Search results for: geometric factor

Authors: Naser Shagerdi Esmaeli, Mohsen Hamidpour, Parisa Hasankhani Tehrani

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Background: The TP53 mutation is frequently detected in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients with complex karyotype (CK), but the stability of this mutation during the clinical course remains unclear. Material and Methods: In this study, TP53 mutations were identified in 7% of 500 patients with de novo AML and 58.8% of patients with CK in Tabriz, Iran. TP53 mutations were closely associated with older age, lower white blood cell (WBC) and platelet counts, FAB M6 subtype, unfavorable-risk cytogenetics, and CK, but negatively associated with NPM1 mutation, FLT3/ITD and DNMT3A mutation. Result: Multivariate analysis demonstrated that TP53 mutation was an independent poor prognostic factor for overall survival and disease-free survival among the total cohort and the subgroup of patients with CK. A scoring system incorporating TP53 mutation and nine other prognostic factors, including age, WBC counts, cytogenetics, and gene mutations, into survival analysis proved to be very useful to stratify AML patients. Sequential study of 420 samples showed that TP53 mutations were stable during AML evolution, whereas the mutation was acquired only in 1 of the 126 TP53 wild-type patients when therapy-related AML originated from different clone emerged. Conclusion: In conclusion, TP53 mutations are associated with distinct clinic-biological features and poor prognosis in de novo AML patients and are rather stable during disease progression.

Keywords: acute myloblastic leukemia, TP53, FLT3/ITD, Iran

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Authors: Hina Verma, Karine Le Guen, Mohammed H. Modi, Rajnish Dhawan, Philippe Jonnard

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Periodic multilayer mirrors have potential application as optical components in X-ray microscopy, particularly working in the water window region. The water window range, located between the absorption edges of carbon (285 eV) and oxygen (530eV), along with the presence of nitrogen K absorption edge (395 eV), makes it a powerful method for imaging biological samples due to the natural optical contrast between water and carbon. We characterized bilayer, trilayer, quadrilayer, and multilayer systems of Mg/Sc with ZrC thin layers introduced as a barrier layer and capping layer prepared by ion beam sputtering. The introduction of ZrC as a barrier layer is expected to improve the structure of the Mg/Sc system. The ZrC capping layer also prevents the stack from oxidation. The structural analysis of the Mg/Sc systems was carried out by using grazing incidence X-ray reflectivity (GIXRR) to obtain non-destructively a first description of the structural parameters, thickness, roughness, and density of the layers. Resonant soft X-ray reflectivity measurements in the vicinity of Sc L-absorption edge were performed to investigate and quantify the atomic distribution of deposited layers. Near absorption edge, the atomic scattering factor of an element changes sharply depending on its chemical environment inside the structure.

Keywords: buried interfaces, resonant soft X-ray reflectivity, X-ray optics, X-ray reflectivity

Procedia PDF Downloads 155

Authors: Mansi Srivastava, Uzma Saqib, Adnan Naim, Anjali Roy, Dongfang Liu, Deepak Bhatnagar, Ravinder Ravinder, Mirza S. Baig

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Macrophages polarize to proinflammatory M1 or anti-inflammatory M2 states with distinct physiological functions. This transition within the M1 to M2 phenotypes decides the nature, duration, and severity of an inflammatory response. However, inspite of a substantial understanding of the fate of these phenotypes, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not well understood. We have investigated the role of Neuronal nitric oxide synthase (NOS1) mediated regulation of Activator protein 1 (AP-1) transcription factor in macrophages as a critical effector of macrophage phenotypic change. Activator protein 1 (AP-1) is a group of dimeric transcription factors composed of jun, Fos, and ATF family proteins. We determined that NOS1-derived nitric oxide (NO) facilitate Fos and jun interaction which induces IL12 & IL23 expression. Pharmacological inhibition of NOS1 inhibits Fos and jun interaction but increases ATF2 and Fos dimerization. Switching of Fos and jun dimer to ATF2 and jun dimerization switches phenotype from IL–12high IL-23high IL-10low to IL–12low IL-23lowIL-10high phenotype, respectively. Together, these findings highlight a key role of the TLR4-NOS1-AP1 signaling axis in regulating macrophage polarization.

Keywords: inflammation, macrophage, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), proinflammatory cytokines, activator protein 1 (AP-1), neuronal nitric oxide synthase (NOS1)

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Authors: Mustafa K. Yilmaz, Ahmet Kaplan, Murat Guven, Vildan Kesici

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Aviation industry influences the social and economic growth across the countries. Further, airline companies are highly affected by social, political, and financial crises and show a high degree of cyclicity in operational performance. Hence, this paper investigates the effects of available seat kilometers (ASK), revenue per kilometer (RPK), passenger load factor (PLF) as well as socio-political crisis on the number of passengers carried (PC) by Turkish Airlines company over the period of 2010M1-2018M12. To conduct the analysis, we employ fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS), dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS), and canonical cointegration regression (CCR) techniques using monthly data. We use ASK, RPK, PLF as independent variables to identify the determinants of the PC, as a dependent variable. We also test the effect of the socio-political crisis. The results reveal that there is a significant and negative relationship between ASK and PC, while the relationship between RPK and PC is positive and significant. We also find that there is an insignificant relationship between PLF and PC. Further, we also find a negative effect of the crisis on the PC. These findings show although the crisis had an immediate effect on the operational performance of Turkish Airlines, the company recovered from the crisis and cope with the situation very promptly. Thus, this proves the resilience and agile management ability of the company.

