Search results for: important feature points

Authors: Carine Cridelich, Pablo Juesas Cano, Emmanuel Ramasso, Noureddine Zerhouni, Bernd Weiler

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Safety is one of the most important considerations when buying a new car. While active safety aims at avoiding accidents, passive safety systems such as airbags and seat belts protect the occupant in case of an accident. In addition to legal regulations, organizations like Euro NCAP provide consumers with an independent assessment of the safety performance of cars and drive the development of safety systems in automobile industry. Those ratings are mainly based on injury assessment reference values derived from physical parameters measured in dummies during a car crash test. The components and sub-systems of a safety system are designed to achieve the required restraint performance. Sled tests and other types of tests are then carried out by car makers and their suppliers to confirm the protection level of the safety system. A Knowledge Discovery in Databases (KDD) process is proposed in order to minimize the number of tests. The KDD process is based on the data emerging from sled tests according to Euro NCAP specifications. About 30 parameters of the passive safety systems from different data sources (crash data, dummy protocol) are first analysed together with experts opinions. A procedure is proposed to manage missing data and validated on real data sets. Finally, a procedure is developed to estimate a set of rough initial parameters of the passive system before testing aiming at reducing the number of tests.

Keywords: KDD process, passive safety systems, sled test, dummy injury assessment reference values, frontal impact

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Authors: Narin Charoenphun, Praopen Rattanadee, Chaiporn Phaephiromrat

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One of the most important intricacies of cooking is seasoning which is the process of adding salt, herbs, or spices to food to enhance the flavor. Sodium chloride (NaCl) was added in seasoning powder for taste-improving and shelf life of products. However, the raised blood pressure caused by eating too much NaCl may damage the arteries leading to the heart. Interestingly, NaCl replacement with other substance is essential for consumer. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of NaCl replacement with potassium chloride (KCl) on the sensory characteristics and physiochemical properties of longan seasoning powder. Five longan seasoning Powder were replaced sodium chloride with KCl at 0, 25, 50 75 and 100%. Mixture design with 2 replications was performed. Sensory characteristics on overall flavor, saltiness, sweetness, bitterness and overall liking were investigated using 12 descriptive trained panelists. Results revealed that NaCl and KCl had effects on saltiness, bitterness and overall liking. As the level of KCl substituted increased, the overall flavor and sweetness of powdered seasoning from longan were not significantly (p < 0.05). This resulted in the decrease of overall liking of the products. In addition, increasing the level of KCl substituted resulted in the drop of saltiness but out of bitterness of the products. Saltiness of powdered seasoning from longan with replacement levels of 50, 75 and 100% KCl different when compared to that of 0% KCl. Bitterness of powdered seasoning from longan with replacement levels of 50, 75 and 100% KCl different when compared to that of 0% KCl. Moreover, consumer acceptance test was conducted (n=100). In conclusion, the optimum formulation contained of 32.0% longan powder, 28.0% sugar, 15.0% NaCl, 5% KCl, 16.0% pork powder, 3.0% pepper powder, and 3.0% garlic powder that would meet acceptability scores of at least 7 or like moderately.

Keywords: longan, seasoning, NaCl, KCl

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Authors: Malgorzata Walkowiak, Magdalena Witczak, Wojciech Cichy

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Biomass is an important renewable energy source in Poland. As a biofuel, it has many advantages like renewable in noticeable time and relatively high energy potential. But disadvantages of biomass like high moisture content and hygroscopic nature causes that gaining, transport, storage and preparation for combustion become troublesome and uneconomic. Thermal modification of biomass can improve hydrophobic properties, increase its calorific value and natural resistance. This form of thermal processing is known as torrefaction. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of the pre-heat treatment of wood and plant lignocellulosic raw materials on the properties of solid biofuels. The preliminary studies included pine, beech and willow wood and other lignocellulosic raw materials: mustard, hemp, grass stems, tobacco stalks, sunflower husks, Miscanthus straw, rape straw, cereal straw, Virginia Mallow straw, rapeseed meal. Torrefaction was carried out using variable temperatures and time of the process, depending on the material used. It was specified the weight loss and the ash content and calorific value was determined. It was found that the thermal treatment of the tested lignocellulosic raw materials is able to provide solid biofuel with improved properties. In the woody materials, the increase of the lower heating value was in the range of 0,3 MJ/kg (pine and beech) to 1,1 MJ/kg (willow), in non-woody materials – from 0,5 MJ/kg (tobacco stalks, Miscanthus) to 3,5 MJ/kg (rapeseed meal). The obtained results indicate for further research needs, particularly in terms of conditions of the torrefaction process.

Keywords: biomass, lignocellulosic materials, solid biofuels, torrefaction

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Authors: Alla Tvardovskaya

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The family of a child with disabilities is an important mechanism of socialization. The relationship of mother and child with developmental difficulties is a significant predictor of the emergence, development and interiorization of various forms of mental activity. Complex impairments of the child form nonconstructive maternal attitude and destructive behavior strategies that complicate the dyadic relationship ‘mother-child’. The study of psychological characteristics of mother's personality was conducted within four years, and adaptive abilities of a child with a complex disorder were evaluated as well. 25 diads (25 mothers and 25 preschool children aged between 4-7 years with complex developmental disorders) took part in the study. Typological features of mothers rearing deafblind preschoolers are described. Constructive and non-constructive types of mothers’ attitude to a pre-school child with complex disorders are specified. The research shows that mothers of deafblind children are more depressed, they are engaged in children’s rearing more, and at the same time they experience difficulties to control negative emotions towards children or demonstrate impulsive behavior with a high level of anxiety. The correlation analysis of relationships between Vineland scales and the dominant type of mothers’ attitude to a child shows the presence of both general and specific links. Adaptive profile analysis of a child with complex disabilities allows to plan specific ways to increase their adaptation by developing a dyadic constructive relationship system. Techniques to develop constructive parental attitudes toward the child are proposed.

