Search results for: hydrophobic modification
137 Association of Copy Number Variation of the CHKB, KLF6, GPC1, and CHRM3 Genes with Growth Traits of Datong Yak (Bos grunniens)
Authors: Habtamu Abera Goshu, Ping Yan
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Copy number variation (CNV) is a significant marker of the genetic and phenotypic diversity among individuals that accounts for complex quantitative traits of phenotype and diseases via modulating gene dosage, position effects, alteration of downstream pathways, modification of chromosome structure, and position within the nucleus and disrupting coding regions in the genome. Associating copy number variations (CNVs) with growth and gene expression are a powerful approach for identifying genomic characteristics that contribute to phenotypic and genotypic variation. A previous study using next-generation sequencing illustrated that the choline kinase beta (CHKB), Krüpple-like factor 6 (KLF6), glypican 1(GPC1), and cholinergic receptor muscarinic 3 (CHRM3) genes reside within copy number variable regions (CNVRs) of yak populations that overlap with quantitative trait loci (QTLs) of meat quality and growth. As a result, this research aimed to determine the association of CNVs of the KLF6, CHKB, GPC1, and CHRM3 genes with growth traits in the Datong yak breed. The association between the CNV types of the KLF6, CHKB, GPC1, and CHRM3 genes and the growth traits in the Datong yak breed was determined by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) using SPSS software. The CNV types were classified as a loss (a copy number of 0 or 1), gain (a copy number >2), and normal (a copy number of 2) relative to the reference gene, BTF3 in the 387 individuals of Datong yak. These results indicated that the normal CNV types of the CHKB and GPC1 genes were significantly (P<0.05) associated with high body length, height and weight, and chest girth in six-month-old and five-year-old Datong yaks. On the other hand, the loss CNV types of the KLF6 gene is significantly (P<0.05) associated with body weight and length and chest girth at six-month-old and five-year-old Datong yaks. In the contrary, the gain CNV type of the CHRM3 gene is highly (P<0.05) associated with body weight, length, height, and chest girth in six-month-old and five-year-old. This work provides the first observation of the biological role of CNVs of the CHKB, KLF6, GPC1, and CHRM3 genes in the Datong yak breed and might, therefore, provide a novel opportunity to utilize data on CNVs in designing molecular markers for the selection of animal breeding programs for larger populations of various yak breeds. Therefore, we hypothesized that this study provided inclusive information on the application of CNVs of the CHKB, KLF6, GPC1, and CHRM3 genes in growth traits in Datong yaks and its possible function in bovine species.Keywords: Copy number variation, growth traits, yak, genes
Procedia PDF Downloads 165136 Renewable Natural Gas Production from Biomass and Applications in Industry
Authors: Sarah Alamolhoda, Kevin J. Smith, Xiaotao Bi, Naoko Ellis
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For millennials, biomass has been the most important source of fuel used to produce energy. Energy derived from biomass is renewable by re-growth of biomass. Various technologies are used to convert biomass to potential renewable products including combustion, gasification, pyrolysis and fermentation. Gasification is the incomplete combustion of biomass in a controlled environment that results in valuable products such as syngas, biooil and biochar. Syngas is a combustible gas consisting of hydrogen (H₂), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and traces of methane (CH₄) and nitrogen (N₂). Cleaned syngas can be used as a turbine fuel to generate electricity, raw material for hydrogen and synthetic natural gas production, or as the anode gas of solid oxide fuel cells. In this work, syngas as a product of woody biomass gasification in British Columbia, Canada, was introduced to two consecutive fixed bed reactors to perform a catalytic water gas shift reaction followed by a catalytic methanation reaction. The water gas shift reaction is a well-established industrial process and used to increase the hydrogen content of the syngas before the methanation process. Catalysts were used in the process since both reactions are reversible exothermic, and thermodynamically preferred at lower temperatures while kinetically favored at elevated temperatures. The water gas shift reactor and the methanation reactor were packed with Cu-based catalyst and Ni-based catalyst, respectively. Simulated syngas with different percentages of CO, H₂, CH₄, and CO₂ were fed to the reactors to investigate the effect of operating conditions in the unit. The water gas shift reaction experiments were done in the temperature of 150 ˚C to 200 ˚C, and the pressure of 550 kPa to 830 kPa. Similarly, methanation experiments were run in the temperature of 300 ˚C to 400 ˚C, and the pressure of 2340 kPa to 3450 kPa. The Methanation reaction reached 98% of CO conversion at 340 ˚C and 3450 kPa, in which more than half of CO was converted to CH₄. Increasing the reaction temperature caused reduction in the CO conversion and increase in the CH₄ selectivity. The process was designed to be renewable and release low greenhouse gas emissions. Syngas is a clean burning fuel, however by going through water gas shift reaction, toxic CO was removed, and hydrogen as a green fuel was produced. Moreover, in the methanation process, the syngas energy was transformed to a fuel with higher energy density (per volume) leading to reduction in the amount of required fuel that flows through the equipment and improvement in the process efficiency. Natural gas is about 3.5 times more efficient (energy/ volume) than hydrogen and easier to store and transport. When modification of existing infrastructure is not practical, the partial conversion of renewable hydrogen to natural gas (with up to 15% hydrogen content), the efficiency would be preserved while greenhouse gas emission footprint is eliminated.Keywords: renewable natural gas, methane, hydrogen, gasification, syngas, catalysis, fuel
Procedia PDF Downloads 107135 Well-Defined Polypeptides: Synthesis and Selective Attachment of Poly(ethylene glycol) Functionalities
Authors: Cristina Lavilla, Andreas Heise
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The synthesis of sequence-controlled polymers has received increasing attention in the last years. Well-defined polyacrylates, polyacrylamides and styrene-maleimide copolymers have been synthesized by sequential or kinetic addition of comonomers. However this approach has not yet been introduced to the synthesis of polypeptides, which are in fact polymers developed by nature in a sequence-controlled way. Polypeptides are natural materials that possess the ability to self-assemble into complex and highly ordered structures. Their folding and properties arise from precisely controlled sequences and compositions in their constituent amino acid monomers. So far, solid-phase peptide synthesis is the only technique that allows preparing short peptide sequences with excellent sequence control, but also requires extensive protection/deprotection steps and it is a difficult technique to scale-up. A new strategy towards sequence control in the synthesis of polypeptides is introduced, based on the sequential addition of α-amino acid-N-carboxyanhydrides (NCAs). The living ring-opening process is conducted to full conversion and no purification or deprotection is needed before addition of a new amino acid. The length of every block is predefined by the NCA:initiator ratio in every step. This method yields polypeptides with a specific sequence and controlled molecular weights. A series of polypeptides with varying block sequences have been synthesized with the aim to identify structure-property relationships. All of them are able to adopt secondary structures similar to natural polypeptides, and display properties in the solid state and in solution that are characteristic of the primary structure. By design the prepared polypeptides allow selective modification of individual block sequences, which has been exploited to introduce functionalities in defined positions along the polypeptide chain. Poly(ethylene glycol)(PEG) was the functionality chosen, as it is known to favor hydrophilicity and also yield thermoresponsive materials. After PEGylation, hydrophilicity of the polypeptides is enhanced, and their thermal response in H2O has been studied. Noteworthy differences in the behavior of the polypeptides having different sequences have been found. Circular dichroism measurements confirmed that the α-helical conformation is stable over the examined temperature range (5-90 °C). It is concluded that PEG units are the main responsible of the changes in H-bonding interactions with H2O upon variation of temperature, and the position of these functional units along the backbone is a factor of utmost importance in the resulting properties of the α-helical polypeptides.Keywords: α-amino acid N-carboxyanhydrides, multiblock copolymers, poly(ethylene glycol), polypeptides, ring-opening polymerization, sequence control
Procedia PDF Downloads 194134 A Proposal for an Excessivist Social Welfare Ordering
Authors: V. De Sandi
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In this paper, we characterize a class of rank-weighted social welfare orderings that we call ”Excessivist.” The Excessivist Social Welfare Ordering (eSWO) judges incomes above a fixed threshold θ as detrimental to society. To accomplish this, the identification of a richness or affluence line is necessary. We employ a fixed, exogenous line of excess. We define an eSWF in the form of a weighted sum of individual’s income. This requires introducing n+1 vectors of weights, one for all possible numbers of individuals below the threshold. To do this, the paper introduces a slight modification of the class of rank weighted class of social welfare function. Indeed, in our excessivist social welfare ordering, we allow the weights to be both positive (for individuals below the line) and negative (for individuals above). Then, we introduce ethical concerns through an axiomatic approach. The following axioms are required: continuity above and below the threshold (Ca, Cb), anonymity (A), absolute aversion to excessive richness (AER), pigou dalton positive weights preserving transfer (PDwpT), sign rank preserving full comparability (SwpFC) and strong pareto below the threshold (SPb). Ca, Cb requires that small changes in two income distributions above and below θ do not lead to changes in their ordering. AER suggests that if two distributions are identical in any respect but for one individual above the threshold, who is richer in the first, then the second should be preferred by society. This means that we do not care about the waste of resources above the threshold; the priority is the reduction of excessive income. According to PDwpT, a transfer from a better-off individual to a worse-off individual despite their relative position to the threshold, without reversing their ranks, leads to an improved distribution if the number of individuals below the threshold is the same after the transfer or the number of individuals below the threshold has increased. SPb holds only for individuals below the threshold. The weakening of strong pareto and our ethics need to be justified; we support them through the notion of comparative egalitarianism and income as a source of power. SwpFC is necessary to ensure that, following a positive affine transformation, an individual does not become excessively rich in only one distribution, thereby reversing the ordering of the distributions. Given the axioms above, we can characterize the class of the eSWO, getting the following result through a proof by contradiction and exhaustion: Theorem 1. A social welfare ordering satisfies the axioms of continuity above and below the threshold, anonymity, sign rank preserving full comparability, aversion to excessive richness, Pigou Dalton positive weight preserving transfer, and strong pareto below the threshold, if and only if it is an Excessivist-social welfare ordering. A discussion about the implementation of different threshold lines reviewing the primary contributions in this field follows. What the commonly implemented social welfare functions have been overlooking is the concern for extreme richness at the top. The characterization of Excessivist Social Welfare Ordering, given the axioms above, aims to fill this gap.Keywords: comparative egalitarianism, excess income, inequality aversion, social welfare ordering
