Search results for: type 2 fuzzy logic control (T2FLC)

Authors: Moustafa Ahmed, Ahmed Bakry, Fumio Koyama

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We report on the use of strong external optical feedback to enhance the modulation response of semiconductor lasers over a frequency passband around modulation frequencies higher than 60 GHz. We show that this modulation enhancement is a type of photon-photon resonance (PPR) of oscillating modes in the external cavity formed between the laser and the external reflector. The study is based on a time-delay rate equation model that takes into account both the strong feedback and multiple reflections in the external cavity. We examine the harmonic and intermodulation distortions associated with single and two-tone modulations in the mm-wave band of the resonant modulation. We show that compared with solitary lasers modulated around the carrier-photon resonance frequency, the present mm-wave modulated signal has lower distortions.

Keywords: semiconductor laser, optical feedback, modulation, harmonic distortion

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Authors: T. K. Dutta, K. K. Das, N. Dutta

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The salient feature of this paper is primarily concerned with Ricker’s population model: f(x)=x e^(r(1-x/k)), where r is the control parameter and k is the carrying capacity, and some fruitful results are obtained with the following objectives: 1) Determination of bifurcation values leading to a chaotic region, 2) Development of Statistical Methods and Analysis required for the measure of Fractal dimensions, 3) Calculation of various fractal dimensions. These results also help that the invariant probability distribution on the attractor, when it exists, provides detailed information about the long-term behavior of a dynamical system. At the end, some open problems are posed for further research.

Keywords: Feigenbaum universality, chaos, Lyapunov exponent, fractal dimensions

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Authors: S. Gvazava, N. Khidasheli, V. Tediashvili, M. Donadze

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The work presented in this paper studied the of austempered ductile iron (ADI) with different combinations of structural composition (upper bainite, lower bainite, retained austenite) in rainwater. A range of structural states of the metal matrix was obtained by changing the regimes of thermal treantments of a high-strength cast iron. The specimens were austenised at 900 0C for 30, 60, 90, 120 minutes. Afterwards, isothermal quenching was performed at 280 and 400 0C for40 seconds. The study was carried out using weight-change (WC), cyclic potentiodynamic polarization (CPP), open-circuit potential (OCP), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements and complemented by scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDS). According to the results, corrosion resistance of the boron microallyedbainitic ADI greatly depends on the type of the bainitic matrix and the amount of the retained austenite, which is driven by diffusion permeability of interphase and intergrain boundaries.

Keywords: austempered ductile iron, corrosion behaviour, retained austenite, corrosion rate, interphase boundary, upper bainite, lower bainite

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Authors: S. Tunmee, P. Wongpanya, I. Toda, X. L. Zhou, Y. Nakaya, N. Konkhunthot, S. Arakawa, H. Saitoh

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The hydrogenated amorphous carbon films (a-C:H) were deposited on p-type Si (100) substrates at different thicknesses by radio frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique (rf-PECVD). Raman spectra display asymmetric diamond-like peaks, representative of the a-C:H films. The decrease of intensity ID/IG ratios revealed the sp3 content arise at different thicknesses of the a-C:H films. In terms of mechanical properties, the high hardness and elastic modulus values show the elastic and plastic deformation behaviors related to sp3 content in amorphous carbon films. Electro chemical properties showed that the a-C:H films exhibited excellent corrosion resistance in air-saturated 3.5 wt% NaCl solution for pH 2 at room temperature. Thickness increasing affected the small sp2 clusters in matrix, restricting the velocity transfer and exchange of electrons. The deposited a-C:H films exhibited excellent mechanical properties and corrosion resistance.

Keywords: thickness, mechanical properties, electrochemical corrosion properties, a-C:H film

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Authors: Amit Sharma, J. N. Sharma

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This paper deals with the study of reflection and transmission characteristics of acoustic waves at the interface of a semiconductor halfspace and elastic solid. The amplitude ratios (reflection and transmission coefficients) of reflected and transmitted waves to that of incident wave varying with the incident angles have been examined for the case of quasi-longitudinal wave. The special cases of normal and grazing incidence have also been derived with the help of Gauss elimination method. The mathematical model consisting of governing partial differential equations of motion and charge carriers diffusion of n-type semiconductors and elastic solid has been solved both analytically and numerically in the study. The numerical computations of reflection and transmission coefficients has been carried out by using MATLAB programming software for silicon (Si) semiconductor and copper elastic solid. The computer simulated results have been plotted graphically for Si semiconductors. The study may be useful in semiconductors, geology, and seismology in addition to surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices.

Keywords: quasilongitudinal, reflection and transmission, semiconductors, acoustics

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Authors: Esam Mohammed Al-shaebi

