Search results for: system identification

Authors: Yetti Marlida, Harnentis, Yuliaty Shafan Nur

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Background: Tempoyak is a dish derived from fermented durian fruit. Tempoyak is a food consumed as a side dish when eating rice. Besides being eaten with rice, tempoyak can also be eaten directly. But this is rarely done because many cannot stand the sour taste and aroma of the tempoyak itself. In addition, tempoyak can also be used as a seasoning. The taste of tempoyak is acidic, this occurs because of the fermentation process in durian fruit meat which is the raw material. Tempoyak is already very well known in Indonesia, especially in Padang, Bengkulu, Palembang, Lampung, and Kalimantan. Besides that, this food is also famous in Malaysia. The purpose of this research is to improvement production of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) by Lactobacillus plantarum isolated from indigenous fermented durian (tempoyak). Selected Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) previously isolated from indigenous fermented durian (tempoyak) that have ability to produce γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). The study was started with identification of selected LAB by 16 S RNA, followed optimation of GABA production by culture condition using different initial pH, temperature, glutamate concentration, incubation time, carbon and nitrogen sources. Results: The result from indentification used polymerase chain reaction of 16S rRNA gene sequences and phylogenetic analysis was Lactobacillus plantarum (coded as Y3) with a sequenced length of 1400bp. The improvement of Gaba production was found highest at pH: 6.0; temperature: 30 °C; glutamate concentration: 0.4%; incubation time: 60 h; glucose and yeast extract as carbon and nitrogen sources. Conclusions: GABA can be produced with the optimum condition fermentation were 66.06 mM.

Keywords: lactic acid bacteria, γ-amino butyric acid, indigenous fermented durian, PCR

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Authors: Anyaphat Srithanasuwan, Noppason Pangprasit, Montira Intanon, Phongsakorn Chuammitri, Witaya Suriyasathaporn, Ynte H. Schukken

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Streptococcus uberis is one of the most common mastitis-causing pathogens, with a wide range of intramammary infection (IMI) durations and pathogenicity. This study aimed to compare shared or unique virulence factor gene clusters distinguishing persistent and transient strains of S. uberis. A total of 139 S. uberis strains were isolated from three small-holder dairy herds with a high prevalence of S. uberis mastitis. The duration of IMI was used to categorize bacteria into two groups: transient and persistent strains with an IMI duration of less than 1 month and longer than 2 months, respectively. Six representative S. uberis strains, three from each group (transience and persistence) were selected for analysis. All transient strains exhibited multi-locus sequence types (MLST), indicating a highly diverse population of transient S. uberis. In contrast, MLST of persistent strains was available in an online database (pubMLST). Identification of virulence genes was performed using whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data. Differences in genomic size and number of virulent genes were found. For example, the BCA gene or alpha-c protein and the gene associated with capsule formation (hasAB), found in persistent strains, are important for attachment and invasion, as well as the evasion of the antimicrobial mechanisms and survival persistence, respectively. These findings suggest a genetic-level difference between the two strain types. Consequently, a comprehensive study of 139 S. uberis isolates will be conducted to perform an in-depth genetic assessment through WGS analysis on an Illumina platform.

Keywords: Streptococcus Uberis, mastitis, whole genome sequence, intramammary infection, persistent S. Uberis, transient s. Uberis

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Authors: Lemar Blake, Chris Oura, Ayanna C. N. Phillips Savage

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Improved DNA sequencing technology has greatly enhanced bacterial identification, especially for organisms that are difficult to culture. Mycobacteriosis with consistent hyphema, bilateral exophthalmia, open mouth gape and ocular lesions, were observed in various fish populations at the School of Veterinary Medicine, Aquaculture/Aquatic Animal Health Unit. Objective: To identify the species of Mycobacterium that is affecting aquarium fish at the School of Veterinary Medicine, Aquaculture/Aquatic Animal Health Unit. Method: A total of 13 fish samples were collected and analyzed via: Ziehl-Neelsen, conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and real-time PCR. These tests were carried out simultaneously for confirmation. The following combination of conventional primers: 16s rRNA (564 bp), rpoB (396 bp), sod (408 bp) were used. Concatenation of the gene fragments was carried out to phylogenetically classify the organism. Results: Acid fast non-branching bacilli were detected in all samples from homogenized internal organs. All 13 acid fast samples were positive for Mycobacterium via real-time PCR. Partial gene sequences using all three primer sets were obtained from two samples and demonstrated a novel strain. A strain 99% related to Mycobacterium marinum was also confirmed in one sample, using 16srRNA and rpoB genes. The two novel strains were clustered with the rapid growers and strains that are known to affect humans. Conclusions: Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated two novel Mycobacterium strains with the potential of being zoonotic and one strain 99% related to Mycobacterium marinum.

Keywords: polymerase chain reaction, phylogenetic, DNA sequencing, zoonotic

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Authors: Khin Thanda Win, Chunying Zhang, Sanghyeob Lee

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Mildew resistance locus o (Mlo), a plant-specific gene family with seven-transmembrane (TM), plays an important role in plant resistance to powdery mildew (PM). PM caused by Podosphaera xanthii is a widespread plant disease and probably represents the major fungal threat for many Cucurbits. The recent Cucurbita maxima genome sequence data provides an opportunity to identify and characterize the MLO gene family in this species. Total twenty genes (designated CmaMLO1 through CmaMLO20) have been identified by using an in silico cloning method with the MLO gene sequences of Cucumis sativus, Cucumis melo, Citrullus lanatus and Cucurbita pepo as probes. These CmaMLOs were evenly distributed on 15 chromosomes of 20 C. maxima chromosomes without any obvious clustering. Multiple sequence alignment showed that the common structural features of MLO gene family, such as TM domains, a calmodulin-binding domain and 30 important amino acid residues for MLO function, were well conserved. Phylogenetic analysis of the CmaMLO genes and other plant species reveals seven different clades (I through VII) and only clade IV is specific to monocots (rice, barley, and wheat). Phylogenetic and structural analyses provided preliminary evidence that five genes belonged to clade V could be the susceptibility genes which may play the importance role in PM resistance. This study is the first comprehensive report on MLO genes in C. maxima to our knowledge. These findings will facilitate the functional analysis of the MLOs related to PM susceptibility and are valuable resources for the development of disease resistance in pumpkin.