Keywords: adaptive behavior, complex disorder, constructive maternal attitude, deaf-blindness, pre-school child

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Authors: Ana Gabriela Diaz, Luis Fermín Córdova, Jr., Roberto Lamazares

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The island of Cuba, the largest of the Greater Antilles, is located in the tropical North Atlantic. It is annually affected by numerous weather events, which have caused severe damage to our coastal areas. In the same way that many other coastlines around the world, the beautiful beaches of the Hicacos Peninsula also suffer from erosion. This leads to a structural regression of the coastline. If measures are not taken, the hotels will be exposed to the advance of the sea, and it will be a serious problem for the economy. With the aim of studying the intensity of this type of activity, specialists of group of coastal and marine engineering from CIH, in the framework of the research conducted within the project MEGACOSTAS 2, provide their research to simulate extreme events and assess their impact in coastal areas, mainly regarding the definition of flood volumes and morphodynamic changes in sandy beaches. The main objective of this work is the evaluation of the process of Varadero beach erosion (the coastal sector has an important impact in the country's economy) on the Hicacos Peninsula for different paths of hurricanes. The mathematical model XBeach, which was integrated into the Coastal engineering system introduced by the project of MEGACOSTA 2 to determine the area and the more critical profiles for the path of hurricanes under study, was applied. The results of this project have shown that Center area is the greatest dynamic area in the simulation of the three paths of hurricanes under study, showing high erosion volumes and the greatest average length of regression of the coastline, from 15- 22 m.

Keywords: beach, erosion, mathematical model, coastal areas

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Authors: Li Xu, Huanbao Jiang, Zhenfei Huang, Lailai Zhang

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In recent years, as global warming, the sea-ice extent of North Arctic undergoes an evident decrease and Arctic channel has attracted the attention of shipping industry. Ice crystals existing in the seawater of Arctic channel which enter the seawater system of the ship with the seawater were found blocking the seawater pipe. The appearance of cooler paralysis, auxiliary machine error and even ship power system paralysis may be happened if seriously. In order to reduce the effect of high temperature in auxiliary equipment, seawater system will use external ice-water to participate in the cooling cycle and achieve the state of its flow. The distribution of ice crystals in seawater pipe can be achieved. As the ice slurry system is solid liquid two-phase system, the flow process of ice-water mixture is very complex and diverse. In this paper, the flow process in seawater pipe of ice slurry is simulated with fluid dynamics simulation software based on k-ε turbulence model. As the ice packing fraction is a key factor effecting the distribution of ice crystals, the influence of ice packing fraction on the flowing process of ice slurry is analyzed. In this work, the simulation results show that as the ice packing fraction is relatively large, the distribution of ice crystals is uneven in the flowing process of the seawater which has such disadvantage as increase the possibility of blocking, that will provide scientific forecasting methods for the forming of ice block in seawater piping system. It has important significance for the reliability of the operating of polar ships in the future.

Keywords: ice slurry, seawater pipe, ice packing fraction, numerical simulation

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Authors: Nataša Stojić, Mira Pucarević, Nebojša Ralević, Vojislava Bursić, Gordan Stojić

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Surface soil (0 – 10 cm) samples from 52 sampling sites along the length of railway tracks on the territory of Srem (the western part of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, itself part of Serbia) were collected and analyzed for 7 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in order to see how the distance from the railroad on the one hand and dump on the other hand, affect the concentration of PCBs (CPCBs) in the soil. Samples were taken at a distance of 0.03 to 4.19 km from the railway and 0.43 to 3.35 km from the landfills. For the soil extraction the Soxhlet extraction (USEPA 3540S) was used. The extracts were purified on a silica-gel column (USEPA 3630C). The analysis of the extracts was performed by gas chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. PCBs were not detected only at two locations. Mean total concentration of PCBs for all other sampling locations was 0,0043 ppm dry weight (dw) with a range of 0,0005 to 0,0227 ppm dw. On the part of the data that were interesting for this research with statistical methods (PCA) were isolated factors that affect the concentration of PCBs. Data were also analyzed using the Pearson's chi-squared test which showed that the hypothesis of independence of CPCBs and distance from the railway can be rejected. Hypothesis of independence between CPCB and the percentage of humus in the soil can also be rejected, in contrast to dependence of CPCB and the distance from the landfill where the hypothesis of independence cannot be rejected. Based on these results can be said that railway transport is a potential source of PCBs. The next step in this research is to establish the position of transformers which are located near sampling sites as another important factor that affects the concentration of PCBs in the soil.

Keywords: GC/MS, landfill, PCB, railway, soil

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Authors: Husham Bayazed

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Immune responses following surgical trauma play a pivotal role in predicting postoperative outcomes from healing and recovery to postoperative complications. Postoperative complications, including infections and protracted recovery, occur in a significant number of about 300 million surgeries performed annually worldwide. Complications cause personal suffering along with a significant economic burden on the healthcare system in any community. The accurate prediction of postoperative complications and patient-targeted interventions for their prevention remain major clinical provocations. Recent Findings: Recent studies are focusing on immune dysregulation mechanisms that occur in response to surgical trauma as a key determinant of postoperative complications. Antecedent studies mainly were plunging into the detection of inflammatory plasma markers, which facilitate in providing important clues regarding their pathogenesis. However, recent Single-cell technologies, such as mass cytometry or single-cell RNA sequencing, have markedly enhanced our ability to understand the immunological basis of postoperative immunological trauma complications and to identify their prognostic biological signatures. Summary: The advent of proteomic technologies has significantly advanced our ability to predict the risk of postoperative complications. Multiomic modeling of patients' immune states holds promise for the discovery of preoperative predictive biomarkers and providing patients and surgeons with information to improve surgical outcomes. However, more studies are required to accurately predict the risk of postoperative complications in individual patients.

