Search results for: high-dimensional process control
Commenced in January 2007
Frequency: Monthly
Edition: International
Paper Count: 23843

Search results for: high-dimensional process control

10373 Conformal Noble Metal High-Entropy Alloy Nanofilms by Atomic Layer Deposition for Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution Reaction/Oxygen Evolution Reaction Electrocatalysis Applications

Authors: Jing Lin, Zou Yiming, Goei Ronn, Li Yun, Amanda Ong Jiamin, Alfred Tok Iing Yoong

Abstract:

High-entropy alloy (HEA) coatings comprise multiple (five or more) principal elements that give superior mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties. However, the current synthesis methods of HEA coating still face huge challenges in facile and controllable preparation, as well as conformal integration, which seriously restricts their potential applications. Herein, we report a controllable synthesis of conformal quinary HEA coating consisting of noble metals (Rh, Ru, Ir, Pt, and Pd) by using the atomic layer deposition (ALD) with a post-annealing approach. This approach realizes low temperature (below 200 °C), precise control (nanoscale), and conformal synthesis (over complex substrates) of HEA coating. Furthermore, the resulting quinary HEA coating shows promising potential as a platform for catalysis, exhibiting substantially enhanced electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performances as compared to other noble metal-based structures such as single metal coating or multi-layered metal composites.

Keywords: high-entropy alloy, thin-film, catalysis, water splitting, atomic layer deposition

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10372 Cervical Cell Classification Using Random Forests

Authors: Dalwinder Singh, Amandeep Verma, Manpreet Kaur, Birmohan Singh

Abstract:

The detection of pre-cancerous changes using a Pap smear test of cervical cell is the important step for the early diagnosis of cervical cancer. The Pap smear test consists of a sample of human cells taken from the cervix which are analysed to detect cancerous and pre-cancerous stage of the given subject. The manual analysis of these cells is labor intensive and time consuming process which relies on expert cytotechnologist. In this paper, a computer assisted system for the automated analysis of the cervical cells has been proposed. We propose a morphology based approach to the nucleus detection and segmentation of the cytoplasmic region of the given single or multiple overlapped cell. Further, various texture and region based features are calculated from these cells to classify these into normal and abnormal cell. Experimental results on public available dataset show that our system has achieved satisfactory success rate.

Keywords: cervical cancer, cervical tissue, mathematical morphology, texture features

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10371 Esports: A Biomechanics and Performance Perspective

Authors: Alex S. Talan

Abstract:

The introduction of scientific terms for esports can directly affect the quality of the training process. This is a critically important scientific task since esports is a rapidly developing global sport that has only recently begun to receive scientific and methodological consideration. In this report, we evaluate esports from a biomechanical perspective. First, we examine the relationship between physical performance and esports gaming techniques, with consideration toward engineering more effective physical and in-game training methodologies for amateur and professional esports competitors. In addition, we advocate that applying biomechanical research methodologies has the added potential to improve physical performance and endurance in esports athletes. With the budding attention on the esports enterprise globally, scientific research into esports would benefit from standardizing terminologies and methodological approaches that are specifically tailored to assess esports training efficacy to enhance individual and team performance within the esports community.

Keywords: cybersport, esports, biomechanics, sports technique, training standards, dental occlusion, sports engineering, sitting pose

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10370 Selection of Landscape Plant Species: A Experiment of Noise Reduction by Vibration of Plant Leaves

Authors: Li Mengmeng, Kang Jian

Abstract:

With the rapid development of the city, the noise pollution becomes more and more serious. Noise has seriously affected people's normal life, study and work. In addition, noise has seriously affected the city's ecological environment and the migration of birds. Therefore, it is urgent to control the noise. As one of natural noise-reducing materials, plants have been paid more and more attention. In urban landscape design, it is very important to choose plant species with good noise reduction effect to the sustainable development of urban ecology. The aim of this paper is to find out the characteristics of the plant with good noise reduction effect and apply it in urban landscape design. This study investigated the vibration of leaves of six plant species in a sound field using a Keyence (IG-1000/CCD) Laser Micrometer. The results of the experiments showed that the vibration speed of plant leaves increased obviously after being stimulated by sound source, about 5-10 times. In addition, when driven by the same sound, the speed of all leaves varied with the difference of leaf thickness, leaf size and leaf mass. The speed of all leaves would increase with the increase of leaf size and leaf mass, while those would decrease with the increase of leaf thickness.