Procedia PDF Downloads 53133 Bioinformatic Strategies for the Production of Glycoproteins in Algae
Authors: Fadi Saleh, Çığdem Sezer Zhmurov
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Biopharmaceuticals represent one of the wildest developing fields within biotechnology, and the biological macromolecules being produced inside cells have a variety of applications for therapies. In the past, mammalian cells, especially CHO cells, have been employed in the production of biopharmaceuticals. This is because these cells can achieve human-like completion of PTM. These systems, however, carry apparent disadvantages like high production costs, vulnerability to contamination, and limitations in scalability. This research is focused on the utilization of microalgae as a bioreactor system for the synthesis of biopharmaceutical glycoproteins in relation to PTMs, particularly N-glycosylation. The research points to a growing interest in microalgae as a potential substitute for more conventional expression systems. A number of advantages exist in the use of microalgae, including rapid growth rates, the lack of common human pathogens, controlled scalability in bioreactors, and the ability of some PTMs to take place. Thus, the potential of microalgae to produce recombinant proteins with favorable characteristics makes this a promising platform in order to produce biopharmaceuticals. The study focuses on the examination of the N-glycosylation pathways across different species of microalgae. This investigation is important as N-glycosylation—the process by which carbohydrate groups are linked to proteins—profoundly influences the stability, activity, and general performance of glycoproteins. Additionally, bioinformatics methodologies are employed to explain the genetic pathways implicated in N-glycosylation within microalgae, with the intention of modifying these organisms to produce glycoproteins suitable for human consumption. In this way, the present comparative analysis of the N-glycosylation pathway in humans and microalgae can be used to bridge both systems in order to produce biopharmaceuticals with humanized glycosylation profiles within the microalgal organisms. The results of the research underline microalgae's potential to help improve some of the limitations associated with traditional biopharmaceutical production systems. The study may help in the creation of a cost-effective and scale-up means of producing quality biopharmaceuticals by modifying microalgae genetically to produce glycoproteins with N-glycosylation that is compatible with humans. Improvements in effectiveness will benefit biopharmaceutical production and the biopharmaceutical sector with this novel, green, and efficient expression platform. This thesis, therefore, is thorough research into the viability of microalgae as an efficient platform for producing biopharmaceutical glycoproteins. Based on the in-depth bioinformatic analysis of microalgal N-glycosylation pathways, a platform for their engineering to produce human-compatible glycoproteins is set out in this work. The findings obtained in this research will have significant implications for the biopharmaceutical industry by opening up a new way of developing safer, more efficient, and economically more feasible biopharmaceutical manufacturing platforms.Keywords: microalgae, glycoproteins, post-translational modification, genome
Procedia PDF Downloads 8132 Nonlinear Response of Tall Reinforced Concrete Shear Wall Buildings under Wind Loads
Authors: Mahtab Abdollahi Sarvi, Siamak Epackachi, Ali Imanpour
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Reinforced concrete shear walls are commonly used as the lateral load-resisting system of mid- to high-rise office or residential buildings around the world. Design of such systems is often governed by wind rather than seismic effects, in particular in low-to-moderate seismic regions. The current design philosophy as per the majority of building codes under wind loads require elastic response of lateral load-resisting systems including reinforced concrete shear walls when subjected to the rare design wind load, resulting in significantly large wall sections needed to meet strength requirements and drift limits. The latter can highly influence the design in upper stories due to stringent drift limits specified by building codes, leading to substantial added costs to the construction of the wall. However, such walls may offer limited to moderate over-strength and ductility due to their large reserve capacity provided that they are designed and detailed to appropriately develop such over-strength and ductility under extreme wind loads. This would significantly contribute to reducing construction time and costs, while maintaining structural integrity under gravity and frequently-occurring and less frequent wind events. This paper aims to investigate the over-strength and ductility capacity of several imaginary office buildings located in Edmonton, Canada with a glance at earthquake design philosophy. Selected models are 10- to 25-story buildings with three types of reinforced concrete shear wall configurations including rectangular, barbell, and flanged. The buildings are designed according to National Building Code of Canada. Then fiber-based numerical models of the walls are developed in Perform 3D and by conducting nonlinear static (pushover) analysis, lateral nonlinear behavior of the walls are evaluated. Ductility and over-strength of the structures are obtained based on the results of the pushover analyses. The results confirmed moderate nonlinear capacity of reinforced concrete shear walls under extreme wind loads. This is while lateral displacements of the walls pass the serviceability limit states defined in Pre standard for Performance-Based Wind Design (ASCE). The results indicate that we can benefit the limited nonlinear response observed in the reinforced concrete shear walls to economize the design of such systems under wind loads.Keywords: concrete shear wall, high-rise buildings, nonlinear static analysis, response modification factor, wind load
Procedia PDF Downloads 101131 Aerobic Training Combined with Nutritional Guidance as an Effective Strategy for Improving Aerobic Fitness and Reducing BMI in Inactive Adults
Authors: Leif Inge Tjelta, Gerd Lise Nordbotten, Cathrine Nyhus Hagum, Merete Hagen Helland
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Overweight and obesity can lead to numerous health problems, and inactive people are more often overweight and obese compared to physically active people. Even a moderate weight loss can improve cardiovascular and endocrine disease risk factors. The aim of the study was to examine to what extent overweight and obese adults starting up with two weekly intensive running sessions had an increase in aerobic capacity, reduction in BMI and waist circumference and changes in body composition after 33 weeks of training. An additional aim was to see if there were differences between participants who, in addition to training, also received lifestyle modification education, including practical cooking (nutritional guidance and training group (NTG =32)) compared to those who were not given any nutritional guidance (training group (TG=40)). 72 participants (49 women), mean age of 46.1 ( ± 10.4) were included. Inclusion Criteria: Previous untrained and inactive adults in all age groups, BMI ≥ 25, desire to become fitter and reduce their BMI. The two weekly supervised training sessions consisted of 10 min warm up followed by 20 to 21 min effective interval running where the participants’ heart rate were between 82 and 92% of hearth rate maximum. The sessions were completed with ten minutes whole body strength training. Measures of BMI, waist circumference (WC) and 3000m running time were performed at the start of the project (T1), after 15 weeks (T2) and at the end of the project (T3). Measurements of fat percentage, muscle mass, and visceral fat were performed at T1 and T3. Twelve participants (9 women) from both groups, who all scored around average on the 3000 m pre-test, were chosen to do a VO₂max test at T1 and T3. The NTG were given ten theoretical sessions (80 minutes each) and eight practical cooking sessions (140 minutes each). There was a significant reduction in bout groups for WC and BMI from T1 to T2. There was not found any further reduction from T2 to T3. Although not significant, NTG reduced their WC more than TG. For both groups, the percentage reduction in WC was similar to the reduction in BMI. There was a decrease in fat percentage in both groups from pre-test to post-test, whereas, for muscle mass, a small, but insignificant increase was observed for both groups. There was a decrease in 3000m running time for both groups from T1 to T2 as well as from T2 to T3. The difference between T2 and T3 was not statistically significant. The 12 participants who tested VO₂max had an increase of 2.86 ( ± 3.84) mlkg⁻¹ min⁻¹ in VO₂max and 3:02 min (± 2:01 min) reduction in running time over 3000 m from T1 until T3. There was a strong, negative correlation between the two variables. The study shows that two intensive running session in 33 weeks can increase aerobic fitness and reduce BMI, WC and fat percent in inactive adults. Cost guidance in addition to training will give additional effect.Keywords: interval training, nutritional guidance, fitness, BMI
Procedia PDF Downloads 137130 Pixel Façade: An Idea for Programmable Building Skin
Authors: H. Jamili, S. Shakiba