Keywords: immune dysregulation, postoperative complications, surgical trauma, flow cytometry

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Authors: Man Kumar Tamang, Uday Narayan Yadav

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Background and objectives: Every country in the world is facing a demographic challenge due to drastic growth of population over 60 years. Adequate diet and nutritional status are important determinants of health in elderly populations. This study aimed to assess the nutritional status among the elderly population and factors associated with malnutrition at the community setting in rural Nepal. Methods: This is a community-based cross-sectional study among elderly of age 60 years or above in the three randomly selected VDCs of Morang district in eastern Nepal, between August and November, 2016. A multi stage cluster sampling was adopted with sample size of 345 of which 339 participated in the study. Nutritional status was assessed by MNA tool and associated socio-economic, demographic, psychological and nutritional factors were checked by binary logistic regression analysis. Results: Among 339 participants, 24.8% were found to be within normal nutritional status, 49.6% were at risk of malnutrition and 24.8% were malnourished. Independent factors associated with malnutrition status among the elderly people after controlling the cofounders in the bivariate analysis were: elderly who were malnourished were those who belonged to backward caste according to traditional Hindu caste system [OR=2.69, 95% CI: 1.17-6.21), being unemployed (OR=3.23, 95% CI: 1.63-6.41),who experienced any mistreatment from caregivers (OR=4.05, 95% CI: 1.90-8.60), being not involved in physical activity (OR=4.67, 95% CI: 1.87-11.66) and those taking medication for any co-morbidities. Conclusion: Many socio-economic, psychological and physiological factors affect nutritional status in our sample population and these issues need to be addressed for bringing improvement in elderly nutrition and health status.

Keywords: elderly, eastern Nepal, malnutrition, nutritional status

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Authors: Zahra Heydari

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Introduction: One of the major clinical issues is acute renal failure, which is caused by ischemia-reperfusion of the kidney and is associated with high mortality. Despite advances in this area, important issues such as tissue necrosis, cell apoptosis, and so on in damaged tissue are suggestive for more researches and study on this subject. Objective: Evaluation of the potential utility of Ezetimibe in reducing injuries and cell death induced by kidney ischemia/ reperfusion through inducing expression changes of different cellular pathways in adult Sprague-Dawley rats. Materials and methods: Forty rats weighing 180-200g were divided into 4 groups. For this purpose, the first right kidneys of the rats were removed during surgery. After 20 days, the left renal artery was closed with a soft clamp and reperfusion was performed. After 24 hours, blood samples were collected and sent to the laboratory with kidneys to measure bax and bcl-2 by Western blotting and histopathological tests. Results: Quantitative damage reviews of Kidney tissue indicates damage Acute and severe tubular lesions were observed in the ischemia group. Also, the amount of injury was significantly reduced in the treatment group. There was also a significant difference between the ischemia and sham groups. In general, the results show that a single dose of 1.2 mg/kg of ezetimibe can reduce the bax/ bcl-2 ratio compared to the ischemia group. In general, the results showed Ezetimibe is effective in reducing cell damage and death due to ischemia/ reperfusion after renal ischemia through changes in the expression of various cellular pathways in rats.

Keywords: acute renal failure, renal ischemia-reperfusion injury, ezetimibe, apoptosis

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Authors: Nataly De La Pava, Christian S. A. Silva-Torres, Arodí P. Favaris, José Maurício S. Bento

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The lady beetles Tenuisvalve notata and Cryptolaemus montrouzieri are important predators of mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae). Similar to the prey, these lady beetles produce wax filaments that cover their body during the larval stage. It has been hypothesized that lady beetle body wax chemical profiles are similar to their prey as i) a mechanism of camouflage and ii) conveying protection to the lady beetle larvae against aphid-tending predatory ants. In this study, we tested those hypotheses for the predators T. notata and C. montrouzieri and two mealybug prey species, Ferissia dasyrilii, and Planococcus citri. Next, we evaluated the influence of feeding on cuticular chemistry during predator development and identified possible metabolic costs associated with wax production. Cuticular wax samples were analyzed by GC-MS and GC-FID. Also, the metabolic cost linked to wax production was evaluated in the 4th instar larvae of the two predators when subjected to body wax removal from 0 to 4 times. Results showed that predator body wax profiles are not similar to the chemical profile of prey body wax. There was a metabolic cost associated with wax removal; predators (male and female) showed a significant reduction in adult body weight when the wax was removed. This suggests the reallocation of energy to wax replacement instead of growth. In addition, it was detected effects of wax removal on fecundity and egg viability. The results do not support the hypothesis that predators mimic the cuticular wax composition of prey as a means of camouflage.

