Search results for: riverbank protection

Authors: Aman Upaganlawar, Upasana Khairnar, Chandrashekhar Upasani

Abstract:

The present study was designed to evaluate the protective effects of protocatechuic acid alone and in combination with ascorbic acid in aniline hydrochloride-induced spleen toxicity in rats. Male Wistar rats of either sex (200-250g) were used and divided into different groups. Spleen toxicity was induced by aniline hydrochloride (100 ppm) in drinking water for 28 days. Treatment group received protocatechuic acid (40 mg/kg/day, p.o), ascorbic acid (40 mg/kg/day, p.o), and combination of protocatechuic acid (20 mg/kg/day, p.o) and ascorbic acid (20 mg/kg/day, p.o) followed by aniline hydrochloride. At the end of treatment period, serum and tissue parameters were evaluated. Rats supplemented with aniline hydrochloride showed a significant alteration in body weight, spleen weight, feed consumption, water intake, hematological parameters (Hemoglobin content, Red Blood Cells, White Blood Cells and Total iron content), tissue parameters (Lipid peroxidation, Reduced glutathione, Nitric oxide content) compared to control group. Histopathology of aniline hydrochloride-induced spleen showed significant damage compared to control rats. Treatment with Protocatechuic acid along with ascorbic acid showed better protection as compared to protocatechuic acid or ascorbic acid alone in aniline hydrochloride-induced spleen toxicity. In conclusion Treatment with protocatechuic acid and ascorbic acid in combination showed significant protection in aniline hydrochloride-induced splenic toxicity in rats.

Keywords: aniline, spleen toxicity, protocatechuic acid, ascorbic acid, antioxidants

Procedia PDF Downloads 356

Authors: Suresh Reddi, Mathew Leslie, Vishnu S. Das

Abstract:

Sustainable design is a prominent concept across all sectors of engineering and its importance is widely recognized within the Arabian Gulf region. Despite that sustainable or soft engineering options are not widely deployed in coastal engineering projects and a preference for utilizing ‘hard engineering’ solutions remain. The concept of soft engineering lies in “working together” with the nature to manage the coastline. This approach allows hard engineering options, such as breakwaters or sea walls, to be minimized or even eliminated altogether. Hard structures provide a firm barrier to wave energy or flooding, but in doing so they often have a significant impact on the natural processes of the coastline. This may affect the area locally or impact on neighboring zones. In addition, they often have a negative environmental impact and may create a sense of disconnect between the marine environment and local users. Soft engineering options, seek to protect the coastline by working in harmony with the natural process of sediment transport/budget. They often consider new habitat creation and creating usable spaces that will increase the sense of connection with nature. Often soft engineering options, where appropriately deployed can provide a low-maintenance, aesthetically valued, natural line of coastal protection. This paper deals with an overview of the following: The widely accepted soft engineering practices across the world; How this approach has been considered by Ramboll in some recent projects in Middle East and Asia; Challenges and barriers to use in using soft engineering options in the region; Way forward towards more widespread adoption.

Keywords: coastline, hard engineering, low maintenance, soft engineering options

Procedia PDF Downloads 137

Authors: Vladimir Berezin, Andrey Bogoyavlenskiy, Pavel Alexyuk, Madina Alexyuk, Aizhan Turmagambetova, Irina Zaitseva, Nadezhda Sokolova, Elmira Omirtaeva

Abstract:

Introduction: Triterpene saponins of plant origin are one of the most promising candidates for elaboration of novel adjuvants. Due to the combination of immunostimulating activity and the capacity interact with amphipathic molecules with formation of highly immunogenic nanocomplexes, triterpene saponins could serve as a good adjuvant/delivery system for vaccine use. In the research presented adjuvants on the base of nanocomplexes contained triterpene saponins isolated from Glycyrrhiza glabra and Saponaria officinalis plants indigenous to Kazakhstan were elaborated for influenza vaccine use. Methods: Purified triterpene saponins 'Glabilox' and 'SO1' with low toxicity and high immunostimulatory activity were isolated from plants Glycyrrhiza glabra L. and Saponaria officinalis L. by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and identified using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Influenza virus A/St-Petersburg/5/09 (H1N1) propagated in 9-days old chicken embryos was concentrated and purified by centrifugation in sucrose gradient. Nanocomplexes contained lipids, and triterpene saponins Glabilox or SO1 were prepared by dialysis technique. Immunostimulating activity of experimental vaccine preparations was studied in vaccination/challenge experiments in mice. Results: Humoral and cellular immune responses and protection against influenza virus infection were examined after single subcutaneous and intranasal immunization. Mice were immunized subunit influenza vaccine (HA+NA) or whole virus inactivated influenza vaccine in doses 3.0/5.0/10.0 µg antigen/animal mixed with adjuvant in dose 15.0 µg/animal. Sera were taken 14-21 days following single immunization and mice challenged by A/St-Petersburg/5/09 influenza virus in dose 100 EID₅₀. Study of experimental influenza vaccine preparations in animal immunization experiments has shown that subcutaneous and intranasal immunization with subunit influenza vaccine mixed with nanocomplexes contained Glabilox or SO1 saponins stimulated high levels of humoral immune response (IgM, IgA, IgG1, IgG2a, and IgG2b antibody) and cellular immune response (IL-2, IL-4, IL-10, and IFN-γ cytokines) and resulted 80-90% protection against lethal influenza infection. Also, single intranasal and single subcutaneous immunization with whole virus inactivated influenza vaccine mixed with nanoparticulated adjuvants stimulated high levels of humoral and cellular immune responses and provided 100% protection against lethal influenza infection. Conclusion: The results of study have shown that nanocomplexes contained purified triterpene saponins Glabilox and SO1 isolated from plants indigenous to Kazakhstan can stimulate a broad spectrum of humoral and cellular immune responses and induce protection against lethal influenza infection. Both elaborated adjuvants are promising for incorporation to influenza vaccine intended for subcutaneous and intranasal routes of immunization.

