Search results for: human structure interaction

Authors: Snezana Mugosa, Zoran Todorovic, Zoran Bukumiric, Ivan Radosavljevic, Natasa Djordjevic

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Introduction: Various studies have shown that the frequency of clopidogrel resistance ranges from 4-40%. The aim of this study was to provide in depth analysis of genetic and non-genetic factors that influence clopidogrel resistance in cardiology patients. Methods: We have conducted a prospective study in 200 hospitalized patients hospitalized at Cardiology Centre of the Clinical Centre of Montenegro. CYP2C19 genetic testing was conducted, and the PREDICT score was calculated in 102 out of 200 patients treated with clopidogrel in order to determine the influence of genetic and non-genetic factors on outcomes of interest. Adverse cardiovascular events and adverse reactions to clopidogrel were assessed during 12 months follow up period. Results: PREDICT score and CYP2C19 enzymatic activity were found to be statistically significant predictors of expressing lack of therapeutic efficacy of clopidogrel by multivariate logistic regression, without multicollinearity or interaction between the predictors (p = 0.002 and 0.009, respectively). Conclusions: Pharmacogenetics analyses that were done in the Montenegrin population of patients for the first time suggest that these analyses can predict patient response to the certain therapy. Stepwise approach could be used in assessing the clopidogrel resistance in cardiology patients, combining the PREDICT score, platelet aggregation test, and genetic testing for CYP2C19 polymorphism.

Keywords: clopidogrel, pharmacogenetics, pharmacotherapy, PREDICT score

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Authors: R. L. Ujjwal, Abhishek Jain

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In the field of computer vision, most facial variations such as identity, expression, emotions and gender have been extensively studied. Automatic age estimation has been rarely explored. With age progression of a human, the features of the face changes. This paper is providing a new comparable study of different type of algorithm to feature extraction [Hybrid features using HAAR cascade & HOG features] & classification [KNN & SVM] training dataset. By using these algorithms we are trying to find out one of the best classification algorithms. Same thing we have done on the feature selection part, we extract the feature by using HAAR cascade and HOG. This work will be done in context of age group classification model.

Keywords: computer vision, age group, face detection

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Authors: Wen Po Cheng, Chia Yun Chung, Ruey Fang Yu, Chao Feng Chen

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The main objective of this research was to study the differences of aluminum hydrolytic products between two PACl preparation methods. These two methods were the acidification process of freshly formed amorphous Al(OH)₃ and the conventional alkalization process of aluminum chloride solution. According to Ferron test and ²⁷Al NMR analysis of those two PACl preparation procedures, the reaction rate constant (k) values and Al₁₃ percentage of acid addition process at high basicity value were both lower than those values of the alkaline addition process. The results showed that the molecular structure and size distribution of the aluminum species in both preparing methods were suspected to be significantly different at high basicity value.

Keywords: polyaluminum chloride, Al13, amorphous aluminum hydroxide, Ferron test

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Authors: Hiba Alkhalaf

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Historic cities and places of cultural significance is continuously under the pressure of economic development and social change that threaten its natural and cultural environment. The challenge here is to find a balance between preserving the cultural character while ensuring the socio-economic gains and continuity of its uniqueness. That is by sustaining the use, character, meaning and social interaction associated with the place, in other words the sense of place. The main argument here is what we attempt to conserve is the cultural physical and non-physical dimensions of the historic city. It is based on the proposition that what give the historic city its character is its strong sense of place- whether it is historic or current. When properly identified, its various dimensions (use, meaning and form) would help determine what to sustain and what not by making the development meaningfully related to the uniqueness of the historic place. Accordingly, those socio-economic features within the context of a changing historic environment needed to be clarified. This paper, thus, explores the various perspectives of the role of sense of place within the historic city and its connection to cultural heritage. It also reviews urban conservation practice as it is currently understood in the context of historic city development. It concludes that sense of place lies in complex interrelated relationships between various users of the place and the physical, economic, cultural, political, and environmental contexts in which they interact. This calls for the need to sustain the sense of place as part of the overall urban development and conservation strategies.

Keywords: cultural heritage, historic urban areas, urban development, sense of place

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Authors: Ashok Kumar, Sarita Sahu, H. N. Bar

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Low cycle fatigue behavior of a ferritic, martensitic pressure vessel steel at dynamic strain ageing regime of 250°C to 280°C has been investigated. Dynamic strain ageing is a mechanism that has attracted interests of researchers due to its fascinating inexplicable repetitive nature for quite a long time. The interaction of dynamic strain ageing and cyclic plasticity has been studied from the mechanistic point of view. Dynamic strain ageing gives rise to identical serrated flow behavior in tensile and compressive halves of hysteresis loops and this has been found to gives rise to initial cyclic hardening followed by softening behavior, where as in non-DSA regime continuous cyclic softening has been found to be the dominant mechanism. An appreciable sensitivity towards nature of serrations has been observed due to degree of hardening of stable loop. The increase in degree of hardening with strain amplitude in the regime where only A type serrations are present and it decreases with strain amplitude where A+B type of serrations are present. Masing type of locus has been found in the behavior of metal at 280°C. Cyclic Stress Strain curve and Master curve has been constructed to decipher among the fatigue strength and ductility coefficients. Fractographic examinations have also shown a competition between progression of striations and secondary cracking.

