Search results for: combined biomarker

Authors: Hong Dinh Duong, Jong Il Rhee

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In this study, a ratiometric inorganic phosphate sensor was fabricated by a double layer of the rhodamine 6G-doped nanofibers and the CdSe/ZnS QDs-captured polymer. In which, CdSe/ZnS QDs with emission wavelengths of 595nm were synthesized and ligands on their surface were exchanged with mercaptopropionic acid (MPA). The synthesized MPA-QDs were combined with the mixture of sol-gel of 3-glycidoxypropyl trimethoxysilane (GPTMS), 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS) and polyurethane (PU) to build a layer for sensing inorganic phosphate. Another sensing layer was of nanofibers doped R6G which were produced from poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile) by electrospining. The ratio of fluorescence intensities between rhodamin 6G (R6G) and CdSe/ZnS QDs exposed at different phosphate concentrations was used for calculating a linear phosphate concentration range of 0-10mM.

Keywords: nanofiber, QDs, ratiometric phosphate sensor, rhodamine 6G, sol-gel

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Authors: Adnan Zaid

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Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) may be defined as a degradation of the mechanical properties of a material under the combined action of a tensile stress and corrosive environment of the susceptible material. It is a harmful phenomenon which might cause catastrophic fracture without a sign of prior warning. In this paper, the stress corrosion cracking, SCC, process, the parameters affecting it, and the different damages caused by it are given and discussed. Utilization of shot peening as a mean of enhancing the resistance of materials to SCC is given and discussed. Finally, a method for improving materials resistance to SCC by grain refining its structure by some refining elements prior to usage is suggested.

Keywords: stress corrosion cracking, parameters, damages, treatment methods

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Authors: Michele Charpentier

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This article examines the experiences of aging of older immigrant women. The data are based on qualitative research that was conducted in Quebec/Canada with 83 elderly women from different ethno-cultural backgrounds (Arab, African, Haitian, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, Romanian, etc.). The results on how such immigrant women deal with material conditions of existence such as deskilling, aging alone, being more economically independent and the combined effects of liberation from social and family norms associated with age and gender in the light of the migration route, will be presented. For the majority, migration opened up possibilities for personal development and self-affirmation. The findings demonstrated the relevance of the intersectional approach in understanding the complexity and social conditionings of women’s experiences of aging.

Keywords: older immigrant women, qualitative research, experiences of aging, intersectional approach

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Authors: Michael Stokes

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Using a disability studies approach, this paper analyzes the American science fiction novel Ballroom of the Skies as way to address and access narratives of American exceptionalism in relation to global struggle. Combined with a critical race studies analysis of identity and cultural practice, this essay seeks to find parallels between the treatment of disability and the treatment of the racialized body in literature to forcibly reread potential for multiple assemblages of identity in the speculated futures of science fiction. Thinking through this relationship, the essay constructs a thematic understanding of social eugenics as practiced in American culture.

Keywords: disability studies, science fiction, eugenics, cultural studies

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Authors: Ashi Gautam, Isha Shukla, Akhil Seghal

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Biosensors are analytical devices that use a biological sensing element to detect and measure a specific chemical substance or biomolecule in a sample. These devices are widely used in various fields, including medical diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and food analysis, due to their high specificity, sensitivity, and selectivity. In this research paper, a machine learning model is proposed for predicting the suitability of skin care products based on biosensor readings. The proposed model takes in features extracted from biosensor readings, such as biomarker concentration, skin hydration level, inflammation presence, sensitivity, and free radicals, and outputs the most appropriate skin care product for an individual. This model is trained on a dataset of biosensor readings and corresponding skin care product information. The model's performance is evaluated using several metrics, including accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 score. The aim of this research is to develop a personalised skin care product recommendation system using biosensor data. By leveraging the power of machine learning, the proposed model can accurately predict the most suitable skin care product for an individual based on their biosensor readings. This is particularly useful in the skin care industry, where personalised recommendations can lead to better outcomes for consumers. The developed model is based on supervised learning, which means that it is trained on a labeled dataset of biosensor readings and corresponding skin care product information. The model uses these labeled data to learn patterns and relationships between the biosensor readings and skin care products. Once trained, the model can predict the most suitable skin care product for an individual based on their biosensor readings. The results of this study show that the proposed machine learning model can accurately predict the most appropriate skin care product for an individual based on their biosensor readings. The evaluation metrics used in this study demonstrate the effectiveness of the model in predicting skin care products. This model has significant potential for practical use in the skin care industry for personalised skin care product recommendations. The proposed machine learning model for predicting the suitability of skin care products based on biosensor readings is a promising development in the skin care industry. The model's ability to accurately predict the most appropriate skin care product for an individual based on their biosensor readings can lead to better outcomes for consumers. Further research can be done to improve the model's accuracy and effectiveness.

Keywords: biosensors, data model, machine learning, skin care

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Authors: Hatim Elhag

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Banking and Financial Service Institutions are possibly the most advanced in terms of technology adoption and use it as a key differentiator. With high levels of business process automation, maturity in the functional portfolio, straight through processing and proven technology outsourcing benefits, Banking sector stand to benefit significantly from Cloud computing capabilities. Additionally, with complex Compliance and Regulatory policies, combined with expansive products and geography coverage, the business impact is even greater. While the benefits are exponential, there are also significant challenges in adopting this model– including Legal, Security, Performance, Reliability, Transformation complexity, Operating control and Governance and most importantly proof for the promised cost benefits. However, new architecture designed should be implemented to align this approach.

