Search results for: Paul James

Authors: Davies Obaromi, Qin Yongsong, James Ndege, Azeez Adeboye, Akinwumi Odeyemi

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The basic model usually used in disease mapping, is the Besag, York and Mollie (BYM) model and which combines the spatially structured and spatially unstructured priors as random effects. Bayesian Conditional Autoregressive (CAR) model is a disease mapping method that is commonly used for smoothening the relative risk of any disease as used in the Besag, York and Mollie (BYM) model. This model (CAR), which is also usually assigned as a prior to one of the spatial random effects in the BYM model, successfully uses information from adjacent sites to improve estimates for individual sites. To our knowledge, there are some unrealistic or counter-intuitive consequences on the posterior covariance matrix of the CAR prior for the spatial random effects. In the conventional BYM (Besag, York and Mollie) model, the spatially structured and the unstructured random components cannot be seen independently, and which challenges the prior definitions for the hyperparameters of the two random effects. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to construct and utilize an extended Bayesian spatial CAR model for studying tuberculosis patterns in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, and then compare for flexibility with some existing CAR models. The results of the study revealed the flexibility and robustness of this alternative extended CAR to the commonly used CAR models by comparison, using the deviance information criteria. The extended Bayesian spatial CAR model is proved to be a useful and robust tool for disease modeling and as a prior for the structured spatial random effects because of the inclusion of an extra hyperparameter.

Keywords: Besag2, CAR models, disease mapping, INLA, spatial models

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Authors: James Donald Nyamahono, Kelvin Tinashe Pikirai

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Communal based natural resource management (CBNRM) is regarded as one of the most significant methods for sustainable natural resource conservation. This is due to the fact that it entails the engagement of local communities as well as the use of indigenous knowledge and customary conservation. The emergence of COVID-19 had a devastating impact on this sector since it has resulted in the disbandment of all collective activities, such as group gatherings, including those with a good cause. This is supported by research, which demonstrates that throughout the era of full lockdowns, the coordination of diverse activities and the sustainability of various working groups were severely harmed. This study was undertaken in the CBNRM niche to examine how COVID-19 affected this sector. Data were gathered through focus group discussions with youths, women, and the elderly active in CBNRM in Newtown, Bekezela Village, Eastern Cape. The study concluded that the sustainability of indigenous knowledge in natural resource management was endangered due to the restricted movements and community participation in developmental initiatives. The study also revealed a 'environment-community divide,' since COVID-19 hindered local communities from holding their regular conservation meetings. The research, on the other hand, discovered that there were 'secret' gatherings in which local communities attempted to adopt Afrocentric ways in which the available natural resources would provide a remedy for COVID-19.

Keywords: CBNRM, COVID-19, indigenous knowledge, South Africa

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Authors: Dries Dulsster

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This research we want to discuss the implications of the concept of ‘lalangue’ and illustrate its importance for lacanian psychoanalysis and its clinical practice. We will look at this concept through an in depth reading of Lacan’s later seminars, his lectures at the North-American universities and his study on James Joyce. We will illustrate the importance of this concept with a case study from a clinical practice. We will argue that the introduction of ‘lalangue’ has several theoretical and clinical implications that will radically change Lacans teachings. We will illustrate the distinction between language and lalangue. Language serves communication, but this is not the case with lalangue. We will claim that there is jouissance in language and will approach this by introducing the concept of ‘lalangue’. We will ask ourselves what the effect will be of this distinction and how we can use this in clinical practice. The concept of ‘lalangue’ will introduce a new way of thinking about the unconscious. It will force us to no longer view the unconscious as Symbolic, but as Imaginary or Real. Another implication will be the approach on the symptom, no longer approaching it as a formation of the unconscious. It will be renamed as ‘sinthome’, as function of the real. Last of all it will force us to rethink the lacanian interpretation and how we direct the treatment. The implications on a clinical level will be how we think about the lacanian interpretation and the direction of the treatment. We will no longer focus on language and meaning, but focus on jouissance and the ways in which the subject deals with this. We will illustrate this importance with a clinical case study. To summarize, the concept of lalangue forces us to radically rethink lacanian psychoanalysis, with major implications on a theoretical and clinical level. It introduces new concepts such as the real unconscious and the sinthome. It will also make us rethink the way we work as lacanian psychoanalysts.

Keywords: Lacan's later teaching, language, Lalangue, the unconscious

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Authors: Shivani Kuttuva, James Sampson, Timothy Simmons, Vinayak Thattaruparambil, Holly Burton, Peter Coyne

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Anogenital mammary-like glands were established to be embryological remnants of breast tissue due to failed resolution of the ectodermal mammary ridge. However, recent studies are now considering this to represent normal constituents of the anogenital area with histological resemblance to the orthotopic breast tissue with multiple benign and malignant lesions arising from it. The incidence of the above has been predominant in females in the vulval region. Due to the paucity of cases reported in men, this poses a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge resulting in a delay in treatment and, thereby, poor outcomes. Our patient presented to the dermatology clinic with an itchy, purplish lesion in the peri-anal region which, on punch biopsy, was diagnosed to be Extra-mammary Paget’s disease and taken up for Wide local excision. Immunochemically, staining was positive for HER2, ER and Cytokeratin 7, keeping with the presence of actual breast tissue with no primary breast carcinoma. Due to the invasive nature of the disease, he required Abdominoperineal resection with flap reconstruction. Despite complete surgical clearance and adjuvant radiotherapy, the disease progressed to adjacent inguinal and obturator lymph nodes with origin resembling anogenital type mammary glands but histology negative for hormonal receptors of the breast.

