Search results for: partial evaporating

Authors: Khaled M. Ali, Ayman A. Mostafa, Soliman M. Soliman

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Objectives: To describe the most common clinical and endoscopic findings associated with complicated corneal ulcers in cats, and to determine the short-term outcomes after surgical treatment of these cats. Animals Eighteen client-owned cats of different breeds (52 females and 28 males), ranging in age from 3 months to 6 years, with corneal ulcers. Procedures: Cats were clinically evaluated to initially determine the concurrent corneal abnormalities. Endoscopic examination was performed to determine the anterior and posterior segments abnormalities. Superficial and deep stromal ulcers were treated using conjunctival flap. Corneal sequestrum was treated by partial keratectomy and conjunctival flap. Anterior synechia was treated via peripheral iridectomy and separation of the adhesion between the iris and the inner cornea. Symblepharon was treated by removal of the adhered conjunctival membrane from the cornea. Incurable endophthalmitis was treated surgically by extirpation. Short-term outcomes after surgical managements of selected corneal abnormalities were then assessed clinically and endoscopically. Results: Deep stromal ulcer with descemetocele, endophthalmitis, symblepharon, corneal sequestration and anterior synechia with secondary glaucoma and corneal scarring were the most common complications of corneal ulcer. FHV-1 was a common etiologic factor of corneal ulceration. Persistent corneal scars of varying shape and size developed in cats with deep stromal ulcer, anterior synechia, and corneal sequestration. Conclusions: Domestic shorthaired and Persian cats were the most predisposed breeds to FHV-1 infection and subsequent corneal ulceration. Immediate management of patients with corneal ulcer would prevent serious complications. No age or sex predisposition to complicated corneal ulceration in cats.

Keywords: cats, complicated corneal ulceration, clinical, endoscopic diagnosis, FHV-1

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Authors: Peng Guo

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Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics and changes of video-polysomnography (v-PSG) in Parkinson disease (PD) patients accompanied with cognitive impairment. Methods Three hundred and ninety-four patients with PD were enrolled in Beijing Tiantan Hospital, according to CI level, the patients were divided into PD without cognitive impairment (PD-NCI), PD with mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI), and PD with dementia (PDD) group. Collect patient's demographic data, including gender, onset age, education level and duration. The cognitive function of PD patients was evaluated by Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) scale, and the overall cognitive function and cognitive domains of the three groups were compared.Using v-PSG to assess the sleep status of patients. Correlation analysis of MoCA Scale and v-PSG results in PD-CI group. Results 1. In 394 cases of PD, 94 cases (23.86%) in PD-NCI group , 177 cases(44.92%) in PD-MCI group , 123 cases (31.22%) in PDD group. 2.There was no significant difference in gender, age of onset, education level and duration in PD-NCI group, PD-MCI group and PDD group （P＞0.05）. 3. The total score of MoCA scale in PD-NCI group, PD-MCI group and PDD group decreased one by one. In PD-NCI group, PD-MCI group and PDD group, the scores of each cognitive domain in MoCA scale decreased significantly（P<0.05）. 4.Compared with the PD-MCI group, PDD group had lower total sleep time, lower sleep efficiency （P<0.05）. Compared with PD-NCI group, PDD group had lower total sleep time and lower sleep efficiency （P<0.05）.5. The sleep efficiency of PD-CI patients is positively correlated with the total score of MoCA scale, visual spatial function, executive function, delayed recall and attention score（P<0.05). Conclusions The incidence of CI in PD patients was high; The cognitive function and cognitive domains of PD-CI patients were significantly impaired; In patients with PD-CI, total sleep time decreased, sleep efficiency decreased, and it was related to overall cognitive function and partial cognitive impairment.

Keywords: Parkinson disease, cognitive impairment, clinical characteristics, sleep disorders, video-polysomnography

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Authors: Arawati Agus, Rahmah Ismail

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An effective training has been increasingly recognized as critical factors in enhancing the skills and knowledge of employee or personnel in the organization. More and more manufacturing companies in Malaysia are increasingly incorporating training as an important element in supply chain management (SCM) to improve their employee skills and knowledge and ultimately organizational performances. In order to understand the connection of training in SCM and the performance of an organization, this paper considers of many arguments from various research papers. This paper presents the findings of a research which examines the relationship between training in SCM, personnel differentiation and business performance of manufacturing companies in Malaysia. The study measures perception of senior management regarding the incorporation of training in SCM and the level of personnel differentiation and business performance measurements in their companies. The associations between training in SCM, personnel differentiation and business performance dimensions are analyzed through methods such as Pearson’s correlations and Smart partial least squares (smart PLS) using 126 respondents’ data. The correlation results demonstrate that training in SCM has significant correlations with personnel differentiation determinants (comprises of variables namely employee differentiation and service differentiation). The findings also suggest that training in SCM has significant correlations with business performance determinants (comprises of indicators, namely market share, profitability, ROA and ROS). Specifically, both personnel differentiation and business performance have high correlations with training in SCM, namely ‘Employee training on production skills’, ‘On the job production employee training’ and ‘Management training on supply chain effectiveness’ and ‘Employee training on supply chain technologies’. The smart PLS result also reveals that training in SCM exhibits significant impact on both personnel differentiation (directly) and business performance (indirectly mediated by personnel differentiation). The findings of the study provide a demonstration of the importance of training in SCM in enhancing competitive performances in Malaysian manufacturing companies.

Keywords: training in SCM, personnel differentiation, business performance, Pearson’s correlation, Smart PLS

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Authors: Mannar R. Maurya, Bhawna Uprety, Fernando Avecilla, Pedro Adão, J. Costa Pessoa

