Search results for: flexural strength test

Authors: Marjan Moradi Fard, Hossein Rassi, Masoud Houshmand

Abstract:

Aim: Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers affecting the morbidity and mortality of Iranian women. This disease is a result of collective alterations of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. Studies have produced conflicting results concerning the role of p53 codon 72 polymorphism (G>C) and miR-146a rs2910164 polymorphism (G>C) on the risk of several cancers; therefore, a research was performed to estimate the association between the p53 codon 72 polymorphism and miR-146a rs2910164 polymorphism in breast cancer. Methods and Materials: A total of 45 archival breast cancer samples from khatam hospital and 40 healthy samples were collected. Verification of each cancer reported in a relative was sought through the pathology reports of the hospital records. Then, DNA extracted from all samples by standard methods and p53 codon 72 polymorphism genotypes and miR-146a rs2910164 polymorphism genotypes were analyzed using multiplex PCR. The tubules, mitotic activity, necrosis, polymorphism and grade of breast cancer were staged by Nottingham histological grading and immunohistochemical staining of the sections from the paraffin wax embedded tissues for the expression of ER, PR and p53 was carried out using a standard method. Finally, data analysis was performed using the 7 version of the Epi Info(TM) 2012 software and test chi-square(x2) for trend. Results: Successful DNA extraction was assessed by PCR amplification of b-actin gene (99 bp). According to the results, p53 GG genotype and miR-146a rs2910164 CC genotype was significantly associated with increased risk of breast cancer in the study population. In this study, we established that tumors of p53 GG genotype and miR-146a rs2910164 CC genotype exhibited higher mitotic activity, higher polymorphism, lower necrosis, lower tubules, higher ER- and PR-negatives and lower TP53-positives than the other genotypes. Conclusion: The present study provided preliminary evidence that a p53 GG genotype may effect breast cancer risk in the study population, interacting synergistically with miR-146a rs2910164 CC genotype. Our results demonstrate that the testing of p53 codon 72 polymorphism genotypes and miR-146a rs2910164 polymorphism genotypes in combination with clinical parameters can serve as major risk factors in the early identification of breast cancers.

Keywords: breast cancer, p53 codon 72 polymorphism, miR-146a rs2910164 polymorphism, genotypes

Procedia PDF Downloads 335

Authors: Nasrin Akter, Bilkis Banu, Farhana Faruque, Fatema Afrin, Sujana Haque Chowdhury, Sarder Mahmud Hossain

Abstract:

Objectives: To combat the growing prevalence of hypertension in Bangladesh, it is pivotal to have an in-depth understanding of quality of life (QOL) among hypertensive people. The aim of this study was to measure QOL of hypertensive people and its determinants in a selected tertiary hospital in Dhaka city. Design & Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among randomly selected 300 hypertensive patients from two cardiac departments of Square Hospitals Limited. Data were collected through the face-to-face interview method. WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire was used to assess the QOL. Mean scores of quality of life were analyzed through descriptive statistics. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and Pearson’s correlation coefficient were applied to estimate the internal consistency, and the level of agreement among different domains of WHOQOL-BREF, respectively. Chi-square test followed by binary regression analyses were used to measure the association between QOL domains and independent variables. Results: Both overall QOL and domains had a good internal consistency, (r = 0.13–0.77, p< 0.01). The QOL among hypertensive patients was found to be poor in the psychological (71%) and social (74.7%) domains and good in the environmental (63%) and physical (65%) domains. Backward binary regressions revealed that being older (p=0.01), diabetic (p=0.02), having history of COVID-19 (p=0.01), and poor monthly income (USD ≤853.14) (p=0.01) were significantly associated with poor QOL in all domain. Moreover, older age (p=0.01) and poor lifestyle (p=0.02) were significantly associated with poor overall quality of life and poor general health perception. Conclusion: The results revealed low QOL in the psychological and social domain including significant factors associated with the poor QOL in all domains. To enhance the quality of life for hypertensive patients—especially those who are older, diabetic, have lower incomes, experienced COVID-19, and maintain poor lifestyles—effective interventions and health system strengthening are crucial.

Keywords: quality of life, hypertension, WHOQOL-BREF, analytical cross-sectional study

Procedia PDF Downloads 9

Authors: Lan Luo, Jingjing Huang, Huafang Li

Abstract:

Introduction: Distressing low sexual desire is common in China, while the lack of reliable and valid instruments to evaluate symptoms of hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) impedes related research and clinical services. Aim: This study aimed to validate the reliability and validity of the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and the Female Sexual Distress Scale-Desire/Arousal/Orgasm (FSDS-DAO) in Chinese female HSDD patients. Methods: We administered FSFI and FSDS-DAO in a convenient sample of Chinese adult women. Participants were diagnosed by a psychiatrist according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR). Results: We had a valid analysis sample of 279 Chinese women, of which 107 were HSDD patients. The Cronbach's α of FSFI and FSDS-DAO were 0.947 and 0.956, respectively, and the intraclass correlation coefficients of which were 0.86 and 0.89, respectively (the interval was 13-15 days). The correlation coefficient between the Revised Adult Attachment Scale (RAAS) and FSFI (or FSDS-DAO) did not exceed 0.4; the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was 0. 83 when combined FSFI-d (the desire domain of FSFI) and FSDS-DAO to diagnose HSDD, which was significantly different from that of using these scales individually. FSFI-d of less than 2.7 (1.2-6) and FSDS-DAO of no less than 15 (0-60) (Sensitivity 65%, Specificity 83%), or FSFI-d of no more than 3.0 (1.2-6) and FSDS-DAO of no less than 14 (0-60) (Sensitivity 74%, Specificity 77%) can be used as cutoff scores in clinical research or outpatient screening. Clinical implications: FSFI (including FSFI-d) and FSDS-DAO are suitable for the screening and evaluation of Chinese female HSDD patients of childbearing age. Strengths and limitations: Strengths include a thorough validation of FSFI and FSDS-DAO and the exploration of the cutoff score combing FSFI-d and FSDS-DAO. Limitations include a small convenience sample and the requirement of being sexually active for HSDD patients. Conclusion: FSFI (including FSFI-d) and FSDS-DAO have good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, construct validity, and criterion validity in Chinese female HSDD patients of childbearing age.

Keywords: sexual desire, sexual distress, hypoactive sexual desire disorder, scale

Procedia PDF Downloads 75

Authors: Majid Gharaipour Abbasabad

Abstract:

