Search results for: psoriasis mechanism of action

Authors: Walid Abdallah, Noureddine Boudriga

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Wireless sensor networks have shown their effectiveness in the deployment of many critical applications especially in the military domain. Border surveillance is one of these applications where a set of wireless sensors are deployed along a country border line to detect illegal intrusion attempts to the national territory and report this to a control center to undergo the necessary measures. Regarding its nature, this wireless sensor network can be the target of many security attacks trying to compromise its normal operation. Particularly, in this application the deployment and location of sensor nodes are of great importance for detecting and tracking intruders. This paper proposes a location-based authentication and key distribution mechanism to secure wireless sensor networks intended for border surveillance where the key establishment is performed using elliptic curve cryptography and identity-based public key scheme. In this scheme, the public key of each sensor node will be authenticated by keys that depend on its position in the monitored area. Before establishing a pairwise key between two nodes, each one of them must verify the neighborhood location of the other node using a message authentication code (MAC) calculated on the corresponding public key and keys derived from encrypted beacon messages broadcast by anchor nodes. We show that our proposed public key authentication and key distribution scheme is more resilient to node capture and node replication attacks than currently available schemes. Also, the achievement of the key distribution between nodes in our scheme generates less communication overhead and hence increases network performances.

Keywords: wireless sensor networks, border surveillance, security, key distribution, location-based

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Authors: Miguel A. Orellana, Sonia E. Ruiz, Juan Bojórquez

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Optimal load factors (dead, live and seismic) used for the design of buildings may be different, depending of the seismic ground motion characteristics to which they are subjected, which are closely related to the type of soil conditions where the structures are located. The influence of the type of soil on those load factors, is analyzed in the present study. A methodology that is useful for establishing optimal load factors that minimize the cost over the life cycle of the structure is employed; and as a restriction, it is established that the probability of structural failure must be less than or equal to a prescribed value. The life-cycle cost model used here includes different types of costs. The optimization methodology is applied to two groups of reinforced concrete buildings. One set (consisting on 4-, 7-, and 10-story buildings) is located on firm ground (with a dominant period Ts=0.5 s) and the other (consisting on 6-, 12-, and 16-story buildings) on soft soil (Ts=1.5 s) of Mexico City. Each group of buildings is designed using different combinations of load factors. The statistics of the maximums inter-story drifts (associated with the structural capacity) are found by means of incremental dynamic analyses. The buildings located on firm zone are analyzed under the action of 10 strong seismic records, and those on soft zone, under 13 strong ground motions. All the motions correspond to seismic subduction events with magnitudes M=6.9. Then, the structural damage and the expected total costs, corresponding to each group of buildings, are estimated. It is concluded that the optimal load factors combination is different for the design of buildings located on firm ground than that for buildings located on soft soil.

Keywords: life-cycle cost, optimal load factors, reinforced concrete buildings, total costs, type of soil

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Authors: Omar Ali, Adesh Ramsubhag, Jayaraj Jayaraman

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Seaweed extracts have been reported as plant biostimulants which could be a safer, organic alternative to harsh pesticides. The incentive to use seaweed-based biostimulants is becoming paramount in sustainable agriculture. The current study, therefore, screened a commercial extract of A. nodosum in tomatoes, cultivated in Trinidad to showcase the multiple beneficial effects. Foliar treatment with an A. nodosum commercial extract led to significant increases in fruit yield and a significant reduction of incidence of bacterial spots and early blight diseases under both greenhouse and field conditions. Investigations were carried out to reveal the possible mechanisms of action of this biostimulant through defense enzyme assays and transcriptome profiling via RNA sequencing of tomato. Studies into disease control mechanisms by A. nodosum showed that the extract stimulated the activity of enzymes such as peroxidase, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, chitinase, polyphenol oxidase, and β-1,3-glucanase. Additionally, the transcriptome survey revealed the upregulation and enrichment of genes responsible for the biosynthesis of growth hormones, defense enzymes, PR proteins and defense-related secondary metabolites, as well as genes involved in the nutrient mobilization, photosynthesis and primary and secondary metabolic pathways. The results of the transcriptome study also demonstrated the cross-talks between growth and defense responses, confirming the bioelicitor and biostimulant value of seaweed extracts in plants. These effects could potentially implicate the benefits of seaweed extract and validate its usage in sustainable crop production.

Keywords: A. nodosum, biostimulants, elicitor, enzymes, growth responses, seaweeds, tomato, transcriptome analysis

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Authors: Rimzhim Gupta, Bhanupriya Boruah, Jayant M. Modak, Giridhar Madras

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Microbial contamination is one of the major concerns in the field of water treatment. AOP (advanced oxidation processes) is well-established method to resolve the issue of removal of contaminants in water. A Z-scheme composite g-C₃N₄/CuWO₄ was synthesized by sol-gel method for the photocatalytic inactivation of a mixed population of Gram-positive bacteria (S. aureus) and Gram-negative bacteria (E. coli). The photoinactivation was observed for different types of bacteria in the same medium together and individually in the absence of the nutrients. The lattice structures and phase purities were determined by X-ray diffraction. For morphological and topographical features, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy analyses were carried out. The band edges of the semiconductor (valence band and conduction band) were determined by ultraviolet photoelectron microscopy. The lifetime of the charge carriers and band gap of the semiconductors were determined by time resolved florescence spectroscopy and diffused reflectance spectroscopy, respectively. The effect of weight ratio of C₃N₄ and CuWO₄ was observed by performing photocatalytic experiments. To investigate the exact mechanism and major responsible radicals for photocatalysis, scavenger studies were performed. The rate constants and order of the inactivation reactions were obtained by power law kinetics. For E. coli and S. aureus, the order of reaction and rate constants are 1.15, 0.9 and 1.39 ± 0.03 (CFU/mL)⁻⁰.¹⁵ h⁻¹, 47.95 ± 1.2 (CFU/mL)⁰.¹ h⁻¹, respectively.

