Search results for: construction of symbolic group boundaries

Authors: I. Bochev, A. Shterev, S. Kyurkchiev

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One of the factors associated with poor success rates in human in vitro fertilization (IVF) is the suboptimal culture conditions in which fertilization and early embryonic growth occur. Co-culture systems with helper cell lines appear to enhance the in vitro conditions and allow embryos to demonstrate improved in vitro development. The co-culture of human embryos with monolayers of autologous endometrial stromal cell (EnSCs) results in increased blastocyst development with a larger number of blastomeres, lower incidence of fragmentation and higher pregnancy rates in patients with recurrent implantation failure (RIF). The aim of the study was to examine the influence of autologous endometrial stromal cell (EnSC) co-culture on day 3 embryo quality by comparing the morphological status of the embryos from the same patients undergoing consecutive IVF/Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles without and with EnSC co-culture. This retrospective randomized study (2015-2017) includes 20 couples and a total of 46 IVF/ICSI cycles. Each patient couple included had at least two IVF/ICSI procedures – one with and one without autologous EnSC co-culture. Embryo quality was assessed at 68±1 hours in culture, according to Istanbul consensus criteria (2010). Day 3 embryos were classified into three groups: good – grade 1; fair – grade 2; poor – grade 3. Embryos from all cycles were divided into two groups (A – co-cultivated; B – not co-cultivated) and analyzed. Second, for each patient couple, embryos from matched IVF/ICSI cycles (with and without co-culture) were analyzed separately. When an analysis of co-cultivated day 3 embryos from all cycles was performed (n=137; group A), 43.1% of the embryos were graded as “good”, which was not significantly different from the respective embryo quality rate of 42.2% (p = NS) in group B (n=147) with non-co-cultivated embryos. The proportions of fair and poor quality embryos in group A and group B were similar as well – 11.7% vs 10.2% and 45.2% vs 47.6% (p=NS), respectively. Nevertheless, the separate embryo analysis by matched cycles for each couple revealed that in 65% of the cases the proportion of morphologically better embryos was increased in cycles with co-culture in comparison with those without co-culture. A decrease in this proportion after endometrial stromal cell co-cultivation was found in 30% of the cases, whereas no difference was observed in only one couple. The results demonstrated that there is no marked difference in the overall morphological quality between co-cultured and non-co-cultured embryos on day 3. However, in significantly greater percentage of couples the process of autologous EnSC co-culture could increase the proportion of morphologically improved day 3 embryos. By mimicking the in vivo relationship between embryo and maternal environment, co-culture in autologous EnSC system represents a perspective approach to improve the quality of embryos in cases with elevated risk for development of embryos with impaired morphology.

Keywords: autologous endometrial stromal cells, co-culture, day 3 embryo, morphological quality

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Authors: Muhammad Rasyid Angkotasan

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The soil is a dense granules and arrangement of the pores that are related to each other, so that the water can flow from one point which has higher energy to a point that has lower energy. The flow of water through the pores of the porous ground is urgently needed in water seepage estimates in ground water pumping problems, investigate for underground construction, as well as analyzing the stability of the construction of Weirs. Climate change resulted in long-term changes in the distribution of weather patterns are statistically throughout the period start time of decades to millions of years. In other words, changes in the average weather circumstances or a change in the distribution of weather events, on average, for example, the number of extreme weather events that increasingly a lot or a little. Climate change is limited to a particular regional or can occur in all regions of the Earth. Geographical location between two continents and two oceans and is located around the equator is klimatologis factor is the cause of flooding and drought in Indonesia. This caused Indonesia' geographical position is on a hemisphere with a tropical monsoon climate is very sensitive to climatic anomaly El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO). ENSO causes drought occurrence in sea surface temperature conditions in the Pacific Equator warms up to the middle part of the East (El Nino). Based on the analysis of the climate of the last 30 years show that there is a tendency, the formation of a new pattern of climate causes the onset of climate change. The impact of climate change on the occurrence of the agricultural sector is the bergesernya beginning of the dry season which led to the above-mentioned pattern planting due to drought. The impact of climate change (drought) which is very extreme in Indonesia affect the shrinkage dimensions grain land and reduced the value of a percentage of the soil Plasticity Index caused by climate change.

Keywords: climate change, soil shrinkage, plasticity index, shrinking dimensions

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Authors: Fauziah Aziz, Mohd.fadzil Arshad, Hazrina Mansor, Sedat Kömürcü

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Masonry is an isotropic and heterogeneous material due to the presence of the different components within the assembly process. Normally the mortar plays a significant role in the compressive behavior of the traditional masonry structures. Biaxial interlocking concrete block is a masonry unit that comes out with the interlocking concept. This masonry unit can improve the quality of the construction process, reduce the cost of labor, reduce high skill workmanship, and speeding the construction time. Normally, the interlocking concrete block masonry unit in the market place was designed in a way interlocking concept only either x or y-axis, shorter in length, and low compressive strength value. However, the biaxial interlocking concrete block is a dry-stack concept being introduced in this research, offered the specialty compared to the normal interlocking concrete available in the market place due to its length and the geometry of the groove and tongue. This material can be used as a non-load bearing wall, or load-bearing wall depends on the application of the masonry. But, there is a lack of technical data that was produced before. This paper presents a finding on the compressive resistance of the biaxial interlocking concrete block masonry wall compared to the other traditional masonry walls. Two series of biaxial interlocking concrete block masonry walls, namely M1 and M2, a series of solid concrete block and cement sand brick walls M3, and M4 have tested the compressive resistance. M1 is the masonry wall of a hollow biaxial interlocking concrete block meanwhile; M2 is the grouted masonry wall, M3 is a solid concrete block masonry wall, and M4 is a cement sand brick masonry wall. All the samples were tested under static compressive load. The results examine that M2 is higher in compressive resistance compared to the M1, M3, and M4. It shows that the compressive strength of the concrete masonry units plays a significant role in the capacity of the masonry wall.

