Search results for: Adaptive step-size mechanism

Authors: Hamid Reza Shariatmadari

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The Muslims who believe in twelve Imams and believe that their twelfth Imam is now hidden, because of their kind of consideration of immune Imam as their unique canonical authority for interpretation of Islam, are subject of these important questions; how can you be democratic? And can you speak of democracy as the best model of governing? Answering this question, we can talk firstly about the nature of democracy and realize it as a way and mechanism not as a philosophy of identity and secondly we can refer to the nature and functions of Imam in Shiism and thirdly we will focus on the age of Ghaybah (Or concealment of Imam). In such a time we can or have to combine domination of Islamic Faqis (Islamic Jurists) and democracy which is known in Shiite Iran for instance as religious democracy.

Keywords: Shiism, concealment of Imam, Islamic Jurists, Democracy

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Authors: Sun-Ki Hong, Yong-Ho Cho, Ki-Seok Kim, Tae-Sam Kang

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Piezoelectric actuator is treated as RC load when it is modeled electrically. For some piezoelectric actuator applications, arbitrary voltage is required to actuate. Especially for unidirectional arbitrary voltage driving like as sine wave, some special inverter with circuit that can charge and discharge the capacitive energy can be used. In this case, the difference between power supply level and the object voltage level for RC load is varied. Because the control gain is constant, the controlled output is not uniform according to the voltage difference. In this paper, for charge and discharge circuit for unidirectional arbitrary voltage driving for piezoelectric actuator, the controller gain is controlled according to the voltage difference. With the proposed simple idea, the load voltage can have controlled smoothly although the voltage difference is varied. The appropriateness is proved from the simulation of the proposed circuit.

Keywords: analog voltage inverter, capacitive load, gain control, dc-dc converter, piezoelectric, voltage waveform

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Authors: Hao Hsi Tseng

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Taiwan’s infrastructure is gradually deteriorating, while resources for maintenance and replacement are increasingly limited, raising the urgent need for methods for maintaining existing infrastructure within constrained budgets. Infrastructure value evaluation is used to enhance the efficiency of infrastructure maintenance work, allowing administrators to quickly assess the maintenance needs and performance by observing variation in infrastructure value. This research establishes a value evaluation model for Taiwan’s highway box girder bridges. The operating mechanism and process of the model are illustrated in a practical case.

Keywords: box girder bridge, deterioration, infrastructure, maintenance, value evaluation

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Authors: Sadeq Al Yaari, Muhammad Alkhunayn, Ayah Al Yaari, Ayman Al Yaari, Montaha Al Yaari, Adham Al Yaari, Sajedah Al Yaari, Fatehi Eissa

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Developmental co-ordination disorder (DCD) (also known as dyspraxia) causes a child to speak less well than expected in social conversations. We propose that the smart speaking technology could help improve sound production mechanism at both phonetic and phonological levels, which leads to better articulation of an utterance. The participants are twelve privately beginner pupils aged between 6-12 years old and diagnosed with DCD (apraxia) divided into two groups: Experimental group (n=6) and control group (called apraxic control group) (n=6). A total of fifty typically developing and achieving (TD) pupils participated as control group 2 in both groups and were preassigned into two groups (27 pupils with the treatment group and 23 with the apraxic control group). Weekly quizzes were given to all participants each week for four continuous months and results were analyzed by psychoneurolinguists and a statistician. Although being taught by the same speech-language therapist (SLT), treatment group along with TD groups were taught a full-time speaking course with sociolinguistic themes covering both phonetic and phonological properties. The course lasted for a whole semester whereby smart speaking aids have become dominant while apraxic control group and its TD group were not. Compared with apraxic control group and its TD subgroup, results show obvious changes in speaking behavioral mechanism of the DCD experimental group and its TD subgroup. Improvement could be taken from the scores where the zero marks disappeared in the fourth week (end of the first month of treatment). Good marks (5 +/10) were seen starting from the eighth week and culminating with full marks in the week number 15 of treatment where some participants scored full mark. This study concludes to support the primacy of the smart educational technology for speaking purposes and also shows that such aids can expand the range of academic performance differential categories. Further research is required to evaluate the current demonizing of smart educational aids and weighting more reasonably the relationship specificity that speaking aids can offer to other language skills, as well as their limitations.

Keywords: smart educational technology, speaking aids, pupils with SCD, apraxia

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Authors: Hamed Saremi, Suzan Taghavy, Seyed Mohammad Hanif Sanjari, Mostafa Kahali

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One of the challenges in manufacturing and service companies to provide a product or service is recognized Brand to consumers in target markets. They provide most of their processes under the same capacity. But the constant threat of devastating internal and external resources to prevent a rise Brands and more companies are recognizing the stages are bankrupt. This paper has tried to identify and analyze effective indicators of brand equity and focuses on indicators and presents a model of intelligent create a model to prevent possible damage. In this study, the identified indicators of brand equity are based on literature study and according to expert opinions, set of indicators By techniques DEMATEL Then to used Multi-Step Adaptive Neural-Fuzzy Inference system (ANFIS) to design a multi-stage intelligent system for assessment of brand equity.

