Search results for: Krzysztof Mars

Authors: Gałka Aleksandra, Jelińska Justyna, Masiak Albert, Walentukiewicz Krzysztof

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An offline signature is well-known however not the safest way to verify identity. Nowadays, to ensure proper authentication, i.e. in banking systems, multimodal verification is more widely used. In this paper the online signature analysis based on dynamic time warping (DTW) coupled with machine learning approaches has been presented. In our research signatures made with biometric pens were gathered. Signature features as well as their forgeries have been described. For verification of authenticity various methods were used including convolutional neural networks using DTW matrix and multilayer perceptron using sums of DTW matrix paths. System efficiency has been evaluated on signatures and signature forgeries collected on the same day. Results are presented and discussed in this paper.

Keywords: dynamic time warping, handwritten signature verification, feature-based recognition, online signature

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Authors: Krzysztof Pomorski

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In the given work we present universal mathematical framework for modeling of cattle farm system that can set and validate various hypothesis that can be tested against experimental data. The presented work is preliminary but it is expected to be valid tool for future deeper analysis that can result in new class of prediction methods allowing early detection of cow dieseaes as well as cow performance. Therefore the presented work shall have its meaning in agriculture models and in machine learning as well. It also opens the possibilities for incorporation of certain class of biological models necessary in modeling of cow behavior and farm performance that might include the impact of environment on the farm system. Particular attention is paid to the model of coupled oscillators that it the basic building hypothesis that can construct the model showing certain periodic or quasiperiodic behavior.

Keywords: coupled ordinary differential equations, cattle farm system, numerical methods, stochastic differential equations

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Authors: Krzysztof Kontek, Kevin Kenner

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This paper, written by an economist and pianist, aims to compare and analyze different methods of reducing manipulation in classical music competitions by focusing on outlier scores and outlier jurors. We first examine existing methods in competition practice and statistical literature for discarding or correcting jurors' scores that deviate significantly from the mean or median of all scores. We then introduce a method that involves eliminating all scores of outlier jurors, i.e., those jurors whose ratings significantly differ from those of other jurors. The properties of these standard and proposed methods are discussed in hypothetical voting scenarios, where one or more jurors assign scores that deviate considerably from the scores awarded by other jurors. Finally, we present examples of applying various methods to real-world data from piano competitions, demonstrating the potential effectiveness and implications of each approach in reducing manipulation within these events.

Keywords: voting systems, manipulation, outlier scores, outlier jurors

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Authors: Krzysztof Malczewski

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Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) reconstruction algorithm using compressed sensing is presented in this paper. It is exhibited that the offered approach improves MR images spatial resolution in circumstances when highly undersampled k-space trajectories are applied. Compressed Sensing (CS) aims at signal and images reconstructing from significantly fewer measurements than were conventionally assumed necessary. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a fundamental medical imaging method struggles with an inherently slow data acquisition process. The use of CS to MRI has the potential for significant scan time reductions, with visible benefits for patients and health care economics. In this study the objective is to combine super-resolution image enhancement algorithm with CS framework benefits to achieve high resolution MR output image. Both methods emphasize on maximizing image sparsity on known sparse transform domain and minimizing fidelity. The presented algorithm considers the cardiac and respiratory movements.

Keywords: super-resolution, MRI, compressed sensing, sparse-sense, image enhancement

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Authors: Janusz Kwaśniewski, Ireneusz Dominik, Krzysztof Lalik

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The knowledge about rock layers thickness, especially above drilled mining pavements are crucial for workers safety. The measuring systems used nowadays are generally imperfect and there is a strong demand for improvement. The application of a new type of a measurement system called Self-Excited Acoustical System is presented in the paper. The system was applied until now to monitor stress changes in metal and concrete constructions. The change in measurement methodology resulted in possibility of measuring the thickness of the rocks above the tunnels as well as thickness of a singular rock layer. The idea is to find two resonance frequencies of the self-exited system, which consists of a vibration exciter and vibration receiver placed at a distance, which are coupled with a proper power amplifier, and which operate in a closed loop with a positive feedback. The resonance with the higher amplitude determines thickness of the whole rock, whereas the lower amplitude resonance indicates thickness of a singular layer. The results of the laboratory tests conducted on a group of different rock materials are also presented.

Keywords: auto-oscillator, non-destructive testing, rock thickness measurement, geotechnic

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Authors: Farrukh Javed, Krzysztof Podgórski

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We propose a new model that accounts for the asymmetric response of volatility to positive ('good news') and negative ('bad news') shocks in economic time series the so-called leverage effect. In the past, asymmetric powers of errors in the conditionally heteroskedastic models have been used to capture this effect. Our model is using the gamma difference representation of the generalized Laplace distributions that efficiently models the asymmetry. It has one additional natural parameter, the shape, that is used instead of power in the asymmetric power models to capture the strength of a long-lasting effect of shocks. Some fundamental properties of the model are provided including the formula for covariances and an explicit form for the conditional distribution of 'bad' and 'good' news processes given the past the property that is important for the statistical fitting of the model. Relevant features of volatility models are illustrated using S&P 500 historical data.