Keywords: interlocking concrete block, compressive resistance, concrete masonry unit, masonry

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Authors: Mohamed Alsafy, Samir El-Gendy, Ashraf Karkoura, Doha Shokry

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The purpose of the current study was to investigate the development of the chicken ovary. One hundred fertilized egg of Alexandria breed of chicken used. The whole embryo has undergone the light microscopic examination at HH20 (E.3), HH21 (E.3.5), HH23 (E.4), HH29 (E.6) and HH34 (E.8). The ovary has undergone the light microscopic examination at HH38 (E.12) and HH42 (E.16), SEM at HH26 (E.5), HH29 (E.6), HH36 (E.10), HH38 (E.12), HH39 (E.13) and HH42 (E.16), TEM at HH38 (E.12) and HH42 (E.16). The genital ridge appeared by a thickening of the coelomic epithelium medioventral surface of the developing mesonephroi at HH20 (E.3). The boundaries of the undifferentiating gonads defined clearly separated from the mesonephroi. The undifferentiated gonads bulged as a distinct organ in the coelomic cavity at HH23 (E.4). At the initial stages of the gonadogenesis, the germinal epithelium was stratified squamous epithelium. The PGCs appeared at the genital ridge at HH21 (E.3.5). The PGCs observed at the dorsal mesentery with few microvilli and showed positive PAS reaction due to the glycogen content in their cytoplasm. The left-right gonadal asymmetry firstly detected by the number of PGCs migrating toward the left gonadal ridge more than the right at HH20 (E.3) and the macroscopic examination of gonadal asymmetry began at HH34 (E.8). The left ovary appeared a smooth rod-shape, its stroma showed lipid droplets, and its parenchyma showed an extensive arrangement of interstitial cords at HH42 (E.16).

Keywords: ovary, Alexandria chicken, light microscopy, SEM, TEM

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Authors: Hafizul Rasdi

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This study was conducted to find out the perceptions of Islamic Education teachers on the implementation of 21st century learning practices in Kuching, Sarawak. This study uses the field method. Eight respondents were selected based on the interviews and focus group discussions conducted among teachers in four primary school in Kuching, Sarawak. This study is focused to find out the perceptions of Islamic Education teachers on the implementation of 21st century learning as well as the importance of 21st century learning in the subject of Islamic Education. Data were collected using library research, semi-structured interview transcripts and focus group discussions. Data analysis methods used was descriptive analysis. The findings of the study have shown that Islamic Education teachers in primary school in Kuching, Sarawak agreed on the implementation of 21st Century Learning Practices in Islamic Education subject. The finding also show that the application of 21st Century Learning Practices in the subject of Islamic Education can help improve students mastery of the subject.

Keywords: perceptions, Islamic education, 21st century learning practices, teachers

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Authors: Shahin Marjan Nanaje

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The present century is the time that social worker faced complicated issues in the area of their work. All the focus are on bringing change in the life of those that they live in margin or live in poverty became the cause that we have forgotten to look at ourselves and start to bring change in the way we address issues. It seems that there is new area of needs that social worker should response to that. In need of dialogue and collaboration, to address the issues and needs of community both individually and as a group we need to have new method of dialogue as tools to reach to collaboration. The social worker as link between community, organization and government play multiple roles. They need to focus in the area of communication with new ability, to transfer all the narration of the community to those organization and government and vice versa. It is not relate only in language but it is about changing dialogue. Migration for survival by job seeker to the big cities created its own issues and difficulty and therefore created new need. Collaboration is not only requiring between government sector and non-government sectors but also it could be in new way between government, non-government and communities. To reach to this collaboration we need healthy, productive and meaningful dialogue. In this new collaboration there will not be any hierarchy between members. The methodology that selected by researcher were focusing on observation at the first place, and used questionnaire in the second place. Duration of the research was three months and included home visits, group discussion and using communal narrations which helped to bring enough evidence to understand real need of community. The sample selected randomly was included 70 immigrant families which work as sweepers in the slum community in Bangalore, Karnataka. The result reveals that there is a gap between what a community is and what organizations, government and members of society apart from this community think about them. Consequently, it is learnt that to supply any service or bring any change to slum community, we need to apply new skill to have dialogue and understand each other before providing any services. Also to bring change in the life of those marginal groups at large we need to have collaboration as their challenges are collective and need to address by different group and collaboration will be necessary. The outcome of research helped researcher to see the area of need for new method of dialogue and collaboration as well as a framework for collaboration and dialogue that were main focus of the paper. The researcher used observation experience out of ten NGO’s and their activities to create framework for dialogue and collaboration.

Keywords: collaboration, dialogue, community development, empowerment

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Authors: Sajjad ur Rahman, Mariam Azam, Mukarram Bashir, Seemal Javaid, Aoun Muhammad, Muhammad Tahir, Jawad, Hannan Khan, Muhammad Zohaib

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Partially fermented soya hulls and wheat bran through Saccharomyces cerevisiae (DL-22 S/N) substantiated as a natural source for quality milk production. Saccharomyces cerevisiae (DL-22 S/N) were grown under in-vivo conditions and processed through two-step fermentation with substrates. The extra pure metabolites (XPM) were dried and processed for maintaining 1mm mesh size particles for supplementation of pelleted feed. Two groups of a cow (Holstein Friesian) having 8 animals of similar age and lactation were given the experimental concentrates. Group A was fed daily with 12gm of XPM and 22% protein-pelleted feed, while Group B was provided with no metabolites in their feed. In thirty-nine days of trial, improvement in the overall health, body score, milk protein, milk fat, ash, and solid not fat (SNF), yield, and incidence rate of mastitis was observed. The collected data revealed an improvement in milk production of 2.02 liter/h/d. However, a reduction (3.75%) in the milk fats and an increase in the milk SNF was around 0.58%. The ash content ranged between 6.4-7.5%. The incidence of mastitis was reduced to less than 2%.

Keywords: microbial metabolites, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, milk production, fermentation, post-biotic metabolites, immunity

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Authors: An-Yi Wang, Wei-Fong Kao, Shin-Han Tsai