Keywords: airline industry, operational performance, air traffic, socio-political crisis

Procedia PDF Downloads 154

Authors: Nawel Boucherba, Azzedine Bettache, Abdelaziz Messis, Francis Duchiron, Said Benallaoua

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The impetus for research in the field of bioseparation has been sparked by the difficulty and complexity in the downstream processing of biological products. Indeed, 50% to 90% of the production cost for a typical biological product resides in the purification strategy. There is a need for efficient and economical large scale bioseparation techniques which will achieve high purity and high recovery while maintaining the biological activity of the molecule. One such purification technique which meets these criteria involves the partitioning of biomolecules between two immiscible phases in an aqueous system (ATPS). The Production of xylanases is carried out in 500ml of a liquid medium based on birchwood xylan. In each ATPS, PEG 1000 is added to a mixture consisting of dipotassium phosphate, sodium chloride and the culture medium inoculated with the strain Jonesia denitrificans, the mixture was adjusted to different pH. The concentration of PEG 1000 was varied: 8 to 16 % and the NaCl percentages are also varied from 2 to 4% while maintaining the other parameters constant. The results showed that the best ATPS for purification of xylanases is composed of PEG 1000 at 8.33%, 13.14 % of K2HPO4, 1.62% NaCl at pH 7. We obtained a yield of 96.62 %, a partition coefficient of 86.66 and a purification factor of 2.9. The zymogram showed that the activity is mainly detected in the top phase.

Keywords: Jonesia denitrificans BN13, xylanase, aqueous two phases system, zymogram

Procedia PDF Downloads 387

Authors: Mohammad Shajid Rahman, Tarik Kaya, Edgar Matida

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Electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes, may have become a tool to improve smoking cessation due to their ability to provide nicotine at a selected rate. Unlike traditional cigarettes, which produce toxic elements from tobacco combustion, e-cigarettes generate aerosols by heating a liquid solution (commonly a mixture of propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, nicotine and some flavoring agents). However, caution still needs to be taken when using e-cigarettes due to the presence of addictive nicotine and some harmful substances produced from the heating process. Particle size distribution (PSD) and associated velocities generated by e-cigarettes have significant influence on aerosol deposition in different regions of human respiratory tracts. On another note, low actuation power is beneficial in aerosol generating devices since it exhibits a reduced emission of toxic chemicals. In case of e-cigarettes, lower heating powers can be considered as powers lower than 10 W compared to a wide range of powers (0.6 to 70.0 W) studied in literature. Due to the importance regarding inhalation risk reduction, deeper understanding of particle size characteristics of e-cigarettes demands thorough investigation. However, comprehensive study on PSD and velocities of e-cigarettes with a standard testing condition at relatively low heating powers is still lacking. The present study aims to measure particle number count and size distribution of undiluted aerosols of a latest fourth-generation e-cigarette at low powers, within 6.5 W using real-time particle counter (time-of-flight method). Also, temporal and spatial evolution of particle size and velocity distribution of aerosol jets are examined using phase Doppler anemometry (PDA) technique. To the authors’ best knowledge, application of PDA in e-cigarette aerosol measurement is rarely reported. In the present study, preliminary results about particle number count of undiluted aerosols measured by time-of-flight method depicted that an increase of heating power from 3.5 W to 6.5 W resulted in an enhanced asymmetricity in PSD, deviating from log-normal distribution. This can be considered as an artifact of rapid vaporization, condensation and coagulation processes on aerosols caused by higher heating power. A novel mathematical expression, combining exponential, Gaussian and polynomial (EGP) distributions, was proposed to describe asymmetric PSD successfully. The value of count median aerodynamic diameter and geometric standard deviation laid within a range of about 0.67 μm to 0.73 μm, and 1.32 to 1.43, respectively while the power varied from 3.5 W to 6.5 W. Laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) and PDA measurement suggested a typical centerline streamwise mean velocity decay of aerosol jet along with a reduction of particle sizes. In the final submission, a thorough literature review, detailed description of experimental procedure and discussion of the results will be provided. Particle size and turbulent characteristics of aerosol jets will be further examined, analyzing arithmetic mean diameter, volumetric mean diameter, volume-based mean diameter, streamwise mean velocity and turbulence intensity. The present study has potential implications in PSD simulation and validation of aerosol dosimetry model, leading to improving related aerosol generating devices.

