Shuwen Yu, William P. Marnane, Geraldine B. Boylan, Gordon Lightbody
{"title":"Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy Grading from Multi-Channel EEG Time-Series Data Using a Fully Convolutional Neural Network","authors":"Shuwen Yu, William P. Marnane, Geraldine B. Boylan, Gordon Lightbody","doi":"10.3390/technologies11060151","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies11060151","url":null,"abstract":"A deep learning classifier is proposed for grading hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) in neonates. Rather than using handcrafted features, this architecture can be fed with raw EEG. Fully convolutional layers were adopted both in the feature extraction and classification blocks, which makes this architecture simpler, and deeper, but with fewer parameters. Here, two large (335 h and 338 h, respectively) multi-center neonatal continuous EEG datasets were used for training and testing. The model was trained based on weak labels and channel independence. A majority vote method was used for the post-processing of the classifier results (across time and channels) to increase the robustness of the prediction. A dimension reduction tool, UMAP, was used to visualize the model classification effect. The proposed system achieved an accuracy of 86.09% (95% confidence interval: 82.41–89.78%), an MCC of 0.7691, and an AUC of 86.23% on the large unseen test set. Two convolutional neural network architectures which utilized time-frequency distribution features were selected as the baseline as they had been developed or tested on the same datasets. A relative improvement of 23.65% in test accuracy was obtained as compared with the best baseline. In addition, if only one channel was available, the test accuracy was only reduced by 2.63–5.91% compared with making decisions based on the eight channels.","PeriodicalId":472933,"journal":{"name":"Technologies (Basel)","volume":"8 9","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135112826","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Elyor Berdimurodov, Omar Dagdag, Khasan Berdimuradov, Wan Nik Wan Mohd Norsani, Ilyos Eliboev, Mansur Ashirov, Sherzod Niyozkulov, Muslum Demir, Chinmurot Yodgorov, Nizomiddin Aliev
{"title":"Green Electrospun Nanofibers for Biomedicine and Biotechnology","authors":"Elyor Berdimurodov, Omar Dagdag, Khasan Berdimuradov, Wan Nik Wan Mohd Norsani, Ilyos Eliboev, Mansur Ashirov, Sherzod Niyozkulov, Muslum Demir, Chinmurot Yodgorov, Nizomiddin Aliev","doi":"10.3390/technologies11050150","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies11050150","url":null,"abstract":"Green electrospinning harnesses the potential of renewable biomaterials to craft biodegradable nanofiber structures, expanding their utility across a spectrum of applications. In this comprehensive review, we summarize the production, characterization and application of electrospun cellulose, collagen, gelatin and other biopolymer nanofibers in tissue engineering, drug delivery, biosensing, environmental remediation, agriculture and synthetic biology. These applications span diverse fields, including tissue engineering, drug delivery, biosensing, environmental remediation, agriculture, and synthetic biology. In the realm of tissue engineering, nanofibers emerge as key players, adept at mimicking the intricacies of the extracellular matrix. These fibers serve as scaffolds and vascular grafts, showcasing their potential to regenerate and repair tissues. Moreover, they facilitate controlled drug and gene delivery, ensuring sustained therapeutic levels essential for optimized wound healing and cancer treatment. Biosensing platforms, another prominent arena, leverage nanofibers by immobilizing enzymes and antibodies onto their surfaces. This enables precise glucose monitoring, pathogen detection, and immunodiagnostics. In the environmental sector, these fibers prove invaluable, purifying water through efficient adsorption and filtration, while also serving as potent air filtration agents against pollutants and pathogens. Agricultural applications see the deployment of nanofibers in controlled release fertilizers and pesticides, enhancing crop management, and extending antimicrobial food packaging coatings to prolong shelf life. In the realm of synthetic biology, these fibers play a pivotal role by encapsulating cells and facilitating bacteria-mediated prodrug activation strategies. Across this multifaceted landscape, nanofibers offer tunable topographies and surface functionalities that tightly regulate cellular behavior and molecular interactions. Importantly, their biodegradable nature aligns with sustainability goals, positioning them as promising alternatives to synthetic polymer-based technologies. As research and development continue to refine and expand the capabilities of green electrospun nanofibers, their versatility promises to advance numerous applications in the realms of biomedicine and biotechnology, contributing to a more sustainable and environmentally conscious future.","PeriodicalId":472933,"journal":{"name":"Technologies (Basel)","volume":"2001 12","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135413254","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Exploring the Digital Atmosphere of Museums: Perspectives and Potential","authors":"Sofia Paschou, Georgios Papaioannou","doi":"10.3390/technologies11050149","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies11050149","url":null,"abstract":"This