Search results for: relative water content

Authors: Yiyuan Tao

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Under the impact of global warming together with the intensification of human activities, the hydrological regimes may be altered, and the traditional stationary assumption was no longer satisfied. However, most of the current design standards of water infrastructures were still based on the hypothesis of stationarity, which may inevitably result in severe biases. Many critical impacts of climate on ecosystems, society, and the economy are controlled by extreme events rather than mean values. Therefore, it is of great significance to identify the non-stationarity of precipitation extremes and model the precipitation extremes in a nonstationary framework. The Wei River Basin (WRB), located in a continental monsoon climate zone in China, is selected as a case study in this study. Six extreme precipitation indices were employed to investigate the changing patterns and stationarity of precipitation extremes in the WRB. To identify if precipitation extremes are stationary, the Mann-Kendall trend test and the Pettitt test, which is used to examine the occurrence of abrupt changes are adopted in this study. Extreme precipitation indices series are fitted with non-stationary distributions that selected from six widely used distribution functions: Gumbel, lognormal, Weibull, gamma, generalized gamma and exponential distributions by means of the time-varying moments model generalized additive models for location, scale and shape (GAMLSS), where the distribution parameters are defined as a function of time. The results indicate that: (1) the trends were not significant for the whole WRB, but significant positive/negative trends were still observed in some stations, abrupt changes for consecutive wet days (CWD) mainly occurred in 1985, and the assumption of stationarity is invalid for some stations; (2) for these nonstationary extreme precipitation indices series with significant positive/negative trends, the GAMLSS models are able to capture well the temporal variations of the indices, and perform better than the stationary model. Finally, the differences between the quantiles of nonstationary and stationary models are analyzed, which highlight the importance of nonstationary modeling of precipitation extremes in the WRB.

Keywords: extreme precipitation, GAMLSSS, non-stationary, Wei River Basin

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Authors: Ankita Singh

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Sex trafficking and child pornography are those kinds of borderless crimes which can not be effectively prevented only through the laws and efforts of one country because it requires a proper and smooth collaboration among countries. Eradication of international human trafficking syndicates, criminalisation of international cyber offenders, and effective ban on child pornography is not possible without applying effective universal laws; hence, continuous collaboration of all countries is much needed to adopt and routinely update these universal laws. Congregation of countries on an international platform is very necessary from time to time, where they can simultaneously adopt international agendas and create powerful universal laws to prevent sex trafficking and child pornography in this modern digital era. In the past, some international steps have been taken through The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and through The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution, and Child Pornography, but in reality, these measures are quite weak and are not capable in effectively protecting children from sexual abuse in this modern & highly advanced digital era. The uncontrolled growth of artificial intelligence (AI) and its misuse, lack of proper legal jurisdiction over foreign child abusers and difficulties in their extradition, improper control over international trade of digital child pornographic content, etc., are some prominent issues which can only be controlled through some new, effective and powerful universal laws. Due to a lack of effective international standards and a lack of improper collaboration among countries, Indian laws are also not capable of taking effective actions against child abusers. This research will be conducted through both doctrinal as well as empirical methods. Various literary sources will be examined, and a questionnaire survey will be conducted to analyse the effectiveness of international standards and Indian laws against child pornography. Participants in this survey will be Indian University students. In this work, the existing international norms made for protecting children from sexual abuse will be critically analysed. It will explore why effective and strong collaboration between countries is required in modern times. It will be analysed whether existing international steps are enough to protect children from getting trafficked or being subjected to pornography, and if these steps are not found to be sufficient enough, then suggestions will be given on how international standards and protections can be made more effective and powerful in this digital era. The approach of India towards the existing international standards, the Indian laws to protect children from being subjected to pornography, and the contributions & capabilities of India in strengthening the international standards will also be analysed.

Keywords: child pornography, prevention of children from sexual offences act, the optional protocol to the convention on the rights of the child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, the convention on the rights of the child

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Authors: Zahra Soleimani Rad, Fariborz Masoudi, Shirin Tondkar

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Turquoise is one of the most well-known gemstones in Iran. The mineralogy, crystallography, and gemology of Shahr-e-Babak turquoise in Kerman were investigated and the results are presented in this research. The Miduk porphyry copper deposit is positioned in the Shahr-Babak area in Kerman province, Iran. This deposit is located 85 km NW of the Sar-Cheshmeh porphyry copper deposit. Preliminary mineral exploration was carried out from 1967 to 1970. So far, more than fifty diamond drill holes, each reaching a maximum depth of 1013 meters, have provided evidence supporting the presence of significant and promising porphyry copper mineralization at the Miduk deposit. The mineral deposit harbors a quantity of 170 million metric tons of ore, characterized by a mean composition of 0.86% copper (Cu), 0.007% molybdenum (Mo), 82 parts-per-billion gold (Au), and 1.8 parts-per-million silver (Ag). The Supergene enrichment layer, which constitutes the predominant source of copper ore, exhibits an approximate thickness of 50 meters. Petrography shows that the texture is homogeneous. In terms of a gemstone, greasy luster and blue color are seen, and samples are similar to what is commonly known as turquoise. The geometric minerals were detected in XRD analysis by analyzing the data using the x-pert software. From the mineralogical point of view; the turquoise gemstones of Miduk of Kerman consist of turquoise, quartz, mica, and hübnerite. In this article, to our best knowledge, we are stating the hübnerite mineral identified and seen in the Persian turquoise. Based on the obtained spectra, the main mineral of the Miduk samples from the six members of the turquoise family is the turquoise type with identical peaks that can be used as a reference for identification of the Miduk turquoise. This mineral is structurally composed of phosphate units, units of Al, Cu, water, and hydroxyl units, and does not include a Fe unit. In terms of gemology, the quality of a gemstone depends on the quantity of the turquoise phase and the amount of Cu in it according to SEM and XRD analysis.

Keywords: turquoise, hübnerite, XRD analysis, Miduk, Kerman, Iran

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Authors: C. M. Kalleshwaraswamy, G. S. Sathisha, A. S. Vidyashree, H. B. Pavithra