Keywords: E-cigarette aerosol, laser doppler velocimetry, particle size distribution, particle velocity, phase Doppler anemometry

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Authors: H. Salonen, E. Castagnoli, C. Vornanen-Winqvist, R. Mikkola, C. Duchaine, L. Morawska, J. Kurnitski

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A wide range of health effects among occupants are associated with the exposure to bioaerosols from fungal sources. Although the accurate role of these aerosols in causing the symptoms and diseases is poorly understood, the important effect of bioaerosol exposure on human health is well recognized. Thus, there is a need to determine all of the contributing factors related to the concentration of fungi in indoor air. In this study, we reviewed and summarized the different factors affecting the concentrations of viable fungi in school buildings. The literature research was conducted using Pubmed and Google Scholar. In addition, we searched the lists of references of selected articles. According to the literature, the main factors influencing the concentration of viable fungi in the school buildings are moisture damage in building structures, the season (temperature and humidity conditions), the type and rate of ventilation, the number and activities of occupants and diurnal variations. This study offers valuable information that can be used in the interpretation of the fungal analysis and to decrease microbial exposure by reducing known sources and/or contributing factors. However, more studies of different local factors contributing to the human microbial exposure in school buildings—as well as other type of buildings and different indoor environments—are needed.

Keywords: fungi, concentration, indoor, school, contributing factor

Procedia PDF Downloads 253

Authors: Galih Mediana

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Boarding school can helps students to turn all good qualities into habits. The process of forming one's personality can be done in various ways. In addition to gaining general knowledge at school during learning hours, teachers can instill values in students which can be done while in the dormitory when the learning process has ended. This shows the important role that must be played by boarding school’s teachers. Transformational leadership and a culture of innovation are things that can instill innovative behavior in teachers. This study aims to determine the effect of perceptions of transformational leadership and a culture of innovation on innovative work behavior among Islamic boarding school teachers. Respondents in this study amounted to 70 teachers. To measure transformational leadership, a modified measuring tool is used, namely the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) by Bass (1985). To measure innovative work behavior, a measurement tool based on dimensions from Janssen (2000) is used. The innovation culture in this study will be measured using the innovation culture factor from Dobni (2008). This study uses multiple regression analysis to test the hypothesis. The results of this study indicate that there is an influence of perceptions of transformational leadership and innovation culture factors on innovative work behavior in Islamic boarding school’s teachers by 57.7%.

Keywords: transformational leadership, innovative work behavior, innovation culture, boarding school, teacher

Procedia PDF Downloads 88

Authors: K. A. Ghazaryan, G. A. Gevorgyan, H. S. Movsesyan, N. P. Ghazaryan, K. V. Grigoryan

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The heavy metal pollution degree in the soils around the Zangezur copper and molybdenum combine in Syunik Marz, Armenia was aessessed. The results of the study showed that heavy metal pollution degree in the soils mainly decreased with increasing distance from the open mine and the ore enrichment combine which indicated that the open mine and the ore enrichment combine were the main sources of heavy metal pollution. The only exception was observed in the northern part of the open mine where pollution degree in the sites (along the open mine) situated 600 meters far from the mine was higher than that in the sites located 300 meters far from the mine. This can be explained by the characteristics of relief and air currents as well as the weak vegetation cover of these sites and the characteristics of soil structure. According to geo-accumulation index (I-geo), contamination factor (Cf), contamination degree (Cd) and pollution load index (PLI) values, the pollution degree in the soils around the open mine and the ore enrichment combine was higher than that in the soils around the tailing dumps which was due to the proper and accurate operation of the Artsvanik tailing damp and the recultivation of the Voghji tailing dump. The high Cu and Mo pollution of the soils was conditioned by the character of industrial activities, the moving direction of air currents as well as the physicochemical peculiarities of the soils.

Keywords: Armenia, Zangezur copper and molybdenum combine, soil, heavy metal pollution degree

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Authors: Osiris Jorge Parcero, Néstor Gandelman, Flavia Roldán, Josef Montag

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This paper uses cross-country unbalanced panel data of up to 146 countries over the period 1996 to 2015 to be the first study to identify potential determinants of a country’s relative research output in Economics versus Business. More generally, it is also one of the first studies comparing Economics and Business. The results show that better policy-related data availability, higher income inequality, and lower ethnic fractionalization relatively favor economics. The findings are robust to two alternative fixed effects specifications, three alternative definitions of economics and business, two alternative measures of research output (publications and citations), and the inclusion of meaningful control variables. To the best of our knowledge, our paper is also the first to demonstrate the importance of policy-related data as drivers of economic research. Our regressions show that the availability of this type of data is the single most important factor associated with the prevalence of economics over business as a research domain. Thus, our work has policy implications, as the availability of policy-related data is partially under policy control. Moreover, it has implications for students, professionals, universities, university departments, and research-funding agencies that face choices between profiles oriented toward economics and those oriented toward business. Finally, the conclusions show potential lines for further research.