Keywords: anogenital mammary-like glands, abdominoperineal resection, ectopic breast tissue, ectopic male breast carcinoma, peri-anal skin lesion

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Authors: Maharani Yulisti, Amin Mugera, James Fogarty

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Food safety standards have received significant attention in the fisheries global market due to health issues, free trade agreements, and increasing aquaculture production. Vertical coordination throughout the supply chain of fish producing and exporting countries is needed to meet food safety demands imposed by importing countries. However, the complexities of the supply chain governance structures and difficulties in standard implementation can generate safety uncertainty and high transaction costs. Using a Transaction Cost Economics framework, this paper examines the alignment between food safety standards and the governance structures in the shrimp supply chain in Indonesia. We find the supply chain is organized closer to the hierarchy-like governance structure where private standard (organic standard) are implemented and more towards a market-like governance structure where public standard (IndoGAP certification) are more prevalent. To verify the statements, two cases are examined from Sidoarjo district as a centre of shrimp production in Indonesia. The results show that public baseline FSS (Food Safety Standards) need additional mechanism to achieve a coordinated chain-wide response because uncertainty, asset specificity, and performance measurement problems are high in this chain. Organic standard as private chain-wide FSS is more efficient because it has been achieved by hierarchical-like type of governance structure.

Keywords: governance structure, shrimp value chain, food safety standards, transaction costs economics

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Authors: Abidoye James Alabi

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This study investigated the effect of video-based instructional strategy on junior secondary school academic achievement in social studies. The influence of gender on the academic achievement of student taught with video-based instructional strategy was also examined. The study adopted a pre-test and pro-test control group quasi-experimental design. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 40 students from two schools in Akure town in Ondo State. The researcher developed instructional video package on social studies concept which was used as treatment instrument for the experimental group while the control group was exposed to conventional teaching method. The instruments used in this study are social studies achievement test and instructional video package (IVP). T-test statistic was used to analyse the hypotheses. The findings revealed that experimental group performed better than the control group. It was also shown that gender has no significant effect on students’ academic achievement when exposed to an instructional video package. It was recommended that appropriate training and workshop should be organized by the government for the social studies teachers for effective use of instructional video package in order to enhance teachers productivities and learning among students in secondary schools.

Keywords: instructional video package, conventional teaching method, social studies, junior secondary school

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Authors: Inemesit Akpan Umoren, Aniekan James Akpan

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Media practitioners and information managers have often erroneously operated on the premise that media messages are received as disseminated to the extent that audiences of whatever background assimilate the content uniformly. This does not subsist since media audiences are often segmented in terms of educational level, social category, place of residence, gender, among others. While those who are highly educated, live in urban areas and are of highest standing are more likely to have direct access to the media, those in the rural areas and of low education and standing, may not have direct or easy access. These, therefore, informed the study to establish the consumption patterns of mass media products by residents of rural communities in south-south, Nigeria. The study, which was anchored on the multi-step flow and social categories theories, adopted a survey research design and a sample of 383 using Mayer’s 1979 guide drawn from nine rural communities in the south-south, Nigeria states of Akwa Ibom, Rivers and Edo. Findings among others showed that while a negligible percentage is highly exposed to media messages of all types, a greater member depend on opinion leaders, social groups, drinking joints, among other such for filtered content. It was concluded that since rural or community media organizations are very vital in ensuring media content get to all audience without necessarily being passing through intermediaries. Among the recommendations was that information managers and media organizations should always have in mind the ruralites while packaging their contents even in the mainstream media.

Keywords: consumption, media, media product, pattern

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Authors: Alaa Y. Ali, Natalie P. Holmes, John Holdsworth, Warwick Belcher, Paul Dastoor, Xiaojing Zhou

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Multi-layered graphene has been produced under low temperature chemical vapour deposition (CVD) growth conditions by utilizing an organic solvent and polymer film source. Poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) was dissolved in chlorobenzene solvent and used as a drop-cast film carbon source on a quartz slide. A source temperature (T_source) of 180 °C provided sufficient carbon to grow graphene, as identified by Raman spectroscopy, on clean copper foil catalytic surfaces.  Systematic variation of hydrogen gas (H₂) flow rate from 25 standard cubic centimeters per minute (sccm) to 100 sccm and CVD temperature (T_growth) from 400 to 800 °C, yielded graphene films of varying quality as characterized by Raman spectroscopy. The optimal graphene growth parameters were found to occur with a hydrogen flow rate of 75 sccm sweeping the 180 °C source carbon past the Cu foil at 600 °C for 1 min. The deposition at 600 °C with a H₂ flow rate of 75 sccm yielded a 2D band peak with ~53.4 cm^-1 FWHM and a relative intensity ratio of the G to 2D bands (I_G/I_2D) of 0.21. This recipe fabricated a few layers of good quality graphene.