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Isoptera are an interesting group of social insects with different castes and division of labour. They are primarily wood-feeders, but also feed on a variety of other organic substrates, such as living trees, leaf litter, soil, lichens and animal faeces. The number of species and their biomass are especially large in tropics. In natural ecosystems, they perform a beneficial role in nutrient cycles by accelerating decomposition. The magnitude and dimension of ecological role played by termites is a function of their diversity, population density, and biomass. Termite assemblage composition has a strong response to habitat disturbance and may be indicative of quantitative changes in the decomposition process. Many previous studies in Western Ghat region of India suggest increased anthropogenic activities that adversely affect the soil macrofauna and diversity. Shivamogga district provides a good opportunity to study the effect of topography, cropping pattern, human disturbance on the termite fauna, thereby acquiring accurate baseline information for conservation decision making. The district has 3 distinct agro-ecological areas such as maidan area, semi-malnad and Western Ghat region. Thus, the district provides a unique opportunity to study the effect of varied climate and anthropogenic disturbance on the termite diversity. The standard protocol of belt transects method developed by Eggleton et al. (1997) was used for sampling termites. Sampling was done at monthly interval from September-2014 to August-2015 in Western Ghats, semi-malnad and maidan habitats. The transect was 100m long and 2m wide and divided into 20 contiguous sections, each 5 x 2m in each habitat. Within each section, all the probable microhabitats of termites were searched, which include dead logs, fallen tree, branch, sticks, leaf litter, vegetation etc.,. All the castes collected were labelled, preserved in 80% alcohol, counted and identified to species level. The number of encounters of a species in the transect was used as an indicator of relative abundance of species. The species diversity, species richness, density were compared in three different habitats such as Western Ghats, semi-malnad and maidan region. The study indicated differences in the species composition in the three different habitats. A total of 15 species were recorded which belonging to four sub family and five genera in three habitats. Eleven species viz., Odontotermes obesus, O. feae, O. anamallensis, O. bellahunisensis, O. adampurensis, O. boveni, Microcerotermes fletcheri, M. pakistanicus, Nasutitermes anamalaiensis, N. indicola, N. krishna were recorded in Western Ghat region. Similarly, 11 species viz., Odontotermes obesus, O. feae, O. anamallensis, O. bellahunisensis, O. hornii, O. bhagwathi, Microtermes obesi, Microcerotermes fletcheri, M. pakistanicus, Nasutitermes indicola and Pericapritermes sp. were recorded in semi-malnad habitat. However, only four species viz., O. obesus, O. feae, Microtemes obesi and Pericapritermes sp. species were recorded in maidan area. Shannon’s wiener diversity index (H) showed that Western Ghats had more species dominance (1.56) followed by semi- malnad (1.36) and lowest in maidan (0.89) habitats. Highest value of simpson’s index (D) was observed in Western Ghats habitat (0.70) with more diverse species followed by semi-malnad (0.58) and lowest in maidan (0.53). Similarly, evenness was highest (0.65) in Western Ghats followed by maidan (0.64) and least in semi-malnad habitat (0.54). Menhinick’s index (Dmn) value was ranging from 0.03 to 0.06 in different habitats in the study area. Highest index was observed in Western Ghats (0.06) followed by semi-malnad (0.05) and lowest in maidan (0.03). The study conclusively demonstrated that Western Ghat had highest species diversity compared to semi-malnad and maidan habitat indicating these two habitats are continuously subjected to anthropogenic disturbances. Efforts are needed to conserve the uncommon species which otherwise may become extinct due to human activities.

Keywords: anthropogenic disturbance, isoptera, termite species diversity, Western ghats

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Authors: Hooriya Sadr Dadras, Shiva Seyed Erfani

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Speaking skills merit meticulous attention both on the side of the learners and the teachers. In particular, accuracy is a critical component to guarantee the messages to be conveyed through conversation because a wrongful change may adversely alter the content and purpose of the talk. Different types of tasks have served teachers to meet numerous educational objectives. Besides, negotiation of meaning and the use of different strategies have been areas of concern in socio-cultural theories of SLA. Negotiation of meaning is among the conversational processes which have a crucial role in facilitating the understanding and expression of meaning in a given second language. Conversational strategies are used during interaction when there is a breakdown in communication that leads to the interlocutor attempting to remedy the gap through talk. Therefore, this study was an attempt to investigate if there was any significant difference between the effect of reasoning gap tasks and information gap tasks on the frequency of conversational strategies used in negotiation of meaning in classrooms on one hand, and on the accuracy in speaking of Iranian intermediate EFL learners on the other. After a pilot study to check the practicality of the treatments, at the outset of the main study, the Preliminary English Test was administered to ensure the homogeneity of 87 out of 107 participants who attended the intact classes of a 15 session term in one control and two experimental groups. Also, speaking sections of PET were used as pretest and posttest to examine their speaking accuracy. The tests were recorded and transcribed to estimate the percentage of the number of the clauses with no grammatical errors in the total produced clauses to measure the speaking accuracy. In all groups, the grammatical points of accuracy were instructed and the use of conversational strategies was practiced. Then, different kinds of reasoning gap tasks (matchmaking, deciding on the course of action, and working out a time table) and information gap tasks (restoring an incomplete chart, spot the differences, arranging sentences into stories, and guessing game) were manipulated in experimental groups during treatment sessions, and the students were required to practice conversational strategies when doing speaking tasks. The conversations throughout the terms were recorded and transcribed to count the frequency of the conversational strategies used in all groups. The results of statistical analysis demonstrated that applying both the reasoning gap tasks and information gap tasks significantly affected the frequency of conversational strategies through negotiation. In the face of the improvements, the reasoning gap tasks had a more significant impact on encouraging the negotiation of meaning and increasing the number of conversational frequencies every session. The findings also indicated both task types could help learners significantly improve their speaking accuracy. Here, applying the reasoning gap tasks was more effective than the information gap tasks in improving the level of learners’ speaking accuracy.

Keywords: accuracy in speaking, conversational strategies, information gap tasks, reasoning gap tasks

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Authors: Anik Sarminingsih, Krishna V. Pradana

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The failure of flood control system can be caused by various factors, such as not considering the uncertainty of designed flood causing the capacity of the flood control system is exceeded. The presence of the uncertainty factor is recognized as a serious issue in hydrological studies. Uncertainty in hydrological analysis is influenced by many factors, starting from reading water elevation data, rainfall data, selection of method of analysis, etc. In hydrological modeling selection of models and parameters corresponding to the watershed conditions should be evaluated by the hydraulic model in the river as a drainage channel. River cross-section capacity is the first defense in knowing the reliability of the flood control system. Reliability of river capacity describes the potential magnitude of flood risk. Case study in this research is Wulan River in Central Java. This river occurring flood almost every year despite some efforts to control floods such as levee, floodway and diversion. The flood-affected areas include several sub-districts, mainly in Kabupaten Kudus and Kabupaten Demak. First step is analyze the frequency of discharge observation from Klambu weir which have time series data from 1951-2013. Frequency analysis is performed using several distribution frequency models such as Gumbel distribution, Normal, Normal Log, Pearson Type III and Log Pearson. The result of the model based on standard deviation overlaps, so the maximum flood discharge from the lower return periods may be worth more than the average discharge for larger return periods. The next step is to perform a hydraulic analysis to evaluate the reliability of river capacity based on the flood discharge resulted from several methods. The selection of the design flood discharge of flood control system is the result of the method closest to bankfull capacity of the river.

Keywords: design flood, hydrological model, reliability, uncertainty, Wulan river

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Authors: Farhad Ahmadi, Hamed Kimiaee, Fariba Rahimi

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This research study focuses on the effect of different levels and sources of calcium on egg production, egg traits, and calcium retention in laying Japanese quail. The study aims to determine the impact of nano calcium carbonate (NCC) and calcium carbonate (CC) on these factors. The research was conducted using a total of 280 laying quail with an average age of 8 weeks. The quails were randomly distributed in a completely randomized design (CRD) with 7 treatments, 4 replications, and 10 quails in each pen. The study lasted for 90 days. The experimental diets included a control group (T1) with a basal diet consisting of 3.17% CaCO₃, and other groups supplemented with different levels (0.5%, 0.1%, and 0.15%) of either calcium carbonate (CC) or nano calcium carbonate (NCC). The quails had free access to water and feed throughout the study period. Findings: The results of the study showed that NCC at the levels of 0.1% and 0.15% (T6 and T7) improved eggshell thickness, shell thickness, and shell breaking strength compared to the control group. Although not statistically significant, there was an increasing trend in quail egg production and calcium retention in the calcareous shell of the egg in birds that consumed the experimental diets containing different levels of NCC compared to the control and other treatment groups. Quail egg production was recorded monthly for each treatment group. At the end of the study, a total of 40 eggs (10 eggs/replicate) from each treatment group were randomly selected for analysis. Parameters such as eggshell thickness, shell thickness, shell breaking strength, and calcium retention were measured. Statistical analysis was performed to compare the results between the different treatment groups. In conclusion, this study suggests that NCC at the levels of 0.1% and 0.15% can improve the quantity and quality of eggs and calcium retention in laying Japanese quail. These findings highlight the potential benefits of using NCC as a calcium source in quail diets. Further research could be conducted to explore the mechanisms behind these improvements and optimize the dosage of NCC for maximum effect.

