Search results for: cancer risk assessment

Authors: Girija Madhavanprabhakaran, Frincy Franacis, Sheeba Elizabeth John

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Introduction: A wide range of prenatal genetic screening is introduced with increasing incidences of congenital anomalies even in low-risk pregnancies and is an emerging standard of care. Being frontline caretakers, the role and responsibilities of nurses and midwives are critical as they are working along with couples to provide evidence-based supportive educative care. The increasing genetic disorders and advances in prenatal genetic screening with limited genetic counselling facilities urge nurses and midwifery nurses with essential competencies to help couples to take informed decision. Objective: This integrative literature review aimed to explore nurse midwives’ knowledge and role in prenatal screening and genetic counselling competency and the challenges faced by them to cater to all pregnant women to empower their autonomy in decision making and ensuring psychological comfort. Method: An electronic search using keywords prenatal screening, genetic counselling, prenatal counselling, nurse midwife, nursing education, genetics, and genomics were done in the PUBMED, SCOPUS and Medline, Google Scholar. Finally, based on inclusion criteria, 8 relevant articles were included. Results: The main review results suggest that nurses and midwives lack essential support, knowledge, or confidence to be able to provide genetic counselling and help the couples ethically to ensure client autonomy and decision making. The majority of nurses and midwives reported inadequate levels of knowledge on genetic screening and their roles in obtaining family history, pedigrees, and providing genetic information for an affected client or high-risk families. The deficiency of well-recognized and influential clinical academic midwives in midwifery practice is also reported. Evidence recommended to update and provide sound educational training to improve nurse-midwife competence and confidence. Conclusion: Overcoming the challenges to achieving informed choices about fetal anomaly screening globally is a major concern. Lack of adequate knowledge and counselling competency, communication insufficiency, need for education and policy are major areas to address. Prenatal nurses' and midwives’ knowledge on prenatal genetic screening and essential counselling competencies can ensure services to the majority of pregnant women around the globe to be better-informed decision-makers and enhances their autonomy, and reduces ethical dilemmas.

Keywords: challenges, genetic counselling, prenatal screening, prenatal counselling

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Authors: George D. Hatzigeorgiou, Nikos G. Pnevmatikos

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This study examines the inelastic behavior of adjacent planar reinforced concrete (R.C.) frames subjected to strong ground motions. The investigation focuses on the effects of vertical ground motion on the seismic pounding. The examined structures are modeled and analyzed by RUAUMOKO dynamic nonlinear analysis program using reliable hysteretic models for both structural members and contact elements. It is found that the vertical ground motion mildly affects the seismic response of adjacent buildings subjected to structural pounding and, for this reason, it can be ignored from the displacement and interstorey drifts assessment. However, the structural damage is moderately affected by the vertical component of earthquakes.

Keywords: nonlinear seismic behavior, reinforced concrete structures, structural pounding, vertical ground motions

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Authors: Vinay Gupta, Seema Malhotra

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Background: Patients who usually consume tobacco are unaware of its ill effects completely therefore it becomes necessary to educate and counselling them after obtaining their knowledge about tobacco. Aim: To measure prevalence of tobacco use among dental outpatients and to evaluation of tobacco user attending dental outpatients (OPD) prepared to quit. Methods: A cross-sectional survey, which was carried out on patients attending Outside Patient Department (OPD) of dental college of King Georges Medical University, Lucknow, India. All the patients who consumed tobacco attending the Dental College were asked to participate in the study. The questionnaire was written in English/ Hindi (local language). Participation in this study was voluntary and the questionnaire was anonymous and self-administered. The proposal of this survey had been approved by the ethical committee of institution. Informed consent was obtained from all the participants. Results: Prevalence of tobacco user attending the Dental OPD was 46.4%. Male tobacco user represented 85.9%. Smokeless tobacco (57%) user were more than smoking (1.4%) and 18.9% were using both smokeless and smoking tobacco. 40.7% start using tobacco since less than 5 years. 55.3% uses tobacco after get up in the morning. 87.1% tobacco user knows that it cause cancer. 54.8% respond that warning sign on packet/pouch effect on mind but due to addiction, it would not work out. 54.8% attempted for quitting but not successful. 90.0% willing to quit in future if facility provide. Conclusion: Higher prevalence of tobacco usage among study population and will to quit in future shows need of cessation clinic in every dental institution in India.

Keywords: tobacco, knowledge, practice, counselling

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Authors: Cumhur Cansever, Selcuk Er

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There is an increasing cooperation and interaction between the military logistic systems and civil organizations operating in today's market. While the scope and functions of civilian logistics have different characteristics, military logistics tries to import some applications that are conducted by private sectors successfully. Also, at this point, the determination of the optimal point of integration and interaction between civilian and military logistics has emerged as a key issue. In this study, the mutual effects between military and civilian logistics and their most common integration areas, (Supply Chain Management (SCM), Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) and Outsourcing) will be examined with risk analysis and determination of basic skills evaluation methods for determining the optimum point in the integration.

