Search results for: real time expression

Authors: Eun-Young Kwon, Myung-Sook Choi, Su-Jung Cho, Ji-Young Choi, So Young Kim, Youngji Han

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Overweight and obesity have been linked to a low-grade chronic inflammatory response and an increased risk of developing metabolic syndrome including insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus and certain types of cancers. Luteolin is a dietary flavonoid with anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-cancer and anti-diabetic properties. However, little is known about the detailed mechanism associated with the effect of luteolin on inflammation-related obesity and its complications. The aim of the present study was to reveal the anti-diabetic effect of luteolin in diet-induced obesity mice using “transcriptomics” tool. Thirty-nine male C57BL/6J mice (4-week-old) were randomly divided into 3 groups and were fed normal diet, high-fat diet (HFD, 20% fat) and HFD+0.005% (w/w) luteolin for 16 weeks. Luteolin improved insulin resistance, as measured by HOMA-IR and glucose tolerance, along with preservation action of pancreatic β-cells, compared to the HFD group. Luteoiln was significantly decreased the levels of leptin and ghrelin that play a pivotal role in energy balance, and the macrophage low-grade inflammation marker sCD163 (soluble Cd antigen 163) in plasma. Activities of hepatic anti-oxidant enzymes (catalase and glutathione peroxidase) were increased, while the levels of plasma transaminase (GOT and GPT) and oxidative damage markers (hepatic mitochondria H2O2 and TBARS) were markedly decreased by luteolin supplementation. In addition, luteolin increased oxidative capacity and fatty acid utilization by presenting decrease in enzyme activities of citrate synthase, cytochrome C oxidase and β-hydroxyacyl CoA dehydrogenase and UCP3 gene expression compared to high-fat diet. Moreover, our microarray results of muscle also revealed down-regulated gene expressions associated with TCA cycle by HFD were reversed to normal level by luteolin treatment. Taken together, our results indicate that luteolin is one of bioactive components for improving insulin resistance by increasing oxidative capacity, modulating anti-oxidant metabolism and suppressing inflammatory signaling cascades in diet-induced obese mice. These results provide possible therapeutic targets for prevention and treatment of diet-induced obesity and its complications.

Keywords: anti-oxidant metabolism, diabetes, luteolin, oxidative capacity

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Authors: M. Aboudalle, Le Btth, M. Sari, F. Meftah

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In parallel with the appearance of new materials, brick masonry had and still has an essential part of the construction market today, with new technical challenges in designing bricks to meet additional requirements. Being used in structural applications, predicting the performance of clay brick masonry allows a significant cost reduction, in terms of practical experimentation. The behavior of masonry walls depends on the behavior of their elementary components, such as bricks, joints, and coatings. Therefore, it is necessary to consider it at different scales (from the scale of the intrinsic material to the real scale of the wall) and then to develop appropriate models, using numerical simulations. The work presented in this paper focuses on the mechanical characterization of the terracotta material at ambient temperature. As a result, the static Young’s modulus obtained from the flexural test shows different values in comparison with the compression test, as well as with the dynamic Young’s modulus obtained from the Impulse excitation of vibration test. Moreover, the Young's modulus varies according to the direction in which samples are extracted, where the values in the extrusion direction diverge from the ones in the orthogonal directions. Based on these results, hollow bricks can be considered as transversely isotropic bimodulus material.

Keywords: bimodulus material, hollow clay brick, ımpulse excitation of vibration, transversely isotropic material, young’s modulus

Procedia PDF Downloads 186

Authors: Azieva A. M., Yastremsky E. V., Kirillova D. A., Patsaev T. D., Sharikov R. V., Kamyshinsky R. A., Lukanina K. I., Sharikova N. A., Grigoriev T. E., Vasiliev A. L.

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Adhesive properties of scaffolds, which predominantly depend on the chemical and structural features of their surface, play the most important role in tissue engineering. The basic requirements for such scaffolds are biocompatibility, biodegradation, high cell adhesion, which promotes cell proliferation and differentiation. In many cases, synthetic polymers scaffolds have proven advantageous because they are easy to shape, they are tough, and they have high tensile properties. The regeneration of nerve tissue still remains a big challenge for medicine, and neural stem cells provide promising therapeutic potential for cell replacement therapy. However, experiments with stem cells have their limitations, such as low level of cell viability and poor control of cell differentiation. Whereas the study of already differentiated neuronal cell culture obtained from newborn mouse brain is limited only to cell adhesion. The growth and implantation of neuronal culture requires proper scaffolds. Moreover, the polymer scaffolds implants with neuronal cells could demand specific morphology. To date, it has been proposed to use numerous synthetic polymers for these purposes, including polystyrene, polylactic acid (PLA), polyglycolic acid, and polylactide-glycolic acid. Tissue regeneration experiments demonstrated good biocompatibility of PLA scaffolds, despite the hydrophobic nature of the compound. Problem with poor wettability of the PLA scaffold surface could be overcome in several ways: the surface can be pre-treated by poly-D-lysine or polyethyleneimine peptides; roughness and hydrophilicity of PLA surface could be increased by plasma treatment, or PLA could be combined with natural fibers, such as collagen or chitosan. This work presents a study of adhesion of both induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and mouse primary neuronal cell culture on the polylactide scaffolds of various types: oriented and non-oriented fibrous nonwoven materials and sponges – with and without the effect of plasma treatment and composites with collagen and chitosan. To evaluate the effect of different types of PLA scaffolds on the neuronal differentiation of iPSCs, we assess the expression of NeuN in differentiated cells through immunostaining. iPSCs more effectively differentiate into neurons on PLA scaffolds with high adhesive properties for primary neuronal cells.

Keywords: PLA scaffold, neurons, neuronal differentiation, stem cells, polylactid

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Authors: Gabriele Iannotta

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This paper investigates credit cycles by means of an experiment based on a Kiyotaki & Moore (1997) model with heterogeneous expectations. The aim is to examine how a credit squeeze caused by high lender-level risk perceptions affects the real prices of a collateralised asset, with a special focus on the macroeconomic implications of rising price volatility in terms of total welfare and the number of bankruptcies that occur. To do that, a learning-to-forecast experiment (LtFE) has been run where participants are asked to predict the future price of land and then rewarded based on the accuracy of their forecasts. The setting includes one lender and five borrowers in each of the twelve sessions split between six control groups (G1) and six treatment groups (G2). The only difference is that while in G1 the lender always satisfies borrowers’ loan demand (bankruptcies permitting), in G2 he/she closes the entire credit market in case three or more bankruptcies occur in the previous round. Experimental results show that negative risk-driven supply shocks amplify the volatility of collateral prices. This uncertainty worsens the agents’ ability to predict the future value of land and, as a consequence, the number of defaults increases and the total welfare deteriorates.

