Search results for: experimental method
Commenced in January 2007
Frequency: Monthly
Edition: International
Paper Count: 23876

Search results for: experimental method

11336 Structural Design Optimization of Reinforced Thin-Walled Vessels under External Pressure Using Simulation and Machine Learning Classification Algorithm

Authors: Lydia Novozhilova, Vladimir Urazhdin

Abstract:

An optimization problem for reinforced thin-walled vessels under uniform external pressure is considered. The conventional approaches to optimization generally start with pre-defined geometric parameters of the vessels, and then employ analytic or numeric calculations and/or experimental testing to verify functionality, such as stability under the projected conditions. The proposed approach consists of two steps. First, the feasibility domain will be identified in the multidimensional parameter space. Every point in the feasibility domain defines a design satisfying both geometric and functional constraints. Second, an objective function defined in this domain is formulated and optimized. The broader applicability of the suggested methodology is maximized by implementing the Support Vector Machines (SVM) classification algorithm of machine learning for identification of the feasible design region. Training data for SVM classifier is obtained using the Simulation package of SOLIDWORKS®. Based on the data, the SVM algorithm produces a curvilinear boundary separating admissible and not admissible sets of design parameters with maximal margins. Then optimization of the vessel parameters in the feasibility domain is performed using the standard algorithms for the constrained optimization. As an example, optimization of a ring-stiffened closed cylindrical thin-walled vessel with semi-spherical caps under high external pressure is implemented. As a functional constraint, von Mises stress criterion is used but any other stability constraint admitting mathematical formulation can be incorporated into the proposed approach. Suggested methodology has a good potential for reducing design time for finding optimal parameters of thin-walled vessels under uniform external pressure.

Keywords: design parameters, feasibility domain, von Mises stress criterion, Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier

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11335 The Racism Found in Capitalism’s Poetry

Authors: Rich Murphy

Abstract:

‘The Racism Found in Capitalism’s Poetry’ claims that since the death of philosophy and the end of art modern poetry has been upstaged by capitalist poetry using similar strategies and techniques; while both sublime moments use spectacle one is more effective. The essay also claims that capitalist poetry is open to racism and analyzes KFC advertising campaign to produce evidence of wide spread acceptance in an era of ‘micro-aggressions’ and confederate flag removals. The essay spends considerable time outlining the history of advertising and the weak literary counters to it that inevitably lent its assistance in education. The essay also suggests that the concept of ‘Enormous Irony’ may be the only way to counter. However, as long as capitalism is the method of the economy and governance, the essay suggests, there was little hope in spite of Obama’s election.

Keywords: modern poetry, advertising, Kentucky fried chicken, capitalism, poetry

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11334 A Contribution to Human Activities Recognition Using Expert System Techniques

Authors: Malika Yaici, Soraya Aloui, Sara Semchaoui

Abstract:

This paper deals with human activity recognition from sensor data. It is an active research area, and the main objective is to obtain a high recognition rate. In this work, a recognition system based on expert systems is proposed; the recognition is performed using the objects, object states, and gestures and taking into account the context (the location of the objects and of the person performing the activity, the duration of the elementary actions and the activity). The system recognizes complex activities after decomposing them into simple, easy-to-recognize activities. The proposed method can be applied to any type of activity. The simulation results show the robustness of our system and its speed of decision.

Keywords: human activity recognition, ubiquitous computing, context-awareness, expert system

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11333 The Way of the English Use of Businessmen for the ASEAN Economic Community in Chonburi Province

Authors: Kittivate Boonyopakorn

Abstract:

The purposes of this study were to investigate the method of the English use of the businessmen and to study their behavior of the utilization for the ASEAN economic community. The participants were divided into the three types of the merchants including the construction contractors, the construction material traders, and SME entrepreneurs. Survey questionnaires and interviews were used in this study. The findings showed that in the type of traders, 23 of the participants are construction contractors, 121 are construction material traders, and 206 are SME entrepreneurs. The study of English in language institute is highly 51.4%. The use of Google in translating English into Thai is 41.7%. Learning English themselves is 41.1% respectively. The businessmen study English for readiness for their trade.

Keywords: way of rnglish use, businessmen, ASEAN economic community, Chonburi province

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11332 The Mediator as an Evaluator: An Analysis of Evaluation as a Method for the Lawyer’s Reform to Mediation

Authors: Dionne Coley B. A.

Abstract:

The role of a lawyer as a mediator is to be impartial in assisting parties to arrive at a decision. This decision should be made in a voluntary and mutually acceptable manner where the mediator encourages the parties to communicate, identify their interests, assess risks and consider settlement options. One of the key components to mediation is impartiality where mediators are to have a duty to remain impartial throughout the course of mediation and uphold an “objective” demeanor with both parties. The question is whether a mediator should take on evaluative role while encouraging the parties to come to a decision. This means that the mediator would not only encourage dialogue and responses between the parties but also assess and provide an opinion on the matter. This paper submits the argument that the role of a mediator should not be one of evaluation as this does not encourage the dialogue, process or desired outcomes associated with mediation.

