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5027 Defining Methodology for Multi Model Software Process Improvement Framework
Authors: Aedah Abd Rahman
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Software organisations may implement single or multiple frameworks in order to remain competitive. There are wide selection of generic Software Process Improvement (SPI) frameworks, best practices and standards implemented with different focuses and goals. Issues and difficulties emerge in the SPI practices from the context of software development and IT Service Management (ITSM). This research looks into the integration of multiple frameworks from the perspective of software development and ITSM. The research question of this study is how to define steps of methodology to solve the multi model software process improvement problem. The objective of this study is to define the research approach and methodologies to produce a more integrated and efficient Multi Model Process Improvement (MMPI) solution. A multi-step methodology is used which contains the case study, framework mapping and Delphi study. The research outcome has proven the usefulness and appropriateness of the proposed framework in SPI and quality practice in Malaysian software industries. This mixed method research approach is used to tackle problems from every angle in the context of software development and services. This methodology is used to facilitate the implementation and management of multi model environment of SPI frameworks in multiple domains.Keywords: Delphi study, methodology, multi model software process improvement, service management
Procedia PDF Downloads 2605026 An Ultra-Low Output Impedance Power Amplifier for Tx Array in 7-Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Authors: Ashraf Abuelhaija, Klaus Solbach
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In Ultra high-field MRI scanners (3T and higher), parallel RF transmission techniques using multiple RF chains with multiple transmit elements are a promising approach to overcome the high-field MRI challenges in terms of inhomogeneity in the RF magnetic field and SAR. However, mutual coupling between the transmit array elements disturbs the desirable independent control of the RF waveforms for each element. This contribution demonstrates a 18 dB improvement of decoupling (isolation) performance due to the very low output impedance of our 1 kW power amplifier.Keywords: EM coupling, inter-element isolation, magnetic resonance imaging (mri), parallel transmit
Procedia PDF Downloads 4955025 The Use of Mobile Phone as Enhancement to Mark Multiple Choice Objectives English Grammar and Literature Examination: An Exploratory Case Study of Preliminary National Diploma Students, Abdu Gusau Polytechnic, Talata Mafara, Zamfara State, Nigeria
Authors: T. Abdulkadir
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Most often, marking and assessment of multiple choice kinds of examinations have been opined by many as a cumbersome and herculean task to accomplished manually in Nigeria. Usually this may be in obvious nexus to the fact that mass numbers of candidates were known to take the same examination simultaneously. Eventually, marking such a mammoth number of booklets dared and dread even the fastest paid examiners who often undertake the job with the resulting consequences of stress and boredom. This paper explores the evolution, as well as the set aim to envision and transcend marking the Multiple Choice Objectives- type examination into a thing of creative recreation, or perhaps a more relaxing activity via the use of the mobile phone. A more “pragmatic” dimension method was employed to achieve this work, rather than the formal “in-depth research” based approach due to the “novelty” of the mobile-smartphone e-Marking Scheme discovery. Moreover, being an evolutionary scheme, no recent academic work shares a direct same topic concept with the ‘use of cell phone as an e-marking technique’ was found online; thus, the dearth of even miscellaneous citations in this work. Additional future advancements are what steered the anticipatory motive of this paper which laid the fundamental proposition. However, the paper introduces for the first time the concept of mobile-smart phone e-marking, the steps to achieve it, as well as the merits and demerits of the technique all spelt out in the subsequent pages.Keywords: cell phone, e-marking scheme (eMS), mobile phone, mobile-smart phone, multiple choice objectives (MCO), smartphone
Procedia PDF Downloads 2595024 Groundhog Day as a Model for the Repeating Spectator and the Film Academic: Re-Watching the Same Films Again Can Create Different Experiences and Ideas
Authors: Leiya Ho Yin Lee
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Groundhog Day (Harold Ramis, 1993) may seemingly be a fairly unremarkable Hollywood comedy film in the 90s, it is argued that the film, with its protagonist Phil (Bill Murray), inadvertently, but perfectly, demonstrates an important aspect in filmmaking, film spectatorship and film research: repetition. Very rarely does a narrative film use one, and only one, take in its shooting. The multiple ‘repeats’ of Phil’s various endeavours due to his being trapped in a perpetual loop of the same day — from stealing money and tricking a woman into a casual relationship, to his multiple suicides, to eventually helping people in need — make the process of doing multiple ‘takes’ in filmmaking explicit. But perhaps more significantly, Phil represents a perfect model for the spectator/cinephile who has seen their favourite film for multiple times that they can remember every single detail. Crucially, their favourite film never