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Introduction: Information as patient characteristics, resuscitation scene, resuscitation provider perspectives and families wish affects on resuscitation decision-making for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). There is no consistency consensus on how families and emergency physicians approach this decision. The main purpose of our study is to evaluate the characteristics of withholding resuscitation efforts arrival at the hospital. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients with OHCA without pre-hospital return-of-spontaneous circulation (ROSC) who was sent to our emergency department (ED) between January 2014 and December 2015. Baseline characteristics, pre-hospital course, and causes of the cardiopulmonary arrest among patients were compared. Results: In 2 years, total 155 arrest patients without pre-hospital ROSC was included. 33(21.3%) patients withhold the resuscitation efforts in ED with mean resuscitation duration 4.45 ± 7.04 minutes after ED arrival. In withholding group, the initial rhythm of arrests was all non-shockable. 9 of them received endotracheal intubation before decision-making. None of the patients in withhold resuscitation group survived to discharge. There was no significant difference among gender, underlying cardiovascular disease, malignancy, chronic renal disease, nor witness collapse between withhold and continue resuscitation groups. Univariate analysis showed there was lower percentage of bystander resuscitation (32.3% vs. 50.4%, p=0.071), and the lower percentage of transport via emergency medical service (EMS) (78.8% vs. 91.8%, p=0.054) in withholding group. Multivariate analysis showed old age (adjusted odds ratio=1.06, 95% C.I.=[1.02-1.11], p<0.05), with underlying respiratory insufficiency (adjusted odds ratio=12.16, 95% C.I.=[3.34-44.29], p<0.05), living at home compared with nursing home (adjusted odds ratio=37.75, 95% C.I.=[1.09-1110.70], p<0.05) were more likely to withhold resuscitation. Transport via EMS was more likely to continue resuscitation (adjusted odds ratio=0.11, 95% C.I.=[0.02-0.71], p<0.05). Conclusion: The decision-making for families and emergency physicians to withhold or continue resuscitation for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is complex and multi-factorial. Continue resuscitation efforts in nursing home residents is high, and further study among this population is warranted.

Keywords: cardiopulmonary resuscitation, out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, termination resuscitation, withhold resuscitation

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Authors: Samar Saadeldin Abdelmotalab Omer, Ikram Mohammed Eltayeb Elsiddig, Amna Beshir Medani Ahmed, Saad Mohammed Hussein Ayoub

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Many herbal medicinal products are considered as potential hypocholesterolemic agents with encouraging safety profiles, however, only a limited amount of clinical research exists to support their efficacy. The present study was designed to compare the antihypercholesterolaemic and antioxidant activities of the crude ethanolic extracts of Citrus reticulata peel, Zingiber officinale rhizome, and Sesamum indicum seeds. Forty-five rats were used throughout the experiment, which were divided into nine groups, five rats in each as follows; normal control group (normal rats fed with standard normal diet), rats fed hypercholesterolemic diet consisting of 1% cholesterol and 10% saturated animal fat, which were further divided into eight groups; hypercholesterolemic control group (rats only fed hypercholesterolemic diet), groups 3,4,5,6,7, and 8 were given Citrus reticulata, Zingiber officinale, and Sesamum indicum ethanolic extracts at doses of (250mg/kg and 500mg/kg, respectively) orally; and group 9 rats were given atorvastatin (0.18mg/kg) orally as a reference antihypercholesterolaemic drug. Blood samples were obtained four weeks following treatment from the retro-orbital venous plexus after fasting overnight from all groups and the lipid profile (serum total cholesterol (TC), high-density-lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglycerides levels) was measured and the risk ratio (TC/HDL-C) was assessed. The antioxidant activity of the three plant extracts was determined using DPPH free-radical assay. Results of in vivo and in vitro antihypercholesterolaemic and antioxidant assay, respectively, revealed that the three extracts possess comparable antioxidant and anti-hypercholesterolaemic activities.

Keywords: anti hypercholesterolemic effects, antioxidant activity, HDL, LDL, TC, TGs, citrus reticulata, sesamum indicum, zingiber officinale

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Authors: Tamar Trop, Michal Roffeh

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One of the emerging trends in construction is installing an exterior “green wall” (GW). GW is an overarching and most common term for various techniques of incorporating greenery into buildings’ vertical elements, mainly facades. This green infrastructure yields numerous benefits for the urban environment, the public, and the buildings’ tenants and users, such as enhancing air quality and biodiversity, managing stormwater runoff, mitigating urban heat island and climate change, improving urban aesthetics and mental wellbeing, improving indoor comfort conditions, and saving energy. Yet, the penetration rate of GWs into the construction market, especially into the housing sector, is still very slow. Furthermore, the research regarding prospective homebuyers’ willingness to purchase and pay a price premium for GW apartments is scarce and does not refer to newly built buildings and specific GW types. This research aims to narrow these knowledge gaps by exploring the willingness of prospective homebuyers in Israel to purchase a newly built apartment with a hydroponic living wall, the size of the PP that they would be willing to pay for it, and the various factors ̶ knowledge-related, concern, economic, and personal ̶ that influence these motivations. A nationwide online survey was conducted among a sample of 514 adults using a structured questionnaire. Findings show that despite low familiarity with GWs and strong concerns about various kinds of nuisance, technical issues, and maintenance costs, potential homebuyers express a relatively high willingness to purchase and pay a significant price premium for such an apartment. The main motivations behind this willingness were found to be potential energy savings and governmental incentives. Study findings can contribute to a better understanding of the maturity of the housing market in Israel to adopt GWs and to better tailor intervention tools for increasing GWs’ uptake among potential homebuyers.

Keywords: green façade, green wall, living wall, willingness to pay

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Authors: Prabu Duplex

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Due to stringent emission regulation targets, large-scale transition to renewable energy sources is a global challenge, and wind power plays a significant role in the solution vector. This scenario has led to the construction of offshore wind farms, and several wind farms are planned in the shallow waters where the marine habitat exists. It raises concerns over impacts of underwater noise on marine species, for example bridge constructions in the ocean straits. Dangerous to aquatic life, the environmental organisations say, the bridge would be devastating, since ocean straits are important place of transit for marine mammals. One of the highest concentrations of biodiversity in the world is concentrated these areas. The investigation of ship noise and piling noise that may happen during bridge construction and in operation is therefore vital. Once the source levels are known the receiver levels can be modelled. With this objective this work investigates the key requirement of the software that can model transmission loss in high frequencies that may occur during construction or operation phases. Most propagation models are 2D solutions, calculating the propagation loss along a transect, which does not include horizontal refraction, reflection or diffraction. In many cases, such models provide sufficient accuracy and can provide three-dimensional maps by combining, through interpolation, several two-dimensional (distance and depth) transects. However, in some instances the use of 2D models may not be sufficient to accurately model the sound propagation. A possible example includes a scenario where an island or land mass is situated between the source and receiver. The 2D model will result in a shadow behind the land mass where the modelled transects intersect the land mass. Diffraction will occur causing bending of the sound around the land mass. In such cases, it may be necessary to use a 3D model, which accounts for horizontal diffraction to accurately represent the sound field. Other scenarios where 2D models may not provide sufficient accuracy may be environments characterised by a strong up-sloping or down sloping seabed, such as propagation around continental shelves. In line with these objectives by means of a case study, this work addresses the importance of 3D interactions in underwater acoustics. The methodology used in this study can also be used for other 3D underwater sound propagation studies. This work assumes special significance given the increasing interest in using underwater acoustic modeling for environmental impacts assessments. Future work also includes inter-model comparison in shallow water environments considering more physical processes known to influence sound propagation, such as scattering from the sea surface. Passive acoustic monitoring of the underwater soundscape with distributed hydrophone arrays is also suggested to investigate the 3D propagation effects as discussed in this article.