Keywords: z-scheme, E. coli, S. aureus, sol-gel

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Authors: Rohit Singh Dangi, Ravi Kant Pal, Monica Sundd

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Acyl-CoA binding protein (ACBP) is a housekeeping protein which functions as an intracellular carrier of acyl-CoA esters. Given the fact that the amastigote stage (blood stage) of Leishmania depends largely on fatty acids as the energy source, of which a large part is derived from its host, these proteins might have an important role in its survival. In Leishmania major, genome sequencing suggests the presence of six ACBPs, whose function remains largely unknown. For functional and structural characterization, one of the ACBP genes was cloned, and the protein was expressed and purified heterologously. Acyl-CoA ester binding and stoichiometry were analyzed by isothermal titration calorimetry and Dynamic light scattering. Our results shed light on high affinity of ACBP towards longer acyl-CoA esters, such as myristoyl-CoA to arachidonoyl-CoA with single binding site. To understand the binding mechanism & dynamics, Nuclear magnetic resonance assignments of this protein are being done. The protein's crystal structure was determined at 1.5Å resolution and revealed a classical topology for ACBP, containing four alpha-helical bundles. In the binding pocket, the loop between the first and the second helix (16 – 26AA) is four residues longer from other extensively studied ACBPs (PfACBP) and it curls upwards towards the pantothenate moiety of CoA to provide a large tunnel space for long acyl chain insertion.

Keywords: acyl-coa binding protein (ACBP), acyl-coa esters, crystal structure, isothermal titration, calorimetry, Leishmania

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Authors: Asharaf Abdul Salam

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Arabian Gulf countries have norms and rules different from others: having an exodus of male immigrant labor contract holders of age 20-60 years as a floating population. Such a demographic scenario camouflages population ageing. However, it is observed on examining vigilantly, not only in the native population but also in the general population. This research on population ageing in the Arabian Gulf examines ageing scenario and concerns through analyses of international databases (US Census Bureau and United Nations) and national level databases (Censuses and Surveys) apart from a review of published research. Transitions in demography and epidemiology lead to gains in life expectancy and thereby reductions in fertility, leading to ageing of the population in the region. Even after bringing adult immigrants, indices and age pyramids show an increasing ageing trend in the total population, demonstrating an ageing workforce. Besides, the exclusive native population analysis reveals a trend of expansive pyramids (pre-transitional stage) turning to constrictive (transition stage) and cylindrical (post-transition stage) shapes. Age-based indices such as the index of ageing, age dependency ratio, and median age confirm this trend. While the feminine nature of ageing is vivid, gains in life expectancy and causes of death in old age, indicating co-morbidity compression, are concerns to ageing. Preparations are in demand to cope with ageing from different dimensions, as explained in the United Nations Plans of Action. A strategy of strengthening informal care with supportive semi-formal and supplementary formal care networks would alleviate this crisis associated with population ageing.

Keywords: total versus native population, indices of ageing, age pyramids, feminine nature, comorbidity compression, strategic interventions

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Authors: Zhuang Guo

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In the field of GaN-based resonant tunneling diodes (RTDs) simulations, the traditional Tsu-Esaki formalism failed to predict the values of peak currents and peak voltages in the simulated current-voltage(J-V) characteristics. The main reason is that due to the strong internal polarization fields, two-dimensional electron gas(2DEG) accumulates at emitters, resulting in 2D-2D resonant tunneling currents, which become the dominant parts of the total J-V characteristics. By comparison, based on the 3D-2D resonant tunneling mechanism, the traditional Tsu-Esaki formalism cannot predict the J-V characteristics correctly. To overcome this shortcoming, we develop a new analytical model for the 2D-2D resonant tunneling currents generated in GaN-based RTDs. Compared with Tsu-Esaki formalism, the new model has made the following modifications: Firstly, considering the Heisenberg uncertainty, the new model corrects the expression of the density of states around the 2DEG eigenenergy levels at emitters so that it could predict the half width at half-maximum(HWHM) of resonant tunneling currents; Secondly, taking into account the effect of bias on wave vectors on the collectors, the new model modifies the expression of the transmission coefficients which could help to get the values of peak currents closer to the experiment data compared with Tsu-Esaki formalism. The new analytical model successfully predicts the J-V characteristics of GaN-based RTDs, and it also reveals more detailed mechanisms of resonant tunneling happened in GaN-based RTDs, which helps to design and fabricate high-performance GaN RTDs.

Keywords: GaN-based resonant tunneling diodes, tsu-esaki formalism, 2D-2D resonant tunneling, heisenberg uncertainty

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Authors: Saowapa Phaithayawat

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The purposes of this study are 1) to study the over 20-year attempt of Mahakan fort community to negotiate with Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) to remain in their residential area belonging to the state, and 2) to apply the new social and cultural dimension between the state and the community as an alternative for local participation in keeping their residential area. This is a qualitative research, and the findings reveal that the community claimed their ancestors’ right as owners of this piece of land for over 200 years. The community, therefore, requested to take part in the preservation of land, culture and local intellect and the area management in terms of being a learning resource on the cultural road in Rattanakosin Island. However, BMA imposed the law concerning the community area relocation in Rattanakosin Island. The result of law enforcement led to the failure of the area relocation, and the hard hit on physical structure of the area including the overall deterioration of the cultural road renovated in the year 1982, the 200 years’ celebration of Bangkok. The enforcement of law by the state required the move of the community, and the landscape improvement based on the capital city plan. However, this enforcement resulted in the unending conflicts between the community and the state, and the solution of this problem was unclear. At the same time the community has spent a long time opposing the state’s action, and preparing themselves by administrating the community behind Mahakan fortress with community administrative committee under the suggestion of external organization by registering all community members, providing funds for community administration. At the meantime the state lacked the continuation of the enforcement due to political problem and BMA’s administration problem. It is, therefore, suggested that an alternative solution to this problem lie at the negotiation between the state and the community with the purpose of the collaboration between the two to develop the area under the protective law of each side.