Keywords: research output, publication performance, bibliometrics, economics, business, policy-related data

Procedia PDF Downloads 117

Authors: Zi-Han Li, Lu Fang, Liang Wu, Dong-Yuan Chang, Manyuan Dong, Liang Ji, Qi Zhang, Ming-Hui Zhao, Sydney C. W. Tang, Lemin Zheng, Min Chen

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Uncoupling of mitochondrial respiration by chemical uncouplers has proven effective in ameliorating obesity, insulin resistance, and hyperglycemia, which were risk factors for diabetic nephropathy (DN). Recently, we found that ANXA1 could improve mitochondrial function to mitigate DN progression. However, the underlying mechanism is not fully clear yet. Here, we identified uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), an inner membrane protein of mitochondria, as a key to mitochondrial homeostasis improved by ANXA1. Specifically, ANXA1 attenuated mitochondrial dysfunction via appropriately upregulating UCP1 by stabilizing its transcription factor GATA binding protein 3 (GATA3) by combining it with thioredoxin. Moreover, specific overexpression of UCP1 in the renal cortex rescued renal injuries in diabetic Anxa1-KO mice. UCP1 deletion aggravated renal injuries in HFD/STZ-induced diabetic mice. Mechanistically, UCP1 reduced mitochondrial fission through the aristaless-related homeobox (ARX)/cardiolipin synthase 1 (CRLS1) pathway. Therapeutically, CL316243, a UCP1 agonist, could attenuate established DN in db/db mice. This work established an alternative principle to harness the power of uncouplers for the treatment of DN.

Keywords: diabetic nephropathy, uncoupling protein 1, mitochondrial homeostasis, cardiolipin metabolism

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Authors: Somaye Zare

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The critical beam radius is a significant factor that predicts the behavior of the laser beam in the plasma, so if the laser beam radius is adequately greater in comparison to it, the beam will experience stable focusing on the plasma; otherwise, the beam will diverge after entering into the plasma. In this work, considering the paraxial approximation and moment theories, the localization of a relativistic laser beam in thermal quantum plasma is investigated. Using the dielectric function obtained in the quantum hydrodynamic model, the mathematical equation for the laser beam width parameter is attained and solved numerically by the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method. The results demonstrate that the stouter focusing effect is occurred in the moment theory compared to the paraxial approximation. Besides, similar to the two theories, with increasing Fermi temperature, plasma density, and laser intensity, the oscillation rate of the beam width parameter growths and focusing length reduces which means improving the focusing effect. Furthermore, it is understood that behaviors of the critical laser radius are different in the two theories, in the paraxial approximation, the critical radius after a minimum value is enhanced with increasing laser intensity, but in the moment theory, with increasing laser intensity, the critical radius decreases until it becomes independent of the laser intensity.

Keywords: laser localization, quantum plasma, paraxial approximation, moment theory, quantum hydrodynamic model

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Authors: Roudabeh Vakil Monfared, Farhad Mashayekhi

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Breast cancer is the most common malignancy type among women with about 1 million new cases each year. The immune system plays an important role in the breast cancer development. OX40L (also known as TNFSF4), a membrane protein, which is a member of the tumor necrosis factor super family binds to its receptor OX40 and this co-stimulation has a crucial role in T-cell proliferation, survival and cytokine release. Due to the importance of the T-cells in anti-tumor activities of OX40L we studied the association of rs3850641 (T→C) polymorphism of OX40L gene with breast cancer. The study included 123 women with breast cancer and 126 healthy volunteers with no signs of cancer. Genomic DNA was extracted from blood leucocytes. Genotype and allele frequencies were determined in patients and control cases with the method of polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and the analysis was performed by Med Calc. The prevalence of genotype frequencies of TT, CT and CC were 60.9%, 30.08% and 8.9 % in patients with breast cancer and 74.6 %, 18.25 % and 7.14 % in healthy volunteers while the T and C allelic frequency was 76.01% and 23.98 % in patients and 83.73% and 16.26% in healthy controls. Respectively Statistical analysis has shown no significant difference from the comparison of either genotype (P=0.06). According to these results, the rs3850641 SNP has no association with the susceptibility of breast cancer in a population in northern Iran. However, further studies in larger populations including other genetic and environmental factors are required to achieve conclusion.

Keywords: OX40L, gene, polymorphism, breast cancer

Procedia PDF Downloads 522

Authors: Edu Marcelina, Sule Sheidu A., Nsor Eunice

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As open and distance education is gradually becoming an acceptable means of solving the problem of access in higher education, quality has now become one of the main concerns among institutions and stakeholders of open and distance learning (ODL) and the education sector in general. This study assessed the challenges of academic quality in the open and distance learning (ODL) education in Nigeria using Distance Learning Institute (DLI), University of Lagos and National Open University of Nigeria as a case. In carrying out the study, a descriptive survey research design was employed. A researcher-designed and validated questionnaire was used to elicit responses that translated to the quantitative data for this study. The sample comprised 665 students of the Distance Learning Institute (DLI), and National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), carefully selected through the method of simple random sampling. Data collected from the study were analyzed using Chi-Square (X2) at 0.05 Level of significance. The results of the analysis revealed that; the use of ICT tools is a factor in ensuring quality in the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) operations; the quality of the materials made available to ODL students will determine the quality of education that will be received by the students; and the time scheduled for students for self-study, online lecturing/interaction and face to face study and the quality of education in Open and Distance Learning Institutions has a lot of impact on the quality of education the students receive. Based on the findings, a number of recommendations were made.