This research is studying the effects that various densities of Zeatin, and BA hormones may have on the scale of transformation of plant nodes to new shoots, among seedlings produced by seed germination, and also surveys the amount of produced shoots and their lengths, inside the specific Olive seed lab medium (OM). It is also concerned with the effects that various densities of IBA hormone, and inoculating the shoots with Agrobacterium Rhizogenez A4 can have on shoots' root production. This is a totally random research, and each attendance group has had three occurrences, and ten samples per a hectare. The average amounts have been compared using Duncan's test method, which was done in 5% level. The results indicated that the highest rate of transformation of micro samples to shoots happened in the seed germination environments, containing Zetain with 5 mg, and also 15 mg per a liter densities. (respectively, 95% and 94%), while the highest rate of plants' stem production ,in micro samples, happened in the lab medium environments with 5mg per a liter Zetain density (4.5). In lab medium environments with 15 mg Zetain per liter, a decrease was observed in the number of produced stems (3.88). According to the produced stems' lenght, the longest stem length was observed in environments with 5 mg and also 15 mg per a liter Zetain, and 25 mg per a liter BA densities (respectively, 8.45 cm, 45.66 cm, 8.53 cm). Meanwhile, the lowest amount of transformation of micro samples to shoots, the lowest number of produced shoots, and the shortest shoots were observed in the environments without any hormones (respectively, 3.32 cm, 1.13, 19.66%). The results of root production in Olive indicated that attendance groups which were exposed to different hormones did not vary, and Agrobacterium Rhizogenez A4 had no effect on them, as well. The lowest root's growth rate (22%) happened in environments without any hormones and also, in environment with Agrobacterium Rhizogenez A4 (19.66%). The largest number of roots was observed in the environments, containing Agrobacterium Rhizogenez A4 plus IBA (10 mg/l) and Agrobacterium Rhizogenez A4 plus IBA (10 mg/l), (respectively, 8.46 and 8.70), which had a significant difference with environments merely containing 10 mg and 20 mg of IBA per a litre (respectively, 3.06 and 3.2). So it can be concluded that even though Agrobacterium Rhizogenez A4 had no impact on root's growth among shoots, it had an impact on the number of produced roots. It should be noted that even when the environment contained merely Agrobacterium Rhizogenez A4 without any hormones, only (1.16) roots were produced, which is significantly different from the attendance group with hormones (1.06).

Keywords: olive-effect of hormones-germination of seed, densities of zeatin, BA hormones, agriculture

Procedia PDF Downloads 290

Authors: Claire Baudry, Jessica Pearson, Laura-Emilie Savage, George Tarbulsy

Abstract:

Introduction: Over the last decade, researchers have implemented attachment-based interventions to promote parental interactive sensitivity and child development among vulnerable families. In the context of the present study, these interventions have been shown to be effective to enhance cognitive development when child outcome was measured shortly after the intervention. Objectives: The goal of the study was to investigate the effects of an attachment-based intervention on child cognitive development one year post-intervention. Methods: Thirty-five mother-child dyads referred by Child Protective Services in the province of Québec, Canada, were included in this study: 21 dyads who received 6 to 8 intervention sessions and 14 dyads not exposed to the intervention and matched for the following variables: duration of child protective services, reason for involvement with child protection, age, sex and family status. Child cognitive development was measured using the WPPSI-IV, 12 months after the end of the intervention when the average age of children was 54 months old. Findings: An independent-samples t-test was conducted to compare the scores obtained on the WPPSI-IV for the two groups. In general, no differences were observed between the two groups. There was a significant difference on the fluid reasoning scale between children exposed to the intervention (M = 95,13, SD = 16,67) and children not exposed (M = 81, SD = 9,90). T (23) = -2,657; p= .014 (IC :-25.13;3.12). This difference was found only for children aged between 48 and 92 months old. Other results did not show any significant difference between the two groups (Global IQ or subscales). Conclusions: This first set of analyses suggest that relatively little effects of attachment-based intervention remain on the level of cognitive functioning 12-months post-intervention. It is possible that the significant findings concerning fluid reasoning may be pertinent in that fluid reasoning is linked to the capacity to analyse, to solve problems, and remember information, which may be important for promoting school readiness. As the study is completed and as more information is gained from other assessments of cognitive and socioemotional outcome, a clearer picture of the potential moderate-term impact of attachment-based intervention will emerge.

Keywords: attachment-based intervention, child development, child protective services, cognitive development

Procedia PDF Downloads 171

Authors: Hamza A. Pantami, Khozizah Shaari, Intan S. Ismail, Chong C. Min

Abstract:

Introduction: Tilapia is the second-highest harvested freshwater fish species in Malaysia, available in almost all fish farms and markets. Unfortunately, tilapia culture in Malaysia is highly affected by Aeromonas hydrophila and Streptococcus agalactiae, which affect the production rate and consequently pose a direct negative economic impact. Reliance on drugs to control or reduce bacterial infections has been led to contamination of water bodies and development of drug resistance, as well as gave rise to toxicity issues in downstream fish products. Resorting to vaccines have helped curb the problem to a certain extent, but a more effective solution is still required. Using microalgae-based feed to enhance the fish immunity against bacterial infection offers a promising alternative. Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of Chlorella vulgaris at lower percentage incorporation in feeds for an immune boost of tilapia in a shorter time. Methods: The study was in two phases. The safety concentration studies at 500 mg/kg-1 and the administration of cultured C. vulgaris biomass via incorporation into fish feed for five different groups in three weeks. Group 1 was the control (0% incorporation), whereas group 2, 3, 4 and 5 received 0.625%, 1.25%, 2.5% and 5% incorporation respectively. The parameters evaluated were the blood profile, serum lysozyme activity (SLA), serum bactericidal activity (SBA), phagocytosis activity (PA), respiratory burst activity (RBA), and lymphoproliferation activity (LPA). The data were analyzed via ANOVA using SPSS (version 16). Further testing was done using Tukey’s test. All tests were performed at the 95% confidence interval (p < 0.05). Results: There were no toxic signs in tilapia fish at 500 mg/kg-1. Treated groups showed significantly better immune parameters compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Conclusions: C. vulgaris crude biomass in a fish meal at a lower incorporation level of 5% can increase specific and non-specific immunity in tilapia fish in a shorter time duration.

Keywords: Chlorella vulgaris, hematology profile, immune boost, lymphoproliferation

Procedia PDF Downloads 109

Authors: Dionyssia Lyra, Shoaib Ismail

Abstract:

Salinization of natural resources constitutes a significant component of the degradation force that leads to depletion of productive lands and fresh water reserves. The global extent of salt-affected soils is approximately 7% of the earth’s land surface and is expanding. The problems of excessive salt accumulation are most widespread in coastal, arid and semi-arid regions, where agricultural production is substantially hindered. The use of crops that can withstand high saline conditions is extremely interesting in such a context. Salt-loving plants or else ‘halophytes’ thrive when grown in hostile saline conditions, where traditional crops cannot survive. Salicornia bigelovii, a halophytic crop with multiple uses (vegetable, forage, biofuel), has demonstrated remarkable adaptability to harsh climatic conditions prevailing in dry areas with great potential for its expansion. Since 2011, the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) with Masdar Institute (MI) and King Abdul Aziz University of Science & Technology (KAUST) to look into the potential for growing S. bigelovii under hot and dry conditions. Through the projects undertaken, 50 different S. bigelovii genotypes were assessed under high saline conditions. The overall goal was to select the best performing S. bigelovii populations in terms of seed and biomass production for future breeding. Specific objectives included: 1) evaluation of selected S. bigelovii genotypes for various agronomic and growth parameters under field conditions, 2) seed multiplication of S. bigelovii using saline groundwater and 3) acquisition of inbred lines for further breeding. Field trials were conducted for four consecutive years at ICBA headquarters. During the first year, one Salicornia population was evaluated for seed and biomass production at different salinity levels, fertilizer treatments and planting methods. All growth parameters and biomass productivity for the salicornia population showed better performance with optimal biomass production in terms of both salinity level and fertilizer application. During the second year, 46 Salicornia populations (obtained from KAUST and Masdar Institute) were evaluated for 24 growth parameters and treated with groundwater through drip irrigation. The plant material originated from wild collections. Six populations were also assessed for their growth performance under full-strength seawater. Salicornia populations were highly variable for all characteristics under study for both irrigation treatments, indicating that there is a large pool of genetic information available for breeding. Irrigation with the highest level of salinity had a negative impact on the agronomic performance. The maximum seed yield obtained was 2 t/ha at 20 dS/m (groundwater treatment) at 25 cm x 25 cm planting distance. The best performing Salicornia populations for fresh biomass and seed yield were selected for the following season. After continuous selection, the best performing salicornia will be adopted for scaling-up options. Taking into account the results of the production field trials, salicornia expansion will be targeted in coastal areas of the Arabian Peninsula. As a crop with high biofuel and forage potential, its cultivation can improve the livelihood of local farmers.

