Search results for: morphology detection

Authors: Memnun Seven, Aygül Akyüz

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Having a baby, giving birth and being a mother are generally considered happy events, especially for women who have had a history of infertility and may have suffered emotionally, physically and financially. Although the transition from the prenatal period to the postnatal period is usually desired and planned, it is a developmental and cognitive transition period full of complex emotional reactions. During this period, common mood disorders for women include maternity blues, postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis. Postpartum depression is a common and serious mood disorder which can jeopardize the health of the mother, baby and family within the first year of delivery. Knowing the risks factors is an important issue for the early detection and early intervention of postpartum depression. However, knowing that a history of infertility may contribute to the development of postpartum depression, there are few studies assessing the effects of infertility during the diagnosis and treatment of depression. In this review, the effects of infertility on the development of postpartum depression and nurse/midwives’ roles in this issue are discussed in light with the literature.

Keywords: infertility, postpartum depression, risk factors, mood disorder

Procedia PDF Downloads 477

Authors: O. A. Al-Mashaqbeh, A. M. Ghrair, D. Alsafadi, S. S. Dalahmeh, S. L. Bartelt-Hunt, D. D. Snow

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Grab samples were collected in the summer to characterize selected pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in the influent of two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Jordan. Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) was utilized to determine the concentrations of 18 compounds of PPCPs. Among all of the PPCPs analyzed, eight compounds were detected in the influent samples (1,7-dimethylxanthine, acetaminophen, caffeine, carbamazepine, cotinine, morphine, sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim). However, five compounds (amphetamine, cimetidine, diphenhydramine, methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) and sulfachloropyridazine) were not detected in collected samples (below the detection limits <0.005 µg/l). Moreover, the results indicated that the highest concentration levels detected in collected samples were caffeine, acetaminophen, 1,7-dimethylxanthine, cotinine and carbamazepine at concentration of 182.5 µg/L, 28.7 µg/l, 7.47 µg/l, 4.67 µg/l and 1.54 µg/L, respectively. In general, most of compounds concentrations measured in wastewater in Jordan are within the range for wastewater previously reported in India wastewater except caffeine.

Keywords: pharmaceuticals, personal care products, wastewater, Jordan

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Authors: Hebat‑Allah S. Tohamy, Mohamed El‑Sakhawy, Samir Kamel

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Fluorescent carbon quantum dots (CQDs) were prepared by an economical, green, and single-step procedure based on microwave heating of urea with sugarcane bagasse (SCB), cellulose (C), or carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). The prepared CQDs were characterized using a series of spectroscopic techniques, and they had small size, strong absorption in the UV, and excitation wavelength-dependent fluorescence. The prepared CQDs were used for Pb(II) adsorption from an aqueous solution. The removal efficiency percentages (R %) were 99.16, 96.36, and 98.48 for QCMC, QC, and QSCB. The findings validated the efficiency of CQDs synthesized from CMC, cellulose, and SCB as excellent materials for further utilization in the environmental fields of wastewater pollution detection, adsorption, and chemical sensing applications. The kinetics and isotherms studied found that all CQD isotherms fit well with the Langmuir model than Freundlich and Temkin models. According to R², the pseudo-second-order fits the adsorption of QCMC, while the first-order one fits with QC and QSCB.

Keywords: carbon quantum dots, graphene quantum dots, fluorescence, quantum yield, water treatment, agricultural wastes

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Authors: S. Redjala, N. Ait Hocine, M. Gratton, N. Poirot, R. Ferhoum, S. Azem

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Polycarbonate (PC) is a promising polymer with high transparency in the range of the visible spectrum and is used in various fields, for example medical, electronic, automotive. Its low weight, chemical inertia, high impact resistance and relatively low cost are of major importance. In recent decades, some materials such as metals and ceramics have been replaced by polymers because of their superior advantages. However, some characteristics of the polymers are highly modified under the effect of ultraviolet (UV) radiation and temperature. The changes induced in the material by such aging depend on the exposure time, the wavelength of the UV radiation and the temperature level. The UV energy is sufficient to break the chemical bonds leading to a cleavage of the molecular chains. This causes changes in the mechanical, thermal, optical and morphological properties of the material. The present work is focused on the study of the effects of aging under ultraviolet (UV) radiation and under different temperature values on the physical-chemical and mechanical properties of a PC. Thus, various investigations, such as FTIR and XRD analyses, SEM and optical microscopy observations, micro-hardness measurements and monotonic and cyclic tensile tests, were carried out on the PC in the initial state and after aging. Results have shown the impact of aging on the properties of the PC studied. In fact, the MEB highlighted changes in the superficial morphology of the material by the presence of cracks and material de-bonding in the form of debris. The FTIR spectra reveal an attenuation of the peaks like the hydroxyl (OH) groups located at 3520 cm-1. The XRD lines shift towards a larger angle, reaching a maximum of 3°. In addition, Vickers micro-hardness measurements show that aging affects the surface and the core of the material, which results in different mechanical behaviours under monotonic and cyclic tensile tests. This study pointed out effects of aging on the macroscopic properties of the PC studied, in relationship with its microstructural changes.