Keywords: open and distance learning, quality, ICT, face-to-face interaction

Procedia PDF Downloads 358

Authors: Vilasinee Jintalikhitdee, Phusit Phukamchanoad, Sakapas Saengchai

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This research aims to study the level of democratic political culture and the factors that affect the democratic political culture of 5th and 6th graders under the authority of Dusit District Office, Bangkok by using stratified sampling for probability sampling and using purposive sampling for non-probability sampling to collect data toward the distribution of questionnaires to 300 respondents. This covers all of the schools under the authority of Dusit District Office. The researcher analyzed the data by using descriptive statistics which include arithmetic mean, standard deviation, and inferential statistics which are Independent Samples T-test (T-test) and One-Way ANOVA (F-test). The researcher also collected data by interviewing the target groups, and then analyzed the data by the use of descriptive analysis. The result shows that 5th and 6th graders under the authority of Dusit District Office, Bangkok have exposed to democratic political culture at high level in overall. When considering each part, it found out that the part that has highest mean is “the constitutional democratic governmental system is suitable for Thailand” statement. The part with the lowest mean is “corruption (cheat and defraud) is normal in Thai society” statement. The factor that affects democratic political culture is grade levels, occupations of mothers, and attention in news and political movements.

Keywords: democratic, political culture, political movements, democratic governmental system

Procedia PDF Downloads 252

Authors: Amal Hussain Alkhaiwani, Ghadah Abdullah Almalki

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Recently human errors have increasingly become a very high factor in security breaches that may affect confidential data, and most of the cyber data breaches are caused by human errors. With one individual mistake, the attacker will gain access to the entire network and bypass the implemented access controls without any immediate detection. Unaware employees will be vulnerable to any social engineering cyber-attacks. Providing security awareness to People is part of the company protection process; the cyber risks cannot be reduced by just implementing technology; the human awareness of security will significantly reduce the risks, which encourage changes in staff cyber-awareness. In this paper, we will focus on Human Awareness, human needs to continue the required security education level; we will review human errors and introduce a proposed solution to avoid the breach from occurring again. Recently Saudi Arabia faced many attacks with different methods of social engineering. As Saudi Arabia has become a target to many countries and individuals, we needed to initiate a defense mechanism that begins with awareness to keep our privacy and protect the confidential data against possible intended attacks.

Keywords: cybersecurity, human aspects, human errors, human mistakes, security awareness, Saudi Arabia, security program, security education, social engineering

Procedia PDF Downloads 138

Authors: Hyeon-Kyo Lim, Tong-il Jang, Yong-Hee Lee

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As for any nuclear power plant, human error is one of the most dreaded factors that may result in unexpected accidents. Thus, for accident prevention, it is quite indispensable to analyze and to manage the influence of any factor which may raise the possibility of human errors. Among lots factors, stress has been reported to have significant influence on human performance. Stress level of a person may fluctuate over time. To handle the possibility over time, robust stress management program is required, especially in nuclear power plants. Therefore, to overcome the possibility of human errors, this study aimed to develop a stress management program as a part of Fitness-for-Duty (FFD) Program for the workers in nuclear power plants. The meaning of FFD might be somewhat different by research objectives, appropriate definition of FFD was accomplished in this study with special reference to human error prevention, and diverse stress factors were elicited for management of human error susceptibility. In addition, with consideration of conventional FFD management programs, appropriate tests and interventions were introduced over the whole employment cycle including selection and screening of workers, job allocation, job rotation, and disemployment as well as Employee-Assistance-Program (EAP). The results showed that most tools mainly concentrated their weights on common organizational factors such as Demands, Supports, and Relationships in sequence, which were referred as major stress factors.

Keywords: human error, accident prevention, work performance, stress, fatigue

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Authors: Qudama Albu-Jasim, Majdi Kanaan

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A case study about the load rating and strengthening evaluation of the six-span of steel girders bridge in Colton city of State of California is investigated. To simulate the load rating strengthening assessment for the Colton Overhead bridge, a three-dimensional finite element model built in the CSiBridge program is simulated. Three-dimensional finite-element models of the bridge are established considering the nonlinear behavior of critical bridge components to determine the feasibility and strengthening capacity under load rating analysis. The bridge was evaluated according to Caltrans Bridge Load Rating Manual 1st edition for rating the superstructure using the Load and Resistance Factor Rating (LRFR) method. The analysis for the bridge was based on load rating to determine the largest loads that can be safely placed on existing I-girder steel members and permitted to pass over the bridge. Through extensive numerical simulations, the bridge is identified to be deficient in flexural and shear capacities, and therefore strengthening for reducing the risk is needed. An in-depth parametric study is considered to evaluate the sensitivity of the bridge’s load rating response to variations in its structural parameters. The parametric analysis has exhibited that uncertainties associated with the steel’s yield strength, the superstructure’s weight, and the diaphragm configurations should be considered during the fragility analysis of the bridge system.