Keywords: Mildew resistance locus o (Mlo), powdery mildew, phylogenetic relationship, susceptibility genes

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Authors: González A. Julio, Ramírez L. Leonardo, Puerta A. Gabriel

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Telemedicine services use a large amount of data, most of which are diagnostic images in Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) and Health Level Seven (HL7) formats. Metadata is generated from each related image to support their identification. This study presents the use of decision trees for the optimization of information search processes for diagnostic images, hosted on the cloud server. To analyze the performance in the server, the following quality of service (QoS) metrics are evaluated: delay, bandwidth, jitter, latency and throughput in five test scenarios for a total of 26 experiments during the loading and downloading of DICOM images, hosted by the telemedicine group server of the Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, Bogotá, Colombia. By applying decision trees as a data mining technique and comparing it with the sequential search, it was possible to evaluate the search times of diagnostic images in the server. The results show that by using the metadata in decision trees, the search times are substantially improved, the computational resources are optimized and the request management of the telemedicine image service is improved. Based on the experiments carried out, search efficiency increased by 45% in relation to the sequential search, given that, when downloading a diagnostic image, false positives are avoided in management and acquisition processes of said information. It is concluded that, for the diagnostic images services in telemedicine, the technique of decision trees guarantees the accessibility and robustness in the acquisition and manipulation of medical images, in improvement of the diagnoses and medical procedures in patients.

Keywords: cloud storage, decision trees, diagnostic image, search, telemedicine

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Authors: B. Gopal, Pannala Krishna Murthy, G. N. Sreenivas

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The increasing demand of electric power is giving an emphasis on the need for the maximum utilization of renewable energy sources. On the other hand maintaining power quality to satisfaction of utility is an essential requirement. In this paper the design aspects of a Unified Power Quality Conditioner integrated with photovoltaic system in a distributed generation is presented. The proposed system consist of series inverter, shunt inverter are connected back to back on the dc side and share a common dc-link capacitor with Distributed Generation through a boost converter. The primary task of UPQC is to minimize grid voltage and load current disturbances along with reactive and harmonic power compensation. In addition to primary tasks of UPQC, other functionalities such as compensation of voltage interruption and active power transfer to the load and grid in both islanding and interconnected mode have been addressed. The simulation model is design in MATLAB/ Simulation environment and the results are in good agreement with the published work.

Keywords: distributed generation (DG), interconnected mode, islanding mode, maximum power point tracking (mppt), power quality (PQ), unified power quality conditioner (UPQC), photovoltaic array (PV)

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Authors: Vincent Schlageter, Maroua Mestiri, Florian Denzinger, Hugo Raetzo, Michel Demierre

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Precise landslide monitoring with differential global navigation satellite system (GNSS) is well known, but technical or economic reasons limit its application by geotechnical companies. This study demonstrates the reliability and the usefulness of Geomon (Infrasurvey Sàrl, Switzerland), a stand-alone and cost-effective rover network. The system permits deploying up to 15 rovers, plus one reference station for differential GNSS. A dedicated radio communication links all the modules to a base station, where an embedded computer automatically provides all the relative positions (L1 phase, open-source RTKLib software) and populates an Internet server. Each measure also contains information from an internal inclinometer, battery level, and position quality indices. Contrary to standard GNSS survey systems, which suffer from a limited number of beacons that must be placed in areas with good GSM signal, Geomon offers greater flexibility and permits a real overview of the whole landslide with good spatial resolution. Each module is powered with solar panels, ensuring autonomous long-term recordings. In this study, we have tested the system on several sites in the Swiss mountains, setting up to 7 rovers per site, for an 18 month-long survey. The aim was to assess the robustness and the accuracy of the system in different environmental conditions. In one case, we ran forced blind tests (vertical movements of a given amplitude) and compared various session parameters (duration from 10 to 90 minutes). Then the other cases were a survey of real landslides sites using fixed optimized parameters. Sub centimetric-accuracy with few outliers was obtained using the best parameters (session duration of 60 minutes, baseline 1 km or less), with the noise level on the horizontal component half that of the vertical one. The performance (percent of aborting solutions, outliers) was reduced with sessions shorter than 30 minutes. The environment also had a strong influence on the percent of aborting solutions (ambiguity search problem), due to multiple reflections or satellites obstructed by trees and mountains. The length of the baseline (distance reference-rover, single baseline processing) reduced the accuracy above 1 km but had no significant effect below this limit. In critical weather conditions, the system’s robustness was limited: snow, avalanche, and frost-covered some rovers, including the antenna and vertically oriented solar panels, leading to data interruption; and strong wind damaged a reference station. The possibility of changing the sessions’ parameters remotely was very useful. In conclusion, the rover network tested provided the foreseen sub-centimetric-accuracy while providing a dense spatial resolution landslide survey. The ease of implementation and the fully automatic long-term survey were timesaving. Performance strongly depends on surrounding conditions, but short pre-measures should allow moving a rover to a better final placement. The system offers a promising hazard mitigation technique. Improvements could include data post-processing for alerts and automatic modification of the duration and numbers of sessions based on battery level and rover displacement velocity.

Keywords: GNSS, GSM, landslide, long-term, network, solar, spatial resolution, sub-centimeter.