Keywords: underwater acoustics, naval, maritime, cetaceans

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Authors: Barnali Saha

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Dalit writing is the interventionalist voice of the dispossessed subaltern in the cultural economy of the society. As such, Dalit writing, including Dalit poetry, considers the contradictions that permeate the socio-cultural structure historically allocated and religiously sanctioned in the Indian subcontinent. As an epicenter of all Dalit experiences of trauma and violence, the poetics the Dalit body is deeply rooted in the peripheral space socially assigned to it by anachronistic caste-based litigation. An appraisal of Dalit creative-critical work by writers like Sharan Kumar Limbale, Arjun Dangle, Namdeo Dhasal, Om Prakash Valmiki, Muktibodh and others underscore the conjunction of the physical, psychical and the psychological in their interpretation of Dalit consciousness. They put forward the idea that Dalit poetry is begotten by the trauma of societal oppression and therefore, Dalit language and its revitalization are two elements obdurately linked to Dalit poetics. The present research paper seeks to read the problematization of the Dalit agency through the conduit of the Dalit voice wherein the anatomical category of the mouth is closely related to the question of Dalit identity. Theoretically aligned to Heidegger’s notion of language as the house of being and Bachelard’s assertion of a house as an ideal metaphor of poetic imagination and Dylan Trigg’s view of the coeval existence of space and body, the paper examines a series of selected poems by Dalit poetic voices to examine how their distinct Dalit point of view underscores Dalit speech and directs our attention to the historical abstraction of it. The paper further examines how speech as a category in Dalit writing places the Dalit somatic entity as a site of contestation with the ‘Mouth’ as a loaded symbolic category inspiring rebellion and resistance. And as the quintessential purpose of Dalit literature is the unleashing of Dalit voice from the anti-verbal domain of social decrepitude, Dalit poetry needs to be critically read based on the experience of the mouth and the patois.

Keywords: Dalit, poetry, speech, mouth, subaltern, minority, exploitation, space

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Authors: Nargiz Ismayilova

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The issue of modernism and the concept of postmodernism has been the focus of world researchers for many years, and there are very few researchers who have come to a common denominator about this term. During the independence period, the expansion of the relations of Azerbaijani literature with the world has led to the spread of many currents and tendencies formed in the West to the literary environment in our country. In this context, the works created in our environment are distinguished by their extreme richness in terms of subject matter and diversity in terms of genre. As an interesting example of contemporary postmodern prose in Azerbaijan, Parviz Jabrayil's novel "In a Foreign Language" pays attention with its more different plotline. The disagreement exists among the critics about the novel. Some are looking for high artistry in work; others are satisfied with the elements of postmodernism in work. Delimitation of the border between modernism and postmodernism can serve to carry out a deep scientific study of the novel. The novel depicts the world in the author's consciousness against the background of water shortage (thirst) in the Old City (Icharishahar). The author deconstructs today's Ichari Shahar mould. Along with modernism, elements of postmodernism occupy a large place in the work. When we look at the general tendencies of postmodernist art, we see that science and individuality are questioned, criticizing the sharp boundaries of modernism and the negativity of these restrictions, and modernism offers alternatives to artistic production by identifying its negatives and shortcomings in the areas of artistic freedom. The novel is extremely interesting in this point of view.

Keywords: concept of postmodernism, modernism, delimitation, political postmodernism, modern postmodern prose, Azerbaijani literature, novel, comparison, world literature, analysis

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Authors: Yared Yitagesu Tilahun

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Every nation, developed or developing, relies on transportation, but Addis Abeba City's transportation service is impacted by a number of variables. The current study's objectives are to determine the factors that influence transportation and gauge consumer satisfaction with such services in Addis Abeba. Customers and employees of Addis Ababa's transportation service authority would be the study's target group. 40 workers of the authority would be counted as part of the 310 000 clients that make up the population of the searcher service. Using a straightforward random selection technique, the researcher only chose 99 customers and 28 staff from this enormous group due to the considerable cost and time involved. Data gathering and analysis options included both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The results of this poll show that young people between the ages of 18 and 25 make up the majority of respondents (51.6%). The majority of employees and customers indicated that they are not satisfied with Addis Ababa's overall transportation system. The Addis Abeba Transportation Authority prioritizes client happiness by providing fair service. The company should have a system in place for managing time, resources, and people effectively. It should also provide employees the opportunity to contribute to client handling policies.

Keywords: transportation, customer satisfaction, services, determinants

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Authors: R. Pillai Aparna, S. R. Gandhi

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Soft clay deposits having low strength and high compressibility are found all over the world. Preloading with vertical drains is a widely used method for improving such type of soils. The coefficient of consolidation, irrespective of the drainage type, plays an important role in the design of vertical drains and it controls accurate prediction of the rate of consolidation of soil. Also, the increase in shear strength of soil with consolidation is another important factor considered in preloading or staged construction. To our best knowledge no clear guidelines are available to estimate the increase in shear strength for a particular degree of consolidation (U) at various stages during the construction. Various methods are available for finding out the consolidation coefficient. This study mainly focuses on the variation of, consolidation coefficient which was found out using different methods and shear strength with pressure intensity. The variation of shear strength with the degree of consolidation was also studied. The consolidation test was done using two types of highly compressible clays with vertical, radial and a few with combined drainage. The test was carried out at different pressures intensities and for each pressure intensity, once the target degree of consolidation is achieved, vane shear test was done at different locations in the sample, in order to determine the shear strength. The shear strength of clayey soils under the application of vertical stress with vertical and radial drainage with target U value of 70% and 90% was studied. It was found that there is not much variation in cv or cr value beyond 80kPa pressure intensity. Correlations were developed between shear strength ratio and consolidation pressure based on laboratory testing under controlled condition. It was observed that the shear strength of sample with target U value of 90% is about 1.4 to 2 times than that of 70% consolidated sample. Settlement analysis was done using Asaoka’s and hyperbolic method. The variation of strength with respect to the depth of sample was also studied, using large-scale consolidation test. It was found, based on the present study that the gain in strength is more on the top half of the clay layer, and also the shear strength of the sample ensuring radial drainage is slightly higher than that of the vertical drainage.