Keywords: influenza vaccine, adjuvants, triterpene saponins, immunostimulating activity

Procedia PDF Downloads 137

Authors: Chiang-Lead Woo

Abstract:

In reply to serious environmental problems, the Taiwan government quickly adjusted some articles to suit the needs of environmental protection recently, such as the amendment to article 190-1 of the Taiwan Criminal Code. The transfer of legislation comes as an improvement which canceled the limitation of ‘endangering public safety’. At the same time, the article 190-1 goes from accumulative concrete offense to abstract crime of danger. Thus, the public looks forward to whether environmental crime following the imposition of fines or penalties works efficiently in anti-pollution by the deterrent effects. However, according to the addition to article 38-2 of the Taiwan Criminal Code, the confiscation system seems controversial legislation to restrain ill-gotten gains. Most prior studies focused on comparisons with the Administrative Penalty Law and the Criminal Code in environmental issue in Taiwan; recently, more and more studies emphasize calculations on ill-gotten gains. Hence, this paper try to examine the deterrent effect in environmental crime by economic analysis of law and environmental economics perspective. This analysis shows that only if there is an extremely high probability (equal to 100 percent) of an environmental crime case being prosecuted criminally by Taiwan Environmental Protection Agency, the deterrent effects will work. Therefore, this paper suggests deliberating the confiscation system from supplementing the System of Environmental and Economic Accounting, reasonable deterrent fines, input management, real-time system for detection of pollution, and whistleblower system, environmental education, and modernization of law.

Keywords: confiscation, ecosystem services, environmental crime, ill-gotten gains, the deterrent effect, the system of environmental and economic accounting

Procedia PDF Downloads 169

Authors: Turban Kar, Maitree Bhattacharyya

Abstract:

Curcumin, a dietary antioxidant has been identified as a wonder molecule to possess therapeutic properties protecting the cellular macromolecules from oxidative damage. In our experimental study, we have explored the effectiveness of curcumin in protecting the structural paradigm of Human Serum Albumin (HSA) when exposed to gamma irradiation. HSA, being an important transport protein of the circulatory system, is involved in binding of variety of metabolites, drugs, dyes and fatty acids due to the presence of hydrophobic pockets inside the structure. HSA is also actively involved in the transportation of drugs and metabolites to their targets, because of its long half-life and regulation of osmotic blood pressure. Gamma rays, in its increasing concentration, results in structural alteration of the protein and superoxide radical generation. Curcumin, on the other hand, mitigates the damage, which has been evidenced in the following experiments. Our study explores the possibility for protection by curcumin during the molecular and conformational changes of HSA when exposed to gamma irradiation. We used a combination of spectroscopic methods to probe the conformational ensemble of the irradiated HSA and finally evaluated the extent of restoration by curcumin. SDS - PAGE indicated the formation of cross linked aggregates as a consequence of increasing exposure of gamma radiation. CD and FTIR spectroscopy inferred significant decrease in alpha helix content of HSA from 57% to 15% with increasing radiation doses. Steady state and time resolved fluorescence studies complemented the spectroscopic measurements when lifetime decay was significantly reduced from 6.35 ns to 0.37 ns. Hydrophobic and bityrosine study showed the effectiveness of curcumin for protection against radiation induced free radical generation. Moreover, bityrosine and hydrophobic profiling of gamma irradiated HSA in presence and absence of curcumin provided light on the formation of ROS species generation and the protective (magical) role of curcumin. The molecular mechanism of curcumin protection to HSA from gamma irradiation is yet unknown, though a possible explanation has been proposed in this work using Thioflavin T assay. It was elucidated, that when HSA is irradiated at low dose of gamma radiation in presence of curcumin, it is capable of retaining the native characteristic properties to a greater extent indicating stabilization of molecular structure. Thus, curcumin may be utilized as a therapeutic strategy to protect cellular proteins.

Keywords: Bityrosine content, conformational change, curcumin, gamma radiation, human serum albumin

Procedia PDF Downloads 156

Authors: Shaya Alshahrani

Abstract:

Perceived risks play a major role in consumer intentions, behaviors, attitudes, and decisions about online shopping in the KSA. This paper investigates the influence of six perceived risk dimensions on Saudi consumers: product risk, information risk, financial risk, privacy and security risk, delivery risk, and terms and conditions risk empirically. To ensure the success of this study, a random survey was distributed to reflect the consumers’ perceived risk and to enable the generalization of the results. Data were collected from 323 respondents in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA): 50 who had never shopped online and 273 who had done so. The results indicated that all six risks influenced the respondents’ perceptions of online shopping. The non-online shoppers perceived financial and delivery risks as the most significant barriers to online shopping. This was followed closely by performance, information, and privacy and security risks. Terms and conditions were perceived as less significant. The online consumers considered delivery and performance risks to be the most significant influences on internet shopping. This was followed closely by information and terms and conditions. Financial and privacy and security risks were perceived as less significant. This paper argues that introducing adequate legal solutions to addressing related problems arising from this study is an urgent need. This may enhance consumer trust in the KSA online market, increase consumers’ intentions regarding online shopping, and improve consumer protection.

Keywords: perceived risk, online contracts, Saudi Arabia, consumer protection

Procedia PDF Downloads 148

Authors: Neisha Shepherd

Abstract:

In Australia, an independent children's lawyer is appointed to represent a child in parenting disputes in the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, where there are complex issues such as child protection, family violence, high conflict, relocation, and parental alienation. The appointment of an Independent Children's Lawyer is to give effect in the family law proceedings of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, in particular Article 3.1, 12.1, and 12.2. There is a strong focus on alternative dispute resolution in the Australian Family Law jurisdiction in matters that are before the Court that has formed part of the case management pathways. An Independent Children's Lawyer's role is even more crucial in assisting families in resolving the most complex parenting disputes through mediation as they are required to act impartial and be independent of the Court and the parties. A child has the right to establish a professional relationship with the Independent Children's Lawyer. This relationship is usually established over a period of time, and the child is afforded the opportunity to talk about their views and wishes and participate in decisions that affect them. In considering the views and wishes of the child, the Independent Children's lawyer takes into account the different emotional, cognitive, and intellectual developmental levels, family structures, family dynamics, sibling relationships, religious and cultural backgrounds; and that children are vulnerable to external pressures when caught in disputes involving their parents. With the increase of child-inclusive mediations being used to resolve family disputes in the best interests of a child, an Independent Children's Lawyer can have a critical role in this process with the specialised skills that they have working with children in the family law jurisdiction. This paper will discuss how inclusive child mediation with the assistance of an Independent Children's Lawyer can assist in the resolution of some of the most complex parenting disputes by examining through case studies: the effectiveness and challenges of such an approach; strategies to work with child clients, adolescents, and sibling groups; ways to provide feedback regarding a child's views and wishes and express a child's understanding, actual experiences and perspective to parties in a mediation and whether it is appropriate to do so; strategies and examples to assist in developing parenting plans or orders that are in the best interest of a child that is workable and achievable; how to deal with cases that involve serious child protection and family violence and strategies to ensure that child safety is paramount; the importance of feedback to the child client. Finally this paper will explore some of the challenges for Independent Children's Lawyers in relation to child-inclusive mediations where matters do not resolve.