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One of the most crucial approaches for treating human diseases, particularly parasite infections, is nanomedicine. One of the most significant protozoan diseases that impact farm and domestic animals is coccidiosis. While, amprolium is one of the traditional anticoccidial medication, the advent of drug-resistant strains of Eimeria necessitates the development of novel treatments. The goal of the current investigation was to determine whether biosynthesized selenium nanoparticles (Bio-SeNPs) using Azadirachta indica leaves extract might treat mice with Eimeria papillata infection in the jejunal tissue. Five groups of seven mice each were used, as follows: Group 1: Non-infected-non-treated (negative control). Group 2: Non-infected treated group with Bio-SeNPs (0.5 mg/kg of body weight). Groups 3-5 were orally inoculated with 1×103 sporulated oocysts of E. papillata. Group 3: Infected-non-treated (positive control). Group 4: Infected and treated group with Bio-SeNPs (0.5 mg/kg). Group 5: Infected and treated group with the Amprolium. Groups 4 and 5 daily received oral administration (for 5 days) of Bio-SeNPs and anticoccidial medication, respectively, after infection. Bio-SeNPs caused a considerable reduction in oocyst output in mice feces (97.21%). This was also accompanied by a significant reduction in the number of developmental parasitic stages in the jejunal tissues. Glutathione reduced (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels were dramatically reduced by the Eimeria parasite, whereas, nitric oxide (NO) and malonaldehyde (MDA) levels were markedly elevated. The amount of goblet cells and MUC2 gene expression were used as apoptotic indicators, and both were considerably downregulated by infection. However, infection markedly increased the expression of inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-α) and the apoptotic genes (Caspase-3 and BCL2). Bio-SeNPs were administrated to mice to drastically lower body weight, oxidative stress, and inflammatory and apoptotic indicators in the jejunal tissue. Our research thus showed the involvement of Bio-SeNPs in protecting mice with E. papillata infections against jejunal damage.

Keywords: coccidiosis, nanoparticles, azadirachta indica, oxidative stress

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Authors: Hossein Rassi, Marjan Moradi Fard, Masoud Houshmand

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Background: Cervical cancer is multistep disease that is thought to result from an interaction between genetic background and environmental factors. Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the leading risk factor for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and cervical cancer. In other hand, some of p53 and miRNA polymorphism may plays an important role in carcinogenesis. This study attempts to clarify the relation of p53 genotypes and miR-146a rs2910164 polymorphism in cervical lesions. Method: Forty two archival samples with cervical lesion retired from Khatam hospital and 40 sample from healthy persons used as control group. A simple and rapid method was used to detect the simultaneous amplification of the HPV consensus L1 region and HPV-16,-18, -11, -31, 33 and -35 along with the b-globin gene as an internal control. We use Multiplex PCR for detection of P53 and miR-146a rs2910164 genotypes in our lab. Finally, data analysis was performed using the 7 version of the Epi Info(TM) 2012 software and test chi-square(x2) for trend. Results: Cervix lesions were collected from 42 patients with Squamous metaplasia, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, and cervical carcinoma. Successful DNA extraction was assessed by PCR amplification of b-actin gene (99bp). According to the results, p53 GG genotype and miR-146a rs2910164 CC genotype was significantly associated with increased risk of cervical lesions in the study population. In this study, we detected 13 HPV 18 from 42 cervical cancer. Conclusion: The connection between several SNP polymorphism and human virus papilloma in rare researches were seen. The reason of these differences in researches' findings can result in different kinds of races and geographic situations and also differences in life grooves in every region. The present study provided preliminary evidence that a p53 GG genotype and miR-146a rs2910164 CC genotype may effect cervical cancer risk in the study population, interacting synergistically with HPV 18 genotype. Our results demonstrate that the testing of p53 codon 72 polymorphism genotypes and miR-146a rs2910164 polymorphism genotypes in combination with HPV18 can serve as major risk factors in the early identification of cervical cancers. Furthermore, the results indicate the possibility of primary prevention of cervical cancer by vaccination against HPV18 in Iran.

Keywords: cervical cancer, HPV18, p53 codon 72 polymorphism, miR-146a rs2910164 polymorphism

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Authors: Majid Bayatian, Mohammadreza Ashouri

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Releasing hazardous chemicals is one of the major problems for office buildings in the chemical industry and, therefore, environmental risks are inherent to these environments. The adverse health effects of the airborne concentration of benzene have been a matter of significant concern, especially in oil refineries. The chronic and acute adverse health effects caused by benzene exposure have attracted wide attention. Acute exposure to benzene through inhalation could cause headaches, dizziness, drowsiness, and irritation of the skin. Chronic exposures have reported causing aplastic anemia and leukemia at the occupational settings. Association between chronic occupational exposure to benzene and the development of aplastic anemia and leukemia were documented by several epidemiological studies. Numerous research works have investigated benzene emissions and determined benzene concentration at different locations of the refinery plant and stated considerable health risks. The high cost of industrial control measures requires justification through lifetime health risk assessment of exposed workers and the public. In the present study, a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model has been proposed to assess the exposure risk of office building around a refinery due to its release of benzene. For simulation, GAMBIT, FLUENT, and CFD Post software were used as pre-processor, processor, and post-processor, and the model was validated based on comparison with experimental results of benzene concentration and wind speed. Model validation results showed that the model is highly validated, and this model can be used for health risk assessment. The simulation and risk assessment results showed that benzene could be dispersion to an office building nearby, and the exposure risk has been unacceptable. According to the results of this study, a validated CFD model, could be very useful for decision-makers for control measures and possibly support them for emergency planning of probable accidents. Also, this model can be used to assess exposure to various types of accidents as well as other pollutants such as toluene, xylene, and ethylbenzene in different atmospheric conditions.