Keywords: load rating, CSIBridge, strengthening, uncertainties, case study

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Authors: Bhanu Pant, Sanjay H. Upadhyay

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Titanium alloys, owing to their high specific strength coupled with excellent resistance to corrosion in many severe environments, find extensive usage in the aerospace sector. Alpha and beta lean Titanium alloys have an additional characteristic of exhibiting high toughness with an NTS/ UTS ratio greater than one down to liquid oxygen and liquid helium temperatures. The cryogenic stage of high-performance rockets utilizes cryo-fluid submerged pressurizing tanks to improve volume to mass performance factor. A superior volume-to-mass ratio is achieved for LH2-submerged pressurizing tanks as compared to those submerged in LOX. Such high-efficiency tanks for LH2 submerged application necessitate the use of difficult to process alpha type Ti5Al2.5Sn-ELI alloy, which requires close control of process parameters to develop the tanks. In the present paper, a comparison of this alpha-type cryogenic Titanium alloy has been brought out with conventional alpha-beta Ti6Al4V-ELI alloy, which is usable up to LOX temperatures. Specific challenges faced during the development of these cryogenic pressurizing tanks for a launch vehicle based on the author's experience are included in the paper on the comparatively lesser-studied alpha Ti5Al2.5Sn-ELI alloy.

Keywords: cryogenic tanks, titanium Alloys, NTS/UTS ratio, alpha and alpha-beta ELI alloys

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Authors: Muhammad Ganda Wiratama

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XYZ company is one of the upstream chemical companies that produce chemical products such as NaOH, HCl, NaClO, VCM, EDC, and PVC for downstream companies. The products are shipped by land using trucks and sea lanes using ship mode. Especially for solid products such as flake caustic soda (F-NaOH) and PVC resin, the products are sold in loose bag packing and palletize packing (packed in pallet). The focus of this study is to increase the number of items that can be loaded in pallet packaging on the company's logistics vehicle. This is very difficult because on this packaging, the dimensions or size of the material to be loaded become larger and certainly much heavier than the loose bag packing. This factor causes the arrangement and handling of materials in the mode of transportation more difficult. In this case, it is difficult to load a different type of volume packing pallet dimension in one truck or container. By using the Cube-IQ software, it is hoped that the planning of stuffing activity material by pallet can become easier in optimizing the existing space with various possible combinations of possibilities. In addition, the output of this software can also be used as a reference for operators in the material handling include the order and orientation of materials contained in the truck or container. The more optimal contents of logistics cargo, then transportation costs can also be minimized.

Keywords: loading activity, container loading, palletize product, simulation

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Authors: Olusegun Akinsiku, Olukayode Oyediran, Koleola Odusami

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A construction project is usually made up of a variety of stakeholders whose interests may positively or negatively impact on the outcome of the project execution. The variability of project stakeholders is apparent in their cultural differences, professional background and ethics, and differences in ideas. The need for the effectiveness of construction teams has been investigated as this is an important aspect to meeting client’s expectations in the construction industry. This study adopts a cross-sectional descriptive survey with the purpose of identifying the critical success factors (CSFs) associated with the team effectiveness of construction projects stakeholders, their relationship and the effects on construction project performance. The instrument for data collection was a designed questionnaire which was administered to construction professionals in the construction industry in Lagos State, Nigeria using proportionate stratified sampling. The highest ranked identified CSFs include “team trust”, “esprit de corps among members” and “team cohesiveness”. Using factor analysis and considering the effects of team cohesiveness on project performance, the identified CSFs were categorized into three groups namely cognitive attributes, behavior and processes attributes and affective attributes. All the three groups were observed to have a strong correlation with project performance. The findings of this study are useful in helping construction stakeholders benchmark the team effectiveness factors that will guarantee project success.

Keywords: construction, critical success factors, performance, stakeholders, team effectiveness

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Authors: Kasi Viswanadh Matte, Abhisheh Kumar Mehata, M.S. Muthu

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Brest cancer, up-regulated with human epidermal growth factor receptor type-2 (HER-2) led to the concept of developing HER-2 targeted anticancer therapeutics. Docetaxel-loaded D-α-tocopherol polyethylene glycol succinate 1000 conjugated chitosan (TPGS-g-chitosan) nanoparticles were prepared with or without Trastuzumab decoration. The particle size and entrapment efficiency of conventional, non-targeted and targeted nanoparticles were found to be in the range of 126-186 nm and 74-78% respectively. In-vitro, MDA-MB-231 cells showed that docetaxel-loaded non-targeted and HER-2 receptor targeted TPGS-g-chitosan nanoparticles have enhanced the cellular uptake and cytotoxicity with a promising bioadhesion property, in comparison to conventional nanoparticles. The IC50 values of non-targeted and targeted nanoparticles from cytotoxic assay were found to be 43 and 223 folds higher than DocelTM. The in-vivo pharmacokinetic study showed 2.33, and 2.82-fold enhancement in relative bioavailability of docetaxel for non-targeted and HER-2 receptor targeted nanoparticles, respectively than DocelTM, and after i.v administration, non-targeted and targeted nanoparticle achieved 3.48 and 5.94 times prolonged half-life in comparison to DocelTM. The area under the curve (AUC), relative bioavailability (FR) and mean residence time (MRT) were found to be higher for non-targeted and targeted nanoparticles compared to DocelTM. Further, histopathology results of non-targeted and targeted nanoparticles showed less toxicity on vital organs such as lungs, liver, and kidney compared to DocelTM.