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The reaction of the tripodal tetradentate dibasic ligand 6,6'–(2–(pyridin–2–yl)ethylazanediyl)bis(methylene)bis(2,4–di–tert–butylphenol), H2L1 I, with [VIVO(acac)2] in CH3CN gives the VVO–complex, [VVO(acac)(L1)] 1. Crystallization of 1 in CH3CN at ~0 ºC, gives dark blue crystals of 1, while at room temperature it affords dark green crystals of [{VVO(L1)}2µ–O] 3. Upon prolonged treatment of 1 in MeOH [VVO(OMe)(MeOH)(L1)] 2 is obtained. All three complexes are analyzed by single–crystal X–ray diffraction, depicting distorted octahedral geometry around vanadium. In the reaction of H2L1 with VIVOSO4 partial hydrolysis of the tripodal ligand results in elimination of the pyridyl fragment of L1 and the formation of H[VVO2(L2)] 4, containing the ONO tridentate ligand 6,6'–azanediylbis(methylene)bis(2,4–di–tert–butylphenol), H2L2 II. Compound 4, which was not fully characterized, undergoes dimerization in acetone yielding the hydroxido–bridged [{VVO(L2)}2µ–(HO)2] 5, having distorted octahedral geometry around each vanadium. In contrast, from a solution of 4 in acetonitrile, the dinuclear compound [{VVO(L2)}2µ–O] 6 is obtained, with trigonal bipyramidal geometry around each vanadium. The methoxido complex 2 is successfully employed as a functional catechol–oxidase mimic in the oxidation of catechol to o–quinone under air. The process is confirmed to follow a Michaelis–Menten type kinetics with respect to catechol, the Vmax and KM values obtained being 7.66×10–6 M min -1 and 0.0557 M, respectively, and the turnover frequency is 0.0541 min–1. Complex 2 is also used as a catalyst precursor for the oxidative bromination of thymol in aqueous medium. The selectivity shows quite interesting trends, namely when not using excess of primary oxidizing agent, H2O2 the para mono–brominated product corresponds to ~93 % of the products and no dibromo derivative is formed.

Keywords: oxidovanadium (V) complexes, tripodal ligand, crystal structure, catechol oxidase mimetic activity

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Authors: N. Alias, W. Z. W. Muhammad, M. N. M. Ibrahim, M. Mohamed, H. F. S. Saipol, U. N. Z. Ariffin, N. A. Zakaria, M. S. Z. Suardi

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This paper presents the performance comparison of some computation software for solving the boundary element method (BEM). BEM formulation is the numerical technique and high potential for solving the advance mathematical modeling to predict the production of oil well in arbitrarily shaped based on multiple leases reservoir. The limitation of data validation for ensuring that a program meets the accuracy of the mathematical modeling is considered as the research motivation of this paper. Thus, based on this limitation, there are three steps involved to validate the accuracy of the oil production simulation process. In the first step, identify the mathematical modeling based on partial differential equation (PDE) with Poisson-elliptic type to perform the BEM discretization. In the second step, implement the simulation of the 2D BEM discretization using COMSOL Multiphysic and MATLAB programming languages. In the last step, analyze the numerical performance indicators for both programming languages by using the validation of Fortran programming. The performance comparisons of numerical analysis are investigated in terms of percentage error, comparison graph and 2D visualization of pressure on oil production of multiple leases reservoir. According to the performance comparison, the structured programming in Fortran programming is the alternative software for implementing the accurate numerical simulation of BEM. As a conclusion, high-level language for numerical computation and numerical performance evaluation are satisfied to prove that Fortran is well suited for capturing the visualization of the production of oil well in arbitrarily shaped.

Keywords: performance comparison, 2D visualization, COMSOL multiphysic, MATLAB, Fortran, modelling and simulation, boundary element method, reservoir pressure

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Authors: Firsan Nova

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The average Indonesian watches 5.5 hours of TV a day. With a population of 242 million people and a Free-to-Air (FTA) TV penetration rate of 56%, that equates to 745 million hours of television watched each day. With such potential, it is no wonder that many companies are now attempting to get into the Pay TV market. Research firm Media Partner Asia has forecast in its study that the number of Indonesian pay-television subscribers will climb from 2.4 million in 2012 to 8.7 million by 2020, with penetration scaling up from 7 percent to 21 percent. Key drivers of market growth, the study says, include macro trends built around higher disposable income and a rising middle class, with leading players continuing to invest significantly in sales, distribution and content. New entrants, in the meantime, will boost overall prospects. This study aims to examine and analyze the effect of Market Attractiveness and the Core Competence on Value Creation and Competitive Advantage and its impact to Business Performance in the pay TV industry in Indonesia. The study using strategic management science approach with the census method in which all members of the population are as sample. Verification method is used to examine the relationship between variables. The unit of analysis in this research is all Indonesian Pay TV business units totaling 19 business units. The unit of observation is the director and managers of each business unit. Hypothesis testing is performed by using statistical Partial Least Square (PLS). The conclusion of the study shows that the market attractiveness affects business performance through value creation and competitive advantage. The appropriate value creation comes from the company ability to optimize its core competence and exploit market attractiveness. Value creation affects competitive advantage. The competitive advantage can be determined based on the company's ability to create value for customers and the competitive advantage has an impact on business performance.

Keywords: market attractiveness, core competence, value creation, competitive advantage, business performance

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Authors: Musaab Mohammed Ahmed Ali, Vladimir Vodichev

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work deals with an universal control technique or single controller for linear and nonlinear stabilization and tracing control systems. These systems may be structured as SISO and MIMO. Parameters of controlled plants can vary over a wide range. Introduced a novel control systems design method, construction of stable platform orbits using derivative balance, solved transfer function stability preservation problem of linear system under partial substitution of a rational function. Universal controller is proposed as a polar system with the multiple orbits to simplify design procedure, where each orbit represent single order of controller transfer function. Designed controller consist of proportional, integral, derivative terms and multiple feedback and feedforward loops. The controller parameters synthesis method is presented. In generally, controller parameters depend on new polynomial equation where all parameters have a relationship with each other and have fixed values without requirements of retuning. The simulation results show that the proposed universal controller can stabilize infinity number of linear and nonlinear plants and shaping desired previously ordered performance. It has been proven that sensor errors and poor performance will be completely compensated and cannot affect system performance. Disturbances and noises effect on the controller loop will be fully rejected. Technical and economic effect of using proposed controller has been investigated and compared to adaptive, predictive, and robust controllers. The economic analysis shows the advantage of single controller with fixed parameters to drive infinity numbers of plants compared to above mentioned control techniques.