Keywords: dynamic strain ageing, hardening, low cycle fatigue, softening

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Authors: Mohammad Hadi Mahmoodi, Azam Ghonchepoor, Sheilan Sohrabi

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The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of foreign language classroom anxiety and ambiguity tolerance on EFL Learners’ listening proficiency. In so doing, 442 EFL learners were randomly selected form Azad University and some accredited language institutions in Hamaden, and were given the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) (1983), and Second Language Tolerance of Ambiguity Scale (SLTAS) (1995). Participants’ listening proficiency level was determined through listening scores gained in standardized exams given by university professors or institutes in which they studied English. The results of two-way ANOVA revealed that listening proficiency was significantly affected by the interaction of anxiety and AT level of the participants. Each of the two variables were categorized in three levels of High, Mid, and Low. The highest mean score of listening belonged to the group with low degree of anxiety and high degree of ambiguity tolerance, and the lowest listening mean score was gained by the group with high level of anxiety and low level of tolerance of ambiguity. Also, the findings of multiple regressions confirmed that anxiety was the stronger predictor of listening comprehension in contrast with tolerance of ambiguity. Furthermore, the result of Pearson correlation coefficient showed that there was a significant negative relationship between the participants’ foreign language classroom anxiety and their ambiguity tolerance level.

Keywords: Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety, Second language tolerance of ambiguity, Listening proficiency

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Authors: Stefano Federici, Alessandro Lepri, Antonella Carrera

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Kessler and McKenna in the seventies, and recently Federici and Lepri investigated how an individual attributes gender to a person. By administering nudes of human figures, the scholars have found that the penis more than the vagina and the male sexual characteristics more than the female ones are significantly more salient in the gender attribution process. Federici and Lepri suggested that the asymmetrical salience of sexual characteristics is attributable to evolved decision-making processes for the solution of gender attribution problems to avoid the greatest danger of an (angry) adult male. The present study has observed the behaviour of 60 children, aged between 3 and 6 years, and their parents verifying whether the child gender attribution mechanisms are permeable to cultural stereotypes. The participating children were asked to make a male or a female on a tablet by combining 12 human physical characteristics (long hair, short hair, wide hips, narrow hips, breasts, flat chest, body hair, hairless body, penis, vagina, male face, and female face) and four cloths (male t-shirt, female t-shirt, pants, and skirt) by superimposing one or more of them on a sexually neutral manikin. On the tablet was installed an App, created by authors, to replicate the Kessler and McKenna and Federici and Lepri previous studies. One of the parents of each of the participating children was asked to make a male or a female using the same apparatus used by children. In addition, the participating parents were asked to complete a test, as proposed by Federici and Lepri in their previous study, to compare adult and child processes of gender attribution. The results suggested that children are affected both by evolved mechanisms as adults were (e.g., taking less time to make a male than a female, using the penis more often than the vagina), and by cultural modeling of parental and environmental gender stereotypes (e.g., the genitals were often covered with pants in case the delivery was to make a male and a skirt in the case was to make a female).

Keywords: biological sex, cognitive biases, cultural modeling, gender attribution, evolved decision-making processes

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Authors: Ronli Sifris

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The last Australian Parliamentary inquiry into surrogacy took place in 2016. Since then, a number of countries have reviewed their surrogacy laws, including countries such as New Zealand and the United Kingdom, which traditionally have invoked similar legal approaches to Australia on a broad range of issues. The time is ripe to reform Australia’s surrogacy laws with a view to putting in place a system that best protects the rights of all parties to a surrogacy arrangement, and especially the rights of the child. There are two specific, linked issues which tend to be particularly contentious in the surrogacy context. The first relates to legal parentage. There are questions around whether the surrogate or the intended parents should be deemed the legal parents of a child born through surrogacy and what should be the process for any transfer of parentage. The second key issue relates to compensation and whether a surrogate should be compensated for the reproductive labour inherent in conceiving, gestating, and birthing a child. This paper will invoke a comparative analysis with a view to considering how different countries are regulating surrogacy and which approach best protects the rights all parties involved in the surrogacy arrangement, especially the rights of the children born through surrogacy. The specific countries to be considered are Australia, Canada, and California (United States). I have selected these countries for the following reasons: Australia is the jurisdiction where the author is based, it is, therefore, the jurisdiction with which she has the most familiarity. It allows altruistic surrogacy only and post-birth parentage orders in favour of the intended parents of children born through altruistic surrogacy California, as a jurisdiction allowing for compensated surrogacy and pre-birth parentage orders in favour of the intended parents, sits at the other end of the spectrum to Australia thereby providing an interesting point of comparison. Canada sits somewhere in the middle; it ostensibly allows only altruistic surrogacy, but in practice, many aspects of the Canadian process resemble compensated surrogacy. In addition to conducting a comparative analysis with other countries, the paper will also consider international human rights law as its overarching framework for determining the approach that best protects the rights of a child born through surrogacy. Particular attention will be paid to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child as the key children’s rights treaty. The European Court of Human Rights will also be extensively considered as it has decided a number of cases relating to the rights of children born through surrogacy.