Keywords: mechanical properties, physical-chemical properties, polycarbonate, UV aging, temperature aging

Procedia PDF Downloads 138

Authors: Calvin A. Omolo, Rahul S. Kalhapure, Mahantesh Jadhav, Sanjeev Rambharose, Chunderika Mocktar, Thirumala Govender

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Treatment of infections is compromised by limitations of conventional dosage forms and drug resistance. Nanocarrier system is a strategy to overcome these challenges and improve therapy. Thus, the development of novel materials for drug delivery via nanocarriers is essential. The aim of the study was to synthesize a multi-arm polymer (6-mPEPEA) for enhanced activity of vancomycin (VM) against susceptible and resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The synthesis steps of the star polymer followed reported procedures. The synthesized 6-mPEPEA was characterized by FTIR, ¹H and ¹³CNMR and MTT assays. VM loaded micelles were prepared from 6-mPEPEA and characterized for size, polydispersity index (PI) and surface charge (ZP) (Dynamic Light Scattering), morphology by TEM, drug loading (UV Spectrophotometry), drug release (dialysis bag), in vitro and in vivo efficacy against sensitive and resistant S. aureus. 6-mPEPEA was synthesized, and its structure was confirmed. MTT assays confirmed its nontoxic nature with a high cell viability (77%-85%). Unimolecular spherical micelles were prepared. Size, PI, and ZP was 52.48 ± 2.6 nm, 0.103 ± 0.047, -7.3 ± 1.3 mV, respectively and drug loading was 62.24 ± 3.8%. There was a 91% drug release from VCM-6-mPEPEA after 72 hours. In vitro antibacterial test revealed that VM-6-mPEPEA had 8 and 16-fold greater activity against S. aureus and MRSA when compared to bare VM. Further investigations using flow cytometry showed that VM-6-mPEPEA had 99.5% killing rate of MRSA at the MIC concentration. In vivo antibacterial activity revealed that treatment with VM-6-mPEPEA had a 190 and a 15-fold reduction in the MRSA load in untreated and VM treated respectively. These findings confirmed the potential of 6-mPEPEA as a promising bio-degradable nanocarrier for antibiotic delivery to improve treatment of bacterial infections.

Keywords: biosafe, MRSA, nanocarrier, resistance, unimolecular-micelles

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Authors: Mahasa Zahirnia

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The purpose of this paper is to explore new and effective ways of optimizing satellite images using artificial intelligence, and the process of implementing reinforcement learning to enhance the quality of data captured within the image. In our implementation of Bellman's Reinforcement Learning equations, associated state diagrams, and multi-stage image processing, we were able to enhance image quality, detect and define objects. Reinforcement learning is the differentiator in the area of artificial intelligence, and Q-Learning relies on trial and error to achieve its goals. The reward system that is embedded in Q-Learning allows the agent to self-evaluate its performance and decide on the best possible course of action based on the current and future environment. Results show that within a simulated environment, built on the images that are commercially available, the rate of detection was 40-90%. Reinforcement learning through Q-Learning algorithm is not just desired but required design criteria for image optimization and enhancements. The proposed methods presented are a cost effective method of resolving uncertainty of the data because reinforcement learning finds ideal policies to manage the process using a smaller sample of images.

Keywords: Q-learning, image optimization, reinforcement learning, Markov decision process

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Authors: Maryam Panahiazar, Andrew M. Bishara, Yorick Chern, Roohallah Alizadehsani, Dexter Hadleye, Ramin E. Beygui

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Early detection plays a crucial role in enhancing the outcome for a patient with coronary artery disease (CAD). We utilized a big data analytics platform on ~23,000 patients with CAD from a total of 960,129 UCSF patients in 8 years. We traced the patients from their first encounter with a physician to diagnose and treat CAD. Characteristics such as demographic information, comorbidities, vital, lab tests, medications, and procedures are included. There are statistically significant gender-based differences in patients younger than 60 years old from the time of the first physician encounter to coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with a p-value=0.03. There are no significant differences between the patients between 60 and 80 years old (p-value=0.8) and older than 80 (p-value=0.4) with a 95% confidence interval. This recognition would affect significant changes in the guideline for referral of the patients for diagnostic tests expeditiously to improve the outcome by avoiding the delay in treatment.