changes, as it is a recording, but the cinephile’s experience of that very same film is most likely different each time they watch it again, just as Phil’s character and personality has completely transformed, from selfish and egotistic, to depressed and nihilistic, and ultimately to sympathetic and caring, even though he is living the exact same day. Furthermore, the author did not come up with this stimulating juxtaposition of film spectatorship and Groundhog Day the first time the author saw the film; it took the author a few casual re-viewings to notice the film’s self-reflexivity. And then, when working on it in the author’s research, the author had to re-view the film for more times, and have subsequently noticed even more things previously unnoticed. In this way, Groundhog Day not only stands for a model for filmmaking and film spectatorship, it also illustrates the act of academic research, especially in Film Studies where repeatedly viewing the same films is a prerequisite before new ideas and concepts are discovered from old material. This also recalls Deleuze’s thesis on difference and repetition in that repetition creates difference and it is difference that creates thought.Keywords: narrative comprehension, repeated viewing, repetition, spectatorship
Procedia PDF Downloads 3205023 Employability Skills: The Route to Achieve Demographic Dividend in India
Authors: Malathi Iyer, Jayesh Vaidya
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The demographic dividend of India will last for thirty years from now. However, reduction in birth rate, an increase in working population, improvements in medicine and better health practices lead to an ever-expanding elderly population, bringing additional burden to the economy and putting an end to the demographic dividend. To reap the dividend India needs to train the youth for employability. The need of the hour is to improve their life skills which lead the youth to become industrious and have continuous employment. The study will be conducted in perceiving the skill gaps that exist in commerce students for employability. The analysis results indicate the relation between the core study and the right skills for the workforce, with the steps that are taken to open the window for the demographic dividend.Keywords: demographic dividend, life skills, employability, workforce
Procedia PDF Downloads 5215022 Ambiguity Resolution for Ground-based Pulse Doppler Radars Using Multiple Medium Pulse Repetition Frequency
Authors: Khue Nguyen Dinh, Loi Nguyen Van, Thanh Nguyen Nhu
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In this paper, we propose an adaptive method to resolve ambiguities and a ghost target removal process to extract targets detected by a ground-based pulse-Doppler radar using medium pulse repetition frequency (PRF) waveforms. The ambiguity resolution method is an adaptive implementation of the coincidence algorithm, which is implemented on a two-dimensional (2D) range-velocity matrix to resolve range and velocity ambiguities simultaneously, with a proposed clustering filter to enhance the anti-error ability of the system. Here we consider the scenario of multiple target environments. The ghost target removal process, which is based on the power after Doppler processing, is proposed to mitigate ghosting detections to enhance the performance of ground-based radars using a short PRF schedule in multiple target environments. Simulation results on a ground-based pulsed Doppler radar model will be presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.Keywords: ambiguity resolution, coincidence algorithm, medium PRF, ghosting removal
Procedia PDF Downloads 1515021 Investigation on Machine Tools Energy Consumptions
Authors: Shiva Abdoli, Daniel T.Semere
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Several researches have been conducted to study consumption of energy in cutting process. Most of these researches are focusing to measure the consumption and propose consumption reduction methods. In this work, the relation between the cutting parameters and the consumption is investigated in order to establish a generalized energy consumption model that can be used for process and production planning in real production lines. Using the generalized model, the process planning will be carried out by taking into account the energy as a function of the selected process parameters. Similarly, the generalized model can be used in production planning to select the right operational parameters like batch sizes, routing, buffer size, etc. in a production line. The description and derivation of the model as well as a case study are given in this paper to illustrate the applicability and validity of the model.Keywords: process parameters, cutting process, energy efficiency, Material Removal Rate (MRR)
Procedia PDF Downloads 4985020 Multiobjective Optimization of a Pharmaceutical Formulation Using Regression Method
Authors: J. Satya Eswari, Ch. Venkateswarlu
