Evaluation of Manual and Non-manual Components for Sign Language Recognition

The motivation behind this work lies in the need to differentiate between similar signs that differ in non-manual components present in any sign. To this end, we recorded full sentences signed by five native signers and extracted 5200 isolated sign samples of twenty frequently used signs in Kazakh-Russian Sign Language (K-RSL), which have similar manual components but differ in non-manual components (i.e. facial expressions, eyebrow height, mouth, and head orientation). We conducted a series of evaluations in order to investigate whether non-manual components would improve sign’s recognition accuracy. Among standard machine learning approaches, Logistic Regression produced the best results, 78.2% of accuracy for dataset with 20 signs and 77.9% of accuracy for dataset with 2 classes (statement vs question). Dataset can be downloaded from the following website: https://krslproject.github.io/krsl20/publishedVersio

Horizon-T Experiment Detailed Calibration of Cables

The ability to extract the pulse width and translate it into the actual disk width of the Extensive Air Showers (EAS) is a hard one requiring accurate knowledge of the system performance. For that, the analysis for the cable calibration for Horizon-10T detectors has been re-analyzed in a different form that allows for better signal width measurements. An innovative detector system Horizon-10T, constructed to study EAS in the energy range above 1016 eV coming from a wide range of zenith angles (0o - 85o), is located at Tien Shan high-altitude Science Station of Lebedev Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences at approximately 3340 meters above the sea level.Comment: in-depth analysis of cable calibration for 'new' cables only v2 corrects minor typo

Non-aqueous sol-gel synthesis through a low-temperature solvothermal process of anatase showing visible-light photocatalytic activity

A novel, facile method based on a non-aqueous sol-gel solvothermal process has been developed to synthesise spherical TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) in one pot. The reaction between titanium(IV) tert-butoxide (Ti[OC(CH3)(3)](4)) and benzyl alcohol was a simple process, which resulted in the formation of highly crystalline titania NPs with a small size of only 6 nm, and with a correspondingly high surface area. The chemical formation mechanism of the metal oxide NPs has been proposed, and the degree of surface hydroxyls (-OH groups) has been examined. The products of the synthesis were characterised by X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) using the advanced whole powder pattern modelling (WPPM) method, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activity (PCA) was evaluated in both the liquid-solid phase, by monitoring the degradation of an organic dye (methylene blue (MB)) under UV-light irradiation, and in the gas-solid phase, by following the degradation of 2-propanol under UV and visible-light exposures. The synthesized titania powders not only exhibited excellent photocatalysis in the liquid-solid phase (under UV irradiation), but also possessed a superior PCA in the gas-solid phase under a visible-light exposure. The effects on the PCA of the very small crystalline domain size, surface composition and the presence of organic molecules due to the synthesis process of the TiO2 NPs were shown to account for this behaviour

Enhancing interlayer bond strength through diode laser assisted FDM process

The most widely spread and used 3D printing technology is Fused Deposition Modeling. The main reason for such usage due to its simplicity in manufacturing and low cost. The common problem of FDM is an anisotropic property of the extruded layer. An increasing number of new filament materials and their combination in the filling process decrease bonding strength between layers. Implementation of diode (450nm) laser with 5Watt power for localized heating of the pre-deposition layer proposed to overcome this problem. By controlling the power of the laser at the moment of printing, layer interface temperature reached for critical point, where the bonding diffusion process between layers increased for maximum level. Implementation of laser-assisted heating increased the ultimate tensile strength of PLA material to 9.67% at a laser power of 2.84Watt. However, the negative impact of heating on surface roughness also observed. The excessing laser power at a certain point leads to the formation of cracks and breaks on filament layers. This thesis described a control system used for adjusting laser power. The reported method is straightforward to use for other types of heating systems. Multi-directional heating system logic also was written in this work, where 3 diode lasers installed. The controller is capable of controlling many lasers at one time. In the case of printing objects with different filaments, it is also could be rewritten into controlling laser power deepened on filament type. The effect of the implementation of laser is analyzed from the energy and economic point of view. Even though energy consumption increases by 48% for energy cost, it is negligible. Regarding the financial aspect of implementation, the fixed price will rise by 53%, whereas the cost of electricity will be insignificant. Generally, the optimization of this method could bring more valuable benefits for the mechanical property of the FDM fabricated product

Hydroisomerization of n-Hexane Using Acidified Metal-Organic Framework and Platinum Nanoparticles.