Keywords: brand, cosmetic product, ANFIS, DEMATEL

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Authors: David Sarpong, Waleed Khursheed, Ernest Danquah, Erin Murphy

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Shigella is a pathogenic bacterium responsible for shigellosis, a severe diarrheal disease that claims the lives of immunocompromised individuals worldwide. To develop therapeutics against this disease, an understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogen’s physiology is crucial. Small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs) have emerged as important regulators of bacterial physiology, including as components of toxin-antitoxin systems. In this study, we investigated the role of RyfA in S. flexneri physiology and virulence. RyfA, originally identified as an sRNA in Escherichia coli, is conserved within the Enterobacteriaceae family, including Shigella. Whereas two copies of ryfA are present in S. dysenteriae, all other Shigella species contain only one copy of the gene. Additionally, we identified a putative open reading frame within the RyfA transcript, suggesting that it may be a dual-functioning gene encoding a small protein in addition to its sRNA function. To study ryfA in vitro, we cloned the gene into an inducible plasmid and observed the effect on bacterial growth. Here, we report that RyfA production inhibits the growth of S. flexneri, and this inhibition is dependent on the contained open reading frame. In-silico analyses have revealed the presence of two divergently transcribed sRNAs, RyfB1 and RyfB2, which share nucleotide complementarity with RyfA and thus are predicted to function as anti-toxins. Our data demonstrate that RyfB2 has a stronger antitoxin effect than RyfB1. This regulatory pattern suggests a novel form of a toxin-antitoxin system in which the activity of a single toxin is inhibited to varying degrees by two sRNA antitoxins. Studies are ongoing to investigate the regulatory mechanism(s) of the antitoxin genes, as well as the downstream targets and mechanism of growth inhibition by the RyfA toxin. This study offers distinct insights into the regulatory mechanisms underlying Shigella physiology and may inform the development of new anti-Shigella therapeutics.

Keywords: sRNA, shigella, toxin-antitoxin, Type 1 toxin antitoxin

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Authors: Elena Selezneva

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Over the last two decades, an unprecedented growth in uncertainty and volatility in all aspects of the business environment has caused major global supply chain disruptions and malfunctions. The effects of one failed company in a supply chain can ripple up and down the chain, causing a number of entities or an entire supply chain to collapse. The complicating factor is that an increasingly unstable and unpredictable business environment fuels the growing complexity of global supply chain networks. That makes supply chain operations extremely unpredictable and hard to manage with the established methods and strategies. It has caused the premature demise of many companies around the globe as they could not withstand or adapt to the storm of change. Solutions to this problem are not easy to come by. There is a lack of new empirically tested theories and practically viable supply chain resilience strategies. The mainstream organizational approach to managing supply chain resilience is rooted in well-established theories developed in the 1960-1980s. However, their effectiveness is questionable in currently extremely volatile business environments. The systems thinking approach offers an alternative view of supply chain resilience. Still, it is very much in the development stage. The aim of this explorative research is to investigate supply chain management strategies that are successful in taming complexity in volatile business environments and creating resilience in supply chains. The design of this research methodology was guided by an interpretivist paradigm. A literature review informed the selection of the systems thinking approach to supply chain resilience. Therefore, an explorative single case study of Ventilator Challenge UK was selected as a case study for its extremely resilient performance of its supply chain during a period of national crisis. Ventilator Challenge UK is intensive care ventilators supply project for the NHS. It ran for 3.5 months and finished in 2020. The participants moved on with their lives, and most of them are not employed by the same organizations anymore. Therefore, the study data includes documents, historical interviews, live interviews with participants, and social media postings. The data analysis was accomplished in two stages. First, data were thematically analyzed. In the second stage, pattern matching and pattern identification were used to identify themes that formed the findings of the research. The findings from the Ventilator Challenge UK case study supply management practices demonstrated all the features of an adaptive dynamic system. They cover all the elements of supply chain and employ an entire arsenal of adaptive dynamic system strategies enabling supply chain resilience. Also, it is not a simple sum of parts and strategies. Bonding elements and connections between the components of a supply chain and its environment enabled the amplification of resilience in the form of systemic emergence. Enablers are categorized into three subsystems: supply chain central strategy, supply chain operations, and supply chain communications. Together, these subsystems and their interconnections form the resilient supply chain system framework conceptualized by the author.

Keywords: enablers of supply chain resilience, supply chain resilience strategies, systemic approach in supply chain management, resilient supply chain system framework, ventilator challenge UK

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Authors: Rattanan Tippayaphalapholgul, Yasothorn Sapsathiarn

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Composites of piezoelectric materials are widely use in practical applications such as nondestructive testing devices, smart adaptive structures and medical devices. A thorough understanding of coupled electro-elastic response and properties of piezocomposite are crucial for the development and design of piezoelectric composite materials used in advanced applications. The micromechanics analysis is employed in this paper to determine the response and engineering properties of the piezocomposite. A mechanical imperfect interface bonding between piezoelectric inclusion and polymer matrix is taken into consideration in the analysis. The micromechanics analysis is based on the Boundary Element Method (BEM) together with the periodic micro-field micromechanics theory. A selected set of numerical results is presented to investigate the influence of volume ratio and interface bonding condition on effective piezocomposite material coefficients and portray basic features of coupled electroelastic response within the domain of piezocomposite unit cell.