Keywords: child inclusive mediation, independent children's lawyer, family violence, child protection

Procedia PDF Downloads 122

Authors: Georgios Boustras, Cleo Varianou Mikellidou, Christos Argyropoulos

Abstract:

Summer 2021 was marked by a number of prolific fires in the EU (Greece, Cyprus, France) as well as outside the EU (USA, Turkey, Israel). This series of dramatic events have stretched national civil protection systems and first responders in particular. Despite the introduction of National, Regional and International frameworks (e.g. rescEU), a number of challenges have arisen, not only related to climate change. RESPOND-A (funded by the European Commission by Horizon 2020, Contract Number 883371) introduces a unique five-tier project architectural structure for best associating modern telecommunications technology with novel practices for First Responders of saving lives, while safeguarding themselves, more effectively and efficiently. The introduced architecture includes Perception, Network, Processing, Comprehension, and User Interface layers, which can be flexibly elaborated to support multiple levels and types of customization, so, the intended technologies and practices can adapt to any European Environment Agency (EEA)-type disaster scenario. During the preparation of the RESPOND-A proposal, some of our First Responder Partners expressed the need for an information management system that could boost existing emergency response tools, while some others envisioned a complete end-to-end network management system that would offer high Situational Awareness, Early Warning and Risk Mitigation capabilities. The intuition behind these needs and visions sits on the long-term experience of these Responders, as well, their smoldering worry that the evolving threat of climate change and the consequences of industrial accidents will become more frequent and severe. Three large-scale pilot studies are planned in order to illustrate the capabilities of the RESPOND-A system. The first pilot study will focus on the deployment and operation of all available technologies for continuous communications, enhanced Situational Awareness and improved health and safety conditions for First Responders, according to a big fire scenario in a Wildland Urban Interface zone (WUI). An important issue will be examined during the second pilot study. Unobstructed communication in the form of the flow of information is severely affected during a crisis; the flow of information between the wider public, from the first responders to the public and vice versa. Call centers are flooded with requests and communication is compromised or it breaks down on many occasions, which affects in turn – the effort to build a common operations picture for all firstr esponders. At the same time the information that reaches from the public to the operational centers is scarce, especially in the aftermath of an incident. Understandably traffic if disrupted leaves no other way to observe but only via aerial means, in order to perform rapid area surveys. Results and work in progress will be presented in detail and challenges in relation to civil protection will be discussed.

Keywords: first responders, safety, civil protection, new technologies

Procedia PDF Downloads 142

Authors: Gikunda Aloise, Mjema Saida, Barasa Herbert, Wanyungu John, Kimani Maureen

Abstract:

Background: Community Health Workforce (CHW) is health care providers at the community level (Level 1) and serves as a bridge between the community and the formal healthcare system. This human resource has enormous potential to extend healthcare services and ensures that the vulnerable, marginalized, and hard-to-reach populations have access to quality healthcare services at the community and primary health facility levels. However, these cadres are neither recognized, remunerated, nor in most instances, registered in a master list. Management and supervision of CHWs is not easy if their individual demographics, training capacity and incentives is not well documented through a centralized registry. Description: In February 2022, Amref supported the Kenya Ministry of Health in developing a community health workforce database called Community Health Workers Master List Registry (CHWML), which is hosted in Kenya Health Information System (KHIS) tracker. CHW registration exercise was through a sensitization meeting conducted by the County Community Health Focal Person for the Sub-County Community Health Focal Person and Community Health Assistants who uploaded information on individual demographics, training undertaken and incentives received by CHVs. Care was taken to ensure compliance with Kenyan laws on the availability and use of personal data as prescribed by the Data Protection Act, 2019 (DPA). Results and lessons learnt: By June 2022, 80,825 CHWs had been registered in the system; 78,174 (96%) CHVs and 2,636 (4%) CHAs. 25,235 (31%) are male, 55,505 (68%) are female & 85 (1%) are transgender. 39,979. (49%) had secondary education and 2500 (3%) had no formal education. Only 27 641 (34%) received a monthly stipend. 68,436 CHVs (85%) had undergone basic training. However, there is a need to validate the data to align with the current situation in the counties. Conclusions/Next steps: The use of CHWML will unlock opportunities for building more resilient and sustainable health systems and inform financial planning, resource allocation, capacity development, and quality service delivery. The MOH will update the CHWML guidelines in adherence to the data protection act which will inform standard procedures for maintaining, updating the registry and integrate Community Health Workforce registry with the HRH system.

Keywords: community health registry, community health volunteers (CHVs), community health workers masters list (CHWML), data protection act

Procedia PDF Downloads 139

Authors: Bencheikh Abdellah

Abstract:

In this paper, we present a mathematical model dedicated to the simulation breaks bars in a three-phase cage induction motor. This model is based on a mesh circuit representing the rotor cage. The tested simulation allowed us to demonstrate the effectiveness of this model to describe the behavior of the machine in a healthy state, failure.

Keywords: AC motors, squirrel cage, diagnostics, MATLAB, SIMULINK

Procedia PDF Downloads 437

Authors: Ioan Rusu

Abstract:

In the operation of power transformers of 110 kV/MV from substations, these are traveled by fault current resulting from MV line damage. Defect electrical contacts are heated when they are travelled from fault currents. In the case of high temperatures when 135 °C is reached, the electrical insulating oil in the vicinity of the electrical faults comes into contact with these contacts releases gases, and activates the electrical protection. To avoid auto-flammability of electro-insulating oil, we designed a security system thermal of electrical contact defects by pouring fire-resistant polyurethane foam, mastic or mortar fire inside a cardboard electro-insulating cylinder. From practical experience, in the exploitation of power transformers of 110 kV/MT in oil electro-insulating were recorded some passing disconnecting commanded by the gas protection at internal defects. In normal operation and in the optimal load, nominal currents do not require thermal secure contacts inside electrical transformers, contacts are made at the fabrication according to the projects or to repair by solder. In the case of external short circuits close to the substation, the contacts inside electrical transformers, even if they are well made in sizes of Rcontact = 10^‑6 Ω, are subjected to short-circuit currents of the order of 10 kA-20 kA which lead to the dissipation of some significant second-order electric powers, 100 W-400 W, on contact. At some internal or external factors which action on electrical contacts, including electrodynamic efforts at short-circuits, these factors could be degraded over time to values in the range of 10^-4 Ω to 10^-5 Ω and if the action time of protection is great, on the order of seconds, power dissipation on electrical contacts achieve high values of 1,0 kW to 40,0 kW. This power leads to strong local heating, hundreds of degrees Celsius and can initiate self-ignition and burning oil in the vicinity of electro-insulating contacts with action the gas relay. Degradation of electrical contacts inside power transformers may not be limited for the duration of their operation. In order to avoid oil burn with gas release near electrical contacts, at short-circuit currents 10 kA-20 kA, we have outlined the following solutions: covering electrical contacts in fireproof materials that would avoid direct burn oil at short circuit and transmission of heat from electrical contact along the conductors with heat dissipation gradually over time, in a large volume of cooling. Flame retardant materials are: polyurethane foam, mastic, cement (concrete). In the normal condition of operation of transformer, insulating of conductors coils is with paper and insulating oil. Ignition points of its two components respectively are approximated: 135 °C heat for oil and 200 ⁰C for paper. In the case of a faulty electrical contact, about 10^-3 Ω, at short-circuit; the temperature can reach for a short time, a value of 300 °C-400 °C, which ignite the paper and also the oil. By burning oil, there are local gases that disconnect the power transformer. Securing thermal electrical contacts inside the transformer, in cardboard tube with polyurethane foams, mastik or cement, ensures avoiding gas release and also gas protection working.