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The formulation of a commercial pharmaceutical product involves several composition factors and response characteristics. When the formulation requires to satisfy multiple response characteristics which are conflicting, an optimal solution requires the need for an efficient multiobjective optimization technique. In this work, a regression is combined with a non-dominated sorting differential evolution (NSDE) involving Naïve & Slow and ε constraint techniques to derive different multiobjective optimization strategies, which are then evaluated by means of a trapidil pharmaceutical formulation. The analysis of the results show the effectiveness of the strategy that combines the regression model and NSDE with the integration of both Naïve & Slow and ε constraint techniques for Pareto optimization of trapidil formulation. With this strategy, the optimal formulation at pH=6.8 is obtained with the decision variables of micro crystalline cellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and compression pressure. The corresponding response characteristics of rate constant and release order are also noted down. The comparison of these results with the experimental data and with those of other multiple regression model based multiobjective evolutionary optimization strategies signify the better performance for optimal trapidil formulation.Keywords: pharmaceutical formulation, multiple regression model, response surface method, radial basis function network, differential evolution, multiobjective optimization
Procedia PDF Downloads 4095019 Development of 111In-DOTMP as a New Bone Imaging Agent
Authors: H. Yousefnia, S. Zolghadri, AR. Jalilian, A. Mirzaei, A. Bahrami-Samani, M. Erfani
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The objective of this study is the preparation of 111In-DOTMP as a new bone imaging agent. 111In was produced at the Agricultural, Medical and Industrial Research School (AMIRS) by means of 30 MeV cyclotron via natCd(p,x)111In reaction. Complexion of In‐111 with DOTMP was carried out by adding 0.1 ml of the stock solution (50 mg/ml in 2 N NaoH) to the vial containing 1 mCi of 111In. pH of the mixture was adjusted to 7-8 by means of phosphate buffer. The radiochemical purity of the complex at the optimized condition was higher than 98% (by using whatman No.1 paper in NH4OH:MeOH: H2O (0.2:2:4)). Both the biodistribution studies and SPECT imaging indicated high bone uptake. The ratio of bone to other soft tissue accumulation was significantly high which permit to observe high quality images. The results show that 111In-DOTMP can be used as a suitable tracer for diagnosis of bone metastases by SPECT imaging.Keywords: biodistribution, DOTMP, 111In, SPECT
Procedia PDF Downloads 5345018 Is There a Month Effect on the Deposits Interest Rates? Evidence from the Greek Banking Industry during the Period 2003-13
Authors: Konstantopoulos N., Samitas A., E. Vasileiou, Kinias I.
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This article introduces a new view on the month effect study. Applying a Markov Switching Regime model on data from the Greek Time Deposits (TDs) market for the time span January 2003 to October 2013, we examine if there is a month effect on the Greek banking industry. The empirical findings provide convincing evidence for a new king of monthly anomaly. The explanation for the specific abnormality may be the upward deposits window dressing. Further research should be done in order to examine if the specific calendar effect exists in other countries or it is only a Greek phenomenon.Keywords: calendar anomalies, banking crisis, month effect, Greek banking industry
Procedia PDF Downloads 3705017 Evolutionary Genomic Analysis of Adaptation Genomics
Authors: Agostinho Antunes
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The completion of the human genome sequencing in 2003 opened a new perspective into the importance of whole genome sequencing projects, and currently multiple species are having their genomes completed sequenced, from simple organisms, such as bacteria, to more complex taxa, such as mammals. This voluminous sequencing data generated across multiple organisms provides also the framework to better understand the genetic makeup of such species and related ones, allowing to explore the genetic changes underlining the evolution of diverse phenotypic traits. Here, recent results from our group retrieved from comparative evolutionary genomic analyses of varied species will be considered to exemplify how gene novelty and gene enhancement by positive selection might have been determinant in the success of adaptive radiations into diverse habitats and lifestyles.Keywords: adaptation, animals, evolution, genomics
Procedia PDF Downloads 4295016 Synthesis of Porphyrin-Functionalized Beads for Flow Cytometry
Authors: William E. Bauta, Jennifer Rebeles, Reggie Jacob
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Porphyrins are noteworthy in biomedical science for their cancer tissue accumulation and photophysical properties. The preferential accumulation of some porphyrins in cancerous tissue has been known for many years. This, combined with their characteristic photophysical and photochemical properties, including their strong fluorescence and their ability to generate reactive oxygen species in vivo upon laser irradiation, has led to much research into the application of porphyrins as cancer diagnostic and therapeutic agents. Porphyrins have been used as dyes to detect cancer cells both in vivo and, less commonly, in vitro. In one example, human sputum samples from lung cancer patients and patients without the disease were dissociated and stained with the porphyrin TCPP (5,10,15,20-tetrakis-(4-carboxyphenyl)-porphine). Cells were analyzed by flow cytometry. Cancer samples were identified by their higher TCPP fluorescence intensity relative to the no-cancer controls. However, quantitative analysis of fluorescence in cell suspensions stained with multiple fluorophores requires particles stained with each of the individual fluorophores as controls. Fluorescent control particles must be compatible in size with flow cytometer fluidics and have favorable hydrodynamic properties in suspension. They must also display fluorescence comparable to the cells of interest and be stable upon storage amine-functionalized spherical polystyrene beads in the 5 to 20-micron diameter range