Keywords: consolidation coefficient, degree of consolidation, PVDs, shear strength

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Authors: Shihab Ibrahim

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Geopolymer binders as an alternative binder system to ordinary Portland cement are the focus of the past 2 decades of researches. In order to eliminate CO2 emission by cement manufacturing and utilizing construction waste as a source material, clean waste clay bricks which are the waste from Levent Brick factory was activated with a mixture of sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate solution. 12 molarity of sodium hydroxide solution was used and the ratio of sodium silicate to sodium hydroxide was 2.5. Alkaline solution to clay brick powder ratio of 0.35, 0.4, 0.45, and 0.5 was studied. Alkaline solution to powder ratio of 0.4 was found to be optimum ratio to have the same workability as ordinary Portland cement paste. Compressive strength of the clay brick based geopolymer paste samples was evaluated under different curing temperatures and curing durations. One day compressive strength of 57.3 MPa after curing at 85C for 24 hours was obtained which was higher than 7 days compressive strength of ordinary Portland cement paste. The highest compressive strength 71.4 MPa was achieved at seventh day age for the geopolymer paste samples cured at 85C for 24 hours. It was found that 8 hour curing at elevated temperature 85C, is sufficient to get 96% of total strength. 37.4 MPa strength at seventh day of clay brick based geopolymer sample cured at room temperature was achieved. Water absorption around 10% was found for clay brick based geopolymer samples cured at different temperatures with compare to 9.14% water absorption of ordinary Portland cement paste. The clay brick based geopolymer binder can have the potentiality to be used as an alternative binder to Portland cement in a case that the heat treatment provided. Further studies are needed in order to produce the binder in a way that can harden and gain strength without any elevated curing.

Keywords: construction and demolition waste, geopolymer, clay brick, compressive strength.

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Authors: S. Ayeko, J. Milton, C. Hughes, K. Anderson, R. G. Middleton

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Background: Periprosthetic femoral fractures (PFF) in association with hip hemiarthroplasty or total hip arthroplasty is a common and serious complication. In the Vancouver Classification system algorithm, B1 fractures should be treated with Open Reduction and Internal Fixation (ORIF) and preferentially revised in combination with ORIF if B2 or B3. This study aims to assess patient outcomes after plate osteosynthesis alone for Vancouver B1 and B2 fractures. The main outcome is the 1-year re-revision rate, and secondary outcomes are 30-day and 1-year mortality. Method: This is a retrospective single-centre case-series review from January 2016 to June 2021. Vancouver B1 and B2, non-malignancy fractures in adults over 18 years of age treated with polyaxial Non-Contact Bridging plate osteosynthesis, have been included. Outcomes were gathered from electronic notes and radiographs. Results: There were 50 B1 and 64 B2 fractures. 26 B2 fractures were managed with ORIF and revision, 39 ORIF alone. Of the revision group, one died within 30 days (3.8%), one at one year (3.8%), and two were revised within one year (7.7). Of the B2 ORIF group, three died within 30-day mortality (7.96%), eight at one year (21.1%), and 0 were revised in 1 year. Conclusion: This study has demonstrated that satisfactory outcomes can be achieved with ORIF, excluding revision in the management of B2 fractures.

Keywords: arthroplasty, bridging plate, periprosthetic fracture, revision surgery

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Authors: Jeffrey Siphiwe Mkhize

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Twelve years of schooling for most South African children, particularly those children from disadvantaged past, are confronted with numerous and diverse challenges. These challenges range from infrastructural limitations, language of teaching, poor resources and varying family backgrounds. Likewise, schools are categorized to signify schools’ geographic location, poverty lines, societal class and type of students that the school are likely to enroll. Such categorization perpetuates particular lines of identities that are indirectly reinforced by the same system that seeks to redress. South African universities prefer point systems to determine students’ suitability to gain access to their programmes. Once students are admitted based on the qualifying points there is an assumed equity in the manner in which they receive tuition. They are assumed as equal; noting the widened access to South African universities as means to redress past inequalities. Given the challenges, inequalities, it is necessary to view higher education as a site for knowledge construction that is accessible to all students. Epistemological access is key to all students irrespective of their socio-economic status. This paper seeks to contribute to the discourse of student engagement using lecturer-student relationship as a lens to understand this phenomenon. Data were generated using South African Survey of Student Engagement, focus group interviews, semi-structured one-on-one-interviews as well as document analysis. The focus was on students registered for the first year of a Bachelor of Education degree as well as lecturers that teach high risk modules in this qualification at the same level. The findings suggest that lecturers are challenged by overcrowded classrooms and over-enrolled modules; this challenge hampers their good intentions to become more efficient and innovative in their teaching. Students lack confidence in approaching lecturers for assistance. Collaborative learning has stronger results and students believe in self-support to deal with their challenges based on their individual strengths. Collaborative learning is key to student academic performance.

Keywords: collaborative learning, consultations, student engagement, student performance

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Authors: Elizabeth Perry, Jylana Sheats

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Scholars posit that there is an overlap between the fields of Behavioral Economics (BE) and Behavior Science (BSci)—and that consideration of concepts from both may facilitate a greater understanding of health decision-making processes. For example, the ‘intention-action gap’ is one BE concept to explain sup-optimal decision-making. It is described as having knowledge that does not translate into behavior. Complementary best BSci practices may provide insights into behavioral determinants and relevant behavior change techniques (BCT). Within the context of BSci, this exploratory study aimed to apply a BE concept with demonstrated effectiveness in financial decision-making to a health behavior: influenza (flu) vaccine uptake. Adults aged >18 years were recruited on Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, a digital labor market where anonymous users perform simple tasks at low cost. Eligible participants were randomized into 2 groups, reviewed a scenario, and then completed a survey on the likelihood of receiving a flu shot. The ‘usual care’ group’s scenario included standard CDC guidance that supported the behavior. The ‘intervention’ group’s scenario included messaging about people who did not receive the flu shot. The framing was such that participants could learn from others’ (strangers) mistakes and the subsequent health consequences: ‘Last year, other people who didn’t get the vaccine were about twice as likely to get the flu, and a number of them were hospitalized or even died. Don’t risk it.’ Descriptive statistics and chi-square analyses were performed on the sample. There were 648 participants (usual care, n=326; int., n=322). Among racial/ethnic minorities (n=169; 57% aged < 40), the intervention group was 22% more likely to report that they were ‘extremely’ or ‘moderately’ likely to get the flu vaccine (p = 0.11). While not statistically significant, findings suggest that framing messages from the perspective of learning from the mistakes of unknown others coupled with the BCT ‘knowledge about the health consequences’ may help influence flu vaccine uptake among the study population. With the widely documented disparities in vaccine uptake, exploration of the complementary application of these concepts and strategies may be critical.