Keywords: evaluation, lawyer, mediation, reform

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11331 Synthesis and D.C. Conductivity Measurements of Polyaniline/CopperOxide Nanocomposites

Authors: L. N. Shubha, P. Madhusudana Rao

Abstract:

The Polyaniline / Copper Oxide(PANI / CuO) nanocomposite was prepared by solution mixing of prepared Polyaniline and copper Oxide in Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). The synthesis involved the formation of dark green colored Polyaniline-Copper Oxide nanocomposite. The synthesized polymer nano composites were characterized by XRD, FTIR, SEM and UV-Visible Spectroscopy. The characteristic peaks in XRD, FTIR and UV-Visible spectra confirmed the presence of CuO in the polymer structure. SEM analysis revealed formation of PANI/CuO nano composite The D.C. conductivity measurements were performed using two probe method for various temperatures.

Keywords: polyaniline/copper oxide (PANI/CuO) nanocomposite, XRD, SEM, FTIRand DC- conductivity, UV-visible spectra

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11330 Characterization of Graphene Oxide Coated Gold Electrodes for Bioimpedance Measurements

Authors: Fatma Gülden Şi̇mşek, Osman Meli̇h Can, Mehmet Yumak, Bora Gari̇pcan, Yekta Ülgen

Abstract:

In this study, the impedance spectroscopy is used as a detection tool in order to characterize surface coating with graphene oxide. Gold electrodes are produced by standard lithography procedures and then coated with graphene oxide using self-assembly method. The impedance of redox solution through bare gold electrodes and graphene oxide coated gold electrodes is measured in the low and high frequency range. The graphene oxide coating reduces the impedance value of the gold electrode and this reduction is distinguishable in the low-frequency range.

Keywords: bioimpedance, electrode characterization, graphene oxide, gold electrodes, impedance spectroscopy

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11329 Biophotovoltaics in 3D: Simplifying Concepts

Authors: Mary Booth

Abstract:

Biophotovoltaics is a method of green energy generation derived from exposing plants to lights. Its vast potential is hampered by the public’s relative ignorance of its existence. This work aims to formalize the principles of the physical processes of biophotovoltaics into a comprehensible visual software model, thus amplifying the human thought process. The methods used involve initially crafting a scale model of a working biophotovoltaic system from household materials inspired by the work of Paolo Bombelli. The scale model is then programmed into a system-level simulation, wherein a 3D animation dissects the system and its general energy generation process. The completed 3D system-level simulation ultimately creates a simplified visual understanding of the complex principles of the biophotovoltaic system.

Keywords: 3D, biophotovoltaics, render

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11328 Evidence from the Field: The Case Study of Golitos as an Effective Soccer Program for Autism Spectrum Disorder Children

Authors: J. O. Alvarez, L. Y. Rivera

Abstract:

Physical activity can reduce symptomatology in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The sport of soccer has been widely applied as a therapeutic method for ASD children. However, empirical results from soccer programs are not widely known. This paper presents the case study of Golitos, the only dedicated soccer program for children on the island of Puerto Rico, and analyzes its results in the reduction of ASD social and emotional symptoms. The paper shows evidence that suggests that program approach, content, and community-based elements can make a notable difference in the effectiveness of using soccer or sports as therapeutic methods for children with ASD.

Keywords: autism, soccer, program, community

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11327 Various Sources of N-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Supplementation Modulate Mitochondria Membrane Composition and Function

Authors: Wen-Ting Wang, Wei-An Tsai, Rong-Hong Hsieh

Abstract:

Long term taking high fat diet can lead to over production of energy, result in accumulation of body fat, dyslipidemia and increased lipid metabolism in the body. Over metabolism of lipid results in excessive reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress, may also cause mitochondrial dysfunction and cell death. Krill oil, fish oil and linseed oil are good sources of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). The present study investigated the effect of high fat diet and various oil rich of n-3 fatty acids on mitochondrial function and cell membrane composition. Six-weeks old male Spraque-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 8 groups including: control group, high fat diet group, low dosage and high dosage krill oil group, low dosage and high dosage fish oil group, and low dosage and high dosage linseed oil group. After 12 weeks of experimental period, the low dosage krill oil, fish oil group and linseed oil group with different dosage prevented mitochondrial dysfunction caused by high fat diet. The supplementation of different oils increased plasma, erythrocyte and mitochondrial n-3/n-6 ratio and further increased the proportion of PUFA in erythrocyte and mitochondrial membrane. It also decreased serum triglyceride (TG) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) concentration. However, there was no significant change in serum total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), biomarker of liver function, glucose, insulin, homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and plasma malonadialdehyde (MDA) concentration when compared with high fat diet group. The supplementation of different sources of n-3 PUFA can maintain mitochondrial function and modulate cell membrane fatty acid composition in high fat diet conditions, and there is a positive relationship between mitochondrial function and mitochondrial membrane composition.