Keywords: derivative balance, fixed parameters, stable platform, universal control

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Authors: Adriana Stefan, Cristina-Elisabeta Pelin, George Pelin, Maria Daniela Stelescu, Elena Manaila

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Elastomeric composites have been known for a long time, but, to our knowledge, space and the aeronautic community has been directing a special attention to them only in the last decade. The required properties of advanced elastomeric materials used in space applications (such as O-rings) are sealing, abrasion, low-temperature flexibility, the long-term compression set properties, impact resistance and low-temperature thermal stability in different environments, such as ionized radiations. Basically, the elastomeric nanocomposites are composed of a rubber matrix and a wide and varied range of nanofillers, added with the aim of improving the physico-mechanical and elasticity modulus properties of the materials as well as their stability in different environments. The paper presents a partial synthesis of the research regarding the use of silicon carbide in nanometric form and/or organophylized montmorillonite as fillers in butyl rubber matrix. The need of composite materials arose from the fact that stand-alone polymers are ineffective in providing all the superior properties required by different applications. These drawbacks can be diminished or even eliminated by incorporating a new range of additives into the organic matrix, fillers that have important roles in modifying properties of various polymers. A composite material can provide superior and unique mechanical and physical properties because it combines the most desirable properties of its constituents while suppressing their least desirable properties. The commercial importance of polymers and the continuous increase of their use results in the continuous demand for improvement in their properties to meet the necessary conditions. To study the performance of the elastomeric nanocomposites were mechanically tested, it will be tested the qualities of tensile at low temperatures and RT and the behavior at the compression at cryogenic to room temperatures and under different environments. The morphology of specimens will be investigated by optical and scanning electronic microscopy.

Keywords: elastomeric nanocomposites, O-rings, space applications, mechanical properties

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Authors: Changyeop Lee, Sewon Kim, Jongho Lee

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Reburning technology has been developed to adopt various commercial combustion systems. Fuel lean reburning is an advanced reburning method to reduce NOx economically without using burnout air, however it is not easy to get high NOx reduction efficiency. In the fuel lean reburning system, the localized fuel rich eddies are used to establish partial fuel rich regions so that the NOx can react with hydrocarbon radical restrictively. In this paper, a new advanced reburning method which supplies reburn fuel with oscillatory motion is introduced to increase NOx reduction rate effectively. To clarify whether forced oscillating injection of reburn fuel can effectively reduce NOx emission, experimental tests were conducted in vertical combustion furnace. Experiments were performed in flames stabilized by a gas burner, which was mounted at the bottom of the furnace. The natural gas is used as both main and reburn fuel and total thermal input is about 40kW. The forced oscillating injection of reburn fuel is realized by electronic solenoid valve, so that fuel rich region and fuel lean region is established alternately. In the fuel rich region, NOx is converted to N2 by reburning reaction, however unburned hydrocarbon and CO is oxidized in fuel lean zone and mixing zone at downstream where slightly fuel lean region is formed by mixing of two regions. This paper reports data on flue gas emissions and temperature distribution in the furnace for a wide range of experimental conditions. All experimental data has been measured at steady state. The NOx reduction rate increases up to 41% by forced oscillating reburn motion. The CO emissions were shown to be kept at very low level. And this paper makes clear that in order to decrease NOx concentration in the exhaust when oscillating reburn fuel injection system is adopted, the control of factors such as frequency and duty ratio is very important.

Keywords: NOx, CO, reburning, pollutant

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Authors: Yahya Al-Wahaibi, Saif Al-Bahry, Abdulkadir Elshafie, Ali Al-Bemani, Sanket Joshi

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Microbial enhanced oil recovery is one of the most economical and efficient methods for extending the life of production wells in a declining reservoir. There are a variety of metabolites produced by microorganisms that can be useful for oil recovery, like biopolymers-polysaccharides secreted by microbes, biodegradable thus environmentally friendly. Some fungi like Schizophyllum commune (a type of mushroom), and Aureobasidium pullulans are reported to produce biopolymers-schizophyllan and pullulan. Hence, we have procured a microbial strain (Schizophyllum commune) from American Type Culture Collection, which is reported for producing a biopolymer and also isolated several Omani strains of Aureobasidium pullulans from different samples. Studies were carried out for maintenance of the strains and primary screening of production media and environmental conditions for growth of S. commune and Omani A. pullulans isolates, for 30 days. The observed optimum growth and production temperature was ≤35 °C for S. commune and Omani A. pullulans isolates. Better growth was observed for both types of fungi under shaking conditions. The initial yield of lyophilized schizophyllan was ≥3.0 g/L, and the yield of pullulan was ≥0.5g/L. Both schizophyllan and pullulan were extracted in crude form and were partially identified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), which showed partial similarity in chemical structure with published biopolymers. The produced pullulan and schizophyllan increased the viscosity from 9-20 cp of the control media (without biopolymer) to 20 - 121.4 cp of the cell free broth at 0.1 s-1 shear rate at range of temperatures from 25–45 °C. Enhanced biopolymer production and its physicochemical and rheological properties under different environmental conditions (different temperatures, salt concentrations and wide range of pH), complete characterization and effects on oil recovery enhancement were also investigated in this study.

Keywords: Aureobasidium pullulans, biopolymer, oil recovery enhancement, Schizophyllum commune

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Authors: Pascal Mwenge, Tumisang Seodigeng

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The combination of world population and the third industrial revolution led to high demand for fuels. On the other hand, the decrease of global fossil 8fuels deposits and the environmental air pollution caused by these fuels has compounded the challenges the world faces due to its need for energy. Therefore, new forms of environmentally friendly and renewable fuels such as biodiesel are needed. The primary analytical techniques for methanolysis yield monitoring have been chromatography and spectroscopy, these methods have been proven reliable but are more demanding, costly and do not provide real-time monitoring. In this work, the in situ monitoring of biodiesel from sunflower oil using FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared) has been studied; the study was performed using EasyMax Mettler Toledo reactor equipped with a DiComp (Diamond) probe. The quantitative monitoring of methanolysis was performed by building a quantitative model with multivariate calibration using iC Quant module from iC IR 7.0 software. 15 samples of known concentrations were used for the modelling which were taken in duplicate for model calibration and cross-validation, data were pre-processed using mean centering and variance scale, spectrum math square root and solvent subtraction. These pre-processing methods improved the performance indexes from 7.98 to 0.0096, 11.2 to 3.41, 6.32 to 2.72, 0.9416 to 0.9999, RMSEC, RMSECV, RMSEP and R2Cum, respectively. The R² value of 1 (training), 0.9918 (test), 0.9946 (cross-validation) indicated the fitness of the model built. The model was tested against univariate model; small discrepancies were observed at low concentration due to unmodelled intermediates but were quite close at concentrations above 18%. The software eliminated the complexity of the Partial Least Square (PLS) chemometrics. It was concluded that the model obtained could be used to monitor methanol of sunflower oil at industrial and lab scale.

Keywords: biodiesel, calibration, chemometrics, methanolysis, multivariate analysis, transesterification, FTIR

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Authors: Usman B.M., Basheer O. B., . Ahmed A., Amali N. U., Taufeeq O.

