Search results for: treatment effect model

Authors: A. Amar

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A new model, namely the crystal model, has been modified to calculate the radius and density distribution of light nuclei up to ⁸Be. The crystal model has been modified according to solid-state physics, which uses the analogy between nucleon distribution and atoms distribution in the crystal. The model has analytical analysis to calculate the radius where the density distribution of light nuclei has obtained from analogy of crystal lattice. The distribution of nucleons over crystal has been discussed in a general form. The equation that has been used to calculate binding energy was taken from the solid-state model of repulsive and attractive force. The numbers of the protons were taken to control repulsive force, where the atomic number was responsible for the attractive force. The parameter has been calculated from the crystal model was found to be proportional to the radius of the nucleus. The density distribution of light nuclei was taken as a summation of two clusters distribution as in ⁶Li=alpha+deuteron configuration. A test has been done on the data obtained for radius and density distribution using double folding for d+⁶,⁷Li with M3Y nucleon-nucleon interaction. Good agreement has been obtained for both the radius and density distribution of light nuclei. The model failed to calculate the radius of ⁹Be, so modifications should be done to overcome discrepancy.

Keywords: nuclear physics, nuclear lattice, study nucleus as crystal, light nuclei till to ⁸Be

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Authors: Azieva A. M., Yastremsky E. V., Kirillova D. A., Patsaev T. D., Sharikov R. V., Kamyshinsky R. A., Lukanina K. I., Sharikova N. A., Grigoriev T. E., Vasiliev A. L.

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Adhesive properties of scaffolds, which predominantly depend on the chemical and structural features of their surface, play the most important role in tissue engineering. The basic requirements for such scaffolds are biocompatibility, biodegradation, high cell adhesion, which promotes cell proliferation and differentiation. In many cases, synthetic polymers scaffolds have proven advantageous because they are easy to shape, they are tough, and they have high tensile properties. The regeneration of nerve tissue still remains a big challenge for medicine, and neural stem cells provide promising therapeutic potential for cell replacement therapy. However, experiments with stem cells have their limitations, such as low level of cell viability and poor control of cell differentiation. Whereas the study of already differentiated neuronal cell culture obtained from newborn mouse brain is limited only to cell adhesion. The growth and implantation of neuronal culture requires proper scaffolds. Moreover, the polymer scaffolds implants with neuronal cells could demand specific morphology. To date, it has been proposed to use numerous synthetic polymers for these purposes, including polystyrene, polylactic acid (PLA), polyglycolic acid, and polylactide-glycolic acid. Tissue regeneration experiments demonstrated good biocompatibility of PLA scaffolds, despite the hydrophobic nature of the compound. Problem with poor wettability of the PLA scaffold surface could be overcome in several ways: the surface can be pre-treated by poly-D-lysine or polyethyleneimine peptides; roughness and hydrophilicity of PLA surface could be increased by plasma treatment, or PLA could be combined with natural fibers, such as collagen or chitosan. This work presents a study of adhesion of both induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and mouse primary neuronal cell culture on the polylactide scaffolds of various types: oriented and non-oriented fibrous nonwoven materials and sponges – with and without the effect of plasma treatment and composites with collagen and chitosan. To evaluate the effect of different types of PLA scaffolds on the neuronal differentiation of iPSCs, we assess the expression of NeuN in differentiated cells through immunostaining. iPSCs more effectively differentiate into neurons on PLA scaffolds with high adhesive properties for primary neuronal cells.

Keywords: PLA scaffold, neurons, neuronal differentiation, stem cells, polylactid

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Authors: Yongyu Duo, Xiaogang Liu, Qingrui Yue

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The anchor plays a critical role in the utilization of the tensile strength of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) plate when it is applied for the prestressed retrofitted and cable structures. In this paper, the anchor behavior of planar clamping anchor (PCA) under different interface treatment forms and normal pressures was investigated by the uniaxial static tensile test. Two interface treatment forms were adopted, including pure friction and the coupling action of friction and bonding. The results indicated that the load-bearing capacity of PCA could be obviously improved by the coupling action of friction and bonding compared with the action of pure friction. Under the normal pressure of 11 MPa, 22 MPa, and 33 MPa, the load-bearing capacity of PCA was enhanced by 164.61%, 68.40%, and 52.78%, respectively, and the tensile strength of the CFRP plate was fully exploited when the normal pressure reached 44 MPa. In addition, the experimental coefficient of static friction between the galling CFRP plate and a sandblasted steel plate was in the range of 0.28-0.30, corresponding to various normal pressure. Moreover, the failure mode was determined by the interface treatment form and normal pressure. The research in this paper has important guiding significance to optimize the design of the mechanical clamping anchor, contributing to promoting the application of CFRP plate in reinforcement and cable structure.

Keywords: PCA, CFRP plate, interface treatment form, normal pressure, friction, coupling action

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Authors: A. A. Azemati, H. Hosseini

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By using an adequate paint in buildings, energy consumption can be decreased. In this research, a range of wall paints in different climatic conditions has been investigated to observe its effect on energy consumption. In the current study, the researchers have investigated the effect of different parameters including climatic condition, absorption coefficient, and thermal loads on paint coating. In order to study these effects, heating and cooling loads of a typical building with different color paints have been calculated. The effect of building paint in different climatic condition was studied and a comparison was drawn between paints and painting coats with inorganic micro particles in temperate climate to obtain optimized energy consumption.