Keywords: fish oil, linseed oil, mitochondria, n-3 PUFA

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11326 Antioxidant Potential of Pomegranate Rind Extract Attenuates Pain, Inflammation and Bone Damage in Experimental Rats

Authors: Ritu Karwasra, Surender Singh

Abstract:

Inflammation is an important physiological response of the body’s self-defense system that helps in eliminating and protecting organism from harmful stimuli and in tissue repair. It is a highly regulated protective response which helps in eliminating the initial cause of cell injury, and initiates the process of repair. The present study was designed to evaluate the ameliorative effect of pomegranate rind extract on pain and inflammation. Hydroalcoholic standardized rind extract of pomegranate at doses 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg and indomethacin (3 mg/kg) was tested against eddy’s hot plate induced thermal algesia, carrageenan (acute inflammation) and Complete Freund’s Adjuvant (chronic inflammation) induced models in Wistar rats. Parameters analyzed were inhibition of paw edema, measurement of joint diameter, levels of GSH, TBARS, SOD, TNF-α, radiographic imaging, tissue histology and synovial expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine receptor (TNF-R1). Radiological and light microscopical analysis were carried out to find out the bone damage in CFA-induced chronic inflammatory model. Findings of the present study revealed that pomegranate rind extract at a dose of 200 mg/kg caused a significant (p<0.05) reduction in paw swelling in both the inflammatory models. Nociceptive threshold was also significantly (p<0.05) improved. Immunohistochemical analysis of TNF-R1 in CFA-induced group showed elevated level, whereas reduction in level of TNF-R1 was observed in pomegranate (200 mg/kg). Henceforth, we might say that pomegranate produced a dose-dependent reduction in inflammation and pain along with the reduction in levels of oxidative stress markers and tissue histology, and the effect was found to be comparable to that of indomethacin. Thus, it can be concluded that pomegranate is a potential therapeutic target in the pathogenesis of inflammation and pain, and punicalagin is the major constituents found in rind extract might be responsible for the activity.

Keywords: carrageenan, inflammation, nociceptive-threshold, pomegranate, histopathology

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11325 The Antecedents of Thai Women's Entry into National Politics in Thailand

Authors: Somsak Assavasirisilp

Abstract:

The purposes of this research were to study the level of participation in the politic activities of Thai women, to study the factors influencing the Thai women’s entry into national politics, and to study the problems and obstacles to prevent women from enter national politics. This was a mixed research method of both qualitative and quantitative technique. The findings revealed that there were many problems and obstacles, especially culture and social norm, to prevent women from enter national politics and did not have many factors to support Thai women to become successful women politician.

Keywords: culture, social norm, national politics, Thai women

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11324 River Habitat Modeling for the Entire Macroinvertebrate Community

Authors: Pinna Beatrice., Laini Alex, Negro Giovanni, Burgazzi Gemma, Viaroli Pierluigi, Vezza Paolo

Abstract:

Habitat models rarely consider macroinvertebrates as ecological targets in rivers. Available approaches mainly focus on single macroinvertebrate species, not addressing the ecological needs and functionality of the entire community. This research aimed to provide an approach to model the habitat of the macroinvertebrate community. The approach is based on the recently developed Flow-T index, together with a Random Forest (RF) regression, which is employed to apply the Flow-T index at the meso-habitat scale. Using different datasets gathered from both field data collection and 2D hydrodynamic simulations, the model has been calibrated in the Trebbia river (2019 campaign), and then validated in the Trebbia, Taro, and Enza rivers (2020 campaign). The three rivers are characterized by a braiding morphology, gravel riverbeds, and summer low flows. The RF model selected 12 mesohabitat descriptors as important for the macroinvertebrate community. These descriptors belong to different frequency classes of water depth, flow velocity, substrate grain size, and connectivity to the main river channel. The cross-validation R² coefficient (R²𝒸ᵥ) of the training dataset is 0.71 for the Trebbia River (2019), whereas the R² coefficient for the validation datasets (Trebbia, Taro, and Enza Rivers 2020) is 0.63. The agreement between the simulated results and the experimental data shows sufficient accuracy and reliability. The outcomes of the study reveal that the model can identify the ecological response of the macroinvertebrate community to possible flow regime alterations and to possible river morphological modifications. Lastly, the proposed approach allows extending the MesoHABSIM methodology, widely used for the fish habitat assessment, to a different ecological target community. Further applications of the approach can be related to flow design in both perennial and non-perennial rivers, including river reaches in which fish fauna is absent.