Keywords: Pom-Mahakan community, reduction of conflicts, social area disclosure, residential area

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Authors: A. K. Srivastava, Sandeep K. Singh, A. K. Kulshetra

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Agriculture is the backbone of developing countries of Asian sub-continent like India. Uttar Pradesh is the most populous and fifth largest State of India. Total population of the state is 19.95 crore, which is 16.49% of the country that is more than that of many other countries of the world. Uttar Pradesh occupies only 7.36% of the total area of India. It is a well-established fact that agriculture has virtually been the lifeline of the State’s economy in the past for long and its predominance is likely to continue for a fairly long time in future. The total geographical area of the state is 242.01 lakh hectares, out of which 120.44 lakh hectares is facing various land degradation problems. This needs to be put under various conservation and reclamation measures at much faster pace in order to enhance agriculture productivity in the State. Keeping in view the above scenario Department of Agriculture, Government of Uttar Pradesh has formulated a multi-purpose project namely Bhoomi Sena for the entire state. The main objective of the project is to improve the land degradation using low cost technology available at village level. The total outlay of the project is Rs. 39643.75 Lakhs for an area of about 226000 ha included in the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-13 to 2016-17). It is expected that the total man days would be 310.60 lakh. An attempt has been made to use the space technology like remote sensing, geographical information system, at cadastral level for the overall management of agriculture engineering work which is required for the treatment of degradation of the land. After integration of thematic maps a proposed action plan map has been prepared for the future work.

Keywords: GPS, GIS, remote sensing, topographic survey, cadestral mapping

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Authors: Nene Pearl Eluchie

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Globally, metal ion, particularly those generated from oil and gas effluents, form environmental pollution, particularly in developing regions like Nigeria, where water borne disease is fatal. This is clear evidence for metal ion contamination within the environment. Ecofriendly and cost effective biomaterials are the best ways of reducing metal ion contamination, thus reducing the need for chemical treatment of oil and gas effluent. Despite this, research efforts to understand the mechanism of adsorption and possible bio-adsorptive remediation interventions are limited. The study combined biomaterial and adsorption techniques: A. Indica, UV-Visible spectroscopy, SEM, FTIR in a progressive manner to provide insight. The biosorption efficiency of Azadirachta Indica silver nanoparticle AI-AgNPs was within the range of 63-95%. The study demonstrates that AI-AgNPs can be a promising agent, cheap, efficient, and biodegradable bio-sorbent for lowering oil and gas effluents. This is one of the studies to show that Azadirachta Indica is just one of the many biomaterials to synthesize silver nanoparticles through the reduction of active constituents (Nimbidin) present in them to ensure stability and surface properties, which are critical for their performance in effluent treatment. Therefore, leveraging the knowledge from this study to raise awareness through public health initiatives and community engagement will help. The prevalence of metal ions observed in the visible region in the study indicates the need for bio-adsorptive remediation interventions, not only in social settings but also in the immediate environment. There is, thus, an urgent need for targeted interventions in vulnerable communities.

Keywords: Azadirachta indica, bioadsorption, biosynthesis, effluent, nimbidin, silver nanoparticle

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Authors: B. Adebayo, A. A. Adebayo

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Adequate power generation and supply are enormous challenges confronting Nigeria state today. This is a powerful mechanism that drives industrial development and socio-economy of any nation. The present level of power generation and supply have become national embarrassment to both government and the citizens of Nigeria, where over 60% of the population have no access to electricity. This paper is set to review the abundant clean energy alternative sources available in abundance that are capable of boosting power generation. The clean energy sources waiting to be exploited include: nuclear, solar and wind energy. The environmental benefits of these sources of power generation are identified. Nuclear energy is a powerful clean energy source. However, Africa accounted for 20% of known recoverable reserve and uranium produces heat of 500,000 MJ/kg. Moreover, Nigeria receives average daily solar radiation of over 5.249 kWh/m2/day. Researchers have shown that wind speed and power flux densities varied from 1.5 – 4.1 m/s and 5.7 – 22.5 W/m2 respectively. It is a fact that the cost of doing business in Nigeria is very high, leading to winding up of the multi-national companies and then led to increase unemployment level. More importantly, readily available vast quantity of energy will reduce cost of running industries. Hence, more industries will come on board, goods, services, and more job creation will be achieved. This clean source of power generation is devoid of production of green house gases, elimination of environmental pollution, and reduced waste disposal. Then Nigerians will live in harmony with the environment.

Keywords: power, generation, energy, mix, clean, industrial

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Authors: Saiyeed Jakaria Baksh Imran

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The earth is being endangered by many of the climate related issues today. The most serious issue for the world today is the global warming. Increase in Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions post-industrial revolution period is the prime reason for global warming. Shipping is the fifth largest GHG emitting sector worldwide. The key reason for this is because, over 90% of the world trade is conducted through ocean as the ocean alone covers 70% of the earth surface. While the countries continue to develop, trade and commerce continue to increase between them simultaneously. However, there is no sign of reduction in GHG emission from shipping because of many concerned issues. Firstly, there is technological barrier for which ships cannot just become environment friendly immediately. Secondly, there is no alternative fuel available as well. Thirdly, there is no proper mechanism to measure how much ships emit as emission from ships vary according to the size, engine type and loading capacity of ships. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) being the governing body of the international shipping has implemented MARPOL Annex VI. However, the policy alone is not enough unless there is a proper data available regarding ship emissions, which the IMO is yet to figure out. This paper will present a critical analysis of existing IMO policies such as the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI), Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP), Data Collection System (SEEMP) and the IMO’s Initial Strategy on Reduction of Greenhouse Gas emissions from shipping. Also, the challenges exist in implementing such policies have been presented in the paper.