Keywords: landscape design, leaf vibration , noise attenuation, plants configuration

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10369 Development of Microwave-Assisted Alkalic Salt Pretreatment Regimes for Enhanced Sugar Recovery from Corn Cobs

Authors: Yeshona Sewsynker

Abstract:

This study presents three microwave-assisted alkalic salt pretreatments to enhance delignification and enzymatic saccharification of corn cobs. The effects of process parameters of salt concentration (0-15%), microwave power intensity (0-800 W) and pretreatment time (2-8 min) on reducing sugar yield from corn cobs were investigated. Pretreatment models were developed with the high coefficient of determination values (R2>0.85). Optimization gave a maximum reducing sugar yield of 0.76 g/g. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared analysis (FTIR) showed major changes in the lignocellulosic structure after pretreatment. A 7-fold increase in the sugar yield was observed compared to previous reports on the same substrate. The developed pretreatment strategy was effective for enhancing enzymatic saccharification from lignocellulosic wastes for microbial biofuel production processes and value-added products.

Keywords: pretreatment, lignocellulosic biomass, enzymatic hydrolysis, delignification

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10368 Selection of Designs in Ordinal Regression Models under Linear Predictor Misspecification

Authors: Ishapathik Das

Abstract:

The purpose of this article is to find a method of comparing designs for ordinal regression models using quantile dispersion graphs in the presence of linear predictor misspecification. The true relationship between response variable and the corresponding control variables are usually unknown. Experimenter assumes certain form of the linear predictor of the ordinal regression models. The assumed form of the linear predictor may not be correct always. Thus, the maximum likelihood estimates (MLE) of the unknown parameters of the model may be biased due to misspecification of the linear predictor. In this article, the uncertainty in the linear predictor is represented by an unknown function. An algorithm is provided to estimate the unknown function at the design points where observations are available. The unknown function is estimated at all points in the design region using multivariate parametric kriging. The comparison of the designs are based on a scalar valued function of the mean squared error of prediction (MSEP) matrix, which incorporates both variance and bias of the prediction caused by the misspecification in the linear predictor. The designs are compared using quantile dispersion graphs approach. The graphs also visually depict the robustness of the designs on the changes in the parameter values. Numerical examples are presented to illustrate the proposed methodology.

Keywords: model misspecification, multivariate kriging, multivariate logistic link, ordinal response models, quantile dispersion graphs

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10367 Evaluation of Lactobacillus helveticus as an Adjunct Culture for Removal of Bitterness in Iranian White-Brined Cheese

Authors: F. Nejati, Sh. Dokhani

Abstract:

Bitterness is a flavor defect encountered in some cheeses, such as Iranian white brined cheese and is responsible for reducing acceptability of the cheeses. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of an adjunct culture on removal of bitterness fro, Iranian white-brined cheese. The chemical and proteolysis characteristics of the cheese were also monitored. Bitter cheeses were made using overdose of clotting enzyme with and without L. helveticus CH-1 as an adjunct culture. Cheese made with normal doses of clotting enzyme was used as the control. Adjunct culture was applied in two different forms: attenuated and non-attenuated. Proteolysis was assessed by measuring the amount of water soluble nitrogen, 12% trichloroacetic acid soluble nitrogen and total free amino acids during ripening. A taste panel group also evaluated the cheeses at the end of ripening period. Results of the statistical analysis showed that the adjunct caused considerable proteolysis and the level of water soluble nitrogen and 12% soluble nitrogen fractions were found to be significantly higher in the treatment involving L. helveticus (respectively P < 0.05 and P < 0.01). Regarding to organoleptic evaluations, the non-shocked adjunct culture caused reduction in bitterness and enhancement of flavor in cheese.

Keywords: bitterness, Iranian white brined cheese, Lactobacillus helveticus, ripening

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10366 Lactobacillus Helveticus as an Adjunct Culture for Removal of Bitterness in White-Brined Cheese

Authors: Fatemeh Nejati, Shahram Dokhani

Abstract:

Bitterness is a flavor defect encountered in some cheeses, such as Iranian white brined cheese and is responsible for reducing acceptability of the cheeses. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of an adjunct culture on removal of bitterness fro, Iranian white-brined cheese. The chemical and proteolysis characteristics of the cheese were also monitored. Bitter cheeses were made using overdose of clotting enzyme with and without L. helveticus CH-1 as an adjunct culture. Cheese made with normal doses of clotting enzyme was used as the control. Adjunct culture was applied in two different forms: attenuated and non-attenuated. Proteolysis was assessed by measuring the amount of water soluble nitrogen, 12% trichloroacetic acid soluble nitrogen and total free amino acids during ripening. A taste panel group also evaluated the cheeses at the end of ripening period. Results of the statistical analysis showed that the adjunct caused considerable proteolysis and the level of water soluble nitrogen and 12% soluble nitrogen fractions were found to be significantly higher in the treatment involving L. helveticus (respectively P < 0.05 and P < 0.01). Regarding to organoleptic evaluations, the non-shocked adjunct culture caused reduction in bitterness and enhancement of flavor in cheese.