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Authors: Jun Byung Joon, Seo Seok Hyun, Lee Seo Young

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As carbon dioxide emissions increase due to rapid industrialization and reckless development, abnormal climates such as floods and droughts are occurring. In order to respond to such climate change, the use of existing fossil fuels is reduced, and the proportion of eco-friendly renewable energy is gradually increasing. Korea is an energy resource-poor country that depends on imports for 93% of its total energy. As the global energy supply chain instability experienced due to the Russia-Ukraine crisis increases, countries around the world are resetting energy policies to minimize energy dependence and strengthen security. Seawater thermal energy is a renewable energy that replaces the existing air heat energy. It uses the characteristic of having a higher specific heat than air to cool and heat main spaces of buildings to increase heat transfer efficiency and minimize power consumption to generate electricity using fossil fuels, and Carbon dioxide emissions can be minimized. In addition, the effect on the marine environment is very small by using only the temperature characteristics of seawater in a limited way. K-water carried out a demonstration project of supplying cooling and heating energy to spaces such as the central control room and presentation room in the management building by acquiring the heat source of seawater circulated through the power plant's waterway by using the characteristics of the tidal power plant. Compared to the East Sea and the South Sea, the main system was designed in consideration of the large tidal difference, small temperature difference, and low-temperature characteristics, and its performance was verified through operation during the demonstration period. In addition, facility improvements were made for major deficiencies to strengthen monitoring functions, provide user convenience, and improve facility soundness. To spread these achievements, the basic concept was to expand the seawater heating and cooling system with a scale of 200 USRT at the Tidal Culture Center. With the operational experience of the demonstration system, it will be possible to establish an optimal seawater heat cooling and heating system suitable for the characteristics of the west coast ocean. Through this, it is possible to reduce operating costs by KRW 33,31 million per year compared to air heat, and through industry-university-research joint research, it is possible to localize major equipment and materials and develop key element technologies to revitalize the seawater heat business and to advance into overseas markets. The government's efforts are needed to expand the seawater heating and cooling system. Seawater thermal energy utilizes only the thermal energy of infinite seawater. Seawater thermal energy has less impact on the environment than river water thermal energy, except for environmental pollution factors such as bottom dredging, excavation, and sand or stone extraction. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the sense of speed in project promotion by innovatively simplifying unnecessary licensing/permission procedures. In addition, support should be provided to secure business feasibility by dramatically exempting the usage fee of public waters to actively encourage development in the private sector.

Keywords: seawater thermal energy, marine energy, tidal power plant, energy consumption

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Authors: Ujala, Diksha Sharma, Mahinder Partap, Ashish R. Warghat, Bhavya Bhargava

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In soil-less agriculture, hydroponic is considered a potential farming system for the production of uniform quality plant material in significantly less time. Therefore, for the first time, the current investigation corroborates the effect of different cultivation conditions (open-field, poly-house, and hydroponic) on morpho-physiological traits, phenolic content, and essential oil components analysis in three flower color variants (yellow, scarlet red, and orange) of Tagetes patula. The results revealed that the maximum plant height, number of secondary branches, number of flowers, photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, and transpiration rate were observed under the hydroponic system as compared to other conditions. However, the maximum content of gallic acid (0.82 mg/g DW), syringic acid (3.98 mg/g DW), epicatechin (0.48 mg/g DW), p-coumaric acid (7.28 mg/g DW), protocatechuic acid (0.59 mg/g DW), ferulic acid (2.58 mg/g DW), and luteolin (8.24 mg/g DW) were quantified maximally under open-field conditions. However, under hydroponic conditions, the higher content of vanillic acid (0.43 mg/g DW), caffeic acid (0.49 mg/g DW), and quercetin (0.92 mg/g DW) were quantified. Moreover, a total of nineteen volatile components were identified in the essential oil of different flower color variants of T. patula cultivated under different conditions. The major reported volatile components in essential oil were (-)-caryophyllene oxide, trans-β-caryophyllene, trans-geraniol, 3 methyl-benzyl alcohol, and 2,2’:5’,2”-terthiophene. It has also been observed that the volatile component percentage range in all variants was observed in open-field (70.85 % to 90.54 %), poly-house (59.03 % to 77.93 %), and hydroponic (68.78 % to 89.41 %). In conclusion, the research highlighted that morpho-physiological performance with flower production was enhanced in the hydroponic system. However, phenolic content and volatile components were maximally observed in open-field conditions. However, significant results have been reported under hydroponic conditions in all studied parameters, so it could be a potential strategy for quality biomass production in T. patula.

Keywords: Tagetes patula, cultivation conditions, hydroponic, morpho-physiology

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Authors: Duy Nhat Tran, Van Tien Pham, Quang Trung Trinh, Tien Hai Tran, Van Cong Bui

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In recent years, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things have experienced significant advancements. Collecting image data and real-time analysis and processing of tasks have become increasingly popular in various aspects of life. Optical scanning devices are widely used to observe and analyze different environments, whether fixed outdoors, mounted on mobile devices, or used in unmanned aerial vehicles. As a result, the interaction between the physical environment and these devices has become more critical in terms of safety. Two commonly used methods for addressing these challenges are active and passive approaches. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages, but combining both methods can lead to higher efficiency. One solution is to utilize direct-drive motors for position control and real-time feedback within the operational range to determine appropriate control parameters with high precision. If the maximum motor torque is smaller than the inertial torque and the rotor reaches the operational limit, the spring system absorbs the impact force. Numerous experiments have been conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of device protection during operation.