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Today, one of the main concerns of human beings is facing the unpleasant changes of the environment. Buildings are responsible for a significant amount of natural resources consumption and carbon emissions production. In such a situation, this thought comes to mind that changing each building into a phenomenon of benefit to the environment. A change in a way that each building functions as an element that supports the environment, and construction, in addition to answering the need of humans, is encouraged, the way planting a tree is, and it is no longer seen as a threat to alive beings and the planet. Prospect: Today, different ideas of developing materials that can smartly function are realizing. For instance, Programmable Materials, which in different conditions, can respond appropriately to the situation and have features of modification in shape, size, physical properties and restoration, and repair quality. Studies are to progress having this purpose to plan for these materials in a way that they are easily available, and to meet this aim, there is no need to use expensive materials and high technologies. In these cases, physical attributes of materials undertake the role of sensors, wires and actuators then materials will become into robots itself. In fact, we experience robotics without robots. In recent decades, AI and technology advances have dramatically improving the performance of materials. These achievements are a combination of software optimizations and physical productions such as multi-materials 3D printing. These capabilities enable us to program materials in order to change shape, appearance, and physical properties to interact with different situations. nIt is expected that further achievements like Memory Materials and Self-learning Materials are also added to the Smart Materials family, which are affordable, available, and of use for a variety of applications and industries. From the architectural standpoint, the building skin is significantly considered in this research, concerning the noticeable surface area the buildings skin have in urban space. The purpose of this research would be finding a way that the programmable materials be used in building skin with the aim of having an effective and positive interaction. A Pixel Façade would be a solution for programming a building skin. The Pixel Facadeincludes components that contain a series of attributes that help buildings for their needs upon their environmental criteria. A PIXEL contains series of smart materials and digital controllers together. It not only benefits its physical properties, such as control the amount of sunlight and heat, but it enhances building performance by providing a list of features, depending on situation criteria. The features will vary depending on locations and have a different function during the daytime and different seasons. The primary role of a PIXEL FAÇADE can be defined as filtering pollutions (for inside and outside of the buildings) and providing clean energy as well as interacting with other PIXEL FACADES to estimate better reactions.Keywords: building skin, environmental crisis, pixel facade, programmable materials, smart materials
Procedia PDF Downloads 84129 Risk Based Inspection and Proactive Maintenance for Civil and Structural Assets in Oil and Gas Plants
Authors: Mohammad Nazri Mustafa, Sh Norliza Sy Salim, Pedram Hatami Abdullah
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Civil and structural assets normally have an average of more than 30 years of design life. Adding to this advantage, the assets are normally subjected to slow degradation process. Due to the fact that repair and strengthening work for these assets are normally not dependent on plant shut down, the maintenance and integrity restoration of these assets are mostly done based on “as required” and “run to failure” basis. However unlike other industries, the exposure in oil and gas environment is harsher as the result of corrosive soil and groundwater, chemical spill, frequent wetting and drying, icing and de-icing, steam and heat, etc. Due to this type of exposure and the increasing level of structural defects and rectification in line with the increasing age of plants, assets integrity assessment requires a more defined scope and procedures that needs to be based on risk and assets criticality. This leads to the establishment of risk based inspection and proactive maintenance procedure for civil and structural assets. To date there is hardly any procedure and guideline as far as integrity assessment and systematic inspection and maintenance of civil and structural assets (onshore) are concerned. Group Technical Solutions has developed a procedure and guideline that takes into consideration credible failure scenario, assets risk and criticality from process safety and structural engineering perspective, structural importance, modeling and analysis among others. Detailed inspection that includes destructive and non-destructive tests (DT & NDT) and structural monitoring is also being performed to quantify defects, assess severity and impact on integrity as well as identify the timeline for integrity restoration. Each defect and its credible failure scenario is assessed against the risk on people, environment, reputation and production loss. This technical paper is intended to share on the established procedure and guideline and their execution in oil & gas plants. In line with the overall roadmap, the procedure and guideline will form part of specialized solutions to increase production and to meet the “Operational Excellence” target while extending service life of civil and structural assets. As the result of implementation, the management of civil and structural assets is now more systematically done and the “fire-fighting” mode of maintenance is being gradually phased out and replaced by a proactive and preventive approach. This technical paper will also set the criteria and pose the challenge to the industry for innovative repair and strengthening methods for civil & structural assets in oil & gas environment, in line with safety, constructability and continuous modification and revamp of plant facilities to meet production demand.Keywords: assets criticality, credible failure scenario, proactive and preventive maintenance, risk based inspection
Procedia PDF Downloads 394128 Buddhist Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to Address Depression Among Elderly Population: Multi-cultural Model of Buddhist Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to Address Depression Among Elderly Population
Authors: Ashoke Priyadarshana Premananda
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As per the suggestions of previously conducted research in Counseling Psychology, the necessity of forming culture- friendly approaches has been strongly emphasized by a number of scholars in the field. In response to that, Multicultural-model of Buddhist Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (MMBCBT) has been formed as a culture-friendly therapeutic approach to address psychological disturbances (depression) in late adulthood. Elderly population in the world is on the rise by leaps and bounds, and forming a culture-based therapeutic model which is blended with Buddhist teachings has been the major objective of the study. Buddhist teachings and cultural applications, which were mapped onto Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in the West, ultimately resulted in MMBCBT. Therefore, MMBCBT is a blend of cultural therapeutic techniques and the essence of certain Buddhist teachings extracted from five crucial suttas, which include CBT principles. In the process of mapping, MeghiyaSutta, GirimānandaSutta, SallekhaSutta, DvedhāvitakkaSutta, and Vitakka- SaṇṭhānaSutta have been taken into consideration mainly because of their cognitive behavioral content. The practical components of Vitakka- Saṇṭhānasutta (Aññanimittapabbaṃ) and Sallekhasutta (SallekhaPariyāya and CittuppādaPariyāya) have been used in the model while mindfulness of breathing was also carried out with the participants. Basically, multi-cultural therapeutic approaches of MMBCBT aim at modifying behavior (behavioral modification), whereas the rest is centered to the cognitive restructuring process. Therefore, MMBCBT is endowed with Behavioral Therapy (BT) and Cognitive Therapy(CT). In order to find out the validation of MMBCBT as a newly formed approach, it was then followed by mixed research (quantitative and qualitative research) with a sample selected from the elderly population following the purposive sampling technique. 40 individuals were selected from three elderly homes as per the purposive sampling technique. Elderly people identified to be depressed via Geriatric Depression Scale underwent MMBCBT for two weeks continuously while action research was being conducted simultaneously. Additionally, a Focus Group interview was carried out to support the action research. As per the research findings, people who identified depressed prior to the exposure to MMBCBT were found to be showing positive changes after they were exposed to the model. “Paired Sample t test” showed that the Multicultural Model of Buddhist based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy reduced depression of elderly people (The mean value (x̄) of the sample (level of depression) before the model was 10.7 whereas the mean value after the model was 7.5.). Most importantly, MMBCBT has been found to be effectively used with people from all walks of life despite religious diversities.Keywords: buddhist psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy in buddhism, counseling in cultural context, gerontology, and buddhism
Procedia PDF Downloads 105127 Scenario of Some Minerals and Impact of Promoter Hypermethylation of DAP-K Gene in Gastric Carcinoma Patients of Kashmir Valley
Authors: Showkat Ahmad Bhat, Iqra Reyaz, Falaque ul Afshan, Ahmad Arif Reshi, Muneeb U. Rehman, Manzoor R. Mir, Sabhiya Majid, Sonallah, Sheikh Bilal, Ishraq Hussain
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Background: Gastric cancer is the fourth most common cancer and the second leading cause of worldwide cancer-related deaths, with a wide variation in incidence rates across different geographical areas. The current view of cancer is that a malignancy arises from a transformation of the genetic material of a normal cell, followed by successive mutations and by chain of alterations in genes such as DNA repair genes, oncogenes, Tumor suppressor genes. Minerals are necessary for the functioning of several transcriptional factors, proteins that recognize certain DNA sequences and have been found to play a role in gastric cancer. Material Methods:The present work was a case control study and its aim was to ascertain the role of minerals and promoter hypermethylation of CpG islands of DAP-K gene in Gastric cancer patients among the Kashmiri population. Serum was extracted from all the samples and mineral estimation was done by AAS from serum, DNA was also extracted and was modified using bisulphite modification kit. Methylation-specific PCR was used for the analysis of the promoter hypermethylation status of DAP-K gene. The epigenetic analysis revealed that unlike other high risk regions, Kashmiri population has a different promoter hypermethylation profile of DAP-K gene and has different mineral profile. Results: In our study mean serum copper levels were significantly different for the two genders (p<0.05), while as no significant differences were observed for iron and zinc levels. In Methylation-specific PCR the methylation status of the promoter region of DAP-K gene was as 67.50% (27/40) of the gastric cancer tissues showed methylated DAP-K promoter and 32.50% (13/40) of the cases however showed unmethylated DAP-K promoter. Almost all 85% (17/20) of the histopathologically confirmed normal tissues showed unmethylated DAP-K promoter except only in 3 cases where DAP-K promoter was found to be methylated. The association of promoter hypermethylation with gastric cancer was evaluated by χ2 (Chi square) test and was found to be significant (P=0.0006). Occurrence of DAP-K methylation was found to be unequally distributed in males and females with more frequency in males than in females but the difference was not statistically significant (P =0.7635, Odds ratio=1.368 and 95% C.I=0.4197 to 4.456). When the frequency of DAP-K promoter methylation was compared with clinical staging of the disease, DAP-K promoter methylation was found to be certainly higher in Stage III/IV (85.71%) compared to Stage I/ II (57.69%) but the difference was not statistically significant (P =0.0673). These results suggest that DAP-K aberrant promoter hypermethylation in Kashmiri population contributes to the process of carcinogenesis in Gastric cancer and is reportedly one of the commonest epigenetic changes in the development of Gastric cancer.Keywords: gastric cancer, minerals, AAS, hypermethylation, CpG islands, DAP-K gene