Keywords: effective engineering properties, electroelastic response, imperfect interface, piezocomposite

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Authors: Inês Ramalhete, Hugo Farias, Rui da Silva Pinto

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Adequate housing has been a widely discussed theme in academic circles related to low-cost housing, whereas its physical features are easy to deal with, overcrowding (related to social, cultural and economic aspects) is still ambiguous, particularly regarding the set of indicators that can accurately reflect and measure it. This paper develops research on low-cost housing models for developing countries and what is the best method to embed overcrowding as an important parameter for adaptability. A critical review of international overcrowding indicators and their application in two developing countries, Cape Verde and Angola, is presented. The several rationales and the constraints for an accurate assessment of overcrowding are considered, namely baseline data (statistics), which can induce misjudgments, as well as social and cultural factors (such as personal choices of residents). This paper proposes a way to tackle overcrowding through housing adaptability, considering factors such as physical flexibility, functional ambiguity, and incremental expansion schemes. Moreover, a case-study is presented to establish a framework for the theoretical application of the proposed approach.

Keywords: adaptive housing, low cost housing, overcrowding, housing model

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Authors: Muhammet Dursun Kaya, Hasan Asil

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In recent years, different methods have been proposed to optimize question processing in database. Although different methods have been proposed to optimize the query, but the problem which exists here is that most of these methods destroy the query execution plan after executing the query. This research attempts to solve the above problem by using a combination of methods of communicating with the database (the present questions in the programming code and using store procedures) and making query processing adaptive in database, and proposing a new approach for optimization of query processing by introducing the idea of dynamic store procedures. This research creates dynamic store procedures in the database according to the proposed algorithm. This method has been tested on applied software and results shows a significant improvement in reducing the query processing time and also reducing the workload of DBMS. Other advantages of this algorithm include: making the programming environment a single environment, eliminating the parametric limitations of the stored procedures in the database, making the stored procedures in the database dynamic, etc.

Keywords: relational database, agent, query processing, adaptable, communication with the database

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Authors: Yosra Mefteh Rekik

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A computational agent-based model of financial markets stresses interactions and dynamics among a very diverse set of traders. The growing body of research in this area relies heavily on computational tools which by-pass the restrictions of an analytical method. The main goal of this research is to understand how the stock market operates and behaves how to invest in the stock market and to study traders’ behavior within the context of the artificial stock markets populated by heterogeneous agents. All agents are characterized by adaptive learning behavior represented by the Artificial Neuron Networks. By using agent-based simulations on artificial market, we show that the existence of heterogeneous agents can explain the price dynamics in the financial market. We investigate the relation between market diversity and market efficiency. Our empirical findings demonstrate that greater market heterogeneity play key roles in market efficiency.

Keywords: agent-based modeling, artificial stock market, heterogeneous expectations, financial stylized facts, computational finance

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Authors: A. Biran, P. Sobhe Bidari, K. Raahemifar

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Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is an eye disease that leads to blindness. The earliest signs of DR are the appearance of red and yellow lesions on the retina called hemorrhages and exudates. Early diagnosis of DR prevents from blindness; hence, many automated algorithms have been proposed to extract hemorrhages and exudates. In this paper, an automated algorithm is presented to extract hemorrhages and exudates separately from retinal fundus images using different image processing techniques including Circular Hough Transform (CHT), Contrast Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization (CLAHE), Gabor filter and thresholding. Since Optic Disc is the same color as the exudates, it is first localized and detected. The presented method has been tested on fundus images from Structured Analysis of the Retina (STARE) and Digital Retinal Images for Vessel Extraction (DRIVE) databases by using MATLAB codes. The results show that this method is perfectly capable of detecting hard exudates and the highly probable soft exudates. It is also capable of detecting the hemorrhages and distinguishing them from blood vessels.

Keywords: diabetic retinopathy, fundus, CHT, exudates, hemorrhages

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Authors: Srinivasan Chandrasekaran, Manda Hari Venkata Ramachandra Rao

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Increase in the oil and gas exploration in ultra deep-water demands an adaptive structural form of the platform. Triceratops has superior motion characteristics compared to that of the Tension Leg Platform and Single Point Anchor Reservoir platforms, which is well established in the literature. Buoyant legs that support the deck are position-restrained to the sea bed using tethers with high axial pretension. Environmental forces that act on the platform induce dynamic tension variations in the tethers, causing the failure of tethers. The present study investigates the dynamic response behavior of the restraining system of the platform under the failure of a single tether of each buoyant leg in high sea states. Using the rain-flow counting algorithm and the Goodman diagram, fatigue damage caused to the tethers is estimated, and the fatigue life is predicted. Results shows that under failure conditions, the fatigue life of the remaining tethers is quite alarmingly low.