Keywords: power transformer, oil insulatation, electric contacts, Bucholtz relay

Procedia PDF Downloads 158

Authors: Ahlyum Mun, Ji-Young Moon, Moon-Seok Yoon, Dong-Jin Baek, Doo-Seok Seo, Oun-Kyong Moon

Abstract:

There is a growing public concern over the standards of farm animal welfare, with higher standards of food safety. In addition, the recent low incidence of Avian Influenza in laying hens among certificated farms is receiving attention. In this study, we introduce animal welfare systems covering the rearing, transport and slaughter of farm animals in South Korea. The concepts of animal welfare farm certification are based on ensuring the five freedoms of animal. The animal welfare is also achieved by observing the condition of environment including shelter and resting area, feeding and water and the care for the animal health. The certification of farm animal welfare is handled by the Animal Protection & Welfare Division of Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (APQA). Following the full amendment of Animal Protection Law in 2011, animal welfare farm certification program has been implemented since 2012. The certification system has expanded to cover laying hen, swine, broiler, beef cattle and dairy cow, goat and duck farms. Livestock farmers who want to be certified must apply for certification at the APQA. Upon receipt of the application, the APQA notifies the applicant of the detailed schedule of the on-site examination after reviewing the document and conducts the on-site inspection according to the evaluation criteria of the welfare standard. If the on-site audit results meet the certification criteria, APQA issues a certificate. The production process of certified farms is inspected at least once a year for follow-up management. As of 2017, a total of 145 farms have been certified (95 laying hen farms, 12 swine farms, 30 broiler farms and 8 dairy cow farms). In addition, animal welfare transportation vehicles and slaughterhouses have been designated since 2013 and currently 6 slaughterhouses have been certified. Animal Protection Law has been amended so that animal welfare certification marks can be affixed only to livestock products produced by animal welfare farms, transported through animal welfare vehicles and slaughtered at animal welfare slaughterhouses. The whole process including rearing–transportation- slaughtering completes the farm animal welfare system. APQA established its second 5-year animal welfare plan (2014-2019) that includes setting a minimum standard of animal welfare applicable to all livestock farms, transportation vehicles and slaughterhouses. In accordance with this plan, we will promote the farm animal welfare policy in order to truly advance the Korean livestock industry.

Keywords: animal welfare, farm animal, certification system, South Korea

Procedia PDF Downloads 399

Authors: Neha Parekh, Divya Ladha, Poonam Wadhwani, Nisha Shah

Abstract:

Nano scaled materials have attracted tremendous interest as corrosion inhibitor due to their high surface area on the metal surfaces. It is well known that the zinc oxide nanoparticles have higher reactivity towards aqueous acidic solution. This work presents a new method to incorporate zinc oxide nanoparticles with white sesame seeds extract (nano-green inhibitor) for corrosion protection of zinc in acidic medium. The morphology of the zinc oxide nanoparticles was investigated by TEM and DLS. The corrosion inhibition efficiency of the green inhibitor and nano-green inhibitor was determined by Gravimetric and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) methods. Gravimetric measurements suggested that nano-green inhibitor is more effective than green inhibitor. Furthermore, with the increasing temperature, inhibition efficiency increases for both the inhibitors. In addition, it was established the Temkin adsorption isotherm fits well with the experimental data for both the inhibitors. The effect of temperature and Temkin adsorption isotherm revealed Chemisorption mechanism occurring in the system. The activation energy (Ea) and other thermodynamic parameters for inhibition process were calculated. The data of EIS showed that the charge transfer controls the corrosion process. The surface morphology of zinc metal (specimen) in absence and presence of green inhibitor and nano-green inhibitor were performed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) techniques. The outcomes indicated a formation of a protective layer over zinc metal (specimen).

Keywords: corrosion, green inhibitor, nanoparticles, zinc

Procedia PDF Downloads 454

Authors: Mohammad Derakhshani, Saeed Reza Allahkarama, Michael Isakhani-Zakaria, Masoud Samadian, Hojjat Sharifi Rasaey

Abstract:

In order to investigate the effects of stray current from DC traction systems (subway) on cathodically protected gas pipelines, the subway and the gas network maps in the city of Tehran were superimposed and a comprehensive map was prepared. 213 intersections and about 100150 meters of parallel sections of gas pipelines were found with respect to the railway right of way which was specified for field measurements. The potential measurements data were logged for one hour in each test point. 24-hour potential monitoring was carried out in selected test points as well. Results showed that dynamic stray current from subway on pipeline potential appears as fluctuations in its static potential that is visible in the diagrams during night periods. These fluctuations can cause the pipeline potential to exit the safe zone and lead to corrosion or overprotection. In this study, a maximum potential shift of 100 mv in the pipe-to-soil potential was considered as a criterion for dynamic stray current effective presence. Results showed that a potential fluctuation range between 100 mV to 3 V exists in measured points on pipelines which exceeds the proposed criterion and needs to be investigated. Corrosion rates influenced by stray currents were calculated using coupons. Results showed that coupon linked to the pipeline in one of the locations at region 1 of the city of Tehran has a corrosion rate of 4.2 mpy (with cathodic protection and under influence of stray currents) which is about 1.5 times more than free corrosion rate of 2.6 mpy.