Procedia PDF Downloads 511126 Analysis of Non-Conventional Roundabout Performance in Mixed Traffic Conditions
Authors: Guneet Saini, Shahrukh, Sunil Sharma
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Traffic congestion is the most critical issue faced by those in the transportation profession today. Over the past few years, roundabouts have been recognized as a measure to promote efficiency at intersections globally. In developing countries like India, this type of intersection still faces a lot of issues, such as bottleneck situations, long queues and increased waiting times, due to increasing traffic which in turn affect the performance of the entire urban network. This research is a case study of a non-conventional roundabout, in terms of geometric design, in a small town in India. These types of roundabouts should be analyzed for their functionality in mixed traffic conditions, prevalent in many developing countries. Microscopic traffic simulation is an effective tool to analyze traffic conditions and estimate various measures of operational performance of intersections such as capacity, vehicle delay, queue length and Level of Service (LOS) of urban roadway network. This study involves analyzation of an unsymmetrical non-circular 6-legged roundabout known as “Kala Aam Chauraha” in a small town Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh, India using VISSIM simulation package which is the most widely used software for microscopic traffic simulation. For coding in VISSIM, data are collected from the site during morning and evening peak hours of a weekday and then analyzed for base model building. The model is calibrated on driving behavior and vehicle parameters and an optimal set of calibrated parameters is obtained followed by validation of the model to obtain the base model which can replicate the real field conditions. This calibrated and validated model is then used to analyze the prevailing operational traffic performance of the roundabout which is then compared with a proposed alternative to improve efficiency of roundabout network and to accommodate pedestrians in the geometry. The study results show that the alternative proposed is an advantage over the present roundabout as it considerably reduces congestion, vehicle delay and queue length and hence, successfully improves roundabout performance without compromising on pedestrian safety. The study proposes similar designs for modification of existing non-conventional roundabouts experiencing excessive delays and queues in order to improve their efficiency especially in the case of developing countries. From this study, it can be concluded that there is a need to improve the current geometry of such roundabouts to ensure better traffic performance and safety of drivers and pedestrians negotiating the intersection and hence this proposal may be considered as a best fit.Keywords: operational performance, roundabout, simulation, VISSIM
Procedia PDF Downloads 135125 The Interventricular Septum as a Site for Implantation of Electrocardiac Devices - Clinical Implications of Topography and Variation in Position
Authors: Marcin Jakiel, Maria Kurek, Karolina Gutkowska, Sylwia Sanakiewicz, Dominika Stolarczyk, Jakub Batko, Rafał Jakiel, Mateusz K. Hołda
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Proper imaging of the interventricular septum during endocavital lead implantation is essential for successful procedure. The interventricular septum is located oblique to the 3 main body planes and forms angles of 44.56° ± 7.81°, 45.44° ± 7.81°, 62.49° (IQR 58.84° - 68.39°) with the sagittal, frontal and transverse planes, respectively. The optimal left anterior oblique (LAO) projection is to have the septum aligned along the radiation beam and will be obtained for an angle of 53.24° ± 9,08°, while the best visualization of the septal surface in the right anterior oblique (RAO) projection is obtained by using an angle of 45.44° ± 7.81°. In addition, the RAO angle (p=0.003) and the septal slope to the transverse plane (p=0.002) are larger in the male group, but the LAO angle (p=0.003) and the dihedral angle that the septum forms with the sagittal plane (p=0.003) are smaller, compared to the female group. Analyzing the optimal RAO angle in cross-sections lying at the level of the connections of the septum with the free wall of the right ventricle from the front and back, we obtain slightly smaller angle values, i.e. 41.11° ± 8.51° and 43.94° ± 7.22°, respectively. As the septum is directed leftward in the apical region, the optimal RAO angle for this area decreases (16.49° ± 7,07°) and does not show significant differences between the male and female groups (p=0.23). Within the right ventricular apex, there is a cavity formed by the apical segment of the interventricular septum and the free wall of the right ventricle with a depth of 12.35mm (IQR 11.07mm - 13.51mm). The length of the septum measured in longitudinal section, containing 4 heart cavities, is 73.03mm ± 8.06mm. With the left ventricular septal wall formed by the interventricular septum in the apical region at a length of 10.06mm (IQR 8.86 - 11.07mm) already lies outside the right ventricle. Both mentioned lengths are significantly larger in the male group (p<0.001). For proper imaging of the septum from the right ventricular side, an oblique position of the visualization devices is necessary. Correct determination of the RAO and LAO angle during the procedure allows to improve the procedure performed, and possible modification of the visual field when moving in the anterior, posterior and apical directions of the septum will avoid complications. Overlooking the change in the direction of the interventricular septum in the apical region and a significant decrease in the RAO angle can result in implantation of the lead into the free wall of the right ventricle with less effective pacing and even complications such as wall perforation and cardiac tamponade. The demonstrated gender differences can also be helpful in setting the right projections. A necessary addition to the analysis will be a description of the area of the ventricular septum, which we are currently working on using autopsy material.Keywords: anatomical variability, angle, electrocardiological procedure, intervetricular septum
Procedia PDF Downloads 95124 High Throughput Virtual Screening against ns3 Helicase of Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV)
Authors: Soma Banerjee, Aamen Talukdar, Argha Mandal, Dipankar Chaudhuri
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Japanese Encephalitis is a major infectious disease with nearly half the world’s population living in areas where it is prevalent. Currently, treatment for it involves only supportive care and symptom management through vaccination. Due to the lack of antiviral drugs against Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV), the quest for such agents remains a priority. For these reasons, simulation studies of drug targets against JEV are important. Towards this purpose, docking experiments of the kinase inhibitors were done against the chosen target NS3 helicase as it is a nucleoside binding protein. Previous efforts regarding computational drug design against JEV revealed some lead molecules by virtual screening using public domain software. To be more specific and accurate regarding finding leads, in this study a proprietary software Schrödinger-GLIDE has been used. Druggability of the pockets in the NS3 helicase crystal structure was first calculated by SITEMAP. Then the sites were screened according to compatibility with ATP. The site which is most compatible with ATP was selected as target. Virtual screening was performed by acquiring ligands from databases: KinaseSARfari, KinaseKnowledgebase and Published inhibitor Set using GLIDE. The 25 ligands with best docking scores from each database were re-docked in XP mode. Protein structure alignment of NS3 was performed using VAST against MMDB, and similar human proteins were docked to all the best scoring ligands. The low scoring ligands were chosen for further studies and the high scoring ligands were screened. Seventy-three ligands were listed as the best scoring ones after performing HTVS. Protein structure alignment of NS3 revealed 3 human proteins with RMSD values lesser than 2Å. Docking results with these three proteins revealed the inhibitors that can interfere and inhibit human proteins. Those inhibitors were screened. Among the ones left, those with docking scores worse than a threshold value were also removed to get the final hits. Analysis of the docked complexes through 2D interaction diagrams revealed the amino acid residues that are essential for ligand binding within the active site. Interaction analysis will help to find a strongly interacting scaffold among the hits. This experiment yielded 21 hits with the best docking scores which could be investigated further for their drug like properties. Aside from getting suitable leads, specific NS3 helicase-inhibitor interactions were identified. Selection of Target modification strategies complementing docking methodologies which can result in choosing better lead compounds are in progress. Those enhanced leads can lead to better in vitro testing.Keywords: antivirals, docking, glide, high-throughput virtual screening, Japanese encephalitis, ns3 helicase
Procedia PDF Downloads 223123 Detection of Alzheimer's Protein on Nano Designed Polymer Surfaces in Water and Artificial Saliva
Authors: Sevde Altuntas, Fatih Buyukserin
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Alzheimer’s disease is responsible for irreversible neural damage of brain parts. One of the disease markers is Amyloid-β 1-42 protein that accumulates in the brain in the form plaques. The basic problem for detection of the protein is the low amount of protein that cannot be detected properly in body liquids such as blood, saliva or urine. To solve this problem, tests like ELISA or PCR are proposed which are expensive, require specialized personnel and can contain complex protocols. Therefore, Surface-enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) a good candidate for detection of Amyloid-β 1-42 protein. Because the spectroscopic technique can potentially allow even single molecule detection from liquid and solid surfaces. Besides SERS signal can be improved by using nanopattern surface and also is specific to molecules. In this context, our study proposes to fabricate diagnostic test models that utilize Au-coated nanopatterned polycarbonate (PC) surfaces modified with Thioflavin - T to detect low concentrations of Amyloid-β 1-42 protein in water and artificial saliva medium by the enhancement of protein SERS signal. The nanopatterned PC surface that was used to enhance SERS signal was fabricated by using Anodic Alumina Membranes (AAM) as a template. It is possible to produce AAMs with different column structures and varying thicknesses depending on voltage and anodization time. After fabrication process, the pore diameter of AAMs can be arranged with dilute acid solution treatment. In this study, two different columns structures were prepared. After a surface modification to decrease their surface energy, AAMs were treated with PC solution. Following the solvent evaporation, nanopatterned PC films with tunable pillared structures were peeled off from the membrane surface. The PC film was then modified with Au and Thioflavin-T for the detection of Amyloid-β 1-42 protein. The protein detection studies were conducted first in water via this biosensor platform. Same measurements were conducted in artificial saliva to detect the presence of Amyloid Amyloid-β 1-42 protein. SEM, SERS and contact angle measurements were carried out for the characterization of different surfaces and further demonstration of the protein attachment. SERS enhancement factor calculations were also completed via experimental results. As a result, our research group fabricated diagnostic test models that utilize Au-coated nanopatterned polycarbonate (PC) surfaces modified with Thioflavin-T to detect low concentrations of Alzheimer’s Amiloid – β protein in water and artificial saliva medium. This work was supported by The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) Grant No: 214Z167.Keywords: alzheimer, anodic aluminum oxide, nanotopography, surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy
Procedia PDF Downloads 284122 Immobilization of Horseradish Peroxidase onto Bio-Linked Magnetic Particles with Allium Cepa Peel Water Extracts
Authors: Mirjana Petronijević, Sanja Panić, Aleksandra Cvetanović, Branko Kordić, Nenad Grba
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Enzyme peroxidases are biological catalysts and play a major role in phenolic wastewater treatments and other environmental applications. The most studied species from the peroxidases family is horseradish peroxidase (HRP). In environmental processes, HRP could be used in its free or immobilized form. Enzyme immobilization onto solid support is performed to improve the enzyme properties, prolong its lifespan and operational stability and allow its reuse in industrial applications. One of the enzyme supports of a newer generation is magnetic particles (MPs). Fe₃O₄ MPs are the most widely pursued immobilization of enzymes owing to their remarkable advantages of biocompatibility and non-toxicity. Also, MPs can be easily separated and recovered from the water by applying an external magnetic field. On the other hand, metals and metal oxides are not suitable for the covalent binding of enzymes, so it is necessary to perform their surface modification. Fe₃O₄ MPs functionalization could be performed during the process of their synthesis if it takes place in the presence of plant extracts. Extracts of plant material, such as wild plants, herbs, even waste materials of the food and agricultural industry (bark, shell, leaves, peel), are rich in various bioactive components such as polyphenols, flavonoids, sugars, etc. When the synthesis of magnetite is performed in the presence of plant extracts, bioactive components are incorporated into the surface of the magnetite, thereby affecting its functionalization. In this paper, the suitability of bio-magnetite as solid support for covalent immobilization of HRP across glutaraldehyde was examined. The activity of immobilized HRP at different pH values (4-9) and temperatures (20-80°C) and reusability were examined. Bio-MP was synthesized by co-precipitation method from Fe(II) and Fe(III) sulfate salts in the presence of water extract of the Allium cepa peel. The water extract showed 81% of antiradical potential (according to DPPH assay), which is connected with the high content of polyphenols. According to the FTIR analysis, the bio-magnetite contains oxygen functional groups (-OH, -COOH, C=O) suitable for binding to glutaraldehyde, after which the enzyme is covalently immobilized. The immobilized enzyme showed high activity at ambient temperature and pH 7 (30 U/g) and retained ≥ 80% of its activity at a wide range of pH (5-8) and temperature (20-50°C). The HRP immobilized onto bio-MPs showed remarkable stability towards temperature and pH variations compared to the free enzyme form. On the other hand, immobilized HRP showed low reusability after the first washing cycle enzyme retains 50% of its activity, while after the third washing cycle retains only 22%.Keywords: bio-magnetite, enzyme immobilization, water extracts, environmental protection
Procedia PDF Downloads 213121 Modeling and Simulating Productivity Loss Due to Project Changes
Authors: Robert Pellerin, Michel Gamache, Remi Trudeau, Nathalie Perrier
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The context of large engineering projects is particularly favorable to the appearance of engineering changes and contractual modifications. These elements are potential causes for claims. In this paper, we investigate one of the critical components of the claim management process: the calculation of the impacts of changes in terms of losses of productivity due to the need to accelerate some project activities. When project changes are initiated, delays can arise. Indeed, project activities are often executed in fast-tracking in an attempt to respect the completion date. But the acceleration of project execution and the resulting rework can entail important costs as well as induce productivity losses. In the past, numerous methods have been proposed to quantify the duration of delays, the gains achieved by project acceleration, and the loss of productivity. The calculation related to those changes can be divided into two categories: direct cost and indirect cost. The direct cost is easily quantifiable as opposed to indirect costs which are rarely taken into account during the calculation of the cost of an engineering change or contract modification despite several research projects have been made on this subject. However, proposed models have not been accepted by companies yet, nor they have been accepted in court. Those models require extensive data and are often seen as too specific to be used for all projects. These techniques are also ignoring the resource constraints and the interdependencies between the causes of delays and the delays themselves. To resolve this issue, this research proposes a simulation model that mimics how major engineering changes or contract modifications are handled in large construction projects. The model replicates the use of overtime in a reactive scheduling mode in order to simulate the loss of productivity present when a project change occurs. Multiple tests were conducted to compare the results of the proposed simulation model with statistical analysis conducted by other researchers. Different scenarios were also conducted in order to determine the impact the number of activities, the time of occurrence of the change, the availability of resources, and the type of project changes on productivity loss. Our results demonstrate that the number of activities in the project is a critical variable influencing the productivity of a project. When changes occur, the presence of a large number of activities leads to a much lower productivity loss than a small number of activities. The speed of reducing productivity for 30-job projects is about 25 percent faster than the reduction speed for 120-job projects. The moment of occurrence of a change also shows a significant impact on productivity. Indeed, the sooner the change occurs, the lower the productivity of the labor force. The availability of resources also impacts the productivity of a project when a change is implemented. There is a higher loss of productivity when the amount of resources is restricted.Keywords: engineering changes, indirect costs overtime, productivity, scheduling, simulation
Procedia PDF Downloads 234120 Conserving Naubad Karez Cultural Landscape – a Multi-Criteria Approach to Urban Planning
Authors: Valliyil Govindankutty
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Human civilizations across the globe stand testimony to water being one of the major interaction points with nature. The interactions with nature especially in drier areas revolve around water, be it harnessing, transporting, usage and management. Many ingenious ideas were born, nurtured and developed for harnessing, transporting, storing and distributing water through the areas in the drier parts of the world. Many methods of water extraction, collection and management could be found throughout the world, some of which are associated with efficient, sustained use of surface water, ground water and rain water. Karez is one such ingenious method of collection, transportation, storage and distribution of ground water. Most of the Karez systems in India were developed during reign of Muslim dynasties with ruling class descending from Persia or having influential connections and inviting expert engineers from there. Karez have strongly influenced the village socio-economic organisations due to multitude of uses they were brought into. These are masterpiece engineering structures to collect groundwater and direct it, through a subsurface gallery with a gradual slope, to surface canals that provide water to settlements and agricultural fields. This ingenious technology, karez was result of need for harnessing groundwater in arid areas like that of Bidar. The study views this traditional technology in historical perspective linked to sustainable utilization and management of groundwater and above all the immediate environment. The karez system is one of the best available demonstration of human ingenuity and adaptability to situations and locations of water scarcity. Bidar, capital of erstwhile Bahmani sultanate with a history of more than 700 years or more is one of the heritage cities of present Karnataka State. The unique water systems of Bidar along with other historic entities have been listed under World Heritage Watch List by World Monument Fund. The Historical or cultural landscape in Bidar is very closely associated to the natural resources of the region, Karez systems being one of the best examples. The Karez systems were the lifeline of Bidar’s historical period providing potable water, fulfilling domestic and irrigation needs, both within and outside the fort enclosures. These systems are still functional, but under great pressure and threat of rapid and unplanned urbanisation. The change in land use and fragmentation of land are already paving way for irreversible modification of the karez cultural and geographic landscape. The Paper discusses the significance of character defining elements of Naubad Karez Landscape, highlights the importance of conserving cultural heritage and presents a geographical approach to its revival.Keywords: Karez, groundwater, traditional water harvesting, cultural heritage landscape, urban planning
Procedia PDF Downloads 489119 The Effects of Grape Waste Bioactive Compounds on the Immune Response and Oxidative Stress in Pig Kidney
Authors: Mihai Palade, Gina Cecilia Pistol, Mariana Stancu, Veronica Chedea, Ionelia Taranu
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Nutrition is an important determinant of general health status, with especially focus on prevention and/or attenuation of the inflammatory-associated pathologies. People with chronic kidney disease can experience chronic inflammation that can lead to cardiovascular disease and even an increased rate of death. There are important links between chronic kidney diseases, inflammation and nutritional strategies that may prevent or protect against undesirable inflammation and oxidative stress. The grape by-products either seeds or pomace are rich in polyphenols which may be beneficial in prevention of inflammatory, antioxidant and antimicrobial processes. As a model for studying the impact of grape seeds on renal inflammation and oxidative stress, we used in this study weaned piglets. After a feeding trial of 30 days with a control diet and an experimental diet containing 5% grape seed (GS), kidney samples were collected. In renal tissues were determined the expression and activity of important markers of immune respose and oxidative stress: pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta, IL-6, IL-8, IFN-gamma), anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-4, IL-10), anti-oxidant enzymes (catalase CAT, superoxide dismutase SOD, glutathione peroxidise GPx) and important mediators belonging to nuclear receptors (NF-kB1, Nrf-2 and PPAR-gamma). Gene expression was evaluated by qPCR, whereas protein concentration was determined using proteomic techniques (ELISA). The activity of anti-oxidant enzymes was determined using specific kits. Our results showed that GS enriched in polyphenols does not have effect on TNF-alpha, IL-6 and IL-1 beta gene expression and protein concentration in kidney. By contrast, the gene expression and protein level of IL-8 and IFN-gamma were decreased in GS kidney. Anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-4 and IL-10 gene levels were increased in kidneys collected from GS piglets in comparison with controls, with no modification of protein levels between the two groups. The activities of anti-oxidant enzymes CAT and GPx were increased in kidney by GS, whereas SOD activity was unmodified in comparison with control samples. Also, the GS diet was associated with no modulation of mRNAs for nuclear receptors NF-kB1, Nrf-2 and PPAR-gamma gene expressions in kidneys. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that GS enriched in bioactive compounds such polyphenols could modulate inflammation and oxidative stress markers in kidney tissues. Further studies are necessary to elucidate the mechanism of action of GS compounds in case kidney inflammation associated with oxidative stress, and signalling molecules involved in these mechanisms.Keywords: animal model, kidney inflammation, oxidative stress, grape seed