Keywords: fatigue life, pm spectrum, rain flow counting, triceratops, failure analysis

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Authors: Marianys Fernandez

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Gastronomic experiences generate a positive impact on the dynamization of the economy when they are managed in a sustainable manner, given that they value the identity of the destination, strengthen cooperation between stakeholders in the sector, contribute to the preservation of gastronomic heritage, and encourage the implementation of competitive and sustainable public policies. Having as its main aim the analysis of sustainable management of gastronomic experiences, this study analyses different elements associated with the promotion of the local economy. For this purpose, a systematic literature review was carried out to identify, select, synthesise, and evaluate the studies that respond to the research objectives in order to select more reliable articles for research and reduce the potential for bias within the review of literature. To obtain reliable, updated and relevant sources for scientific research, the Web of Science and Scopus databases were used, taking into account the following key words: (1) experiential tourism, (2) gastronomy experience, (3) sustainable destination management, (4) sustainable gastronomy, (5) sustainable economy, in which we obtained a final list of 76 articles. The analysis of the literature allowed us to identify the most pertinent elements referring to the objective of the study: (a) need for competitive policies in the gastronomic sector to promote sustainable local economic development, (b) incentive for cooperation between stakeholders in the gastronomic sector, to guarantee the competitiveness of the destination, (c) propose sustainable standards in the gastronomic tourism sector that link the local economy. Gastronomic experiences constitute a dynamic element of the local economy and promote sustainable tourism. We can highlight that sustainability is a mechanism for the preservation of regional identity in the gastronomic sector through the valuation of the attributes of gastronomy, promotion of the local economy, strengthening of strategic alliances between the stakeholders of the gastronomic sector and its relevant contribution to the competitiveness of the destination. The theoretical implications of the study are focused on suggesting planning, management, and policy criteria to promote the sustainable management of gastronomic experiences in order to promote the local economy. In the practical context, research integrates different approaches, tools, and methods to encourage the active participation of local actors in the promotion of the local economy through the sustainable management of gastronomic tourism.

Keywords: experiential tourism, gastronomy experience, sustainable destination management, sustainable economy, sustainable gastronomy

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Authors: Lu Yang, Meiyang Song, Xiang Yu, Wenhao Zhou, Chuntao Feng

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To address the problem that the FM continuous-wave radar (FMCW) extracts human vital sign signals which are susceptible to noise interference and low reconstruction accuracy, a new detection scheme for the sign signals is proposed. Firstly, an improved complete ensemble empirical modal decomposition with adaptive noise (ICEEMDAN) algorithm is applied to decompose the radar-extracted thoracic signals to obtain several intrinsic modal functions (IMF) with different spatial scales, and then the IMF components are optimized by a BP neural network improved by immune genetic algorithm (IGA). The simulation results show that this scheme can effectively separate the noise and accurately extract the respiratory and heartbeat signals and improve the reconstruction accuracy and signal-to-noise ratio of the sign signals.

Keywords: frequency modulated continuous wave radar, ICEEMDAN, BP neural network, vital signs signal

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Authors: Azar Khodabakhshi, Elham Bolandnazar

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Agriculture as the most important food manufacturing sector is not only the energy consumer, but also is known as energy supplier. Using energy is considered as a helpful parameter for analyzing and evaluating the agricultural sustainability. In this study, the pattern of energy consumption of strawberry greenhouses of Jiroft in Kerman province of Iran was surveyed. The total input energy required in the strawberries production was calculated as 113314.71 MJ /ha. Electricity with 38.34% contribution of the total energy was considered as the most energy consumer in strawberry production. In this study, Neuro Fuzzy networks was used for function modeling in the production of strawberries. Results showed that the best model for predicting the strawberries function had a correlation coefficient, root mean square error (RMSE) and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) equal to 0.9849, 0.0154 kg/ha and 0.11% respectively. Regards to these results, it can be said that Neuro Fuzzy method can be well predicted and modeled the strawberry crop function.

Keywords: crop yield, energy, neuro-fuzzy method, strawberry

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Authors: Asma Ben Hmidene, Mizuho Hanaki, Kazuma Murakami, Kazuhiro Irie, Hiroko Isoda, Hideyuki Shigemori

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Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are characterized as a peripheral metabolic disorder and a degenerative disease of the central nervous system, respectively. It is now widely recognized that T2DM and AD share many pathophysiological features including glucose metabolism, increased oxidative stress and amyloid aggregation. Amyloid beta (Aβ) is the components of the amyloid deposits in the AD brain and while the component of the amyloidogenic peptide deposit in the pancreatic islets of Langerhans is identified as human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP). These two proteins are originated from the amyloid precursor protein and have a high sequence similarity. Although the amino acid sequences of amyloidogenic proteins are diverse, they all adopt a similar structure in aggregates called cross-beta-spine. Add at that, extensive studies in the past years have found that like Aβ1-42, IAPP forms early intermediate assemblies as spherical oligomers, implicating that these oligomers possess a common folding pattern or conformation. These similarities can be used in the search for effective pharmacotherapy for DM, since potent therapeutic agents such as antioxidants with a catechol moiety, proved to inhibit Aβ aggregation, may play a key role in the inhibit the aggregation of hIAPP treatment of patients with DM. Tamarix gallica is one of the halophyte species having a powerful antioxidant system. Although it was traditionally used for the treatment of various liver metabolic disorders, there is no report about the use of this plant for the treatment or prevention of T2DM and AD. Therefore, the aim of this work is to investigate their protective effect towards T2DM and AD by isolation and identification of α-glucosidase inhibitors, with antioxidant potential, that play an important role in the glucose metabolism in diabetic patient, as well as, the polymerization of hIAPP and Aβ aggregation inhibitors. Structure-activity relationship study was conducted for both assays. And as for α-glucosidase inhibitors, their mechanism of action and their synergistic potential when applied with a very low concentration of acarbose were also suggesting that they can be used not only as α-glucosidase inhibitors but also be combined with established α-glucosidase inhibitors to reduce their adverse effect. The antioxidant potential of the purified substances was evaluated by DPPH and SOD assays. Th-T assay using 42-mer amyloid β-protein (Aβ42) for AD and hIAPP which is a 37-residue peptide secreted by the pancreatic β –cells for T2DM and Transmission electronic microscopy (TEM) were conducted to evaluate the amyloid aggragation of the actives substances. For α-glucosidase, p-NPG and glucose oxidase assays were performed for determining the inhibition potential and structure-activity relationship study. The Enzyme kinetic protocol was used to study the mechanism of action. From this research, it was concluded that polyphenols playing a role in the glucose metabolism and oxidative stress can also inhibit the amyloid aggregation, and that substances with a catechol and glucuronide moieties inhibiting amyloid-β aggregation, might be used to inhibit the aggregation of hIAPP.