paper contributes to the field of museum and visitor experience in terms of atmosphere by discussing the “museum digital atmosphere” or MDA, a notion that has been introduced and found across museums in Greece. Research on museum atmospherics has tended to focus on physical museum spaces and exhibits. By “atmosphere”, we mean the emotional state that is a result of public response adding to the overall museum experience. The MDA is therefore studied as the specific emotional state caused by the use of digital applications and technologies. The stimulus–organism–response or SOR model is used to define the MDA, so as to confirm and reinforce the concept. To that end, a qualitative methodological approach is used; we conduct semi-structured interviews and evaluate findings via content analysis. The sample consists of 17 specialists and professionals from the field, namely museologists, museographers, museum managers, and digital application developers working in Greek museums. Ultimately, this research uses the SOR model to reveal the effect of digital tools on the digital atmosphere in Greek museums. It also enriches the SOR model with additional concepts and emotions taken from real-life situations, adding new categories of variables. This research provides the initial data and knowledge regarding the concept of the MDA, along with its importance.","PeriodicalId":472933,"journal":{"name":"Technologies (Basel)","volume":"18 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135462066","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Packet Classification Using TCAM of Narrow Entries","authors":"Hsin-Tsung Lin, Wei-Han Pan, Pi-Chung Wang","doi":"10.3390/technologies11050147","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies11050147","url":null,"abstract":"Packet classification based on rules of packet header fields is the key technology for enabling software-defined networking (SDN). Ternary content addressable memory (TCAM) is a widely used hardware for packet classification; however, commercially available TCAM chips have only limited storage. As the number of supported header fields in SDN increases, the number of supported rules in a TCAM chip is reduced. In this work, we present a novel scheme to enable packet classification using TCAM with entries that are narrower than rules by storing the most representative field of a ruleset in TCAM. Due to the fact that not all rules can be distinguished using one field, our scheme employs a TCAM-based multimatch packet classification technique to ensure correctness. We further develop approaches to reduce redundant TCAM accesses for multimatch packet classification. Although our scheme requires additional TCAM accesses, it supports packet classification upon long rules with narrow TCAM entries, and drastically reduces the required TCAM storage. Our experimental results show that our scheme requires a moderate number of additional TCAM accesses and consumes much less storage compared to the basic TCAM-based packet classification. Thus, it can provide the required scalability for long rules required by potential applications of SDN.","PeriodicalId":472933,"journal":{"name":"Technologies (Basel)","volume":"69 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135778682","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nataliya Kildeeva, Nikita Sazhnev, Maria Drozdova, Vasilina Zakharova, Evgeniya Svidchenko, Nikolay Surin, Elena Markvicheva
{"title":"Approaches to Obtaining Water-Insoluble Fibrous Matrices from Regenerated Fibroin","authors":"Nataliya Kildeeva, Nikita Sazhnev, Maria Drozdova, Vasilina Zakharova, Evgeniya Svidchenko, Nikolay Surin, Elena Markvicheva","doi":"10.3390/technologies11050146","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies11050146","url":null,"abstract":"Silk fibroin (SF) holds promise for the preparation of matrices for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine or for the development of drug delivery systems. Regenerated fibroin from Bombyx mori cocoons is water-soluble and can be processed into scaffolds of various forms, such as fibrous matrices, using the electrospinning method. In the current study, we studied the correlation between concentrations of fibroin aqueous solutions and their properties, in order to obtain electrospun mats for tissue engineering. Two methods were used to prevent solubility in fibroin-based matrices: The conversion of fibroin to the β-conformation via treatment with an ethanol solution and chemical cross-linking with genipin (Gp). The interaction of Gp with SF led to the appearance of a characteristic blue color but did not lead to the gelation of solutions. To speed up the cross-linking reaction with Gp, we propose using chitosan-containing systems and modifying fibrous materials via treatment with a solution of Gp in 80% ethanol. It was shown that the composition of fibroin with chitosan contributes to an improved water resistance, reduces defective material, and leads to a decrease in the diameter of the fibers. The electrospun fiber matrices based on regenerated fibroin modified by cross-linking with genipin in water–alcohol solutions were shown to promote cell adhesion, spreading, and growth and, therefore, could hold promise for tissue engineering.","PeriodicalId":472933,"journal":{"name":"Technologies (Basel)","volume":"61 