Keywords: Bitterness, Iranian white brined Cheese, Lactobacillus helveticus, Ripening

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10365 Influence of Resin Finishes on Properties of Khadi Fabric

Authors: Shivi Rastogi, Suman Pant

Abstract:

Khadi is an Indian fabric and also known by another name “Khaddar”. During pre-independence era, the movement of khadi manufacturing gained momentum. Over the years, khadi fabrics that were generally considered as the “second skin” of the Swadesh revolutionists changed its uniqueness. It underwent a metamorphosis from that of a patriot’s fabric, and a farmer’s apparel, to become a “fashion fabric”. Drape of garment is governed by draping quality of fabric used. Drape is an essential parameter to decide both appearance and handle of fabric. It is also a secondary determinant of fabric mechanical properties as influenced by the low stress properties, like bending length, formability, tensile and shear properties and compressibility of the fabric. In finishing, fabric is treated to add something to coat the fabric or fiber and thereby temporarily or permanently fix. Film forming agents such as thermoplastic and thermosetting resins and other surface deposits alter hand. In this study, resins were used to modify fabric hand. Three types of resins have been applied on the khadi fabric at three concentration. The effect of these finishes on drapeability, crease recovery, stiffness, tearing strength and smoothness of khadi fabrics were assessed. Silicone gave good results in imparting properties specially drape, smoothness and softness and hand of cotton and khadi fabric. KES result also showed that silicone treated samples enhanced THV rating amongst all treated samples when compared to the control fabric.

Keywords: crease recovery, drapeability, KES, silicone, THV

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10364 Geochemical Controls of Salinity in a Typical Acid Mine Drainage Neutralized Groundwater System

Authors: Modreck Gomo

Abstract:

Although the dolomite and calcite carbonates can neutralize Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) and prevent leaching of metals, salinity still remains a huge problem. The study presents a conceptual discussion of geochemical controls of salinity in a typical calcite and dolomite AMD neutralised groundwater systems. Thereafter field evidence is presented to support the conceptual discussions. 1020 field data sets of from a groundwater system reported to be under circumneutral conditions from the neutralization effect of calcite and dolomite is analysed using correlation analysis and bivariate plots. Field evidence indicates that sulphate, calcium and magnesium are strongly and positively correlated to Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) which is used as measure of salinity. In this, a hydrogeochemical system, the dissolution of sulphate, calcium and magnesium form AMD neutralization process contributed 50%, 10% and 5% of the salinity.

Keywords: acid mine drainage, carbonates, neutralization, salinity

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10363 Indoor Real-Time Positioning and Mapping Based on Manhattan Hypothesis Optimization

Authors: Linhang Zhu, Hongyu Zhu, Jiahe Liu

Abstract:

This paper investigated a method of indoor real-time positioning and mapping based on the Manhattan world assumption. In indoor environments, relying solely on feature matching techniques or other geometric algorithms for sensor pose estimation inevitably resulted in cumulative errors, posing a significant challenge to indoor positioning. To address this issue, we adopt the Manhattan world hypothesis to optimize the camera pose algorithm based on feature matching, which improves the accuracy of camera pose estimation. A special processing method was applied to image data frames that conformed to the Manhattan world assumption. When similar data frames appeared subsequently, this could be used to eliminate drift in sensor pose estimation, thereby reducing cumulative errors in estimation and optimizing mapping and positioning. Through experimental verification, it is found that our method achieves high-precision real-time positioning in indoor environments and successfully generates maps of indoor environments. This provides effective technical support for applications such as indoor navigation and robot control.

Keywords: Manhattan world hypothesis, real-time positioning and mapping, feature matching, loopback detection

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10362 Recognition of Sanitation as a Human Right: An Overview of Unresolutions and Reports That Recognizes the Human Right to Sanitation in South-Asian Countries

Authors: Anju Vaidya

Abstract:

Sanitation is concerned with proper disposal of human excreta, waste water and promotion of hygiene. Lack of sanitation impacts our environment affecting our finance, schooling, health, and thus exacerbating poverty, discrimination and exclusion of the marginalized group. Sanitation can be a route and one of the most important factor to reach the goals of all Millennium Development goals. This study aims at exploring what are the rights to sanitation of the people, how it is enacted and what challenges are being faced while implementing the right to sanitation in South-Asian countries (India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Srilanka) at government, non-government and international level. This study also aims at finding how right sanitation is interlinked with children rights. The available reports submitted by government and civil society organizations working in South-Asian countries from the website of the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights that were submitted under International covenant on economic, social and cultural rights and Convention on rights of the child have been selected and analyzed. The study uses Literature review to analyze these UN documents submitted from 2000 to 2015 in the context of South-Asian countries. Preliminary insight reveals that sanitation is recognized as one of the important factor to attain adequate standard of living. It has been found that inadequate sanitation has been a major factor that affects all aspects of life and one of its devastating impacts is increased child mortality. Many efforts have been made at national and international level in South-Asian countries to improve the state of sanitation and sanitation services. Various approaches such as Community led Total Sanitation, School led Total Sanitation, establishing Open Defecation free zone, water supply services and other sanitation and hygiene awareness programs are being launched. Despite different efforts and programs being implemented, sanitation and hygiene practices and behavior change remains to be a big challenge. Disparity in access and imbalance between urban and rural services and geographical regions, inadequate financing, clear policy framework and fragile functionality are some of the significant challenges faced while implementing these programs. Children are one of the most vulnerable group that are affected to a large extent. The study brings into light varied approaches that are being made and challenges that are being faced by government, non-government and civil society organizations while implementing the programs and strategies related to sanitation. It also highlights the relation of sanitation as a human right with child rights. This can help the stakeholders and policymakers better understand that improving sanitation situation is a process that requires learning, planning and behavior change and achieving sanitation coverage targets and motivating behavior change requires additional tools based on participation, non-discrimination and process approaches for planning and feedback.

Keywords: challenges, child rights, open defecation, sanitation as a human right

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10361 Vibration Control of Building Using Multiple Tuned Mass Dampers Considering Real Earthquake Time History

Authors: Rama Debbarma, Debanjan Das

Abstract:

The performance of multiple tuned mass dampers to mitigate the seismic vibration of structures considering real time history data is investigated in this paper. Three different real earthquake time history data like Kobe, Imperial Valley and Mammoth Lake are taken in the present study. The multiple tuned mass dampers (MTMD) are distributed at each storey. For comparative study, single tuned mass damper (STMD) is installed at top of the similar structure. This study is conducted for a fixed mass ratio (5%) and fixed damping ratio (5%) of structures. Numerical study is performed to evaluate the effectiveness of MTMDs and overall system performance. The displacement, acceleration, base shear and storey drift are obtained for both combined system (structure with MTMD and structure with STMD) for all earthquakes. The same responses are also obtained for structure without damper system. From obtained results, it is investigated that the MTMD configuration is more effective for controlling the seismic response of the primary system with compare to STMD configuration.

Keywords: Earthquake, multiple tuned mass dampers, single tuned mass damper, Time history.

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10360 Extension of D Blast Furnace Campaign Life at Tata Steel Ltd

Authors: Biswajit Seal, Dushyant Kumar, Shambhu Nath, A. B. Raju

Abstract:

Extension of blast furnace campaign life is highly desired for blast furnace operators mainly because of reduction of operating cost and to avoid capital expenditure cost. Tata Steel Ltd, Jamshedpur plant operates seven blast furnaces with combination of old and new technologies. The focus of Tata Steel Ltd is to push for increasing productivity with good quality product and increasing campaign life. This has been challenging for older furnaces because older furnaces are generally equipped with less automation, old design and old equipment. Good operational practices, appropriate remedial measures, and regular planned maintenance helps to achieve long campaign life of old furnaces. Good operating practices like stable and consistent productivity, control of burden distribution, remedial measures like stack gunning and shotcreting for protection of stack wall, enhanced cooling system, and intermediate stack repair helps to achieve long campaign life of old blast furnaces. This paper describes experiences with the current old equipment and design of Tata Steel’s D Blast Furnace for campaign life extension.

Keywords: blast furnace, burden distribution, campaign life, productivity

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10359 Adsorption of Xylene Cyanol FF onto Activated Carbon from Brachystegia Eurycoma Seed Hulls: Determination of the Optimal Conditions by Statistical Design of Experiments

Authors: F. G Okibe, C. E Gimba, V. O Ajibola, I. G Ndukwe, E. D. Paul

Abstract:

A full factorial experimental design technique at two levels and four factors (24) was used to optimize the adsorption at 615 nm of Xylene Cyanol ff in aqueous solutions onto activated carbon prepared from brachystegia eurycoma seed hulls by chemical carbonization method. The effect of pH (3 and 5), initial dye concentration (20 and 60 mg/l), adsorbent dosage (0.01 and 0.05 g), and contact time (30 and 60 min) on removal efficiency of the adsorbent for the dye were investigated at 298K. From the analysis of variance, response surface and cube plot, adsorbent dosage was observed to be the most significant factor affecting the adsorption process. However, from the interaction between the variables studied, the optimum removal efficiency was 96.80 % achieved with adsorbent dosage of 0.05 g, contact time 45 minutes, pH 3, and initial dye concentration 60 mg/l.