Keywords: health risk assessment, office building, Benzene, numerical simulation, CFD

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Authors: Nikolaos Georgoulopoulos, Alkis Hatzopoulos, Konstantinos Karamitsios, Konstantinos Kotrotsios, Alexandros I. Metsai

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In modern server systems, business critical applications run in different types of infrastructure, such as cloud systems, physical machines and virtualization. Often, due to high load and over time, various hardware faults occur in servers that translate to errors, resulting to malfunction or even server breakdown. CPU, RAM and hard drive (HDD) are the hardware parts that concern server administrators the most regarding errors. In this work, selected RAM, HDD and CPU errors, that have been observed or can be simulated in kernel ring buffer log files from two groups of Linux servers, are investigated. Moreover, a severity characterization is given for each error type. Better understanding of such errors can lead to more efficient analysis of kernel logs that are usually exploited for fault diagnosis and prediction. In addition, this work summarizes ways of simulating hardware errors in RAM and HDD, in order to test the error detection and correction mechanisms of a Linux server.

Keywords: hardware errors, Kernel logs, Linux servers, RAM, hard disk, CPU

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Authors: Sisaynew Tesfaw Admassu

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The strengthening of timber beams can be necessary for several reasons including the increase of live loads (possible in a historical building for a change of destination of use or upgrading to meet new requirements), the reduction of the resistant cross-sections following deterioration (attacks of biological agents such as fungi, and insects) or traumatic events (fires) and the excess of deflection in the members. The main purpose of strengthening an element is not merely to repair it, but also to prevent and minimize the appearance of future problems. This study did an experimental investigation on the behavior of reference and strengthened solid timber beams. The strengthening materials used in this study were CSM-450 glass fiber and steel materials for both flexural and shear strengthening techniques. Twenty-two solid timber beams of Juniperus procera (TID) species with the dimensions of 60 x 90 x 780 mm were used in the present study. The binding material to bond the strengthening materials with timber was general-purpose resin with Luperox® K10 MEKP catalyst. Three beams were used as control beams (unstrengthen beams) while the remaining nineteen beams were strengthened using the strengthening materials for flexure and shear. All the beams were tested for three points loading to failure by using a Universal Testing Machine, UTM-600kN machine. The experimental results showed that the strengthened beams performed better than the unstrengthen beams. The experimental result of flexural strengthened beams showed that the load-bearing capacity of strengthened beams increased between 16.34 – 42.55%. Four layers of Glass Fiber Reinforced polymer on the tension side of the beams was shown to be the most effective way to enhance load-bearing capacity. The strengthened beams also have an enhancement in their flexural stiffness. The stiffness of flexural strengthened beams was increased between 1.18 – 65.53% as compared to the control beams. The highest increment in stiffness has occurred on beams strengthened using 2x60 mm steel plates. The shear-strengthened beams showed a relatively small amount of performance as compared to flexural-strengthened beams; the reason is that the beams are sufficient for shear. The polyester resin used in the experimental work showed good performance in bonding agents between materials. The resin showed more effectiveness in GFRP materials than steel materials.

Keywords: heritage structures, strengthening, stiffness, adhesive, polyester resin, steel plates

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Authors: Xabier Olaz Moratinos

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Drone navigation is critical, particularly during the initial phases, such as the initial ascension, where pilots may fail due to strong external interferences that could potentially lead to a crash. In this ongoing work, a drone has been successfully trained to perform an ascent of up to 6 meters at speeds with external disturbances pushing it up to 24 mph, with the DQN algorithm managing external forces affecting the system. It has been demonstrated that the system can control its height, position, and stability in all three axes (roll, pitch, and yaw) throughout the process. The learning process is carried out in the Gazebo simulator, which emulates interferences, while ROS is used to communicate with the agent.

Keywords: machine learning, DQN, Gazebo, navigation

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Authors: Brendah Nagula, Omolo Fredrick Okalebo, Ronald Ssengendo, Ivan Bamweyana

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The Kampala Physical Development Plan (KPDP) was developed in 2012 and projected both long term and short term developments within the City .The purpose of the plan was to not only shape the city into a spatially planned area but also to control the urban sprawl trends that had expanded with pronounced instances of informal settlements. This plan was approved by the National Physical Planning Board and a signature was appended by the Minister in 2013. Much as the KPDP plan has been implemented using different approaches such as detailed planning, development control, subdivision planning, carrying out construction inspections, greening and beautification, there is still limited knowledge on the level of conformance towards this plan. Therefore, it is yet to be determined whether it has been effective in shaping the City into an ideal spatially planned area. Attaining a clear picture of the level of conformance towards the KPDP 2012 through evaluation between the planned and the existing land use in Kampala City was performed. Methods such as Supervised Classification and Post Classification Change Detection were adopted to perform this evaluation. Scrutiny of findings revealed Central Division registered the lowest level of conformance to the planning standards specified in the KPDP 2012 followed by Nakawa, Rubaga, Kawempe, and Makindye. Furthermore, mixed-use development was identified as the land use with the highest level of non-conformity of 25.11% and institutional land use registered the highest level of conformance of 84.45 %. The results show that the aspect of location was not carefully considered while allocating uses in the KPDP whereby areas located near the Central Business District have higher land rents and hence require uses that ensure profit maximization. Also, the prominence of development towards mixed-use denotes an increased demand for land towards compact development that was not catered for in the plan. Therefore in order to transform Kampala city into a spatially planned area, there is need to carefully develop detailed plans especially for all the Central Division planning precincts indicating considerations for land use densification.