Keywords: security, cloud, banking sector, cloud computing

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Authors: Andleeb Zahra, Itrat Rubab, Sumaira Malik, Amina Khan, Muhammad Jawad Khan, M. Qaiser Fatmi

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Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide. Recent studies have highlighted the role of miRNA in disease pathology, indicating its potential use in an early diagnostic tool. miRNAs are small, double stranded, non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression by deregulating mRNAs. miRNAs play important roles in modifying various cellular processes such as cell growth, differentiation, apoptosis, and immune response. Dis-regulated expression of miRNAs is known to affect the cell growth, and this may function as tumor suppressors or oncogenes in various cancers. Objectives: The main objectives of this study were to characterize the extracellular miRNAs involved in oral cancer (OC) to assist early detection of cancer as well as to propose a list of genes that can potentially be used as biomarkers of OC. We used gene expression data by microarrays already available in literature. Materials and Methods: In the first step, a total of 318 miRNAs involved in oral carcinoma were shortlisted followed by the prediction of their target genes. Simultaneously, the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of oral carcinoma from all experiments were identified. The common genes between lists of DEGs of OC based on experimentally proven data and target genes of each miRNA were identified. These common genes are the targets of specific miRNA, which is involved in OC. Finally, a list of genes was generated which may be used as biomarker of OC. Results and Conclusion: In results, we included some of pathways in cancer to show the change in gene expression under the control of specific miRNA. Ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA) provided a list of major biomarkers like CDH2, CDK7 and functional enrichment analysis identified the role of miRNA in major pathways like cell adhesion molecules pathway affected by cancer. We observed that at least 25 genes are regulated by maximum number of miRNAs, and thereby, they can be used as biomarkers of OC. To better understand the role of miRNA with respect to their target genes further experiments are required, and our study provides a platform to better understand the miRNA-OC relationship at genomics level.

Keywords: biomarkers, gene expression, miRNA, oral carcinoma

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Authors: Erine van Niekerk, Jason Holland

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In Māori culture water is considered to be the foundation of all life and has its own mana (spiritual power) and mauri (life force). Water classification for cultural values therefore includes categories like waitapu (sacred water), waimanawa-whenua (water from under the land), waipuna (freshwater springs), the relationship between water quantity and quality and the relationship between surface and groundwater. Particular rivers and lakes have special significance to iwi and hapu for their rohe (tribal areas). The Mararoa River, including its freshwater springs and wetlands, is an example of such an area. There is currently little information available about the sources, characteristics and behavior of these important water resources and this study on the water quality of the Mararoa River and adjacent freshwater springs will provide valuable information to be used in informed decisions about water management. The regional council of Southland, Environment Southland, is required to make changes under their water quality policy in order to comply with the requirements for the New National Standards for Freshwater to consult with Maori to determine strategies for decision making. This requires an approach that includes traditional knowledge combined with scientific knowledge in the decision-making process. This study provided the scientific data that can be used in future for decision making on fresh water springs combined with traditional values for this particular area. Several parameters have been tested in situ as well as in a laboratory. Parameters such as temperature, salinity, electrical conductivity, Total Dissolved Solids, Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen, Total Phosphorus, Total Suspended Solids, and Escherichia coli among others show that recorded values of all test parameters fall within recommended ANZECC guidelines and Environment Southland standards and do not raise any concerns for the water quality of the springs and the river at the moment. However, the destruction of natural areas, particularly due to changes in farming practices, and the changes to water quality by the introduction of Didymosphenia geminate (Didymo) means Māori have already lost many of their traditional mahinga kai (food sources). There is a major change from land use such as sheep farming to dairying in Southland which puts freshwater resources under pressure. It is, therefore, important to draw on traditional knowledge and spirituality alongside scientific knowledge to protect the waters of the Mararoa River and waipuna. This study hopes to contribute to scientific knowledge to preserve the cultural values of these significant waters.

Keywords: cultural values, freshwater springs, Maori, water quality

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Authors: Soulayma Smirani, Mourad Aidi, Taoufik Aguili

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Energy harvesting has arisen as a prominent research area for low power delivery to RF devices. Rectennas have become a key element in this technology. In this paper, electromagnetic modeling of a rectenna system is presented. In our approach, a hybrid technique was demonstrated to associate both the method of auxiliary sources (MAS) and MoM-GEC (the method of moments combined with the generalized equivalent circuit technique). Auxiliary sources were used in order to substitute specific electronic devices. Therefore, a simple and controllable model is obtained. Also, it can easily be interconnected to form different topologies of rectenna arrays for more energy harvesting. At last, simulation results show the feasibility and simplicity of the proposed rectenna model with high precision and computation efficiency.

Keywords: computational electromagnetics, MoM-GEC method, rectennas, RF energy harvesting

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Authors: Meiling Yang, Shuguo Xie, Yilong Zhu

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Nowadays, due to diverse electric products and complex electromagnetic environment, the localization and troubleshooting of the electromagnetic radiation source is urgent and necessary especially on the condition of far field. However, based on the existing DOA positioning method, the system or devices are complex, bulky and expensive. To address this issue, this paper proposes a single antenna radiation source localization method. A single antenna moves to form a virtual antenna array combined with DOA and MUSIC algorithm to position accurately, meanwhile reducing the cost and simplify the equipment. As shown in the results of simulations and experiments, the virtual antenna array DOA estimation modeling is correct and its positioning is credible.

