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Defects in printed circuit boards (PCBs), if not detected promptly, may persist over time until they cause the failure of critical components. Traditional monitoring methods, which are limited to simulations or superficial measurements, obstruct predictive maintenance and real-time fault detection. To address these issues and enhance real-time diagnostics of thermal anomalies in PCBs, this work proposes an integrated system that combines infrared thermography (IRT), artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms, and Taguchi–ANOVA statistical techniques. IR thermography was employed to identify thermal stresses in the devices during normal operation. The IR acquisitions were used to build a dataset for specialized AI model’s training, which combines thermal anomalies segmentation using U-Net with a Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) classifier for heat distribution patterns. The Taguchi method determines the optimal configuration of the selected parameters, while Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) evaluates the effect of each factor on the F1-score response. These techniques statistically validated the AI performance, confirming the optimal set of selected hyperparameters and quantifying their contribution to F1-score. The novelty of the study lies in the integration of real-time infrared thermography with an interpretable AI pipeline and a Taguchi–ANOVA statistical framework, which enables both optimisation and rigorous validation of AI performance under real-time operating conditions.

A literature review comprising 163 publications published over a period of 26 years from 1992 to 2018 is presented in this paper. This review discusses the generation and recycling of construction and demolition waste (CDW) as well as its main uses as raw materials for the construction engineering sector. This review pays attention to the use of CDW aggregates for sand, pavements/roads, bricks, ceramics, cementitious materials, and concrete productions, as well its uses as eco-friendly materials for water decontamination. The physical-chemical and mechanical characteristics of recycled aggregates play an important role in their correctly chosen applications. The results found in this literature survey allow us to conclude that recycled aggregates from CDW can be successfully used to produce construction materials with quality comparable to those produced with natural aggregates. We concluded that the use of CDWs as raw materials for manufacturing new construction materials is technically feasible, economical, and constitutes an environmentally friendly approach for a future construction and demolition waste management strategy.

The assessment of the combined water is a reliable method to monitor the hydration of cement pastes. This method is also being used to screen different SCMs and cement formulations. However, to obtain reliable data it is necessary to stop the hydration of specimens, removing the free water. In this sense, this work evaluates the effect of different hydration stoppage methods on assessing the combined water of cement pastes. Three procedures were investigated, two using solvent exchange (RILEM and CEMtec), including the one recommended by RILEM TC 238, and the other using silica gel (Silica4h). Firstly, two cement formulations (OPC and LC50) were evaluated using thermogravimetric analysis and X-ray diffraction. The results of combined water at 7 and 28 days were similar independently of the hydration stoppage technique. A repeatability test was also conducted and demonstrated that all three methods presented good repeatability with a low coefficient of variation. Then, six Brazilian commercial cements had their hydration stopped at 7 and 28 days using the studied procedures. The results of combined water were comparable regardless of the used method. A qualitative analysis was also carried out indicating that for the assessment of combined water the Silica4h is the most practical and cost-effective method to stop the hydration of cement pastes and RILEM is the fastest procedure. Finally, both procedures with solvent exchange require attention due to their health and safety issues, solvent disposal, and acquisition.

Vibro-pressed concrete blocks have been used owing to their various advantages such as high productivity, precise dimensional control of products, and low waste production. As density and compressive strength of new components are obtained by compaction using hydraulic vibro-presses, the quality control is usually carried out at factory scale. The reproduction of the industrial compaction pressure in a laboratory scale test is a challenge of research. In this paper, a laboratory-confined uniaxial compressive method was implemented to evaluate the compaction behavior of dryconsistency concrete mixtures in similar hydraulic compaction pressures. An increase in the compaction energy was found to be correlated with the reduction of interparticle voids, as well as with the increase of density and compressive strength of concrete specimens, which proves the method applicability. Relaxation in concrete mixtures decreased with voids reduction; after compaction, the recovered elastic energy increased with the compaction energy, showing the benefits of the method. Gap-graded particle-size distribution mixtures reduced interparticle voids, achieving a target density of concrete mixtures with low water demand, an environmental benefit for concrete. Keywords: dry-consistency concretes; gap-graded particle-size distribution; laboratory compaction method.