Keywords: stray current, DC traction, subway, buried Pipelines, cathodic protection list

Procedia PDF Downloads 822

Authors: Mauro Masili, Fernanda O. Duarte, Liliane Ventura

Abstract:

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is electromagnetic waves from 100 – 400 nm wavelength. The World Health Organization and the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) recommend guidelines on the exposure of the eyes to UV radiation because it is correlated to ophthalmic diseases. Those exposure limits for an 8-h period are 1) UV radiant exposure should not exceed 30 J/m2 when irradiance is spectrally weighted using an actinic action spectrum; 2) unweighted radiant exposure in the UV-A spectral region 315 – 400 nm should not exceed 10 kJ/m2. Sunglasses play an important role in preventing eye injuries related to Sun exposure. We have calculated the direct and diffuse solar UV irradiance in a geometry that refers to an individual wearing a sunglass, in which the solar rays strike on a vertical surface. The diffuse rays are those scattered from the atmosphere and from the local environment. The calculations used the open-source SMARTS2 spectral model, in which we assumed a clear sky condition, aside from information about site location, date, time, ozone column, aerosols, and turbidity. In addition, we measured the spectral transmittance of a typical sunglasses lens and the global solar irradiance was weighted with the spectral transmittance profile of the lens. The radiant exposure incident on the eye’s surface was calculated in the UV and UV-A ranges following the ICNIRP’s recommendations for each day of the year. The tested lens failed the UV-A safe limit, while the UV limit failed to comply with this limit after the aging process. Hence, the ICNIRP safe limits should be considered in the standards to increase the protection against UV radiation on the eye.

Keywords: ICNIRP safe limits, ISO-12312-1, sunglasses, ultraviolet radiation

Procedia PDF Downloads 90

Authors: Garba Inuwa Kuta, Mohammed, Adamu, Mohammed Ahmed Emigilati, Ibrahim Ishiaku, Kudu Dangana

Abstract:

The study sought to identify the problems of solid waste management in General Mohammed InuwaWushishi Housing Estate. The two broad types of data, the secondary and primary data were used in the study. Questionnaires and personal observations were also used to collect some of the data. Factors impeding the effective and efficient solid waste management were identified. The study revealed that sacks disposal method and open dumping are the most commonly used method of disposal, about 30.0% of the respondent use sacks disposal method in the estate while 24.9% dump their refuse on the floor. Wrong attitudes and perceptions of the people about sanitation issues contributed to solid waste management problems of General Mohammed InuwaWushishi Housing Estate. Majority of the households did not educate their members on the need to clean their surroundings and refuse to buy drum for waste disposal from Niger State Environmental Protection Agency (NISEPA) on the basis that the drums are expensive. Virtually, all the people depended on Niger State Environmental Protection Agency (NISEPA) facilities for the disposal of their household refuse. Solid waste management problems were partly the results of NISEPA’s inability to cope with the situation because of lack of equipment. It was recommended that there should be an increase in enlightenment to the people on domestic waste disposal to keep the surroundings clean.

Keywords: housing estate, assessment, solid waste, disposal, management

Procedia PDF Downloads 650

Authors: Mas Rahmah

Abstract:

Indonesia is the most populous Southeast Asian nations, as Indonesia`s population is constantly growing, food security has become a crucial trending issue. Although Indonesia has more than enough natural resources and agricultural products to ensure food security for all, Indonesia is still facing the problem of food security because of adverse weather conditions, increasing population, political instability, economic factors (unemployment, rising food prices), and the dependent system of agriculture. This paper will analyze that Geographical Indication (GI) can aid in transforming Indonesian agricultural-dependent system by tapping the unique product attributes of their quality products since Indonesia has a lot of agricultural products with unique quality and special characteristic associated with geographical factors such as Toraja Coffee, Alor Vanili, Banda Nutmeg, Java Tea, Deli Tobacco, Cianjur Rise etc. This paper argues that the reputation and agricultural products and their intrinsic quality should be protected under GI because GI will provide benefit supporting the food security program. Therefore, this paper will expose the benefit of GI protection such as increasing productivity, improving the exports of GI products, creating employment, adding economic value to products, and increasing the diversity of supply of natural and unique quality products, etc. that can contribute to food security. The analysis will finally conclude that the scenario of promoting GI may indirectly contribute to food security through adding value by incorporating territory specific cultural, environmental and social qualities into production, processing and developing of unique local, niche and special agricultural products.

Keywords: geographical indication, food security, agricultural product, Indonesia

Procedia PDF Downloads 369

Authors: Sinead Creedon, Anna Trace

Abstract:

Nurses were the most exposed of all frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mainly female nurses working in the acute hospital sector formed the frontline defence in the Irish health service. They faced it with resilience and courage despite exposure to risk of burnout and threats to their mental health and wellbeing. Gaining an understanding of the nurses’ journey in adapting to this harsh climate could inform positive psychology interventions and / or support staff such as senior hospital managers in an adverse work situation. Furthermore, it would strengthen our insight and theoretical understanding on the use of positive psychology interventions in adverse work conditions. An interpretative phenomenological analysis was carried out to gain insight into how nurses adapted to the changing work environment during the pandemic. Online semi-structured interviews were done with six experienced female nurses who were all redeployed to the frontline from their own roles. The three themes representing the nurses’ journey were the Protection of Sacrificial Self, The Fortifying Effect of Us, and Critical Turning Points & Growth. Nurses revitalised themselves by creating a sense of ‘us’ to help them face a harsh climate against others, which enabled additional critical turning points. This study further enriches our understanding of personal growth and trauma in adverse work conditions by including an exploration of what sacrificial commitment adds to our understanding of physical and moral courage.

Keywords: COVID-19, nurses, positive psychology, resilience, sacrificial commitment, supports

Procedia PDF Downloads 147

Authors: Li Lin Ong, Duc Thinh Khong, Zaher M. A. Judeh

Abstract:

Phenylpropanoid sucrose esters (PSEs) are natural compounds found in various medicinal plants which exhibit important biological activities such as antiproliferation and α- and β-glucosidase inhibitory activities. Despite their potential as new therapeutics, total synthesis of PSEs has been very limited as their inherent structures contain one or more (substituted) cinnamoyl groups randomly allocated on the sucrose core via ester linkage. Since direct acylation of unprotected sucrose would be complex and tedious due to the presence of eight free hydroxyl groups, partially protected 2,1’:4,6-di-O-diisopropylidene sucrose was used as the starting material instead. However, similar reactivity between the remaining four hydroxyl groups still pose a challenge in the total synthesis of PSEs as the lack of selectivity can restrict customisation where acylation at specific OH is desired. To overcome this problem, a 4-step orthogonal protection scheme was developed. In this scheme, the remaining four hydroxyl groups on 2,1’:4,6-di-O-diisopropylidene sucrose, 6’-OH, 3’-OH, 4’-OH, and 3-OH, were protected with different protecting groups with an overall yield of > 40%. This orthogonally protected intermediate would provide a convenient and divergent access to a wider range of natural and synthetic PSEs as (substituted) cinnamoyl groups can be selectively introduced at desired positions. Using this scheme, three different series of monosubstituted PSEs were successfully synthesized where (substituted) cinnamoyl groups were introduced selectively at O-3, O-3’, and O-4’ positions, respectively. The expanded library of PSEs would aid in structural-activity relationship study of PSEs for identifying key components responsible for their biological activities.