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This study presents an investigation into the improvement of strength properties of concrete using egg shell powder (ESP) and groundnut husk ash (GHA) as additives so as to reduce its high cost and find alternative disposal method for agricultural waste. A standard consistency test was carried out on the egg shell powder and groundnut husk ash. A prescribed concrete mix ratio of 1:2:4 concrete cubes (150mm by 150mm) and water-cement ratio of 0.6 were casted. A total of One hundred and forty four (144) cubes were cast and cured for 3, 7 and 28 days and compressive strength subsequently determined in comparison with the relevant specifications. Consistency test on the cement paste at the various concentrations exhibited an increase in the setting time as the concentration increases with the highest value recorded at 5% egg shell powder and groundnut husk ash concentration as 219 minutes for the initial setting time and 275 minutes for the final setting time as against the control specimen of 159 minutes and 234 minutes for both initial and final setting times respectively. The results of the investigations showed that GHA was predominantly of Silicon oxide (56.73%) and a combined SiO₂, Al₂O₃ and Fe₂O₃ content of 66.75%; and the result of the investigations showed that ESP was predominantly of Calcium oxide (52.75%) and a combined SiO₂, Al₂O₃ and Fe₂O₃ content of 3.86%. The addition of GHA and ESP in concrete showed slight different in compressive strength with increase in GHA and ESP additive up to 5% and high decrease in compressive strength with further increase in GHA and ESP content. The 28 days compressive strength of the concrete cubes; compared with that of the control; showed a slight increase. Thus the use of GHA and ESP as partial replacement of cement will provide an economic use of by-product and consequently produce a cheaper concrete construction without comprising its strength

Keywords: additive, concrete, eggshell powder, groundnut husk ash compressive strength

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Authors: Bernice Badal

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This article addresses a persistent challenge related to teacher agency in knowledge acquisition in professional development (PD) workshops in contexts of educational change, given that scholarship identifies a need for more teacher involvement and amplification of teacher's voices. Theoretical concepts are drawn from Bandura’s Social cognitive theory, incorporating the triadic causation model of agency to examine the reciprocal nature of the context, teacher characteristics, and systemic influences that shape how knowledge is transmitted and acquired in PD workshops. This qualitative study, using a mix of classroom observations and interviews, explored the political, contextual, and personal characteristics of teacher agency in PD through an analysis of data extracted from a PhD study. The narratives of six teachers from three township schools are examined to show how PD efforts in South Africa have failed to take account of the holistic development of teacher agency in knowledge dissemination and how this shapes teacher self-efficacy beliefs about being able to masterfully apply the tenets of the reform. Agency, teacher voice, and contextual considerations were used as markers of the quality of the training provided to understand how knowledge is acquired and meaning is made. The findings suggest that systemic influences of institutionally imposed PD offer partial understandings of the reform, which is offered in traditional formats that do not consider teacher empowerment in knowledge production and the development of teacher agency. Common in all the participants’ responses is the need for more information and training on the prescribed approach for teaching English as a second language; however, this paper holds the view that more information may not solve teachers’ dilemmas. Accordingly, it recommends a restructuring of the programme with facilitators being more cognisant of teacher agency for the development of transformative teachers. The findings of the study contribute to the field of teacher knowledge, teacher training, and professional development in the context of educational reforms.

Keywords: teacher professional development, teacher voice, teacher agency, educational reforms, teacher knowledge

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Authors: Mahzabin Afroz, Indubhushan Patnaikuni, Srikanth Venkatesan

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It is well-known that fly ash can be used in high volume as a partial replacement of cement to get beneficial effects on concrete. High volume fly ash (HVFA) concrete is currently emerging as a popular option to strengthen by fiber. Although studies have supported the use of fibers with fly ash, a unified model along with the incorporation into finite element software package to estimate the maximum flexural loads need to be developed. In this study, nonlinear finite element analysis of steel fiber reinforced high strength HVFA concrete beam under static loadings was conducted to investigate their failure modes in terms of ultimate load. First of all, the experimental investigation of mechanical properties of high strength HVFA concrete was done and validates with developed numerical model with the appropriate modeling of element size and mesh by ANSYS 16.2. To model the fiber within the concrete, three-dimensional random fiber distribution was simulated by spherical coordinate system. Three types of high strength HVFA concrete beams were analyzed reinforced with 0.5, 1 and 1.5% volume fractions of steel fibers with specific mechanical and physical properties. The result reveals that the use of nonlinear finite element analysis technique and three-dimensional random fiber orientation exhibited fairly good agreement with the experimental results of flexural strength, load deflection and crack propagation mechanism. By utilizing this improved model, it is possible to determine the flexural behavior of different types and proportions of steel fiber reinforced HVFA concrete beam under static load. So, this paper has the originality to predict the flexural properties of steel fiber reinforced high strength HVFA concrete by numerical simulations.

Keywords: finite element analysis, high volume fly ash, steel fibers, spherical coordinate system

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Authors: Neslihan Ozman Say, Jim Gilmour, Pratik Desai, William Zimmerman

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Landfill leachate treatment has been attracting researchers recently for various environmental and economical reasons. Leachate discharge to receiving waterbodies without treatment causes serious detrimental effects including partial oxygen depletion due to high biological oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentrations besides toxicity of heavy metals it contains and high ammonia concentrations. In this study, it is aimed to show microalgal ammonia removal performances of a wild microalgae consortia as an alternative treatment method and determine the dominant leachate tolerant species for this consortia. For the microalgae species identification experiments a microalgal consortium which has been isolated from a local pond in Sheffield inoculated in %5 diluted raw landfill leachate and acclimated to the leachate by batch feeding for a month. In order to determine the most tolerant microalgal consortium, four different untreated landfill leachate samples have been used as diluted in four different ratios as 5%, 10%, 20%, and 40%. Microalgae cell samples have been collected from all experiment sets and have been examined by using 18S rDNA sequencing and specialised gel electrophoresis which are adapted molecular biodiversity methods. The best leachate tolerant algal consortium is being used in order to determine ammonia removal performances of the culture in a microbubble assisted photobioreactor (PBR). A porous microbubble diffuser which is supported by a fluidic oscillator is being used for dosing CO₂ and air mixture in the PBR. It is known that high mass transfer performance of microbubble technology provides a better removal efficiency and a better mixing in the photobioreactor. Ammonia concentrations and microalgal growth are being monitored for PBR currently. It is aimed to present all the results of the study in final paper submission.