Keywords: GHG, IMO, EEDI, SEEMP, DCS, greenhouse gas, decarbonization, shipping

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Authors: Takuro Kida, Yuichi Kida

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In this paper, it is shown a base of the new trend of algorithm mathematically that treats a historical reason of continuous discrimination in the world as well as its solution by introducing new concepts of parallel world that includes an invisible set of errors as its companion. With respect to a matrix operator-filter bank that the matrix operator-analysis-filter bank H and the matrix operator-sampling-filter bank S are given, firstly, we introduce the detail algorithm to derive the optimum matrix operator-synthesis-filter bank Z that minimizes all the worst-case measures of the matrix operator-error-signals E(ω) = F(ω) − Y(ω) between the matrix operator-input-signals F(ω) and the matrix operator-output-signals Y(ω) of the matrix operator-filter bank at the same time. Further, feedback is introduced to the above approximation theory, and it is indicated that introducing conversations with feedback do not superior automatically to the accumulation of existing knowledge of signal prediction. Secondly, the concept of category in the field of mathematics is applied to the above optimum signal approximation and is indicated that the category-based approximation theory is applied to the set-theoretic consideration of the recognition of humans. Based on this discussion, it is shown naturally why the narrow perception that tends to create isolation shows an apparent advantage in the short term and, often, why such narrow thinking becomes intimate with discriminatory action in a human group. Throughout these considerations, it is presented that, in order to abolish easy and intimate discriminatory behavior, it is important to create a parallel world of conception where we share the set of invisible error signals, including the words and the consciousness of both worlds.

Keywords: matrix filterbank, optimum signal approximation, category theory, simultaneous minimization

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Authors: P. Bharathiraja

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Computer Aided decision making system is used to enhance diagnosis and prognosis of diseases and also to assist clinicians and junior doctors in clinical decision making. Medical Data used for decision making should be definite and consistent. Data Mining and soft computing techniques are used for cleaning the data and for incorporating human reasoning in decision making systems. Fuzzy rule based inference technique can be used for classification in order to incorporate human reasoning in the decision making process. In this work, missing values are imputed using the mean or mode of the attribute. The data are normalized using min-ma normalization to improve the design and efficiency of the fuzzy inference system. The fuzzy inference system is used to handle the uncertainties that exist in the medical data. Equal-width-partitioning is used to partition the attribute values into appropriate fuzzy intervals. Fuzzy rules are generated using Class Based Associative rule mining algorithm. The system is trained and tested using heart disease data set from the University of California at Irvine (UCI) Machine Learning Repository. The data was split using a hold out approach into training and testing data. From the experimental results it can be inferred that classification using fuzzy inference system performs better than trivial IF-THEN rule based classification approaches. Furthermore it is observed that the use of fuzzy logic and fuzzy inference mechanism handles uncertainty and also resembles human decision making. The system can be used in the absence of a clinical expert to assist junior doctors and clinicians in clinical decision making.

Keywords: decision making, data mining, normalization, fuzzy rule, classification

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Authors: Teerapon Pirom, Ura Pancharoen

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Amoxicillin is an antibiotic which is widely used to treat various infections in both human beings and animals. However, when amoxicillin is released into the environment, it is a major problem. Amoxicillin causes bacterial resistance to these drugs and failure of treatment with antibiotics. Liquid membrane is of great interest as a promising method for the separation and recovery of the target ions from aqueous solutions due to the use of carriers for the transport mechanism, resulting in highly selectivity and rapid transportation of the desired metal ions. The simultaneous processes of extraction and stripping in a single unit operation of liquid membrane system are very interesting. Therefore, it is practical to apply liquid membrane, particularly the HFSLM for industrial applications as HFSLM is proved to be a separation process with lower capital and operating costs, low energy and extractant with long life time, high selectivity and high fluxes compared with solid membranes. It is a simple design amenable to scaling up for industrial applications. The extraction and recovery for (Amoxicillin) through the hollow fiber supported liquid membrane (HFSLM) using aliquat336 as a carrier were explored with the experimental data. The important variables affecting on transport of amoxicillin viz. extractant concentration and operating time were investigated. The highest AMOX- extraction percentages of 85.35 and Amoxicillin stripping of 80.04 were achieved with the best condition at 6 mmol/L [aliquat336] and operating time 100 min. The extraction reaction order (n) and the extraction reaction rate constant (kf) were found to be 1.00 and 0.0344 min-1, respectively.

Keywords: aliquat336, amoxicillin, HFSLM, kinetic

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Authors: D: Gupta, M. Radhakrishnan, Y. Kurhe, D. Thangaraj

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Depression is among the leading causes of death worldwide. The current pharmacotherapy is associated with poor compliance, resistance and relapse, which necessitate the development of novel compounds with better efficacy. The present study designed and synthesized EQC-34 (N-cyclohexyl-3-ethoxyquinoxalin-2-carboxamide) as novel serotonin type-3 (5HT3) antagonist and evaluated its antidepressant-like effects using neurobehavioral mouse model. 5HT3 antagonism (as pA2 value) was determined on the longitudinal smooth muscle of guinea-pig ileum against 2-methyl-5HT (a 5HT3 agonist). The doses were calculated by dose response of basal locomotor activity. Consequently, effects of EQC-34 on neurobehavioral parameters were measured in forced swim (FST) and tail suspension test (TST). The possible mechanism was estimated by interaction study with fluoxetine (a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) and mCPBG (1-(m-chlorophenyl)-biguanide, a selective 5HT3 agonist), and confirmed by potentiation of head twitch response by 5hydroxy-L-tryptophan (5HTP). EQC-34 (1-4 mg/kg, i.p.) produced significant decreased behavioral despair effects in FST and TST. It potentiated fluoxetine response, while mCPBG reduced EQC-34 activity in FST. Further, EQC-34 potentiated 5HTP induced head twitch response. EQC-34 revealed potential antidepressant-like effects, which may involve 5HT3 receptor mediated facilitation of 5HT neurotransmission, thereby reversing the pathological deficiency of monoamines (5HT) observed in depression. Thus, it may be further investigated as promising agent to improve therapeutics of depression.

