A virtual environment for the simulation of 3D wood strands in multiple view systems for the particle size measurements

In this paper, we present a complete virtual environment for the computation of synthetic three-dimensional samples representing free falling wood strands. The proposed method permits to simulate acquisitions performed by real multiple view setups in which the stream of strands falling out of a conveyor belt is analyzed with image processing techniques in order to compute the particle size distribution. Unfortunately, experiments in real time applications are complex and expensive, and the ground true is almost impossible to measure in such conditions. The creation of a metric and fully virtual environment of falling wood strands represent a key feature in order to properly design the illuminotecnic and optical setups, optimize the image processing methods as well as the three- dimensional reconstruction techniques, using controlled and fully repeatable virtual image datasets

Microscopic study of RNA-lipoplex-mediated cell targeting using 2D and 3D models

Advanced mRNA therapeutics are not only emerging as vaccines, but are also being investigated for cancer therapy. The purpose of RNA lipoplexes (lipid nanoparticle-based RNA therapeutics) in tumor immunotherapy is to encode tumor-associated antigens and deliver this information to antigen-presenting cells (APCs). Besides the systemic application of RNA-LPX with the intention of targeting APCs in organs of the lymphatic system such as the spleen or lymph nodes, local applications in the direct tumor environment are also being studied. The presented work describes the cell targeting of an RNA-lipoplex based therapeutic in different modalities. The focus is placed on in vitro and in vivo studies that reflect direct as well as systemic application. For data acquisition, microscopic analyses were used with a special focus on 3D microscopy. The studies revealed varying colocalizations with different cell types in the different study models. In the described in vitro melanoma model, different cell type specific RNA reporter expression could be observed in classical 2D cell culture as well as in 3D mono and cocultures. The 2D cell cultures indicated an increased expression in the coculture compared to monocultures. In 3D monocultures, increased eGFP (RNA reporter) signal was detected in the SK-MEL 28 cells. In the 3D coculture system, a distribution within the spheroid could be depicted, where in addition to the CK 14 (basal keratinocytes) positive cells localised in the rim area, also eGFP was expressed in the spheroid nucleus. Due to its central role in the secondary lymphatic system, the spleen was analysed as a target organ for systemic application, both in conventional 2D sections and in 3D whole mounts. Based on the results of the 2D sections, we found that both CD11c positive and CD169 positive cells show strong colocalizations with the RNA reporter signal. However, among APCs an increased colocalizations with CD169 positive cells could be detected. For a comparison between classical 2D analyses and state-of-the-art 3D analyses, different techniques were tested and a method was adapted to the special requirements of the target organ (spleen) and the detection of eGFP (RNA reporter). These studies have provided important insights into the strength of the tested tissue clearing techniques. Furthermore, colocalization between eGFP and CD169-positive cells in 3D provided a first insight into quantitative analyses like those from 2D tissue sections. The described method can be implemented using standard tools and thereby opens the way for future 3D studies of lipid nanoparticle-based RNA therapeutics

Application of Wood Composites

This Special Issue "Application of Wood Composites" addresses various aspects of these important wood materials’ use. Topics include the mechanical processing of wood composites, including their cutting, milling, or sanding, incorporating current analysis of wood dust or grain size measurements and the composition of particles; scientific views on the influence of various adhesives in the creation process of wood composites and the analysis of their behavior in contact with various wood elements under different conditions; the analysis of input raw materials forming wood composites, including various wood species, but also non-wood lignocellulosic raw materials; and, last but not least, the analysis of bark, which in recent years has become an important and promising raw material involved in the construction of wood composites. The study of the development of the sliding table saw also suitably complements this Special Issue

OCM 2023 - Optical Characterization of Materials : Conference Proceedings

The state of the art in the optical characterization of materials is advancing rapidly. New insights have been gained into the theoretical foundations of this research and exciting developments have been made in practice, driven by new applications and innovative sensor technologies that are constantly evolving. The great success of past conferences proves the necessity of a platform for presentation, discussion and evaluation of the latest research results in this interdisciplinary field