Keywords: Behavioural Macroeconomics, Credit Cycle, Experimental Economics, Heterogeneous Expectations, Learning-to-Forecast Experiment

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Authors: Abhishek Singh, Rajlakshmi Barman, Tanmay Shah

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Coagulation is considered to be one of the predominant water treatment processes which improve the cost effectiveness of wastewater. The sole purpose of this experiment on thermal coagulation is to increase the efficiency and the rate of reaction. The process uses renewable sources of energy which comprises of improved and minimized time method in order to eradicate the water scarcity of the regions which are on the brink of depletion. This paper includes the various effects of temperature on the standard coagulation treatment of wastewater and their effect on water quality. In addition, the coagulation is done with the mix of bottom/fly-ash that will act as an adsorbent and removes most of the minor and macro particles by means of adsorption which not only helps to reduce the environmental burden of fly ash but also enhance economic benefit. Also, the method of sand filtration is amalgamated in the process. The sand filter is an environmentally-friendly wastewater treatment method, which is relatively simple and inexpensive. The existing parameters were satisfied with the experimental results obtained in this study and were found satisfactory. The initial turbidity of the wastewater is 162 NTU. The initial temperature of the wastewater is 27 C. The temperature variation of the entire process is 50 C-80 C. The concentration of alum in wastewater is 60mg/L-320mg/L. The turbidity range is 8.31-28.1 NTU after treatment. pH variation is 7.73-8.29. The effective time taken is 10 minutes for thermal mixing and sedimentation. The results indicate that the presence of thermal energy affects the coagulation treatment process. The influence of thermal energy on turbidity is assessed along with renewable energy sources and increase of the rate of reaction of the treatment process.

Keywords: adsorbent, sand filter, temperature, thermal coagulation

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Authors: K. Marciniak, M. Owoc

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Managers as decision-makers present in different sectors should be supported in efficient and more and more sophisticated way. There are huge number of software tools developed for such users starting from simple registering data from business area – typical for operational level of management – up to intelligent techniques with delivering knowledge - for tactical and strategic levels of management. There is a big challenge for software developers to create intelligent management dashboards allowing to support different decisions. In more advanced solutions there is even an option for selection of intelligent techniques useful for managers in particular decision-making phase in order to deliver valid knowledge-base. Such a tool (called Intelligent Dashboard for SME Managers–InKOM) is prepared in the Business Intelligent framework of Teta products. The aim of the paper is to present solutions assumed for InKOM concerning on management of stored knowledge bases offering for business managers. The paper is managed as follows. After short introduction concerning research context the discussed supporting managers via information systems the InKOM platform is presented. In the crucial part of paper a process of knowledge transformation and validation is demonstrated. We will focus on potential and real ways of knowledge-bases acquiring, storing and validation. It allows for formulation conclusions interesting from knowledge engineering point of view.

Keywords: business intelligence, decision support systems, knowledge management, knowledge transformation, knowledge validation, managerial systems

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Authors: Jéssica F. Rodrigues, Amanda C. Andrade, Sabrina C. Bastos, Sandra B. Coelho, Ana Carla M. Pinheiro

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Currently, there is a great demand for the use of natural sweeteners due to the harmful effects of the high sugar and artificial sweeteners consumption on the health. Miracle fruit, which is known for its unique ability to modify the sour taste in sweet taste, has been shown to be a good alternative sweetener. However, it has a high production cost, being important to optimize lower contents to be used. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the effect of different miracle fruit contents on the temporal (Time-intensity - TI and Temporal Dominance of Sensations - TDS) sensory profile and overall linking of lemonade, to determine the better content to be used as a natural sweetener in sour beverages. TI and TDS results showed that the concentrations of 150 mg, 300 mg and 600 mg miracle fruit were effective in reducing the acidity and promoting the sweet perception in lemonade. Furthermore, the concentrations of 300 mg and 600 mg obtained similar profiles. Through the acceptance test, the concentration of 300 mg miracle fruit was shown to be an efficient substitute for sucrose and sucralose in lemonade, once they had similar hedonic values between ‘I liked it slightly’ and ‘I liked it moderately’. Therefore, 300mg miracle fruit consists in an adequate content to be used as a natural sweetener of lemonade. The results of this work will help the food industry on the efficient application of a new natural sweetener- the Miracle fruit extract in sour beverages, reducing costs and providing a product that meets the consumer desires.

Keywords: acceptance, natural sweetener, temporal dominance of sensations, time-intensity

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Authors: H.Karnezi, K. Tierney

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Childhood fears that persist over time and interfere with the children’s normal functioning may have detrimental effects on their social and emotional development. Cognitive behavior therapy is considered highly effective in treating fears and anxieties. However, given that many childhood fears are based on fantasy, the applicability of CBT may be hindered by cognitive immaturity. Furthermore, a lack of motivation to engage in therapy is another commonly encountered obstacle. The purpose of this study was to introduce and evaluate a more developmentally appropriate intervention model, specifically designed to provide phobic children with the motivation to overcome their fears. To this end, principles and techniques from cognitive and behavior therapies are incorporated into the ‘Drama in Education’ model. The Cognitive Behaviour Drama (CBD) method involves using the phobic children’s creativity to involve them in the therapeutic process. The children are invited to engage in exciting fictional scenarios tailored around their strengths and special interests. Once their commitment to the drama is established, a problem that they will feel motivated to solve is introduced. To resolve it, the children will have to overcome a number of obstacles culminating in an in vivo confrontation with the fear stimulus. The study examined the application of the CBD model in three single cases. Results in all three cases shown complete elimination of all fear-related symptoms. Preliminary results justify further evaluation of the Cognitive Behaviour Drama model. It is time and cost-effective, ensuring the clients' immediate engagement in the therapeutic process.