Keywords: optical device, collision safety, collision absorption, precise mechanics

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Authors: B. L. Ho, L. Shi, D. F. Wang, V. C. T. Mok

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The brain’s functional connectivity while temporally non-stationary does express consistency at a macro spatial level. The study of stable resting state connectivity patterns hence provides opportunities for identification of diseases if such stability is severely perturbed. A mathematical model replicating the brain’s spatial connections will be useful for understanding brain’s representative geometry and complements the empirical model where it falls short. Empirical computations tend to involve large matrices and become infeasible with fine parcellation. However, the proposed analytical model has no such computational problems. To improve replicability, 92 subject data are obtained from two open sources. The proposed methodology, inspired by financial theory, uses multivariate regression to find relationships of every cortical region of interest (ROI) with some pre-identified hubs. These hubs acted as representatives for the entire cortical surface. A variance-covariance framework of all ROIs is then built based on these relationships to link up all the ROIs. The result is a high level of match between model and empirical correlations in the range of 0.59 to 0.66 after adjusting for sample size; an increase of almost forty percent. More significantly, the model framework provides an intuitive way to delineate between systemic drivers and idiosyncratic noise while reducing dimensions by more than 30 folds, hence, providing a way to conduct attribution analysis. Due to its analytical nature and simple structure, the model is useful as a standalone toolkit for network dependency analysis or as a module for other mathematical models.

Keywords: functional magnetic resonance imaging, multivariate regression, network hubs, resting state functional connectivity

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Authors: Shagufta Gulraiz, Abu Saeed Hashmi, Muhammad Mohsin Javed

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Lysine required for poultry feed is imported in Pakistan to fulfil the desired dietary needs. Present study was designed to produce maximum lysine by utilizing cheap sources to save the foreign exchange. To achieve the goal of lysine production through fermentation, large scale production of lysine was carried out in 7.5 L stirred glass vessel fermenter with wild and mutant Brevibacterium flavum (B. flavum) using all pre-optimized conditions. The identification of produced lysine was carried out by TLC and amino acid analyzer. Toxicity evaluation of produced lysine was performed before feeding to broiler chicks. During biological trial concentrated fermented broth having 8% lysine was used in poultry rations as a source of Lysine for test birds. Fermenter scale studies showed that the maximum lysine (20.8 g/L) was produced at 250 rpm, 1.5 vvm aeration, 6.0% inoculum under controlled pH conditions after 56 h of fermentation with wild culture but mutant (BFENU2) gave maximum yield of lysine 36.3 g/L under optimized condition after 48 h. Amino acid profiling showed 1.826% Lysine in fermented broth by wild B. flavum and 2.644% by mutant strain (BFENU2). Toxicity evaluation report showed that the produced lysine is safe for consumption by broilers. Biological evaluation results showed that produced lysine was equally good as commercial lysine in terms of weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio. A cheap and practical bioprocess of Lysine production was concluded, that can be exploited commercially in Pakistan to save foreign exchange.

Keywords: lysine, fermentation, broiler chicks, biological evaluation

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Authors: Aisling Parkes, Fiona Donson

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There is no doubt that parental imprisonment directly alters the social experiences of childhood for many children worldwide today. Indeed, the extent to which meaningful contact with a parent in prison can positively impact on the life of a child is well documented as are the benefits for the prisoner, particularly in the long term and post-release. However, despite the growing acceptance of children’s rights in Ireland over the past decade in particular, it appears that children’s rights have not yet succeeded in breaking through the walls of Irish prisons when children are visiting an incarcerated parent. In a prison system that continues to prioritise security over all other considerations, little attention has been given to the importance of recognising and protecting the rights of children affected by parental imprisonment in Ireland for children, families and society in the long term. This paper will present the findings which have emerged from a national qualitative research project (the first of its kind to be conducted in Ireland) which examines the current visiting conditions for children and families, and the related culture of visitation within the Irish Prison system. This study investigated, through semi-structured interviews and focus groups, the unique and specialist perspectives of senior prison management, prison governors, prison officers, support organisations, prison child care workers, as well as those with a family member in prison who have direct experience of prison visits in Ireland which involve children and young people. The reality of the current system of visitation that operates in Irish prisons and its impact on children’s rights is presented from a variety of perspectives. The idea of what meaningful contact means from a children’s rights based perspective is interrogated as are the benefits long term for both the child and the offender. The current system is benchmarked against well-accepted international children’s rights norms as reflected under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989. The dissonance that continues to exist between the theory of children’s rights which includes the right to maintain meaningful contact with a parent in prison and current practice and procedure in Irish Prisons will be explored. In adopting a children’s rights based perspective combined with socio-legal research, this paper will explore the added value that this approach to prison visiting might offer in responding to this particularly marginalised group of children in terms of their social experience of childhood. Finally, the question will be raised as to whether or not there is a responsibility on prisons to view children as independent rights holders when they come to visit the prison or is the prison entitled to focus solely on the prisoner with their children being viewed as a circumstance of the offender? Do the interests of the child and the prisoner have to be exclusive or is there any way of marrying the two?

Keywords: children’s rights, prisoners, sociology, visitation

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Authors: John Tate

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In 2004, the French Parliament banned the “hijab” in public schools, and in 2010 it prohibited the “burqa” and “niqab” in “public places.” The result was a “secular” outcome involving the removal of these garments, often identified with Islamic religious and cultural practice, from the French public sphere. Yet in 2016, the French local council bans on the “burqini” were overruled by France’s highest administrative court, the Conseil d’État, allowing for their retention in the public sphere. Unlike the burqa and hijab bans, the burqini bans produced significant divisions at the highest echelons of the French political class, with the Prime Minister, Manuel Valls, and the President, François Hollande, finding themselves at odds on the issue. This article seeks to achieve four aims. It seeks to (a) explain the contrary outcomes between key French state institutions, such as the Conseil d’État and the French Parliament, concerning the hijab and burqa bans, and the Conseil d’État and French local councils, concerning the burqini bans; (b) to do so by identifying two qualitatively distinct, and at times incompatible, conceptions of laïcité, present within official French public discourse, and applied by these French state institutions to underwrite these respective outcomes; (c) explain why, given these contrary conceptions of laïcité, and these contrary outcomes, the widespread identification of laïcité with “secularism” is both misleading and inaccurate; and (d) provide an explanation why senior members of the French political class were divided on the burqini bans when they were not divided on the nation-wide prohibitions of the hijab in public schools and the burqa in public places. In regard to this last question, the article seeks to ask why the Burqini was “different”?