Keywords: core competency, integrated logistics support, outsourcing, supply chain management

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Authors: Joseph Ippolito, David Megenhardt

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In the United States, displaced workers, the unemployed and those seeking to build additional work skills are provided employment training and job placement services through a system of One-Stop Career Centers that are sponsored by the country’s 593 local Workforce Boards. During the period 2010-2015, these centers served roughly 8 million individuals each year. The quality of services provided at these centers rests upon professional employment specialists who work closely with clients to identify their job interests, to connect them to appropriate training opportunities, to match them with needed supportive social services and to guide them to eventual employment. Despite the crucial role these Employment Specialists play, currently there are no broadly accepted standards that establish what these individuals are expected to do in the workplace, nor are there indicators to assess how well an individual performs these responsibilities. Education Development Center (EDC) and the United Labor Agency (ULA) have partnered to create a foundation upon which curriculum can be developed that addresses the skills, knowledge and behaviors that Employment Specialists must master in order to serve their clients effectively. EDC is a non-profit, education research and development organization that designs, implements, and evaluates programs to improve education, health and economic opportunity worldwide. ULA is the social action arm of organized labor in Greater Cleveland, Ohio. ULA currently operates One-Stop Career Centers in both Cleveland and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This case study outlines efforts taken to create standards that define the work of Employment Specialists and to establish indicators that can guide assessment of work performance. The methodology involved in the study has engaged a panel of expert Employment Specialists in rigorous, structured dialogues that analyze and identify the characteristics that enable them to be effective in their jobs. It has also drawn upon and integrated reviews of the panel’s work by more than 100 other Employment Specialists across the country. The results of this process are two documents that provide resources for developing training curriculum for future Employment Specialists, namely: an occupational profile of an Employment Specialist that offers a detailed articulation of the skills, knowledge and behaviors that enable individuals to be successful at this job, and; a collection of performance based indicators, aligned to the profile, which illustrate what the work responsibilities of an Employment Specialist 'look like' a four levels of effectiveness ranging from novice to expert. The method of occupational analysis used by the study has application across a broad number of fields.

Keywords: assessment, employability, job standards, workforce development

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Authors: Mastaneh Safarnejad Shad, Wim Dehaen, Steven De Jonghe

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Since CXCR4 is the main coreceptor of HIV-1 and plays an important role in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) entry, numerous efforts were directed towards the discovery of new classes of small molecules that act as CXCR4 antagonists. In addition, CXCR4 antagonists are potentially useful in the treatment of several other disorders, such as cancer cell metastasis, leukemia cell proliferation, rheumatoid arthritis, and pulmonary fibrosis. Since AMD3100 (plerixafor) is the only CXCR4 antagonist which obtained approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), we were motivated to investigate a new category of molecules as CXCR4 antagonists. Most of the scaffolds which have been studied so far as CXCR4 antagonists are based on the tetrahydroquinoline (THQ) moiety in which AMD11070 (mavorixafor), GSK-812394, and TIQ15 displayed the most potent CXCR4 antagonism. Due to the high potency of these scaffolds, two different series of compounds were prepared in this work. In the first set, the THQ moiety is coupled to an amine chain and various isoquinoline derivatives (prepared by an in-house developed triazolization strategy), of which the upper part of molecules is identical to AMD11070 and TIQ15. In the second category of compounds, the THQ moiety was simplified by the synthesis of a substituted pyridine moiety. In order to investigate if CXCR4 antagonism requires the presence of an isoquinoline moiety, the corresponding pyridine analogues were also prepared. In both series of compounds, potent CXCR4 antagonism was noticed.

Keywords: CXCR4 coreceptor, CXCR4 antagonists, HIV inhibitor, tetrahydroquinoline

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Authors: Charles Davidson

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This paper presents the Stoplight Analysis System of Partnering Organizations Readiness, offering a structured framework to evaluate conflict resolution collaboration feasibility, especially crucial in conflict areas, employing a colour-coded approach and specific assessment points, with implications for more informed decision-making and improved outcomes in peacebuilding initiatives. Derived from at total of 40 years of practical peacebuilding experience from the project’s two researchers as well as interviews of various other peacebuilding actors, this paper introduces the Stoplight Analysis System of Partnering Organizations Readiness, a comprehensive framework designed to facilitate effective collaboration in international/local peacebuilding partnerships by evaluating the readiness of both potential partner organisations and the location of the proposed project. ^The system employs a colour-coded approach, categorising potential partnerships into three distinct indicators: Red (no-go), Yellow (requires further research), and Green (promising, go ahead). Within each category, specific points are identified for assessment, guiding decision-makers in evaluating the feasibility and potential success of collaboration. The Red category signals significant barriers, prompting an immediate stoppage in the consideration of partnership. The Yellow category encourages deeper investigation to determine whether potential issues can be mitigated, while the Green category signifies organisations deemed ready for collaboration. This systematic and structured approach empowers decision-makers to make informed choices, enhancing the likelihood of successful and mutually beneficial partnerships. Methodologically, this paper utilised interviews from peacebuilders from around the globe, scholarly research of extant strategies, and a collaborative review of programming from the project’s two authors from their own time in the field. This method as a formalised model has been employed for the past two years across a litany of partnership considerations, and has been adjusted according to its field experimentation. This research holds significant importance in the field of conflict resolution as it provides a systematic and structured approach to peacebuilding partnership evaluation. In conflict-affected regions, where the dynamics are complex and challenging, the Stoplight Analysis System offers decision-makers a practical tool to assess the readiness of partnering organisations. This approach can enhance the efficiency of conflict resolution efforts by ensuring that resources are directed towards partnerships with a higher likelihood of success, ultimately contributing to more effective and sustainable peacebuilding outcomes.

