This study proposes a method for determining obstruction of the endotracheal tube (ET) and its degree and location. Respiratory signals were acquired using a three sensor (microphone, pressure, and flow) integrated sensor connector. Obstruction classification involved pre-processing and feature extraction. During pre-processing, one cycle of the respiratory signal was extracted using respiratory cycle extraction and phase segmentation. The signal was then divided into three phases: (i) inspiratory phase, (ii) expiratory phase, and (iii) between both the phases, where the intrapulmonary pressure increased, decreased, and remained constant, respectively. In the feature extraction process, the results were quantified using absolute value average and texture analyses. Artificial ET tubes were fabricated to simulate the presence of foreign substances in the ET tube; they had different degrees of obstruction (0%, 20%, 40%, and 50%) and obstruction positions (Sections 1, 2, and 3). The experiment was performed by connecting the sensor connector and artificial ET tube between the ventilator and test lung. Respiratory signals were obtained in 10 cases by cross connecting the artificial ET tubes. The degree and location of obstruction were classified according to the average absolute value and texture analyses of the flow data. The obstruction can be determined through the texture analysis results using the combined microphone and flow sensor data. The proposed method is simple in configuration, can be readily used in existing setups, and can be operated regardless of surrounding noise. Full article

Anchor-type foundations are one of the foundation types used in structures subject to tensile forces. These anchors are generally designed according to the weight of the soil on them depending on the depth they are buried at and the frictional resistance obtained from the failure surfaces during failure. One method of increasing the uplift capacity of the foundation without increasing the burial depth is the use of geogrid material. In this study, the uplift capacities of strip anchor plates at different embedment depths were investigated by considering the geogrid effect placed in different combinations. The aim of the study is to investigate whether a more economical solution can be obtained by using geogrid without increasing the embedment depth of the anchor plate. Experiments were carried out using centrifugal experimental setup, which gives values closer to the real results. The tests were performed on sand of two different densities for anchor burial depths H/B = 2 and H/B = 5. According to the results, the uplift capacity is significantly improved when geogrid is used. As the reinforcement configuration, the use of a single geogrid layer placed just above the anchor plate with an inclination angle of 45 degrees gave more effective results than using the geogrid horizontally and vertically. In the study, up to 98% increases in uplift capacity were obtained with reinforcement. In addition, the prototype model was analyzed with a numerical program based on the finite element method, and the results were compared with the experimental results. As a result of the comparison, it was observed that the experimental and numerical results were compatible with each other. Suggestions for practice are presented using the results obtained. Full article

Anaerobic digestion (AD), the oldest technology used for treating waste, converts organic matter into biogas in the absence of oxygen. The current efforts focuses on improving the digestion of a local industrial wastewater to produce biogas and treat water for reuse. A lab-scale up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor operated at 37 °C was employed for the biodegradation the industrial wastewater. A one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) approach was used to study the effects of influent chemical oxygen demand (CODin), hydraulic retention time (HRT), and magnetic nanoparticles (magnetite) on UASB biogas and COD elimination from digestate wastewater. The optimum HRT for the biodegradation of municipal wastewater was found to be 21 days with contaminants’ removals of 94%, 90.1%, and 98.9% for COD, color, and turbidity, respectively. The addition of magnetite resulted in 225 mL of cumulative biogas produced with 73% methane content, and treatability efficiency of 85%. The most influential factor was magnetite load, which stimulated the microbial activity via redox catalytic reaction in degrading the high organic wastewater (9590 mg COD/L) into biogas production. The prospects of upgrading lab-scale of this technological concept for bioenergy production is viable to mitigate wastewater management and fossil fuel environmental challenges. Full article

Agriculture plays a vital role in the global economy, with much of the rural population in developing countries depending on it [...] Full article

Energy consumption in transportation industry is increasing. Transportation has become one of the fastest energy consumption industries. Transportation energy consumption variation and the main influencing factors of decomposition contribute to reduce transportation energy consumption and realize the sustainable development of transportation industry. This paper puts forwards an improved decomposition model according to the factors of change direction on the basis of the existing index decomposition methods. Transportation energy consumption influencing factors are quantitatively decomposed according to the transportation energy consumption decomposition model. The contribution of transportation turnover, transportation structure and transportation energy consumption intensity changes to transportation energy consumption variation is quantitatively calculated. Results show that there exists great energy-conservation potential about transportation structure adjustment, and transportation energy intensity is the main factor of energy conservation. The research achievements enrich the relevant theory of transportation energy consumption, and help to make the transportation energy development planning and carry out related policies. Full article