Keywords: public health, decision-making, vaccination, behavioral science

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Authors: Corbel Camille, Le Cerf Flora, Capriz Françoise, Vaillant-Ciszewicz Anne-Julie, Breaud Jean, Guerin Olivier, Corveleyn Xavier

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Background: The medical environment can generate stressful and anxiety-provoking situations for patients, particularly during painful care procedures for the older population. These stressful environments have deleterious effects on the quality of care and can even put the patient at risk and set the care team up for failure. The search for a solution is, therefore, imperative. The development of new technologies, such as virtual reality (VR), seems to be an answer to this problem. Objectives: The objective of this study is to compare the effects of virtual reality on pain and anxiety when caring for older hospitalized people with the effects of usual care. More precisely, different individual factors (age, cognitive level, individual preferences, etc.) and different virtual reality universes (personalized or non-personalized) are studied to understand the role of these factors in reducing pain and anxiety during care procedures. The aim of this study is to improve the quality of life of patients and caregivers in their work environment. Method: This mono-centered, randomized, controlled study was conducted from September 2023 to September 2024 on 120 participants recruited from the geriatric departments of the Cimiez Hospital, Nice, France. Participants are randomized into three groups: a control group, a personalized VR group and a non-personalized VR group. Each participant is followed during a painful care session. Data are collected before, during and after the care, using measures of pain (Algoplus and numerical scale) and anxiety (Hospital anxiety scale and numerical scale). Physiological assessments with an oximeter are also performed to collect both heart and respiratory rate measurements. The implementation of the care will be assessed among healthcare providers to evaluate its effects on the difficulty and fatigue associated with the care. Additionally, a questionnaire (System Usability Scale) will be administered at the conclusion of the study to determine the willingness of healthcare providers to integrate VR into their daily care practices. Result: The preliminary results indicate significant effects on anxiety (p=.001) and pain (p=<.001) following the VR intervention during care, as compared to the control group. Conclusion: The preliminary results suggest that VRI appears to be a suitable and effective method for reducing anxiety and pain among older hospitalized individuals compared with standard care. Finally, the experiences of healthcare professionals involved will also be considered to assess the impact of these interventions on working conditions and patient support.

Keywords: anxiety, care, pain, older adults, virtual reality

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Authors: J. Martin Leal-Graciano, Juan J. Pérez-Gavilán, A. Reyes-Salazar, J. H. Castorena, J. L. Rivera-Salas

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The experimental results about the global behavior of twelve 1:2 scaled reinforced concrete frames subject to in-plane lateral load are presented. The main objective was to generate experimental evidence about the use of steel bars within mortar bed joints as shear reinforcement in infill walls. Similar to the Canadian and New Zealand standards, the Mexican code includes specifications for this type of reinforcement. However, these specifications were obtained through experimental studies of load-bearing walls, mainly confined walls. Little information is found in the existing literature about the effects of joint reinforcement on the seismic behavior of infill masonry walls. Consequently, the Mexican code establishes the same equations to estimate the contribution of joint reinforcement for both confined walls and infill walls. Confined masonry construction and a reinforced concrete frame infilled with masonry walls have similar appearances. However, substantial differences exist between these two construction systems, which are mainly related to the sequence of construction and to how these structures support vertical and lateral loads. To achieve the objective established, ten reinforced concrete frames with masonry infill walls were built and tested in pairs, having both specimens in the pair identical characteristics except that one of them included joint reinforcement. The variables between pairs were the type of units, the size of the columns of the frame, and the aspect ratio of the wall. All cases included tie columns and tie beams on the perimeter of the wall to anchor the joint reinforcement. Also, two bare frames with identical characteristics to the infilled frames were tested. The purpose was to investigate the effects of the infill wall on the behavior of the system to in-plane lateral load. In addition, the experimental results were compared with the prediction of the Mexican code. All the specimens were tested in a cantilever under reversible cyclic lateral load. To simulate gravity load, constant vertical load was applied on the top of the columns. The results indicate that the contribution of the joint reinforcement to lateral strength depends on the size of the columns of the frame. Larger size columns produce a failure mode that is predominantly a sliding mode. Sliding inhibits the production of new inclined cracks, which are necessary to activate (deform) the joint reinforcement. Regarding the effects of joint reinforcement in the performance of confined masonry walls, many facts were confirmed for infill walls. This type of reinforcement increases the lateral strength of the wall, produces a more distributed cracking, and reduces the width of the cracks. Moreover, it reduces the ductility demand of the system at maximum strength. The prediction of the lateral strength provided by the Mexican code is a property in some cases; however, the effect of the size of the columns on the contribution of joint reinforcement needs to be better understood.

Keywords: experimental study, infill wall, infilled frame, masonry wall

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Authors: Maha Awad M. Almuttairi

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This research aimed to measure the impact of the use of a mobile learning (iTunes U) app for the development of metacognition skills delivered in the enrichment program offered to gifted students at the secondary level in Jeddah. The author targeted a group of students on an experimental scale to evaluate the achievement. The research sample consisted of a group of 38 gifted female students. The scale of evaluation of the metacognition skills used to measure the performance of students in the enrichment program was as follows: Satisfaction scale for the assessment of the technique used and the final product form after completion of the program. Appropriate statistical treatment used includes Paired Samples T-Test Cronbach’s alpha formula and eta squared formula. It was concluded in the results the difference of α≤ 0.05, which means the performance of students in the skills of metacognition in favor of using iTunes U. In light of the conclusion of the experiment, a number of recommendations and suggestions were present; the most important benefit of mobile learning applications is to provide enrichment programs for gifted students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as well as conducting further research on mobile learning and gifted student teaching.