Keywords: spatial plan, post classification change detection, Kampala city, landuse

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Authors: Manal M. Shehata, Kawther M. Abdel-Hamid, Nashwa A. Mohamed, Marwa H. Bakr, Maged S. Mahmoud, Hala M. Elbadre

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Introduction: The worldwide rapid increase in diabetes poses a significant challenge to current therapeutic approaches. Therapeutic utility of bone marrow transplantation in diabetes is an attractive approach. However, the oxidative stress generated by hyperglycemia may hinder β-cell regeneration. Curcumin, is a dietary spice with antioxidant activity. Aim of work: The present study was undertaken to investigate the therapeutic potential of curcumin, bone marrow transplantation, and their combined effects in the reversal of experimental diabetes. Material and Methods: Fifty adult male healthy albino rats were included in the present study.They were divided into two groups: Group І: (control group) included 10 rats. Group П: (diabetic group): included 40 rats. Diabetes was induced by single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ). Group II will be further subdivided into four groups (10 rats for each): Group II-a (diabetic control). Group II-b: rats were received single intraperitoneal injection of bone marrow suspension (un-fractionated bone marrow cells) prepared from rats of the same family. Group II-c: rats were treated with curcumin orally by gastric intubation for 6 weeks. Group II-d: rats were received a combination of single bone marrow transplantation and curcumin for 6 weeks. After 6 weeks, blood glucose, insulin levels were measured and the pancreas from all rats were processed for Histological, Immunohistochemical and morphometric examination. Results: Diabetic group, showed progressive histological changes in the pancreatic islets. Treatment with either curcumin or bone marrow transplantation improved the structure of the islets and reversed streptozotocin-induced hyperglycemia and hypoinsulinemia. Combination of curcumin and bone marrow transplantation elicited more profound alleviation of streptozotocin-induced changes including islet regeneration and insulin secretion. Conclusion: The use of natural antioxidants combined with bone marrow transplantation to induce pancreatic regeneration is a promising strategy in the management of diabetes.

Keywords: diabtes, panceatic islets, bone marrow transplantation, curcumin

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Authors: Sonia P. Marrero Duran, Lilian Noya Dominguez, Lisandra Quintana Alvarez, Evert Martinez Perez, Ana Julia Acevedo Urquiaga

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Cuban business and economic policy are in the constant update as well as facing a client ever more knowledgeable and demanding. For that reason become fundamental for companies competitiveness through the optimization of its processes and services. One of the Cuban’s pillars, which has been sustained since the triumph of the Cuban Revolution back in 1959, is the free health service to all those who need it. This service is offered without any charge under the concept of preserving human life, but it implied costly management processes and logistics services to be able to supply the necessary medicines to all the units who provide health services. One of the key actors on the medicine supply chain is the Havana Distribution Center (HDC), which is responsible for the delivery of medicines in the province; as well as the acquisition of medicines from national and international producers and its subsequent transport to health care units and pharmacies in time, and with the required quality. This HDC also carries for all distribution centers in the country. Given the eminent need to create an actor in the supply chain that specializes in the medicines supply, the possibility of centralizing this operation in a logistics service provider is analyzed. Based on this decision, pharmacies operate as clients of the logistic service center whose main function is to centralize all logistics operations associated with the medicine supply chain. The HDC is precisely the logistic service provider in Havana and it is the center of this research. In 2017 the pharmacies had affectations in the availability of medicine due to deficiencies in the distribution routes. This is caused by the fact that they are not based on routing studies, besides the long distribution cycle. The distribution routs are fixed, attend only one type of customer and there respond to a territorial location by the municipality. Taking into consideration the above-mentioned problem, the objective of this research is to optimize the routes system in the Havana Distribution Center. To accomplish this objective, the techniques applied were document analysis, random sampling, statistical inference and tools such as Ishikawa diagram and the computerized software’s: ArcGis, Osmand y MapIfnfo. As a result, were analyzed four distribution alternatives; the actual rout, by customer type, by the municipality and the combination of the two last. It was demonstrated that the territorial location alternative does not take full advantage of the transportation capacities or the distance of the trips, which leads to elevated costs breaking whit the current ways of distribution and the currents characteristics of the clients. The principal finding of the investigation was the optimum option distribution rout is the 4th one that is formed by hospitals and the join of pharmacies, stomatology clinics, polyclinics and maternal and elderly homes. This solution breaks the territorial location by the municipality and permits different distribution cycles in dependence of medicine consumption and transport availability.

Keywords: computerized geographic software, distribution, distribution routs, vehicle problem routing (VPR)

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Authors: Amin Eslami, Jafar Bolouri Bazaz

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Under active stress conditions, a rigid cantilever retaining wall tends to rotate about a pivot point located within the embedded depth of the wall. For purely granular and cohesive soils, a methodology was previously reported called minimization of moment ratio to determine the location of the pivot point of rotation. The usage of this new methodology is to estimate the rotational stability safety factor. Moreover, the degree of improvement required in a backfill to get a desired safety factor can be estimated by the concept of the shear strength demand. In this article, the accuracy of this method for another type of cantilever walls called Contiguous Bored Pile (CBP) retaining wall is evaluated by using physical modeling technique. Based on observations, the results of moment ratio minimization method are in good agreement with the results of the carried out physical modeling.