Keywords: surrogacy, children’s rights, australia, compensation, parentage

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Authors: Gulnaz Khan, Meha F. Aftab, Munazza Murtaza, Rizwana S. Waraich

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Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) precursor and its abnormal accumulation cause damage to various tissues and organs. AGEs have pathogenic implication in several diseases including diabetes. Existing AGEs inhibitors are not in clinical use, and there is a need for development of novel inhibitors. The present investigation aimed at identifying the novel AGEs inhibitors and assessing their mechanism of action for treating insulin resistance in mice model of diabetes. Novel derivatives of benzylidene of indan-1,3-dione were synthesized. The compounds were selected to study their action mechanism in improving insulin resistance, in vitro, in human hepatocytes and murine adipocytes and then, in vivo, in mice genetic model of diabetes (db/db). Mice were treated with novel derivatives of benzylidene of indane 1,3-dione. AGEs mediated ROS production was measured by dihydroethidium fluorescence assay. AGEs level in the serum of treated mice was observed by ELISA. Gene expression of receptor for AGEs (RAGE), PPAR-gamma, TNF-alpha and GLUT-4 was evaluated by RT-PCR. Glucose uptake was measured by fluorescent method. Microscopy was used to analyze glycogen synthesis in muscle. Among several derivatives of benzylidene of indan-1,3-dione, IDD-24, demonstrated highest inhibition of AGESs. IDD-24 significantly reduced AGEs formation and expression of receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) in fat, liver of db/db mice. Suppression of AGEs mediated ROS production was also observed in hepatocytes and fat cell, after treatment with IDD-24. Glycogen synthesis was increased in muscle tissue of mice treated with IDD-24. In adipocytes, IDD-24 prevented AGEs induced reduced glucose uptake. Mice treated with IDD-24 exhibited increased glucose tolerance, serum adiponectin levels and decreased insulin resistance. The result of present study suggested that IDD-24 can be a possible treatment target to address glycotoxins induced insulin resistance.

Keywords: advance glycation end product, hyperglycemia, indan-1, 3-dione, insulin resistance

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Authors: Mihaly Homostrei, Tamas Simon, Dorottya Schnider

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The topic of oscillation in physics is one of the key ideas which is usually taught based on the concept of harmonic oscillation. It can be an interesting activity to deal with a frictional oscillator in advanced high school classes or in university courses. Its mechanics are investigated in this research, which shows that the motion of the frictional oscillator is more complicated than a simple harmonic oscillator. The physics of the applied model in this study seems to be interesting and useful for undergraduate students. The study presents a well-known physical system, which is mostly discussed theoretically in high school and at the university. The ideal frictional oscillator is normally used as an example of harmonic oscillatory motion, as its theory relies on the constant coefficient of sliding friction. The structure of the system is simple: a rod with a homogeneous mass distribution is placed on two rotating identical cylinders placed at the same height so that they are horizontally aligned, and they rotate at the same angular velocity, however in opposite directions. Based on this setup, one could easily show that the equation of motion describes a harmonic oscillation considering the magnitudes of the normal forces in the system as the function of the position and the frictional forces with a constant coefficient of frictions are related to them. Therefore, the whole description of the model relies on simple Newtonian mechanics, which is available for students even in high school. On the other hand, the phenomenon of the described frictional oscillator does not seem to be so straightforward after all; experiments show that the simple harmonic oscillation cannot be observed in all cases, and the system performs a much more complex movement, whereby the rod adjusts itself to a non-harmonic oscillation with a nonzero stable amplitude after an unconventional damping effect. The stable amplitude, in this case, means that the position function of the rod converges to a harmonic oscillation with a constant amplitude. This leads to the idea of a more complex model which can describe the motion of the rod in a more accurate way. The main difference to the original equation of motion is the concept that the frictional coefficient varies with the relative velocity. This dependence on the velocity was investigated in many different research articles as well; however, this specific problem could demonstrate the key concept of the varying friction coefficient and its importance in an interesting and demonstrative way. The position function of the rod is described by a more complicated and non-trivial, yet more precise equation than the usual harmonic oscillation description of the movement. The study discusses the structure of the measurements related to the frictional oscillator, the qualitative and quantitative derivation of the theory, and the comparison of the final theoretical function as well as the measured position-function in time. The project provides useful materials and knowledge for undergraduate students and a new perspective in university physics education.

