Low-cost sensors accuracy study and enhancement strategy

Today, low-cost sensors in various civil engineering sectors are gaining the attention of researchers due to their reduced production cost and their applicability to multiple nodes. Low-cost sensors also have the advantage of easily connecting to low-cost microcontrollers such as Arduino. A low-cost, reliable acquisition system based on Arduino technology can further reduce the price of data acquisition and monitoring, which can make long-term monitoring possible. This paper introduces a wireless Internet-based low-cost data acquisition system consisting of Raspberry Pi and several Arduinos as signal conditioners. This study investigates the beneficial impact of similar sensor combinations, aiming to improve the overall accuracy of several sensors with an unknown accuracy range. The paper then describes an experiment that gives valuable information about the standard deviation, distribution functions, and error level of various individual low-cost sensors under different environmental circumstances. Unfortunately, these data are usually missing and sometimes assumed in numerical studies targeting the development of structural system identification methods. A measuring device consisting of a total of 75 contactless ranging sensors connected to two microcontrollers (Arduinos) was designed to study the similar sensor combination theory and present the standard deviation and distribution functions. The 75 sensors include: 25 units of HC-SR04 (analog), 25 units of VL53L0X, and 25 units of VL53L1X (digital).The authors are indebted to the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness for the funding provided through the research project BIA2017-86811-C2-1-R, directed by José Turmo, and BIA2017-86811-C2-2-R, directed by Jose Antonio Lozano-Galant. All these projects are funded with FEDER funds. Authors are also indebted to the Secretaria d’ Universitats i Recerca de la Generalitat de Catalunya, Catalunya, Spain for the funding provided through Agaur (2017 SGR 1482). It is also to be noted that funding for this research has been provided for Seyedmilad Komarizadehasl by the Spanish Agencia Estatal de Investigación del Ministerio de Ciencia Innovación y Universidades grant and the Fondo Social Europeo grant (PRE2018-083238).Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Structural Health Monitoring of 2D Plane Structures

This paper presents the application of the observability technique for the structural system identification of 2D models. Unlike previous applications of this method, unknown variables appear both in the numerator and the denominator of the stiffness matrix system, making the problem non-linear and impossible to solve. To fill this gap, new changes in variables are proposed to linearize the system of equations. In addition, to illustrate the application of the proposed procedure into the observability method, a detailed mathematical analysis is presented. Finally, to validate the applicability of the method, the mechanical properties of a state-of-the-art plate are numerically determinedEste artículo presenta la aplicación de la técnica de observabilidad para la identificación de sistemas estructurales de modelos 2D. A diferencia de las aplicaciones anteriores de este método, las variables desconocidas aparecen tanto en el numerador como en el denominador del sistema de matriz de rigidez, lo que hace que el problema sea no lineal e imposible de resolver. Para llenar este vacío, se proponen nuevos cambios en las variables para linealizar el sistema de ecuaciones. Además, para ilustrar la aplicación del procedimiento propuesto en el método de observabilidad, se presenta un análisis matemático detallado. Finalmente, para validar la aplicabilidad del método, se determinan numéricamente las propiedades mecánicas de una placa de última generació

Men, rheumatoid arthritis, psychosocial impact and self-management: A narrative review.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic disease affecting fewer men than women. We systematically reviewed the literature on impact and self-management of RA men. Twenty eight papers were included, and grouped into two categories: Psychosocial impact of RA; and Coping and self-management. This review finds gender differences relating to quality of life; work; distress; self-management; coping; and support. We conclude there is a dearth of literature focussing on RA men only, and mixed gender studies include insufficient men to draw strong conclusions about men. Thus, further research is needed to understand the support needs of men with RA in depth

Cold-induced modulation and functional analyses of the DRE-binding transcription factor gene, GmDREB3, in soybean (Glycine max L.)

DREB (dehydration-responsive element-binding protein) transcription factors have important roles in the stress-related regulation network in plants. A DREB orthologue, GmDREB3, belonging to the A-5 subgroup of the DREB subfamily, was isolated from soybean using the RACE (rapid amplification of cDNA ends) method. Northern blot analysis showed that expression of GmDREB3 in soybean seedlings was induced following cold stress treatment for 0.5 h and was not detected after 3 h. However, it was not induced by drought and high salt stresses or by abscisic acid (ABA) treatment. This response was similar to those of members in the A-1 subgroup and different from those of other members in the A-5 subgroup, suggesting that the GmDREB3 gene was involved in an ABA-independent cold stress-responsive signal pathway. Furthermore, analysis of the GmDREB3 promoter elucidated its cold-induced modulation. A promoter fragment containing bases −1058 to −664 was involved in response to cold stress, and its effect was detected for 1 h after treatment, but a transcriptional repressor appeared to impair this response by binding to a cis-element in the region −1403 to −1058 at 24 h after the beginning of cold stress. Moreover, the GmDREB3 protein could specifically bind to the DRE element in vitro, and activated expression of downstream reporter genes in yeast cells. In addition, overexpression of GmDREB3 enhanced tolerance to cold, drought, and high salt stresses in transgenic Arabidopsis. Physiological analyses indicated that the fresh weight and osmolality of GmDREB3 transgenic Arabidopsis under cold stress were higher than those of wild-type controls. GmDREB3 transgenic tobacco accumulated higher levels of free proline under drought stress and retained higher leaf chlorophyll levels under high salt stress than wild-type tobacco. In addition, constitutive expression of GmDREB3 in transgenic Arabidopsis caused growth retardation, whereas its expression under control of the stress-inducible Rd29A promoter minimized negative effects on plant growth under normal growth conditions, indicating that a combination of the Rd29A promoter and GmDREB3 might be useful for improving tolerance to environmental stresses in crop plants

