Xiang Zhang^1,*, Miao Su¹, Wenjie Yu², Zhen Lei¹, Jun Ren¹, Juntong Qu¹

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.136, No.2, pp. 1487-1507, 2023, DOI:10.32604/cmes.2023.025799

Abstract The durability of cement-based materials is related to water transport and storage in their pore network under different humidity conditions. To understand the mechanism and characteristics of water adsorption and desorption processes from the microscopic scale, this study introduces different points of view for the pore space model generation and numerical simulation of water transport by considering the “ink-bottle” effect. On the basis of the pore structure parameters (i.e., pore size distribution and porosity) of cement paste and mortar with water-binder ratios of 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5 obtained via mercury intrusion porosimetry, randomly formed 3D pore space models are generated… More >

Saqlain Abbas^1,2, Zulkarnain Abbas^3,4,*, Yanping Zhu², Waqas Tariq Toor⁵, Xiaotong Tu⁶

Structural Durability & Health Monitoring, Vol.16, No.4, pp. 307-321, 2022, DOI:10.32604/sdhm.2022.015266

Abstract In the previous couple of decades, techniques to reap energy and empower low voltage electronic devices have received outstanding attention. Most of the methods based on the piezoelectric effect to harvest the energy from ambient vibrations have been revolutionized. There’s an absence of experiment-based investigation which incorporates the microstructure analysis and crystal morphology of those energy harvest home materials. Moreover, the impact of variable mechanical and thermal load conditions has seldom been studied within the previous literature to utilize the effectiveness of those materials in several practical applications like structural health monitoring (SHM), etc. In the proposed research work, scanning… More >

Ibrahim Noaman¹, Abd El Fattah El Atik², Tamer Medhat^3,*, Manal E. Ali⁴

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.74, No.3, pp. 6893-6908, 2023, DOI:10.32604/cmc.2023.033539

Abstract This article focuses on the relationship between mathematical morphology operations and rough sets, mainly based on the context of image retrieval and the basic image correspondence problem. Mathematical morphological procedures and set approximations in rough set theory have some clear parallels. Numerous initiatives have been made to connect rough sets with mathematical morphology. Numerous significant publications have been written in this field. Others attempt to show a direct connection between mathematical morphology and rough sets through relations, a pair of dual operations, and neighborhood systems. Rough sets are used to suggest a strategy to approximate mathematical morphology within the general… More >

Xue Song^1,2, Cun Liu², Jingying Wang^1,*, Xinglian Yang¹, Mingrui Li¹

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.19, No.4, pp. 209-219, 2022, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2022.026082

Abstract The umbilical cord is a vital structure between the fetus and placenta for the growth and well-being of the fetus. Although the umbilical cord may be the only organ that dies at the beginning of life, it is one of the most important parts of the feta-placental unit and plays a role in determining how life begins. In general, the prenatal examination of the umbilical cord is limited to the observation of the number of vessels and the evaluation of umbilical artery blood flow parameters. Pathologists have done more research on the morphological characteristics of the umbilical cord and linked… More >

Yodthong Baimark^*, Theeraphol Phromsopha

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.11, No.4, pp. 1881-1894, 2023, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2023.025400

Abstract A poly(L-lactide)-b-poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(L-lactide)(PLLA-PEG-PLLA) block copolymer has great potential for use as a flexible bioplastic. Highly flexible bioplastics are required for flexible packaging applications. In this work, a PEG was incorporated into block copolymer as a plasticizer by solvent casting. PLLA-PEG-PLLA/ PEG blends with different blend ratios were prepared, and the plasticizing effect and miscibility of PEG in block copolymer were intensively investigated compared to PLLA/PEG blends. The results indicated that the PEG was an effective plasticizer for the block copolymer. The blending of PEG decreased glass-transition temperature and accelerated the crystallization of both the PLLA and PLLA-PEG-PLLA matrices. The PEG… More > Graphic Abstract

Che Engku Noramalina Che Engku Chik¹, Amyra Suryatie Kamaruzzan¹, Ahmad Ideris Abdul Rahim¹, Fathurrahman Lananan^2,3, Azizah Endut⁴, Siti Aslamyah⁵, Nor Azman Kasan^1,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.11, No.3, pp. 1181-1197, 2023, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2023.022755