Keywords: friction, frictional coefficient, non-harmonic oscillator, physics education

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Authors: Yu Wang

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Nowadays, Internet enables its users to share the information online and to interact with others. Facing with numerous information, these Internet users are confused and begin to rely on the opinion leaders’ recommendations. The online opinion leaders are the individuals who have professional knowledge, who utilize the online channels to spread word-of-mouth information and who can affect the attitudes or even the behavior of their followers to some degree. Because utilizing the online opinion leaders is seen as an important approach to affect the potential consumers, how to identify them has become one of the hottest topics in the related field. Hence, in this article, the concepts and characteristics are introduced, and the researches related to identifying opinion leaders are collected and divided into three categories. Finally, the implications for future studies are provided.

Keywords: online opinion leaders, user attributes analysis, text mining analysis, network structure analysis

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Authors: Nima Samie, Batoul Sadat Haerian, Sekaran Muniandy, M. S. Kanthimathi

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Colon and breast cancers are categorized as the most prevalent types of cancer worldwide. Recently, the broad clinical application of metal complex compounds has led to the discovery of potential therapeutic drugs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cytotoxic action of a selected nickel complex compound (NCC) against human colon and breast cancer cells. In this context, we determined the potency of the compound in the induction of apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, and cytoskeleton rearrangement. HT-29, WiDr, CCD-18Co, MCF-7 and Hs 190.T cell lines were used to determine the IC50 of the compound using the MTT assay. Analysis of apoptosis was carried out using immunofluorescence, acridine orange/ propidium iodide double staining, Annexin-V-FITC assay, evaluation of the translocation of NF-kB, oxygen radical antioxidant capacity, quenching of reactive oxygen species content , measurement of LDH release, caspase-3/-7, -8 and -9 assays and western blotting. The cell cycle arrest was examined using flowcytometry and gene expression was assessed using qPCR array. Results showed that our nickel complex compound displayed a potent suppressive effect on HT-29, WiDr, MCF-7 and Hs 190.T after 24 h of treatment with IC50 value of 2.02±0.54, 2.13±0.65, 3.76±015 and 3.14±0.45 µM respectively. This cytotoxic effect on normal cells was insignificant. Dipping in the mitochondrial membrane potential and increased release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria indicated induction of the intrinsic apoptosis pathway by the nickel complex compound. Activation of this pathway was further evidenced by significant activation of caspase 9 and 3/7.The nickel complex compound (NCC) was also shown activate the extrinsic pathways of apoptosis by activation of caspase-8 which is linked to the suppression of NF-kB translocation to the nucleus. Cell cycle arrest in the G1 phase and up-regulation of glutathione reductase, based on excessive ROS production were also observed. The results of this study suggest that the nickel complex compound is a potent anti-cancer agent inducing both intrinsic and extrinsic pathways as well as cell cycle arrest in colon and breast cancer cells.

Keywords: nickel complex, apoptosis, cytoskeletal rearrangement, colon cancer, breast cancer

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Authors: Ismail Al-Yahmadi, Abbasher Gismelseed, Fatma Al-Mammari, Ahmed Al-Rawas, Ali Yousif, Imaddin Al-Omari, Hisham Widatallah, Mohamed Elzain

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The influence of Fe-doping on the structural, magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of Nd₀.₆Sr₀.₄FeₓMn₁₋ₓO₃ (0≤ x ≤0.5) were investigated. The samples were synthesized by auto-combustion Sol-Gel method. The phase purity, crystallinity, and the structural properties for all prepared samples were examined by X-ray diffraction. XRD refinement indicates that the samples are crystallized in the orthorhombic single-phase with Pnma space group. Temperature dependence of magnetization measurements under a magnetic applied field of 0.02 T reveals that the samples with (x=0.0, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3) exhibit a paramagnetic (PM) to ferromagnetic (FM) transition with decreasing temperature. The Curie temperature decreased with increasing Fe content from 256 K for x =0.0 to 80 K for x =0.3 due to increasing of antiferromagnetic superexchange (SE) interaction coupling. Moreover, the magnetization as a function of applied magnetic field (M-H) curves was measured at 2 K, and 300 K. the results of such measurements confirm the temperature dependence of magnetization measurements. The magnetic entropy change|∆SM | was evaluated using Maxwell's relation. The maximum values of the magnetic entropy change |-∆SMax |for x=0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 are found to be 15.35, 5.13, 3.36, 1.08 J/kg.K for an applied magnetic field of 9 T. Our result on magnetocaloric properties suggests that the parent sample Nd₀.₆Sr₀.₄MnO₃ could be a good refrigerant for low-temperature magnetic refrigeration.