Keywords: ecological flows, macroinvertebrate community, mesohabitat, river habitat modeling

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11323 Design Aspects of 3D Printing for Fashion and Textiles

Authors: Chi-Chung Marven Chick, Chu-Po Ho, Sau-Chuen Joe Au, Wing-Fai Sidney Wong, Chi-Wai Kan

Abstract:

3D printing is now drawing attention to manufacturing process. In fashion and textile industry, many 3D printing applications had been developed for prototyping or even final product production because of its great flexibility in production. However, when compared with conventional manufacturing processes for fashion and textiles, the design aspects and requirements may not be same for using 3D printing process. Therefore, in this paper, we will compare the design aspects between conventional manufacturing processes and 3D printing processes. Also, the material requirements related to the design in 3D printing for fashion and textiles will be reviewed and discussed. This review paper may demonstrate a possible way to develop 3D printing method(s) for fashion and textiles.

Keywords: 3D printing, design, textile, applications

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11322 Design of Lead-Lag Based Internal Model Controller for Binary Distillation Column

Authors: Rakesh Kumar Mishra, Tarun Kumar Dan

Abstract:

Lead-Lag based Internal Model Control method is proposed based on Internal Model Control (IMC) strategy. In this paper, we have designed the Lead-Lag based Internal Model Control for binary distillation column for SISO process (considering only bottom product). The transfer function has been taken from Wood and Berry model. We have find the composition control and disturbance rejection using Lead-Lag based IMC and comparing with the response of simple Internal Model Controller.

Keywords: SISO, lead-lag, internal model control, wood and berry, distillation column

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11321 Predicting Open Chromatin Regions in Cell-Free DNA Whole Genome Sequencing Data by Correlation Clustering  

Authors: Fahimeh Palizban, Farshad Noravesh, Amir Hossein Saeidian, Mahya Mehrmohamadi

Abstract:

In the recent decade, the emergence of liquid biopsy has significantly improved cancer monitoring and detection. Dying cells, including those originating from tumors, shed their DNA into the blood and contribute to a pool of circulating fragments called cell-free DNA. Accordingly, identifying the tissue origin of these DNA fragments from the plasma can result in more accurate and fast disease diagnosis and precise treatment protocols. Open chromatin regions are important epigenetic features of DNA that reflect cell types of origin. Profiling these features by DNase-seq, ATAC-seq, and histone ChIP-seq provides insights into tissue-specific and disease-specific regulatory mechanisms. There have been several studies in the area of cancer liquid biopsy that integrate distinct genomic and epigenomic features for early cancer detection along with tissue of origin detection. However, multimodal analysis requires several types of experiments to cover the genomic and epigenomic aspects of a single sample, which will lead to a huge amount of cost and time. To overcome these limitations, the idea of predicting OCRs from WGS is of particular importance. In this regard, we proposed a computational approach to target the prediction of open chromatin regions as an important epigenetic feature from cell-free DNA whole genome sequence data. To fulfill this objective, local sequencing depth will be fed to our proposed algorithm and the prediction of the most probable open chromatin regions from whole genome sequencing data can be carried out. Our method integrates the signal processing method with sequencing depth data and includes count normalization, Discrete Fourie Transform conversion, graph construction, graph cut optimization by linear programming, and clustering. To validate the proposed method, we compared the output of the clustering (open chromatin region+, open chromatin region-) with previously validated open chromatin regions related to human blood samples of the ATAC-DB database. The percentage of overlap between predicted open chromatin regions and the experimentally validated regions obtained by ATAC-seq in ATAC-DB is greater than 67%, which indicates meaningful prediction. As it is evident, OCRs are mostly located in the transcription start sites (TSS) of the genes. In this regard, we compared the concordance between the predicted OCRs and the human genes TSS regions obtained from refTSS and it showed proper accordance around 52.04% and ~78% with all and the housekeeping genes, respectively. Accurately detecting open chromatin regions from plasma cell-free DNA-seq data is a very challenging computational problem due to the existence of several confounding factors, such as technical and biological variations. Although this approach is in its infancy, there has already been an attempt to apply it, which leads to a tool named OCRDetector with some restrictions like the need for highly depth cfDNA WGS data, prior information about OCRs distribution, and considering multiple features. However, we implemented a graph signal clustering based on a single depth feature in an unsupervised learning manner that resulted in faster performance and decent accuracy. Overall, we tried to investigate the epigenomic pattern of a cell-free DNA sample from a new computational perspective that can be used along with other tools to investigate genetic and epigenetic aspects of a single whole genome sequencing data for efficient liquid biopsy-related analysis.