Keywords: factorial experimental design, adsorption, optimization, brachystegia eurycoma, xylene cyanol ff

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10358 Topic-to-Essay Generation with Event Element Constraints

Authors: Yufen Qin

Abstract:

Topic-to-Essay generation is a challenging task in Natural language processing, which aims to generate novel, diverse, and topic-related text based on user input. Previous research has overlooked the generation of articles under the constraints of event elements, resulting in issues such as incomplete event elements and logical inconsistencies in the generated results. To fill this gap, this paper proposes an event-constrained approach for a topic-to-essay generation that enforces the completeness of event elements during the generation process. Additionally, a language model is employed to verify the logical consistency of the generated results. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed model achieves a better BLEU-2 score and performs better than the baseline in terms of subjective evaluation on a real dataset, indicating its capability to generate higher-quality topic-related text.

Keywords: event element, language model, natural language processing, topic-to-essay generation.

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10357 The Effect of Mandatory International Financial Reporting Standards Reporting on Investors' Herding Practice: Evidence from Eu Equity Markets

Authors: Mohammed Lawal Danrimi, Ervina Alfan, Mazni Abdullah

Abstract:

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) encourages information-based trading and mitigates investors’ herding practice in emerging EU equity markets. Utilizing a modified non-linear model of cross-sectional absolute deviation (CSAD), we find that the hypothesis that mandatory IFRS adoption improves the information set of investors and reduces irrational investment behavior may in some cases be incorrect, and the reverse may be true. For instance, with regard to herding concerns, the new reporting benchmark has rather aggravated investors’ herding practice. However, we also find that mandatory IFRS adoption does not appear to be the only instigator of the observed herding practice; national institutional factors, particularly regulatory quality, political stability and control of corruption, also significantly contribute to investors’ herd formation around the new reporting regime. The findings would be of interest to academics, regulators and policymakers in performing a cost-benefit analysis of the so-called better reporting regime, as well as financial statement users who make decisions based on firms’ fundamental variables, treating them as significant indicators of future market movement.

Keywords: equity markets, herding, IFRS, CSAD

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10356 Daily Stand-up Meetings - Relationships with Psychological Safety and Well-being in Teams

Authors: Sarah Rietze, Hannes Zacher

Abstract:

Daily stand-up meetings are the most commonly used method in agile teams. In daily stand-ups, team members gather to coordinate and align their efforts, typically for a predefined period of no more than 15 minutes. The primary purpose is to ask and answer the following three questions: What was accomplished yesterday? What will be done today? What obstacles are impeding my progress? Daily stand-ups aim to enhance communication, mutual understanding, and support within the team, as well as promote collective learning from mistakes through daily synchronization and transparency. The use of daily stand-ups is intended to positively influence psychological safety within teams, which is the belief that it is safe to show oneself and take personal risks. Two studies will be presented, which explore the relationships between daily stand-ups, psychological safety, and psychological well-being. In a first study, based on survey results (n = 318), we demonstrated that daily stand-ups have a positive indirect effect on job satisfaction and a negative indirect effect on turnover intention through their impact on psychological safety. In a second study, we investigate, using an experimental design, how the use of daily stand-ups in teams enhances psychological safety and well-being compared to a control group that does not use daily stand-ups. Psychological safety is considered one of the most crucial cultural factors for a sustainable, agile organization. Agile approaches, such as daily stand-ups, are a critical part of the evolving work environment and offer a proactive means to shape and foster psychological safety within teams.

Keywords: occupational wellbeing, agile work practices, psychological safety, daily stand-ups

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10355 An UHPLC (Ultra High Performance Liquid Chromatography) Method for the Simultaneous Determination of Norfloxacin, Metronidazole, and Tinidazole Using Monolithic Column-Stability Indicating Application

Authors: Asmaa Mandour, Ramzia El-Bagary, Asmaa El-Zaher, Ehab Elkady

Abstract:

Background: An UHPLC (ultra high performance liquid chromatography) method for the simultaneous determination of norfloxacin (NOR), metronidazole (MET) and tinidazole (TNZ) using monolithic column is presented. Purpose: The method is considered an environmentally friendly method with relatively low organic composition of the mobile phase. Methods: The chromatographic separation was performed using Phenomenex® Onyex Monolithic C18 (50mmx 20mm) column. An elution program of mobile phase consisted of 0.5% aqueous phosphoric acid : methanol (85:15, v/v). Where elution of all drugs was completed within 3.5 min with 1µL injection volume. The UHPLC method was applied for the stability indication of NOR in the presence of its acid degradation product ND. Results: Retention times were 0.69, 1.19 and 3.23 min for MET, TNZ and NOR, respectively. While ND retention time was 1.06 min. Linearity, accuracy, and precision were acceptable over the concentration range of 5-50µg mL-1for all drugs. Conclusions: The method is simple, sensitive and suitable for the routine quality control and dosage form assay of the three drugs and can also be used for the stability indication of NOR in the presence of its acid degradation product.