Keywords: ammonia removal from leachate, landfill leachate treatment, microalgae species identification, microbubble assisted photobioreactors

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Authors: Sarah Barnard, John Arnold, Fehmidah Munir, Sara Bosley

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Gender issues in higher education continue to represent a complex issue as institutions grapple with the role that organisations can play in combatting inequality. Schemes like Athena SWAN and the Aurora leadership programme in the UK context are attempting to tackle some of the issues around representation and the recognition of women in the sector. This paper is the first of its kind in reporting findings from a mixed-methods longitudinal study on both professional services and academic women in higher education in the UK. Online surveys have been completed by over 2,000 women in the sector. The qualitative elements include interviews with women and their mentors, and diaries with a select group of women. So far results have shown that contrary to the stereotype of women lacking leadership skills or having no desire to go into higher roles, women in the sector consistently assessed their leadership abilities positively, especially but not only regarding interpersonal interaction and facilitation. Over 80% of women agreed that they felt confident about putting themselves forward for positions of responsibility at work. However, qualitative data shows that confidence remains a salient term for how women talk about the challenges they have faced at work. This suggests that the work needed to challenge systemic gender issues requires action to be driven above the individual level. Overall, academics reported more negative experiences than professional services staff. Similarly BAME women’s responses are more negative. Therefore, the study offers some information on the differential experiences of women. In conclusion, women in higher education are undertaking considerable ‘below the radar’ leadership activities in what they perceive to be a somewhat inhospitable hostile workplace culture. The significant amount of effort expended in the sector is affecting slow, partial impacts on gender inequalities.

Keywords: gender, higher education, leadership, longitudinal research

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Authors: Jayakrishnan U.

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A concept of adding two strokes to a four stroke Otto or Diesel engine cycle presented here for the waste heat recovery in a four stroke internal combustion engine. Four stroke Diesel cycle and Otto cycle engines have very low thermal efficiency due to high amount of energy loss in exhaust and also on the cooling of the engine. It is estimated about 35 percent of fuel energy is lost in exhaust of engine and 30 percent in cooling of engine. So by modifying a four-stroke Otto or Diesel engine by adding two-stroke heat recovery steam cycle is presented here. Water injection is used to get an additional power stroke by partial compression of the exhaust gases at the end of third stroke in a four stroke I.C.Engine. It is the conversion of a four-stroke cycle to a six-stroke cycle. By taking a four stroke petrol engine of known dimensions, an ideal thermodynamic model is used to analyse and calculate the events of exhaust gas compression and following two strokes of water injection. By changing the exhaust valve closing timing during exhaust stroke and analysing it on various points, an optimum amount of exhaust gas re-compression and amount of water injection can be found for maximizing efficiency and fuel economy. It is achieved by changing the exhaust valve timing and finding an optimum amount of exhaust re-compression, maximizing the net mean effective pressure of the steam expansion stroke (MEPsteam). Specific fuel consumption of the engine also decreases increasing the fuel economy. The valve closing timings for maximum MEPsteam is limited by either 1 bar or dew point temperature of expansion gas or moisture mixture to avoid moisture formation. By modifying the four-stroke Otto or Diesel cycle by adding two water injection stroke has the potential to significantly increase the engine efficiency and fuel economy.

Keywords: internal combustion engine, engine efficiency, six-stroke cycle, water injection, specific fuel consumption

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Authors: Muñiz-Lino Marcos A.

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The ectomesenchymal tissues involved in tooth development and their remnants are the origin of different odontogenic lesions, including tumors and cysts of the jaws, with a wide range of clinical behaviors. A dentigerous cyst (DC) represents approximately 20% of all cases of odontogenic cysts, and it has been demonstrated that it can develop benign and malignant odontogenic tumors. DC is characterized by bone destruction of the area surrounding the crown of a tooth that has not erupted and contains liquid. The treatment of odontogenic tumors and cysts usually involves a partial or total removal of the jaw, causing important secondary co-morbidities. However, molecules implicated in DC pathogenesis, as well as in its development into odontogenic tumors, remain unknown. A cellular model may be useful to study these molecules, but that model has not been established yet. Here, we reported the establishment of a cell culture derived from a dentigerous cyst. This cell line was named DeCy-1. In spite of its ectomesenchymal morphology, DeCy-1 cells express epithelial markers such as cytokeratins 5, 6, and 8. Furthermore, these cells express the ODAM protein, which is present in odontogenesis and in dental follicles, indicating that DeCy-1 cells are derived from odontogenic epithelium. Analysis by electron microscopy of this cell line showed that it has a high vesicular activity, suggesting that DeCy-1 could secrete molecules that may be involved in DC pathogenesis. Thus, secreted proteins were analyzed by PAGE-SDS where we observed approximately 11 bands. In addition, the capacity of these secretions to degrade proteins was analyzed by gelatin substrate zymography. A degradation band of about 62 kDa was found in these assays. Western blot assays suggested that the matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) is responsible for this protease activity. Thus, our results indicate that the establishment of a cell line derived from DC is a useful in vitro model to study the biology of this odontogenic lesion and its participation in the development of odontogenic tumors.

Keywords: dentigerous cyst, ameloblastoma, MMP-2, odontogenic tumors

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Authors: Samira Bensoltane, Smina Ait Hamlet, Samti Meriem, Semmasel Asma

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Living organisms in the soil are subject to regular fluctuations of abiotic parameters, as well as a chemical contamination of the environment due to human activities. They are subject to multiple stressors they face. The aim of our work was to study the effects of insecticide: thiamethoxam (neonicotinoid), and the potential reversibility of the effects by an antioxidant: ginger on a bioindicator species in ecotoxicology, the land snail Helix aspersa. The effects were studied by a targeted cell approach of evaluating the effect of these molecules on tissue and cellular aspect of hepatopancreas through histological study. Treatment with thiamethoxam concentrations 10, 20, and 40 mg/l shows signs of inflammation even at low concentrations and from the 5th day of treatment. Histological examination of the hepatopancreas of snails treated with thiamethoxam showed significant changes from the lowest concentrations tested , note intertubular connective tissue enlargement, necrosis deferent types of cells (cells with calcium , digestive, excretory) , also damage acini, alteration of the apical membrane and lysis of the basement membrane in a dose- dependent manner. After 10 days of treatment and with 40 mg/l, the same changes were observed with a very advanced degeneration of the wall of the member that could be confused with the cell debris. For cons, the histological study of the hepatopancreas in Helix aspersa treated with ginger for a period of 15 days after stopping treatment with thiamethoxam has shown a partial regeneration of hepatopancreatic tissue snails treated with all concentrations of thiamethoxam and especially in the intertubular connective tissue of the wall and hepatopancreatic digestive tubules. Finally, we can conclude that monitoring the effect of the insecticide thiamethoxam showed significant alterations, however, treatment with ginger shows regeneration of damaged cells themselves much sharper at low concentration (10 mg/L).