Keywords: open chromatin regions, cancer, cell-free DNA, epigenomics, graph signal processing, correlation clustering

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11320 On Phase Based Stereo Matching and Its Related Issues

Authors: András Rövid, Takeshi Hashimoto

Abstract:

The paper focuses on the problem of the point correspondence matching in stereo images. The proposed matching algorithm is based on the combination of simpler methods such as normalized sum of squared differences (NSSD) and a more complex phase correlation based approach, by considering the noise and other factors, as well. The speed of NSSD and the preciseness of the phase correlation together yield an efficient approach to find the best candidate point with sub-pixel accuracy in stereo image pairs. The task of the NSSD in this case is to approach the candidate pixel roughly. Afterwards the location of the candidate is refined by an enhanced phase correlation based method which in contrast to the NSSD has to run only once for each selected pixel.

Keywords: stereo matching, sub-pixel accuracy, phase correlation, SVD, NSSD

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11319 Optimization of Structures Subjected to Earthquake

Authors: Alireza Lavaei, Alireza Lohrasbi, Mohammadali M. Shahlaei

Abstract:

To reduce the overall time of structural optimization for earthquake loads two strategies are adopted. In the first strategy, a neural system consisting self-organizing map and radial basis function neural networks, is utilized to predict the time history responses. In this case, the input space is classified by employing a self-organizing map neural network. Then a distinct RBF neural network is trained in each class. In the second strategy, an improved genetic algorithm is employed to find the optimum design. A 72-bar space truss is designed for optimal weight using exact and approximate analysis for the El Centro (S-E 1940) earthquake loading. The numerical results demonstrate the computational advantages and effectiveness of the proposed method.

Keywords: optimization, genetic algorithm, neural networks, self-organizing map

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11318 Expression of DNMT Enzymes-Regulated miRNAs Involving in Epigenetic Event of Tumor and Margin Tissues in Patients with Breast Cancer

Authors: Fatemeh Zeinali Sehrig

Abstract:

Background: miRNAs play an important role in the post-transcriptional regulation of genes, including genes involved in DNA methylation (DNMTs), and are also important regulators of oncogenic pathways. The study of microRNAs and DNMTs in breast cancer allows the development of targeted treatments and early detection of this cancer. Methods and Materials: Clinical Patients and Samples: Institutional guidelines, including ethical approval and informed consent, were followed by the Ethics Committee (Ethics code: IR.IAU.TABRIZ.REC.1401.063) of Tabriz Azad University, Tabriz, Iran. In this study, tissues of 100 patients with breast cancer and tissues of 100 healthy women were collected from Noor Nejat Hospital in Tabriz. The basic characteristics of the patients with breast cancer included: 1) tumor grade(Grade 3 = 5%, Grade 2 = 87.5%, Grade 1 = 7.5%), 2) lymph node(Yes = 87.5%, No = 12.5%), 3) family cancer history(Yes = 47.5%, No = 41.3%, Unknown = 11.2%), 4) Abortion history(Yes = 36.2%). In silico methods (data gathering, process, and building networks): Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), a high-throughput genomic database, was queried for miRNA expression profiles in breast cancer. For Experimental protocol Tissue Processing, Total RNA isolation, complementary DNA(cDNA) synthesis, and quantitative real time PCR (QRT-PCR) analysis were performed. Results: In the present study, we found significant (p.value<0.05) changes in the expression level of miRNAs and DNMTs in patients with breast cancer. In bioinformatics studies, the GEO microarray data set, similar to qPCR results, showed a decreased expression of miRNAs and increased expression of DNMTs in breast cancer. Conclusion: According to the results of the present study, which showed a decrease in the expression of miRNAs and DNMTs in breast cancer, it can be said that these genes can be used as important diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers in breast cancer.

Keywords: gene expression omnibus, microarray dataset, breast cancer, miRNA, DNMT (DNA methyltransferases)

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11317 Electronic, Magnetic and Optic Properties in Halide Perovskites CsPbX3 (X= F, Cl, I)

Authors: B. Bouadjemi, S. Bentata, T. Lantri, Souidi Amel, W.Bensaali, A. Zitouni, Z. Aziz

Abstract:

We performed first-principle calculations, the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method is used to calculate structural, optoelectronic and magnetic properties of cubic halide perovskites CsPbX3 (X= F,I). We employed for this study the GGA approach and for exchange is modeled using the modified Becke-Johnson (mBJ) potential to predicting the accurate band gap of these materials. The optical properties (namely: the real and imaginary parts of dielectric functions, optical conductivities and absorption coefficient absorption make this halide perovskites promising materials for solar cells applications.