Keywords: biological control, body wax, coccinellids, cuticular hydrocarbons, metabolism cost, reproduction

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Authors: Osama K. Abou-Zied, Saba A. Sulaiman

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We studied the spectroscopy of 25-nm diameter gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), coated with human serum albumin (HSA) as a model drug carrier. The morphology and coating of the AuNPs were examined using transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering. Resonance energy transfer from the sole tryptophan of HSA (Trp214) to the AuNPs was observed in which the fluorescence quenching of Trp214 is dominated by a static mechanism. Using fluorescein (FL) to probe the warfarin drug-binding site in HSA revealed the unchanged nature of the binding cavity on the surface of the AuNPs, indicating the stability of the protein structure on the metal surface. The transient absorption results of the surface plasmonic resonance (SPR) band of the AuNPs show three ultrafast dynamics that are involved in the relaxation process after excitation at 460 nm. The three decay components were assigned to the electron-electron (~ 400 fs), electron-phonon (~ 2.0 ps) and phonon-phonon (200–250 ps) interactions. These dynamics were not changed upon coating the AuNPs with HSA which indicates the chemical and physical stability of the AuNPs upon bioconjugation. Binding of FL in HSA did not have any measurable effect on the bleach recovery dynamics of the SPR band, although both FL and AuNPs were excited at 460 nm. The current study is important for a better understanding of the physical and dynamical properties of protein-coated metal nanoparticles which are expected to help in optimizing their properties for critical applications in nanomedicine.

Keywords: gold nanoparticles, human serum albumin, fluorescein, femtosecond transient absorption

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Authors: S. Jonsson, D. Millard, C. Bokhove

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Smartphones are ubiquitous and frequently used as learning tools, which makes the design of educational apps an important area of research. A key issue is designing apps to encourage engagement while maintaining a focus on the educational aspects of the app. Flow experience is a promising method for addressing this issue, which refers to a mental state of cognitive absorption and positive emotion. Flow experience has been shown to be associated with positive emotion and increased learning performance. Studies have shown that immediate feedback is an antecedent to Flow. This experiment investigates the effect of immediate feedback on Flow experience. An app teaching Spanish phrases was developed, and 30 participants completed both a 10min session with immediate feedback and a 10min session with delayed feedback. The app contained a task where the user assembles Spanish phrases by pressing bricks with Spanish words. Immediate feedback was implemented by incorrect bricks recoiling, while correct brick moved to form part of the finished phrase. In the delayed feedback condition, the user did not know if the bricks they pressed were correct until the phrase was complete. The level of Flow experienced by the participants was measured after each session using the Flow Short Scale. The results showed that higher levels of Flow were experienced in the immediate feedback session. It was also found that 14 of the participants indicated that the demands of the task were ‘just right’ in the immediate feedback session, while only one did in the delayed feedback session. These results have implications for how to design educational technology and opens up questions for how Flow experience can be used to increase performance and engagement.

Keywords: feedback timing, flow experience, L2 language learning, mobile learning

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Authors: Salah Hadjout, Mohamed Zouidi

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In Algeria, several works carried out in recent years have shown the importance of fusarium head blight in durum wheat. Indeed, this disease is caused by a complex of Fusarium genus pathogens. The research carried out reports that F. culmorum is the main species infecting cereals. These informations motivated our interest in the field evaluation of the behavior of some durum wheat genotypes (parental varieties and lines) with regard to fusarium head blight, mainly caused by four F. culmorum isolates. Our research work focused on following the evolution of symptom development throughout the grain filling, after artificial inoculation of ears by Fusarium isolates in order to establish a first image on the differences in genotype behavior to fusarium haed blight. Field disease assessment criteria are: disease assessment using a grading scale, thousand grain weight measurement and AUDPC. The results obtained revealed that the varieties and lines resulting from crosses had a quite different level of sensitivity to F. culmorum species and no genotype showed complete resistance in our culture conditions. Among the material tested, some lines showed higher resistance than their parents. The results also show a slight behavioral variability also linked to the aggressiveness of the Fusarium species studied in this work. Our results open very important research perspectives on fusarium head blight, in particular the search for toxins produced by Fusarium species.

Keywords: fusarium head blight, durum wheat, Fusarium culmorum, field disease assessment criteria, Algeria

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Authors: Z. Kassab, A. Aboulkas, A. Barakat, M. El Achaby

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The red algae are available enormously around the world and their exploitation for the production of agar product has become as an important industry in recent years. However, this industrial processing of red algae generated a large quantity of solid fibrous wastes, which constitute a source of a serious environmental problem. For this reason, the exploitation of this solid waste would help to i) produce new value-added materials and ii) to improve waste disposal from environment. In fact, this solid waste can be fully utilized for the production of cellulose microfibers and nanocrystals because it consists of large amount of cellulose component. For this purpose, the red algae waste was chemically treated via alkali, bleaching and acid hydrolysis treatments with controlled conditions, in order to obtain pure cellulose microfibers and cellulose nanocrystals. The raw product and the as-extracted cellulosic materials were successively characterized using serval analysis techniques, including elemental analysis, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, infrared spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. As an application, the as extracted cellulose nanocrystals were used as nanofillers for the production of polymer-based composite films with improved thermal and tensile properties. In these composite materials, the adhesion properties and the large number of functional groups that are presented in the CNC’s surface and the macromolecular chains of the polymer matrix are exploited to improve the interfacial interactions between the both phases, improving the final properties. Consequently, the high performances of these composite materials can be expected to have potential in packaging material applications.