Keywords: collaboration, conflict resolution, partnerships, peacebuilding

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Authors: Rujnan Tuna, Ulku Baykal

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The antineoplastic drugs used in cancer treatment directly have adverse effects on health of both patients receiving the treatment and oncology nurses preparing and administering the treatment. The purpose of this study is to determine the working conditions of the oncology nurses in terms of employee safety as well as their knowledge levels regarding the safe use of antineoplastic drugs. This is a qualitative study conducted in the phenomenological design. Purposeful sampling method was used to carry out the interviews. The individual, in-depth, and semi-structured face-to-face interviews continued with 25 oncology nurses, who were working in an oncology centre in the city of Istanbul. Qualitative content analysis approach was used for the analysis of the obtained data in the study. The results of the study were gathered under 4 main themes; work-related factors, employee safety, working conditions, and training. The interviewed oncology nurses stated that the protective measures related to the safe use of the antineoplastic drugs were insufficient, and only 20% of the nurses have chemotherapy preparation certificate and they received this certificate after they started working in this unit. Also, after they had begun to work in that unit, they started to experience with so many health problems As happens all over the world, there have also been policies and standards regarding the safe use of antineoplastic drugs in Turkey; however, it is found that they remain insufficient to put into practice.

Keywords: antineoplastic drug, employee safety, nurse, oncology, qualitative study

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Authors: Keith T. S. Tung, Frederick K. Ho, Rosa S. Wong, Camilla K. M. Lo, Wilfred H. S. Wong, C. B. Chow, Patrick Ip

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Objectives: Underage drinking is an important public health problem both locally and globally. Conventional prevention/intervention relies on unidirectional knowledge transfer such as mail leaflets or health talks which showed mixed results in changing the target behaviour. Previously, we conducted a school internet-based intervention which was found to be effective in reducing alcohol use among adolescents, yet the underlying mechanisms have not been properly investigated. This study, therefore, examined the mechanisms that explain how the intervention produced a change in alcohol drinking behaviours among Chinese adolescent as observed in our previous clustered randomised controlled trial (RCT) study. Methods: This is a cluster randomised controlled trial with parallel group design. Participating schools were randomised to the Internet intervention or the conventional health education group (control) with a 1:1 allocation ratio. Secondary 1–3 students of the participating schools were enrolled in this study. The Internet intervention was a web-based quiz game competition, in which participating students would answer 1,000 alcohol-related multiple-choice quiz questions. Conventional health education group received a promotional package on equivalent alcohol-related knowledge. The participants’ alcohol-related attitude, knowledge, and perceived behavioural control were self-reported before the intervention (baseline) and one month and three months after the intervention. Results: Our RCT results showed that participants in the Internet group were less likely to drink (risk ratio [RR] 0.79, p < 0.01) as well as in lesser amount (β -0.06, p < 0.05) compared to those in the control group at both post-intervention follow-ups. Within the intervention group, regression analyses showed that high quiz scorer had greater improvement in alcohol-related knowledge (β 0.28, p < 0.01) and attitude (β -0.26, p < 0.01) at 1 month after intervention, which in turn increased their perceived behavioural control against alcohol use (β 0.10 and -0.26, both p < 0.01). Attitude, compared to knowledge, was found to be a stronger contributor to the intervention effect on perceived behavioural control. Conclusions: Our internet-based intervention has demonstrated effectiveness in reducing the risk of underage drinking when compared with conventional health education. Our study results further showed an attitude to be a more important factor than knowledge in changing health-related behaviour. This has an important implication for future prevention/intervention on an underage drinking problem.

Keywords: adolescents, internet-based intervention, randomized controlled trial, underage drinking

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Authors: Esra Yuce, Isil D. S. Yamaner, Murude Yazan

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Aims and objective: Antiresorptive agents including bisphosphonates and denosumab as strong suppressors of osteoclasts are the most commonly used antiresorptive medications for the treatment of osteoporosis which counteract the negative quantitative alteration of trabecular and cortical bone by inhibition of bone turnover. Oral bisphosphonate therapy for the treatment of osteopenia, osteoporosis or Paget's disease is associated with the low-grade risk of osteonecrosis of the jaw, while higher-grade risk is associated with receiving intravenous bisphosphonates therapy in the treatment of multiple myeloma and bone metastases. On the other hand, there has been a remarkable increase in incidences of antiresorptive related osteonecrosis of the jaw (ARONJ) in oral bisphosphonate users. This clinical presentation will evaluate the healing outcomes via piezoelectric bone surgery under the irrigation of PVP-I solution irrigation in patients received bisphosphonate therapy. Material-Method: The study involved 8 female and 5 male patients that have been treated for ARONJ. Among 13 necrotic sites, 9 were in the mandible and 4 were in the maxilla. All of these 13 patients treated with surgical debridement via piezoelectric bone surgery under irrigation by solution with 3% PVP-I concentration in combination with long-term antibiotic therapy and 5 also underwent removal of mobile segments of bony sequestrum. All removable prosthesis in 8 patients were relined with soft liners during the healing periods in order to eliminate chronic minor traumas. Results: All patients were on oral bisphosphonate therapy for at least 2 years and 5 of which had received intravenous bisphosphonates up to 1 year before therapy with oral bisphosphonates was started. According to the AAOMS staging system, four cases were stage II, eight cases were stage I, and one case was stage III. The majority of lesions were identified at sites of dental prostheses (38%) and dental extractions (62%). All patients diagnosed with ARONJ stage I had used unadjusted removable prostheses. No recurrence of the symptoms was observed during the present follow-up (9–37 months). Conclusion: Despite their confirmed effectiveness, the prevention and treatment of osteonecrosis of the jaw secondary to oral bisphosphonate therapy remain major medical challenges. Treatment with piezoelectric bone surgery with irrigation of povidone-iodine solution was effective for management of bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw. Taking precautions for patients treated with oral bisphosphonates, especially also denture users, may allow for a reduction in the rate of developing osteonecrosis of the maxillofacial region.