Keywords: egg, calcium, nanoparticles, physiology

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Authors: Weeradej Cheewapattananuwong, Keeree Srivichian, Godchamon Somchai, Wasin Phusanong, Nontawat Yoddamnern

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Natural rubber used for traffic devices in Thailand has been developed and researched for several years. When compared with Dry Rubber Content (DRC), the quality of Rib Smoked Sheet (RSS) is better. However, the cost of admixtures, especially CaCO₃ and sulphur, is higher than the cost of RSS itself. In this research, Flexible Guideposts and Rubber Fender Barriers (RFB) are taken into consideration. In case of flexible guideposts, the materials used are both RSS and DRC60%, but for RFB, only RSS is used due to the controlled performance tests. The objective of flexible guideposts and RFB is to decrease a number of accidents, fatal rates, and serious injuries. Functions of both devices are to save road users and vehicles as well as to absorb impact forces from vehicles so as to decrease of serious road accidents. This leads to the mitigation methods to remedy the injury of motorists, form severity to moderate one. The solution is to find the best practice of traffic devices using natural rubber under the engineering concepts. In addition, the performances of materials, such as tensile strength and durability, are calculated for the modulus of elasticity and properties. In the laboratory, the simulation of crashes, finite element of materials, LRFD, and concrete technology methods are taken into account. After calculation, the trials' compositions of materials are mixed and tested in the laboratory. The tensile test, compressive test, and weathering or durability test are followed and based on ASTM. Furthermore, the Cycle-Repetition Test of Flexible Guideposts will be taken into consideration. The final decision is to fabricate all materials and have a real test section in the field. In RFB test, there will be 13 crash tests, 7 Pickup Truck tests, and 6 Motorcycle Tests. The test of vehicular crashes happens for the first time in Thailand, applying the trial and error methods; for example, the road crash test under the standard of NCHRP-TL3 (100 kph) is changed to the MASH 2016. This is owing to the fact that MASH 2016 is better than NCHRP in terms of speed, types, and weight of vehicles and the angle of crash. In the processes of MASH, Test Level 6 (TL-6), which is composed of 2,270 kg Pickup Truck, 100 kph, and 25 degree of crash-angle is selected. The final test for real crash will be done, and the whole system will be evaluated again in Korea. The researchers hope that the number of road accidents will decrease, and Thailand will be no more in the top tenth ranking of road accidents in the world.

Keywords: LRFD, load and resistance factor design, ASTM, american society for testing and materials, NCHRP, national cooperation highway research program, MASH, manual for assessing safety hardware

Procedia PDF Downloads 128

Authors: Fengqing Li, Petra Schneider

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Failure of tailings management facilities (TMF) of radioactive residues is an enormous challenge worldwide and can result in major catastrophes. Particularly in transboundary regions, such failure is most likely to lead to international conflict. This risk occurs in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, where the current major challenge is the quantification of impacts due to pollution from uranium legacy sites and especially the impact on river basins after natural hazards (i.e., landslides). By means of GoldSim, a probabilistic simulation model, the amount of tailing material that flows into the river networks of Mailuu Suu in Kyrgyzstan after pond failure was simulated for three scenarios, namely 10%, 20%, and 30% of material inputs. Based on Muskingum-Cunge flood routing procedure, the peak value of uranium flood wave along the river network was simulated. Among the 23 TMF, 19 ponds are close to the river networks. The spatiotemporal distributions of uranium along the river networks were then simulated for all the 19 ponds under three scenarios. Taking the TP7 which is 30 km far from the Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan border as one example, the uranium concentration decreased continuously along the longitudinal gradient of the river network, the concentration of uranium was observed at the border after 45 min of the pond failure and the highest value was detected after 69 min. The highest concentration of uranium at the border were 16.5, 33, and 47.5 mg/L under scenarios of 10%, 20%, and 30% of material inputs, respectively. In comparison to the guideline value of uranium in drinking water (i.e., 30 µg/L) provided by the World Health Organization, the observed concentrations of uranium at the border were 550‒1583 times higher. In order to mitigate the transboundary impact of a radioactive pollutant release, an integrated framework consisting of three major strategies were proposed. Among, the short-term strategy can be used in case of emergency event, the medium-term strategy allows both countries handling the TMF efficiently based on the benefit-sharing concept, and the long-term strategy intends to rehabilitate the site through the relocation of all TMF.

Keywords: Central Asia, contaminant transport modelling, radioactive residue, transboundary conflict

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Authors: G. N. Simonian, R. F. Basalah, F. T. Abd El Halim, F. F. Abd El Latif, A. M. Adel, A. M. El Shafey.

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Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) is an anionic water soluble polymer that has been introduced in paper coating as a strength agent. One of the main objectives of this research is to investigate the influence of CMC concentration in improving the strength properties of paper fiber. In this work, we coated the paper sheets; Xerox paper sheets by different concentration of carboxymethyl cellulose solution (0.1, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 3%) w/v. The mechanical properties; breaking length and tearing resistance (tear factor) were measured for the treated and untreated paper specimens. The retained polymer in the coated paper samples were also calculated. The more the concentration of the coating material; CMC increases, the more the mechanical properties; breaking length and tear factor increases. It can be concluded that CMC enhance the improvement of the mechanical properties of paper sheets result in increasing paper stability. The aim of the present research was also to study the effects on the vessel element structure and vessel picking tendency of the coated paper sheets. In addition to the improved strength properties of the treated sheet, a significant decrease in the vessel picking tendency was expected whereas refining of the original paper sheets (untreated paper sheets) improved mainly the bonding ability of fibers, CMC effectively enhanced the bonding of vessels as well. Moreover, film structures were formed in the fibrillated areas of the coated paper specimens, and they were concluded to reinforce the bonding within the sheet. Also, fragmentation of vessel elements through CMC modification was found to be important and results in a decreasing picking tendency which reflects in a good printability. Moreover, Scanning – Electron Microscope (SEM) images are represented to specifically explain the improved bonding ability of vessels and fibers after CMC modification. Finally, CMC modification enhance paper mechanical properties and print quality.