The amount of construction waste (CW) at building sites is highly variable, for instance the CW generation index ranges between 50-300 dm3 per square meters of gross floor area. Today there is still a lack of knowledge about variables (building design, construction process, construction technologies, etc.) affecting the CW generation. The objective of this paper is to analyse the influence of multi-storey building design and some construction processes on the CW generation indexes. The CW generation was analysed for two groups of buildings with two different construction processes; one with plumbing and electric services installed inside the masonry element and the other with plumbing and electric services installed onto the masonry element and covered with water-resistant drywall system (reducing the construction waste generation). The gross floor area directly affects the amount of executed construction works in a building site. Since the most important works (concrete, masonry and cladding) for CW generation is related to gross floor area, gross floor of buildings is also directly related to CW generation. For buildings with gross area varying from 20,000 to 80,000 m2, there is a reduction of approximately 18% of construction waste only changing the plumbing and electric services installation system, from embedded in the masonry element to installed onto the masonry element and covered with water-resistant drywall system.

The quality control of aggregates for concrete involves determining their water absorption and apparent density, indicators of the material’s porosity. The standard methods were developed for natural aggregates and are less appropriate for construction and demolition waste recycled aggregates (RAs), which have greater porosity and variability. This paper presents a rapid and accurate method to measure water absorption of RAs, combining 0.5 h vacuum saturation with ~2 h microwave oven drying kinetics. The new method anticipates the results by 43.5 h in comparison of standard ASTM C127, making it appealing for quality control operations. Statistical analysis shows new method gives statistically equivalent results for porous recycled aggregates but it over estimates low porosity natural aggregates. Results of the proposed method are different less than 0.5 % of those obtained by standard methods when testing three RAs with absorptions varying between 5 and 19 %. Operator did not influence the results of the new method. Details of the new experimental procedure and equipment developed are given. Suggestions for further improvement of the new method presented.

This study aims to investigate the properties of CDW recycled aggregates using silane-based water repellent agent in three different types of treatments: (a) immersion; (b) sprinkling; and (c) dripping; in order to improve the reduces quality of the material due to the high porosity. Wettability and water absorption were determined by apparent contact angle measurements, water absorption after 24h of saturation (standard method) and recording the variation of submerged mass during 24 hs. All treatment allowed reducing the water absorption and its kinetic. The contact angle measurements confirmed the effectiveness of the treatment: the surface resulted always hydrophobic. Comparing the treatments, immersion gave the best result in terms of absolute results and in terms of variability of measurements.

Background and objectives: XX male syndrome is part of the disorders of sex development (DSD). The patients generally have normal external genitalia and discover their pathology in adulthood because of infertility. There are no guidelines regarding XX male syndrome, so the aim of our study was to evaluate the literature evidence in order to guide the physicians in the management of these type of patients. Materials and Methods: We performed a systematic review of the available literature in September 2018, using MEDLINE, Web of Science, Embase and Google Scholar database to search for all published studies regarding XX male syndrome according to PRISMA guidelines. The following search terms were used: “46 XX male”, “DSD”, “infertility”, “hypogonadism”. Results: After appropriate screening we selected 37 papers. Mean (SD) age was 33.14 (11.4) years. Hair distribution was normal in 29/39 patients (74.3%), gynecomastia was absent in 22/39 cases (56.4%), normal testes volume was reported in 0/14, penis size was normal in 26/32 cases (81.2%), pubic hair had a normal development in 6/7 patients (85.7%), normal erectile function was present in 27/30 cases (90%) and libido was preserved in 20/20 patients (100%). The data revealed the common presence of hypergonadotropic hypogonadism. All patients had a 46,XX karyotype. The sex-determining region Y (SRY) gene was detected in 51/57 cases. The position of the SRY was on the Xp in the 97% of the cases. Conclusions: An appropriate physical examination should include the evaluation of genitalia to detect cryptorchidism, hypospadias, penis size, and gynecomastia; it is important to use a validated questionnaire to evaluate erectile dysfunction, such as the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF). Semen analysis is mandatory and so is the karyotype test. Abdominal ultrasound is useful in order to exclude residual Müllerian structures. Genetic and endocrine consultations are necessary to assess a possible hypergonadotropic hypogonadism. Testicular sperm extraction is not recommended, and adoption or in vitro fertilization with a sperm donor are fertility options.

The application of artificial intelligence (AI) to dynamic mobility management can support the achievement of efficiency and sustainability goals. AI can help to model alternative mobility system scenarios in real time (by processing big data from heterogeneous sources in a very short time) and to identify network and service configurations by comparing phenomena in similar contexts, as well as support the implementation of measures for managing demand that achieve sustainable goals. In this paper, an in-depth analysis of scenarios, with an IT (Information Technology) framework based on emerging technologies and AI to support sustainable and cooperative digital mobility, is provided. Therefore, the definition of the functional architecture of an AI-based mobility control centre is defined, and the process that has been implemented in a medium-large city is presented.