Keywords: Helix aspersa, insecticides, thiamethoxam, ginger, hepatopancreas

Procedia PDF Downloads 216

Authors: Melkamu A., Woldu B., Sitotaw C., Seyoum M., Aynalem M.

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Background: Liver disease is any condition that affects the liver cells and their function. It is directly linked to coagulation disorders since most coagulation factors are produced by the liver. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the magnitude and associated factors of coagulation abnormalities among liver disease patients. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from August to October 2022 among 307 consecutively selected study participants at the University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital. Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected using a structured questionnaire and data extraction sheet, respectively. About 2.7 mL of venous blood was collected and analyzed by the Genrui CA51 coagulation analyzer. Data was entered into Epi-data and exported to STATA version 14 software for analysis. The finding was described in terms of frequencies and proportions. Factors associated with coagulation abnormalities were analyzed by bivariable and multivariable logistic regression. Result: In this study, a total of 307 study participants were included. Of them, the magnitude of prolonged Prothrombin Time (PT) and Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (APTT) were 68.08% and 63.51%, respectively. The presence of anemia (AOR = 2.97, 95% CI: 1.26, 7.03), a lack of a vegetable feeding habit (AOR = 2.98, 95% CI: 1.42, 6.24), no history of blood transfusion (AOR = 3.72, 95% CI: 1.78, 7.78), and lack of physical exercise (AOR = 3.23, 95% CI: 1.60, 6.52) were significantly associated with prolonged PT. While the presence of anaemia (AOR = 3.02; 95% CI: 1.34, 6.76), lack of vegetable feeding habit (AOR = 2.64; 95% CI: 1.34, 5.20), no history of blood transfusion (AOR = 2.28; 95% CI: 1.09, 4.79), and a lack of physical exercise (AOR = 2.35; 95% CI: 1.16, 4.78) were significantly associated with abnormal APTT. Conclusion: Patients with liver disease had substantial coagulation problems. Being anemic, having a transfusion history, lack of physical activity, and lack of vegetables showed significant association with coagulopathy. Therefore, early detection and management of coagulation abnormalities in liver disease patients are critical.

Keywords: coagulation, liver disease, PT, Aptt

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Authors: Tahira Hussain, Ilhom Rahamkulov, Muhammad Aasim, Ugur Pirlak, Emre Aksoy, Mehmet Emin Caliskan, Allah Bakhsh

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RNA interference (RNAi) has proved its usefulness in functional genomic research on insects recently and is considered potential strategy in crop improvement for the control of insect pests. The different insect pests incur significant losses to potato yield worldwide, Colorado Potato Beetle (CPB) being most notorious one. The present study focuses to knock down highly specific 20-hydroxyecdysone hormone-receptor complex interaction by using RNAi approach to silence Ecdysone receptor (EcR) gene of CPB in transgenic potato plants expressing dsRNA of EcR gene. The partial cDNA of Ecdysone receptor gene of CPB was amplified using specific primers in sense and anti-sense orientation and cloned in pRNAi-GG vector flanked by an intronic sequence (pdk). Leaf and internodal explants of Lady Olympia, Agria and Granola cultivars of potato were infected with Agrobacterium strain LBA4404 harboring plasmid pRNAi-CPB, pRNAi-GFP (used as control). Neomycin phosphotransferase (nptII) gene was used as a plant selectable marker at a concentration of 100 mg L⁻¹. The primary transformants obtained have shown proper integration of T-DNA in plant genome by standard molecular analysis like polymerase chain reaction (PCR), real-time PCR, Sothern blot. The transgenic plants developed out of these cultivars are being evaluated for their efficacy against larvae as well adults of CPB. The transgenic lines are expected to inhibit expression of EcR protein gene, hindering their molting process, hence leading to increased potato yield.

Keywords: plant mediated RNAi, molecular strategy, ecdysone receptor, insect metamorphosis

Procedia PDF Downloads 170

Authors: Matthew Cruickshank, Chaaruchandra Korde, Roger P. West, John Reddy

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Precast concrete element exports are growing in importance in Ireland’s concrete industry and with the increased global focus on reducing carbon emissions, the industry is exploring more sustainable alternatives such as using ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS) as a partial replacement of Portland cement. It is well established that GGBS, with low early age strength development, has limited use in precast manufacturing due to the need for early de-moulding, cutting of pre-stressed strands and lifting. In this dichotomy, the effects of temperature, admixture, are explored to try to achieve the required very early age strength. Testing of the strength of mortars is mandated in the European cement standard, so here with 50% GGBS and Super Fine GGBS, with three admixture conditions (none, conventional accelerator, novel accelerator) and two early age curing temperature conditions (20°C and 35°C), standard mortar strengths are measured at six ages (16 hours, 1, 2, 3, 7, 28 days). The present paper will describe the effort towards developing maturity curves to aid in understanding the effect of these accelerating admixtures and GGBS fineness on slag cement mortars, allowing prediction of their strength with time and temperature. This study is of particular importance to the precast industry where concrete temperature can be controlled. For the climatic conditions in Ireland, heating of precast beds for long hours will amount to an additional cost and also contribute to the carbon footprint of the products. When transitioned from mortar to concrete, these maturity curves are expected to play a vital role in predicting the strength of the GGBS concrete at a very early age prior to demoulding.