Keywords: electronic medical records, coronary artery disease, data analytics, young women

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Authors: Mahboubeh Kabiri, Saba Aslani

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Among various approaches used for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, the occlusion of the small-diameter vascular graft (SDVG) is still an unresolved problem which seeks further research to address them. Though autografts are now the gold standards to be replaced for blocked coronary arteries, they suffer from inadequate quality and quantity. On the other hand, the major problems of the tissue engineered grafts are thrombosis and intimal hyperplasia. Provision of a suitable spatiotemporal release pattern of anticoagulant agents such as heparin and aspirin can be a step forward to overcome such issues . Herein, we fabricated electrospun scaffolds from FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) with aspirin loaded into the nanofibers. Also, we surface coated the scaffolds with Amniotic Membrane lysate as a source for natural elastic polymers and a mimic of endothelial basement membrane. The scaffolds were characterized thoroughly structurally and mechanically for their morphology, fiber orientation, tensile strength, hydrophilicity, cytotoxicity, aspirin release and cell attachment support. According to the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images, the size of fibers ranged from 250 to 500 nm. The scaffolds showed appropriate tensile strength expected for vascular grafts. Cellular attachment, growth, and infiltration were proved using SEM and MTT (3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-Yl)-2,5-Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide) assay. Drug-loaded scaffolds showed a sustained release profile of aspirin in 7 days. An enhanced cytocompatibility was observed in AM-coated electrospun PLLA fibers compared to uncoated scaffolds. Our results together indicated that AM lysate coated ASA releasing scaffolds have promising potentials for development of a biocompatible SDVG.

Keywords: vascular tissue engineering, vascular grafts, anticoagulant agent, aspirin, amniotic membrane

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Authors: Renjith George Pallivathukal, Preethy Mary Donald

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Asymptomatic oral lesions are often ignored by the patients and usually will be identified only in advanced stages. Early detection of precancerous lesions is important for better prognosis. It is also important for the oral health care person to be aware of the regional prevalence of oral lesions in order to provide early care for the same. We conducted a retrospective study to assess the prevalence of oral lesions based on the information available from patient records in a teaching dental school. Dental records of patients who attended the department of Oral medicine and diagnosis between September 2014 and September 2016 were retrieved and verified for oral lesions. Results: The ages of the patients ranged from 13 to 38 years with a mean age of 21.8 years. The lesions were classified as white (40.5%), red (23%), ulcerated (10.5%), pigmented (15.2%) and soft tissue enlargements (10.8%). 52% of the patients were unaware of the oral lesions before the dental visit. Overall, the prevalence of lesions in dental patients lower to national estimates, but the prevalence of some lesions showed variations.

Keywords: oral mucosal lesion, pre-cancer, prevalence, soft tissue lesion

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Authors: Fuad Noman, Sh-Hussain Salleh, Chee-Ming Ting, Hadri Hussain, Syed Rasul

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In this paper, a data-driven dictionary approach is proposed for the automatic detection and classification of cardiovascular abnormalities. Electrocardiography (ECG) signal is represented by the trained complete dictionaries that contain prototypes or atoms to avoid the limitations of pre-defined dictionaries. The data-driven trained dictionaries simply take the ECG signal as input rather than extracting features to study the set of parameters that yield the most descriptive dictionary. The approach inherently learns the complicated morphological changes in ECG waveform, which is then used to improve the classification. The classification performance was evaluated with ECG data under two different preprocessing environments. In the first category, QT-database is baseline drift corrected with notch filter and it filters the 60 Hz power line noise. In the second category, the data are further filtered using fast moving average smoother. The experimental results on QT database confirm that our proposed algorithm shows a classification accuracy of 92%.

Keywords: electrocardiogram, dictionary learning, sparse coding, classification

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Authors: Jonida Canaj

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A simple method of extraction and determination of fifteen priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from drinking water using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has been validated with limits of detection (LOD) and limits of quantification (LOQ), method recovery and reproducibility, and other factors. HPLC parameters, such as mobile phase composition and flow standardized for determination of PAHs using fluorescent detector (FLD). PAH was carried out by liquid-liquid extraction using dichloromethane. Linearity of calibration curves was good for all PAH (R², 0.9954-1.0000) in the concentration range 0.1-100 ppb. Analysis of standard spiked water samples resulted in good recoveries between 78.5-150%(0.1ppb) and 93.04-137.47% (10ppb). The estimated LOD and LOQ ranged between 0.0018-0.98 ppb. The method described has been used for determination of the fifteen PAHs contents in drinking water samples.