that was reacted with TCPP and EDC in aqueous pH six buffer overnight to form amide bonds. Beads were isolated by centrifugation and tested by flow cytometry. The 10-micron amine-functionalized beads displayed the best combination of fluorescence intensity and hydrodynamic properties, such as lack of clumping and remaining in suspension during the experiment. These beads were further optimized by varying the stoichiometry of EDC and TCPP relative to the amine. The reaction was accompanied by the formation of a TCPP-related particulate, which was removed, after bead centrifugation, using a microfiltration process. The resultant TCPP-functionalized beads were compatible with flow cytometry conditions and displayed a fluorescence comparable to that of stained cells, which allowed their use as fluorescence standards. The beads were stable in refrigerated storage in the dark for more than eight months. This work demonstrates the first preparation of porphyrin-functionalized flow cytometry control beads.Keywords: tetraaryl porphyrin, polystyrene beads, flow cytometry, peptide coupling
Procedia PDF Downloads 925015 Prediction of Physical Properties and Sound Absorption Performance of Automotive Interior Materials
Authors: Un-Hwan Park, Jun-Hyeok Heo, In-Sung Lee, Seong-Jin Cho, Tae-Hyeon Oh, Dae-Kyu Park
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Sound absorption coefficient is considered important when designing because noise affects emotion quality of car. It is designed with lots of experiment tunings in the field because it is unreliable to predict it for multi-layer material. In this paper, we present the design of sound absorption for automotive interior material with multiple layers using estimation software of sound absorption coefficient for reverberation chamber. Additionally, we introduce the method for estimation of physical properties required to predict sound absorption coefficient of car interior materials with multiple layers too. It is calculated by inverse algorithm. It is very economical to get information about physical properties without expensive equipment. Correlation test is carried out to ensure reliability for accuracy. The data to be used for the correlation is sound absorption coefficient measured in the reverberation chamber. In this way, it is considered economical and efficient to design automotive interior materials. And design optimization for sound absorption coefficient is also easy to implement when it is designed.Keywords: sound absorption coefficient, optimization design, inverse algorithm, automotive interior material, multiple layers nonwoven, scaled reverberation chamber, sound impedance tubes
Procedia PDF Downloads 3085014 Symbolic Computation for the Multi-Soliton Solutions of a Class of Fifth-Order Evolution Equations
Authors: Rafat Alshorman, Fadi Awawdeh
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By employing a simplified bilinear method, a class of generalized fifth-order KdV (gfKdV) equations which arise in nonlinear lattice, plasma physics and ocean dynamics are investigated. With the aid of symbolic computation, both solitary wave solutions and multiple-soliton solutions are obtained. These new exact solutions will extend previous results and help us explain the properties of nonlinear solitary waves in many physical models in shallow water. Parametric analysis is carried out in order to illustrate that the soliton amplitude, width and velocity are affected by the coefficient parameters in the equation.Keywords: multiple soliton solutions, fifth-order evolution equations, Cole-Hopf transformation, Hirota bilinear method
Procedia PDF Downloads 3195013 Virtual Reality and Avatars in Education
Authors: Michael Brazley
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Virtual Reality (VR) and 3D videos are the most current generation of learning technology today. Virtual Reality and 3D videos are being used in professional offices and Schools now for marketing and education. Technology in the field of design has progress from two dimensional drawings to 3D models, using computers and sophisticated software. Virtual Reality is being used as collaborative means to allow designers and others to meet and communicate inside models or VR platforms using avatars. This research proposes to teach students from different backgrounds how to take a digital model into a 3D video, then into VR, and finally VR with multiple avatars communicating with each other in real time. The next step would be to develop the model where people from three or more different locations can meet as avatars in real time, in the same model and talk to each other. This research is longitudinal, studying the use of 3D videos in graduate design and Virtual Reality in XR (Extended Reality) courses. The research methodology is a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. The qualitative methods begin with the literature review and case studies. The quantitative methods come by way of student’s 3D videos, survey, and Extended Reality (XR) course work. The end product is to develop a VR platform with multiple avatars being able to communicate in real time. This research is important because it will allow multiple users to remotely enter your model or VR platform from any location in the world and effectively communicate in real time. This research will lead to improved learning and training using Virtual Reality and Avatars; and is generalizable because most Colleges, Universities, and many citizens own VR equipment and computer labs. This research did produce a VR platform with multiple avatars having the ability to move and speak to each other in real time. Major implications of the research include but not limited to improved: learning, teaching, communication, marketing, designing, planning, etc. Both hardware and software played a major role in project success.Keywords: virtual reality, avatars, education, XR