Keywords: accelerating admixture, early age strength, ground granulated blast-furnace slag, GGBS, maturity, precast concrete

Procedia PDF Downloads 157

Authors: Reem Osama Yousif Ali, Osama Yousif Ali Al Gibali

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Introduction: Balanced nutrition is undeniably essential for maintaining health, body functions, and integrity of cell metabolism; however, some sick patients cannot tolerate oral or enteral feeding to meet their nutritional needs, so partial or total parenteral nutrition (PN) may be the most suitable alternative route in such situations. Dietitians are fundamental personnel among the medical team to ensure the proper provision of PN service, which was introduced in Sudan in the 1980s. Objective: The study aimed to recognize the dietitians' awareness of parenteral nutrition and their role in providing this service in Sudan – Khartoum State. Methodology: Formulated questionnaire forms composed of twelve questions were distributed to the dietitians working in four tertiary level hospitals. Results: The majority (75%) of the responded dietitians had reasonable knowledge about the importance of PN, its advantages, and its indications. Sixty percent of them were mindful of the PN side effects. Most of the dietitians were aware of the different assessment measurements and PN calculations and were exposed in their clinical practice to patients who were in need of PN, but only a few of them (about 30%) had the actual chance to participate in the formulation and application of PN therapy. The unavailability of the multidisciplinary team, lack of the required equipment and financial support, and associated complications were basic obstacles to the provision of long-term PN service in Khartoum state hospitals. Conclusion: Although dietitians in Khartoum state hospitals have good information about PN definition, indications, accesses, and assessment measures, they do not have enough knowledge and clinical exposure that make them confident to provide the PN service. Establishing a few models of parenteral nutrition units in tertiary hospitals will be of great help, as well as providing the dietitian's training in the area of parenteral nutrition. Further study can explore more requirements to run this service.

Keywords: nutrition support, dietitian, Sudan, parenteral nutrition, nutrition support team

Procedia PDF Downloads 105

Authors: E. Karacabey, Ş. G. Özçelik, M. S. Turan, C. Baltacıoğlu, E. Küçüköner

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Changes in textural properties of any food material during processing is significant for further consumer’s evaluation and directly affects their decisions. Thus any food material should be considered in terms of textural properties after any process. In the present study zucchini slices were partially predried to control and reduce the product’s final oil content. A conventional oven was used for partially dehydration of zucchini slices. Following frying was carried in an industrial fryer having temperature controller. This study was based on the effect of this predrying process on textural properties of fried zucchini slices. Texture profile analysis was performed. Hardness, elasticity, chewiness, cohesiveness were studied texture parameters of fried zucchini slices. Temperature and weight loss were monitored parameters of predrying process, whereas, in frying, oil temperature and process time were controlled. Optimization of two successive processes was done by response surface methodology being one of the common used statistical process optimization tools. Models developed for each texture parameters displayed high success to predict their values as a function of studied processes’ conditions. Process optimization was performed according to target values for each property determined for directly fried zucchini slices taking the highest score from sensory evaluation. Results indicated that textural properties of predried and then fried zucchini slices could be controlled by well-established equations. This is thought to be significant for fried stuff related food industry, where controlling of sensorial properties are crucial to lead consumer’s perception and texture related ones are leaders. This project (113R015) has been supported by TUBITAK.

Keywords: optimization, response surface methodology, texture profile analysis, conventional oven, modelling

Procedia PDF Downloads 433

Authors: Hien Thi Dieu Truong, Mahmoud Al-Sarayreh, Pullanagari Reddy, Marlon M. Reis, Richard Archer

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New Zealand mānuka honey is a honeybee product derived mainly from Leptospermum scoparium nectar. The potent antibacterial activity of mānuka honey derives principally from methylglyoxal (MGO), in addition to the hydrogen peroxide and other lesser activities present in all honey. MGO is formed from dihydroxyacetone (DHA) unique to L. scoparium nectar. Mānuka honey also has an idiosyncratic phenolic profile that is useful as a chemical maker. Authentic mānuka honey is highly valuable, but almost all honey is formed from natural mixtures of nectars harvested by a hive over a time period. Once diluted by other nectars, mānuka honey irrevocably loses value. We aimed to apply hyperspectral imaging to honey frames before bulk extraction to minimise the dilution of genuine mānuka by other honey and ensure authenticity at the source. This technology is non-destructive and suitable for an industrial setting. Chemometrics using linear Partial Least Squares (PLS) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) showed limited efficacy in interpreting chemical footprints due to large non-linear relationships between predictor and predictand in a large sample set, likely due to honey quality variability across geographic regions. Therefore, an advanced modelling approach, one-dimensional convolutional neural networks (1D-CNN), was investigated for analysing hyperspectral data for extraction of biochemical information from honey. The 1D-CNN model showed superior prediction of honey quality (R² = 0.73, RMSE = 2.346, RPD= 2.56) to PLS (R² = 0.66, RMSE = 2.607, RPD= 1.91) and SVM (R² = 0.67, RMSE = 2.559, RPD=1.98). Classification of mono-floral manuka honey from multi-floral and non-manuka honey exceeded 90% accuracy for all models tried. Overall, this study reveals the potential of HSI and deep learning modelling for automating the evaluation of honey quality in frames.

Keywords: mānuka honey, quality, purity, potency, deep learning, 1D-CNN, chemometrics

Procedia PDF Downloads 139

Authors: Shu-Lien Chou, Chung-Feng Liu

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Self-health management of chronic illnesses plays an important part in chronic illness treatments. However, various kinds of health information (health education materials) which government or healthcare institutions provide for patients may not achieve the expected outcome. One of the critical reasons affecting patients’ use intention could be patients’ perceived Information overload regarding the health information. This study proposed an extended model of Theory of Planned Behavior, which integrating perceived information overload as another construct to explore patients’ use intention of the health information for self-health management. The independent variables are attitude, subject norm, perceived behavior control and perceived information overload while the dependent variable is behavior intention to use the health information. The cross-sectional study used a structured questionnaire for data collection, focusing on the chronic patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), who are the potential users of the health information, in a medical center in Taiwan. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics of the basic information distribution of the questionnaire respondents, and the Partial Least Squares (PLS) structural equation model to study the reliability and construct validity for testing our hypotheses. A total of 110 patients were enrolled in this study and 106 valid questionnaires were collected. The PLS analysis result indicates that the patients’ perceived information overload of health information contributes the most critical factor influencing the behavioral intention. Subjective norm and perceived behavioral control of TPB constructs had significant effects on patients’ intentions to use health information also, whereas the attitude construct did not. This study demonstrated a comprehensive framework, which extending perceived information overload into TPB model to predict patients’ behavioral intention of using heath information. We expect that the results of this study will provide useful insights for studying health information from the perspectives of academia, governments, and healthcare providers.