Keywords: antiresorptive drug related osteonecrosis, bisphosphonate therapy, piezoelectric bone surgery, povidone iodine

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Authors: Mahnoosh Aliahmadi, Akbar Esmaeili

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This study synthesized new modified imaging nanocapsules (NCs) of gallium@deferoxamine/folic acid/chitosan/polyaniline/polyvinyl alcohol (Ga@DFA/FA/CS/PANI/PVA) containing Morus nigra extract by selenium nanoparticles prepared from Lactobacillus acidophilus. Se nanoparticles were then deposited on (Ga@DFA/FA/CS/PANI/PVA) using the impregnation method. The modified contrast agents were mixed with M. nigra extract, and their antibacterial activities were investigated by applying them to L929 cell lines. The influence of variable factors including surfactant, solvent, aqueous phase, pH, buffer, minimum Inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), cytotoxicity on cancer cells, antibiotic, antibiogram, release and loading, stirring effect, the concentration of nanoparticle, olive oil, and thermotical methods was investigated. The structure and morphology of the synthesized contrast agents were characterized by zeta potential sizer analysis (ZPS), X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectra, and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The experimental section was conducted and monitored by response surface methods (RSM) and MTT conversion assay. Antibiogram testing of NCs on Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria was successful, and the MIC=2 factor was obtained with a less harmful effect.

Keywords: imaging contrast agent, nanoparticles, response surface method, Lactobacillus acidophilus, selenium

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Authors: Frazer Kirk, Matthew Yong, Peter Williams, Andrie Strobel

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Pulmonary valve papillary fibroelastoma is an exceedingly rare pathology. The experience and literature regarding them are largely anecdotal and based on sporadic, single case reports. Throughout their known history, two features remain salient that they are classically asymptomatic and found incidentally. The demographic profile of those affected is unclear, as reports regarding those affected are mixed, and there is no clear gender or age predominance, although there is some suggestion of a predisposition to affect females. Nor has there been a well-structured epidemiological study of the entity. Interestingly they are becoming more common on peri-mortum examination. Here-after we describe our experience with a symptomatic presentation of pulmonary papillary fibroelastoma masquerading as a pulmonary embolism and its subsequent assessment and management, with intraoperative photography and echocardiography for reference.

Keywords: cardiac tumor, pulmonary valve, fibroelastoma, cardiac surgery

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Authors: Simrin Kafle, Ulrika Enemark

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Catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) is a critical issue in low- and middle-income countries like Nepal, exacerbating financial hardship among vulnerable households. This study assesses the effectiveness of Nepal’s National Health Insurance Program (NHIP), launched in 2015, to reduce out-of-pocket (OOP) healthcare costs and mitigate CHE. Conducted in Pokhara Metropolitan City, the study used an analytical cross-sectional design, sampling 1276 households through a two-stage random sampling method. Data was collected via face-to-face interviews between May and October 2023. The analysis was conducted using SPSS version 29, incorporating propensity score matching to minimize biases and create comparable groups of enrolled and non-enrolled households in the NHIP. PSM helped reduce confounding effects by matching households with similar baseline characteristics. Additionally, a doubly robust methodology was employed, combining propensity score adjustment with regression modeling to enhance the reliability of the results. This comprehensive approach ensured a more accurate estimation of the impact of NHIP enrollment on CHE. Among the 1276 samples, 534 households (41.8%) were enrolled in NHIP. Of them, 84.3% of households renewed their insurance card, though some cited long waiting times, lack of medications, and complex procedures as barriers to renewal. Approximately 57.3% of households reported known diseases before enrollment, with 49.8% attending routine health check-ups in the past year. The primary motivation for enrollment was encouragement from insurance employees (50.2%). The data indicates that 12.5% of enrolled households experienced CHE versus 7.5% among non-enrolled. Enrollment into NHIP does not contribute to lower CHE (AOR: 1.98, 95% CI: 1.21-3.24). Key factors associated with increased CHE risk were presence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) (AOR: 3.94, 95% CI: 2.10-7.39), acute illnesses/injuries (AOR: 6.70, 95% CI: 3.97-11.30), larger household size (AOR: 3.09, 95% CI: 1.81-5.28), and households below the poverty line (AOR: 5.82, 95% CI: 3.05-11.09). Other factors such as gender, education level, caste/ethnicity, presence of elderly members, and under-five children also showed varying associations with CHE, though not all were statistically significant. The study concludes that enrollment in the NHIP does not significantly reduce the risk of CHE. The reason for this could be inadequate coverage, where high-cost medicines, treatments, and transportation costs are not fully included in the insurance package, leading to significant out-of-pocket expenses. We also considered the long waiting time, lack of medicines, and complex procedures for the utilization of NHIP benefits, which might result in the underuse of covered services. Finally, gaps in enrollment and retention might leave certain households vulnerable to CHE despite the existence of NHIP. Key factors contributing to increased CHE include NCDs, acute illnesses, larger household sizes, and poverty. To improve the program’s effectiveness, it is recommended that NHIP benefits and coverage be expanded to better protect against high healthcare costs. Additionally, simplifying the renewal process, addressing long waiting times, and enhancing the availability of services could improve member satisfaction and retention. Targeted financial protection measures should be implemented for high-risk groups, and efforts should be made to increase awareness and encourage routine health check-ups to prevent severe health issues that contribute to CHE.