Keywords: α-glucosidase inhibitors, amyloid aggregation inhibition, mechanism of action, polyphenols, structure activity relationship, synergistic potential, tamarix gallica

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Authors: Cemil Turan, Mohammad Shukri Salman

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The convergence rate of the least-mean-square (LMS) algorithm deteriorates if the input signal to the filter is correlated. In a system identification problem, this convergence rate can be improved if the signal is white and/or if the system is sparse. We recently proposed a sparse transform domain LMS-type algorithm that uses a variable step-size for a sparse system identification. The proposed algorithm provided high performance even if the input signal is highly correlated. In this work, we investigate the performance of the proposed TD-LMS algorithm for a large number of filter tap which is also a critical issue for standard LMS algorithm. Additionally, the optimum value of the most important parameter is calculated for all experiments. Moreover, the convergence analysis of the proposed algorithm is provided. The performance of the proposed algorithm has been compared to different algorithms in a sparse system identification setting of different sparsity levels and different number of filter taps. Simulations have shown that the proposed algorithm has prominent performance compared to the other algorithms.

Keywords: adaptive filtering, sparse system identification, TD-LMS algorithm, VSSLMS algorithm

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Authors: Bae Doobyong, Yoo Jaejun, Park Ilgyu, Choi Seowon, Oh Chang Kook

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Variation of slip coefficient in slip-critical connections of curved plates. This paper presents the results of analytical investigations of slip coefficients in slip-critical bolted connections of curved plates. It may depend on the contact stress distribution at interface and the flexibility of spliced plate. Non-linear FEM analyses have been made to simulate the behavior of bolted connections of curved plates with various radiuses of curvature and thicknesses.

Keywords: slip coefficient, curved plates, slip-critical bolted connection, radius of curvature

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Authors: Eduardo F. Mello, Peter H. Bauer

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The primary focus of this paper is the generation of energy-optimal speed trajectories for heterogeneous electric vehicle platoons in urban driving conditions. Optimal speed trajectories are generated for individual vehicles and for an entire platoon under the assumption that they can be executed without errors, as would be the case for self-driving vehicles. It is then shown that the optimization for the “average vehicle in the platoon” generates similar transportation energy savings to optimizing speed trajectories for each vehicle individually. The introduced approach only requires the lead vehicle to run the optimization software while the remaining vehicles are only required to have adaptive cruise control capability. The achieved energy savings are typically between 30% and 50% for stop-to-stop segments in cities. The prime motivation of urban platooning comes from the fact that urban platoons efficiently utilize the available space and the minimization of transportation energy in cities is important for many reasons, i.e., for environmental, power, and range considerations.

Keywords: electric vehicles, energy efficiency, optimization, platooning, self-driving vehicles, urban traffic

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Authors: T. R. Sharika, Ashwini Kumar, Kamal Bijlani

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Encryption is the process of converting crucial information’s unreadable to unauthorized persons. Image security is an important type of encryption that secures all type of images from cryptanalysis. A stream cipher is a fast symmetric key algorithm which is used to convert plaintext to cipher text. In this paper we are proposing an image encryption algorithm with Discrete Cosine Transform and Stream Ciphers that can improve compression of images and enhanced security. The paper also explains the use of a shuffling algorithm for enhancing securing.

Keywords: decryption, DCT, encryption, RC4 cipher, stream cipher

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Authors: Tanu Khanuja, Harikrishnan N. Unni

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Head is the most vulnerable part of human body and may cause severe life threatening injuries. As the in vivo brain response cannot be recorded during injury, computational investigation of the head model could be really helpful to understand the injury mechanism. Majority of the physical damage to living tissues are caused by relative motion within the tissue due to tensile and shearing structural failures. The present Finite Element study focuses on investigating intracranial pressure and stress/strain distributions resulting from impact loads on various sites of human head. This is performed by the development of the 3D model of a human head with major segments like cerebrum, cerebellum, brain stem, CSF (cerebrospinal fluid), and skull from patient specific MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). The semi-automatic segmentation of head is performed using AMIRA software to extract finer grooves of the brain. To maintain the accuracy high number of mesh elements are required followed by high computational time. Therefore, the mesh optimization has also been performed using tetrahedral elements. In addition, model validation with experimental literature is performed as well. Hard tissues like skull is modeled as elastic whereas soft tissues like brain is modeled with viscoelastic prony series material model. This paper intends to obtain insights into the severity of brain injury by analyzing impacts on frontal, top, back, and temporal sites of the head. Yield stress (based on von Mises stress criterion for tissues) and intracranial pressure distribution due to impact on different sites (frontal, parietal, etc.) are compared and the extent of damage to cerebral tissues is discussed in detail. This paper finds that how the back impact is more injurious to overall head than the other. The present work would be helpful to understand the injury mechanism of traumatic brain injury more effectively.