Keywords: cellulose nanowhiskers, food packaging, polymer composites, red algae waste

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Authors: Nayera E. Hassan, Sahar A. El-Masry, Rokia A. El Banna, Mones M. Abu Shady, Muhammad Al-Tohamy, Manal Mouhamed Ali, Mehrevan M. Abd El-Moniem, Mona Anwar

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Association between vitamin D, adiponectin and obesity is a matter of debate, as they play important role in linking obesity with different cardiometabolic risk factors. Objectives: Evaluation of the association between metabolic risk factors with both adiponectin and vitamin D levels and that between adiponectin and vitamin D among obese Egyptian children. Subjects and Methods: This case-control cross-sectional study consisted of 65 obese and 30 healthy children, aged 8-11 years. 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH) D) level, serum adiponectin, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) were measured. Results: The mean 25(OH) D levels in the obese and control groups were 29.9± 10.3 and 39.7 ± 12.7 ng/mL respectively (P < 0.001). The mean 25(OH) D and adiponectin levels in the obese were lower than that in the control group (P < 0.0001). 25(OH) D were inversely correlated with body mass index (BMI), triglyceride, total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C), while adiponectin level were inversely correlated with systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and positively correlated with HDL-C. However, there is no relation between 25(OH) D and adiponectin levels among obese children and total sample. Conclusion: In spite of strong association between vitamin D and adiponectin levels with metabolic risk factors and obesity, there is no relation between 25(OH) D and adiponectin levels. In obese children, there are significant negative correlations between 25(OH) D with lipid profile, and between adiponectin levels with blood pressure. At certain adiponectin level, the relation between it and BMI disappears.

Keywords: 25-hydroxy vitamin D, adiponectin, lipid profile, blood pressure, children

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Authors: Olusola Olalekan Elekofehinti, Isaac Gbadura Adanlawo, Joao Batista Teixeira Rocha

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We evaluated the potential neuroprotective effect of Phyllantus nuriri against Fe2+ and SNP induced oxidative stress in mitochondria of rats brain. Cellular viability was assessed by MTT reduction, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation was measured using the probe 2,7-dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA). Glutathione content was measured using dithionitrobenzoic acid (DTNB). Fe2+ (10µM) and SNP (5µM) significantly decreased mitochondrial activity, assessed by MTT reduction assay, in a dose-dependent manner, this occurred in parallel with increased glutathione oxidation, ROS production and lipid peroxidation end-products (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, TBARS). The co-incubation with methanolic extract of Phyllantus nuriri (10-100 µg/ml) reduced the disruption of mitochondrial activity, gluthathione oxidation, ROS production as well as the increase in TBARS levels caused by both Fe2+ and SNP in a dose dependent manner. HPLC analysis of the extract revealed the presence of gallic acid (20.54±0.01), caffeic acid (7.93±0.02), rutin (25.31±0.05), quercetin (31.28±0.03) and kaemferol (14.36±0.01). This result suggests that these phytochemicals account for the protective actions of Phyllantus nuriri against Fe2+ and SNP -induced oxidative stress. Our results show that Phyllantus nuriri consist important bioactive molecules in the search for an improved therapy against the deleterious effects of Fe2+, an intrinsic producer of reactive oxygen species (ROS), that leads to neuronal oxidative stress and neurodegeneration.

Keywords: Phyllantus niruri, neuroprotection, oxidative stress, mitochondria, synaptosome

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Authors: Sakapas Saengchai, Pichamon Chansuchai

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Research Thai- Myanmar Border Trade Promotion Policy, Mae Sai District, Chiang Rai Province The objectives of this study were to study the policy of promoting Thai- Myanmar border trade in Mae Sai district, Chiang Rai province. And suitable models for the development of border trade in Mae Sai. Chiang Rai province This research uses qualitative methodology. The method of collecting data from research papers. Participatory Observation In-depth interviews in which the information is important, the governor of Chiang Rai. Chiang Rai Customs Service Executive Office of Mae Sai Immigration Bureau Maesai Chamber of Commerce and Private Entrepreneurs By specific sampling Data analysis uses content analysis. The study indicated that Border Trade Promotion Policy The direction taken by the government to focus on developing 1. Security is further reducing crime. Smuggling and human trafficking Including the preparation to protect people from terrorism and natural disasters. And cooperation with Burma on border security. 2. The development of wealth is the promotion of investment. The transport links, logistics value chain. Products and services across the Thai-Myanmar border. Improve the regulations and laws to promote fair trade. Convenient and fast 3. Sustainable development is the ability to generate income, quality of life of people in the Thai border to increase continuously. By using balanced natural resources, production and consumption are environmentally friendly. Which featured the participation of all sectors of the public and private sectors in the region to drive the development of the border with Thailand. Chiang Rai province To be more competitive .

Keywords: Border, Trade, Policy, Promote

Procedia PDF Downloads 157

Authors: Anton Andreev

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With the collapse of the Soviet Union and the collapse of a large part of the socialist regimes, left-wing parties all over the world entered the space of crisis, of problems with ideology, identity, with the definition of its goals and objectives. First of all, we can say that the communist parties actually lost their foundation. In 1992, despite the victory of left-wing forces, a Broad Front in which was the winner in the struggle against dictatorship plunged into a deep crisis, the nature of which is looking for a new platform, a new foundation, new goals. Thus, in the late 20th century, the party has revised theoretical beliefs and positions. Radical communist ideology was moderated to social reformism. Modern leftist movement in Uruguay is a movement of moderate reform. Left forces suggest going through successive changes. Changes in ideology and ideas have influenced to the understanding of foreign policy. After the collapse of the Soviet Union Broad Front has changed the direction of its diplomacy from the orientation to the Soviet state to support the USA policy. Government formed by Broad Front, supported the integration processes in the South America. Uruguay was developing the cooperation in the framework of MERCOSUR and began to create relationship with the new centers of power in world political space. Uruguay in the early 21st century is a country that starts to play important role in the international arena. Elections of 26 October 2014 should answer the question of support of internal policy of a Broad Front, as well as of the support of the diplomatic work of the "Left" governments of the country.