Keywords: depression, forced swim test, 5HT3 receptor antagonist, serotonin

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Authors: Faraz Zarghami, Elham Anari, Nosratollah Zarghami, Yones Pilehvar-Soltanahmadi, Abolfazl Akbarzadeh, Sepideh Jalilzadeh-Tabrizi

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The development of nanotherapy has presented a new method of drug delivery targeted directly to the neoplasmic tissues, to maximize the action with fewer dose requirements. In the past two decades, poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) has frequently been investigated by many researchers and is a popular polymeric candidate, due to its biocompatibility and biodegradability, exhibition of a wide range of erosion times, tunable mechanical properties, and most notably, because it is a FDA-approved polymer. Chrysin is a natural flavonoid which has been reported to have some significant biological effects on the processes of chemical defense, nitrogen fixation, inflammation, and oxidation. However, the low solubility in water decreases its bioavailability and consequently disrupts the biomedical benefits. Being loaded with PLGA-PEG increases chrysin solubility and drug tolerance, and decreases the discordant effects of the drug. The well-structured chrysin efficiently accumulates in the breast cancer cell line (T47D). In the present study, the structure and chrysin loading were delineated using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (HNMR), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the in vitro cytotoxicity of pure and nanochrysin was studied by the MTT assay. Next, the RNA was exploited and the cytotoxic effects of chrysin were studied by real-time PCR. In conclusion, the nanochrysin therapy developed is a novel method that could increase cytotoxicity to cancer cells without damaging the normal cells, and would be promising in breast cancer therapy.

Keywords: MTT assay, chrysin, flavonoids, nanotherapy

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Authors: Pratik Acharya

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Scour is the natural phenomenon brought about by erosive action of the flowing stream in alluvial channels. Frequent scouring around bridge piers may cause damage to the structures. In alluvial channels, a complex interaction between the streamflow and the bed particles results in scouring around piers. Thus, the study of characteristics of flow around piers can give sound knowledge about the scouring process. The present research has been done to investigate the turbulent flow characteristics around bridge piers and corresponding changes in bed morphology. Laboratory experiments were carried out in a tilting flume with a sand bed. The velocities around the pier are measured by Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter. Measurements show that at upstream of the pier velocity and Reynolds stresses are negative near the bed and near the free surface at downstream of the pier. At the downstream of the pier, Reynolds stresses changes rapidly due to the formation of wake vortices. Experimental results show that secondary currents are more predominant at the downstream of the pier. As the flowing stream hits the pier, the flow gets separated in the form of downflow along the face of the pier due to a strong pressure gradient and along the sides of the piers. Separation of flow around the pier leads to scour the bed material and develop the vortex. The downflow hits the bed and removes the bed material, which can be carried forward by the flow circulations along sides of the piers. Eroded bed material is deposited along the centerline at the rear side of the pier and produces hump in the downstream region. Initially, the rate of scouring is high and reduces gradually with increasing time. After a certain limit, equilibrium sets between the erosive capacity of the flowing stream and resistance to the motion by bed particles.

Keywords: acoustic doppler velocimeter, pier, Reynolds stress, scour depth, velocity

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Authors: Pieter Conradie, M. Marina Moller

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Web 2.0 Internet-based technologies have intruded all aspects of human life. Presently, this phenomenon is especially evident in the educational context, with increased disruptive Web 2.0 technology infusions dramatically changing educational practice. The most prominent of these Web 2.0 intrusions can be identified as Massive Open Online Courses (Coursera, EdX), video and photo sharing sites (Youtube, Flickr, Instagram), and Web 2.0 online tools utilize to create Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) (Symbaloo (aggregator), Delicious (social bookmarking), PBWorks (collaboration), Google+ (social networks), Wordspress (blogs), Wikispaces (wiki)). These Web 2.0 technologies have supported the realignment from a teacher-based pedagogy (didactic presentation) to a learner-based pedagogy (problem-based learning, project-based learning, blended learning), allowing greater learner autonomy. No longer is the educator the source of knowledge. Instead the educator has become the facilitator and mediator of the learner, involved in developing learner competencies to support life-long learning (continuous learning) in the 21st century. In this study, the self-regulated learning skills of thirty first-year university learners were explored by utilizing the Online Self-regulated Learning Questionnaire. Implementing an action research method, an intervention was affected towards improving the self-regulation skill set of the participants. Statistical significant results were obtained with increased self-regulated learning proficiency, positively impacting learner performance. Goal setting, time management, environment structuring, help seeking, task (learning) strategies and self-evaluation skills were confirmed as determinants of improved learner success.

Keywords: andragogy, online self-regulated learning questionnaire, self-regulated learning, web 2.0

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Authors: Jon Gunnar Bernburg

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The present study addresses a topic that is fundamental to social movement theory, namely, the contingent link between movement support and movement participation. Usually, only a small fraction of those who agree with the cause of a social movement is mobilized into participating in it (a pattern sometimes referred to as 'the collective action problem'). However, historical moments sometimes emerge when many supporters become mobilized to participate in the movement, greatly enhancing the chance of movement success. By studying a case in point, this paper addresses the limited work on how support and participation are related at such critical moments. Specifically, the paper examines the association between supporting and participating in a huge 'pro-democracy' protest in Iceland in April 2016, in the wake of the global Panama Papers scandal. Organized via social media by only a handful of activists, but supported by a majority of Icelanders, the protest attracted about a fourth of the urban population, leading to a snap election and government change. Surveying Iceland’s urban population, this paper tests hypotheses about the processes mobilizing supporters to participate in the protest. The findings reveal how variables derived from the theories of biographical availability (males vs. females, working class vs. professionals), critical mass (expectations, prior protest success), and social embeddedness (close ties with protesters) moderate the association between protest support and participation. The study helps to account for one of the largest protests in Iceland’s history while contributing to the theory about how historical contexts shape the behavior of movement supporters.

Keywords: Iceland, crisis, protest support vs. participation, theories of mass mobilization

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Authors: Dung V. H. Pham, Kathryn Cullen

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Introduction: 40% of adolescents with major depression (MDD) are unresponsive to 1st line antidepressant treatment. The neural mechanism underlying treatment-responsive and treatment-resistant depression in adolescent are unclear. Amygdala is important for emotion processing and has been implicated in mood disorders. Past research has shown abnormal amygdala connectivity in adolescents with MDD. This research study changes in amygdala resting-state functional connectivity to find neural correlates of successful antidepressant treatment. Methods: Thirteen adolescents aged 12-19 underwent rfMRI before and after 8-week antidepressant treatment and completed BDI-II at each scan. A whole-brain approach, using anatomically defined amygdala ROIs (1) identified brain regions that are highly synchronous with the amygdala, (2) correlated neural changes with changes in overall depression and specific symptom clusters within depression. Results: Some neural correlates were common across domains: (1) decreased amygdala RSFC with the default mode network (posterior cingulate, precuneus) is associated with improvement in overall depression and many symptom clusters, (2) increased amygdala RSFC with fusiform gyrus is associated with symptom improvement across many symptom clusters. We also found unique neural changes associated with symptom improvement in each symptom cluster. Conclusion: This is the first preliminary study that looks at neural correlates of antidepressant treatment response to overall depression as well as different clusters of symptoms of depression. The finding suggests both overlapping and distinct neural mechanisms underlying improvement in each symptom clusters within depression. Some brain regions found are also implicated in MDD among adults in previous literature.