Keywords: climate, energy consumption, inorganic, painting coats

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Authors: Nadjette Belhamra, Abdelouahed Chala, Ibrahim Guasmi

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Titanium nitride coatings have been extensively used in industry, such as in cutting tools. TiN coating were deposited by chemical vapour deposition (CVD) on carbide insert at a temperature between 850°C and 1100°C, which often exceeds the hardening treatment temperature of the metals. The objective of this work is to realize, to characterize of TiN coating and to apply it in the turning of steel 42CrMo4 under lubrification. Various experimental techniques were employed for the microstructural characterization of the coatings, e. g., X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) model JOEL JSM-5900 LV, equipped with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX). The results show that TiN-coated demonstrate a good wear resistance.

Keywords: hard coating TiN, carbide inserts, machining, turning, wear

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Authors: Muhammad Khaliqi, Amzul Rifin, Andriyono Kilat Adhi

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The non-tariff policy could make Indonesian shrimp exports decrease in the international market. This research was aimed to analyze factors affecting Indonesia's exports of shrimp and the impact of SPS and TBT policy on Indonesian shrimp. Factors affecting the exports of Indonesian shrimp were estimated using gravity model. The results showed the GDP of exporters and exchange rate, have a negative influence against the export of Indonesia’s shrimp exports. The GDP of the importers and trade cost have a positive influence against the export of shrimp Indonesia while the SPS policy and TBT don’t affect Indonesia's exports of shrimp in the international market.

Keywords: gravity model, international trade, non-tariff measure, sanitary and phytosanitary, shrimp, technical barriers to trade

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Authors: Jamil Ahmed

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Access control models aim to decide whether a user should be denied or granted access to the user‟s requested activity. Various access control models have been established and proposed. The most prominent of these models include role-based, attribute-based, policy based access control models as well as role-centric attribute based access control model. In this paper, a novel access control model is presented called “Role centric Attribute based Policy Driven Access Control (RAPDAC) model”. RAPDAC incorporates the concept of “policy” in the “role centric attribute based access control model”. It leverages the concept of "policy‟ by precisely combining the evaluation of conditions, attributes, permissions and roles in order to allow authorization access. This approach allows capturing the "access control policy‟ of a real time application in a well defined manner. RAPDAC model allows making access decision at much finer granularity as illustrated by the case study of a real time library information system.

Keywords: authorization, access control model, role based access control, attribute based access control

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Authors: Panagiota Koliousi, Natasha Miaouli

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We compare product and labour market liberalization under the two trade union bargaining models: the Right-to-Manage (RTM) model and the Efficient Bargaining (EB) model. The vehicle is a dynamic general equilibrium (DGE) model that incorporates two types of agents (capitalists and workers), imperfectly competitive product and labour markets. The model is solved numerically employing common parameter values and data from the euro area. A key message is that product market deregulation is favourable under any labour market structure while opting for labour market deregulation one should provide special attention to the structure of the labour market such as the bargaining system of unions. If the prevailing way of bargaining is the RTM model then restructuring both markets is beneficial for all agents.

Keywords: market structure, structural reforms, trade unions, unemployment

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Authors: Takaaki Nemoto

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Case presentation: A 69-year-old Japanese man presented with a low-grade fever and fatigue that had persisted for one month. The patient had an aortic dissection on the aortic arch 13 years prior, an abdominal aortic aneurysm seven years prior, and an aortic dissection on the distal aortic arch one year prior, which were all treated with artificial blood-vessel replacement surgery. Laboratory tests revealed an inflammatory response (CRP 7.61 mg/dl), high serum creatinine (Cr 1.4 mg/dL), and elevated transaminase (AST 47 IU/L, ALT 45 IU/L). The patient was admitted to our hospital on suspicion of prosthetic vascular graft infection. Following further workups on the inflammatory response, an enhanced chest computed tomography (CT) and a non-enhanced chest DWI (MRI) were performed. The patient was diagnosed with a pulmonary fistula and a prosthetic vascular graft infection on the distal aortic arch. After admission, the patient was administered Ceftriaxion and Vancomycine for 10 days, but his fever and inflammatory response did not improve. On day 13 of hospitalization, a lung fistula repair surgery and an omental filling operation were performed, and Meropenem and Vancomycine were administered. The fever and inflammatory response continued, and therefore we took repeated blood cultures. M. fortuitum was detected in a blood culture on day 16 of hospitalization. As a result, we changed the treatment regimen to Amikacin (400 mg/day), Meropenem (2 g/day), and Cefmetazole (4 g/day), and the fever and inflammatory response began to decrease gradually. We performed a test of sensitivity for Mycobacterium fortuitum, and found that the MIC was low for fluoroquinolone antibacterial agent. The clinical course was good, and the patient was discharged after a total of 8 weeks of intravenous drug administration. At discharge, we changed the treatment regimen to Levofloxacin (500 mg/day) and Clarithromycin (800 mg/day), and prescribed these two drugs as a long life suppressive therapy. Discussion: There are few cases of prosthetic vascular graft infection caused by mycobacteria, and a standard therapy remains to be established. For prosthetic vascular graft infections, it is ideal to provide surgical and medical treatment in parallel, but in this case, surgical treatment was difficult and, therefore, a conservative treatment was chosen. We attempted to increase the treatment success rate of this refractory disease by conducting a susceptibility test for mycobacteria and treating with different combinations of antimicrobial agents, which was ultimately effective. With our treatment approach, a good clinical course was obtained and continues at the present stage. Conclusion: Although prosthetic vascular graft infection resulting from mycobacteria is a refractory infectious disease, it may be curative to administer appropriate antibiotics based on the susceptibility test in addition to surgical treatment.