Keywords: Uruguay, broad front, Vazquez, international dimensions

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Authors: Katerina Balounova, Jiri Pacha, Peter Ergang, Martin Vodicka, Pavlina Kvapilova

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MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNAs involved in a wide range of physiological processes. Post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression by microRNAs gives the organism a further level of control of the gene-expression program and the disruption of this microRNA regulatory mechanism seems to increase the risk of various pathophysiological conditions including tumorigenesis. To the present day, microRNAs were shown to participate in the mayor signalization pathways leading to tumorigenesis, including proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis and metastasis formation. In addition, microRNAs have been found to play important roles in the generation and maintenance of circadian clock. These clocks generate circadian rhythms, which participate in a number of regulatory pathways. Disruption of the circadian signals seems to be associated with the development and the progression of tumours including colorectal cancer. We investigated therefore whether the diurnal profiles of miRNAs linked to tumorigenesis and regulation of circadian clock are changed during tumorigenesis. Based on published data we chose 10 microRNAs linked to tumorigenesis or circadian clock (let-7b-5p, miR 1 3p, miR 106b 5p, miR 141 3p, miR 191 5p, miR 20a 5p, miR 25 3p, miR 29a 3p, miR 34a 5p and miR 93 5p) and compared their 24-hr expression profiles in healthy and in chemically induces primary colorectal tumours of 52week-old mice. Using RT-qPCR we proved circadian rhythmicity in let-7b-5p, miR 106b 5p, miR 141 3p, miR 191 5p, miR 20a 5p, miR 25 3p, miR 29a 3p and miR 93 5p in healthy colon but not in tumours. The acrophases of miR 106b 5p, miR 141 3p, miR 191 5p, miR 20a 5p, miR 25 3p and miR 93 5p were reached around CT 24, the acrophases of let-7b-5p and miR-29a-3p were slightly shifted and reached around CT 21. In summary, our results show that circadian regulation of some colonic microRNAs is greatly affected by neoplastic transformation.

Keywords: circadian rhythm, colon, colorectal cancer, microRNA, tumorigenesis

Procedia PDF Downloads 156

Authors: Joao Garretto, R. J. Yarwood, Vamsi Borra, Frank Li

Abstract:

Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) has emerged as one of the main wireless communication technologies used in low-power electronics, such as wearables, beacons, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. BLE’s energy efficiency characteristic, smart mobiles interoperability, and Over the Air (OTA) capabilities are essential features for ultralow-power devices, which are usually designed with size and cost constraints. Most current research regarding the power analysis of BLE devices focuses on the theoretical aspects of the advertising and scanning cycles, with most results being presented in the form of mathematical models and computer software simulations. Such computer modeling and simulations are important for the comprehension of the technology, but hardware measurement is essential for the understanding of how BLE devices behave in real operation. In addition, recent literature focuses mostly on the BLE technology, leaving possible applications and its analysis out of scope. In this paper, a coin cell battery-powered BLE Data Acquisition Device, with a 4-in-1 sensor and one accelerometer, is proposed and evaluated with respect to its Power Consumption. First, evaluations of the device in advertising mode with the sensors turned off completely, followed by the power analysis when each of the sensors is individually turned on and data is being transmitted, and concluding with the power consumption evaluation when both sensors are on and respectively broadcasting the data to a mobile phone. The results presented in this paper are real-time measurements of the electrical current consumption of the BLE device, where the energy levels that are demonstrated are matched to the BLE behavior and sensor activity.

Keywords: bluetooth low energy, power analysis, BLE advertising cycle, wireless sensor node

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Authors: Penrug Pengsombut, Worawut Hamarn, Teerawuth Suwannasri, Kittiphong Songrukkiat, Kanatip Ratanachoo

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PTT Public Company Limited or simply PTT has played an important role in strengthening national energy security of the Kingdom of Thailand by transporting natural gas to customers in power, industrial and commercial sectors since 1981. PTT has been constructing and operating natural gas pipeline system of over 4,500-km network length both onshore and offshore laid through different area classifications i.e., marine, forest, agriculture, rural, urban, and city areas. During project development phase, an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is conducted and submitted to the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP) for approval before project construction commencement. Knowledge and experiences gained and revealed from EIA in the past projects definitely are developed to further advance EIA study process for newly 5th Transmission Natural Gas Pipeline Project (5TP) with approximately 415 kilometers length. The preferred pipeline route is selected and justified by SMARTi map, an advance digital one-map platform with consists of multiple layers geographic and environmental information. Sensitive area impact focus (SAIF) is a practicable impact assessment methodology which appropriate for a particular long distance infrastructure project such as 5TP. An environmental modeling simulation is adopted into SAIF methodology for impact quantified in all sensitive areas whereas other area along pipeline right-of-ways is typically assessed as an impact representative. Resulting time and cost deduction is beneficial to project for early start.