Keywords: chronic patients, health information, information overload, theory of planned behavior

Procedia PDF Downloads 436

Authors: Abderrahim Elmoataz

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More and more contemporary applications involve data in the form of functions defined on irregular and topologically complicated domains (images, meshs, points clouds, networks, etc). Such data are not organized as familiar digital signals and images sampled on regular lattices. However, they can be conveniently represented as graphs where each vertex represents measured data and each edge represents a relationship (connectivity or certain affinities or interaction) between two vertices. Processing and analyzing these types of data is a major challenge for both image and machine learning communities. Hence, it is very important to transfer to graphs and networks many of the mathematical tools which were initially developed on usual Euclidean spaces and proven to be efficient for many inverse problems and applications dealing with usual image and signal domains. Historically, the main tools for the study of graphs or networks come from combinatorial and graph theory. In recent years there has been an increasing interest in the investigation of one of the major mathematical tools for signal and image analysis, which are Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) variational methods on graphs. The normalized p-laplacian operator has been recently introduced to model a stochastic game called tug-of-war-game with noise. Part interest of this class of operators arises from the fact that it includes, as particular case, the infinity Laplacian, the mean curvature operator and the traditionnal Laplacian operators which was extensiveley used to models and to solve problems in image processing. The purpose of this paper is to introduce and to study a new class of normalized p-Laplacian on graphs. The introduction is based on the extension of p-harmonious function introduced in as discrete approximation for both infinity Laplacian and p-Laplacian equations. Finally, we propose to use these operators as a framework for solving many inverse problems in image processing.

Keywords: normalized p-laplacian, image processing, stochastic game, inverse problems

Procedia PDF Downloads 512

Authors: Nazim Mir-Nasiri, Hudyjaya Siswoyo Jo

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The paper describes conceptual design, control strategies, and partial simulation for a new fully autonomous lower limb wearable exoskeleton system for human motion enhancement that can support its weight and increase strength and endurance. Various problems still remain to be solved where the most important is the creation of a power and cost efficient system that will allow an exoskeleton to operate for extended period without batteries being frequently recharged. The designed exoskeleton is enabling to decouple the weight/mass carrying function of the system from the forward motion function which reduces the power and size of propulsion motors and thus the overall weight, cost of the system. The decoupling takes place by blocking the motion at knee joint by placing passive air cylinder across the joint. The cylinder is actuated when the knee angle has reached the minimum allowed value to bend. The value of the minimum bending angle depends on usual walk style of the subject. The mechanism of the exoskeleton features a seat to rest the subject’s body weight at the moment of blocking the knee joint motion. The mechanical structure of each leg has six degrees of freedom: four at the hip, one at the knee, and one at the ankle. Exoskeleton legs are attached to subject legs by using flexible cuffs. The operation of all actuators depends on the amount of pressure felt by the feet pressure sensors and knee angle sensor. The sensor readings depend on actual posture of the subject and can be classified in three distinct cases: subject stands on one leg, subject stands still on both legs and subject stands on both legs but transit its weight from one leg to other. This exoskeleton is power efficient because electrical motors are smaller in size and did not participate in supporting the weight like in all other existing exoskeleton designs.

Keywords: energy efficient system, exoskeleton, motion enhancement, robotics

Procedia PDF Downloads 369

Authors: Himanshu Singh, Rishi Kant, Shantanu Bhattacharya

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This paper adopts a top-down approach for mathematical modeling to predict the size reduction from micro to nano-scale through persistent etching. The process is simulated using a finite difference approach. Previously, various researchers have simulated the etching process for 1-D and 2-D substrates. It consists of two processes: 1) Convection-Diffusion in the etchant domain; 2) Chemical reaction at the surface of the particle. Since the process requires analysis along moving boundary, partial differential equations involved cannot be solved using conventional methods. In 1-D, this problem is very similar to Stefan's problem of moving ice-water boundary. A fixed grid method using finite volume method is very popular for modelling of etching on a one and two dimensional substrate. Other popular approaches include moving grid method and level set method. In this method, finite difference method was used to discretize the spherical diffusion equation. Due to symmetrical distribution of etchant, the angular terms in the equation can be neglected. Concentration is assumed to be constant at the outer boundary. At the particle boundary, the concentration of the etchant is assumed to be zero since the rate of reaction is much faster than rate of diffusion. The rate of reaction is proportional to the velocity of the moving boundary of the particle. Modelling of the above reaction was carried out using Matlab. The initial particle size was taken to be 50 microns. The density, molecular weight and diffusion coefficient of the substrate were taken as 2.1 gm/cm3, 60 and 10-5 cm2/s respectively. The etch-rate was found to decline initially and it gradually became constant at 0.02µ/s (1.2µ/min). The concentration profile was plotted along with space at different time intervals. Initially, a sudden drop is observed at the particle boundary due to high-etch rate. This change becomes more gradual with time due to declination of etch rate.

Keywords: particle size reduction, micromixer, FDM modelling, wet etching

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Authors: Fariha Akhter Chowdhury, Sabrina Mahboob, Anamika Saha, Afrin Jahan, Mohammad Nurul Islam

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Urinary tract infection (UTI) is frequently experienced by the female population where the prevalence increases with aging. Escherichia coli, one of the most common UTI causing organisms, retains glutathione defense mechanism that aids the organism to withstand the harsh physiological environment of urinary tract, host oxidative immune response and even to affect antibiotic-mediated cell death and the emergence of resistance. In this study, we aimed to investigate the glutathione reductase activity of uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) by observing the reduced glutathione (GSH) level alteration under stressful condition. Urine samples of 58 patients with UTI were collected. Upon isolation and identification, 88% of the samples presented E. coli as UTI causing organism among which randomly selected isolates (n=9), obtained from urine samples of female patients, were considered for this study. E. coli isolates were grown under normal and stressful conditions where H₂O₂ was used as the stress-inducing agent. GSH level estimation of the isolates in both conditions was carried out based on the colorimetric measurement of 5,5'-dithio-bis (2-nitrobenzoic acid) (DTNB) and GSH reaction product using microplate reader assay. The GSH level of isolated E. coli sampled from adult patients decreased under stress compared to normal condition (p = 0.011). On the other hand, GSH production increased markedly in samples that were collected from elderly subjects (p = 0.024). A significant partial correlation between age and change of GSH level was found as well (p = 0.007). This study may help to reveal ways for better understanding of E. coli pathogenesis of UTI prevalence in elderly patients.

Keywords: Escherichia coli, glutathione reductase activity, oxidative stress, reduced glutathione (GSH), urinary tract infection (UTI)

Procedia PDF Downloads 331