Keywords: graphene, chemical vapor deposition, carbon source, low temperature growth

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Authors: Amit Kumar, Davide Lionetti, Victor Day, James Blakemore

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Capture and activation of the water-soluble uranyl dication (UO22+) remains a challenging problem, as few rational approaches are available for modulating the reactivity of this species. Here, we report the divergent synthesis of heterobimetallic complexes in which UO22+ is held in close proximity to a range of redox-inactive metals by tailored macrocyclic ligands. Crystallographic and spectroscopic studies confirm assembly of homologous UVI(μ-OAr)2Mn+ cores with a range of mono-, di-, and trivalent Lewis acids (Mn+). X-ray diffraction (XRD) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) data suggest preferential binding of K+ in an 18-crown-6-like cavity and Na+ in a 15-crown-5-like cavity, both appended to Schiff-base type sites that selectively bind UO22+. CV data demonstrate that the UVI/UV reduction potential in these complexes shifts positive and the rate of electron transfer decreases with increasing Lewis acidity of the incorporated redox-inactive metals. Moreover, spectroelectrochemical studies confirm the formation of [UV] species in the case of monometallic UO22+ complex, consistent with results from prior studies. However, unique features were observed during spectroelectrochemical studies in the presence of the K+ ion, suggesting new insights into electronic structure may be accessible with the heterobimetallic complexes. Overall, these findings suggest that interactions with Lewis acids could be effectively leveraged for rational tuning of the electronic and thermochemical properties of the 5f elements, reminiscent of strategies more commonly employed with 3d transition metals.

Keywords: electrochemistry, Lewis acid, macrocycle, uranyl

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Authors: Subhra Prosun Paul, Shruti Aggarwal

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Now a days Routing Protocol in Wireless Sensor Network has become a promising technique in the different fields of the latest computer technology. Routing in Wireless Sensor Network is a demanding task due to the different design issues of all sensor nodes. Network architecture, no of nodes, traffic of routing, the capacity of each sensor node, network consistency, service value are the important factor for the design and analysis of Routing Protocol in Wireless Sensor Network. Additionally, internal energy, the distance between nodes, the load of sensor nodes play a significant role in the efficient routing protocol. In this paper, our intention is to analyze the research trends in different routing protocols of Wireless Sensor Network in terms of different parameters. In order to explain the research trends on Routing Protocol in Wireless Sensor Network, different data related to this research topic are analyzed with the help of Web of Science and Scopus databases. The data analysis is performed from global perspective-taking different parameters like author, source, document, country, organization, keyword, year, and a number of the publication. Different types of experiments are also performed, which help us to evaluate the recent research tendency in the Routing Protocol of Wireless Sensor Network. In order to do this, we have used Web of Science and Scopus databases separately for data analysis. We have observed that there has been a tremendous development of research on this topic in the last few years as it has become a very popular topic day by day.

Keywords: analysis, routing protocol, research trends, wireless sensor network

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Authors: Tanmaya Kumar Dash, Tarun Karamshetty, Soumitra Paul

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The Barkhausen Noise Analysis (BNA) technique has been utilized to assess surface integrity of steels. But the BNA technique is not very successful in evaluating surface integrity of ground steels that exhibit poor micro-magnetic response. A new approach has been proposed for the processing of BN signal with Fast Fourier transforms while Wavelet transforms has been used to remove noise from the BN signal, with judicious choice of the ‘threshold’ value, when the micro-magnetic response of the work material is poor. In the present study, the effect of down feed induced upon conventional plunge surface grinding of hardened bearing steel has been investigated along with an ultrasonically cleaned, wet polished and a sample ground with spark out technique for benchmarking. Moreover, the FFT analysis has been established, at different sets of applied voltages and applied frequency and the pattern of the BN signal in the frequency domain is analyzed. The study also depicts the wavelet transforms technique with different levels of decomposition and different mother wavelets, which has been used to reduce the noise value in BN signal of materials with poor micro-magnetic response, in order to standardize the procedure for all BN signals depending on the frequency of the applied voltage.

Keywords: barkhausen noise analysis, grinding, magnetic properties, signal processing, micro-magnetic response

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Authors: Joshua Paul Steimel, Michael Pappas, Ethan Hall

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Particle-particle interactions are critical in determining the state of an active matter system. Unique and ubiquitous non-equilibrium behavior like swarming, vortexing, spiraling, and much more is governed by interactions between active units or particles. In hybrid active-passive matter systems, the attraction between spinning active units in a 2D monolayer of passive particles is controlled by the mechanical behavior of the passive monolayer. We demonstrate here that the range and dynamics of this attraction can be controlled by changing the composition of the passive monolayer by adding dopant passive particles. These dopant passive particles effectively pin the movement of dislocation motion in the passive media and reduce the probability of defect motion required to erode the bridge of passive particles between active spinners, thus reducing the range of attraction. Additionally, by adding an out of plane component to the magnetic moment and creating a top-like motion a short range repulsion emerges between the top-like particle. At inter-top distances less than four particle diameters apart, the tops repel but beyond that, distance attract up to 13 particle diameters apart. The tops were also able to locally and transiently anneal the passive monolayer. Thus we demonstrate that by tuning several parameters of the hybrid active matter system, one can observe very different emergent behavior.