Keywords: manganite perovskite, magnetocaloric effect, X-ray diffraction, relative cooling power

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Authors: S. Jurado, E. Pazmino

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Determination of the medial axis of a porous media sample is a non-trivial problem of interest for several disciplines, e.g., hydrology, fluid dynamics, contaminant transport, filtration, oil extraction, etc. However, the computational tools available for researchers are limited and restricted. The primary aim of this work was to develop a series of algorithms to extract porosity, medial axis structure, and pore-throat size distributions from porous media domains. A complementary objective was to provide the algorithms as free computational software available to the academic community comprising researchers and students interested in 3D data processing. The burn algorithm was tested on porous media data obtained from High-Resolution X-Ray Microtomography (HRXMT) and idealized computer-generated domains. The real data and idealized domains were discretized in voxels domains of 550³ elements and binarized to denote solid and void regions to determine porosity. Subsequently, the algorithm identifies the layer of void voxels next to the solid boundaries. An iterative process removes or 'burns' void voxels in sequence of layer by layer until all the void space is characterized. Multiples strategies were tested to optimize the execution time and use of computer memory, i.e., segmentation of the overall domain in subdomains, vectorization of operations, and extraction of single burn layer data during the iterative process. The medial axis determination was conducted identifying regions where burnt layers collide. The final medial axis structure was refined to avoid concave-grain effects and utilized to determine the pore throat size distribution. A graphic user interface software was developed to encompass all these algorithms, including the generation of idealized porous media domains. The software allows input of HRXMT data to calculate porosity, medial axis, and pore-throat size distribution and provide output in tabular and graphical formats. Preliminary tests of the software developed during this study achieved medial axis, pore-throat size distribution and porosity determination of 100³, 320³ and 550³ voxel porous media domains in 2, 22, and 45 minutes, respectively in a personal computer (Intel i7 processor, 16Gb RAM). These results indicate that the software is a practical and accessible tool in postprocessing HRXMT data for the academic community.

Keywords: medial axis, pore-throat distribution, porosity, porous media

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Authors: Seyedmajid Mehrnia, Maximilan Kuhr, Peter F. Pelz

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Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulation is a proven method to inspect behaviours of lubricant oils in nano-scale gaps. However, most MD simulations on tribology have been performed with atomically smooth walls to determine wall slip and friction properties. This study will investigate the effect of porosity, specifically nano-porous walls, on wall slip properties of hydrocarbon oils confined between two walls in a Couette flow. Different pore geometries will be modelled to investigate the effect on wall slip and bulk shear. In this paper, the Polyalphaolefin (PAO) molecules are confined to a stationary and a moving wall. A hybrid force field consisting of different potential energy functions was employed in this MD simulation. Newton’s law defines how those forces will influence the atoms' movements. The interactions among surface atoms were simulated with an Embedded Atom Method (EAM) potential function which can represent the characteristics of metallic arrangements very strongly. We implemented NERD forcefield for intramolecular potential energy function. Also, Lennard-Jones potential was employed for nonbonded intermolecular interaction.

Keywords: slip length, molecular dynamics, critical shear rate, Couette flow

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Authors: Ala Hanetite

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The purpose of this article is to present, by means of a model, the determinants of organisational culture which influence creativity and innovation. A literature study showed that a model, based on the open systems theory and the work of Schein, can offer a holistic approach in describing organisational culture. The relationship between creativity, innovation and culture is discussed in this context. Against the background of this model, the determinants of organisational culture were identified. The determinants are strategy, structure, support mechanisms, behaviour that encourages innovation, and open communication. The influence of each determinant on creativity and innovation is discussed. Values, norms and beliefs that play a role in creativity and innovation can either support or inhibit creativity and innovation depending on how they influence individual and group behaviour. This is also explained in the article.