Keywords: environmental impact assessment, EIA, natural gas pipeline, sensitive area impact focus, SAIF

Procedia PDF Downloads 390

Authors: S. K. Ashiquer Rahman

Abstract:

Innovation, sustainability, and higher education are vital issues of the knowledge economy and society. In fact, the concentration on these issues, educators and researchers convinced the learners to prepare productive citizens for the knowledge economy and society, and many initiatives have been launched worldwide. The concept of a knowledge economy requires simultaneous and balanced progress in three dimensions (Innovation, Education and Sustainability) which are totally interdependent and correlated. The paper discusses the importance of an integrated approach to the knowledge economy and society from the perspective of higher education institutions. It remarks on the advent of a knowledge-based economy and society and the need for the combination of Innovation, sustainability, and education. This paper introduces nine (9) important issues or challenges of higher education institutions that have emphasized, cross-linked each other, and combined in a new education system that can form a new generation for the completive world as well as able to manage the knowledge-based economy and societal system. Moreover, the education system must be the foundation for building the necessary knowledge-based economy and society, which must manage the innovation process through a more sustainable world. In this viewpoint, Innovation, sustainability and higher education are becoming more and more central in our economy and society, and it is directly associated with the possibility of global wealth distribution to the economy and society. The objective of this research is to demonstrate the knowledge-based economy and social paradigm in order to create the opportunity for higher education institutions' development. The paper uses the collective action methodologies to examine “the mechanisms and strategies” used by higher education institutions’ authority to accommodate an integrated pattern as per connecting behaviors of knowledge economy and society. The paper accomplishes that the combination of Innovation, sustainability and education is a very helpful approach to building a knowledge-based economy and society for practicing the higher education institution’s challenges.

Keywords: education, innovation, knowledge economy, sustainability

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Authors: Maher Aburrous, Adel Khelifi, Manar Abu Talib

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Transactions performed by financial institutions on daily basis require XML encryption on large scale. Encrypting large volume of message fully will result both performance and resource issues. In this paper a novel approach is presented for securing financial XML transactions using classification data mining (DM) algorithms. Our strategy defines the complete process of classifying XML transactions by using set of classification algorithms, classified XML documents processed at later stage using element-wise encryption. Classification algorithms were used to identify the XML transaction rules and factors in order to classify the message content fetching important elements within. We have implemented four classification algorithms to fetch the importance level value within each XML document. Classified content is processed using element-wise encryption for selected parts with "High", "Medium" or “Low” importance level values. Element-wise encryption is performed using AES symmetric encryption algorithm and proposed modified algorithm for AES to overcome the problem of computational overhead, in which substitute byte, shift row will remain as in the original AES while mix column operation is replaced by 128 permutation operation followed by add round key operation. An implementation has been conducted using data set fetched from e-banking service to present system functionality and efficiency. Results from our implementation showed a clear improvement in processing time encrypting XML documents.

Keywords: XML transaction, encryption, Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), XML classification, e-banking security, fuzzy classification, cryptography, intelligent encryption

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Authors: P. Thepnarintra, S. Nikorn

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Agricultural machinery industry plays an important role in the industrial development especially the production industry of the country. There has been continuing development responding to the higher demand of the production. However, the problem in agricultural machinery production still exists. Thus, the purpose of this research is to investigate problems on fundamental factors of industry based on the entrepreneurs’ point of view. The focus was on the small and medium size industry receiving a factory license typed number 0660 from the Department of Industrial Works. The investigation was on the comparison between the management of the small and medium size agricultural industry in 3 provinces in the central region of Thailand. Population in this study consisted of 189 company managers or managing directors, of which 101 were from the small size and 88 were from the medium size industry. The data were analyzed to find percentage, arithmetic mean, and standard deviation with independent sample T-test at the statistical significance .05. The results showed that the small and medium size agricultural machinery manufacturers in the central region of Thailand reported high problems in every aspect. When compared the problems on basic factors in running the business, it was found that there was no difference statistically at .05 in managing of the small and medium size agricultural machinery manufacturers. However, there was a statistically significant difference between the small and medium size agricultural machinery manufacturers on the aspect of policy and services of the government. The problems reported by the small and medium size agricultural machinery manufacturers were the services on public tap water and the problem on politic and stability of the country.

Keywords: agricultural machinery, manufacturers, problems, on running the business

Procedia PDF Downloads 279

Authors: Kwak, Hyo-Gyung, Gang, Han Gul

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In the context of an increasing need for reliability and safety in concrete structures under blast and impact loading condition, the behavior of concrete under high strain rate condition has been an important issue. Since concrete subjected to impact loading associated with high strain rate shows quite different material behavior from that in the static state, several material models are proposed and used to describe the high strain rate behavior under blast and impact loading. In the process of modelling, in advance, mesh dependency in the used finite element (FE) is the key problem because simulation results under high strain-rate condition are quite sensitive to applied FE mesh size. It means that the accuracy of simulation results may deeply be dependent on FE mesh size in simulations. This paper introduces an improved criterion which can minimize the mesh-dependency of simulation results on the basis of the fracture energy concept, and HJC (Holmquist Johnson Cook), CSC (Continuous Surface Cap) and K&C (Karagozian & Case) models are examined to trace their relative sensitivity to the used FE mesh size. To coincide with the purpose of the penetration test with a concrete plate under a projectile (bullet), the residual velocities of projectile after penetration are compared. The correlation studies between analytical results and the parametric studies associated with them show that the variation of residual velocity with the used FE mesh size is quite reduced by applying a unique failure strain value determined according to the proposed criterion.