Keywords: orthogonal protection, phenylpropanoid sucrose esters, selectivity, sucrose

Procedia PDF Downloads 158

Authors: Pavel V. Balabanov, Daria A. Liubimova, Aleksandr P. Savenkov

Abstract:

The increase of technogenic and natural accidents, accompanied by air pollution, for example, by combustion products, leads to the necessity of respiratory protection. This work is devoted to the development of a calorimetric method and a device which allow investigating quickly the kinetics of carbon dioxide sorption by chemo-sorbents on the base of potassium superoxide in order to assess the protective properties of respiratory protective closed-circuit apparatus. The features of the traditional approach for determining the sorption properties in a thin layer of chemo-sorbent are described, as well as methods and devices, which can be used for the sorption kinetics study. The authors of the paper developed an approach (as opposed to the traditional approach) based on the power measurement of internal heat sources in the chemo-sorbent layer. The emergence of the heat sources is a result of the exothermic reaction of carbon dioxide sorption. This approach eliminates the necessity of chemical analysis of samples and can significantly reduce the time and material expenses during chemo-sorbents testing. The error of determining the volume fraction of adsorbed carbon dioxide by the developed method does not exceed 12%. Taking into account the efficiency of the method, we consider that it is a good alternative to traditional methods of chemical analysis under the assessment of the protection sorbents quality.

Keywords: carbon dioxide chemisorption, exothermic reaction, internal heat sources, respiratory protective apparatus

Procedia PDF Downloads 407

Authors: Tingting Song

Abstract:

Wetlands are significant ecosystems that provide a variety of ecosystem services for humans, such as, providing water and food resources, purifying water quality, regulating climate, protecting biodiversity, and providing cultural, recreational, and educational resources. Wetlands also provide benefits, such as reduction of flood, storm damage, and soil erosion. The flood protection ecosystem services of wetlands are often ignored. Due to climate change, the flood caused by extreme weather in recent years occur frequently. Flood has a great impact on people's production and life with more and more economic losses. This study area is in the Tone river basin in the Kanto area, Japan. It is the second-longest river with the largest basin area in Japan, and it is still suffering heavy economic losses from floods. Tone river basin is one of the rivers that provide water for Tokyo and has an important impact on economic activities in Japan. The purpose of this study was to investigate land-use changes of wetlands in the Tone River Basin, and whether there are spatial differences in the value of wetland functions in mitigating economic losses caused by floods. This study analyzed the land-use change of wetland in Tone River, based on the Landsat data from 1980 to 2020. Combined with flood economic loss, wetland area, GDP, population density, and other social-economic data, a geospatial weighted regression model was constructed to analyze the spatial difference of wetland ecosystem service value. Now, flood protection mainly relies on such a hard project of dam and reservoir, but excessive dependence on hard engineering will cause the government huge financial pressure and have a big impact on the ecological environment. However, natural wetlands can also play a role in flood management, at the same time they can also provide diverse ecosystem services. Moreover, the construction and maintenance cost of natural wetlands is lower than that of hard engineering. Although it is not easy to say which is more effective in terms of flood management. When the marginal value of a wetland is greater than the economic loss caused by flood per unit area, it may be considered to rely on the flood storage capacity of the wetland to reduce the impact of the flood. It can promote the sustainable development of wetlands ecosystem. On the other hand, spatial analysis of wetland values can provide a more effective strategy for flood management in the Tone river basin.

Keywords: wetland, geospatial weighted regression, ecosystem services, environment valuation

Procedia PDF Downloads 101

Authors: Ma. Manna Farrel B. Pinto

Abstract:

As global industrialization progresses, the environment remains to be at risk of disturbances brought by developments of cities and communities. Impacts of flourishing industries such as tourism require rapid growth of establishments and may threaten ecosystems and natural resources. Puerto Galera as a biosphere reserve and declared as the Center of the World’s Center of Marine Shorefish Biodiversity is on the brink of ecological deterioration as tourism further develops in its coastal areas. Apparently, attempts were initiated to establish a baseline for designation of protection in the economic and coastal marine zones of Puerto Galera but continuity of its implementation and coordination of concerned units remains deficient. Indications of eutrophication have been observed based on water quality analysis although parameter values still comply with the national standards for coastal waters. Water quality data, biodiversity and hydrodynamic information, gathered from studies, and local government units were analysed to assess the condition of the coast as well as acting policies implemented by the local authorities. Sources of contaminants were also located in its three main communities, and their shores wherein in recommendations for installing wastewater treatment facilities and further improvement of policies of waste discharge must be addressed. With a conceptual framework proposed in the study, a comprehensive data analysis and coordinated management are necessary to form an integrated coastal management for further protection and preservation of the sustainable coastal marine ecosystem of Puerto Galera.

Keywords: coastal management, environmental management, integrated resource management, Puerto Galera

Procedia PDF Downloads 267

Authors: Umer Farooq

Abstract:

The present work is being presented with a general aim of highlighting the role of protection/propagation of indigenous breeds of livestock in an area as a sustainable tool for poverty alleviation. Specifically, the aim is to introduce a formerly neglected Cholistani breed of cattle being reared by the Cholistani desert nomads of Pakistan. The said work will present a detaile account of research work conducted during the last five years by the author. Furthermore, it will present the performance (productive and reproductive traits) of this breed as being reared under various nomadic systems of the desert. Results will be deducted on the basis of the research work conducted on Cholistani cattle and keeping abreast the latest reforms being provided by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Initiative to Support Pastoralism (WISP) of the UN. The timely attention towards the protection and propagation of this neglected breed of cattle will pave a smoother way towards poverty alleviation of rural/suburban areas and a successful sustainable agriculture in low input production systems such as Pakistan. The 15 recognized indigenous breeds of cattle constitute 43% of the total livestock population in Pakistan and belong to Zebu cattle. These precious breeds are currently under threat and might disappear even before proper documentation until and unless streamlined efforts are diverted towards them. This horrific state is due to many factors such as epidemic diseases, urbanization, indiscriminate crossing with native stock, misdirected cross breeding with exotic stock/semen, inclined livestock systems from extensive (subsistence) to intensive (commercial), lack of valuation of local breeds, decreasing natural resources, environmental degradation and global warming. Hefty work has been documented on many aspects of Sahiwal and Red Sindhi breeds of cattle in their respective local climates which have rightly gained them an international fame as being the vital tropical milk breeds of Pakistan. However, many other indigenous livestock breeds such as Cholistani cattle being reared under pastoral systems of Cholistan are yet unexplored. The productive and reproductive traits under their local climatic conditions need to be studied and the future researches may be streamlined to manipulate their indigenous potential. The timely attention will pave a smoother way towards poverty alleviation of rural/suburban areas and a successful sustainable agriculture in low input production systems.

