Colorectal cancer represents one of the most important causes worldwide of cancer related morbidity and mortality. One of the complications which can occur during cancer progression, is peritoneal ...carcinomatosis. In the majority of cases, it is diagnosed in late stages due to the lack of diagnostic tools capable of revealing the early-stage peritoneal burden. Therefore, still associates with poor prognosis and quality of life, despite recent therapeutic advances. The aim of the study was to develop a fuzzy logic approach to assess the probability of peritoneal carcinomatosis presence using routine blood test parameters as input data. The patient data was acquired retrospective from patients diagnosed between 2010-2021. The developed model focuses on the specific quantitative alteration of these parameters in the presence of peritoneal carcinomatosis, which is an innovative approach as regards the literature in the field and validates the feasibility of using a fuzzy logic approach in the noninvasive diagnosis of peritoneal carcinomatosis.
The beetroot peels can be a sustainable source of betalains that can dye the wool materials through green processes based on low water and energy consumption. Green chemistry in the extraction of ...betalains from colored food waste/peels from red beetroot involved the use of water as a solvent, without other additives. In order for the extract obtained to be able to dye the wool, it was necessary to functionalize betalains or even the wool. Three types of sustainable functionalizations were performed, with (1) acetic acid; (2) ethanol; and (3) arginine. For each functionalization, the mechanism that can justify dyeing the wool in intense colors was elucidated. The characterization of the extract was performed with the data provided by UV-VIS and HPLC-MS analyses. The characterization of the wool dyed with the extract obtained from the red beetroot peels was possible due to the information resulting from the FTIR and CIELab analyses. The functionalizations of betalains and wool in acid environments lead to the most intense red colors. The color varies depending on the pH and the concentration of betalains.
We live in a world where sustainability is a concept encountered often and discussed a lot in academic literature, taking on a special scope since the 1990s and developing significantly as a notion ...until now. The definition of sustainability is mostly open to readers, giving them the opportunity to think about it, rethink it, or even interpret it and then redefine it. In the research, it is carried out a review of some definitions from the literature of the term sustainability, then it is carried out a bibliometric analysis in this field over a period of 10 years, from 2013 to 2023, where it is identified the largest research networks in the field formed by groups of authors with a common interest, the most cited works of the period, respectively, the most encountered and cited keywords, in order to emphasise the evolution of the concept from the perspective of several authors who have a common research topic. To carry out the research, it is used the Harzing Publish or Perish software, with which it is extracted information from the Google Scholar database and which it is later used for the network representation using the VOSviewer tool. The largest research network that is obtained is made up of seven authors, also it is carried out a top of the most cited papers, finding the one with a number of 6917 citations at the top and it is noticed that during the years 2013–2018 they most works in the field have been published. The research carried out offers a perspective of the evolution of the concept of sustainability, which can be extended for the purpose of more detailed research.
This study may open a new way to obtain the coloration of a polymer during functionalization. Two polyacrylonitrile (PAN) polymers in the form of textile fibers (
and
) were subjected to ...functionalization treatments in order to improve the dyeing capacity. The functionalizations determined by an organo-hypervalent iodine reagent developed in situ led to fiber coloration without using dyes. KIO
was formed in situ from the interaction of aqueous solutions of 3-9% KOH with 3-9% I
, at 120 °C. The yellow-orange coloration appeared as a result of the transformations in the chemical structure of each functionalized polymer, with the formation of iodinehydrin groups. The degree of functionalization directly influenced the obtained color. The results of the Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX), Map and Temogravimetric Analysis (TG) plus Differential Thermal (DTA) analyses indicated the presence of new functional groups, such as iodine-oxime. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the change of the crystalline/amorphous ratio in favor of the former. The new groups introduced by functionalization make it possible to dye with classes of dyes specific to these groups, but not specific to PAN fibers, thus improving their dyeing capacity.
This paper aims to predict the hand values (HVs) and total hand values (THVs) of functional fabrics by applying the fuzzy logic model (FLM) and artificial neural network (ANN) model. Functional ...fabrics were evaluated by trained panels employing subjective evaluation scenarios. Firstly, the FLM was applied to predict the HV from finishing parameters; then, the FLM and ANN model were applied to predict the THV from the HV. The estimation of the FLM on the HV was efficient, as demonstrated by the root mean square error (RMSE) and relative mean percentage error (RMPE); low values were recorded, except those bipolar descriptors whose values are within the lowermost extreme values on the fuzzy model. However, the prediction performance of the FLM and ANN model on THV was effective, where RMSE values of ∼0.21 and ∼0.13 were obtained, respectively; both values were within the variations of the experiment. The RMPE values for both models were less than 10%, indicating that both models are robust, effective, and could be utilized in predicting the THVs of the functional fabrics with very good accuracy. These findings can be judiciously utilized for the selection of suitable engineering specifications and finishing parameters of functional fabrics to attain defined tactile comfort properties, as both models were validated using real data obtained by the subjective evaluation of functional fabrics.