Keywords: phobias, autism, intervention, drama

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Authors: Prabha Rohatgi

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To obtain an efficient control over a huge amount of inventory of drugs in pharmacy department of any hospital, generally, the medicines are categorized on the basis of their cost ‘ABC’ (Always Better Control), first and then categorize on the basis of their criticality ‘VED’ (Vital, Essential, desirable) for prioritization. About one-third of the annual expenditure of a hospital is spent on medicines. To minimize the inventory investment, the hospital management may like to keep the medicines inventory low, as medicines are perishable items. The main aim of each and every hospital is to provide better services to the patients under certain limited resources. To achieve the satisfactory level of health care services to outdoor patients, a hospital has to keep eye on the wastage of medicines because expiry date of medicines causes a great loss of money though it was limited and allocated for a particular period of time. The objectives of this study are to identify the categories of medicines requiring incentive managerial control. In this paper, to minimize the total inventory cost and the cost associated with the wastage of money due to expiry of medicines, an inventory control model is used as an estimation tool and then nonlinear programming technique is used under limited budget and fixed number of orders to be placed in a limited time period. Numerical computations have been given and shown that by using scientific methods in hospital services, we can give more effective way of inventory management under limited resources and can provide better health care services. The secondary data has been collected from a hospital to give empirical evidence.

Keywords: ABC-VED inventory classification, multi item inventory problem, nonlinear programming technique, optimization of EOQ

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Authors: Ying-Pin Chang

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This paper presents a method for combining a particle swarm optimization with nonlinear time-varying evolution and orthogonal arrays (PSO-NTVEOA) in the planning of harmonic filters for the high speed railway traction system with specially connected transformers in unbalanced three-phase power systems. The objective is to minimize the cost of the filter, the filters loss, the total harmonic distortion of currents and voltages at each bus simultaneously. An orthogonal array is first conducted to obtain the initial solution set. The set is then treated as the initial training sample. Next, the PSO-NTVEOA method parameters are determined by using matrix experiments with an orthogonal array, in which a minimal number of experiments would have an effect that approximates the full factorial experiments. This PSO-NTVEOA method is then applied to design optimal harmonic filters in Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) traction system, where both rectifiers and inverters with IGBT are used. From the results of the illustrative examples, the feasibility of the PSO-NTVEOA to design an optimal passive harmonic filter of THSR system is verified and the design approach can greatly reduce the harmonic distortion. Three design schemes are compared that V-V connection suppressing the 3rd order harmonic, and Scott and Le Blanc connection for the harmonic improvement is better than the V-V connection.

Keywords: harmonic filters, particle swarm optimization, nonlinear time-varying evolution, orthogonal arrays, specially connected transformers

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Authors: Emmanuel Ademola Anigilaje, Ibraheem Ishola

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Background: Childhood steroid-sensitive idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (SSINS) is plagued with relapses that contribute to its morbidity and the cost of treatment. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective review of relapses among children with SSINS at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital from January 2016 to July 2020. Triggers related to relapse incidents were noted. Chi-square test was deployed for predictors (factors at the first clinical presentations that associate with subsequent relapses) of relapses. Predictors with p-values of less than 0.05 were considered significant and 95% confidence intervals (CI) and odd ratio (OR) were described. Results: Sixty SSINS comprising 52 males (86.7%), aged 23 months to 18 years, with a mean age of 7.04±4.16 years were studied. Thirty-eight (63.3%) subjects had 126 relapses including infrequent relapses in 30 (78.9%) and frequent relapses in 8 (21.1%). The commonest triggers were acute upper respiratory tract infections (68, 53.9%) and urinary tract infections (UTIs) in 25 (19.8%) relapses. In 4 (3.2%) relapses, no trigger was identified. The time-to-first relapse ranged 14 days to 365 days with a median time of 60 days. The significant predictors were hypertension (OR=3.4, 95% CI; 1.04-11.09, p=0.038), UTIs (OR=9.9, 95% CI; 1.16-80.71, p= 0.014), malaria fever (OR=8.0, 95% CI; 2.45-26.38, p˂0.001), micro-haematuria (OR=4.9, 95% CI; 11.58-15.16, p=0.004), elevated serum creatinine (OR=12.3, 95%CI; 1.48-101.20, p=0.005) and hypercholesterolaemia (OR=4.1, 95%CI; 1.35-12.63, p=0.011). Conclusion: While the pathogenesis of relapses remains unknown, it is prudent to consider relapse-specific preventive strategies against triggers and predictors of relapses in our setting.

Keywords: Patterns, triggers, predictors, steroid-sensitive idiopathic nephrotic syndrome, relapses, Nigeria

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Authors: Karolina Mazur, Stanislaw Kuciel

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Polylactides (PLA) and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are the two groups of biodegradable and biocompatible thermoplastic polymers most commonly utilised in medicine and rehabilitation. The aim of this work is to determine the changes in the strength properties and the microstructures taking place in biodegradable polymer composites during their long-term storage in a highly cooled environment (i.e. a freezer at -24ºC) and to initially assess the durability of such biocomposites when used as single-use elements of rehabilitation or medical equipment. It is difficult to find any information relating to the feasibility of long-term storage of technical products made of PLA or PHA, but nonetheless, when using these materials to make products such as casings of hair dryers, laptops or mobile phones, it is safe to assume that without storing in optimal conditions their degradation time might last even several years. SEM images and the assessment of the strength properties (tensile, bending and impact testing) were carried out and the density and water sorption of two polymers, PLA and PHA (NaturePlast PLE 001 and PHE 001), filled with cellulose fibres (corncob grain – Rehofix MK100, Rettenmaier&Sohne) up to 10 and 20% mass were determined. The biocomposites had been stored at a temperature of -24ºC for 4 years. In order to find out the changes in the strength properties and the microstructure taking place after such a long time of storage, the results of the assessment have been compared with the results of the same research carried out 4 years before. Results shows a significant change in the manner of fractures – from ductile with developed surface for the PHA composite with corncob grain when the tensile testing was performed directly after the injection into a more brittle state after 4 years of storage, which is confirmed by the strength tests, where a decrease of deformation is observed at point of fracture. The research showed that there is a way of storing medical devices made out of PLA or PHA for a reasonably long time, as long as the required temperature of storage is met. The decrease of mechanical properties found during tensile testing and bending for PLA was less than 10% of the tensile strength, while the modulus of elasticity and deformation at fracturing slightly rose, which may implicate the beginning of degradation processes. The strength properties of PHA are even higher after 4 years of storage, although in that case the decrease of deformation at fracturing is significant, reaching even 40%, which suggests its degradation rate is higher than that of PLA. The addition of natural particles in both cases only slightly increases the biodegradation.