Keywords: cantilever retaining wall, physical modeling, minimization of moment ratio method, pivot point

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Authors: Susmita Ghosh

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Catchment area of Damodar River, India experiences seasonal rains due to the south-west monsoon every year and depending upon the intensity of the storms, floods occur. During the monsoon season, the rainfall in the area is mainly due to active monsoon conditions. The upstream reach of Damodar river system has five dams store the water for utilization for various purposes viz, irrigation, hydro-power generation, municipal supplies and last but not the least flood moderation. But, in the downstream reach of Damodar River, known as Lower Damodar region, is severely and frequently suffering from flood due to heavy monsoon rainfall and also release from upstream reservoirs. Therefore, an effective flood management study is required to know in depth the nature and extent of flood, water logging, and erosion related problems, affected area, and damages in the Lower Damodar region, by conducting mathematical model study. The design flood or discharge is needed to decide to assign the respective model for getting several scenarios from the simulation runs. The ultimate aim is to achieve a sustainable flood management scheme from the several alternatives. there are various methods for estimating flood discharges to be carried through the rivers and their tributaries for quick drainage from inundated areas due to drainage congestion and excess rainfall. In the present study, the flood frequency analysis is performed to decide the design flood discharge of the study area. This, on the other hand, has limitations in respect of availability of long peak flood data record for determining long type of probability density function correctly. If sufficient past records are available, the maximum flood on a river with a given frequency can safely be determined. The floods of different frequency for the Damodar has been calculated by five candidate distributions i.e., generalized extreme value, extreme value-I, Pearson type III, Log Pearson and normal. Annual peak discharge series are available at Durgapur barrage for the period of 1979 to 2013 (35 years). The available series are subjected to frequency analysis. The primary objective of the flood frequency analysis is to relate the magnitude of extreme events to their frequencies of occurrence through the use of probability distributions. The design flood for return periods of 10, 15 and 25 years return period at Durgapur barrage are estimated by flood frequency method. It is necessary to develop flood hydrographs for the above floods to facilitate the mathematical model studies to find the depth and extent of inundation etc. Null hypothesis that the distributions fit the data at 95% confidence is checked with goodness of fit test, i.e., Chi Square Test. It is revealed from the goodness of fit test that the all five distributions do show a good fit on the sample population and is therefore accepted. However, it is seen that there is considerable variation in the estimation of frequency flood. It is therefore considered prudent to average out the results of these five distributions for required frequencies. The inundated area from past data is well matched using this flood.

Keywords: design discharge, flood frequency, goodness of fit, sustainable flood management

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Authors: Seok Hong Min, Tae Kwon Ha

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High strength Fe-36Ni-base Invar alloys containing Al contents up to 0.3 weight percent were cast into ingots and thermodynamic equilibrium during solidification has been investigated in this study. From the thermodynamic simulation using Thermo-Calc®, it has been revealed that equilibrium phases which can be formed are two kinds of MC-type precipitates, MoC, and M2C carbides. The mu phase was also expected to form by addition of aluminum. Microstructure observation revealed the coarse precipitates in the as-cast ingots, which was non-equilibrium phase and could be resolved by the successive heat treatment. With increasing Al contents up to 0.3 wt.%, tensile strength of Invar alloy increased as 1400MPa after cold rolling and thermal expansion coefficient increased significantly. Cold rolling appeared to dramatically decrease thermal expansion coefficient.

Keywords: invar alloy, aluminum, phase equilibrium, thermal expansion coefficient, microstructure, tensile properties

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Authors: Seyed Hassan Nikookar, Mahmoud Fazeli-Dinan, Seyyed Payman Ziapour, Ahmad-Ali Enayati

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Background: Mosquitoes look for all kinds of aquatic habitats for laying eggs. Characteristics of water habitats are important factors in determining whether a mosquito can survive and successfully completed their developmental stages. Physicochemical factors can display an important role in vector control programs. This investigate determined whether physicochemical factors differ between habitats can be effective in the larvae density in Mazandaran province. Methods: Larvae were collected by the standard dipper up to 350 ml for 15-20 minutes from fixed habitats in 16 villages of 30 townships, the specimens identified by morphological key. Water samples were collected during larval collection and were evaluated for temperature (°C), acidity (pH), turbidity (NTU), electrical conductivity (μS/cm), alkalinity (mg/l), total hardness (mg/l), nitrate (mg/l), chloride (mg/l), phosphate (mg/l), sulfate (mg/l) in selected habitats using standard methods. Spearman Correlation coefficient was used for analyze data. Results: Totally 7566 mosquito larvae of three genera and 15 species were collected of fixed habitats. Cx. pipiens was the dominant species except in villages of Tileno, Zavat, Asad Abad, Shah Mansur Mahale which An. maculipennis, Cx. torrentium were as the predominant species. Turbidity in Karat Koti, Chloride in Al Tappeh, nitrate, phosphate and sulfate in Chalmardi, electrical conductivity, alkalinity, total hardness in Komishan villages were significantly higher than other villages (P < 0.05). There were a significant positive correlation between Cx. pipiens and Electrical conductivity, Alkalinity, Total hardness, Chloride, Cx. tritaeniorhynchus and Chloride, whereas a significant negative correlation observed between Sulfate and Cx. perexiguss. Conclusion: The correlations observed between physicochemical factor and larval density, possibly can confirm the effect of these parameters on the breeding activities of mosquitoes, and could probability facilitate larval control programs by the handwork of such factors.

