of steel buildings having semi-rigid connection with infill masonry walls considering soil type effects
PublicationUnpreventable constructional defects are the main issues in the case of steel Moment-Resisting Frames (MRFs) that mostly occur in the rigidities of beam-to-column connections. The present article aims to investigate the effects of different rigidities of structures and to propose Infill Masonry Walls (IMWs) as retrofitting strategy for the steel damaged buildings. A fault or failure to meet a certain consideration of the soil type...