Keywords: attitudes, creativity, innovation, organisational culture

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Authors: Son Nguyen, Thanh Van, Ly Le

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Ca2+ - dependent calmodulin kinase IIa (CaMKIIa) has recently been found to associate with protein tau missorting and polymerization in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). However, there has yet inhibitors targeting CaMKIIa to investigate the correlation between CaMKIIa activity and protein tau polymer formation. Combining virtual screening and our statistics in binding contribution scoring function (BCSF), we rationally identified potential compounds that bind to specific CaMKIIa active site and specificity-affinity distribution of the ligand within the active site. Using molecular dynamics simulation, we identified structural stability of CaMKIIa and potent inhibitors, and site-directed bonding, separating non-specific and specific molecular interaction features. Despite of variation in confirmation of simulation time, interactions of the potent inhibitors were found to be strongly associated with the unique chemical features extracted from molecular binding poses. In addition, competitive inhibitors within CaMKIIa showed an important molecular recognition pattern toward specific ligand features. Our approach combining virtual screening with BCSF may provide an universally applicable method for precise identification in the discovery of compounds.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, Ca 2+ -dependent calmodulin kinase IIa, protein tau, molecular docking

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Authors: Bita Mashayekhi, Farzaneh Jalali, Alemeh Yazdanian

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This study contributes to identifying the corporate governance indices in previous researches by using content analysis on relevant papers published in 20 top accounting journals according to Google Scholar ranking, dated from 1990 to 2016. For this purpose, 65 papers are scrutinized deeply, and the concepts of corporate governance are coded and categorized. Then extracted indices are clustered into 10 and 51 categories and subcategories, respectively; and their frequencies are determined. Results show that the board of directors’ characteristics is employed more frequently in reviewed papers, and the board of directors’ independency is the most frequent index within the 97 percent of our sample. Duality, board size, and ownership structure have more frequencies in comparison with other extracted corporate governance indices.

Keywords: corporate governance, content analysis, corporate governance index, top accounting journals

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Authors: Yiquan Liao, Quanhong Jiang

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Since terahertz was observed by German scientists, we have obtained terahertz through different generation technologies of broadband and narrowband. Then, with the development of semiconductor and other technologies, the imaging technology of terahertz has become increasingly perfect. From the earliest application of nondestructive testing in aviation to the present application of information transmission and human safety detection, the role of terahertz will shine in various fields. The weapons produced by terahertz were epoch-making, which is a crushing deterrent against technologically backward countries. At the same time, terahertz technology in the fields of imaging, medical and livelihood, communication and communication are for the well-being of the country and the people.

Keywords: terahertz, imaging, communication, medical treatment

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Authors: Amir Mahyar Khorasani, Ian Gibson, Moshe Goldberg, Mohammad Masoud Movahedi, Guy Littlefair

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One of the important factors in manufacturing processes especially machining operations is surface quality. Improving this parameter results in improving fatigue strength, corrosion resistance, creep life and surface friction. The reliability and clearance of removable joints such as thread and nuts are highly related to the surface roughness. In this work, the effect of different cutting parameters such as cutting fluid pressure, feed rate and cutting speed on the surface quality of the crest of thread in the high-speed milling of Brass C3600 have been determined. Two popular neural networks containing MLP and RBF coupling with Taguchi L32 have been used to model surface roughness which was shown to be highly adept for such tasks. The contribution of this work is modelling surface roughness on the crest of the thread by using precise profilometer with nanoscale resolution. Experimental tests have been carried out for validation and approved suitable accuracy of the proposed model. Also analysing the interaction of parameters two by two showed that the most effective cutting parameter on the surface value is feed rate followed by cutting speed and cutting fluid pressure.

Keywords: artificial neural networks, cutting conditions, high-speed machining, surface roughness, thread milling

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Authors: Nihal Atif Salim

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To improve the quality of life in cities, a variety of interventions are used. Noise is a substantial and important sort of pollution that has a negative impact on the urban environment and human health. According to the complaint survey, it ranks second among environmental contamination complaints (conducted by EEAA in 2019). The most significant source of noise in the city is traffic noise. In order to improve the sound urban environment, many physical techniques are applied. In the local area, noise barriers are considered as one of the most appropriate physical techniques along existing traffic routes. Alexandria is Egypt's second-largest city after Cairo. It is located along the Mediterranean Sea, and El- Gish Road is one of the city's main arteries. It impacts the waterfront promenade that extends along with the city by a high level of traffic noise. The purpose of this paper is to clarify the design considerations for the most appropriate noise barrier type along with the promenade, with the goal of improving the Quality of Life (QOL) and the sonic urban environment specifically. The proposed methodology focuses on how noise affects human perception and the environment. Then it delves into the various physical noise control approaches. After that, the paper discusses sustainable design decisions making. Finally, look into the importance of incorporating sustainability into design decisions making. Three stages will be followed in the case study. The first stage involves doing a site inspection and using specific sound measurement equipment (a noise level meter) to measure the noise level along the promenade at many sites, and the findings will be shown on a noise map. The second step is to inquire about the site's user experience. The third step is to investigate the various types of noise barriers and their effects on QOL along existing routes in order to select the most appropriate type. The goal of this research is to evaluate the suitable design of noise barriers that fulfill environmental and social perceptions while maintaining a balanced approach to the noise issue in order to improve QOL along existing roadways in the local area.