Procedia PDF Downloads 985012 The Use of Medical Biotechnology to Treat Genetic Disease
Authors: Rachel Matar, Maxime Merheb
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Chemical drugs have been used for many centuries as the only way to cure diseases until the novel gene therapy has been created in 1960. Gene therapy is based on the insertion, correction, or inactivation of genes to treat people with genetic illness (1). Gene therapy has made wonders in Parkison’s, Alzheimer and multiple sclerosis. In addition to great promises in the healing of deadly diseases like many types of cancer and autoimmune diseases (2). This method implies the use of recombinant DNA technology with the help of different viral and non-viral vectors (3). It is nowadays used in somatic cells as well as embryos and gametes. Beside all the benefits of gene therapy, this technique is deemed by some opponents as an ethically unacceptable treatment as it implies playing with the genes of living organisms.Keywords: gene therapy, genetic disease, cancer, multiple sclerosis
Procedia PDF Downloads 5415011 Qualitative Data Analysis for Health Care Services
Authors: Taner Ersoz, Filiz Ersoz
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This study was designed enable application of multivariate technique in the interpretation of categorical data for measuring health care services satisfaction in Turkey. The data was collected from a total of 17726 respondents. The establishment of the sample group and collection of the data were carried out by a joint team from The Ministry of Health and Turkish Statistical Institute (Turk Stat) of Turkey. The multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) was used on the data of 2882 respondents who answered the questionnaire in full. The multiple correspondence analysis indicated that, in the evaluation of health services females, public employees, younger and more highly educated individuals were more concerned and complainant than males, private sector employees, older and less educated individuals. Overall 53 % of the respondents were pleased with the improvements in health care services in the past three years. This study demonstrates the public consciousness in health services and health care satisfaction in Turkey. It was found that most the respondents were pleased with the improvements in health care services over the past three years. Awareness of health service quality increases with education levels. Older individuals and males would appear to have lower expectancies in health services.Keywords: multiple correspondence analysis, multivariate categorical data, health care services, health satisfaction survey
Procedia PDF Downloads 2425010 Fuzzy Decision Support System for Human-Realistic Overtaking in Railway Traffic Simulations
Authors: Tomáš Vyčítal
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In a simulation model of a railway system it is important, besides other crucial algorithms, to have correct behaviour of train overtaking in stochastic conditions. This problem is being addressed in many simulation tools focused on railway traffic, however these are not very human-realistic. The goal of this paper is to create a more human-realistic overtaking decision support system for the use in railway traffic simulations. A fuzzy system has been chosen for this task as fuzzy systems are well-suited for human-like decision making. The fuzzy system designed takes into account timetables, train positions, delays and buffer times as inputs and provides an instruction to overtake or not overtake.Keywords: decision-making support, fuzzy systems, simulation, railway, transport
Procedia PDF Downloads 1395009 Frequency Analysis Using Multiple Parameter Probability Distributions for Rainfall to Determine Suitable Probability Distribution in Pakistan
Authors: Tasir Khan, Yejuan Wang
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The study of extreme rainfall events is very important for flood management in river basins and the design of water conservancy infrastructure. Evaluation of quantiles of annual maximum rainfall (AMRF) is required in different environmental fields, agriculture operations, renewable energy sources, climatology, and the design of different structures. Therefore, the annual maximum rainfall (AMRF) was performed at different stations in Pakistan. Multiple probability distributions, log normal (LN), generalized extreme value (GEV), Gumbel (max), and Pearson type3 (P3) were used to find out the most appropriate distributions in different stations. The L moments method was used to evaluate the distribution parameters. Anderson darling test, Kolmogorov- Smirnov test, and chi-square test showed that two distributions, namely GUM (max) and LN, were the best appropriate distributions. The quantile estimate of a multi-parameter PD offers extreme rainfall through a specific location and is therefore important for decision-makers and planners who design and construct different structures. This result provides an indication of these multi-parameter distribution consequences for the study of sites and peak flow prediction and the design of hydrological maps. Therefore, this discovery can support hydraulic structure and flood management.Keywords: RAMSE, multiple frequency analysis, annual maximum rainfall, L-moments
Procedia PDF Downloads 815008 Impact of Capture Effect on Receiver Initiated Collision Detection with Sequential Resolution in WLAN
Authors: Sethu Lekshmi, Shahanas, Prettha P.