Keywords: biocomposites, PLA, PHA, storage

Procedia PDF Downloads 253

Authors: Orly Redlich

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Since the establishment of the state of Israel, and as a result of various events that led to it, Jewish citizens and Arab citizens of the state have been in constant conflict, which finds its expression in most levels of life. Therefore, the attitude of one group member to the other group members is mostly tense, loaded, and saturated with mutual suspicion. Within this reality, in many higher education institutions in Israel, Jews and Arabs meet with each other intensively and for several years. For some students, this is their first opportunity for a meaningful cross-cultural encounter. These intercultural encounters, which allow positive interactions between members of different cultural groups, may contribute to the formation of "intercultural competence" which means long-term change in knowledge, attitudes, and behavior towards 'the other culture'. The current study examined the concept of the ‘other’ among Jewish and Arab students studying together and their "intercultural competence". The study also examined whether there is a difference in the perception of the ‘other’ between students studying in different academic programs, and between students taking academic courses on multiculturalism. This quantitative study was conducted among 274 Arab and Jewish students studying together, for bachelors or master's degree, in various academic programs at the Israel Academic College of Ramat-Gan. The background data of the participants are varied, in terms of religion, origin, religiosity, employment status, living area, and marital status. The main hypothesis is that academic, social, and intercultural encounters between Jewish and Arab students, who attend college together, will be a significant factor in building "intercultural competence". Additionally, the existence of "intercultural competence" has been linked to demographic characteristics of the students, as well as the nature of intercultural encounters between Jews and Arabs in a higher education institution. The dependent variables were measured by a self-report questionnaire, using the components of '"intercultural competence"' among students, which are: 1. Cognitive knowledge of the ‘others’, 2. Feelings towards the ‘others’, 3. Change in attitudes towards the 'others', and 4. Change in behavior towards the ‘others’. The findings indicate a higher "intercultural competence" among Arab students than Jews; it was also found higher level of "intercultural competence" among Educational Counseling students than the other respondents. The importance of this research lies in finding the means to develop "intercultural competence" among Jewish and Arab students, which may reduce prejudice and stereotypes towards the other culture and may even prevent occurrences of alienation and violence in cross-cultural encounters in Israel.

Keywords: cross-cultural learning, intercultural competence, Jewish and Arab students, multiculturalism

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Authors: Eugenia P. Ramirez, Kevin Matthe Caramancion, Mia Eleazar

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Getting the attention of students is a constant challenge to the instructors/lecturers. Although in the computer laboratories some networking and entertainment websites are blocked, yet, these websites have unlimited ways of attracting students to get into it. Thus, when an instructor gives a specific set of instructions, some students may not be able to follow sequentially the steps that are given. The instructor has to physically go to the specific remote terminal and show the student the details. Sometimes, during an examination in laboratory set-up, a proctor may prefer to give detailed and text-written instructions rather than verbal instructions. Even the mere calling of a specific student at any time will distract the whole class especially when activities are being performed. What is needed is : An application software that is able to lock the student's monitor and at the same time display the instructor’s screen; a software that is powerful enough to process in its side alone and manipulate a specific user’s terminal in terms of free configuration that is, without restrictions at the server level is a required functionality for a modern and optimal server structure; a software that is able to send text messages to students, per terminal or in group will be a solution. These features are found in LabSupport. This paper outlines the LabSupport application software framework to efficiently manage computer laboratory sessions and will include different modules: screen viewer, demonstration mode, monitor locking system, text messaging, and class management. This paper's ultimate aim is to provide a system that increases instructor productivity.

Keywords: application software, broadcast messaging, class management, locking system

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Authors: A. M. Sultana, Norhirdawati Binti Mhd Zahir, Norzalan Hadi Yaacob

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Recently in Malaysia, women's participation in teaching profession has increased. The increasing trend of women’s participation in the teaching profession poses challenges in families, especially in the developing countries like Malaysia. One of these challenges, concerns in balancing their role between family and job responsibility that faced by many women teachers. The purpose of this study is to discover how women teachers' impact on family happiness and the challenges faced by them in balancing their role between family and job responsibility. The findings presented in this study are based on survey research in a secondary school Dato’ Bijaya Setia in the district of Gugusan Manjoi which is located in Kedah, Malaysia. The study found that employment of women in economic activity has several beneficial impacts of improving the economic condition of the family. The results also revealed that in low income earning families, both husbands and wives’ employment contribute to the family income that less likely to experience of family poverty. The study also showed despite women's teachers’ significant role towards the overall development of the family, the majority of women teachers encountered a number of difficulties in balancing their role between family and job responsibility especially when they need to work more than the normal working time. Therefore, it is common for the majority of women suffering from psychological stress when they are unable to complete the task at a fixed time. The present study also suggests implication of family friendly policy and its appropriate practice to support the women teachers who are significantly contributing to family, community and the country.

Keywords: emotional exhaustion, family friendly policy, work family conflict, women teacher

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Authors: Huseyin Guler, Cigdem Kosar

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The aim of this study is to propose Bridge estimator for seasonal unit root tests. Seasonality is an important factor for many economic time series. Some variables may contain seasonal patterns and forecasts that ignore important seasonal patterns have a high variance. Therefore, it is very important to eliminate seasonality for seasonal macroeconomic data. There are some methods to eliminate the impacts of seasonality in time series. One of them is filtering the data. However, this method leads to undesired consequences in unit root tests, especially if the data is generated by a stochastic seasonal process. Another method to eliminate seasonality is using seasonal dummy variables. Some seasonal patterns may result from stationary seasonal processes, which are modelled using seasonal dummies but if there is a varying and changing seasonal pattern over time, so the seasonal process is non-stationary, deterministic seasonal dummies are inadequate to capture the seasonal process. It is not suitable to use seasonal dummies for modeling such seasonally nonstationary series. Instead of that, it is necessary to take seasonal difference if there are seasonal unit roots in the series. Different alternative methods are proposed in the literature to test seasonal unit roots, such as Dickey, Hazsa, Fuller (DHF) and Hylleberg, Engle, Granger, Yoo (HEGY) tests. HEGY test can be also used to test the seasonal unit root in different frequencies (monthly, quarterly, and semiannual). Another issue in unit root tests is the lag selection. Lagged dependent variables are added to the model in seasonal unit root tests as in the unit root tests to overcome the autocorrelation problem. In this case, it is necessary to choose the lag length and determine any deterministic components (i.e., a constant and trend) first, and then use the proper model to test for seasonal unit roots. However, this two-step procedure might lead size distortions and lack of power in seasonal unit root tests. Recent studies show that Bridge estimators are good in selecting optimal lag length while differentiating nonstationary versus stationary models for nonseasonal data. The advantage of this estimator is the elimination of the two-step nature of conventional unit root tests and this leads a gain in size and power. In this paper, the Bridge estimator is proposed to test seasonal unit roots in a HEGY model. A Monte-Carlo experiment is done to determine the efficiency of this approach and compare the size and power of this method with HEGY test. Since Bridge estimator performs well in model selection, our approach may lead to some gain in terms of size and power over HEGY test.