Keywords: heavy tails, volatility clustering, generalized asymmetric laplace distribution, leverage effect, conditional heteroskedasticity, asymmetric power volatility, GARCH models

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Authors: Young S. Bang, Dong H. Yoon, Seung H. Yoo

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Emergency Core Coolant Bypass (ECC Bypass) has been regarded as an important phenomenon to peak cladding temperature of large-break loss-of-coolant-accidents (LBLOCA) in nuclear power plants (NPP). A modeling scheme to address the ECC Bypass phenomena and the calculation of LBLOCA using that scheme are discussed in the present paper. A hydraulic form loss coefficient (HFLC) from the reactor vessel downcomer to the broken cold leg is predicted by the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code with a variation of the void fraction incoming from the downcomer. The maximum, mean, and minimum values of FLC are derived from the CFD results and are incorporated into the LBLOCA calculation using a system thermal-hydraulic code, MARS-KS. As a relevant parameter addressing the ECC Bypass phenomena, the FLC to the break and its range are proposed.

Keywords: CFD analysis, ECC bypass, hydraulic form loss coefficient, system thermal-hydraulic code

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Authors: Ahmed Elaksher, Islam Omar

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Accurate geometric relation algorithms are imperative in Earth and planetary satellite and aerial image processing, particularly for high-resolution images that are used for topographic mapping. Most of these satellites carry push-broom sensors. These sensors are optical scanners equipped with linear arrays of CCDs. These sensors have been deployed on most EOSs. In addition, the LROC is equipped with two push NACs that provide 0.5 meter-scale panchromatic images over a 5 km swath of the Moon. The HiRISE carried by the MRO and the HRSC carried by MEX are examples of push-broom sensor that produces images of the surface of Mars. Sensor models developed in photogrammetry relate image space coordinates in two or more images with the 3D coordinates of ground features. Rigorous sensor models use the actual interior orientation parameters and exterior orientation parameters of the camera, unlike approximate models. In this research, we generate a generic push-broom sensor model to process imageries acquired through linear array cameras and investigate its performance, advantages, and disadvantages in generating topographic models for the Earth, Mars, and the Moon. We also compare and contrast the utilization, effectiveness, and applicability of available photogrammetric techniques and softcopies with the developed model. We start by defining an image reference coordinate system to unify image coordinates from all three arrays. The transformation from an image coordinate system to a reference coordinate system involves a translation and three rotations. For any image point within the linear array, its image reference coordinates, the coordinates of the exposure center of the array in the ground coordinate system at the imaging epoch (t), and the corresponding ground point coordinates are related through the collinearity condition that states that all these three points must be on the same line. The rotation angles for each CCD array at the epoch t are defined and included in the transformation model. The exterior orientation parameters of an image line, i.e., coordinates of exposure station and rotation angles, are computed by a polynomial interpolation function in time (t). The parameter (t) is the time at a certain epoch from a certain orbit position. Depending on the types of observations, coordinates, and parameters may be treated as knowns or unknowns differently in various situations. The unknown coefficients are determined in a bundle adjustment. The orientation process starts by extracting the sensor position and, orientation and raw images from the PDS. The parameters of each image line are then estimated and imported into the push-broom sensor model. We also define tie points between image pairs to aid the bundle adjustment model, determine the refined camera parameters, and generate highly accurate topographic maps. The model was tested on different satellite images such as IKONOS, QuickBird, and WorldView-2, HiRISE. It was found that the accuracy of our model is comparable to those of commercial and open-source software, the computational efficiency of the developed model is high, the model could be used in different environments with various sensors, and the implementation process is much more cost-and effort-consuming.

Keywords: photogrammetry, push-broom sensors, IKONOS, HiRISE, collinearity condition

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Authors: Mateusz Paszko, Konrad Pietrykowski, Krzysztof Skiba

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Due to low-altitude and relatively low flight speed, today’s combat assets like missile weapons equipped with infrared guidance systems are one of the most important threats to the helicopters performing combat missions. Especially meaningful in helicopter aviation is infrared emission by exhaust gases, regressed to the surroundings. Due to high temperature, exhaust gases are a major factor in detectability of a helicopter performing air combat operations. This study presents the results of simulating the flow of the mixture of exhaust and air in the flow duct of an injective exhaust cooler, adapted to cooperate with the PZL 10W turbine engine. The simulation was performed using a numerical model and the ANSYS Fluent software. Simulation computations were conducted for set flight conditions of the PZL W-3 Falcon helicopter. The conclusions resulting from the conducted numerical computations should allow for optimisation of the flow duct geometry in the cooler, in order to achieve the greatest possible temperature reduction of exhaust exiting into the surroundings. It is expected that the obtained results should be useful for further works related to the development of the final version of exhaust cooler for the PZL W-3 Falcon helicopter.