Keywords: liberalism, republicanism, laïcité, citizenship

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Authors: Xinyong Li

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A new coupling system was constructed by combining photo-electrochemical cell with eletro-fenton cell (PEC-EF). The electrode material in this system was derived from MnyFe₁₋yCo Prussian-Blue-Analog (PBA). Mn₀.₄Fe₀.₆Co₀.₆₇-N@C spin-coated on carbon paper behaved as the gas diffusion cathode and Mn₀.₄Fe₀.₆Co₀.₆₇O₂.₂ spin-coated on fluorine-tin oxide glass (FTO) as anode. The two separated cells could degrade Sulfamethoxazole (SMX) simultaneously and some coupling mechanisms by PEC and EF enhancing the degradation efficiency were investigated. The continuous on-site generation of H₂O₂ at cathode through an oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was realized over rotating ring-disk electrode (RRDE). The electron transfer number (n) of the ORR with Mn₀.₄Fe₀.₆Co₀.₆₇-N@C was 2.5 in the selected potential and pH range. The photo-electrochemical properties of Mn₀.₄Fe₀.₆Co₀.₆₇O₂.₂ were systematically studied, which displayed good response towards visible light. The photo-induced electrons at anode can transfer to cathode for further use. Efficient photo-electro-catalytic performance was observed in degrading SMX. Almost 100% SMX removal was achieved in 120 min. This work not only provided a highly effective technique for antibiotic treatment but also revealed the synergic effect between PEC and EF.

Keywords: Electro-Fenton, photo-electrochemical, synergic effect, sulfamethoxazole

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Authors: Dianis Wulan Sari, Takeo Minematsu, Mikako Yoshida, Hiromi Sanada

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Introduction: Pruritus is diagnosed as itching without macroscopic abnormalities on skin. It is the most skin complaint of elderly people. In the present study, we conducted a dermatological study to examine the risk factors of pruritic skin and predicted how to prevent pruritus especially in the elderly population. Pruritus is caused several types of inflammation, including epidermal innate immunity based on keratinocyte responses and acquired immunity regulated by type 1 or 2 helper T (Th) cells. The triggers of pruritus differ among inflammation types, therefore we did separately assess the pruritus-associated factors of each inflammation type in an effort to contribute to the identification of intervention targets for preventing pruritus. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the factors related with actual condition of pruritic skin by examine the skin properties. Method: This study was conducted in elderly population of Indonesian nursing home. Basic characteristics and behaviors were obtained by interview. The properties of pruritic skin were collected by examination of skin biomarker using skin blotting as novel method of non-invasive skin assessment method and examination of skin barrier function using stratum corneum hydration and skin pH. Result: The average age of participants was 74 years with independent status was 66.8%. Age (β = -0.130, p = 0.044), cumulative lifetime sun exposure (β = 0.145, p = 0.026), bathing duration (β = 0.151, p = 0.022), clothing change frequency (β = 0.135, p = 0.029), and clothing type (β = -0.139, p = 0.021) were risk factors of pruritic skin in multivariate analysis. Conclusion: Risk factors of pruritic skin in elderly population were caused by internal factors such as skin senescence and external factors such as sun exposure, hygiene care and skin care behavior.

Keywords: aging, hygiene care, pruritus, skin care, sun exposure

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Authors: Armin Amindari

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Hermetic compressors are used widely for refrigeration, heat pump, and air conditioning applications. With the improvement of energy conservation and environmental protection requirements, inverter compressors that operates at different speeds have become increasingly attractive in the industry. Although speed change capability is more efficient, passing through resonant frequencies may lead to excessive vibrations. In this work, an integrated vibration control approach based on flexible multi-body dynamics theory is used for optimizing the vibration amplitudes of the compressor at different operating speeds. To examine the compressor vibrations, all the forces and moments exerted on the cylinder block were clarified and minimized using balancers attached to the upper and lower ends of the motor rotor and crankshaft. The vibration response of the system was simulated using Motionview™ software. In addition, mass-spring optimization was adopted to shift the resonant frequencies out of the operating speeds. The modal shapes of the system were studied using Optistruct™ solver. Using this approach, the vibrations were reduced up to 56% through dynamic simulations. The results were in high agreement with various experimental test data. In addition, the vibration resonance problem observed at low speeds was solved by shifting the resonant frequencies through optimization studies.

Keywords: vibration, MBD, compressor, hermetic

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Authors: U. Pruthviraj, Praveen Kumar R. A. K. Athul, K. V. Gangadharan, S. Rao Shrikantha

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An open source based autonomous unmanned marine surface vehicle (UMSV) is developed for some of the marine applications such as pollution control, environmental monitoring and thermal imaging. A double rotomoulded hull boat is deployed which is rugged, tough, quick to deploy and moves faster. It is suitable for environmental monitoring, and it is designed for easy maintenance. A 2HP electric outboard marine motor is used which is powered by a lithium-ion battery and can also be charged from a solar charger. All connections are completely waterproof to IP67 ratings. In full throttle speed, the marine motor is capable of up to 7 kmph. The motor is integrated with an open source based controller using cortex M4F for adjusting the direction of the motor. This UMSV can be operated by three modes: semi-autonomous, manual and fully automated. One of the channels of a 2.4GHz radio link 8 channel transmitter is used for toggling between different modes of the USMV. In this electric outboard marine motor an on board GPS system has been fitted to find the range and GPS positioning. The entire system can be assembled in the field in less than 10 minutes. A Flir Lepton thermal camera core, is integrated with a 64-bit quad-core Linux based open source processor, facilitating real-time capturing of thermal images and the results are stored in a micro SD card which is a data storage device for the system. The thermal camera is interfaced to an open source processor through SPI protocol. These thermal images are used for finding oil spills and to look for people who are drowning at low visibility during the night time. A Real Time clock (RTC) module is attached with the battery to provide the date and time of thermal images captured. For the live video feed, a 900MHz long range video transmitter and receiver is setup by which from a higher power output a longer range of 40miles has been achieved. A Multi-parameter probe is used to measure the following parameters: conductivity, salinity, resistivity, density, dissolved oxygen content, ORP (Oxidation-Reduction Potential), pH level, temperature, water level and pressure (absolute).The maximum pressure it can withstand 160 psi, up to 100m. This work represents a field demonstration of an open source based autonomous navigation system for a marine surface vehicle.