Procedia PDF Downloads 289118 Ocean Planner: A Web-Based Decision Aid to Design Measures to Best Mitigate Underwater Noise
Authors: Thomas Folegot, Arnaud Levaufre, Léna Bourven, Nicolas Kermagoret, Alexis Caillard, Roger Gallou
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Concern for negative impacts of anthropogenic noise on the ocean’s ecosystems has increased over the recent decades. This concern leads to a similar increased willingness to regulate noise-generating activities, of which shipping is one of the most significant. Dealing with ship noise requires not only knowledge about the noise from individual ships, but also how the ship noise is distributed in time and space within the habitats of concern. Marine mammals, but also fish, sea turtles, larvae and invertebrates are mostly dependent on the sounds they use to hunt, feed, avoid predators, during reproduction to socialize and communicate, or to defend a territory. In the marine environment, sight is only useful up to a few tens of meters, whereas sound can propagate over hundreds or even thousands of kilometers. Directive 2008/56/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of June 17, 2008 called the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) require the Member States of the European Union to take the necessary measures to reduce the impacts of maritime activities to achieve and maintain a good environmental status of the marine environment. The Ocean-Planner is a web-based platform that provides to regulators, managers of protected or sensitive areas, etc. with a decision support tool that enable to anticipate and quantify the effectiveness of management measures in terms of reduction or modification the distribution of underwater noise, in response to Descriptor 11 of the MSFD and to the Marine Spatial Planning Directive. Based on the operational sound modelling tool Quonops Online Service, Ocean-Planner allows the user via an intuitive geographical interface to define management measures at local (Marine Protected Area, Natura 2000 sites, Harbors, etc.) or global (Particularly Sensitive Sea Area) scales, seasonal (regulation over a period of time) or permanent, partial (focused to some maritime activities) or complete (all maritime activities), etc. Speed limit, exclusion area, traffic separation scheme (TSS), and vessel sound level limitation are among the measures supported be the tool. Ocean Planner help to decide on the most effective measure to apply to maintain or restore the biodiversity and the functioning of the ecosystems of the coastal seabed, maintain a good state of conservation of sensitive areas and maintain or restore the populations of marine species.Keywords: underwater noise, marine biodiversity, marine spatial planning, mitigation measures, prediction
Procedia PDF Downloads 119117 Modification of Magneto-Transport Properties of Ferrimagnetic Mn₄N Thin Films by Ni Substitution and Their Magnetic Compensation
Authors: Taro Komori, Toshiki Gushi, Akihito Anzai, Taku Hirose, Kaoru Toko, Shinji Isogami, Takashi Suemasu
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Ferrimagnetic antiperovskite Mn₄₋ₓNiₓN thin film exhibits both small saturation magnetization and rather large perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) when x is small. Both of them are suitable features for application to current induced domain wall motion devices using spin transfer torque (STT). In this work, we successfully grew antiperovskite 30-nm-thick Mn₄₋ₓNiₓN epitaxial thin films on MgO(001) and STO(001) substrates by MBE in order to investigate their crystalline qualities and magnetic and magneto-transport properties. Crystalline qualities were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The magnetic properties were measured by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) at room temperature. Anomalous Hall effect was measured by physical properties measurement system. Both measurements were performed at room temperature. Temperature dependence of magnetization was measured by VSM-Superconducting quantum interference device. XRD patterns indicate epitaxial growth of Mn₄₋ₓNiₓN thin films on both substrates, ones on STO(001) especially have higher c-axis orientation thanks to greater lattice matching. According to VSM measurement, PMA was observed in Mn₄₋ₓNiₓN on MgO(001) when x ≤ 0.25 and on STO(001) when x ≤ 0.5, and MS decreased drastically with x. For example, MS of Mn₃.₉Ni₀.₁N on STO(001) was 47.4 emu/cm³. From the anomalous Hall resistivity (ρAH) of Mn₄₋ₓNiₓN thin films on STO(001) with the magnetic field perpendicular to the plane, we found out Mr/MS was about 1 when x ≤ 0.25, which suggests large magnetic domains in samples and suitable features for DW motion device application. In contrast, such square curves were not observed for Mn₄₋ₓNiₓN on MgO(001), which we attribute to difference in lattice matching. Furthermore, it’s notable that although the sign of ρAH was negative when x = 0 and 0.1, it reversed positive when x = 0.25 and 0.5. The similar reversal occurred for temperature dependence of magnetization. The magnetization of Mn₄₋ₓNiₓN on STO(001) increases with decreasing temperature when x = 0 and 0.1, while it decreases when x = 0.25. We considered that these reversals were caused by magnetic compensation which occurred in Mn₄₋ₓNiₓN between x = 0.1 and 0.25. We expect Mn atoms of Mn₄₋ₓNiₓN crystal have larger magnetic moments than Ni atoms do. The temperature dependence stated above can be explained if we assume that Ni atoms preferentially occupy the corner sites, and their magnetic moments have different temperature dependence from Mn atoms at the face-centered sites. At the compensation point, Mn₄₋ₓNiₓN is expected to show very efficient STT and ultrafast DW motion with small current density. What’s more, if angular momentum compensation is found, the efficiency will be best optimized. In order to prove the magnetic compensation, X-ray magnetic circular dichroism will be performed. Energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry is a candidate method to analyze the accurate composition ratio of samples.Keywords: compensation, ferrimagnetism, Mn₄N, PMA
Procedia PDF Downloads 129116 Study on Metabolic and Mineral Balance, Oxidative Stress and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Type 2 Diabetic Patients on Different Therapy
Authors: E. Nemes-Nagy, E. Fogarasi, M. Croitoru, A. Nyárádi, K. Komlódi, S. Pál, A. Kovács, O. Kopácsy, R. Tripon, Z. Fazakas, C. Uzun, Z. Simon-Szabó, V. Balogh-Sămărghițan, E. Ernő Nagy, M. Szabó, M. Tilinca
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Intense oxidative stress, increased glycated hemoglobin and mineral imbalance represent risk factors for complications in diabetic patients. Cardiovascular complications are most common in these patients, including nephropathy. This study was conducted in 2015 at the Procardia Laboratory in Tîrgu Mureș, Romania on 40 type 2 diabetic adults. Routine biochemical tests were performed on the Konleab 20XTi analyzer (serum glucose, total cholesterol, LDL and HDL cholesterol, triglyceride, creatinine, urea). We also measured serum uric acid, magnesium and calcium concentration by photometric procedures, potassium, sodium and chloride by ion selective electrode, and chromium by atomic absorption spectrometry in a group of patients. Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) dosage was made by reflectometry. Urine analysis was performed using the HandUReader equipment. The level of oxidative stress was measured by serum malondialdehyde dosage using the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances method. MDRD (Modification of Diet in Renal Disease) formula was applied for calculation of creatinine-derived glomerular filtration rate. GraphPad InStat software was used for statistical analysis of the data. The diabetic subject included in the study presented high MDA concentrations, showing intense oxidative stress. Calcium was deficient in 5% of the patients, chromium deficiency was present in 28%. The atherogenic cholesterol fraction was elevated in 13% of the patients. Positive correlation was found between creatinine and MDRD-creatinine values (p<0.0001), 68% of the patients presented increased creatinine values. The majority of the diabetic patients had good control of their diabetes, having optimal HbA1c values, 35% of them presented fasting serum glucose over 120 mg/dl and 18% had glucosuria. Intense oxidative stress and mineral deficiencies can increase the risk of cardiovascular complications in diabetic patients in spite of their good metabolic balance. More than two third of the patients present biochemical signs of nephropathy, cystatin C dosage and microalbuminuria could reveal better the kidney disorder, but glomerular filtration rate calculation formulas are also useful for evaluation of renal function.Keywords: cardiovascular risk, homocysteine, malondialdehyde, metformin, minerals, type 2 diabetes, vitamin B12
Procedia PDF Downloads 313115 A Dynamic Mechanical Thermal T-Peel Test Approach to Characterize Interfacial Behavior of Polymeric Textile Composites
Authors: J. R. Büttler, T. Pham