Keywords: active matter, colloids, ferromagnetic, annealing

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Authors: James Killian, Sarah Cox

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The use of stability criteria within geotechnical engineering is the way the results of analyses are conveyed, and sensitivities and risk assessments are performed. Historically, the primary stability criteria for slope design has been the Factor of Safety (FOS) coming from a limit calculation. Increasingly, the value derived from Strength Reduction Factor (SRF) analysis is being used as the criteria for stability analysis. The purpose of this work was to study in detail the relationship between SRF values produced from a numerical modeling technique and the traditional FOS values produced from Limit Equilibrium (LEM) analyses. This study utilized a model of a 3000-foot-high slope with a 45-degree slope angle, assuming a perfectly plastic mohr-coulomb constitutive model with high cohesion and friction angle values typical of a large hard rock mine slope. A number of variables affecting the values of the SRF in a numerical analysis were tested, including zone size, in-situ stress, tensile strength, and dilation angle. This paper demonstrates that in most cases, SRF values are lower than the corresponding LEM FOS values. Modeled zone size has the greatest effect on the estimated SRF value, which can vary as much as 15% to the downside compared to FOS. For consistency when using SRF as a stability criteria, the authors suggest that numerical model zone sizes should not be constructed to be smaller than about 1% of the overall problem slope height and shouldn’t be greater than 2%. Future work could include investigations of the effect of anisotropic strength assumptions or advanced constitutive models.

Keywords: FOS, SRF, LEM, comparison

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Authors: Olakanmi Oladayo Olufemi, Bamifewe Olusegun James, Badmus Yaya Opeyemi, Adegoke Kayode

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The wireless sensor network (WSN) has made a significant contribution to the emergence of various intelligent services or cloud-based applications. Most of the time, these data are stored on a cloud platform for efficient management and sharing among different services or users. However, the sensitivity of the data makes them prone to various confidentiality and performance-related attacks during and after harvesting. Various security schemes have been developed to ensure the integrity and confidentiality of the WSNs' data. However, their specificity towards particular attacks and the resource constraint and heterogeneity of WSNs make most of these schemes imperfect. In this paper, we propose a secure variance-aware routing and authentication scheme with two-tier verification to collect, share, and manage WSN data. The scheme is capable of classifying WSN into different subnets, detecting any attempt of wormhole and black hole attack during harvesting, and enforcing access control on the harvested data stored in the cloud. The results of the analysis showed that the proposed scheme has more security functionalities than other related schemes, solves most of the WSNs and cloud security issues, prevents wormhole and black hole attacks, identifies the attackers during data harvesting, and enforces access control on the harvested data stored in the cloud at low computational, storage, and communication overheads.

Keywords: data block, heterogeneous IoT network, data harvesting, wormhole attack, blackhole attack access control

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Authors: E. D. Paul, A. D. Adams, O. Sunmonu, U. S. Ishiaku

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Activated tamarind kernel powder (ATKP) was prepared from tamarind fruit (Tamarindus indica), and utilized for the removal of Reactive Blue 29 (RB29) from its aqueous solution. The powder was activated using 4N nitric acid (HNO₃). The adsorbent was characterised using infrared spectroscopy, bulk density, ash content, pH, moisture content and dry matter content measurements. The effect of various parameters which include; temperature, pH, adsorbent dosage, ion concentration, and contact time were studied. Four different equilibrium isotherm models were tested on the experimental data, but the Temkin isotherm model was best-fitted into the experimental data. The pseudo-first order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models were also fitted into the graphs, but pseudo-second order was best fitted to the experimental data. The thermodynamic parameters showed that the adsorption of Reactive Blue 29 onto activated tamarind kernel powder is a physical process, feasible and spontaneous, exothermic in nature and there is decreased randomness at the solid/solution interphase during the adsorption process. Therefore, activated tamarind kernel powder has proven to be a very good adsorbent for the removal of Reactive Blue 29 dyes from industrial waste water.

Keywords: tamarind kernel powder, reactive blue 29, isotherms, kinetics

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Authors: Ramona Zharfpeykan, Paul Rouse

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Organizational sustainability is important to both organizations themselves and their stakeholders. Despite its increasing popularity and increasing numbers of organizations reporting sustainability, research on evaluating and comparing the sustainability performance of companies is limited. The aim of this study was to develop models to measure sustainability performance for both cross-sectional and longitudinal comparisons across companies in the same or different industries. A secondary aim was to see if sustainability reports can be used to evaluate sustainability performance. The study used both a content analysis of Australian sustainability reports in mining and metals and financial services for 2011-2014 and a survey of Australian and New Zealand organizations. Two methods ranging from a composite index using uniform weights to data envelopment analysis (DEA) were employed to analyze the data and develop the models. The results show strong statistically significant relationships between the developed models, which suggests that each model provides a consistent, systematic and reasonably robust analysis. The results of the models show that for both industries, companies that had sustainability scores above or below the industry average stayed almost the same during the study period. These indices and models can be used by companies to evaluate their sustainability performance and compare it with previous years, or with other companies in the same or different industries. These methods can also be used by various stakeholders and sustainability ranking companies such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).