Keywords: bridge estimators, HEGY test, model selection, seasonal unit root

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Authors: Venkatalakshmi Ranganathan, Ong Hsin Ju, Tan Yinn Ming, Lim Kien Sin, Wong Man Ting, Venkata Srikanth Meka

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The mucoadhesive buccal tablet is an oral drug delivery system which attached to the buccal surface for direct drug absorption into the systemic circulation and the unidirectional drug release is ensured by formulating a hydrophobic backing layer. The objective of present study was to formulate mucoadhesive atenolol bilayer buccal tablets by using sodium alginate, hydroxyethyl cellulose, and xanthan gum as mucoadhesive polymer and the technique applied was direct compression method. Ethyl cellulose was used as backing layer of the tablet. FTIR and DSC analysis were carried out to identify the drug polymer interactions. The prepared tablets were evaluated for physicochemical parameters, ex vivo mucoadhesion time and in-vitro drug release. The formulated tablets showed the average surface pH 6-7 which is favourable for oral mucosa. The formulation containing sodium alginate showed more than 90 % of drug release at the end of the 7 hours in vitro dissolution studies. The formulation containing xanthan gum showed more than 8 hours of mucoadhesion time and all formulation exhibited non fickian release kinetics. The present study indicates enormous potential of erodible mucoadhesive buccal tablet containing atenolol for systemic delivery with an added advantage of circumventing the hepatic first pass metabolism.

Keywords: atenolol, mucoadhesion, in vitro drug release, direct compression, ethyl cellulose

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Authors: Noreen Pulte

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Prior to the 'Back to Sleep' Campaign in 1992, 1 of every 300 infants seen by Advanced Practice Providers had plagiocephaly. Insufficient attention is given to plagiocephaly and brachycephaly diagnoses in practice and pediatric education. In this talk, Nurse Practitioners and Pediatric Providers will be able to: (1) identify red flags associated with head shape abnormalities, (2) learn techniques they can teach parents to prevent head shape abnormalities, and (3) differentiate between plagiocephaly, brachycephaly, and craniosynostosis. The presenter is a Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and the primary provider for its head shape abnormality clinics. She will help participants translate key information obtained from birth history, review of systems, and developmental history to understand risk factors for head shape abnormalities and progression of deformities. Synostotic and non-synostotic head shapes will be explained to help participants differentiate plagiocephaly and brachycephaly from synostotic head shapes. This knowledge is critical for the prompt referral of infants with craniosynostosis for surgical evaluation and correction. Rapid referral for craniosynostosis can possibly direct the patient to a minimally invasive surgical procedure versus a craniectomy. As for plagiocephaly and brachycephaly, this timely referral can also aid in a physical therapy referral if necessitated, which treats torticollis and aids in improving head shape. A well-timed referral to a head shape clinic can possibly eliminate the need for a helmet and/or minimize the time in a helmet. Practitioners will learn the importance of obtaining head measurements using calipers. The presenter will explain head calculations and how the calculations are interpreted to determine the severity of the head shape abnormalities. Severity defines the treatment plan. Participants will learn when to refer patients to a head shape abnormality clinic and techniques they should teach parents to perform while waiting for the referral appointment. The purpose, mechanics, and logistics of helmet therapy, including optimal time to initiate helmet therapy, recommended helmet wear-time, and tips for helmet therapy compliance, will be described. Case scenarios will be incorporated into the presenter's presentation to support learning. The salient points of the case studies will be explained and discussed. Practitioners will be able to immediately translate the knowledge and skills gained in this presentation into their clinical practice.

Keywords: plagiocephaly, brachycephaly, craniosynostosis, red flags

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Authors: Hassan Athari, Abdurrahim Bolukbasi, Dogan Ciloglu

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This study represented the respiratory alveoli system, and determined the trajectory of inhaled particles more accurately using the modified three-dimensional model with deformable walls of alveoli. The study also considered the tissue tension in the model to demonstrate the effect of lung. Tissue tensions are transferred by the lung parenchyma and produce the pressure gradient. This load expands the alveoli and establishes a sub-ambient (vacuum) pressure within the lungs. Thus, at the alveolar level, the flow field and movement of alveoli wall lead to an integrated effect. In this research, we assume that the three-dimensional alveolus has a visco-elastic tissue (walls). For accurate investigation of pulmonary tissue mechanical properties on particle transport and alveolar flow field, the actual relevance between tissue movement and airflow is solved by two-way FSI (Fluid Structure Interaction) simulation technique in the alveolus. Therefore, the essence of real simulation of pulmonary breathing mechanics can be achieved by developing a coupled FSI computational model. We, therefore conduct a series of FSI simulations over a range of tissue models and breathing rates. As a result, the fluid flows and streamlines have changed during present flexible model against the rigid models and also the two-way coupling particle trajectories have changed against the one-way particle coupling.