Keywords: Cholistan desert, Pakistan, indigenous cattle, Sahiwal cattle, pastoralism

Procedia PDF Downloads 556

Authors: Huijie Wang, Bin Zhang

Abstract:

In China, the middle reaches of the Yangtze River are well-developed, boasting a wealth of different types of watershed landscape. In this regard, landscape character assessment (LCA) can serve as a basis for protection, management and planning of trans-regional watershed landscape types. For this study, we chose the middle reaches of the Yangtze River in Wuhan metropolitan area as our study site, wherein the water system consists of rich variety in landscape types. We analyzed trans-regional data to cluster and identify types of landscape characteristics at two levels. 55 basins were analyzed as variables with topography, land cover and river system features in order to identify the watershed landscape character types. For watershed landscape, drainage density and degree of curvature were specified as special variables to directly reflect the regional differences of river system features. Then, we used the principal component analysis (PCA) method and hierarchical clustering algorithm based on the geographic information system (GIS) and statistical products and services solution (SPSS) to obtain results for clusters of watershed landscape which were divided into 8 characteristic groups. These groups highlighted watershed landscape characteristics of different river systems as well as key landscape characteristics that can serve as a basis for targeted protection of watershed landscape characteristics, thus helping to rationally develop multi-value landscape resources and promote coordinated development of trans-regions.

Keywords: GIS, hierarchical clustering, landscape character, landscape typology, principal component analysis, watershed

Procedia PDF Downloads 228

Authors: Antonio Davola

Abstract:

Moving from the evaluations operated by Richard Posner in his judgment on the case Carhart v. Halaska, the paper seeks to analyse the so-called ‘litigation troll’ phenomenon and the development of a damage claims market, i.e. a market in which the right to propose claims is voluntary exchangeable for money and can be asserted by private buyers. The aim of our study is to assess whether the implementation of a ‘damage claims market’ might represent a resource for victims or if, on the contrary, it might operate solely as a speculation tool for private investors. The analysis will move from the US experience, and will then focus on the EU framework. Firstly, the paper will analyse the relation between the litigation troll phenomenon and the patent troll activity: even though these activities are considered similar by Posner, a comparative study shows how these practices significantly differ in their impact on the market and on consumer protection, even moving from similar economic perspectives. The second part of the paper will focus on the main specific concerns related to the litigation trolling activity. The main issues that will be addressed are the risk that the circulation of damage claims might spur non-meritorious litigation and the implications of the misalignment between the victim of a tort and the actual plaintiff in court arising from the sale of a claim. In its third part, the paper will then focus on the opportunities and benefits that the introduction and regulation of a claims market might imply both for potential claims sellers and buyers, in order to ultimately assess whether such a solution might actually increase individual’s legal empowerment. Through the damage claims market compensation would be granted more quickly and easily to consumers who had suffered harm: tort victims would, in fact, be compensated instantly upon the sale of their claims without any burden of proof. On the other hand, claim-buyers would profit from the gap between the amount that a consumer would accept for an immediate refund and the compensation awarded in court. In the fourth part of the paper, the analysis will focus on the legal legitimacy of the litigation trolling activity in the US and the EU framework. Even though there is no express provision that forbids the sale of the right to pursue a claim in court - or that deems such a right to be non-transferable – procedural laws of single States (especially in the EU panorama) must be taken into account in evaluating this aspect. The fifth and final part of the paper will summarize the various data collected to suggest an evaluation on if, and through which normative solutions, the litigation trolling might comport benefits for competition and which would be its overall effect over consumer’s protection.

Keywords: competition, claims, consumer's protection, litigation

Procedia PDF Downloads 230

Authors: Michael Nthabiseng Moeti, Makhulu Relebogile Langa, Joey Jansen van Vuuren

Abstract:

This paper examines the utilization of personal electronic devices like laptops, tablets, and smartphones for professional duties within a financial organization. This phenomenon is known as bring your own device (BYOD). BYOD accords employees the freedom to use their personal devices to access corporate resources from anywhere in the world with Internet access. BYOD arrangements introduce significant security risks for both organizations and users. These setups change the threat landscape for enterprises and demand unique security strategies, as conventional tools tailored for safeguarding managed devices fall short in adequately protecting enterprise assets without active user cooperation. This paper applies protection motivation theory (PMT) to highlight behavioral risks from BYOD users that may impact the security of financial institutions. Thematic analysis was applied to gain a comprehensive understanding of how users perceive this phenomenon. These findings demonstrates that the existence of a security policy does not ensure that all employees will take measures to protect their personal devices. Active promotion of BYOD security policies is crucial for financial institution employees and management. This paper developed a BYOD security model which is useful for understanding compliant behaviors. Given that BYOD security is becoming a major concern across financial sector, it is important. The paper recommends that future research could expand the number of universities from which data is collected.