Keywords: carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), breaking length, tear factor, vessel picking, printing, concentration

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Authors: Firas S. Azzeh

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Background: Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin that is necessary for normal growth and development. Hyperuricemia is commonly detected in subjects with abnormal purine metabolism. Prolonged hyperuricemia is an important risk factor for damaged joint and often associated with gout. Objectives: To compare the effect of high dose of vitamin C supplements on uric acid treatment between hyperuricemic and gouty patients in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as well as finding out the effect of vitamin C on serum creatinine level and glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Subjects and Methods: This comparative study started on April 2013 and lasted tells March 2014. A convenience sample of 30 adults was recruited in this study from Doctor Abdulrahman Taha Bakhsh Hospital in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia). Eligible persons were assigned into two study groups; hyperuricemic (n=15) and gouty (n=15) groups. Subjects have been accepted for participating in the study after completing the consent form. Each participant consumed 500 mg/day vitamin C chew able tablets. All participants have been followed-up for 2 months. Twelve hours fasting blood samples have been collected 3 times from each participant during the study period; at the beginning before and retested after each month of the study period. Uric acid, serum creatinine and GFR were measured. Results: For gouty group, uric acid increased insignificantly after 2 months by about +0.3 mg/dl. On the other hand, hyperuricemic group showed decrease (P ≤ 0.05) in uric acid after 2 months of study period by about -0.78 mg/dl. Serum creatinine level insignificantly decreased for all participants during the study period, which leaded to insignificant increase in GFR for all participants. Conclusion: Supplementation with 500 mg/day vitamin C for 2 months significantly reduced serum uric acid for hyperuricemic patients and insignificantly increased serum uric acid for gouty patients. The ineffectiveness of vitamin C supplements on patients with established gout could be related to a number of potential reasons.

Keywords: vitamin c, Hyperuricemia, gout, creatinine, GFR

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Authors: Nicholas C. Rose, Christopher D. Spicer

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The regeneration of damaged or diseased tissues would provide an invaluable therapeutic tool in biological research and medicine. Cells must be provided with a number of different biochemical signals in order to form mature tissue through complex signaling networks that are difficult to recreate in synthetic materials. The ability to attach and detach bioactive proteins from material in an iterative and dynamic manner would therefore present a powerful way to mimic natural biochemical signaling cascades for tissue growth. We propose to reversibly attach these bioactive proteins using ortho-boronoimine (oBI) linkages and related derivatives formed by the reaction of an ortho-boronobenzaldehyde with a nucleophilic amine derivative. To enable the use of oBIs for biomaterial modification, we have studied binding and cleavage processes with precise detail in the context of small molecule models. A panel of oBI complexes has been synthesized and screened using a novel Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) assay, using a cyanine dye FRET pair (Cy3 and Cy5), to identify the most reactive boron-aldehyde/amine nucleophile pairs. Upon conjugation of the dyes, FRET occurs under Cy3 excitation and the resultant ratio of Cy3:Cy5 emission directly correlates to conversion. Reaction kinetics and equilibria can be accurately quantified for reactive pairs, with dissociation constants of oBI derivatives in water (KD) found to span 9-orders of magnitude (10⁻²-10⁻¹¹ M). These studies have provided us with a better understanding of oBI linkages that we hope to exploit to reversibly attach bioconjugates to materials. The long-term aim of the project is to develop a modular biomaterial platform that can be used to help combat chronic diseases such as osteoarthritis, heart disease, and chronic wounds by providing cells with potent biological stimuli for tissue engineering.

Keywords: dynamic, bioconjugation, bornoimine, rapid, physiological

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Authors: Ai Serizawa, Kotaro Mori, Takahiro Ishizaki

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Al alloys have been used as advanced structural materials in automobile and railway industries because of excellent physical and mechanical properties such as low density, good heat conductivity, and high specific strength. Their low corrosion resistance, however, limits their use in the corrosive environment. To improve the corrosion resistance of the Al alloys, the development of a novel coating technology has been highly desirable. Chemical conversion methods using layered double hydroxide (LDH) have attracted much attention because the LDH can suppress corrosion reaction due to their trapping ability of corrosive anions such as Cl- between layers. In this presentation, we report on a novel preparation method of AlOOH film containing Mg-Al layered double hydroxide (LDH) on Al alloy by steam coating. The corrosion resistance of the composite film including LDH was especially focused. Al-Mg-Si alloy was used as the substrate. The substrates were ultrasonically cleaned in ethanol for 10 min. The cleaned substrates were set in the autoclave with a 100 mL capacity. 20 ml of ultrapure water was located at the bottom of the autoclave to produce steam. The autoclave was heated up to a temperature of 100 to 200 °C, and then held at this temperature for up to 48 h, and was subsequently cooled naturally to room temperature, resulting in the formation of anticorrosive films on Al alloys. The resultant films were characterized by XRD, FT-IR, FE-SEM and electrochemical measurements. FE-SEM image of film surface treated at 180 °C for 48 h demonstrated that needle-like nanostructure was densely formed on the surface. XRD patterns revealed that the film formed on the Al alloys by steam coating was composed of crystal AlOOH and Mg-Al LDH. The corrosion resistance of the film was evaluated using electrochemical measurements. The potentiodynamic polarization curves of the film coated and uncoated substrates of Al-Mg-Si alloy after immersion in the 5 wt% NaCl aqueous solution for 30 min revealed that the corrosion current density, jcorr, of the film coated sample decreased by more than two orders of magnitude as compared to the uncoated sample, indicating that the corrosion resistance of the substrates of Al-Mg-Si alloy were improved by the formation of the anticorrosive film via steam coating.

Keywords: aluminum alloy, boehmite, corrosion resistance, steam process

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Authors: Abduladim Maitieg, Mark Johnson

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Developing a coastal oil spill management plan for the Misratah coast is the motivating factor for building a database for coastal and marine systems and energy resources. Wind direction and speed, currents, bathymetry, coastal topography and offshore dynamics influence oil spill deposition in coastal water. Therefore, oceanographic and climatological data can be used to understand oil slick movement and potential oil deposits on shoreline area and the behaviour of oil spill trajectories on the sea surface. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of the coastal and marine physical factors under strong wave conditions and various bathymetric and coastal topography gradients in the western coastal area of Libya on the movement of oil slicks. The movement of oil slicks was computed using a GNOME simulation model based on current and wind speed/direction. The results in this paper show that (1) Oil slick might reach the Misratah shoreline area in two days in the summer and winter. Seasons. (2 ) The North coast of Misratah is the potential oil deposit area on the Misratah coast. (3) Tarball pollution was observed along the North coast of Misratah. (4) Two scenarios for the summer and the winter season were run, along the western coast of Libya . (5) The eastern coast is at a lower potential risk due to the influence of wind and current energy in the Gulf of Sidra. (6) The Misratah coastline is more vulnerable to oil spill movement in the summer than in winter seasons. (7) Oil slick takes from 2 to 5 days to reach the saltmarsh in the eastern Misratah coast. (8) Oil slick moves 300 km in 30 days from the spill resource location near the Libyan western border to the Misratah coast.(9) Bathymetric features have a profound effect on oil spill movement. (9)Oil dispersion simulations using GNOME are carried out taking into account high-resolution wind and current data.