Keywords: virtual antenna array, DOA, localization, far field

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Authors: Ramin Mehdiabadi

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Background: Breast cancer remains the most prevalent cancer diagnosis and the leading cause of cancer death among women globally, representing 11.7% of new cases and 6.9% of deaths. While the incidence and mortality of major cancers are declining in developed regions like the United States and Western Europe, underdeveloped and developing countries exhibit an increasing trend, attributed to lifestyle factors such as smoking, physical inactivity, and high-calorie diets. Objective: This study explores the intricate relationship between the mammalian transcription factor forkhead box (FoxM1) and the microRNA miR-216b-5p in various subtypes of breast cancer, aiming to deepen the understanding of their roles in tumorigenesis, metastasis, and drug resistance. Methods: Breast cancer subtypes were categorized based on key biomarkers: estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2. These include luminal A, luminal B, HER2 enriched, triple-negative, and normal-like subtypes. We focused on analyzing the expression levels of FoxM1 and miR-216b-5p, given the known role of FoxM1 in cell proliferation and its implications in cancer pathologies such as lung, gastric, and breast cancers. Concurrently, miR-216b-5p's function as a tumor suppressor was evaluated to ascertain its regulatory effects on FoxM1. Results: Preliminary data indicate a nuanced interplay between FoxM1 and miR-216b-5p, suggesting a potential inverse relationship that varies across breast cancer subtypes. This relationship underscores the dual role of these biomarkers in modulating cancer progression and response to treatments. Conclusion: The findings advocate for the potential of miR-216b-5p to serve as a prognostic biomarker and a therapeutic target, particularly in subtypes where FoxM1 is prominently expressed. Understanding these molecular interactions provides crucial insights into the personalized treatment strategies and could lead to more effective therapeutic interventions in breast cancer management. Implications: The study highlights the importance of molecular profiling in breast cancer treatment and emphasizes the need for targeted therapeutic approaches in managing diverse cancer subtypes, particularly in varying global contexts where lifestyle factors significantly impact cancer dynamics.

Keywords: breast cancer, gene expression, FoxM1, microRNA

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Authors: Hee-Guk Chae, Bo-Bae Song, Kyoung-Il Do, Jeong-Yun Seo, Yong-Seo Koo

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In this study, an improved Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) protection circuit with low trigger voltage and high holding voltage is proposed. ESD has become a serious problem in the semiconductor process because the semiconductor density has become very high these days. Therefore, much research has been done to prevent ESD. The proposed circuit is a stacked structure of the new unit structure combined by the Zener Triggering (SCR ZTSCR) and the High Holding Voltage SCR (HHVSCR). The simulation results show that the proposed circuit has low trigger voltage and high holding voltage. And the stack technology is applied to adjust the various operating voltage. As the results, the holding voltage is 7.7 V for 2-stack and 10.7 V for 3-stack.

Keywords: ESD, SCR, latch-up, power clamp, holding voltage

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Authors: Abbes Lounis, Kahina Louadj, Mohamed Aidene

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This paper presents an optimal control problem applied to a robot; the problem is to determine a command which makes it possible to reach a final state from a given initial state in record time. The approach followed to solve this optimization problem with constraints on the control starts by presenting the equations of motion of the dynamic system then by applying Pontryagin's maximum principle (PMP) to determine the optimal control, and Picard's successive approximation method combined with the shooting method to solve the resulting differential system.

Keywords: robotics, Pontryagin's Maximum Principle, PMP, Picard's method, shooting method, non-linear differential systems

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Authors: Andreanna Kalasountas

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A rampant health crisis is facing America. That health crisis is poverty. Millions of Americans live without knowing when they will eat or where they will sleep. Meanwhile, there are over 600 multi-billionaires in the United States. “In April 2021, U.S. billionaires had nearly twice as much combined wealth than the bottom half of Americans -- $4.56 trillion vs. $2.62 trillion.” It's disturbingly ironic that we live in a country where there are people with more money than they know what to do with (or could spend in a lifetime) while simultaneously, people are losing their life because they do not have enough money to survive. Accordingly, this paper argues for the end of the multi-billionaire; that wealth be capped, captured, and redistributed to the poorest among us. To accomplish this goal, this paper begins by identifying the problem, advocating for a new measurement of poverty; and concludes with a both legal and tax policy solutions and what implementation of those solutions would look like.

Keywords: health and human rights, law and policy, poverty, wealth gap

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Authors: Hanieh Sakha, Nader Nader, Haleh Farzin