Keywords: high performance liquid chromatography, HPLC, method validation, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, PAHs, water

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Authors: Mhaned Oubounyt, Jan Baumbach

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Differences in co-expression networks between two or multiple cells (sub)types across conditions is a pressing problem in single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq). A key challenge is to define those co-variations that differ between or among cell types and/or conditions and phenotypes to examine small regulatory networks that can explain mechanistic differences. To this end, we developed SCANet, an all-in-one Python package that uses state-of-the-art algorithms to facilitate the workflow of a combined single-cell GCN (Gene Correlation Network) and GRN (Gene Regulatory Networks) pipeline, including inference of gene co-expression modules from scRNA-seq, followed by trait and cell type associations, hub gene detection, co-regulatory networks, and drug-gene interactions. In an example case, we illustrate how SCANet can be applied to identify regulatory drivers behind a cytokine storm associated with mortality in patients with acute respiratory illness. SCANet is available as a free, open-source, and user-friendly Python package that can be easily integrated into systems biology pipelines.

Keywords: single-cell, co-expression networks, drug-gene interactions, co-regulatory networks

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Authors: Anderson Rocha, Pedro Miguel de Figueiredo Dinis Oliveira Gaspar

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Machine vision has been widely used in recent years in agriculture, as a tool to promote the automation of processes and increase the levels of productivity. The aim of this work is the development of a path recognition algorithm based on image processing to guide a terrestrial robot in-between tree rows. The proposed algorithm was developed using the software MATLAB, and it uses several image processing operations, such as threshold detection, morphological erosion, histogram equalization and the Hough transform, to find edge lines along tree rows on an image and to create a path to be followed by a mobile robot. To develop the algorithm, a set of images of different types of orchards was used, which made possible the construction of a method capable of identifying paths between trees of different heights and aspects. The algorithm was evaluated using several images with different characteristics of quality and the results showed that the proposed method can successfully detect a path in different types of environments.

Keywords: agricultural mobile robot, image processing, path recognition, hough transform

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Authors: Kaouther Jaouadi, Jihene Bettaieb, Amira Bennour, Ghassen Kharroubi, Sadok Salem, Afif Ben Salah

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In Tunisia, chronic cutaneous leishmaniasis due to Leishmania (L) tropica is an important health problem. Its spreading has not been fully elucidated. Information on sandfly vectors, as well as their associated Leishmania species, is of paramount importance since vector dispersion is one of the major factors responsible for pathogen dissemination. In total, 650 sandflies were captured between June and August 2015 using sticky paper traps in the governorate of Sidi Bouzid, a classical focus of L. major in the Central-West of Tunisia. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the internal transcribed spacer 1 and sequencing were used for Leishmania detection and identification. Ninety-seven unfed females were tested for the presence of Leishmania parasite DNA. Six Phlebotomus sergenti were found positive for L. tropica. This finding enhances the understanding of the cycle extension of L. tropica outside its original focus of Tataouine in the South-East of the country.

Keywords: cutaneous leishmaniasis, Leishmania tropica, sandflies, Tunisia

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Authors: Judith Correa-Gomez, Cristina Garcia-De la Pena, Veronica Avila-Rodriguez, David R. Aguillon-Gutierrez

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Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) is the smallest species of sea turtle. It nests on the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico during summer. To date, there is no information about congenital anomalies in this species, which could be an important factor to be considered as a survival threat. The aim of this study was to determine congenital anomalies in dead embryos and hatchlings of Kemp's ridley sea turtle during 2020 nesting season. Fieldwork was conducted at the 'Campamento Tortugero Barra Norte', on the shores of Tuxpan, Veracruz, Mexico. A total of 95 nests were evaluated, from which 223 dead embryos and hatchlings were collected. Anomalies were detected by detailed physical examinations. Photographs of each anomaly were taken. From the 223 dead turtles, 213 (95%) showed a congenital anomaly. A total of 53 types of congenital anomalies were found: 22 types on the head region, 21 on the carapace region, 6 on the flipper region, and 4 regarding the entire body. The most prevalent anomaly in the head region was the presence of prefrontal supernumerary scales (42%, 93 occurrences). On the carapace region, the most common anomaly was the presence of supernumerary gular scales (59%, 131 occurrences). The two most common anomalies on the flipper region were amelia in fore flippers and rear bifurcation of flippers (0.9%, 2 occurrences each). The most common anomaly involving the entire body was hypomelanism (35%, 79 occurrences). These results agree with the recent studies on congenital malformations on sea turtles, being the head and the carapace regions the ones with the highest number of congenital anomalies. It is unknown whether the reported anomalies can be related to the death of these individuals. However, it is necessary to develop embryological studies in this species. To our best knowledge, this is the first worldwide report on Kemp’s ridley sea turtle anomalies.