Keywords: noise pollution, sonic urban environment, traffic noise, noise barrier, acoustic sustainability, noise reduction techniques

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Authors: Gitanjali Pagare, Hansa Devi, S. P. Sanyal

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Full-potential linearized augmented plane wave (FLAPW) method has been employed within the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) and local spin density approximation (LSDA) as the exchange correlation potential to investigate elastic properties of LaX (X = Cd and Hg) in their B2-type (CsCl) crystal structure. The calculated ground state properties such as lattice constant (a0), bulk modulus (B) and pressure derivative of bulk modulus (B') agree well with the available experimental results. The second order elastic constants (C11, C12 and C44) have been calculated. The ductility or brittleness of these intermetallic compounds is predicted by using Pugh’s rule B/GH and Cauchy’s pressure (C12-C44). The calculated results indicate that LaHg is the ductile whereas LaCd is brittle in nature.

Keywords: ductility/brittleness, elastic constants, equation of states, FP-LAPW method, intermetallics

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Authors: J. Barilla, M. Lokajíček, H. Pisaková, P. Simr

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The final biological effect of ionizing particles may be influenced strongly by some chemical substances present in cells mainly in the case of low-LET radiation. The influence of oxygen may be particularly important because oxygen is always present in living cells. The corresponding processes are then running mainly in the chemical stage of radio biological mechanism. The radical clusters formed by densely ionizing ends of primary or secondary charged particles are mainly responsible for final biological effect. The damage effect depends then on radical concentration at a time when the cluster meets a DNA molecule. It may be strongly influenced by oxygen present in a cell as oxygen may act in different directions: at small concentration of it the interaction with hydrogen radicals prevails while at higher concentrations additional efficient oxygen radicals may be formed. The basic radical concentration in individual clusters diminishes, which is influenced by two parallel processes: chemical reactions and diffusion of corresponding clusters. The given simultaneous evolution may be modeled and analyzed well with the help of Continuous Petri nets. The influence of other substances present in cells during irradiation may be studied, too. Some results concerning the impact of oxygen content will be presented.

Keywords: radiobiological mechanism, chemical phase, DSB formation, Petri nets

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Authors: A. boursali, A. Guen Bouazza, M. Khaouani, Z. Kourdi, B. Bouazza

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This paper presents the design, development and characterization of the devices simulation for X-Band Radar applications. The effect of an InAlN/GaN structure on the RF performance High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMT) device. Systematic investigations on the small signal as well as power performance as functions of the drain biases are presented. Were improved for X-band applications. The Power Added Efficiency (PAE) was achieved over 23% for X-band. The developed devices combine two InAlN/GaN HEMTs of 30nm gate periphery and exhibited the output power of over 50W. An InAlN/GaN HEMT with 30nm gate periphery was developed and exhibited the output power of over 120W.

Keywords: InAlN/GaN, HEMT, RF analyses, PAE, X-Band, radar

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Authors: Abid Ali Abid

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One-dimensional (1-D) particle-in-cell (PIC) electrostatic simulations are carried out to investigate the electrostatic waves, whose constituents are hot, cold and beam electrons in the background of motionless positive ions. In fact, the electrostatic modes excited are electron acoustic waves, beam driven waves as well as Langmuir waves. It is assessed that the relevant plasma parameters, for example, hot electron temperature, beam electron drift speed, and the electron beam density significantly modify the electrostatics wave's profiles. In the nonlinear stage, the wave-particle interaction becomes more evident and the waves have obtained its saturation level. Consequently, electrons become trapped in the waves and trapping vortices are clearly formed. Because of this trapping vortices and mixing of the electrons in phase space, finally, lead to electrons thermalization. It is observed that for the high-density value of the beam-electron, the solitary waves having a bipolar form of the electric field. These solitons are the nonlinear Brenstein-Greene and Kruskal wave mode that attributes the trapping of electrons potential well of phase-space hole. These examinations revealed that electrostatic waves have been exited in beam-plasma model and producing waves having broad-frequency ranges, which may clarify the broadband electrostatic noise (BEN) spectrum studied in the auroral zone.

Keywords: electron acoustic waves, trapping of cold electron, Langmuir waves, particle-in cell simulation

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Authors: Jiunde Lee, Meng-Yu Wun

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The present study attempted to explore how the range differences of ‘Geometric Field of Vision’ (GFOV) and differences in camera control in 3D simulation games, OMSI—The Bus Simulator of the 2013 PC version, affected players’ cognitive load, anxiety, and task performances. The study employed a between-subjects factorial experimental design. A total of 80 subjects completed experiment whose data were eligible for further analysis. The results of this study showed that in the difference of field of view, players had better task performances in a spacious view. Although cognitive resources consumed more of the players’ ‘mental demand,’ ‘physical demand’, and ‘temporal demand’, they had better performances in the experiment, and their anxiety was effectively reduced. On the other hand, in the narrow GFOV, players thought they spent more cognitive resources on ‘effort’ and ‘frustration degree,’ and had worse task performances, but it was not significant enough to reduce their anxiety. In terms of difference of camera control, players had worse performances since the fixed lens restricted their dexterous control. However, there was no significant difference in the players’ subjective cognitive resources or anxiety. The results further illustrated that task performances were affected by the interaction of GFOV and camera control.