Keywords: biosaline agriculture, genotypes selection, halophytes, Salicornia bigelovii

Procedia PDF Downloads 406

Authors: Brigita Mieziene, Arunas Emeljanovas, Vida Cesnaitiene, Ingunn Fjortoft, Lise Kjonniksen

Abstract:

Background. Health-related physical fitness refers to the favorable health status, i.e. ability to perform daily activities with vigor, as well as capacities that are associated with a low risk for development of chronic diseases and premature death. However, in school-aged children it is constantly declining, while some aspects of fitness declined as much as 50 percent during the last two decades, which prognosticates increasingly earlier onset of health problems, decreasing the quality of life of the population and financial burden for the society. Therefore, the goal of the current study was to indicate nationally representative age- and gender-specific reference values of anthropometric measures, musculoskeletal, motor and cardiorespiratory fitness in Lithuanian primary school children from 6 to 10 years. Methods. The study included 3556 students in total, from 73 randomly selected schools. Ethics approval for research by the Kaunas Regional Ethics Committee (No. BE-2-42) was obtained. Physical fitness was measured by the 9-item test battery, developed by Fjørtoft and colleagues. Height and weight were measured and body mass index calculated. Smoothed centile charts were derived using the LMS method. Results. The numerical age- and gender-specific percentile values (3rd, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th, and 97th percentile) for anthropometric measures, musculoskeletal, motor and cardiorespiratory fitness were provided. The equivalent smoothed LMS curves were performed. The study indicated 12.5 percent of overweight and 5 percent of obese children in accordance with international gender and age specific norms of body mass index. This data could be used in clinical and educational settings in order to identify the level of individual physical fitness within its different components.

Keywords: fitness, overweight, primary school children, reference values, smoothed percentile curves

Procedia PDF Downloads 161

Authors: Rupa Jeena, Pankaj Chetry, Pradeep Sarin

Abstract:

The study of fundamental particles and the forces governing them has always remained an attractive field of theoretical study to pursue. With the advancement and development of new technologies and instruments, it is possible now to perform particle physics experiments on a large scale for the validation of theoretical predictions. These experiments are generally carried out in a highly intense beam environment. This, in turn, requires the development of a detector prototype possessing properties like radiation tolerance, thermal stability, and fast timing response. Semiconductors like Silicon, Germanium, Diamond, and Gallium Nitride (GaN) have been widely used for particle detection applications. Silicon and germanium being narrow bandgap semiconductors, require pre-cooling to suppress the effect of noise by thermally generated intrinsic charge carriers. The application of diamond in large-scale experiments is rare owing to its high cost of fabrication, while GaN is one of the most extensively explored potential candidates. But we are aiming to introduce another wide bandgap semiconductor in this active area of research by considering all the requirements. We have made an attempt by utilizing the wide bandgap of rutile Titanium dioxide (TiO2) and other properties to use it for particle detection purposes. The thermal evaporation-oxidation (in PID furnace) technique is used for the deposition of the film, and the Metal Semiconductor Metal (MSM) electrical contacts are made using Titanium+Gold (Ti+Au) (20/80nm). The characterization comprising X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Ultraviolet (UV)-Visible spectroscopy, and Laser Raman Spectroscopy (LRS) has been performed on the film to get detailed information about surface morphology. On the other hand, electrical characterizations like Current Voltage (IV) measurement in dark and light and test with laser are performed to have a better understanding of the working of the detector prototype. All these preliminary tests of the detector will be presented.

Keywords: particle detector, rutile titanium dioxide, thermal evaporation, wide bandgap semiconductors

Procedia PDF Downloads 78

Authors: Victor Alves Barros Galvão, Israel Da Silveira Rego, Antonio Carlos Oliveira, Paulo Gilberto De Paula Toro

Abstract:

The Brazilian hypersonic aerospace vehicle 14-X B, VHA 14-X B, is a vehicle integrated with the hypersonic airbreathing propulsion system based on supersonic combustion (scramjet), developing in Aerothermodynamics and hypersonic Prof. Henry T. Nagamatsu Laboratory, to conduct demonstration in atmospheric flight at the speed corresponding to Mach number 7 at an altitude of 30km. In the experimental procedure the hypersonic shock tunnel T3 was used, installed in that laboratory. This device simulates the flow over a model is fixed in the test section and can also simulate different atmospheric conditions. The scramjet technology offers substantial advantages to improve aerospace vehicle performance which flies at a hypersonic speed through the Earth's atmosphere by reducing fuel consumption on board. Basically, the scramjet is an aspirated aircraft engine fully integrated that uses oblique/conic shock waves generated during hypersonic flight, to promote the deceleration and compression of atmospheric air in scramjet inlet. During the hypersonic flight, the vehicle VHA 14-X will suffer atmospheric influences, promoting changes in the vehicle's angles of attack (angle that the mean line of vehicle makes with respect to the direction of the flow). Based on this information, a study is conducted to analyze the influences of changes in the vehicle's angle of attack during the atmospheric flight. Analytical theoretical analysis, simulation computational fluid dynamics and experimental investigation are the methodologies used to design a technological demonstrator prior to the flight in the atmosphere. This paper considers analysis of the thermodynamic properties (pressure, temperature, density, sound velocity) in lower surface of the VHA 14-X B. Also, it considers air as an ideal gas and chemical equilibrium, with and without boundary layer, considering changes in the vehicle's angle of attack (positive and negative in relation to the flow) and bi-dimensional expansion wave theory at the expansion section (Theory of Prandtl-Meyer).

Keywords: angle of attack, experimental hypersonic, hypersonic airbreathing propulsion, Scramjet

Procedia PDF Downloads 407

Authors: Pranjal Srivastava, Piyali Sengupta

Abstract:

The performance of marine drilling risers is crucial in the offshore oil and gas industry to ensure safe drilling operation with minimum downtime. Experimental investigations on marine drilling risers are limited in the literature owing to the expensive and exhaustive test setup required to replicate the realistic riser model and ocean environment in the laboratory. Therefore, this study presents an analytical model of marine drilling riser for determining its fragility under ocean environmental loading. In this study, the marine drilling riser is idealized as a continuous beam having a concentric circular cross-section. Hydrodynamic loading acting on the marine drilling riser is determined by Morison’s equations. By considering the equilibrium of forces on the marine drilling riser for the connected and normal drilling conditions, the governing partial differential equations in terms of independent variables z (depth) and t (time) are derived. Subsequently, the Runge Kutta method and Finite Difference Method are employed for solving the partial differential equations arising from the analytical model. The proposed analytical approach is successfully validated with respect to the experimental results from the literature. From the dynamic analysis results of the proposed analytical approach, the critical design parameters peak displacements, upper and lower flex joint rotations and von Mises stresses of marine drilling risers are determined. An extensive parametric study is conducted to explore the effects of top tension, drilling depth, ocean current speed and platform drift on the critical design parameters of the marine drilling riser. Thereafter, incremental dynamic analysis is performed to derive the fragility functions of shallow water and deep-water marine drilling risers under ocean environmental loading. The proposed methodology can also be adopted for downtime estimation of marine drilling risers incorporating the ranges of uncertainties associated with the ocean environment, especially at deep and ultra-deepwater.