Keywords: Amelia, hypomelanism, morphology, supernumerary scales

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Authors: Etienne Bonnaud, David Lindell

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Correlations between microstructure, deformation mechanisms, and mechanical properties in additively manufactured 316L steel components have been investigated. Mechanical properties in the vertical direction (building direction) and in the horizontal direction (in plane directions) are markedly different. Vertically built specimens show lower yield stress but higher elongation than their horizontally built counterparts. Microscopic observations by electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD) for both build orientations reveal a strong [110] fiber texture in the build direction but different grain morphologies. These microstructures are used as input in subsequent crystal plasticity numerical simulations to understand their influence on the deformation mechanisms and the mechanical properties. Mean field simulations using a visco plastic self consistent (VPSC) model were carried out first but did not give results consistent with the tensile test experiments. A more detailed full-field model had to be used based on the Visco Plastic Fast Fourier Transform (VPFTT) method. A more accurate microstructure description was then input to the simulation model, where thin vertical regions of smaller grains were also taken into account. It turned out that these small grain clusters were responsible for the discrepancies in yield stress and hardening. Texture and morphology have a strong effect on mechanical properties. The different mechanical behaviors between vertically and horizontally printed specimens could be explained by means of numerical full-field crystal plasticity simulations, and the presence of thin clusters of smaller grains was shown to play a central role in the deformation mechanisms.

Keywords: additive manufacturing, crystal plasticity, full-field simulations, mean-field simulations, texture

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Authors: Zydrunas Kavaliauskas, Aleksandras Iljinas, Liutauras Marcinauskas, Mindaugas Milieska, Vitas Valincius

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The magnetron sputtering deposition method is often used to obtain thin film coatings. The main advantage of magnetron vaporization compared to other deposition methods is the high rate erosion of the cathode material (e.g., copper, aluminum, etc.) and the ability to operate under low-pressure conditions. The structure of the formed coatings depends on the working parameters of the magnetron deposition system, which is why it is possible to influence the properties of the growing film, such as morphology, crystal orientation, and dimensions, stresses, adhesion, etc. The properties of these coatings depend on the distance between the substrate and the magnetron surface, the vacuum depth, the gas used, etc. Using this deposition technology, substrates are most often placed near the anode. The magnetic trap of the magnetrons for localization of electrons in the cathode region is formed using a permanent magnet system that is on the side of the cathode. The scientific literature suggests that, after insertion of a small amount of copper into graphite, the electronic conductivity of graphite increase. The aim of this work is to create thin (up to 300 nm) layers on a graphite surface using a magnetron evaporation method, to investigate the formation peculiarities and microstructure of thin films, as well as the mechanism of copper diffusion into graphite inner layers at different thermal treatment temperatures. The electron scanning microscope was used to investigate the microrelief of the coating surface. The chemical composition is determined using the EDS method, which shows that, with an increase of the thermal treatment of the copper-carbon layer from 200 °C to 400 °C, the copper content is reduced from 8 to 4 % in atomic mass units. This is because the EDS method captures only the amount of copper on the graphite surface, while the temperature of the heat treatment increases part of the copper because of the diffusion processes penetrates into the inner layers of the graphite. The XRD method shows that the crystalline copper structure is not affected by thermal treatment.

Keywords: carbon, coatings, copper, magnetron sputtering

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Authors: Pavitra Sharma, A. K. Singh

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The establishment of pest population in a habitat is greatly influenced by abiotic factors, such as temperature, photoperiod, and humidity. These factors influence the biology and behavior of insects and their pest status. Nezara viridula (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae), commonly known as southern green stink bug, is economically important pest of legumes. Both nymphs and adult suck the sap from different part of the plant and deteriorate the standing crop. Present study involves effects of temperature on incubation, hatching success and nymphal duration of N. viridula. The results indicated that the development of eggs requires optimal temperature range. Temperature conditions above and below the optimum range affect the incubation period as well as the percent hatchability of eggs. At 19°C, the egg incubation period was longest whereas it was shortest at 27°C. The change in temperature from the optimum condition also affected the hatchability of eggs in N. viridula. Decrease in the hatchability was observed with the decrease in temperature. However, the results were not statistically significant. Decrease in temperature from the optimum temperature to 19°C, also resulted in an increase in nymphal duration of N. viridula. However, no such effect of temperature within the studied range was observed on the morphology of nymphs or adults. Variation in temperature also had no adverse effects on the survival of laboratory bred population of Nezara nymphs. The feeding activity of the bug in relation to photoperiod was assessed by counting the number of punctures on the food surface. The results indicated that day-night regime did not affect the feeding activity of the bug significantly. The present study enhances our knowledge about the effect of environmental factors on the biology of insects and developing the strategy for ‘Integrated Pest Management’ of hemipteran insects by management of the physical factors.