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Introduction: Throughout history, pain theories have been supposed by biomedicine, especially regarding its diagnosis and treatment aspects. Therefore, the feeling of pain is not only a personal experience and is affected by social background; therefore, it involves extensive systems of signals. The challenges in emotional and sentimental dimensions of pain originate from scientific medicine (i.e., the dominant theory is also referred to as the specificity theory); however, this theory has accepted some alterations by emerging physiology. Then, Von Frey suggested the theory of cutaneous senses (i.e., Muller’s concept: the common sensation of combined four major skin receptors leading to a proper sensation) 50 years after the specificity theory. The pain pathway was composed of spinothalamic tracts and thalamus with an inhibitory effect on the cortex. Pain is referred to as a series of unique experiences with various reasons and qualities. Despite the gate control theory, the biological aspect overcomes the social aspect. Vrancken provided a more extensive definition of pain and found five approaches: Somatico-technical, dualistic body-oriented, behaviorist, phenomenological, and consciousness approaches. The Western model combined physical, emotional, and existential aspects of the human body. On the other hand, Kotarba felt confused about the basic origins of chronic pain. Freund demonstrated and argued with Durkhemian about the sociological approach to emotions. Lynch provided a piece of evidence about the correlation between cardiovascular disease and emotionally life-threatening occurrences. Helman supposed a distinction between private and public pain. Conclusion: The consideration of the emotional aspect of pain could lead to effective, emotional, and social responses to pain. On the contrary, the theory of embodiment is based on the sociological view of health and illness. Social epidemiology shows an imbalanced distribution of health, illness, and disability among various social groups. The social support and socio-cultural level can result in several types of pain. It means the status of athletes might define their pain experiences. Gender is one of the important contributing factors affecting the type of pain (i.e., females are more likely to seek health services for pain relief.) Chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP) has become a serious public health issue affecting more than 70 million people globally. CNCP is a serious public health issue which is caused by the lack of awareness about chronic pain management among the general population.

Keywords: pain, sociology, sociological, body

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Authors: Tina Ternes, Florian Kleinau

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The study investigates the content and triggers of mind wandering (MW) in readers of fictional texts. It asks whether readers’ MW is productive (text-related) or unproductive (text-unrelated). Methodologically, it bridges the gap between narratological and data-driven approaches by utilizing a sentence-by-sentence self-paced reading paradigm combined with thought probes in the reading of an excerpt of A. L. Kennedy’s “Baby Blue”. Results show that the contents of MW can be linked to text properties. We validated the role of self-reference in MW and found prediction errors to be triggers of MW. Results also indicate that the content of MW often travels along the lines of the text at hand and can thus be viewed as productive and integral to interpretation.

Keywords: narratology, mind wandering, reading fiction, meta cognition

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Authors: Gaironeesa Hendricks, Shazly Savahl, Maria Florence

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The aim of the study is to determine whether peer pressure and leisure boredom influence substance use among adolescents in low-income communities in Cape Town. Non-probability sampling was used to select 296 adolescents between the ages of 16–18 from schools located in two low-income communities. The measurement tools included the Drug Use Disorders Identification Test, the Resistance to Peer Influence and Leisure Boredom Scales. Multiple regression revealed that the combined influence of peer pressure and leisure boredom predicted substance use, while peer pressure emerged as a stronger predictor than leisure boredom on substance use among adolescents.

Keywords: substance use, peer pressure, leisure boredom, adolescents, multiple regression

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Authors: Tetyana Kendzerska, David T. Zhu, Michael Pugliese, Douglas Manuel, Mohsen Sadatsafavi, Marcus Povitz, Therese A. Stukel, Teresa To, Shawn D. Aaron, Sunita Mulpuru, Melanie Chin, Claire E. Kendall, Kednapa Thavorn, Rebecca Robillard, Andrea S. Gershon

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The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the management of ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs) remains unknown. To compare observed and expected (projected based on previous years) trends in all-cause mortality and healthcare use for ACSCs in the first year of the pandemic (March 2020 - March 2021). A population-based study using provincial health administrative data.General adult population (Ontario, Canada). Monthly all-cause mortality, and hospitalizations, emergency department (ED) and outpatient visit rates (per 100,000 people at-risk) for seven combined ACSCs (asthma, COPD, angina, congestive heart failure, hypertension, diabetes, and epilepsy) during the first year were compared with similar periods in previous years (2016-2019) by fitting monthly time series auto-regressive integrated moving-average models. Compared to previous years, all-cause mortality rates increased at the beginning of the pandemic (observed rate in March-May 2020 of 79.98 vs. projected of 71.24 [66.35-76.50]) and then returned to expected in June 2020—except among immigrants and people with mental health conditions where they remained elevated. Hospitalization and ED visit rates for ACSCs remained lower than projected throughout the first year: observed hospitalization rate of 37.29 vs. projected of 52.07 (47.84-56.68); observed ED visit rate of 92.55 vs. projected of 134.72 (124.89-145.33). ACSC outpatient visit rates decreased initially (observed rate of 4,299.57 vs. projected of 5,060.23 [4,712.64-5,433.46]) and then returned to expected in June 2020. Reductions in outpatient visits for ACSCs at the beginning of the pandemic combined with reduced hospital admissions may have been associated with temporally increased mortality—disproportionately experienced by immigrants and those with mental health conditions. The Ottawa Hospital Academic Medical Organization

Keywords: COVID-19, chronic disease, all-cause mortality, hospitalizations, emergency department visits, outpatient visits, modelling, population-based study, asthma, COPD, angina, heart failure, hypertension, diabetes, epilepsy

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Authors: C. Mayr, J. Periya, A. Kariminezhad

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In this paper, we developed a learning framework for the classification of vulnerable road users (VRU) by their range-Doppler signatures. The frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) radar raw data is first pre-processed to obtain robust object range-Doppler maps per coherent time interval. The complex-valued range-Doppler maps captured from our outdoor measurements are further fed into a convolutional neural network (CNN) to learn the classification. This CNN has gone through a hyperparameter optimization process for improved learning. By learning VRU range-Doppler signatures, the three classes 'pedestrian', 'dog', and 'noise' are classified with an average accuracy of almost 95%. Interestingly, this classification accuracy holds for a combined longitudinal and lateral object trajectories.