Keywords: dynamic impact analysis, finite element analysis, intracranial pressure, MRI, traumatic brain injury, von Misses stress

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Authors: C. Bel, J. Nevado, F. Ciceri, M. Ropacki, T. Hoffmann, P. Lapunzina, C. Buesa

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Background: The Phelan-McDermid syndrome (PMS) is a genetic disorder caused by the deletion of the terminal region of chromosome 22 or mutation of the SHANK3 gene. Shank3 disruption in mice leads to dysfunction of synaptic transmission, which can be restored by epigenetic regulation with both Lysine Specific Demethylase 1 (LSD1) inhibitors. PMS subjects result in a variable degree of intellectual disability, delay or absence of speech, autistic spectrum disorders symptoms, low muscle tone, motor delays and epilepsy. Vafidemstat is an LSD1 inhibitor in Phase II clinical development with a well-established and favorable safety profile, and data supporting the restoration of memory and cognition defects as well as reduction of agitation and aggression in several animal models and clinical studies. Therefore, vafidemstat has the potential to become a first-in-class precision medicine approach to treat PMS patients. Aims: The goal of this research is to perform an observational trial to psychometrically characterize individuals carrying deletions in SHANK3 and build a foundation for subsequent precision psychiatry clinical trials with vafidemstat. Methodology: This study is characterizing the clinical profile of 20 to 40 subjects, > 16-year-old, with genotypically confirmed PMS diagnosis. Subjects will complete a battery of neuropsychological scales, including the Repetitive Behavior Questionnaire (RBQ), Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Escala de Observación para el Diagnostico del Autismo (Autism Diagnostic Observational Scale) (ADOS)-2, the Battelle Developmental Inventory and the Behavior Problems Inventory (BPI). Results: By March 2021, 19 patients have been enrolled. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering of the results obtained so far identifies 3 groups of patients, characterized by different profiles of cognitive and behavioral scores. The first cluster is characterized by low Battelle age, high ADOS and low Vineland, RBQ and BPI scores. Low Vineland, RBQ and BPI scores are also detected in the second cluster, which in contrast has high Battelle age and low ADOS scores. The third cluster is somewhat in the middle for the Battelle, Vineland and ADOS scores while displaying the highest levels of aggression (high BPI) and repeated behaviors (high RBQ). In line with the observation that female patients are generally affected by milder forms of autistic symptoms, no male patients are present in the second cluster. Dividing the results by gender highlights that male patients in the third cluster are characterized by a higher frequency of aggression, whereas female patients from the same cluster display a tendency toward higher repetitive behavior. Finally, statistically significant differences in deletion sizes are detected comparing the three clusters (also after correcting for gender), and deletion size appears to be positively correlated with ADOS and negatively correlated with Vineland A and C scores. No correlation is detected between deletion size and the BPI and RBQ scores. Conclusions: Precision medicine may open a new way to understand and treat Central Nervous System disorders. Epigenetic dysregulation has been proposed to be an important mechanism in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia and autism. Vafidemstat holds exciting therapeutic potential in PMS, and this study will provide data regarding the optimal endpoints for a future clinical study to explore vafidemstat ability to treat shank3-associated psychiatric disorders.

Keywords: autism, epigenetics, LSD1, personalized medicine

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Authors: Sylvain Chardon, Timotéo Payre, Hugo Grardel, Yann Quentel, Mathieu Thomachot, Gérald Aigouy, Frank Claeyssen

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With the increasing digitalization of society, access to data has become vital and strategic for individuals and nations. In this context, the number of satellite constellation projects is growing drastically worldwide and is a next-generation challenge of the New Space industry. So far, existing satellite constellations have been using radio frequencies (RF) for satellite-to-ground communications, inter-satellite communications, and feeder link communication. However, RF has several limitations, such as limited bandwidth and low protection level. To address these limitations, space optical communication will be the new trend, addressing both very high-speed and secured encrypted communication. Fast Steering Mirrors (FSM) are key components used in optical communication as well as space imagery and for a large field of functions such as Point Ahead Mechanisms (PAM), Raster Scanning, Beam Steering Mirrors (BSM), Fine Pointing Mechanisms (FPM) and Line of Sight stabilization (LOS). The main challenges of space FSM development for optical communication are to propose both a technology and a supply chain relevant for high quantities New Space approach, which requires secured connectivity for high-speed internet, Earth planet observation and monitoring, and mobility applications. CTEC proposes a mini-FSM technology offering a stroke of +/-6 mrad and a resonant frequency of 1700 Hz, with a mass of 50 gr. This FSM mechanism is a good candidate for giant constellations and all applications on board NanoSats and CubeSats, featuring a very high level of miniaturization and optimized for New Space high quantities cost efficiency. The use of piezo actuators offers a high resonance frequency for optimal control, with almost zero power consumption in step and stay pointing, and with very high-reliability figures > 0,995 demonstrated over years of recurrent manufacturing for Optronics applications at CTEC.