Keywords: antibacterial, monolithic cilumn, simultaneous determination, UHPLC

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10354 Impact of Electric Field on the Optical Properties of Hydrophilic Quantum Dots

Authors: Valentina V. Goftman, Vladislav A. Pankratov, Alexey V. Markin, Tangi Aubert, Zeger Hens, Sarah De Saeger, Irina Yu. Goryacheva

Abstract:

The most important requirements for biochemical applicability of quantum dots (QDs) are: 1) the surface cap should render intact or improved optical properties; 2) mono-dispersion and good stability in aqueous phase in a wide range of pH and ionic strength values; 3) presence of functional groups, available for bioconjugation; 4) minimal impact from the environment on the QDs’ properties and, vice versa, minimal influence of the QDs’ components on the environment; and 5) stability against chemical/biochemical/physical influence. The latter is especially important for in vitro and in vivo applications. For example, some physical intracellular delivery strategies (e.g., electroporation) imply a rapid high-voltage electric field impulse in order to temporarily generate hydrophilic pores in the cell plasma membrane, necessary for the passive transportation of QDs into the cell. In this regard, it is interesting to investigate how different capping layers, which can provide high stability and sufficient fluorescent properties of QDs in a water solution, behave under these abnormal conditions. In this contribution, hydrophobic core-shell CdSe/CdS/CdZnS/ZnS QDs (λem=600 nm), produced by means of the Successive Ion Layer Adsorption and Reaction (SILAR) technique, were transferred to a water solution using two of the most commonly used methods: (i) encapsulation in an amphiphilic brush polymer based on poly(maleic anhydride-alt-1-octadecene) (PMAO) modified with polyethylene glycol (PEG) chains and (ii) silica covering. Polymer encapsulation preserves the initial ligands on the QDs’ surface owing to the hydrophobic attraction between the hydrophobic groups of the amphiphilic molecules and the surface hydrophobic groups of the QDs. This covering process allows maintaining the initial fluorescent properties, but it leads to a considerable increase of the QDs’ size. However, covering with a silica shell, by means of the reverse microemulsion method, allows maintaining both size and fluorescent properties of the initial QDs. The obtained water solutions of polymer covered and silica-coated QDs in three different concentrations were exposed to a low-voltage electric field for a short time and the fluorescent properties were investigated. It is shown that the PMAO-PEG polymer acquires some additional charges in the presence of the electric field, which causes repulsion between the polymer and the QDs’ surface. This process destroys the homogeneity of the whole amphiphilic shell and it dramatically decreases the fluorescent properties (dropping to 10% from its initial value) because of the direct contact of the QDs with the strongly oxidative environment (water). In contrast, a silica shell possesses dielectric properties which allow retaining 90% of its initial fluorescence intensity, even after a longer electric impact. Thus, silica shells are clearly a preferable covering for bio-application of QDs, because – besides the high uniform morphology, controlled size and biocompatibility – it allows protecting QDs from oxidation, even under the influence of an electric field.

Keywords: electric field, polymer coating, quantum dots, silica covering, stability

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10353 Detection of Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpes Virus in a Wild Asian Elephant Calf in Thailand by Using Real-Time PCR

Authors: Bopit Puyati, Anchittha Kaewchana, Nuntita Ruksachat

Abstract:

In January 2018, a male wild elephant, approximately 2 years old, was found dead in Phu Luang Wildlife Sanctuary, Loei province. The elephant was likely to die around 2 weeks earlier. The carcass was decayed without any signs of attack or bullet. No organs were removed. A deadly viral disease was suspected. Different organs including lung, liver, intestine and tongue were collected and submitted to the veterinary research and development center, Surin province for viral detection. The samples were then examined with real-time PCR for detecting U41 Major DNA binding protein (MDBP) gene and with conventional PCR for the presence of specific polymerase gene. We used tumor necrosis factor (TNF) gene as the internal control. In our real-time PCR, elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) was recovered from lung, liver, and tongue whereas only tongue provided a positive result in the conventional PCR. All samples were positive with TNF gene detection. To our knowledge, this is the first report of EEHV detection in wild elephant in Thailand. EEHV surveillance in this wild population is strongly suggested. Linkage between EEHV in wild and domestic elephants should be further explored.