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All existing protocols in wireless networks are mainly based on Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision avoidance. By applying collision detection in wireless networks, the time spent on collision can be reduced and thus improves system throughput. However in a real WLAN scenario due to the use of nonlinear modulation techniques only receiver can decided whether a packet loss take place, even there are multiple transmissions. In this proposed method, the receiver or Access Point detects the collision when multiple data packets are transmitted from different wireless stations. Whenever the receiver detects a collision, it transmits a jamming signal to all the transmitting stations so that they can immediately stop their on-going transmissions. We also provide preferential access to all collided packet to reduce unfairness and to increase system throughput by reducing contention. However, this preferential access will not block the channel for the long time. Here, an in-band transmission is considered in which both the data frames and control frames are transmitted in the same channel. We also provide a simple mathematical model for the proposed protocol and give the simulation result of WLAN scenario under various capture thresholds.Keywords: 802.11, WLAN, capture effect, collision detection, collision resolution, receiver initiated
Procedia PDF Downloads 3595007 Angle of Arrival Estimation Using Maximum Likelihood Method
Authors: Olomon Wu, Hung Lu, Nick Wilkins, Daniel Kerr, Zekeriya Aliyazicioglu, H. K. Hwang
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Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) radar has received increasing attention in recent years. MIMO radar has many advantages over conventional phased array radar such as target detection, resolution enhancement, and interference suppression. In this paper, the results are presented from a simulation study of MIMO Uniformly-Spaced Linear Array (ULA) antennas. The performance is investigated under varied parameters, including varied array size, Pseudo Random (PN) sequence length, number of snapshots, and Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR). The results of MIMO are compared to a traditional array antenna.Keywords: MIMO radar, phased array antenna, target detection, radar signal processing
Procedia PDF Downloads 5415006 Kissing Cervical Spine Schwannomas in a Young Female from a Low Resource Setting: A Case Report
Authors: Joseph Mary Ssembatya, Blessing Michael Taremwa
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Background: Multiple schwannomas are typically associated with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), but rare cases occur independently of neurofibromatosis. Schwannomas are benign, slow-growing tumors, primarily affecting the cervical and lumbar spine. When large, they may extend over multiple vertebral levels, posing surgical challenges. Case Presentation: A 13-year-old Ugandan Munyankore female patient, presented with a 6-year history of progressive quadriparesis, particularly in the lower limbs. Clinical examination showed hypertonia and hyperreflexia, with no indicators of neurofibromatosis or prior trauma. MRI revealed two “kissing” schwannomas extending from C2 to T2 in the cervical spine. Decompressive surgery was performed through laminoplasty and partial lesion resection, and histology confirmed schwannoma. Two weeks postoperatively, the patient experienced cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage, neck pain, and headache, which required re-operation and duraplasty. Following these interventions, the patient’s neurological status stabilized, with noted improvement in lower limb strength. Discussion: “Kissing” schwannomas are most frequently documented in the cerebellopontine angle, rarely in the spine, and even more rarely in children. While multiple schwannomas are often associated with NF2, this case had no family history or clinical signs of the disorder. Giant invasive spinal schwannomas (GISS) that span multiple vertebrae demand intricate surgical approaches due to their proximity to neurovascular structures. Conclusion: This is the first reported case of kissing cervical schwannomas in a young patient from a low- to middle-income country. Surgical decompression, though challenging, is critical for neurological recovery in such advanced cases.Keywords: kissing schwannoma, cervical spine, low resource, young, uganda
Procedia PDF Downloads 135005 Comprehensive Approach to Control Virus Infection and Energy Consumption in An Occupant Classroom
Authors: SeyedKeivan Nateghi, Jan Kaczmarczyk
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People nowadays spend most of their time in buildings. Accordingly, maintaining a good quality of indoor air is very important. New universal matters related to the prevalence of Covid-19 also highlight the importance of indoor air conditioning in reducing the risk of virus infection. Cooling and Heating of a house will provide a suitable zone of air temperature for residents. One of the significant factors in energy demand is energy consumption in the building. In general, building divisions compose more than 30% of the world's fundamental energy requirement. As energy demand increased, greenhouse effects emerged that caused global warming. Regardless of the environmental damage to the ecosystem, it can spread infectious diseases such as malaria, cholera, or dengue to many other parts of the world. With the advent