The effect of acceptance and commitment therapy on insomnia and sleep quality: A systematic review

Background Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), as a type of behavioral therapy, attempts to respond to changes in people’s performance and their relationship to events. ACT can affect sleep quality by providing techniques to enhance the flexibility of patients’ thoughts, yet maintaining mindfullness. Therefore, for the first time, a systematic review on the effects of ACT on sleep quality has been conducted. Methods This systematic review was performed to determine the effect of ACT on insomnia and sleep quality. To collect articles, the PubMed, Web of Science (WOS), Cochrane library, Embase, Scopus, Science Direct, ProQuest, Mag Iran, Irandoc, and Google Scholar databases were searched, without a lower time-limit, and until April 2020. Results Related articles were derived from 9 research repositories, with no lower time-limit and until April 2020. After assessing 1409 collected studies, 278 repetitive studies were excluded. Moreover, following the primary and secondary evaluations of the remaining articles, 1112 other studies were removed, and finally a total of 19 intervention studies were included in the systematic review process. Within the remaining articles, a sample of 1577 people had been assessed for insomnia and sleep quality. Conclusion The results of this study indicate that ACT has a significant effect on primary and comorbid insomnia and sleep quality, and therefore, it can be used as an appropriate treatment method to control and improve insomnia

How do firms comply with international sustainability standards? Processes and consequences of adopting the global reporting initiative

This paper addresses the issue of the influence of global governance institutions, particularly international sustainability standards, on a firm’s intra-organizational practices. More precisely, we provide an exploratory empirical view of the impact of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) on a multinational corporation’s (MNC) corporate social responsibility (CSR) management practices. We investigate standard compliance by comparing the stated intention of the use of the GRI with its actual use and the consequent effects within the firm. Based on an in-depth case study, our findings illustrate the processes and consequences of the translation of the GRI within the organization. We show that substantive standard adoption can lead to unintended consequences on CSR management practices, specifically it can influence the management structure and CSR committee function; the choice of CSR activities, the relationships between subsidiaries, the temporal dimension of CSR management, and the interpretation of CSR performance. We also highlight the need to look at the relationship dynamics (or lack of) between standards. Finally we illustrate and discuss the role of reporting and its influence on management in order to better understand the internal issues arising from compliance with standards

Busulphan-Cyclophosphamide Cause Endothelial Injury, Remodeling of Resistance Arteries and Enhanced Expression of Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase

Stem cell transplantation (SCT) is a curative treatment for malignant and non malignant diseases. However, transplantation-related complications including cardiovascular disease deteriorate the clinical outcome and quality of life. We have investigated the acute effects of conditioning regimen on the pharmacology, physiology and structure of large elastic arteries and small resistance-sized arteries in a SCT mouse model. Mesenteric resistance arteries and aorta were dissected from Balb/c mice conditioned with busulphan (Bu) and cyclophosphamide (Cy). In vitro isometric force development and pharmacology, in combination with RT-PCR, Western blotting and electron microscopy were used to study vascular properties. Compared with controls, mesenteric resistance arteries from the Bu-Cy group had larger internal circumference, showed enhanced endothelium mediated relaxation and increased expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS). Bu-Cy treated animals had lower mean blood pressure and signs of endothelial injury. Aortas of treated animals had a higher reactivity to noradrenaline. We conclude that short-term consequences of Bu-Cy treatment divergently affect large and small arteries of the cardiovascular system. The increased noradrenaline reactivity of large elastic arteries was not associated with increased blood pressure at rest. Instead, Bu-Cy treatment lowered blood pressure via augmented microvascular endothelial dependent relaxation, increased expression of vascular eNOS and remodeling toward a larger lumen. The changes in the properties of resistance arteries can be associated with direct effects of the compounds on vascular wall or possibly indirectly induced via altered translational activity associated with the reduced hematocrit and shear stress. This study contributes to understanding the mechanisms that underlie the early effects of conditioning regimen on resistance arteries and may help in designing further investigations to understand the late effects on vascular system

Graphene Schottky diodes: an experimental review of the rectifying graphene/semiconductor heterojunction

In the past decade graphene has been one of the most studied material for several unique and excellent properties. Due to its two dimensional nature, physical and chemical properties and ease of manipulation, graphene offers the possibility of integration with the exiting semiconductor technology for next-generation electronic and sensing devices. In this context, the understanding of the graphene/semiconductor interface is of great importance since it can constitute a versatile standalone device as well as the building-block of more advanced electronic systems. Since graphene was brought to the attention of the scientific community in 2004, the device research has been focused on the more complex graphene transistors, while the graphene/semiconductor junction, despite its importance, has started to be the subject of systematic investigation only recently. As a result, a thorough understanding of the physics and the potentialities of this device is still missing. The studies of the past few years have demonstrated that graphene can form junctions with 3D or 2D semiconducting materials which have rectifying characteristics and behave as excellent Schottky diodes. The main novelty of these devices is the tunable Schottky barrier height, a feature which makes the graphene/semiconductor junction a great platform for the study of interface transport mechanisms as well as for applications in photo-detection, high-speed communications, solar cells, chemical and biological sensing, etc. In this paper, we review the state-of-the art of the research on graphene/semiconductor junctions, the attempts towards a modeling and the most promising applications.Comment: 85 pages. Review articl