Electromyogram (EMG)-based Pattern Recognition (PR) systems for upper-limb prosthesis control provide promising ways to enable an intuitive control of the prostheses with multiple degrees of freedom and fast reaction times. However, the lack of robustness of the PR systems may limit their usability. In this paper, a novel adaptive time windowing framework is proposed to enhance the performance of the PR systems by focusing on their windowing and classification steps. The proposed framework estimates the output probabilities of each class and outputs a movement only if a decision with a probability above a certain threshold is achieved. Otherwise (i.e., all probability values are below the threshold), the window size of the EMG signa

Scleral acrylic resin is widely used to synthesize ocular prosthesis. However, the properties of this material change over time, thus requiring the prosthesis to be refabricated. Many studies were conducted to improve these properties by reinforcing this material with nanoparticles. This study aims to evaluate the effect of silver nanoparticle powder on the mechanical properties (transverse flexural strength, impact strength, shear bond strength, surface microhardness, and surface roughness) of scleral acrylic resin used for ocular prostheses. Two concentrations were selected from the pilot study and evaluated for their effects on scleral acrylic resin properties. According to the pilot study, 0.01 and 0.02wt% AgNPs powder improved

A simple, rapid and environmentally friendly dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction method-based spectrophotometric method for the trace determination of folic acid has been developed. The proposed method is based on the formation of a deep yellow product via reaction of folic acid and 1,2-naphthoquine-4-sulfonate at pH = 9. The formed complex was extracted using a mixture of chloroform and ethanol. Then, the tiny organic droplets were measured at λ = 520 nm. At the optimum conditions, linearity was ranged from 0.05 to 1.5 μg/mL for the standard and samples, with a linear correlation coefficient of 0.9996. The detection limits were 0.02, 0.027, 0.03, 0.02 and 0.04 μg/mL for standard, tablet (5 mg), tablet (1 mg), syrup and fl

Nearly a century and a half has passed since Sarah Orne Jewett published her much anthologized short story “A White Heron” (1886), but commentators on the tale missed one of the most important points in the text. It is the story’s similarity to the traditional Euro-centric fairy tale of “Little Red Riding Hood”. As an author, writing at the end of the ninetieth century, a time that witnessed the demise of the Romantic movement in America and the beginning of the age of Realism, Jewett did not romanticize her characters, despite the idyllic landscape in which “A White Heron” is set. Her story can be analyzed as a text that aims at disseminating ecological awareness among her young readers. This study focuses on Jewett

The work include synthesis of nanocomposites (X / S / Ag) based on blend from Xanthan gum / sodium alginate polymers (X / S) with different loading of synthesized silver nanoparticales (0.01, 0.03 and 0.05 wt%) were added to the blend. The silver nanoparticles were prepared by reduction method and were characterized and analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Atomic force microscope (AFM). XRD study showed the presence nanoparticle of silver with crystalline nature and face-centered cubic (FCC) structure and an average size of nanoparticles ranging from 32 to 37 nm. The surface study was performed using AFM which showed a fairly uniform shape to the nanocomposites and a spherical nature for the silver nanoparticles. The nanocomposite exh

Objectives: To assess the performance of a novel resin-modified glass-ionomer cement (pRMGIC) bonded to various tooth tissues after two-time intervals. Methods: 192 sound human molars were randomly assigned to 3 groups (n = 64): sound enamel, demineralised enamel, sound dentine. Sixty-four teeth with natural carious lesions including caries-affected dentine (CAD) were selected. All substrates were prepared, conditioned and restored with pRMGIC (30% ethylene glycol methacrylate phosphate (EGMP, experimental), Fuji II LC (control), Fuji IX, and Filtek™ Supreme with Scotchbond ™ Universal Adhesive. Shear bond strength (SBS) was determined after 24 h and three months storage in SBF at 37C. The debonded surfaces were examined using stereomi

Barium–doped TiO2 / n-Si photodetector was fabricated by spray pyrolysis exhibited visible enhancement responsivity profile with peak response at 600 nm flat response between 650 and 900 nm. The quantum efficiency was 30% and specific detectivity was 5x1012 W-1Hz1/2cm at peak response. The GaAlAs laser diode was used to estimate the rise time of the detector.

Diesel engine oil was subjected to thermal oxidization (TO) for six periods of time (0 h, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, 96 h, and 120 h) and was subsequently characterized by terahertz time domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS). The THz refractive index generally increased with oxidation time. The measurement method illustrated the potential of THz-TDS when a fixed setup with a single cuvette is used. A future miniaturized setup installed in an engine would be an example of a fixed setup. For the refractive index, there were highly significant differences among the oxidation times across most of the 0.3–1.7 THz range.

For the most reliable and reproducible results for calibration or general testing purposes of two immiscible liquids, such as water in engine oil, good emulsification is vital. This study explores the impact of emulsion quality on the Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy calibration standards for measuring water contamination in used or in-service engine oil, in an attempt to strengthen the specific guidelines of ASTM International standards for sample preparation. By using different emulsification techniques and readily available laboratory equipment, this work is an attempt to establish the ideal sample preparation technique for reliability, repeatability, and reproducibility for FT-IR analysis while still considering t