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A portable Raman device with a 532 nm excitation laser and a portable infrared spectrometer with ATR (Attenuated Total Reflection) mode were used to analyse the spectral features associated with the identification and compositional variation of Ca-Mg-Fe-Mn natural carbonate minerals with a calcite structure (calcite, ankerite, dolomite, siderite, rhodochrosite, and magnesite). A systematic study of the variations of the peak positions with various compositional ratios was carried out. Most of the band positions were shifted to lower wavenumbers with increasing ionic radius or atomic mass of the divalent cations but the band of the translational lattice (T) mode in Raman and the symmetric bending (ν4) band in the mid-infrared were the most sensitive. Therefore, the elemental variation of the Ca-Mg-Fe-Mn ratio in this carbonate series can be estimated from Raman and infrared band positions from spectra acquired with portable spectrometers.Technological advances in recent decades, especially in molecular genetics, have enabled the detection of genetic DNA markers associated with productive characteristics in animals. However, the prospection of polymorphisms based on DNA sequencing is still expensive for the reality of many food-producing regions around the world, such as Brazil, demanding more accessible prospecting methods. In the present study, the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and machine learning algorithms were used to identify single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in animal DNA. selleck chemicals llc The fragments of bovine DNA with well-known polymorphisms were used as a model. The DNA fragments were produced and genotyped by PCR-RFLP and classified according to the genotype (homozygous or heterozygous). FTIR spectra of DNA fragments were analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA) and machine learning algorithms. The best results exhibited 75-95% accuracy in the classification of bovine genotypes. Therefore, FTIR spectroscopy and multivariate analysis can be used as an alternative tool for prospecting polymorphisms in animal DNA. The method can contribute with studies to identify genetic markers associated with animal production and indirectly with food production itself, and reduce pressure on available natural resources.Screening and detection of early lung cancer is important for diagnosis and prognosis. Intervention in early stage of lung cancer can significantly improve the cure and survival of patients. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is an increasingly popular method of diagnosing cancer. We used silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) as the Raman-enhanced substrate to increase Raman signals, which contributes to the subsequent classification of lung cancer and normal serum. SERS acquired from the serum indicated the difference in biochemical components between cancerous (n = 51) lung serum and normal (n = 18) serum. Principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were utilized to establish the identification model, and the various indicators of PLS-DA were all superior to those of the PLS model. Our study offers a new proposal for the universal applicability of analysis and identification with SERS of serum samples in clinical diagnosis.The number of studies on autonomous vehicles has increased over recent years. Many of these studies have indicated the importance of an external Human-Machine Interface of communication (eHMI) on autonomous vehicles to indicate their intentions to other road users. Using an experimental design, we compared three eHMIs coupled to three road infrastructures to observe pedestrians' crossing behavior and collect their feelings about different vehicle types. Our results showed that the eHMIs influence the pedestrians' decision to cross the street, confirming the importance of setting up eHMIs. The proportion of pedestrians who crossed in front of the autonomous vehicles was more significant for vehicles equipped with an eHMI than vehicles without an eHMI. In 10% of cases, pedestrians used circumvention strategies rather than crossing in front of a vehicle without an eHMI. This behavior was more often observed when there was no protected infrastructure. Finally, while our objective data failed to indicate whether a specific eHMI is better accepted than another, the subjective data on the participants' preferences provided some promising ideas for further studies and the eHMI final implementation.The Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) is an important part of the workforce in hospitals and nursing homes, whose work includes heavy and repetitive work tasks including patient manual handling. The Structured Multidisciplinary work Evaluation Tool (SMET) questionnaire is an Occupational Health Service method for evaluation of the work environment. The aim of this study is to compare the SMET questionnaire with technical measurements of physical workload in CNAs in a medical ward setting. 