Keywords: open source, autonomous navigation, environmental monitoring, UMSV, outboard motor, multi-parameter probe

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Authors: WooJin KANG

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Contrary to the ideal, in the cartelized democracy, meritocracy is revealed to be a system that gives arrogance to the winners and humiliation to the losers, and more and more studies are asserting the upper-class bias of meritocracy. However, only some studies have analyzed the determinants of the perception of meritocracy and fairness among young people. This article was an attempt to fill this gap. According to the empirical results of this article, the determinants of fairness of the meritocracy in the youth were multidimensional. The social status model, the political ideology model, and the future prospect model all significantly impacted the perception of meritocracy fairness among young people. Contrary to the predictions of the system justification theory and the compensatory control theory of previous studies, the lower-class youth were critical of meritocracy. In addition, the more negative the future outlook, the less they accepted the fairness of meritocracy. In addition, ideological debates over solutions to inequality of opportunity, which began in earnest during the 20th presidential election, turned out to be a variable that significantly influenced the perception of fairness based on meritocracy among young people. The results of the empirical analysis in this article reaffirmed the multidimensional structure of the youth. This suggests the need for policy responses leading to education tailored to various subgroups within the youth.

Keywords: Meritocracy, Exam-Meritocracy, Fairness, Multiple-inequality

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Authors: Anat Achiron

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Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system in young adults. It involves the immune system attacking the protective covering of nerve fibers (myelin), leading to inflammation and damage. MS can result in various neurological symptoms, such as muscle weakness, coordination problems, and sensory disturbances. Seizures are not common in MS, and the frequency is estimated between 0.4 to 6.4% over the disease course. Objective: Investigate the frequency of seizures in individuals with multiple sclerosis and to identify associated risk factors. Methods: We evaluated the frequency of seizures in a large cohort of 5686 MS patients followed at the Sheba Multiple Sclerosis Center and studied associated risk factors and comorbidities. Our research was based on data collection using a cohort study design. We applied logistic regression analysis to assess the strength of associations. Results: We found that younger age at onset, longer disease duration, and prolonged time to immunomodulatory treatment initiation were associated with increased risk for seizures. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that seizures in people with MS are directly related to the demyelination process and not associated with other factors like medication side effects or comorbid conditions. Therefore, initiating immunomodulatory treatment early in the disease course could reduce not only disease activity but also decrease seizure risk.

Keywords: epilepsy, seizures, multiple sclerosis, white matter, age

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Authors: Roghieh Eskandari, Ali Motamedi

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There is a significant demand for renovation as-built assets are aging. To plan for a desirable and comfortable indoor environment, stakeholders use simulation technics to assess potential renovation scenarios with the innovative designs. Diminished Reality (DR), which is a technique of visually removing unwanted objects from the real-world scene in real-time, can contribute to the renovation design visualization for stakeholders by removing existing structures and assets from the scene. Using DR, the objects to be demolished or changed will be visually removed from the scene for a better understanding of the intended design scenarios for stakeholders. This research proposes an integrated system for renovation plan visualization using Building Information Modelling (BIM) data and mixed reality (MR) technologies. It presents a BIM-based DR method that utilizes a textured BIM model of the environment to accurately register the virtual model of the occluded background to the physical world in real-time. This system can facilitate the simulation of the renovation plan by visually diminishing building elements in an indoor environment.

Keywords: diminished reality, building information modelling, mixed reality, stock renovation

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Authors: Abdulfatah Al-Jaradi, Marzoq Ali Odhah, Abdulnasser A. Haza’a

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Background: Antenatal care can be defined as the care provided by skilled healthcare professionals to pregnant women and adolescent girls to ensure the best health conditions for both mother and baby during pregnancy. The components of ANC include risk identification; prevention and management of pregnancy-related or concurrent diseases; and health education and health promotion. The aim of this study: to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of pregnant women regarding antenatal care. Methodology: A descriptive KAP study was conducting in public hospitals in Sana'a City-Yemen. The study population was included all pregnant women that intended to the prenatal department and clinical outpatient department, the final sample size was 371 pregnant women, a self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data, statistical package for social sciences SPSS was used to data analysis. The results: Most (79%) of pregnant women were had correct answers in total knowledge regarding antenatal care, and about two-thirds (67%) of pregnant women were had performance practice regarding antenatal care and two-third (68%) of pregnant women were had a positive attitude. Conclusions & Recommendations: We concluded that a significant association between overall knowledge and practice level toward antenatal care and demographic characteristics of pregnant women, women (residence place, level of education, did your husband support you in attending antenatal care and place of delivery of the last baby), at (P-value ≤ 0.05). We recommended more education and training courses, lecturers and education sessions in clinical facilitators focused ANC, which relies on evidence-based interventions provided to women during pregnancy by skilled healthcare providers such as midwives, doctors, and nurses.