Keywords: halide perovskites, mBJ, solar cells, FP-LAPW, optoelectronic properties, absorption coefficient

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11316 Single and Combined Effects of Diclofenac and Ibuprofen on Daphnia Magna and Some Phytoplankton Species

Authors: Ramatu I. Sha’aba, Mathias A. Chia, Abdullahi B. Alhassan, Yisa A. Gana, Ibrahim M. Gadzama

Abstract:

Globally, Diclofenac (DLC) and Ibuprofen (IBU) are the most prescribed drugs due to their antipyretic and analgesic properties. They are, however, highly toxic at elevated doses, with the involvement of an already described oxidative stress pathway. As a result, there is rising concern about the ecological fate of analgesics on non-target organisms such as Daphnia magna and Phytoplankton species. Phytoplankton is a crucial component of the aquatic ecosystem that serves as the primary producer at the base of the food chain. However, the increasing presence and levels of micropollutants such as these analgesics can disrupt their community structure, dynamics, and ecosystem functions. This study presents a comprehensive series of the physiology, antioxidant response, immobilization, and risk assessment of Diclofenac and Ibuprofen’s effects on Daphnia magna and the Phytoplankton community using a laboratory approach. The effect of DLC and IBU at 27.16 µg/L and 20.89 µg/L, respectively, for a single exposure and 22.39 µg/L for combined exposure of DLC and IBU for the experimental setup. The antioxidant response increased with increasing levels of stress. The highest stressor to the organism was 1000 µg/L of DLC and 10,000 µg/L of IBU. Peroxidase and glutathione -S-transferase activity was higher for Diclofenac + Ibuprofen. The study showed 60% and 70% immobilization of the organism at 1000 g L-1 of DLC and IBU. The two drugs and their combinations adversely impacted Phytoplankton biomass with increased exposure time. However, combining the drugs resulted in more significant adverse effects on physiological and pigment content parameters. The risk assessment calculation for the risk quotient and toxic unit of the analgesic reveals from this study was RQ Diclofenac = 8.41, TU Diclofenac = 3.68, and RQ Ibuprofen = 718.05 and TU Ibuprofen = 487.70. Hence, these findings demonstrate that the current exposure concentrations of Diclofenac and Ibuprofen can immobilize D. magna. This study shows the dangers of multiple drugs in the aquatic environment because their combinations could have additive effects on the structure and functions of Phytoplankton and are capable of immobilizing D. magna.

Keywords: algae, analgesic drug, daphnia magna, toxicity

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11315 Applying Tourist Gaze in Structuring of Global Tourism in Solo City

Authors: Eko Nursanty, Joesron Alie Syahbana, Atik Suprapti

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Tourist gaze is a set of experiences that experienced by a tourist in attempt to familiarize himself with the certain local tourism site’s condition. It is started from looking for information prior arriving at the location, then during the visit and gaining unique experience with the local inhabitant, and then experiencing the ingenuity of the location, finally to bring impression that keeps on attaching despite leaving from it. This research attempted to grab the message of tourist gaze in the process of structuring which is conducted in the global tourism in the cities in Indonesia, particularly Solo as the study case of the research. The method employed is the field observation of qualitative research. The expected result is to relate the tourist gaze theory with the development of ongoing global tourism.

Keywords: tourist gaze, tourism, city branding, Solo

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11314 GIS Based Project Management Information System for Infrastructure Projects

Authors: Riki Panchal, Debasis Sarkar

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This paper describes the work done for the GIS-based project management for different infrastructure projects. It is a review paper which gives the idea of the trends in the construction project management and various models adopted for the betterment of the project planning and execution. Traditional scheduling and progress control techniques such as bar charts and the critical path method fail to provide information pertaining to the spatial aspects of a construction project. An integrated system was developed to represent construction progress not only in terms of a CPM schedule but also in terms of a graphical representation of the construction that is synchronized with the work schedule. Hence, it is suggested to work on the common platform from where all the data can be shared and analyzed.

Keywords: GIS, project management, integrated model, infrastructure project

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11313 A Study of Mental Health of Wife of Patients with HIV+ and Effects of Life Skills on Promotion of Their Mental Health

Authors: Ali Karimi, Shabnam Karimifam, Amirhosein Karimi, Farahnaz Pournavvab

Abstract:

Researches have emphasis on the important role of psychosocial support and appropriate interventions for individuals that involved in serious physical and psychological problems . Patients with AIDS are often discussed in studies, but sometimes the psychological conditions of the people who live with them are ignored. In the present study, while paying attention to the spouses of AIDS patients, the role of supportive interventions has been investigated. the other word , Researchers Show that life skills training causes significant improvement in the mean scores of mothers physical health , mental health, social relationship and ultimately quality of life in the experimental group . The purpose of this study is determine of mental health of Twenty-one wives of patients with HIV+ In Shiraz ( city in sought of Iran) and effects of life skills on promotion of their mental health . Sampling was systematic randomize . These women were selected and invited to the training program based on their husbands' file numbers, who were selected to the counseling center for people with AIDS. first , they filled out GHQ questionnaires . Then , the life skills training for 8 sessions were taught for these women . Results indicated that Psychological condition of wife of patients with HIV+ was not appropriate . Scores of most them were above of cut of point of questionnaires .T test was done . worse scores were Assigned to anxiety and weakness in social functions . In the other hand , life skills have been effective significantly only in social functions of women . Scores of research’s participants in anxiety , depression and total test score were enhanced , but have not been significant . In the main of article , researchers have discussed why life skills training does not have much effect on some emotional problems .Despite the fact that life skills training had a positive effect on these spouses, but due to the stress of women with AIDS spouses, life skills training did not show much effectiveness, and for outstanding effects, there is a need for individual psychological treatments and broader social support.

