Search results for: blood pressure control

Authors: Sanjida Ahmed Sinthia

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Bangladesh is one of the poorest countries in the world. There are several reasons for this insufficiency and uncontrolled population growth is one of the prime reasons. Others include low economic progress, imbalanced resource management, unemployment and underemployment, urban migration and natural catastrophes etc. As a result, the rate of urban poor is increasing inevitably in every sphere of urban cities in Bangladesh and Dhaka is the most affected one. Besides there is scarcity of urban land, housing, urban infrastructure and amenities which create pressure on urban cities and mostly encroach the open space, wetlands that causes environmental degradation. Government has no or limited control over these due to poor government policy and management, political pressure and lack of resource management. Unfortunately, over centralization and bureaucracy creates unnecessary delay and interruptions in any government initiations. There is also no coordination between government and private sector developer to solve the problem of urban Poor. To understand the problem of these huge populations this paper analyzes one of the single largest slum areas in Dhaka, Korail Slum. The study focuses on socio demographic analysis, morphological pattern and role of different actors responsible for the improvements of the area and recommended some possible steps for determining the potential outcomes.

Keywords: demographic analysis, environmental degradation, government policy, housing and land management policy

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Authors: Rajesha Kumar Alambi, Mansour Ahmed, Garudachari Bhadrachari, Safiyah Al-Muqahwi, Mansour Al-Rughaib, Jibu P. Thomas

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Membrane-based pressure assisted osmosis (PAO) for seawater desalination has the potential to overcome the challenges of forward osmosis technology. PAO technology is gaining interest among the research community to ensure the sustainability of freshwater with a significant reduction in energy. The requirements of PAO membranes differ from the FO membrane; as it needs a slightly higher porous with sufficient mechanical strength to overcome the applied hydraulic pressure. The porous metal-organic framework (MOF) as a filler for the membrane synthesis has demonstrated a great potential to generate new channels for water transport, high selectivity, and reduced fouling propensity. Accordingly, this study is aimed at fabricating the UiO-66 MOF-based thin film nanocomposite membranes with specific characteristics for water desalination by PAO. A PAO test unit manufactured by Trevi System, USA, was used to determine the performance of the synthesized membranes. Further, the synthesized membranes were characterized in terms of morphological features, hydrophilicity, surface roughness, and mechanical properties. The 0.05 UiO-66 loaded membrane produced highest flux of 38L/m2h and with low reverse salt leakage of 2.1g/m²h for the DI water as feed solution and 2.0 M NaCl as draw solutions at the inlet feed pressure of 0.6 MPa. The new membranes showed a good tolerance toward the applied hydraulic pressure attributed to the fabric support used during the membrane synthesis.

Keywords: metal organic framework, composite membrane, desalination, salt rejection, flux

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Authors: Ki Moo Lim, Iman R. Tayibnapis

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According to WHO estimation, 38 out of 56 million (68%) global deaths in 2012, were due to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). To avert NCD, one of the solutions is early detection of diseases. In order to do that, we developed 'U-Healthcare Mirror', which is able to measure vital sign such as heart rate (HR) and respiration rate without any physical contact and consciousness. To measure HR in the mirror, we utilized digital camera. The camera records red, green, and blue (RGB) discoloration from user's facial image sequences. We extracted blood volume pulse (BVP) from the RGB discoloration because the discoloration of the facial skin is accordance with BVP. We used blind source separation (BSS) to extract BVP from the RGB discoloration and adaptive filters for removing noises. We utilized singular value decomposition (SVD) method to implement the BSS and the adaptive filters. HR was estimated from the obtained BVP. We did experiment for HR measurement by using our method and previous method that used independent component analysis (ICA) method. We compared both of them with HR measurement from commercial oximeter. The experiment was conducted under various distance between 30~110 cm and light intensity between 5~2000 lux. For each condition, we did measurement 7 times. The estimated HR showed 2.25 bpm of mean error and 0.73 of pearson correlation coefficient. The accuracy has improved compared to previous work. The optimal distance between the mirror and user for HR measurement was 50 cm with medium light intensity, around 550 lux.

Keywords: blood volume pulse, heart rate, photoplethysmography, independent component analysis

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Authors: H. Tédjini, Y. Meslem, B. Guesbaoui, A. Safa

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Flexible AC Transmission Systems (FACTS) are potentially becoming more flexible and more economical local controllers in the power system; and because of the high MVA ratings, it would be expensive to provide independent, equal, regulated DC voltage sources to power the multilevel converters which are presently proposed for STATCOMs. DC voltage sources can be derived from the DC link capacitances which are charged by the rectified ac power. In this paper a new stronger control combined of nonlinear control based Lyapunov’s theorem and Ant Colony Algorithm (ACA) to maintain stability of multilevel STATCOM and the utility.