Keywords: anopheles, culex, culiseta, physicochemical, habitats, larvae density, correlation

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Authors: Balasaheb Bansode, L. Ladusingh

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The public distribution system is an important component of food security. It is a massive welfare program undertaken by Government of India and implemented by state government since India being a federal state; for achieving multiple objectives like eliminating hunger, reduction in malnutrition and making food consumption affordable. This program reaches at the community level through the various agencies of the government. The paper focuses on the accessibility of PDS at household level and how the present policy framework results in exclusion and inclusion errors. It tries to explore the sanctioned food grain quantity received by differentiated ration cards according to income criterion at household level, and also it has highlighted on the type of corruption in food distribution that is generated by the PDS system. The data used is of secondary nature from NSSO 68 round conducted in 2012. Bivariate and multivariate techniques have been used to understand the working and consumption of food for this paper.

Keywords: calories intake, entitle food quantity, poverty aliviation through PDS, target error

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Authors: Mary Konadu

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The rectal route for drug administration is becoming attractive to drug formulators because it can avoid hepatic first-pass effects, decrease gastrointestinal side effects and avoid undesirable effects of meals on drug absorption. Suppositories have been recognized as an alternative to the oral route in situations such as when the patient is comatose, unable to swallow, or when the drug produces nausea or vomiting. Effective drug delivery with appropriate pharmaceutical excipient is key in the production of clinically useful preparations. The high cost of available excipients coupled with other disadvantages have led to the exploration of potential excipients from natural sources. Allanblackia floribunda butter, a naturally occurring lipid, is used for medicinal, culinary, and cosmetic purposes. Different extraction methods (solvent (hexane) extraction, traditional/hot water extraction, and cold/screw press extraction) were employed to extract the oil. The different extracts of A. floribunda oil were analyzed for their physicochemical properties and mineral content. The oil was used as a base to formulate Paracetamol and Diclofenac suppositories. Quality control test were carried out on the formulated suppositories. The %age oil yield for hexane extract, hot water extract, and cold press extract were 50.40 ±0.00, 37.36±0.00, and 20.48±0.00, respectively. The acid value, saponification value, iodine value and free fatty acid were 1.159 ± 0.065, 208.51 ± 8.450, 49.877 ± 0.690 and 0.583 ± 0.032 respectively for hexane extract; 3.480 ± 0.055, 204.672±2.863, 49.04 ± 0.76 and 1.747 ± 0.028 respectively for hot water/traditional extract; 4.43 ± 0.055, 192.05±1.56, 49.96 ± 0.29 and 2.23 ± 0.03 respectively for cold press extract. Calcium, sodium, magnesium, potassium, and iron were minerals found to be present in the A. floribunda butter extracts. The uniformity of weight, hardness, disintegration time, and uniformity of content were found to be within the acceptable range. The melting point ranges for all the suppositories were found to be satisfactory. The cumulative drug release (%) of the suppositories at 45 minutes was 90.19±0.00 (Hot water extract), 93.75±0.00 (Cold Pres Extract), and 98.16±0.00 (Hexane Extract) for Paracetamol suppositories. Diclofenac sodium suppositories had a cumulative %age release of 81.60±0.00 (Hot water Extract), 95.33±0.00 (Cold Press Extract), and 99.20±0.00 (Hexane Extract). The physicochemical parameters obtained from this study shows that Allanblackia floribunda seed oil is edible and can be used as a suppository base. The suppository formulation was successful, and the quality control tests conformed to Pharmacopoeia standard.

Keywords: allanblackia foribunda, paracetamol, diclofenac, suppositories

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Authors: S: Kayesth, K. K. Gupta

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The indiscriminate use of insecticides causes environmental contamination, adversely affects non-target organisms and develops resistance among insects and pests. There has always been felt a need for methods of control which can overcome these environmental and other ecological issues. The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of different plants volatiles on survival, longevity, growth, development and reproduction of Dysdercus koenigii. The hexane extract of three different plants (Catharanthus roseus, Ocimum sanctum and Lantana camara) was used. The fifth instars were exposed to hexane extract with concentrations of 10%, 5%, 2.5%, 1.25%, 0.1%, 0.5%, 0.25%, 0.13% and 0.06% while adults were treated with 10%, 5%, 2.5% and 1.25%. 1-ml of each of these concentrations was used to make a thin film in sterilized glass jars of 500 ml capacity. Fifteen newly emerged fifth instar nymphs and ten pairs of adult bugs were treated separately with the extracts for 24 hour exposure to the plant volatiles. The effect of these plant extract was observed and readings were recorded for 23 days. Survival and longevity of both fifth instars and adults were in correlation with the concentrations of the plant extracts. The extracts did not influence growth of fifth instars significantly but impaired their development significantly at higher concentrations. The treated nymphs at higher concentrations either could not moult or died and those which could moult moulted into supranumery instars, adultoids or adults with wing deformities. The supranumery insects retained the nymphal characters except increased body size and wing pads. The adultoids had wing deformities and non-functional reproductive organs. Adultoids exhibited courtship and mounting attempts but were not able to mate. At lower concentrations from 0.1 to 0.06% the fifth instars developed into adults with fewer deformities. At these concentrations, the fecundity and fertility of these adults were drastically reduced. On the contrary, the treated adults also had reduced fecundity and fertility compared to control. Among three plant extracts Ocimcum was most toxic for both fifth instars and adults in terms of survival and longevity. Catharanthus, Ocimum and Lantana appeared to have potential molecules which possessed insect juvenile hormone like activity. Potential application of these plant extracts in IPM was discussed.