of the Covid-19 phenomenon, the previous instructions to reduce energy consumption are no longer responsive because they increase the risk of virus infection among people in the room. Two problems of high energy consumption and coronavirus infection are opposite. A classroom with 30 students and one teacher in Katowice, Poland, considered controlling two objectives simultaneal. The probability of transmission of the disease is calculated from the carbon dioxide concentration of people. Also, in a certain period, the amount of energy consumption is estimated by EnergyPlus. The effect of three parameters of number, angle, and time or schedule of opening windows on the probability of infection transmission and energy consumption of the class were investigated. Parameters were examined widely to determine the best possible condition for simultaneous control of infection spread and energy consumption. The number of opening windows is discrete (0,3), and two other parameters are continuous (0,180) and (8 AM, 2 PM). Preliminary results show that changes in the number, angle, and timing of window openings significantly impact the likelihood of virus transmission and class energy consumption. The greater the number, tilt, and timing of window openings, the less likely the student will transmit the virus. But energy consumption is increasing. When all the windows were closed at all hours of the class, the energy consumption for the first day of January was only 0.2 megajoules. In comparison, the probability of transmitting the virus per person in the classroom is more than 45%. But when all windows were open at maximum angles during class, the chance of transmitting the infection was reduced to 0.35%. But the energy consumption will be 36 megajoules. Therefore, school classrooms need an optimal schedule to control both functions. In this article, we will present a suitable plan for the classroom with natural ventilation through windows to control energy consumption and the possibility of infection transmission at the same time.Keywords: Covid-19, energy consumption, building, carbon dioxide, energyplus
Procedia PDF Downloads 985004 The Effect of Peer Pressure and Leisure Boredom on Substance Use Among Adolescents in Low-Income Communities in Capetown
Authors: Gaironeesa Hendricks, Shazly Savahl, Maria Florence
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The aim of the study is to determine whether peer pressure and leisure boredom influence substance use among adolescents in low-income communities in Cape Town. Non-probability sampling was used to select 296 adolescents between the ages of 16–18 from schools located in two low-income communities. The measurement tools included the Drug Use Disorders Identification Test, the Resistance to Peer Influence and Leisure Boredom Scales. Multiple regression revealed that the combined influence of peer pressure and leisure boredom predicted substance use, while peer pressure emerged as a stronger predictor than leisure boredom on substance use among adolescents.Keywords: substance use, peer pressure, leisure boredom, adolescents, multiple regression
Procedia PDF Downloads 5985003 Research on Territorial Ecological Restoration in Mianzhu City, Sichuan, under the Dual Evaluation Framework
Authors: Wenqian Bai
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Background: In response to the post-pandemic directives of Xi Jinping concerning the new era of ecological civilization, China has embarked on ecological restoration projects across its territorial spaces. This initiative faces challenges such as complex evaluation metrics and subpar informatization standards. Methodology: This research focuses on Mianzhu City, Sichuan Province, to assess its resource and environmental carrying capacities and the appropriateness of land use for development from ecological, agricultural, and urban perspectives. The study incorporates a range of spatial data to evaluate factors like ecosystem services (including water conservation, soil retention, and biodiversity), ecological vulnerability (addressing issues like soil erosion and desertification), and resilience. Utilizing the Minimum Cumulative Resistance model along with the ‘Three Zones and Three Lines’ strategy, the research maps out ecological corridors and significant ecological networks. These frameworks support the ecological restoration and environmental enhancement of the area. Results: The study identifies critical ecological zones in Mianzhu City's northwestern region, highlighting areas essential for protection and particularly crucial for water conservation. The southeastern region is categorized as a generally protected ecological zone with respective ratings for water conservation functionality and ecosystem resilience. The research also explores the spatial challenges of three ecological functions and underscores the substantial impact of human activities, such as mining and agricultural expansion, on the ecological baseline. The proposed spatial arrangement for ecological restoration, termed ‘One Mountain, One Belt, Four Rivers, Five Zones, and Multiple Corridors’, strategically divides the city into eight major restoration zones, each with specific tasks and projects. Conclusion: With its significant ‘mountain-plain’ geography, Mianzhu City acts as a crucial ecological buffer for the Yangtze River's upper reaches. Future development should focus on enhancing ecological corridors in agriculture and urban areas, controlling soil erosion, and converting farmlands back to forests and grasslands to foster ecosystem rehabilitation.Keywords: ecological restoration, resource and environmental carrying capacity, land development suitability, ecosystem services, ecological vulnerability, ecological networks