Keywords: exhaust cooler, helicopter, numerical simulation, stealth

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Authors: Lucyna Kapka-Skrzypczak, Barbara Sochanowicz, Magdalena Matysiak-Kucharek, Magdalena Czajka, Krzysztof Sawicki, Marcin Kruszewski

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Due to the strong antimicrobial activity silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are widely used in various medical and general applications, among others, in cosmetics, odour resistant textiles, etc. The aim of this study was to compare effect of AgNPs and gold NPs (AuNPs) on histones posttranslational modifications. Histone molecule posttranscriptional modifications are responsible for chromatin compaction and repackaging. In this study, BALB/c mice were inoculated with murine mammary carcinoma 4T1 cells and treated with AgNPs coated with citrate (AgNPs(cit) or PEG (AgNPs(PEG), or AuNPs. Thereafter the histone H3 acetylation on Lys9 and H3 methylation on Lys4, Lys9, Lys29 was investigated. All NPs tested decreased H3 methylation, while no effect was observed for H3 acetylation. Modification of histone H3 methylation dependent on type of NPs used its coating, site of methylation and treatment used. Conclusion, epigenetic effects of nanomaterials depend on nanomaterial composition, its coating, and way of application. This work was supported by National Science Centre grant No. 2014/15/B/NZ7/01036 (MK, LKS, MMK, MC, KS), statutory funding for INTC (BS).

Keywords: gold nanoparticles, histone, methylation, silver nanoparticles

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Authors: Yixiu Liu, Yunzhou Zhang, Jianning Chi, Hao Chu, Rui Zheng, Libo Sun, Guanghao Chen, Fangtong Zhou

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In the last few years, large-scale person re-identification has attracted a lot of attention from video surveillance since it has a potential application prospect in public safety management. However, it is still a challenging job considering the variation in human pose, the changing illumination conditions and the lack of paired samples. Although the accuracy has been significantly improved, the data dependence of the sample training is serious. To tackle this problem, a new strategy is proposed based on bag of visual words (BoVW) model of designing the feature representation which has been widely used in the field of image retrieval. The local features are extracted, and more discriminative feature representation is obtained by cross-view dictionary learning (CDL), then the assignment map is obtained through k-means clustering. Finally, the BoVW histograms are formed which encodes the images with the statistics of the feature classes in the assignment map. Experiments conducted on the CUHK03, Market1501 and MARS datasets show that the proposed method performs favorably against existing approaches.

Keywords: bag of visual words, cross-view dictionary learning, person re-identification, reranking

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Authors: G. Hubert, S. Aubry

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The earth is constantly bombarded by cosmic rays that can be of either galactic or solar origin. Thus, humans are exposed to high levels of galactic radiation due to altitude aircraft. The typical total ambient dose equivalent for a transatlantic flight is about 50 μSv during quiet solar activity. On the contrary, estimations differ by one order of magnitude for the contribution induced by certain solar particle events. Indeed, during Ground Level Enhancements (GLE) event, the Sun can emit particles of sufficient energy and intensity to raise radiation levels on Earth's surface. Analyses of GLE characteristics occurring since 1942 showed that for the worst of them, the dose level is of the order of 1 mSv and more. The largest of these events was observed on February 1956 for which the ambient dose equivalent rate is in the orders of 10 mSv/hr. The extra dose at aircraft altitudes for a flight during this event might have been about 20 mSv, i.e. comparable with the annual limit for aircrew. The most recent GLE, occurred on September 2017 resulting from an X-class solar flare, and it was measured on the surface of both the Earth and Mars using the Radiation Assessment Detector on the Mars Science Laboratory's Curiosity Rover. Recently, Hubert et al. proposed a GLE model included in a particle transport platform (named ATMORAD) describing the extensive air shower characteristics and allowing to assess the ambient dose equivalent. In this approach, the GCR is based on the Force-Field approximation model. The physical description of the Solar Cosmic Ray (i.e. SCR) considers the primary differential rigidity spectrum and the distribution of primary particles at the top of the atmosphere. ATMORAD allows to determine the spectral fluence rate of secondary particles induced by extensive showers, considering altitude range from ground to 45 km. Ambient dose equivalent can be determined using fluence-to-ambient dose equivalent conversion coefficients. The objective of this paper is to analyze the GCR and SCR impacts on ambient dose equivalent considering a high number statistic of world-flight paths. Flight trajectories are based on the Eurocontrol Demand Data Repository (DDR) and consider realistic flight plan with and without regulations or updated with Radar Data from CFMU (Central Flow Management Unit). The final paper will present exhaustive analyses implying solar impacts on ambient dose equivalent level and will propose detailed analyses considering route and airplane characteristics (departure, arrival, continent, airplane type etc.), and the phasing of the solar event. Preliminary results show an important impact of the flight path, particularly the latitude which drives the cutoff rigidity variations. Moreover, dose values vary drastically during GLE events, on the one hand with the route path (latitude, longitude altitude), on the other hand with the phasing of the solar event. Considering the GLE occurred on 23 February 1956, the average ambient dose equivalent evaluated for a flight Paris - New York is around 1.6 mSv, which is relevant to previous works This point highlights the importance of monitoring these solar events and of developing semi-empirical and particle transport method to obtain a reliable calculation of dose levels.