Keywords: drilling riser, marine, analytical model, fragility

Procedia PDF Downloads 144

Authors: Min-Chien Su, Tzu-Hsuan Hsu, Guan-Xuan Wu, Shyh-Ming Kuo

Abstract:

Lung cancer is one of the clinically challenging malignant diseases worldwide. For efficient therapeutics in cancer, combination therapy has developed to acquire a better outcome. PLK-1 was one of the major factors affecting cell mitosis in cancer cells, its inhibitor Bi6727 was proven effective in treating several different cancers namely oral cancer, colon cancer and lung cancer. Despite its low toxicity toward normal cells compared to traditional chemotherapy, it is still yet to be evaluated in detail. Livistona Chinensis (LC) is a Chinese herb that used as a traditional prescription to treat lung cancer. Due to the uncertainty of the efficacy of LC, we utilized a water extraction method to extract the Livistona Chinensis and then lyophilized into powder for further study. In this study we investigated the antiproliferation activities of Bi6727 and LC extracts (LCE) on A549 non-small lung cancer cells. The IC50 of Bi6727 and LCE on A549 are 60 nM and 0.8 mg/mL, respectively. The fluorescent staining images shown nucleolus damage in cells treated with Bi6727 and mitochondrial damage after treated with LCE. A549 cells treated with Bi6727 and LCE showed increased expression of Bax, Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 proteins from Western blot assay. LCE also inhibited A549 cells growth keeping cells at G2-M phase from cell cycle assay. Apoptosis assay results showed that LCE induced late apoptosis of A549 cells. JC-1 assay showed that the mitochondria damaged at the LCE concentration of 0.4 mg/mL. In our preliminary anti-proliferation test of combined LCE and Bi-6727 on A549 cells, we found a dramatically decrease in proliferation after treated with LCE first for 24-h and then Bi-6727 for extra 24-h. This was an important finding regarding synergistic anti-proliferation effect of these drugs, However, the usage, the application sequence of LCE and Bi-6727 on A549 cells and their related mechanisms still need to be evaluated. In summary, the drugs exerted anti-proliferation effect on A549 cells independently. We hopefully combine the usage of these two drugs will bring a different and potential outcome in treating lung cancer.

Keywords: anti-proliferation, A549, Livistona Chinensis fruit extracts, PLK-1 inhibitor

Procedia PDF Downloads 140

Authors: Nurcihan Kiris

Abstract:

Restricted sleep is common in young adults and adolescents. The results of a few objective studies of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance were not clarified. In particular, the effect of sleep deprivation on the cognitive functions associated with frontal lobe such as attention, executive functions, working memory is not well known. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of partial sleep deprivation experimentally in adolescents on the cognitive tasks of frontal lobe including working memory, strategic thinking, simple attention, continuous attention, executive functions, and cognitive flexibility. Subjects of the study were recruited from voluntary students of Cukurova University. Eighteen adolescents underwent four consecutive nights of monitored sleep restriction (6–6.5 hr/night) and four nights of sleep extension (10–10.5 hr/night), in counterbalanced order, and separated by a washout period. Following each sleep period, cognitive performance was assessed, at a fixed morning time, using a computerized neuropsychological battery based on frontal lobe functions task, a timed test providing both accuracy and reaction time outcome measures. Only the spatial working memory performance of cognitive tasks was found to be statistically lower in a restricted sleep condition than the extended sleep condition. On the other hand, there was no significant difference in the performance of cognitive tasks evaluating simple attention, constant attention, executive functions, and cognitive flexibility. It is thought that especially the spatial working memory and strategic thinking skills of adolescents may be susceptible to sleep deprivation. On the other hand, adolescents are predicted to be optimally successful in ideal sleep conditions, especially in the circumstances requiring for the short term storage of visual information, processing of stored information, and strategic thinking. The findings of this study may also be associated with possible negative functional effects on the processing of academic social and emotional inputs in adolescents for partial sleep deprivation. Acknowledgment: This research was supported by Cukurova University Scientific Research Projects Unit.

Keywords: attention, cognitive functions, sleep deprivation, working memory

Procedia PDF Downloads 152

Authors: Luyin Liang

Abstract:

Although sibling relationship has been viewed as one of the most important family relationships that significantly impacted on the quality of life of both adults with Intellectual Disability (AWID) and their brothers/sisters, very few research have been done to investigate this relationship in China. This study investigated Chinese siblings of AWID’s relational motivations in sibling relationship and their determining factors. Quantitative research method has been adopted and 284 samples were recruited in this study. Siblings of AWID’s two types of relational motivations, including obligatory motivations and discretionary motivations were examined. Their emotional closeness, senses of responsibility, experiences of ID stigma, and expectancy of self-reward in sibling relationship were measured by validated scales. Personal, and familial-social demographic characteristics were also investigated. Linear correlation test and standard multiple regression analysis were the major statistical methods that have been used to analyze the data. The findings of this study showed that all the measured factors, including siblings of AWID’s emotional closeness, their senses of responsibility, experiences of ID stigma, and self-reward expectations had significant relationships with their both types of motivations. However, when these factors were grouped together to measure each type of these motivations, the prediction results were varied. The order of factors that best predict siblings of AWID’s obligatory motivations was: their senses of responsibility, emotional closeness, experiences of ID stigma, and their expectancy of self-reward, whereas the order of these factors that best determine siblings of AWID’s discretionary motivations was: their self-reward expectations, experiences of ID stigma, senses of responsibility, and emotional closeness. Among different demographic characteristics, AWID’s disability condition, their siblings’ age, gender, marital status, number of children, both siblings’ living arrangements and family financial status were found to have significant impacts on siblings of AWID’s both types of motivations in sibling relationship. The results of this study could enhance social work practitioners’ understandings about the needs and challenges of siblings of AWID. Suggestions on advocacies for policy changes and services improvements for these siblings were discussed in this study.

Keywords: sibling relationship, intellectual disability, adults, China

Procedia PDF Downloads 408

Authors: Edmaritz Hernandez-Pagan, Kanjana Laosuntisuk, Alex Harris, Allison Haynes, David Buitrago, Michael Kudenov, Colleen Doherty

Abstract:

Rare Earth Elements (REEs) are critical metals for modern electronics, green technologies, and defense systems. However, due to their dispersed nature in the Earth’s crust, frequent co-occurrence with radioactive materials, and similar chemical properties, acquiring and purifying REEs is costly and environmentally damaging, restricting access to these metals. Plants could serve as resources for bioengineering REE mining systems. Although there is limited information on how REEs affect plants at a cellular and molecular level, plants with high REE tolerance and hyperaccumulation have been identified. This dissertation aims to develop a plant-based system for harvesting REEs from industrial waste material with a focus on Acid Mine Drainage (AMD), a toxic coal mining product. The objectives are 1) to develop a non-destructive, in vivo detection method for REE detection in Phytolacca plants (REE hyperaccumulator) plants utilizing fluorescence spectroscopy and with a primary focus on dysprosium, 2) to characterize the uptake of REE and Heavy Metals in Phytolacca americana and Phytolacca acinosa (REE hyperaccumulator) in AMD for potential implementation in the plant-based system, 3) to implement the REE detection method to identify REE-binding proteins and peptides for potential enhancement of uptake and selectivity for targeted REEs in the plants implemented in the plant-based system. The candidates are known REE-binding peptides or proteins, orthologs of known metal-binding proteins from REE hyperaccumulator plants, and novel proteins and peptides identified by comparative plant transcriptomics. Lanmodulin, a high-affinity REE-binding protein from methylotrophic bacteria, is used as a benchmark for the REE-protein binding fluorescence assays and expression in A. thaliana to test for changes in REE plant tolerance and uptake.