Keywords: prosthetic vascular graft infection, lung fistula, Mycobacterium fortuitum, conservative treatment

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Authors: Aung Phyo Kyaw, Kuo Chieh Chao

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Expansive soils are more complicated than normal soils, although the soil itself is not very complicated. When evaluating foundation performance on expansive soil, it is important to consider soil expansion. The primary focus of this study is on hydraulic cement and expansive soil mixtures, and the research aims to identify key parameters for controlling the swell of the expansive soil-hydraulic cement mixture. Treatment depths can be determined using hydraulic cement ratios of 4%, 8%, 12%, and 15% for treating expansive soil. To understand the effect of hydraulic cement percentages on the swelling of expansive soil-hydraulic admixture, performing the consolidation-swell test σ''ᶜˢ is crucial. This investigation primarily focuses on consolidation-swell tests σ''ᶜˢ, although the heave index Cₕ is also needed to determine total heave. The heave index can be measured using the percent swell in the specific inundation stress in both the consolidation-swell test and the constant-volume test swelling pressure. Obtaining the relationship between swelling pressure and σ''ᶜⱽ determined from the "constant volume test" is useful in predicting heave from a single oedometer test. The relationship between σ''ᶜˢ and σ''ᶜⱽ is based on experimental results of expansive soil behavior and facilitates heave prediction for each soil. In this method, the soil property "m" is used as a parameter, and common soil property tests include compaction, particle size distribution, and the Atterberg limit. The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) provided the soil sample for this study, and all laboratory testing is performed according to American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards.

Keywords: expansive soil, swelling pressure, total heave, treatment depth

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Authors: Alice D. Dioquino, Olivia N. Buzon, Emilio F. Aguinaldo, Ruel Avila, Erwin R. Callo, Cristy Ocampo, Malvin R. Tabajen, Marla C. Papango, Marilou M. Ubina, Josephine Tondo, Cromwell L. Valeriano

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The main purpose of this study was to develop, evaluate and validate courseware on Selected Topics in Mathematics, Science, and the English Language. Specifically, it aimed to: 1. Identify the appropriate Instructional Systems Design (ISD) model in the development of the courseware material; 2. Assess the courseware material according to its: a. Content Characteristics; b. Instructional Characteristics; and c. Technical Characteristics 3. Find out if there is a significant difference in the performance of students before and after using the tutorial CAI. This research is developmental as well as a one group pretest-posttest design. The study had two phases. Phase I includes the needs analysis, writing of lessons and storyboard by the respective experts in each field. Phase II includes the digitization or the actual development of the courseware by the faculty of the ICT department. In this phase it adapted an instructional systems design (ISD) model which is the ADDIE model. ADDIE stands for Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation. Formative evaluation was conducted simultaneously with the different phases to detect and remedy any bugs in the courseware along the areas of content, instructional and technical characteristics. The expected output are the digitized lessons in Algebra, Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Communication Arts in English. Students and some IT experts validated the CAI material using the Evaluation Form by Wong & Wong. They validated the CAI materials as Highly Acceptable with an overall mean rating of 4.527and standard deviation of 0 which means that they were one in the ratings they have given the CAI materials. A mean gain was recorded and computing the t-test for dependent samples it showed that there were significant differences in the mean achievement of the students before and after the treatment (using CAI). The identified ISD model used in the development of the tutorial courseware was the ADDIE model. The quantitative analyses of data based on ratings given by the respondents’ shows that the tutorial courseware possess the characteristics and or qualities of a very good computer-based courseware. The ratings given by the different evaluators with regard to content, instructional, and technical aspects of the Tutorial Courseware are in conformity towards being excellent. Students performed better in mathematics, biology chemistry, physics and the English Communication Arts after they were exposed to the tutorial courseware.

Keywords: CAI, tutorial courseware, Instructional Systems Design (ISD) Model, education

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Authors: Ramūnas Antanaitis, Robertas Stoškus, Mindaugas Televičius

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The objective is to identify changes in the quantity of milk and the pH and the temperature of rumen content after omentopexia. The research was performed in a dairy farm with 550 cows on December 2014 – January 2015. The sample consisted of 10 cows. Left-sided displacement of the abomasums was diagnosed in 5 of them, which was treated by lateral omentopexia according to Dirksen; the rest 5 were used for control. Additional treatment was not applied. A special bolus for measuring pH and temperature was administered to the rumen of healthy cows and cows after the operation. The quantity of milk was registered with the help of herd management program Westfalia DP C21. All data were recorded ones a week in the period of four weeks. Statistically reliable difference in the quantity of milk (p<0.05) between the research groups was observed during the entire research. The major difference was recorded on Week 1 after the treatment (29.18 kg/d); on Week 4, the difference was 13.97 kg/d. During the entire research, rumen pH of Test group was lower than that of the Control group. Statistically reliable difference between the groups was identified on Week 1 (p<0.05). On the period mentioned, the pH of the rumen content of Test group was lower by 0.42 than that of the Control group. On Week 3, the difference increased up to 0.84. On Weeks 1, 2, and 3, statistically reliable (p<0.05) higher temperature was observed in the Test group. Major difference of temperature, 1.81 °C, was recorded on Week 1. On Week 4, the temperature of rumen in the Test group became equal to that of the Control group. After omentopexia treatment, the first four weeks showed the following results: statistically reliable difference in the quantity of milk remains the most obvious in Week 1 after the treatment; cows with left-sided displacement of abomasums were exposed to greater risk of acidosis; they indicated lower pH of rumen content; the first two weeks after omentopexia, rumen content has increased temperature, especially obvious in Week 1.