Keywords: Catharanthus, Ocimum, Lantana, Dysdercus koenigii

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Authors: Shittu Ahmed Tajudeen

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This study examines student-teachers’ attitude and intention towards cell-phone use for learning. The study involves one hundred and ninety (190) trainee teachers in one of the Institutes of Education in Nigeria. The data of the study was collected through a questionnaire on a rating of seven point likert-type Scale. The data collected was used to test the hypothesized model of the study using Structural Equation Modeling approach. The finding of the study revealed that Perceived Usefulness (PU), Perceived Ease of Use (PEU), Subjective Norm (SN) and Attitude significantly influence students’ intention towards adoption of cell-phone for learning. The study showed that perceived ease of use stands to be the strongest predictor of cell-phone use. The model of the study exhibits a good-fit with the data and provides an explanation on student- teachers’ attitude and intention towards cell-phone for learning.

Keywords: cell-phone, adoption, structural equation modeling, technology acceptance model

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Authors: Paul Nadasdy

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In 2020, oral communication classes at many universities in Japan switched to online and hybrid lessons because of the coronavirus pandemic. Teachers had to adapt their practices immediately and deal with the challenges of the online environment. Even for experienced teachers, this still presented a problem as many had not conducted online classes before. Simultaneously, for many students, this type of learning was completely alien to them, and they had to adapt to the challenges faced by communicating in English online. This study collected data from 418 first grade students in the first semester of English communication classes at a technical university in Tokyo, Japan. Zoom software was used throughout the learning period. Though there were many challenges in the setting up and implementation of Zoom classes at the university, the results indicated that the students enjoyed the format and made the most of the circumstances. This proved the robustness of the course that was taught in regular lessons and the adaptability of teachers and students to challenges in a very short timeframe.

Keywords: zoom, hybrid lessons, communicative english, online teaching

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Authors: Ujwal Kishor Zore, Shankar Balajirao Kausley, Aniruddha Bhalchandra Pandit

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There are some important design parameters of activated sludge process (ASP) for wastewater treatment and they must be optimally defined to have the optimized plant working. To know them, developing a mathematical model is a way out as it is nearly commensurate the real world works. In this study, a mathematical model was developed for ASP, solved under activated sludge model no 1 (ASM 1) conditions and MATLAB tool was used to solve the mathematical equations. For its real-life validation, the developed model was tested for the inputs from the municipal wastewater treatment plant and the results were quite promising. Additionally, the most cardinal assumptions required to design the treatment plant are discussed in this paper. With the need for computerization and digitalization surging in every aspect of engineering, this mathematical model developed might prove to be a boon to many biological wastewater treatment plants as now they can in no time know the design parameters which are required for a particular type of wastewater treatment.

Keywords: waste water treatment, activated sludge process, mathematical modeling, optimization

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Authors: Vimuckthi Charika Wickramaratne, Prasansha Kumari

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Sport tourism refers to travel which involves either observing or participating in a sporting event apart from their usual environment. Sport tourism in a fast growing sector of the Sri Lankan travelling industry since Cricket are more popular sport game in the country. This study intends to analyze the impact of these popular sport events for creating and developing small scale business in the country. Primary data gathered from 100 small entrepreneurs around Keththarama Cricket Ground in Sri Lanka. Collected data analyzed using descriptive research methods. The study revealed that local and international visitors for cricket games had impacted on small scale business activities such as retail, handicraft, transport, vehicle parking, small restaurant, hotels, foods and beverage industry. In addition, it was identified that these type of small business are sessional income generating activities for the short period.

Keywords: sport tourism, small scale business, cricket, entrepreneurs

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Authors: R. S. Remya, U. S. Sethulekshmi

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Detecting the authenticity of a video is an important issue in digital forensics as Video is used as a silent evidence in court such as in child pornography, movie piracy cases, insurance claims, cases involving scientific fraud, traffic monitoring etc. The biggest threat to video data is the availability of modern open video editing tools which enable easy editing of videos without leaving any trace of tampering. In this paper, we propose an efficient passive method for inter-frame video tampering detection, its type and location by estimating the optical flow of wavelet features of adjacent frames and thresholding the variation in the estimated feature. The performance of the algorithm is compared with the z-score thresholding and achieved an efficiency above 95% on all the tested databases. The proposed method works well for videos with dynamic (forensics) as well as static (surveillance) background.

Keywords: discrete wavelet transform, optical flow, optical flow variation, video tampering