Keywords: BYOD, information security, protection motivation theory, security risks, thematic analysis

Procedia PDF Downloads 31

Authors: M. N. Ofokansi, Onyemelukwe Chisom, Amauche Chukwuemeka, Ezema Onyinye

Abstract:

The leaves of Clerodendrumcapitatum(Lamiaceae) is mostly used in the treatment of gastric ulcer in Nigerian folk medicine. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antiulcer activity of its crude methanol leaf extract and its ethyl acetate fraction in white albino rats. The effect of crude methanol leaf extract and its ethyl acetate fraction(250mg/kg, 500mg/kg) was evaluated using an absolute ethanol induced ulcer model. Crude methanol leaf extract and the ethyl acetate fraction was treated with distilled water and 6% Tween 80, respectively. crude methanol leaf extract was further investigated using a pylorus ligation induced ulcer model. Omeprazole was used as the standard treatment. Four groups of five albino rats of either sex were used. Parameters such as mean ulcer index and percentage ulcer protection were assessed in the ethanol-induced ulcer model, while the gastric volume, pH, and total acidity were assessed in the pyloric ligation induced ulcer model. Crude methanol leaf extract of Clerodendrumcapitatum(500mg/kg) showed a very highly significant reduction in mean ulcer index(p<0.001) in the absolute ethanol-induced model. ethyl acetate fraction of crude methanol leaf extract of Clerodendrumcapitatum(250mg/kg,500mg/kg) showed a very highly significant dose-dependent reduction in mean ulcer indices (p<0.001) in the absolute ethanol-induced model. The mean ulcer indices (1.6,2.2) with dose concentration (250mg/kg, 500mg/kg) of ethyl acetate fraction increased with ulcer protection (82.85%,76.42%) respectively when compared to the control group in the absolute ethanol-induced ulcer model. Crude methanol leaf extract of Clerodendrumcapitatum(250mg/kg, 500mg/kg) treated animals showed a highly significant dose-dependent reduction in mean ulcer index(p<0.01) with an increase in ulcer protection (56.77%,63.22%) respectively in pyloric ligated induced, ulcer model. Gastric parameters such as volume of gastric juice, pH, and total acidity were of no significance in the different doses of the crude methanol leaf extract when compared to the control group. The phytochemical investigation showed that the crude methanol leaf extracts Possess Saponins and Flavonoids while its ethyl acetate fraction possess only Flavonoids. The results of the study indicate that the crude methanol leaf extract and its ethyl acetate fraction is effective and has gastro protective and ulcer healing capacity. Ethyl acetate fraction is more potent than crude methanol leaf extract against ethanol-induced This result provides scientific evidence as a validation for its folkloric use in the treatment of gastric ulcer.

Keywords: gastroprotective, herbal medicine, anti-ulcer, pharmacology

Procedia PDF Downloads 162

Authors: Omar Farshad Jeelani, Makaire Njie, Viktoriia M. Korzhuk

Abstract:

Recently, the application of AI-powered algorithms in healthcare continues to flourish. Particularly, access to healthcare information, including patient health history, diagnostic data, and PII (Personally Identifiable Information) is paramount in the delivery of efficient patient outcomes. However, as the exchange of healthcare information between patients and healthcare providers through AI-powered solutions increases, protecting a person’s information and their privacy has become even more important. Arguably, the increased adoption of healthcare AI has resulted in a significant concentration on the security risks and protection measures to the security and privacy of healthcare data, leading to escalated analyses and enforcement. Since these challenges are brought by the use of AI-based healthcare solutions to manage healthcare data, AI-based data protection measures are used to resolve the underlying problems. Consequently, this project proposes AI-powered safeguards and policies/laws to protect the privacy of healthcare data. The project presents the best-in-school techniques used to preserve the data privacy of AI-powered healthcare applications. Popular privacy-protecting methods like Federated learning, cryptographic techniques, differential privacy methods, and hybrid methods are discussed together with potential cyber threats, data security concerns, and prospects. Also, the project discusses some of the relevant data security acts/laws that govern the collection, storage, and processing of healthcare data to guarantee owners’ privacy is preserved. This inquiry discusses various gaps and uncertainties associated with healthcare AI data collection procedures and identifies potential correction/mitigation measures.

Keywords: data privacy, artificial intelligence (AI), healthcare AI, data sharing, healthcare organizations (HCOs)

Procedia PDF Downloads 93

Authors: Wassim Guermazi, Saoussan Boukhris, Neila Annabi Trabelsi, Tarek Rebai, Alya Sellami-Kamoun, Habib Ayadi

Abstract:

This work investigates the protective effects of the microalga Halamphora sp. extract (H. Ext) as a natural product on lead-intoxicated liver and kidney human cells in vitro and in vivo on rats wistar. HepG2 cells line derived from human hepatocellular carcinoma and HEK293 cells line derived from human embryonic kidney were used for the in vitro study. The analysis of the fatty acids methyl esters of the extract was performed by a GC/MS. Four groups of rats, each of which was composed of six animals, were used for the in vivo experiment. The pretreatment of HepG2 and HEK293 cells line with the extract (100 µg mL-1) significantly (p < 0.05) protected against cytotoxicity induced by lead exposure. In vivo, the biochemical parameters in serum, namely malondialdehyde level (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities, were measured in supernatants of organ homogenates. H. Ext was found to be rich in fatty acids, essentially palmitic and palmitoleic accounting respectively 29.46% and 42.07% of total fatty acids. Both in vitro and in vivo, the co-treatment with H. Ext allowed the protection of the liver and kidney cells structure, as well as the significant preservation of normal antioxidant and biochemical parameters in rats. Halamphora extract rich in fatty acids has been proven to be effective in protection against Pb-induced toxicity.

Keywords: microalga extract, human cells line, fatty acid, lead exposure, oxidative stress, rats

Procedia PDF Downloads 88

Authors: Zohreh Mohammadi, Jan Kaspar, Peter Lohmander, Robert Marusak, Harald Vacik, Ljusk Ola Eriksson

Abstract:

Storms are important damaging agents in European forest ecosystems. In the latest decades, significant economic losses in European forestry occurred due to storms. This study investigates the problem of optimal harvest planning when forest stands risk to be felled by storms. One of the most applicable mathematical methods which are being used to optimize forest management is stochastic dynamic programming (SDP). This method belongs to the adaptive optimization class. Sequential decisions, such as harvest decisions, can be optimized based on sequential information about events that cannot be perfectly predicted, such as the future storms and the future states of wind protection from other forest stands. In this paper, stochastic dynamic programming is used to maximize the expected present value of the profits from an area consisting of several forest stands. The region of analysis is the Czech Republic. The harvest decisions, in a particular time period, should be simultaneously taken in all neighbor stands. The reason is that different stands protect each other from possible winds. The optimal harvest age of a particular stand is a function of wind speed and different wind protection effects. The optimal harvest age often decreases with wind speed, but it cannot be determined for one stand at a time. When we consider a particular stand, this stand also protects other stands. Furthermore, the particular stand is protected by neighbor stands. In some forest stands, it may even be rational to increase the harvest age under the influence of stronger winds, in order to protect more valuable stands in the neighborhood. It is important to integrate wind risk in forestry decision-making.

Keywords: Czech republic, forest stands, stochastic dynamic programming, wind risk

Procedia PDF Downloads 147