Keywords: phytomining, agromining, rare earth elements, pokeweed, phytolacca

Procedia PDF Downloads 13

Authors: Mhenga Agneta, Li Zhaomin, Zhang Chao

Abstract:

When velocity is high enough, gas can entrain fluid and carry to the surface, but as time passes by, velocity drops to a critical point where fluids will start to hold up in the tubing and cause liquid loading which prevents gas production and may lead to the death of the well. Foam injection is widely used as one of the methods to unload liquid. Since wells have different characteristics, it is not guaranteed that foam can be applied in all of them and bring successful results. This research presents a technology to optimize the efficiency of foam to unload liquid by air compression. Two methods are used to explain optimization; (i) mathematical formulas are used to solve and explain the myth of how density and critical velocity could be minimized when air is compressed into foaming agents, then the relationship between flow rates and pressure increase which would boost up the bottom hole pressure and increase the velocity to lift liquid to the surface. (ii) Experiments to test foam carryover capacity and stability as a function of time and surfactant concentration whereby three surfactants anionic sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), nonionic Triton 100 and cationic hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HDTAB) were probed. The best foaming agents were injected to lift liquid loaded in a created vertical well model of 2.5 cm diameter and 390 cm high steel tubing covered by a transparent glass casing of 5 cm diameter and 450 cm high. The results show that, after injecting foaming agents, liquid unloading was successful by 75%; however, the efficiency of foaming agents to unload liquid increased by 10% with an addition of compressed air at a ratio of 1:1. Measured values and calculated values were compared and brought about ± 3% difference which is a good number. The successful application of the technology indicates that engineers and stakeholders could bring water flooded gas wells back to production with optimized results by firstly paying attention to the type of surfactants (foaming agents) used, concentration of surfactants, flow rates of the injected surfactants then compressing air to the foaming agents at a proper ratio.

Keywords: air compression, foaming agents, gas well, liquid loading

Procedia PDF Downloads 134

Authors: A.Cifarelli, L. Boggioni, F. Bertini, L. Magon, M. Pitalieri, S. Losio

Abstract:

Nowadays, the growing environmental awareness and the dwindling of fossil resources stimulate the polyurethane (PU) industry towards renewable polymers with low carbon footprint to replace the feed stocks from petroleum sources. The main challenge in this field consists in replacing high-performance products from fossil-fuel with novel synthetic polymers derived from 'green monomers'. The bio-polyols from plant oils have attracted significant industrial interest and major attention in scientific research due to their availability and biodegradability. Triglycerides rich in unsaturated fatty acids, such as soybean oil (SBO) and linseed oil (ELO), are particularly interesting because their structures and functionalities are tunable by chemical modification in order to obtain polymeric materials with expected final properties. Unfortunately, their use is still limited for processing or performance problems because a high functionality, as well as OH number of the polyols will result in an increase in cross-linking densities of the resulting PUs. The main aim of this study is to evaluate soy and linseed-based polyols as precursors to prepare prepolymers for the production of polyurethane foams (PUFs) or waterborne-polyurethanes (WPU) used as coatings. An effective reaction route is employed for its simplicity and economic impact. Indeed, bio-polyols were synthesized by a two-step method: epoxidation of the double bonds in vegetable oils and solvent-free ring-opening reaction of the oxirane with organic acids. No organic solvents have been used. Acids with different moieties (aliphatic or aromatics) and different length of hydrocarbon backbones can be used to customize polyols with different functionalities. The ring-opening reaction requires a fine tuning of the experimental conditions (time, temperature, molar ratio of carboxylic acid and epoxy group) to control the acidity value of end-product as well as the amount of residual starting materials. Besides, a Lewis base catalyst is used to favor the ring opening reaction of internal epoxy groups of the epoxidized oil and minimize the formation of cross-linked structures in order to achieve less viscous and more processable polyols with narrower polydispersity indices (molecular weight lower than 2000 g/mol⁻¹). The functionality of optimized polyols is tuned from 2 to 4 per molecule. The obtained polyols are characterized by means of GPC, NMR (¹H, ¹³C) and FT-IR spectroscopy to evaluate molecular masses, molecular mass distributions, microstructures and linkage pathways. Several polyurethane foams have been prepared by prepolymer method blending conventional synthetic polyols with new bio-polyols from soybean and linseed oils without using organic solvents. The compatibility of such bio-polyols with commercial polyols and diisocyanates is demonstrated. The influence of the bio-polyols on the foam morphology (cellular structure, interconnectivity), density, mechanical and thermal properties has been studied. Moreover, bio-based WPUs have been synthesized by well-established processing technology. In this synthesis, a portion of commercial polyols is substituted by the new bio-polyols and the properties of the coatings on leather substrates have been evaluated to determine coating hardness, abrasion resistance, impact resistance, gloss, chemical resistance, flammability, durability, and adhesive strength.

Keywords: bio-polyols, polyurethane foams, solvent free synthesis, waterborne-polyurethanes

Procedia PDF Downloads 128

Authors: Wanderson Goncalves e Goncalves, José Alberto Silva de Sá

Abstract:

Human actions are a threat to the balance and conservation of the Amazon forest. Therefore the environmental monitoring services play an important role as the preservation and maintenance of this environment. This study classified forest types using data from a forest inventory provided by the 'Florestal e da Biodiversidade do Estado do Pará' (IDEFLOR-BIO), located between the municipalities of Santarém, Juruti and Aveiro, in the state of Pará, Brazil, covering an area approximately of 600,000 hectares, Bands 3, 4 and 5 of the TM-Landsat satellite image, and Self - Organizing Maps. The information from the satellite images was extracted using QGIS software 2.8.1 Wien and was used as a database for training the neural network. The midpoints of each sample of forest inventory have been linked to images. Later the Digital Numbers of the pixels have been extracted, composing the database that fed the training process and testing of the classifier. The neural network was trained to classify two forest types: Rain Forest of Lowland Emerging Canopy (Dbe) and Rain Forest of Lowland Emerging Canopy plus Open with palm trees (Dbe + Abp) in the Mamuru Arapiuns glebes of Pará State, and the number of examples in the training data set was 400, 200 examples for each class (Dbe and Dbe + Abp), and the size of the test data set was 100, with 50 examples for each class (Dbe and Dbe + Abp). Therefore, total mass of data consisted of 500 examples. The classifier was compiled in Orange Data Mining 2.7 Software and was evaluated in terms of the confusion matrix indicators. The results of the classifier were considered satisfactory, and being obtained values of the global accuracy equal to 89% and Kappa coefficient equal to 78% and F1 score equal to 0,88. It evaluated also the efficiency of the classifier by the ROC plot (receiver operating characteristics), obtaining results close to ideal ratings, showing it to be a very good classifier, and demonstrating the potential of this methodology to provide ecosystem services, particularly in anthropogenic areas in the Amazon.