Keywords: cosmic ray, human dose, solar flare, aviation

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Authors: Jaworski Mariusz, Owczarek Krzysztof, Adamus Mirosława

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Binge eating disorder (BED) is one of the three main eating disorders, beside anorexia and bulimia nervosa. BED is characterized by a loss of control over the quantity of food consumed and the lack of the compensatory behaviors, such as induced vomiting or purging. Studies highlight that certain personality traits may contribute to the severity of symptoms in the ED. The aim of this study is to analyze the relationship between psychological variables (Impulsivity and Urgency) and Nutritional restrictions in BED. The study included two groups. The first group consisted of 35 women with BED aged 18 to 28. The control group - 35 women without ED aged 18 to 28. ED-1 questionnaire was used in a study to assess the severity of impulsivity, urgency and nutritional restrictions. The obtained data were standardized. Statistical analyzes were performed using SPSS 21 software. The severity of impulsivity was higher in patients with BED than the control group. The relation between impulsivity and nutritional restrictions in BED was observed, only taking into consideration the relationship of these variables with the level of urgency. However, if the severity of urgency in this relationship is skipped, the relationship between impulsivity and nutritional restrictions will not occur. Impulsivity has a negative relationship with the level of urgency. This study suggests the need to analyze the interaction between impulsivity and urgency, and their relationship with dietary behavior in BED, especially nutritional restrictions. Analysis of single isolated features may give erroneous results.

Keywords: binge eating disorder, impulsivity, nutritional restrictions, urgency

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Authors: Andrzej Mitura, Krzysztof Kecik, Michal Augustyniak

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This paper presents a numerical and experimental research of a nonlinear two degrees of freedom system. The tested system consists of a mechanical oscillator (the primary subsystem) with the attached pendulum (the secondary subsystem). The oscillator is suspended on a linear (or nonlinear) coil spring and a nonlinear magnetorheorogical damper and it is excited kinematically. Added pendulum can be used to reduce vibration of a primary subsystem or to energy harvesting. The numerical and experimental investigations showed that the pendulum can perform several types of motion, for example: chaotic motion, constant position in lower or upper (stable inverted pendulum), rotation, symmetrical or asymmetrical swinging vibrations. The main objective of this study is to determine an influence of system parameters for increasing the zone when the pendulum rotates. As a final effect a semi-active control method to change the pendulum solution on the rotation is proposed. To the implementation of this method the magnetorheorogical damper is applied. Continuous rotation of the pendulum is desirable for recovery of energy. The work is financed by Grant no. 0234/IP2/2011/71 from the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education in years 2012-2014.

Keywords: autoparametric vibrations, chaos and rotation control, magnetorheological damper

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Authors: Sabrina Boutaleb, Kouider Halim Benrahou, François Schosseler, Abdelouahed Tounsi, El Abbas Adda Bedia

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The use of polyurethane in different areas becomes more frequent. This is due to significant advantages they have including their lightness and resistance. However, their use requires a mastery of their mechanical performance. We will present in this work, a COAPUR 6050 which can be used to develop composite materials. COAPUR 6050 is an associative polyurethane thickener allowing fine rheological adjustment of flat or semi-gloss paints. COAPUR 6050 is characterised by its thickening efficiency at low shear rate. It is a solvent-free liquid product. It promotes good paint pick up, while maintaining a low yield point after shearing, and consequently a good levelling. We will then determine its rheological behaviour experimentally using different annular gaps. The rheological properties of COAPUR 6050 were researched by rotational rheometer (Rheometer-Mars III) using different annular gaps. There is the influence of the size of the annular gap on the behaviour as well as on the rheological parameters of the COAPUR 6050. The rheological properties data of COAPUR 6050 were regressed by nonlinear regression method and their rheological models were established, are characterized by yield pseudoplastic model. In this case, it is essential to make a viscometric correction. The latter was developed and presented in the experimental results.

Keywords: COAPUR 6050, flow’s couette, polyurethane, rheological behaviours

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Authors: Krzysztof Zieliński, Dariusz Kierzek

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The addition of a small amount of alumina cement to Portland cement results in immediate setting, a rapid increase in the compressive strength and a clear increase of the adhesion to concrete substrate. This phenomenon is used, among others, for the production of liquid floor self-levelling compounds. Alumina cement is several times more expensive than Portland cement and is a component having a significant impact on prices of products manufactured with its use. For the production of liquid floor self-levelling compounds, low-alumina cement containing approximately 40% Al₂O₃ is normally used. The aim of the study was to determine the impact of Portland cement with the addition of alumina cement on the basic physical and mechanical properties of cement slurries and mortars. CEM I 42.5R and three types of alumina cement containing 40%, 50% and 70% of Al₂O₃ were used for the tests. Mixes containing 4%, 6%, 8%, 10% and 12% of different varieties of alumina cement were prepared; for which, the time of initial and final setting, compressive and flexural strength and adhesion to concrete substrate were determined. The analysis of the obtained test results showed that a similar immediate setting effect and clearly better adhesion strength can be obtained using the addition of 6% of high-alumina cement than 12% of low-alumina cement. As the prices of these cements are similar, this can give significant financial savings in the production of liquid floor self-levelling compounds.