Keywords: machine learning, radar, signal processing, autonomous driving

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Authors: Klathea Sevilla, Marjorie Remolador, Bryan Baltazar, Imee Saladaga, Loureal Camille Inocencio, Ma. Rosario Concepcion Ang

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The underutilization of biomass resources in the Philippines, combined with its growing population and the rise in fossil fuel prices confirms demand for alternative energy sources. The goal of this paper is to provide a comparison of MODIS-based and Landsat-based agricultural land cover maps when used in the estimation of rice hull’s available energy potential. Biomass resource assessment was done using mathematical models and remote sensing techniques employed in a GIS platform.

Keywords: biomass, geographic information system (GIS), remote sensing, renewable energy

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Authors: Mohamed Alimoussa, Alice Porebski, Nicolas Vandenbroucke, Rachid Oulad Haj Thami, Sana El Fkihi

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Color and texture are highly discriminant visual cues that provide an essential information in many types of images. Color texture representation and classification is therefore one of the most challenging problems in computer vision and image processing applications. Color textures can be represented in different color spaces by using multiple image descriptors which generate a high dimensional set of texture features. In order to reduce the dimensionality of the feature set, feature selection techniques can be used. The goal of feature selection is to find a relevant subset from an original feature space that can improve the accuracy and efficiency of a classification algorithm. Traditionally, feature selection is focused on removing irrelevant features, neglecting the possible redundancy between relevant ones. This is why some feature selection approaches prefer to use feature clustering analysis to aid and guide the search. These techniques can be divided into two categories. i) Feature clustering-based ranking algorithm uses feature clustering as an analysis that comes before feature ranking. Indeed, after dividing the feature set into groups, these approaches perform a feature ranking in order to select the most discriminant feature of each group. ii) Feature clustering-based subset search algorithms can use feature clustering following one of three strategies; as an initial step that comes before the search, binded and combined with the search or as the search alternative and replacement. In this paper, we propose a new feature clustering-based sequential selection approach for the purpose of color texture representation and classification. Our approach is a three step algorithm. First, irrelevant features are removed from the feature set thanks to a class-correlation measure. Then, introducing a new automatic feature clustering algorithm, the feature set is divided into several feature clusters. Finally, a sequential search algorithm, based on a filter model and a separability measure, builds a relevant and non redundant feature subset: at each step, a feature is selected and features of the same cluster are removed and thus not considered thereafter. This allows to significantly speed up the selection process since large number of redundant features are eliminated at each step. The proposed algorithm uses the clustering algorithm binded and combined with the search. Experiments using a combination of two well known texture descriptors, namely Haralick features extracted from Reduced Size Chromatic Co-occurence Matrices (RSCCMs) and features extracted from Local Binary patterns (LBP) image histograms, on five color texture data sets, Outex, NewBarktex, Parquet, Stex and USPtex demonstrate the efficiency of our method compared to seven of the state of the art methods in terms of accuracy and computation time.

Keywords: feature selection, color texture classification, feature clustering, color LBP, chromatic cooccurrence matrix

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Authors: Nizar Bouguerra, Ahmed Khabou, Sébastien Poncet, Saïd Elkoun

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The present work focuses on the preparation and the stabilization of Al₂O₃-water based nanofluids. Though they have been widely considered in the past, to the best of our knowledge, there is no clear consensus about a proper way to prepare and stabilize them by the appropriate surfactant. In this paper, a careful experimental investigation is performed to quantify the combined influence of pH and the surfactant on the stability of Al₂O₃-water based nanofluids. Two volume concentrations of nanoparticles and three nanoparticle sizes have been considered. The good preparation and stability of these nanofluids are evaluated through thermal conductivity measurements. The results show that the optimum value for the thermal conductivity is obtained mainly by controlling the pH of the mixture and surfactants are not necessary to stabilize the solution.

Keywords: nanofluid, thermal conductivity, pH, transient hot wire, surfactant, Al2O3, stability, dispersion, preparation

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Authors: Giselle Tran, Ralitza Parina, Phuong T. Nguyen

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Background/Aims: Pancreatic cysts (PC) have recently become an increasingly common entity, often diagnosed as incidental findings on cross-sectional imaging. Clinically, management of the lesions is difficult because of uncertainties in their potential for malignant degeneration. Prior series have reported that carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), a biomarker collected from cyst fluid aspiration, has a high diagnostic accuracy for discriminating between mucinous and non-mucinous lesions, at the patient’s initial presentation. To the author’s best knowledge, no prior studies have reported PC CEA levels obtained from endoscopic ultrasound fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) over years of serial EUS surveillance imaging. Methods: We report a consecutive retrospective series of 624 patients who underwent EUS evaluation for a PC between 11/20/2009 and 11/13/2018. Of these patients, 401 patients had CEA values obtained at the point of entry. Of these, 157 patients had two or more CEA values obtained over the course of their EUS surveillance. Of the 157 patients (96 F, 61 M; mean age 68 [range, 62-76]), the mean interval of EUS follow-up was 29.7 months [3.5-128]. The mean number of EUS procedures was 3 [2-7]. To assess CEA value fluctuations, we defined an appreciable increase in CEA as "spikes" – two-times increase in CEA on a subsequent EUS-FNA of the same cyst, with the second CEA value being greater than 1000 ng/mL. Using this definition, cysts with a spike in CEA were compared to those without a spike in a bivariate analysis to determine if a CEA spike is associated with poorer outcomes and the presence of high-risk features. Results: Of the 157 patients analyzed, 29 had a spike in CEA. Of these 29 patients, 5 had a cyst with size increase >0.5cm (p=0.93); 2 had a large cyst, >3cm (p=0.77); 1 had a cyst that developed a new solid component (p=0.03); 7 had a cyst with a solid component at any time during surveillance (p=0.08); 21 had a complex cyst (p=0.34); 4 had a cyst categorized as "Statistically Higher Risk" based on molecular analysis (p=0.11); and 0 underwent surgical resection (p=0.28). Conclusion: With serial EUS imaging in the surveillance of PC, an increase in CEA level defined as a spike did not predict poorer outcomes. Most notably, a spike in CEA did not correlate with the number of patients sent to surgery or patients with an appreciable increase in cyst size. A spike in CEA did not correlate with the development of a solid nodule within the PC nor progression on molecular analysis. Future studies should focus on the selected use of CEA analysis when patients undergo EUS surveillance evaluation for PCs.