European Union Timber Regulation Impact on International Timber Markets

The trade of illegal timber, often from illegal logging, has severe environmental, social and economic consequences. The EU’s response to this problem came with the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan, with its specific goal to end illegal logging, thereby improving sustainability of forest resources. In March 2013, an additional step was taken by implementing the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR). The EUTR requires proof of timber’s origin and legality to ensure that no illegal timber is imported into the EU. To this end the EU intends to block imports of any wood or wood product which comes from unknown sources. Certification of sustainable forest management will help EU importers minimize risk, which is an essential part of their required due diligence system. Monitoring organizations are established to assist trade associations and businesses to construct comprehensive due diligence systems. National competent authorities are designated to follow the trade of the new FLEGT-licensed timber and timber products. In the first year of the EUTR there are positive impacts, of which the most important is awareness of the disastrous situation with illegal logging, driven by exports of illegal timber. Another positive development is tropical timber exporters documenting the legality of their wood exports. Yet another positive feature is establishment of due diligence systems by EU importers. However, there are considerable problems for ensuring legal trade; for example the lack of comprehensive documentation of origin and legality. Analysis of recent trends establishes changes in the European timber trade in terms of sourcing, substitution, diversion to less-demanding countries. Short-term forecasts of market trends and changes will enable further policy assessment to achieve the objectives of improved legality in international timber markets.JRC.H.3-Forest Resources and Climat

Embellishing, engraving materials using laser technology to create innovative surfaces for recycled and sustainable materials

This research originated as a budgeting issue in education and a concern for the growing abandonment of the Earth’s resources through discarding materials and high energy consumption. The waste of valuable potential recyclable materials such as polymers forms the underlying body of the research. The research recognised a need for sustainable materials to be manufactured therfore experimentation of combining waste polymer products with laser re-surfacing process was investigated. Suitable materials and laser embellished products were examined through research-led experiments for sustainable use in education. An analysis of recycling processes plus environmental impacts of polymer products that end up in a landfill informed the research of what could be reinvented into new products. This work contributes to knowledge by documenting the versatility of polymers as a remouldable material as well as the possibilities of using high powered lasers to etch complicated designs on the surface. To encourage designers to view plastic as an alternative useful material for textile design. This thesis identifies possible existing gaps and tries to bridge the divide between students, practitioners and designers. The research identifies the need for designers to further develop technology processes as well as considering the impacts of their decisions for the Earth. It also, investigates the possibilities of mass production and limitations of the laser processes as a design tool for practitioners. The work also demonstrates the journey of the different materials through processes, moreover, how the laser interacts with each material and the constraints, hazards to both life and the environment

Evaluating the Validity and Reliability of Textile and Paper Fracture Characteristics in Forensic Comparative Analysis