Keywords: data envelopment analysis, sustainability, sustainability performance measurement system, sustainability performance index, global reporting initiative

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Authors: Peter Jean-Paul, Shanaz Wahid

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The problem of division by zero can be stated as: “what is the value of 0 x 1/0?” This expression has been considered undefined by mathematicians because it can have two equally valid solutions either 0 or 1. Recently semi-structured complex number set was invented to solve “division by zero”. However, whilst the number set had some merits it was considered to have a poor theoretical foundation and did not provide a quality solution to “division by zero”. Moreover, the set lacked consistency in simple algebraic calculations producing contradictory results when dividing by zero. To overcome these issues this research starts by treating the expression " 0 x 1/0" as a quantum mechanical system that produces two tangled results 0 and 1. Dirac Notation (a tool from quantum mechanics) was then used to redefine the unstructured unit p in semi-structured complex numbers so that p represents the superposition of two results (0 and 1) and collapses into a single value when used in algebraic expressions. In the process, this paper describes a new number set called Quantum Semi-structured Complex Numbers that provides a valid solution to the problem of “division by zero”. This research shows that this new set (1) forms a “Field”, (2) can produce consistent results when solving division by zero problems, (3) can be used to accurately describe systems whose mathematical descriptions involve division by zero. This research served to provide a firm foundation for Quantum Semi-structured Complex Numbers and support their practical use.

Keywords: division by zero, semi-structured complex numbers, quantum mechanics, Hilbert space, Euclidean space

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Authors: Emmylou Rahtz, Sarah Goldingay, Sara Warber, Ann Arbor, Paul Dieppe

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Introduction: Lourdes is a Catholic, Marian healing venue in South West France. Many miraculous cures have been attributed to visits there. In addition, many visitors seem to experience improvements in health and wellbeing, in the absence of a cure of disease. We wanted to investigate that phenomenon. Methods: We spent 10 days in Lourdes in 2017, carrying out ethnographic research, talking to many visitors, and carrying out formal, recorded interviews with several pilgrims, doctors, nurses, helpers, and priests. Results: Profound experiences and improvements in health and wellbeing were commonly reported. A number of ‘noetic’ experiences were also described. The paper will illustrate these phenomena. In addition, many participants in the research talked about why being in Lourdes was so beneficial to them. The community spirit, ethos of prayer, flow, synchronicity, and ability to find new meaning for life’s ills were cited as likely reasons. Conclusions: We believe that the ‘real miracle’ of Lourdes is the fact that of the many hundreds of thousands of people who go there each year, many find great benefit in health and wellbeing. It is likely that this is due to the ethos of the place, the community spirit, non-judgmental approach and loving acceptance of all aspects of humanity. Acknowledgments: We thank the BIAL foundation for generous funding of this research, and Dr. Alessandro de Franciscis and his team for facilitating our work, as well as all those who participated.

Keywords: healing, miracles, noetic experiences, wellbeing

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Authors: John Cheferson R. De Belen, John Paul G. Elizares, Ronald John G. Raz, Janina Elyse A. Reyes, Charie G. Salengua, Aristotle L. Soriano

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Plastic is a type of synthetic or man-made polymer that can readily be molded into a variety of products. Its usage over the past century has enabled society to make huge technological advances. The workers of United Asia International Plastics Corporation (UAIPC), a plastic manufacturing company performs manual packaging which causes fatigue and stress on their arm, neck, and legs due to extended periods of standing and repetitive motions. With the use of the Fishbone Diagram, Five-Why Analysis, Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA), and Anthropometry, the stressful tasks and activities were identified and analyzed. Given the anthropometric measurements obtained from the workers, improved dimensions for the tables and chairs should be used and provide a new packaging machine. The validation of this proposal shall follow after its implementation. By eliminating fatigue during working hours in the production, the workers will be at ease at performing their work properly; productivity will increase that will lead to more profit. Further areas for study include measurement and comparison of the worker’s anthropometric measurement with the industry standard.