Keywords: Static Compensator (STATCOM), ant colony optimization (ACO), lyapunov control theory, Decoupled power control, neutral point clamped (NPC)

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Authors: Samah Riache, Madjid Kidouche

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In this paper, we propose a nonlinear controller for Aerial Manipulator (AM) consists of a Quadrotor equipped with two degrees of freedom robotic arm. The kinematic and dynamic models were developed by considering the aerial manipulator as a coupled system. The proposed controller was designed using Nonsingular Terminal Sliding Mode Control. The objective of our approach is to improve performances and attenuate the chattering drawback using an adaptive algorithm in the discontinuous control part. Simulation results prove the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy compared with Sliding Mode Controller.

Keywords: adaptive algorithm, quadrotor, robotic arm, sliding mode control

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Authors: Ian A. Grout

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In this paper, the design and development of a system to provide hand motion and gesture control of laboratory test equipment is considered and discussed. The Leap Motion controller is used to provide an input to control a laboratory power supply as part of an electronic circuit experiment. By suitable hand motions and gestures, control of the power supply is provided remotely and without the need to physically touch the equipment used. As such, it provides an alternative manner in which to control electronic equipment via a PC and is considered here within the field of human computer interaction (HCI).

Keywords: control, hand gesture, human computer interaction, test equipment

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Authors: Xuezhang Hou

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A control problem of a flexible Lamina formulated by partial differential equations with viscoelastic boundary conditions is studied in this paper. The problem is written in standard form of linear infinite dimensional system in an appropriate energy Hilbert space. The semigroup approach of linear operators is adopted in investigating wellposedness of the closed loop system. A variable structural control for the system is proposed, and meanwhile an equivalent control method is applied to the thin plate system. A significant result on control theory that the thin plate can be approximated by ideal sliding mode in any accuracy in terms of semigroup approach is obtained.

Keywords: partial differential equations, flexible lamina, variable structural control, semigroup of linear operators

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Authors: Kaige Shi, Chao Jiang, Xin Li

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The swirl gripper is an electrically activated noncontact handling device that uses swirling airflow to generate a lifting force. This force can be used to pick up a workpiece placed underneath the swirl gripper without any contact. It is applicable, for example, in the semiconductor wafer production line, where contact must be avoided during the handling and moving of a workpiece to minimize damage. When a workpiece levitates underneath a swirl gripper, the gap height between them is crucial for safe handling. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a method to estimate the levitation gap height by detecting pressure at two points. The method is based on theoretical model of the swirl gripper, and has been experimentally verified. Furthermore, the force between the gripper and the workpiece can also be estimated using the detected pressure. As a result, the nonlinear relationship between the force and gap height can be linearized by adjusting the rotating speed of the fan in the swirl gripper according to the estimated force and gap height. The linearized relationship is expected to enhance handling stability of the workpiece.

Keywords: swirl gripper, noncontact handling, levitation, gap height estimation

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Authors: Umadevi B., Dinesh P. A., Indira. R., Vinay C. V.

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A mathematical model is developed to study the simultaneous effects of particle drag and slip parameter on the velocity as well as rate of flow in an annular cross sectional region bounded by two eccentric cylinders. In physiological flows this phenomena can be observed in an eccentric catheterized artery with inner cylinder wall is impermeable and outer cylinder wall is permeable. Blood is a heterogeneous fluid having liquid phase consisting of plasma in which a solid phase of suspended cells and proteins. Arterial wall gets damaged due to aging and lipid molecules get deposited between damaged tissue cells. Blood flow increases towards the damaged tissues in the artery. In this investigation blood is modeled as two phase fluid as one is a fluid phase and the other is particulate phase. The velocity of the fluid phase and rate of flow are obtained by transforming eccentric annulus to concentric annulus with the conformal mapping. The formulated governing equations are analytically solved for the velocity and rate of flow. The numerical investigations are carried out by varying eccentricity parameter, slip parameter and drag parameter. Enhancement of slip parameter signifies loss of fluid then the velocity and rate of flow will be decreased. As particulate drag parameter increases then the velocity as well as rate flow decreases. Eccentricity facilitates transport of more fluid then the velocity and rate of flow increases.

Keywords: catheter, slip parameter, drag parameter, eccentricity

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Authors: Sangeeta Girdhar, Amanat Grewal, Nahush Bansal

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Introduction: There is an increasing burden of hypertension in India. The morbidity and mortality arising from complications are mainly due to non-adherence to medication, unhealthy dietary habits, and lack of physical activity. Non-adherence is a well-recognised factor contributing to inadequate control of high blood pressure. Adherence to pharmacotherapy for hypertension varies from 43% to 88%. Non-adherence is influenced by various socio-demographic factors. Understanding these factors is useful in managing non-adherence. Therefore, the study was planned to determine adherence among hypertensives and factors associated with non-adherence to treatment. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Urban Health Training Centre of Dayanand Medical College and Hospital Ludhiana. Patients attending the OPD over a period of 3 months were included in the study. Prior ethical approval was obtained, and informed consent was taken from subjects. A predesigned semi-structured questionnaire was applied, which included socio-demographic profile, treatment-seeking behaviour, adherence to the antihypertensive medication, lifestyle factors (intake of alcohol, smoking, consumption of junk food, high salt intake) contributing to the development of the disease. Reasons for non-adherence to the therapy were also explored. Data was entered into excel, and SPSS 26 version was used for analysis. Results: A total of 186 individuals were interviewed. Out of these, 113 females (60.8%) and 73 males (39.2%) participated in the study. Mean age of participants was 60.9 ± 10.7 years. Adherence to anti-hypertensive treatment was found in 68.3% of the participants. It was observed that adherence was more in literate individuals as compared to illiterate (p value- 0.78). Adherence was lower among smokers (33.3%) and alcohol consumers (53.8%) as compared to non-users (69.4% and 70.6%, respectively). The predominant reasons for skipping medications were discontinuing medication when feeling well, forgetfulness and unawareness. Conclusion: There is a need to generate awareness regarding the importance of adherence to therapy among patients. Intensive health education and counselling of the patients is the need of the hour.