Keywords: fast steering mirror, feeder link, line of sight stabilization, optical communication, pointing ahead mechanism, raster scan

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Authors: Thimma Reddy Pothireddy, Ramesh Srikonda

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India is prone to natural disasters such as Floods, droughts, cyclones, earthquakes and landslides frequently due to its geographical considerations. It has become a persistent phenomenon as observed in last ten decades. The recent survey indicates that about 60% of the landmass is prone to earthquakes of various intensities with reference to Richard scale, over 40 million hectares is prone to floods; about 8% of the total area is prone to cyclones and 68% of the area is vulnerable to drought. Climate change is likely to be perceived through the experience of extreme weather events. There is growing societal concern about climate change, given the potential impacts of associated natural hazards such as cyclones, flooding, earthquakes, landslides etc. The recent natural calamities such as Cyclone Hudhud had crossed the land at Northern cost of AP, Vishakapatanam on 12 Oct’2014 with a wind speed ranging between 175 – 200 kmph and the records show that the tidal waves were reached to the height of 14mts and above; and it alarms us to have critical focus on planning issues so as to find appropriate solutions. The existing condition is effective is in terms of institutional set up along with responsive management mechanism of disaster mitigation but considerations at settlement planning level to allow mitigation operations are not adequate. This paper deals to understand the response to climate change will possibly happen through adaptation to climate hazards and essential to work out an appropriate mechanism and disaster receptive settlement planning for responding to natural (and climate-related) calamities particularly to cyclones and floods. The statistics indicate that 40 million hectares flood prone (5% of area), and 1853 kmts of cyclone prone coastal length in India so it is essential and crucial to have appropriate physical planning considerations to improve preparedness and to operate mitigation measures effectively to minimize the loss and damage. Vijayawada capital region which is susceptible to cyclonic and floods has been studied with respect to trajectory analysis to work out risk vulnerability and to integrated disaster mitigation physical planning considerations.

Keywords: meta analysis, vulnerability index, physical planning, trajectories

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Authors: Mohamed A. Moustafa Hassan, Omnia S .S. Hussian, Hany M. Elsaved

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This paper introduces the application of Fuzzy Logic Controller (FLC) to extract the Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) from the PV panel. In addition, the proportional integral (PI) controller is used to be the strategy for battery charge control according to acceptable performance criteria. The parameters of the PI controller have been tuned via Modified Adaptive Accelerated Coefficient Particle Swarm Optimization (MAACPSO) technique. The simulation results, using MATLAB/Simulink tools, show that the FLC technique has advantages for use in the MPPT problem, as it provides a fast response under changes in environmental conditions such as radiation and temperature. In addition, the use of PI controller based on MAACPSO results in a good performance in terms of controlling battery charging with constant voltage and current to execute rapid charging.

Keywords: battery charging, fuzzy logic control, maximum power point tracking, PV system, PI controller, evolutionary technique

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Authors: Ali Taher Othman Ali

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The aim of this research is to provide a draft proposal for the professional development of mathematics teachers in accordance with the orientation of science, technology, engineering and mathematics which is known by the abbreviation STEM, as a modern and contemporary orientation in the teaching and learning of mathematics and in order to achieve the objective of the research, the researcher used the theoretical descriptive method through the induction of the literature of education and the previous studies and experiments related to the topic. The researcher concluded by providing the proposal according to five basic axes, the first axe: professional development as a system, and its requirements include: development of educational systems, and allocate sufficient budgets to support the requirements of teaching STEM, identifying mechanisms for incentives and rewards for teachers attending professional development programs based on STEM; the second: development of in-depth knowledge content and its requirements include: basic sciences content development for STEM, linking the scientific understanding of teachers with real-world issues and problems, to provide the necessary resources to expand teachers' knowledge in this area; the third: the necessary pedagogical skills of teachers in the field of STEM, and its requirements include: identification of the required training and development needs and the mechanism of determining these needs, the types of professional development programs and the mechanism of designing it, the mechanisms and places of execution, evaluation and follow-up; the fourth: professional development strategies and mechanisms in the field of STEM, and its requirements include: using a variety of strategies to enable teachers to design and transfer effective educational experiences which reflect their scientific mastery in the fields of STEM, provide learning opportunities, and developing the skills of procedural research to generate new knowledge about the STEM; the fifth: to support professional development in the area of STEM, and its requirements include: support leadership within the school, provide a clear and appropriate opportunities for professional development for teachers within the school through professional learning communities, building partnerships between the Ministry of education and the local and international community institutions. The proposal includes other factors that should be considered when implementing professional development programs for mathematics teachers in the field of STEM.

Keywords: professional development, mathematics teachers, the orientation of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)