Keywords: high strain rate concrete, penetration simulation, failure strain, mesh-dependency, fracture energy

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Authors: Elena Roadhouse

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“When it take the kitchen middens from the latest canning session out to the compost before going to bed, the orchestra is in full chorus. Night vapors and scents from the earth mingle with the fragrance of honeysuckle nearby and basil grown in the compost. They merge into the rhythmic pulse of night”. William Longgood Carl Jung did not specifically recognize scent and olfactory function as a window into the psyche. He did recognize instinct and the natural history of mankind as key to understanding and reconnecting with the Psyche. The progressive path of modern humans has brought incredible scientific and industrial advancements that have changed the human relationship with Mother Earth, the primal wisdom of mankind, and led to the loss of instinct. The olfactory bulbs are an integral part of our ancient brain and has evolved in a way that is proportional to the human separation with the instinctual self. If olfaction is a gateway to our instinct, then it is also a portal to the soul. Natural aromatics are significant and powerful instruments for supporting the mind, our emotional selves, and our bodies. This paper aims to shed light on the important role of scent in the understanding of the existence of the psyche, generational trauma, and archetypal fragrance. Personalized Natural Perfume combined with mindfulness practices can be used as an effective behavioral conditioning tool to promote the healing of transgenerational and individual trauma, the fragmented self, and the physical body.

Keywords: scentscape of the soul, psyche, individuation, epigenetics, depth psychology, carl Jung, instinct, trauma, archetypal scent, personal myth, holistic wellness, natural perfumery

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Authors: Nadine Abuqtaish

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Females’ participation in athletic sports events has increased in the last decades, and the discovery of eating disorders and menstrual dysfunction has been evident since the early 1980s. The term “Female athlete triad” was initially defined by the Task Force on Women’s Issues of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) in 1992. Menstrual irregularities have been prevalent in competitive female athletes, especially in their adolescence and early adulthood age. Nutritional restrictions to maintain a certain physique and lean look are sought to be advantageous in female athletes such as gymnastics, cheerleading, or weight-sensitive sports such as endurance sports (cycling and marathoners). This stress places the female at risk of irregularities in their menstrual cycle which can lead them to lose their circadian estrogen levels. Estrogen is an important female reproductive hormone that plays a role in maintaining bone mass. Bone mineral density peaks by the age 25. Inadequate estrogen due to missed menstrual cycle or amenorrhea has been estimated to cause a yearly loss of 2% of bone mass, increasing the risk of osteoporosis in the postmenopausal phase. This paper is intended to have a better depth understanding of whether female athletes are being monitored by their official entities or coaches. A qualitative research method through online search engines and keywords “females, athletes, triad, amenorrhea, anorexia, osteoporosis” were used to collect the available primary sources from official public library databases. The latest consensus was published in 2014 by the Female Athlete Triad Coalition and the need for further research and emphasis on this issue is still lacking.

Keywords: female, athlete, triad, amenorrhea, anorexia, bone loss

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Authors: Anahit Khananyan

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The results of the long-term Jungian analysis with female clients from Eastern and Asian countries, which belong to collectivist cultures, are summarised in the article. The goal of the paper is to describe the cultural complex, which was found by the author in the analysis of women of collectivistic culture. It was named “the repression of Animus”. Generally, C.G.Jung himself and the Post-Jungians studied conditions caused by the possession by Animus. The conditions and cases of the repressed Animus, depending on the type of culture and cultural complexes, as we know, were not widely disseminated. C.G. Jung discovered and recognized the Animus as the second component of a pair of opposites of the psyche of women – femininity and Animus. In the way of individuation, an awareness of manifestations of Animus plays an important role: understanding the differences between negative and positive Animus as well as the Animus and the Shadow, then standing the tension of the presence of a pair of opposites - femininity and Animus, acceptance of the tension of them, finding the balance between them and reconciliation of this opposites. All of the above are steps towards the realization of the Animus, its release Animua, and the healing of the psyche. In the paper, the author will share her experience of analyzing the women of different collectivist cultures and her experience of recognizing the repressed Animus during the analysis. Also, she will describe some peculiarities of upbringing and cultural traditions, which reflected the cultural complex of repression of Animus. This complex is manifested in the traditions of girls' upbringing in accordance with which an image of a woman with overly developed femininity and an absence or underdeveloped Animus is idealized and encouraged as well as an evaluating attitude towards females who have to correspond to this image and fulfill the role prescribed in this way in the family and society.

Keywords: analysis, cultural complex, animus, manifestation, culture

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Authors: Sana Ilyas

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Parry-Romberg syndrome is a rare condition clinically defined by slowly progressive atrophy of the skin and soft tissues. This usually effects one side of the face, although a few cases have been documented of bilateral presentation. It is more prevalent in females and usually affects the left side of the face. The syndrome can also be accompanied by neurological abnormalities. It usually occurs in the first two decades of life with a variable rate of progression. The aetiology is unknown, and the disease eventually stabilises. The treatment options usually involve surgical management. The least invasive of these options is the management of facial asymmetry, associated with Parry Romberg syndrome, through the use of tissue fillers. This paper will review the existing literature on the management of Parry Romberg syndrome with tissue filler. Aim: The aim of the study is to explore the current published literature for the management of Parry Romberg syndrome with fillers. It is to assess the development that has been made in this method of management, its benefits and limitations, and its effectiveness for the management of Parry Romberg syndrome. Methodology: There was a thorough assessment of the current literature published on this topic. PubMed database was used for search of the published literature on this method of the management. Papers were analysed and compared with one another to assess the success and limitation of the management of Parry Romberg with dermal fillers Results and Conclusion: Case reports of the use of tissue fillers discuss the varying degrees of success with the treatment. However, this procedure has it’s limitation, which are discussed in the paper in detail. However, it is still the least invasive of all the surgical options for the management of Parry Romberg Syndrome, and therefore, it is important to explore this option with patients, as they may be more comfortable with pursuingtreatment that is less invasive and can still improve their facial asymmetry

Keywords: dermal fillers, facial asymmetry, parry romberg syndrome, tissue fillers

Procedia PDF Downloads 78