Keywords: hypertension, anti-hypertensive, adherence, counselling

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Authors: Alireza Jafarzadeh, Bahram Amu-Oqhli Tabrizi, Hadi Khayat Nouri, Arash Khaki

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30 head of adult Vistar rats were chosen to evaluate the chronic narcotic effects of crack on some biochemical parameters. The rats weighted approximately 200 to 250 g. They were divided into 5 groups of 6 and were housed in identical condition in terms of food and ambience. Rats were maintained at 12 hours light and 12 hours darkness. Rats were injected 7.8 mg/kg BW crack intraperitoneally. The groups one to four received daily medication for one to four weeks respectively. The control groups were injected identical dose of saline. The blood was taken from control and test groups then serum was separated from. Serum biochemical parameters of amylase, lipase, triglycerides, cholesterol, HDL, LDL, VLDL, protein and albumin were measured by diagnostic kits. Serum protein and albumin levels did not show statistically significant changes. Serum lipase and amylase showed significant changes both of which were increased. The serum levels of cholesterol, LDL and HDL demonstrated no significant changes. Triglycerides values showed a significant increase in serum. Serum VLDL in groups 3 and 4 exhibited significant changes compare to other groups.

Keywords: albumin, amylase, cholesterol, crack, HDL, LDL, lipase, protein, rat, triglycerides, VLDL

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Authors: P. Meethum, C. Suvanjumrat

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Many aluminum motorcycle parts produced by a high pressure die casting. Some parts such as fuel caps were a thin and complex shape. This part risked for porosities and blisters on surface if it only depended on an experience of mold makers for mold design. This research attempted to use CAST-DESIGNER software simulated the high pressure die casting process with the same process parameters of a motorcycle fuel cap production. The simulated results were compared with fuel cap products and expressed the same porosity and blister locations on cap surface. An average of absolute difference of simulated results was obtained 0.094 mm when compared the simulated porosity and blister defect sizes on the fuel cap surfaces with the experimental micro photography. This comparison confirmed an accuracy of software and will use the setting parameters to improve fuel cap molds in the further work.

Keywords: aluminum, die casting, fuel cap, motorcycle

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Authors: J. van Soest, B. Bruneel, J. Smit, N. Williams, P. Swiegers

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Selenium (Se) is an essential trace mineral involved in reducing oxidative stress, enhancing immune status, improving reproduction, and regulating growth. During finishing period, selenium supplementation can be applied to improve meat quality. Dietary selenium can be provided in inorganic or organic forms. Specifically, L-selenomethionine (organic selenium) allows for selenium storage in animal protein which supports the animal during periods of high oxidative stress. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of synthetically produced, single amino acid, L-selenomethionine (Excential Selenium 4000, Orffa Additives BV) on production parameters, health status, and meat quality of Bonsmara bull calves. 24 calves, 7 months of age, completed a 60-day initial growing period at a commercial feedlot, after which they were transported to research station Rumen-8 (Bethlehem, South-Africa). After a ten-day adaptation period, the bulls were allocated to a control (n=12) or treatment (n=12) group. Each group was divided over 3 pens based on weight. Both groups received Total Mixed Ration supplemented with 5.25 mg Se/head per day. The control group was supplemented with sodium selenite as Se source, whilst the treatment group was supplemented with L-selenomethionine (Excential Selenium 4000, Orffa Additives BV). Animals were limited to 10 kg feed intake per head per day to ensure similar Se intake. Treatment period lasted 1.5 months. A beta-adrenergic agonist was included in the feed for the last 30 days. During the treatment period, average daily gain, average daily feed intake, and feed conversion ratio were recorded. Blood parameters were measured at day 1, day 25, and before slaughter (day 47). After slaughter, carcass weight, dressing percentage, grading, and meat quality (pH, tenderness, colour, odour, purge, proximate analyses, acid detergent fibre, and neutral detergent fibre) were determined. No differences between groups were found in performance. A higher number of animals with cortisol levels below detection limit (27.6 nmol/l) was recorded for the treatment group. Other blood parameters showed no differences. No differences were found regarding carcass weight and dressing percentage. Important parameters of meat quality were significantly improved in the treatment group: instrumental tenderness at 14 days ageing was 2.8 and 3.4 for treatment and control respectively (P=0.010), and a 0.5% decrease in purge (of fresh samples) was shown, 1.5% and 2.0% for treatment group and control respectively (p=0.029). Besides, pH was shown to be numerically reduced in the treatment group. In summary, supplementation with L-selenomethionine as selenium source improved meat quality compared to sodium selenite. Lower instrumental tenderness (Warner Bratzler Shear Force, WBSF) was recorded for the treatment group. This indicates less tough meat and highest consumer satisfaction. Regarding purge, control was just below 2.0%, an important threshold for consumer acceptation. Treatment group scored 0.5% lower for purge than control, indicating higher consumer satisfaction. The lower pH in the treatment group could be an indication of higher glycogen reserves in muscle which could contribute to a reduced risk of Dark Firm Dry carcasses. More animals showed cortisol levels below detection limit in the treatment group, indicating lower levels of stress when animals receive L-selenomethionine.