Keywords: anthropometry, fishbone diagram, five-why analysis, rapid entire body assessment

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Authors: Nouf Alharbi, James O'shea

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For decades, renewable energy sources have received considerable global interest due to the increase in fossil fuel consumption. The abundant energy produced by sunlight makes dye-sensitised solar cells (DSSCs) a promising alternative compared to conventional silicon and thin film solar cells due to their transparency and tunable colours, which make them suitable for applications such as windows and glass facades. The transfer of an excited electron onto the surface is an important procedure in the DSSC system, so different groups of dye molecules were studied on the rutile TiO2 (110) surface. Currently, the study of organic dyes has become an interest of researchers due to ruthenium being a rare and expensive metal, and metal-free organic dyes have many features, such as high molar extinction coefficients, low manufacturing costs, and ease of structural modification and synthesis. There are, of course, some groups that have developed organic dyes and exhibited lower light-harvesting efficiency ranging between 4% and 8%. Since most dye molecules are complicated or fragile to be deposited by thermal evaporation or sublimation in the ultra-high vacuum (UHV), all dyes (i.e, D5, SC4, and R6) in this study were deposited in situ using the electrospray deposition technique combined with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) as an alternative method to obtain high-quality monolayers of titanium dioxide. These organic molecules adsorbed onto rutile TiO2 (110) are explored by XPS, which can be used to obtain element-specific information on the chemical structure and study bonding and interaction sites on the surface.

Keywords: dyes, deposition, electrospray, molecules, organic, rutile, sensitised, XPS

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Authors: Raúl González Muñoz, Essam Shehab, Martin Weinitzke, Chris Fowler, Paul Baguley

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Software applications have become crucial to the aerospace industry, providing a wide range of functionalities and capabilities used during the design, manufacturing and support of aircraft. However, as this criticality increases, so too does the risk for business operations when facing a software failure. Hence, there is a need for new methodologies to be developed to support aerospace companies in effectively managing their software portfolios, avoiding the hazards of business disruption and additional costs. This paper aims to provide a definition of operational software maturity, and how this can be used to assess software operational behaviour, as well as a view on the different aspects that drive software maturity within the aerospace industry. The key research question addressed is, how can operational software maturity monitoring assist the aerospace industry in effectively managing large software portfolios? This question has been addressed by conducting an in depth review of current literature, by working closely with aerospace professionals and by running an industry case study within a major aircraft manufacturer. The results are a software maturity model composed of a set of drivers and a prototype tool used for the testing and validation of the research findings. By utilising these methodologies to assess the operational maturity of software applications in aerospace, benefits in maintenance activities and operations disruption avoidance have been observed, supporting business cases for system improvement.

Keywords: aerospace, software lifecycle, software maintenance, software maturity

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Authors: Sittipong Jarernprasert, Enrique Bazan-Zurita, Paul C. Rizzo

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Currently, seismic probabilistic risk assessments (SPRA) for nuclear facilities use In-Structure Response Spectra (ISRS) in the calculation of fragilities for systems and components. ISRS are calculated via dynamic analyses of the host building subjected to two orthogonal components of horizontal ground motion. Each component is defined as the median motion in any horizontal direction. Structural engineers applied the components along selected X and Y Cartesian axes. The ISRS at different locations in the building are also calculated in the X and Y directions. The choice of the directions of X and Y are not specified by the ground motion model with respect to geographic coordinates, and are rather arbitrarily selected by the structural engineer. Normally, X and Y coincide with the “principal” axes of the building, in the understanding that this practice is generally conservative. For SPRA purposes, however, it is desirable to remove any conservatism in the estimates of median ISRS. This paper examines the effects of the direction of horizontal seismic motion on the ISRS on typical nuclear structure. We also evaluate the variability of ISRS calculated along different horizontal directions. Our results indicate that some central measures of the ISRS provide robust estimates that are practically independent of the selection of the directions of the horizontal Cartesian axes.

Keywords: seismic, directionality, in-structure response spectra, probabilistic risk assessment

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Authors: Majid Haghshenas, James Wilson, Ranganathan Kumar

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In this study, an Algebraic Coupled Level Set-Volume of Fluid (A-CLSVOF) method with capillary pressure treatment is proposed for the modeling of two-phase capillary flows. The Volume of Fluid (VOF) method is utilized to incorporate one-way coupling with the Level Set (LS) function in order to further improve the accuracy of the interface curvature calculation and resulting surface tension force. The capillary pressure is determined and treated independently of the hydrodynamic pressure in the momentum balance in order to maintain consistency between cell centered and interpolated values, resulting in a reduction in parasitic currents. In this method, both VOF and LS functions are transported where the new volume fraction determines the interface seed position used to reinitialize the LS field. The Hamilton-Godunov function is used with a second order (in space and time) discretization scheme to produce a signed distance function. The performance of the current methodology has been tested against some common test cases in order to assess the reduction in non-physical velocities and improvements in the interfacial pressure jump. The cases of a static drop, non-linear Rayleigh-Taylor instability and finally a droplets impact on a liquid pool were simulated to compare the performance of the present method to other well-known methods in the area of parasitic current reduction, interface location evolution and overall agreement with experimental results.