Keywords: catastrophic health expenditure, effectiveness, national health insurance program, Nepal

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Authors: Fiúza A., Góis J. Leite M., Braga H., Lima A., Jorge P., Moutela P., Martins L., Futuro A.

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Lepidolite is an important lithium mineral that, to the author’s best knowledge, has not been used to produce lithium hydroxide, necessary for energy conversion to electric vehicles. Alkaline leaching of lithium concentrates allows the establishment of a production diagram avoiding most of the environmental drawbacks that are associated with the usage of acid reagents. The tested processes involve a pretreatment by digestion at high temperatures with additives, followed by leaching at hot atmospheric pressure. The solutions obtained must be compatible with solutions from the leaching of spodumene concentrates, allowing the development of a common treatment diagram, an important accomplishment for the feasible exploitation of Portuguese resources. Statistical programming and interpretation techniques are used to minimize the laboratory effort required by conventional approaches and also allow phenomenological comprehension.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, tailings free process, ferroelectric electrolyte battery, life cycle assessment

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Authors: Sara Taghdisi, M. Mirmohammadi, M. Mokhtarian

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In 2013, the World Health Organization announced the cases of Cutaneous leishmaniasis infection in Iran between 69,000 to 113,000. The most common chemical drugs for Cutaneous leishmaniasis treatment are sodium stibogluconate, and meglumine antimonate, which not only have relatively many side effects, but also some species of the Leishmania genus have become resistant to them .The most prominent compound existing in different parts of the cotton plant is a yellow polyphenol called Gossypol. Gossypol is an extremely valuable compound and has anti-cancer properties. In the current project, Gossypol was extracted with a liquid-liquid extraction method in 120 minutes in the presence of Phosphoric acid from the cotton seed oil of Golestan beach varieties, then got crystallized in darkness using Acetic acid and isolated as Gossypol Acetic acid. The efficiency of the extracted crystal was obtained at 0.12+- 1.28. the cotton plant could be efficient in the treatment of Cutaneous leishmaniasis. The extract of the green-leaf cotton boll of Jargoyeh varieties was tested as an ointment on the target group of patients suffering from Cutaneous leishmaniasis resistant to drugs esistant to drugs by our colleagues in the research team. The results showed the Pearson's correlation coefficient of 0.72 between the two variables of wound diameter and the extract use over time which indicated the positive effect of this extract on the treatment of Cutaneous leishmaniasis was resistant to drugs.

Keywords: cottonseed oil, crystallization, gossypol, green-leaf

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Authors: Karthikeyan M., Paul M. J.

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This abstract describes a case of central pancreatectomy (CP) for a 50-year-old woman with a neuroendocrine tumor in the mid-body of the pancreas. CP, a parenchyma-sparing surgical option, preserves the distal pancreas and spleen, reducing the risk of pancreatic endocrine and exocrine insufficiency compared to traditional resections. The patient, initially misdiagnosed with transient ischemic attack, presented with hypoglycemic symptoms and was found to have a pancreatic lesion. Post-operative results were positive, with a reduction in pancreatic drain volume and normalization of blood sugar levels. This case highlights CP's efficacy in treating centrally located pancreatic lesions while maintaining pancreatic function.

Keywords: central pancreatectomy without anastomosis, no endocrine deficiency on follow-op, less post-op hospital stay, less post-op complications

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Authors: Abhiram Siva Prasad Pamula

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Access to clean drinking water becomes scarce due to the increase in extreme weather events because of the rise in the average global temperatures and climate change. By 2030, approximately 47% of the world’s population will face water shortages due to uncertainty in seasonal rainfall. Over 10000 varieties of synthetic dyes are commercially available in the market and used by textile and paper industries, negatively impacting human health when ingested. Besides humans, textile dyes have a negative impact on aquatic ecosystems by increasing biological oxygen demand and chemical oxygen demand. This study assesses different treatment methods that remove dyes from textile wastewater while focusing on energy, economic, and engineering aspects of the treatment processes.

Keywords: textile wastewater, dye removal, treatment methods, hazardous pollutants

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Authors: G. Guramishvili, M. Moistsrapishvili, L. Andghuladze

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In the article are considered the problems arising at increasing of transferring from rolling stock axles on rail loading from 210 KN up to 270 KN and is offered for rail strength analysis definition of rail force loading complex integral characteristic with taking into account all affecting force factors that is characterizing specific operation condition of rail structure and defines the working capability of structure. As result of analysis due mentioned method is obtained that in the conditions of 270 KN loading the rail meets the working assessment criteria of rail and rail structures: Strength, rail track stability, rail links stability and its transverse stability, traffic safety condition that is rather important for post-Soviet countries railways.