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135730360","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"({ell_0}) Optimization with Robust Non-Oracular Quantum Search","authors":"Tianyi Zhang , Yuan Ke","doi":"10.3390/technologies11050148","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies11050148","url":null,"abstract":"In this article, we introduce an innovative hybrid quantum search algorithm, the Robust Non-oracle Quantum Search (RNQS), which is specifically designed to efficiently identify the minimum value within a large set of random numbers. Distinct from the Grover’s algorithm, the proposed RNQS algorithm circumvents the need for an oracle function that describes the true solution state, a feature often impractical for data science applications. Building on existing non-oracular quantum search algorithms, RNQS enhances robustness while substantially reducing running time. The superior properties of RNQS have been demonstrated through careful analysis and extensive empirical experiments. Our findings underscore the potential of the RNQS algorithm as an effective and efficient solution to combinatorial optimization problems in the realm of quantum computing.","PeriodicalId":472933,"journal":{"name":"Technologies (Basel)","volume":"66 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135779034","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Gilyana K. Kazakova, Victoria S. Presniakova, Yuri M. Efremov, Svetlana L. Kotova, Anastasia A. Frolova, Sergei V. Kostjuk, Yury A. Rochev, Peter S. Timashev
{"title":"Preparation and Characterization of Thermoresponsive Polymer Scaffolds Based on Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-N-tert-butylacrylamide) for Cell Culture","authors":"Gilyana K. Kazakova, Victoria S. Presniakova, Yuri M. Efremov, Svetlana L. Kotova, Anastasia A. Frolova, Sergei V. Kostjuk, Yury A. Rochev, Peter S. Timashev","doi":"10.3390/technologies11050145","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies11050145","url":null,"abstract":"In the realm of scaffold-free cell therapies, there is a questto develop organotypic three-dimensional (3D) tissue surrogates in vitro, capitalizing on the inherent ability of cells to create tissues with an efficiency and sophistication that still remains unmatched by human-made devices. In this study, we explored the properties of scaffolds obtained by the electrospinning of a thermosensitive copolymer, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-N-tert-butylacrylamide) (P(NIPAM-co-NtBA)), intended for use in such therapies. Two copolymers with molecular weights of 123 and 137 kDa and a content of N-tert-butylacrylamide of ca. 15 mol% were utilized to generate 3D scaffolds via electrospinning. We examined the morphology, solution viscosity, porosity, and thickness of the spun matrices as well as the mechanical properties and hydrophobic–hydrophilic characteristics of the scaffolds. Particular attention was paid to studying the influence of the thermosensitive polymer’s molecular weight and dispersity on the resultant scaffolds’ properties and the role of electroforming parameters on the morphology and mechanical characteristics of the scaffolds. The cytotoxicity of the copolymers and interaction of cells with the scaffolds were also studied. Our findings provide significant insight into approaches to optimizing scaffolds for specific cell cultures, thereby offering new opportunities for scaffold-free cell therapies.","PeriodicalId":472933,"journal":{"name":"Technologies (Basel)","volume":"20 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135888105","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Advancements in Doping Strategies for Enhanced Photocatalysts and Adsorbents in Environmental Remediation","authors":"Pramita Sen, Praneel Bhattacharya, Gargi Mukherjee, Jumasri Ganguly, Berochan Marik, Devyani Thapliyal, Sarojini Verma, Geroge D. Verros, Manvendra Singh Chauhan, Raj Kumar Arya","doi":"10.3390/technologies11050144","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies11050144","url":null,"abstract":"Environmental pollution poses a pressing global challenge, demanding innovative solutions for effective pollutant removal. Photocatalysts, particularly titanium dioxide (TiO2), are renowned for their catalytic prowess; however, they often require ultraviolet light for activation. Researchers had turned to doping with metals and non-metals to extend their utility into the visible spectrum. While this approach shows promise, it also presents challenges such as material stability and dopant leaching. Co-doping, involving both metals and non-metals, has emerged as a viable strategy to mitigate these limitations. Inthe fieldof adsorbents, carbon-based materials doped with nitrogen are gaining attention for their improved adsorption capabilities and CO2/N2 selectivity. Nitrogen doping enhances surface area and fosters interactions between acidic CO2 molecules and basic nitrogen functionalities. The optimal combination of an ultramicroporous surface area and specific nitrogen functional groups is key to achievehigh CO2 uptake values and selectivity. The integration of photocatalysis and adsorption processes in doped materials has shown synergistic pollutant removal efficiency. Various synthesis methods, including sol–gel, co-precipitation, and hydrothermal approaches had been employed to create hybrid units of doped photocatalysts and