Responding to tornado disasters resides at a unique intersection of search and rescue operations: it has attributes of wilderness and maritime search and rescue operations and search and rescue operations in the aftermath of earthquakes and hurricanes. This paper presents a method of attempting to leverage historical data to more efficiently identify the extent of the area damaged by a tornado. To assist in building and understanding the historical data, we also develop a method to generate tornado areas that react similarly to the limited historical data set. The paper successfully demonstrates the method of creating artificial tornado instances that can be used as a testing sandbox for the further development of tools when responding to tornado-type disasters. These artificial instances perform similarly in some important metrics to the historical database of tornado instances that we produced. This paper also shows that the use of historical tornado trends has an impact on the response method outlined in this article, typically reducing the standard deviation of the time it takes to fully identify the extent of the damage. Full article

Morphological integration and modularity refer to the degree of covariation between the different components of an anatomical structure. Modularity refers to structures that have components which covary strongly, but at the same time are relatively independent. Integration refers to the coordinated variation of the components of a functional anatomical structure. The hindlimb basipodium is a complex functional structure. The integration of its parts must arise from a coordinated development and functionality. Our objective in this study was to study the levels of integration of two modules on the calcaneum in domestic sheep. The calcaneum develops from two different centres. One gives rise to the body and its process while the other gives rise to the distal half of the bone. The hypothesis of modularity of two parts of the calcaneum was tested using the Escoufier RV coefficient and an analysis of two blocks of Partial Least Squares. These allowed us to evaluate the level of morphological integration. For this purpose, digital images of the medial aspect of complete calcanea of 47 domestic sheep (Ovis aries) were used. Twenty 2D coordinates of homologous anatomical landmarks (4 for the body and the process and 16 for the distal half of the bone) were collected as morphometric data. These were studied using geometric morphometrics. The results indicated good evidence of modular organization and a medium morphological integration between the two modules. Thus, according to our results, the two modules seem to exist and behave in a rather independent way. They appear to share functions rather than precursors of development. This study is important in order to elucidate the underlying factors in the processes of the development of the sheep calcaneum. Full article

The behaviour of the interface between two concrete layers, subjected to shear, is a complex process that is influenced by many different parameters. Knowledge of concrete interface performance is insufficient to this day. Most of the existing analytical methods are only suitable for determining the highest interface shear resistance and do not consider the interface behaviour at other stages. This article focuses on smooth concrete interfaces, which have their layers cast at different times (cold-joint interface). By analysing the results of different experimental push-off tests, presented in the literature, a novel analytical method was developed for the previously described concrete interface. Furthermore, numerical models of push-off tests were developed. A parametric numerical analysis was employed to determine the influence of various physical parameters that might affect interface shear behaviour. Most importantly, the results acquired using the proposed analytical method were compared with the findings of numerical analysis and experimental results acquired by other authors. The values of shear stress and slippage were found to be relatively close. Therefore, the proposed analytical method is suitable for the analysis of smooth concrete interfaces cast at different times. Full article

Tracking a person’s activities is relevant in a variety of contexts, from health and group-specific assessments, such as elderly care, to fitness tracking and human–computer interaction. In a clinical context, sensor-based activity tracking could help monitor patients’ progress or deterioration during their hospitalization time. However, during routine hospital care, devices could face displacements in their position and orientation caused by incorrect device application, patients’ physical peculiarities, or patients’ day-to-day free movement. These aspects can significantly reduce algorithms’ performances. In this work, we investigated how shifts in orientation could impact Human Activity Recognition (HAR) classification. To reach this purpose, we propose an HAR model based on a single three-axis accelerometer that can be located anywhere on the participant’s trunk, capable of recognizing activities from multiple movement patterns, and, thanks to data augmentation, can deal with device displacement. Developed models were trained and validated using acceleration measurements acquired in fifteen participants, and tested on twenty-four participants, of which twenty were from a different study protocol for external validation. The obtained results highlight the impact of changes in device orientation on a HAR algorithm and the potential of simple wearable sensor data augmentation for tackling this challenge. When applying small rotations (<20 degrees), the error of the baseline non-augmented model steeply increased. On the contrary, even when considering rotations ranging from 0 to 180 along the frontal axis, our model reached a f1-score of $0.85\pm 0.11$ against a baseline model f1-score equal to $0.49\pm 0.12$. Full article

We propose a method for managing software assets in the automotive industry to enhance software competitiveness and to reduce development costs. The ownership of software assets in the automotive industry is held by automotive parts companies, making it challenging to exchange these technologies. Moreover, the criteria for determining software assets are often unclear, resulting in difficulties in integrating automotive software and implementing over-the-air updates. To address these issues, we suggest breaking down black-boxed software assets into tradable components, valuating them, and introducing the concept of exchanging software technology assets. Additionally, we provide a structured approach for recycling used software assets and establish a software asset management system for registration and tracking. Our proposed approach can help traditional automotive OEMs narrow the technology gap with automakers such as Tesla and improve their software competitiveness in the automotive industry. This paper contributes to the advancement of software asset management practices in the automotive industry, and provides insights into the integration of automotive software and over-the-air updates. Full article