Keywords: artificial neural network, computational intelligence, pattern recognition, unsupervised learning

Procedia PDF Downloads 359

Authors: Sogand Moshfeghi, Alireza Biglari

Abstract:

Diabetes is an endocrine disorder that is commonly treated with insulin. However, long-term usage of insulin and hypoglycemic chemical drugs can result in various side effects. Therefore, it is crucial to explore effective compounds with minimal side effects for diabetes treatment. This study aimed to compare the hypoglycemic effects of hydroalcoholic extracts derived from Silybum marianum, Camellia sinensis (green tea), and Urtica dioica plants. Male Wistar rats were allocated to 5 groups. Group 1 received normal Salin. Other groups were diabetic (induced by Streptozotocin 65 mg/kg Ip), group 2 received normal Salin (Ip, qod. 21 days). Group 3 received Silybum Marianum L, hydroalcoholic extract (100 mg/kg, ip.qod, 21 days). Group 4 received Camellia sinesis L, hydroalcoholic extract (100mg/kg,ip,qod,21 days), and group 5 received Urtica dioica L. hydroalcoholic extract (100mg/kg, ip,qod,21 days). Blood samples were collected at 14 and 21 days after the initial injection to evaluate the blood glucose levels. On the fourteenth day, the blood glucose levels for the diabetic groups were as follows: Group 2: 424.7±34.5, Group 3: 390.7±10.5, Group 4: 350.4±16.9, and Group 5: 340±20.5. On the 21st day, the respective blood glucose levels were: Group 2: 432±5.0, Group 3: 410.16±5.0, Group 4: 264.3±17.5, and Group 5: 270.7±24.5. Statistical analysis using the Tukey Anova test indicated that on the fourteenth day, both the green tea and Urtica groups exhibited significant hypoglycemic effects. Furthermore, on the 21st day, Urtica dioica extract demonstrated comparable effects to Camellia Sinensis extract, while Silybum Marianum extract did not significantly lower blood glucose levels compared to the diabetic group. In conclusion, the hydroalcoholic extracts from Camellia sinensis and Urtica dioica plants exhibited promising hypoglycemic effects in diabetic rats. These findings provide valuable insights into the potential use of natural plant extracts as alternative or complementary treatments for diabetes, warranting further investigation to harness their therapeutic benefit effectively.

Keywords: Camellia sinesis, glucose, Silybum marianum, Urtica dioica

Procedia PDF Downloads 70

Authors: Ali Razmi, Saeed Golian

Abstract:

Climate change is known to have the potential to impact adversely hydrologic patterns for variables such as rainfall, maximum and minimum temperature and sea level rise. Long-term average of these climate variables could possibly change over time due to climate change impacts. In this study, trend analysis was performed on rainfall, maximum and minimum temperature and water level data of a coastal area in Manhattan, New York City, Central Park and Battery Park stations to investigate if there is a significant change in the data mean. Partial Man-Kendall test was used for trend analysis. Frequency analysis was then performed on data using common probability distribution functions such as Generalized Extreme Value (GEV), normal, log-normal and log-Pearson. Goodness of fit tests such as Kolmogorov-Smirnov are used to determine the most appropriate distributions. In flood frequency analysis, rainfall and water level data are often separately investigated. However, in determining flood zones, simultaneous consideration of rainfall and water level in frequency analysis could have considerable effect on floodplain delineation (flood extent and depth). The present study aims to perform flood frequency analysis considering joint probability distribution for rainfall and storm surge. First, correlation between the considered variables was investigated. Joint probability distribution of extreme water level and temperature was also investigated to examine how global warming could affect sea level flooding impacts. Copula functions were fitted to data and joint probability of water level with rainfall and temperature for different recurrence intervals of 2, 5, 25, 50, 100, 200, 500, 600 and 1000 was determined and compared with the severity of individual events. Results for trend analysis showed increase in long-term average of data that could be attributed to climate change impacts. GEV distribution was found as the most appropriate function to be fitted to the extreme climate variables. The results for joint probability distribution analysis confirmed the necessity for incorporation of both rainfall and water level data in flood frequency analysis.

Keywords: climate change, climate variables, copula, joint probability

Procedia PDF Downloads 358

Authors: Pedram Saadati, Zahra Nazari

Abstract:

Today, the role and importance of financial technology businesses in Iran have increased significantly. Although, in Iran, there is no Islamic or non-Islamic personal financial planning field of study in the universities or educational centers, the profession of personal financial planning is not defined, and there is no software introduced in this regard for advisors or consumers. The largest sales network of financial services in Iran belongs to the insurance industry, and there is an untapped market for international companies in Iran that can contribute to 130 thousand representatives in the insurance industry and 28 million families by providing training and personal financial advisory software. To the best of the author's knowledge, despite the lack of previous internal studies in this field, the present study investigates the level of readiness of the salesforce of the insurance industry to accept this career and its technology. The statistical population of the research is made up of managers, insurance sales representatives, assistants and heads of sales departments of insurance companies. An 18-minute video was prepared that introduced and taught the job of Islamic personal financial planning and explained its difference from its non-Islamic model. This video was provided to the respondents. The data collection tool was a research-made questionnaire. To investigate the factors affecting technology acceptance and job change, independent T descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation were used, and Friedman's test was used to rank the effective factors. The results indicate the mental perception and very positive attitude of the insurance industry activists towards the usefulness of this job and its technology, and the studied sample confirmed the intention of training in this knowledge. Based on research results, the change in the customer's attitude towards the insurance advisor and the possibility of increasing income are considered as the reasons for accepting. However, Restrictions on using investment opportunities due to Islamic financial services laws and the uncertainty of the position of the central insurance in this regard are considered as the most important obstacles.

Keywords: fintech, insurance, personal financial planning, wealth management

Procedia PDF Downloads 48

Authors: Juland D. Salayo

Abstract:

With numerous innovations introduced in the Philippine educational system, the country’s struggle of materializing its national goal of transforming lives ends with great loss. Many agree that the failure to emerge the integral values of the program, framework and the implementers impedes realization. Employing a descriptive-correlational method, it aimed to determine the value clusters of the Grade 9 teachers as assessed by themselves and by the students, the significant difference of the assessed values and the significant difference on the values based on their profile. Respondents were composed of sixty-nine (69) teachers and three hundred forty (340) students using simple random sampling. Through a survey-questionnaire, the study revealed that the teachers have high regards on their self-reliance, honesty and trustworthiness, obedience, politeness and respect and self-discipline and spirituality. In contrast, they have ranked the following values fairly: justice and fairness, courage, responsibility and punctuality and nationalism and patriotism. Having assessed by the students, they have highly regarded their teachers’ self-reliance, responsibility and punctuality, obedience, politeness and respect and fair play and sportsmanship. On the other hand, the student-respondents made a low assessment on the level of the teachers’ justice and fairness, nationalism and patriotism, honesty and trustworthiness and excellence. Using t-test, it showed that there is a significant difference between the assessments of the respondents. Finally, among the demographic profiles, only civil status and age rejected the hypothesis. The following were recommended: provide educators value-enhancement trainings and conferences, organize value-oriented organizations and activities, and make intensive value-campaigns heightening the low-assessed values. Thus, a Revised Values Education Program (RVEP) was made to further meet the objectives of the program, address the needs of its clienteles, and responding to the demands of both education and society towards excellence in service, social and economic revolution, and constructive national goals which are based from integral values.