Keywords: enrichment program, gifted students, metacognition skills, mobile learning

Procedia PDF Downloads 121

Authors: Farhad Ahmadi, Mehran Mohammadi Khah, Fariba Rahimi, N. Vejdani Far

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The aim of present research was to investigate the effect of different levels of protexin (PRT) and Curcuma longa (CUR) on performance, serum lipid and indices of immune system in broiler chickens at the starter stage. A total of 300, one-day-old male broiler (Ross-308) were allotted, in a 2×2+1 factorial design contain 2 levels of protexin (10 and 40 mg/kg diet) and 2 levels of Curcuma longa (200 and 400 mg/kg diet) with four replicate and 15 birds per pens. Experimental diets were: T1 control (basal diet); T2 (2g/kg CUR+0.1g PRT/kg diet), T3 (2g CUR/kg+0.2g PRT/kg diet), T4 (4g CUR/kg+0.1g PRT/kg) and T5 (4g CUR/kg+0.2g PRT/kg). Results indicated that body weight gain and feed conversion ratio had significantly improved (P < 0.05) in birds that fed diet inclusion any levels of additive. The highest BWG and lowest FCR observed in T5 birds group as compared to control (P < 0.05). Relative bursa of Fabricius and spleen weight in T5 and T3 birds groups were higher than control (P > 0.05). The serum of cholesterol, TG, LDL had significantly decreased (P < 0.05). As well, HDL was higher (P < 0.05) in T5 birds group compared to control. In conclusion, results of present trial indicated that blend of mention additive was better than using individual of those and improved performance traits.

Keywords: broiler, Curcuma longa, performance, protexin, serum

Procedia PDF Downloads 384

Authors: Tatsuya Iizuka, Takushi Kawamorita, Tomoya Handa, Hitoshi Ishikawa

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We report normative cone contrast sensitivity values and sensitivity and specificity values for a computer-based color vision test, the cone contrast test-HD (CCT-HD). The participants included 50 phakic eyes with normal color vision (NCV) and 20 dichromatic eyes (ten with protanopia and ten with deuteranopia). The CCT-HD was used to measure L, M, and S-CCT-HD scores (color vision deficiency, L-, M-cone logCS≦1.65, S-cone logCS≦0.425) to investigate the sensitivity and specificity of CCT-HD based on anomalous-type diagnosis with animalscope. The mean ± standard error L-, M-, S-cone logCS for protanopia were 0.90±0.04, 1.65±0.03, and 0.63±0.02, respectively; for deuteranopia 1.74±0.03, 1.31±0.03, and 0.61±0.06, respectively; and for age-matched NCV were 1.89±0.04, 1.84±0.04, and 0.60±0.03, respectively, with significant differences for each group except for S-CCT-HD (Bonferroni corrected α = 0.0167, p < 0.0167). The sensitivity and specificity of CCT-HD were 100% for protan and deutan in diagnosing abnormal types from 20 to 64 years of age, but the specificity decreased to 65% for protan and 55% for deutan in older persons > 65. CCT-HD is comparable to the diagnostic performance of the anomalous type in the anomaloscope for the 20-64-year-old age group. However, the results should be interpreted cautiously in those ≥ 65 years. They are more susceptible to acquired color vision deficiencies due to the yellowing of the crystalline lens and other factors.

Keywords: cone contrast test HD, color vision test, congenital color vision deficiency, red-green dichromacy, cone contrast sensitivity

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Authors: Offer E. Edelstein, Iris Vered, Orly Sarid

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Background: Physical activity (PA) is considered as a major factor in bone density preservation and fracture prevention. Yet, gaps in understanding exist regarding how ethnocultural backgrounds might shape attitudes, intentions, and actual PA participation. Based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) for predicting PA, the aims of the current study were: i) to compare attitudes, subjective norms, perceived control, intentions and knowledge, across two ethnocultural groups; ii) to evaluate the fit of the model across two ethnocultural groups of women: Israeli-born Jews and Ethiopian immigrants. Methods: Two hundred women (one hundred from each group), aged > 65, completed valid and reliable questionnaires assessing knowledge, TPB components, and actual PA. Results: The level of knowledge on osteoporosis was relatively low in both groups. Intention to participate in PA was the only variable that directly predicted actual PA. Intention to participate in PA served as a mediator among attitudes, subjective norms, perceived control, and actual PA. The TPB components mediated the link between knowledge and intention to participate in PA. Conclusion: It is important to understand and augment interventions that enhance PA, in the community, and with sensitivity concerning each ethnocultural group.

Keywords: attitudes, ethnocultural groups, knowledge, physical activity

Procedia PDF Downloads 137

Authors: Omar Elharrouss, Youssef Hmamouche, Assia Kamal Idrissi, Btissam El Khamlichi, Amal El Fallah-Seghrouchni

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Edge detection is represented as one of the most challenging tasks in computer vision, due to the complexity of detecting the edges or boundaries in real-world images that contains objects of different types and scales like trees, building as well as various backgrounds. Edge detection is represented also as a key task for many computer vision applications. Using a set of backbones as well as attention modules, deep-learning-based methods improved the detection of edges compared with the traditional methods like Sobel and Canny. However, images of complex scenes still represent a challenge for these methods. Also, the detected edges using the existing approaches suffer from non-refined results while the image output contains many erroneous edges. To overcome this, n this paper, by using the mechanism of residual learning, a refined edge detection network is proposed (RED-Net). By maintaining the high resolution of edges during the training process, and conserving the resolution of the edge image during the network stage, we make the pooling outputs at each stage connected with the output of the previous layer. Also, after each layer, we use an affined batch normalization layer as an erosion operation for the homogeneous region in the image. The proposed methods are evaluated using the most challenging datasets including BSDS500, NYUD, and Multicue. The obtained results outperform the designed edge detection networks in terms of performance metrics and quality of output images.