Keywords: Hiv, aids, social suport, life skills

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11312 Press Hardening of Tubes with Additional Interior Spray Cooling

Authors: B. A. Behrens, H. J. Maier, A. Neumann, J. Moritz, S. Hübner, T. Gretzki, F. Nürnberger, A. Spiekermeier

Abstract:

Press-hardened profiles are used e.g. for automotive applications in order to improve light weight construction due to the high reachable strength. The application of interior water-air spray cooling contributes to significantly reducing the cycle time in the production of heat-treated tubes. This paper describes a new manufacturing method for producing press-hardened hollow profiles by means of an additional interior cooling based on a water-air spray. Furthermore, this paper provides the results of thorough investigations on the properties of press-hardened tubes in dependence of varying spray parameters.

Keywords: 22MnB5, press hardening, water-air spray cooling, hollow profiles, tubes

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11311 Experimental Assessment of the Effectiveness of Judicial Instructions and of Expert Testimony in Improving Jurors’ Evaluation of Eyewitness Evidence

Authors: Alena Skalon, Jennifer L. Beaudry

Abstract:

Eyewitness misidentifications can sometimes lead to wrongful convictions of innocent people. This occurs in part because jurors tend to believe confident eyewitnesses even when the identification took place under suggestive conditions. Empirical research demonstrated that jurors are often unaware of the factors that can influence the reliability of eyewitness identification. Most common legal safeguards that are designed to educate jurors about eyewitness evidence are judicial instructions and expert testimony. To date, very few studies assessed the effectiveness of judicial instructions and most of them found that judicial instructions make jurors more skeptical of eyewitness evidence or do not have any effect on jurors’ judgments. Similar results were obtained for expert testimony. However, none of the previous studies focused on the ability of legal safeguards to improve jurors’ assessment of evidence obtained from suggestive identification procedures—this is one of the gaps addressed by this paper. Furthermore, only three studies investigated whether legal safeguards improve the ultimate accuracy of jurors’ judgments—that is, whether after listening to judicial instructions or expert testimony jurors can differentiate between accurate and inaccurate eyewitnesses. This presentation includes two studies. Both studies used genuine eyewitnesses (i.e., eyewitnesses who watched the crime) and manipulated the suggestiveness of identification procedures. The first study manipulated the presence of judicial instructions; the second study manipulated the presence of one of two types of expert testimony: a traditional, verbal expert testimony or expert testimony accompanied by visual aids. All participant watched a video-recording of an identification procedure and of an eyewitness testimony. The results indicated that neither judicial instructions nor expert testimony affected jurors’ judgments. However, consistent with the previous findings, when the identification procedure was non-suggestive, jurors believed accurate eyewitnesses more often than inaccurate eyewitnesses. When the procedure was suggestive, jurors believed accurate and inaccurate eyewitnesses at the same rate. The paper will discuss the implications of these studies and directions for future research.

Keywords: expert testimony, eyewitness evidence, judicial instructions, jurors’ decision making, legal safeguards

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11310 Improved Qualitative Modeling of the Magnetization Curve B(H) of the Ferromagnetic Materials for a Transformer Used in the Power Supply for Magnetron

Authors: M. Bassoui, M. Ferfra, M. Chrayagne

Abstract:

This paper presents a qualitative modeling for the nonlinear B-H curve of the saturable magnetic materials for a transformer with shunts used in the power supply for the magnetron. This power supply is composed of a single phase leakage flux transformer supplying a cell composed of a capacitor and a diode, which double the voltage and stabilize the current, and a single magnetron at the output of the cell. A procedure consisting of a fuzzy clustering method and a rule processing algorithm is then employed for processing the constructed fuzzy modeling rules to extract the qualitative properties of the curve.