Keywords: development, feeding, hatchability, Nezara viridula

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Authors: Vahid Anari, Mina Bakhshi

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Visual search and identification of immunohistochemically stained tissue of meningioma was performed manually in pathologic laboratories to detect and diagnose the cancers type of meningioma. This task is very tedious and time-consuming. Moreover, because of cell's complex nature, it still remains a challenging task to segment cells from its background and analyze them automatically. In this paper, we develop and test a computerized scheme that can automatically identify cells in microscopic images of meningioma and classify them into positive (proliferative) and negative (normal) cells. Dataset including 150 images are used to test the scheme. The scheme uses Fuzzy C-means algorithm as a color clustering method based on perceptually uniform hue, saturation, value (HSV) color space. Since the cells are distinguishable by the human eye, the accuracy and stability of the algorithm are quantitatively compared through application to a wide variety of real images.

Keywords: positive cell, color segmentation, HSV color space, immunohistochemistry, meningioma, thresholding, fuzzy c-means

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Authors: Ibrahim Aly, Waleed Elawamy, Hanan Taher, Amira Matar

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Schistosomiasis is infection with blood flukes of the genus Schistosoma, which are acquired trans-cutaneously by swimming or wading in contaminated freshwater. The present study was proposed to produce ultra-sensitive, field-friendly high-throughput rapid immunochromatography diagnostic device for accurate detection of asymptomatic parasite carriers in schistosomiasis pre-elimination settings.For assessing diagnostic potential of rapid device, 50 blood samples from patients with schistosomiasis mansoni, 29 other proven parasitic diseases and 25 blood samples as negative control were from healthy individuals were used. The sensitivity of Quantitative antigen-capture nano-ELISAwas 82 %, and specificity was 87.1 %, where the sensitivity of Nano Dot- ELISA was 86 % and specificity was 90.7 %. The sensitivity of diagnostic device was 78 % and specificity was 85.2 %, with PPV and NPV of 86.2 % and 83.1 %, respectively.The Point of care device resulted in a good performance for the diagnosis of low-intensity infections, it was able to identify 19 out of 25 (76 %) individuals with ⩽7 eggs, 10 out of 14 individuals (71.4 %) with 11–99 eggs and 100 % of individuals with 100–399 eggs.

Keywords: schistosomiasis, immunochromatography, naon-dot-ELISa, diagnostis device

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Authors: A. Biran, P. Sobhe Bidari, K. Raahemifar

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Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is an eye disease that leads to blindness. The earliest signs of DR are the appearance of red and yellow lesions on the retina called hemorrhages and exudates. Early diagnosis of DR prevents from blindness; hence, many automated algorithms have been proposed to extract hemorrhages and exudates. In this paper, an automated algorithm is presented to extract hemorrhages and exudates separately from retinal fundus images using different image processing techniques including Circular Hough Transform (CHT), Contrast Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization (CLAHE), Gabor filter and thresholding. Since Optic Disc is the same color as the exudates, it is first localized and detected. The presented method has been tested on fundus images from Structured Analysis of the Retina (STARE) and Digital Retinal Images for Vessel Extraction (DRIVE) databases by using MATLAB codes. The results show that this method is perfectly capable of detecting hard exudates and the highly probable soft exudates. It is also capable of detecting the hemorrhages and distinguishing them from blood vessels.

Keywords: diabetic retinopathy, fundus, CHT, exudates, hemorrhages

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Authors: Yang Zhang, Jian He

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Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in the world, and coronary heart disease (CHD) is one of the major heart diseases. Electrocardiogram (ECG) is widely used in the detection of heart diseases, but the traditional manual method for CHD prediction by analyzing ECG requires lots of professional knowledge for doctors. This paper introduces sliding window and continuous wavelet transform (CWT) to transform ECG signals into images, and then ResNet and Bi-LSTM are introduced to build the ECG feature extraction network (namely ECGNet). At last, an auxiliary system for coronary heart disease prediction was developed based on modified ResNet18 and Bi-LSTM, and the public ECG dataset of CHD from MIMIC-3 was used to train and test the system. The experimental results show that the accuracy of the method is 83%, and the F1-score is 83%. Compared with the available methods for CHD prediction based on ECG, such as kNN, decision tree, VGGNet, etc., this method not only improves the prediction accuracy but also could avoid the degradation phenomenon of the deep learning network.

Keywords: Bi-LSTM, CHD, ECG, ResNet, sliding window

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Authors: Satyendra Mourya, Jyoti Jaiswal, Gaurav Malik, Brijesh Kumar, Ramesh Chandra

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Present work describes the fabrication and sensing characteristics of the Pd-Pt decorated nanostructured silicon carbide (SiC) thin films on anodized porous silicon (PSi) substrate by RF magnetron sputtering. The gas sensing performance of Pd-Pt/SiC/PSi sensing electrode towards H2 gas under low (10–400 ppm) detection limit and high operating temperature regime (25–600 °C) were studied in detail. The chemiresistive sensor exhibited high selectivity, good sensing response, fast response/recovery time with excellent stability towards H2 at high temperature. The selectivity measurement of the sensing electrode was done towards different oxidizing and reducing gases and proposed sensing mechanism discussed in detail. Therefore, the investigated Pd-Pt/SiC/PSi structure may be a highly sensitive and selective hydrogen gas sensing electrode for deployment in extreme environment applications.