Abstract Chitin is the second most abundant polysaccharide, produced mainly as an industrial waste stream during crustacean processing. Chitin can be derived into chitosan through the deacetylation process. Conversion of shrimp waste into chitosan via the deacetylation process could be considered a practical approach for shell waste remediation. In this study, chitosan’s physicochemical characteristics extracted from two types of Pacific white leg shrimp, L. vannamei’s shell (i.e., rough and smooth), were compared with commercial chitosan. The yield, moisture, ash, solubility, water and fat binding capacity were measured. The degree of deacetylation (DDA) was calculated using FTIR, and their chemical Structure was… More > Graphic Abstract

Jiabiao Wu, Jiayin Liang, Muyang Chen, Siqi Zheng, Jianying Xu^*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.10, No.11, pp. 3025-3039, 2022, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2022.019989

Abstract The artificial afforestation of precious Phoebe bournei has been carried out in China. During the cultivation process, thinning wood will be produced. The properties of thinning wood might vary greatly with matured wood and require evaluation for better utilization. The objective of the present study aims to determine the wood structure, fiber morphology, and physical and mechanical properties of the Phoebe bournei thinning wood to help us understand the wood properties and improve its utility value. Three 14-year-old Phoebe bournei were cut from Jindong Forestry Farm of Hunan Province, China. The wood structure and fiber morphology were observed and analyzed… More > Graphic Abstract

Shouming Hou¹, Chaolan Jia¹, Kai Li¹, Liya Fan², Jincheng Guo^3,*, Mackenzie Brown^4,*

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.132, No.1, pp. 81-94, 2022, DOI:10.32604/cmes.2022.019006

Abstract Edge detection is an effective method for image segmentation and feature extraction. Therefore, extracting weak edges with the inhomogeneous gray of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) CT images is extremely important. Multiscale morphology has been widely used in the edge detection of medical images due to its excellent boundary detection accuracy. In this paper, we propose a weak edge detection method based on Gaussian filtering and singlescale Retinex (GF_SSR), and improved multiscale morphology and adaptive threshold binarization (IMSM_ATB). As all the CT images have noise, we propose to remove image noise by Gaussian filtering. The edge of CT images is… More >

Lingyan Hu, Haiyan Chen, Guangqun Zhang, Zihao Yu, Kai Yan, Fangdong Zhan, Yongmei He^*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.91, No.9, pp. 1933-1944, 2022, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2022.020041

Abstract Indoleacetic acid (IAA) is an important regulator that plays a crucial role in plant growth and responses to abiotic stresses. In the present study, a sand cultivation experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of IAA at different concentrations (0, 0.01, 0.1, 0.5, 1, and 2.5 mmol/L) on maize growth, root morphology, mineral elements (Ca, Mg) and Cd uptake under 20 mg/kg Cd stress. The results showed that 0.01 mmol/L is the optimal IAA concentration for enhancing the Cd tolerance of maize. Compared with the control treatment, 0.01 mmol/L IAA promoted maize growth, with significant increases in the height,… More >

Diego David Pinzón-Moreno^*, Eder Clidio Vicuña-Galindo, José Vulfrano González-Fernández, José Luis Soto-Gonzales, María Verónica Carranza-Oropeza^*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.10, No.8, pp. 2179-2201, 2022, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2022.019793

Abstract Several hydrogels were synthesized by free-radical polymerization in an aqueous medium based on potato starch (PS), poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), and N,N′-Methylenebisacrylamide (MBAm), being possible to study these hydrogels as a function of the proportion of components incorporated. In this way, the products generated from the synthesis were characterized by swelling and deswelling kinetics, the first swelling being verified with Schott and statistical models, allowing to contrast the proximity between the experimental and theoretical behavior. Additionally, water retention in soil (R%), spectroscopy (FTIR), morphological (SEM), and thermal (TGA and DSC) analysis allowing to know the intrinsic characteristics of the material, increasing… More >