Keywords: Displacement of the abomasum, omentopexia, acidosis

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Authors: Mohammed Moustafa, Khaled Ayad, Waleed Reda

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Shoulder impingement syndrome is the most common disorder of the shoulder, resulting in functional loss and disability. Objective: This study was designed to compare between the effects of scapular muscle training versus rhythmic stabilization exercises in treatment of shoulder impingement syndrome. Methods: Thirty patients participated in this study; they were assigned randomly into two experimental groups. The first experimental group (A) consisted of 15 patients with a mean age (21.87±2.72) years; they received graduated rhythmic stabilization exercises and stretching of the posterior capsule. The second experimental group (B) consisted of 15 patients with a mean age (22.27±2.94) years; they received scapular muscle training exercises in addition to stretching of the posterior capsule. Treatment was given three times per week, every other day, for four consecutive weeks. Patients have been evaluated pretreatment and post treatment for shoulder pain severity and functional disability. Results: Both groups showed highly statistical significant reduction in pain severity and functional disability measured post-treatment when compared with their corresponding values in pretreatment assessment. Conclusion: Both of rhythmic stabilization exercises and scapular muscle training are effective interventions to reduce shoulder pain severity and functional disability.

Keywords: impingement syndrome, scapular exercises, rhythmic stabilization exercises, posterior capsule stretch

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Authors: Chuyu Huang, Itsuki Minemi, Kuanlin Chen, Yuki Hirose

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It remains unclear how language speakers are able to perceive phonological contrasts that do not exist on their own. This experiment uses the vowel-length distinction in Japanese, which is phonologically contrastive and co-occurs with tonal change in some cases. For speakers whose first language does not distinguish vowel length, contrastive duration is usually misperceived, e.g., Mandarin speakers. Two alternative hypotheses for how Mandarin speakers would perceive a phonological contrast that does not exist in their language make different predictions. The stress parameter model does not have a clear prediction about the impact of tonal type. Mandarin speakers will likely be not able to perceive vowel length as well as Japanese native speakers do, but the performance might not correlate to tonal type because the prosody of their language is distinctive, which requires users to encode lexical prosody and notice subtle differences in word prosody. By contrast, cue-based phonetic models predict that Mandarin speakers may rely on pitch differences, a secondary cue, to perceive vowel length. Two groups of Mandarin speakers, including naive non-Japanese speakers and beginner learners, were recruited to participate in an AX discrimination task involving two Japanese sound stimuli that contain a phonologically contrastive environment. Participants were asked to indicate whether the two stimuli containing a vowel-length contrast (e.g., maapero vs. mapero) sound the same. The experiment was bifactorial. The first factor contrasted three syllabic positions (syllable position; initial/medial/final), as it would be likely to affect the perceptual difficulty, as seen in previous studies, and the second factor contrasted two pitch types (accent type): one with accentual change that could be distinguished with the lexical tones in Mandarin (the different condition), with the other group having no tonal distinction but only differing in vowel length (the same condition). The overall results showed that a significant main effect of accent type by applying a linear mixed-effects model (β = 1.48, SE = 0.35, p < 0.05), which implies that Mandarin speakers tend to more successfully recognize vowel-length differences when the long vowel counterpart takes on a tone that exists in Mandarin. The interaction between the accent type and the syllabic position is also significant (β = 2.30, SE = 0.91, p < 0.05), showing that vowel lengths in the different conditions are more difficult to recognize in the word-final case relative to the initial condition. The second statistical model, which compares naive speakers to beginners, was conducted with logistic regression to test the effects of the participant group. A significant difference was found between the two groups (β = 1.06, 95% CI = [0.36, 2.03], p < 0.05). This study shows that: (1) Mandarin speakers are likely to use pitch cues to perceive vowel length in a non-native language, which is consistent with the cue-based approaches; (2) an exposure effect was observed: the beginner group achieved a higher accuracy for long vowel perception, which implied the exposure effect despite the short period of language learning experience.

Keywords: cue-based perception, exposure effect, prosodic perception, vowel duration

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Authors: Noraziah Nordin, Najihah Mohd Hashim, Nazia Abdul Majid, Mashitoh Abdul Rahman, Hamed Karimian, Hapipah Mohd Ali

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Enicosanthellum pulchrum belongs to family Annonaceae is also known as family of 'mempisang' in Malaysia. Liriodenine was isolated by prep-HPLC method. This method was first technique used for the isolation of this compound. The structure of the liriodenine was elucidated by 1D and 2D spectroscopy techniques. Liriodenine was tested on ovarian cancer cells line (CAOV-3) for MTT, AO/PI and cytotoxicity 3 assays. The MTT assay was performed to determine the cytotoxicity effect of lirodenine on CAOV-3 cells. The morphological changes on CAOV-3 cells were observed by AO/PI assay for the early and late stage of apoptosis, as well as necrosis. Meanwhile, the measurement of cell loss, nuclear morphology, DNA content, cell membrane permeability, mitochondrial membrane potential changes and cytochrome c release from mitochondria were detected through cytotoxicity 3 assay. The IC50 results showed liriodenine inhibits the growth of CAOV-3 cells after 24 h of treatment at 10.25 ± 1.06 µg/mL. After 48 and 72 h of treatments, the IC50 values were decreased to 7.65 ± 0:07 and 6.35 ± 1.62 µg/mL, respectively. The morphology changes can be seen on CAOV-3 with a production of cell membrane blebbing, cromatin condensation and apoptotic bodies with increasing time of treatment from 24 to 72 h. Evaluation of cytotoxicity 3 on CAOV-3 cells after treated with liriodenine, resulting loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and release of cytochrome c from mitochondria. The results demonstrated the capability of liriodenine as a promising anticancer agent, particularly on human ovarian cancer.