In a comparative forensic analysis, an examiner can report that a physical fit exists between two torn or separated items when they realign in a manner unlikely to be replicated. Due to the common belief that it is unlikely that two unrelated fractured objects would match with distinctive characteristics, a physical fit represents the highest degree of association between two items. Nonetheless, despite the probative value that this evidence could have to a trier of fact, few studies have demonstrated such assumptions\u27 scientific validity and reliability. Moreover, there is a lack of consensus-based standard protocols for physical fit comparisons, making it difficult to demonstrate the basis for the features that constitute a “fit.” Since these analyses rely entirely on human judgment, they are highly subjective, which could be problematic in the absence of harmonized examination and interpretation criteria protocols. As a result, organizations like the National Institute of Justice and NIST-OSAC have identified the need for developing standardized methods and assessing potential error sources in this field. This research aims to address these gaps as applied to physical fits of textiles and paper. Here, standard criteria and prominent features for each material are defined to conduct physical fit examinations in a more reproducible manner. Additionally, a quantitative metric is used to quantify what constitutes a physical fit when conducting comparative analyses of textiles and paper, further increasing the validity and reliability of this methodology and providing a manner of assessing the weight of this evidence when presented in the courtroom. The first aim of this research involved the development of an objective and systematic method of quantifying the similarity between fractured textile samples. This was done by identifying relevant macroscopic and microscopic characteristics in the comparative analysis of a fractured textile dataset. Additionally, factors that affect the suitability of certain types of textiles for physical fit analysis were evaluated. Finally, the systematic score metric was implemented to quantify and document the quality of a physical fit and estimate error rates. The second objective of this study consisted of establishing the scientific foundations of individuality concerning the orientation of microfibers in fractured paper edges. In comparative analysis of paper, it is assumed that the microfibers deposited across the surface of paper are randomly oriented, a key feature for addressing the individuality of paper physical fits. However, this hypothesis has not been tested. This research evaluated the rarity and occurrence of microfiber alignments on fractured documents. It also quantified the comparative features of scissor-cut and hand-torn paper and the respective performance rates. Finally, the comparative analysis of textile and paper physical fits was validated through ground truth datasets and inter-examiner and intra-examiner variability studies. A ground truth blind dataset of known fits and known non-fits was created for 700 textile samples with various fiber types, weave patterns, and separation methods. Also, a set of 260 paper items, including 100 stamps and 160 office paper samples, were examined. The paper specimens contained handwritten or printed entries on two paper types and were separated by scissor-cut or hand-torn methods. This proposed research provides the criminal justice system with a valuable body of knowledge and a more objective and methodical assessment of the evidential value of physical fits of textiles, paper, and postage stamps

The question concerning the sustaining support of digital objects

This is a text printed on paper. I have written it using a computer.You might read this text in re-digitalized form, as a PDF file. In this case, you see it as the image of the document it became; it exists as a picture of itself. The pages in a PDF-file are not tangible (Gittelman, Paper Knowledge 114ff). However, if you are indeed reading this text in digital form, there will have to be some tangible thing making you see the image of this document. Some thing is functioning as an interface right now. Although I do not know exactly what this thing is, I know for certain that there is something here, slipping your mind as you read this text. This knowledge and this slipping away is what this thesis is about. This thesis aims to question the sustaining support of digital objects. I try to challenge the habitualization towards digital devices, the forgetting of the physical interface that leads to the supposition of digital immateriality, by making the com- puter apparent as an absurd thing that escapes language. Leaning on Heidegger’s »Question Concerning Technology« and Mel Bochner’s mural stating that »No Thought Exists Without a Sustaining Support«, I seek to position myself among these strange and aloof digital things and their effects. I attempt to encircle the ungraspable realm of the computer’s black box by explicating its formal material (Kirschenbaum), which results from the fundamentally irresolvable tension between the metaphysical idea of the Turing machine and the worldly stuff that embodies and performs it. First, I approach this stuff through language. I introduce three metaphors to compare the computer to other worldly things: ruins (considering the existence of the machine, its resting body, and the expectations and promises it entails), vessels (thinking about its function), and windows (reflecting the notion of digital transparency and contingency). Then, I verbally enter the computer, contemplating how its mechanism depends on an act of inscription, a physical in-formation of material, and how its effects can therefore also be understood as writing, as embodied information. However as computing has become ubiquitous, seamless and powerful enough to super- sede the speed of thinking (Kittler S), it has become increasingly difficult, if not impossible, to phenomenologically grasp any friction resulting from this embodiment in the workings of the machines as they operate. In my practice, I physically grapple with this highly evasive body of digital media. Building on the metaphors and terminology I establish, and looking for comparisons between Bochner’s post-conceptual sensibility and post-digital ideas, I aim to evoke the things on which I rely but that lie outside of language: I attempt 3 4 blank with a knowing futility to (re-)insert myself in the processes of digital translation. I slow the effects of the computer down, I empty out its already silent interfaces, aiming to re-present it. I constellate and associate pieces of work, suggesting a grammar rather than a narrative, in order to listen to the »language of things« (Benjamin)