Keywords: alumina cement, immediate setting, compression strength, adhesion to substrate

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Authors: Kevin Spencer G. Anglim, Zhenyu Zhang, Qingbin Gao

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Reusable launch vehicles (RLVs) present a more environmentally-friendly approach to accessing space when compared to traditional launch vehicles that are discarded after each flight. This paper studies the recyclable nature of RLVs by presenting a solution method for determining minimum-fuel optimal trajectories using principles from optimal control theory and particle swarm optimization (PSO). This problem is formulated as a minimum-landing error powered descent problem where it is desired to move the RLV from a fixed set of initial conditions to three different sets of terminal conditions. However, unlike other powered descent studies, this paper considers the highly nonlinear effects caused by atmospheric drag, which are often ignored for studies on the Moon or on Mars. Rather than optimizing the controls directly, the throttle control is assumed to be bang-off-bang with a predetermined thrust direction for each phase of flight. The PSO method is verified in a one-dimensional comparison study, and it is then applied to the two-dimensional cases, the results of which are illustrated.

Keywords: minimum-fuel optimal trajectory, particle swarm optimization, reusable rocket, SpaceX

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Authors: Krzysztof Malczewski

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PET is widely applied scanning procedure in medical imaging based research. It delivers measurements of functioning in distinct areas of the human brain while the patient is comfortable, conscious and alert. This article presents the new compression sensing based super-resolution algorithm for improving the image resolution in clinical Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanners. The issue of motion artifacts is well known in Positron Emission Tomography (PET) studies as its side effect. The PET images are being acquired over a limited period of time. As the patients cannot hold breath during the PET data gathering, spatial blurring and motion artefacts are the usual result. These may lead to wrong diagnosis. It is shown that the presented approach improves PET spatial resolution in cases when Compressed Sensing (CS) sequences are used. Compressed Sensing (CS) aims at signal and images reconstructing from significantly fewer measurements than were traditionally thought necessary. The application of CS to PET has the potential for significant scan time reductions, with visible benefits for patients and health care economics. In this study the goal is to combine super-resolution image enhancement algorithm with CS framework to achieve high resolution PET output. Both methods emphasize on maximizing image sparsity on known sparse transform domain and minimizing fidelity.

Keywords: PET, super-resolution, image reconstruction, pattern recognition

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Authors: Krzysztof Skiba, Zdzislaw Kaminski

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Wind power is based on a variety of construction solutions to convert wind energy into electrical energy. These constructions are constrained by the correlation between their energy conversion efficiency and the area they occupy. Their energy conversion efficiency can be improved by wind tunnel tests of a rotor as a diffuser to optimize shapes of aerodynamic elements, to adapt these elements to changing conditions and to increase airflow intensity. This paper discusses the results of computer simulations and aerodynamic analyzes of this innovative diffuser design. The research aims at determining the aerodynamic phenomena triggered by the airflow inside this construction, and developing a design to improve the efficiency of the wind turbine. The research results enable us to design a diffuser with a double Venturi nozzle and specially shaped blades. The design of this type uses Bernoulli’s law on the behavior of the flowing medium in the tunnel of a decreasing diameter. The air flowing along the tunnel changes its velocity so the rotor inside such a decreased tunnel diameter rotates faster in this airflow than does the wind outside this tunnel, which makes the turbine more efficient. Additionally, airflow velocity is improved by applying aerodynamic rings with extended trailing edges to achieve controlled turbulent vortices.

Keywords: wind turbine, renewable energy, cfd, numerical analysis

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Authors: Kamila Mazur-Oleszczuk, Rafal Banasiuk, Dawid Krasnowski, Maciej Pek, Marcin Podgorski, Krzysztof Rykaczewski, Sabina Zoledowska, Dawid Nidzworski

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Workout safety is one of the most significant challenges of recreational sports. Loss of water and electrolytes is a consequence of thermoregulatory sweating during exercise. The rate of sweat loss and its chemical composition can fluctuate within and among individuals. That is why we propose our sportband 'Flow' as a device for monitoring these parameters. 'Flow' consists of two parts: an intelligent module and a mobile application. The application allows verifying the training progress and data archiving. The sportband intelligent module includes temperature, heart rate and pulse measurement (non-invasive, continuous methods of workout monitoring). Apart from the standard components, the device will consist of a sweat composition analyzer situated in sportband intelligent module. Sweat is a water solution of numerous compounds such as ions (sodium up to 1609 µg/ml, potassium up to 274 µg/ml), lactic acid (skin pH is between 4.5 - 6) and a small amount of glucose. Awareness of sweat composition allows personalizing electrolyte intake after training. A comprehensive workout monitoring (sweat composition, heart rate, blood oxygen level) will provide improvement in the training routine and time management, which is our goal for the development of the sweat composition analyzer.