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Basic understanding of interfacial mechanisms is of importance for the development of polymer composites. For this purpose, we need techniques to analyze the quality of interphases, their chemical and physical interactions and their strength and fracture resistance. In order to investigate the interfacial phenomena in detail, advanced characterization techniques are favorable. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) using a rheological system is a sensitive tool. T-peel tests were performed with this system, to investigate the temperature-dependent peel behavior of woven textile composites. A model system was made of polyamide (PA) woven fabric laminated with films of polypropylene (PP) or PP modified by grafting with maleic anhydride (PP-g-MAH). Firstly, control measurements were performed with solely PP matrixes. Polymer melt investigations, as well as the extensional stress, extensional viscosity and extensional relaxation modulus at -10°C, 100 °C and 170 °C, demonstrate similar viscoelastic behavior for films made of PP-g-MAH and its non-modified PP-control. Frequency sweeps have shown that PP-g-MAH has a zero phase viscosity of around 1600 Pa·s and PP-control has a similar zero phase viscosity of 1345 Pa·s. Also, the gelation points are similar at 2.42*104 Pa (118 rad/s) and 2.81*104 Pa (161 rad/s) for PP-control and PP-g-MAH, respectively. Secondly, the textile composite was analyzed. The extensional stress of PA66 fabric laminated with either PP-control or PP-g-MAH at -10 °C, 25 °C and 170 °C for strain rates of 0.001 – 1 s-1 was investigated. The laminates containing the modified PP need more stress for T-peeling. However, the strengthening effect due to the modification decreases by increasing temperature and at 170 °C, just above the melting temperature of the matrix, the difference disappears. Independent of the matrix used in the textile composite, there is a decrease of extensional stress by increasing temperature. It appears that the more viscous is the matrix, the weaker the laminar adhesion. Possibly, the measurement is influenced by the fact that the laminate becomes stiffer at lower temperatures. Adhesive lap-shear testing at room temperature supports the findings obtained with the T-peel test. Additional analysis of the textile composite at the microscopic level ensures that the fibers are well embedded in the matrix. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging of a cross section of the composite shows no gaps between the fibers and matrix. Measurements of the water contact angle show that the MAH grafted PP is more polar than the virgin-PP, and that suggests a more favorable chemical interaction of PP-g-MAH with PA, compared to the non-modified PP. In fact, this study indicates that T-peel testing by DMTA is a technique to achieve more insights into polymeric textile composites.Keywords: dynamic mechanical thermal analysis, interphase, polyamide, polypropylene, textile composite
Procedia PDF Downloads 125114 Controllable Modification of Glass-Crystal Composites with Ion-Exchange Technique
Authors: Andrey A. Lipovskii, Alexey V. Redkov, Vyacheslav V. Rusan, Dmitry K. Tagantsev, Valentina V. Zhurikhina
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The presented research is related to the development of recently proposed technique of the formation of composite materials, like optical glass-ceramics, with predetermined structure and properties of the crystalline component. The technique is based on the control of the size and concentration of the crystalline grains using the phenomenon of glass-ceramics decrystallization (vitrification) induced by ion-exchange. This phenomenon was discovered and explained in the beginning of the 2000s, while related theoretical description was given in 2016 only. In general, the developed theory enables one to model the process and optimize the conditions of ion-exchange processing of glass-ceramics, which provide given properties of crystalline component, in particular, profile of the average size of the crystalline grains. The optimization is possible if one knows two dimensionless parameters of the theoretical model. One of them (β) is the value which is directly related to the solubility of crystalline component of the glass-ceramics in the glass matrix, and another (γ) is equal to the ratio of characteristic times of ion-exchange diffusion and crystalline grain dissolution. The presented study is dedicated to the development of experimental technique and simulation which allow determining these parameters. It is shown that these parameters can be deduced from the data on the space distributions of diffusant concentrations and average size of crystalline grains in the glass-ceramics samples subjected to ion-exchange treatment. Measurements at least at two temperatures and two processing times at each temperature are necessary. The composite material used was a silica-based glass-ceramics with crystalline grains of Li2OSiO2. Cubical samples of the glass-ceramics (6x6x6 mm3) underwent the ion exchange process in NaNO3 salt melt at 520 oC (for 16 and 48 h), 540 oC (for 8 and 24 h), 560 oC (for 4 and 12 h), and 580 oC (for 2 and 8 h). The ion exchange processing resulted in the glass-ceramics vitrification in the subsurface layers where ion-exchange diffusion took place. Slabs about 1 mm thick were cut from the central part of the samples and their big facets were polished. These slabs were used to find profiles of diffusant concentrations and average size of the crystalline grains. The concentration profiles were determined from refractive index profiles measured with Max-Zender interferometer, and profiles of the average size of the crystalline grains were determined with micro-Raman spectroscopy. Numerical simulation were based on the developed theoretical model of the glass-ceramics decrystallization induced by ion exchange. The simulation of the processes was carried out for different values of β and γ parameters under all above-mentioned ion exchange conditions. As a result, the temperature dependences of the parameters, which provided a reliable coincidence of the simulation and experimental data, were found. This ensured the adequate modeling of the process of the glass-ceramics decrystallization in 520-580 oC temperature interval. Developed approach provides a powerful tool for fine tuning of the glass-ceramics structure, namely, concentration and average size of crystalline grains.Keywords: diffusion, glass-ceramics, ion exchange, vitrification
Procedia PDF Downloads 265113 Active Vibration Reduction for a Flexible Structure Bonded with Sensor/Actuator Pairs on Efficient Locations Using a Developed Methodology
Authors: Ali H. Daraji, Jack M. Hale, Ye Jianqiao
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With the extensive use of high specific strength structures to optimise the loading capacity and material cost in aerospace and most engineering applications, much effort has been expended to develop intelligent structures for active vibration reduction and structural health monitoring. These structures are highly flexible, inherently low internal damping and associated with large vibration and long decay time. The modification of such structures by adding lightweight piezoelectric sensors and actuators at efficient locations integrated with an optimal control scheme is considered an effective solution for structural vibration monitoring and controlling. The size and location of sensor and actuator are important research topics to investigate their effects on the level of vibration detection and reduction and the amount of energy provided by a controller. Several methodologies have been presented to determine the optimal location of a limited number of sensors and actuators for small-scale structures. However, these studies have tackled this problem directly, measuring the fitness function based on eigenvalues and eigenvectors achieved with numerous combinations of sensor/actuator pair locations and converging on an optimal set using heuristic optimisation techniques such as the genetic algorithms. This is computationally expensive for small- and large-scale structures subject to optimise a number of s/a pairs to suppress multiple vibration modes. This paper proposes an efficient method to determine optimal locations for a limited number of sensor/actuator pairs for active vibration reduction of a flexible structure based on finite element method and Hamilton’s principle. The current work takes the simplified approach of modelling a structure with sensors at all locations, subjecting it to an external force to excite the various modes of interest and noting the locations of sensors giving the largest average percentage sensors effectiveness measured by dividing all sensor output voltage over the maximum for each mode. The methodology was implemented for a cantilever plate under external force excitation to find the optimal distribution of six sensor/actuator pairs to suppress the first six modes of vibration. It is shown that the results of the optimal sensor locations give good agreement with published optimal locations, but with very much reduced computational effort and higher effectiveness. Furthermore, it is shown that collocated sensor/actuator pairs placed in these locations give very effective active vibration reduction using optimal linear quadratic control scheme.Keywords: optimisation, plate, sensor effectiveness, vibration control
Procedia PDF Downloads 224112 Parallelization of Random Accessible Progressive Streaming of Compressed 3D Models over Web
Authors: Aayushi Somani, Siba P. Samal
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Three-dimensional (3D) meshes are data structures, which store geometric information of an object or scene, generally in the form of vertices and edges. Current technology in laser scanning and other geometric data acquisition technologies acquire high resolution sampling which leads to high resolution meshes. While high resolution meshes give better quality rendering and hence is used often, the processing, as well as storage of 3D meshes, is currently resource-intensive. At the same time, web applications for data processing have become ubiquitous owing to their accessibility. For 3D meshes, the advancement of 3D web technologies, such as WebGL, WebVR, has enabled high fidelity rendering of huge meshes. However, there exists a gap in ability to stream huge meshes to a native client and browser application due to high network latency. Also, there is an inherent delay of loading WebGL pages due to large and complex models. The focus of our work is to identify the challenges faced when such meshes are streamed into and processed on hand-held devices, owing to its limited resources. One of the solutions that are conventionally used in the graphics community to alleviate resource limitations is mesh compression. Our approach deals with a two-step approach for random accessible progressive compression and its parallel implementation. The first step includes partition of the original mesh to multiple sub-meshes, and then we invoke data parallelism on these sub-meshes for its compression. Subsequent threaded decompression logic is implemented inside the Web Browser Engine with modification of WebGL implementation in Chromium open source engine. This concept can be used to completely revolutionize the way e-commerce and Virtual Reality technology works for consumer electronic devices. These objects can be compressed in the server and can be transmitted over the network. The progressive decompression can be performed on the client device and rendered. Multiple views currently used in e-commerce sites for viewing the same product from different angles can be replaced by a single progressive model for better UX and smoother user experience. Can also be used in WebVR for commonly and most widely used activities like virtual reality shopping, watching movies and playing games. Our experiments and comparison with existing techniques show encouraging results in terms of latency (compressed size is ~10-15% of the original mesh), processing time (20-22% increase over serial implementation) and quality of user experience in web browser.Keywords: 3D compression, 3D mesh, 3D web, chromium, client-server architecture, e-commerce, level of details, parallelization, progressive compression, WebGL, WebVR
Procedia PDF Downloads 165111 Investigation of the Usability of Biochars Obtained from Olive Pomace and Smashed Olive Seeds as Additives for Bituminous Binders
Authors: Muhammed Ertugrul Celoglu, Beyza Furtana, Mehmet Yilmaz, Baha Vural Kok