Procedia PDF Downloads 395002 Genomics of Aquatic Adaptation
Authors: Agostinho Antunes
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The completion of the human genome sequencing in 2003 opened a new perspective into the importance of whole genome sequencing projects, and currently multiple species are having their genomes completed sequenced, from simple organisms, such as bacteria, to more complex taxa, such as mammals. This voluminous sequencing data generated across multiple organisms provides also the framework to better understand the genetic makeup of such species and related ones, allowing to explore the genetic changes underlining the evolution of diverse phenotypic traits. Here, recent results from our group retrieved from comparative evolutionary genomic analyses of selected marine animal species will be considered to exemplify how gene novelty and gene enhancement by positive selection might have been determinant in the success of adaptive radiations into diverse habitats and lifestyles.Keywords: comparative genomics, adaptive evolution, bioinformatics, phylogenetics, genome mining
Procedia PDF Downloads 5335001 A High Quality Factor Filter Based on Quasi- Periodic Photonic Structure
Authors: Hamed Alipour-Banaei, Farhad Mehdizadeh
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We report the design and characterization of ultra high quality factor filter based on one-dimensional photonic-crystal Thue-Morse sequence structure. The behavior of aperiodic array of photonic crystal structure is numerically investigated and we show that by changing the angle of incident wave, desired wavelengths could be tuned and a tunable filter is realized. Also it is shown that high quality factor filter be achieved in the telecommunication window around 1550 nm, with a device based on Thue-Morse structure. Simulation results show that the proposed structure has a quality factor more than 100000 and it is suitable for DWDM communication applications.Keywords: Thue-Morse, filter, quality factor, photonic
Procedia PDF Downloads 5725000 Optimization of Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Station Allocation Based on Multiple Data - Taking Nanjing (China) as an Example
Authors: Yue Huang, Yiheng Feng
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Due to the global pressure on climate and energy, many countries are vigorously promoting electric vehicles and building charging (public) charging facilities. Faced with the supply-demand gap of existing electric vehicle charging stations and unreasonable space usage in China, this paper takes the central city of Nanjing as an example, establishes a site selection model through multivariate data integration, conducts multiple linear regression SPSS analysis, gives quantitative site selection results, and provides optimization models and suggestions for charging station layout planning.Keywords: electric vehicle, charging station, allocation optimization, urban mobility, urban infrastructure, nanjing
Procedia PDF Downloads 924999 Use RP-HPLC To Investigate Factors Influencing Sorghum Protein Extraction
Authors: Khaled Khaladi, Rafika Bibi, Hind Mokrane, Boubekeur Nadjemi
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Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is an important cereal crop grown in the semi-arid tropics of Africa and Asia due to its drought tolerance. Sorghum grain has protein content varying from 6 to 18%, with an average of 11%, Sorghum proteins can be broadly classified into prolamin and non-prolamin proteins. Kafirins, the major storage proteins, are classified as prolamins, and as such, they contain high levels of proline and glutamine and are soluble in non-polar solvents such as aqueous alcohols. Kafirins account for 77 to 82% of the protein in the endosperm, whereas non-prolamin proteins (namely, albumins, globulins, and glutelins) make up about 30% of the proteins. To optimize the extraction of sorghum proteins, several variables were examined: detergent type and concentration, reducing agent type and concentration, and buffer pH and concentration. Samples were quantified and characterized by RP-HPLC.Keywords: sorghum, protein extraction, detergent, food science
Procedia PDF Downloads 3194998 Binocular Heterogeneity in Saccadic Suppression
Authors: Evgeny Kozubenko, Dmitry Shaposhnikov, Mikhail Petrushan
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This work is focused on the study of the binocular characteristics of the phenomenon of perisaccadic suppression in humans when perceiving visual objects. This phenomenon manifests in a decrease in the subject's ability to perceive visual information during saccades, which play an important role in purpose-driven behavior and visual perception. It was shown that the impairment of perception of visual information in the post-saccadic time window is stronger (p < 0.05) in the ipsilateral eye (the eye towards which the saccade occurs). In addition, the observed heterogeneity of post-saccadic suppression in the contralateral and ipsilateral eyes may relate to depth perception. Taking the studied phenomenon into account is important when developing ergonomic control panels in modern operator systems.Keywords: eye movement, natural vision, saccadic suppression, visual perception
Procedia PDF Downloads 156