Keywords: calves, meat quality, nutrition, selenium

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Authors: F. Motamedi Sedeh, Sh. Chahardoli, H. Mahravani, N. Harzandi, M. Sotoodeh, S. K. Shafaei

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Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is the most economically important disease of livestock. The aim of the study is inactivation of FMD virus type O/IRN/2010 by electron beam without antigenic changes as electron radio vaccine. The BALB/C mice were divided into three groups, each group containing five mice. Three groups of mice were inoculated with conventional vaccine and electron beam irradiated vaccine FMDV type O/IRN/2010 subcutaneously three weeks interval, the final group as negative control. The sera were separated from the blood samples of mice 14 days after last vaccination and tested for the presence of antibodies against FMDV type O/IRN/2010 by serum neutralization test. The Serum Neutralization Test (SNT) was carried out and antibody titration was calculated according to the Kraber protocol. The results of the SNT in three groups of mice showed the titration of neutralizing antibody in the vaccinated mice groups; electron radio vaccine and conventional vaccine were significantly higher than negative control group (P<0.05). Therefore, the radio vaccine is a good candidate to immunize animals against FMDV type O/IRN/2010.

Keywords: FMDV type O/IRN/2010, neutralizing antibody response, electron beam, radio vaccine

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Authors: R. A. Qawasma, F. M. Haddad, H. O. Salhab

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Hemodialysis is a life-preserving treatment for a number of patients with kidney failure. The standard procedure of hemodialysis is three times a week during the hemodialysis procedure, the patient usually suffering from many inconvenient, exhausting feeling and effect on the heart and cardiovascular system are the most common signs. This paper provides a solution to reduce the previous problems by designing a wearable artificial kidney (WAK) taking in consideration a minimization the size of the dialysis machine. The WAK system consists of two circuits: blood circuit and dialysate circuit. The blood from the patient is filtered in the dialyzer before returning back to the patient. Several parameters using an advanced microcontroller and array of sensors. WAK equipped with visible and audible alarm system to aware the patients if there is any problem.

Keywords: artificial kidney, home dialysis, renal failure, wearable kidney

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Authors: Gleb Fomin, Kairat Tabynov, Nurkeldy Turebekov, Dinara Turegeldiyeva, Rinat Islamov

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The level of major cytokines in the blood of patients with COVID-19 varies greatly depending on age, gender, duration and severity of infection, and comorbidity. There are two clinically significant cytokines, IL-6 and TNF-α, which increase in levels in patients with severe COVID-19. However, in a model of COVID-19 in hamsters, TNF-α levels are unchanged or reduced, while the expression of other cytokines reflects the profile of cytokines found in patients’ plasma. The aim of our study was to evaluate the relationship between the level of cytokines in the blood, lungs, and lung damage in the model of the Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) infected with the SARS-CoV-2 strain. The study used outbred female and male Syrian hamsters (n=36, 4 groups) weighing 80-110 g and 5 months old (protocol IACUC, #4, 09/22/2020). Animals were infected intranasally with the hCoV-19/Kazakhstan/KazNAU-NSCEDI-481/2020 strain and euthanized at 3 d.p.i. The level of cytokines IL-6, TNF-α, IFN-α, and IFN-γ was determined by ELISA MyBioSourse (USA) for hamsters. Lung samples were subjected to histological processing. The presence of pathological changes in histological preparations was assessed on a 3-point scale. The work was carried out in the ABSL-3 laboratory. The data were analyzed in GraphPad Prism 6.00 (GraphPad Software, La Jolla, California, USA). The work was supported by the MES RK grant (AP09259865). In the blood, the level of TNF-α increased in males (p=0.0012) and IFN-γ in males and females (p=0.0001). On the contrary, IFN-α production decreased (p=0.0006). Only TNF-α level increased in lung tissues (p=0.0011). Correlation analysis showed a negative relationship between the level of IL-6 in the blood and lung damage in males (r -0.71, p=0.0001) and females (r-0.57, p=0.025). On the contrary, in males, the level of IL-6 in the lungs and score is positively correlated (r 0.80, p=0.01). The level of IFN-γ in the blood (r -0.64, p=0.035) and lungs (r-0.72, p=0.017) in males has a negative correlation with lung damage. No links were found for TNF-α and IFN-α. The study showed a positive association between lung injury and tissue levels of IL-6 in male hamsters. It is known that in humans, high concentrations of IL-6 in the lungs are associated with suppression of cellular immunity and, as a result, with an increase in the severity of COVID-19. TNF-α and IFN-γ play a key role in the pathogenesis of COVID-19 in hamsters. However, the mechanisms of their activity require more detailed study. IFN-α plays a lesser role in direct lung injury in a Syrian hamster model. We have shown the significance of tissue IL-6 and IFN-γ as predictors of the severity of lung damage in COVID-19 in the Syrian hamster model. Changes in the level of cytokines in the blood may not always reflect pathological processes in the lungs with COVID-19.