Keywords: axial loading, rail force loading, rail structure, rail strength analysis, rail track stability

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Authors: M. Moradi Dalini, M. R. Talebi

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This research revolves around a technical method according to combines econometric and multiobjective programming to select and obtain optimal solutions to management problems. It is taken for a generation that; it is important to analyze which combination of values of the explanatory variables -in an econometric method- would point to the simultaneous achievement of the best values of the response variables. In this case, if a certain degree of conflict is viewed among the response variables, we suggest a multiobjective method in order to the results obtained from a regression analysis. In fact, with the use of a multiobjective method, we will have the best decision about the conflicting relationship between the response variables and the optimal solution. The combined multiobjective programming and econometrics benefit is an assessment of a balanced “optimal” situation among them because a find of information can hardly be extracted just by econometric techniques.

Keywords: econometrics, multiobjective optimization, management problem, optimization

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Authors: Chandu Rathnayake, Isuri Anuradha

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Early detection and accurate diagnosis of lung diseases play a crucial role in improving patient prognosis. However, conventional diagnostic methods heavily rely on subjective symptom assessments and medical imaging, often causing delays in diagnosis and treatment. To overcome this challenge, we propose a novel lung disease prediction system that integrates patient symptoms and X-ray images to provide a comprehensive and reliable diagnosis.In this project, develop a mobile application specifically designed for detecting lung diseases. Our application leverages both patient symptoms and X-ray images to facilitate diagnosis. By combining these two sources of information, our application delivers a more accurate and comprehensive assessment of the patient's condition, minimizing the risk of misdiagnosis. Our primary aim is to create a user-friendly and accessible tool, particularly important given the current circumstances where many patients face limitations in visiting healthcare facilities. To achieve this, we employ several state-of-the-art algorithms. Firstly, the Decision Tree algorithm is utilized for efficient symptom-based classification. It analyzes patient symptoms and creates a tree-like model to predict the presence of specific lung diseases. Secondly, we employ the Random Forest algorithm, which enhances predictive power by aggregating multiple decision trees. This ensemble technique improves the accuracy and robustness of the diagnosis. Furthermore, we incorporate a deep learning model using Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) with the RestNet50 pre-trained model. CNNs are well-suited for image analysis and feature extraction. By training CNN on a large dataset of X-ray images, it learns to identify patterns and features indicative of lung diseases. The RestNet50 architecture, known for its excellent performance in image recognition tasks, enhances the efficiency and accuracy of our deep learning model. By combining the outputs of the decision tree-based algorithms and the deep learning model, our mobile application generates a comprehensive lung disease prediction. The application provides users with an intuitive interface to input their symptoms and upload X-ray images for analysis. The prediction generated by the system offers valuable insights into the likelihood of various lung diseases, enabling individuals to take appropriate actions and seek timely medical attention. Our proposed mobile application has significant potential to address the rising prevalence of lung diseases, particularly among young individuals with smoking addictions. By providing a quick and user-friendly approach to assessing lung health, our application empowers individuals to monitor their well-being conveniently. This solution also offers immense value in the context of limited access to healthcare facilities, enabling timely detection and intervention. In conclusion, our research presents a comprehensive lung disease prediction system that combines patient symptoms and X-ray images using advanced algorithms. By developing a mobile application, we provide an accessible tool for individuals to assess their lung health conveniently. This solution has the potential to make a significant impact on the early detection and management of lung diseases, benefiting both patients and healthcare providers.

Keywords: CNN, random forest, decision tree, machine learning, deep learning

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Authors: Zhidong Zhang, Zhi-Chao Zhang, Georgiana Duarte

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The Chinese version of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) is the one of the Achenbach systems of empirically based assessment (ASEBA) scales, by which behavioral and emotional problems of early adolescents were examined. In order to further understand the robustness of the scale, its reliability has been examined. CBCL consists of 8 problems to measure internalizing, externalizing and social problems. In internalizing problem, there are Anxious, Withdrawn and Somatic Complaints. In this study, as an example, we only examined the anxious aspect which consisted of 13 questions. Cronbach alpha and factor analysis methods were used to examine the reliability of the scale. The result indicated that Cronbach alpha value was above 0.80.

Keywords: anxious/depressed problems, ASEBA, CBCL, Cronbach Alpha, reliability

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Authors: Muhammad Abid

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Utilization of renewable energy resources for energy conservation, pollution prevention, resource efficiency and systems integration is very important for sustainable development. In this study, we perform energy and exergy analyses of a wind turbine, located on the roof of Mechanical Engineering Department, King Saud University, and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The turbine is part of a hybrid photovoltaic (PV)-wind system with hydrogen storage. The power output from this turbine varies between 1.5 and 5.5 kW with a rated wind speed of 12 m/s and a cut-in wind speed of 2.4 m/s. We utilize a wide range of experimental data in the analysis and assessment. We determine energy and exergy efficiencies. The energy efficiency changes between 0% to 45% while the exergy efficiency varies between 0% and 31.3%. We also determined some of the exergoeconomic parameters that are the ratios of energy and exergy loss rates to the capital cost (R en and R ex), respectively. (R en) changes between 0.96% and 59.03% for different values of velocity while R ex has a maximum value of 53.62% for the highest wind speed.