Keywords: carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), fine-needle aspiration (FNA), pancreatic cyst, spike

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Authors: Dimitrios Bakavos, Dimitrios Tsivoulas, Chaowalit Limmaneevichitr

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Aluminium cast alloys, of the Al-Si system, are widely used for shape castings. Their microstructures can be further improved on one hand, by alloying modification and on the other, by optimised artificial ageing. In this project four hypoeutectic Al-alloys, the A356, A356+ Ag, A356+Sc, and A356+Ag+Sc have been studied. The interactions of Ag and Sc during solidification and artificial ageing at 170°C to a T6 temper have been investigated in details. The evolution of the eutectic microstructure is studied by thermal analysis and interrupted solidification. The ageing kinetics of the alloys has been identified by hardness measurements. The precipitate phases, number density, and chemical composition has been analysed by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and EDS analysis. Furthermore, the SHT effect onto the Si eutectic particles for the four alloys has been investigated by means of optical microscopy, image analysis, and the UTS strength has been compared with the UTS of the alloys after casting. The results suggest that the Ag additions, significantly enhance the ageing kinetics of the A356 alloy. The formation of β” precipitates were kinetically accelerated and an increase of 8% and 5% in peak hardness strength has been observed compared to the base A356 and A356-Sc alloy. The EDS analysis demonstrates that Ag is present on the β” precipitate composition. After prolonged ageing 100 hours at 170°C, the A356-Ag exhibits 17% higher hardness strength compared to the other three alloys. During solidification, Sc additions change the macroscopic eutectic growth mode to the propagation of a defined eutectic front from the mold walls opposite to the heat flux direction. In contrast, Ag has no significance effect on the solidification mode revealing a macroscopic eutectic growth similar to A356 base alloy. However, the mechanical strength of the as cast A356-Ag, A356-Sc, and A356+Ag+Sc additions has increased by 5, 30, and 35 MPa, respectively. The outcome is a tribute to the refining of the eutectic Si that takes place which it is strong in the A356-Sc alloy and more profound when silver and scandium has been combined. Moreover after SHT the Al alloy with the highest mechanical strength, is the one with Ag additions, in contrast to the as-cast condition where the Sc and Sc+Ag alloy was the strongest. The increase of strength is mainly attributed to the dissolution of grain boundary precipitates the increase of the solute content into the matrix, the spherodisation, and coarsening of the eutectic Si. Therefore, we could safely conclude for an A356 hypoeutectic alloy additions of: Ag exhibits a refining effect on the Si eutectic which is improved when is combined with Sc. In addition Ag enhance, the ageing kinetics increases the hardness and retains its strength at prolonged artificial ageing in a Al-7Si 0.3Mg hypoeutectic alloy. Finally the addition of Sc is beneficial due to the refinement of the α-Al grain and modification-refinement of the eutectic Si increasing the strength of the as-cast product.

Keywords: ageing, casting, mechanical strength, precipitates

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Authors: Sumi Manjipparambil Surendran, Subrata Majumdar

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Aim: The aim of the study is to find out if low PAPP-A (Pregnancy-Associated Plasma Protein A) levels in the first trimester are associated with adverse obstetric outcome. Methods: A retrospective study was carried out on 114 singleton pregnancies having undergone combined test screening. Results: There is statistically significant increased incidence of low birth weight infants in the low PAPP-A group. However, significant association was not found in the incidence of pre-eclampsia, miscarriage, and placental abruption. Conclusion: Low PAPP-A in the first trimester is associated with fetal growth restriction. Recommendation: Women with low PAPP-A levels in first trimester pregnancy screening require consultant-led care and serial growth scans.

Keywords: pregnancy, pregnancy-associated plasma protein A, PAPP-A, fetal growth restriction, trimester

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Authors: Rodrigo Zeidan

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The paper identifies failures of decision making and corporate governance that allow non-financial companies around the world to develop hedging strategies that lead to hefty losses in the aftermath of the financial crisis. The sample is comprised of 346 companies from 10 international markets, of which 49 companies (and a subsample of 13 distressed companies) lose a combined US$18.9 billion. An event study shows that most companies that present losses in derivatives experience negative abnormal returns, including a number of companies in which the effect is persistent after a year. The results of a probit model indicate that the lack of a formal hedging policy, no monitoring to the CFOs, and considerations of hubris and remuneration contribute to the mismanagement of hedging policies.