Keywords: elephant endotheliotropic herpes virus, PCR, Thailand, wild Asian elephant

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10352 Challenge Response-Based Authentication for a Mobile Voting System

Authors: Tohari Ahmad, Hudan Studiawan, Iwang Aryadinata, Royyana M. Ijtihadie, Waskitho Wibisono

Abstract:

A manual voting system has been implemented worldwide. It has some weaknesses which may decrease the legitimacy of the voting result. An electronic voting system is introduced to minimize this weakness. It has been able to provide a better result, in terms of the total time taken in the voting process and accuracy. Nevertheless, people may be reluctant to go to the polling location because of some reasons, such as distance and time. In order to solve this problem, mobile voting is implemented by utilizing mobile devices. There are many mobile voting architectures available. Overall, authenticity of the users is the common problem of all voting systems. There must be a mechanism which can verify the users’ authenticity such that only verified users can give their vote once; others cannot vote. In this paper, a challenge response-based authentication is proposed by utilizing properties of the users, for example, something they have and know. In terms of speed, the proposed system provides good result, in addition to other capabilities offered by the system.

Keywords: authentication, data protection, mobile voting, security

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10351 Exploring the Interplay Between Emotions, Employee’s Social Cognition and Decision Making Among Employees

Authors: Khushi, Simrat

Abstract:

The study aims to investigate the relationship between emotions and employee's social cognition and decision-making among employees. The sample of the study was the total number of participants, which included employees from various industries and job positions. Research papers in the same area were reviewed, providing a comprehensive review of existing literature and theoretical frameworks and shedding light on the interpersonal effects of emotions in the workplace. It emphasizes how one worker's emotions can significantly impact the overall work environment and productivity as well as the work of a common phenomenon known as Emotional contagion at the workplace, affecting social interactions and group dynamics. Therefore, this study concludes that Emotional contagion can lead to a ripple effect within the workplace, influencing the overall atmosphere and productivity. Emotions can shape how employees process information and make choices, ultimately impacting organizational outcomes.

Keywords: employee decision making, social cognition, emotions, industry, emotional contagion, workplace dynamics

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10350 Facility Detection from Image Using Mathematical Morphology

Authors: In-Geun Lim, Sung-Woong Ra

Abstract:

As high resolution satellite images can be used, lots of studies are carried out for exploiting these images in various fields. This paper proposes the method based on mathematical morphology for extracting the ‘horse's hoof shaped object’. This proposed method can make an automatic object detection system to track the meaningful object in a large satellite image rapidly. Mathematical morphology process can apply in binary image, so this method is very simple. Therefore this method can easily extract the ‘horse's hoof shaped object’ from any images which have indistinct edges of the tracking object and have different image qualities depending on filming location, filming time, and filming environment. Using the proposed method by which ‘horse's hoof shaped object’ can be rapidly extracted, the performance of the automatic object detection system can be improved dramatically.

Keywords: facility detection, satellite image, object, mathematical morphology

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10349 Prediction of Bubbly Plume Characteristics Using the Self-Similarity Model

Authors: Li Chen, Alex Skvortsov, Chris Norwood

Abstract:

Gas releasing into water can be found in for many industrial situations. This process results in the formation of bubbles and acoustic emission which depends upon the bubble characteristics. If the bubble creation rates (bubble volume flow rate) are of interest, an inverse method has to be used based on the measurement of acoustic emission. However, there will be sound attenuation through the bubbly plume which will influence the measurement and should be taken into consideration in the model. The sound transmission through the bubbly plume depends on the characteristics of the bubbly plume, such as the shape and the bubble distributions. In this study, the bubbly plume shape is modelled using a self-similarity model, which has been normally applied for a single phase buoyant plume. The prediction is compared with the experimental data. It has been found the model can be applied to a buoyant plume of gas-liquid mixture. The influence of the gas flow rate and discharge nozzle size is studied.

Keywords: bubbly plume, buoyant plume, bubble acoustics, self-similarity model

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10348 X-Corner Detection for Camera Calibration Using Saddle Points

Authors: Abdulrahman S. Alturki, John S. Loomis

Abstract:

This paper discusses a corner detection algorithm for camera calibration. Calibration is a necessary step in many computer vision and image processing applications. Robust corner detection for an image of a checkerboard is required to determine intrinsic and extrinsic parameters. In this paper, an algorithm for fully automatic and robust X-corner detection is presented. Checkerboard corner points are automatically found in each image without user interaction or any prior information regarding the number of rows or columns. The approach represents each X-corner with a quadratic fitting function. Using the fact that the X-corners are saddle points, the coefficients in the fitting function are used to identify each corner location. The automation of this process greatly simplifies calibration. Our method is robust against noise and different camera orientations. Experimental analysis shows the accuracy of our method using actual images acquired at different camera locations and orientations.