Keywords: exergy, efficiency, performance evaluation, wind energy

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Authors: Shraddha Rane, Richard Warren, Stephen Eyre

Abstract:

L-23 is a pro-inflammatory molecule that signals T cells to release cytokines such as IL-17A and IL-22. Psoriasis is driven by a dysregulated immune response, within which IL-23 is now thought to play a key role. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified a number of genetic risk loci that support the involvement of IL-23 signalling in psoriasis; in particular a robust susceptibility locus at a gene encoding a subunit of the IL-23 receptor (IL23R) (Stuart et al., 2015; Tsoi et al., 2012). The lead psoriasis-associated SNP rs9988642 is located approximately 500 bp downstream of IL23R but is in tight linkage disequilibrium (LD) with a missense SNP rs11209026 (R381Q) within IL23R (r2 = 0.85). The minor (G) allele of rs11209026 is present in approximately 7% of the population and is protective for psoriasis and several other autoimmune diseases including IBD, ankylosing spondylitis, RA and asthma. The psoriasis-associated missense SNP R381Q causes an arginine to glutamine substitution in a region of the IL23R protein between the transmembrane domain and the putative JAK2 binding site in the cytoplasmic portion. This substitution is expected to affect the receptor’s surface localisation or signalling ability, rather than IL23R expression. Recent studies have also identified a psoriatic arthritis (PsA)-specific signal at IL23R; thought to be independent from the psoriasis association (Bowes et al., 2015; Budu-Aggrey et al., 2016). The lead PsA-associated SNP rs12044149 is intronic to IL23R and is in LD with likely causal SNPs intersecting promoter and enhancer marks in memory CD8+ T cells (Budu-Aggrey et al., 2016). It is therefore likely that the PsA-specific SNPs affect IL23R function via a different mechanism compared with the psoriasis-specific SNPs. It could be hypothesised that the risk allele for PsA located within the IL23R promoter causes an increase IL23R expression, relative to the protective allele. An increased expression of IL23R might then lead to an exaggerated immune response. The independent genetic signals identified for psoriasis and PsA in this locus indicate that different mechanisms underlie these two conditions; although likely both affecting the function of IL23R. It is very important to further characterise these mechanisms in order to better understand how the IL-23 receptor and its downstream signalling is affected in both diseases. This will help to determine how psoriasis and PsA patients might differentially respond to therapies, particularly IL-23 biologics. To investigate this further we have developed an in vitro model using CD4 T cells which express either wild type IL23R and IL12Rβ1 or mutant IL23R (R381Q) and IL12Rβ1. Model expressing different isotypes of IL23R is also underway to investigate the effects on IL23R expression. We propose to further investigate the variants for Ps and PsA and characterise key intracellular processes related to the variants.

Keywords: IL23R, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, SNP

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Authors: Musaab Hasan, Farkhund Iqbal, Patrick C. K. Hung, Benjamin C. M. Fung, Laura Rafferty

Abstract:

In modern societies, the smart cities concept raised simultaneously with the projection towards adopting smart devices. A smart grid is an essential part of any smart city as both consumers and power utility companies benefit from the features provided by the power grid. In addition to advanced features presented by smart grids, there may also be a risk when the grids are exposed to malicious acts such as security attacks performed by terrorists. Considering advanced security measures in the design of smart meters could reduce these risks. This paper presents a security study for smart metering systems with a prototype implementation of the user interfaces for future works.

Keywords: security design, smart city, smart meter, smart grid, smart metering system

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Authors: Sabri Serkan Gulluoglu

Abstract:

It is possible with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) that the information about all natural and artificial resources on the earth is obtained taking advantage of satellite images are obtained by remote sensing techniques. However, determination of unknown sources, mapping of the distribution and efficient evaluation of resources are defined may not be possible with the original image. For this reasons, some process steps are needed like transformation, pre-processing, image enhancement and classification to provide the most accurate assessment numerically and visually. Many studies which present the phases of obtaining and processing of the satellite images have examined in the literature study. The research showed that the determination of the process steps may be followed at this subject with the existence of a common whole may provide to progress the process rapidly for the necessary and possible studies which will be.

Keywords: remote sensing, satellite imaging, gis, computer science, information

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Authors: Thomas Geninatti, Bruno Giacomo, Alessandro Grattoni

Abstract:

Nanofluidic devices have been investigated for over a decade as promising platforms for the controlled release of therapeutics. The nanochannel drug delivery system (nDS), a membrane fabricated with high precision silicon techniques, capable of zero-order release of drugs by exploiting diffusion transport at the nanoscale originated from the interactions between molecules with nanochannel surfaces, showed the flexibility of the sustained release in vitro and in vivo, over periods of time ranging from weeks to months. To improve the implantable bio nanotechnology, in order to create a system that possesses the key features for achieve the suitable release of therapeutics, the next generation of nDS has been created. Platinum electrodes are integrated by e-beam deposition onto both surfaces of the membrane allowing low voltage (<2 V) and active temporal control of drug release through modulation of electrostatic potentials at the inlet and outlet of the membrane’s fluidic channels. Hence, a tunable administration of drugs is ensured from the nanochannel drug delivery system. The membrane will be incorporated into a peek implantable capsule, which will include drug reservoir, control hardware and RF system to allow suitable therapeutic regimens in real-time. Therefore, this new nanotechnology offers tremendous potential solutions to manage chronic disease such as cancer, heart disease, circadian dysfunction, pain and stress.