Keywords: syrian hamster, COVID-19, cytokines, biological model

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Authors: C. Scurr, J. Jeans, S. Srivastava

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Introduction: Acute type two respiratory failure (T2RF) has become a common presentation over the last two decades primarily due to an increase in the prevalence of chronic lung disease. Acute exacerbations can be managed either medically or in combination with non-invasive ventilation (NIV) which should be monitored with regular arterial blood gas samples (ABG). Arterial lines allow more frequent arterial blood sampling with less patient discomfort. We present the experience from a teaching hospital emergency department (ED) and level 2 medical high-dependency unit (HDU) that together form the pathway for management of acute type 2 respiratory failure. Methods: Patients acutely presenting to Charing Cross Hospital, London, with T2RF requiring non-invasive ventilation (NIV) over 14 months (2011 to 2012) were identified from clinical coding. Retrospective data collection included: demographics, co-morbidities, blood gas numbers and timing, if arterial lines were used and who performed this. Analysis was undertaken using Microsoft Excel. Results: Coding identified 107 possible patients. 69 notes were available, of which 41 required NIV for type 2 respiratory failure. 53.6% of patients had an arterial line inserted. Patients with arterial lines had 22.4 ABG in total on average compared to 8.2 for those without. These patients had a similar average time to normalizing pH of (23.7 with arterial line vs 25.6 hours without), and no statistically significant difference in mortality. Arterial lines were inserted by Foundation year doctors, Core trainees, Medical registrars as well as the ICU registrar. 63% of these were performed by the medical registrar rather than ICU, ED or a junior doctor. This is reflected in that the average time until an arterial line was inserted was 462 minutes. The average number of ABGs taken before an arterial line was 2 with a range of 0 – 6. The average number of gases taken if no arterial line was ever used was 7.79 (range of 2-34) – on average 4 times as many arterial punctures for each patient. Discussion: Arterial line use was associated with more frequent arterial blood sampling during each inpatient admission. Additionally, patients with an arterial line have less individual arterial punctures in total and this is likely more comfortable for the patient. Arterial lines are normally sited by medical registrars, however this is normally after some delay. ED clinicians could improve patient comfort and monitoring thus allowing faster titration of NIV if arteral lines were regularly inserted in the ED. We recommend that ED doctors insert arterial lines when indicated in order improve the patient experience and facilitate medical management.

Keywords: non invasive ventilation, arterial blood gas, acute type, arterial line

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Authors: Péter Sipos, Gerda Diósi, Mariann Móré, Zsófia Szigeti

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Several medical research found that the sodium is one of the main risk factor of high blood pressure and reason for different cardiovascular diseases, while sodium chloride is one of the most ancient food additives. As people consume much more sodium chloride as the recommended value several salt reduction programs started worldwide in the last years. The cereal products are the main source of sodium, and the bakery products are one of the main targets of these programs. In this paper we have evaluated the effects of different concentrations of sodium chloride on the alveo graphical and extensi graphical parameters of rye flours to determine whether it has the same strengthening effect on the dough texture as it was found in the case of wheat flours and these effects were compared to the effects of other salt forms. We found that while the strength of rye flours are similar to the ones of wheat flour, rye flours are much less extensible. The effects of salt concentrations are less significant on the rheological properties of rye flour than on the wheat flour and there is no significant difference between the effects of different salts.

Keywords: alveograph, extensigraph, rye flour, salt

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Authors: Eryati Darwin, Eka Fithra Elfi, Indria Hafizah

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Background: Physical exercise induces a pattern of hormonal and immunological responses that prevent endothelial dysfunction by maintaining the availability of nitric oxide (NO). Regular and moderate exercise stimulates NO release, that can be considered as protective factor of cardiovascular diseases, while strenuous exercise induces increased levels in a number of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) triggers endothelial activation which results in an increased vascular permeability. Nuclear gene factor kappa B (NF-κB) activates biological effect of TNF-α. Aim of Study: To determine the effect of physical exercise on the endothelial and skeletal muscle, we measured the level of NF-κB on rats’ serum, macrophages, and myocytes after strenuous physical exercise. Methods: 30 male Rattus norvegicus in the age of eight weeks were randomly divided into five groups (each containing six), and there were treated groups (T) and control group (C). The treated groups obtain strenuous physical exercise by ran on treadmill at 32 m/minutes for 1 hour or until exhaustion. Blood samples, myocytes of gastrocnemius muscle, and intraperitoneal macrophages were collected sequentially. There were investigated immediately, 2 hours, 6 hours, and 24 hours (T1, T2, T3, and T4) after sacrifice. The levels of NF-κB were measured by ELISA methods. Results: From our study, we found that the levels of NF-κB on myocytes in treated group from which its specimen was taken immediately (T1), 2 hours after treadmill (T2), and 6 hours after treadmill (T3) were significantly higher than control group (p<0.05), while the group from which its specimen was taken 24 hours after treadmill, was no significantly different (p>0.05). Also on macrophages, NF-κB in treated groups T1, T2, and T3 was significantly higher than control group (p<0.05), but there was no difference between T4 and control group (p>0.05). The level of serum NF-κB was not significantly different between treatment group as well as compared to control group (p>0.05). Serum NF-κB was significantly higher than the level on macrophages and myocytes (p<0.05). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that strenuous physical exercise stimulates the activation of NF-κB that plays a role in vascular inflammation and muscular damage, and may be recovered after resting period.