Exceptionally high surface area and ordered nanopores of a metal-organic framework (MOF) are exploited to encapsulate and homogeneously disperse a considerable amount of phosphotungstic acid (PTA). When combined with platinum nanoparticles positioned on the external surface of the MOF, the construct shows a high catalytic activity for hydroisomerization of n-hexane, a reaction requiring hydrogenation/dehydrogenation and moderate to strong Brønsted acid sites. Characterization of the catalytic activity and acidic sites as a function of PTA loading demonstrates that both the concentration and strength of acidic sites are highest for the catalyst with the largest amount of PTA. The MOF construct containing 60% PTA by weight produces isoalkanes with 100% selectivity and 9-fold increased mass activity as compared to a more traditional aluminosilicate catalyst, further demonstrating the capacity of the MOF to contain a high concentration of active sites necessary for the isomerization reaction

DESIGN OF A FLEXIBLE NECK ORTHOSIS ON FUSED DEPOSITION MODELING PRINTER FOR REHABILITATION ON REGULAR USAGE

The usage area of Additive Manufacturing (AM) already spread into the medicine and rehabilitation sphere. The advantages of AM become a driving force for fabricating prostheses, human organs, and implants. The recent studies in AM indicate excellent manufacture of limbs that possesses characteristics of market versions and, at the same time, outperform them in comfortability. Although there is a vast amount of investigation on orthosis development, only a few applications connected with neck orthosis. This paper proposes customized cervical orthosis designed through 3d scanner device and produced by Fused Deposition modeling. TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) FLEX filament used to provide the model with flexible features on par with the lightweight. FEA analysis assessment confirmed the durability of the prototype. Furthermore, the specific construction of orthosis allows patients to comfortably dress and utilize it in daily life, whereas the hole pattern of frame addresses ventilation problems. Obtained results indicate the capability of using TPE (flex) material and show that the FDM printed model able to compete with market analog

Hydroisomerization of n-hexadecane: Remarkable selectivity of mesoporous silica post-synthetically modified with aluminum

As the impact of acids on catalytically driven chemical transformations is tremendous, fundamental understanding of catalytically relevant factors is essential for the design of more efficient solid acid catalysts. In this work, we employed a post-synthetic doping method to synthesize a highly selective hydroisomerization catalyst and to demonstrate the effect of acid strength and density, catalyst microstructure, and platinum nanoparticle size on the reaction rate and selectivity. Aluminum doped mesoporous silica catalyzed gas-phase n-hexadecane isomerization with remarkably high selectivity to monobranched isomers (∼95%), producing a substantially higher amount of isomers than traditional zeolite catalysts. Mildly acidic sites generated by post-synthetic aluminum grafting were found to be the main reason for its high selectivity. The flexibility of the post-synthetic doping method enabled us to systematically explore the effect of the acid site density on the reaction rate and selectivity, which has been extremely difficult to achieve with zeolite catalysts. We found that a higher density of Brønsted acid sites leads to higher cracking of n-hexadecane presumably due to an increased surface residence time. Furthermore, regardless of pore size and microstructure, hydroisomerization turnover frequency linearly increased as a function of Brønsted acid site density. In addition to strength and density of acid sites, platinum nanoparticle size affected catalytic activity and selectivity. The smallest platinum nanoparticles produced the most effective bifunctional catalyst presumably because of higher percolation into aluminum doped mesoporous silica, generating more 'intimate' metallic and acidic sites. Finally, the aluminum doped silica catalyst was shown to retain its remarkable selectivity towards isomers even at increased reaction conversions