Keywords: geometric field of view, camera lens, cognitive load, anxiety

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Authors: Surendra Kumar Patel

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Disability is not just a health problem; it is a complex phenomenon, reflecting the interaction between features of a person’s age and physiology. Population ageing is a major demographic issue for India in the 21st century. Older population of India constituted 8% of total population, while 5.19% has affected by disability of older age group. Objective of the present research paper is to examine the state wise differential in disability among 60+ population and to access the health care of disabled population especially the 60+ disabled persons. The data sources of the present paper are census 2001 and 2011. For analyzing the state wise differentials by disability types and comparative advantage of data, rate, ratio, and percentage have been used. The Standardized Index of Diversity of Disability (SIDD) studies differential and diversity in disability. The results show that there are 5.19% persons have disability among 60+ population and sex differential not very significant, as it is 5.3 % of male and 5.05% in female in India but place of residence shows significant variation from 2001 to 2011 census. There is huge diversity in disability prevalence among 60+ in India, highest in Sikkim followed by Rajasthan, approximately, they comprise 11%, and the lowest found in Tamil Nadu as 2.53%. This huge gap in prevalence percentage shows the health care needs of highly prevailing states.

Keywords: disability, Standardized Index of Diversity of Disability (SIDD), differential and diversity in disability, 60+ population

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Authors: Eudjen Cinc

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Work with a human voice, especially with a child s voice and cultivating the sound of the choir, presents an area of crucial importance for a conductor. We use the term conductor because it needs to be understood that regardless of whether we have in front of us an amateur or a professional choir, whether they are singers with a wealth of experience or children who are still developing and educating their inner ear so that in the future they could contribute to the development of choir music, the person who stands in front of the group and works with them, needs to have the characteristics of a conductor. Voice formation is a long-term process, without which there is no success in both solo and collective music performance.

Keywords: music group, conductor, collective, performance

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Authors: Jaroslav Kušnír

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Hawaiian literature in English has been researched more intensively in the past decades, mostly in the context of Asian American literature. In his collection of stories Language of the Gecko's and Other Stories, Hawaiian author Gary Pak explores complex relationships between Asian, Native Hawaiian, and American characters living mostly in Hawaii. Through a depiction of these complex relationships, Pak also explores the interaction between different cultures in Hawaii as well as the formation of Asian/Hawaiian identity in the modern world. Based on a comparative approach and close analysis method, this paper will explore the role of place and its historical and cultural background in the formation of modern Asian/Hawaiian cultural identity as manifested in Pak's stories My Friend Kammy and Ishmael Reed or Me. At the same time, through the use of Bill Ashcroft´s concept of transnation, the author of this paper will analyze Pak's depiction of the formation of the cultural identity of characters from Gary Pak's stories My Friend Kammy and Ishmael Reed or Me, which are, in the author of this paper´s view, the characters close to the concept of Ashcroft's transnation which makes them different from traditional cosmopolitan or diasporic characters.

Keywords: culture, cultural identity, Hawaiian identity, Hawaiian literature, place, transnation

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Authors: Sami Ali Metwally, Bedour Helmy Abou-Leila, Hussien I.Abdel-Shafy

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The work was carried out at the greenhouse of National Research Centre, Pot experiment was carried out during of 2020 and 2021 seasons aimed to study the effect of two types of water (two recycling gray water treatments((SMR (Sequencing Batch Reactor) and MBR(Membrane Biology Reactor) and three watering intervals 15, 20 and 25 days on Syangonium plants growth. Examination of data cleared that, (MBR) recorded increase in vegetative growth parameters, osmotic pressure, transpiration rate chlorophyll a,b,carotenoids and carbohydrate)in compared with SBR.As for water, intervalsthe highest values of most growth parameters were obtained from plants irrigated with after (20 days) compared with other treatments.15 days irrigation intervals recorded significantly increased in osmotic pressure, transpiration rate and photosynthetic pigments, while carbohydrate values recorded decreased. Interaction between water type and water intervals(SBR) recorded the highest values of most growth parameters by irrigation after 20 days. While the treatment (MBR)and irrigated after 25 days showed the highest values on leaf area and leaves fresh weight compared with other treatments.

Keywords: grey water, water intervals, Syngonium plant, recycling water, vegetative growth

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