Keywords: FSI, two-way particle coupling, alveoli, CDF

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Authors: H. Arzani, Z. Arzani

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Every piece of rangeland has a different set of physical and biological characteristics. This requires the manager to synthesis various information for regular monitoring to define changes trend to get wright decision for sustainable management. So range managers need to use computerized technologies to monitor rangeland, and select. The best management practices. There are four examples of computerized technologies that can benefit sustainable management: (1) Photographic method for cover measurement: The method was tested in different vegetation communities in semi humid and arid regions. Interpretation of pictures of quadrats was done using Arc View software. Data analysis was done by SPSS software using paired t test. Based on the results, generally, photographic method can be used to measure ground cover in most vegetation communities. (2) GPS application for corresponding ground samples and satellite pixels: In two provinces of Tehran and Markazi, six reference points were selected and in each point, eight GPS models were tested. Significant relation among GPS model, time and location with accuracy of estimated coordinates was found. After selection of suitable method, in Markazi province coordinates of plots along four transects in each 6 sites of rangelands was recorded. The best time of GPS application was in the morning hours, Etrex Vista had less error than other models, and a significant relation among GPS model, time and location with accuracy of estimated coordinates was found. (3) Application of satellite data for rangeland monitoring: Focusing on the long term variation of vegetation parameters such as vegetation cover and production is essential. Our study in grass and shrub lands showed that there were significant correlations between quantitative vegetation characteristics and satellite data. So it is possible to monitor rangeland vegetation using digital data for sustainable utilization. (4) Rangeland suitability classification with GIS: Range suitability assessment can facilitate sustainable management planning. Three sub-models of sensitivity to erosion, water suitability and forage production out puts were entered to final range suitability classification model. GIS was facilitate classification of range suitability and produced suitability maps for sheep grazing. Generally digital computers assist range managers to interpret, modify, calibrate or integrating information for correct management.

Keywords: computer, GPS, GIS, remote sensing, photographic method, monitoring, rangeland ecosystem, management, suitability, sheep grazing

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Authors: Alvaro Figueira, Bruno Cabral

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Nowadays, students are used to be assessed through an online platform. Educators have stepped up from a period in which they endured the transition from paper to digital. The use of a diversified set of question types that range from quizzes to open questions is currently common in most university courses. In many courses, today, the evaluation methodology also fosters the students’ online participation in forums, the download, and upload of modified files, or even the participation in group activities. At the same time, new pedagogy theories that promote the active participation of students in the learning process, and the systematic use of problem-based learning, are being adopted using an eLearning system for that purpose. However, although there can be a lot of feedback from these activities to student’s, usually it is restricted to the assessments of online well-defined tasks. In this article, we propose an automatic system that informs students of abnormal deviations of a 'correct' learning path in the course. Our approach is based on the fact that by obtaining this information earlier in the semester, may provide students and educators an opportunity to resolve an eventual problem regarding the student’s current online actions towards the course. Our goal is to prevent situations that have a significant probability to lead to a poor grade and, eventually, to failing. In the major learning management systems (LMS) currently available, the interaction between the students and the system itself is registered in log files in the form of registers that mark beginning of actions performed by the user. Our proposed system uses that logged information to derive new one: the time each student spends on each activity, the time and order of the resources used by the student and, finally, the online resource usage pattern. Then, using the grades assigned to the students in previous years, we built a learning dataset that is used to feed a machine learning meta classifier. The produced classification model is then used to predict the grades a learning path is heading to, in the current year. Not only this approach serves the teacher, but also the student to receive automatic feedback on her current situation, having past years as a perspective. Our system can be applied to online courses that integrate the use of an online platform that stores user actions in a log file, and that has access to other student’s evaluations. The system is based on a data mining process on the log files and on a self-feedback machine learning algorithm that works paired with the Moodle LMS.

Keywords: data mining, e-learning, grade prediction, machine learning, student learning path

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Authors: Daniel Fundi Murithi

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Missing data is a real bane in many surveys. To overcome the problems caused by missing data, partial deletion, and single imputation methods, among others, have been proposed. However, problems such as discarding usable data and inaccuracy in reproducing known population parameters and standard errors are associated with them. For regression and stochastic imputation, it is assumed that there is a variable with complete cases to be used as a predictor in estimating missing values in the other variable, and the relationship between the two variables is linear, which might not be realistic in practice. In this project, we estimate population total in presence of missing values in two-phase sampling. Instead of regression or stochastic models, non-parametric model based regression model is used in imputing missing values. Empirical study showed that nonparametric model-based regression imputation is better in reproducing variance of population total estimate obtained when there were no missing values compared to mean, median, regression, and stochastic imputation methods. Although regression and stochastic imputation were better than nonparametric model-based imputation in reproducing population total estimates obtained when there were no missing values in one of the sample sizes considered, nonparametric model-based imputation may be used when the relationship between outcome and predictor variables is not linear.

Keywords: finite population total, missing data, model-based imputation, two-phase sampling

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Authors: Bimali Sanjeevani Weerakoon, Toshiaki Osuga, Takehisa Konishi

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Magnetic Resonance Imaging Contrast Agents (MRI-CM) are significant in the clinical and biological imaging as they have the ability to alter the normal tissue contrast, thereby affecting the signal intensity to enhance the visibility and detectability of images. Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles, coated with dextran or carboxydextran are currently available for clinical MR imaging of the liver. Most SPIO contrast agents are T2 shortening agents and Resovist (Ferucarbotran) is one of a clinically tested, organ-specific, SPIO agent which has a low molecular carboxydextran coating. The enhancement effect of Resovist depends on its relaxivity which in turn depends on factors like magnetic field strength, concentrations, nanoparticle properties, pH and temperature. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the impact of field strength and different contrast concentrations on enhancement effects of Resovist. The study explored the MRI signal intensity of Resovist in the physiological range of plasma from T2-weighted spin echo sequence at three magnetic field strengths: 0.47 T (r1=15, r2=101), 1.5 T (r1=7.4, r2=95), and 3 T (r1=3.3, r2=160) and the range of contrast concentrations by a mathematical simulation. Relaxivities of r1 and r2 (L mmol-1 Sec-1) were obtained from a previous study and the selected concentrations were 0.05, 0.06, 0.07, 0.08, 0.09, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 mmol/L. T2-weighted images were simulated using TR/TE ratio as 2000 ms /100 ms. According to the reference literature, with increasing magnetic field strengths, the r1 relaxivity tends to decrease while the r2 did not show any systematic relationship with the selected field strengths. In parallel, this study results revealed that the signal intensity of Resovist at lower concentrations tends to increase than the higher concentrations. The highest reported signal intensity was observed in the low field strength of 0.47 T. The maximum signal intensities for 0.47 T, 1.5 T and 3 T were found at the concentration levels of 0.05, 0.06 and 0.05 mmol/L, respectively. Furthermore, it was revealed that, the concentrations higher than the above, the signal intensity was decreased exponentially. An inverse relationship can be found between the field strength and T2 relaxation time, whereas, the field strength was increased, T2 relaxation time was decreased accordingly. However, resulted T2 relaxation time was not significantly different between 0.47 T and 1.5 T in this study. Moreover, a linear correlation of transverse relaxation rates (1/T2, s–1) with the concentrations of Resovist can be observed. According to these results, it can conclude that the concentration of SPIO nanoparticle contrast agents and the field strengths of MRI are two important parameters which can affect the signal intensity of T2-weighted SE sequence. Therefore, when MR imaging those two parameters should be considered prudently.