Keywords: Enicosanthellum pulchrum, ovarian cancer, apoptosis, cytotoxicity

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Authors: Nikhil John Kollannur, Dali Naidu Arnepalli

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Most of the surface related phenomena in the case of fine-grained soil are attributed to their unique surface charge properties and specific surface area. The temporal variations in soil behavior, to some extent, can be credited to the changes in these properties. Among the multitude of factors that affect the charge and surface area of clay minerals, the inherent system chemistry occupies the cardinal position. The impact is more profound when the chemistry change is manifested in terms of the system pH. pH plays a significant role by modifying the edge charges of clay minerals and facilitating mineral dissolution. Hence there is a need to address the variations in physical and charge properties of fine-grained soils treated over a range of acidic as well as alkaline conditions. In the present study, three soils (two soils commercially procured and one natural soil) exhibiting distinct mineralogical compositions are subjected to different pH environment over a range of 2 to 13. The soil-solutions prepared at a definite liquid to solid ratio are adjusted to the required pH value by adding measured quantities of 0.1M HCl/0.1M NaOH. The studies are conducted over a range of interaction time, varying from 1 to 96 hours. The treated soils are then analyzed for their physical properties in terms of specific surface area and particle size characteristics. Further, modifications in surface morphology are evaluated from scanning electron microscope (SEM) imaging. Changes in the surface charge properties are assessed in terms of zeta potential measurements. Studies show significant variations in total surface area, probably because of the dissolution of clay minerals. This observation is further substantiated by the morphological analysis with SEM imaging. The zeta potential measurements on soils indicate noticeable variation upon pH treatment, which is partially ascribed to the modifications in the pH-dependant edge charges and partially due to the clay mineral dissolution. The results provide valuable insight into the role of pH in a clay-electrolyte system upon surface related phenomena such as species adsorption, fabric modification etc.

Keywords: acid and alkali treatment, mineral dissolution , specific surface area, zeta potential

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Authors: Babak Nemat

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Background and Purpose: Non-alcoholic fatty liver is one of the most common liver disorders, which, as the most important cause of death from liver disease, has unpleasant consequences and complications. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of an educational intervention based on a health belief model to prevent non-alcoholic fatty liver among women. Materials and Methods: This experimental study was performed among 110 women referring to comprehensive health service centers in Malayer City, west of Iran, in 2023. Using the available sampling method, 110 participants were divided into experimental and control groups. The data collection tool included demographic characteristics and a questionnaire based on the health belief model. In the experimental group, three one-hour training sessions were conducted in the form of pamphlets, lectures, and group discussions. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 21, by correlation tests, paired t-tests, and independent t-tests. Results: The mean age of participants was 38.07±6.28 years, and most of the participants were middle-aged, married, housewives with academic education, middle-income, and overweight. After the educational intervention, the mean scores of the constructs include perceived sensitivity (p=0.01), perceived severity (p=0.01), perceived benefits (p=0.01), guidance for internal (p=0.01), and external action (p=0.01), and perceived self-efficacy (p=0.01) in the experimental group were significantly higher than the control group. The score of perceived barriers in the experimental group decreased after training. The perceived obstacles score in the test group decreased after the training (15.2 ± 3.9 v.s 11.2 ± 3.3, (p<0.01). Conclusion: The findings of the study showed that the design and implementation of educational programs based on the constructs of the health belief model can be effective in preventing women from developing higher levels of non-alcoholic fatty liver.

Keywords: non-alcoholic fatty liver, health belief model, education, women

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Authors: Amin Jamili

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Nowadays, the majority of international trade in goods is carried by sea, and especially by ships deployed in the industrial and tramp segments. This paper addresses routing the tramp ships and determining the schedules including the arrival times to the ports, berthing times at the ports, and the departure times in an operational planning level. In the operational planning level, the weather can be almost exactly forecasted, however in some routes some uncertainties may remain. In this paper, the voyaging times between some of the ports are considered to be uncertain. To that end, a two-stage stochastic mathematical model is proposed. Moreover, a case study is tested with the presented model. The computational results show that this mathematical model is promising and can represent acceptable solutions.

Keywords: routing, scheduling, tram ships, two stage stochastic model, uncertainty

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Authors: Nyimas Annissa Mutiara Andini

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There are 325,000 children younger than age 15 in the U.S. have epilepsy. In Indonesia, 40% of 3,5 millions cases of epilepsy happens in children. The most common type of epilepsy, which affects 6 out of 10 people with the disorder, is called idiopathic epilepsy and which has no identifiable cause. One of the most commonly used medications in the treatment of this childhood epilepsy is sodium valproate. Administration of sodium valproat in children has a problem to fail. Nearly 60% of pediatric patients known were mildly, moderately, or severely non-adherent with therapy during the first six months of treatment. Many parents or caregiver took far less medication than prescribed, and the treatment-adherence pattern for the majority of patients was established during the first month of treatment. 42% of the patients were almost always given their medications as prescribed but 13% had very poor adherence even in the early weeks and months of treatment. About 7% of patients initially gave the medication correctly 90% of the time, but adherence dropped to around 20% within six months of starting treatment. Over the six months of observation, the total missing of administration is about four out of 14 doses in any given week. This fail can cause the epilepsy to relapse. Whereas, current reported epilepsy disorder were significantly more likely than those never diagnosed to experience depression (8% vs 2%), anxiety (17% vs 3%), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (23% vs 6%), developmental delay (51% vs 3%), autism/autism spectrum disorder (16% vs 1%), and headaches (14% vs 5%) (all P< 0.05). They had a greater risk of limitation in the ability to do things (relative risk: 9.22; 95% CI: 7.56–11.24), repeating a school grade (relative risk: 2.59; CI: 1.52–4.40), and potentially having unmet medical and mental health needs. In the other side, technology can help to make our life easier. One of the technology, that we can use is a mobile application. A mobile app is a software program we can download and access directly using our phone. Indonesians are highly mobile centric. They use, on average, 6.7 applications over a 30 day period. This paper is aimed to describe an application that could help to control a sodium valproat administration in children; we call it as D-Epi app. D-Epi app is a downloadable application that can help parents or caregiver alert by a timer-related application to warn whether it is the time to administer the sodium valproat. It works not only as a standard alarm, but also inform important information about the drug and emergency stuffs to do to children with epilepsy. This application could help parents and caregiver to take care a child with epilepsy in Indonesia.