Keywords: oil spill movement, coastal and marine physical factors, coast area, Libyan

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Authors: Kevin A. Droguett, Edwin G. Pérez, Denis Fuentealba, Margarita E. Aliaga, Angélica M. Fierro

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Supramolecular chemistry is a field of growing interest. Moreover, studying the formation of host-guest complexes between macrocycles and dyes is highly attractive due to their potential applications. Examples of the above are drug delivery, catalytic process, and sensing, among others. There are different dyes of interest in the literature; one example is the quinolinone derivatives. Those molecules have good optical properties and chemical and thermal stability, making them suitable for developing fluorescent probes. Secondly, several macrocycles can be seen in the literature. One example is the cucurbiturils. This water-soluble macromolecule family has a hydrophobic cavity and two identical carbonyl portals. Additionally, the thermodynamic analysis of those supramolecular systems could help understand the affinity between the host and guest, their interaction, and the main stabilization energy of the complex. In this work, two 7-(diethylamino) quinoline-2 (1H)-one derivative (QD1-2) and their interaction with cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) were studied from an experimental and in-silico point of view. For the experimental section, the complexes showed a 1:1 stoichiometry by HRMS-ESI and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). The inclusion of the derivatives on the macrocycle lends to an upward shift in the fluorescence intensity, and the pKa value of QD1-2 exhibits almost no variation after the formation of the complex. The thermodynamics of the inclusion complexes was investigated using ITC; the results demonstrate a non-classical hydrophobic effect with a minimum contribution from the entropy term and a constant binding on the order of 106 for both ligands. Additionally, dynamic molecular studies were carried out during 300 ns in an explicit solvent at NTP conditions. Our finding shows that the complex remains stable during the simulation (RMSD ~1 Å), and hydrogen bonds contribute to the stabilization of the systems. Finally, thermodynamic parameters from MMPBSA calculations were obtained to generate new computational insights to compare with experimental results.

Keywords: host-guest complexes, molecular dynamics, quinolin-2(1H)-one derivatives dyes, thermodynamics

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Authors: Morteza Naderi

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The Persian fallow deer was considered as a globally extinct species until 1956 when a small population was rediscovered from Dez Wildlife Refuge and Karkheh Wildlife Refuge in southwestern parts of Iran. After long species rehabilitation process, the species was transplanted to Dasht-e-Naz Wildlife Refuge in northern Iran, and from where, follow deer was introduced to the different selected habitats such as Ashk Island in Lake Uromiyeh National Park. During 12 years, (from 1978 to 1989) 58 individuals (25 males and 33 females) were transferred to Ask Island. The main threat to the established population was related to the freshwater shortage and existing just one single trough such as high mortality rate of adult males during rutting season, snake biting and dilutional hyponatremia. Desiccation of Lake Uromiyeh in recent years raised new challenges to the conservation process, as about 80 individuals, nearly one third of the population were died in 2011. Connection of Island to the mainland caused predators’ accessibility (such as wolf and Jackal) to the Ask Island and higher mortality because of follow deer attraction to the surrounding mainland farms. Conservation team faced such new challenges that may cause introduction plan to be probably failed. Investigations about habitat affinities and carrying capacity are the main basic researches in the management and conservation of the species. Logistic regression analysis showed that the presence of the different fresh water resources as well as Allium akaka and Pistacia atlantica are the main environmental variables affect Follow deer habitat selection. Habitat carrying capacity analysis both in summer and winter seasons indicated that Ashk Island can support 240±30 of Persian follow deer.

Keywords: carrying capacity, follow deer, lake Uromiyeh, microhabitat affinities, population oscillation, predation, sex ratio

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Authors: Bello Muhammad Dogon Kade

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The study was conducted to determine the effect of a treated groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) shell in a complete diet on blood metabolites and microbial load in fattening Yankasa rams. The study was conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm (Small Ruminants Unit of Animal Science Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Each kilogram of groundnut shell was treated with 5% urea and 5% lime for treatments 2 (UTGNS) and 3 (LTGNS), respectively. For treatment 4 (ULTGNS), 1 kg of groundnut shell was treated with 2.5% urea and 2.5% lime, but the shell in treatment 1 was not treated (UNTGNS). Sixteen Yankasa rams were used and randomly assigned to the four treatment diets with four animals per treatment in a completely randomized design (CRD). The diet was formulated to have 14% crude protein (CP) content. Rumen fluid was collected from each ram at the end of the experiment at 0 and 4 hours post-feeding. The samples were then put in a 30 ml bottle and acidified with 5 drops of concentrated sulphuric (0.1N H₂SO4) acid to trap ammonia. The results of the blood metabolites showed that the mean values of NH₃-N differed significantly (P<0.05) among the treatment groups, with rams in the ULTGNS diet having the highest significant value (31.96 mg/L). TVFs were significantly (P<0.05) higher in rams fed UNTGNS diet and higher in total nitrogen; the effect of sampling periods revealed that NH3N, TVFs and TP were significantly (P<0.05) higher in rumen fluid collected 4hrs post feeding among the rams across the treatment groups, but rumen fluid pH was significantly (p<0.05) higher in 0-hour post-feeding in all the rams in the treatment diets. In the treatment and sampling period’s interaction effects, animals on the ULTGNS diet had the highest mean values of NH3N in both 0 and 4 hours post-feeding and were significantly (P<0.5) higher compared to rams on the other treatment diets. Rams on the UTGNS diet had the highest bacteria load of 4.96X105/ml, which was significantly (P<0.05) higher than a microbial load of animals fed UNTGNS, LTGNS and ULTGNS diets. However, protozoa counts were significantly (P<0.05) higher in rams fed the UTGNS diet than those followed by the ULTGNS diet. The results showed that there was no significant difference (P>0.05) in the bacteria count of the animals at both 0 and 4 hours post-feeding. But rumen fungi and protozoa load at 0 hours were significantly (P<0.05) higher than at 4 hours post-feeding. The use of untreated ground groundnut shells in the diet of fattening Yankasa ram is therefore recommended.

Keywords: blood metabolites, microbial load, volatile fatty acid, ammonia, total protein

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Authors: Sharmin Akhter, M. Salahuddin, Sukalyan Kumar Kundu, Mohammad Fahim Kadir

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Relatively insoluble candidate drug like carbamazepine (CBZ) often exhibit incomplete or erratic absorption; and hence wide consideration is given to improve aqueous solubility of such compound. Solid dispersions were formulated with an aim of improving aqueous solubility, oral bioavailability and the rate of dissolution of Carbamazepine using different hydrophyllic polymer like Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) 6000, Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) 4000, kollidon 30, HPMC 6 cps, poloxamer 407 and povidone k 30. Solid dispersions were prepared with different drug to polymer weight ratio by the solvent evaporation method where methanol was used as solvent. Drug-polymer physical mixtures were also prepared to compare the rate of dissolution. Effects of different polymer were studied for solid dispersion formulation as well as physical mixtures. These formulations were characterized in the solid state by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Solid state characterization indicated CBZ was present as fine particles and entrapped in carrier matrix of PEG 6000 and PVP K30 solid dispersions. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic studies showed the stability of CBZ and absence of well-defined drug-polymer interactions. In contrast to the very slow dissolution rate of pure CBZ, dispersions of drug in polymers considerably improved the dissolution rate. This can be attributed to increased wettability and dispersibility, as well as decreased crystallinity and increase in amorphous fraction of drug. Solid dispersion formulations containing PEG 6000 and Povidone K 30 showed maximum drug release within one hour at the ratio of 1:1:1. Even physical mixtures of CBZ prepared with both carriers also showed better dissolution profiles than those of pure CBZ. In conclusions, solid dispersions could be a promising delivery of CBZ with improved oral bioavailability and immediate release profiles.