Keywords: RF Sputtering, silicon carbide, porous silicon, hydrogen gas sensor

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Authors: Hyun-Woo Cho

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The monitoring of industrial production quality has to be implemented to alarm early warning for unusual operating conditions. Furthermore, identification of their assignable causes is necessary for a quality control purpose. For such tasks many multivariate statistical techniques have been applied and shown to be quite effective tools. This work presents a process data-based monitoring scheme for production processes. For more reliable results some additional steps of noise filtering and preprocessing are considered. It may lead to enhanced performance by eliminating unwanted variation of the data. The performance evaluation is executed using data sets from test processes. The proposed method is shown to provide reliable quality control results, and thus is more effective in quality monitoring in the example. For practical implementation of the method, an on-line data system must be available to gather historical and on-line data. Recently large amounts of data are collected on-line in most processes and implementation of the current scheme is feasible and does not give additional burdens to users.

Keywords: detection, filtering, monitoring, process data

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Authors: Gueidi Afef, Gharsellaoui Hamza, Ben Ahmed Samir

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This paper deals with the secret of the continual progression data that new data management solutions have been emerged: The NoSQL databases. They crossed several areas like personalization, profile management, big data in real-time, content management, catalog, view of customers, mobile applications, internet of things, digital communication and fraud detection. Nowadays, these database management systems are increasing. These systems store data very well and with the trend of big data, a new challenge’s store demands new structures and methods for managing enterprise data. The new intelligent machine in the e-learning sector, thrives on more data, so smart machines can learn more and faster. The robotics are our use case to focus on our test. The implementation of NoSQL for Robotics wrestle all the data they acquire into usable form because with the ordinary type of robotics; we are facing very big limits to manage and find the exact information in real-time. Our original proposed approach was demonstrated by experimental studies and running example used as a use case.

Keywords: NoSQL databases, database management systems, robotics, big data

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Authors: L. Gyansah, Yanfang Shen, Jiqiang Wang, Tianying Xiong

Abstract:

SiCₚ/ pure Al composites with different SiC fractions (20 wt %, 30 wt %, and 40 wt %) were precisely cold sprayed, followed by hot axial-compression tests at deformation temperatures of 473 K to 673 K, leading to failure of specimens through routine crack propagation in their multiphase. The plastic deformation behaviour with respect to the SiCₚ contents and the deformation temperatures were studied at strain rate 1s-1.As-sprayed and post-failure specimens were analyzed by X-ray computed tomography (XCT), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Quasi-static thermomechanical testing results revealed that compressive strength (UTS = 228 MPa and 30.4 %) was the highest in the composites that was thermomechanically compressed at 473 K compared to those of the as-sprayed, while the as-sprayed exhibited a compressive strength of 182.8 MPa related to the increment in SiC fraction. Strength—plasticity synergy was promoted by dynamic recrystallization (DRX) through strengthening and refinement of the grains. The DRX degree depends relevantly on retainment of the uniformly ultrafine SiCₚ particulates, the pinning effects of the interfaces promoted by the ultrafine grain structures (UFG), and the higher deformation temperature. Reconstructed X-ray computed tomography data revealed different crack propagation mechanisms. A single-plane shear crack with multi-laminates fracture morphology yields relatively through the as-sprayed and as-deformed at 473 K deposits, while a multiphase plane shear cracks preeminently existed in high temperature deformed deposits resulting in multiphase-interface delaminations. Three pertinent strengthening mechanisms, videlicet, SiCp dispersed strengthening, refined grain strengthening, and dislocation strengthening, existed in the gradient microstructure, and their detailed contributions to the thermomechanical properties were discussed.

Keywords: cold spraying, hot deformation, deformation temperature, thermomechancal properties, SiC/Al composite

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Authors: Sneha Noble, Rahul Krishnan, Uma G., D. K. Vijaykumar

Abstract:

Breast-Cancer related Lymphedema is a major problem that affects many women. Lymphedema is the swelling that generally occurs in the arms or legs caused by the removal of or damage to lymph nodes as a part of cancer treatment. Treating it at the earliest possible stage is the best way to manage the condition and prevent it from leading to pain, recurrent infection, reduced mobility, and impaired function. So, this project aims to focus on the multi-modal approaches to identify the risks of Lymphedema in post-surgical oncology patients and prevent it at the earliest. The Kinect IR Sensor is utilized to capture the images of the body and after image processing techniques, the region of interest is obtained. Then, performing the voxelization method will provide volume measurements in pre-operative and post-operative periods in patients. The formation of a mathematical model will help in the comparison of values. Clinical pathological data of patients will be investigated to assess the factors responsible for the development of lymphedema and its risks.