Keywords: endothelial function, inflammation, NFkB, physical exercise

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Authors: Magdi M. Nabi, Ding-Li Yu

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This paper presents a neural network based model predictive control (MPC) strategy to control a strongly exothermic reaction with complicated nonlinear kinetics given by Chylla-Haase polymerization reactor that requires a very precise temperature control to maintain product uniformity. In the benchmark scenario, the operation of the reactor must be guaranteed under various disturbing influences, e.g., changing ambient temperatures or impurity of the monomer. Such a process usually controlled by conventional cascade control, it provides a robust operation, but often lacks accuracy concerning the required strict temperature tolerances. The predictive control strategy based on the RBF neural model is applied to solve this problem to achieve set-point tracking of the reactor temperature against disturbances. The result shows that the RBF based model predictive control gives reliable result in the presence of some disturbances and keeps the reactor temperature within a tight tolerance range around the desired reaction temperature.

Keywords: Chylla-Haase reactor, RBF neural network modelling, model predictive control, semi-batch reactors

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Authors: Aiche Mohamed Amine, Mallem Leila, Yahia El Khansa, Boulakoud Mohamed Salah

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Until recently, toxicological studies focused on the effects of individual chemicals. However, humans and wildlife are exposed to a complex milieu of chemicals from different sources including food and water, personal care products and the environment. The aim of this study is to detect the toxicity of two fungicides and their mixtures in the fertility and oxidative damge induced in the rat. The male of rats (28) were used, they were divided in four groups (7 rats of each group) and one group was used as control. Rats were dosed orally with Propiconazole 60mg/Kg/day, Propinebe 100mg/Kg/day and their mixture 30mg Propiconazole/kg/day + 50mg Propineb/kg/day for 4 weeks. Animals were observed for clinical toxicity. At the end of treatment period, animals of all groups were scarified, blood was collected for hematological and biochemical’s analysis and desired organs were removed and weighted. The results indicated that the fungicide and their mixture were toxic in the treated animals. The semen study showed a decrease in the count and mobility of spermatozoa in all treated group, it was also a decrease in the weight of the testis and epidydimis in the treated group as compared with control. Reduced glutathione (GSH), Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) level was decreased in all treated groups.

Keywords: fungicides, mixtures, fertility, oxidative stress

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Authors: Marcin Dębowski, Mirosław Krzemieniewski, Marcin Zieliński

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This publication presents a device designed to depolymerise and structurally change organic substrate, for use in agricultural biogas plants or sewage treatment plants. The presented device consists of a heated tank equipped with an inlet valve for the crude substrate and an outlet valve for the treated substrate. The system also includes a gas conduit, which is at its tip equipped with a high-pressure solenoid valve and a vacuum relief solenoid valve. A conduit behind the high-pressure solenoid valve connects to the vacuum tank equipped with the outlet valve. The substrate introduced into the device is exposed to agents such as high temperature and cavitation produced by abrupt, short-term reduction of pressure within the heated tank. The combined effect of these processes is substrate destruction rate increase of about 20% when compared to using high temperature alone, and about 30% when compared to utilizing only cavitation. Energy consumption is greatly reduced, as the pressure increase is generated by heating the substrate. Thus, there is a 18% reduction of energy consumption when compared to a device designed to destroy substrate through high temperature alone, and a 35% reduction if compared to using cavitation as the only means of destruction.

Keywords: thermal depolymerisation, organic substrate, biogas, pre-treatment

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Authors: Zahra Zamanian, Alireza Zamanian, Jafar Hasanzadeh

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Background: Unwanted sound, as one of the most important physical factors in the majority of production units, imposes a great number of problems on the industrial workers. Sound is one of the environmental factors which can cause physical as well as psychological damages and also affects the individuals’ performance and productivity. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the effect of noise exposure on human performance. Methods: The present study assessed the effect of noise on the performance of 50 students of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (25 males and 25 females) at the sound pressures of 70, 90, and 110 dB by using two factors of physical features and the creation of different conditions of sound pressure source as well as applying Two-Arm coordination Test. Results: The results of the present study revealed no significant difference between male and female subjects as well as different conditions of creating sound pressure regarding the length of performance (p> 0.05). In addition, as the sound pressure increased, the length of performance increased, as well. According to the results, no significant difference was found between the performance at 70 and 90 dB. On the other hand, the performance at 110 dB was significantly different from the performance at 70 and 90 dB (p<0.05 and p<0.001). Conclusion: In general, as the sound pressure increases, the performance decreases which results in a considerable increase in the individuals’ rate of error.