Keywords: B(H) curve, fuzzy clustering, magnetron, power supply

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11309 Hydration of Three-Piece K Peptide Fragments Studied by Means of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy

Authors: Marcin Stasiulewicz, Sebastian Filipkowski, Aneta Panuszko

Abstract:

Background: The hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, is an aggregation of the abnormal forms of peptides and proteins. Water is essential to functioning biomolecules, and it is one of the key factors influencing protein folding and misfolding. However, the hydration studies of proteins are complicated due to the complexity of protein systems. The use of model compounds can facilitate the interpretation of results involving larger systems. Objectives: The goal of the research was to characterize the properties of the hydration water surrounding the two three-residue K peptide fragments INS (Isoleucine - Asparagine - Serine) and NSR (Asparagine - Serine - Arginine). Methods: Fourier-transform infrared spectra of aqueous solutions of the tripeptides were recorded on Nicolet 8700 spectrometer (Thermo Electron Co.) Measurements were carried out at 25°C for varying molality of solute. To remove oscillation couplings from water spectra and, consequently, obtain narrow O-D semi-heavy water bands (HDO), the isotopic dilution method of HDO in H₂O was used. The difference spectra method allowed us to isolate the tripeptide-affected HDO spectrum. Results: The structural and energetic properties of water affected by the tripeptides were compared to the properties of pure water. The shift of the values of the gravity center of bands (related to the mean energy of water hydrogen bonds) towards lower values with respect to the ones corresponding to pure water suggests that the energy of hydrogen bonds between water molecules surrounding tripeptides is higher than in pure water. A comparison of the values of the mean oxygen-oxygen distances in water affected by tripeptides and pure water indicates that water-water hydrogen bonds are shorter in the presence of these tripeptides. The analysis of differences in oxygen-oxygen distance distributions between the tripeptide-affected water and pure water indicates that around the tripeptides, the contribution of water molecules with the mean energy of hydrogen bonds decreases, and simultaneously the contribution of strong hydrogen bonds increases. Conclusions: It was found that hydrogen bonds between water molecules in the hydration sphere of tripeptides are shorter and stronger than in pure water. It means that in the presence of the tested tripeptides, the structure of water is strengthened compared to pure water. Moreover, it has been shown that in the vicinity of the Asparagine - Serine - Arginine, water forms stronger and shorter hydrogen bonds. Acknowledgments: This work was funded by the National Science Centre, Poland (grant 2017/26/D/NZ1/00497).

Keywords: amyloids, K-peptide, hydration, FTIR spectroscopy

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11308 Investigation of the Aerodynamic Characteristics of a Vertical Take-Off and Landing Mini Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Configuration

Authors: Amir Abdelqodus, Mario Shehata

Abstract:

The purpose of the paper is to model and evaluate the aerodynamic coefficients and stability derivatives of a Vertical, Take-off and Landing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle configuration (VTOL UAV), which is a fixed wing UAV and a quad-copter hybrid capable of both vertical and conventional take-off and/or landing. The aerodynamic analysis of this configuration was carried out using CFD commercial package Ansys Fluent. Also, the aerodynamic coefficients for the case of the UAV without the quad-copter is carried out analytically using MATLAB programmed codes, and the resulting data is verified using Lifting Line Theory and potential method programs. The two results are then compared to understand the effect of adding the quad-copter on the aerodynamic performance of the UAV.

Keywords: aerodynamics, CFD, potential flow, UAV, VTOL

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11307 The Role of Smart Educational Aids in Learning Listening Among Pupils with Attention and Listening Problems

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

Abstract:

The recent rise of smart educational aids and the move away from traditional listening aids are leading to a fundamental shift in the way in which individuals with attention and listening problems (ALP) manipulate listening inputs and/or act appropriately to the spoken information presented to them. A total sample of twenty-six ALP pupils (m=20 and f=6) between 7-12 years old was selected from different strata based on gender, region and school. In the sample size, thirteen (10 males and 3 females) received the treatment in terms of smart classes provided with smart educational aids in a listening course that lasted for four months, while others did not (they studied the same course by the same instructor but in ordinary class). A pretest was administered to assess participants’ levels, and a posttest was given to evaluate their attention and listening comprehension performance, namely in phonetic and phonological tests with sociolinguistic themes that have been designed for this purpose. Test results were analyzed both psychoneurolinguistically and statistically. Results reveal a remarkable change in pupils’ behavioral listening where scores witnessed a significant difference in the performance of the experimental ALP group in the pretest compared to the posttest (Pupils performed better at the pretest-posttest on phonetics than at the two tests on phonology). It is concluded that smart educational aids designed for listening skills help not only increase the listening command of pupils with ALP to understand what they listen to but also develop their interactive listening capability and, at the same rate, are responsible for increasing concentrated and in-depth listening capacity. Plus, ALP pupils become able to grasp the audio content of text recordings, including educational audio recordings, news, oral stories and tales, views, spiritual/religious text and general knowledge. However, the pupils have not experienced individual smart audio-visual aids that connect listening to other language receptive and productive skills, which could be the future area of research.

Keywords: smart aids, attention, listening, problems

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