Keywords: values, value clusters, values education program, values education, teachers' assessed values

Procedia PDF Downloads 285

Authors: Shadia Al-Bahlani, Ruqaya Al-Rashdi, Shadia Al-Sinawi, Maya Al-Bahri

Abstract:

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive type of breast cancer, which is defined by the absence of Estrogen (ER), Progesterone (PR) and Human epidermal growth factor (Her-2) receptors. The calpain system plays an important role in many cellular processes including apoptosis, necrosis, cell signaling and proliferation. The role of clapins in pathogenesis and tumor progression has been studied in certain cancer types; however, its definite role is not yet established in breast cancer especially in the TNBC subtype. Objectives: This study aims to measure calpain-1 expression and correlate this measurement with the proliferating/apoptotic index as well with the prognostic factors in TNBC patients’ tissue. Materials and Methods: Thirty nine paraffin blocks from patients diagnosed with TNBC were used to measure the expression of calpain-1 and Ki-67 (proliferating marker) proteins using immunohistochemistry. Apoptosis was assessed morphological and biochemically using conventional Haematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) staining method and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediate dUTP nick and labeling (TUNEL) assay respectively. Data was statistically analyzed using Pearson X2 test of association. Results: Calpain-1 content was visualized in the nucleus of the TNBC cells and its expression varied from low to high among the patients tissue. Calpain expression showed no significant correlation with the proliferating/apoptotic index as well with the clinicopathological variables. Apoptotic counts quantified by H&E staining showed significant association with the apoptotic TUNEL assay, validating both approaches. Conclusion: Although calpain-1 expression showed no significant association with the clinical outcome, its variable level of expression might indicate a hidden role in breast cancer tissue. Larger number of samples and different mode of assessments are needed to fully investigate such role. Exploring the involvement of calpain-1 in cancer progression might help in considering it as a biomarker of breast cancer.

Keywords: breast cancer, calpain, apoptosis, prognosis

Procedia PDF Downloads 441

Authors: Berkan Ural, Arif Eser, Sinan Apaydin

Abstract:

Medical image processing is generally become a challenging task nowadays. Indeed, processing of brain MRI images is one of the difficult parts of this area. This study proposes a hybrid well-defined approach which is consisted from tumor detection, extraction and analyzing steps. This approach is mainly consisted from a computer aided diagnostics system for identifying and detecting the tumor formation in any region of the brain and this system is commonly used for early prediction of brain tumor using advanced image processing and probabilistic neural network methods, respectively. For this approach, generally, some advanced noise removal functions, image processing methods such as automatic segmentation and morphological operations are used to detect the brain tumor boundaries and to obtain the important feature parameters of the tumor region. All stages of the approach are done specifically with using MATLAB software. Generally, for this approach, firstly tumor is successfully detected and the tumor area is contoured with a specific colored circle by the computer aided diagnostics program. Then, the tumor is segmented and some morphological processes are achieved to increase the visibility of the tumor area. Moreover, while this process continues, the tumor area and important shape based features are also calculated. Finally, with using the probabilistic neural network method and with using some advanced classification steps, tumor area and the type of the tumor are clearly obtained. Also, the future aim of this study is to detect the severity of lesions through classes of brain tumor which is achieved through advanced multi classification and neural network stages and creating a user friendly environment using GUI in MATLAB. In the experimental part of the study, generally, 100 images are used to train the diagnostics system and 100 out of sample images are also used to test and to check the whole results. The preliminary results demonstrate the high classification accuracy for the neural network structure. Finally, according to the results, this situation also motivates us to extend this framework to detect and localize the tumors in the other organs.

Keywords: image processing algorithms, magnetic resonance imaging, neural network, pattern recognition

Procedia PDF Downloads 416

Authors: Yelda Kağnıcı, Seçil Seymenler, Bahar Baran, Erol Esen, Barışcan Öztürk, Ender Siyez, Diğdem M. Siyez

Abstract:

Infertility is the inability to reproduce after twelve months or longer unprotected sexual relationship. Although infertility is not a life threatening illness, it is considered as a serious problem for both the individual and the society. At this point, the importance of examining attitudes towards infertility is critical. Negative attitudes towards infertility may postpone individuals’ help seeking behaviors. The aim of this study is to investigate university students’ attitudes towards infertility in terms of socio-demographic variables (gender, age, taking sexual health education, existence of an infertile individual in the social network, plans about having child and behaviors about health). The sample of the study was 9693 university students attending to 21 universities in Turkey. Of the 9693 students, % 51.6 (n = 5002) were female, % 48.4 (n = 4691) were male. The data was collected by Attitudes toward Infertility Scale developed by researchers and Personal Information Form. In data analysis first frequencies were calculated, then in order to test whether there were significant differences in attitudes towards infertility scores of university students in terms of socio-demographic variables, one way ANOVA was conducted. According to the results, it was found that female students, students who had sexual health education, who have sexual relationship experience, who have an infertile individual in their social networks, who have child plans, who have high caffeine usage and who use alcohol regularly have more positive attitudes towards infertility. On the other hand, attitudes towards infidelity did not show significant differences in terms of age and cigarette usage. When the results of the study were evaluated in general, it was seen that university students’ attitudes towards infertility were negative. The attitudes of students who have high caffeine and alcohols usage were high. It can be considered that these students are aware that their social habits are risky. Female students’ positive attitudes might be explained by their gender role. The results point out that in order to decrease university students’ negative attitudes towards infertility, there is a necessity to develop preventive programs in universities.

Keywords: infertility, attitudes, sex, university students

Procedia PDF Downloads 247

Authors: R. Stoyanova, R. Dimova, M. Tarnovska, T. Boeva, R. Dimov, I. Doykov

Abstract:

Patient safety culture (PSC) is an essential component of quality of healthcare. Improving PSC is considered a priority in many developed countries. Specialized software platform for registration and evaluation of hospital patient safety culture has been developed with the support of the Medical University Plovdiv Project №11/2017. The aim of the study is to assess the status of PSC in Bulgarian hospitals and to compare it to that in USA and Croatian hospitals. Methods: The study was conducted from June 01 to July 31, 2018 using the web-based Bulgarian Version of the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture Questionnaire (B-HSOPSC). Two hundred and forty-eight medical professionals from different hospitals in Bulgaria participated in the study. To quantify the differences of positive scores distributions for each of the 42 HSOPSC items between Bulgarian, Croatian and USA samples, the x²-test was applied. The research hypothesis assumed that there are no significant differences between the Bulgarian, Croatian and US PSCs. Results: The results revealed 14 significant differences in the positive scores between the Bulgarian and Croatian PSCs and 15 between the Bulgarian and the USA PSC, respectively. Bulgarian medical professionals provided less positive responses to 12 items compared with Croatian and USA respondents. The Bulgarian respondents were more positive compared to Croatians on the feedback and communication of medical errors (Items - C1, C4, C5) as well as on the employment of locum staff (A7) and the frequency of reported mistakes (D1). Bulgarian medical professionals were more positive compared with their USA colleagues on the communication of information at shift handover and across hospital units (F5, F7). The distribution of positive scores on items: ‘Staff worries that their mistakes are kept in their personnel file’ (RA16), ‘Things ‘fall between the cracks’ when transferring patients from one unit to another’ (RF3) and ‘Shift handovers are problematic for patients in this hospital’ (RF11) were significantly higher among Bulgarian respondents compared with Croatian and US respondents. Conclusions: Significant differences of positive scores distribution were found between Bulgarian and USA PSC on one hand and between Bulgarian and Croatian on the other. The study reveals that distribution of positive responses could be explained by the cultural, organizational and healthcare system differences.