Keywords: antenatal care, knowledge, practice, attitude, pregnant women

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Authors: Chung-Ming Lo, Chung-Chien Lee

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In many countries, the lifetime prevalence of shoulder pain is up to 70%. In America, the health care system spends 7 billion per year about the healthy issues of shoulder pain. With respect to the origin, up to 70% of shoulder pain is attributed to rotator cuff lesions This study proposed a computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system to assist radiologists classifying rotator cuff lesions with less operator dependence. Quantitative features were extracted from the shoulder ultrasound images acquired using an ALOKA alpha-6 US scanner (Hitachi-Aloka Medical, Tokyo, Japan) with linear array probe (scan width: 36mm) ranging from 5 to 13 MHz. During examination, the postures of the examined patients are standard sitting position and are followed by the regular routine. After acquisition, the shoulder US images were drawn out from the scanner and stored as 8-bit images with pixel value ranging from 0 to 255. Upon the sonographic appearance, the boundary of each lesion was delineated by a physician to indicate the specific pattern for analysis. The three lesion categories for classification were composed of 20 cases of tendon inflammation, 18 cases of calcific tendonitis, and 18 cases of supraspinatus tear. For each lesion, second-order statistics were quantified in the feature extraction. The second-order statistics were the texture features describing the correlations between adjacent pixels in a lesion. Because echogenicity patterns were expressed via grey-scale. The grey-scale co-occurrence matrixes with four angles of adjacent pixels were used. The texture metrics included the mean and standard deviation of energy, entropy, correlation, inverse different moment, inertia, cluster shade, cluster prominence, and Haralick correlation. Then, the quantitative features were combined in a multinomial logistic regression classifier to generate a prediction model of rotator cuff lesions. Multinomial logistic regression classifier is widely used in the classification of more than two categories such as the three lesion types used in this study. In the classifier, backward elimination was used to select a feature subset which is the most relevant. They were selected from the trained classifier with the lowest error rate. Leave-one-out cross-validation was used to evaluate the performance of the classifier. Each case was left out of the total cases and used to test the trained result by the remaining cases. According to the physician’s assessment, the performance of the proposed CAD system was shown by the accuracy. As a result, the proposed system achieved an accuracy of 86%. A CAD system based on the statistical texture features to interpret echogenicity values in shoulder musculoskeletal ultrasound was established to generate a prediction model for rotator cuff lesions. Clinically, it is difficult to distinguish some kinds of rotator cuff lesions, especially partial-thickness tear of rotator cuff. The shoulder orthopaedic surgeon and musculoskeletal radiologist reported greater diagnostic test accuracy than general radiologist or ultrasonographers based on the available literature. Consequently, the proposed CAD system which was developed according to the experiment of the shoulder orthopaedic surgeon can provide reliable suggestions to general radiologists or ultrasonographers. More quantitative features related to the specific patterns of different lesion types would be investigated in the further study to improve the prediction.

Keywords: shoulder ultrasound, rotator cuff lesions, texture, computer-aided diagnosis

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Authors: S. S. Ghodsi, M. H. Mehrabi, Zainah Ibrahim, Meldi Suhatril

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This research examines the performance of a hybrid passive control device for enhancing the seismic response of steel frame structures. The device design comprises a damper which employs a viscoelastic material to control both shear and axial strain. In the design, energy is dissipated through the shear strain of a two-layer system of viscoelastic pads which are located between steel plates. In addition, viscoelastic blocks have been included on either side of the main shear damper which obtains compressive strains in the viscoelastic blocks. These dampers not only dissipate energy but also increase the stiffness of the steel frame structure, and the degree to which they increase the stiffness may be controlled by the size and shape. In this research, the cyclical behavior of the damper was examined both experimentally and numerically with finite element modeling. Cyclic loading results of the finite element modeling reveal fundamental characteristics of this hybrid viscoelastic damper. The results indicate that incorporating a damper of the design can significantly improve the seismic performance of steel frame structures.

Keywords: cyclic loading, energy dissipation, hybrid damper, passive control system, viscoelastic damper

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Authors: Jorge R. Santos, Pedro Sebastiao

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In recent years there has been a great growth in the use of drones, being used in several areas such as security, agriculture, or research. The existence of some systems that allow the remote control of drones is a reality; however, these systems are quite simple and directed to specific functionality. This paper proposes the development of a web platform made in Vue.js and Node.js to control, manage, and monitor drones in real time. Using a microservice architecture, the proposed project will be able to integrate algorithms that allow the optimization of processes. Communication with remote devices is suggested via HTTP through 3G, 4G, and 5G networks and can be done in real time or by scheduling routes. This paper addresses the case of forest fires as one of the services that could be included in a system similar to the one presented. The results obtained with the elaboration of this project were a success. The communication between the web platform and drones allowed its remote control and monitoring. The incorporation of the fire detection algorithm in the platform proved possible a real time analysis of the images captured by the drone without human intervention. The proposed system has proved to be an asset to the use of drones in fire detection. The architecture of the application developed allows other algorithms to be implemented, obtaining a more complex application with clear expansion.

Keywords: drone control, microservices, node.js, unmanned aerial vehicles, vue.js

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Authors: Pranee Suecharoen, Jaturat Kanpittaya

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Background: The incidence of adverse reactions to iodinated contrast media has risen. The dearth of reports on reactions to the administration of iso- and low-osmolar contrast media should be addressed. We, therefore, studied the profile of adverse reactions to iodinated contrast media; viz., (a) the body systems affected (b) causality, (c) severity, and (d) preventability. Objective: To study adverse reactions (causes and severity) to iodinated contrast media at Srinagarind Hospital. Method: Between March and July, 2015, 1,101 patients from the Department of Radiology were observed and interviewed for the occurrence of adverse reactions. The patients were classified per Naranjo’s algorithm and through use of an adverse reactions questionnaire. Results: A total of 105 cases (9.5%) reported adverse reactions (57% male; 43% female); among whom 2% were iso-osmolar vs. 98% low-osmolar. Diagnoses included hepatoma and cholangiocarcinoma (24.8%), colorectal cancer (9.5%), breast cancer (5.7%), cervical cancer (3.8%), lung cancer (2.9%), bone cancer (1.9%), and others (51.5%). Underlying diseases included hypertension and diabetes mellitus type 2. Mild, moderate, and severe adverse reactions accounted for 92, 5 and 3%, respectively. The respective groups of escalating symptoms included (a) mild urticaria, itching, rash, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and headache; (b) moderate hypertension, hypotension, dyspnea, tachycardia and bronchospasm; and (c) severe laryngeal edema, profound hypotension, and convulsions. All reactions could be anticipated per Naranjo’s algorithm. Conclusion: Mild to moderate adverse reactions to low-osmolar contrast media were most common and these occurred immediately after administration. For patient safety and better outcomes, improving the identification of patients likely to have an adverse reaction is essential.