Keywords: two-phase flow, capillary flow, surface tension force, coupled LS with VOF

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Authors: Gülten Silindir Keretli

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The aim of this study is to analyse the works of playwrights within the framework of existential philosophy. It is to observe the ontological existence in the plays of No Exit and Endgame. Literary works will be discussed separately in each section of this study. The despair of post-war generation of Europe problematized the ‘human condition’ in every field of literature which is the very product of social upheaval. With this concern in his mind, Sartre’s creative works portrayed man as a lonely being, burdened with terrifying freedom to choose and create his own meaning in an apparently meaningless world. The traces of the existential thought are to be found throughout the history of philosophy and literature. On the other hand, the theatre of the absurd is a form of drama showing the absurdity of the human condition and it is heavily influenced by the existential philosophy. Beckett is the most influential playwright of the theatre of the absurd. The themes and thoughts in his plays share many tenets of the existential philosophy. The existential philosophy posits the meaninglessness of existence and it regards man as being thrown into the universe and into desolate isolation. To overcome loneliness and isolation, the human ego needs recognition from the other people. Sartre calls this need of recognition as the need for ‘the Look’ (Le regard) from the Other. In this paper, existentialist philosophy and existentialist angst will be elaborated and then the works of existentialist theatre and theatre of absurd will be discussed within the framework of existential philosophy.

Keywords: consciousness, existentialism, the notion of the absurd, the other

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Authors: Ocheme B. Ocheme, Omobolanle O. Oloyede, S. James, Eleojo V. Akpa

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The effect of fermentation time on some functional properties of Moringa (Moringa oleifera) seed flour was examined. Fermentation, an effective processing method used to improve nutritional quality of plant foods, tends to affect the characteristics of food components and their behaviour in food systems just like other processing methods. Hence the need for this study. Moringa seeds were fermented naturally by soaking in potable water and allowing it to stand for 12, 24, 48 and 72 hours. At the end of fermentation, the seeds were oven dried at 600C for 12 hours and then milled into flour. Flour obtained from unfermented seeds served as control: hence a total of five flour samples. The functional properties were analyzed using standard methods. Fermentation significantly (p<0.05) increased the water holding capacity of Moringa seed flour from 0.86g/g - 2.31g/g. The highest value was observed after 48 hours of fermentation The same trend was observed for oil absorption capacity with values between 0.87 and 1.91g/g. Flour from unfermented Moringa seeds had a bulk density of 0.60g/cm3 which was significantly (p<0.05) higher than the bulk densities of flours from seeds fermented for 12, 24 and 48. Fermentation significantly (p<0.05) decreased the dispersibility of Moringa seed flours from 36% to 21, 24, 29 and 20% after 12, 24, 48 and 72 hours of fermentation respectively. The flours’ emulsifying capacities increased significantly (p<0.05) with increasing fermentation time with values between 50 – 68%. The flour obtained from seeds fermented for 12 hours had a significantly (p<0.05) higher foaming capacity of 16% while the flour obtained from seeds fermented for 0, 24 and 72 hours had the least foaming capacities of 9%. Flours from seeds fermented for 12 and 48 hours had better functional properties than flours from seeds fermented for 24 and 72 hours.

Keywords: fermentation, flour, functional properties, Moringa

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Authors: Sabiha Chouchane, Azzedine Hani, Jean-Paul Chopart, Alexandra Levesque

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The electrodeposition of Zn-Ni alloy is mostly studied for its high degree of corrosion and mechanical properties. In this work, the zinc–nickel alloy coatings elaborated from sulfate bath have been carried out under low and high applied magnetic field. The effect of alloy stuctural parameters upon corrosion behavior is studied. It has been found that the magnetically induced convection changes the phase composition, promoting the zinc phase in spite of the γ-Ni₅Zn₂₁. Low magnetic field acts also on the morphology of the deposits as a levelling agent and a refiner by lowering the deposit roughness Ra and the spot size. For alloy obtained with low magnetic field (up to 1T) superimposition, surface morphology modification has no significant influence on corrosion behavior whereas for low nickel content alloy, the modification of phase composition, induced by applied magnetic field, favours higher polarization resistance. When high magnetic field amplitude is involved (up to12T), the phase composition modifications are the same that for low applied B and the morphology is not largely modified. In this case, the hydrogen reduction current dramatically decreases that leads to a large shift of the corrosion potential. It is suggested that the surface reactivity of electrodeposited alloys depends on the magnetically induced convection that is efficient during the codeposition process.

Keywords: magnetic field, Zn-Ni alloy, corrosion, corrosive medium

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Authors: Rahul Paul, Kedar Nath Das

Abstract:

The field of machine learning (ML) is experiencing rapid development, resulting in a multitude of theoretical advancements and extensive practical implementations across various disciplines. The objective of ML is to facilitate the ability of machines to perform cognitive tasks by leveraging knowledge gained from prior experiences and effectively addressing complex problems, even in situations that deviate from previously encountered instances. Reinforcement Learning (RL) has emerged as a prominent subfield within ML and has gained considerable attention in recent times from researchers. This surge in interest can be attributed to the practical applications of RL, the increasing availability of data, and the rapid advancements in computing power. At the same time, optimization algorithms play a pivotal role in the field of ML and have attracted considerable interest from researchers. A multitude of proposals have been put forth to address optimization problems or improve optimization techniques within the domain of ML. The necessity of a thorough examination and implementation of optimization algorithms within the context of ML is of utmost importance in order to provide guidance for the advancement of research in both optimization and ML. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the application of metaheuristic evolutionary optimization algorithms in conjunction with RL to address a diverse range of scientific challenges. Furthermore, this article delves into the various challenges and unresolved issues pertaining to the optimization of RL models.