Keywords: patient safety culture, healthcare, HSOPSC, medical error

Procedia PDF Downloads 134

Authors: Vinit Srivastava, Abhay Singh Thakur, Shivam Dubey, Rahul Vaish, Bharat Singh Rajpurohit

Abstract:

This study examines the problem of students' poor comprehension of the thermal dependence of resistance by investigating this idea using an evidence-based inquiry approach. It suggests a practical exercise to improve secondary school students' comprehension of how materials' resistance to temperature changes. The suggested exercise uses an Arduino and Peltier device to test the resistance of aluminum and graphite at various temperatures. The study attempts to close the knowledge gap between the theoretical and practical facets of the subject, which students frequently find difficult to grasp. With the help of a variety of resistors made of various materials and pencils of varying grades, the Arduino experiment investigates the resistance of a metallic conductor (aluminum) and a semiconductor (graphite) at various temperatures. The purpose of the research is to clarify for students the relationship between temperature and resistance and to emphasize the importance of resistor material choice and measurement methods in obtaining precise and stable resistance values over dynamic temperature variations. The findings show that while the resistance of graphite decreases with temperature, the resistance of metallic conductors rises with temperature. The results also show that as softer lead pencils or pencils of a lower quality are used, the resistance values of the resistors drop. In addition, resistors showed greater stability at lower temperatures when their temperature coefficients of resistance (TCR) were smaller. Overall, the results of this article show that the suggested experiment is a useful and practical method for teaching students about resistance's relationship to temperature. It emphasizes how crucial it is to take into account the resistor material selection and the resistance measurement technique when designing and picking out resistors for various uses. The results of the study are anticipated to guide the creation of more efficient teaching methods to close the gap between science education's theoretical and practical components.

Keywords: electrical resistance, temperature dependence, science education, inquiry-based activity, resistor stability

Procedia PDF Downloads 75

Authors: Salman Obaidoon, Mohamed Hassan, Omer Bakather

Abstract:

As environmental regulations increase, the need for a clean and inexpensive energy is becoming necessary these days using an available raw material with high efficiency and low emissions of toxic gases. This paper presents a study on modifying a gas turbine power plant fired by diesel, which is located in Saudi Arabia in order to increase the efficiency and capacity of the station as well as decrease the rate of emissions. The studied power plant consists of 30 units with different capacities and total net power is 1470 MW. The study was conducted on unit number 25 (GT-25) which produces 72.3 MW with 29.5% efficiency. In the beginning, the unit was modeled and simulated by using WinSim Design II software. In this step, actual unit data were used in order to test the validity of the model. The net power and efficiency obtained from software were 76.4 MW and 32.2% respectively. A difference of about 6% was found in the simulated power plant compared to the actual station which means that the model is valid. After the validation of the model, the simple gas turbine power plant was converted to a combined cycle power plant (CCPP). In this case, the exhausted gas released from the gas turbine was introduced to a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG), which consists of three heat exchangers: an economizer, an evaporator and a superheater. In this proposed model, many scenarios were conducted in order to get the optimal operating conditions. The net power of CCPP was increased to 116.4 MW while the overall efficiency of the unit was reached to 49.02%, consuming the same amount of fuel for the gas turbine power plant. For the purpose of comparing the rate of emissions of carbon dioxide on each model. It was found that the rate of CO₂ emissions was decreased from 15.94 kg/s to 9.22 kg/s by using the combined cycle power model as a result of reducing of the amount of diesel from 5.08 kg/s to 2.94 kg/s needed to produce 76.5 MW. The results indicate that the rate of emissions of carbon dioxide was decreased by 42.133% in CCPP compared to the simple gas turbine power plant.

Keywords: combined cycle power plant, efficiency, heat recovery steam generator, simulation, validation, WinSim design II software

Procedia PDF Downloads 273

Authors: Jayanti Pujari

Abstract:

The present study attempts to find out the barriers faced by adult women with an Intellectual disability during their training at vocational training centres offered by rehabilitation institutes. As economic independence is the ultimate aim of rehabilitation, this study tries to focus on the barriers which restrict the adult women with intellectual disability in equipping themselves in required skill which can really empower them and help them in independent living. The objectives of the study are (1) To find out the barriers perceived by job coaches during training given to women with intellectual disability (2) To find out the barriers perceived by the parents of women with intellectual disability who are undergoing vocational training and (3) To find out the barriers perceived by the women with intellectual disabilities during the vocational training. The barriers have been operationalised in the present study from three perspectives such as behavioural barriers, competency related barriers and accessibility barriers. For the present study three groups of participants(N=60) have been selected through purposive nonprobability sampling procedure to generate the data. They are( 20) job coaches who are working at vocational centres, (20) parents of women with intellectual disabilities, (20) adult women with intellectual disabilities. The study followed a descriptive research design and data are generated through self developed questionnaire. Three sets of self-developed and face validated questionnaires were used as the tool to gather the data from the three categories of sample. The questionnaire has 30 close ended questions and the respondents have to answer on a three point scale (yes, no, need help). Both qualitative and quantitative analysis was conducted to test the hypothesis. The major findings of the study depict that the 87% of the women with intellectual disability perceived highest barriers related to competency whereas barriers related to behaviour and accessibility are perceived lowest. 92% of job coaches perceived barriers related to competencies and accessibility are highest which hinder the effectiveness of skill development of women with intellectual disability and 74% of the parents of adult women with intellectual disability also opines that the barriers related to competencies and accessibility are highest. In conclusion, it is stressed that there is need to create awareness among the stakeholders about the training and management strategies of skill training and positive behaviour support which will surely enable the adult women with intellectual disability to utilise their residual skill and acquire training to become economically independent.

Keywords: economic independence, intellectual disability, skill development, training barrier

Procedia PDF Downloads 221

Authors: Hafizah Harun, Habibah Harun, Azlina Kamaruddin

Abstract:

Virtual reality has become a powerful and promising tool in education because of their unique technological characteristics that differentiate them from the other ICT applications. Despite the numerous interpretations of its definition, virtual reality can be concisely and precisely described as the integration of computer graphics and various input and display technologies to create the illusion of immersion in a computer generated reality. Generally, there are two major types based on the level of interaction and immersive environment that are immersive and non-immersive virtual reality. In the study of the role of virtual reality in built environment education, Horne and Thompson were reported as saying that the benefits of using visualization technologies were seen as having the potential to improve and extend the learning process, increase student motivation and awareness, and add to the diversity of teaching methods. Youngblut reported that students enjoy working with virtual worlds and this experience can be highly motivating. The impact of virtual reality on youth learning in Malaysia is currently not well explored because the technology is still not widely used here. Only a handful of the universities, such as University Malaya, MMU, and Unimas are applying virtual reality strategy in some of their undergraduate programs. From the literature, it has been identified that there are several virtual reality learning strategies currently available. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the impact of Virtual Reality strategy on Youth Learning Motivation in Malaysian higher learning institutions. We will explore the relationship between virtual reality (gaming, laboratory, simulation) and youth leaning motivation. Another aspect that we will explore is the framework for virtual reality implementation at higher learning institution in Malaysia. This study will be carried out quantitatively by distributing questionnaires to respondents from sample universities. Data analysis are descriptive and multiple regression. Researcher will carry out a pilot test prior to distributing the questionnaires to 300 undergraduate students who are undergoing their courses in virtual reality environment. The respondents come from two universities, MMU CyberJaya and University Malaya. The expected outcomes from this study are the identification of which virtual reality strategy has most impact on students’ motivation in learning and a proposed framework of virtual reality implementation at higher learning.

Keywords: virtual reality, learning strategy, youth learning, motivation

Procedia PDF Downloads 388