Keywords: edge detection, convolutional neural networks, deep learning, scale-representation, backbone

Procedia PDF Downloads 104

Authors: Parminder K. Laroiya, Sukhdeep S. Kang

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The Present cross-sectional study was conducted on 610 boys (ranging in age bracket of 11 to 17 years) to assess their developmental age to check percentage of early, normal and late maturity among them, and to check whether there is any significant difference in their calendar age and developmental age. Developmental age of these subjects has been accessed by TW2 method (using hand wrist X-rays) and their chronological age was checked from their date of birth certificate. Developmental status of subjects i.e. early, normal or late mature was considered with +2 years or -2 years from their calendar age. Results of this study shows that 50% boys were normal in their maturity status in all age brackets and rest of subjects were either early maturers 24.92% or late maturers 25.08%. When pattern of maturity was studied in each age group it has been found that till the age of 15 years, percentage of normal maturity was less than 50 % whereas in 16 and 17 years age groups, this percentage of normal maturity increased to 60% - 65 % ( this may be because at this age mostly boys attain adolescence) Further investigation of each age group showed that till the age of 14 years percentage of late maturity among these boys were approximately 35% to 40% whereas early maturity lies between 15% to 20%. It has been found from the present study that at the age of 15 years, there is a twist among percentage of late and early maturity among boys-early maturers are 38.61% and late maturers are 16.84%. At the age of 16 and 17 years percentage of late maturity has been decreased to 3% to 6%, whereas percentage of early maturity increased to 35.64 % and 30.69 % respectively.

Keywords: maturity status, developmental age, chronological age, X-rays

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Authors: Genevieve R. Kan, Jolyon Ford

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Background: Caesarean section has become the routine route of delivery for breech fetuses, but breech cesarean deliveries are hypothesized to have poorer immediate neonatal outcomes when compared to cephalic deliveries. In accordance with this, in many Australian hospitals, the pediatric team is routinely required to attend every elective breech cesarean section in case urgent resuscitation is required. Our study aimed to determine whether term elective breech deliveries indeed had worse immediate neonatal outcomes at delivery, which will justify the necessity of pediatric staff presence at every elective breech cesarean delivery and influence the workload for the pediatric team. Objective: Elective breech cesarean deliveries were compared to elective cephalic cesarean deliveries at 37 weeks gestation or above to evaluate the immediate neonatal outcomes (Apgar scores <7 at 5 minutes, and Special Care Nursery admissions on Day 1 of life) of each group. Design: A retrospective cohort study Method: This study examined 2035 elective breech and cephalic singleton cesarean deliveries at term over 5 years from July 2017 to July 2022 at Frankston Hospital, a metropolitan hospital in Melbourne, Australia. There were 260 breech deliveries and 1775 cephalic deliveries. De-identified patient data were collected retrospectively from the hospital’s electronically integrated pregnancy and birth records to assess demographics and neonatal outcomes. Results: Apgar scores <7 at 5 minutes of life were worse in the breech group compared to the cephalic group (3.4% vs 1.6%). Special Care Nursery admissions on Day 1 of life were also higher for the breech cohort compared to the cephalic cohort (9.6% vs 8.7%). Conclusions: Our results support the expected findings that breech deliveries are associated with worse immediate neonatal outcomes. It, therefore, suggests that routine attendance at elective breech cesarean deliveries by the pediatric team is indeed required to assist with potentially higher needs for neonatal resuscitation and special care nursery admission.

Keywords: breech, cesarean section, Apgar scores, special care nursery admission

Procedia PDF Downloads 107

Authors: Liyu Adhi Kasari Sulung

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Poverty has been a major problem in Indonesia. Islamic micro finance (IMF) named Baitul Maal Wat Tamwil (Bmt) plays a prominent role to eradicate this. Indonesia as the biggest muslim country has many successful applied products such as worldwide adopt group-based lending approach, flexible financing for farmers, and gold pawning. The Problems related to these models are operation risk management and internal control system (ICS). A proper ICS will help an organization in preventing the occurrence of bad financing through detecting error and irregularities in its operation. This study aims to seek a proper risk management scheme of credit system in Bmt and internal control system’s rank for every stage. Risk management variables are obtained at the first In-Depth Interview (IDI) and Focus Group Discussion (FGD) with Shariah supervisory boards, boards of directors, and operational managers. Survey was conducted covering nationwide data; West Java, South Sulawesi, and West Nusa Tenggara. Moreover, Content analysis is employed to build the relationship among these variables. Research Findings shows that risk management Characteristics in Indonesia involves ex ante, credit process, and ex post strategies to deal with risk in credit system. Ex-ante control consists of Shariah compliance, survey, group leader reference, and islamic forming orientation. Then, credit process involves saving, collateral, joint liability, loan repayment, and credit installment controlling. Finally, ex-post control includes shariah evaluation, credit evaluation, grace period and low installment provisions. In addition, internal control order sort three stages by its priority; Credit process as first rank, then ex-post control as second, and ex ante control as the last rank.

Keywords: internal control system, islamic micro finance, poverty, risk management

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Authors: Afshin Zahedi, Keivan Jamshidi

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This study was conducted to determine the neurotoxic effects of different doses of ACR on the thoracic axons of the spinal cord of rat. To evaluate this hypothesis in the thoracic axons, amino-cupric silver staining technique of the de Olmos was conducted to define the histopathologic characteristic (argyrophilia) of axonal damage following ACR exposure. For this purpose 60 adult male rats (Wistar, approximately 250 g) were selected. Rats were hosed in polycarbonate boxes as two per each. Randomly assigned groups of rats (10 rats per exposure group, total 5 exposure groups as A, B, C, D and E) were exposed to 0.5, 5, 50, 100 and 500 mg/kg per day×11days intraperitoneal injection (IP injection) respectively. The remaining 10 rats were housed in group (F) as control group. Control rats received daily injections of 0.9% saline (3ml/kg). As indices of developing neurotoxicity, weight gain, gait scores and landing hindlimb foot splay (LHF) were determined. Weight gains were measured daily prior to injection. Gait scoring involved observation of spontaneous open field locomotion, included evaluations of ataxia, hopping, rearing and hind foot placement, and hindlimb foot splay were determined 3-4 times per week. Gait score was assigned from 1-4. After 11 days, two rats for silver stain, were randomly selected, dissected and proper samples were collected from thoracic portion of the spinal cord of rat. Results did show no neurological behavior in groups A, B and F, whereas severe neurotoxicity was observed in groups C and D. Rats in groups E died within 1-2 hours due to severe toxemia. In histopathological studies based on the de Olmos technique no argyrophilic neurons or processes were observed in stained sections obtained from the thoracic portion of the spinal cord of rats belong to groups A, B and F, while moderate to severe argyrophilic changes were observed in different stained sections obtained from the thoracic portion of the spinal cord of rats belong to groups C and D.

Keywords: acrylamide, rat, axonopathy, argyrophily, de Olmos

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