Keywords: adverse reactions, contrast media, computed tomography, iodinated contrast agents

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Authors: Mohsen Azarmjoo, Yasaman Azarmjoo, Zahra Alikhani Koopaei

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This article introduces devices that can transfer sunlight to buildings that do not have access to direct sunlight during the day. The transmission and reflection of sunlight are done through the movement of movable mirrors. The focus of this article is on two models of sun tracker systems designed and built by the Macad team. In fact, this article will reveal the distinction between the two Macad devices and the previously built competitor device. What distinguishes the devices built by the Macad team from the competitor's device is the different mode of operation and the difference in the location of the sensors. Given that the devices have the same results, the Macad team has tried to reduce the defects of the competitor's device as much as possible. The special feature of the second type of device built by the Macad team has enabled buildings with different construction positions to use sun tracking systems. This article will also discuss diagrams of the path of sunlight transmission and more details of the device. It is worth mentioning that fixed mirrors are also placed next to the main devices. So that the light shining on the first device is reflected to these mirrors, this light is guided within the light receiver space and is transferred to the different parts around by steel sheets built in the light receiver space, and finally, these spaces benefit from sunlight.

Keywords: design, construction, mechatronic device, sun tracker system, sun tracker, sunlight

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Authors: Hadi Ardiny, Amir Mohammad Beigzadeh

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Through the utilization of a combination of various sensors and data fusion methods, the detection of potential nuclear threats can be significantly enhanced by extracting more information from different data. In this research, an experimental and modeling approach was employed to track a radioactive source by combining a surveillance camera and a radiation detector (NaI). To run this experiment, three mobile robots were utilized, with one of them equipped with a radioactive source. An algorithm was developed in identifying the contaminated robot through correlation between camera images and camera data. The computer vision method extracts the movements of all robots in the XY plane coordinate system, and the detector system records the gamma-ray count. The position of the robots and the corresponding count of the moving source were modeled using the MCNPX simulation code while considering the experimental geometry. The results demonstrated a high level of accuracy in finding and locating the target in both the simulation model and experimental measurement. The modeling techniques prove to be valuable in designing different scenarios and intelligent systems before initiating any experiments.

Keywords: nuclear threats, radiation detector, MCNPX simulation, modeling techniques, intelligent systems

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Authors: Sonal Sethi, Mukesh Yadav, Abhimanyu Gupta

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The upcoming field of radiogenomics has the potential to upgrade the role of imaging in lung cancer management by noninvasive characterization of tumor histology and genetic microenvironment. Receptor positivity like epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) genotyping are critical in lung adenocarcinoma for treatment. As conventional identification of receptor positivity is an invasive procedure, we analyzed the features on non-invasive computed tomography (CT), which predicts the receptor positivity in lung adenocarcinoma. Retrospectively, we did a comprehensive study from 77 proven lung adenocarcinoma patients with CT images, EGFR and ALK receptor genotyping, and clinical information. Total 22/77 patients were receptor-positive (15 had only EGFR mutation, 6 had ALK mutation, and 1 had both EGFR and ALK mutation). Various morphological characteristics and metastatic distribution on CT were analyzed along with the clinical information. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used. On multivariable logistic regression analysis, we found spiculated margin, lymphangitic spread, air bronchogram, pleural effusion, and distant metastasis had a significant predictive value for receptor mutation status. On univariate analysis, air bronchogram and pleural effusion had significant individual predictive value. Conclusions: Receptor positive lung cancer has characteristic imaging features compared with nonreceptor positive lung adenocarcinoma. Since CT is routinely used in lung cancer diagnosis, we can predict the receptor positivity by a noninvasive technique and would follow a more aggressive algorithm for evaluation of distant metastases as well as for the treatment.

Keywords: lung cancer, multidisciplinary cancer care, oncologic imaging, radiobiology

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Authors: César M. Moreira, Marco A. Pazmiño-Hernández, Marco A. Pazmiño-Barreno, Kyle Griffin, Pratap Pullammanappallil

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An anaerobic digestion system that was completely operated on solar power (both photovoltaic and solar thermal energy), and mounted on a trailer to make it mobile, was designed and constructed. A 55-gallon batch digester was placed within a chamber that was heated by hot water pumped through a radiator. Hot water was produced by a solar thermal collector and photovoltaic panels charged a battery which operated pumps for recirculating water. It was found that the temperature in the heating chamber was maintained above ambient temperature but it follows the same trend as ambient temperature. The temperature difference between the chamber and ambient values was not constant but varied with time of day. Advantageously, the temperature difference was highest during night and early morning and lowest near noon. In winter, when ambient temperature dipped to 2 °C during early morning hours, the chamber temperature did not drop below 10 °C. Model simulations showed that even if the digester is subjected to diurnal variations of temperature (as observed in winter of a subtropical region), about 63 % of the waste that would have been processed under constant digester temperature of 38 °C, can still be processed. The cost of the digester system without the trailer was $1,800.

Keywords: anaerobic digestion, solar-mobile, rural communities, solar, hybrid

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