Keywords: Concentration, resovist, field strength, relaxivity, signal intensity

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Authors: Saad Mohamed Elsaid, Nabil Anwar, Mahmoud Rushdi

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One of the reasons for the intensive use of pesticides is to protect agricultural crops and orchards from pests or agricultural worms. The period of time that pesticides stay inside the soil is estimated at about (2) to (12) weeks. Perhaps the most important reason that led to groundwater pollution is the easy leakage of these harmful pesticides from the soil into the aquifers. This research aims to find the best ways to use traded activated charcoal with gold nitrate solution; for removing the deadly pesticides from the aqueous solution by adsorption phenomenon. The most used pesticides in Egypt were selected, such as Malathion, Methomyl Abamectin and, Thiamethoxam. Activated charcoal doped with gold ions was prepared by applying chemical and thermal treatments to activated charcoal using gold nitrate solution. Adsorption of studied pesticide onto activated carbon /Au was mainly by chemical adsorption, forming a complex with the gold metal immobilized on activated carbon surfaces. In addition, the gold atom was considered as a catalyst to cracking the pesticide molecule. Gold activated charcoal is a low cost material due to the use of very low concentrations of gold nitrate solution. its notice the great ability of activated charcoal in removing selected pesticides due to the presence of the positive charge of the gold ion, in addition to other active groups such as functional oxygen and lignin cellulose. The presence of pores of different sizes on the surface of activated charcoal is the driving force for the good adsorption efficiency for the removal of the pesticides under study The surface area of the prepared char as well as the active groups, were determined using infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Some factors affecting the ability of activated charcoal were applied in order to reach the highest adsorption capacity of activated charcoal, such as the weight of the charcoal, the concentration of the pesticide solution, the time of the experiment, and the pH. Experiments showed that the maximum limit revealed by the batch adsorption study for the adsorption of selected insecticides was in contact time (80) minutes at pH (7.70). These promising results were confirmed, and by establishing the practical application of the developed system, the effect of various operating factors with equilibrium, kinetic and thermodynamic studies is evident, using the Langmuir application on the effectiveness of the absorbent material with absorption capacities higher than most other adsorbents.

Keywords: waste water, pesticides pollution, adsorption, activated carbon

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Authors: Maria L. Swanson

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Language is a system which constantly changes and reflects social and cultural transformations of a speech community. If it is phonetic system, morphological patterns and syntactic arrangements undergo little charge and are not easily transferable from one language to another, the lexicon has a high degree of flexibility. Borrowings in Arabic have always been an interesting and important subject of study to various fields of linguistics, history and culturology, and there is quite number of works devoted to this subject (al-Khalīl, Sībawīḥ, Jeffery, Belkin, al-Maghribii, Holes, Stetkevich, el-Mawlūdī, between many others). At the same time, the history of borrowing has never been described as a process starting from its originating and up to the present time. Most of the researches study lexical and morphological adaptation of borrowed words for specific or several historical periods or delineate this process on the whole. Meanwhile, we have described the whole history of borrowings in Arabic with the brief depicting of lexical and morphological specifics for each historical period using quantitative method through dividing Arabic borrowings into several groups, basing on the specific of their adaptation of new vocabulary which is tightly related to the global transformations in the Arabic history. We explain reasons for borrowings of specific lexical layers for each historical period together with the description of its morphological specifics. We also use qualitative approach through performing statistics about the share of loan vocabulary in Arabic during different periods and the percentage of borrowings from donor languages. The history of a character and amount of borrowings is a good resource for theoretical and practical lexicography and morphology studies. It is also beneficial for researchers in the field of global and specific national, political and social developments, and different types of contacts.

Keywords: anthropological linguistics, borrowings, historical linguistics, sociolinguistics

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Authors: Valencia Fernandes, Dharmendra Kumar Khatri, Shashi Bala Singh

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Background and Aim: Epigenetics are the inaudible signatures of several pathological processes in the brain. This study understands the influence of DNA methylation, a major epigenetic modification, in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus of the diabetic brain and its notable effect on the cellular chaperones and synaptic proteins. Method: Chronic high fat diet and STZ-induced diabetic mice were studied for cognitive dysfunction, and global DNA methylation, as well as DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) activity, were assessed. Further, the cellular chaperones and synaptic proteins were examined using DNMT inhibitor, 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (5-aza-dC)-via intracerebroventricular injection. Moreover, % methylation of these synaptic proteins were also studied so as to correlate its epigenetic involvement. Computationally, its interaction with the DNMT enzyme were also studied using bioinformatic tools. Histological studies for morphological alterations and neuronal degeneration were also studied. Neurogenesis, a characteristic marker for new learning and memory formation, was also assessed via the BrdU staining. Finally, the most important behavioral studies, including the Morris water maze, Y maze, passive avoidance, and Novel object recognition test, were performed to study its cognitive functions. Results: Altered global DNA methylation and increased levels of DNMTs within the nucleus were confirmed in the cortex and hippocampus of the diseased mice, suggesting hypermethylation at a genetic level. Treatment with AzadC, a global DNA demethylating agent, ameliorated the protein and gene expression of the cellular chaperones and synaptic fidelity. Furthermore, the methylation analysis profile showed hypermethylation of the hsf1 protein, a master regulator for chaperones and thus, confirmed the epigenetic involvement in the diseased brain. Morphological improvements and decreased neurodegeneration, along with enhanced neurogenesis in the treatment group, suggest that epigenetic modulations do participate in learning and memory. This is supported by the improved behavioral test battery seen in the treatment group. Conclusion: DNA methylation could possibly accord in dysregulating the memory-associated proteins at chronic stages in type 2 diabetes. This could suggest a substantial contribution to the underlying pathophysiology of several metabolic syndromes like insulin resistance, obesity and also participate in transitioning this damage centrally, such as cognitive dysfunction.

