Scalable and energy-efficient task allocation in industry 4.0: Leveraging distributed auction and IBPSO.

Industry 4.0 has transformed manufacturing with the integration of cutting-edge technology, posing crucial issues in the efficient task assignment to multi-tasking robots within smart factories. The paper outlines a unique method of decentralizing auctions to handle basic tasks.

Mangrove Conservation in Macao SAR, China: The Role of Environmental Education among School Students.

Mangrove forests are one of the most ecologically valuable ecosystems in the world and provide a wide variety of ecosystem services to coastal communities, including cities. Macao, a highly urbanized coastal city located on the southern coast of China west of the Pearl River, is home to several species of mangroves with many associated flora and fauna. Mangrove forests in Macao are vulnerable to threats due to pressure from rapid and massive urban developments in the area, which led to mangrove loss in the past decades.

Comparison of Treatment Modalities in Postirradiation Carotid Blowout Syndrome: A Multicenter Retrospective Review.

Background: Carotid blowout syndrome (CBS) is not uncommon in our locality, where head and neck cancers, especially nasopharyngeal carcinoma, are prevalent. Traditionally, CBS has resulted in high morbidity and mortality. The treatment paradigm has evolved from open surgery to endovascular interventions, and each treatment modality has its merits and drawbacks.

Intra-rater and inter-rater reliability of the Penn Spasm Frequency Scale in People with chronic traumatic spinal cord injury.

Study Design: Psychometric study.

Objectives: Evaluate the intra-rater and inter-rater reliability of the Penn Spasm Frequency Scale (PSFS) in people with chronic traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI).

Setting: Community setting.

Tensile strength and ultrastructure of a compomer and a composite in aqueous and non-aqueous storage media.

Purpose: To compare the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of a compomer (Dyract AP) and a composite (Spectrum TPH) that were stored in an aqueous or a non-aqueous medium for up to 180 days.

Methods: 156 hourglass-shaped specimens of each material with cylindrical cross-sectional areas along the test regions were prepared. For each material, 12 beams were stressed to failure using a microtensile testing method to obtain the baseline UTS data.

Micro-tensile bond strengths to sclerotic dentin using a self-etching and a total-etching technique.

Objectives: To evaluate the in vitro regional micro-tensile bond strengths of a self-etching/self-priming adhesive system to sclerotic dentin, in the absence or presence of phosphoric acid conditioning.

Methods: Naturally-occurring, non-carious cervical lesions on extracted premolars were hand-cleaned with a slurry of pumice and chlorhexidine, then bonded without further cavity preparation. One group was bonded using Clearfil Liner Bond 2V (Kuraray Co.

The influence of hygroscopic expansion of resin-based restorative materials on artificial gap reduction.

Purpose: This study compared the effect of water sorption on the extent of marginal gap reduction in two resin-modified glass-ionomer cements (RMGICs), two giomers, two compomers, and two resin composites over a twelve-week storage period.

Materials And Methods: Artificial gaps were created in 160 borosilicate glass cylinders. One-half of the internal surface of each cylinder was blocked out with wax and the other half was sandblasted.

Hygroscopic expansion of a compomer and a composite on artificial gap reduction.

Objective: This study compared the effect of water sorption on the extent of marginal gap reduction in a compomer (Dyract AP, Dentsply) and a composite (Spectrum, Dentsply) over a 12-week storage period.

Materials And Methods: Artificial gaps were created in 40 borosilicate glass cylinders, each 5mm deep and with an internal diameter of 5.5mm.

An ultrastructural study of the application of dentine adhesives to acid-conditioned sclerotic dentine.

Objective: This in vitro study examined the ultrastructure of resin-infiltrated sclerotic dentine following the application of a self-etching primer, with or without the adjunctive use of phosphoric acid pre-conditioning.

Materials And Methods: Non-carious, natural cervical sclerotic lesions were hand-cleaned with a slurry of pumice and chlorhexidine and bonded without further cavity preparation. One group was bonded using Clearfil Liner Bond 2V (Kuraray Co.

An improved preparation for indirect porcelain veneers.

With a conventional preparation marginal microleakage is often observed at the cervical margin of porcelain laminate veneers. The leakage seems to be associated with the presence of cracks in the adjacent enamel layer. Removing the defective enamel by bevelling the cervical margin prior to cementation appears to be effective in controlling the microleakage.