Keywords: Kinect IR sensor, Lymphedema, voxelization, lymph nodes

Procedia PDF Downloads 135

Authors: Priyanka Bhatnagar, Malkeshkumar Patel, Joondong Kim, Joonpyo Hong

Abstract:

Artificial skin and sensory memory platforms are produced using a flexible, transparent photovoltaic (TPV) device. The TPV device is composed of a metal oxide heterojunction (nZnO/p-NiO) and transmits visible light (> 50%) while producing substantial electric power (0.5 V and 200 μA cm-2 ). This TPV device is a transparent energy interface that can be used to detect signals and propagate information without an external energy supply. The TPV artificial skin offers a temperature detection range (0 C75 C) that is wider than that of natural skin (5 C48 °C) due to the temperature-sensitive pyrocurrent from the ZnO layer. Moreover, the TPV thermoreceptor offers sensory memory of extreme thermal stimuli. Much like natural skin, artificial skin uses the nociceptor mechanism to protect tissue from harmful damage via signal amplification (hyperalgesia) and early adaption (allodynia). This demonstrates the many features of TPV artificial skin, which can sense and transmit signals and memorize information under self-operation mode. This transparent photovoltaic skin can provide sustainable energy for use in human electronics.

Keywords: transparent, photovoltaics, thermal memory, artificial skin, thermoreceptor

Procedia PDF Downloads 107

Authors: Pankaj Kumar Jha, Saroj Sapkota, Dil Bahadur Gurung, Raju Kadel, Neena Amatya Gorkhali, Bhola Shankar Shrestha

Abstract:

The study was conducted to evaluate the seminal attributes, effectiveness of cooling process and post-thawed semen quality of a Nepalese indigenous Khari buck. Thirty-two ejaculates, 16 from each buck were studied for seminal attributes of fresh semen: volume, color, mass activity, motility, viability, sperm concentration, and morphology. The pooled mean values for each seminal attributes were: volume 0.7±0.3 ml; colour 3.1±0.3 (milky white); mass activity 3.8±0.4 (rapid wave motion with formation of eddies at the end of waves to very rapid wave motion with distinct eddies formation); sperm motility 80.9±5.6%; sperm viability 94.6±2.0%; sperm concentration 2597.0±406.8x106/ml; abnormal acrosome, mid-piece and tail 10.7±1.8% and abnormal head 5±1.7%. For freezing semen, further 6 ejaculates from each buck were studied with Tris based egg yolk citrate extender. The pooled mean values of motility and viability of post diluted semen for 90 and 120 minutes each for cooling and glycerol equilibration were 73.8±4.8%, 88.1±2.6% and 69.2±6.0%, 85.0±1.7%, respectively. The pooled mean values of post thaw motility and viability with advancement of preservation time were: 0hour 49.0±4.6%, 81.2±1.9%; 2nd day 41±2.2%, 79±1%; 5th day 41±2.2%, 78.6±0.9% and 10th day 41±2.2%, 78.6±0.9%. We concluded from the above study that the seminal attributes and results of post-thaw semen quality were satisfactory and in accordance with other work in foreign countries, which indicated the feasibility of cryopreserving buck semen. For more validation, research with large number of bucks, different types of diluents and freezing trials by removing seminal plasma followed by pregnancy rate is recommended.

Keywords: cryopreservation, Nepalese indigenous Khari (Hill goat) buck, post-thaw semen quality, seminal attributes

Procedia PDF Downloads 396

Authors: G. Prakash, L. Mohamed Aasiq, N. Dhivya, M. Jothi Mani, R. Mounika, B. Gomathi

Abstract:

In our day to day life, many people met with an accident due to various reasons like over speed, overload in the vehicle, violation of the traffic rules, etc. Driving license system is difficult task for the government to monitor. To prevent non-licensees from driving who are causing most of the accidents, a new system is proposed. The proposed system consists of a smart card capable of storing the license details of a particular person. Vehicles such as cars, bikes etc., should have a card reader capable of reading the particular license. A person, who wishes to drive the vehicle, should insert the card (license) in the vehicle and then enter the password in the keypad. If the license data stored in the card and database about the entire license holders in the microcontroller matches, he/she can proceed for ignition after the automated opening of the fuel tank valve, otherwise the user is restricted to use the vehicle. Moreover, overload detector in our proposed system verifies and then prompts the user to avoid overload before driving. This increases the security of vehicles and also ensures safe driving by preventing accidents.

Keywords: license, verifier, EEPROM, secure, overload detection

Procedia PDF Downloads 239