Keywords: physical factors, two-arm coordination test, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, noise

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Authors: A. Ritcey, J. R. Mcdermid, S. Ziada

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Wall shear stress was experimentally measured under a planar impinging air jet as a function of jet Reynolds number (Rejet = 5000, 8000, 11000) and different normalized impingement distances (H/D = 4, 6, 8, 10, 12) using the razor blade technique to complete a parametric study. The wall pressure, wall pressure gradient, and wall shear stress information were obtained.

Keywords: experimental fluid mechanics, impinging planar jets, skin friction factor, wall shear stress

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Authors: F. Q. Shao, W. Q. Wang, Y. Yin, T. P. Yu, D. B. Zou, J. M. Ouyang

Abstract:

The Radiation Pressure Acceleration (RPA) mechanism is very promising in laser-driven ion acceleration because of high laser-ion energy conversion efficiency. Although some experiments have shown the characteristics of RPA, the energy of ions is quite limited. The ion energy obtained in experiments is only several MeV/u, which is much lower than theoretical prediction. One possible limiting factor is the transverse instability incited in the RPA process. The transverse instability is basically considered as the Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) instability, which is a kind of interfacial instability and occurs when a light fluid pushes against a heavy fluid. Multi-dimensional particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations show that the onset of transverse instability will destroy the acceleration process and broaden the energy spectrum of fast ions during the RPA dominant ion acceleration processes. The evidence of the RT instability driven by radiation pressure has been observed in a laser-foil interaction experiment in a typical RPA regime, and the dominant scale of RT instability is close to the laser wavelength. The development of transverse instability in the radiation-pressure-acceleration dominant laser-foil interaction is numerically examined by two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. When a laser interacts with a foil with modulated surface, the internal instability is quickly incited and it develops. The linear growth and saturation of the transverse instability are observed, and the growth rate is numerically diagnosed. In order to optimize interaction parameters, a method of information entropy is put forward to describe the chaotic degree of the transverse instability. With moderate modulation, the transverse instability shows a low chaotic degree and a quasi-monoenergetic proton beam is produced.

Keywords: information entropy, radiation pressure acceleration, Rayleigh-Taylor instability, transverse instability

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Authors: B. Medjadji, L. Aminallah, B. Serier, M. Benlebna

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In this study, the finite element method in 3-D is used to calculate the integral J in the semi-elliptical crack in a pipe subjected to internal pressure. The stress-strain curve of the pipe has been determined experimentally. The J-integral was calculated in two fronts crack (Ф = 0 and Ф = π/2). The effect of the configuration of the crack on the J integral is analysed. The results show that an external longitudinal crack in a pipe is the most dangerous. It also shows that the increase in the applied pressure causes a remarkable increase of the integral J. The effect of the depth of the crack becomes important when the ratio between the depth of the crack and the thickness of the pipe (a / t) tends to 1.

Keywords: J integral, pipeline, crack, MEF

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Authors: N. Lebga, Kh. Bouamama, K. Kassali

Abstract:

We report first-principles calculation results on the structural and elastic properties of ZnS x Se1−x alloy for which we employed the virtual crystal approximation provided with the ABINIT program. The calculations done using density functional theory within the local density approximation and employing the virtual-crystal approximation, we made a comparative study between the numerical results obtained from ab-initio calculation using ABINIT or Wien2k within the Density Functional Theory framework with either Local Density Approximation or Generalized Gradient approximation and the pseudo-potential plane-wave method with the Hartwigzen Goedecker Hutter scheme potentials. It is found that the lattice parameter, the phase transition pressure, and the elastic constants (and their derivative with respect to the pressure) follow a quadratic law in x. The variation of the elastic constants is also numerically studied and the phase transformations are discussed in relation to the mechanical stability criteria.

Keywords: density functional theory, elastic properties, ZnS, ZnSe,

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Authors: Venuste Kayinamura, V. Iyamuremye, A. Ngirabakunzi

Abstract:

Anti-retroviral therapy (ART) for HIV patient can cause a deficiency in glucose metabolism by promoting insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, and diabetes, diabetes mellitus keep increasing among HIV-infected patients worldwide but there is limited data on levels of blood glucose and its relationship with antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) and HIV-infection worldwide, particularly in Rwanda. A convenient sampling strategy was used in this study and it involved 323 HIV patients (n=323). Patients who are HIV positive under ARVs were involved in this study. The patient’s blood glucose was analyzed using an automated machine or glucometer (COBAS C 311). Data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS V. 20.0 and presented in percentages. The highest diabetes mellitus prevalence was 93.33 % in people aged >40 years while the lowest diabetes mellitus prevalence was 6.67% in people aged between 21-and 40 years. The P-value was (0.021). Thus, there is a significant association between age and diabetes occurrence. The highest diabetes mellitus prevalence was 28.2% in patients under ART treatment for more than 10 years, 16.7% were <5years while 20% of patients were on ART treatment between 5-10 years. The P-value here is (0.03), thus the incidence of diabetes is associated with long-term ART use in HIV-infected patients. This study assessed the prevalence of diabetes among HIV-infected patients under ARVs attending the University Teaching Hospital of Butare (CHUB), it shows that the prevalence of diabetes is high in HIV-infected patients under ARTs. This study found no significant relationship between gender and diabetes mellitus growth. Therefore, regular assessment of diabetes mellitus especially among HIV-infected patients under ARVs is highly recommended to control other health issues caused by diabetes mellitus.