Keywords: risk management, hedging, derivatives, monitoring, corporate governance structure, event study, hubris

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Authors: Veselin Nanev, Margarita Gabrashanska, Neli Tsocheva-Gaytandzieva

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Ascaridiasis in chicks is one of the major causes for the reduction in body weights, higher mortality, and reduction in egg production, worse meat quantity, pathological lesions, blood losses, and secondary infections. It is responsible for economic losses to the poultry. Despite being economically important parasite, little work has been carried out on the role of antioxidants in the pathogenesis of ascaridiasis. Zinc is a trace elements with multiple functions and one of them is its antioxidant ability. The aim of this study was to investigate the combined effect of organic zinc compound (2Gly.ZnCl22H20) and Ascaridia galli infection on the antioxidant status of broiler chicks. The activity of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, the level of lipid peroxidation, expressed by malonyl dialdexyde and plasma zinc in chicks experimentally infected with Ascaridia galli was investigated. Parasite burden was studied as well. The study was performed on 80 broiler chicks, Cobb 500 hybrids. They were divided into four groups – 1st group – control (non-treated and non-infected, 2nd group – infected with embryonated eggs of A. galli and without treatment, 3rd group- only treated with 2Gly.ZnCl22H20 compound and gr. 4 - infected and supplemented with Zn-compound. The chicks in gr. 2 and 4 were infected orally with 450 embryonated eggs of A.galli on day 14 post infection. The chicks from gr. 3 and 4 received 40 mg Zn compound /kg of feed after the 1st week of age during 10 days. All chicks were similarly fed, managed and killed at 60 day p.i. Helminthological, biochemical and statistical methods were applied. Reduced plasma Zn content was observed in the infected chicks compared to controls. Zinc supplementation did not restored the lower Zn content. Cu, Zn-SOD was decreased significantly in the infected chicks compared to controls. The GPx – activity was significantly increased in the infected chicks than the controls. Increased GPx activity together with decreased Cu/ZnSOD activity revealed unbalanced antioxidant defense capacity. The increased MDA level in chicks and changes in the activity of the enzymes showed a development of oxidative stress during the infection with A.galli. Zn compound supplementation has been shown to influence the activity of both antioxidant enzymes (SOD, GPx) and reduced MDA in the infected chicks. Organic zinc supplementation improved the antioxidant defense and protect hosts from oxidant destruction, but without any effect on the parasite burden. The number of helminths was similar in both groups. Zn supplementation did not changed the number of parasites. Administration of oral 2Gly.ZnCl22H20 compound has been shown to be useful in chicks infected with A. galli by its improvement of their antioxidant potential.

Keywords: Ascaridia galli, antioxidants, broiler chicks, zinc supplementation

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Authors: Gabriela Kalcikova, Gregor Marolt, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Andreja Zgajnar Gotvajn

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Since the 90’s, nanotechnology is one of the fastest growing fields of science. Nanomaterials are increasingly becoming part of many products and technologies. Metal oxide nanoparticles are among the most used nanomaterials. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (nZnO) is widely used due to its versatile properties; it has been used in products including plastics, paints, food, batteries, solar cells and cosmetic products. It is also a very effective photocatalyst used for water treatment. Such expanding application of nZnO increases their possible occurrence in the environment. In the aquatic ecosystem nZnO interact with natural environmental factors such as UV radiation, and thus it is essential to evaluate possible interaction between them. In this context, the aim of our study was to evaluate combined ecotoxicity of nZnO and Zn²⁺ on duckweed Lemna minor in presence or absence UV. Inhibition of vegetative growth of duckweed Lemna minor was monitored over a period of 7 days in multi-well plates. After the experiment, specific growth rate was determined. ZnO nanoparticles used were of primary size 13.6 ± 1.7 nm. The test was conducted with nominal nZnO and Zn²⁺ (in form of ZnCl₂) concentrations of 1, 10, 100 mg/L. Experiment was repeated with presence of natural intensity of UV (8h UV, 10 W/m² UVA, 0.5 W/m² UVB). Concentration of Zn during the test was determined by ICP-MS. In the regular experiment (absence of UV) the specific growth rate was slightly increased by low concentrations of nZnO and Zn²⁺ in comparison to control. However, 10 and 100 mg/L of Zn²⁺ resulted in 45% and 68% inhibition of the specific growth rate, respectively. In case of nZnO both concentrations (10 and 100 mg/L) resulted in similar ~ 30% inhibition and the response was not dose-dependent. The lack of the dose-response relationship is often observed in case of nanoparticles. The possible explanation is that the physical impact prevails instead of chemical ones. In the presence of UV the toxicity of Zn²⁺ was increased and 100 mg/L of Zn²⁺ caused total inhibition of the specific growth rate (100%). On the other hand, 100 mg/L of nZnO resulted in low inhibition (19%) in comparison to the experiment without UV (30%). It is thus expected, that tested nZnO is low photoactive, but could have a good UV absorption and/or reflective properties and thus protect duckweed against UV impacts. Measured concentration of Zn in the test suspension decreased only about 4% after 168h in the case of ZnCl₂. On the other hand concentration of Zn in nZnO test decreased by 80%. It is expected that nZnO were partially dissolved in the medium and at the same time agglomeration and sedimentation of particles took place and thus the concentration of Zn at the water level decreased. Results of our study indicated, that nZnO combined with UV of natural intensity does not increase toxicity of nZnO, but slightly protect the plant against UV negative effects. When Zn²⁺ and ZnO results are compared it seems that dissolved Zn plays a central role in the nZnO toxicity.