The integration of Internet of Things (IoT) networks into smart cities is crucial to enhance the efficiency of city operations and services. Designing a smart city architecture that can adapt to the constantly changing functional and quality requirements of city services is essential. However, critical decisions must be made during this process, such as selecting communication protocols, ensuring security and safety, optimizing time performance, and processing data capacity. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a systematic approach to guide the system architecture design of IoT-based smart cities. The approach starts with feature-driven domain analysis to model smart city requirements, followed by the design of a reference architecture for IoT-based smart cities. The architecture is modeled using selected architectural views, while considering key stakeholders and their concerns. Additionally, this paper presents valuable insights into lessons learned and challenges encountered during the process of creating IoT-based smart cities. This information can assist practitioners in developing such smart cities and pave the way for future research in this field. By following this proposed approach, smart city architects can design a robust and adaptable system architecture that can meet the evolving needs of smart city services. Full article

A pressurized spherical shell that is continuously corroded will likely buckle and lose its stability. There are many analytical and numerical methods to study this problem (critical load, critical thickness, and service life), but the friendliness (operability) in engineering test applications is still not ideal. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a new non-destructive method by combining the Southwell non-destructive procedure with the stable analysis method of corroded spherical thin shells. When used carefully, it can estimate the critical load (critical thickness) and service life of these thin shells. Furthermore, its procedure proved to be more practical than existing methods; it can be easily mastered, applied, and generalized in most engineering tests. When used properly, its accuracy is acceptable in the field of engineering estimations. In the context of the high demand for non-destructive analysis in industry, it may be of sufficient potential value to be used as a reference for existing estimating methods based on NDT data. Full article

The marine composites market is driven by the increasing demand for lightweight, corrosion-resistant, and impact-resistant boats. Polymer matrix composites are currently the most popular composite material in marine applications. Fiberglass composites are practically the main type of fiber composites that are used extensively in marine applications. Due to the aggressive sea environment, composite structural elements of ships are exposed to damage due to the phenomenon of osmosis. This damage is also favored by defects that result from impacts and technological errors during the production of these elements. Non-destructive testing methods are necessary to detect damage in the internal structure of the composite. The paper presents a numerical analysis of the possibility of using vibrothermography in the detection of defects in glass–fiber reinforced laminates in marine applications. Numerical simulations have shown that the most favorable method for detecting defects will be acoustic waves. This is an unusual application because, as a rule, the range of ultrasonic waves is used in vibrothermography. In our further works, it is planned to verify numerical calculations through experimental research. The applicability of the terahertz technique was also assessed. During the experimental testing, all defects in the test sample of the glass–fiber reinforced composite were detected using this technique. The presented results indicate the applicability of the presented methods for the detection of defects in composites used in marine applications. Full article

The Software-Defined Networking (SDN) paradigm is one that is utilized frequently in data centers. Software-Defined Wireless Networking, often known as SDWN, refers to an environment in which concepts from SDN are implemented in wireless networks. The SDWN is struggling with challenges of scalability and performance as a result of the growing number of wireless networks in its coverage area. It is thought that SDN techniques, such as Mininet-Wi-Fi and Ryu Controller for wireless networks, can overcome the problems with scalability and performance. Existing Wi-Fi systems do not provide SDN execution to end clients, which is one reason why the capability of Wi-Fi is restricted on SDN architecture. Within the scope of this study, we analyzed Wi-Fi networks operating on SDN using the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP). By utilizing a testbed consisting of Ryu Controller and Mininet-Wi-Fi, we were able to test Wi-Fi over SDN and evaluate its performance in addition to its scalability. When evaluating the performance of a network, we take into account a number of different metrics, such as bandwidth, round-trip time, and jitter. In order to assess the level of performance, the SDN-based Wi-Fi controller Ryu is linked to an increasing number of access points (1, 2, 3, and 4) as well as stations (10, 30, 50, and 100). The experimental findings obtained using Mininet-Wi-Fi indicate the scalability and dependability of the network performance provided by the SDN Wi-Fi network controller Ryu in an SDN environment. In addition, the round-trip time for TCP packets grows proportionally with the number of hops involved. A single access point is capable of simultaneously supporting up to fifty people at once. Full article

Torpedoes play an irreplaceable role in naval warfare; therefore, it is significant to study the dynamic response of the direct navigation of torpedoes. In order to study the dynamic response of torpedoes under different Munk moment coefficients, the dynamic equation of torpedoes is established based on the momentum theorem and the momentum moment theorem. The linear motion mathematical model of torpedoes is obtained. The relationship between the torpedo and the Munk moment coefficient is derived. The straight-line motion model of the torpedo under different Munk moments is established, and the dynamic properties of the space motion of the torpedo are analyzed. It is found that the Munk moment coefficient increase will lead to an increase in the deflection of the torpedo’s direct motion on each degree of freedom, and the Munk moment coefficient is related to the additional mass matrix. During the design of the torpedo, the added mass should be reduced by changing the shape of the torpedo as much as possible so as to reduce the pitch moment, yaw, and roll moments of the torpedo. Full article