Creativity leads to society's development and is a fundamental factor associated organizational innovative process. Although innovation has an important influence on consumption behavior this is in ...conflict with the sustainability principles. Nowadays, sustainability has become a critical issue for corporations' development, because they interact with their environment, and become affected by it. An analysis of this interaction allows the assessment of the influencing factors on corporate sustainable performance. These results are useful to all stakeholders' decision making processes. The purpose of this paper is to propose a suitable methodology in order to improve the corporate sustainability management. To achieve the research results, the research design is based on fuzzy logic, in order to assess the corporate sustainable performance of a representative European automotive company ranked in the top 10 worldwide by Forbes in 2017. The research takes into account the influence of corporate environmental performance and corporate financial performance on the corporate sustainable performance. The research methods are based on principal component analysis, in order to identify the new corporate environmental performance and corporate financial performance components and the fuzzy logic to assess their influence on the corporate sustainable performance. Research results indicate that the fuzzy model represents a suitable tool to provide a comprehensive analysis on the corporate sustainable performance based on environmental and financial components. The link between corporate environmental performance and corporate financial performance is an innovative approach that uses linguistic variables and linguistic rules to provide quantitative measures of corporate sustainable performance.
A fuzzy model was designed to predict changes in surface tension and maximum absorbance due to self-assembly in a DMF solution of poly{1,1′-ferrocene-diamide-1,3-bis(propylene) ...tetramethyl-disiloxane} as a function of temperature and concentration. The building of fuzzy rule-based inference systems appears as a grey-box because it allows interpretation of the knowledge contained in the model as well as its improvement with a-priori knowledge. The method provides accurate results and increases the efficiency of utilizing the available information in the model. Small mean squared errors (0.0064 for absorbance and 0.79 for surface tension) and strong correlations between experiment and simulated results (0.93 and 0.97, respectively) were found during model validation. The results showed that it is feasible to apply a Mamdani fuzzy inference system to the estimation of optical and surface properties of a ferrocenylsiloxane polyamide solution.
This study focuses on a detailed comparative investigation of the changes inflicted by the UV irradiation of some polyimide films. In this regard, three aromatic polyimides were synthesized via ...conventional, high-temperature, polycondensation reactions in solution, followed by conventional casting towards polyimide thin films. The obtained materials were subjected to 10 h of UV irradiation and various techniques were used to assess the chemical and topographical changes it produced. The FT–IR evaluation provided evidence of the breakage of the imide cycle. Variations in the water contact angle values suggested a shift in the occurrence of hydrophobic and hydrophilic groups on the surface of the polyimide films. SEM analysis showed no major changes in films' morphology after UV irradiation, while EDX measurements emphasized the connections between the structure of each polyimide and the changes in its surface chemistry. Cell behavior was closely related to the surfaces’ wettability and revealed that UV irradiation enhances cell proliferation on polyimide films. It was assumed that the hydrophobicity induced by certain structural elements led to a different exposure of the imide cycle to UV irradiation through distinct polymer chains orientation.
Display omitted
•Functionalization of polyimide films via UV irradiation.•Assessment of the chemical and topographical changes via multiple investigation tools.•Cell behavior was closely related to the surface wettability properties due to UV irradiation.
This study aims to elaborate on the embeddedness of digital technology applications and their effect on firms’ sustainable performances under the mediating conditions of team innovation performance ...and digital organizational culture. The study employs a quantitative approach, and data were collected from 319 employees working in the information technology sector of China. Analyses of moment structures ((AMOS-version 27.0) and SPSS software- version 4.0) were used for data analysis, and the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique was utilized for hypothesis testing. The results show that a corporate affinity for technology has a positive and significant impact on sustainable performance, organizational digital culture, and team innovation performance. Organizational digital culture mediates the relationship between the corporate affinity for technology and sustainable performance. Team innovation performance mediates the relationship between the corporate affinity for technology and sustainable performance. The study contributes to business sustainability in terms of digitalization. Scholars and professionals can use the study as a guide for developing a business model that ensures the sustainable performance of firms. The research seeks to fill the existing gap in the literature concerning sustainable company performance by examining the potential for digitalization to enhance organizational sustainability. Firms need to prioritize investments in technology, they need to build a “tech-savvy” workforce, and they need to promote digital culture across the organization. A mixed-methods study would provide a more comprehensive understanding of this matter. For business leaders, this research provides important insights into how digital tools may be used to foster a productive work environment and ensure long-term success. The study profoundly elaborates on different interdependencies that influence the firms’ sustainable performances, and it suggests that managers should devise policies to enable technology acceptance.
PDF