Keywords: epigenetics, cognition, chaperones, DNA methylation

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Authors: Abilio Avila, Orestis Terzidis

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A fundamental principle of Grounded Theory (GT) is to prevent the formation of preconceived theories. This implies the need to start a research study with an open mind and to avoid being absorbed by the existing literature. However, to start a new study without an understanding of the research domain and its context can be extremely challenging. This paper presents a research approach that simultaneously supports a researcher to identify and to focus on critical areas of a research project and prevent the formation of prejudiced concepts by the current body of literature. This approach comprises of four stages: Selection of secondary case studies, analysis of secondary case studies, development of an initial conceptual framework, development of an initial interview guide. The analysis of secondary case studies as a starting point for a research project allows a researcher to create a first understanding of a research area based on real-world cases without being influenced by the existing body of theory. It enables a researcher to develop through a structured course of actions a firm guide that establishes a solid starting point for further investigations. Thus, the described approach may have significant implications for GT researchers who aim to start a study within a given research area.

Keywords: grounded theory, interview guide, qualitative research, secondary case studies, secondary data analysis

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Authors: Emil Iskandarov, Nazrin Agayeva

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Background: The effectiveness of hormone suppressive therapy (HST) in patients with nodular goiter (NG) is controversial. The aim of this study was to identify the impact of long-time HST on the Quality of Life (QoL) of patients with NG. Material and Methods: A retrospective analysis of 146 patients with NG showed treated with HST showed that in 38,4% of cases, HST was not effective. Nodules were increased in size and moreover, and new nodules were developed. Statistical procedure identified the predictors of resistant nodules: only one nodule in the left lobe; nodule size >17mm; calcinate within the nodule. 174 patients with NG, by whom predictors of resistant nodules were established, were informed about the results of previous research and surgery was suggested. Eighty-eight patients (the basic group) agreed with surgery and thyroidectomy was led. 86 patients (control group) ignored the suggestion and wished to receive HST. 3, 6 and 12 months after starting HST; control group patients were examined. HST was non-effective and patients, due to developing symptoms, were operated on. Patients in both groups were followed up 3, 6 and 12 months after thyroidectomy. Quality of Life was checked with the SF-36 survey form and compared between groups. The statistical analysis was performed with the non-parametric Mann–Whitney U test and with the Student t-test. P values ＜0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results and Discussions: QoL of patients in the basic and control groups 3 months after surgery was almost the same. However, Emotional problems severely interfered with patients in a control group with normal social activities with family, friends, and neighbors. The causes were related to the non-effective HST treatment before surgery: stress for forgetting to take drugs timely every day for a long time; blood tests for thyroid hormone level; needle biopsies of nodules for cancer screening and regular ultrasound investigations, which showed that nodules not diminished in size. Changing the treatment method after 1-year non-effective HST and delayed surgery negatively impacted patient's QoL. Social role functioning and mental health in the control group were also impaired and the difference between the results in the basic group was statistically significant (p <0.05). Conclusion: Predictors, such as only one nodule, the width of nodules more than 17mm, and the existence of calcinate within the nodule, are able to forecast the resistant nodules. HST in patients with resistant nodules is non-effective and surgery is suggested in patients with resistant nodules in the thyroid gland. Long time HST has a negative impact on the QoL patient after surgery.

Keywords: thyroid gland, nodule, hormone suppressive therapy, quality of life

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Authors: Christian H. Girsang, M. Razi B. Mansoor, Noorizal N. Huang

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An offshore platform was installed in 1977 at about 260km offshore West Malaysia at the water depth of 73.6m. Twelve (12) piles were installed with four (4) are skirt piles. The piles have 1.219m outside diameter and wall thickness of 31mm and were driven to 109m below seabed. Deterministic analyses of the pile capacity under axial loading were conducted using the current API (American Petroleum Institute) method and the four (4) CPT-based methods: the ICP (Imperial College Pile)-method, the NGI (Norwegian Geotechnical Institute)-Method, the UWA (University of Western Australia)-method and the Fugro-method. A statistical analysis of the model uncertainty associated with each pile capacity method was performed. There were two (2) piles analysed: Pile 1 and piles other than Pile 1, where Pile 1 is the pile that was most affected by shallow gas problems. Using the mean estimate of soil properties, the five (5) methods used for deterministic estimation of axial pile capacity in compression predict an axial capacity from 28 to 42MN for Pile 1 and 32 to 49MN for piles other than Pile 1. These values refer to the static capacity shortly after pile installation. They do not include the effects of cyclic loading during the design storm or time after installation on the axial pile capacity. On average, the axial pile capacity is expected to have increased by about 40% because of ageing since the installation of the platform in 1977. On the other hand, the cyclic loading effects during the design storm may reduce the axial capacity of the piles by around 25%. The study concluded that all piles have sufficient safety factor when the pile aging and cyclic loading effect are considered, as all safety factors are above 2.0 for maximum operating and storm loads.

Keywords: axial capacity, cyclic loading, pile ageing, shallow gas

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Authors: Chen T. Chen, Hui L. Cheng

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Due to the different knowledge, experience and expertise of experts, they usually provide the different opinions in the group decision-making process. Therefore, it is an important issue to reach the group consensus of opinions of experts in group multiple-criteria decision-making (GMCDM) process. Because the subjective opinions of experts always are fuzziness and uncertainties, it is difficult to use crisp values to describe the real opinions of experts or decision-makers. It is reasonable for experts to use the linguistic variables to express their opinions. The hesitant fuzzy set are extended from the concept of fuzzy sets. Experts use the hesitant fuzzy sets can be flexible to describe their subjective opinions. In order to aggregate the hesitant fuzzy linguistic variables of all experts effectively, an adjustment method based on distance function will be presented in this paper. Based on the opinions adjustment method, this paper will present an effective approach to adjust the hesitant fuzzy linguistic variables of all experts to reach the group consensus. Then, a new hesitant linguistic GMCDM method will be presented based on the group consensus of hesitant fuzzy linguistic variables. Finally, an example will be implemented to illustrate the computational process to enhance the practical value of the proposed model.

Keywords: group multi-criteria decision-making, linguistic variables, hesitant fuzzy linguistic variables, distance function, group consensus

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