Keywords: application, children, D-Epi, epilepsy

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Authors: A. Zanj, F. He

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In the current paper, a domain independent conduction model compatible for multi-physical system dynamic investigations is suggested. By means of a port-based approach, a classical nonlinear conduction model containing physical states is first represented. A compatible discrete configuration of the thermal domain in line with the elastic domain is then generated through the enhancement of the configuration of the conventional thermal element. The presented simulation results of a sample structure indicate that the suggested conductive model can cover a wide range of dynamic behavior of the thermal domain.

Keywords: multi-physical domain, conduction model, port based modeling, dynamic interaction, physical modeling

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Authors: Ieva Jokubauskaite, Alvyra Slepetiene, Danute Karcauskiene, Inga Liaudanskiene, Kristina Amaleviciute

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Soil organic carbon (SOC) is the key soil quality and ecological stability indicator, therefore, carbon accumulation in stable forms not only supports and increases the organic matter content in the soil, but also has a positive effect on the quality of soil and the whole ecosystem. Soil liming is one of the most common ways to improve the carbon sequestration in the soil. Determination of the optimum intensity and combinations of liming in order to ensure the optimal carbon quantitative and qualitative parameters is one of the most important tasks of this work. The field experiments were carried out at the Vezaiciai Branch of Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry (LRCAF) during the 2011–2013 period. The effect of liming with different intensity (at a rate 0.5 every 7 years and 2.0 every 3-4 years) was investigated in the topsoil of acid moraine loam Bathygleyic Dystric Glossic Retisol. Chemical analyses were carried out at the Chemical Research Laboratory of Institute of Agriculture, LRCAF. Soil samples for chemical analyses were taken from the topsoil after harvesting. SOC was determined by the Tyurin method modified by Nikitin, measuring with spectrometer Cary 50 (VARIAN) at 590 nm wavelength using glucose standards. SOC fractional composition was determined by Ponomareva and Plotnikova version of classical Tyurin method. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was analyzed using an ion chromatograph SKALAR in water extract at soil-water ratio 1:5. Spectral properties (E4/E6 ratio) of humic acids were determined by measuring the absorbance of humic and fulvic acids solutions at 465 and 665 nm. Our study showed a negative statistically significant effect of periodical liming (at 0.5 and 2.0 liming rates) on SOC content in the soil. The content of SOC was 1.45% in the unlimed treatment, while in periodically limed at 2.0 liming rate every 3–4 years it was approximately by 0.18 percentage points lower. It was revealed that liming significantly decreased the DOC concentration in the soil. The lowest concentration of DOC (0.156 g kg-1) was established in the most intensively limed (2.0 liming rate every 3–4 years) treatment. Soil liming exerted an increase of all humic acids and fulvic acid bounded with calcium fractions content in the topsoil. Soil liming resulted in the accumulation of valuable humic acids. Due to the applied liming, the HR/FR ratio, indicating the quality of humus increased to 1.08 compared with that in unlimed soil (0.81). Intensive soil liming promoted the formation of humic acids in which groups of carboxylic and phenolic compounds predominated. These humic acids are characterized by a higher degree of condensation of aromatic compounds and in this way determine the intensive organic matter humification processes in the soil. The results of this research provide us with the clear information on the characteristics of SOC change, which could be very useful to guide the climate policy and sustainable soil management.

Keywords: acid soil, carbon sequestration, long–term liming, soil organic carbon

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Authors: Somaiya Mateen, Shagufta Moin, Abdul Qayyum, Atif Zafar

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Cytokines and reactive species play an important role in the pathophysiology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study was done to determine the levels of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS and RNS), inflammatory cytokines and the markers of protein, DNA and lipid oxidation in the blood of RA patients, with the aim to study the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory role of moderate intensity exercises in the management of RA. RA patients were subdivided into two groups- first group (n=30) received treatment with conventional RA drugs while the second group (n=30) received moderate exercise therapy along with the conventional drugs for a period of 12 weeks. The levels of ROS, RNS, inflammatory cytokines and markers of biomolecule oxidation were monitored before and after 12 weeks of treatment. RA patients showed a marked increase in the levels of ROS, RNS, inflammatory cytokines, lipid, protein and DNA oxidation as compared to the healthy controls. These parameters were ameliorated after treatment with drugs alone and exercise combined with drugs, with the amelioration being more significant in patients given drugs along with the moderate intensity exercise treatment. In conclusion, the role of ROS, RNS and inflammatory cytokines in the pathogenesis of RA has been confirmed by this study. These may also serve as potential biomarker for assessing the disease severity. Finally, the addition of moderate intensity exercises in the management of RA may be of great value.

Keywords: rheumatoid arthritis, reactive oxygen species, inflammatory cytokines, moderate intensity exercises

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Authors: Aicha Aggoune, Abdelkrim Bouramoul, Mohamed Khiereddine Kholladi

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Recent research shows that user profile as important element can improve heterogeneous information retrieval with its content. In this context, we present our indexing model for heterogeneous multimedia documents. This model is based on the combination of user profile to the indexing process. The general idea of our proposal is to operate the common concepts between the representation of a document and the definition of a user through his profile. These two elements will be added as additional indexing entities to enrich the heterogeneous corpus documents indexes. We have developed IRONTO domain ontology allowing annotation of documents. We will present also the developed tool validating the proposed model.