Keywords: carbamazepine, FTIR, kollidon 30, HPMC 6 CPS, PEG 6000, PEG 4000, poloxamer 407, water solubility, povidone k 30, SEM, solid dispersion

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Authors: Huyen T. Pham, Nhue P. Nguyen, Tien Q. Phi, Phuong T. Dang, Hy G. Le

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Since the marine environmental conditions are extremely different from the other ones, so that marine actinomycetes might produce novel bioactive compounds. Therefore, actinomycete strains were screened from marine water and sediment samples collected from the coastal areas of Northern Vietnam. Ninety-nine actinomycete strains were obtained on starch-casein agar media by dilution technique, only seven strains, named HP112, HP12, HP411, HPN11, HP 11, HPT13 and HPX12, showed significant antibacterial activity against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria (Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633, Staphylococcus epidemidis ATCC 12228, Escherichia coli ATCC 11105). Further studies were carried out with the most active HP411strain against Candida albicans ATCC 10231. This strain could grow rapidly on starch casein agar and other media with high salt containing 7-10% NaCl at 28-30oC. Spore-chain of HP411 showed an elongated and circular shape with 10 to 30 spores/chain. Identification of the strain was carried out by employing the taxonomical studies including the 16S rRNA sequence. Based on phylogenetic and phenotypic evidence it is proposed that HP411 to be belongs to species Streptomyces variabilis. The potent of the crude extract of fermentation broth of HP411that are effective against wide range of pathogens: both gram-positive, gram-negative and fungi. Further studies revealed that the crude extract HP411 could obtain the anticancer activity for cancer cell lines: Hep-G2 (liver cancer cell line); RD (cardiac and skeletal muscle letters cell line); FL (membrane of the uterus cancer cell line). However, the actinomycetes from marine ecosystem will be useful for the discovery of new drugs in the furture.

Keywords: marine actinomycetes, antibacterial, anticancer, Streptomyces variabilis

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Authors: Ashvinie Thembiliyagoda, Kasun De Silva, Nimal Wijayaratna

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The lowering of the riverbed level as a result of water erosion is termed as scouring. This phenomenon remarkably undermines the potential stability of the bridge pier, causing a threat of failure or collapse. The formation of vortices in the vicinity of bridges due to the obstruction caused by river flow is the main reason behind this pursuit. Scouring is aggravated by factors including high flow rates, bridge pier geometry, sediment configuration etc. Tackling scour-related problems when they become severe is more costly and disruptive compared to implementing preventive measures based on predicted scour depths. This paper presents a comprehensive investigation of the development of a numerical model that could reproduce the scouring effect around bridge piers and estimate the scour depth. The numerical model was developed for one selected bridge in Sri Lanka, the Kelanisiri Bridge. HEC-RAS two-dimensional (2D) modeling approach was utilized for the development of the model and was calibrated and validated with field data. To further enhance the reliability of the model, a physical model was developed, allowing for additional validation. Results from the numerical model were compared with those obtained from the physical model, revealing a strong correlation between the two methods and confirming the numerical model's accuracy in predicting scour depths. The findings from this study underscore the ability of the HEC-RAS two-dimensional modeling approach for the estimation of scour depth around bridge piers. The developed model is able to estimate the scour depth under varying flow conditions, and its flexibility allows it to be adapted for application to other bridges with similar hydraulic and geomorphological conditions, providing a robust tool for widespread use in scour estimation. The developed two-dimensional model not only offers reliable predictions for the case study bridge but also holds significant potential for broader implementation, contributing to the improved design and maintenance of bridge structures in diverse environments.

Keywords: piers, scouring, HEC-RAS, physical model

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Authors: Kebede Mengistu, Kassahun Alemu, Bikes Destaw

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Introduction: Malnutrition continues to be a major public health problem in developing countries. It is the most important risk factor for the burden of diseases. It causes about 300, 000 deaths per year and responsible for more than half of all deaths in children. In Ethiopia, child malnutrition rate is one of the most serious public health problem and the highest in the world. High malnutrition rates in the country pose a significant obstacle to achieving better child health outcomes. Objective: To assess prevalence of malnutrition and associated factors among children aged 6-59 months at Hidabu Abote district, North shewa, Oromia. Methods: A community based cross sectional study was conducted on 820 children aged 6-59 months from September 8-23, 2012 at Hidabu Abote district. Multistage sampling method was used to select households. Children were selected from each kebeles by simple random sampling. Anthropometric measurements and structured questioners were used. Data was processed using EPi-info soft ware and exported to SPSS for analysis. Then after, sex, age, months, height, and weight transferred with HHs number to ENA for SMART 2007software to convert nutritional data into Z-scores of the indices; H/A, W/H and W/A. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to identify associated factors of malnutrition. Results: The analysis this study revealed that, 47.6%, 30.9% and 16.7% of children were stunted, underweight and wasted, respectively. The main associated factors of stunting were found to be child age, family monthly income, children were received butter as pre-lacteal feeding and family planning. Underweight was associated with number of children HHs and children were received butter as per-lacteal feeding but un treatment of water in HHs only associated with wasting. Conclusion and recommendation: From the findings of this study, it is concluded that malnutrition is still an important problem among children aged 6-59 months. Therefore, especial attention should be given on intervention of malnutrition.

Keywords: children, Hidabu Abote district, malnutrition, public health

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Authors: Laurent Pitteloud, Jörg Meier

Abstract:

Piled raft foundations represent an efficient and reliable technique for transferring high vertical and horizontal loads to the subsoil. Piled raft foundations were success­fully implemented for several high-rise buildings world­wide over the last decades. For the structural design of this foundation type the stiffnesses of both the piles and the raft have to be deter­mined for the static (e.g. dead load, live load) and the dynamic load cases (e.g. earthquake). In this context the question often arises, to which proportion wind loads are to be considered as dynamic loads. Usually a piled raft foundation has to be monitored in order to verify the design hypotheses. As an additional benefit, the analysis of this monitoring data may lead to a better under­standing of the behaviour of this foundation type for future projects in similar subsoil conditions. In case the measurement frequency is high enough, one may also draw conclusions on the effect of wind loading on the piled raft foundation. For a 41-storey office building in Basel, Switzerland, the preliminary design showed that a piled raft foundation was the best solution to satisfy both design requirements, as well as economic aspects. A high-frequency monitoring of the foundation including pile loads, vertical stresses under the raft, as well as pore water pressures was performed over 5 years. In windy situations the analysis of the measure­ments shows that the pile load increment due to wind consists of a static and a cyclic load term. As piles and raft react with different stiffnesses under static and dynamic loading, these measure­ments are useful for the correct definition of stiffnesses of future piled raft foundations. This paper outlines the design strategy and the numerical modelling of the aforementioned piled raft foundation. The measurement results are presented and analysed. Based on the findings, comments and conclusions on the definition of pile and raft stiffnesses for vertical and wind loading are proposed.