Keywords: nanochannel membrane, drug delivery, tunable release, personalized administration, nanoscale transport, biomems

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Authors: Dahi Ghareab Abdelsalam Ibrahim, R. H. Bakr

Abstract:

Ionizing radiation, such as gamma radiation and X-rays, has many applications in medical diagnoses and cancer treatment. In this paper, we used the windowed Fourier transform to extract the complex image of the deformed red blood cells. The real values of the complex image are used to extract the best fitting of the deformed cell boundary. Male albino rats are irradiated by γ-rays from ⁶⁰Co. The male albino rats are anesthetized with ether, and then blood samples are collected from the eye vein by heparinized capillary tubes for studying the radiation-damaging effect in-vivo by the proposed windowed Fourier transform. The peripheral blood films are prepared according to the Brown method. The peripheral blood film is photographed by using an Automatic Image Contour Analysis system (SAMICA) from ELBEK-Bildanalyse GmbH, Siegen, Germany. The SAMICA system is provided with an electronic camera connected to a computer through a built-in interface card, and the image can be magnified up to 1200 times and displayed by the computer. The images of the peripheral blood films are then analyzed by the windowed Fourier transform method to extract the precise deformation from the best fitting. Based on accurate deformation evaluation of the red blood cells, diseases can be diagnosed in their primary stages.

Keywords: windowed Fourier transform, red blood cells, phase wrapping, Image processing

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Authors: Khaled Harrar, Rachid Jennane

Abstract:

The purpose of this study is the discrimination of 28 postmenopausal with osteoporotic femoral fractures from an age-matched control group of 28 women using texture analysis based on fractals. Two pre-processing approaches are applied on radiographic images; these techniques are compared to highlight the choice of the pre-processing method. Furthermore, the values of the fractal dimension are compared to those of the fractal signature in terms of the classification of the two populations. In a second analysis, the BMD measure at proximal femur was compared to the fractal analysis, the latter, which is a non-invasive technique, allowed a better discrimination; the results confirm that the fractal analysis of texture on calcaneus radiographs is able to discriminate osteoporotic patients with femoral fracture from controls. This discrimination was efficient compared to that obtained by BMD alone. It was also present in comparing subgroups with overlapping values of BMD.

Keywords: osteoporosis, fractal dimension, fractal signature, bone mineral density

Procedia PDF Downloads 416

Authors: Abdelaziz Moujane, Abedelali Boulli, Abdellah Ouigmane

Abstract:

The present work focuses on the assessment of forestlandscape changes in the region of ZaouitAhansal, usingmultitemporal satellite images at high spatial resolution.Severalremotesensingmethodswereappliednamely: The supervised classification algorithm and NDVI whichwerecombined in a GIS environment to quantify the extent and change in density of forest stands (holmoak, juniper, thya, Aleppo pine, crops, and others).The resultsobtainedshowedthat the forest of ZaouitAhansal has undergonesignificantdegradationresulting in a decrease in the area of juniper, cedar, and zeenoak, as well as an increase in the area of baresoil and agricultural land. The remotesensing data providedsatisfactoryresults for identifying and quantifying changes in forestcover. In addition, thisstudycould serve as a reference for the development of management strategies and restoration programs.

Keywords: remote sensing, GIS, satellite image, NDVI, deforestation, zaouit ahansal

Procedia PDF Downloads 148

Authors: Eitan Elaad, Yeela Gal-Gonen

Abstract:

Two studies examined gender differences in lying when the truth-telling bias prevailed and when inspiring lying and distrust. The first study used 156 participants from the community (78 pairs). First, participants completed the Narcissistic Personality Inventory, the Lie- and Truth Ability Assessment Scale (LTAAS), and the Rational-Experiential Inventory. Then, they participated in a deception game where they performed as senders and receivers of true and false communications. Their goal was to retain as many points as possible according to a payoff matrix that specified the reward they would gain for any possible outcome. Results indicated that males in the sender position lied more and were more successful tellers of lies and truths than females. On the other hand, males, as receivers, trusted less than females but were not better at detecting lies and truths. We explained the results by a. Male's high perceived lie-telling ability. We observed that confidence in telling lies guided participants to increase their use of lies. Male's lie-telling confidence corresponded to earlier accounts that showed a consistent association between high self-assessed lying ability, reports of frequent lying, and predictions of actual lying in experimental settings; b. Male's narcissistic features. Earlier accounts described positive relations between narcissism and reported lying or unethical behavior in everyday life situations. Predictions about the association between narcissism and frequent lying received support in the present study. Furthermore, males scored higher than females on the narcissism scale; and c. Male's experiential thinking style. We observed that males scored higher than females on the experiential thinking style scale. We further hypothesized that the experiential thinking style predicts frequent lying in the deception game. Results confirmed the hypothesis. The second study used one hundred volunteers (40 females) who underwent the same procedure. However, the payoff matrix encouraged lying and distrust. Results showed that male participants lied more than females. We found no gender differences in trust. Males and females did not differ in their success of telling and detecting lies and truths. Participants also completed the LTAAS questionnaire. Males assessed their lie-telling ability higher than females, but the ability assessment did not predict lying frequency. A final note. The present design is limited to low stakes. Participants knew that they were participating in a game, and they would not experience any consequences from their deception in the game. Therefore, we advise caution when applying the present results to lying under high stakes.

Keywords: gender, lying, detection of deception, information processing style, self-assessed lying ability

Procedia PDF Downloads 145