adsorbents. While progress has been made in enhancing the performance of doped materials at the laboratory scale, challenges persist in transitioning these technologies to large-scale industrial applications. Rigorous studies are needed to investigate the impact of doping on material structure and stability, optimize process parameters, and assess performance in real-world industrial reactors. These advancements are promising foraddressing environmental pollution challenges, promoting sustainability, and paving the way for a cleaner and healthier future. This manuscript provides a comprehensive overview of recent developments in doping strategies for photocatalysts and adsorbents, offering insights into the potential of these materials to revolutionize environmental remediation technologies.","PeriodicalId":472933,"journal":{"name":"Technologies (Basel)","volume":"127 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136032677","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Dual-Matrix Domain Wall: A Novel Technique for Generating Permutations by QUBO and Ising Models with Quadratic Sizes","authors":"Koji Nakano, Shunsuke Tsukiyama, Yasuaki Ito, Takashi Yazane, Junko Yano, Takumi Kato, Shiro Ozaki, Rie Mori, Ryota Katsuki","doi":"10.3390/technologies11050143","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies11050143","url":null,"abstract":"The Ising model is defined by an objective function using a quadratic formula of qubit variables. The problem of an Ising model aims to determine the qubit values of the variables that minimize the objective function, and many optimization problems can be reduced to this problem. In this paper, we focus on optimization problems related to permutations, where the goal is to find the optimal permutation out of the n! possible permutations of n elements. To represent these problems as Ising models, a commonly employed approach is to use a kernel that applies one-hot encoding to find any one of the n! permutations as the optimal solution. However, this kernel contains a large number of quadratic terms and high absolute coefficient values. The main contribution of this paper is the introduction of a novel permutation encoding technique called the dual-matrix domain wall, which significantly reduces the number of quadratic terms and the maximum absolute coefficient values in the kernel. Surprisingly, our dual-matrix domain-wall encoding reduces the quadratic term count and maximum absolute coefficient values from n3−n2 and 2n−4 to 6n2−12n+4 and 2, respectively. We also demonstrate the applicability of our encoding technique to partial permutations and Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization (QUBO) models. Furthermore, we discuss a family of permutation problems that can be efficiently implemented using Ising/QUBO models with our dual-matrix domain-wall encoding.","PeriodicalId":472933,"journal":{"name":"Technologies (Basel)","volume":"38 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136032988","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Poonam Tiwari, Vishant Gahlaut, Meenu Kaushik, Anshuman Shastri, Vivek Arya, Issa Elfergani, Chemseddine Zebiri, Jonathan Rodriguez
{"title":"Enhancing Performance of Millimeter Wave MIMO Antenna with a Decoupling and Common Defected Ground Approach","authors":"Poonam Tiwari, Vishant Gahlaut, Meenu Kaushik, Anshuman Shastri, Vivek Arya, Issa Elfergani, Chemseddine Zebiri, Jonathan Rodriguez","doi":"10.3390/technologies11050142","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies11050142","url":null,"abstract":"An approach is presented to enhance the isolation of a two-port Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) antenna using a decoupling structure and a common defected ground structure (DGS) that physically separates the antennas from each other. The antenna operates in the 24 to 40 GHz frequency range. The innovation in the presented MIMO antenna design involves the novel integration of two arc-shaped symmetrical elements with dimensions of 35 × 35 × 1.6 mm3 placed perpendicular to each other. The benefits of employing an antenna with elements arranged perpendicularly are exemplified by the enhancement of its overall performance metrics. These elements incorporate a microstrip feed featuring a quarter-wave transformer (QWT). This concept synergizes with decoupling techniques and a defected ground structure to significantly enhance isolation in a millimeter wave (mm wave) MIMO antenna. These methods collectively achieve an impressively wide bandwidth. Efficient decoupling methodologies have been implemented, yielding a notable increase of 5 dB in isolation performance. The antenna exhibits 10 dB impedance matching, with a 15 GHz (46.87%) wide bandwidth, excellent isolation of more than 28 dB, and a desirable gain of 4.6 dB. Antennas have been analyzed to improve their performance in mm wave applications by evaluating diversity parameters such as envelope correlation coefficient (ECC) and diversity gain (DG), with achieved values of 0.0016 and 9.992 dB, respectively. The simulation is conducted using CST software. To validate the findings, experimental investigations have been conducted, affirming the accuracy of the simulations.","PeriodicalId":472933,"journal":{"name":"Technologies (Basel)","volume":"85 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136115163","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}