Keywords: indexing model, user profile, multimedia document, heterogeneous of sources, ontology

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Authors: Ying Shen, Weihua Zhu

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Medical images are important to help identifying different diseases, for example, Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used to investigate the brain, spinal cord, bones, joints, breasts, blood vessels, and heart. Image segmentation, in medical image analysis, is usually the first step to find out some characteristics with similar color, intensity or texture so that the diagnosis could be further carried out based on these features. This paper introduces an improved C-means model to segment the MRI images. The model is based on information entropy to evaluate the segmentation results by achieving global optimization. Several contributions are significant. Firstly, Genetic Algorithm (GA) is used for achieving global optimization in this model where fuzzy C-means clustering algorithm (FCMA) is not capable of doing that. Secondly, the information entropy after segmentation is used for measuring the effectiveness of MRI image processing. Experimental results show the outperformance of the proposed model by comparing with traditional approaches.

Keywords: magnetic resonance image (MRI), c-means model, image segmentation, information entropy

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Authors: Amina Omer, Ikram Elsiddig

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Arctostaphylos uvaursi is a plant of the family Ericaceae, it’s used in skin care products mostly for its depigmenting action, due to the presence of hydroquinones that are well known inhibitors of tyrosinase, an enzyme involved in melanin biosynthesis in humans. The main hydroquinone found within the A. uvaursi is arbutin, which is found with varying percentage within the plant depending on the season, and area from which the plant is harvested. An in vitro experiment has shown that the arbutin found within the bearberry leaf extract inhibited the biosynthesis of melanin in human melanoma cells and in three-dimensional human skin model. Madurella mycetomatis is filamentous fungus that causes the fungal form of mycetoma known as eumycetoma, with existing anti-fungals and surgery, only 35% of people living eumycetoma are treated, M. mycetomatis has been found to shield itself against the antifungal therapy through the production of melanin decreasing the effectiveness of the therapy, therefore there is a need for a new and more effective therapy. The aim of the study was to investigate and compare the effect of arbutin powder and aqueous extract of A. uvaursi containing arbutin on the biosynthesis of melanin by M. mycetomatis. The experiment was carried out by culturing M. mycetomatis on minimal media composed of 2% agar, 15 mM glucose, 10 mM MgSO4, 29.4 mM KH2PO4, 13 mM glycin and 80mg/l gentamicin, the media was supplied with different concentration of arbutin solution (5, 25 50,and 75mg) and aqueous extract of A. uvaursi to contain arbutin with concentrations (5, 25 50,and 75mg), the plates were incubated for two month and the result was observed by the naked eye. The results revealed that the arbutin powder had an inhibitory effect on melanin synthesis by M. mycetomatis that correlated with its established inhibitory effect on melanin synthesis in humans. The inhibitory effect of arbutin on melanin synthesis by M. mycetomatis was found to be dose dependent. A. uvaursi aqueous leaf extract containing arbutin was also found to decrease melanin production by M. mycetomatis, however plates containing high concentrations of aqueous extract couldn’t be assessed for its melanin inhibitory effect due to the high content of carbohydrates in the extract that promoted the growth of fungi Asperigullus niger rendering the plates unsuitable for visual inspection. In conclusion inhibition of melanin synthesis was observed on the arbutin powder as well as the aqueous extract containing arbutin. A. uvaursi is known to exhibit anti-inflammatory activity, which can aid in wound healing that is beneficial in the chronic inflammation caused by M. mycetomatis.

Keywords: arbutin, arctostaphylos, Madurella, melanin

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Authors: Pieter van den Berg, Retief Broodryk, Bert Moolman

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Firstly, this study aimed to identify which performance indicators (PIs) discriminate between winning and losing university-level Rugby Union (RU) teams and, secondly, to compare the significant PIs in RU and Rugby Union Sevens (RS) at university level. Understanding the importance of PIs and their effect on match outcomes could assist coaching staff to prioritise specific game aspects during training to increase performance. Twenty randomly selected round-robin matches of the 2018 Varsity Cup (n=20), and Varsity Sports sevens (n=20) tournaments were analysed. A linear mixed model was used to determine statistical significant differences set at p≤0.05 while effect size was reported according to Cohen's d value. Results revealed that various PIs discriminated between winning and losing RU teams and that specific PIs could be observed as significant in both RU and RS. Therefore, specific identified tactical aspects of RU and RS should be prioritised to optimise performance

Keywords: match success, notational analysis, performance analysis, rugby, video analysis

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Authors: Thanakorn Thanawat, Nomjit Nualnetr

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Background and Purpose: In Thailand, rice farmers have the most prevalence of low back pain when compared with other manual workers. Exercises have been suggested to be a principal part of treatment programs for low back pain. However, the programs should be tailored to an individual’s readiness to change categorized by a behavioral approach. This study aimed to evaluate a difference between the responses of rice farmers with chronic low back pain who received an exercise program integrated with the transtheoretical model of behavior change (TTM) and those of the comparison group regarding severity of pain and trunk muscle endurance. Materials and Methods: An 8-week exercise program was conducted to rice farmers with chronic low back pain who were randomized to either the TTM (n=62, 52 woman and 10 men, mean age ± SD 45.0±5.4 years) or non-TTM (n=64, 53 woman and 11 men, mean age ± SD 44.7±5.4 years) groups. All participants were tested for their severity of pain and trunk (abdominal and back) muscle endurance at baseline (week 0) and immediately after termination of the program (week 8). Data were analysed by using descriptive statistics and student’s t-tests. The results revealed that both TTM and non-TTM groups could decrease their severity of pain and improve trunk muscle endurance after participating in the 8-week exercise program. When compared with the non-TTM group, however, the TTM showed a significantly greater increase in abdominal muscle endurance than did the non-TTM (P=0.004, 95% CI -12.4 to -2.3). Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: An exercise program integrated with the TTM could provide benefits to rice farmers with chronic low back pain. Future studies with a longitudinal design and more outcome measures such as physical performance and quality of life are suggested to reveal further benefits of the program.