Keywords: flow, sportband, sweat, workout monitoring

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Authors: Aria Vitkova, Hanna Sykulska-Lawrence

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In recent years, Europa has been one of the major focus points in astrobiology due to its high potential of harbouring life in the vast ocean underneath its icy crust. However, the detection of life on Europa faces many challenges due to the harsh environmental conditions and mission constraints. Raman spectroscopy is a highly capable and versatile in-situ characterisation technique that does not require any sample preparation. It has only been used on Earth to date; however, recent advances in optical and laser technology have also allowed it to be considered for extraterrestrial exploration. So far, most efforts have been focused on the exploration of Mars, the most imminent planetary target. However, as an emerging technology with high miniaturization potential, Raman spectroscopy also represents a promising tool for the exploration of Europa. In this study, the capabilities of Raman technology in terms of life detection on Europa are explored and assessed. Spectra of biosignatures identified as high priority molecular targets for life detection on Europa were acquired at various excitation wavelengths and conditions analogous to Europa. The effects of extremely low temperatures and low concentrations in water ice were explored and evaluated in terms of the effectiveness of various configurations of Raman instruments. Based on the findings, a design of a miniaturized Raman instrument optimized for in-situ detection of life on Europa is proposed.

Keywords: astrobiology, biosignatures, Europa, life detection, Raman Spectroscopy

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Authors: Shan Jia, Jinbao Chen, Jinhua Zhou, Jiacheng Qian

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Lunar exploration is a necessary foundation for deep-space exploration. For the functional limitations of the fixed landers which are widely used currently and are to expand the detection range by the use of wheeled rovers with unavoidable path-repeatability, a movable lunar soft-landing device based on cantilever type buffer mechanism and leg-foot type walking mechanism is presented. Firstly, a 20 DoFs quadruped configuration based on pushrod is proposed. The configuration is of the bionic characteristics such as hip, knee and ankle joints, and can make the kinematics of the whole mechanism unchanged before and after buffering. Secondly, the multi-function main/auxiliary buffers based on crumple-energy absorption and screw-nut mechanism, as well as the telescopic device which could be used to protect the plantar force sensors during the buffer process are designed. Finally, the kinematic model of the whole mechanism is established, and the configuration optimization of the whole mechanism is completed based on the performance requirements of slope adaptation and obstacle crossing. This research can provide a technical solution integrating soft-landing, large-scale inspection and material-transfer for future lunar exploration and even mars exploration, and can also serve as the technical basis for developing the reusable landers.

Keywords: configuration design, lunar soft-landing device, movable, optimization

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Authors: Michal Urzynicok, Krzysztof Kwiecinski

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The development of materials used in the power generation industry for the production of boilers and their parts is characterized by high steam parameters, which present new challenges. Implementation of new combinations of alloying elements that lead to the best possible mechanical properties, including creep resistance, greatly affects new steels' weldability. All new grades have to undergo many different examinations, in regards to bending and welding, in order to enable the development of fabrication technologies, ensuring failure-free production and assembly of boiler components. 12% Cr martensitic steels like THOR™ 115 or VM-12 SHC are characterized by high oxidation resistance in high-temperature environments. At the moment, VM-12 SHC can be found in many boilers where both headers and superheater coils were produced. As this material is very difficult to obtain, a search for a proper replacement has begun. A new creep strength-enhanced ferritic steel for service in supercritical and ultra-supercritical boiler applications was developed by Tenaris in Italy and it is designated as Thor™115 (Tenaris High Oxidation Resistance). As high demand in power plants occurred to replace some parts of existing installations fabricated from VM12-SHC with other alternatives, a new development of welding procedures has begun to prepare fabricators for the challenges of joining old components with new THOR™ 115 material. This paper covers the first research of welding of dissimilar joints made out of VM12-SHC and THOR™ 115.

Keywords: thor, vm12, dissimilar welding, weldability

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Authors: Martin Doran, Roy Sterritt, George Wilkie

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NASA, ESA, and NSSC space agencies have plans to put planetary rovers on Mars in 2020. For these future planetary rovers to succeed, they will heavily depend on sensors to detect obstacles. This will also become of vital importance in the future, if rovers become less dependent on commands received from earth-based control and more dependent on self-configuration and self-decision making. These planetary rovers will face harsh environments and the possibility of hardware failure is high, as seen in missions from the past. In this paper, we focus on using Autonomic principles where self-healing, self-optimization, and self-adaption are explored using the MAPE-K model and expanding this model to encapsulate the attributes such as Awareness, Analysis, and Adjustment (AAA-3). In the experimentation, a Pioneer P3-DX research robot is used to simulate a planetary rover. The sonar sensors on the P3-DX robot are used to simulate the sensors on a planetary rover (even though in reality, sonar sensors cannot operate in a vacuum). Experiments using the P3-DX robot focus on how our software system can be adapted with the loss of sonar sensor functionality. The autonomic manager system is responsible for the decision making on how to make use of remaining ‘enabled’ sonars sensors to compensate for those sonar sensors that are ‘disabled’. The key to this research is that the robot can still detect objects even with reduced sonar sensor capability.