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Authors: Irene T. Ho

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Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) studying in mainstream schools often face difficulties adjusting to school life and teachers often find it challenging to meet the needs of these students. The Hong Kong Jockey Club Autism Support Network (JC A-Connect) is an initiative launched in 2015 to enhance support for students with ASD as well as their families and schools. The School Support Programme of the Project aims at building the capacity of schools to provide quality education for these students. The present report provides a summary of the main features of the support model and the related evaluation results. The school support model was conceptualized in response to four observed needs: (1) inadequate teacher expertise in dealing with the related challenges, (2) the need to promote evidence-based practices in schools, (3) less than satisfactory home-school collaboration and whole-school participation, and (4) lack of concerted effort by different parties involved in providing support to schools. The resulting model had partnership and capacity building as two guiding tenets for the School Support Programme. There were two levels of partnership promoted in the project. At the programme support level, a platform that enables effective collaboration among major stakeholders was established, including the funding body that provides the necessary resources, the Education Bureau that helps to engage schools, university experts who provide professional leadership and research support, as well as non-governmental organization (NGO) professionals who provide services to the schools. At the programme implementation level, tripartite collaboration among teachers, parents and professionals was emphasized. This notion of partnership permeated efforts at capacity building targeting students with ASD, school personnel, parents and peers. During 2015 to 2018, school-based programmes were implemented in over 400 primary and secondary schools with the following features: (1) spiral Tier 2 (group) training for students with ASD to enhance their adaptive skills, led by professionals but with strong teacher involvement to promote transfer of knowledge and skills; (2) supplementary programmes for teachers, parents and peers to enhance their capability to support students with ASD; and (3) efforts at promoting continuing or transfer of learning, on the part of both students and teachers, to Tier 1 (classroom practice) and Tier 3 (individual training) contexts. Over 5,000 students participated in the Programme, representing about 50% of students diagnosed with ASD in mainstream public sector schools in Hong Kong. Results showed that the Programme was effective in helping students improve to various extents at three levels: achievement of specific training goals, improvement in adaptive skills in school, and change in ASD symptoms. The sense of competence of teachers and parents in dealing with ASD-related issues, measured by self-report rating scales, was also significantly enhanced. Moreover, effects on enhancing the school system to provide support for students with ASD, assessed according to indicators of inclusive education, were seen. The process and results of this Programme illustrate how obstacles to inclusive education for students with ASD could be overcome by strengthening the necessary partnerships and building the required capabilities of all parties concerned.

Keywords: autism, school support, skills training, teacher development, three-tier model

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Authors: S. Behnia, S. Fathizadeh, A. Akhshani

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In the recent decades, DNA has increasingly interested in the potential technological applications that not directly related to the coding for functional proteins that is the expressed in form of genetic information. One of the most interesting applications of DNA is related to the construction of nanostructures of high complexity, design of functional nanostructures in nanoelectronical devices, nanosensors and nanocercuits. In this field, DNA is of fundamental interest to the development of DNA-based molecular technologies, as it possesses ideal structural and molecular recognition properties for use in self-assembling nanodevices with a definite molecular architecture. Also, the robust, one-dimensional flexible structure of DNA can be used to design electronic devices, serving as a wire, transistor switch, or rectifier depending on its electronic properties. In order to understand the mechanism of the charge transport along DNA sequences, numerous studies have been carried out. In this regard, conductivity properties of DNA molecule could be investigated in a simple, but chemically specific approach that is intimately related to the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) model. In SSH model, the non-diagonal matrix element dependence on intersite displacements is considered. In this approach, the coupling between the charge and lattice deformation is along the helix. This model is a tight-binding linear nanoscale chain established to describe conductivity phenomena in doped polyethylene. It is based on the assumption of a classical harmonic interaction between sites, which is linearly coupled to a tight-binding Hamiltonian. In this work, the Hamiltonian and corresponding motion equations are nonlinear and have high sensitivity to initial conditions. Then, we have tried to move toward the nonlinear dynamics and phase space analysis. Nonlinear dynamics and chaos theory, regardless of any approximation, could open new horizons to understand the conductivity mechanism in DNA. For a detailed study, we have tried to study the current flowing in DNA and investigated the characteristic I-V diagram. As a result, It is shown that there are the (quasi-) ohmic areas in I-V diagram. On the other hand, the regions with a negative differential resistance (NDR) are detectable in diagram.

Keywords: DNA conductivity, Landauer resistance, negative dierential resistance, Chaos theory, mean Lyapunov exponent

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Authors: Mehrdad Shafiei Dizaji, Hoda Azari

Abstract:

The research explores the pioneering integration of Physics-Informed Neural Networks (PINNs) into the domain of Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) data prediction, akin to advancements in medical imaging for tracking tumor progression in the human body. This research presents a detailed development framework for a specialized PINN model proficient at interpreting and forecasting GPR data, much like how medical imaging models predict tumor behavior. By harnessing the synergy between deep learning algorithms and the physical laws governing subsurface structures—or, in medical terms, human tissues—the model effectively embeds the physics of electromagnetic wave propagation into its architecture. This ensures that predictions not only align with fundamental physical principles but also mirror the precision needed in medical diagnostics for detecting and monitoring tumors. The suggested deep learning structure comprises three components: a CNN, a spatial feature channel attention (SFCA) mechanism, and ConvLSTM, along with temporal feature frame attention (TFFA) modules. The attention mechanism computes channel attention and temporal attention weights using self-adaptation, thereby fine-tuning the visual and temporal feature responses to extract the most pertinent and significant visual and temporal features. By integrating physics directly into the neural network, our model has shown enhanced accuracy in forecasting GPR data. This improvement is vital for conducting effective assessments of bridge deck conditions and other evaluations related to civil infrastructure. The use of Physics-Informed Neural Networks (PINNs) has demonstrated the potential to transform the field of Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) by enhancing the precision of infrastructure deterioration predictions. Moreover, it offers a deeper insight into the fundamental mechanisms of deterioration, viewed through the prism of physics-based models.

Keywords: physics-informed neural networks, deep learning, ground-penetrating radar (GPR), NDE, ConvLSTM, physics, data driven

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