Keywords: duckweed, environmental factors, nanoparticles, toxicity

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Authors: Seyedahmad Hosseini, Mohammadjavad Sotoudeheian

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Introduction: Allergic asthma is a heterogeneous immuno-inflammatory disease based on Th-2-mediated inflammation. Histopathologic abnormalities of the airways characteristic of asthma include epithelial damage and subepithelial collagen deposition. Objectives: Human bronchial epithelial cell genome expression of TNF‑α, IL‑6, ICAM‑1, VCAM‑1, nuclear factor (NF)‑κB signaling pathways up-regulate during inflammatory cascades. Moreover, immunofluorescence assays confirmed the nuclear translocation of NF‑κB p65 during inflammatory responses. An absolute LDH leakage assays suggestedLPS-inducedcells injury, and the associated mechanisms are co-incident events. LPS-induced phosphorylation of ERKand JNK causes inflammation in epithelial cells through inhibition of ERK and JNK activation and NF-κB signaling pathway. Furthermore, the inhibition of NF-κB mRNA expression and the nuclear translocation of NF-κB lead to anti-inflammatory events. Likewise, activation of SUMF2 which inhibits IL-13 and reduces Th2-cytokines, NF-κB, and IgE levels to ameliorate asthma. On the other hand, TNFα-induced mucus production reduced NF-κB activation through inhibition of the activation status of Rac1 and IκBα phosphorylation. In addition, bradykinin B2 receptor (B2R), which mediates airway remodeling, regulates through NF-κB. Bronchial B2R expression is constitutively elevated in allergic asthma. In addition, certain NF-κB -dependent chemokines function to recruit eosinophils in the airway. Besides, bromodomain containing 4 (BRD4) plays a significant role in mediating innate immune response in human small airway epithelial cells as well as transglutaminase 2 (TG2), which is detectable in saliva. So, the guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory protein α-subunit, Gα16, expresses a κB-driven luciferase reporter. This response was accompanied by phosphorylation of IκBα. Furthermore, expression of Gα16 in saliva markedly enhanced TNF-α-induced κB reporter activity. Methods: The applied method to form NF-κB activation is the electromobility shift assay (EMSA). Also, B2R-BRD4-TG2 complex detection by immunoassay method within saliva with EMSA of NF-κB activation may be a novel biomarker for asthma diagnosis and follow up. Conclusion: This concept introduces NF-κB signaling pathway as potential asthma biomarkers and promising targets for the development of new therapeutic strategies against asthma.

Keywords: NF-κB, asthma, saliva, T-helper

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Authors: Akterono Budiyati, Gita Kusumo, Teguh Putra, Fritzie Rexana, Antonius Kurniawan, Aru Sudoyo, Ahmad Utomo, Andi Utama

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The presence of the programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) has been used in multiple clinical trials and approved as biomarker for selecting patients more likely to respond to immune checkpoint inhibitors. However, the expression of PD-L1 is regulated in different ways, which leads to a different significance of its presence. Positive PD-L1 within tumors may result from two mechanisms, induced PD-L1 expression by T-cell presence or genetic mechanism that lead to constitutive PD-L1 expression. Amplification of PD-L1 genes was found as one of genetic mechanism which causes an increase in PD-L1 expression. In case of colorectal cancer (CRC), targeting immune checkpoint inhibitor has been recommended for patients with microsatellite instable (MSI). Although the correlation between PD-L1 expression and MSI status has been widely studied, so far the precise mechanism of PD-L1 gene activation in CRC patients, particularly in MSI population have yet to be clarified. In this present study we have profiled 61 archived formalin fixed paraffin embedded CRC specimens of patients from Medistra Hospital, Jakarta admitted in 2010 - 2016. Immunohistochemistry was performed to measure expression of PD-L1 in tumor cells as well as MSI status using antibodies against PD-L1 and MMR (MLH1, MSH2, PMS2 and MSH6), respectively. PD-L1 expression was measured on tumor cells with cut off of 1% whereas loss of nuclear MMR protein expressions in tumor cells but not in normal or stromal cells indicated presence of MSI. Subset of PD-L1 positive patients was then assessed for copy number variations (CNVs) using single Tube TaqMan Copy Number Assays Gene CD247PD-L1. We also observed KRAS mutation to profile possible genetic mechanism leading to the presence or absence of PD-L1 expression. Analysis of 61 CRC patients revealed 15 patients (24%) expressed PD-L1 on their tumor cell membranes. The prevalence of surface membrane PD-L1 was significantly higher in patients with MSI (87%; 7/8) compared to patients with microsatellite stable (MSS) (15%; 8/53) (P=0.001). Although amplification of PD-L1 gene was not found among PD-L1 positive patients, low-level amplification of PD-L1 gene was commonly observed in MSS patients (75%; 6/8) than in MSI patients (43%; 3/7). Additionally, we found 26% of CRC patients harbored KRAS mutations (16/61), so far the distribution of KRAS status did not correlate with PD-L1 expression. Our data suggest genetic mechanism through amplification of PD-L1 seems not to be the mechanism underlying upregulation of PD-L1 expression in CRC patients. However, further studies are warranted to confirm the results.

Keywords: colorectal cancer, gene amplification, microsatellite instable, programmed death ligand-1

Procedia PDF Downloads 198