Keywords: machine learning, reinforcement learning, loss function, evolutionary optimization techniques

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Authors: Saroj Poudel, Joshua Mancini, Douglas Pike, Jennifer Timm, Alexei Tyryshkin, Vikas Nanda, Paul Falkowski

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On the early Earth, protein-metal complexes likely harvested energy from a reduced environment. These complexes would have been precursors to the metabolic enzymes of ancient organisms. Hydrogenase is an essential enzyme in most anaerobic organisms for the reduction and oxidation of hydrogen in the environment and is likely one of the earliest evolved enzymes. To attempt to reinvent a precursor to modern hydrogenase, we computationally designed a short thirteen amino acid peptide that binds the often-required catalytic transition metal Nickel in hydrogenase. This simple complex can achieve hundreds of hydrogen evolution cycles using light energy in a broad range of temperature and pH. Biophysical and structural investigations strongly indicate the peptide forms a di-nickel active site analogous to Acetyl-CoA synthase, an ancient protein central to carbon reduction in the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway and capable of hydrogen evolution. This work demonstrates that prior to the complex evolution of multidomain enzymes, early peptide-metal complexes could have catalyzed energy transfer from the environment on the early Earth and enabled the evolution of modern metabolism

Keywords: hydrogenase, prebiotic enzyme, metalloenzyme, computational design

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Authors: Matheesha Herath, Ned Kinnear, Bridget Heijkoop, Eliza Bramwell, Alannah Frazetto, Amy Noll, Prajay Patel, Derek Hennessey, Greg Otto, Christopher Dobbins, Tarik Sammour, James Moore

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Background: Important incidental pathology requiring further action is commonly found during appendicectomy, macro- and microscopically. It is unknown whether the acute surgical unit (ASU) model affects the management and disclosure of these findings. Methods: An ASU model was introduced at our institution on 01/08/2012. In this retrospective cohort study, all patients undergoing appendicectomy 2.5 years before (traditional group) or after (ASU group) this date were compared. The primary outcomes were rates of appropriate management of the incidental findings and communication of the findings to the patient and to their general practitioner (GP). Results: 1,214 patients underwent emergency appendicectomy; 465 in the traditional group and 749 in the ASU group. 80 (6.6%) patients (25 and 55 in each respective period) had important incidental findings. There were 24 patients with benign polyps, 15 with neuro-endocrine tumour, 11 with endometriosis, 8 with pelvic inflammatory disease, 8 Enterobius vermicularis infection, 7 with low grade mucinous cystadenoma, 3 with inflammatory bowel disease, 2 with diverticulitis, 2 with tubo-ovarian mass, 1 with secondary appendiceal malignancy and none with primary appendiceal adenocarcinoma. One patient had dual pathologies. There was no difference between the traditional and ASU group with regards to communication of the findings to the patient (p=0.44) and their GP (p=0.27), and there was no difference in the rates of appropriate management (p=0.21). Conclusions: The introduction of an ASU model did not change rates of surgeon-to-patient and surgeon-to-GP communication nor affect rates of appropriate management of important incidental pathology during an appendectomy.

Keywords: acute care surgery, appendicitis, appendicectomy, incidental

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Authors: James Jin, Weisi Xia, Runzhe Gao, Alain Vandal, Darren Svirkis, Andrew Hill

Abstract:

Background: Post-haemorrhoidectomy pain is concerned by patients/clinicians. Minimizing the postoperation pain is highly interested clinically. Combinations of topical cream targeting three hypothesised post-haemorrhoidectomy pain mechanisms were developed and their effectiveness were evaluated. Specifically, a multi-centred double-blinded randomized clinical trial (RCT) was conducted in adults undergoing excisional haemorrhoidectomy. The primary analysis was conveyed on the data collected to evaluate the effectiveness of the combinations of topical cream targeting three hypothesized pain mechanisms after the operations. Methods: 192 patients were randomly allocated to 4 arms (each arm has 48 patients), and each arm was provided with pain cream 10% metronidazole (M), M and 2% diltiazem (MD), M with 4% lidocaine (ML), or MDL, respectively. Patients were instructed to apply topical treatments three times a day for 7 days, and record outcomes for 14 days after the operations. The primary outcome was VAS pain on day 4. Covariates and models were selected in the blind review stage. Multiple imputations were applied for the missingness. LMER, GLMER models together with natural splines were applied. Sandwich estimators and Wald statistics were used. P-values < 0.05 were considered as significant. Conclusions: The addition of topical lidocaine or diltiazem to metronidazole does not add any benefit. ML had significantly better pain and recovery scores than combination MDL. Multimodal topical analgesia with ML after haemorrhoidectomy could be considered for further evaluation. Further trials considering only 3 arms (M, ML, MD) might be worth exploring.

Keywords: RCT, primary analysis, multiple imputation, pain scores, haemorrhoidectomy, analgesia, lmer

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