Keywords: depression, adolescents, fMRI, antidepressants

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Authors: Zhi-Zhong Chen, Jun-Hao Lu, Jr., Shih-Ying Chueh

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Based on Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), the study investigates people’s intention on using smart phones. The study additionally incorporates two new variables: 'self-efficacy' and 'attitude toward using'. Samples are collected by questionnaire survey, in which 240 are valid. After Correlation Analysis, Reliability Test, ANOVA, t-test and Multiple Regression Analysis, the study finds that social impact and self-efficacy have positive effect on use intentions, and the use intentions also have positive effect on use behavior.

Keywords: [1] Ajzen & Fishbein (1975), “Belief, attitude, intention and behavior: An introduction to theory and research”, Reading MA: Addison-Wesley. [2] Bandura (1977) Self-efficacy: toward a unifying theory of behavioural change. Psychological Review , 84, 191–215. [3] Bandura( 1986) A. Bandura, Social foundations of though and action, Prentice-Hall. Englewood Cliffs. [4] Ching-Hui Huang (2005). The effect of Regular Exercise on Elderly Optimism: The Self-efficacy and Theory of Reasoned Action Perspectives.(Master's dissertation, National Taiwan Sport University, 2005).National Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations in Taiwan。 [5] Chun-Mo Wu (2007).The Effects of Perceived Risk and Service Quality on Purchase Intention - an Example of Taipei City Long-Term Care Facilities. (Master's dissertation, Ming Chuan University, 2007).National Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations in Taiwan. [6] Compeau, D.R., and Higgins, C.A., (1995) “Application of social cognitive theory to training for computer skills.”, Information Systems Research, 6(2), pp.118-143. [7] computer-self-efficacy and mediators of the efficacy-performance relationship. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 62, 737-758. [8] Davis et al(1989), “User acceptance of computer technology: A comparison of two theoretical models ”, Management Science, 35(8), p.982-1003. [9] Davis et al(1989), “User acceptance of computer technology:A comparison of two theoretical models ”, Management Science, 35(8), p.982-1003. [10] Davis, F.D. (1989). Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use and User Acceptance of Information Technology. MIS Quarterly, 13(3), 319-340。 [11] Davis. (1989). Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, and User Acceptance of Information Technology. MIS Quarterly, 13(3), 319–340. doi:10.2307/249008 [12] Johnson, R. D. (2005). An empirical investigation of sources of application-specific [13] Mei-yin Hsu (2010).The Study on Attitude and Satisfaction of Electronic Documents System for Administrators of Elementary Schools in Changhua County.(Master's dissertation , Feng Chia University, 2010).National Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations in Taiwan. [14] Ming-Chun Hsieh (2010). Research on Parents’ Attitudes Toward Electronic Toys： The case of Taichung City.(Master's dissertation, Chaoyang University of Technology，2010).National Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations in Taiwan. [15] Moon and Kim（2001）. Extending the TAM for a World-Wide-Web context, Information and Management, v.38 n.4, p.217-230. [16] Shang-Yi Hu (2010).The Impacts of Knowledge Management on Customer Relationship Management – Enterprise Characteristicsand Corporate Governance as a Moderator.(Master's dissertation, Leader University, 2010)。National Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations in Taiwan. [17] Sheng-Yi Hung (2013, September10).Worldwide sale of smartphones to hit one billion IDC：Android dominate the market. ETtoday. Retrieved data form the available protocol:2013/10/3. [18] Thompson, R.L., Higgins, C.A., and Howell, J.M.(1991), “Personal Computing: Toward a Conceptual Model of Utilization”, MIS Quarterly(15:1), pp. 125-143. [19] Venkatesh, V., M.G. Morris, G.B. Davis, and F. D. Davis (2003), “User acceptance of information technology: Toward a unified view, ” MIS Quarterly, 27, No. 3, pp.425-478. [20] Vijayasarathy, L. R. (2004), Predicting Consumer Intentions to Use On-Line Shopping： The Case for an Augmented Technology Acceptance Model, Information and Management, Vol.41, No.6, pp.747-762. [21] Wikipedia - smartphone (http://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/%E6%99%BA%E8%83%BD%E6%89%8B%E6%9C%BA)。 [22] Wu-Minsan (2008).The impacts of self-efficacy, social support on work adjustment with hearing impaired. (Master's dissertation, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology, 2008).National Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations in Taiwan. [23] Yu-min Lin (2006). The Influence of Business Employee’s MSN Self-efficacy On Instant Messaging Usage Behavior and Communicaiton Satisfaction.(Master's dissertation, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, 2006).National Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations in Taiwan.

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Authors: Ammar Ayad Issa Al-Rifaie, Zuhreya Muazu, Maysam Ali Abdulwahid, Dermot Gleeson

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The aim of this audit was to examine the efficiency of alcohol history documentation and screening for hazardous drinkers at the Medical Admission Unit (MAU) of Northern General Hospital (NGH), Sheffield, to identify any potential for enhancing clinical practice. Data were collected from medical clerking sheets, ICE system and directly from 82 patients by three junior medical doctors using both CAGE questionnaire and AUDIT-C tool for newly admitted patients to MAU in NGH, in the period between January and March 2015. Alcohol consumption was documented in around two-third of the patient sample and this was documented fairly accurately by health care professionals. Some used subjective words such as 'social drinking' in the alcohol units’ section of the history. CAGE questionnaire was applied to only four patients and none of the patients had documented advice, education or referral to an alcohol liaison team. AUDIT-C tool had identified 30.4%, while CAGE 10.9%, of patients admitted to the NGH MAU as hazardous drinkers. The amount of alcohol the patient consumes positively correlated with the score of AUDIT-C (Pearson correlation 0.83). Re-audit is planned to be carried out after integrating AUDIT-C tool as labels in the notes and presenting a brief teaching session to junior doctors. Alcohol misuse screening is not adequately undertaken and no appropriate action is being offered to hazardous drinkers. CAGE questionnaire is poorly applied to patients and when satisfactory and adequately used has low sensitivity to detect hazardous drinkers in comparison with AUDIT-C tool. Re-audit of alcohol screening practice after introducing AUDIT-C tool in clerking sheets (as labels) is required to compare the findings and conclude the audit cycle.