16 CNA's participated voluntarily to 8 h of measurements during one workday. Physical workload was measured with surface electromyography and inclinometers, and the work environment was evaluated with the SMET questionnaire during the same working day. Spearman's rho was used in the statistical correlation analysis between measurements. This study shows strong, statistically significant correlations between the items in the SMET questionnaire and measured physical workload, n CNAs.Recently, motion-based navigation interfaces have been widely utilized in virtual reality (VR) environments. However, improper navigation interfaces can negatively impact the VR experience, and because different interfaces have different characteristics, the navigation experience may vary. Although comparative studies have been conducted with various interfaces, information obtained by focusing on qualitative evaluation was limited. Thus, this study explores the effects from three navigation interfaces (walking-in-place (WIP), joystick, and teleportation) on user performance, sense of presence, workload, usability, and motion sickness through a mixed-method design. Twenty-one participants were asked to perform a navigation task using selected navigation interfaces. The results indicated different advantages and disadvantages in the navigation interfaces for each evaluation metric. In particular, it was found that more research on user safety is required for the WIP interface. The findings of this study are expected to contribute to the development of guidelines for applying navigation interfaces to specific VR environments.Fiber reinforced polymers (FRPs) are increasingly used in thick primary load-bearing structures. Nevertheless, manufacturing and in-service defects occur with a higher chance as the FRP thickness increases and thus the potential structure defects should be detected and evaluated. To image defects in thick FRP over 10 mm thick, this study proposes a frequency-and-structure dependent time-corrected ultrasonic total focusing method (FS-TFM) based on Floquet wave theory, which differs from conventional TFM that the wave velocity correction along different propagation direction bases on not only the structural anisotropy and inhomogeneity of FRP, but also on the probing frequency. First an analytical Floquet-wave-based dynamic homogenization for a crossply FRP laminate is performed, to obtain the homogenization region and then the wave anisotropy and dispersion therein. Then numerical finite element analysis follows, to further interrogate the time domain feature of wave signals. With the understanding of wave propagation, by accurately correcting the wave velocity anisotropy related to both the inspected crossply FPR and wave frequency, the FS-TFM imaging technique is proposed to focus the defect-scattered wave energy on the defect location. In addition, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) analysis of side-drilled-hole (Ø2 mm) imaging via different imaging algorithms shows that the proposed FS-TFM achieves the highest SNR at the frequency approaching the upper limit of the homogenization region. Finally, the experimental validation further indicates the potential of the proposed FS-TFM for accurate defect imaging in thick FRP.In this paper, a new and special transverse ultrasonic vibration-assisted riveting (TUVR) system is developed to improve the plasticity and qualification of titanium alloy rivets. Comparing with conventional riveting (CR), the formed driven heads by TUVR are not only suffered from the riveting force and hole boundary constrain, but also the acoustic softening and dragging friction force. Consequently, to disclose the deformation mechanism and mechanical properties in driven head, a series of studies were carried out. First, the dimensions of driven head for different amplitudes and roughness were investigated. On this basis, the typical position microstructures in driven head of TUVR and CR were contrastively analyzed. Moreover, the interference sizes of laminates riveted lap joints under CR and TUVR were compared. Finally, the micro-hardness and pull-out strength in joints of two riveting processes were tested, and illustrating the mode and microstructure of failure. Results show that ultrasonic vibration can act as a new and effective auxiliary riveting method, which contributes to achieving plasticity improvement and higher mechanical properties of joints. Although the TUVR has significant effects on the deviation of the driven head, which can be restrained well with a reasonable amplitude and roughness. The grains deformation in typical positions of TUVR is much severer than CR, except in the lower shear band and difficult deformation area. Besides, the uniformity of interference sizes of riveted sample is well improved by TUVR. The experimental results show that the micro-hardness and yield load of TUVR riveted lap joints increase more than 10% and 4%, respectively.The sense of a bodily self is thought to depend on adaptive weighting and integration of bodily afferents and prior beliefs. Evidence from studies using paradigms such as the rubber hand illusion and full body illusion suggests changes in the integration of visuotactile bodily signals throughout childhood. Here, we extended this line of research by assessing how bottom-up visuomotor synchrony and expectancy, modulated by visual appearance of virtual avatars, contribute to embodiment in children. We compared responses to a first-person perspective virtual full body illusion from 8- to 12-year-old children and adults while manipulating synchrony of the avatar's movements (synchronous, 0.5-s delay, or 1-s delay compared with the participant's movements) and appearance of the avatar (human or skeleton). We measured embodiment with both subjective questionnaires and objective skin conductance responses to virtual threat. Results showed that children experienced ownership for the virtual avatar in a similar way as adults, which was reduced with increasing asynchrony, and for the skeleton avatar as compared with the human avatar. This modulation of ownership was not reflected in the skin conductance responses, which were equally high in all experimental conditions and only showed a modulation of repetition by age. In contrast, in children the subjective experience of agency was less affected by the dampening effects of visuomotor asynchrony or reduced human likeness and was overall higher. These findings suggest that children can easily embody a virtual avatar but that different aspects of embodiment develop at different rates, which could have important implications for applications of embodied virtual reality.