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Authors: Reggie Chandra

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Trafficaccidents and traffic signal optimization are correlated. However, 70-90% of the traffic signals across the USA are not synchronized. The reason behind that is insufficient resources to create and implement timing plans. In this work, we will discuss the use of a breakthrough Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to optimize traffic flow and collect 24/7/365 accurate traffic data using a vehicle detection system. We will discuss what are recent advances in Artificial Intelligence technology, how does AI work in vehicles, pedestrians, and bike data collection, creating timing plans, and what is the best workflow for that. Apart from that, this paper will showcase how Artificial Intelligence makes signal timing affordable. We will introduce a technology that uses Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) and deep learning algorithms to detect, collect data, develop timing plans and deploy them in the field. Convolutional Neural Networks are a class of deep learning networks inspired by the biological processes in the visual cortex. A neural net is modeled after the human brain. It consists of millions of densely connected processing nodes. It is a form of machine learning where the neural net learns to recognize vehicles through training - which is called Deep Learning. The well-trained algorithm overcomes most of the issues faced by other detection methods and provides nearly 100% traffic data accuracy. Through this continuous learning-based method, we can constantly update traffic patterns, generate an unlimited number of timing plans and thus improve vehicle flow. Convolutional Neural Networks not only outperform other detection algorithms but also, in cases such as classifying objects into fine-grained categories, outperform humans. Safety is of primary importance to traffic professionals, but they don't have the studies or data to support their decisions. Currently, one-third of transportation agencies do not collect pedestrian and bike data. We will discuss how the use of Artificial Intelligence for data collection can help reduce pedestrian fatalities and enhance the safety of all vulnerable road users. Moreover, it provides traffic engineers with tools that allow them to unleash their potential, instead of dealing with constant complaints, a snapshot of limited handpicked data, dealing with multiple systems requiring additional work for adaptation. The methodologies used and proposed in the research contain a camera model identification method based on deep Convolutional Neural Networks. The proposed application was evaluated on our data sets acquired through a variety of daily real-world road conditions and compared with the performance of the commonly used methods requiring data collection by counting, evaluating, and adapting it, and running it through well-established algorithms, and then deploying it to the field. This work explores themes such as how technologies powered by Artificial Intelligence can benefit your community and how to translate the complex and often overwhelming benefits into a language accessible to elected officials, community leaders, and the public. Exploring such topics empowers citizens with insider knowledge about the potential of better traffic technology to save lives and improve communities. The synergies that Artificial Intelligence brings to traffic signal control and data collection are unsurpassed.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, convolutional neural networks, data collection, signal control, traffic signal

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Authors: Mohammad Sadeghian, Mohsen Sadeghian

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In this paper, planning catamaran and mono-hull vessels resistance and trim in calm waters were considered. Hydrodynamic analysis of fast mono-hull planning vessel was also investigated. For hull form geometry optimization, numerical methods of different parameters were used for this type of vessels. Hull material was selected as carbon fiber composite. Exact architectural aspects were specified and stability calculations were performed, as well. Hydrodynamic calculations to extract the resistance force using semi-analytical methods and numerical modeling were carried out. Free surface numerical analysis of vessel in designed draft using finite volume method and double phase were evaluated and verified by experimental tests.

Keywords: fast vessel, hydrostatic and hydrodynamic optimization, free surface flow, computational fluid dynamics

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Authors: May Phyo Wai, Tanyawan Suantawee

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The positive correlation between unhealthy diets (high in fats, sugars, carbohydrates, and low fibers) and the risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and heart diseases has led to a growing interest in healthier lifestyles and diets. Consequently, people are opting for foods rich in fiber and phytochemicals. Wolffia globosa, also known as duckweed or watermeal, is the smallest plant with high nutritional value, including protein, fiber, phytochemicals, and antioxidant properties. It offers numerous health benefits, such as improving gut health and lowering blood glucose levels, and it is widely available in Thailand. The purpose of this study was to develop nutritionally enhanced breadsticks utilizing vacuum heat-dried Wolffia globosa power (WP). Various concentrations of WP (0% as control, 5%, 10%, and 15 % w/w/) were added, and then the breadsticks’ physical properties (hardness, fracturability, and color), phytochemicals (total phenolic compounds: TPC and total flavonoid contents: TFC), and antioxidant properties (DPPH radical scavenging activity (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay) were investigated. Experiments were done by triplicates and data was analyzed by one-way ANOVA. The results showed that the hardness, measured by a texture analyzer, increased significantly (p<0.05) with higher WP concentrations, reaching 2,897.01 ± 77.31 g at 15% WP from 1,314.41 ± 32.52 g of the control. In contrast, the lightness (L*), redness (a*), and yellowness (b*) of the breadsticks significantly decreased (p < 0.05) in a dose-dependent manner with added WP. Incorporating WP, rich in phytochemicals and antioxidants, into the flour significantly enhanced the TPC and TFC of the breadsticks (p<0.05), with TPC and TFC increasing dose-dependently rising to 1.8-fold and 3.5-fold at 15% WP, respectively. The antioxidant power, assessed by DPPH and FRAP assays, also showed a similar trend, with significantly higher values at 10% and 15% WP (p<0.05). These results indicate that adding WP significantly boosted the TPC, TFC, DPPH, and FRAP values of the developed breadsticks. Therefore, incorporating WP into breadsticks might be a promising strategy for creating food products enriched with phytochemicals and antioxidants, offering consumers healthier options in the market.

Keywords: antioxidant properties, breadsticks, phytochemicals, Wolffia globosa

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Authors: Mohammad Hadi Khorashadi Zadeh, Amin Karkon, Seyd Mohammad Reza Mashhoori

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The technology of computer audit played a major role in the progress and prospects of a proper application to improve the quality and efficiency of audit work. But due to the technical complexity and the specific risks of computer audit, it should be shown effective in audit and preventive action. Mainly through research in this paper, we propose the causes of audit risk in a computer environment and the risk of further proposals for measures to control, to some extent reduce the risk of computer audit and improve the audit quality.

Keywords: computer auditing, risk, measures to prevent, information management

Procedia PDF Downloads 507