Keywords: alcohol screening, AUDIT-C, CAGE, hazardous drinking

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Authors: Seyed Saeid Nabavi

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Background: Many infants with intrauterine growth disorder are screened for TORCH infections. This action has no economic justification in terms of the imposed costs. In this regard, due to the research gap in this field, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between intrauterine growth disorder and TORCH infection in neonates referred to Milad hospital in 2019 and 2020. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 41IUGR newborns were selected and evaluated based on diagnostic and clinical studies in Milad Hospital in 2019 and 2020. TORCH results found in IgG and IgM antibody titer assay were tested in mother and infant. Antibody titers of toxoplasmosis, rubella, cytomegalovirus, herpes, and syphilis were determined in cases, and other variables were compared. The collected data were entered in SPSS software 25 and analyzed at a significant level of 0.05 using the statistical tests of Kolmogorov–Smirnov, Shapiro–Wilk, chi-square, and Mann–Whitney. Results: Most of the IUGR infants studied were girls (68.3%), Gravida and Parity were reported to be 68.3% and 80%, respectively, in the study. Mean weight, APGAR score, and neonatal gestational age are reported as 1710.62±334.43 g, 7.71±1.47, and 35.7+ 1.98 weeks, respectively. Most of the newborns were born by cesarean section (92.7%). TORCH infection was reported in three patients, 7.3%. The mean gestational age of IUGR infants with TORCH infection was reported to be less than other babies with IUGR. Therefore, the mean gestational age of subjects with TORCH infection was 33±1.4 weeks and in others 35.94±1.91 weeks (p-value = 0.038). No significant relationship between TORCH infection and gender, gravidity, and parity of newborns was found (p-value > 0.05). Conclusion: TORCH infection was reported in 3 patients( 7.3%). No significant relationship between TORCH infection and gender, gravidity, and parity of newborns was found. p-value > 0.05

Keywords: congenital infection, intrauterine growth restriction, TORCH infections, neonates

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Authors: Lan Cheng, Harry Qin, Yang Wang

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Background: COVID-19 has induced the largest digital learning experiment in history. There is also emerging research evidence that students have paid a high cost of learning loss from virtual learning. University-wide survey results demonstrate that digital learning remains difficult for students who struggle with learning challenges, isolation, or a lack of resources. Large-scale efforts are therefore increasingly utilized for digital education. To better prepare students in higher education for this grand scientific and technological transformation, STEM education has been prioritized and promoted as a strategic imperative in the ongoing curriculum reform essential for unfinished learning needs and whole-person development. Building upon five key elements identified in the STEM education literature: Problem-based Learning, Community and Belonging, Technology Skills, Personalization of Learning, Connection to the External Community, this case study explores the potential of pedagogical innovation that integrates computational and experimental methodologies to support, enrich, and navigate STEM education. Objectives: The goal of this case study is to create a high-fidelity prototype design for STEM education with knowledge transfer technology that contains a Cooperative Multi-Agent System (CMAS), which has the objectives of (1) conduct assessment to reveal a virtual learning mechanism and establish strategies to facilitate scientific learning engagement, accessibility, and connection within and beyond university setting, (2) explore and validate an interactional co-creation approach embedded in project-based learning activities under the STEM learning context, which is being transformed by both digital technology and student behavior change,(3) formulate and implement the STEM-oriented campaign to guide learning network mapping, mitigate the loss of learning, enhance the learning experience, scale-up inclusive participation. Methods: This study applied a case study strategy and a methodology informed by Social Network Analysis Theory within a cross-disciplinary communication paradigm (students, peers, educators). Knowledge transfer technology is introduced to address learning challenges and to increase the efficiency of Reinforcement Learning (RL) algorithms. A co-creation learning framework was identified and investigated in a context-specific way with a learning analytic tool designed in this study. Findings: The result shows that (1) CMAS-empowered learning support reduced students’ confusion, difficulties, and gaps during problem-solving scenarios while increasing learner capacity empowerment, (2) The co-creation learning phenomenon have examined through the lens of the campaign and reveals that an interactive virtual learning environment fosters students to navigate scientific challenge independently and collaboratively, (3) The deliverables brought from the STEM educational campaign provide a methodological framework both within the context of the curriculum design and external community engagement application. Conclusion: This study brings a holistic and coherent pedagogy to cultivates students’ interest in STEM and develop them a knowledge base to integrate and apply knowledge across different STEM disciplines. Through the co-designing and cross-disciplinary educational content and campaign promotion, findings suggest factors to empower evidence-based learning practice while also piloting and tracking the impact of the scholastic value of co-creation under the dynamic learning environment. The data nested under the knowledge transfer technology situates learners’ scientific journey and could pave the way for theoretical advancement and broader scientific enervators within larger datasets, projects, and communities.