Keywords: breast cancer, HER-2 receptor, targeted nanomedicine, chitosan, TPGS

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Authors: Bouharati Lokman, Bouharati Imen, Bouharati Khaoula, Bouharati Oussama, Bouharati Saddek

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Ionizing radiation exposure is an established cancer risk factor. Compared to other common environmental carcinogens, it is relatively easy to determine organ-specific radiation dose and, as a result, radiation dose-response relationships tend to be highly quantified. Nevertheless, there can be considerable uncertainty about questions of radiation-related cancer risk as they apply to risk protection and public policy, and the interpretations of interested parties can differ from one person to another. Examples of tools used in the analysis of the risk of developing cancer due to radiation are characterized by uncertainty. These uncertainties are related to the history of exposure and different assumptions involved in the calculation. We believe that the results of statistical calculations are characterized by uncertainty and imprecision. Having regard to the physiological variation from one person to another. In this study, we develop a tool based on fuzzy logic inference. As fuzzy logic deals with imprecise and uncertain, its application in this area is adequate. We propose a fuzzy system with three input variables (age, sex and body attainable cancer). The output variable expresses the risk of infringement rate of each organ. A base rule is established from recorded actual data. After successful simulation, this will instantly predict the risk of infringement rate of each body following chronic exposure to 0.1 Gy.

Keywords: radiation exposure, cancer, modeling, fuzzy logic

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Authors: Barenten Suciu

Abstract:

An electrical generator able to harness energy from the water waves and designed as a double-cone geared motor-generator (DCGMG), is proposed and theoretically investigated. Similar to a differential gear mechanism, used in the transmission system of the auto vehicle wheels, an angular speed differential is created between the cones rolling on two concentric circular rails. Water wave acting on the floating DCGMG produces and a gear-box amplifies the speed differential to gain sufficient torque for power generation. A model that allows computation of the speed differential, torque, and power of the DCGMG is suggested. Influence of various parameters, regarding the construction of the DCGMG, as well as the contact between the double-cone and rails, on the electro-mechanical output, is emphasized. Results obtained indicate that the generated electrical power can be increased by augmenting the mass of the double-cone, the span of the rails, the apex angle of the cones, the friction between cones and rails, the amplification factor of the gear-box, and the efficiency of the motor-generator. Such findings are useful to formulate a design methodology for the proposed wave-powered generator.

Keywords: amplification of angular speed differential, circular concentric rails, double-cone, wave-powered electrical generator

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Authors: Aragorn Joaquin Pineda Dela Cruz

Abstract:

Road traffic congestion is continually deteriorating in Hong Kong. The largest contributing factor is the increase in vehicle fleet size, resulting in higher competition over the utilisation of road space. This study proposes a project that can process closed-circuit television images and videos to provide real-time traffic detection and prediction capabilities. Specifically, a deep-learning model involving computer vision techniques for video and image-based vehicle counting, then a separate model to detect and predict traffic congestion levels based on said data. State-of-the-art object detection models such as You Only Look Once and Faster Region-based Convolutional Neural Networks are tested and compared on closed-circuit television data from various major roads in Hong Kong. It is then used for training in long short-term memory networks to be able to predict traffic conditions in the near future, in an effort to provide more precise and quicker overviews of current and future traffic conditions relative to current solutions such as navigation apps.

Keywords: intelligent transportation system, vehicle detection, traffic analysis, deep learning, machine learning, computer vision, traffic prediction

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Authors: J. Jebunnesa, Y. Budd, T. Mason

Abstract:

COVID-19 changed the pedagogical expectations of early childhood education as many teachers across Australia had to quickly adapt to new teaching practices such as remote teaching. An important factor in the successful implementation of any new teaching and learning approach is teacher preparation, however, due to the pandemic, the transformation to remote teaching was immediate. A timely question to be asked is how early childhood teachers managed the transition from face-to-face teaching to remote teaching and what was learned through this time. This study explores the experiences of early childhood educators in Australia during COVID-19 lockdowns. Data were collected from an online survey conducted through the official Facebook forum of “Early Childhood Education and Care Australia,” and a constructivist grounded theory methodology was used to analyse the data. Initial research results suggest changing expectations of teachers’ roles and responsibilities during the lockdown, with a significant category related to transitioning teacher identities emerging. The concept of transitioning represents the shift from the role of early childhood educator to educational innovator, essential worker, social worker, and health officer. The findings illustrate the complexity of early childhood educators’ roles during the pandemic.