Keywords: autonomic, self-adaption, self-healing, self-optimization

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Authors: Monika Szymańska-Czerwińsk, Kinga Zaręba-Marchewka, Krzysztof Niemczuk

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Chlamydiaceae are Gram-negative bacteria distributed worldwide in animals and humans. One of them is Chlamydia gallinacea recently discovered. Available data show that C. gallinacea is dominant chlamydial agent found in poultry in European and Asian countries. The aim of the studies was screening of poultry flocks in order to evaluate frequency of C. gallinacea shedding and genetic diversity. Sampling was conducted in different regions of Poland in 2019-2020. Overall, 1466 cloacal/oral swabs were collected in duplicate from 146 apparently healthy poultry flocks including chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese and quails. Dry swabs were used for DNA extraction. DNA extracts were screened using a Chlamydiaceae 23S rRNA real-time PCR assay. To identify Chlamydia species, specific real-time PCR assays were performed. Furthermore, selected samples were used for sequencing based on ompA gene fragments and variable domains (VD1-2, VD3-4). In total, 10.3% of the tested flocks were Chlamydiaceae-positive (15/146 farms). The presence of Chlamydiaceae was confirmed mainly in chickens (13/92 farms) but also in turkey (1/19 farms) and goose (1/26 farms) flocks. Eleven flocks were identified as C. gallinacea-positive while four flocks remained unclassified. Phylogenetic analysis revealed at least 16 genetic variants of C. gallinacea. Research showed that Chlamydiaceae occur in a poultry flock in Poland. The strains of C. gallinacea as dominant species show genetic variability.

Keywords: C. gallinacea, emerging agent, poultry, real-time PCR

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Authors: I. Sarenkova, I. Ciprovica, I. Cinkmanis

Abstract:

Lactobionic acid is a disaccharide formed from gluconic acid and galactose, and produced by oxidation of lactose. Productivity of lactobionic acid by microbial synthesis can be affected by various factors, and one of them is a presence of potassium, magnesium and manganese ions. In order to extend lactobionic acid production efficiency, it is necessary to increase the yield of lactobionic acid by optimising the fermentation conditions and available substrates for Pseudomonas taetrolens growth. The object of the research was to determinate the application of K₂HPO₄, MnSO₄, MgSO₄ × 7H₂O salts in different concentration for effective lactose oxidation to lactobionic acid by Pseudomonas taetrolens. Pseudomonas taetrolens NCIB 9396 (NCTC, England) and Pseudomonas taetrolens DSM 21104 (DSMZ, Germany) were used for the study. The acid whey was used as the study object. The content of lactose in whey samples was determined using MilcoScan^TM Mars (Foss, Denmark) and high performance liquid chromatography (Shimadzu LC 20 Prominence, Japan). The content of lactobionic acid in whey samples was determined using the high performance liquid chromatography. The impact of studied salts differs, Mn²⁺ and Mg²⁺ ions enhanced fermentation instead of K⁺ ions. Results approved that Mn²⁺ and Mg²⁺ ions are necessary for Pseudomonas taetrolens growth. The study results will help to improve the effectiveness of lactobionic acid production with Pseudomonas taetrolens NCIB 9396 and DSM 21104.

Keywords: lactobionic acid, lactose oxidation, Pseudomonas taetrolens, whey

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Authors: Ewelina Nowak, Anna Wisla-Swider, Gohar Khachatryan, Krzysztof Danel

Abstract:

Complexes of ionic liquids with different heterocyclic-rings were synthesized by ion exchange reactions with pure salmon DNA. Ionic liquids (ILs) like 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride, 1-butyl-4-methylpyridinium chloride and 1-ethyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium bromide were used. The ILs were built into helical state and confirmed by IR spectrometric techniques. Patterns of UV-Vis, photoluminescence, IR, and CD spectra indicated inclusion of small molecules into DNA structure. Molecular weight and radii of gyrations values of ILs-DNA complexes chains were established by HPSEC–MALLS–RI method. Modification DNA with 1-ethyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium bromide gives more uniform material and leads to elimination of high molecular weight chains. Thus, the incorporation DNA double helical structure with both 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride and 1-butyl-4-methylpyridinium chloride exhibited higher molecular weight values. Scanning electron microscopy images indicate formation of nanofibre structures in all DNA complexes. Fluorescence depends strongly on the environment in which the chromophores are inserted and simultaneously on the molecular interactions with the biopolymer matrix. The most intensive emission was observed for DNA-imidazole ring complex. Decrease in intensity UV-Vis peak absorption is a consequence of a reduction in the spatial order of polynucleotide strands and provides different π–π stacking structure. Changes in optical properties confirmed by spectroscopy methods make DNA-ILs complexes potential biosensor applications.