Keywords: anti-retroviral, diabetes mellitus, antiretroviral therapy, human immune deficiency virus

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Authors: P. Lestinsky, D. Jecha, V. Brummer, P. Stehlik

Abstract:

Scrubbing by a liquid spraying is one of the most effective processes used for removal of fine particles and soluble gas pollutants (such as SO2, HCl, HF) from the flue gas. There are many configurations of scrubbers designed to provide contact between the liquid and gas stream for effectively capturing particles or soluble gas pollutants, such as spray plates, packed bed towers, jet scrubbers, cyclones, vortex and venturi scrubbers. The primary function of venturi scrubber is the capture of fine particles as well as HCl, HF or SO2 removal with effect of the flue gas temperature decrease before input to the absorption column. In this paper, sulfur dioxide (SO2) from flue gas was captured using new design replacing venturi scrubber (1st degree of wet scrubbing). The flue gas was prepared by the combustion of the carbon disulfide solution in toluene (1:1 vol.) in the flame in the reactor. Such prepared flue gas with temperature around 150 °C was processed in designed laboratory O-element scrubber. Water was used as absorbent liquid. The efficiency of SO2 removal, pressure drop and temperature drop were measured on our experimental device. The dependence of these variables on liquid-gas ratio was observed. The average temperature drop was in the range from 150 °C to 40 °C. The pressure drop was increased with increasing of a liquid-gas ratio, but not as much as for the common venturi scrubber designs. The efficiency of SO2 removal was up to 70 %. The pressure drop of our new designed wet scrubber is similar to commonly used venturi scrubbers; nevertheless the influence of amount of the liquid on pressure drop is not so significant.

Keywords: desulphurization, absorption, flue gas, modeling

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Authors: Subrat Kumar Bhattamisra, Vivian Lee Yean Yan, Chin Koh Lee, Chew Hui Kuean, Yun Khoon Liew, Mayuren Candasamy

Abstract:

Geraniol, an acyclic monoterpenoid is the main active constituent in the essential oils of rose and palmorosa. Antioxidant, antibacterial, anticancer and antiulcer activity of geraniol was reported by many researchers. The present investigation was designed to study in vivo antiulcer and anti-Helicobacter pylori activity of geraniol. Antiulcer and anti-H. pylori activity of geraniol was evaluated on acetic acid plus H. pylori induced ulcer in rats. Acetic acid (0.03 mL) was injected to the sub-serosal layer of the stomach through laparotomy under anaesthesia. Orogastric inoculation of H. pylori (ATCC 43504) was done twice daily for 7 days. Geraniol (15 and 30 mg/kg), vehicle and standard drugs (Amoxicillin, 50 mg/kg; clarithromycin, 25 mg/kg & omeprazole, 20 mg/kg) was administered twice daily for 14 days. Antiulcer activity of geraniol was examined by the determination of gastric ulcer index, measuring the volume of gastric juice, pH and total acidity, myeloperoxidase activity and histopathological examination. Histopathological investigation for the presence of inflammation, white blood cell infiltration, edema, the mucosal damage was studied. The presence of H. pylori was detected by placing a biopsy sample from antral part of the stomach into rapid urease test. Ulcer index in H. pylori inoculated control group was 4.13 ± 0.85 and was significantly (P < 0.05) lowered in geraniol (30 mg/kg) and reference drug treated group. Geraniol increase the pH of the gastric juice (2.18 ± 0.13 in control vs. 4.14 ± 0.57 in geraniol 30mg/kg) and lower total acidity significantly (P < 0.01) in geraniol (15 & 30 mg/kg). Myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity was measured in stomach homogenate of all the groups. H. pylori control group has significant (P < 0.05) increase in MPO activity compared to normal control group. Geraniol (30 mg/kg) was showed significant (P < 0.05) and most effective among all the groups. Histopathological examination of rat stomach was scored and the total score for H. pylori control group was 8. After geraniol (30 mg/kg) and reference drug treatment, the histopathological score was significantly decreased and it was observed to be 3.5 and 2.0 respectively. Percentage inhibition of H. pylori infection in geraniol (30 mg/kg) and reference drug were found to be 40% and 50% respectively whereas, 100% infection in H. pylori control group was observed. Geraniol exhibited significant antiulcer and anti- H. pylori activity in the rats. Thus, geraniol has the potential for the further development as an effective medication in treating H. pylori associated ulcer.

Keywords: geraniol, helicobacter pylori atcc 43504, myeloperoxidase, ulcer

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