Keywords: design, dynamic, foundation, monitoring, pile, raft, wind load

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Authors: Daniel Herrera Gonzalez, Maria Luisa Montas

Abstract:

There are some factors affecting consumer decision-making regarding the use of the front of package labels in order to find benefits to the well-being of the human being. Currently, there are several labels that help influence or change the purchase decision for food products. These labels communicate the impact that food has on human health; therefore, consumers are more critical and intelligent when buying and consuming food products. The research explores the association between front-of-pack labeling and food choice; the association between label content and purchasing decisions is complex and influenced by different factors, including the packaging itself. The main objective of this study was to examine the perception of health labels and nutritional declarations and their influence on buying decisions in the non-alcoholic beverages sector. This comparative study of two developing countries will show how consumers take nutritional labels into account when deciding to buy certain foods. This research applied a quantitative methodology with correlational scope. This study has a correlational approach in order to analyze the degree of association between variables. Likewise, the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) method and structural equation modeling (SEM) as a powerful multivariate technique was used as statistical technique to find the relationships between observable and unobservable variables. The main findings of this research were the obtaining of three large groups and their perception and effects on nutritional and wellness labels. The first group is characterized by taking an attitude of high interest on the issue of the imposition of the nutritional information label on products and would agree that all products should be packaged given its importance to preventing illnesses in the consumer. Likewise, they almost always care about the brand, the size, the list of ingredients, and nutritional information of the food, and also the effect of these on health. The second group stands out for presenting some interest in the importance of the label on products as a purchase decision, in addition to almost always taking into account the characteristics of size, money, components, etc. of the products to decide on their consumption and almost always They are never interested in the effect of these products on their health or nutrition, and in group 3, it differs from the others by being more neutral regarding the issue of nutritional information labels, and being less interested in the purchase decision and characteristics of the product and also on the influence of these on health and nutrition. This new knowledge is essential for different companies that manufacture and market food products because they will have information to adapt or anticipate the new laws of developing countries as well as the new needs of health-conscious consumers when they buy food products.

Keywords: healthy labels, consumer behavior, nutritional information, healthy products

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Authors: Armin Bodaghkhani, Bruce Colbourne, Yuri S. Muzychka

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The process of spray-cloud formation and flow kinematics produced from breaking wave impact on vertical and slant lab-scale bow-shaped models were experimentally investigated. Bubble Image Velocimetry (BIV) and Image Processing (IP) techniques were applied to study the various types of wave-model impacts. Different wave characteristics were generated in a tow tank to investigate the effects of wave characteristics, such as wave phase velocity, wave steepness on droplet velocities, and behavior of the process of spray cloud formation. The phase ensemble-averaged vertical velocity and turbulent intensity were computed. A high-speed camera and diffused LED backlights were utilized to capture images for further post processing. Various pressure sensors and capacitive wave probes were used to measure the wave impact pressure and the free surface profile at different locations of the model and wave-tank, respectively. Droplet sizes and velocities were measured using BIV and IP techniques to trace bubbles and droplets in order to measure their velocities and sizes by correlating the texture in these images. The impact pressure and droplet size distributions were compared to several previously experimental models, and satisfactory agreements were achieved. The distribution of droplets in front of both models are demonstrated. Due to the highly transient process of spray formation, the drag coefficient for several stages of this transient displacement for various droplet size ranges and different Reynolds number were calculated based on the ensemble average method. From the experimental results, the slant model produces less spray in comparison with the vertical model, and the droplet velocities generated from the wave impact with the slant model have a lower velocity as compared with the vertical model.

Keywords: spray charachteristics, droplet size and velocity, wave-body interactions, bubble image velocimetry, image processing

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Authors: Ghiwa Dandach

Abstract:

By challenging the anti-failure bias and contributing to the theoretical territory of the attribution theory, this thesis develops a comprehensive process for entrepreneurial learning from failure. The practical implication of the findings suggests assisting entrepreneurs (current, failing, and nascent) in effectively anticipating and reflecting upon failure. Additionally, the process is suggested to enhance the level of institutional and private (accelerators and financers) support provided to entrepreneurs, the implications of which may improve future opportunities for entrepreneurial success. Henceforth, exploring learning from failure is argued to impact the potential survival of future ventures, subsequently revitalizing the economic contribution of entrepreneurship. This learning process can be enhanced with the cognitive development of causal ascriptions for failure, which eventually impacts learning outcomes. However, the mechanism with which entrepreneurs make sense of failure, reflect on the journey, and transform experience into knowledge is still under-researched. More specifically, the cognitive process of failure attribution is under-explored, majorly in the context of developing economies, calling for a more insightful understanding on how entrepreneurs ascribe failure. Responding to the call for more thorough research in such cultural contexts, this study expands the understanding of the dimensions of failure attributions as perceived by entrepreneurs and the impact of these dimensions on learning outcomes in the Lebanese context. The research adopted the exploratory interpretivism paradigm and collected data from interviews with industry experts first, followed by narratives of entrepreneurs using the qualitative multimethod approach. The holistic and categorical content analysis of narratives, preceded by the thematic analysis of interviews, unveiled how entrepreneurs ascribe failure by developing minor and major dimensions of each failure attribution. The findings have also revealed how each dimension impacts the learning from failure when accompanied by emotional resilience. The thesis concludes that exploring in-depth the dimensions of failure attributions significantly determines the level of learning generated. They are moving beyond the simple categorisation of ascriptions as primary internal or external unveiled how learning may occur with each attribution at the individual, venture, and ecosystem levels. This has further accentuated that a major internal attribution of failure combined with a minor external attribution generated the highest levels of transformative and double-loop learning, emphasizing the role of personal blame and responsibility on enhancing learning outcomes.

Keywords: attribution, entrepreneurship, reflection, sense-making, emotions, learning outcomes, failure, exit

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Authors: Anand Malik

Abstract:

The Himalayas with high tectonic activities poses a great threat to human life and property. Climate change is another reason which triggering extreme events multiple fold effect on high mountain glacial environment, rock falls, landslides, debris flows, flash flood and snow avalanches. One such extreme event of cloud burst along with breach of moraine dammed Chorabri Lake occurred from June 14 to June 17, 2013, triggered flooding of Saraswati and Mandakini rivers in the Kedarnath Valley of Rudraprayag district of Uttrakhand state of India. As a result, huge volume of water with its high velocity created a catastrophe of the century, which resulted into loss of large number of human/animals, pilgrimage, tourism, agriculture and property. Thus a comprehensive assessment of debris flow hazards requires GIS-based modeling using numerical methods. The aim of present study is to focus on analysis and mapping of debris flow movements using geospatial data with flow-r (developed by team at IGAR, University of Lausanne). The model is based on combined probabilistic and energetic algorithms for the assessment of spreading of flow with maximum run out distances. Aster Digital Elevation Model (DEM) with 30m x 30m cell size (resolution) is used as main geospatial data for preparing the run out assessment, while Landsat data is used to analyze land use land cover change in the study area. The results of the study area show that model can be applied with great accuracy as the model is very useful in determining debris flow areas. The results are compared with existing available landslides/debris flow maps. ArcGIS software is used in preparing run out susceptibility maps which can be used in debris flow mitigation and future land use planning.