Keywords: biopolymers, biosensors, cationic surfactant, DNA, DNA-gels

Procedia PDF Downloads 161

Authors: Tzan-Chain Lee

Abstract:

Seeds are non-leaves green tissues. Photosynthesis begins with light absorption by chlorophyll and then the energy transfer between two pigment-protein complexes (PPC). Most studies of photosynthesis and PPC expression were focused on leaves; however, during seeds’ development were rare. Developed seeds from beginning pod (stage R3) to dried seed (stage R8), and the dried seed after sowing for 1-4 day, were analyzed for their chlorophyll contents. Thornber and MARS gel systems analysis compositions of PPC. Chlorophyll fluorescence was used to detect maximal photosynthetic efficiency (Fv/Fm). During soybean and black soybean seeds development (stages R3-R6), Fv/Fm up to 0.8, and then down-regulated after full seed (stage R7). In dried seed (stage R8), the two plant seeds lost photosynthetic activity (Fv/Fm=0), but chlorophyll degradation only occurred in soybean after full seed. After seeds sowing for 4 days, chlorophyll drastically increased in soybean seeds, and Fv/Fm recovered to 0.8 in the two seeds. In PPC, the two soybean seeds contained all PPC during seeds development (stages R3-R6), including CPI, CPII, A1, AB1, AB2, and AB3. However, many proteins A1, AB1, AB2, and CPI were totally missing in the two dried seeds (stage R8). The deficiency of these proteins in dried seeds might be caused by the incomplete photosynthetic activity. After seeds germination and seedling exposed to light for 4 days, all PPC were recovered, suggesting that completed PPC took place in the two soybean seeds. This study showed the reversibility of photosynthetic activity and pigment-protein complexes during soybean and black soybean seeds development.

Keywords: light-harvesting complex, pigment–protein complexes, soybean cotyledon, grana development

Procedia PDF Downloads 122

Authors: Szymon Kugler, Krzysztof Kowalczyk, Tadeusz Spychaj

Abstract:

An addition of carbon nanotubes (CNT) can simultaneously improve many features of epoxy coatings, i.e. electrical, mechanical, functional and thermal. Unfortunately, this nanofiller negatively affects visual properties of the coatings, such as transparency and gloss. The main reason for the low visual performance of CNT-modified epoxy coatings is the lack of compatibility between CNT and popular amine curing agents, although epoxy resins based on bisphenol A are indisputable good CNT dispersants. This is a serious obstacle in utilization of the coatings in advanced applications, demanding both high transparency and electrical conductivity. The aim of performed investigations was to find amine curing agents exhibiting affinity for CNT, and ensuring good performance of epoxy coatings with them. Commercially available CNT was dispersed in epoxy resin, as well as in different aliphatic, cycloaliphatic and aromatic amines, using one of two dispergation methods: ultrasonic or mechanical. The CNT dispersions were subsequently used in the preparation of epoxy coating compositions and coatings on a transparent substrate. It was found that amine derivative of bio-based cardanol, as well as modified o-tolylbiguanide exhibit significant CNT, dispersing properties, resulting in improved transparent/electroconductive performance of epoxy coatings. In one of prepared coating systems just 0.025 wt.% (250 ppm) of CNT was enough to obtain coatings with semi conductive properties, 83% of transparency as well as perfect chemical resistance to methyl-ethyl ketone and improved thermal stability. Additionally, a theory of the influence of amine chemical structure on CNT dispersing properties was proposed.

Keywords: bio-based cardanol, carbon nanotubes, epoxy coatings, tolylbiguanide

Procedia PDF Downloads 180

Authors: Vatasta Koul, Ayush Gupta, Vaibhav Sharma, Rajesh Yadav

Abstract:

Today we are unmarking the secrets of the universe by exploring different stars and planets and most of the space exploration is done by unmanned space robots. In addition to our planet Earth, there are pieces of evidence that show other astronomical objects in our solar system such as Venus, Mars, Saturn’s moon Titan and Uranus support the flight of fixed wing air vehicles. In this paper, we take forward the concept of presence of large rounded tubercles along the leading edge of a wing and use it as a passive flow control device that will help in improving its aerodynamic performance and maneuverability. Furthermore, in this research, aerodynamic measurements and performance analysis of wavy leading tubercles on the fixed wings at 5-degree angle of attack are carried out after determination of the flow conditions on the selected planetary bodies. Wavelength and amplitude for the sinusoidal modifications on the leading edge are analyzed and simulations are carried out for three-dimensional NACA 0012 airfoil maintaining unity AR (Aspect Ratio). Tubercles have consistently demonstrated the ability to delay and decrease the severity of stall as per the studies were done in the Earth’s atmosphere. Implementing the same design on the leading edges of Micro-Air Vehicles (MAVs) and UAVs could make these aircrafts more stable over a greater range of angles of attack in different planetary environments of our solar system.

Keywords: amplitude, NACA0012, tubercles, unmanned space robots

Procedia PDF Downloads 113