Keywords: changing role of teachers, constructivist grounded theory, lessons learned, teaching during COVID-19

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Authors: Arka Roy, Chandra Prakash Dubey

Abstract:

Inverse problem generally used for recovering hidden information from outside available data. Vertical component of gravity field we will be going to use for underneath density structure calculation. Ill-posing nature is main obstacle for any inverse problem. Linear regularization using Tikhonov formulation are used for appropriate choice of SVD and GSVD components. For real time data handle, signal to noise ratios should have to be less for reliable solution. In our study, 2D and 3D synthetic model with rectangular grid are used for gravity field calculation and its corresponding inversion for density reconstruction. Fine grid also we have considered to hold any irregular structure. Keeping in mind of algebraic ambiguity factor number of observation point should be more than that of number of data point. Picard plot is represented here for choosing appropriate or main controlling Eigenvalues for a regularized solution. Another important study is depth resolution plot (DRP). DRP are generally used for studying how the inversion is influenced by regularizing or discretizing. Our further study involves real time gravity data inversion of Vredeforte Dome South Africa. We apply our method to this data. The results include density structure is in good agreement with known formation in that region, which puts an additional support of our method.

Keywords: depth resolution plot, gravity inversion, Picard plot, SVD, Tikhonov formulation

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Authors: Ahmed Fawzy, Khaled Ayad, Gh. M. Koura, W. Reda

Abstract:

The knee joint complex is one of the most commonly injured areas of the body in athletes. Excessive frontal plane knee excursion is considered a risk factor for multiple knee pathologies such as anterior cruciate ligament and patellofemoral joint injuries, however, little is known about the biomechanical factors that contribute to this loading pattern. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate if there is a relationship between hip abductors isometric strength and the value of FPPA during single leg landing tasks in normal male subjects. Methods: One hundred (male) subjects free from lower extremity injuries for at least six months ago participated in this study. Their mean age was (23.25 ± 2.88) years, mean weight was (74.76 ± 13.54) (Kg), mean height was (174.23 ± 6.56) (Cm). The knee frontal plane projection angle was measured by digital video camera using single leg landing task. Hip abductors isometric strength were assessed by portable hand-held dynamometer. Muscle strength had been normalized to the body weight to obtain more accurate measurements. Results: The results demonstrated that there was no significant relationship between hip abductors isometric strength and the value of FPPA during single leg landing tasks in normal male subjects. Conclusion: It can be concluded that there is no relationship between hip abductors isometric strength and the value of FPPA during functional activities in normal male subjects.

Keywords: 2-dimensional motion analysis, hip strength, kinematics, knee injuries

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Authors: Naif Al-Jomah, Falah H Al-Mohanna, Abdelilah Aboussekhra

Abstract:

Active breast cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), the most influential cells in breast tumor microenvironment, express/secrete high levels of the proinvasive/metastatic interleukin-6 (IL-6). Therefore, we have tested here the effect of the IL-6 receptor (IL-6R) inhibitor tocilizumab (TCZ; Actemra) on different active breast CAFs. We have shown that TCZ potently and persistently suppresses the expression of various CAF biomarkers, namely α-SMA, SDF-1 as well as the STAT3 pathway and its downstream target AUF1. TCZ also inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion abilities of active breast CAF cells. Additionally, TCZ repressed the ability of CAF cells in promoting epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, and enhancing the migratory/invasive and proliferative capacities of breast cancer cells in vitro. Importantly, these findings were confirmed in orthotopic humanized breast tumors in mice. Furthermore, TCZ suppressed the expression of the pro-angiogenic factor VEGF-A and its transactivator HIF-1α in CAF cells, and consequently inhibited the angiogenic-promoting effect of active CAFs both in vitro and in orthotopic tumor xenografts. These results indicate that inhibition of the IL-6/STAT3/AUF1 pathway by TCZ can normalize active breast CAFs and suppress their paracrine pro-carcinogenic effects, which paves the way toward development of specific CAF-targeting therapy, badly needed for more efficient breast cancer treatments.

Keywords: angiogenesis, interleukin-6, paracrine, cancer-associated fibroblasts

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Authors: Zi-Han Li, Lu Fang, Liang Wu, Dong-Yuan Chang, Manyuan Dong, Liang Ji, Qi Zhang, Ming-Hui Zhao, Sydney C.W. Tang, Lemin Zheng, Min Chen

Abstract:

Uncoupling of mitochondrial respiration by chemical uncouplers has proven effective in ameliorating obesity, insulin resistance, and hyperglycemia, which were risk factors for diabetic nephropathy (DN). Recently, it was found that annexin A1(ANXA1) could improve mitochondrial function to mitigate DN progression. However, the underlying mechanism is not fully clear yet. Here, it was identified that uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), an inner membrane protein of mitochondria, as a key to mitochondrial homeostasis improved by ANXA1. Specifically, ANXA1 attenuated mitochondrial dysfunction via appropriately upregulating UCP1 by stabilizing its transcription factor GATA binding protein 3 (GATA3) through combining with thioredoxin. Moreover, specific overexpression of UCP1 in renal cortex rescued renal injuries in diabetic Anxa1-KO mice. UCP1 deletion aggravated renal injuries in HFD/STZ-induced diabetic mice. Mechanistically, UCP1 reduced mitochondrial fission through the aristaless-related homeobox (ARX)/cardiolipin synthase 1 (CRLS1) pathway. Therapeutically, CL316243, a UCP1 agonist, could attenuate established DN in db/db mice. This work established a novel principle to harness the power of uncouplers for the treatment of DN.

Keywords: diabetic nephropathy, uncoupling protein 1, mitochondrial homeostasis, cardiolipin metabolism

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