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Biomass, which is considered to be one of the largest renewable energy sources in the world, has a potential to be utilized as a bitumen additive after it is processed by a wide variety of thermochemical methods. Furthermore, biomasses are renewable in short amounts of time, and they possess a hydrocarbon structure. These characteristics of biomass promote their usability as additives. One of the most common ways to create materials with significant economic values from biomasses is the processes of pyrolysis. Pyrolysis is defined as the process of an organic matter’s thermochemical degradation (carbonization) at a high temperature and in an anaerobic environment. The resultant liquid substance at the end of the pyrolysis is defined as bio-oil, whereas the resultant solid substance is defined as biochar. Olive pomace is the resultant mildly oily pulp with seeds after olive is pressed and its oil is extracted. It is a significant source of biomass as the waste of olive oil factories. Because olive pomace is waste material, it could create problems just as other waste unless there are appropriate and acceptable areas of utilization. The waste material, which is generated in large amounts, is generally used as fuel and fertilizer. Generally, additive materials are used in order to improve the properties of bituminous binders, and these are usually expensive materials, which are produced chemically. The aim of this study is to investigate the usability of biochars obtained after subjecting olive pomace and smashed olive seeds, which are considered as waste materials, to pyrolysis as additives in bitumen modification. In this way, various ways of use will be provided for waste material, providing both economic and environmental benefits. In this study, olive pomace and smashed olive seeds were used as sources of biomass. Initially, both materials were ground and processed through a No.50 sieve. Both of the sieved materials were subjected to pyrolysis (carbonization) at 400 ℃. Following the process of pyrolysis, bio-oil and biochar were obtained. The obtained biochars were added to B160/220 grade pure bitumen at 10% and 15% rates and modified bitumens were obtained by mixing them in high shear mixtures at 180 ℃ for 1 hour at 2000 rpm. Pure bitumen and four different types of bitumen obtained as a result of the modifications were tested with penetration, softening point, rotational viscometer, and dynamic shear rheometer, evaluating the effects of additives and the ratios of additives. According to the test results obtained, both biochar modifications at both ratios provided improvements in the performance of pure bitumen. In the comparison of the test results of the binders modified with the biochars of olive pomace and smashed olive seed, it was revealed that there was no notable difference in their performances.Keywords: bituminous binders, biochar, biomass, olive pomace, pomace, pyrolysis
Procedia PDF Downloads 129110 Garnet-based Bilayer Hybrid Solid Electrolyte for High-Voltage Cathode Material Modified with Composite Interface Enabler on Lithium-Metal Batteries
Authors: Kumlachew Zelalem Walle, Chun-Chen Yang
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Solid-state lithium metal batteries (SSLMBs) are considered promising candidates for next-generation energy storage devices due to their superior energy density and excellent safety. However, recent findings have shown that the formation of lithium (Li) dendrites in SSLMBs still exhibits a terrible growth ability, which makes the development of SSLMBs have to face the challenges posed by the Li dendrite problem. In this work, an inorganic/organic mixture coating material (g-C3N4/ZIF-8/PVDF) was used to modify the surface of lithium metal anode (LMA). Then the modified LMA (denoted as g-C₃N₄@Li) was assembled with lithium nafion (LiNf) coated commercial NCM811 (LiNf@NCM811) using a bilayer hybrid solid electrolyte (Bi-HSE) that incorporated 20 wt.% (vs. polymer) LiNf coated Li6.05Ga0.25La3Zr2O11.8F0.2 ([email protected]) filler faced to the positive electrode and the other layer with 80 wt.% (vs. polymer) filler content faced to the g-C₃N₄@Li. The garnet-type Li6.05Ga0.25La3Zr2O11.8F0.2 (LG0.25LZOF) solid electrolyte was prepared via co-precipitation reaction process from Taylor flow reactor and modified using lithium nafion (LiNf), a Li-ion conducting polymer. The Bi-HSE exhibited high ionic conductivity of 6.8 10–4 S cm–1 at room temperature, and a wide electrochemical window (0–5.0 V vs. Li/Li+). The coin cell was charged between 2.8 to 4.5 V at 0.2C and delivered an initial specific discharge capacity of 194.3 mAh g–1 and after 100 cycles it maintained 81.8% of its initial capacity at room temperature. The presence of a nano-sheet g-C3N4/ZIF-8/PVDF as a composite coating material on the LMA surface suppress the dendrite growth and enhance the compatibility as well as the interfacial contact between anode/electrolyte membrane. The g-C3N4@Li symmetrical cells incorporating this hybrid electrolyte possessed excellent interfacial stability over 1000 h at 0.1 mA cm–2 and a high critical current density (1 mA cm–2). Moreover, the in-situ formation of Li3N on the solid electrolyte interface (SEI) layer as depicted from the XPS result also improves the ionic conductivity and interface contact during the charge/discharge process. Therefore, these novel multi-layered fabrication strategies of hybrid/composite solid electrolyte membranes and modification of the LMA surface using mixed coating materials have potential applications in the preparation of highly safe high-voltage cathodes for SSLMBs.Keywords: high-voltage cathodes, hybrid solid electrolytes, garnet, graphitic-carbon nitride (g-C3N4), ZIF-8 MOF
Procedia PDF Downloads 61109 Cycle-Oriented Building Components and Constructions Made from Paper Materials
Authors: Rebecca Bach, Evgenia Kanli, Nihat Kiziltoprak, Linda Hildebrand, Ulrich Knaack, Jens Schneider
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The building industry has a high demand for resources and at the same time is responsible for a significant amount of waste created worldwide. Today's building components need to contribute to the protection of natural resources without creating waste. This is defined in the product development phase and impacts the product’s degree of being cycle-oriented. Paper-based materials show advantage due to their renewable origin and their ability to incorporate different functions. Besides the ecological aspects like renewable origin and recyclability the main advantages of paper materials are its light-weight but stiff structure, the optimized production processes and good insulation values. The main deficits from building technology’s perspective are the material's vulnerability to humidity and water as well as inflammability. On material level, those problems can be solved by coatings or through material modification. On construction level intelligent setup and layering of a building component can improve and also solve these issues. The target of the present work is to provide an overview of developed building components and construction typologies mainly made from paper materials. The research is structured in four parts: (1) functions and requirements, (2) preselection of paper-based materials, (3) development of building components and (4) evaluation. As part of the research methodology at first the needs of the building sector are analyzed with the aim to define the main areas of application and consequently the requirements. Various paper materials are tested in order to identify to what extent the requirements are satisfied and determine potential optimizations or modifications, also in combination with other construction materials. By making use of the material’s potentials and solving the deficits on material and on construction level, building components and construction typologies are developed. The evaluation and the calculation of the structural mechanics and structural principals will show that different construction typologies can be derived. Profiles like paper tubes can be used at best for skeleton constructions. Massive structures on the other hand can be formed by plate-shaped elements like solid board or honeycomb. For insulation purposes corrugated cardboard or cellulose flakes have the best properties, while layered solid board can be applied to prevent inner condensation. Enhancing these properties by material combinations for instance with mineral coatings functional constructions mainly out of paper materials were developed. In summary paper materials offer a huge variety of possible applications in the building sector. By these studies a general base of knowledge about how to build with paper was developed and is to be reinforced by further research.Keywords: construction typologies, cycle-oriented construction, innovative building material, paper materials, renewable resources
Procedia PDF Downloads 271108 Biocultural Biographies and Molecular Memories: A Study of Neuroepigenetics and How Trauma Gets under the Skull
Authors: Elsher Lawson-Boyd
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In the wake of the Human Genome Project, the life sciences have undergone some fascinating changes. In particular, conventional beliefs relating to gene expression are being challenged by advances in postgenomic sciences, especially by the field of epigenetics. Epigenetics is the modification of gene expression without changes in the DNA sequence. In other words, epigenetics dictates that gene expression, the process by which the instructions in DNA are converted into products like proteins, is not solely controlled by DNA itself. Unlike gene-centric theories of heredity that characterized much of the 20th Century (where the genes were considered as having almost god-like power to create life), gene expression in epigenetics insists on environmental ‘signals’ or ‘exposures’, a point that radically deviates from gene-centric thinking. Science and Technology Studies (STS) scholars have shown that epigenetic research is having vast implications for the ways in which chronic, non-communicable diseases are conceptualized, treated, and governed. However, to the author’s knowledge, there have not yet been any in-depth sociological engagements with neuroepigenetics that examine how the field is affecting mental health and trauma discourse. In this paper, the author discusses preliminary findings from a doctoral ethnographic study on neuroepigenetics, trauma, and embodiment. Specifically, this study investigates the kinds of causal relations neuroepigenetic researchers are making between experiences of trauma and the development of mental illnesses like complex post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), both throughout a human’s lifetime and across generations. Using qualitative interviews and nonparticipant observation, the author focuses on two public-facing research centers based in Melbourne: Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health (FNMH), and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI). Preliminary findings indicate that a great deal of ambiguity characterizes this infant field, particularly when animal-model experiments are employed and the results are translated into human frameworks. Nevertheless, researchers at the FNMH and MCRI strongly suggest that adverse and traumatic life events have a significant effect on gene expression, especially when experienced during early development. Furthermore, they predict that neuroepigenetic research will have substantial implications for the ways in which mental illnesses like complex PTSD are diagnosed and treated. These preliminary findings shed light on why medical and health sociologists have good reason to be chiming in, engaging with and de-black-boxing ideations emerging from postgenomic sciences, as they may indeed have significant effects for vulnerable populations not only in Australia but other developing countries in the Global South.Keywords: genetics, mental illness, neuroepigenetics, trauma
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