Keywords: debris flow, geospatial data, GIS based modeling, flow-R

Procedia PDF Downloads 273

Authors: Deanne McArthur, Melinda Wall, Claire Hanlon, Dana Agnolin, Krista Davis, Melanie Dennis, Elizabeth Glidden, Anne Marie Smith, Claudette Thomson

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In Canada, as prevalence rates and severity of illness have increased among patients suffering from eating disorders, wait times have grown substantially. Patients in Canada often face wait times in excess of 12 months. It is known that delaying treatment for eating disorders contributes to poor patient outcomes and higher rates of symptom relapse. Improving interim services for adult patients awaiting outpatient treatment is a priority for an outpatient eating disorders clinic in Ontario, Canada. The clinical setting currently provides care for adults diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. At present, the only support provided while patients are on the waitlist consists of communication with primary care providers regarding parameters for medical monitoring. The significance of this study will be to test the feasibility, acceptability and efficacy of an intervention to support adult patients awaiting outpatient eating disorder treatment for anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. Methods: An intervention including psychoeducation, supportive resources, self-monitoring, and auxiliary referral will be pilot-tested with a group of patients in the summer of 2022 and detailed using a prospective cohort case study research design. The team will host patient focus groups in May 2022 to gather input informing the content of the intervention. The intervention will be pilot tested with newly-referred patients in June and July 2022. Patients who participate in the intervention will be asked to complete a survey evaluating the utility of the intervention and for suggestions, they may have for improvement. Preliminary findings describing the existing literature pertaining to waitlist interventions for patients with eating disorders, data gathered from the focus groups and early pilot testing results will be presented. Data analysis will continue throughout 2022 and early 2023 for follow-up publication and presentation in the summer of 2023. The aim of this study is to contribute to the body of knowledge pertaining to providing interim support to those patients waiting for treatment for eating disorders and, by extension, to improve outcomes for this population.

Keywords: eating disorders, waitlist management, intervention study, pilot test

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Authors: S. A. El-Marasy, S. A. El Awdan, R. M. Abd-Elsalam

Abstract:

This study aimed to investigate the possible neuroprotective effect of chrysin on thioacetamide (TAA)-induced hepatic encephalopathy in rats. Also, the effect of chrysin on motor impairment, cognitive deficits, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, apoptosis and histopathological damage was assessed. Male Wistar rats were randomly allocated into five groups. The first group received the vehicle (distilled water) for 21 days and is considered as normal group. While the second one received intraperitoneal dose of TAA (200 mg/kg) at three alternative days during the third week of the experiment to induce HE and is considered as control group. The other three groups were orally administered chrysin for 21 days (25, 50, 100 mg/kg) and starting from day 17; rats received intraperitoneal dose of TAA (200 mg/kg) at three alternative days. Then behavioral, biochemical, histopathological and immunohistochemical analyses were assessed. Then behavioral, biochemical, histopathological and immunohistochemical analyses were assessed. Chrysin reversed TAA-induced motor coordination in rotarod test, cognitive deficits in object recognition test (ORT) and attenuated serum ammonia, hepatic liver enzymes, reduced malondialdehyde (MDA), elevated reduced glutathione (GSH), reduced nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and Interleukin-6 (IL-6) brain contents. Chrysin administration also reduced Toll-4 receptor (TLR-4) gene expression, caspase-3 protein expression, hepatic necrosis and astrocyte swelling. This study depicts that chrysin exerted neuroprotective effect in TAA-induced HE rats, evidenced by improvement of cognitive deficits, motor incoordination and histopathological changes such as astrocyte swelling and vacuolization; hallmarks in HE, via reducing hyperammonemia, ameliorating hepatic function, in addition to its anti-oxidant, inactivation of TLR-4/NF-κB inflammatory pathway, and anti-apoptotic effects.

Keywords: chrysin, hepatic encephalopathy, oxidative stress, rats, thioacetamide, TLR4/NF-κB pathway

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Authors: Jiayue Guo, Lili You

Abstract:

Background: Children and adolescent health are crucial for both personal well-being and the nation's future health landscape. Health Literacy (HL) is important in enabling adolescents to self-manage their health, a fundamental step towards health empowerment. However, there are limited tools for assessing HL among elementary and junior high school students. This study aims to construct and validate a test-based HL scale for Chinese students, offering a scientific reference for cross-cultural HL tool development. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional online survey. Participants were recruited from a stratified cluster random sampling method, a total of 4189 Chinese in-school primary and secondary students. The development of the scale was completed by defining the concept of HL, establishing the item indicator system, screening items (7 health content dimensions), and evaluating reliability and validity. Delphi method expert consultation was used to screen items, the Rasch model was conducted for quality analysis, and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used to examine the internal consistency. Results: We developed four versions of the HL scale, each with a total score of 100, encompassing seven key health areas: hygiene, nutrition, physical activity, mental health, disease prevention, safety awareness, and digital health literacy. Each version measures four dimensions of health competencies: knowledge, skills, motivation, and behavior. After the second round of expert consultation, the average importance score of each item by experts is 4.5–5.0, and the coefficient of variation is 0.000–0.174. The knowledge and skills dimensions are judgment-based and multiple-choice questions, with the Rasch model confirming unidimensionality at a 5.7% residual variance. The behavioral and motivational dimensions, measured with scale-type items, demonstrated internal consistency via Cronbach's alpha and strong inter-item correlation with KMO values of 0.924 and 0.787, respectively. Bartlett's test of sphericity, with p-values <0.001, further substantiates the scale's reliability. Conclusions: The new test-based scale, designed to evaluate competencies within a multifaceted framework, aligns with current international adolescent literacy theories and China's health education policies, focusing not only on knowledge acquisition but also on the application of health-related thinking and behaviors. The scale can be used as a comprehensive tool for HL evaluation and a reference for other countries.

Keywords: adolescent health, Chinese, health literacy, rasch model, scale development

Procedia PDF Downloads 28

Authors: Maria L. G. Lourenço, Keylla H. N. P. Pereira, Viviane Y. Hibaru, Fabiana F. Souza, Joao C. P. Ferreira, Simone B. Chiacchio, Luiz H. A. Machado

Abstract:

Anasarca is generalized congenital edema that is often lethal. The condition is transmitted hereditarily and is autosomal dominant, with a racial predisposition in French Bulldogs and English Bulldogs. This study aims at reporting a case of anasarca treatment in neonates. The fetuses of a one year and six months old, primiparous English Bulldog mother were diagnosed with anasarca during an ultrasound examination performed at the 55th day of pregnancy and, therefore, an elective cesarean section was scheduled to prevent fetal dystocia. At birth, all puppies presented anasarca, and one of the six was stillborn. The newborns presented cyanosis, dyspnea, bradycardia, absent reflexes, low vitality scores (3/10), and hypothermia ( < 32ºC). The weight of the puppies at the time of birth varied between 347 and 373 grams, about 100 grams above the average weight estimated for the breed. Immediate neonatal care was applied with oxygen therapy via a mask, aminophylline (0.2 ml/100 g/PV/sublingual), and slow heating. After 10 minutes, there was a significant improvement in the neonatal parameters. The anasarca was treated with the drug furosemide, administered subcutaneously, at a dose of 0.2 mg per 100 grams of weight, every three hours. The stimulation for urination of newborns was performed every 30 minutes, and weight loss was monitored every 30 minutes. Five grams of potassium chloride were administered orally for every 30 grams of weight loss to counterbalance the loss of potassium caused by the diuretic medication. After 15 hours, the neonates reached the ideal weight for the breed, around 209 to 230 grams. In total, four neonates received five doses of furosemide, while one received six doses. The puppies are currently ten months old, healthy and neutered. Anasarca should not be ignored and is considered potentially lethal and an indication for euthanasia in all cases. Early intervention is of utmost importance for the survival of these patients.

Keywords: Walrus syndrome, congenital edema, water puppy syndrome, puppies

Procedia PDF Downloads 182