Keywords: co-creation, cross-disciplinary, knowledge transfer, STEM education, social network analysis

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Authors: Davood Mousanezhad, Ashkan Vaziri

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As a traditional cellular structure, hexagonal honeycombs are known for their high strength-to-weight ratio. Here, we introduce a class of fractal-appearing hierarchical metamaterials by replacing the vertices of the original non-hierarchical hexagonal grid with smaller hexagons and iterating this process to achieve higher levels of hierarchy. It has been recently shown that the isotropic in-plane Young's modulus of this hierarchical structure at small deformations becomes 25 times greater than its regular counterpart with the same mass. At large deformations, we find that hierarchy-dependent elastic buckling introduced at relatively early stages of deformation decreases the value of Poisson's ratio as the structure is compressed uniaxially leading to auxeticity (i.e., negative Poisson's ratio) in subsequent stages of deformation. We also show that the topological hierarchical architecture and instability-induced pattern transformations of the structure under compression can be effectively used to tune the propagation of elastic waves within the structure. We find that the hierarchy tends to shift the existing phononic bandgaps (defined as frequency ranges of strong wave attenuation) to lower frequencies while opening up new bandgaps. Deformation is also demonstrated as another mechanism for opening more bandgaps in hierarchical structures. The results provide new insights into the role of structural organization and hierarchy in regulating mechanical properties of materials at both the static and dynamic regimes.

Keywords: cellular structures, honeycombs, hierarchical structures, metamaterials, multifunctional structures, phononic crystals, auxetic structures

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Authors: Ajay Kumar, Shamily Jaggi

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In developing countries like India development of modern technologies has been a key determinant in accelerating industrialization and urbanization. But in the pursuit of rapid economic growth, development is considered a top priority, while environmental protection is not given the same importance. Thus, a number of industries sited haphazardly have been established, leading to a deterioration of natural resources like water, soil and air. As a result, environmental pollution is tremendously increasing due to industrialization and mechanization that are serving to fulfill the demands of the population. With the increasing population, demand for bricks for construction work is also increasing, establishing the brick industry as a growing industry. Brick production requires two main resources; water as a source of life, and soil, as a living environment. Water and soil conservation is a critical issue in areas facing scarcity of water and soil resources. The purpose of this review paper is to provide a brief overview of the theoretical frameworks used in the analysis of the adoption and/or acceptance of soil and water conservation practices in the brick industry. Different frameworks and models have been used in the analysis of the adoption and/or acceptance of new technologies and practices; these include the technology acceptance model, motivational model, theory of reasoned action, innovation diffusion theory, theory of planned behavior, and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology. However, every model has some limitations, such as not considering environmental/contextual and economic factors that may affect the individual’s intention to perform a behavior. The paper concludes that in comparing other models, the UTAUT seems a better model for understanding the dynamics of acceptance and adoption of water and soil conservation practices.

Keywords: brick kiln, water conservation, soil conservation, unified theory of acceptance and use of technology, technology adoption

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Authors: Aadiv Shah, Hari Nair, Vedant Mittal, Alice Cheeran

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Present-day agricultural practices such as blanket spraying not only lead to excessive usage of pesticides but also harm the overall crop yield. This paper introduces an algorithm to optimize the traversal of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in constrained environments. The proposed system focuses on the agricultural application of targeted spraying for locust elimination. Given a satellite image of a farm, target zones that are prone to locust swarm formation are detected through the calculation of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). This is followed by determining the optimal path for traversal of a UAV through these target zones using the proposed algorithm in order to perform pesticide spraying in the most efficient manner possible. Unlike the classic travelling salesman problem involving point-to-point optimization, the proposed algorithm determines an optimal path for multiple regions, independent of its geometry. Finally, the paper explores the idea of implementing reinforcement learning to model complex environmental behaviour and make the path planning mechanism for UAVs agnostic to external environment changes. This system not only presents a solution to the enormous losses incurred due to locust attacks but also an efficient way to automate agricultural practices across the globe in order to improve farmer ergonomics.

Keywords: locust, NDVI, optimization, path planning, reinforcement learning, UAV

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Authors: Yana Xiao

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The invention of Triboelectric Nanogenerators (TENGs) provides an effective approach to the sustainable power of energy. Liquid-solid interfaces-based TENGs have been researched in virtue of less friction for harvesting energy from raindrops, rivers, and oceans in the form of water flows. However, TENGs based on droplets have rarely been investigated. In this study, we have proposed a new kind of droplet tube-based TENG (DT-TENG) with free-standing and reformative grating electrodes. Both straight and curved DT-TENGs were designed, fabricated, and evaluated, including straight tubes TENG with 27 electrodes and curved tubes TENG of 25cm radius curvature- at the inclination of 30°, 45° and 60° respectively. Different materials and hydrophobicity treatments for the tubes have also been studied, together with a discussion on the mechanism and applications of DT-TENGs. As different types of liquid discrepant energy performance, this kind of DT-TENG can be potentially used in laboratories to identify liquid or solvent. In addition, a smart fishing float is contrived, which can recognize different levels of movement speeds brought about by different weights and generate corresponding electric signals to remind the angler. The electric generation performance when using a PVC helix tube around a cylinder is similar in straight situations under the inclination of 45° in this experiment. This new structure changes the direction of a water drop or flows without losing kinetic energy, which makes utilizing Helix-Tube-TENG to harvest energy from different building morphologies possible.

Keywords: triboelectric nanogenerator, energy harvest, liquid tribomaterial, structure innovation

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Authors: Kishore Kumar R., Kaustav Sengupta, Shalini Sood Sehgal, Poornima Santhanam

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Fashion is a human expression that is constantly changing. One of the prime factors that consistently influences fashion is the change in colour preferences. The role of colour in our everyday lives is very significant. It subconsciously explains a lot about one’s mindset and mood. Analyzing the colours by extracting them from the outfit images is a critical study to examine the individual’s/consumer behaviour. Several research works have been carried out on extracting colours from images, but to the best of our knowledge, there were no studies that extract colours to specific apparel and identify colour patterns geographically. This paper proposes a framework for accurately extracting colours from T-shirt images and predicting dominant colours geographically. The proposed method consists of two stages: first, a U-Net deep learning model is adopted to segment the T-shirts from the images. Second, the colours are extracted only from the T-shirt segments. The proposed method employs the iMaterialist (Fashion) 2019 dataset for the semantic segmentation task. The proposed framework also includes a mechanism for gathering data and analyzing India’s general colour preferences. From this research, it was observed that black and grey are the dominant colour in different regions of India. The proposed method can be adapted to study fashion’s evolving colour preferences.

Keywords: colour analysis in t-shirts, convolutional neural network, encoder-decoder, k-means clustering, semantic segmentation, U-Net model

Procedia PDF Downloads 105