Keywords: chronic low back pain, transtheoretical model, rice farmers, exercise program

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Authors: J. A. Abiona, O. O. Fabinu, O. O. Ehimiyein, A. O. Ladokun, M. O. Abioja, J. O. Daramola, O. E. Oke, O. A. Osinowo, O. M. Onagbesan

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A study was conducted on the effect of Moringa oleifera on liveweight and reproductive tract dimension of Giant African Land Snail (Archachatina marginata). Thirty two snails (32) with weight range of 100 – 150 g were used for this study. Eight snails (8) were subjected to each of the four treatments which were: Concentrate only, concentrate + 100g of Moringa oleifera, concentrate + 200g of Moringa oleifera and concentrate + 300g of Moringa oleifera. Parameters monitored were: Shell length, shell width, shell circumference and weekly live weight. Reproductive tract dimension taken include: Organ weight (ORGWT), reproductive tract weight (REPTWT), reproductive tract length (REPTLNT), ovo-tesis weight (OVOWT), edible part weight (EDPTWT), albumen weight (ALBWT) and albumen length (ALBLNT). Shell dimensions and the live weight were measured and recorded on a weekly basis with a tape rule and a sensitive weighing scale. After nine weeks, six snails were randomly selected from each treatment and dissected. Their reproductive tracts were removed and dimensions were taken. The result showed that ORGWT, OVOWT, ALBWT, ALBLNT, REPTLNT and REPTWT were not significantly affected (P>0.05) by different levels of Moringa oleifera inclusions with concentrate. However, Moringa oleifera inclusion with concentrate at different levels had significant effect (P<0.001) on Live weight, shell length and shell diameters of the animal. Snails given 300 g of Moringa oleifera per kilogramme of concentrate gave the highest live weight and shell length together with shell diameter. It was however recommended from this study that inclusion of Moringa oleifera leave meal into snail feed at 300 g per kg of concentrate would enhance live weight and shell parameters (length and width).

Keywords: reproductive tract, giant African land snails, Moringa oleifera, live weight, shell dimension

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Authors: Ibrahim Hakeem

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Biosolids are stabilised sewage sludge produced from wastewater treatment processes. Biosolids contain valuable plant nutrient which facilitates their beneficial reuse in agricultural land. However, the increasing levels of legacy and emerging contaminants such as heavy metals (HMs), PFAS, microplastics, pharmaceuticals, microbial pathogens etc., are restraining the direct land application of biosolids. Pyrolysis of biosolids can effectively degrade microbial and organic contaminants; however, HMs remain a persistent problem with biosolids and their pyrolysis-derived biochar. In this work, we demonstrated the integrated processing of biosolids involving the acid pre-treatment for HMs removal and selective reduction of ash-forming elements followed by the bench-scale pyrolysis of the treated biosolids to produce quality biochar and bio-oil enriched with valuable platform chemicals. The pre-treatment of biosolids using 3% v/v H₂SO₄ at room conditions for 30 min reduced the ash content from 30 wt% in raw biosolids to 15 wt% in the treated sample while removing about 80% of limiting HMs without degrading the organic matter. The preservation of nutrients and reduction of HMs concentration and mobility via the developed hydrometallurgical process improved the grade of the treated biosolids for beneficial land reuse. The co-removal of ash-forming elements from biosolids positively enhanced the fluidised bed pyrolysis of the acid-treated biosolids at 700 ℃. Organic matter devolatilisation was improved by 40%, and the produced biochar had higher surface area (107 m²/g), heating value (15 MJ/kg), fixed carbon (35 wt%), organic carbon retention (66% dry-ash free) compared to the raw biosolids biochar with surface area (56 m²/g), heating value (9 MJ/kg), fixed carbon (20 wt%) and organic carbon retention (50%). Pre-treatment also improved microporous structure development of the biochar and substantially decreased the HMs concentration and bioavailability by at least 50% relative to the raw biosolids biochar. The integrated process is a viable approach to enhancing value recovery from biosolids.

Keywords: biosolids, pyrolysis, biochar, heavy metals

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Authors: Saleem Z. Ramadan

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This paper discusses the effects of using progressive Type-I right censoring on the design of the Simple Step Accelerated Life testing using Bayesian approach for Weibull life products under the assumption of cumulative exposure model. The optimization criterion used in this paper is to minimize the expected pre-posterior variance of the PTH percentile time of failures. The model variables are the stress changing time and the stress value for the first step. A comparison between the conventional and the progressive Type-I right censoring is provided. The results have shown that the progressive Type-I right censoring reduces the cost of testing on the expense of the test precision when the sample size is small. Moreover, the results have shown that using strong priors or large sample size reduces the sensitivity of the test precision to the censoring proportion. Hence, the progressive Type-I right censoring is recommended in these cases as progressive Type-I right censoring reduces the cost of the test and doesn't affect the precision of the test a lot. Moreover, the results have shown that using direct or indirect priors affects the precision of the test.

Keywords: reliability, accelerated life testing, cumulative exposure model, Bayesian estimation, progressive type-I censoring, Weibull distribution

Procedia PDF Downloads 510