Keywords: camera calibration, corner detector, edge detector, saddle points

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10347 Light-Emitting Diode Assisted Synthesis of Ag@Fe3O4 Nanoparticles and Their Application in Magnetic and Photothermal Hyperthermia Therapy

Authors: Pei-Wen Lin, Ta-I Yang

Abstract:

Cancer has been one of the leading causes of human death for centuries. Considerable effort has been devoted to developing new treatments to reduce and control cancers. Magnetic particle hyperthermia and near-infrared photothermal therapy are the promising strategies to treat cancers due to its effectiveness with only mild side effects. This study focused on synthesizing magnetic Ag@Fe3O4 nanoparticles applicable for both of magnetic hyperthermia and near-infrared photothermal therapy. The hydrophilic poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) polymer was utilized to prepare superparamagnetic Fe3O4 clusters and to promote silver nanoparticles grown on Fe3O4 surfaces, obtaining Ag@Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The morphology (shape and dimension) of Ag nanoparticles was subsequently tailored using commercial LED lights. Therefore, the resulting Ag@Fe3O4 nanoparticles can absorb specific wavelength of light ranging from 400 nm to 800 nm by adjusting the wavelength of LED lights and the free silver ions in reaction solution. Heating performance tests confirmed that the synthesized Ag@Fe3O4 nanoparticles show appreciable heating capability for both of magnetic particle hyperthermia and near-infrared photothermal therapy. The findings in this study could provide new ideas to design functional materials to treat cancers.

Keywords: light-emitting diode assisted synthesis, magnetic particles, photothermal materials, hyperthermia

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10346 The Influence of Teacher Support on School Belonging in Chinese Students: A Moderated Mediation Model

Authors: Yuting Tan, Benchao Fan, Xiaoman Wei, Tao Yang

Abstract:

In order to investigate the relationship between students’ perceived teacher support, parental emotional support, mastery goal orientation and school belonging, the questionnaire data of 11,898 15-year-olds (5,699 girls and 6,199 boys) in four Chinese provinces and cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang) that participated in PISA 2018 were used. The results showed that: (1) teacher support can positively and significantly predict students' school belonging; (2) mastery goal orientation played the mediating role in the relationship between teacher support and school belonging; (3) the second half path of students’ mastery goal orientation to the mediation process of teacher support and school belonging was regulated by parental emotional support. The results have important educational practice enlightenment for effectively promoting the school belonging of Chinese students.

Keywords: school belonging, teacher support, mastery goal orientation, parental emotional support

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10345 Design, Development and Application of a Green Manure Fertilizer Based on Mucuna Pruriens (L.) in Pelletized Presentation

Authors: Andres Zuñiga Orozco

Abstract:

Green manure fertilizers have special importance in the development of organic and sustainable agriculture as a substitute or complement to chemical fertilization. They have many advantages, but they have application limitations in greenhouse crops and in open field crops that have low growing size. On the other hand, the logistics of sowing, harvesting and applying have been difficult for producers to adopt. For this reason, a pelletized presentation was designed in conjunction with Trichoderma harzianum. The biopellet was applied in pineapple as the first experience, managing to improve carbon levels in the soil and some nutrients. Then it was applied to tomatoes where it was proven that, nutritionally, it is possible to nourish the crop up to day 60 only with the biopellet, improve carbon levels in soil and control the fungus Fusarium oxysporum. Subsequently, it was applied to coffee seedlings with an organo-mineral formulation. Here, the improvement in the growth and nutrition of the plants was notable, as well as the increase in the microbial activity of the soil. M. pruriens biopellets allow crops to be nourished, allow biocontrolers to be added, improve soil conditions to promote greater microbial activity, reincorporate carbon and CO2 into the soil, are easily applicable, allow dosing and have a favorable shelf-life. They can be applied to all types of crops, both in the greenhouse and in the field.

Keywords: Mucuna pruriens, pellets, carbon, Trichoderma, Fusarium

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10344 A Holographic Infotainment System for Connected and Driverless Cars: An Exploratory Study of Gesture Based Interaction

Authors: Nicholas Lambert, Seungyeon Ryu, Mehmet Mulla, Albert Kim

Abstract:

In this paper, an interactive in-car interface called HoloDash is presented. It is intended to provide information and infotainment in both autonomous vehicles and ‘connected cars’, vehicles equipped with Internet access via cellular services. The research focuses on the development of interactive avatars for this system and its gesture-based control system. This is a case study for the development of a possible human-centred means of presenting a connected or autonomous vehicle’s On-Board Diagnostics through a projected ‘holographic’ infotainment system. This system is termed a Holographic Human Vehicle Interface (HHIV), as it utilises a dashboard projection unit and gesture detection. The research also examines the suitability for gestures in an automotive environment, given that it might be used in both driver-controlled and driverless vehicles. Using Human Centred Design methods, questions were posed to test subjects and preferences discovered in terms of the gesture interface and the user experience for passengers within the vehicle. These affirm the benefits of this mode of visual communication for both connected and driverless cars.

Keywords: gesture, holographic interface, human-computer interaction, user-centered design

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